Well, this is my first Pokemon fic published. I've tried to write them before, and they've failed, so we won't say any more about that. I'm really better known for my Bionicle Stories on this site (the clue's in the pen name) but after spending the last week rediscovering the joys of Pokemon Emerald, I decided to have another crack at this. I'm combining concepts from the gamed and anime, and probably a few ideas of my own, so if you're confused about anything, just ask. Above all, I hope you enjoy this.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, except for the OCs in this story.

Chapter 1

He could hear the thunderous roar of the crowd, and knew that it was time. The boy rose from his seat in the trainer's lounge, now deserted except for him. His time had come at last. He pulled on his gloves and headed for the double doors, leading into a dark corridor. He began to walk along it, and the crowd's cheers became louder. His pace quickened as they screamed, until at last he was running towards the light at the end of the tunnel. The crowd was in a frenzy as he burst through...

He sprinted out into the Stadium, and for a moment he was like a Buneary caught in headlights. But then the brightness faded and he could see the battlefield, the stands lined with fans who'd come to see his final match as just another challenger. Today, they would see the rise of a new champion. He'd always known it would come to this. It had to. It was his destiny. The speakers burst into life, filling the stadium with the voice of the commentator. "Welcome to the Pokémon League championships! It's been an intense competition this year, but there can only be one winner. Today, the challenger, 'Will' Dynamo, from Mauville City, faces the champion! He's come this far, but is he a match for your champion? There's only one way to find out! This will be a one on one Pokémon fight to the finish! Now, trainers prepare yourselves, because it's time to fight! Let this battle begin!" Will immediately drew a pokéball from his belt, clicking it to expand it to full size. He wasn't worried that it would be a one on one battle because he only needed one Pokémon to win.

"Go, Manetric!" he cried, hurling the pokéball into the sky. Manetric burst out of the ball and landed neatly on the ground.

"And naturally, Will's gone with Manetric. We've seen them battling before at the eight Hoen Gyms and of course the Pokémon League tournament, and they haven't lost yet. Can they go the extra distance to beat this last opponent?" Will and Manetric looked out across the stadium to where his opponent was calling out his own Pokémon.

"Steven only recently reclaimed his title after a few years away from the tournament. Prior to that, his Metagross was a fearsome opponent and I have no doubt that that monster has only gotten stronger. Ladies and gentlemen, Steven and Metagross!" Steven waved to the crowd and Metagross roared at Manectric. Will refused to be put off, despite the type advantage. Instead, he ordered Manectric to use... "Flamethrower!" Manetric spat bright flames at Metagross, and the crowd fell into stunned silence, and as the fire faded, it was broken by applause.

"Of course, we should have anticipated this. Manetric and Will are certainly jacks of all trades! It's this versatility that will make them champions!" Will looked across to see Steven's reaction, and was satisfied to see he was utterly confused. Not many people knew about Manectric being able to learn flamethrower, and Steven was caught completely by surprise. The commentator was still talking... "Is it possible that this boy could be even greater than his grandfather, Wattson of Mauville?"...

Will jerked awake, knowing today really was the day he was going to get his first Pokémon! He glanced over at the calendar for confirmation, and there it was, his 14th birthday ringed by bright red ink. He was about to jump out of bed when he caught sight of the clock-face, and the digital screen that quite clearly read 4:00, am. Groaning, Will rolled over and fell asleep once more.

At the more respectable hour of 9:00, Will woke up to sunlight streaming through his window, illuminating a room that had long ago been clogged by Pokémon books, drawings, photos, models, plushies, posters and even a duvet with Pokémon adoring it. The shelves were full of books ranging from old and tattered picture books to the much more recent Pokémon Trainer's handbooks. On the shelves below were a vast collection of models, some plastic, some clay, some hand-painted, others that were unidentifiable, and ranged from Magikarp to the legendary Groudon, which had pride of place among the other, smaller, models. The walls were covered in posters and drawings of Pokémon, and here the trend varied more towards electric types, especially Manectric. There were also photos, of wild Pokémon found around Mauville and also of Gym battles in the Mauville Gym, along with a picture of Will and his grandfather Wattson. Will barely spared these a glance, except for one in particular, of Will squatting next to a Manectric, presumably his Grandfather's again.

Downstairs, he was greeted by Ampharos and Magneton, his parents' Pokémon. When they were younger, the pair had been a team, often challenging foes to double battles. Ampharos and Magneton had stayed with their trainers as they settled down to domestic life, and Will had grown up with the pair, as well as the numerous other electric Pokémon his family had. And now, Will was going to begin his journey as a trainer, at long last. It was a pity they'd changed the laws about the age when people were allowed to train a few years ago, but in the end it was probably more sensible. Even so, he'd still had to wait a year longer. But he had to put that behind him now, because today was the day! When he entered the dining room, his parents were already there, his father, tall and willowy, and his mother, rather shorter and broader, which was ironic because they resembled their partner's Pokémon. Her hair perpetually victim to the static generated by her Pokémon and the straw-coloured strands could at times resemble bolts of lightning. Will himself had inherited his father's brown-ochre hair, which he wore short to prevent it looking like his mother's. "Well, I've tried to delay this day for so long, but I suppose it's time." She said to Will, and then drew him into a tight embrace. "If you want to come home, just call, okay honey?"

"Mum!" Will moaned, struggling away. "I'll be fine, really. I'm fourteen; I can take care of myself. And I'll have my Pokémon with me too, so there's really nothing to worry about."

"I'm your mother; it's my job to worry." She told him, laughing. "I suppose you'll want to go right away, just like we did." She looked over at his father at this point, and he blushed.

"At least you stopped for us to say goodbye, unlike myself. You have got everything, haven't you?" He asked cautiously.

"ID, Pokédex, Pokéball, map, trainer's manuals... yes, that's everything. Thanks, Mum, Dad. Right, I'll be on my way then. Bye!" he said, running to the front door and wrenching it open. He was on his way when his father called after him,

"Will!"

"Yes?" Will asked, skidding to a halt and looking over his shoulder.

"Your granddad wants to see you before you set off."

"Right, okay then. Bye!" Will called, setting off again.

"And call us when you get your Pokémon!"

"Alright, fine!" Will cried, exasperated. This time, he managed to get away without further interruption.

Will knew exactly where to find his grandfather, and his suspicions were proved correct as he approached the glass doors at the front of the Mauville Gym and they swung open to admit him. The lights weren't on yet, but the skylights created patches of filtered sunlight, and dust lazily floated through them like Jumpluff on a summer's breeze. They could often be seen high in the skies over Hoen, but because of Hoen's tropical climate, there were never any cold currents, so they never landed. Will carefully stepped over a tripwire placed in his path, and Will found Wattson setting up yet more traps for unsuspecting Trainers. "Hi granddad." Will said, and Wattson spun round.

"Will, my boy! How are you? I hope you weren't going to set off without coming to see me. Admittedly, I was rather hoping you'd miss the tripwire... still, never mind."

"You'll have to do better than that to catch me, Granddad." Will teased. It was thing they had, a battle of wits every time Will entered the gym.

"Oh, I like a challenge." Wattson retorted slyly, tapping his nose. "I'll get you one day."

"I'm sure you will, if you keep trying." Will chuckled.

"Yes. But that's not why I wanted to see you. I wanted to tell you something." Wattson exclaimed. Will leaned forward intently.

"What is it, granddad?" he asked, curious.

"Well, let's just say I have something to give you." Wattson said. Will looked around expectantly, but Wattson didn't seem to have anything with him.

"So where is this 'thing'?" Will inquired.

"What? Oh, you're not getting it yet. Come back after you've beat two gyms. If you can defeat me, you can have it."

"What! I wanna know now!" Will protested, but Wattson just laughed.

"You'll enjoy it so much more if you've worked hard for it. It'll be well worth the weight, I can guarantee it." Wattson said mysteriously.

"Oh, this isn't fair! Stop talking about it, it'll make me want it more!" Will cried, backing away with his hands over his ears, but he was laughing.

"'Tis a most wondrous thing, 'tis indeed." Wattson persisted, and Will backed away further.

"Stop, please, stop!" Will said, backing away further still. There was a glint in Wattson's eyes.

"And what I've got is..."

"Enou-yaah!" Will cried, finally backing into the tripwire, giving him a mild shock.

"You! Hah-hah!" Wattson crowed, victorious, as Will left. "Good luck Will, have a good trip!" and chuckling at the retreating figure, Wattson returned to his traps.

The life of travelling may have seemed glamorous before, but after several days trekking, Will was exhausted. Now he was passing through Petalburg Woods, and he suspected that all that kept him going was the thought of a soft bed in the Pokémon centre. It was getting dark now, and a rustle in the nearby trees made sure he didn't linger to appreciate the beauty of the forest by night. He could see open ground ahead, and forged ahead. He was nearly there now.

Later still, well rested, he left the Pokémon centre; determine to reach Littleroot Town before nightfall, he set off as the sun was still climbing and the last tinges of red were fading from the sky. Fortunately, it was a short distance from Petalburg to Oldale, and an even shorter distance from there to New Bark Town. Even so, it wasn't until late afternoon, almost evening, that he stumbled into the small town of Littleroot. And even later still when he finally found the laboratory of Professor Birch, a converted barn from the bygone days when Littleroot was a rural farming village.

The barn was surrounded by a low stone wall and an overgrowing garden, presumably to encourage wild Pokémon to live there. There was even a pond, filled with pondweed and what looked like Poli-spawn. Will trudged up the gravel path, hoping that the Professor was in the lab today. He was apparently almost never present. Will was suddenly hit by spray of water, coming from his right. Spinning round, he saw a small blue face peeping out at him from the pond, a large blue fin jutting from the top and orange spikes from the sides. "Hey! Shoo, bad Pokémon, go!" Will yelled, shaking his fist at the creature. The Mudkip made a noise that sounded to Will like an evil cackle, and then it sank out of sight, into the depths of the pond. Fuming, Will stomped towards the lab.

Professor Birch turned out to be a middle-aged man, possibly in his early forties if Will had to guess, slightly overweight and with messy hair that seemed to frame his face. He was wearing a dirty laboratory coat over a navy-blue shirt, cargo shorts and sandals, rather casual attire for a Pokémon researcher, in Will's opinion. He was talking to an aide about something or other. Will coughed, and Birch looked round at the trainer. "Oh... Hello there."

He said. He seemed to be embarrassed about something.

"Hi. I'm... I'm here for my first Pokémon...?" Will replied, feeling rather nervous now the time had come at last.

"Ah, yes, right, I see. Well, um... the thing is, today was rather busy, and all the starters have been taken by trainers already. Perhaps if you come by tomorrow..."

"But... but..." Will stuttered, horror-struck. No Pokémon? Then... "There was a Mudkip in the pond." He blurted out, and immediately regretted his words. He'd rather no Pokémon than that little demon. Birch seemed to be thinking the same way.

"So you've met him then... well, I must warn you, he's very demanding..."

"What, like high maintenance?" Will asked, silently screaming 'wrong thing to say!'

"No, as in it will demand the very best." Birch replied uncomfortably.

"So yes, like high maintenance?" Will replied, very confused.

"No, no, you misunderstand! Oh, it's so hard to explain..." Birch collapsed into a chair. "That Mudkip is the sort of Pokémon we'd reserve for veteran trainers. It's a challenge. It pushes itself to its limit all the time, and it will push you to yours. Not just in battle either. It will expect the best of you in everything. The best battler, the best morality, the best conduct... it's the sort of Pokémon that will either make you..." he looked Will right in the eye "or break you."

A few minutes later, Will emerged from the lab, Pokéball in hand. 'I must be crazy...' he thought, as he edged closer to the pond, where he imagined the Mudkip was just waiting for him to come back, so it could soak him again. He'd figured he'd be ready for challenges on his quest, but he hadn't considered the possibility that his future partner would be one of them. Especially not because it was trying to squirt him. But if he couldn't take a jet of water, what would he do in a Pokémon battle? So that was why he was now standing on the bank of the pond, searching the murky water for Mudkip.

In actuality, the Mudkip in question had been snoozing in the bulrushes, but the return of the would-be trainer has awoken it once again. It slipped into the water and began to creep along the pond's bottom towards him.

Will, now on alert for the Pokémon, heard the splash as it did so and saw it enter the water. Now, he was watching it slip towards him along the bottom of the pond, apparently oblivious to Will's stare. A triumphant smile spread across his face as he tossed the Pokéball at the creature.

In the pond, Mudkip felt something hard smack into its head fin, and it had a few moments of shock before it was withdrawn to the confines of its Pokéball, at which point the shock morphed into resignation. He'd been chosen again. "I just hope this one's good enough." He muttered to himself. "But I doubt it."

I hate this thing's text editor! I'll also be excepting OCs for the story, but please, keep them at levels the main OCs are likely to encounter if this was one of the games, and include character autobiographies+movesets for the Pokemon.