Chapter 1: My Partner

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon.

POKÉMON

The World of Pokémon is a vast and mysterious place filled with strange people and even stranger creatures. These creatures are known as Pokémon. These Pokémon are sometimes kept as pets and others train them as their valuable partners who stand beside them in battle.

However, no part of this strange and wonderful world is as mysterious as the little-known region of Carraigei. This region holds many untold secrets within its many mountainous regions and rocky borders that make navigating the region off-road extremely difficult which is exactly why many humans are so enticed by it.

Together with their Pokémon partners, many a human trainer have dedicated themselves to traveling all over the region, finding as many of these powerful creatures as they can, befriending them and fighting alongside them in order to take on the ultimate challenge.

The League challenge.

It is in this rugged region that our story begins. In one of the most fertile areas of the region lies the quiet village of Outsan, bordered by mountains and lush forests that are inhabited by many Pokémon. In this quiet village lived a 10 year old girl – the heroine of our story.

"I'm so glad we get to catch our own Pokémon here. I don't have to rush," a young redhead sighed happily.

A pleasant breeze blew past her, the sweet scent of flowers reaching her nose as she walked up the dirt path to a large white building. A Magikarp water feature trickled gently with a pleasant sound as the sunlight filtered through the trees that lined either side of the path to the building, the wind making gentle rustling noises as it passed by the leaves. All in all, it was a wonderful day – a perfect day to start a journey.

As she walked, the young girl thought of the stories that she had heard of the other regions in which trainers chose their starter Pokémon from a group of three Pokémon which differed depending on the region. However, the region of Carraigei did not have starter Pokémon like the other regions. Instead, it was tradition to head into the nearest area that was inhabited by Pokémon and the new trainer would then catch their own partner. It was believed that the trainer and Pokémon would have a much stronger bond that way.

As the young girl stepped into the massive building, she was greeted by a happy voice.

"Klef! Klefki!" something to her right cried happily with a slight metallic clinking sound.

Turning to the noise, the 10 year old saw a small Pokémon in the shape of a set of keys that appeared to smile brightly at her. She grinned as she caught sight of the levitating set of keys and waved.

"Hey, Klefki! How are you doing?"

"Klefki!"

"Hey there, Misaki! Welcome to the lab! You haven't been around in a while!" The girl – Misaki – turned to the gentle voice to see a tall woman with long light brown hair, chocolate brown eyes and a pair of black rectangular glasses. She wore a pristine white lab coat over a jade green top and a dark brown formfitting skirt that reached her knees. Her shiny black high heel shoes clicked on the floor as she made her way over to the young redhead with a clipboard in one hand. "I suppose you're here for your supplies."

"Hi, Professor Hawthorn! I've been preparing for this for days! I'm ready!" Misaki stated with an air of determination, clenching her fist and bringing them up in front of her chest in something reminiscent of a fighting stance, the fire in her eyes showing her sheer resolve.

"Haha! I'm sure you are!" the professor chuckled. "Follow me!"

Misaki nodded, tugging slightly at the cerulean blue sweatband around her head before looking down at her equally blue sleeveless shirt and her blue and white trousers and trainers as if making sure that she was at least somewhat presentable.

After shifting the white bag on her back, she then followed the professor through the lab. They passed through the maze of hallways that were constantly filled with the sounds of typing or beeping noises from the computers or other machinery and the sounds of murmuring from the scientists who were too engrossed in their work to pay them any attention, often pausing slightly to say hello to the few scientists and assistants that they met in the whitewashed hallways with black-tiled floors.

They soon entered what appeared to be a small office. It was rather simple with pale green walls, a faded jade green carpet and a sturdy wooden desk with an expensive-looking laptop and a small brown cardboard box in one corner. The window was open and the curtains were gently swept up in the wind. As Professor Hawthorn shut the door, the noises of the lab were shut out and Misaki became aware of how pleasantly cool and quiet the little office was.

"I've been keeping these for you for over a month," she told Misaki as she picked up the cardboard box and placed it on the desk. Opening it, Misaki peered inside and was greeted by the sight of 6 red and white balls and some sort of machine.

"These are your Poké Balls," the professor told the girl, holding up one of the balls. "You will use these to catch and befriend Pokémon, and this…" she trailed off, picking up the machine.

"Is a Pokédex, right? It tells me all about the Pokémon I see or catch," Misaki smiled, hopeful that she had got it right.

"Correct! I can only tell you good luck, now!" Professor Hawthorn smiled as Misaki attached the Poké Balls to her loose black belt that hung high on her hip on the right side but hung below her waist on the left. "You should hurry. Otherwise, you'll never catch up to Fintan," the professor winked playfully.

"Fintan's been here?! Why didn't you tell me?! Catch you later, Professor Hawthorn!" Misaki cried out as she ran through the door, Pokédex in hand.

Eventually, after navigating her way through the maze-like laboratory, she ran past a very confused Klefki and was back on the dirt road, heading towards the forest, passing by the few houses, farms and the small, yet bustling, marketplace which belonged to the village on her way there.

"I can't lose to Fintan! I promised him I wouldn't!" Misaki growled out, tugging her sweatband and narrowing her eyes in resolution.

There was no time to lose as she sprinted into the forest, the sunlight playing across her pale skin as she moved, momentarily pausing to catch her breath, taking little notice of the bright green foliage and the beautiful and sweet-smelling flowers that dotted the path around her. The terrain was rather rocky, allowing for the accommodation of all kinds of Pokémon.

"Alright… Where do I find a Pokémon around here…? Do I call for one…? It's worth a shot…" Just as she drew in a breath to shout, a voice spoke behind her.

"You won't find a Pokémon that way," it chuckled. Misaki turned around to come face to face with a young man around the same age as her with a mop of brown hair and brown eyes. He was wearing a jade green t-shirt, light brown trousers and brown and green trainers. A yellow bag was slung over his shoulder.

"Fintan! If you're here, you must have already caught your Pokémon!" Misaki presumed, noticing his proximity to the village.

"Yep! You must have just got here!" he smirked playfully, holding up a Poké Ball in one hand. "I'll show you my Pokémon after you get yours!"

"Aww… No fair…" Misaki complained.

"Go on. The Pokémon won't show up here. They live farther away from the village," Fintan told her, his face becoming serious as he pointed further into the forest.

"Alright! I'll catch mine faster than you caught yours and I'll win our battle!" Misaki grinned, refusing to back down. Fintan watched as she sped off, shaking his head in exasperation at his friend's antics.

Misaki was not the most careful of people, so, as she ran further into the forest, keeping her eyes in front of her, she ended up in trouble, which was absolutely no surprise to either her or, as the case would end up, the young creature that fell from a tree and landed on her head.

"Ow!" she cried out as something hard landed on the top of her head and knocked her over.

"See!" the tiny creature cried out in alarm as it collided with her before sliding off her head and falling onto the ground.

Misaki sat up rubbing the bump that she had received to her head before turning to look at what had exactly caused the injury. She was greeted by the sight of a small Pokémon that stood before her.

"What are you…?" she asked herself more than the creature, pulling out her red Pokédex. After pointing it at the Pokémon, the top of the device slid up to reveal a screen. A female voice came from the machine.

"Seedot, the Acorn Pokémon. Seedot resembles an acorn when hanging by its head from branches. It jumps down suddenly to the surprise of passersby."

"A Seedot, huh? Did you lose your grip on the branch?" she asked it nicely in order to avoid scaring it, marvelling at how it appeared to look exactly like a giant acorn with little feet and big adorable eyes.

"See…" It looked down in shame.

"Hey, I'm not mad. I'm clumsy, too. Are you alright?" she asked with a worried frown. Before Seedot could respond, a sound like buzzing reached their ears. "What is that? It sounds like…"

"Seedot!" the Pokémon yelled in a panic. Then, it his Misaki and she screamed out the word that every young trainer yells at some point during their journey.

"BEEDRILL!"

Needless to say, after scooping up the tiny Pokémon, the girl had never run so hard before in her life, paying little attention to the rocky terrain as it passed by her at high speed. It wasn't until they actually reached the sheer cliffs which made up part of the base of the mountain that Misaki realised where she had been heading and mentally slapped herself for it.

Turning around, she saw that it was already too late to run. The Pokémon attempted to push itself further into her chest in an attempt to escape the Beedrill. All was silent aside from the angry buzzing of the Pokémon in front of the human and Pokémon.

"Get behind me, Seedot…" Misaki finally told the acorn-like creature in a quiet, determined voice.

"Seed?" it asked worriedly as she turned her back to the Beedrill and placed it on the ground.

"If we can't escape them… I'll protect us both… I'm a trainer, so all I have to do is…" She tugged at her sweatband again – an action that she was in the habit of doing when she became determined – and turned to face the Beedrill, counting them. There were five. She smirked. "All I gotta do is… catch 'em all!"

She pulled out one of her Poké Ball – for once glad that they weren't one-use – and took something akin to a fighting stance. The Beedrill raised their stingers and one raced forward as if leading the charge, the others following shortly after. Misaki threw the ball at the Beedrill and, with a flash of light, it disappeared inside before closing. The other Beedrill pulled back as if confused and watched as their leader began to attempt to escape from its prison as the ball began to shake. Misaki gritted her teeth and watched the Poké Ball.

Whoosh!

Cursing inwardly at her bad luck, she caught the Poké Ball as it flew back to her hand. The Beedrill shook its head quickly as if it was in a daze before making an angry-sounding noise that sounded like clicking mandibles. The insects surged forward again, needles at the ready.

Before Misaki could throw another Poké Ball, Seedot suddenly ran out in front of her, crying out to attract the attention of the Beedrill. Misaki looked down at it in alarm as the Beedrill changed their trajectory.

"Seedot! What are you doing?!" she yelled. Her eyes widened suddenly as the small Pokémon suddenly appeared to become shinier before her eyes. "Harden…? What will Harden do…?"

As the Beedrill got closer, it suddenly became shrouded in a bright light. The Beedrill began to attack it angrily and repeatedly with the spears on their arms. Misaki could only watch as the Beedrill brought down blow upon blow on the tiny acorn-like creature.

'That's Fury Attack! What's wrong with Seedot, though?!' Misaki thought, eyes narrowing in confusion.

Suddenly, Seedot emitted a harsh light and the Beedrill were all knocked back with terrified hisses. The Beedrill stood up before taking to the air again. Covered in dirt, the insects took another look at the Seedot. It was evident that they had been badly injured by the attack. The leader began to back off and the rest soon followed, knowing exactly what move had been used and that attacking Seedot would only get them injured again.

Misaki stood there in a daze, wondering what she had just seen. That bright light that gained intensity as Seedot was attacked could only have been one thing. She grinned brightly as she recognised the attack.

"That was Bide, wasn't it?!" she cheered happily. Seedot turned around, seemingly smiling.

"Seed! Seedot!"

"That's really awesome, Seedot! Hey, you're hurt!" Changing the topic completely, she got down beside the acorn-like Pokémon, examining the injuries that it received from the Beedrill. "Those Beedrill really got you…" she mumbled, placing her Pokéball on her belt and letting the bag slip from her shoulders before searching in it. Seedot watched as she pulled out one of the many supplies that she brought along for her journey – a small spray bottle. "This will sting a little, Seedot, but you'll feel a lot better afterwards, OK?" she smiled reassuringly.

Seedot stared at the bottle before walking closer and allowing her to spray its contents into its wounds. It attempted to put on a brave face as the liquid stung it slightly, but it still couldn't help wincing slightly.

"It's alright," Misaki soothed. "It's called a Potion. It heals wounds."

Soon, Seedot saw the truth in her words as the stinging lessened and the wounds closed. As she pulled away from it, it shook its head quickly to perk itself up and appeared to beam at the redhead in front of it.

"That feels good, doesn't it?" she asked it.

"Seedot! Seed…" It trailed off as it began to stare.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Misaki frowned.

"Seed!" It gestured to one of the balls around her waist with a confused glance at her face.

"These? Have you never seen one?" Seedot shook its head as she removed one from her belt. "These are called Poké Balls. You see, I'm going to be a trainer. Trainers train Pokémon to make them stronger and fight alongside them and the Pokémon that travel with us live in these balls," she informed it.

Seedot continued to stare at the ball. Seconds passed before it made a move. A look of resolution crossed its features and it nudged the ball in Misaki's hand before looking her in the eyes. Misaki stared back.

"You want to go with me…? Why…?" she asked with an astonished tone.

"Seed, seed!" it exclaimed gesturing towards the space where the Beedrill had once hovered before turning around and gesturing to the Poké Ball. Seedot stared at her, hoping that she would understand.

"Because I tried to protect you…?"

Seedot nodded furiously. After a few seconds, a bright smile crossed Misaki's features. Picking up the small Pokémon, she stood up and looked into its large eyes. Taking a Poké Ball off her belt, she held it up. Seedot watched the ball that gleamed as the light that peeked through the trees hit it, never taking its eyes off it for a second as it quivered in excitement.

"Are you sure about this?" she asked with a serious tone. Seedot nodded again. "Alright, then!" She brought the Poké Ball towards Seedot's head. She could only laugh when, instead of waiting for her to touch it with the Poké Ball, Seedot became impatient and dove towards the capsule, being sucked inside with a red light and a whooshing noise. The ball shook several times.

Ping.

It took a few seconds for Misaki to comprehend what had just happened to her but, when it did, the redhead burst out in a fit of uncontrollable laughter having been unable to control her excitement. She managed to calm herself down and looked down at the Poké Ball in her hand, its red surface glinting in the sunlight.

"I did it… I just caught my first Pokémon!" she exclaimed excitedly. She smirked and threw the Poké Ball. "Come on out, Seedot!" With a whoosh, Seedot appeared in front of her and the ball flew back to her hand.

"Seedot!" it cheered happily.

"I know this is a little sudden, Seedot, but I promised a battle to my friend. Would you help me? Please?" Misaki almost begged. Seedot nodded enthusiastically.

"Seed! Seedot!"

"Thanks, Seedot!" she cried cheerfully. "Let's go. It'll take a while to get back."

Seedot hopped into her arms and the two set off at a slow pace. However, little did trainer and Pokémon know, they were being watched as they walked back to the village of Outsan. Two figures watched them from the trees, both dressed in black and covered by the shadows.

"Maybe accidentally startling those Beedrill was a good thing after all," a man smirked, adjusting his peaked hat.

"Yes. Look at the power behind that Bide. Plus, it seems that this little girl doesn't quite understand how rare a Seedot is or how powerful it can be when it evolves," a woman responded.

"Yes, but it's luckily just a little Seedot right now and it's in the hands of a rookie trainer, no less… We could always just capture it…"

"You're right… A powerful Pokémon would further our cause… We'd just need to train it…"

"For the glory of Team Gene…"

Out of the darkness glinted a small badge on their peaked hats as the sun fell on them before disappearing into the darkness again as a cloud passed over the blazing orb in the sky. It was a small symbol in the shape of a strand of golden DNA.

The symbol of their organisation.

The symbol of Team Gene…