Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.
Welcome to the first chapter of Pokémon Journey: Sevii Islands! If you're a returning Pokémon Journey reader, sorry for the long wait… and welcome back!
If this is the first Pokémon Journey you've come across, welcome! This is the second story in the series and so, though I've attempted to make it accessible to new readers, you'll probably benefit from reading the first story (Pokémon Journey: Kanto) beforehand. The theme of Pokémon Journey is the story of ordinary pokémon trainers – i.e., if pokémon really existed, what would a pokémon journey be like for your average, run-of-the-mill trainer? Story-wise, this means that the battle with the villainous teams (if mentioned) is something that happens in the background, rather than something the protagonists are actively involved in. I know that it isn't exactly the most appealing premise, but Pokémon Journey: Kanto managed to attract a fair following in its time, so you might as well check out the first couple of chapters.
Anyway, that's the end of my starting speech. Without any further ado, I present the first chapter of Pokémon Journey: Sevii Islands!
Upload Date: 17th January 2016
Chapter 1: Choices
Route 1, Kanto
10:28am, 26th June 2005
The summer sun beat down on the fields and sparse woodland of Route 1 in the south of the Kanto region. There was scarcely a cloud in the deep blue sky. The dark, fresh green of the grass and leaves in the spring had given way to a paler, drier-looking shade. Across the fields, groups of pidgey and rattata could be seen foraging for food, or simply enjoying the pleasant weather.
On one of the dirt paths leading towards Pallet Town, Livvi Weston was walking south. Her pace was slightly brisker than normal; each step was full of barely contained excitement, as if at any moment she would break into a run.
"It's finally time!" she said excitedly to herself as she walked, her brown eyes sparkling. She was slightly breathless, most likely due to exerting herself in the summer heat. Her pink hoodie was tied around her waist: her only concession to the weather. Her pale yellow T-shirt clung to her slightly. She had also retained her blue jeans from earlier in the year. Aside from a portion of her fringe, her chestnut hair was tied back in a ponytail.
She slowed her pace slightly as she climbed a hill and paused at the top to catch her breath. She was now within sight of Pallet Town – just a little way to go now!
It was then that she spotted a boy with untidy brown hair and blue eyes jogging alongside one of the fields. He was wearing black tracksuit bottoms and a thin, long-sleeve top. Its sleeves were dark-grey, while the rest of the top was a brick-red colour. His pokémon followed in his wake. The charmeleon was matching the boy's pace and jogging alongside him. The cubone was close behind, a serious and determined look in his eyes. Behind them, the persian hung back to encourage the pikachu, mankey and paras, who were all looking worn out. At the back, the seel valiantly attempted to keep up with the others. He hauled himself forward with his front flippers at a remarkable speed, though it wasn't anywhere near enough to keep pace with the others.
"Hey, James!" Livvi called out to the boy, starting to run down towards him.
Hearing her, James Burton stopped and looked over in her direction.
"Hey, Livvi!" he greeted her. "I didn't think you'd show up this early!"
"I'm more surprised to see you out training this early!" Livvi replied as she reached him.
"I thought that we might as well do something useful while we waited," James explained, looking back at Charka the charmeleon, Kacha the pikachu, Raenok the mankey, Ayra the paras, Saeloc the persian and Cuba the cubone.
"How are you guys doing?" Livvi asked them as Leytor the seel caught up and slumped to the ground in exhaustion.
The other pokémon responded enthusiastically to Livvi's question.
"Why did you make Leytor take part as well?" she asked squatting down to pat Leytor's head.
"I didn't," James replied. "He insisted on coming along – I think he didn't want to feel left out."
Livvi straightened up and turned back to him.
"So are you ready to set off for the Sevii Islands?" she asked.
"Mostly," James replied unconvincingly.
"Mostly?!" Livvi exclaimed. "Haven't you been looking forward to this? I've been preparing ever since we got back from the Kanto League!"
It had been a good few weeks since James had participated in and been knocked out of the Kanto League, though he was inclined to believe Livvi's claim to have begun preparing that early. During their journey across the Kanto region, James, Livvi and their other friend, Richard Winter, had met Bill, the inventor of the Pokémon Transfer system, and had been recruited to help him out with some, as-of-yet unspecified, task out in the Sevii Islands, an archipelago of islands to the south of Kanto. Today was the day that they were supposed to meet up in Kanto's main port of Vermilion City to travel out to the islands.
"Honestly!" Livvi let out a sigh. "I reminded you about this when I came down the day before yesterday!"
"I had other things on my mind," James replied. "The day before yesterday was my birthday after all."
"Just because it was your birthday doesn't give you an excuse to ignore anything I say to you!" Livvi protested. "Anyway, we should probably get moving if you still need to pack up."
"Agreed." James nodded, recalling his pokémon to their poké balls.
"Are you bringing all of your pokémon with you?" Livvi asked as they started walking towards Pallet Town.
"I'm leaving Cuba behind," James replied. "It'll be easier if I only have to manage six pokémon."
"Poor Cuba!" Livvi sighed.
"He's not getting left out!" James added quickly. "I'm planning on rotating my team members every now and again!"
"That's fine then!" Livvi grinned as they passed the last few fields and entered the outskirts of Pallet Town.
Pallet Town, Kanto
10:41am, 26th June 2005
"I'm back!" James called loudly as he pushed open the front door.
"Sorry to intrude!" Livvi called more quietly, following him in.
"Oh, you're back!" James' mum, Elizabeth, came out of the kitchen to greet them. "That was quick!"
"He needs to finish packing," Livvi replied, a hint of threat in her tone.
"You mean you haven't finished yet?!" Elizabeth exclaimed, looking at James. "I told you to make sure that you were finished last night!"
"I forgot," James replied with a shrug. "I'm going to take a shower now, then I'll finish packing up. I won't be long." He quickly left the hall and tore upstairs before Elizabeth could chastise him further.
"Honestly!" Elizabeth let out a sigh and turned to Livvi. "How are you, Livvi?"
"I'm very well thank you," Livvi replied politely. "How are you?"
"A little down since James is heading off again," Elizabeth replied with a sigh. "Can you do me a favour and make sure that he washes his face every day and cleans his clothes."
"Will do!" Livvi gave a mock salute. "I'll do the same with Richard as well."
"Glad to hear it." Elizabeth smiled. "I'm counting on you."
"I won't let you down!" Livvi grinned back.
"Oh, you're here, Livvi?" James' dad, Patrick, emerged from a room at the end of the hallway and greeted her. "Did I hear James as well?"
"He went to have a shower," Elizabeth replied. "He's holding Livvi up now!"
"Don't worry – at least he doesn't need to pack up!" Patrick grinned.
"He does!" Elizabeth and Livvi replied simultaneously.
"Now that's where you're wrong!" Patrick grinned reassuringly. "Will, Tom and I predicted that this might happen, so we finished his packing for him!"
"You have?" Livvi gave him a surprised look.
"Did you make sure that he has everything that he needs?" Elizabeth asked.
"We packed it like it was when he got back from the Kanto League," Patrick replied.
"Good." Elizabeth gave a satisfied nod before pausing for a second. "But it was a mess when he got back from the Kanto League," she added, an unimpressed look forming on her face.
"At least it's better than him not being packed up at all!" James' younger brother, Will, appeared.
"He's also more likely to figure out where everything is if it's packed like he packed it," James' youngest brother, Tom, added as he walked out of the lounge to join the conversation.
"And it is his bag after all," Patrick added.
"Don't worry, Elizabeth – I'll fix it once we get to Vermilion City," Livvi assured her.
"Thank you, Livvi!" Elizabeth smiled at her. "I can always rely on you!"
"Anyway, what are the arrangements for when you get to Vermilion City?" Patrick asked, changing the subject. "Are you heading straight on out to the Sevii Islands?"
"Depends on Richard and Bill," Livvi replied. "I'm hoping that we can set off this evening."
"Well at the rate James is going…" Elizabeth began.
"Give him a chance!" Patrick laughed. "He's been looking forward to this as well!"
"Do you want me to go and check on him?" Will asked.
"No point," Elizabeth replied. "It won't speed him up."
"I'd be more concerned about Richard," Tom said. "You haven't checked up on him at all, have you?"
"I called him this morning before I set off," Livvi replied. She let out a long, frustrated sigh. "But it seemed like he was in the same state as James."
"How is he getting to Vermilion? Do you know?" Elizabeth asked.
"I don't." Livvi shook her head. "I hope he isn't planning to walk."
"Sorry to keep you waiting!" James bounded back down the stairs, his hair still damp. He was wearing a pair of black jeans and a light grey T-shirt with a long-sleeved, unbuttoned casual shirt with a red, navy blue and white checker pattern and a thin hood attached to the back of the collar over the top. His untidily-packed backpack was slung over one shoulder. Cuba followed at his feet.
"Are you finally ready?" Livvi asked.
"Sorry," James repeated himself. "Let's get going."
"Take care of yourself, James," Patrick said. "And stay safe."
"I will." James nodded.
"Don't cause too much trouble for Livvi," Elizabeth added sternly.
"I will!" James nodded, a cheeky grin on his face.
"You won't!" Livvi scowled at him.
"Make sure you don't die, James!" Tom called to him.
"I won't!" James called back. "Thanks for packing my bag for me!"
"No problem – you owe us now!" Will gave him a sinister grin.
"Whatever!" James called back as he and Livvi walked to the door. "Take care, Cuba!"
Cuba nodded.
James and Livvi stepped out of the house and waved to James' family as they started walking in the direction of the ferry port at the south of Pallet Town.
Vermilion City, Kanto
3:11pm, 26th June 2005
The sun still shone down on the bustling port of Vermilion City, illuminating the distinctive orange roof tiles which adorned most of the buildings in one of Kanto's largest cities. The salty scent of the sea blew through the air in a refreshing breeze as James and Livvi walked down the gangplank and back onto dry land.
"Do you remember how long it takes to get to the pokémon centre from here?" James asked.
Livvi strained her memory back to the last time they'd been in Vermilion City.
"I don't." She shook her head. "Maybe ten minutes or so?"
"I suppose it depends on how fast we walk," James said thoughtfully.
"Don't go too fast!" Livvi replied quickly. "We're already weighed down and I won't be able to keep up as we go uphill."
"Got it." James nodded. He picked up the pace slightly, striding with the briskness of someone knowing exactly where they were going.
Livvi let out a sigh as he started pulling ahead. She increased her pace and caught up with him so that they were walking side by side.
They continued, occasionally talking, but mostly focusing on walking, until they reached the Vermilion pokémon centre on a hill in the northern part of the city.
"It doesn't feel like it's been a month since we were last here," Livvi said thoughtfully as the automatic doors swept open to welcome them.
"I know what you mean," James replied.
The pokémon centre was exactly as they remembered it. Large potted plants lined the sides of the lobby, at the far end of which was the main counter where one handed over their pokémon to be checked up and healed, or could book a room on the floor above with the receptionist. There were three doorways to the right, though two of them led to the small rectangular room containing the videophones. The other one, just to the right of the reception desk, led to a corridor which contained the staircase to the first floor, where all the bedrooms were, while a door on the left at the far end led to an indoor practice arena for pokémon battles.
There were two doorways on the left side of the lobby. The one closest to the entrance led to the trainers' lounge, a large room containing a TV as well as lots of sofas and chairs for trainers to relax on. They were arranged in rectangles with a coffee table at the centre of each group of chairs and sofas. The corners of the room had also been decorated with potted plants.
The other doorway on the left side of the lobby led to another corridor. A small doorway on the left about halfway down the corridor also led into the trainers' lounge. A larger, double doorway led to the restaurant, which consisted of five rows of tables, with each row divided into three large tables. The kitchen was at the back of the large room, with two large gaps in the wall dividing the two rooms positioned at stomach to just above head level through which food was served.
"Should we book a room?" James asked.
"What are you talking about?" Livvi gave him a puzzled look. "We're not staying here tonight."
"I forgot!" James laughed. "I'm so used to us booking a room that I thought of it automatically!"
Livvi smiled. "We're not back to normal yet – we still need Richard to show up."
"We should probably try and figure out where he is," James said. "Bill too."
"We can try calling their homes to make sure they've set off, but if they're on the road then there's nothing we can do but wait," Livvi replied.
"Worth a shot." James set off in the direction of the videophones. After hesitating a moment, Livvi set off after him. James reached the closest videophone and keyed in the number for Richard's house.
The phone rang for a few seconds before a voice answered them.
"Hello?" It was Richard's mum.
"Mrs Winter? It's James and Livvi," James replied.
The camera flicked on and Richard's mum's face appeared on screen.
"James! Livvi! Hello, how have you been?"
"We're fine thanks," Livvi replied. "Has Richard set off yet?" We're already at the Vermilion City pokémon centre."
Richard's mum frowned.
"I'm afraid my disorganised son still isn't packed up yet," she replied.
"Tell then I'll get there tomorrow morning!" They heard Richard shout distantly from off camera.
"They're already in Vermilion City!" his mum shouted before letting out a sigh. "You shouldn't cause so much trouble for your friends!"
"I'm going as fast as I can, but it's getting late!" Richard shouted back.
His mum shook her head.
"I'm sorry about this," she said, turning back to James and Livvi.
"It can't be helped," James replied. "I took a while to pack up as well."
"That's because your family packed up for you while you went out jogging," Livvi reminded him. "Anyway, tell Richard that I'm going to beat him to within an inch of his life when he gets here."
"Will do!" Richard's mum replied. "Take care you two!"
"I guess we should book a room after all," James said as the call ended.
"Let's see where Bill is first," Livvi replied. "I have a bad feeling that he might not have set off either."
"I hope not," James sighed as he typed Bill's number into the videophone.
After ringing for a couple of seconds, their hearts sank as they heard Bill's voice.
"Hello?"
"Hi Bill, it's James," James said glumly. "I take it that you're still at home?"
"That's right." Bill's face appeared on screen. "Why?"
"We're supposed to meet up in Vermilion City and head out to the Sevii Islands today."
"Huh? Isn't that tomorrow?"
James and Livvi quickly shared panicked look before turning back to Bill.
"No, it was definitely today," Livvi replied. "The 26th June."
"Wait – today's the 26th?!" Bill exclaimed. "I thought it was the 25th!"
"It's definitely the 26th today!" James nodded.
"Ah." Bill rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I'm not prepared at all – I'll start packing now and get down to Vermilion tomorrow."
"Fine by us," Livvi sighed. "Richard isn't getting here until tomorrow anyway."
"Sorry about this," Bill apologised. "Speak to you tomorrow." The screen went blank.
"Looks like we were the only organised ones," James said with a shrug.
"You mean I'm the only organised one!" Livvi growled.
"Anyway, we should go and book a room for the night." James quickly changed the subject and headed off towards the reception desk.
9:59pm, 26th June 2005
It was dark in the room. The only light came from the crack under the door leading out into the corridor. It was silent as well, apart from the very distant sounds of heavy machinery in the docks.
James lay awake listening to the sound of his own breathing. From the bunk above, he could hear Livvi's breathing as well. He suspected that she was awake too, but he didn't want to risk waking her up if she wasn't.
The two of them had ended up reading a travel brochure on the Sevii Islands in the late afternoon and had then talked about it over dinner. Consequently, James was now far too excited to sleep. As he contemplated what to do, he heard Livvi shifting around on the bunk above.
"Are you awake, James?" Her head appeared over the side of the bunk. Her hair, taken out of its ponytail for the night, hung down the sides of her face. There was still an active look in her eyes.
"Yeah, I'm awake." James nodded.
"I thought so." Livvi smiled. "You're too excited to sleep too, right?"
"Yeah." James nodded again.
"Do you remember what it was that Bill needed our help with?" Livvi asked.
"I don't, no," James replied. "I just remember that he needed a pokémon trainer for something."
"Since he's an inventor, he probably just needs us to do outdoor stuff," said Livvi.
"I hope we get the opportunity to explore all the islands!" James added enthusiastically. "I can't wait to see all the rare Pokémon the brochure was talking about!"
"Agreed!" Livvi nodded eagerly. "It's a good thing we persuaded Professor Oak to update our Pokédexes to cover all the regions."
"Yeah, the National Pokédex will certainly come in handy," James said with a grin. "Did Richard get his upgraded too?"
"I think so," Livvi replied. "At least, he said he was going to."
"I'm sure we'll find out tomorrow when he shows up." James frowned. "I hope they don't take a ridiculously long time to get here."
"Me too." Livvi nodded. She let out a yawn. "We should probably try and get some sleep." She pulled her head in and shifted around to get comfortable.
"Good night Livvi!" James called quietly.
"Night!" Livvi replied.
James rested his head back on his pillow, attempting to suppress his excitement. Their new journey would begin tomorrow!
I've got a fair bit of information/announcements, but I'll save some of it for the end of Chapter 2.
First up, feedback is greatly appreciated, as ever. I love communicating with my readers and it's rare for reviews of my stories to go unanswered. If you spotted any mistakes in this chapter or have any suggestions for improvements, then feel free to make them – constructive criticism is a big help when it comes to improving my skills as a writer! Also if there are any first-time readers brave enough to start with the Sevii Islands journey, please let me know how you found it!
Thanks go to ZyroGaming69 for his contribution to the cover art.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! And that you'll be moving on to Chapter 2 now! :D
Team Listings:
James' Team:
Active:
Charka (Charmeleon): male, naïve, often scatters things, likes sweet food, fire type, Blaze ability, known moves are Fire Spin, Smokescreen, Flamethrower and Metal Claw.
Kacha (Pikachu): male, modest, sturdy body, likes dry food, electric type, Static ability, known moves are Thunderbolt, Agility, Slam and Thunder Wave.
Raenok (Mankey): male, impish, loves to eat, likes sour food, fighting type, Anger Point ability, known moves are Rock Slide, Screech, Cross Chop and Brick Break.
Ayra (Paras): male, lax, loves to relax, likes sour food, bug-grass type, Dry Skin ability, known moves are Aerial Ace, Leech Life, Giga Drain and Spore.
Saeloc (Persian): female, rash, likes to thrash about, likes dry food, normal type, Technician ability, known moves are Slash, Screech, Bite and Icy Wind.
Leytor (Seel): male, careful, good perseverance, likes bitter food, water type, Thick Fat ability, known moves are Water Pulse, Take Down, Safeguard and Ice Beam.
In Pallet Town:
Cuba (Cubone): male, serious, quick to flee, eats anything, ground type, Rock Head ability, known moves are Bone Club, Double-Edge, Bonemerang and Bone Rush.
Livvi's Team:
Active:
Barru (Bulbasaur): male, timid, highly persistent, likes sweet food, grass-poison type, Overgrow ability, known moves are Tackle, Razor Leaf, Solar Beam (not mastered) and Leech Seed.
Dorru (Nidoran): female, quiet, mischievous, likes dry food, poison type, Rivalry ability, known moves are Fury Swipes, Double Kick, Poison Sting and Crunch.
Cylune (Venomoth): male, modest, proud of its power, likes dry food, poison-bug type, Shield Dust ability, known moves are Stun Spore, Psychic, Poison Powder and Silver Wind.
Evoro (Eevee): male, jolly, alert to sounds, likes sweet food, normal type, Adaptability ability, known moves are Bite, Double Team, Take Down and Quick Attack.
Salea (Chansey): female, gentle, somewhat vain, likes bitter food, normal type, Natural Cure ability, known moves are Softboiled, Refresh, Double Slap and Egg Bomb.
