Chapter 1: Jack and Amanda

Jack

It was a sleepy morning in Pallet Town when a young boy was tying his running shoes at the door to his house with excitement. He was finally going to get his first Pokémon from Professor Oak and start his Pokémon journey! He finished and stood up and opening the front door he stepped outside. He had black spikey hair, and brown eyes and was wearing his usual blue jeans, black wristbands, and a red and white jacket and matching hat. He took a deep breath of the early morning air. It was barely dawn, and the morning dew was still wet. He was about to make a run for Oak's lab before a voice stopped him.

"Wait!"

He turned around and saw his mother, a woman with similar dark hair and eyes standing at the door holding a yellow backpack filled to the brim with everything he'd need for his journey.

"All boys leave home someday; it said so on TV! Here, I have everything packed for you."

He nodded and turned around, allowing her to help him get his arms through the straps. Before he could step away she pulled him into a big hug. When she pulled away her eyes were watery, and she started fixing his spiky hair with her hands. He allowed her to do this and didn't fuss or say anything.

"Ever the silent type, just like your father. But just because you never talk aloud doesn't mean I don't know what you're thinking. You're a kind and sensitive boy just like your father despite your strong silence."

"…"

"I know you're not good with phone calls, so I put stationary, envelopes, and stamps in your bag so make sure to write often to me, okay?" She smiled and kissed him on the forehead. "Good luck! And stay safe!"

"…"

She let go and waved as he dashed out the door running full tilt towards Oak's lab. Just as he was almost out of sight he turned around and looked back. He could still see her on the porch waving to him. He didn't call out but waved back briefly before turning around and dashing off again as the sun came out from behind the hills.

Amanda

Around the same time as Jack was charging out the door and saying farewell to his mother, a young girl of the same age with long chestnut color hair and hazel eyes was yawning and stepping out of bed. Noticing the time on her clock she suddenly perked up, all sense of drowsiness had left her in an instant, replaced with wild excitement and slight panic.

"Oh no!" she squeaked.

She ran into the bathroom and after hastily cleaning up and fixing her hair so that it lay flat down her back, she ran back to her room and got dressed. When she stepped out she was wearing a blue tank top with a red skirt, blue socks, black wrist bands and a white sunhat with red trim.

She ran to the door and saw her mother waiting for her smiling and holding a large yellow shoulder bag in one hand and a pair of white running shoes in the other. She was tall with curly blonde hair.

"Running late already, Amanda my dear?" she said with a smile. "It's still early you know. It's barely 7:00."

The girl, whose name was Amanda, rolled her eyes. "Mom, you know that there are only 3 Pokémon to be given out and they are first come, first serve! I need to get there early! And that Gary Oak, the professor's grandson, probably convinced the professor to reserve him one so I really need to dash!"

She seized the shoes from her mother and hastily put them on at the door and heaved the bag over her shoulder. She was about to open the door when her mother cleared her throat pointedly. She turned around and saw her mother glaring at her with her hands on her hips.

"Oh yeah." Amanda said sheepishly.

She walked up to her mother and gave her a huge crushing hug and a kiss on the cheek. Her mother pulled away and looked satisfied. "Be safe and call me whenever you get the chance."

"I will!" Amanda said as she dashed out the door. She started to run down the road when her mother called to her.

"Aren't you taking your bike?"

Amanda skidded to a halt and turned around running back to the house and around the corner. A moment later she zoomed around the corner ringing a little bell. She waved goodbye to her mother who waved back as she zoomed off towards Oak's lab.

Jack and Amanda

Jack came was running up a series of steps to a large building on the top of a small hill. It was a two story building with a round roof and a windmill in the back. He knocked on the large doors and waited for a few moments before the door opened. A man with gray and silver hair wearing a lab coat opened the door.

"Ah! Jack! So you're the first to arrive, I thought you might be" he said with a smile. "Well come in, come in! We have much to discuss!"

As Oak stepped aside to let him in they heard a *ding ding* in the distance. They both looked down the road and saw a bike come speeding up to the foot of the steps at the bottom of the hill. A young girl jumped off the bike, her hair and skirt flying in the wind. Jack's eye seemed to glint for just a second. The girl started running up the steps and waving and calling out, "Professor! I'm here!"

"You're here too Amanda, wonderful!" Oak said. "I was hoping I could talk to the two of you before any others. It saves time if you're both here at once."

"Oh hi Jack!" she said panting as she came to the top of the stairs. "I wondered if you would get here first."

"…"

Amanda sighed. "Silent as ever."

"Well come on in you two!" Oak said a bit impatiently, "We need to discuss a couple of things before I send you on your way."

Professor Oak led the two inside. The lab was a large open room filled with complicated machines, tables packed with glass vials of all shapes and sizes, bookshelves filled with books and magazines all of which had multicolored tabs sticking out of every other page for easy reference. There was a spiral metal staircase that led up to the second floor which was a loft where the professor lived. Oak led the two past the tables and machines to the back of the lab where there was a circular table with a glass dome. Inside the dome were three poke balls. Oak stopped next to the table and turned to face the two.

"Alright you two, here in this dome are the Pokémon for starting trainers to choose from. The grass type Bulbasaur, the fire type Charmander, and the water type Squirtle." He cleared his throat a bit before continuing. "Unfortunately, one of these Pokémon has been spoken for already, the water type, Squirtle."

"Called it." Amanda muttered.

"…" Jack closed his eyes and said nothing.

Oak then tapped a button on a nearby console and the glass dome opened. He reached inside and removed two poke balls and clicking the center button on each, they opened with a flash of white light and two small creatures appeared. One was an orange and yellow lizard that stood upright, there was a small flame at the tip of it's tail. The other was a small four legged creature with what looked like a large green plant bulb that took up it's entire back. The two small creatures shook off their drowsiness and looked up at the trainers curiously.

"Cutie!" Amanda exclaimed bending down and picking up the Charmander and snuggling it.

Jack bent down and scratched the Bulbasaur's chin. The Pokémon closed its eyes as if it enjoyed the scratches, Jack smiled but again said nothing.

"Well it seems there won't be any argument over who gets which." Oak said with relief. "Now on to business, first of all I think I can skip the lecture on how to care for Pokémon as the two of you at least I know already know all the basics. You two waited longer than most to start after all."

This was perfectly true as most trainers can get their license at 10 years old. However, Jack and Amanda decided to put off for a while longer and join Oak's youth study program to gain more knowledge before setting out. Jack and Amanda were 15 and 16 respectively, Amanda was just a month older than Jack, but had her birthday just the week before. As a result of the program, they knew pretty much everything that new trainers tend to find out the hard way, such as camping, cooking, money management, Pokémon health care involving nutrition and first aid, battle tactics, and geography.

"Now then" he said clearing his throat, "I wanted to talk to you about the Pokedex. My prized invention, a hand held digital library on the complete biology of every Pokémon in the region! As you observe or capture Pokémon, the Pokedex will collect data, your task as part of my youth program will to be to collect as much data as possible." He sighed and looked upwards as if reflecting. "A complete database of all Pokémon, that was my dream…" He looked back at them suddenly serious, "But I'm too old now, I can't get the job done. So I'm counting on you two to do as much as possible to fill in the Pokedex!"

"My grandson and one other child are coming today as well to collect their Pokémon as well; Ash I believe his name is." he continued. "But those two are more interested in competitive battles than actually seeking knowledge. I can't count on them, at least not yet. Now wait here a moment you two, I left the Pokedex's upstairs."

Professor Oak tapped a button on the console and the glass dome resealed itself. He then walked past them and up the stairs. Amanda then turned to Jack with a worried face.

"I don't want to disappoint the Professor since we took his classes and he's counting on us, but I just don't have any intention of catching Pokémon I don't like or find interesting whatsoever!"

"…" Jack looked at her determined.

"You're going to catch every Pokémon you see, aren't you?" she said with relief.

"…" he nodded.

"Well I'm glad you're taking it seriously at least." she said stretching and putting her hands behind her back. "I'll fill in as much as I can, but I'm really only fond of certain types. Which is why I'm glad Charmander wasn't taken, fire types are a favorite of mine, so you can leave data on fire types to me!"

"…" Jack rolled his eyes, but she didn't notice.

"Who else other than his grandson was coming? Ash was it? The Ketchum kid right? That kid has spirit, but he's a bit of a hot head and a dolt. I think he's the type who should wait awhile to learn more, don't you think?"

"…" Jack simply shrugged.

"Ugh! Will you say something already? You're always like this!" Amanda said stamping her foot.

Jack stared at her for a moment and said, "…white, with pink stripes…"

She stared at him with an eyebrow raised, completely nonplussed. Then suddenly her face turned pink and horrified and then to deep red and furious.

*SMACK*

Professor Oak then came down the stairs and approached them. "Alright you two, here's your Poke-, Good gracious! What happened here!?"

Amanda was standing upright with arms crossed, cheeks puffed out and deep pink, and nose in the air. Jack was on the floor with a large red hand shaped mark on his cheek and wearing an expression that questioned all life choices. Charmander was looking at Jack with curiosity, Bulbasaur, however seemed bored with the proceedings was snoozing on the floor next to Jack.

5 minutes later both Jack and Amanda were walking out of Oak's lab with their Pokedex and Poke Balls. As they headed down the steps a red convertible pulled up to the gates and a boy with spikey brown hair and wearing a purple sweatshirt jumped out of the passenger seat. A group of girls in cheerleading outfits started cheering from the back seat as he walked to the gate. He waltzed up the steps looking arrogant and stopped a few steps in front of Jack and Amanda and looked them over.

"You two came from Grandpa's youth research program right? It's a shame that some people are so inept that they feel the need to wait several years before going on their Pokémon journey!"

Jack said nothing but simply raised an eyebrow at the young boy's rudeness. Amanda likewise raised an eyebrow and placed a hand on her hip and looked at the rude boy skeptically and a little pityingly. She then answered,

"Yes we're part of the training program, but we chose to wait because we were wise enough to learn as much as possible before setting out. Not just to play safe, but because we're serious about being Pokémon researchers like your much more respectable grandfather. You're in for a rough journey if you think you know everything already."

The boy just laughed in a cocky fashion before answering. "My Grandpa has been educating me in being a Pokémon trainer since I could talk! I already know everything you learned in his program and more to boot! Smell ya later, losers!" And with that he pushed past both of them still laughing.

They watched him ascend the steps to his grandfather's lab and watched him go through the doors.

"He'll find out soon enough." Amanda said calmly.

"… fool …" Jack said.

"Oh! So you can talk without being a pervert!" she said acidly.

"…"

Amanda sighed. "Well I guess we should take off then." She then hopped down the remaining stairs and jumped on her bicycle, she then took off in a huff without waving goodbye. "He could have complimented me on my outfit at least…" she muttered dejectedly.

Jack watched her leave with his usual stoic expression and thought to himself, "Gaaah! She's so cute! I thought my heart would stop when she came riding up! Why the hell did you let her know you saw her underwear you idiot!?"

His face, however, betrayed absolutely no sign of what he was thinking and remained passive. He took a deep breath, readjusted his bag strap and started walking after her towards Route 1, and the road to Viridian City.

End of Chapter 1