Chapter 1

Matt Erikson

I had been waiting for this day for years. For pretty much my whole life really. The bus would arrive just before lunchtime and I'd finally be on my way. My life as a Pokemon Trainer would finally begin.

I threw off my covers and rolled slowly out of bed. Faint sunlight crept in through my blinds and I pulled them away from the window to take a look outside. It was the first pleasant day we'd had in what must have been weeks now. The sun was shining and the air was calm, a perfect contrast to the cool and stormy weather we'd been faced with for what had seemed like an eternity. A pair of brown and beige Pidgey settled on the sturdy branches of a large oak just outside my second floor bedroom window and cawed happily, making their Pokemon noises. I pulled the blinds shut again and turned to make my bed. I wouldn't be seeing it again for a while so I decided I better make it up nicely before I left.

Once I finished pulling my comforter across the large double bed, I undressed out of my pajamas and headed into the shower in the bathroom across the hall from my room. I let the nearly scalding water crash down across my shoulders, soaking in as much of the simple luxury as I could. I knew I'd be sure to miss my usual hot showers once I was roughing it out on my journey. After several minutes I heard a knock on the bathroom door.

"Hurry up Matt!" I heard my mother's voice call. "Your breakfast will get cold!"

I would have been a fool to miss my last home cooked breakfast for who knew how long. I washed my hair quickly and stepped out of the shower to towel off. Within minutes I was fully dressed in my travel gear- special waterproof, dark wash jeans that I had ordered online from the Celadon City department store; orange and white high-top sneakers and a black t-shirt that I'd had for years; an all-weather orange jacket that I received for my seventeenth birthday over the past weekend; and an old blue baseball cap with fading gold Poké Ball marking that I had bought at the Pokemon Expo which had been held in Cerulean City a few years before. I did up my belt and checked my jeans pockets to make sure my wallet and cell phone were on me and then headed downstairs for breakfast.

I reached the kitchen at the bottom of the stairs and found my dad and sister already seated at the kitchen table. My dad put down the newspaper he was reading and gave me a wide grin. My father was a pretty average looking man; he had short black hair that was beginning to get a salt-and-pepper look and wore dark rimmed square glasses. His only real distinguishing feature was his long sideburns which he jokingly stated was 'hip with the kids' or something ridiculous like that. Today he was dressed in a freshly ironed navy blue polo shirt and a pair of khakis. My father was a teacher at one of the local Pokemon Trainers Schools where he taught subjects like geography, history and so forth since he had never been a Trainer himself. My mom was a teacher at the same school, mostly working with younger kids and teaching them about the vary basics of Pokemon. She had not been a Trainer either but had some basic knowledge and experience working with Pokemon from one of the jobs she had before teaching.

"Well son, are you excited?" my dad asked as I sat down at the kitchen table beside him.

"Of course", I grinned. "Today's the first step in becoming the Indigo League champion".

"Yeah! League champion!" Rose echoed enthusiastically from across the table.

Rose was my six year old sister and, I figured, as far as little sisters go she was a pretty good one. She was due to start her first year at the Trainer's school in the fall and she never let anyone forget it.

"I'm gonna be a super cool Trainer like Matt someday", she stated proudly, her little brunette pigtails bobbing up and down on her head. My mom walked over from the kitchen counter with a pitcher of orange juice and smiled at Rose. Rose was the spitting image of my mom; the same chocolaty brown hair and the same sparkling blue eyes. My mom filled up Rose's glass with juice and then filled mine as well as I began to dig into the pancakes that had been waiting on the table for me.

"I'm sure you will Rose", my mom said happily as she finished pouring my glass of orange juice. "Do you have everything all ready to go, Matt?"

"Mhmm", I managed through a mouthful of pancakes. "My bag's sitting on the couch over there". I pointed to my very stuffed black and grey backpack sitting on the couch in the adjacent living room.

"Sleeping bag, maps and water bottles?" my dad asked.

"Yup, and an umbrella, extra clothes and food too", I confirmed.

The front door opened slowly and in walked a tall boy with long black hair and a small red Pokemon.

"Hi Travis, hi Spice!" Rose called from the kitchen. The small fire Pokemon skipped straight over to Rose and began to lick her dangling fingers, trying to get all the maple syrup off of them. Rose giggled and pet Spice's head. Travis sat down next to me with a plate stacked with fresh pancakes and a glass of orange juice in hand.

"Was Spice good on her walk?" I asked my brother as he began to cut into his breakfast.

"About as good as usual", Travis responded dryly. "She knows better than to run out onto the street at least". Travis was fifteen, only two years younger than me. He was nearly finished with Trainers School now as he only had one year left before he graduated. He hadn't told anyone what he planned on doing after he was done with school but I was pretty sure he wanted to become a trainer too.

The legal age to obtain a Trainer's license had been increased from ten to fourteen about a decade back after a series of serious incidents and even deaths involving several very young and inexperienced trainers became the focus of public outcry. Many felt that ten was much too young an age for a child to set off into the world alone and it did not take long before Indigo League officials announced the increasing of the legal training age. The League had also attempted to introduce incentives for prospective trainers to stay in school all the way to age sixteen by promising a decent sum of money that could be used to help finance a Trainer journey would be awarded to those students who had an upstanding academic record at the time of their graduation. The League`s plan was not overly successful as many kids still dropped out of school the moment they turned fourteen but there was a decent number that stayed all the way to graduation in order to receive their bursary money.

Spice hopped up onto her hind legs and put her front paws on my lap. Her tongue lazily hung out the side of her mouth as she panted happily.

"Good girl Spice", I said as I scratched her behind the ears. Spice was still quite young, only about six months old. She had been found abandoned outside Saffron City by the local Nurse Joy about three months before and my family had decided to adopt the little Growlithe.

"Do you know which Pokemon of Professor Oak's you're going to choose?" my dad asked as he took a sip from his coffee mug.

The question caught me off guard as I suddenly realized how little I had thought about which Pokemon I wanted to begin my journey with. I took a long moment to think about it.

"I'm not sure", I finally admitted. "Maybe Bulbasaur, I think that would be a strong Pokemon to have".

"Maybe Bulbasaur and Spice can be friends", Rose suggested to which Spice barked her approval.

"Yes, that would be nice", my mom agreed happily as she cleared away our empty plates.

I pulled out my phone and checked the time. Ten minutes to eleven. There was less than forty-five minutes left before the bus to Pallet Town arrived at the depot.

"I guess I better go grab the last of my stuff", I called as I rose from the table and turned to head back upstairs.

It was nearly half past eleven when we finally arrived at the bus depot. A large royal blue coach bus sat parked outside the depot's main building. The name of the travel company, 'Arcanine Express' was painted in large red and gold lettering across the side of the bus. I could see people already stowing some larger luggage in the bus' lower compartment and boarding the vehicle. The driver stood outside, drinking from a large travel mug and reading a copy of Pokemon Times magazine. I reached into my jacket pocket and pulled out my bus ticket.

"Well kiddo, I guess this is it", my dad said quietly.

I turned around to look at my family, all of whom smiled back at me reassuringly.

"Good luck on your journey Matt", my mom smiled. "I know you'll be a first-class trainer in no time".

"Thanks mom", I grinned back. "I promise I'll be home soon, I want to come back and challenge the Gym here". My mom nodded and continued to smile, though I could see tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

"And Rose", I continued, turning to my younger sister. "You and Travis need to work really hard at school and take good care of Spice while I'm gone".

Rose gave me a big goofy smile and a thumbs-up. Travis simply nodded and crossed his arms across his chest. I crouched down and rubbed Spice behind her ears. The little Fire Pokemon gave me a quick lick across the face and let out a few happy barks.

"Be good, buddy", I said quietly to her. "I'll make it home as soon as I can".

"Last call for boarding!" We all turned to see the bus driver with one foot already in the vehicle calling out to everyone still waiting around the depot building.

I picked my backpack and sleeping bag up off the ground and slung my bag over my shoulder. I was greeted almost instantly with a flurry of hugs and kisses and goodbyes from my parents who reluctantly let me go once the sound of the bus' engine being started took over the depot. With one last smile, I turned and jogged towards the bus and climbed aboard.

The driver stamped my ticket with some purple ink and ushered me to go find a seat. I found a pair of empty seats near the middle of the vehicle and threw my belongings down on the aisle seat before flopping down into the other. The driver put the bus into drive and we took off out of the depot, merging onto the main road out of town. The bus rumbled down the perfectly kept streets of Cerulean City until we reached the exit ramp for the Number One Highway where we were steered south and out of the urban center of the city. It wasn't long before we were driving out on the country roads, well away from city life. I could see farm houses out in the seemingly endless fields on either side of the road, Pokemon grazing in the beautiful green meadows.

The bus ride would not be a short one as the commercial road that connected Pallet Town and Cerulean was anything but straightforward. After a few hours of looking out the window at the passing landscapes, I decided to pull out some of my maps and start to look over them, just for something to do. I figured I would try to head due north from Pallet Town once I received my Starter Pokemon and make my way to Viridian City. My examining of the maps did not last too long, however as I quickly found trying to read the maps while on a vehicle that was moving anything but smoothly was making me nauseous. After a while I decided to give up on my trip planning for the moment and leaned back into my comfy seat, quickly nodding off into an afternoon nap.

When I finally woke up, I looked around expecting to see Pallet Town through the large window on my right. Instead, to my surprise, I found that we were still out on the highway even though the sun was beginning to set and the sky was streaked with the blues and purples that signaled that dusk was soon approaching. The outlines of trees and fences were still visible out along the side of the road as I rubbed my eyes as I adjusted to the dimmer light. Thoroughly confused, I pulled out my cell phone and checked the time- just after six in the evening. I had to double check the time just to be sure I was reading it correctly. I pulled out my stamped bus ticket from my pocket and re-read it:

DEPARTURE TIME: 11:30

ARRIVAL TIME: 4:30 (APPROX.)

We were almost two whole hours behind schedule. I got up from my seat and carefully made my way up to the driver at the front.

"Excuse me sir", I said to him, causing him to briefly glance back at me before turning his attention back to the road. "What's going on? I thought we were supposed to arrive in Pallet Town a long time ago".

The driver turned his head slightly to look at me again before letting out a tired sigh.

"I guess you must have been sleeping kid", he replied tiredly. "We broke down a few hours back, had to sit around waiting for a mechanic to come from Pewter City and fix us up. Lost maybe an hour and half, two hours".

I could feel my stomach drop. "So where are we now?" I asked.

The driver nodded his head towards a large sign up ahead that indicated an upcoming exit to Viridian City.

"I'd wager we're about another hour or so to Pallet", he said. "Sorry, kid".

I walked slowly back to my seat and threw myself down into it in defeat. I knew there was no way I'd be able to make it to Professor Oak's lab in time. My journey would have to wait another day.

By the time we pulled up into the Pallet Town bus depot it was well after seven and I knew Oak's lab must be closed for the day. I gathered up my things and headed into the depot building to find a map of the town. I grabbed a fold-out map from the information desk and quickly located the local Pokemon Center and Poké Mart. I decided I should head to the Mart first and pick up some food and supplies for my journey while I had the spare time.

It was dusk out when I stepped through the doors of the Poké Mart. The street lights shone into the store from the outside, covering the stocked shelves in an almost eerie glow. The man at the counter greeted me as I walked inside and I smiled and waved back in return. There were a few other people in the Mart all browsing through the shelves and cases filled with Pokemon related items. I grabbed a shopping basket from beside the counter and slowly drifted to the back of the store and began to browse through some shelves stocked with an assortment of spray bottles. I grabbed a couple of purple bottles of the shelf which were labeled 'Potion' and dropped them into my basket. I also threw in a clear bottle filled with and orange liquid that was labeled 'Antidote' and a few bottles of water. I also grabbed a sandwich wrapped in cellophane from a refrigerated shelf for dinner.

"So kid, I'm guessing you're still waiting on your first Pokemon", the clerk commented as he rang my purchases up at the cash register. I looked up from grabbing bills out of my wallet in surprise.

"Uh, yeah. How did you know?" I asked him. The man gave a dry chuckle.

"All these Pokemon items but you don't have any Poké Balls with you", he explained, pointing at my belt. "Looks like you're getting ready to start your journey".

"Yeah actually, that's pretty accurate", I said as the clerk handed me the shopping bag filled with my newly purchased items.

"Well kid, today you're in luck", the man grinned. "How'd you like to take some brand new Poké Ball technology out on your journey with you?"

I could feel my eyes light up. "Wow, I'd love to! What kind of new technology?"

The man reached under the counter and pulled out a type of Poké Ball I'd never seen before. The polished metal surface was completely white with a red band cutting it in half. The man tossed it up and caught it a few times.

"It's called a Premier Ball", he explained. "I just got a shipment of them fresh from Hoenn earlier this week". He handed me the ball and I accepted it with enthusiasm. "I'm supposed to give them away as a special promotional item. I bet a kid like you would make good use out of this".

"I'm sure I will", I assured him, clipping the shiny Ball to my belt loop. "Thank you very much sir".

"Ah, don't mention it", he said with a wave of his hand. "I've got a feeling it'll come in handy for you some day".

"I'll make sure to catch a really strong Pokemon with it then".

I thanked the clerk again for the Ball and headed out of the store. I could see the dark red roof of the Pokemon Center just down a few blocks and started walking towards it, pulling out my sandwich and snacking on it as I went. It was almost gone by the time I stepped through the front doors of the Pokemon Center. From what I had been told in Trainers School, Pokemon Centers were supposed to be able to accommodate travelling trainers with a room to stay in overnight, free of charge. I approached the Nurse Joy sitting at the front desk and asked her about a room to stay the night in. She handed me a key card and directed me to a room just down the hall. I quickly thanked her and headed off towards the room, ready to go straight to bed.

I unlocked the door with my key card and stepped inside. It was a simple room, just a twin bed leaning up against the far wall with clean white sheets and a wooden bedside table. I spotted a fold-out chair in the corner and a door to what I assumed must be an attached bathroom. It certainly was not a fancy hotel room, but for just the one night it would do just fine. I tossed my backpack and sleeping bag onto the fold-out chair and turned the lights off. I slipped out of my jacket and jeans before flopping down on my stomach onto the bed and closing my eyes. Today may not have been the start of my adventure but I was confident the next day would be. Within minutes I was fast asleep.

Author's Note: Well there it is, the first real chapter of this story up and published! How have I done so far? Again, reviews are welcome and highly appreciated.

I've decided to take somewhat of an unusual approach to writing this story in that I will be writing from the first-person point-of-view of multiple characters (only three characters in this story and more in my planned sequels). I'll try to make things as clear as possible with regards to which character is narrating a particular chapter by placing the character's name in the chapter title and at the top of the page. If at any point I fail to make clear which character is narrating please let me know in the reviews and I'll do my very best to fix it. I won't be introducing another narrating character until Chapter 8 so its not a big issue at the moment, but I did want to give everyone fair warning in advance.

I've written up to Chapter 9 of this story so hopefully I should be able to get some more Chapters up in the coming days. Some of them need to be spell checked, edited and so forth very heavily first but nonetheless I'll do my best to get them posted sooner rather than later.

Till next chapter!

-Kingpredator125