Hi. I know that this chapter took literally forever and a day to complete, but school is finally over for me, SO UPDATES SHOULD NOT TAKE AS LONG AS THIS DID ANYMORE. HOPEFULLY. YAY?
Nonetheless, I hope that you enjoy the chapter! :)
Liam Harris was a mixture of emotions as he took his first steps into Route One, saying goodbye to his many friends and family members.
The sixteen-year-old was excited at the prospect of his dreams coming into reality, his ambitions transforming into a palpable being. It was obvious by the huge smile on his face, and the way that he walked up the large hill to Route One, that he believed his journey would be full of success and riches — and the thought of that was extremely electrifying.
And yet, swirling around in his stomach was a blend of anxiety. Deep down, Liam was scared of the future, scared of venturing out into the wild and having to fend for himself. Even though he tried to be positive, and tried to look as though nothing could harm him, there was that small bit of doubt lingering in his brain. What if everything backfired? What if he didn't become world-renowned? What if all of this was a huge waste of time that would result in nothing but failure and self-loathing?
"Can't you speed up? I don't want Professor Oak to blame me if you get lost out here."
. . . And then there was the chagrin, bubbling underneath the surface, simply because he had to adventure with a girl that had an even bigger ego than his.
Rolling his eyes at Mavis Sullivan, Liam broke away from his apprehension and once again put on that confident facade he had to wear. "I'm not a baby. I can walk at whatever speed I want to."
"And there's the typical 'I can do whatever I want' response that only babies give."
"Whatever!"
Liam refused to be verbally slayed by Mavis and her irritating attitude. If his friends were here to back him up, she'd definitely think twice before mouthing off. But because his friends weren't here, and the only other person to defend him was a mute, he'd have to do it himself. Or, at least, deflect any shade thrown at him with his own quips.
This is going to be a long day.
The three Pokédex Holders were officially in Route One, a route that'd introduce the trio to life in the wild. Mavis taking the lead with quick strides, the sun bouncing off her black shades; Shihong Zhang right behind her, staring at the beautiful rolling hills in thinly concealed awe; Liam slowly walking behind them both, his mind a mess of excitement and confliction. This was a pivotal moment — for them all, really.
Even though the girl didn't show it, Mavis was almost overcome with pride and happiness. To be selected as a Pokédex Holder, to gain the recognition from her powerful family, and to be starting her journey all on the same day . . . It was just great, really. Callous and pompous she might have been, it didn't mean the sixteen-year-old couldn't feel elated at the events prior.
Mavis was going to be the best, after all. She could already see the thousands of books being made on her, the first chapter being her confident walk through Route One — with Shihong and Liam as unimportant side-characters, at that. Fame was bound to come, and so the female trainer was practically shining in satisfaction.
And since I am being forced to associate with these two losers, she thought, her walk coming to an abrupt stop. I need to set some ground rules. Turning around, Mavis stared at Shihong's confused expression and Liam's exasperated one, her black sunglasses shining.
"Alright, before we continue on this journey, I just want to make a few things clear," she said, crossing her arms. Liam immediately wanted to groan, though he kept silent to at least amuse her. "I will be cordial, but do not expect for me to come running to your rescue whenever you need help. You two should be able to take care of yourselves. Secondly, I don't want any pictures taken of me doing anything — which includes talking, walking, battling, standing, sleeping, and breathing. I understand that pictures like that will one day become uber profitable, but getting money off of my fame is pitiful, frankly. Thirdly — and this one is directed at you, Liam — I don't want to wake up to you pervertedly groping me, or doing something else seriously inappropriate, or consequences will occur. Does everyone understand?"
"Okay, hold up, what?! Nobody needs for you to 'defend us,' or whatever you just said, and nobody wants to take any pictures of you either!" Liam's face, if it could, would have blushed in anger and slight embarrassment. "A-And who the hell would want to do anything sexual with you?!"
Even though Mavis was sorta hot, her personality was lowering his ranking of her with each second that passed.
Mavis simply scoffed and focused her attention on Shihong. The girl did not feel like arguing with Liam, even if getting under his skin was one of the easiest things she had ever done.
"Do you at least understand me, Shihong?" she asked the quiet girl, who stiffened at suddenly being the center of attention.
Unlike Liam and Mavis, this critical start of their adventure was not sending shivers down Shihong's spine. The sixteen-year-old girl didn't have a real goal that she wanted to meet, nor did she dream about this day for years. Becoming a Pokémon trainer . . . She never really cared about that. Taking Professor Oak's test, becoming accepted as a Pokédex Holder, going out to travel the wilderness of Kanto . . . It was all just a convenient way to get away from her suffocating family. She hated them, hated them so much that words couldn't be enough to measure her hatred . . . and yet, she wanted to make them proud, to maybe love her as much as they loved Jin.
Being a Pokémon trainer was the only way to please everyone . . . even herself, for once.
And so even though travelling with Mavis and Liam was unexpected, Shihong thought that maybe she could simply stay quiet and fade into the background, and just pray that nobody would have any issues with her. Opening her mouth was always a bad idea, after all. Either she accidentally offended someone, said something stupid, or caused a plethora of problems with a mixture of them both. That's what her mother and father said, at least.
Inwardly, Shihong recited a quote that she once wrote in her notebook. Just agree with everything they say. Fighting back will only get you in deeper shit.
"Yes," she practically whispered, trying not to look too pathetic, even though she was practically putting on her own leash. "Yes, I understand."
Liam looked at Shihong incredulously. What? How could she just go along with Mavis' authoritative nature?
Mavis smiled, turning back around. "Good. At least someone has some respect around here."
And with that, the girl continued walking down the road of Route One, the swagger in her step almost too much for Liam to bear. But instead of arguing still, wasting even more of their time, he just put his hands in his pocket and followed the conceited girl at a slower pace. Shihong would have followed after them, obediently keeping her mouth shut while inwardly hating herself . . .
But that's when her eyes caught sight of a small Spearow, aimlessly pecking the ground.
Normally, Shihong would have just continued to walk, while admiring the beautiful Pokémon from a distance. That's what her mother and father taught her, after all; they didn't want her to really play with the wild Pokémon that sometimes roamed Pallet Town, in fear of her enduring the same fate as her brother. But . . . But Shihong wasn't Pallet Town anymore. She was in Route One; she was a Pokédex Holder; she was finally on her own, at least metaphorically. They didn't rule her anymore. She could do whatever she want.
It was passive aggressiveness at it's finest, but she didn't care. This was her own way of fighting back — against her parents, against Mavis, against . . . everyone.
"I choose you," she mumbled, grabbing the lone Pokéball off of her belt. "Bulbasaur . . !"
Shihong pressed the white button in the middle of the Pokéball, releasing her starter in a flash of green. Both Mavis and Liam turned around at the sudden commotion; the former with an indignant expression crossing her features, while the latter looked more confused than anything. Standing there with an almost shell-shocked expression on his green face, the Bulbasaur made a noise of shock, while the wild Spearow glanced at the other Pokémon in bewilderment.
Shihong took a deep breath, staring at the bird with an almost hungry expression in her eyes. It would be hers. Even if actually harming another living thing didn't sit well with her, it was for the good of . . . her.
Finally, she was doing something for the good of herself.
"What are you doing, Shihong?" Mavis demanded, her eyebrows furrowed. "We don't have all day, y'know? I want to get to Viridian City before night—"
"Who cares?" Liam interrupted, watching the sudden battle with a glimmer in his eyes. His first official wild Pokémon battle . . . Or, well, the first one that he was officially seeing. Just the thought alone made him happy. "You got this, Shihong! Beat that bird up!"
Mavis groaned, shaking her head. Fine, I'll let them play for a bit, but that's it. After this little battle, we're going to continue walking, and we won't stop for anything.
She could keep telling herself that, at least.
"Um . . ." Shihong opened her green Pokédex, pointing it at the Spearow before quickly reading the information that immediately popped on the screen. According to the device, she'd have to finish this battle before it decided to either fly away or call upon it's friends . . . and that was something that didn't need to be happening. Next, the short girl pointed the Pokédex at her Bulbasaur, and read the moves that shown after a quick scan.
Professor Oak really was amazing.
"Okay . . . T-Twig." Shihong blushed at the random nickname that tumbled out of her mouth. T-Twig? Really? Why? Trying to ignore the confused expressions of her companions, the girl pointed at the Spearow, who still looked slightly confused at what was happening. "Use Tackle!"
Bulbasaur looked back at his trainer, frowning. As far as Bulbasaur went, they were a pretty lax species, but this one in particular had a really gentle nature. He was perfect for Shihong, who was fairly gentle herself . . . but not necessarily perfect for battling. Professor Oak already told him that he was going to be embarking on a journey with a new trainer, so he understood what was happening, but still . . . It didn't mean that he liked it.
That's when the Spearow finally realized what was happening and sprung into action, flying at the Bulbasaur and attacking with it's beak. Shihong gasped, and Bulbasaur barely managed to turn around in time before the Spearow was pecking at it's face.
"R-Run away?!" Shihong stuttered, her mind a complete blank. She didn't know what to do in a situation like this. Learning theory was one thing, but actually partaking in a battle was another. What was she supposed to do?
Thankfully, Bulbasaur had a mind of it's own, and quickly jumped away from the attacking Spearow. Wincing at the small cuts marring his face, Bulbasaur huffed, glaring at the other Pokémon. It's blood boiled, just slightly. Gentle it may have been, it didn't like getting hurt, especially for no reason.
"Use Tackle, T-Twig!" Shihong exclaimed, her voice growing just a bit stronger, her eyes growing just a bit sharper. She didn't like hurting other Pokémon, but she definitely didn't like for her own Pokémon to be harmed. Even if they were just barely acquainted, that didn't stop her from already caring for the small animal.
Bulbasaur charged at the Spearow, effectively tackling it to the ground with a rough push. The Spearow squaked in defiance, using Growl to lower the Bulbasaur's attack . . . but Bulbasaur simply shrugged off the noise and jumped atop the Spearow's fallen body, injuring it even more.
Liam began cheering, fist-pumping the air beside Shihong. "Woohoo! You're winning! Just hit it a few more time and it'll be over with!"
Mavis simply watched the battle, silent, a condescending smirk on her face. They were both such noobs, and it was painfully obvious to anyone with eyes. Shihong obviously didn't know what she was doing, and Liam's incessant cheering clearly showed how experienced he was. Mavis really wanted to know how they passed Professor Oak's exam. Did he pull their names out of a hat?
Shihong quickly went inside of her bag, taking out a shiny red-and-white Pokéball. Along with their Pokédexes, Professor Oak supplied them all with many more items that would surely give them a head-start against the other newbie trainers. Rubbing her thumb against the ball, Shihong looked up, just in time to see the Spearow peck her Bulbasaur away.
"It's going to get away," Mavis said, feigning disinterest by staring at her nails. And just as she predicted, the Spearow weakly flew into the air, squawking at the Bulbasaur in anger before turning around.
But Shihong wasn't about to let her hard work and sudden determination go to waste. She was going to capture this Spearow, whether it wanted to be caught or not. Nothing was going to stop her.
"T-Twig, use Tackle one more time to knock it out of the air!"
The Bulbasaur nodded, rubbing his paws against the ground before charging at the fleeing bird. Spearow turned around, blinking at the sight of the grass-type running towards it — but before it could even think of dodging, Bulbasaur jumped off the ground and slammed his head against the bird. Spearow squaked one last time before falling to the ground, trembling, it's entire body in pain.
This was it. This was her chance. Shihong quickly took aim at the bird and tossed the Pokéball at it, watching with bated breath as the contraption fell atop the Spearow's head and immediately opened. With a red flash, the bird Pokémon was swiftly sucked into the ball, not a sound of retaliation uttered.
Seconds passed. Silence.
. . . And then Liam started jumping up and down, cheerfulness exuding from his body. "YOU DID IT! YOU CAUGHT HIM! WOOHOO, YOU GO, SHIHONG!"
The short sixteen-year-old blushed in response, hiding her smile behind her hand. She did do it. She did catch the Spearow. Out of all of them, quiet little Shihong was the first one to actually catch a wild Pokémon. It was exhilarating, and it made her confidence swell — just a little.
Liam's smile was entirely too wide, but he didn't care. Shihong's capture renewed him of the fire that constantly threatened to explode, residing deep beneath his brown eyes. Forget Mavis and her superiority problems; Liam was finally a Pokémon trainer, finally on a journey to become someone in this crazy world. He wasn't going to let his travelling mate ruin his good mood. He was going to be the best. He was going all the way to the very top!
"Alright, it's my turn to catch a Pokémon!" he exclaimed, clenching the straps of his backpack before running off. "I bet that I'll get the strongest one, too!"
"W-Wait!" Mavis shouted, dumbfounded at how easily she was cast aside — but Liam continued running down the trail, oblivious to her shouts. She stared at his retreating form, and then turned around to stare at Shihong, who was holding the Pokéball that she used to catch the Spearow. Also not paying her any attention.
Mavis sucked her teeth . . . before taking out Squirtle's Pokéball, determination flashing behind her black shades. If they wanted to waste time . . . then fine! She could do the same. Maybe not exactly waste time, but . . . but she could at least train her newly received starter before heading into Viridian.
Yeah, that's what she'd do. Train. Not goof off like Liam, or recklessly start catching Pokémon like Shihong. She'd train.
And after that? Well, it'd be off to Viridian City after that.
"How much longer do we have?" Zion Volt whined. His feet were killing him, and the sun's rays were seriously starting to burn at his skin. Not only that, but it felt like they had been walking for hours — when, in reality, it hadn't been much more than an hour.
Still, it felt like a long time, and Zion was starting to get tired of it.
Tobi Grey looked down at the silver watch attached to his wrist, one of the few possessions that he managed to grab in the altercation with his mother. He couldn't find his black sunglasses in time, unfortunately, but hopefully he could manage to win a few battles and buy a replacement?
It was the small things that Tobi had to latch onto, 'less he'd go insane. Being kicked out of his own home was one thing, and not having any supplies or money to take care of himself as a trainer was another. If Tobi didn't focus on the future small victories, such as buying new sunglasses and maybe even going as far as to win a gym badge . . .
Well, he'd probably get all emotional again. And just once was embarrassing enough.
"Um, I think we've been walking for an hour or two?" Tobi supplied, gripping the straps of Zion's backpack. It wasn't as heavy as the lazy boy made it seem, but carrying it for over an hour was starting to get taxing. Really taxing.
Nonetheless, Tobi persevered, eager to use this as a way to repay the other teenager for helping him out an hour ago. Zion could've simply ignored Tobi, or even teased him for being such a crybaby. But instead, he reignited the passion that Tobi almost lost sight of, and even managed to renew his faith of the human species. The boy was extraordinarily grateful.
Zion groaned. "So how much longer do we have until we get there?"
"I think I read somewhere that it takes about six hours to walk from Pallet to Viridian," Tobi replied, thinking back to his night of studying for Professor Oak's exam. "So, um, just four hours left? I think?"
Zion sighed, a type of sigh that left the other person feeling just as exhausted. He knew that journeying the Kanto Region wasn't going to be an easy task, and he knew that he'd probably have to walk wherever he wanted to go . . . but damn. He wasn't the most energetic guy in the first place, so this was a bit of a stretch.
He just wanted to start training, or to start challenging gyms, or to start winning tournaments. Everything else was way too unimportant and . . . and menial.
Tobi, on the other hand, wasn't really feeling as sluggish as Zion seemed to be. The bag was heavy and definitely starting to wear him down, but it wasn't like Tobi couldn't handle it. It was expected, after all; if the sixteen-year-old had started his journey normally, then he'd be carrying his own bag.
Zion, though, didn't seem to be feeling the same way. Tobi could tell by the way his shoulders sagged that he was extremely tired.
He offered the other boy a small smile. "Do you want to rest a little?"
"What?" Zion looked up in surprise, a soft shade of embarrassment crossing his cheeks. "Uh, no. I'm good. We don't have to stop because of me." Zion was shameless when it came to displaying his laziness, sure, but he wasn't the type of person to inconvenience other people because of it. The boy could be dying of thirst, but actually asking for something to drink was just something he wouldn't do.
Tobi shrugged, nodding in understanding. Silence overcame them yet again as they continued to walk the dirt trail of Route One.
". . . I mean, if you want to take a break . . ."
Zion refrained himself from blushing, looking away to hide the small bit of red that tried to cross his face. Tobi wanted to laugh at the other boy, but he didn't quite feel like they were on that level of friendship yet. If one could even call them friends; Tobi didn't even know if they were actually traveling together, or if he was simply holding the other boy's bag until they got to Viridian.
Shaking those thoughts out of his head, Tobi stopped walking and gave the other teenager a small grin. "Alright, let's rest for a bit. You have any food?"
Five minutes later . . . Zion and Tobi were sitting on the side of the road, right next to a large rock. Both boys were snacking on a bag of chips — Tobi trying not to show how hungry he really was by eating as slow as he could manage, while Zion unashamedly ate like a wild Mankey. Another peaceful silence overtook them as Pidgey and Spearow chirped in the distance.
Right beside them, their Pokémon were starting to get acquainted with each other, while also eating a healthy dose of Pokémon food. At first, Tobi's Teddiursa was confused as to why they were in Route One with some other trainer, but the boy promised to explain everything at a later time. Zion's Pichu, in contrast, was cheerful and playful and extremely extroverted; it didn't question any of the circumstances, and quickly made conversation with the slightly reserved Teddiursa.
It was a tiny bit overbearing at times, but Zion was just happy that Pichu hadn't shocked Tobi and Teddiursa. Clearly it must have really already liked them.
"So, um." Tobi took another careful bite of his chips, his stomach rumbling for him to eat faster. "Why are you . . . Um, I mean, what's your goal?"
"My goal?" Zion repeated, confused. "What do you mean?"
"What are you trying to accomplish by going on this journey?" Tobi clarified, trying to get over his shyness. He couldn't afford to be shy with the person he'd probably be spending a lot of time with. He had to get used to speaking.
It wasn't like Tobi had many friends, though. There was only one girl — Kathy — that Tobi would call his friend . . . but not even she knew all of his secrets. Not even she knew that he was gay. Tobi didn't want to tell anyone else after the negative response of both his family and . . . Nathan.
"Oh." Zion yawned, starting to feel a little sleepy. Typical; at home, he'd always fall asleep right after eating. It was a blessing that he had a high metabolism, or else he probably wouldn't be able to get out of the bed in the mornings. "Well, I just want to get all eight gym badges, and just see what happens next. Maybe I'll win some tournament and get really popular, or maybe I'll challenge the Elite Four or something? I don't really know . . . Thinking that far is too much work."
Tobi giggled a little at the other boy's lazy demeanor. Zion wouldn't last five days with Tobi's mother. She'd whip him into shape . . . or kill him. Either option was plausible when dealing with her.
"But what about you?" Zion asked, not wanting the conversation to awkwardly ebb away. "Why did you become a Pokémon trainer?"
"Um, well, I've always loved Pokémon," Tobi started, a melancholic smile forming on his face as the memories started coming back to him. "It was just redirected of me, y'know? I mean, I like the idea of being a trainer, but I don't think my family would have supported anything else. My . . . mom was a top coordinator, so she's really strict, and expects for her children to be just as successful as she was. And—"
"She's dumb," Zion interrupted, noticing how hard it was getting for Tobi to talk about the mother that pushed him away just a few hours ago. He didn't like that, at all, and he wanted Tobi to know how screwed up that was. Even if he was a bit blunt . . . "My dad doesn't really care what I do. Hell, he works at the PokéMart, so it's not very hard to be more successful than him. Still, parents shouldn't push their children too hard . . ."
Tobi nodded, swallowing down his emotions. He was thankful for Zion's blunt way of talking; it was good for someone to reinforce his belief that his mother was wrong. Because she was. She had to be wrong.
"Anyway," he continued. "My dad was a Pokémon Ranger. So—"
"Wait, really? Your dad's a Pokémon Ranger?" Zion interrupted, abruptly sitting up. Tobi hesitated a bit, before nodding. Telling Zion that his dad was currently six feet underground probably wasn't the best idea. "That's so cool, dude! My brother was a Pokémon Ranger! He had to retire, because he got in this accident, but . . . Yeah! Small world, huh?"
Tobi nodded a little. "The smallest."
Zion sat back against the rock, smiling to himself. He didn't know why he suddenly felt the need to be so talkative. Unless he was talking to his family, Zion was quiet and reserved — though that didn't stop him from complaining, or saying something extraordinarily candid. He just didn't normally start conversations, and he didn't normally engage in them either.
But with Tobi, something was different. Maybe it was the realization that Tobi was also a quiet guy, and had just been kicked out of his home for an incredibly stupid reason; Zion didn't need to fear that the other teenager would eventually leave him, and so he could be himself.
There was still that annoying voice in the back of his head, whispering that Tobi was just like every other human-being in this world, whispering that Tobi was just like Zion's mother. They will all leave, it said. You open yourself up, leave yourself vulnerable . . . and then you get hurt. No exception.
Zion shook his head, looking up at the clear blue sky. "Anyway," he said. "Sorry for interrupting. You can continue."
"It's okay. It's not much, anyway." Tobi shrugged at the other sixteen-year-old. "Overall, I don't know what I'm really gunning for. Getting all the badges seems like a good goal, but . . . I dunno. I just want to . . . I want to prove my mom wrong. I want to show her that I'm not a failure."
Zion grinned. That's the spirit. He stood up and stretched his tired bones, while Tobi just blinked in confusion. Looking down at the other boy, Zion outstretched his hand, offering to help him up. "Come on, I think we've rested long enough. You can't prove your mom wrong by just sitting there, right?"
On the sidelines, Teddiursa and Pichu stared at the scene, a bit confused. But when Tobi eventually smiled, grabbed Zion's hand and heaved himself up, the two Pokémon realized that they didn't really need to understand what was going on. Their owners were friends, obviously . . . and that was all that needed to be known.
"Are you really ready?" Tobi asked, reaching for the backpack — but before he could grab it, Zion reached out and took it instead. Tobi just blinked in confusion, while Zion just winked.
"I think I can carry my own bag now," he said, pulling it around his shoulders. There was a pause, and Zion could already feel the backpack weighing him down. ". . . For a few minutes."
They both laughed, and even their Pokémon couldn't help but join along. It was the start of a new friendship; both parties could easily see that. Tobi relied on Zion's positivity and honest personality, because otherwise he'd probably still be a crying mess in front of Pallet Town. Zion relied on Tobi's inner willpower and courage to keep them both going, because otherwise his laziness would surely get the better of him.
They were a good match, whether they saw it or not.
"Anyway," Zion said, sheepishly scratching the back of his head. "Let's get on to Viridian City, shall we?"
Tobi nodded, determination flashing in his clear eyes, overpowering the emotional storm that swirled inside of him.
"Let's go."
Yeah, I will admit that I'm a bit iffy on how this chapter turned out. I feel like I either drag things out too long, or I don't have anything to write about so I just put in random stuff. I don't know. I really want to get to certain scenes that I've planned out, but I realize that I first need to create a basis, and you guys need to get to know these characters without me dumping a bunch of information in your faces. Sooooo yeah, I dunno. And also, this is my first time actually writing 3rd person (I'm much more proficient in 1st person), so my writing style feels a bit weirder than what I'm used to. IDK. Just know that I'm iffy on how this turned out, and I understand if you didn't really enjoy reading it that much.
erk.
B-But anyway, THE POLL RESULTS ARE IN! You can just check on my profile (at the very top where you voted at) if you want the full results, but the winner of the poll was Tobi Grey! Woohoo! Shihong Zhang won second place, and then a bunch of characters got third lmao. So yeah, congratulations Tobi! And congratulations Shihong!
Okay, I think that's enough from me. For those of you who have PMed me without a response, just know that I'll be getting to that sometime tomorrow. I'm the absolute worst at replying to PMs, and I apologuze for that.
But anyway, see you next time! Don't forget to review and stuff!
Bai!