Chapter One
Wally
Thud!
The young boy hit the wall hard and fell to the ground, coughing madly. He looked up slowly, hearing loud, mocking laughs as a large shadow came over him.
“Aww, did I make poor Wally choke?”
The large teenager loomed over him like a thundercloud. His grin was maddening, and the young boy scrambled back against the wall in fear. Behind the teenager were two other teen boys, equal to their leader in brawn and stupidity. They laughed as the first teen reached over and grabbed the young boy by his olive green hair, holding him up against the wall. The boy struggled against him, but to no avail.
“You think you’re so special, don’t you, Wally?” sneered the teenager, breath reeking of tobacco, which only worsened the boy’s coughing. “Just because you’re a sickly little shrimp, you get all the attention of everyone. You must think you’re so much better than us.” Between coughs, Wally attempted to shake his head, feeling tears well up in his eyes. The teen didn’t let up. “Well, you’re not, hear me?!” With that, he pushed Wally hard against the wall, then threw him aside. Wally collided with the ground and didn’t get up, hiding his face in the dirt. “Just remember that, shrimp,” the teen snapped. With that, he motioned to his cronies, who laughed and chimed in with equally harsh insults. Eventually, the laughs and sneers began to fade into the distance, and only when they were completely inaudible did Wally dare to pull himself up into a sitting position.
Still coughing softly, Wally brushed the dirt and tears off his face. He was used to the insults, of course, and the occasional punches, shoves around town; never before, however, had the bullies gotten this violent. He sighed, body aching already. He dreaded telling his father about this. Not wanting to go home, Wally sat, drawing patterns in the dirt with his finger and coughing from time to time. He looked up into the sky; dark clouds had begun to creep in above Petalburg City. Slowly, Wally stood up, legs shaking underneath him. He heard a rumble of thunder, and for a moment he debated going home before it began to rain. But home meant explaining his bruised back and dirtied face to his father, and so Wally instead walked to the east, towards Route 102. He continued walking as raindrops began to fall, walking until he reached the edge of town, where tall grass grew and wild Pokémon roamed.
Wally sat again, this time near the tall grass. He watched the wild Pokémon scurry about to find cover: Poochyena crowding under tree roots, Wurmple digging into underground burrows, Zigzagoon climbing trees to find shelter in the leaves. Wally watched them all silently, the patter of rain and his soft, intermittent coughing the only sounds. The thunder rumbled again, this time a bit closer, and Wally saw a few Pokémon shudder in fear. Wally felt a twinge of sympathy for them; they were just as frightened by the thunder as he was by the neighborhood bullies, by the adults that gave him sad, knowing looks whenever he coughed, by the doctors who stared at him and shrugged their shoulders in disbelief. These Pokémon were just as helpless as he was.
Lightening flashed, and a few seconds later the thunder roared again, louder this time. The rain became heavier, and Wally shivered and coughed in the cold. He was about to get up and head for shelter when he heard a soft, desperate cry in the grass. Curious, Wally crept forward and poked his head into the tall grass, searching about for the source of the cry. Unable to see anything, he crawled in deeper. He heard the cry again, louder, and kept crawling through. The rain began to fall harder and harder, but Wally didn’t notice. He continued to search through the grass until he found a small patch that was shaking furiously. Slowly, Wally reached over and pulled the grass aside to reveal a small Pokémon, shivering with fright. Shocked, the Pokémon turned around, the red horns on its green-capped head vibrating slightly. It began to back away, but stumbled and fell to the ground.
“No, no, it’s alright!” Wally assured softly. “I won’t hurt you!” The Pokémon still shook in fear but made no motion to escape, so Wally sat up and held out his hand. “Here,” he said, “I’ll keep you safe from the rain!” Slowly, the Pokémon sat up and stared at Wally’s hand. “It’s okay, I promise!” Wally smiled, and the Pokémon looked up and made a soft, cooing noise. It reached out its own small white hand in turn, still looking scared but not as much as before. Gently, it placed its hand in Wally’s, then looked up, confused. The lightning struck again, and the thunder boomed, causing the Pokémon to flinch. But Wally squeezed its hand softly and smiled, and, slowly, the Pokémon smiled back.
Then, suddenly, the grass behind them rustled, and out burst a small orange blur that flew right between them, chirping madly. The Pokémon let go of Wally’s hand and, in shock, glowed white and then disappeared. “W-wait!” cried Wally, but the Pokémon was nowhere to be found. The orange blur continued to dash in circles around him, and Wally tried but couldn’t identify what exactly it was.
“Torchic! Torchic, get back here right now!”
At the new voice, the blur screeched to a stop, and Wally could see that it was an orange chick Pokémon with yellow feathers on its head. Chirping in a panic, it dashed around and hid behind Wally, who simply sat there and coughed, very confused.
Approaching from the east came a somewhat large man with brown hair and a scruffy beard. He was wearing a lab coat, khaki shorts, and sandals, and was carrying a suitcase in his left hand. “Hey, stop that Pokémon!” he shouted, and Wally, realizing that the man was talking to him, turned and scooped the small chick into his arms. The chick began to struggle, but Wally held on tight until the man ran up to him. “Thank you,” the man said. “You don’t know how long I’ve been chasing that Torchic!”
The Torchic, as Wally figured it was called, chirped sadly, still struggling against his chest. He coughed violently, which caused Torchic to panic and struggle even more. “S-Sorry,” Wally almost whimpered. The lightning flashed and thunder crashed, and all three of them jumped.
“Maybe we should get to shelter,” mumbled the man. “It could be getting dangerous out here…”
Wally stood up shakily, holding the Torchic, who had stopped moving in shock, close to his chest. “W-We can go to my dad’s house!” he said. “It’s only three minutes away!” The man nodded his thanks, then motioned for Wally to lead the way. Wally dashed back into Petalburg and towards his house, every once in a while looking back to make sure the man was still following. Wally’s small house was right in front of a pond, with a cute little rock garden in the back. The door was always unlocked, and so Wally let himself and the man in right away. He slipped off his shoes and into the slippers waiting in the hallway, then offered a pair to the man. “Dad!” he called out. “We have a guest!”
Wally’s father, Wallace Senior, poked his head out from the kitchen. “Wally, what were you doing out in the rain? You know it’ll make your sickness worse!”
Wally lowered his head guiltily, and the Torchic in his arms looked up at him and chirped. “Uh, Dad,” he said, changing the subject, “this is…uh…” He looked up to the man, at a loss.
The man bowed. “Professor Birch, at your service,” he said. “Your son here was kind enough to help me out by stopping my Torchic and offering me shelter from this dreadful rainstorm.” Wallace walked out into the hallway and bowed back.
“Wallace Verde,” he introduced. “It’s a pleasure.”
Wally looked between the two, then looked down at the Torchic. “Oh, here!” he said suddenly, holding the chick out to the professor. Birch smiled.
“Thank you, Wally, right?” Wally nodded, and Birch reached out to take the Torchic. However, the Torchic didn’t like that idea, and it instead spat flames out, burning the professor’s hands. “Y-Yowch!” the professor shouted, shaking his hands wildly. Wally looked at the Torchic in shock.
“That wasn’t very nice of you!” he said, coughing once again. The Torchic made a hmph sound and snuggled against Wally’s arm.
“Looks like he likes you,” Birch said with a sheepish grin, still shaking his hands. He turned to Wallace. “May I use your sink?” he asked. With a nod, Wallace led him out to the kitchen, leaving Wally and the Torchic alone in the hall.
Wally sat down against the wall, placing the Torchic on the ground in front of him. “So you’re a boy, hm?” he asked. The Torchic stared up at him, then slowly nodded his head. “Do you have a name?” Wally asked. The Torchic blinked, tilting his head slightly. “You know, a name! Mine’s Wally!” Wally held out his hand, and the Torchic placed his claw in it. Laughing, Wally shook it. “I wonder if Professor Birch would let me give you a name,” he thought aloud, releasing the chick’s claw. The Torchic hopped into Wally’s lap and lay down, closing his eyes. Wally gently ruffled the chick’s head feathers.
He’d always wanted a Pokémon, but his father had never let him have one. His father rarely let him have anything that wasn’t sterilized; obviously, such dirty, nasty beings as Pokémon would only worsen Wally’s illness. Wally sighed, still running his fingers through the Torchic’s feathers. He’d heard all about the adventures people had had with Pokémon; he would often watch televised Pokémon battles and contests, attempting to live vicariously through the trainers on the screen. It was his dream to become someone like Sapphire, the girl who’d beaten the Elite Four at the age of thirteen, or Ruby, the boy who’d risen through the ranks of Pokémon Contests faster than anyone before him. “But I can’t do that without a Pokémon, can I, Torchic?” he said with a sigh. The thunder crashed again, sending Wally into a coughing fit and causing the Torchic to jump up and nudge at his face.
“Wally! Are you alright?” Wallace dashed back into the room, Professor Birch right behind him. Wallace gasped. “Is that Pokémon attacking you?!”
“No, no, of course not!” stuttered Wally between coughs. “He’s just checking to make sure I’m alright!” Wally’s coughing finally began to die down, and the Torchic chirped, snuggling against Wally’s chest.
Wallace looked unconvinced, but Birch rubbed his beard thoughtfully and smiled. “I’ll be,” he said, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone bond so quickly with a Pokémon. Have you raised any before, Wally?”
Smiling softly and patting the Torchic’s head, Wally shook his head. “Sometimes I play with wild ones, but I’ve never had a Pokémon of my own,” he said.
“You’ve played with wild Pokémon?!” shouted his father, but he was ignored.
“Well, I think you and Torchic are perfect for one another,” said Birch. “That Torchic is one moody Pokémon. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him take a liking to anyone before!” The Torchic chirped happily, and Wally grinned. “Say, I have an idea,” said the professor, reaching down and picking up his suitcase. “Wally, have you ever heard of the Hoenn Gym Challenge?”
Wally’s face instantly lit up, while his father’s immediately darkened. “Of course I have!” chimed Wally, standing up and holding the Torchic to his chest. “I’ve always wanted to take it!”
“Now Wally, you know what I’ve told you,” his father said darkly.
“Dad, it’s not going to kill me to go on an adventure!” Wally snapped back, and the Torchic chirped in agreement.
“We still don’t know what your sickness is! You could be allergic to something outdoors! Or Pokémon!”
“I’m not allergic to adventure,” Wally muttered, annoyed. He coughed again.
Birch rubbed his beard again, opening his suitcase and pulling out a small red device. “Well, I would never go against your father,” said Birch, “but I’d like you to have this, Wally.” He held the device out, and Wally took it politely. He looked at it, unsure. “It’s a Pokédex,” Birch explained. “It records data on all Pokémon you see. I’m sure someone as good with Pokémon as you are could make good use of it!”
Wally’s eyes grew wide. A real Pokédex?! But only really important Pokémon trainers were allowed to carry those! “Th-thank you so much!” he exclaimed. If he wasn’t holding the Torchic, he would have hugged the professor right then and there.
“Don’t thank me just yet,” said Birch, smiling. “If it’s alright with your father, I’d also like you to have that Torchic.”
Both Wally’s and Wallace’s mouths dropped. The Torchic chirped excitedly. “Oh, please, Dad? Please please please?” Wally begged between the coughs that had started from the shock.
“Now, Wally, a Pokémon, especially a Fire Pokémon like that, would do no help for your coughing!” Wallace said, still trying to regain his composure.
“I beg to differ!” said the professor, leaping in to save the day. “There’ve been numerous cases where people with serious illnesses have seen their condition improve greatly due to interaction with Pokémon!” He rubbed his beard again. “In fact, I think the best thing for your son would be to go on an adventure and try to complete the Hoenn Gym Challenge!” His smile went from ear to ear, and Wally’s did as well.
“…I don’t know,” said Wallace, sighing.
“Here, how about you and I have a talk about this?” said Birch softly. “Honestly, I think not letting someone as talented with Pokémon as Wally experience adventure would be a great loss to the Pokémon world. I’d love to change your mind…” With that, he and Wallace walked back into the kitchen.
Wally almost danced for joy. Here he was, with his own Pokémon! “Isn’t this great, Torchic?” he exclaimed. The Torchic chirped with joy. “Oh, wait! Since you’re mine now, I can name you, right?” The Torchic chirped again, tilting his head slightly. Wally sat down again, placing the Torchic in his lap. “Hmm,” he said. “How about…Ra? God of the Sun?” The Torchic stared at him for a second, then snuck his beak into the air and chirped indignantly. Wally blinked. “Not Ra then,” he said. “Um, maybe Fironell? I’ve always thought that name sounded cool.” The Torchic chirped unhappily again. “Er, Crimson? Scarlet? Red? Blue?” The look on Torchic’s face read, You’ve got to be kidding me. “Fine then,” said Wally, “how about…Sol? How does that sound?”
At this, the Torchic began to chirp excitedly, flapping his wings and hopping up and down in Wally’s lap. Wally smiled. “Sol it is then,” he said. “I’m glad you like it!” Newly-dubbed Sol chirped happily and let out a small burst of flames into the air. Wally coughed in surprise, but his coughing soon turned to laughter. His very own Pokémon! He was so excited! “The only thing that could be better,” he told Sol, “would be if we could go on an adventure together! Wouldn’t that be fun?” Sol nodded his head in agreement.
So all that was left was to wait for his father and the professor to finish talking. Full of excitement, Wally opened his new Pokédex. “Hey, let’s see what it says about you, Sol!” he said, pointing the Pokédex at the chick. A picture of a Torchic appeared on the Pokédex screen.
“Torchic, the Chick Pokémon,” the Pokédex said with a whirr. “It has a flame sac inside its body that perpetually burns. It feels warm if hugged.”
“That’s really cool! Did you know that, Sol?” Wally asked excitedly.
Sol chirped, as if to say, Well duh.
Wally laughed and flipped the Pokédex closed. “I can’t wait to try this on other Pokémon!” he said. “I’m going to learn so much!” With that, he tucked the Pokédex into his pocket. “Hey, Sol,” he said with a grin. “Let’s see what other moves you know!”
When Wallace and Birch reentered the room, they found Sol and Wally on the floor in a mess of chirps, laughs, and coughs. Wallace looked to Birch, who smiled. “See? He’s already much happier than when I found him,” said the professor. “You made the right choice.”
“I sure hope so,” said Wallace with a defeated sigh.
~~~
I figured it was about time to post this...So yeah, here's Chapter One! Kinda boring character development stuff...I promise the next chapter will have more goings-ons.
Feedback is always highly appreciated!!
Next chapter coming soon~!
--UM
