A quick note on speech types in this story:
"Humans speaking"
'Someone thinking'
Pokémon telepathy
The screen opens to a room within a small house, a few Pokémon running around in the background just past the screen doors. A young woman walks into view, her hair a fiery orange with sunglasses perched on her head.
"Hello there, Trainers around the world!" she said to the camera with a smile. "I'm here to welcome you all to the Pokémon World Challenge! My name is Sonia, the latest in the line of Pokémon Professors here in the UK!"
Sonia reached into her lab coat pocket and pulled out a red and white ball. With flick of her wrist, the ball spun into the air and popped out a green and yellow dog creature. "Our world is inhabited by amazing creatures called Pokémon! Say hello to everyone out there, Yamper!"
The dog barked at the screen, making Sonia laugh. "Some people keep Pokémon as pets, while others train them for battle with other people's Pokémon. As Professor, I study Pokémon alongside fellow researchers."
Sonia picked up Yamper into her arms. "If you're watching this video, that means you're about to embark on a world-spanning journey, collecting badges to compete in the Pokémon World Tournament that's being held here in the United Kingdom! Your story is about to unfold, trainers! A world of dreams and adventure awaits, so go out there and do your best!"
Sonia smiles to the screen as the video ends, the Pokémon World League logo replacing it on the screen.
[***]
St. Louis
As their train pulled into the station, two young adults waited by the door in eager anticipation. One was a boy with brown hair and grey eyes behind white glasses, wearing a purple hoodie with a grey shirt, black track pants with white stripe down the side, black tennis shoes, a black sport satchel, and a blue earpiece hung over his right ear. The other was a girl with long blonde hair that had a prominent cowlick sticking up on the top of her head with piercing blue eyes. She was wearing a zipped-up denim jacket with a blue undershirt, black fingerless gloves, blue jeans and black boots.
"You ready for the start of our journey?" asked the boy, hands in his hoodie pockets.
"Heck yeah I am!" the girl shouted, catching the attention of others on the train. "We're gonna get our badges, challenge the greatest trainers in the world, and become world champions!"
The boy laughed. "Save that energy for the gym, Ashton," he said.
The train pulled into Gateway Station, the doors opening and the duo going out into the station. "Look out world!" Ashton boasted. "Ashton and Dylan are about to become the greatest Pokémon Masters ever!"
Ashton reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a Poké Ball, tossing it into the air. "Come on out, Vulcan!" she shouted as the ball burst open, revealing a weasel-like creature with a fiery mohawk and tail, a Quilava.
"Quilava!" Vulcan cried, flopping down into Ashton's arms.
"Sorry to keep you in the ball for so long, but the conductor said something about 'fire safety hazards'," Ashton said, air-quoting the last part.
"You guys can come out to," Dylan said, pulling out two Poké Balls and tossing them up. The first one, a Premier Ball, burst open to reveal a grey and purple bat with large speaker-like ears, a Noibat; the second one, held in a Moon Ball, revealed a blue and black bipedal jackal, a Lucario.
"Noi-Noi, Noibat!" the Noibat cried, flying over to perch on Dylan's shoulder.
"Vex, Aurora, we're finally in St. Louis," Dylan said.
Indeed, your Pokémon journey is starting now, Aurora said.
"Come on, you two, the Gym's waiting!" Ashton called, already running towards the station exit.
Dylan and Aurora shook their heads and ran after her, the impulsive girl never wanting to wait around and instead rushing ahead towards her goal.
[***]
Pokémon World Adventure Theme 1
"Pokémon Let's Go!"
(Variant of the "Pokémon Johto" Theme)
The title card appears in front of a Poké Ball that spins around, revealing the planet Earth on the other side.
It's a whole new world we live in (live in)
Pokémon Let's Go!
As the song kicks in, the camera zooms into the USA, where we see various people with Pokémon as they go about their lives.
Everybody wants to be a Master
Everybody wants to show their skills
We see Dylan walking through a city, passing by other people as his Noibat, Vex, sit perched on his shoulder.
Everybody wants to get there faster
Make their way to the top of the hill
Dylan tosses out a Poké Ball, with Aurora the Lucario popping out and striking a pose before smiling.
Each time you try, gonna get just a little bit better
Ashton comes running up with Vulcan the Quilava and gives a rough pat to Dylan's shoulder, the two giving each other a look of friendship and rivalry.
Each step you climb is one more step up the ladder
Another girl, this one with teal hair, runs up on the opposite side of Dylan, a Croconaw by her side. Quilava and Croconaw immediately start fighting, with their trainers looking on in slight annoyance while Lucario tries to break the two up.
It's a whole new world we live in
It's a whole new way to see
We see the trio travelling around to various places: sledding down mountains on Walrein, relaxing on a cruise ship, trekking though a rainforest, and searching mysterious ruins while being stalked by Ghost Pokémon.
It's a whole new place with a brand new attitude
But you still gotta catch 'em all and be the best that you can be
We see the silhouettes of Gym Leaders standing in a stadium, with Dylan, Ashton, and the new girl, Kris, ready to face them. Dylan readies a Poké Ball and throws it into the camera for a transition.
Pokémon Let's Go!
It's a whole new world we live in (live in)
We see various real-world locations with Pokémon in them, ending with a shot of a young Dylan and Ashton with a Riolu and Cyndaquil.
But you still gotta catch 'em all and be the best that you can be
The duo flash forward to their present selves, Lucario and Quilava by their side as they command their Pokémon onward to battle.
Pokémon Let's Go!
Pokémon Let's Go!
The trio all show off their Pokemon: Lucario using Aura Sphere, Quilava using Flame Charge, and Croconaw using Aqua Tail. They all finally pose together, with silhouettes of other Pokémon that they'll catch in the future behind them as the scene zooms out to show the logo once more.
[***]
Episode One: The First Steps to Becoming a Master!
Ten Years Ago
Northern Texas Wild Area
Like all trainers, everyone starts their journey around the age of ten. However, unlike the world of Pokémon that you know, while regional Leagues can get you local or national attention, the dream that many share is to become World Champion, which can only be taken on once a person turns eighteen, or is a standing League Champion. Another staple of a trainers is getting their first Pokémon, their Starter. It can be given by a regional Professor, or one of their assistance, but for other trainers, they're given a more hands-on approach to finding their partner.
"Come on, let's go!" Ashton shouted, running out through the grassy field. As a kid, she was wearing white shorts and a blue T-shirt, but her hair was still as unkempt as ever.
"Wait up!" Dylan replied. He was wearing a purple shirt with jeans.
Their hometown was right next to a Wild Area, which is where new trainers would go out and catch their first Pokémon. Each of them was armed with ten Poké Balls and a recall device that would send out a signal for a Ranger to come and pick them up if they ran into trouble.
"You'd think they would at least give us a Pokémon to protect us," Dylan gasped out, catching up to Ashton as they stopped on a hill.
"If any 'Mons want to mess with us, I'll just give them a Sucker Punch," the girl said, punching her fists together.
"That doesn't reassure me," Dylan said, sweat dropping down his face.
The two kids looked out over the Wild Area. From this point, they could see their town behind them, with a forest to their left, a lake down a center, and the field continuing to the right.
"So, any type your looking for?" Dylan asked his friend.
"I want a Hydreigon," Ashton smiled.
Dylan felt the urge to sweat drop again. "Yeah, I don't think your parents would appreciate having to take care of a three-headed dragon, along with you."
"But if I get one, then I can just Hyper Beam anything I fight," she insisted.
As Ashton said that, a loud BOOM rang out, making the two kids turn and see a beam of light coming from the forest. Ashton took on a manic grin before making a dead sprint for the forest.
"Ashton, wait!" Dylan cried, running after her. "Just because it has a powerful attack, doesn't mean that it's safe for us to train!" He let out a sigh as they entered the forest. "I want something cool too, but realistically, we could just wait for a professor to come into town and- "
Ashton stopped and turned around, stopping Dylan in his tracks. "No! I'm not waiting until next year to get my Pokémon. We both missed our chance when the professor came to town because I promised that we'd get ours together. You turned ten today, so let's make sure that your birthday is the best, alright?"
Dylan didn't say anything but nodded and followed Ashton deeper into the forest. As they got closer to where the sounds were coming from, the trees got thicker and thicker, until finally a gap in the trees could be seen. When they came out of the woods, they found themselves at a small grove, with a large rock opposite to where they entered.
"Woah," the two said in awe.
Ashton looked around the grove while Dylan went over to the large rock. The boy placed a hand on the rock, inspecting the three large gashes that were carved into in. "These slashes…" he said aloud. "This looks familiar somehow…"
"Probably saw it in a book or something," Ashton stated. She then looked around some more, before exclaiming, "Look at that!"
Dylan looked skyward to see a portal in the sky above them, where a red and blue figure was hovering in front of it. A Hydro Pump shot up from the ground, which the kids saw to come from a horse-like Pokémon.
"That's Keldeo!" Dylan recognized the water horse, whom shot another Hydro Pump up at the portal before the figure fled through it, portal closing behind them.
"Cool," Ashton said. "I'm gonna catch it." She immediately pulled out a Poké Ball and tossed it at Keldeo. Keldeo looked at the ball, and with a Tail Whip flung the ball back at Ashton, pegging her square in the face. "Argh!"
"Yeah, trying to catch a Legendary without battling it isn't the best idea," Dylan said, helping his friend to a sitting position. Luckily, the ball didn't leave a noticeable mark on her face.
Keldeo shook his mane, walking over the water to stand in front of the two kids. He placed a green stone down at Ashton's feet, before looking Dylan straight in the eyes. Take care of them, Keldeo said with telepathy. The Colt Pokémon nudged Dylan's hand, which the kid opened. Keldeo placed a sparkling stone in his hand before turning and running off into the forest.
"Wait until the kids at school hear about this," Ashton said. She picked up the green stone, which glowed a bit in her hand. "Huh, this looks more like something from my old home."
"And where was that again?" Dylan asked. He inspected his own stone, which took the form of a purple isosceles diamond that shone on the inside like lightning.
"Wherever that alien went," Ashton pointed to the sky, getting an eyeroll from Dylan.
"I wonder what Keldeo meant by 'Take care of them,'" Dylan asked. A cry came from behind them, and the two kids turned around to see a Riolu, Cyndaquil, and Noibat. The boy walked over to the three Pokémon crouching down to get a better look at them. "Hey there."
The Noibat immediately flew up and landed on Dylan's head, making happy noises as it did so. "Looks like you've got a friend," Ashton teased. She looked over and tapped the Cyndaquil on the head, the Fire Mouse Pokémon snorting out a small flame. "Heh, what's a Starter like you doing out in the forest?"
"Didn't that one kid say he 'lost' his Pokémon, but we all know that he ditched it because it wasn't the one he wanted?" Dylan asked.
"Yeah, and he's an idiot for giving up a Pokémon as cool as this," Ashton stated, picking up the Cyndaquil in her arms. "If he wanted a specific Pokémon so bad, then he should have gotten up early instead of sleeping in 'til noon."
Dylan looked at the Riolu. "Sorry Riolu, but it looks like your friends already picked us," he said sadly. The Riolu seemed to understand what he had said and gave a nod, only for Ashton to shove a Poké Ball into Dylan's hands.
"Catch 'em both," she said. When Dylan didn't respond she rolled her eyes and elaborated, "it's your birthday, dude, so you get to catch two Pokémon on your first day." Ashton smirked. "I'll catch up to you in no time."
"Do you want to come with me?" Dylan asked the Riolu. The Emanation Pokémon smiled and jumped into the air. "Alright! So, what ball do you want?" He reached into his bag and set out the ten balls he and brought.
"I don't think that matters, but…" Ashton said. She pulled out a Poké Ball and tapped it to Cyndaquil's snout, sucking the Pokémon in. The ball shook three times before flashing, signaling that it had been caught.
Riolu looked at its choices, before tapping on a ball with a moon on top. It kicked the ball upwards and slapped the button, getting sucked in and captured as well. Dylan looked to the Noibat, which had taken a white ball with a red stripe and was playing with it. The boy smiled and picked the Premier Ball up, tossing it so that it bopped Noibat on the head.
The two kids let out their new Pokémon, and said together, "Welcome to the team, Riolu and Noibat/ Cyndaquil!"
"Cyndaquil!" Cyndaquil cheered, its tail burning brighter.
"Noi-Noibat!" Noibat cried, flying back up to land on Dylan's head.
Glad to meet you! Riolu said with a bow.
That made the two kids stop and look at her. "You can talk!?"
[***]
Present Day
St. Louis
"You know, it was a shock when we found out you had telepathy," Dylan said to Aurora as they continued through the streets of St. Louis.
Well, I hadn't talked to any humans until I met you two, so I didn't know that I had the gift until we met, Aurora admitted. Speaking of meeting, it looks like Ashton has already got herself into a battle.
"Oh boy," Dylan sighed. He ran ahead to see Ashton facing off against a teal-haired girl with a blue crocodile Pokémon: a Croconaw.
"We really don't have to do this," the blue-haired girl said.
"If you just get out of my way and into the Gym, then we don't have to fight," Ashton said. Vulcan readied himself for battle as his Trainer shouted, "So, since you're not budging, I challenge you to a battle!"
Author's Note
My first ever Pokémon fic! This one's been in the making for a while, and I want to give a shout out to my collaborator on this story, Azakael! She's my best friend and the writing a Mystery Dungeon fic "Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Starstorm Ultra." Go give her story a read, as I've been helping her out as much as she's been helping me.
Azakael: Hey, folks! I've been having loads of fun being privy to this story, bouncing around ideas and reading the chapters as they come. The Wild Area scene here made me grin; I couldn't help but think "Yup, that is definitely something that a little Azakael would pull!" and imagining Ashton getting a Pokeball to the face made me giggle. I hope y'all enjoy this as much as I have; give my buddy some love!