Hey, guys, this is my newest Pokémon fanfic. This one is the first in a five-part series documenting my two OCs' journey across the four regions and the Battle Frontier. Without further ado, let's get rolling!

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon; Nintendo and Satoshi Tajiri do.

POKÉMON DOUBLE-J ADVENTURES
CHAPTER 1: THE ADVENTURE BEGINS

The sun rose over the Sprout Tower, casting a pinkish light over Violet City. A flock of Pidgey was flying past the huge pagoda, and the streetlights began to dim as their necessity ended. Few would dream of being awake at such an hour; in one house on the north side of the city, however, someone was.

Ten-year-old James Curtis sat on his bed, fully dressed in a red t-shirt and black shorts, unable to contain his excitement. The day had finally come for him to get his first Pokémon and begin his journey across the Johto region; he had waited impatiently for nearly six years, watching in awe as his two older brothers received their first Pokémon. Now it was his turn, and he couldn't sleep, not while his first Pokémon was waiting for him.

He looked around the room, his hawk-like blue-gray eyes searching through the half-light. A black Pokégear sat on the nightstand, and his gray pack hung by its shoulder strap on the back of his desk chair, already stocked and ready to go. Books and Pokémon manuals were stacked on the desk, looking ready to fall at any moment. The generally disorganized room was mainly due to James' frantic preparations the night before, trying to get everything ready before he went to sleep; if it hadn't been for his mother's scolding, he'd never have even thought of going to bed at all.

Eventually, he decided he'd had enough of sitting around, and put his Pokégear onto his right wrist, checking to make sure it was tightly secured, then crossed the room and started to swing his bag over his shoulder. Upon looking at the clock, though, he stopped himself; the clock read six thirty, and he knew that his mother would be really annoyed if she found him up that early. He may be energetic, she had said, but that was no excuse for being awake at that time in the morning. He put the bag down and sat down on the chair, running a hand through his choppy dark brown hair and willing the time to speed up so he could finally get going.

A soft knock on the door broke him from his thoughts, and he went and opened it as quietly as he could. There stood his older brother Shane, his emerald eyes cutting through the dawn light. Shane didn't look as much like his younger brother, with straight light brown hair and emerald green eyes. Like James, he was fully dressed, wearing white t-shirt under an open, black and white checked flannel shirt and faded jeans. He smiled as he walked in, and sat down on the bed, while James sat back down on the chair.

"Couldn't sleep, huh?" Shane asked, and James nodded. "Don't worry, kid, I was just as excited when I got Chikorita. Remember when Mom was yelling at me to go to sleep the night before, even though she knew I wasn't going to?"

"Vaguely," James replied, a smile crossing his face. "I was only seven, remember?"

"True," Shane said, grinning as well. "So, have you decided which Pokémon you're going to choose? You've been waiting for today since you were four, after all."

"Yeah, I have," James said, "but I'm not telling anyone yet. It's going to be a surprise." He knew it wasn't, though; everyone had pretty much figured out his choice years ago, and he'd simply told everyone exactly what he'd just told Shane. Shane simply nodded and looked at the clock.

"Well, d'you want to get Mom up and grab some breakfast before we go?" the older boy asked. "It's almost seven now, and she wants us to leave by nine, so we're gonna have to move."

"Sounds good to me," James said, and the two brothers left the room, James grabbing his pack as he left. They walked across the hall to their parents' room, and Shane knocked on the door.

"Hey Mom," he said, just above a whisper. "We're up and ready, are you?" The door opened, and Andrea Curtis, a pretty, brown-haired woman, stood in front of them, a half-smile on her face.

"Time to get moving already, boys?" she asked, her smile widening as she saw her two younger sons dressed and ready to go. "Well, I'd better whip something up for you two, then. Considering the amount the pair of you eat, it'll have to be a lot." At the mention of food, the two boys bolted for the stairs, and Andrea sighed and started down herself.

After a huge breakfast of pancakes, eggs and bacon, James and Shane raced out the door for the journey to New Bark Town. Andrea followed them, watching as James slung his bag over his shoulder and prepared to head out.

"I've contacted Darrell and your father," she said as she kissed her youngest son goodbye. "They've both promised to come back home and see your first Pokémon. They might even see your first Gym battle as well, if they can stay that long."

"That'll be great!" James answered, smiling widely. He couldn't wait to show his father and his oldest brother how good he was, and this would be his first opportunity. "I'll see you all when I get back home."

"Take care of yourself," his mother told him, concern filling her emerald eyes. "Keep with your brother until you get your Pokémon, then you can start training by yourself. Shane," she said, turning to her older son. "Make sure James keeps out of trouble. Try not to get sidetracked by any wild Pokémon while you're walking. And come right home as soon as James is all set to go."

"Got it, Mom," Shane told her, embracing her warmly. "Now we'd better get going, or we'll never reach New Bark by this afternoon."

"Go ahead then," Andrea said, releasing Shane and watching the two boys run towards the road. "And be careful!" she called after them, then turned around and headed back inside the house.

As James and Shane hurried down their street, they stopped in front of the house next door. A black-haired girl was standing next to a fence, a small reddish Pokémon next to her. The girl's name was Jennifer Richards, and she had moved with her parents from Snowpoint City in the Sinnoh region a few months before. The two boys slowed, and she waved and jumped over the fence to talk to them.

"Hi, guys!" she said, pushing her hair out of her eyes. Like Shane, she had green eyes, but hers were jade rather than emerald. Her hair was cut short, and the style combined with her jeans and white t-shirt to create a tough-girl appearance.

"Hey, Jen," James answered, grinning slightly. "How's it going?"

"Not too bad." Jen replied with a smile. "My dad and I are about to head over to Professor Elm's lab. Are you two going to New Bark Town too?" she asked, and James nodded.

"I'm finally going to get my first Pokémon," James said, then looked at Jen oddly. "Wait, why are you going to New Bark Town? Don't you already have two Pokémon? You're not getting a third already, are you?"

"Nope," Jen said, grinning as the aforementioned Pokémon ran up to her, out of breath. One had a dark red body with a cream-colored belly and a collar-like black ring around its neck. Tiny embers dripped from its mouth, and a little wisp of smoke betrayed its fatigue. Following close behind was a tiny Pokémon that looked like it had just hatched from an egg. It squealed as it went, and tripped over its own feet when it stopped short behind the other Pokémon. Jen giggled at the Pokémon's antics. "Magby and Togepi are going to come with me to get my own Pokédex down there. I want to be a breeder, so I'm hoping to learn as much about Pokémon as I can. And raising two baby Pokémon is a great way to start."

"If you say so," James said, raising an eyebrow at the two Pokémon next to Jen's right leg. At that moment, a tall, balding man stepped out of the house and shut the door behind him.

"Jennifer, are you ready to go?" the man called as he locked the door. Jen called an affirmative and John Richards walked towards the car. He spotted the Curtis brothers and smiled. "Ah, James and Shane, it's good to see you! How are you?"

"Fine, thanks," Shane answered, a grin crossing his face. "How're you liking Violet so far?"

"It's been wonderful," Mr. Richards told him, his smile widening. "The city is beautiful, and everything's a convenient distance away from here. You're lucky to live in a town like this, boys."

"We sure are," Shane replied, then looked at his watch. "Jeez, will you look at the time? I'm sorry, Mr. Richards, but we have to start walking now if we're going to reach New Bark Town by dark."

"Oh, you're going to the Professor's lab too?" Mr. Richards asked.

"Yeah, James is getting his first Pokémon today," Jen chimed in. James started to say something, but decided that Jen had made the point for him and kept silent.

"Well, why don't you come with us?" Mr. Richards said, motioning to the car. "Since we're all going to the same place, I'd be happy to drive you over."

"We really couldn't..." Shane started to say, but Mr. Richards wouldn't take no for an answer, and two minutes later they were rolling towards New Bark Town.

CHAPTER 2 PREVIEW

James: I'm finally getting my first Pokémon...that's odd, it won't stay in its ball. Ah, who cares? I'm finally gonna get going on my journey, and I'm going to show everyone what I've got! Not only that, but I'm going to try and catch a Pokémon before I finally go home. With Jen by my side, and my starter Pokémon on my shoulder, I can't lose! Next time, in Pokémon Double-J Adventures: James' First Pokémon! Everyone, get Pokémon!

OK, so I'm experimenting a little bit in this story. The preview was (obviously) inspired by the ones for the anime, and I'm looking to introduce the characters as smoothly as I can...but I digress.

That being said, please read, REVIEW (they help keep up my writing morale), and tell me what ya think! Should I expand a bit more? Did I introduce too many characters too quickly? If I did, tell me, and I'll try to fix it next time. SJShark23 going on station.