Wandering Hearts [Moemon Fanfic]

[Lycodrake]

Ah, alright; just making sure. XP

[Twelveseal]

[Continue?]
Darkness lights up as a bolt of electricity tears through it, outlining shadows against the black.
“OH SHIT!!!” I let her loose out here, but I really have no idea what’s in this field!
She’s not mine.
She’s not my partner.
She’s not my pet.
She’s not my lover, regardless of what that pervert’s interests are.
I should just leave her alone. She’s a wild animal, she can fend for herself.
And she’s throwing lightning.
It’s storming. There’s thunder and lightning and wind and it looks like the bottom’s going to drop out any second.
Running around in the tall grass, where you can’t even see where you’re putting your foot on a good day, let alone in this growing darkness, waving around a thoroughly metal baseball bat and screaming at the top of your lungs is a thoroughly idiotic thing to do in this situation.

Hi. Allow me to introduce myself.
My name is Aurum Birch, so named because my mother happens to like gold a lot. I’m six foot two inches, and a lanky one hundred and ninety-five pounds. I have curly chestnut hair, a skin tone that burns too easily, and hazel eyes.

And I am thoroughly an idiot.

Slipping, sliding, tripping, falling, and cursing like the rest of the day was a warm up, I’m racing towards something that I swear to god is going to cook me the second it sees me. And the only thing running through my head is to somehow try and save a girl that could probably kick my ass into next week if we had a fair fight.
I wonder why I never hear stories about women doing this kind of shit? Maybe this level of stupid is unique to the male half of the species.

“Oh god of mice, hear me, I’m trying to save one of your children, so you better get up off your shorts wearing ass and give me a hand Mickey!” Don’t mind me. I’ve had a rough day. I seem to have misplaced my sanity somewhere. It may have been cooked by a mouse.

As I race towards the sparks and the fluttering shadows, I realize that it’s something coming out of that big lonely looking tree. Some kind of bird, it seems like. No. Being able to see it at this distance, there’s no way that’s a normal bird.

Son of a bitch. Those things are probably Moemon too. How many times am I going to say hi to death today? Really. Why does today suck this badly?
Boiling heat.
No AC.
Freezing shower.
Pink lunch.
Damn electric rat in the basement.
Miles long walk. Twice.
The pervert.
Electrocuted. Twice.
No Quest.
Had to buy the rat lunch.
She ate my eggs!
Walking home in the rain.
And now this!

You know what? It’s a great day.

It’s a great day to kick somebody’s ass!

I have never seen a man knock out a bird with a baseball bat. But if a Moemon counts, then I’ve just done it. I just kind of blacked out there for a bit and when I came to, it was because my arm was shaking from the impact of connecting with a bird man’s skull. He ain’t moving, and I’m not caring right now.
“Fucking fake harpies!” The damn things are fast. And they can fly. I don’t know what they are, I just know they were in the freaking tree. Which means I need to get as far from the tree as I can.
I glance down at the little girl these things were attacking. There are claw marks along her back, nasty cuts that don’t look in the slightest bit painless. There’s a gash in one of her ears. Her eyes are huge and look terrified.

Whether that’s from the bird-things or the raging loon with the baseball bat, I can’t tell.

I’m swinging at air here. Anytime these things flap close I swing, but they just hop back. As it is now, I’m going to end up surrounded, and then I’ll be screwed.

This may be the single dumbest thing I’ve ever done in my life. The only thing that comes close was when I was a little kid, and didn’t listen to the signs that say “Stay on the Trail” during a hiking trip. Needless to say, that didn’t end well.

At least then, though, I wasn’t a level one Fighter. Well, probably Barbarian with this stunt, picking a fight with a bunch of harpies.

You know, now would be a really good time for the mouse to start making fried chicken. Please mouse, at least understand this. I know you can’t understand me, but please, just understand what I want. KFC would really hit the spot right now.

“Don’t just sit there, fry them!” In hindsight, this may not have been the wisest thing. I now realize that I am standing in wet grass holding a metal bat, and I am much closer than the freaking birds.

Shit.

Shit!

OH SHIT!

“CHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!”
I drop as soon as she opens her mouth. I mean the second. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, that sound means pain, and the only way I’m getting out of it is if that bolt has a more appealing target.

Maybe Mickey saved me. I do know Donald wasn’t watching out for the birds though. With an array of squawks and screams and a smell worthy of the Colonel, the birds fall away. I am not sticking around to find out if they’re dead or otherwise. Judging from the flaps, there’s still quite a few in the air.
I am reminded of the pervert’s advice.

“Run! Run fast!”

I grab her hand and a tingling sensation shoots down my arm, probably the residue of that last blast of hers.
“RUN!” Waving the bat behind me, I start to run. I drag her one step, and then she’s moving too. Careening through the wet grass, I can hear the rumble of thunder, the rain falling hard and fast now, the sound of wet wings pounding hard against air that’s unaccommodating.

We run, we slip, we slide. In other circumstances, it might not have been so bad, caught out here with a naked girl. But today is not myd ay.
Today is really not my day.

There is no longer any time for cursing. Now there is only time for running. But even though this water is getting in our way…
The birds have it worse, and they know it. Wet feathers do not fly well. In this downpour, where it’s hard to even see and you’re soaked to the bone, where the wind is pushing you, flight is not an option.

Soon enough, we lose them. There aren’t any more shadows against the darkness. No more screeches and squawks. No more tearing claws. Just the cold, and the wet, and young man in sodden clothes, and a naked girl with cuts on her back.

It’s a lot closer to my house than it is to the Research Center.

Holding the hand of the electric mouse, I pull her in the direction of ‘home.’

“This really isn’t my day. It looks like it isn’t your day, either.” I’m tired, I’m cold, I’m wet, I’m hungry, my feet hurt, my body aches from electric shocks, and now my back is hurting.

But I feel kind of warm inside as I bring her with me.

[Lycodrake]

Lapras, swim us closer so I can hit them with my bat!!!
*is Thunder'd* XD

Nice update, really; this is really good and the chosen writing style of it all is endearing in a way. ^^

[Twelveseal]

I picked the style since I felt it would be easier to relate to, and I wanted to try something a bit different from LGW's. Also, Chris showing up is apparently a couple chappies away. I'm also chopping it up a bit into smaller chunks. Makes it easier to spread out.

[Lycodrake]

Well, so far, it gives the feel similar to a VN or something similar, which I quite like. ^^

[Twelveseal]

The setting itself would probably make for a good VN, really. It was actually part of what inspired it. Someone mentioned the idea of a Moemon VN in IRC months ago, and I liked the idea. So I ran with it. Decided to pay homage to some of the old Pokemon comics and the anime, while at the same time trying to make a slightly more 'realistic' setting for the work.

Tbh, I wouldn't mind working on a Moemon VN if there were people around that didn't mind doing the rest, but right now I've already volunteered to work on something similar, so I don't really have the time.

Really though, I've been considering building an RP system for the setting. In some of the other chapters, there are listed values for certain things regarding Moemon equipment. Not that I'm particularly comfortable with how it turned out, mind, but it's a start.

[Lycodrake]

Nice. Hope that project works out well for you, and glad to know some of the background for this. ^^

Though I do hope Pokemon from Gen. III-V will show up...not immediately, granted, but maybe?
Unless you're sticking with purely Kanto and Johto, which is understandable.

[Twelveseal]

There's at least one from Gen. V. I honestly don't know the series that well, having only played the first two games until recently (picked up Pearl a while back) but I bought the Pokedex guides for Collected Gen. I-IV and Gen. V to help open things up a bit. But yeah. Agni, a Moemon from Gen. V shows up fairly soon.

[Lycodrake]

Agni, hm? So Fire-type? Maybe? XP

Not a problem; if you need any help on the Gens. you don't know, I'm pretty sure I (and others?) would be willing to help on that.

[Twelveseal]

I'll let you know if I need help then~ I've also got Egophobia to rely on. He sort of became my proofreader. Sort of. He actually asked if I'd written anymore, since he's seen the whole thing so far. -_-; I think that means I need to write some new chappies...
But he seems quite knowledgeable about the Pokemon setting as well. A bunch of the people that are in Regalia play it and are viable resources, so yay!

And Agni... Yup, she's a Fire-type~

[ItsaRandomUsername]

So much quotable goodness in this one, especially the bits with cartoon characters as patron deities of the Moemon.

If Aurum doesn't get to keep that bat throughout the story I just might end up disappointed.

[Twelveseal]

Aurum and bats... That guy will probably either keep that bat, or upgrade to better beating gear. Interestingly enough, he can actually dual-wield bats with remarkable proficiency, so expect him to pick up a second one, at least, before heading out to Quest.

[ItsaRandomUsername]

Why is this so awesome?

Because it is.

[Twelveseal]

Because Aurum is a tanky, dumbass Drizzt Do'Urden?

[Twelveseal]

[Words]

By the time we make it home, my back feels like it’s on fire. I’m afraid I know why.
There were a lot of those birds. A lot more than I could hope to handle alone. I betting I was hit and just didn’t feel it during the fight.

Not feeling a wound is bad. I know that from experience. Hurting, that’s scary, but when you don’t feel it, then it means that it’s really serious.
It’s deep.
All of the nerves are at the surface. A deep wound won’t hurt as much as a shallow one.
But it’s a lot worse.

I can only hope that the reason it wasn’t hurting at first is adrenaline and not shock. I’m cold, but that’s natural in these conditions. And I’m shaking, but that’s natural too, after something like that. All the excitement, the adrenaline, it takes a while to wear off.
I’ve been in enough fights to know that it takes a while toc ome back down.
That’s when it hurts.
That’s why I ran here, dragging that girl through the rain. She’s been gashed too. If we calm down… We might not be able to move.
I’m yelling for help as soon as I’m through the door. It probably hasn’t even been a half hour since the fight started. Still, it feels like a lot longer.

“What’s wro… Oh god.” I don’t know how bad we really look. I haven’t stopped to check. But… Blood. Probably a lot of it. “Honey!” My mom is calling for my dad already. That means she needs help.

She was trained as a medical professional, not a nurse, but a full doctor. Really, a pediatrician, but that hardly means she doesn’t know how to deal with adults. She just knows how to handle problem patients and developmental issues. And she knows when she’s going to need help.

“What is…oh.” That’s not a good reaction, either. My dad is an accountant. A pencil pusher. A desk jockey. But in his free time he likes to get out and enjoy the outdoors. Hiking, climbing, swimming. He’s no professional, but he knows his way around injuries, and he knows how to sit down, shut up, and do as he’s told in emergencies. That reaction means this is one of those times.

“Shit.” That’s all I say. That’s all that needs to be said right now. I let mom take over and try to do everything she tells me to. I start to lose focus, and it all blurs together, until eventually, there’snothing but black. The last thing I hear before the darkness closes in is a small voice and three little words.

“I’ll do it.”

When I come to, I’m in a white room laying on my stomach. There’s a sheet pulled up to my waist, but my back is exposed, and it hurts like hell. But, more than that…
“Oh god it itches.” I want to scratch but I know I shouldn’t. I can feel the skin pulling weirdly as I shift. I know this feeling.

“Stitches.” It’s been a long time since I had stitches. One time, I wound up in a street fight with some punk from another school who’d heard I was pretty good. Why there are idiots like this in the world I’ll never know, but he decided to pull a knife on me. I punched his lights out, but wound up having my forearm stitched closed for my trouble.
Actually, looking back at crap like that, it’s a wonder I still have all of my teeth.

I sigh. This kind of thing, I refuse to let it keep me down. My mind’s made up already. I’m fucking going on that Quest, even if it kills me.
But still, this is an unwanted setback.

“’sup Ar?” Eh?
I turn my head. Ah, shit, there was somebody here.
“Chris.”
“Jeez man, don’t sound so enthusiastic. So, how you been? Besides picking fights with Fearows.” Ah yes… Chris Wells. Sometimes I love this guy. Sometimes I hate him with the fury of a thousand suns. I guess that would make him my friend. Or some close facsimile.
“Hrm… You mean other than finding out that I was apparently supposed to be forbidden from taking my Quest. Or that one of the main points of that thing was to screw your partner. Literally.”
“Ahhh. Heheh. So you found out about it, huh? Yeah, I guess that pervy doc would have told you.”
“Why was I not informed of this?”
“Honestly? Dude, you’ve always had that thing with Moemon, right? As long as I’ve known you, you’d run and hide whenever you saw a strange one. Hell, the only way we’d ever get you anywhere near one was to either disguise it, blindfold you, drop it on you from above, or introduce you over the course of weeks. It was like trying to tame a stray Meowth, man. We all figured you’d drop it.”
“Gee, thanks for your astounding confidence in my abilities.”
“Hey, it’s not like that. Everybody’s got their issues man. You can deal with people just fine. It’s just when it comes to, well, you know...” I can tell he’s looking at the gashes in my back.
“Seriously though dude, how’d somebody with your problem get in a fight with a Fearow.”
“I don’t even know what that is, Chris. And anyway, it’s along story that I don’t feel like thinking about right now, let alone discussing.”

“Huh. Looks like I owe Fargo some money.”
“Eh? You make a bet with Leon?”
“Ah, yeah. When we found out what happened to you, we kind of stalled our pilgrimage a little. You know, it’s not like we have to rush or anything. One thing led to another, and we wound up making a bet.” This personality that shares details showing his compassion doesn’t fit with the sets of rings in his ears, in his nostril, or his lip, or with that spiked blue hair of his. But that’s just the kind of guy he is.
“So what was the bet?”
“Heh, I said you did it to protect some stupid neighborhood kid.” So you think I’m that nice, huh? I wonder if it’s true. Probably not.
“What’d Fargo bet?”
“That it was because of a girl.” Shit. Does that thing really count as a girl?

Well… Yeah, I guess the mouse does.

Shit.

“Hah, that face, and that dodge earlier… Looks like Fargo was right. Damn. How long have you been hooking up?”
“Hah. Nothing like that, man. I don’t even know why I did it. Just some girl I met that morning. Damn I’m an idiot.”
“Hey, I don’t know man. Shit works in mysterious ways. Maybe it was the Aura or something.”
“Fucking Jedi nonsense.”
“Heh, say what you want man. I’m a believah!” He raises his arms in exultation.
“Hey… What Starter did you pick?”
“Ah, there was this one that was just callin’ my name, man.This cute little Dratini. She’s a dragon, man. A fucking dragon!” His eyes sparkle as he talks. He’s like a kid showing off his new toy.
“And Fargo?”
“That creepy guy? Litwick.”
“That thing’s a ghost, right? Yeah, that does sound like him.”
“So, what’d you get, or did you give up?”
“I haven’t given up shit! But I got there too late. The pervert said he’d put me on the waiting list. Apparently some things impressed him enough that he decided I could manage it.”
“Whoa… So you’re actually gonna do it?”
“Yeah. Once they’ve got a Starter ready, they’d said they’d message me.”
“Huh. Maybe we should stick around and head out together.”
“Whatever man. Do what you guys want.”
“Like we need your approval shithead. Heh.”
“Hey dumbass… Did you actually do it?”
“Do what?”
“What you said you’d do, day before spring break started.‘Become a man’.”
“Ah… Heheh…” Even from here I can tell it. He’s blushing as he rubs the back of his head.
“Ah… Yeah.” Huh.
“Hey man, I’ll let your folks know you’re awake. They were having lunch in the cafeteria last I saw.”
“Hey, you know how long I’ve been out?”
“Two days. Seems like you had a pretty bad fever the first day. They said you’re really healthy though, so it passed quick. Guess all that conditioning you did was good for something, huh?” He stands up to leave.
“Tch. Yeah. Not much though. Hey, tell Fargo I said hi. And that I told him to stop being so damn creepy. Fucking Litwick.”
“Heh, no kidding. See you around man.”
“Yeah, later.” He waves as he leaves my room.

It’s not long before my mom and dad come in.
A woman that’s almost impossible to pin an age to. Her hair is short and an unnatural pink color that’s completely natural in that family. Her eyes are almost the same abnormal shade. If her hair was longer, in adifferent style, if she was dressed in white and wore a business-like smile, she’d look no different from the people universally known as ‘Nurse Joy.’ Even knowing the reason why they all look like that, even being related to that family, it’s still weird. No, maybe even weirder that she stepped away from that.

That man must surely know how incredible that is. My father. Shorter than me by four inches, and a bit heavier around the middle now. He has the same curly hair and eyes as me, but far fewer scars. I guess I really took after him, though I think maybe I have more of my mother’s facial features sometimes. He’s a pretty serious guy, though he can be surprisingly silly at the strangest times.
My mother doesn’t say anything. She just smiles, and I see something that might be the glint of a tear in her eye. It’s hard to tell since I can’t move much.
My dad… He looks happy, but also a bit annoyed. Probably because I was fighting again. Probably because of what I was fighting.
He opens his mouth to say something, then stops, looks away, sighs. He starts again.
“Your mother told me what happened while I was at work.” Ah. Dad would have been in the office long before I even got out of bed. He was probably out of the house before the power went out. “I don’t know if that was a brave thing you did, or a stupid thing.” He sighs again. “Either way, it fits you.”
“I resent that.” I don’t like being called stupid, whether it’s by my dad or anyone else. Even if it’s true.
“That’s fine. Still, the fact that you took responsibility for it is good.”
“Taking her to the Research Center?”
“Yeah. A lot of people would have just left her in the woods.” Ah. I tried to do something similar in the end, though.
“…”
“So, care to tell me how this happened?” Urg. This is going to be awkward as hell.
“Err… I guess it’s kind of a long story.” I tell them about taking her to the Research Center. I explain meeting the Professor, tactfully omitting everything regarding porn, perversion, and near-death experiences. Though maybe they could already figure out that the girl shocked me once or twice. I have no idea if the diagnostics in the hospital could check something like that.
I tell them about buying her some food, and about letting her go. And I tell them about seeing her attacked. I tell them that I just sort of flipped out then, that I don’t even know why I did that. And when it was all said and done, I tell them about how I brought her back home with me, since she was injured.
“I… see.” My dad’s quiet for a while. Then he speaks again, as if he had organized his thoughts.
“You’re an idiot.”
“I know.” I can’t refute that after that story. No. I can’t refute it after knowing everything.
He sighs again.
“I guess I can understand. You’ve always been the type to stick up for people in trouble.” This wouldn’t be the first time I’ve wound up in a state like this for getting into somebody else’s fight. It just seems like it’s the worst so far. I crack a bitter smile.
“And… Considering what was attacking her… You probably empathized.” Ah. My smile went away. I hadn’t thought of it like that.
Maybe that’s what it was. Now that I think about it, there are similarities.
“I suppose this was something that couldn’t be avoided. At least, not if you really…” He trails off. The rest doesn’t need to be spoken. He knows about my goals, about why I want to take that Quest. Ah, actually, he probably knew what it really was to begin with, come to think. And he kept quiet about it.
I don’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but maybe it was his way of supporting me? By not telling me something discouraging like that, maybe he was trying to help me grow?
I don’t know. I won’t ask.
That was his choice. And my mom’s too, unless they had the same conclusion separately.
That’s fine. It doesn’t change anything. No. It might even be better that way.
I might really have given up if I’d known.
“Thanks.” I seem to be saying that a lot lately.
“Anyway, the doctor said they can release you in a couple of days. Mostly, they just want to make sure the stitches hold and that there’s no secondary infections. The cuts were close together, so it was hard to close the wounds.” Ah. That’s not good. If there are too many large injuries close together, it’s hard to stitch them closed. Every time you start to sew one shut, the action pulls another open wider. That kind of injury is really hard to deal with.
As I get the details from my mom, it seems like I’ll be stuck in bed for a few days, that I’m to avoid any kind of strenuous activity, and I have a prescription for both an antibiotic and a pain killer. Not to mention they recommend eating a lot of protein to help with the recovery. Not that I mind the last one. I like meat. And eggs.

Still, this is going to be a delay that I really didn’t want. Fuck. Can’t they just make a Potion Spray for people already? I sigh. That brings me to a topic I can’t avoid any longer. I’m afraid of what I’llhear.

I’m pretty sure her injuries were worse than mine.

“How is she?” I don’t even say who. There’s only one ‘she’ that I might worry about like this.
My parents both look at each other with a look I don’t want to see.

“We lost her.” My mother’s words.

It feels like someone drove a railroad spike into my chest.

“So… She… Died?” I make myself say it. I wonder what kind of face I’m making right now. My whole face feels kind of stiff. Like it’s dead, too.

“Erm… Well… We don’t really know.” Wait, what?
“Huh?”
“We don’t know what happened to the Pikachu.” Ah, she still has the wrong Breed.
“But, she was hurt and…”
“Oh my. Healing her was a lot less trouble than your injuries.”
“Eh?”
“We just borrowed some Potion Spray from Mrs. Marker. She got a Houndour, after the incident with her electrical wiring.” Ah… I had no idea. No, really. She must have gotten that Moemon in the last week and I just didn’t notice yet. Our yards are pretty far apart after all.
“Ah, wait, so if she recovered so easily, what happened?”
“Well, she was wild…”
“Eh?”
My dad pipes in.
“She ran away while you were being loaded in the ambulance. Also, we think she took a lot of food from the fridge.”
“Ah.” Well… That was… No, was that really unexpected? I’d planned on letting her go anyway.
“Hey, would it be safe for her to eat that stuff? The power was out for hours.”
“Oh don’t worry about that. The insulation will keep most food cool enough for hours. Besides, Moemon eat far worse things in the wild.” Hmmm. I guess that’s true. So she raided our broken fridge and ran? Just how smart is she? I mean, running away, that’s normal. But raiding a refrigerator? I’m starting to understand how Tom feels when Jerry outsmarts him.

Well, I guess things could be worse. I’m alive, and so is she. And it’s not like I don’t have to wait for a Starter to go on my Quest. Not to mention my school schedule’s pretty much cleared up already. All I really need to do is go pick up my Diploma after Graduation. I don’t even really need to attend the ceremony. It’s not like being laid up for a while is going to be that big of a setback. Now all I need to do is wait for that messa…

Oh no.
My phone.
“Uh, hey mom!”
“Yes?”
“Is my phone alright? I didn’t get any calls or messages or anything, did I?”
“Ah! I completely forgot! We’ll buy you a new phone when you’re released.” Damnit.
“It’s ruined, huh?”
“It seems like it was overloaded somehow.” Chu. You’re evil.
“How am I supposed to get my message about a Starter!?”
“Oh my…” My mother seems surprised by my outburst. Or maybe at the realization of an unforeseen problem.
“Don’t worry, I’ll give them a call and let them know where you are and what room you’re in.” My dad comes through for me.
“Ah. Thanks, dad.”
“Still, since you’re only going to be here for a couple of days, I wouldn’t worry about it too much. A friend of mine from High School missed the starting day for his Quest too. He had to wait three weeks before some new Starters were ready.” Three weeks. Almost a whole month, and it’s not even a long wait. I feel depressed. Then again, even after I’m out of the hospital, I’m sure they’ll have me on medical restrictions. Weight and activity limits. How long would it be, really, before I can start my Quest?
I sigh.
“Honey, we need to let him rest.”
“Ah, right, right. We’ll visit again tomorrow, Aurum.” Heh.
“Thanks Dad, Mom.” I feel embarrassed to be happy about that.
They leave together, waving at me. I remember that my sister’s at some kind of camp out of town, so she probably won’t be visiting. And Fargo, heh. That guy probably wouldn’t come to a place like this under his own power. Being around lots of people makes him nervous. That’s probably why he wasn’t with Chris earlier.
I wonder… Will those two really sit around and wait for me to heal up? Or will they go on ahead? No, what did those guys even want to do on their Quests?
Chris, I’m pretty sure, just wanted to meet girls. He’d always been S.O.L. in that department. Probably that shrapnel-filled face of his. Maybe he was thinking if he got out and proved he was badass he’d score? Or maybe he just wanted to bang his dragon?
Whatever floats your boat, I guess.
But Leon… Leon Fargo’s always been the quiet, introverted type. He never talks much unless things move to a topic he likes, so I’ve got no idea what he really wants to do with his life. Maybe he just wants to visit a bunch of haunted houses along the way or something. I know he always used tol ove those things. That guy’s weird. Like he’s more scared of real people than stuff that’s actually supposed to be scary. Then again, he’s cool. It’s not like he’s a dick or anything. He just has strange tastes.

Ahhh hell. I’m tired.
I’m going to sleep.
……………
………
…

[Lycodrake]

Oho, a Litwick eh? That's definitely going to be interesting, as is the Dratini.

Aurum's life is certainly about to get interesting.

[ItsaRandomUsername]

You weren't kidding around when you said that Starters in the Moemonverse didn't exactly follow the conventions of canon. That'll surely spice things up.

Mm. Dratini. That means dragon girl.

[Twelveseal]

Indeed. Pretty much anything that has two Evolutions is a viable Starter. Starting with a Gastly is possible. Or a Bellsprout. Or a Ralts, Abra, Gothita, Solosis, Sandile, Venipede, Deino, or Axew.

Hell, technically a Larvitar is a suitable Starter. It's just that things like that are super-rare. Basically, what determines a Starter is those Evolution stages and availability. Most Starters are the result of Breeding family 'Pets' or Service Moemon, or the offspring of Retired Starters who were given to Breeders or Ranchers for. Over the years people have Tamed a wide variety of Moemon, but relatively few people can afford the upkeep of more than one or two Moemon in a household. After all, even moreso than a pet, a Moemon is expensive. They eat as much, or more, than a human, eat the same food as people, need clothes, medical attention, and unless they have special training and a license, they can't work to help pay for any of it. Further, some of the really advanced ones require a special license or privileges from the local government to even own due to their potential destructive capacities. I mean literally, some of these things have been considered gods in the past due to being able to do things like cause earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, and other natural disasters. Pretty much living weapons of mass destruction.

It's pretty rare for anyone to own a Stage Three unless they're a Breeder, Rancher, Researcher, or in the Military, Government, or Law Enforcement. Or they are very, very, rich. The collateral damage from a Stage Three's accidents are sometimes enough to bankrupt normal families. Imagine a Charizard with a cold, for example. Flaming sneezes. People with more than one Stage Three are probably either one of the above occupations, and very successful at it at that, or they are Gym Leaders who have the benefit of living in specially reinforced environments custom tailored to dealing with specific types of Moemon.

Once a person's Quest ends, most will turn over their Moemon to a Breeder, Rancher, or Researcher whom they trust, or who bred the Moemon in question in the first place, or, if their Moemon isn't too powerful, they'll take it home as a member of the family. Those that are caught along the way are usually either released eventually, or also given over to one of the former occupations, resulting in the eventual rise in more Starters for future generations of Tamers. It's simply too costly for a person to keep more than a few Moemon at a time, even on a Quest, with special sales and benefits from businesses and Gyms for Tamers on food, clothes, and lodging.

To put it another way, basically, no one really tries to 'Collect Them All.' Nobody has the time, space, or resources to manage a feat like that unless they're filthy stinking rich. Most people never have more than six Moemon at a time, and even that many is rare. After all, this world doesn't have some ridiculously convenient things like Pokeballs or Storage Boxes~ If you own a Moemon, expect it to spend it's time walking along beside you, eating with you, living with you, etc... Nuzlocke'd! MWAHAHAHAHA!

[Lycodrake]

That sounds very well thought-out and developed.
Looking forward to much more.~

[Twelveseal]

Heh. One of the goals I had when setting out to write this was to 'create a more reasonable version of pokemon' at the same time as creating a Moemon themed work. Pokemon, while fun for all ages, isn't really that sensible. Even without digging into the changes in the development of science and technology, religion, economics, society, travel and communication, housing, and the like that would result from living in a world where creatures with paranormal powers are commonplace, and the subsequent impact on the whole of human history and civilization, just the way people deal with pets in the real world is pretty much ignored by the canon.

Admittedly, PokePETA makes me laugh, but if you think about it, Pokemon is basically dogfighting with superpowers. It's catching wild animals and then having them attack each other until one of them is so hurt it can't fight anymore. Irl, that kind of thing lands you in prison and prevents you from having pets, as several celebrities have found out over the years. Cruelty to animals and all that. Admittedly, you get past that, to a degree, by saying that the wild ones actively attack you, and if you run out of Pokemon to protect you, you black out and wake up in town...

Yeah, you were just attacked by a wild animal and knocked unconscious. And someone came along to rescue you. Every time. Yeeaaaaah...
Then of course you have the wonderful pieces of technology related to Pokemon, like all the special healing items, the various pokeballs that you can make from nuts growing on trees, and the Storage Boxes, as well as the healing stations in the pokecenters... Ignoring the items, pokeballs and storage boxes are some of the most insane things ever. From what I can tell, the things combine Suspended Animation, Teleportation a-la Star Trek, safe Matter and Energy Compression and Expansion or some other method of violating the known laws of Conservation of Matter and Energy by storing the target pokemon, the ability to disregard the Law of Gravity, and some kind of advanced signature recognition that prevents you from stealing other peoples' pokemon. In a handheld size. That's cheap. And doesn't require a license, or apparently an age restriction.

And yet these people don't have advanced technology elsewhere? All of my wut. The hell did these people develop machines that can spontaneously teach superpowers to animals? Yet most people get around by walking or riding bikes? Pokemon is great fun, but if you actually start to think about it, it's like 'wtf am I reading.'

I decided to try and take a bit more serious stance on how things are handled in the setting, while still trying to keep most of the spirit of the original work and inject some more mature elements. How it turns out, we'll have to see.