A Tale of Matrimony

Please don't be put off by the name (that's why no one reviews it on SPP according to DarkScyther), or the first two chapters. It does get better so please bear with me. It is a trainer fic, but with considerable amounts of difference. Enjoy.....?

A Tale of Matrimony

Chapter 1 ~ The Dream Unfolds

It was 7:00am in Mossdeep City. The early sunlight illuminated the bedroom of Delia and Anthony Smithson. Bright lavender wallpaper adorned the walls, with little patterns of lilies and roses around the edge. There were two windows around the side, both looking towards the Mossdeep coast ? the sunlight was coming in through them. In the middle of the two windows, lay a four-poster bed ? laced with satin sheets and drapes, and an azure quilt. Apart from the bookcase will hundreds of novels the room was empty.

It was only then that the alarm went off

?Wake up dear. Time to get up now.? Anthony said groggily to his wife. He?d only had three hours sleep, but then again ? he had just been working.

?What? Already? Aw? can?t we just snuggle for 5 more minutes?? Delia pleaded affectionately with her husband, but he wasn?t having any of it

?No, you?ve got to go to work. The department store won?t run itself you know.?

?I know, I know? but still. It would be nice.?

Delia got out of the bed and wandered out of the door and into a walk-in wardrobe. After a few seconds of careful deliberation between clothes choices, she eventually picked the smart-office-type look over the sexy-but-very-revealing junior executive look. She took of her velvet nightgown and dressed into her smart-office-type dress ? which consisted of navy blue trousers, a white shirt, and a scarlet blazer.

?You look lovely dear. Ready for the presentation today?? Anthony was still feeling a bit groggy, but he didn?t really seem to care.

?Absolutely not. The people from Celadon are going to buy us out ? I just know it! Still? there?s nothing I can do about it.? Delia sighed as she came back into the bedroom.

?Oh yes there is. You just give a rip-roaring speech to those Kanto execs and you?ll knock them down like pins.?

?It?s nice that you think like that dear, but these people are really competitive. They know what they want, and will strive to get it. It?s just a shame that they want to buy the Department store.?

Anthony tried to think of something comforting to say, but he just ended up giving his wife a peck on the cheek and going back to bed.

Delia was about to leave the bedroom, when she just remembered something:

?Oh, can I use Milotic to get to work? Its just Aerodactyl?s getting a bit bony, and I don?t want to be in pain for the entire journey.? Delia normally flew on Aerodactyl to get to work. Anthony used Milotic to travel to and from places.

?Yeah sure. I was going to ask if I could use Aerodactyl tonight. You know where he is. Could you place Aerodactyl there so I know where he is for when I need him??

Delia went back to her side of the bed and picked up a Pok?ball from a bedside cabinet. She then walked around to her husband?s side of the bed, placed her Pok?ball down, and picked up his.

She kissed her husband ? who was now back in bed, dozing ? on the head, before exiting the bedroom via another door, parallel to the left window.

It was still only 7:10am, so Delia decided to have some breakfast. She walked into the kitchen (which was joined onto the living room), and poured herself some breakfast cereal, which looked like rabbit food. She then opened the fridge, and took out some milk. She poured it onto the rabbit-food-type cereal, and then walked over to the living room.

The living room itself was quite spacious and inviting. Instead of wallpaper, the walls were painted white ? to make the room seem airier in the summer. To the left of the open plan kitchen, there was the television ? full of so many buttons that it made it look like some super computer. Facing the television, there was the black leather sofa. There were a few other pictures of water Pokemon dotted around the place, and then there was the lock laminate floor, but other than that, there was nothing else of notice in the room.

Delia took her bowl of rabbit food and went to sit on the sofa. She searched for the remote control, before realising that she was sitting on it. She pressed the ?On? button on it, and a flash of light came from the TV to indicate that it had been turned on. She then pressed the ?3? button, and the Channel 3 News came up

?Great!? She said sarcastically to the television, ?Just what I need to start the day.?

She sat through the news of terrorist attacks and lottery winners before the show came to the weather.

?Finally ? something that actually means something to me.? Delia moved forward so she could hear what the weather girl (who always looked as if she was anorexic) was saying:

?Well, there will be some warm fronts coming to Eastern Hoenn today. That should be a bit of a break from the storms they?ve been receiving over the past couple of weeks. In western Hoenn however-?

Delia turned the television off straight away; quickly finished off her rabbit food, and headed for the door. She couldn?t stand the weather people. She went down a narrow hallway, before coming to the front door and opening it. Finally, she shut the door gently ? as not to wake her husband.

?Good morning Delia!? A voice said not too far away

?Morning Steven.? Delia responded. She came closer to him as she didn?t want to shout and wake all of Mossdeep up. ?How are things at Ever Grande??

Steven also came closer, and Delia could see clearer what he was wearing. He was wearing his trademark black and purple waistcoat, with his black shirt underneath. Below the belt, he wore some black trousers and shoes.

?They?re going OK. I might be out of a job though?? Steven sighed

?Why?s that? Is there someone who actually beat you?? Delia questioned

?No, completely the opposite, It seems today?s youth aren?t as strong as they used to be.?

?I see what you mean. I was speaking to Tate and Liza last week, and they say that no one has beaten them in over a month. A week is OK, but a month??

?Well, there?s not much we can do about it. But anyways, I need to get to Ever Grande. There actually might be someone there, waiting to challenge me.?

?You never know. Bye then.?

Steven sent out his Skarmory, got on its back, and flew away southeast, to Ever Grande City.

With that in mind, Delia walked towards the beach with her husband?s Pok?ball in hand. She got closer to the water, but kept on going. It was only when her feet started to get a little wet that she stopped. She enlarged the Pok?ball, before clicking its centre and releasing the Pokemon within.

And from the Pok?ball came a glorious Milotic ? shimmering in its bounteous beauty.

?Aw, are you ready to ride me to work now?? Delia whispered to it.

Milotic gave a gentle hiss, of which Delia thought meant yes. It swam around so that its back was facing Delia. She got on, and Milotic swam away into the morning sun.

~~*~~

Delia was a woman in her early thirties. She had lustrous auburn brown hair, which was long enough to touch her shoulders. Her face was bare of any signs of age or wrinkles, and it was literally as soft as a baby?s bottom. She had eyes of those of a Noctowl, though they were in the place that they should be, and not where a real Noctowl?s would have been. The Noctowl resemblances continued with her nose being the shape of a beak. It wasn?t pointed at the end, but it slightly curved round. Her lips were plump and moist. There were no signs of them drying up. Her body itself was curvy, but not too slim. She worked as the Chief Executive of the Lilycove Department Store. Basically, she ran the place ? and it would have fallen apart without her. She used Aerodactyl both as a travelling partner, but also in customer services, with the Pokemon that occasionally came in.

Anthony was also in his thirties, but nearing more towards forty. His hair was short, jet-black, and spiked at the front. His face was coarse, and was developing signs of old age. Many wrinkles adorned his forehead, and there were some near his cheeks. There was also a spot of grey hair nearer to the back of his head. His eyes were like those of a Shiftry, although were blue instead of golden. His nose was more of a button nose, and failed to protrude any other feature of his face. His mouth was starting to show signs of age, but with a bit of Vaseline it would look a lot younger. His physique was good. Many people thought he would make a good boxer, or even a soccer player, but instead he chose a career in astronomy. He worked at night with Milotic, observing the night sky for new and unrecognisable Pokemon that may be out there ? in outer space, and gave his results back to the Space Centre in Mossdeep.

~~*~~

It was now 5:00 in the evening. Anthony was now awake and was in the streets of Mossdeep with Aerodactyl. The Smithson house was in-between Steven?s house, and the City?s Gym. They were taking a stroll along to the Space Centre to deliver Anthony?s latest findings. They were going at a steady speed, when Aerodactyl noticed something coming from behind.

?What is it? Is there someone coming?? Anthony stopped and looked skywards towards Aerodactyl. Then ? without a moment?s hesitation ? it sped towards the beach. Anthony sighed and ran after it ? it was probably a beached Wailmer.

What it turned out to be was not a beached Wailmer, but Delia and Milotic. Anthony came to greet them:

?Well, how did it go?? Anthony was anxious to hear what happened at the meeting.

?It?s amazing!? Delia was out of breath, which was odd since she had just been riding Milotic for the past twenty minutes, ?The people from Kanto didn?t even show up! When I ?phoned them, they said they weren?t interested! I still have a job ? it?s a miracle.?

Delia started to cry in happiness with her newfound security. All Anthony could do to show his mutual feelings was to cuddle her. It was then that he suggested something:

?We need to celebrate this glorious achievement. What about a home-cooked meal? In the patio??

?That sounds lovely dear, but all I want to do is rest at the moment. Maybe in a couple of hours. OK??

?OK. I?ll start preparing the meal, you just get your feet up and watch television.?

?That?s the best thing I?ve heard all day!?

~~*~~

The couple were in their backyard patio, watching Milotic and Aerodactyl have a rest form being in their Pok?balls, and eating the home-cooked meal tat Anthony had prepared.

?This is lovely. Did you use any herbs or was this straight from the packet?? Delia asked, enjoying her meal.

?No, that?s straight from the packet chicken. Just added a bit of seasoning, some gravy and dotted around a couple of vegetables.? Anthony said, mouth full of potato.

?Wow, you really should become a chef.?

?Nah, all I can cook is chicken? and some vegetables.?

?Well, I think you could become some sort of chicken and vegetable chef or something like that.?

?If there was, then I?d jump at the opportunity, but unfortunately ? there isn?t.?

?Ah well??

?More champagne??

?Fill ?her up!?

Anthony went back to the kitchen to get the bottle of champagne, by now it was just over half full, but by the end of the night it would be empty. He took the bottle outside, so himself or Delia wouldn?t need to go back and forth for it.

?I?ve got the rest of the champagne!? Anthony said to his wife.

?Oh goodie! Fill her up!? Delia said groggily. She seemed a bit tipsy, but not drunk enough so that she was hallucinating or anything.

Anthony took Delia?s glass, and filled it up with some more champagne. It was only then that Delia saw something. That something was a human Pokemon trainer ? a teenager that seemed to be around fourteen or fifteen years old. He was wearing denim jeans, with a blue T-shirt.

?Hey, someone?s trying to challenge Tate and Liza.? Delia said to Anthony ? who was going a little over the top with the champagne,

?So they are!? Anthony turned around (but the champagne flow didn?t stop).

?They?ll crush him!?

?Annihilate him!?

?Destroy him!?

?Make him cry like a little girl!?

The trainer went into the Gym, and the couple lost interest in him. A couple of minutes later though, Anthony came up with an idea:

?You know how you?re always saying that today?s youth aren?t as strong as they used to be??

?Yes?. What are you suggesting??

?Well, why don?t we become Pokemon Trainers? That way we could show the youngsters of today up; get some more exercise; and catch some more Pokemon to use in our everyday life.?

Delia thought about what Anthony was saying. She had always wanted to be a Pokemon Trainer, but her father wouldn?t let her (she never found out the reason why), and when she got her job in the Department Store, there was no time to train Pokemon ? only to look after Aerodactyl.

?Well, why not! It couldn?t do us any harm could it?? Delia said to Anthony.

?Then it?s agreed. I officially declare a toast! To Pokemon, and to showing today?s youth what we?re made of! Cheers!

?Cheers!?

They pinged their champagne glasses together and drank from them ? knowing that the next day would start one big adventure for the couple.

Well, it looks as though everyone has taken the name for granted then... ah well. The show must go on, as everybody says... here's Chap 2.

Chapter 2 ~ Preparation and Registration

It was midnight, and Anthony and Aerodactyl were out studying the night sky:

?Do you see anything yet, Aerodactyl??

Aerodactyl cawed and shook its head. Tonight was being quite boring for Anthony. He thought by using Aerodactyl instead of Milotic, he could venture more into the world, and see things that he hadn?t even thought existed.

?Ah well, let?s do it for one more hour, then we?ll call it a night,? Anthony sighed, and Aerodactyl did an about turn, and went back to circling Mossdeep.

~~*~~

?Wake up dearest,? a voice said softly to Anthony ? who was now dozing in bed. The time on the clock read 10:00am.

?Not now darling? anyways why aren?t you at work?? Anthony questioned his wife.

?Oh yeah? about that??

?They haven?t sacked you have they??

?No. I?m the one that does the sacking. Remember??

?Oh, yeah? go on.?

?Well, yesterday we were discussing the prospect of becoming trainers, and this is obviously going to affect our careers??

?Oh yeah, so it is? I hadn?t thought about that. Go on.?

?Well, obviously I can?t go to the Centre as much as I would like to, so I gave myself a new part of the job.?

?You demoted yourself??

?Not exactly. My new title is Chief Information Distributor.?

Anthony looked blank and confused. ?Explain please??

?Well, I?m still technically in charge, but instead of sitting in an office feeling bored all day, I?ll be visiting Poke Marts throughout all of Hoenn, to update them on new products and stock,? Delia felt a sense of authority whilst saying that.

?So, who is going to sit in the office and feel bored all day then??

?Oh? that?s going to be Vincent.?

Anthony looked at her for a couple of seconds before turning away and laughing into his pillow.

?He?s not that incompetent is he?? Delia asked.

?Not that incompetent? He ?accidentally? set fire to 5 boxes of stock. He?s about as useless and incompetent as a chocolate kettle.?

Delia sighed, ?Ah well, when we come back I might not have a job??

?That doesn?t matter. We could always move to Kanto.?

?I suppose? what about your job? What are you going to say to the bigwigs down at the Space Centre??

?I?m one step ahead of you. When I got back from work last night, I told Mr Avenues about our future predicament, and he said that it would be fine.?

?What would be fine??

?Me going away. All it means it that I can still be an astronomer, but I can do it from all of Hoenn, making my results even better. They?re even improving my salary as well!?

?That?s brilliant news! Now that we?re OK career-wise, we need to get prepared.?

?OK, but after a few more minutes in bed??

Delia scowled at her husband, and he quickly took back what he said previously.

~~*~~

It was now midday, and the couple were having lunch in the living room, their eyes fixed upon what looked to be a map of Hoenn. The map had crease and pen marks all over it, and it looked as if they were planning their journey. So far, it wasn?t going well.

?NO! Why do we have to go to Sootopolis first? It would just be easier to go round the west of Kanto, and then come back to Sootopolis,? Delia said very angrily. She always liked to have her own way, and would fight anyone to get it ? even if it was her own husband.

?I thought of that too, but remember that Slateport has that Ocean Current? We can?t swim back to Mossdeep that way.?

?We can?t swim, but we can fly.?

?Fly? Wouldn?t that be extremely painful? I mean doing it for 20 minutes each day might be OK, but the journey from Slateport to Mossdeep could take at least two hours!?

?We?d stop on the way. Even Aerodactyl wouldn?t be able to carry both of us for that length of time.?

Anthony thought about what his wife was saying. He couldn?t think of any other way to travel, so he reluctantly agreed, ?Go get another map will you? I want to mark out our ?proper? journey.?

Delia walked over to one of the many kitchen cupboards. She opened it and took out a map ? although there were still about two left. Then she walked over to the living room and placed the new map onto the sofa. Anthony got out a marker pen, and started to draw on it:

?OK, here?s how it will go. We start here at Mossdeep, and challenge Tate and Liza. Once we?ve annihilated them, you fly, and I swim to Lilycove, where we stock up on items such as food and equipment. Then we venture past routes 121 and 120, and make it to Fortree. There, we challenge the Gym Leader ? I think it?s Winona ? and we emerge victorious. We then go south, and then west, so we can get to Mauville. We challenge Wattson, and he crumbles to our power. Then we have a problem.?

?What?s that??

?Should we take the long and boring route to Lavaridge, or should we fly??

?Fly ? I hate trekking!?

?OK, we fly to Lavaridge, and challenge the Gym Leader there. I?m not that sure who it is though, since Brendan retired from his post. Ah well, we?ll find out when we get there. We go back down to Mauville, then go to Verdanturf. Then we go through the Rusturf Tunnel, and make it to Rustboro. We challenge Roxanne, and she falls to our strength. Then, we go south ? through Petalburg Woods, and to Petalburg, where we challenge Norman. Once we?ve thrashed him, you fly, and I swim to Dewford Town. We challenge Brawly, and he falls apart to our power. Then we fly and swim to Slateport, and plan our journey home from there.?

?Well, that sounds good. But I have a question,? Delia asked.

?Fire away!?

?What are we going to do when we get back home??

?Well, when we get back to Mossdeep, we?ll fly and swim to Sootopolis, challenge Wallace, then when w beat him, we?ll fly and swim east to Ever Grande, and challenge the Elite Four.?

?OK then, lets get ready. First thing we need to do is register, then we?ll challenge and beat Tate and Liza.?

Delia smiled, and her husband smiled back. He folded the map up and put it in the breast pocket of his shirt.

?Don?t we have to go register before we can go fight people?? Delia asked.

?Oh yeah, so we do? well I think we can register at any Poke Center, so let?s go.?

~~*~~

Anthony and Delia were at the Pokemon Center, and were about to register with Nurse Joy. The Pokemon Center?s interior was bright and vivid. The walls were painted bright orange to match the floor. There were at least six or seven windows surrounding them, to make the room feel airier. Straight ahead of the couple was Nurse Joy?s desk, which they walked over to, to start their registration.

?Hello Anthony, Delia. What can I do for you on this fine day??

?We?d like to register as Pokemon Trainers please,? Anthony said in a proud tone of voice.

?OK, can I have your full names please??

?Anthony Smithson.?

?Delia Smithson.?

?And can I have your ages in years??

?38 years old.?

?33 years old.?

?OK, and finally can I have any Pokemon you currently own, and the amount of time you have owned them for??

?One Milotic for 20 years.?

?One Aerodactyl for 28 years.?

Nurse Joy typed all these pieces of data into the computer of and when she clicked ?Enter?, the computer gave a ping. After a couple of whirring sounds, the computer ejected a PokeDex from a slot facing Anthony and Delia. A couple of seconds later, another PokeDex was ejected from the computer. Anthony and Delia picked theirs up and took a closer look at them.

They were oblong shaped and made from scarlet plastic. It was separated into two separate parts ? one about double the length of the other. When Anthony lifted the big one up, it opened up to become a screen with many buttons surrounding it. When he clicked a big red one in the centre, a voice came form the speakers at the side.

?Hello Anthony, I am your PokeDex. Would you like a tour of how I operate??

Anthony instantly found the button labelled ?No? and clicked it. The voice stopped immediately. It was then that Nurse Joy asked them for something again:

?Once final thing. Would you like to register as single trainers, or would you like to register as a dual team??

?What do you think dear? Should we be single or together?? Delia asked her husband.

?Anything that brings us closer together is something that I want to be a part of,? Anthony responded.

?Aw, that is so sweet! We?ll register as a dual team please.?

Nurse Joy typed this new piece of data into the computer, and after some more whirring, two cards emerged from form the same slots as the PokeDexes came from.

?Those are Identity Cards. They already have your names and ages printed on them and allow you free food in every restaurant, and free rooms in hotels.?

?Don?t you only give those to the prepubescent children to make sure that they never lose any money and are forced to live on the streets?? Delia asked Nurse Joy.

?I would have thought so too, but it says in the manual to give these cards to anyone who becomes a Pokemon Trainer. I guess you won?t even need your jobs anymore!?

?So, do we start here or do we have to go all the way to Littleroot?? Anthony asked.

?Oh no, you can start anywhere you like.?

?Oh good, thanks for your help Nurse Joy,? Delia said.

?You?re welcome!? Nurse Joy exclaimed.

Delia and Anthony left the Pokemon Center and tried their new PokeDexes on their own Pokemon.

?Come on out Aerodactyl!?

?You two Milotic!?

Aerodactyl came out first, and Delia?s PokeDex started beeping:

Aerodactyl, the Fossil Pokemon. Aerodactyl has 35 different types of teeth in its mouth. If any of the teeth fell out, Aerodactyl would not be able to eat any type of food, and would starve until a new one would come in.

Milotic came out second, then Anthony?s started beeping:

Milotic, the Tender Pokemon. As Milotic live in large groups, they often find it distressing when they?re on their own. To make up for this, they have been known to group with many different types of marine Pokemon.

?Cool. Information we didn?t even know about our Pokemon,? Anthony said, ?Hey, do you want to challenge the Gym now, or tomorrow??

?There?s no time like the present!? Delia answered.

With that, they walked casually to the Gym, opened the door, and faced their first test as Pokemon Trainers.