The sun rose over the Sprout Tower, casting a pinkish light over Violet City. A flock of Pidgey was flying past the huge pagoda, and the streetlights began to dim as their necessity ended. A faint mist hung in the air, and the grass was lightly coated with dew. Few would dream of being awake at such an hour; in one house on the north side of the city, however, someone was.
Ten-year-old James Enfield sat on his bed, fully dressed in a red t-shirt and black jeans, unable to contain his excitement. The day had finally come for him to get his first Pokémon and begin his journey across the Johto region; he had waited impatiently for nearly six years, watching in awe as his two older brothers received their first Pokémon. Now it was his turn, and he couldn't sleep, not while his first Pokémon was waiting for him.
He looked around the room, his hawk-like blue-gray eyes searching through the dim morning light. His black Pokégear, a wrist mounted model that his oldest brother Darrell had given him, sat on the nightstand, and his gray pack hung by its shoulder strap on the back of his desk chair, already stocked and ready to go. Books and Pokémon manuals were stacked on the desk, looking ready to fall at any moment. The generally disorganized room was mainly due to James' frantic preparations the night before, trying to get everything ready before he went to sleep; if it hadn't been for his mother's scolding, he'd never have even thought of going to bed at all.
Eventually, he decided he'd had enough of sitting around, and put his Pokégear onto his right wrist, checking to make sure it was tightly secured, then crossed the room and started to swing his bag over his shoulder. Upon looking at the clock, though, he stopped himself; the clock read six thirty, and he knew that his mother would be really annoyed if she found him up this early. He may be energetic, she had said, but that was no excuse for him to be awake at that time of the morning. He put the bag down and sat down on the chair, running a hand through his choppy, dark brown hair and willing time to speed up so he could finally get going.
A soft knock on the door broke him from his thoughts, and he went and opened it as quietly as he could, revealing his second-oldest brother Shane. Shane was thirteen, and he didn't look as much like his younger brother, with straight, light brown hair that was already longer than most boys', and soft emerald green eyes. Like James, he was fully dressed, wearing a white t-shirt under a black and white checked flannel shirt and faded blue jeans. He smiled as he walked in, and sat down on the bed, while James sat back down on the chair.
"Couldn't sleep, huh, kiddo?" Shane asked, and James nodded. "Don't worry, I was just as excited when I got Chikorita. Remember when Mom was yelling at me to go to sleep the night before, even though she knew I wasn't going to?"
"Vaguely," James replied, a smile crossing his face. "I was only seven, remember?"
"True," Shane said, grinning as well. "So, have you decided which Pokémon you're going to choose? You've been waiting for today since you were four, after all."
"Yeah, I have," James said, "but I'm not telling anyone yet. It's going to be a surprise." He knew it wasn't, though; everyone had pretty much figured out his choice years ago, and he'd simply told everyone who asked exactly what he'd just told Shane. “So are we still teleporting to New Bark Town?”
“Yeah, Xatu's looking forward to it. It'll be fun to see Professor Elm again, I haven't seen him in the longest time.”
“Yeah.” James glanced at his Pokégear display, then back at Shane. “D'you have any advice on how to get started? Like which Pokémon I should be aiming to catch?”
“Well, on that front, I can't really tell you much. It's really up to you. Every trainer has their own style and preferences, and you'll be able to discover both.” Shane sighed. “I'm also not the best person to offer advice, either. My travels didn't even last two years.”
“Okay then.” James looked toward the window, a little disappointed that Shane couldn't offer more help. “The sky's lightening, Shane. We should start getting ready...well, more ready than we are now.”
"Well, d'you want to get Mom up and grab some breakfast before we go?" the older boy asked. "It's almost seven now, and she wants us to leave by nine, so we're gonna have to move."
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"Sounds good to me," James said, and the two brothers left the room, James grabbing his pack as he left. They walked across the hall to their parents' room, and Shane knocked on the door.
"Hey Mom," he said, just above a whisper. "We're up and ready, are you?" The door opened, and Andrea Enfield, a pretty, brown-haired woman, stood in front of them. She had many similar features to Shane's: light brown hair, emerald eyes, and calm, soft features. Andrea half-smiled as she yawned.
"Time to get moving already, boys?" she asked, her smile widening as she saw her two younger sons dressed and ready to go. "Well, I'd better whip something up for you two, then. Considering the amount the pair of you eat, it'll have to be a lot." At the mention of food, the two boys bolted for the stairs, and Andrea sighed. “Those boys never change. Of course, I shouldn't be surprised, neither of them can go an hour without eating.” Thinking about her sons, she looked at a framed picture thoughtfully. “I can't believe my youngest is going to leave already. The years have just flown by.” She laughed a little to herself, then started down herself.
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After a huge breakfast of pancakes, eggs and bacon, James and Shane raced out the door for the journey to New Bark Town. Andrea followed them, watching as James slung his bag over his shoulder and prepared to head out.
"I've contacted Darrell and your father," she said as she kissed her youngest son goodbye. "They've both promised to come back home and see your first Pokémon once you get back."
"That'll be great!" James answered, smiling widely. His father Matt had undergone his own travels through the Johto region, and had even won the Johto League Silver Conference title, many years before any of his three sons had been born. "I can't wait to show them how good I can be. I'll see you all when I get back home."
"Take care of yourself," his mother told him, concern filling her emerald eyes. "Stay close to your brother until you get your Pokémon, then you can start training by yourself. Shane," she said, turning to her older son. "Make sure James keeps out of trouble. Try not to get sidetracked , and be sure to come right home as soon as James is all set to go."
"Got it, Mom," Shane told her, embracing her warmly. "Now we'd better get going, or we'll never leave."
"Go ahead then," Andrea said, releasing Shane and watching the two boys run towards the road. "And be careful!" she called after them, then turned around and headed back inside the house.
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As James and Shane raced down their street, they stopped in front of the house next door. A black-haired girl was standing next to a fence, a small reddish Pokémon by her side. The girl's name was Jennifer Richards, and she had moved with her parents from Snowpoint City in the far-off Sinnoh region a few months before. The two boys slowed, and she waved and jumped over the fence to talk to them.
"Hi, guys!" she said, pushing her hair out of her eyes. Like Shane, she had green eyes, but hers were jade rather than emerald. Her hair was cut short, although a few wisps fell down toward her eyes. Her jeans were slightly faded, and her white t-shirt was just a little too big for her.
"Hey, Jen," James answered, grinning slightly. "How's it going?"
"Not too bad." Jen replied with a smile. "My dad and I are about to head over to Professor Elm's lab. Are you two going to New Bark Town too?" she asked, and James nodded.
"I'm finally going to get my first Pokémon," James said, then looked at Jen oddly. "Wait, why are you going to New Bark Town? Don't you already have two Pokémon? You're not getting a third already, are you?"
"Nope," Jen said, grinning as the aforementioned Pokémon ran up to her, out of breath. One had a dark red body with a cream-colored belly and a collar-like black ring around its neck. Tiny embers dripped from its mouth, and a little wisp of smoke betrayed its fatigue. Following close behind was a tiny Pokémon that looked like it had just hatched from an egg. It squealed as it went, and tripped over its own feet when it stopped short behind the other Pokémon. Jen giggled at the Pokémon's antics. "Magby and Togepi are going to come with me to get my own Pokédex down there. I want to be a breeder, so I'm hoping to learn as much about Pokémon as I can. And raising two baby Pokémon is a great way to start."
"If you say so," James said, raising an eyebrow at the two Pokémon next to Jen's right leg. At that moment, a tall, balding man stepped out of the house and shut the door behind him.
"Jennifer, are you ready to go?" the man called as he locked the door. Jen called an affirmative and John Richards walked towards the fence. He spotted James and Shane, and smiled broadly. “Hello, boys. Busy day ahead?”
“The busiest,” James answered. “We're going down to New Bark Town so I can get my first Pokémon.”
“I see. You turned ten before Jennifer did, correct?”
“Yes,” James said. “Her birthday is a month after mine.”
“Fantastic. You two will do well.” John looked at his daughter. “So, how are you getting to New Bark Town? I can give you boys a lift if you want.” Shane shook his head.
“We were going to teleport over there. Even in a car, it's a long way from here.”
“I see. Well, why don't we go with you? That way, we can get these two moving quickly.” He indicated James and Jen, and they both nodded. Shane released Xatu, a Flying-type with a round green head and odd patterns formed from its feathers. One by one, the Mystic Pokémon allowed them to hold onto it and phase out, reappearing in New Bark Town.