I Will Reach The Pinnacle (Pokemon SI)

[Harman]

Chapter 1
In the quiet settlement of Vaniville Town, the sun rose above the horizon, as the sun's rays made their way to a small bedroom. In that room, a boy near the age of ten was awake and getting ready for possibly the most important day of his life. Adrian is going to start his journey of becoming a Pokémon Master: like no one ever was.

It has been six months, ever since Adrian turned 10 years old; but they had to postpone their starting date as a Pokémon trainer. Some unforeseen circumstances have forced the Kalos League to change the date a little. So, Kalos has held its league every other year since then.

3000 years ago, the Kalos Region has been under the influence of a tyrant king called AZ, who had powered an ultimate weapon, made by sacrificing the lives of countless Pokémon and plunging the entire world into a brutal war: which caused irreversible damage to the Paldea Region. The scars of that war are still visible in the Paldea Region. The tensions between the two regions have been ongoing since then.

Eventually, AZ was only defeated because a skilled trainer from another region came to help them. The trainer challenged every leader of all the major cities in the region. He first challenged the leader of Santalune City. The leader was a kind man, so he went easy on the challenger. Impressed by the kindness and love for Pokémon that the trainer had, the leader joined him on his journey. After that, he kept on challenging other leaders. On his way, he forged many bonds and after many hardships, he defeated the tyrant king: that's how the gym challenge came to be.
It was only last year, since the league started yearly league seasons.

The new trainers had to wait until the league commenced the new season, before setting out. Now that spring has come along, aligning with the start of the new year, Adrian can finally begin his journey.

Adrian was glad he had passed Professor Sycamore's test with flying scores. Sycamore only accepts three new trainers every year. If Adrian hadn't made it to the top three, he would have been forced to wait until fall to start his travels. That would leave him with the massive gap of six months to prepare for the Kalos League, which wasn't nearly enough time to get anywhere that mattered.

Not to mention that Alain would have mocked him until the very day he died.
"Adrian, are you ready to go!?" His mom's voice came from downstairs.

"Yeah mom, just wait for a second" Adrian called back to assure his mother.
Hannah gave him one of her proud smiles, the kind that reminded him of every story she'd ever told him about her championship days. "I hope you're ready to live up to the Williams name," she teased, arms folded.
He chuckled, adjusting his bag. "Just don't expect me to start competing in contests, okay? I'm all about the battles."

"Yeah, yeah, just follow your own path; but don't come back to me crying later," she teased.
Adrian rolled his eyes, smiling. "Yeah, yeah; ex-champion and all. You know, I'm going to make a name for myself too."
"Did you pack everything you would need on your journey?" His mother asked.
Adrian replied "Yeah mom, I packed everything I would need - and you don't need. The only things I am missing are Professor Sycamore's gear and my starter Pokémon."

"Have you decided which Pokémon you will choose"
He grinned, already knowing which Pokémon he wanted.
He's been thinking about this for years - ever since he decided to be a Pokémon Trainer; actually, it's hard to decide which of the three starters to choose: which are given to us by Professor Sycamore.
Chespin is a tanky little grass type. It is well across the world for its incredible defense and attack, which made it a good choice and invaluable for prolonging the fights to wear down the opponent. Chespin could trap a wide variety of wild Pokémon, making it an easy catch for any trainer: a great choice.

Fennekin is a swift and cunning little Fire-type. Known for its exceptional Special Attack and Speed, it's a fantastic choice for trainers who prefer striking fast and hard. With its fiery abilities, Fennekin can quickly overwhelm opponents, and its final evolution, Delphox, gains the unique Fire/Psychic typing. This adds versatility to its move set, allowing it to handle both physical and special threats with ease. Fennekin's Mystical Fire move weakens opponents' Special Attack, making it a powerful asset in battles. A smart and strategic choice for any training going on their journey.

But Adrian wanted neither Chespin nor Fennekin. Besides, Alain had already laid his claim on Chespin already and Adrian wanted a different Pokémon than him.

Froakie, the water type was Adrian 's desired Pokémon. Its breed was sought after for its attack power and speed; two of the attributes which they could put to good use in any battle. Froakie and its evolutionary species can cut apart their enemies in the blink of an eye: and overwhelm them with status effect moves. They have a great move-pool that can be used in any situation. Frogadier took froakie's abilities to even greater heights and improved them even further.
But the main point was that: Adrian greatly wanted a Greninja. They were infamous for their fast speed and immense strength on the battlefield.

The ninjas were true monsters in a literal sense; and everyone would agree. Even, the world champion, Ash, had one in his team and it was believed to be the strongest greninja to ever exist. They would even grasp victory, when put up against a type-disadvantage; as shown in Champion Ash's fight against Sawyer's Sceptile.
So, Adrian was getting a froakie.

Hannah checked the time on her watch and smiled "Adrian, you still have an hour left before you have to go to Professor Sycamore's lab, so let's have a quick breakfast."
"Alright mom" Adrian nodded, clearly eager to taste his mother's delicious food before going on a journey.
While the Williams ate breakfast together for the last time before Adrian returned from his journey, his mom decided to check up on the happenings around the area, because nowadays it's important to keep up with the news.

"–––and recently there have been sightings of Fletchling on Melancholie Path; any trainers who want to catch a Fletchling should make their way up here sooner than later, if they don't want to miss this opportunity."

Hannah looked at her son and took a sip of her cup "Adrian, make sure to keep a track of the news when traveling, okay?"
Adrian nodded, already thinking about what kind of exotic species he will be able to catch when he starts his journey. "Don't worry, I will remember, mom."
It was about time for Adrian to leave. Before he could grab his bag, the news on TV changed, surprising both Adrian and his mom.

A veteran reporter appeared on screen and started speaking "A group of terrorists have appeared around Lumiose city, stealing Pokémon from other trainers. New trainers are advised to avoid going to the routes connecting to Lumiose City. Last night, several Pokémon were stolen from the Lumiose Pokémon Centre; as a result, the Pokémon League ordered the gym leader Meyer to take action against the criminals. The criminals have been identified as Team Flare; who have been creating chaos in the region for some time. No One knows about their motives. That's it for today folks, Let's meet the next day for new news, same channel, same time."
Adrian was shocked. "If the league requested help from Meyer, then the issue could have been quite serious, because Meyer is the strongest gym leader in Kalos after Wolfric."

Hannah looked at the TV with a troubled expression but quickly hid it, when her son looked at her. "Let's go Adrian, it's time to go to Professor Sycamore's lab," Hannah picked a Pokéball from her pocket and released a beautiful gardevoir; she trilled a greeting to Hannah and Adrian.

"Lucy, can you teleport us to Professor Sycamore's lab: you remember him, right?"
Lucy nodded and started preparing her move, while Adrian and his mom braced themselves.
After a few seconds, they appeared in front of Professor Sycamore's lab, Adrian got dizzy for some seconds and then his view cleared, whereas his mother was perfectly fine.

Awaiting them were two children, Adrian 's eternal rival Alain, and a lovely girl with shoulder length blonde hair and sky-blue eyes— Serena.
"Why are you so late Adrian? You should be more punctual on such an important day of your life!" Alain spoke, "I was afraid you would back out at the last second."

"And miss the chance to see you getting the beating of your life." Adrian remarked
Alain glanced at Adrian's mother and nodded "Morning, Miss Williams"

Hannah smiled "Very good morning, Alain and Serena. Excited for the very first day of your adventure?" They both nodded at the same time.
"Which Pokémon are you going to choose?" Adrian asked, looking straight at Serena.

"Why don't you take a guess, Adrian?" Serena replied, smiling innocently at Adrian.

Adrian thought, raising his brows, as if it was the final question of his life, "Well, according to me, you are going to end up choosing Fennekin, it suits you well, with your personality and quick thinking. With its versatility and good special attack, it's a great choice for you."

"Correct, you know me so well Adrian." Serena exclaimed and gave him a hug; his face was clearly showing that he was embarrassed, but by the grace of the gods, he survived. On the side, his mother was glaring daggers at him but was proud of her son for behaving like a young gentleman. Not that she was going to tell him that.

After a few seconds, her brain cells started working again and she let go of Adrian and coughed, "sorry Adrian, I got excited."
"Don't worry, I don't mind," Adrian replied, hoping that she won't feel too embarrassed.
"You only chose Fennekin because of the type-advantage, not that you can defeat me" Alain chimed in, only to get a smack in return.

"What was that for?" Alain complained, scratching his head slowly.
"Because you deserved it "Serena stated, as a matter of fact.
"You little…" Alain was going to argue, but Professor Sycamore entered at the same time saving the little grace Alain had.

"Now, now, that's enough kids"
The door to the lab opened and Professor Sycamore entered the room.
The sweat on his forehead was a clear sign that he was doing research the whole night, causing Adrian to smirk.

Professor Sycamore tried to resist the urge to yawn, but in the end, the victory went to her.
"Good morning, Hannah, did you come back to check out the love birds?"

Hannah smiled, "We both know Professor; they are anything but love birds and now's not the time for that. I bet Goodra and that Charizard wouldn't know what hit them."


Professor Sycamore couldn't help but agree with her.
"I will let you take care of that troublesome pair," Professor Sycamore grunted.
After that, Professor Sycamore took them inside the lab and spoke to them, while going towards the research area which also worked as an office. "As all of you are aware, I'm conducting research on Pokémon specifically focused on mega evolution. But currently none of you are strong enough to help me on that front. So, I will grant each one of you a very rare Pokémon. In return, I expect you to help me collect data on every Pokémon you encounter using the Pokédex."
"But: aren't they the simple starters a third of trainers get every year. They aren't exactly rare Professor, as you are saying." Alain questioned.

The question was answered by Adrian's mother, "little Alain, these starters are rare because they have learnt extremely powerful egg moves, which are very difficult to learn after evolving. So, I helped Professor Sycamore by breeding them. That way you will have an edge up your sleeve."
Hearing that, Adrian hugged his mom.
"Thank you, mom"

"Of course: I only want the best for my child."
Alain and Serena also thanked her, one by one.
The Professor smiled at the young man's energy and said, "let's not keep your partners waiting; Chespin wanted to Power Whip me last night, so let's not keep him waiting."

When he opened the case, the Pokéballs were right beside the Pokédexes, but the difference between them was that each one was a unique color on the table, as released the Pokémon from their Pokéballs.
Adrian chose the silver Pokédex. Alain went with the black color, whereas Serena was satisfied with the pink Pokédex.
"Right, I believe all of you have already decided which Pokémon you want, so let's not keep them waiting."

Saying that, Professor Sycamore signaled towards the starters, "Serena you wanted Fennekin, Alain wanted Chespin and Adrian, Froakie. Am I correct?"
"Yes, Professor" The trio nodded at the same time.

"Excellent, now Serena, this is your new partner, Fennekin. She's quite a troublemaker, so take good care of her. Now she's your responsibility." Professor told her while releasing the fire type.
The little fire type looked at where Sycamore was pointing and seemed quite satisfied with her trainer and jumped in her arms."

Serena matched her on a level with Fennekin and spoke slowly so as not to startle the her.
"Hi Fennekin, my name's Serena. Would you like to have a name?" Hearing that, Fennekin nodded vigorously.

"Okay let's see, how about Flare?" Fennekin seemed quite satisfied with that.
"You two seem to be hitting it off already." Alain remarked, earning a smile from Serena.
Sycamore tapped the release on the next Poké Ball, and a flash of white light took shape on the floor. As it faded, a small, frog-like Pokémon appeared, its blue body dotted with small white bubbles on its neck and back. The Froakie blinked, looking around with wide, curious eyes, a deep shade of yellow, before settling its gaze on the group in front of it.

It stared at Sycamore for a moment, an almost questioning glint in its eye. The Professor gave a gentle smile and gestured toward Adrian. "Your trainer has arrived, Froakie. Go on, introduce yourself."

Froakie turned to Adrian, eyeing him up and down. It let out a soft, questioning croak as it tilted its head, as though sizing up its new companion.

Adrian knelt down to Froakie's level, extending a hand, "Hey Froakie. My name's Adrian. I want to reach the top as a Trainer, and I know you can help me get there. If you're up for it, we'll grow stronger together, facing whatever challenges come our way."

At the mention of strength, Froakie's eyes sparkled with a determined light. It shifted slightly, the bubbles around its neck giving a subtle shimmer. Froakie's own desire for growth and power had found a match in this young Trainer. Adrian 's ambition resonated with the little frog.

With a quick nod, Froakie let out an enthusiastic croak and hopped forward, nudging Adrian 's hand in agreement. Adrian chuckled, "I think this is the start of something special."

"That's what I like to see," Sycamore said with a smile. "You two are going to make a great team."
He picked up the last Pokéball from the table.
"Alain, this is your Chespin"

The small Pokémon that appeared was a spiky little creature with a green hood-like cap and tough brown armor covering its body. It looked up at the group of kids and adults, its eyes gleaming with a mischievous spark.

Alain folded his arms and sized it up, smirking. "So, you're a Chespin, huh? Think you can handle the heat of training with a future Kalos League Champion?"

Chespin tilted its head, a toothy grin breaking across its face. It gave an enthusiastic nod, thumping its tiny fists together.

"Alright then, let's go show the League what real power looks like!" Alain declared, fire in his eyes.
"Alain, watch your words," Sycamore warned, though there was a hint of pride in his tone as he glanced at Chespin's spirited response; even if it Power Whipped him yesterday.

Professor Sycamore told the trio to check out the starters' data on the Pokédex and they were doing just that.

"Alright, let's see what this little guy is all about," Serena said, glancing at her Fennekin, who looked up at her with wide, eager eyes.

She opened her Pokédex and scanned Fennekin, listening as the electronic voice began: "Fennekin, the Fox Pokémon. Eating a twig fills it with energy, and its roomy ears give vent to air hotter than 390 degrees Fahrenheit."
Serena raised an eyebrow. "You're telling me this tiny fox could start a bonfire?" She reached down to pet Fennekin, who yipped happily, tail flicking as if proud.

Adrian chuckled, "A bit of a spitfire, huh?" He flipped open his own Pokédex and scanned his Froakie. "Let's see what you have got buddy."
The Pokédex beeped and displayed Froakie's entry. "Froakie, the Bubble Frog Pokémon. It secretes flexible bubbles from its chest and back. The bubbles reduce the damage it would otherwise take when attacked."

Adrian raised an eyebrow, glancing down at the tiny bubbles on Froakie's back. "So, these bubbles are like… armor?" He grinned. "That's pretty useful in a lot of situations."

Froakie let out a small croak, as if pleased by the acknowledgment. He puffed up his chest, showing off the bubbles proudly.

"Alright, little guy," Adrian chuckled, rubbing Froakie's head affectionately as Froakie claimed his spot on his shoulder. "Looks like you're a lot tougher than you look!"

Then it was finally Alain's turn to check out Chespin.

Alain knelt down on the lab floor, brushing a few stray leaves aside as his Chespin looked up at him with bright, curious eyes. They'd only been partners for a few minutes, but already, Chespin was full of energy, darting around Alain's legs and sniffing the floor.

"Let's see what kind of Pokémon I've got here," Alain murmured with a slight grin, opening his Pokédex and scanning Chespin.

The device beeped before announcing: "Chespin, the Spiny Nut Pokémon. Such a thick shell of wood covers its head and back that even a direct hit from a truck wouldn't faze it."

Alain's eyebrows shot up. He looked down at Chespin, who was proudly thumping his chest. "So, you're pretty sturdy, huh?"

Chespin gave an enthusiastic nod, then puffed himself up, flexing his little arms to show off. Alain chuckled and reached down, giving him a pat on the back, where he could feel the tough shell that protected his partner.

"Looks like I can count on you to take a few hits," Alain said, his grin widening. Chespin chirped in agreement, ready to prove himself at any moment.

Sycamore coughed, to get their attention one more time, "well, now that you guys have been introduced with you your Pokémon, let me clarify a few things. First of all, the moves your Pokémon have learnt are really powerful. So don't even think about using them without proper knowledge; it will do you more harm then good. You won't be able to use them properly until they fully evolve. You will only be able to use basic moves until they grow up properly. I will keep your Pokémon at the lab when you reach the limit, so you can exchange them at any time.

"Yes Professor" The trio nodded.

Now that they were free, Alain and Serena left after saying their good byes.
Professor Sycamore went to the city council, because some urgent issue came up.
Adrian looked at the froakie, "What about you; do you want to stay outside or inside your Pokéball?"
Froakie shook his head to show that he wanted to stay outside the Pokéball. Adrian had no problem with his decision.

Adrian's mom spoke, looking at her son. "I can't wait to hear more about your adventures my son, I know you will make me and your father proud."
"Yeah mom, don't worry" Adrian replied, already thinking about his future plans.

"By the way, where are you planning to go from here." His mom asked, curious about her son's travel plan.

"I am planning to challenge the Santalune City gym first, because I don't stand a chance against Meyer." Adrian remarked, shuddering at the thought of facing the gym leader.

"Alright son, I'm going to the restaurant for work, keep in contact with me. Whenever you can: if you don't then you can imagine." His mom said with a kind smile, but he knew it wasn't lovely or anything.

After that, they parted ways by saying goodbye to each other.

As Adrian and Froakie strolled down the path from Professor Sycamore's lab, Adrian glanced down at his new partner, watching the little frog Pokémon hop along, taking in its surroundings with an intense curiosity. His mind wandered to something he hadn't yet addressed – a nickname.

He muttered under his breath, "Alright, Froakie… what should I call you?"

Froakie looked up at him, its bright yellow eyes blinking in response. Adrian scratched his head, sorting through ideas. "How about… 'Bubbles'?" He cringed as he said it; immediately dismissing it. "Nah, too soft. You're more of a… ninja than a bubble."

Froakie tilted its head as if in agreement, or maybe confusion – it was hard to tell.

"Okay, maybe something that fits your speed," he thought aloud, tapping his chin. "Like… Flash? Or Zip?" He paused, rolling his eyes at himself. "But those sound like the name of a race car, not a future Greninja."

He sighed, glancing down at Froakie, who now seemed amused by Adrian's rambling.

"Let's think about your final evolution – Greninja," Adrian murmured. "You'll be fast, powerful, maybe even a bit mysterious…" His eyes narrowed in concentration. "Shadow? Itachi? Or… Pyro?"

At that last suggestion, Froakie looked at him, completely baffled.
"Yeah, you're right," Adrian laughed. "Pyro is definitely a no. I'll figure it out soon, buddy, I promise."

Froakie gave an approving croak, as if to say, "Take your time, Adrian – I'm not going anywhere."

Author Note: Share your thoughts on the story. And recommend a nickname for froakie. Any suggestions for the story are welcome.