Chapter 2

A Pleasant Surprise

Ryan sprinted as fast as possible towards the exit of Twinleaf town. Gasping, he stoped to catch his breath. "Are you Ryan?" asked a man to his left.

"Yep. That'd be me! And you are…OH MY GOD! YOU'RE ASH KETCHUM!" Ryan exclaimed. Looking down at him was his idol, the one and only Ash Ketchum. Ash had captured every Pokemon League around the world, making him a Pokemon Master. He had done this all at the ages 10-17. In 7 years, he and his trusty Pokemon had become the Champion of every League. "Are you ready to go to Sandgem?" Ash asked with a grin.

"You bet!" Ryan replied excitedly. Ash took a Pokemon from his belt and tossed it into the air. His Pidgeot soared out and landed next to Ash. "Let's go then!" Ash said enthusiastically. Before they could get on, a wild Shinx leaped out of the trees at them. "Woah!" said Ash. He threw a Pokeball at at it before it could attack. It was a flawless capture. "Here," said Ash. "Take it. Consider it a souvenir." Ash winked. They climbed on Pidgeot's back. "Pidgeot, fly me to Sandgem. I got a trainer I need to take over to the Lab." Ash stroked Pidgeot's feathers, then Pigeot shot off into the sky. "So, kid, who are you gonna choose?" Ash asked

"Uh, I don't actually know. I never really gave it much thought. I was thinking maybe Chimchar." Ryan replied

"That's a nice pick. Once it grows a bit, it can really pack a punch! The only problem is that the first Gym is a rock-type Gym. That could be a bit of a problem. IF you are taking the Gym Challenge."

"I am, for sure. It's my dream to become Champion, but spending time, watching my Pokemon as they grow up, that's a whole different adventure in itself!" Ryan said. He had dreamed of training Pokemon since he was five. Now, it was finally possible, yet he hadn't put any thought into what he was going to do at all.

"That's great! Anyway, what day is your birthday? Maybe I can get you a little something-something." Ash asked.

"January 20th. It's in two weeks." Ryan responded.

"I'll be sure to drop by. We're here. Say hello to Dawn for me. Oh, and here's my number." Ash handed Ryan his phone number.

"Keep in touch, okay?" Ash asked. Ryan climbed down from Pidgeot's back, and then they shot off back into the sky. Ryan walked into Sandgem. "There's the Lab!" he exclaimed. Ryan ran over to the Lab door and looked up. He sighed. "Finally. After all these years of wait, I can finally begin." Ryan walked through the door, to see Dawn standing behind a table, with three Pokeballs.

"Oh, welcome, welcome. I assume you're Ryan, from Twinleaf? Ash told me you were on your way." Dawn asked Ryan.

"Yeah that's me. Say, where's everyone else?" Ryan asked, puzzled.

"They aren't here yet. You're 15 minutes early. Ash's Pidgeot is one of the fastest around the world. You could have had that as your flying Pokemon, if you started in Kanto, with Pidgey on Route 1. Here, our native starting bird pokemon is Starly. Its final form is Staraptor," Dawn explained. "Anyway, since you are here first, you get to pick first, but not a starter. Here I have another three Pokeballs. Each contains a basic Pokemon, with two evolutions following its basic stage. You have Pichu, with Pikachu and Raichu as the evolutions, Wurmple, with Silcoon and Beautifly, and Zubat, with Golbat and Crobat following. Each needs a special event for the third to happen. Just a nice little surprise for you guys." Dawn smiled at Ryan.

"Actually Dawn, Ash gave me this Shinx he caught in the wild before he left. It tried to attack us, but he caught it. Can I use this?" Ryan asked.

"Of course. Shinx is a very powerful Pokemon in its later stages, especially after it learns Spark." Dawn informed Ryan. Ryan took the Pokeball containing Shinx and attached it to his belt. If felt great to know that he would already have two Pokemon to use. The Lab doors opened, and two people entered; one a short and shy looking boy with glasses, and a medium height girl with black hair and blue eyes. She was beautiful to Ryan. She was a little shorter than him, and had freckles splashed on her nose. The boy had longer brown hair and a few freckles surrounding his nose. He spoke up, "Umm…Is this the right place? Are you Professor Dawn?"

"That's my name! You two must be Jackson and Ellyn. Come, come stand next to Ryan. He will also be traveling with you. Now, it's time to choose. Jackson, you choose first." Dawn offered. Jackson walked over to Chimchar's Pokeball. "I'll take this one!" Jackson said.

"I've been thinking…I believe Piplup is the best choice for me," Ellyn said rather thoughtfully.

"Excellent choice, Ellyn!" Dawn told her. She winked at Ellyn, for she too had chosen Piplup when she started.

"That leaves Turtwig for me!" Ryan exclaimed happily.

"Now, as a little surprise for you guys as it is my 20th anniversary of starting, take one of these. You can have Pichu, Zubat, or Wurmple. The Wurmple evolves into Beautifly very fast. Pichu goes to Pikachu, then to Raichu. And finally Zubat changes into Golbat then Crobat. Oh yeah! And Wurmple turns into Silcoon first, THEN Beautifly," Dawn remembered. She offered them out to each of them. Ellyn took Wurmple, and Jackson took Zubat.

"Now, to learn how to battle properly. Come this way please, if you will," Dawn said. She walked outside, and the three new Trainers followed.