AN: This is a story for fun. I'm basically writing whatever I want, and so you can view this as a power fantasy story. Some things will be very shallow and some will be rather deep. I'm more or less exploring what my ideas of a Pokemon World are, based on what I've consumed of the fandom. As a result, you will see things which are in other fics, some obvious, and some not. Some things will be variations on what I think would be more interesting with those fics.
I'm also just going to get rid of the villain organizations as quickly as I 'reasonably' can. This is more about fleshing out the world and working on some parts of my writing style than it is 'being a cohesive story'. It should still be a fun read, but I have no grand designs here. It's literally wherever my whimsy takes me as I replay and consume various pieces of Pokemon media.
Still, it'll be 60% anime with 30% games and 10% manga for influence, outside of the fandom stuff. I'll update when I update.
Note: Pairing has already been decided, and I will have a lot of random relationships show up and be dropped down the line, because that's normal human things. Dating around to see if you find the one who meshes with you perfectly, while you do the same with them. Nothing explicit will be included.
Welcome to The Climb.
***Scene Change***
Waking up in the woods would not normally be a surprise. I'd lived in the woods for years. I have gone camping for many years, and do it at least three times a summer. So even waking up in the woods, in a tent, on the tail end of summer was not a surprise. Just going out and hiking around the mountains and camping, hunting and having a good time.
Waking up in the woods today, however, was not expected.
I had gone to bed in town, watching my Nieces while my nephew and his parents had been going in for his regular infant checkup stuff. I didn't know much about that, not being a dad, but I did know how to help the other kids get around, do their schoolwork and get to school. So I was the go-to babysitter. Especially since I worked nights and did almost everything for fun on either my phone or switch, during the morning or around 7pm when I woke up. I would go to work after getting the kids to bed and show up before shuttling them onto the bus for school, and going to bed. Easy.
So why am I in the woods?
I sighed. The tent wasn't even right. I had a small tent for myself. It was a small army tent from a reseller. This one was larger, black and lacked a few details. Like my sleeping bag. The one I'm using is all wrong.
The backpack is smaller than mine too. I'd never go out with a pack only able to hold some clothes. Thankfully the tent bag was near my sleeping bag. I sat up, hopping out of the bag, and stretched. I felt tight muscles. Tighter muscles than I had when I went to bed. Unlike how I'd felt in years. Almost like… I looked down over myself.
I was in shape, of course, but I'd not been this in shape since I got out of school. Working manual labor and working out kept me strong, but I didn't have the time to lift and run like I had in school. My muscle definition was clearer. To test, I did my standard morning workout from highschool, after slipping the backpack on. It was a solid fifty pounds. Surprising.
Stretches and one hundred pushups and I felt nothing. Planking for five minutes was a light burn. Squats were no issue. I did a few handstand pushups to test my balance and found it superb. I threw a few kicks and punches. As flexible as I'd been when I was in Karate, back at fifteen. I'd given it up after two years, though. Not enough time. Still. I can kick over my head, do the splits and balance on my hands wearing fifty pounds of gear.
Nonsense. This is a pack of nonsense. I must be dreaming.
I was in better shape than I had been in highschool. My muscle was the same lean build I'd cultivated, but with greater endurance and what felt like more power. I did my cooldown stretches in the generously large tent, even if that was a relatively light workout for me, then put on a fresh outfit. I reached into the bag and pulled out a set of my favorite black cargo pants, black undershirt and red flannel which I used for work. All waterproof. Then I pulled my leather jacket from next to the door flap. I slid it all on, and then stomped into my boots. All I was missing was my beanie. Ah well, I can't have everything. I scratched my head, and sighed.
Time to see roughly where I am.
The first step to survival is not to panic. Second step, secure shelter. Third step, orient yourself and then find food and water.
Last step, find civilization.
I opened the tent and looked around. Woods. I looked up. Early morning. The sun coming up told me where the east was. I grunted, then inhaled. It smelled fresh. I was either far out, or was just deep in the woods. No notable slopes or mountains. I pulled the bag and tent bag out of my tent, rolled up my sleeping bag, clipped it on the front of my backpack with the little elastic clips on the bottom of the bag, and then took down my tent. I put it in the tent bag and then tied it into my backpack with some of the ropes used to hold it to trees if the wind got heavy.
This thing was, at least, a heavy duty tent. The material, I'd noted, was a high quality weave. Thick and damage resistant. Unsure of the exact blend. It smelled nice. Not plastic.
"Pid?" A call came from behind me, sounding like a bird chirp but also… I slowly looked over and then blinked.
A fucking Pidgey.
So, a lucid dream seems extremely likely. The alternative is I was hit by lightning, took a mid-sleep stroll into truck-kun or something else equally unlikely. Whatever the case, I gave the bird a smile and a wave after a moment. If this was a dream, it wouldn't attack. If it wasn't a dream, Pokemon are generally not aggressive - like most animals - unless you make them mad.
The Pidgey waved back.
"Where's town? I got turned around. Not sure where I am, at the moment." I asked. It couldn't hurt to ask. It blinked and gave me a confused chirp, then hopped off the branch, before fluttering south by south-west. I nodded.
If it didn't answer me, I'd have gone due south. Pidgey are only in a couple of games, and in those games, most often the starting town is south. I flipped my bag over onto my chest so I could do a quick check of my supplies as I walked, and found the interior was more spacious than I thought. Pushing my change of clothes aside revealed four compartments which seemed to hold small cubes. Once cube in each little partition. I pulled one out, pressing a button on the side. The cube expanded and got heavier, which was impressive. I quickly grabbed it with both hands, and stopped walking. It was already 15 lbs before expansion. It stopped getting bigger and heavier after a few seconds, and I tossed it out in front of me lightly, then crouched to look at this thing more closely. It was a small chest.
The chest was about a foot by two feet and a foot deep. I opened it, and saw some notebooks, clothes and a wallet, ID, phone and some solar chargers. Wireless chargers. I picked up the phone, and it unlocked after a second.
It was pretty simple. Basically an android. It had call, text, notes and a pokedex app. I opened the notes, and saw some notes on the phone. I opened the first one and nodded. It was a list of things like the type chart -fairy inclusive. A list of status effects, Pokemon danger levels and their meanings, and a few other things you could pick up on from watching the anime.
I opened the next note and found it was a basic guide for camping. Tent setup instructions, how the cubes worked and what was in each, how to use the map and where everything went. At the bottom was cooking instructions for basic camp food.
The third note has a basic test for getting a trainers license. A note that the test was in a week and camping knowledge and Pokemon danger ratings would be tested, along with how to avoid dangerous areas, and determine if an area was dangerous. I read that part thoroughly, because it wasn't covered anywhere. Not in the anime or games.
My next breath brought the smell of the sea, fish and the smoke of chimneys. I smiled as the breeze subsided. The guide was similar to avoiding predators while camping, with some added notes about elemental attacks. The note ended in a way which confirmed where I was.
'The top three testees will be sponsored by Professor Oak.' I read, and nodded.
Kanto. I was in Kanto. If this was a dream, I could be here for a while. Time in dreams moved oddly. You could be in a dream for a minute, or what felt like years.
If it wasn't, then I would be here indefinitely. I pocketed the phone after seeing the last note had a list of things, including the gate key to a house my parents had left for me in their will, along with basic notes on the things needing repair. Apparently the code changed itself every week and had one code for every week of the year. It was automatic. The list of codes being written down was nice, because I - apparently - hadn't known how to change it.
I'd lived alone in the woods, in my grandparents old house in my old life. I knew how to fix things I - in this Pokemon world - did not. Like the roof. I'd do that when I got home.
I picked up the notebook on top and opened it, finding a list of Pokemon and their types. Common training strategies I had apparently researched. I flipped through it, then added a new section, for things I knew which this version of me had not. I grabbed a pen from the box, closed it and it shrank. Then I opened the food box, grabbed a pre-made sandwich and kept walking.
When I finished the sandwich I began to write, jotting notes on how Ash trained various moves. Ideas for how to train more. I spent three hours walking and writing. I wasn't walking fast, by any means. I even stopped to look over interesting bushes and a few berry trees, taking notes on them, and what I remembered of them. But, three hours later, when I looked up, feeling a breeze, I saw the trees thinning, and then a town before me.
Pallet town.
I looked in my wallet and checked my ID, to see what name I had. It was a simple ID, I guess. A small screen which had the day, time and my information. The clock ticked up a minute as I watched.
Neat.
Name: Gregory K Daniels,
Age: 17
Birthday: September 1st
Gender: Male
Pokemon: N/A.
Home Region: Kanto
Address: 983 Juniper Lane, Pallet Town, Kanto. 00283-0120-3364
I'm guessing the number is the 'Postal Code' or something. I begin my walk to my house, taking time to enjoy the pastoral beauty of the town, as I familiarize myself with it. I don't know where Juniper lane is, but this is not a large town. Probably a few thousand residents, at most.
Every single one of the over twenty homes I pass as I enter town have at least one Pokemon. They're in yards, on rooftops, playing with kids, and one Machoke was mowing a lawn, even, as an elderly woman and what I assume was her grandson sat on the porch playing some card game I didn't know.
Oak Drive is the road to the professor's ranch. The main street is called Champion Street and Juniper Lane is only a few blocks out, near the edge of town. There's not much here. Aside from a few small stores. Two for groceries and one for Pokemon Trainers. Three specialty stores. Camping, fishing, farming. There's also a Pokemon Center, near the docks, opposite side of town from the Ranch.
After I'm done wandering, I tap in the key code on my mail, which is the same as my gate code, I figure out from my phone, then grab what there is, and then open the gate with another code. As I swing the gate open, a voice calls out.
"Hey, Greg!" The feminine voice shouts, sounding happy to see me.
I turn and see a familiar face. It wasn't a sprite, or a manga character but it was unmistakably "Hey, Daisy." I said to the older woman. She was about 20 at a guess. White blouse, green skirt and green headband. She was smiling at me. "How's it been?" I ask. She's approaching me as a friend. I wonder, am I Red in this universe? Or is she just friends with everyone in town who is due to become a trainer? Whatever it is, I return her smile with a lazy smile of my own. Treat others how you want to be treated. I like how I am being treated, so I will return it. Her grin widens.
"I've been doing great! Ash, Gary and you are all ready for your journeys. I'm excited for you all. Even if those two aren't quite the normal age, it's still exciting. Everyone in town has high hopes for you three!" She chirps, and I give a shallow dip of my head to acknowledge I heard her.
"Well. I can't say I'm not excited. Camping was good. Met a nice Pidgey when I got lost. Forgot to bring the map and compass. But that's why I went. Had to be sure I was ready, and it was good to confirm. I figured out what I didn't have. Now I won't forget next time." I explained, and she gave me a smile.
"You always were thorough, Greg." She beams. I nod, then gesture inside.
"I'm gonna head in, need to take a shower and repack everything so I'm ready. Get a little bit more time studying, get set for the test. I only have a couple days left." I explain, wanting to look over the house and see if I can find any trace of prior interactions. I don't want to just leave her with no trace of her old friend. Even if it seems like they were basically just me. She gives me a nod, then resumes walking.
"I'll see you at the test, then." She says, passing me, the smile still on her face. I nod.
"See you then." I agree, and head inside for a shower. I hope I have a computer. If not, I'll get some more apps for maps, a compass and such. If those exist, here. Along with a browser for research. I hear the gate gently close as I enter the house.
***Scene Change***
Research had gone well. Standard knowledge of learnsets was pretty good here. Up to around level fifty. Then it cut off. Movesets as a whole had massive holes.
I also found a journal which I'd kept. It had notes on who I knew - friends like Daisy and Ash, to annoying brats like Gary, who seemed to think I was dating his sister. Kind old man Oak and the young mother Delia, along with a few others. I also found I remembered a little bit about 'my past' with each of them. More and more with each day that passed me by. Some of the things were nice. Like when I'd played with a young Ash as a slightly-older babysitter. Some were less than nice, like how Daisy, Professor Oak and Delia had come to my parents funeral. How I'd been passed between the two households until I learned how to cook, clean and look after myself well enough they trusted me with only weekly visits.
Daisy still stopped by a few times a week to check in, hang out and generally make sure I'm okay. I could feel the fondness and infatuation with the older girl in my memories. The happiness I felt watching her contests on TV last year. How she still stopped by - with aid of an Alakazam she had - every few days.
Those memories were nice, but sadly, I didn't feel the same for her, anymore. My mind is different than it was when I went out camping.
At least I'm sure this isn't a dream, now.
I shake myself out of my memories, and go back to review.
What you were expected to know, according to the online practice tests for a Trainer starting out, was pathetic. If you watched the first season of the anime, knew the matchup chart and the general routes of a region you could get a license to train. You did not have to know how to read a map, you did not have to show navigation skills. You didn't even have to show basic competency or actual morals to use the magical monsters. They trusted you, until you broke the trust or did something stupid.
So, my research turned into more advanced fields. Reading papers by professors, rangers and Gym Leaders on everything Pokemon, so I'd have a higher level understanding than "Fire good against grass". Those papers were interesting. And sometimes wrong. I think.
An example of something being wrong was that they said Normal Type was inherently the weakest type. I'm pretty sure bug type is statistically weaker, after you get everything to an even evolution.
There was also "No known way to evolve Feebas" when Wallace had a Milotic. Sure. No known way. That's just wrong by a technicality, I guess. But assumptions like that were wrong. And could lead to bigger mistakes. Like assuming STAB is something which is inherent to Blaze, Overgrowth and the like. Whatever. I thought back, to consolidate what else I'd learned this week. Making sure I missed nothing.
I'd found a personal gym in the "shed" and had tested how strong I was.
I was strong. Like, it could just be that I was in an anime world, and people here had to be strong and could be silly if they tried, but it felt like nonsense. My bar had been near its limits and I'd felt like I could do more weight. It was 600lbs. My bar was bending and I know I could lift more, with a struggle. Not sure how much more, but certainly more. It'd been hard. Still, I did 25 reps.
I ran a mile in under six minutes. And kept running for another hour before I felt slightly tired. Averaging a 5:42 mile over the course of an hour is absurd. I could run 6:19 before. And that was hard as fuck. 30 seconds down is obscene.
On another note, I also discovered that there were peculiarities with how the world worked, beyond the trainers starting at 18, or 16 if they were sponsored by an Elite Trainer or Professor.
Like the nations and regions were as expansive as the movies and shows and games combined. The evolution stones were graded on how powerful they were and better stones meant better evolution. The money was basically USD and Pokemon training was very expensive, clearly.
Oh and trainers were basically the army and the leaders of nations. The best champion right now was Steven Stone. I think. He was just crowned and hadn't participated in the World Coronation Series, but regardless… I think he's better than Lance. Cynthia wasn't a champion yet. Not even on her journey. Though, when I looked her up I discovered she was a twenty year old archeologist, and was taking a break from that after having finished a paper on Hisui. I suspect this break is where she goes on a journey through Sinnoh, and ends up champion.
Galar was still new to the whole proper region thing, with Gyms. Before they'd had a system like Gyms which had been a sport. They'd even had Champions. They didn't have a proper Elite Four yet, but it was getting slimmer on who would end up as such with each passing season. In five or so years, they'd have one. I'm sure.
The region going fully league approved was two years ago. Leon was currently in the circuit there, doing very well. He just turned eighteen and was doing better than anyone else in his year. Three badges in two months was a blistering pace.
It usually took two years for someone to get to a conference and three to be top sixteen in a conference, if they kept going that long. Leon was one of the handful of kids who, if I'm right about his future, got to conference in the first year. I suspect he'll just do as a game protagonist and end up champion in one season. Which means he'll be the actual champion in three years. While Ash is in Hoenn. Champions have to take classes to lead, be mentored by the current champion, and defend the throne. They can just win, get into the hall of fame and decline the title, though. A handful of people have done that. Professor Oak, for one.
Most trainers never even get to the Conference. Fewer get to be in the top sixteen. If you think about it, around five thousand new, first year trainers go on a journey every year. Maybe five hundred total trainers go to a conference. Most are older trainers who have been going for at least three years. Three is considered fast. Four is average. Five is decent. If you don't make it in six, you're probably retiring. Where did all of the trainers go? Most never make it past badge four. They hit a wall. They give up, and train for the rest of the year. Then the next year they try again, get to badge seven and hit another wall. Then they give up and train. Then they get all the badges or stall on Giovanni, and then they try again and make it or quit for good.
Sixteen of those five hundred out of, say, fifteen thousand active trainers make it all the way. When you hit that point you were considered an elite trainer. Someone who, with more seasoning could be an elite four. The average number of years to hit the top sixteen? Five. To win? Nine.
Gym leaders were all elites. Generally, they're conference winners who peaked - meaning they tried three or four seasons of winning in various conferences and failed to beat any member of any elite four - so they stopped traveling. Some just stop after winning a conference and open a gym, or take over a clan gym, though. That's about a third of all 'good' gyms. Two thirds of the 'weaker' gyms. Because each region has more than 8 gyms. Kalos has one for each type.
But either way, when traveling, Conference Champion level trainers settle down and open Gyms. They're Pokemon masters, but not the very best. Still, good. Of course, they used graded teams based on total badge count from all regions under the gym system. Assuming your strongest, the grades are as follows, generally.
One is the starter level, Two is experienced at the starter level. Three is first evolution, Four is where they bring in strategy and slow down the power curve. Five is top of the line second stage, six is beginning of final stage evolutions, seven is advanced strategy, eight is gatekeeping with low-level conference able pokemon, and strategy of an average conference attendee. Nine is refinement on the strategy above, with an uptick in power, going all the way to top 32, from entry level.
Ten or more badges with three or more of the same team got the actual, personal teams of the gym leader unless the trainer was starting fresh, getting badges with a new team. Some people do this. Train two teams in one season. Kanto has fourteen badges which are league eligible. You always challenge Giovanni for the last badge, and you can always challenge Blaine for any team. More advanced, powerful trainers do this. They do the circuit once with a new team, and get them up to snuff. Then they do another new team at the other gyms, and use the first team to train the second team while cutting travel time.
For new regions, keeping your starter and resetting every other pokemon was common as a result of this rule. Most people view it as better to expand the pool of pokemon they have, so it's harder to scout them and counter them in conferences.
I feel that they're missing the reason why the gyms get stronger beyond eight badges. The best people who win conferences beat ten gyms in a season before they go to conferences. They do minor gyms first, then they go fight the major gyms.
In Kanto, you save Blaine and Koga for last. They're the strongest, and you get the best training from beating them on nine and ten badges. This, I find, is the opinion of people who know what they're talking about. Even if they're derided in the forums.
Champions who lose the match to defend the title, and have it taken usually become gym leaders in dangerous regions. The politics were astounding. Champions losing was so massive they almost wholly left the public sphere except for their domain. The most dangerous reaches of their region. Professor Oak is on the doorstep of Mount Silver. Blaine is the barrier keeping out the monsters of the deeper reaches of the ocean and any invading force. That was the job of former champions. Keep threats out.
Beyond that, I found out expanding carry limits could be done, but you had to get permission from your sponsor, a gym leader and a regional professor.
Oak was two of those things. If I pass his test well enough. The maximum you could do as a normal trainer was nine. Elites could get twelve to sixteen and champions have no effective carry limits, but tend to stick to their main roster and a backup roster for battles with trainers who were vastly less powerful, as a training tool. And security if a main member died. They'd have a Pokemon they'd been working with and could promote to the main team.
Alder was considered the tenth strongest because he had lost four team members stopping Kyrem who had been rampaging. He'd been the second strongest before that. It cost him four Pokemon to force the legendary to go back into the Great Chasm.
It hasn't left the Chasm since.
There was more, and general knowledge of the world was good.
I sighed, stretched, and stood from my desk, where I had finished writing out the learnsets of the last Pokemon - non legendary - which belonged to Kanto or Johto. I also made a copy of the learnsets people commonly knew about on my phone, with additions to those in a separate note for team members I would want. There were a lot of options. Ideal team composition does not matter here, as much. But still having a general idea of what will work for me is good.
I'm an aggressive type of fighter. I like to go in and hit fast and hard. If I have to take a hit, or I'm slower than you, I want you to pay for the hit. I know what I want and how I want it. So that's that. I don't need the perfect composition of competitively viable pokemon. They'll just find another region, add it to the league, and move on. Like they did with Galar and kinda like they did with Paldea. That one was weird. It was and was not fully a part of the league. A work in progress. Maybe a year or two until full integration.
I sighed as the clock chimed the hour. Thirty minutes to the test.
I grabbed my notebook, stomped into my boots and went outside to begin my walk to Oak's lab and Ranch. Except, it seemed I would not be left to my thoughts.
"Hey, Daisy." I greeted politely, offering a small smile and a wave. I could see why I had been infatuated with this girl. I always liked girls with her aesthetic, and her personality was great. The quiet and strong type. But I could see cracks now. She is strong but our passions are not well aligned.
"Hey, Greg." She greeted me back. She was smiling too, and began walking with me as I strolled up the road. I was aiming to be early. Fifteen minutes early. She looked like she'd been outside waiting for a few minutes, so she had to have known my tendencies on this front. It was unsurprising, I suppose. "Ready for the test?" She asked, looking genuinely curious. I nodded, her smile grew.
"As a warning, there are two tests. One is preliminary, the other is the actual test." She explains, and I nod again. I expected Oak would do something like that.
"Knowledge and skill, or perhaps being the right 'kind' of trainer?" I ask, tossing her a look, with a smile on my face. She gives me a pleased look in return, but no response. "Thanks for the heads up." I murmured, slipping onto main street, and into the crowd of parents and other testees. For Oak's test, there was every eligible kid - around thirty of us - and around twenty kids from out of town. She moved closer, so our arms nearly clipped each other.
"Yea. Don't mention it." She says back, quietly. I glance over again, and see she's slightly red.
Ah, perhaps the crush went both ways? But I'd need more time to really get to know her. I consider her a - my only - friend right now, but I don't really know her beyond the fragments from dreams, the journal and the games. I ignored the blush, and the way she was, now clear to me, hovering close for an accidental touch. Hoping for our hands to touch. For me to hold her hand. Or offer my arm for her to hold as we walked.
I held in the sigh. It would be so much easier if I wasn't about to leave for at least one - maybe many - years. If I get an Abra or a Pidgeot, I could visit regularly, I guess. Until then?
No need to push her away, but also no need to actively encourage her. I have her number, so I'll give her calls and see how well we click as I travel and tell her about the journey.
Oak sponsorship or no.
The rest of the trip was in companionable silence, but was short. Only a few minutes, and we were out front of the main lab on the ranch.
"See you after the test?" I ask, not thinking much, as I continue. "Maybe we can grab lunch, and I'll tell you how it went." I offer. While I may not be looking for a date. I want to hang out with my friend. It's been days since I had a human interaction. I'm not built for being alone like that. Please, I know how it might sound but please do not -
"Of course!" She chirps back, looking like it's her birthday.
She thinks it's a date.
I suppress my sigh, again, and wander into the test hall. A date won't kill me. I've dated girls I've known for one day, before. I had known less about those girls then than I do Daisy right now. I'll make it clear, after, that I'm going out on a journey though, and don't want to restrict her if she finds someone she'd want to settle down with.
She may be nice and right up my alley for likes, but I don't like tying people down if I don't have to. Or being tied down if I find the perfect one when I'm out on my journey. I guess that's why I'd been single for so long. I kept waiting for her to show up, that perfect one, and…
No. Not doing this to me or her. Not now. Friends, for now.
It doesn't help, I'm not very fond of Gary motherfucking Oak. He clearly feels the same, how when we're alone he tells me to stay the fuck away from his sister, and has tried to punch me in the face in two separate memories for 'hitting on his sister'. Like c'mon man. Your sister can defend herself or tell me to stop if she wants me to stop. Fuck.
In this life, he's a brat. In the anime, he's a brat. In the games, he's a brat. I would rather not have to deal with him. Not ever, if I get my way. Old man Oak is also scary as hell. I don't want to be on the hook for breaking her heart if we date, until I know she's the one for me. Which could take years of me traveling before I settle down. I want to do two, maybe three of the regions. More if my theories work and I'm actually good at training.
I step into the testing room, a large office space full of cubicles for Oak's assistants, who have the day off. I get a test number from one of the aides, who I know from the memoires is one of the Pokemon caretakers. Julie. She looks me up and down, assessing me and measuring me as I walk off. I feel her gaze raking me from the soles of my boots to the collar of my jacket. I found my desk, sat and the eyes moved away, scanning the still empty - aside from us and the furniture - room.
The test is thick. At least twenty pages. I grab the pen, and twirl it as I wait. The rhythmic swish and click of the pen on my fingers is the only sound.
Twenty minutes of musing later, the room fills slowly but surely as parents let kids go, and they stop lounging around outside the testing room - Ash and Gary loudly arguing until Julie silences them with her unnerving eyes. They silently scuttle to their desks, and I distinctly hear Gary mutter "scary bitch" as he scuttles past. Professor Oak walks in, closes and locks the door, then speaks while the last chair - Ash's, in the back corner - scrapes into place.
"We are here to see if you have what it takes to be a trainer. If you pass the test, you will be given a license and a starter. If you fail, you will not. If you pass the exam before you, my additions included, I will sponsor you. If you place in the top three, regardless of result, I will sponsor you. Good luck. Your time begins.. now." He concludes, and I flip my paper, as fifty others do the same, reading the first question as I fill in my name.
Question #1.
What are the eighteen types?
I begin to fill in the test. Most of the questions are boring. Like the first. Then the page is done, and the second, and third.
On page seventeen I find an actually difficult question, because it's an opinion.
Question #107.
What do you think should be done if someone lies to you about a traded Pokemon's known moves?
Technically, if they do that, there is no recourse. Realistically?
'I think I wouldn't care too much. No Pokemon should feel like they're not valuable. I would take care of the Pokemon. The only reason I would trade would be because both parties - myself and the Pokemon I traded - think we're better suited with whomever the trading partner is. Trading for power is a fool's game, any Pokemon can be trained to a high level and deserves love and respect. Treating them like a commodity is wrong. Pokemon are intelligent. Treat them as you would want to be treated. If you don't work well together, trade them to someone they'll work with or release them. Sometimes that's all you can do. So I wouldn't be pleased if someone lied to me, I may ask for a battle as a way to show I didn't like being lied to, but nothing else. There is no need to do anything drastic. Trade me a Magikarp who knows only splash and I will love it as though you traded me a fully trained Garydos.' I wrote, then moved on.
Page twenty five was the only other page I struggled with. It asked truly advanced questions. Like the effects of evolution stones of varying grades and how they impact potential and power. Or how a specific diet affects a specific Pokemon. All the questions were like this. The last being the hardest.
Question #200.
What is your goal?
I smiled, and wrote.
Then I flipped my paper, tapped the small light on my desk labeled 'light upon completion' and waited. Oak himself came over, and asked me to follow him, as he read my test.
No one else was done yet. Some looked shocked at my being done. Others were upset that Oak himself was seeing to my test immediately. Looking at the clock, I saw it had only been an hour and a half.
Oak moved to page eight, by the time we got out of the room.
By the time we entered his office, one floor up and in the opposite corner of the room, he was on the last page.
He sat down, right as he finished reading.
"Is that truly your goal?" He asked. His face was straight, no smile like normal. Dead serious.
I nodded, a small smile as I recited my answer.
"I will be champion of this year's conference, sir. That is my sole goal. Succeed or fail, I plan to aim for the same in Sinnoh and Galar before I'm done." I told him. He nods, then, he taps the pages.
"This rest, it is the first time I have had someone get everything correct on the first attempt. Twice I have had people get it all correct on second attempts. Once by my granddaughter and once by a trainer I used to sponsor, who died defending a town from a rampaging Entei." He paused. "So how did you do it?" He asks, finally. I blink in surprise, then offer a small smile.
"I studied, took practice tests for every field which might be useful; Breeding, Survival, Theory, etc. Then, when I understood a topic, at a level which I could begin using it on, I moved to the next thing, and studied more." This was basically true. A lot of game mechanics were literally how Pokemon worked. Where they weren't it was obvious. You evolve Kadabra into Alakazam by making it need to think faster. So I studied the things which were obvious, blatant game mechanics and then double checked the dubious things I wasn't sure about. Clearing up misconceptions and making sure things were clear in my notes, had not been hard.
It only took two days. The third day had been review. I continued. "I thought about who I am and what I want. How I can acquire what I want. How I want to be treated and how I want to treat others." I gestured at him. "I found that you were the best role model I could seek to emulate in the latter fashion. Steven Stone and Lance were my guides for the rest. If you seek to be the best, then you must first learn of yourself, then your enemies all while learning from those that came before. I am no fool, and only fools fail to learn from those who came before." I will explain. My small smile grew all the while. He nods.
We sit in silence for a few minutes until an aide comes in. Jack, I think. Gary and then Ash and a girl I didn't recognize in tow.
Oak reviews their tests, and nods.
"You three passed the tests as well. Even the hidden test. Now, I only have three of the classic starters, so I will hold one more test. Tomorrow, show up in the morning, and I will give you your test. Those that pass, will get one favor from me. Choose wisely. You are dismissed. Except for Greg." He says, and with a nod from the two boys, and a short bow from the girl, they leave.
I tap my fingers on the chair as I wait for Oak to speak.
After a minute, he does.
"What favor would you like? No matter what happens, there isn't any way I could fail to sponsor you. I swore to myself when I made the test - if it were ever done to 100% completion, I would sponsor the trainer and support their journey." He asks, giving me a sudden smile. I smile back, relieved.
"What I want most, aside from a starter, is better starting gear, information, and a support Pokemon." I explain, and he nods, gesturing for me to continue. So, I do.
"I have a good set of basic gear, but I'd like a new storage box for Pokemon riding equipment, a more expensive set of cookware and Pokemon food creation items so my team's diet is ideal. The information is mostly on where I can find a wild Chansey, or one to travel with me. Failing that, how to get a Clefairy to join me. They can heal Pokemon outside of battle, and assist in training and other required tasks around camp. It will allow me to train longer and harder." Also, it will allow me to do more intense personal training. I looked it up. A skilled healer could accelerate muscle growth and stimulate you, as long as you had enough vitamins and minerals infested for them to draw upon. It was how Bruno could wrestle an Onix. Still, it was not recommended for humans below 18 years of age, and generally you had to start small. If healing worked on people to help with training, then what else could certain moves do, which were non-combat moves? This bore testing! "The information is unneeded if you can provide me with either." I finished. He smiles, nods, and then stands. I know where everything else is, in Kanto. That I want, anyways.
"I'll see what I can do. It's less onerous and expensive than my grandson asking for a car, cheerleaders, TMs and starting money. This is quite negligible in comparison."
"Greed is a short path to power, which will fail you all too soon."
"Indeed. Now, off you go. I'll see you tomorrow at six AM I suspect." He says, smiling. I shrug.
He knows he just told me five forty five. Time, I guess, for a date.
***Scene Change***
In Pallet, there are three places you can get lunch and not pay out the nose. The family diner, which was right out because of all of the visiting people for the test, the tea shop which was basically what it sounded like and an old fashioned hole in the wall local place which served classical Kantonian dishes.
I decided to go for the last option because no one but the older people and a few classical families went there regularly. It was really a place for Pallet Town residents.
The best place for a meal and conversation with a friend. On the walk over, conversation was light, and generally off topic for what we knew was the purpose of our 'date'. But when we sat and had our orders in, Daisy smiled big and asked, at last, "So, how'd it go?!"
I chuckled lightly, and gave her a smile. "You'll be unsurprised I think to hear I was told to be there at six AM." I told her, getting a blink of surprise, then a smile, and a gesture to go on. "I was the top scorer, he mentioned the only other person to get 100% was you, but I did that in a single try. You took two, he said. I guess I'm better" I teased, tossing a wink and smile. The look she gave me - shock with mock anger - made me laugh. I caught an older couple giving us fond looks from a few tables over. I held my sigh. This was becoming a bit of a bad habit.
"Really? 100%? It takes knowledge, ambition and actual experience to ace the test!" She exclaimed excitedly. "There's a reason no one's done it before!" She almost squeaked.
"It was mostly about what Pokemon are where, what they learn, how to help them master those moves, and so forth. It is so basic, I feel like people who read up on potential captures should know it. Like. The Pidgey line? I think everyone should want one of them, or the Spearow line. Either way, with how common they are it makes sense to read up on them and the other. Common lines." I explain, feeling almost exasperated. This isn't groundbreaking knowledge, I'm pretty sure.
She gives me an adorable pout. "Most people can't explain or memorize, learnsets for the whole of Kanto route one through three. Even if it is only the common captures and their evolutions. That's still like, thirty Pokemon at least. I know only thirty are tested. But that's still impressive because most people can't do more than ten or so, because they intend to catch those ten!" She explains exasperatedly. I roll my eyes.
"But knowing what I am looking for and knowing the statistics on how large the average is and such is important. Finding anomalies and capturing them is the most important help most trainers can offer a professor. You're a lot less helpful if you have no clue what you're looking at. It's why I think Ash will be a good trainer. He'll scan every pokemon he finds and it'll tell him if it's an anomaly. He's always been a hands-on learner. I've always been someone who studies, then applies and refines. If we both started with nothing Ash would be vastly superior in a couple years." I shrug. "But I'll use my advantage, and pull ahead while I still can." I conclude. She gapes.
"So you and Ash are cool trainers? What about Gary?!" She asks, exasperated. I give her a grin and shrug.
"He'll probably make it to the league this year. I think Ash and I will have better placements though. Gary apparently asked for a car, cheerleaders and starting money as his favor from the Professor. Pretty sure all three of the starters from Pallet are monsters this year. Just, some need more seasoning. Like a Dratini, they have potential. They don't know how to move on their own. Ash might figure it out. Gary thinks he already has. That's my observations on their personalities." I explained.
She nodded, then looked down to the table. "I really thought you'd all go far. You work hard and study. Gary was tutored and has skill but… well. You know." She blushed and fidgeted. "I think Ash is still a kid at heart and will need help on his journey. Too bad I can't go with you guys.." she trailed, and I blinked, not extremely surprised, but still, wanting to ask.
"Did you want to talk about that? You can still travel, I think. I don't see why you couldn't." I offered. She smiled, then shook her head.
"Not this season. I'm going to be working with Grandpa on Sinnoh Pokemon research, with Professor Rowan. I was inspired by your hard work to get ready for the next region I was aiming to take on. I figured I should familiarize myself with it before I go." She explains, then shrugs. "I want a more in depth understanding than just the basics. My first year, I ran into a lot more trouble than I thought I would because I wasn't fully prepared. I worry for you guys, but I think this is for the best." She concludes, the sad smile dimming.
"Well, I'm aiming for a Pidgey, so I suspect I'll be able to fly back and visit every once in awhile. Maybe after the third gym or so. A few months. Look forward to it!" I exclaim, trying to bring her spirits up. It works, as she gives me a less sad grin.
"So confident?" She asks. I nod, cockily. She laughs.
Our food arrives not long after, and we drift into more casual conversation until the meal ends.
"So," I start, seeing it's almost time for us to part, as we stand to leave. "I wanted to let you know that while I am interested in… well, us, I don't want to go around and feel like I'm holding you to me if you find Mr. Perfect. So, while I'd like to have you as a girlfriend, I think we should hold off, until I finish this season, at least." I explain, hoping I hadn't been wrong in my assumption. She gives me a surprised look. Then sighs, reverting back to a sad look.
"That's reasonable. On a journey, I think you're more likely to come across someone you fall in love with than I am to find someone hanging out with Grandpa, but still. I get what you're saying. Just… don't forget me, okay?" She asks, before giving me a kiss on the cheek, and rushing off as soon as we're outside. I give her retreating form a sad smile.
"I won't. But this might be for the best." I murmur, before turning to head home.
I have an early morning tomorrow.