DISCLAIMER: I do not own pokemon.
This is my second attempt at the exact same story and premise. Hope I've improved since then, Enjoy!
May 5th 2021
Mauville City in the Hoenn region was known for many things. The gym, the powerplant, the (somehow) only bike shop and also for being the centre of mainland Hoenn. Soon it would also become known for being the home of Daniel Todd, a 15-year old aspiring pokemon trainer.
The day he set out to Prof Birch's lab had arrived and he intended to use it to its fullest. He'd had this day planned since he got his provisional trainer licence a few months ago. First, go to his grandparent's daycare on the way to Verdanturf, then go through Rusturf tunnel to get to Rustboro city. From there it was more straightforward. Across a forest and then Littleroot was just a couple of towns over. There were quicker ways of course, but he neither had the money nor the skills required to catch a ferry from Slateport or use Surf to get across the lake on Route 103. Daniel preferred going on foot anyway.
Most children chose to get their provisional licence at twelve, but not Daniel. He didn't want to wait three years after getting his first pokemon to begin the gym challenge, after all, the wait would kill him. Besides the fifteen-year age mandate, there was also a new requirement to do the gym challenge these days. An endorsement. Out of all the things the world had adopted from Galar's way of gym battles, it was easily the most annoying. The whole audience aspect was thrilling and the league including gym leaders in the regional conference was all interesting and fun. There were only two ways to get an endorsement, you either needed someone with authority (like a gym leader or anyone important really) or you needed to land in the top eight of one of the amateur tournaments held once every three months.
Money was another thing rookie trainers had to worry about, pokeballs, potions, repels, lodgings, etc are all paid from the pocket if you didn't have a sponsor. It wasn't often that the person endorsing your league challenge helped pay for your travels.
Daniel himself was aware of his predicament but he wasn't too worried. The first two years gave a trainer a free pass to stay for free at Pokemon Centres and the cash prize from each gym battle if spent responsibly, in theory at least help him until he got famous enough to have someone sponsor him.
If worst came to worst and he couldn't even manage an endorsement, he could always just cycle back home with his new pokemon friend. He'd set up his bag days in advance, everything was perfect. He had his pokenav, his cycle keys, about thirty repels and two thousand pokedollars. He was as ready as could be.
No time was to be wasted, and so Daniel left home and stepped out onto the streets for what was to be the journey of a lifetime.
"Ok, now first things first," Daniel says as he brings out a max repel and sprays it around himself.
"Ugh, if nothing else it sure does repel me."
He cycled his way to the daycare on Route 117 where he was greeted by the trusted head of security, Mikey the Charmeleon.
"Good morning Mikey, great day huh?"
"Char!" replied the red fire-type excitedly. There was nobody who knew Daniel that didn't know the importance of today.
"Do you know where the owners are? I didn't see the lights on in the storage room."
"Charmeleon! Char." Mikey pointed his claw to the back door that lead to the field behind the building.
Daniel walked across the small reception room and towards the back door. He went through and was surprised as always as to how big the place really was. One couldn't really judge the daycare based on the tiny reception room, all the money Daniel's family could muster went into the extremely beautiful land that was their pride and joy.
The land was versatile to accommodate as many different types of pokemon as possible. The field wasn't nearly as large as the pokemon ranch owned by or anything, but it was still a wonder as to how this feat was managed. There were small pools of water littered across for drinking and also for the smaller water types, and in the middle, there was a large one which was currently home to a Gyarados and two Milotic. The large waterbody took as much space as the Mauville gym and the daycare couple even got some plants to grow on its bed. On the left the land was rocky and dry with some small rock formations, perfect for pokemon that preferred dryer areas like Geodude and Trapinch, while on the right the field was lush green and had a group of trees making a small forest. Even the local pokemon occasionally showed up there. Daniel could only hope to achieve half of what his grandparents had. It took them ten years, but when he was four, they finally managed to bring their passion project- the daycare.
"Hey grandpa! Grandma!" Daniel called out.
Robert and Clara were in the middle of feeding the pokemon. Laughing and listening to each other and the many pokemon around them. When the old couple turned to see their grandchild walking toward them, they smiled.
"Dear, weren't you supposed to head straight to Verdanturf?" Asks Clara.
"You guys weren't at home when I woke up, couldn't leave without saying bye could I?"
"It's not like you're gone forever Danny-boy, we'll see you again before the end of the month anyway," Robert said despite his uncontrollable smile.
Clara and Daniel laughed at Robert's feeble attempt to hide his happiness.
"Have you taken everything you need?" Asked Clara.
'Oh no! It's begun' both Robert and Daniel knew 'it' had started- Clara had gone into worry mode.
"Yes grandma, I check"
"Your map? Phone?"
"The pokenav has both remember?"
"Change of clothes? Don't forget to brush and also-"
"That's enough now Clara, Danny has to leave now. Right?"
Daniel mentally thanked his grandfather for the save.
"I'll call tonight! I'll probably be in Rustboro. So uh, ya. See you both soon."
Daniel got up to leave and hugged his grandparents. They watched their young boy get ready to set out into the world and couldn't help but remember a similar scene oh so many years ago.
"Your parents would be proud, remember that," declared Robert proudly.
"Thanks, grandpa. Means a lot."
Daniel smiled and took his first steps into the wilderness. His story was just beginning.
AN: And cut! That's the first chapter done, please review if you find anywhere I could improve it really does help! Thank you for reading!