Chapter 1; the first step
Sonic was walking down the street lost in his thoughts. His father's words echoed in his mind.
"Could you please take this envelope to my old friend professor Oak? I would send it but since you're heading off to Kanto, I'd be grateful if you could help me out son".
Sonic had agreed though he was a bit mad that he had to come to Kanto in the first place. His parents had decided without asking him that he should visit the region to escape from everything for a while. Though he did want to escape, not asking him had greatly annoyed him.
He looked around as he entered pallet town. He saw several Pokemon some of which he recognized from encounters he had while heading there. Several wild pidgeys, a couple of weedles and a pidgeotto. He also noticed a young trainer boy petting his vulpix, as well as a young woman holding grocery bags and walking down the street with her mr mime. The mr mime was also carrying bags.
"Domesticated pokemon" he thought to himself "good idea if you can trust the pokemon you're befriending".
He kept walking down until he heard a voice call out to him.
"Excuse me young man" it was the lady with the groceries "could you please help me a moment?"
Sonic approached her.
"How may I help ma'am?"
"Could you please help me take my bags home it's just a bit own the street from here? I wouldn't ask but mr mime here has been working hard lately around the house and is tired, he deserves a break".
Sonic contemplated for a moment saying that he was actually on his way to professor oak's lab and was in a hurry but realized he didn't know where the lab was. Perhaps this lady could help him back.
"Of course ma'am" he said and got the bags off mr mime who sighed in relief.
They started walking towards her home".
"Ma'am if I may ask do you know where the lab of one professor oak is?"
"Of course? Just a little bit more down the street after my house".
"That's great. Thank you" Sonic answered.
"What is your name young man?"
"Sonic the hedgehog".
"Good to meet you Sonic. I assume you're heading to the lab to receive a pokemon?"
"Actually my father asked me to deliver an envelope to professor oak since I'm here".
"I understand. Well here we are" she said as mr mime got the bags off Sonic's hands "Walk down the street and you will find the entrance to the professor's lab on your left hand".
"Thank you ms.."
"Delia. Delia ketchum. Thank you again Sonic. Good luck" she said and walked in her house as Sonic went on his way.
After a few more seconds he found the entrance to the lab. He saw 2 kids walk out with 2 pokemon, a charmander and a bulbasaur. He knocked on the door and noticing it was open entered slowly.
"Hello? Professor oak?" he called out.
"I am right here" a voice responded.
Sonic walked in and found the professor tending to a sad squirtle.
"Hello professor. I'm Sonic. Sonic the hedgehog".
"Oh yeah. Your father must be sending you".
"Yeah. I have your file right here".
"Good. Don't go yet I would like to verify all the files are here so in case any are missing you can let your father know for me".
"Sure" Sonic said as he looked around at the machinery and eventually his eyes met with squirtle's.
"Hey there" he said casually.
The squirtle cried out its name and blasted Sonic with water gun while smiling in joy. Sonic who was left dumbfounded, shook his head to get the water off him.
"You're a mischievous one aren't you?" he joked approaching the squirtle.
Squirlte cried out its name again and jumped on Sonic hugging him unexpectedly.
"Woah" Sonic said in surprise.
"Well the squirtle has taken a liking to you".
"Yeah I can tell" Sonic said not knowing what to do "are the files ok?"
"Yes everything is fine".
"Good I'll be on my way then. Take care little one" he said as he put squirtle back on the workbench and went to leave.
"Say, before you go, tell me a bit about yourself. Why are you here in Kanto?"
Sonic hesitated for a moment.
"Just on a small trip. The envelope business was just a favor for my dad".
"I see. And do you have pokemon in your hometown?"
"Yeah".
"Have you considered becoming a trainer?"
"Not really. To be honest my brother wished to become a trainer for a long while but I never gave it serious thought".
"Squirtle. Squirlte!" the squirtle cried out as it hugged Sonic's leg.
"Woah. There it goes again" Sonic said clearly not knowing again how to get it off.
"Don't worry about it. The little fellow is just sad and clings onto you in hope. He wasn't picked by the two kids that were here earlier".
"Oh I see sorry to hear that".
"Hmm.. I was thinking, since it has taken a liking to you, why don't you take it with you?"
"W-with me?"
"Yeah".
"I… I don't.. I don't know professor. I haven't ever thought of training pokemon. I'm not sure I can do a lot for this little squirtle".
"You don't have to train it. Not all pokemon need to be trained. It can just be your friend and stay as it is".
"Stay as it is?" Sonic asked confused. He looked at the little squirtle at his feet. Yes it was very adorable but he had blastoises battle before. They were very powerful. Who would choose to remain as they are? To not grow?
"Ok professor. I will take this squirtle with me".
"Splendid. Just let me bring you its pokeball" Oak said as he headed to the workbench. Sonic kneeled to meet squirtle's eyes.
"Are sure you want to come with me?"
"Squirtle!"
"Very well then" he said smiling.
"Here it is. Here is also a pokedex in case you ever meet any more wild pokemon and need info on them or wish to record some info. And some pokeballs too. In case you want to catch any wild pokemon".
"Oh.. um.. thanks. Come on squirtle" he said as squirlte followed him happily.
They started walking down the street passing by delia's house again. She could be seen from the window sitting on the sofa with a boy.
"You will see mom" the boy said enthusiastically "one day I will become a pokemon master!"
"A pokemon master?" Sonic wondered as he and squirtle walked down the road past the house "what even is a pokemon master?"
Heading to the outskirts of town he happened to run into the 2 kids who had picked charmander and bulbasaur with the kid who picked charmander winning a battle between them.
"Huh! See? I told you charmander is the best!"
"Come on please that's enough! Bulbasaur can barely stand!"
"No! I need to train! That's what friends at for! So get your pokemon up and help me evolve charmander!"
The kid with the bulbasaur seemed ready to cry. Sonic knew he couldn't let it continue.
"Hey" he yelled to the kid with the charmander "not cool you know!"
"Hah! Says the guy who picked the squirtle!"
"Says the guy who doesn't know water beats fire!"
"Maybe on equal power! But I have already trained a lot! I can even crash you and that failure at your feet!"
Squirtle seemed ready to tear up. Sonic decided enough was enough.
"Looks like we need to teach you a lesson don't we squirtle?!"
Squirtle looked at him in disbelief.
"You may be just cute now. But you can also be powerful!"
Squirtle's face was filled with determination. It cried out its name in pride and stoop opposite of charmander.
"I'll wipe that smile off your face! Charmander use scratch!"
Charmander charged at squirtle fangs first.
"Squirtle withdraw!" Sonic ordered it.
Squirtle retreated into its shell, reducing the damage from scratch greatly.
"See! Too weak. Retreat into the shell to escape! Not gonna happen! Charmander scratch inside the shell!"
Charmander looked confused for a moment and hesitant to attack like that.
"Do it!"
Charmander tried to use scratch and hurt squirtle from the hole on the shell when…
"Water gun!" Sonic ordered.
Water came rushing out of the hole blasting charmander in the face and some of it even hitting the flame on its tail causing it to reduce in size.
"Oh no!" Sonic said in shock.
The charmander tried to get up but was very weak due to its flame.
"Get up you stupid pokemon! I didn't train you so much to lose!"
"Its tail!" Sonic said worried "I accidentally hit it with the water gun from squirtle! If the flame dies out it could die!"
"What?"
"We have to get it to a pokemon center!"
The young kid was hesitant.
"But.. the battle.."
"Is a battle worth more to you than your pokemon's life?!"
The trainer grunted and picked up his charmander followed by his friend and Sonic who recalled squirtle and rushed to the pokemon center. While nurse joy took care of the damaged pokemon Sonic explained to the 2 kids in detail how charmander's life as well as its evolutions' lives were tied to its flame.
"I got so carried away, insulted both of you and almost killed my pokemon. I'm so sorry charmander. And I am so sorry" he said to his friend.
"It's ok. I forgive you".
They had a handshake of acknowledgement and then charmander's trainer turned to Sonic.
"Now that I remember that was one sweet strategy you used. Waiting for me to get in position and then damaging me while lowering the damage to squirtle so much all in one move? So cool".
"Thanks" Sonic responded.
"Are you going to do the gym challenge?" bulbasaur's trainer asked.
"I haven't really thought of anything so far. An hour ago I was just going to deliver an envelope to professor oak and now I am the trainer of a squirtle. It's all happening so fast".
"You totally should" charmander's trainer added as charmander's pokeball was returned to him.
After the pokemon were healed the 2 kids left to go home while Sonic lied on the grass outside the town with squirtle and looked at the sky.
"Hey squirtle" Sonic said "did you enjoy battling that charmander?"
Squirtle let out a cry of joy and satisfaction.
"So… what if we were to tackle the gym challenge?"
"Squirtle?"
"Would you like us to go on that journey together?"
"Squirtle!"
Sonic smiled and got back up.
"Alright then. Let's find a place to buy resources for the journey. It's gonna be a long walk".
They walked back to town and after buying a backpack and food for the journey as well as fresh water they visited oak once again who informed them of how the gym challenge worked and that the first gym was 2 towns away in pewter town. Then after informing his parents and a jealous Jet who could believe in the span of an hour his brother had become a trainer and was beginning the gym challenge but wished him good luck nonetheless, Sonic and squirtle then set out together towards their first destination ready to begin this adventure together.