New Bark Town is a small town of about 5000 people, a sleepy little borough near the border between the Kanto and Johto regions. Looming large to the northeast was the silver mountain range. This extensive range served as a natural barrier between the two regions, and at its heart sat Mt. Silver. The namesake of the range, it was also the seat of power for the PLA and where both the Silver and Indigo League conferences took place.
Gregory exited his house and began to walk toward Professor Elm's Research center in the northwestern part of the town. The morning sun had just started to climb into the sky as he made it to main street. The cobblestone road was a pedestrian-only road that cut the town in half horizontally. Most of the streets in town were pedestrian-only, actually. The exceptions were the small port in the south part of the town and a few essential road connections that allowed people to ship things through the town. Besides him, there were few people out and about yet. He saw a few shop owners opening up for the day. He gave Mr. Bo Vine a wave as he passed; he owned the MrMoo's dairy bar, which sold the best Miltank products around. The milkshakes they made were his favorite. The town's pokemart was the next thing he passed as he walked. Its iconic blue roof with a white Pokeball symbol and its stark white walls were well known throughout the region. Its front windows had an electronic display with a list of ongoing sales and specials that flashed across it. Pokemarts were all owned by the PLA and were the place to go for anything Pokemon-related, whether special Pokemon food or Pokeballs.
At about the halfway point of the road, he saw the Pokemon Center on the left side of the street. The building itself took up a whole block. It was four stories tall and, like a pokemart, had a white Pokeball symbol affixed to the roof but painted a bright red instead of blue. The bottom floor was where they healed injured Pokemon, which partially explained why it had such a large footprint. However, it also had a cafeteria, lounge area, and small rooms for traveling trainers to use. These were on the second through fourth floors, respectively.
As he continued down the road, he saw a few joggers out running with their Pokemon. They mainly consisted of Growlithe, the small red-furred canine that was a favorite among people to keep as family Pokemon.
About 15 minutes later, he arrived at Professor Elm's Lab. The lab itself was two stories with a teal-colored metal roof and a white brick facade. Behind the building is the Pokemon Lab's ranch, acres and acres of land owned by the lab for use by the Pokemon sent by Lab-affiliated trainers and for the Lab's own Pokemon that they have assisting them in their research.
As Gregory tried the door, he found it locked.
"Looks like you beat me here!" a feminine voice called out from behind him. As he turned around, he saw a young woman approaching him who looked to be about his age. She looked only to be a couple of inches shorter than him. Her long, chestnut brown hair was put into a ponyta-tail threaded through the ball cap she wore. Her light green eyes had a glimmer of excitement reflecting from their depths.
Slung over her back, she had the same brand of backpack as him; hers was a pink color to his green. Her short-sleeved shirt and jeans looked to prioritize function over aesthetics, while her hiking boots looked worn but still serviceable.
"Yeah, I suppose I did." He chuckled, "Looks like I was in such a hurry to get here I didn't check to see when the lab would be open."
"My name is Gregory, by the way!" he continued, reaching a hand out for a shake. "Are you also here to receive a starter Pokemon?"
"Yeah, I am. I just got in from Cherrygrove; my name's Nora! It's a pleasure to meet you!" she replied as she took his hand in hers.
Before either one could continue speaking, the door behind them opened. As they both turned towards the door, a man with a lab coat, black hair, and glasses stepped out.
"Oh! Hello there, I didn't expect visitors here so early; how can I help you, kids?" he said. The flash of surprise on his face faded quickly, replaced by a warm smile.
"Hello, sir, we both are here to get a starter Pokemon!" Nora said both kids brought out their vouchers to show the man.
"Ah, I should've guessed here this way," he said after he looked over both and handed them back. He stepped into the doorway, holding the door as he beckoned them in. Both Nora and Gregory follow the man inside the lab.
As Gregory looked around, he found that the front half of the lab was an office space with a small assortment of cubicle desks off to the right, where a few more people dressed in lab coats were typing away at their computers. The left-hand side had a decent-sized meeting room; next to that, there was a small library that took up the rest of the space.
"My name is Dave, by the way; I work here as one of Professor Elm's research aids," Dave continued, snapping Gregory's wandering eyes back to him. "you both must be very excited to be getting your own Pokemon today!"
"Yes, sir! I could hardly sleep last night," Nora chimed in.
"I have been waiting for a long time for this!" Gregory added.
"Well then, we better not dally! Here through this doorway."
Dave led them into what had to be the central part of the lab. All around them, they saw various machines and equipment that Gregory could only begin to guess at the purpose of. They then made it to the very back of the room where a large table sat, atop which sat a few red square devices.
"Please wait here while I go grab Prof. Elm," Dave said as he made his way to a door off to the right, which opened to reveal a staircase that led to a basement floor.
"Wow, look at all this equipment!" Nora said as she gazed around the lab. "It must be so much fun to work with Pokemon all day."
"Yeah, I bet," Gregory replied.
"So, do you plan on challenging the gym circuit once you get your Pokemon?" Gregory asked.
"Hmm, you know, I'm not sure. Honestly, I just want to travel around and meet as many different Pokemon as I can," she replied, and then, after a short pause, added, "What about you? Are you aiming to compete in the silver league?"
"You bet! I'm aiming to be the best trainer I can!"
"Well, you're going to have to settle for second-best because that's all you'll ever be while I'm around!" a voice said behind them.
Turning around, Nora and Gregory spotted a boy around their age with Blond hair cut short and sported a hat emblazoned with the Pokemon leagues symbol, walking up to them from the same door they had just entered.
"The name's Alexander, and you better remember it because I'm going to be the next Champion!" he continued as he walked over to them.
"Well, we'll see about that!" Gregory replied, turning to him. He extended his hand for a shake with the new boy, "I'm Gregory, and this is Nora."
Alexander just looked at his hand, seemingly deciding if he wanted to return the greeting; he scoffed, took Gregory's hand, and gave a brief shake.
Before the interaction could get any more tense, the door Dave had gone down opened again, revealing a new man wearing a lab coat who entered the room. The man had rounded glasses, and his light brown hair was cut short with a longer, messy tangle of hair on top.
"Welcome! Welcome! I've been told you kids are here to get your starter Pokemon," the man, who could be none other than Prof. Elm, began.
"However, before we begin, there are a few things that I have to go over with you!" He said this as he strode from the doorway and stopped facing them from behind the large table with the mysterious devices on it.
"First, I'll need to see the vouchers you should've received from the League." all three kids began digging through their bags as he said this, each producing their voucher. The Professor then went around to each, taking the offered paper, and quickly looked over it before he moved back to his spot behind the table, where he said, "Excellent. Now that that's out of the way, we can move on. As some of you might have noticed, here in front of me on the table are quite a few machines that you probably haven't seen before. These are the fruits of a project my peers from the various regions and I have been collaborating on. We are calling it a Pokedex. Think of it as an electronic encyclopedia of all known Pokemon. However, it is incomplete; its entries were taken from written sources that themselves were sourced from myths, legends, and rumors. Many of my colleagues have already begun updating entries as we collect more data, but it has been quite an undertaking. Which brings me to the request I wish to make of you!" As he said all this, he had begun pacing back and forth, his tall, lithe frame filled with an almost manic energy, his enthusiasm about this topic unmistakable. "That request is for each of you to take this pokedex with you on your journeys and help us fill it with more accurate information."
"I would be happy to help, professor, but how would I do that?" Nora, being the first to answer, said
Both Alexander and Gregory nod their heads in silent agreement to the question.
"A great question! I'm glad you asked!" The Professor exclaimed, stopping his pacing briefly to point his finger at her, only to immediately resume as he answered, "There are a few ways you can help us. First, you can simply scan any Pokemon you see; this will give you some basic information on the species in question and will also send us data on its size, markings, and other various metrics. Secondly, and this is the main way that you will be helping us, is catching Pokemon; when you catch a Pokemon with any Pokeballs you have linked to your Pokedex, besides all the previous things I mentioned, we will receive more in-depth biometric data that a visual scan could not provide. Lastly, on your Pokedex, you can make notes of any observations you may have, which will automatically be sent to my staff and me for review." He seemed to have to stop himself from going into an entire lecture; Professor Elm took a moment to collect himself before he finished, "so what do you say? Will you three accept my request?"
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"Of course, I'll help!" Nora states without hesitation. As the professor spoke, Gregory could almost see the excitement radiating off her like steam from a pot of boiling water.
Gregory took a bit longer to make a decision. The idea of helping out the Professor certainly appealed to him, but he had decided he wanted to really take a shot at winning the silver conference this year. Gregory wanted to focus on catching and training a team to help him achieve that end. However, information was a powerful tool, and if he could learn more about as many Pokemon as possible, that could only benefit him. He came to a decision.
"Sure, I'll help you!" he said as he met the Professor's eyes. "Though I don't know if I'll be catching that many Pokemon."
"Not to worry, just scanning any Pokemon you see is immensely helpful to our project!" Professor Elm said.
"Can we get our Pokemon now or what?" Alexander asked, just nodding in reply to the Professor's request.
"Of course! Sorry, I know you all must be excited to meet your future partners."
He quickly picked up three of the small red devices and handed them out.
"Now, how to decide who chooses first," He mumbled, as his hand rubbed his chin in thought, "How about we just go by who was here first?" He asked, bringing the hand down in a fist to impact against the palm of his other hand as if he had just received a grand epiphany.
"That would be me, sir!" Gregory said as he took a step forward.
"Excellent! Then please follow me." The Professor began walking back towards the door he came in from, with Gregory hurrying to catch up.
"Well, Gregory, you're sure spoiled for choice! My colleagues provided us with some rare Pokemon from their respective regions!" Prof. Elm quipped as they started making their way down the steps.
The room is open at the bottom of the stairs, with three colossal glass habitats occupying most of the space. However, there is a huge vault door to the room's left. The door itself was already open, and inside, Gregory could see Dave with a scanner going down row upon row of Pokeballs, making annotations on a clipboard every now and again.
"That is where we keep all the Pokemon from trainers that have stabling rights with us. When they have met their carry limit, they send them to us for safekeeping." The Professor chimed in, having noticed the angle of his gaze.
"Wow, there sure are a lot of Pokemon in there," Gregory muttered in awe.
"oh yes, we have a lot of trainers that utilize our ranch; now let me go over all the Pokemon you have to choose from."
Elm led him over to the glass habitats, stopping in front of one that seemed to be a facsimile of grasslands with a bit of a forest-like edge made up of small trees and bushes. The UV Lighting above it acted as a pseudo-sun. In the middle, there is a pond where seven Pokemon are gathered. Some were relaxing by the small body of water, while others played around it.
"So in here, you will find all the grass-type Pokemon. Those being Bulbasaur, Chikorita, Treeko, Turtwig, Snivy, Chespin, and Grookey." He said, his manner of speech reminding Gregory of a museum curator giving a tour.
He then moved on to the next enclosure. This one looked much like the last, which also had a pond in the middle where the Pokemon gathered around, but this one also had some rocky outcroppings in the back of the habitat.
"This one is home to all the fire-type Pokemon, which includes Charmander, Cyndaquil, Torchic, Chimchar, Tepig, Fennekin, and Scorbunny."
Of the three habitats, the last one is the most drastically different. Fifty percent of the habitat is water, with a central piece of land with grass, sand, and mud patches.
"Finally, this is where we have the water-type Pokemon. You will find a Squirtle, Totodile, Mudkip, Piplup, Oshwott, Froakie, and Sobble here. Like I said, we have a lot to choose from; take your time and let me know which one you want." The professor said as he stopped in front of the last enclosure.
Gregory perused each habitat carefully; some of the Pokemon noticed his gaze on them, though most chose to ignore him, apparently uninterested in his attention. However, a few showed a little interest in him and walked up to the glass for a closer look.
The first one was the Turtwig from the grass-type habitat. The small quadruped, which couldn't have reached higher than his ankles, had a yellow lower jaw and yellow eyes and feet. On the top of its head, it also had a tiny seedling sprouting out. It stops a few feet from the glass and looks Gregory in the eyes. With a slight tilt of its head, it let out a curious-sounding "twig." They locked eyes, Gregory giving it a warm, inviting smile and a wave of his hand, and then it scampered back to the other Pokemon. Its curiosity had apparently been satisfied.
The second Pokemon was the Squirtle from the water-type habitat. Though the Squirtle hadn't walked up as far as the Turtwig, it still took a few steps forward, gave him a happy-sounding "squirt!" and waved to him. After he gave a smile and a wave back to it, the Squirtle turned away and jumped into the water, splashing a few of the other Pokemon.
The final Pokemon was the Fire-type Fennekin; the little fox came bounding all the way up to the glass, where it sat down and looked up at him expectantly. The soft-looking fur of its body was yellow with bright red eyes that matched the tip of its fluffy tail and the tufts of hair that extended from its pointed ears. The bottom half of its face and short snout was pure white like spent ashes in bright sunlight.
"Do you want to come with me on my journey, Fennekin?" Gregory asked as he crouched down to be more on its level, putting a steadying hand upon the glass.
The little vixen tilted her head to the side as it considered his question, then it reached up and placed her fore paws onto the glass. Her right paw landed precisely where his hand was; simultaneously, she yipped a happy, "Fen, Fennekin!"
Gregory didn't know precisely what the Fennekin was saying, but he had learned that as trainers, or people in general, spent more time with a specific Pokemon, it was easier to decipher their body language and the various tones in their calls. So, while he didn't know exactly how it replied to his question, he would have sworn that there was a hopeful expression in its red-eyed gaze and an excited twitch to its tail as it swayed back and forth in little jerks.
"Professor! I've made my decision!" He called back over his shoulder, A smile spreading across his face, his eyes not leaving the fox in front of him. Professor Elm made his way over and stood behind him.
"So you're choosing Fennekin? Alright then, let me grab her Pokeball for you." With that, the Professor goes into the vault and, a few moments later, returns with the spherical red and white device in his hands.
"You know, one of the areas of my studies is the bonds between humans and Pokemon, and I've found that letting your Pokemon travel with you outside its ball can help to form such a bond. Maybe you should consider letting your new friend travel with you in such a way. Well, the choice is yours," He told Gregory as he handed over the Pokeball. The professor opened the door to the habitat, letting the little fire-fox out. "Please send the next person in when you head upstairs!"
He gave Prof. Elm a quick smile and a nod. Gregory then knelt in front of Fennekin. "So what do you say, girl? Wanna walk with me?" he asked.
"Fen, Fen!" came the excited reply as the Fox Pokemon quickly wagged its fluffy tail.
"Alright then! Let's go!" he said, standing up and making his way up the stairs.
"Oh, I have one more thing to speak with you all about, so please wait for me upstairs!" the Professor called out when he had made it halfway up.
As Gregory and Fennekin returned to the other two teenagers, a gasp of excitement greeted them. "Oh my gosh! She is sooo cute." Nora gushed once she caught sight of Gregory's new partner. At the sound of her exuberance, Fennekin hid behind Gregory's legs. Her head peeked out from the side.
"So you decided to go with a Fennekin, huh? That's certainly an interesting choice," Alexander said with an air of consideration; his eyes lingered over the Pokemon, full of judgment as if they were weighing all her flaws and merits.
"The professor said you're good to go down there now," Gregory told Nora. He chose to ignore Alexander's remark.
Nora took off down the stairs with a pump of her fist and a megawatt grin.
Pulling out his Pokedex, Gregory aims toward the little fox sitting at his feet. After hitting the scan button, a picture of Fennekin was pulled up on the dex's screen, along with some information on her species. Then a computerized voice began speaking, "Fennekin, The Fox Pokemon, found in Forrest, chaparrals, and deserts. These Pokémon have a curious diet—they subsist primarily on dry twigs, which they seek out constantly, even chewing on them while walking about. They combust the sticks they eat within their bodies to create fire." Hitting another button, the Pokedex shows him the list of moves she knows.
-Scratch
-Charm
-Howl
-Ember
He slipped the Pokedex back into his pocket, then knelt to be more on her level. He slowly brings a hand towards her, stroking the soft fur between her ears. "Remind me to get you some sticks later, okay girl?" he said. Her reply was to, using his knee as a springboard, jump to his shoulder and give a lick to his cheek with her warm tongue.
As he got back to his feet, fox still on his shoulder, Nora returned through the door. In her arms was a small blue amphibian; on its cheek, it had orange spikes, three prongs to each cheek, with a fin atop its head and one for a tail.
"The Professor said you're good to come down now, Alexander." She said with a satisfied smile as she took her place next to the two boys.
"Finally, you both took forever," Alexander replied as he all but sprinted down the stairs.
"He sure has an attitude problem, huh?" Nora quips as the other boy shuts the door behind him.
Gregory shrugged in return, careful not to cause his little hitchhiker to lose her balance.
"So, are you going to give Fennekin a nickname?" Nora asked after a moment,
"I never considered it before; what do you say, Fennekin? Would you like a nickname?" he said, turning to the vixen on his shoulder.
Head tilted to the right, she considered the proposition and a moment later shook her head. "Well, there you have it, though I might give any future Pokemon I catch nicknames if they want them."
Gregory was just about to ask Nora if she would give her Mudkip a nickname when Alexander returned, with a Cyndaquil and Professor Elm following behind him. The little fire-type Pokemon had dark blue-green fur on top and a cream-colored coat on its lower half; it also had a long, thin snout and four red circles on its back.
Professor Elm resumed his earlier spot behind the table as Alexander fell back in next to Nora and Gregory.
"Thank you for sticking around. I know you are excited to begin your journeys now that you have your Pokemon, but I just had one more thing to review with you three before you head out." The Professor begins. "Since all of you have agreed to help me with my research, I will update your trainer ID to reflect that you are Lab researchers affiliated with me. You will also receive some monetary compensation from the Lab for your contributions. The payment should hit your accounts every two weeks." As he said this, he grabbed each teenager's ID. He then headed over to his computer on the room's left side and entered their information. After a few minutes, he handed them back their trainer card. "Well, that's all from me; if you have any questions, let me know. Otherwise, good luck on your journeys, and I can't wait to see the data you collect!"
No sooner had the last words left the Professor's mouth than Alexander turned and walked out of the lab. His new Cyndaquil hopped after him, trying to match the pace of his long strides. Nora and Gregory both thanked the Professor and began walking out shortly after.
"So what will you be doing now?" Nora asked. They had just exited the lab and stood by the sidewalk facing each other.
"Well, first, I will be heading back to my house; I promised my folks that I wouldn't leave without checking in with them one last time. After that, though," he paused as he considered, "I think I'll start making my way to Violet City. Since that's where the closest Gym is." he replied.
"What about you? You mentioned you just wanted to travel around a bit, right?"
"I'm also going to be heading to Violet City. I've heard about the Sprout Tower there and wanted to check it out." Nora said, then hesitantly added, "Do you want to travel together? I'm Still a little nervous about traveling by myself," she said with a brief look to the little blue amphibian still in her arms, "I know I'll have Mudkip with me, but you know, safety in numbers and all that."
"Sure!" Gregory said after sharing a quick look with Fennekin. The little fox gave her the best approximation of a shrug. "The more the merrier!"