Pokémon: The Hoenn Journeys

Chapter 1

May 24, 2003

Dear Journal,

There've been times where I hated my life...of course, I'm not sure if this is one of those times. Another day in this damned school, another day of being threatened by that punkass kid named Matt...Remember him? The bully who threw a pint of milk at me when he got pissed at me, the bully who I managed to evade two days ago when he literally tried to rip my throat out. He's been after me ALL DAY...he's been after everyone, including some new kid in town...Brendan. Brendan's this platinum-haired kid who just moved into my town...Littleroot Town. He's pretty cool, actually. I've just met him and he's rather nice...

Matt's another story...but I'll talk about him later, I've got more important thing's to write about.

Today is the day of the dreaded test results... The things we call Regents. We get tested at the end of 9th grade, which is, you guessed it, my grade! If we pass...we get Pokémon, we get to start out on our journey. They never used to do this...they used to let 10 year olds go out on journey's on Trainer's Leave...can you believe that?! They were lucky...but ever since those two wierd teams began to show up around Hoenn, the Professors have gotten overprotective...Nice, huh?

Oh well...tough luck for me, I suppose. Hopefully, I passed the Regents...maybe not with flying colors, but, hey...just a 70 will be okay. I doubt Matt'll pass this semester...he didn't last year. Or the year before. He was held back because he was...*ahem*...all brawn and no brain. The kid's 17 and he's still in 9th grade... It's sad, really. You'd expect a lot out of a kid who never leaves the smaller people alone, always claims that he's the strongest in the school, and threatens to beat up ANYONE who opposes him. Yup, he's a regular wrestler...a fake.

And I have to leave in about ten minutes. We have to get to the auditorium on time, or we'll be excluded from getting our diplomas. My roommate, Cheryl, is already awake, already dressed, and already waiting for me at the door. She's just a month younger than me..so we have a lot in common...well, not the same music or anything, but the same perspective of the world, the same humor...y'know, that stuff. We're gonna meet Brendan and Jake down at the audtorium...they're our buddies...and Jake is Cheryl's boyfriend. Heh...those two are cute together...

And now, my time's been reduced to eight minutes! I've gotta go, or I'll have to wait another year to get out of this town! Eurgh! What a thought!

Later,

Rowan Crestall

I grinned down at my handiwork and sighed, slamming the book shut and reaching up to brush back my long, straight brown hair. You could still see some of the faint blonde highlights I had put in it about a year ago...although they were slowly fading back to brown. Well, it's enough to call me...legally blonde, pardon the pun. My eyes, a bright hazel, stared up at the door Cheryl was leaning against, and I slowly began to stand up from the bed I was sitting on, brushing off my black tee-shirt and straightening the black and red stretchy bellbottoms I had put on earlier. I yawned lightly, stretching my arms out and cracking my knuckles, bringing my right hand up to brush against the silver pentagram that was hanging around my neck. It was a gift from my mother before she disappeared, quite abrubtly, without a trace. Nobody saw her again since that day five years ago...I don't know what happened to her, but I do know that my father was tempted to desert me numerous times, because he honestly hated me from the start... He was abusive to me as an infant, and, right now, I wouldn't give a damn if he was hit head-on by a speeding truck. I hated the man's guts with a passion.

The room we were in was large enough for one bedroom...with TWO beds, mind you...a kitchen, a bathroom, and a living room. The wallpaper was a dim gray, and yellow streaks were painted randomly along the wall, although they didn't go in straight lines. The rug was a deep emerald green, and the ceiling was a dark, stormy gray, mixed with a little bit of black. Cheryl and I came up with this idea for a paint job when we first moved into the dorm. It was supposed to look like a stormy sky, and it did. The people who visited our room were always impressed. The same design went through all of the rooms. The television was against the wall directly across from the door, and it was playing a classic fantasy movie that Cheryl loved, a movie called Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. In front of the television and beside the door was a green sofa, and, next to that, was a recliner with matching colors. In the kitchen, the woodwork was black, and the table was brown and wooden. The bedroom was similar to the lviing room, except there was no sofa, television, or recliner. There were two seperate beds there. Cheryl's had little leaves stitched into the blanket, whilst mine had little pokéballs...odd, hmm? There were two wooden dressers on either side of the room, and one closet, as well, where we split it evenly in half...one half for her stuff, and one half for mine.

Cheryl looked up at me and grinned softly, brushing back a strand of black hair that fell neatly just above her shoulders. Her eyes, a piercing icy blue, gazed around the room for a moment, checking to see if there was anything she missed or forgot to bring with her to the auditorium, but she stopped after about a minute. She was wearing a pair of denim jeans, and a bright aquamarine shirt, one that she had borrowed from me that morning... We exchanged clothes a lot, so what? Cheryl, unlike me, was more of the social type, while I rarely talked, unless spoken to, that is, or if I wanted to make a remark, or offend someone. You know how it is. She had a two silver earrings on each ear, each on the upper part of the ear, and each shaped like star.

I nodded to her in approval that I was ready, and she grinned back, turning towards the door and prying it open before looking back. "Today's the day," she whispered softly, sighing. "Maybe, with luck, we'll pass, hmm?"

"Maybe," I said quite simply, shrugging my shoulders. "We'll find out, won't we?"

"I guess," Cheryl whispered softly, looking down the doorway. For the first time today, I noticed that she looked uptight. Probably really nervous about passing or failing.

"Are you really that nervous?" I asked suddenly, blinking and slumping my shoulders. She looked back at me, and nodded, her eyes brimmed with anxiety that I hadn't seen since the first time she met Jake, which was about a year ago. "Well, if you are...don't worry. It'll all work out soon. If we don't pass, we'll just keep taking the Regents! We'll get outta here sometime!"

"Uhh...Rowan?" she was asking, gulping and looking away.

"Yeah?"

"That wasn't what's wrong?"

I nearly did a double-take in disbelief. What could she possibly be worried about? "Then what's wrong?"

She looked over to me again, and sighed, twirling before me and shaking her head. "Do these clothes make me look fat?"

A sweatdrop appeared on the side of my head and rolled down, and I blinked for a minute, staring at her in disbelief. I shook my head, closed my eyes, and spoke, with an agitated voice, "No, it does not make you look fat." I opened one eye, then rushed at her, tugging at her left arm and pulling her down the hall, a place with a brown rug and tan wallpaper. "Don't be such a worry wart, we're gonna be late if we don't hurry!"

Cheryl didn't retaliate as she was dragged down the hallway, but she simply exhaled in irritation, a white mushroom cloud appearing out of her mouth as she did so.

**********

"What took you two so long?" Jake was asking as I rushed Cheryl into the auditorium, coincidentally right before the doors slammed shut behind us and the ceremony of graduating the students into Pokémon Trainers began.

Jake was sitting in a chair along the second row, watching as the we ran up to his and Brendan's aisle and began to squeeze into the aisle. Silently, I cursed the chair aisles being so close together, because we had to brush past the knees of other people and bumped into the chairs more than once, as well as other people's faces. It was extremely awkward, and I felt foolish for a moment, a blush creeping into my face before we managed to get to the two empty seats Brendan and Jake saved for us. Cheryl sat silently beside her boyfriend, blushing madly and pecking him softly on the cheek, causing him to grin sheepishly. I, in the meanwhile, sat beside her, sighing in agitation.

Jake was only a month older than Cheryl, and exactly as old as I was. His hair was an odd color...it was turquoise, and was buzzcut in style, with bits of it sticking up in spikes. If he dyed his hair or it was actually natural, I didn't know. His eyes were a bright emerald, and he was wearing a pair of black jeans, as well as a white tee-shirt that was covered with a red vest. He wore a black headband, which had a red pokéball embolized on it. He grinned at them sheepishly and flashed a thumbs up in approval.

Beside him was Brendan, the one who I wrote was the new kid. He just moved into town a little while ago...about a week ago. Like Cheryl, Jake, and I, he was 14, but older than me by two months. I remember the first day we met him...he was being bullied by Matt, and Cheryl, Jake, and I happened to be in the area. We confronted the older boy and told him simply to knock it off, which had caused him to start heading towards them, ready to pummel their brains in. Luckily, a teacher had been there, and he had been able to get Matt to go away...for a short while, anyway, for he wouldn't leave them alone after the fact. Matt was still after him, as well as us. Put simply, we're on his shit list. The boy had spikey white hair and bright silver eyes. We often called him Ice because of his appearance, although he normally shrugged off the name. He had on a pair of blue jeans, as well as a white tee-shirt, which was covered with a green vest. Like Jake, he had a headband wrapped around his forehead, except it was an icy blue, and had a black pokéball stitched into it. I had to admit, he did look kinda cute...kinda...well, he's actually hot...and what the Hell am I saying?!

This wasn't good...I was giving myself a headache! Damn those hormones! Damn me having a crush on a guy who hardly knew me!

The room we were in was extremely crowded, which I realized after a quick glance around the place. Every single seat was filled, and there were hardly any empty spaces...except for the places where the teachers stood along the back of the room, hands crossed over their chests as they watched the whole ceremony anxiously. I could see Matt in the background, could see his greasy black hair and blazing red eyes, could see that he was wearing a black tee-shirt, denim jeans, and a leather coat. I couldn't make out any more of him, for he quickly glanced in my direction and frowned, pulling back his lips in a low snarl, and I responded by raising my right hand in the air and raising my middle finger in his direction before turning to face the stage. I swear, if those teachers hadn't been there, he would've beaten me to the ground on the spot.

My attention was averted once again, however, when a man stepped onto the stage, sighing and pulling his white lab coat tight around his frame. The man was somewhat short...around 5'6", to be exact, but that didn't affect the intelligence that showed upong his young 30-year old face. His hair was short and brown and two bangs were hovering over his forehead. The hair stretched down to his chin, where it formed a neat little beard. His eyes, wide and brown, were sparkling with energy, and he was wearing s blue tee-shirt, as well as a pair of tan shirts. He looked like he just came back from camping...that's how casual his clothes were. Everyone here knew him as Professor Birch...a close friend to Oak in Kanto and Elm in Johto, except he was the principle of Littleroot High, our school. He would also be the one who would give us our starter Pokémon, considering we passed the Regents.

I nodded to Cheryl, Jake, and Brendan, and turned to face the stage, a grin creeping upon my face. I watched the other three follow suit out of the corner of my eye, and silently I nodded in approval. On the stage, Birch cleared his throat and brushed off his lab coat before walking silently to the microphone that was set in the center of the stage. Was he uptight, too? He looked nervous...that was odd, Birch is hardly ever nervous!

"Today's the day, my dear students!" Birch started off, his voice echoing throughout the auditorium, amplified by the microphone. He gulped again, then slowly began to grin. "Today...you will find out if you can go out on your own Pokémon journeys!" I saw many people tensen up at these words, anxiety and excitedness flickering across their features. "I know many of you probably still think this is ridiculous, as we all know that many people were able to go on their journeys without taking tests or attending classes...but times have changed, and the wretched Team Magma and Aqua are beginning to appear throughout Hoenn rapidly."

"Anyway, today is the day where I will announce if you passed or failed, although not publicly. I will call you up one by one, and hand a letter to each of you... If you pass, instructions will be on the bottom of the letter, telling you when to come back to the auditorium to recieve your Pokémon and equipment. If you didn't pass...best luck to you next year. Alright...let's start."

He gulped and reached to his left, where there was a desk full of enveloped letters. His hand hovered over it for a few moments, and he reached down to pick the first letter up. Looking at it, he called out, "Frank Kesprack!"

From somewhere behind me, a young boy walked up to the stage, his body shaking nervously. I gulped, then turned to my three friends, who all had anxiety written upon their faces. Taking a deep breath, I watched as the boy, Frank, recieved the letter, then promptly walked to where he sat before. Before he could rip the letter open, Birch's voice once again flew through the air. "I will remind you all," he began, "to please wait until you get back to your dorms to open your letters. We don't want a riot to start in here, now do we?"

Frank stared at him for a moment, then silently shoved the letter in his jeans pocket. The cycle of people going up to the stage began once more, and I was silent the entire time, my body rigid with anxiety. What if I failed? What if I had to stay in this tiny little town once again? What if I never passed?

"Cheryl Ramotha!"

Cheryl looked over to me and nodded before getting up, heading to the stage quickly and taking the letter quietly before rushing back, her face blank. Jake was next, and he acted almost the same way...when he came back, he and Cheryl had their arms over eachother's shoulders in a comforting gesture. Some other girl was called up next, then Matt, who I saw was smirking as he walked up to the stage. The bastard...hopefully he'll fail again...but his grade went up slightly each year...what if he passed?

Centuries seemed to pass, and when my name finally rang out into the air, I stood nervously, gulping and nearly tripping over a couple of people as I left the aisle. I made my way up to the stage silently, my eyes wide, my face blank. I stepped up nervously, and, before I knew it, was in front of Birch, who was grinning as he handed me the letter. Perhaps that was a good sign? I nodded and took the paper before stumbling down the stairs, nearly falling on my face a couple of times before I was able to get back into the seat I once stood in.

The rest of time rushed past, and, before I knew it, Cheryl was dragging me out of the auditoium, looking over to me nervously. I could read the emotions in her face, and I knew she was just as frightened as I was... Behind me was Jake, and Brendan patted me lightly on the back in enthusiasm, causing a blush to creep onto my face. I stumbled out of Cheryl's grasp and headed towards the door to the left, our door, and fumbled for the handle. As soon as the door gave way, I ran in and leapt onto the sofa, waiting for the others to enter and sit beside me. I fingered the letter in my right hand, then gulped, my heart racing. The others shared similar expressions, and I nodded to them, shaking slightly.

"I guess...now's the moment of truth?" I whispered softly, blinking.

Cheryl nodded, and removed her letter from her jean pockets, staring at it anxiously. Jake and Brendan followed suit, trembling slightly and looking over to me.

"You do the honors first, Rowan," Brendan whispered, gulping. I shook my head, then stared at the floor.

"We'll do it at the same time," I responded, grinning weakly. "On the count of three, okay?"

"At the count of three," Jake repeated, placing his fingers at the edge of the letter and breathing raggedly. Cheryl, Brendan, and I followed suit. "One..."

"Two," Cheryl sighed.

"Three," Brendan said.

Riiiip!

The envelope I held fell to the ground as I hastily unfolded the letter inside it. I looked over the handwriting hastily, searching for a sign of acceptance, and saw that it was neatly types. Of course it was, would Birch waste his time handwriting all of our letters?

Dear Rowan Crestall,

It takes me great pleasure to announce that you have passed the Ninth Grade Regents Exams with an 89%. Excellent work, and congratulations! The following grades are the grades you have recieved for each section of the Regents Exams.

Math - 87%

Biology - 85%

History - 86%

Foreign Language/French - 90%

English - 95%

Health - 89%

Now that you have passed Ninth Grade, you are able to start on your very own Pokémon journey! To recieve your equipment, please come to the auditorium at exactly 9:30 A.M. EST tomorrow, May 25, 2003.

Excellent job!

Sincerely,

Professor Okadami Birch, Littleroot High School Principle

Looking up, I saw looks of elation on Cheryl, Jake, and Brendan's faces. Was it possible that they passed as well? A grin appeared on my face, literally stretching from ear to ear.