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Prismatic

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or its affiliates. I am not profiting from this in any way, shape, or form, and this is purely a fan-made work.

This idea has always been on my mind in the past few months, and I always played around with the thought of making a Pokémon OC type adventure but was too scared. However, I said forget the fears that I have, it's now or never!

Just for warning, this fic is gonna have a few changes to it, and I won't spoil anything and I'll let the world building handle it, but it'll be a few years into the future, and as such, expect changes. For example, in this fic Agatha is going to be retired from her Elite 4 position due to her old age. Expect changes like that. Nothing SUPER drastic but things I'd consider relatively realistic.

This is an OC fic, however it is NOT an SI. This is purely an original character with his own struggles and sense of adventure. Perceive this how you will.

Enjoy!

The room was silent. Not a hint of noise or energy was left, as if it was all sucked into a vacuum. The ceiling lights were off, the only source of light coming from the television set. All was peaceful.

Suddenly, with the force of one thousand suns, chaos erupted. "And that's it folks, with a stunning victory over Tracy's Electivire, this year's Silver Conference has been won by Ms. Alicia Soto and her tremendous team!"

The crowd of the championship arena seemed to have a collective roar to it, with impossible levels of noise being reached. He was sure that he would still be hearing the ringing in his ears at school tomorrow. He dreamed of this life.

He could picture it himself. The chanting and the collective applause as he were handed his Silver Conference trophy, his black hair matted down with glossy sweat from the heat of the battle. The screams and the audience praising his name to the very stars.

"Malcolm! Malcolm! Malcolm! Malcolm! Malco-"

"Malcolm… Malcolm!"

"Huh!" As soon as it appeared, he was kicked out of his day dream. Looking over towards his door, he saw his mother peaking her head in, a sly smirk on her face. Her dark hair was in a bun.

"Have a nice day dream?"

Malcolm rolled his eyes and shut the TV off.

"Get to bed, kiddo, you have school in the morning."

In return, he gave a rather childish pout.

"Can I please stay up for the Hall of Fame induction? Pretty please?"

His mother gave a small frown and shifted her head from side to side. "Mmmm, okay, but as soon as it is over, I want you in bed mister, do you hear me?"

He gave a fervent nod and offered a cheeky grin. "I love you, you are just the most amazing mom, did you know that?"

It was her turn to roll her eyes. "Don't push your luck child," she laughed. "and I love you too."

Leaving the room, Malcolm turned back towards the TV, turned it on, and tuned back in.

"Ms. Alicia Soto, headlined by her tremendous Venusaur, along with her amazing Arcanine, phenomenal Pinsir, powerful Poliwrath, exquisite Espeon, and stupendous Steelix, are entering the Johto Hall of Fame! It was a long journey, filled with grueling fights and countless heartbreaks, I'm sure, but today is a day for celebration! Let's look at the stats for her Pokémon in the tournament. Starting with her starter, Venusaur, he had..."

That night, Malcolm had dreamed of his own adventure again. He hadn't ever experienced such a deep sleep.

The first thing to greet him that morning, aside from the monotony of breathing, was his blaring alarm. He slammed it off. He put on his school clothes. Then, following his school clothes, were his school shoes, followed by his school backpack.

He glanced briefly at his calendar. There was a hesitant, almost cautionary gleam of hope in his eyes, but as fast as it appeared, it was cast away. He was slowly edging towards the big day, only a few more months left until it could finally happen.

Taking a leave from his bedroom, he did his daily morning rituals and sat down in the mesh of a kitchen and dining room and started to snack on some toast. His mother popped out suddenly from the living room. "Your brother and sister called. Said they'll be flying out for your middle school graduation."

Malcolm swallowed a particularly large piece of burnt bread. "Aren't they really busy with their programs? I'm flattered but I don't know if it's necessary." He took a sip of his beverage.

"Their program advisers gave them three days off. They said they'll arrive early in the morning of the graduation, then take the next two days after to catch up and celebrate. They said they got you some gifts."

"I'd hope they did, I only graduate middle school once."

His mother rolled her eyes. As quickly as she did, a more serious look crossed her vision. "Still thinking of becoming a trainer?" Malcolm only gave a tight nod; a steely gaze being emitted.

"I'm not changing my mind about this, it's what I want."

She raised her hands in a placating manner, not wanting to anger him anymore. "Okay, okay, grumpy gills, just thought I'd ask."

After a few more minutes of idle talk, Malcolm made his way to school, his mind constantly drifting towards more battle related themes instead of school related themes. He didn't particularly care, it was almost graduation, one more week to be exact, and he was proud to say he was ready to leave his house and become a trainer.

Despite dealing with constant backlash, he was absolutely certain this was the best idea for him.

Malcolm, with a great yawn, rolled out of bed and stretched a bit, his Charizard-themed pants becoming crumpled as he switched into more public clothes. He did his morning rituals, and went downstairs.

"CONGRATULATIONS MALCOLM" was spelled out in ginormous letters, billowing slightly due to the open window. He saw his immediate family, including his visiting older brother and sister. Dad, mother, older brother and sister, and two younger sisters. Small family.

"How are you doing birthday boy? It's the big day!" His father said with a mighty chuckle. He knew fully well it wasn't his son's birthday, but still insisted on making the same joke he did on every big occasion.

Malcolm rolled his eyes in mock annoyance, but he couldn't fight the smile that was creeping on his face. He was free. It was his time to make his mark.

"How does it feel to be entering the real world, kiddo?" His older brother said, a calm yet knowing grin plastered on his face. It was mysterious, yet revealing all the same. It was the smile of someone who knew exactly the feeling that was coursing through his mind at that moment.

"I'm ready to be league champion, I can say that. Don't worry though, once I'm rich and famous I won't forget you guys." Everyone laughed at that one, and the day was set once more.

His graduation was set for six in the evening, and while he had plenty of offers from private schooling due to his grades, his heart was set on exploring the world. If his well-worn and creased Pikachu plush was anything to indicate, a child's dream was far too strong to mask.

Mind wide open, eyes filled with curiosity, the perfect day would soon arrive.

Malcolm was still unsure about what starting Pokémon he wanted. Totodile. Cyndaquil. Chikorita. He liked Cyndaquil the most, but deciding a starting Pokémon was very strenuous plotting, and he needed to formulate a proper team around his starter if he wanted to become league champion someday.

Totodile, the crocodile Pokémon. Or alligator? A mixture of both? Whatever it categorized under, he thought it was a pretty decent option. Known for their ferocity and loyalty for their trainer, a properly trained Feraligatr was regarded as one of the strongest 'starting' Pokémon starters out of all of the regions.

Chikorita…

Chikorita is the last resort, is all Malcolm could say. Wasn't biased against it, but wasn't particularly partial to it, either. Chikorita is Chikorita. Nothing more, nothing less.

…that was, until his parents told him that he wouldn't be receiving a typical starting Pokémon, but instead would be picking a Pokémon up from a shelter. While it wasn't a bad option per se, it certainly wasn't what he had been expecting.

Truth be told, most trainers started out with a usual starter, but due to new regulations being enacted by the International Pokémon League, more and more variation of Pokémon were now an option for starters instead of the usual assortment.

These policies were ultimately attempting to motivate trainers to expand their tastes and wishes and adopt a more open-minded approach to Pokémon training and, fundamentally, raising Pokémon. While you could still obtain a 'starter', it wasn't your only option.

Regardless, he wasn't out of the water yet, he still had to graduate.

The car ride back to his house was silent. His middle school diploma rested softly on his lap. His eyelids occasionally rested softly before popping back open wider than before. Small yawns escaped his dying breaths, but his lucidity remained relatively intact all the same.

Finally reaching his house, the celebration began once more. Music, blue balloons, party streamers, a nice stack of wrapped presents, but most importantly, a cake! It was a light shade of celeste, with red décor throughout, giving it a nice contrast.

The cake was delicious. Being the graduating boy, he got the first slice of said cake, it was only right. He ate it slowly, appreciating being around his family, knowing it was only temporary for the time.

The room was filled with good natured, jolly laughter, but the underlying tension was beginning to rear its ugly head. It wasn't noticeable in an extreme manor, but Malcolm was aware of it all the same. The walls were beginning to crumble.

He was pulled aside by his two older siblings, with his older sister holding a backpack. It had multiple pockets on it. It was a regular black bag with dark blue zipper lining on it, and ironed on the front of it was a regular red and white Pokéball.

"We figured a bag would be a necessity for an up-and-coming trainer like yourself," his sister said, her sly wink telling the entire story. "and we slipped three things in here, but be careful about how you use them, they were a pain in the ass to get."

Unzipping the largest pocket of the bag, Malcolm dug his hand into the crevice and crept around. It was certainly more spacious than he thought it would be, not that he was complaining. His hand briefly grazed a rather warm and smooth surface, and he gripped the object to pull it out. It was a stone of some form, glowing a bright and fiery shade. It felt warm to the tough in his palm, and almost felt as if it was pulsating.

"A Fire Stone? How much did this run you?" Malcolm said with his eyes much wider than usual, a tone of gratitude in his voice. It wasn't often you were gifted an extremely rare and valuable evolutionary item.

"Don't worry about the cost, kiddo, just know we expect you to be very careful with how you use them, alright?" His older brother said sternly. Malcolm could only nod.

Then he focused on the wording of his sentence.

"Wait, if this is one item, then what are the other two?"

"Well, to match that stone, we had to get a Water and Leaf stone, of course."

"What?!"

It was currently 1:28 A.M, Centralized Johto Time. Despite the softness of the moonlight peering down at him, Malcolm couldn't help but toss and turn in place. He wasn't sure about what he was going to do. A clock chimed softly.

For years he had envisioned the day that he'd become a trainer, it was his only comfort in harsh times, and yet, now that the day was rapidly approaching. Hell, Malcolm wasn't sure what he wanted at all. His mother was probably right, when looking back on it. College was probably the best for him, he was smart enough to make a career out of something he wanted. He was always good with science.

Rolling over to look at his bedside poster, it was a hard pill to swallow. In theory, he could easily back out now and admit that he is being irrational, that's certainly true.

"But I don't want to be here anymore."

He glanced back up at the ceiling. Giving a frustrated growl, he threw his pillow across the room, having deemed it too warm to use, the other side damned.

"At least dad is supportive enough. Shelled out a few thousand for my starter."

That was another aspect that had him worried. His starter. Or, more accurately, his lack of knowledge about his starter. His parents were keeping it a surprise from him, but guaranteed it would be worth the wait and that they wouldn't send him all willy-nilly into the world without proper protection.

While he was eternally thankful, he was still somewhat apprehensive to the idea that his Pokémon-illiterate parents would be choosing his permanent companion for him. He'd much prefer to have a choice in who accompanied him, but he understood that being allowed into the world to become a trainer was a blessing in itself. Still, some choice would have been nice.

Barely any time had passed. The paperwork had been thorough, and had halfway bored him to death, but he supposed that becoming a legal guardian of condensed potential superweapons would do that.

0202134. His Trainer Identification Number, or TIN. Assigned once he finished the online coursework and was verified to be able to purchase and train a Pokémon from a verified distribution location.

He was a Trainer. A rookie Trainer, but a Pokémon Handler regardless. He had made it to the big time now, and he wasn't going to back away from the challenge.

Malcolm and his father pulled up to the distribution center they ordered their shipment from, and parked the car. Walking together, his father chuckled to himself.

"Your mother was very against this whole idea, as you know," he started, drawing Malcolm's attention, "of course, I didn't particularly care, seeing as you are grown enough to make your own decisions."

Malcolm nodded. "I appreciate it, dad, I really do. I promise I'll make you proud, and won't waste this."

At hearing this, his father gave his son a side look, before rubbing his son's hair affectionately, messing it up. "If only you knew how proud I already am of you, son."

The automatic doors slid open, and they both walked in, a bell chiming from somewhere in the store. The help desk appeared to be deserted, but seeing as the store was otherwise empty, they assumed the sound was to indicate that someone entered.

The help desk had a few monitors set up, with an open walkway directly behind and to the right of the desk. The center itself had a nice, polished identity to it. There was a plain black rug in the middle, covering a portion of the Oak flooring. In the corner was a fish tank with a few water Pokémon that he wasn't quite sure of.

From the walk way a woman was produced. She was rather pretty, in Malcolm's eyes.

"Hi, welcome, how may I help you?"

Malcolm's father offered a pleasant smile. "I'm here to pick up a Pokémon starting order? Order under Jonathan Payne?"

The receptionist typed on her computer for a moment and looked up. "Do you have a confirmation number, and some identification?"

His father pulled out both his wallet and his phone and scrolled for a bit. "Confirmation Number 4510, and here you go." he said, handing over his license. She scanned it for a moment and handed it back.

A moment of pause floated in the air. Malcolm glanced around the lobby and inspected some of the artwork. It had a very regal, yet homey feel to it. A lot of artwork and photography of different climates and environments was the main feature, but a few paintings of different artistic interpretations of legendary Pokémon were hanging around occasionally.

"Thank you, I'll go grab the Gligar and the PokéDex, I'm assuming Malcolm is the trainer? If the order information is anything to go by."

Gligar? Had he heard of that Pokémon before? It didn't sound TOO familiar, but he would at least trust his dad enough. It was a Pokémon that the League had approved as a starting-caliber Pokémon, so it couldn't have been bad. It passed all the protocols and inspections, anyways.

After a few moments of waiting, the woman came back with a black little device and a standard red and white Pokéball. She handed him the device and he watched as it blinked to life.

"If you are unfamiliar, which I doubt because you finished the course, this is a PokéDex. You can use it to scan unfamiliar Pokémon, research different areas you are traveling, search up information about the Pokémon you are currently training, and can be used for identification purposes at locations such as Pokémon centers and PokéMarts. It's very important, try not to lose it."

Malcolm glanced over it a few times. "What if I do lose it?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Ultimately, it's not the end of the world if you do, it's just a pain in the rear end for Pokémon officials to deal with. As long as you have your TIN, can answer some security questions, and complete a DNA test, you'll receive another PokéDex. You'll more than likely have to pay a fine, however, unless the League designates that the circumstances were out of your control."

Malcolm nodded and slid it into the side pocket of the backpack he brought along. It was a powerful tool, and he'd be sure to keep hold of it and protect it. It wouldn't do him any good to secure such a useful item only to find himself coughing up money to replace it.

She cleared her throat, drawing his attention back. "This," she said, holding up the Pokéball, "is your starter, Gligar. Have you ever heard of a Gligar?" Malcolm thought about it for a moment before he shook his head in denial.

"Gligar was approved to be a starting-caliber Pokémon around three months ago, so the species is relatively new, but they are world-renown defensive titans when evolved into Gliscor. This little bugger is about six months old, give or take, which is about when they get out of the baby phase and start to gain a little bit of fighting spirit in them, instead of relying on Mama Gliscor to handle all the dirty work." She chuckled a little at her own joke, apparently proud.

"Your parents made a very good choice with Gligar. I'll give you some time to become familiar with the little guy, maybe try out your PokéDex and get comfortable with it."

She handed him the Pokéball and walked away, motioning for his dad, who had been quiet the whole time, to follow. He nodded briskly and took a glance at his son. "We'll be right outside. Don't worry, take your time, make sure he is comfortable with you, just like you are with him."

They turned around and left the room, and Malcolm glanced down at the Pokéball. It felt a lot heavier than he was expecting, but he wasn't sure if that was the nervousness finally settling in or if it was the fact that he was finally becoming a Pokémon trainer like he always wanted.

It had felt so far away at the time of becoming a certified handler, but this moment had honestly crept up on him like a sack of bricks. While that analogy didn't make sense, it was applicable enough.

Breathing a heavy breath, he pushed the button on the Pokémon and watched as the red signal energy burst to life, a temporary flash of light momentarily blinding him. When it cleared up, he looked down at the creature in front of him.

It was a weird pinkish color, with hints of purple running over it. It had two… head spikes? Appendages? At the base of its head, raising toward the roof, about a few inches long each. Its claws were rather sizeable, as was the stinger in the back. Two white, pristine fangs settled themselves from the top of its mouth, resting casually outside of its mouth. Its pink tongue hung there casually.

The creature- Gligar, he mentally corrected, was staring at him curiously. It wasn't apprehensive, or fearful, just curious, leading Malcolm to believe it was aware that it would become a starting Pokémon. If anything, it had been accustomed to socializing with humans before. It took a casual hop towards Malcolm.

Crouching down to appear less in size, Malcolm tried his best to smile. "Hey little buddy, how are you?"

Gligar crooked its head and growled, but it wasn't threatening. At least, Malcolm didn't think it was threatening. It sounded neutral. It took another hop towards Malcolm.

"I'm your trainer. My name is Malcolm. This might be a little awkward for the both of us, as I'm your trainer," shit, he had already said that. "sorry, you are my first Pokémon, so I haven't done this either, so we both are gonna be learning as we move ahead. I'm gonna scan you and see what kind of info you have, is that okay?"

Gligar blinked momentarily before nodding, its tongue still lolling casually outside its mouth. It seemed to have a goofy grin on its face, watching as the trainer in front of it took out a black device from his backpack.

Malcolm flipped the device on once more and began to scan the Pokémon, the robotic voice rattling off the information.

"Gligar, the Fly Scorpion Pokémon. Gligar glides through the air without a sound as if it were sliding. This Pokémon hangs on to the face of its foe using its clawed hind legs and the large pincers on its forelegs, then injects the prey with its poison barb. This Pokémon is: Male. It currently knows the moves: Poison Sting, Sand Attack, Harden, Knock Off, and Quick Attack. Its ability is Sand Veil, which allows it to move quicker in sandstorms."

A damn good starter, if he had to say. While he was good with the hypotheticals of battling, the theory, actually applying it in a live stress situation would be another matter entirely.

Sure, he had watched countless hours of Pokémon battles, championships, various tournaments that people traveled to and participated in worldwide, but they had experience. They knew what they were doing. He was fresh off the chopping block. Fresh meat.

Malcolm took another look at Gligar, a male of its species, in front of him. It still had that same grin on its face, inspecting Malcolm. "You seem to be very strong for such a young fella, huh?" Malcolm said with his own matching grin, watching as Gligar bounced excitedly in front of him. It seemed to match his spirit at least.

Malcolm stumbled a bit as the Gligar hopped with ease onto his shoulder, wrapping the stinger around his body for support. It wasn't applying any choking or restrictive force, just resting itself. He seemed to have taken a liking to Malcolm.

"You and I, buddy, we are gonna take the world by storm, I promise. We'll be phenomenal together. What do you say, interested in joining a rookie trainer like me?"

Gligar gave an excited chatter and licked Malcolm's face, causing him to giggle. "Oh yeah", he thought, "I could get used to this."

Hey all, I'm back. Kinda. I still am gonna update the other Naruto story, don't worry, that isn't gone. I'm just trying my hand at another story. This has been in development for awhile now, but I only got around to uploading now lmao. I'm typing this final note at seven in the morning, having worked on it all night, just to finally get a chapter of this accursed story online. Now, for a few notes about changes.

Yes, I'm aware Gligar belongs to a two-evolution line and not a three-evolution line, and I figure that this wasn't a big deal. It's still a simple Pokémon, not too strong, not too weak, a relatively solid choice, in a hypothetical, for a starting trainer. I don't plan on having Malcolm be extremely strong, but he'll have a few powerhouses on his team

I think I'll have tournaments be a big part of the world in this. Not the main focus of Malcolm's journey, but let's be real for a moment, if Pokémon existed, Pokémon battling would be a HUGE money maker akin to eSports, and how they travel around the world to tournaments. I just think that is how things would progress naturally. Of course, harsh and thorough regulations would be enacted, make no mistake.

I'm not expecting a huge reception to this, as with all stories, this is a side project, something to work on to escape my day life. I just wanna say I love and appreciate all my readers!

Until next time.