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The small but bustling Pallet town, nestled within the Kanto Region was abuzz with excitement. Every few years, several of the locals, normally those who had reached the age of 18 were granted their Pokémon license. Meaning they would be starting their own journey, and for many, that meant taking on the Indigo League.
And nobody in Pallet Town was as excited as Aki Kimura, who nearly tore the door of her family home off its hinges in excitement. Clutched in her arms was a small package wrapped in brown paper. "It's here! It's finally here!"
The young girl's excited squealing, and thundering footsteps caused the aged family Arcanine to open one of his eyes, and raise his head off of his large paws. A hand then came to rest atop the head of the old fiery canine.
Junichi Kimura, grandfather to Aki smiled down at his old partner. He was a man with many lines in his face. Dark hair was the norm among the Kimura family. However, as Junichi was a man approaching his late 80’s, his hair had long since turned silver. "She certainly has our old energy. Doesn't she?" His question was answered by a soft but affirmative bark from the old Arcanine, who then licked the old man's hand.
"She's been waiting for this moment ever since she was old enough to walk." Hanako Kimura, Aki's mother had a smile on her face as she walked past her father. Passing a large family photo of the entire family. Hanako in the background, standing by man with dark hair. Beside him, was the large platinum trophy of the Indigo League, as Ken Kimura had this photo taken after coming home with the large trophy, his smile was the brightest. In the foreground of the photo stood an older woman, Anna Kimura, who was standing next to a kneeling younger Junichi, who was next to his Arcanine, with a 2 year old Aki riding atop the back of the large Pokémon. "They better get back soon."
Upstairs, the sound of paper ripping could be heard. Aki had eagerly unwrapped the package addressed to her, tipping the contents onto her bed. A louder squeal left her, when the small red rectangular device landed on her blankets. Her fingers trembling with excitement, Aki picked the device up, and pressed the large blue button on the top left corner.
[ID registration confirmed by Indigo League Pokemon standards. Registered user: Aki Kimura. Status: Pokemon Trainer] A soft female computerized voice said over an unidentified speaker.
There was a soft click and a panel of the Pokedex popped up and swung open. A screen on the main body then flickered to life, showing an older man dressed in a lab coat.
“Greetings.” The recording of the older man said, as his face split into a happy smile. “My name is Oak, although most people call me the Pokemon Professor. If you’re listening to this, then this means you have been selected by the Indigo League, and have passed the aptitude tests to become an official Pokemon Trainer of the Kanto League.” Oak then reached into the pocket of his lab coat. Retrieving a red and white ball, that opened at a hinge. In a flash of bright white light a fluffy brown and cream colored creature appeared in the old man’s arms. Fluffy tail wagging furiously. “This world is inhabited by creatures we call Pokemon. While some keep them pets, others use them to battle one another. Myself, I study Pokemon as a profession. Aki, your very own Pokemon legend is about to unfold. A world of dreams and adventures awaits you!”
Aki must have watched that pre-recorded message at least a dozen times. Each time she did, her smile grew and grew, until it was in danger of being permanently plastered onto her face. This was it! She was finally going to start her own Pokemon journey. Something she had wanted since her father had brought home that giant platinum trophy 16 years ago. Straightening up, she took a look about her room. Everything inside it made it clear that Aki loved everything to do with the fantastical creatures that inhabited the world. There were posters, and pin-ups that covered every inch of the wall, to the point that one couldn’t make out the original color of the paint any longer. Aki had dozens of plushies, several of which were nearly life-sized 1:1 replicas of the real things. Her favorites being the Snorlax, and Dragonite that she sometimes used in lieu of her own bed. In the corner of her room, was a large backpack. Aki having prepared it a month in advance of the arrival of her Pokedex. She would be back for that later. Right now, it was time for her to obtain her first Pokemon. Grabbing her favorite red jacket, Aki threw open the door of her bedroom.
Aki nearly flew down the stairs, which she nearly flew up in her excitement due to the arrival of her Pokedex. The first member of the family that greeted her, was her grandfather’s Arcanine. He may have been old, but always had the energy to play with Aki whenever she wanted. The large bushy tail of the large fire Pokemon brushed across the floor behind him when he saw his second favorite person in the world.
Laughter escaped Aki when Arcanine leapt up onto his back paws. His front paws coming to rest on Aki’s shoulders. And she was soon under assault by a large tongue licking her face. The lare canine seemed to know that this was going to be one of the last times he would see the little girl that he had helped to raise. So he needed to cram as much affection into this as he could.
“It’s okay boy, I’m coming right back. I’m coming back, I promise.” Aki laughed, as she ran her fingers through Arcanine’s very warm fur. Yet Arcanine continued licking and nuzzling her face. His way of saying, that he would decide when the affection would end. And Aki was all too happy to allow it. After another five minutes, Arcanine relented. Dropping back onto all four paws, tal wagging like he was a far younger Pokemon than he actually was.
“Everyone leaves home eventually.” Hanako wrapped her arms around her daughter. She knew that there was nothing she could do in order to keep her free spirited daughter here. And wouldn’t dream of doing so. However, she couldn’t help but feel a bit downtrodden. Almost like the home would be less bright without her only daughter inside it.
“I know it’s going to be hard mom, but I’ll visit as often as I can.” Aki reassured her mother, hugging her as tightly as she possibly could. “And besides, I’m coming right back.” She didn’t want to let it slip that she knew about the surprise party. The reason that her father and grandmother were absent at the moment. She then hugged her grandfather, before waving and rushing out the door. Aki didn’t know who else in Pallet Town had gotten a Pokedex, but she wanted to be the very first to arrive at Professor Oak’s lab.
She broke into an excited run. The only thing on her mind right now, was getting to the lab before anyone else. She was once again filled with that same manic excitement that she had been filled with, when she saw that package containing her Pokedex, now stuffed into a pocket of her jacket, addressed to her by the head of the Indigo League. Aki finally reached Professor Oak’s lab, only realizing just how good of a time she had made. Her old track teacher would have been open mouthed with how fast she had run, as the laboratory was all the way on the other side of Pallet Town from her house. It looked like Aki had gotten her wish when she entered past the sliding doors. Having not seen anyone else inside who wasn’t wearing a lab coat.
“Ah.” A voice that Aki recognized. Having heard it from the pre-recorded message on her Pokedex not a half hour ago. Professor Oak was standing towards the back of his laboratory. His arms folded behind his back “Our first arrival. Good morning Aki.”
“Good morning Professor!” Aki could barely contain her excitement, again shaking like someone who had consumed far too much caffeine. And she was the first to arrive! “Today’s the day!”
“Indeed it is.” Oak smiled, and gestured with his left arm at the table to his left. There stood three red and white balls. Each of which, the both of them knew, contained one of the three Pokemon most Trainers in the Kanto Region would begin their journey with once they got the approval from the Indigo League. “Now these three Pokemon were sent here by the Indigo League to be selected by you, as your partner throughout your journey as a Pokemon Trainer. And as a new trainer of the Indigo League Aki, you have the following choices. Each with its own merit and abilities.”
Oak tossed the three balls into the air. Each of which emitted a bright white light, which released the Pokemon within them. The three Pokemon, who couldn’t have been more than two feet high at the tallest, landed at Aki’s feet, facing the newest trainer of the Indigo League.
“This first one.” Oak gestured to the green quadrupedal creature with a large bulb on its back. It growled happily, rocking its body from side to side. “Is called Bulbasaur. It’s a grass-type Pokemon, and as such, very easy to raise. Just a side-note, try not to touch the bulb on the back while it’s bathing in sunlight. And if it matters, this particular Bulbasaur is a female.”
“Saur!” The Bulbasaur let out a happy cry when Aki knelt down, and began to scratch under her chin. The red eyes of the Pokemon closed, as she hummed, happy to be enjoying the attention of the new Pokemon Trainer.
“The next Pokemon…” Oak then gestured to a blue turtle with a curled tail. It then let out a snort with a bit of swagger and attitude. “Is a Squirtle. It’s a water-type Pokemon, and if the swagger wasn’t a dead giveaway, this particular one is a male. It’s well worth raising, as well as eager to learn. If a bit strong willed.”
“Strong willed huh?” Aki let out a soft laugh, as she held her fist out to the Squirtle, only for the water-type starter to bring its small fist against hers. “You’re gonna make a great partner. I know it.”
“And finally, your final choice is Charmander. A fire-type Pokemon that are a bit difficult to raise, but they have a history of being brave in battle, and loyal to Trainers that they respect. Like I said, they take a while to raise, and this young one is to be raised with respect. There’s also one small difference that sets this Charmander apart from all the others that came before it. Notice how much lighter his scales are from that of a normal Charmander?”
Aki tilted her head in confusion. She didn’t really see much of a difference. That was until Oak brought up an image of a standard looking Charmander on the large monitor behind him. Then things came into perspective for the newbie Trainer. “Is… something wrong with this Charmander?”
“Oh absolutely not.” Oak shook his head. He was smiling in a reassuring manner, as he gestured to the small fire-type. “You see, there is a very rare chance that a Pokemon’s skin, fur, or scales can be a different color than others. Of course, this phenomenon occurs very rarely. In fact, only 1 in 8,000 Pokemon are born like this. Many researchers, much like myself, have classified these oddly colored Pokemon as “shiny”. And for a shiny Pokemon to be a starter for a new trainer, is a far rarer occurrence.” The shiny Charmander wagged its tail from side to side. Causing the flame at the tip of its tail to waver slightly. Aki ceased scratching the Bulbasaur under her chin, and lifted the Charmander into her arms.
“Well since I’m the first to arrive, I’ll take Charmander as my starter!” Aki’s declaration was accented with Charmander’s excited outcry. The flame on its tail wavered all the more, as its tail moved through the air. Aki held the small fire-type, her very first Pokemon close. Smiling brighter when her Charmander nuzzled into her. “Um, Professor, would it be okay if I stayed here, and see who else-”
Professor Oak didn’t let Aki finish. He nodded with a bright smile on her face. “But of course! There’s nothing I like more than seeing someone else who loves Pokemon like I do!” The two of them positively beamed at one another. Kyo had gone back to playing with the other two available starters. She was sitting cross-legged on the floor, her Charmander sitting in her lap, while she rustled the head of the Squirtle, and resumed scratching under the Bulbasaur’s chin. Much to the other two Pokemon’s delight.
It was about fifteen minutes later that Aki heard the sliding doors to Professor Oak’s laboratory open yet again. A voice that was clearly strained from running a good distance, shouted out. “I’m… I’m not late… am I Professor…?” It was a boy’s voice, and someone that Aki recognized.
“Eren, you seriously need to work on your cardio.” Aki laughed softly, as the winded young man walked up to the two. Eren Pearce was a tall, slightly lanky boy the same age as Aki. His untidy blonde hair had a bit of a windswept look, which didn’t require guess work as to how it had gotten that way. Normally, it fell in front of his eyes. Something that Eren complained heavily about, despite the fact that he never trimmed it. “If you’re gonna be a Pokemon Trainer, that’s something you’re seriously going to have to work on.”
“I agree.” Professor Oak said with a sagely nod. “You’re going to be traversing some serious obstacles on your journey. And there will be times where running away is the best option. However, that’s a discussion for another time. For now, you’re here to pick your starter. Now since Aki arrived before you, there are now two options instead of three.” Reluctantly, Aki stopped lavishing affection onto the other two starter Pokemon so Eren could pick between the two.
“Now the one on the left, is the grass-type, Bulbasaur. Grass-type Pokemon have a reputation of being easy to raise, and Bulbasaur is no exception. Just take care to not touch the bulb on her back while she’s relaxing in sunlight.” Bulbasaur rocked itself from side to side, letting out a happy outcry, as her red eyes looked up into Eren’s watery blue ones.
“Your other option, is the water-type Squirtle.” Oak smiled, and gestured to the blue skinned turtle Pokemon. “Male’s like this one, have a large amount of swagger and attitude, but they’re well worth raising, and eager to learn.”
Eren squatted down, looking between one smiling Pokemon to the other. Eren was also smiling, as he reached out to pat each of the two available starters on the head. “Easy to raise sounds like my style. On the other hand, eager to learn…” Eren then looked back up to Professor Oak, as the sound of the lab doors sliding open reached everyone’s ears. “Professor, can these Pokemon be found in the wild?”
“Oh yes, however encountering these particular Pokemon in the wild is a very rare occurrence.” Professor Oak nodded, as another boy approached. He was dressed in all black, and stood a ways away from the three people. But there was no hiding that excited smile. It was the same one that Eren and Aki had when they received their respective Pokedex’s.
“Alright, I’ll pick Bulbasaur.” Eren laughed when the grass Pokemon tackled him out of excitement. Knocking him to the floor, but it made Eren, as well as Aki laugh, as the dark clad shy boy stepped forwards.
“Then I guess, this little guy is mine.” He said, picking up the Squirtle with a bit of effort. To complement his rather shy demeanor, the new boy’s voice was rather soft. “Mmm. You’re gonna have to lay off the Pokeblocks little buddy.” The young man then let out a surprised outcry when Squirtle spat out a small jet of water from its mouth. Catching the shy young man in the face. Face and hair now dripping wet, the newcomer wasn’t mad about his new Pokemon’s retort. Instead, he was laughing.
“Oh, hey Jarred.” Aki was then on her back, laughing at what the Squirtle had just done to the soft spoken boy. “Guess we know to never insult a male Squirtle!” She howled with laughter, as did her Charmander. Soon that laughter was bolstered by Eren and his new Bulbasaur, and even Professor Oak joined in laughing a few moments later. The whole room rang with laughter, to the point that nobody else heard the newest arrival. At least until he made his presence known.
“GRAMPS!” Everyone started at the outcry. The laughter died away at once. The young man had his arms crossed over his chest. He scowled, clearly disliking being ignored. He huffed, and gave the three new trainers a dirty look. “About time! I’m here for my Pokemon!”
“Garett.” Aki rolled her eyes, as she got to her feet. Her Charmander clutched in her arms. “Late as always. Sorry to break it to you, but all the Pokemon are taken.” From the way that she spoke to the latecomer, she clearly didn’t like him. And for a good reason. Garett Oak was the typical spoiled brat. One who was used to getting his way, and was spoiled rotten by his parents. Something even his grandfather, Professor Oak heavily disapproved of.
“I’m afraid that is indeed correct, Garett.” Professor Oak nodded, and then frowned at his grandson. “And only three Pokedex’s were sent out this year. I personally recommended Aki, Eren, and Jarred myself. You’re still far too immature to be a trainer…”
“That’s why I bullied mom and dad into writing to the League.” Garett sneered, and produced a Pokedex from his jeans pocket. “So, who’s handing over their Pokemon to-”
“Nobody.” Oak said firmly. Cutting across his grandson with a heavy disapproving note in his voice. “These Pokemon are already spoken for, and I won’t have you bullying anyone into giving their chosen Pokemon to you. I may not be able to stop you from becoming a Trainer, despite you being nowhere close to having any suitable maturity for being one. But I will not have you making demands out of suitable Trainers in my lab!”
Oak then turned his attention back to the other three trainers. His smile was back on his face now that his attention wasn’t on his spoiled grandson. “I have one more thing for you three.” Approaching the three of them, Professor Oak handed each of them a small back filled with the same red and white balls, albeit these were smaller than the ones that their starter Pokemon had been in. “All you need to do is press the small button in the center, and it will become a full size Poke-ball. Congratulations again, and I wish you the best of luck on your journey!”
Aki had split off from the other two newbie Trainers. She was heading home, both to grab her backpack, and for the surprise party. She had known about it, having overheard her family talking about it during one of the sleepless nights she had over the last month. Aki had known that she was going to get the Pokedex, as she had gotten the acceptance letter of her license registration the month previous. Right on her 18th birthday.
She hummed happily to herself, as she walked back home. Something that her new Charmander seemed to enjoy. His tail wagging happily in response to Aki’s humming, causing the flame on his tail to continuously waver. “Char!”
Smiling brightly, Aki leaned down, and affectionately nuzzled the top of his head. She liked just how warm Charmander’s body felt. “Come on little guy, let’s introduce you to my family.” She laughed softly, as her home came into view. She took a deep breath, as she had to act surprised when she walked inside. Turning the doorknob, Aki opened the front door to her home, stepped inside, and…
“SURPRISE!!”
Aki did indeed jump. Her family was waiting for her when she stepped through the door. There was a large banner that spelled out: Congratulations! in big bold letters. Her parents and grandparents were waiting for her. Junichi’s Arcanine was sitting upright next to his trainer. Tail wagging rapidly, as it always did whenever he saw Aki.
“You didn’t have to do all this!” Aki laughed, as her grandmother suddenly raised a camera. There was a flash of light, and a whirring noise. Anna Kimura was rather old school, insisting that her instant camera was just as good as modern technology. Nobody in the family complained one bit however.
“You didn’t have to do all of this!” Aki laughed, as Anna walked forwards to embrace her granddaughter.
“Oh yes we did. It’s not every day, that your granddaughter becomes a Pokemon Trainer after all.” Anna remarked. Tapping Aki on her nose with the tip of her index finger. She then ruffled the top of the new Charmander’s head. “Do you think I could use your tail flame for a moment dear?”
“Char!” Charmander eagerly held up his tail, the small flame wavering happily as Anna used the heat it gave off to make her instant photo appear faster. A moment later, Anna took the photo away from the heat that Charmander’s tail gave, and waved it through the air for a few seconds, until the image came into focus.
“What do you think?” Anna showed the photo to both Anna and Charmander, who both nodded in approval. Arcanine then padded forward. Sniffing the smaller fire Pokemon, as Aki set the little fire lizard down. The two Pokemon then began to converse in what people called Pokespeak. Each of their tails wagging back and forth, as they conversed with one another. That left Aki on her own. Getting hugged and kissed by her parents and grandparents. Anna taking all the photos that she could. The last one being Aki waving good-bye, holding her Charmander in one arm, as she stepped out of her family home to begin her Pokemon journey.