(Pallet Town, Route 1, Kanto, Pokémon World)
--------------------------------
Cobalt was the kind of guy who could do just about anything he put his mind to. Even if he was typically hyper-focused to an extreme on that anything.
He was considered a Paradox, Chiefly because he abhorred early rising and loved sleeping late.
And yet...
Somehow...
He was a Training Maniac.
Highly Intelligent and well-above average in looks, he catches attention wherever he goes.
Thus, it should hardly be a surprise when such a person has more than a few quirks and oddities to them....
--------------------------------
(Cobalt POV)
--------------------------------
Cobalt had had one of the most uncomfortable sleeps of his life, he slept with one eye open and against the wall next to Oak's lab.
Knowing Gary, he would stride into cheerleaders. Thus when the fanfare began to sound, he'd walk in and take Bulbasaur and go.
Used to be in his old life he carried the torch for Fire-Types, but frankly he knew the best place to get a Squirtle and Charmander making any other choice redundant.
Speaking of which that reminds him, he had more than one reason to hit up Cinnabar Island. And every reason except one was a Blue Turtle. Of course, to get there he needed to have at least three or four Gym Badges before he considered himself ready.
Cobalt had long ago decided on his initial first team. Thanks to the Pokeinfo app he was able to determine his initial team. Bulbasaur, Kakuna, and Pidgey. That would leave him at least three spots to take advantage of if needed. Ideally, one would be filled with an Eevee, allowing him to eventually plug any possible defensive holes with Eevee and one of its possible Evolutions.
Cobalt liked to be prepared. Granted you could never be prepared for everything, nor prepared enough, but as a statistician he knew the value in type advantages being used defensively as an offense. For instance, Pidgey was capable of learning both Rain Dance and Sunny Day which although were both oriented to Water and Fire-Types respectively could be used to the advantage of a Grass Type.
For instance, using Sunny Day and then using Synthesis. Now Synthesis technically drew on water, soil nutrients, and sunlight, but if you used Sunny Day before Synthesis, you stood to be able to let loose a scary powerful Solar Beam. Alternatively, you could use Rain Dance to a similar affect but one more geared to either a healing move or to improve a Grass-Type Moves range in say an area suited for Rock or Ground-Types.
There was another use as well, but he wouldn't be revealing that until Cerulean City. It was perfect for what he had in mind in that Gym.
--------------------------------
It was maybe another hour before the music and screaming started, but it gave him a half hour of extra sleep with the Remainder spent on waking up.
The look on Gary's face was going to be so worth it, especially with the little switch and goad he had planned. He'd get Bulbasaur, and place Squirtle's Pokéball in Pikachu's spot, with Charmander in Squirtle's slot. After that, when he'd walk out, and gloat to Gary about taking Squirtle. Gary would storm in see the Pokéball where Squirtle should be at which point one of two things would happen.
Gary, realizing Cobalt was fucking with him, and seeking the chance for retribution would run out without checking to challenge him. Thus, choosing Charmander.
Or.
He'd check first.
Either way Cobalt was looking forward to trouncing the little twerp.
After all, at his urging the starters were now selectively bred to produce the best offspring. Similar to the Asari of Mass Effect, every Breeding Pokémon Female gave birth to its own species regardless of the species or type of the father. But of course, the father passed on its own special move to its offspring.
He'd convinced Oak about giving such Pokémon to the Trainers who carried his best hopes sometime back.
--------------------------------
Walking in Cobalt found Oak with his usual smile. ''Old man.''
''Ahh Cobalt, welcome. Ready to begin your journey.'' Says Oak enthusiastically.
''What do you think? Why else would I be here?'' Cobalt responds dryly, with a Sahara dry look.
Oak just laughs nervously before handing him a Pokèdex. Flipping it open he scans each Pokèball.
''Figures.'' Says Cobalt after checking Squirtle's stats, before taking Bulbasaur and releasing it from its Pokéball.
''Hey, you and me against the World? Gym after Gym? League after League? Elite Four after Elite Four? Champion after Champion? How about it?'' Asks Cobalt to Bulbasaur.
''Bulba!'' It says headbutting the Pokéball to return to it.
''Well, looks like your almost ready to go. I heard from professor Kukui, your guest should be at Viridian City Airport before you arrive.'' Says Oak.
''Be cool to see how much they've changed.'' Cobalt says with a nostalgic smile. ''Later Old Man.'' says Cobalt switching the Pokéballs before his departure.
--------------------------------
''Well, look what the Meowth dragged in. You're a little late you little shit. Squirtle is mine.'' Says Cobalt as he walks past Gary with a lazy smile.
It didn't take much to push Gary's Buttons, in point of fact he'd actually been saving something special for when he put out the challenge to Gary.
Something that he actually had to put under a lock and key and keep in Alola to resist the temptation of using it prematurely and....oh shit...he just remembered.
One of the people he's meeting was told to get that damn special something and bring it to Kanto. Though to be fair he was sleeping sober and woke up drunk, that's what happens when you fell asleep in a room full of Alolan Meowth with a bottle of liquor in Meowth reach. He still didn't remember all the details, but someone woke up next day no longer a virgin, and her uncle put a warrant out for his arrest. Which he found out in the nearby outhouse when Officer Jenny came for him... suffice to say, he wasn't allowed on Ula'ula Island anymore.
Nanu and his grudges...
Speaking of grudges he actually had no plan of battling Gary yet, he wanted to get going quickly. The sooner he got on Route 1, the sooner he could get to Viridian City and then the Viridian Forest.
He wanted to catch a Pikachu, then train up said Pikachu, before eventually sending it off to Kukui via a temporary trade in order to evolve it in Alola. He really wanted to see the look on Surge's face when his Raichu is getting its own little ass kicked by an Alolan Raichu....
Okay, not just Surge, but Volkner too! Maybe getting his butt handed to him by an electric type he's never seen before will boot his depressed ass into high gear? Well, probably not but it was worth shot. And even if it wasn't it still had at least some amount of merit to it.
Okay, it wasn't completely a selfless choice.
--------------------------------
(Route 1)
--------------------------------
Walking along Route 1 wasn't like in the games where you just walked in the tall grass and had an encounter. The Sword and Shield mechanics were actually a better representation of what to expect, but only slightly
See while there were Pokémon around very few were inclined to battle. So you actually had to actively break one of the Golden Rules of being a Bushman; Going off the beaten path with no clue of what's in your way.
He being a Pallet Town Native did know a little about the area but the thing was that he'd only been back in Kanto for Six Months after spending five years abroad. Each year spent in a different Region and Trainer School.
Because unlike the Anime, the world here didn't consider sending ten year olds with fuck all experience on a Region-wide adventure fraught with hidden dangers a smart idea. The minimum age a Trainer could depart on their journey was seventeen. Occasionally exceptions were made, but that was hardly common.
His first year had been spent in Johto, followed by Hoenn, Kalos, Alola, and Galar. He had gotten banned from Ula'ula Island at age fifteen, but he'd lost his own virginity some two and a half years earlier.
To a guest lecturer in Johto.
Anyway time to find a Pidgey!
--------------------------------
And that's all she wrote folks! Anyway, this is the last story I am posting until one of my others has fifteen or twenty something more chapters published!
Remember to hit my Discord before 8 pm New Zealand time tonight to cast your votes. The poll determining the next Five chapters ends in exactly six hours.
--------------------------------
Join my Discord via this invite link:
https://discord.gg/4TTZkVMMnq