Chapter 2: First Pokémon
"So Roger, which Pokémon do you want?" Roger's Aunt showed him a garden with many different Pokémon.
"Wait, where are the Hoenn starters?" Roger asked. "I thought I had a choice of Torchic, Mudkip, and Treeko."
"I decide to give my trainers any Pokémon they want as long as the Pokémon didn't evolve yet." His aunt explained. "I think trainers should be able to have a wider variety of options."
"That's so cool Roger!" Kate cheered. "But I have a feeling you aren't going to take advantage of that." She chuckled. Kate knew the exact Pokémon Roger wanted; it was his favorite one. She remembered how much he was talking about it and how he would never evolve it unless it wanted to.
"You're right Kate." He said wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "Aunt Birch, I want Torchic as my first Pokémon!"
"Torchic, huh? Come with me." She brought them to a big chicken coop filled with torchic. "Which one do you want?"
"You mean I get to choose?" He said looking at all the torchic around him.
"Yep, that way the trainer is able to pick a Pokémon that he or she would get along with." She said petting a torchic.
"Which one do you want?" Kate asked pocking Roger.
"I'm, not sure." He looked around a noticed that all the Torchic went into one big group, except for one. "Hey little buddy." He addressed the Torchic. "Why aren't you with your friends?"
"That Torchic is a shy one." Professor Birch said. "But this one does not realize the power it really has." She frowned at the Torchic.
"Well first of all that Torchic is a boy not an it." Roger said. "Second, what do you mean by powers?"
"This Torchic has really powerful egg moves that I gave him when I was doing some experiments. It knows moves like agility, crush claw, night slash, flame burst and a few more." She said looking at the sad Torchic. "But with knowing all these moves the poor thing forgot how to evolve. So it will be like this forever."
Roger approached the Torchic. "Hey, why not join me little guy. I can raise you to be really powerful!" He cheered.
"Tor." It denied Roger's request and sat down.
"I forgot to mention that this Torchic runs completely off of emotion." Professor Birch said. "He does not care about power, but he wants a trainer who would love and care for it. Sadly, you can't find trainers like that every day." She sighs.
"You don't say." Roger tried coming with up with an idea. He really wanted to help Torchic. He was all alone and doesn't even know how special he really was. "Torchic, I will show as much love and care as you want. I don't see you as just a Pokémon to use for battle; I see you as a friend. I don't care if you can't evolve, Torchic is my favorite Pokémon after all. So what do you say? How about being my first Pokémon?
"Torchic." The Pokémon looked right into Rogers eyes and could tell he meant every word he said. The Torchic started to tear up because he has never seen a trainer that would treat him like Roger said he would. "Torchic tor!" The Pokémon jumped on to Roger's shoulder letting know that he will join.
"Really, that's great!" Roger grabbed Torchic with his hands and held him up. "We are going to be best friends." Then he forgot about Torchic's pokeball. "Hey Aunt Birch, where is Torchic's pokeball."
"Here ya go!" She pulled out an orange pokeball with a torchic star painted on it. "I painted this trying to make Torchic feel better one day." She hands him the pokeball.
"Thank you. Now Torchic return." The red beam hit Torchic but he didn't go in the pokeball. "Hey what gives, I think it's broken."
"Not at all." His aunt said. "Torchic does not have a pokeball yet. I like trainers to catch their first Pokémon with a pokeball so they can get the experience of catching a Pokémon."
"Oh cool." Roger said placing Torchic on a table. "Get ready Torchic, welcome to the team!" He threw the orange pokeball.
"Torchic!" The Pokémon happily jumped off the table and into his new pokeball. The ball twitched three times and clicked.
"Great." His aunt said. "Would you like to give your Pokémon a nickname?"
"Yes." Roger said looking about Kate. "How about Torchie?"
"You mean the name of that Torchic plush I gave you on your thirteenth birthday?" Kate asked.
"Yep." He said holding her hand. "Well it looks like your new name is Torchie!" Roger said looking Torchie's pokeball. The ball shook up and down showing that Torchie agreed with the name.
"That's a great name." Professor Birch said. "Did you know Torchie actually hatched out of his egg in Fortree City and he is a twin of your sisters Torchic that she named Blaze. So not only are you two twins, but your Pokémon too!"
"Wow, how cool. She must be doing very great on her journey." Roger said.
"Anyway here comes the important part." His aunt said. "I want you to travel with my new invention." She pulls a phone with a pokeball symbol on it. "This is my Pokephone. It has all the same abilities as a normal phone and it has a built in pokedex. Sadly it has no data on it, so I want you to fill it out, the Kanto Region would be a great place to start. You can find Pokémon there that you can't find here." She handed him one. "Why not start with Torchie?"
"Ok, come out Torchie." Roger through his pokeball up and Torchie. "Smile." He said as the Pokephone scanned Torchie.
"Torchic, the Chick Pokémon. Torchic feels very warm to the touch thanks to the fire burning inside of it, and it can throw fireballs that are 1,800 degrees F." The Pokephone also showed the moves that Torchie knew and his special ability, speed boost.
"Wow Torchic knows a lot of moves. No wonder it does not know how to evolve." Roger said reaching his hand to Torchie so he can go on his shoulders.
"Yep I taught Torchie every egg move I knew it could learn." Professor Birch said like a proud parent.
"Well I want one! Can I have a Pokephone Professor Birch?" Kate asked.
"Sorry Kate, I'm not your professor, Samuel will be. I'm sorry but I don't have the authority to give one to you."
"Aw man. It's ok, I think Roger will share, right?" She said in a flirty way towards Roger.
"Well, I can't resist with that cute face." He said hugging her close.
"How about we get you ready for your journey Roger?" His aunt took them out of the lab back to the front door where Roger's Uncle Birch and Winona was. "Here I want you to have some stuff." She handed Roger a Pokeball Transmitter, some pokeballs, some money, and two tickets to the S.S. Anne. "I figured you will make use of all these. Those tickets will be your way to the Kanto region. You guys will end up in Vermillion city. Then take the Diglett Cave to Viridian City. After that take route one down to Pallet Town to meet Samuel."
"Thank you Aunt Birch for everything." Roger said while writing the directions down on a notepad.
"Here Roger." His Uncle gave him his notebook about fire type Pokémon. "It was so interesting I copied it off the printer. This will definitely help you on your journey. I guess it is a good thing that your Aunt is your professor instead of me. You would've never met that Torchic that seems much attached to you."
"Torchic Torchic!" Torchie jumped in agreement.
"Well we better get going." Winona said with Altaria next to her. "You guys still have to pack for your journey."
"Right." Kate said hoping onto to Altaria.
"Thank you guys so much, I won't let you down." Roger said hugging them.
"We wouldn't expect any less dear." His aunt said.
"Bye." Roger jumped onto Altaria's back with his arm around Kate's back.
"Altaria, use fly!" Winona demanded and they disappeared into the sky.
"Well we better tell Catherine the news." Professor Birch said to her husband.
"Right." Professor Birch responded to his wife. They went down to a computer and called Catherine.
"Hello?" she answered. "Oh hey Aunt and Uncle Birch. How's it going?"
"Good." Her Aunt Birch replied. "But we have some news."
"What is it?" Catherine asked petting her Blaziken through the screen.
"Your brother decided to start his journey in Kanto." Her Uncle Birch said.
"Roger, what? Why?" She asked in distress.
"Because Kate is getting her first Pokémon there and he is working on one of my new inventions there." Her Aunt Birch said.
"Ugh, you know he is going to want to compete in the Pokémon League at the Indigo Plateau. If he makes the top five he will face the Elite Four and if he defeats them that means he will find out I'm the champion." Catherine complained. "I need to prepare. What Pokémon did he start out with?" She asked desperately.
"Blaze's twin brother." Her Aunt Birch sighed.
"What! The powerful one with the egg moves!" Catherine screamed. "Blaze we have work to do, come on. Thank you Aunt and Uncle Birch. Make sure Roger does not find out. Bye." The computer screen shut off.
In Fortree City Roger was at his house packing up his sleeping bag, clothes, the supplies his aunt gave and Pokémon food for all kind of Pokémon. After that he changed into his clothes, a blue trench coat with a pokeball symbol on it, blue jeans, dark blue converse shoes and a white tee shirt with a torchic outline. He went down stairs. No one was there. Then he went outside and was surprised
"Goodbye Roger and Kate!" The citizens of Fortree City said.
He smiled and waved at them. "Thanks everyone, I will miss Fortree City a lot."
His parents and two kids walked to him, one had short black hair and light brown skin, he was seven, the other had long brown hair, with paler skin, and she was also seven. "Goodbye cousin Roger." They said giving him a hug.
"Aw, goodbye Jake and Maddie." He hugged them back.
"Well we will see you around. I know you will be successful." His dad said giving him a pat on the back and then walked back into the house.
"I'm going to miss you honey." Roger's mom said to him. "Goodluck."
"Thanks but where is Mercedes?" Roger asked worrying a bit.
"I couldn't find her." His mom said.
"Oh." Roger said depressed.
"Roger!" Altaria flew to him with Winona and Kate on it. "What is taking you so long?" Kate asked.
"I was just looking for Mercedes." Roger said not lifting his head up. He didn't even notice Kate's new clothes. A red button down with black jeans and red converse shoes.
"Come on our boat is coming in an hour." Kate said.
"Your right, bye everyone." As Roger approached the Altaria, a growlithe bit his leg. "Mercedes?" Roger looked down. "It is you!"
"Growlithe, growlithe growl." Mercedes barked at him. Winona jumped off Altaria.
"It seems that Mercedes wants to battle before you leave." She said.
"Really ok then, Torchie it's our first battle ever, come out!" Roger threw the orange pokeball in the air and Torchie appeared.
"Torchic Tor." Torchie growled ready for battle.
"Torchie use feather dance!" Roger commanded. Feathers flew off of Torchie and tickled Mercedes which lowered down her attack power. Then Mercedes used bite and Torchie flinched so Mercedes used ember. "Torchie are you ok?"
Torchie jumped up. "Torchic!"
"Good. Mercedes is fast so we will have to be faster. Use agility!" Torchie ran around Mercedes and stopped. "Good thing I can combine this with Torchie's speed boost. "Now Torchie use crush claw!" Torchie's talons tightly gripped Mercedes' neck and lowered down her defense. "Great, Torchie finish this up with flame burst!" A small but powerful ball of fire came out of Torchie's mouth and hit Mercedes with incredible speed causing her to give in. "Great, go pokeball." Roger threw a pokeball at Mercedes and heard three twitches and a click. "Look Torchie we caught our first friend."
"Torchic tor!" Torchie cheered in celebration.
The crowd started cheering at the wonderful sight and Roger's dad came out. "Son, you are a great trainer for sure!
"You are growing up already." His mom said.
"Thank you everyone!" Roger hoped on Altaria. "Goodbye."
"Altaria, fly to Slateport City's harbor!" Winona commanded. They made it there in ten minutes and everyone got off Altaria.
"Thanks for everything." Roger and Kate said to Winona.
"No problem you two will do great. Kate take care of him and Roger, I will be waiting for our gym battle." She said.
"You can count on it!" Roger said.
"Good and goodluck on your journey in Kanto. The S.S. Anne will be here shortly. But, till we meet again." Winona got on her Altaria and flew away.
The S.S. Anne appeared. "Isn't beautiful?" Kate said linking arms with Roger.
"Sure is." Roger said pulling out the tickets. "Are you excited?" He asked already knowing the answer.
"Definitely!" She said.
"Good, then let's go!" Roger picked up Kate and walked over to the ship with Torchie dancing at their side as they set sail towards Vermilion City in the Kanto region.