Story Notes:
This story is effectively a serial, and will contain sex at various points.My last update was years ago. I hope I can get back into writing..
Prologue: A Late Start
Equals At The Least by Wara
Prologue: A Late Start
As it had every day before, and as it assumedly would the next day for many years to come, the sun rose over a tiny town, a new wave of golden rays spreading slowly but surely over the town of Pallet. On top of the city hall, a Dodrio, in its normal morning ritual, cried a harmonious triad, the sound pure and rich. The notes echoed across the town like bells, and with an even greater effect.
The instant the Dodrio cried, people sat bolt upright in their beds. The small population of Pallet Town started to bustle with more enthusiasm than had been seen in a year. A year, in fact, to almost the day.
This was no mere coincidence. Today was the day that young trainers, eager children ready to begin their journey into the world, would receive their partner Pokemon from the famous Professor Oak, and leave with high hopes and grand dreams in mind.
As it did every year, the event was scheduled to occur on a Saturday. This meant that students could see off their friends without the chance of missing school. Around the town, 10-year olds dressed hurriedly, rushing either to watch their friends walk into Professor Oak's lab, or to be watched.
For the most part, there was likely going to be little surprise about who were becoming trainers. Almost infailably, the trainers-to-be each year would jump about for weeks beforehand, talking of virtually nothing else. Even in those who stayed relatively calm and quiet, the excitement was always obvious to all. Nothing was different this year, and everyone knew who the new trainers would be. Everyone, except for one young exception.
In a house near to the outskirts of the town, people stirred too, but one of them wasn't hurrying as much as everyone else seemed to be. This was Matthew Regis, newly ten years old. Matt was among one of those who didn't seem openly excited, but everyone knew that he had feelings for Pokemon that would make him the perfect candidate for a new trainer.
A common-variety Voltorb clock, alarm set to what Matt called 'Snorlax Mode', sat lazily on his bedsheets after being dislodged from the bedside table. Matt wasn't openly rushing, but if anyone had seen him, they could have easily told that he was anxious nonetheless. After dressing in a casual t-shirt, shorts and sandals, he brushed back his fair-coloured hair until it was neat, his hand hesitantly coming to rest on the small shoulder-bag he always carried with him.
Twenty minutes later, Matt was still at home. After gulping down a more-than-adequate breakfast, he had stood and stared into the bathroom mirror, as if daring his reflection's deep blue eyes to blink first. Having a fairly thin, but by no means fragile build, he thought he looked the part of a trainer, and he finally concluded in his mind that what he was doing was the right thing. He checked his phone messages again, hibernated his computer, and dashed out of the house, knowing that his parents had certainly already left without him.
Outside the Professor's lab, like every year, stood a sizable crowd, milling around the base of the entrance stairway with uncontained enthusiasm. Young and old had come to watch the new trainers ascend the staircase and enter inside, and then come out with their new Pokemon. Matt suspected that many of the people here had never even been inside themselves.
His Mum and Dad waved to him, and he gave a short wave back before moving around to the the side of the crowd, calmly standing a step away from everyone else as he generally did. After mentally berating himself for being so predictable, he gradually looked up at the lab. As impressive as any other day, the sun reflected spectacularly around the lab's curved and strangely-angled roof, casting great lines of rainbow-coloured light out across the lawn in front. The impressive sight began to make him question whether he was doing the right thing, as he knew that everyone he was close to would be greatly disappointed.
Before his thoughts matured too greatly, however, he was woken from his trance by a mention of his name. He looked up and saw his best friend, Dane, approaching him through the adjacent crowd. With red hair and a spotty face, Dane looked somewhat wild at first sight, but he was actually generally a laid-back, logical sort, a personality that Matt credited as matching his own, word-for-word. They had been almost instant friends when they first met at school several years ago.
Matt stood still as Dane stepped up beside him, staying silent as he waited for his friend to speak first. Dane was long used to this, of course, and began talking immediately.
"You excited?"
Matt looked at him for a full 3 seconds before answering dully. "Not particularly."
There was no need to return the question, as Dane was oozing excitment at every pore. He was jumping back and forth on his feet, unconsciously wringing his hands about and playing with his own fingernails.
Finally, Dane began his own reply, his voice high and shaking. "What? Why not? It's the big day! We're gonna get our first Pokemon and become trainers and adventure and- What's the matter?"
Matt was staring at Dane with wide, shocked eyes. He shook his head slightly in disbelief. "What do you mean, 'We'? You're becoming a trainer? You never said anything."
"Um...Didn't I?" Dane scratched his head, then tossed it back, laughing hysterically. "Oh, duh, of course not! I only decided to last night. You see, it struck me that, if everyone else is doing it, I should too!"
Matt raised a sarcastic eyebrow, his gaze shifting around to the crowd.
"Hardly everyone." he replied with a straight, emotionless face. After a few seconds of silence, he shut his eyes, making a quick, final decision as he did. "Well, anyways, have fun."
Dane stared at him, tilting his head to the side. "Aren't you going?"
Matt sighed and lowered his head, shaking it slowly. "I never really intended to, at least not yet. I'm gonna wait a couple of years before I leave, so that I can do a better job of it. Being a trainer is serious business, I want to be good and prepared for it." He glanced at Dane, who was still staring at him. "I know it's a surprise. Everyone else is going to be amazed as well, I expect. But I really think that waiting until I'm ready is more important than living up to their expectations."
Dane began to open his mouth again to argue. In an effort to change the subject, Matt looked to the crowd again, which was now starting to grow over-excited and loud. After a hesitant pause, his mouth still open, Dane followed his gaze, looking around at the scattering of their few other friends.
"So who else is going, apart from yourself?" asked Matt.
Dane tapped his open lips in thought, exhaling loudly. "Michael and Ashleigh."
Matt looked across the crowd again. He couldn't see the tall figure of Michael protuding above any of the heads, so that was believable. "Fair enough, I suppose, but who's Ashleigh?"
"She's that girl who skipped a year. The really smart one with the big brown hair."
Matt frowned thoughtfully. "Oh, yeah, I know who you mean. Are you sure it's her? I wouldn't have thought she was the type for adventuring, or anything like that." He paused, his eyes narrowing further. "Also, you say 'smart' like it's a bad thing. I skipped a year as well, remember?"
Dane smiled uncomfortably. "Oh, right, sorry. You're smart too."
Matt rolled his eyes, brushing the hair from his forehead as he tried to think of an appropriate reply. He sighed and slumped as he realised he didn't have one. "...Just forget it. Anyway, are you actually looking forward to it? You look like a mess." He slid his eyes up, head still slumped, looking over the crowd once again as Dane groomed himself hastily. Matt concluded that Ashleigh was indeed absent from the mob, which meant that Dane was most likely correct as usual.
Dane shrugged, satisfied that he wasn't truly as messy as Matt claimed. "I'm not sure. It's...cool, y'know?"
Matt rolled his eyes again. "Fascinating."
Dane smiled sheepishly, but as he opened his mouth to defend his lame reply, a large cheer erupted from the crowd, cutting him off. Matt turned sharply to peer down the nearby roads. "One of them must have arrived!" he yelled through the noise.
"What?!" Dane hollered. Matt made a cutting gesture across his throat, cupping his palms lightly across his ears to dull the noise.
The source of the crowd's surge in excitement was soon obvious, and predictable. Both Michael and Ashleigh had arrived, simultaneously, approaching the steps to the lab entrance as they pushed their way through the screaming congregation. Michael, dressed nearly as casually as Matt, was incredibly tall and extremely thin, with deep brown hair and a quiet, shy expression. Ashleigh was shorter by comparison, as most were, and also stouter. Her flaring clothes and wide, dramatic steps gave her a snobbish appearance, a look that mirrored her personality extremely well.
Matt lightly shoved Dane forward, making encouraging gestures with his hands.
"Come on, go!" he finally commanded.
Dane hesitated, then gave a glance to Matt and nodded obediently. He walked forward, shaky around the knees but otherwise very collected. Matt suppressed a small smile as he watched the three trainers-to-be draw level and begin to ascend the labratory steps. After a few seconds of watching them step upwards in military unison, Matt turned his head away, embarrassed by their ridiculous walking style. He shook his head dismissively, making a mental note to not look as silly when he did the same thing a few years later.
Matt listened and waited until the sound of the crowd indicated they had reached the top of the stairs. He then turned his head back, watching as the trio disappeared through the large sliding doors. As the shining glass closed behind them, it dawned on Matt that it had slipped his mind to ask which of the three starter Pokemon Dane was intending to choose. He shrugged off the thought quickly, settling onto the grass near the lab, knowing he could see for himself when they came out in a short while.
20 minutes passed slowly by. Matt, devoid of any wristwatch or other time-telling device, continued to lie on the grass as he waited, his mind wandering across a variety of topics. The most prominent of his thoughts concerned the starting Pokemon, from whom each trainer was possibly choosing at that very minute. At one point he crossed his fingers in the hope that Dane had received the one he wanted. He also briefly wondered how Professor Oak decided who would choose first, or perhaps if he simply got them to debate and decide amongst themselves, in the event of a conflict.
After a while, Matt began hoping that Dane had chosen Squirtle. As even the youngest children knew, grass-type techniques were effective against water, and Matt himself had full intentions of choosing Bulbasaur when he eventually climbed the labratory staircase.
"If he chooses Charmander, though, the challenge would be nice." he thought out loud. "Just as long as he doesn't also choose Bulbasaur, then, I'm fine." With that final thought, he decided not to worry about it, at least until he actually saw the choice his friend had made.
A moment later, a series of excited shrieks rose him abruptly from his thoughts. Rising and standing up, Matt looked up just in time to see Michael, Ashleigh, and finally Dane literally march out of the glistening sliding doors, followed somewhat more humbly by the aged Professor Oak. Matt stood with genuine anticipation as he watched them descend the huge set of stairs, all three of the new trainers grinning widely. Dane's nose was so high in the air that Matt was surprised he didn't trip up.
Dane gave a thumbs-up to Matt as he passed, and Oak smiled as he watched over from the top of the staircase, with a second, unidentifiable figure standing behind him. The crowd seemed to have automatically split into three semicircular groups, and Michael, Dane and Ashleigh each strided directly to one of the three. Matt continued to watch from the edge of the grass as each trainer let their new Pokemon out of their Poke Balls, grinning at the radiating glow of eagerness in the air.
His smile remained mostly unfaltered when Dane opened his Poke Ball in a flash of light to reveal Charmander. Matt gave a soft wolf whistle under his breath as he watched it, impressed by its unexpected grace. It reached halfway between Dane's knee and waist, slowly swaying its tail back and forth in a feline-like manner as it stood next to its new trainer. Possessing wide, shining green eyes and short, sturdy legs, its tailflame was burning predictably bright, the ground underneath it lit by the flickering glow. Its smooth, faultless, scaleless skin was also highlighted by the flame, and Matt was unable to find any word to accurately describe the unique texture.
After staring hypnotically at the flame for several seconds, and with spots dancing across his vision, Matt reluctantly pulled his eyes away from the young Pokemon. Turning his head with feigned casualness, he peered carefully across at the other two groups, Dane occupied by his introductions of Charmander to his family and friends.
Michael had evidently chosen Bulbasaur. Standing tall on its back legs, with its front legs supported by its trainer's leg, it was looking about at the people in the half-circle around it with a calm but unreadable expression. Upright as it was, it reached just a few inches higher than Charmander. Michael, who was significantly taller than others his age, was patting and stroking the Pokemon's head with his off hand, and it was making a low, echoing, rumbling sound that was not completely unlike a purr.
Lengthy seconds passed as Michael introduced his family to Bulbasaur, and Matt realised he was staring again. He moved his eyes to the final group, which had moved away from the other two somewhat, his cheerful expression faltering again slightly as he did. He was again given a positive first impression of the Pokemon, which appeared to be on par with its peers. Squirtle stood just a little shorter than Charmander, and had wide, reflective eyes which stared curiously at the small group of people around it. It had a distinctive swirly tail that was bobbing up and down, not unlike a floater attached to a fishing line, and a hard, streamlined shell that comprised all of its visible torso. What was strange to Matt, however, was not the Pokemon itself, but Ashleigh's expression. While she seemed essentially satisfied with her choice, something about her smile seemed forced, causing Matt to wonder if she was regretting becoming a trainer.
Matt shrugged dismissively, deciding that he profiling, and that it wasn't his problem anyway. He turned his head back just in time to notice Dane approaching him, his backpack hanging from one hand and a tiny Poke Ball in the other. Charmander, stepping with slight awkwardness on its short legs, was following at Dane's side, and Matt tried, and failed, to hold back a grin as he found himself staring at it again.
Dane quickly followed Matt's gaze, a similar grin plastered across his own face. "You like?"
Matt nodded. "I love! Pleased to meet you, Charmander!" he added.
"Char!" Charmander replied with a cheerful smile, and an acknowledging nod.
Matt nodded in return, and then returned his gaze to Dane, coughing guiltily as he lowered his voice. "So, you're leaving now? For Viridian City?"
Dane glanced back towards the waving crowd, also lowering his voice. "Definitely. Though I wish you were coming."
Matt shut his eyes and sighed. "Yeah. Sorry about that." He opened his eyes again, the corner of his lip tilting up. "Listen, though...How would you like to be rivals?"
Dane blinked in surprise, his voice climbing again. "What are you talking about?"
"I asked if you'd like to be rivals." Matt repeated, grinning as though it were self-explanatory. "You'll get years of head-start on me, and I intend to choose Bulbasaur..." He extended his hand, and continued without pause. "You've got my phone number, so we can stay in touch. What do you reckon?"
Dane blinked again, slowly looking down at the extended hand, then at Charmander. The Pokemon nodded approvingly, and Dane smiled, raising his own hand past Matt's to his own chin, tapping his lip in thought.
"Okay, you got it then!" he grinned after a few seconds. He took Matt's hand and shook it firmly. "Rivals! Rivals and still friends, that is."
Matt nodded, echoing him. "Rivals and friends."
Dane sighed as he pulled his hand away, stepping slowly sidewards and raising it for a high-five. "It's high time we got outta here."
Matt raised his own hand, slapping it lightly against Dane's, then knelt down to Charmander's eye level. "See ya in a long time."
Charmander nodded again, stamping its leg on the ground in polite farewell, and preparing to follow Dane as he moved away. Dane and Matt waved to each other again before Dane withdrew the same Poke Ball from his belt again. Matt had just enough time to notice the flame emblem on the ball before Charmander disappeared inside it, and Dane began to walk slowly up the road towards the north exit of town.
Matt smiled to himself, blocking out the sound of the cheering crowd. He stepped again into the grass outside the lab, watching down the road as Dane's back slowly disappeared from view. Looking over the lush, apparently empty superstructure of the lab, he sighed again, and automatcally began to think aloud again. "Well, Dane's going to be years ahead of me. He's also chosen Charmander, and he's likely to be a lot more experienced than me by the time I begin. Maybe I'm looking at this the wrong way, but I reckon he'll be a good first challenge."
Matt grinned goofily to himself, reminding himself of a couple of his favourite, self-written motivation sayings. And, as one of those sayings went, slow and steady often wins the race, and that was where he would place his bet.
Nearly three years later, Matt was still in Pallet Town, and nothing much had changed. Matt himself was still somewhat reserved, but he had been putting his mind to more practical skills more recently, instead of sitting around at a computer all day. He had firmly decided that this would be the year he would become a trainer, and he had, as far as he was concerned, spent his extra preperation time well. He had learned names and details of a wide variety of Pokemon, as well as all sorts of details about caring for them, training, types matchups, evolutions and habitats. He took pride in the knowledge that he would never have learnt such things so well when he was ten.
Sitting in his room on a Saturday afternoon after a sizable lunch, working with some common tools on a small rod in his hands, he jumped slightly as his computer alerted him, with a familiar customised ringtone, that Dane was calling. Sighing and slipping into his computer chair, he put the phone to his ear.
"Hi Matt!" The smug, grinning face of an older Dane appeared on the screen. "Wassup?"
Matt chuckled. "I should ask you! It's been a month!"
Dane laughed excitedly. "True! Well, to be truthful, nothing much has happened."
Matt smirked. Dane's excited demeanor indicated he was lying. "I'm going to be a trainer soon, you know. Only weeks to go now. I hope you're ready for me."
Dane rolled his eyes with yet another grin. "Of course I am! I'm better than you'll ever be!"
"You are better than me." Matt nodded. "But that's because I've yet to start. I'm going to make a point of being a better trainer than you, in fact. Though I have to say, you've really changed in the last three years."
Dane blinked, losing his steam momentarily. "Changed? In what way?"
"Your personality," said Matt, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You're different. You're more confident in yourself, to the point of arrogance. And you give your opinions on everything, even when they aren't wanted."
With a chuckle, Dane stuck his tongue out. "Well, maybe I've seen the light! The world's a great place to be!"
Matt raised an eyebrow. "If you say so, but that sounded really lame. I'm not gonna argue the point too much. How are your Pokemon?"
"Charmeleon is great! You should see his flame lately!" Dane grinned proudly, but Matt sighed again. In three years, Charmeleon was still just...Charmeleon. Despite Dane's huge head-start, Matt had previously guessed that his 'rival' was still hanging around Vermillion City. "Kadabra is a little sick or something, he's a bit out of it." continued Dane. He was ticking them off on his fingers. "But, he'll be fine. Graveler is fine too."
Matt rolled his eyes as Dane continued. "Jolteon's pretty good lately. Got a lot of static, though. Zaps me with every touch. And Gyarados-"
Matt bolted upright, genuinely interested for the first time in the conversation. "Magikarp evolved?!"
Dane grinned, glad he was receiving attention. "Yep! Only a few days after our last chat, actually! He's Gyarados now."
Matt frowned. "Wow, and damn. That could be trouble."
"Why?" Dane crossed his arms continuing to look smug. "Because you'll never beat him?"
Matt shook his head. "Gyarados have an extremely violent nature, and you know it! I hope you're being careful with it."
Dane simply laughed. "I know he's violent! I checked my Pokedex after he evolved! I'm being careful this time, so don't worry about me!"
"All the same, take it slow." Matt glanced towards his desk. "This may seem preemptive, but I'm gonna leave now. I want to finish this thing here."
Dane tilted his head curiously. "Finish what? You mean you started that stupid fishing rod you were talking about a while back?"
Matt nodded and picked up the unextended rod, bringing it into view. "Yep, I finally decided to start on it. It snowballed a bit at the start, and I kept working on it, and now it's nearly done." He hesitated, lowering the rod. "Also, it's not stupid, I think it's gonna be great."
"I still think it's a waste of time." Dane shook his head. "But, bye bye."
"See ya."
Dane's hand moved close to the monitor as he hung the phone up, and the window on the computer screen went black. Matt sighed and closed it, looking over his rod again as he replaced his own phone on the hook. Having worked on it for over a week, there was just a few final touchs to add before its completion. Had Dane rung just a couple of hours later in the day, he might have been able to show off the finished version. He had even invented his own special hookless tackles, so as to not hurt whatever was being caught. As far as he was concerned, it was a great personal achievement, and not to mention a very practical thing to have, especially as it was portable enough to fit in a small backpack. Matt picked his working tools back up and continued, making tiny adjustments as he slowly extended it towards its full size. There were mere weeks remaining before he was a trainer, and he would make the best of the time he had left.
Three days afterwards, in the late afternoon after school was over, Matthew took his completed rod down to the Marble River on the south end of the town to try it out. While not more than about fifteen metres from bank to bank, the river was connected directly to the ocean not far south, and as a result was teeming with fish Pokemon all year round. Irregularly-spaced patches of half-grown trees stood along each shore, none of them able to grow to full size due to the flat banks. In order to fish on the river, one had to stand between a pair of these patches, casting straight ahead to avoid tangling in the branches.
After checking the line over twice, and then a third time for personal assurance, Matt softly cast his line out. The cast was a moderately successful one, the sinker hitting the surface with a satisfying 'plop' several metres out from the bank. The lure sank quickly into the current, fading from view, and Matt sat down and watched the line trail slowly downstream as he waited patiently for a bite.
He didn't have to wait long. A Magikarp, boasting multiple scars across its jaw from past catches, got itself hooked on the line within seconds. Reeling it in and dragging it onto the shore, Matt was forced to fight a brief yet muddy battle with the huge fish to remove the tackle from its throat. Sighing as he looked down at his soaking, cold clothes, Matt lobbed the Pokemon into the middle of the river, where it crashed loudly against the surface of the water. After floating as if dead for several seconds, it finally righted itself and swam below the surface, leaving nothing but the wet bank, a few ripples and Matt's clothes to suggest it had ever been there. Sitting down again, with yet another sigh, Matt threw the line back into the water.
Matt caught the same Magikarp twice more, each time hurling it further downstream. After hooking it for a fourth time, he literally drop-kicked the Pokemon, concluding he should move upstream to get away from it.
Still fuming from his repeated encounters with the Magikarp, Matt picked up the rod and stepped away from the edge of the water, walking northwest up the river. Eventually he reached an area where the patches of trees were closer together, casting shadows across the surrounding water. Lacking the knowledge to tell whether this was a good or a bad thing, Matt decided to try his luck, picking the most secluded gap. Stepping up next to one of the trees, he preceded to cast horizontally, the cast sinker plunging straight into the middle of the river. Lowering onto his knees, Matt crossed his fingers in the hope that he would have greater success this time.
He had no such luck. Despite all his efforts, his line was chanced upon by another Magikarp within twenty seconds of it breaking the water's surface. It was a different Magikarp to the one that had been bothering him, but it was a Magikarp, and once again Matt's clothes and hair were soaked by the time he removed the line from its gaping mouth. Shivering, Matt hurled the fish overarm across the water, landing it on the surface over twenty metres downstream, with a resounding crack.
Matt sat down again with a loud grunt, looking down at the rod in his hands. Was it the rod itself that was the problem, or was it just bad luck? The tackle was close to perfect in his opinion, but then he did tend to blow his own horn a bit.
Matt sighed again, and began running through a list of motivational sayings through his head. He eventually began staring at the lure, shivering from his cold clothes as he continued questioning his workmanship. It was possible that the lure itself wasn't good enough, and that nothing wanted to try and eat it except for something as stupid as a Magikarp. After ten seconds of depressed silence, he finally rose up alongside the tree again. Whipping the line out firmly, he frowned as it again hit the water with a tiny 'plop'. He glared at the lure as it fell below the surface, snarling as something grabbed the line. Growling loudly, he pulled the rod back like a whip, no longer caring if the top hit the trees, ready to quite literally tear the tackle out of the Magikarp's mouth.
He began reeling furiously, pulling the line, and the catch, swiftly towards the shore. As he did, though, and when it first broke the surface, offering him a glimse of its body, what he saw shocked him out of his anger.
It wasn't a Magikarp. It wasn't even a fish.
It was a Dratini!
Matt gaped for several seconds before his brain began working again, almost letting go of the rod in his surprise. Barely keeping his footing as the line suddenly came under the huge weight of the struggling dragon, he gradually pulled the huge, flailing creature out of the water, and across the shore. He knelt down beside it, the rod pinned beneath his legs in an effort to keep the creature still. Placing one hand across its throat and raising the other over its muzzle, he began attempting to remove the tackle.
This proved an even more difficult endeavor than he predicted. Even ignoring its huge size and strength, the Dratini was even more wild than both the Magikarp combined, and the tackle itself was in a very uncomfortable position, right at the back of its mouth. Desperate, and with his hands shaking, Matt did the only thing left that he could think of.
"Please stop moving about," he said as calmly as his shaking voice would allow. "I know it must feel horrible, but I can't remove it if you don't stay still." He pressed harder on the Dratini's neck, and shifted one of his legs to try and pin it. Predictably, the Dratini was far too strong for him, and he ended up holding on with his other hand as well just for safety.
"Just stay still!" he yelled fearfully, his projection of calmness shattering with his nerves. "Open your mouth and stay still and I'll get it out for you, okay?"
The Dratini turned its huge purple eye to his, and slowly stopped struggling. Matt gradually released its tail and neck, and rolled it properly onto its back. "Okay...Could you open your mouth, please?"
It did as he asked, presenting the inside of its mouth to him. Matt took a deep breath and, supporting its head with his off hand, reached slowly into its mouth, tugging on the tackle."Okay, I'm starting to get it. I'm really sorry, I didn't mean this to happen. I made this tackle myself. It uses an adhesive that reacts with a type of body acid. But it's only designed to work on fish, I never considered anything else, and..." He held his fingers to the gluey green mould that had formed a web across the Pokemon's throat, and it slowly began to give way to the natural acid on his skin. It began to drop from the partially-suspended lure, the Dratini gagging and squirming uncomfortably as the slime dropped against the back of its throat.
Matt stroked one of his fingers from his supporting hand across its smooth, damp skin to reassure it. He picked the tackle from the few full strands that remained, depositing it by his side along with a sizable ball of the green goo. "...I'm really sorry. I didn't mean it to happen." he repeated apologetically. "It was an accident. I'm sorry, I really, really am." He inhaled slowly, holding his breath as he carefully plucked away the last streaks of goo. He gave a tiny smile of relief, finally beginning to calm himself. "At least it wasn't one that had hooks instead," he grinned. "That would have been even worse."
He removed his hands slowly and hesitantly from the Dratini, rolling gradually off and picking up the tackle, much of it still encased in slime. Both he and the Dratini stared at the tackle, and he found himself considering cutting the line and tossing the lure away. His more conservative side prevailing, he instead wound up the line, putting it and the collapsed rod inside his shoulder-bag near the tree. He looked up and saw with slight surprise that the Dratini was still there, curled in a half-circle on its belly, panting softly. He crawled gradually to its side and sat casually next to it, looking down at it and smiling warmly. "I really am sorry about that."
The Dratini gave him something that looked like a smile, and laid its huge head upon his leg, stretching out with its tail pointing towards the river shore. Matt decided to take this as a sign of forgiveness, and he raised his hand and stroked the Dratini's head softly. It gave a small, contented sigh and shut its eyes, rubbing its head against his leg affectionately.
Matt grinned, impressed at how warm its skin was despite the cold water covering it, and began looking down the length of its body. It looked nearly exactly how he had imagined one to look like, the only exception being its imposing size. Stretched out as it was, it was over one and a half metres from tip to tail, and its snout alone was nearly as big as Matt's entire head. He had always imagined a Dratini as being barely half this one's length. He shrugged to himself and continued stroking it gently, scritching softly next to its headfins.
Matt couldn't help but smile as it gave a tiny squeal as he scritched the back of its neck. He eventually decided to break the silence and introduce himself. "My name's Matthew Regis, though everyone just calls me Matt. Are you just 'Dratini'?" The Pokemon gave a small, barely noticable nod, evidently not wishing to misplace Matt's fingers. "Okay then. Once again, I'm really sorry about the fishing tackle. I'll try to remake it sometime so that it doesn't do that. Though I doubt I'll be meeting another Dratini anytime soon." he added with a chuckle.
The Dratini opened its eyes and stared up at him, a tiny curve of its large snout indicating another smile. Matt grinned down at it. "I know that I haven't met many to speak of, but I think you're the nicest Pokemon I've ever met." He stroked teasingly along its forehead, sliding his finger up past the top of its head and down its neck, his grin growing momentarily even wider at its pleasured shiver. "I should mention something. I actually might be meeting another Dratini again in the future, because I'm going to be starting my life as a trainer in a few weeks."
The Dratini jumped slightly, turning its head and staring up at him in mild alarm. Matt simply chuckled, stroking its chin reassuringly. "It's okay. I'm not a trainer yet, and either way, I intend to be different than those trainers you hear about. I'm going to put friendship and companionship completely above training and battling." Upon hearing this, the Dratini visibly relaxed, smiling again as it shut its eyes, nudging Matt's stomach playfully with its fins. Matt sighed contently, leaning back and looking up at the leaves above. He raised his other hand to the Dratini's head as well, his wet clothes clinging to his skin as they sat there in silence.
Thirty minutes passed slowly, alternating between casual, one-sided conversation and peaceful silence. It eventually dawned on Matt that he needed to go home, yet he was highly reluctant to stand up, let alone say goodbye to the Dratini.
Matt sighed sadly, causing the Dratini to look up at him. It had a sad relunctance in its eyes, and Matt had a feeling it knew what he was thinking. He jumped as it suddenly rose from his leg, turning and looking down at him with an enthusiastic curl of its snout. Matt chuckled nervously as he realized what she intended, bringing his legs in and kneeling next to her.
"You want to come back with me?" he asked softly. The Dratini gave a swift nod, sliding past him and looking in the general direction of the town through the trees, before turning her head and encouraging him to follow. Unable to find any reason to argue, Matt closed the zip on his shoulder-bag, putting it on and grinning widely as they made their way quickly up the grassy path.
They reached the edge of the town within ten minutes of eager travel. Stares followed them as they slowly made their way to the west side of town, mostly from people wondering what that large Pokemon was, and a couple from those who did know, and were in shock at seeing so rare a Pokemon in such a place. Matt smiled proudly as he strode down the pavement, enjoying the attention, and Dratini eventually copied him, sliding along the ground like a massive, graceful snake.
They arrived home just as the sun began to set, heads still high in the air. Matt's mother, who was busy preparing dinner, spoke automatically without turning to look at them. "Welcome back, honey. How was the fishing?"
Matt and Dratini glanced at each other, and laughed.
"Good," chuckled Matt. "See for yourself."
His mother turned, jumping at seeing the dragon Pokemon. "My...goodness! What is that?!"
Gesturing between the two of them, Matt made fast introductions. "Dratini, this is Mum. Mum, Dratini."
Dratini smiled and cried a single pure tone as a 'hello'. Matt smiled, and watched his Mum to see her reaction. She stared for a few seconds, then smiled politely.
"Pleased to meet you." She muttered. She turned back to Matt. "Is it going to be one of the Pokemon you'll train?"
Matt scratched his head, smiling awkwardly. "I don't know. My first intention was for her to be my friend."
His Mum smiled. "Oh, it's a she, is it?"
Nodding, Matt placed his bag on the kitchen bench, and started to get a drink of water from the fridge. "Yeah. She told me so at the river."
"Okay then," sighed his mother. "Where is she going to sleep? Your room?"
Matt nodded as he filled a glass. "Sounds fine to me. There's room enough, after all. Food's no problem, I know her diet."
Dratini, silent for the duration of the talk, started to weave her way around the room, looking about curiously. Matt noticed this, and drank the glass quickly, setting it down loudly. "Do you want me to show you around, Dratini?"
Dratini turned immediately and gave a small nod. Matt nodded back. "Okay then." He walked around the bench, and gestured to the lounge room. "Let's start, then."
A few short weeks later, it was once again time for excitement. The Dodrio's musical triad rang over the town on another pleasant morning, and people were bustling once again in preparation for the big event. The citizens of Pallet were, if possible, even more excited than normal, as Matt Regis, who was rumoured to have caught a Dratini on a fishing line just weeks before, was going to be joining the ranks of the hopeful champs of tomorrow.
When the sun's golden rays curbed over the horizon, Matt and Dratini were already well and truly awake, having gone to bed hours early the previous night. Dratini was on her bed, a large mattress in the corner of Matt's bedroom, while Matt himself was sitting expectantly in front of his computer screen, fingers hovering near the phone. If he knew Dane, and he definitely knew Dane, that phone was going to ring any second now even though it was still dark in Vermillion.
He wasn't disappointed. The phone rang, and Matt, giving a quick thumbs-up to Dratini, picked up the phone. Dratini curled up on the mattress, completely silent, as he raised the phone to his ear and pressed the answer button. "Hi Dane."
Dane's cheerful face beamed on the screen. "Hey, newbie!"
Matt smirked at his friend. "Hey, dorky!"
Laughing, Dane pointed a finger at him. "Hey, now, give respect to those who are better trainers than you!"
"I'm still not a trainer. You know that."
"Which means that I MUST be a better one!"
Matt rolled his eyes. "Anything you want to tell me apart from that I suck?"
Dane nodded. "Yeah, Charmeleon's gonna beat your team to a pulp when we next meet."
Matt waggled a finger back at him. "Don't get cocky, now. It'll make it worse when I beat you." Dane started to laugh, but Matt silenced him. "I'm going to go now. Unbeknownest to you, I rock more than you ever will." He lowered a hand under the desk, out of view of the camera, and gestured to Dratini, who slowly and quietly rose and made her way forward.
Dane tilted his head sarcastically. "Yeah, I'll believe that when I see- Woah! What the-?"
Matt and Dratini laughed openly. Dane's eyes had popped out so far at the sight of the dragon that Matt thought a good smack on the back of his head would send them rolling across the floor.
Matt grinned proudly. "That shut you up, didn't it?"
Dane stammered. "Bu-bu-...you...That doesn't prove anything!"
Matt smiled confidently. "Of course not. I'm leaving now. See you soon!"
The pair continued to laugh as Matt quickly hung up and Dane's shocked face disappeared mid-sentence. Matt replaced the phone, stood up and picked up his bulging shoulder-bag. He gestured to the door. "Come on, Dratini. The earlier we get there, the better for us. We've put Dane in his place."
Dratini nodded with a happy cry and slithered after Matt, who called goodbye to his parents as he passed the living room.
Matt and Dratini left the house and stood on the pavement outside, and Matt pointed dramatically to the rising sun, yelling "To Professor Oak's lab!"
Dratini gave an enthusiastic cry alongside his yell, and they dashed down the road, eager to start their journey together, and, before that, to get a new Pokemon friend.
Prologue: A Late Start
As it had every day before, and as it assumedly would the next day for many years to come, the sun rose over a tiny town, a new wave of golden rays spreading slowly but surely over the town of Pallet. On top of the city hall, a Dodrio, in its normal morning ritual, cried a harmonious triad, the sound pure and rich. The notes echoed across the town like bells, and with an even greater effect.
The instant the Dodrio cried, people sat bolt upright in their beds. The small population of Pallet Town started to bustle with more enthusiasm than had been seen in a year. A year, in fact, to almost the day.
This was no mere coincidence. Today was the day that young trainers, eager children ready to begin their journey into the world, would receive their partner Pokemon from the famous Professor Oak, and leave with high hopes and grand dreams in mind.
As it did every year, the event was scheduled to occur on a Saturday. This meant that students could see off their friends without the chance of missing school. Around the town, 10-year olds dressed hurriedly, rushing either to watch their friends walk into Professor Oak's lab, or to be watched.
For the most part, there was likely going to be little surprise about who were becoming trainers. Almost infailably, the trainers-to-be each year would jump about for weeks beforehand, talking of virtually nothing else. Even in those who stayed relatively calm and quiet, the excitement was always obvious to all. Nothing was different this year, and everyone knew who the new trainers would be. Everyone, except for one young exception.
In a house near to the outskirts of the town, people stirred too, but one of them wasn't hurrying as much as everyone else seemed to be. This was Matthew Regis, newly ten years old. Matt was among one of those who didn't seem openly excited, but everyone knew that he had feelings for Pokemon that would make him the perfect candidate for a new trainer.
A common-variety Voltorb clock, alarm set to what Matt called 'Snorlax Mode', sat lazily on his bedsheets after being dislodged from the bedside table. Matt wasn't openly rushing, but if anyone had seen him, they could have easily told that he was anxious nonetheless. After dressing in a casual t-shirt, shorts and sandals, he brushed back his fair-coloured hair until it was neat, his hand hesitantly coming to rest on the small shoulder-bag he always carried with him.
Twenty minutes later, Matt was still at home. After gulping down a more-than-adequate breakfast, he had stood and stared into the bathroom mirror, as if daring his reflection's deep blue eyes to blink first. Having a fairly thin, but by no means fragile build, he thought he looked the part of a trainer, and he finally concluded in his mind that what he was doing was the right thing. He checked his phone messages again, hibernated his computer, and dashed out of the house, knowing that his parents had certainly already left without him.
Outside the Professor's lab, like every year, stood a sizable crowd, milling around the base of the entrance stairway with uncontained enthusiasm. Young and old had come to watch the new trainers ascend the staircase and enter inside, and then come out with their new Pokemon. Matt suspected that many of the people here had never even been inside themselves.
His Mum and Dad waved to him, and he gave a short wave back before moving around to the the side of the crowd, calmly standing a step away from everyone else as he generally did. After mentally berating himself for being so predictable, he gradually looked up at the lab. As impressive as any other day, the sun reflected spectacularly around the lab's curved and strangely-angled roof, casting great lines of rainbow-coloured light out across the lawn in front. The impressive sight began to make him question whether he was doing the right thing, as he knew that everyone he was close to would be greatly disappointed.
Before his thoughts matured too greatly, however, he was woken from his trance by a mention of his name. He looked up and saw his best friend, Dane, approaching him through the adjacent crowd. With red hair and a spotty face, Dane looked somewhat wild at first sight, but he was actually generally a laid-back, logical sort, a personality that Matt credited as matching his own, word-for-word. They had been almost instant friends when they first met at school several years ago.
Matt stood still as Dane stepped up beside him, staying silent as he waited for his friend to speak first. Dane was long used to this, of course, and began talking immediately.
"You excited?"
Matt looked at him for a full 3 seconds before answering dully. "Not particularly."
There was no need to return the question, as Dane was oozing excitment at every pore. He was jumping back and forth on his feet, unconsciously wringing his hands about and playing with his own fingernails.
Finally, Dane began his own reply, his voice high and shaking. "What? Why not? It's the big day! We're gonna get our first Pokemon and become trainers and adventure and- What's the matter?"
Matt was staring at Dane with wide, shocked eyes. He shook his head slightly in disbelief. "What do you mean, 'We'? You're becoming a trainer? You never said anything."
"Um...Didn't I?" Dane scratched his head, then tossed it back, laughing hysterically. "Oh, duh, of course not! I only decided to last night. You see, it struck me that, if everyone else is doing it, I should too!"
Matt raised a sarcastic eyebrow, his gaze shifting around to the crowd.
"Hardly everyone." he replied with a straight, emotionless face. After a few seconds of silence, he shut his eyes, making a quick, final decision as he did. "Well, anyways, have fun."
Dane stared at him, tilting his head to the side. "Aren't you going?"
Matt sighed and lowered his head, shaking it slowly. "I never really intended to, at least not yet. I'm gonna wait a couple of years before I leave, so that I can do a better job of it. Being a trainer is serious business, I want to be good and prepared for it." He glanced at Dane, who was still staring at him. "I know it's a surprise. Everyone else is going to be amazed as well, I expect. But I really think that waiting until I'm ready is more important than living up to their expectations."
Dane began to open his mouth again to argue. In an effort to change the subject, Matt looked to the crowd again, which was now starting to grow over-excited and loud. After a hesitant pause, his mouth still open, Dane followed his gaze, looking around at the scattering of their few other friends.
"So who else is going, apart from yourself?" asked Matt.
Dane tapped his open lips in thought, exhaling loudly. "Michael and Ashleigh."
Matt looked across the crowd again. He couldn't see the tall figure of Michael protuding above any of the heads, so that was believable. "Fair enough, I suppose, but who's Ashleigh?"
"She's that girl who skipped a year. The really smart one with the big brown hair."
Matt frowned thoughtfully. "Oh, yeah, I know who you mean. Are you sure it's her? I wouldn't have thought she was the type for adventuring, or anything like that." He paused, his eyes narrowing further. "Also, you say 'smart' like it's a bad thing. I skipped a year as well, remember?"
Dane smiled uncomfortably. "Oh, right, sorry. You're smart too."
Matt rolled his eyes, brushing the hair from his forehead as he tried to think of an appropriate reply. He sighed and slumped as he realised he didn't have one. "...Just forget it. Anyway, are you actually looking forward to it? You look like a mess." He slid his eyes up, head still slumped, looking over the crowd once again as Dane groomed himself hastily. Matt concluded that Ashleigh was indeed absent from the mob, which meant that Dane was most likely correct as usual.
Dane shrugged, satisfied that he wasn't truly as messy as Matt claimed. "I'm not sure. It's...cool, y'know?"
Matt rolled his eyes again. "Fascinating."
Dane smiled sheepishly, but as he opened his mouth to defend his lame reply, a large cheer erupted from the crowd, cutting him off. Matt turned sharply to peer down the nearby roads. "One of them must have arrived!" he yelled through the noise.
"What?!" Dane hollered. Matt made a cutting gesture across his throat, cupping his palms lightly across his ears to dull the noise.
The source of the crowd's surge in excitement was soon obvious, and predictable. Both Michael and Ashleigh had arrived, simultaneously, approaching the steps to the lab entrance as they pushed their way through the screaming congregation. Michael, dressed nearly as casually as Matt, was incredibly tall and extremely thin, with deep brown hair and a quiet, shy expression. Ashleigh was shorter by comparison, as most were, and also stouter. Her flaring clothes and wide, dramatic steps gave her a snobbish appearance, a look that mirrored her personality extremely well.
Matt lightly shoved Dane forward, making encouraging gestures with his hands.
"Come on, go!" he finally commanded.
Dane hesitated, then gave a glance to Matt and nodded obediently. He walked forward, shaky around the knees but otherwise very collected. Matt suppressed a small smile as he watched the three trainers-to-be draw level and begin to ascend the labratory steps. After a few seconds of watching them step upwards in military unison, Matt turned his head away, embarrassed by their ridiculous walking style. He shook his head dismissively, making a mental note to not look as silly when he did the same thing a few years later.
Matt listened and waited until the sound of the crowd indicated they had reached the top of the stairs. He then turned his head back, watching as the trio disappeared through the large sliding doors. As the shining glass closed behind them, it dawned on Matt that it had slipped his mind to ask which of the three starter Pokemon Dane was intending to choose. He shrugged off the thought quickly, settling onto the grass near the lab, knowing he could see for himself when they came out in a short while.
20 minutes passed slowly by. Matt, devoid of any wristwatch or other time-telling device, continued to lie on the grass as he waited, his mind wandering across a variety of topics. The most prominent of his thoughts concerned the starting Pokemon, from whom each trainer was possibly choosing at that very minute. At one point he crossed his fingers in the hope that Dane had received the one he wanted. He also briefly wondered how Professor Oak decided who would choose first, or perhaps if he simply got them to debate and decide amongst themselves, in the event of a conflict.
After a while, Matt began hoping that Dane had chosen Squirtle. As even the youngest children knew, grass-type techniques were effective against water, and Matt himself had full intentions of choosing Bulbasaur when he eventually climbed the labratory staircase.
"If he chooses Charmander, though, the challenge would be nice." he thought out loud. "Just as long as he doesn't also choose Bulbasaur, then, I'm fine." With that final thought, he decided not to worry about it, at least until he actually saw the choice his friend had made.
A moment later, a series of excited shrieks rose him abruptly from his thoughts. Rising and standing up, Matt looked up just in time to see Michael, Ashleigh, and finally Dane literally march out of the glistening sliding doors, followed somewhat more humbly by the aged Professor Oak. Matt stood with genuine anticipation as he watched them descend the huge set of stairs, all three of the new trainers grinning widely. Dane's nose was so high in the air that Matt was surprised he didn't trip up.
Dane gave a thumbs-up to Matt as he passed, and Oak smiled as he watched over from the top of the staircase, with a second, unidentifiable figure standing behind him. The crowd seemed to have automatically split into three semicircular groups, and Michael, Dane and Ashleigh each strided directly to one of the three. Matt continued to watch from the edge of the grass as each trainer let their new Pokemon out of their Poke Balls, grinning at the radiating glow of eagerness in the air.
His smile remained mostly unfaltered when Dane opened his Poke Ball in a flash of light to reveal Charmander. Matt gave a soft wolf whistle under his breath as he watched it, impressed by its unexpected grace. It reached halfway between Dane's knee and waist, slowly swaying its tail back and forth in a feline-like manner as it stood next to its new trainer. Possessing wide, shining green eyes and short, sturdy legs, its tailflame was burning predictably bright, the ground underneath it lit by the flickering glow. Its smooth, faultless, scaleless skin was also highlighted by the flame, and Matt was unable to find any word to accurately describe the unique texture.
After staring hypnotically at the flame for several seconds, and with spots dancing across his vision, Matt reluctantly pulled his eyes away from the young Pokemon. Turning his head with feigned casualness, he peered carefully across at the other two groups, Dane occupied by his introductions of Charmander to his family and friends.
Michael had evidently chosen Bulbasaur. Standing tall on its back legs, with its front legs supported by its trainer's leg, it was looking about at the people in the half-circle around it with a calm but unreadable expression. Upright as it was, it reached just a few inches higher than Charmander. Michael, who was significantly taller than others his age, was patting and stroking the Pokemon's head with his off hand, and it was making a low, echoing, rumbling sound that was not completely unlike a purr.
Lengthy seconds passed as Michael introduced his family to Bulbasaur, and Matt realised he was staring again. He moved his eyes to the final group, which had moved away from the other two somewhat, his cheerful expression faltering again slightly as he did. He was again given a positive first impression of the Pokemon, which appeared to be on par with its peers. Squirtle stood just a little shorter than Charmander, and had wide, reflective eyes which stared curiously at the small group of people around it. It had a distinctive swirly tail that was bobbing up and down, not unlike a floater attached to a fishing line, and a hard, streamlined shell that comprised all of its visible torso. What was strange to Matt, however, was not the Pokemon itself, but Ashleigh's expression. While she seemed essentially satisfied with her choice, something about her smile seemed forced, causing Matt to wonder if she was regretting becoming a trainer.
Matt shrugged dismissively, deciding that he profiling, and that it wasn't his problem anyway. He turned his head back just in time to notice Dane approaching him, his backpack hanging from one hand and a tiny Poke Ball in the other. Charmander, stepping with slight awkwardness on its short legs, was following at Dane's side, and Matt tried, and failed, to hold back a grin as he found himself staring at it again.
Dane quickly followed Matt's gaze, a similar grin plastered across his own face. "You like?"
Matt nodded. "I love! Pleased to meet you, Charmander!" he added.
"Char!" Charmander replied with a cheerful smile, and an acknowledging nod.
Matt nodded in return, and then returned his gaze to Dane, coughing guiltily as he lowered his voice. "So, you're leaving now? For Viridian City?"
Dane glanced back towards the waving crowd, also lowering his voice. "Definitely. Though I wish you were coming."
Matt shut his eyes and sighed. "Yeah. Sorry about that." He opened his eyes again, the corner of his lip tilting up. "Listen, though...How would you like to be rivals?"
Dane blinked in surprise, his voice climbing again. "What are you talking about?"
"I asked if you'd like to be rivals." Matt repeated, grinning as though it were self-explanatory. "You'll get years of head-start on me, and I intend to choose Bulbasaur..." He extended his hand, and continued without pause. "You've got my phone number, so we can stay in touch. What do you reckon?"
Dane blinked again, slowly looking down at the extended hand, then at Charmander. The Pokemon nodded approvingly, and Dane smiled, raising his own hand past Matt's to his own chin, tapping his lip in thought.
"Okay, you got it then!" he grinned after a few seconds. He took Matt's hand and shook it firmly. "Rivals! Rivals and still friends, that is."
Matt nodded, echoing him. "Rivals and friends."
Dane sighed as he pulled his hand away, stepping slowly sidewards and raising it for a high-five. "It's high time we got outta here."
Matt raised his own hand, slapping it lightly against Dane's, then knelt down to Charmander's eye level. "See ya in a long time."
Charmander nodded again, stamping its leg on the ground in polite farewell, and preparing to follow Dane as he moved away. Dane and Matt waved to each other again before Dane withdrew the same Poke Ball from his belt again. Matt had just enough time to notice the flame emblem on the ball before Charmander disappeared inside it, and Dane began to walk slowly up the road towards the north exit of town.
Matt smiled to himself, blocking out the sound of the cheering crowd. He stepped again into the grass outside the lab, watching down the road as Dane's back slowly disappeared from view. Looking over the lush, apparently empty superstructure of the lab, he sighed again, and automatcally began to think aloud again. "Well, Dane's going to be years ahead of me. He's also chosen Charmander, and he's likely to be a lot more experienced than me by the time I begin. Maybe I'm looking at this the wrong way, but I reckon he'll be a good first challenge."
Matt grinned goofily to himself, reminding himself of a couple of his favourite, self-written motivation sayings. And, as one of those sayings went, slow and steady often wins the race, and that was where he would place his bet.
Nearly three years later, Matt was still in Pallet Town, and nothing much had changed. Matt himself was still somewhat reserved, but he had been putting his mind to more practical skills more recently, instead of sitting around at a computer all day. He had firmly decided that this would be the year he would become a trainer, and he had, as far as he was concerned, spent his extra preperation time well. He had learned names and details of a wide variety of Pokemon, as well as all sorts of details about caring for them, training, types matchups, evolutions and habitats. He took pride in the knowledge that he would never have learnt such things so well when he was ten.
Sitting in his room on a Saturday afternoon after a sizable lunch, working with some common tools on a small rod in his hands, he jumped slightly as his computer alerted him, with a familiar customised ringtone, that Dane was calling. Sighing and slipping into his computer chair, he put the phone to his ear.
"Hi Matt!" The smug, grinning face of an older Dane appeared on the screen. "Wassup?"
Matt chuckled. "I should ask you! It's been a month!"
Dane laughed excitedly. "True! Well, to be truthful, nothing much has happened."
Matt smirked. Dane's excited demeanor indicated he was lying. "I'm going to be a trainer soon, you know. Only weeks to go now. I hope you're ready for me."
Dane rolled his eyes with yet another grin. "Of course I am! I'm better than you'll ever be!"
"You are better than me." Matt nodded. "But that's because I've yet to start. I'm going to make a point of being a better trainer than you, in fact. Though I have to say, you've really changed in the last three years."
Dane blinked, losing his steam momentarily. "Changed? In what way?"
"Your personality," said Matt, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You're different. You're more confident in yourself, to the point of arrogance. And you give your opinions on everything, even when they aren't wanted."
With a chuckle, Dane stuck his tongue out. "Well, maybe I've seen the light! The world's a great place to be!"
Matt raised an eyebrow. "If you say so, but that sounded really lame. I'm not gonna argue the point too much. How are your Pokemon?"
"Charmeleon is great! You should see his flame lately!" Dane grinned proudly, but Matt sighed again. In three years, Charmeleon was still just...Charmeleon. Despite Dane's huge head-start, Matt had previously guessed that his 'rival' was still hanging around Vermillion City. "Kadabra is a little sick or something, he's a bit out of it." continued Dane. He was ticking them off on his fingers. "But, he'll be fine. Graveler is fine too."
Matt rolled his eyes as Dane continued. "Jolteon's pretty good lately. Got a lot of static, though. Zaps me with every touch. And Gyarados-"
Matt bolted upright, genuinely interested for the first time in the conversation. "Magikarp evolved?!"
Dane grinned, glad he was receiving attention. "Yep! Only a few days after our last chat, actually! He's Gyarados now."
Matt frowned. "Wow, and damn. That could be trouble."
"Why?" Dane crossed his arms continuing to look smug. "Because you'll never beat him?"
Matt shook his head. "Gyarados have an extremely violent nature, and you know it! I hope you're being careful with it."
Dane simply laughed. "I know he's violent! I checked my Pokedex after he evolved! I'm being careful this time, so don't worry about me!"
"All the same, take it slow." Matt glanced towards his desk. "This may seem preemptive, but I'm gonna leave now. I want to finish this thing here."
Dane tilted his head curiously. "Finish what? You mean you started that stupid fishing rod you were talking about a while back?"
Matt nodded and picked up the unextended rod, bringing it into view. "Yep, I finally decided to start on it. It snowballed a bit at the start, and I kept working on it, and now it's nearly done." He hesitated, lowering the rod. "Also, it's not stupid, I think it's gonna be great."
"I still think it's a waste of time." Dane shook his head. "But, bye bye."
"See ya."
Dane's hand moved close to the monitor as he hung the phone up, and the window on the computer screen went black. Matt sighed and closed it, looking over his rod again as he replaced his own phone on the hook. Having worked on it for over a week, there was just a few final touchs to add before its completion. Had Dane rung just a couple of hours later in the day, he might have been able to show off the finished version. He had even invented his own special hookless tackles, so as to not hurt whatever was being caught. As far as he was concerned, it was a great personal achievement, and not to mention a very practical thing to have, especially as it was portable enough to fit in a small backpack. Matt picked his working tools back up and continued, making tiny adjustments as he slowly extended it towards its full size. There were mere weeks remaining before he was a trainer, and he would make the best of the time he had left.
Three days afterwards, in the late afternoon after school was over, Matthew took his completed rod down to the Marble River on the south end of the town to try it out. While not more than about fifteen metres from bank to bank, the river was connected directly to the ocean not far south, and as a result was teeming with fish Pokemon all year round. Irregularly-spaced patches of half-grown trees stood along each shore, none of them able to grow to full size due to the flat banks. In order to fish on the river, one had to stand between a pair of these patches, casting straight ahead to avoid tangling in the branches.
After checking the line over twice, and then a third time for personal assurance, Matt softly cast his line out. The cast was a moderately successful one, the sinker hitting the surface with a satisfying 'plop' several metres out from the bank. The lure sank quickly into the current, fading from view, and Matt sat down and watched the line trail slowly downstream as he waited patiently for a bite.
He didn't have to wait long. A Magikarp, boasting multiple scars across its jaw from past catches, got itself hooked on the line within seconds. Reeling it in and dragging it onto the shore, Matt was forced to fight a brief yet muddy battle with the huge fish to remove the tackle from its throat. Sighing as he looked down at his soaking, cold clothes, Matt lobbed the Pokemon into the middle of the river, where it crashed loudly against the surface of the water. After floating as if dead for several seconds, it finally righted itself and swam below the surface, leaving nothing but the wet bank, a few ripples and Matt's clothes to suggest it had ever been there. Sitting down again, with yet another sigh, Matt threw the line back into the water.
Matt caught the same Magikarp twice more, each time hurling it further downstream. After hooking it for a fourth time, he literally drop-kicked the Pokemon, concluding he should move upstream to get away from it.
Still fuming from his repeated encounters with the Magikarp, Matt picked up the rod and stepped away from the edge of the water, walking northwest up the river. Eventually he reached an area where the patches of trees were closer together, casting shadows across the surrounding water. Lacking the knowledge to tell whether this was a good or a bad thing, Matt decided to try his luck, picking the most secluded gap. Stepping up next to one of the trees, he preceded to cast horizontally, the cast sinker plunging straight into the middle of the river. Lowering onto his knees, Matt crossed his fingers in the hope that he would have greater success this time.
He had no such luck. Despite all his efforts, his line was chanced upon by another Magikarp within twenty seconds of it breaking the water's surface. It was a different Magikarp to the one that had been bothering him, but it was a Magikarp, and once again Matt's clothes and hair were soaked by the time he removed the line from its gaping mouth. Shivering, Matt hurled the fish overarm across the water, landing it on the surface over twenty metres downstream, with a resounding crack.
Matt sat down again with a loud grunt, looking down at the rod in his hands. Was it the rod itself that was the problem, or was it just bad luck? The tackle was close to perfect in his opinion, but then he did tend to blow his own horn a bit.
Matt sighed again, and began running through a list of motivational sayings through his head. He eventually began staring at the lure, shivering from his cold clothes as he continued questioning his workmanship. It was possible that the lure itself wasn't good enough, and that nothing wanted to try and eat it except for something as stupid as a Magikarp. After ten seconds of depressed silence, he finally rose up alongside the tree again. Whipping the line out firmly, he frowned as it again hit the water with a tiny 'plop'. He glared at the lure as it fell below the surface, snarling as something grabbed the line. Growling loudly, he pulled the rod back like a whip, no longer caring if the top hit the trees, ready to quite literally tear the tackle out of the Magikarp's mouth.
He began reeling furiously, pulling the line, and the catch, swiftly towards the shore. As he did, though, and when it first broke the surface, offering him a glimse of its body, what he saw shocked him out of his anger.
It wasn't a Magikarp. It wasn't even a fish.
It was a Dratini!
Matt gaped for several seconds before his brain began working again, almost letting go of the rod in his surprise. Barely keeping his footing as the line suddenly came under the huge weight of the struggling dragon, he gradually pulled the huge, flailing creature out of the water, and across the shore. He knelt down beside it, the rod pinned beneath his legs in an effort to keep the creature still. Placing one hand across its throat and raising the other over its muzzle, he began attempting to remove the tackle.
This proved an even more difficult endeavor than he predicted. Even ignoring its huge size and strength, the Dratini was even more wild than both the Magikarp combined, and the tackle itself was in a very uncomfortable position, right at the back of its mouth. Desperate, and with his hands shaking, Matt did the only thing left that he could think of.
"Please stop moving about," he said as calmly as his shaking voice would allow. "I know it must feel horrible, but I can't remove it if you don't stay still." He pressed harder on the Dratini's neck, and shifted one of his legs to try and pin it. Predictably, the Dratini was far too strong for him, and he ended up holding on with his other hand as well just for safety.
"Just stay still!" he yelled fearfully, his projection of calmness shattering with his nerves. "Open your mouth and stay still and I'll get it out for you, okay?"
The Dratini turned its huge purple eye to his, and slowly stopped struggling. Matt gradually released its tail and neck, and rolled it properly onto its back. "Okay...Could you open your mouth, please?"
It did as he asked, presenting the inside of its mouth to him. Matt took a deep breath and, supporting its head with his off hand, reached slowly into its mouth, tugging on the tackle."Okay, I'm starting to get it. I'm really sorry, I didn't mean this to happen. I made this tackle myself. It uses an adhesive that reacts with a type of body acid. But it's only designed to work on fish, I never considered anything else, and..." He held his fingers to the gluey green mould that had formed a web across the Pokemon's throat, and it slowly began to give way to the natural acid on his skin. It began to drop from the partially-suspended lure, the Dratini gagging and squirming uncomfortably as the slime dropped against the back of its throat.
Matt stroked one of his fingers from his supporting hand across its smooth, damp skin to reassure it. He picked the tackle from the few full strands that remained, depositing it by his side along with a sizable ball of the green goo. "...I'm really sorry. I didn't mean it to happen." he repeated apologetically. "It was an accident. I'm sorry, I really, really am." He inhaled slowly, holding his breath as he carefully plucked away the last streaks of goo. He gave a tiny smile of relief, finally beginning to calm himself. "At least it wasn't one that had hooks instead," he grinned. "That would have been even worse."
He removed his hands slowly and hesitantly from the Dratini, rolling gradually off and picking up the tackle, much of it still encased in slime. Both he and the Dratini stared at the tackle, and he found himself considering cutting the line and tossing the lure away. His more conservative side prevailing, he instead wound up the line, putting it and the collapsed rod inside his shoulder-bag near the tree. He looked up and saw with slight surprise that the Dratini was still there, curled in a half-circle on its belly, panting softly. He crawled gradually to its side and sat casually next to it, looking down at it and smiling warmly. "I really am sorry about that."
The Dratini gave him something that looked like a smile, and laid its huge head upon his leg, stretching out with its tail pointing towards the river shore. Matt decided to take this as a sign of forgiveness, and he raised his hand and stroked the Dratini's head softly. It gave a small, contented sigh and shut its eyes, rubbing its head against his leg affectionately.
Matt grinned, impressed at how warm its skin was despite the cold water covering it, and began looking down the length of its body. It looked nearly exactly how he had imagined one to look like, the only exception being its imposing size. Stretched out as it was, it was over one and a half metres from tip to tail, and its snout alone was nearly as big as Matt's entire head. He had always imagined a Dratini as being barely half this one's length. He shrugged to himself and continued stroking it gently, scritching softly next to its headfins.
Matt couldn't help but smile as it gave a tiny squeal as he scritched the back of its neck. He eventually decided to break the silence and introduce himself. "My name's Matthew Regis, though everyone just calls me Matt. Are you just 'Dratini'?" The Pokemon gave a small, barely noticable nod, evidently not wishing to misplace Matt's fingers. "Okay then. Once again, I'm really sorry about the fishing tackle. I'll try to remake it sometime so that it doesn't do that. Though I doubt I'll be meeting another Dratini anytime soon." he added with a chuckle.
The Dratini opened its eyes and stared up at him, a tiny curve of its large snout indicating another smile. Matt grinned down at it. "I know that I haven't met many to speak of, but I think you're the nicest Pokemon I've ever met." He stroked teasingly along its forehead, sliding his finger up past the top of its head and down its neck, his grin growing momentarily even wider at its pleasured shiver. "I should mention something. I actually might be meeting another Dratini again in the future, because I'm going to be starting my life as a trainer in a few weeks."
The Dratini jumped slightly, turning its head and staring up at him in mild alarm. Matt simply chuckled, stroking its chin reassuringly. "It's okay. I'm not a trainer yet, and either way, I intend to be different than those trainers you hear about. I'm going to put friendship and companionship completely above training and battling." Upon hearing this, the Dratini visibly relaxed, smiling again as it shut its eyes, nudging Matt's stomach playfully with its fins. Matt sighed contently, leaning back and looking up at the leaves above. He raised his other hand to the Dratini's head as well, his wet clothes clinging to his skin as they sat there in silence.
Thirty minutes passed slowly, alternating between casual, one-sided conversation and peaceful silence. It eventually dawned on Matt that he needed to go home, yet he was highly reluctant to stand up, let alone say goodbye to the Dratini.
Matt sighed sadly, causing the Dratini to look up at him. It had a sad relunctance in its eyes, and Matt had a feeling it knew what he was thinking. He jumped as it suddenly rose from his leg, turning and looking down at him with an enthusiastic curl of its snout. Matt chuckled nervously as he realized what she intended, bringing his legs in and kneeling next to her.
"You want to come back with me?" he asked softly. The Dratini gave a swift nod, sliding past him and looking in the general direction of the town through the trees, before turning her head and encouraging him to follow. Unable to find any reason to argue, Matt closed the zip on his shoulder-bag, putting it on and grinning widely as they made their way quickly up the grassy path.
They reached the edge of the town within ten minutes of eager travel. Stares followed them as they slowly made their way to the west side of town, mostly from people wondering what that large Pokemon was, and a couple from those who did know, and were in shock at seeing so rare a Pokemon in such a place. Matt smiled proudly as he strode down the pavement, enjoying the attention, and Dratini eventually copied him, sliding along the ground like a massive, graceful snake.
They arrived home just as the sun began to set, heads still high in the air. Matt's mother, who was busy preparing dinner, spoke automatically without turning to look at them. "Welcome back, honey. How was the fishing?"
Matt and Dratini glanced at each other, and laughed.
"Good," chuckled Matt. "See for yourself."
His mother turned, jumping at seeing the dragon Pokemon. "My...goodness! What is that?!"
Gesturing between the two of them, Matt made fast introductions. "Dratini, this is Mum. Mum, Dratini."
Dratini smiled and cried a single pure tone as a 'hello'. Matt smiled, and watched his Mum to see her reaction. She stared for a few seconds, then smiled politely.
"Pleased to meet you." She muttered. She turned back to Matt. "Is it going to be one of the Pokemon you'll train?"
Matt scratched his head, smiling awkwardly. "I don't know. My first intention was for her to be my friend."
His Mum smiled. "Oh, it's a she, is it?"
Nodding, Matt placed his bag on the kitchen bench, and started to get a drink of water from the fridge. "Yeah. She told me so at the river."
"Okay then," sighed his mother. "Where is she going to sleep? Your room?"
Matt nodded as he filled a glass. "Sounds fine to me. There's room enough, after all. Food's no problem, I know her diet."
Dratini, silent for the duration of the talk, started to weave her way around the room, looking about curiously. Matt noticed this, and drank the glass quickly, setting it down loudly. "Do you want me to show you around, Dratini?"
Dratini turned immediately and gave a small nod. Matt nodded back. "Okay then." He walked around the bench, and gestured to the lounge room. "Let's start, then."
A few short weeks later, it was once again time for excitement. The Dodrio's musical triad rang over the town on another pleasant morning, and people were bustling once again in preparation for the big event. The citizens of Pallet were, if possible, even more excited than normal, as Matt Regis, who was rumoured to have caught a Dratini on a fishing line just weeks before, was going to be joining the ranks of the hopeful champs of tomorrow.
When the sun's golden rays curbed over the horizon, Matt and Dratini were already well and truly awake, having gone to bed hours early the previous night. Dratini was on her bed, a large mattress in the corner of Matt's bedroom, while Matt himself was sitting expectantly in front of his computer screen, fingers hovering near the phone. If he knew Dane, and he definitely knew Dane, that phone was going to ring any second now even though it was still dark in Vermillion.
He wasn't disappointed. The phone rang, and Matt, giving a quick thumbs-up to Dratini, picked up the phone. Dratini curled up on the mattress, completely silent, as he raised the phone to his ear and pressed the answer button. "Hi Dane."
Dane's cheerful face beamed on the screen. "Hey, newbie!"
Matt smirked at his friend. "Hey, dorky!"
Laughing, Dane pointed a finger at him. "Hey, now, give respect to those who are better trainers than you!"
"I'm still not a trainer. You know that."
"Which means that I MUST be a better one!"
Matt rolled his eyes. "Anything you want to tell me apart from that I suck?"
Dane nodded. "Yeah, Charmeleon's gonna beat your team to a pulp when we next meet."
Matt waggled a finger back at him. "Don't get cocky, now. It'll make it worse when I beat you." Dane started to laugh, but Matt silenced him. "I'm going to go now. Unbeknownest to you, I rock more than you ever will." He lowered a hand under the desk, out of view of the camera, and gestured to Dratini, who slowly and quietly rose and made her way forward.
Dane tilted his head sarcastically. "Yeah, I'll believe that when I see- Woah! What the-?"
Matt and Dratini laughed openly. Dane's eyes had popped out so far at the sight of the dragon that Matt thought a good smack on the back of his head would send them rolling across the floor.
Matt grinned proudly. "That shut you up, didn't it?"
Dane stammered. "Bu-bu-...you...That doesn't prove anything!"
Matt smiled confidently. "Of course not. I'm leaving now. See you soon!"
The pair continued to laugh as Matt quickly hung up and Dane's shocked face disappeared mid-sentence. Matt replaced the phone, stood up and picked up his bulging shoulder-bag. He gestured to the door. "Come on, Dratini. The earlier we get there, the better for us. We've put Dane in his place."
Dratini nodded with a happy cry and slithered after Matt, who called goodbye to his parents as he passed the living room.
Matt and Dratini left the house and stood on the pavement outside, and Matt pointed dramatically to the rising sun, yelling "To Professor Oak's lab!"
Dratini gave an enthusiastic cry alongside his yell, and they dashed down the road, eager to start their journey together, and, before that, to get a new Pokemon friend.