Pokémon: Journey of Legends

The morning had dawned clear and warm, there was a freshness in the air that made it clear that summer had finally arrived in Kanto. The girl had arrived at the small coastal town in the far south of the region called Pallet after her grandmother sent her to meet with a long time friend of the family. Vanessa could still remember vividly the knowing look on her grams' face when she had told her she decided to become a Pokémon trainer, a proper one just less than a week ago. All of her peers from the Lavender Academy had set out on their journeys before. Still, she had decided to stick around for a little more claiming to feel unprepared for it at the time, until her grams regained her health back, much to the displeasure of the old madam who could clearly see through her half-truths with little effort.

It was the first time she had travelled so far from home on her own, not that she could truly call it a trip when her grandmother's Alakazam teleported them to the nearest Pokémon Center and the man she had come to meet sent an assistant to come and pick her up. Professor Oak the man in question. 

According to her Grams, long ago when they were young they met, before Ethel Sayre and built Sayre Industries into the company it was today, before grandaunt Agatha became a member of the Elite Four and held the amount of respect she commanded at the Kanto League. Her grams talked warmly of him, of how that Samuel Oak, the now regarded one of the most influential Pokémon Professor and Researcher in known history, had been an rather odd boy in his youth with a endearing silliness to him, terribly curious about everything, she said, but now after spending one night as a guest at the Oak Family House, in his company and that of his grandchildren, Vanessa could not help but see a glimpse or two of that boy in the way the man acted. 

"Oh, good morning, dear!" A young girl, older than her by just a couple of years, said, a little surprised to see her already up, but smiling kindly. "Grandpa is already out; he left a note saying he would leave first to the Lab to prepare things for the new trainers that will come today. He also wrote that we should have a proper breakfast before joining him otherwise he would feel ashamed to meet your grandmother. Ah, and Gary should be joining us soon."

"Good morning and… thanks. I don't want to impose or anything, the Professor is already too kind to have me here," Vanessa awkwardly replied with a genuine smile, thinking about the night before. "I was planning on staying the night at the local inn, but he insisted on having me as his guest."

"It sounds like something grandpa would do," the other girl nodded in agreement in understanding, "now come… take a seat, breakfast will be ready in a few minutes."

The other girl was called Daisy Oak, the eldest granddaughter of the Professor and a particularly kind person. Daisy had warm green eyes and long reddish brown hair. They talked briefly when she arrived the day before, she told Vanessa that her dream was to become a Pokémon Groomer, but she had been living with her grandfather for some years learning about different pokémon at the Lab as an intern for the time being. 

Vanessa did as the girl asked and quietly took a seat at the table, listening to a cacophony of sounds coming from the kitchen where Daisy had gone. She couldn't help but feel anxious and excited, today her journey as a trainer would officially start. Just a little more and she would be off, exploring on her own and fulfilling her dream.

"Oh, you must be the Sayre girl," A strange voice called out from behind her suddenly, making her startled for a second. "My sister told me about you, she said you're starting your journey today as well and that you are like... crazy rich."

The voice belonged to the other grandchild of the professor, she realized, the boy called Gary Oak. His eyes were brown, but his hair was the same color as his sister, but unlike Daisy, this boy possessed a certain pride to his overall demeanor that reminded her of some kids she met at the Academy.

Vanessa hummed and nodded in affirmation, he was blunt, sure, but he wasn't the first to act like that, all while watching as the boy took the seat across from her, deciding on breaking the ice she asked, "Have you decided on your starter yet? I've heard Bulbassaur and Squirtle are very popular here because of the Viridian and Pewter Gyms being so close, but I think Charmander is a great starter as well."

This question made the boy groan in frustration, and release a rather tired sigh, "Oh, I wish! Grandpa didn't let me choose before the other kids, saying that he has a surprise for me. If he did I would have bragged to that annoying brat that is always around long ago!"

Vanessa couldn't help but wonder who this 'brat' did to warrant such a disdainful tone from Gary Oak, but she was also surprised that the Professor did not let his grandson pick the most powerful starter before anyone else, but is rather keeping him in the dark.

"You will do no such thing!" Daisy suddenly came back with trails of food, glaring daggers at her brother. "Ash is a sweet kid, if you give him a hard time I will snitch on you for grandpa and mother."

"Not you taking his side too, aren't you my sister? You should be on my side!" Gary protested rather loudly, as he angrily took bread and stuffed it in his mouth, adding between angry chews, "Why is everyone always you defending him?"

"Because Ash is a good kid. Aunt Delia always treats me nicely whenever she comes around, and she always sends apple pies for grandpa too!" Daisy argued back with a firm tone. "I cannot let you bully her son. Anyways, you've been warned. Now stop embarrassing us in front of our guest."

The Oak siblings suddenly turned their attention to the girl sipping some coffee, looking back at them with a calm look, seemingly entertained and amused at their conversation. Suddenly, cleaning her throat and adding, "Oh, don't mind me. I am ok. Go on with your conversation."

 Daisy, who looked particularly annoyed at her brother, offered the girl a helpless smile, before finally excitedly asking, "What about you, Vanessa? Have you decided on your starter? Do you have a pokémon in mind? The Bulbassaurs this year are sweethearts! I am sure you would like any of the starters that Grandpa prepared for this season though, they are all great. They are all very young and perfect for young trainers."

"I- well, about that… I already have a Pokémon and I am technically already a proper licensed trainer for almost a while now," The girl replied awkwardly, noticing the surprised looks of the siblings she continued, "I caught him months ago when I got my trainer license, but I only finished the advanced courses in the Lavender Academy two months ago. It was a seriously great opportunity to learn more even if I am a little late than others. I'm really not expecting to receive a pokémon from the Professor today... The only reason I came here is something to do with an invite from your grandfather, something about a special device? I am not sure of the details. My grandmother didn't bother to explain, saying that I should come and see it by myself."

"Oh, I see, I get it now!" Daisy said with a knowing look. "So he finally made up his mind about the third beta tester! I should have noticed, he is not fretting about it for a while now."

"Ah, whatever! Enough of this boring talk," Gary said, rolling his eyes at his sister, and then turning his attention to Vanessa again, "come on, tell us about your pokémon!"

The girl couldn't help but hesitate for a second, before reaching for a Pokéball on her trainer belt. She held it on her hand firmly, feeling the metal, before she released the pokémon inside saying, "Hey, buddy, time to make new friends!"

The white beam of light suddenly solidified, earning gasps, the temperature in the room dropped several degrees in an instant, from the looks of the Oak siblings of horror and fascination the girl couldn't help but wince helplessly.

"Gastly!" Her partner said, sticking his tongue out while hovering about her head, greeting the others with excitement. "Gaas-tly Gastly!"

"A ghost type? He is so cool!" Gary exclaimed excitedly, looking at the giggly ghost with excitement "It's the first time I am seeing a Gastly in person, only read about them in one of grandpa's books. Can you tell us how you met him? Wait, did you pick him because of your grandaunt? Oh, did she got him for you? I heard from Grandpa that when they met she had a Ghastly as her starter too."

"Gaastly Gaaastly Gass!" The ghost type said and laughed.

"Oh, you have a Gastly," Daisy managed to say with a strained voice as she stared at the floating pokémon in morbid fascination. "It's quite the… unusual starter. Ghost types are very… particular. Yours is so… sociable."

It did not go unnoticed to Vanessa the wariness and the other girl's tone, much less how the color drained from her face the moment she met her starter. It wasn't the first time she got such a reaction, but she was grateful that Daisy was doing her best not to offend her Ghastly. 

This was something she was grateful for, because once a kid saw him and ran away screaming, her friend sulked for a week afterwards.

"Well, I met Shade-that's his nickname by the way- when I was eight actually," Vanessa started as she offered an Oran Berry to her pokémon and watched fondly as he quickly swallowed it in one bite and asked for another one shamelessly. "He wandered off from the Pokémon Tower towards the forest next to where I live. I was studying in the gazebo, finishing an important assignment. It took me a while to notice that all of my sweets were gone," Her pokémon giggled mischievously hearing her tell the story, "It was then that Gastly appeared out of the shadows and tried to scare me away, but I wasn't scared at all. Auntie Agatha always brings her pokémon to hang out when she visits us so I was no stranger to ghosts. After that he would always come around... When I got my trainer license I asked him if he wanted to come and be my partner."

"Gassstlyy!!!!" The ghost type started happily nudging at her affectionately.

Vanessa smiled fondly at his antics, before turning her attention back to the Oak siblings, "I think you can guess what his answer was, right?"

Daisy was visibly in a better state after witnessing Vanessa and her pokémon act and how he was well behaved, she sighed in relief, "You too seem very close, I am sure you and Shade will do great. My first was my Clefairy. She hatched from an Egg that my grandpa gave me. She is my best friend too!"

"Oh, man, this is so unfair!" Gary suddenly groaned, "I can't wait to meet my starter. I gotta hurry up, otherwise the brat will be there first!"

Vanessa shot a sympathetic look seeing how apologetic Daisy looked at her brother's behavior. The girl petted her pokémon a little, before returning him to his Pokéball. The three of them chatted a little more, but mostly about mundane things. Once they were finished, they made their way towards the Lab. Before leaving, Vanessa took one last look at herself. 

Growing up the adults would call her pretty, and she could tell they meant it and weren't just trying to get in her family's good graces. Like most of her family members, her eyes were purple, but unlike her grandmother and her grandaunt and even her late mother, she inherited he black hair of her father not the pale blond Sayre hair. Her backpack was a new model. It was a collaboration between Sayre Technologies and Devon Corporation from Hoenn, in an effort from both companies to set foot in different regions. It was yet to be released to the public, but her Grams insisted on it.

The trip to the Lab was a rather short one. The Professor's House was built very close to where he built his research facility. Still, the girl couldn't help but marvel at the beauty of the small town of Pallet. It didn't even have a proper Pokémon Center and was hardly popular among tourists, but there was something warm about the place. It felt like the kind place someone would think when asked about home.

When they finally entered the Lab, an assistant led them towards where the Professor was. The old man was excitedly handing out a young Squirtle to a brown haired girl who was among his list of sponsored trainers for this season. The assistant asked us to wait until the Professor was done and he would meet us shortly. Daisy bid Vanessa and her brother goodbye as she left to tend to her duties as intern, according to her she would be somewhere far away, in the the water-type habitat, but not before wishing them both the best of luck and telling her little brother to stop by their mom's house in Viridian when he arrives there and not to bother Ash.

"Why does she even care about that annoying brat anyway? She is my sister, not his!" Gary quietly complained after making sure they were alone and his sister would not hear. "Do you have a sibling?"

Vanessa quickly shook her head, "Nope, only child… and only grandchild as well."

The boy huffed and sighed in what looked like understanding, "A lot of pressure too, huh?" He commented, but suddenly paused, hesitating, until he added in a much lower tone. "I want to be like him. Like grandpa, I mean… but sometimes I think he doesn't take me seriously. Nobody does."

Vanessa felt bad for him, because the truth is that she didn't feel that much pressure. She had absolutely no intention of following her grandaunt's footsteps as a Ghost Type Specialist or even becoming part of the Elite Four. It would still take a lot of time until her grandmother touched the subject of her taking over the company after her, but she honestly did not want to think about that at all. Not today. Not anytime soon. Her grandmother was still strong as a Taurus anyway. Her dreams were her own.

"Yeah…" It was all she managed to say for a while, until she continued. "I don't mean to intrude nor I claim to understand how this is for you, but I can tell from the way your sister looks at you and how proudly your grandfather spoke of you yesterday when I got here that both of them love you a lot. Just... follow your dream and make sure to make them proud, if that's what you want, of course."

"You suck at this, you know?" Gary said, offering a small smile and a grateful look. "Thanks anyways. I guess I should say the same for you too, Sayre."

They were quietly waiting over a balcony a floor above where the Professor was busy and surrounded by two assistants, handling the registration of new trainers. Vanessa felt happy seeing the looks of wonder in the new trainers as they met their partners, it made her think of Shade and the day he accepted to join her and become the first member of her team. It was probably the happiest she ever felt so far. Even if the circumstances made her stick around at home for another season, his company and their training sessions and long study days made her feel like she was not wasting time and not feel too bad about having to wait another year to leave home.

Finally, when the last of the new trainers left, the Professor came up and greeted them. "Sorry for the delay, kids. This year things have been a little hectic."

"Grandpa, there are no more left!" Gary complained as he glared daggers at his grandfather, before continuing, now more worried than anything else. "I remember how many starters would be prepared for this season, there's none left! So what about me? Wait, you didn't forget about me did you?!"

"Peace, child…" Professor Oak said, trying to appease his anxious grandson, "I told you I had an arrangement for you." From his white overcoat the old man took out a pokeball, and handed it over to Gary saying, "Your mother told me how you loved spending time with this little one and your sister told me the same thing. I couldn't help but think he would be the best starter you could have."

First, the look on Gary's face was one of surprise that quickly became one of confusion, until he sharply turned his look from the pokeball to his grandfather in disbelief as he quickly reached for the device saying, "No way! Seriously?! You're not joking are you? I-I thought you said he was too young… I-I thanks, grandpa, you're the best! The best grandpa in the world!"

The boy was even quicker to release the pokémon inside. From the beam of white light that shot from the pokeball, a small and fluffy brown silhouette papered.

"Evve-ee-ve," The little one said, looking a bit confused, until it suddenly focused on the boy in front of him and his tail immediately started to wag happily. "Eeevuee!"

"Eevee!" Gary exclaimed as his eyes got teary. "I am your new trainer! Can you believe it, buddy?!"

Vanessa was surprised when the small and young Eevee jumped into Gary's arms and nudged the boy with his little head affectionately, greeting his new trainer. It was clear to her that these two knew each other from before and also that this was a perfect match. She couldn't help but take a glimpse at the expression on the Professor's face, he looked so proud of himself and of the boy. She suddenly thought about how proud her grandmother looked before instructing her Alakazam to bring her to where she would meet the assistant and later come here.

"Huh, excuse me, sir…" She quietly said, trying her best not to interrupt Gary and his moment, "Can you tell me about the device I am supposed to receive today? Daisy said something earlier about the three beta testers, but I don't really know what is going on."

For good or for bad, Gary had finished his moment with his Eevee got close to them as the little one took a spot on his shoulder. The boy exchanged a look with the Professor and asked, "Is now finally the time for the Pokédex?"

"The Pokédex?" Vanessa echoed in confusion, "Is this how this device is called?"

"Always rushing into matters, boy…" The old man said as he clicked his tongue in annoyance, but it was short-lived, soon he was all too excited, from another pocket of his overcoat, and he took two red devices and gave one to each of them. "This is the Pokédex, my biggest work so far. It will revolutionize the life of trainers, especially the younger ones, while also helping me and other researchers collect data for further studies."

Vanessa took the device on her hands with a lot of care, since it did not take a genius to figure out how precious this opportunity was for her and also how important this was for the whole entire world when it was released to the public, she couldn't help but ask "Can you explain how does this thing work, sir?"

"Oh, gladly," The man replied with a loud laugh, obviously pleased with himself, "use it to scan your Pokéball. See for yourself."

The girl did as the man instructed her to do. She reached for Gastly pokeball and scanned it with the Pokédex. Suddenly, the screen displayed quite a lot of information as it loudly offered an entry to his species in a lively mechanical voice.

[Gastly: The Gas Pokémon. This pokémon is said to appear in decrepit, deserted buildings. Gastly has no true solid form, due to its body being poisonous gas. However, it consistently appears as a black, spherical Pokémon surrounded by a purple haze. Gastly has a wide, pink mouth with two visible fangs. Though its eyes seem to extend past its round body, visible eyelids surround them.]

[Species: Gastly

[Type: Ghost/Poison

[Gender: Male

[Ability: Levitate

[Moves:[Hypnosis] [Night Shade] [Lick] [Scary Face] [Confuse Ray] [Haze] [Icy Wind] [Mist] [Hex]

Beyond the entry, the Pokédex displayed some information about her pokémon that was way past the standard for his species, but things that were special to him only, like his moves and data. The proof that the year that she had already spent being his trainer wasn't wasted, seeing how she managed to teach him moves and work on his battle style. It was only then that Vanessa understood just how big of a thing this device would be, and how precious it was.

"Professor, can I ask why I was chosen to be one of the beta testers?" The girl couldn't help but ask. "I can understand why Gary would be chosen since you know him better than other trainers, but why me? As far as I can tell, you would need someone that will capture as many pokémon as possible to collect data, but that is really not my plan, sir. I don't like the idea of capturing pokémon if I don't see myself raising and training myself. I am not sure if I am the right person for this, honestly."

"Oh, don't worry about that," Gary said laughing at her, which made her more confused, he turned to his grandfather and said. "You should explain to her, Grandpa."

Professor Oak hummed, he seemed particularly amused by her words and her attitude saying, "Well, I suppose I should explain, but first and foremost, you are not to worry about catching pokémon like that, rest assured. I respect your sense of responsibility, child." The man paused and cleaned his throat before continuing with a serious tone, "I have been working on this for most of my life, you see? The creation of the Pokédex demanded more than just my knowledge as you can probably guess. I needed funding. My dear friend, Ethel Sayre, your grandmother, heard of my project over a decade ago, and since then Sayre Industries has been our greatest investor. She went above and beyond to help me fulfil my dream."

"So you picked me because of my grandmother?" Vanessa asked, frowning at that notion. Not because she was mad about it, but there was something about people sucking up to her because of her family that was truly exhausting. "Well if that is the case maybe-"

"No, not just because of that, Vanessa." The old man quickly said, and explained firmly. "Although that played a big part in my decision, Ethel never once asked me for this. She didn't know until I called her and she sent you to meet me. You see, I have quite some friends in Academia and your Professors at the Lavender Pokémon Academy were quick to praise their best student in generations. Their words about you is what made me feel like you would be a proper fit for this above anything else, child. You can surely acknowledge your own achievements, don't you?"

The black haired girl took a moment to process the Professor's words, before the tension left her shoulders and she sighed, nodding affirmatively. She was very happy that he was honest about the whole thing. She could respect that, for sure. In any way, Vanessa was just happy about the opportunity and this would help her achieve her dream, so she wouldn't refuse it out of pride.

"Thank you for the opportunity, Professor," The girl managed as she faced the old man firmly. "I am happy grandmother and Sayre Industries are part of this project. It is an honor, and I am sure grandmother feels the same."

The Professor let out a hearty laugh that lightened up the mood and alleviated the tension, his grandson was looking at her encouragingly, and even his Eevee let out an excited cry. Suddenly, the sound of a commotion in front of the Lab got louder.

"Oh, the brat is probably finally here," Gary said with an annoyed groan that quickly shifted into a concerned expression, the boy grumbled, "There are no more starters left… Why is he so late? Grandpa, does it mean that Ash is in trouble?"

"He is late indeed... There are no more prepared starters," The Professor said, shaking his head in worry, until a look of clarity and realization heavy with worry crossed his face. He then muttered mysteriously, "Well- maybe… he might still have a chance. It's not ideal, but it can work."

Sensing that things were about to get messy, Vanessa quickly bowed in respect and stated, "I will be leaving now, Professor."

"Wait, really, already?" Gary exclaimed, surprised, looking positively frustrated. "I wanted to challenge you to a battle!"

"Shade have been training for over a year now and you just got your Eevee, it wouldn't be a fair fight," The girl argued, before adding with a excited smile of her own, "I am sure we will cross paths again, by then you and Eevee would have grown more and we can have a real proper battle."

"It's a pity you're leaving so soon, but I wish you a great journey, young one. Now, forgive but I have an important matter to attend to," Professor Oak said in a hurry as he left with a worried look on his face.

"Well, I guess I will see you around, Sayre," Gary said, offering his hand for a handshake. "I can wait to defeat you in battle. You just wait."

"You wish," The girl replied, amused as they shook hands. Until, she heard a loud boy's voice coming closer. "By the way, I think this is the Ash you talked about before. I don't want to intrude, but I think Daisy was right. They say having a rival is good for a trainer; just don't be needlessly cruel with that kid. We are all just starting to work on our dreams, he must be nervous too."

Gary avoided her gaze and crossed his arms over his chest, snorting, "I am not cruel, don't worry. I have a rival to greet, see you around, Sayre." He said as he left without sparring her another look. She must have struck a nerve, the girl thought.

Vanessa made the choice to leave the Laboratory from another exit to avoid the commotion, as she didn't feel like dealing with a crowd. Feeling the wind on her face and the warm touch of sunlight, the girl took the first step on her journey. "Viridian City, here I come!"