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(Well, I figure it's about time I start actually posting these fanfics I keep mentioning I write, am I right?)

Chapter 1: A New Adventure

It was a bright, sunny morning in Talpel Town. The blocky, scrambled sun shone brightly in the sky with nary a single digit to block the light as it shone onto the various dwellings, the walls of which were all covered in rocks, shrubbery, pieces of fence, and the occasional number, all of them arranged in no particular pattern, giving the whole town a very random and disorderly appearance.

Through the crooked, scrambled-looking door of one of these houses burst a young boy, fourteen years of age, dressed in baggy jeans and a black t-shirt. His shaggy, carrot-colored hair shook wildly as he ran excitedly past his mother's garden and down the road, which was peppered with tufts of grass, rocky patches, and the occasional square-shaped puddle.

"This is it!" the boy muttered to himself excitedly. "This is the day I finally get my first Poké-OOF!"

For at that moment, he had collided head-on with a girl his age, clad in a purple sweatshirt and a pair of tight blue jeans.

"Orange!" scowled the girl as she pushed her sleek black hair out of her face. "Can't you look where you're going for once in your life?"

"Sorry, Vi," the boy named Orange apologized, grinning sheepishly as the two picked themselves up and started walking together. "I'm just excited, you know? Once we get our starters from Professor Redwood, we're free to travel the Tanko region as Pokémon trainers!"

"It is exciting, isn't it?" the girl conceded, betraying a small grin. "You decided on your starter?"

Orange nodded. "44Hy for sure," he said. "What about you?"

"Still thinking about it," came the reply. "Bellsprout, Growlithe, 44Hy, they all evolve into great Pokémon."

"Well, you better get thinking, Violet- we're here," grinned Orange. Sure enough, they had arrived at a building that was coated in the same sort of semi-random debris as all the others, but was significantly larger. A sign posted on a nearby rock read; "Redwood Pokémon Research Lab".

"Rrrgh," groaned Violet as they walked up to the door. "Still... Don't... Know... Oh, Orange, can't you be patient at all?!" she added in exasperation as Orange eagerly rapped on the part of the wall which resembled a piece of fence.

"I've been patient for too long, Vi," said Orange. "I just want to be a trainer already!"

"Me too, but you can't just rush this decision!" Violet hissed.

"What rush? You've had months to think about it!" laughed Orange.

"That's just it- I've been using those months to actually think! Unlike you, you just decided you're starting with 44Hy the minute your mom told you she'd let you start training!"

Orange opened his mouth to retort, but the fence piece swung open, revealing a middle-aged man whose buttoned-up lab coat did a very poor job of hiding his considerable gut. What remained of his hair was colored a dark brown.

"Professor Redwood!" Violet exclaimed. "Um... I'm Violet Scramble, and this is-"

"Orange McPixel," finished the professor. "I've already heard from both your mothers. You're here for your starter Pokémon, correct?"

Orange and Violet nodded simultaneously.

"Well, come in! Come in!" exclaimed Professor Redwood jovially as he turned around and walked back into the building. Orange and Violet exchanged looks, then followed.

The interior of Professor Redwood's lab looked nowhere near as chaotic as the outside did; the entire floor was wood, the walls were all white, and not a single digit could be seen on the ceiling.

"Important day for you two, this," Redwood stated as he reached over to a nearby table and took three spheres off of it, scooping them into his left arm. The spheres were half red and half white, with the halves being divided by a thin, black line. At one point in this line, there was a small, white button. Each Poké Ball was the size of a baseball.

"Are those...?" Orange asked excitedly.

"Yep," replied Redwood. "The starter Pokémon. Let me introduce you to 'em. First up, the Grass-type... Bellsprout!"

As Redwood spoke that last word, he took one of the Poké Balls into his right hand and tossed it straight up into the air, whereupon it split open along that black line, releasing a gush of bright white light into the room. The light gathered on the floor and formed itself into what appeared to be a small plant of some sort. Its body was, for the most part, a brown, lithe vine, which split into two roots near the bottom. In the middle, a pair of leaves sprouted from this vine, and on the top was a bell-shaped head with two beady eyes and a large, gaping mouth.

"Bellsprout sprout," the Pokémon stated as it looked up at Orange and Violet.

"Yeah, Bellsprout, cool- let's see the next one," Orange said excitedly.

"There's no rush here, lad," replied Redwood, but all the same, he took another Poké Ball and threw it. "Next, the Fire-type... Growlithe!"

Another flash of light, and an orange quadrupedal Pokémon formed on the floor, and sat next to Bellsprout. This Pokémon had black stripes and cream-colored tufts of fur everywhere.

"Grrrrowlithe!" it barked, wagging its bushy tail at the sight of the beginning trainers.

"...and?" prompted Orange impatiently, earning a stomp on the foot from Violet.

"Sprout sprout Bellsprout!" Bellsprout laughed as Orange howled in pain.

"And finally," declared Redwood as he threw the last Poké Ball into the air, "Last but not least, the Water-type... 44Hy!"

A third flash of light, and a cube-shaped Pokémon covered in pixelly markings materialized. This Pokémon appeared to be two feet tall, and its markings were various shades of bright red, with a few black pixels thrown in.

"Four four hyyyyyyyy," squealed 44Hy, despite lacking a discernible mouth.

"Now you've met your three choices," stated Redwood. "Think it over carefully, for this decision is not one to be taken lightly-"

"I want 44hy," interrupted Orange. Violet facepalmed, Bellsprout mirroring this action.

"...OK, then," shrugged Redwood, as he held out one of the Poké Balls. "44Hy, return."

Immediately, a beam of red light shot out of the button on the Poké Ball and struck 44Hy. This converted the Water-type into a shapeless glob of red light, which was then sucked back into the ball. Redwood then tossed the sphere at Orange, who in his excitement nearly dropped it.

"And Miss Scramble, have you decided?" Redwood asked.

"I think so," smiled Violet. "I want Bellsprout."

"That was fast," remarked Orange as the professor returned Bellsprout to its Poké Ball. "I thought you couldn't decide."

"Yeah, well, I just have a feeling that me and Chompy are gonna get along fine," grinned Violet. "And don't touch that, Orange!"

"What?" Orange asked defensively, but withdrawing his hand from a nearby computer all the same. "I just wanted to see if it had Solitaire!"

"She's right, Orange, you shouldn't be touching this stuff," said Professor Redwood, as he glanced around at his laboratory. Though it was relatively clean, there were still stacks of paper in various places on the floor. The computer Orange nearly touched was hardly the only one in the room; there were at least three that Orange could see at a quick glance.

"Well, it's not like I was gonna destroy it or anything," Orange sulked. "And Vi, what did you call your Bellsprout?

"Chompy. It's Bellsprout's nickname," replied Violet. "You know, you could give that 44Hy of yours a nickname, Orange."

"I suck at nicknaming and you know it," Orange snapped. "Remember the pet Pikachu my mom got?"

"Oh yeah," Violet laughed. "You named it 'Shockey'."

"It seemed like a good idea at the time!"

"Much as I hate to interrupt," Professor Redwood spoke up, "I think I ought to give you two your Pokédexes and Poké Balls."

"Oh, yeah!" exclaimed Orange as the professor handed him a thin, red box and five miniature Poké Balls. As he handed the same to Violet, Orange dumped the supplies carelessly in the yellow backpack he had been wearing. Violet rolled her eyes as she carefully packed her supplies into the blue fanny pack she was wearing.

"Thanks, Professor," grinned Violet as the duo turned to leave.

"One more thing, just a minute," the professor said suddenly. "Get on with it."

"With what?" asked Violet. This time, it was Orange's turn to roll his eyes.

"You don't get it, do you, Vi?" he said exasperatedly. "We're both trainers now. Professor Redwood wants us to have a battle!"

"Very good, Orange," nodded Redwood approvingly. "Battles are the best way to build bonds between trainers and their Pokémon. And given how spacious my lab is, you might as well have at it right here!"

"Let's do this," grinned Orange as he and Violet went to opposite ends of the large and airy room.

"Prepare to lose," Violet grinned back. "Grass beats Water, you know."

"And Psychic beats Poison," Orange shot back. "Type advantages go both ways with this one."

"This will be a one-on-one battle between Orange McPixel of Talpel Town, and Violet Scramble, also of Talpel Town," announced Professor Redwood to nobody in particular. "Begin!"

"Alright, 44Hy!" exclaimed Orange as he took the Poké Ball off of his belt, pressed the button to enlarge it to full size, and heaved it towards the middle of the room. "Let's win this!"

The ball unleashed a flash of light which formed into 44Hy. The Water/Psychic-type floated motionlessly in midair.

"I choose you, Chompy!" called Violet as she threw her own Poké Ball. "Go!"

Another flash of light, and Violet's Bellsprout materialized. It faced Orange's 44Hy and gave what was evidently supposed to be an intimidating battle cry. Then, as if on cue, both trainers took their Pokédexes out, opened them up, and pointed them at their newly acquired Pokémon.

"44Hy, the Riverside Pokémon," droned Orange's Pokédex in a mechanical voice. "44Hy is an uncommonly good swimmer. If threatened, it fights back with telekinetic power Though usually small, the largest known specimen was recorded at being twenty-three feet tall."

"Bellsprout, the Flower Pokémon," droned Violet's Pokédex in a voice identical to Orange's Pokédex. "Bellsprout attacks with its vines at the slightest provocation. It is carnivorous and feasts on small bugs." Each Pokédex then listed on its screen the attacks the Pokémon before them knew.

"Let's go, 44Hy! Headbutt attack now!" ordered Orange.

"Hyyyyyyyyyyy," squealed 44Hy as it zoomed forward.

"Chompy, dodge it and use Vine Whip!" commanded Violet.

"Sprout!" exclaimed Chompy as it leapt into the air, evading the Headbutt completely. Then, a pair of green vines sprouted from behind Chompy's leaves and slammed into 44Hy, sending it crashing to the floor.

"44Hy, now try your Disable attack!" Orange called as the Riverside Pokémon unsteadily rose back into the air. Almost immediately, a pink glow came over 44Hy's cube-shaped body, and a similar glow formed in the Bellsprout's eyes.

"Damn!" groaned Violet. "Vine Whip was Chompy's only move, too."

"We got 'em now," grinned Orange.

"Chompy, use Struggle attack!" called Violet.

"Confusion!" cackled Orange.

"Hyyyyyyyyyyyyyy four four," exclaimed 44Hy as it launched a ray of blue light from one of its corners. Chompy dashed forward, flailing about madly, but the effort was in vain; as soon as 44Hy's Confusion attack hit, Bellsprout was knocked back; it slid across the floor, skidding to a stop at its trainer's feet.

"Chompy is unable to battle!" declared Redwood. "Orange and 44Hy are the winners!"

"We'll beat them next time, Chompy," Violet assured her unconscious Pokémon as she returned it to its Poké Ball.

"Great job, 44Hy," Orange grinned as he withdrew his Water/Psychic-type.

"Great job, the both of you," smiled Redwood. "You both were in sync with your Pokémon the whole time, and you battled excellently. I really think the two of you are gonna do fine-"

THUMP!

"What the hell?" muttered Orange; the loud thumping sound had come from just outside the front of the laboratory.

"Let's see what's going on," Redwood stated as he dashed to the door as fast as his portliness would allow. As he pushed it open, Orange looked past him to see a boy who looked around his age passed out on the road.

"Sweet crap!" exclaimed Orange as the professor ran over, picked the unconscious youth up, and carried him into the lab. He was wearing a sleeveless red jacket over a black t-shirt, and a red-and-white cap over messy brown hair.

"Is he breathing?" asked Violet as the professor laid the boy down on a nearby couch.

"Yeah he is," said Redwood. "I never seen him around here before, though."

Just then, the youth's eyelids fluttered, then opened completely.

"He's awake!" declared Orange.

"Yeah, thanks, Captain Obvious," sighed Violet.

"Oh..." groaned the boy. "Where... where am I?"