Chapter 17: Preparing for the Journey of a Lifetime—Skylark's Preparation for Kanto

About two weeks after the surprising tournament ending, Skylark began to prepare for his trip to Kanto. It was Wednesday, and on Friday they would leave for a boat to the Kanto region. Skylark was preparing not only for Kanto…but also for the trip afterward. He planned to win and then go off on his own to defeat the Kanto Region. And afterward, Johto. He also thought he may take a trip to the Sevii Islands. Afterwards, he would go to Hoenn. Then Sinnoh. Then Unova. And it was rather recent that they just discovered a new region, slowly being inhabited by people and scientists who wished to study the new Pokémon. It remains unnamed at the moment.

However, there was a problem in his plan; He hadn't told his mom. His mom knew he won and expected him to go to Kanto for the tournament, but she thought he would come home afterward. Tonight was the night, he decided, that he would tell his mom what he was going to do.

After packing his backpack with some clothes, some toiletries, a nice but small roll-up sleeping bag, and other small things he was going to take, he started to gather up money. While some people still used Pokédollars, many started converting to a card system that took the money they got from a bank. Everywhere accepted these cards, so no one had to walk around with hundreds or thousands of Pokédollars. After searching for a minute, Skylark finally found his card and checked online how much money he had. From winning all of his tournaments, he had a collected total of 21,000 Pokédollars. His jaw dropped at the ridiculous amount he had gathered.

Finally, after packing, he walked downstairs to the living room, where he found his mom fiddling on the PokéPad, which was a tablet that worked like a computer. He walked over to her and sat down, and she looked up. "Oh hi Skylark! Did you finish your packing?"

"Yeah, I got everything."

"Oh good honey. What do you want for dinner tonight?" His mom asked, pulling up some recipes on her tablet.

"Oh, whatever is fine. But mom, I need to talk to you." Skylark shifted nervously.

"What's up?"

"Well…I'm going to Kanto and all…and, well…I want to win the tournament."

"Obviously dear. You and Bulbasaur will easily win."

"Well, that's what I hope will happen. But, what I plan to do after is what is worrying me. Mom…I want to become a region trainer." Now, even though he was already a trainer, he wasn't a region trainer. A region trainer meant that they trained in a particular region in order to advance through the gyms and eventually conquer the Elite Four, making him the champion of that region.

"…" His mom didn't reply.

"I know it may be hard for you, being alone, and it will be hard for me leaving and going out on my own. But I want to do this, and I want to conquer the regions and become the best trainer I can. But I can't do it if I stay here…"

"Just like your father." His mom spoke up. She was slightly crying, but managed to steadily speak. "Your father wanted to conquer the Hoenn region. He wanted it more than anything. And he actually did it."

"What?! Dad defeated the Hoenn Elite Four!?" Skylark was shocked. His dad was so calm and peaceful, and he only seemed to own a simple Abra that occasionally Skylark saw. After his dad's death, however, Abra had been given to the Pokémon Scientists. Last he heard, the Abra was with Professor Oak, a scientist in Kanto.

"Oh, Skylark. He was magnificent. He had a party of Pokémon that was beyond your imagination. He had such powerful friends. That's what made him different than other trainers. He didn't treat his Pokémon like they were nothing, or lower than him, or that they were tools only for fighting. He treated them exactly like friends. He loved them to death. But as time went on, and I was pregnant with you, he stepped down as the leader of Hoenn and donated his friends to other trainers who he knew would treat them well. Oh, they were beautiful. Later, after giving up his friends, he received an egg from one of his old Pokémon, which was an Alakazam. That's where Abra came from."
His mom got all choked up.

"I can't believe it, Skylark. You're just like your father. Such high ambitions…" She seemed so happy that he wanted to do all this. "Do you have a partner to bring with you?"

"What?"

"Surely you're not going to wander through the Kanto region alone. You could get attacked or something." She said. "Bring someone as a partner. You two can become best friends too!" One person flashed in his mind, but he kept listening to his mom. Ultimately, after a few minutes of talking, his mom was happy for him to fulfill his dream. She even got up and double checked if he got everything; that's when she gave him a special item.

"They call this the PokéTent. You're dad picked one up during his journey. It's as small as a Pokéball, but when you press the center button, it unfolds into a large tent. Let me show you." Skylark and his mom walked outside, and she took the small blue ball out and pressed the center button. She counted to three and then threw it, and it slowly unfolded and made itself into a large blue tent. It was one large circle with some flooring in it too, as well as a zipper door in front. Near the top it was grey. Overall, it was amazing and rather impressive. "Take it with you."

Skylark was shocked at the overwhelming support of his mom. He expected her to make him stay, but instead she urged him to go on. He was so happy at this. Not only that, but he was shocked about his dad. His dad was the champion of Hoenn…who would have known?

However, something bugged him. He needed to get a friend to go with him to Kanto for his journey. He only knew one person to ask, but he didn't know how they would respond. Still, he gathered up the courage he had and looked in the directory, and soon found her address. He walked to her house with Bulbasaur by his side, and soon found himself in front of Grace's house.

"Alright Skylark…she's your friend, isn't she?" Skylark took a deep breath and walked forward to the door and knocked. He waited for a minute before the door flung open and Grace ran outside and tackled Skylark with a hug.

"Ah! Skylark!" She shouted happily. Grace was a 14 year old (two months younger than Skylark) blonde girl who Skylark befriended after he beat her in the tournament. "I heard you won! That's so awesome!"

"Haha, thanks! I'm excited to be going to Kanto." He replied, still worried about what she will say.

"Well, come on in! My dad is at work, but he'll be home soon. But feel free to come on in." Grace grabbed Skylark's hand and pulled him inside. She lived in a house like Skylark, but the upstairs was a bunch of rooms while the first floor was just a living room, a den and the kitchen. She was rather energetic today. "So, who are you taking to Kanto?"

"That's…uh, that's why I'm here." They sat down in the den area. "I don't really know who I'm planning to bring with me, so I wanted to know if you by any chance…"

"Are…are you asking me if I want to come with you!?" Her face blew up with excitement. "I'd love too!"

"Well, that's good! But the main issue here is this…" Skylark took a deep breath. "I'm going to do my best to win, and after I win I plan on going through the regions as a regional trainer and defeating the gyms and the Elite Four in each region. I told my mom today, and she happily approved. However, she wants me to bring along a partner, or someone to keep me company. And, well, I wanna know if—"

"OH MY GOSH! YES! YES! YES!" She stood up and ran over to Skylark, tackling him with another hug. Something was wrong with her and hugs, Skylark began to think.

"So, I guess this means you want to come along with me?"

"Of course Skylark! I'd love to come along with you!" She went back to her chair and sat down. "I'll need to pack quickly and make sure my dad is okay with it, but I'm sure he will. He's usually a carefree guy, and if he knows I'm with such a strong trainer I know he'll be okay with it." Skylark blushed at her compliment, but he was relieved knowing that she was willing to go along with him in Kanto.

Skylark went ahead and shared with her what his plan was. He told her that he had some supplies, like the PokéTent. She was excited about the whole thing, and she was eager to get started on their journey. She almost went to go pack but it was at this moment that her dad came home.

"Ah dad!" She ran outside and greeted him. He pulled up in a nice, small car, and then he soon came inside, following Grace. Skylark sat in the den and watched as the dad walked forward and observed him. He was a bald man, probably mid-forty's, and was skinny.

"You're Skylark, yes?" He said. "Grace wouldn't shut up about you after you beat her in the tournament." Skylark felt a little guilty again, but he didn't move. "She's pretty fond of you."

"Oh, but dad, guess what he wants me to do!" He turned and faced Grace. "He wants me to come with him to Kanto to watch him compete in the tournament, and then he wants me to join him as he goes through Kanto and the other regions as a regional trainer!" He stopped for a moment and looked confused.

"Regional trainer?" He turned around and faced Skylark. "That's a rather high goal, boy."

"Yeah…but I'm pretty sure I can do it if I have the right friends." He was referring to Bulbasaur and Grace.

"I see." He turned and asked Grace to leave the room for a second. She happily took this as a yes and ran upstairs, eagerly preparing to pack. He turned back to Skylark, who now grew nervous. He stuck out his hand. "My name's Jared." Skylark shook his hand. "Is it true you want to take my Grace with you?"

"Well, yes, sir…" Skylark simply stated. "She and I talked some at the tournament, and she's one of my only friends. My mom wants me to bring someone along with me, and I figured I could bring her…if that's alright, I mean."

"What level is your Bulbasaur?" He asked.

"I think…level 13." Skylark replied.

"Have any more than just that one?"

"Not at the moment, but I plan to catch some in Kanto, maybe Johto too." There was a moment of silence as her dad sat there and slowly thought about things.

"Do you have a lot of money?"

"About 21,000 sir."

"That'll cover a lot…as well as winning the gyms and with other trainers." He replied. He thought some more. "How much are you willing to do to protect her?" He was serious, and his voice was stern.

"I promise sir, I'll do everything in my power to keep her safe. Ahead of myself, even." Skylark said. Some of that was just trying to convince her dad, but Skylark partially meant it. She was his only friend.

"Alright boy, you listen well. I'll let her come with you. But you have to promise me one thing…" He said. "Ahead of everything else, you make sure she is safe and cared for well. If she calls home and says she isn't, you take her to the next ship and send her home immediately, or I will call the police on you." He said this in a very serious tone, but Skylark was overjoyed that he agreed.

"Y-yes sir. Thank you very much."

"Now, I'm going to talk to Grace about it too. If you want you can come over tomorrow and you two can hang out." He didn't say it, but this was Skylark's code to leave.

"Thank you sir. I'll see you tomorrow." Skylark got up and walked out of the house, making his way back home. The next day, he made sure everything he wanted to bring with him was packed and ready to go, because he wouldn't be back home for a long time. Then he went to Grace's house, where he hung out before leaving for dinner. Finally, it seemed, everything was going right. He had a partner, he was going to Kanto, and everything was just great.

On Friday morning, he and his mom met with Grace and her dad at the port. Grace had packed her backpack to the brim with clothes and other things, as well as her Lapras in its Pokéball. By her side was her Eevee. They loaded on board the boat, and turned around to her dad. She shouted out her goodbyes to her dad, promising to return one day, and they soon were out of sight of Slateport. It was now only a small amount of time before Skylark would begin his quest.

His quest to become the Pokémon Master was just beginning.