Decisions for Life

Decisions for Life
[By Flygon]
Chapter 3



Legal stuff: I do not own Pokemon, Game Freak, Creatures, Nintendo, or any of the Affiliated companies. This fic is pure free stuff for you to read. I do hope that you enjoy it. It will be a long one.

Author's note: I got this idea a while back, inspired by many fics I have read in the past from many different places. I rate this one at PG-13 to R due to some of the violence, some language, some descriptive scenes, mentions of situations dealing with drugs, sex, and a few others. This is NOT a lemon, though. I may at some point do one, but This isn't it. Further Note here: I could not find the last name of several of the Anime Characters, so I took some literary licence here, sorry.

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Homeward Bound

Daniel sat in the solarium waiting for the sun to rise. It had been one of his pleasures back in his old world, before he was moved here. He would go to a park, find a nice hill and watch the sun rise to greet the day. A lot of times he would also go out in the evening to watch it set. He let out his pokemon, the ferroseed, who he called spike, and put it on the table. He studied it for a while, while he waited for the sun to rise. In his old world, he had all the games, save the new one that was supposed to be released, platinum. He began to wonder what other pokemon he would run into that he had no idea about.

Not to mention the differences in what he thought he knew about this world, and what really was going on in this world. In the anime series, Ash never got married, nor did he win anything except at the Orange Island and the battle frontier. Here Ash was a Master and had won five league titles in a row, after losing at Indigo Plateau. He was also married to Misty and had a baby son. Here most of his favorite musicians were never heard of, and he would miss hearing some of the songs and instrumentals that were his favorites. But here he could interact with pokemon physically, instead of as sprites in a game. He saw the tell-tale brightening of the horizon, and absently put his hand on the small pokemon, rubbing the top of it. It seemed to purr at the attention.

He watched the sun come up, bathing the land in new light, giving life and energy to plants, humans, and pokemon. He felt the little two foot tall pokemon quiver a bit, and stroked it again. He looked to the little creature. It was looking at the sun and it's small mouth was curled up into a smile.

"Like the sunrise, Spike?" he asked the steel and grass type.

"Fer, Fer," It said in the manner of all pokemon.

"That sounds like a yes, to me." He grinned.

"All grass types like the sunrise." A voice said from the doorway. "Or so I've been told."

He turned and saw doctor Willingham. He had a large package with him and he was looking at the little pokemon on the table.

"I never saw this one though." He added. "I heard that you got some pokemon yesterday. He walked slowly to Daniel and laid the package down on the table. "By the way, Happy birthday. It's pokechow, and a book by two noted breeders, Brock and Susie Slateton, on making and picking foods for pokemon, based on type and natures." He smiled at the boy. "I hope that you can put it to use."

"I think I can, Doctor." Then he looked at the man. "And thanks for helping me out so much."

"That's part of my job, Dan." He replied with a grin. "Besides, you were the first patient that I had to check on when I started here. You don't know how glad I am that you made it out."

"I can imagine," Danny chuckled a bit. "I'm sorta glad that I made it out too."

"And I came here to say thank you." He saw the puzzled look on Daniels face. "Before you woke from your coma, I was seriously considering leaving the hospital and going into private practice. Your waking gave me hope for all the others in the ward. That they have a chance too. And congratulations on your new family. I left a similar package with your new sister, on her nightstand." He looked at his watch. "I have to start my rounds in ten minutes, I will see you and your sister at noon for your treatments." He put his hand on the boys shoulder.

Daniel recalled Spike and wheeled himself back to the ward when the doctor left. Later Kalie came in with her package and a bewildered look on her face. Daniel explained and they spent the next twenty minutes feeding their pokemon. They had their therapy sessions and went to the solarium to read the book. Daniel took this time to read the first page, then he put the book down and closed his eyes. He thought a moment and then saw the page swim in front of his minds eye. He smiled. His weird memory, as his former foster brother called it, was still there. He concentrated a bit more, and started to see things that he had learned and read in his old world. His music lessons that he had had when he was five were all there, the math books, English, all the hint books and walkthroughs and pokedexs that he had downloaded there, were floating in his head. Smiling he opened the book, and began to add that to his mental library.

Time passed quickly. Soon Kalie and he were jogging on the treadmill, and racing on the bikes. The doctor told Kalie that she could go home in three days but it would be two more weeks before Daniel could. She then told the doctors that she wanted to stay until they both could go home, and Daniel hugged her for that. He was fearing to be alone. The next week both Byron and Katie came by to deliver sets of clothes to them for when they would be released. Daniel looked at the pair of blue jeans, the light blue shirt, socks, and a pair of black and blue gym shoes with anticipation.

The rest of the week seemed to crawl by. At least for Daniel. He was both anxious and fearful of his release day. He wanted to start his new life, but he feared it too. He would be in a world that was new to him and even though he had read about it, and watched all the anime, he knew that there would be things that were different. There was nothing about the trains, that Kalie told him about, in the anime, or the games. There was also the new pokemon, like the two that Kalie and he had gotten. He was excited about that, just like he was when a new game arrived for him to try. A new challenge. He also found that some things were not like the games or anime. Heatran could breed, granted with a ditto only, but still. He remembered the only way he and a friend got a second heatran was with a gadget that could add pokemon with. He felt sure that others, like zapdos, dialga, palkia and the like could not breed, or could and only would when they felt their life was nearing an end.

Finally the day that he both looked forward to and dreaded arrived. They had their last meal, breakfast, in the ward with all the children of the ward present and eating. They each went into a bathroom to change into the regular street clothes, and then were each met by a nurse that had a wheelchair for them. They waived good bye to the rest of the kids, both telling them that they would send emails to them, and left the ward for the last time. In the lobby, they were met by their parents, who smiled and walked next to their chairs to the door.

The sun shone down on the streets of Eterna City and Daniel saw for the first time pokemon being played with, walked, or wild ones simply interacting. people passed by on the side-walk, some looking at the pair and nodding in greeting, while others simply moved quickly by. Daniel stood and shook hands with all the doctors that had come out to see this pair off. He thanked them for their help both during his time he was in a coma, and while he recovered from it. Then he looked up to his new mother and father, then to his sister, and heard Byron say the words that he had wanted to hear for nearly a year.

"Let's go home."

The train ride was fun for the both of them. They had made the station and then gotten aboard the train that would take them to Jubalife City, where they could catch the ferry to Canaclave City, and home. Daniel spent much of his time on the train with his face pressed against the window watching the scenery go by, while Kalie pointed out many of the things that could be seen. The train had to pause for a few hours, in the middle of the second day because of some rocks that were too close to the tracks. That was when they noticed a small lake near the tracks and a large group of blue and white pokemon. Daniel heard Kalie gasp.

"Dad, there, at the lake." She pointed. "Wild Piplups." She pressed her face into the glass of the train window even more. "I hope that when I go on my journey I can get one. I gotta remember this place."

"Conductor?" Byron smiled as the man came over and he spoke to him for a bit, before he shook his hand and thanked him.

"Come on." He told them. "He said that we could stretch our legs a bit, and it isn't to far to that lake."

"Ohhh great." Kalie clapped. "I'll get to see them close up maybe."

"Better then that." Byron told the both of them. "Remember, you both are registered trainers now. You have some pokemon, pokedex, and pokeballs, and you can use them to catch a piplup each."

"Do you think we can?" Daniel asked with wide eyes. "I mean we promised Ash that we would wait..."

"To start your journey." He told them. "This is just to catch a pokemon." He grinned at their looks of anticipation. "Besides, your mother and I are here to see that you don't over tax yourselves."

The two kids had to fight to keep from trying to run to the lake, and all the while Kalie was asking what pokemon she should use.

"Piplup's a water type." Daniel told her quickly. "It doesn't get the steel part until it evolves to empoleon. Use your magnimite, it's an electric type. It has Thundershock and thunderwave, and that will work great against a water type. And the steel part of magnimite will be great if the piplup uses a water attack." Then Daniel noticed a young woman on a rapidash, observing the pokemon and thought 'possible problem'.

"Hold on, Kalie." Daniel said, frowning, as he changed direction.

As he approached the young woman, he saw that she had a pair of Empoleon, which didn't seem to bode well. They all turned to watch the approaching group.

"Are all those piplup yours?" He asked.

"Sure are." She reached down and petted both of the empoleon. "Mamu, and Mighty here are the parents to most of them."

Daniel remembered from the books he read in his old world that piplup was supposed to be very proud, and that should extend to the Empoleon. He slowly turned to the two large pokemon and bowed to each of them. When he straightened up he saw that Kalie had done the same and both empoleon were standing straighter and their gaze on the two children had softened a bit.

"Sorry to have bothered you, then." Daniel said to the young woman. "My sister and I thought they were wild."

"And you were lookin to catch some?" She regarded the boy.

"One each." He grinned at her. "We just got out of Eterna hospital, and we were heading home when the train stopped because of the rocks."

"Eterna Hospital?" She looked at both and smiled. "I got a young brother in that hospital, he was there because he was havin his tonsils out, and there was a little complication."

"Jerry?" He saw her eyes open wide. "He's getting better now. We exchanged email addresses. He was sad because you weren't able to visit him a lot. So Kalie and I played a lot of games with him and when Ash gave us our pokemon, we would let him help with feeding them and that."

"And you gave him your book on pokemon food." Kalie said with a frown. "The doctor got that for us and now we have only one copy. I don't mind sharing, but.."

"I read it already," Daniel told his sister. "And it made him happy."

"You read it," Kalie countered "But that doesn't mean that you'll remember all those recipes."

"Wrong, Kalie." He grinned at her, seeing her surprised look. "I never forgot anything that I read." He winked, then turned to look at the piplup. "Well, thank you for letting us look at them close up." He had directed the last to the young woman and then turned to leave.

"Hold up a minute." She said to the both. "You don't want to get a piplup then?"

"Sure we do." Danny replied, turning back to her. "But I don't want to take any that arn't wild or from Professor Rowan."

"My brother told me about a pair of youngsters who helped him feel better." She said with a big smile. "Jerry is about the most important person on this whole planet to me now, and you two helped him? He told me that the boy had been in a coma for a little over two years. That true?"

"Yea." Daniel responded. "My parents died in an accident that put me in that coma, and Kalies parents took me in as a foster son." he added.

"And these are your new parents?" She indicated Byron and Katie, who had come up to the group.

"Yes." He answered.

"Well, I'll tell you something, youngster." The young woman said, still smiling. "You helped my little brother, and that helped me. You two also showed a lot of respect to Mamu and Mighty here by bowing to them like that. I was bringing this pack of piplup to Professor Rowan, because he ran out and his Empoleons weren't ready to breed yet. What say I pick two for you out of the pack and give them to you. They're just about the proper level for a trainer, now, and I got close to thirty five of them here."

"You'de give us a piplup each?" Kalie stared at the woman.

"You got it young lady." she got off her rapidash and started to look through the saddle bags. "You two helped my little bro and I don't forget about people who help my kin. He was so happy last time I talked to him on the phone that he was nearly bustin. Here they are." She pulled out two pokeballs that had stickers on them, pointed them at the crowd of piplup, and brought in two. "Here ya go." she handed them each a pokeball. "I gave you ones with a hasty nature. They'll be a bit faster, but a little weaker in defence. But..." She drawled out with a grin. "Since I try to breed them to help them over come their natures problems, these will be a tad bit better then, say a normal hasty nature." She winked at them and then she handed them each a card. "That's my card, got my phone number and my email address on it. Keep in touch."

"We will," Kaylie looked at the card and noted the name. "Miss Clare."

"No miss, Jus Clare." She grinned. "Be sure to come an visit a bit, when ya start yer journey. I'm sure that Jerry would be pleased as punch to see two friends again."

They headed back to the train, each staring at their pokeballs in wonder.

The rest of the journey went smoothly and they arrived at Jubalife City in the early morning. Daniel was looking around, wide eyed, at the sights. He saw the Television station, the shops and of course the pokemon center. He saw people moving around, going about their business all over the place. Then he saw four officer Jennys and he had to keep from chuckling. It seemed some things from the anime held true. They took a bus through the town and got off at the ferry dock, just as one of the ferrys pulled up. They were told it would be ten minutes.

The ferry across the waters was uneventful, but Daniel watched as they seemed to get an escort from remoraid, goldeen, tentacool, shellos, and even a trio of slowpoke. Daniel felt a new thrill from seeing each one. He looked to the approaching docks and saw a sign that said: Welcome Kalie and Daniel, Good health to you both. And a large group of people. quite a few were wearing dungarees and working clothes that would have been perfect in a mine. Then Danny remembered. His new dad was the gym leader where trainers got the Mine badge, and it all made sense. He saw Byron grinning as the ferry docked. Almost two dozen of the people came aboard and he suddenly found himself lifted onto the shoulders of half of their number, while Kalie was hoisted onto the shoulders of the others. When they started to head for the streets of the city, with both Byron and Katie following, he grew a bit nervous.

"What's going on?" He called out to his sister, eyes slightly frightened.

"Nothing," She answered with a giggle. "Just a welcome from the Canaclave Gym, and some of the folks of the city. Enjoy it, bro. The city people are really proud of the gym, and our dad. This is the way they welcome you."

Despite the assurances, Daniel still felt himself coloring slightly. After all the inattention he had gotten in his old world, and then the limited attention he got in the hospital, this was a bit overwhelming. Both Kalie and he were carried through the main city street, and people on the side-walks waived to them both, as well as the two parents. He summoned his courage and waved back, trying not to let his nervousness show. He was not used to being the center of attention like this. He saw a large building in the distance. It looked like a huge pile of rocks with a door set into it, and had steel girders holding up the steel canopy on the door. He was placed on the ground, and his back was repeatedly patted. Flanked by both parents, they walked to the massive doors which opened wide to allow them to enter. Daniel had felt almost euphoric at the moment. He was finally, going home.

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Another chapter done. Hope you like it so far. Just to let you know, I am not going in for any of this world saving stuff. This is just a different type of trainer story. It will have some twists in it, but other then that, pretty normal.

NEXT: Daniel Arrives home, and starts to help out at the gym. His sister, is eager to start her journey, and so is he.