Chapter One: Bright Summer Morn'
Amanda was woken up by the sound of her mother's voice that shouted,
"Amanda! Get out of bed! You don't want to be late to start your journey!"
She smiled to herself as she stretched in her bed. Her 14th birthday was a few weeks ago, and that meant she was legally allowed to start her journey as a Pokémon trainer. She jumped out of bed and after going through the normal morning rituals, got into her clothes and admired herself in the mirror.
The teen trainer had her blue hair in two pigtails held in place with two red hairbands and with a fringe that was just a few millimetres from her eyebrows. She had on a red short sleeved t-shirt under a white long-sleeved jacket that stopped at her midriff, a pair of grey sweatpants shorts and a pair of blue and white sneakers.
She blushed a bit at her figure while shaking off any lewd thoughts and walked calmly to the door. Before she went down, however, she looked back to admire her room one last time. It looked like it belonged to a rampaging Dragonite and a teenage boy. Sports equipment was crammed in the bottom of the closet, books were lying around on the floor, the trashbin was full of graphs and crumpled sheets of paper and her game console's CD packs were lying gloriously on the TV. Yet there was some order to the chaos. Her desk, which had her desktop along with some extra work space was neat and tidy. Her fluffy bed with blue Pokèball print was also neat and tidy, and her two potted plants were well-watered and kept by the windows.
As she walked downstairs, she saw er mom engaged in deep conversation with her sister, Matilda over cups of tea and warm waffles glazed with premium Combee honey. Amanda's stomach liked the smell, so it sent a message out through growling like a snarling dog Pokèmon. While Amanda reproached her tummy for interrupting her aunt and mom, the latter sighed and shook her head with a smile, pointing to the kitchen, where more waffles were waiting. Exchanging greetings, Amanda sat down for breakfast for what would probably be the last time in probably a month, if not a few could see the tears in her mother's eyes as she saw her only child get ready to leave home, and that made her stop eating and give her a hug.
"I love you mom. I'll make sure not to get into anything to dangerous... For you. And for dad." She muttered, the last part barely a whisper that was only heard by mother and daughter.
"I know your will and mind, Amanda. I know you wouldn't do anything I wouldn't do. At the same time, remember to do what you would do." Diana instructed, hiving her daughter a kiss on the forehead before letting her finish her food.
Matilda looks at all this and smiled, before going to give Amanda good luck hug and surprisingly, a leather wallet with up to 5000 poke dollars in it.
"T-thanks, Auntie..." Amanda stammered, hugging her aunt as hard as she could.
After Amanda left, the two were now face to face, and there was a soft smile on Diana's lips.
"I know you were saving that for your daughter, Matilda. Thank you."
Matilda waved it of with rapid flicking of her hand, while her thoughts wandered to her unruly, rebellious child in question, who had run away for the third time.
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Amanda brightened up considerably once she was outside, even having a spring in her step. Her town of New Bark didn't offer much, but there was one thing that put it on the regional map; the Pokémon Lab. It was not too big, but yet researchers and scientists as well as trainers and even a few times, Gym Leaders came to town because of it. Amanda used to look at all the commotion from her room windows when she was younger, hoping, dreaming, about this day. Once she entered the building, she hurried past all the rooms and sub labs in the building complex, to where Prof. Elm's 'reception room' was. The aged man stopped typing on the computer he was using when she arrived and looked up with a look of surprise.
"Why, Amanda! You came so early! It's barely seven!"
She smirked. She was trained by her parents to be very punctual.
"Well, you can't start until we're all here."Prof. Elm said.
A bit too punctual, Amanda! She thought to herself as she frowned.
While Prof. Elm was typing away, Amanda revised to pass some time. She looked over at her type sheet, where from the time she was eight to the time she was now, had been used to calculate the effectiveness and ineffectiveness of moves for any type. A few pokemon that piqued her interest were there too, such as Gyrados being considered a 'Flying' type due to the particles produced by its underbelly that allowed it to leap out of the water with such grace, speed and power. The same particles were produced by Doduo and Dodrio, Pokemon that were avian in all respects except their lack of wings. They could use the particles to leap high and run fast, so technically they were 'Flying' types. Another Pokemon mentioned under the whole flying type thing was Flygon, who could fly but didn't produce the particles. When she was ten, she nearly tore up the sheet due to these discoveries being made, but she was encouraged by her mom to be open minded, and she kept it. Now she was ready for such, and would meet her 'starter'. She saw the three Pokéballs on the table, but suddenly noticed something different. Instead of the signs to signify water, fire and grass, they stood for electricity, rock, and ice. She stared at the Professor, wondering,
Whatever happened to the good ol' choice of water, fire and grass, Prof. Elm!
She had been preparing all her life to choose a grass-type from the three, and all of her planning had gone down the drain. She was so angry that she didn't notice Lily, her childhood friend, walk in. What snapped her out of her thoughts was the sound of Lily's voice as she and the professor exchanged pleasantries.
Lily had green, full hair that reached her back and brown eyes with her fair complexion. She wore a light green, sleeveless top with an oxblood coloured skirt over a pair of brown shorts. As for her foot wait, she had on black baseball boots.
Amanda quickly snapped out of it and exchanged pleasantries as well, after which the Professor gave them their Pokédexes. They were both little laptops with their own keyboards and navigation pads and everything else. They had two screens; one was bigger and was blank with no information, while the other had a list format with a few options here and there. Both girls squealed with excitement as they were given the little laptops. Lily was given a green one while Amanda was given a blue one. Next they were shown the table with Pokéballs on them. Amanda watched Lily's expression as she beheld the sudden change in plans. Lily calmly asked why, to which Prof. Elm answered;
"This answer goes to both of you. I changed the arrangement of Starters because it'll allow for you trainers to make healthier decisions. I know both of you have been preparing for a long time to choose one of those three and hence, I changed the arrangement to allow for good use of your thinking and battle prowess. So, that said, come on, pick your partners."
Amanda and Lily looked at each other; each telling the other to choose first. Amanda finally fell through and picked up the Pokéball with the lightning bolt on it. Lily stepped forward and chose the Pokéball with the snowflake on it. Prof. Elm breathed a small sigh of relief before stating the following boringly like it was a rehearsed speech,
"You girls have chosen your starters. Treat them with love and care and they will protect you till their dying breath. From this moment you are a team with your Pokémon; they must be considered when planning or circumstances will quickly turn around against you. Now hold your Pokéballs up to your Pokédex lens."
Once Amanda's Pokéball button connected with her Pokédex, there was a beep and she saw the screens light up. In the corner of the larger screen, was a Pikachu, sleeping in a simulated habitat; a clearing in grass with it resting in a circle of smoldering sand. She looked over at Lily's Pokédex as the girl squealed in delight. There, on a small simulated ice floe with snow around it, was a Seel! Both read their Pokédex entries for their Pokémon in succession; Amanda starting first, and Lily, going second;
No. 025. Pikachu, the electric mouse Pokémon.
This is a small, electric mouse-like Pokémon. When it is angered, it immediately discharges the energy stored in its cheeks. It has the ability to change the polarity of its electricity in order for it to deliver electric shocks accurately.
This Pikachu is Male and knows the battle moves; Thundershock, Quick attack, Growl.
Known abilities are; Static, Lightning rod.
No. 086 Seel, the sea lion Pokémon.
This is a Pokémon that looks like a white, sea lion. Its fur is water-proof and can camouflage it in its natural habitat. The protruding horn on its head is very hard. It is used for bashing through thick ice. It is an easily-trained Pokémon and can learn more than its fair share of both commands and moves.
This Seel is a Male and knows the battle moves; Headbutt, Powder Snow, Tackle.
Known abilities are; Swift Swim, Thick Fat.
The teenagers had eyes wide with delight; a sight which brought a smile to Professor Elm's face. After they had fiddled with their devices for a while, he beckoned them to follow.
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He led them into a training room that was heavily armored with metal. As he went out, the girls heard his voice through a loudspeaker somewhere.
"Alright girls, throw your Pokéballs. Be careful; once they release your Pokémon, they'll bounce back in the same way you threw them. You'll get the hang of it sooner or later." The voice blared. Lily pressed the lock button and threw her Pokéball, releasing her Seel.
It was a pinniped Pokémon with a thick hide covered in bluish-white fur. It had a pale tan maw with a large red tongue and a pair of tusks on its lower jaw. It had circular eyes and a black nose. There was also a small horn on its forehead that seemed hard enough to bash through blocks of ice. It also had two flippers on its chest, and two more on the end of its tail. The Pokémon then raised its tail, which resembled a waterspout.
The Sea Lion Pokémon looked at her with a cute expression on his face and Lily could not resist the urge to kneel and pet her first Pokémon. As soon as she did so, however, Seel's ball whizzed dangerously over her head and hit the wall behind them with a loud clang. She stood up and sheepishly rubbed the back of her head while looking at a surprised Amanda. Prof. Elm's voice was heard again.
"Lily, you'll have enough time to bond a bit more with your Pokémon, but can you focus a bit more on the task at hand?"
The teenage girl replied with a small nod.
Amanda, by the way had finished observing and readied herself. She threw the ball and watched it fly back to her. At the last second she realized she didn't throw it well and scooted to the right, grasping the Pokéball before it flew out of her reach. Once done, she looked at her Pikachu.
It was a short, chubby, rodent Pokémon. It was covered in yellow fur, and its ears were long and pointed with black tips. It had a small mouth, brown eyes, and two red circles on its cheeks which contained its electricity sacs. Its forearms were short, with five fingers on each paw, and its feet had three toes. It had two brown horizontal stripes on its back, and its tail was in the shape of a lightning bolt with a patch of brown fur at the base. It was larger than average.
Probably all the care in the lab, she supposed.
A loud whir was heard, and two Pokémon dummies stood at the end of the room. Amanda faced a Magikarp dummy, while Lily faced a Geodude dummy. Amanda had watched tons of battles on TV and on the Internet while Lily had never watched one, so it was logical to see Lily fumbling with her Pokédex to look at Seel's moves, whereas Amanda proceeded to train Pikachu with the dummy.
"Pikachu, battle!" She commanded, instinctively. Pikachu looked at his trainer and got into a battle stance; standing on all fours with all legs apart, tail raised and eyes on the enemy or in this case, the dummy.
"Thundershock!"
Pikachu's cheeks crackled with electricity and then he launched a streak of electricity at the dummy. It took the brunt of the hit and some parts of it showed small specks of black.
"Excellent, Amanda!" Prof. Elm praised over the speakers..
"Pikachu, Thundershock!"
The Pokémon repeated the action and this time pieces of the dummy started smoldering, but stopped as soon as they had started. By this time, Lily had figured it out and calmly shouted to Seel,
"Seel, battle!"
Seel got into its battle stance; arms on the floor acting as a balance for his pipedal body, tail higher than his head, and eyes locked onto the dummy.
"Seel, Headbutt it!"
Seel tucked himself in and then launched himself like a rocket at the dummy. His head connected with the dummy and a small puncture was made in it.
"Lilly, seems like you're finally getting the hang of things?" Prof. Elm blared through the speaker.
Lily grinned as a proud reply.
"Well, let's pump it up a bit, shall we?" Prof. Elm boomed. A clank was heard, and the dummies started moving towards the Pokémon.
Some kind of machinery is making them move forward. I'll just have to get Pikachu behind it to deliver a blow that'll short it out… Aha! Amanda judged.
"Pikachu, dodge, then Thundershock!"
Pikachu waited patiently and allowed the dummy to get close enough then nimbly scampered out of the way as it rushed on through, heading straight for Amanda. Amanda had faith in her Pokémon and stood right where she was. A blast was heard and the dummy stopped, inches from Amanda. Pikachu popped his head out from behind it.
He squeaked while running over to its Trainer, who petted him with affection before taking a look at Lily's side of the simulated battle.
Meanwhile…
Lily was surprised as the dummy started moving. She unwittingly commanded Seel to tackle the moving dummy. Seel lunged at the dummy but was knocked back by it and whimpered as he hit the floor.
"No! Seel!" Lily exclaimed.
The dummy picked up speed and was edging closer. She ran up to her Pokémon as he got balanced again. She rubbed his head and he looked at her as she looked at the strategy Amanda used and modified it. She waited until the dummy was close enough and put her plan into action.
"Seel! Powder Snow!"
Seel sucked in air and let it out as a fine layer of powdery snow. It hit the bull's eye mark; the hole, and a bit of frost formed.
"Powder Snow! Harder!"
This time Seel balanced on his tail as he vacuumed air into his lungs. He blasted the dummy with snow and frost formed all over it, with a layer of ice over the hole. According to Lily's expectations the dummy stopped.
"Yeah!" the green-haired teenager cried as she hugged her Pokémon, who licked her playfully and squealed.
Normal POV:
The sound of clapping was heard through the speaker.
"Wonderful, you two! It seems you two are both ready for the outside. Good luck on your journey!" Professor Elm said, after which the whirring of machinery was heard. A door opened and the girls could see the big, apple tree that provided shade outside the lab. Lily and Amanda shook hands after withdrawing their Pokémon.
"So, we're traveling together aren't we?" Amanda stated, to which Lily nodded. She chuckled and pointed to Amanda's back,
"You forgot your backpack, Amanda. No way are we traveling like that." Amanda looked over her shoulder and noticed it too.
"Oh. My. Arceus. Later!" Amanda exclaimed to Lily as she hurried off to her home.
"Mom! I forgot my-" A breathless Amanda panted as she burst through the door, her explanation cut short as she saw her mom holding up her black backpack with blue pockets and straps. A few more minutes, and Amanda was on her journey. She was ready.
Edit 26/2/18: This is the slightly modified version of Pokémon GX: Amanda's Journey, which I hope to improve on quite well. Archivewriter2 is the profile which I used to post the original story; you can go over there and use it as a cross-reference. The rating has been bumped up to Tfor a reason; life's dealt some harsh blows, and let's just say my level of 'innocence' will reflect in this story. I've also been slightly depressed lately, but I get by. I'll probably be posting this around march, so I'm sure I'll be fine by then.
Edit 13/3/18: Right now i'm fine, and i'll also be doing this at the end of every chapter;
Amanda's Pokémon
-Pikachu (Male)
Lily's Pokémon
-Seel (Male)