It was the first thing in the morning and, just like Uncle Donald had said, they were out in town to get gear and supplies. But first, they made a stop at the diner. "Okay boys," Donald began. "Today is the day you go on your adventure. But I have a question for you. Do you want to go?" Donald asked, leaning on the table.
They were all finishing up their breakfast with their Pokemon. Donald only had Purser, his Poliwrath, and Bell, his Medicham, with him. Now, it isn't typical to have more than six Pokemon, but it is allowed. It is, however, illegal to use more than six pokemon for battles. Even six pokemon in a battle is excessive. So people normally only have two or three pokemon on their teams.
Huey glanced at Louie and Malachite as Pheonix gave an excited chirp. DJ and Dewey were all for an adventure. DJ was bouncing up and down as Dewey threw his fists in the air.
"Heck yeah! I can't wait to kick butt!" Dewey exclaimed.
"Being a trainer is more than just battles, Dewey." Donald interupted.
The boys looked at him, confused.
"What do you mean?" Huey asked, taking out his JWG. "My guidebook says that 'Pokemon trainers are known for their battling skills, and their excessive battling'." He read out loud.
"Yes, that's what they're known for. But that is not everything they do." Donald explained.
"What do trainers do, than?" Louie asked.
"Most people battle as a hobby. As a trainer, it's a full time job. But being a trainer has more than battling as the daily checklist. This is why most people aren't trainers anymore. The main reason is that every professional pokemon trainer must have a book of the law and have a good idea of the rules. The reason for that is because trainers work really closely with police, and are expected to be able to help people when the police can't be there in time." Donald explained. "That's why the League is in charge. They are basically the head of the police force. It's also why they get to make the rules." He added.
"What? They can't just dump that on children." Huey said in an exasperated tone.
"They don't make the choice, you do. That's why you aren't allowed to become a trainer until you're thirteen, at the lowest. Thirteen is when you are able to make clear decisions, even if it confuses your brain and makes everything an extreme." Donald told them.
"Okay. But being what's basically a superhero? Sign me up!" Dewey said, his smile growing as he slapped his hand on the table.
"That's not the only other thing you need to know." Donald said. He took a deep breath to hold in a groan. He knew they weren't ready for this. Dammit, Della! If only Uno was here to help him. "The thing is that you are now basically an underaged parent but you don't get your own house. You're constantly traveling with your team and whoever else you pick up on the way." He explained.
"You also need to keep money on you at all times." Donald cut in, taking a sip of his coffee. "Every time you loose a battle, you have to pay the other person a minimum of 50P for every Pokemon they have left standing. That's part of the law. Doesn't matter if you're a trainer, if you engage in a battle, even a practice one, you need to be able to pay. So keep track of your money at all times." Donald told them.
"What?!?" Dewey exclaimed.
"Come on!" Louie groaned.
"That's not fair!" Huey complained.
"It is. It only feels unfair because if you loose, you're the one who has to pay." Donald said, gesturing for them to calm down. "But, being a trainer also has its perks. Preforming in contests, staying in hotels, and healing your pokemon at Pokecenters are all free. Everything additional that you buy there is at a discount, except for performance prices. Those are full value and very expensive. I suggest you make your own props and costumes." Donald explained.
"Wait, why do you know so much about contests?" Dewey asked.
"I will have you know that me and your mother were prized performers for two years in a row with our conjoined teams. You should have seen Private. He was so awesome. He always stole the show." Donald told them with a fond smile. Purser smacked Donalds leg, making Donald wince but chuckle. "You were great to, Purser, don't worry bud."
"Cool. Can't wait to see how contests work." Louie smiled. "All the gold..." He chuckled menacingly, rubbing his hands together.
"Unfortunately, most awards aren't actually gold. You have to be a prized performer before you can get actual trophies. But I'm sure you can get there someday." Donald corrected.
"Awe man." Louie grumbled.
"How do battles and Performances work?" Huey asked, holding a pencil, as he had been making notes in his guide book the whole time.
"I can't tell you that." Donald replied.
"Ever since you were little, that was the one thing your mom wanted on your adventure. She wanted you guys to figure things out as you went, just like us." Donald explained. "But for battles, they go by turn based rules. You only have one turn to do something before the other person can do something. Than your pokemon attack at the same time. You can have single battles, or double battles if you're facing two opponents." Donald whispered, as if Della would hear. Huey quickly wrote this down as Donald gave Purser a pointed look. "Don't you dare tattle, you traitor." Donald hissed, pointing at his Poliwrath. He got snickers from both Purser and DJ, Bell shaking her head from where she was sitting on the floor.
Once Huey finished writing everything down he glanced to Dewey. Dewey was thinking as hard as he possibly could about this. It was a weird sight, but Huey could understand. He glanced down at his notes before looking to Pheonix. Pheonix was looking at him with an expectant look. He let a smile slip onto his lips as he pet his Torchic, making him chirp in enjoyment. But then he looked over to his baby brother.
Louie was looking to Malachite, almost in a silent conversation. It made Huey nervous. He thought he had his answer, but to be completely honest, he would never leave if his brothers weren't with him.
"So," Huey snapped out of his thoughts, looking to his uncle. Donald put his cup down before putting his hands together and resting his head on top of them. There was a hesitant pause as he looked each boy and their pokemon in the eye. "Do you wanna go?"
"Yes!" Everyone looked to Dewey as he stood up. "This is all I've ever wanted. I can take the responsibility. Give me this chance and I can prove I can take everything thrown at me. A little hard work never hurt anyone." Dewey told their uncle.
Donald let a small smile come to his lips as he looked at his nephew in admiration.
"I think I want to go, too." They all looked over to Louie, who had his hand raised as he held Malachite in his other arm, like a child would their toy. "I think Malachite would like the travel. Plus, who knows what buisness opportunities I could get." Louie told them.
"Huey?" Huey looked at Donald. "What about you?" Donald asked. There was a moment of hesitation, but Huey slowly began to nod.
"Yeah, yeah. I can't wait to see all the pokemon. Do you know how much research I could get in? I could learn more than I could ever dream of! There's no way I'm not going!" Huey said, getting more and more excited with every word, starting to bounce in his seat and flap his hands.
Donald sighed as he flagged down a waiter. "Can we have our check, please?"
The boys were running down the street with their Pokemon as Donald and Purser walked behind them. The boys had no idea where they were going, and Donald knew that. And, right on time, the boys stopped on a street corner and looked at the signs, confused.
"Which way do we go?" Huey asked.
"Uh, maybe right?" Dewey questioned, scratching his head.
"What? I thought you guys knew where the, uh- What's it called again?" Louie asked, Malachite landing next to him.
"The DPP," Donald answered, stepping up to them. "It stands for Department of Pokemon Professions. And it's riiiiiiight there." Donald said, grabbing Louie's shoulder and gesturing to the building across the street from them. Donald held in a chuckle as Dewey threw his head back in a groan, Louie facepalmed, and Huey shook his head in disappointment. "Come on, don't beat yourself up. Me and Della did the same thing when we got our license, and we were older than you.
"Yeah, by like a year." Dewey grumbled, crossing his arms.
"Three, actually. But that was a good guess, Dewey." He corrected, patting said nephew on the head before ushering them across the street.
"What! You were sixteen when you started your adventure?" Dewey exclaimed.
"Yep. Scrooge was just as terrified as me and didn't have a second opinion to bounce off of, so he refused to let us go for years until Mrs. Beakley finally put her foot down. Good thing was that we got to travel with our cousins. Well, maybe not 'good thing', but it's what happened." Donald told them. "But, that also means you three are the youngest in the family to get your licenses." He added.
"Wow." Huey breathed out, clutching his JWG close to his chest.
Donald opened the door for them before leading them to the front desk. A young lady was at the front desk, sorting papers. It usually took two days for trainers-to-be to come into the DPP, so it was understandable that she wasn't really doing much. The four walked up to her.
The woman noticed them and gave a smile as she put the papers to the side. "Hello there. What can I help you with today?" She asked them.
Donald leaned on the desk. "Three trainers licenses, please." Donald said, putting three fingers up to emphasize his words.
It took a moment for the woman to realize what he said, making Donald a little annoyed, but when she did realize what he said her smile grew. "Oh, you guys came in early. Are you excited for your adventure?" The woman asked the boys, logging into her computer.
"Oh my gosh, yes!" Dewey exclaimed, grasping the counter. DJ began jumping at his side as he squealed in excitement. Dewey picked the pokemon up. "We are going to be the best duo the world has seen. Mom is gonna be so jealous!" He announced, making his brothers shake their heads.
"Wow, that sounds exciting. What about you four?" The lady asked the other boys and their pokemon.
"Oh! I'm gonna learn all I can about our world! Can you imagine all the things we haven't discovered about Pokemon yet? It's amazing!" Huey said, bouncing with his book and Torchic in his arms.
"I bet. And what about you? What are you excited for?" The lady asked.
Louie just shrugged as he pet Malachite, who was sitting on the counter. "Not much. I just want to see what buisness opportunities I can get." Louie replied.
"That's a good idea. There are jobs all around the region that need you to be a trainer to apply for. I like your thinking kid." The woman slightly rambled. She pulled up the stuff she needed and smiled. "Okay, lets begin. We'll have all your stuff out here in no time. Do you have explorer bags at home?" The woman asked.
"Yes, they do." Donald nodded.
The woman smiled, as she didn't need to figure out what Donald said because of the nod. "Great. Than we'll just give you your stuff in grocery bags. Now. Do you already have X-Trancevers?" The woman asked.
"X-Trancevers?" Louie asked.
"X-Trancevers, they're also known as X-Trans. They came out a few years ago and are now mandatory for all trainers. They help you while traveling, being anything ranging from a map to a multi-person screen caller. It can even send Pokemon to people to watch over, or trade them." Donald explained, Huey taking notes again.
"Oh, than no, we don't." Dewey said.
"Okay, you'll each get one. That's an extra tax on the gear, though." The lady said with a guilty expression.
"Don't worry. I can cover it." Donald waved off.
"... Oh, okay." The lady said once she processed his words. She typed it down in her computer. "Are you traveling together?" She asked the boys.
The boys traded looks before answering. "Yes." They all said, together. The woman giggled at this as she typed it in.
"Great. So you'll only need one rule book and trainer guide. Than I'll print out some papers you need to fill out individually before we get your licenses and gear ready. Oh, and sir?" Donald signaled she had his attention. "Do you want them to have a tent or two?" She asked.
"No thank you. Can they just get sleeping bags?" He asked.
"... Yes we can. Do you also want them to have pouches to hold Pokeballs in idle mode?" She asked.
"Yes please." Donald nodded.
"Great. You can go sit down for a moment and I'll bring the forms over in just a moment. We should have your gear ready within the hour." The lady informed.
"Thank you." Donald said as the boys began to walk towards the seats.
"Oh, it was no trouble." The woman said, already knowing what he was gonna say. Donald gave her a great full smile before walking over to his boys.
It had been an hour and they had gotten their things from the lady at the fronts. "And here are your ID cards." The lady said, holding out three cards out to the boys. They awed at the cards as they each gently picked theirs up. Without warning, they started to jump around in excitement, whooping and cheering together. The only Pokemon bouncing around with them was DJ, who was snickering as he danced with them.
The lady giggled as Donald and Purser grabbed the bags of gear. "Thank you again, ma'am." He said.
"Huh? Oh, you're welcome, sir. I hope they do well. Now, have a good day." She replied with a smile and a wave.
"You too." He said, making his way to the door. "Come on boys! We got more shopping to do!" Donald called, getting them to follow him as they danced and cheered, Pheonix and Malachite following behind.
They raced around town, getting everything they could think of that they needed. They even stopped by Fethry to get their own specialized pokedex's, his treat. Donald had told the lady to hold the pokedex's before they turned the forms in earlier. The boys were being very smart with what they got, watching their allowance money as they bought potions and antidotes. They even got a pass for helper pokemon, for a whole year. Donald smiled, softly. Maybe they were ready for this.
They were now outside of the houseboat with their bags. Their Pokemon were in their balls and Donald was currently checking them over. "So, you're all ready? Last chance to back out." Donald told them.
"We're ready." Dewey said.
"We're not missing this chance." Huey added.
"Or else this whole day was a waist." Louie finished.
Donald chuckled. "Okay." He than checked his watch. "The sun goes down in three hours. The next town is four hours away. Are you sure you don't want to stay here tonight?" He asked them.
"We'll be fine, Uncle Donald." Huey said. "We have a fire type with us, and plenty of flashlights, so we have more than enough things to be able to see. And we have plenty of potions, so we'll be able to heal our Pokemon on our way there." Huey said.
"Just remember, you have a limited amount of potions and antidotes." Donald reminded.
"Yes, Uncle Donald." The boys all said together.
"You're welcome back any time. Now get going, before it gets too dark to start walking." Donald told them. He watched as the boys waved their goodbyes and began to walk away. He watched as they whispered stuff to each other as they walked. What confused him was when they stopped and dropped their bags.
Without any warning, the boys came running at him to tackle him in a hug. He stumbled back a little, but kept his balance. He held his boys tightly, knowing they would be gone when he let go.
"We love you, Uncle Donald." Dewey whispered to his uncle. Donald tightened the hug, nuzzling into his boys to hide his teary eyes.
"I love you three, so much. Please, be safe." He mumbled.
"We promise." Huey quietly replied.
"We always will be." Louie added.
"Okay." Donald breathed out.
They all stood in that hug for what felt like an amazing eternity before the boys let go. They waved once more before grabbing their bags again and walking off. Donald watched them walk, refusing to cry until they were out of sight. They kept peaking glances back until they finally turned a corner.
Donald finally broke down into tears, almost falling to the ground. His Pokemon brought him inside and sat him on the couch, Cutlass laying his head on Donalds lap as the rest of his pokemon tried to calm him down.
He was not ready for this.
The boys were set up in a hotel room in the town their Uncle had told them about. They were forced to all share a bed, but it was fine. I mean, they were used to it. It was the cheapest option, and they always did it on vacation with their uncle. Donald couldn't always afford more than one room, so he would get a room with two beds and two boys would share one bed while the other slept with Donald. It's just how they were.
The three were laying in their bed as their Pokemon slept in a pile at the foot of the bed. Again, Louie couldn't sleep, but he wasn't alone this time.
"Hey, guys?" He asked in a hushed voice.
"What is it, Louie?" His brothers asked in mumbled voices.
"Can we make a promise?" He asked.
"What promise?" Huey asked.
"Promise me we won't be against each other. I mean, we'll be against others, and even hate them, but let's never let that happen to us. We're in this together and always support each other through anything. Promise me?" Louie asked, sounding almost scared. His brothers didn't need to look at each other.
Dewey hugged his little brother. "I promise." He mumbled, a sleepy smile on his face as he nuzzled into his brother.
"Me too." Huey replied, bringing his brothers into a protective hold.
Louie smiled as he laid between them, cuddling closer so he felt safer. "Thanks, guys."
They didn't have trouble sleeping after that.
