A New Beginning

[Repo Man]

Prologue​

"Find my son," the faint voice said. "It's his turn now."

She sat by her boss' side, watching as the old man fell in and out of conciseness, knowing he was talking directly to her whenever he woke. She had to find his son, so that he could take over from his father.

After almost twenty years of hard work, her boss' dream was about to come true. Too bad that he wouldn't be around to see the results of his tireless work, but the old man had effectively worked himself to death.

Emok stood up and approached the bed in which her boss lay. The man had lived a long life, a life full of failure and frustration, but he had never given up. He had worked hard to reach his dream, and now he was going to die before any good could come from it.

Emok, who had been close to her boss since she joined the organization several years ago, felt a pang of sadness in her heart for the man. It seemed so unfair that he wouldn't be there to see his son take his place and direct the organization through the bumps that were coming up. He would never be able to see his beloved organization come into glory, the way he had always dreamt it would.

"Sir," Emok whispered, unsure if he was awake or not, "I will find your son, but I don't know his name." He didn't respond at first, and Emok thought he had fallen under again, or worse, had died before he could tell her.

Then, almost five minutes later, the reply came. His voice was so quiet that Emok had to repeat the name to make sure she had heard it properly.

"That's it," he breathed, then closed his eyes, eyes that had once seen potential in everything, but now only expressed pain, maybe even regret.

Emok grasped his hand gently, blinking through tears that clouded her vision. This man had been like a father to her over the years, and now he was going to leave her alone. "Sir, I will find him." She felt him give her hand a weak squeeze before it went lax.

"Thank you, Emok," he breathed, barely audible. All was silent for a few moments, then the knowledge that he had passed hit Emok, and she let go of his hand and solemnly made her way out of the room, downstairs, and out to the port, where she would catch the next boat to Kanto.

-​

Chapter 1​

Fourteen-year-old Shiri Okosawa could not wait. Impatience had made her restless, and now she couldn't sleep. She had been waiting four years for this day, the day she would at last become a pokemon trainer. She even already knew what pokemon she wanted - charmander. She loved fire pokemon ever since hearing about her mother's growlithe when she was younger.

But her mother wouldn't let her go when she was ten, for she was "too young." Shiri begged and begged, but to no avail. It may have had something to do with her friend's son going missing when he became a trainer. Whatever the reason, Shiri's mother never amended her response, until now. Even getting her mother to let her go at the ripe old age of fourteen had been a challenge.

"I'm fourteen!" Shiri had exclaimed when her mother had at first rejected Shiri's inquiry about becoming a trainer. She simply crossed her arms and shook her head.

"You still have school to get through," her mother had replied, the same excuse she always used.

"I know enough now!" Shiri had argued. "I'm above my class's reading level! Besides, what do I need to know if I'm going to make a living battling pokemon?"

"But you're doing poorly in mathematics," her mother had said, holding up one of Shiri's failed math tests and ignoring Shiri's second comment.

"I try, at least!" Shiri had said, frustration building up.

"Alright, here's a deal," her mother had started. "You can go off and become the greatest pokemon trainer if you want, but you must study up on your mathematics." Shiri had agreed to the offer, even though studying math on her journey would be a drag. It was the only way her mother would ever let her go. Maybe she'd be able to get away with not studying if her mom saw her defeat all the trainers in the Indigo Plateau.

Shiri looked in her mirror. She picked up a brush and brushed out her long, sea weed green hair that she must have gotten from her father, as her mother's hair was blue. Her eyes were a pretty dark blue that seemed to reflect the sea. Her mother had always said she named her Shiri because it meant "ocean" in her native language. Shiri had rarely heard her mother speak her native tongue – only when her mother was angry.

Shiri stood just over five feet tall, and while she may not have been the tallest in her class, she didn't care. She always thought of people who complain about their height were annoying, and while she could see the disadvantages of being short, she had a lot of advantages, too, like being able to fit into small places.

The radio on her nightstand spelled out a nearby pokemon battle. She listened, imagining she was one of those trainers. If she closed her eyes, she could almost see herself directing her pokemon as it gracefully beat the other in a flurry of fire attacks. She could see her own charizard fly weightlessly through the air and blast it opponents away.

She knew she was going to get a charmander - she had called Professor Oak previously and told him her wishes. Since she was the only one to leave that day, he said she could very well have the charmander. Shiri had jumped for joy when the professor told her that. She hugged her plush charmander she always kept on her bed. Hugging things was a habit she had adopted herself - she always hugged something when she was particularly happy. Some called it annoying, her mother said it was cute, but she didn't care what anyone thought.

Curling up on her bed, still holding the plush charmander in her arms, Shiri drifted off into dreamland, images of pokemon and grand battles in her mind.

-​

Shiri woke up the next morning when the sunlight hit her. She opened her eyes, and they shot to her clock. Good. She didn't over sleep. She sprang up and ran into the bathroom. A little while later, she ran out again, ready, dressed lightly in shorts and white T-shirt. She slipped a jacket on, as the morning would still be chilly.

She grabbed her pack, making sure she had everything, such as the products she had bought the previous week: potions, antidotes, anything that would ensure her pokemon wouldn't get seriously hurt. She only needed pokeballs, but the shop near her house had never sold them.

She crept downstairs, hoping her mother wouldn't hear her. She didn't want to have to say all the goodbyes that go with leaving the house; she had done that the night before. She could still feel the sting of the tears that had been shed that night.

As she closed the front door, she took a deep breath. The air was good. It smelled pure, untouched by the toxins found in the bigger cities. This was the perfect time to go, she felt. The sky was clear, the air was brisk, and the road just seemed to call her name.

This was her home town: Pallet. Around twenty years previous, two famous trainers had started their journey and became world famous. One was Ash Ketchum, the son of Delia Ketchum, who had been her mother's friend since before Shiri was born. Shiri had never met Ash, as he had gone missing from the world when she was only three years old. Some claimed that he had simply become a recluse, living in some mountainous region and training his pokemon to become ultra powerful. Others said he had been kidnapped by Team Rocket, whoever that was, and they were holding him prisoner all these years.

The other trainer who left his home the same day as Ash was the late Professor Oak's grandson, Gary Oak. He traveled for years with his pokemon, first collecting the gym badges. When he lost at the Indigo Plateau, he had disappeared for a while. He soon returned to PalletTown and took over at Professor Oak's lab; first as an apprentice, then, when his grandfather died about ten years ago, he carried on Professor Oak's work. Now, many people simply refer to him as Professor Oak, although Delia never did. She called him Professor Gary Oak, making the distinction very clear.

Shiri had no idea who Team Rocket was. Her mother never told her, and when asked, would abruptly change the subject. Delia never spoke a word of Team Rocket.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a scuffling sound to her right. She saw, between the houses, the shape of something big, bigger than a human, run down the alley. Shiri thought it might have been someone's pokemon…but who would let something that big run freely?

A little frightened, Shiri walked on quickly. She looked all around her in case that huge pokemon should attack her. As she was looking over her shoulder, not paying much attention to where she was going, she ran directly into a man.

"I'm sorry!" she said, looking up at the man. He appeared to be in his late thirties, with spiky green hair that may have seemed strange if it were not the fact that the more normal crowds wore their hair in several varying colors and of all styles, regardless of age. But this man didn't seem to be concerned with Shiri. He ran past her quickly without a word, a pokeball in his hand.
Shiri watched the man until he rounded a corner and was out of sight. She then continued her way to Professor Oak's place, wondering who the man was and still keeping an eye out for any big, possibly man-eating pokemon that would jump out at her and make her its breakfast.

-​

It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. Professor Oak's lab was curiously-shaped building that reminded Shiri of the diglett that plagued her mother's flower garden. Surrounding the yellow building on three sides were vast acres of land that held pokemon of all kinds, some Shiri could recognize and more that she could not, although she guessed that might change in the future.

She went up to the front door, ran her fingers through her hair quickly, a nervous habit she had picked up from her mother, and rang the doorbell. She fidgeted in place as she waited, watching pidgey fly around and caterpie climb up the trees that surrounded the front of the lab.

Finally, after what seemed like ages, the door opened, and on the other side of the door stood a man in his mid-thirties. He had long, spiky brown hair and black eyes. He smiled politely at Shiri, a pleasant smile that seemed to put Shiri at ease despite the anxious feeling inside her.

"Good morning," he greeted. His voice seemed deeper than it did on the phone, but it was still rather high for a guy, in Shiri's opinion. He let her inside, and Shiri was surprised to find that she had stepped into his house rather than the laboratory.

The house was small and simple with a warm feeling to it. The professor led Shiri through a door near the back of the house, leading into the laboratory. He strode to a small circular table in the middle of the room, with Shiri following. All around her, shelves upon shelves of pokeballs were stored. Names above the pokeballs were listed, such names as "Sean," "Erik," "Simon." Under each name were dozens of pokeballs, great balls, ultra balls and other kinds of balls Shiri had never seen!
He pressed a button on the table, and a pokeball came up from a small hole in the center. Shiri's attention went straight to the pokeball that sat on a small metal pedestal. The ball looked like any other red and white pokeball, but on the top was a small flame symbol. The professor picked up the pokeball in his large hand.

"Here you go." He handed her the pokeball, his fingers brushing against her palm as he did so.

She looked at it, her fingers wrapped tightly around the ball. This was her first pokemon, fire type. She took a deep breath. "Can I let it out?" she asked, her voice trembling a little with excitement. The professor smiled at her anticipation

"Of course you can," he said.

Shiri pressed the small white button on the pokeball, and it opened suddenly, a red blast of energy beaming from it. The energy took the shape of a lizard, and when the red light faded, the orange charmander let out a happy cry. It had a long tail, the tip holding a bright, healthy orange flame. It had large black eyes that stared back at Shiri, eyes that held happiness and the promise of loyalty.

"It seems to like you," the good professor said. Shiri smiled brightly at him and hugged him suddenly. The professor, not expecting it, tried to move away, only setting them off balance and the two ended up falling to the floor
Shiri jumped off Professor Oak quickly. "I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed as the professor stood up.

"It's fine, it's fine," the professor said, though Shiri could detect a hint of annoyance in his voice. The professor handed her five more of the red and white pokeballs and a small red rectangle gizmo. "This is a pokedex," Professor Oak said, holding up the red rectangle. "It'll hold information on your pokemon and tell you about others.

"Thanks, professor," Shiri said. She looked at the charmander by her side. It seemed amused by Shiri's embarrassment. She recalled the pokemon, feeling a blush on her cheeks.

When she got outside, she let out her pokemon again. It called to her, and she smiled. "Hey," she said, "I don't wanna just call you Charmander. How about…Pippa? It was the name of a growlithe my mom had when she was my age." The charmander cried in approval. "Okay, then. Pippa it is." She held her arms open for Pippa, and she jumped up into Shiri's embrace. "This'll be a great!"

She let Pippa jump to the ground, turned north and headed on her adventure.

 

[Neutrino]

Well, I really liked this story. It has great descripto, and I am really getting into it. I will wait eagerly for the next chapter! ;)

 

[~Fire Eagle~]

Make sure you press the ENTER key twice next time when you are starting a new paragraph, this story is really great, I like it.

 

[GreenStorm]

Make sure you press the ENTER key twice next time when you are starting a new paragraph, this story is really great, I like it.

Agreed. And I'm not a fan of Times New Roman, but otherwise, a brilliant story!

 

[Repo Man]

Thanks everyone!

Meh, I *did* press Enter twice when I wrote it, but when I C/P'd it here, it ended up like that. I'll fix it soon, but at the time, I had to post and run.

 

[Repo Man]

Chapter 2​

​

Shiri and Pippa had stopped for lunch soon after they set out. They must have been about ten miles outside Viridian City, or so Shiri's map told her. They settled under a shady tree and ate some delicious fruit Shiri had packed the night before. She pulled out some home-made cookies her mother made from a pocket in her pack and nibbled on one. While Shiri was drinking some water from a bottle, she noticed someone coming up the road.

As the person got closer, she realized it was a boy. He stood over six feet tall, and looked a few years older than Shiri. His hair was almost black, kept short, but three thin locks of hair fell over his forehead. The closer he got, the better Shiri could see him. She saw he had dark blue eyes, eyes not unlike her own, and round cheeks sprinkled with freckles. His hands were stuck deep into the pockets of his jacket, and from what Shiri could see, his hands were balled into fists. At his belt were five pokeballs and another kind of ball that was blue and red. Shiri had seen
them before, at Professor Oak's lab – it was a great ball.

Shiri wondered if he would battle her. She had battled many wild pokemon since she set out, and Pippa was pretty strong. She was itching for a real trainer battle. When he passed by, she called to him, climbing to her feet. He looked at her slowly, his eyes quickly cutting to Pippa, then back to her.

"Hey, want to battle?" Shiri said with a challenging tone in her voice.

"Why should I bother with you?" the boy answered coldly, his hands not budging from their pocketed enclosure. Shiri blinked, not expecting such an icy answer. Why was he so cold? Did Shiri insult him?

"Because, you're a trainer and I'm a trainer," Shiri said as a futile explanation. "We should battle!"

The boy looked at Pippa again. His left hand slid out of his pocket and he let it drop to his side, close to the great ball on his belt. "Fine," he said quietly. "But I can tell you right now, I will win."

"That's what you think," Shiri said to him, smirking, though his hushed, low voice made her a little nervous. Beside her, Pippa rose to her feet, the flame on her tail flaring up. Pippa walked in front of Shiri, looking at the other trainer with caution. She let out a small, challenging growl.

"I'm supposing that's your only pokemon," the boy said. He took pulled the great ball off his belt and enlarged it. Shiri watched the boy's hand as he threw the ball up and, in a flash of curious purple light, a dog-like pokemon appeared.

The pokemon was small, about two feet high, with a red face. Its body was black and it had two small, white horns coming from its head. It growled deeply at Pippa, exposing small fangs, and Pippa shrank back a little, intimidated. The dog looked like a devilish puppy, ready to tear out Pippa's throat. Shiri suddenly had bad feelings about this battle, but she could not go back on her challenge.

Shiri, who had never seen or heard of a pokemon like the one in front of her, took out her pokedex. Upon scanning the black puppy, the pokedex identified it as houndour, the dark puppy pokemon.

"You've never seen this before?" the boy asked, a chuckle in his voice. He stuck his left hand, still holding the now-empty great ball, back into his jacket pocket. Shiri could see the bulge of the ball.

Shiri did not reply. She studied the canine carefully, trying to make out any possible weak spots. Its fur was black, and judging by its evil look, she guessed it was a dark-type pokemon. What were dark-types weak to? She should know this; a boy in her class had dark-type pokemon.

"How are you supposed to be a great trainer if you've never seen such a pokemon? They're so popular." She shot a glare at the boy, feeling very defensive.
Shiri refocused her thoughts. If the pokemon was held in a great ball, it must be strong. She wondered if Pippa could handle it. She had to have faith in her pokemon, right? She had to believe her pokemon could defeat anything, that's what made great trainers, right?

"Let's do this," Shiri said. "Pippa, use Scratch!"

The fiery salamander jumped into action, slashing at the puppy with its sharp claws. However, the houndour dodged the attack easily, its movements fluid and precise. Pippa tried another Scratch attack, but with the same results.

"Bite," the boy uttered quietly. The obedient dog surged forward, opened its jaws and bit Pippa hard on the tail, some blood spewing out of its mouth. Pippa screamed in pain, making Shiri gasp. The boy seemed amused.

"Pippa! Hold on!" Shiri encouraged. She couldn't let this battle go on any further. Pippa was no match for this pokemon.

"What a weak pokemon!" the boy exclaimed. "Houndour, use Take Down."
The black dog let go of Pippa's bleeding tail, backed up a few steps and slammed its full weight into Pippa. Pippa let out a weak cry of pain that made Shiri's heart sink and her stomach churn. Pippa then fell unconscious.

"That was way too easy," the boy said, taking his hand from his pocket and returning the houndour to its ball. Shiri ran to Pippa and held the weakened charmander in her arms, her whole body trembling. With unsteady hands, Shiri grasped Pippa's pokeball and recalled her fallen pokemon.

She stood up and looked at the boy. He slipped the minimized great ball to his belt and turned to leave, but Shiri grabbed his arm.

"I need you to take me to Viridian City," she said, fighting back tears and willing her voice to sound stronger than she felt.

The boy yanked away from her grasp and turned to glare at her. "Why should I?"
"You're the one who made Pippa faint," Shiri answered. "How am I supposed to get to Viridian with no pokemon?"

"It's not my problem," the boy stated and turned to leave again. Shiri ran in front of him.

"Let me come with you," she demanded, glaring at him. He stared at her for a few moments, sighed, then agreed to it reluctantly. She smiled. "Thank you!" She quickly gathered up all her items and stuffed them in her pack, then ran to the boy's side. "What's your name?" she asked as they began walking.

"Simon," he stated quietly.

"I'm Shiri." He didn't respond, and kept his gaze on the road ahead. Shiri sighed at his silence. "You don't talk much, do you?"

"I have nothing to talk about," he said.

Shiri attempted to make small talk several times after, then decided to give up when he wouldn't respond. The rest of the trek to Viridian was silent.