Author's Note: This story is set in an alternate universe based on the world of the games, with none of the events beyond Generation V being canon. The Pokemon and locations present in games beyond Gen V still exist. Many of the technologies that are extremely unrealistic such as Pokeballs, healing machines at Pokemon centers, and the PC system do not exist. Rules by which Pokemon's powers are governed and their limits will be revealed in a way that is consistent and logical. Pokemon possess varying levels of sentience and intelligence, with some being nearly equivalent to animals and others surpassing human limits. Pokemon close to the level of intelligence humans possess are capable of understanding and making use of language.
As the setting of this story is based very much on our universe, the cultures, traditions, and beliefs present in the world will resemble some of the things one might see in our world. The narrative is intended for a more mature audience, so expect plenty of controversial ideas and graphic scenes.
If this resembles something you've read in the past, that's because it's a rewrite of a story I made 8 years ago.
New Beginnings
Alan stared out the window of the nearly empty train car he sat in. Skyscrapers zipped by, their brightly lit facades shining through the downpour. For the past few hours, there had been no sign of the rain stopping. He turned toward the Combusken sitting next to him.
"Thanks for coming. It means a lot to me."
The Combusken nodded.
"You're my friend. I like the city," he replied cheerily.
Alan smiled, and checked his Pokégear.
"I wish we could've gotten a hotel room or something. It'll be like, five hours before my hearing starts when we get there."
"That's ok. Not tired," Combusken shrugged.
"Yeah dude, I couldn't sleep tonight either…I can't believe it's finally happening."
The boy shuddered with excitement.
"Not looking forward to facing the judge...but I'm glad it's all that's left."
"I think she'll say yes. Mr. Director said he would write a letter."
Alan nodded before turning to look out the window again, but quickly directed his attention back to his companion.
"I'm getting hungry. Want to look for some takeout when we get there?"
Combusken squawked with joy.
"Well," sighed Alan, coming to a stop with Combusken in front of a flight of concrete of steps. He bent down to tighten his sneakers' laces while Combusken scanned the face of the monolithic building in front of them. A tower of concrete and glass extended nearly 20 stories high above the entrance way, while the entrance steps led to a wider, shorter, rectangular section just a few stories high. The inscription of 'Johto District Courthouse' on an otherwise featureless awning confirmed their location. Beside the main door was a Throh in a two-piece suit, arms folded, earpiece in, staring blankly ahead.
Combusken looked up at his companion with a supportive expression, who returned a less than confident grin.
"Better get going, we've got 15 minutes," Alan said, scrolling in his Pokégear.
Alan and Combusken strolled in through the main doors past the stern-faced security guard (who didn't even turn his head to acknowledge the duo). Upon entering, Alan immediately headed toward the reception desk in the center of the lobby as he took in his surroundings- his eyes darting first to the fluorescent light tubes up above, then to the hallways lined with floor-to-ceiling wooden doors on either side of the reception desk, and lastly to the elevators behind it.
"Good morning," greeted the young woman sitting at the desk.
"Hey. I'm looking for courtroom 217, I have a hearing today," Alan blurted.
"Second floor, 210 through 220 is on the right."
"Thanks."
The boy dashed toward the stainless steel elevator doors, followed by an exasperated Combusken who barely made it on before the doors began to shut.
"Calm down," Combusken panted, "if the judge sees you like this she'll think there's something wrong with you!"
"I'm sorry," gasped Alan as they stepped off the elevator. "It's been such a long process, with all the documents and phone calls...it's all too much to deal with right now!"
He started walking toward the sign marked 'bathrooms' before turning to Combusken.
"Just wait outside for me, ok? I'm gonna go freshen up, make sure I'm presentable."
"You look good!" chirped Combusken from across the hall right as the door to the men's room closed.
Alan turned the sink on, wetting his hands then running them through his jet black hair. He shot the cuffs of his jacket and gazed up at the mirror. His own brown eyes stared back, his eyelids twitching from nerves. He took a deep breath, held it for a few seconds, then released it in a long sigh as he stood up straight from his previously hunching posture and balled up his fists. Clenching them, his brow furrowed as he stared intently at the mirror.
One last step, he thought to himself. I will convince her.
Alan watched the judge keenly as she thumbed through the folder before her. He shifted back and forth in his chair, anxiously anticipating her response. Her oak bench stood imposingly, flanked by the gold and silver seal of Johto and brightly lit by the chandelier hanging directly above. Apart from the sounds of rustling papers, the courtroom was dead silent.
"A's in all of your classes, including advanced levels...and this will be your last semester before graduation?"
"Yes, your honor."
"And you're 16."
"Yes, your honor."
"Quite impressive, I have to say. I've got a son that's about a year younger. Last weekend I had to pick him up from school because he got an eraser stuck in his ear."
Alan giggled nervously, which the judge met with a smile.
"Of course, everyone matures at their own pace," she said with a laugh, "but seriously, nice job."
"Thank you."
The judge put on her reading glasses, having finally found the document she was looking for, and laid it flat on the desk.
"Country of birth…Unovan Republic…naturalized citizen…place of residence, Arceus' Mercy Goldenrod Children's Home…"
There was a noticeable drop in the tone of the judge's voice as she read out the name of the orphanage.
"Yeah, I uh, I came to Johto because Arceus' Mercy adopted me when I was very young. I think I was two or something like that."
Alan looked up at the judge, noticing that her expression had changed to one of worry.
"Please go on, if you don't mind."
"Uh…hm…I don't remember much. Of how they were like. My parents," Alan stammered, scratching his head. "I remember that one day the police, or government people, came and got me. I don't remember if they told me anything. I know I came to Johto on a boat, but I can't really remember that either."
He cleared his throat.
"I found out my parents were dead when I was about...11. I asked Dr. Klein where I came from and we had a talk about it. He told me their names- they were environmental scientists. They were doing a survey at Reversal Mountain when it erupted- the one that happened in 992."
The judge nodded solemnly.
"I'm very sorry to hear that."
Alan shrugged.
"I…it's weird, but I honestly don't think much about it. I was too young to remember anything about them. I guess I got lucky there, huh?"
"I like your outlook," the judge replied with a smirk. "So how old were you when you found out about your inheritance?"
Alan blushed, caught off guard by the sudden inquest. He hesitated to answer, unsure of the judge's disposition. He gnashed his teeth and swallowed before beginning his response.
"About a year later. Dr. Klein said that he thought I should know."
"And has that got anything to do with why you want to be emancipated?" the judge responded slyly.
"Not all of it, your honor," answered Alan hastily. "It's mainly because I feel that I could handle being independent. I don't like living at the home and having all those rules like curfews and stuff. That's also why I've been trying to rush through high school. I just think that…I can take care of myself. I've never really asked for help from anyone at the home, or any of the teachers at school. I want to be able to make my own decisions."
"It seems like you've been making plenty of your own decisions already. That time the police were called because you were reported missing, can you tell me what happened?"
Alan shifted in his seat, uneasy at the direction the questioning was heading toward.
"That was just a mistake!" he replied almost indignantly. "It was a field trip. They were taking us to the city, but the teachers were being so boring. The only thing we were going to see was the aquarium."
The judge lifted an eyebrow.
"You ran off because the aquarium was boring?"
"Not because of that. I thought the aquarium was cool. But we were going right back to school after, and I had no idea when I'd get to come here again. I snuck out when we had a few hours left and went to check out some stores and I got some food and things like that. I was going to get on the subway to the aquarium and sneak back in before everyone left, but the train broke down and since I didn't want to be late I was looking for other ways to get back. I got on a bus going in the wrong direction by accident and by the time I made it back, everyone was already gone so I stayed until later at night when I took a train home."
"And you didn't think you should've called anyone to say that you were lost? That doesn't sound very responsible."
Alan went still, unable to think of a good retort. A few seconds went by and she chuckled, then produced another document from the folder on her desk.
"I'm just kidding. When I was a teenager I used to sneak out all the time. I thought you'd done something worse, when I read that the police were involved."
The judge grabbed a fountain pen and began tapping the back end against the bench.
"So what would you do, if you were legally independent?"
"…I haven't thought about a lot of specifics, your honor," he answered with a bit of embarrassment. "But I know that I'll be going to college. I've already emailed Goldenrod State about it and they said that based on how I'm doing now, I'll definitely be able to handle their programs. I would be very likely to qualify for scholarships too."
The judge nodded affirmatively.
"How about your career?"
"I uh, um," stuttered Alan before he swallowed and cleared his throat again."I think I'd like to become a scientist of some sort. I'm not sure on what yet, but I'm really interested in things like working in a lab. I liked all the science classes I've taken- human biology, chemistry, psychology, everything."
"Why science, and not, I don't know, business or something?"
"Well…ever since I was a kid, I wanted to do something good for the world. I think that even though society is very developed, there are still a lot of problems like inequality and discrimination…and I know that these things have existed forever , but I'd like to do something that would help to advance society more- and then maybe we could get closer to eliminating these issues. I guess my parents would be proud too, if I followed in their footsteps."
"Mm, I see," the judge reacted with a bit of surprise, "it's quite noble to think that way. You haven't considered being a politician, have you?"
Alan shook his head and scowled.
"Frankly, your honor? I believe that they're all corrupt. I mean, not literally all of them, but…the dishonest way that they talk, how the major parties just rely on emotional appeal to get voters, and the fact that they'll only pass a few good laws every now and again to make people think that they care…when the stock market crashed a few years ago and all those people lost their jobs and became homeless, nobody in the Federal Council or the president did anything! All they did was pay lip service to the problem and give assistance to corporations! I don't believe in the system Kanto-Johto has. And I think that if you found a candidate who actually wanted to change this system, they'd be completely buried under the amount of money that gets thrown at the major parties to keep it running. I'd never be a politician."
Alan gulped, fearing he'd said too much, but the expression of intrigue on the judge's face reassured him that he hadn't.
"Then I suppose that makes two of us. That's part of the reason I became a judge, anyway. I agree that there's a great deal of injustice in the world, and I always wanted to do something about it but, like you, I figured early on that politics wasn't the way."
She stopped tapping her pen, and uncapped it.
"You've got a sizable amount of money in that inheritance. Rather good investment portfolio, good insurance plan, and that condo is worth a lot. Have you given any thoughts as to what you'd spend it on?"
Alan paused, looking up at the ceiling for a moment and reclining a bit in his chair.
"I know that I'll get a computer first. Something that has good enough specs for video games. I've always wanted to build my own," he pondered, "but other than that I can't think of anything I'm dying to have. Well, I'd go around and try some restaurants. And I'd hire a financial advisor so I can figure out how to manage my savings and whatnot. I know not to waste it though, I can promise that."
The judge shifted her gaze to the document before her. The courtroom became dead silent again as she sat motionless in consideration while Alan watched.
Please say yes. Please.
After what seemed like an eternity, the judge glanced back to Alan and took the pen in her right hand.
"Dr. Klein sent me a letter, vouching that you didn't cause any problems at the home for either the other children or the caretakers, and that you were more mature than everyone else there at your age. I'm not sure if he told you this, but he also said that he personally recommended your emancipation."
Alan raised his brow in surprise.
"He wrote that you were one of the highest performing children he's ever had at the home- and not only academically. He included the story about the time the chef called in sick and you took over dinner that night instead, how your food was great and that you cleaned the kitchen and everything. I absolutely understand why you want this. I can't imagine myself doing anything different in your shoes. And I personally believe that you've demonstrated sufficient maturity by taking the time and effort to research this legal process; you've sent all the documents on time and otherwise did everything correctly without help.
Therefore, seeing as you are of sound mind, have demonstrated the ability to take care of yourself, have a place to live apart from your guardian's home, have the financial means to support yourself, and it's been demonstrated that it would be in your best interest, I approve your request for emancipation."
She lifted her pen and began to sign the document. Alan's heart began racing again as the tip of the pen scratched against the paper.
"From speaking to you I got the sense that you're a strongly motivated person who has a good idea of what they want out of life. Many people your age haven't even thought about that. I think that you're very intelligent and you'd be able to accomplish whatever you set your mind to- but you've been told that plenty of times, right?" she said, beaming at Alan.
"Thank you so much, your honor, I can't tell you how much I appreciate this," shouted Alan exuberantly. The wooden chair he had been sitting in thudded against the floor, nearly tipping over from the force with which he'd stood up.
"I'll bet you've been waiting for this for a long time. I'll get this application sent to the office tonight. It should take about a day to update your legal status, but after that you'll be able to get a new I.D. card and everything. You know the rules, restrictions by age for things like gambling and alcohol still apply, but you're an adult now. Under the terms of your inheritance, you're now eligible to claim it, so I'd contact the agency that's safeguarding it today to get things in motion. Does Dr. Klein want you out of the home immediately, or can you stay until you get the keys to your condo?"
"He said I'm free to stay until the process finishes."
"Excellent. We should be all done here, but if anything comes up in the proceedings then contact this court and ask for me. Good luck Mr. Su. I'm sure you'll make a big difference in the world."
"What did she say?" Combusken chirped excitedly to Alan as the grand doors of the courtroom swung open.
"It's approved," said Alan, grinning ear to ear. "I'm legally an adult now, and we'll be living here soon. Come on, let's celebrate."
Alan and Combusken ambled through the city streets, taking in their surroundings with joy. The sun shone brightly above, with some shade being created now and again by a passing cloud or flock of Pidgey. All around them were the bustling sounds of humans and Pokemon, laughing, shouting, speaking, accompanied by the din of engines and horns from the road. Alan took a sip of his coffee, his eyes darting back and forth between the various buildings and signs on either side. He hadn't slept, exuberant from the start of a new chapter in his life.