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Chapter 2
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The inside of the Professors Lab had become a second home to my over the years, but today, it was unrecognizable. Gone were the tables and instruments for monitoring Pokémon, in their place were several chairs, and even a podium. The five of us were directed to take a seat in the front row, while the journalists, family, friends, and other gathered members took the seats around the room. A man I did not recognize took the stage, addressing the crowd. He was young, and had a cape on.
"Trainers, Friends, we are gathered here today to see the start of the adventure of five young people. They face before them a fantastic journey. A journey of adventure. A journey of wonder. A journey with their Pokémon." The audience politely applauded. The professor took the stage once this mysterious man was done.
"Thank you for your words, Master Lance. Today, our students begin their travels. And as many of you have gathered, the pride of their collective home towns goes with them. These students have been trained by the best, and as such, the best is expected of them. And now, on with the show." More polite applause, as the professor called us up to the stage, to choose our first Pokémon.
The table to the left of the professor was pushed in to the centre of the podium, and the top opened to reveal five identical sets. A red metal device, six Pokéballs, a folded piece of parchment, and a silver case, about the length of a pencil. Each set had a card propped against the centre Pokéball.
"Johnny, who was first to arrive today, will choose first." Johnny stood up, and much rambunctious applause and cheering from the back were heard. I turned my head to glance in that direction. It looked like those cheering were coming from a group of soldiers. As Johnny moved towards the tables, several members of the press started taking photos. Johnny took his time, looking at each of the cards, before coming to stop at the second last card. He smiled as a few more photos were taken.
"And now, Lilly, who was the second to arrive, will choose." And I stood up, to a lot of applause from people around town. I noticed several of my friends who had already taken their journeys were also in the crowd, cheering on with all the rest. I moved towards the table, noticing my mother in the crowd, smiling at me. Nick winked at me from the front row. I blinked in the flashing lights of the photography. I now realized why Johnny had taken his time looking at the cards. It wasn't a hard choice, it was just hard to read them with the flashing cameras. Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Charmander, Pikachu, and Eevee. Johnny had taken his spot in front of the Pikachu card. Figured, since he was trained by the electric gym leader, he would grab the electric Pokémon. I took a moment to think about it. Bulbasaurs' were kind of average, from what I recalled. Mostly picked by trainers who didn't know about type matchups, or were the last pick. Squirtles' were average, with a good set of moves that were helpful, but could be replaced by almost any other water type Pokémon. Eevees' were adaptable, and could become three different types, and it was rumored that they could become even more, but you could find Eevees' in the wild, so taking one from the begining was a bit redundant. Which left Charmander, and the already chosen Pikachu. Pikachus' were common as dirt, if you knew where to look, I smiled a bit to myself. Chamanders' were weaker against the first few Gym Leaders, but they were very powerful in their final form. The choice was easy, I moved to the Charmander.
"And next, Allan." Allan moved to the desk, and considered the remaining three Pokéballs. The choices were getting smaller. Allan moved to the Eevee. More photos, my eyes were really getting sore.
"Now, Nick, the second of the Pallet town troupe." Nick moved up to the table, and for the first time, I noticed something different. While Allan, Johnny and I had received much attention from the press, the professor, and those gathered today, Nick was almost being glanced over. He hadn't be trained by a Gym leader, like the other 3, nor trained by the professor, like I had. No, Nick was here because I was. The professor was determined that since both Nick and I were leaving around the same time, we would leave the same day. And so Nick was here. The odd one out.
Nick, however, didn't seem to care. With a huge smile on his face, he moved towards the Squirtle tag, and smiling for the singular photo shot, took his place.
"Finally, Garth will take the remaining Pokémon." Garth stood, to the singular applause of one woman with black hair. He moved, to many many flashes of photographers, to the last remaining ball. He grimaced when he saw what he was left with, and I could hear him mutter under his breath.
The professor retook the podium. "I give you, the new Pokémon trainers." One final round of photographs, and we were done.
Three individuals moved towards the podium, pushing through the press, and moving towards Johnny, Garth and Allan. Taking their respective ward by the shoulder, they lead them away to discuss something in private. The professor passed me a envelope, and moved off into the crowd, pulling the pack of press away, letting our mother approach. "I am so proud of you both." She kissed us both on the cheek, and handed us both a small wrapped package. "These were from your father. He wanted you to both have them when you became Pokémon trainers. Now, don't forget your bags," she handed us both our travelling bags. Nick moved towards the door.
"I'm going. See you on the road, sis." With a casual wave of the hand, Nick stepped out into the light, and was gone. I moved to follow him, only to be stopped by a reporter, asking me a whole bunch of questions. By the time I was done with that, Nick had over an hour head start. Guess I wasn't travelling with him. I looked around quickly, Garth was also gone, and Allan and Johnny were moving out the door as well. I moved to follow, only to have a firm hand planted on my shoulder. Sighing, I turned to see who was holding me up this time. In front of me, with a huge smile on his face, was Master Lance, the man who had lead the first address.
"So, you are Lilly. Trained by Professor Oak, the 'champion' of Pallet town. I have a lot of money riding on you in the betting stakes here. Don't disappoint me." His face turned to a frown at the last, "Oops." I glanced over his shoulder, at Professor Oak, who was shaking his head at the revelation Lance had delivered. So they were betting on us. And more than just our mentors, it would seem. I wondered if anyone had backed Nick in this makeshift competition at all? I couldn't think of a way to ask without being blunt, so I decided to let it drop, for now. Lance took his hand off my shoulder, ruffling his hair as the smile returned to his face. "I look forward to battling you all one day." And with that, he strode past me, and out the door. He was followed by the stern looking woman with black hair who had applauded Garth, and the man who had singled out Allan. The soldier, Surge, and his little squad had left early, as had my mother. That left Professor Oak.
"Professor..." I started, only to be cut off with a quick raised hand.
"Time for talking is over, miss. The adventure awaits out the door. You had best get going, or you are going to be VERY behind, and as Master Lance said, a lot of money is riding on you, and not just his." He smiled at this, and I was shocked to realize that the professor was also backing me in this race. I still did not know what the bet was, but I had two people backing me, which made me happy. "We will talk again soon." He smiled, and ushered me out in to the sun.
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Day 1 - Professor Oak's lab, Pallet Town, 11.00am.
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I sat in the sun, blinking as my eyes adjusted to the light. In my hands, the red device, which Professor Oak called the 'Pokédex', the package from mum, and the letter from the Professor. I started with the Pokédex, sliding the top open.
The screen inside flashed to life, with a picture of my face, and my name, age, and home town. A icon of a single Pokéball flashed below, which I pressed, revealing a few details about my Charmander. Pushing buttons, it revealed the Pokémon list, showing that I had caught one Pokémon, how long the device had been active, and a map of the area. Sliding the lid closed, I turned my attention to the package. I separated the tape holding the wrapping down, and found inside a small wooden box, with a slide lid. Inside the box, a thick letter in an envelope lay on the bottom, with a small puzzle box sitting on top of it. The letter had my name written on it, in my dad's handwriting. I picked it up, and opened it, removing several photos, a big brass key, and a single sheet of parchment, old and faded.
"My dearest Lillian, how proud I am that you have grown and decided to travel. You should be 10 years old when this letter gets to you. I am writing this from Sinnoh, our ancestral home. My great grandfather, your great great grandfather, was born here. If it were not for this war, I would have very much liked to have brought you here, to see where our family comes from. But I fear by the time that I get to come home, you will be long gone on your travels. I have included a few photos of the village where our family comes from. We still have the house here. Your mother and I had hoped to retire here one day."
"I have also included for you a Pokémon that I caught while I was here. It is inside the puzzle box. When you get it opened, then you are ready to travel with it. Make sure to get it checked out at a Pokémon centre before using it."
"The key in the envelope will open the house here in Sinnoh. Maybe you can find something, if you ever get here, to keep as a family keepsake."
"I am sorry that I missed your growing up, and that I wasn't able to come home. Know that I love you, and I know your mum loves you too."
"With all my love, Dad."
A single tear splat landed on the paper as I finished reading. I hadn't even realized I was crying. Carefully folding the letter back in to its envelope, and placing the photos inside as well, I placed the puzzle box in my coat pocket, and hooked the key to my necklace. I placed the envelop back in the sliding box, and placed it carefully inside my bag. I picked up the last envelope, with my name scrawled on it in Professor Oak's handwriting.
"Lilly. I have arranged for you to meet with a companion in Viridian city. They will be waiting for you at the Pokémon centre in four days. Have a safe journey. Oak."
I smiled at the thought Oak had placed in this letter. No use sitting here anymore. I had four days to get to Viridian city, to meet this travelling companion, and it was a 3 day walk. I had better get moving. I pushed myself up from the steps to the lab, and started walking towards Route One.
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Day 1 - Route One, 12.30pm.
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I had been walking for about an hour now, the smell of the long grass in the gentle breeze was nice. I had seen a few wild Pidgey and Rattata, and was really looking forward to my first battle with one. So much so, I didn't realize my hand was turning white, while squeezing Charmander's Pokéball. I heard a rustling ahead, and my eyes focused forward, expecting a Pokémon to burst out any second. Instead, I was met with the face of Garth, stumbling and coming to a stop just inches from my face. A moment later, we both scrambled back, averting our gaze. I was the first to recover.
"Hi. You're Garth, right? I'm Lilly." I offered my hand to shake his. He smiled as he recovered, taking my hand and shaking it once, firmly, yet gently enough not to hurt my grip.
"Yeah, I'm Garth. Umm." He averted his eyes for a moment. "Are we meant to, umm, Battle or something?" He blushed at me. I shook my head.
"I'm not sure, I guess, maybe? If you wanted to, sure, I guess..." I trailed off, not wanting to give him the wrong idea, I took a step back. He seemed really nervous around me. I wasn’t sure if it was just me, or girls in general. He shook his head no, smiling a bit, the distance seemed to make him a bit more secure. I continued, "So, your mother is a Gym leader? What's that like?" he looked at me shocked, and shook his head.
"I... I don’t want to talk about it. I had better go. When She finds out I wasn't pushing myself, and chatting, She will get mad. Good luck, Lilly!" he turned and ran off, back the way he had stumbled from.
"Bye." I called out after him, not sure if he heard or not, thinking to myself that Garth was a bit on the weird side. I continued on, following the path towards Viridian city, stopping an hour or so later, to eat.
As I was finishing a wrapped sandwich, a Pidgey landed, and started pecking at the crumbs near the log I was sitting on. I took some of the crust, and broke it in to sections, scattering them about with a sweep of the hand. A few more Pidgey landed, and I started digging in my bag, looking for my sketch pad. I flipped the page over, and started doing a pencil outline of the Pidgey, pecking at the crumbs in the grass. I found my mind wandering as I drew the small flying type Pokémon, forgetting for the moment that I was meant to be walking, and just drew the pictures.
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Day 1 - Route One, 4.30pm.
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I looked at my completed drawing, noticing the details I had made of the Pidgey's feather shapes, and how some of them looked more ruffled than the others. I glanced up to check the bird once more, only to notice that the last Pidgey had finally taken flight, and the late afternoon sun was lowering beyond the trees. It would be dark soon, I realized, and I wasn't going to camp a few hours north of home. I would push on in to the night, and walk a bit longer. Putting my sketch pad back into my bag, I pulled out the flashlight I had packed, and hoisted myself up. I turned northward, and started walking along the path once more.
The late afternoon sounds of the Pokémon were relaxing, the Pidgey in their nests, calling out to one another, while the Rattata skittered about in the grass below, gathering scraps to take to their dens for the night. It was well and truly dark before I saw anything else worth noting.
The torch did very little to show me the surrounding wilderness, so instead of stopping, I pulled out Charmander's Pokéball once more, and gave it a quick flick. In a flash of blue and orange light, the small fire lizard solidified, its tail flame lighting up the area much better than the torch could.
"Hello Charmander. I am Lilly, your trainer. How are you?" I asked. I knew that Pokémon couldn't speak, but they did understand what we said. Charmander looked at me and growled softly, smiling a bit in the flames light, and waddled over next to me, as we both started walking north together.
In the distance, I noticed a small campfire flickering. Maybe one of the others had stopped for the night. I was sure they wouldn't object to the company, and it would be nice to rest for the night. We set off towards the light. A few minutes later, I called out a greeting to the lights.
"Hello?" The darkness responded.
"Hello! Who's there." The response was a boy. He sounded a bit shaken. Perhaps he didn't think anyone would be walking in the dark.
"My name is Lilly. I was hoping to rest by your fire tonight, if that is ok?" I called back. There was a few quiet words spoken by the fire, and then.
"Did you say Lilly? Its Johnny. Allan's here. Come on over. We have marshmallows and chocolate." I smiled at the invitation, and moved forward. The two boys came in to focus, as my eyes adjusted to the lights. Allan was sitting by the fire, his Eevee curled at his feet, sound asleep. In his hand, he held a branch, with many prongs, each spiked with a marshmallow. Johnny was seated on the other side, and moved around a bit, making room for me. His Pikachu was resting on his shoulder, its hand holding his head, and both Johnny's and Pikachu's hands and faces had smudged chocolate on them. Guess he was in the middle of eating when I called out. Allan just looked at me quietly, while Johnny just stared at me with a lopsided smile. I couldn’t hold it in.
"Err. You have chocolate on your face. Pikachu's too." I pointed at the two of them, while Allan laughed. Embarrassed, Johnny whipped his face on his sleeve, and then did the same with Pikachu's face. Our night of laughter continued from there.
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End of chapter 2
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Would love any feedback, just to know if anyone is reading this or not. Hope that anyone who is reading it is enjoying it. Will try to have the next chapter up soon.