At the break of dawn, as the sun was rising from its bed, Will woke up to the screeching of a raucous Spearow. Smells of breakfast grease and a continuous sizzle made him arise from the light slumber that he was wallowing in. He stumbled downstairs and a wonderful sight was laid for his tired eyes. Ash was working hard, alongside a three other pokemon, to make breakfast. Ash was bustling around trying to keep everything tidy. A Mr. Mime was kneading dough whilst a Cyndaquil was quick-heating the oven.
The "bacon" was piled sky high on a ceramic platter. Grease was steaming and slightly popping on the fatty meat. Air-fluffed waffles, slightly toasted and full to bursting with berries, "eggs", over-easy and the yolks slowly running all over the pan as they were being kept warm. Dustings of sugar and spice and mostly a lot of nice all over the counter. Tea a-brewing on the stove with small hisses emitted from the kettle. A mild Pinap Berry aroma filled the room with Mr. Mime rolling dough and piling heaps of raisins and cinnamon for sticky rolls.
Will stepped in the room and found it odd that it was cool and not stuffy. He then saw Froslass in the corner of the room using her icy aura to keep the room from overheating and getting too steamed up.
"Good morning, my son, and Happy Birthday! Today is going to be so exciting! But tomorrow will be better 'cause we are going on a super long trip around Kanto! Oh, by the way, Prof. Oak might come along. Now come on. Mr. Mime, Cyndaquil, let's eat." said Ash.
With the table set fit for a king, they put all the food on the table. Ash shared with Mr. Mime and Cyndaquil the food. Will had to give Froslass some food because absent-minded Ash forgot about her. Both Will and Ash had just sat down to indulge upon the food when a smartly placed knock on the door rang out. The doorbell began to ring impatiently with a dusty tone. Will dashed to the door and allowed two older gentlemen to enter the house.
"Well Prof. Oak. I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow. Why so early? And aren't you supposed to be preparing for a special ceremony today?" sked Ash
"Well, I decided to come over and say Happy Birthday personally! I'm only staying for a short while. Hmm?! Did you make these delicacies? I haven't tasted anything better since the time the pokecenter opened its own fast-food restaurant. Never mind, I'm going to stay and eat" exclaimed Prof. Oak. "Also you need to get a ramp for me. It took me the time to get up those stairs at it did for you to become a Pokemon Master." He laughed to himself.
Prof. Oak was a rather jovial man. Short and stocky. He looked as if he once had an athletic build to him when he was a youth himself. With spiky gray hairs that leaned to one side of his head. His eyes were dazzling diamonds, and had a twinkle to them like he knew a secret that you didn't. He wore a simple red shirt, these large gray pants and a rather oversized lab coat.
"Oh, and by the way this is a special guest of mine. Mr. Gustavo. He has the largest collection of rare pokeballs in all of Kanto Region, most impressive. He also is the manager of Mt. Moon National Sanctuary and owns a complete collection of vintage elemental plate, yet again impressive I must say." added Prof. Oak.
Mr. Gustavo was a chunky man with rather broad nose, and a grim smile. His eyes, were exhausted with a deadened look to them. On his head was a large mop of dusty brown hair that splayed all over the place. He had on a silk burgundy shirt on with the buttons threatening to pop out, pure white cargo pants that clung on skin tight, and bulky hiking boots. He was well accessorized with a small messenger bag, an enormous backpack and a rather fancy watch. Will thought he looked rather menacing, but not entirely mean, maybe just overly tired.
"Mr. Ketchum. I was wondering if you are in the possession of a Deep Sea Scale, a Razor Claw, and a Lax Incense. Also I was wondering if you could let me have a few of your pokemon. I just need an Abra, a Clefairy, and a Paras. We are going to have to conduct an experiment on pokemon migration and natural breeding. And for a spot of research. Of course we will compensate you with whatever you need. Are you able to comply?" asked Mr. Gustavo as he whipped out a small tablet and began typing rapidly without taking his eyes off Ash.
"Why yes of course. I have several things up in the attic you may also find interest in . Let me go and get them for you." Ash then excused himself and went up to the attic to retrieve the items. Everyone sat idly while they waited for him to return. Mr. Gustavo began to munch on the "bacon", still typing, while Prof. Oak stared off into the depths of space. Will sat there scrutinizing their faces as they did nothing.
"Will, what is your favorite color?" asked Prof. Oak rather absentmindedly.
"I prefer green. A light green." replied Will.
Prof. Oak nodded to himself and then whispered into Mr. Gustavo's ear. He shrugged off the whisper and continued with his bacon. Prof. Oak infuriated that bacon was more important than him, stewed in his anger and the buzz of nothing drawled on.
…
While they sat in immense silence downstairs, Ash was up in the attic making his own discoveries. Stained busted boxes laid in the dusty crypt, lit by only slivers of sunlight peeking through the holes in the roof. One step on the floorboards and old dust rose up in a suffocating cloud. He opened box after box trying to find the items Mr. Gustavo claimed he wanted. He did managed find an old pokeball stuck in the attic floorboards. Also some pieces of colored glass and an ancient Dawn Stone. He found the Deep Sea Scale underneath his own collection of tarnished elemental plates, the Razor Claw was in a necklace maker kit from forever ago, and he finally found the Lax Incense underneath a ton of old polaroid shots. There was an old picture of him with Pikachu in the Celadon City Casino. 'Hmm, he thought, I don't remember this picture being taken.' He put the picture away and thumped down the stairs abandoning his nostalgia in the attic.
Ash placed the items in front of Mr. Gustavo. He grabbed the items with a strained relish. He took out this nice high-tech chrome briefcase. He placed the items inside and with a loud click, he locked it. He snagged a piece of bacon and bid good-day. He walked out of the house with Will on his tail. Mr. Gustavo took out a pokeball and pulled out this large brown bird. He got on the bird's back with ease and it took off to the skies at an unbelievable speed. Will ran back into the kitchen.
"Prof. Oak! Mr. Gustavo used this really large bird pokemon and flew away! It was huge and had these long orange head feathers!" exclaimed Will with excitement.
"Oh, WOW! What you saw must have been a Pidgeot. Best known as the Bird Pokemon. Rather basic if you think about it 'It's large wings are so powerful that it can manipulate tornadoes of large size. It's the third and final evolution of Pidgey.'" recited Prof. Oak. "But since I can't always tell you what each pokemon are and about them, here is your first present from me."
He handed Will a box shaped present in a Slugma wrapping paper. Will ripped it open with an unworldly excitement. It was a brand-new pokedex, the latest one that had just came out. It was the PokedeX. It was a nice red and white color. The screen was totally smooth and flawless.
"Wow! Thanks, Prof. Oak! This is something that I always have wanted, but my dad would never get it for me." thanked Will. He held up the Dex to the wrapping paper pokémon.
"Slugma, the Slug Pokemon. Slugma's slime is so hot that it can melt stone if it lingers too long. It needs to constantly move for its whole life" said the machine in a smooth metallic female voice. "This pokemon cannot be found in the Kanto Region."
"Cool! I saw my first pokemon! Let's go look at the wild pokemon out on the patio." said Will as he dashed to the patio with Prof. Oak and Ash following close behind. They sat on the patio and began to watch the wild pokemon that walked onto the open yard. Mr. Mime came out onto the patio with a large tray of cinnamon buns and hot Pinap Berry tea. They just sat there on the patio for hours watching pokemon pass by. There were glimpses of fast pokemon and some slow pokemon that staggered their way across the yard.
"Ok. There is a flare to battling other pokemon." said Prof. Oak. "Ok. Let me show how its done. Ok. Mr. Mime let's go!"
Mr. Mime looked at Prof. Oak with a shocked look. Mr. Mime wasn't really a battling pokemon and he rarely ever fought. There happened to be a green spider slowly crawling along the edge of the patio. Will used his pokedex to see what it was.
"Spinarak. The String Spit Pokemon, this pokemon uses its string to maneuver its way in the trees with ease. This pokemon is found rarely in the Kanto Region and more commonly in the Johto Region."
"Mr. Mime! Use your Psychic attack!" commanded Prof. Oak. Mr. Mime used his mental abilities to lift up items around the patio and one by one launched them at the tiny spider. Items exploded into a cloud of dust and grass. The debris disappeared but the spider was nowhere in sight.
"Hmmph. Where did that Spinarak go?" asked Will.
Mr. Mime, fed up, turned around to walk back in the house when Prof. Oak caught sight of the Spinarak on his back. He grabbed the empty cinnamon roll platter and began to whack at the spider and repeatedly hit Mr. Mime's back while doing . Mime was infuriated so he used his power to lift up Prof. Oak and launched him up high on the roof. Spinarak then skittered away without a scratch, leaving Mr. Mime rather upset and a Prof. Oak on the roof.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAH! HELP ME GET DOWN!" yelled Prof. Oak.
Mr. Mime walked back in the house with an angry vibe surrounding him.
There was a slow brown mouse that was lingering in the edge of the lawn as it aimlessly rolled around. Will seem rather intrigued by the personality of this pokemon. He knew that this pokemon was an easy target. Ash caught sight of a Vulpix that was busy scampering around chasing a Butterfree. Will and Ash both in sync sent out their pokemon. Will sent out his Eevee and Ash sent out the old pokeball he found in the attic. It was this cocoon. It was yellowish in color and it had squinted jet black eyes. It automatically used a silk string to attach itself to a nearby tree branch.
"Kakuna. The Cocoon Pokemon. Kahuna's shell is so hard that it is equivalent to diamond armor. It usually stays unmovable until it evolves. The next evolution of Weedle." read his Dex.
He then pointed the camera at the brown mouse, "Sandshrew. The Mouse Pokemon. Sandshrew may look slow upon the land, but it can dig in earth and rock like its water." recited Dex.
He then proceeded to look at the red fox. "Vulpix. The Fox Pokemon. When this fox is born it is snow-white and has one large tail. As it grows older it turns a red color and its tail splits into many tails." says Dex.
"OK! Eevee! Let's battle and get that Sandshrew!" yelled Will, with so much hype.
Eevee was ready to attack while Sandshrew was still trying to figure out what was happening. The Vulpix saw the Kakuna and immediately snuffed and got offended that he was going to have to battle such a unworthy foe. Eevee glowed blue and charged full on towards the Sandshrew. Vulpix simultaneously flamed at the mouth and raced at Kakuna with a fiery rage.
Eevee ran at Sandshrew, still glowing blue, but at the last second the mouse pokémon dove into the earth. Meanwhile, Kakuna started swinging around like a pendulum taunting Vulpix into a putrid hate. Kakuna kept shooting threads to create Sticky Webs and Vulpix nimbly dodged them.
Sandshrew popped out of the ground and leaped into the air. He created this orb of mud in his claws and threw it at Eevee. It splattered against the ground and mud got all over Eevee's eyes and blinded her momentarily.
Kakuna was still swinging and Vulpix kept trying to burn it with his flaming mouth. Vulpix got in the pathway and Kakuna swung and smashed Vulpix into a tree. Vulpix spat a cloud of Embers and burned right through the attachment string and Kakuna fell. He kept trying to reattach his string but efforts were in vain.
"Eevee! Watch out for Sandshrew's Mud-Shot! It brings down your accuracy. Kakuna! Watch out for the Vulpix's Fire Fang and just keep dodging!" yelled Prof. Oak from up on the roof.
Eevee grew blue again and began to just run in circles kicking a lot of dust. A dust bowl started to grow and Sandshrew popped back up right in the dirt cloud. Eevee took her chance and smashed right into the pokemon. Sandshrew raked her with his claws and dove back into the earth. Kakuna managed to get back up with his string and swung away with Vulpix hot on his heels. Vulpix did Ember again and Kakuna fell once more.
Vulpix flamed at the mouth again and began to creep forward readying to pounce. Eevee glowed blue and Sandshrew popped up again and jumped high in the air. He summoned a large rock and prepared to throw. Eevee stopped glowing blue and threw herself at Sandshrew in a spiraling attack.
"Will! Take this and use it!" shouted his dad and he tossed him a Great Ball. Will caught the ball and got ready to throw.
Kakuna braced for impact as Vulpix leapt up in the air, but his front foot got stuck and Vulpix fell face first on Kakuna's Sticky Web. Kakuna got back up on its string again. He swung on his string and shot its Pin Missile at Vulpix. They hit with such force that a small explosion ensued. Eevee Body Slammed into the rock which ricocheted off and hit Sandshrew instead. Ash threw his pokeball at Vulpix while Will threw his Great Ball at the Sandshrew. They both clicked and fell to the ground. They rocked back and forth and back and forth. A long pause. And then a click with a small burst of sparkles!
"Yes! I caught a Sandshrew! OK! Sandshrew come out!" exclaimed Will unable to contain his excitement.
Sandshrew waddled up to Will and tugged on his pant leg. "Sandshrew?" he asked.
"Hi Sandshrew. My name is Will and this is Eevee. I would like you to be apart of our new family!" replied Will.
Sandshrew was happy to be a part of his new team and family. Will pulled Sandshrew back in his Great Ball, when suddenly Ash's Kakuna began to glow a brilliant light. Sparks began to fly everywhere. A large shape began to emerge for the old Kakuna shell. The light vanished and it revealed a large bee.
Will took his pokedex and raised it to look at the pokemon. His Dex said, "Beedrill. The Poison Bee Pokemon. When angered, Beedrill secretes an aroma that only other bug pokemon can smell to let them know that it is angry. The final evolution of Weedle." read Dex.
Ash pulled Beedrill back in his pokeball.
" Will, I want to give a couple of early gifts to you. This is a Fire Stone. It has the ability to evolve certain Fire-Type Pokemon. Also, I would like to give you this Vulpix. Please take care of him. He seems to be a rather feisty pokemon." said Ash.
"Ok, Will. Today was a great day, but now it's time for us to get your starter pokemon! Ok, let's go!" said Prof. Oak. They immediately left the house and headed down the dusty lane towards the lab in the center of Pallet Town.
As they walked down the dirt path the sun was beginning to set and they came upon Will's neighbors house. It was Ms. Rivera and her daughter, Exodus. They had just moved from the Johto Region.
"Hi, Will. Happy Birthday!" said Exodus as she gave him a hug. "Here is the present that I got you. I ordered this one from the Celadon City Pokemart. I hope you like it."
She handed Will a lumpy package that was clumsily wrapped in paper that was decorated with these purple balloons.
"Drifloon. The Balloon Pokemon. Drifloon is so lightweight that even a simple breeze could toss them several feet away." stated Dex.
"Thanks, Mrs Rivera. Thanks, Exodus. This is too kind of you." thanked Will. "I'll open it later." Will and Prof. Oak kept walking to the lab. By the time that they made it to the lab, the temperature was dropping. The pumpkin-red sun was melting over Mt. Moon and an intense cold was defeating the July warmth rapidly. As the shadows lashed out towards the two guys, they made it in front of the large lab.
The enormous marbled lab's glass doors slid open and shimming dazzling light greeted them and Will gasped! The lab was massive inside. A huge open lobby with a large chandelier made of elemental stones glittered rainbow light. Aides scrambling everywhere, chatting among one another, running errands, filling out paperwork and etc. They stopped and bid-good day to Prof. Oak and went on their way. Will and Oak headed their way to the Initiation Room. They passed a library. The shelves were ceiling high and the books were gilded with gold nuggets with an aroma of starch and ink wafting in the hallways. There was an indoor sanctuary filled with baby pokemon and people caring for them. A school that was training soon-to-be aides and nurses. Pokemon were around every corner and the variety was immense. Just walking around Will pocketed a Hard Stone, a Mystic Water necklace, a miniature jar of Honey, and Expert Sash which Prof. Oak snatched from him.
They finally reached a simple room. There was only a white screen and an old projector with a film roll. Prof. Oak inserted the roll and cranked up the winder and the film whirred to life.
"Hello, trainer-to-be. This is the world of Pokemon. Pokemon are the fanciful creatures that exist on the face of this world. People and pokemon have lived in harmony on this earth for centuries. Some people just admire the natural beauty and grace of them. Others keep them as pets and companionship and others use them to battle. Since you are watching this then you want to be a trainer. To be a trainer you need to have a starter pokemon. In the Kanto Region there are three pokemon that are available for you to choose from. Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle. You can only choose one of them. Once you choose then you can go out and battle. You also need your Pokemon ID and a badge box. Once out in the open, there are PokeCenters. PokeCenters are where you can heal your hurt pokemon. The nurses are educated and trained to perform an immaculate job on healing and designed to give the best satisfaction to their clients. PokeMarts are shops that have all of your worldly needs for you to strive. There are also Gyms that are scattered around the region to test your skills against a master of a certain element. Defeat the gym leader and earn a badge to prove that you have. Also when you travel try to fill out your pokedex. There has been no one in the world that had seen all the pokemon in universe. Now… yoooooou… ca-ca-ca-ca-ca-ca- caaaannnnn…" …..
An acrid smell filled the air. Prof. Oak popped the back of machine and a tar-like smoke poured out of the camera. The inside had overheated and melted all over the place, dripping pools of melted plastic. The film was burning and the more ooze dripped out.
"NO! You haven't finished yet! Why?! What happens next?!" exclaimed Prof. Oak. "Oh. It was going to say 'So now you can become a Pokemon Trainer. Best of luck to you'. Ok. Now let's go to the next room."
They left the room in a hurry for another aide to take care of. They proceeded down the long hallway and yet into another room. It was vast and the roof was a huge arch and every noise echoed in their heads. It was brilliant white marble and rather plain. Nothing but a fancy pedestal in the middle of the room. They slowly walked up the steps to the table.
Imbedded into the pedestal were three pokeballs. All the same original pokeballs. The red and white stood out against the room. One pokeball had a flame engraving, another a leaf engraving, and the last one had a water drop engraving.
"Ok. Will. Which pokemon are you going to choose?" asked Prof. Oak.
Will pondered for what felt like eternity. He in turn pulled out each of the pokemon. He looked at there moves, their stats, and the simple movements of the pokemon. He scrutinized the way they acted to him and their surroundings. When he finally figured out his decision, Professor Oak was slumped on the floor fast asleep.
"I want…" he started. "I want… none of these pokemon." he replied rather calmly.
"WHAAAAAAT!" shouted Prof. Oak arising from his nap. "You denied all three of these pokemon?! Never in my life has that ever happened! You don't want Bulbasaur, Charmander or Squirtle?!"
"What I want is my dad's Eevee. I want Eevee as my starter pokemon." answered Will.
"You are most certainly are almost, the most stubborn child I have ever met. Ok, let's go talk to your father about this… this issue of yours."
Prof. Oak and Will headed back to the house in the dark and managed to make it with no night time pokemon bursting out to battle. They all met in the family den and talked to Ash about this dilemma. Ash, paced around, back and forth, to and fro, thinking of what to do or what to say.
"Ok. Let me get this straight. You don't want any of the lab raised pokemon but you want a wild Eevee that I caught myself. Ok. I will allow you to have Eevee as your starter. She is now your pokemon to take care of. You just promise me that you don't evolve her just right now. Ok?"
He took Eevee and placed it into Will's hand. Will pulled out Eevee and he used his Dex on her.
"Eevee. The Evolution Pokemon. Eevee's genetic code is so unstable that it could be changed by the slightest amount of radiation of certain stones." read his Dex in her monotone voice.
"Ok. Now we had a fun day…" started Ash.
"PRESENT TIME!" exclaimed Prof. Oak.
Will opened up Exodus and Mrs. Rivera's present. He ripped off the wrapping paper and inside was a black jacket with an image of a pokeball on it. There was also a TM holder also. It contained only 5 TMs and they were just stat move TMs. Prof. Oak handed Will a rather fancy leather journal complete with pencils. Ash gave him a Vulpix already but he gave him a rather small locked box.
The doorbell rang. Outside was this huge box. It was so large that they had to open it outside. He ripped off the paper and ripped open the cardboard. It was a brand-new bicycle! It was a light-green color with a sleek and sturdy frame. He was too excited that he missed the note written for him as it fell to the ground and the sound of large wings flying so quietly only careful ears could hear sounded above them.
"Ok, Ok. Now it's really time for all of you to go to bed." said Ash with a yawn. "Tomorrow's a big day for us and we need to have all the energy that we can get. Ok. Good night." Ash said rather quickly as he retreated to the comfort of his bedroom. Prof. Oak was already asleep in the outside swing and Will slowly trudged upstairs. He crawled into his bed and fell asleep almost instantly as a wave of joy cradled him comfortably.