New Adventures (A Pokemon Role Play)
 

Mark blinked himself awake from the sleep he struggled to have. It had been nearly impossible for him to fall asleep, like a child before Christmas Day. Today was his birthday. Not only that, but it was also the day he could set out on his own Pokemon journey. He had grown up listening to his father's stories and watching TV shows. Now was his chance to realise his dream and become the Pokemon Champion. He rolled over in his bed and sighted the alarm clock. It was nearly 7am.

He grinned, climbing out of bed and silently walking towards the bag he had packed last night. He looked over the items inside, making sure he had what he needed. In just 2 hours, he and his twin sister would make their way to the Professor's lab and get a Pokemon of their own. He couldn't stop smiling as he went to his bedside table and found his glasses. He had studied Pokemon most of his life. He would hang around Route 1 and watch the Pokemon around there, writing notes about their behaviour. He would get in trouble for doing this, as most wild Pokemon liked to attack people, and he had no Pokemon of his own to protect him.

He quietly left his room and crept down the hallway towards his sister's room. He wanted to see if she was ready. They would be travelling together for the most part, so he had to make sure that she would be able to handle it. As he almost got to her door, he noticed his father's Vulpix asleep in the hall just outside his parent's room. He had to get past it to be able to go to his sister's room, but it was sleeping in such a way that he could accidentally awaken it. He held his breath and skirted around it, flat up against the wall. He reached the door to his sister's room and exhaled. That had been a close one. He slowly opened her door, glancing around the dark hall before stepping into the room. "Hey sis," he whispered.

"Are you mad?" he whispered back, glancing out the door before closing it. He knew that she was only asking out of habit. Of course his sister would know why he was still awake. He went over to her bed and sat on it, staring at her Pikachu clock. Only a few minutes had past, but it felt like an eternity.

"Dita, we are getting our own Pokemon," he said under his breath, as if repeating it out loud would make time go by faster. "We can finally catch our own!" He laid back and stared up at the ceiling, breathing heavily with excitement. He thought about all the Pokemon out there, waiting to be discovered and caught. It made his heart race with anticipation. He remembered the special programme they had watched about Professor Oak and the Pokemon he gave to newbies. He had fallen for the green dinosaur with a bulb on its back. He couldn't wait to have one of his own. "What are you going to chose? I want Bulbasaur!" He realised that his voice was getting louder, but he didn't care.

Mark nodded, though he was usually the more cautious twin, today seemed like the perfect excuse to wake them early. He got up from her bed, making sure to drag himself off it. He knew how much his sister hated it when he messed her sheets up, so he always made sure to do so. Before she could say anything to him about it, Mark ran from the room.

His dad's Vulpix was awake now, watching them rush up the hall and into their parent's room. It yawned loudly and stretched, following them into the room. Mark jumped onto their parent's bed, causing them to start awake and then laugh when they saw who it was. Their mum was grinning as she sat up. "So we are ready for our presents, are we?" she asked. Of course she knew they were excited for something else, but she didn't want to think about that just yet. "They are in our closet."

Mark laughed loudly at his sister's surprise. He came over by her and moved Ditto aside to take the presents out. Behind them, his parents were getting out of bed, their father going to the kitchen to get breakfast ready.

Mark threw Dita's present over at her, quickly opening his own. Inside was a black box. He slowly opened it, grinning at the gift inside. There was a brand new cell phone and also 5 Pokeballs. He showed it to his sister, knowing that she would probably get the same thing. He picked up one of the small, light capsules and pushed the button. It grew bigger in his hand and opened. Nothing came out, as it was empty, but it still made Mark excited and feel like a real Trainer.

Mark made sure everything was packed. He had hardly eaten any of his breakfast, as he was far too excited to swallow anything. He had packed light, making sure to carry a spare change of clothes and any other stuff he might need for the journey. He knew that there were plenty of PokeCentres throughout Kanto, each one not only doubling as a Pokemon hospital, but also a sort of hostel for young trainers. All you needed was a Trainer Card... Mark quickly checked to see if he had his on him. He had sent away for one the other week. It came with a handy case that you would put your gym badges into. He stared at the empty slots, visualising them full of shining metal.

They left their home at quarter to nine, walking towards Professor Oak's laboratory. Their parents walked behind them, their dad holding their mum closely as she looked like she was about to cry. Mark had been to the lab a few times as a school excursion, but had never met the famous Professor for himself. He wished to be a Pokemon researcher and expert, just like Oak. That was his plan for after he became the Kanto Champion. He glanced over at Dita, wondering what she wanted her journey to be like. He hoped that they could travel together, as they were twins and did everything together. It would be weird to go on this journey alone.

They reached the lab at precisely nine o'clock. An aide of the Professor greeted them at the door, inviting them inside and leading them to a small study were Oak sat on a computer chair. Mark was trembling as the Professor himself smiled at them and greeted them.

"So I heard that you want to start your Pokemon journey?" the Professor said, his voice sounding warm and inviting. Mark nodded, glancing over at Dita. This was it. They were going to get a Pokemon of their own.

Mark was still pondering what he had heard his sister say. He had been just as afraid of the answer as she was. As the Professor offered him to pick first, he found himself shaking and blushing brightly. He had always adored Professor Oak's shows, and for him to be talking with him now was a dream come true. It was a shame that he was too embarrassed to say anything. He opened his mouth, his choice coming out squeakily. "Bulbasaur..." He glanced over at his parents.

"A good pick! Bulbasaur is easy to raise and very loyal," Oak spoke, going over to the table with the Pokeballs and handing it to Mark. Mark took it with trembling hands, holding the ball tightly as he imagined his very own Bulbasaur was now inside the ball. "It isn't a popular pick, I must say. But that means you are one of the first to train one!" Professor Oak smiled down at him, before turning to Dita.

"Which Pokemon partner do you want?" he asked her. Mark wasn't paying attention. He was itching to let Bulbasaur out of the ball, to meet it for the first time. But he had to wait until they left the Lab, as his parents had made them promise on their way there. It would be good for Bulbasaur to meet Dita and her partner Pokemon at the same time.

Mark watched her go, still grasping tightly to the Pokeball that contained his very own Bulbasaur. He knew that they were about to leave their hometown and start on their own journey. Part of him was very excited but the other knew that he would miss Pallet Town. As he was about to join his sister, the door to the lab opened behind him and Professor Oak came out, looking like he had forgotten something. "Wait! I forgot to give you these!" he called, making Mark double back and take the things he offered. Two handheld devices with cameras on the back.

"Those are Pokedexes! One for you and one for your sister, you see," the Professor said. "They are high-tech encyclopaedias! Once you meet a Pokemon, it will automatically update its pages. If you catch more Pokemon, more detailed pages will be completed!"

"Thank you, Professor!" Mark thanked him. Oak smiled and laughed, wishing him luck on his journey. Mark beamed and ran all the way home, meeting his sister there. He showed here the Pokedexes, giving her one. His hands were itching to open the Pokeball, so he pushed the button, releasing his new partner.

The Bulbasaur appeared in a flash of red light from the ball and sat on four legs, blinking his red eyes slowly. He looked up at Mark, croaking slightly, but looking just as excited as Mark was. "Hi, Bulbasaur. My name is Mark and I am your new Trainer. I hope we can grow stronger together," Mark introduced himself, bending over slightly to be on the Pokemon's level. He was shaking slightly as the Pokemon glanced up at him. Bulbasaur grinned at him and cried happily, jumping slightly. Mark laughed. It seemed that Bulbasaur was just as ready as he was. "I will call you Leaf," he said quietly, patting his partner's head. It felt scaly and cool, like dirt under a tree. Bulbasaur nodded, showing that he liked his name.

Mark enjoyed their little picnic together. Red and Leaf seemed to enjoy each other's company and played like old friends. Mark tried out many different foods on Leaf, trying to see which ones he preferred. Leaf seemed to love the berries that Mark had mixed into his onigiri. He made sure to make a mental note of this.

As they neared the time of their departure, Dita seemed to become rather agitated. Mark could sense that she really wanted to try something, and he could guess what it was. Of course, Dita would want their first battle to be against each other. Mark was afraid of losing to his sister and letting Leaf down. He hesitated at first but then with a glance to the excited gaze of his partner, he agreed.

"Leaf, let's show Dita and Red how strong we are!" he called, standing back a few paces to give them room. They stood opposite each other, their partners between them. "Dita, let's have fun! Our guys are only young and don't know many moves!" He took a deep breath and said his first command to his partner. "Leaf, use Tackle!"

Leaf croaked, taking aim and then rushing towards Red. Mark felt happy to see that his Bulbasaur followed instructions, but a bit disappointed at the speed of the plant reptile. He knew that Bulbasaur's true strength's lay in his special moves he would learn at higher levels. Such as Vine Whip and Solarbeam.

Mark laughed loudly. He was so happy to see the strength of both Pokemon, the readiness in which they were willing to battle and listen to their partner's commands. He grinned over at Leaf as the Bulbasaur picked itself up. "Are you all right, buddy?" he asked him, as Leaf nodded once and whipped around to face Red and Dita.

"Bulba!" Leaf croaked, sounding ready for another turn. Mark nodded as well and instructed him to use Tackle again, but this time to go slow and use his full force on impact. Leaf nodded and charged again.

Mark flinched as he saw his new partner thrown to the ground and called Dita off, rushing to Leaf's side in concern. "You alright, buddy?" he questioned, picking his Bulbasaur up and patting the dust off him. Leaf nodded and smiled, showing that he was ok. This made Mark sigh in relief. Standing up, he looked over at his sister and grinned. "That was fun! But next time... We will win!"

He returned Leaf to his Pokeball and looked over the town in the direction of Route 1. He glanced back at his mum and dad and then over to his sister. "You ready, Dita?" he questioned, feeling even more excited.