Alright, back at this one again.
Thanks for the review guys and oops, didn't realize I wasn't descriptive enough with Cal's new Pokémon.
Ah well, secret won't last long anyway.
Let's just keep this ball rolling.
Rate Read and Review and as Always Have Nice Day.
Pocket Monsters Chapter 3: A start to something bigger.
Cal stood in front of Professor Oak's lab with the owner of said lab standing in front of the entrance, looking slightly frazzled.
Apparently, the day before when he caught his new Pokémon a small incident occurred here in Pallet Town. Another boy around Cal's age came looking for Oak and inadvertently led to having dozens of the captured and recorded Pokémon by the Professor escape.
Daisy Oak told Cal that her grandfather had searched throughout the entire day with the boy to recapture all the escaped Pokémon until they were back in the lab. It was so chaotic, the Professor wound up going to the town north of this one where Cal had first been taken to since coming here.
No wonder he looked a bit tired.
Nonetheless, the Professor readily agreed to meet with Cal after the boy told him of his newly captured Pokémon.
"A Wooper, eh?" Oak chuckled aloud in amusement. "Well now, you may appear to be new to this but you've gotten quite the grasp."
Cal only smiled happily at such praise, looking down at his two Pokémon that were standing on either side of him.
His Larvitar Kaiju stood calm and collected with a content expression whilst his newly attained Wooper he named Hopper held it's derpy smiling face.
"Still, it amazes me how quickly you were able to catch a new Pokémon in such a short amount of time." Oak admitted with an intrigued hum.
"You and me both, Professor Oak." Cal stated earnestly. "But… the Force… it called to me. It pushed me towards Hopper here and well…"
Oak frowned a bit, though not in a negative manner. This one was of an analytical fashion as he gazed upon the young lad who was no older than his grandson.
The more he had seen the boy in these past short few days, the more Oak was able to discern that there was certainly something different about the boy.
And it wasn't his literal lack of knowledge of Pokémon, his fantastical tales of outer space, this Jedi Order he apparently is a part of nor was it the Force aspect he kept talking about.
No, to Oak, the aged Pokémon Master and Professor could see that this was a young man who carried himself with the air of someone who had experienced something no child ever should.
War. The grief and feeling of loss.
The loss of life and innocence.
It didn't take a genius to take one look into the boys eyes and see the tumultuous emotions beneath a calm but undoubtedly nervous façade.
Oak had seen it several times now.
How he had his hands trembling every now and then, especially when they were hovering over that silver hilted object on his belt called a lightsaber.
This boy was deeply troubled and in grief.
But Oak wasn't a man to pry or push for people to talk about more personal matters.
First he would need to earn their trust on a more personal level himself.
Getting to know them before speaking about whatever it was that plagued them.
"You know, you've only given me a rough explanation of this Force you've always spoken of." Oak stated. "And I recall you telling me you yourself don't fully understand the Force itself."
"I found out that a lot of Jedi don't really know all that much in the end when it comes to the Force." Cal admitted with a shrug. "growing up in the Temple, many Masters and teachers always told us about the eternal pursuit of knowledge and understanding of the Force. I think few ever could figure it out really."
Oak simply hummed aloud, gauging the boy and his stance.
That last mention of the Temple and other Jedi was stated in a rather distant tone.
The Professor shook his head after a moment, taking a step back.
"Come inside my lab, Cal." Oak said. "I wish to show you something."
Blinking, Cal simply nodded and acquiesced to Oak's request.
With his two Pokémon, he followed after Oak with the small group entering the Professor's lab which had most of its lights turned on.
But now that he looked at it, the place appeared to be in some sort of a mess.
"What happened here?" Cal immediately asked.
"A litany of problems." Oak groaned aloud, rubbing his temple. "But I shall speak on it later. For now, I have something more important to ask of you."
As they had stepped towards a nearby table with stacks of paper and lab equipment that Oak utilized, they heard a series of soft footsteps coming from the other side of a large shelf.
From around the shelf came the now familiar face of Oak's granddaughter Daisy.
"Oh grandpa." Daisy said cheerfully. "Hello Cal, you're back."
"Hi Daisy." Cal said with a kind smile.
"And who's this happy fellow?" Daisy asked with beaming smile as she leaned her hands against her knees and bent forward. "Hello there little guy, I'm Daisy. Nice to meet you."
The Wooper gave her a happy yelp, jumping up and down excitedly making Daisy giggle.
"He's a lively one." She said.
"Indeed he is." Oak remarked. "Daisy, did you bring what I requested?"
"Of course grandpa." Daisy said, reaching into her lab coat pocket and pulled out a box. "Here we are."
"Thank you Daisy." Oak said appreciatively, turning to Cal. "Now Cal, before we begin, I would like to know a little bit more about this Force that you use. What can you tell me about it that you haven't already?"
Cal blinked, unsure as to why Oak had asked this but obliged him anyway.
He had done a slight refresher, speaking on the nature of the Force, how it is perceived to operate, the Jedi's role in it and how it was taught that the Jedi were always to follow the Will of the Force above all else.
As Cal spoke, Oak silently listened to it all, taking note of his own mentally until Cal got to the part where he could speak no more on the matter.
Humming aloud, Oak walked around the table he was near and promptly sat down in a chair while placing the box Daisy had given him atop the table.
"Now Cal," Oak began. "From what I am to understand it, this Force is the driving power that dictates many actions of the Jedi, correct?"
"For the most part, yeah." Cal said with a nod.
"Do you not have your own free will?" Oak asked.
Cal's face had scrunched up, not expecting such a question.
"I believe so." Cal said, a bit unsure of that answer really.
"And if you had a choice to do something right now of your own volition, what would you do?"
Again, the Padawan found himself a bit at a loss as to how to respond to such a question. Really, the more he thought about it, the more he realized he didn't truly have an answer of his own.
His life was dedicated to being a Jedi.
That's all he ever knew in life.
And now…
It was gone.
And even still, he truly had no idea on what to do as of right now.
"I don't know." Cal stated, crestfallen suddenly. "I really don't know what to, Professor."
Oak felt a pang of sympathy and understanding for the boy in front of him.
To be so young but have such baggage upon one's shoulders.
How could this have happened to someone so young?
Letting out a sigh, Oak reached forward for the box atop the table and opened it up to reveal a red device of some kind.
"Then Cal, I have a request to ask of you." Oak said, a creeping sense of guilt in his tone but nonetheless there was a firmness to it that had Cal's undivided attention.
"What is it?"
Oak crossed his hands together and rested them atop the table.
"As you already know by now, I am a Pokémon professor." Oak said. "My job is to study and learn the secrets of Pokémon and share it with the rest of the world."
Cal simply nodded in response.
"For years now, I have put my work into creating the means in which the world over can have access to knowledge of Pokémon at the tips of their fingers. This has been my life's work and I can happily say that I have been able to accomplish a great deal in my lifetime." Oak said. "But age eventually triumphs overall and even though I'm still confident in my abilities, even I know I'm not what I used to be."
The Jedi Padawan wasn't sure as to where this was exactly going but he remained silent and continued to listen.
"See, across the Kanto region, the world itself, there's still much we have to learn about Pokémon." Oak said, voice now more passionate. "I believe this is knowledge that should be shared with the world so that we can better understand Pokémon and live with them in harmony."
The Professor gestured to the red dive in the box.
"Thus, I created this." Oak pushed the box forward. "The Pokedex. A comprehensive digital encyclopedia that details information about every Pokémon out there. There's some knowledge that's already there, but still much more that remains to be filled in."
Curiosity now piqued; Cal gazed down at the Pokedex with intrigue.
A device that has a data on all Pokémon?
That seemed to be quite the accomplishment.
"I want you to have it." Oak said, snapping the Padawan out of his thoughts.
"Wh-what?" Cal said in surprise.
"I know that this may come to as a shock to you, having only known you for several days now, but I believe you will put this to greater use than I will in my laboratory." Oak admitted with no hesitation. "Fact is, I'm not what I used to be. Which is why I believe you are an ideal candidate for this task."
"But Professor, I-"
Oak held up a hand to cut him off, holding a stoic visage.
"I understand that just dropping this one you is sudden and it's not something to consider so lightly." Oak said, tone conveying sympathy and understanding. "But in my lifetime of experience, I've learned that one can only sit still for so long. There's much a boy such as yourself can learn by simply going out into the world rather than sitting idly by. You're not one to do such a thing, are you?"
Cal wanted to rebuke him but he knew Oak's words held a great degree of truth to them. He wasn't one to simply sit on the sidelines and just wait for things to happen. As a youngling and as a Padawan, Cal was and to an extent, still is eager to do something. Anything really.
Yet he'd be lying to himself about his mounting hesitation in going on such an endeavor.
His Master had just died only a few short days ago and his whole life that he once knew was essentially over.
He just… didn't know how to accept that.
It was all so conflicting really and he just felt his inner turmoil only growing.
Oak cleared his throat, snapping Cal out his thoughts.
"I know how sudden this is Cal." Oak stated. "So I want you to take some time to think about my offer. It's better that than for you to rush recklessly into something like this."
Reaching for a cabinet, the Professor opened it and pulled out a small book.
"Here Cal." Oak placed the book down next to the Pokedex. "This is a small beginners guide that will be useful in learning about Pokémon types and species. You can take the Pokedex with you as well. I have a feeling that you'll need to learn as much as you can about this place since it looks like you'll be here for a while."
On that, Cal found himself hard pressed to disagree.
Giving the elderly scholar an appreciative nod, Kestis candidly took the Dex and book and turned to leave.
"If you'd like, you can look over the Pokedex and book at my house, Cal." Daisy called out to him just before he left.
Surprised by the offer, Cal gave her a small smile and nodded in thanks at the teenage girl before exiting the lab.
"I'm surprised, grandpa." Daisy said aloud. "That was your last Pokedex. I would have thought you'd at least try to hold onto one after one got stolen."
"I can always make another one, Daisy." Oak said, waving the matter off. "I'd rather know that at least three of my Pokedex's are entrusted to people I know I can trust."
"You already trust Cal?" Daisy inquired in slight surprise.
"Yes." Oak said, more to himself than to Daisy. "I hadn't realized it but that boy is more than he appears. I haven't truly seen a reason for him to lie to me about anything he had told me and… there's something about his eyes that trouble me."
Daisy tilted her head. "His eyes?"
Oak nodded solemnly, gazing out at the window where he saw Cal walking away from his laboratory.
"He has seen and done things… that no young man at his age should go through." Oak said, tone now grave. "I hadn't recognized it at first but it is plain as day to see that Cal is in pain. And what's worse, he doesn't know how to deal with such a thing."
Daisy's expression now fell, head turning in the direction of the lab exit.
"Is he alright?"
Oak shook his head. "No my dear. No he is not."
"Then why put such pressure on him?" His granddaughter asked.
"I believe he needs it." Oak stated with his shoulder sagging. "I've seen what happens to those who never confront their demons. What happens when their darkest aspects of themselves consume their very being… I lost friends to that abyss. I will not see it happen to a young boy gifted as he is."
Daisy's expression held one that was none to sure on her grandfathers decision but she opted to remain silent for the time being.
Her grandfather was a well known and well respected name throughout the Kanto and even the neighboring Johto region.
For now, she would take his word for it.
"By the way, has Blue already departed?" Oak asked, his voice shifting into a more casual manner.
Smiling slightly at the mention of her brother, Daisy shook her head.
"Not quite." Daisy revealed. "He still preparing for his departure and though I know he'll never say it out loud, I'm certain he wants at least one more meal before he leaves."
Oak gave out a boisterous laugh. "That grandson of mine needs to learn to loosen up and relax a bit more."
Daisy huffed slightly, crossing her arms and puffing her cheeks out. "Well if you hadn't sent him over to his personal trainer, maybe he'd be more like you."
Her grandfather laughed once more. "I do admit, I had hoped he'd learn a bit of discipline but now I realize I may have over done it."
The younger Oak could only giggle now, the two sharing a small laugh together before they returned to cleaning up the lab as it was still a bit of a mess from yesterday.
All the while, Cal was walking down the pathway away from Oak's lab and to the south of Pallet Town.
Kaiju and Hopper were right on his heels, well the former more than the latter.
His Wooper kept jumping and skipping about and around the two, aptly living up to his new name.
"Pokémon types." Cal read aloud, gazing down at the book in his right hand before looking over to his left which held Oak's Pokedex.
Humming aloud, he looked down to Kaiju and held up his Pokedex…
Only for nothing to happen.
Blinking, Cal momentarily face(book)palmed, realizing he never asked how this Pokedex device was supposed to work.
"Ah dang it." Cal said. "How could I forget that."
"Tar?" Was Kaiju's response, eyes conveying confusion.
"Nothin' Kaiju just…" Cal began fiddling slightly with the Dex, pushing several buttons. "Just trying to figure out how this thing works."
His Larvitar simply nodded, waiting patiently for his trainer to turn on that new doohickey when the horned Pokémon saw something behind Cal.
Letting out a slight grunt to gain his trainers attention, the boy gazed at his Pokémon momentarily before glancing back to where he was looking at.
He saw a young boy his age coming down the path towards him with a backpack slung over his shoulder. The boy had black, slightly spiky hair and wore a red cap that was on backwards with a short sleeve red button up, black t-shirt underneath that, blue jeans and white shoes with red accents on them.
"Hi there." The boy greeted with an easygoing smile. "Are you new around here? Never seen you before."
"Uh, yeah, I got here a few days ago." Cal said politely.
The boy grinned, offering his hand. "Well, nice to meet ya. I'm Red. Welcome to Pallet Town."
Cal gave the boy a smile of his own, accepting the outstretched hand. "Cal, Cal Kestis."
Red's grin widened until it fell away into slight shock upon spotting something that the newly introduced Padawan had held.
"Ah! That's-" Red reached into his pocket and in an instant pulled out a rather familiar device.
"A Pokedex?" Cal said in surprise, holding up his own right next to Red's.
"Whoa, so you must know Professor Oak then." Red said with a beaming smile now.
Cal nodded. "Yeah, I was speaking with him a few minutes ago."
"That's so cool." Red remarked. "I didn't know he would give out another one. He told me he doesn't have many of them."
"Really?" Cal murmured, glancing down at his.
"So you're a Pokémon trainer like me then?"
The Jedi blinked, scrunching up his face in thought.
"Um… sorta." Cal bobbed his head left and right. "I'm kinda new to all this."
"New to what exactly?"
"Pokémon in general." He admitted to the Pallet Town native, surprising Red.
"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" Red asked in bewilderment.
"Let's just say that where I come from, Pokémon don't exist." Cal revealed, stunning his fellow Pokedex holder. "Either that or my people never encountered creatures of this kind before."
"Never seen Pokémon before?" Red scratched underneath his hat in astonishment until he spotted the Larvitar and Wooper by Cal's side. "Wait, but you have Pokémon of your own."
"Yeah, I only got these two recently." Cal stated. "Like really recently."
"Huh." Red hummed aloud, rubbing his chin now. "Never seen Pokémon like these two before."
Flipping his Pokedex open, an automated voice proceeded to speak out from the red device that identified both Cal's Pokémon.
"Larvitar, the Rock Skin Pokémon. Larvitar generally hatch deep within the earth and take a long time before coming to the surface. It is a Rock/Ground type Pokémon."
Red then shifted over to Hopper.
"Wooper, the Water Fish Pokémon. Though they prefer to live in cold water, these appealing Pokémon forage for food on land. They are kept warm by a layer of insulating body fluid. It is a Water/Ground type Pokémon."
Hopper gave off another smile with a small bit of drool coming out of the corner of his mouth.
"Neat." Red said, closing his Pokedex.
"Hey, how do you work this thing?" Cal asked before Red was able to put his Pokedex away. "Professor Oak just gave me this and I forgot to ask how it works."
Blinking, Red smiled slightly and held out his hand for Cal's Dex which he handed over to him.
"Just flip it open and it turns on automatically and records data or gives you what it already knows." Red said, showing this action in motion.
"Thanks." Cal said appreciatively, getting his Pokedex back and giving it a try. The action was a success as the data his Pokedex said was the same as Red's initial data scan of his two Pokémon.
"So, since you got a Pokedex of your own, figure you're also gonna go out and explore Kanto right?" Red asked conversationally.
"Um… I actually don't know about that just yet." Cal admitted, making Red blink in surprise.
"What? Why not?" Red asked in bewilderment. "Don't you wanna go out and learn more about Pokémon since you've never seen them before?"
Cal rubbed the back of his head, having pocketed his Dex whilst his other hand still held the book that Oak had also given him.
"I'm not really sure, to be honest." Cal stated with a slightly forlorn expression. "I came to this place in… less than ideal circumstances."
Red titled his head.
"What happened?"
In an instant, everything that had transpired above Bracca a few days ago flashed before Cal's eyes with the sound of blaster fire and lightsabers ringing in his ears. Color drained from Cal's face as he began to tremble, something that both his Pokémon and Red had immediately picked up on.
"Cal!" Red exclaimed, grabbing the Jedi's shoulders and shaking him slightly. "Hey Cal, snap out of it!"
"Huh? Wha?" Was Kestis' dazed response.
"Are you alright?" Red asked in concern.
"I…y-yeah, I-I'm fine." Cal muttered out, though his tone said otherwise.
Kaiju gazed up worriedly at Cal with Hopper proceeding to rub his head against Cal's knee with a saddened frown.
Red looked troubled by the response. "Are ya sure? You don't look any better."
"S-sorry." Cal whispered, raising a shaking hand up to his face. "Just… just had some bad memories spring up."
Red couldn't help but gulp a bit when thinking back to that little episode the Padawan just had.
"Must've been some memory." Red said in a low voice.
"Didn't mean to make you worry like that." Cal said apologetically. "Just met you and nearly made you freak out."
Red's eyes widened slightly before a humored smirk appeared. "Don't need to apologize for that. If anything, I should be saying sorry. Feels like I'm the one who caused it."
Cal blinked, looking up at the boy and quickly shook his head.
"No, no." Cal hastily said. "It's not your fault at all. Just… my own I guess for remembering it."
The Pokémon trainer gazed at the ginger haired Jedi with an uncertain gaze. He wanted to know what caused such a freak out but he just met this kid and had only known him for a few minutes. Really wouldn't be his place to do such a thing.
"Er, listen Red." Cal spoke up. "It looks like you're on your way somewhere so don't let me hold you up."
Realizing this, Red sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "You sure you don't want me sticking around for a bit. I could show you around Pallet Town properly. Little apology of mine."
At that comment, Cal smiled slightly and shook his head.
"Appreciate it but I already got a nice tour thanks to Oak."
"Well… if you say so." Red said. "Guess I'll see you around then Cal."
The Padawan simply nodded. "Sure thing. Nice meeting you Red."
Red then grinned heartily. "You too, Cal. Hope to see you out there then."
Patting Kestis on his shoulder, Red made sure his backpack was secured before heading off down the path to the Northern exit of the town.
Gazing at the back of the trainer, Cal felt a stubby clawed hand on his right calf and looked down at Kaiju who was still gazing up at him whilst Hopped had its face down and the top of his head leaning against his left calf.
He felt his gut lurch a bit at the sight of his two Pokémon in such a state, realizing it was because of him.
"Oh Force me, sorry guys." Cal immediately kneeled down to the two, placing his hands on their heads. "I didn't realize that would happen. Didn't mean to make you worry."
Kaiju and Hopper shared their expressions of worry with the latter jumping forward with Cal stumbling back onto his bottom with his Wooper in his arms now.
Cal saw the little blue Pokémon having tears coming out of his eyes and the Padawan couldn't help but reel back slightly in shock at this display o raw emotion.
In fact, he was so caught off guard that he hadn't realized that several tears of his own had started to form until they were streaming down his cheeks.
"What the…?" Cal muttered, reaching a hand up to his cheek.
Seeing that his fingertips were wet, it was a moment later that Cal felt a swelling of sadness coming from within.
But… it was not his own.
No, this was coming from an outside "force".
Looking at both Hopper and Kaiju, Cal felt a reverberation in the Force coming directly from them which rather stunned the young Jedi.
He had never felt anything like this before.
"What is this?" Cal murmured in confusion.
As if picking up on their trainers state of mind, his Pokémon's sadness melted away into equal bewilderment.
The strange sensation coming from the Force went on until, Cal felt something akin to a lock or snap of some kind coming into place from within.
It appeared he wasn't the only one going through this. Both Kaiju and Hopper seemingly jolted and looked around as if looking for the source of whatever it was that had caused this strange inner sensation.
"What was that?" Cal now asked, rubbing his chest at a loss as to what just happened.
This was yet another thing to add about this planet that didn't make sense to the Jedi Padawan since coming here.
When he first arrived on Mt. Silver, though it took some time due to his grief over losing his Master, it didn't take long for Cal to feel the overwhelmingly powerful presence of the Force here.
It emanated everywhere around him and it was much stronger here than it was on Coruscant in the Jedi Temple. It had taken him several days to come to that conclusion but honestly, to Kestis, it was plain as day to tell.
Was this a symptom then of the Force being so powerful here?
The more Cal had dwelled on it, the more he felt a more powerful and raw connection to the Force then he ever had before coming to this planet.
His senses, his abilities, everything felt powerful.
And not in the unusual sense.
It was as if it were just a natural enhancement.
"This planet…" Cal looked around, without really looking for anything. "The Force is so strong here. Why?"
For a moment, he looked back to Kaiju and Hopper. He focused up for a few moments and in an instant felt their presences in the Force.
And not only did he feel their presence but something else.
This… link.
"A… tether?" Cal muttered, scrunching his face up in concentration. "No… it's… it's a bond."
'A Force Bond.' He internally said to himself.
He recalled in his studies within the Temple something about Force Bonds.
All he could vaguely remember was that this was an invisible link that connects two individuals through the Force if they both innately possess the Force within him.
From what he was able to discern in his all to brief time here, so far, practically every Pokémon he has seen or encountered has the Force within them.
All of them appeared to be Force sensitive.
The question on his mind was why and better yet how?
How did this planet come about to have these extraordinary creatures and all appeared to be Force Sensitive.
Cal had a growing desire to know.
"And I won't learn about it if I stay here." Cal muttered out, without even thinking about it.
Realizing what he had said, Cal's eyes drifted over to the book that had fallen out of his hands when Hopper jumped on him.
Lifting his hand, with a small application through the Force, the book sailed into his hands catching Kaiju and Hoppers attention.
Without looking at them, Cal instead opened the book and saw the first page read out Basic Pokémon types.
"Types?" Cal said to himself, flipping the page over to the next one and began reading.
It started out by speaking about how Pokémon were creatures that inhabited a litany of different environments the world over.
In these inhabitations, Pokémon "types" arose, wherein Pokémon of different species specialized in some element of some kind.
Fire types, water types, grass types and so on.
Each had a specialty of some kind, being strong against some and weak to others.
When reading over these Pokémon "typing's", he momentarily dwelled on the Rock, Ground and Water types as currently, that's what his two current Pokémon appeared to be.
Judging from what this book is telling him, his Wooper appears to be the strongest or at the very least the most resilient Pokémon he has on his team.
The book tells him that Water-type Pokémon are weak to Electric types but due to the added bonus of being a dual ground typing Pokémon, one of Hoppers weaknesses were eliminated.
Currently, only grass typing is Hoppers primary weakness.
Conversely, it appears that Kaiju holds a lot more weaknesses than Hopper does.
Fighting, Ice, Grass, Water, Steel and Ground make up the types that his Larvitar is weak against though that last typing was confusing.
If his Larvitar has a Ground-typing to his name, why would he be weak against his own type?
It appears that Kaiju picked up on Cal's thoughts and simply shrugged.
"That's not confusing at all." Cal commented.
He flipped through a few more pages until he stopped on one type in particular.
Dark Type.
"Dark type Pokémon?" Cal whispered in a low voice. "Like the Dark side of the Force."
As he read on, that would appear to be the case.
The moves and actions primarily associated with the Dark Type Pokémon were aggression, cruelty, underhanded battle tactics and even outright cruelty. This typing was spot on with its name and unknowing association with the Dark side of the Force.
But… several of the other types may attribute to these same characteristics as well.
Like Fire, Dragon, Poison and even the Fighting type.
Cal wasn't exactly sure about all this as he was just learning about all this but for now he figured it would be better to exercise caution on these "Dark" type Pokémon should he ever encounter them.
Shaking his head, Cal went back into reading whilst getting up to walk over to a nearby tree for a more comfortable position.
Knowing they wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon; Kaiju and Hopper simply joined their trainer on either side and opted to take naps for the time being while Cal continued to read the book on Pokémon.
-Scene Cut-
Letting out a small yawn, Oak was walking down the path to his home after he and Daisy had at last finished cleaning up the lab.
His granddaughter had left earlier, having wanted to get home herself to prepare for dinner with Oak stating he would see her at home when he gets there.
As he strolled at a casual pace down the road, his eyes caught sight of a young man sitting beneath a tree with two Pokémon dozing off by his side.
The boys wardrobe, hair and Pokémon made him rather easy to recognize.
"Cal." Oak called out to him, getting the boys attention.
"Oh, Professor Oak. What are you doing here?" Cal asked, looking up from his book.
"I should be asking you the same question." Oak remarked with his arms crossed. "What are you doing here?"
Cal glanced down at his book, closing it and held it up for the Professor to see.
"Ah, I see you've been studying." Oak stated with the Padawan nodding in confirmation. "You looked like you had gotten very deep into it. I take it you've learned a lot."
"Yeah…" Cal's hand grazed over the cover. "I met Red earlier today."
Oak's eyes brightened slightly. "Did you now? Do you know I also gave him a Pokedex?"
"He showed me how to work mine." Cal said, pulling out his own.
"Good to hear." Oak said boisterously. "Him and my grandson Blue have already departed from Pallet Town for their own journeys."
"Really?" Cal said in slight surprise. "Blue to? He didn't seem like he was in a rush."
Oak chuckled. "My grandson may always seem calm and such, but an aged Pokémon veteran like myself could clearly see his anxious anticipation to be on his way from Pallet Town. He's always wanted to explore the world and become a better Pokémon trainer. I believe he is more than ready for such an endeavor."
"Red too?"
"It took only a moment for me to see the talent in Red." Oak said. "A simple assumption and thinking and I knew Red was another person I could trust with a Pokedex."
Cal was silent for a few seconds, contemplating on his next question.
"And why me?" Cal asked in a low voice.
By this point, both of Cal's Pokémon had woken up and were looking between Oak and their trainer, wondering what was going on.
Oak frowned at the question, mulling it over in his head.
"Do you remember what I told you earlier today in my lab?" Oak asked with Cal nodding in response. "There's more to it then just that."
Cal propped himself to sit up straighter as he and Oak locked eyes.
"You see, I didn't want to say anything in front of Daisy but for someone like myself, I was able to pick up on the burden and much more that you carry on you my boy." Oak stated in complete seriousness.
Cal blanched slightly though he chose not to respond with Oak continuing on.
"I've seen it before, many times in my long life." Oak said, head inkling down. "The pain of loss, the overwhelming guilt that can consume anyone who goes through trauma. It is a terrifying experience to go through Cal. And you had just endured such an event."
The Jedi Padawan trembled with a shaky inhale of his breath to try to calm his now erratically beating heart.
"I can't say I know what it is you have gone through but I know what it is like to lose so much in such a sudden and short amount of time." Oak's voice was hollow.
Cal's ears rung with the sound of blaster fire and the voices of Clones he once called friends.
"But what I also know… is that something like this cannot be beaten by sitting idly around." Oak said with a firm voice now. "Whatever it is that had happened to you, my boy, I cannot begin to express how much I understand that pain. However, you cannot do anything about it by sitting around here."
He found himself frozen now at the intense gaze the Professor sent him.
"I want you to go out there because I believe that that will be the only way that you can confront that which you had endured and overcome it." Oak said, voice filled with certainty and conviction. "And perhaps, find other answers that you seek."
Cal hadn't responded for a minute or so, mouth slightly gaping at the Professor who held his gaze.
A maelstrom of thoughts and emotions whirled about within the Jedi, something his Pokémon quite clearly felt as they gazed upon him in concern.
"Why?" Cal whispered in a voice that was barely heard. "Why do you believe that?"
Oak didn't look away, the Professors gaze boring into the Padawan's own.
"I see it within you, Cal." Oak said plainly. "You are not someone who would idly sit by. If you're given the chance to move forward, you would take it. Whatever stops you from moving forward is the way that becomes the way."
He wanted to counter that statement by telling him he was wrong when Cal froze as the last statement from Oak registered in his mind.
"The obstacles in your path become the path." The voice of his Master Jaro Tapal wrung in his ears. "What stands in the way, becomes the way."
Cal's vision momentarily flashed to that of his time in the Jedi Temple within one of the classes being conducted by Grandmaster Yoda.
"The Force is you ally. And a powerful ally it is. The duty of the Jedi it is, follow the path forged for them through their actions and through the Force."
Blinking back to the present, Cal saw the patient expression of the Professor, awaiting his answer.
Glancing down to the last memento of his Master, Cal placed his hand over it before he nodded to himself.
Getting up to his feet, Cal's expression changed into that of one with a greater degree of determination as he faced the Professor.
"Then… I guess it's time I get ready." Cal declared with a wide grin appearing on Oak's face.
"Great to hear, my boy." Oak said, placing a hand upon the Padawan's shoulder. "Come on, I'll help you get ready for it then."
"Thanks Professor Oak."
"Think nothing of it, Cal." Oak stated, patting his shoulder. "You're doing me a favor in case you haven't forgot."
Cal chuckled slightly, holding up his Pokedex. "I won't let you down, Professor."
"I'm counting on it."
GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH
WRITING SPRINTS BABY.
WOOOOOOOOOO
Lot can get done when ya got the proper type of pressure on ya.
Fuck yeah!
So we have Cal's first two Pokémon on top of his first meeting with Red of Pallet Town.
This was a blast to write as we're done with the initial setup of Cal's journey into the Pokémon world and the start of something huge.
With a Jedi like Cal in the Kanto region, things will not go as some would think it would with the Manga.
Like I said in previous chapters, Kenchi618's story of The Number 1 Hyperactive, Knucklehead Master is a huge inspiration for this story and their will be several homages and tributes to said story.
And speaking of which, in keeping with the style of many other crossovers.
Cal's current Pokémon team.
Larvitar(Kaiju)
Moves: Leer(Normal), Tackle(Normal), Rock Throw(Rock), Payback(Dark), Bite(Dark), Take Down(Normal), Dig(Ground).
Wooper(Hopper)
Moves: Tail Whip(Normal), Tackle(Normal), Water Gun(Water), Rain Dance(Water), Mud Shot(Ground), Mud-slap(Ground).
And since this was also done in his story, here's an outright homage to mister Kenchi618.
Red's current Pokémon team.
Poliwhirl(Poli)
Moves: Water Gun(Water), Double slap(Normal), Water Ring(Water), Low Kick(Fighting).
Bulbasaur(Saur)
Moves: Tackle(Normal), Growl(Normal), Leech Seed(Grass), Poison Powder(Poison), Razor Leaf(Grass), Solarbeam(Grass), Vinewhip(Grass).
Alright then folks, leaving it off here.
Wanted this chapter to be a bit longer but realized it's better I get out several consecutive chapters in a row with a decent amount of content before we start hitting the much larger events and chapters.
Until then comrades.
Rate Read and Review and as Always Have Nice Day.