Chapter 1

Awakening

The sun was rising in the small town of Pebble Beach in the remote corner of the Boulder Kingdom. The air was tinged with excitement for today was the annual Awakening Ceremony for all children who had turned sixth year's old that year. Children from all over the town rushed with hopeful expressions in their eyes; because if today they could awakened their Typing they could enroll in the Pokémon Masters Elementary School and start on the road to becoming Pokémon Masters.

Being the most respected profession in the Kanto Continent, every citizen hoped their children could awaken their Typing to battle the ferocious Pokémon that ravaged their continent on a daily basis.

Today was precisely the day, a young boy by the name of Astrus came of age to get tested. He was a small child with big cute green eyes and long red hair. He lived with his father, a respectable merchant owner of a trading company in town.

Even though through his father's business they make a decent living, Astrus was taught from very little to always get up early and make himself breakfast. They lived in a modest house in the middle of town, just the two of them. Astrus had never met his mother and whenever he asked his father, he would get a sad look in his eye before changing the subject.

Astrus had finished making breakfast for both himself and his dad when his father walked in with a smile on his face. His dad was a bear of a man, muscular with short red hair and blue eyes.

"Hi dad, I made some eggs and bacon today hope you like them." Astrus said with a smile.

His father, Aster, gave him a smile as he ruffled his hair. "Thanks son, but we can't eat right now we have to go to the Town Hall."

Astrus frowned at his dad, usually his dad ate breakfast then went to the company while he read some books or played in the yard. Though since it was his birthday he was hoping to go with his dad to the company. "Why dad?"

His dad snorted. "Today is the day of the Awakening Ceremony to see if you have a Typing, maybe our family will get lucky and you'll be able to become a Pokémon Master."

They made it to the door when Astrus couldn't hold his curiosity anymore and asked. "What's a Pokémon Master dad?"

His dad smiled at him as both walked along the coble stone path towards the center of town. "You know how humanity has been battling Pokémon for the dominion of the continent right?"

Astrus nodded in his books he had read that the Kanto Continent is so vast with many different kingdoms. Due to the vastness of the continent it was home to many ferocious beasts known as Pokémon always attacked cities and towns.

"Well Pokémon Masters are people gifted with the ability to cultivate Mana inside their bodies and battle Pokémon for the benefit of mankind. However to cultivate Mana you need to awaken a Typing. The perfect time to awaken ones Typing is at age six." His father continued.

Astrus didn't get it but if it was something that his dad wanted he would be happy to try it. They had walked for about half an hour and he was already getting a little winded when they finally reached the Town Hall.

The usual empty hall was brimming with people most of the parents were here with their kids in the same hopes as Astrus and his dad. There were so many kids around the same age as him that Astrus was a bit intimidated. He usually prefer to read or play in their house than socialize with other children.

His dad gave him a little push. "Go on, mingle with the other kids while the tester gets here. I'll be over there talking with a few friends."

Astrus walked a little further, he saw several kids playing and laughing. Each of them were telling the other what they hoped their Typing was going to be. Since he didn't know much about it, he just went to stand in a corner.

He could tell they had heard all about Pokémon Masters from their families, some even came from Pokémon Masters families. He wondered why his dad never spoke to him about it, since it was so popular. He never saw his dad do anything out of the norm, maybe he didn't talk about it because he wasn't one.

"Can't this thing be over already? I want to get some sleep."

Astrus jumped at the voice behind him. He turned around and saw a kid bigger than he was with sandy blonde hair and dark eyes lying on the ground with his hand covering his eyes.

"I don't think the tester is here yet, maybe that's why it's taking so long." Astrus said in low voice as he looked at the boy.

The boy groaned as he got up. "What a bother, I could've been taking a nice long nap. Thanks dad." He looked at Astrus as he leaned against the wall.

"I've never seen you before, you new in town?"

Astrus nodded his head. Him and his dad had come to town when he was three, he barely remember living someplace else. A cabin by the beach but the memory was fuzzy he chalked it up to a dream maybe.

"I like you kid, you're not as annoying as the rest of the rabble. I'm Quentin want to be friends?"

Astrus was confused by that, was he insulting or complimenting him. "I'm Astrus and sure."

Astrus and Quentin were both talking amicably as the other kids were running around, yelling and screaming. Suddenly a massive boulder rolled through the middle of the hall at high-speed towards the stage. All the kids suddenly quiet down to stare at the spinning boulder, some screamed and ran to their parents.

The boulder spun on it axis before coming to a stop. A bright light shone showcasing three yellow rings beneath the boulder before it slowly stood up. Where the boulder once stood now was the beefiest man Astrus had ever seen. His arms were size of tree trunks and he could crush Astrus's head with his hand. All the kids were gaping at the man.

He cleared his throat before glaring at the crowd. "Hello, I'm Gustav a rank 28 Defense Type Pokémon Master and I'll be your tester today. Where is your mayor? I don't have all day."

A middle age man with a long beard walked towards the stage with the aid of a cane. "Thank you for coming Master Gustav. I'm Walker, the mayor of this town."

Gustav nodded towards the mayor. "Get the kids line up. I still have two other towns to test after this one and doubt I'll get a single candidate out of this dump."

Astrus frowned at the man, he didn't like the man's tone. Sure their town was a small town but it wasn't a dump. Quentin snorted beside him. "Someone's got an attitude." He yawns and Astrus almost poked him awake.

Mayor Walker frowned at the man. "Well the kids are ready whenever you are Master Gustav. They are very excited."

Gustav snorted. "Well don't let them be, I represent Sapphire City's Blue Flare Academy and on this recruiting trip I've visited over thirty towns such as yours and only manage to find three candidates that meet the requirements."

The mayor wanted to argue but the man in front of him was legitimate Pokémon Master. A little mayor like him had no right to reprimand him. He sighed. "As you say Master Gustav. The floor is yours."

Gustav turned towards the kids and flick his wrist before a table with two orbs appeared out of nowhere. Astrus eyes were bulging, first the man turned into a rolling boulder then he made a table appear out of thin air. What this what Pokémon Masters were capable?

"Alright children this orbs are Mana testing orbs. Mana is the energy that flows through our world and is where us, Pokémon Masters, draw our strength from. The more Mana you accumulate in your body the higher your rank and the stronger you will be. Like everything in our world Mana is divided into one of the eighteen attribute types."

He pointed to the orbs. "The orb on the left will determine what type of Mana is your body most attuned with, while the orb on the right will determined how much Mana your body has once your Typing awakens. According to academy regulations, those with Mana of rank five or higher are eligible to enroll. Now step forward one at a time, place your hand on the left orb then on the right one."

The kids suddenly all got in line. The first one was a chubby boy, Astrus remember he was the son of the town's tanner. The boy put his hand on the left orb, the orb shone brightly with white light before an image of a boulder appeared on the orb.

Gustav nodded. "As expected, due to the high concentration of Rock Mana in the Boulder Kingdom most people tend to awakened to the Rock Type. Okay now let's determined how much Mana you have."

The boy put his hand excitedly on the right orb. The opposite of the left orb, this one barely glow until the number 3 appeared. The boy looked at the number, his expression somber as he ran towards his dad.

Gustav clicked his tongue. "Next."

And so every kind slowly made their way forward, like Gustav had said most of the kids had awakened to the Rock Type with a few exceptions such as ground or steel but none of them made the cut. Astrus was starting to feel depressed for the whole affair. Kids went up smiling then came back down crying.

Gustav was losing his patience as he kept telling the kids to hurry up. Soon it was Quentin's turn, he lazily placed his hand on the left orb and after the light show, the orb shone with the symbol of a fist.

"Well this is a surprise. You're of the Fighting Type kid." Gustav said, his expression showed interest for the first time.

Quentin shrugged then put his hand on the right orb. The orb shone with brighter light than before as the number 8 appeared on it. Quentin looked at it dumbstruck, a yell from the seating drew Astrus attention and he saw a man who looked a lot like his friend fisting the air.

Gustav grinned at Quentin. "Welcome to the Blue Flare Academy kid, you have a bright future ahead of you. Step to the side."

Then it was Astrus turn. He gulped audibly looking at the grinning Gustav. The Master hoped he could get more than one student from this dump but he was content with what he got.

Astrus put his small hand on the orb, he closed his eyes as the light shone too brightly for his eyes. Once he felt the light fade away, he slowly opened his eyes and on the orb was the symbol of a flickering flame.

"Well this is something unexpected. Kid, you're of the Fire Type." Astrus looked at the Master but he found that Gustav was frowning slightly not like he was when Quentin was tested.

He then move towards the right orb and just like with Quentin the orb shone with bright light before a 7 appeared on the orb. Just like his friend he looked at the number with a stunned face.

"Well kid, I have to say welcome to Blue Flare Academy but I don't envy you in the slightest." The older Master said with a serious face.

Astrus looked at him curiously. "Why do you say that Master Gustav?"

"How should I put this? To elevate our rank we Masters trained in accordance with our Type. And Pokémon Masters are very competitive with each other to get the best location and resources that are rich with their respective Mana. Take your friend for example his Mana is of the fighting Type."

Gustave nodded towards Quentin. "To raise his rank all his has to do is trained his body arduously every day and slowly his Mana will increased. Add some martial arts to that and he will be an unstoppable fighter in the future. I'm of the Rock Type so training in a place abundant with rocks like the quarry where our academy is built on, is beneficial towards me. You follow me so far?"

Astrus nodded then asked. "Then what about the Fire Type?"

Gustav looked at Astrus seriously. "Fire Type Masters trained in places with lots of Fire Mana like near volcanos and towards the south where the climate is warmer. Remember what I said about the Boulder Kingdom been a rich source of Rock Mana? Well due to this there's not a lot of places where Fire Mana gathers. To find such places you have to travel towards the Blaze Kingdom where the most powerful masters reside and the abundance of Fire Mana is staggering."

He cleared his throat before continuing. He was grateful to have picked up two students and they were the best of the batch so far the others were only rank five and six. Only one other was rank seven like the kid in front of him. He wanted to prepare the kid mentally for the long road ahead.

"If you decide to become a Pokémon Master then you're journey will be many times harder. The academy doesn't have many resources for your specific Type. But that doesn't mean it's hopeless, once you grow strong enough you can travel to other places. It will just take you a bit longer than other kids." He smiled for the first time, then turned towards the mayor.

"I'll be returning by the end of the week to pick the candidates that want to enroll. See you in two days."

Master Gustav feet shone with the same three yellow rings as before then turned into a boulder and rolled off. Astrus looked at the master leave. He heard what the master had said, he was confused if it was so difficult for him due to his Type why would he go to the trouble of going?

He looked towards his dad who had a peculiar expression on his face before he masked it with a smile then motioned for him and soon both of them were walking back home.

Hello everyone my name is Dusk Falcon but you can call me Dusk. I would like to welcome everyone to my first story and hope you all enjoy it. I've been an avid reader of some great writers here and decided to put my two cents into the mix and see how it goes. Since it's my first time I hope to hear all your thoughts on the story. Both good and bad, so that I can know the strong points and fortified on the weak ones.

Well I'll be brief and say once again Thank You.

Dusk