Ch2 - Beginnings

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. I also don't own the DS. I only own my character

Reviews:

Zubzilla

Yeah, there's a million different things that go into strength in the anime, so honestly it is hard to pin down what counts and what doesn't. I think the Pokedex entries do count to a certain extent, since sometimes they are pretty tame, but other times (pokemon like Tyranitar, Machamp, Sharpedo, Ect.) it's so ridiculous that if it was true, they would be ridiculously OP, which is why I think the Anime uses its own, separate Pokedex entries from the Games. Aside from the Pokedex though, I know Ghost types can do certain things like phase through walls, and some of them, like Gengar, have a chilling presence you can feel. I would say, since the Anime is pretty absurd with what Pokemon are strong, base stats are just that - base stats that are the average of the species, and any stat can be increased to any amount. I think this because special attacks are used by just about every pokemon, even ones like Tyranitar, where their special attack is so inferior to its regular attack, no one in their right mind would ever put an attack like dark pulse on Tyranitar in a regular playthrough. We also see special cases of Pokemon in the Anime like Tierno's Squirtle/Blastoise, which is extremely speedy despite its slow speed stat. To me, the Anime Logic says that training can fix anything, and base stats are basically reduced to numbers with no meaning. Also, abilities are usually not noted besides special cases, but they are a thing, which means Shawn can (and will) take advantage of them. Sidenote though, if I ever do a Hoenn fic, there will be one ability constantly used. Thanks for the constant reviews!

Uvuvwevwevwe Onyetenyevwe Ugwe

Respect for the name, haven't seen that Youtube video in a long time. Concerning Pokemon though, while normally I would agree with this, the Anime does not completely go by this logic, and because I'm trying to do this fic like the Anime, Legendaries are not all that they would normally be. The Anime shows us a handful of trainers that have caught and use Legendary Pokemon in battle, like Tobias, Noland, Brandon and Goh. While I am of the stance that the Important Legendaries (ie. Box Legendaries) are not to be caught, the lower Legendaries (Sub-Legendary) like the Lati Twins, the Kanto Birds, Johto Beasts, Swords of Justice, Forces of Nature, ect, can be caught without repercussions and used. If you go to Serebii's page on legendary Pokemon it has them separated by Sub-Legendary and Regular Legendaries. I consider Mythicals in the same boat as Sub-Legendaries since they do not play an integral part in the world like normal Legendaries. But regardless, I don't want to give Shawn any Legendaries until at the very least the 6th-7th gym badge, since even the Sub-Legendaries are depicted very strongly. Thanks for the review!

pratikchakraborty911

Yeah, 3 Dark types would be pretty absurd on one team, so I'll see about the Hisuian form and decide whether or not I want to do that, cause it is cool, but I need to do research on it. I do think it would be awesome for Shawn to have though, and it would allow me to further the Arc DS and explain more of what it is, so definitely a consideration. Thanks for the review!

Ashton12

Zoroark would be a cool Pokemon to have and write (albeit, likely a difficult one as well), but the possibilities of doing Hisuian forms is something that, being completely honest, I did not even think about until I read your and pratikchakraborty911's reviews. I kinda just did the Arc DS because I thought it was neat and different, I didnt think about the implications of what I could do with it in regards to Hisui and such. It does mean I could do Hisuian Arcanine as well, but I think more than one on the team would be kinda defeating the point of doing a fic in Unova, where basically the only Pokemon you get are native to the region. If I don't do Hisui Pokemon though, Zoroark is the number 1 choice for a dark type, despite the fact that it seems Hydreigon is pretty much confirmed. Thanks for the constant reviews!

I hope my responses helped to answer everyone's questions and explain more of what I am trying to do with this fic, but now, let the chapter begin…

Shawn looked in the mirror after putting on the outfit that was, thankfully, already set out. His previous self was on top of things, and had everything he needed ready for today, including a bag with medical and camp supplies, clothes, toiletries and food supplies. He wore a black hoodie with gold accents, black pants, and clean, black steel toed boots. Once done getting his things ready, he went downstairs and walked out the door. The sun was all the way up in the sky, looking down on Shawn and the rest of the world full of Pokemon.

'Alright', he thought, 'The Lab is a walk from here, so I need to go ahead and start the trek to it. Once I get there I should be able to choose my Pokemon without interference from Trip or Ash, since it's still probably a few hours until either of them arrive'. As Shawn made the walk to the Lab, he saw various Pokemon, like flocks of Pidove in the air, Deerling in the bushes and trees, and Patrat running through the forest.

When Shawn saw the lab, he remembered Juniper wasn't prepared for Trip's arrival, so she probably wasn't prepared for him either. Once he made it inside the Lab from its automatic doors, he asked an aide nearby, a short man with silver hair, if he could help. "I'm here to see Professor Juniper. My name is Shawn Black, and today is the first day of my journey. I'm here for a starter Pokemon and a Pokedex." The aide looked at him, looked at his computer for a little bit, then responded. "Gotcha, let me go get the professor, you stay right there please!"

The aide came back a minute later with Professor Juniper and a cart with a Pokedex and Pokeballs in tow. The Professor spoke first, "Hi Shawn! Ready to start your adventure?" She seemed excited to see him off, speaking in a cheerful voice and with a smile on her face. He replied in kind, "I'm definitely ready to set off on my adventure, Professor. I've got all the supplies I need, now I need to figure out what Pokemon I want." Professor Juniper looked glad he returned her enthusiasm, and said cheerfully, "Im glad you came prepared! Welcome to the World of Pokemon Shawn!" The Professor then walked back to the cart, and started the Pokemon show.

"You can choose your Pokemon from these three types! Tepig a Fire type, Oshawott a water type, and Snivy a grass type!" As she said the name of each pokemon, she released the Pokemon in question. Seeing Pokemon on the way to the Lab was one thing, as Shawn didn't get an up close and personal look at any of them. Looking at the Pokemon in front of him though, he couldn't help but feel marveled.

Snivy is a bipedal, green pokemon with a large, leaf-like tail, pale yellow underbelly, small arms and hands, and a long snout with big eyes. Tepig is an orange pig-like Pokemon with a decent-sized red snout, a black bottom with a springy black tail, and a black ears along with a black section along from its snout to its ears. Oshawott is a small, otter-like pokemon with a blue body, white head and arms, large brown oval nose, blue tail and feet, and a yellow scalchop in the middle of its body.

It was surreal to Shawn, seeing them so up-close, since Pokemon were but a dream to him yesterday. For now though, he pushed his amazement aside, and made his choice. He said resolutely, "Professor, I choose Oshawott, the water type Pokemon." Snivy and Tepig deflated a bit as he said those words, but, surprisingly, Oshawott didn't react much at all. Was this not the same Oshawott that Ash had during the Anime? The one that gets absurdly excited and is extremely emotional? This made Shawn suspicious, but he wasn't complaining. Having a Pokemon like that is cute, but not good at all for battling. For now though, he inspected his own Oshawott as the Professor gave him his Pokeballs and Pokedex. It looked confident, and somehow, royal for an Oshawott. A straight posture with a straight face, now a small grin after being chosen. With his new Pokedex, he scanned the regal Oshawott.

"Oshawott. The Sea Otter Pokemon. Oshawott attacks and defends using the scalchop that can be removed from its stomach." It spoke in a robotic, male voice, which Shawn was pretty sure was the same from the Anime. Professor Juniper spoke once more after the Pokedex, excitedly, "Here's Oshawott's Pokeball. Take good care of him, please, and have an amazing journey! Good luck!"

Shawn responded in kind, equally, if not more excited to start his journey, "Thanks Professor! I'm sure you'll see us on top of the Pokemon League soon enough." Shawn then turned to Oshawott, "Why don't you stay out of your Pokeball for a bit? It's the very start of our journey, after all." Oshawott looked a bit surprised, but obliged, and followed Shawn out of the Lab, and back under the Unovan sun. 'So if this Oshawott is different, what happened to Ash's Oshawott? Does he not exist?' His questions did not have answers, which only made him all the more curious as he and Oshawott walked down the path to get back home. Shawns thoughts cleared when he heard Oshawott speak, "Osha!" The Pokemon was looking right at him when he turned to ask what was up, and It seemed unimpressed at the distant expression on his face as he contemplated the Anime. Shawn decided to forget it for now, and focus on the proud Pokemon in front of him.

"You know," he started, "Pokemon are all very different and fill different roles, but as my starter, you must fill the role as leader of the team. Can I count on you to do that?" Oshawott looked offended that he had even asked, and responded loudly. "Osha! Oshawott!" Shawn was able to interpret it, from Oshawott's facial expression and how loud he was, that he was saying something along the lines of 'Damn right you can count on me!'. Well then, Oshawott would definitely be down to train his ass off in order to get strong ASAP. Shawn was NOT going to be playing games with the likes of Team Rocket, or even Team Plasma, since both of them were jokes, at least until Plasma controlled Reshiram.

"Then you won't mind training a lot right? I won't have any Pokemon on my team letting itself stay weak when it can grow stronger." Oshawott responded to this exactly how he had hoped, banging on its scalchop and letting out another affirmative cry, "Wott!"

Shawn grinned the rest of the way back home, thinking of ways to start training Oshawott, and also his next team member. 'I don't think it can appear just out in the wild like this, so my next real stop should be Wellspring Cave. It didn't have an episode in the Anime, but I should be able to get there regardless'

Finally, he and Oshawott arrived back home, where Shawn quickly returned Oshawott, then walked inside. "Mom! I'm about to set off!"

As soon as he said those words, he heard noises from upstairs. Floor creaking, then a rush of steps, and finally the woman appeared at the top of the stairs. Wearing a black shirt and pants, she rushed down the stairs, ran towards him and grabbed him in a huge hug.

"Now don't you go and hurt yourself alright? I could never forgive myself if you got hurt trying to be like your father, alright?" She said, as her face was tearing up, though Shawn couldn't see that. His face was smashed right between the woman's chest when she hugged him, so he had to pry her off him to even get a response out.

"I'll be careful mom, you know me. I know what I'm doing, so you won't have to worry about me at all." He didn't know exactly how much his absent father had affected him and his mom, but it was probably more than he had realized up until now. His mom looked reluctant to let him go, but she let him walk out, and his adventure had finally officially started.

As Shawn made his way through Route 1 with Oshawott, it happened. First he heard the thunder rolling in the distance, and when he looked back he saw it. A humongous thunder cloud, seemingly moving towards Nuvema town at an unnatural speed.

"Wow," he said aloud, "the power of a Legendary Pokemon really shouldn't be underestimated."

Oshawotts look changed from befuddled at the thunder cloud, to a strange, quizzical look as he turned to Shawn.

Shawn explained, "That thunder cloud is a Legendary Pokemon, one well known in the Unova Region. Zekram is heading to Nuvema Town, though for exactly what purpose, I don't know." And he was not lying, at least not completely. While Shawn knew what Zekram was doing, he did not know why he was doing it. Degrading Ash's Pikachu serves zero purpose to it as far as Shawn's knowledge goes.

Oshawott looked on in awe at the moving cloud, before Shawn said, "Come on Oshawott, let's get moving. Accumula Town is our first stop before Striaton City, and It will be a day or two before we get there. Lots of training needs to be done before we challenge the Gym as well, since we will be facing Cilan, a grass type trainer."

The two continued on their trek to Accumula Town, Oshawott wondering how knowledgeable his trainer is, and Shawn mentally planning out what Pokemon he wants to catch for his trip.

At their stop though, they were being watched from the trees, by a young girl with brown skin and an abnormal amount of purple hair, wearing a long sleeve top, white leggings and a pink skirt. With an Axew peeking out of her hair, she wondered who the boy she was watching was, and if he was a little kid like other trainers she had encountered. For now though, she headed towards Nuvema Town, because if what the boy said was right, she could see a Legendary Dragon, a dream come true for any resident of her home village.

When it got to about 6pm, Shawn stopped and found a spot to camp. According to the Arc DS, he was halfway to Accumula Town, which was good progress, and he wanted to start training with Oshawott.

Now when he clicked on the Pokemon option, Oshawott appeared in the top left, and when he clicked on Oshawott, a summary showed up.

Level - 5

Ability:

Torrent

Moves:

Tackle

Water Gun

Razor Shell

Strengths: Physical Attack, Speed

Weaknesses: Special Attack

'Hmmm,' he thought, 'so levels and moves don't match up like they do in the Games. It makes sense though, considering how Ash had seemingly low level Pokemon use moves like Hydro Pump and Flamethrower. Torrent is the normal water starter ability, so that's fine. Are strengths and weaknesses based on stats alone? Or do natures and IVs exist here? Regardless, it seems my Oshawott is much more suited to be a Physical Attacker than a Special Attacker.'

That was one thing that always bothered him in the Anime. It seemed like no one ever accounted for if their pokemon was more physical or ranged based. Just throw Hyper Beam on every strong Pokemon, but never Giga Impact. For Arceus's sake, Ash had Hyper Beam on a SNORLAX. Taking advantage of the physical/special split would definitely give Shawn an edge against basically everyone else, as would training, something that was seemingly lacking in Unova. Ash got far into the Unova League with Pokemon he barely trained, and two completely unevolved Pokemon at that. Hell, in the Club Battle Tournament near the end of the first season, the two Finalists were Ash and Iris. Two trainers that barely trained, and Iris only won because she had the advantage.

Shawn shook his head, trying to get back in focus. Since Oshawott already has access to Razor Shell, an idea formed in his head.

"Alright Oshawott, first things first, lets test your attacks. Use Water Gun on that tree!" He said, as he pointed towards a tall, brown tree a little away from his camp materials.

Oshawott acted quickly, shooting a stream of water from his mouth at the tree. The tree stood tall against the water, though when the water stopped there was a small indent in the wood. 'Okay, not very powerful, but expected'

"Alright, Oshawott, now use Razor Shell!"

Oshawott took the scalchop off his stomach, and poured energy into it, creating a curved, blue blade off of it. He then rushed to the tree and slashed it, cutting about a third of the way through the tree.

Shawn grinned, "Oh yeah! We can work with that Oshawott!"

The Pokemon in question looked back, a little confused as to what exactly his trainer meant.

Shawn elaborated, "You see, your physical strength is much more than your ranged strength. From this, we can develop a perfect battle style; you will be a true swordsman on the battlefield! I want you to practice your Razor Shell constantly, to turn it from a move into a style of attacking!"

Oshawott's face turned from confused to excited.

"Oshawott!" He spoke with confidence, he would follow this training and become a swordsman on the battlefield, and be the strongest Samurott he could be!

"Alright Oshawott, I want you to finish cutting down that tree with your Razor Shell. Make sure you have proper footing for each slash, don't just hack at it without purpose; that starts bad habits that will hinder us in battle."

Oshawott nodded at his trainer's words, then rushed to the tree, his scalchop blade glowing in hand, and struck the tree 3 times in quick succession, in the same spot he struck earlier.

The tree looked the same at first, but as Oshawott's blade faded, the tree slowly tipped, the fully toppled backwards, and hit the ground with a loud thud.

Shawn grinned as he spoke, "Awesome job Oshawott! Now, you cut up as many big rocks as you can with Razor Shell; you need to turn it into the way you fight, not just a move. I'll make dinner while you do that."

Oshawott grinned and nodded, then got to work on the nearest boulder.

As his Pokemon slashed down boulders, Shawn got to work making dinner, which right now was just gathering a few berries and fruit to put into a nice, slow stew he was making.

Once he had it going low and slow, he turned away from the pot, took off his hoodie and shirt, found a nearby tree, and got to work doing pull ups. Even though he would hopefully never end up fighting a Pokemon, he would be prepared if anything happened. Shawn wouldn't let himself be caught off guard by something like that, and so he had to grow stronger as well, alongside his Pokemon.

End!

Hope this chapter introducing Oshawott was decent, and I hope all of Shawn's interactions are normal and make sense. As I've said before, this is my first ever fic, so I am not completely sure if everything is up to par.

I will try to make updates twice a week, but they may come quicker depending on how hard writing each individual chapter it is.

Team so far:

Oshawott

? - Dragon, likely Hydreigon

? - Fire, likely Chandelure

? - Steel/?

? - Steel/?

?

Thoughts on Oshawott? Who will Shawn meet first? (Hint - He will meet a recurring character next chapter, and his first battle will be against said person!) Thoughts on the Iris bit? If there's any suggestions for Pokemon or plot ideas leave them below, and let me know your overall thoughts on the chapter. Please review, and have a good rest of your day!