"Riley come on get up you're going to be late!" I was vaguely aware of the presence that was screaming bloody murder into my ear. I groped around on the bed for my pillow and stuffed it on my head to block out the yelling. "Oh alright fine, just forget your new starter pokémon."
Starter pokémon, oh shit!
I sat straight up in my bed and looked at the face of my mother then over at my clock. 9 O'clock!
"Get out I'm going to be late!" I yelled at her until she left my room before I flung myself across the room, tripping over my backpack, and into the shower.
Today was the day that I was supposed to go to Sandgem town and meet Professor Rowan and receive my very first pokémon. After I had practically burned my skin with the hot water I stepped out dried myself and picked up the cloths that I had picked out yesterday. They were comfortable and wouldn't hamper my traveling abilities.
My outfit consisted of a pair of khaki cargo pants (My story I can do what I want) that my mother had made for so that I could go into the forest with out destroying my other good cloths, and a white sleeveless shirt and a basic pair of running shoes. I grabbed my backpack, yes the one I tripped over, and made my way out into the hall and jumped over the banister since I was too lazy and excited to take the stairs. There wasn't anything in my bag right now except some food, 3,000 dollars that I had saved over my entire life of doing odd jobs around town, some extra cloths, and my journal, and then…no that was about it.
"Finally, now listen you only have about an hour and a half to make it to Sandgem town do you want me to give you a ride?" My poor mother, she wouldn't really know what to do with herself after I leave. She handed me chain with something on it. "It's a scale from your father's Garchomp; he would have wanted you to have it."
"Thanks, I can make it in that time; I haven't gone through as many pairs of running shoes as I have for nothing." I indicated the shoes. She looked down at the floor for a moment before smiling at me again.
"Well, I got you a present." What? I told her not to get me anything. "I don't you didn't really want me getting anything, but I thought you might like this since I didn't spend over five dollars."
She handed me something that looked like a notebook, but had the words sketch diary on the front of it. I smiled when I saw it. It was the sketch pad that I had been eying at Sandgem the other day when I had gone shopping for things with my mom, she had obviously seen me, but I hadn't bought it because it wasn't really that important to my journey.
I had been able to draw pretty good ever since I was a child. "Thanks mom this really means a lot to me."
I put the pad in my bag promising myself that the first thing I would draw would be my starter pokémon. After crushing me in a hug again I made my way through the door and down the road. I didn't look back because I knew that if I did the only thing I would see would be my mother trying not to cry. My father had disappeared not long before I was born and my mother was always afraid that the same thing would happen to me when I would start my journey. She was scared of being in a world where she didn't have anyone.
"Jamie, Jamie!" I stopped when I heard a voice yelling some where to the side of me. There was a woman about the same age of my mother walking around in tiny circles rubbing her forehead.
"Excuse me ma'am, can I help you with something?" She turned to look at me with a concerned expression on her face.
"Well I don't really know you see my son was supposed to leave for his pokémon journey today and I was going to give him this before he left but I can't find him. Knowing him he's already in Sandgem Town by now." She continued to walk in her circle.
"Well I can't guarantee that I'll ever see him, but if you'd like I could give it to him if I ever did see him." I didn't think that she would actually give me the package but she did.
"If you never see him don't worry about it, I won't blame you for it." She gave me a swift pat on the shoulder before walking back towards twinleaf town. I knew her son, because he had once ran into me from running so fast and not paying attention to where he was going. He was a fairly nice kid; but I did think that it was kind of selfish of him to run off without saying anything to her.
I tucked the parcel into my backpack before continuing on my way. My mother had said that I had half an hour before I supposed to meet professor Rowan at the lab. I could totally make it in that amount of time. I stopped on the main route 201 outside the limits of Twinleaf town. I made sure that my back pack was tight on my arms, and then I took off running.
I was one of the best runners in my school. I had even come through a tie with Jamie once, something that no one else had ever done before. I could run for quite a bit of time, but it wouldn't be that long before I'd make it.
Time skip
I wiped my forehead as I stopped in front of the pokémon center in Sandgem town. I had really no need to stop here, but I thought I might be able to find Jamie if Nurse Joy had seen him anywhere. The sliding door opened allowing me to feel the wonderful breeze from the air conditioning unit.
"Oh hello Riley, I didn't know that you were do in today." Nurse Joy said as she spied me walking through the door.
"Today is the day that I start my journey. Listen I was wondering if you'd seen a kid with blonde hair, it defies gravity, and he runs really fast?" I rubbed the back of my head at the description.
"Yes, I saw a boy like that run by here not more than five minutes ago. He looked to be heading to the Pokémon lab." I thanked her and ran out the door and up the giant hill that would take me to the lab. I yanked the door open and ran through.
"Professor Rowan!" I had known the professor since I was a little kid. Apparently he had been some big honcho that had made friends with my dad before he disappeared years ago. Now my mother and I would make a habit of coming to visit whenever we were around.
"Riley, I was wondering when you would get here." I looked up at the voice to see the professor standing on the second floor of the lab. Jamie was leaning over waving at me.
"Hi-ya there Riley, didn't really expect to see you here."
I waved back as I waited for them to come down the stairs.
"I hate to tell you Riley, but Lucas has left my briefcase at the lake as we were visiting there earlier today. It had the starter pokémon in it." Rowan shook his head at the mention of his assistant. I really liked Lucas; he worked here in the lab with the professor and his father. He was awful clumsy though, and very, very forgetful. (okay I did keep this part the same just because I think it's funny how I can make Jamie react to being attacked, Don't think I'm a bad person)
"If you need me to I can go to the lake for you and pick it up?" I was already inching my way to the door.
"Jamie offered to go too, but I'm just not sure. You kids don't have any pokémon, you could be attacked." There he goes worrying again. He's going to get even more wrinkles from worrying so much.
"Chillax Professor Rowan, Riley and me can handle it." Jamie said pumping his fist in the air.
"Then you also realize that when in referral of one's self you say Riley and I, not me." Rowan said sternly as I laughed at Jamie's expression. (I did this to my friend once; I thought he was going to kill meXD)
"Don't worry about a thing Rowan, we can do it." I said, then without another word I dragged Jamie out the door. "Don't pay any attention to what he says. Now come on, I know a short cut to Lake Verity."
Even though he followed with enthusiasm when he saw my short cut he slowed down.
"I don't really think that this is safe." He was actually shaking.
"Well you can take the long way if you want, but I'm going this way." I walked off through the brush and smiled when I heard him stomping after.
Time skip
"That was horrible!" Jamie exclaimed as we stepped out of the grove of trees that surrounded the lake, pulling twigs and leafs out of his hair.
The brown bark of the twigs made me remember the brown wrapping that was on t he parcel. "Oh Jamie, your mom gave me something to give to you."
I handed him the brown package.
"Cool, it's a map of the region, uh, why are their two of them?" I could think of a few reasons. "Well they are great but I don't really need two of them, here you take one Riley. (I kept this part too, because I didn't really know how else to give them maps)
"Thanks." I put the map into my backpack then turned to look around the lake. I spied the professor's briefcase sitting on the edge…right in a huge patch of grass. "There it is. Come on."
We waded through the grass and made it to the case.
"Man this thing is ancient, how long has he had this thing?" Jamie plucked the case from the ground and had to grab it with both hands so he wouldn't fall over.
"At least ten years." The fact of the matter was, I didn't know how old that thing was, but I did know how heavy it was. As I made to help with the case I felt something whiz past my ankles. I looked down into the grass. "Did you feel that?"
"You don't need to be looking down, we have a problem here." My head shot up at his words.
"Oh crap." That was the truth; we were surrounded on all sides by forest pokémon. A shinx jumped up and knocked Jamie to the ground. He dropped the briefcase and it fell open. "Look Jamie, the starters."
"Yeah that's great." He said sarcastically as he wrestled with the shinx.
"I rolled my eyes at him and picked up the pokéball in the middle. I threw it up in the air and watched as a flash released the pokémon inside.
"Chim!" A little reddish orange monkey popped out and jumped around in front of me. I had always wondered what kind of pokémon I should start out with. My mom told me that my father had started out with a turtwig, but I always had the soft spot for fire types; that and there wasn't a whole lot of fire types in Sinnoh. If you started out with Chimchar that was one, and then the only other one was ponyta.
"Okay listen little guy, I know that you don't really know me and I don't know you, but we're in some trouble here and really need your help." I kneeled down and rubbed his head. "Will you help?"
"Chim." He nodded his head and stood in front of me in something that could be considered a battle stance.
"Here we go, let's see what happens." Jamie had picked up one of the pokéballs while I was talking with the Chimchar. A beam of light streamed out of the pokéball and turned into a Piplup.
"Pip." It was obviously confused.
"Well not really my first choice, but it's cool looking anyway." Jamie said oblivious to the Piplup getting ready to cry.
"Uh…Jamie." To late, I thought as the Piplup fell to the ground, its small body racking with its sobs.
"Oh no, hey little guy I didn't mean it like that, come on now I really need your help." Jamie knelt down beside the Piplup and rubbed its back. "Come on pal don't be upset, you're a great little guy."
"Chim!" Chimchar yelled at me to get my attention. The forest pokémon had decided that they had given us enough time and were coming in for the attack. "Chimchar, scratch!"
I was amazed at the young pokémon's eagerness to do what I asked even though we had just met. Jamie and Piplup seemed to be doing about as well as we were. Piplup wasn't very agile, and not very fast, so it was having a little bit of trouble; but nothing that would hold it back significantly.
Jamie and I high fived when the starly left; and while he pulled Piplup back into it's pokéball I let Chimchar ride on my shoulder. "Well that was not how I pictured my morning to go." I said turning to Jamie and helped him with the briefcase.
"Let's just get back to the lab, before we get attacked again." We made our way slowly out the lakefront. We actually used the trail this time.
Time skip
"Thank arceus." Jamie declared. "I don't think I could've gone any farther with this thing."
It was really amazing in my opinion. The only thing in that briefcase was a lot of research papers and a pokéball that I could only assume was a Turtwig. I pushed the door open to the lab and let Jamie go first. He dragged the case over to a table before setting it down.
"Professor Rowan, are you here?" my voice rang out through the lab.
"Oh, Riley, Jamie, that didn't take very long. Um…why is Chimchar riding on your shoulder?" Jamie and I had jumped back when Lucas's voice came from behind us. He had a dozen or so books in his arms that were stacked so high that you couldn't see his face.
"We got attacked by crazy forest pokémon." Jamie threw his arms out wide for the extra exclamation. Lucas laughed so hard that all the books fell into the floor.
"Do I want to know what that sound was?" I turned to face Professor Rowan "Ah, good you have retrieved my briefcase." He walked over and opened it, while Jamie eyed me like he knew what was coming. "I seem to be missing two very important pokémon."
"Well actually sir, Jamie and I kind of already picked our starters." I felt Chimchar drape himself across the top of my head.
"Very well then, I guess that leaves which ever little guy this is to you Lucas." Professor Rowan handed the pokéball to Lucas. He held it out and a turtwig popped out, it looked like it was asleep. "Well let's get you all registered and you can be on your way.
We all had our pictures taken and were given a card that showed us. He gave us each a pokedex and five pokéballs to start with. I turned to Lucas and Jamie.
"Hey, lets travel together, I mean we're all just going to the same places right?"
And so it began. We had no idea that we had just started a chain of events, that would lead to the most amazing meeting of our lives.