Beginning Arc: New Partners
In Aspertia City, the weather was already marked by spring and winter was losing its icy power. The sun began to shine warmer and the wind was no longer chilly. From the forest that surrounded Aspertia came the loud chirping of various bird Pokémon. The first buds were already opening and green leaf shoots were growing towards the sunlight. This spring day was a special one for two Aspertia City residents. The two friends, Mari and Jacky, had been waiting for this for so long and today, it was going to happen: They were going to get their first Pokémon. It had been like half a year since they graduated from Trainer School, and they had been waiting. But today, their patience had come to a long-awaited end. Mari and Jacky had met up and were expecting a call from Professor Aurea Juniper. They had a lively discussion. "Oh my, I'm so excited! Today, we'll be getting our first Pokémon!" Mari, a girl of fifteen years in age and pretty average height, tapped her right foot impatiently. Her midnight-black hair, which she had tied into two pigtails, blew in the wind and her piercing green eyes shone in the sunlight. Jacky smiled at the black-haired girl. "Yes, finally." She had honey blonde hair that fell down her back and she was a bit older than Mari. She wore a cardigan and long jeans.
"I'm just wondering what kind of Pokémon they are. Rare ones, maybe? Or ones we haven't even met yet?" Mari speculated, hunching her shoulders. Jacky gave her a thoughtful look. "But what if we're too young after all? I mean, most trainers always look so grown up.", "Potential trainers have to be at least ten years old." Mari muttered. She looked uncertainly at Jacky, then shook her head. "We're old enough. I just hope we're up to the responsibility of having our own Pokémon. Some species are very unpredictable and hard to raise, others are easier to train.",
"True..." Jacky took a quiet breath. "Excitement also makes me thoughtful at the same time.",
"That's typical for you. It just makes me jittery. You know, it's hard to gain the trust of Pokémon... That's why I'm a little worried. What if our first Pokémon don't like us? Then we'll already have the first problems.",
"Don't be like that. We'll be fine, and besides, we've had enough chances to look over other trainers' shoulders." She looked at Mari encouragingly. "Besides, you've always had a knack for Pokémon. The ones kept in trainer school were used to working with humans, but even they were sometimes pretty picky about their partnerships.",
"You're right." Mari nodded and took a deep breath. "Pessimism does no one any good. You're confident, as always.",
"Hehe..." Jacky was a little embarrassed and waved it off. "Nah... Not at all."
Mari looked at her with raised eyebrows. "Hey, don't be so modest." But then, she changed the subject. "What Pokémon would you be considering?",
"I guess all but a few of the Unovan starters are already gone." Jacky looked around. "The professor must have other Pokémon with her. Maybe Pokémon from Johto or Sinnoh? They're supposed to be very rare.",
"Theoretically, all regions would come into question." Mari muttered. She didn't get any further than that, however, because just as she was about to start talking again, their Xtranceivers rang- simultaneously. "Huh?"
Jacky looked confused. "Who's that?",
"Professor Juniper." Mari informed her. "Who else did you expect?" She couldn't hide her excitement, though. Both girls answered the call. The professor's friendly face appeared on their square displays. "Hello, you two!" she greeted them with a polite smile. "I'll be brief, I don't want to keep you two in suspense. Please come to the observation deck, I'll be waiting for you there.",
"Okay, we'll be there." Mari said.
"Alright, see you in a minute." The professor hung up and the girls looked at each other. "Let's go then. What are we waiting for?" Jacky already ran off. "The last one has to carry the can!",
"Haha! Funny!" Mari charged after her, her heart racing. They sprinted up the stairs to the observation deck and stopped at the top, out of breath. The professor stood at the railing, her eyes fixed on the distance. Her white coat was blowing in the wind. Beside her on the floor was a black suitcase. "Hello?" Mari cleared her throat. The woman turned and a smile played around her thin lips. "Good afternoon. You were quick." She leaned back against the railing and eyed the two. "You know what to expect. In this suitcase is a small selection of rare Pokémon from various regions." She bent down and placed the bag on its broad side. Jacky could barely hide her anticipation. "We get rare Pokémon as partners, what could be better?" she asked excitedly. Mari didn't answer anything in response, but just wrung her hands nervously. Professor Juniper raised her eyes and looked at the girls again, seriously. "You are now allowed to pick one of the Pokémon I will be presenting to you in a moment. Are you ready?" Mari and Jacky exchanged a look. "Yes", Jacky then said with a nod.
Professor Juniper opened the black suitcase with a soft click, revealing its interior: On a purple cloth, five balls with red capsules had been placed. "They are representatives of a wide variety of types. They are not necessarily easy to handle due to their uniqueness. The Pokémon I've got here are the following: A Mareep, a Vulpix, a Ralts, a Rufflet and an Absol.",
"An Electric Type, a Fire Type, a Psychic Type, a Flying Type and a Dark Type", Mari thought. "Right?",
"That's right." The Professor nodded. "So, go ahead and make your pick.",
"May I go first?" Mari asked. Jacky nodded at her, encouragingly. "Sure!",
"Thank you. Umm..." She thought about it for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, I think I already know which one I want. I pick the Ralts.",
"Very wise choice." Professor Juniper reached for the Poké Ball and handed it to her. Mari took it carefully, almost like she was given a precious treasure. Jacky was silent for quite a while before making her pick. "I'll take the Absol then.",
"Understood." Juniper gave her the Pokéball. "Here. Feel free to let them out."
Mari nodded and pressed the white button on the front of the Poké Ball. The white bottom flipped down and a white beam of light shot out of the ball. From the light, a Pokémon materialized. It was petite and its eyes were hidden under its green hair. "...Ruh?"
Mari crouched down to the little Pokémon. "Hello, little one!",
"Ra?" Curious, the Ralts eyed Mari, and Mari patted the Pokémon's head. As she did so, she giggled shrilly. Jacky exhaled, as if to calm herself, and tossed up the Poké Ball. It opened and a large, four-legged Pokémon with long, white fur appeared in front of her. A dark crescent protruded from the right side of its head and red eyes fixed on Jacky. "Sol...?" The Pokémon eyed Jacky suspiciously.
"Ralts are originally from the Hoenn Region and they are difficult to find there. It takes a lot of patience because they tend to be rather shy towards strangers and enjoy the scent of different flowers. They are capable of sensing the intentions of the people that approach them by identifying their emotional state or reading their minds. If you show good nature towards it, it will dare to approach you. They are quite friendly as well, but extremely easy to scare. Catching them in the wild is usually a process that takes a lot of time." Then, she looked to Jacky. "Absol have a more unpredictable nature, especially towards humans because they were driven into the mountains in the past. Those caught in the wild are hard to befriend, and it's even harder to earn their trust. You will have to try your best with this one." Then, the professor reached into the pocket of her white coat and pulled out some equipment. "Look here, these are for you."
She handed one to each of them. "What's this?" Mari asked, eyeing it interested.
"This is a Pokédex. It's an automatic encyclopedia that instantly collects and displays data about the Pokémon you scan. It will help you assess the Pokémon you're facing and retrieve data installed in it to give you all available information. Why don't you try it out?"
Jacky nodded and held the Pokédex up to Absol that slightly bristled his fur. The Pokédex immediately retrieved data on that Pokémon and a computer voice announced: "Absol- The Disaster Pokémon. Absol has the ability to foretell the coming of natural disasters. It lives in a harsh, rugged mountain environment. This Pokémon very rarely ventures down from the mountains."
The device also displayed the moveset, ability, gender and type of the Pokémon in front of her. The ability it had was Super Luck and it was a male.
"Awesome!" Jacky reached out and ran her hand along the Pokémon's crescent-shaped blade, when Absol suddenly flinched. "Oh, I'm sorry, Absol... was that awkward?" Absol turned its head away and ignorantly closed its eyes.
Mari smiled at Ralts and did her best to be as little intimidating as she could. Ralts was curious, but wary of her, looking at her with its big eyes. But eventually, it seemed to have decided she wasn't going to harm it, so it engaged contact a little by moving closer. "May I pick you up?" Mari asked with a calm voice. Ralts nodded silently after a moment of hesitation. She smiled wider and lifted the little Pokémon onto her arms before she turned towards Jacky. "What's wrong with Absol?",
"I don't know, I must have upset it... I think I've touched a sensitive spot." She tried not to look contrite.
"Absol doesn't seem to be in too good of a mood..." Mari murmured, gently petting Ralts which had buried his head in Mari's t-shirt. It was clear Absol's mood did scare it and Mari kept her distance to the dark type Pokémon. Professor Juniper crossed her arms. "...Absol are very sensitive Pokémon. It doesn't attack humans, but you should still be rather careful." she instructed. "Is your choice final?",
"For me, it sure is", Mari exclaimed.
"Yes, thank you, Professor..." Jacky smiled briefly. Mari put a hand on her shoulder. "You'll be fine..."
Her friend nodded and reached out a hand again. But Absol growled and cowered down as if ready to jump at her, its dark claws flashing in the light. Jacky winced and withdrew her hand. "It's all right, Absol...!"
Ralts looked up again, clearly anxious. When Absol spotted the other Pokémon, it reared up with a dark and hostile snarl, like it was ready to attack. Mari instantly backed away some more, holding her new partner tightly to her chest.
"Absol!" Professor Juniper raised her voice admonishingly, making the Pokémon turn its attention away from them.
"Absol, what's wrong with you?" Jacky asked insecurely, kneeling down. "Stop it, please!" She looked at it, pleadingly. "Absol has been a wild Pokémon until recently, you must keep that in mind", the professor said. "That's where its threatening behavior comes from. Like I said before, Absol are very distant towards humans since they've been driven into the mountains. Show it that you don't want to hurt it, that's the best way to appease a Pokémon that's on the edge." Jacky swallowed quietly and nodded.
"You have to smile. Pokémon can often tell how their trainers are feeling by their reactions and body language, and then act accordingly. If you're afraid of your Pokémon, it will respond to that for sure, and mostly, those reactions are unpleasant. Keep your cool, keep your distance, and try to communicate with it.",
"Hello, Absol." Jacky murmured, smiling slightly. "I'm Jacky, and I'd love for you to join me on my journey.",
"Go on", The professor advised and Mari smiled encouragingly at Jacky. Jacky hesitantly reached out her hand again. Absol sniffed at it. But when Jacky's hand almost touched its fur, it snapped at her and growled loudly. "Aah...!" Jacky got scared and backed away. "Maybe Absol is stressed out... Do you want me to go downstairs already?" Mari asked.
"No, it's fine..." Jacky slowly stood up and put her Pokédex away. "We'll go with you. Take care, Professor..." She began to descend the stairs after Mari, and then looked over her shoulder at Absol, which followed her after a while, begrudgingly and with a dark scowl on its face.