Chapter 1: My Way
For anyone who is wondering, I decided to update Chapter 1- I feel like my style of writing has diverged enough from my previous one and it seems like a good opportunity to update the first Chapter- the one that kicked this off.
Pallet Town, Kanto
"NO, NO, NO! Not again!" Red admonished himself as he ran to his home under the afternoon sun. His throat was a bit parched- but he didn't stop to drink some water.
His feet hurt a little from tripping over that one rock earlier at the Trainers' School. Meh, I can just slap a bandage on it.
He rushed inside his home. There was no one to greet- as always. Sometimes the kids who lived in Pallet asked him, "How do you live alone?"
He would always respond, "Because it's what I've always been doing."
He mentally yelled at his rival Blue for delaying him yet again with that dumb speech of his. Blue was, for lack of a better word- an asshat. True, he had talent- that was something Red begrudgingly respected him for- but he still acted like he owned the place. His grandfather, the esteemed Professor Samuel Oak was a different case- Oak was a pioneer. He had everything to go- he was the first Champion of the Indigo League for nearly two decades, after which he retired, having lost his only battle to Red's favourite Trainer- Lance, the Dragon Master. He then went to work on the most prized Pokemon invention ever made- the Pokedex. In brief, it was an encyclopedia that could summon data for every single Pokemon in the world after a mere scan. It was a creation that rivalled the very image of the modern- day Trainer- a Pokeball.
How did Red know all this? He lived next door to Blue and Oak. Ever since they were little kids, Blue and he got off on the wrong foot and everything spiralled downhill from there. Oak tried his best to convince both of them to work together on something. Try as he could, they hated each other furiously- and their rivalry had started on a bitter tone.
Red still remembered the Championship Tournament a year ago.
"Bellsprout is down! Will it get up?" Red yelled. "Shellder, use Ice Shard!" The Pokemon immediately fired an icicle from its shell. Bellsprout could only look on in horror as the icicle drew nearer. It crashed into Bellsprout's tired body, knocking it out cleanly.
The battle had been a tie. Both competitors- Red and Blue- turned to face the judges. The first judge voted in favour of Blue.
The second one thought hard for a while and voted for Red. The third judge- Professor Oak himself- stood up and clapped.
"Congratulations, Red! Well done to you too, Blue!" Blue immediately understood the implication. Tears welled up in his eyes as he ran off the stage in anger. Red wanted to go after him, but decided against it.
Blue and he never eally saw eye- to- eye, but that had been the last straw. Blue and Red remained enemies since then.
"- and Nidoking brutalizes Onix with a super- effective Earthquake! WHAT A VICTORY! The crowd is goin' wild!" The announcer yelled. Red whooped and cheered in front of his PC.
Suddenly, he saw an e- mail pop up. He knew who it was from- he just hoped it was actually what he thought it was.
Dear Trainer,
Congratulations! You have been selected to receive a Pokemon partner and a Trainer ID from the Trainers' School tomorrow. In honor of your achievement, for the first time ever, you will also receive a Pokedex from the League official in your town.
Best wishes,
Samuel Oak
Red whooped for joy. He was so happy he had passed. He had already decided what he wanted- Charmander. The fire lizard and its evolutions were imposing and impressive. Red could only imagine how cool he would look next to a Charizard of his own. He imitated Lance's famous pose during a battle. It made him feel very excited. Thinking about the massive fun he would have on his adventure to the top, he drifted to sleep.
The next day...
Red sprinted towards the Corral. He didn't want to be late. Not this time.
He caught his breath as he approached the door. He smiled as he entered, but it was met with a cold sneer. "Wow. Someone's all washed up and clean." Red glared at his rival. "Aren't you supposed to be buying hair products at Celadon right now?" Blue glared at Red this time. "You piece of-" Red silenced him and asked, "Where's your Gramps?" Blue pointed his thumb towards Route 1, to the north of Pallet Town. "Outside, doing old man stuff. Be a good little Yamper and fetch him for me, will ya?" "In your dreams, Volkner!" Red shouted as he ran off. He looked intently at the tall grass. He knew Pokemon were hiding in there.
He just couldn't stop himself. As he took a step forward, he heard a familiar voice call out to him.
It was Professor Oak.
And he was headed right for him.
Whew! The revised Chapter 1- feels a little nostalgic to be back here! If all goes well, I ight do Chapters 2 and 3 by the next month or so...