Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon
Amber and Pichu came bursting into the mansion. Annastasia, Bleu, and Lil-G followed closely behind, having slowed down once they had gotten to the porch, giving Amber and Pip a chance to catch up.
"We're back!" Amber called into the enormous house.
"You need a bath," Jay said as he joined her in the foyer.
He was dressed in a chic coach jacket, designer faded black jeans, a white Mareep- wool undershirt, Nike Air Force basketball sneakers, and brown RAEN vintage sunglasses. His purple hair was arranged in its usual display of spikes.
"And a new wardrobe," he added.
"You need a new face," Amber retorted. She reached over and attempted to touch his hair, but he dodged her.
"Pichu pi!" Pip giggled.
"I just fixed it!" Jay whined, trying to keep Amber away from his head.
Their friend Takeshi entered the foyer and walked up to Annastasia. He handed her a bag.
"He does make a point, Amb," said Takeshi. "No offense, but you are kinda ripe."
Amber completely ignored his comment. Instead, she grabbed the bag from Annastasia and looked inside eagerly.
"What's this?" she asked, pulling out a little box.
"Mine," Annastasia said as she swiped the bag.
"Your great-grandparents told me to give it to you when you came back," said Takeshi. "They want you to wear it to the Cherryblossom Festival."
"What a nice watch," Annastasia said as she examined the contents of the box. Jay helped her put the new timepiece onto her wrist. "I wonder why they didn't give it to me themselves."
"They said they had to leave and wouldn't be back until tomorrow."
"Oh, yeah. I forgot they were meeting at Delia's hospital. Delia, Giovanni, Nanny, and Pop-pop have 'business' to discuss."
"Dat's right," Meowth said as he entered the room.
"Let me guess, you're our baby sitter?" said Annastasia.
Meowth pointed to Amber. "Dere worried about her."
"Why me?" asked Amber, pretending to sound like she didn't already know.
"Reason 1: Yous got twerp blood, and weeze always say dat once a twerp always a twerp. Reason 2: Yous carry 'round dose weapons and last night ya knocked down a hundred-dollar vase down with dem arrows."
"Yeah, you are going to accidentally shoot someone one day," said Jay.
Amber turned to Jay. "I thought you were always on my side?"
"I am, I…I just don't wanna die…"
"Pichu Pii!" the electric rat sighed crossly, making a 'tsk-tsk' sign with its fingers.
"Come on Pip, let's go bathe," Amber sighed as she left the foyer.
"I have a few things to do as well," said Takeshi. "See ya soon."
"Where are our parents?" Jay asked.
"Dey took Jocelyn out to breakfast," Meowth replied. "A super special breakfast."
"Oh…figures."
"It's because she's the baby," Annastasia reasoned.
"After she is gone, they will have no one left to baby," Lucy said as she joined them.
"They will have Acorn and Aliyah," said Jay. "And all their other monz."
"It's not the same."
"Seems the same to me. Hey, why aren't they upset that I'll be leaving?"
"They are," Annastasia assured them. "They spent ten years preparing themselves for it; Jocelyn didn't decide that she wanted to come until recently. They figured they would have at least another three years. But they are being overdramatic…I can sense they think about it all the time. We'll see them daily over video chat and meet up with them occasionally."
"Anyway, I came to tell you that everyone's on their way to the festival so we should probably go too," said Lucy.
"Is my mom bringing Vaporeon and Articuno?" Amber asked as she trotted back down the stairs.
"I dought yous were gonna take a bath," said Meowth.
"I dOuGhT yOuS wErE g—"
"She'll probably bring Vaporeon, but probably not Articuno," Annastasia interrupted. "Rare Pokémon of that size always attract loads of attention—and she's already famous. I think that as usual, we're going to work toward not standing out."
Amber nodded and took the hairbrush she had left behind. Amber, Jay, and Annastasia proceeded up the stairs.
"Hey look, someone left a present in the middle of the staircase," Jay said as he bent to pick it up.
The moment he touched it a shot of smoke hit his face. There was a flash of brown and blue. Jay fell, plowing into Amber, who plowed into Annastasia, who fell down the last three steps with the children landing on top of her. She opened her eyes to find a shiny Purrloin staring her in the face.
"Gotcha. April Fools!" Logan announced.
Annastasia, Amber, and Jay groaned, then moved until they were facing him.
"I knew you were behind that," Amber defended.
"That was dangerous," Annastasia scolded.
"What happened?" Jay groaned.
"You fell for our prank," Lily explained after she sprang onto Jay's stomach.
"Get off of me!" Jay screeched. He pushed her off of him. "These clothes are brand new!"
"Yeah, you twerps are sooo annoying," Amber said as helped Jay stand.
"Well, it was funny," said Logan. "I like when Jay shrieks."
"Yeah, it's great," he mumbled.
Everyone helped Amber collect the toiletries that had flown from her shower bag after the attack. Logan continued to taunt them.
"I was ready until you franken-kittens destroyed my look!" Jay complained in that high-pitched voice that only came out when he was stressed.
"What did I miss?" Takeshi asked as he came down the stairs.
"Just the usual chaos," Annastasia replied.
Jay was holding a tiny mirror out in front of him and was trying to fix his hair. "I need more gel…"
Amber rolled her eyes. "You look fine. Just leave it."
"I want to always look my best, you know that."
"Whatever. I'm getting in the shower. When you are done perfecting your look, why don't you pick out my outfit? I have no idea what I am supposed to wear."
"I'll get Togetic and we'll get straight to work!"
XO
"Mommy, Daddy, we should go out like dis more often!" Jocelyn said as she dug into her breakfast.
"Flaaaafy!" her Pokémon partner exclaimed.
She and Flaafy were eating Pikachu and Squirtle shaped chocolate chip pancakes in a diner not far from her great-grandparent's mansion. Her parents passed her more whipped cream.
"You know, your dad can make those anytime," said Jessie.
"But you're always busy," she retorted. "You are always taking care of the Pokémon or cookin for the restaurant or going on those secret missions."
"Next time you ask me I will make them," said James. "I promise."
"Pinky swear?" she asked.
"Pinky swear."
She linked pinkies with both of them. "You better not break it—that's a serious off-ence."
"Fla," Flaafy agreed.
"I never broke a promise. Never ever," James responded.
"It's true", said Jessie. "Mostly. At least not in the last eighteen years."
"Good," she nodded.
"Flaaaa."
"I bet you took me and not Onēsan or Jay because I'm the favorite."
"Well, Jay was taking a two-hour long shower and Annastasia was out in the woods with her Pokémon this morning, so that's why they missed out," James explained.
"But you really are the favorite too," Jessie added with a wink. "Just don't tell the others."
"My lips are sealed!" she replied.
"Flaaa feee."
Jocelyn continued to devour her pancakes and fruit. They talked for a while about the Cherryblossom Festival.
"Jocelyn, your father and I wanted to talk to you about something other than the Cherryblossom Festival," said Jessie.
"Am I in trouble?" she asked in the sweetest tone she could muster.
"Fla fla?"
"Of course not," said James. "It's about your upcoming journey."
"We were thinking that maybe you were a teensy bit too young to be leaving," said Jessie.
"But I'm a big girl!" Jocelyn protested.
"Flaaafy!"
"That's true, but you're still only seven. We think at least ten is a better age to start," James replied.
"But Bonnie and Max got to travel with their older siblings when they were my age! I heard the stories!" Jocelyn cried. "And I already have my own Pokémon!"
"Flaafy flaaaaaa!"
"Are you sure you want to go? Camping all the time can get stressful," said James.
"There's no AC or heat, and public restrooms are gross," said Jessie.
"That's why we'll stay in the Pokémon Centers," Jocelyn insisted. "Even Jay said those restrooms are clean!"
"Flaaaa!"
"Sometimes they're filled up or too far away. You are bound to camp out at least a few times a month."
"Plus, it's dangerous out there. You can be attacked if you accidentally wander from the group."
"Flaafy will protect me," she responded. "He pinky-promised he would."
Jessie leaned into James.
"She isn't going to budge on this," she whispered, covering her mouth with her hand.
"I know. I just don't want to see her go too," he whispered back.
"Maybe it's for the best. She needs to make new friends. And she will be with a bunch of other people. Annastasia will keep her safe."
"If you say so."
"Stop whispering about me!" Jocelyn demanded.
"Flaafy!"
Jessie and James broke their huddle.
"Princess, are really proud of you, but we are going to miss you a lot and we want you to be safe," said James. "If you ever need us, we are just a phone call away. We'll come whenever, no matter what."
"And we won't give you a hard time about it either," said Jessie.
Jocelyn and Flaafy exchange a long, meaningful glance.
"I really am gonna miss yous!" Jocelyn wailed as she hugged her parents.
"Flaaaafffyyyy!" Flaafy bawled, joining their hug.
James patted her back. "We still have a few more days together; you don't leave until the end of the Cherryblossom Festival. That's a full week from today. But if you are having doubts…it's never too late to change your mind."
"No," Jocelyn asserted. "I-I'm doing this!"
"Flaaaa!"
"I'm so excited about everything. April is my favorite month because we get to go to the festival and go on rides, play games, eat candy, and win contests and there are going to be a ton of Pokémon there too!"
"Fla!"
Jocelyn stood triumphantly on top of the table in the diner. She threw her fists in the air. Jessie and James looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders. Jocelyn's emotions were often all over the place, as theirs used to be, and sometimes still were. Nor was Jocelyn afraid to embarrass herself in public.
"I'll become a Pokémon Master, like Onēsan!" she shouted.
"Flaaaa!"
"Hahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!"
Jessie and James' faces turned red with embarrassment as they grabbed Jocelyn and sat her back down.
"What'd I do?" she asked innocently.
"Flaaaa?"
XO
Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away in the Alola region, seventeen-year-old Michio Kapule and his parents were in the midst of a heated argument.
"Tell me this is a sick joke," Michio demanded as he looked between them. "You can't do this…have you lost your fucking minds?! How could you do this to me?"
"Relax," his mother said as Michio glowered.
Michio and his parents were members of the wealthiest family in Alola. Michio was the undefeated champion of the Alola Pokémon League three years standing. He had some of the world's rarest and most powerful Pokémon on his team. He, his parents Makoa and Keaka, and elder brother Koan lived in the region's largest mansion atop the vastest piece of private property ever to be owned by anyone in Unova, Alola, and Kalos combined.
"This 'Pokémon Master' identity has gone to your head," said Makoa. "You've completely disregarded your roots. You're the twelfth generation to inherit this family's fortune and we will not allow you to waste it or to ruin our prestigious reputation! That's why we're confiscating all of your Pokémon and sending you to the Kanto region. There, you will receive a starter Pokémon and start a new journey. This way we all win."
"This is not a 'win' for anyone but yourselves," Michio argued. "Taking away my champion Pokémon and forcing me to start from scratch like some stupid, lower-class, ten-year-old in a region I never even heard of…camping in the woods? What am I? Some kind of animal?"
"Kinda," his mother replied. "Your behavior has been out of control. You have wasted millions of dollars spoiling yourself. Some of the families that our family has been allied with for generations won't even speak to us because of your arrogant and rude behavior. This will humble you, make you a stronger, yet gentler, human being. This is what's best."
"My best or your best?"
"Both."
"This is nonsense."
"We're giving you what you deserve," Makoa asserted. "Whether or not this is a blessing or a curse is for you to decide."
"How am I supposed to survive out in the god-damned forest without my Pokémon?"
"You will be fine. Sure, Kanto is a bit more…dangerous then it was a few years ago…" Keaka murmured.
"We made arrangements so you will not have to worry about being killed," Makoa finished.
Michio groaned. "What are these arrangements?"
"We set up an appointment for you to meet with Professor Oak Jr, Kanto's chief researcher. He is a very informed young man. He even has a daughter leaving for her journey the same day," said Keaka. "He will give you the option to take either a Bulbasaur, Squirtle, or Charmander. Since it is such a big group going out, you may even get the additional choice of a Pikachu or Eevee. There is a whole bunch of kids that will be traveling together, and you will be sticking with them."
"Degrading."
"It's the only way we'll allow you to keep your Pokémon and inheritance," said Makoa. "Follow our rules or the fortune's all Koan's and your Pokémon will be vended."
"You're bluffing."
"You're only seventeen, so all of these rare and powerful Pokémon are legally under our ownership. After you turn eighteen, you are free to do whatever you want. You can return to the family and behave like a gentleman, and we will give you back all your legendary Pokémon, or you can continue to be rude and ungrateful and then you can live wherever you want—but not here."
Michio crossed his arms. "Fine…but if you're trying to prove a point, I'll prove you wrong."
Before his parents could respond, Michio left the sala, slamming the door behind him. His mother dialed Gary Oak.
"Professor, this is Keaka Kapule. We just explained the arrangements to Michio. He will meet you at your lab this Saturday at 8:00 am."
"I look forward to meeting him," Gary replied.
Gary hung up and turned to Soledad, who was grooming a Charmander. She hummed blissfully and danced around to some music she had playing in the lab.
"Who was that?" she asked.
"A young man who will be coming to our lab on Saturday," he explained.
"Oooh. Is he cute?"
"He is wayyy out of your league…and ten-year-olds should not be asking those types of questions."
"Whatever. Charmander, you're all done. Thanks for letting me groom you."
"Charmander Char!" it replied happily.
"You look awesome. Now on to Pikachu."
"Be careful," Gary warned. "That Pikachu is a little…stubborn…to say the least."
Soledad lifted the electric rodent. "I'm great with Pokémon, remember? And it's so cute, it's the best of all!"
"You'll see."
Soledad hugged Pikachu tightly.
"Pikkkkkaaa!"
Soledad was hit with her first Thunderbolt. She screamed and fell to the ground. The Pikachu laughed in her face. After helping her stand and asking her status, Gary said:
"They are sometimes shy…but other times…well…shocking, isn't it?"
"Ha…" Soledad retorted. "Pikachu, I won't choose you."
The Pikachu did not seem to care as she moved to the other side of the room, where she curled up and fell asleep.
'I feel bad for the trainer who picks you,' Gary thought to himself as he went back to work.
AN: Thanks for reading! Please leave a review if you have the time. It would make me super happy:)
- The conversation between Soledad and Gary was a reference to the first episode of Pokémon when Ash goes and meets Pikachu for the first time.
- Since I have so many original characters, I created profiles for the more prominent ones. These are for Annastasia, Amber, and Jay (the rest will come in the next few chapters:)
Profiles:
Full Name: Annastasia Miyamoto Morgan
Nicknames: Onēsan, A, Anna-chan, and Princess.
Birthdate: November 3, 2015
Age: 17 years
Current Home: Pallet Town
Career: Team Rocket Special Agent/Recruiter
Parents: Jessica Musashi Morgan and James Kojiro Morgan.
Siblings: Jay (younger brother, age 10) and Jocelyn (younger sister, age 7).
Other Relatives: Rumika (aunt), Delia (aunt), Giovanni (uncle), Mondo (uncle), Duplica (aunt), Meowth (uncle), Lucy (aunt) Lily and Logan (cousins).
Friends: Lexi (friend/neighbor, age 16), Nolan (friend/neighbor, age 18), Rita (friend/co-worker, age 17), Amber (family friends, age 10), Soledad (family friend, age 10), June (family friend, age 10), and Takeshi (family friend, age 11).
Pokémon: Altaria (nicknamed- Bleu), Lillipup (nicknamed- Lil-G), others are at Team Rocket Headquarters.
Appearance: Same height as her parents (5'6"), long blond hair, turquoise eyes, ivory skin, usually wears custom-made Team Rocket uniform and likes to wear hair down or tied in a bun. Her two main Pokémon stay out of their balls and follow her everywhere.
Personality: "INFP" (Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling, and Perceptive). Annastasia's strengths are her tendencies to be responsible, compassionate, and empathetic. Her weaknesses include her tendencies to hide her emotions, to respond emotionally to criticism, and to make rash judgments.
Relationships: Her brother Jay is truly her best friend, though she has collected several over the years. She acts as a mentor to those around her who are younger and have less experience in certain fields.
Interests: Pokémon care and battling, journaling, fitness, nutrition, martial arts, surfing, and yoga.
XO
Full Name: Amber Kasumi Ketchum
Nickname: Amb
Birth Date: May 19, 2022
Age: 10
Current Home: Cerulean City
Parents: Ash Ketchum and Misty Waterflower
Career: Junior Rocket in Primary Training, currently going on her first Pokémon journey.
Siblings: None
Other Relatives: Autumn (aunt), Brock (uncle), Tracey (uncle), Daisy (aunt), Gary (uncle), Dawn(aunt) Serena (aunt), Clement (uncle), May (aunt), Drew (uncle), Iris (aunt), and Cilan (uncle). She also has several cousins (her mothers' sisters' side) but they are not prominent in this story.
Friends: Nolan, Lexi, Jay, Annastasia, Jocelyn, Soledad, June, and Takeshi.
Pokémon: Pichu (nicknamed Pip)
Appearance: The shortest trainer of the group at 4'2" and a little scrawny, she has brown eyes, tan skin, and passed shoulder-length dark ginger hair. She usually wears custom-made Team Rocket uniform, if not then she prefers t-shirts, sweatshirts, jeans, and sweatpants. Pip likes to ride on her shoulder, and she always carries around a bow and arrows.
Personality: "ENFJ" (Extroverted, Intuitive, Feeling, and Judging). Amber's strengths lie in her compassion, imagination, sociability, humor, and willingness to advocate. Her weaknesses include her tendencies to sometimes be stubborn, criticize, and to not think ahead.
Relationships: Amber is really close to the Morgan family. Jay is like her surrogate twin; they do everything together whenever possible, Annastasia is her role model, and Lily and Logan are her rivals.
Interests: Pokémon battling, archery, going out on adventures, playing poker, and just hanging out with friends.
XO
Full Name: Jay Paul Morgan
Nickname: N/A
Birthdate: January 1, 2022
Age: 10
Current Home: Pallet Town
Career: Junior Rocket in Primary Training, currently going on his first Pokémon journey.
Parents: Jessica Musashi Morgan and James Kojiro Morgan.
Siblings: Annastasia (older sister, age 17) and Jocelyn (younger sister, age 7).
Other Relatives: Rumika (aunt), Delia (aunt), Giovanni (uncle), Mondo (uncle), Duplica (aunt), Meowth (uncle), Lucy (aunt) Lily and Logan (cousins).
Friends: Lexi, Nolan, Amber, Soledad, June, and Takeshi.
Pokémon: Togetic
Appearance: average height (4'5") He has short, spiked, purple hair, green eyes, and ivory skin. He usually wears custom-made Team Rocket uniform, if not he wears designer brand-name clothing of varying styles. Togetic usually flies next to him or rests on his shoulder.
Personality: "INFP" (Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling, and Perceptive—same as Annastasia's). Jay's strengths include his tendencies to be positive, creative, caring, and emotional. His weaknesses include his high sensitivity, defensiveness, forgetfulness, and tendency to get overzealous.
Relationships Amber is his best friend and Takeshi is his other, the latter is more like a distant cousin to him. He is very close to his sister Annastasia and tells her even his deepest secrets. Soledad, being the only one of his friends to also live in Pallet, knows him better than several of his other traveling companions.
Other Relatives: same as Annastasia/Jay.
Other interests: Fashion, taking care of Pokémon, playing guitar, and singing.
XO
Full Name: Jocelyn Rumika Morgan
Nicknames: Princess
Birthdate: February 14, 2025
Age: 7 years
Current Home: Pallet Town
Career: none
Parents: Jessica Musashi Morgan and James Kojiro Morgan.
Siblings: Jay (older brother, age 10) and Annastasia (older sister, age 17).
Other Relatives: Rumika (aunt), Delia (aunt), Giovanni (uncle), Mondo (uncle), Duplica (aunt), Meowth (uncle), Lucy (aunt) Lily and Logan (cousins).
Friends: Lexi, Nolan, Amber, Soledad, June, and Takeshi.
Pokémon: Flaafy
Appearance: (3'6") Long magenta hair, green eyes, ivory skin, usually wears her hair in pigtails tied with ribbons. She has her own white Team Rocket uniform. When she is not wearing that, she typically dresses in mostly pink. Flaafy is almost always by her side and often copies her actions.
Personality: "ENFP" (Extroverted, Intuitive, Feeling, and Perceptive). Jocelyn's strengths include her ability to easily make friends, her positive attitude, and her willingness to try everything. Her weaknesses include her tendency to be loud, nosy, naïve, and dependent.
Relationships: She doesn't any close friends her age. She spends most of her time with Pokémon, especially Flaafy, Lily, and Logan.
Other interests: Electric-type Pokémon, shopping, and trying new things.
AN: I figured something like this would be helpful later on as a reference. Thank you for your feedback so far. Positive reviews and answering questions make me happy. Have a nice night!