DISCLAIMER - I DO NOT, AND MOST LIKELY NEVER WILL OWN POKEMON.
Chapter One - Why you don't make a wager with your child (Or why you shouldn't lose)
Riley sat on a hay bail, looking over the fields. She was happy, she was healthy, and she was BORED. Her entire life she heard the stories of her dad's sometimes improbable adventures, of her mom's rise in the Pokemon league and successful business, and of her Godfather, Uncle Nick, the Pokemon League Champion. While he wasn't actually blood, he was family. Depending on who was telling the story, either Nick or Adam saved the other from a wild Rampardos, and from that point forward they were as thick as thieves.
She'd always wanted to set off on her own journey, strike her own path, and begin her life as her own. Unfortunately, her father was more than over protective. For four years, while all of the twelve year old trainers set off on their journey, she remained in school. She'd aced her classes, had a strong understanding of Pokemon, and still her dad refused to let her go. But this year, she would be an adult. This year, she would be a woman. This year, she would be a Pokemon trainer, whether he liked it her not. For weeks she'd planned the beginning of her journey, and for weeks she'd kept it a secret. If she wasn't going to get his blessing, she wasn't going to ask for permission any longer. Tomorrow was her 16th birthday, and the following day, she'd be gone.
Sleep was hard to come by that evening as she lay in bed. She had saved up a small sum of money, probably enough to buy a common Pokemon for her starter, maybe even enough for a few supplies, definitely not enough to live as comfortably as she had become accustomed. As she mulled over this thought over and over, her phone buzzed.
"Sorry , I can't make it tomorrow RJ, I'd love to be there if I could. Buddy had a little 'accident' I'm sure you'll see something on the news... Anyway, know that I love you and will see you soon. Happy Birthday, Uncle Nick."
As a smile crept across her face, knowing the infamously mischievous Empoleon, she couldn't wait for the morning news. BUZZZ... another text.
"I almost forgot, I know you'll be 16 and wanting to start your journey. Before you do, PLEASE talk to your mom and dad."
After a quick poop emoji reply, she rolled over and fought for sleep.
"I just don't think she's ready. You've seen the news, these new trainers are constantly finding trouble. There have been muggings, assaults, and much worse. She's a beautiful 16 year old girl, and as much as I love her, she's naive to the way the world is." He'd made this statement to his wife for the past 5 years, and he sure as hell hadn't changed his mind.
"I understand, but when I was twelve, my parents loaned me the family Numel and gave me a Pokeball. I was sent to the woods and told I had 2 hours, if I caught a Pokemon in that time, I could begin my journey. If not, then it was another year of school. I know for darn sure your journey started WAY earlier than 16 years old, and I know damn well you wouldn't change it for the world. Don't neglect your daughter's feelings because you worry too much."
"Everytime you use common sense as a weapon against me, it makes me wish that Altaria killed me." He laughed, it wasn't true, but it was the last weak attempt he had to try and dissuade his wife. When she was right, it's game over.
"Fine, since you are on her side, she'll have to prove herself just like you. But I'm adding a stipulation of my own. She gets 2 pokeballs, and has to catch two pokemon. She must be able to identify each Pokemon and give them unique names. If she succeeds, she can go on her journey, but she won't be taking the pokemon she caught with. We can provide her with a younger Pokemon from the nursery to begin her journey. Things shouldn't be too easy for her, and a young Pokemon will make sure she understands she holds lives in her hands."
Crystal argued, but decided against pushing it much further. She'd gotten what she wanted, a fighting chance for her daughter. If there were a few bumps and bruises during the lesson, it'd definitely be worth it.
The following morning started the same way each of her previous birthdays had.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR RIL.."
"Shut up dad, it's 5 in the morning, go away!" Riley always loved the attention on her birthday, but she'd promised herself she'd remain strong. No affections, no pleasantries, today was the day she would be a trainer.
"That's no way to talk to your old dad. Plus, you know I can't handle surprises, even though I bought them, OPEN YOUR PRESENTS!"
With this, Riley knew something was different. Her mom had always bought her gifts for her birthday, but dad was a bit more practical. Over the past 15 years, he'd put $100 into her savings account, to be used when she was an adult. It wasn't flashy, but it was purposeful.
"Riley, get up! These gifts have a shelf life, and a story to go along with them. Put on some jeans and a sweatshirt and meet us in the den."
The beautiful little girl he'd always known turned into a blur of flesh colored light. As he headed down the stairs, she blew past him down into the den. There she sat, holding the 3 boxes, absolutely glowing with anticipation.
"Open the blue box first please" Crystal knew if she didn't take charge, things would get out of hand quickly.
RIley ripped into the packaging and opened the box. Inside of it was a bank card. Correction, it was THE BANK CARD. With it, the bank statement and history of transactions. As promised, there were 15 deposits of $100 every year on October 8th. She quickly added the account info to her phone, so she could easily access money from anywhere.
"Before you open the next two gifts, I'd like to make a wager with you. This is not a negotiation, it's an all or nothing proposal. I know that your journey is all that's important to you right now, and you are most likely planning on leaving whether we like it or not. There's enough money on that card to buy a pretty strong starter, with enough left for supplies. I'm not dumb, I've been expecting it the past 3 years. Open the red box please."
She opened the small red box, and found two pokeballs. She couldn't believe her eyes, FINALLY she was ready for her journey, and with two pokemon! As she pointed and released the first ball, nothing happened...
"They are empty. This is where my wager comes into play. I've given you two pokeballs. You have two hours to catch two wild pokemon. You can take Pixel with you to assist in battling and capturing the two pokemon. If you are successful, you'll give them names and return to me. If you are not successful, you must give me your word you'll wait one more year to leave on your journey."
Riley thought hard about this, why take the risk? She had enough money to buy a Pokemon, and she could figure the rest out. She'd gone on adventures with her dad, and knew the basics of living off the land. She could do it, she knew she could. And then it happened, she looked up at her dad and saw that arrogant smile. She knew what this smile represented, he knew she'd take the easy way, he didn't think she could do it. The infamous anger ran in the family, and Riley wasn't immune.
"I'll take the deal. I'll prove I can catch Pokemon, and I'll prove that I'm ready for this." Without another word, she grabbed the two pokeballs and left. Pixel trailing loyally behind.
"I can't believe him, what a jerk!" Riley was venting, and Pixel was not going to disagree. How could her own dad think she wasn't strong enough to do this? Regardless, she'd prove him wrong.
It didn't take much time for Riley's first chance. As they walked down the old game trail behind the corral, opportunity arose.
"Pixel, Tackle!" and with a flash, Pixel launched herself at the unsuspecting victim. Riley quickly threw the pokeball. Light emerged and bathed over the helpless pokemon, consuming it and sucking it into the ball. The next 5 seconds felt like an eternity, the ball fell to the ground, shook once, shook twice, shook a third time... CLICK. Riley's first attempt at catching a Pokemon had been successful beyond her wildest dreams. She retrieved the ball, and released her victim.
As the beam of light subsided, a small acorn emerged. A Seedot - how ironic that the pokemon that helped build their families business would be one to help her leave it.
"Hello Seedot, my name is Riley, and that is Pixel. I'm hoping to be a Pokemon trainer, and need your help. Are you willing to join me on my journey?"
With a quick nod, the tiny nut shuffled over to Riley, jumping into her arms and squealing with delight.
As Riley looked down on him, she noticed an odd light tan streak on his otherwise brown body.
"How would you like the name Dash" she asked. It was pretty cheesy to name a pokemon off of something as superficial as a dash of coloring, but sometimes the first thought in your head has a habit of being the first thing out of your mouth..
The Seedot seemed to be quite pleased, as he shuffled his way out of her arms and up to the top of her head.
Riley grew quite confident, and struck out for her next victim. Fifteen minutes into her challenge, and she already caught a pokemon? This will be a breeze!
Unfortunately for Riley, life isn't always going to perfectly follow your plan. She walked the remainder of the trail, through a decent chunk of their forest, and finally through the small marsh that ran along the southern border of their property. After an hour of near misses, endless walking and no real luck, she was running out of time. As she walked her way slowly back to the lane, she saw it. The most glorious sight in all of Hoenn, a Rattatta!
"Quick Pixel, sand tomb that Rattata!" She called out, ready to seize her fleeting freedom.
Pixel quickly shot to the ground, and summoned the earthen casket.
The Rattata was quickly encased in the muddy cage, and before it could break free, was plunked in the head with a pokeball.
Shake, Shake, Shake... CLICK!
She walked cockily towards the ball, "Mission Accomplished" she mused.
She released the Rattata, and with the same passion and care, indoctrinated the small rodent to her team.
She named him Chip, a nod to the small chip in his front tooth.
With Dash on her head, and Chip at her heels, she sprinted back towards home.
As she turned the final corner on the trail, she saw her mom on the back porch, smiling from ear to ear.
"Adam, get your butt out here, you have a wager to settle" his loving wife was taunting him, and he knew it.
Riley found a seat on the back deck, lost in the moment with her two pokemon. How could life get better than this?
"Riley, you won't believe me, but I'm quite proud of you. Unfortunately, there's one more part of this wager I didn't mention. These two Pokemon will not be joining you on your adventure. I'll donate them to the professor for starters, or release them, that's their decision. But one thing is certain, they won't be joining you."
She couldn't believe it, her world felt like it had been ripped away from her. Why would he make her go through this, just to take it from her?
"I can see this is unsettling to you. That's good. The hardest obstacle to overcome on a journey is the loss of a teammate. I wanted to give you the mildest taste of that I could, so instead of losing one in battle, you'll simply have to watch them grow with another trainer. This is a kindness, whether you see it yet or not."
She burst into tears, running past her dad and into the house. As she ran through the kitchen, and up the stairs to her room, her mom followed closely behind.
"Riley, I know what just happened is hard to understand, but he's just trying to make sure your prepared. He'd never do anything to intentionally hurt you, he just wants to open your eyes to what the world is really like."
It didn't matter what her mom said, her dad was a monster. As she lifted her head to scream at her mom, she noticed a purple box in her mom's hands.
"Please open it, it's a gift from Uncle Nick."
Riley carefully removed the wrapping paper, and opened the box. Inside was a letter :
"Riley, I hope this gift finds you in good spirits, but I'm sure your dad found a way to make your day interesting.. I spoke with your mom last night, and we hatched a plan for you to take your journey. If you are reading this, you succeeded in the challenge. I'm proud of you, and so are your parents. But enough of the sappy stuff, you want a present. Under this envelope is a brand new Pokedex, fully loaded with pokenav, phone/messaging and email. Stop reading this letter and turn it on, once you have, pick the letter back up. "
She powered up her shiny purple pokedex. As the screen came to life, a photo of her was on display - Riley Joyce, Mauville City - Pokemon Trainer ID #100817 - Pokedex Entries - 1 - Captured Pokemon - 1.
Captured pokemon? Pokemon entries? She reached back for her letter :
"As I'm sure you've noticed, I registered you for the Pokemon league yesterday. You are officially a member of the Hoenn League, and you've been issued a starter by the Champion himself... Me. The pokedex and registration was a gift from your parents... OK, from your mom. The starter is my birthday gift to you. Your dad has it, I won't spoil the surprise, but I bet you'll love it. I love you kiddo, and look forward to seeing you soon!" - Uncle Nick.
As she re-read the second portion of the note for a second, then a third time, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Her dad, the jerk that put her through hell an hour ago, was standing there, smiling. He took her hand, and placed a small black, gold and red sphere into her hand. A luxury ball, courtesy of the Hoenn Champion.
"Aren't you going to release it? I think it's time you see what all that time adventuring, working the stables and bugging Uncle Nick at the League HQ has taught us about our baby girl."
Riley pointed the ball to the floor, and with a red beam of light, and a quick white flash, her new companion emerged. Staring up at her was a round blue ball of perfection. As soon as Riley couldn't take anymore excitement, the chubby little seal rolled over, eagerly awaiting a belly rub.
"OH MY GOSH!" Riley screamed, "a Spheal? I can't believe he got me a Spheal! It's sooo cute!"
Looking on, remembering exactly what it was like the day he met Pixel, Adam could do nothing but smile. His entire time as a father spent planning, worrying and avoiding this moment washed away in an instant.
"Riley, I know this is a lot to take in, but it's very important to find a suitable name for your pokemon. The imprinting process on a new Pokemon is extremely important. Any ideas?" Her mom could only laugh, recalling the day she caught her Swablu and began her journey. She'd named it Xanthe. Don't laugh or judge, she was on a historical kick at the time.
"Joy! I'm going to name her Joy!" she exclaimed. How could she not commemorate the most important moment of her life with the only feeling she could describe? With one last glance at the pokedex, she noticed the moveset. Tackle, growl, water gun and powder snow. Nick must have known, right?
As Riley rolled on the floor with her pudgy ball of happiness, her parents slowly left the room. There was much to discuss about things moving forward, and Adam had already begun a new train of thought causing nothing but dread.
As Adam paced in the den, Crystal made her way to the kitchen, readying one of the last meals they'd share as a family for quite some time.
After a few calls for advice from friends in the community, Adam made his way to the stairs.
"Riley, come on down and grab some food, we've still got quite a bit to talk about."
As she came bouncing down the stairs, with Joy in her arms, she noticed a new addition to the birthday celebration.
"Hey Uncle Nick, oh my gosh thank you so much! She is so perfect, I can't believe you remembered how much I loved Spheal when you and Dad took me to the breeder's contest. That was 6 years ago!"
Nick smiled. Nick was world renowned for a lot of things, but thoughtfulness to others wasn't chief among them outside his small circle of friends. Being named Riley's Godfather had given him something more than the glitz, glamor and partying that came along with his title.
"RJ, you know I'd do anything in my power to make you happy. Buddy and I were out in Ever Grande City, and saw this sad little lady all alone. She was far too small to survive in that environment. Immediately, seeing you playing with the Spheal and Sealeo flashed in my mind, and I knew it was fate." Nick wouldn't dare tell her the truth of how he came into possession of such a rare Pokemon for their region.
"Now that we are all here, we have a few things we'd like to discuss. Chief among them being your journey. Nick and I have talked a lot about this, and here's my last request. We'd like you and Nick to travel together to Littleroot to drop off the Pokemon you caught, and from there the two of you will travel until you've proven yourself by obtaining your first badge." Adam couldn't help but smile, he knew this wasn't a difficult request, she'd been wanting to train and learn from Nick since she was able to walk.
"The second topic for discussion is your traveling companions moving forward. I know you miss your cousin Heidi. As you know her parents are both Ace Trainers, and actively enlisted in the Kanto Military. With their permission, Heidi will be traveling to Hoenn in the near future. She'll be meeting up with us in a couple of weeks, and we'll meet you wherever you are upon her arrival. From there, as long as you two choose, you'll have a familiar face to share this experience." Crystal hadn't shared this information with Adam, not because there was cause for concern, but because she knew he hated being surprised.
"That's incredible" Riley and Adam cried out in unison. "How can this day get any better?"
Sure it started off a bit rough, being forced to catch and name pokemon she was convinced would be her companions, but her family was definitely doing their best to make up for it.
"Lastly, we need to address the barriers you'll face trying to communicate with pokemon. And we have a short term solution until you've bonded well enough with your Pokemon to communicate effectively." Nick smirked, there's no way he'd be out done on this day. "As you know, my Gallade Crixus was injured to the point he can no longer competitively battle at the highest level. He'll be your translator until you've formed a strong bond with Joy, or until you've caught a psychic Pokemon of your own."
Crixus is one of the few pokemons known to the public by a mere glance. He and Nick had formed such a tight bond, when Nick nearly lost his eye in a training accident with Crixus, he gained a nice scar from his left eye brow to his hairline. Crixus, being the honorable knight, gave himself a matching scar, a reminder of what happens when he loses himself in battle.
"Crixus will not be battling, or helping you in any situation that he doesn't consider life threatening. He'll purely be there to translate, and transport you if you find yourself in a dire situation."
Riley was beside herself, and hadn't noticed that her three elders had left the table, and some time ago judging by the cold plate of lasagna sitting in front of her. Tomorrow, her life would begin. Tomorrow, the future would be forged.