Finally, his opportunity had arrived.
Erebus took a look at his reflection, placing his hat on his head and adjusting it to his liking. Only a small bit of his short, midnight black hair stuck out from under his cap in various places.
"Today's the day, Joltz." the soon to be traveling trainer declared.
A tiny Joltik leaped onto his shoulder, making noises of excitement.
Erebus grabbed his messenger bag and double checked to make sure he had everything packed.
"Erebus, come on sweetie! You don't want to be late!" the teen heard his mother call from downstairs.
"Just a sec!" he replied, rushing out of his room and down the steps.
It was a long car ride from Icirrus City, where Erebus lived, to Nuvema Town, a journey that Erebus knew would take even longer on foot. In a sense, he was looking forward to such a travel. There was something comforting in knowing that he would be visiting home again during his adventure.
For most of the lengthy ride, Erebus remained quiet. He had much on his mind as he prepared to begin his life as an official pokemon trainer. Though he had the company of his Joltik for some time now, his experience with battles or capturing pokemon was limited. What Erebus did have, however, was knowledge. Research and information was something the teen was passionate about, and he couldn't wait to put that self-education to good use.
Today, everything was about to begin.
Cheren, a friend Erebus had known some time ago, was the one to thank for introducing him to such an opportunity. Professor Juniper was seeking out qualifying participants to help her with her Pokedex research. The examination was a breeze for Erebus, and he earned his chance to receive a new pokemon along with a Pokedex from the professor. Assisting a well renowned researcher was an excellent opportunity for the teen who also had an interest in studying pokemon.
To discover the truth behind the myths of legendary pokemon...
"Well, here we are." Erebus' mother announced as she drove into the small town.
"I'm going to be fine, Mum." Erebus said softly, responding to the concerned look on his mother's face.
"I know... You are going to do great, young man."
The two took some time saying their farewells. Erebus gave his mother a short kiss on the cheek as he exited the car. He didn't have to walk too far before Cheren spotted him.
"Erebus!" he called his friend's attention.
Erebus smiled as he rushed towards Cheren.
"Perfect timing."
A blue gift box decorated with a deep green bow sat behind Cheren. Erebus tilted his head slightly to get a better look at it.
"Yep, those are the pokemon." Cheren said with a small grin.
Joltz gave a soft cry, jittering about on Erebus' shoulder.
"The professor said that these pokemon are really important. It's quite generous for her to be giving them to the three of us."
"Three?" Erebus asked.
The teen had expected that there would perhaps be more trainers participating. If there were only three, however, he felt even luckier than he had before.
"Yes, three." Cheren confirmed, adding, "Where is Bianca anyway?"
Erebus held back a chuckle as Cheren began to tap his foot impatiently. He was the same tedious boy Erebus had known as a child.
"Am I a little late again? Soo-oooo-oorry!" a blonde haired girl said as she approached the boys.
"Bianca..." Cheren turned to the girl, "This is Erebus. He's the one I was telling you about."
"Oh! Hello! Nice to meet you!" Bianca exclaimed with enthusiasm.
"Right, now that you've made us wait long enough..." Cheren said, turning his attention back to the box.
"I'm sorry." Bianca replied.
"It's fine, really." Erebus said, offering the girl a smile.
"Okay! Since Erebus won the qualification exam, I think he should pick first!" Bianca offered.
"Naturally." Chen replied.
So there had only been one position open that the exam was intended to determine... A fact that Erebus had certainly been unaware of.
Involuntarily, Erebus took in a deep breath. He stepped forward and read aloud the note attached to the box before he opened it.
Tepig, the fire type pokemon. He looked quite strong and eager for a battle.
Oshawott, the water type pokemon. This adorable little guy didn't look too tough, but he seemed to be the most spirited and motivated to give his best.
Snivy, the grass type pokemon. Head lifted high, the elegant pokemon had an air of arrogance surrounding him.
From his first glance, Erebus knew who to pick.
"I'll take Snivy." he stated.
"Okay, I'll take this pokemon! Cheren, that one's yours!"
"Hey, how come you get to pick out my pokemon? Oh, never mind. I wanted Tepig from the start, anyway."
"Now that we all have a pokemon, let's battle!" Bianca excitedly declared.
"Honestly, Bianca?" questioned Cheren with an exasperated sigh.
Erebus gave a smile as he replied, "It's okay, I think it's a great idea. I'll accept your challenge."
"Goodness grief..."
"Alright! Let's do it!"
From the very first attack, Erebus felt pleased with his choice. Making use of a full out attack strategy, Erebus took the win.
"Wow! Erebus, you're going to be an awesome trainer someday, I can tell! No doubt!" Bianca declared.
"Hehheh. Thanks, Bianca."
"Here, let me help out your pokemon." Cheren offered, healing both pokemon with a potion.
"So, want to give it a go?" Erebus asked with a smirk.
Cheren nodded with his reply, "Yes, it's decided. You'll be my first opponent for my first pokemon battle!"
The battle was close as both of the new trainers demonstrated good battle instincts. The result was another victory for Erebus and Snivy. The battle decided, Erebus called Snivy back into his pokeball. He clicked the newest addition to his team next to the ultraball on his belt.
"Finally, I'm a trainer." Cheren stated in awe.
Erebus gave his excited reply, "We all are."
"We'd better go and thank Professor Juniper."
"Oh! I have to go home first! I'll meet you there!" Bianca replied, hurriedly rushing off.
Cheren gave a sigh.
"I'll be waiting in front of the lab." he said as he walked away calmly.
Although he did certainly want to meet the professor, Erebus took this chance to explore the small town a bit. He talked to people he passed by who were out enjoying the weather or leisurely working in their yards. As he explored, Erebus stumbled upon Bianca's house. He intended to knock, but the door was already ajar and he could see the teen girl. With a gentle push to the door, Erebus peeked in.
"No, no! A thousand times no!"
Erebus gave a slight flinch at the sound of the man's harsh yell.
Bianca argued with the man, and neither seemed to notice Erebus' presence. A woman within the house, however, did. She walked quietly over to the startled teen.
"Don't mind my husband, dear. He's just being overprotective." she whispered with a soft giggle.
Erebus' relaxed slightly and forced a strained smile.
"If you say so..."
"Erebus?!" Bianca gasped, almost running into him on her way to the door.
The teen offered her a sheepish grin, "I think Cheren's waiting at the lab."
The blonde nodded and left the house with Erebus by her side.
"Hey... That's a secret, okay?" the girl asked quietly as they walked.
"Lips are sealed, I didn't hear a thing." Erebus replied, running his finger across his lips as though they were a zipper.
Bianca smiled brightly, seeming to be greatly reassured.
It didn't take long before the pair met up with Cheren at the lab. He was tapping his foot and looked slightly annoyed.
"What took you so long?"
Erebus waved his hand in a dismissive manner, enough to get the other to drop the question.
All three of the new trainers walked into the lab. Erebus couldn't help but grin as he saw a few scientists walk by occasionally. Cheren seemed to know precisely where he was going and lead the group briskly.
Professor Juniper greeted the three and introduced herself. Erebus felt excited as she explained her area of research to the teens. Working towards the discovery of pokemon origins didn't sound like a dull objective to be assisting. When asked, Erebus agreed enthusiastically to accept the responsibility of a Pokedex.
During the conversation with the professor, she asked the trainers if they had given a nickname to their pokemon. Erebus realized that he had been too caught up in their immediate battle to have even given it any thought. He was in favor of using nicknames, even if the right name didn't come to him until sometime later. For Snivy, however, Erebus had something in mind.
"Majestas." he stated, giving a small nod.
The professor directed the three trainers on where to meet her next before ending her conversation with them. Bianca rushed off ahead, and Cheren shook his head as he walked briskly in an attempt to keep up.
Erebus left at a more leisurely pace, still taking in the sights of a professional pokemon laboratory.
Despite their differences in paces, all three trainers met at the very edge of town just before Route One. Bianca was waving dramatically for Erebus to hurry up.
"She wants us all to take our first step on our adventure together." Cheren explained once Erebus reached them.
"Hey, let's do it! Come on!"
Erebus chuckled, "Okay, here we go."
"One... Two..."
All three of the teens walked to the professor in perfect unison. She gave them a lesson in how to catch pokemon, as well as a few pokeballs. Although Erebus wanted to be helpful to Professor Juniper, he knew that he wouldn't be catching every pokemon that jumped out at him. He wanted to commit his full efforts on the ones that specifically caught his eye.
Professor Juniper went on ahead of the trainers again.
"Why don't we have a contest to see who can catch the most pokemon on Route One?" Bianca asked.
After some convincing, Cheren agreed, applying some logic to the benefits of the contest. Erebus crossed his arms over his chest as a two-out-of-three vote seemed to include him in the game as well.
Bianca and Cheren walked ahead to find distant patches of tall grass to battle in. Erebus figured that they'd all split up before meeting the professor again in the next town.
For now, however, Erebus was on his own.
"Well, Joltz, this is it."
The insect cried out in excitement as Erebus stepped into a new patch of tall grass.
Author Notes: This is my first time ever really trying to do anything like this. Writing a story alongside actual gameplay that I'm experiencing first hand is pretty interesting. I hope you've enjoyed this first chapter! There will be more to come in the near future!