Slow-paced!
As the title states, the book is called "Quests Through Kanto", meaning it's about a journey through the Kanto region. In other words, generation 1. It will have only generation 1 moves and Pokemon, like Tackle and Pikachu. But they will be combined with later-game features and updates, such as abilities and the Dark, Steel, and Fairy types. So Pokemon like Jigglypuff or Clefairy will be part Fairy-type and all Pokemon will have abilities.
And just to complicate things even more, I'm making this book anime-based as well. The battles will not necessarily go back and forth in "turns", the wild Pokemon that appear won't be the same as in the games, Pokemon won't learn moves in order, and "creative" strategies are fair game (ex: Ash Ketchum beating Brock's rock-types with sprinklers).
Also, although the names of the towns, types of Pokemon gyms, and things like that will stay the same, the people will be different. The Cerulean Gym Leader won't be Misty, the Pokemon League Champion will not be Lance, there isn't any Jessie or James in Team Rocket, etc. The only exception to this is Nurse Joy.
He walked with authority. His fellow teammates greeted him devotedly whenever he passed. He wore his black, R-branded uniform with pride. He had respect; both followers and a leader. And someplace to belong.
Speaking of his leader, he was heading to her now. The hideout halls were long, doors every which way he looked. He remembered being a rocket grunt, scouring for his destination, stumbling and lost. But no longer! He took a right and stopped at the end of that new hallway. Large double doors greeted him - they were nothing fancy compared to the rest of the doors, except for their size. Their team leader was quite modest in her strength and appearance. Just one of the things he admired about her, and one of the reasons why he served under her.
As he pushed the doors wide open, his first sight was the office of his boss. Two ruby red sofas sat opposite each other, the left one hosting his employer. The right one hosted a man he'd never seen before, a guest most likely. A glass table was perched atop a red carpet placed in the center of the room, between the sofas. The table was host to a potted plant, one called rubber fig to be exact, as well as two cups with saucers beneath them. Each cup was half-empty, with the full half being coffee.
The guest seemed to like his coffee black. His employer was probably drinking hers with four teaspoons of sugar and one teaspoon of cream. He'd know, having ordered grunts to get her some several times before.
"Ah, Axel! Come and join us, will you?" She offered.
The guest turned his head to look at him. "And who might this be?" He inquired.
Axel stood up straight, his hands stiff at his sides and bowed. "Ma'am, sir," He kept his voice level, but respectful. He didn't dare do anything less in the presence of his leader, but this guest was a total stranger, and his level of authority was never made clear.
"This is Admin Axel Brown. And please, Axel, I'm a miss." She smiled. "Come! Sit by me. Axel, this is Maddox Morning. He's a business partner that I've been having discussions with." Her grin grew a bit wider as she went on and Axel took a seat beside her. "As my top Admin, I'd like you to oversee that all procedures dealing with his company go smoothly, and ensure that Mister Maddox receives the... Price he desires."
Axel gave a tiny nod, and seeing Maddox stand, he stood up as well. "I will follow my orders from Miss Lilith. Is there anything you'd like now, sir?" He offered. Whenever his employer gave an assignment... He never failed to deliver. That's how he rose to the top of the Team Rocket Admins. And Axel was certain he wouldn't fail now. "Anything specific?"
"Actually, there is, Admin Brown. Why not start with a little rodeo show?"
"It's just like a rodeo!" A girl wearing a pastel yellow button-up shirt and a pale pink skirt stared out of a window. A blush pink scarf was tied around her waist, and her caramel blonde hair was tied in double low buns with two white ribbons.
Her gray-green eyes blinking rapidly in excitement, 10-year-old Maisie Gayle watched an open, grassy field from the second-story window. A fence was bizarrely yet deliberately placed in the middle of it, as Pokemon after Pokemon took turns leaping over it and circling back around.
Cora Larks, also 10 but a couple of months younger, stared just as eagerly with deep-set amber eyes. She had slightly wavy hair colored a light caramel brown that rested just above shoulder length. Wearing dark blue jeans and a violet shirt with the flowering back of a red rose in the center, she also had a brown bag with gold-colored accents resting on a nearby table.
Maisie was amazed by the high jumps each Pokemon made, while Cora was more amazed by their orderly fashion. None of the Pokemon were trained to jump and circle the fence, which was placed there only this morning.
A few moments passed before a 'clank' sounded behind them, then a voice: "I'm done with this week's checkup. The egg is as healthy as ever."
Cora spun around with a small smile on her face. "Thanks, Professor-"
"Professor Maple! Look at how high those Tauros can jump!" Maisie interrupted, unintentionally. "They just keep going back to jump again and again!" Her eyes glowed at the marvel.
"It's a good way for them to use up their energy." Professor Maple was a tall man with short cherry-red hair. He wore a white lab coat over a beige-colored T-shirt and black shorts. In the Professor's eyes, anything he wore was research-appropriate as long as he wore a lab coat over it.
"Tauros are often restless. They're known for stampeding around in giant herds, but if they rampage too much, then they may simply run over smaller Pokemon. And while they run, no other Pokemon can exercise, play, or rest in the field by my laboratory. They'd be forced farther back."
Cora walked over to pick up her bag, its gold accents shimmering in the daylight, and hung it on her shoulder. She then picked up the egg that the Professor had been examining. The egg was brown in color, with a pale zigzag that went around the middle.
Pallet Town: a quiet, small-town place on the west side of the Kanto region. It was connected to the nearby Viridian City through a trail that went through tallgrass fields and a walk through the woods, also known as Route 1. It was there that Cora had found her prized Pokemon egg, whilst playing in the grass and pretending to be a Pokemon trainer, nearly a month ago.
"So it would be best for everyone if most of the Tauros spent their time jumping rather than running. And other Pokemon can also play by climbing or jumping the fence. As long as they take turns."
Maisie nodded along with his explanation, which had become a bit of a ramble at some point. Professor Maple spared no expense when it came to Pokemon or his research.
"And Cora?" He turned back to glance at her while Maisie finally left the window. "That egg of yours should be close to hatching very soon, so take extra care while handling it."
Both girls' eyes seemed to light up at this fact, and Cora gave an assuring nod. It was one of the most exciting things to happen to them: a Pokemon's life being brought forth into the world! And Cora would be raising it!
The tradition of children who aspired to train Pokemon leaving home after their 10th birthday was a long one. So why hadn't these two girls done the same? Cora had her egg and was determined to make it her first Pokemon, but what about Maisie?
"Now off you go. I heard that there's another surprise waiting for you today." Professor Maple held a kind tone, but his eyes were focused and his face was set in stoic stone while he left for another room. But of course, that wouldn't deter the two 10-year-olds.
"Oh, he's right. I got so distracted by the Tauros..." Maisie trailed off. If she was excited over watching Tauros or the idea of a Pokemon egg hatching - well - that was nothing compared to the emotion she felt now. Anticipation bubbled up inside of her until she let it burst in a loud, "Let's go!"
Although Cora shouted a 'Wait up!' from behind her, Maisie nearly broke into a run while speeding down the stairs. Cora followed suit, but remembering the Professor's words of caution regarding her egg, she slowed herself before reaching the bottom.
There, she saw Maisie had stopped in her tracks. Three small Pokemon were running around her feet, while she laughed and tried to maneuver her way around them. But they were eager to play instead!
A chuckle came from behind Cora, and she turned around to see Professor Maple descending the stairs. "My apologies, you two. In a few days, two new soon-to-be trainers are coming to pick up one of these three, and their anticipation has been skyrocketing!"
Cora found herself letting a smile appear on her face. "Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle. They all seem close. Who do you think the two trainers will choose?"
The Professor shrugged. "One of them has already declared they'd be choosing Charmander, so unless he changes his mind, Charmander will be picked. The other seemed to have a harder time choosing. She might pick either Bulbasaur or Squirtle."
Maisie bent down and picked up Squirtle with a fond look in her eyes. "I'd choose Squirtle! It's so cute - they're all adorable, of course - but I just can't get enough of water-types!"
"You could've picked Squirtle as your starter Pokemon, but I think your parents have other plans in mind."
"Ah, you're right!" After hearing the Professor's words and quickly setting down Squirtle, she turned to dart out of the house once more. "See you!" Bulbasaur had given up running around, and Squirtle began to wrestle with Chamander.
"Maisie! Wait up!" Cora called, giving chase to her friend for the second time that day. "Goodbye, Professor Maple!" She yelled, exiting the building.
The laboratory was two stories tall and on the top of a small hill with a steep but smooth trail leading up to it. Although the lab itself wasn't too impressive, being rather small for a research facility and more like a large house, the property that Professor Maple owned was vast and actually made up over half of Pallet Town. That's just how small Pallet Town was; or how much property Marcos Maple owned for the Pokemon he was entrusted with.
They ran all the way to their destination, Cora being slightly more out of breath than Maisie was when they finally arrived. Maisie's cozy, two-story house was outlined with pretty white fencing and a gate with the label 'Gayle' next to it.
Where does she get the energy to run almost a mile..? Cora found herself wondering once they reached the house. Cora lived two blocks away from Maisie. It took them around 20 minutes to walk to the laboratory, but running, it took them 10.
Maisie burst through the door with unwavering enthusiasm. "I'm home!" She called. The Gayle family's living room was clean with nicely painted white walls.
"Welcome home," A small voice returned. A young girl, 6 years old, ran down the stairs to greet them. She held a small, blue gift box in her hands, closed with a green ribbon tied around it.
"Hi, Maggie!" Maisie greeted her younger sister with a smile. Cora echoed her greeting. Maggie shied away at first but then leaned into the hug her elder sister was offering. When they broke apart, Maisie asked, "What're you holding?"
"Dad took Mom to her workplace, and he drove back with this." Maggie offered the gift box to her sister. Maisie inspected the box with an eager grin that got wider by the second. She clearly knew what its contents were. "He wanted Mom to come with him so they could give it to you themselves, but there was an emergency."
Her grin shrunk with alarming abruptness, but it didn't disappear, because Maisie was confident in her parents' skills. "What happened?"
"Two batches of Pokemon eggs hatched at the same time yesterday, and they're a little short-handed. Dad went to help out with taking care of the baby Pokemon."
Cora clutched her own Pokemon egg a little tighter.
Maisie's mother was a Pokemon breeder who worked at a small facility in the middle of town. Unwanted Pokemon eggs from larger organizations or facilities were brought from other cities in the Kanto region and raised there. When they grew a little older and stronger, those Pokemon were released.
Maisie nodded in understanding. "No worries! Taking care of Pokemon is important." She stared longingly at the small box she'd been holding. "And I'm going to find out just how important it really is."
"Open it," Cora urged. She and Maggie stood off to the side to watch the unwrapping of the green ribbon. As it fell softly onto the living room floor, Maisie opened the top of the box...
And inside was a tiny sphere with two halves, the top one red and the bottom half white. The halves were separated by a gray button that Maisie pressed to enlarge her new Poke Ball.
This is it... This is going to be my new partner! Maisie's excitement was skyrocketing. "Are you ready?" She said it mostly for herself than for her friend or sister. Without waiting for a reply, a bright white light emerged from her Poke Ball and she finally released her surprise gift. A Pokemon. It was one caught by her parents, just for her.
What came out of the light was a small, armless blue Pokemon with two round feet and a tadpole-like tail. Its white stomach had a black spiral swirling counterclockwise. And it was Maisie's absolute favorite type of Pokemon - water.
"A Poliwag!"
Small, water-type Pokmon? Definitely, something Maisie'd like. Cora thought. Maisie just adored Pokemon that were cute. In other words, every Pokemon. Especially water-types. She just loved water-type Pokemon! Cora smiled. "I'm glad you got the Pokemon you wanted! It's an adorable Poliwag." Maggie, being quiet in nature, nodded along with Cora's congratulatory words.
Maisie kneeled down and hugged her new Poliwag, stroking its head in the process. Poliwag was surprised at first, almost shying away like Maggie had done earlier. But it smiled at the gesture, letting out a soft sigh at being released from its Poke Ball. "It's very cute." She agreed, abruptly pulling Poliwag into a hug. It was startled, to say the least.
Watching Maisie bond with her new partner was heartwarming, and Maggie looked comfortable petting Poliwag too. But what Cora was thinking about now was mostly about her egg.
What kind of Pokemon will you hatch into? Maisie seemed to have a way with words and was energetic and friendly. Cora, on the other hand... Will you even like me?
"Oh, it's glowing! It's shining!" Cora exclaimed excitedly to no one in particular. She'd awoken in the middle of the night to her Pokemon egg, shining and shaking. Its light spread throughout the room until it suddenly became so blinding the girl - the soon-to-be trainer had to shield her eyes.
When she removed her hands, the cry of a Pokemon greeted her. The cry of a small brown quadruped with large, dark brown eyes and long, similarly-colored ears. It had a fluffy pale neck tuft and an even fluffier tail with a pale tip.
Her memory, a catalog of Pokemon information immediately arrived at the conclusion of... "An Eevee!"
Eevee stood up from the sitting position it hatched in. It hatched. It actually hatched. She immediately crouched on the floor next to it. "Hi, Eevee."
It tilted its head and walked up to sniff her hand. Cora tensed, waiting to see what the Eevee would think of her, and...
It smiled, tilting its head up and leaping into her lap with an adorable little 'vee!' sound. "Does that mean 'hi' back?" Cora smiled gently, petting its head, tufts of fur sticking out of it ever so slightly. It's so soft... "It's nice to meet you, Eevee. My name is Cora."
Eevee stayed sitting in her lap, listening. Cora couldn't really tell whether or not it really understood. "I want to go on a journey with my friend, and I'd like you to be my friend, too." Some of her words seemed to tumble out. She'd never really thought about what to say to her Pokemon egg once it hatched. "My Pokemon partner, to be more exact."
She barely slept the rest of the night. Instead, she talked quietly with Eevee so as to not wake up her family - her grandfather - and talked about random things. Little things while bonding with her new partner. Eevee got to explore her room, and Cora would be able to tell Maisie the good news in the morning.
Now that they'd each gotten Pokemon of their own... They'd finally be able to go out on a journey. Together.