Beginning of a Legend

Showdown! Pokémon Center!

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All things begin somewhere, at some time. The legendary journey of Rovina Ketchum, a girl haunted by nightmares of a past she doesn't quite want to let go of, started in the small Pallet Town, when she received her Pikachu, Rai. Follow her journey through Kanto alongside her ragtag group of misfits: Myst Waterflower, a 'reject' Gym Leader with a strange obsession; Brock Harrison, a perverted ex-Gym Leader; Embyr and Edan, young orphans with separation anxiety; Kagome Shinkiro, a Miko-In-Training, and, of course, Rai, our resident over-powered Pikachu. Just what has she gotten herself into?

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I opened my eyes, then promptly shut them again. Ugh, it's too damn bright… I sat up, not even realizing I had been lying down until now, then opened my eyes again. After blinking several times to adjust to the light, I looked around. Plain white walls, beds neatly arranged in rows with curtain racks surrounding each one… Oh. Oh. I was in a Pokémon Center. [Let's just pretend Pokémon Centers double as hospitals for Trainers, m'kay?]

"Chansey~ Chan Chan-sey!" The voice of a Pokémon cried out. I heard footsteps getting louder, and then a pink-haired nurse was gently but firmly supporting my back. "Oh! You're awake, I see. You had your Pokémon all worried! Do you feel better?" I nodded in response. Then I noticed I was dressed in a simple patient's gown. "Can I take a shower?" I mumbled. Nurse Joy agreed and passed me my bag. I grabbed some clothes and toiletries and, with guidance from a Chansey, made my way to the bathroom.

I stepped into the shower, letting out a content sigh as the cold water rained down on my skin and soaked my hair. I absentmindedly washed myself, my mind preoccupied with my thoughts. Who brought me here? I'd passed out on the roadside not far from Viridian City. How are Rai and Reinavi? Were they alright? I stepped out of the shower and dried myself, pulling on a pair of red shorts and a black T-shirt with the words 'Get Up the Nerve' on it in white. I put on my hoodie, leaving the hood down and pulling off the (removable) sleeves. While slipping into my combat boots, I pulled on my gloves and hat then put my headphones in their rightful place on my neck.

I picked up the locket Gary gave me, running my thumb over the intricate designs, then opened it to see the pictures inside. The first was a recent picture of Gary and I side-hugging each other and Gramps (accidentally) photo-bombing. The other one was much older. It showed Gary, Nii-chan (Blue), my older brother and I all together. I ran my fingers over the leathery skin of the burn scars on my arms and flinched, promptly wrapping them in bandages to hide them. I closed the locket then put it on, hiding it under my shirt. I stepped out of the bathroom.

"Yay! You're okay!" The cheerful young boy's voice from yesterday shouted, just as a yellow blur slammed into my chest. It was Rai. I heard the voice again, but it was coming from Rai. "Reinavi! She's awake!""Yes, I'm awake, Rai," I stated, my surprise not showing. He turned wide eyes to me, then exclaimed, "You can understand me!" "Apparently so," I replied, a hint of a smile on my lips.

"Mistress can understand you, Rai? …Can she understand me as well?" I was about to reply Reinavi when Rai beat me to the chase. "Yup!" He squealed in ecitement, "This is so awesome!""It is," I agreed, "How, though… I couldn't understand you before…" Reinavi, now perched on my shoulder, gave the Spearow equivalent of a shrug. I was walking to my ward when I said, "You guys don't have to call me Mistress, you know. Just Rov is fine." "Rov? …I like it! I'll call you Rov!" Rai cheered. Reinavi settled for calling me Ojou-sama. [It means Young Mistress in Japanese, so Reinavi is still kinda calling her Mistress. :P]

Nurse Joy came up to me and informed me that the Magikarp I'd caught was in the Water-type pool in the back, as was the Trainer who brought me here. Once again with guidance from a Chansey, I walked to said pool. "Karp! Karp! Magi-karp~" The Magikarp I'd caught called out. A boy around my age with spiky, reddish-orange hair that seemed to defy gravity stood up and came over to me. He wore plain light-blue jeans and a loose light yellow T-shirt with red sneakers. "Hey! You alright now?" I nodded, then walked over to the Magikarp. I stroked her scales, murmuring, "I haven't given you a name yet, have I… How about Levi?" I felt a tug at my heart, then it stopped. [Short for Leviathan. This 'Karp is a girl.] She cried out in happiness, but I understood her this time. "I like it!" She and Rai chorused. Strange, I thought, just a moment ago, all I heard was "Magikarp". Does naming them have something to do with it?

I pulled out my Pokédex, scanning Levi.

Pokédex Entry: In the distant past, it was somewhat stronger than the horribly weak descendants that exist today.Whoever its opponent, and however horrible the attack it receives, all it does is Splasharound.

This Magikarp is female. It is at Level 3. It has a Mild nature and its ability is Swift Swim. Its only move is Splash. It has no Egg Move.

"Hey! You didn't scan me yet, Rov!" Rai complained. I raised an eyebrow, then complied.

Pokédex Entry: When several of these Pokémon gather, their electricity could build and cause lightning storms.It keeps its tail raised to monitor its surroundings. If you yank its tail, it will try to bite you.

This Pikachu is male. It is at Level 10. It has a Modest nature and its ability is Lightning Rod. Its current moves are: Thunder Shock, Tail Whip, Growl, Play Nice, Quick Attack. Its Egg Move is Reversal. Note: Its unusual ability shows that it has a Hidden Ability.

I raised an eyebrow once more. "You have a Hidden ability, huh? No wonder…" I mumbled, thinking back to the day before. "Umm… I'm still… here…?" I jerked up, slightly embarrassed that I forgot the boy was there, then quickly introducing myself, "I'm Rovina, and you are…?" "Myst. Myst Waterflower," he replied. I stood up from my squatting position when I remembered; Mom. She'd have my head if I didn't call her… I promptly returned Levi.

I sprinted back inside, Reinavi flying behind me and Rai clutching my cap. I plopped myself down on the chair, punching in the number of the Ketchum Residence.

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'Ring ring ring! Phone call from Viridian Pokémon Centre!' Delia Ketchum stepped out of the bathroom, wrapped in a fluffy pink bathrobe and drying her hair with an orange towel. She rushed over to the phone, setting it on speaker. "This is Delia Ketchum, how may I - Oh, Rovina! Are you alright, sweetie? I heard about the attack! Is -" She was cut off by her daughter replying, "I'm fine Mom, really. I've caught a Spearow and a Magikarp so far. How are things back home? How's Gramps?"

Delia laughed, a pleasant little sound, then said, "Oh, I'm doing great, sweetie. The Kitchen is thriving. And Samuel is doing fine, too. He's having a bit of trouble with a rowdy Tauros, though…" Rovina looked like she was going to reply, but stopped short as the roof of the Pokémon Centre collapsed. Delia watched as her daughter whirled around, exclaiming, "What the fu-"

Then the call was cut.

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I coughed, trying to fan the debris out of my face while gingerly plucking glass shards that had torn through the bandages out of my arm, wincing. "Who's...," I wheezed again, "Who's there?!" I could just make out the cries of 'Koffing!' and 'Ekans!' "Don't be frightened, girlie…" A pair of voices replied in unison, one male and the other female.

"Prepare for trouble!" The female voice cried out. "Make it double!" The male voice followed. "To protect the world from devastation!" "To unite all peoples within our nation!" "To denounce the evils of truth and love!" "To extend our reach to the stars above!"

The debris began to clear, and I saw the silhouettes of a woman with a large curl of hair and a male. Then the debris was gone, revealing the woman to have hair of a shocking shade of pink and the man to have unnaturally blue hair.

"Jessie!" "James!" Ah, so those were their names. "Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!" I tensed when I heard 'Team Rocket'. "Surrender now, or prepare to fight!" "Meowth! That's right!" I blinked, then blinked again.

A talking Meowth. Was I hallucinating? "The hell?" I muttered, shaking my head in confusion. "You just don't get it, do you, girlie," Jessie stated, and I growled under my breath at her condescending tone. "We're here for the Pokémon, obviously." "Like hell if I'll let you steal other trainers' Pokémon," I snarled, choosing to rip off the bandages altogether, since they were getting in the way. Rai exclaimed, "Yeah!" while Reinavi cawed in agreement. Even though she was in her Pokéball, I heard Levi call out in my mind, "Even though I can't do much, I will help Master Rovina as best as I can!"

"Did you think we wanted weaklings like an electric rat and a failure Pidgey?! Please!" Jessie exclaimed. James continued, "We seek only rare and valuable Pokémon."

Nurse Joy barged out of the Operating Room where she'd been, flames in her eyes, stating, "You've come to the wrong place! The Pokémon Centre houses only weak and injured Pokémon," after glancing at me, she added as an afterthought, "or Trainers."

"Well, that may be so, but I'd hardly be surprised if we find a few Pokémon diamonds in the rough," Jessie said, a smile as sickeningly sweet as honey on her features. I stormed right up to her face, yanking her down to my eye level and growled, "You're starting to piss me off." She hastily pulled out of my grip and backed away, saying, "Well, isn't that cute," she hissed. James continued, "She pissed off."

The Meowth jumped in front of the Team Rocket duo, grinning madly as he shouted, "Then let's flush her down the toilet!" Jessie and James then called out in unison, "Koffing/Ekans - Attack!"

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I leaned against the wall of the Pokémon Centre's dark control room, panting, hearing cries of 'Koffing!' and 'Ekans!' pass by outside. I heaved a silent sigh of relief, running a hand through my shock of reddish-orange hair. Rovina, the girl from earlier stayed silent while her Pikachu and Spearow muttered their respective cries. The Pokémon Centre's main room was flooded with smog from Koffing and Ekans had shredded the electrical lines to pieces, so the lights were out.

"Don't worry about the lights!" Nurse Joy cried out cheerfully, "We've got our own Pika-Power!" Rovina's and my attention was brought to the center of the room, where a group of Pikachus began to walk on a conveyor belt, chanting, "Pika Pika Pika~" repeatedly. Soon enough, the lights in the control room sparked back to life. Simultaneously, the main computer's pre-recorded voice rang out, "A crisis situation has occurred. Initiating emergency Pokéball Transfer sequence."

Nurse Joy, now serious, stated, "We have to save the Pokéballs!" As a thin, mechanic arm methodically grabbed Pokéballs from the shelves and dropped them into a machine one-by-one as Nurse Joy's fingers flew over the keyboard. "This is the Viridian City Pokémon Centre. We have an emergency situation. Transferring Pokéballs now."

A similar voice replied, "This is the Pewter City Pokémon Centre. Ready to receive Pokéballs!" I watched as the Pokéballs dematerialised before my eyes. "Fucking hell," I heard Rovina growl. I whirled around to see smog leaking through the opening between the two doors. The doors promptly exploded, the Koffing trailing smog as it knocked Pokéballs off the shelves. Rovina sped to pick up the fallen Pokéballs, and I shouted, "Throw 'em!" Then I followed suit.

She tossed a random Pokéball, and out came a Pidgey, who cowered when Ekans hissed. Rovina called out, "C'mon, Pidgey! Use Sand Attack! Reinavi, Peck Koffing and Rai, use Quick Attack and get Ekans from behind!" The Pidgey surprisingly did as told, turning and clawing the ground whick kicked a spray of dust into Ekans' eyes. Blinded, it was unprepared when the Pikachu kicked him in the back with a loud cry of "Pikachu!" The Spearow flew speedily over to the Koffing and pecked it right in the face.

"Sand Attack? Pah! It doesn't do any damage, girlie!" Jessie scoffed. "It doesn't need to," Rovina smirked as she tossed a Pokéball that, strangely, had the initials B.O. on them. "Go, Scooter!" Scooter? I thought in confusion. A Raticate materialised in front of us.

"Scooter, use Hyper Beam!"

My eyes boggled at that. The Raticate began to glow as it charged up. In a flash, I understood: Koffing was too far away to stop the Raticate and Ekans was blinded, thus defenceless. The Raticate fired, blasting Team Rocket out of the Pokémon Centre along with Koffing and Ekans, crying out, "Team Rocket's blasting off!" I admired her strategy - it was unorthodox, and only one person I'd seen had ever fought that way before.

I remembered the stoic, emotionless red eyes as they surveyed the Gym battleground below, where a Charmander faced off with a Dratini. I remembered scoffing - my mother's, Misty Waterflower, Dratini had Aqua Jet as an Egg move, and Dragon- and Ice-type moves were the only ones that were super-effective against it. What chance did this weak fire lizard have?

"Charmander…" I rolled my eyes. Why did he even try? "…use Dragon Pulse." Dratini fainted.

That was Red Ketchum, former Champion and every Trainer's role model. I realised that they had the same jet-black hair and pale skin. And wasn't that hat Red's?

Just how were the two related?

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I cursed as we hung on a rope. "Just great. A cat losing to a mouse? Top cat, my ass, Meowth!" I complained. "And climb faster, dammit!" James shouted from below me on the rope. Meowth huffed indignantly as he slowly clawed his way into the Meowth-shaped hot air balloon's basket. "It's not my fault! That Pikachu ain't no ordinary rat!"

I pulled myself into the basket, then held out my hands to pull James up.

"It's certainly extraordinarily powerful. The perfect prize!" He cackled as he sniffed the blue rose he kept with him all the time. "We should catch it. The boss will be so proud!" I said, stars in my eyes. "Perhaps we will," Meowth agreed.

Yes, perhaps we would.

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I saw Rovina walk out, with her Spearow perched on her shoulder, Pikachu sitting on her head and the Raticate trotting obediently behind her. Why, though? It wasn't her Pokémon. Perhaps it was because she had its Pokéball?

Once outside, I spotted a man who was probably around 25 to 30 years old. He donned a black polo shirt, brown cargo pants and had a fanny pack strapped to his belt. He'd helped me bring Rovina to the Pokémon Centre yesterday… He whistled as he looked at the gaping hole in the Pokémon Centre roof. "Da-yum…" He drawled as he turned to Rovina, to whom he greeted, 'Yo, I-mou-to." Rovina tossed the Raticate's Pokéball to him, and I realised: B.O. stood for Blue Oak. This was Blue Oak, grandson of the Professor Oak, rival of Red and Viridian City's ex-Gym Leader.

Imagine my shock when Rovina pulled him down to her level and stretched his cheeks. "O-oi, Imouto! That hurts!" Imouto? Was she his little sister? They looked nothing alike. "You followed me," she stated. "Scooter being here is proof, since you bring him everywhere." "Are you jealous~? Ow, ow, okay, you're not jealous. Stop stretching my face or it'll just be a flappy sack later," he complained. Rovina (reluctantly) let him go. "Why are you following me?" she questioned in a tone that left no room for argument. "What, I can't be worried?" Blue scoffed.

I just stared at their sibling-love banter, confused.

Rovina told him in a no-nonsense tone to 'go home, stupid nii-chan'. After some argument, Blue agreed, grabbed Scooter's Pokéball and high-tailed away before Rovina could stretch his face again. When we went into the Pokémon Centre to retrieve our things, I asked, "Mind if I join you?" "Sure," she shrugged, "I'm going to Viridian Forest next."

Wait, Viridian Forest?! No! Anything but that bug-filled hell-hole!

I still ended up following her though, despite the Butterfrees (Eugh, I thought) fluttering about in my stomach.

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Aaaaaand, cut! That's all for this chapter folks! I'm so sorry for updating so so soooooo late, but between studying for exams, school, homework and choir, I hardly had any time to write. So since today and tomorrow have no school (today was cross-country run, we were dismissed immediately after and tomorrow is Good Friday), I'll try to churn out another chapter for you guys, but that'll most likely be it until the June holidays.

DO YOU FEEL MY LOVE FOR YOU?! FEEL IT BURN IN THE PASSIONATE FIRES OF MY HEART! 3

Well, that was random. But anyway, thanks for reading, fave and follow if you haven't yet and don't forget to review! They'll be used as fertilizer to grow berries for Reinavi and Rai. See you next time~~ 3

P.S. WARNING: SHAMELESS ADVERTISING! I just published a fanfic for Fairy Tail. Go check it out and tell me what you think. 3

-D. Nat Kiasu