Kanto Trials and Travels
Chapter 1: The Beginning of a Journey.
He sat perched on the edge of his bed, eagerly watching the battle taking place between two members of the Elite Four, Lorelai, and Bruno, on TV in front of him.
"And here we come to the final round of a great match between two of the Elite Four. Each down to their final Pokemon. Lorelai's final and strongest Pokemon, Lapras, challenging Bruno's Onix. Lapras has just used ice beam, but is it enough to defeat Bruno's strongest and most fearsome Pokemon? Oh, what a surprising useful ice beam, folks. Lapras has frozen the field and is easily gliding across the ice toward Bruno's Onix. And it's a Body Slam, folks. It looks like Onix is down for the count, folks. Will Lorelai advance to the position of third strongest in the Kanto Region's elite four?"
"The referee is about to call the match but wait. Onix is slowly getting back up and with surprising strength too. Whoa, it's an Iron Tail, folks, and Lorelai's Lapras is unable to battle. The winner and still third strongest of the Elite Four, Bruno! This program brought to you by the Pokemon Global Television Network."
The television show ended as a commercial about evolution stones came on the screen. "Finally! Tomorrow, I will get my first Pokemon and set out on a journey of my very own. I will be the greatest pokemon master in the world." Ash cheered to himself while posing with a Pokeball themed alarm clock. "Go, Pokeball!" In his enthusiasm, he threw the alarm clock a bit too harshly. He paused, hoping his mother hadn't heard. While he was excited to leave home and set out on his journey, he was going to miss his friends here in Pallet Town, and especially his mother. But he knew he would never forgive himself if he passed up this opportunity. He was now 17 years old and determined to become the greatest pokemon master in the world.
"Ash, turn off that television and go to sleep right now!" His mother called out, opening the door and fixing him with a stern look.
"But mom. I'm too excited to sleep. I'll be starting my Pokemon journey tomorrow, and I still have no idea which Pokemon I'm going to choose as my starter.
"I know you're excited, Ash, but if you don't get to sleep, you will be too tired to start your journey. Now go to bed." His mother said, picking up the remote from the nightstand and flicking off the television.
"Yes, mom," Ash said with a sigh.
"Good, and don't forget to brush your teeth. Good night, Ash." Delia said and closed the door behind her after turning off the lights.
After brushing his teeth, Ash climbed into his bed and was soon fast asleep, dreams of starter pokemon and the beginning of his journey in his head.
Bulbasaur, the seed pokemon. A grass type pokemon with poison characteristics and easy to raise.
Squirtle, the tiny turtle pokemon. A purely water type pokemon, challenging but stable and rewarding in the long run.
Charmander, the lizard pokemon. A fire-type starter. It would be difficult to raise, but I do love a challenge. A true pokemon master can handle any problem that arises.
Choose it or lose it!
…
…
The next morning dawned all too soon. Or rather too late in Ash's case. The blaring alarm clock on his nightstand was enough to shock him from slumber. Ash jolted awake in a panic. "Oh, no! What time is it?" Grabbing the alarm clock from his nightstand, he paled as he saw the clock read 11:25 am. "Oh, no! I overslept. I must get to the Pokemon Lab to get my Pokemon." Saying he had overslept was putting it mildly. He was supposed to be at Professor Oak's lab by 10:30 that morning. Jumping up in a panic, Ash grabbed the alarm clock, panicking and praying he was reading it wrong before quickly pulling on his trainers and racing out the front door in his pajamas toward Professor Oak's lab in the distance.
It took him about fifteen minutes to get there, and when he finally arrived, out of breath, it was to bump into his childhood rival, Gary Oak, who was just leaving surrounded by his usual entourage of fangirls.
"Well, hello, Ashy boy. A bit late, aren't you? All the good Pokemon are gone." Gary said with a smirk.
"Really? Did you get your first Pokemon? Which one did you pick?" Ash asked, curious.
"That's for me to know and for you to find out, Ashy. It's good to have a grandfather in the Pokemon business. Anyway, I'm off to learn the ways of the Pokemon masters . Smell you later, Ash. Bye now." Gary said, walking away with his group of fangirls swooning and cheering him on.
Racing into the pokemon center, Ash hurried up to Professor Oak, who was sitting at one of his research tables. He looked up as Ash approached, stopping in front of him. "Well, hello, Ash. So, you decided to show up after all."
"I'm a little late, Professor, but I'm ready for my pokemon," Ash said, trying to sound confident despite the nerves that were making his palms sweaty and his stomach do flips.
"You look like you're ready for bed, young man." Professor Oak said, looking him over.
"I overslept a little, Professor, but I promise you that I'm more than ready and capable of being a pokemon trainer," Ash said, desperate to reassure the skeptical Professor Oak.
"Very well, then. Follow me." Professor Oak said, leading the way to the back of the lab where five poke balls sat waiting on a lab table. "You may choose just one Pokemon as your starter. But first let me explain your choices, Ash," Professor Oak said, noticing the eager Ash about to reach forward and grab a Pokeball.
"At one point, it was widely believed that only one hundred and fifty species of Pokemon existed, but in the last few years, research has widely expanded that number to well over seven hundred species, with more being discovered all the time in many different regions of the world. As a result, the Kanto Region Pokemon league has increased the number of available starter pokemon choices that each new trainer can choose from, from three to five." The Professor paused to take a breath before continuing.
"The pokemon you are allowed to choose from are these," The Professor spoke, pointing to a board on the wall with pictures of five unique Pokemon from various regions displayed.
"Squirtle, the tiny turtle pokemon, a water type starter. Bulbasaur, the seed pokemon, a grass type starter with poison type characteristics. Charmander, the lizard pokemon, a fire type starter. Ralts, the feeling pokemon, a psychic type pokemon with fairy type characteristics." As he said this, Professor Oak pressed the release buttons on each Pokeball. With bursts of red light, each Pokemon appeared, looking around curiously, observing their surroundings, or looking between Ash and Professor Oak with some uncertainty.
Finally, arriving at the last Pokeball, the Professor seemed to pause and Ash, after looking through each Pokemon, greeting them warmly and affectionately with all the excitement of an eager and aspiring trainer appeared to notice the Professor's unease looked up from the little Ralts he had been playing with to speak to him. "What's wrong, Professor? What's the fifth starter pokemon?" He asked curiously.
"Ah, yes, well about that. This particular Pokemon has a bit of a sketchy past and, as a result, has been known to respond poorly to humans." Professor Oak said, uncertainly.
"That's okay, Professor. I'm sure it just hasn't found the right trainer. After all, everyone, even Pokemon, deserves to be given a chance, no matter their history." Ash replied confidently.
Professor Oak smiled and nodded. "Well said, my boy, well said. And with that, the fifth and final starter pokemon in the Kanto region, Riolu, the emanation pokemon." With that, he pressed the release button. A small black and blue dog-like Pokemon appeared and looked around curiously, before frowning and taking off running, casting several orbs of light around the lab, which impacted loudly against the walls, furniture, and lab equipment, causing several small but dangerous explosions, as it went, stopping only long enough to blast the front doors of Professor Oak's research lab open before taking off running outside.
Meanwhile, the lab itself was in chaos as the Professor and his research assistants struggled to stop further damage to the lab, caused by the four remaining Pokemon, that were in a panic. Squirtle and Bulbasaur were running around the lab, being chased by a panting Professor Oak, each of them firing off various attacks as they ducked and weaved around the struggling Professor. With a bit of luck and cleverness, Professor Oak was finally able to return them to their pokeballs. At the same time, his assistant managed to return Charmander, who had been racing around the lab, knocking over shelves as he bumped into them. Ash did his best to help by gently picking up the terrified Ralts. The unfortunate Pokemon had been trapped under a fallen pile of books near what had once been part of the Professor's private library. The fallen books were covered in debris from the ruined bookshelf that now lay in pieces.
"Lts. Ralts!" The terrified Ralts said.
"Shh, it's okay, little buddy. I've got you." Ash said, rescuing the trapped Ralts.
"Ralts?" The Pokemon said, looking up at him.
Gently, Ash held the small Ralts in his arms and did his best to comfort it as the Professor approached him, replacing the pokeballs that now contained the remaining starter pokemon inside them. Breathing hard, the Professor looked around the ruined remains of the lab and shook his head. "This is going to take a while to fix. Serves me right for keeping that Riolu inside my lab instead of outside on the ranch. I knew it hated being confined. Anyway, Ash, I would like to ask you a huge favor. I would like you to take that Riolu's Pokeball and recapture it for us and bring it back here to the lab before it causes more trouble. Can you do that for me?" Professor Oak asked.
"Sure, Professor. I'd be glad to help." Ash replied, still holding the now calm Ralts in his arms.
"Excellent. Now, recovering Riolu is sure to be no easy task, so before you go, I would recommend that you choose a starter from the remaining Pokemon here at the lab. Do you have any idea which Pokemon you would like to choose from?" Professor Oak stated.
Ash took a moment to consider carefully before gazing down at the little Pokemon in his arms and nodded. "I do. I'd like to choose Ralts, if that's alright with you, Professor." He said, with a smile down at the Ralts.
"Ralts." The little Pokemon chirped with what Ash hoped was approval.
"Excellent. Now before you go, I should tell you that at this time, Ralts can only use one move. Growl, so I would like to give you this tm, which is short for Technical Machine. Technical machines are useful tools that can instantly teach new moves to Pokemon. You will be able to collect them throughout your journey. Some will be easily acquired, and others will be more difficult to obtain. Gym Leaders sometimes give them out as prizes in addition to badges, and some can be bought in stores. This tm contains the move, Hidden Power, which is an attack whose type and power vary from Pokemon to Pokemon. Now I should tell you; each tm can only be used once, so choose carefully which Pokemon you use them on." Professor Oak stated, politely handing Ash a small metallic disc-shaped object.
"Thank you, Professor. How do I use it to teach Ralts Hidden Power, though?" Ash asked curiously.
"TMs are simple and easy to use. Just press the tm to your chosen Pokémon's head like so, and your Pokemon will instantly learn to use the new move. Try it now." Professor Oak said.
Ash nodded and pressed the tm to Ralt's head, next to its red horn, and after a brief glow, the tm dissolved, and his Ralts chirped in delight, looking around and carefully releasing a scaled-down version of Hidden Power.
"Ra." Ralts said.
"Awesome. Thank you, Professor." Ash stated.
"Well, now that that is taken care of, I'll wish you the best of luck recapturing Riolu. Be careful, though, and don't forget to let your mother know where you're going." Professor Oak said.
"I will. Thanks, Professor." Ash said, racing off out of the broken front door of the lab, accompanied by an eager Ralts.
As they exited the lab, Ash looked down at the little Ralts and spoke. "Well, buddy, the Professor has given us a task, and we had best get started. But first, we should let my mom know where we're going so that she doesn't worry. She can be terrifying when she's worried." Ash said with a shudder.
"Lts." Ralts said.
Beside him, the little Ralts nodded, and Ash took off towards his house, the Ralts steadily keeping pace with him. A short time later, they reached the front yard of Ash's home where, his mother was busily working in the flower beds, accompanied by the small yellow Pikachu that had been with the family since Ash was a baby.
"Hi, Mom. I'm back." Ash said with a smile.
"Hello, Ash. Welcome home. Oh, I see you have your new Pokemon. Congratulations. So, you chose a Ralts as your starter pokemon. How lovely." Delia Ketchum said, standing and taking off her gardening gloves, as Pikachu approached the little Ralts and sniffed it inquisitively.
"Pikapi," Pikachu said.
"Ralts," Ralts said, peeking around Ash's leg at the Pikachu.
"Oh, look. They're becoming friends already. How wonderful. You remind me so much of your father when he started his pokemon journey." Delia said, smiling down at him.
"Thanks, mom."
…
…
"What's that, dear? Professor Oak asked you to run an errand for him? Well, then, you'd best get a move on, Ash. That Riolu couldn't have gotten far yet. You should ask the neighbors if they saw it running by. And don't forget to return your Ralts to its Pokeball, dear." Delia said, smiling.
"Thanks, Mom. I will." Ash said, pulling the Pokeball from his belt and with a red beam, summoned Ralts back inside the Pokeball, before taking off again.
"He's just like his father at that age. So restless." Delia said, smiling down at the Pikachu.
"Pika pika pi," Pikachu said, looking up at her.
"I know. You want to go too, don't you? Well, you'd best hurry if you want to catch up to him." Delia said.
With that, Pikachu took off, racing to catch up to Ash, who stopped at the edge of the lawn to look down at him. "What's that? You want to come too, huh? Why not. Let's get going." Ash said as Pikachu chirped excitedly, running along beside him.
XxxxxxX
"Man, where could it be? Surely there can't be many places for a rare pokemon to hide in a town this size." Ash said, looking about in all directions.
"Pika pi," Pikachu said beside him.
"Well, let's keep looking. We need to find it quickly and return it to the lab." Ash stated before taking off again.
They were racing down the street near Professor Oak's house, looking for the missing Riolu, when Ash heard a commotion in a tall patch of grass just on the edge of Route One, nearby. As they got closer, Ash listened to what sounded like a scared voice shouting.
"Stay back. Don't come any closer. Help! Somebody, help me."
Ash and Pikachu raced towards the voice to find Gary's younger sister, Daisy Oak trying to fend off the no longer missing Riolu, who growled threateningly as it advanced.
"Don't worry. We're coming to help, Daisy. Just stay calm." Ash said, calling out to her.
"Oh, thank Arceus. Hurry up, Ash." Daisy called panicked.
Riolu turned at the sound of his voice, facing Ash and charging up another orb of light, letting it blast in his direction.
"That's Aura Sphere. Quick, Pikachu. Block it with Thundershock." Ash called.
"Pika," Pikachu said, releasing a burst of electricity through the air, which intercepted the incoming aura sphere causing the two attacks to cancel each other out in mid-air.
Riolu let out a menacing growl as the attacks fizzled each other out, its hackles raised.
"Now follow up with Quick Attack, Pikachu," Ash called out.
"Pika Pikachu," Pikachu said as white light gathered around its feet, and it burst forward, slamming into the Riolu and knocking it to the ground, dazed.
"Great job, Pikachu," Ash said, pulling out Riolu's Pokeball. "Go, Pokeball," Ash called tossing the Pokeball, which emitted a red beam of energy which enveloped the dazed Riolu, sucking it back inside it's Pokeball with a resounding click.
"Wow. We caught it, Pikachu. Now we can take it back to Professor Oak's lab." Ash said, picking up Pikachu and setting him on his shoulder before picking up Riolu's Pokeball.
"Oh, thank you so much for saving me, Ash. I appreciate it. I know just how to thank you. Here, take this." Daisy Oak said, reaching into a pocket and pulling out a folded-up Town Map. "This is a map of the Kanto Region. It will come in handy on your Pokemon Journey, Ash."
"Wow. Thanks, Daisy." Ash said, leading the way back to the Pokemon Lab.
"Don't mention it, Ash. So, what Pokemon did you choose as your starter?" Daisy asked, making conversation as they walked through town.
XxxxxxX
"Bye, Ash. Take care." Daisy called, waving over her shoulder as she walked away.
"Bye, Daisy. Thanks. I will." Ash called.
"Pikapi," Pikachu said as they parted ways with Daisy outside Professor Oak's laboratory. Ash walked back into the laboratory, passing the assistants who were working to repair the damaged doors and approached Professor Oak, who was cleaning up some of the debris from Riolu's escape.
"I'm back, Professor. I managed to recapture Riolu outside of town." Ash said, as Professor Oak stopped working and walked over to him.
"Oh well done, Ash, my boy. I knew you could do it. Since you're a new trainer and just beginning your journey, I suggest you start by traveling to Viridian City, a little ways off from here. You can register for the Pokemon League when you get there, and you may just meet some interesting Pokemon along the way. Oh, but before you go, I have something here for you. It's the latest model of the Pokedex. The Pokedex has a wide variety of useful functions that will be helpful throughout your journey, Ash." Professor Oak said.
"Thanks, Professor. Viridian City, you say? I suppose it's as good a place to start as any." Ash said, taking and pocketing the Pokedex.
"Good luck, Ash." Professor Oak called.
"Let's go, Pikachu. It's time to start our journey." Ash grinned, racing towards the door to the lab.
"Wait!" One of Professor Oak's assistants called, running up to him. Panting heavily, the assistant spoke. "Before you leave, your mother asked me to give you this. A bag containing supplies for your journey." The assistant said, handing Ash a yellow backpack. "Oh, and here are some other useful items. A few empty pokeballs which can be used to capture new Pokemon, and some potions. Pokemon, who battle can sustain injuries, and rather than let them faint, you should use these to heal them until you can get help for them." The assistant said.
"Thanks, sir," Ash said, pulling on the backpack, anxious to start his journey.
"Oh, and one more thing. Your mother wanted me to tell you to change your underwear every day." The assistant called with a smirk, making Ash sweatdrop.
"Perfect. Simply perfect." Ash groaned as Pikachu laughed.
With that, Ash and Pikachu set out on their long journey through the Kanto Region.
TBC