Pokemon: Harper's Adventure

Chapter 1

Harper

I had said my finally goodbyes, and now I was leaving Sandgem Town with my new Pokémon partner, Noel. Noel was a prideful little Piplup who hated being confined inside his Poké Ball. So, I let him stay out.

My older brother had given Noel to me. He was a Breeder in-training. When he received an egg from the daycare he worked at and it hatched into one of the rare, traditional Sinnoh starters, he gave it to me. My brother's name was Rodney, and I owed him so much for what he'd given me.

I had stocked up on Potions, various Berries, empty Poké Balls, and a Town Map given to me by my mom. It was a very handy little machine that opened and closed like a laptop. It was blue and yellow on the outside. On the inside of it was two screens that showed me every corner of Sinnoh. The top screen revealed the map, and the bottom screen would allow me to see what was where in a specific area. It must've been very expensive to buy, so I swore that I would keep a close eye on the precious thing.

I stepped onto where the sidewalk of Sandgem Town stopped, then breathed in the fresh scent of pine needles and early spring frost. There were clumps of slushy, dirty snow here and there, signaling the end of a cold winter and the beginning of a lovely spring. The air was still a bit chilly, so I was wearing a gray jacket with black strings. The sky was a crisp blue, and the forest surrounding me was primarily green.

"Ready to get going, Noel?" I asked, looking down at my Piplup.

"Pip, Piplup!" Noel replied. The penguin Pokémon placed his wings on his sides and puffed his chest out, showing zero signs of fear. He was a determined little guy.

"I'll take that as a yes," I said, laughing slightly. Noel eyed me before we started walking deeper into Route 202.

We walked along the slightly-muddy dirt trail. There were thin strips of tall grass on either side of the trail before a thick border of pine trees appeared. There were Starly that would fly over Noel and I's heads every now and then, and sometimes I would spot a Bidoof, Kricketot, or Shinx within the tall grass.

Noel seemed to be getting a bit antsy. I could tell that he wanted to battle another Pokémon. Since he was bred, Noel knew more than just Pound and Growl. He also knew Icy Wind, thanks to one of his parents. My brother told me that Noel's ability was Torrent, which boosted the power of his Water-type moves if he was on his last leg.

Suddenly, I heard a person's voice shout from behind me. "Hey!" Noel and I turned around to see a boy who was easily shorter than me. He has fair skin with dark hair, which was tucked underneath a blue ball cap. He was wearing a red t-shirt and blue shorts. A Starly was perched on his shoulder, looking at Noel and I determinedly.

"Are you a Trainer?" the boy asked. Before I could reply, he cut me off. "Of course you are! Anybody who's traveling about with a Pokémon is obviously a Trainer of some sort!" His brown eyes flashed. "Name's Tristan, and this here is Starly. Can we have a battle?"

I thought for a moment, then looked down at Noel. "Well, what do you think, buddy?" I asked my Piplup. "Want to battle Starly?"

"Lup!" Noel replied determinedly. He puffed out his chest and raced forward to stand in front of me.

I smiled, then nodded towards Tristan. "Sure, we'll battle you," I told him. "A one-on-one. What do you say?"

"Sounds like a plan!" the boy smirked. "But I won't lose! Let's go, Starly!"

"Sta-ar!" Starly cawed. The gray bird Pokémon flew off of their Trainer's shoulder and landed on the ground. They struck a dramatic pose and folded their wings once more.

"Let's do this, Noel," I smiled. My Piplup nodded. This was it. My first battle!