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'Normal thought'

'Thought speech'

"Normal speech"

"Poké speech"

Attack

Emphasis/Emphasis

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing of Pokémon, just my OC(s) and some plot twists

I was seriously beginning to wonder if my Luck stat was messed with, especially after I caught sight of the two Pokémon, battling it out (well one was attacking with full force while the other merely blocked)

So I did the most logical thing a person would do under such circumstance, I braced myself just in case and inwardly yelled 'STATUS' as loudly as I could.

Annnnd… nothing happened which was a shame but eh, no biggie, I just wanted to make sure is all.

'But still, talk about one hell of a coincidence...' my attention automatically refocused upon one of the two Pokémon in question.

'Hey Knight–'

'I know, and I agree as well' his reply cut me short, his voice on edge, which was understandable given that he'd never been around so many people before.

However, there were no denying the anticipation held within it as well.

Why and you ask?

Well aside from the fact that our first ever legitimate battle was about to begin, we'd also finally found a suitable addition to our team!

'Very well then…' I grinned (or 'Gi hi' to quote a grouchy eater of iron) as an otherwise completely silver Pokéball, was flung in the air "To the Battlefront!" I called.

I can't tell you how long I've waited to do that!

Damn… I really should keep my thoughts from wandering, you don't know what the hell I'm going on about right?

I'd just reached Pallet a few minutes back, and from what I saw of the town (if you could call it that) it was very picturesque, surrounded by forests and hills, an 'ideal holiday retreat' as one would call it in my old world.

Postponing further exploration for a later time, I headed straight for a familiar red-roofed building which sat atop a small hill "This feels so... unreal" I muttered, as I stood in front of the Lab, or more specifically in front of the gates that led to it.

Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I walked up to them 'Well… here goe–'

"Derek Rivera?" a voice called, giving me a jump 'Great! Which interdimensional deity was it this ti–' and then I noticed a speaker, fixed to the wall on my left.

Huh, that wasn't there in the anime...

"Uh… yes, I've come to get my TL and Starter" I answered rather sheepishly, trying to keep my voice even 'I guess they had cameras monitoring the premises as well' I concluded, which though unexpected, made a lot of sense.

"The Professor has been expecting you" was the reply I received, "He is currently dealing with an… unexpected circumstance, please make yourself comfortable in the sitting room, it's the first door to the right" and the gates opened on their own accord "I will notify him duly, and you will then be taken to him also, kindly refrain from wandering off on your own..." he finished, a beep indicating that the mic had been turned off.

'Well, he's a ray of sunshine...' I mused, fairly certain that it was the same Assistant I'd talked to before.

I walked up the stairs leading to house, or mansion if you will, and just as I was about to reach for one of the double doors they flew back on their own accord and I met with the slightly out-of-breath form of the said Assistant and walking behind him with a grin on his face, was one Samuel Oak.

'Holy hell! It's him! I'm actually seeing him in person!' one part of my mind went all haywire, while the more rational part noted how unlike the still gasping Assistant, the Professor hardly looked winded.

"I'm glad you arrived earlier than expected Derek" he smiled as he held out hand in a firm shake (on a side note his smile though cheerful seemed a little… strained)

"I hope I'm not inconveniencing you?" I made it a point to keep my tone as respectful as I could, his very nature made it easy to forget that the harmless and cheerful looking old man in front of me was, in fact, the most hated rival of one of the current Kanto Elite Four (who, to my knowledge, had never managed to defeat him in battle)

Also as a further testament to his strength, aside from the stupid Rocket trio (still don't understand how that happened exactly) very few had dared to encroach upon his Research Centre thus far, despite their clearly superior numbers and resources.

The thought had always served me as a reminder, that under his jovial attitude, horrible poetry skills and reputation as a world-renowned Researcher there was someone else as well, the first ever Champion of the Pokemon league and one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful Trainer... in the world.

"Not at all M'boy, not at all like I said I'm glad you did" he waved his hand in cheerful dismissal before his expression turned a tad serious "Because I wanted to have a word with you before you chose your starter..."

'Does he know? How does he know!?' I gulped, it wasn't intentional, but I know you won't believe me if I say so.

I took in a calming breath, which did little good '... the very same conditions apply here as well, so it's not like I'm breaking the rules or an–' I tried to assure myself, as he continued.

"And... forgive me for being so forward, but if possible, might I ask you of a favor?" he asked, his tone signifying that his words were sincere.

'Eh?...' keeping all I've said about him in mind, you understand why his words, or rather request, gave me such a start and I followed him blankly as he led me through the lab 'Okay, just what the hell was going on here?'

But my confusion soon turned to surprise, which eventually turned to sheer incredulity (which was why I'd been on about my luck stat) and well... here we are.

"... so you see, I was–" the Professor continued, but my improvised war cry and the flash of light accompanying Knight's appearance stopped him short.

"I believe I've found my Starter, Professor…" I grinned as his expression turned from one that was serious to surprise and from that to joy and then to sheer wonder, the latter no doubt due to Knight's different coloring (I'd 'accidentally' left that out when I'd talked to him)

"Derek! You didn't tell me your Absol was a variant!? This is wonderful! Do you know ho–"

Knight growled in warning when the overexcited Professor moved closer, in order to examine him "Take another step closer human, and I'll bite off yo–!"

"Um… Professor? He's a little shy so maybe now's not the best moment" I explained sparing him from a fate of dismemberment while trying not to laugh at his disheartened expression.

"Well given their nature, I guess it can't be helped… but you have to–" he would have continued on with mumbling had I not reminded him of the situation at hand.

"Ah… yes, well a moment please" embarrassed, he turned and quickly walked towards a nearby table (it was the same one from the anime, upon which the three Starter's Pokéballs were kept)

'Calm down… he means no harm' I told the still agitated Knight, 'He's one of the few humans I can safely assure you th–'

'He was looking at me with a similar expression of yours when Lisa makes those 'pancakes'... as you so called them'

'Um…' I grinned sheepishly at that, 'He's just a little, over enthusiastic?' I said, only for him to give me a disbelieving glare.

'Alright! We'll get back to this later…' I relented when the Professor handed me a normal Pokéball, and a black rectangular object the vaguely resembled a cell phone (the color was upon my request) it had a circular slot on the bottom, where a shrunken Pokéball could snugly fit in.

"Your Pokédex serves as both your TL and the means of identifying, and cataloging the Pokémon you come across and, should you choose to do so capture" he explained and then handed me five additional Pokéballs.

"These are your remaining Pokéballs, you get a total of six but as… what are you doing!?" his eyes widened when I enlarged the first Pokéball and clicked on the center button thrice, rapidly.

"I may have chosen my Starter but if we are to work as a team, I'll have to prove myself as a competent Trainer and to do that, well I figure it best if we go about it the old-fashioned way… through a battle!" I explained why I had inadvertently released the said Pokémon.

'This one is powerful, but at the same time quite prideful which, in the future might be… troublesome' Knight commented offhandedly, as the Pokémon in question stopped mid-attack and turned towards us, finally noting or rather acknowledging our presence.

As for me, I was left wondering if, in some alternate universe, a particular black haired guy had just sneezed because of Knight's unknowing reference to his signature dialogue.

Well, food for thought at another time I guess… now, where was I?

Oh yeah, so we were at the back of the Research Lab facing the wide expanse of land where many a Trainer's Pokémon was let out periodically, to be exercised, groomed or studied.

"I heard you like to battle" I started, as my Starter (hopefully) blew out a few small puffs of fire in response "I plan on gaining the title of Champion, a road that would put me in a lot of battles, each more challenging the rest..."

The fire Pokemon's attention was now solely focused on me, so much so that the Machamp that had been it's previous opponent simply backed away, at a nod from the Professor.

"Tell me youngling, do you wish to join o–" Knight asked, and the Pokemon sent forth a Flamethrower in response, which my Dark type immediately dodged.

"That I think, qualifies as a yes" I grinned, and I got a Flamethrower sent my way as well, which Knight helpfully countered "... okay, maybe not a 'yes' per say"

'It would seem, that we have some convincing to do…' Knight intoned grinning, for lack of a better word, wolfishly as he crouched and shot forth a Flamethrower of his own, the battle had officially begun…

And I clutched an unmoving Premier ball in my hand a few minutes later, calmly slotting it onto the groove on my Pokédex. The screen lit up and the picture of the Pokémon held within it, along with it's… no, his other details were collectively displayed, both of which were most definitely not an Absol's

"Welcome to the pack… Vulcan" I couldn't help but let out a grin, as I handed the said Premier ball along with a normal Pokéball to the Professor's Assistant.

'Did you enjoy yourself?' I asked the Dark-type next to me.

'...yes, so does this conclude our purpose for visiting here?' Knight growled 'If so, I would prefer to put as much distance as I can from–' his gaze was firmly fixed upon a clearly disheartened Professor Oak… who'd tried to tempt Knight with a bowl of Oran berries, only to be scoffed (man his expression! Talk about priceless!)

Even the stickler-for-rules Assistant cracked a smile at that, I still didn't get the guys name yet but meh, no matter he was a little too uptight in my opinion. And no, I don't say this just because he'd right royally berated my 'negligence', and 'carelessness' for failing to mention that I'd caught another Pokémon before my arrival here.

I mean, Professor Oak didn't seem to mind so why did he!

Yup, like I said not salty at all…

Anyway, leaving all that to a side, with Vulcan being my third Pokémon, I was one step closer to the League! Of course, I still hadn't registered and we had a truckload of training to get through before we were even remotely ready… not to mention the need for a full team, but this was still progress.

I already had some ideas for how I was about to go about it all so before anything else let me make something clear, I wasn't about to go off and catch every Pokémon in sight.

I know that completing the Pokédex was part of the entire point of the games, but I for one stopped doing so after the first few, and settled for just capturing my 'dream team' so to speak that ranged from a specific type set to sometimes, a particular Pokémon in question (one of them, as you'd have no doubt figured out, being an Absol)

I also had a firm number cap on my capture rate, now don't get me wrong I wasn't gonna be like someone like Paul, who judged a Pokémon's strength solely based on their moveset and nor would I disagree, if say a Pokémon were to befriend me and want to join me of its own volition.

But I did want to train and interact with each member of my team or pack if you will, individually so I figured it'd be best if I followed the same set of principles I generally adhered to in the games.

Oh and I'd also made a stop at one of those Pokéstops, stocking up on a few heals along with a good number of their Premier balls (unlike what they showed, or rather implied in the anime, you did actually have to pay for stuff here)

The heals obviously for emergency first aid and as for the Premier balls, well I guess it'd be best if I take an excerpt from its very definition, the part about them merely looking 'cooler' than the normal ones and also because I'd caught Knight with one (I might have a slight case of OCD…)

Anyway, after that, I still had enough dough for a wardrobe change.

The currency here was in the form of 'units' and was uniform throughout all regions and in addition, was completely digital (which was a-okay in my books) and Derek had accumulated quite a bit from his helping his father, and sometimes standing in for him, in several excavations and expeditions.

So, I'd ditched the hiking shirt in favor of a v-neck light grey T-shirt with black borders, along with a Pokéball symbol on the front, but offset slightly to the right (also black)

The shirt was a snug fit, I'd also donned a black jacket on top while keeping the brown jeans and black hiking shoes, I finished my look with a pair of black aviator goggles (more out of necessity, than for its looks) which were currently slung around my neck.

I returned Knight (after apologizing to the down-in-the-dumps Professor Oak for his behavior) after which we chatted about the various uses and functions of my Pokédex, along with my duties as a 'Field Assistant' as he so called it.

I agreed to send him regular reports on Knight's progress, along with any other useful or relevant information I came across or found that could be helpful to his research, but I'd also made it clear that my primary focus lay elsewhere.

"They both seem fine… though I'd advise against your Starter battling for the rest of the day" the still disgruntled Assistant said after he re-entered the room, tray in hand.

"Thanks! I'll make sure he gets a good rest" I assured cheerfully, completely ignoring his tone as I slotted a different Premier ball (containing the second addition to our pack) on to the Dex.

The screen immediately lit up and displayed a Pokémon that wasn't favored by that many… in fact, I'm pretty sure I'd come across several songs that basically trolled it's primary stage, and quite extensively at that!

Knight and I had come across the guy during one of our training sessions, about a week ago, practically exhausted and suffering from more than a few wounds. He wouldn't let either of us approach so I'd done the only thing I could, I captured and brought him back to the Centre.

I later learned (through Knight) that he'd been released by his Trainer, but the rest of his wild counterparts refused to let him join them, shunning him and sometimes even attacking him outright which eventually lead to our encounter.

He recovered quickly but had otherwise kept to himself most of the time, it was all we could do to convince the clearly distrustful Pokémon that we were genuine in wanting to help him, I'd also assured him that I had no intention of releasing him here.

"The choice is yours… whether you want to come with us or wait until we find a place that is suitable for you to stay" I remember saying.

Naturally, he ignored us for a time, giving us a wide berth except for when we feed him, although he did occasionally follow and watch Knight and me while we trained.

Only when I was setting out for the lab, did he finally approach me, a silver Pokéball in his grasp which I deftly caught upon his returning into it...

I still remember grinning like a loon, what can I say I was stoked that Kro had formally decided to join us.

"Quite an… interesting team you have there" Professor Oak commented, as he walked me to the door "You're already set to start battling the Gyms, though I suggest you train for at least a while before doing so" he advised.

"If you don't want to experience a crushing defeat that is" the ever-present Assistant helpfully added, which earned him a glare on my part 'Yup, I officially don't like you now!'

I offered the Professor a polite grin "Believe me when I say that, when they see us in action the word 'interesting' would simply be an understatement" I said as I walked out to see the sky, now bathed in the light of the setting Sun.

Now that… would have been an awesome exit, if only there wasn't a sudden explosion that kicked up a dust storm, right outside the Lab's gates.

'Why do all my 'cool' moments, always end up getting ruined?!' I inwardly grumbled, as I raced towards the column of dust 'Wh–' I stopped short when I caught sight of the two people, who had clearly been in the midst of a battle, the dust cloud having marked its conclusion.

"Well… they certainly have gotten better" I heard the Professor muse, his tone sheepish as he sighed in exasperation. But my attention was more focused on the snippets of conversation, between the two would-be battlers, that reached my ears.

Both of them looked to be around my age, one of them holding a mouse-like creature whose fur was a shade of bright yellow.

I have no shame in admitting that I almost squealed at the sight of the iconic mascot of the Japanese football team, and the defacto favorite of many a Pokémon fan.

As you may have already figured out, I recognized the two instantly (I'd already figured that I would come across one if not both of them at some point) though contrary to my expectations, a prominent defining feature in one of them was absent.

"The least you can, do is tell Eevee that he battled well!" The guy holding the Pikachu said, in outrage. He had raven colored hair that looked thoroughly windswept, the majority of which was hidden under his dark red cap. He was dressed in a simple black t-shirt, a pair of blue jeans and red running shoes, his crimson eyes glaring at his opponent.

"We don't need words…" the other one replied, in a poorly veiled tone of calm as he held up a Pokéball "I can tell, this guy is as furious as I am, that our match ended in a tie..."

His sharp green eyes focused upon the former as he grinned impishly, unruly auburn hair sticking up in spikes. He was similarly donned in a pair of jeans, though his were black he also wore a long-sleeved purple sweatshirt as opposed to a t-shirt, along with brown walking shoes, and slung around his neck was a pendant of some sort.

"Hey! The this is not a site for battling!" the panting Assistant, complained but the two simply ignored him (I mean can you blame them?) Reacting in stark contrast, upon catching sight of the Professor.

"Tch… of all the battles you could have seen" the auburn-haired one grumbled, but then his gaze settled on me "Who are you?" he asked, both of our eyes narrowing in turn as we sized each other up.

"Professor Oak! I finally tied with G–" the other one started, regarding me only when the Pikachu, that had crawled up his shoulder let out a warning growl.

"Ah yes, allow me to introduce you Derek…" he patted my shoulder "These are to two of my best students, one of them is the son of my former assistant, while the other is my very own grandson!" Professor Oak gestured to the former and latter in turn "Ash Ketchum… and Gary Oak" he suddenly grinned at the two, his expression almost as impish as Gary's "Though most people in town call them–"

"Red! Green! I thought I'd told you to wait for me at–" the girl, no older than the aforementioned two stopped in her tracks upon regarding the crowd of people, her dark brown hair reached right up to her shoulders, framing her face nicely while her black dress and flats really drew one's attention to her light blue eyes "Oh! Good evening Professor! I'm sorry if I'm late" her eyes then zeroed in on me "Hello! Who's this?"

"Hey Blue!" Ash called enthusiastically.

"Did you get sidetracked again Leafa?" Gary asked, the girl simply stuck her tongue out at him in reply.

"You're in good time, rest assured" the Professor assured good-naturedly "The program doesn't begin for a good half hour" turning to me he said "This is Leafa Simmons, she's a student of mine much like the other two and as for this young man he's..."

"My name's Derek" I cut in, wanting to get the introductions done with as quickly as I could so that I could leave "I arrived a little earlier and got my TL and Starter…" I finished, which now that I think about it, was not one of my cleverer moments.

"Which among the three did you choose!?" Two voices echoed, as both Ash and Leafa walked (more like pounced) right up to me.

"Uhh…" I suddenly felt an ominous shiver run down my spine, which I unsuccessfully tried to shrug off 'No worries, I'm already on my way out, it's not like they–'

"You can ask him all the questions, you want…" the Assistant suddenly stated, he'd been silent until now "While both of your Pokémon are seen to…" And I swear he gave me utterly smug smile as he continued "And get this! He's already caught two other Pokémon, even before he got here!"

All I had time to think was 'Uh oh…' before I found myself practically dragged back into the Lab by the overly excitable Leafa and Ash, their eyes almost sparkling, while Gary wordlessly followed us.

I take it all back, my luck's as shitty as ever... and oh, just in case you're wondering what my TL looks like.

TRAINER PROFILE:-

Name: Derek Rivera

Age: 14

Class: Amateur Field Researcher

Pokémon: 03

Leagues Registered: –

Badge(s): –

Reserve: –

It basically looked like any other ID card, but had an added feature wherein it's contents could be updated, as and when I caught a new Pokémon or earned a badge... now where was I?

Yeah, mentally condemning the Assistant with bloody murder, while giving him my best death glare.

And that's a wrap!

I've cleaned up this chapter a little, nothing major but I think it flows better now. Anyway, I know I've not updated in a while, but rest assured I'm not dropping the story. I've already drafted the next chapter, so expect it come up sometime soon!

As always, reviews and constructive criticism are appreciated, though any and all flames will be ignored.

Well, until next time...

BerserkSpectre out