Hello there! First of all, a quick disclaimer: I own nothing about Pokémon.
Thank you, dear reader, for considering giving this fanfiction about a 6-year-old bland Pokémon game a read. I wrote this when I was younger and I have several instalments written and upon getting a friend to read through it once, they pushed me to publish it somewhere for the world to see and so here it is. As a young kid, I was always fascinated with the inner workings of the Pokémon world, how the gyms work, how the badges work, and how all the regions interacted with each other. I was also fascinated with the narrative power of the Pokémon games in Black and white and the gen 5 set of games. I liked the idea that even though in every Pokémon game, there is a new protagonist, what if it was the same guy? Considering it was always myself behind the main character and his actions, isn't it always the same guy? I toyed around with this idea and loved it so much I wrote a story about a boy who travels the pokemon world to become the very best just like in mine and so many other's wildest dreams. When X and Y released, much to my dismay, the narrative qualities of the game were lacking at best. I saw this as both a challenge and opportunity. With the relative blank slate that is the narrative and characters of X and Y, I saw the opportunity to inject my own creativity into the story, make it a bit stronger, make it fit the themes of life and death, and give the characters deeper motives and personalities. The overall theme of X and Y is life and death, which is a very heavy topic for a kid's game therefore this fanfiction is rated 13+. Not too bad. This particular fiction takes place just after the events of Black and White with the outcome of that conflict unknown and the player character appearing in Kalos under very unceremonious circumstances. The main character here is supposed to be like every protagonist combined. Without further ado, please enjoy this reimagining of an adventure many of us took part in, 6 years ago.
Like no one ever was
The white and black pokemon. N. The prophecy. All these things swirled around within the storm cloud in his head. What had happened? There was a battle… for the fate of Unova atop a tower… the ultimate truth vs the perfect ideals?
He jolted awake.
"Where am I?" he thought.
The rain was coming down heavy with lightning and thunder all around. He opened his eyes and saw his own hand, bloody and bruised. His fingertips dipped lightly into the puddle of water that he was laying in. Every once and a while, lightning illuminated his surroundings. He was in some sort of forest, the damp smell of earth and rain as well as the icy touch of raindrops and cold jolted him fully awake. With an agonized groan, he pushed himself first to his hands and knees, then to his feet. His body ached. It hurt to do much of anything.
"Damn"
He glanced around for a second, hoping to find something to guide him. He felt the beginnings of hypothermia. He reached for his pokeballs, hoping to find his Charizard.
"What the?"
All of his Pokémon… were missing. All of his friends, were gone. Panic touched him for a second.
"I have to find somebody… this is not the end."
He began slowly and painfully trudging through the mud and water towards… well? He really didn't have a clue…
…
It had been a long day, the rain didn't make it any easier. Serena found herself running through a torrential downpour. She had spent the day preparing for her long awaited Pokémon journey. She had just turned 17 along with her friends Trever, Tierno, and Shauna. They went to the small shops in Vaniville to stock up on potions, pokeballs, clothes, and the like in eager anticipation for the start of their journey in just a few days.
Young people in Kalos, around the age of 17, are given a Pokémon and told to make their way in the world. She had her doubts about the system, but nothing could overcome her excitement.
"…What was that?" She asked to herself as a twig snapped somewhere in the dark and the sound of muffled falling and rumpled clothing was heard roughly 20 paces in front of her.
Proceeding cautiously, Serena let out a little "H-Hello?" to try and communicate with whatever Pokémon or person had made the noise.
Lightning flashed and it illuminated the crumpled shape of… she couldn't tell. It was red and black. It had been hard to make out what it was. Lightning flashed again and this time she was closer. Upon inspection, it was a boy. He had on a red and white jacket with black chinos, his medium length, dark brown hair spilled out from under a red and black cap.
Serena crouched down and touched his hand.
"Oh my god. Hey! Can you hear me? Hello?" she said worriedly while lightly shaking his hand.
" He's cold, I need to find help."
She let go of his hand and stood up, "I am going to find somebody, ok? I am not leaving you"
The boy let out a pained gasp and muttered "N… where?"
"N?" Serena asked.
There was no response. Serena went up to the nearest door she could find and rang the doorbell and knocked on the door four times. After a few agonizingly long seconds, the door opened.
"Hello? How can I help you? It's almost 11:00?" The woman sleepily asked. She looked confused and rightfully so.
"I know, no time to explain! There's a boy unconscious out in the street and he needs help!" serena responded.
"A boy? Where?" The woman hurriedly grabbed a red raincoat and threw it on over her nightgown. "Did he have an accident?"
"I don't know" said Serena as she led the woman back to the unconscious boy.
Together they lifted him up and carried him back to the woman's house. Serena noticed the sleeping Ryhorn in the yard and realized who she had asked for help.
"Grace? The famous Ryhorn racer?"
They set the boy down just inside the door way and Grace went to get towels to dry him off. She hit the thermostat on the way there to hopefully warm him up. Grace fled up the stairs and Serena cast her attention to the unconscious boy on the floor. She crouched down and realized that some of the red on the jacket was blood and a small laceration on the boy's face was evident that he had been in some sort of fight. His hands were bruised and fingertips blue. His pained face, even while stained with mud and blood, still revealed that he was roughly her age.
She brushed some hair out of his face and wiped some of the blood off with her hand. His features were strong.
"You're ok now. Do you have a name?" She asked in a hushed voice.
There was no response, however, the boy's breathing seemed to steady in the growing warmth of the house. He also lightly responded to her voice in the form of twitches here and there which was a good sign of recovery.
Serena felt attached to this boy somehow. It didn't make sense to her. His wellbeing had just so happened to be her responsibility in this moment so what did she feel? She certainly had questions for him.
"What happened to you?... You're safe now but, why were you out in this thunderstorm, hurt and bleeding?"
Her thoughts of empathy were cut short by Grace returning with towels and dry clothes for the boy.
"I can take care of things from here Serena." Grace said as she began to unzip the boy's jacket and wrap a towel around him. "It's late you should probably get home. Your parents are probably worried sick."
"No Ms. Grace, it's fine I can stay and help you-"
"I got it! I've seen much worse on the Ryhorn track. He just needs some rest. You go on home now!"
Serena hesitated but then made her way toward the door, stealing one last look.
"Don't worry!" Grace smiled at her "You can come see him tomorrow if you're worried. By then he's sure to feel better."
Serena responded "Thank you, Ms. Grace. I really appreciate the help. Sorry if this is a burden. I seriously can stay if you need me to."
"Nonsense, he is not a burden. Call me Grace! I have nothing to do for the next few weeks. It's the offseason for me anyways. You can come see him tomorrow!"
Serena was not fully convinced, but nevertheless she opened the door and stepped out into the rainy night. Her house was not far away, one block at the most. By the time she slipped inside, her clothes were soaked again. She almost couldn't feel the cold on her skin though as she was too deep in thought as she slipped quietly up the stairs and across the hall to her room.
"Where did he come from?"
She changed into pajamas and crawled into bed, finally feeling the exhaustion hit her. She had never seen that boy around Vaniville. It was a small place.
"What if he isn't ok?"
She quickly shoved that thought out of her mind. He had been breathing. Grace had it under control.
"Please be ok."
With that last thought, Serena drifted off to deep sleep.
…
A harsh light bled through the windows next to the bed. The boy stirred under the covers. He opened his dark brown eyes and noticed a small orange bird Pokémon that stood at the foot of his bed. It was one that he had never seen before. The curious, small creature placed its large black eyes on him.
"…Hey there little guy."
With a small "peep" the bird fluttered his wings and disappeared down the stairs in the corner of the upstairs room. Seconds later, a woman came up the stairs.
" Ahh! You're awake" She exclaimed coming over to the bed with a glass of water.
He tried to sit up to accept the water but a pain in his side sent him back down.
"Don't try to move… here," the woman said as she put down the glass of water and grabbed a few pillows to prop him up.
"She must have saved me… She seems nice."
"You've been asleep for the past 2 days! Found you in a puddle outside. You have a name? I'm Grace!"
"My name?" the boy met her eyes and racked his brain. He couldn't remember… wait. Ethan came to mind.
"No… it was red. Hilbert? Brendan? Lucas?"
"It's Calem." He responded. He wasn't sure if that was right, but right now that felt right.
"Calem! My what a wonderful name. Well, I have food waiting downstairs if you feel like you can make it. Your clean clothes are over there on the table" she pointed to a pile of clothes with his shirt, black chinos, red and white jacket and hat sitting on the table. His red and black bag was there too.
"When you get dressed maybe you can tell me what happened? You know. Why you were banged up in the middle of the night. It looked like you had gotten into a fight!"
He had gotten into a fight. It all came back to him. His Pokémon, team plasma, Unova, N, and the legendary battle he had fought for the fate of the Unova region. The fog in his head began to clear.
"Umm" He stuttered
"Best play it safe until I learn where I am"
"If you don't mind me asking? What town is this?" Calem asked.
"Do you not know?" Grace responded "This is Vaniville."
"Vaniville?" Calem had never heard of Vaniville town, maybe he was in a new region.
"This is going to sound crazy, but I have never heard of Vaniville. What region are we in?"
"This is the Kalos region. Did you come from another region?" Grace sounded surprised.
"I…"
"Best play it safe"
"I am not sure where I came from."
"Well… that doesn't help me any." Grace looked and sounded a little daunted. "Maybe you'll remember sometime soon and we can get you back to where you need to be. In the meanwhile, get dressed and come downstairs and eat! You must be starving!"
Grace went back downstairs and her little orange bird Pokémon followed.
Calem sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. The pain had mostly ebbed away.
"Asleep for two days in the Kalos region? Why did I end up here?"
He slowly stood up. Once he was on his feet, he felt immensely better. The sun from outside was beautiful and the view of Vaniville… or wherever this was, was also very stunning. Lavender and other flowering plants bloomed in beds up and down the sandy, cobblestone streets. The stone and brick houses looked as though they had been there a while with ivy growing up the faces. It was definitely a picturesque place.
"Not necessarily a bad place to end up." He said to himself as he made his way over to the mirror and his clothes. He was in a set of pajamas that Grace had likely put on him to get him out of the wet clothes when she found him.
"A little awkward…" he thought as he slipped on his black chinos and red jacket. Both of which were a part of his signature look. He instinctively reached for his hat and pulled the brim down low with one hand in his pocket. He had been a Pokémon trainer, and a good one at that in the recent past, but without a Pokémon what was he?
Seeing the sun, drinking the water, and getting dressed in clean clothes made him feel like a brand-new man. Save for a few bruises, the pain was gone and he came down the stairs into the living room/kitchen of Grace's home.
"Hey there! Looking good! Here, I made breakfast. "
Calem took a seat at the counter and began to eat the hardy breakfast Grace had made. Grace stood opposite of him behind the counter and ate. The very unformal dining posture and situation made Calem relax a little. It was as if he almost belonged here.
"Thank you for the food Ms. Grace…"
"Oh please, just call me Grace. I'm old! But not that old."
He was starving and finished every last bit of breakfast when Grace took a seat next to him at the counter.
"Alright, so tell me a little about yourself Calem. Can you remember where you came from? We need to get you back to your home. You must have parents and such right?"
"I… don't" Calem paused. He genuinely couldn't remember his parents. He knew he had been in Unova last but that was the extent of his prior knowledge besides his Charizard and the battle with N.
"It's ok. Take your time Calem. You probably have a spot of amnesia. You were pretty banged up, until then you are welcome here for as long as you'd like to stay. You seem like a nice kid. Say how old are you?"
"That's an odd question?" Calem thought. "I am 17, almost 18."
"And you don't have a Pokémon?" Grace seemed flabbergasted. "In Kalos, boys like yourself typically get a Pokémon and go on a journey at this age. I certainly did!"
Just then the doorbell rang. Grace stood up.
"Ah, must be her. She's early today!"
"Her?" Calem Asked.
"Hee hee, why don't you go see for yourself Calem. I am going to clean up breakfast. I'll let you answer the door and give her a surprise."
"Why do I get the feeling this is a bad idea?" Calem asked.
"I promise it's not."
Calem didn't know what to expect. He went over to the front door and opened it. The sunlight was vivid and the wind was laced with hints of lavender. Standing in the gravel path were two girls. The first one caught his eye; she was a head shorter than he was with long honey colored hair. She wore a black top, red skirt, and thigh high socks. The bag thrown over her shoulder and boots instantly told Calem that she was a Pokémon trainer. The girl to her left was a tad bit shorter with long brown pigtails that were almost excessive. She wore a pink top with black bows and denim shorts. Her bag, along with the first girl's, looked stocked as if they were prepared for a journey.
The two girls turned to him and the first one spoke. "Oh?... Hey!"
"Hey" Calem responded sticking his hands in his pockets.
"I'm Serena. You're finally awake! Welcome to Vaniville! What's your name?"
"Calem, and yours?" He nodded to the girl in pink.
"I'm Shauna! I've heard a lot about your arrival from Serena here." Shauna said eagerly.
"Yeah, we were just coming to check on you! But you seem a lot better!" Serena said. "Finally, able to walk and talk again." She chuckled and paused a second to push her hair behind one ear and continued "If you don't mind me asking. What happened that night that I found you? You were pretty banged up. I was a little worried you wouldn't make it and were seriously hurt. I'd be lying if I said I am not relieved to see you here. You gave me quite the scare."
Calem smiled. She had been worried about him? He was grateful for her finding him for if she hadn't, the worst could've happened. "I… don't really know. I was in the woods laying facedown and hurting and… somehow wound up here with Grace. I assume that is your doing."
Serena returned the smile, "Yep!"
Calem laughed and said "Thanks, I owe it to you!"
Just in that moment, Grace showed up at the door behind Calem. "He has a spot of amnesia me thinks! Can't remember where he came from or some important details that could help us. What do you think Serena?"
Serena took one look at Calem's boots, hat, and bag slung over one shoulder. They were slightly worn in, the kind of age that only comes from being a pokemon trainer. "Hey! Were you perhaps a trainer?" Calem cast his gaze on the girl. "This may sound a little outlandish, but if you were a Pokémon trainer before the incident two days ago then maybe being a Pokémon trainer once more could help jog your memory!"
Grace cringed a little. "I don't know Serena…"
"She knows something more than she's letting on… perhaps she's right though. Calem thought as he locked eyes with Serena.
"He isn't telling the complete truth. Who is N? What are you hiding?" Serena pondered as her eyes met his. His eyes were soft, yet mature. As if they had seen a lot.
Shauna broke the connection, "Hey Serena, since Tierno and Trevor already have Pokémon and the professor is sending us three more to choose from. That makes the perfect opportunity for Calem here to join us!"
Calem finally spoke, he turned to Grace, "I think I get some say in what I should do." He faced the girls, "Perhaps becoming a trainer again will jog my memory. If not, then the experience will without a doubt help me recover something. I'll take you up on the offer. I am ready to leave right now as a matter of fact." he patted his bag that had a few remaining potions and pokeballs from Unova. He turned back to Grace, who almost looked saddened. "Thank you for the hospitality, I really appreciate it. Thank you for everything really!"
" Tierno and Trevor are waiting for us in Aquacorde town with the Pokémon. Let's go!" Serena said as she and Shauna left Grace's yard through the front gate. Once they were out of earshot, Grace grabbed Calem's arm.
"Hey, be safe out there." She let go of his arm and let him follow Serena and Shauna. "You always have some semblance of a home here if you need a place to stay."
"Thank you, Grace. I'll come back someday." Calem responded. He turned to find Serena waiting for him just outside the gate.
"Come on Calem! We are going to be late!" She called.
He ran to catch up to both Serena and Shauna who had gone ahead on down the road. He had this odd excitement building in him. He had felt this once before in Unova. When he had gotten his first Pokémon.
"So, you have been a trainer before?" Serena asked when he pulled up along side her.
"yeah I have been. I have a bit of experience in Unova."
"Unova eh? Well, if they do things like they do here in Kalos. What are your plans for your journey?"
He hadn't given it much thought. He hadn't had time to give it much thought. In Unova he had taken on the gym challenge and that had led him somehow to N and somehow he ended up here. Maybe taking on that same challenge would clear up what happened in the climax of his journey?
"hmm, I'm not sure." He said
Shauna butted in, " I am gonna try and befriend a lot of cute Pokémon! That's step number one. Step number two is… I guess leaving my options open? Hm. I think Trevor is going to try and complete the pokedex!"
"and Tierno wants to study Pokémon moves. And maybe create a new form of dancing? He might like Pokémon contests too?" Serena added.
"What about you Serena?" Calem asked. "What are you going to do?"
"Well, my parents are really great Pokémon trainers. I might try and become strong and take on the gyms. See if I can't distinguish myself that way!" she seemed very confident.
"She wants to take on gyms? Something I am basically an expert on at this point. If my former Pokémon are in Unova still. The best way to get them back is for them to come to me. I'll attract a lot of attention by becoming a strong trainer here in Kalos too. Serena, you may have just earned yourself a rival!"
The three made it to the large green gate that separated Vaniville from Kalos. Through its portal was the rest of Kalos just waiting for them. It was a straight shot to Aquacorde town and the true start of their adventure.
So concludes part one. A lot of introduction here. Calem is supposed to be the embodiment of every protagonist of every player ever. Weird I know, but we will see his own distinct personality develop through the events of X and Y. With the nature of the game and how bland its content is, I take certain personal liberties to add to the plot. One must keep in mind that he has been through every event in Pokémon from red and blue to black and white. He has grown up and is no longer a little kid at the start of this journey and his human companions will also be more mature. This is a rough first post on this specific site but here's to a better future.
