Mikey
23rd June 2004, 09:37 PM
Ok, this is a fic me and RJdude started recently and have been posting. I know RJ doesn't visit here often anymore, but I'm still a regular and he oked me posting our fic here. It is a completly original trainer fic with new Pokemon and features. It takes 100 years after the current Pokemon state. I have left drawings of the new Pokemon to aid you in what they look like. Keep in mind that these were drawn in a matter of minutes and are just thumbnails to give you an Idea, I wasn't aiming for any artistic value. Here's Chapter 1 told through my character, Marco Cardella's eyes. Chapter 1 will have two sides, one by my character and one by RJ. After that the chapters will be told one time only.
Also, here are the three new beginner's pictures that you will need to get an idea of what they look like.
Twigillo (http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v293/Mikey77/Pokemon%20for%20Fic/Twigilloevo.jpg)
Fingame (http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v293/Mikey77/Pokemon%20for%20Fic/Fingameevo.jpg)
Felipor (http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v293/Mikey77/Pokemon%20for%20Fic/Feliporevo.jpg)
Chapter 1: For Richer or Poorer
The sun reached its peak above the hills and shown down onto a large metropolis in the valley below. The city was huge and full of commercial industries. Skyscrapers stood high above mighty factories that spewed smoke into the air from their smoke stacks. The streets were full of wheel-less cars and assorted vehicles that hovered along the roadways. There were many traffic backups and people honked frequently.
A few hover cars pulled up to a red light waiting with impatience for it to turn. Just as the light switched to a green, a young teenage boy crossed the street. He was somewhat lanky and very dirty. His black eyes glared at the cars that were to his side and his dirty brown hair blew with the breeze. The antsy people began to honk hysterically.
"Get out of the road you dumb kid!" A large cab driver yelled out of the driver seat window. The teen smirked to himself and continued to the other side of the street. This was Neo Wind City; a small city compared to some of the others that inhabited the continent of Stagione.
The city's edge consisted of many residential areas. Overpopulation had caused most of the neighborhoods to scale the hillsides almost to the top. A large mansion stood in the center of neighborhoods; its red brick reflecting the sun onto the beautiful landscaping around it. Behind it was a lake that flowed gently along the hill. It was the most luxurious residence in all of Stagione.
This was the Cardella Manor. The Cardellas were the richest family in Neo Wind City. This was because all of the metropolis's resorts and hotels belonged to Mr. and Mrs. Cardella. On almost every street one could find a Cardella Resort, and there was at least one in each city beyond Neo Wind.
A very appealing private school where the upper-class families of the city sent their children was just a few miles along the hillside from the manor. This was the Hillcliff School for the Gifted. The name had gifted in it, but it was pretty much just a nice way of saying "for those with wads of cash".
It was the last day of school before summer, and with that came the championship Lacrosse game. The Hillcliff team was tied with the opposing Ghaven School from the city across the hills. The Hillcliff students were panting hard as the ref signaled a halt in the game. Their red and gold jerseys were full of grass stains and dirt. The Ghaven's blue and black jerseys still seemed neatly pressed.
"We can't win this!" Jacob, a red headed senior and head of the Hillcliff team yelled to his fellow players. He was panting hard and his freckled face dripped with sweat.
"Some captain you are. You don't even believe in us!" A jet black haired junior replied rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand and clasping his lacrosse stick in the other.
"There's thirty seconds left on that clock Marco. You expect us to pull of a miraculous play in that amount of time?" Jacob shouted approaching the teen and getting in his face.
"Watch it Jacob. You don't want my family buying out your family's company now do you?" Marco Cardella grinned back. He knew his parents would never do it, but the threat always made others back off. Jacob pulled away and folded his arms. He turned his head and spat before glaring back into the teen's blue eyes.
"What's your plan?" He asked. Marco pushed his lacrosse stick forward into Jacob's chest grinning.
"Give the ball to me." He smiled. "These fancy pants assholes won't dare touch the child of the richest family in Stagione."
Jacob rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say…" He sighed and broke the meeting by walking off. The Hillside school returned to the field and the ref blew a whistle, signaling the ball to return to play. Marco looked up into the stands. It took him awhile, but he finally caught a glimpse of his parents at the very top looking down on the game. He was very surprised they showed up since they never kept their promises, but he was now more determined then ever to show them how skilled he was. He would score the winning goal for them.
Jacob gained control of the ball within the first few seconds of the face off and immediately passed it over to Marco. Marco tossed the ball over a Ghaven player's head and back to Jacob. The two neared the net and Marco received the ball. He was about to shoot when he noticed Paul, the plump sophomore who the team constantly ridiculed right by the net. He contemplated for a few seconds as the opposing team's defensive men rushed in on him. Jacob was yelling the whole time.
Marco flung the ball just as a defenseman stick checked his stick. The ball flew into the air and Paul noticed this. Jacob's eyes went wide. He knew Paul had never caught a ball with the Crosse in his life, and he didn't believe it would happen now. However, the ball landed square into the confused boy's Crosse who stared at it dumbfounded.
"I caug…I caught it!" He giggled.
"Shoot it!" Marco yelled over the defensemen who were turning to race at the boy who now controlled the ball. Paul pulled his lacrosse stick back and clumsily flung it forward. The crowd watched in amazement as the goalie dove but missed and the ball sailed straight into the net. The timer rung and Hillcliff was declared the winner.
"He actually did it! The fat slob actually did it!" Jacob shouted with disbelief. The students rushed to Paul and began to congratulate him. Marco slowly walked towards him as well. A Ghaven defenseman approached him.
"You could have scored that…" He said wiping away some sweat from his forehead. Marco bit his lip and shrugged.
"It was someone else's turn to shine…" He replied and walked off. He then looked up at the stands to see his parents were gone. The team collected at the center of the field and Jacob was presented with the winner's trophy.
"This award belongs to the VIP of the championship game…Paul!" Jacob said handing over the trophy to the amazed kid. Marco clapped a bit from the sidelines, his muscles contracting with his arm movements. He then grabbed his pack from the benches and took off towards the field's exit.
The parking lot was full of people honking hysterically as they tried to get out. Marco walked up to his Hovcedes, the most expensive car possible. Its black paint shone vibrantly. He flicked a switch on his keys causing the door to open vertically by itself. He stepped in and turned it on. The hovering dust below showed a brilliant neon green. Marco then turned his head around to see if he could spot his parent's limo anywhere, but there was no sign of it.
Anger swelled into him and he jammed the gear forward putting the car into reverse. He sped backward full speed and then cut the wheel sharp sending dust everywhere. Finally, he cut some family off and sped out onto the road. His black hair blew as a cool breeze entered the window. He had helped win the game, but all he could think about was his parents leaving. He was sick of it.
It was almost 8 pm when Marco arrived at the manor. He pulled the car into the gate and leapt out. The valet was forced to rush to the gate from his position on the grand porch a football field's length away. Marco passed by him angrily storming up the steps. "They better be home." He muttered to himself as he went. The teen trotted furiously up the stairs clenching both his fists. He then grabbed the handle and crashed through the door in a fit of rage. A few maids looked up to see what was so rudely entering.
Marco looked around with his eyebrows dropped low. His mother was slowly walking down the winding stairway that led into the lobby where Marco now stood. Her highlighted brown hair drooped at her sides and she was wearing a very expensive black gown. "Oh honey…you're home." She said with disappointment in her voice.
"Why did you leave the game?" Marco roared stepping onto the very expensive wood flooring of the foyer. He didn't bother to remove his shoes and was getting dirt and grass everywhere.
"Don't raise your voice at me mister!" His mother yelled. She made it to the bottom of the steps and slipped on some white gloves that went all the way up her arm. "Your father and I couldn't help but notice that you gave up your chance of success for another. Very foolish of you." She said not even looking at him.
Marco turned to see his father enter from the dining room to the right. He was in a neatly pressed tuxedo and his graying black hair was brushed neatly back. "A Cardella does not give success to those who are not worthy of it." He said walking towards his wife.
"Well maybe Paul Boastly was deserving. The kid was mistreated all year!" Marco roared with anger. His father was in shock.
"Mind your place son." His mother shrieked. Mr. Cardella began to fold his arms and take giant steps across the foyer.
"That's what makes you different from a Cardella. You put others before yourself. One can never succeed when they value their own self less than another." He remarked.
"And that's what makes you the snobs you are today." Marco shouted angrily. Both his parents were now enraged.
"We are going to the annual Resort Ball and when we get back, we demand that you be better mannered. Our boy can not be a success when he doesn't know about respect!" Mrs. Cardella stated. She then grabbed her coat and pushed by her son. Mr. Cardella followed seconds later.
Marco watched them go not even flinching. He then kicked his shoes off and rushed up stairs. "I know respect. Respect is when you treat others with kindness. You give respect to those who deserve it." He hollered to himself as he walked down the wide hall of the second story. He reached his room near the end and kicked his desk before rushing into his private bathroom and shut the door.
After a cold shower, Marco exited the bathroom and threw his Lacrosse uniform to the floor. He then went to his walk in closet and pulled out his gold polo shirt with the brown sleeves. He then retrieved his dark brown cargo pants and slipped both items on. He clasped his Italian horn necklace in his hands and peered out into the hall. Jerome, the head butler, was busily placing things into a closest.
"Jerome!" Marco roared as the grey haired man turned to see him.
"Ahh…Marco. What can I do for you?" He asked. Marco motioned him towards the room. When Jerome was close enough he began to whisper.
"Pack me some things into my pack. I can't tell you why, but I won't be back for awhile. If my parents ask where I am, just tell them I went to prove them wrong." He said. Jerome looked a little worried. He pulled back from his employer and put his hands to his face in nervousness.
"This will not go over well." He said. Marco looked at him.
"Please." He pleaded. Jerome sighed and then nodded smiling childishly.
"And if they fire you, just contact my cell and I'll wire you all the money you need." He replied grinning. Jerome shook his head and walked down the hall. Marco then returned to his room and opened up his nightstand drawer near his king size bed. He pulled a crumpled flyer from it and unfolded it. He then peered at the writing.
"Professor Evergreen's Lab. Beginning Pokemon Trainers of Neo Wind City may come downtown to retrieve their beginner Pokemon." Was what it said. The drawing then showed three Pokemon below. The date for the pickup was scheduled for tomorrow, and Marco has already signed up.
"We'll see who the failure around here is." He whispered to himself. He then looked up to a small poster above his bed. It showed a picture of a man named Colt Jackson, the best Pokemon trainer in Stagione, battling an Elite 4 member with a Zebra Pokemon. Marco had wanted to take his Pokemon journey since he was very small, but had to wait because the age limit was changed to 16 due to high crime rates throughout the region.
Marco rushed down the stairs and back into the foyer where Jerome was waiting with a pack full of things. "I put enough food and clothes changes in there to last a week or two. After that you're on your own. I also packed some warm blankets and assorted necessities." The aging man remarked. Marco nodded and slipped the one strapped pack along his shoulder to his waist.
"I have enough money to hold me for awhile." Marco grinned back. The two had always been very close. Marco grew up with Jerome taking care of him and they had always understood each other.
"My dear Marco, I know you'll become a success and then your parents will see it too. Make me proud." He grinned and messed his hand through the teen's hair. Marco smiled and waved before exiting the door. His Hovcedes was already waiting at the bottom of the porch stairs. The boy flicked the door open and leapt inside, waving one last time before taking off down the driveway and out of the gate.
It was very late now as Marco sped along the busy streets of the city making his way towards the lab on the other side of the city. He had heard that Evergreen was a nutty man and couldn't wait to meet him the following day. He was taking the outer road to avoid the traffic of the inner city. The outskirts were still pretty forested. Pokemon Rights movements had caused the region to allow 50% of the continent to remain unindustrialized so that trainers could still do what they did best. Much had changed in the past 100 years, but Pokemon was still a major profession.
Marco went around a bend in the road trying to read directions of which way to go. Hoothoots were hooting in the trees as he went. Suddenly, Marco swerved as a dark creature entered the path of the road. He only saw it for a moment, but it looked vicious with a sleek black body and claws outstretched. The Hovcedes spun and crashed directly into a tree on the passenger side. Marco was a bit shaken up, but he was fine.
"****!" He roared. The car wouldn't start up again and he peered out the window. He checked his cell phone but realized he hadn't charged it properly. He knew he had to get out and find help, but he hoped that creature wasn't still nearby. Slowly, he opened the door and stepped out into the moonlight. Some nearby Spinaraks crawled into the shelter of the forest as he took a few steps forward. The strange black creature was nowhere to be found. Marco kicked the side of his car and then proceeded to walk down the hill towards the inner city just a few miles away.
It took him an hour, but Marco finally made it into the beginnings of the city. A small convenience store was situated just down the road. It was disconnected from the rest of the metropolis; one of the only remaining buildings of the older century. Marco walked down the street pushing past the freaky people that came out at this time of night. They had whacked out hair and piercing everywhere. It was very uncommon for a teen to be strolling the streets in the middle of the night.
The boy raced across the parking lot and opened the door to enter the store. He approached the desk where a big burly man was sitting half asleep against his arm. "Mr.?" He inquired. The man shook himself off and looked down at the teen.
"Why if it isn't Cardella's boy!" The man grinned. Marco nodded smiling. It seemed as if the whole city knew who he was.
"Can I use your phone? I had an accident up the road and…" Marco began but the man cut him off.
"Don't you have a cell phone?" The bulky man asked. Marco nodded.
"It's dead." He replied. The man understood and propped a cordless phone onto the desk. Marco thanked him and began to dial. The bulky man then bent down, probably to tie his shoe. Suddenly, the doors opened again and another teen entered. Unknown to Marco, this was the same dirty kid who crossed the busy street earlier. He had an empty plastic bag in his hand, then took a bag of chips from the shelf nearest to the entrance, and put it in. Then he took several other food items and shoved them into the bag. Then he went up to the counter, near Marco. As he was dialing, in the corner of his eyes, he saw the teen take out what looked like a rock from his pocket, and then threw it behind the counter.
CRASH
The rock hit a stack of cans, which all fell over.
“Oh no,” the bulky man said, as he got up from tying his shoe. He then turned around and began to fix the cans with his back turned.
As he did this, Marco saw the dirty teen with the bag stare at the man with his back turned for a second, then walked out of the store.
“Hello?” came the mechanic's voice on the telephone. Without answering, Marco clicked the phone off and walked out of the store. He saw the teen walking away. “Hey, you need to pay for those!” he shouted.
The boy stopped short. “And why is that?”
“Because! You can’t just steal things! It’s a crime!”
He turned around. “It’s not a crime to get something to eat.”
“It is if you don’t pay for it!”
The teen starred at Marco for a second. “You don’t know what it’s like. You’re a rich kid, I can tell that. You have parents that take care of you, feed you, and put a roof over your head. Parents that get a lot of money for doing a lot of nothing. And with a small portion of that money, they can buy all the food they want and put it on a plate in front of you. Some of us aren’t so lucky. This is how I get food. It’s the only way, for me. Now go back to your house, and stop worrying about other people’s business. Just be lucky that you have what you have.” He started to walk away.
“Look, I don’t know what you’re talking about, but it’s still a crime to steal. And I’m not going to stand around and let you get away with it.”
The boy turned and faced Marco again, then moved towards him. He was a couple inched taller than Marco. He looked him straight in the eyes, and Marco saw his black eyes. "Just a tip for you. Don't go making enemies with street people." Then he turned around, and walked away.
Marco clenched his fists in rage. He then turned around and walked back into the store. The man behind the desk looked a little confused. Marco walked up to him and slapped a ten dollar bill onto the desk. "Some kid forgot to pay…" He said looking back out the store window. The store owner followed his gaze and then nodded.
Several minutes later Marco was back on the phone with the mechanic. "Yes, my Hovcedes is totaled…no I don't want a new one…just repair the damn thing…It's embedded a tree somewhere on Woodland Rd. No, don't bring it here! Just send it back to the Cardella Manor when you're done. My parents will pay for the damages." Marco said through the line trying his best to hold his patience with the man.
He spent the night on a small chair inside the store. It was very uncomfortable and Marco couldn't sleep a wink. Though he was very self sufficient, he never really lived outside the lap of luxury and so many things confused him. He couldn't stop thinking about the thief; how he had to steal to survive when Marco got food just by flicking his fingers. He thought long and hard on this until morning. A woman came in to take over the man's shift. Marco got up and walked towards him.
"Thanks for your um…hospitality…" He said lifting one side of his mouth. The man nodded and handed Marco his now charged up cell phone.
"I took the liberty of plugging that in for yas." He replied and then slowly walked through the door. Marco nodded his head to the woman who stood confused and then also left the store. It was six am and he had about two hours to walk to Professor Evergreen's lab. As he walked the busy streets of the city he took the time to notice the many bums littering the alleyways and corners. He never noticed them before…or maybe he just chose not to. They all looked so ragged and dirty. Here Marco was with expensive clothing and everything he could ever want while these people shivered in the cold. It was a thing unheard of.
It was eight am when the teen finally made it to the gates of the Neo Wind Pokemon Lab. The lab was at the foot of a hill and the building was about twenty feet from the gate. The pathway slopped up to the lab higher up and was surrounded by ponds and forests. Marco noticed many Pokemon rushing around the area.
As he punched the number he received when signing up into the gate, a blue haired girl came up behind him. "Are you going to take all day?" She roared as Marco spun around. He had to admit she was quite beautiful. Her blue eyes went perfectly with her hair, and her pink and baby blue skirt and shirt were neatly pressed.
"I'll just be a sec…" He replied and turned to finish his number. "The name's Marco Cardella, and you are?" He asked without turning around.
"I will be your greatest nightmare if you don't hurry with the damn code. I have a Pokemon to receive." She snarled back.
"So I take it your name is *****?" Marco laughed to himself as the gate began to open.
"How rude of you!" She yelled back. "The name's Alexis Branbury, but that's Ms. Branbury to you!" She said confidently.
"You mean the Branburys that own the construction company around here?" Marco asked turning to her again.
"Yep, and I take it you must be the only son of the Cardella Resort owners." She replied smirking.
"Look at that! Two things in common…we're both rich and we're both rude." Marco smiled and then began to walk inside the compound. The girl followed him up the path as if she was confused. She was folding her arms as she looked around. "So what made you become a trainer?" Marco asked as they proceeded up some steps.
"None of your business. All you need to know for the rest of your pathetic existence is to watch out for me. I'll blow your brains out if we ever battled." She yelled defiantly.
Marco stopped walking and turned placing his face into hers. "Well until that day…" He smiled and continued up the steps to a large set of doors. Alexis rolled her eyes and followed him up the steps.
A weird looking man bearing large goggle-like glasses and crazy purple hair was waiting for them at the top of the steps dressed in a white lab coat. He was busily examining something on the patio. "Ah! This is definitely the feather of a legendary Pokemon!" He grinned holding the red feather up to the light. His large eyes peered at it in wonder. He looked like an owl who found prey.
"Actually, I believe that's just a Pidgeot's head feather." Alexis said. Marco was surprised to see this girl actually knew something. The man smiled and blinked his eyes through the goggles.
"Ah yes…you are correct Ms. Branbury. A Pidgeot feather it is!" He replied placing the feather into a nearby flower pot. He then turned back to the two. "And you must be Marco Cardella." He said wiping his hand on his coat. Marco extended his hand and the man shook it.
"You've probably guessed by now that I am Professor Marvin Evergreen. It's good to finally meet the three of you." He said. Marco looked around. He noticed it was still only him and Alexis.
"Three?" Alexis blurted out. Evergreen smiled and began to walk inside. The two followed closely wondering what he was talking about. He led the two through a large study where some waiting seats were situated. There on one of the bulky seats was the teen thief from the previous night. Marco was in rage.
"You're allowing a petty criminal to start a Pokemon journey with one of your well trained Pokemon?" He roared. The teen stood up angrily and they glared at each other.
"Calm yourselves. Now Marco, you can't judge a person by how they appear on the outside. Josh Seraph is actually a very eager kid. He wishes to become a trainer just as you wish to go out and see the world." Evergreen said.
"But he smells horrible!" Marco cried. Josh was struck back by this statement.
"And is that a hint of alcohol I detect? And… marijuana?" Alexis said disgusted. Josh glared at her.
"Enough! All of you! Stop acting like children. Now, Marco and Alexis will wait here. Josh, I want you to go upstairs and take a quick shower. You'll find some clothes of mine that you can borrow. We will then get to the good stuff." Professor Evergreen ordered. Josh shifted his eyes at the other two and then slowly walked up the stairs.
After a few minutes, the teen came back down in a large purple shirt and some khaki pants. He looked a little cleaner, but still rather weird. "These clothes are huge!" He said under his breath. Marco couldn't help but laugh as the boy fumbled with the sleeves that extended past his arms.
"Sit down Josh! We have business at hand!" Evergreen commanded.
"Yeah, get your *** over here so I can pick my Pokemon!" Alexis demanded. Josh bared his straight yet yellow teeth at her and sat down on the only empty seat. The Professor then fumbled through his lab coat pocket and pulled out three glove-like objects. They were in three shades: gold, black; and pink. They looked like weight lifting gloves; that is the finger parts only extended halfway up before cutting off. At the tip of each finger cut off was a metallic ring with an empty spot for a jewel. One hand had five of these and the other only had one.
"These here are what we call Pokerings. They are used in aiding the capture of a Pokemon." Evergreen explained. He then fished through his pack and pulled out three jewels. One was green, another was red, and the final was blue. "And now we get to the fun stuff." He winked. The jewels resembled the Pokeballs of olden days, but they were a lot small and had no difference in color. Evergreen pressed all three to reveal a barrage of red light.
Three Pokemon formed on the ground opening their eyes and yawning. One was small and green with a nut-like shell on its back. It had a large twig extending as its tail. It resembled a two legged armadillo. The middle one had a small snout and a curved crest at the back of its head. Its eyes were shrouded in black and its fingers looked like mini volcanoes. Its beige body seemed to emanate heat. The final one was small and cat-like. It was blue in color and its tail and head crest were actually very puffy bubbles.
"I'd like you to meet Twigillo, Fingame, and Felipor. These are your choices that will become your new best friend. Choose wisely." Evergreen stated.
Marco turned to Alexis. "Ladies first." He grinned. She gave him a dirty look and then stood up.
"I want Felipor! It's so cute!" She stated and leaned down to put her arms around the water type kitten. It purred and rubbed its furry body against her.
"Ahh nice choice!" The professor smiled and handed her the blue jewel and the pink Pokering glove. Marco began to stand up to pick next, but Josh stood up faster, and shoved him down.
"I get Twigillo. This is very important to me…my father loved grass types. He had a Sceptile…" He said turning to Marco. Marco wasn’t sure what he was talking about, and why he would care about his father, but still, he nodded and Josh leaned down to his new Pokemon.
"Twig!" It smiled and clapped its paws together. The professor handed Josh the green jewel along with his black Pokering glove. To Marco’s surprise, Josh put it down, and began to pet it. Twigillo looked happy to have Josh as its new trainer. Then, oddly, Twigillo fell asleep.
“You may want to watch out for that Twigillo,” Evergreen said. “It's very friendly, and likes to battle, but otherwise it likes to sleep… not uncommon for Twigillo, but they’re not heavy sleepers like Snorlax.” Josh didn’t seem to care about this fact, he still looked happy of his choice.
"Well, I guess this little guy is mine!" Marco stated standing up and leaning down towards the curious looking Pokemon. It smiled and suddenly the tiny volcanoes on its fingers jetted up causing fire to spray out. "Holy crap!" Marco said falling back as the Pokemon laughed away.
"Fing fing fing!" It giggled.
"And that would be Fingame." Evergreen said handing the startled teen his red jewel and gold Pokering glove. "Be weary of this one. It's a little trouble maker." The professor then stood up. "Now, I want everyone to stand up and slip their Pokering gloves on so I can explain to you how this works." He requested. The three did as told. "Now, place the jewel I have given you on the right hand glove that only has one ring. This is what we call your starter Pokering…where you place your first Pokemon on." The three placed the jewel into the hole on the ring. They snapped into place and the teens looked up for more instructions.
"Now, push the jewel down and watch the magic!" Evergreen grinned. Marco did it first, pressing the jewel into the ring more. It made a clicking sound and then sprang forward, winding quickly around his finger to the fingertip. It then burst open and covered Fingame in a red light sucking the Pokemon inside. When it was complete, the ring spun back into place on the mid section of the finger.
"Wow! That was cool!" Marco grinned. Alexis did the same, but Josh kept Twigillo out. Evergreen smiled.
"And to catch Pokemon you must remove the jewel, press the switch on it, and toss it at the weakened creature. It's as easy as that." The three nodded understanding this. The professor then pulled out three small laptops. Each was only a few inches wide and folded open (sort of like a GBA SP). They all matched the colors of the Pokering gloves he handed out. Each trainer received the respective item.
"These are what we call Pokeputers. They contain all the information you will need to progress through Stagione. They contain a built in Pokedex to give you info on the creatures you encounter, a map, city information, etc." Evergreen explained. “Let me show you how it works.” He took Josh’s Pokeputer and pointed it at Twigillo, who was still sleeping next to Josh. “Gather around.” The three teens gathered around Evergreen (Alexis cringed her nose a bit at Josh, who still smelled a little despite the shower), and watched as a picture of Twigillo came up on the screen.
“Twigillo. Type: Grass. The Armadillo Pokemon. This Pokemon spends almost all of its life in forests. It feeds on small plants, as well as the soil they are planted in, and nuts.”
“Pretty cool, eh?” he said as he gave Josh his Pokeputer back. “You can also look up attacks for your Pokemon and the ones you’re fighting, to get a better idea of how to beat them.” The three trainers fiddled with their Pokeputers for a few seconds and then stashed them in their packs.
"And now my young trainers. You must journey to Headrest City across the hills to sign up for the league. There are eight gyms for you to compete in throughout the continent. Once you have all eight you can head back here and train for the Pokemon league. Be wary though, Stagione is not the nicest region to train in. You will meet many people that aren't friendly, so I advice you travel in groups." Evergreen suggested. He then handed each trainer their training licenses.
Alexis stood up and began to walk off. She aimed her hand down and pressed the ring, releasing Felipor as she did. It hoped a bit placing its head against her leg. "Por!" It purred.
"Felipor and I can handle this by ourselves. Thanks for the help professor, but I'm on my own now!" She said and started out of the building. Josh got up as well.
"I'm out of here." He said and walked out of the door.
"Be careful Marco. This world is a dangerous place." Evergreen said as Marco stood up. The teen nodded and then followed the other two out. He didn't see Alexis anywhere, but Josh wasn't too far ahead. Something about this kid made Marco curious, and he had to find out more about him. Plus, Marco was not the greatest when it came to living on the road. He was too civilized, and he was going to need someone like Josh to get around.
"Hey Josh!" He yelled down to the trainer below. Josh stopped dead in his tracks and slowly turned around.
"What do you want?" He asked folding his arms. Twigillo stood awake at his side, but as the boy sat there the Pokemon grew tired and slumped against his leg. Marco began to kick the dirt. He was far from shy, but asking a kid that he didn't get along with for help wasn't easy.
"I know you're a little broke. I've got enough money to feed a city, so I was wondering if you wanted to travel together for a bit...you know, just until we get things situated." He suggested.
Josh turned. "You don't want to travel with me, trust me. There's no part for you in my journey." He said shaking his head. Marco sighed and fiddled with the contraption on his hand. He pressed the red jewel and it spun to the front of his ring finger shining in a bright light as his brand new Pokemon emerged.
"Fingame!" It said smiling and looking up. Marco petted its head and it closed its eyes in enjoyment.
"Guess we're on our own my portable stove." Marco joked. The Pokemon flared up its fingers at this statement and Marco pulled away. "Watch it buddy! I don't plan on getting severe burns on this hot body, no pun intended!" Marco joked again. The Pokemon clasped its fingers together putting out the flames. Marco and his Pokemon then walked down the path and to the fence.
Josh was at the entrance searching the Pokeputer map to find which way to start. "Headrest City is to the West just a few days walk over the hills." Marco said as he walked by.
"Are you still following me? I told you, beat it. You don't want to hang out with someone like me." He seemed to be having trouble as his sleeves kept getting in the way of the map. Twigillo rocked sleepily next to him.
Marco stopped walking and rubbed his hand through his own hair. "You know, if you reconsider my suggestion I could buy you some more fashionable attire." He remarked. The teen peered at him and pulled up his sleeve. "And besides, I don't care that you're poor."
"It's not about that... I have something dark inside me. I left on this journey to get it out, hopefully, and having an annoying rich kid like you around isn't going to help me any.
Marco glared at him. "Look, I didn't do anything to you, alright, I was just offering to help. You don't have to be such a jackass."
Josh moved closer, and Marco looked into his black eyes. "You want my story? Alright, you get it. Six years ago, my father was murdered by a man nicknamed The Black Phantom."
Marco actually laughed. "You expect me to believe that?" The Black Phantom was a myth, an urban legend about a man, a criminal, dressed in all black, including a black mask, appearing like a ghost in the middle of the night to kill anyone he had a grudge against, and then disappearing just as mysteriously as he came. "You expect me to believe you that some fairy tale character killed your father."
"I was there," Josh said, baring his teeth. "I saw him. I saw a man dressed in all black appear in the middle of the night, and shoot my father. He was a cop, and a damn good one too... it was because of him that our city was as crime free as it was. But as soon as he died, the city went to the dogs. Crime everywhere, especially drugs... even my own mother became an addict, in light of my father's murder. I couldn't live with her anymore, so I left the house, and had to raise myself on the street, with all the druggies. That's why I smell so bad, like alcohol and marijuana, because I lived out on the street. And you know what? There was only one thing I thought about, the last six years...revenge. Revenge on the man who killed my father. I waited those six years, training my body and skill, for the day when I would meet The Black Phantom again. And of course, thinking about nothing but revenge doesn't turn you into an incredibly nice person. That's why I'm like the way I am today." Then he began walking off, Twigillo walking by.
Marco then felt a huge rush of pity for Josh. He still wasn't quite sure whether to believe that The Black Phantom killed his father, but he had looked at Josh's eyes for the entire time he was telling his story; Josh wasn't lying. His father really was dead, his mother an addict, he was living on the streets, thinking about nothing but revenge. He didn't know how Josh could have dealt with it. It made sense, that's why Josh smelled like drugs, that's why he had to steal for food, that's why he had chosen Twigillo.
"Wait, I'll make you a deal." Marco began to walk forward. Fingame hobbled after trying to keep up as it played with its finger flames. Josh turned around. "If we can at least travel together until Headrest City, I'll get you some new clothes. After that I'll leave and you'll never have to see me again." Marco only needed this kid to learn how to survive out in the wilderness, and he could catch on in a matter of days.
Josh looked at the large, purple shirt. "Fine." He stopped to let Marco catch up, then the two began walking together.
"You know this still doesn't make us friends." Marco stated as they turned a corner.
"Agreed..." Josh whispered...
Also, here are the three new beginner's pictures that you will need to get an idea of what they look like.
Twigillo (http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v293/Mikey77/Pokemon%20for%20Fic/Twigilloevo.jpg)
Fingame (http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v293/Mikey77/Pokemon%20for%20Fic/Fingameevo.jpg)
Felipor (http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v293/Mikey77/Pokemon%20for%20Fic/Feliporevo.jpg)
Chapter 1: For Richer or Poorer
The sun reached its peak above the hills and shown down onto a large metropolis in the valley below. The city was huge and full of commercial industries. Skyscrapers stood high above mighty factories that spewed smoke into the air from their smoke stacks. The streets were full of wheel-less cars and assorted vehicles that hovered along the roadways. There were many traffic backups and people honked frequently.
A few hover cars pulled up to a red light waiting with impatience for it to turn. Just as the light switched to a green, a young teenage boy crossed the street. He was somewhat lanky and very dirty. His black eyes glared at the cars that were to his side and his dirty brown hair blew with the breeze. The antsy people began to honk hysterically.
"Get out of the road you dumb kid!" A large cab driver yelled out of the driver seat window. The teen smirked to himself and continued to the other side of the street. This was Neo Wind City; a small city compared to some of the others that inhabited the continent of Stagione.
The city's edge consisted of many residential areas. Overpopulation had caused most of the neighborhoods to scale the hillsides almost to the top. A large mansion stood in the center of neighborhoods; its red brick reflecting the sun onto the beautiful landscaping around it. Behind it was a lake that flowed gently along the hill. It was the most luxurious residence in all of Stagione.
This was the Cardella Manor. The Cardellas were the richest family in Neo Wind City. This was because all of the metropolis's resorts and hotels belonged to Mr. and Mrs. Cardella. On almost every street one could find a Cardella Resort, and there was at least one in each city beyond Neo Wind.
A very appealing private school where the upper-class families of the city sent their children was just a few miles along the hillside from the manor. This was the Hillcliff School for the Gifted. The name had gifted in it, but it was pretty much just a nice way of saying "for those with wads of cash".
It was the last day of school before summer, and with that came the championship Lacrosse game. The Hillcliff team was tied with the opposing Ghaven School from the city across the hills. The Hillcliff students were panting hard as the ref signaled a halt in the game. Their red and gold jerseys were full of grass stains and dirt. The Ghaven's blue and black jerseys still seemed neatly pressed.
"We can't win this!" Jacob, a red headed senior and head of the Hillcliff team yelled to his fellow players. He was panting hard and his freckled face dripped with sweat.
"Some captain you are. You don't even believe in us!" A jet black haired junior replied rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand and clasping his lacrosse stick in the other.
"There's thirty seconds left on that clock Marco. You expect us to pull of a miraculous play in that amount of time?" Jacob shouted approaching the teen and getting in his face.
"Watch it Jacob. You don't want my family buying out your family's company now do you?" Marco Cardella grinned back. He knew his parents would never do it, but the threat always made others back off. Jacob pulled away and folded his arms. He turned his head and spat before glaring back into the teen's blue eyes.
"What's your plan?" He asked. Marco pushed his lacrosse stick forward into Jacob's chest grinning.
"Give the ball to me." He smiled. "These fancy pants assholes won't dare touch the child of the richest family in Stagione."
Jacob rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say…" He sighed and broke the meeting by walking off. The Hillside school returned to the field and the ref blew a whistle, signaling the ball to return to play. Marco looked up into the stands. It took him awhile, but he finally caught a glimpse of his parents at the very top looking down on the game. He was very surprised they showed up since they never kept their promises, but he was now more determined then ever to show them how skilled he was. He would score the winning goal for them.
Jacob gained control of the ball within the first few seconds of the face off and immediately passed it over to Marco. Marco tossed the ball over a Ghaven player's head and back to Jacob. The two neared the net and Marco received the ball. He was about to shoot when he noticed Paul, the plump sophomore who the team constantly ridiculed right by the net. He contemplated for a few seconds as the opposing team's defensive men rushed in on him. Jacob was yelling the whole time.
Marco flung the ball just as a defenseman stick checked his stick. The ball flew into the air and Paul noticed this. Jacob's eyes went wide. He knew Paul had never caught a ball with the Crosse in his life, and he didn't believe it would happen now. However, the ball landed square into the confused boy's Crosse who stared at it dumbfounded.
"I caug…I caught it!" He giggled.
"Shoot it!" Marco yelled over the defensemen who were turning to race at the boy who now controlled the ball. Paul pulled his lacrosse stick back and clumsily flung it forward. The crowd watched in amazement as the goalie dove but missed and the ball sailed straight into the net. The timer rung and Hillcliff was declared the winner.
"He actually did it! The fat slob actually did it!" Jacob shouted with disbelief. The students rushed to Paul and began to congratulate him. Marco slowly walked towards him as well. A Ghaven defenseman approached him.
"You could have scored that…" He said wiping away some sweat from his forehead. Marco bit his lip and shrugged.
"It was someone else's turn to shine…" He replied and walked off. He then looked up at the stands to see his parents were gone. The team collected at the center of the field and Jacob was presented with the winner's trophy.
"This award belongs to the VIP of the championship game…Paul!" Jacob said handing over the trophy to the amazed kid. Marco clapped a bit from the sidelines, his muscles contracting with his arm movements. He then grabbed his pack from the benches and took off towards the field's exit.
The parking lot was full of people honking hysterically as they tried to get out. Marco walked up to his Hovcedes, the most expensive car possible. Its black paint shone vibrantly. He flicked a switch on his keys causing the door to open vertically by itself. He stepped in and turned it on. The hovering dust below showed a brilliant neon green. Marco then turned his head around to see if he could spot his parent's limo anywhere, but there was no sign of it.
Anger swelled into him and he jammed the gear forward putting the car into reverse. He sped backward full speed and then cut the wheel sharp sending dust everywhere. Finally, he cut some family off and sped out onto the road. His black hair blew as a cool breeze entered the window. He had helped win the game, but all he could think about was his parents leaving. He was sick of it.
It was almost 8 pm when Marco arrived at the manor. He pulled the car into the gate and leapt out. The valet was forced to rush to the gate from his position on the grand porch a football field's length away. Marco passed by him angrily storming up the steps. "They better be home." He muttered to himself as he went. The teen trotted furiously up the stairs clenching both his fists. He then grabbed the handle and crashed through the door in a fit of rage. A few maids looked up to see what was so rudely entering.
Marco looked around with his eyebrows dropped low. His mother was slowly walking down the winding stairway that led into the lobby where Marco now stood. Her highlighted brown hair drooped at her sides and she was wearing a very expensive black gown. "Oh honey…you're home." She said with disappointment in her voice.
"Why did you leave the game?" Marco roared stepping onto the very expensive wood flooring of the foyer. He didn't bother to remove his shoes and was getting dirt and grass everywhere.
"Don't raise your voice at me mister!" His mother yelled. She made it to the bottom of the steps and slipped on some white gloves that went all the way up her arm. "Your father and I couldn't help but notice that you gave up your chance of success for another. Very foolish of you." She said not even looking at him.
Marco turned to see his father enter from the dining room to the right. He was in a neatly pressed tuxedo and his graying black hair was brushed neatly back. "A Cardella does not give success to those who are not worthy of it." He said walking towards his wife.
"Well maybe Paul Boastly was deserving. The kid was mistreated all year!" Marco roared with anger. His father was in shock.
"Mind your place son." His mother shrieked. Mr. Cardella began to fold his arms and take giant steps across the foyer.
"That's what makes you different from a Cardella. You put others before yourself. One can never succeed when they value their own self less than another." He remarked.
"And that's what makes you the snobs you are today." Marco shouted angrily. Both his parents were now enraged.
"We are going to the annual Resort Ball and when we get back, we demand that you be better mannered. Our boy can not be a success when he doesn't know about respect!" Mrs. Cardella stated. She then grabbed her coat and pushed by her son. Mr. Cardella followed seconds later.
Marco watched them go not even flinching. He then kicked his shoes off and rushed up stairs. "I know respect. Respect is when you treat others with kindness. You give respect to those who deserve it." He hollered to himself as he walked down the wide hall of the second story. He reached his room near the end and kicked his desk before rushing into his private bathroom and shut the door.
After a cold shower, Marco exited the bathroom and threw his Lacrosse uniform to the floor. He then went to his walk in closet and pulled out his gold polo shirt with the brown sleeves. He then retrieved his dark brown cargo pants and slipped both items on. He clasped his Italian horn necklace in his hands and peered out into the hall. Jerome, the head butler, was busily placing things into a closest.
"Jerome!" Marco roared as the grey haired man turned to see him.
"Ahh…Marco. What can I do for you?" He asked. Marco motioned him towards the room. When Jerome was close enough he began to whisper.
"Pack me some things into my pack. I can't tell you why, but I won't be back for awhile. If my parents ask where I am, just tell them I went to prove them wrong." He said. Jerome looked a little worried. He pulled back from his employer and put his hands to his face in nervousness.
"This will not go over well." He said. Marco looked at him.
"Please." He pleaded. Jerome sighed and then nodded smiling childishly.
"And if they fire you, just contact my cell and I'll wire you all the money you need." He replied grinning. Jerome shook his head and walked down the hall. Marco then returned to his room and opened up his nightstand drawer near his king size bed. He pulled a crumpled flyer from it and unfolded it. He then peered at the writing.
"Professor Evergreen's Lab. Beginning Pokemon Trainers of Neo Wind City may come downtown to retrieve their beginner Pokemon." Was what it said. The drawing then showed three Pokemon below. The date for the pickup was scheduled for tomorrow, and Marco has already signed up.
"We'll see who the failure around here is." He whispered to himself. He then looked up to a small poster above his bed. It showed a picture of a man named Colt Jackson, the best Pokemon trainer in Stagione, battling an Elite 4 member with a Zebra Pokemon. Marco had wanted to take his Pokemon journey since he was very small, but had to wait because the age limit was changed to 16 due to high crime rates throughout the region.
Marco rushed down the stairs and back into the foyer where Jerome was waiting with a pack full of things. "I put enough food and clothes changes in there to last a week or two. After that you're on your own. I also packed some warm blankets and assorted necessities." The aging man remarked. Marco nodded and slipped the one strapped pack along his shoulder to his waist.
"I have enough money to hold me for awhile." Marco grinned back. The two had always been very close. Marco grew up with Jerome taking care of him and they had always understood each other.
"My dear Marco, I know you'll become a success and then your parents will see it too. Make me proud." He grinned and messed his hand through the teen's hair. Marco smiled and waved before exiting the door. His Hovcedes was already waiting at the bottom of the porch stairs. The boy flicked the door open and leapt inside, waving one last time before taking off down the driveway and out of the gate.
It was very late now as Marco sped along the busy streets of the city making his way towards the lab on the other side of the city. He had heard that Evergreen was a nutty man and couldn't wait to meet him the following day. He was taking the outer road to avoid the traffic of the inner city. The outskirts were still pretty forested. Pokemon Rights movements had caused the region to allow 50% of the continent to remain unindustrialized so that trainers could still do what they did best. Much had changed in the past 100 years, but Pokemon was still a major profession.
Marco went around a bend in the road trying to read directions of which way to go. Hoothoots were hooting in the trees as he went. Suddenly, Marco swerved as a dark creature entered the path of the road. He only saw it for a moment, but it looked vicious with a sleek black body and claws outstretched. The Hovcedes spun and crashed directly into a tree on the passenger side. Marco was a bit shaken up, but he was fine.
"****!" He roared. The car wouldn't start up again and he peered out the window. He checked his cell phone but realized he hadn't charged it properly. He knew he had to get out and find help, but he hoped that creature wasn't still nearby. Slowly, he opened the door and stepped out into the moonlight. Some nearby Spinaraks crawled into the shelter of the forest as he took a few steps forward. The strange black creature was nowhere to be found. Marco kicked the side of his car and then proceeded to walk down the hill towards the inner city just a few miles away.
It took him an hour, but Marco finally made it into the beginnings of the city. A small convenience store was situated just down the road. It was disconnected from the rest of the metropolis; one of the only remaining buildings of the older century. Marco walked down the street pushing past the freaky people that came out at this time of night. They had whacked out hair and piercing everywhere. It was very uncommon for a teen to be strolling the streets in the middle of the night.
The boy raced across the parking lot and opened the door to enter the store. He approached the desk where a big burly man was sitting half asleep against his arm. "Mr.?" He inquired. The man shook himself off and looked down at the teen.
"Why if it isn't Cardella's boy!" The man grinned. Marco nodded smiling. It seemed as if the whole city knew who he was.
"Can I use your phone? I had an accident up the road and…" Marco began but the man cut him off.
"Don't you have a cell phone?" The bulky man asked. Marco nodded.
"It's dead." He replied. The man understood and propped a cordless phone onto the desk. Marco thanked him and began to dial. The bulky man then bent down, probably to tie his shoe. Suddenly, the doors opened again and another teen entered. Unknown to Marco, this was the same dirty kid who crossed the busy street earlier. He had an empty plastic bag in his hand, then took a bag of chips from the shelf nearest to the entrance, and put it in. Then he took several other food items and shoved them into the bag. Then he went up to the counter, near Marco. As he was dialing, in the corner of his eyes, he saw the teen take out what looked like a rock from his pocket, and then threw it behind the counter.
CRASH
The rock hit a stack of cans, which all fell over.
“Oh no,” the bulky man said, as he got up from tying his shoe. He then turned around and began to fix the cans with his back turned.
As he did this, Marco saw the dirty teen with the bag stare at the man with his back turned for a second, then walked out of the store.
“Hello?” came the mechanic's voice on the telephone. Without answering, Marco clicked the phone off and walked out of the store. He saw the teen walking away. “Hey, you need to pay for those!” he shouted.
The boy stopped short. “And why is that?”
“Because! You can’t just steal things! It’s a crime!”
He turned around. “It’s not a crime to get something to eat.”
“It is if you don’t pay for it!”
The teen starred at Marco for a second. “You don’t know what it’s like. You’re a rich kid, I can tell that. You have parents that take care of you, feed you, and put a roof over your head. Parents that get a lot of money for doing a lot of nothing. And with a small portion of that money, they can buy all the food they want and put it on a plate in front of you. Some of us aren’t so lucky. This is how I get food. It’s the only way, for me. Now go back to your house, and stop worrying about other people’s business. Just be lucky that you have what you have.” He started to walk away.
“Look, I don’t know what you’re talking about, but it’s still a crime to steal. And I’m not going to stand around and let you get away with it.”
The boy turned and faced Marco again, then moved towards him. He was a couple inched taller than Marco. He looked him straight in the eyes, and Marco saw his black eyes. "Just a tip for you. Don't go making enemies with street people." Then he turned around, and walked away.
Marco clenched his fists in rage. He then turned around and walked back into the store. The man behind the desk looked a little confused. Marco walked up to him and slapped a ten dollar bill onto the desk. "Some kid forgot to pay…" He said looking back out the store window. The store owner followed his gaze and then nodded.
Several minutes later Marco was back on the phone with the mechanic. "Yes, my Hovcedes is totaled…no I don't want a new one…just repair the damn thing…It's embedded a tree somewhere on Woodland Rd. No, don't bring it here! Just send it back to the Cardella Manor when you're done. My parents will pay for the damages." Marco said through the line trying his best to hold his patience with the man.
He spent the night on a small chair inside the store. It was very uncomfortable and Marco couldn't sleep a wink. Though he was very self sufficient, he never really lived outside the lap of luxury and so many things confused him. He couldn't stop thinking about the thief; how he had to steal to survive when Marco got food just by flicking his fingers. He thought long and hard on this until morning. A woman came in to take over the man's shift. Marco got up and walked towards him.
"Thanks for your um…hospitality…" He said lifting one side of his mouth. The man nodded and handed Marco his now charged up cell phone.
"I took the liberty of plugging that in for yas." He replied and then slowly walked through the door. Marco nodded his head to the woman who stood confused and then also left the store. It was six am and he had about two hours to walk to Professor Evergreen's lab. As he walked the busy streets of the city he took the time to notice the many bums littering the alleyways and corners. He never noticed them before…or maybe he just chose not to. They all looked so ragged and dirty. Here Marco was with expensive clothing and everything he could ever want while these people shivered in the cold. It was a thing unheard of.
It was eight am when the teen finally made it to the gates of the Neo Wind Pokemon Lab. The lab was at the foot of a hill and the building was about twenty feet from the gate. The pathway slopped up to the lab higher up and was surrounded by ponds and forests. Marco noticed many Pokemon rushing around the area.
As he punched the number he received when signing up into the gate, a blue haired girl came up behind him. "Are you going to take all day?" She roared as Marco spun around. He had to admit she was quite beautiful. Her blue eyes went perfectly with her hair, and her pink and baby blue skirt and shirt were neatly pressed.
"I'll just be a sec…" He replied and turned to finish his number. "The name's Marco Cardella, and you are?" He asked without turning around.
"I will be your greatest nightmare if you don't hurry with the damn code. I have a Pokemon to receive." She snarled back.
"So I take it your name is *****?" Marco laughed to himself as the gate began to open.
"How rude of you!" She yelled back. "The name's Alexis Branbury, but that's Ms. Branbury to you!" She said confidently.
"You mean the Branburys that own the construction company around here?" Marco asked turning to her again.
"Yep, and I take it you must be the only son of the Cardella Resort owners." She replied smirking.
"Look at that! Two things in common…we're both rich and we're both rude." Marco smiled and then began to walk inside the compound. The girl followed him up the path as if she was confused. She was folding her arms as she looked around. "So what made you become a trainer?" Marco asked as they proceeded up some steps.
"None of your business. All you need to know for the rest of your pathetic existence is to watch out for me. I'll blow your brains out if we ever battled." She yelled defiantly.
Marco stopped walking and turned placing his face into hers. "Well until that day…" He smiled and continued up the steps to a large set of doors. Alexis rolled her eyes and followed him up the steps.
A weird looking man bearing large goggle-like glasses and crazy purple hair was waiting for them at the top of the steps dressed in a white lab coat. He was busily examining something on the patio. "Ah! This is definitely the feather of a legendary Pokemon!" He grinned holding the red feather up to the light. His large eyes peered at it in wonder. He looked like an owl who found prey.
"Actually, I believe that's just a Pidgeot's head feather." Alexis said. Marco was surprised to see this girl actually knew something. The man smiled and blinked his eyes through the goggles.
"Ah yes…you are correct Ms. Branbury. A Pidgeot feather it is!" He replied placing the feather into a nearby flower pot. He then turned back to the two. "And you must be Marco Cardella." He said wiping his hand on his coat. Marco extended his hand and the man shook it.
"You've probably guessed by now that I am Professor Marvin Evergreen. It's good to finally meet the three of you." He said. Marco looked around. He noticed it was still only him and Alexis.
"Three?" Alexis blurted out. Evergreen smiled and began to walk inside. The two followed closely wondering what he was talking about. He led the two through a large study where some waiting seats were situated. There on one of the bulky seats was the teen thief from the previous night. Marco was in rage.
"You're allowing a petty criminal to start a Pokemon journey with one of your well trained Pokemon?" He roared. The teen stood up angrily and they glared at each other.
"Calm yourselves. Now Marco, you can't judge a person by how they appear on the outside. Josh Seraph is actually a very eager kid. He wishes to become a trainer just as you wish to go out and see the world." Evergreen said.
"But he smells horrible!" Marco cried. Josh was struck back by this statement.
"And is that a hint of alcohol I detect? And… marijuana?" Alexis said disgusted. Josh glared at her.
"Enough! All of you! Stop acting like children. Now, Marco and Alexis will wait here. Josh, I want you to go upstairs and take a quick shower. You'll find some clothes of mine that you can borrow. We will then get to the good stuff." Professor Evergreen ordered. Josh shifted his eyes at the other two and then slowly walked up the stairs.
After a few minutes, the teen came back down in a large purple shirt and some khaki pants. He looked a little cleaner, but still rather weird. "These clothes are huge!" He said under his breath. Marco couldn't help but laugh as the boy fumbled with the sleeves that extended past his arms.
"Sit down Josh! We have business at hand!" Evergreen commanded.
"Yeah, get your *** over here so I can pick my Pokemon!" Alexis demanded. Josh bared his straight yet yellow teeth at her and sat down on the only empty seat. The Professor then fumbled through his lab coat pocket and pulled out three glove-like objects. They were in three shades: gold, black; and pink. They looked like weight lifting gloves; that is the finger parts only extended halfway up before cutting off. At the tip of each finger cut off was a metallic ring with an empty spot for a jewel. One hand had five of these and the other only had one.
"These here are what we call Pokerings. They are used in aiding the capture of a Pokemon." Evergreen explained. He then fished through his pack and pulled out three jewels. One was green, another was red, and the final was blue. "And now we get to the fun stuff." He winked. The jewels resembled the Pokeballs of olden days, but they were a lot small and had no difference in color. Evergreen pressed all three to reveal a barrage of red light.
Three Pokemon formed on the ground opening their eyes and yawning. One was small and green with a nut-like shell on its back. It had a large twig extending as its tail. It resembled a two legged armadillo. The middle one had a small snout and a curved crest at the back of its head. Its eyes were shrouded in black and its fingers looked like mini volcanoes. Its beige body seemed to emanate heat. The final one was small and cat-like. It was blue in color and its tail and head crest were actually very puffy bubbles.
"I'd like you to meet Twigillo, Fingame, and Felipor. These are your choices that will become your new best friend. Choose wisely." Evergreen stated.
Marco turned to Alexis. "Ladies first." He grinned. She gave him a dirty look and then stood up.
"I want Felipor! It's so cute!" She stated and leaned down to put her arms around the water type kitten. It purred and rubbed its furry body against her.
"Ahh nice choice!" The professor smiled and handed her the blue jewel and the pink Pokering glove. Marco began to stand up to pick next, but Josh stood up faster, and shoved him down.
"I get Twigillo. This is very important to me…my father loved grass types. He had a Sceptile…" He said turning to Marco. Marco wasn’t sure what he was talking about, and why he would care about his father, but still, he nodded and Josh leaned down to his new Pokemon.
"Twig!" It smiled and clapped its paws together. The professor handed Josh the green jewel along with his black Pokering glove. To Marco’s surprise, Josh put it down, and began to pet it. Twigillo looked happy to have Josh as its new trainer. Then, oddly, Twigillo fell asleep.
“You may want to watch out for that Twigillo,” Evergreen said. “It's very friendly, and likes to battle, but otherwise it likes to sleep… not uncommon for Twigillo, but they’re not heavy sleepers like Snorlax.” Josh didn’t seem to care about this fact, he still looked happy of his choice.
"Well, I guess this little guy is mine!" Marco stated standing up and leaning down towards the curious looking Pokemon. It smiled and suddenly the tiny volcanoes on its fingers jetted up causing fire to spray out. "Holy crap!" Marco said falling back as the Pokemon laughed away.
"Fing fing fing!" It giggled.
"And that would be Fingame." Evergreen said handing the startled teen his red jewel and gold Pokering glove. "Be weary of this one. It's a little trouble maker." The professor then stood up. "Now, I want everyone to stand up and slip their Pokering gloves on so I can explain to you how this works." He requested. The three did as told. "Now, place the jewel I have given you on the right hand glove that only has one ring. This is what we call your starter Pokering…where you place your first Pokemon on." The three placed the jewel into the hole on the ring. They snapped into place and the teens looked up for more instructions.
"Now, push the jewel down and watch the magic!" Evergreen grinned. Marco did it first, pressing the jewel into the ring more. It made a clicking sound and then sprang forward, winding quickly around his finger to the fingertip. It then burst open and covered Fingame in a red light sucking the Pokemon inside. When it was complete, the ring spun back into place on the mid section of the finger.
"Wow! That was cool!" Marco grinned. Alexis did the same, but Josh kept Twigillo out. Evergreen smiled.
"And to catch Pokemon you must remove the jewel, press the switch on it, and toss it at the weakened creature. It's as easy as that." The three nodded understanding this. The professor then pulled out three small laptops. Each was only a few inches wide and folded open (sort of like a GBA SP). They all matched the colors of the Pokering gloves he handed out. Each trainer received the respective item.
"These are what we call Pokeputers. They contain all the information you will need to progress through Stagione. They contain a built in Pokedex to give you info on the creatures you encounter, a map, city information, etc." Evergreen explained. “Let me show you how it works.” He took Josh’s Pokeputer and pointed it at Twigillo, who was still sleeping next to Josh. “Gather around.” The three teens gathered around Evergreen (Alexis cringed her nose a bit at Josh, who still smelled a little despite the shower), and watched as a picture of Twigillo came up on the screen.
“Twigillo. Type: Grass. The Armadillo Pokemon. This Pokemon spends almost all of its life in forests. It feeds on small plants, as well as the soil they are planted in, and nuts.”
“Pretty cool, eh?” he said as he gave Josh his Pokeputer back. “You can also look up attacks for your Pokemon and the ones you’re fighting, to get a better idea of how to beat them.” The three trainers fiddled with their Pokeputers for a few seconds and then stashed them in their packs.
"And now my young trainers. You must journey to Headrest City across the hills to sign up for the league. There are eight gyms for you to compete in throughout the continent. Once you have all eight you can head back here and train for the Pokemon league. Be wary though, Stagione is not the nicest region to train in. You will meet many people that aren't friendly, so I advice you travel in groups." Evergreen suggested. He then handed each trainer their training licenses.
Alexis stood up and began to walk off. She aimed her hand down and pressed the ring, releasing Felipor as she did. It hoped a bit placing its head against her leg. "Por!" It purred.
"Felipor and I can handle this by ourselves. Thanks for the help professor, but I'm on my own now!" She said and started out of the building. Josh got up as well.
"I'm out of here." He said and walked out of the door.
"Be careful Marco. This world is a dangerous place." Evergreen said as Marco stood up. The teen nodded and then followed the other two out. He didn't see Alexis anywhere, but Josh wasn't too far ahead. Something about this kid made Marco curious, and he had to find out more about him. Plus, Marco was not the greatest when it came to living on the road. He was too civilized, and he was going to need someone like Josh to get around.
"Hey Josh!" He yelled down to the trainer below. Josh stopped dead in his tracks and slowly turned around.
"What do you want?" He asked folding his arms. Twigillo stood awake at his side, but as the boy sat there the Pokemon grew tired and slumped against his leg. Marco began to kick the dirt. He was far from shy, but asking a kid that he didn't get along with for help wasn't easy.
"I know you're a little broke. I've got enough money to feed a city, so I was wondering if you wanted to travel together for a bit...you know, just until we get things situated." He suggested.
Josh turned. "You don't want to travel with me, trust me. There's no part for you in my journey." He said shaking his head. Marco sighed and fiddled with the contraption on his hand. He pressed the red jewel and it spun to the front of his ring finger shining in a bright light as his brand new Pokemon emerged.
"Fingame!" It said smiling and looking up. Marco petted its head and it closed its eyes in enjoyment.
"Guess we're on our own my portable stove." Marco joked. The Pokemon flared up its fingers at this statement and Marco pulled away. "Watch it buddy! I don't plan on getting severe burns on this hot body, no pun intended!" Marco joked again. The Pokemon clasped its fingers together putting out the flames. Marco and his Pokemon then walked down the path and to the fence.
Josh was at the entrance searching the Pokeputer map to find which way to start. "Headrest City is to the West just a few days walk over the hills." Marco said as he walked by.
"Are you still following me? I told you, beat it. You don't want to hang out with someone like me." He seemed to be having trouble as his sleeves kept getting in the way of the map. Twigillo rocked sleepily next to him.
Marco stopped walking and rubbed his hand through his own hair. "You know, if you reconsider my suggestion I could buy you some more fashionable attire." He remarked. The teen peered at him and pulled up his sleeve. "And besides, I don't care that you're poor."
"It's not about that... I have something dark inside me. I left on this journey to get it out, hopefully, and having an annoying rich kid like you around isn't going to help me any.
Marco glared at him. "Look, I didn't do anything to you, alright, I was just offering to help. You don't have to be such a jackass."
Josh moved closer, and Marco looked into his black eyes. "You want my story? Alright, you get it. Six years ago, my father was murdered by a man nicknamed The Black Phantom."
Marco actually laughed. "You expect me to believe that?" The Black Phantom was a myth, an urban legend about a man, a criminal, dressed in all black, including a black mask, appearing like a ghost in the middle of the night to kill anyone he had a grudge against, and then disappearing just as mysteriously as he came. "You expect me to believe you that some fairy tale character killed your father."
"I was there," Josh said, baring his teeth. "I saw him. I saw a man dressed in all black appear in the middle of the night, and shoot my father. He was a cop, and a damn good one too... it was because of him that our city was as crime free as it was. But as soon as he died, the city went to the dogs. Crime everywhere, especially drugs... even my own mother became an addict, in light of my father's murder. I couldn't live with her anymore, so I left the house, and had to raise myself on the street, with all the druggies. That's why I smell so bad, like alcohol and marijuana, because I lived out on the street. And you know what? There was only one thing I thought about, the last six years...revenge. Revenge on the man who killed my father. I waited those six years, training my body and skill, for the day when I would meet The Black Phantom again. And of course, thinking about nothing but revenge doesn't turn you into an incredibly nice person. That's why I'm like the way I am today." Then he began walking off, Twigillo walking by.
Marco then felt a huge rush of pity for Josh. He still wasn't quite sure whether to believe that The Black Phantom killed his father, but he had looked at Josh's eyes for the entire time he was telling his story; Josh wasn't lying. His father really was dead, his mother an addict, he was living on the streets, thinking about nothing but revenge. He didn't know how Josh could have dealt with it. It made sense, that's why Josh smelled like drugs, that's why he had to steal for food, that's why he had chosen Twigillo.
"Wait, I'll make you a deal." Marco began to walk forward. Fingame hobbled after trying to keep up as it played with its finger flames. Josh turned around. "If we can at least travel together until Headrest City, I'll get you some new clothes. After that I'll leave and you'll never have to see me again." Marco only needed this kid to learn how to survive out in the wilderness, and he could catch on in a matter of days.
Josh looked at the large, purple shirt. "Fine." He stopped to let Marco catch up, then the two began walking together.
"You know this still doesn't make us friends." Marco stated as they turned a corner.
"Agreed..." Josh whispered...