Chapter 1: A Journey's Beginning

Hey, guys, this is my first fic, and I'd like to know what you think about it. If you want me to continue it, then leave a review saying so. If not, then review anyway

Now, without further adieu, I present to you A Trainer's Journey.

Enjoy.

The roar of the crowd was deafening. I jumped, startled that I was suddenly in a stadium, with an audience cheering me on. Cheering for what, exactly? Well, I found myself in the middle of a battle I didn't remember starting. But I didn't have much time to think about that as the opponent called a command to their Venusaur from across the battle field. "Venusaur, Sleep Powder!"

Only then did I take notice of the six-foot-five, orange dragon-looking creature in front of me, seemingly awaiting my command. His large, orange wings looked powerful enough to lift him high into the air. Or blow something away. "Charizard, quick, blow that Sleep Powder back!"

Charizard flapped his mighty wings and blewthe purple-blue powder back at the Venusaur. "Venusaur, don't breath it in!" the other Trainer called out. Venusaur took a deep breath and held it.

"Now get out of there!" On command, Venusaur lumbered out of the sleep-inducing cloud of powder and into a powder-free area, where she let out the breath.

Seeing an opening, I shouted, "Charizard, into the air and use Flamethrower!" Charizard flapped his wings again and lifted himself into up before he took in a deep breath and let it out, spewing a red-hot column of flames to the opposing Grass-and Poison-type.

But the opponent had a counter-attack planned. "Light Screen!" Venusaur tensed her body and a wall of yellow light materialized in front of her. Charizard's attack hit the Light Screen, tongues of flame lashing out. Behind the flames I could see Venusaur struggling to keep it up. Some of Charizard's Flamethrower might be getting past and injuring her, but it clearly wasn't nearly enough.

Seeing that the attack was useless, I gave Charizard an order. "Charizard, get in close and use Dragon Claw!" Charizard stopped his attack and folded in his wings, diving for the Grass-type, his right claws glowing a deep blue. He slashed at the Venusaur, and she jerked to the side at the last second, leaving Charizard to zoom past before she could counter-attack.

"Again!"

Charizard came around for another slash at Venusaur, but he anticipated Venusaur's evasion and moved to the side just as she did. Charizard hit his mark, leaving a long gash in Venusaur's flank, blood a thin streak of blood painting the floor.

Just as Charizard was about to strike, though, the other Trainer shouted. "Vine Whip!"

Green vines shot out of the plant on Venusaur's back and wrapped themselves around Charizard before he could break away.

"Charizard, cut the vines away!" I shouted across the field, a hint of panic in my voice. But it was no use. The vines had completely wrapped around Charizard, pinning his arms to his body. As Charizard tried to move his arms to slash at them, the other Trainer gave another command.

"Sleep Powder!"

"No!" I shouted, now panicking. If Charizard fell asleep, then the battle would be pretty much over. I didn't know how I knew, but this was a very important battle, judging by the audience crowding the stadium and the cameras pointed at us.

More of the purple-blue powder came out of the flower on Venusaur's back. Charizard inhaled it and he immediately became drowsy, and within seconds, he was fast asleep. "Now, Venusaur! Sludge Bomb!"

"Charizard, wake up!" I screamed, but it was no use.

Venusaur opened her mouth and several balls of purple sludge came flying out, flying straight towards a sleeping Charizard. Right before the attack hit, Venusaur released Charizard from his imprisonment in the vines. Upon impact, the Poison attack sent Charizard flying backwards and falling heavily to the ground. At such close a range, the attack did a lot of damage. But, fortunately, the sheer force of the impact from the Sludge Bomb woke Charizard from his slumber. He stood up and gave a mighty roar, spewing flames from his mouth, and the spectators went crazy, cheering me and Charizard on.

"Alright Charizard, let's finish this. Take to the sky!" I said, pumping a fist into the air. Charizard took off into the sky and hovered there as I gave the next command. "Fly straight towards Venusaur, and use Fire Blast!" Charizard folded his wings and dived, opening his jaws for the attack.

In an almost panicked voice, the other Trainer gave their command. "Venusaur, Solar Beam!" The voice sounded so familiar, I knew I had heard it before, knew that I knew the person the voice belonged to, but I could not for the life of me remember who exactly it was.

At the Trainer's command, tiny particles of light started collecting in Venusaur's flower, until a sizable ball of energy formed. Just as Charizard loosed his attack from his jaws, a stream of flame twice as big as the Flamethrower ending in a five-pointed figure flying at Venusaur, Venusaur bent her front legs and straightened her hind legs, aiming the flower with the seed in the center, indicating that she was indeed female, at the incoming Charizard. The ball of light energy formed at the center of the flower exploded forward, becoming a beam of veritable solar power, colliding in mid-air with the Fire Blast as Charizard was not twenty feet away. The resulting explosion rocked the battlefield, sending a shockwave throughout the stadium, and when the shockwave hit me I had to fight to keep my balance. The flash of light from the mid-air explosion had momentarily blinded me, but when my vision cleared, I saw that a cloud of dust had been kicked up, obscuring our Pokemon from view, so I couldn't seen which one was still standing. I waited nervously as the smoke cleared, biting my lip and clenching my hands into tight fists, anxious to see whether I had won or lost. The smoke finally cleared after what seemed to be an hour, which was actually only like eight seconds, and the Pokemon still standing was-

The morning sunlight filtered through the window in my room, bathing my face in golden light, rousing me from my deep slumber. I grunted and turned on my side, away from the sunlight, pulling the covers over my head in an attempt to hide from the sun's rays. I fell asleep once more, this time dreaming about going to get my starter Pokemon on my eleventh birthday.

Then the neighbor's Dodrio from down the street crowed, and the sound could be heard throughout the entirety of the small coastal town of Pallet. I opened my eyes and cursed that Dodrio, always waking me up so early in the morning. And whenever I wake up, I just can't go back to sleep, no matter what.

To hell with it, I'd try any way.

I lay on my stomach on my bed and closed my eyes, trying to go back to sleep. A few minutes later my moms voice drifted up the stairs and reached my ears. "Jack, wake up or you'll be late!"

I uttered a simple grunt. A couple more minutes later, my eyes snapped open.

"Oh, damn, today's the day!" I cried. I jumped out of bed and ran towards my closet. Unfortunately, I still had the sheets of my bed on me, and they tangled themselves around my legs. And I fell.

"Crap!" I jumped back up and, kicking the sheets off of my legs, I hurried over to my closet and opened it. There, hanging inside, was the outfit I had set out for my journey.

A long time ago, back when they first established the rules, the Pokemon League stated that the first of May of the year that a kid turned ten was when could obtain his license, even if they weren't officially ten years old yet. Kids were allowed to have Pokemon, so long as they only had them as pets, but they weren't allowed to battle them competitively, not until they got their Trainer Licenses, and even then they had to wait until their tenth birthday. Then, with permission to battle Pokemon, they could go out on journeys of their own, if they wanted. Pretty much all of them did. In fact, only one kid in my class at the academy didn't, but that was because he wanted to become a researcher under Professor Oak. Some of the ones that do go on journeys said they were going to take the League challenge- earn eight Badges from Gym Leader in each major city in the region- to become the Champion. Others, though, usually decide to just travel with their Pokemon.

But, some time ago, I'm not sure how long, the Pokemon League started getting complaints from parents of children about to start their journeys, about how they thought ten was too young to travel the world alone. So, in order to calm the parents, the League bumped the age up to eleven, as if that was much of change.

Two other friends of mine had already gotten their licenses before me, but they wanted to wait until I got mine so we could leave Pallet Town together. My birthday was earlier this month, on July 16, and I finally got my license yesterday, the 30, and on my first try.

And now, today was the day when I can actually start my journey. But I could not for the life of me choose one of the starters: Charmander, Bulbasaur, or Squirtle. They all looked like cool Pokemon to have. I had imagined myself in several battle scenarios with each of the Pokemon, torching opponents with Charmander, drenching enemies with Squirtle, and whipping foes with Bulbasaur, but I still couldn't decide. In the end, I thought that I would see the starters for myself, and then maybe I could decide.

I plucked my outfit off of the hangar and brought it over to my bed. I stripped down (only to my boxers, of course), and put on the outfit. After tying the shoes, I walked over to my closet and closed it so I could see myself in the mirror hanging on the door. I wore a red button shirt with black sleeves and a white collar and white trimming along the where the buttons met. My jeans were a light blue, my shoes black on the lower half and red on top. I had the cap that completed the outfit in my hand, and I put it on. The hat was red, and the bill was white. There was also a small half-Pokeball logo in the center where the bill met the cap.

I looked at myself for a while, making sure nothing was out of place. Once I was sure everything was alright, I turned and walked out of room, down the stairs and into the kitchen, where my mom was making breakfast.

"Hey, mom, have you seen my backpack?" I asked her. "I have to get to Professor Oak's lab to get my starter."

"Aren't you going to eat first, Jack?" she asked, placing some bacon on a platter.

"Can't, Mom, gotta go or others will take all of the starters, and I won't be able to get on for me!" I said.

"Well, you can't expect to go on your journey with an empty stomach, can you?" she asked, waving the spatula she was using to make the eggs at me.

"But I really have to go, Mom!" I protested.

"Come on, Jack, a little bacon can't hurt, right? Besides, if you want to go on a Pokemon journey and be a successful Trainer, like your father and I used to before I met him, then you have to keep up your strength. Right, Pikachu?" The little electric mouse looked up from it's bowl and nodded in affirmation before going back to eating. "Now, come on, sit."

Before I was born, years before, my mom had gone on a journey, much like the one I was about to start, and my dad did, too. They both became rather well-known Trainers. They had both won all eight badges from each Gym around Kanto and had managed to get to the semi-finals of the Pokemon League, where they lost against each of their opponents. My parents later got a divorce, and my dad went to a far away region, and became a Gym Leader there, where he specialized in Normal-types. When he left, my dad had also taken my brother with him, although I was far too young to remember any of this; I was only three when he left, and my brother two. I sometimes wonder if he knows that he has brother, as my mom never mentioned if my dad had told him. Now, my mom still has one of the Pokemon that traveled with her on her journey, her Pikachu, a Pokemon I grew up with. She had told me when I was younger that, when she had settled down with my dad to start a family, she had given all of her Pokemon to a friend who lived in Johto, a Professor: her starter, Blastoise, and Nidoqueen, Clefable, Ninetails, and Lapras.

I stared at the bacon intently, suddenly ravenous. I guess my Mom had a point. I mean, parents aren't always wrong, right? She had some good logic. "I guess a little bacon couldn't hurt."

I grabbed a plate and piled some on, and Mom placed some eggs on it and poured me orange juice. I wolfed it all down, and within a couple minutes, it was all gone. I stood and headed for the door. "Alright, Mom, I'm heading out to the Professor's. I'll be back."

"Promise you'll come back before you leave?" She asked.

"Yes, Mom, I promise," I sighed. "Bye!" I walked out the door and closed it behind me. I went down the street, heading for the lab, which was the tallest building in Pallet, its domed roof visible anywhere in town. Along the way, a few people greeted me. Almost everyone in town knew each other. In a town as small as Pallet, it was hard not to.

I strolled down the road, looking at all the wild Pokemon that appeared from the brush. A lone Spearow looked at me and flew off, undoubtedly in search of breakfast. I flock of Pidgeotto and Pidgey took flight, led by a rare Pidgeot. I stopped and watched as the bird Pokemon flew off, watching as the Pidgeot flapped its powerful wings and its long, majestic, red-and-orange crest flapped in the wind as it flew. It was without a question a graceful and beautiful Pokemon, coveted by Coordinators. Once the flock disappeared over the treetops, I continued on to my destination. After a bit more walking, a Rattata poked its head out of a bush and looked back and forth, sniffing the air. It spotted an Oran Berry in front of it, and the Rattata quickly snatched it up before disappearing back into the bush.

A few minutes later, I arrived at the foot of the long stairwell leading up the Professor's lab. No longer able to contain my excitement, I sprinted up the long stairs. I reached the top just as I started to wheeze. I stood at the top of the stairs, bent over, hands on my knees, trying to catch my breath. After I was able to breath normally, I walked as calmly as I could to the door and opened it, stepping inside. The building was pleasantly air conditioned, and I kept going towards the back of the lab, where Professor Oak's office was.

"Jack! Good to see you, my boy!" The Professor stepped from behind his desk and came to where I was standing at the entrance of his office to give me a hug. "Today's the day you get your starter Pokemon. Are you excited?"

"Of course I am," I responded.

"Well, come on. I'll show you the Pokemon."

He led me further into his office. I noticed that there was someone else in the room. He also wore an outfit that he had chosen for his journey. He wore a black collared shirt, purple jeans, black shoes, and had a pouch hanging around his waist, facing forward, to store his items. His hair was its usual, spiked up and rather messy. "Gary," I greeted him, giving a nod.

He looked at me and smirked before saying, "Hey, the loser's finally here! About time, Jack, I've had my License for a month and I'm itching to get my Pokemon already!" He eagerly looked over at the professor, who now held three Pokeballs.

"Okay, boys, here I have three Pokeballs, each containing one Pokemon. You're free to choose whichever one you want." He clicked the button on the center if each ball, and they snapped open, three Pokemon standing at our feet almost immediately after.

"Which one do you want, Gary?" I asked him.

"Whichever one is strongest," he responded.

I looked at the three starters, and weighed the choices. The Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle just looked back at me. Charmander was a Fire-type, which meant it had an advantage over Grass-, Bug-, Steel-, and Ice-type Pokemon, but it was weak against Ground-, Rock-, and Water-types. Bulbasaur was a dual Grass- and Poison-type, meaning it had an advantage over Rock-, Ground-, Water-, and Grass-types, but didn't do well against Psychic-, Fire-, Flying-, and Ice-types. Squirtle, a Water-type, was strong against Rock-, Ground-, and Fire-types, but was weak against Grass- and Electric-types.

But before I could choose one, the Squirtle looked over at Gary, stared at him for a bit, then walked over to him. It jumped down from the table and rubbed itself against its leg.

"Well, then, Gary, it seems that Squirtle has taken a liking to you," Professor Oak said with a smile.

"Yeah, I noticed," Gary said, looking down at the Squirtle. "He looks pretty strong, I choose Squirtle."

Upon hearing Gary's decision, Squirtle jumped in up into his arms, nuzzling his chest.

I looked over the remaining Charmander and Bulbasaur. The Charmander looked at me, and the second our eyes met, I felt a click in my head. I now knew who I would choose for my starter Pokemon. The Charmander's eyes lit up and he walked over, jumped off the table, and stopped at my feet, looking up at me. I picked him up and it climbed up onto my shoulder, where it batted at my hat.

"It looks like you've made your choice, Jack," Professor Oak remarked.

"Actually, Professor, it looks like Charmander made his choice," I said, scratching Charmander on his head from his perch on my shoulder. I glanced at the Bulbasaur, and noticed that it was looking down, ears drooping, looking dejected. I approached the Bulbasaur and crouched to meet it at eye level. "Don't be so down, Bulbasaur, I'm sure someone will pick you. You just need to be patient." I smiled, and the Bulbasaur instantly cheered up, giving a sound that sounded like a purr.

"Good boy." I patted its head, and it gave me an irritated look. "Hey, what's with look?"

"Jack."

I looked at Professor Oak. "Yeah?"

"This particular Bulbasaur is a female." the Professor said.

"It is?" I looked at the Bulbasaur, and it was still looking at me with that same aggravated look. I smiled at her apologetically, saying, "Sorry, Bulbasaur."

"Idiot," Gary coughed, smirking. Squirtle was now at his feet, staring up at him in admiration. I was surprised that Squirtle had grown to liking Gary so quickly upon just having met him. I guess Gary was a natural Trainer.

I shot him a glare. I didn't know what his problem was with me, hell, with everyone. He was always acting rude towards anyone, whether he knew them or not. I guess the fact that Professor Oak was his grandfather made him think that he was superior to everyone else. With good reason, I guess. Whenever the school we went to held some mock, practice battles, Gary always won, no matter who he was up against, including me.

I turned back to Bulbasaur. "Good girl, then," I said, patting her on the head again. At this, Bulbasaur went back to her happy self.

"Well, now that you've chosen your starters, follow me, boys." The Professor walked to the back of his office, Gary trailing behind. "Remember, Bulbasaur, patience," I said to her before following.

At the back of his office, the Professor stopped at a table that held three sets of five Pokeballs and a red, rectangular device. The Professor turned and addressed us. "As you can see, boys, I have here three sets of five Pokeballs and a Pokedex-"

"Hey, Gramps, what the hell's a Pokedex?" Gary rudely interrupted.

"Be patient, Gary, I'm getting there," the Professor sighed. "And watch your language, son."

"Sure, Gramps," Gary muttered, looking away.

"Now, where was I… ah, yes. A Pokedex"-he picked up one of the devices-"is an encyclopedia of Pokemon, of my own design. It holds information on all Pokemon in the Kanto region. Whenever you encounter a Pokemon you've never seen, just take this out, aim it at a Pokemon, and it will scan the particular Pokemon. It will then give you information on it, such as its name, preferred habitat, diet, and so on, even the moves it currently knows. Here, let me give you a little demonstration." The Professor pressed a button on top of the Pokedex and it flipped open. He lifted it and aimed it at Charmander on my shoulder. The red device whirred and a few seconds later, a mechanical woman's voice came from it. "Charmander, the Lizard Pokemon. The flame that burns at the tip of its tail is an indication of its emotions. The flame wavers when Charmander is happy, and blazes when enraged."

"Charmander's current moves are Scratch, Tail Whip, and Ember. He's young, so he doesn't have many moves. But once you get to training Charmander, he will learn more powerful moves." The Professor picked up the other Pokedex from the table and handed them over to us, one for each. " Here you go, boys. Take good care of them, they'll prove wonderful companions. And take these, too." He handed us the five Pokeballs. I slipped the Pokedex into my pocket, making a mental note to put it in my backpack later, and took the Pokeballs. Most Trainers had a special belt that they could use to store their Pokeballs when not using them. Along one side were six raised circular indentations with like five powerful magnets in them. All a Trainer had to do was move their Pokeball into the indents and the magnets would hold them in place so that there was no chance of them falling off. I clipped my spare Pokeballs to mybelt like I had been taught, Gary doing the same. "You can use those to catch any other Pokemon you see, but remember to battle and weaken them first, because they may break out if you just throw it at them."

"Thanks, Professor."

"Thanks, Gramps."

"So who are those other Pokeballs and Pokedex for?" I asked.

"I got word that another child was coming to receive their starter, too. So that person may choose you, Bulbasaur," the Professor told the Bulbasaur, and she shook her body in anticipation.

My eyes widened. That's right, my other friend as getting a starter today, too! Must have been so excited that I forgot.

"Here are your Pokemon's Pokeball, boys," the Professor handed us a Pokeball each. I took Charmander's and reached up, plucking Charmander from his perch. I set him on the ground and pressed a button on the ball, enlarging it and aiming it at Charmander. "Return," I said, and a beam of red light shot out from the center, hitting Charmander, turning it into energy, and withdrawing him into his Pokeball, all in less than a second.

"Cool," I said, holding the ball up to my face. I found it amazing that this little ball could turn a Pokemon into pure energy and store it inside, all without changing its weight. I clipped Charmander's Pokeball to my belt like the five others before it, Gary mirroring my actions, and looked back at the Professor.

"Alright, boys, you've gotten your starters, extra Pokeballs, and Pokedexes. You're ready to begin your adventures. Now, off you go into the world of Pokemon!"

"Alright, Gramps, Jack, smell ya later. I'm off!" Gary walked out of the office and out of the lab.

I was about to go when the Professor stopped me. "Promise me you'll be careful, Jack."

"I will."

"You're all your mother has now, after your father left." I looked down at that, a little dejected. "I'm not going to lie to you, Jack. The world isn't always a nice place. People will try to take advantage of you. Whatever you do, don't let them. Be careful, I don't want you getting hurt." He paused, searching for some words. I could see that he genuinely cared about me, even though we weren't related. "I've known your mother since she set out on her own journey. She always was a positive person, always happy. Sure, she got into some scrapes now and again, but she always pulled through. Having your father around was a definite help.

"I truly delighted in seeing your mother so happy when you were born. You mean the world to your mother, Jack. I would feel horrible if something were to happen to you. Just promise me you'll take care of yourself."

"Don't worry, Professor, I will."

He smiled warmly. "Good. Now, don't let me hold you back from your journey."

I was about to go when I turned to the Professor. "Thanks, Professor. For all of this."

"Don't mention, Jack. It was my pleasure. I always enjoy seeing the enthusiasm of kids when they receive their starting Pokemon and set off on their adventure. Now run along, Jack. Go off on your very own adventure, and remember to enjoy yourself and the friendship that the Pokemon I'm sure you'll catch will share with you!"

I nodded and smiled. "You got it, Professor." I walked out of the lab and hurried down the steps in front of the building. Once at the bottom, I broke into a run, heading towards home, remembering my promise to my mom to go home before setting off. Besides, I had forgotten my backpack at home, so I had to go back anyway. I couldn't believe this was happening. I just got my first Pokemon, my Charmander, and was about to go on my journey as a Pokemon Trainer. A dream that every kid has growing up. A minute or so later, I stopped in front of my home. I ran up to the door and opened it, stepping inside.

"Hey, Mom, I'm here, just as I promised!" I shouted once inside.

Mom stepped out from the kitchen, drying her hands on her apron. "Jack, how'd it go? Did you get your starting Pokemon?"

"Yep." I plucked Charmander's Pokeball from my belt and enlarged, and it popped open. A white light spilled from the depths of the ball and fell on the carpet at my feet, where it solidified into a shape and the light faded, revealing my new Charmander, all in a split second.

"Oh, so you got a Charmander," Mom said flatly.

I looked at her. 'What, you don't like my Charmander?" Oh, how cool it feels to say that! I thought.

"No, it's not that, it's just…" Mom paused, sighed, and continued. "I was kinda hoping that you were going to pick Squirtle."

"Like you did, Mom?"

"Yeah."

"Don't be sad, Mom, I have nothing against Squirtle, honestly, but Charmander and I picked each other, if that makes sense," I explained.

"It's makes total sense," Mom reassured me. "The same thing happened with me and my Blastoise when I picked him as my starter when he was a Squirtle." Suddenly, her eyes started to water.

"Mom, what's wrong?" I asked, concerned.

"My Jack's growing up," she said, embracing me in a tight hug.

"Come on, Mom, don't cry," I said, hugging her back. "You knew this day was coming."

"I know, but it's one thing knowing it will happen, and something else when it actually happens," Mom said.

A few moments of silence passed before I spoke. "Mom, can I go now?"

Mom pulled away from the hug, wiping at her eyes. "Sure, Jack, it's your time. But before you leave," she added as I turned to leave, Charmander trailing behind me.

I turned back to my mom as she reached behind the couch and lifted my backpack before handing it to me. I had actually forgotten about my backpack again, and it was one if the reasons I had come back home. "Can't forget this," Mom said.

"Of course not." I put the yellow backpack on. "Okay, Mom, I'm off. Wish me luck."

Mom hugged me tightly once more, saying, "Don't forget to call whenever you can."

"I won't, Mom." She let me go and I headed for the door. "Bye, Mom." Great, now I was tearing up. I blinked the tears away and smiled before returning Charmander to his Pokeball. I waved a goodbye to my mom, and she waved back, and I walked out the door, down the few steps at the front of the house, and walked around the corner of my home, heading for the path that would lead out of town.

As I turned the corner, I saw someone was turning the corner, too, but I saw them too late and bumped into them. As I was bigger then they were, I was able to stay on my feet, even though I stumbled back a bit, but the other person fell to the floor. They let out a cry of surprise when they hit and I looked at the newcomer. I immediately recognized her.

She was wearing a new outfit, a light blue sleeve-less tank top with a black collar and a black circle below it, a yellow bag hanging from her slender frame. She had a rather short, red skirt that came to about mid-thigh, socks the same shade of blue as her top that came to her shin, and red-and-white shoes. On her head was a white hate with a pink half-Pokeball symbol, located in the same area as on my own hat. She looked pretty good in that outfit. She was my friend, Karen. "Ow! Hey, why don't watch where you're-" She looked up at me and stopped. "Jack! It's you!"

"Hi, Karen. Here, let me help you," I offered, extending my hand for her to take hold.

"Hey, where were you earlier?" I asked as she dusted off her bag. "We agreed to all be there when we got our starters."

"I know, I know!" she said, adjusting her hat. "I overslept!"

"Well, you ruined the moment, y'know."

She only stuck out her tongue before grinning. "Check it out, I got new clothes!"

Karen gave a little twirl, her skirt fluttering about. "Like it?"

"Looks nice."

"Thank you," she said with a giggle. "Oh, hey, you got a starter!"

I grinned. "Sure did."

"Ooh, can I see it, Jack? I'll show you my Pokemon, too!" she pleaded. She took a Pokeball from her own belt and opened it, releasing the Pokemon from within. The white light faded to reveal a Bulbasaur. "Bulba!" it cried.

"Alright, here's mine." I took Charmander's Pokeball, enlarged it, and released Charmander at my feet.

"Ooh, you picked Charmander! It' so cute!" Karen fawned over Charmander.

Bulbasaur let out a huff.

"Of course you're cute, too, Bulbasaur."

Bulbasaur smiled and walked over to Charmander. She extended a vine from the bulb on her back and held it up to Charmander, who in turn high-fived it.

"Oh, look, Jack, they're already friends!"

"I think they were friends already, since Professor Oak raised them both," I said, watching as our Pokemon played with each other. "So you got the last one, huh? Gary and I got the other two, so we left you with Bulbasaur. Sorry if you wanted another Pokemon," I added, looking over at Karen.

"Oh, no, don't worry about it, I wanted Bulbasaur all along. Okay, so, if I have Bulbasaur, and you have Charmander, then Gary has Squirtle?"

"That's right," someone said behind us. We turned and Gary was strolling towards us, Squirtle at his heels. "So, little girl, you got Bulbasaur, did ya?"

"Yes, I chose Bulbasaur. And dammit, Gary, I am not a little girl, I'm older than you!" she protested. It was true. Gary was the youngest of the three of us, if only by a few days. Karen was the oldest, born on April 17, me on July 16, and Gary on the 25. Gary ignored her protests and looked at me.

"Well, Jack, I'm heading off now," he said smugly, smirking, his Squirtle having gone off to join in the frolicking of Charmander and Bulbasaur. "I'm going to Viridian and challenging the Gym there, and I'll get my first badge, before the two of you. Smell ya later, kiddies! Come on, Squirtle!" He ran off, calling his Pokemon. Squirtle left the play of the two other Pokemon reluctantly and followed after his Trainer.

"Damn, he really gets on my nerves. Where the hell does he get off calling us kiddies?" Karen fumed.

"C'mon, Karen, don't let him get to you. He's just being a jackass, like he usually is," I consoled her.

"Oh, I know, but it's hard when he's always insulting me like that," she sighed. She was suddenly back to her cheery self again. "Say, Jack, we're both starting on our journeys today. Why don't we travel together? Well, that is, if we're going in the same direction. Are we going in the same direction?"

"Well, the only thing south of here is the ocean, so, yeah, I guess we're going in the same direction."

"Then it's settled! We travel together! Alright, Bulbasaur, return!" Bulbasaur, with a look that combined her reluctance to leave the play and her eagerness to begin the adventure, was returned to Pokeball in a beam of red light. I returned Charmander to his Pokeball and Karen and I clipped our Pokemon's respective Pokeballs to our belts.

"Well, then, shall we go now?" I asked her.

"Let's go, off to Viridian City!" Karen cheered, and I merely smiled at her eagerness. We walked along the path like Gary had, and soon we arrived at the outskirts of Pallet Town. We stopped and I looked over at Karen, who suddenly seemed nervous, previous eagerness gone.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

She just smiled at me, shook her head, and said, "It's nothing, I just…I've never gone out of Pallet Town alone before. I'm so excited to go on a journey of my own, believe me, but I'm also a bit nervous."

"I understand," I comforted her. "I'm nervous, too. But you don't have to be. And you're never alone, Karen. You'll always have your Pokemon with you. And I'm here, too" I smiled comfortingly.

Karen smiled back. "Yeah, you're right, Jack. I'll always have my Pokemon with me." She looked at the lone Pokeball at her belt, then back at me. "Well, let's quit the chatter and get the show on the road!"

But, before we could take a step, someone was shouting towards us. "Hey, Jack! Karen!"

We turned and Gary's older sister, Daisy, came running up to us. "Have you guys seen Gary? I have something to give him, and I was hoping to catch him before he left to give it to him."

"Sorry, Daisy," I said. "You just missed him, he already took off towards Viridian a few minutes ago."

"Damn! That boy is always so impatient to start anything." She sighed. "I guess it can't be helped."

"Hey, I could take it to him, if you want," I volunteered.

"You would?"

"Sure. I mean Karen and I were going to Viridian anyway, so we could give him whatever it is you want to give him when see him,"

"Thank you, Jack," Daisy said. She reached into her shoulder bag and pulled out a cloth package. She gave it to me, and I was surprised at how heavy it was.

"Whoa, this thing is heavy. What is it?"

"Open it," Daisy prompted.

I glanced at Karen and she shrugged. I unwrapped the package to reveal it was three town maps, the newer editions that were encased in a metal case to protect the maps from wear and tear. "Whoa, cool! Town maps! But why are three of them?"

"Because two for them are for you and Karen." Daisy responded, smiling.

"Really? Whoa, thanks Daisy," Karen said, taking one of the maps. "But where did you get them? I heard they were expensive."

"Oh, I have a friend who had too many of them, so he gave me some when I asked him," Daisy explained.

"Thanks for the maps, Daisy," I said, swinging my backpack around and opened it to placed my map inside. I rewrapped Gary's and put it inside, too, and Karen put hers away in her bag. "Don't fret, Daisy, I'll get the map to Gary when we see him."

"Thank you, Jack, Karen. Good luck on your journey, guys," she said, waving, before heading back into town. We waved back, and faced the wilderness outside of Pallet.

"Well, let's go before anyone else interrupts us," I said, starting forward.

"Here we go. Look out world, you're about to be taken by storm by the invincible duo of Jack and Karen!" Karen pumped a fist in the air, and I couldn't help but laugh at her eager antics.

Together, Karen and I set off into the wilderness north of Pallet Town known as Route 1.

Author's Note: I case you were wondering, Jack, Karen, and Gary are based off of the male and female player characters and the rival, respectively, from the FireRed and LeafGreen games

EDIT: As of August 19, 2013, 3:03 AM, I have rewritten and updated this initial chapter of A Trainer's Journey. It's not a whole lot different from the original chapter, I only added a few things, but I think it's better.