"There it is!" Jean shouted over the roaring wind as she and her son, Brandon, flew over Route 202. They were flying to Sandgem from Hearthome City on the back of the Holden couple's Altaria, Purity. Brandon wanted to go there alone, take a bus or something. He was 19 years old after all. But his mother insisted on seeing him off and flying him to the professor's laboratory. Word had gotten around the region that the local head Pokémon researcher, Prof. Rowan, was giving away PokéDex's to new trainers. Brandon saw this as an opportunity to start travelling while his parents were still relatively unknown. Back at Hoenn, most of the people knew of the contest duo. He couldn't go around without being mobbed by his parents' fans. Some people say that it should flatter him to get so much attention, but for Brandon, it was unnecessarily too much. He ended up getting sick of it and decided to hide from the spotlight as a result. Now, there was no spotlight. He could get his own Pokemon and travel.
I could get my own Pokemon. The thought rang in his head like an alarm clock he had set and the time was now. He voiced out his desire to his parents and there were no arguments. His bag was packed and he was ready to go. Except there was one problem.
"Where do I get a Pokemon?" he asked his parents while they had dinner. "I can't just get yours. You still have contests to enter. And even if you don't, you don't exactly have Pokemon fit for beginners."
"Pfff-moomph-moof" his mother started saying. "Swallow your food first, dear," his father said, patting Jean's back as she chewed faster. With a big gulp, she pounded her chest and drank from her glass of water. She sighed in delight and said, "Thank you, dear," before facing back towards Brandon. "Don't worry about it too much," she continued before going back to scarfing down the medium rare steak on her plate.
"Your mother's right, Don. We've got you covered," his father interjected with a wink, then he too went back to eating. Brandon stared at his parents as he chewed his food slowly. They were unlikely couples. His mother was quirky and childish while his dad was serious and mature. Jean had hazel brown wavy hair that stopped just a few inches below her shoulder. Gregory, on the other hand, looked very similar to his son. His hair is black and always waxed to keep it neat. Both their eyes are brown and hides behind a pair of glasses. His dad isn't very fit and his mother is a bit on the chubby side. They didn't look like the kind of couple to be joining contests all the time, but when you see them perform on center stage, they look like they were made for each other.
"Are you ready, Don?" her mother asked him, bringing him back into reality. They had just passed the welcome sign to Sandgem Town. The roofs of the houses below became larger as they started to descend. "Chiiruuu!" The Altaria shouted as they neared the ground. They landed in front of the laboratory. It wasn't too hard to spot from above. The building stood out from the few slope-roofed houses that scattered around the town. Jean and Brandon got off of Purity and the humming Altaria shook its fluffy white feathers in delight. Her trainer smiled and stroked her neck. "Thanks for the ride, Purity," she said then she took a small ball from her pocket. She pressed the button on the middle and it enlarged. "You take a rest now, sweetie," Jean said as she pressed the button again and a light emerged from it. It enveloped the Altaria and the Humming Pokémon was sucked into the ball. It shrank back then Jean placed it back in her pocket before facing her son.
"You have to look good for this," she said as she fixed Brandon's shirt. She tried to fix his unruly hair too, but she had to stand on her toes to reach it, and her son refused to bend down for her. Brandon attempted to shuffle away from her mother. "Mooom," he complained. He started walking towards the lab but his mother was not done fixing him up yet. She was still dusting off his shoulders and pulling his shirt down when they reached the front door. Brandon ignored her mother and extended his arm to knock on it before the door opened and a young girl appeared. She had a white hat on top of her long blue hair. Her eyes darted from Brandon to his mother. "Uhhh," Brandon started to say then Jean stepped forward with her hand extended. "Hello! My name's Jean Holden, Pokemon Coordinator," she introduced herself as she shook the girl's hand. "This here," she motioned her hand backwards, "is my son, Brandon. We're here for Professor Rowan?"
The name seemed to have shook the girl from her stupor because she suddenly perked up and grinned. "Ohh, you must be a new trainer," she said, then she extended her hand towards Brandon. "My name's Dawn. I'm one of the professor's assistants." Brandon shook her hand meekly. Dawn beamed him a smile and stepped aside. She motioned her hands inside the lab. "Come inside," she said. When they had all gotten inside, the assistant closed the door and walked towards another room, saying, "I'll go get the professor," as she walked away.
Brandon looked around the lab. There were bookshelves and contraptions everywhere. Prof. Rowan looked like a very busy man. A few moments later, a large man with white hair, dressed in a coat, stepped out of the room Dawn had gone in. He had an intimidating aura around him, but there was no doubt that that person was the Professor.
"Hello," he said in his deep voice. "I'm Prof. Rowan. I assume you're here for your PokéDex and trainer's license?" Brandon started replying to the professor but he was cut short by his mother as she stepped forward and said, "Yes! That's exactly why we're here." She walked towards Prof. Rowan with an arm extended. "My name is Jean Holden. Pokemon Coordinator," she said as she shook the professor's hand vigorously. She then pulled the professor closer and whispered something into his ear. Prof. Rowan nodded once, then they turned around. Brandon's eyebrows raised and he tried to peek but the two turned around just before he could do it. Jean was giggling as she walked back towards her son.
"I have to go back to Hearthome now," his mother said in between her giggles. She hugged Brandon tight as her son squirmed. "Take good care of yourself, now. Don't forget to visit when you can. I love you, Donny." She released Brandon from her hug and kissed him on the cheek before briskly walking towards the door. She looked back one last time and said, "Goodbye, professor," with a wink before going out and closing the door behind her. There was a moment of silence as Brandon and Prof. Rowan stared at each other. "Ehem," the professor cleared his throat. "Anyway, your PokéDex, yes." The professor walked towards a cabinet and opened a drawer. He took a red device from inside and plugged it into a machine right next to the cabinet.
"Brandon Holden, correct?" Prof. Rowan asked. "Uhh, umm, yes," Brandon replied with surprise. The professor nodded. "Your mother told me. She's got quite a character." Brandon laughed awkwardly and scratched behind his head. The machine produced a sound and the professor unplugged the device. He walked towards Brandon and handed him the red device. "This is your PokéDex. This records all the data of the Pokémon you've seen and captured. It's been registered to your name and acts as your trainer's license." Brandon took the red device and examined it. "To use that, all you have to do is point it towards the Pokémon you want to know about and press that large green button," Prof. Rowan said, pointing at the different parts of the Dex. "Also," the professor said as he fished his coat for some items and pulled out five small red-and-white balls. "Here are five Pokéballs. You'll need these to catch wild Pokémon, although I suppose you already knew about that." Brandon took the balls and placed it inside his right pocket. "And finally," the professor took out a Pokéball marked with a blue ribbon on it from his front coat pocket, "your first Pokémon." Prof. Rowan placed the ball in the boy's hand. "This one is from your mother. She said she won it as a prize in a recent contest."
Brandon stared at the ball in his hand. Going in this journey, he'd already expected and prepared himself to finally get a Pokémon, but the feeling of receiving one's first Pokémon is something you can't prepare for, it seems. The normally reserved boy was overcome by emotion. "Th-thank you, professor," he uttered. Prof. Rowan patted his right shoulder and said, "My pleasure, but you should also thank your mother when you get back to your house. She believes in you, you know. In the short conversation we had, I could tell that your mother is very proud of you."
The new trainer nodded and smiled faintly. "Alright then, you're all set," Prof. Rowan said as he stood back and put his hands behind him. "Sinnoh is a region full of places to explore and Pokémon to catch. There are always new things to discover, you just have to look very hard. You can also attempt the Pokémon League challenge by collecting the gym badges from the different cities. This is what most trainers usually do, but feel free to aim for something different. The world is in your hands, my boy. Do your best and you will succeed in your endeavors. Good luck!"
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Brandon was walking along the streets of Sandgem Town with his duffel bag hanging around his right shoulder. He was holding and playing with his first Pokemon's Pokéball in his hand. He still hadn't checked it out yet. The boy didn't feel like it yet. He found that thinking about what kind of Pokémon might be inside is a lot of fun. Brandon still couldn't believe that he was finally an official trainer. He didn't think he'd be able to set foot outside their house without being crowded around, but here he was, walking past people who didn't know about the Holdens.
There was nothing much to do in Sandgem. There's few houses and there's a Mart and a Pokémon Center. There was a sandy path leading towards what looked like a beach, but Brandon didn't feel much like going there. After all, it would lead nowhere but the sea. He passed by it and continued walking around town. After a good twenty minutes of walking, when Brandon was starting to get tired, he saw a path leading towards, as the sign says, Route 202.
Maybe I should've gotten a map, he thought to himself. He knelt down and set his bag on the ground. He shuffled inside it and pulled out a worn-out folded paper. "Bingo." He opened the paper and it revealed the region of Sinnoh. It was an old map, but it serves its purpose. It was something they had gotten before moving to Hearthome. "Let's see here, Route 202…"
Tracing the map with his fingers, Brandon finally found the route. "Leads to Jubilife City." He looked for other paths that he could take. He saw that there was a path to Route 201 that leads to Verity Lake and Twinleaf Town, but both places were dead ends. He folded the map and placed it back in his bag. He stood up and picked up his back. "Route 202 it is."
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The route was literally buzzing with noise. Brandon could hear several groups of Pokémon making melodic buzzes behind some bushes. The patches of tall grass rustled with activity. "Now's probably a good time to find out what Pokémon I have," he told himself. He gripped the ball in his hand and took a deep breath. Brandon pressed the button on the ball and it popped open. Out came a white light that shot towards the ground. There was nothing but a silhouette at first, but in seconds, the light materialized into Brandon's first Pokémon.
"Osshhhaaa," the Pokémon said as it stretched its arms and spun around with grace, eyes closed. It held some sort of shell in its paw. It stopped from spinning and placed the shell on its stomach. It faced Brandon with an inquisitive look. The Pokémon's body was blue while it's arms and head are white. Two triangular dark blue ears perched on top of its head. Its nose was large, brown and oval. The Pokémon's expression changed then it suddenly ran towards Brandon. It jumped up, took the shell from its stomach and hit his trainer on the head with it. "Ow!" Brandon exclaimed, rubbing his head. He remembered what the professor had told him about the PokéDex. He quickly pulled it out from his pocket and pointed it at his Pokémon. After pressing the green button, the device spoke in a mechanical voice.
[OSHAWOTT. THE SEA OTTER POKEMON. The scalchop on its stomach isn't just used for battle—it can be used to break open hard berries as well.]
"Oshawott, eh? That's kind of a mouthful," he said, casually gazing towards his Pokémon. The Oshawott still looked at him weirdly. Brandon knelt down and attempted to stroke the Pokémon's head, but the Sea Otter slapped his hand away. The new trainer frowned. "Don't be that way," he said. He tried again, but the Oshawott scooted away from his hand. "I know." Brandon stood up and walked towards a bush. He rummaged through it for a while and came back to the Oshawott with a few berries on hand. "Here you go. Fresh from the bushes."
The Sea Otter reluctantly walked closer to Brandon and took a berry from his hand. It ate it and gave a pleasant "Ossha!" Brandon couldn't help but smile. He patted the Pokémon's head with his other hand. This time, it happily accepted it as it continued eating the berries. "You look like a Kai," Brandon told the Oshawott. "I think that's what I'll call you. Kai. Is that alright with you?" The Sea Otter looked up at him happily, displaying the two pointed fangs in its mouth. "Oshhaa-wott!"
"Chirp, chirp," a sound came from the bush behind Brandon. The trainer turned around and saw a red bug staring at him. It had two large antennae on its head and it looked as if it had a collar around its neck. He pointed his Dex at the bug.
[KRICKETOT. THE CRICKET POKEMON. Its legs are short. Whenever it stumbles, its stiff antennae clack with a xylophone-like sound.]
"I guess you're the ones behind this noise then," Brandon told the bug Pokémon after the Dex finished. Kai the Oshawott stood behind its trainer, curiously looking at the new arrival. "You want some berries, little guy?" the trainer asked, offering the berries to the Kricketot. He brought his hands closer to the bug then all of a sudden, its antennae clacked together repeatedly, producing a very loud headache-inducing sound. Brandon fell back, covering his ears. "AAAAAAAHH!" he shouted.
Kai leapt into action, obviously struggling to keep itself up as the Kricketot kept producing the awful noise. The shell he held started glowing white then he ran towards the bug and slashed at it. The Kricketot fell back, stopping it from clacking its antennae together. Dizzy from the noise, Brandon tried his best to stand up. The bug was lying on its back and Kai stood over it. "Ossha!" the Sea Otter shouted triumphantly and pounded his chest. Suddenly, the bug started glowing red. "Kai, watch out!" Brandon shouted, but it was too late. The Kricketot shuddered and released a bright red energy that sent Kai flying backwards. The Oshawott skidded on its back before coming to a stop just beneath Brandon. Kricketot hopped up and looked at Kai, obviously angry now.
Kai struggled to get up. Brandon watched as the two Pokémon faced off. The trainer saw the bug's antennae start vibrating. "It's going to do that thing again, Kai," he told the Oshawott who looked at him expectantly. Brandon said no more, prompting the Sea Otter to act on its own. It gripped its shell once more and ran to the bug. Kricketot saw Kai coming and started making loud noises again. It stopped the Oshawott in its tracks, making Kai cry out in pain. Brandon covered his ear once more. "Kai!" he shouted, then he scolded himself. He only realized that he should be giving out orders to his Pokémon. Quickly, he grabbed his Dex and pointed it at his Pokémon. It displayed Kai's stats, who was apparently male, and moves. He read his Pokémon's known moves, trying very hard to ignore the pain that was building up in his head.
"Kai, Aqua Jet!" he finally called out. Almost immediately, the Oshawott stood up and ran towards the bug, covered in water. He sped up faster and faster until Kai hit the bug square on its chest. The Oshawott jumped back a few inches after hitting his target. The Kricketot was down once more, but it was still trying to get up. Brandon contemplated just leaving the bug there. He was not too fond of them, and the Kricketot has caused enough trouble for him. Still, he wasn't about to let his guard down. He read on Kai's moves some more. "Hmm, prepare for anything it might do, Kai. Use Detect."
The Oshawott stood vigilant, watching the struggling bug. Its antennae started vibrating again, but before it could click together, Kai ran towards the fallen bug and placed his shell between the Kricketot's antennae. The bug tried clicking its antennae, but the two wouldn't meet and produce sound. "Good, now use Icy Wind for good measure." Kai blew out a cold wind from his mouth and snow started forming on the bug's antennae. The Oshawott ran back to its trainer after doing so. Brandon just stood there a while, watching the Kricketot struggle to get up and make more annoying noises. He bit his lip and shook his head. He pushed his glasses up and took an empty Pokéball from his pocket. He pressed the button in the middle and threw it at the bug.
