Note- before I start, I would like to add, although I enjoy the pokemon games, I am only familiar with the first and second generation. I don't have much experience with the others. I also have only seen the first movie and the first series of the cartoon, quite some time ago. I don't claim to be an expert on pokemon and if I write something about one that strikes you as odd, or whatever (such as behaviour-wise or speech-wise, etc) I apologize for getting it wrong. Like I've said, I am not an expert. Also, I am no expert on the towns. If I do mention them from a specific region, don't expect them to be accurate. I may refer to the game versions for the specifics. That said, I hope you enjoy reading : )
She had washed up on shore. You could hear the seagulls caw, as they flew above, circling her as though she were prey. She wasn't, of course.
The waves were calm. They gently lapped the sand and the tip of the girl's feet, every so often, as they swished back and forth as waves do. The sun was just beginning to rise. The pink haze in the bright blue sky looked so beautiful, welcoming, especially after the early darkness of last night. The harsh, heavy rain clouds had swallowed up the sky and the daunting clashes of lightning had chased the sun away, leaving the city covered in shadow and gloom. Now was the calm after the storm.
The girl wasn't dead. Just unconscious. She had been on a cruise ship, crossing the ocean, planning to travel the world. She was curious about everything that she came across, and when the pokemon craze had hit her town, naturally she became hooked too. Not to battle, like the others, but to nurture, care for, love. For companionship. As a result of this, she was given a cyndaquil, some six years ago, and they had never parted since. Their opposite personalities blended so well, particularly when it came to traveling. She would check the sights, discover the facts. Cyndaquil would keep danger at bay. He loved battling, he would, he was darn good at it. She, however, was afraid. Not of losing, not of failure, but she had been sheltered her whole life, and danger didn't appeal to her. She had broken free of her mother's sheltering arms, only to travel.
During these six years and the numerous trips they had taken, cyndaquil had evolved fully into a typhlosion. The girl simply adored him. Typhlosion, though rather restless at times, quickly learnt that she would not be persuaded into becoming a proper trainer and settled for scaring away stray, wild pokemon and protecting them both during their travels. Their bond was unbreakable. Until one night, whilst sailing to new land, a storm broke out, capsizing the boat and separating the two.
And now, the girl lay, motionless on the shore, her dark brown hair spread ruggedly over her face, her clothes ripped and her shoes missing. Her pokemon, was nowhere to be seen.
A couple of hours had passed. The sun was spreading warmth across the oceanfront. The girl still hadn't stirred.
A young boy and his vulpix had set off for a stroll, after being told not to stray too far from the farm he lived at with his mother and older brother. Everyday, the same old lecture; don't get into trouble, don't go too far, don't talk to strangers, it's dangerous, you're too young, your vulpix is too weak to fight off stray pokemon, etc, etc. He was only using vulpix as a pet after all. He and his brother had been bound to the farm, almost forced into inheriting it. It didn't bother the little boy, he like all the pokemon as pets, animals. They were friendlier. His brother, however, had other ideas for his future.
Many of the residents of this small town were already awake. They were used to early mornings. Many had to get up early to travel to the city for work. Across the stream from the little boys' family's farm was another, specializing in berries and seeds. They grew produce. There was an inn opposite the main farm, they too had to get up early to tend to customers. Further along, was a bar. The other buildings in this town were just houses, or what were used as houses. They still enjoyed waking early.
The young boy and his vulpix ran across the grass, his blond hair stirring in the wind, laughing, playing around. They tumbled to the ground, giggling and ended up rolling down the hill, crashing into a log at the bottom, getting rather muddy. The grass was still damp, drying slowly in the temperate sun, and had seeped through into the boys' shirt. He didn't seem to care.
They leant against the log, dusting what they could off of themselves. The vulpix washed itself with its tongue. The little boy copied with the mud on his arms. Not long after, they wandered over to the beach, hoping to play on the sand. They were stopped in their tracks, however, when they spotted the girl.
The vulpix ran over, nudging the still body with its head, presumably checking to see if she was alive. She was. Rolling onto her back, she spluttered, choking, and opened her eyes with a gasp. The boy hung back, watching from a distance. The girl sat up, her coughing ceasing, and looked around, scared and confused. Her mind swam, she blinked, trying to clear the haze. It was too thick to see through. Nothing was coming to her. No familiarity, no names, no faces. She had no idea where she was, how she got there or where she had come from. She didn't know who she was, or even her name. She didn't even know why she was on the beach, with some brown fox with orange hair and six orange tails, staring at her. For all she knew, she lived here.
"Are you ok?" The boy had come closer, but still approached cautiously. He looked rather timid. The girl gathered that they had never met, it was evident from the look on his face. This made her even more afraid. Her head began to buzz with questions. She felt alone, despite the fact that she actually was, but this loneliness was something more than just that, it was like she was missing something. Yes, she was missing her memory, or so it seemed, but, again, this was more. It was like she was missing something meaningful. She was missing a part of herself. Someone. A friend. She just didn't know what, or even, who.
The boy crouched down, looking into her eyes. "Are you lost?" He asked, his vulpix brushed its head against her knee, making a purring sound. "She likes you." He smiled. The girl stared back, blankly. "What's your name?" The girl shrugged, the look on her face suggested that she was trying to remember. She was rather pale, some cuts and scratches visible on her arms and face. The boy felt sorry for her. It looked like she had washed up on shore, from the sea, and couldn't remember anything. She was lost and hurt. Probably scared too.
The girl stroked the vulpix absent-mindedly. She had curled up into the girls lap and was purring away, contentedly. The little boy was surprised, his vulpix was usually as timid as he was. Unbeknownst to them all, the girl had quite a bond with fire pokemon. Spending six years with one would do that to you.
"Pedro!" A male voice sailed down to the beach. The boy looked up. "At last! There you are!" The older male ran down to his brother. He looks differed from the younger boys'. His hair was dark and, being older, his body was shaped. He looked strong, masculine. He spotted the girl and turned to his brother, rather sternly. "Mum wants you home. Now." The little boy, whose name was Pedro, stood up. The vulpix twitched her ears, gazing at the older male.
"But what about her?" Pedro asked, pointing to the girl.
"What about her?"
"She's lost. And hurt. We cant leave her J." Pedro whimpered, clutching his brothers' sleeve. "Vulpix likes her too." The older one didn't seem to care about any of this. He sighed irritably and pulled his sleeve back. He glowered at the girl, who seemed about his age, in her teens, and looked over his shoulder, at the farm.
"Maybe mum could take a look at her." He sighed again, ruffling up his hair. He wasn't keen on the idea. She was a stranger after all. But if she was lost and defenseless, then he couldn't just leave her there. Who knows what might happen. "Help me with her then." He helped her up and the two boys escorted her back to their mothers' farm, vulpix leading the way.
Typhlosion awoke, finding himself on strange land. He was alone, his trainer nowhere in sight. Black clouds were clustering in the sky, he needed to find shelter before it rained.
Before long, the typhlosion was settled in an empty cove, that was carved into some rocks. He was worried. His trainer wasn't here, she had ended up elsewhere, it seemed. She was alone without him to protect her. She could be injured, or in trouble, or worse. He didn't know. But he needed to find her.
Footsteps echoed in the darkness, as they entered the cave. Typhlosion looked up. Friend or foe? An orange glow suddenly illuminated the cramped space typhlosion was hiding in and two unfamiliar faces appeared before him. They were grinning evilly.
"Well look what we found, Chas." One of them sneered. "A rare pokemon."