《Pokemon Trainer Damien (Pokemon SI)》


 Chapter 1

    I loved Pokemon. They were awesome, liberating and epic.


    Just to say, they were cooler, better, and more intelligent than any other real world animals. I also loved watching pokemon anime and playing pirated pokemon games on my dad¡¯s old laptop, not like I had enough money to legally play them. I still remember playing Pokemon Platinum, and I loved every second of it. But I didn¡¯t like what they did with Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl remakes, what were those chubby things. Someone please enlighten me.


    Toffee- or Ser Toffee the great, my pet since my childhood walked alongside me. When I was a kid, I thought I would be free from the prison known as High School. Oh God! How wrong was I. Another prison known as Desk Job was already waiting for me, which I never expected to be trapped in. Nowadays, I think highschool was probably the best place, without any of these troublesome shenanigans.


    Today, I decided to go hiking with my little sister, Arya. Because, today was one of those lucky days, when I was free. Arya was on my left and Toffee on my right.


    Up here, the air was just better, cool enough to keep the sweat on my brow from sticking, fresh enough to make me feel alive. My boots crunched over the rocky trail, dodging roots and loose stones. I always liked these hikes: nothing but the open sky, leaves rustling, and the steady rhythm of my dog¡¯s paws and my sister¡¯s footsteps beside me.


    ¡°Alright, alright, I am coming.¡± I said, grinning as I made my way to the already set up campsite, where my sister and my dog were already waiting for me. I love times like these, when there is no tension of completing the work on time, so that I can spend some time with my loved ones. We¡¯ve been out here for hours, normally we never made it out this far. But today something just felt wrong, like there was something ill in the air and I wasn¡¯t feeling good about it.


    ¡°Just wait a second, Arya.¡±


    There is a very famous saying in our world, ¡°Anything can happen, Anytime, Anyplace.¡± And I was the very best example of this as of this very moment. The ground beneath me disappeared, the world reversed and the next moment I was falling, this was my first experience like never before. The slithole of my sister Arya and Toffee continued to shrink as I continued to fall, the shouts of my sister and my dog faded after a while. My hand shot out grabbing at nothing through the air.


    ¡°This is not real. This is not possible.¡±


    But it really was. Curse my bad luck.


    The surroundings blurred- a chaotic mess of everything happening all at once. My body felt weightless, memories hitting me in a rush, late night gaming with my sister, time spent with my family, going on walks with toffee, visiting caf¨¨ with my friends after a hard day of work. So, it was the truth that we see the happiest moments of our life at the time we die.


    Soon enough, I found myself in complete darkness.


    ¡ª


    ¡°Wh-where am I?¡± Eren thought bitterly, as his head pounded, both of his hands reaching for his head to calm the mind numbing headache. He could feel the softness against his back and could feel the bed through his thin clothes, he was leaning on. He could feel that his very own body was not in his own breath, as if his limbs were too small to motor through or control.


    When he opened his eyes, he found himself enclosed in a space with fences, which certainly looked like a baby crib.


    ¡°Why is everything so small?¡± Eren thought, as he tried to move his hands in front of his face.


    ¡°Miss, your son is awake.¡± A voice exclaimed loudly. A woman entered the room, Eren turned his face towards the woman, the woman in question took him in her arms with the gentlest care in the world. The woman¡¯s eyes were filled with warmth and care for him, her eyes were red, probably due to crying and labour. To her side was a man, his arm was on her shoulder as a form of comfort. Red veins were visible in his eyes too, but a smile never left his face.


    ¡°Damien, my little bundle of joy, Welcome to the World. Thanks for giving us a reason to smile. Thank you, Arceus, for your grace.¡±


    Confused was the right word Eren now known as Damien would use to explain the current state of his mind. Why the hell? The woman was praying to fucking Arceus of all things. Not that anything was making sense right now. He tried to open his mouth to speak, but all that left his mouth was cooing voices of a baby and they weren¡¯t making any sense.


    Slowly Damien was starting to panic, and that panic translated into the distressed cries of a child.


    ¡°Wait¡­ Am I Damien? Isn¡¯t my name Eren? Why is she calling me Damien?¡± The woman in question took his cries as a signal, the time to feed him. She uncovered her breast and stuffed it in his mouth, slowly the warm milk filled his throat and he fell asleep in her arms, the exhaustion taking a hold on him with such a huge ordeal.


    The cries of the baby stopped as the room fell silent, the only sound in the room was the quiet humming of the father and sweet lullaby of the mother. Soon enough, a nurse wearing the official Pokemon Centre uniform entered the room with a Pokemon, Chansey and took the baby away with her for the medical tests pending.


    ¡ª


    "Vee Vee Vee!"


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    Damien¡¯s P.O.V


    To think that such a day would ever come, when I would play with a breathing, beautiful and gracious Eevee. Not that, I ever thought I would get reincarnated in the insane but awesome Pokemon World. The saying is right: Expect the Unexpected. Not that, I would have expected that. I can just hope Arya and Toffee will be fine. I also had insurance, so I don¡¯t have any worries. Not that, I can do anything about that. My only option is to pray for their well being. Damien scratched Vee behind the ears, earning a cute trill from her. Damien loved his cute little bundle of joy.


    Vee was the household Pokemon in their family until Damien started his Journey. She was going to join me on my journey too. The journey is a very important tradition in the Pokemon World. Every adult in the region has gone through this tradition. It is like a rite of passage for every individual in this world. Every year, many of my friends have gone through this trail. Almost every region has its own circuit, Kanto, Johto, Heonn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos and Galar have the Gym Challenge. Whereas Alola holds its own Island Challenge, where only its denizens can participate.


    Then what¡¯s the problem? Well, He has been reincarnated as the most beloved character in the original Pokemon Series. Oh is it Ash? I don¡¯t have such good luck. I have been reincarnated as the trainer who left Ash¡¯s Charmander in the rain to die. Are you guys surprised? Well, I was too. When You get reincarnated as equivalent to trash of Pokemon World. Let me tell you, I was not thrilled to get stuck in the body of this pain in the a**. Well, you gotta do what you can get, I guess.


    The only silver lining was I have my dear Vee, the Eevee to cheer me up. How did Damien get an Eevee? In the original series, he doesn¡¯t have one. How can someone turn evil with such a cute Pokemon? Something bad must have happened to turn Damien evil. Even in the manga, Damien was good and waited years to reunite with his charmander.Was there any other reason for Damien to turn evil? Something to consider some other time.


    Why am I monologuing now? Well my journey is going to start today, so why not be excited on such a good day.


    ___


    ¡°Wake up, Damien. It¡¯s time for breakfast.¡± His mother¡¯s voice came from the kitchen. Damien yawned, opened his eyes and stretched his body, the last bit of sleep drifting from his eyes. He stood up from the bed and made his way to the kitchen returning Vee to her pokeball, where his mother was already waiting for him.


    She looked like Damien, but she was really tall. Her hair was like deep blue rubies, not light blue like Damien. ¡°Damien sit tight, breakfast will be ready in five minutes.¡± His mom called out from the kitchen with a happy smile, which means she was in a good mood. Damien made his way to the table.


    ¡°Good Morning, sweetheart. Do you have everything you would need at the Pokemon Journey.¡± Damien nodded, his gaze drifting to the photograph on the wall. It was a picture of him and his mother and father, taken years ago when his father used to live with them. Her hand rested on his shoulder, a proud smile on her face. His father was a proud policeman of the International Police. But he died while investigating a case related to the infamous Team Rocket.


    "Yeah, I''ve got everything. And Professor Oak''s meeting me at the lab, right?"


    His mother nodded, placing a plate of pancakes in front of him. "He wouldn''t miss it for the world. He''s so proud of you, Damien. We all are. Your father must be proud of you too."


    ¡°You believe so, Mom?¡± Damien asked, his voice filled with hope. His mom nodded, causing a smile to appear on his face.


    Damien smiled, his nerves easing slightly at his mother''s comforting gesture. After breakfast, he slung his backpack over his shoulder and set off towards the Professor Oak¡¯s Lab, where Professor Oak had promised to give them their very first Pokemon.


    The path to the lab was familiar and soothing, lined with tall trees and the occasional chirping of wild Pok¨¦mon. As he approached the Pokemon Lab, he spotted a figure standing near the entrance, her long, blond hair cascading down from her back. Her eyes were shining like a saphire. Damien has known her since his earlier days. She is Daisy Oak, the Grand Daughter of Professor Oak. Even the most ferocious Pokemon calm down in her presence. When she was a trainer, she used to participate in Pokemon Contests around the world, now she works as an assistant to Professor Oak.


    "Big Sis Daisy!" He called out not wanting to appear arrogant in front of the favorite granddaughter of Professor Oak, quickening his pace to the lab.


    Daisy turned her face towards him, her eyes lightening up in surprise. She was dressed up in her usual attire of black jeans, blue shirt and top it off with a standard lab coat.


    ¡°Hello, Damien, are you ready for your Pokemon Journey?¡± Daisy Oak asked in her cheerful voice.


    ¡°Yes, Big Sis.¡± Damien replied in an equally cheerful tone.


    Daisy invited Damien to the lab. Damien, being the good boy, quickly followed her in.


    "Well, Damien, better late than never, I suppose."


    Damien turned, only to lock his gaze with a brunette boy his age, dressed in a blue shirt and black pants, his arms crossed over his chest. "Gary Oak?" he muttered, his mind reeling. What was the prick doing here? Well, it was his grandfather¡¯s lab, so he will have to tolerate him a little bit.


    "That''s Mr. Gary to you. Show some respect," Gary retorted, reminding Damien of his smugness from their childhood.


    ¡°Well you are late as ever Damien. Not that it''s the first time.¡± Gary said in his disgusting voice.


    Damien scowled, nowadays Damien was really fed up with Gary, ever since Gary and Ash had a fight when they were little kids, Gary has been quite distant with others like he had something to prove to others. Not like Damien didn¡¯t have any other problems to deal with. Which is for some other time to share.


    When the situation was about to escalate, Professor Oak entered the lab, causing both of them to fall silent. ¡°Well, if it isn''t our little Damien. Good Morning, Youngman.¡±


    ¡°Same to you, Professor. I hope you have a good day.¡± Damien replied in a respectful tone. Then the Professor moved in front of a table, where three pokeballs were put in, one of them was empty. Probably, Gary took it, hoping to get a point ahead of them, not that it made any difference.


    ¡°As you know I am Samuel Oak, and it has been my dream to catch every Pokemon in the world, But now I have grown old so I can¡¯t keep it up due to my age. So I started sponsoring trainers like you to complete the dream of seeing every Pokemon Existing. In return, I will give you your first Pokemon and will help you manage your Pokemon in my coral. As you can already see, Gary already took his starter Pokemon, which was a Squirtle, the water type Pokemon, known worldwide for its defensive capabilities. You have two choices, Bulbasaur, the grass type Pokemon and Charmander the fire type Pokemon, known for its firepower and dual typing. Both are the royal Pokemon of the Kanto Region. Now choose, Damien.


    There was no need for the Professor to tell this to Damien. Damien already knew this from his past life. But, being the good man Professor Oak was, he did so in kind. That¡¯s why Damien came a little late, because he didn¡¯t have anything to worry about, he knew everything from A to Z of Pokemon. Not like in the original timeline, Charmander was his starter. He lost him due to his own fuck up. He was not going to let anything like this happen to any of his friends, be it Charmander or Eevee. Even if Ash stood in his way.


    He will be the best version of Damien from any timeline or the entire Pokeverse. And not even Arceus was going to stop him. He stared at the pokeball of Charmander and grabbed it.


    ¡°I Choose You Again, Charmander and this time we will blaze through everything in our way. Believe it or not.¡±

 Chapter 2

    The tension in the lab was all time high, everyone was waiting for Damien to choose his Pokemon. Damien¡¯s hand moved toward the little fire lizard¡¯s pokeball and opened it up, the first thing Charmander did upon being released from its ball was release a torrent of flames in the air. In front of him, stood a young human kid with dark black eyes and light blue hair, Charmander would have preferred it to be red personally.


    Charmander has always been the odd one in his group of siblings, he was never the one for much patience. Whereas his siblings never cared about anything less than sleeping all time. He was the strongest one in his siblings. His father was the strongest Charizard in their clan. Every Pokemon in their territory depended on him for protection from other Pokemon species in the forest. He was really proud of his father.


    But then, sometimes his father would leave the forest with an old man, instead of driving him off like other humans. To say the least, Charmander was really surprised to see his father, the strongest being he knew, follow another being, especially a human. The surprises didn¡¯t end there. One day his dad came back and took them to a human settlement, where his father explained to him that this human was his father¡¯s trainer.


    Charmander was simply baffled to say the least. To think that his father would follow another human was certainly not possible, at least not in his expectations.


    Curious.


    He questioned his father. ¡°Why do you follow that weak human, when he¡¯s so weak? His father said while laughing, ¡°Little Char, I follow the Oak, not because he¡¯s the strongest but surely the wisest human I have ever known.¡±


    Charmander was surprised to say the least. ¡°Do you want to know why we live together with humans?¡± His father questioned in his fatherly tone. Charmander nodded, curiosity radiating from his face.


    A long time ago, Only one Pokemon existed, when there was not even a universe , in its entire existence. It was none other than Arceus, the almighty god, who created the world. But it was a lot of responsibility for the almighty god, so he created the first Pokemon in existence, Mew. Mew was a curious creature, one day the curiosity got the better of it, it started creating new life from its own blood. That¡¯s how Pokemon came into existence. Humans were inherently weak, thus they became prey to the Pokemon and started getting hunted down. Soon after, they were in danger of going extinct, seeing this problem Mew went to Arceus for advice. Arceus hearing this problem, Arceus gave the boon that if humans and pokemon started living together both sides would grow stronger. That¡¯s how Humans and Pokemon started living in co - existence.


    After hearing this, Charmander seemed in a daze, and that day he decided he would join a worthy trainer in his adventures. One day he requested his father to take him to the human settlement where he could find a worthy trainer for himself. But what awaited him was disappointment. Not a single trainer was worthy of him. Some trainers returned him to Professor Oak of their own violation or he escaped by himself back to the lab.


    Today wouldn¡¯t be any different or so he thought. Something in the boy¡¯s eyes was just different; he didn''t know how to explain it. When he looked in the eyes of his trainer, he saw the same fire for power as himself. That was the final push for Charmander to accept Damien.


    Damien was excited. He thought he would feel any other emotions: joy, shock, bewildered, blanking out.


    Damien gets down in front of the table where Charmander was standing, and slowly puts his hand on Charmander¡¯s head to pat him. Charmander leans on the soft touch, his flame shining a little brightly due to the unexpected gesture.


    ¡°Hi, Charmander. My name is Damien Terrous and I am going to be the strongest Pokemon Trainer in the world, but I don¡¯t want power at the expense of my Pokemon. Will you help me complete my dream?¡± His voice was filled with a strange conviction and hope.


    Charmander nodded, eager to join Damien on his adventure in the Kanto Region.


    ¡°Charmander¡± Damien asks, staring straight at him. ¡°I will be honest, I don¡¯t know what is going to happen during our adventure. But, the one thing I can promise is that you are not going to regret it.¡± Charmander looks up and meets his gaze with confidence and jumps on Damien¡¯s shoulder with a deft hop.


    Damien was surprised to say the least. He hadn¡¯t thought Charmander would bond with him that easily. According to Daisy, Charmander was one of the most troublesome Pokemon in the lab. He was the offspring of Professor Oak¡¯s Ace Charizard.


    ¡°Good choice, Damien, Charmander is one of the best hatches from my Charizard. I hope you take good care of him.¡± Professor Oak said, waking Damien out of his brooding.


    ¡°Of Course Professor, you don¡¯t have to worry about anything.¡± Damien assured the Professor and Charmander tilted his head up and down in agreement.


    ¡°This is the Pokedex, it records the data of every Pokemon you encounter. If you want detailed information about any Pokemon, you will have to catch it.¡± Professor said, while handing the Pokedex to Damien.


    ¡°Thanks Professor, for giving me this opportunity, I promise I will never disappoint you and become the best Pokemon Trainer possible.¡± Damien replied, his voice filled with respect which Professor Oak in the original timeline would never have expected from him, not that it was the original timeline anymore.


    ¡°Well, I am not giving you anything for free, it¡¯s your own hard work. You got this chance after beating thousands of kids, aspiring for the sponsorship. So don¡¯t belittle yourself.¡± Professor Oak replies.


    ¡°You deserve it, Damien. If not then I wouldn¡¯t have accepted you as my rival aside from Ash, that Troublemaker.¡± Gary Oak spoke from the side.


    Damien never expected this type of support from them, there was always that nagging feeling that his secret will be discovered someday. But, that fear never manifested in the reality, which he was glad for.


    ¡°Damien, if you aren¡¯t afraid, then I am giving you the honor of my first Pokemon Battler.¡± Gary said, his voice full of confidence, like victory was already in his grasp. To tell you the truth, Damien was also itching for a Pokemon Battle, ever since reincarnating in the Pokemon World, only God knows how he survived the last ten years.


    ¡°You are on Garry, just don¡¯t go crying to Sister Daisy, Little G.¡± Damien was up for the challenge.


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    ¡°We will see, just you wait.¡± Gary shot back with equal excitement.


    ¡°If you want to have a battle, please use the Pokemon Coral behind the lab, if not the damages will be taken from your sponsorship.¡± Professor Oak reminded them in a serious tone. Both of them moved to the Coral behind the lab.


    Gary moves a good distance away and releases his starter Pokemon Squirtle, who takes a graceful flip and takes a battle ready stance. Damien decides to call Vee out, so that both of them can bond before the battle. Damien released Vee from the Pokeball, she landed on the ground and started looking around. Her gaze fell on Charmander, who was standing with his head held high. Vee moved forward and started sniffing him, Charmander was confused just what was she doing, after a moment she stopped sniffing him and gave him a nod in acceptance as if saying he was acceptable then jumped on Damien¡¯s shoulder leaving Charmander dazed, what just occurred?


    Damien just sighed in exasperation. Leave Vee to her pranks, he wouldn¡¯t be using Vee for this battle it would be too much for squirtle.


    Damien quickly checked Charmander¡¯s moveset on his Pokedex which included: Ember, Tackle, Tail Whip, Quick Attack, Fire Spin, Smoke Screen, Sunny Day.


    ¡°So how are we doing it?¡± Gary called from another site, ¡°Is Forfeit and Knockout good?¡±


    Damien closes his hands in excitement and nods, he wasn¡¯t seeing any problems with this setup. ¡°Are you ready, Charmander?¡± Damien asks his red lizard despite already knowing his response, who simply nodded in agreement.


    Gary looked around and picked up a stone from the ground. ¡°When this rock hits the ground the battle will begin.¡± Without waiting for an answer, he throwed the rock in the air, both trainers were looking up with barely invisible tension. Every second felt like an eternity as the stone continued to fall in the air.


    Finally the rock reached the ground, causing both the trainers to tense up, suddenly the air grew cold as if anticipating what was coming ahead.


    THUD! The rock bounces off the ground.


    ¡°Charmander, Smoke Screen and Sunny Day!¡± Damien shouts before Gary and Squirtle can even blink.


    The lizard takes a deep breath, a compressed plume of smoke gathers in his mouth, then the plume shoots in the air and hits the Squirtle with surprising speed. The turtle rubs his eyes in fright, to lessen the itch in his eyes, at the same time, the sunlight increases due to the effect of Sunny Day. Squirtle grimes, faltering on his feet.


    ¡°What the hell?¡± Gary grunts, shielding his eyes from the Sunny Day, ¡°How does Charmander know Sunny Day and Smoke Screen?¡±


    ¡°Did you really not check the moveset of your Squirtle, Gary?¡± Damien calls back, and shields his eyes from the harsh light. ¡°The Pokedex has a feature to check the moveset of your captured Pokemon.¡±


    ¡°Of Course, I know.¡± Gary shots back in protest.


    ¡°Oh Gary, and you call me an idiot.¡± Damien shrugs.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. We¡¯ve got a match to win Squirtle, use Water Gun!¡±


    Squirtle steadies himself and launches a Water Gun in a wide arc clearing the smoke in the coral.


    ¡°Now Tail Whip!¡± Damien doesn¡¯t give Gary a breathing chance and keeps the pressure up.


    Squirtle feels his energy getting drained up and looks up to his trainer for help. Gary was flabbergasted, he never expected Damien to put up such a good night. Well, thinking wasn¡¯t going to do anything, he will have to do something soon or he will lose rather purely and Damien will make sure to rub it in his face.


    ¡°Remember Gary, what moves does Squirtle know: Tackle, Tail Whip, Water Gun¡­ A move that can be used from far while keeping distance between them. Why not com..


    ¡°Squirtle use Rapid Spin and Water Gun together.¡± Gary practically shouted on the top of his lungs after this spectacle causing Vee and Damien''s ears to twitch in irritation.


    Squirtle charges forward with increased speed leaving blurs in the air. Damien knew if he didn¡¯t do something, it would be all over.


    ¡°Dodge it now with Quick Attack, Charmander.¡± Damien frantically shouts.


    Charmander jumped to the other side in time barely dodging the move.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t over just yet, Damien.¡± Gary called from the other side, ¡°Squirtle spin yourself up and down.¡± It created a muddy field on the ground, now dodging the moves was hard so it was now a match of endurance.


    ¡°Now, Tackle!¡± Gary roared in high spirits.


    Damien¡¯s heart started to beat loudly in his chest due to excitement, his knuckles turned white from the pressure. His eyes started glowing shadow blue, ¡°Charmander, dig into the ground!¡±


    Charmander quickly obeyed his trainer¡¯s orders without any complaint.


    ¡°Squir¡± Squirtle asked Gary for the next command. ¡°Keep looking Squirtle, don¡¯t close your eyes and try to sense his location. Squirtle quickly got to work.


    Something Gary nor Squirtle expected happened in the next moment. Flames erupted from the ground, knocking Squirtle off the ground, Squirtle¡¯s eyes went wide in shock. He wasn¡¯t even able to react to the attack, he bounces off the ground many times before coming to a painful halt.


    Gary moved to Squirtle¡¯s unconscious body and picked him up in his arms, he muttered a compliment with a sigh, ¡°You did your best buddy, take a good rest.¡± Squirtle mumbled an apology and went back to his Pokeball.


    ¡°Is Squirtle fine?¡± Damien asked, while patting Charmander on his head, which the lizard seemed to love. Vee was standing on Damien¡¯s right side, congratulating Charmander on his first ever victory. ¡°Don¡¯t worry he will be fine after a good rest.¡± Gary clips Squirtle¡¯s Pokeball to his shirt, before turning towards Damien, then in a surprising twist of maturity Gary presses forward a hand, ¡°Good battle Damien, don¡¯t expect it to be that easy next time.¡±


    Charmander and Vee slide to him and place each other on his shoulders.


    Am I having weird dreams or was Gary always this mature? Something to think about.


    0-0-0-0-0-0


    [Professor Oak¡¯s Lab]


    Samuel Oak had everything in his life: Fame, Glory, Family. He was the former champion of the Kanto Region. The Strongest Champion in history, he fought for his people in the Kanto - Johto War, even stole a dratini egg from Blackthorn City, they even hate his guts for that, not like anyone knows, they are too prideful to admit it to the public. But soon enough he grew tired of it all and gave his title of champion to that Dragon Master Lance, even if People tend to forget it nowadays. He represents the persona of a kind old man to a T.


    This generation belonged to the younger generation, It was their time to shine. He watched the battle between his grandson Gary Oak and the Topper of this year¡¯s Trainer School Batch Damien Terrous. He couldn¡¯t wait to see how this battle would turn out, because in a Pokemon Battle Knowledge amounts to nothing if you don¡¯t know how to use it.


    And the result surprised him, it wasn''t anything he expected.


    Gary has always been the talented one from the trio, Damien was the silent and curious type, less said about Ash Ketchum is better. Damien¡¯s battling style was the exact opposite of his personality- the word for it was- Aggressive. Not giving your opponent any room to fight back, but due to his brilliant mind Gary managed to retaliate. Even in that perilous situation, Damien managed to keep himself cool headed, achieving a perfect victory, even Professor Oak Couldn¡¯t believe it was their first official match.


    Surely, the future of the Kanto Region was in good hands.


    [Outside The Lab]


    Run Run Run..


    That was the only word in Ash Ketchum¡¯s mind, as he kept running toward the lab at full speed in his pajamas. Why? Well, he fucked up on the day, he was going to start his journey to become the best Pokemon Master, like no one ever was. But first, he needed to reach the lab on time.


    He was just about to reach the lab when the door opened and Damien and Gary came out of the lab, he was unable to stop himself from crashing into Gary, whereas Damien stepped aside at the right time.


    Gary and Ash bumped into each other.


    THUD!


    ¡°What the hell Ash? Can¡¯t you see while running? Why are you running cluelessly like a Psyduck?¡± Gary asked, while rubbing his forehead.


    ¡°Sorry Gary, I didn''t see you coming.¡± Ash apologized, scratching his head laughing nervously.


    ¡°Com¡¯on Gary, you know that Ash is a big trouble magnet, you should ¡®ve kept your eyes open.¡± Damien spoke from the side.


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Gary replied, releasing a sigh.


    ¡°HEY, I AM NOT A TROUBLE MAGNET.¡± Ash shouted on top of his lungs.


    ¡°We believe you, Ashy Boy. we do.¡± Gary said, while Damien barely managed to stop himself from laughing out loud.


    ¡°¡®Wanna guess which starter Pokemon we selected?¡± Damien asked, hoping to spare Ash the embarrassment.


    ¡°¡®SURE!¡± Ash practically jumped in excitement.


    ¡°First, Gary.¡± Damien said, giving Gary the first chance.


    ¡°Charmander!¡±


    ¡°Wrong.¡±


    ¡°Bulbasaur!¡±


    ¡°ARE YOU EVEN TRYING ASH KETCHUM!¡± Gary exclaimed, ¡°How can you be wrong two times straight.¡± Saying that, Gary released Squirtle from its Poke ball, Squirtle looked around expecting a battle.


    But when he saw no one, he met his trainer¡¯s gaze, as if asking ¡°What is all this about?¡±


    ¡°SO COOL!¡± Ash said and tried to pet the turtle Pokemon, but Squirtle jumped aside and fired a Water Gun on Ash¡¯s face. Ash yelped and fell on ground due to the sudden surprise.


    ¡°Ash, you really should look out for yourself more, not every Pokemon is going to be friendly with you.¡± Damien said, trying to save Ash from the embarrassment he is going to face today.


    ¡°Well, he deserved it.¡± Gary spoke, oozing self satisfaction on the suffering of Ash.


    ¡°What Pokemon did you choose, Damien.¡± Ash asked, still excited at the prospect of meeting new Pokemon.


    ¡°Hmm¡ª I chose Charmander.¡± Damien hesitated, he really didn''t want Ash and Charmander to meet each other, it was a certified recipe for disaster. And, he really didn''t want to trigger the plot.


    ¡°Show me, Damien. I want to see him.¡± Ash requested, ¡°You see¡­ he is not feeling well after our Pokemon Battle, I hope you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    Hearing that, Ash¡¯s face fell, Damien really felt like a jerk right, but he couldn''t let Ash steal Charmander from him.


    Gary gave him a suspicious look, but let the matter go.


    ¡°My bad, I will see your Charmander some time again, I am going to get my starter from Professor Oak, Good luck, guys.¡± Saying that, Ash made his way to the lab, still in his pajamas.


    ¡°Well, I''m going Damien, let''s meet in Pewter City. Don¡¯t you dare get pushed around, you¡¯re my rival, behave like one. Smell you later, Damien.¡± Gary said, and went on his way, seriously what was with his weird fetishes. At least, now his life is turning for better or worse, only time will tell. A little taste of his mother''s cooking certainly didn''t sound bad before his journey.

 Chapter 3

    Stepping out of the lab, Damien scanned the road ahead of him, expecting his mother to appear in front of him at any moment. His mother has taken care of him, like a real mother, which she really was. She has shouldered every responsibility that came with being a mother, What would happen when she came to know that he is not her real son. Just an imposter posing as her son for the last 10 years? A knot formed in his throat and he chuckled half - heartedly, he was going to take that secret to his grave, his mother didn¡¯t deserve that.


    ¡°Char!¡±


    Charmander¡¯s voice snapped him out of his useless thoughts, Damien looked down to see the little red lizard with an expression that clearly said, ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here!¡±


    Damien chuckled to himself, Why was he getting worried over useless thoughts? Only time will tell if his fears will turn true or not. Damien released Vee, who jumped on Damien¡¯s left shoulder and Charmander settled himself on the right. Soon after, the trio hurried over to Damien¡¯s house.


    He entered the house, where his mother was already waiting for him with his Silph Co. bag and all his travelling supplies. Her expression brightened upon seeing him with Charmander, ¡°Is this your starter, Damien? I thought you would choose a Bulbasaur, Why the sudden change?¡± she asked, ¡°Well, mother, you see, something came over me when I saw him for the first time. So, I ended up choosing him.¡±


    She smiled, ¡°I know that feeling very well, I had the same feeling when I met Lucario when he was a little Riolu.¡± remembering her old days. Her hand extended towards Charmander who was standing on his shoulder, ¡°Aren¡¯t you gonna be the strongest Charizard in the world?¡± Damien opened his mouth to warn her of the incoming danger, but he was too slow. She chuckled, reaching out to pet him under the chin, the little lizard cooed helplessly under her touch.


    Her touch was really magical, it has been just a few minutes since Charmander met his mother, and the Charmander was in her arms, she must have been a good trainer in her time¡­ that Damien was certainly sure of. If not, then how would you explain this situation? Vee, still standing on Damien¡¯s shoulder huffed, her silver fur glistening in the air, glaring at his mother in mock protest.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Vee. No one is ever going to forget you, Charmander is still new in the family. Give him a chance, Okay?¡± Damien said, petting her on the head where she liked it the most, Vee melted under his touch, her trainer knew her the best.


    ¡°The breakfast is ready!¡± She said, then the smell of the breakfast finally hit him, the same feeling of comfort washed over in his stomach. She was completely different from the mother in his previous life who used him for his success, never caring about his feelings. So, he was really grateful to her. It lessened the pain of losing Toffee and Arya.


    ¡°Take good care of Vee and Charmander, they¡¯re your responsibility now.¡± His mother said, her voice gentle but firm.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry mom, I¡¯m going to take care of them to the best of my ability.¡± Damien assured her, easing some of her worries.


    ¡°Vee, you¡¯ve to look after them, I''m leaving them in your care.¡± His mother said to Vee, who was busy eating Poke blocks with Charmander, but gave a nod in return.


    Damien made his way to the door, a knot formed in his chest thinking about leaving his mother alone for a year. Well, she¡¯ll take care of herself, she''s strong and Lucario will keep her company, he hugged her for one last time, ¡°I¡¯ll miss you, mom.¡± He said, his voice cracking slightly.


    ¡°Go, son, your adventure is awaiting for you. You will get new experiences, new friends and the sights you have never seen before.¡± She said, hugging back her son, ¡°Don¡¯t ever abandon your dreams for me, I¡¯ll always be here for you.¡±


    0-0-0-0-0-0


    Damien strolled through the Viridian Forest, Vee and Charmander followed right behind him quickly on their steps, the forest filled with the smell of flowers and local flora. The air itself carried a natural fragrance that you could only find in areas like this, a perfect environment for growth of Pokemon. ¡°Let¡¯s see, What kind of Pokemon can we find in the Viridian Forest.¡± Damien said, opening up his Pokedex, ¡°This area includes: Caterpie, Metapod, Weedle, Kakuna, Pidgey and Pidgeotto, Pikachu, Nidoran and finally Scyther.¡±


    Vee rubbed against his leg gaining his attention, ¡°What is it, Vee? Oh¡­¡± The tree in front of Damien was definitely ripped apart by a Nidoqueen, if he looked at the marks left on the tree. ¡°Charmander and Vee stay alert, But it might be easier if we talked with a Nidoqueen, she might¡¯ve a NIdoran who would want to go on an adventure with us.¡±


    Vee and Charmander both agree with their trainer.


    The trio decided to move further into the forest, where trainers with no badges were allowed to go, lest they get attacked by some wild Pokemon for entering their territory. Damien really didn¡¯t wanted to get seriously hurt on first day of his journey, they continued to move for some hours after which they reached a canopy, where a group of Nidoran were playing with each other under the care of two Nidorino and Nidorana were taking care of the little ones.


    Damien quickly took out his blue Pokedex and started taking pictures of the group he had encountered. He didn¡¯t notice Charmander shaking his legs and Vee growling in front of him.


    ¡°Uh¡­ Char!¡± Charmander said nervously, pointing toward a nearby tree, where an armoured purplish figure rested against a tree. From the sturdy curve of her broad shoulders and the unique, mottled pattern of her purplish hide, it was unmistakably a female Nidoqueen. She regarded them with a calm, assessing gaze, as if gauging if we were a threat to her offsprings. Damien¡¯s heart pounded in his chest when he looked up and came face to face with The Nidoqueen.


    ¡°Looks like she finds us interesting enough to not attack us on sight.¡± Damien said calmly, much more calmly than he felt inside in this situation.


    ¡°Hey, my name is Damien Terrous. I¡¯m a new trainer. Do you know what a Trainer is?¡± Damien said, waving his hand to draw her attention, trying to keep his heartbeat in control, which was proving to be a lot harder with each passing second. Damien couldn¡¯t fumble at this opportunity, who knows when the next one would come or not?


    ¡°Well, in simple terms, I want to catch a Nidoran, who has the drive for battle and wants to travel the world. I promise I¡¯ll make him/her the strongest Nidoking or Nidoqueen in Kanto, I can share some Poke blocks with you.¡±


    The Nidoqueen gave them a long look, glancing back and forth between Damien, Vee and Charmander before shouting ¡°NIDO-NID-QUEEN¡± and then went back in the canopy, Damien shared a look with Vee ¡®What the hell happened?¡¯ Vee made a face that clearly said like I know. Damien yawned, the tiredness finally catching up with him, it looks like they would have to set their camp in the canopy and this place also provided them with nice protection, if the Nidoqueen agreed to let them stay here.


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Damien was sitting on a rock, when they heard some rustling from the bushes, a blue blue blur landed in front of them, Nidoqueen and she was holding a little purple reptilian Pokemon with mammal features and the brat was clearly fighting with his mother, typical rebellious kid of the family. The mother and son were clearly arguing with each other, if I am guessing the situation correctly, ¡°Are¡­ Damien squinted as he got a good look at the Nidoran, ¡°You trying to sell off your kid to me, So, he would get out of the forest, if I¡¯m understanding this correctly.¡±


    The Nidoqueen looked up at him and nodded, ¡°NIDO-NID-QUEEN¡± he was dumbfounded, just what was happening, he was Damien Terrous not Ash Ketchum. ¡®Am I injected with Ketchum¡¯s luck?¡¯ Damien thought, rubbing his eyes. The mommy Nidoqueen dropped her son, who looked at Damien as if sizing him up.


    Damien met his gaze without any fear and said, ¡°Hey, Nidoran my name is Damien Terrous, my dream is to become the best Pokemon Trainer in the world. Don¡¯t worry I won¡¯t force you into coming with me, It¡¯s your choice.¡± Nidoran seemed to regard him for some time, then he spoke to his mother something in her ear, the trio weren¡¯t able to hear anything.


    ¡°NIDO-NID-IDO¡± The Nidoqueen said, ¡°So, Nidoran wants to battle me, to see if I am worth following around.¡± Damien asked, to which the Nidoqueen simply nodded.


    ¡°Charmander, watch how both of us battle and try to learn anything new that you can.¡± Damien says to Charmander, who nods eager to follow his trainer¡¯s commands.


    ¡°You are up, Vee. It¡¯s been a while since we had a good battle.¡± Damien said to Vee, she simply jumped forward and Nidoran got some space to settle himself and growled at Vee which was a mistake. Both Pokemon sized each other up, and glared at each other, the atmosphere suddenly got cold, there was a chill in the air.


    The Eevee looks up at her opponent and releases a growl from her throat, no sane person would believe such a thing about her.


    Damien looks up at his Pokedex, and checks her movepool.


    Tackle


    Baby-Doll Eyes


    Tail Whip


    Helping Hands


    She even knew the moves, Double Edge and Shadow Ball even if they were far from being mastered, she had all the potential to match the might of Pikachu. He truly believed in her.


    The Nidoran cries out and runs forward like a mad bull.


    ¡°Vee, use Baby-Doll Eyes then aim Shadow Ball at his legs.¡± Damien calmly instructs Vee, who watches Nidoran running toward her with a Tackle in all seriousness,


    Vee dodges the move without the command of her trainer at the last second, and looks cutely in the direction of Nidoran, who looked like a teenager who fell in love with Vee at first sight.


    The Nidoqueen looked disappointed at her son¡¯s action, as if not expecting that from him.


    ¡®Poor Creature¡­ another victim of Vee.¡¯ Damien thought as Vee without any remorse, fired a Shadow Ball at Nidoran¡¯s legs.


    Nidoran tumbled on the ground and crashed against a tree, Nidoran came out of his stupor and looked surprised at the unexpected turn of events. He stood up with some difficulty and resolutely at Damien, not intending to back out of the battle.


    ¡°I respect your determination, Nidoran. But, let¡¯s end it now, Shadow Ball, Vee.¡± Damien says with respect visible in his tone and orders at the same time. The Shadow Ball sliced through the air without any resistance and hit on Nidoran¡¯s face without any mercy.


    Nidoran cries out for the first time since the match started, the glowing orb of dark energy smashes against his scales, tearing them apart from his skin. Without wasting any more time, Damien throws a Poke Ball at the fallen reptilian Pokemon, it touches the Nidoran swallowing him whole, the Poke Ball shakes for three times and finally clicks, signalling his capture.


    Damien smiles on the successful capture and picks up the Poke Ball, ¡°Welcome to the team, partner. I hope we will have wonderful adventures together.¡± he said, after releasing Nidoran from the Poke Ball, Nidoran landed on the ground and released a Battle Cry.


    ¡°You alright, buddy? And no ¡®Be The Man¡¯ Bullshit in the team from now, okay?¡± Nidoram simply nods and tries to stand up, the damage to his scales was quite serious, Damien seats himself on the ground and takes out a Potion from his Silph Co. bag. He applies the Potion to his scales, slowly but surely the scales start to heal and grow, within moments Nidoran¡¯s scales were good as new.


    He thanks his mother again for preparing his supplies and gives one Oran Berry to Nidoran, ¡°Eat it to replenish your energy, Nidoran.¡± The said reptilian mammal simply nods and finishes it in seconds. Next, Damien looks up at Nidoqueen and says, ¡°NIdoran¡¯s mom can we stay the night here?¡± Nidoran¡¯s mom agreed to let Damien and his team stay the night in the canopy.


    0-0-0-0-0-0


    Next Day, Damien and his team started their trek after saying their goodbye to Nidoran¡¯s family.


    Damien and his team have decided to make their camp near the lake leading to the north of Pewter City.


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± A sweat soaked Damien groans. The group had been travelling for six hours, the early heat in the morning was merciful, making the first several hours leading to and after the sunrise somewhat peaceful. So, Damien has decided to get some training in order, Nidoran was running around a tree, building his endurance because he was going to play an important role in the Pewter City Gym Battle.


    Vee was trying to master Shadow Ball and Double Edge. She was firing Shadow Ball again and again, Damien was hoping to decrease the time it took to cast Shadow Ball every time and building her stamina in the meantime.


    For Charmander, he was going to be the weakest link against rock type Pokemon, so he was teaching him the move- Metal Claw.


    Metal Claw is a physical attack that increases the said Pokemon¡¯s attack, the funny thing is it can be stacked up to six times by repeatedly using it. Without it, his Charmander really was limited in his ability to fight rock Pokemon at the current evolution stage.


    So, Charmander continued to slash at the rock, trying to get Metal Claw right, trying to master the move. After practicing it for a while, Charmander started to get the hang of it right, he¡¯ll master it before reaching Pewter City.


    They continued their training until after the afternoon, before finally calling it a day.


    Suddenly, a voice comes from his back, Damien turns and came face to face with a boy wearing strange armour and holding a freaking Katana in his hands. The horns on his helmet were carved like a yellow beetle, giving him an imposing look, even if his face was uncomfortable to look at.


    Is that a real sword, are they even legal?


    He really wanted to avoid this jerk, even if Gary set this fool up.


    ¡°I have finally found you, Are you a trainer from Pallet town? I challenge you to a Pokemon Battle?¡± The samurai says, the sword¡¯s edge gleaming menacingly in the sunlight, he really should stay away from that fool and preferably his sword.


    He should finish this already, Ash can handle him later¡­


    ¡°Sure.¡± Damien replies instantly, surprising the Samurai from his eagerness to battle.


    The Samurai was in for a lot of surprise, even the real Damien best the shit out of him, who was going to stop this best version of Damien.


    "Okay, so what will be the rules?" Damien asked, this was going to be his first official battle, after traveling for one and a half day.


    He was kind of looking forward to it.


    ¡°Official tournament rules are fine by me. Two-on-Two is fine Pokemon.¡±


    Damien nodded, fidgeting his Charmander¡¯s Pokeball in his fingers.


    ¡°Pinsir, assume your battlefield.¡± Samurai shouted, releasing his first Pokemon in the match.


    The Pinsir with its light brown body segmented by thin lines and topped with horns wide enough to strangle any poor creature trapped into it, was a truly underrated Pokemon.


    Damien gripped his fingers tightly, his heart beating loudly at the thought of one more Pokemon Battle.


    He really was a battle freak just like his fa.¡­


    No time to think about that right now, there will be a time for that thought.


    Let''s end this battle quickly and get on our way.


    Charmander jumped from his side into the battlefield.


    I can do this.


    Damien picked up a rock, and Samurai nodded, understanding that the match would start as soon as the rock hit the ground.


    He thought over the battle in his mind. Okay, let''s stomp this match in best way possible.


    The sound of the rock thudding against the ground was the signal.


    ¡°Vice Grip!¡±


    ¡°Dodge it.¡±


    The Pinsir lunged forward with a speed not possible for a Pokemon his size, it looks like Samurai wasn''t the fool he was shown in the anime. Charmander was already darting to the left.


    ¡°Smoke Screen!¡±


    Charmander''s cheeks puffed slightly as he unleashed multiple balls of smoke at Pinsir.


    ¡°Quick Attack!¡±


    Pinsir dodged some of the Smoke Screens but Charmander changed the trajectory of the balls at sudden, hitting the bug in face which he wasn''t able to dodge due to his momentum.


    ¡°Metal Claw!¡± Damien orders seizing the opportunity .


    A white aura envelopes Charmander¡¯s claws as he swung it with full power, tearing the poor Pinsir¡¯s skin apart causing him to scream.


    Pinsir¡¯s scream echoes through the forest, declaring Damien¡¯s victory to the forest.


    The Pinsir falls unconscious on the ground, Samurai quickly recalls his partner ensuring his safety.


    I''m Damien Terrous. Nice to meet you, and thanks for a good match" he greeted, extending his hand to the kid, who blinked, apparently having forgotten as well.


    ¡°Right." The kid smiled, reaching over to shake his hand. ¡°I¡¯m Zoro Taro and likewise.¡±


    Damien blinked, ¡°You can''t be serious.¡±


    ¡°Oh but I am.¡±


    ¡°Let''s meet again sometime and have a good match together.¡± Damien said, his voice filled with some respect for the unexpected rival.


    ¡°Here, take this and apply it on your Pinsir.¡± Damien handed him the Potion which Zoro quickly applied to his Pinsir.


    ¡°Thanks for the help, you helped me even if I challenged you first. I will do anything you tell me to.¡±


    ¡°Really!¡± Damien asked.


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Okay then listen, a trainer from Pallet Town would be coming, he''s really strong so don''t go easy on him in any way.¡±


    ¡°Sure, my friend.¡±


    Vee gave him an odd look in his arms, which he promptly ignored whistling in the air.


    That day, someone felt a chill run down their spine.


    ¡°Did you just Thundershock me, Pikachu.¡±


    Pikachu just blinked.


    0-0-0-0-0


    After saying goodbye to Zoro, Damien continued his trek to Pewter City.


    They eventually reached the outskirts of Pewter City.


    This is it, love," Damien murmurs to Vee, who perks her ears. "This is the first real step. The journey of a very literal Pokemon Champion begins here. Are we ready?¡±


    The little creature says nothing but presses her cheek to her trainer''s.