Pokemon - Solo's Strange Journey

The Sinnoh region! A breathtaking, awe inspiring corner of the pokemon world, complete with an amazing array of pokemon.

Everywhere you look, pokemon are soaring through the air, gliding through the water, riding on the land and sharing the land with all sorts of people; Working and playing together. They are training. They are battling. They are going on adventures every day!

For many young people, these adventures begin shortly after their fourteenth birthday. A happily anticipated milestone because on that day, they become legal adults in the Sinnoh region and they will soon receive their very own pokemon partner.

Our own adventure begins today, in a small rural town at the south-western edge of the Sinnoh continent. Twinleaf Town, the popular retirement location for only the best pokemon trainers, researchers, breeders and coordinators to settle down and build a family.

You should know that of the many pokemon living in this world, some are more dangerous, and some are more friendly. The friendly pokemon stay closer to humans, where they will often get food and protection for free. 

But the wilder, dangerous and bloodthirsty pokemon live further out in the so called wilderness. They can grow unimpeded, only restricted by their own ability. It is the professional pokemon trainer's job to keep these truly wild pokemon away from the cities, towns and routes.

And the tiny Twinleaf Town just happens to have the very best protection. For that reason, the massive gardens of the rich families are teeming with friendly pokemon.

But beyond the town, far away from the rest of civilization is nothing but dangerous wilderness. A daunting place to live at for most, but for seasoned pokemon trainers, this becomes the perfect place to raise the next generation.

The start of our journey begins here, at a small lake directly adjacent to the town, which is filled with kind pokemon and encircled with a wide rocky strip of gravel. Right on this very beach is where we find our young hero, who just yesterday had his very own fourteenth birthday.

---

Swole Solo-POV:

Hello there! Welcome to the world of pokemon! My name is Swole Solo! People call me the pokemon champion! 

This world is inhabited by creatures called pokemon! For some people, pokemon are pets. Others use them for fights.

Myself... well I'm actually not a pokemon champion, yet.

I'm just sitting around and reading a book here on the beach with my three best friends. I turned 14 yesterday and now I'm finally an adult and I can go to the trainer school starting next month!

"Why won't you put your book away for a bit? Nerd." Says Lucas Diamond. My best friend. He's trying to skip stones over the lake. "Have a little fun for a change." Like you are surely having right now? "You will have to study more than enough at trainer school." 

He has dark blue hair and is wearing matching pants, a black rain coat, a white scarf and this really ugly red hat with a pokeball design on the side.

"Lucas, why aren't you studying more? You want to become a pokemon professor but you aren't actually doing anything for it." Replies Barry Pearl for me. 

Barry Pearl... My other best friend and my rival. He and I both want to be the next Sinnoh champion. But the guy is just as lazy as the 'future pokemon professor' and skips stones with him. 

Boooring. 

He has blonde, wild hair and orange eyes. He wears dark brown pants, a green scarf and an orange and white striped jacket.

I can't let Lucas get away with insulting my methods while Berry of all people defends me. "All of you should be studying more about pokemon. Pokemon fights are 50% strategy, 50% training and 50% planning. You won't get anywhere with your pokemon career if you don't learn the strategies and don't prepare yourselves."

I myself have luscious blonde locks and striking blue eyes. I'm wearing beige cargo pants, a black sweater and a white raincoat. 

I am by far the most handsome of us. 

But I should have worn a scarf today. Even though it's spring already, the mornings are still pretty cold. 

Why can't we live in Alola?

The fourth person in our group and my final best friend, Dawn Berlitz, looks up from painting her nails. 

She is the cutest girl in town - and the only one - but she wants to step into her mothers footsteps by becoming a top coordinator.

Typical girls. What a waste for a career. 

"Actually, what are you reading right now, Swole? Is it helping you to become a champion at all?" She asks. 

She has long, straight, dark blue hair. She is wearing a black, no-sleeve dress with pink highlights, which is just way too short for this weather, but a white scarf to compensate.

My three friends are all cousins or something but only Dawn and Lucas actually look somewhat similar to each other. Barry looks more similar to me than them.

I flip over the book to read the title myself. "Ancient Sinnoh History... My mom got it for my birthday and I was wondering if I could learn anything from it for our journey through Sinnoh. For example, did you guys know that Sinnoh used to be called Hisui? And that the first modern pokeball was invented here?" 

... This is kinda useless, isn't it? 

Did Dawn know that? Is that why she asked about the book like that? 

But she is always so kind and innocent... No way did she plan to diss me like this.

Lucas identifies the glaring problem with the book's contents too and pounces on it, "And how does that help you become a pokemon champion? Or a pokemon trainer? All it does is help you be an even bigger pokemon nerd." 

Dawn and Barry chuckle at the terrible joke. It was the worst joke I have ever heard. Just awful.

"For a guy that can't even cook, you are tossing out a lot of sass, Lucas. How about you serve us something that isn't deadly before you speak to us adults." I counter. 

Truly a hilarious and well planned joke; His Birthday is still a couple days off so he's still legally a child. He also tried making food recently. We, the test subjects, have learned the consequences of his cooking. 

I am so witty sometimes.

But from the low pity-chuckles, the others are judging my awesome joke to be lamer than his shitty insult. 

Tough crowd... Time to retreat!

"Well, I guess I should go home and grab a book on fairy type moves instead. I still need to learn more about some of them." I state and Barry responds first.

"The fairy type sucks. Why are these tiny and cute things strong against dragons? And weak against steel of all things? It makes no sense!"

"Maybe I should get a cute fairy pokemon! Do you think they would be good for contests?" Dawn asks, her attention fully on the conversation now that she heard the word 'cute' in it. 

Typical. 

I close my book. "Wouldn't every other coordinator also come with fairy pokemon? I think you should go with something more flashy instead. Maybe steel pokemon? Anyway, see you soon guys!" 

I head off to the short road back home, leaving my friends behind with my insightful statement.

---

Whew. That was a tough walk! But I managed to reach home which is roughly 500 steps away from the lake. 

I wish our mansion was closer to the lake.

Mom's pick up truck isn't here today. That means, she has gone shopping in Sandgem Town. 

Poor woman needs to waste a whole day just to pick up the groceries for the month. Half a day driving and the other half wasted doing the actual shopping.

I continue through our front garden. Usually mom would be working on the berry trees with her Roselia but today there are only thieves around. Wild pokemon who steal our berries whenever they can.

The air is filled with the aroma of flowers that grow all over the place. And the flowers are dotted with tiny Flabébé that are dancing among them. 

Some Cufiefly buzz around the area, a few Combee collect honey for their hives and an Aipom is running off with a Tamato Berry. 

The fool! Well, maybe he won't steal again after eating that.

The garden is especially tranquil today. Mom always says, that is a sign of good things to come!

Therefore, with a happy mood I enter our mansion through the front door. 

My new bottomless backpack happens to rest against a wall in the entrance hall. I thought I put it in my room? 

... Might as well stash the history book in there for a slow day in my pokemon adventure. The bag is bottomless after all. I can't waste the space.

But I still need a useful book. So I take off my shoes and move further into the mansion. 

To father's library.

On the way I pass his and mom's shrine to their achievements throughout their journeys.

Mom has a few ribbons placed in near rows from her career as a top coordinator. She even has a... final contest trophy? Or whatever their version of the pokemon league is called. 

Never really listened when she told me about contests.

My father's side of the shrine on the other hand has a little over 80 gym badges from all over the world! Hoenn, a few from Kanto, Kalos but most from Sinnoh. A couple of trophies from minor tournaments, but no champion trophy. 

Because the best he has ever been was second place in the platinum league; Here in Sinnoh. The TV recordings show off his skills as a trainer but he lost in the final round against Cynthia's predecessor, Professor Rowan. 

That guy cleaned the floor with dad. It was pretty hard to look at to be honest.

A year later, mom got pregnant and she and dad retired to raise me.

That same year, a fifteen year old Cynthia Shirona managed to beat Rowan. She became the new, undefeated champion ever since. 

An incredibly powerful champion, with a world-renowned Garchomp and a perfect track record! She is the one I must beat this year! 

... Or some year soon. Let's not set my goals too high.

Anyway, the library. I walk the final few steps through the hallway, pass through the massive, pinewood door and into the library. 

"Oh. Hi dad."

"Good morning Swole." Answers my strict father. He always wears a business suit, even in his own home. 

I have my naturally sun bleached surfer hair from him, but it looks a lot more tidy on him. 

He stands up and approaches me. He has a very tall stature, is muscular and covered in scars. "I did not expect you home so early. But this is good. I need to talk with you and daylight is burning."

"Uhm, okay? What did you want to talk about, dad?" I ask. Not having a clue what he could want from me.

"Son. You are an adult now." I nod slowly. "But you still have no pokemon at your service. Why is that?" 

It's obvious. 

Trainer school hasn't started yet and I only get my pokemon from professor Rowan that day. "Well, I need to wait until next month to get my starter pokemon. Mom should have told you that already."

"She did. But I have called professor Rowan. He will not prepare a pokemon for you. You will still get your pokedex and your field researcher stipend from him, but you will have to come with your own pokemon." 

With that he grabs something from his pocket and holds it out.

A premier ball. A beautiful marvel of modern engineering. White as bone, with red highlights at the seam.

Don't tell me! Will dad give me a pokemon early? Oh. My. Arceus!

I gently take the ball. "What's inside that pokeball, dad?"

"Nothing, son." What? "You will capture your own pokemon from the wilderness with that."

What? "What?" No way. The wilderness is brutal and dangerous. Mom always told me to stay on the routes because the wilderness is too deadly and unpredictable. Even for a lot of pokemon trainers. 

I can't just go in there without my own pokemon!

"When I turned fourteen, my father took me out into the wilderness. He had asked me about various pokemon. Asked if I wanted them as my first pokemon or not. Whenever I answered wrong, he would strike me and tell me that the pokemon was too weak."

Grandpa beat him on his birthday? I'm kinda glad now that he's already dead.

"And then we found a Kricketot. He was by far the most aggressive pokemon around. He almost started fighting my fathers pokemon on his own but your grandfather simply recalled his pokemon and ordered me to fight him instead."

No way. I know dad's first pokemon. His Kricketune is one hell of a fighter! I saw him on the pokemon league TV recordings too. 

There is no way a human could have battled against such a pokemon and won. Maybe if it was a Bidoof or a Magikarp, but Kricketot would have been much stronger than a fourteen year old boy!

"What happened then?" I ask, dreading, but still excited to know what happens next.

"Kricketot pulverized most of my digestive system and my legs in two hits, but I broke off his antenna and choked him out. I won and before passing out myself, my father put a pokeball in my hands and told me to capture Kricketot."

What. The. Fuck. 

"When I came back to my senses, Kricketot was captured and he accepted me as his new master. And your grandfather saved my life with Sitrus Berry juice." 

He pulls open his jacket, unbuttons his dress-shirt and shows off a large circular scar. "This is where he hit me with Tackle. The bruise ended up with necrosis and I got this scar from it."

No. No way. Don't tell me this is what he wants me to do too! "Dad. I can't fight a pokemon. I don't even work out, it will kill me!"

"Sigh. I know, son. And I won't force you to do what my father thought was right for me. I didn't raise you to be like me. After all, being a strong fighter myself didn't make me become a pokemon champion. But you will be one. I taught you everything I know about pokemon. And you will succeed where I have failed. I'm sure of it."

He grabs me by the shoulder and sports the sternest look I have ever seen on his face.

He drags me back through the pinewood door and back into the hallway.

"The Berlitz, Diamond and Pearl families might rely on weak handout pokemon by Rowan. But us Solos; We are built differently. For generations we have always caught our first pokemon with our own hands. And you will not be the first Solo to change that. Understood?" 

We pass the trophy stands and father's face sours some more. "I don't care how you will get a pokemon. Just know if it is too weak, I will break your pokeball and send you back out again.

Fuck me. I'm going to die, aren't I? 

"See your backpack over by the door? I filled it with enough food to last you for months, a berry case filled with almost every type of berry and a few camping essentials." 

Months? But I need to be at the trainer school in just a little over a month! Or else I need to wait a whole year to get the financing for my own journey!

"The water filter only comes with a three liter container. Remember to stock up at rivers, lakes or even puddles if you have to."

The situation is finally starting to set in. The madman really wants to send me out there. He lifts up the backpack and places it in my arms.

No.

"Oh, and don't forget your new running shoes!" He lifts up my shoes and places them on top of the bag.

You can't do this to me!

He opens the front door and pushes me out. I turn back around and can only gaffe at the insanity. 

"Remember what I taught you. And remember, not a weak pokemon. I will be testing it." 

After that he shuts the door closed right in front of my face... And then he locks it.

Fuck. Me.

---

Really? Fuck me, right?

That son of a bitch seriously cancelled my free starter pokemon.

"Shit." Fuck.

This is actually really bad. I might be a legal adult but my only work options are to be a pokemon trainer, or to wait until I'm 16 for a regular job.

And I can't be a pokemon trainer without a pokemon! I have to fight for my own pokemon now!

Damn you old man! He really bent me over with that stunt!

"Fuck!" 

Cussing won't solve my problems.

My options are clear. Go into the wilderness and catch a strong pokemon. Nothing else would work.

If the pokemon is too weak I will have wasted my time and have to try again. And I only have ONE pokeball.

"Shit!"

That means I only have one attempt to actually catch a pokemon. Only a willing pokemon or a knocked out pokemon could be caught that easily.

And I have no way of knocking a pokemon out! "Fucking shit!"

There is only one single way out. "I need to convince a strong pokemon to become my partner." It sounded even worse out loud.

This is difficult. Maybe impossible? ... No. Nothing is impossible.

Come on, Swole Solo! Don't be a pussy! If I want to be a pokemon champion, then I have no choice.

Deep breaths. I am Swole fucking Solo.

I am going to be the Sinnoh champion!

I will not give up because of a tiny bit of danger!

Swole Solo, the Sinnoh CHAMPION!

Whew!

... Alright. It's time to plan.

I have no physical strength whatsoever. That sucks. I will need to use my wits and brains to give me every advantage I can get.

So, step one, check what I have.

I drop my equipment and re-check what I have on my body.

Warm socks, no shoes. Cargo pants, a premier ball in my right pocket. A warm pullover. A raincoat. And pokemon themed underwear.

This is a decent start. Cargo pants are a dozen times more useful than normal pants. I always knew it was going to pay off to wear them every day.

The problem of missing footwear is easily solved with the white and red running shoes my oh-so helpful father has given me before kicking me out of the house.

I lace them up and look a little cooler already. They come in the same design that Red used, while he was still around.

And according to Devon Corp, these shoes make me run faster. Probably just a marketing scheme. They mentioned something about 'pressing B' in their advertisements.

Next up, backpack: The bottomless version. After all, a modern man cannot possibly camp with anything less. Brown leather and a little old-school looking. Very stylish...

Wait a second... That's just Red's backpack design! I remember it from the posters on my walls!

... Now I'm dressed like some kind of Red super-fan...

Looking inside the backpack, I see one compartment is filled with nothing but food. Survival food. It's beef jerky and hard-tack. Absolutely nothing else. "Asshole!"

Another compartment has a berry case, a shovel, a lot of rope and a brand new water filter made by Devon Corp: 3 liter storage, but it's completely empty! "Cunt!"

And my Ancient Sinnoh History book. That's pretty good for just 2 compartments, I wonder what's in the rest?

But before checking the other compartments, I check the contents of the berry case...

... Sweet baby Mew! It's stuffed with everything!

Cheri Berry for paralysis, sweet and tasty Pecha Berry against poisonings, Oran Berry for fatigue recovery and even a few Sitrus Berries!

Dad really splurged on berries. The Sitrus Berries alone are worth a small fortune for their healing properties.

There are also a few more esoteric berries like Leppa Berry and some berries for cooking: Pinap Berry, Qualot Berry and... Tamato Berry.

I shudder at a resurfacing memory of Lucas' cooking. The guy almost killed us all with his Tamato Berry stew.

Two whole Tamato Berries and I had to push out a burning hot Slugma the same evening. Those are the fruits that Darkrai himself delivered to us to turn even food into a nightmare.

But let's not get distracted with recent war crimes. I still need to check out the essential camping supplies dad mentioned.

So I open up all the other compartments and find... nothing.

"What?" Where are the camping essentials?

... My eyes wander back to the shovel, the ropes, the water filter and the history book. "No way." I recheck the compartments again.

No tent. No lighter. Nothing.

This can't be it. How am I supposed to camp with that?!

I can see the smug bastard through the kitchen window! Sitting there with his steaming coffee mug. Watching me.

"Oi! Dad, you forgot to pack me the camping essentials!" He just shakes his head. "Come on! Can I at least get a sleeping bag?" Another shake. "... Cunt." I whisper.

... Of all the things I have, only the water filter and the food are actually going to help me survive out there. Fuck you too dad.

And fuck me... We live in Sinnoh, you prick. Nights are fucking cold, asshole!

Should I beg my friends for some equipment?

... No. Swole Solo is not a beggar. I will just get this over as quickly as I can and then come back.

And then I can brag to them that I got my starter pokemon before any of them!

Yes. Win quickly, then brag. That's a good plan.

After packing up all my stuff and equipping my backpack, I begin walking with no real direction in mind. The only thing that matters is that I move away from the town's center, away from safety.

Towards stronger pokemon. To the wilderness.

As I'm walking, I see lots of friendly pokemon peeking their faces out from behind bushes and trees.

A Pachirisu greets me before running off with a berry. So cute!

Sigh. But none of these are tough. Those are the loser pokemon that would never even hurt a fly.

If I came back with one of those, dad would beat me up, accuse my mom of cheating on him and demand a divorce because I could never, ever, possibly be related to him.

A pokemon who waved at me slowly stopped because of my dejected face.

Come on! That only makes them even cuter!

Still feeling disappointed but unable to suppress a smile at their cuteness, I continue on. By mid-day, slightly out of breath, I notice... that I finally made it out of our garden?

Why is our garden so massive? Just how much money do we have?