Pokémon: Journey of Legends

It was still rather early in the morning when Vanessa slowly made her way out of Pallet Town and into what the map called Route 01. The routes are how the pathways between human settlements that went through wild pokémon territory and were the called. Vanessa had learned about how exactly the people decided on where a route should be during her time as a student at the Academy, according to what she knew, the route system was mostly the work of Pokémon Rangers alongside the League. They worked as a peacekeeper force, keeping the most powerful wild pokémon away from the routes.

Going off route was not recommended, especially for beginner trainers.

"Hey, Shade," The girl suddenly called out, seemingly to nobody. "When we get to Viridian I will finally register as a challenger in the Indigo League, after that, we will get to challenge the gyms and collect badges. Are you excited?"

A giggling noise echoed from nowhere as the ghost type just made his presence known from her shadow where he was hiding. Shade was not a fan of mornings and sunny places so he liked to shadow-hop on Vanessa's shadow. He was definitely excited to battle the gym leaders and become stronger.

"Gasstly, gasstly gass!"

The girl fought off the urge to roll and nodded in an appeasing tone, "I know I know, buddy. I also think we need to recruit a new member for the team, but..." She took a breath and continued, "I am not sure who and where... Also, I know you're just trying to boss a rookie around, just like Shadow and Umbra did to you when Auntie brought them to visit last summer, just so you know that you aren't fooling anyone with that act!"

"Gasstly! Gastly! Gass!" Shade protested, quite loudly

"Yeah, I know you look up to them. Shadow is probably the most powerful ghost type in all of Kanto and Johto," Vanessa conceded, she knew that her little one had seen her aunt's Gengar as both a rival and his role model. "But the road to number one is a long one, you gotta be a little patient, ok? We are gonna defeat them. And yes... you're right about the new member. It is about time to find our new friend."

"Gastly! Gastly-ly!Gas?!"

"No, I don't have any pokémon in mind for now. You know how I decided to go about this, it wall all because you you decided to come with me... Back when I was younger I used to think my starter would be one from Professor Oak's Lad or another youngling that Grandma would get from a breeder," Vanessa quickly argued with an amused smile, "but then you showed up and things changed. Now we are here, starting our journey with no real target in mind..."

Shade made sure to complain a little more, but Vanessa knew he was just doing it to annoy her and that he was happy to be her first. His tone always changed when he was faking. He would forget about this as soon as she found their team a very much-needed number two. Unfortunately, as she walked through the route the only wild pokémon she could spot were some very young Pidgey and Spearow flying above or nesting in the trees, some shy Ratatta that didn't even dare to approach her because of Shade's terribly concealed presence, but she read that that Oddish and Bellsprout were known for being spotted around this area.

"Gaas-tly!" Suddenly, Shade said accusingly.

"They are scared of you, not me!" Vanessa pointed out sensing the attitude. "Mr. Friendly Ghost, even if they can't see you, you are making the air colder. They are not stupid to approach."

"Gaaasstly!" Shade replies with a snarky and playful tone. 

"Hey, I have friends! I am very friendly, matter of fact. I have you and..." She thought for a moment and frowned, before quickly adding, "Daisy and Gary seemed nice as well!"

"Gastly-tly...Gas!" This time Shade's reply was accompanied by a tired sigh.

"Oh, come on! Not this again, are you and Grandma in cahoots? You sound just like Dad! I was too busy to make friends before. I wanted to learn, to prepare myself, to train you and become a better trainer, no time for friends." The girl exclaimed exasperated, "I promised them that I wasn't gonna keep to myself all the time and I was going to make more friends, with people and pokémon! I don't break my promises, Shade."

"Gastly!!!"

"Yeah yeah, whatever," She rolled her eyes, but a smirk crossed her face for a slip of a second, "I will make a stop nearby, we can try to look for a new member after that, alright? Just to don't scare them away!"

Immediately, from her shadow, a disdainful and rightfully spherical pokémon, covered in a supernatural purple haze appeared, proudly declaring, "Gastly! Gass!Gastly!"

The girl snorted and smiled at his antics, "Sure, sure, you're the most handsome ghost, I take it back! I take it back! Now, help me out, tell me if you find something interesting."

Shade loved being praised, although he did love to eat and banter a lot more. The awfully smart and a bit vain pokémon circled the vicinity of his trainer curiously. Vanessa wasn't sure how long she planned on staying on this route, but a few hours wouldn't delay her too much.

Unfortunately for her and Shade, the pokémon were avoiding her like the plague. Actually, avoiding Shade, but she wasn't about to touch a sore spot on her friend again, the little guy was looking dejected already. It had passed a little over an hour since they stopped, and she was now quietly sitting in the shade of a big tree eating a protein bar, ignoring the sullen ball of frustration hovering around her like a dark cloud. Suddenly, they hear footsteps, approaching.

"Gasstly..." Shade says in disbelief and confusion, watching something intently.

Vanessa moved to see what is going on that seems to have her friend so entertained, much to her surprise, it is a rather puzzling scene unfolding. A boy dragging a Pikachu with a rope. It didn't take her too long to see that this boy was coming from Pallet Town and was a new trainer.

"Pikachu, are you gonna be like this the whole way?" The boy asks, visibly frustrated.

"Pi." The mouse pokémon replies dryly.

"Is it because you don't like me?" The boy asks again.

"Pika, pika." The Pikachu readily admits, with a firm nod.

"Well, I like you a lot," The trainer argues, trying to appease him, "And since you're the Pokémon I am training, don't you think you could be a little nicer and open your mouth and tell me what's wrong?"

Unimpressed, Pikachu just opened his mouth, obviously teasing the trainer. Vanessa could swear she saw the boy's eye twitch in annoyance. 

"Is your name all you can say?" He asks, now worried, but his Pikachu doesn't really care to humor him too much. This makes the boy grow frustrated, "Well, then, you're just like all Pokémon and you should act like one and get inside the Pokeball, just like it says in the Pokédex."

Shade giggles at whatever Pikachu said in response, making Vanessa raise a brow. The boy was like her and Gary, one of the Pokédex beta tester. This could only mean a few things, but she was willing to bet that this was the boy that got Gary so annoyed before. And that Pikachu was his starter, a wild one, not at all hatched and raised in the Lab.

"Gastly! Gastly!" Shade excitedly says.

Vanessa looks at him in disbelief, but sensing her pokémon excitement at the prospects of a new friend, she keeps trying to come up with a good excuse to give him. However, he was right this time. She had give it a try, right? Taking a deep breath, Vanessa gets up and marches towards the dynamic duo, accompanied by her floating happy ghost.

"Huh- excuse me, do you need some help?" She asks startling the boy. Quickly she adds some context, afraid to sound like a weirdo. "I am Vanessa, a Pokémon Trainer sponsored by Professor Oak and a Pokédex tester just like you and this is Shade," She pointed out to the smiling Gastly beside her, "the friendly ghost and my partner!" 

"Wow! No way!" The boy's eyes shine like stars as he watches her pokémon in wonder and scans him with his Pokédex, after the entry, he quickly realizes that he did not introduce himself, "I am Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town. I am gonna be a Pokémon Master! This is..." He hesitates, pointing at the curiously looking mouse, "This is Pikachu, my starter. I just got him from the Lab, but... he hates me."

"Pikachu!"

"Gasstly!"

"I don't think that he hates you, Ash," Vanessa explains in diplomatic tone, examining the situation with more care, "Your Pikachu doesn't seem to like staying in his Pokeball. Some pokémon hate being confined. This little one... I think he was recently captured and is not familiar with or used to humans... he must be feeling frustrated to be handed over to you with not much of a choice. No offense... but he still thinks of you as a stranger. Some pokémon are like that. It's normal."

Ash listens quite attentively to her explanation, before turning to his starter and asking, "Is she right?"

"Pika! Pika!" The little one shoots him a disdainful glare, before nodding firmly.

Ash now looked positively defeated, making Vanessa feel somewhat guilty, even if she knew this situation had nothing to do with her. Shade seemed to also feel conflicted about these two, and for the first time, Vanessa felt like this was a stupid decision on Professor Oak's part. 

"Give him some time," She tried, hesitatingly.

Ash was about to argue something but stopped before he said anything, looking at her with gratitude and a bit of what she guessed was a shame. The boy quickly released the rope from his pokémon and Pikachu was quick to leave him behind and climb onto a tall branch of a tree, not very far. Not that it mattered, Ash got distracted.

"A Pidgey!" Ash exclaimed in excitement, noticing a newcomer, quietly foraging for food. The boy took out his Pokédex and the device quickly gave him and entry on the species. 

[Pidgey. The Tiny Bird Pokémon. Pidgey has an extremely sharp sense of direction and homing instincts. It can travel straight back to its nest regardless of how far away it might have flown. It is a docile Pokémon and prefers to flee from its enemies rather than fight them. Flapping its wings rapidly can whip up dust clouds and create whirlwinds to protect itself and flush out potential prey. Pidgey is common throughout its range and can often be seen in meadows and temperate forests.]

"Come, on Pikachu!" Ash excitedly calls, but his smile drops immediately after he remembers the situation, and sees how his Pokémon make move. Frustrated the boy cries out, "Fine! I do this on my own then! I don't need your help!"

"Ash, this..." Vanessa starts but never gets to finish as she watches the boy throw a Pokeball at the Pidgey.

"Yes! Yes, I did it!-Huh?" Before he could finish celebrating, the Pokeball breaks open and the Pidgey runs away without bothering to look back, leaving the baffled boy behind. "What happened?" 

"Gastly..." Shade comments looking at the boy with barely concealed pity.

"Hey, buddy, can you help them out trying to convince Pikachu?" She asked Shade quietly so the boy wouldn't hear, her partner hummed in agreement and floated towards the little mouse. Vanessa approached the confused boy and saying, "Well, if you're wondering what happens when facing wild pokémon, one must- usually- try to weaken them first before trying for the Pokeball or convince them to come with you, that works too."

"I thought I knew what to do..." Ash said looking at her with so much intensity, that she almost shifted her gaze elsewhere. "My Pokémon doesn't like me and now I am embarrassing myself. This... this is not how it was supposed to go."

Vanessa contemplated for a while before saying, "It might be a rough start, but it isn't the end of the world, you know?" He looks at her with hope, and she then elaborates. "You just have to prove yourself worthy of being his trainer. Earn his trust. Pikachu is also new to this."

"You're right, this is not so bad!" Ash immediately says as he gets himself together. Smiling at her again, but his gaze narrows at something behind her. "I will capture that one and prove that I am a good trainer!"

Before Vanessa can say anything, he gets a stone off the groan and hits a Spearow in the head. The Bird Pokémon looks at them with tears and hate in their eyes. The furious bird took flight and moved towards Ash, but his gaze turned to the Pikachu and Gastly in the tree branch, quickly going for a Peck at the yellow mouse.

"Hey, I was the one that threw that rock not Pikachu! Leave him alone!" Ash exclaimed in worry.

"Shade, get ready!" Vanessa called out firmly. "Make sure Pikachu is safe!"

Pikachu awkwardly manages to dodge the sudden attack, almost falling off the tree to do so. Shade cried out at the Spearow as he moved to block another attack targeting Pikachu. His eyes glowed in an ominous deep red color as he used Scary Face, making the other pokémon flinch mid-flight.

"Pikachu!!!" Suddenly, Pikachu uses Thundershock and hits the Spearow that falls into the ground. 

"Shade, come here!" Vanessa says, and her partner readily obeys. "Good job there, but be alert."

"You did it, Pikachu!" Ash exclaims as he witnesses the powers of his starter. 

"Ash- this isn't over, go get Pikachu!" Vanessa quickly said, as her eyes widened in sheer horror. The Spearow was hurt, but he was still ready for a battle, but instead of attacking he screamed. "Oh no... this- we have to run! Shade, use Mist! Full Power! There are too many of them, we need to get out of here!"

The boy looks at her like a deer caught in the lights seeing the flock of dozens of Spearow gather to attack them, but is quick to react. He reaches for his Pikachu and holds him in his arms. Shade glows faintly in a light blue color and the temperature drops considerably, a supernatural cold mist appears, just enough to buy them some time. Vanessa quickly returns Shade to his Pokeball before he can protest. She knows that for all her partner is great, he is not fast enough to escape the flock of furious birds, he would have tried to fight them if it meant protecting her and she would not allow it.

Sprinting next to her, Ash asked "What do we do?"

"Shade's mist can only buy us time, we need coverage, use the trees to hide," The girl explains, "the horde of Spearow will target your Pikachu. You need to keep him safe! Is only a matter of time before they find us, if all goes to shit... return him to the Pokeball even if he disagrees! I am being serious!"

"Pikachu!" The mouse argues back at her, but Ash looks at her with a firm gaze of understanding and nodded.

"Spearow! Spearow! Spearow! Spearow! Spearow!"

"They are getting closer," Vanessa states as the cacophony of angry sounds gets louder behind them. Her mind working out a way to survive this mess. Suddenly, listening to the sound of rising water faintly, she says, "There is a stream, maybe a river, can you hear it?"

Ash sharply searches for the sound and nods. The two of them run towards the source of the sound, but when they get there neither of them knows what to do.

"It's a cliff?!" Vanessa asks out loud, in disbelief, her heart pounding on her chest as she feels herself panting heavily, "This river-the current... it's too strong. Shit!"

"Spearow! Spearow! Spearow! Spearow! Spearow!" The sound of the birds grows louder and louder.

"Hold tight, Pikachu!" Ash exclaimed as his grip on his pokémon got tighter, he looked at the girl and said, "We have to jump, there is no other way! Do you know how to swim? You do, right?!"

Vanessa openly snorts at him, did he expect her to go out on a journey without knowing how to swim? What was wrong with this boy?! She mentally noted that if she doesn't die, she had to say sorry to Gary, she was foolish then and now she understands why he felt so intensely about this boy. She merely nodded in confirmation.

"On three!" The boy says, "One... Two... Three!"

The two of them jump into the raging river. Silently, the girl curses her luck. She imagined how her first day would go in so many ways, but being chased off by a horde of vengeful Spearow beside a stranger and jumping out of a cliff into a river was not one of them. Opening her eyes underwater, she almost misses the boy holding tight to the Pokémon. The adrenaline was the only reason she hasn't passed out of stress and exhaustion, the girl swims next to them, in case Ash passes out or drowns to his death. She has to be close to them to do something, anything!

In any way, if she survives this, Shade will be livid and will be mad at her, but... as long as he stays on his Pokeball he will be safe. This was enough for her. Her grandmother and her dad must never hear about this as well. I'm not going down like this, Vanessa suddenly thinks. Not like this, she is too young and her dream has just started! Feeling something unlocking inside of her, she reaches for Ash's shirt and uses all her strength to swim to the surface.

Help me, help me, help me! The girl keeps thinking, praying, hoping, all while feeling her head hurt and her lungs burn as she desperately clings to the air held in them. She looks up and dread fills her heart. The surface was still too far, she needed help. 

Just before she starts to second guess herself, she feels something pushing her and Ash towards the surface. Looking back in fear, she only sees a small, orange fish pokémon, pushing them up, swimming with all the might a fish can muster.

Finally, at the surface, she gasped for air and felt hot tears on her face. 

"Magikarp! Magikar! Karp! Karp!"

Vanessa looks at the little Magikarp that saved her life, before noticing that Ash and Pikachu were both unconscious. Looking for the shore, she musters her renewed forces and with the little Magikarp's help, she drags the boy and his partner to the shore. Not far from where they are, a girl, no older than her was quietly fishing.

"Hey! Help! We need help!" Vanessa screams furiously, startling the girl, that looks shocked seeing them.

"Go, Goldeen! Help them!" The ginger girl says releasing her pokémon. "Bring them here!"

"Goldeen! Goldeen! Goldeen!"

The girl's Goldeen quickly swims towards them and Vanessa feels how the fish helps bring them to the shore, suddenly, she feels like a boulder has been lifted from her shoulders. She was safe. They were safe. They made it. Looking over an unconscious Ash and his Pikachu, she hardens her resolve. This was not over yet. 

"What happened?!" The strange girl asks in distress as she helps drag the boy and his Pokémon out of the water.

"Horde Attack..." Vanessa manages to explain that before she started performing CPR on Ash. She had made it her mission to work basic lifeguard and survival training two years ago. She never felt so happy to have taken an extracurricular before! "Spearow... dozens of them! How is Pikachu?" 

The ginger girl pales hearing Vanessa's words as she examines the pokémon, "He is in really bad shape... He needs a Pokémon Center. The closest one is in Viridian!"

"Gasp!" Ash jolts up, throwing up water. "What-gasp-what happened? My head hurts!"

"Thank Arceus, you're alive!" Vanessa exclaimed, letting out a breath she didn't realized she was keeping in relief. 

"Pikachu! Where-where is him?" Ash suddenly said looking worried, begging. "How is he?!"

"You're Pikachu is here, he needs professional care," The ginger girl explains, handing over an unconscious Pikachu, "He didn't drown, but... you gotta take him to the Pokémon Center! Fast! I- I have a bike! I'll lend it to you."

Vanessa gets up from the muddy ground and helps Ash up, the boy takes his pokémon into his chest and looks at her in gratitude, but before he can say anything she cuts him off, "Go, take him there. We'll meet you there."

The boy nodded firmly running alongside Misty to where she kept her bike. Feeling extraordinarily exhausted, she sits down back on the muddy ground, catching her breath, still in disbelief what had happened.

"Goldeen! Goldeen!"

"Magikarp! Karp! Karp!"

"Thank you..." The girl says bowing her head in respect and gratitude. "I don't know what I would do without your help!"

"He is gone! He left!" The ginger girl says, taking a seat next to her, and returning her Goldeen to his Pokeball. "That was quite the scare... we-we should go too. You need to be examined. I am Misty by the way."

"I'm Vanessa. Thank you for helping us out." The black-haired girl said, "I owe you and your Goldeen for this."

"Magikarp! Karp! Karp!"

Vanessa turned her attention back to the water where the orange little fish called for attention. Misty got oddly quiet, the girl noticed but dismissed her. Looking toward the little savior, Vanessa hesitated. Her family would be furious with her no doubt. However, she shakes her head, worry is pointless now.

"Hey, Magikarp!" She calls out, earning the attention of the fish Pokémon. The girl gets up and readies herself, "I'm Vanessa and I am Pokémon Trainer. I-I'm just starting now, but I will be the best in the world! Do you wanna come with me? I can promise you food and safety and if you agree... I will make you powerful! Together! I want you to come with me and join my team!"

For a moment the orange fish doesn't move, it only looks at her quietly. However, soon enough, the little fish jumps over and over in excitement. 

"I suppose you have your answer..." She hears Misty say neutrally.

 Without another word, Vanessa grabs one of her empty Pokeballs and throws it at the Magikarp. Facing no resistance the Pokeball emits a quick "click" sound confirming a successful capture. 

"I did it!" Vanessa says in excitement, "I caught my second pokémon!"

Misty looks at her in contained amusement, saying, "Congratulations on your capture."

"Right..." Vanessa says, almost forgetting about the girl, "We should leave. I need to see Ash and Pikachu and you have to go get your bike back."

Like this the girl takes her first real step in her dream of becoming the best, she vows to do her best for the little fish that saved her life. Alongside Misty, Vanessa starts walking towards Viridian City. There she will check on those two and have Nurse Joy take a look at her team and finally... she would rest. She never felt so tired before, but for the first time since Shade joined her... Vanessa felt truly alive.