Chapter 1: The Beginning of a Journey

The region of Metvan. Located somewhere near the Equator, it has a tropical climate with its own distinct landscapes consisting of beautiful mountains and exotic islands surrounding it. It is also home to a variety of Pokémon, some of which are said to have been introduced from distant regions. Many trainers would come to this region to do some training or just to rest and enjoy the view. While not being too well-known, it is known to all that there were also a few great trainers who have hailed from this region and have since made quite a name for themselves. Our story starts in the small town of Grungejam, where a certain young trainer is about to embark on a journey to follow his dreams.

The moment the alarm clock had started to sound, Jack Quincy had immediately leapt out of his bed and had quickly changed into his new clothes. He put on a red short-sleeved hooded top with a yellow-colored flame logo with a white circle on the center of it and a pair of black jeans. He then styled his hair into a spiky mess with some wax and had proceeded on putting his red wireless headphones on his neck when his door opened and a young girl about his own age walked into the room.

The young girl wore a crimson tank top with a black bottom which reached just below her knees. She was also wearing white-colored Running Shoes that were the latest models developed by Devon Corporation. Her hazel-brown hair was tied into a ponytail. There was a Budew perched on her left shoulder with a cute smile plastered on its face. The girl herself was holding what appeared to be a wrapped package.

"Good morning Jack! Are you ready to head out?" asked the girl. Jack attached his bag to his back as she was saying this.

"I sure am!" Jack replied enthusiastically. "How about you, Vera?" he asked.

"My stuff's waiting downstairs," Vera replied. "But enough about that, my dad wanted me to hand you this," she as she handed him the wrapped package, which he accepted.

"A package, huh? I wonder what's inside," Jack said as he unwrapped the package and opened up the box. Inside it was a red handheld device with five balls surrounding it. His eyes widened upon seeing the contents of the box. "It's a Pokédex! He even included some Pokéballs! Cool!" Jack exclaimed.

"Dad would have given it to you in person but he said that he needed to head off to work early. Anyways, your mother asked for you to come downstairs into the dining room." Vera stated. Placing the device in his pocket, the Pokéballs in his belt strap, and putting on his own red-colored Running Shoes, Jack followed his friend down the stairs towards the dining room, where his family stood waiting for them. Upon seeing him, his little sister ran up to him with a huge grin plastered onto her face while an orange chimpanzee-like Pokémon leapt off the dining table and proceeded to make itself comfortable by climbing onto his shoulder.

"Jackie! Jackie! Jackie! I made you something! Look! Look!" shouted his little sister enthusiastically as she handed him a necklace made with a black string that had its ends tied up tightly and a stone in the center of it that was shaped like a musical note. He gently accepted it from his little sister and had quickly put it on.

"It's beautiful! Thanks Jade!" Jack said, causing his little sister to beam at the comment.

"Yay! Jackie likes my gift! Yay!" shouted Jade as she began running around the house with her arms stretched out like as though she was mimicking a plane. Soon after, there were the loud sounds of her footsteps as she began to race back and forth on the stairs.

"Please be careful sweetie!" stated Jack's mother as Jade continued to run up and down the stairs. Turning her attention back to her son, Jack's mother pulled out a package from behind her and handed it to Jack. As soon as he received it, he quickly opened it and found a red Xtransceiver, a device that made communications possible, inside of it. He put it on and admired it before hugging his mother, who returned his hug with a few tears in her eyes.

"Your father would have been so proud!" stated the woman, as she began to sob. Jack drew back and then looked at his mother in the eyes before smiling.

"Don't worry Mom! I promise that I won't let you guys down. I'll definitely return home as a Pokémon Champion! I'm gonna make you both proud of me!" Jack said proudly as he held his mother's hand.

"I'm sure you will," replied his mother as she wiped the tears off of her eyes. "Now don't let me keep you waiting. You're a grown boy now. You're now free to go on your own adventures! Just remember to call us every now and then, okay?" pleaded his mother. Jack gave her a warm smile as he nodded and hugged her once more before making his way to the front door where his friend Vera was waiting for him. Seeing her friend after the emotional farewell, she gave a soft smile and opened the door. Upon exiting the house, Jack slowly inhaled the fresh air before letting out a loud exhale.

"Shall we get going?" asked Jack as he gave one more goodbye wave. Vera nodded as they both made their way towards the town gates that guarded the town from the outside world. Giving a brief salute towards the pair, the guard then opened the gates for the both of them. They thanked the guard and bid him farewell as they made their way towards the open road, where their adventures were soon about to begin.

Fifteen minutes later, while they walked along the open road, the pair had started admiring the view that greeted them. The land on either side of the road was covered with grass as far as the eye can see with a few trees scattered around the open field. On one part of the field was a herd of Deerling that were hopping around playfully while under one of the trees rested a Zigzagoon that seemed content with napping under the shade. The Chimchar on Jack's shoulder made a joyful noise upon spotting a few berries on the bushes nearby.

"Looks like Farmer Stuart's crops are ripe for the picking! He probably won't mind if we grab a few of those Oran Berries, right?" asked Jack as he began plucking a few berries off of the bushes. Vera had also grabbed a few of them and placed them in the berry compartment of her satchel. How those things fit into the pocket may forever be a mysterious phenomenon that may never be answered.

While the pair were plucking a few more berries from the other bushes nearby, Jack had accidentally dropped a berry which landed on the head of a Rattata, causing it to get angry. The Pokémon then suddenly leapt out from behind the bush and landed directly in front of them as the pair were about to resume on their journey. Noticing the creature, the pair took a step back. But without warning, the creature immediately went and attempted to tackle Jack, who barely managed to dodge it at the last second. Seeing its trainer in trouble, the Chimchar quickly leapt off his shoulder and proceeded to take on an offensive position towards the purple rat.

"Alright! Our first wild battle! Why don't we show him some of our moves!" shouted Jack enthusiastically as the fire monkey began to dash towards the rat Pokémon. "Use your Scratch attack!" Jack commanded his Chimchar, who proceeded to attack the creature with a flurry of swipes. However, after three swipes, the creature had managed to evade it and had proceeded to whip its tail at Chimchar's face, causing it to stumble. Upon seeing that the monkey was momentarily distracted, the purple rat quickly delivered a tackle, causing the monkey to fall on its rear.

"Hang in there, buddy!" Jack assured his Pokémon as it was rubbing its aching rear. "Let's give him a taste of your flames! Use ember!" Jack ordered. Upon hearing this, the chimp Pokémon quickly got back up and proceeded to unleash small balls of fire onto the rat Pokémon, which struck all over its body. After the flames began to disappear, the rat Pokémon collapsed unconscious, signalling its defeat.

"We did it, buddy! Our first win!" yelled the young trainer out loud as he picked up his Pokémon and twirled it around with joy. Vera only gave him a shrug of her own as she continued onto the path, trying not to step on the unconscious Pokémon. Giving his Pokémon one of the berries that he had plucked from earlier and placing the chimp back on his shoulder, he then hurried after his friend with a wide grin on his face.

A/N: And so begins a new tale filled with its own suspense and action. By the way, this isn't a remake of my first fanfic. Rather, it's a new story fresh off the boat. I hope you enjoy it! Stay tuned for the next chapter! Please review! I definitely will appreciate some feedback.

A few minutes after Jack and Vera had departed the place where they had grabbed the berries, an old man carrying a wooden basket had arrived onto the scene, accompanied by his trusty Pokémon companion, his beloved Growlithe. Upon seeing a few of his berries missing and the Rattata that was slowly regaining its consciousness and struggling to get up, the old farmer began to put two-on-two together in his mind.

"So you're the rascal who's been stealing from my berry patch! I'll show you for eating my precious crops!" the old farmer said as he commanded his Growlithe to unleash an ember. Fearing for its life, the Rattata quickly made a few crazy dodges before escaping into the bushes where it quickly went for its hole.

"It looks like we're about to deal some pest-control work here. You think you're up for the challenge, boy?" asked the old farmer towards his Pokémon. The creature merely grunted in response and together, they proceeded to scare away the other Pokémon that had wandered a bit too close to the farm, not knowing that it was Jack and Vera who were the real culprits that had grabbed the berries from his beloved bushes.