The Doctor
Absolute Beginner
First of all, yes I'm fully aware the whole Brendan & May thing has been done for quite some time now. But this is more like the manga than the anime; hell it's a fusion of the two. Rated PG now, PG-13 later.
Chapter Directory:
*Chapter 1: Fear & Loathing In Littleroot
*Chapter 2: Keeping Up With The Birches Part 1
*Chapter 2: Keeping Up With The Birches Part 2
*Chapter 3: Wurmple-ing Your Way Out
*Chapter 4: Spies Among The Shroomish
*Chapter 5: Roxanne Of Green Gables
*Chapter 6: Ocean's Devon
*Chapter 7: A Pleasant Rattle, A Vicious Battle, Among Mr. Briney's Ship
*Chapter 8: Spontaneous Pokemon Combusken
*Chapter 9: Tyranitars, Iron Ore and a Disturbing Gift
*Chapter 10: A Scanner And A Secret
*Chapter 11: Battle Tent Over Your Head
*Chapter 12: Awaken The Beast Within
*Chapter 13: We're Here By Accident...
*Chapter 14: Jirachi Casino
*Chapter 15: Watt The Hell?
*Chapter 16: Daycare Dimbats, Poke-James Dean and Sadism
*Chapter 17: Cometh The Shadow Of Hope
*Chapter 18: And Wally Makes Three
*Chapter 19: The Orphan Of Meteor Falls
*Chapter 20: Mothers, Water Dragons & The Sea Devil
*Chapter 21: Upstart Gym Leader My Left Foot
*Chapter 22: Mr. Mistbloom and the Parting Of The Ways
*Chapter 23: Diamond In The Rough
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Chapter 1: Fear and Loathing in Littleroot
Littleroot, I ask you. Not the place for a city boy, like Brendan Knight. He and his family had moved from Goldenrod City in Johto because his dad flunked the Gym Leader test. So why couldn't he go to Petalburg? That was where his dad was and it was a city as well. But his dad had chosen Littleroot "because it was quiet". Quiet but dull, Brendan thought.
Brendan was 13 and dressed in the new attire his dad had given him. He had black hair styled decently but he hid it under a cap with a green headband complete with white Pokeball and a large white...thing on top. He chose it because it was large and might cover it up. "It" was a large scar on Brendan's forehead where he had fallen off a Stantler and he kept it hidden. He wore an orange-and-black vest with no sleeves, orange gloves with black-and-green wristbands, grey knee shorts but had the legs covered by grey pants underneath and white-and-green sneakers. By one of the large boxes was his green backpack but that was empty.
He had company, however. His two Pokemon were by his sides literally; Silver, a calm Aron he had decked out with several TM's and Aura, a shy but gentle Ralts. This was the upside of moving to Littleroot. Then came another upside.
"WHOA!" Brendan called out. The truck had hit a ditch and the van had turned on it's side. "Aura, hold those boxes steady!" The red eyes under Aura's alien helmet glowed blue as the falling boxes stopped in a blue aura. She kept them hovering while her master angrily grumbled.
"Vigoroth can't drive, I tell him. They'll break something, I tell him. Oh no, they'll be fine, says dad." Brendan had this habit of complaining. Perhaps it was from his mum.
"Honey, are you OK?" Speak of the devil, she had spoken. "Don't worry, I'll get the Vigoroths to push the truck back!"
"Don't bother!" Brendan called, picking up Aura and leaning back on what had been the right wall. "Silver, push!" The Aron obeyed and charged at the left wall. The speed of the Iron Armor Pokemon's charge pushed the truck upwards but Aura kept her focus on the crates. Thankfully, the feeling Pokemon ddin't drop one. She lowered them down and Brendan put her down. The back of the truck opened and the three passengers got out, Brendan's backpack slung over it's owner's shoulder.
"Well, here we are Brendan!" His mum said cheerfully. No-one can be as cheerful as she. "Pokemon movers are so convenient! They didn't break a single thing!"
"Yeah, of course they didn't." Brendan said sarcastically. He glared at the Vigoroths now unloading the goods. "If Aura hadn't caught them, your silverware would have been in shards."
"Isn't Littleroot a nice place to live?" Mrs. Knight continued, oblivious to her son. "So quiet. You even have your own room Brendan! Come on, let's go inside!" She walked in with Brendan, Silver and Aura. Brendan's first opinion of the house was that it was typically suburban: fridge, TV in living room, kitchen, the whole shebang. The Vigoroths were setting everything out, now actually being careful.
"Your father bought you a new clock so better go set it!" Was this all just to get her son out of the way?
"Wait, what are you gonna-" Too late. The Vigoroths were ushering him. "OK, Ok! I'm going!" The Wild Monkey Pokemon backed off. "Yeesh!" The room was designed in a simple way: bed on the right, TV and silver GameCube with Charizard GBA SP connected, clock on the bed, and a large red rug. The clock was a blue Pokeball with 1-12 in the right places and an AM/PM bar underneath the hands.
"Let's see, there's a three hour difference between Johto and Hoenn and the time in Johto is..." He checked a watch that was like an old-fashioned timepiece except it was designed like a Pokeball. "...12:14, so it's 15:14 over here." He spun a little dial at the back until- wait, how was he going to know?
"Um, guys?" Silver and Aura looked up. At last they could be used for something. "Am I at 3:15 pm yet?"
"Ar-on! Ar-ar-on!" Silver said. That would mean something like Yes.
"Um, Silver's tricking you again, Brendan." Aura said in her gentle voice. This was telepathy and it made conversation a lot easier. "I'll tell you when you're on the right section."
"Now?"
"Little more."
"Now?"
"Perfect." Brendan set it up on a little nail inbedded in the wall. Now things looked good. Everything was where it should-huh? There was a little sticky note by Brendan's computer. He recognised his Dad's handwriting. It always looked rushed but you could still read it.
Brendan,
Look inside of the computer. There's a surprise in there. Mom's got one as well but only after you see Professor Birch.
Love, Dad
Brendan turned on the PC and noticed something he hadn't seen before. Item Storage. Maybe that would explain a large machine linked to the PC that had a large opening like it could be used in a Pokemon Center to teleport Pokemon. He clicked on the folder icon. Inside this folder was a little Potion icon. Click.
"Contains (1) Potion(s). Take out from PC?" Yes. A flash of light drew Brendan from the monitor and over to the weird machine. When it subsided, a single Potion stood there.
Now Brendan understood what all of the equipment was for. There was an Item Storage fridge in the garage where items could be sent via teleporter. This was linked to the PC's teleporter and at the click of the mouse items could be transported. He took it out and put it in his backpack in what he had dubbed the Items Section.
"BRENDAN!" His mum screamed. The sound made Brendan jump. Since when had Mom screamed so loud? "BRENDAN! COME QUICK! DAD'S ON TV!!" At this, Brendan rocketed downstairs, Silver trotting along, Aura teleporting down faster. However, the Feeling Pokemon had gone right in front of the stairs and Brendan had to freeze abruptly on the bottom stair. Silver didn't stop running and collided right into Brendan's back.
"Ow!" You'd do that if an Aron collided with you. Aura squealed and shuffled out of the way just as trainer and Pokemon hit the floor.
"Are you Ok, hon?" Mrs. Knight asked hurriedly, helping up her son from the floor.
"I'm *ow* fine." Brendan groaned. "Just *ow* let me *ow* get to the *ow* TV." Brendan got up weakly just to see a Cacnea, Dustox and Ninjask all piled up on one another. Courtesy of Dad's Pokemon. The man himself was standing proudly by them.
Norman Knight was tall and strong, though he was quite thin so it was hard to tell. His black hair was in a crew cut and he wore his favourite outfit: red jumper, blue denim jeans, suave black shoes.
"And that, ladies and gentlemen, was from Petalburg Gym!" The image changed. Apparantly the whole broadcast was to show off the new Gym Leader's skills.
"Oh, too bad. You just missed him." Mrs. Knight said sadly.
"Don't worry," Brendan said brightly. "At least I saw him on TV." Big announcement coming up. Why else would she drag Brendan downstairs when he had a TV upstairs?
"Now, our neighbours, the Birches, are next door. I understand they have a daughter your age." D-daughter? Brendan's history with the ladies wasn't very good. Not very good at all. "You should go over and introduce yourself." Another excuse to get out. Maybe he could show off his Pokemon as well.
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Brendan, Silver and Aura were walking across the streets to the Birches' house. A daughter around his age. He had followed the steps over and over again. Don't fidget. Keep calm. Don't stutter your words. But these would all be harder to do than it would be to read them. Brendan knocked on the door.
"Just a minute!" Ugh, waiting. What was there to wait about? The door opened. A smiling woman with brown hair and an apron answered the door. Fresh off the "Suburban Mother" range.
"Hello, I assume you're Brendan Knight?"
"Yes, ma'am. This is my Aron, Silver and my Ralts, Aura." Both Pokemon smiled at Mrs. Birch.
"Well, come on in." Inside was a lot similar to Brendan's home except the dining room table was bare and the kitchen was stacked with dirty dishes. "I'm in the middle of washing up so those won't last long." She added. "May's upstairs, I think." May. Brendan's new neighbour. Wonder what she was like. Up the stairs he and his Pokemon went.
A door on the right said "May's Room" in flowery stencil. He was about to knock, but people in Johto never knocked so he just went in. The room was a lot similar to his own except the GameCube was blue and the GBA was a Pikachu edition. The clock had a pink Pokeball instead of a blue but other than that everything was the same. A single Pokeball was in the room. Wonder what was inside?
"Hey!" Brendan turned around at the Pokeball's owner, a Swablu perched on her shoulder. Her slender frame was dressed in an orange sleeveless vest with white Pokeballs at the hem, a black skirt, sneakers, brown hair in a wing-like design and a green bandanna with a white Pokeball imprint. "What are you doing here?"
"Um, well," Come on Knight, say something. Something SENSIBLE. "I-I was supposed to come over and um,"
"Introduce yourself?"
"Yes!" Exclaimed Brendan, a little too quickly. "Well, I'm Brendan, I just moved to Littleroot."
"Oh yes, your move was today." She seemed to have trouble looking directly at Brendan. "Um, I'm May. Nice to meet you."
"Ditto. Um, is that a Swablu?" Conversation. Very awkward with Brendan.
"Oh yeah! This is Sky. She's for my career."
"And that is?"
"Uh-uh, that would be telling. Anyway, I've got to do some research. Dad's orders. See ya around Brendan!" Immediately, she went to her computer, Sky flying on to her perch.
"Oookay." At that, Brendan went downstairs. She hadn't even noticed Silver and Aura. "Guys, return." The miniaturisation ray built into the Pokeballs recalled Brendan's companions. He then left the house. Only thing left was to see the Prof himself. Coming to May's house, he noticed a large metal structure that didn't blend in to Littleroot's image. That was probably the lab. And his next destination.
______________________________
If Brendan chose to go onto Route 101 instead, he would have met Professor Birch himself. He was tall and muscle-bound but he hid it under a lab coat and t-shirt. He wore shorts and sandals. He had a short brown beard on his chin. He became a Pokemon Professor when he was young and his teachers described him as a prodigy. But Birch was never one to sit and read. He would sit and read, then explore what he had read outside. Today he was studying a Wurmple.
"Subject appears to not eat as much food as previous subject." Birch noted. He was speaking into a little tape recorder to note things down. "Has eaten only a few times in comparison to previous subject who ate very frequently. Huh?" The last word hadn't been recorded into the tape, thankfully. The Wurmple was now spinning thread around itself but after a few minutes instead of forming a white shell a purple shell was formed and the red eyes were more narrowed.
"Interersting." He was again speaking into the tape recorder. "The subject has turned into a Cascoon instead of a Silcoon. Could eating alter the way a Wurmple evolves?" Still pondering the question, he threw a Pokeball at the Cascoon and it was caught without effort. "I'll study this Cascoon in the lab." He picked up the Pokeball and walked away. He hadn't gone a few steps before he heard a growl. A deep growl.
"Hmm, strange." Birch continued walking, albeit a little quicker. The growls increased and he walked quicker. The growls grew louder and Birch broke into a run. He hadn't seen it. He hadn't seen the Mightyena.
____________________________
Prior to this, Brendan was still walking towards the lab. His shoes were getting tired and he knew he needed replacements quick. But he had no time to do so and though his parents promised he saw no change. At last the lab stood ahead. He went through the doors and looked around. Everything had been cleaned to the finest extent and there were strange machines around but no Professor Birch. He knew what he looked like because his Dad had described him to Brendan so he needed directions.
"Um, excuse me," He had asked a particluarly bookish man who could be an assistant to the Professor. "Do you know where Professor Birch is?"
"Oh, Professor Birch is doing fieldwork on Route 101. He's not the kind to sit around and read. He'd rather experience things up close."
Route 101. The only way out of Littleroot. Another destination for Brendiana Jones. Latios, why couldn't things be simple? Littleroot was SUPPOSED to be simple after all.
"Ahhh!" Oh great. Another complication. But it was coming from Route 101. What if the Professor was there? Brendan ran towards Route 101, almost knocking down a small girl who was looking out fearfully. There was Birch chased by a large doglike Pokemon, it's midnight-black fur rustling in the wind. "You there! Please help me!"
"Why else would I be here?" But he still pulled out a Pokeball. Silver could take whatever hits this dog could dish out.
"Silver, come on out!" In a flash of light, the Aron appeared, eyeing up his opponent. "Metal Claw!" Silver's claws glowed and he charged forward, slashing the dog across the face. The Mightyena lunged at the little Aron, it's fangs bared.
"Iron Defense!" Silver curled his head and legs under his body just in time; the Mightyena bit only on hard metal. It howled in pain as the fangs had deep cracks in them. Birch was still in the corner, thunderstruck by what he'd seen. Already this boy was quite experienced and knew how to handle his Pokemon.
"OK Silver, end this with Water Pulse!"
"Water Pulse?!" Birch cried in amazement. "How could an Aron know Water Pulse so early?"
"I gave it a TM before I came to Littleroot." Brendan explained. Silver's mouth opened and blue electricity crackled inside it. The Mightyena let out a howl. Why? Did it mean it was close to defeat? The electricity gradually turned into a blue orb that expanded until it was around the size of Silver's head. He fired it at the Bite Pokemon, unleashing a series of waves. It soaked the Mightyena-and Birch had he not moved out of the way- but it wasn't down.
"Huh?" Brendan said blandly. "That Water Pulse should have finished it off for sure." Another Mightyena charged down. Brendan now understood. Water Pulse had taken too long to charge and in that time the lone Mightyena had called in reinforcements.
"Ok, Silver, use-" But before his trainer could give a command, one of the Mightyena had slammed into Silver. Next, the second Mightyena pinned him down by the throat.
"There are two Pokeballs in my bag!" Birch called. "Use one!"
"But I can-"
"I don't deny that your Aron is strong," Birch interrupted, "But it can't win on it's own! Choose any one!" Brendan bent down into Birch's bag and felt around. The cold structure of a Pokeball greeted his fingers and just in time; one of the Mightyena, the one that hadn't pinned down Silver had got wind of him and charged.
"AAH!" Brendan screamed, "Go, whoever you are!" He threw the Pokeball and out of it came...
"Tor-chic!" A small, red chick Pokemon emerged from the Pokeball, jumping once then landing perfectly in front of the stunned dog. But taking the little chick as an annoyance rather than a threat, it charged forward again.
"Dodge it!" Torchic jumped out of the way before the Mightyena had even come close. It then ruffled it's feathers. It was ready to fight. "Professor, quick! Give me some of it's attacks!"
"Torchic's best move at this point would be..." He paused, trying to remember. "Scratch!"
"OK! Torchic, Scratch attack!" Torchic ran at the Mightyena, quick as a blade and clawed it across the face. It snapped at Torchic but it had jumped again.
"Scratch again!" Another claw. The Mightyena's paw leapt off Silver's neck, giving the Aron a chance to get away. It stood next to Torchic, reared up, ready to attack.
"Torchic, Scratch once more! Silver, Headbutt!" Torchic scored the final hit on the first Mightyena, who fainted due to the hits it had taken from Silver. The titular Pokemon charged forward, head first at the Mightyena. Tired out, the Bite Pokemon collapsed. Birch made his move.
"Pokeball, go!" His Pokeballs caught the Mightyena, no effort put up due to tiredness. "Phew, that was close. Thank you. And you are?"
"I'm Brendan Knight sir, I just moved in."
"Ah yes, Norman said you would come. Just didn't imagine meeting like this!" He let out a short laugh. "Anyway, come back to my lab."
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"OK, I know about your Aron, Brendan." They were now back at Birch's lab, Silver and Torchic back in their Pokeballs and in the healing machine. "But Norman mentioned you had a second."
"That would be Aura. She's my Ralts, sir." It felt weird, calling the Prof something formal like "sir" when he was very informal.
"Oh yes, now I remember. Anyway, your supposed to be going on a journey. My guess is that it's the Hoenn League."
"Yes Professor."
"Then in that case," He held out Torchic's Pokeball. "I want you to have this Torchic. You two fought well together, plus trainers can only recieve their licence and registration with one of the starters."
"Cool!" Brendan said. He noticed in the battle that Torchic was fast and struck hard. It'd be useful to have it on his team. "I got a Torchic!"
"Don't forget Silver as well." Birch added, giving Silver's Pokeball. "Now, as I'm sure you know, communication between trainer and Pokemon is extremely important. So I'd like to give you this." He held out in his hand what looked like an iPod. It's body was painted red and the wheel was designed like, surprise, surprise, a Pokeball with a red top and a blue bottom. The off switch was in the centre of the Pokeball wheel and there were a pair of headphones. These weren't the tiny ones that went in the ear lobe. These were quite large and had straps that went around the ears.
"What's this, Professor?" Brendan asked.
"It's a Pokemon Communicator, or PokeCom for short. It's from the Devon Corporation in Rustboro City. Bascially the headphones allow you to understand what your Pokemon are saying and still enable you to hear other sounds."
"Double cool!" Brendan exclaimed, taking the PokeCom from Birch's hand.
"My kid May has one as well. Now that I mention it, she's on Route 103 doing research. That's north from Oldale Town. Why don't the two of you meet up there?"
"Sounds OK, I guess." Brendan shrugged. "Thanks once again Professor." Shaking the Professor's hand once more, he left the lab. So far things looked good. He had a new Pokemon on his team and he could understand them as well. Things should get interesting.
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OK, R&R. Oh, first of all, no SPAM's like "Great fic!" or "Excellent! 10/10!" Pick out what you liked, flaws in this story and improvement points. Bye!
Chapter Directory:
*Chapter 1: Fear & Loathing In Littleroot
*Chapter 2: Keeping Up With The Birches Part 1
*Chapter 2: Keeping Up With The Birches Part 2
*Chapter 3: Wurmple-ing Your Way Out
*Chapter 4: Spies Among The Shroomish
*Chapter 5: Roxanne Of Green Gables
*Chapter 6: Ocean's Devon
*Chapter 7: A Pleasant Rattle, A Vicious Battle, Among Mr. Briney's Ship
*Chapter 8: Spontaneous Pokemon Combusken
*Chapter 9: Tyranitars, Iron Ore and a Disturbing Gift
*Chapter 10: A Scanner And A Secret
*Chapter 11: Battle Tent Over Your Head
*Chapter 12: Awaken The Beast Within
*Chapter 13: We're Here By Accident...
*Chapter 14: Jirachi Casino
*Chapter 15: Watt The Hell?
*Chapter 16: Daycare Dimbats, Poke-James Dean and Sadism
*Chapter 17: Cometh The Shadow Of Hope
*Chapter 18: And Wally Makes Three
*Chapter 19: The Orphan Of Meteor Falls
*Chapter 20: Mothers, Water Dragons & The Sea Devil
*Chapter 21: Upstart Gym Leader My Left Foot
*Chapter 22: Mr. Mistbloom and the Parting Of The Ways
*Chapter 23: Diamond In The Rough
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Chapter 1: Fear and Loathing in Littleroot
Littleroot, I ask you. Not the place for a city boy, like Brendan Knight. He and his family had moved from Goldenrod City in Johto because his dad flunked the Gym Leader test. So why couldn't he go to Petalburg? That was where his dad was and it was a city as well. But his dad had chosen Littleroot "because it was quiet". Quiet but dull, Brendan thought.
Brendan was 13 and dressed in the new attire his dad had given him. He had black hair styled decently but he hid it under a cap with a green headband complete with white Pokeball and a large white...thing on top. He chose it because it was large and might cover it up. "It" was a large scar on Brendan's forehead where he had fallen off a Stantler and he kept it hidden. He wore an orange-and-black vest with no sleeves, orange gloves with black-and-green wristbands, grey knee shorts but had the legs covered by grey pants underneath and white-and-green sneakers. By one of the large boxes was his green backpack but that was empty.
He had company, however. His two Pokemon were by his sides literally; Silver, a calm Aron he had decked out with several TM's and Aura, a shy but gentle Ralts. This was the upside of moving to Littleroot. Then came another upside.
"WHOA!" Brendan called out. The truck had hit a ditch and the van had turned on it's side. "Aura, hold those boxes steady!" The red eyes under Aura's alien helmet glowed blue as the falling boxes stopped in a blue aura. She kept them hovering while her master angrily grumbled.
"Vigoroth can't drive, I tell him. They'll break something, I tell him. Oh no, they'll be fine, says dad." Brendan had this habit of complaining. Perhaps it was from his mum.
"Honey, are you OK?" Speak of the devil, she had spoken. "Don't worry, I'll get the Vigoroths to push the truck back!"
"Don't bother!" Brendan called, picking up Aura and leaning back on what had been the right wall. "Silver, push!" The Aron obeyed and charged at the left wall. The speed of the Iron Armor Pokemon's charge pushed the truck upwards but Aura kept her focus on the crates. Thankfully, the feeling Pokemon ddin't drop one. She lowered them down and Brendan put her down. The back of the truck opened and the three passengers got out, Brendan's backpack slung over it's owner's shoulder.
"Well, here we are Brendan!" His mum said cheerfully. No-one can be as cheerful as she. "Pokemon movers are so convenient! They didn't break a single thing!"
"Yeah, of course they didn't." Brendan said sarcastically. He glared at the Vigoroths now unloading the goods. "If Aura hadn't caught them, your silverware would have been in shards."
"Isn't Littleroot a nice place to live?" Mrs. Knight continued, oblivious to her son. "So quiet. You even have your own room Brendan! Come on, let's go inside!" She walked in with Brendan, Silver and Aura. Brendan's first opinion of the house was that it was typically suburban: fridge, TV in living room, kitchen, the whole shebang. The Vigoroths were setting everything out, now actually being careful.
"Your father bought you a new clock so better go set it!" Was this all just to get her son out of the way?
"Wait, what are you gonna-" Too late. The Vigoroths were ushering him. "OK, Ok! I'm going!" The Wild Monkey Pokemon backed off. "Yeesh!" The room was designed in a simple way: bed on the right, TV and silver GameCube with Charizard GBA SP connected, clock on the bed, and a large red rug. The clock was a blue Pokeball with 1-12 in the right places and an AM/PM bar underneath the hands.
"Let's see, there's a three hour difference between Johto and Hoenn and the time in Johto is..." He checked a watch that was like an old-fashioned timepiece except it was designed like a Pokeball. "...12:14, so it's 15:14 over here." He spun a little dial at the back until- wait, how was he going to know?
"Um, guys?" Silver and Aura looked up. At last they could be used for something. "Am I at 3:15 pm yet?"
"Ar-on! Ar-ar-on!" Silver said. That would mean something like Yes.
"Um, Silver's tricking you again, Brendan." Aura said in her gentle voice. This was telepathy and it made conversation a lot easier. "I'll tell you when you're on the right section."
"Now?"
"Little more."
"Now?"
"Perfect." Brendan set it up on a little nail inbedded in the wall. Now things looked good. Everything was where it should-huh? There was a little sticky note by Brendan's computer. He recognised his Dad's handwriting. It always looked rushed but you could still read it.
Brendan,
Look inside of the computer. There's a surprise in there. Mom's got one as well but only after you see Professor Birch.
Love, Dad
Brendan turned on the PC and noticed something he hadn't seen before. Item Storage. Maybe that would explain a large machine linked to the PC that had a large opening like it could be used in a Pokemon Center to teleport Pokemon. He clicked on the folder icon. Inside this folder was a little Potion icon. Click.
"Contains (1) Potion(s). Take out from PC?" Yes. A flash of light drew Brendan from the monitor and over to the weird machine. When it subsided, a single Potion stood there.
Now Brendan understood what all of the equipment was for. There was an Item Storage fridge in the garage where items could be sent via teleporter. This was linked to the PC's teleporter and at the click of the mouse items could be transported. He took it out and put it in his backpack in what he had dubbed the Items Section.
"BRENDAN!" His mum screamed. The sound made Brendan jump. Since when had Mom screamed so loud? "BRENDAN! COME QUICK! DAD'S ON TV!!" At this, Brendan rocketed downstairs, Silver trotting along, Aura teleporting down faster. However, the Feeling Pokemon had gone right in front of the stairs and Brendan had to freeze abruptly on the bottom stair. Silver didn't stop running and collided right into Brendan's back.
"Ow!" You'd do that if an Aron collided with you. Aura squealed and shuffled out of the way just as trainer and Pokemon hit the floor.
"Are you Ok, hon?" Mrs. Knight asked hurriedly, helping up her son from the floor.
"I'm *ow* fine." Brendan groaned. "Just *ow* let me *ow* get to the *ow* TV." Brendan got up weakly just to see a Cacnea, Dustox and Ninjask all piled up on one another. Courtesy of Dad's Pokemon. The man himself was standing proudly by them.
Norman Knight was tall and strong, though he was quite thin so it was hard to tell. His black hair was in a crew cut and he wore his favourite outfit: red jumper, blue denim jeans, suave black shoes.
"And that, ladies and gentlemen, was from Petalburg Gym!" The image changed. Apparantly the whole broadcast was to show off the new Gym Leader's skills.
"Oh, too bad. You just missed him." Mrs. Knight said sadly.
"Don't worry," Brendan said brightly. "At least I saw him on TV." Big announcement coming up. Why else would she drag Brendan downstairs when he had a TV upstairs?
"Now, our neighbours, the Birches, are next door. I understand they have a daughter your age." D-daughter? Brendan's history with the ladies wasn't very good. Not very good at all. "You should go over and introduce yourself." Another excuse to get out. Maybe he could show off his Pokemon as well.
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Brendan, Silver and Aura were walking across the streets to the Birches' house. A daughter around his age. He had followed the steps over and over again. Don't fidget. Keep calm. Don't stutter your words. But these would all be harder to do than it would be to read them. Brendan knocked on the door.
"Just a minute!" Ugh, waiting. What was there to wait about? The door opened. A smiling woman with brown hair and an apron answered the door. Fresh off the "Suburban Mother" range.
"Hello, I assume you're Brendan Knight?"
"Yes, ma'am. This is my Aron, Silver and my Ralts, Aura." Both Pokemon smiled at Mrs. Birch.
"Well, come on in." Inside was a lot similar to Brendan's home except the dining room table was bare and the kitchen was stacked with dirty dishes. "I'm in the middle of washing up so those won't last long." She added. "May's upstairs, I think." May. Brendan's new neighbour. Wonder what she was like. Up the stairs he and his Pokemon went.
A door on the right said "May's Room" in flowery stencil. He was about to knock, but people in Johto never knocked so he just went in. The room was a lot similar to his own except the GameCube was blue and the GBA was a Pikachu edition. The clock had a pink Pokeball instead of a blue but other than that everything was the same. A single Pokeball was in the room. Wonder what was inside?
"Hey!" Brendan turned around at the Pokeball's owner, a Swablu perched on her shoulder. Her slender frame was dressed in an orange sleeveless vest with white Pokeballs at the hem, a black skirt, sneakers, brown hair in a wing-like design and a green bandanna with a white Pokeball imprint. "What are you doing here?"
"Um, well," Come on Knight, say something. Something SENSIBLE. "I-I was supposed to come over and um,"
"Introduce yourself?"
"Yes!" Exclaimed Brendan, a little too quickly. "Well, I'm Brendan, I just moved to Littleroot."
"Oh yes, your move was today." She seemed to have trouble looking directly at Brendan. "Um, I'm May. Nice to meet you."
"Ditto. Um, is that a Swablu?" Conversation. Very awkward with Brendan.
"Oh yeah! This is Sky. She's for my career."
"And that is?"
"Uh-uh, that would be telling. Anyway, I've got to do some research. Dad's orders. See ya around Brendan!" Immediately, she went to her computer, Sky flying on to her perch.
"Oookay." At that, Brendan went downstairs. She hadn't even noticed Silver and Aura. "Guys, return." The miniaturisation ray built into the Pokeballs recalled Brendan's companions. He then left the house. Only thing left was to see the Prof himself. Coming to May's house, he noticed a large metal structure that didn't blend in to Littleroot's image. That was probably the lab. And his next destination.
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If Brendan chose to go onto Route 101 instead, he would have met Professor Birch himself. He was tall and muscle-bound but he hid it under a lab coat and t-shirt. He wore shorts and sandals. He had a short brown beard on his chin. He became a Pokemon Professor when he was young and his teachers described him as a prodigy. But Birch was never one to sit and read. He would sit and read, then explore what he had read outside. Today he was studying a Wurmple.
"Subject appears to not eat as much food as previous subject." Birch noted. He was speaking into a little tape recorder to note things down. "Has eaten only a few times in comparison to previous subject who ate very frequently. Huh?" The last word hadn't been recorded into the tape, thankfully. The Wurmple was now spinning thread around itself but after a few minutes instead of forming a white shell a purple shell was formed and the red eyes were more narrowed.
"Interersting." He was again speaking into the tape recorder. "The subject has turned into a Cascoon instead of a Silcoon. Could eating alter the way a Wurmple evolves?" Still pondering the question, he threw a Pokeball at the Cascoon and it was caught without effort. "I'll study this Cascoon in the lab." He picked up the Pokeball and walked away. He hadn't gone a few steps before he heard a growl. A deep growl.
"Hmm, strange." Birch continued walking, albeit a little quicker. The growls increased and he walked quicker. The growls grew louder and Birch broke into a run. He hadn't seen it. He hadn't seen the Mightyena.
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Prior to this, Brendan was still walking towards the lab. His shoes were getting tired and he knew he needed replacements quick. But he had no time to do so and though his parents promised he saw no change. At last the lab stood ahead. He went through the doors and looked around. Everything had been cleaned to the finest extent and there were strange machines around but no Professor Birch. He knew what he looked like because his Dad had described him to Brendan so he needed directions.
"Um, excuse me," He had asked a particluarly bookish man who could be an assistant to the Professor. "Do you know where Professor Birch is?"
"Oh, Professor Birch is doing fieldwork on Route 101. He's not the kind to sit around and read. He'd rather experience things up close."
Route 101. The only way out of Littleroot. Another destination for Brendiana Jones. Latios, why couldn't things be simple? Littleroot was SUPPOSED to be simple after all.
"Ahhh!" Oh great. Another complication. But it was coming from Route 101. What if the Professor was there? Brendan ran towards Route 101, almost knocking down a small girl who was looking out fearfully. There was Birch chased by a large doglike Pokemon, it's midnight-black fur rustling in the wind. "You there! Please help me!"
"Why else would I be here?" But he still pulled out a Pokeball. Silver could take whatever hits this dog could dish out.
"Silver, come on out!" In a flash of light, the Aron appeared, eyeing up his opponent. "Metal Claw!" Silver's claws glowed and he charged forward, slashing the dog across the face. The Mightyena lunged at the little Aron, it's fangs bared.
"Iron Defense!" Silver curled his head and legs under his body just in time; the Mightyena bit only on hard metal. It howled in pain as the fangs had deep cracks in them. Birch was still in the corner, thunderstruck by what he'd seen. Already this boy was quite experienced and knew how to handle his Pokemon.
"OK Silver, end this with Water Pulse!"
"Water Pulse?!" Birch cried in amazement. "How could an Aron know Water Pulse so early?"
"I gave it a TM before I came to Littleroot." Brendan explained. Silver's mouth opened and blue electricity crackled inside it. The Mightyena let out a howl. Why? Did it mean it was close to defeat? The electricity gradually turned into a blue orb that expanded until it was around the size of Silver's head. He fired it at the Bite Pokemon, unleashing a series of waves. It soaked the Mightyena-and Birch had he not moved out of the way- but it wasn't down.
"Huh?" Brendan said blandly. "That Water Pulse should have finished it off for sure." Another Mightyena charged down. Brendan now understood. Water Pulse had taken too long to charge and in that time the lone Mightyena had called in reinforcements.
"Ok, Silver, use-" But before his trainer could give a command, one of the Mightyena had slammed into Silver. Next, the second Mightyena pinned him down by the throat.
"There are two Pokeballs in my bag!" Birch called. "Use one!"
"But I can-"
"I don't deny that your Aron is strong," Birch interrupted, "But it can't win on it's own! Choose any one!" Brendan bent down into Birch's bag and felt around. The cold structure of a Pokeball greeted his fingers and just in time; one of the Mightyena, the one that hadn't pinned down Silver had got wind of him and charged.
"AAH!" Brendan screamed, "Go, whoever you are!" He threw the Pokeball and out of it came...
"Tor-chic!" A small, red chick Pokemon emerged from the Pokeball, jumping once then landing perfectly in front of the stunned dog. But taking the little chick as an annoyance rather than a threat, it charged forward again.
"Dodge it!" Torchic jumped out of the way before the Mightyena had even come close. It then ruffled it's feathers. It was ready to fight. "Professor, quick! Give me some of it's attacks!"
"Torchic's best move at this point would be..." He paused, trying to remember. "Scratch!"
"OK! Torchic, Scratch attack!" Torchic ran at the Mightyena, quick as a blade and clawed it across the face. It snapped at Torchic but it had jumped again.
"Scratch again!" Another claw. The Mightyena's paw leapt off Silver's neck, giving the Aron a chance to get away. It stood next to Torchic, reared up, ready to attack.
"Torchic, Scratch once more! Silver, Headbutt!" Torchic scored the final hit on the first Mightyena, who fainted due to the hits it had taken from Silver. The titular Pokemon charged forward, head first at the Mightyena. Tired out, the Bite Pokemon collapsed. Birch made his move.
"Pokeball, go!" His Pokeballs caught the Mightyena, no effort put up due to tiredness. "Phew, that was close. Thank you. And you are?"
"I'm Brendan Knight sir, I just moved in."
"Ah yes, Norman said you would come. Just didn't imagine meeting like this!" He let out a short laugh. "Anyway, come back to my lab."
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"OK, I know about your Aron, Brendan." They were now back at Birch's lab, Silver and Torchic back in their Pokeballs and in the healing machine. "But Norman mentioned you had a second."
"That would be Aura. She's my Ralts, sir." It felt weird, calling the Prof something formal like "sir" when he was very informal.
"Oh yes, now I remember. Anyway, your supposed to be going on a journey. My guess is that it's the Hoenn League."
"Yes Professor."
"Then in that case," He held out Torchic's Pokeball. "I want you to have this Torchic. You two fought well together, plus trainers can only recieve their licence and registration with one of the starters."
"Cool!" Brendan said. He noticed in the battle that Torchic was fast and struck hard. It'd be useful to have it on his team. "I got a Torchic!"
"Don't forget Silver as well." Birch added, giving Silver's Pokeball. "Now, as I'm sure you know, communication between trainer and Pokemon is extremely important. So I'd like to give you this." He held out in his hand what looked like an iPod. It's body was painted red and the wheel was designed like, surprise, surprise, a Pokeball with a red top and a blue bottom. The off switch was in the centre of the Pokeball wheel and there were a pair of headphones. These weren't the tiny ones that went in the ear lobe. These were quite large and had straps that went around the ears.
"What's this, Professor?" Brendan asked.
"It's a Pokemon Communicator, or PokeCom for short. It's from the Devon Corporation in Rustboro City. Bascially the headphones allow you to understand what your Pokemon are saying and still enable you to hear other sounds."
"Double cool!" Brendan exclaimed, taking the PokeCom from Birch's hand.
"My kid May has one as well. Now that I mention it, she's on Route 103 doing research. That's north from Oldale Town. Why don't the two of you meet up there?"
"Sounds OK, I guess." Brendan shrugged. "Thanks once again Professor." Shaking the Professor's hand once more, he left the lab. So far things looked good. He had a new Pokemon on his team and he could understand them as well. Things should get interesting.
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OK, R&R. Oh, first of all, no SPAM's like "Great fic!" or "Excellent! 10/10!" Pick out what you liked, flaws in this story and improvement points. Bye!
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