| abstract
| - Decades ago, a confident 10-year-old boy left his village of Pallet Town to become a Pokémon Master, and would eventually succeed in fulfilling his desires. This…is not his story. This is a story about another 10-year-old boy who lived in New Bark Town, spending his time studying the Pokémon native to his region, but did not plan to become a Pokémon trainer because he was too afraid to fail. His name was Dom. Sure enough, Dom was in his house. Instead of reading as he usually did, however, he was watching the Indigo Plateau Conference, a Pokémon tournament held annually at Indigo Plateau, on television. It was grand finals and down to the last Pokémon, between a Pikachu and a Poliwrath. “Hiro! Use Thunderbolt!” yelled the Pikachu’s owner. “Poliwrath! Hydro Pump!” the other trainer said immediately after. Pikachu, which can be identified as a male for having a flat tip on its tail, released a stream of electricity from his body at his opponent. The lightning bolt struck the Poliwrath before it could unleash its own attack, thoroughly coursing through its entire body. The Poliwrath then collapsed on the ground, unconscious. The referee, who carried two flags, raised the flag that was closer to the Pikachu’s owner. “Poliwrath is unable to battle, Pikachu and Sam of Pallet Town win!” The crowd cheered for Sam, who fist pumped and could be seen mouthing the word “yes.” Dom shut off the TV with his remote. Suddenly, the house phone rang, but was picked up by Dom’s mother. “Hello? Yes, he’s right here,” she said over the phone. Dom walked over to where his mother was. “It’s Ricky,” she said, handing the phone to Dom. “Thanks, mom,” he responded before bringing the phone to his ear. “Hello?” “Hey Dom, what’s up?” “Nothing much, you?” “I just got my sixth badge, and caught a Magmar!” ”Oh, nice. Are you still going to the Silver Conference?” “Of course. You really need be a Pokémon trainer. You still have time to train for the tournament.” “Well, you know that I don’t like going outside much.” “Trust me, Dom; I’m having a great time, and you will too. You also know all of the Pokémon native to Johto and Kanto. That will definitely help you in the beginning.” “I’ll think about it, okay?” “Good. I have to train my Magmar now, but it was nice talking to you. Seeya.” “Bye.” With that, Dom hung up the phone. That night, Dom began having a dream. He was in the Silver Stadium, standing where a competitor would, with a Typhlosion in front of him, its back to Dom. The Typhlosion was facing an Ursaring in the arena. Dom immediately knew the name of this Typhlosion that was under his ownership, and called out his next move. “Perdition! Flamethrower!” “Ursaring! Use Slash!” The Usaring’s trainer yelled. Perdition reared his head (yes, Dom also happened to know his dream Typhlosion was male) and launched an intense stream of flames from his mouth as the Usaring charged towards him. The flames struck the Usaring before it could reach its target. The heat was too much for the Hibernator Pokémon to handle, so it dropped to its knees, and then fell face-first to the ground. “Ursaring is unable to battle! Typhlosion and Dom of New Bark Town win!” yelled the referee. The crowd went wild. Dom woke up and sat up on his bed. Although the dream was not real, the feeling Dom had in this fictional battle was greater than anything he had ever felt before. The thought of winning Pokémon battles with everyone watching changed the mind of the normally-reserved Dom. “I think it’s time to start,” he said to himself. He then got out of his bed and walked down the stairs of his house. “Good morning, Dom,” both his parents said, while eating their breakfast. “Good morning.” “Your breakfast is ready,” said his mother. “Thanks, mom.” Minutes into eating, Dom decided to tell his parents his sudden change of mind. “Mom, dad, can I start my journey as a Pokémon trainer?” The facial expressions of Dom’s parents changed from passive smiles to confused looks. “I thought you didn’t want to become one. What made you change your mind?” asked his mother. “Watching the Indigo Plateau Conference.” “Are you sure?” Dom’s father asked, “You didn’t bump your head in the middle of the night, did you?” They all laughed briefly at the joke. “Ricky also told me that I know more than enough about Pokémon to start,” said Dom, “Most trainers don’t really know about Pokémon at all when they begin.” “If you really want to become a Pokémon trainer, then you certainly may. I can help you pack what you need. When you’re ready, I will take you to Professor Elm’s lab.” “Thanks, mom, I can’t wait!” The next morning, Dom, now wearing a baseball cap and a backpack, went to the lab with his mother. “Good morning, Professor,” Dom’s mother said, as she shook Elm’s hand. “Janice? It’s nice to meet you.” Professor Elm looked noticeably aged. “This is my son I told you about yesterday. He wants to become a Pokémon trainer," said Dom's mother. “Hello,” said the professor with a smile, “What’s your name?” “Dom,” the would-be trainer said, feeling a bit shy. “Alright, Dom, are you ready to choose your first Pokémon?” “Yes. What Pokémon do you have for me?” “I’m glad you asked!", Professor Elm walked over to a nearby desk with three Poké Balls, “Now the first one,” the professor said as he picked up the leftmost Poké Ball, “Is Chikorita, the grass Pokémon.” The red-and-white sphere then opened in the professor’s hands, shooting a beam of white energy upwards, which then arced into the ground. When the white light disappeared, a Chikorita stood in its place. The Chikorita squeaked in a typical Chikoirta voice, while waving the leaf on its head. “Next up, we have Cyndaquil, the fire Pokémon.” Professor Elm did the same with the next Poké Ball, and sent out a Cyndaquil, which also squeaked in the sound you would expect from a Cyndaquil. “And finally, Totodile, the water Pokémon.” The Totodile opened its mouth and hissed, as if trying to look intimidating, but failing to do so due to its small size. Because of his dream from two nights ago, Dom immediately knew the answer. “Can I have Cyndaquil?” “Cyndaquil?” said Elm, “I think that’s a great Pokémon too! Will you give him a nickname?” “I think I will name him Perdition,” said Dom. “I’m sure you and Perdition will have a great time together,” the professor said as he handed the Cyndaquil’s Poké Ball to the young trainer. Professor Elm turned back to the table to grab a rectangular device. “Before you leave the lab,” Elm said, “You will need a coupe things. The first thing is your Pokédex, which will tell you about the new Pokémon you will meet. All you need to do is open the Pokédex close to the new Pokémon.” Crouching next to Dom, the professor shows the young trainer how to open the Pokédex. He raises the Pokédex in the direction of the Cyndaquil. “Cyndaquil – the Fire Mouse Pokémon. The fire that spouts from its back burns hottest when it is angry. The flaring flames intimidate foes,” said the voice that came out of the Pokédex. “Here, try it yourself,” said Elm, as he gave Dom the Pokédex. Dom points the Pokédex towards the Chikorita. “Chikorita – the Leaf Pokémon. It loves to bask in the sunlight. It uses the leaf on its head to seek out warm places.” “That was cool,” said Dom, with a slight smile, looking less nervous than before. “Now, if you go here,” Elm said, while pointing at the screen of the Pokédex, “You will be able to see the list of Pokémon you have with you, and what moves they currently know. Dom clicked where the professor had told him to, and sure enough, a picture of a Cyndaquil showed up along with a list of information. Dom began reading from the list, “Tackle, Leer, Crush Claw. I’ve never heard of Crush Claw before. Why does Perdition know it?” “Oh, that’s probably because the Pokémon I have today were actually the children of specially bred by Pokémon breeders, so they might be a little bit stronger than others of their species,” said Elm, “Maybe you’ll want to give the move a try in your first battle, and see what it does. “The other things you will need are these.” Elm returned the desk and then handed a small rectangular case to Dom. “In this container are several Poké Balls you can use to catch more Pokémon. Just remember that when you want to catch a Pokémon, you almost always have to weaken it first or the Poké Ball won’t work.” “Here, I’ll put it in your backpack for you,” said Dom’s mother as she took the Poké Ball case from him. “Now try calling Perdition back into its Poké Ball,” said Elm. Dom pointed the Poké Ball at the Cyndaquil. “Perdition, return!” This time, a red energy beam shot out from the center of the ball, lighting up the Cyndaquil, and then retracting itself along with the Pokémon back into the sphere. “Thank you, Professor Elm,” said Dom. “You’re welcome, Dom. Good luck on your journey.” Meanwhile, just outside the lab, another boy, one who looked to be slightly older than Dom is and had shoulder-length red hair, was looking into the lab through one of its windows. He had watched the entire event take place. Just after the two walked out of Professor Elm’s lab, Dom’s mother turned to her son. “Looks like this is good bye,” she said, with open arms. “Good bye, mom,” Dom said, as he hugged her. “Remember to have fun. It’s okay if you don’t win all the time, especially when you’re just a beginner. As long as you believe you have accomplished something.” “Thank you, mom. I will remember to call you from my Pokégear to tell you how I’m doing.” With that, he walked westward, eventually out of town. He walked by a sign that read “Johto Route 29,” indicating that he was, indeed, on Johto Route 29. Feeling that he should try to get to know his new Pokémon, considering they were going to be together for a while, Dom pulled out Perdition’s Poké Ball. “Come out, Perdition.” The Cyndaquil appeared in a flash of white like, just as it did in Elm’s lab. Startled by being unexpectedly called out, the Cyndaquil unleashed flame from its back. Dom blocked out his face from the intense heat. “Calm down, Perdition, it’s just me. I thought it was a good idea to call you out, because we’re going to be together for a long time.” The Cyndaquil extinguished its flames. “Instead of staying in the Poké Ball all the time, I think you should get some fresh air and keep me company. Just follow where I go.” Perdition let out a soft squeak and obeyed his new trainer. “Since we’re both new to battling, I think it’s a good idea to train against wild Pokémon,” Dom said to his Cyndaquil. Perdition did not respond, continuing to walk silently. As if to answer Dom’s call, the tall grass just ahead began to rustle. Dom and his Cyndaquil stopped walking, anticipating what was just up ahead. Dom looked at Perdition with his finger over his lips. Suddenly, a wild Pidgey sprung out of the grass with a screech. Startled once again, Perdition ignited the flames on his back. Instead of jumping away from his Cyndaquil like he did before, however, Dom jumped over him to keep him safe from the aggressive Pidgey. The Tiny Bird Pokémon flew right over Dom, grazing his back with its feet. Still determined to attack what it considered to be trespassers, the Pidgey immediately turned around to prepare for another strike. “Perdition, now’s your chance!” yelled Dom, “Use tackle!” Sure enough, the Cyndaquil ran a few steps and the leaped at the charging Pidgey. Perdition’s head struck the other Pokémon’s abdomen with his head, knocking it out of the sky. Although the attack seemed to do quite a bit of damage, Pidgey was in no position to back down. The Tiny Bird Pokémon flapped its wings and flew into Perdition with its beak. Perdition took the hit, being pushed back about a foot across the ground. “Are you okay, Perdition?” The Cyndaquil nodded. “Awesome, now finish the Pidgey off with another Tackle!” Now more confident, Perdition once again ran at his opponent, slamming the Pidgey with his entire body with full force. The Pidgey immediately fell backward. “Did we do it?” Dom asked as he walked over to the Tiny Bird Pokémon. Sure enough, the Pidgey was completely unconscious. Perdition had won his first battle. “Yes! We did it!” Dom cheered. Perdition squeaked in what seemed to be enjoyment for the first time. Dom’s Pokédex then beeped. He pulled it out to see why. “Perdition learned Smokescreen,” the Pokédex said. “Did you hear that, Perdition? You got stronger from the fight. If we keep training, maybe you’ll be strong enough to compete in the Silver Conference.” The Cyndaquil looked up to his trainer, silently, but seemingly acknowledging the comment. Now with more confidence, both the trainer and his Pokémon set out on their burgeoning journey together. It would be a journey fraught with many hardships and triumphs, and Dom would discover many new friends and opponents and Pokémon along the way, but for now, it was only just beginning.
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