Our story began in a normal village. People doing their business as usual. A few cars driving by a small store, a grocery store.
By now, the time was 10 p.m., the sun had long since set and the darkness had entered. The door of the grocery store opened and a young boy, one day away from his 15th birthday, stepped out of the store. This is Danny Kendall, a very tired Danny Kendall at that. His brown hair was filled with so much gel that not even a hurricane could blow it out of shape. While stepping outside, he closed the zipper from his blue jacket.
After closing the door behind him, he notices a small paper card lying on the ground. Danny kneels and picks it up. It is a Pokémon card, depicting the Fire-type starter Charmander.
"Wow, that's quite a rare one", Danny said as he put the card in the pocket of his coat. He still thought about that rare card when he arrived back home. After working for an entire afternoon and evening there wasn't much energy left in him.
"I might need to earn money to buy the newest Pokémon game, but that doesn't mean I like being away all afternoon."
He quickly realized the lights were still on in his house, which was strange considering it was his birthday tomorrow and usually his parents would be 'asleep'.
He opened the door and saw both sitting before the tv, watching some lazy talent show.
His father was in his early forties. His hair was brown but greyish around the edges. He shaved every day to make sure no stubbles would see the light of day for too long.
Danny's mother was a bit older than his dad. She had dark-blonde hair that reached past her neck. Both of his parents preferred to wear casual clothes, although his dad did have a fine-looking suit in the closet.
"I'm going to bed, I'm really tired", he said.
His mother looked at him. "Okay honey, how was work?"
"It was fine." Danny waved his parents goodbye and quickly hurried up the stairs, really wanting to let his head fall onto his soft pillow. When he entered his room, he saw that his pc was still on. Addicted as he was, he sat down on his chair and opened up the online RPG.
"One more fight with Charizard and then I'll call it quits", the young boy said.
Two hours later
"Take that Lance, with your stupid Dragonair, you are no match for my Charizard", Danny said as he climbed onto his bed.
Fighting the Elite Four had become quite boring after the 30th time, but it was a good exercise for his lv. 100 Charizard. The last thing that came to mind before he drifted away was the old Charmander card he had found right before the shop he worked.
"I'll think it over tomorrow."
While Danny slept, a mysterious creature entered the atmosphere of Earth, and slowly flew towards Danny's creature looked around, then created a large yellow sphere, after which it disappeared again. The world looked normal again, or did some things change?
The next morning
When Danny woke up, he didn't notice that his room had slightly changed, the only thing he was interested in was the RPG.
"Damn, it shut itself down... wait, what's that?", Danny wondered as he saw a small window pop up. It contained a video. Although he was still pretty bummed, he decided to watch it anyway.
"Hello trainer and congratulations on your birthday", An old man said. He was wearing a lab coat and his hair was grey, but his face still looked young and cheerful.
There was a text underneath the video reading: - Professor Samuel Oak introduces the starters to new trainers-
"Today, I am going to tell you something about the three starters.
- The Grass-type Bulbasaur is a good choice to start your journey with. It will evolve into the massive Venusaur. Bulbasaur will be more than just your Pokémon, it will be your friend. Your ambitions will bloom with this Pokémon as your partner.
- The second one, Charmander, is a Fire-type. It will evolve into the magnificent Charizard. You have to watch out that the flame on Charmander's tail won't go out,because that will cause it to die. With Charmander your journey will burn brightest.
- Squirtle, the Water type starter, is your third option. It might look cute but don't let looks deceive you, this one is a real fighter. When you evolve it, it will be the gigantic Blastoise. Every day will be a cool day with Squirtle by your side.
The choice is yours, trainer. Who is it going to be? Bulbasaur, Charmander or Squirtle? Hurry up and pick one, so your very own journey can begin."
After that, the video shut down.
Danny closed off his pc as he wondered why he saw that video. Maybe just an ad for the newest anime or something, he thought.
After he walked down the blue, carpet-covered stairs and opened the door which led into the kitchen, he saw that the table was empty. Well, there was breakfast, but no presents. There were balloons though.
"Happy Birthday honey, how are you feeling?" Danny's mom, Janice, asked.
Danny was about to answer when he heard an unfamiliar sound, more like purring. That was quite strange because the Kendall household didn't have a cat.
"I feel okay, thanks. What's that noise?" Danny started to think they had bought him a baby cat.
His dad, Jack, started laughing. "Persian just feels like she doesn't get enough attention, just ignore her she'll come around."
When hearing those words, Danny's heart stopped.
"Wait what? Persian? But that's a Pokémon."
"Well, you're not wrong…", his dad laughed. "You know that right? There are over one hundred out there."
Danny's brain couldn't process everything that was happening.
"No, that can't be. When I fell asleep, there were no Pokémon. I'm dreaming, that's it. I know for sure I'm dreaming", Danny thought, feeling like he became insane.
"And with that smart observation, it is time to tell you about your birthday present", Janice added.
"You always talked about wanting to go on a journey, so we talked with the professor and prepared everything. We also got you a high-class backpack with all the traveling gear you'll need."
"And some pocket money, don't spend it all at once", his dad said with a wink.
Danny couldn't think straight anymore. He was absolutely sure there was no such thing as real-life Pokémon. He was just travelling around the Pokémon world in a game yesterday. And yet it was the real world today.
Danny pinched his arm, which did hurt.
"So it is not a dream? Have I hurt my head that bad?"
"Come on, say something, do you like it?", His mom asked, afraid he didn't like their present.
"You know what? Let's just do this journey thing. If I'm dreaming, I will wake up anyway and if I'm not and some kind of magic sent me here then I might as well enjoy it."
Danny got excited from the idea alone and a smile broke through on his face.
"Yes of course, I'm just a bit dizzy. It's the best gift you could've given me. I love you guys."
"Now that's settled, how about I tell you about my Pokémon journey?", Jack asked.
"Jack, are you sure?", Janice responded shocked, but her husband nodded.
"Sure." Danny had convinced himself that he would probably wake up anyway, so he wanted to get the full experience while dreaming.
"Well as you might have realized, Persian was part of my team", Jack said as he petted the Normal-type.
"I started out with a Bulbasaur, now a Venusaur, and captured a few others, Beedrill, Fearow, Pinsir, and Rhydon."
Danny started to laugh. "That's not really a well rounded team now, is it?"
"No, it wasn't, but we had fun together and that's the most important part of going on a journey."
"Look at you, you haven't even started yet but you already have so much knowledge. Let's get you going", Janice said.
Jack nodded and went to get his coat. No way he was missing this. Danny did the same, although some part of him still couldn't grasp what was going on.
"Good luck dear", Janice said as she kissed her son goodbye.
As Danny stepped outside, he realized that he wasn't living in the same village anymore. He didn't recognize it at all, but at the same time it felt like home.
"This must be Pallet Town", he thought to himself.
While walking down the street, Jack told Danny more about his experiences, which blew Danny's mind.
"So you battled the champion?", Danny asked surprised.
"Yeah I did, beat him too." Jack smiled when he thought back about those days.
"Wow, that's impressive. So where is your team now?"
"At Oak's. Your mom and I didn't want to influence your choice so we decided it was best if my entire team wasn't around. Remember every morning walk I ever did and why I never wanted you along? I always went to check up on them."
"But why was Persian at home?"
Jack started to laugh. "Persian is one of the more popular Pokémon in households, but if I had a Venusaur or Rhydon walking around at home, it would make you so enthusiastic that you wouldn't be able to decide for yourself. But seeing that you were busy with Pokémon for the past few years, we thought you might like to go on a journey yourself."
Danny looked around. This Pallet Town looked way different from the games. He was used to it having three houses and Oak's lab, this was totally different. In their street alone there were twenty houses, let alone the other streets.
To reach Oak's lab, they had to walk for 15 minutes, towards the edge of the town. On top of a hill the contours of the lab became passed multiple gardens where people were working, sometimes together with Pokémon. They were waving towards them, and Jack and Danny waved back.
"Unbelievable, yesterday nobody would even wave back if I waved at them, and now..."
"There it is."
Without being aware of it, Danny sped up. He was just too excited to start off his very own Pokémon journey. He didn't think about the world he went to sleep in anymore, neither about the fact this might just all be a dream.
Jack noticed the excitement in his son and was once again happy they had decided to give Danny this present.
It took them another 15 minutes to reach the lab, but once they got there the doors were closed.
Jack knocked, but no-one answered.
"I bet he is in the backyard, I'll go get him", Jack said.
Danny's patience was tested as it took Oak a while to open the door, but when the professor did, he was greeted by an eager young boy.
"Now you must be Danny, come on in", he said as he let the about-to-be trainer in.
"Hi there. I saw your video, sir."
"Don't call me sir, just professor would be enough. And I'm glad you watched my video. Does that mean you have decided?"
Suddenly it hit Danny: he had to pick a starter Pokémon. With everything that had happened in the short period of time, he had completely forgotten the most important decision every trainer faces.
"To be honest I haven't… Where did my dad go?"
"He went to check up on his Pokémon", Oak explained."Listen, this choice is quite important, but I'm sure you know that. Take your time."
Danny was still overjoyed with excitement, but at the same time he had no idea what to pick. Bulbasaur… or Charmander. Or Maybe Squirtle? Why does it have to be so difficult?
Oak started to laugh. "You remind me a lot of your dad. All those years back he also had so much trouble deciding. It's the burden that befalls the one that has come first."
"How did my dad end up making his decision?"
"With my heart", Jack said as he came walking out of the house. "Samuel, why don't you let the three out of the Pokéballs so he can see who he likes the most."
The professor nodded and took three Pokéballs out of his coat pocket. One with a leaf on it, one with a flame, and one with a blue bubble.
Danny couldn't believe his eyes when Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle appeared before him. Bulbasaur looked around interested, Charmander seemed just as overjoyed as Danny was while Squirtle was simply happy to be outside.
But still, Danny couldn't decide.
"On my, pc I always played with a Charizard… but Blastoise is also a really great Pokémon. But my dad has Venusaur, so maybe Bulbasaur fits me better."
Jack looked at Oak and both started to laugh, apparently this had happened before.
"Listen, you shouldn't take my Venusaur into your doubts, we are two different human beings with different styles, so maybe Venusaur doesn't fit you as well as it does me. And you picked Charmander before on your pc you said? Why not pick him again?"
His dad made it seem all so logical.
"Ehm, that's a good point." Danny kneeled down to look at all three of them. Charmander did seem to be the happiest to see him.
"Then it's settled, Charmander do you want to join me on my journey?"
The Fire-type nodded heavily.
Danny petted Charmander on its head, something the latter quite enjoyed.
Oak and Jack smiled.
"Well, that's that. Danny, here's Charmander's Pokéball." Oak gave the ball with the fire emblem to the young trainer.
Danny looked at his new friend and dreamed away, but he was quickly brought back to reality when he heard a familiar voice. A voice that shouldn't be here.
"I'm here for my starter Pokémon professor."
"Ah very good. I believe you two know each other?"
"Yes, that's my best friend."
Danny turned around and looked right into the eyes of Richard Loine, his best friend since their very first day at school. Although that was in the real world, Danny had no idea how they had met here.
Richard wasn't the stereotypical boy, instead of short hair he had dark, longer hair. But he was by no means a goth, the contrary. His clothes had quite some color in it, the dark hair was just natural, and he liked it long.
"So, have you decided which Pokémon you want to pick?", Oak asked.
Richard looked at both Pokémon remaining.
"Easy, I have thought about this long and hard, and I want to go on my journey with Squirtle."
"Very well ." Oak gave Richard the water ball.
"Now, I believe your parents gave you one of my starter kits. They contain Pokéballs, some potions, and a week's worth of food for both you and your Pokémon. If you aren't in Viridian City in a week, you might as well quit." Oak started to laugh to show he was kidding.
"Now I believe you are both familiar with Pokémon centers?"
Both boys nodded in unison.
"Perfect. Now then, here you both have a Pokédex. These record data of a Pokémon you see and even more if you manage to capture it. You can put in the moves your Pokémon knows and it will show you the health of each Pokémon you registered as captured."
Besides the Pokédex, the professor also gave them a map.
"If you follow this path, you should be able to reach Route 1 before nightfall", he said, pointing on the map.
"Great, Richard, do you mind if we travel together, then we can hold each other company", Danny asked.
"Not at all, I hoped you would suggest that. It's a lot better than traveling alone."
As they went outside they noticed a mass of people were waiting for them.
"Mom? I thought you went to work?"
"I shouldn't want to miss this, you're going on a Pokémon journey, isn't that amazing!" Janice reacted happily.
"Yes, it is. I still can't believe it myself, I never expected I would."
"With the main reason that it couldn't because Pokémon didn't exist, I hope that this dream will hold on for a few more hours, I am starting to get into it. Danny, stop it. Enjoy it as long as you can."
"Now tell me, which Pokémon did you choose?"
"It was a difficult decision, but I went with Charmander."
Danny had put Charmander's Pokéball safely away in his Fire-type was, once again, enthusiastic to get out in the open air.
Janice kneeled. "Are you going to take good care of my boy?"
Charmander was a bit puzzled until it realized this woman must be the mother of his new trainer, after which Charmander nodded heavily.
"Mom… you're embarrassing me…", Danny said with red cheeks.
"I'm sorry honey. You take good care of yourself. That goes for you too, Richard."
Richard nodded. "We'll keep each other safe." It was all he could say before his parents absorbed all his attention again.
"By the way, there's a belt in your backpack on which you can attach your Pokéballs", Janice said.
While Danny quickly let his bag slide off his back and searched through it, Richard introduced Squirtle to his parents.
Janice felt the moment of departure was near and couldn't resist pulling her son in for one last hug. "You be careful."
"Yes mom," Danny suddenly realized he wouldn't be seeing his parents for a while, so when his mom let go, he pulled her back in.
"Are you still here?" Jack said with a wide grin when he stepped out of the lab and saw his son and wife hug.
Both turned around and pulled him into the hug, something against which he didn't oblige.
Oak had followed Jack out and had a warm smile on his face.
Maybe picking your starter Pokémon wasn't the hardest part of the journey after all.
"You should know that I'm already proud of you", Jack said, after the hugging part was done. "Have a lot of fun with your Pokémon and with your friends."
Danny nodded. "I will dad, don't worry. Thanks for the best birthday gift ever."
Jack nodded.
"I assume your team will live at your house now?", Oak asked, but he could already guess the answer.
Jack nodded. "There is no reason to have them separated from Persian and me anymore."
After waving everyone goodbye, the two boys and their two Pokémon finally headed towards Route 1, their first stop on their journey.
"I'm going to get all the badges", Danny said firmly. Charmander happily agreed. "What about you?"
Richard looked at his friend, whose enthusiasm was still written on his face.
"I don't know yet. I'm not a big fan of battling, I prefer to take care of them and find a lot of new Pokémon. I also love traveling, so this was a golden opportunity. And it is a great way to find out what I like the most."
Danny nodded. He had never known what he wanted to do in life. Clearly, it wasn't working in the grocery store. Working at GameFreak or Nintendo was a silent wish. He liked photography, so that was another option. But this journey, that was the very best thing his future could hold.
The two talked a bit more about their possible futures, and slowly but surely the real world was fading away into Danny's unconscious. He was now fully focused on the road ahead, a journey filled with adventures.