Pokémon Anthology (Rewrite)

I started to write this story a while ago, but stopped eventually. I liked the idea, and decided to start it again. I just finished the first chapter, which is a slightly altered version of the original first chapter.

Chapter 1: The Journey Begins!

The vast world of Pokémon, called Arcaea by those that walk across its green earth, is a wondrous place. Far and wide, Pokémon roam, the kings of the earth. For millennia, humans and Pokémon have lived together in harmony, playing together, working together, and battling together.


People are allowed to begin traveling around the world with Pokémon at the tender age of ten, although fledgling trainers being this young is uncommon. To some, their sole motive is to see as much of the world as possible. Others seek glory through competition and victory in Pokémon Contests and the regional Pokémon League Conferences. Being side by side like this helps Pokémon and their trainers to become better individuals, the best examples being Top Coordinators and the Pokémon League Champions.


Kinsei is one of five regions in the world, with the others being Monteir, Regulus Natura and Heiwa. Tison Mathers, the champion of the Heiwa League, hails from Mira Town, in southwestern Kinsei.



In the coastal tourist town his thirteen year old son, York, prepares to begin his own Pokémon journey, inspired by his father.


In the Mathers's beachside residence, the teenager stood in front of his mirror. He was wearing black jeans and a red short sleeved shirt. On the dresser next to the mirror, a two tone white and blue vest as well as black fingerless gloves were laid out. Also on the dresser was a Pokéball holder, a white and blue contraption with six miniature holes and a key ring clip. One of the holes had a Pokéball in it. York hung the holder from one of his belt loops, put on the vest and slipped on the gloves. He put on a pair of black and blue boots. He looked at himself in his mirror, nodding contentedly.


The door swung open slowly, a Pawniard hanging from the doorknob. Once the door was fully opened, it hopped down. It let out an urgent cry and began pointing towards the door. When York raised a brow, the small Pokémon groaned and shook its head.


"What's the problem, Colonel?" He asked.


"Sydney's here!" A girl a few years younger than him stepped into the doorway. "She isn't happy. You were late."


York ruffled his dirty blonde hair. "C'mon, what time is it, 1:30 or something? I'm not that late."


"It's 4:30." Said the girl, scowling at him.


York whipped around to look at the electronic clock on his nightstand. It indeed read 4:30. "W-what…?" He snatched a blue and back one-strapped backpack off of his bed and ran past her. "Thanks for telling me, Nancy!"


Colonel was right behind him as he hurried down the stairs. When he reached the ground floor of his house he saw his mother with the girl in question.



She was of York's age, her hands stuffed in the pockets of a black zip up hoodie. Her blonde hair was tied into a ponytail, poking out of the back of her baseball cap. A blue and black Pokégear was dangling from her backpack. She was wearing a pair of blue shorts.


Upon hearing his footsteps, she glared at him. "There you are. What took you so long?"


"Sorry, Syd." He meekly said. "I guess I overslept. Why'd it take you three hours to get here?"


"A traffic jam made the bus ride over here way too long. That's three hours I lost because you slept through your alarm." She said sourly. "You'd better make up for this some day!"


"I'll make it up to you, don't worry! You're ready to go, right?"


"Of course I am, I'm not you." She clicked her tongue. "We might not get to Emaras before we have to book a hotel room. I wanted to look around the city a bit." She walked over to the door and opened it. "I don't want to waste any more time. Let's go."


"Be safe, honey!" His mother handed him his wallet as he made his way to her. "If Nancy gets upset, I'll calm her down, so don't worry. Keep in touch, alright?"


"I will mom, don't worry." He and Colonel walked outside and Sydney closed the door. "Want to take a rest, buddy? He asked the Pawniard?"


Colonel nodded. York popped the Pokéball out of the holder and pushed the button. The ball expanded and he pointed it at Colonel. The red beam of light enveloped him, storing him inside of the capsule.


As he and Sydney walked, he began apologizing. "I meant to get there on time, I swear! I was really excited last night and stayed up late!"


"Your usual excuse." She sighed. "You're going to end up dying alone at this late. There aren't many girls that would be okay with you being so late all of the time."


He chuckled. "And why do you care if I die alone?"


"Your mom and I can't babysit you forever. If you can't find someone who would want to settle down with you," She shuddered. "I'm almost afraid to think of what'll happen to you. Almost." Her comment made him laugh. "You found us a hotel, right?"


"The Emerald Sky Hotel gets compared to the ones in Dawnseal!" He told her.


"Maybe we'll be able to confirm that next year. But if it's that good, it can't be cheap. How expensive is it?" York's eyes widened and he chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. Sydney stopped and glowered. "So, how expensive is the place?"


"20,000 for a night. That's for both of us, by the way." When she didn't answer, he gulped. "Syd?"


"That's a good amount of our supply fund." She said quietly. "You're lucky your my friend."


"Don't worry, Syd!" He said, trying to cheer her up. "It's ancient tradition for trainers to reward the victor! I'll make that money back in no time!"


"That plan is by no means flawless." She said. She continued on and York lagged behind, sorry for upsetting her.



The streets of Mira Town were crowded with beachgoers and tourists. The congested streets slowed the two a bit, but they reached the Houndoom Bus Station before long. The two boarded a bus that was to depart at 5:30 and sat next to each other. Sydney put in a pair of earbuds and closed her eyes. York looked out of the window at the sun, which was steadily making its way west.


There were some Pokémon on the bus with them. Most of them were obviously pets: Lillipups, Growlithes, Rockruffs, Meowths, Chatots, Purrloins, and a few others. Some Pokémon are some that would only belong to trainers, like a Froslass or Luxray.


Once the bus left Mira Town, Sydney spoke up. "Are you nervous at all" She asked. "About going on this journey."


"I'd be lying if I said I was fearless. Being home for so long and going all over the place is going to be a bit crazy, but we'll get used to it."


"I'm not too sure about that. We could get lost in the woods, mauled by an Ursaring or something, scooped up by some creep in a city. I don't think that's something you could get used to."


"It's not like you to get so worried about things. What's up?"


She shrugged. "I thought like this when I moved from Regulus. Probably paranoia or something."


"Well, no one's forcing you to stay with me the entire time."


York's dad had traveled to all five of Arcaea's regions before reigning victorious in the Heiwa Conference. He had planned to do the same. Sydney volunteered to go with him.



"I'm sticking with you." She said in a tone that warned him not to object. "You need a babysitter, or you might walk off of a mountain or something. And this is the perfect excuse for me to travel the world and take all sorts of cool pictures."


"So are you saying you're worried about me?" He asked, smirked. "Thanks, it means a lot."


She blushed faintly and lowered her hat. "I want to enjoy the ride in peace."


York laughed and reclined in his seat.





Darkness had fallen upon Emeras City when the Houndoom Bus pulled into the station It was 9:30 at night. The passengers filed out and went their separate ways.



"You're the one who knows how to get to the hotel." Sydney said. "Lead the way."


The two were walking when they noticed a crowd forming around a corner. The cars that were passing by slowed when they drove by. When the two turned the corner, they saw several cars belonging to the Kinsei Domestic Defense Force pulled up in front of a museum.


"What's going on?" York said. "A robbery or something?


"That's gotta be it." Sydney replied. "Come on, we shouldn't spend too much time here. We could just ask some of the others about it tomorrow."


The two kept moving, until they came across an alley. It seemed pitch black and empty, but York took a few steps back when they walked by.


"What're you doing?"


"I thought I heard something." He popped out Colonel's Pokéball and held it at the ready.



From the dark emerged a man in a hockey mask and a Hypno. The man seemed shocked by York and Sydney's presence. He had a sack slung over his shoulder.


"Why, hello there." York said. "Not doing anything illegal, are we?"


"Like it matters to you! Hypno!"


York pushed the button on the ball and held it up. The ball released Colonel up in the air, and he began falling towards the Hypno. The Hypno picked York up and threw him right before Colonel's foot slammed into its forehead.


Sydney rushed to York's side and helped him up. "What're you doing?!"


"I can't just let the guy walk away, can I? If you don't want to stick around, run back and get the KDDF."



Sydney shook her head. "You're an idiot. I'll be right back."


As she ran away, York stared at the man. His Hypno was rubbing it's forehead where Colonel's foot had impacted it. There was an eye on the sleeve of the man's jacket, York saw. Was he part of a gang of some sorts?


"Colonel, do that again!" York shouted.


"Hypno, use Poison Gas." Said the man.


The Hypno took a deep breath. It exhaled a sickly green gas that went right past Colonel and headed right for York. Colonel kicked it again and the Hypno was knocked onto the ground.


"Get up, Hypno! We'll batter the kid until the Pawniard backs off. PSychic him into the side of a building. That should work."


Colonel looked back at York, who had shielded his mouth and nose from the gas. The Pawniard stood his ground, not taking another step towards the Hypno.


The Hypno stared at York, it's eyes glowing blue. It began swinging it's pendulum, but instead of throwing York, a small explosion went off in front of it. It and its trainer were blown back. Colonel was far enough away to be unaffected.


"Son of a…" The man sat up, rubbing his head. "Are you trying to kill me or something?"


"It wasn't. It was just listening to a bad trainer." York entered the alley, away from cloud of noxious gas. "It should be obvious that a Psychic-Type Pokémon that got hit in the head wouldn't be able to use Psychic-Type attacks. I guess that your Hypno doesn't know much else, either. You paid more attention to me than the Pokémon attacking you."


Colonel walked over to the man and pointed his blade hand at him, keeping him on the ground. Sydney soon returned with a few officers, who quickly arrested the man and took his Hypno. In the bag the man had were some of the things stolen from the museum York and Sydney were thanked for their help and promised rewards if they were to stop by the station in the city.


"That's certainly an interesting way to start off this journey of ours." Sydney said. "Capturing a thief. You're not hurt too bad, right?"


"It didn't throw me that hard. How about you, Colonel?" The Pawniard nodded. "Good to hear it. He returned Colonel to his Pokéball and put the ball back in the holder.


York went back to leading Sydney to the Emerald Sky Hotel. When they arrived, they found a large building with emerald colored lights shooting up into the sky from lights in the ground around the entrance. Sydney looked up at it and sighed in relief.


The pair entered and went to the receptionist.



Welcome to the Emerald Sky Hotel." The young said. "Will the two of you be staying with us today?" York nodded. "Might I have your names?" When she told her, she entered them into a computer. She then handed York two card keys. "You're in #225 on the second floor. Enjoy your stay."


"Thank you." York said, handing one of the keys to Sydney.


The receptionist stopped him before he followed. "I must say, your girlfriend is quite cute."


"Huh? She's noy not girlfriend. Just a friend of mine."


"Our hotel is quite popular among young couples." She said, completely ignoring him. "There's plenty of T.M 17 if you need them. They're in a secret compartment on the right side of the nightstand."

York blushed and thanked her for the information. He took the elevator to the second floor and made his way to his room, with nothing but sleep on his mind. He opened the door to find Sydney on one of the beds. He threw his backpack and vest onto the ground and took off his boots, before throwing himself onto the other bed.