Chapter Text
Book 1: Adaption
Aang slowly woke up to the feeling of warm sand on his back. His eyes fluttered open as he began to become more alert. He could hear the rush of the ocean and feel a gentle breeze on his face. As he sat up he began to look around trying his best to remember what happened.
The last thing he remembered was being in the royal palace watching as Katara and Toph sparred with one another. He couldn’t figure out how he had ended up on a beach. What was more puzzling was he was alone. Standing up, Aang began to walk around the beach hoping perhaps his friends weren’t too far away.
“Katara?” Aang called out. “Sokka? Toph? Where are you guys?” His voice rang out across the small beach.
“Zuko? Azula? Suki?” Aang tried once more. The only thing that answered him back was the wind and… something else. He felt the hair on his arms stand up as he heard a tiny growl following the rush of wind. Aang, frozen by this ominous sound, felt his mouth go dry as he took a step back. As he closed his mouth his heart began to pick up speed as he heard the sound again.
Aang shifted his body moving his right foot forward and placing his left foot behind him. Placing his arms in front of him he took on a defensive waterbending stance as he began to scan the area around him as he heard the noise one more time.
As he looked around Aang saw nothing; Nothing. The thought strangely echoed through Aang’s mind and soon he realized why. As he looked down at his hands a strange feeling began to overtake him. His hands felt empty of chi; the natural energy in his body that allowed him to bend. Forgetting the odd sound for a moment, Aang turned to the shoreline where gentle waves were lapping against it. He tried to reach out with his chi to push and pull at the waves but he felt nothing. Aang’s eyes went wide as he slowly began to realize that without his chi he was without his bending.
He was about to try and bend the other three elements hoping that perhaps he had only somehow lost his ability to waterbend. He was stopped though by that odd noise, the sound of rushing wind and growling but this time when he heard it he jumped and felt a rush of fear go through him.
Without his chi he was defenseless, and as he heard the noise again he took a few steps back his grey eyes grew wide as he looked around. The only thing he saw was the ocean, the beach, and a sandcastle just to his right. He didn’t see the people who had built the sand castle or any other sign of life near him.
He turned around and saw behind him a bluff. On top of it was a dense amount of trees causing Aang’s stomach to drop. He began to take a few steps back, his heart beginning to pound. Aang heard the noise again but this time saw something move out of the corner of his eye. Spinning around he only saw the sand castle. Aang continued to look at the sand castle when suddenly it began to move!
More than that, it started to make the noise that Aang had heard earlier as the sand castle swayed back and forth. The more Aang looked at it the more he realized that the sand castle had two eyes and a large gaping mouth.
“Me? You’re trying to get my attention?” The sand castle began to wave the two little mounds of sand on either side of it and Aang realized those must be its arms. In all his time in the Four Nations Aang had never seen anything quite like this. Perhaps he had hit his head really hard and was seeing things. As he thought this, he brought his hand up to the back of his head checking to see if he had been hurt.
Aang didn’t feel any injury just some slight tenderness. Maybe, Aang thought, this was a dream. Or a vision given to him? As he thought this he continued to watch the moving sand castle which seemed to get more excited the more Aang just looked at it. Frowning Aang took a hesitant step forward. He began to examine the creature and finally, his grey eyes landed on top of its head.
What he saw wedged into its head was a small, plastic, hand-sized shovel. Very carefully Aang took a few steps forward wondering if the creature was asking him for help. Surely for a living sand castle having a shovel in the middle of its head had to be the same for a person having a spear wedged into theirs, at least that’s what Aang thought.
“Do you need my help?” Aang asked trying to sound as soothing as possible. The sand castle continued to bounce up and down and make the odd noise as Aang got closer but didn’t seem like it was going to attack. Aang wasn’t sure how a sand castle would attack him but still remained cautious. He took a few more steps forward before quickly plucking the shovel off the creature's head.
“Got it!” Aang said triumphantly. “Do you feel better now?” Aang wasn’t sure what he had been expecting from the sand castle, but what happened next surely wasn’t it. He watched in horror as the sand castle made itself bigger and began to roar! The sound it was making earlier wasn’t nearly like this; this sounded ten times louder and ten times worse.
“O-Oh no! What did I do? I was just trying to help!” Aang said stumbling backward. “I’m sorry does it...hurt?” The only response again was another upset cry as the creature began to slither toward him. Aang took a few unsteady steps back when suddenly the sand castle seemed to suck in a large gulp of air before spitting out a dark ball of energy.
Aang’s eyes went wide as he scrambled out of the way. He watched as the energy ball hit the sand causing it to explode. Aang swung his head around just in time to see another energy ball flying right at him. Jumping up to his feet Aang ran towards the bluff. It was only a few feet off the ground if he could manage to climb up the bluff and into the trees he could have cover from the angry sand creature.
The creature let out another roar a spit another ball of dark energy at Aang. Rolling out of the way, Aang continued to run towards the bluff. He kept looking back at the rolling sand creature dodging its attacks as fast as he could. When he got to the bluff he dropped his shovel and began to scramble up toward the trees. Once he got up he darted toward the closest tree and hide behind it. Gulping he slowly dared to peek around the tree and down toward where he came from.
He watched as the sand creature began to slowly sink down into the sand flattening its body until it blended in with the rest of the sand around it. Aang held his breath as that area of sand began to wither and move until suddenly the creature popped back up! In the center of its head was the shovel Aang had taken out and then all seemed well. The creature began to sway back and forth before retreating away from the trees.
Sighing, Aang turned around and leaned back against the tree vowing to never take another plastic shovel out of the ground again. Pushing himself off the tree Aang began to walk through the woods. The trees were dense and there was no telling what other strange creatures were waiting for him there. Not willing to go back to the beach, Aang pushed forward hoping that he would find a pathway as he walked through the woods.
Eventually, he stumbled onto a dirt path and as he looked to his left he could see the ocean in the distance. When he looked to his right he saw the path kept going on with forest on either side. Deciding anywhere was better than a place with sand creatures he continued on right hoping there was a town nearby. As he walked he became lost in his own thoughts.
He stopped briefly to test if he could bend any of the other elements. Nothing. It was like all of the chi in his body had been drained. Aang wanted to meditate and try to connect with his past lives but knew he would first have to get to a safe place and find out where he was. He had decided this wasn’t a dream or a vision; that attack from that odd creature was just too real.
Taking in a deep breath, Aang continued to walk down the path. The more he walked the more worried he was becoming, and the more questions he had. Why didn’t he have his bending? Where was he? Did someone take him? Most importantly though, Aang needed to know where his friends were and if they were even anywhere close.
“AGH!” Aang jumped his train of thoughts being interrupted by a scream. Running forward Aang came upon a small clearing to the right of the path. In the middle was a man hunched over with his arms covering his head and face. Above him, a flock of small reddish birds, with a beat red crown on their small heads, took their turns pecking at his arms and hands.
“Hey!” Aang shouted running forward without thinking. His first reaction was to bend at the birds in an attempt to shoo them away but he was quickly reminded of his sudden loss. His next course of action was to start waving his hands and shouting hoping to distract them. It worked, in a sense, half of the flock turned their attention toward Aang and began to fly toward him their beaks ready to attack.
Not knowing what else to do Aang dropped down in a similar position as the man next to him and covered his head and hands with his face. The birds began to assault him with their sharp beaks. Poking and pulling at his skin and causing Aang to yelp.
“It’s okay,” the man beside him assured. “Don't worry.” Aang was very worried. This was the second time in a few minutes that he had been attacked by the strange creatures around these parts. The birds continued their attack for a few more seconds before backing away and landing in front of the two.
Both Aang and the man beside him picked their heads up to see the group of birds looking at them threateningly.
“Hurry!” The man whispered sternly as he began to back away. “That first assault was a warning, the second time around we won’t be so lucky. Follow me!” Aang nodded quickly and backed away with the man. The two hurried down the path away from the beach and the group of birds.
“What was that all about?” Aang asked as he looked over his arms and hands. He had a few minor cuts but nothing serious. He suspected that he might be bruised, he had been lucky that those birds hadn’t seriously torn into him.
“Oh my own foolishness,” the man beside him said with a heavy sigh. “You see, I was trying to conduct some research on the Luckrane in this area, I found a nest in that clearing we were just in and got a little too close.” Aang frowned and he turned to look at the man beside him. The man was a few inches taller than Aang. He had a soft round face and a speckle of freckles across his face made him appear to be young. Despite his youthful appearance, however, he had short snowy white hair that stuck out starkly against his olive tone skin and golden eyes.
“Dear, this isn’t good; Luckrane are considered to be a sacred Pokémon in this region,” the man said more to himself than Aang. Aang, however, was hardly paying attention to the ramblings of the man. Aang looked at him bewildered, he had never seen anyone wearing this type of clothing before.
The stranger was wearing brown boots and brown pants. Attached to his pants were two bright orange pieces of fabric that he had never seen before both going over either shoulder. He was wearing a long white coat and underneath was a white dress shirt with buttons going down the front. Around his neck was a light orange colored scarf.
“Have I suddenly grown two heads?” asked the man. Aang blinked a few times before looking up at the man in confusion.
“Two heads?” said Aang.
“You can’t seem to stop staring at me,” the man laughed causing Aang to blush.
“I’m sorry it’s just I’ve never seen anyone in the Four Nations dressed quite like you before,” he said causing the man to laugh.
“I suppose I could say the same for you!” The stranger said with a wink. “It’s not often we get monks here in Mian Town; tattooed monks no less.” Aang nodded and turned to look away from him.
“How rude of me! My name is Professor Oscar Pine, it’s nice to meet you.” Professor Pine said coming to a stop and turning towards Aang. He stuck his hand out for Aang to take. “Most people in Mian town call me Professor Pine but feel free to call me Oscar, or anything you like.” He added with a kind smile.
“I’m Aang!” Aang said happily as he took the professor's hand. “Most people normally call me Avatar Aang but I would prefer Aang, it’s nice to meet you, Professor Pine.” Professor Pine smiled at him kindly and overlooked the boy. Aang looked no more than twelve and was wearing monk clothes. He was bald which didn’t seem odd but what was a little concerning to the Professor was that the boy was covered in tattoos.
Blue tattoos ran down his hands and ended in arrows on the back of his hand. There was also an arrow on his forehead and it ran down his neck and probably his spine. If Professor Pine had to guess there were probably tattoos on his legs and feet as well. Professor Pine had traveled all over the world and had met many monks before. He had never seen any with those kinds of markings and if they did have tattoos they were never so young.
“Why don't you come back to my lab with me Aang,” Professor Pine offered. “I’m no Nurse Joy, but I have a few things that can help bandage those cuts up.” Aang nodded and smiled up at his new friend.
“Sure, maybe you can help me.” He said as they started to walk again.
“I’ll help in any way I can!” Professor Pine said immediately. “What’s the problem?”
“Well, I’m not quite sure where I am or how I got here,” Aang confessed causing Professor Pine’s eyebrows to shoot up in shock.
“That certainly is an issue,” he muttered. “Come we can talk more once we get to the lab.” He said ushering Aang along. They walked a few more minutes before arriving in town.
“Welcome to Mian Town; A Paradise Sanctioned by Nature, ” He said happily as he spread his arms out wide. Aang let out a small gasp as he looked at the town. In the center were a few houses, two buildings, one with a blue roof and one with a red one, and between those two buildings was a large white one.
On the edges of the town were different trails. A sign next to the trail they had just come from read ‘ Mian Beach and Mian Resort’. There were other signs next to the other trails but he was too far away to read them. As Aang looked around, he could see how this town had been ‘sanctioned’ by nature. They seemed to be in the heart of the dense forest. All around the town was a thick barrier of trees.
“It’s peaceful,” Aang said as he followed Professor Pine toward the large white building in the center of town.
“A Professor couldn’t ask to be placed in a better location I assure you!” Professor Pine said. “Welcome to my own little slice of paradise,” Professor Pine added wistfully as he opened the double doors of his laboratory. Aang was immediately taken aback as he walked in. Everything seemed so bright and white like the outside of the building.
The tiles on the floor were white and the light from the ceiling reflected off them almost blindingly. As Aang looked up he winced as he looked at the white light coming from the ceiling above.
“Are those torches up there?” He asked causing Professor Pine to peer up confused by the question. A smile broke out across his face as he turned to look at his new friend.
“Light bulbs,” he said causing Aang’s frown to deepen.
“What’s a light bulb?” Aang asked as he began to look around the rest of the large room.
“Oh, my,” Professor Pine said softly causing Aang to turn to look at him. “Come here and sit down I’ll get you some water.” He said as he walked him toward the back of the lab. The walls were white and large white shelves lined the floor. They were filled with books, binders, and files. All around men scurried back and forth with their heads in their files as they worked furiously. They were all in large white lab coats much like Professor Pine. There was a large table with a few stools around it and Professor Pine pulled one out for him and Aang to sit on. Aang smiled as he took a seat on the side and thanked him when he came back with water and a small white box with red lettering on it.
“What’s that?” Aang asked.
“A little first aid kit,” Professor Pine explained popping it open to reveal Band-Aids, bandages, and other packets. He immediately thought of Katara and a sad feeling came over him. “So you don't know where you are and how you got here... D-Do you know the last thing you remember?” Aang frowned as he turned to look at his lap.
“My friends Katara and Toph were sparring together in the courtyard of the royal palace, everything after that is fuzzy...” He muttered as Professor Pine began to put Band-Aids on the cuts along Aang’s hands and arms.
“What are these?” Aang asked with a frown as he poked at the Band-Aid Professor Pine had put on.
“A Band-Aid, you’ve never seen one?” Aang shook his head. “Oh dear, so you remember your name do you remember where you came from?”
“That’s easy, the Southern Air Temple.” Professor Pine frowned.
“Where’s that?” he asked.
“Near the South Pole,” Aang said.
“What region is that in?” Professor Pine asked never having heard of those places before.
“Um, I guess the Southern Region?” Aang said a blush dusting his cheeks. He was embarrassed that he didn’t know the answer.
“The Southern Region?” Professor Pine asked sounding skeptical. “Well... what region is south of here?... I-I'll just name off some regions; Sinnoh, Kanto, Galar...”
“No, no, and no” Aang said. “Are─... any of those place near the Earth Kingdom? It's pretty big to miss!” Professor Pine put his hands up to stop the back and forth. He felt his head begin to pound as he attempted to make sense of what Aang was saying.
“I don't know what the Earth Kingdom is,” he said after a minute. “What type of Pokémon live there?” He asked thinking that perhaps knowing the native type of Pokémon might help him pinpoint where the young monk was from.
“I’m not sure what a 'Pokémon' is─ you said that word earlier I think... All I can tell you is that mostly earthbenders live in the Earth Kingdom.” Yuu answered.
Professor Pine hummed only feeling more confused. “And what is that exactly?”
“It’s a─... type of person?” Aang said looking as confused as Professor Pine felt. “Don't you know what a bender is?” Professor Pine shook his head no and Aang began to explain; Professor Pine’s eyes went wide as Aang told him about benders and their abilities.
“And you can bend all four?” Professor Pine asked causing Aang to nod. “Interesting, I’ve never heard of this before. The only things I’ve heard of having this kind of power are Pokémon.”
“Can you please explain to me what a 'Pokémon' is?” said Aang. Professor Pine nodded and smiled at his new, odd little friend.
“Our world is inhabited by creatures called Pokémon. For some people, Pokémon are considered to be pets, others use them to battle, or like me, some people spend their entire lives researching them.” Professor Pine began. “Each region of our world has its own unique Pokémon, and for those ready to embark on their own Pokémon journey with them each region is set with Starter Pokémon.”
“Starter Pokémon?” Aang asked puzzled.
There, Professor Pine walked to a table, and pulled out three spherical red and white balls. There, as they expanded, a magical light came out; something that Aang has never seen! There, as if it was magic, three little creatures materialized in front of him.
“When young trainers impart of their own Pokémon journeys, we as Professors supply them with Starter Pokémon to help facilitate that journey."
"Woah!... H-How did you do that?!... T-They look so cute!" Aang said as he gushed at the little Pokémon.
Professor Pine laughed as he continued. "These are Poké Balls, which safely contain Pokémon!" There, he cleared his throat as he continued to speak. "For the Huoli region, our starters are Kuasho, the Grass-Type starter, Huow Huow the Fire-Type starter, and Elemata, our Water-Type starter” said Professor Pine as he peered into Aang’s starstuck face as he continued to be mesmerized by the three starters before him. “I, a Pokémon Professor, not only am in charge of facilitating this process, but I also spend copious amounts of time researching the development and livelihood of Pokémon in this region."
"You sound very important!" Aang said, finally looking up to the Professor.
"Hehe, I suppose you can say that! My research is a bit more important than me, in my opinion..." Professor Pine said, as he held out the Poké Balls to call back the Pokémon. As they each started to disappear, Aang's mouth practically dropped to the floor!
"T-That... is so freaky!!!" he called out in shock, yet also amazement from what he saw.
"Specifically, I study rare genetic phenomenon. One such phenomenon that has grown popular in this region pertaining to Pokémon called Domestication. Think of Domestic Pokémon as a ‘Regional Variant’- genetic changes in Pokémon due to where they are geographically- as some sort of a species of Pokemon, but has changed so much that it is now a new kind”. Aang looked puzzled as ever as the Professor explained all of this to him
“Urm... C-Cool! Domestic Pokémon… Sounds like wild animals that are tamed to live in houses like pets” Aang said trying to grasp what he is hearing.
“Along those lines. Any Pokémon, if you try hard enough, can be a pet- but it is better understood if you knew more about Pokémon to know the actual differences that transpire specifically in this region’s intriguing phenomenon; the Domestication process seems to be more a ‘man-made’ change but it is a theory... It is involved in tremendous controversy. I have attempted to get other Professors' opinions on the matter- Oak and Magnolia alike- but not many Professors have much to say on this growing trend; I myself go off to ascertain the truth about it- along with all of that, each Pokémon has their own special abilities and moveset. There are also many different species of Pokémon around the world some we haven’t even discovered yet!” Said the Professor.
Aang then scratches his head- attempting to understand it all. “So... The birds that were attacking you... Were Pokémon?” asked Aang. Professor Pine nodded and blushed a little bit.
“Yes, those birds were called Luckrane, and like I said they are a very important kind of Pokémon in this region.” Aang nodded trying to absorb all this information. Then, the sand creature popped into his mind. He explained to Professor Pine what happened to him on the beach causing the professor's eyes to go wide.
“Oh my!” He said with a gasp. “It seems like you were getting attacked by a Pallosand, a very dangerous kind of Pokémon, especially when someone takes their shovel. You’re lucky that you were able to escape alive.” The professor explained. Aang nodded and looked down at his lap. Everything was so confusing and Aang wasn’t sure he still understood everything Professor Pine was explaining to him.
“I don't understand how I got here still,” Aang finally said. “This place is definitely not my home or… world.” Professor Pine frowned and crossed his arms over his chest.
“Tell me more about your world,” He said still a little skeptical. He wondered if that Pallosand had hurt Aang more than the young boy realized. Aang looked back up at Professor Pine with a soft smile as he began to explain about his own world. He told him about the Four Nations, the end of the 100 year war, and the peace they were trying to reach.
“Can you bend now?” Professor Pine asked causing Aang to frown.
“No, I tried on the beach to bend water, and later when I was walking along the path I tried to bend the other three elements but couldn’t. I can’t feel my chi and I’m afraid if I tried to meditate to speak to my past lives I might not be able to contact them either.” Professor Pine nodded and was going to suggest taking the young man to the Pokémon Center next door but was interrupted by a gentle knock.
Both Aang and Professor Pine turned to see a young man standing by one of the bookshelves, neither of them had noticed his arrival.
“Yuuyin! How long have you been listening?” Professor Pine demanded causing the young man to smile at him.
“Since you’ve gotten here,” he confessed, and when Professor Pine gave him a displeased look Yuuyin’s easy going smile grew. “Come on Professor you can’t just walk in with a tattooed stranger and not expect me to check out the situation.”
Aang gazed in awe at the stranger, his attention captivated by the boy's striking blue hair. This new acquaintance appeared slightly older than Aang and matched the professor in height. His fair skin contrasted with his bright green eyes, and his attire was as unusual as the professor's—a sleeveless black shirt adorned with golden trim, coupled with snug black pants and matching shoes. A golden sash encircled his waist, complementing the star-embroidered golden headband in his hair. Golden bracelets added to his luxurious appearance. To Aang, the boy exuded an air of wealth and mystery.
Aang found his gaze repeatedly drawn to Yuuyin's distinctive hair. The vibrant blue locks cascading down his back were a stark contrast to the shorter strands that fell just to his shoulders. Particularly intriguing was the asymmetry in the front, where the right side hung noticeably longer than the left. Upon closer inspection, Aang's attention was captured by the elegant golden headpiece adorning Yuuyin's head, which neatly swept some of his hair away from his face.
“What’s the matter? You’ve never seen anyone with blue hair before?” Yuuyin asked as he walked over to Aang. Aang shook his head no as he watched Yuuyin take a seat on the edge of the table right next to him. “I guess people don't have that kind of hair color in your world, I’m Yuuyin Yuumen by the way but you can just call me Yuu.”
“I’m Aang,” Yuu smiled as he looked at the younger boy. “I overheard everything that you told Professor Pine. So you’re a hero in your world?” Aang blushed and turned his head away from the other boy.
“I was just following my destiny,” he explained. “Where I come from, the Avatar keeps the world in balance.” Yuu’s smile grew.
“It sounds like you’re being modest!” He laughed. “I guess all heroes have to have some kind of humility about them. I would like to hear more about benders and your ability to control all four elements.” Yuu’s eyes sparkled with interest, but before Aang could oblige him Professor Pine cut both boys off.
“Yuuyin now is not the time for that,” He said firmly. “I think we should get Aang to the Pokémon Center, I think that Pallosand seriously hurt him.” Aang frowned as he turned toward the professor.
“I feel fine. I was able to get away before it did any serious damage.” Aang said. Beside him, Yuu let out a soft sigh.
“I don't think Professor Pine believes your story,” Yuu said as he leaned back on his hands. Aang nodded in understanding.
“It is a little hard to believe,” Aang admitted. “I have to admit; if I ran into one of you in my world and you started talking about things like Pokémon I would want to take you to a doctor right away, but you have to believe me! I’m telling the truth.”
“I believe you,” Yuu said quickly. “Professor you know better than anyone that there are some Pokémon in this world who have legendary powers! Would it really be that far out of the realm of possibility for one of them to have brought Aang here?” As Yuu finished speaking Aang let out a soft gasp as a flood of memories came rushing back to him; the sky tearing open, being sucked into the sky with all his friends, and that eerie voice rang out in the back of his mind.
“Aang!... are you alright?” Professor Pine asked as he started to move forward.
A sudden realization struck Aang, and he leapt to his feet, his eyes alight with recollection. "I remember now, how I ended up here!" he exclaimed with a surge of excitement. He eagerly began to recount his journey to Yuu and Professor Pine, weaving the details of his memory into a vivid narrative. His words painted a clear picture of the events that had led him to this moment, his voice animated and gestures expressive as he described each twist and turn of his adventure.
As Aang finished his tale, Yuu glanced at Professor Pine, noticing an emerging understanding on his face. Aang's narrative had evidently shed new light on their complex situation.
“Professor…” Yuu started.
Professor Pine responded, “I don't have all the answers, but Aang, your story is compelling. If it's true─”
Aang interjected eagerly, “Then I need to find my friends.” Yuu and Professor Pine both nodded in agreement.
“Exactly,” Professor Pine said. “None of them were with you on the beach, right?” Aang shook his head in response.
“Not that I saw,” Aang replied.
“We could search the area,” Yuu suggested.
Aang looked at Yuu, hope in his eyes. “You’ll help me?”
“Absolutely!” Yuu affirmed. “Your friends might be confused and lost right now. If they aren't on the beach or in town, we need to find them quickly.” Professor Pine nodded, his heart racing at the thought of more individuals like Aang, lost and without guidance, possibly in danger.
“Considering they weren't seen in town, they're likely not here,” Professor Pine reasoned. “Our law enforcement is quite active; they would've noticed. If they landed near here, it wasn't in a place the Police Force could spot.”
Yuu confirmed, “That makes sense. I haven't heard any police sirens all day, and Mian Town is generally safe.”
Aang, unfamiliar with the concept of a 'Police Force,' grasped the logic that his friends might be outside of town.
There, Professor Pine struck an idea. “The forest around Route 1 is a possibility,” he explained. “As you’ve already experienced, it's not a safe place to be without a Pokémon.” Their discussion had now shifted to a focused plan of action, with the potential whereabouts of Aang's friends narrowing down to the outskirts of their immediate location.
“Then we have to leave right now,” Aang said.
“That might be a little harder than you expect,” Yuu said causing Aang to frown again as Professor Pine nodded. “I know these parts better than anyone else in town but without a Pokémon, I can’t take you on Route 1 you aren’t allowed to leave out on a journey of any sort without a Pokémon with you, especially at this age.”
“Well, how do you get a Pokémon?” Aang asked.
“Unless one is provided, trainers catch one. I fear the issue is not with getting Pokémon, however,” Professor Pine said. “If it is Young Yuuyin who will help you he has not been permitted to yet have a Pokémon.” Aang turned to Yuuyin and watched as an unreadable expression crossed his face.
“Why?” said Aang.
Yuu explained his situation to Aang with a hint of regret. "My mother hasn’t allowed me to start my Pokémon journey yet. Technically, I should've embarked on it four years ago when I turned ten, like most kids in this region. But she's overly concerned about my safety and insists I wait a bit longer," he shared.
Professor Pine chimed in, "That's precisely why Yuuyin is here with me in the lab. He's trying to learn as much as he can about Pokémon, given that he can’t set out on his own journey yet."
Aang, looking for a solution, turned to the Professor. "Why can't we head out to Route 1? Maybe we could use one of the Starter Pokémon you showed me earlier?"
Professor Pine shook his head. "I'm tied up with work here at the lab and can’t leave right now. Besides, those Starter Pokémon are reserved for a group of new trainers arriving soon. It wouldn't be fair to them if I simply handed their Pokémon to someone else."
A look of disappointment crossed Yuu and Aang's faces. But then, Professor Pine added, "That being said, it doesn’t mean I don’t have other Pokémon here at the lab that could assist." This revelation caused Aang to perk up, a glimmer of hope returning to his eyes.
“Great! So that means I can go!” He said.
“Wait,” Yuu said turning to look at Aang, “You will definitely need someone that knows the ropes on using and taming Pokémon while traversing this region for answers. I want to help you along as you go through Huoli, but my mother won’t let me go on my own journey yet. Perhaps you could help me too?” Aang frowned as he looked at the other boy.
“I don't understand; how I can convince your mother to let you go out on your own Pokémon journey I don’t even know exactly what a ‘Pokémon journey’ is yet,” Aang said honestly. “And I also don't have time to figure it out either, my friends could be in trouble right now and I have to go and find them.”
“I understand that,” Yuu said quickly. “But if the story you told me about you guys saving the world is true then I’m sure they aren’t in immediate danger against the Pokémon in this area; this is a resort town, so Pokémon here tend to be fairly docile well besides the Luckrane and Pallosand you encountered I guess. It’s either me going with you and guaranteeing a secure trip or you spending time having to learn how to use a Pokémon and keep them waiting regardless. Logically, me going is the fastest option!”
“How are we going to do that?” Aang asked.
“I’ll just tell her the story you told us,” Yuu said. “About you being the avatar and saving the world trust me she’ll believe you and she’ll know I’m safe with someone who can literally bend all four elements.”
“But I can’t!” said Aang
“But she doesn’t need to know that right now,” Yuu said quickly. “Please.” He begged. Aang took a second to think about what Yuu was asking. Right now, his friends were lost somewhere in the woods filled with creatures who had powers that he still didn’t quite fully understand. There were however six of them and there was safety in numbers. Yuu seemed nice and was willing to help him.
“...Okay,” Aang said finally. “But we can’t be there too long.”
“I promise it’ll only take a moment,” Yuu said.
“Great!” Professor Pine proclaimed causing both Aang and Yuu to turn and look at him. “Now before you leave, you’ll need to take a Pokémon. I'm gonna take a gamble on you boy and hope that you can convince your mom; I personally would have given you a Pokémon for your own a long time ago" said Professor Pine said.
"T-Thank you Professor!" exclaimed Yuu.
"No worries. Anyways- Be back shortly,” Professor Pine said as he left the room to go get the Pokémon mentioned he had before.
As he returned, he reached into his pocket to show a small red and white ball in his hand. Pressing the button in the center with his middle finger Aang jumped as the ball expanded three times its size.
“Whoa!” Aang gasped. “What is that?”
“Like I showed you before, this is a Poké Ball ” Professor Pine explained, “To elaborate further on it's machination, this is how we catch our Pokémon.” As he said this Professor Pine tossed the ball forward causing it to land on the ground. The Poké Ball opened and a red light shot out.
A second later a little Pokémon was in front of Aang and Yuu. Aang kneeled down as he inspected the creature. It looked like it could fit in the palm of his hand. It was a little rodent creature with blue spikes all along its back.
“This is Lingliu, The Hedgehog Pokémon!” Professor Pine said. “Yuu, I think this Pokémon would be perfect for you.” He added causing the blue haired boy to smile brightly. As Aang took a closer look he started to notice it in more detail; it resembled a hedgehog-like creature; fitting their Pokédex entry. The quills that outline their backs took on a blue color, while their bodies have white fur. Their paws and face take on a brownish color. white/light The spines on their back are actually made out of a special mineral. He knelt down beside Aang and reached his hand out. Lingliu sniffed and began to hesitantly move forward.
"Really?... hm..." Yuu said, sizing up and down Lingliu, "...I think I might have liked a Kuasho, honestly..." he then thought. There, holding his chagrin in, he asked, "So... what is it's typing?"
“Lingliu is a Rock and Ground-Type Pokémon,” Professor Pine said.
“Whoa,” both Aang and Yuuyin said. Lingliu slowly moved forward and began to sniff Yuu’s hand. It let out a little happy cry before jumping forward into Yuu’s hand. Yuu smiled and stood up holding Lingliu close to his chest.
“Hi Lingliu, my name is Yuu.”
“Ling-ling!”, the Lingliu shouted at Yuu in excitement.
“It likes you!” Aang said.
“That’s a good thing,” Professor Pine said. “Now you two better hurry to Yuu’s home, the sooner you talk to your mother Yuu the sooner we can find Aang's friends.” Both Yuu and Aang nodded before bidding the professor farewell and heading out of the lab both determined more than ever to speak with Yuu’s mother.
-CHAPTER END-