Steps to Simplicity - Chapter 1

[DrP]

So, this is my Pokémon FanFic. My chapter would've been longer, but for cliffhanger purposes, I will split everything to make it smaller! I hope you enjoy (plus its my writing style to give a background of everything, so you dont get lost in the future)

Chapter 1: Green Town Entrance

      I remember right after my twelfth birthday, I had something extraordinary happen to me. I was visiting my dad in Lilycove City for my birthday. My parents divorced when I was four, so I got to visit my dad for my birthday and Christmas. We always had so much fun, since the city is right on the water, like Seattle is. We’d visit the beach, get on my dad’s Lapras and go water skiing and then go swimming with the Mantyke and Horsea. As I was leaving to go home, my dad said something. “I know you may have not done many things like the kids your age are doing now,” he told me. “Your time has come. The government lets you go on a journey from leaving school at the age of 10, but you mother and I just wanted you to study. I will entrust you with this Pokéball.” He gave me a Pokéball, but it wasn’t like a normal one â€" it was purple on the top half and white on the bottom half, with two pink mounds on the top of it, with a “M” embossed on the top. “Now, don’t lose this ball,” my dad told me. “It is extremely important. Also, when you arrive home, there might be something great in store for you, if you can deliver this ball unharmed to Professor Oak.” “Gotcha dad!” I replied. He went up to the ticket counter and got my ticket. I gave my father a huge hug and waved bye as I entered the security checkpoint at the airport.

   I was sitting in Lilycove International Airport, waiting for my flight to Viridian City to begin boarding. I looked out the window into the deep blue ocean, so calm, so tranquil.  Nothing could stir the ocean in its stillness. It would be my last glimpse of Lilycove City in a long time (not to mention, I’m a sucker for a good landscape). I took out the Pokéball and looked at it. In the United States, Pokéballs are illegal to be carried on a plane and Pokémon are not allowed on a plane unless they are classified by the Global Pokémon Body as a Normal Type and contain a Pokémon less than 50kg (meaning no Snorlax), but here, PokéBalls are locked from use while in the air. I opened my pack to find a book my dad put in there. I read the title: Pokémon and Modern Society. It seemed to be interesting; I always wanted to know how Pokémon made it to the rest of the world. I opened the book into Chapter One. It was titled The Verdant Republic.

 Basically, Pokémon were discovered in the Hokkaido Republic, a group of five large islands, called regions, as well as smaller archipelagos. There are six main regions: Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Merin, and Isshu. Kanto and Johto are on the same island, Isla Kanto. Hoenn is a smaller island to the southwest of Johto, which is on the west side of Isla Kanto, Sinnoh is a large island to the northeast of Kanto, Merin is west of Sinnoh and north of Johto, and Isshu is northwest of Hoenn.  Before 1870, the people of the Verdant Republic spoke Fushigidane, a now-dead language, a variant of Japanese. The Japanese were the only outside people who were in contact with the six Kingdoms (each region was a Kingdom).
In 1850, Vermilion City was discovered by French explorer Marquis Jacques de Verdant. In 1910, the English took control of Goldenrod City. There was a massive battle between the two forces which resulted in the English taking control of the entire nation. Unlike the Western European countries, the then-Kingdom of Kanto was technologically advanced compared to England, launching their first human into space in 1843 from the Mossdeep City Spaceport. It seems so interesting, to learn about a complete civilization that wasn’t eradicated. When the English took control of Goldenrod City, the entire nation was split in two, with Johto, Hoenn and Isshu going to the British and Kanto, Merin and Sinnoh to the French (as well as the Orange Archipelago and the Sevii Islands). Actually, for about a week, the British controlled the entire group of islands, but French resistance made them relinquish possessions (with help from the Americans, of course). In 1945, after World War II, the British withdrew power from the area and the French stayed in control.

        The three regions under British control were then sovereign and formed the Verdant Republic, recognizing their roots of discovery, with a capital centered in Rustboro City. The French “Départment d’outre-mer: Merin” with its capital in Carnelian City, in Merin. The French finally offered their territories sovereignty in 1972, and they combined with the Verdant Republic, calling them the latter and centering at Goldenrod City. English and French became the official languages of the Republic, though French is rarely used. This was all interesting history; I never learned this in school. I wasn’t like most people, I was born in the United States and we moved to Pallet Town when I was eight because my mom’s then-boyfriend wanted us to go there. We decided to stay, except with one thing we didn’t know about. These were the animals we call Pokémon.

   Pokémon have always lived in the Verdant Republic with no threats from outside countries. Lavender Town, in Kanto is only 324 miles west of Perth, Australia. A plane ride from the Verdant Republic’s main airport in Goldenrod to Perth is only under two hours. The airport in Jubilife City is only about 45 minutes. The only flights to the United States directly are from Goldenrod City, and they go to Los Angeles and Seattle, and they just opened these routes with the introduction of the Boeing 777-200LR, because the flights are over 9,000 miles and takes almost 18 hours. So, we are close to civilization of what these people call the “civilized world”. Even though Pokémon have existed since the dawn of time with man, there are still many discoveries about them as we progress in time and have major technological breakthroughs.

   The laws in the Verdant Republic are similar to the laws of the Western World, but there are some slight variations. Back on Constitution Day, in the Gregorian calendar, March 9, 1427, Pokémon had to be considered in the laws since they were with humans for the most part of their lives, and interacted with them daily. People are only allowed to carry six Pokémon at a time, unless they are a Pokémon Professor or Researcher, then they can carry 10. If one leaves the country jurisdictions, one can only take two Pokémon off the approved list. If one fails to break these laws, the Pokéballs will be transferred to the storage system at their regional professor lab or Pokémon Center. Pokéballs are an enigma of machinery. They [Pokéballs] are registered to a certain person, they can teleport anywhere within the Verdant Republic, they can collapse (even with a Pokémon inside) and they can hold any size Pokémon. They are either by two companies: Silph or Devon, or made out of certain fruits called Apricorns. Other laws protect children and their Pokémon. Children are allowed to apply for a trainer’s license at the age of 10. If they pass a test, they are given a Pokédex and a starter Pokémon, only available in that region. They are allowed to participate in their regional league. I wasn’t allowed because my parents wouldn’t let me and wanted to stay in school. I finally realized their decision was the right one, and I may move back to the United States when I go there to attend College.

   In the Verdant Republic, training with a Pokémon is considered a diploma from a Secondary Education School, though it offers and education system similar to the one in the United States. When a person turns 18, they are given a Secondary Education diploma, given that a student spent their last year studying for college. Pokémon are part of the average daily lives of everyone in the Verdant Republic. I looked up, next to the gate agent was a Mr. Mime collecting boarding passes for the Rustboro flight. For example, people use Fighting types for building (like Machoke), Grass Type Pokémon for plant care (like Rosrade), and Water Types for swimming instruction (like Staryu), or a Meowth for Noodle Shops.
   A voice came on the PA, “Now Boarding all rows for Flight 219 to Viridian City. Please show all Pokéballs to the gate agent for inspection.” I got up and stood in line to get on the plane. People had to show Pokéballs just to make sure that their manifest was correct with the amount of Pokémon travelling with a person and that it matched their tickets. I arrived to one of the gate agents. “How many Pokémon do you have with you?” she asked me. “I don’t own any,” I replied. “I do have this Pokéball for Professor Oak, though.” “Oh, yes,” she stated. “The ticketing counter told us about you. Thank you! Please give your ticket to the Machamp ahead. Have a nice flight!” “Thanks!” I added. I got on the plane and I realized where I was sitting; I had a First Class ticket! I was excited; this was a first for me.

   After the plane took off, I just sat and read the magazines from the seat in front of me. After I got bored of that, I looked out the window. I could see off in the distance, two Pokémon; one was red, the other was blue. I wondered what they were doing all the way up here, but then I thought they were just lost bird Pokémon. I looked down and we were flying over Mossdeep City, and it was pretty this time of day. The flight in total took a little under two hours. I picked up Pokémon and Modern Society and began the next chapter. This chapter was entitled The Magic of the Pokéball

   In the world, there are twenty-one variants of a basic Pokéball. There are others, ones used of tourneys and events like in the Safari Zones of the various regions. When a Pokéball is bought or received, the trainer encodes his ID into the ball by waving the “Read Pokéball” sensor on the PokéDex and pressing “Encode ID” on the touchscreen. This sensor also is used to determine the moves known by a Pokémon and its nature all from within the Pokéball. As I mused before, an invisible airwave teleportation system exists within the borders of the Verdant Republic. With this in place, the airwaves know when one exceeds his/her limit of carrying Pokémon, and will transfer Pokémon to the Regional Professor or their Hometown storage facility (it all depends whether you received your first Pokémon from Nurse Joy or a Professor). I turned the page and it gave a pictorial description of each ball, its catch rate and its special uses (if applicable). I took out the ball my dad gave me and I looked to find it in the book.

       Before I could look at the name, the man sitting next to me said, “So, you’ve got a Master Ball.” “Uh, yes,” I replied. I looked at the man; he was tall, with grey hair and seemed kind of intimidating. He spoke with a deep voice, and for some reason I felt like he would just steal the Pokéball from me and hold it above my head, making me jump for it and beg. “How did someone your age get a hold of one of those?” he asked me. “Those balls take about 3 months to produce one. Devon and Silph only release about eight a year, between the two companies.” “I didn’t know that!” I answered. “The ball, however, is for Professor Oak. I’m just on my way to give it to him. Just what exactly does this ball do?” “This ball can catch any Pokémon without weakening it. It’s the perfect Pokéball. These aren’t even sold; they are given to special people.” “Wow, so these are really rare,” I answered. “Indeed they are,” the man noted. “How’d did you get ahold of the ball in the first place?” “I was here visiting my father. He went on a trip to Rustboro for three days and came back with it. He then gave it to me to take to Professor Oak,” I said. “Do you know Professor Oak well?” the man said. “He’s my neighbor, so of course!” I retorted. “When I turned 10, he pressured my parents to let me go on a journey with a Pokémon and enter the Indigo League, but they both disagreed.” “So, you have past age 10 without gaining a Pokémon?” the man said. “That’s right,” I answered.

        I looked out the window and saw a larger city beneath us with a tall tower and a big clearing that has a bunch of rubble in the middle. On top of this tower, I saw a gold looking bird, just enjoying its day and eating something. “The great thing is,” I continued while looking out. “There’s something big waiting for me when I arrive home.” “Well, congratulations, on whatever it is,” the man replied. “I forgot to ask. Who exactly is your father?” “Oh,” I responded. “His name’s Alex Norman.” “Wait, THE Alex Norman?” the man questioned. “Is he the Alex Norman that is the Chairman of the Devon Corporation?” “That’s him alright,” I answered. “He goes to Rustboro about 3 days a week. You know him?” “I do, but not from his work at Devon,” the man responded. “He and I go way back. He used to be the Sinnoh Elite Four Champion he passed it down to Cynthia.” “What’s the Elite Four?” I asked. “You don’t know?” The man said as he looked at me as if I asked a stupid question. “You’ll find out soon enough.” The man then got up and went towards the back of the plane. “Attention passengers,” one of the flight attendants came on the PA system. “We are beginning our descent into Viridian City. Please make sure your seats are upright for landing. Thank you for flying Air Verdant.” I looked my window; I saw a large plateau with a bunch of stadia and a few towers. I always wondered what that place was. It was pretty built up for not being that populated. I know someday, I’ll find out what that place is. Whenever I asked the question to Professor Oak, he would quickly change the subject.

         The plane landed around 4 PM, and I looked outside at the trees engulfing the airfield. It wasn’t the largest airport, but it was the second largest in Kanto after the Saffron-Celadon-Cerulean Airport. Viridian was about a 3 hour drive south from Pewter, and it usually took us about an hour and a half to get home in traffic. I walked into the main terminal where my mom stood with a Happiny standing next to her. I ran with open arms (though I had a backpack on and bags hanging on to my arms) and gave her a huge hug. “Welcome home, Drew,” my mom said. “How was your dad’s?” “It was fun,” I remarked. “I want to see Professor Oak immediately when I get home.” I looked around for the man who I talked to on the plane. “Ok, let’s go home!” my mom replied. “There is some people who want to see you!” “Who?” I asked. Just then a Growlithe and a Skitty came running up to me and knocking me to the floor. “Growlithe! Skitty! It is so nice to see you two again!” I exclaimed. Growlithe then proceeded to lick me like crazy. “Growlithe, stop,” I said. “Not until we get home.” I stood up and Skitty jumped up on my shoulder. “So, mom, how come you have a Happiny?” I asked. “Professor Oak gave him to me,” she answered. “He thinks I may need her to help around the house.” “Sounds cool, let’s get home!” Happiny then proceeded to take all the bags and go out to the car.

[SlowPokemon]

Please don't go getting a big head about this... (jk)
But that was a VERY good story. It took me forever to read on my DS, though, scrolling back and forth...

Your grammar is atrocious
Quite a few misspellings as well (it's SILPH Co, not SLIPH

But it was very good.

And I am wondering about a Mantyke in Hoenn and a Happiny in Kanto. o_-

EDIT: Major overusage of the word "replied"...
Try to get some varying words in there.

[DrP]

Please don't go getting a big head about this... (jk)
But that was a VERY good story. It took me forever to read on my DS, though, scrolling back and forth...

Your grammar is atrocious
Quite a few misspellings as well (it's SILPH Co, not SLIPH

But it was very good.

And I am wondering about a Mantyke in Hoenn and a Happiny in Kanto. o_-

EDIT: Major overusage of the word "replied"...
Try to get some varying words in there.

Ok, so... I fixed Silph, and the various replieds... Im usually a grammer nazi, but i felt escaping the norm!
Are you intrigued enough to read chapter 2?

EDIT: And since Pokémon introduced are now able to go to other regions, I thought why not and add some stuff to regions (and not to mention, the Happiny could have been bred in Kanto or been caught in Sinnoh)

[SlowPokemon]

Oh, I'm definitely into this. It's far better than my own story.

But then again... you are like 18, so...

[DrP]

But then again... im horrible at English... i don't do good in it <---hahaha (i do well in other subjects)

I just write to tell the story! Should I write Chapter 2

(and you probably dont want to read the novel im writing... my publisher is ranting on me cause im supposed to finish it by September 10th, and i have 4 chapters and another 50 pages to go)

[SlowPokemon]

Umm... English is my favorite subject...
AWKWARD...

You should write chapter two but if you really are writing a novel that needs to be finished, choose which is your first priority.

[DrP]

i got half a chapter done last night... i just need not be distracted from what needs to be done (but i still has 2 months... so im good)

So I only have 4 chapters to go there!