MATURE: PokeWorld: Beginnings (Chapter 1)

[Red Hood]

This is my newest attempt at writing a journey-fic series. It's kind of like my idea of what could possibly start into a series, with each installment taking place in a different region, based off of a different game. Anyway, if this one goes well (And if it actually gets finished), then I'll continue with others (At least 1 more.)

Please keep in mind that "PokéWorld" takes place in a different universe from the canon, therefore, things will be a bit different.

Table of Contents:
1. Dreams​

WARNING: This story contains (or will, I guess) contain offensive language, some mild themes, violence, etc. All the usual stuff.

 

[Red Hood]

Re: PokeWorld: Beginnings

Chapter 001:​

Dreams​

In the center of a mountain range on the east side of Kanto sat a fairly large city. Filled with clean and pure air, the vast expanse of land called the Indigo Plateau was the ideal tourist spot, being home to the Kanto Region's famous "Elite Four", the four top registered Trainers in the ranking system known as PokéWorld.

When Pokémon Battling, the world's top sport now, was established, the Pokémon League Association saw it fit to establish a group of the top Trainers, which later changed and became known as the "Elite Four". There wasn’t a single soul in Kanto that didn't know the members of the Elite Four, and to this day the Elite Four reign as both peacekeepers and role models for the citizens of Kanto.

In the large stadium that dominated Indigo Plateau stood one such Trainer, engaged in battle against his latest challenger.

~%~%

Lance O'Toole, the #1 Trainer of Kanto and the Elite Four's leader, stood on one side of the arena. He was a handsome young man, with dark red hair spiked up wildly. He wore a simple black t-shirt beneath a red jacket, with black jeans and brown boots as well. But his most identifying feature was the long, flowing red cape attached to his jacket's shoulders. From the sounds of the crowd, anybody could tell that Lance had a large fanbase.

His challenger was a pale-skinned young man with bleached blonde hair, dressed in a white collared shirt with colorless slacks and expensive converse shoes. You didn't have to know him to know that Gabriel Adams was the definition of arrogance, which kind of explained why his fanbase was so small.

The referee stood between the two, holding a red flag in one hand and a green one in the other. He looked at both Trainers, and the crowd went silent.

"Welcome to the League Challenge Match! Today's match is between the Kanto Region's reigning Number One, Lance O'Toole of the Johto Region!" the referee was interrupted by the squeals of hundreds of fan-girls.

"LANCE!" Lance smiled lightly and waved at the crowd, secretly wishing it would end. He decided to end the match quickly and to not mess around.

"And his challenger is the rookie who took the League by storm, Gabriel Adams!" the referee finished, followed by a stark silence.

Gabriel looked up at the crowd furiously. "Seriously? I mean, come on! He gets screaming girls and I get nothing!”

The crowd started booing, throwing bags of popcorn and cups of soda at Gabriel, whom flinched in pain as he was pelted with the concession items.

"You know what, screw you guys too!" he said, promptly flipping them all off.

"Are you quite done?" Lance asked as he lost his smile, somewhat annoyed. "I kind of want to get this over with."

"Why you-" Gabriel gritted his teeth. "Don't you know how badly I'm going to beat you?"

"I really could care less," Lance said. "But good luck with that."

Lance's attitude only received more cheers and squeals, and Gabriel was steaming, almost literally. He grabbed a Poke Ball from his belt, enlarging it as he glared down at Lance.

"That's it, you tomato-haired bastard!" Gabriel shouted. "I'm not holding back."

Lance smirked at this. "And I believe you."

Gabriel fumed silently as the referee looked at both sides. "The battle will be a full six-on-six! Begin!"

Lance swiftly threw down a Poke Ball, releasing a large dragon-like creature made of what seemed to be stone. Its large purple wings, dark glaring eyes, serrated fangs, and long spiked tail showed its terrific power.

"What the hell is that thing?" Gabriel asked in confusion. This was one Pokémon he had never seen before.

"It's Aerodactyl, the Fossil Pokémon," Lance explained.

Gabriel muttered under his breath, and Lance could distinctly make out the words "unfair cheating prick" as Gabriel tossed his Poke Ball to the field.

The Poke Ball released a blue-skinned creature, both feline and fish-like in appearance, complete with a fish-like tail and fins. It let out a slight meowing sound, looking up at its opponent.

"Let's see how your 'Fossil Pokémon' does when I use my Vaporeon," Gabriel bragged.

Lance smirked as the two Pokémon traded glares, neither moving for a brief moment before both Gabriel finally shouted out an order.

"Attack with a Hydro Pump!" The Vaporeon released a burst of water at the Aerodactyl, but it flew into the air, dodging it.

Without having to hear an order, the Aerodactyl swung back around, its wing glowing as it sped at the Vaporeon.

"Acid Armor!" Gabriel ordered as the Vaporeon turned into water, narrowly dodging the Aerodactyl's 'Wing Attack'.

Just as Vaporeon regained its physical shape, Aerodactyl swung back around and slammed its wing into Vaporeon, knocking it to the ground. The Aerodactyl landed on the ground, wrappings its wing around its chest.

"You think you'll beat me that easily?" Gabriel asked, returning his unconscious Vaporeon to its Poke Ball. "I'm gonna crush you and all of those damned Dragon Pokémon you have too!"

At the slightest curse aimed at his Dragon Pokémon, Lance's eyes opened wide, forming into a glare.

"What did you say?" Lance asked, holding back his anger. Aerodactyl looked at its Trainer worriedly, remembering what had happened last time someone insulted his Dragons.

Gabriel smiled, knowing he had hit a nerve. "What? Don't like it when somebody talks about your precious little worms that you call Dragons? They're all just two-bit worthless Pokémon, perfect for a two-bit hack like you!"

As Gabriel continued his insults, Lance's hands clenched into fists, drawing blood as he looked up furiously at Gabriel. Anyone could tell something was wrong. The expression in his eyes now showed unbridled rage instead of the aloof carelessness so many were used to.

"You listen to me! Say what you want about me, or my battling style," Lance said, returning Aerodactyl to its Poke Ball. "But I won't let anybody talk trash about my Pokémon!"

Lance reached behind his belt again, slinging another Poke Ball to the field, releasing his strongest Pokémon. The large Dragon let out a roar as Gabriel stepped back, afraid of what stood in front of him.

~%~%

Inside of the Viridian Courier Company, a young man sat at a table, watching a TV. The young man, Jonathan Graves, had been lucky enough to win the rock-paper-scissors match that decided who would be missing the Championship Match. Jon raked a hand through his spiky brown hair, sighing as they cut to a commercial for the third round break.

"How much longer is Jack gonna take?" Jon sighed, rising from his seat as he muted the TV set.

As Jon got up, he glanced at himself in a nearby mirror. He was considered a handsome young man, at least that's what all the girls in Pallet and Viridian seemed to think. His attire consisted of a purple sweater over a black t-shirt, with black jeans and brown leather boots.

Jon pulled out his cell phone, dialing his best friend's number, keeping an eye on the TV.

~%~%

Jack Lackey pedaled his bike as fast as he could. Oddly enough, his trademark red cap stayed on his head, keeping his shaggy black hair in place. He wore a red-white button-up shirt over a black undershirt, with faded blue jeans and red sneakers.

"Come on, feet, pedal faster!" he said desperately as he sped across the long dirt path between Viridian Forest and Viridian City.

However, the sound of his cellphone's ringtone distracted him. The bike wobbled before collapsing beneath him, sending the young man tumbling down a hill. When he finally stopped, he pulled out his cell phone.

"Hello?" he asked wearily.

"Dude, where are you?" asked Jon from the other end. "Lance is kicking this Gabriel guy's ass!"

"I'm on my way," Jack answered. "I'm just busy busting my ass to get back there."

"Well hurry up," Jon ordered. "Lance just sent out his best Pokémon!"

"Rub it in my face, why don't you?" Jack said sarcastically.

"Okay, I will," Jon said before Jack hung up the phone.

Jack ran back to find his bike, determined to get back as soon as possible.

~%~%

Jon placed his cell phone on the table in front of him, propping his feet on it as well as he watched the end of the battle, flinching when he saw how swiftly Lance's Pokémon defeated Gabriel's team. In five minutes, it was down to Gabriel's last Pokémon, a Nidoking, fighting with Lance's strongest, the same large dragon that had so easily defeated four of Gabriel's Pokémon by itself.

The door opened, and Jack stumbled in, flopping onto a fold-out chair and watching the battle unfold.

"What took you so long?" Jon asked.

Jack glared at his friend, wishing he had something to throw. "Shut up!"

On the TV, the two Pokémon clashed blows swiftly. But in a matter of seconds, Lance's Pokémon swiftly blasted it to the ground with a beam of energy.

"And Lance used his signature move, Hyper Beam, to defend his title once again!" the announcer declared as the camera focused in on Lance, whom recalled his Pokémon.

~%~%

Lance walked toward his defeated challenger, whom fell to his knees in defeat. Lance glared at Gabriel, a serious look on his face.

"Time to listen again, Gabriel," Lance said, spitting out the name in contempt. "This is the fate of any and all who dare to talk about my Pokémon like you did. My advice to you is to grow up, and challenge me again then."

Lance turned and walked away, while Gabriel got to his feet, promptly turning and leaving.

~%~%

Jon and Jack both sat on the edge of their seats having just watched the battle's conclusion.

"I knew that Lance wouldn't lose to some asshole like that Gabriel dude," Jack said.

"There isn't a single Trainer out there that can beat Lance," Jon said. "And it'll stay that way until we go on our journey."

Jack sighed. "And when will that be, exactly? After that whole mess with 'Pokémon rights' they had to shut down the League, remember?"

"Don't remind me," Jon grumbled. "If I ever meet the fucker that was in charge, I just might rip him to shreds myself. I mean, what type of person tries to force people into releasing their Pokémon?"

"Somebody who's obviously never been to Kanto before," Jack said. "Pokémon Battling and the Pokémon League are the biggest thing in the entire Region, and it wasn’t like some hippie will change that anytime soon.”

"So it looks like Gabriel is the last League Challenger until they get done with that legal shit, right?" Jack continued.

"That's what my grandfather said, so I guess so," Jon said. "It just pisses me off that right when we both get to the legal age, we can't start our League Challenge because of some hippie preacher."

"Hey, I've got an idea," Jack said.

"Say it quickly before it dies of loneliness," Jon said sarcastically.

"We can still go on our journey, you know, just head out and train so that when the League reopens we can be ready," Jack suggested.

"That's actually a good idea," Jon acknowledged. "Tomorrow, we'll stop by the Lab and get some Pokémon to start with. Until then, we should go home and prepare."

Jack nodded, smiling. Starting tomorrow, their dreams would become a reality.

~%~%

Gabriel Adams left the Indigo Plateau, his hands in his pockets, utterly embarrassed. Five of his strongest Pokémon had been quickly beaten by only one of Lance's. He couldn't go back home now, he'd just be a laughingstock, not to mention what his father would say...

"Gabriel Adams?"

Gabriel looked around to find the source of the voice that interrupted his thoughts. He finally found it as a figure, hidden beneath the shadows of a tree canopy, stepped forward, revealing all but his face.

The man, dressed in a black business suit, didn't get a chance to speak as Gabriel reached for a Poké Ball.

"What the fuck do you want?" Gabriel asked. "I'm not in a very good mood today, so make it quick."

The suited man laughed. "I don't think you are in a position to make threats or give commands. Did you even stop to heal your Pokémon after that match?"

Gabriel cursed, having forgotten that. By now, the only Pokémon that was conscious was Vaporeon, and there was no way she was strong enough to fight. In a matter of a second, the suited man had released his own Pokémon.

The creature that appeared was large, seemingly made of stone, with a drill on its forehead. It roared and glared down at Gabriel.

"Now, I kindly ask that you shut up and listen to me," the man said. "I have a proposal for you."

Gabriel weighed his options. He could try to fight the man, but it was painfully obvious no matter what he tried that it would be like suicide. "I'm listening."

"I know you want nothing more than to utterly crush Lance O'Toole and to become Champion," the man said. "I also know why you wish to become Champion. It's somewhat endearing, and in a way, I can actually sympathize with you."

Gabriel gritted his teeth. "Get to the point."

"Straight to business," the man said. "I like you. Anyway, I can help you. I only ask you for one favor."

"Sorry, I don't do favors," Gabriel said, turning to leave, but the man's beast slammed its tail in front of him to block his path. "Okay, I'm all ears."

"The favor is that you help me in my goals, and I promise I will help you defeat Lance," the man said.

"I don't just want to beat him anymore," Gabriel said. "I want to kill him. That bastard embarrassed in front of all of Kanto, and I want to make him pay! If you promise to help me kill him, then I'll give you my help."

"I think we can arrange that, Mr. Adams," the man said. "Welcome to Team Rocket."

 

[Der_Neuevenmenschen]

This gon' be good.

I can feel it. I like the idea of a trainer becoming a villain (although he did'nt exactly know what he was agreeing to), or just a grunt in general.

Can't wait for more.

 

[Red Hood]

Glad to hear somebody liked the story! I've put a lot of thought into this story (By now, it's pretty close to 2 years). And on the subject of Gabriel, I can't really delve into his role or his character (Or anything about him, really) without spoiling part of the story.

And don't worry, the next chapter will be up (relatively) soon.