(Ready for Grading) The Accidental Adventures of Professor Jack Aspen: Prologue

Pokemon Attempted: Growlithe (Medium), Pancham (Medium), Ralts (Medium)
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The Accidental Adventures of Professor Jack Aspen​

~Prologue~​

Jack Aspen arrived in Driftwood Town at around nine in the evening. He figured that most, it not all, of the town’s few residents would be in their homes for the night, and perhaps not notice his arrival.


As he walked down the small village’s only road he began to hear rolling water, and for the first time on his voyage he felt a bit of excitement. He hurried down the road and off into the grass, but he saw the river before he made it to the shore. It was dark, but the wide and tumultuous waters were easy to see due to how large and violent they were.


People from all over the Kelto region traveled to the tiny town of Driftwood to fish and raft in the river, and it had grown to become a bit of a tourist stop. Despite this, Jack felt a natural and nostalgic sensation when he walked down the street, and had a hunch that the town’s old spirit was not completely gone.


Aspen put his bags on the ground. One was a heavy backpack, full of what books he could carry with him from his dorm room. The other was a light travel bag with toiletries and a few changes of clothes. The rest of his things would arrive by boat with the town’s weekly supply deliveries, as there was no road to Driftwood suitable for large vehicles.


The professor sighed and looked out across the river. He was alone in a new place again, but this time he wasn’t a college freshman. He was a Pokémon Professor, and he knew that the people in his new hometown would be looking up to him for advice and knowledge. Not only that, but his university would be expecting his first year’s report, expecting him to make some kind of discovery. His mind was full of doubt, but listening to the roaring water flow over rocks and logs calmed him, and he lay back on the lush grass to gaze up at the stars.


“Hey, mister, you probably shouldn’t sleep there,” came a voice from behind him.


Professor Aspen’s voice broke as he tried to spit a response out, but nothing resembling a word was produced as he turned to see who had snuck up on him.


“Yeah, this whole shoreline gets covered up with Ducklett and Swanna overnight. If you woke up in the middle of them, they might get spooked and peck you to death or something!” the small boy said with a laugh.


Aspen looked the boy over, embarrassed that he had been frightened as much as he was. The boy was maybe nine years old, short and slim, and had a dome of curly, brown hair atop his head.


“Th-thanks, young man,” Aspen said. He tried to sound grown up or important, but it felt odd to speak like that.


“Who you calling young man?” the boy asked, putting his hands on his hips and squinting at the professor.


“I’ll have you know that I’m a Pokémon Professor! I think that in itself merits some degree of respect from the younger generation.”


“Ha ha ha. Relax, doc. I’m Bryce. I was just pulling your leg since I’ve never seen you or met you before. But now that I see you’re just a big scaredy cat, I think I can trust you,” he replied.


“Scaredy cat? You snuck up on me in the middle of the night! How would you react?” Aspen inquired, picking up his things and struggling to lift the heavy backpack.


Bryce set his feet apart and punched at the air in front of him, his eyebrows turning up as he focused his body’s movements.


“I’d fight whoever it was off! I’d punch and kick, jump and whack… He wouldn’t stand a chance,” Bryce said excitedly, brushing imaginary dust off of his shoulder before turning back toward the professor. “But if it was you I think I’d probably just scare you off without evening having to touch you. Ha!”


Jack was too busy trying to hoist his heavy backpack onto his body to give Bryce’s comments much attention. Bryce saw that he was having trouble and walked behind him, giving the pack a push so that Aspen could finally get it set.


“Thanks, uh, Bryce was it?”


“That’s me. I’m the best Pokémon trainer in Driftwood, soon to be Kelto, so you would’ve heard about me sooner or later.”


“Don’t Pokémon trainers usually have, I don’t know, Pokémon?” Aspen retorted with a smirk.


“Hey, how do you know I don’t have any Pokémon? I have a Charizard, a Rhyperior, a…” he stopped and looked up at Aspen. “Is it that obvious?”


“Well, Pokémon trainers usually carry their Pokeballs on their waist. I didn’t see any so it was just a hunch,” Aspen said. He would have shrugged but his pack was already dragging his shoulders down enough.


“You might be a scaredy cat, but I guess you’re pretty smart. So you’re the town’s new Pokémon Professor then? We’ve all been waiting forever!” Bryce said, hopping into the air.


“Yeah, uh, that’s me I guess,” Aspen said, his eyes locked onto the building at the end of the road that was to be his new lab.


“You guess? How do you guess something like that? You either are or you aren’t. So are you?”


Aspen looked down at the boy. He couldn’t believe how he spoke to him, a complete stranger and a professor on top of that.


“Yes, I’m this town’s new Pokémon Professor. Professor Aspen is my name.”


“Nice to meet you, Professor Aspen. Sorry about scaring you earlier, but I figured you could use the advice,” said Bryce.


The two walked the rest of the way in silence until they finally arrived at the lab. It was a small building, not much bigger than the surrounding houses in Driftwood, but it was the only building in town with a second story. The building’s lab was the entire bottom floor, while the top was a small apartment where Aspen would live. Jack admitted that it looked cozy and comfortable, but he was worried about the lab’s size; it was nothing compared to the university’s labs. Even their smallest testing chambers were nearly as big as the entire bottom floor of his new home.


“This is my stop, Bryce. Thanks for the help, by the way,” Aspen said, extending a hand to Bryce.


The boy hesitated, but smiled and shook it. He started to walk across the yard toward a home that must have been his. He hopped a short, white picket fence and gave Aspen a wave before disappearing into the front door.


Aspen laughed to himself and unlocked the front door of his own home. It was starkly empty aside from a few pieces of heavy duty equipment that had been built as a part of the building. All of his smaller tools and equipment would arrive on the boat later this week. He flipped on the lights and looked around before heading up the stairs to his apartment. It was a bit more livable, featuring at least a table and chairs, a small couch, and a bed. It had a kitchen, living area, and a bedroom with an attached bathroom. It reminded Aspen of the small apartments he had lived in during college, and he had no complaints. He put his things down and collapsed onto the bed. Without even undressing, he drifted to sleep.


***


The next morning, Professor Aspen awoke to a pecking noise at his window. He rubbed his eyes and walked over to it, peering out. On the road outside stood Bryce with a handful of pebbles.


“Sorry! There wasn’t a door up there so I couldn’t knock! Come downstairs!” he shouted.


Jack offered a wave as he rubbed his eyes and grabbed his bag. There was a package in his bag that he took out and unwrapped on the bed. He pulled out a bright white lab coat and held it up in the sun. It was so white that the light reflecting off of it made him squint, but he smiled as he put it on. They had given it to him upon graduation just a few days before, but he didn’t want to open it until he was settled down in his new lab. Aspen went downstairs and turned on the light, opening the door to the impatiently waiting Bryce.


“Took you long enough, didn’t it? Oh wow, now you look like a professor!” Bryce said, looking Aspen up and down and reaching out to touch the crisp fabric of the coat.


“Careful, it’s brand new,” Aspen said, brushing the boy’s hand away.


“Oh come on, you’re a Pokémon Professor. That thing’s bound to get filthy sooner or later,” he said. Bryce started walking around the spacious room, stopping to admire the bigger pieces of equipment. “What does this do?”


“That’s just your typical healing chamber. It’s the same kind you might find in a Pokémon Center,” Aspen said, walking over to it. “It’s a little bit older, but I’m sure it does the job just fine. When you get some Pokémon, be sure and bring them over so I can fix them up for you.”


Bryce didn’t have a response for once, and walked around the room fiddling with various objects. The professor guessed that his lack of Pokémon was a soft spot for the boy.


“So where are your Pokémon anyway, mister trainer?”


“Well, um, I don’t have any, like I told you last night. Most of the people around here don’t battle or go on journeys, so their Pokémon just help with housework and stuff. They’re nice and fun, but there’s nobody to help me learn how to battle or catch my own,” Bryce said, looking down. “I was actually, uh, pretty excited when I heard we were getting a professor in town. I had heard that, um, sometimes professors helped kids in their towns get their own Pokémon.”


“Hmm, well that’s true I guess,” Aspen said, thinking of what to tell the boy next. The only Pokémon he had with him was his oldest friend and partner, Growlithe, but he could never part with him. “I’m afraid that I don’t have any spare Pokémon to give you. I’m sorry, Bryce.”


“Well, you don’t have to give me one. That’s no fun anyway. You have your own Pokémon, right? Why don’t we go catch one?” Bryce ran across the room and stood in front of Aspen, wiggling around with excitement.


“Well, I guess we could do that. The rest of my things haven’t arrived yet, so I’m idle for the next few days anyway. Plus it would be a great opportunity to see what kinds of Pokémon live around these parts. Sure, Bryce, let’s do it. But first we need to let your parents know.”


“Woohoo!” Bryce exclaimed, heading out the door ahead of the professor. “We have Scatterbug, we have Ducklett, but I already told you that, we have Starly…”


He trailed off as Aspen gathered up his things. Jack put a pen and notepad in his coat pocket and shut the door behind him. When he stepped outside he noticed that Bryce was already telling his parents about their intentions in their front yard. He approached slowly as all three of them looked up at him.


“See? Here he is now! Tell them, professor!”


“Well, your son seems very interested in getting a Pokémon of his own. I thought I’d help him out with that. I’m Jack Aspen, by the way,” he smiled and shook their hands.


“It’s great to meet you, Professor Aspen,” said Bryce’s father. “I see no harm in it. I wish we could take him out to do it ourselves, but neither of us are really battlers, we never have been. I’m glad someone capable finally came to town! Ha!”


Jack could see that the boy took after his father in many ways, but he was the spitting image of his mother.


“I think this town is a little bit too small for our son. Maybe you can help him broaden his horizons, professor,” she said with a sweet smile.


“That’s my job, I suppose. We’re going to head into the Driftwind Clearing first. I’ve heard it’s a very special spot for this town and the next town over,” Aspen said, looking down at Bryce who jumped up with a grin.


“Sounds like a plan. Bryce, be careful and always listen to Professor Aspen, you hear me?” his father said, tousling his hair and giving him a light shove toward the road.


The duo made their way toward the woods on the far end of the town. The route that Aspen had taken into town looped the long way around the forest, but there was a small, winding trail that led right through the middle. Deep in the woods there was a special place known as Driftwind Clearing.


“Bryce, do you know why they call it Driftwind Clearing?”


“Duh. It’s right between Driftwood Town and Windmill City. Plus it’s magical, because you can feel the wind in the clearing even though there are trees all around it. I bet there are some really rare Pokémon there just waiting for us,” Bryce said, clenching his fists.


“Very good. I suppose all the kids around these parts know that. Have you ever been to Windmill City?”


“A couple of times. My mom likes to go shopping there, so we went for that, but I was little so I don’t really remember. I heard they have a Pokémon Gym there,” Bryce said, looking up at the professor as they entered the trail.


“That’s right. The leader there specializes in Flying-type Pokémon. There are a multitude of Flying-types all around the city. They say that’s where all the wind comes from,” Aspen said.


“After I catch a Pokémon I’ll be able to take the leader on. I can’t wait,” Bryce said. He looked determined, and Aspen admired him for it. Jack had never had much drive or vision for his future, but he was glad that Bryce seemed to.


They walked down the trail, listening to the sounds of smaller Pokémon rustling in the undergrowth, and bird Pokémon flying through the treetop leaves. Aspen reached down to his waist and took his only Pokeball off.


“I’m sure my friend here is sick of being inside,” Aspen said, tossing the ball onto the trail in front of them.


In a flash of red and white that illuminated the dim forest road, his Growlithe appeared with a howl, then ran up to his owner, pawing at his legs and licking his hands.


“Wow, a Growlithe. I’ve never seen one in person before. But I guess that goes for most Pokémon. Where did you catch him?”


“Actually he was a gift from my father. My dad was a pretty successful trainer and he always wanted me to follow in his footsteps, so he gave me this little guy when I was younger. He’s been my best friend and partner ever since,” Aspen said, looking at his Pokémon with the same admiration that he had the first time he saw him.


Bryce leaned down to offer a hand for Growlithe to sniff, but the Pokémon surprised him by leaping forward, pinning the boy down on the ground to lick his face. Bryce laughed and rolled around on the dirty trail with the dog until eventually they got back up.


“Seems like you guys will get along just fine. So what kind of Pokémon do you hope to catch?” asked the professor.


“Something tough. I really want to be a strong Pokémon trainer and beat lots of gyms,” Bryce said, looking forward. They passed a sign that told them they were approaching the clearing.


“My dad would have liked you. I’m sure all the stuff that was wasted on me growing up would have really helped a kid like you,” Aspen said, smiling at Bryce.


“You don’t like to battle?” asked Bryce.


“I was never much for it, in terms of skill and enjoyment. I’d rather just be friends with Pokémon than make them fight. But that’s just me, I don’t see anything wrong with battling. There are few better ways for someone to bond with their Pokémon, if you ask me.”


They were getting closer to the clearing, and the musty smell of the forest turned into a rich, sweet scent. They emerged into the clearing and were surprised by the sudden gust of wind that they felt. There was a small rock formation in the middle of the clearing, and the two walked over to it.


The two rocks had always been there, but nobody knew how they arrived. They were smooth and gray, and curved slightly around each other, fitting together like two pieces of a puzzle. Many professors before Aspen had tried to explain how they got there, but nobody could ever quite figure it out, and only a few hypotheses even existed. The rocks stood above Bryce’s head, coming up to Jack’s chest. He reached out and touched the top, noticing how cool it felt despite being under the sun.


“Wow, these stones sure are pretty. Do you know the legend about them?” Bryce asked, looking up at the professor.


“I guess not, tell me,” Aspen said, admiring the rocks further.


“Well, they say that these stones used to be somewhere else, really far away from each other. They slowly pulled all the way across Kelto toward each other until finally after a million billion years, they connected like that, hugging around each other,” Bryce said, walking around the stones to look at them from every angle.


They got narrower toward the top and turned into slight spirals. The stones looked like two friends embracing each other, and Aspen gazed at them for some time, trying to figure out what could make them shaped like that.


“I think someone made them a long time ago and put them here. There’s no way a rock could erode into that shape, and it’s even less likely that another one that fits it perfectly did the same thing,” the professor said, causing Bryce to frown.


“That’s not a very fun story,” Bryce said.


“Oh, well it’s just my thought on the matter. That’s the best thing about being a professor. You spend most of the time in a lab figuring out how things work, or what makes certain things happen. You find a lot of answers in my field. But sometimes you find something like these rocks that seemingly have no explanation. I could probably look at these stones for years and never come any closer to figuring out why they’re here, who put them here, or what they’re for. And that’s okay, I think. The more people like me figure out about our world, the less mystery remains in it.”


Bryce was now looking up at the professor with wide eyes, giving him his full attention. He looked back at the stones and touched them.


“You make being a professor sound pretty cool. Did you always want to be one?”


“Not exactly. I never knew what I wanted to do, but I knew I loved Pokémon. So when I got out of school I went to the university so I could study them more. After that I still didn’t know what I wanted to do, so I went to graduate school to learn even more about them. One thing led to another, and I ended up graduating as a professor myself. And here I am,” Aspen said.


“Well I think you’re a good professor. You’ve been teaching me lots of stuff already!” Bryce said with a smile.


“Good! I hope I get to teach a lot of people. Now, I think we came out here to look for a Pokémon, correct?” Aspen asked, raising an eyebrow.


“Yeah! Right! I almost forgot. But… I don’t really see any, maybe we scared them away.”


“I’m not the most experienced at catching Pokémon, but I think patience is key, like in lots of things. Why don’t we stop for some lunch and see what we can see?”


The professor produced a small brown bag from his backpack and handed it to Bryce. He pulled out some sandwiches and water and the two began to eat. While Bryce looked around the clearing, hoping to see a Pokémon venture toward them, Aspen started sketching the stones in his notebook. He also made some notes about the legend that Bryce had told him.


Finally they finished eating and stood up, looking around. Aspen heard something shuffling through the grass and smiled, knowing that Bryce hadn’t noticed it yet.


“Bryce, stay quiet. I think we have a visitor. It sounds like it’s on the other side of the stones,” Aspen whispered. Growlithe was now alerted as well, sniffing the ground furiously.


Bryce started creeping around the stones, trying to see the Pokémon for himself. As he inched his way farther, he met a green dome with a big red spot, which scared him backwards. Both he and the Pokémon fell back onto the ground in their surprise, causing Aspen to laugh.


“Growlithe, go help out Bryce! Looks like he finally found himself a battle,” Aspen said. He looked at the light green Pokémon who was trying to get back on his feet. “You’re a lucky kid, Bryce. That’s a Ralts. They’re very rare and shy; I’m surprised that this one got so close to us on its own.”


Bryce looked the Pokémon over as he got up. He was clearly judging it, deciding if it was worth catching.


“I don’t know, professor. It looks a little weak. I don’t think I can beat a gym with this guy,” Bryce said.


“Of course not! That’s why you have to train and get to know it a little better. Only then do you stand a chance against a trainer as strong as a gym leader. I think this is a great Pokémon to capture. I can tell you all about it when we get back to the lab.”


“Hm. Okay, let’s do it. Growlithe, use, uh, Bite?” Bryce said a bit confused. Growlithe cocked his head to the side and looked at Bryce.


“Bite, Growlithe. Go!” Aspen chimed in.


The Pokémon obeyed, leaping toward the Ralts in an orange blur. He landed a hard bite on the Pokémon’s abdomen, causing the Ralts to tumble away.


“Be firm with your commands. You’re the leader, the Pokémon is just there to help you. He’ll listen to you, just be confident!”


“Growlithe, try an Ember!” Bryce shouted. His voice echoed in the clearing.


Aspen’s Growlithe began charging up flames in his mouth, and then let them loose toward the Ralts. The Pokémon tried to dodge them, shuffling away horizontally, but Growlithe was too quick. The stream of fire hit the Pokémon square in the chest and took it down.


“Now’s your chance, Bryce. Use this,” Aspen said, tossing a red and white orb toward the boy.


He caught it and nodded, throwing the Pokeball at the Ralts who lay on the ground. The ball zapped the Pokémon up and inside, then fell to the ground. The forest was silent as the ball began to twitch. Finally, as all three members of the party watched with anticipation, the ball became still and the Ralts was captured.


“Yes! I did it. I can’t believe I have a Pokémon now. Thanks for all the help, professor,” Bryce said, running over to Aspen and giving him a hug.


“That’s my job, Bryce. Let’s head back to the lab so we can get your new friend healed up and learn more about it.”


The two left the clearing and walked back toward Driftwood Town. Bryce barely looked where he was going for the entire walk, instead admiring his prized Pokeball. Whatever doubts he had about the Ralts before the battle had seemingly vanished.


They arrived back in town and walked into the lab. Professor Aspen turned on the healing machine and took the Pokeball from Bryce, placing it in a slot. After a few seconds, the machine dinged and he placed the ball in another machine.


“This device will give us some more information about the Ralts. Think of it as a heavy duty Pokedex.”


Bryce looked in wonder as numbers and words flashed on the device’s monitor, too quickly for him to read. Finally the screen settled and a picture of his Ralts was displayed with information next to it.


“Seems like it’s a young male Ralts. Congratulations, Bryce. He seems to be an exceptional specimen,” Aspen said, patting the boy on his back.


“Wow. Can I let him out?” Bryce said, clutching the Pokeball.


“Sure, I don’t see why not,” Aspen replied as Growlithe panted beside him.


Bryce tossed the Pokeball onto the ground and his new partner appeared on the floor. At first the Ralts looked confused, but then looked up at Bryce and smiled from under his domelike head.


“This is so cool! I wonder how strong you’ll be? And what kind of personality you have? And-“


“There’s plenty of time to find out. That’s what makes having a Pokémon of your own so special. You both get to learn everything about each other. Growlithe and I still find out new things about each other all the time. This Pokémon will be your best friend for a long time, I think,” Aspen said.


Just as Aspen finished, they heard a knock at the door. He answered it and saw Bryce’s father standing there smiling.


“Looks like you guys had a successful trip. I hope he wasn’t too much trouble. Anyway, I wanted to let you know that the supply boat just docked at the river. You should come grab your things!” his father said before heading back to his home next door.


“I’m going to get the rest of my stuff. I’ll have a long day ahead of me trying to set everything up here. Why don’t you and Ralts head into the woods and get to know each other a little better?” Aspen asked as they walked outside.


“Yeah, that sounds like a good plan. We have to start somewhere I guess. I’ll see you later, Professor Aspen. Thanks so much!” Bryce waved and ran off toward the woods as Ralts followed him, struggling to keep up.


Aspen sighed and realized just how tired he was. He had barely rested since arriving in town, and he couldn’t believe how eventful his stay had already proven to be. He thought it might take days or weeks for the townspeople to warm up to him, but he already felt right at home in Driftwood.


He made his way down the road toward the river and saw a small steam-powered boat docked at the town’s small, wooden port. Several of the town’s residents were already there with their Pokémon, loading up their week’s worth of groceries and other goods. Aspen waved and smiled at the people as he passed them, then found his things already on the dock. There were two enormous wooden crates waiting for him, and he wondered how he might get them back to the lab.


“Hey there, professor. Looks like you could use a little muscle. Son, you and Pancham help this guy out!” a man’s voice said.


The professor turned around to see a burly man and a young boy, maybe a couple of years older than Bryce, and a small black and white Pokémon standing with them.


“Oh, yes that would be very helpful. I guess I’ll take this side, and-“


Before Aspen could finish, the boy, who seemed to be very strong for his age, had already lifted one end of the box while his Pancham easily hoisted the other. Aspen marveled at their combined strength, knowing that the box was full of lab equipment and books.


“They’ll have it to your lab in no time. Let’s you and me get this other box,” the boy’s father said.


He bent down and lifted his end of the box and Aspen went to grab his. He struggled with it, but managed to get it off the ground and slowly start making his way toward the lab.


“I guess turning pages in lab books isn’t much of a workout is it? Ha ha ha!” The man laughed as Aspen gathered all his strength just trying not to drop the crate.


They finally made it back to the lab where his son and Pancham were waiting, leaning up against the crate.


“Thanks a bunch. That would’ve taken me all day and night to move by myself,” Aspen said with a laugh.


“Don’t mention it. My name is Mr. Jackson. This is my son, Luke.”


Luke still said nothing, and nodded before walking down the road toward the woods. He and Pancham were holding grocery bags like many of the townspeople had been.


“Sorry about him. He’s not much for talking and, well to be frank, he isn’t all that friendly. If you ever need anything heavy lifted, just call us. I’ll send those two right over. Ha ha ha!” Mr. Jackson lifted his remaining bags and headed toward his son.


“You folks don’t live here in town?” Aspen asked.


“Nope. We live down the road toward Windmill City. We still prefer to get our groceries by boat rather than the supermarket though. Anyway, I’m sure I’ll see you around!” Mr. Jackson replied, jogging a bit to catch up with Luke.


Professor Aspen felt a bit uneasy about Luke. The boy seemed to be the polar opposite of Bryce, and Bryce hadn’t even mentioned him in all the time they had spent together. In fact, Aspen had assumed Bryce was the only boy his age in the area. Perhaps he was just a loner, Aspen thought. He quickly pushed it out of his mind and began carrying his things in.


Before he realized it, the boxes were completely unpacked and it was dark outside. The busy hum of the townspeople had faded, and once again the Driftwood River was flowing loudly to the south. On quiet nights like these, Jack wondered if he could hear the river flowing from inside his bedroom.


Just as he was getting ready to lock up and head inside for the night, he heard the sound of footsteps coming down the road. He peered around his lab and saw Bryce’s familiar, smiling face coming toward him. The boy had managed to find a way for his newly acquired Ralts to keep up with him, as the Pokémon was now sitting in his backpack, looking down the road over Bryce’s shoulder.


“Professor Aspen, Ralts is amazing!” Bryce exclaimed, skidding to a halt. “We had a battle against a wild Weedle and Ralts didn’t even break a sweat. It was so much fun!”


“I’m glad you enjoyed it. Did you know that Ralts is able to evolve into two different Pokémon eventually?” Aspen asked, quizzing his small friend.


“Umm, I guess not. I don’t know very much about all the different Pokémon, really.”


“That’s right. As long as you keep battling, that Ralts will eventually change forms and become a Kirlia. If you keep it up and train even harder, it might eventually evolve into a Gardevoir. Your Ralts is special, however. Since it’s a male you have the option of evolving it into a Gallade eventually.”


“Oh! You mean like from the storybooks? There’s one about a Gallade who sword fights bad guys and rescues princesses. It’s so cool!” Bryce said, swinging an invisible sword as Ralts tried to stay put in the backpack.


“That’s the one. But it takes a lot of training and bonding to evolve a Pokémon. And for Gallade, a rare stone is even needed. But I’ll make a deal with you: if I ever come across the stone you need, I’ll give it to you,” Aspen said.


“Wow, professor, thanks so much,” said Bryce, looking up in admiration. “I’m really glad you came to Driftwood. I think everyone is.”


Professor Aspen smiled, feeling genuinely happy that things were going so smoothly for him. He also found himself enjoying the company of the young boy, though he never expected he would find such an unlikely friend.


“Well, I just wanted to tell you something, professor,” Bryce said, looking more serious. “My parents told me that I’m growing up now. They said if I wanted to go on a journey to some other towns with Ralts then I could.”


Aspen managed not to frown, and he put his hand on Bryce’s shoulder.


“I think that would be great for you. It’s a big world that we live in. If you start now, you might just get to see the whole thing.”


Bryce grinned widely and looked down the road.


“Maybe so. I think I might head toward Windmill City tomorrow,” he said.


Professor Aspen was a little sad that his new friend was leaving so soon, but it also made him proud that he was able to help him start his very own journey. Aspen had never wanted to leave home and explore the world, but he was happy that Bryce not only wanted to, but was now able to.


“Good luck, Bryce. If you ever have any questions, you know who to come to!” Aspen said, laughing lightly.


Bryce said nothing, instead going across the yard to hop the fence and head inside his own house. He gave a familiar wave to the professor before going inside. The lights went out and Professor Aspen went upstairs to his apartment.


***


The next morning, Aspen awoke to a buzz of noise outside. He looked out his window and was surprised to see a few of the townsmen standing outside Bryce’s house. Bryce was standing near his father, clutching his leg with tears running down his face. Aspen quickly got out of bed and got dressed, then headed outside to see what the commotion was all about.


“Is everything okay? What happened, Bryce?” he asked.


Bryce looked up at Aspen briefly before burying his face in his father’s leg. His father tried to comfort him and looked up at the professor solemnly.


“It’s going to be okay, Bryce. It wasn’t your fault,” he said. “We had a break-in last night. Someone snuck into Bryce’s room and took his Pokeball.”


“I got to be a Pokémon trainer for a whole five hours, then I let someone steal Ralts,” Bryce said, more tears welling up in his eyes.


“It isn’t your fault, Bryce. It takes a special kind of bad person to steal someone else’s Pokémon, and we’re going to make sure you get Ralts back. I promise,” Aspen said, trying to look assuring.


“We appreciate the help, professor, but I think we’re just going to have the Windmill City Police Department come investigate. I’m sure you have a lot of research to be doing and we don’t want to bother you with it,” his father stated.


“Nonsense. It’s my job to help new Pokémon trainers. I wouldn’t be living up to my title if I didn’t at least try to help out. Bryce, do you have any idea who it might have been?”


“Well, um, I don’t really want to be a tattler. And what if it wasn’t him?” Bryce asked, visibly conflicted.


Aspen already had the idea that he was talking about Luke. He had suspected him from the start, but did not want to mention it since he barely knew the kid, or anyone else around the town for that matter. The professor and Bryce started to walk back toward the lab as the crowd dispersed.


“You think it was that Luke boy, don’t you? The one with the Pancham?” asked Aspen once they were out of earshot of the others.


“Kind of. He’s been a big bully ever since he came back to town. He went on a journey and got some gym badges, so now he acts like he’s the toughest guy who ever lived,” Bryce said, clenching his fists in anger.


“I met him yesterday. He didn’t seem too friendly, and even his dad expressed that he wasn’t. I didn’t want to cast blame on someone who I had just met, but he seems like a logical suspect,” Aspen said.


“Can we go to his house? I bet he’s in his room with Ralts right now!” Bryce said with a hop.


“His father seemed nice enough, at least enough to not condone stealing. Sure, let’s pay them a visit.”


The duo headed down the road in the direction of Luke’s house. Aspen remembered that his father told him where he lived, but Bryce seemed to know already and was leading the way. Aspen had always hated confrontation and avoided it at all costs, but he couldn’t stand to see someone’s Pokémon taken from them.


They approached a small home on the side of the road and stopped out front. Aspen looked it over and then down to Bryce.


“Is this the place?”


“Yep,” Bryce said firmly and emotionlessly. Aspen was unable to tell if the boy was feeling angry, anxious, sad or a mix of all three.


They knocked on the door and waited patiently until Luke’s father greeted them with a smile.


“Hello, professor! And Bryce, how are you doing?” he asked in his deep, friendly voice.


“Well, we were wondering if Luke was around. We had a few questions for him,” Aspen said weakly. He didn’t want to come right out and accuse him to his father’s face.


“You just missed him. He came back from the woods early this morning and said he had caught a new Pokémon. A Ralts I think. Then he grabbed his stuff and said he was going to Windmill City to trade it to someone. He’s a pretty business-minded kid. He’s caught Pokémon for weaker trainers before, you know,” his father said. Before he even finished speaking, Bryce was sprinting down the road.


“Thanks!” said Aspen, trying to catch up.


Bryce was on a mission to retrieve his Pokémon before it could change hands again, and he was worried about the stress that Ralts was likely feeling.


“Careful, Bryce. You don’t want to run into something like this too recklessly. From what it sounds like, Luke is a pretty good trainer. It may be a better idea to just get the police.”


“No way. We’re stopping him as soon as we see him!” Bryce shouted, still several paces ahead of the professor. The boy was still wearing his pajamas, having been too shocked to even change clothes before taking the whole situation in.


The two were making good time down the road, and eventually they spotted their target. Luke hadn’t seen them yet and was only about a hundred feet ahead of them. Spotting him gave Bryce a new vigor and he sprinted out ahead of the professor toward Luke.


Before Aspen could stop him, Bryce had leapt onto Luke’s back and was trying to bring him down to the ground. In the confusion, Luke managed to free a Pokeball from his belt, and his Pancham emerged onto the road. As Bryce pummeled him, the Pancham managed to pull the boy off and allow his trainer to get up to his feet.


“Nice try, kiddo, but you’re a little too weak for that. I already have a kid in Windmill City who’s going to pay me for your little Ralts. Thanks for catching it for me, though, it saved me a lot of time. I didn’t even have to buy a Pokeball this time! Ha ha ha,” Luke said as Pancham guarded him from Bryce.


The professor finally caught up, breathing heavily. He managed to find the energy to cast his own Pokeball, letting Growlithe join the standoff. Even Aspen had to admit that the Pancham looked much tougher than his own Pokémon. Growlithe had been more of a friend than a battle partner, and the battle with Ralts was his first fight in a long time.


“Pancham, use Karate Chop!” shouted Luke.


The command was too fast for the professor to react, and Pancham brought a hard strike down onto Growlithe’s head. The fire-type was stunned, but shook off the blow.


“Growlithe, use Flame Wheel!” Aspen said. He was still panting, and was not used to being forced to respond so quickly in battle.


Growlithe was clearly not very familiar with the technique. As he began charging toward the Pancham in a ball of flame, the small Pokémon easily dodged and let Growlithe fly past, rolling across the road in a cloud of dust.


“Just finish this already. Pancham, Circle Throw,” Luke commanded. He was already laughing, knowing that he had won.


Pancham casually walked up to where Growlithe was collapsed in the dirt and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and back. The black and white Pokémon hoisted him up and threw him into the air with a spin, causing Growlithe to howl as he plummeted back to the ground with a thud. The Pokémon didn’t budge as Luke recalled Pancham and Bryce watched in horror.


“Professor, please! We have to stop him!”


Aspen knew he was beaten and searched for a solution. He knew they couldn’t physically stop him due to his Pokémon bodyguard, and felt embarrassed and helpless.


“Luke! Stop right now,” came a voice from behind them. All three of the battlers turned around in alarm and saw Bryce and Luke’s fathers running down the road behind them.


Luke frowned and froze where he stood, knowing he was caught now.


“Whatever, take your Ralts. I wasn’t getting that much for it anyway,” he said, tossing Ralts’ Pokeball into the dirt at Bryce’s feet. Bryce dove on it and clutched it to his chest while glaring at the older boy.


“What makes you think you can just go around taking other people’s Pokémon? I didn’t raise a thief, Luke. Get home right now and wait for me. But first, apologize to Bryce and the professor,” Mr. Jackson said, shaking with anger.


“Sorry your Ralts was so easy to nab,” Luke said sarcastically before running back toward his home.


“Bryce, your father came by just after you guys did. We discussed the situation and realized what had happened and came immediately. I’m so sorry for what he did. I don’t know what I can do to make it up to you, but I assure you he will not be leaving his room for a very long time. I just…” Mr. Jackson trailed off, obviously very embarrassed by his son’s actions.


The professor recalled Growlithe as Bryce held onto his Pokeball on the verge of tears again.


“It’s fine. Bryce has his friend back and all that came of it was the professor’s Pokémon getting a little roughed up. I think we’ll all be okay,” Bryce’s father said, patting Mr. Jackson on the back.


“Thanks for being so understanding. That goes for everyone. And thanks for, well, at least trying to set my boy straight, professor,” Mr. Jackson said as Aspen finally managed to gather his wits.


“It was no problem. Your son is pretty strong. He certainly gave me a run for my money,” he replied.


“Too strong for his own good. I don’t know what I’m going to do about that kid,” Mr. Jackson said, frowning. Without saying anything else he and Bryce’s father headed back to town.


Bryce had regained his composure and released Ralts from his Pokeball, giving him a hug before letting him climb into his backpack. Bryce then ran over to the professor and they began their trek back to Driftwood.


“Good thing someone came to help. You kinda got destroyed in that battle,” Bryce said with a laugh.


“Yeah. Like I said, I’ve never been much for battling,” Aspen replied, still embarrassed by the ease with which he was beaten.


“It’s okay, you don’t have to battle much when you’re a professor. At least I hope not, because you’re going to have a hard time,” Bryce said, laughing even harder.


The professor joined in his laughter and they both walked back to Driftwood Town with relief.


***


The rest of the day passed without incident. The professor got his lab and apartment set up just how he wanted, and Bryce spent the day at home with Ralts and his parents. Both Bryce and the professor were relieved when it was time for bed, as they could sleep easily knowing that everything was as it should be.


The next morning the professor was able to actually wake up to the sound of his alarm clock instead of some kind of commotion. He got dressed and headed down to the lab, hoping to start his first real day of work. As he began looking over some of his notes, he heard the front door open. Bryce stepped in with Ralts in his backpack, and the professor smiled at them.


“Good morning! It looks like today is the big day. Are you setting off?” the professor asked.


“Yeah, um, I guess so. But I have a question,” Bryce said, biting his lip. “Are there a lot of people like Luke out there?”


The professor frowned and sat down at the table with Bryce, thinking of how he should respond.


“There will always be people like that out there, Bryce. Not everyone is as goodhearted as you are, and sadly you’ll just have to deal with them. But I think you’re strong enough to not only defend yourself from people like that, but also to protect others. Who knows, next time it might be you coming to my rescue!”


Bryce didn’t immediately respond, but appeared to be thinking deeply about the professor’s words. He looked up at Ralts for a long time before finally finding the words to respond to Aspen.


“You know, that actually sounds pretty fun, professor,” Bryce said. “Why don’t I just, you know, help you out around here? I could be your bodyguard! You kinda need one.”


“My bodyguard? I’m afraid that wouldn’t be as exciting as going on a journey with Ralts,” Aspen said.


“Maybe not. But I want to help you. You have to do lots of research, right? I can be your, um, assistant or something!” Bryce said, standing up from the table.


“Bryce, don’t think you have to stick around here and help me out. I don’t want to keep you from enjoying the rest of Kelto,” he said, feeling a little flattered that the boy seemed so enthusiastic about helping.


“No way. I really think I want to. You already taught me so many things about Pokémon. I want to keep learning. I think we make a good team,” Bryce replied, starting to jump with excitement, which caused the professor to laugh.


“Well I guess it’s settled then. You’re my new research assistant, effective immediately,” Aspen said with a grin, feeling nearly as excited as Bryce.


“Yes! I won’t let you down, professor. So when do we start going on adventures?” he asked.


“You know, I went into this field to avoid adventures.”


“Oh come on, everyone goes on adventures sometimes, no matter what their job is.”


“Well, when that day comes we’ll go together. For now, why don’t you bring me my lab notebooks? I still haven’t decided what I’ll be researching yet, and I only have a year to get something prepared for review,” Aspen said, thumbing through his volumes of notes.


“Wow, a whole year of traveling Kelto to find out more about Pokémon. I can’t wait, Professor Aspen,” Bryce said, looking out the window and imagining his future journey.


In all honesty, Professor Aspen had planned to stay put in Driftwood Town unless it was absolutely necessary to leave, and he hoped that wouldn’t bore Bryce too much. However, he knew that life had a way of throwing surprises in his way as his first few days in Driftwood had proved. He had no idea what might lie ahead of them.

Notes:

Spoiler

Yay! You made it to the end. So as the title hints, this is kind of supposed to be the setup for a series about the professor and Bryce. Kelto is just a region I made up so I could shape the stories more how I want them instead of relying on a pre-made region. This story's plot is supposed to be pretty basic because I wanted it to mirror the typical Pokemon game formula where a kid starts on an innocent journey that turns into something much bigger. The future episodes will expand much more in terms of the region of Kelto and the "bigger issues" it has outside of a kid's Pokemon getting stolen, but this prologue was just meant to introduce characters and give some background. If you (the grader) have any questions, just ask me!

 

boom, claimed.

Edit 1/19/2016: Hey, I'm sorry you've been waiting a while. I'm posting here to re-affirm that I am committed to grading this story. You can expect it to be done by Wednesday night at the latest. Thanks for your patience!

 

@Unk: Grade complete!


You did a really great job world-building with this story. You described Professor Aspen’s environment really well, and I loved all the little details that you peppered throughout the story that really brought the setting to life. Even on second read, I’m noticing little things that I didn’t see the first time through, like the point where you mentioned that the Pokémon lab is the only building in Driftwood with a second story. Even the name, Driftwood, is really evocative of a small-town setting that’s lonely at first but becomes a cozy home with tight-knit relationships after a while. World-building extends to the people, too, and I think Bryce is the perfect character to introduce us to this town. He’s smart and spunky and you revealed a lot about the town through his actions and dialogue. For example, we find out from Bryce that there aren’t very many accomplished Pokémon trainers in town when he says there’s nobody around to help him learn how to battle. The location is really important to the mood of this story, and you did a really good job of establishing one.

I’d also like to talk a little bit about developing plot. Series can be difficult to write, I know. (Thankfully, none of my original attempts survived the Pokemonelite2000.com closing.) It may help to think of each individual URPG story like an episode in a TV show. Often, an episode of a TV show will have a single “plot” that can act as an atomic unit. That is, there will be a single conflict/resolution over the course of the episode. The reason I bring this up is that your story here has two or three sections that could each have been developed into their own “episodes.” First, you have the part where Professor Aspen arrives in Driftwood. Secondly, there’s a section where Professor Aspen takes Bryce out to capture his first Pokémon. The last section describes what happens when Luke steals Bryce’s Ralts.

I want to focus on the last of those sections, because I think it’s the easiest to talk about in these terms. This part of your story was very straightforward. Professor Aspen and Bryce decide Luke is probably the thief, they chase after him, and they get the Ralts back. I was sort of imagining what would happen over the course of a similar plot on a TV show. For example, there would probably have been some conflict when they go to visit Luke’s dad, since they really were accusing him without having any actual evidence. The straightforward plot made sense in your story, since I, the reader, didn’t really know of any other characters who could have been involved. But, had you broken this off into its own episode, you could have developed the mystery and conflict a lot more.

The last point I want to mention concerning series plot development is that there’s very little suspense at the end of your story. I don’t mean that there needs to be crazy suspense like “Is this beloved character who you just watched get killed really dead? Find out next time!” I just mean it’s nice to have some clues where the plot is going in the next episode or the rest of the series. You told us that there are going to be “adventures” and “surprises,” but I have no idea what they could be. Like I said, this doesn’t have to be something huge and dramatic, or even occur at the end of the story. Really I’m just looking for small details to show that there’s an overarching series of events that are going to be important to the series. For example, if Luke had grumbled that he would be back for the Ralts, that would give me a clue that I’m going to be seeing him again in the near future. I guess the long and short here is that, in each episode of your story, you want to ask more questions than you answer, and introduce more conflicts than you resolve.

Finally, I have to talk a little bit about the Pokémon you’ve aimed for, and how they’re important to the story. Ralts is obviously an important part of the story: It’s introduced and caught by the protagonist over the course of the story. It’s also at the center of the main conflict in the plot. The others aren’t quite as cut and dry. While you did write a story that far surpasses the minimum length for all three Pokémon, they don’t all hold equal weight in the story. Growlithe is featured as Professor Aspen’s main companion, and he gets used in both the Ralts battle and the battle against Luke. Pancham is Luke’s Pokémon, and he’s only really important to the story during that one battle. Interestingly, the protagonists don’t really “overcome” that obstacle. Luke’s father catches him and ends that conflict on his own.

In the future, consider taking the different Pokémon in the story and making them “relevant” somehow—in such a way that the individual Pokémon species matters to the story, and can’t just be replaced with some other Pokémon. You actually did a good job with Ralts in the story. For one, you turned its peculiar evolution method into sort of a teaching moment for Professor Aspen and Bryce. You also tied it to a childhood story that Bryce knows about. In subsequent stories, you might show Ralts using its unique psychic powers to influence the story in some way. These are great kinds of details because they make the Pokémon important to the story in more ways than just being the Pokémon you wanted to catch for URPG. I would argue that Growlithe and Pancham don’t live up to the same standard.

Grade:

After a fair bit of consideration, I’m ruling it thusly: Ralts, Growlithe, and Pancham captured.

This was a tough call for me. In terms of length, you obviously surpassed our minimum character requirement for all three. On the other hand, I felt that Pancham’s participation in the story, in particular, was rather lacking. I considered leaving Pancham out of the list of captured Pokémon, but ultimately decided to tip the scales in your favor because of my own delay in grading the story. I’ll let you know what I would have said if I had withheld the Pancham, however.

I would have asked that you do one of two things:

1. Develop the “Who Stole Ralts?” portion of the story by creating a more conflicts between the beginning and the end. I thought the first battle against Luke was really good, because unlike most stories, the protagonists aren’t even close to matching his power. Instead of having the conflict resolved right after anyway, you could have used it as the impetus for the characters to find some other creative way to beat him, perhaps by outsmarting him instead of overpowering him.

2. Try again next time! I’m expecting Luke and Pancham to show up again in the future, so there should be plenty of room for a story where Pancham itself is really important.

Of course, neither of these things are necessary, since I’m passing the story. But they are ideas to consider for future stories that you write.

As always, you can PM me or reply if you’ve got any questions or want to talk more!

 

Thanks a ton for grading this, Elrond. I had to drop URPG for awhile, but this was the perfect thing to welcome me back!