Disclaimer: I do not claim right to Toshiro Ono's creation, nor am I making any money off of this, so it would be pointless to sue me in the first place.
Author's Note: If you call me crazy, I will laugh hysterically and agree with you. Yeah, I really like Pokemon. No, I don't care for the fact that it's over commercialized in America or the fact that it was turned into a kid's show. Have you read the manga? Not kids' stuff. Lots of cursing, lots of over the head jokes (like in Shrek, but only more often) and lots of concepts that you really need to be older to understand. I'm particularly fond of the main characters, but am fascinated by the world that Ono created and the battling monsters she placed in it. That and I have a giant bulbasaur stuffed animal (bigger than my cat!) that was staring at me all last night demanding that I write this as soon as possible. It kept me up past three A.M! Trust me, it was scary, you just had to be there.
So now I present to you, without too much further ado, the tale of a young girl named Karlie Marmen who lives with her three brothers and father on their Pokemon Ranch as she tries to choose which pokemon she wants to start out with on her pokemon journey.
Pokemon Journeys
Chapter One: Pokemon, I Choose…Who?
"And the crowd goes wild! Karlie's pokemon have just beaten the Elite Four! Congratulations, Karlie Marmen, new member of the Pokemon League! …"
"Come on, Karlie! Get your lazy butt out of bed!" The lump in the middle of the bed, buried under covers, was nine-year-old Karlie Marmen, only daughter of the Marmen family. Her eldest brother stood at the side of her bed, holding her pidgey alarm clock in one hand as it continued its chirping noise, glaring down at her sleeping form.
"Karlie! We've got work to do! Dad is going to skin you alive you don't get up already!" Karlie groaned and rolled over, trying to cling to her dream of beating the Elite Four, just as she did every morning. Johnston made a noise in the back of his throat that was part frustration and part anger before snatching the light blue sheets away from his sister and throwing them to the floor.
Karlie moaned once more before swinging her feet over the edge of her bed, and staring blearily at her brother's feet. He turned the alarm off of the pidgey clock and set it on her bedside table, turning and heading out of her room. Karlie sighed and rubbed her eyes to rid them of the sand from her night's slumber. Yawning, she stood and changed into overalls with a white shirt underneath.
She glanced at her blue sheets on the floor and decided that making her bed could wait until this evening when she was ready to get back to sleep. She grabbed a pair of socks and tugged them on, lacing up her boots quickly after. She closed her eyes, trying to remember every detail of her dream before standing and staring out the window onto the family ranch.
Marmen ranch is located five miles outside of the town of Three Evolutions, which is built on Verdigris Island. Verdigris is south of Cinnabar Island by 120 miles, a part of the Kanto Region. Kanto and Johto had their own Gym Leaders and League, as did Verdigris though their League was less well known and was missing the gym leader piece of the League. Verdigris had one small island about fifteen miles off shore that was home to the League battle grounds, a giant arena where pokemon trainers came to battle for titles. The island was called Seavert, and there were rarely any offshore trainers present.
Karlie jogged out of her room and grabbed an apple from the kitchen table on her way out the door. She began eating it as she jogged towards the stables, the scents of Ponyta, Rapidash, and Tauros – all composing the overall effect of a 'ranch smell' assaulted her. She finished off her apple and tucked the core into the front pocket of her overalls, breathing in deep the scents of her home. The ragged-looking barn Meowth scampered out of her way as she made it to the barns, giving an annoyed hiss as it retreated for the safety of the rafters. She smiled in at her father's Ponyta, the one nicknamed Flame Dance that she used for rounding up the Tauros with her brothers.
The fire pony gave a whistle of greeting to her, sticking its head out of the stall to nip at her, stealing the apple core as a snack.
"Morning Flame Dance! Are you ready to get out and do some work?" She smiled as she slipped the Ponyta's bridle off of the hook on the stall door and slid into the stall with it. Flame Dance pawed the ground with its hoof, head bobbing enthusiastically. Karlie waited for the pokemon to lower its head so she could slip the bridle on and hook the clips to secure it on. Ponyta stood silently and patiently as Karlie put the saddle pad on and then the saddle, tightening the straps that went under the equine's stomach and checking the length of the stirrups before opening the stall door and leading Flame Dance out.
The Ponyta pranced on the lead, excited to get out on the fields for some exercise again this morning. Karlie merely smiled and put her foot in the stirrup, swinging her other leg over the side to get settled into the saddle before clicking her tongue and asking Ponyta to head on out towards the fields. Flame Dance gave a willing nicker before going into a trot towards the herd of Tauros.
Karlie's two older brothers were already out there, both on Rapidash. Johnston was seventeen years old and held the title of Verdigris Pokemon League Champion. He had messy, brown hair and was rather muscled in his arms from all the ranch work that he'd done his life. His two pokemon were both Growlithe, though he had had others when he went to the league battles. After he earned his title, he sold all but the two Growlithe so they could purchase more Tauros for the herd. Karlie wasn't sure why Johnston had only gone through the Verdigris League, but she had always gotten the impression that it was better to not ask.
Her other brother, Marc, was fifteen and he only had one pokemon - a Scyther. Marc had never been able to go to the Verdigris League because he hadn't had a pokemon besides Scyther, and he had only gotten Scyther two years ago. By that time, dad needed Marc's help too much for Marc to allow himself to leave for months on end in a pokemon journey. He'd told Karlie that he didn't mind it because he learned enough from his single pokemon every day and from working on the ranch with pokemon that some people will never have the chance to see, let alone work with. Karlie knew Marc was right, it wasn't everyone that got to live on a ranch with Ponyta, Rapidash, and Tauros, not to mention that they often had wild Scyther and Kangaskhan that roamed the area.
Marc waved to her, a broad smile across his freckled face and his brown hair obscuring her vision of him partially. She smiled and waved back, getting her smaller Ponyta to halt at Rapidash's side.
"Morning sleepy-head. Johnston had an awful time getting you up this morning, he came out here swearing that even if he had driven the herd through your room you wouldn't have gotten up."
Karlie laughed, slightly embarrassed, "Yeah, well…"
"Were you dreaming about the Pokemon League again?" Marc nudged her side jokingly. Karlie merely laughed half-heartedly, not really caring for her brother's mocking tone.
"Karlie, Marc and you take care of the herd while I take the Growlithe and find the stragglers." Johnston called out over the backs of the Tauros between them, turning his Rapidash and giving a whistle for his pokemon to follow him. Karlie sighed, slumping slightly in the saddle.
"Why does Johnston always get to go do the fun stuff?" She complained to no one really, but her brother answered her.
"Simple, 'cause rounding up stray Tauros isn't fun. It's hard work, especially since they tend to be stubborn and want to stay right where they are." Karlie sighed, "I guess you're right, but it doesn't make sitting her watching this group graze much more interesting." Marc laughed and trotted his Rapidash around the edge of the herd in case they spooked and tried to bolt in a direction. They say in silence for a few hours, watching the Tauros graze peacefully.
Karlie allowed her attention to drift towards her own future. She knew she wanted to go on her own pokemon journey, but wasn't sure what to do about getting her first pokemon. By League rules, you were to receive your starting pokemon from the town you were born in, but Karlie was born and raised on Marmen Ranch. Three Evolutions would require her to attend school there for at least one year before she could become eligible to receive an Eevee as her starting pokemon. The little creature was rare on Kanto and Johto, but not on Verdigris. It might have been because Verdigris had very few types of pokemon in general, mainly bug, grass, water, and flying types. They didn't have any psychic or ghost types, bar the occasional Psyduck or Butterfree. All things considered, this meant that the Eevee had fewer predators in Verdigris.
She knew her father wouldn't let her take one of the Ponyta or Rapidash, as they were needed around the ranch. She wouldn't dream of asking to take a Tauros as her starting pokemon, they were too temperamental for her to handle on her own. And it was fun watching Kangaskhan, not catching them without a pokemon's aid. She sighed once more, hoping that between her three brothers and father, they'd have a better idea than her using a Tauros.
The rapid sounds of Growlithe barks shook her from her thoughts and brought her attention from the herd to the right of her, where her brother was herding three Tauros towards the pens along with the help of his two pokemon. She looked at Marc, who gave her a nod. It was time for them to move the entire herd into the pens for break. Karlie couldn't believe it was lunch time already, but she clicked her tongue and got her Ponyta moving, aiding Marc in guiding the stubborn Tauros into the pens.
One of the Tauros halted at the pen door and turned, charging aggressively towards Marc and his Rapidash. Although the group was used to this action, Karlie's Ponyta spooked and reared up so she had to cling on to the bridle in the hopes of not falling to the ground. Shrills whistles coming from the three equine-like pokemon filled the area, along with Growlithe's barks, and her brothers' yelling.
By the time Flame Dance returned all four hooves to the ground, it was all over. Half of the herd was in the pen; the other half had run off in different directions. Marc's Rapidash was nowhere to be seen, and Karlie looked frantically around for her brother. She felt her stomach clench, fearing the worst for her older brother. Had he been trampled to death? Was he even hurt at all? Johnston was not on his Rapidash, the pokemon was standing near the pen's gate, its ears pinned back in annoyance and its tail of flame lashing from side to side.
Karlie dismounted Flame Dance and looked around for what seemed like an eternity, but lasted only a few moments. Some stray Tauros were still near the pen, making it impossible to see everything. On top of that dust that had been thrown into the air from the stampede was still settling.
"Karlie! Karlie!" The near-frantic calls of her older brother brought her running towards his voice. Something must have happened, he sounded so frightened, and that was very unlike him. She came from behind a Tauros and was immediately wrapped in a bear hug by her eldest brother, who was covered in dirt and a few scrapes.
"Karlie, you're alright!"
"Of course I am, can you let me go so I can keep breathing?" Her brother released her and she looked at him curiously.
"You weren't on Flame Dance, I was afraid something had happened to you as well." Karlie nodded, not really listening to her older brother. Her eyes were on Marc who was a few feet away, laying on his back staring up at the sky, and covered in dust. His hand was clutching his side, and there was blood. She pushed by Johnston to get to Marc, looking down at her brother in fear.
"Marc, what happened?" She asked, near frantic, as she kneeled by her brother.
"Stupid Tauros, got me in the side with a horn," Marc smiled as he said it, laughing a little. Johnston kneeled next to Karlie, putting a hand on her shoulder and the other on his brother's knee.
"You're the one that was stupid Marc, Tauros can only charge in a straight line. You should have moved to the side, not backed up." He gave Karlie a comforting smile, letting her know that Marc was going to be fine.
"Karlie, can you go get dad? We need to get Marc to a doctor so he can have his side patched up." Karlie nodded slightly and stood, giving a backward glance at Marc before running off towards the stables. She ran through the stables and towards the sand ring where father was training a Ponyta. The Ponyta was on a lunge-line, trotting around the outside of the ring. Her father was in the middle, turning with the Ponyta and watching its movements with a scrutinizing eye.
"Dad!" She yelled as she sprinted towards him. She skidded to a halt outside of the arena, covered in dust and out of breath.
"Dad! Marc's been hurt, Johnston says we need a doctor, and one of the Rapidash is missing!" Mr. Marmen dropped the lunge-line he was using to train the Ponyta and ran back with his daughter to the pens. He took one look at Marc and told Johnston to get the truck ready and for Karlie to call Three Evolution's Hospital as he got Marc into the truck. It seemed to take forever to get Marc into the truck, and then dad drove off towards town, leaving Karlie and Johnston at home to take care of the ranch and their little brother, Tiler.
Karlie took the Rapidash that Marc had been riding back to the stables after Johnston's Growlithe tracked it down. She untacked the pokemon and brushed it clean of the dust before returning to help her older brother wrangle the remaining Tauros back into the pens. The work seemed slow and tedious to Karlie. Her and Johnston didn't speak the entire time.
After the Tauros were all in the pens, Johnston volunteered to take care of both of their steeds if Karlie would feed the Tauros. The little Marmen nodded, heading towards the shed where the bails of hay were kept. It took her five trips to get enough feed into the Tauros' pen before she could go inside to eat dinner. Lunch had been forgotten in the commotion of the stampede and then forfeited because of lost work time. Tiler was already sitting at the dinner table, playing with a stuffed Poliwag that he had gotten last year for his birthday. Karlie had had to take the time to explain to her six-year-old brother where dad and Marc had gone after she had called the hospital.
Johnston fixed macaroni and cheese for dinner, and the three ate in silence. Karlie took care of the dishes afterwards, not mentioning that it was Marc's night to do them. Afterwards, Karlie headed for her room. Her two brothers were in the living room, engrossed in League fights from Kanto and Johto. Usually, Karlie would have been the first one to be in the living room to watch those fights, but she just wasn't interested in it tonight. As Karlie sat down on her bed and flipped the light off after changing into her pajamas, she guaranteed herself one thing. When she became a pokemon trainer, she would not use a Tauros as her first pokemon, even if it meant going out and wrangling a wild Kangaskhan with her bare hands.