Pokemon : A World of New Hope
Fan- fiction written by : Desteny Nunez

Chapter 2 : Promises

The sunlight shines in through the window caressing everything in sight. May rests peacefully in bed but soon a nurturing presences enters her bedroom. Her mother sits down on the bed next to May's sleeping entity. She looks at the plush dropped onto the floor and picks it up examining the Skitty plush. She whispers "What strange creatures, life is definitely going to be different". May begins to mutter and her mother smiles. She moves May's brown hair out of her face " Good morning sweet heart. I hear today is going to be a big day for everyone". The life in May's body slowly seeps back in as she rubs her sleepy eyes. Suddenly, May sits up right " Am i late?!".

"No darling. I made sure to wake you up early today. I know how important this day is for you" she says sweetly.
May looks toward the wall quietly and her mother asks " what is it darling? I thought you were excited? "
May begins to speak softly " I am, it's just I don't want to get my hopes up. If I didn't pass the test it will probably be a long time before I get a Pokemon. The trainer program is my only hope".
Her mother sighs " hmm". she looks up at the posters on the walls " when you really want something, you will go to great length to make it happen. Even if there is a million road blocks up ahead you still try. I know that if this is what you want , you will make it happen. So cheer up and give it a try".
A voice resonates down the hall way and through the door " well if it isn't my kid sister. Deciding to give up already?" Brendan looks at May with a joking smile. His black shirt make his brown eyes pop.
" No way! I have to become the very best! " she says with a newly found energy.

May and Brendan eat their breakfast at the kitchen table. May dives her spoon into her cereal while Brendan twirls his creating a whirl pool in his bowl.
" So the list should be online but i'm heading off to school and to meet the professor. Lydia sent me a message last night. What do you think he's like? " May says interrupting her brother's cereal storm as he looks up to reply. "Probably some scientist type guy. I can't really say until I get to meet him. I'm going to swing by too. The announcement said student trainers should check in with their designated professors. "
"I'm going up stairs to grab a few things before I go". May washes her dish in the sink and rushes up the stairs.

May searches through drawers in her room when her mother comes in "Getting ready?" She asks.
" yeah.." May replies as she rummages through the drawer pulling out a notebook.
Her mother begins to speak as May slips on her running shoes and ties her shoe laces " I know this gift might be pre-mature but knowing you, I know you're probably going to need it one way or another".
Her mom extends a bright red back pack. Its got a black pokeball symbol. May looks up excitedly "Really mom? " her mother smiles "Yes but only if you promise to keep trying for what you really want". May grabs the bag excitedly "of course!" and hugs her mom. The computer screen rings " video connect request ! ".

May looks at her mom "It's probably Lydia, she's waiting for me". Her mom walks out and May accepts the video call. Lydia's face appears on the screen, her blonde hair invading her face. "hey I'm getting ready to leave. I'll meet you in front of school! Be ready. " May nods.

May grabs her bag and sprints out of the room, down the stairs, and grabs her bike from the front yard. She begins to cycle to school.

-–—-

" Professor Mendick!" Carlene calls down a hallway. Her soft voice carries. Mendick turns around wearing his usual white lab coat. His brown eyes look youthful. He smiles at his assistant "Good morning Carlene, I hope you rested well last night. We've got lots of work ahead. I just got off the phone with the airline , we'll be on our way by the end of the week".
" Is it finished already?" She asks him excitedly.
" It's almost finished, there are things we need to prepare. I'm sure the labs can handle distribution without a hitch. We've been preparing for a long time. We won't be needed for a while".
Carlene looks up at Mendick " The Lab check in's all report everything is good on their ends.".
Mendick slides a keycard through a door and waits for his assistant to go in first. He walks up to a desk and grabs a folder. As he shuffles through the papers within he looks at Carlene and asks " The Transfer System? Is it up and running?".
Carlene grabs a paper from her purse " Professor Winston , he is reporting the Transfer System to be functional. He left it under the care of a Lab technician while he is away".
Mendick raises his eyebrow and looks at Carlene intently " Away?".
" Yes sir, it seems Professor Winston has chosen to visit a town, he wishes to see the distribution first hand. He volunteered at one of the labs and has told his aids all to contact him in any emergency as he studies the Transfer System at work".
" Very well. I don't blame Winston for wanting to witness things for himself. Winston has worked this project from the beginning. He called me a mad man for my ideas but praised them anyway". The two smile at each other.

Lydia stands in front of a building, she waves gleefully at May. May ties her bike to rails. Lydia looks at May " Today is the day ! Lets go! ". May half heartedly says " well here goes nothing".

Standing before a giant group of people looking at lists on a wall. May squeezes through people and makes her way to the front. She searches restlessly for her name. As she searches she realizes lots of people are leaving , most with excited cries and a few with groans. She begins to get worried. She searches harder and harder. Lydia cries out "I'm in!". To May's dismay she feels even worse now. She drops onto the floor .. " I can't find me!". Lydia rushes to her aid. " none sense! Even if you didn't make it , it would say ". Lydia glides her finger up and down the list " aha! There you are!". May stands up excitedly, her legs feel like jellyfish " where?! where?!".

Lydia mumbles " umm...hmm well."
May snaps " well what?!".
Lydia looks at May with empathy " It looks like you've been umm..".
May begins to get worried " what? Did I make it?"
Lydia looks up at the sky " well you made it ...but ".
May looks at her name , Class D written by it" but what?..wait I made it?! ".
" well you see you passed but your score was so low it looks like you're on the lower ranks".
" what does that mean?" She asks nervously.
" I suppose it doesn't mean very much except that you may need more training than other students. I don't think they won't give you a Pokemon for it. Trainers are classed from A to D. I got B."
May drops to the floor " well I suppose not passing would have been far more embarrassing". She looks at Lydia with puppy dog eyes of shame.
Lydia extends her hand to May in comfort " Don't worry. We'll go meet the Professor , i think his name is Professor Brown. I'm sure we'll find out more in class ".
" where is that at?" May says as she stands up and brushes the dust off of her exposed knees. Her red tights reach just above the knee contrasting her tattered shorts.
" The new building not too far from here. Mendick Professor Labs are purposely built by our old schools. Lets go!". She tugs on her friends hand.

-
The Laboratory is clean, machines run quietly. A man brushes his short brown hair back, his lab coat has a name patch that reads [Professor Brown]. A large screen sits at the front of the room. There are rows of connected desks and chairs. All white and steel. He stands at the front of the room and mutters " They should be here soon..". He walks into another room , slides a keycard and the door opens. There are shelves and shelves of pokeballs. The capsules are bright red on top and clean white at the bottom, a button in the middle of the capsule serves as a release. Someone knocks on the open door causing Professor Brown to get startled. " Didn't mean to startle you!" The man chuckles. He's wearing a lab coat as well , his name tag reads [Proffesor Winston].

" haha, no. I was just looking through the shelves. The children should be here soon." Brown says.
" I don't have any real duties today. Seems i was put in charge of the Transfer system. I wanted to see the first interaction between them. I've taken a leave of absence" Winston replies, he quickly inquires " You sure you don't mind if i sit in for a while?".
" By all means join in , i think i'm going to need all the help i can get. It is going to be something new isn't it? All these years of hard work. Course, you were here longer. I'm was just here as an educator. When i first got the offer i was afraid of this day, the day it would become real" brown says numbly as he grabs a pokeball and puts it in his pocket.
Winston looks at all the pokeballs on the shelves " I never did believe that Charles Mendick could do it. To create something living. Something as magical as these creatures."
The sound of young people can be heard outside and Winston smiles at Brown " It looks like they've arrived. How intriguing this will be, i felt no rush when the goverment got their hands on Pokemon. That didn't feel like anything. But knowing that young people will come in and their lives will change this way...to be honest brown, it gives me a rush."
" better let them in before they riot. I hear teens are the most unruly of the bunch" brown chuckles.

The doors swing open and kids pile into seats. Winston and brown run their eyes across all the students sitting excitedly in rows, eyes all open bright. There is about thirty or so students. May and Lydia sit next to each other. Lydia adjusts her green top. Brendan sit at the back with his friends. Winston gives Brown a final smile before they begin.

" Hello students, i see you are all here bright and early. My name is Professor Brown. I have been placed here by Mendick Labratories to educate , guide, and yes to distribute Pokemon to you students." The students become even more excited and Brown hushes them. " I will help you learn to grow and interact with these new creatures called Pokemon. There are many creatures called pokemon , each one is different from the other. Even same species still have different personalities. I will give each of you a pokemon today, as part of distribution of Mendick Labratories and Government Protocol each student enrolled in the trainer program is given a Pokemon. This Pokemon will most likely become your companion for the rest of its life. You are always given the choice to give the pokemon back but i doubt many of you will do that. Some of you will become professors like myself, some pokemon doctors, and others trainers but i'll be here to help you navigate the new world. I believe my good friend Professor Winston has something to say".

Professor Winston steps forward , in his top pocket a pokeball sits without any motion. It looks beat up a bit with scratches. He looks at the class " hello class, I am in charge of the Transfer System, it allows Pokemon to be moved from city to city. It isn't in perfect condition yet, but it's close. It has the capabilities of moving Pokemon from center to nearby center and city to city but we still cannot transfer across oceans onto the other side of the world. We will soon though. I really hope you enjoy all our hard work and remember that from this day forth your life may never be the same but that with Pokemon i find no matter what you will face, you will never face it alone. I'm very excited to watch the future of the Pokemon world and even Mendick Labratories step forward" Winston stops as the pokeball shakes a little in his top pocket but it soon stops.

" Well let's get started! " brown says excitedly. Winston looks down at the pokeball in his pocket and thinks to himself "Did it just shake? Is that possible? ".

"First things first, you all must get ids taken today. Those will be your trainer cards. You will use them at all centers. It is proof of your right as a trainer and more importantly a student in this program. I realize you all want to get your Pokemon as soon as possible. So form a line while your picture is taken, after you will be handed a Pokemon based upon the score you received. The higher ranks the harder to train your Pokemon will be, the lower the easier. Sounds fair?".
May groans quietly , Lydia giggles. The students form lines. Winston hands the students their pokeballs as Brown hands them their id cards. A system automatically brings forth the chosen pokemon to Winston. The students look in amazement as Pokeballs appear on a machines platform." alright once you have your pokemon and your id please meet in the garden stadium quietly". Many students pass and soon May nears the front of the line. Winston hands May her pokeball and she runs out to the staduim. The grass is fresh and the air smells beautifully clean. May looks at the pokeball in sheer amazement. She feels the light weight of it and wonders how such a small object can store pokemon.
Lydia stands by May desperately trying to press the release " I can't open the pokeball".
Winston over hears "of course you can't." All the students stand on the sidelines of a large grassy area marked in a half.
May mutters to herself " So this is a battle field, wow". She inhales the fresh air , it smells crisp to her.
Lydia looking to Winston "huh? Why not?".
Winston smiles " I haven't unlocked the systems yet. I will in just a second and you guys will see your very first battle". Brown walks to the center of the field "Ready class?"

Winston presses a button on a machine placed next to the door of the lab, it clicks and beeps as he inputs a passcode. " Ready when you are Brown!". Brown calls out to one of the students to take the field , he points at May. "come on girl. It looks like you're up first". They take their positions on opposite side of the grassy field. Lydia looks on " Go May! You can do this!" She shouts. Another boy with dark black hair snickers "This outta be good". Brendan looks on in pride.

May stands there , she feels nervous. This is her dream and its come true. Brown looks at her " call out your Pokemon!" May presses the middle button on the capsule. As it opens a white gleam of light shoots out to form a small bird Pokemon. May's face fills with joy " Pidgey!". The pokemon flutters about happy to be out of the pokeball.

Brown looks at the smiling student he calls out a pokemon from the pokeball in his hand " Go Bulbasaur!". A small green form stands strong ready for battle. Winston looks on excitedly , the pokeball in his shirt begins to shake again " Huh?" He looks down.

" Get ready girl! Its time to attack!" Brown shouts across the field. May looks at Pidgey in amazement. The professors orders have gone un-noticed as she gazes at the small pokemons fluttering wings. Lydia shouts " May do something!" May looks at the Bulbasaur who is charging forward with a tackle attack. " aaahh!" May shouts. Winston continues to look down at the shaking pokeball.

" Umm gust attack!" May shouts last minute. The Pidgey flies above its foe. It begins to flutter its wings. A strong wind forms and slams into the Bulbasaur. Brown returns with a vinewhip from Bulbasaur. Long vines lash into a slow Pidgey as May look on helplessly.

Winston grabs the shaking pokeball, it shakes in his hand from side to side. May thinks to herself "this is it...what was that thing i read about pidgeys?". She calls out to an injured pokemon " Tackle !". Pidgey dives full body into Bulbasaur who gets tossed back. Bulbasaur sends sharp razor leaves back to a weakening Pidgey. Pidgey lands on the floor. A dust cloud covers the wreckage. May cries out for her new partner " Pidgey!". As the dust clears she run toward the fallen Pidgey. The boy with black hair smirks again " i knew she couldn't do it".

Suddenly , the Pokeball in Winstons hand opens itself. Winston gasps as a light forms to slender but short figure. Brown looks equally surprised. The students look on unaware of what's going on. The figure reveals itself to be Combusken, the Fiery pokemon. May looks down at Pidgey who has grown too weak to battle. She looks up to see Combusken running past her , claws ready. Its beak is sharp and its eyes keen. Brown looks on surprised. The combusken goes straight for the Bulbasaur and releases an ember attack. Fire envokes the poor creature but it jumps back and counters with a tackle attack. Combusken dodges, its feet create small dust clouds around it. Bulbasaur sends a razor leaf as Winston collects his thoughts. He tries to recall Combusken into the pokeball but it just doesn't work. May recalls Pidgey. Winston calls out to Brown "it won't return!".
Brown mutters " impossible! The system isn't made that way!".
May sits in the battle field, unaware of what is happening. She goes un-noticed. Winston calls out another Pokemon from a ball in his lower pocket. "Squirtle!"

A Squirtle comes out to face the combusken. His shell is rather shiny. Brown and Winston look at each other, they know they must beat the combusken to get him under control.
"Water gun!" Winston shouts!
" Razor Leaf!" Brown shouts!
Both attacks graze through the field , unfortunately May has yet to move out of the way. She is unseen with all the commotion. The attacks head in her direction as Combusken jumps and dodges them. Combusken looks at the immobile girl , a light shines in his eyes. He heads for her direction. The attacks come closer and winston realized the error he has made! He forgot the girl was on the field. Combusken lunges toward a terrified May, whose brown eyes have opened wide. He manages to grab her , his claws wrapped around her gently. The attacks swing by them and into each other.
"Stop!" Winston commands. The squirtle and bulbasaur look guilty and they cease fire. The dust cloud slowly clears. Lydia looks on helplessly. When it has gone completely both Winston and Brown exhale deeply.

May sits where the dust cloud once was. The combusken looks at her, he is breathing in and out. May's wide eyes look at the feathery figure before her. His feather looks dirty and he has scratches on his break. Winston steps forward " Combusken return ". Combusken steps back in refusal. He steps behind May. Winston and Brown look at each other. May stands up and begins to laugh helplessly. Brown and Winston look at each other strangely. When she stops she looks at Combusken who has taken refuge behind her " Thank you. I don't know where you came from but thank you. That first battle was better than i could have ever imagined it. But it is dangerous, I'm starting to see that. Thank you for saving me." She looks at combusken , and she hugs the creature. The Combusken looks relieved and joyful to be held but slightly surprised as if this is new to him.

Winston takes note of the creatures face , steps back and looks up at the clear sky above. "well I guess we all learned an important lesson class. Pokemon are not toys, they never will be. They can be very dangerous. That was a close call. Combusken its time to return to your pokeball".

Combusken steps forward looking back at May, he willingly goes into his pokeball. The capsule collects him as a red light. The class of students looks on at the scene in amazement.

Brown " well I suppose that enough of that. I had meant to have each an every one of you battle today but I think that I forgot just how important it is to know your pokemon first. Thank you May, I put you on the spot with a Pokemon you had never met before and expected you two to perform as a team. That was an error on my part. I'm truly sorry. So why don't we stop battling for the day." He turns to the rest of the students " you have never battled before and I trust that you students won't attempt anything dangerous outside of here until you're absolutely ready. Right now I think its best you all go out and bond with your Pokemon. Study their moves , their abilities, and their disabilities. Come back tomorrow and we'll try again to learn. This grass field is yours to practice in as long as you guys want and if there is a problem , i'm here to answer those questions. Pick up a small bag of food from the cart in the hallway. Its pokemon food , its formulated especially for them to eat. I suppose they could eat other food but for now this is best. "

Students begin to clear the field and leave excitedly. Outside they call their Pokemon out of their pokeballs. They meet them with amazement and genuine kindness. Still on the field May and Lydia stand face to face. Lydia comforts May " That sure was close. You did an amazing job.., considering that combusken invaded the battle field. Where did he come from? I never heard him called out of his pokeball. Can pokemon do that? How strange".

May looks down at her Pidgey's pokeball with sadness " I only wish I had done a better job to protect pidgey. I got so excited that i didn't pay attention to Pidgey, and as a result he got hurt. As for that Combusken, I really am lucky. I'm not sure i'm going to battle again for a while. I need to apologize to Pidgey first".
Brendan walks up to May and Lydia. "Not bad, for a kid sister that is".
Lydia "She could have been hurt, that battle was amazing".
" Thanks you guys" May says half heartedly. She looks up at Lydia with a big smile " wait what pokemon did you get?".
"I thought you would never ask!" She raises her pokeball with pride and releases an Eevee. Eevee rubs against Lydia's leg "Isn't she darling? She's perfect".
Brendan laughs " I don't think your eevee would stand a minute with my houndour. ".

Winston walks up to the group and they grow silent before Lydia speaks " Hi Professor. We were just congratulating May on her first battle". Winston looks at the group " yes that was some first day. I'm very sorry. If you like i can take a look at your Pidgey for you?".

May hands him the pokeball "That'd be great actually". He takes it and asks May to follow him. Brendan and Lydia say they will wait outside for her. Inside the lab Winston opens the pokeball. Pidgey seems to be tired and hops about on the table.
"Well other than being tired, pidgey looks like it needs a good nights rest. Perhaps it'd be best to keep him out of battling for a while. It takes a toll on their bodies... And sometimes its better safe than sorry".
May scoops the tiny Pidgey into her arms, the Pidgey seems to be at peace there. He snuggles his feathers against her. "Is it okay if he rests outside his pokeball tonight?".

"Yes, thats quite alright." He says calmly. He looks at the two and continues to speak " You know May, what you did today was very brave. you rushed to save your pokemon, even though you two had never met".
" oh, it was nothing. I'm sure Pidgey would have done the same thing for me" she says in return.
" No, it wasn't nothing. You see , the reason I came today was to see the very first interactions between Pokemon and people. All the work these past years, its led up to this. To be honest I had my doubts. I was afraid of what would happen but seeing your battle with professor Brown well to be honest it made me all the more scared. At the same time though it was rewarding to see such selfless behavior. It gave me a new hope for this new world we're creating". May looks up at Winston. Winston grabs the Pokeball from his top pocket.
"May , after what happened I had a long talk with Professor Brown. We both feel terrible, it was our fault. Even adults make mistakes. To tell you the truth, this Combusken has been around a long time. Since the very beginning stages, it was used for battle testing. It doesn't know anything but battling. I was going to store the pokeball in the labratory, who knows when combusken would have come out again. You know..., they aren't supposed to be able to come out like that. I'm not sure why it did today, but what i do know is the look on its face when you hugged it... It has never made that look before. Every creature deserves a chance to feel loved, even a creature used for testing. Mendick's dream is for companionship, so i feel it is my duty to ask you this favor. I really shouldn't be doing this on your first day but seeing as we almost got you maned today, this might even up the score for us. I know someone like you would give Combusken all the care it needs but it would be irresponsible of me to give you another Pokemon right now. I guess what i'm asking you is if perhaps you can come in from time to time and interact with Combusken. It would be a great excuse to keep him around, in the name of researching humans effect on Pokemon".
" of course i'd come in and play with combusken but i'm just a low ranked trainer what can i do for Combusken?".
" Well you won't always be. What you did today, thats what makes a great trainer. I've got an inkling that the future is going to need trainers like you. People like you but make me one simple promise?".
" What promise?" May asks curiously.
"Get as strong as you can, as fast as you can".
" I promise" she grabs the her pokeball and places it inside her back pack.
" Go home and rest? We have lots more to learn tomorrow. You can come see combusken after class tomorrow". Winston gets up with old pokeball in hand and walks away to another room. May walks out of the laboratory with Pidgey in her arms. She can't help but wonder as she feels the beautiful feathers of her partner. How could anything so magical be man made? What had that poor Combusken gone through? Her dream had officially come true but why did it feel as if it was only the beginning of a long journey? She felt like running and feeling the cold breeze of wind but that would be kind of weird. She couldn't wait to get home and tell her mom, to show her mom. To show her mom her dream. She saw Lydia and Brendan standing by the tree. She couldn't wait to tell them what had just happened.

At home May places her Pidgey on the bed. Pidgey sits on the bed looking around while May grabs a plastic bowl and fills it with food. She pushes it near Pidgey and the Pokemon begins to eat immediately.
Her mother comes into the room " Well isn't that something? I guess you had quite a day. A good day I would judge."
" a very good day" May rubs through Pidgeys feathers.
" They look so strange. At least this one is very cute. I don't know how I feel about that strange creature your brother brought home. Its going to take some getting used to. This one, however, is very cute".
May begins to speak again with a more enthusiastic tone " you know one of the professors asked me to help with another Pokemon after classes. It was a battle testing Pokemon, it saved me today. Maybe just maybe one day me and that pokemon will be partners. Professor Winston thinks I could be a good trainer one day".

" That's a good sign. I knew you'd make quite an impression but your brother told me what happen today and I knew that they'd see what i see in you everyday, but just don't get in over your head okay? Always be careful" Her mother says sweetly before walking out.

May sits in her room with Pidgey looking at her. She's tired, after her first battle she went out to the parks with Lydia. They let the pokemon play with each other. It felt like a dream come true. She leaves Pidgey alone in the room and places the pokeball on her desk. She looks back at Pidgey who is now nudging against a plush doll falling asleep. She runs to the bathroom and turns on the shower. The steam fills the bathroom and the mirrors become fogged. She steps in and feels the steamy warmth, an instant relaxation. She runs her fingers through her now wet hair and then massages the shampoos into her long brown hair. She exhales and runs through everything that has just happened today. Was she still in her bed dreaming? No, this was real. The hot water is soothing to her tired body. As she washes off the dirt with a large blue sponge, she recreates the entire battle scene in her mind. The suds gather and slide down the drain. When she is done showering she heads back to her bedroom, now dressed in her Soft pajamas she stretches out and jumps into bed. She turns off the light by her bed. Between the two of them, the bed seems cozy. Smaller but cozy. Pidgey rest his head on May's side and she wonders what Combusken was thinking right now in his pokeball at the lab. She looks at Pidgey " Good night..." Before falling asleep.