Authors Note: This is an AU, so the ages of characters will vary according to what I feel best fits the story. I'm just clarifying so there won't be any confusion. Also, Poke'logic will apply here. Don't question it. XD Finally, I have another phanfic called "Life Together". It's temporarily on hiatus for reasons described on my profile, but there is plenty to read for the time being. With that said, I hope you enjoy.

It's Our Destiny

Chapter 1:

Dan's eyes flickered open from the chirps of nearby Pidgey. He turned his head away from the sound, simply to be greeted by yellow rays right in his eyes. He shuffled around trying to get comfortable, but then he remembered there was good reason to get out of bed that day. He was going to start training Pokémon.

Most people received their first Pokémon at age 10, but Dan hadn't been raised that way. He was taught to get through school and get a job. However, there he was, 23 years old, and he decided he wanted a change of pace. Luckily, Professor Oak always had Pokémon available for aspiring trainers, and that's exactly what Dan was. All he wanted was to be like the people around him. He wanted to have Pokémon as companions. And with enough work, he knew he could reach for the stars, and maybe be the Pokémon League Champion someday.

After climbing out of bed, Dan made his way to the restroom and took a look in the mirror. His dark brown hair was a mess, his friends often referred to it as "hobbit hair", but his face was clear. For the first time in a long time, he was rested and ready to take on whatever road lay ahead.

Dan took a quick shower, combed his hair to where it swept to the left, and picked up his backpack. He had the essentials, but he knew his mother was going to double check. Yes, he was a grown man, but he still lived at home from not having the means to move out, so his mother still babied him despite his constant protest.

"Good morning, Daniel," said Mrs. Howell just barely averting her eyes from the stove. She had heard Dan stomping down the stairs; he had such heavy steps. "Did you sleep alright?"

Dan hung his backpack on the left end of the chair, and sat down at the table. "Morning, mum, and surprisingly I slept really well. I feel rested."

"That's good! Breakfast is almost ready, and may I just check over—" Mrs. Howell began, but was cut off by Dan, whom was really irritated from being treated like a child.

"Mum, I am twenty-three years old. The only reason I still live here is because I don't make enough money to live alone," he retorted.

Mrs. Howell brought a steaming pan over to Dan and scrapped some eggs onto his plate. "I know, but I just worry. I still can't believe you quit your job to pursue this 'Pokémon journey'. It just doesn't seem logical."

"Maybe not to you, but it's something I've wanted since I was a kid. I'm just now gathering the courage to actually step outside, so please don't ruin that for me. Also, thank you for breakfast."

"You always did have a silver tongue," observed Mrs. Howell with a sigh. "You're welcome. However, I still say—"

"I'm not becoming a lawyer. I'm going to win the Pokémon League," replied Dan with a mouthful of eggs. He swallowed the contents in his mouth and then chugged a glass of milk before continuing. "I can do it; you'll see."

Mrs. Howell turned off the stove in a frustrated manner, then walked to the sink and began washing dishes. "Daniel, I just don't know. Though, at least if you're going to try this 'Pokémon trainer' thing, you're going after the League. Have you heard about what they're doing to the gyms?"

Dan thought for a moment, and then remembered all the news reports his mother had been watching ever since he broke the news about leaving to train Pokémon. "Oh! They're rebuilding, and the gyms are going to double as contest halls for competitions for Pokémon coordinators, right?"

"Precisely. Can you believe it? They're wasting all that money making room for these bizarre beauty contests."

"What are Pokémon contests anyway?" asked Dan intrigued. "I never really gave them much attention."

"Pokémon contests are competitions where Pokémon trainers," Mrs. Howell paused, "excuse me. Pokémon 'coordinators' showcase their Pokémon's talent and beauty. If they make it to round two, they battle their Pokémon, and the more pretty the Pokémon appears through the battle, the more points the opposing side loses." She finished drying and putting away the dishes, and then harshly tossed the towel onto the counter. "It's ridiculous! As if it's not hard enough for Pokémon trainers to make a career, but now they're wasting everyone's time with these contests."

Dan got up from his chair, pushed it in towards the table where it belonged, and took his plate to the sink. He washed it with the left over soapy water, and used the towel his mother had thrown to dry it. "Well, whatever. I'm going after this, and even if the gyms double as contest halls, I don't care. As long as I can earn badges it makes no difference to me." Dan put his plate away and walked back to the table to grab his backpack. He swung it over his shoulder and turned away from his mum. Despite everything, he was sad to leave.

"Clothes?" asked Mrs. Howell.

"I have extra."

"Toiletries?"

"Yes."

"Food?"

"Plenty."

"Money?"

"My life savings."

Mrs. Howell felt tears sting her eyes, "I guess this is goodbye." Dan, whilst keeping his own tears pushed back, turned to face his mother and tightly embraced her. "I'm going to miss you so much…"

Dan pulled away from his mother and adjusted his backpack. "I'm going to be fine. I'll call, write, whatever you want. I promise."

"Just please stay safe, and know you can always come home," said Mrs. Howell in a low, soft tone as she gently caressed Dan's cheek.

Dan managed a small smile, "I know. Thank you."

Dan walked down the steps of his front porch, much like he had so many times before, but he knew he wouldn't be back later that day. This time, he'd be gone for who knows how long. He turned slightly, and gave his mother one last farewell wave before walking away. Professor Oak's lab wasn't too far away, but it was deep enough into Pallet Town that Dan knew his mother would see his figure fade into the distance.

Dan stood at the front door of Professor Oak's Laboratory. He took a deep breath, and then knocked on the door. At first, nothing happened. Then, the door opened just a crack. Dan reached out and touched the door, pushing it open. "Professor Oak?" he asked as he stepped inside, figuring it was unlocked for a reason. "I'm Dan Howell; we arranged to meet today." Dan wandered through the lab and looked through doorways as he made his way, hoping to spot the Professor. Suddenly, there was a bright flashing light coming from a room, followed by the cry of a Pokémon. Are they torturing a Pokémon in there?! Dan ran into the room expecting to see something horrible, but it was simply a Pikachu using an electric attack.

Professor Oak turned around and spotted Dan. "Oh! Dan Howell, I presume?"

"Yeah…" said Dan still in shock from lights and sounds. "I'm right on time." For once.

"I'll be right with you. I was just measuring the electric power of this Pikachu." Professor Oak turned back to the Pikachu that was hooked up to a machine. Two wires were connected to the electric rodent's bright red cheeks. "Alright, Pikachu, give me one last thunderbolt."

The yellow mouse nodded its head and gave Professor Oak and adorable "Pi-ka-chu!" Pikachu focused its energy, and soon enough it's cheeks were sparking. "Pi-ka-CHUUUUU!" Pikachu used a very powerful thunderbolt attack that had the machine going into overdrive just to keep track of the voltage.

"Excellent!" exclaimed Professor Oak. He slipped on rubber gloves and removed the wires from Pikachu. Smiling, he gently pet Pikachu behind its ears. "Thank you for participating. Take a rest." He pulled out a poke'ball, and Pikachu was sucked inside the ball with a red beam of light.

Dan was completely fazed. He cleared this throat unconsciously.

Professor Oak stood up, and removed the rubber gloves from his hands. "I apologize for the delay. It's very nice to meet you, young man," he offered to shake his hand. Dan shook Professor Oak's hand slightly hesitantly, hoping not to get shocked. "As you know, I am Professor Oak, the Kanto region's Pokémon researcher."

"Nice to meet you," responded Dan. "And as you know, I'm Dan Howell. However, I'm from the Kalos region. I moved here to Pallet Town a couple years back."

Professor Oak seemed intrigued, "Oh? The Kalos region? That explains your accent. Did you by chance ever meet Professor Augustine Sycamore?"

Dan shook his head, "No. My parents didn't believe in Pokémon training, so I never got to meet him."

"That's a shame," replied Professor Oak with a sad expression. "He was one of my best students." Dan smiled, as he wasn't sure what to say. "I have to ask you, Dan, if you weren't raised to pursue Pokémon, what brought you here?"

Dan shuffled uncomfortably. How many times had the Professor heard the same story? Every trainer must have stated the same ridiculous dream. "I want to become the Pokémon League Champion. I know it's a stretch, but I've wanted to train Pokémon since I was a kid. I watched the Pokémon League reruns in the middle of the night in secret. It's all I've ever wanted. I know you probably hear it all the time."

Professor Oak offered Dan a sincere smile. "Come on. It's time for you to choose the Pokémon you'll take with you to the League." Dan couldn't help but to smile as he followed Professor Oak around the lab. Eventually, they reached the end of the lab, and stepped outside.

Dan's breath was taken away. It was like a Pokémon wonderland. Beautiful, fertile land stretched as far as the eye could see. Everywhere, Pokémon happily roamed freely. There was a sparkling lake that was inhabited with several kinds of water Pokémon. Flying Pokémon soared in the sky, and perched in the trees. Dan couldn't even remotely suppress the giant smile that was plastered on his face.

"What do you think?" asked Professor Oak. He smiled seeing Dan's joyous expression.

Dan felt like he could bounce around. "It's amazing! Oh my gosh!" he chuckled and shook his head. "I'm sorry; I'm acting like a child."

Professor Oak placed his hand on Dan's shoulder. "Childlike spirits are rare. Never lose it, Dan." Dan simply smiled sheepishly, and then went back to watching various kinds of Pokémon stroll around the luscious green earth. "Now, you can choose between three Pokémon. Can you tell me which three are available to Kanto region trainers?"

"Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle are the three available Pokémon to choose from," answered Dan with mild confidence.

"Correct," confirmed Professor Oak as he pulled a whistle out of his pocket. He blew the whistle, and the sound traveled into the distance. A few moments later, a Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle approached Dan and Professor Oak. "Well, Dan, which will it be? The grass Pokémon, Bulbasaur, the fire Pokémon, Charmander, or the water Pokémon, Squirtle?"

Dan knelt to the ground to meet all three small Pokémon at eye level. He observed each one carefully. Each of the Pokémon was smiling at him. Dan knew all three of them wanted to be picked, but he could only choose one of them. He turned and looked at the Charmander. The creature was like a large, orange lizard with fire on its tail. The Charmander looked at Dan with innocent, excited blue eyes. It was so happy that Dan was considering choosing it. Dan couldn't resist smiling as he looked back at the happy Pokémon. How could he turn away from that?

"Charmander," said Dan. "I choose Charmander."

Professor Oak reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a poke'ball that was about the size of a golf ball. He pressed the center button, and the poke'ball grew to about the size of a baseball. With great joy, he handed the poke'ball to Dan. "This is Charmander's poke'ball. It now belongs to you."

Dan took the poke'ball from Professor Oak, and turned to Charmander. He outstretched his arm and said, "Charmander, return." Charmander was brought into the poke'ball. Dan looked at the poke'ball in his hand, and he felt his heart skip a beat. It was finally happening. He had a Pokémon. He was officially a Pokémon trainer.

"Now if you'll follow me back into the lab, I'll give you the rest of the necessities for being an official Pokémon trainer," stated Professor Oak as he led Dan back into the lab. Dan followed curiously. There was more? Once they were in the lab, Professor Oak handed Dan five golf ball sized poke'balls. "Here, these are to catch new Pokémon. As the years have gone on, more and more Pokémon from different regions have been migrating here. You never know what you may see. Also," Professor Oak handed Dan a few containers of Pokémon food. "This should last you a while, but don't forget to stock up at any chance you get."

Dan nodded his head in understanding, "right," and shook his backpack off his shoulders. Setting the poke'balls down next to him, he then unzipped the largest compartment of his bag and put the containers inside. He zipped the bag back up and swung it over his left shoulder.

"And lastly," Professor Oak reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small, square-ish, red device. "This is your poke'dex. This will provide you with information on any Pokémon you encounter."

Dan stared at the poke'balls and poke'dex in awe. "Thank you, Professor. Thank you so much." Dan swung his backpack off of his shoulder and onto the ground once again. He unzipped the first compartment and went to put the extra poke'balls inside.

"Oh wait," said Professor Oak abruptly. He then picked up a belt from the same table that he had retrieved Dan's poke'balls and poke'dex. "I almost forgot." He held out the belt for Dan to see.

"A belt?" asked Dan confused. Professor Oak picked up a nearby shrunk poke'ball and held it a few inches away from the belt. Without warning, the poke'ball clung to the belt like a magnet. Professor Oak then showed Dan that on each side of the belt were three silver circles the size of nickels. "Excuse me. A badass belt."

Professor Oak laughed, "It's very convenient. It provides easy access to poke'balls. You wouldn't want any wild Pokémon to get away while you're fumbling for poke'balls in your bag."

Dan took the belt from Professor Oak and began to adjust it around his waist. Once it fit properly, he attached all six poke'balls to the belt, making sure that Charmander's poke'ball was at the very front on the left side. "This is amazing. I can't thank you enough Professor."

"Just promise me you won't give up fighting for the League Championship. Once you come back here with that trophy, no thanks will be needed." Professor Oak lightly tapped Dan on the shoulder. "You'll do well; I have faith in you."

"Thank you."

"Now get a move on. It's nearly half passed noon, and you need to make sure you get to a Pokémon center by nightfall. If you head north from here you'll come across Route 1. Get through there, and you'll reach Viridian City."

Dan took a deep breath as he realized everything was about to truly begin. "Alright, one last time, thank you. I'll be on my way."

Professor Oak walked Dan outside. They bid each other farewell, and Dan began his journey towards Viridian City. Dan's pace was almost as fast as his heart beat. He couldn't believe that it was all happening. He had a Pokémon, a companion named Charmander. Hell, he had even been given a poke'dex. He could barely contain his excitement.

After a few minutes of walking alone, he remembered he didn't have to be alone. With his left hand, he grabbed a hold of Charmander's poke'ball, pressed the button to make the poke'ball normal size, and then threw it in the air. "Go! Charmander!" he shouted, very excited to be able to cry out those words. Charmander emerged from the poke'ball. Dan snatched the poke'ball midair, and returned it to his belt whilst Charmander adjusted to being outside the poke'ball.

Charmander turned to Dan and let out, "Char!" as a greeting.

"Hey little guy," Dan greeted his Pokémon. "Do you mind walking with me for a little while? It's kind of lonely out here. Charmander responded with a shake of the head and hugging Dan's leg. "Thank you, Charmander."

With his new companion by his side, Dan continued his journey to Viridian City. He had no idea what was in store, and he didn't particularly care. As long as it was a journey alongside Pokémon, he knew he'd have everything he could ever want. The road ahead was long, but Dan knew it was a road that was worth every step.