Entrance to Route 29
It was early in the morning. Jackson had already polished off his breakfast, as well as given his Eevee her food, and had reached the entrance of the town, with a sign that said 'Route 29' written on it. There, he reunited with Kris and her Totodile.
"Morning, Jackson." She greeted, "Are you ready to go on your adventure?"
"Pretty much." Jackson answered, shifting the weight on his backpack, "Still, I am surprised at how I was able to pack all my things in this little backpack. I wonder if its in the fabric that gives that 'larger than exterior' effect?"
"I never really bothered into looking at it." Kris answered.
"By the way…" Jackson noticed the missing third member in the group, and asked, "Where is Ethan? Did he sleep in?"
"Oh, no. He's already on his way to Violet City." Kris answered.
"Violet City?" Jackson echoed, thinking back to the map he read on the region, "That's the place past Cherrygrove City, near the Dark Cave. I heard that its known for a few things, the most prominent being the Sprout Tower, as well as the Gym there."
"Wow, you're already aware of that much?" Kris asked, surprised at his intellect.
"Those reference books were pretty useful. Also, I learned a whole heck of a lot about the Pokémon world from those books."
"That's pretty impressive. Does that mean you are aware of the Gyms in the region?"
"Yeah. They are areas where trainers will test their skills, fighting the Gym's Leader." Jackson explained, "Defeating them will earn them a badge. By collecting eight of them throughout the region, you are eligible to take on the Pokémon League of that region, which consists of a group called the Elite Four, a quartet of very powerful trainers, and then there is the Champion, the strongest trainer of that region. Defeating that person will earn you the title of Champion instead. Did I miss anything?"
"No, that was actually perfect in a broad stroke." Kris answered, "You were really into those books! Didn't you sleep at all?"
"Barely. I ended up having nightmares all throughout the night." Jackson answered, looking down sadly.
"Oh, I see…" Kris responded, not sure if she should press the matter. She was aware of Jackson being of another world, and a bit of what he did, but she didn't know of anything else. Based on what she felt, she decided not to press the matter, and instead continued, "Well, Ethan has already left to take on the Gym there. I did plan to go, but decided to wait for you."
"Really? Thanks a bunch." Jackson thanked the girl.
"Oh, it's nothing." Kris answered, "Besides, Professor Elm wanted me to teach you about some things on being a Pokémon Trainer. For example, how to battle with your Pokémon."
"Yeah, I haven't gotten to that part, yet." Jackson noted, pulling out Eevee's Pokéball, "Maybe you can show me the basics on a Pokémon battle?"
"Sure, but first…" Kris pointed to an open area nearby, and suggested, "Let's start with a lesson on understanding your Pokémon's attacks, and properly giving commands."
(Insert 'Never Give Up' By SONAR POCKET)
Instrumental Opening
(Jackson stands at the top of a cliff, looking out into the vast landscape of the Johto region. He turns to the camera with surprise, grins, then draws his sword and swipes it across the screen, transitioning to white with the logo appearing.)
What tough heart! Once I decided that I'd keep up the fight
My road has never stopped unraveling
(Camera circles around Jackson as he runs along an open-plain path with his Eevee, who after a couple seconds, leaps onto his shoulder as he activates his Extreme Gear and shoots even faster onto the path.)
Carrying a small bit of pride
With my fists clenched
(The screen shows a brief image of Professor Elm, dropping papers from his clipboard, and smiling as he rubbed the back of his head. It shifts to a visual of Kris, Ethan, and their starters, with Ethan punching his fist forward, while Kris spun around with her arms out wide.)
I aim for the goal again step by step
Racing towards it with all my might!
(The screen shifts to Sonic & Tails, the former giving a thumbs up, while the latter waved his hands above eagerly. The screen shifts to Cypher, who glared at the screen with a Pokéball held close to his face.)
Sometimes it'll be a bad day
Where nothing goes the way I want it to
But even if the sky blurs through my tears
(Jackson is sitting by a campfire, his expression full of emotional pain as shadows of his past with red eyes creeped all around him. He curled himself into a ball as the shadow of his father appeared over his head.)
I'm sure my smiles will come back tomorrow
So it's okay!
(Shadows started getting blown away one large piece at a time, until light broke out around Jackson, who looked up to see his Pokémon all standing there, protecting him from his trauma.)
There's nothing out there to fear
I'll keep believing that 'I'm strong'
And get going!
(Silhouettes of the Gym Leaders appeared as the screen scrolled upwards through a gold, silver, and crystal colors behind them. It shifts to the emblem of Team Rocket, with darkened faces of grunts, with the four admins in front, holding their Pokéballs. Jackson readies his blade, as he tosses a Pokéball forward, which opens up and blinds the screen in a white light.)
'With you around, there's nothing to worry about now'
I felt as if the sky was saying that to me with a laugh
(Eevee leapt forward, unleashing a Swift attack from her tail, with Ledyba flying next to her, using his own Swift to join her's. Oshawott and Sneasel shoot through the Swift attack, unleash double Night Slash, slicing the stars, before dismissing their blades, and Oshawott angrily looking at the calm and collected Sneasel.)
With the sweat and tears I build up
I'm sure I'll come out dazzling
(Cyndaquil turns to face the Team Rocket logo, before unleashing his Flamethrower. Cyndaquil sighed in relief as Scyther flew over him, before slashing with his mantis claws like a swordsman.)
Even if I end up feeling anxious after it all
As long as I believe I can do it
(An Aeroblast and Sacred Fire came from the sky, shooting down at Jackson's team, but Jackson stepped in and unleashed several sword beams, countering the attacks and making them explode. He and his team endured the shockwaves and smoke from the explosion, before looking up into the distance, and saw the silhouettes of the Tower Duo flying over the two towers that represented each.)
These footsteps have taught me to
Always
Never Give Up!
(Jackson's Pokémon come to his side as he looked to them, before grinning eagerly, and the group leapt up into the air, taking on the new threat and the new adventure. The screen goes white before showing Jackson standing with his sword stabbed into the ground, his Pokémon companions surrounding him.)
Going to the open area, Kris instructed on Jackson and how to understand what moves his Eevee could use. By accessing the info from his Pokédex, he was able to see the moves his new partner could use. Like any Pokémon, the maximum number of moves one could learn was four, and Eevee was no exception. She knew the moves Tackle, Quick Attack, Sand Attack, and Swift.
Kris taught him about commanding the attacks, and what each attack did. Tackle was a basic body blow, while Quick Attack was basically a faster, slightly stronger version. As for Swift, Eevee was able to channel stars with a swing of its tail, and sent them homing in on the target. Finally for Sand Attack, the move Jackson misunderstood initially, as it turns out it did no damage, but according to Kris, it was a move that blinds the opponent by kicking or brushing sand into the opponent's eyes.
"Now that you are aware of what Eevee can do, there is one more thing you should learn about your partner, and that's her Ability." Kris told Jackson.
"Right. I read that part, too." Jackson recalled, "Pokémon are able to have an ability on them, and not all Pokémon have the same ability. While some have a fixed Ability, some are known to have a choice between two Abilities, while others have a choice between three different ones."
"Yep. You got it." Kris answered, "Point your Pokédex at Eevee, and learn of what ability it has."
Jackson did as he was told, and pointed his dex to Eevee, which he initially did to learn of her moves. Eventually, he learned of what Ability she had. "Seems like the ability she has is… Adaptability." Jackson read.
"That's a terrific one!" Kris noted, "Pokémon who use moves of the same type will be stronger than those of a different type. Adaptability further boosts that effect. And Tackle, Quick Attack, and Swift all are the same type moves as Eevee."
"That's pretty handy." Jackson understood, looking to his partner, "You are pretty strong."
"Eeevee." His partner blushed and rubbed the back of her head in response to his compliment.
"Now that you learned of all of that, there is one more lesson to learn." Kris started, walking away from Jackson, before turning around with a Pokéball ready, "The experience of a Pokémon battle."
Jackson nodded in understanding, and turned to Eevee, asking, "You ready for this?"
"Eevee!" She answered, bounding forward, and looking prepared to fight.
"Totodile, come on out!" Kris shouted, tossing her ball forward, summoning her blue gator to the field. She then called to Jackson as she explained, "You should probably learn about Totodile a bit. However, a Pokémon that isn't yours will not let you know their moves or Ability."
"That's understandable." Jackson answered, pointing his Pokédex at Totodile, which activated.
"Totodile. The Big Jaw Pokémon. Despite the smallness of its body, Totodile's jaws are very powerful. While the Pokémon may think it is just playfully nipping, its bite has enough power to cause serious injury."
"Guess we know to be aware of those teeth." Jackson noted, putting his dex away, and prepared to command his partner.
"I'll let you make the first move." Kris told Jackson.
"No, I insist you do." Jackson responded, surprising the teal-haired girl, "It's one of my policies. I always let the lady go first."
"That's pretty chivalrous of you." Kris noted, "Guess I'll take you up on that offer. Totodile, use Water Gun!" Her partner inhaled and shot out a gush of water from its mouth, which struck Eevee, causing her damage and pushing her back.
"You okay?" Jackson asked his partner, who got back up to her feet.
"In a battle, Pokémon do respond if you tell them to dodge." Kris informed him.
"Right. It's like me being a fight with Eggman's robots." Jackson compared in a mutter, "Only I am not commanding myself, but commanding Eevee instead. I'm basically channeling my fighting skills into her." He then saw Eevee recover and called out, "Eevee, use Quick Attack!" His partner responded by gathering up itself, before shooting herself at Totodile, hitting him and making him fall back.
"Not bad, but how about this?" Kris asked, "Totodile, use Bite!" Her partner immediately came in with glowing teeth, ready to chomp down on Eevee.
"Dodge it!" Jackson called out, and Eevee responded by avoiding the attack.
"Keep up the Bite!" Kris called out, and Totodile charged in with its fangs. Eevee saw it coming, and continuously dodged, avoiding getting chomped by the attack.
'Gotta think of a way out of this!' Jackson told himself, 'Think, Jackson! Think like you are the one in Eevee's place!' A thought occurred to him, and called out, "Eevee, jump and use Swift!" The Evolution Pokemon responded by making a leap and with a swish of its tail, sent a deluge of stars to home in on the reptilian opponent, causing it to panic and get struck multiple times by the attack.
"Impressive." Kris noted.
"Just seeing how I would fight in Eevee's position." Jackson answered, as Eevee landed in front of him, "My fighting experience is coming in handy here."
"You would have that, wouldn't you?" Kris muttered, before calling out, "Totodile, Scratch!" Her partner charged forward with claws at the ready.
Jackson didn't respond immediately, as he was waiting for the right opportunity. Finally, when Totodile was close, he shouted, "Eevee, Sand Attack!" Eevee turned her back to Totodile and kicked up sand with its hind legs, spraying it in the Water-type's eyes, causing him to falter and rub its eyes to clear the sand.
"You gotta be kidding me!" Kris gasped.
"Now, Quick Attack!" Jackson called out, and his partner did a point-blank speedy tackle into Totodile, sending him flying. He collapsed to the floor near Kris, with spirals in his eyes. Kris went to her knees, and picked up Totodile, seeing his condition, and stated, "Guess we lost that battle."
"Is…that it?" Jackson asked.
"Yep. The first one to knock out the other is the winner." Kris answered, using her Pokéball to call back her partner to rest, "As long as you do that, then you basically win."
Jackson was amazed, but not complaining. A world where you don't kill one another wasn't a bad thing at all. Just a test of strength. He looked down to Eevee, who looked back at him, beaming at her achievement.
"Still, I am amazed at your skills!" Kris stated, rising up and walking over to Jackson, "You had no clue about Pokémon whatsoever before, and yet you battled like a pro."
"You think so?" Jackson asked, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.
"Oh, without a doubt! You are really great at this!" Kris praised him, "You know what, you might be skilled enough to take on the Pokémon League."
"You really think so?" Jackson asked.
"Sure. Ethan is going to the Violet City Gym right now." Kris explained, "I plan to go there, but first I should heal up Totodile before I leave. What about you?"
"Well, if you think I would be good at the Pokémon League, then I guess I'll give it a shot." Jackson decided, looking down at Eevee, "It wouldn't hurt to see how skilled I am in this."
"Great! Then that means you, Ethan and I will be rivals." Kris told Jackson, "And here's an idea; Let's go to Violet City together to take on the Gym."
"Thanks, but I think I'll go on a different path." Jackson answered, pulling out his tablet device, and after about ten seconds, projected a holographic image of the map of Johto he downloaded onto it, surprising Kris. "Looking at this map, I would figure that the closest Gym would be the one in Blackthorn City. Wouldn't it be better for me to just go there first?"
"Maybe…" Kris answered, examining the map with concern, "But for one thing, the terrain to get there is a bit tough for newcomers. What's more, I heard that the Gym is pretty tough. You will need more than just Eevee to beat it."
"Right, I remembered reading about that part." Jackson recalled the books he read, "Trainers are allowed to have six Pokémon on their person. Any others get immediately sent to the Professor you registered as a Trainer to. In other words, Professor Elm."
"Correct. Are you familiar with how to capture Pokémon?" The young girl asked.
"Not really. Wanna help me learn how to do that?"
"Sure, but we should go into the woods to find a Pokémon. Can I count on you to protect me if any pop up, since Totodile needs some rest."
"Sounds fair." Jackson understood, "Take the lead." Kris led Jackson into the woods, keeping an eye on the surroundings for any Pokémon.
"Obtaining new Pokémon can come in multiple forms." Kris explained as they wandered, "For most people, you usually find ones in the wild to capture. However, there are occasions of obtaining ones as gifts from people, or trade a Pokémon of yours with them. Sometimes, you get one in the form of an egg."
"So all Pokémon come from eggs, huh?" Jackson asked.
"As far as research goes, that is the truth." Kris answered, "But for now, we should start with the basics of getting Pokémon." She turned and saw something from a distance, before whispering, "Oh, here are some, now!" Jackson looked ahead, and saw three creatures ahead; the brown woodland creature with a racoon-like tail sleeping on the ground, a small bird on the tree branch, and a ladybug hanging onto a tree, apparently asleep.
"Why don't you point your Pokédex at them to understand each." Kris suggested. Jackson nodded, and pointed his dex, which activated at each one he focused on.
"Sentret. The Scout Pokémon. When Sentret sleeps, it does so while another stands guard. The sentry wakes the others at the first sign of danger. When this Pokémon becomes separated from its pack, it becomes incapable of sleep due to fear."
"Pidgey. The Tiny Bird Pokémon. Pidgey has an extremely sharp sense of direction. It is capable of unerringly returning home to its nest, however far it may be removed from its familiar surroundings."
"Ledyba. The Five Star Pokémon. Ledyba secretes an aromatic fluid from where its legs join its body. This fluid is used for communicating with others. This Pokémon conveys its feelings to others by altering the fluid's scent."
"Man, these dex entries on the Pokémon are very thorough." Jackson complimented.
"All thanks to the research on Pokémon all throughout the world." Kris answered, "I actually want help on learning more details on many Pokémon myself. But that's besides the point, right now. Why don't you start by targeting one of the Pokémon."
"Okay…" Jackson answered, looking at each of them. He wasn't sure about which one to capture at first. However, something in the books he read popped into his head; a great trainer has a diverse set of Pokémon with multiple types, to cover all weaknesses. 'According to my Pokédex, Eevee's a Normal-type.' Jackson pondered to himself, looking to his partner next to him, 'It also says Sentret is also a Normal-type, Pidgey is a mixture of Normal and Flying-type, and Ledyba is a mixture of Bug and Flying-type. Taking that into consideration…'
"Eevee, go forth and use Quick Attack on Ledyba." Jackson told his partner.
"Vee-vee!" She answered, going into a speedy dash through the forest and slamming into the ladybug, catching it off-guard and sending it flying. The attack startled the other two Pokémon, and they raced or flew away from the danger.
Jackson and Kris caught up with Eevee as Ledyba recovered and prepped itself, flying into the air above. "I'm gonna get you, Ledyba!" Jackson called to it.
"Ledieeee!" It responded, before unleashing a sound wave from its mouth, hitting Eevee with it, causing her to be weakened by the attack.
"What is that?!" Jackson asked.
"Ledyba must be using Supersonic!" Kris realized.
When Ledyba stopped its attack, Eevee started to hobble from side to side, spirals in her eyes from the dizziness. "A Supersonic causes confusion on a Pokémon."
"Confuse them?" Jackson echoed.
"Yeah. There are all kinds of moves that can cause status afflictions to a Pokémon." Kris explained, "They can cause paralysis, burns, poison, sleepiness, or in this case, confusion!"
Eevee was still in a state of confusion as Ledyba flew down at it, its six legs glowing, before unleashing a super fast barrage of punches on Eevee. "Now its using Comet Punch!"
"Eevee, back off and use Swift!" Jackson called out. Eevee was knocked back, but she tried to use Swift. Unfortunately, she ended up spinning in a circle and fell to the ground, too dizzy to make a move.
"Geez, she can't do anything in this state." Jackson growled, seeing Ledyba back off, circle around, and come in with another Comet Punch. Jackson's instincts kicked in, protecting his defenseless companion. He drew his blade and with a swing of his sword, unleashed a sword beam that hit Ledyba, causing it great pain and sending it flying backwards, falling to the ground hard.
"Why did you do that?!" Kris questioned him incredulously, "You weren't suppose to fight in your Pokémon's stead like that!"
"It was a reflex. I always try to protect those who can't fight for themselves." Jackson answered, sheathing his blade, "Besides, is there a rule that says a trainer can't step into a Pokémon battle?"
"Well, no. But no one in this world has crazy skills in fighting like you do!" Kris argued, "Besides, why didn't you just try to help Eevee snap out of her confusion? You could've done that and trusted her to finish the fight!"
"I…guess…" Jackson answered, looking down at Eevee, who had already come out of her confusion, and looked up at him with worry. Honestly, it was a hard habit to get out of, especially since now in a new world with a new set of rules to go by. He had to follow the rules…at least, to a degree.
"Well, I did end up beating Ledyba, anyway." Jackson decided to divert the subject, looking to the beaten Ledyba, "So, how do I capture it?"
Kris was a bit hesitant to divert the subject, but sighed as she answered, "In order to capture a wild Pokémon, pull out an empty Pokéball, click the button to expand it, and toss it at the Pokémon."
"Right!" Jackson answered, grabbing one of the small Pokéballs he got from Elm, tapping the button, expanding it to the size of a baseball, and throwing it at Ledyba. It hit the bug hard, bounced off, opened up, and red energy sucked it into the ball. It closed up when it went inside, and it fell to the ground.
"Is it caught?" Jackson asked, about to approach it.
"Hold on!" Kris stopped him, pointing to the ball, as it started to shake about, "See it shaking? That means its trying to free itself." Jackson and Kris watched as the Pokéball continued to shake for a while, before finally stopping, and with a click and a sparkle from it, it stopped.
"Is it safe now?" Jackson asked.
"Yep. You caught Ledyba." Kris answered, "Go grab it." Jackson wandered over and picked up the ball, examining it.
"You should probably take it with me to the Pokémon Center to heal up. That attack you did to it did some pretty strong damage."
"Yeah, sorry about that." Jackson apologized, looking to Eevee, "Should I heal her up at the Center, too?"
"You should. She did take a beating from our battle and the one with Ledyba."
"Then lets head back to New Bark Town." Jackson decided, and the two wandered back the way they came.
About an hour later, the two were waiting for their Pokémon to be healed by Nurse Joy, who ran the place. As they waited, Kris gave a rundown of some things for Jackson to be aware of before they parted ways. It was rather helpful advice here and there, mostly recap on things he learned before.
"You really are smart about all of this." Jackson acknowledged, "Are all trainers like you?"
"No. I just researched a lot a couple years before becoming a trainer." Kris answered, "I still gotta use all those lessons now that I've started my journey."
"Still, you were a great teacher for me." Jackson pointed out, "Thanks so much for helping me."
"It's no problem." Kris replied, before looking seriously at him as she stated, "Still, it would be a good idea not do anything that would show off that you are from another world. I gave you the basic instructions, but I have a feeling it will still be difficult for you."
"I know." Jackson stated, looking upwards, "This isn't the first world I traveled to. Course, that was a complete accident that I ended up being sent to a world in the first place. This time I intentionally left my world."
After a moment's pause, Kris asked, "What was the other world like? The one you accidentally went to?"
"Pretty simple. No Pokémon, Mobians, or anything like that. Nothing but normal humans there." Jackson answered, "Except I ended up taking part in this dojo with incredible martial artists. It was there I actually learned to hone my fighting skills, both in weapons mastery and hand-to-hand combat. Those master, especially the grandmaster, were the real monsters of that world."
"Is that so?" Kris asked with a sweat-dropped expression.
"Yeah, but I made some good friends there." Jackson answered, "There was even this one boy who also arrived at the dojo as I did, and get this; he was also from another world, too. Not even from…my…world." He paused, thinking on the boy. The one he met that was mostly in black clothes when he first met him. A guy who has abilities similar to psychokinesis, and who told him a lot about…his world.
"Jackson?" Kris spoke up, trying to get his attention.
"Holy crap…I KNEW I heard about Pokémon before!" Jackson exclaimed, standing up.
"Huh? What?" Kris looked pretty confused.
"Back then! The boy I just mentioned. He said that he was from another world, and it was the world of Pokémon!" Jackson remembered, "He even said he was experimented on to use Pokémon moves, too!"
"Whoa, whoa, hold on!" Kris stopped him, "A human that can use attacks like a Pokémon? That's even more bizarre than your story!"
"Hey, he said it, I didn't!" Jackson argued, "But that boy…I remember his name was Seth Muto. I think he said he hailed from a region called Kalos. That's the region where my Pokédex is from, right?"
"Yeah, it is." Kris answered, still bewildered, "Are you thinking about finding him, if he is even from this world?"
Jackson paused, thinking about it, before answering, "No. Not right now. First, I need to find my grounding here. Then, when I am a lot more experienced, I'll go look for him."
Just then, they heard the bell over the speakers, and saw Nurse Joy appear out of the back room, with Totodile, Eevee, and Ledyba on a trolly, pushed along by an egg-shaped creature with an egg in its pouch and a nurse hat on its head. Jackson and Kris recognized the Pokémon, and went over to them.
"Thank you for your patience." Joy told them, "Your Pokémon have been fully restored."
"Chansey!" The egg-shaped Pokémon added.
"Thanks so much, Nurse Joy." Jackson and Kris thanked her together, Kris taking her Totodile, while Jackson's Eevee bounded off the trolley, and rubbed her trainer's leg, causing him to smile.
Ledyba flew over in front of Jackson, as he looked to it, saying, "I know our meeting was abrupt, but still, I hope you don't mind having me as a trainer. I am rather new to all of this."
"Ledie-dee!" Ledyba cheerfully responded, signaling his acceptance for Jackson.
Jackson then turned to Joy and asked, "So, how much do I need to pay for this?" Joy looked surprised, and her expression made the young swordsman confused.
"Forgive him." Kris apologized, pulling Jackson close to her, "He's still kinda new to a lot of things on Pokémon journeys." She then turned to the confused boy and informed, "Jackson, Pokémon Centers take care of your Pokémon free of charge. There is no fee to their service."
"Seriously?!" Jackson asked, amazed, before mentally asking, 'In that case, how do they get the finances for their tech and supplies? Is there a government-supported? Is there even a government here?' Jackson had so many questioned on the subject, that the two girls were starting to see the smoke come off of his head.
"You're thinking way too much on this." Kris sighed, shaking his shoulder to snap him out of his thoughts, "Let's just go before you embarrass us further." She tugged him by his vest and he was escorted out of the Center, with their Pokémon in tow.
They arrived at the entrance of New Bark Town again, Kris sighing, "Honestly, you're other-worldly thoughts were really on show there. I'm worried about letting you go on your own, Jackson."
"No, I'm fine." Jackson apologized, "I'll try my hardest not to think too hard on those kinds of things. I was just shocked at that."
"That's the point!" Kris argued, then lifted the pink device on the end of her pendant, "Listen, if you want to go on your own, you should at least have my Pokénav number on you, so you and I can contact each other. I'll even add Ethan and Elm's numbers to you, as well."
"So that's the device you use to contact each other?" Jackson asked, "Sure, that's no problem. When I placed in my information into Elm's computer yesterday, I was able to create a phone number for my tablet. We can share numbers."
"I can't figure out on whether to feel amazed at you skills, or embarrassed by the lack of common sense you have in this world." Kris muttered.
"Hey! I'm learning!" Jackson argued.
Once they cooled off, Jackson was able to obtain the three Pokénav numbers onto his tablet, while he shared his new number to Kris. "I'll be sure to share the number with Elm and Ethan, when I can." She assured him.
They turned off their devices as they looked to the path ahead, before Kris stated, "I can FINALLY start my journey."
"Yeah. Same…" Jackson added, looking to her, "I can't thank you enough for all your help. I'll do my best to take everything to heart, and not let my 'other world' common sense get in the way."
"You'd better." Kris answered, "I hope we see each other again." Jackson nodded in agreement, and Kris wandered down the road, with Totodile, who was on the sidelines with Eevee and Ledyba, racing after her.
Jackson looked to his two Pokémon, who came over to his side. "Guess this is it." He told them, "Time to head out."
"Vee!" "Lediee!" The two cheerfully responded.
'Would be nice if I understood what they were saying.' Jackson thought to himself, 'Eh, I'll come up with something when I can.' He then pulled out his Pokémon's Pokéballs, and said, "I'm gonna go fast for a while, so you guys'll probably need to go back into your balls." With the red energy of the balls, they were called back within their capsules, and Jackson placed them away.
"Okay. According to the map, I need to go down Route 29, then go north up Route 46 and 45 to make it to Blackthorn City. Kris said the terrain is rough for newcomers, as are the trainers, but…" He activated his Speed Shoes, finishing, "…not many trainers are as skilled or speedy as me. Though to be fair, and to get use to my new environment, I'll only take ten minute spurts, and take the moments in between to understand this world. Alright, before I draw attention to myself, lets escape from this city!"
He shot off like a jet, his Speed Shoes accelerating him along the path. He easily zoomed passed Kris, who braced herself as he sent gusts from his passing. She only loosened up when the winds died down, and she looked up to see him vanish into the distance. "This adventure is already gonna turn out to be a bizarre one with him starting it, too." She mentioned, before smiling and moving on.
At this point, Ethan had just left the Pokémon Center in a town called Cherrygrove City. Jackson was zooming along the path. Kris was casually walking along, away from town. And a fourth figure, in a small patch within the forest, was standing there, his image blocked by sunlight, with a penguin like Pokémon next to him, and a scared green creature with a leaf protruding out of its head in front of him. The story focuses on Jackson, and the three other trainers, as a great event will take place in the Johto region.