Our Pokemon Story

Chapter 1

Snapped out of a deep sleep, Sota Nakamura wakes to the always welcomed and appreciated noise of early morning construction crews working. He rubs his eyes and squints around, remembering that he's back home after graduating from high school. Back in his old bedroom in the too small apartment that he, his younger brother Jiro and their mother Fumiko live in located in Pallet Town in the region of Kanto. The Viridian City Pokémon Academy dorms had been his home for the last three years as he worked tirelessly to make top marks in order to achieve his dreams, well to begin his journey to achieve his dreams on the right foot anyways. He sacrificed friends and any semblance of a social life for studying, resulting in getting a reputation of being cold and distant, and today was the day that it all becomes worth it. Today he gets his first ever Pokémon.

After orienting himself, Sota opens the curtains, scowls at the work crew hammering away on the roof of the building next door as his alarm finally goes off. "Yeah I'm up…" he turns off the alarm, checks the weather forecast for the next couple of days and gets dressed. Black pants, a t-shirt of his favorite band "Hyperbeam"...also black. Plain hoodie-Black. School blazer with the Viridian Pokémon Academy patch over the left breast worn over the hoodie…its dark green, the blazer is dark green. Despite not being popular in school by any means, he wears the blazer in pride of his accomplishments. He packed all of his gear the night before, but still goes over everything one last time making sure nothing is forgotten or overlooked.

"Back pack? Check. Cheap tent advertised as fitting two people (but it may have been an exaggeration)? Check. Sleeping bag I've had since I was twelve? Check. A few changes of clothes? Check. First aid kit? Check. Flashlight? Check. Ten Pokéballs and one Premierball? Check. A few basic healing potions? Check. Five bags of Tauros jerky Teriyaki flavored? Check." Sota scrolls through his beat up, almost 4 year old, PokéTech phone and checks his calendar app, he already entered in important events he didn't want to miss. He puts on his pokéball snapback cap and heads out of his room...yeah its black, but the pokéball is still red and white so whatever.

Exiting his room, he could smell that someone had been cooking food. The first door on the left a few feet down is Jiro's room; he peeks in quietly to see his brother sleeping haphazardly on his bed, dead to the world of noise around him. Sota, being a light sleeper waking to any sound or movement felt, could only glare at his brother with envy as he pulled the door back closed. He continued down the wood floor hallway passing some photos on the off-white wall of he and his brother and another of them with their mother sitting awkwardly for a department store photographer while wearing some traditional Kanto yukata. He remembers that day, they went to one of the Tanabata festivals afterward and his brother threw a fit because he dropped his candied apple…I'll give you three guesses who had to give up theirs to quiet him down.

Sota shook his head at the fond memory and came into the living room and was able to see his mother across in the kitchen through the serving hatch in the wall. His mother is forty-three and a smaller woman standing at barely five foot two, but regardless of her stature was the strongest person he knew. It must not have been easy raising two boys alone after leaving their father, but she gave he and his brother a life that they could look back on with minimal complaints and a lot of good memories together. My father…Sota didn't like it when he popped in his head, didn't want to give him any real estate in his thoughts, so he shook the thought of his father out and went to see his mom.

"Good morning honey! Excited for your big day?" his mother asks looking over at Sota with a smile while finishing up washing a pan. She looks almost more excited than I am, Sota thought, but then again he always did have difficulty outwardly expressing his emotions.

"Hey mom, yeah I'm about ready to head out." Sota replied

"So early? But I just made breakfast…can't you eat before leaving?" his mother pleaded.

"I told you yesterday I wanted an early start. I don't want to get to Viridian City too late." Sota reminded her. He knows that she remembered he wanted to leave first thing, but he also knows how excited she was to have him back home for the last few days, and that she just wants a few more minutes with him…and it's not that he doesn't want to spend time with her.

"I know that's what you said, but you need a proper meal before leaving. You're going to be traveling a lot and need your energy and besides, I doubt the Professor's offices are open yet so sit down." His mother insisted while serving and setting down a plate of food on a small table, just big enough for the three of them, in the nook to the side of the living room near the serving hatch. A plate of grilled Magikarp fillet, natto, tamagoyaki and some vegetables; alongside two bowls, one filled with miso soup and the other with steamed white rice.

"Okay, Okay.." Sota says sitting down in front of the meal. Sota proceeds to start eating his food at a rapid pace while bouncing his leg anxiously.

"Slow down or you'll choke silly boy." His mother chuckles at his intensity. She looks at him with a nostalgic gaze remembering other meals at the same seat when the feet didn't quite reach the floor. In those days he was always in a rush to play outside with the other children in the neighborhood. He had to be reeled in and calmed down so that he could get in his piano practice. How she misses hearing him play the classical pieces he eventually mastered. He had so much talent, such a bright potential future as a professional pianist, such a shame. However, she's sure that he'll achieve great things in his new passion and she'll support him. Even if she can no longer be beside him, she'll cheer him on every step of the way.

Not long into the meal, Jiro finally emerges from his slumber with a large yawn and bed head that looked as if a surfing Pikachu would appear and ride the wave in his hair.

"Good morning sweetie." Their mother cooed at Jiro.

"Mm…'morning mom. I see Sota is eating all our food already." Jiro remarks dryly. Sota looks up with a full mouth and a raised eyebrow, gives a mocking mime laugh, and then quickly switches to a flat stare at his brother while he chews the huge wad of food in his mouth.

"There's plenty of food for everyone no need to be snide." Fumiko says as she gets up out of her seat to get food for Jiro from the kitchen. Jiro sits down in his normal seat on Sota's right side, where the boys could both see the nearby television so they could watch their anime while eating. After he settles in Sota promptly kicks his brothers ankle sparking the obligatory kicking and shoving match between the boys. Their mother quickly comes in and starts smacking the boys with a wash rag on the arms and head while yelling at them to stop as is tradition. And thus, breakfast was truly served.

Once the roughhousing calmed down Jiro asked Sota, "I thought you were going to be leaving early to get a head start on traveling to Viridian?"

"I am, but mom set a food trap for me." Sota replied still chewing through some steamed rice mixed with Magikarp.

"Ah yes, you are a glutton so that tracks." Jiro jabs back at Sota with a smirk on his face. Sota just turns his head toward Jiro and away from his mother's view mouths Fuck You. Jiro just chuckles at his brother's reaction and continues to eat. Jiro will be starting his first year at the Viridian City Pokémon Academy just after the Indigo League Opening Ceremony this year, which is in a few days. Sota and his brother are about 3 years apart in age and get along for the most part barring normal sibling squabbles. The boys seem to enjoy showing their affection for each other by seeing who can roast the other the best.

"Well maybe now you can take your brother along with you to Viridian City?" their mother asks with a kind yet also insistent tone.

"What?" the boys replied in unison.

"But mom he's still too young to travel like that." explained Sota.

"Mom, I can't leave yet! I-I haven't packed. I still have laundry to do. I haven't-" Jiro began rambling.

"Boys enough!" their mother exclaimed, "I wasn't able to get the days off from work necessary to drive Jiro up to Viridian City for the start of school, so I'm sorry, but you have no choice this time but to go up together." Before the boys could protest any more she put her hand up and continued, "Since you'll be with him Sota, I can trust you to get him to his dormitory building safely can't I?"

"Yes ma'am…" Sota reluctantly replies.

"And that means that you'll listen to your brother since he'll be in charge, correct?" She directs at Jiro.

"Oh come on, really?!" Jiro whines, but his mother just gives him the look, and he knows what he has to do. "Aaalriiight…" as Jiro slouches, the boys hurry to finish their food. Sota barks at Jiro to hurry and pack his stuff. Jiro shouting back at Sota the whole time, telling him to shut up, making it just a loud typhoon of noise and organized chaos. Fumiko just stands back and shakes her head at the two knowing that she's going to miss this. The boys eventually gather their things and give a hug and kiss to their mother goodbye while she handed them both a bento box of food she prepared earlier. They put on their shoes at the entrance, Sota wears his sneakers that are, yes…black.

"Be safe out there boys!" she cries one last time to her sons as they head down the sidewalk toward downtown Pallet Town, one off to high school for the first time and the other heading off on his very first Pokémon journey.

"Junichiro, you fool, you've missed it all…" Fumiko says to…no one at all.

Sakura blossoms swirl in the spring wind eastward gin the direction that her two boys walk toward their futures. She prays to Arceus and the rest of the gods and spirits in the world that they watch over them and guide them safely to prosperity. The two brothers head down the street after saying goodbye to their mother. They walk a few blocks down the neighborhood to the bus stop.

"I thought we were gonna be walking the whole time…tired already?" Jiro teased.

"Oh don't worry, there'll be plenty of walking soon enough little brother once we're done at the labs. For now, we're taking the bus downtown." Sota responded.

They only had to wait a few minutes for a bus flashing the Downtown destination on it's sign to stop with a loud hissing noise and the doors flap open. They walk into the bus, scan their bus passes on the kiosk and find a couple seats near the middle of the bus on the left side. The ride is quiet with the other commuters focused on their more recent Silph Co. phones, more than likely scrolling through the day's current events and future attractions with the new league season approaching. Sota puts his ear buds on and scrolls through his PokéTech and taps the play button on his favorite playlist.

Outside Sota and Jiro watch as they pass pedestrians walking with their Nidoran, a few Meowth and even a lady walks along side a Mr. Mime. Small flocks of Pidgeys fly across the sky as, before they know it, amongst the other corporate and municipal buildings in the downtown area; the Pokémon Labs come into view. The nearest bus stop is a just a couple of blocks before it and so Sota and Jiro hop off in order to make the short walk over.

As they approach the large gray building with a minimalist illustrated oak tree on the sign that read Pokémon Laboratory, Sota's attention is taken by a flash of golden hair in his peripheral vision. He looks up from his phone and sees a beautiful blonde haired, blue eyed girl in front of him holding a Pokémon egg in her arms and an Eevee walking at her feet beside her. She was wearing a white scooped neck blouse with long sleeves, it seemed light and airy with all the small holes patterned on the sleeves. She also had on a short black skirt and some white thigh high tights that stopped about three inches below her skirt, along with black heels. Her features indicate plainly that she is most likely a foreigner, not many girls born in Kanto have such…..curvy qualities. I mean her eyes, clearly not colored contacts, and her hair looks natural...yeah. It was long and wavy, flowing over her shoulders and perfectly framing her face, he thinks as she turns in slow motion to meet his eyes with hers. Sota ponders if she's Unovan? Perhaps from Galar?

"Hey space cadet!" Jiro yells as he smacks Sota's arm, snapping him out of the daze he was in.

"Huh? What?" Sota mumbled back. Jiro just points at the girl standing ahead of them at the top of the short stoop by the front doors. Sota dumbly looks back up at her this time processing what's actually happening.

"Could you give me a hand with the door please?" the girl asked kindly with a smile.

She spoke in kantonese but the accent was noticeable that she was most likely Kalosian…Sota noted to himself.

"Uuhh…Oh! Right! Yeah I got it." Sota stammers while Jiro dies inside from second hand embarrassment.

Sota hops over the middle step to reach the top quicker and goes to grab the handle of the door just as it swings open suddenly almost crashing into Sota's face; if it hadn't been for the fact that his hand was out already to help his mind process a dodge quicker. A guy runs through the door way as it comes open and bumps into the girl sending him tumbling down the stairs and her egg into the air! Sota, reacting as quickly as he can, shoves the door closed and reaches out catching the egg before it crashes to the ground. The guy who caused this mayhem scrambles to his feet while grabbing at some pokéballs that he had dropped when he fell and then breaks into a dead sprint down the street.

"Hey! At least apologize you big jerk!" Jiro screams as the guy runs away. While the girl's Eevee yips and barks as loud as its tiny voice can allow at the unknown man.

"No! Stay Eevee!" the girl commands as she quickly snatches the Pokémon up in her arms to keep it from chasing the stranger. Just then another man, who looks to be in his forties dressed in a white lab coat, runs out panting.

"Sto-Stop! Somebody…stop him. Damn it!" the man exclaims out of breath. He looks at the teenagers around him and asks, "Did any of you know that guy? I'd better call the police.." he pulls out his phone and begins dialing as the Sota and the others shake their head in response to his question.

"What the hell was that guy's problem?" Sota asks out loud.

"That guy just stole some Pokémon from the labs is what his prob—yes hello? I'd like to report a robbery! I need an officer asap!" the man says into his phone turning his attention away.

Sota looks in the direction the thief ran but there was no sign of him and then he's startled a bit again as the girl goes to take the egg back.

" Mon Dieu! Thank you sooo much!" The girl takes the egg, stretches up with her tip toes and kisses Sota's cheek. The fuse in Sota's brain pops and his cheeks get warm while all he can do is stand there staring at the space the girl used to occupy.

"Don't mention it…" Sota manages to mumble out as he then remembers to open the door for her earning another bright smile from her as she walks through the threshold. As Sota watches her walk through, Jiro also walks over with a flat expression.

"You're so lame…" Jiro remarks to his brother who then acknowledges his existence with a quick glare.

"Shut up…" is the only thing Sota can comeback with so he compensates by shoving Jiro practically into the bush on the left side of the door way.

"Son of a-!" Jiro blurts. Sota takes this opportunity walk into the building and close the door behind him before Jiro could walk through.

"Such disrespect." Jiro mumbles as he regains his balance and walks into the building after his brother.

The girl's heels can be heard echoing throughout the lobby of the building as she walked toward the front desk with Sota not far behind and Jiro bringing up the rear with their sneakers occasionally squeaking against the waxed tile flooring. There were a pair of elevators on the left side wall and on the right side was a small dark gray modern couch bookended by a pair of matching cushioned chairs. A large potted plant near the seats was some welcomed color in the room. Behind the desk, the receptionist looked up with a polite smile at the stylish girl approaching her with an egg.

"Welcome the Pokémon Laboratory and Research Facility, how may I assist you today?" the woman recited cheerily.

"Yes I am here to, how do you say?...Give something to the professor?" the girl replies.

"Ah, you mean make a delivery?" the receptionist suggests.

"Oh, yes! That is the word! I apologize I am not yet fluent in kantonese." The girl politely responds.

"Oh no you speak very well! May I have your name please?" the woman asks.

"Genevieve Dantès" Genevieve sweetly answers.

"Ah, yes I see you are expected! Please wait one moment!" the woman says after checking her computer screen.

Genevieve….such a pretty name. Definitely Kalosian sounding, wasn't there a princess or queen in an old Galarian legend named Genevieve? Her accent definitely soun—Jiro smacks Sota's arm snapping him out of it.

"What?" Sota blurts realizing he's being asked something.

"How may I help you?" the receptionist repeats looking at him expectantly, while Jiro shakes his head and Genevieve stifles a laugh.

"Oh yeah! Nakamura Sota to see Professor Oak, please." Sota replies with a slight blush. Jiro nudges Sota with his elbow and Sota adds, "This is just my brother.", Jiro sucks his teeth at him and Genevieve give a small giggle.

"Yes we've been expecting you! Please wait one moment." The woman picks up the receiver of her desk phone and presses a button, after a moment she informs the person on the other line that one of the students receiving a starter is here as well as a delivery. After another moment of her listening she hangs up and looks to the group to let them know, "You may all head up the elevator to the fifth floor please, Professor Oak will see you now."

"Thank you." Replies Genevieve as the boys just bow their heads slightly. The trio make their way to the elevators and board one with Sota hitting the number 5 button for the fifth floor. Sota bounces a bit on the balls of his feet awkwardly trying not to focus too much on the sweet smell of Genevieve's perfume in the enclosed space. Just be cool, its not like anything is gonna happen anyway; Sota thinks to himself. She's just a girl dropping off a delivery and then going on about her day and I'll go on about my day, and we'll never see each other again. Jiro looks up at his brother and raises his eyebrow at him then subtly just shakes his head and looks away. She probably has like a boyfriend anyways, Sota continues thinking, girls who look like that aren't single. And it's not like you'd have the balls to say anything anyway so why are you even-the elevator dings and the doors slide open revealing the fifth floor of the research labs.

Genevieve gets off first followed by Sota and Jiro into a large area where some desks are lined up against the walls on both sides of the floor almost creating a broken circle with a large island table in the center. On the walls are a number of white boards with text and formulas scribbled in messy handwriting with various colors of dry erase markers. Taped to the corners a few of those boards are charts with drawings of Pokémon anatomy or what look like dna strands. Some large and complex looking equipment that resembles stuff Sota has seen in some scifi movies are present in a few corners of the room. Numerous microscopes, computer terminals, a large server cabinet and a few other cabinets holding bottles and vials of various liquids. On the center island, Sota notices, sit rings and nothing else as on the other side an older man with graying hair comes over and smiles at the trio.

"Good morning, my name is Professor Oak." He says with a comforting smile.

Sota motions to Genevieve that she can go first and speak with the professor. Genevieve smiles and steps forward.

"Good morning Professor, my name is Genevieve Dantès, it is a pleasure to meet you." She recites with a respectful bow. The Professor returns the bow and waits for her to continue.

"I have come to…give you this Eevee from my parents." As she finishes her statement an audible pop sound interrupts the exchange and everyone looks at the egg in her arms and notice a large distinct crack on it!

"Oh merde!" Genevieve exclaims.

"Why it seems another delivery is on its way!" quips Professor Oak.

"I'm sorry to leave so suddenly, but I must get this egg home as soon as possible to prepare for the hatching!" She looks at the Eevee at her feet and tells him to "Be good for the professor!" she gives another bow and hurries to the elevator to leave.

"So exciting the gift of life!" the Professor muses. The two boys look between each other and give a simultaneous shrug of indifference and look back to the professor waiting for him to move on.

"Anyways, you must be Mr. Nakamura!" he says brightly toward Jiro. "A bit on the shorter side for a high school graduate, but I'm sure you'll continue to sprout!" the Professor chuckles.

"I'm not Sota…I'm his brother…" Jiro says clearly unamused.

"I'm Nakamura Sota, Professor." Sota flatly states.

"Of course, of course..no need for you both to be so serious! Now! What can I do for you?" Professor Oak states while clapping his hands together.

"I'm the Viridian City Academy valedictorian…I'm here for the starter Pokémon?" Sota replies.

"Oh yes, of course! Valedictorian eh? Well you've most definitely earned I'd say! Ha ha! Yes indeed, quite an accomplishment!" Professor Oak now seemed to Sota as giving off a nervously awkward vibe as opposed to earlier when he seemed welcoming and bright.

"Yeah…it was a lot of work, so I'd like to choose my partner so I can get started on my journey." Sota urges trying not to look too impatient.

"Well Mr. Nakamura here is the situation we are in unfortunately, literally moments before you arrived our facility was robbed by an unknown assailant who used a false identity in order to gain access into our laboratory. Once inside this hooligan caused a ruckus by knocking over some very sensitive equipment and with that distraction he took the opportunity to steal all three starter Pokémon and escape. So I am very sorry to say that I don't have a Pokémon for you to choose my boy. I apologize deeply." Professor Oak solemnly recounts for Sota the morning's incident. The realization is like a gut punch to Sota and for a moment he is unable to immediately respond. Three years of nonstop studying, no friends, no sports, no girls…nothing. Everything was for this moment, so that I could earn a Pokémon of my own to begin my journey to the Indigo Plateau on the right foot….gone. Sota shook his head and looked down at his feet to gather himself a moment.

Jiro also looked dumbfounded at the news; he couldn't help but feel anger over this. He knew his brother worked his ass off for this, just to have it taken away just like that? No, sorry wasn't good enough!

"Whaddya mean there's no Pokémon?! He worked his a-..butt off for this! And there's NO Pokémon in this whole huge building?! That's not fai—" Sota puts his hand up in front of Jiro's face cutting off his rant. Sota clenches his jaw and takes a deep breath with a long exhale.

"I understand Professor Oak." Is all he says garnering a jaw drop from his younger brother.

Professor Oak puts one hand on his hip and scratches the back of head with his other hand and looks down near his feet and has an idea.

"YES!" Oak bellows abruptly, startling the boys and getting them to flinch a bit and look at him in alarm.

"I do in fact have a Pokémon that I could give you!" He exclaims with glee. Professor Oak bends down and pickup in triumph the Eevee that Genevieve just delivered to him.

"Behold! An Eevee!" He announces feeling redeemed.

"The Eevee?" the two boys say in unison.

"THE Eevee!" repeats Professor Oak. "Incredibly rare in the Kanto region as they are not indigenous and incredibly versatile; being able to evolve into eight different forms that we know of! He would be a grand Pokémon to start with!" Professor Oak grins with pride over his quick thinking.

"Not as cool as a Charizard tho…" Jiro blurts out mindlessly, earning a disapproving glare from Sota for his rudeness.

"None of the known 'eevolutions'…" the Professor chuckles at his pun, "…are able to fly, however its either accept the Eevee or wait until we're able to procure another set of traditional starters." Oak says plainly.

Sota looks at the Eevee and thinks about this decision, is this the Pokémon he can see winning the Indigo League Tournament with? Can this Pokémon help him become the Kanto region champion and finally be able to pay back his mother for everything she sacrificed for him? He looks into the big round brown eyes of this fluffy creature and wonders one more thing.

"Eevee…" Sota begins moving a step closer to the Pokémon the professor is holding, "Do you want to be my partner?" he asks the Eevee. Eevee cocks his head to one side and then yips happily and wags its fluffy tail. Professor Oak gives a small smile and looks to Sota for his reaction.

"I guess we've got a long road ahead of us don't we boy?" Sota aks and Eevee responds with another happy yip and starts trying to wriggle his way out of the professor's hands.

"Okay, looks like it's settled then!" Says Professor Oak, as he sets down the Eevee before he drops him. "In that case…please let me see your phone." Professor Oak says while pulling out Premierball from his pocket, he clicks the button and it expands to full size in his palm. Sota hands Professor Oak his old PokéTech and the professor opens his trainer app, inputs his verification code officially registering Sota Nakamura as a Kanto Region Pokémon trainer and then uses the phone's camera function to scan the premierball to Sota's trainer I.D. Meanwhile, Eevee scurries to Sota and starts hopping up his leg. Sota picks up the Eevee cradling him in his arms receiving a lick from his new partner.

"All set!" says Professor Oak handing Sota the ball first. "All you have to do now is catch him by tapping the ball button on Eevee. Since it seems like Eevee has agreed to be your partner Pokémon there shouldn't be an issue." Oak explains. Sota gently taps the ball on Eevee's head with a 'click' noise and the button lights up red and a beam of light shoots out and engulfs Eevee and zips him into the ball where it claps shut. The button flashes between red and white for a couple seconds then turns green as a small fanfare jingle is played out of a few little slits in the ball where a speaker must be.

"Success!" Oak says triumphantly. "Eevee is officially YOUR Pokémon! Congratulations!" the professor says as he hands Sota back his PokéTech.

Sota and Jiro walk out of the Labs building and onto the sidewalk where Sota stops and pulls out the Eevee's ball and pauses while holding it.

"What the matter? Change your mind already?" Jiro asks noticing that Sota stopped walking.

Sota took a lot of time when he wasn't studying to plan his journey to the League Tournament out, this was definitely a curve ball he didn't account for once it was pretty clear he was going to graduate on top of the class. However, now he's going to have to make a decision on how to train this Eevee.

"Nah, I'm good." Sota remarks and continues walking tossing the ball gently back and forth between his hands.

Sota declares to himself with a determined smile on his face…

The unexpected be damned, nothing is going to stop me now.