Pokémon Go!: The Time Theft Saga

2005

"You better not forget about tomorrow, Mitchell!"

"Yeah man! Tomorrow's the most IMPORTANT DAY OF OUR LIVES."

Mitchell scoffed and let out a laugh. "Please. When have I ever forgotten about something that really matters?" Jack sighed and Claire stamped her foot.

"Seriously?! You forget my birthday every year!"

"I make it to the party every time!"

"That's because you go to my house anyway!"

Jack laughed. "You forgot your leg surgery three years ago the day of and almost died when you tried walking to my place."

"Okay that was totally the meds!"

Claire got up in Mitchell's face and grunted. "You forgot my mom's wedding."

Mitchell sank back and Jack made a face as if it hurt.

Mitchell grinned. "Okay, okay. I won't forget this time though, I promise!"

"Good." Jack stepped back into the triangle. "I've got work to do, guys, my mom needs help cleaning up because she's having some co-workers come over. So I'll see you guys tomorrow!"

"Yeah Jack, see ya in the morning!" Mitchell yelled as Jack walked away. Claire was still mad.

The next day came fast for ten year-old Jack, who went to sleep as early as he could. This day was the day that Professor Palm gave three ten year-olds each a Pokemon partner and a Pokédex, to be the next Treble Town Pokémon Trainers. The first three kids that show up on time and fit the qualifications will get one of Palm's rare Pokémon as well as the journey of a lifetime. Jack, Claire and Mitchell all grew up together in Treble Town. Jack moved there at the age of six from Lilycove City, with his mother and older sister. He, Mitchell, and Claire had all known Palm for a long time, as they had worked for him doing small tasks every now and then. The three of them had dreamed of this day, just as Palm had for them.

But it seemed that the universe had a different idea on how it would pan out.

Jack woke up to the sound of rocks hitting his window. He looked out and down to see Jacqueline, his neighbor, trying to get his attention. Jack grabbed his glasses and opened up the window.

"What's going on, Jacque?"

"Dude, there's news people at Palm's lab."

"What?! Like, a few of them?"

"If over twenty of them is a few, then yeah."

Jack jumped up put on athletic shorts and his boots, grabbed a hoodie, and ran out the door. He took off for the road but Jacque grabbed his hand and ran the other way.

"Shortcut, trust me." The two ran between some houses, over a garden, and showed up behind the lab. They stopped to listen to a news reporter in front of the door.

"Today is a historic day in the Obass region, and especially Treble Town, as Professor Palm reveals three NEW- that's right, I said NEW Pokémon! In the past, Professor Palm has passed on some rare Pokémon, such as Charmander, Totodile, and Snivy. But today, he reveals brand new, previously uncharted Pokémon! Oh, look, here comes the new Trainers!"

The doors to the lab opened, and Professor Palm stepped out, followed by Mitchell, Claire, and some boy Jack didn't know. Applause and cheering filled the air.

Mitchell stepped out. "My name is Mitchell, from Treble Town, and I chose the Water Type, Squidrip!" He sent out his Pokémon, a bulky, blue squid-like Pokémon. The audience roared.

The boy stepped up. "My name is Ethan from Andante Town, and I chose the Fire Pokémon, Bunsunny!" He sent out Bunsunny, a small, black rabbit-like Pokémon with fire around its neck.

Finally, Claire spoke up. "I'm Claire from Treble Town and I chose Pupbud, the Grass Pokémon!" Her Pokémon burrowed up from the dirt next to the steps, and it was a brown puppy Pokémon with mossy paws. The audience hit its loudest point.

Professor Palm stepped up and started addressing the press. Jack and Jacque snuck up by the steps where Mitchell was. Jack started whispering.

"Mitchell, what the heck?! I was on time!"

Mitchell jumped with surprise. "Well, we stopped by last night to double-check the time, and Ethan was here. We met him and he was really cool and stuff, and Professor Palm asked us to come a bit earlier."

"So you didn't tell me?"

"Claire wanted to, but we figured you were already asleep..."

Jack opened his mouth but Mitchell was led away by Professor Palm.

Jacque grabbed his hand and ran off before the press flooded the area. Once they had gotten far enough, Jack hit his knees and a tear fell down his face.

"They totally bailed on me..."

Jacque kneeled next to him and rubbed his back. "I know... You can do better anyway." Jack looked at her, both angry and hurt, but silent.

Jack then realized something. While he, Claire, and Mitchell had always hung out, they were never really close.

And from then on, he and Jacqueline stuck together.

Three Months Later

"Jack, I need you to go water the garden!" Jack's mom called him from across the house. He put down his laptop and got up.

He stepped outside and looked around for the water hose. Without looking, he grabbed it, and felt a nasty shock. When Jack looked at the hose, it was covered in a yellow, electric spiderweb. He rubbed his palm and turned to walk to the garden, but tripped and got shocked again by a web on the ground.

"What the heck are these?" He began to go back inside, but one of the webs was shot at his door. Jack turned around to face his attacker, but nothing could be seen.

"I'm gonna call the cops!" He looked around and felt a jolt go through his leg.

When he grabbed it, he felt something in his pants leg. He got a hold of it and started to pull it out. The entire time, it shocked him, attacking back. When he pulled the thing out, he saw that it was no bigger than two inches tall. For a second, the Pokémon stopped, and he looked at it with wonder, but in a split second, it let out a painful sound, and began to shock again. When he looked closer, he saw that it had a look in its eyes, and something was terribly wrong.

Jack immediately ran to Professor Palm's lab.

"Well, this is a Joltik. A very young one, in fact..." Professor Palm took the small, fuzzy Pokémon and set it on a counter. "As in just hatched. Without its mother, it won't be able to survive."

Jack looked worried. "Is there anything we can do?"

"Yes, but it will take awhile. Go find some rubber gloves, the thick ones, and get ready."

The next three hours were rough. The baby Joltik continued to discharge electricity in high amounts, draining its own energy. No matter what they did, they could not feed it. Jacque came in, and immediately began to help. The three spent another four hours racing around the lab, trying new ideas and utilizing every available power source. Finally, they all sat on the ground.

Jack stood up, and walked over to the small, sparking Pokémon. It released small shocks with every shake.

"It won't be able to hang on much longer," Palm wiped sweat off his forehead.

Jack grabbed two defibrillators and stuck them in open slots in the safety shower. He stepped in, carefully holding the baby Joltik.

"What are you doing?" Jacque jumped up, followed by Palm.

"Jacque, step back-" Palm grabbed her and pulled her back, and just in time. Jack turned on the shower and as the water fell out, it was charged by powerful electricity, shocking both Jack and Joltik. The shower sparked and sent electricity down, completely covering Jack and shorting out the rest of the lab. Suddenly, everything blacked out, and as Jack's screams faded, he hit the ground in the dark. Jacque ran over, and Palm lit a candle.

Then, something amazing happened. As Jacque reached for Jack, his hand opened, and a tiny, glowing ball hopped out. It was Joltik, who was not only healthy, but radiated power! It let loose a shock, waking Jack up, who was covered in burns, and repowering the lab. Palm knelt down in awe.

"This is incredible! I haven't seen electricity this powerful since Zapdos..." Palm faded away then stood up.

"It's so adorable!" Jacque brushed its tiny head with her finger.

Joltik turned to Jack, and jumped on his nose. It gave him a little shock, just enough to tickle him, then jumped and nested in his hair.

"It really seems to appreciate you helping it." Palm said. "You know, I'm really interested in testing it's power. How would you like to work out a deal?" Jack sat up, interested. "Take Joltik home, and every day come back to my lab, for new challenges and battles. This Pokémon has an amazing amount of power for its age, and I want to see just how strong it is."

Jack had a huge smile, and jumped up quickly. "Yes! Of course, I'd love to! I mean, if Joltik is in." He looked up, and Joltik let out a happy chirp. "Jacque, are you in?"

Jacque laughed with excitement. "Well, duh!"

They came back every day as promised. Jack and Joltik worked together for different experiments, such as power tests with appliances and machines and battles with different Pokémon. Jacque helped out as Palm's assistant, taking notes and recording each day's progress. This went on for the next eight years, until one day, the testing was complete.