A/N - Next chapter up. Hope you readers enjoy it, and please review!
Chapter 2 – Pre Start
A teenaged boy stood outside a large single storied building.
It was late morning on a chilly day in early spring; the birds were chirping as they fed their young and the branches of the nearby trees swayed with the breeze that ruffled the dark hair on the boy's head and gave him goose bumps. The hat that was usually on his head was held in his hands; a sign of the nervousness he was feeling.
He looked at his watch and sighed. 'A few more minutes and then I can finally get my own Pokemon!'
Ever since he could remember, the boy knew that he wanted to become a Pokemon Trainer.
Pokemon – an abbreviation for pocket monsters. The world was populated with these magnificent creatures. They came in all shapes and sizes — from a tiny caterpillar to a gigantic rock snake. There were birds, fish, reptiles, mammals, and all types. However, these creatures had special powers. They could breathe fire, create earthquakes, start floods and much more, all at will. Humans and Pokemon had gotten along for many centuries. People had befriended the creatures and worked alongside them. During those times, they were simply known as monsters.
Relatively recent was the advent of devices that allowed humans to capture Pokemon and carry the captured Pokemon alongside them. Hence the name pocket monsters, or Pokemon for short. These devices, which were spherical and hence called Poke Balls, led to many changes in society, not the least of which was the formation of the Pokemon League and the registration of Trainers. There were psychological changes as well. Many people still cared about and respected Pokemon as they did before Poke Balls were invented, but some people grew to believe that Pokemon were their slaves. The very thought of this made the boys grip on his hat tighten. Such people should be banned from being Trainers! I will not tolerate such behaviour!
He had been waiting to become a Trainer for years; as far back as he could remember it had been his dream. But first he had to wait until he turned eleven, the standard age at which people were officially allowed to own a Pokemon training license. He had impatiently gone through his early school years at Pokemon Training Elementary, acing all his classes in his dream of being the best Trainer in the world. His parents had been so proud of him. They had nurtured his dream to grow as a Trainer and had always supported him in his goal.
But disaster struck, and a month before he would be allowed to apply for his training license, his family business fell through. A freak thunderstorm at night had set their store on fire, destroying most of their current stock and resulting in tremendous losses for his family.
Soon after that, his father had taken his own life, after drinking away most of what money remained. His mother and he, the remainder of their small family, decided together that he could put off going on his Pokemon training adventure for some time while they got the business up and running again. All day the boy worked in the store. In his spare time, he would do all sorts of odd jobs in town to earn a bit of extra spending cash. The harsh reality of life at a young age took its toll on him. It was hard to be happy in that period of suffering, when the fangs of hunger were gnawing in both mother and son's bellies. They didn't always go hungry though, but belts had to be tightened. There weren't many reasons for happiness, and he learned soon that displays of grief could earn all sorts of punishments from local bullies. The few times that he had tried to retaliate, he had been shown his place and beaten into the dirt. And so he became an expert at hiding his emotions, never letting any of his feelings surface on his face. His mother tried to pull him out of this emotional shell, but to no avail. Still, she never gave up on trying to get him to open up.
After five years, their hard work finally paid off. The Pokemon goods store that they owned was bought over by the chain of Poke Marts that had an outlet in every city. They were rich!
The mother-son duo decided to move far away from that town, and hence sold their house and relocated to a small town; one which did not even have a Gym, or a Poke Mart, or even a Pokemon Centre.
This town's name was Pallet Town, but it was more like a village. A smattering of houses, and a large building which turned out to be a laboratory. There were few families living there, mostly those of researchers working at the lab. It was a nice quiet town, ideal as the retirement home of the teenage boy's mother. They had made a nice packet from the sale of their store, and she didn't need to work anymore. As the youth was now leaving home, she preferred to be in a small town, away from the hustle and bustle of larger settlements and cities. Pallet Town, home to the world-renowned Pokemon researcher, Professor Oak, and his almost as famous grandson Blue, who had become the youngest ever Champion of the Kanto region at the age of thirteen.
Champions were considered the very best of all Trainers. They had to defeat a quartet of very powerful Trainers called the Elite Four. Normally this would be next to impossible for most Trainers but a Champion had to defeat each of the Elite Four back to back. It took more than just power to become a Champion; a Trainer had to know his Pokemon's strengths and weaknesses, train Pokemon to be very strong and use many strategies in order to gain the title. If there was a current Champion, a new contender had to defeat that one too before they could become Champion. It was not a title gained by many.
Blue now lived within the Pokemon League headquarters at Indigo Plateau, which is where Trainers could challenge the Elite Four. He was kept in the lap of luxury, with adoring fans at his beck and call. Even so, he had clearly kept up his training regime, as evidenced during the many exhibition matches that he participated in. Since he had gained the title, not even one Trainer had been able to beat the Elite Four to reach him. So to display his skills and gain even more adulation from his ever widening fan base, he showed off during exhibition matches against the Elite Four. He had not lost even once.
The boy shook his head to clear out his thoughts. There wasn't time for thinking about Blue and the Elite Four right now. The moment was finally here. The moment he had been waiting for his entire life. The moment he had been dreading. He would get his training license and his first Pokemon. Ever since he could remember, he had been looking forward to this moment. He was dreading it because he would also have to make a choice. Newbie Trainers were offered three Pokemon out of which they would be allowed to pick only one. It was this choice that he was dreading.
Where are the others?
Every six months, a day was set aside for new Trainers to be registered and receive a Pokemon. All the prospective Trainers who were eleven or older could apply on that day. The application process consisted of a form, which asked for basic data like name, age, etc.; an essay about why the applicant wants to be a Trainer; and an application fee, which would go towards the cost of procuring a Pokemon to start with. In the Kanto region, the venue for registration was Professor Oak's lab, which is another reason that the boy and his mother moved to Pallet Town. He had to begin his journey from here. Trainers could also receive a Pokemon from a friend or relative and apply for their license with that Pokemon, but then they would not receive a Pokemon from Professor Oak. Neither the boy nor his mother had many friends or relatives, let alone ones with Pokemon available for gifting. So he stood outside Professor Oak's lab on the appointed day, and prepared himself for the choice he would have to make.
He checked his watch again and saw that it was time. He looked around again for the other applicants and did not see any. Am I the only one this time? He knocked on the heavy wooden door and waited. After a few moments, the sound of shuffling feet permeated through to where the boy was standing. He felt his palms grow sweaty and his heartbeat pick up. The door creaked open.