Well, first story, and I've already got a few reviews. I'm going to start by replying to them, to start off.

DisneyWriter: I wanted Brendan to be unique in terms of a protagonist, and I thought of one who didn't want anything to do with it. I didn't do that to Wally because that doesn't really fit him for me. Wally's reclusive by necessity, Brendan's reclusive by choice. And I will be fixing that * Break * in future chapters.

rylek196: I understand where you're coming from with Brendan seeming bland, and I hope this and future chapters will fix that for you. I'm sorry if more of May was shown than Brendan, but I felt somewhat more rushed with her, as Brendan has more time to be introduced in detail. Detail I am getting in to.

Disclaimer: I do not own pokemon. At all.

Route 101 was a relatively short one, with only a couple of people there. Neither were interested in battling, which was good, because Brendan saw multiple pokeballs on their belts. The first one was quite happy to explain that pokemon would come out of the grass to attack people, but that was a rare occasion, as most preferred to stay in the taller grass, unless they were more aggressive than not. The other, when Brendan gazed in confusion at the red Bug pokemon, named it as a Wurmple. It wasn't a total loss, though, as Brendan was able to recognize the brown Normal type Zigzagoon, mainly because his father had one.

Brendan and Neptune did battle a few wild pokemon before they reached the next town, which increased both Neptune's ability and Brendan's confidence. There were a few rough spots, though they worked out in the end.

As they entered the town, two hours later, Brendan noticed the sign saying "Oldale Town." He looked around. It was smaller than Littleroot, and he noticed that most of the people he saw were elderly. However, there were the distinctive red and blue roofs of the Pokemon Center and Pokemart. Seeing that, Brendan turned and walked towards the Pokemon Center. He had returned Neptune in order to give him some rest, and now he saw a chance to heal him. The glass doors opened as he approached, and Brendan entered to see the inside of the Center. It was small, but was a two story building. There was a PC over in the right corner, a small table across from it, and a window to order food from between them. In the center of the back was a Nurse Joy standing behind the counter, with her ever faithful Chansey standing next to her. Brendan could see a door behind them, and guessed it was for more serious cases. He walked towards the counter, looking up at the nurse before blushing slightly. She was pretty. He shook his head, before speaking up.

"Um, hi. I'd uh, like to have my pokemon healed, please?"

The nurse looked up from a newspaper she was reading, and smiled at him before replying. "Hello. I hope you're having a good day." She held out a hand. "Is there anything unusual or serious about this case?"

Brendan shook his head. "He's just tired, and a bit beaten up." He hesitantly put the pokeball into Joy's hand, before watching anxiously as she turned and placed it into a machine before switching it on, as a light enveloped the pokeball. After a few minutes, she removed it and handed it back to him.

"Your pokemon is fully recovered." She smiled at him. "Have a good day."

Brendan nodded, before turning to the window. He hadn't eaten since breakfast, and it had been a long day. He slowly walked towards it, waiting as it moved forward, until he was at the front. The older woman behind smiled as he fumbled with his order, until he finally managed to ask for a grilled cheese and a bowl of pokemon food. She smiled at him as she handed his order over. "Have a nice day, dearie."

Brendan coughed awkwardly as he placed the plate and the bowl down, before releasing Neptune to eat. The two enjoyed their meal, and returned the dishes before leaving the Center. As they left, a man wearing an apron walked up to him, smiling. Before Brendan could turn and run, as he always felt inclined to, the man had reached him, and immediately launched into a spiel about Pokemarts. It wasn't all bad, as it ended with him getting a potion from the man, but Brendan turned and walked out of town as quickly as possible, walking towards the area he hoped was Route 103.

Route 103, he hoped, was more open than Route 101. He only saw the same three species of pokemon that he had before, though. It only took an hour to traverse this route, and he noticed that it was a dead end, although he sat at the shore of a large lake while Neptune swam around. After an hour of that, he moved on. After more walking, Brendan saw a head of brown hair bent over in the longer grass of the route. He slowly walked over, before hesitantly calling out "May?"

Immediately, the head came up. May stared at him for a moment, before smiling, and waving. "Hey, Brendan!"

She stood and waved at him, smiling as she did so. Then she noticed the pokeball at his waist. "Oh! My father gave you a pokemon." She grinned.

Brendan looked down, and smiled nervously. "Yeah. It was a surprise, to be honest."

She nodded, before her face lit up. "Hey! Why don't we battle?"

Brendan blinked, then felt his stomach fall to his feet. "Battle?"

"Yeah! Since we're both new trainers, we'll both have an even shot!" The excitement in May's voice was obvious, and if Brendan was being honest with himself, he wanted to see what battles were like, after seeing so many on tv and seeing his father battle.

"Well, alright." His hand unclipped the pokeball from his belt, and he took a few steps back to give their pokemon room. May took a few steps back, grinning all the while.

"Ok, since I'm the challenger, I have to send out my pokemon first." She called. Then she expanded the pokeball in her hand, pulled back, and threw. "Go, Zoro!"

A light burst forth from the pokeball, and solidified into a green pokemon. "Treecko!"

Brendan winced. Treecko was a Grass type, so Neptune would have a disadvantage. But he did agree to battle, and he wouldn't back down just because of a type problem. He expanded his pokeball, and threw. "Let's go, Neptune!"

The blue pokemon solidified, and declared his presence. "Mudkip!"

The two pokemon faced each other, bending to prepare for battle. Brendan licked his lips. "Alright, Neptune. This is our first battle with a trainer, so lets try our best."

On the other side, May was grinning. "We're having a battle for the first time, Zoro! Let's get the ball rolling! Pound!"

Instantly, the Treecko accelerated, its tail glowing as it charged towards Neptune, crossing the distance between faster than Neptune or Brendan could stop it.

"Growl!" Brendan cried out desperately. Neptune was too slow to dodge it, slow his best bet was to try and mitigate the damage taken.

Neptune let out a threatening growl that made Zoro flinch, before it struck, sending Neptune sprawling.

"Get up! And use Tackle!" Brendan ordered. Neptune rose, and raced towards Zoro.

"Pound! Block it!" May commanded. The two attacks met in a clash, which held for a few moments, then the force pushed both back.

"Water Gun!" Brendan shouted. Neptune reared back, and fired a blast of water at the Treecko. Zoro was sent flying back, until it crashed painfully into the ground.

May actually growled as Zoro got up, before glaring at Brendan. "Alright. That's how you want to play it? Zoro, Absorb!"

Zoro lifted its hands, and two green lights erupted from them, wrapping around Neptune, and draining his power.

"Neptune!" Brendan cried in panic. The super effective move was quickly taking a toll on the Water type, and he had to think fast. Then Brendan remembered the move that the Mudkip had learned on their way to Oldale Town.

"Neptune! Mud Slap, now!" It was a last throw of the dice, a desperate move, and it worked. Neptune managed to charge up, and fling mud at Zoro with his tail. The attack struck the Treecko right in its eyes, and it jerked back in pain and confusion. "Tree!?"

The attack dissipated, Neptune slumped, breathing deeply. May grit her teeth. "So, your pokemon has a new move too? Well, here's ours! Zoro, Quick Attack! Finish it!"

At its trainer's command, Zoro charged forwards, light enveloping it as it accelerated even faster than it had before. Brendan's eyes widened.

"Neptune! Combo Mud Slap and Water Gun, on the ground!"

May's head snapped towards him. "What?!"

Neptune obeyed, despite not knowing what his trainer was thinking. Mud and water coated the ground, and it soon grew to the consistency of slick mud. Zoro kept running, and hit the muddy ground at a full-on sprint, sending it sprawling and flipping head over heels, until it slid to a stop four feet from the mud.

"Zoro, get up!" May screamed, but it was too late.

"Now, Neptune, finish this! Tackle!" Brendan called. Neptune rushed towards the slowly rising Zoro, finally hitting it just as it finished rising, and sending it flying back another two feet. It fell, with eyes spinning in its sockets.

May rushed over to the Treecko, picking it up. "Zoro?" she asked worriedly. Zoro weakly rose, and smiled at its trainer. She sighed in relief. "You did good, Zoro. Return."

Brendan returned the slumped and panting Neptune, and slowly walked over to May. "Um, is Zoro going to be alright?"

May took a deep breath, then turned to him. "Yeah, he should be ok. He just needs to go to a Pokemon Center."

Brendan let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. "Well, Neptune could use one, too." Then he made a sheepish grin, and rubbed the back of his head. "I actually didn't think that would work."

May stared at him for so long that he stopped and looked at her. "What? Did I get mud on my face?"

May shook her head. "No." Then she smiled. "Come on. Race you to the Center!"

Brendan blinked for a moment as she ran off, back towards the town. Then he turned and ran after her. "Hey, wait up!"

The nurse smiled at them as she passed their pokeballs back. "Have a nice day!"

"Thanks!" May chirped, while Brendan smiled weakly. "Yeah, thank you."

The two walked out, with May giving a contemplative look at Brendan. Brendan looked back. "What? What's wrong?"

Then May grinned, and ran off. "See you at the lab!"

Brendan blinked for a moment, then slowly walked back to Littleroot.

"So, sounds as if the two of you had an interesting battle," Professor Birch mused.

May had told most of the story, and now she elbowed Brendan. "Ah-ah, yes. We did."

Birch nodded, then turned and walked over to a table in the back of the lab. "Well, first off, your registration's all dealt with Brendan. And second, I have something for the two of you." He looked down at the two red devices in his hand as he pocketed something else from the drawer.

He turned and walked back to them, holding the devices up. "These here are Pokedexes. A Pokedex records information of pokemon you both see and catch. They also function as your Trainer IDs." He separated them, and held them out. "And they're yours."

May instantly grabbed hers, squealing in excitement. "Eeeeee! Thank you daddy thank you!"

Brendan slowly took his, turning it over in his hands. "A Pokedex." Then he looked up. "Why are you giving these to us?"

Birch grinned at the both of them. "Well, that's the thing. Any data you obtain is useful for my research. I'm not asking you to do anything, just that you gather information on what you see."

Brendan looked down, and bit his lip, before looking back up, and holding the Pokedex out. "Then this would probably be a waste. I have no intentions of going anywhere, and this is sure to be expensive."

Birch waved a hand aside, pushing the Pokedex back to Brendan. "Keep it. Like I said, and information is helpful. You can record any thoughts you think might help, too." Then he snapped his fingers, and dug into the pocket of his lab coat, pulling out five pokeballs. "These are yours, May, and these," he reached in again, pulling out five more, "are yours, Brendan."

Brendan hesitantly accepted them as May squealed and began stuffing them in her bag. Then he looked down at the Pokedex. "Are you really-"

"Oh!" Birch smacked his forehead, then pulled out a data chip. "Take turns, and download this into your Pokedex. It's an app that allows you to see what pokemon are available on a route, and if you have all the pokemon you can find there."

First May, then Brendan took turns entering the data into their Pokedexes. Then Brendan looked up, and gave a weak smile. "Thanks, but I should probably head home. Mom will be expecting me."

Birch nodded. "Well, I expect I'll be seeing you around, Brendan."

May frowned for a moment, then grinned. "Ok! See you later, Brendan!"

"Bye." Brendan slowly walked out of the lab, then back to his new home. Upon entering he was immediately set upon by his mother.

"Brendan! Are you alright? Where were you?"

Brendan gave a guilty start as he realized how late it was, not having even noticed how dark it was outside. "Oh! Well, it's a long story…"

"Well!"

Caroline wasn't sure how she felt about these new events. On the one hand, Brendan had a pokemon now, which meant he could travel between towns without fear. On the other hand, he had also asserted that he had no intention or desire to travel. In a selfish way, she was glad of that, but on a wider level, she was sad. She remembered when he had been so young, declaring that he would go everywhere, and see everything. She remembered when he had wanted to be a trainer. Caroline wasn't sure what or when her son had changed, but she was saddened by it. She wanted Brendan to go out and live again.

"Well, at least you're safe." She smiled at him. He was clearly tired.

Brendan nodded. "Yeah."

Then Caroline clapped her hands, and began making sweeping motions. "You and your new pokemon are all fed, now off to bed with you. Go!"

Brendan quickly ducked beneath her sweeping hands, then slipped up to his room with Neptune. He climbed beneath the covers of his bed as Neptune jumped up and landed on the pillow, before curling up. Brendan stared at his pokemon, then at the Pokedex on his desk.

'Mom… she doesn't want me to become like dad. He almost never comes home, or even calls. And I don't want to go out on some journey. I just want to read my books in peace and quiet.'

Then he looked at Neptune again. 'But… in those battles, Neptune enjoyed those. He likes battling. And… so do I. But… I can't face mom and dad right now. Especially not dad. He'll just go on and on about how I'm following in his footsteps. I don't know what to do.'

Brendan stayed awake for a very long time.

Morning came, and with it, breakfast, with its own surprise. "What?!"

Caroline nodded at her shocked son, beaming all the while. "That's right. Your father's coming!" Then her smile faded, somewhat. "It's only for a visit, and he'll be returning to the gym after a few hours, but it's something! Now," she continued as she began washing the breakfast dishes, not seeing the wide eyed look her son was giving her, "go clean up. You need it."

Brendan was pacing. Neptune had followed him for the first few passes, but now he was curled up to the side, watching him.

"I can't tell them. Mom won't like it, but she won't say that, and dad…" Brendan trailed off. He didn't want his father to know, didn't want his father to start talking about how proud he was that his son was following in his footsteps. That was the last thing Brendan wanted. He didn't want to be like his father, he didn't want to be like Norman. Brendan looked out his window. Route 101 was there, trees gently swaying in the breeze. He looked at his bookcase, and remembered Jeong Jeong's words. "Those who can, do. Those who can't, read about what is done."

Brendan turned, and opened one of his drawers. He pulled out two changes of clothes, a sleeping bag with pillow attached, and other necessities. He turned to his desk, walked over to it, and knelt down, packing everything. He put the pokeballs in a side pocket, and slipped his Pokedex into his pocket. He turned to Neptune. "Return."

As Brendan clipped Neptune's ball to his belt, he reached out and grabbed his jacket, pulling it on, and then zipping it up. As he did all this, he kept running the same mantra through his mind. 'I'm just seeing what it's like. I'm just going to Petalburg, no further. Just Petalburg.'

Brendan looked out the window, and his eyes widened. His father was walking out of the route. He tied the sheets together, and pulled his hat and backpack on. His father was walking towards the house. Brendan spun the sheet rope around the doorknob, and tied it off. His father had gone around the side. Brendan immediately shoved the window open, and threw the rope out to the side. He heard the door open, heard his mother's voice, but he was climbing out. Brendan landed, saw the route, and ran.

As he reached the safety of Route 101, Brendan turned back and watched the house. He licked his lips as he watched, and whispered, "just to Petalburg." He turned away from Littleroot, and walked onwards, towards Oldale Town.

Unknown to Brendan, it would be a very long time before he saw his house, or his mother, again.

So there's a few departures from game canon that I think fit more with Brendan as I'm making him, and his relationships. I won't be departing from canon too much, just where I think it will be more beneficial to the story overall. I hope you guys are seeing more of Brendan, and I hope you like what you see. If not, well, Swampert uses Ice Beam on flamers. See you all next time!