Dreams. They led to ambition, which bred competition, which made room for innovation. This was the cycle of progress that all living things, people and pokemon, were subject to. Only the strongest were capable of fulfilling their ambition and enforcing their will on the world around them. And when someone's dream was threatened, it could lead them down an unexpected road where their true character is put to the test.
Shimo Cartesia was determined to fulfill his dream, and to do that he needed to be the best. His parents had been Ace Trainers before they had mysteriously disappeared, and if he was going to find out what happened to them he would need a rank even higher than that.
Champion Rank.
A rank held by only a select few across history.
Despite the difficulty of his dream, Shimo had already taken the first step. He had recently graduated first in his class at the trainer's school, which meant he got first dibs when it came to selecting his partner pokemon. Getting dressed in his black cargo pants, and stylized pokeball hoodie, he heard his aunt calling for him.
"Shimo! Hurry up! You'll be late if you laze around any longer!" His aunt called from downstairs. Making sure he had everything, Shimo gave one last look around his childhood bedroom with a wistful smile on his face. It was probably going to be a while before he was back here again.
Heading downstairs, he saw his aunt waiting impatiently, tapping her foot slightly. "About time! Honestly, kids these days! Can't even wake up on time," She huffed. Carmen Cartesia was a short-tempered woman, but having grown up in her care, Shimo was plenty used to it.
"You don't have to come with me, you know. I'll be fine by myself." Shimo offered quietly. Carmen only huffed again as they made their way outside into Pewter City. "You and I don't see eye to eye often, but I'd be a crap caregiver if I didn't see you off on your first day. Honestly, I can't believe you're fourteen already." Carmen fussed as they continued to make their way towards the Gym.
"Aunt Carmen? Are you going to be ok? I mean with me leaving and everything?" Shimo asked quietly, hands in his pockets.
"Stand up straight!" Carmen snapped reflexively, before she sighed. "It's not me you need to worry about Shimo. I can't stop you from going on your journey, no matter how much I want to. But at least promise me this. Enjoy it. I know how easily you get tunnel vision, and you may want to rush straight to the end, but the world is so much bigger than you realize, and it's filled with incredible things. You'll meet all sorts of interesting people and pokemon, and you'll get into all sorts of adventures. But if it gets too dangerous, or you feel like you can't go on, you have a place under my roof, always.
Shimo nodded his thanks as they entered the Gym. They weren't the only ones there, the rest of the top nine from his class were already there.
"Yo Shimo! Over here!" A voice called out. Carmen pushed him in that direction none too gently.
"Go be with your friends. I'll be by the entrance when you're ready." She said. Making his way over to the voice, Shimo found his two friends. Atticus and Vivian.
Atticus was tall and lanky, had brown skin, and had short, wavy black hair.
Vivian was short and a little pudgy, was fair skinned, and had long blazing red hair.
"Did you oversleep Shimo?" Vivian asked politely. Shimo pulled his hood up and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Just a little, but it's fine Brock isn't even here yet." He replied quietly.
"Speaking of, look." Atticus pointed out the Gym Leader.
"Trainers, may I have your attention please! Take a seat in the bleachers, and when I call your name, please come down to the field to receive your partner." Brock announced. The trio made their way to the bleachers, but Shimo didn't bother sitting down.
Brock then released ten different pokemon, and several immediately caught Shimo's attention.
"Shimo Cartesia, please come down to the field!" Brock called. Making his way down to the rocky and uneven field, he stood across from Brock.
"As first in your class, you get first pick. Think carefully, selecting a partner is one of the most important decisions in a trainer's life." Brock said solemnly. Shimo nodded but his attention was preoccupied.
Kneeling down, Shimo held out his hand, hoping beyond hope that the pokemon he wanted chose him as well.
The mudkip tilted its large head, sniffing at Shimo's hand before it leapt into his palm. Shimo gave a small smile, and gently scratched behind the large fin on mudkip's head.
"Seems you two are going to be fast friends. Congratulations." Brock said, handing him mudkip's pokeball. Shimo murmured his thanks as he took it and returned to sit with his friends.
Soon after that, Atticus was called to choose his partner, a small but sturdy looking Sandshrew. It was a timid looking thing but Shimo thought it suited Atticus. Finally it was Vivian's turn and she chose a rather exotic Roggenrola. Once they all had their partners they didn't bother sticking around for the rest of their class, they were much too eager to begin their adventure.
They split to say goodbye to their respective guardians. "That's a rare pokemon you've got there, Shimo. Be careful, there's been nasty rumors about a group of thieves stealing rare pokemon." Carmen warned, handing him his bag. Shimo nodded as friends rejoined him.
"Bye Auntie. When I see you again, I promise I'll be a great trainer." Shimo said, waving as they left the gym.
"So, what's the plan y'all? Are you sticking around for a bit to train and challenge Brock or what?" Atticus asked as he carried his sandshrew in his arms. Vivian nodded but Shimo shook his head.
"I'm heading to the base of Mt Moon. I know for a fact that's where a rare type of Pokémon makes their habitat." Shimo said.
"Charmander, right? I don't know about that Shimo. The Pokédex said that even a single sighting can take days." Vivian said. Shimo shrugged, unconcerned.
"It's not like I'm in a rush. If I have to wait a few days to catch a charmander then so be it. What about you, Atticus?"
"I'm heading to Viridian Forest. I want to get my hands on a pikachu." Atticus said excitedly.
"Sounds like we're all doing different things. Let's agree to meet up in Cerulean City." Vivian proposed. The others nodded and separated, going their way.
Shimo made his way to the beginning of Route 3 and let mudkip out of his pokeball. "Hey there buddy. It's just us for now so why don't we just walk and talk for now." Shining said, holding out his hand for mudkip to jump into. Mudkip tapped happily as Shimo placed him on his shoulder.
"Would you like a name?" Shimo asked, and mudkip jumped off his shoulder, running around excitedly. "I'll take that as a yes." He said with a small smile.
"How about… Tidal. Like a big strong tidal wave." Mudkip nodded at the suggestion and Tidal began to run around with excess energy.
"Someone's fired up. I need you to sit still for just a bit so I can scan you ok." Tidal came to a stop at his feet, looking up at him curiously. Shimo pulled out his phone and opened the pokedex app. Pointing the camera towards Tidal, he got a comprehensive breakdown of Tidal's current moves and ones he could learn in the future.
Mudkip
Water-type
Male
Knows the moves, Tackle, Growl, Water gun, Bite.
Shimo raised an eyebrow at the last move. Bite wasn't a move mudkip could learn normally, one of Tidal's parents must have been a dark-type. He shrugged and put his phone away.
"Alright, we're going to begin your training right away." Shimo pointed at a nearby rock. "Tidal, use water gun!" He said. Tidal reared his head back and shot out a pathetic stream of water that didn't even make it all the way to the target. Tidal tilted his head, as if he was surprised by his own weaknesses.
Shimo crouched down and scratched behind the fin on Tidal's head. "It was a good first try. We'll work on it. I think increasing your water pressure is going to be key." Tidal listened intently as Shimo spoke.
"Here's what I want you to try. Take a deep breath, as deep as you can and hold it." Tidal nodded and tried again. This time the stream of water actually made it to the rock but it failed to do any significant damage.
Tidal reared his head back to try again but Shimo had him stop. "When you release, don't just open your mouth, focus it like this." Shimo whistled, showing Tidal the position of his lips. Tidal turned back to the rock, reared his head back and used water gun.
A high-pressure stream of water impacted the rock and cracked it ever so slightly. Shimo and Tidal stared in surprise, neither of them expecting such rapid advancement.
"Well done. Let's get going, I'm sure we'll have time to practice later." Shimo said. Before they could get going they heard a loud hissing noise. An ekans lounged from behind the rock they had been using as target practice and constricted around Tidal.
"Use Bite!" Shimo said, trying to remain calm. Tidal bit down on the ekans as hard as he could. The ekans hissed in pain and was forced to let go. Before it could retaliate, Shimo had Tidal use their new and improved water gun, sending it flying into the grass were it slithered away in a hurry.
Tidal yapped after it, clearly trash talking but Shimo let it slide considering it was his first battle. "Very well done! Let's keep growing just like that." Shimo congratulated. Tidal jumped up to rest on his shoulder and the two kept walking.
As they walked Shimo told Tidal all about his goal to find his parents and the level of strength he would need to acquire to go after them. He also told Tidal all sorts of things about him. His favorite food, ham and cheese sandwiches that Aunt Carmen makes, his favorite color, red, and Tidal would nod along and tap occasionally.
It was all part of an attempt to bond with his pokemon. Tidal was his partner, but Shimo also wanted Tidal to be his friend, so they had to get to know each other.
As they continued down Route 3, they encountered more pokemon. A mankey, a spearow, and even an uncommon jigglypuff. None of them caught Shimo's interest as he already had a rough idea of what he wanted his team to look like.
It didn't stop Tidal from picking fights with all of them, however. The little mudkip was highly competitive and didn't like other pokemon coming close to its trainer. Once Tidal was finished scaring off wild pokemon he would return to Shimo's side. It didn't take long before they were challenged to their first trainer battle.
"Are you ready for this, buddy!" Shimo asked. Tidal yapped enthusiastically and got into position. The young girl that challenged them threw out a rattata.
"Use Quick Attack!" The rattata disappeared in a burst of speed, rushing towards Tidal.
"Water Gun!" Shimo ordered. Tidal fired of a steam of water but it was dodged, and the quick attack landed.
"Follow up with Bite!" The young girl ordered. The rattata opened its mouth wide, its sharp fangs glistening in the afternoon sun. "Aim where it's going, not where it is! Use Water Gun!" Shimo said quickly. If a bite like that landed it would be the end of the fight.
Tidal reared his head as it's checks filled with water. With perfect tracking, he unleashed his attack. The water gun slammed into the rattata with force, sending it flying. It landed harshly on the ground and didn't get up, completely knocked out.
The young girl recalled her pokemon looking disappointed. "Not bad. Hey why don't I give you my number, that way you can rematch me anytime you're in the area." She said. Shimo nodded and they exchanged numbers before going their separate ways.
"You did very well, Tidal. Here, have this, you've earned it." From his bag, Shimo pulled out three Sitrus berries and gave two of them to Tidal. The little mudkip ate quickly, coughing as it choked slightly.
"Relax, I'm not going to take your food away, just enjoy it like this." Shimo took a bite of his berry and chewed slowly before swallowing. Tidal watched his trainer carefully before copying what he did. The two ate together peacefully and when they were done, Tidal crawled into Shimo's lap and fell asleep.
The boy smiled faintly as he stroked the mudkip behind its head fin. Pulling out his phone he took a quick picture and sent it to his friends' group chat.
"He's so small! You better not be pushing him too hard Shimo!" Vivian texted. She sent her own picture of her roggenrola standing over a defeated pidgey.
"Looks like you're both making good progress! I should be in Viridian City by tomorrow. Atticus replied.
"How are you and sandshrew getting along?" Shimo asked.
"Alright for now. She doesn't seem to like battling much so I'm really hoping to catch another pokemon, that way she doesn't have to do it as often." Atticus texted back.
"Be careful when you go through Viridian Forest. A lot of those bugs use poison." Vivian advised.
After checking on his friends, Shimo put his phone away and recalled Tidal. Taking a nap himself didn't seem like a bad idea.
When Shimo next woke, the sun was starting to set and Tidal was brimming with energy. It wouldn't take much longer for them to reach the end of Route 3 and then Shimo could get his hands on a charmander.
"Hey! Shimo! Wait for me!" Hearing someone call his name, Shimo turned around. He gave a small smile as he waved back. "Vivian! What are you doing here? I thought you were going to stay by Pewter for the time being." He commented, surprised to see his friend.
"That was the plan, but there aren't a lot of pokemon that interested me so I decided to catch up to you. Turns out you were only a few hours ahead of me. You didn't make a lot of progress huh?" Vivian said with a shrug.
While they spoke, Shimo properly introduced Tidal who took an instant liking to Vivian. "You're adorable! You're way too cute for Mr. grumpy pants over here." Vivian cooed.
"I am not grumpy." Shimo said with a scowl. Vivian merely raised her eyebrow, and Shimo turned away, fixing his face. "Here, Grumpy. I got these from my dad before I left. He packed way too much and Roggenrola prefers rocks to sandwiches." Vivian said, handing a wrapped sandwich to her friend.
Shimo thanked her, broke a piece off for Tidal and put the rest in his bag. "Lets get moving. We still have a few hours of daylight left." Shimo said, walking ahead.
"You'll have to protect me. Roggenrola is pretty tired from training all day, and there was a Mankey that gave us a hard time." Vivian warned. Shimo nodded but didn't speak, opting to keep an eye on Tidal. The little pokemon seemed to be glaring into the tall grass ahead. Shimo held out his hand to stop Vivian's idle chit chat as he reached into his bag and pulled out a Tamato berry. Its spicy flavor and scent served as the perfect bait for a fire-type.
"Tidal, come here. We don't want to scare it off." Shimo whispered. Picking up on his trainer's energy, Tidal carefully and quietly made his way over to Shimo's side, pulling a face as it caught the scent of the bright red berry.
"Everyone hide, make sure it doesn't spot you. Tidal, when you see this pokemon, blast it with water gun. It's going to be part of our team." Shimo said, showing Tidal a picture of charmander's pokedex entry. The mudkip nodded and readied itself.
Shimo tossed the bait and waited. The minutes started to tick by as they waited. Various pokemon investigated the strange smelling berry before leaving it alone, not agreeing with the spicy aroma. The last rays of sunlight were just beginning to fade before the grass rustled and Shimo caught sight of a fiery tail.
As the charmander sniffed and nibbled on the berry, Shimo had Tidal wait. "Not yet. Wait until it's actually eating." He advised quietly. All three of them waited quietly as the charmander looked around, checking the coast to see if it was clear to eat. Once the coast was clear it began to chomp down on the berry eagerly, its tail swishing happily.
"Now! Use Water Gun!" Tidal blasted the charmander right in the side of the head, separating it from its meal and sending it flying. As if to add insult to injury, the mudkip squashed the berry, ruining it. This got charmander understandably upset and it shot off a volley of embers.
"Cancel it and get in close!" Shimo said, his sharp eyes surveying the battle. Tidal blocked the ember attack with another water gun and rushed his opponent. Charmander, seeing Tidal rush it, took it as a challenge and rushed forward to meet the mudkip, its claw glowing a metallic silver.
"Bite! It's trying to use Metal Claw!" Shimo warned. Tidal caught the Metal Claw in his mouth. But it left him open to the follow up from the other one.
"Tank it and use Water Gun!" Shimo said. Tidal braced himself as the Metal Claw landed, dealing decent damage. But the charmander was unable to escape and caught a full power water gun right to the face, knocking it out. Shimo tossed a pokeball which sucked up the knocked out pokemon, capturing it with ease.
"Awesome job guys! Shimo, bring them here. I'll fix them right up." Vivian cheered, taking out some medical supplies. She sprayed where Tidal had been hit by the metal claw, causing him to hiss slightly. She then broke open a revive, swirled the medicine in a bottle of water and gently had charmander drink from it.
Charmander leapt up, growling deeply at the strangers that surrounded it. Shimo crouched to make himself look smaller and presented another Tamato berry. The Charmander glared at the boy, but its resolve was quickly wavering from the smell of the berry.
"Listen charmander. My name is Shimo and I'm your trainer from now on. Me and Tidal are going on an adventure, and it's bound to get pretty rough at times, we could really use your strength. We're going to come up against plenty of strong pokemon, so if you stick with us, you'll have all the battling you could ever want, and there'll be more of these of course." Shimo said, moving the berry side to side and trying not to giggle as the charmander followed it.
"So, what do you say, wanna be friends?" He asked. Charmander raised its arms, grinning toothily as its tail flame burned brighter. Shimo couldn't help the smile that came to his face as he surrendered the berry at last. Tidal ran around, yipping and yapping in excitement.
"Charmander, hold still buddy. I got to scan you real quick." Shimo pulled out his phone and pointed the camera to charmander.
Charmander
Fire-Type
Male
Knows the moves, Ember, Scratch, Metal Claw, Growl.
Finished with his scan, Shimo recalled everyone for bed and helped Vivian set up camp. "I guess you weren't top of the class for nothing. That was incredible Shimo." Vivian said softly, looking pensive.
"What's on your mind?" Shimo asked, looking at his friend curiously. Vivian didn't answer, choosing to stare into the campfire.
"Hey Shimo, what do you think justice is?" She asked suddenly. The boy glanced at his friend. "Is this about your mom?" He said quietly.
"Just answer the question." Vivian said, undeterred. Shimo closed his eyes, thinking for a moment.
"It's helping people. Doing right by people and pokemon wherever you can. At least that's what I think. What about you? Has your answer changed?" Shimo asked. Vivian glared at seemingly nothing, preoccupied with her own thoughts.
"Not in the slightest. When I become Champion, I won't be as lax as Lance. I'll crush those thieves and anyone who associates with them." Vivian said, her voice as hard as steel. Shimo chose to stay silent. He knew what Team Rocket had done to her family, and he was in no position to dissuade her from vengeance.
"Have you ever thought about it?" Vivian asked.
"About what?"
"What you would do when you found your parents?" Vivian clarified. A deep bitterness and resentment filled his heart at her words. Shimo had thought about it every day and he still had no answer. What was one supposed to say? He had dealt with their absence every day. He had seen Aunt Carmen struggle to make ends meet. Had seen her cry at the disappearance of her brother. What could he possibly say, possibly ask, other than why?
"I don't know. I haven't really thought about it." Shimo lied.
"I see." Was all Vivian said before she retreated to bed. Shimo sighed as he looked up at the starry night sky. "Mom, Dad, where in the world are you?"
