Chapter 19 - "I Want You To Be Happy."
Roughly Six Years Prior - Kanto Region - Pallet Town
Although it was difficult, Cyan had slowly started to smile again. The past couple of months hadn't been easy on him or his family.
His sister had disappeared, and his father had passed away unexpectedly. This left Cyan and his mother alone. She was a lot quieter than Cyan had ever seen her. She had lost a lot of weight, and her skin looked like it had lost some of its color. Cyan was by no means happy, but he decided to not let it show. After all, it was almost his turn to start his journey. He'd be out in the world and making new friends very soon.
But that'd mean that he'd be leaving his mom alone.
"Mom, I'm off to Oak's lab," he said while putting his shoes on at the door.
She came out of the kitchen and smiled weakly. "Today's the day, huh?"
"Ya huh! I'm going to get my first Pokémon!" he said.
"It's a day that you should remember fondly," she said. "We're having nikujaga tonight."
Cyan paused. "Tonight? But, I was hoping that I could start traveling right after I got my Pokémon. My friends and I were going to leave right away."
She shook her head. "Cyan, I've agreed to let you get a Pokémon because I think it's healthy for you. All ten-year-olds in Kanto get their first Pokémon today. But, I can't let you travel. If this year has taught us anything, it's that the world is a dangerous place. Kanto is a dangerous place."
Cyan's shoulders slumped. "What? Really? I can't go?"
"I'm sorry dear, but ten years old is too young. Aoi was a very strong and capable trainer, but even she-well, ya know. I want you to keep focusing on your studies. Becoming a trainer isn't important. Right now, I want you to stay here. If you really want to, I'll allow you to become one of Oak's assistants or something. But no. You can't travel. It's not safe."
Cyan sighed. He was disappointed that his mother wasn't going to let him go, but in a sense, he was relieved. He felt a tremendous amount of guilt for leaving his mother alone, and after the incident with Giovanni, he wasn't sure if he even had the drive to go on an adventure. He didn't think it'd hurt to try though, but his mom believed otherwise.
"I understand," he said.
"I'm sorry."
He sighed. "Do you need me to bring home any ingredients from the market?"
"We need potatoes," she said softly. "And Cyan."
He opened the door, but he paused and looked back at her. Her light brown eyes were puffy from crying.
"Thank you."
Cyan didn't respond. He left his house and locked the door. Professor Oak's laboratory wasn't very far from his home, but it was up on a hill, which made it take some time. He intended to run the whole way there, but a lot of his excitement had been suddenly sucked away.
He took his time and looked around Pallet Town. It was quiet, as usual. All of the adults were at their jobs. Kids were fishing by the small ponds, enjoying their summer vacation. Elderly people were taking walks with one another.
Cyan would be spending a lot more time here, which he was okay with because no matter how bad everything got, he could always rely on Pallet Town to be a quiet and relaxing place.
He reached Professor Oak's wooden doors and knocked. Within a few moments, the famous professor answered.
"Mr. Kokura," he said. "How are you today?"
Cyan closed his eyes, took in a deep breath, and smiled half-heartedly. "I'm fine."
Professor Oak could read Cyan like a book. He didn't pester him anymore, knowing full well about everything that had happened. He was also aware of his mother's request, so he had no intention of trying to convince Cyan to travel.
"C'mon back. Your classmates are already here. They were all excited to get started, but we can't start until everyone else is here."
Cyan followed him to the back. His four classmates were all standing around a machine with five Poké Balls placed on top.
Professor Oak took his place at a podium that overlooked his five students. "It gives me great joy to be here today. I'm very proud of every single one of you. As you all know, today you take your very first steps on your journey! If you put in the time and the effort then some of you may one day see greatness! I see potential in every single one of you!"
Cyan took a place in between his two friends. They both smiled at him. They were eager to get their Pokémon and then have their first-ever Pokémon battle.
"Kanto is a relatively special place because we give the options of five starter Pokémon. I see it as perfect, as there are five of you today. So, who wants to go first?"
Everyone except for Cyan raised their hands and jumped up and down. Cyan put his hands in his pockets and then looked at the Poké Balls.
"Now. Now. Let's settle down," Professor Oak. "Cyan, how about you? After all, I hear that you'll be assisting me directly. I'll appreciate the help. As my thanks, I want you to choose first."
"Go on, Cyan," one of his friends said while lightly punching him in the shoulder.
Cyan circled the machine, examining every Poké Ball. He stopped when he came to the Poké Ball with a small leaf emblem on the front.
"Aoi chose Bulbasaur," he muttered, and everyone went deadly quiet. They looked around at one another, unsure if they should say anything.
He reached his hand out and grabbed the Poké Ball. Without asking for permission, he pushed the button on the ball, releasing the small Pokémon onto the floor. It shook its head and then looked up, locking eyes with Cyan.
"Bulba-saur!"
Cyan slightly shook, but he held back any emotions that he currently felt. He knelt and smiled. "Hey, Bulbasaur. I'm Cyan."
"Bulba! Bulba-saur!" the Pokémon stuck out one of its vines in front of him.
Cyan stared at the vine and then lightly grabbed the end, shaking it. His heart stopped beating momentarily, and he felt a sudden wave of relief.
"It's nice to meet you. Let's promise to be friends."
Present Day - Orange Islands
Butwal Island
Butwal Island was considered the greenest of all of the islands in the Orange Archipelago. It had a couple of small towns, but what attracted visitors to the island was its beautiful forests and large fields of flowers. It was a sight to see, and the scent of fresh flowers reminded Cyan of his time in Alola's meadows.
Grass-type Pokémon roamed the area freely. Trainers who came from the island started their journeys with the local Grass-types. From what Cyan understood, they were given options between Bulbasaur, Chikorita, Oddish, Bellsprout, or Hoppip.
When they arrived on the island, Cyan told Skylar about the beauty of it and the variety of Grass-types. He was eager to see everything, but she asked for some time at the Pokémon Center, where she made a phone call to a professor in the Unova region.
The professor's face came up onto the screen. She had a cup of coffee in her hand, and she looked like she had just woken up.
"Skylar, it's nice to hear from you," she said. "How have your adventures been?"
"I have three badges! I need one more and then I'll be competing against the Orange League's supreme gym leader!" she exclaimed. "We're currently taking a little bit of a break though! We're on Butwal Island. Have you heard of it?"
Juniper nodded. "Yeah. It's famous for having a lot of healthy Grass-type Pokémon."
"Speaking of which, do you think I could get Sawsbuck from you? I think it'd be a great place for him to get some exercise and fresh air."
"Sawsbuck, eh?" Juniper wondered. "I'm sure that Sawsbuck would love to see you again. You'll have to send a Pokémon in exchange if that's okay."
Skylar held up her Poké Ball. "I'll be sending Dwebble your way!"
Juniper looked past Skylar and at Cyan. "Who might this be?"
"Ah! This is Cyan Kokura!"
Juniper appeared slightly surprised, but then she smiled. "Well well. I've heard a lot about you, Cyan."
"About me?"
"Yeah. Word gets around between professors. How are you adjusting to everything?"
Cyan had never talked to Juniper in his life, but she seemed so candid. He couldn't help but smile. "Things are fine!"
"That's good. Thank you for helping Skylar. I'm sure that she'd be lost without you."
"It's no problem! She's great!" Cyan exclaimed, not exactly sure how to answer.
"Anyways, I'll be sending Sawsbuck your way in a few minutes. Wait there at the Pokémon Center for a while. Contact me again sometime! It was nice talking to you!"
"Will do!"
When she got the ball, the two left the Pokémon Center and headed for the middle of the island.
"C'mon out, Venusaur!" Cyan called.
He threw his ball into the air, and Venusaur materialized, landing in a bed of flowers. He sniffed the flowers and then moaned before rolling over, enjoying the softness of all of the petals on his skin.
"I haven't seen him this happy in so long!" Cyan said. "On second thought, maybe the beach isn't the best place for a Venusaur to nap."
"It really is good for a Grass-type!" Skylar exclaimed. "Here's mine! Sawsbuck, let's go!"
Her Pokémon was tall and brown. It had lengthy antlers with small pink flowers growing on the edges of it. It smiled upon seeing Skylar and then ran towards her. Skylar rubbed his neck and then hugged him tightly.
"It's been a while!" she exclaimed.
"It's big," Cyan said.
Skylar nodded. "Yeah. I know it's not fair, but when Sawsbuck evolved, I was kind of upset. You see, Deerling is so cute! And Sawsbuck is-well-not exactly cute. So, I sent him back to be with Professor Juniper. But, I think that distance has made the heart grow fonder, and I don't think it was very nice of me to do that to Sawsbuck. I'll be keeping him on my team from here on out!"
Cyan smiled. His friend had grown so much in the couple of months that they had been together. "It's nice to meet you, Sawsbuck!"
"Buck!"
Venusaur continued to roll around, but then he came to a sudden stop. He looked towards the forest where a group of familiar Pokémon was marching. Cyan peeked over him and smiled, but before he could say anything, the Grass-type took off across the field, moving his large body as fast as he could.
"Venusaur, wait up!" Cyan yelled.
Cyan raced after Venusaur and after a sigh, Skylar and Sawsbuck followed. Venusaur wasn't very fast, but neither was the group of Pokémon that he was following. When he finally reached them, he called out, making them stop.
"Bulba!" one of the Pokémon called back.
"Ivy-ivysaur!"
Venusaur smiled and stomped his feet playfully on the ground. Cyan finally caught up to him and took his place next to the large Pokémon. "A Bulbasaur and Ivysaur family!"
"Saur!" they all chanted together.
The group of Pokémon then split as their leader made its way down the middle. It was another Venusaur, roughly the same size as Cyan's. But this one had light green skin and a yellow flower on its back. It appeared elderly, many years older than most other Pokémon Cyan had met.
Skylar caught up and looked on in amazement. "A shiny Venusaur! Amazing!"
"Shiny?"
"Yeah," Skylar said. "Different color. Like my Gothita and your Vulpix."
Cyan looked down at his Vulpix, and she looked back up at him with her purple eyes. "My Vulpix is a different color?!"
Saur, the leader Venusaur cooed. He reached out one of his vines and stopped right before Cyan's Venusaur. He gently caressed the Pokémon on the side of the face.
"What do you think's happening?" Skylar asked.
Cyan shook his head. "I don't know." He examined his Venusaur closely. "Maybe, my Venusaur is originally from here."
"Why do you say that?"
"Well, I was Professor Oak's assistant for a while. During that time, I took care of a lot of the newly hatched Pokémon. We'd sometimes get baby Bulbasaur from Butwal Island. Maybe my Venusaur is home."
"Saur," his Pokémon cooed softly. He enjoyed the petting that he got from the shiny Pokémon, but then the vine retracted and went back to the wild Venusaur.
"Venu-saur," the Pokémon said. It turned around and started to walk back to its group of Pokémon. Cyan's Venusaur watched on, his smile slowly fading away.
Cyan knelt and locked eyes with his Pokémon. "You're home, aren't you?"
"Saur."
Cyan's voice was shaky. "What about going with them? I've never seen you this happy. Maybe you'd be happy with your family, and you can roll around in the flowers all day!"
Venusaur paused and watched as the herd got farther away. He looked up at Cyan's light brown eyes, and he remembered his trainer's mother. He remembered the promise that he made to her. He shook his head and then extended his vine.
Cyan took it and then choked back tears. "I'm relieved. I want you to be happy."
"Saur," he replied softly. He looked back towards the forest, finding that the herd had disappeared. But it was okay because he was with his friend.
After their short adventure near the forest, the two returned to the Pokémon Center. They needed to get proper rest because Skylar's next gym battle was only an island away. While Cyan was in the shower, Skylar decided to watch the television in the lobby. After asking Nurse Joy, she was able to get her to change the channel to Unova sports. The Nimbasa Cubchoo were doing excellent this year, which made her happy. However, she was a bit sad that she wasn't able to see any of the games in person.
The program started to show a highlight reel of all of the great plays over the season. With every home run and last-second catch, Skylar inched closer to the television. Once the brim of her hat hit the screen, the broadcast was suddenly cut short. She snapped back as a news lady came onto the television.
"We interrupt your programming for a short news bulletin. Reports are coming in from the Kanto region. It appears as though a small gang calling themselves Neo Rocket has been making rounds across the region. Incidents in places like Pallet Town, Mount Moon, Fuchsia City, and Celadon City have been reported. As of now, only a couple of the members have been placed into police custody, but there are warrants for the arrest of the leaders Mizuki and Aira. Last names are not known."
A picture of the two leaders of the group was displayed. They were teenagers, no older than sixteen. The male had slicked-back black hair and a toothpick in his mouth. The female had blood-red hair and lipstick. Tattooed on their shoulders were the same R's that Skylar had become familiar with because of her encounters with Daidai.
"If anyone has information on these two, the police will appreciate your cooperation. We will now return you to your regularly scheduled programming."
Skylar held Gothita close in her arms and then sat back. "Oh no. What do I do?"
"Goth?"
If Cyan finds out about this, he'll have a panic attack. He's already under a lot of stress because of Daidai Rocket. If he learns that there's another group in Kanto, his heart might not be able to take it, she thought. She lifted the remote and turned off the television.
"Maybe it's best, for now, if he's blissfully unaware."
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
A lot was happening with this one. Not sure what to comment on. That was the last of Cyan's backstory flashbacks. I wanted to play with the idea of Venusaur leaving (as I've done with KiiK and Logan's Mightyena), but Venusaur is too loyal to Cyan to leave. I also recently hatched a shiny Bulbasaur (first try believe it or not), so that's where the inspiration for the shiny Vensuaur came from. Also, a KiiK reference in this one! Neo Rocket! Just so you're aware, this story is running alongside KiiK. Chapter 18 of this story takes place simultaneously along Chapter 44 of KiiK.
Next chapter, we'll be going into Skylar's fourth gym badge!
REVIEWS:
pokemonking0924 - "For a second there I thought Skylar got scammed by that digging man, but she did make a fair amount of money and got a metal coat to evolve her Onix one day. Cyan finally got the relaxing day he needed but still no new progress for Kabuto and z moves, maybe they just need to bond more and get to know each other better. As for that letter Cyan got from Okane I wonder what lead her to want to follow in her fathers footsteps to capture legendary Pokemon when she said that she apologized for that in the past, she was either lying to make her friend feel better or when she heard about Cyan's "death" it drove her off the deep end. Guess we'll find out her reasons for creating her version of Team Rocket soon enough." - I think she was getting scammed, but she ended up with a lot out of it. Haha. As for Okane, it's hard to say!
pokestets23 - "So fun with the digging! I love Kabuto. I have never really understood how to write in that Pokemon, but you are doing it really well." - I think we just recently had a conversation about how hard it'd be to write for Kabuto/Kabutops. I'm trying my best though!
CrescentApple - "Ooooh, boy. Flashback Cyan has some really bad depression. Poor lad. Skylar has a gambling issue. And she is gonna get a Steeliz! If she knows! The digger guy dressed swell. I always hated when the shovels broke when mining for Armorite. Aaaah Kabuto was a fun surprise, the way he squirted water to get Cyan's attention. Whole chapter was in good fun." - The chapter set up a lot! I just have to figure out a way for Onix to evolve properly...
wisdom-jewel - "Hmmm. This would be fun. So Skylar has a metal coat. I wonder if she would give it to her Onix. And I wonder if any of the rare bones were fossils though that's unlikely. I still wonder if Cyan and Okane would meet up soon. How they were react to one another. It would be bittersweet and full of emotion." - I've actually already finished writing Overcoming the Orange Islands. Writing their meeting was kind of difficult to do. It was hard to find the correct tone. But I'm excited for people to see it.