Chapter 3: The Journey Begins
Occasionally, people do symbolic acts in a futile attempt to maintain their honor or dignity, but in the end only further their problems. Such was the case of Lucas storming out of his brother's house in an act of defiance. He may have shown his brother he was not going to be treated like a failure anymore by his 'perfect' older sibling, but he also lost a place to stay for the evening. Lucas thought about going to the Pokemon Center, which was fairly typical for a Trainer, but he also didn't want to have to explain to the kind nurse that he had gotten into a fight with his brother again. He didn't need to burden anyone with his problems. The young man figured that if Trainers spend much of their time outdoors anyway, he might as well get used to it and sleep in an alley. He found one between a couple of houses that wasn't too trashed, noisy or noticeable. He spread out the sleeping bag he kept in his duffle and got ready to go to sleep. The evening was much cooler than he anticipated, and his rebellious sense of fashion prevented him from owning clothing that had sleeves. Something he was now reconsidering with his new circumstances. The cold prevented him from sleeping when he got an idea.
"Come on out Hotrod," the teen's new Charmander left his Pokeball and stood in front of his trainer. It was the first time the boy had met his Pokemon face to face. The fire-type tipped his head curiously. "Come're little dude," Lucas called gently. The little fire lizard happily ran over to his trainer. Lucas hugged it strongly and was grateful he had picked a fire-type. The Charmander's body was incredibly warm, and the fire on the tip of his tail provided a second source of heat.
Not to leave anyone out, Lucas summoned Gizmo and clung to both of his new friends. He felt he could finally go to sleep when he heard a soft tapping coming close to him. From around the corner was an old man with mud on his face walking with a cane. Around his belt were a toolbox and a safety helmet and slung over his shoulder was a pickax. He seemed to immediately notice Lucas and walked over to him. The Mohawk-bearing teen expected the old-timer to chastise him, or call him out for being suspicious-looking. Lucas sat up and cautiously waited for the man's next move, "Hi there, Young Trainer. What are you doing outside this evening? Shouldn't you be in the Pokemon Center?"
"The Pokemon Center was full," Lucas lied. The old man didn't seem to believe him, but said nothing about it.
"If you need a place to stay I can suggest the Underground Explorers Club. It's a place for geology enthusiasts as well as amateur Pokemon Paleontologists. I'm the founder and the president," the old man stated. He seemed strange, but harmless so Lucas agreed to follow him. The old man led the teen through Eterna City. Before he hadn't seen much of it as he missed much of it running to the Pokemon Center and then was distracted by his new Pokemon and dealing with his brother, but now he got a chance to really appreciate the beauty of the city. Past all the buildings the massive peak of Mt. Coronet was visible with various hills appearing around and in the city. In the center of town was a massive bronze statue of Pokemon, but as far as Lucas could see the plaque that described the piece of art was missing. Finally, just little south of the Pokemon Center stood the Underground Explorers Club.
The club itself was far more official looking than the teen was expecting, though there was a homey feel to the place. The members were quite diverse. Some were nerdy looking boys with thick glasses, others were big burly hikers with faces muddier than the old man's. Several members were chatting peacefully inside with each other at tables in what appeared to be a small library, and around the bookshelves were glass display cases that immediately caught Lucas's attention, "Wow are those real?"
"I know an explorer when I see one," The old man beamed triumphantly, "Those are in fact real Pokemon fossils,"
"That is too cool! I love the prehistoric Pokemon, whenever my family went to Kanto I'd always make them go to the museum in Pewter City. That's why I got my tattoo," Lucas pointed out the frozen battle between the skeletons of Aerodactyl and Kabutops inked on his right arm.
"Those were all dug up around here, actually," The old man explained, "Underground, between here and Oreburgh, are dozens of caves and tunnels, we Underground Explorers go into the caves and find all sorts of things: Shards, Evolutionary stones and occasionally these fossils." The old man gestured with his cane, "There are rooms in the back if you and your Pokemon want to rest,"
"Thanks a lot, sir, I really appreciate it," Lucas said genuinely.
"Not at all, I told you I know an explorer when I see one. And call me Grant,"
"I'm Lucas,"
"Well Lucas, have a good night,"
The next morning Lucas woke up fairly early. He wanted to get to Professor Oak's as soon as possible so he could legally start catching and training his Pokemon. As he put away the folding cot he had slept on he noticed a photograph on the wall. He could tell if was an older picture, Grant looked a lot younger, and standing next to him were an even younger man with a little boy with glasses on his shoulder. All of them have varying level of dirt on their faces and the little boy was wearing a safety helmet far too big for his head. He figured this must be Grant's family.
As he prepared to leave he saw that Grant was already awake and eating breakfast, "Good Morning Lucas, care for breakfast?"
"No thanks, I've got to get going,"
"Before you leave I have something for you," Grant reached under the table and pulled out a toolbox similar to the one he had on his belt yesterday, "This is an Explorer Kit. If you ever want to go looking for your own fossils in the hills, use this"
"Thanks, but what can I do to repay you?" Lucas took the gift nervously.
"You don't need to do anything. As long as new explorers come into this world, I'll be happy. Good luck with your journey Lucas, and come visit me again sometime,"
"I will," the teen promised.
Grant's kindness had invigorated Lucas as he rushed to find the Professor's house. Luckily it wasn't far from the Underground Explorers Club. The teen didn't have a clock, but based off of the sun's location in the sky he figured it was probably around six o'clock. He debated whether or not to knock the door. On one hand, he couldn't wait to see the professor, on the other, he also didn't want to wake the man up. He didn't have much time to consider his decision when it was made for him. The door opened suddenly, and Professor Oak answered fully dressed, already in his lab coat with a cup of coffee in his hands, "Good morning Lucas, I thought I saw someone lurking around here,"
"Er, sorry Professor," Lucas replied sheepishly, "I'm not here too early, am I?"
"Oh no, been awake for hours. I've always been an early riser, like yourself," Professor Oak gestured for Lucas to come in.
"Actually I usually don't wake up before noon. I just couldn't wait to come see you. I was too excited to get my license," the teen admitted as he came through the door. The professor's house looked very much like Lucas had always imagined. It was hectic, crammed with books and specimens and a computer hummed noisily in the back. It just didn't seem as lived-in as the boy figured his house in Pallet probably was.
"I like to see that kind of excitement. It means for sure I definitely made the right choice. I had your license express-mailed to me around midnight last night. I just have to remember where I put it," Professor Oak set his coffee cup on a small table next to plate with his eaten breakfast and an open box with some sort of electronic device slightly propped up by the tissue paper that had cover it.
"What this?" Lucas asked as he picked the device up. He had never seen anything like it before. It was an elongated hexagon with a large screen taking up most of the body. On one side were three buttons with an up arrow, down arrow and a star he assumed to be a confirming button. On the other side was a small, thick stylus snapped into a slot. The bottom of the screen was decorated with a Pokeball icon with the front side being a bright red plastic, with the back being a stark white. He looked it over and noticed an identifying label on the back. 'Pokemon Device. A product from the Silph/Devon corporation.'
"Oh that's the Pokevice. That's supposed to be some new-fangled product for trainers. They come out with things like that every few years and Silph always ends up sending me their prototypes. I guess it's Silph/Devon now, after the merger. I never understand why they send me the confounded things, they know I never use them," The professor continued to look through his self-created chaos, "You can have it if you like,"
"Really?" Lucas couldn't understand why suddenly people were being so generous with him. Perhaps being a Trainer did change people's view of him, no matter what he looked like. Lucas dug through the box and found an owner's manual for his new gadget and flipped through it.
'Pokemon Device or Pokevice, all inclusive media, information and communication device for Pokemon Trainers. Pokevice comes with several preinstalled apps including a map, general guide and encyclopedia of common Trainer questions and topics, video chat, television and watch. Other apps will soon be available and can be downloaded wirelessly. Center screen is touch sensitive to either fingers or a stylus, with additional commands executable via the side buttons,'
"Pretty sweet," Lucas thought to himself as he put the Pokevice in the vest pocket over his heart. Finding the old note from his brother, he tossed it into a nearby trashcan.
"Ah! Found it!" the professor announced. He came from the kitchen with an envelope in his hand and presented it to Lucas, "Your official Pokemon League Trainer Card. Officially recognizes you as a trainer of the Sinnoh League, allowing you to legally capture, train and battle Pokemon. When Professor Oak asks the League for something, he gets it. Whether it's short notice or not,"
The surreal feeling that had hit Lucas yesterday when he was at the Pokemon Center came back in force. He took the envelope cautiously and carefully opened it. Inside was a red electronic card with a micro-thin LCD screen. On the front was his name and picture as well as the words 'Beginning Level Trainer' on the back were empty pieces of information regarding the amount of Pokemon he had in the system, the amount of battles he's won and his total fortune.
"These new cards are quite nice. As you obtain badges and Pokemon your rank will increase automatically. You won't have to go to a Pokemon Center all the time to constantly get it updated. Of course, you need to go to a League Official if you go to a different region. Different places have different rules about capture and battles, you understand," Professor Oak explained casually as Lucas stared at his card. The old man's words fell on deaf ears as the teen was entranced by the item in his hands. He had wanted this card so much when he was younger it consumed almost all his life. Now he had one. It was his. It was real.
Lucas was startled to discover his cheeks were wet. Without even realizing it, he was crying. Furiously, he rubbed his face, embarrassed that the level of his emotion became outside his control, "Professor, I really appreciate this, if there is anything you want me to do to repay you, just say the word. I owe you so much that I don't think I can ever repay the debt,"
"Nonsense. You're the one doing me the favor. My life's work is to find out as much about Pokemon as there is to know. When I was younger I did it myself. Now I am an old man. My mind is still sharp but my body fails me when I need it most. This is why I send generations of trainers after generations of trainers. To take over my work in the field. This is how we leave a legacy that lasts longer than any life or any statue, by the information we pass on. My legacy and my information is about Pokemon. And when I see someone like you who is willing to help a Pokemon no matter the cost, I can know peacefully my legacy will live on," The professor put a kindly hand on the boy's shoulder, "There is no greater gift you can give me,"After the moment's sentimentality, the professor's tone changed, "Now. In the Sinnoh region the easiest gym is in Oreburgh City, but the closest one is right here in Eterna City. Either way you're going to need to get some supplies so you can start catching Pokemon. Be careful, stay sharp and always take care of your Pokemon,"
"I will, Professor,"
"Good. Then I wish you great luck Lucas, I expect to see a Champion out of you," With Professor Oak's final goodbye, Lucas left the house.
Training meant supplies and Lucas's first stop was at the Pokemon Market. He had to start from zero and was forced to purchase a lot. Potions, antidotes, a badge case. The small fund his mother gave him for the trip to Eterna was just about gone. Lucas only had enough money to buy six Pokeballs, but with the last of his change he made one small frivolous purchase. There was a special kind of Pokeball holder that doubled as a necklace. Putting it on he attached Gizmo's Pokeball to it, so his first Pokemon would always be nearest to him.
With his supplies packed and the last of his money jiggling loose change in his pockets, Lucas headed towards the west of town to start his training.