Chapter 1 - How do you like your Eggs?

Professor Elm was a middle-aged man, rather thin for his age, with a prematurely balding head. That did not stop him from being one of the top experts in Pokemon evolution however. Wearing his typical green button-down shirt and brown khaki's, he grabbed his starch white lab coat and donned it as he walked over to his computer. Setting down his coffee mug, he opened his desktop to check through his list of daily emails. Frowning through his square rimmed spectacles, Elm noticed an email from an old contact, a person with whom he hadn't spoken in some years.

Elm!

It's around this time that you typically have a new crop of trainers coming through I believe? Well do I have a research opportunity for you! I recently was given an egg from some old acquaintances. I'm much too old to be travelling around these days. I know how much you love seeing Pokemon grow from their youngest stages. I was hoping you had a promising young trainer who might be able to help you with this.

It cannot be just any trainer however. I was told that this egg is rather special. Not sure what could hatch from it but let me know if you're interested!

Your friend,

Mr. Pokemon

Elm was definitely piqued by the possibility. And he did have just the trainer who would be perfect to raise such a Pokemon.

Arthur walked in to the Professors lab. He was so well known around here that the Pokémon who lived in the area and which the Professor studied all ran up to Arthur and begged for his attention. Of course, this commotion led the Professor himself over to investigate.

"Ah, Arthur! You're here, good, good. I suppose you're quite excited to be starting your journey soon?"

"I am yeah. Pretty sure my mom is a little sad that I'll be leaving but I can't wait. I've been ready for this for some time now" the young man replied. The Professor smiled. Professor Elm knew that his two top pupils were ready to begin their journeys and go out to discover what they were capable of and what direction their lives would take. And of course, there was big hope riding on the shoulders of Arthur Soul from the townspeople. He was related to a famous researcher himself, but also, his father was a powerful trainer in his own right.

"Well I'm glad to hear that. Though before you go, I was wondering if you might do me a favour?" The professor asked.

"Of course, professor. What did you need?"

"I received an email from an old friend of mine this morning. His name is Mr. Pokémon, and he lives just north of Cherrygrove."

"I know who you're talking about. My mom has told me about him once or twice" Arthur answered.

"Ah perfect. Well his email was talking about an egg that he received."

"An egg?" Arthur questioned. While he was aware of Pokemon eggs, he'd never actually handled one. Only occasionally did one come through the lab, and those typically did not stay for very long.

"Yes, it's an interesting proposition. He was hoping that someone could come and pick it up from him. However, I don't have many people available to send at the moment. I was hoping that perhaps you could go and get it before you decide on embarking on your journey?" Arthur frowned slightly.

"Of course, professor. However, could I ask for a favour?" The professor smiled, already anticipating what was coming next.

"You're hoping you could ask for your first Pokemon?" Elm ventured. Arthur's eyes widened slightly out of surprise.

"Actually yes. I'd love to get to know my partner a bit before Lyra and I head out on our journey." Elm was smiling even larger now. Here was a young man, so polite and good with Pokemon. True his interest in research was more geared towards the legends, like his father before him. But that had not stopped Arthur from being a valuable asset to have around the lab for Professor Elm. Elm also knew that his father's early passing meant that Arthur wouldn't be provided his first Pokemon from a family member. Margaret had allowed friends of hers to continue looking after most of both hers and Matt's Pokemon, refusing to take up training anymore in order to raise her son.

Elm beckoned Arthur to follow, leading the young man to a room where all new trainers who were not already given their first Pokemon came. As lead researcher for the region of Johto, it was also Professor Elm's responsibility to make sure new trainers were paired with their first Pokemon. And in Johto, there were three choices. Elm released the three starters for Arthur in an order to allow the young man to decide on his first partner.

"These three Pokemon are new here, so you won't have met them yet. It also means they won't be aware of your gift either" Professor Elm told the new trainer. The professor was one of the few people who was also aware of Arthur's talent to understand Pokemon. "This is Totodile, the water type." The small blue bipedal Pokemon materialized before Arthur, looking menacing and ready to fight already. His attitude was somewhat abrasive Arthur could tell. The two made eye contact, Arthur raising an eyebrow. His attraction to water types had lead him to lean on picking a Totodile from Professor Elm, but this water type didn't seem to be very impressed with Arthur.

"Next is Chikorita, the grass type." As the green quadruped materialized out of it's pokeball, a pleasant aroma filled the air. Arthur bent down to make eye contact with the tiny Pokemon, noticing how shy she was. Arthur smiled and extended a hand to be nice, but already deciding that this Pokemon wasn't the right fit for him.

"And finally, we have Cyndaquil, the fire type!" A blue and milky white furred Pokemon appeared before Arthur. A small amount of heat emanated from the fire type, who looked up at Arthur with wonder. The Cyndaquil tilted his head to the right as he regarded Arthur. Something about the fire type made Arthur pause. This Pokemon was the smallest of the three at the moment, but Arthur sensed something in him.

"Hey there" Arthur said.

"Hi" came the quiet reply. "Who are you?" Professor Elm couldn't understand the small sounds made by the Cyndaquil but Arthur could.

"My name's Arthur. Do you have a name?"

"I was called Blaze when I came into the nest." It was a simple statement. But there was confidence in the voice, quiet as it was.

"Well Blaze, I'm headed out on a journey pretty soon. I plan on becoming one of the top trainers in the world. How would you like to join me?" Arthur asked, holding out his hand. The Pokemon Blaze seemed interested in the young man, but his next statement sent Arthur laughing and almost falling down.

"I have no idea what that means, but sure." Blaze walked forward, into Arthur's still outstretched hand. The small Pokemon was warm to the touch, not hot like the new trainer would have expected.

"Professor, I've made my choice. I'll take Blaze!"

"Arthur!" a young woman's voice called out. The new trainer turned around to face his childhood friend. "Ready to make the rounds?" Lyra asked.

"Actually I can't today. Professor Elm has asked me to pick up a Pokemon egg from Mr. Pokemon over in Cherrygrove."

"Oh that's exciting! Do you know what kind of egg it is? Or how long will you be gone?" Lyra's excitement caused Arthur to laugh. He knew his friend wanted to become a Pokemon breeder, and her caring skills with Pokemon were impressive.

"Only a couple of days. I'll be back before you know it. Then we can really get to prepping for this trip!" Lyra started laughing. Mari was running around the both of them and suddenly cried out in surprise as a new face popped up onto Arthur's shoulder.

"Oh! Arthur! Is that..."

"My first Pokemon?" Arthur asked excitedly. He reached up to scratch the Cyndaquil under his chin. "Yes he is! Lyra meet Blaze and Blaze this is Lyra and her Marill, Mari!" Arthur's Cyndaquil jumped down and did a small bow. Mari walked up to him and they started to chase each other around.

"So, Elm gave you your first Pokémon finally hey?" Lyra said bugging her friend. His eyes were so bright and happy, Lyra couldn't stop grinning.

"He did. This should be a good trial run I think for heading out."

"You're right it will be! Oh, Arthur I'm so excited!" Arthur laughed once again.

"I'll second that! I'll make this trip to Cherrygrove real quick. I'm happy that I don't have to transit it there. Blaze and I should be able to make it there sometime tomorrow." Lyra nodded along. Tagging along, she followed Arthur back to his house to collect his gear for the walk to the neighboring town. Margaret was home still when Arthur and Lyra walked in. She smiled and was excited to meet her son's first Pokemon and yet there was a small sense of sadness to, seeing her son becoming a grown man before her eyes.

Dusk was starting to set in when Arthur decided to set up camp for the night with his new partner Blaze. He had considered going straight through to Cherrygrove but on such a cloudless night it seemed a waste not to spend it outdoors. Blaze watched as the tent went up and Arthur gathered some dry wood for a fire. Before long in the small clearing a fire was burning happily sending few sparks up to dance among the stars as trainer and Pokémon looked on.

"So, Blaze, I suppose we should get to know each other a bit" Arthur said after a warm dinner. His spirits were high. Here he was camping with his very own Pokemon. His first partner.

"I want to know what you meant by becoming a trainer? I thought all humans were trainers" Blaze responded, staring at Arthur. The young man laughed.

"Is that what your parents told you?" The Cyndaquil nodded.

"Well that's not entirely true. While most human's do choose to have a partner Pokemon, not everyone does. It depends on both the Pokemon and the human who could be their partner. I however, am one of those people who is looking to become one of the best trainers. I want to have a team, friends to travel with and become stronger with." Arthur stared into the flames as he said this, envisioning once more what it would be like to challenge the Elite Four. Blaze was also thoughtful as he digested this.

When Blaze was born, his mother had explained to him where he was. Sanctuaries had been set up to foster certain Pokemon for first time trainers. Blaze had spent his first few years of life, living beside humans, learning what they were like, and how they could help him become stronger. He had yearned to leave however. While he grew up with plenty of land to roam around, and never went hungry, there was always something missing. His father had noticed this as well. Out of all his brothers and sisters, his father had chosen to name him Blaze because he was destined for something greater.

"So the idea is that we travel around and what? Just meet more Pokemon?" Blaze asked.

"That's part of it for sure. But there will also be battles. I assume you know about those?" Blaze nodded. Battles were fun. A competition where you got to pit yourself against others in a contest of strength, endurance and intelligence. Blaze was already regarded as fast among his nest. But the way Arthur described battles, they seemed so much more than the tussles he used to get into.

The two talked into the night. The more they spoke, the more Blaze realized that Arthur was someone he could trust completely. He was someone who wanted the best for Blaze, as well as for himself. And as Arthur described his goals, Blaze realized that this is what he too had been searching for. He wanted to become the strongest. He wanted to be the best.

It didn't take long for Blaze and Arthur to reach Cherrygrove the next morning. Arthur had come here often while he was growing up to shop with his mother, so he didn't feel a huge need to explore the city. However, there was one area that he needed to show Blaze.

"This here is the ocean Blaze!" The tiny fire Pokémon looked out over the wide blue expanse and the people playing on the sand and in the water.

"It's so big..." Blaze seemed a little wonderstruck at how massive the world could be. Arthur kept forgetting that his new Pokémon's upbringing had been kept to a small volcanic area somewhere in Johto. He knelt down beside his tiny partner.

"That it is buddy. I wanted you to see it though. My family has spent lots of time around the ocean. My dad used to research legends, mainly ones to do with the ocean."

"I mean that's cool but a little bit too much water." Arthur started laughing and picked up his friend.

"Come on you, let's hit up the Pokémon centre before heading out to Mr. Pokémon's house."

It took another half of a day to reach Mr. Pokémon's cabin in the woods from Cherrygrove. Along the way Blaze and Arthur had battled a number of wild Pokémon, with Blaze coming away completely undefeated and growing all the more powerful after every battle. He had learned how to use smokescreen and delighted in obscuring his opponent's vision in the heat of battle making it easier to avoid attacks. Of course, the disadvantage to Arthur was that he sometimes lost track of Blaze in the process but they were working hard to fix that. It wasn't just Pokemon who gained experience when battling. Evening was approaching and the two were almost within sight of Mr. Pokémon's house when another wild Caterpie jumped out in front. Arthur looked down at his friend who also jumped out ready to rock and roll.

"Alright buddy, shall we practice our strategy once more?" Blaze nodded. "Then let's hit it with a smokescreen!" Arthur yelled out. His friend bounded in closer and released a cloud of black smoke so dense that the Caterpie's string shot failed to find Blaze.

"Now close the gap and use tackle!" Arthur was getting so much more used to Blaze's movements that he could now make out the tiny shape that was his partner running forward and slamming in to the opposing Caterpie. The two Pokémon rolled across the ground and Blaze quickly jumped up and away. However, this time the Caterpie's string shot managed to find its mark and wrap itself around Blaze's hind leg bringing him crashing down. Arthur winced as his Pokémon landed hard on the unforgiving ground.

"You alright Blaze?" He called out concerned. Blaze bounced up immediately though seemed more annoyed at the strand of gooey webbing than anything else. It made it more difficult to move as fast as he could. "Forget the silk and move in for one more tackle!"

Blaze immediately forgot about his problems with the webbing and rushed in for another attack. The Caterpie had just regained its feet when Blaze crashed in to it once more. This time the Caterpie was knocked out cold.

"Excellent battle young man!" Arthur turned at the statement, startled. Two older men were striding from a rather modest looking cottage in the clearing next to where he stood. While Professor Elm had told Arthur what Mr. Pokémon looked like, it was the second man who held Arthur's attention. Almost elderly, with slate grey hair and crow's feet at the corners of his eyes, Professor Samuel Oak still gave off a rather impressive image. Standing at six feet, it was said that the old man never had slowed down and continued travelling around the various regions for research or other such events. Professor Elm had told Arthur much about Oak growing up and Arthur couldn't believe that he was getting the chance to meet the man in person.

"You must be the young man Professor Elm sent! Well don't just stand there, come in, come in!" said the second man with much enthusiasm. Mr. Pokémon was a tad on the eccentric side, but he was modestly dressed and wore a hat to contain the fly-away hair he had. Blaze had returned to Arthur's side and pushed his ankle to get his friend moving.

Arthur followed the two men inside, inspecting his surroundings. There was Pokemon artifacts and paraphernalia everywhere. Then the rookie trainer's eyes caught sight of the brilliant white egg standing in a specialized container on the coffee table. He felt himself drawn to it. Mr. Pokemon, Professor Oak and Blaze simply watched as Arthur knelt in front of the case. A soft light suddenly seemed to emanate from inside the shell.

"What's inside?" Arthur asked quietly.

"No idea! But it would be invaluable to Professor Elm's research! He's an expert in Pokémon evolution you know. Even Professor Oak here will admit to that!" Oak nodded along wearing a faint grin on his face at his friend's excitement. Of course, Arthur already knew this having worked at the lab for all these years. "Now who would like some tea?" Mr. Pokemon asked.

Blaze sniffed Arthur's drink as the three humans sat on the couches in Mr. Pokemon's house. Arthur was surprised to be having tea in this company. Both men were rather famous, each in their own right. But to be having a drink with none other than the Professor Oak…

"Where did you learn to battle like that?" Professor Oak asked the new trainer.

"School taught us all the basics, but to be honest, I've spent a lot of time rewatching some of Red's battles." Oak nodded along. "My favourite is still probably his match against Blue, sorry, I mean your grandson Gary for the championship a few years ago." Oak laughed, and Mr. Pokemon smiled. Blaze tried a bit of Arthur's tea, finding the aroma pleasant and the taste even better.

"Well I must say, that kind of strategy does remind me of Red. He is quite adept at using not only his battlefield surroundings, but also a Pokemon's moves in inventive ways. That was one of the main reasons he was able to best Gary at the championship. Power isn't everything." Arthur found himself nodding along to the professor's assessment.

"I remember Red. Didn't talk much" Mr. Pokemon added.

"He used to. I think going up against team Rocket, mostly alone changed the young man." Arthur was silent. The events in Kanto were still rather fresh for most people. Red wasn't just a champion. He was a hero, an icon people looked to as the epitome of trainers everywhere. And then he had simply vanished.

"Do you know where he went?" Arthur asked. His face rapidly went red from blushing. People must have asked the professor this question all the time. It was a stupid thing to say. Arthur was mentally kicking himself while Blaze helped himself to more tea.

"I do." Oak replied. "You and he seem to share many of the same traits. There's a gleam to your eyes that his held as well. I can't say where he's travelled to however. He asked me not to say. There were things that he came across in his travels that were rather dangerous, and he said he needed time to process everything." Arthur nodded somewhat relieved that the professor didn't seem mad at all for him asking about the most famous trainer in practically the world.

"Tell you what, how would you like to help me out? I'd like to give you this Pokedex. It contains all the information about any of the Pokémon you are like to meet on your journey. And you'd be doing me a favour by documenting all those that you come across!"

"I would love to help!" Arthur said, barely believing his luck! Professor Oak thought he deserved a Pokedex! It was like a dream coming true. Oak reached inside his travelling bag and brought out the newest edition Pokedex and handed it over to Arthur. "I can't thank you enough Professor."

"No need my lad. Just do your best and make sure to see as many different Pokémon as you can!" He smiled then looked down at the gold faced watch on his wrist. "But my apologies, I must be leaving now. I have to be back in Goldenrod tomorrow for my talk show!" Arthur shook the Professor's hand once more and watched as Mr. Pokémon led him out.

"What do you think Blaze? Pretty cool hey?" Arthur showed off the new Pokedex.

"A new gadget interests you more than the mysterious egg in front of you? Talk about messed up priorities..." Blaze jumped out of the way making excited noises that reminded Arthur of laughter right before blowing a smokescreen into his trainer's face. As the fire type leapt down from the couch, Arthur went to take a drink from his cup, only to find it empty.

"That's it you're getting traded when we get back to the lab!" Arthur exclaimed through his laughter.