I walked down the gangplank, Growlithe bounding by my side. He gave a bark and I ruffled his fur. "Hey buddy. I think we finally got away. No more Team Rocket."
He yipped with joy and darted ahead of me. I laughed for the first time in a long time. I raced after him and after five minutes of being fools, we settled on a bench in a park in Hau'oli City. I grabbed a tourist booklet earlier and I opened it.
I studied it. "Says here there's no gyms or a Pokemon league in Alola." Growlithe whined and looked at me. I rubbed his head. "Don't worry buddy. There must be something to do here in Alola."
I sighed and stared at the sky. "You know something, Growlithe. If I'm destined to be here in Alola, couldn't there be a league at least."
"If you were to start over, what would you like to do?"
Growlithe jumped on the bench and nuzzled my arm. I smiled and looked at the booklet again. After a minute I let out a "Aha!" startling the Fire type.
I pointed at a spot in the booklet. "Says here there's a thing called the Island Challenge, but it doesn't say how to enter it. But it does say the regional Professor lives in the Hau'oli Outskirts, just past the Trainers School. Maybe he'll have an idea how to join. Plus, I feel like we should get a new partner. A starter Pokemon."
Growlithe jumped off the bench and started circling, barking with joy.
I laughed as I got to my feet. "Settle down buddy. Let's head to the Professor's house and then ask about the Island Challenge. Now, how about a race?"
I began running out of the park with Growlithe close behind me.
...
A boy raced out of his house and out of Iki Town, scrambling down wooden steps.
"Gotta hurry if I want my first Pokemon," He thought as he ran into Route 1, unaware of what awaited him on his Island Trial.
...
I stopped to catch my breath when we passed the Trainer's School. I glanced at Growlithe who was panting. I pulled out his pokeball, returning him with a flash of red light. "Take a rest Growlithe. Let me do the running from here."
I clipped his pokeball to my belt and took a step onto Route 1 when someone barreled into me.
I crashed to the ground and groaned. "Owww!"
As I sat up, the thing that hit me did as well. That "thing" turned out to be a dark skinned boy who was grinning sheepishly, hand rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry. I was in a hurry. Didn't see you there."
"No problem. I've had worse tumbles," I said and stood, holding out my hand to help him up. "In a hurry for what though?"
He accepted my hand and stood, then started bouncing excitedly. "My first Pokemon. I'm fourteen and now Tutu is finally letting me get one."
YOU ARE READING
Pokémon USUM: Hero Born of Darkness (book 1 of the HBoD series)
FanfictionCurrent Cover and Banners by @ImberLapis Zeno, a teen on the run from his past life, finds his way to Alola in hopes of restarting his life as a regular Pokémon Trainer with his partner, Growlithe. However, no matter how hard he tries, he can't full...