AN: Hey there to all potential readers. This is my first fic: be brutal. Crush my spirit so that I can rise up to improve myself further. Also, reviews let me know where I am and where to go, so please, assist the newbie. Thanks must go to a single person in Australia for this fic; someone had to kick my ass to publish this. Sincerely though, I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I have enjoyed writing what little there is so far.
Chapter 1 – Endgame
The brisk autumn wind howled through the isolated paths of Viridian forest. The man in the trench coat huddled closer to the brace of rowan in which he was sheltering. He was tall, but not much more than that could be discerned other than his notable height; a wide-brimmed hat sat atop his head, masking all but his grin as he watched a shadow detach itself from the surrounding gloom and approach his position.
The figure scurried closer, as if terrified of being caught in this isolated part of the wood with the briefcase he carried. The surrounding night created a sense of being watched, the darkness seeming to lean in and suffocate the petrified man.
"I've brought what you wanted," the second man spluttered, "Take it and be gone, I beg you. Please, return my family to me! Please!" he began to wail as his anguish built up into a cacophony of immense proportions.
The man in the coat stood up to his full height, towering over the sobbing wretch at his feet as he clicked the lock on the briefcase. His grin became a tight-lipped smirk of satisfaction.
"Well done Tobias, very well done indeed," said the man in the trench coat in a deep, rich voice, as he pulled out a strange polychromatic orb from the inside of his coat. Pressing the faint protrusion in the middle of the sphere, he watched in satisfaction as the sphere began to expand, with metal panels sliding seamlessly out and forming a cohesive ball, with only the equatorial ring and protrusion visible. The orb was a vivid red on the upper half, bone white on the lower.
"Come out, my sweet," he murmured as he tossed the orb into the air. A bright flash appeared briefly, lighting up the surrounding murk and highlighting the look of shock on the grovelling man's face. A brown creature appeared from the flash, with slit eyes and appendages wrapped like a martial artist.
The second man's eyes grew wide with shock. "The project worked, the project worked," he began to moan as he rocked back and forth on his heels.
The man in the trench coat looked up, displaying a flash of cold, black eyes. "Yes, the project worked. The Pokéball works. And soon, yes soon my dear Tobias, I shall begin to sell these commercially at great cost. No more will humans have to treat Pokémon as pets, training them with physicality alone. No, we now enter a new era: the Pokéball allows any person to more easily exert their will on Pokémon and I, Giovanni, will be the unknown saviour of the human race."
"Unknown?"
"Once I have the profits from these Pokéballs, I will begin to use the profits to build up an army. You may say it is evil, but I have seen the future, and it is dark, terrifying and I will be the only one to stop it."
The whimpering wretch on the ground stammered "M-m-my famil-l-ly?"
"Tell them Giovanni sends regards," the man in the trench coat said. Tobias's eyes grew wide. "Oh fu- " were the last sounds he made as a spinning foot decapitated him.
Giovanni held up the small, translucent ball in the briefcase up to the light. All that could be seen was a single, pink hair. "I'm coming for you, Mew."
Red awoke. He had the strangest, vaguest recollection of a dream, but could not remember precisely what occurred. Putting it down to nerves, he shook his head and made for the bathroom. It was mere coincidence that a dream like that should occur just before setting off on the journey of a lifetime… right? Regardless, it was special that he was setting out on May 22, his 18th birthday. Much had changed in the 18 years of his life. His father had disappeared, almost always muttering something about "the project", or "the task", until vanishing into thin air. Or so his mother always told him. Regardless, they still received an anonymous envelope every month marked DRK, with substantial cash to see them through with Red in a good private school, a large house and a quaint neighbourhood.
He was setting out with only a single Pokémon at his side, with only his rival for company along the way. As it was his birthday, Professor Samuel Oak was allowing him the first pick of the three high-level starter Pokémon. He could not be more keen.
He looked to his bedside clock. 04:32. Too excited to go back to sleep, he decided to go for a walk. Picking up nothing but his backpack, already packed, he headed through the front door, as he had been doing for months, to go explore the wilds of the world. As he headed further north, he began to hear the cry of the untamed lands resonate through his veins. The deep bass of a noctowl, the trill of the kricketune in the grass, the movement though the grass as liepard and persian prowled about the land seeking their next meal. He revelled in the bliss that early morning brought, the iconic wolf's dawn on the plains.
He continued onwards for a time before coming to a halt at a fast-flowing brook. Removing a flask from his bag, he filled it with the soothing water and eagerly ingested the liquid to soothe his parched throat. As he sat there his attention began to drift, so that he did not notice the stealthy approach of padded footsteps heading his way.
The luxray crouched, preparing to spring out upon its unwary prey. Seldom did easy meat such as this present itself. Just before it pounced, he heard a sound that made him growl. He knew that voice. It had cost him one too many meals.
"Red? What are you doing here? Surely you, of all my students, know best that these wilds are unsafe at this time of morning? Why are you out here?" the voice said, a wizened, deep voice said.
"Oh, Professor, I had no idea you would be out here at this time of morning," Red replied, "I couldn't sleep so I went for a walk."
"Blue had a similar problem. He was at the lab all night. I need to go refill on my coffee stocks now," Professor Samuel Oak said with a chuckle, "Regardless, what say you w-"
He was interrupted by a loud roar and turned to see a large, powerful looking Luxray jumping at his throat. Its navy-blue mane had predominance over all other features, bar the startling yellow eyes staring at him with malice.
"Dragonite, sit" Oak calmly said.
A large, orange lizard promptly ceased its attempts at hovering above the older man, slamming into the suddenly perplexed lion like a demonic orange giant fruit bat out of the depths of hell itself.
"Now, now luxray, we've talked about this, we really have," Oak sighed, shaking his head, "What part of you cannot eat people do you struggle to comprehend you moron. Now apologise to Red here and I'll ask dragonite to get up. No guarantees though, he does so hate being up early. Now apologise."
The luxray moaned pitifully, somewhere between that sound of a suitably chastised pet who dug up the sprinkler system and a sound emitting teddy bear trapped in the vice grip that is the arms of a 5-year-old girl.
"Good. Now, dragonite, if you wouldn't mind…"
Dragonite glanced at Oak, snorted in an undignified manner, and proceeded to use the luxray's head as support to push itself up. The luxray, needless to say, had a bit of a close-up and personal get together with the dirt.
"Now as I was saying," said the Pokémon professor to the open-mouthed student before him, "Shall we head back to the lab? That way you can get a head start with your future partner."
Red was gobsmacked at the casual display of power against a powerful Pokémon, so much so that he only managed to squeeze one single word past his awestruck lips: "Okay."
"Took you long enough," an arrogant voice exclaimed as the professor and student walked through the door into the lab, "I thought I was gonna die of old age waiting for you two to show up."
"Your impatience is one area you don't need to train at least, Blue," the old man stated wryly, then moved on while his grandson turned a lovely shade of puce.
"Now come here you two, seeing as neither of you seems prepared to relax until such time as you are on your journey - the contradiction of that statement makes me shiver," the old man said with a pained expression, "As you both know, my too 3 students every year receive my premium starter. I always let the top of the class have first pick, howe-"
"Don't sweat it gramps, I already know that I want the squirtle! Let's get to it, come on!" Blue Oak exclaimed, rushing towards the mounted glass case in which lay three of those wondrous items, the Pokéball.
"Just a moment," the professor said, stopping Blue in his tracks, "As I was saying, she has agreed to let Red have the first pick as it is, after all, his birthday."
Blue hadn't heard anything past "she". Both he and Red had visibly paled when the professor had said that.
"You don't mean -" began Blue.
"Oh yes he does, Blue Oak. I beat your sorry ass into next week with my marks, so suck it!" said a rather beautiful girl who walked into the lab at that moment.
"Now, now no call for that you two. Red, why don't you go ahead and choose your Pokémon?" the professor said.
Red didn't hesitate. He needed a Pokémon to keep him on his toes, to provide the maximum challenge to his ability and trust in himself. Something to counterbalance his calm and centred personality. An everlasting friend.
"Charmander"
