I'm back! This chapter is a lot shorter than the previous one. Also, the Author's Note at the bottom HAS BEEN EDITTED. Some people(who shall go unnamed) complained, and frankly I see their point. Besides, I already curse to much in my Bleach fanfic. I don't own Pokemon, yada yada yada. Enjoy!
Accumala Town. Stairs up, stairs down. Small uphill climbs all over the place.
And one of the most important people in my fourteen year old life standing in front of the Pokemon Center.
"White!" Professor Juniper waved at me. "Come here!"
I slowly walked toward the young woman in the white lab coat, silently cursing my worn out, undersized sneakers.
"Ah, there you are!" Professor Juniper beamed at me. I managed a small smile in return. The professor continued, "Traveling with your Pokemon is truly one of the joys of being a Trainer! Please follow me, White. Time for your very own tour of the PokemonCenter!" She stepped through the clear, automatic doors. I followed.
There was a woman behind a counter in the back. I knew instinctively that that was 'Nurse Joy', named after the real Joy in Kanto. There were two people behind a counter closer to the door, which I assumed was the Poke Mart. Bianca was also in there, standing by Nurse Joy and not noticing us.
"Ahh…" Professor Juniper exhaled happily. "Don't you feel better as soon as you step through the door?"
"Well…..my feet feel a little better," I admitted.
"OK, let's start your tour!" Professor Juniper said. We walked to Nurse Joy, and Bianca finally noticed us. "Ooh, wait for me!" she exclaimed.
"Hello, Bianca! Nice of you to join us!" the professor said politely. "Now, the PokemonCenter is a truly incredible place, because your Pokemon can be healed FOR FREE! A PokemonCenter is a Trainer's cheap best friend! White, Samuel looks tired. Why don't you give him to Nurse Joy so she can heal him?"
I turned to Nurse Joy. "Here you are."
"A new Trainer, huh?" the nurse chuckled. "Welcome to the PokemonCenter. You look familiar…hey, you wouldn't happen to know a woman named Aka, would you?"
"Yeah. She's my aunt," I adjusted my hat and pushed my bangs out of my face.
"Well, you've got a top-notch healer for an aunt, girlie," Nurse Joy smiled. "I'll just take your Pokemon…"
The nurse put Sam's Pokeball onto a hexagonal-shaped object, where it glowed yellow a few times. She picked it back up and handed it to me. "Thank you for waiting. We've restored your Pokemon to full health. We hope to see you again!"
I put Sam's Pokeball back on my belt as Bianca stared at me. "You're aunt's a Nurse Joy? I never knew that!"
"Yep. She works in NimbassaCity and Driftveil," I said, making sure Sam was fastened correctly.
"Cool!" Bianca squealed. Professor Juniper cleared her throat.
"Well, now that your Pokemon have rested, I'll show you how to use the P," Professor Juniper guided us to a nearby object that looked like a cross between a parking meter and a computer.
"This is the PC. It's free for any Trainer to-" the professor began, but I interrupted her.
"What does PC stand for?" I asked. "Does it stand for Parking Computer?"
"…excuse me?" Professor Juniper raised an eyebrow.
"You know. Parking, P, Computer, C," I explained. "It looks like a parking meter computer to me, so that would make sense."
"No!" Professor Juniper sighed. "It doesn't stand for –"
"Then what does it stand for?" I scratched my ear. The professor looked confused.
"I'm…not sure," she stuttered. "But that doesn't matter! Let me finish!"
I shrugged. "Fine by me. It was just a question, geez."
"Now then. You can store Pokemon in you PC boxes or select Pokemon stored in your PC boxes to take along with you," Professor Juniper continued.
"Oh! Oh!" Bianca waved her hand around wildly.
"…yes, Bianca?" the professor said tentatively.
"How does that work? Like how can you leave a Pokemon in the OC here, and pick it up somewhere else?" Bianca asked.
"Hmm. That's an interesting question, Bianca!" Professor Juniper said, impressed. "Well, you put the Pokeball right here…." The professor demonstrated by taking out the Pokeball holding Minccino and putting it in the machine. "And you program the PC to store your Pokemon by putting them under your account. Look, Bianca, you can make one right now. First, enter a username."
"Alright!" Bianca said cheerily. She walked toward the PC and pulled out a keyboard from just below the screen."Let's see…..how about Bianca?"
She typed in the name.
"Aww!" she complained. "That name is already taken! Let's see…..I'll be Bianca582, I guess."
"Now make a password. Don't worry, we won't look," Professor Juniper smiled, turning around. I turned around as well.
"Done! White, it's your turn!" Bianca said, turning away from the machine.
"Wait!" Professor Juniper said hurriedly. "First, you need to take Minccino out! She was put under your new account!"
"Oh yeah!" Bianca rushed back to the machine, pressed a few buttons, and Minccino's Pokeball popped out.
"Now White can make an account," the professor said.
I cautiously approached the PC. The screen read: LOGIN OR MAKE AN ACCOUNT. I pulled out the keyboard and clicked MAKE AN ACCOUNT with the mouse.
USERNAME:
"White. Let's see if that username is taken," I said to myself.
USERNAME: WHITE. WELCOME, WHITE. PLEASE ENTER A PASSWORD.
PASSWORD:
"Awesome!" I said. "Now, could you guys….um….turn around, please?"
"Of course!" Professor Juniper said hurriedly. "Don't be rude, Bianca." They whipped around.
I need a good, safe, secure password, I thought to myself. Hmmm…I've got it!
I quickly typed in my password.
PASSWORD: ************
No one will ever guess it, I thought to myself confidently. I clap at my originality. No one will guess my password is Humannotepad!
Now the screen had more than two options. I could choose Someone's PC, White's PC, Professor's PC, Help, and Switch Off. I chose the last option and said, "OK, you guys can turn around again."
My friend and the professor whirled around to face me again.
"Um, Professor?" Bianca asked again. "Where are your Pokemon stored? And who is Someone?"
"The Pokemon are stored underground. The Pokeballs are transferred into their individual sections by a tube," the professor explained. "As for Someone, they're the person who made the Pokemon Storage System. Someone I'm sure you'll meet someday! OK, let's move on!"
"Wait wait wait," I held up my hands. "If it's called the Pokemon Storage System, then shouldn't this thing be called the PSS?"
"DOESN'T. MATTER," Professor Juniper said venomously. "Like I said, we're moving on." She led us toward the Poke Mart while I muttered, "Well, excuse me."
"This is the place where you buy useful items and sell the ones you don't need anymore," Professor Juniper said, bad attitude suddenly gone. She stood in front of the counter, her back to the helpers. "These two gentlemen will help you with a smile!"
Bianca and I peered past Professor Juniper. One of the helpers was picking his nose.
"Well, let's wrap this up!" the professor clapped her hands together, oblivious to the scene behind her. "I've given you the basics of being a Trainer. I'm going to head back to NuvemaTown. One more thing…..when you get to StriatonCity, go and meet an inventor named Fennel. She's an old friend of mine from Trainer school, and I'm sure she'll help you on your way."
Professor Juniper suddenly turned around and drop-kicked the helper who was picking his nose. "SERIOUSLY?! WILL YOU STOP, THAT'S DISGUSTING YOU KNOW!"
Professor Juniper started to walk out of the door, waving. "Best of luck! I hope that your journeys prove to be the adventure of a lifetime!"
She walked out of the PokemonCenter.
Bianca and I sweat dropped.
"HEY! Are you two going to buy anything?" said the other helper, annoyed.
"Gee, you'd think that he'd be more worried about his friend," I muttered, but Bianca didn't seem to hear me.
"Ooh!" she squealed. "What should I buy? Potions and Pokeballs are definitely important. Ummm….thinking….."
I smiled and shook my head, exiting the PokemonCenter.
"Ouch!" I winced, looking down at my feet. "I guess the Pokemon Center DID make me feel better…."
"Hey! Sounds like something's going n in the plaza!" a young man in a green shirt told his friend.
"Well, let's have a little look-see," the friend replied. They walked away, heading toward the plaza. I shrugged. Why the hell not?
As I approached the plaza, I saw a group of people had gathered. I spotted Cheren's not-so trendy blue jacket and headed in that direction.
"Hey, Cheren!" I pushed my way through the crowd. "What's going on?"
"I'm just as confused as you," he shook his head. "Come on. let's see if we can get closer."
We slowly pushed our way to the front. There was a line one people with orange hair clad in strange outfits. It consisted of gray gloves, boots, short sleeved shirts, and tight fitting hoods Under the gray, they seemed to be wearing black leggings and black, long-sleeved shirts. Over the gray shirts were white smocks that reached down a little past they're knees, and had a triangle shape cut out of the bottom. The smocks seemed to be exactly the same in the back. Over that, they wore a black belt. But there was an emblem on the smock…..a blue P on a shield that was half black, half white and had a blue zig-zag on the middle. The same symbol was on the flags that stood by them.
A man pushed to the front of the weirdly-clothed line. He wore a half yellow, half purple cloak with a design of an eye on each side. He also had ugly, pasty yellow colored hair. But the most striking thing about him was his eyes. While one was normal, the other was metal: a thin, silver outer circle and a glowing red inside.
"My name is Ghetsis."
The man's voice was raspy, but I could hear every word he said.
"I am here representing Team Plasma. Today, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to talk to you about Pokemon liberation," he croaked.
"Huh?"
"What?"
"What do you think he means?" I whispered to Cheren.
"I'm not sure," he said worriedly. "Let's just listen."
When the crowd quieted down, Ghetsis continued. He paced to the right a bit, and said, "I'm sure most of you believe that we humans and Pokemon are partners that have come to live together because we want and need each other. However….." he paused. "Is that really the truth? Have you ever considered that perhaps we humans…only assume the truth?" Now Ghetsis paced back to the center of the plaza. There was dead silence.
"Pokemon are subject to the selfish commands of Trainers. They get pushed around when they are our 'partners' at work…" his voice was getting stronger, harsher. "Can anyone say with confidence that there is no truth in what I'm saying?"
"No way."
"Yikes!"
"I don't know…."
"Cheren…." I grabbed his arm. "This man…"
"It's OK, White," Cheren soothed.
Now Ghetsis paced to the left, so that he was directly in front of Cheren and me. "Now, ladies and gentlemen, Pokemon are different from humans. They are living beings that contain unknown potential. They are living beings whom which we humans have much to learn. Tell me…." he looked me straight in the eye, and I shuddered. "What is our responsibility toward these wonderful beings called Pokemon?"
"What could it be?"
"Liberation?"
I stumbled a bit, grabbing Cheren as support. I could feel Sam's Pokeball pressed hard against my side, but when I looked down, I couldn't see it. My vision was getting foggy…..
"That's right!" Ghetsis might as well have shouted. He moved back toward the center. "We must liberate the Pokemon! Then, and only then, will humans and Pokemon truly be equals. Everyone, I end my words here today by imploring you to consider the relationship between people and Pokemon…and the correct way to proceed. We sincerely appreciate your attention."
Two Team Plasma members on either end took down the flags. They formed two rows, with two people at the front and with Ghetsis in the middle. Then they walked away.
An older man stepped in front of the town's people. "About that speech….what do you think we should do?"
The young man I saw from earlier shouted out, "Liberate Pokemon? That's not even possible!"
All of the people dissipated, going back to their homes or jobs. Well, not all of the people. Cheren and I stayed at the plaza, as did a tall young man who looked a little older than me.
"Well, what did you think about that?" Cheren asked me. "You alright, White? You don't look to good."
"I'm….fine…." I gasped. "Cheren, I really….didn't….like that man….." I grabbed his arm to steady myself.
"White!" he said worriedly. The Pokeball holding Sam fell off my belt and released my Oshawott.
"Osha!" he said nervously.
"Your Pokemon….."
I looked up, startled. It was the other person who had stayed behind. As I looked into his eyes I felt….I don't know….happy.
You ever heard of love at first sight? That was what I was going through. The moment I looked into that man's tea green eyes, I knew I had found my soul mate.
I let go of Cheren and stood up. The boy – he couldn't have been a day over seventeen – wore khaki pants and a gray and white baseball hat. He wore a black turtleneck under a white jacket. Attached to his belt strap was a rubix-cube like thing. He also wore a necklace that had the planet Saturn on it (well, it could have been Uranus, but I thought of it as Saturn). He wore his long green hair in a loose ponytail.
"Just now, it was saying…" the boy continued. I slowly picked up Sam's Pokeball.
"Return," I whispered. He disappeared back inside the Pokeball, but the look in the green-haired boy's eyes didn't change. He looked like he was about to say something else, but Cheren held up his hands, breaking the moment.
"Whoa whoa whoa. Slow down. You talk too fast," Cheren said irritably. "What's this about Pokemon…talking? That's an odd thing to say."
The boy regarded Cheren with distain. "Yes, they're talking." His face fell. "Oh….then I guess you two can't hearit, either…how sad." He shook his head.
"Who are you?" Cheren asked crossly. His gaze flitted from me to the strange boy.
"My name is N," the boy said, eyes closed. "And your are…..?"
"Oh! I'm White, and this is….um, this is….." I had finally gotten the nerve to talk, but the name of the person standing next to me eluded me. "Uh, he's…..Jim."
"Cheren," Cheren said.
"That's what I meant. Cheren," I corrected. "Sorry! We were asked to complete the Pokedex, and we just started our journey. My main goal is to become the Champion, though."
"The Pokedex?" N's eyes were now wide open. "So, you're going to confine many, many Pokemon in Pokeballs for that, then. I'm a Trainer, too, but I can't help wondering…" N stared deeply into my eyes. "Are Pokemon really happy that way?"
"You sound like Ghetsis," Cheren scoffed. I noticed a flash of fear in N's eyes for a moment, but it passed in an instant.
"Well, White, isn't it?" N changed the subject. "Let me hear your Pokemon's voice again! Come out, my good friend Purrloin!"
I blinked. Did this cute boy – N – just challenge me to a Pokemon battle?
"N! Don't be crazy!" Cheren shouted. "White, don't worry! I'll help you!" He grabbed Snivy's Pokeball.
"No!" N and I shouted at the same time. I looked at N, who nodded for me to go on.
"Cheren, I need to fight my own battles," I glared at him. "I can take this guy, don't worry." I smirked. "Go, Sam! Use Water Gun!"
My Oshawott cam out and ran toward the enemy, trying to close the gap between them. N looked at me through his hair.
"Purr!" his Purrloin jumped up and used slashed Sam's face.
"How….." I gaped. N smiled softly at me. Though confused, I still managed to bark out an order. "Sam, use Water Gun right now!"
"Osha!" Sam fired a small blast of water at the Purrloin. It didn't have a chance to dodge, and was soaked through in seconds.
"More!" N said. "Let me hear the voice of your Pokemon!"
I looked at Sam. "Well, you heard the man! Use Tackle!"
"Scratch," N's voice was so soft I barely caught it.
The Purrloin hissed and leapt toward Sam, catching his tail this time.
"Oshawott!" he winced.
"It's alright," I said encouragingly. "Scratch didn't do any serious damage, just a few nicks." Sam nodded at me and used Tackle on N's Pokemon. I cheered, and Cherern looked significantly happier. Tackle seemed to do more damage than Water Gun, and one more good, solid hit would take out Purrloin for sure. "Tackle again, Sam!"
"Now Growl," N breathed. Purrloin bunched up its fur and let out a long, slow hiss.
"What the hell does that do?" I asked Cheren.
"Lowers the attack," he said, flipping through a pocket handbook. "This isn't good, White."
I turned my attention back to the battle. Sam bounded toward Purrloin and smacked it upside the head, but he wasn't putting much effort into it.
"Sam! What's wrong?!" I shrieked, concerned.
"Osha, osha osha. Oshawott osha," Sam muttered, rubbing the back of his head.
"Your Pokemon is afraid that Purrloin will do something terrible if he hits him too hard," N said in a toneless voice. Sam turned to me and nodded sadly.
"Well, that's not good," I mumbled. "Crap! Wait…Sam, use Water Gun!"
N was silent again, and Purrloin ran toward Sam, scratching him around his nose.
Sam cried out, then shook it off. He reared up, and blasted a spout of water so powerful, Purrloin was pushed back into the Pokemon Center wall. N was silent, walked back to Purrloin, and picked him up. "You win."
"SWEET!" I punched the air. "All thanks to my level seven….wait, now level eight Oshawott! Cheren, come here and give me a high five!"
As we celebrated, N returned Purrloin to his Pokeball. "I never expected to hear Pokemon say such things….." he murmured, walking back toward us. He quietly handed me seven dollars.
"Still sticking to your stupid beliefs?" Cheren sneered. I glared at Cheren, but N didn't seem effected by the insult.
"As long as Pokemon are confined in Pokeballs, Pokemon will never become perfect beings," N sighed, and looked up, his eyes twinkling. "I have to change the world for Pokemon, because they're my friends." As N walked out of sight, he called back. "I hope to meet again, White!"
He disappeared from view. Cheren turned to me. "White, I don't like him at all."
"Cheren – "
"I'm not going to worry about it," Cheren said. "But White, stay away from him. Listen, I'm going on ahead. I want to battle the Gym Leader in the next town – StriatonCity. Bye, White!" Cheren waved and walked away. "And remember, stay away from N!"
I sighed, walking back toward the PokemonCenter. Did Cheren realize I had feelings for N? No, that would be impossible. Still…..
"Miss White, there was a crash and the PokemonCenter shook and – " Nurse Joy said frantically.
"Oh. That," I sighed. "I'll explain. Could you heal Samuel, though?"
"Your Oshawott? Of course," the nurse hurried behind the counter and put Sam's Pokeball on the healing object.
"That crash," I started. "Was the sound of, say, a level six or seven Purrloin crashing into the side of this building, being propelled by a jet of water. You follow?"
The nurse nodded. "A Pokemon battle."
"Exactamundo," I took Sam back from Nurse Joy. "Thank you so much!"
I started to walk out of the PokemonCenter, then turned around.
"Hey…you don't sell shoes here, do you?" I asked the Poke Mart helpers.
"Hey! You're that girl that was with that lady!" a helper with a bandaged head pointed a shaky finger at me.
"Oh, Professor Juniper? Sorry about that," I apologized. "So, do you sell shoes?"
"N-no!" the helper squealed. "You can l-leave now!"
"Thanks anyway."
I walked out of the PokemonCenter, thinking about N. I was so lost in thought, I bumped into an older man,
"The number of Pokemon you can take with you at one time is six!" he barked at me.
"Um…okay?" I backed away slowly.
"Oh, don't mind Harold," an elderly woman smiled at me. "He's a bit off, but he is my husband!"
"Oh! Well….um…." I said, trying to think of something to say.
"You're from Nuvema Town, aren't you?" the woman squinted at me. "If you want to leave AccumalaTown, just go through that gate over there." She pointed to a wide passage that was white on the bottom and had a pale green roof.
"Thanks!" I said gratefully, starting to walk toward it.
"Don't mention it, sweetie!" the woman smiled at me.
"The number of Pokemon you can take with you at one time is six!" the man – Harold – shouted as I entered the gate.
"Good morning," a man in a blue outfit greeted me. He stood behind a counter. "This gate shelters many travelers from fierce weather. Speaking of weather, you can check the electric bulletin board to check the weather and find out about the next town."
"Thank you for telling me that," I said, distracted. N had said he hoped we would meet again, right? But where? I walked out of the gate, puzzling over N's words. Suddenly, my cross-transceiver started ringing.
"Hello?" I answered peering onto the device on my wrist.
"White! How are things?" my Mom said from the screen. "Are you and your Pokemon getting along and enjoying your journey so far?"
"Yeah, Mom!" I said enthusiastically. "Sam is a level eight!" I didn't tell her about N. I don't know why. I guess I thought she would disapprove, like Cheren.
"I needed to talk to you, so I called, but I'm going to hang up now."
"Mom? Mom, what do you mean? Mom?" I said to the picture, which poofed out of existence. "Hello?"
"White?"
"Arceus!" I yelped, turning around. "Mom? Wha-?"
"I….finally…..caught up with you," she panted. "You've come pretty far already! I needed to give these to you."
Mom handed me a pair of brand new, black sneakers.
"These must have cost a fortune!" I gasped, slipping off my old ones and putting these on.
"No, I bought them a long time ago and stashed them away in your closet," she explained. "I found them while cleaning up."
I shuddered. My closet (or the Black Hole of Death, as I called it) was not the ideal place to 'stash something away'.
"Guess it's good to clean up occasionally!" Mom continued. She suddenly turned serious. "White, you understand that you're never really alone, right? You're with Pokemon, you have friends, and you're always in my thoughts."
"I know, Mom," I grumbled. "Can I continue my journey now?"
"That's fine," Mom sighed, and walked back toward the gate. "Enjoy your trip!"
"I will!" I said back. I started walking and saw a sign.
Route2, it read.
Route 2, I thought to myself. This is where I really start my adventure, walking to the first gym town.
But I knew my adventure had started earlier that morning, when Mom had called me down from the Wii.
So I took tentative steps in my new shoes, hungry for battle(and just plain hungry, it was about eleven o'clock by then) and excited about how close I was to my first gym badge.
I don't want to ruin any visions, but to me, the Pokemon battle went something like this:
Purrloin: Purr!(Take this!)
Sam: Osha! (Flip off!)
Purrloin:[hisses] (Watch your language!)
Sam: Oshawott! (Ouch! That hurt, you son of a beach!
Purrloin:[growls] (This'll teach you, bartender!)
Sam{speaks to White}: Osha osha osha. Oshawott osha. (That flipper Purrloin somehow made me think he's going to do something terrible if I hurt him to much.)
Purrloin{running toward, Oshawott, speaks so quietly the Trainers can't hear}: Purr. (Who's laughing now, you pile of s***?)
Sam: OSHA! (Darnit, that hurt, bartender! Didn't I tell you not to hurt me?!)[uses Water Gun](And I'm the one whose laughing, motherflipper!)
Purrloin:[faints]
N[sweatdrops]: I've never heard Pokemon say such things...
As I said at the top, this has been edited from its original format(where there were the curse words). If you prefer the cursing, just fill it in yourself. And remember...just because I curse a ton here doesn't mean I curse out loud.
Also, I'm feeling very clever for explaining the running shoes and the PC. Don't ruin my moment, I'm not known for my cleverness.
Please review!
