The start of a new journey (open)

[Deleted]

The sun had not yet risen on Hoenn, the calm winds blowing through the numerous trees that surrounded the town of Littleroot. The crisp, cool air and the sparkles of dew in the tall grass set the stage of new beginnings, a new day having begun.

Pokemon Trainer Red could appreciate this, having grew up in a small town, himself. The Aerodactyl landed outside of the town, the long journey having taken a toll on the Pokemon. It stretched it's wings as Red gave it an appreciative pat on the snout.

"Thanks a lot! Take a rest!" he said, calling Aero into the Pokeball. Stretching, Red looked at his surroundings, taking in the calm atmosphere of the small town. Hands in his pockets, he set off towards the town, the sun beginning to rise, indicated by the orange glow piercing the azure darkness of the night sky. The small town literally could be seen, edge to edge, from the center of the town, just like Pallet Town. He smirked, reminded of the home he escaped, and decided to explore the surrounding area. He hadn't officially visited Hoenn, and was excited to see the Region and challenge it's Gyms.

Stepping out into the outskirts of town, he looked up to the sky, now a dull blue as the sun rose, overhead clouds blocking some of the fresh light that made the dew sparkle in the grass.

"A good place to start." he said, nodding.

[Josh Dragomir]

@red


Littleroot Town. Josh hadn't been here since he'd left for his "second" journey shortly after his family moved to Hoenn to escape something that no Trainer could hope to face. But since his mother had come home today to take a break from singlehandedly running the research and breeding center that she and her husband (Who had disappeared without a trace besides taking six Pokemon with him) were running, Josh had offered to take the trip back home from his journey for the first time. He was exhausted, as was the rest of his Pokemon. It was good to take a little break after being on the road for so long.

Reaching the outskirts of town, Josh stopped to take in the air that he hadn't even stopped to take in before leaving long ago. On his shoulder was his partner, a Pikachu named Lightning that also seemed to mimic his trainer by closing his eyes and taking in the familiar homey feel of Littleroot. The one thing that Lightning remembered about this town most though? The food! When he was just a Pichu, in what seemed to be so long ago, he LOVED his Trainer's mom's cooking! Bacon and buttered toast and grilled cheese sandwiches and cream-cheese laden bagels, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, you name it, she made some of the best! And deep down, he knew his Trainer missed it just as much. And of course, he was right.

"Bet you're excited to see mom again, huh?" Josh asked the Pikachu with a smirk as he petted the fur on the head of Lightning, who nuzzled against his hand eagerly in response, loving the attention. "Pika-Pikachu!" Lightning chirped, nodding as a rebuttal to his question afterword. Josh chuckled a bit as they kept walking, and he could start seeing buildings.

"This is where it all began, huh?" he asked the Pikachu. "Where our redemption started. And we never looked back"

And it was true. He was having a lot of fun with this journey. No mutant monsters to endanger his Pokemon, no scientists up in his ass at every turn, just him and his Pokemon and months of adventure.

[Deleted]

Red walked onward, the sun peeking through the clouds, finally drying out the dew and showing the lush green of the surrounding wilderness. The town of Littleroot was behind him, and he had begun another journey. The Fighter could tell that his team was excited as well. He had prepped himself for the adventure during a stop in Johto, and had gotten near unanimous approval from the Pokemon he had chosen to take with him. Determined to make it through the League, he had brought his best, and intended to leave a lasting impression. A backwoods kid from Kanto, storming through the Gyms!

Except he wasn't much of a kid anymore. He had fully grown into a young man, except the only real thing that had changed was his height. He was only a few inches taller, and he kept his trademark look of his red cap, his red jacket, and his denim jeans. His PokeDex was in his back pocket, and his PokeBalls were lined on his belt, one by one. The rest of his supplies were packed into his yellow backpack. Poli, Saur, Pika, Snor, Vee, and Aero. Most of the Pokemon he had from the time when he, along with Green and Blue, led an onslaught against Team Rocket, defending themselves and their Pokemon from the evil Organization.

Lost in his daydreaming, he snapped out of it in time to see another figure walking towards the town, a Pikachu close beside him. He blinked, and lifted a hand in a friendly wave. Making friends always came easy for him, and, if this guy was a Trainer, he would most likely know where everything was in Hoenn, provided he's a local. If so, it wouldn't hurt to make conversation.

"Hey, there!" he said, letting his hand drop to the strap of his pack. "You from around here? I'm Red, from Kanto." he had completed his greeting upon moving closer, seeing that this guy was close to his age, and the Pikachu sported a blue bandana around it's neck. The guy seemed friendly enough, so, hopefully, he'd be able to help the Fighter.

[Josh Dragomir]

Josh had taken an Oran Berry and offered it to Lightning, who had gleefully accepted it and nommed on it as Josh heard someone calling out to him. "Hey there!" someone had called out and Josh's head darted to the source of the voice. "I'm Red, from Kanto" the man had greeted as he moved closer, and as he did, Josh quickly saw the voice's source. Black hair, red and white jacket, blue jeans, the man looked to be around his age.

He smiled a bit, maybe the man was from another region and needed directions? He remembered having to do so several times since coming to Hoenn... It'd be nice to help someone else out for a change, he supposed. "Aye, I live here actually!" he said with a laugh as he walked over and came to a stop before the man. "I'm just returning home for a short time to take a break from a journey I've been on. I haven't been home since I left" he admitted, chuckling.

"I'm Josh, from Littleroot. Well, live here anyway, I used to live in a region far off but I'd rather not talk about it" he said, chuckling a bit as he noticed the Pokeballs on his belt. The man was most likely a Trainer as well. Probably came to challenge Hoenn's Gyms... Josh felt a bit embarrassed there, for while he'd been journeying awhile, he hadn't trusted himself to challenge any of the Gyms just yet. His experience with battling other Trainers (And the writer's reluctance to PVP) had kept him from doing anything of the sort, but he'd enjoyed his travels and getting to meet and catch new Pokemon, so he was happy with what he was doing.

"Is there anything you need, Red?" he asked politely, smiling a bit.

Red... Where had he heard that name before? He remembered reading up about a Red before, from Kanto, a famous Red with black hair, a red cap and...

Gah, he couldn't remember for the life of him.

[Deleted]

What luck! The Trainer happened to live here. Red nodded in greeting to the Pikachu as Josh introduced himself, and looked back up to the Trainer, his hands resting in his pockets.

"Yeah, I figured I needed a break from all the mainland business. It has been a few years since I was on any sort of an adventure, and, well, I needed that break!" Being frozen solid, nearly killed multiple times, turned to stone? Yeah. Red needed that break, for sure. "Either way, I figured it would be good for me and my team to come out of retirement and try out some of the other Regions out." he took a Pokeball out. Pika's Pokeball. He called out the Pikachu and smiled as the Electric Mouse stretched, ears twitching as he looked around with a tired glance, his eyes fell on the Pikachu in front of him. His nose twitched as it nodded respectfully, giving a small "Pika." as he sat and closed his eyes, relaxing.

Red chuckled as he looked back up to Josh. "I could use a good place to eat. You know of anyplace?" he asked, scratching the back of his head. Clearly this guy didn't recognize him, or his name. Red didn't mind this. He was known in Kanto and Johto as a Champion, a PokeDex Holder, and one of the prodigies of Professor Oak. The few years spent helping the Old Man with his research was well deserved, and it also allowed the news of the world events that Red was involved in to simmer down to a dull roar. Maybe this truly is a new beginning!

[Josh Dragomir]

So he seemed to be a Trainer after all, and had been at it for quite some time. Interesting. He wondered what kind of team this guy had? Well, it didn't take long for Josh to find out as he brought out... A Pikachu!

"And here I am, having been travelling for ages, and I don't think I've accomplished a thing besides catch a handful of Pokemon" he joked with a chuckle.

Meanwhile, Lightning, who was likely much much younger then Red's Pikachu, was incredibly excited at the prospect of meeting a fellow Pikachu! "Pika!" He greeted happily, waving the same way he'd learned to wave by mimicking his Trainer a couple hundred times as a Pichu.

Josh chuckled a bit before turning back to Red. "I'm afraid Littleroot's pretty bone dry in terms of establishments like that if memory serves me right" he said regrettably. LittleRoot was a small town, usually if someone needed something they went to the next town over. "But hey, you could come with me, I was just about to visit home, and knowing my mother, dinner will be made within the hour for all of us" he said with a laugh. "Don't be modest, trust me, most likely you're doing her a favor. She always gets a bit... Overzealous while cooking, she loves it a bit too much and always underestimates how much she's making. She seems to take it more like a side hobby then a chore and seems to enjoy the practice. She'd be thrilled about having an excuse to practice more" he said with a laugh.

[Deleted]

"I had traveled off an on for a few years, but I never really had much of a calm adventure." he said, giving a short laugh. "Though, perilous adventures are still adventures." Pika opened one eye and gave a small friendly smile to the younger Pikachu, holding a paw out in greeting.

Red listened to Josh muse about his mother and her cooking and smiled. He nodded and gave a thumbs up. "I guess I can't pass up good home cooking. Lead the way, Josh!" he smiled and held up an arm as Pika ran up his pants, his side, and finally up on his shoulder, closing his eyes again. Red gave Pika a pat, and turned back towards the town. "So, do a lot of battling? You said you caught a handful of Pokemon, but, no worries, I caught just a few myself. I got my central team and a few backups." he held up a hand and counted. "You have Saur, my Venusaur, he was given to me as a Bulbasaur. Aero, my Aerodactyl, revived him from a fossil. Pika, here, met him in Viridian. Vee, my Espeon, there's a long, interesting story behind him. Snor, my Snorlax, caught him during a race. And my Poli. He's a Poliwrath, and my first Pokemon." he nodded. "Not counting the ones I got in reserve back at the Old Man's lab."

[Josh Dragomir]

He couldn't help but chuckle a bit. "This has been... Well, more of a calm adventure then what I used to do, but I wouldn't call it calm" he admitted. "Ever taken a swarm of six Gyarados at once with a friend and a Pichu?" he asked, chuckling. "Wasn't the funnest experience, but this little guy here evolved in order to save me from becoming lunch. Ended up catching all six of them too" he said, scratching the fur on Lightning's chin as he coo'd affectionately in response to getting attention.

As Pika extended his paw, Lightning eagerly shook it in response. "Pika!" he greeted happily. Josh smirked a bit as Red accepted the offer, and nodded. "Alright, sounds like a plan" he said as he let Lightning climb back onto his shoulder. "Honestly..." he said as they started walking toward Littleroot Town. "No. I mean, wild Pokemon, yeah... My team's done pretty well in that department, but I'm not very used to battling other Trainers at all, if you're wondering" he admitted, sighing. "Doesn't seem to be my strong point, but I try. And my Pokemon try as well, so in the end, that's what matters to me" he said. "I imagine you've got quite the strong team though, having been at this for a couple of years though" he added in response to his statement. Red started rattling off the names of his teammates and he smiled. He certainly did have a strong team after all.

"For me..." he mused as he scratched his beard. "You have Lightning, of course, my Pikachu" he began, patting the head of the Pikachu on his shoulder. "We've been together since I started my first journey a long time ago, I found him when he was about a month old, there was a uh... Problem... With the Pokemon there, but I don't uh... Really wanna get into it..." he said sourly, scratching his head. He had no idea how in the world he'd be able to explain that whole situation to Red, and didn't want to sour the mood. "Long story short, I found him freezing to death beside the body of his mother, and I took him back home with me and nursed him back to health. He hasn't left my side since, and we're really close" he said, smiling a bit.

"Then there's Vulcan, my Combusken. He was my first Pokemon, given to me by a Professor in my old home. Evolved into Combusken not too long ago, actually. Then there's Inferno, my Cyndaquil, he was given to me when he was young by a close friend of mine named Izumi. Then there's Fawkes, my Charmeleon, who I caught in the Safari Zone awhile back. Bowser is my Munchlax, I found him eating out of a garbage can and the poor thing almost choked to death. He started following me around after I saved him, so I caught him. Then there's the newbie to the team, Aero, My Aerodactyl that hatched just this morning, from an egg I bought not too long ago. The others are at the ranch my parents own, for breeding, research, and the like. Mom took a rare break from running it singlehandedly this week, left it in the care of a friend so she could rest, so she asked me to come home for a visit"

"Speaking of.... Old Man?" he questioned, remembering his mentionings of one that he kept his Pokemon with.

[Deleted]

He listened to Josh talk about his team, and how he had met them. He had been through some tough times! But, the Pikachu was evidence that he took great care of his Pokemon, which made Red smile and nod towards his new friend. "You have a big heart. Don't see that much anymore." he said, Pika nodding from his shoulder. "Well, the Old Man is Professor Oak! See, I'm from Pallet Town, and that's where I started my journey with Poli." he left it at that, not sure if he wanted to let his status out just yet. They arrived into the small town and he looked around, the townspeople now out and moving around. Kids playing. Pokemon helping tend to gardens and yardwork. "This is so much like Pallet." he said, a small smile on his face.

He figured he'd send Green an email later on, once he got to a more technologically friendly town, and let him know where he's at. He figured his mother would tell Oak and Green herself, but this was just to be safe.

Green would hunt Red down for just up and vanishing when they technically had work to do in the lab.

He looked back towards Josh and nodded. "Where to?" he asked.

[Josh Dragomir]

He chuckled a bit. "You flatter me" he responded to his kind words. "If you're going to be a Pokemon Trainer, you have to be responsible and caring for Pokemon. If you're not willing to put yourself at risk for the safety of your Pokemon, or willing to do all you can to protect them from harm, what kind of Trainer would I be?" he asked. "They're not slaves, they're my friends. My partners" he said with a small smile as he patted Lightning's head. "And they're a part of me"

"Pallet Town, huh? And isn't Professor Oak a famous Pokemon Professor?" he asked curiously as they walked. Josh admired the Pokemon that willingly helped the townsfolk with their daily lives, as if they enjoyed helping as much as the Trainers enjoyed having them around. He smiled a bit at this. "You're certainly privileged to know him" he remarked with a smirk. "So looks like we both live in small towns, and don't stay for five minutes before we're off on the road?" he joked with a chuckle.

Finally, they'd come to what was... Well, probably the biggest house in Littleroot. Josh felt it was a bit much for a small town at times, but his parents were well... Nicely wealthy and had a lot of Pokemon to care for, so he supposed he could see why. But it wasn't like they hadn't earned it, because inside you wouldn't find a servant in sight. His parents prided themselves in their dedication to their hard work. "This is the place" he said, smirking a bit as he walked over, grabbing a key and opening the door with it. Putting the key away and opening it, he looked around as they walked in. "Make yourself at home" he said to Red as he closed the door behind them. They could hear growling coming from upstairs though... Seems someone had mistaken them for intruders. They would find out the hard way that it was an from an Arcanine, who came prowling down the stairs and would growl at them, warning them to leave. "Hey, hey, Rex! It's me!" Josh said, laughing a bit as he held out a hand for the Arcanine to sniff, which it did before suddenly sitting down and looking up at them excitedly, panting like a puppy. Josh laughed and patted his head. "It's good to see you too, Rex. Sorry I haven't been home" he said, amusedly.

A woman would step out from the kitchen, with red hair and brown eyes. "Ah, Josh, you're home!" the woman would say, and Josh smiled. "Mom, how are you?" he asked. "Pika!" Lightning let out excitedly as he hopped off Josh's shoulder and leaped into the arms of Josh's mom, who laughed and cuddled the Pikachu. "Lightning, is that you?" she asked, chuckling. "Oh my, you've grown up so much! I remember when Josh brought you home, you were just a tiny little thing!"

"Pika-Pikachu!" Lightning chirped happily. Josh laughed a bit and the woman looked over at him. "You didn't tell me he evolved" she jokingly scolded with a smirk. Josh shrugged, laughing a bit. "Sorry, I didn't have time when you called. I figured I could just surprise you and you'd be happy with that" he said.

"Oh, it's fine. It's just good to see you after how long you've been gone" she answered with a smile. "Who's your friends?" she asked, looking over at Red and his Pikachu.

"Oh! I almost forgot! Mom, this is my friend Red, and his Pikachu. They've been travelling like we've been, ran into him not too long ago. They're from Kanto, been doing this a couple of years"

The woman furrowed her brow at this introduction, seeming to scan the entirety of Red with her gaze. But if she had any suspicions, it would immediately be turned away by the smile on her face. "Of course, a pleasure to meet you, Red! You can just call me Serena" she said with a big smile. "I assume you'll be staying for dinner then?"

[Deleted]

Red nodded in agreement. Of course, you take care of your Pokemon! It was the way things were supposed to be. Organizations like Team Rocket and the other groups (he had heard over the news about Galactic, Plasma and Flare, but, no sooner would he start begging to go help, the news would report the groups having been defeated/disbanded, proof that there were other heroes in the world) would do their best to upset that balance.

They stepped up to the house and looked up at it. He smiled as he admired the place, a nice big house, and a cozy home, from the looks of it. Upon entry, a furry form came bounding down the stairs towards them in the form of an Arcanine. Red immediately recognized the evolved form of Growlithe, and stood, hands in his pockets as Josh calmed the large canine Pokemon. Pika tensed slightly, but resumed it's perch on Red's shoulders. When they entered the parlor, Josh had introduced Red to his mother, and Red responded with a nod of his head, giving a big smile. "It's a pleasure! Sorry if I'm intruding, I'm new around here, and Josh was kind enough to offer a meal! He was bragging quite a bit on your cooking." he looked around, then glanced at Josh. "This really is a nice place." he said, hands back in his pockets.

[Josh Dragomir]

Serena smiled in response. "He does, does he?" she asked, laughing. "I guess everyone knows I love to cook. No worries, you're not intruding at all. He's probably already joked about me having an excuse to cook!" she responded.

"Thank you" Josh said to Red with a smirk at his mention about the place. "Shame I'm not here enough to appreciate it, but I think I'd go crazy if I stuck around for too long" he said, laughing a bit. Serena smiled and motioned to the door to the backyard. "There's a big open area in the back" she explained. "Why don't you two go release your Pokemon out there to play while I make dinner? I'll make something for the Pokemon too!" she promised.

Josh chuckled before looking over at Red, as he started to walk over to the door. "What do you say?" he asked.

[Deleted]

Red nodded and went out back, calling out his Pokemon one by one. The group all simultaneously stretched, happy to be out in the open as Red found a piece of wall on the back of the house and leaned on it, watching his team socialize as he relaxed. Slow and steady! Red was in no hurry to dive into battles or fight off evil organizations. Nope! He was just fine relaxing with new friends.

"So, uh, where all have you been in the world?" he asked Josh, putting his arms behind his head as he glanced at his new friend. His stories were classed as fantastic. A few years ago, he was both a celebrity to the masses and a blacklisted enemy to the Rockets. Most everyone who saw him knew who he was, and tourists and Trainers alike came to Pallet for challenges, to learn, and even to get his autograph. However, it didn't take long for the popularity to die down as other world events took hold. Red was okay with this, he really didn't like the limelight as much as he thought he would. All he wanted now was to be an adventurer like he was back when he started with Poli and Saur.

[Josh Dragomir]

Josh nodded and headed to the back with Red, tossing his Pokeballs. "Come on out, guys!" he called.

Lightning would hop off Josh's shoulder and go to join his friends as they started popping out of their balls. First out was Fawkes, Josh's Charmeleon. Then Vulcan, Josh's Combusken. Then out was Inferno, his Quilava. Of course, up next was Vector, his Croconaw. And of course, last but least was a baby Aerodactyl, Aero, the newest member of the team. The others were on the ranch Josh's parents owned, who would be roaming freely right about now in the open fields. After a moment of letting them socialize, Josh's mother would pull him into the house when Red wasn't looking.

Closing the door, she would look out the window, then back at Josh, before giving him a cold, hard stare. ".... You DO know who that is right?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "I'm.... Not sure what you're trying to say" Josh admitted, scratching his head. "Is there something wrong with Red?" he asked. Red didn't seem to be rude at all, and his mother was never the judgmental type... Had he rubbed her the wrong way somehow?

"No, no, no, I don't mean like that" she promised, shaking her head. "Red's a great young man, I can see that, but... That's THE Red. The famous Red, the Indigo Champion, he's a celebrity back in Kanto who near singlehandedly destroyed Team Rocket's operations in Kanto years ago"

Josh raised an eyebrow, but the more she spoke, the more he looked back and started to see where it all made sense. Red didn't act like some snooty, run of the mill arrogant celebrity like some other "Celebrities" he had met in his travels. But him being close with Professor Oak, the Pokemon he had with him outside... And the fact he knew he had heard the name Red before, he cursed himself for not realizing it sooner. Of course, he didn't plan on treating Red any different for it.

"No need to hound him about his status but... I'd be very respectful toward Red. You could learn a lot from him" Serena advised with a small smile. "I'll keep that in mind" Josh said as he walked back out to find his Pokemon socializing with one another as well as with Red's pokemon. He would show up just in time for Red to ask "Where all have you been in the world?"

Josh scratched his beard, thinking for a moment. "Kotaku, Hoenn, Kalos, Orre" he responded as he recalled the adventures he had been through in those four regions. "And yourself?"

[Deleted]

Red smiled at the Pokemon playing and horseplaying, and turned to say something to Josh, only to find he had gone. His eyebrows furrowed as he stepped out towards the field, blinking and turning towards the house to see, just barely through a window, Josh's Mom talking to him. He smiled a bit, recognizing the stern look of recognition. The jig was up, it seemed.

He didn't mind though. Either way, he had decided to come out of his early retirement, and was, for all intents and purposes, starting over. He would never lose the Champion status, sure, but this was a new adventure. And his next thought, for some reason, buzzed in the back of his head as he remembered Josh's talk of his own adventures. Maybe...

Josh had come back out and answered Red's questions, and Red nodded. "Yeah, I hadn't been to Kalos, Orre or Kotaku... I've been to Kanto, of course, Johto, here, and that's about it. After my latest near death experience in a string of near death experiences, I had decided to settle down and help the Professor with his research and train a bit... It's why I hadn't caught any more Pokemon, this team being the same team I had with me when I fought against Team Rocket." he crossed his arms and smiled. "And, yeah, seeing how your mom was talking to you, I suspect she might have recognized me. I'm Red, Indigo League Champion, and one of the few, holders of a PokeDex." he held up his PokeDex, the device, although scratched a bit and showing obvious signs of age, was completely updated by the Professor (who had done some globe trotting, from what Red could figure). Red pocketed the PokeDex and was silent for a moment, a breeze blowing from behind him as he looked towards the grass. He was thinking, and thinking hard. He had always found that these journeys were easier (and a hell of a lot less fatal) when he had someone with him. And Josh seemed like he thirsted for some sort of adventure, so...

"Alright, check it out." Red said, flicking the bill of his cap up off of his spiky hair a bit, a broad smile on his face. "Why don't you tag along for a bit? Show me around Hoenn? We'll take the Gym Challenge together. Teaming up, in my experience, has always given better results than anything else. Whaddya say?" Red, of course, was sincere. If there was anything that Professor Oak and the other Pokedex Holders held in high regard, it was Red's honor. It made him the natural leader he was, and his absolute thirst for adventure and justice allowed him to come as far as he had. Now, with a new adventure on the horizon, why not share? Green would eventually catch up with him and thump him on the head for leaving, but whatever, Green could bring it on! Red was prepared to do everything he could to become stronger, and allow his Pokemon the joys of battle again. The spirit of the Fighter had awakened. Now to see what Josh replied with.