Hello everyone! My name is Stormwar9, and this is my first (and so far only) fanfic published here. I first started writing this little gem before Pokemon Sun and Moon were released and didn't begin sharing it until late June 2018. Since then, I gradually added chapters, and after coming back from hiatus, I plan to add more chapters and complete Inventum Adventures.
So here's where this will require some explaining. Inventum Adventures will have the anime style with a sense of realism to it. There are some elements of the games involved as well. While it focuses on a fan-made region, Inventum, and the main characters, OCs, it occurs in the anime realm where Ash exists. This story will also take place years after Ash's adventures. There are references to Ash and other characters and entities from games such as Pokemon Go (i.e.: Team Mystic and Spark). More characters from the games and anime will be considered for inclusion.
As all regions in the pokemon world are influenced by real-life regions/countries, Inventum has its influence. It is primarily based on the southeast United States, with some of the midwest thrown in there. The main OCs are Jason and Kristine Kyar, a pair of twelve-year-old twins who will embark on their journeys and quickly learn what it takes to be the best of the best while learning about the history of Inventum and how certain events should not be repeated. They will be supported by tons of side OCs.
Before I leave you to read on, here are some ground rules of this fanfic, just to give a clear idea of what to expect:
- No mega evolutions, z-powers, or gigantamaxing. For the most part, this is about straight-up raw power. Bonding is in, however. The degree of it is still to be determined (I'm measuring this based on a scale of 1 to Ash-Greninja).
- Possession of legendary pokemon is illegal under normal circumstances. Will that stop certain people? Probably not. But there are no plans to give our heroes legendary pokemon. There will also not be a mysterious trainer with a darkrai coming out of nowhere and winning the whole thing.
- Real-world geography is implemented. That means the regions from the first four gens pretty much make up Japan, Unova is where New York is, Kalos is where France is, and Alola is Hawaii. Of course, Inventum will be where the southeast US is. And Galar is the UK! This story was started well before Gen 8 was announced, but Galar will be incorporated appropriately.
- Rated T mainly to be safe. There are some realism, subplot romance, and life and death situations involved, but there are no swearing, blood, or incredibly violent scenes.
And here's the disclaimer: I don't own pokemon, just my OCs.
Feel free to leave a review or PM regarding any chapter, moment, or character. I'll do my best to respond to every review promptly. Suggestions are always welcome. Happy reading, and I hope you enjoy it!
"Pikachu, Iron Tail!" commanded the voice of the world-renowned Ash Ketchum.
With tens of thousands of screaming fans throughout the stadium, Pikachu charged towards Scyther before flipping into the air, his tail glowing.
Scyther, who had taken previous damage from Pikachu's Thunderbolt, could not dodge Pikachu's onslaught. Pikachu's Iron Tail made a direct impact, sending Scyther flying back against a tall rock. Scyther fell forward on his stomach, unable to get up.
"Scyther is unable to battle!" the referee declared. "Horace Robbins is out of pokemon! Ash Ketchum wins!"
The entire battle was televised worldwide. Ash Ketchum won the round of 16 of the Kanto Regionals, one of many prestigious events in the far east. Ash was in the middle of a resurgence after spending years traveling the world, winning the hearts of many young aspiring trainers worldwide. And on the other side of the world, a pair of twelve-year-old twins were glued to the TV screen one weekend morning.
"Yeah!" Jason Kyar threw a closed fist straight in the air. "Go Ash!"
"His pikachu is so awesome!" Kristine Kyar clenched both of her fists. "I want a pikachu!"
Both kids had dark brown hair. Jason had bright blue eyes, while Kristine had emerald green eyes. She usually kept her hair in a ponytail but left it in a mess for this occasion; it was early in the morning, after all. Jason regularly kept his hair messy and didn't require much maintenance from the bedhead he had. They were in their pajamas and were sitting directly in front of the flat-screen television in their living room. Jason wore a white undershirt and blue bottoms, while Kristine wore a green tank top and green bottoms.
"I want one too!" Jason said. "So I can evolve it into a raichu!"
"But, Pikachu is quicker!" Kristine argued.
"Raichu is stronger!" Jason defended. "The gym leader of Richland Port has one!"
Kristine smirked. "There's a reason why Ash never evolved Pikachu into a raichu. Speed."
"Whatever works for him," Jason said. "But power beats speed any day!"
"Nuh-uh," Kristine objected.
"Yeah-huh," Jason looked right at his sister.
Kristine stared him down, fiercely determined to defend her case. "Nuh-uh. Speed!"
"Power!" Jason inched closer.
"Speed!" Kristine did not back down. She got right in front of Jason's face.
"Power!" Jason's nose could nearly touch Kristine's.
"Speed!"
"Power!"
"Speed!"
"Power!"
"What are you two arguing about this time?" said the gentle yet resolving voice of the twins' mother, Veronica. "And why are you three inches away from the TV? It's not good for your eyes, you know."
"Speed," Kristine closed her eyes with a smirk, crossing her arms.
This prompted Jason to become fuming red.
Veronica glanced at the television. "So Ash goes to the next round, huh?"
"Yeah, it was awesome!" Jason boasted, briefly forgetting that he was mad at Kristine.
"Ash swept with Pikachu!" Kristine added. "Speed is obviously better!"
"Power," Jason closed his eyes with a smirk, crossing his arms.
This prompted Kristine to become fuming red.
"You're just arguing for the sake of arguing you – you – " Kristine tried to figure out what to say next.
Veronica smiled. "The truth is that both of you are right. Ash would agree to that. You need speed, and you need power. Without speed, you're vulnerable. Without power, you'll just wear yourself out. Now, both of you get up."
The twins got up and approached their mother.
"You'll both be starting your journeys tomorrow," Veronica continued. "The both of you can't be bickering over little things anymore. One thing I've learned on my pokemon journey is that I grew up pretty fast. Did you know that Ash went on his journey on his tenth birthday? Many people over there do. We do things a bit differently over here."
"Like how you need twelve badges to compete in the Inventum Championship?" Kristine asked.
"And how each gym leader represents an aspect of a true trainer and not a pokemon type?" Jason added.
Veronica nodded. "You kids sure know your stuff."
"My dream is to travel the world!" Kristine clenched her fist with determination. "From Inventum up to Unova, all the way to Kalos and far off to Kanto, Jhoto, Hoenn, Alola, you name it!"
"And mine is to compete in every league in the world!" Jason also clenched his fist. "I want to be the world champion!"
"I also want to be the world champion!" Kristine excitedly added.
"There's only room for one, and that's for Jason Kyar!" Jason faced Kristine.
"Sorry to ruin your parade, but Kristine Kyar has it for the taking!" Kristine faced Jason.
Veronica gave a light chuckle. "I guess the sibling rivalry will never die, huh?"
"Well…I guess we could compete in tag battle tournaments," Jason suggested.
"We could be the tag battle world champs," Kristine liked that idea. "Kyar twins, best duo in the world!" she then closed her eyes once more with a cute smirk. "I'm still gonna be the world champion."
Jason became fuming red once more.
"One step at a time, dears," Veronica calmed the two down. "You still need a pokemon."
"Oh, right, our first pokemon!" Jason excitedly said. "I wonder what it'll be?"
"I wonder what they're going to offer us," Kristine pondered. "A squirtle? Torchic? A pikachu!?"
"Is it true that most regions have three starter pokemon?" Jason asked.
Veronica nodded. "Most of the world does. Inventum is an exception. Here in the Mountain Spring Pokémon Lab, Professor Wall will evaluate your characteristics and give you the pokemon that suits you best."
"But what if the pokemon doesn't like us?" Kristine asked.
"No need to worry about that," Veronica replied. "Wall knows his pokemon, and pokemon personalities vary just as much as people's personalities. Everyone who received their first pokemon from him has had a great relationship. Mountain Spring, well the entire mountain region really, is known as one of the hot spots for aspiring trainers."
"There are so many top trainers that came from our little town alone," Kristine added.
"And they got two more coming!" Jason nodded.
"Yeah!" Kristine extended her hand for a high five.
"Yeah!" Jason made contact with his hand.
"You two are enemies one minute and best friends the next," Veronica rolled her eyes.
"Come on, Mom," Jason laughed. "We've been together since before we were born. There's no need to worry."
Kristine wrapped her arm over her brother's shoulder. "Sometimes I want to kill this knucklehead, but he's my brother at the end of the day."
"Well, that's reassuring," Veronica smiled. "Just always remember you're siblings, and please don't kill each other."
Kristine whispered into Jason's ear before letting go. "I will be the champion."
"Errrr," Jason wanted to lash out verbally.
Kristine faced him with a cute smile.
"You two go ahead and get dressed," Veronica suggested. "It's your last day before you start your journey. I believe there's someone you should pay your respects to before you undertake the biggest challenge of your lives."
"Yeah…" Jason sighed as Kristine briefly looked down.
"I guess we'll get ready," Kristine replied before leaving the living room and heading upstairs. Jason did the same.
"Well, dear," Veronica said to herself, looking up towards the ceiling. "I hope you watch over our little rascals."
By noon, Jason and Kristine were fully ready for the rest of the day. Jason donned a blue vest, a black t-shirt, and blue jeans, while Kristine wore a green t-shirt and tight jeans while sporting a ponytail. They both headed out of the house together.
"I wonder what will be in store for us," Jason pondered.
"There's probably so much out there that we don't understand," Kristine replied. "There are hundreds of species of pokemon and many more who have yet to be discovered. And there's a lot we still don't know about Inventum."
"Yeah," Jason's face slowly grew into a frown. "Dad tried to figure out the secrets."
Kristine took a deep breath, fighting the sadness that tried to consume her emotions. She saw that Jason was down on himself. She patted him on the back. "Hey, now. He's watching over us."
"Yeah," Jason looked up into the sky briefly with a light smile. The sun shined down on the two over a cloudless sky. The twins could see a flock of pidgey and pidgeotto flying overhead.
Kristine took her hand off of Jason. "Pidgey and pidgeotto," she noted. "Pidgey's so cute!"
"I like pidgeotto," Jason added.
"Well, I bet we can catch them in no time!" Kristine attempted to cheer Jason up.
Jason faced her with a smile. "Come on, let's go visit Dad."
The two walked out of their neighborhood and down a dirt path, surrounded by trees, nearby hills, and distant snow-capped mountains.
"I know!" Kristine made a prediction. "I will get a turtwig, and you will get a charmander!"
"A charmander, huh?" Jason liked that idea.
"Just imagine," Kristine envisioned. "You with your charizard one day, and me with my turtwig. No one will match our combination of speed and power!"
"Wait a second," Jason seemed confused. "If you get a turtwig, you don't plan on evolving it?"
"Nope," Kristine shook her head. "Unless, of course, turtwig wants to. You don't need to evolve Pokémon to make them stronger. You do what fits your style."
"So that's why Ash never evolved Pikachu into a raichu," Jason came to that conclusion, completely ignoring what Kristine said earlier when watching the Kanto Regionals.
Kristine rolled her eyes in despair of her brother's statement. "Oh, Jason..."
The two approached the town's cemetery moments later. It was divided into two halves – one half for people and the other for pokemon. The two steered right into the people's half of the cemetery. From there, they made a straight line towards their father's grave.
Both Jason and Kristine could see a very familiar face by their father's grave. It was his starting companion, Jolteon.
"Jolteon," Jason acknowledged. "How are you doing, buddy?"
"Jolt," the scruffy lightning canine nodded to both Jason and Kristine and walked right by their father's grave to take a nap.
"Poor Jolteon never took this well," Kristine felt compassionate.
"He was Dad's first pokemon," Jason added. "Back when he was an eevee. The two did so much together."
Jason stood in front of his father's grave. The tombstone's inscriptions read: James Kyar. Fearless Adventurer. Loyal Father. May he rest in peace.
"I promise you, we will be the very best," Jason fought back his tears.
"We will be traveling all over the place," Kristine stood by her brother's side.
"We'll be battling every gym and competing in every tournament," Jason continued.
"We'll make some great friends along the way," Kristine added. "We'll make you proud."
"We know you'll always be watching us," Jason had a tear roll down his eye. He sniveled but kept his head high. "We're going to do great. For you."
"For you," Kristine gave a nod. "Goodbye, Dad."
"Goodbye," Jason said before turning around.
Kristine placed her hand on Jason's back as the two left the cemetery in sorrow. They both swore that they would do their best to make their father proud of them. They spent the rest of the day reflecting on their visit to the cemetery and were looking forward to what was in store for them tomorrow.
Jason was in his pajamas, lying on his bed that night. He didn't have the covers over him, anxious for the next day as he stared at the ceiling above.
"What if I get a charmander?" He muttered to himself. "A totodile, maybe? A pikachu? What pokemon should I catch? Not rattata, there's too many of them around here."
Kristine was in her room adjacent to Jason's. She had the covers over her as she laid on her side, looking at the giant marill plush at the corner of her room.
"Turtwig," she muttered, predicting her first Pokémon. "And I'll have a pikachu, marill, vulpix, abra, and pidgey!"
Both were unable to sleep consistently overnight as they were too excited for the day to come. As morning came, both of them were wide awake even before their alarms rang.
Jason got out of his bed after the alarm finally sounded. He put on his gear and packed his bag before heading out the door.
"Rise and shine!" Kristine happily greeted. She was also fully dressed and ready to go with a backpack.
"You ready?" Jason asked with a determined smile.
"You bet," Kristine gave a nod.
The two headed down the stairs, ready to head out to the town's lab.
"Hold it, you two," Veronica commanded with a smile, waiting over by the kitchen. "You two should have your breakfast first."
The two complied and headed inside the kitchen.
Both Jason and Kristine ate their hotcakes and eggs as fast as possible.
"Slow down!" Veronica chuckled. "You'll get there in time for sure."
"Sorry, but I just can't wait!" Jason said before continuing to chow down on his breakfast.
"Today's such a big day!" Kristine added before doing the same.
"Oh dear," Veronica rolled her eyes.
A minute later, the twins were done, and they were ready to head out the door. As they reached the front door, their mother got up and spoke loud and stern. "Jason James Kyar and Kristine Marilla Kyar!"
Their full names being shouted by their mother was more than enough for them to stop them in their tracks. "Yes, Mom?" they both responded at the same time, turning around.
"The both of you need to realize something," Veronica responded, gently yet with resolve. "What matters is you're both leaving Mountain Spring today with your first pokemon. That means you won't be coming back for a very long time, maybe even years. That means you're leaving me as well."
The twins stood there, not having assessed the full reality of the situation until just now.
"Just be safe out there," Veronica continued. "You're both good, smart kids. Look out for each other. Make the right choices."
"You don't need to worry about us!" Jason assured her.
"But I do," Veronica replied. "And I will, every day."
"We're gonna make you proud, Mom," Kristine added with a smile. "We'll do good out there."
"That's good," Veronica felt reassured. "Now, I'll be fine back here. You two go focus on being the best trainers around. If you ever need anything, just reach out at the terminals in any pokemon center. But ultimately, both of you are on your own. I can't bail you out of every little situation. Remember that who you are defines you. Your adventures will test your character. Only the best trainers can prevail through the toughest of challenges. You are living the dreams of your very young lives, something that many people can't say, as sad as it is to admit. Your father lived his dream, and he would want you to live yours. I lived my dream as a contest coordinator, and I would not trade it for the world except for you two. Go out there, and show the world who you are and what you're made of."
"Got it!" Jason nodded and hugged his mother.
"Love you, Mom!" Kristine did the same.
"I love you both as well," Veronica smiled. "You'll both do great. I know it."
Jason and Kristine ran out the door, with their mother looking ahead. At the end of the yard resided two bikes painted blue and green, representing the favorite colors of Jason and Kristine, respectively.
Kristine quickly picked her bike off the ground and faced Jason. "I'll race you to Professor Wall's lab."
"It's on!" Jason took the challenge, lifting his bike.
By the time Jason lifted his bike, Kristine already had a head start, pushing as hard as she could to pick up speed down the path.
"See you there, slowpoke!" Kristine had a slightly evil laugh.
"Hey!" Jason yelled before riding his bike. He pushed as hard as he could to catch up to Kristine.
Before the twins knew it, they were riding dangerously fast down the dirt path surrounded by trees. They zipped past the cemetery as well as other residential houses before storming into the town center.
Mountainspring was known for a dispersed small town instead of being compact, so the center itself didn't consist of much other than a pokemon center, a general store, a diner, and the pokemon lab. Jason and Kristine closed in on the lab, a two-story glass building at the heart of the town center. Both twins slammed on their brakes before the building entrance.
As the dust settled, Jason and Kristine were side by side, catching their breaths from the competitive race they just endured.
"Ah hah!" Jason boasted. "I win!"
"Nuh-uh," Kristine stuck her tongue out at him. "I was the clear winner."
"Yeah, right!" Jason objected. "I won while you cheated!"
"It's not cheating!" Kristine closed her eyes and smiled, turning away from Jason while crossing her arms. "It's called being born seventeen minutes before you. As the older sibling, I get a head start!"
"How does that make any sense!?" Jason argued.
As Jason went on a rant at his sister, Professor Wall heard the commotion and walked outside. He towered over the twins and then some, standing at six and a half feet tall. He had buzzed gray hair, and even with the white lab coat, he looked like he had seen the entire world a time and a half over due to his rugged appearance.
"So," Wall spoke calmly. His deep and assertive voice immediately gained the twins' attention. "You must be Jason and Kristine Kyar."
"Yes, sir!" Jason greeted.
"Nice to meet you!" Kristine added.
"My name is Professor Joseph Wall," Wall introduced himself. "Welcome to the pokemon lab, and congratulations on taking the most important step in your young lives. Today, you'll be receiving your very first pokemon. "Now, if you'll follow me inside."
Jason and Kristine happily complied and followed Wall inside. They were both astounded by the computers and gadgets around them, all operated by scientists. There were even several eggs in incubation on top of one of the desks to the twins' left.
"So there are close to a thousand confirmed species of pokemon found worldwide," Wall mentioned. "Here at the lab in Mountain Spring, we work to learn the behaviors of every species of pokemon, and we work on perfecting technology that documents these traits and behaviors."
Wall led the twins to a nearby desk where two red devices resided.
"These are your pokedexes," Wall explained. "Use these to scan any new pokemon you may encounter so that you get an idea of their attributes and behaviors. The pokedex can also document any behaviors and traits existing pokemon possess.
Jason and Kristine each picked up their pokedex.
"Awesome," Jason said as he fired up the screen and began looking through the pokedex.
"There are so many pokemon here," Kristine added, browsing through the screen.
"Take your pokedexes with you and follow me," Wall instructed.
The twins followed Wall further into a lab. Wall took a right and walked into a small private room away from the main area. It was dimly lit, and there were at least two dozen pokeballs on shelves at the end of the room.
"So, Jason," Wall spoke. "What do you want to do?"
"I want to be the best trainer out there," Jason said with determination. "I want to compete in every gym and every tournament and handle myself in every situation!"
"My, that's a mature comment," Wall seemed intrigued. He then faced Kristine. "And you, dear. What do you want to do?"
"Travel the world," Kristine's eyes sparkled. "And also compete in every gym and every tournament. There are so many questions out there that I want to answer."
Wall gave a nod. "You two are very impressive. Hmm. I think I know whom to give to both of you."
Wall went up to a shelf and pulled out the two leftmost Pokeball.
"These two are adventurous and will be quite adaptable," Wall continued, approaching the twins. He handed a pokeball to Jason. "You take this one." He then stepped towards Kristine. "And you take this one."
The twins held their pokeballs, wondering who was inside them.
"Go ahead and toss them forward," Wall instructed. "The Pokemon will be released, and the ball will go right back to your hand."
"Alright, let's go!" Jason tossed the ball.
"Showtime!" Kristine did the same.
Two pokemon emerged, and it shocked the twins that both of them were Eevee.
"We both got an eevee," Jason stood there, surprised as Kristine.
"Yeah…" Kristine replied, but she was excited nonetheless.
Wall continued, "Many years ago, when your father was your age, he came to this very lab. When I asked him what he wanted to do, he replied that he wanted to explore the world and discover the unknown. It was that moment where I decided to give him his eevee. What you have here is an adventurous, loyal pokemon, and it can adapt and evolve in many forms. What you do with Eevee is entirely up to you and Eevee, of course."
"My own eevee…." Jason was taken back. He walked over to his eevee.
"Hi," Jason knelt down and greeted the brown, fluffy coated canine pokemon. It baffled scientists about Eevee's genetic makeup; it's unstable to the point that it can evolve into eight discovered forms under the right conditions or exposed to the right materials.
"My name's Jason," Jason extended his hand to the uncertain eevee. Jason tried to break the ice with him. "I'll be going on an adventure to compete all-around Inventum. Will you join me?"
After a brief second of hesitation, Eevee seemed compliant and excited as he hit Jason's hand with his paw.
"We're going to have a lot of fun together," Jason assured his eevee before getting up.
Kristine walked over to her eevee and knelt down just like Jason did. "Hi, my name's Kristine. It's nice to meet you!"
Eevee smiled and rubbed herself against Kristine, asking to be petted.
Kristine instantly fell in love. "Aren't you just adorable! We're going to be an amazing team together!"
"Well," Jason snickered toward his sister, talking to his Eevee. "I guess we all really hit it off, huh?"
"Eevee!" Jason's eevee barked before jumping on his shoulder.
"Woah," Jason was taken off guard. "You can really jump, can you?"
"Wow, Jason," Kristine was surprised as she got up. Her eevee then jumped on her shoulder.
"It's like they have springs in their feet," she laughed.
"Eevee are energetic," Wall said. "I will supply you with pokemon food that will last you two weeks. I also have six pokeballs for each of you, including the ones for your Eevee. Remember to take care of your Eevee and treat them like family. Successful trainers have the strongest bonds with their pokemon."
"Will do!" Jason assured Wall.
"We'll do our best out there!" Kristine added.
Wall gave a nod. "Good. And one more thing."
Wall handed a booklet of the entire Inventum region to Jason. "This is for both of you," he said. "It contains every bit of information for every city, every area throughout Inventum. Fort Lexing is the closest city from here, due north-northeast. It is home to the Team Mystic Gym and regional headquarters of Team Mystic. Its members are fond of mysterious pokemon and seek to uncover hidden discoveries. They will no doubt take fond over your eevee. If you head that way, they may be able to help you and your eevee bond and evolve to what suits you and your eevee."
"The Mystic Gym…" Jason repeated.
"We'll get there in no time!" Kristine spoke with confidence.
"If you say so," Wall smirked. "Remember that standard gym battles consist of a three-on-three battle. You must first catch more pokemon and grow with your team before attempting to take on any gym leader."
"Got it!" Jason said. "Thanks for everything, professor!"
"Yeah, thanks!" Kristine happily added.
"Good luck," Wall said. "Take care of each other, and take care of your pokemon, and you'll do fine out there."
"We will!" Kristine said before waving farewell. Both she and Jason ran out the door with their eevee on their shoulders.
"Professor Wall," one of Wall's male assistants approached him. "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure," Wall nodded, still looking towards Jason and Kristine.
"May I ask why you withheld telling them about Rugged Pass and Cheron Forest?"
Wall closed his eyes with a smirk. "I can't tell the trainers of all the dangers ahead, now can I? The most I can do is give them a starting direction."
"True," the assistant seemed to understand. "But they're awfully unprepared for what's to come."
"That's exactly why Kanto, among many others, produces trainers as young as ten years old," Wall opened his eyes and faced the assistant. "Those two will be tougher individuals by the end of the day."
"As far as reaching Fort Lexing on foot…."
"I'd give it a month," Wall smirked. "Three weeks if the weather is fine, and they don't get bogged down."
"I see," the assistant replied. "So, you're sending them into a challenge."
"Precisely," Wall nodded. "Every single trainer had to face hardships at the very beginning. Years later, they can look back and laugh at all of their embarrassments. Being a trainer means you break yourself down as an individual entirely and refine yourself into someone stronger than ever.
"I remember their father James very well. He came to me at the age of twelve and received his eevee. He broke his arm that day, from what I heard, and he managed to carry himself to the pokemon center to heal himself and his eevee up. Two years later, he competed in the Inventum Champion's League and made it to the semifinals, winning gym matches and tournaments along the way. After that, he became a renowned explorer and researcher, with Jolteon at his side.
"What happened was a tragedy. I bet James' only regret is that he had to leave his kids, his wife, and his pokemon behind, but he loved the adventure. He thought he was contributing to the world by seeking answers we have yet to discover. Those two love adventure, I see it. They're going to hit a very rough patch as early as this afternoon, but mark my words; they will come out as a strong and determined boy and girl. We have some fierce competitors on our hands."