A/N: So, this is the first story ive ever written. Pokèmon is one of my favourite franchises of anything, so i figured its a pretty good place too start. I didnt really have any sort of plan apart from write a story about pokemon, so its not like theres a backlog of chapters waiting to be published.
One of the first pokemon stories i read was 'Dreaming of Family' by Gildenth. Just want to say really quick that its an amazing story. Its also where i got the idea for this story, at least a bit.
Essentially the MC is a blackthorn clan member and the dragons den is home to loads of dragon pokemon, not just kanto and johto ones. There's also a few other kinds that have similar egg groups or, in my story, pokemon that i just think are capable of holding theyre own in that kind of environment, but anyway.
I'm sure there'll be a few things i write about that are similar to ideas used in both that story and others. Putting a disclaimer about that now in that its not theft?? Just realised i dont actually know how disclaimers are supposed to work. Basically ive either read the story and thought its cool, id write that or ive not read the story and so didnt know.
If there are any mistakes, whether its grammar or spelling or even pokemon fact feel free to tell me (some of this is gonna be AU but unless its really obvious it could look like incorrect knowledge).
At this point, and im not saying its mandatory, but if you have nice things to say like you enjoy the story or whatever then y'know, its not terrible to say that either...or whatever. Also if you ask questions in a review then ill answer as quick as i can, but it might not necessarily be the next chapter. Just a warning.
In the region of Johto there exists a place that is particularly important to the Pokemon in the world that hold draconic lineages. Most share the typing of dragon, but there are other pokemon species still connected to this place without it. Over their history, humans have given the place few names, for few words existed that properly conveyed the significance of the place to people and pokemon alike. Its name for many years now has been The Dragons Den and it is centered around the mountain range in the southwest of the Johto region.
As human society developed and their bond to pokemon strengthened, a city was built at the edge of the Den. Blackthorn city, almost entirely populated by the decendants of a group of nomads who bonded to the wild dragon types that lived here many centuries ago.
The Blackthorn Clan, as these descendants became known, built many structures dedicated to the protection and livelyhood of the Den's residents. There is a gigantic stone wall at the mouth of a valley, that protects the nests of the dragons from both other people and pokemon. On the side of the wall within the Den, and spanning the majority of the walls length is an ornate atrium where the majority of the interactions between the inhabitants and their caretakers occur. Every so often there are issues that require a Clan member to venture inside and deal with it there, but its usually for a heavily injured dragon or lost pokemon who wandered in over the mountains.
The valley itself is full of vegetation, which is fed upon by the abundant herbivorous species the roam the valley floor. These include pokemon like Tauros, Bouffalant, Miltank, Mudbray and Mudsdale, and many more. The mountains the line the valley are home mostly to the many dragon types that call it home, save for certain species like Goodra who prefer a swamp like environment, Hydreigon who like cavernous areas, large underground open spaces or Druddigon who prefer flatlands to nest in, where they either dig dens beneath the earth or build protected nests in rockier areas.
It is said that perhaps only the Blackthorn Elders truly know all the different species that call the Den home and thats just the dragons, people say no one is certain of the various others. The most popularly known and recognised of the pokemon who live there are Dragonite, Garchomp, Salamence, Kingdra, Goodra, Tyranitar, Charizard (though most Charizard travel between here and the Charicifc Valley), Metagross, Steelix, Aggron, Torterra, Swampert, Feraligatr, Serperior, Chesnaught, and all their pre-evolutions. You can find many other species there too.
When a Blackthorn Clan member turns 6, they are taken within the Den by an Elder and another Clan member to find an egg to raise as their own. They're allowed to pick any egg they choose, as long as it is abandoned or given by the mother. Most mother pokemon would not so freely give up one of their young but the dragons of the Den have learned over the many years that a Blackthorn is as trustworthy as their own and are this far more open too it than usual. The more common choices, the Elders have noted, are the likes of Dratini eggs and Horsea eggs. These are the two most common. Other eggs often found are those of the grass type starter pokemon that can be found here, as they live within the vast plains and forest that is closet to the wall, and thus the Clan itself.
One such 6 year old who is to choose his partner pokemon today is Matthew Blackthorn, often called Matt. He is the son of the the main gym assistant Lyra, also its strongest trainor save the Leader. His grandfather, Tobias sits as an Elder, and the three of them will set out to either find or coaxe an egg for Matt to raise as his closet friend and first pokemon.
"Matt! Come on honey, we need to head over to the gate before sunrise, you know thats when you get to choose your pokemon." Lyra said, voice raised and looking up the stairs of the family home.
"Coming mum, I'm gonna get a really rare and cool one, it'll be great. Then ill raise into the strongest of its kind." replied Matt, as he quickly came down the stairs, wearing dark grey boots, trousers and jacket, with a vibrant blue shirt.
Its at this point where Matt thought about all of his knowledge concerning all the different species of pokemon that he could potentially begin to raise today, about all the times he'd looked up popular training techniques for pokemon who specialise in every stat, from HP to Attack and defence, their Special variants and Speed. The Blackthorn Clan held in their possession an incredibly extensive library, built and added to over centuries of all the intricacies their members encountered when raising their pokemon. Each Clan member wrote about the behaviour of the pokemon in the situations they encountered and how each species was best handled. Of course, as with people, no two pokemon are alike and thus there were many different strategies used, recorded and stored there, and with such detail Matt had excellent tools when he would come to do the same.
It was one particular detail, specifically about Matt though, that meant he had quite a bit more knowledge to work with, even about things that as far as he uad seen, nobody knew about. Matt, while a 6 year old boy, in truth came from another world where the wonders that are pokemon were naught but a game series and anime. It was from this initial version of his life that Matt could tell you, if he ever chose too, of phenomenon not even considered knowledge, rather myth or theory. Things like the King's Nature, an incredibly rare and only sparesly documented occurance where instead of normal pokemon natures like Adamnt, Modest, Jolly or others, the pokemons Nature is that of a King. Such a Nature is significantly seperate from others in that not only are Effort Values (EVs) for all stats boosted in their gathering, so too are the Intial Values (IVs) the pokemon is born with. Such values help determine and track the likely strength of a pokemon as it grows and trains, it is quite rare to see an elite four or champion whose teams do not have at least one member whose IVs are close or equal to 31, the highest possible value.
This is not all the King's Nature does, however. In addition to accelerated growth in power, a pokemon with King's Nature can be expected to grow from 2-4 times their regular size, depnding on the species. They also have an instinct to assert their dominance over others of their species, or those similar too it, this often leads to increased aggression, particularly upon evolution.
Matt also remembered that in some regions pokemon of the same species would have different typings due to environmental differences and that that can also lead to specialty changes. One example would be Golem, a Rock and Ground type, who in the region of Alola, is commonly found as a Rock and Electric type instead, due to the high static charge that perpetuates their main habitat there, Mount Hokulani.
As Matt and his mum Lyra made their way through Blackthorn City, with Lyra telling her son about her experience as a trainor, Matt was thinking about his ideal Starter. He didnt want one of the regional starters that could be found in the Den, at least not for his first. He also definately wanted a Dragon type, which ruled out things like Steelix and Aggron.
He considered Dragonite, an excellent pokemon with decent defences, very high attacking stats and an incredible Speed as well as one the best move pool varieties out there. Ultimately though, he decided it was too common for their Clan, especially with Champion Lance using three on his team in some form.
Next he considered Kingdra, a ppkemon who thrived in ranged battles and whose defences meant it could take a pretty strong feq hits and keep going. But like Dragonite, Matt thought Kingdra too popular and its move pool too narrow.
He thought much the same about Salamence as he did about those two. With Dragonite's offensive power and speed, and defences stronger, like Kindgra's it was a better option in his mind. However, alot of the Salamence trainors in his family history stated that getting a bagon or shelgon to focus on something other than the flight they desperately craved was challenging and while worth it, quite a bit of trouble to deal with.
In truth, Matt only had two problems with Garchomp. They were considered one pf the steongest Dragon type species around and they'd earned that place. Feircely aggresive with the power to back it up most trainors with less than 7 badges simply tried to avoid a Garchomp in the wild rather than fight one, it was simply too risky to do for most. However, arguably the most well known Dragon type out there was the one used by Cynthia, famed Champion of Sinnoh. Matts problem there was that with such an awe inspiring and favoured example of the species, he didnt feel that training a Garchomp would be special to him, he would be called a Cynthia fan or copy.
Matts thoughts continued much like this about all the Dragon types he knew and he realised that he could, if he tried, think of at least a few issues with each one, that there was no pefect pokemon for him he could determine simply by sorting those he favoured above others. It would come down to the individual pokemon and its mother more that anything else at this point.
As Matt and his mother neared the gate to the Den, they noticed his grandfather Tobias in heated conversation with Clair, the Blackthorn City Gym leader and official Clan Head while Lance is absent.
"Im sorry Tobias, we cant do any collections runs while those Gyardos are rampaging, its just simply not safe for anyone without very high level pokemon to enter the valley right now." they heard Clair day, with a bit of a lacklustre look of appology on her face.
"Im aware of the dangers of Gyarados Clair, but Matt wouldnt even go near the Lake. Theres a reason kids aren't allowed to take Magikarp eggs this young, and its because I suggested it to the council who agreed. If any of the Gyarados leave the waters, they'll risk angering either the stronger Dragons around the area, or the many Grass types that live in the forest on the lakes shores. All the Dragon nests are high up on mountains or underground in tunnels because of the dangers the young could face when encountering an aggresive pokemon. I'd have thought you knew this Clair, it seems some remedial lessons may be in order regarding wild behavioural patterns for you." replied Tobias, today was the day his very own grandson was to begin raising his first Dragon, and Tobias was gonna make damn sure it stayed that way.
"If I let you and the kid go out there and something happens, my conscience will never let me forget it Toby. You know rampaging Gyarados dont always follow those generalities. Look, I'd prefer not ruining the kids egg finding experience either, but I can't let you take him out this unprotected." said Clair.
"What if more people came?" Matt said, interrupting the conversation.
Now it was Lyra's turn to step in, "That could work Clair. With more high level trainers around, the Gyarados problem sort of becomes a non-issue. We wouldn't even need alot, another one or two people, depending on who."
"Alright fine. Before i go find you more company, how long do you think you'll take Matt, do you know which Dragon you want most? If you payed attention to your mother, I'm sure she's mentioned at some point the different habitats that exist in the valley, and which pokemon prefer where." Clair asked, now with an expression of both mild annoyance and a little defeat. She'd realised at this point that no matter what she said, either the kid or his mum and grandad were gojng to be going into the valley today anyway, so she may as well make sure they're as dafe as possible.
(Just a quick impromptu A/N here; I was origianlly meaning to write this in 1st person, after a chapter of expositional stuff. But as the necessity for this A/N indicates, thats gone out the window. Essentially, writing from here and tbh a bit before here too, is uncomfortable and de-personalising to me in 3rd person. I can't write about feelings and stuff anyway near as easily and this is kind of an SI anyway so writing 3rd person doesnt make sense logically. i just thought id put this here so theres a conveniently placed answer to the question 'Whys this now 1st person author?')
"I have a question before answer yours. Can we take more than one egg, if we can convince another mother or find another one? Even if it's on another visit to the valley, it doesn't have to be this one. And if we can't, why?" I asked.
You see, I had a bit of a plan. My first dragon was always gonna be one from Kanto, Johto or Hoenn. Despite my wish to stand out from my Clan, they're the ones I know best of all, and would thus find easiest too raise. I also knew that while I wanted one, it wouldn't be horsea, because its only dragon type in its final evolution. So my first dragon, in an ideal world, would be either Dratini, Trapinch, Swabloo or Bagon. A case could be made to me for the offspring of a particularly poweful Tyrantrum, what few there were, or Haxorus. That would only be if they were particularly special though.
The other dragons I wanted for my main team of six, in truth were not all dragons. However, thats not to say I wouldn't stick to whats found in the valley. If I couldn't find it here, even if the one i caught wasn't actually from here, I didn't want it. One pokemon in particular i really wanted, yet was not dragon type was Metagross.
Metagross's brain is made up of the brains of four Beldum. Of course you didn't need four Beldum to actually get a Metagross, it worked more like mitosis. Where there is one Beldum, upon evolution it divides, both then grow and re-merge into the form of a Metang, and the same applies to Metang when evolving to Metagross. The reason I wanted Metagross, besides the large move pool, great stats and overall awsomeness was because a Metagross's brain functions like a supercomputer, it would work incredibly fast and could do so while focusing on four tasks at once. Ideal for divising battle strategies and overpowering other Psychic types. Even if while using one brain Metagross was weaker, with four all together Metagross would stand a much higher chance of coming out on top in a psychic duel. Plus as a Steel type, Metagross is resistant to Psychic attacks anyway, doubly benficial then.
Along with Metagross, my main six would also contain one out of Kingdra, Gyarados or Milotic in that order of preference. Water being one the most versatile typings guarantees one of them a place in the six.
In much the same vein, the fourth position would be taken by one of Garchomp, Tyrantrum or Tyranitar. The Ground/Rock typings would be ideal for Flying, Electric and Bug types, some of the most common types around. With the Dragon typings penchant for both a secondary Flying type and generally speaking a higher Attack stat, the typical high Defence and super-effectiveness afforded to those of the Rock type, or in the case of Ground types, the ability to learn many Rock type moves, having one of these three is equally essential.
The fifth slot on my main team would almost definitely be Goodra. That incredibly high Special Defence is a must have for the team. Besides a boosted Moonblast or Blizzard, it could swallow pretty much any Special Attack from any pokemon and still be ready to fight, if at not quite top performance.
The sixth and final team spot, is tricky. With the other ideal team members, there'd be a great physical attackers in either Dragonite or Salamence, Metagross, potentially Gyarados and any of Garchomp Tyrantrum or Tyranitar. Special attackers being Kindgra or Milotic, and Goodra. Ideally the last member would also be more specially offensive, limiting available options quite heavily. Hydreigon is most obvious, but also one of the most rowdy Dragon types, Charizard is also a great option. From the more distant regions theres Noivern in Kalos and Drampa and Naganadel in Alola.
"Well Matt," said Clair, "you'll find that most of the older Clan members will have either caught or hatched the majority of their teams from the pokemon in the valley. It's the simplest source of our favourite kind of pokemon so it makes sense to catch most of them here. As this is your first pokemon and the fact it will only be an egg, you cannot claim any pokemon today. If you can convince more than one mother to allow you to raise one of their offspring, then you are allowed too on the condition that an Elder makes bi-weekly visits to check on the eggs progress and once they have hatched, the pokemon's. Anymore than that will have to be aquired after both eggs have hatched and you are older. You are not allowed another attempt until you are 8 years old, and that time you are limited to 1 so that when you begin your journey, you are not overwhelmed by the care required for all your pokemon. If you only get one egg today, when your 8 you can try for two, or if you don't find one then, you can try for two once your 10. If you don't find an egg you want today, you can try tomorrow. The first is always special so you stay in the valley until you get one. Visits outside pokemon capture or egg collection are restricted to patrols, emergencies or if your ownn pokemon are strong enough to deal with the powerful inhabitants we have here. Now which egg or eggs are you looking to find Matt?"
"Ideally I want a Dratini for my first pokemon." Matt told Clair, "But, I wouldn't mind if it was a Bagon either. A Dragonite or Salamence would make a really powerful lynchpin to build my team around."
"Are you interested in one or both species?Either way, they are both good choices, though considering that Dragonite like nesting on the top of cliffs that overlook water, maybe try for a Bagon first. The nesting grounds for either are far enough away from the Gyarados to be too dangerous but better safe than sorry." Clair replied.
"Well, thanks for the warning about the Gyarados Clair, and for finding someone to accompany us into the valley. Who did you have in mind for that by the way?" asked Lyra, as she released her Altaria in preperation to fly over to the Salamence-popular mountain peaks.
"Well, I had considered one of the new graduates from the Gym school, as you know they've all had to deal with angry Gyarados in their curriculum. However, I had planned on taking a trip to the Haxorous caves to find myself a young Axew. My Gym Haxorous is considered too strong for challengers now and he spends most of his time in the valley anyway, if I train a new one for the Gym he can spend his time doing what he likes most." Clair said, while releasing her Dragonair.
"I'm getting my first pokemon with the Gym Leader? Cool!" Matt exclaimed, now on Altarias back behind his mum. With Tobias joining Clair, they were ready too set off in search of eggs.
After spending much of the day up by the Salamence nests...
I was quite irritated now. With all the excitement this morning I hadn't had much of a chance to think straight, despite the whole lived another life thing, six year old brain is really inhibiting. I mean I'm gonna have my own pokemon, how am i meant to not be excited. Regardless, the excitement at this point has mostly faded away, it was really inconvenient having a birthday outside nesting season. We still found occupied nests and caves, but in far fewer quantities than usual. Clair had found herself an excitable little Axew fairly early on so i had hoped that would bode well for me.
It didn't.
None of the Salamence mothers could be persuaded to donate an egg, and even one of the fathers, a Charizard who lived mostly at the Charicific valley, was rather...hot-headed, about his decsion regarding his children. If i didn't want to continue living, this might have been the time i would've cursed Arceus' name for not letting me get a pokemon.
We were currently heading over to the Dragonite Cliffs, to look for my future Dratini. I was pretty adamnt by now that Dratini was always destined to be my starter and thus the Salamence Peaks were a waste of time. Definitely true that. Anyway, on our we over i could see the 'rampaging Gyarados' Clair was on about from before, and honestly after seeing them I've never heard such bullshit in my life. I mean this supposed rampage was just two newly evolved Gyarados judging by their size, having a little disagreement about food. The small whale carcass between them sort of forgotten during the squabble.
Oh yeah, interesting fact about the pokemon world, unless things were kinda bad, pokemon killing other pokemon was a huge no-no, particularly in the wild. Turns out pokemon have hugely poweful instincts to tell them not to do that. Of course, accidents do happen, as do deaths in general. An immortal pokemon would be cool but sadly, also fictional. Animals I recognised from regular earth were all in and about the place. Outside the valley they were mostly kept on huge industrial farms that were out-of-the-way from typical trainer routes. The valley's animals still roamed freely, and were kept in control by the various pokemon who feed on them.
But anyway, Clair either outright lied when she said we'd be in danger, or was horribly misinformed by someone. That little spat between the oversized fish was hardly dangerous. It was at this point that Altaria and Dragonair came into land, on the edge of the nesting area of the cliffs. When we were approaching the Salamence, everybody came with me which to my mind was the reason I got no egg. Dragons are creatures of power, having three other people help me is not powerful.
"Mum, i think i know why I didn't get a Bagon."
"Why's that honey? But do bare in mind sometimes these things just happen, its the mothers choice after all." she replied.
"I know, I know and in truth that is probably part of it, but I think its also because you all came with me. We all know Dragons like strength, and having you all there to help doesn't look strong. I thknk i should try on my own this time, Dragonite are more friendly than Salamence anyway, so i should be safe on my own."
"You know my boy, we were wondering when you'd figure that out." replied Tobias, "We usually wait until day two to tell the kids if they get there, or once they get an egg if not. Few come to the conclusion on their own, but those who do are watched more closely, its a sign of good potential if you realise it yourself. We'll all wait here with the flyers while you find yourself an egg. It should go a bit easier for you now that your alone."
"Just remember to be careful Matt. The rocks can be slippery round here and even the friendlier Dragonite can get angry if they feel its justified. I don't want you to get hurt. Good luck sweetie, I love you." My mum said, a proud look on her face. Her Altaria sang its own encouragement, and with similar wishes of luck from my grandpa and Clair, I was off to find my starter.
So, thats where im leaving it for this chapter. It occured to me while writing the end bit there that the last time i actually wrote a story was for school when i was like 12. i.e: The story was a chapter or two maximum. I have no idea where good points to end chapters are, but i at least think this ones okay.I wont do it every chapter, nor put every detail, but in these ending author notes i planned on leaving a party profile, and then listing other captured pokemon. So for example, if the party was a dratini, it would saynickname(species name)Description: A short thing about if its shiny, bigger or smaller than normal, a quick personality bit tooNature: Pretty self explanatoryMoves: After higher numbers of moves learnt, ill only list them when theres a change. when theres not ill just say no change.Ability: Again, if its new, ill try and explain how itll work in this AU, so like the ability sniper will boost accuracy, and critical hit chance instead of the power of critical hits. stuff like that.And then if i had 100 magikarp in the pc, it would sayCaptured: Magikarp x 100,But yeah, first story chapter ever. Tell me what you think.