Chapter 10:
"Come on now, you can make headlines but still can't stomach a little boat ride?" Cissy laughed as she rubbed Arthur's back as they got of the ferry.
"Not the same …" he croaked in response, trying to focus on anything but the swaying of the ship. While he had managed to keep the insides of his stomach this time around, that didn't mean the ride was any less pleasant. And the worst thing was, he didn't even know why. Every time he'd boarded a ship his head began swirling after a few minutes and his stomach soon followed.
"Good thing you won't need to ride one anytime soon, am I right?" She kept laughing. Now that she was a bit older it was easier for him to remember her than when they'd first met. She'd done her auburn hair up in a messy ponytail that split three-ways, with her bangs framing her face. Unlike when they first met, they were at the same height now. Like him, she'd been given clothes from her grandma – the clothes shop lady – consisting of a black tank-top with a short-sleeved blue jacket on top that was cut just above her stomach. Unlike how he remembered, she didn't wear a long skirt but faded red pants instead, which reached all the way down to her white shoes. Slung over her right shoulder hang her backpack, the same Silph Co. model as his but in blue, which provided way more carrying capacity than a regular one with a fraction of the weight. Finishing up her outfit was a blue belt equipped with a long magnetic strip for holding pokeballs. Not that she had any on it right now.
He nodded along as they made their way into Pallet Town proper. It was an idyllic place with wide open grasslands, plenty of flowers here and there, as well as a large river that separated the two halves of it and ended in the sea. Judging by the number of houses it wasn't any more populated than Cinnabar Island, but it was more spread out. The residents they passed by greeted them in a friendly manner, excited to see young trainers come to their town. There were equal parts young and old with groups of children playing peacefully near the river and the flowerbeds, while a flock of Pidgey flew on and about or rested on nearby trees to watch what happened below.
The two of them grabbed a snack from a bakery at the main road that positively smelled heavenly when they wanted to pass by, but couldn't stop their mouths from watering. All in all, he thought it would be a wonderful place to life in sometime in the future, but as far as he knew it was an invite-only place to settle. Every resident was an acquaintance or friend to Professor Oak, with many of the older ones giving off the feel of veteran trainers.
They made their way across the river, the bridge connecting the pieces of land led straight to the massive plot of land that was the professor's ranch. On the top of the hill stood his lab while the ground below was closed off via wooden fence. It wasn't high enough to not get over it, but it was clearly meant to keep anyone from going over it, no matter from what side. In the distance a couple of Plant-types basked in the sun, crowded around a large Venusaur, Flying-types perched on top of trees, and an Arcanine raced with a Tauros along a beaten path.
"Wow," Cissy stared in wonder, no doubt excited to see the many kinds of pokemon. And he couldn't fault her, they were used to seeing the same Fire- and Water-types all day.
He was as if not more excited as her, with his very own journey just moments away, something he's been looking forward to for years. Looking at the sight in front of him, it felt surreal all over again. He might've come to terms with being in this world after the years he's already spent in it, but the thought of living every kid's dream of going on a pokemon journey himself had him trembling in anticipation. Sure, he might be on a tight schedule and likely didn't have the time to go explore the world as much as he liked to, but that wouldn't stop him from experiencing it.
It took him a few minutes and a lot of nudging to get his friend going, but they finally made it to the top of the hill and the entrance to Professor Oak's lab. A soft breeze pushed his hair into his eyes, prompting him to brush it to the side. For whatever reason, neither Cissy nor her grandma allowed him to cut it any shorter, and since he didn't want to ruin it in an attempt to do it himself, he'd accepted it. Something about it looking better that way or something. It felt like dealing with Jessy all over again. He wondered where they were right now.
After Gio- the boss had given him clearance due to his accomplishments and Blaine's insistence, as well as financial and theoretical support in addition to the funding provided by the League due to his sponsorship from Blaine, the only thing he heard about them was they'd been promoted to Specialist rank. A rank he now shared with them, so that he could access what he needed and even call in and order around grunts if he wanted to. Admin Archer had told him that while he's already had recognition in Kanto due to his scientifical achievements and sponsors in Blaine and Oak, he could always be sneaky about building up even more reputation. It was an indirect way of telling him that if he wanted an easy way to look good, he could act out stopping criminals by ordering them in in the first place.
While Team Rocket wasn't exactly laying low, their scope hadn't yet taken the size of a region-spanning mafia, at least in the public eye. The Celadon Game Corner was up and running, there most likely were spies in Silph Co., and a remote lab on an island not far from Cinnabar was operating fully, but whatever crimes Rocket did were small or swept under the rug. He honestly didn't know if that was a good thing or not, but gave them the benefit of the doubt in waiting to see if he performed up to expectations. Since he'd announced himself to try and become Champion, he's expected to clear the gym circuit in his first year and take part in the Indigo League Tournament, although no one told him how far he should make it. They didn't need to, because he's told himself many times that he's going to win.
He'd trained his starter for a full year already, and his second companion for almost half a year as well, after it had grown old enough to train. He could probably blitz through the first couple of gyms with those two alone, even though he'd be at a type disadvantage if he did – he's bound to follow the classic route from the games after all – but he'd rather use the chance to train any new pokemon he caught. It was only a matter of finding the ones he wanted without losing too much time, training up a full team of six to a level where they could stand against a Champion did take time after all. And he needed at least three more in order to comfortably make it through the preliminary rounds as well.
Now it was Cissy's turn to break him out of thought as she not so subtlety nudged him towards the man standing in front of them.
"Looks like you're excited to start, I didn't expect you for another two hours!" Professor Oak laughed and beckoned them inside. "Took an early ferry, I take?"
"The first of the day!" Cissy replied with a mix of nervousness and eagerness.
The professor led them through his lab which was filled with rows of books, pictures, and more. A large window showed the land behind the lab where even more pokemon were gathered and having their meals. From Raticate, over Poliwag, to even a lone Scyther, there were plenty of different species around. Through the entrance near the window came a young girl, probably the same age as them, with long brown hair, soft brown eyes, and a gentle face. She was about a head shorter than them, but her presence had the same knowledgeable tint as the professors, maybe a side-effect of her wearing a lab coat just like him.
"Oh? You're already here?" The girl asked surprised. "Good thing I already fed the first batch then. Tea anyone?" She put her lab coat over a nearby dresser, showing of her green high-collared turtleneck sweater and beige pants.
They nodded along subconsciously, taken in by her friendly demeanor, and sat down around a coffee table. Not even the professor was spared, but he quickly found his voice when the girl started making tea in the nearby kitchenette.
"So, as you probably know by now; you three are the trainers I've decided to sponsor this year." Oak announced with a clap of his hands. "You all passed my test with flying colors, which is why you're here today. All of you have accepted the responsibilities that come with it, so here's a quick refresher."
He reminded them about their duties as Lab Trainers, which put them as first responders to any sort of crisis that might happen in their vicinity. Like every trainer they were expected to follow the orders of Rangers, Ace's, Gym Leaders, and the police, and do their best to help whenever possible. Unlike others, however, they could be called in directly to help an authority figure in all manners of ways, like securing a nearby area or checking out rumors and scouting the behavior of the local wildlife. That extended to populated areas as well, where they were to act in a good sense of the values portrayed by the league to help out their fellow men to fight and report any crimes they came across.
In exchange, they got access to the professor's ranch where they could send any pokemon they captured to be taken care off. On top of that they would receive a fully functional pokedex and a direct line to the professor himself if they had questions or needed help with something. That alone was worth any kind of responsibility in Arthur's eyes. The additional funding that came with it was nice too, although it was only half of what he received monthly due to his sponsorship from the Cinnabar Gym. Cissy was certainly happy about it, since she lacked a big sponsorship like him, but more important than the money was the status.
As Lab Trainers, they were allowed to stay at pokecenters for a longer period of time, got into libraries and museums for free, and even got some discounts for bulk buying at official league stores like pokemarts. They even had shorter penalty times when losing against a Gym Leader they challenged, which usually put any trainer up for a week before they were allowed to make another challenge. Instead, they could do so after three days. Last but certainly not least, the probably most important part of their stay in Pallet.
While the good professor was talking, the other girl had brought over tea and introduced herself as Daisy Oak. Similarly to Arthur, she'd been an intern at her grandfather's lab for a few years and was to start her journey together with them. Unsurprisingly, she and Cissy hit it off right at the bat, quickly taking a liking to the other's appearance and style. Seeing as he'd lost the attention of two thirds of his listeners, the professor loudly cleared his throat.
"That said, I think it's time everyone got what they're here for." Oak said and instantly had all eyes on him. Arthur chuckled as he saw the embarrassed look of Cissy once she realized she hadn't been paying attention. "If you'd all be so kind as to follow me."
The man led them through a pair of security doors and into the heart of his lab. There, in the middle of all the machinery and lab equipment, stood a large capsule with three pokeballs laid out. Each of them had a little icon just above their buttons; a flame, a leaf, and a drop of water. On a nearby table lay three sets of six pokeballs, red pokedexes, and two small handbooks each.
"As you might know, the pokemon we call the Regional Starters are a set of rare pokemon native only to their respective regions. Their numbers are dangerously low, which is why every region takes great effort in keeping them around." The professor explained and pushed a button which activated a large screen at the wall opposite of them, showing pictures as he continued. "Bulbasaur the Grass and Poison type pokemon, Charmander the Fire type, and Squirtle the Water type. These three are the ones you may choose from, but only one of each is given out. They, just like your pokedex, are the symbols of your potential and will be recognized as such. It is without say that I expect every one of you to take good care of not only the pokemon you receive from me today, but every other as well, no matter if caught or wild."
He fixed them with a stern look that quickly went into a bright smile as they nodded. "It's tradition that the one with the highest marks chooses first, then the second, and finally the third. And while it may look like it, I assure you that it's not favoritism that my granddaughter is the one with the highest score."
Arthur watched as Daisy walked towards the three pokeballs. He knew that Cissy was aiming for Squirtle, but she came in last. Naturally he wasn't going to take the one she wanted, but there was a chance that the third of them would. Gary chose Squirtle in the show, so it was a possibility his sister would do the same. He had resigned himself to take the one left. He already had two pokemon to begin with, and adding a rare regional starter to the mix made him feel kind off bad. It wasn't like he needed one, but since he wanted to become a Lab Trainer, it was expected of him to receive one. It would've been nice if he could've balanced out his team with his choice …
But Daisy took up a ball and released the pokemon in front of her. The bright red beam of energy swirled and took shape, before revealing the pokemon it had held. "Bulbasaur!"
Well, there went his balance. Cissy sighed in relief next to him, something that didn't get past the Oak family. Daisy patted and picked up her starter to show it off to them. "Isn't he just the cutest? When I saw this little one arrived at the lab, I knew I had to pick him." The pokemon in her arms smiled brightly and nuzzled against her arms. "Looks like I didn't take the one you're gunning for either, huh Cissy?"
The other girl flushed red but played it off by taking a closer look at the pokemon in front of her. While those two were distracted, Arthur turned towards the professor. "Is it really alright for me to take one?" he asked. Yes, he'd worked for and earned his right to receive one, but someone else might've deserved it more. Needed it more. He'd just cheated his way in.
"But of course!" The professor responded and clapped him on the shoulder after a moment of looking at him. The man looked oddly pleased. "If you don't then it'll have to wait until next year, and we can't have that, can we?"
He grumbled at the way the professor guilt tripped him, although it was in good faith. With no other option left, he accepted his fate and walked over to the remaining two pokeballs and hovered his right hand over them. He looked over his shoulder and watched as Cissy's eyes widened in horror as his hand almost touched the ball with the droplet on it, before switching to the other one. She'd teased him for getting seasick, so it was only fair he would tease her back a bit as well.
He pushed the button and released the third member to his party. A small orange lizard with a fire burning on the tip of its tail appeared with a happy grin and looked up at him. "Charmander, Char!" Should he become a type specialist after all? Three pokemon, three Fire types. He'd learned under a Fire type specialist, the best one in Indigo at that. But no. He had plans for his team and while a third Fire type wasn't exactly part of it, he would make it work. At least he wouldn't have to look for a Flying type that way.
"Hey there, little guy. I'm Arthur, I hope you're ready to become the biggest and strongest Charizard around." He said and held out his hand, resulting in a high-five with his new pokemon, which cried out its name resolutely in response.
A hand ruffled his hair from above. "Don't you go scare me like that!" Cissy laughed nervously and took the remaining pokeball, swiftly releasing the small blue turtle inside.
"You know me better than that." He chuckled in response and got back up. They all were handed one of the sets from the table before the professor addressed them again.
"With this you all are ready to set out on your journey. While you don't have to, I'd appreciate it if you called in every now and then to update me on your progress. Your pokedexes are linked to my system, as is my ranch to the location every pokemon you catch that goes over your limit will be send. You are free to change that if you want, however." He added as he looked at Arthur, as he was the only one that had another location he could send his pokemon to.
"As would I appreciate if you look around and scan every pokemon you see with your pokedexes. But make sure to ask permission first, if a pokemon happens to have a trainer. The first handbook I gave you has the guidelines of a trainer and laws to abide to written in them. The other one hold information of the different functions of your pokedex, which allows you not only to scan and photograph pokemon, but also gives you insight about the pokemon connected to your pokeballs. Everything else is too much to tell you now, so read up on it at your own convenience."
"With all that said, it's time to finish my rant and let you go. Your very own pokemon journey is about to unfold. A world of dreams and adventures awaits! Let's go!"
Arthur left Pallet Town on the route leading north soon after. The three of them had split up, with Daisy leaving the next day since she still had things to do, while Cissy left eastward to visit a lake their newest acquaintance had told her about. She'd always been more interested in Water types, which made him wonder if she'd go all Misty with her team. They'd never really talked about what pokemon they wanted to catch, but he's sure he'd find out soon enough. She all but told him to wait in Pewter at least until she arrived so they could battle after all. He stopped after half an hour of walking and went off the road a bit, that way he had some privacy, even if there weren't many, if any people, around.
He took the three pokeballs from his belt and released his pokemon simultaneously. Charcadett stood tall and proud, her arms crossed as she watched her surroundings with full attention. Growlithe barked happily as he looked and sniffed around the unknown surroundings. Both their eyes went to the third that appeared next to them, as Charmander yawned happily as he raised his right arm to wave at his trainer, before turning towards the other two.
"Alright you guys, let me introduce our newest team member; Charmander." He introduced the new pokemon as he knelt down and patted both Charmander and Growlithe, who'd of course gone right up to the newcomer to nuzzle him. "I've no doubt that you'll get along well and help him out with his training once we get to it. You're his mentors in everything fire related, after all."
While the puppy and lizard happily inspected and talked to one another, the stoic squire in the background simply looked over the newcomer before focusing on her trainer instead. When Charmander came over to introduce himself and extended a paw, she looked at it, then at Charmanders face and gave him an almost nonexistent nod before turning away. This in turn had Charmander a bit down, but a clap from his trainer had him look up.
"Don't worry about her, she just wants to see you in action." Arthur said with a smile, to which Growlithe yapped in agreement. "I didn't release you just to introduce you to another, though. Before we go any further, I believe it's time you all received your nicknames." He'd thought about whether or not to give them nicknames in the first place for a long time, and even longer to come up with ones that were unique and fitting. It sure was good he had some semblance of knowledge about his old world left. At least about the stuff he apparently enjoyed. With everything going on, all the learning and training, he had gradually taken in more information about this world and exchanged it for that of his former. That's why he'd decided to write some of it down, but by that point he already had large holes in his memory.
Focusing back on the task at hand, he turned to his newest team member first. "I didn't jest when I told you I'll make you the strongest Charizard around, which means that you need a name befitting of a powerful fire breathing dragon, typing be damned." Charmander nodded along excitedly and pumped his paws to show his motivation. "Your name shall be Fatalis, after the legendary black dragon that razed entire kingdoms with its flames alone." His pokemons eyes sparkled and it nodded in acceptance. While the colors didn't match – he didn't have the absurd luck of getting a shiny after all – it was a fitting name in his mind, minus the sadism of the name's original holder.
Next was his loyal puppy that wiggled its tail in anticipation. Growlithe had always gone above and beyond in training to the point where it'd taken his starter extra effort to finally put him out of commission. His raw tenacity was what inspired the name Arthur chose for him. "It's a good thing there aren't any different languages that I know off, otherwise this might sound a bit lazy. That's not the case, however, and the connection is much more important anyway. So, Growlithe, from today onward you're Cú, after the great Irish hero that never stopped battling until it's over." In response, he was rewarded with his newly named pokemon jumping at him to lick his face.
"I'm glad you like it." He laughed and ruffled his puppy's heavy fur until he settled down. Then he turned to the final member of his team. "One named after a legendary dragon, the other after an equally legendary hero. Of course, I have one befitting their leader as well." Charcadett took a step forward and kneeled in front of him, something she'd done since the very beginning. She's always focused on getting stronger, even going so far as to get Blaine's ace pokemon to train with her. And while she didn't know her limits, she'd always listened when he'd told her it was time to stop. They had a sort of connection he couldn't explain, but they stoked each other's fire in their quests for greatness. He was sure that whenever he needed to win, she'd make it possible. "I don't know when we'll manage to evolve you, nor do I know which path we'll take. But what I know is that with you, I cannot lose. You're my sword of promised victory, my Excalibur."
Charcadett looked up at him in recognition before standing up with a salute. The fire's burning in her eyes were even bigger than before, or was that the reflection of his own? A soft breeze rolled over them and he suddenly felt extremely self-conscious. He looked around, probably completely flushed if the heat in his cheeks were anything to go by, to see if anyone had heard his little speeches, but sighed in relief when there was no one around. He meant what he'd told his pokemon, he really did, but now that he said it out loud it sounded so embarrassing that he wanted to hide in the next bush. It sure was a good thing he waited until he and Cissy split up, he didn't think he could take her teasing if she'd heard.
His pokemon eyed him with a mix of anticipation and amusement, so, he lightly clapped his cheeks to focus on something else. "That said, let's get going. I'll have our newest member up and ready for battle for the time being. You two take the chance to take a look around and tell me if you find anything interesting. Some pointers for your new student would be a good idea too. The faster he grows the better."
They got back on track and made their way further north, but other than the occasional Pidgey and Rattata seeing and fleeing from them not much happened. Were they intimidated by his already trained pokemon? In that case he'd have to put them back in their balls for the time being, otherwise there wouldn't be any chance to train the other. When they reached a small forest connected to the nearby river, he decided it was time for a break. They found themselves a nice little spot that was cleared out and sat down after he'd laid down blanked for them. He followed that up by putting down three plates and filled them with a special kind of food that he came up with in collaboration with the breeder on Cinnabar Island. It combined the best parts of Blaine's special food with that used for helping young pokemon grow, which adjusted it perfectly for young Fire types like he had. The brown pellets had different chunks in them from berries, dough, and meat. He had no idea where the later came from and he didn't really want to know. While the food was perfect for the road, it wasn't supposed to be the only part of a pokemons diet. He'd have to stock up on proper food to serve besides the pokechow when they reached Viridian City, but they'd surely manage to find some fresh berries on the way.
He pulled out a small package of cookies for himself, since he wasn't all that hungry after he'd eaten what they'd gotten earlier at the bakery. In hindsight he should've bought something for his pokemon there before he'd left. He'd have to remember that for next time. The plan was to beeline straight for Pewter City and get his first badge there. While he wouldn't have much problems with the denizens of Viridian Forest, with him having three Fire types on him, he neither wanted nor needed to look around there. He doubted he'd find anything he might want on his team in a timely manner, so he prioritized taking the time to train instead. The schedules for his pokemon were already made, he just needed to add his newest team member into the mix and adjust them a little so that his Charmander could improve from their experience.
His eyes shot to his hand when he felt an unexpected sensation on it. A Caterpie had somehow sneaked its way up to him and nibbled on the cookie he held. The small green bug was oblivious to the stares it got from the now aware Fire types around it. Only after it had broken out and eaten a chunk out of its chosen meal it looked up at him with big eyes, then towards the other pokemon in attendance, and quickly back to him in horror.
He shared that horror, not to the point of screaming and flinging the little pokemon away, but he was uncomfortable with it being on him. Before his starter could throw a potentially lethal attack at the Caterpie, it was lifted up and put on the ground by Fatalis, who sounded like he scolded the small caterpillar. Both Arthur and the Caterpie let out a sigh of relief, the later looking back at him before bowing its head repeatedly.
With a nervous chuckle, he waved it off and gave it the remains of the cookie it'd nibbled on before getting lost in his thoughts. His fear of bugs hadn't gotten any better, but he couldn't continue like that. If he were to be Champion, he couldn't just freeze up at every Bug type like that. Neither would that be a good show of him, nor would it be fair for the members of the type, they already got enough flak as is. He reached into his pocket and grabbed one of the pokeballs he'd received from the professor and rolled it in his hand. If he captured the Caterpie, he could use it to help him with that problem. But then what? If it evolved fully, it would be capable of flying, which would be a great help in training against airborne opponents, plus it could learn a myriad of moves that'd help both in battle and when trying to capture more pokemon. Would he keep it on his team, though? Maybe, but even if he didn't it would be strong enough to fight in the preliminaries at least, if not further. And it would be a great option to use in the Saffron City Gym.
He looked over to Excalibur and they stared into each other's eyes. He suddenly felt warm and it looked like she knew what he's thinking, like they connected on a deeper level. Then, his starter nodded at him and pointed at the Caterpie.
With that his doubt was gone and he turned towards the pokemon that'd just finished up its meal and eyed him curiously. "Hey little buddy, you liked that cookie?" It nodded happily. "What you say; want to come with us?" It tilted his head. "We'll be travelling around the whole region to become the strongest. Of course, we'll try out snacks in every town we pass as well, so how about it?"
The Caterpie looked at him, then at the other pokemon around it, as if to ask their opinion. When it got an excited bark and a loud "Char!" in response, it turned back to him and nodded once more.
"Alright! And you gave me just the right name for you too. Welcome to the team, Cookie." Arthur enlarged the pokeball in his hand and gently nudged it against the pokemons head, which promptly turned it into a mass of red energy and sucked it in. After three wiggles, the ball let out a light sound to signal its capture. He pushed the button and released his newest and first capture in front of him. "Okay everyone, eat up and get ready to leave. Let's get to Viridian City before nightfall!"
After he'd packed up, he returned Excalibur and Cú back to their balls, so they'd hopefully have a battle or two before they reached the next town. In an effort to fight against his fear of bugs, he let Cookie ride on his shoulder, while Fatalis walked in front of them, on the lookout for any wild pokemon. Just before they got out of the small forest, with Viridian City already visible in the distance, the bushes and leaves around them rustled. Both of his pokemon were on edge immediately and looked around for the cause of the noise, before three shadows touched down in front of them.
"Prepare for trouble-"
"- and make it double."
And thus the journey begins! I honestly didn't know who the third starter should go to before I remembered that Daisy existed. Arthur's starting strong with four pokemon already, but rest assured that any additional pokemon will take a while. And it looks like he won't have to travel alone after all! While Cissy will appear every now and then as one of Arthur's rivals, she won't be a travelling companion. Unlike certain other characters ...
Thanks for reading and reviewing, see you next time!