It was a quiet evening in Nuvema Town. The sky was orange, the air was clear. The regular gang of Pidove who liked to show up had just flown off, their places taken by an unruly squadron of Woobat.
I should probably get to the important stuff now, shouldn't I?
I'd like you, reader, to meet Aster Grey, the hero of this story.
As I begin telling you about his journey across the Unova, he is in his room, watching the Watchy Watchog show. He had been doing so for hours, since he didn't feel like going out that day, and his light grey eyes were visibly tired. As he ran his hand through his scruffy ginger hair, he yawned and looked at the screen with an apathetic grimace.
"I'm getting bored now. I'm gonna change it." he sighed. He flicked through a few programmes, only to discover that there was nothing good on. Unhappy, he turned off the TV and sulked in his bed. It was only a matter of time before he went to sleep.
Meanwhile, downstairs, Aster's mother, a kindly young woman with large brown hair tied into a ponytail and blue eyes, was sitting, reading a book. She was minding her own business, when all of a sudden, there was a knock on the door.
"Come in!" she said.
"The door's locked. I can't come in." the woman knocking on the door replied.
"Is that so? I'll get it for you." Alice chuckled as she got up and opened the door.
On the other end of the door was a woman who seemed to be around her age. She had a pair of pale green eyes and light brown hair styled into a massive beehive-do. On her face was a wide smile.
"It's been a long time, Alice!" the woman laughed.
"Aurea?" Alice said, blinking a few times and rubbing her eyes to make sure she was seeing correctly. "Professor Juniper? It HAS been a while, hasn't it?"
The lighter-haired woman nodded slowly. "Indeed. As much as I'd like to catch up on old times, I have something more important to talk about."
"That's fine. Come in, take a seat." Alice replied.
She allowed the professor into the house. The two women walked into the living room and sat on the sofa.
"So," Alice said. "Why exactly are you here?"
"Simple. You have a child, right?"
"Yes, I do."
"How old are they?"
"Fifteen, turning sixteen this year."
"That's perfect. I knew I had the right one. Where are they?"
"Upstairs. I think he's taking a nap."
"Then, upstairs I shall go!" Aurea announced, as she went upstairs.
When she went upstairs, she saw a single bedroom. As she entered it, she observed its design. It was surprisingly tidy, with a dark blue wallpaper and a cream-coloured carpet, and not a single poster to be seen. The room was rather barren, with its only remarkable features being the TV, the Nintendo Wii, the desk, and the bed with a boy sleeping in it.
"Alice wasn't wrong. They are sleeping." Aurea murmured, reaching into her pocket. "Time to wake him up! Go, Mincinno!"
She then threw a blue and white ball-like capsule with red trimmings up in the air, and it landed on the ground. As it hit the ground, it opened and released a pink/purple, white and green creature bearing a loose resemblance to a chinchilla.
"Mincinno, use Pound!" she said, pointing at the sleeping Aster. Mincinno obeyed, and its hand glowed white as it slapped Aster in the face.
Apparently, Mincinno was really strong, as this immediately woke him up from his slumber.
"Ow!" he shrieked as he awoke. "What was that?"
He rubbed his eyes and saw the Mincinno staring at his face from close up.
"Sweet Arceus!" he yelped. "Why is the Mincinno pink?"
"It's a shiny." Juniper said.
Aster looked at her with a grumpy stare.
"Who are you, and why are you siccing your rat on me?" he asked.
"My name is Professor Juniper. Everyone calls me the Pokemon Professor." she replied.
"Professor? That's an odd first name." he said.
"It's my title, not my forename." Juniper said.
"Oh. Well, what are you doing in my house?"
"Your mother let me in." Juniper replied. "I have something important I need to speak with you about."
"Sorry, you're not my type." Aster said crankily, as he turned around and covered himself in his blanket.
"I'm not trying to go out with you. That'd be weird."
"That so? Then please, continue."
"This world is widely inhabited by mysterious creatures called Pokemon!"
"I know that."
"Pokemon have mysterious powers. They come in many shapes and live in many different places. We humans live happily with Pokemon!"
"I know that, also."
"Living and working together, we complement each other. We help each other to accomplish difficult tasks. Having Pokemon battle one another is particularly popular, and it deepens the bonds between people and Pokemon."
"Is there anything you have to say that isn't common knowledge?"
"And that is why I research Pokemon. Well, that's enough from me... Could you tell me about yourself? Are you a boy? Or a girl?"
Aster just looked at her with a look that practically screamed 'Are you stupid?'.
"Clearly..." Aster sighed. "I'm a girl."
"A girl, I see."
"Ahaha... no. I was being sarcastic."
"So, you're a boy, right?" she asked, just to be sure.
"Yes, I am!" he exclaimed.
"Could you tell me your name?" she asked.
"I'm Aster." he replied.
"Your name is Aster, right?" she asked.
"I just said that, didn't I?" Aster raised an eyebrow.
"That's a wonderful name!" Juniper chirped. "Now, I've already spoken to your two best friends, and they've agreed to meet you here to get their Starter Pokemon."
"Oh, goodie." he sighed. "Wait, you agreed on this before coming to me?"
"Now, all we need to do is wait." Juniper said.
"Hold up! You still need to answer my question!"
"Oh, silly me! All you need to do is wait. I have some stuff to do in my lab, so I'll be there." she said. "But before I go, I need to give you this. Don't open it until everyone else is here, alright?"
Aster nodded in agreement as she placed a green box with a blue ribbon on his desk, before leaving the room. Seeing as all he had to do was wait, Aster decided to go back to sleep.
When Aster woke up, he had two people standing above him. They were his friends, Bianca and Cheren. Bianca was the bubbly girl standing to the left, with wide, friendly green eyes and a short blonde bob. Cheren, meanwhile, was the stoic boy with dark grey eyes framed with red spectacles and shoulder-length black hair with a large, curly cowlick on top.
"Huh... who are you...?" Aster said groggily, as he rubbed his eyes.
"Aster, get up!" Cheren growled, unamused, as he shook Aster vigorously.
"I'm here, I'm here. Jeez." Aster said, crawling out of bed, though he was obviously still tired. "So, what brings you here?"
Cheren gave an exasperated sigh, before turning to Bianca.
"Get the water." he said.
Bianca nodded and reached into her bag, pulling out a bottle of Fresh Water.
"Hey... what are you doing with that...?" Aster asked.
"This!" Bianca said, as she opened the bottle and squeezed it in his face.
"... WHY?" Aster yelled. At least he didn't seem tired anymore.
"Cold water to the face helps energise someone when they're tired!" Bianca said with a cheerful smile. "Plus, seeing your reaction was fun!"
Aster wiped his face on his sleeve.
"Seriously, Aster. Today is a big day. You can't just sleep through it all." Cheren said. "Today's the day we can get a Pokemon from Professor Juniper."
"Yes, I knew that." Aster said. "But you guys took your sweet time getting here. What else am I supposed to do?"
"Watch TV?" Bianca suggested.
"No." Aster snapped.
"Well let's get back on topic." Bianca said. "Where do you think the Pokemon are? They were delivered to Aster's place, so he should get first pick."
"Naturally, they'll be waiting for us inside that gift box." Cheren said, pointing to Aster's desk. "Okay, Aster. You go take a peek at the box. I want to meet the Pokemon right now!"
"Wait, so that's what's inside the box?" Aster asked. "Huh. Juniper never told me that."
He walked over to the wooden desk. It was cream-coloured and very clean, so it matched his carpet. He sat at the desk and started reading the note attached to the box. It read:
I've brought three Pokemon, one for you and one for each of your friends. Please settle your choices politely, and most importantly, enjoy your Pokemon!
Professor Juniper, the Pokemon Professor.
"Yep." Aster whispered to himself. "There are live animals in here."
"Would you get a move on and open the box already?" Cheren scowled. "I'm sure the Pokemon are just as excited to meet us!"
"Cheren, be patient!" Bianca said.
Aster looked at the ribbon. It was tied into a very tight knot. He opened his desk drawer and got out a pair of scissors to cut it, because he knew that if he tried to untie it, he'd be there for five-hundred years.
After cutting the rope, he was able to open the box. In there were 3 red-and-white capsules.
"Oh my! How can I possibly choose?" Aster said, with mock awe. Then, he dropped the act. "I cannot see any of them."
"Why don't you throw them?" Cheren suggested. "Those capsules are called 'Poke Balls'. They open when they hit the ground."
"Or, I could make it less strenuous and do this." Aster said. He picked up the box and turned it over, and the Balls fell out and hit the ground. They opened, and the Pokemon inside were summoned.
The one on the left was a green snake-like creature with a yellow underbelly and a fleur-de-lis on its tail. Its eyes were reddish-brown, and their shape, combined with its smirk, gave it an air of power and arrogance.
The one in the middle was an orange and black pig with a red snout and rabbit-like ears. It had black eyes that were oval-shaped, and its happy smile made it seem very adorable to Aster as a result.
The one on the right seemed to be an amalgamation of a cat and a bear with simple black eyes and a large brown nose. It had small, blue feet and cat-like ears with the same properties. The thing most notable about it was the shell stuck to its torso.
Aster looked at the note. There was a bit more on the back, so he read it aloud.
The one on the left is the Grass type, Snivy.
The one in the middle is the Fire type, Tepig.
The one on the right is the Water type, Oshawott.
"Wow! They're all so adorable!" Bianca squealed with delight.
"So, in minutes to come, one of these Pokemon will be my partner." Cheren murmured.
Aster carefully examined each of the Pokemon. He inched closer to them, making his decision slowly. He hadn't seen any of these Pokemon before, so he didn't know immediately, but as he looked over each of them, he started to decide.
Looking at all three of them, they each gave off different auras. Snivy was clearly rather haughty, Tepig was jovial, and Oshawott was just...strange. The way it stared at him with those beady eyes seriously creeped him out. Looking at all of them, he slowly made a decision.
"Alright then." he said, as he smiled. "I choose you!"