Chapter 1: Garnet Brooke
"... Sonova bitch."
At the crack of dawn, on the corners of Pallet Town, a boy by the name of Garnet Brooke stood, staring at himself in the mirror with a look of frustration. He was a boy at the crisp age of 15 years old, with unkempt and messy dark red hair, bronze skin, and amber-colored eyes. Dressed in only a black t-shirt and red shorts, the young man had awoken earlier than most his age would. The sounds of chirping Pidgey alerting the town of Pallet to awaken, as the sun began to slowly rise into the skies.
The reason behind Garnet's abrupt awakening and apparent frustrarion however, were... dreams.
No. More like memories.
Of a past life. Of a different life, or maybe they were memories of someone else? He, for some reason, experienced all of these as though they were real. A world without Pokémon, less advanced than his own. Where the living, breathing mystical creatures he marvelled at when he were smaller were nothing but fiction. Games, manga, tv shows, card games--they weren't real.
He wasn't real.
He would have dismissed this as having something bad to eat before bed, but they were so vivid. A part of him knew it was real. These memories were not fake. Not part of his imagination.
And he learned. He learned so much more about Pokémon than he had previously. About the world around him, the dangers it held, the people that existed, the mysteries, the wonder, the tragedy.
In one of the mediums, particularly the anime, it followed the tale of Ash Ketchum, which made Garnet snort. Ash Ketchum? That bumbling doofus? Don't get him wrong, Garnet had no problems with Ash. He was a cool guy, actually, and had ways with Pokémon. But he was a complete and total dweeb.
... then again, he kind of was too, but Ash took it to a whole 'nother level.
But, seeing the show follow Ash, Garnet himself expected to see himself make an appearance. But as he sorted through his memories...
He found zilch.
"It's like I don't freaking exist...!" Garnet grumbled, his face morphing into a scowl. From the start, Ash and that pompous jerkwad Gary Oak got their starters and set off on their journey. But not once was he mentioned. There were whispers of the other trainers that chose their starters, but nothing concrete was really formed.
That set Garnet off.
No way. No way in hell was he just going to stand by and let something like this slide! He was Garnet Brooke! Like a lot of young men his age, he had big dreams and aspirations of making it big, becoming a Trainer and eventually becoming Champion. The best of the best. The pinnacle of a Trainer's career.
And not everyone made it to the top.
Despite that... Garnet wasn't going to settle for second fiddle. Not to Ash, not Gary, not to anyone. He wasn't going to be some background character!
Garnet clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. "I'm gonna surpass them all."
To be the Strongest.
That was his goal. And he was gonna do his damned hardest to make it a reality.
Garnet peered out his window, noting how the sun reached it's peak and shone over head. "It'll be time soon... can't miss this chance."
He was one of many sponsored Trainers for Samuel Oak, or more commonly known, Professor Oak, and today was the day that he, among a select other few, would be able to choose a starter Pokémon that would remain their partners for the rest of their journey throughout Kanto. He had to get ready.
A thrum of anticipation rang through Garnet, as a small grin crept it's way up his face. "This is the start. The start of my--"
He was cut off by his mother calling him. "GARNET?! Can you take out the trash, hun?!"
He groaned.
X-X-X-X-X-X
Garnet huffed as he ran across Pallet Town in a hurry. The crisp, morning breeze enough to keep him alert. His heart thumping against his chest. A constant remider of the fateful momemt that lied ahead. Anticipation and excitement jolted through him like shocks of electricity; a broad grin threatening to split his face in half.
He'd donned a new pair of attire for the journey ahead. His black t-shirt was replaced with a long-sleeved black shirt, compliment by black fingerless gloves. Over his shirt, was a deep red vest with white collar and stripe. Grey jeans, and running shoes that were primarily red, with black trim and white accents. Fastened on top of his head was a black and red cap. He'd left his backpack at home, as his mom was still going over the supplies for his travel to keep himself busy. And he was going to come right back for one final goodbye to her, anyway.
Professor Oak's lab was in sight. Surrounded by fauna and lush green trees, Garnet could still make out the bright red roof up ahead. Garnet quickened his run, dashing down the smooth dirt path and making it towards the laboratory in a matter of minutes. Labored breaths raspdd at the edges of his throat as he wiped at the sweat that rolled down his chin. Then, he stood tall, straightened his shoulders, and stepped inside.
The cool air of the A/C hit him. Relieving him of any sense of exhaustion he'd to offer. The interior was expansive. Clean, crystalline floors, the constant mechanical beeps and whirrs of several electronics and machinery. Assistants remained dutiful at the respective stations, only sparing him the briefest of glances and offering polite nods or smiles in greeting before returning to their work.
"Well if it isn't Brooke!"
Garnet resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the pompous, but recognizable voice. He whirled to see two other teenagers his age looking at him. One of those teens was none other than Gary Oak, grandson of Samuel Oak; with his signature spikey brown hair and smug expression, dressed in a purple sweater, black pants, and brown travelling boots. The young man smirked lazily as he rested his hands in his pockets.
"And here I thought you were going to chicken out!"
Garnet scoffed. Seriously? "Do you know who you're talking to?"
Gary's expression turned coy. "Yeah, a complete and utter doofus like Ketchum!"
Garnet's eyes narrowed and he was about to retort...
"Speaking of which, where is Ash?"
The two turned towards the third teenager in the lab. The same age as Gary and Garnet. She had fair skin and messy, long brown hair that fell down to her back. Wearing a sleeveless black dress with hints of cyan under a pair of shorts of the same color. She also wore black shoes with cyan soles and white wristbands.
Leaf Greene, one of the other Trainers under Professor Oak's sponsorship. She, along with Gary, Ash, and Garnet himself were all childhood friends, to some degree. While Garnet, Ash, and Garnet tended to get into spats and squabbles as irritant boys typically did. Leaf acted as the mediator between them all. Or at the very least tried to. The success really depended on what they fought over.
... It was typically very petty things. In which case, her success rates dropped into the negatives.
Garnet stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Overslept, probably."
Gary scoffed. "Sounds like him, the idiot."
Leaf shot Gary a look, before crossing her arms and frowning. "He knows he needs to be here on time, right? This is the most important day of our lives..."
Garnet snorted. Knowing what he knew, Ash would be fine. He kept silent, though.
"Ah, you've all made it!"
A man with greying hair and a fatherly smile came down from the second floor, hands tucked in his lab coat. Garnet's heart pounded against his ribcage. Even now, it was hard to believe he was being sponsored by a legendary trainer like Samuel Oak. The man was one of Kanto's strongest Pokémon Trainers, and was the previous Champion, but had stepped down in pursuit of researching and understanding Pokémon. While Garnet would never begin to understand why someone would step away from such an esteemed role, he decided not was for the best to not question it.
Samuel blinked as he scanned the group. "Hmm. That's odd, it seems we're missing someone..."
"Ashy-Boy slept in!" Gary rolled his eyes as he answered the question lingering on his grandfather's tongue. "Dunno what else you were expecting. Guy's dumb like that."
"That's no way to talk about your friend, Gary." Leaf shot the young Oak the side-eye. Gary squinted at her.
"What else were you expecting from Gary? His ego's the size of Mt. Silver, can't help but drag people down." Garnet snarked, his eyes narrowing as he glanced at Gary.
"Watch who you're talking to, Brooke." Gary's expression sharpened as he turned to the boy. "You're staring at the next Champion, you should start respecting your superiors."
Samuel and Leaf sighed in unison.
A jagged smirk tugged at Garnet's lips. "'Future Champion', yeah, okay. We both know that spot's reserved for me, get in line!"
Gary smirked back, his expression tight. "Big words coming from an idiot at the bottom of the totem pole."
Lightning sparked between the two's eyes as they glared at one another. Samuel shook his head and clapped his hands harshly to gather their attention, before coughing into his fist. "Now, now, boys. Let's settle down. No need to start any petty squabbles." the man smirked as he turned on his heel. "You can save that energy for actual battle."
Garnet and Gary paused at Samuel's words, shooting each other a glance before they, alongside Leaf, followed the professor deeper into the lab. The trio's eyes twinkled with anticipation at the sight of the circular container that held threw pristine pokéballs. Garnet unconsciously flexed his fingers as he eyed the items that held what would soon be their starters.
He grinned.
"Since Ash seems to be running late, we'll have to settle with giving him one of the Pokémon we have on reserve..." Samuel murmured, glancing at the three fledgling Trainer's. "For now, let's begin. Today is the day you all choose your starter Pokémon. A special breed was prepared for you, as per tradition with typical Kantonian starters..."
"Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur." the names flew out of Garnet's mouth before he could even blink. As he realized he'd said it aloud, he flushed, with Gary and Leaf shooting him bemused looks. Samuel however, laughed.
"Correct! You three have the choice between these three Pokémon." Samuel nodded, tapping a button on the side of the container and letting the glass hull slide open with a mechanical hiss. "Choose wisely... these will be the partner's for the rest of your journey, and perhaps, your life."
Those words gave the three pause. But Garnet stepped forward with a blank expression, clenching his face. "I've been waiting for this day for years. I've long since made up my mind on who I'd choose."
He stared at the pokéball in the middle, the red metal transparent, revealing the slumbering reptile resting within. He reached out and grasped the metal ball in his hands, and held it. It had a comfortable weight, and he smiled, pressing the center of the button and tossing the pokéball into the air.
The ball snapped open in a flash of light. Embers burst forth, in which Garnet could feel the heat from where he stood. Landing on the ground was a small, bipedal reptile with smooth orange scales and a light yellow underbelly and wide blue eyes. Behind it, it's tail swayed lazily, holding a burning orange flame. Garnet stared, and Charmander stared back.
In those eyes, Garnet saw a smoldering intensity that belied a creature of it's size, as though he'd awoken some beast from it's slumber. It's eyes never left his, and he kept his gaze steady. Slowly, Garnet crouched down and smiled. "Hey there, the name's Garnet. I'm gonna be a Trainer soon, and I need a strong partner for that. Think you can be that?"
the Charmander stared at him in mute silence, before offering what Garnet could only assume was a smirk. It was then and there that the boy knew he'd made the right decision. Smirking back, he nodded at stood back up to his feet.
He wasn't really the type for grandiose speeches. He simply wanted to get his point across. "Gonna call you... Ryuko."
Ryuko let out a satisified growl, nodding.
Gary snorted from behind, rolling his eyes. "Well, if Brooke's going with Fire, then I'm going with Water." he grasped the pokéball containing Squirtle while firing an infuriating smirk Garnet's way, and sending out the Water Type.
As the turtle landed at Gary's feet, Ryuko stopped to shoot Squirtle a light glare, which was returned by the Water Type. Similarly, Garnet and Gary were firing off sharp looks towards one another with aggravating smirks threatening to split their faces in half.
Samuel and Leaf sighed in unison.
Leaf shook her head, "A match made in heaven." she walked up to the last ball with a smile of amusement. "I guess this leaves me with Bulbasaur."
As the girl sent out the Grass Type and caught it in her arms with a giggle, Samuel grabbed three out of four rectangular devices from his workbench and walked towards the three Trainers with a smile, and handed it to them. As the teenagers marveled at the device, he crossed his arms behind his back. "Those are pokédexes."
Garnet began shifting through the features and blinked in surprise. This thing functioned as an encyclopedia, GPS, phone, kept track of a Pokémon's health and stats, worked as a Trainer ID, and a whole lot more. "The Professor really went all out on this thing..."
The pokédes had already collected data on Ryuko. That was when he discovered that the Charmander was in fact a girl, which made the name all the more fitting. Another thing was her moveset. She knew Scratch, Growl, Smokescreen, and shockingly... Dragon Tail.
Garnet blinked owlishly at that, shooting his Pokémon a bewildered glance, who blinked up at him obliviously. He looked back at his pokédex and hummed. "So it's an egg move. She definitely got it from one of her parents, then. Holy cow."
"You can think of them as encyclopedias that compile the data and informatiom of every Pokémon you encounter and catch." Garnet snapped out of his thoughts and turned his attentioj back to Samuel. "It's been my dream to understand and study the way of Pokémon, and to pass on that knowledge to the next generation... unfortunately, I'm not in my prime anymore, as you can clearly see." the man chuckled, "Which is why I want you three alongside Ash to do it for me. Explore the world, meet new friends, make new companions, and collect all the data you can on the Pokémon you encounter."
The three blinked at the sincerity and warmth in the man's words as he proclaimed his dream and request. It gave them much needed pause, as they digested it all. Gary was the first to speak up, arrogance in his booce, but holding a tinge of familial warmth that was obvious to everyone who knew him. "Heh! Don't you worry about a thing, Gramps! I'll complete the pokédex in no time flat."
Garnet and Leaf rolled their eyes. Samuel could only chuckle softly at his grandson's exuberance. "Thank you, Gary."
Leaf focused on the professor and nodded her head. "Gary's right though, we'll do it." she smiled. "I've always wanted to learn more about Pokémon myself... it sounds fun!"
Garnet shrugged his shoulders, scratching the back of his head with an awkward look. "Well, when you put it like that, you make it kinda hard to say no..."
Samuel huffed out a deep, rumbling life. Bowing his head in gratitude. "I thank you, truly."
"Yeah, yeah. Don't go getting all sappy on us." Gary crossed his arms and smirked, before turning towards Garnet. "More importantly... Brooke! I challenge you to a battle!"
Garnet blinked. "Heh?"
Leaf sweat-dropped. "Seriously?"
"Leaf, I'm always serious." Gary huffed, rolling his eyes at the girl. "I'm gonna become the strongest Trainer in Kanto, the next Champion! What better way to start off my career than crushing one of my rivals in my first battle."
Garner gave the pompous boy an incredulous stare. "I'm surprised you aren't battling Ash first..."
"Puh-lease! Ashy-Boy wouldn't even be a decent warmup. I'm hoping you'll at least prove to be a challenge." Gary snarked.
Garnet snorted explosively and clenched his fists tight, stepping forward. Ryuko followed his example to the later, taking a challenge step forward with a growl and huffing out embers. "Whatever, I'm gonna wipe that smug look off your face."
Gary's smirked turned vicious as Squirtle stepped in front of him with an ice-cold stare. "I'd like to see you try."
As the two Trainers and Pokémon glared at one another, Samuel and Leaf once again stood off to the side and watched on in exasperation. Samuel wore a tired grin on his face, while Leaf could only sigh for what felt like the umpteenth time.
"Boys..."
A/N.
Howdy! My name's DragonKingXceed, but you guys can call me Xceed or X, way shorter.
I'd like to introduce you guys... to my first fic on this account! And, why not do it with one of my favorite franchises, Pokémon?
This was an idea that lingered in my mind, having read loads of Pokémon fics, both SIs and OCs, and AUs, and I just had to give my go at it. Especially after reading a fan-manga/doujinshi called Festival of Champions. If you haven't read it, I HIGHLY recommend you do. It's an amazing series with stellar art, an engaging story, and awesome characters. Some of the best Pokémon media I've read... like, ever.
If you want a mature story, but also like the goofiness and hardcore action, story, and character moments from Shonen Manga and the infamous tournament arc, then Festival of Champions is the story for you!
That also leads me to the next few things I want to say.
The main driving force for this story is Festival of Champions and shonen-battle manga and anime, with all the tropes you'd expect from such series. Except like... maybe fan service. Doubt that'll be a thing 'sides the potential gag. Dunno. Nothing super explicit though.
If that isn't your cup of tea, then this story is probably not gonna be for you. While I plan on having some intense mature moments, it's not going to be the driving force behind it. Not some super deep, gritty, philosophical, or complex story. I just want to have fun writing this, y'know?
'Nother thing. I'm not gonna tolerate any flames, or disrespect disguised as 'critique'. If down the line, I do something you don't like, or the story goes in a direction you do not like, then you don't have to read it anymore. That's okay, But don't go out of your way to insult me, or call my work trash. This goes for other authors as well. We aren't obligated to write this stuff, It's not a job. Nine times out of ten, it's a hobby.
Above all else, I'm writing to entertain. Not only others, but myself. I want to have fun writing my stories, and I want to share that fun with other people. It doesn't need to be bogged down
Guest or not, I'm not going to let that shit slide. I'm open to valid criticism on what I can improve on my writing, though! This is my first story here, so pointers would be highly appreciated!
This Author's Note is getting long, so the last thing I want to say is that, I will be drawing inspiration from Festival of Champions, the anime, games, and Adventures manga. So consider this to be it's separate canon/continuity! We'll see how well I can blend these aspects together. I'll also likely alternate between third and first person. So expect that.
Anywho, hope you enjoyed a taste of what's to come, and here's to a new adventure!
Gotta Catch 'Em All!