AUTHOR'S NOTE: Greetings, readers! Here is chapter 2. This is where Tristan gets his very first Pokémon. As always, please feel free to leave any and all feedback.

TEASER: Tristan leaves the comforts of New Bark Town behind him and begins his journey. And square one begins in Pallet Town.

Chapter 2: LET THE JOURNEY BEGIN!

A hero is born every day. Every hero will have his strengths and weaknesses. But one hero will soon leave the comforts of his home behind and start a brand new journey.

A beautiful sunrise peaked over the horizon of New Bark Town in the Johto region one lovely morning. The sky was clear and the breeze was light and warm.

Inside the house, Tristan opened his eyes and woke up from his sleep. He looked more grown-up. He yawned and greeted the day excitedly. Today, he was more so than usual because he was getting ready to start his own Pokémon journey. He excitedly turned on the TV set in his room and thought he heard someone talking to him.

(Music Cue Opening & Title Screen 1997-1998)

"Hello there!" a voice said. "Welcome to the world of Pokémon!"

The boy's heart skipped a beat. He felt like the TV set was talking to him. As the screen lit up, a middle-aged man in a white lab coat appeared.

"Who are you?" asked Tristan

"My name is Oak!" replied the man. "People call me the Pokémon Professor!"

"You're really talking to me through a TV screen?" asked Tristan, who was surprised and amazed.

"That's right, young man," Oak replied. "This world is inhabited by creatures called Pokémon."

"Pokémon?" asked Tristan in fascination.

"Correct," said Oak. "Some Pokémon are kept as pets. Others use them for battles. As for me, I study Pokémon as a profession."

"Wow," Tristan said in wonder. He had studied Pokémon by watching League matches and learning from his grandparents, Veronica and Eric, before that fateful morning when Professor Oak talked to him on the screen, yet he still wanted to be in that world to learn about them firsthand.

"First, what is your name?" asked the Professor.

The boy was quick to respond. "My name is Tristan, sir."

"Right! So your name is Tristan!" The professor then turned to a boy with blue spiky hair as the screen panned towards him. "This is one of my grandsons. You may or may not be familiar with Gary, my other grandson, but his cousin, my other grandson, has been your rival ever since you were a baby," Oak said. "…now what was his name again?"

Tristan was surprised. He thought that every person knew their own grandson's name. Still, he knew the blue-haired person ever since he was born, and then said, "His name is Blue."

"That's right! I remember now! His name is Blue!" Oak said. He then turned away from Blue and looked at the camera. "Tristan!" he said. "Your very own Pokémon adventure is about to unfold! A world of dreams and adventures awaits you! Let's go!" And with that, the TV turned off all by itself. Tristan didn't push any buttons. Did Professor Oak turn it off? And if so, how did he do it? Tristan didn't have time to think about that because there was only one thing on his mind: starting a Pokémon journey.

"YES!" he shouted excitedly. "I will prove to everyone that I can be a great Trainer. And no matter what Pokémon I meet along the way, I'll be sure to be friends with them. And soon, every one of my dreams will come true as I fulfill my destiny, and someday, I will be a Pokémon Master!" He raised his right arm over his head as he made his proclamation. "Just wait till Hillary hears about this!" And he dashed out of the bedroom. Immediately, he ran across the hall to Hillary's room. "Hillary, guess what?" he shouted excitedly.

Hillary turned around and moaned. "I was sleeping, Tristan," she said grumpily. "What is it that will get me out of bed and feel as excited as you are?"

"Today's the day I'm starting my brand new Pokémon journey!" said Tristan. "I get to pick my very first Pokémon!"

"That's nice," grumbled Hillary. "Now may I please go back to sleep?"

"Go back to sleep? Did I wake you by any chance?" asked Tristan innocently.

"Why must you always be so energetic in the morning!?" shouted Hillary. But before she could finish her sentence, Tristan had already left the room to get ready for the day.

"I might as well face the day, too," grumbled Hillary. "It's not fair. Why does Tristan get to pick a Pokémon and I don't, anyway?" But just then, a thought crossed her mind. "I may not have Pokémon, but once Tristan does, I can travel along with him! I can give him advice whether he wants it or not!"

Hillary was starting to get more and more excited by the second, so she quickly got ready for the day and met Tristan downstairs in the dining room. Their grandparents, Veronica and Eric, were waiting for them.

"Good morning, kids," they said cheerfully.

"Good morning," replied the children. They were very excited, indeed.

Veronica and Eric's Eevee jumped on Tristan's lap.

"Good morning, Eevee," Tristan said. "It's always a pleasure to see you." He gently stroked its fur.

Veronica spoke to Tristan. "Now that your tenth birthday has come and gone," she said, "it's time for you to get out, see the world, and pick your first Pokémon."

"This will be great experience for you," added Eric. "We went on many adventures when we were your age,"

"At times, you'll find yourself in danger," cautioned Veronica, "but your Pokémon friends should be able to get you right out of it."

"I'll remember that," said Tristan. He was feeling very confident.

Veronica turned to Hillary. "As for you, dear," Veronica began, "you may not be old enough to have Pokémon yet, but if you do well enough to give Tristan advice on his journey, you may just see your very first Pokémon a lot sooner than you think."

Tristan became nervous. "But what if Hillary gets in danger?" he asked.

"You'll be able to get her out of it one way or another," Eric said.

Tristan felt better after that, but he still wasn't sure that having Hillary tag along with him was a good idea.


After breakfast, Veronica and Eric handed Tristan and Hillary a map and compass to guide them to Professor Oak's Laboratory in Pallet Town in the Kanto region. They explained that most new trainers who want to start from the very beginning should start there; however, other trainers started somewhere else.

"Follow this road to the east and you should reach Pallet Town," explained Veronica. "New trainers should be able to choose between Bulbasaur, a Grass-type; Charmander, a Fire-type; and Squirtle, a Water-type."

"I sure would love to have them all on the same team," said Tristan, eagerly.

"Don't get greedy, Tristan," Hillary whispered impatiently. "You know what happens to greedy people, right?"

"That doesn't sound too familiar to me, but I know that being greedy isn't right," Tristan said to Hillary.

A few years before, Tristan and Hillary escaped with their lives after some Team Rocket Grunts tried to steal every Pokémon in the vicinity of Pallet Town. Their brothers, Braden and Evan, were on another journey at the time. Tristan was the only person who remembered those events, and was truly traumatized by them; however, because a mysterious Pokémon had been in Giovanni's possession, he had asked it to clear Tristan's memory of the incident afterwards. His true evil intentions now remained a mystery to Tristan.

Tristan got interested in Pokémon one day after watching Pokémon League matches live on TV. He wanted to be in them the instant he saw them for the first time. But he wasn't old enough to get a Pokémon yet. Now that he was, he could now choose one of three Pokémon in Pallet Town today.

Tristan and Hillary walked out the door with Veronica and Eric saying their goodbyes.

"Be careful, kids!" called Veronica.

"Don't forget to call us sometimes, too!" called Eric.

"We will!" replied the children, and they left the house to start their new adventure.


An hour or so later, Tristan and Hillary were walking their way east through a dark, foggy forest. They were both nervous, but Tristan kept his cool. If he was going to have Pokémon and protect Hillary, he figured that it would be best to remain calm. So he decided to take charge and be the leader by taking out his map and compass.

"Tristan, this forest is as thick as pea soup," said Hillary, nervously. "Are you sure we're heading in the right direction?"

"I'm not sure," answered Tristan, "but I'll try and find a way out of here." He studied the map. However, he didn't see the really steep hill on the east side of the forest and tumbled a long way down, shouting as he fell.

Hillary rushed over. "Tristan, no!" she shouted, and ran after him. As they went down the hill, the fog lifted, and things cleared up. And all the while, Tristan was still tumbling down the hill. At last, he reached the bottom of the hill and tumbled to a stop on the ground and landed on his stomach.

"Ow," he groaned. "That wasn't fun."

Hillary ran to his side. "Tristan, are you okay?" she asked.

"I'll be okay," he said, struggling to his feet.

"That's typical," grunted Hillary. "If you had watched where you were going, you wouldn't have hurt yourself."

"You should have told me there was a steep hill!" he countered.

"There you go again, blaming me for your errors," retorted Hillary.

"It wasn't my fault!" protested Tristan. "Blame it on the hill!"

"Oh, so now you're blaming a steep hill for your fall?"

"Well, I didn't fall all by myself, did I?"

"I think you just did."

They stopped arguing long enough for them to realize that they had gotten out of the fog, and were almost to Pallet Town. Tristan had wandered into the tall grass when suddenly, a voice stopped him.

"Wait, you two! Don't go in there!"

It was Professor Oak, the person Tristan saw on TV earlier that morning. He was surprised to see him in the forest.

"That was a close one," said Professor Oak. "Wild Pokémon live in tall grass."

(Music Cue: Kanto Wild Pokémon Battle (as heard in "Good 'Quil Hunting

As he spoke, a yellow lightning bolt shot out from the other side of the grass.

"That can't be a storm, can it?" asked Tristan.

"I don't think so," said Hillary, nervously.

"That was a Thundershock," replied Professor Oak. "Stand back, you two. I'll take care of this."

A wild yellow Pokémon flashed out of the grass. It was short, chubby, and had two round red sacs on its cheeks and two horizontal brown stripes on its back. Its tail was shaped like a lightning bolt. It charged at Professor Oak with electric sparks coming out of its cheeks, but he was ready for it, so he threw a Pokéball at it. With precise accuracy, and timing, the button hit the Pokémon, causing it to be bathed in a red beam of light, and disappeared inside the ball. The Pokéball wiggled while the red button was flashing on and off. After a few seconds, the ball stopped wiggling and the light stopped flashing. The Pokémon had been caught.

Tristan was awestruck. "Wow, did you just catch that Pokémon?" he asked Professor Oak.

"Yes, I did, young man," he replied. "That Pokémon was a Pikachu."

"A Pikachu?" Tristan asked.

"It was so cute!" said Hillary.

"As you know, Pokémon may appear at any time," explained Professor Oak. "I suggest you be careful." Then he got an idea. "Why don't you come with me to my research lab?"

Tristan and Hillary were really excited. "May we?" they asked together.

"Of course!" replied the professor. "Be my guests!" He turned to Hillary. "By the way, who is this with you, Tristan?"

"This is Hillary, Professor," replied Tristan. "She's too young to be a Trainer yet, but my grandparents sent her along to learn with me."

"Nice to meet you, Professor Oak," said Hillary.

"Nice to meet you, too, Hillary," he said to her. "I have a feeling that you're going to learn quickly as soon as you become a real Pokémon Trainer.


Professor Oak's laboratory had three windows in the inner balcony, four windows on the second floor, and a red roof on top. There was a wind turbine with yellow blades next to it. There were over 20 steps leading up to the entrance. Professor Oak welcomed Tristan and Hillary inside. He led them up to the research area on the second floor. Another kid was in the room, waiting for the professor. It was the person that Tristan saw on TV just before he left New Bark Town. He recognized him immediately. It was Blue.

"Hey, Gramps!" Blue complained. "I'm fed up with waiting!"

Professor Oak was confused. "Blue? Why are you here already? I told you to come back later…Ah, whatever, wait there for a minute." He turned to Tristan. "Do you see that ball over there on the table? It contains a Pokémon inside. You may have it."

Tristan couldn't contain his excitement any longer. He couldn't wait to see what his first Pokémon was going to be. Was it Charmander? Would it be Squirtle? Or Bulbasaur, perhaps?

Hillary may have been impatient with Tristan, but she had to be happy for her older brother for choosing his first Pokémon.

However, Blue was losing his patience. "Hey! Gramps, what about me?!"

"Be patient, Blue," said Professor Oak to Blue. "I'll give you a Pokémon later."

Tristan walked over to the table to where the Pokéball was. But just as he was about to take it, Blue saw him, pushed him out of the way, and snatched it.

"No way, Tristan! I want this Pokémon!" declared Blue.

"Blue, what are you doing?" demanded Professor Oak.

"Grandpa, I choose this Pokémon!" Blue replied.

"All right, then," conceded Professor Oak. "You may have it. I was going to give you a Pokémon anyway." He motioned for Tristan to come to him. "Tristan, this is the Pokémon I caught earlier," he said, taking the Pokéball out of his pocket. "As you know, I caught it in the wild, and it's not tame yet." He handed the Pokéball to Tristan, who was overjoyed.

"I got a Pokémon!" he shouted excitedly, then turned to Hillary. "Our adventure starts right here, right now! Come on!" He took Hillary by the hand and started dragging her out of the room.

"Hold it, Tristan!" Blue called. Tristan and Hillary stopped in their tracks. "Let's check out our Pokémon! I'll take you on in a Pokémon battle!"

Tristan suddenly felt nervous. "Me? Battle?"


Professor Oak led the kids to a green grassy field out back. Blue was feeling confident. He and Tristan faced each other on opposite sides of the field.

"I'll go first and show you how it's done!" said Blue. He threw his Pokéball. A white beam of energy shot out of it, and materialized into a mammalian quadruped creature with primarily brown fur in front of Blue. It looked so familiar to Tristan and Hillary that they were both shocked in an instant.

"It's an Eevee!" gasped Tristan.

"That's right," said Blue. "This Eevee is my very first Pokémon, and will help me claim my first victory."

"Not with this Pokémon, it won't!" said Tristan. He threw his Pokéball.

A white beam of energy shot out of his Pokéball and materialized into a yellow Pokémon with red electric sacs on its cheeks and two horizontal stripes on its back. Sure enough, it was the same Pikachu that Professor Oak just caught. It stood in front of Tristan, waiting for its first command.

"I'll make the first move and win with it," said Blue.

"How do you do that?" asked Tristan.

"I'll show you with this," he said to Tristan, then gave his first command to Eevee. "Eevee, Tackle now!"

(Music Cue: Kanto Trainer Battle (as heard in "Battle Aboard the St. Anne"))

At Blue's command, Eevee charged at Pikachu with a full-body charge at a high rate of speed.

Tristan didn't know what to do. He was too confused and nervous to move, but he knew he had to do something to get Pikachu out of danger.

"Pikachu, watch out!" shouted Tristan.

Just after Tristan said that, Pikachu jumped out of the way of Eevee's attack, then landed on its feet. It didn't take any damage.

Tristan was relieved that Pikachu didn't get hurt, but was also inspired about the fact that Pokémon do whatever people tell them to do. But he still didn't like the fact about hurting other Pokémon.

"Not bad, kid," said Blue. "You may have gotten Pikachu out of the way, but this battle is just beginning!"

"Why are you hurting my Pikachu?" demanded Tristan to Blue.

"Eevee isn't hurting Pikachu at all," explained Professor Oak to Tristan. "This is how Pokémon battle and gain experience from battling other trainers and Pokémon. They aren't really hurting each other. Don't forget that even if a Pokémon is rendered unable to battle, they just don't have the energy to battle anymore. They're not in danger of being destroyed."

Tristan felt better after that, but he still had the problem of battling Blue's Eevee.

"Eevee, Tackle now!" yelled Blue.

Again, Eevee charged at Pikachu.

"Pikachu, jump again!" shouted Tristan.

Pikachu jumped out of the way of Eevee's attack again, but after it landed on its feet, Eevee did a quick turnaround and nailed a successful Tackle into Pikachu from behind, causing it to crash into the ground. This made Tristan worry.

"Are you okay, Pikachu?" asked Tristan. "Can you keep going?"

Pikachu quickly rose to its feet, feeling energetic.

"That's the spirit, Pikachu!" Tristan said. He felt better. This may have been his first battle, but now he felt like a trainer participating in a Pokémon League match. He knew he had to make something count, but he didn't know what.

"There's no way you're going to win a battle by just avoiding attacks and doing jumping jacks all day," said Blue to Tristan. "That's just boring."

"Then what do I do?" asked Tristan.

"Your Pokémon's going to have to attack my Eevee sooner or later," said Blue, "but when it does, it will be too late." He was feeling rather cocky indeed. "And even if you manage to THINK of an attack to use, you don't know what attacks your pathetic Pokémon is able to use." He then laughed at Tristan, thinking of him as the weakest trainer he ever battled. Then he turned to Eevee. "Finish that pathetic Pokémon with Tackle!"

Eevee charged at Pikachu for one last Tackle to finish the battle. Tristan just stood there, not knowing any of Pikachu's attacks. Just then, yellow lightning sparks came out of Pikachu's cheeks. Tristan suddenly remembered just the attack he needed to use. He thought back to when Professor Oak explained about Thundershock. And that was just the attack to stop Eevee in its tracks and defeat Blue.

"Pikachu, Thundershock now!" shouted Tristan at the top of his lungs.

Pikachu smiled at the command. It knew it could trust its Trainer from that point on. So it intensified its sparks sizzling from its cheeks, then shot a large and fast yellow lightning bolt from its body at the charging Eevee. Eevee was struck head on by the Thundershock. It was so powerful that Eevee collapsed in a heap. It had a stunned expression in its eyes. The Pokémon had fainted. Blue gasped in shock.

Professor Oak ruled Eevee unable to battle and declared Tristan and Pikachu the winners.

Tristan was surprised. "I won?" he asked. "With just one attack?" He then praised Pikachu, picked it up, and did a victory dance with Pikachu in his hands.

Blue was shocked and a little upset that he underestimated Pikachu's power. "Unbelievable!" shouted Blue. "I picked the wrong Pokémon!" He aimed the Pokéball's button at the fainted Eevee.

A beam of red light shot from the ball toward it. Eevee dematerialized into a red beam of energy and disappeared into the Pokéball.

It was then that Blue made his decision. "Okay! I'll make my Pokémon battle to toughen it up!" He turned to Professor Oak and Tristan. "Gramps, Tristan, Smell you later!" He then left the field and set off, leaving Tristan, Hillary, and Professor Oak behind.


Back in the lab, Pikachu had returned to its Pokéball, but not for long, for suddenly it appeared out of the Pokéball for no reason at all. It didn't seem very happy about being confined inside its ball.

Tristan and Hillary were most surprised.

So was Professor Oak. "It seems that your Pikachu dislikes Pokéballs," he said to Tristan. "You should just keep it outside with you. That should make it happy."

Tristan turned to his Pikachu. "Is that what you want, Pikachu?" he asked it.

"Pikachu!" it smiled happily.

"Then it's decided," said Tristan. He picked Pikachu up and held it high. "Welcome to adventure, Pikachu!"

Hillary was still confused. "I thought all Pokémon usually stayed inside their Pokéballs. Why doesn't this one do it?" she asked.

"There are some exceptions to that rule," replied Professor Oak. "Most of the time, it depends on the Pokémon's personality. Some Pokémon, like Tristan's Pikachu, apparently don't like being confined in a small space."

Then, Professor Oak turned to Tristan and handed him a red handheld electronic device.

"This is a Pokédex," he explained. "It will let you know about any Pokémon you scan or look up. This is for you."

"Thanks a lot, Professor Oak," said Tristan. He couldn't wait to get his journey started. He immediately opened his Pokédex.

The Pokédex spoke in a male electronic voice and said, "I'm Dexter, a Pokédex programmed by Professor Oak. This unit belongs to Tristan of New Bark Town."

"Awesome. It talks!" said Tristan.

"What does the Pokédex say about Pikachu, Tristan?" asked Hillary.

"Let's see what Dexter says," said Tristan, and scanned Pikachu with his Pokédex.

It said, "Pikachu: The Mouse Pokémon. Pikachu keeps its tail raised to monitor its surroundings. Anyone who yanks its tail may result in being bitten along with a shocking aftermath."

"Let's just hope that nobody tries that tactic on my Pikachu," said Tristan.

"Agreed," replied Professor Oak. He than handed Tristan five Pokéballs. "These Pokéballs will help you catch new Pokémon along the way. Battle wild Pokémon with your Pokémon whenever you encounter them. As soon as the wild Pokémon have been weakened, throw your Pokéball at the Pokémon. It will disappear inside and will be given a chance to escape. If it doesn't escape from the ball, then the Pokémon will be caught."

"Understood, Professor," said Tristan.

"Please remember that you can only carry six Pokémon with you at a time, with Pikachu included," added Professor Oak. "If you want to switch out one of your Pokémon at any time, please be sure to contact me."

"We'll do that," said Tristan. He was looking forward to making new Pokémon friends after starting his journey.

"But before you go, there's someone that I'd like you to meet," said Professor Oak to Tristan and Hillary.

As he spoke, a young woman wearing a pink shirt and blue dress came out from under the table. "Surprise!" she said.

Tristan and Hillary were so surprised that they almost fell backward.

"Sorry about that," the woman said. "I didn't mean to startle you. My name's Delia Ketchum."

"My name's Tristan," said Tristan. "And this is my little sister, Hillary. She's traveling along with me at my grandparents' request."

"Nice to meet you," said Hillary.

"I always wanted to see new trainers off on their brand new journey, especially my son, Ash," said Delia to Tristan and Hillary. "I miss him so much when he goes off on his adventures. I hope all goes just as well for the both of you as it has for Ash."

"We're here to help out in case you run into any trouble," said Professor Oak. "Please be sure to give us a call every once in a while."

"We will," said Tristan.


(Music Cue: I Got a Victory Badge!)

In a little while, Tristan and Hillary got directions to the nearest Pokémon Center in Viridian City.

"I suggest you catch some Pokémon for further protection, Tristan," instructed Professor Oak. "After all, the more Pokémon you catch, the better prepared you will be."

"I'll do that, Professor Oak," said Tristan, as he and Hillary waved goodbye to Professor Oak and Delia.

"Goodbye!" called Professor Oak. "Be careful and train hard!"

"Good luck on your journey, kids!" called Delia. "And I know I don't need to say this to you, Tristan, but don't forget to change your underwear!"

Tristan felt embarrassed, but knew that his parents and grandparents would say the same thing. As he, Hillary, and their new friend, Pikachu, said their goodbyes to everyone at the lab, they could just imagine new adventures as they left Pallet Town behind and headed north to their first destination: Viridian City.

Delia and Professor Oak smiled as they watched Tristan and Hillary leave.

"And now another Trainer has begun his journey," sighed Professor Oak.

"He'll do just fine," replied Delia. "Just like my Ash."


And so, a big day has taken place already. Tristan and Hillary reached Pallet Town. Tristan picked his first Pokémon, Pikachu. He took part in his very first Pokémon against another new Trainer named Blue and won in his first try. Now, Tristan and Hillary are on their way to their first destination: Viridian City. There will be plenty of excitement, many laughs, and a lot of mysteries as they take their first steps on their journey in the incredible world of Pokémon!

►TO BE CONTINUED