Chapter Two: The Journey Begins

"Now, one of these three will be your partner for your journey. Do you know which of the three you want?" Oak asked. Dipper looked at the three starters, and nodded at Oak.

"Yep." Had a lot of time to think about it. The one I choose is, Bulbasaur!" Dipper declared. The grass type jumped at Dipper in joy, the 12 year old just barely catching it, surprised. Oak smiled at the two.

"Well, I must admit, I'm rather surprised!" Oak exclaimed happily.

"Really? Why?" Dipper tilted his head to the side.

"Well, Bulbasaurs aren't very popular amongst the starting trainers," Oak explained. "As you know, I offer pokemon to three children every month. They usually go for the fast Charmanders or the sturdy Squirtles. This Bulbasaur in particular has been rejected by all 15 trainers this year!" Dipper blinked at Oak, before looking down at the plant pokemon.

"Huh. Well, little buddy, I was a loner for most of my life too." Dipper admitted as he put Bulbasaur onto the ground. He rubbed its head "Let's show the world just what they missed out on!" he declared.

"Saur!" the grass starter cried. Oak was impressed.

'They really are twins,' Oak mused to himself. Mabel also had a good relationship with her starter as they started out. Which reminded him.

"Dipper," Oak brought the trainer's attention back to the professor. "Why was it that your sister left before you? The two of you were inseparable when you were kids."

"Oh that's kinda simple. She wanted to catch me a pokemon, but my dad says it wasn't fair for the pokemon as they weren't just toys to play around with." Dipper explained. "I could tell that she really wanted to go, so I told her that she could just go ahead without me, and that I would catch up eventually."

"But wasn't the plan that the two of you would go together, and protect each other?" Oak questioned. Dipper nodded.

"Yeah, but that was simply for us to get into the swing of things until we felt like we were ready to split. My parents called in an employee of Grunkle Stan to go with her instead." Dipper answered.

"Hm, that doesn't seem very responsible in my opinion," Oak muttered. Dipper looked at the professor.

"Aren't you the one who gives out pokemon to random kids and asks them to fulfill your dream for you?" Dipper deadpanned. Oak opened his mouth, and closed it a few seconds later.

"Uh, oh, well, I-" Oak stuttered. "Duuuh, hey! Speaking of your pokemon, how about you give yours a nickname!" he laughed nervously. Dipper squinted at the nervous professor, before looking back at Bulbasaur, who beamed at him.

"Male or female?" Dipper asked.

"Male," Oak answered, relieved.

"Then I will name him, Jason!" Dipper declared. Jason cocked his head in confusion. Oak stared blankly at Dipper. Dipper looked at the two in confusion.

"What?" Oak shook his head, sighing.

'Yep, just like his sister.' Mabel had named her pokemon Sabel.

"Nothing," Oak replied. He turned around and walked over to the desk in the office. He pulled out two rectangular objects and five pokeballs. He turned and held them out to Dipper, who reached out and grabbed them.

"First, five pokeballs to start you off. Second, the PokeDex. Thirdly, your badge case." Dipper held the case questioningly.

"Badge case? As in, Gym Badges? I don't plan on entering the Pokemon league."

"Be as it may, gym battles are a quicker way to get your pokemon to level up. The quicker they level up, the quicker they'll evolve. And there are some pokemon you'll need to evolve to get more data," Oak explained.

Dipper frowned, but put the case in his pocket. He recalled Jason and walked out the lab, Oak right behind him. He still decided that his focus will only be on the PokeDex. Saying goodbye to the professor, he walked home to get his travel gear. He looked around Pallet Town, smiling softly.

"Well, this is it. Today's the day I leave this place," he said to himself. Dipper loved Pallet Town, but it was quite boring. He also didn't have many friends with him, so there wasn't much he could do, even when his sister was there with him.

"Well, that's enough of that. Time to go out into the world!" Dipper said firmly to himself. He jogged back home and entered. His parents looked up and saw him standing at the entrance.

"Mason!" Martha exclaimed. She stood up and hugged Dipper. "Did you get your pokemon?" she questioned.

"Yep. Had all three choices too," Dipper said proudly. He took out his pokeball and threw it at the floor. "Come on out Jason!" he called. The ball popped open, and in a flash of light, Jason stood proudly on the floor.

"You named it Jason?" Matthew deadpanned. Dipper and Martha looked at him confused.

"Yeah. Is that bad?" Dipper asked. Matthew sighed and turned back to his newspaper, muttering. Dipper cocked his head when he heard, "Bartha," but shrugged it off.

"I packed your bag with everything you'd need. Spare clothes, a few pieces of underwear, your toothbrush, the essentials. I also packed a few potions and antidotes, as well as your journal and pens." Martha listed. She gave Dipper his stuffed bag.

"Thanks mom."

"No problem sweetie. Your father also called for another employee from your Great-uncle to go with you. They're currently in Viridian City at the Poke Center."

"Be careful," Matthew called. He turned and looked at his son. "Pokemon could be your best friend, but they could also be your worst enemy. Don't be dumb."

"I won't. Bye mom, bye dad!" Dipper replied. He turned to Jason and beckoned him. "Time to go Jase!"

"Saur!" Jason chirped. He ran after Dipper as he exited the house.

"Mason! Wait!" Dipper skidded to a halt, stumbling forward as Jason slammed into his legs. Jason rolled to his side, dazed.

"You forgot your PokeGear." Martha said. She gave the watch to Dipper. It was a useful tool, telling time, location, and even had a calculator.

"Thanks mom. Bye!" Dipper ran off, Jason stumbling after him. The two made it to the town border, where Dipper was stopped by the guard standing there.

"Hey Dipstick! I see you finally got your first pokemon!" the guard greeted Dipper.

"Yep, I finally get to leave and explore the world!" Dipper replied.

"Well, good luck. And remember, the PokeDex is only meant to be a side quest. Just enjoy yourself, and have lots of fun." the guard advised Dipper. Dipper nodded and walked out, finally starting his pokemon journey. He looked at the long path ahead, took a breath, and started towards Viridian City.

"Ah, dang it. Forgot my camping gear!"

Okay, some more details about this story. It's going to follow the same basic story of FireRed and LeafGreen, but it will contain elements from other games as well. There might be some shipping, but the main focus will be the adventure. Now, the final team for Dipper. I'll leave that to you guys. The only rule is Kanto Pokemon only. Other than that, Azure out!