Writing Pokémon Max's Story: Grant's Legacy (12.18.2013 Chapter 4 is up!)

[Max Shade IV]

Pokémon Max’s Story: Grant’s Legacy
​

Spoiler: PG-13 Disclaimer

Please note that I have labeled as PG-13 for some heavy scenes I anticipate writing. Nothing too horrible, but some plot points that will be vital to character development may be uneasy on some.
​

Pokémon Max’s Story is going to be a fan-fiction series about my Pokémon character, Max. It is what I named my first character when I got Red Version and since then, I have named my character that on everything from Red and Blue to X and Y. I have slowly evolved my concept of his life since I was in elementary school, and hope that you will enjoy his story. Below are some items that you may find of interest, but they will become more interesting as I continue the story.

Spoiler: Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS
​

Here is a [tentative] list of the series. As the story progresses, I will add links to each book and chapter!

[link=http://www.pokebeach.com/forums/thread-pg-13-pok%C3%A9mon-max-s-story-grant-s-legacy?pid=2561557#pid2561557]Book I: Pokémon Max's Story: Grant's Legacy[/link] (Kanto)

• [link=http://www.pokebeach.com/forums/thread-pg-13-pok%C3%A9mon-max-s-story-grant-s-legacy?pid=2561557#pid2561557]Prologue: My Name is Maximillian Grant Shade IV[/link]

1. [link=http://www.pokebeach.com/forums/thread-pg-13-pok%C3%A9mon-max-s-story-grant-s-legacy?pid=2561695#pid2561695]The Journey Begins![/link]
2. [link=http://www.pokebeach.com/forums/thread-pg-13-pok%C3%A9mon-max-s-story-grant-s-legacy-chapter-1-the-journey-begins-is-up?pid=2565487#pid2565487]Diangelo Razgriz![/link]
3. [link=http://www.pokebeach.com/forums/thread-pg-13-pok%C3%A9mon-max-s-story-grant-s-legacy-chapter-2-diangelo-razgriz-is-up-12-11-2013?pid=2567884#pid2567884]The Mysterious Giovanni![/link]
4. [link=http://www.pokebeach.com/forums/thread-pg-13-pok%C3%A9mon-max-s-story-grant-s-legacy-chapter-3-the-mysterious-giovanni-is-up?pid=2568671#pid2568671]The Viridian Forest Fire![/link]
5. Rock 'n' Roll!

Book II: Pokémon Max's Story: Pokémon in Paradise (Orange Isles Mini-Series)
Book III: Pokémon Max's Story: The Chosen One (Johto)
Book IV: Pokémon Max's Story: Battle Champions (Hoenn/Battle Frontier)
Book V: Pokémon Max's Story: The Darkest Hour (Orre)
Book VI: Pokémon Max's Story: Diangelo’s Redemption (Sevii Isles/Orange Isles)
Book VII: Pokémon Max's Story: The Shade Legacy (Sinnoh)
Book VIII: Pokémon Max's Story: A Master is Born (Worldwide)
Book IX: Pokémon Max's Story: A Legend Falls (Unova)
Book V: Pokémon Max's Story: The Fallen Hero (Kalos)

Spoiler: Character Biographies

This is the character biography section. With each passing chapter, I will update this section to incorporate new characters, new obtained Pokémon, et cetera…To start, I have given basic biographies of some characters you will meet early on. Please note that I will be referencing many characters already within the Pokémon series throughout the fan-fiction. Unless they play a pivotal role (Like Giovanni) I will not incorporate them here (ex: Characters like Brock who will only appear in one chapter in the first book).

Main Characters
​

Name: Maximillian Grant Shade IV
Nickname: Max
Age: 10
Class: Trainer
Pokémon: Charmander
Background: Max's parents divorced when he was young. His father, Grant, is the reigning Indigo League Champion and his mother, Liza, lives with his stepfather, Christopher Ironbark, a professor in the Orre Region. Due to Max's strong bond with his father, the parents agreed he could live in Pallet Town with his mother's sister, Kimberly, mostly due to the fact that Grant often had to work out of town doing promotional work for the Indigo League. Grant's main Pokémon, a shiny Charizard named Lizardon, is the father to Max's Charmander. Max aspires to take part in the Pokémon League and one day challenge his father.

Name: Richard Bryson
Nickname: Rich
Age: 9
Class: Pokémon Trainer
Pokémon: Squirtle
Background: Richard is Max's nextdoor neighbor and childhood friend. The duo begin their journey together in Pallet Town and travel together for quite some time. Richard aspires to work as a Pokémon breeder.

Name: Diangelo Razgriz
Nickname: Raz
Age: 11
Class: Pokémon Trainer, Rocket Grunt
Pokémon: Cyndaquil, Ekans, Haunter
Background: Raised by Team Rocket from infancy, Diangelo has been tasked with keeping Max Shade busy while Giovanni continues with his plot to rule the world and take out Grant. However, with each failure to defeat Max, he begins to question who he is and if the Shades are truly the evil ones.

Supporting and Recurring Characters
​

Name: Grant Shade III
Nickname: None
Age: 28
Class: Pokémon Trainer, Indigo League Champion
Pokémon: Shiny Charizard (Lizardon), Shiny Venusaur (Fushigibana), Shiny Blastoise (Kamex), Shiny Raticate (Ratta), Shiny Steelix (Haganeil), and ???
Background: Grant was raised by a family of Pokémon trainers. His father and aunts and uncles moved the whole family to Japan before he and his cousins were born. Since then, they are considered to be one of the most powerful families of Pokémon trainers in the world. He has held the title of Indigo Champion since his teenage years and had Max when he was eighteen. He is close with his brother, Jethro, and often visits his son (usually weekends, if not more frequently). He and Max's mother are on good terms.

Name: Jethro Shade
Nickname: Leeroy
Age: 28
Class: Pokémon Trainer, Johto League Champion (Former)
Pokémon: Dragonite, Kingdra, Salamence, Garchomp, Hydreigon, Noivern
Background: Jethro specializes in Dragon-Types. Former champion of the Johto League, he retired from battling and began trainer aspiring Dragon-Type trainers, including such trainers as Lance. Jethro has a son, Sean, who specializes in Psychic types but will not make an appearance.

Name: Giovanni
Nickname: None
Age: ??
Class: Pokémon Gym Leader, Team Rocket Leader
Pokémon: Persain, Nidoking, Nidoqueen, Rhyhorn, and many more
Background: Giovanni and Grant are former friends. Not much is known about what happened between them other than on the day they parted ways was the day he formed Team Rocket. Giovanni claims that Grant killed a mutual friend, Hector Razgriz, and his wife, so Giovanni took their son, Diangelo, and began raising him from infancy.

Spoiler: Author’s Note

Hello all! My name is Max Shade IV, but you can call me Max here on the forums. I was a former member of PokéBeach back from 2006-2008, with college getting me sidetracked from the games plus Generation V disappointed me. But, with Generation VI I have found my passion for Pokémon again and have once again returned to PokéBeach.

During my time here previously, I wrote two very lengthy fanfics that were rather popular. My original name was "MaxPokemonMaster" and I was often called "MPM" for short. When my fics picked up a fanbase, I changed it to reflect my work here to "Max Shade IV". If any of you remember me, please PM me so we can catch up.

With my return, I am looking to write my fan fiction of my character, Maximillian Grant Shade IV, from the beginning. I hope you enjoy!

If you like my story and wish to discuss anything with me, please hit up my profile for contact information

---

Spoiler: Prologue: My Name is Maximillian Grant Shade IV

Prologue: My Name is Maximillian Grant Shade IV
​

My name is Maximillian Grant Shade IV, but for all intents and purposes, you can call me Max.

I am ten years old and soon I will be setting out on my Pokémon journey! And one day, I wanna be as great of a trainer as my dad, Grant!

Who is Grant Shade? He's the strongest trainer in the Kanto region and has held the title of Indigo League Champion for a decade now. He is also one of the greatest dads ever. As for my mom, she married this awesome Pokémon professor Chris Ironbark. They moved to the Orre Region in Arizona. Lucky for me, my mom and dad get along still.

We don't live together though, but that's because I want to be a trainer like my dad, and the best for me to learn how to do that was with his hometown mentor, Professor Oak! And when I was five, my dad's Charizard, Lizardon, and another lady Charizard had an egg! I have no idea how it got there, but I was sure I wanted it! My dad let me hatch the egg and the Charmander and I have been inseparable since.

Charmander lives with Professor Oak though. The Professor makes sure he gets taken care of, and I go there every day after trainer's school to train with him. The Professor's grandson, Blue, comes by once in a while to train with me.

Then there is my neighbor, Rich. He hatched an egg my dad's Blastoise, Kamex, had with his lady Blastoise. We really have no idea how those eggs got there! They will be coming with us on our journey. Rich wants to work as a Pokémon breeder. He says he enjoys taking care of baby Pokémon and that coming with me will help him learn about all the Pokémon out there.

Together, Rich and I are going to raise and train strong and loving Pokémon to help us make our way to become Pokémon Masters! And with everything I have learned from my dad and the professor, I hope that one day, Charmander and I can become the most powerful team out there!

My name is Max, and this is my story.

 

[Turtwig]

RE: Pokémon Max's Story: Grant's Legacy

I like the humor that you put into your prologue. It's ironic because you talk about these shady characters, but then dive right into the happiness that Max brings. That's usually a good thing since stories that are pure violence or pure humor can become mundane. The prologue was interesting, so I hope you manage to keep the flow and humor you have going on while still maintaining your seemingly dark storyline. I can't wait to read your first chapter, and good luck while writing it!

 

[Max Shade IV]

RE: Pokémon Max's Story: Grant's Legacy

Spoiler: Chapter One: The Journey Begins!

Chapter One: The Journey Begins!
​

On an island country to the east of Asia is a small settlement known as Pallet Town. And today was a special day in Pallet Town, as young students who graduated from the Trainer’s School were going to the local Pokémon laboratory to pick up their first Pokémon.

As the sun began to rise, a young ten year old boy named Max Shade IV was already standing outside his house, ready for adventure. He had bluish hair and was wearing a white t-shirt with a red, unbuttoned shirt that had a black flame pattern on it, blue jeans, brown boots, and fingerless black gloves.

A woman in her twenties came out of the house holding his black backpack.

“Okay Max,” she said, “I packed you enough food to last you a week and some money so you can shop in Viridian City when you get there. You’ve also got a week’s worth of clothing and plenty of 100 coins for laundry.”

“Thanks, Aunt Kimmy!” said Max. He turned his head to his neighbor’s house when he suddenly heard, “DID YOU PACK CLEAN UNDERWEAR?!?”

“YES MOM!” yelled another boy who was coming out of his neighbor’s house. This boy’s name is Richard Bryson, and he was nine years old. He wore tinted glasses, a blue cap, a black PokéBall t-shirt, and blue jeans. He hoisted his blue backpack over his shoulder and ran over to Max.

“Hey man!” said Max.

“Hi!” said Rich then he turned to Kimmy, “Hi Miss Kim!”

“Hello, Richard,” Kimmy smiled, “Are you all set to head out?”

“Yup!” said Rich, “I got all my breeding texts too! Together, Max and I will create the ultimate team of Pokémon!”

“I’m sure you two will do great. Now run along, you don’t want to keep Professor Oak waiting.”

The two boys ran down the dirt road. As the sun rose higher, it shed light on the large laboratory and ranch owned by the Oaks.

“Wow…” said the boys in unison. There were dozens, maybe hundreds of Pokémon on the ranch; flying, running, and swimming.

“Rich,” said Max, “One day, I’m going to catch so many Pokémon, I’ll need my own ranch like that.”

“Keep dreaming,” said Rich, “There are more Pokémon than we even know about! You’ll never catch them all.”

“Maybe not…but I’m gonna try my very best!”

Max ran off towards the laboratory.

“Wait for me!” yelled Rich as he took off after him.

The boys finally reached the lab doors. They had been here hundreds of times growing up, and somehow, this felt different.

“Here we go,” said Max. Rich held up his fist and Max bumped fists with him. Then, together, they knocked on the door. An older man with gray hair and lab coat opened the door.

“Hello boys,” he said in a kind voice.

“Hello Professor Oak!” the boys said in unison.

“Come on in!”

The boys entered the laboratory. Since Oak lived here, the room they entered was like a high-tech living room. Some couches circled a coffee table in front of a fire place, but above the fireplace was a large videophone and along the walls were different computers and kitchen appliances.

“Follow me,” said Oak as he walked into the next room.

The boys went into the room with awe. They had never been in this room before.

“Welcome to the Pokémon Storage System!” said Oak, “A nice man from Goldenrod named Bill developed the system years ago. Since then, regions all over the world use it to help their trainers collect Pokémon!”

There were seemingly endless shelves. Each shelf was separated into different sized slots and labeled with a trainer’s name. Then they saw their names right next to each other with a nice amount of space for each.

“Are those where our PokéBalls will be stored?” asked Rich.

“Indeed,” said Oak, “As you boys know, a trainer’s PokéBalls are wirelessly linked to his or her PokéDex. The PokéDex will track if you have six Pokémon on you. If you have six and capture another Pokémon, you have five minutes to choose a Pokémon to send here. If you don’t choose one, then the newly captured Pokémon will be sent to me.”

“Speaking of catching Pokémon…” said Max, “Where’s Charmander and Squirtle?”

Oak smiled.

“They are outside finishing breakfast,” he said, “Why don’t you boys go get them?”

The boys ran outside through a door in the storage room. When they got outside, they saw Charmander trying to pull a bucket of food off of Squirtle’s head.

“We’re off to a great start…” said Rich.

The bucket came loose, and went flying in the air.

“Oh my…” said Oak as he walked outside. The bucket landed on a sleeping Rhyhorn.

“ROOOOOAAAAAR!” the Pokémon roared, angered by its wakening.

“Uh-oh!” said Max.

“CHAROOOOAAAAAR!”

The boys looked up and a blast of white flames shot down as the Rhyhorn started running. The flames came from a black Charizard with a cloaked man riding him.
The Charizard landed and the man hopped off. The man was Grant Shade, Max’s father. He had bluish hair like Max and a beard and wore jeans, a shirt, and a large black cape that came around and covered most of him.

“Dad!” exclaimed Max.

“Trouble on your first day, kid?” asked Grant. He walked up to the startled Rhyhorn and place a gentle hand on its head.

“Go back to sleep, little guy,” said Grant, “They didn’t mean you harm.”

The Rhyhorn grunted and turned to walk to a quieter spot.

“Glad you came,” said Oak, “Though if only someone like you had been around eighteen years ago when you started your journey.”

“That was all Lizardon’s fault and you know it, old man!” smiled Grant, though Lizardon, his Charizard, was less than pleased with the remark and shot a small ember at him, which without looking, Grant backhanded away.

“What are you doing here, Dad?” asked Max.

“Well we couldn’t just sit up at the Indigo Plateau when our sons are starting their journey! Plus, I brought you boys a special present.”

Grant slid his hands into both his pockets and pulled out two PokéDexes.

“Awesome!” said Max.

“Thanks Mr. Shade!” exclaimed Rich.

“Grant…those are…” said Oak.

“Yup, PokéDex only given to regional champions,” said Grant, “Each one loaded with complete encyclopedias on every recorded Pokémon, attack, and ability, as well as a complete list of helpful items and where to find them. Also has a completely functional PokéGear system built in.”

“Well boys, if you hand those to me, I’ll go register you and you can stay with your Pokémon out here.”

“Thanks Professor!” said the boys as they handed him their new PokéDexes. Oak went inside to register the boys.

“So boys, heading up to Viridian first?” asked Grant.

“Yup,” said Rich, “We’re going to do some shopping, then Max is gonna challenge the gym leader!”

“Well, take it from me, kids; the gym in Viridian is no joke. You should probably avoid that gym until you got some more Pokémon and experience under your belt. The gym leader doesn’t go easy on new trainers. But the other leaders around Kanto have various levels of Pokémon so they can test your current strength.”

“Okay, but can we still go shopping there?” asked Max, “We need supplies!”

“Of course,” said Grant, “Here.”

He handed his son a wad of Pokémon Dollars.

“There’s one-hundred grand there. Should be enough to stock up for now.”

Grant hugged Max and said, “Alright, champ. I gotta head out. You boys be careful and call me on the PokéGear if you need anything.”

“Okay, Dad!” said Max. Grant hopped up onto Lizardon and they flew off to the northwest.

Oak came outside with the PokéDexes in hand.

“Your dad head off?” asked Oak as he handed them their PokéDexes.

“Yup,” said Max.

“Professor,” said Rich, “What’s the quickest way to Viridian City?”

“Route 1, of course!” said Oak, “And just in case…”

Oak handed the boys five PokéBalls each.

“And I also put the lab’s phone number into you PokéGear apps. If you need anything, feel free to call me!” said Oak.

“Thank you Professor!” said the boys.

Max and Rich began heading north towards Route 1 with Charmander and Squirtle walking alongside them. They stopped at the town border. Far in the distance, they could see some of the buildings from Viridian.

“Well,” said Max, “Let’s do this thing!”

Rich nodded at Max and the boys ran off into the trailed woods with adventure waiting for them at every turn.

Spoiler: Featured Pokémon

 

[PMJ]

RE: Pokémon Max's Story: Grant's Legacy (Chapter 1: The Journey Begins! is up)

Hey Max, I remember you. Glad to see you back. Will you be sticking around much, or just looking for an outlet for your writing?

 

[Max Shade IV]

RE: Pokémon Max's Story: Grant's Legacy (Chapter 1: The Journey Begins! is up)

Not sure. Right now its finals week so I'm a little busy but seeing as I'm back into the games I'll start getting into the forums more once the semester ends

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

 

[Max Shade IV]

RE: Pokémon Max's Story: Grant's Legacy (Chapter 1: The Journey Begins! is up)

The next chapter of the story of Max as he begins his journey and meets his rival for the first time.

Spoiler: Chapter Two: Diangelo Razgriz!

Chapter Two: Diangelo Razgriz!
​

The sun was beginning to set on Max and Rich. They were almost to town, but their stomachs had other plans.

“Alright,” said Max, “A quick snack and then we can hold up at the Pokémon Center in Viridian for the night!”

“Sounds good!” said Rich, “I got some instant ramen we can make!”

“Awesome,” said Max, “Hm…”

Max sat on the ground and began to go through his backpack.

“Here!” said Max. He threw a small pot at Rich who caught it.

“Nice,” said Rich as he pulled out a small Bunsen burner. He sat it on a flat area on the ground.

“Hey Charmander,” said Rich, “Little help here?”

As Rich began to release gas into the burner for the small propane tank, Charmander shot a small Ember at it to ignite it. Then Squirtle filled the pot with water.

“Shouldn’t take long!” said Rich as he dumped in the ramen noodles.

Max threw Charmander and Squirtle some Pokémon treats.

“So Max,” said Rich, “When do you think you’ll have your first Pokémon battle?”

“Soon I hope, right Charmander?” asked Max.

“Char char!”

“Then today’s your lucky day, punk,” said a voice from the trees. A boy much taller than Max approached them. He had long dark hair and worn black jeans and a leather jacket with a large “R” embroidered on the back. He was tossing a PokéBall up and down.

“My name is Raz,” said Raz, “And As far as I’m concerned, your little adventure ends here!”

Max stood up and said, “So you’re telling me you already know the outcome of the battle?”

“I was trainer by the elite of Team Rocket,” said Raz, “I am not afraid of you on your first day as a trainer. Go Cyndaquil!”

“Cyndaquil!”

“You better tell whoever told you it’s my first day to get their facts straight,” said Max with a smirk as Charmander stepped forward.

“What are you talking about, brat?” asked Raz.

“Today is only my first day as a fully licensed trainer,” said Max, “But I’ve been training since I could throw a PokéBall! Ready Charmander?”

“Charmander-char!”

Rich had thrown some chicken stock into the ramen.

“Sure,” said Raz, “As daddy’s little boy I am sure your trainer’s school taught you everything a book could, but let’s see how you do against someone raised on the streets! Cyndaquil! Flame Wheel!”

“Cyndaaaaaa-QUIIIIIIL!”

Cyndaquil’s back lit up and he began spinning around and charged Charmander.

“Counter!” yelled Max.

Charmander waited until Cyndaquil was almost on him and then with expert timing, reached out and grabbed Cyndaquil by the arms and threw him into the ground.

“What the?” asked Raz.

“It’s my understanding that Max’s Charmander and his family come from a long and odd line of Charizards,” said Rich as he portioned the ramen into two large mugs, “They’ve managed to inherit all kinds of unique abilities into their bloodline.”

“Now Charmander,” said Max, “Focus Punch!”

“Char…”

Charmander began to enter a trance like state.

“Your mistake!” exclaimed Raz, “Quick Cyndaquil, use tackle!”

Cyndaquil tackled Charmander head to head, but Charmander did not budge. His focus became more intense than before.

“Now!” yelled Max.

“CHAAAAAAAAAR!”

Charmander hit Cyndaquil with a point-blank Focus Punch and sent him flying into the tree nearby. Meanwhile, Rich began eating his ramen.

“Get up, Cyndaquil!” said Raz. Cyndaquil struggled to his feet.

“Shouldn’t really push your Pokémon so hard,” commented Rich.

“Shut up, dweeb!” said Raz, “Now Cyndaquil, use Flare Blitz!”

“Cyyyynnnnndaaaaaquil-quil-quil-quil!”

Cydaquil burst into white hot flames and charged head on at Charmander.

“Endure!” exclaimed Max.

“Game. Set. Match,” said Rich as he slurped down the last of his soup. Charmander took a heavy hit, but the recoil was enough to knock out Cyndaquil.

“Impossible!” said Raz, “This ain’t the last of me, Shade! Next time, I’ll annihilate you!”

Raz returned his Cyndaquil and rushed into the woods. Rich walked up to Max and handed him his mug of ramen.

“You know him?” asked Rich.

“Nope,” said Max, “But he knew me alright. Mind patching up Charmander while I eat?”

“No prob.”

Rich took a potion spray bottle out of his pack and sprayed the cuts and bruises on Charmander. Charmander winced in pain as the cold spray soaked into his wounds, but he was far too happy to have his first victory to let it faze him.

“You sure did good for your first real battle,” said Rich.

“Well,” said Max, “It helps that Charmander came from a good bloodline. Plus we grew up together, so we are already a good team.”

Though Max was happy for his first battle to end in victory, his face looked troubled.

“What’s wrong?” asked Rich as he began packing their belongings.

“This ‘Raz’ guy,” said Max, “He knew who I was. And seemed to have it out for me…”

“Well…you are the son of a champion. I’m sure a lot of people know who you are and want to test their skills against you.”

“Maybe you’re right…” said Max as he slurped the last of his ramen, “It’s getting dark.”

Max had Squirtle rinse out the mug with his Water Gun. The boys finished packing and headed off.

About twenty minutes later, they reached the Viridian City gates.

“We’re here!” exclaimed Rich.

“Squirtle squirt!”

The boys ran up to the Pokémon Center which was near the city gates. The whole town was illuminated with street lights.

“Let’s go get Charmander and Squirtle checked out,” said Max, “Then we can check out some sights before calling it a night.”

“Good idea!” said Rich.

“Charmander!” said Max.

“Squirtle!” said Rich.

“Return!” they said in unison as they held their red and white PokéBalls towards their respective Pokémon.

A beam of blue energy shot from the PokéBalls to the Pokémon, turning their physical matter into energy that would be stored in the PokéBall.

“Huh?” said Max as he looked up. A man wearing a black and white three-piece suit and tie with a buzz-cut was approaching them. As he came closer, they could make out a red “R” that was on his left coat pocket.

“Hello, boys,” said the man.

Spoiler: Featured Pokémon

 

[Gardy]

RE: Pokémon Max's Story: Grant's Legacy (Chapter 2iangelo Razgriz! is up 12.11.2013)

Very nice, I like your writing style very much but there is one thing, that necessary a problem, but it makes the writing boring. I noticed that for most of what each person was saying, you would use said instead of other descriptive words, such as here "“Good idea!” said Rich.", you could have wrote, Rich agreed enthusiastically, "Good idea!"

Other than using bland language I thoroughly enjoyed your writing and can't wait to see more.

 

[Max Shade IV]

RE: Pokémon Max's Story: Grant's Legacy (Chapter 2iangelo Razgriz! is up 12.11.2013)

Spoiler: Chapter Three: The Mysterious Giovanni!

Chapter Three: The Mysterious Giovanni!
​

Chapter Three: The Mysterious Giovanni!

The man smiled at the boys.

“Hello…” said Max with an eyebrow raised, “Who are you?”

“Of course,” the man smirked, “My name is Giovanni. I am the gym leader of the Viridian City Gym.”

Max and Rich looked at each other excitedly then turned to Giovanni.

“It’s an honor to meet you!” they exclaimed simultaneously.

“I see you to were about to go into the Pokémon Center,” Giovanni said as he walked towards the doors, “Come, we can get to know each other while your Pokémon rest.”

Giovanni walked through the automatic glass doors.

“Wow,” Max said in awe, “First day out, and we meet one of the strongest trainers in Kanto!”

The boys ran in after him. Inside the Pokémon Center was much like a cafeteria. There were many tables, chairs, and couches for trainers to rest on while the nurse took care of their Pokémon. Giovanni walked up to the reception counter.

“Hello, Mr. Giovanni,” said the nurse.

“Hello,” Giovanni smiled, “We have a couple of young trainers here who just got to town. Their Pokémon could use a rest.”

“Of course!”

Max and Rich went up to the counter. They placed their PokéBalls on a tray with depressions in it designed to hold them. The nurse picked up the tray.

“I will take them into the back for treatment,” she smiled, “I’ll give you a call on the P.A. when they are ready. It’s awfully late; will you boys need to stay the night?”

“Yes, ma’am,” said Rich.

“No problem, I’ll bring you boys a room key when your Pokémon are ready.”

The nurse walked through a doorway with their Pokémon. Giovanni led the boys to a table and sat down with them.

“So boys,” said Giovanni, “What are your names?”

“My name is Rich,” explained Rich, “And this is Max!”

“Max?” asked Giovanni, “By any chance are you Grant’s boy?”

“Yes sir,” said Max, “We just left home this morning!”

“Ah…well will you boys be challenging the gym here?”

“I’m not old enough to compete yet,” Rich told him.

“And my dad said I should wait to challenge you,” said Max, “He told me you are the strongest gym leader in the Indigo League!”

“Oh did he now?” Giovanni smiled to himself.

“Yup! So I figure when I have some badges and experience under my belt, I will come back here and challenge you!”

“Well, your father has always been a smart man. I look forward to your challenge, Max.”

Giovanni stood up and slid his hands down the front of his jacket to smooth it out.

“Well boys,” Giovanni said as he held out his hand to Max, “I must be off to the gym. I have some business I must tend to there.”

Giovanni turned and walked to the Pokémon Center’s entrance. The doors slid open and he walked off into the darkness.

Max and Rich proceeded in talking about the day’s happenings for the next half hour. Most of their conversation involved speculation of the adventure ahead and what rare and elusive Pokémon they were going to capture.

As the night went on, the nurse approached their table with the tray that carried their two Pokémon. In addition, there was a key on the tray.

“Here’s your Pokémon!” she said with a smile, “And here’s a key to one of our guest rooms. I noticed that you have a Charmander, Max. I put you boys are in room four. It has special ventilation used for Pokémon that have flames or spores, like your Charmander, so there’s no chance of its flame tail starting a fire.”

“Thank you!” Max said graciously. The boys each took their Pokémon and Rich grabbed the room key.

The boys rushed through the building and down a hall. Outside of their room was a large stone slab hanging on the wall. It was a brownish color and looked very, very old. There was an inscription on it, but the writing was a form of symbol writing.
“I wonder what it says?” inquired Rich.

“Looks like cuneiform,” Max observed. He pulled out his camera and took a picture of it.

“I’ll send this to my stepdad later,” Max said as he put his camera in his backpack, “He is big into the research stuff.”

“Sounds boring,” shrugged Rich as he unlocked their door. As he opened the door, he flicked the light switch on, illuminating the room. Inside were two beds on opposite walls. Around the room there were many cushions on the floor for Pokémon to sleep on. In between the beds on the far wall was a videophone.

“Alright Charmander, come on out!” Max threw his PokéBall.

“You too, Squirtle!” said Rich as he followed suit.

“Chaaaaaar…” yawned Charmander.

“Squirtle!” exclaimed Squirtle as he jumped on the bed.

“Oh boy,” Rich sighed with a face palm. Max lifted Charmander onto the bed, set down his bag, and laid down next to Charmander.

“Get a good night’s rest, buddy,” said Max as he patted an already sleeping Charmander, “Tomorrow, the real journey starts.”


Meanwhile at the Viridian City Gym, Giovanni was locking his front doors. Suddenly, a black Charizard crashed through it, pinning Giovanni to the ground against glass shards from the door. He sank his claws into his arms and growled. Through the Pokémon’s jowls, Giovanni could see a white hot flame burning in its throat.

“Hello Lizardon,” winced Giovanni, “Nice to…see you…again.”

“Can it, Giovanni,” said Grant as he stepped through the shattered doors, crunching the glass beneath his boots as he walked up to the gym leader. He squatted down and looked him in the eyes.

“Let me make something very, very clear to you,” said Grant, “I may not be able to prove you are running illegal operations under the guise of a legitimate gym, but I can sure as hell keep you away from my son. This is your first and last warning.”

Grant stood up and nodded at Lizardon. Lizardon released Giovanni and flew outside. Grant walked to the door and turned his head enough for Giovanni to see the fiery eyes not of a champion, but of a father.
“The next time you and Max see each other…” Grant’s voice was calm yet furious, “Will be when he’s collected seven badges and needs the eighth for entry into the Indigo League. And that’s presuming I don’t take your ass down before that happens.”

Grant turned and walked through the shattered door. He waved his hand in the air.

“Tell Diangelo I said ‘hello,’” Grant exclaimed, “I’m sure you’ve told him great things about me.”

Giovanni stood up clutching his left arm, glass falling off his blood spattered suit. He stared out the doorway at Grant as he and Lizardon disappeared into the black night.

Spoiler: Featured Pokémon

 

[Max Shade IV]

RE: Pokémon Max's Story: Grant's Legacy (Chapter 3: The Mysterious Giovanni! is up!)

Spoiler: Chapter Four: The Viridian Forest Fire!

Chapter Four: The Viridian Forest Fire!
​

After a stop at the local shops to stock up on food and supplies, Max and Rich took off towards the Viridian Forest on a cool morning. Along the way to the edge of town, they saw a few construction workers at the Viridian City Gym.

“Whoa!” exclaimed Rich, “Check out the damage!”

Upon closer inspection, Max saw the massive hole that had been punched through the main entrance.

“Wow,” said Max, “Someone must’ve been a really sore loser to do that to Mr. Giovanni’s gym.”

“Or someone really doesn’t like him,” speculated Rich.

“That’s true,” Max nodded in agreement, “A trainer as strong as a gym leader, I’ll bet a lot of people have it out for him. They may even try stealing such strong Pokémon!”

The boys watched the construction crew as they rebuild the gym entrance for a few more minutes before continuing towards the Viridian Forest.

As they walked down the dirt path leading out of town, the trees slowly closed in around them until they formed a canopy over their heads. The shade provided a cool feeling on their faces.

“Hey Rich, you got your travel guide?” asked Max.

“Yup!” replied Rich as he pulled out a hardcover book with a map of the Kanto region on the front, “What’cha need?”

“Pewter City,” said Max, “It’ll be our first real stop where I’ll have to battle a gym leader.”

Rich paged through the book.

“Hm…” hummed Rich, “Here we go! Pewter City is home to Brock, the gym leader who gives out the Boulder Badge. He specializes in the Rock-Type Pokémon...oh and check this out; there is a fossil laboratory in Pewter that is able to bring fossil Pokémon back to life!”

“Really?” asked Max, “I didn’t know that was possible!”

“Well, apparently it’s a relatively new science.”

“Wow…I’d love to catch one of these fossil Pokémon for my team!”

“Well I don’t know where we’d find those…sure would be cool though!”

Max and Rich continued walking through the forest. The sound of Bug and Flying Pokémon filled the air as they rustled through the trees and brush.

However, the peaceful sound of the wilderness was abruptly interrupted by a loud explosion that shook the ground. Rich fell onto the ground from the quake.

“What was that?” asked Max as he lent Rich a hand to stand up.

“That way!” Rish pointed off the trail.

The boys nodded to each other as they ran through the brush. They came to a clearing where they saw a large machine with two arms. One arm was spewing fire at the plant life while the other was sucking up the wild Pokémon that were running for their lives.

Standing at the control panel on top of the machine was a man wearing all black with white gloves and boots.

“Hey you jerk!” Max yelled, “Cut that out!”

The man turned to face the boys.

“Oh yeah?” he asked, “Who’s gonna stop me?”

“I choose you! Charmander!”

“Char char!”

“Pokémon trainers? Ha! Golbat! Gloom! Take care of these kids!”

The man threw two PokéBalls to reveal his Golbat and Gloom.

“Go Squirtle!” yelled Rich.

“Squirtle!”

“Gloom! Use Stun Spore!” yelled the man, “Golbat! Use Supersonic!”

“Gloom gloom!”

“Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooool!”

The Stun Spore hit Squirtle and he fell to the ground. The Supersonic rang through Charmander’s ears.

“Squirtle, return!” yelled Rich.

“Take out that Charmander with Leech Life!”

The Golbat swooped down from the air and latched its fangs onto Charmander, draining his energy. The man proceeded to go back to collecting Pokémon.

Then, from above, they heard an older man’s voice shout, “Salamence! Hydro Pump!”

A gray-haired man swooped down on his Salamence as the Dragon-Type spewed a Hydro Pump on the surrounding foliage to douse the flames. They landed and the man jumped off. He was wearing a royal blue cape with golden lining and light leather armor that had been dyed red.

“Uncle Jethro?” asked Max in disbelief, “What are you doing here?”

“I was on my way to the Indigo Plateau when I saw the fire,” said Jethro, “Max, Richard, watch closely!”

“Right!” the boys agreed.

“Now then, Salamence! Take out that Golbat and Gloom! Incinerate!”

“SALAMENCE!”

Red-hot flames launched in two directions towards the man’s Pokémon with pinpoint precision, launching them into the trees.

“Get out of here you old coot!” yelled the man. He grabbed a net launcher and aimed it at the boys. He fired an electrified net at them that pinned them to the ground.

The boys yelled in agony. Jethro and Salamence quickly rushed to them and Salamence took a shock as he ripped the net off his trainer’s nephew and friend, paralyzing him in the process.

“You’ve seriously underestimated Team Rocket!” yelled the grunt.

“You’ll pay severely for attacking my family!” Jethro roared, “Dragonite! Let’s show hi-…what in the world?”

Jethro was awe-stricken. Seeing what the Rocket grunt did to Max, Charmander was standing on all fours with his tail up. The flame on the tip of his tail was burning white hot and his eyes had gone white.

“Charmander!” yelled Max as he went to go to his Pokémon.

“Char…CHAR…..MANDER!!!!”

Charmander’s entire body burst into flames.

“No Max!” exclaimed Jethro, “Return!”

Salamence returned to his PokéBall. Jethro threw out another PokéBall and his Dragonite appeared. Without hesitation, Jethro scooped up both boys under his arms and dove as far as he could. Dragonite leapt through the air and used his massive body to cover the trainers and used Safegaurd.

“CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!!!!”

Charmander leapt into a full out sprit at the machine.

“What the hell?” the grunt shook with fear. The flame from Charmander was burning so hot it was white. He slammed into the machine and it exploded. The man went flying through the woods and the sheer energy released by Charmander shook the ground.

Dragonite became badly burned.

“Charmander!” cried Max. The forest floor was littered with Pokémon who were limping off into the forest. Jethro returned his own Dragonite and said to Max, “Stay here.”

He ran over to the wreckage of the machine and sent out his Garchomp.

“Find him!” Jethro ordered. Garchomp began hacking the metal slabs with his arm blades. He eventually found a knocked out Charmander. Reaching through the fire, he grabbed Charmander. But then he saw another Pokémon who had a shard of metal stuck in her side. Garchomp handed Charmander to Jethro and then grabbed the other Pokémon. She was small with a long body and tan and brown stripes. They both ran to the boys.

“Max,” said Jethro, “Here.”

He handed Max two PokéBalls. Then Garchomp handed Max the Furret.

“This Pokémon needs serious surgery,” said Jethro, “She’s a Pokémon called Furret. You and Richard take my Pokémon with her to get healed in Pewter City with Garchomp.”

“What about Charmander?” asked Max.

“I will tend to him. Charmander descended from Dragon Pokémon, so my friends at the Plateau are more equipped to heal him. I will come to Pewter with him as soon as he’s healed some.”

Garchomp darted through the woods towards Pewter City. Max cradled the Furret in his arms as blood began to soak his shirt.

“Garchomp,” said Max, “Her breathing is getting shallow! Can you go faster?”

Garchomp turned his head to the boys and shot them a look that said “hold on.”

The boys held onto Garchomp tightly and he began moving so fast, the forest was nothing more than a blur to them. Within a minute, they shot through the streets of Pewter City. Garchomp jumped and used his arm blades as wings to glide over the fire trucks and ambulances that were rushing to the forest. They finally stopped at the Pokémon Center. Max jumped off with Furret and Rich followed suit, holding Jethro’s PokéBalls. They went inside and Garchomp followed them.

As they entered, the nurse could clearly see the problem.

“Chansey!” the nurse yelled, “Prep an OR now!”

“Chan-sey!”

The pink Pokémon ran off and the nurse took the Pokémon from Max.

“I will take her to our Pokémon surgeon right away,” said the nurse.

She rushed through the emergency room doors with the injured Furret. Another nurse approached them.

“Are you boys okay?” she asked, “Your Pokémon looks like he was in that fire in the forest.”

“He’s my uncle’s Pokémon,” Max explained. Rich held out the other two PokéBalls and the nurse took them.

“Those are also his,” he continued, “They all got hurt trying to save the Pokémon from that Team Rocket guy!”

“And here’s my Squirtle!” said Rich, “He got paralyzed when we tried to fight that guy.”

“Team Rocket?” asked the nurse with a hint of distain, “I will be sure to have the authorities come down here to speak with you boys. Is that okay?”

Max and Rich nodded.

“Okay, good,” the nurse smiled. She turned to Garchomp and said “Are you okay to walk?”

Garchomp nodded.

“Okay, come with me and I’ll heal you and your friends up. If you boys want, you can change your clothes,” she handed them a key to a room, “I’d be more than happy to wash the blood out of your shirts.”

Garchomp followed the nurse into the other corridor. Max and Rich walked to the overnight rooms and found their room.

As they got changed, Rich said, “It’ll be alright, Max.”

“I know…” Max sighed, “My uncle is a great trainer, I trust him with Charmander. And I know the doctors and nurses at these Pokémon Centers are all very good at their jobs…but…”

Rich raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

“Why would someone do that to Pokémon?” asked Max, “Why go and put a Pokémon’s life in danger to catch it?”

“I don’t think it was him,” said Rich as they finished changing, “But a group of people. That guy said he was part of Team Rocket. It must be one of those gangs of criminal trainers we’ve seen on the news.”

“So…you think there’s more guys like him here?”

“Probably,” said Rich, “I heard they got hideouts all over Kanto.”

Max clutched Charmander’s PokéBall. His uncle had left without it.

“I need to train hard then…” Max pledged, “If we see anyone from this ‘Team Rocket’ again, I will not let them harm any Pokémon the way they hurt that Furret.”

A little over an hour passed and there was a knock on their door. Max answered it to find a man in a lab coat with short dark hair.

“You are Max, right?” he asked.

“Yes sir,” Max replied.

“I’m Doctor Seo,” said Seo, “I operated on that Furret you brought in. Would you boys like to see her?”

“Sure!” the boys said enthusiastically.

The boys went down to a recovery room where the Furret slept peacefully and visibly breathing. She had a bandage wrapped around her body where she had surgery. Max pulled up a chair next to the bed and sat down.

“You scared me back there,” Max said to the Furret. Her ears perked up and her eyes opened. She slid her head under Max’s hand and fell asleep again.

“Hey Max,” said Rich, “I’m gonna go check on my Squirtle and get your uncle’s Pokémon.”

“Alright,” said Max, “I’m gonna stay here for a bit.


Meanwhile, a less than peaceful meeting was occurring at the Indigo Plateau.

“Kamex stop him!” yelled Grant as his shiny Blastoise tackled Lizardon to the ground. He roared with flames spewing out of his mouth.

“Return!” yelled Grant as Lizardon returned to his PokéBall.

Grant dropped into a chair next to Charmander who was sleeping on a stone slab that was being heated from underneath by hot coals.

“You can’t blame him for being upset, Grant,” said Jethro.

“I know, Leeroy,” said Grant, “Honestly, if I could even tie Giovanni to Team Rocket, I’d’ve let Lizardon go on his rampage.”

Jethro smiled and sat on the stone next to Charmander, placing a gentle hand on the sleeping Pokémon’s head.

“Alright,” Grant sighed, “What happened that you needed to bring Charmander here without Max?”

Jethro hesitated and explained the events of Charmander’s outburst.

“I can’t be sure…” Jethro stated, “Seeing as how he is not evolved into a Charizard, he was land-ridden. But from what it looked like, it was definitely reminiscent of that attack.”

Grant stood up and combed both his hands through his hair.

“That’s not possible,” he exhaled heavily.

“I’m telling you what I saw, brother,” Jethro said, “I do not fully understand it myself. I am going to Canalave as soon as I bring Charmander back to Max and pick up my Pokémon I left with him.”

“You think there’s something in dad’s research?” asked Grant.

Jethro nodded, “That man loved research. If anything, it will give us some leads.”

Jethro walked up to his brother and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Max and Charmander will be fine, Grant,” he assured him, “After all, he is a Shade.”

Spoiler: Featured Pokémon