Cycle, Chapter 1 - Recount
A long time ago, our ancestor woke up in a strange land, one that was not even the same time as his. He woke up to the background noise of many talking in quiet voices, in the wraps of a foreign bed. The faces around him were different, and when he ventured outside the scenery was tauntingly familiar yet different. The only item he had to his own name was the pendant hanging from his neck, a small and unassuming thing for the most part, yet his most treasured material possession.
In this strange land he was brought to, he learned to reinvent himself in the familiar scenery that was not his own. For many of his years, he stayed and loved this humble village. He raised his own family here, from the ashes of himself that had been scattered to this new world.
One day, he left, with nothing but the clothes he wore and a humble ration of food. His wife and children he had come to treasure in this village were left to wonder. Why, they asked, why has this honest and loving man abandoned us?
He answered in nothing but a handwritten note, an answer none of them save his wife could understand.
He fled in fear, as his secret had been discovered.
Curiously, he left behind his precious pendant. In the care of his family it remained, guarding the secret said to pass down from father to son in this unfamiliar world.
Looking up at his grandfather - quite a way up for the small boy - and then down at the pendant he now wore, he said no words.
"And now, this story and our heirloom has been passed down from grandfather to son, to you, Spencer. The time has come for you to bear it." he said gently, meeting his eyes.
"Will I find out the secret?" he asked, curiousity and excitement brimming in his voice, his small hand wrapped around the ever-changing orb.
"Perhaps." he replied softly. This seemed to please the young boy, for a smile broke out on his face. His grandfather smiled, too. With the pendant safely secured around his neck he dashed off, no doubt to go and play with his friends once more. He had no doubt in his mind that he would discover the family secret, for better or for worse.
Spencer walked home once again. At least it was the weekend. His hand felt out the necklace tucked under his shirt. Though now, at 15, he paid no attention to the story his grandfather had once told him, the heirloom's presence was still comforting. As a bonus, it suited him, or so he was told. The shifting, pale colours like an opal contrasted with his dark, nearly black hair and bright eyes. That was what everyone told him, so he chose to believe it.
When Spencer arrived home, it was eerily silent. There wasn't even a small cub running around his feet like usual.
"Maria?" he called, looking around. After a moment, Spencer added, "Sis?" hoping the older girl would respond. Probably asleep, he thought. After 5 minutes of waiting and calling, he wrote a note, sticking it on the small table in their living room.
Sis, I went to look for Maria. You were asleep when I came in and she was missing.
Happy with his note, Spencer ran out the door, quickly throwing down his bag behind him.
This was really unusual for the hyperactive cub. Spencer had looked around the neighbourhood, seeing if she had ran off to another house for some mischief, to no avail. Maria was simply nowhere to be found. Sighing, he turned around to search in one last place. A road leading out of the city, onto a route filled with wild Pokémon and battling trainers. Spencer gulped. It wasn't ideal for Maria or him, but he was growing desperate.
As it turned out, he didn't have to look far.
"Maria!" Running, he crouched down over the small body of the cub. He cradled the Shinx in his arms. In his worry, he had failed to notice the unnatural stillness of the atmosphere. When he turned around to walk home, Spencer and the Shinx were met with a sharp green light.
It would had been strangely beautiful, had it not knocked him out.