"Liberation! We must achieve the freedom of Pokémon EVERYWHERE!" A huge crowd of people were in front of a large magnificent castle. A young man in colorful robes stood on a royal balcony, speaking in a powerful voice that carried over the swarm of people.
"We have succeeded in liberating Pokémon in Unova! Only the traitorous outlaws, the so-called 'Gym leaders' and 'Elite Four', have refused to set their trapped Pokémon free! We must find them," the man slammed a fist down against the railing, "And exterminate them!"
Roars of approval sounded from the people below. "I, Ghetsis, leader of the Seven Sages of Team Plasma, will see to it that ALL Pokémon shall be freed!"
Alisa waved her brown hair out of her eyes as her crayons flew across the paper. Other doodled on papers were scattered all over her room's floor, but the one she was working on was more than just doodled on. it was a picture of a Zorua; copied off of an old photo in an album her mother had.
…
A little boy, barely four, watched his father give a speech through his bedroom window. Pressing his hand against the glass, the green-haired child had to stand on a stool to see out. Someone came into a room, and exclaimed, "Lord N! What are you doing?!" The boy, N, simply pointed out the window at his father. The adult sighed and walked over to N, picking him up saying as she did so, "Your father is amazing, isn't he?" N looked up at the person holding him, looking at her with his big aqua orbs. It was his mother, whose long white hair went down to her waist, and she was watching Ghetsis with loving eyes. N chose not to speak, instead trying to get his mother to release him.
…
It was a clear summer morning. The sky was bright and cloudless, and the water at the edge of Nuvema Town seemed to sparkle like sapphires. A young nine-year old girl was about to go out and play. She slipped on her white tank-top, her dark vest and her favorite jeans. Her caramel brown hair was in a long ponytail that brushed the lower part of her back. Tromping down the stairs, she jumped over the last three steps and lands with a loud THUMP on her feet upon the wooden floor. Dashing into the kitchen, she grabbed the piece of toast her brother was about to take a bite out of, and stuck it in her own mouth.
"Hey!" her older brother exclaimed in surprise. His sister winked playfully and takes a bite, pulling the rest of the toast out. It had Oran berry jelly, her favorite; "I'm heading out!" she tossed those words over her shoulder, and her mother replied, "Stay safe!" Alisa rolled her eyes.
"I'm not a little girl anymore; I can take care of myself!" She called over her shoulder. Outside in the fresh air, Alisa twirled and skipped - she never felt so free. During school, the strict teachers never let her do anything fun; but now, it was summer, and she could do nothing but play, play, PLAY!
The door of her house opened, and her older brother, Kole, stepped outside. He wore his black t-shirt and dark pants. His baseball cap was red and white over his chocolate brown hair. He walked over to his sister and tugged lightly on her ponytail. She squeaked and rounded on him.
"Kole, you know I hate that!" Smirking, he patted her head and replied, "Exactly!" Sticking out her tongue, the younger sister huffed and started to walk towards the tree line; she loved to explore there, since there were many places to hide and build forts. Unfortunately, it was also against the rules to go in. She only trusted Kole with her secret place, knowing that by the brother-sister oath, he wouldn't tell on her. He still tried to stop her sometimes, though; "Alisa, we aren't supposed to go in there!" the eleven-year old attempted, but to no avail. She disappeared in the dark shrubs and trees. Alisa came to her favorite place in Unova, a stream surrounded by pretty little flowers while the sun filtered through the leaves of the trees. Dipping her hand in the stream playfully, she watched as the water danced around her wrist.
"Bliiiiiiitzz!" Alisa scrambled away from the water when she spotted a four legged creature with black fur, white stripes and feet with black hooves, and a short white mane and a flicking tuft of white fur for a tail.
The creature tilted his head as Alisa clumsily tried to scramble away. He crossed the stream easily, his limbs keeping his belly mostly dry, if a bit damp. Alisa breathed heavily out of fear. The creature was no taller than the Herdier that she often saw on the news channel, though it looked much more kind and playful than any of the viscous yapping dogs had looked.
"S-s-s-shoo!" Alisa said faintly, waving her hand towards it. The creature lowered his head towards the kneeling girl and whimpered then very softly touched his muzzle to Alisa's small palm. At first Alisa winced, but then started to stroke the pokemon's cute soft muzzle, smiling as it started wagging it's tail happily.
…
After that day Alisa went to the forest each day. And each day, she seemed to see more of the wondrous beings known as Pokemon. Deerlings, Pidoves, and even once she saw a snivy basking in the sunlight. But every day she would always meet Blitzle. The kind and playful pokemon, however forbidden by law it was, always was waiting by the stream. But one day…something went wrong. Alisa sat in the lush flower bed with Blitzle dozing next to her, when suddenly some man with flaming orange hair crashed through the undergrowth, but tripped on a root. Alisa shrieked and instantly Blitzle was in front of her, growling protectively. The man looked up in confusion before his eyes suddenly lit up in hope.
"You! I need an extremely huge favor of you. I need you to take these and hide them." The man hurriedly put six round red and white balls into Alisa's hand. He also quickly handed her a slightly disheveled but still useful sky blue bag before he looked over his shoulder.
"Now child listen, you must! You must keep Unova's last hope alive! Never give up befriending pokemon, no matter what happens!" Alisa fearfully nodded. Somehow the man's rushed words came as clear as the stream to her. Immediately he started running and he threw a good luck over his shoulder. Suddenly another person came through the undergrowth. Alisa looked up in fear.
"Well! It looks like I found a rebel!" He sneered. Marching over to Alisa, he grabbed her by the ponytail and yanked her roughly to her feet. Alisa cried out in pain, tears brimming around the edges of her now tightly shut eyes. Blitzle snarled bloodlust and rushed the man, but he kicked him in the side. "Where are the rest of the rebels, brat?!" he shook her fiercely, and the little child let out a pain-filled wail.
"Kole! Mom! Help anyone!" Alisa wailed hopelessly. The man suddenly brought his hand across her face.
"Shut up you insignificant little brat!" He hissed. Alisa let out a whimper, but stopped the loud wailing. Instead, she sniffled and let the tears flow silently. Where is he taking me?! She screamed desperately inside her mind as he started dragging her. Remembering Blitzle, who was knocked unconscious and shoved into her arms, she clenched a fist. The pokemon was almost as big as her, so at the most she could hold his body up with his hooves dragged in the dirt.
Eventually, the three showed up at a town. Suddenly, Alisa let out a small scream when a man appeared before them out of nowhere. He was dressed in nearly all-black attire, and most of his face was covered by a dark gray cloth. An eyebrow rose slightly as he looked down at the small, frightened girl. "This is the rebel I was told about?" he said tonelessly, and the Grunt shook his head. "No, I lost that one... But I found her," he shakes Alisa's arm roughly, "With a Pokéball and Pokémon in the out-of-limits forest. Thus, she needs to immediately be taken before Ghetsis for punishment."
The shadowy man nodded slowly, adding to himself: A mere child. Doubtful that she deserves such harsh treatment. None-the-less, he took the little child from the Grunt. She tensed in fear, eyes shut tightly. In her arms, she carefully held a fainted pokemon as best she could; the corners of his mouth twitched slightly at the sight of her innocence. Shame that Ghetsis will break her... And with that, he transported them out. Alisa and the strange shadowy man appeared in an elegant entrance hall. Chandeliers hung from the high ceiling, and farther down the path were possibly dozens of doors; looking around in amazement, Alisa almost forgot her fear and gaped in awe. Blitzle stirred. Remembering, Alisa bit her lip and hugged her friend close. She also thought of her brother. Fresh tears seemed to emerge as she realized: What will Mom think when I don't come home?!
The man holding onto the girl was shocked to hear her pitiful sniffling. Crying again? He thought, his forehead knitting slightly. He tried to ignore it, though, and ordered, "Come." Alisa had no choice but to follow the strange man down the corridor. After a minute of walking, they stopped at a large set of oak doors. "Good luck." Alisa heard the man murmur before vanishing into thin air. Trembling, the young girl watched as the doors opened inward, revealing a grand throne room. A man with long green hair sat on a golden seat, his robes half beige, half blue, with a decorative design of an eye on each half. One of his eyes had a red robotic-like covering, which seemed to x-ray Alisa. She shivered, and stepped inside unwillingly. The doors slammed shut behind her with a loud bang. Wincing, Alisa stood there, several meters away from the King-like man. He leered at her, and the little girl shrank slightly. "Well. So you're the child that was found with a Pokémon... AND a Pokéball?" A twisted malicious smile formed on his face. Alisa desperately wanted to run away, to go home and cry in her mother's comforting arms. But the young girl couldn't do that, because she didn't even know where this strange castle building was. Eyes lowered, Alisa hugged Blitzle protectively.
"Travis, Robert." the man snapped his fingers together. Two men dressed similar to the man that had captured Alisa earlier came forward out of the shadows. "Take this child to the Prince's room... I am sure it is time for him to learn the correct way to punish law-breakers..." The brown haired girl shrank even more, and as the two Grunts came forward to grab her, she made a mad attempt to bolt. But she didn't get farther than a few steps before the Grunt closest to her snatched her and dragged her back. Alisa let out a yelp and started to struggle, still holding Blitzle in her arms. One of them struck her already sensitive face, and she let out a pained sob and went limp. Her head was bowed as the two men led her down yet another hallway and up several flights of stairs. Finally, they stopped outside of a plain set of doors. One of them opened the door, and the other shoved the girl inside brutally.
…
N looked up surprise as a pained cry aroused him from a nap. At first he thought it was a pokemon what with his first sight being Blitzle, but he quickly retreated again into the shadowy part of the mass of stuffed animals, blankets, and pillows once noticing the girl. Suddenly he noticed the Blitzle weakly creep out of the girl's grasp and gently the pokemon nudged the girl's cheek. Alisa struggled to her knees, still not noticing the green haired boy, and she petted the pokemon on its soft furred neck. Blitzle whickered weakly as Alisa stroked him but then he fainted again.
"What are you doing here?"
Alisa quieted quickly, and lifted her head to look up. A young boy stood before her, barely over her age, with long green hair that was tied back in a low, messy ponytail. He looked down at her with a blank expression, and she blinked away some of the tears. "I-I don't know..." she answered in a whisper. The boy didn't say anything; he only watched her curiously. She doesn't know why she's here?! Changing his attention to the pokemon, he bent down to pick it up. Alisa's eyes widened when she saw the boy reaching for her friend. Immediately, she moved herself to stop him, causing the strange child to grab onto her arm instead. "Uh..." the boy blinked, surprised. The girl was shielding the Pokémon from him with her own body. Slightly irritated, he held onto her head and used his other hand to gently pull Blitzle away. Alisa let out a pathetic whimper, eyes wide as she expected the boy to hurt her precious friend. Willing to do anything, she got to her knees and bowed low. "I'm sorry! Just don't hurt Blitzle!" A startled silence followed Alisa's apology. Not knowing what to do or say, the boy held the pokemon in his arms as the green-haired child continued, "I don't know what I did wrong, but please forgive me! Just don't hurt my friend!" At the last sentence, she lifted her head, showing the boy the tears she had started to shed. He blinked, and wondered aloud, "Friend?" He looked down at the injured Pokémon in his arms, and frowned. "You treat your friends like this? He has a bruise!" Shocked at the accusation, Alisa exclaimed, "I didn't do that! A man kicked her!" And she got to her feet unsteadily. She stuck her chin out and plowed on, "I have other friends that I played with, too! Patrat, who taught me how to find pretty shells in the stream, Munna, who showed me a really fun game with berries, and Oshawott, who didn't really want to admit that she liked me even though she was one of my closest friends." More water crystals began to fall from Alisa's face as she added, "They liked playing with me and I treated them good! So please don't say that I would hurt my friends like that!"
The boy was, needless to say, shocked about how the young girl was reacting. "I wouldn't..." he began to say, eyes worried for a slight second. But that's when the Herdier sized Pokémon woke up. Blitzle had awoken in a strange boy's arms, and he growled in alarm. Struggling free, he jumped away and skittered back to Alisa, unused to the hard wood floor near the doorway that he was trying to walk on. Alisa held out her arms and Blitzle leaped into them. "Blitzle! I'm so glad you're okay!" the little girl sobbed happily, rocking from side-to-side. The green-haired child was speechless; never before had he seen a human and a Pokémon so... happy together. Clenching a fist, he tried to mentally shake away the doubts. Father has told me that humans will do nothing but hurt my friends... and my friends have always said the same. His steeled his resolve as he watched Alisa continue to fondle over the little electric type pony. Alisa became aware of the boy's continuous staring, and she slowly grew still. Nervous sweat beaded on her face as she thought: This place still scares me... What is he going to do? Trying to push away her fears, the young girl said boldly, "My name is Alisa." The Prince stared at her; "What?" "I'm Alisa. What's your name?" "... N." Alisa's eyes widened considerably, and she gasped, "As in the letter?" The other child, N, was about to answer, when the doors slammed open behind them.
The Kingly man from earlier strode into the room, a powerful aura about him as he glared down at the two small children. Alisa stepped back, frightened at the King's sudden appearance. The man's eyes looked from N to the girl, then he snapped, "Well, boy? Have you thought of a punishment?!" Punishment?! The brown haired girl felt more tears building up at the thought, and she continued to retreat backwards slowly. Blitzle was still in her arms, and was scared beyond measure at the sight of such a powerful human. -He gives off the creepiest of feelings! - The black and white Pokémon thought, shrinking into Alisa's protective arms. N froze slightly at his father's anger, and then shook his head. Suddenly the boy was sent sprawling, having been struck across the face by the green haired man. Alisa let out a cry of alarm, and whirled on the man, momentarily fearless as she protested, "You can't hit people!" The long-haired man, with his red eyes, rounded on the small girl. He loomed above her, eyes flashing. She DARES to speak out against me?! "Impudent child!" the King growled, grabbing Alisa's hair violently. She cried out in pain, and was nearly lifted off her feet when the man turned quickly to face his son, who was getting to his knees. "This is how you punish those who go against our laws!" he said harshly in his powerful voice, speaking over Alisa's pained whimpers. Then, in a swift motion, he tosses the girl across the room, sending the small nine-year old crashing into a tower of colorful wooden blocks and sliding on the ground. When she finally rolled to a stop, trembling in agony, she pulled herself up on one arm. Blitzle was unharmed, as Alisa had unconsciously curled around him to protect as much if his body as she could. N's eyes were wide in horror; he doubted that she deserved that brutal of treatment. "Father, I..." The man interrupted coldly, "Not another word. That thing," a finger was pointed at the girl, "Shall stay here until you learn how to properly treat those who disobey." Alisa's eyes widened. He can't keep me here! She thought in horror.
"Y-you can't do this...!" In a flash, the colorfully robed man was in front of the girl, leering down at her. Knocking her down with a fierce back-hand, the pale green-haired adult icily replied, "I, King Ghetsis of the great Team Plasma, will not be ordered around by a useless child such as you!"
An onslaught of tears threatened to spill out of Alisa's cerulean orbs, but she didn't dare show them in the presence of this man – Ghetsis. After a moment of angry silence, Ghetsis straightened slowly, and turned to leave. But before he left, he caught sight of his son's shocked expression. "This is all for the good of the Pokémon, boy." he said, nurturing the ideas in N's mind. And just like that, the King left the room, slamming the door shut behind him. N, his long mint green hair dangling in his face at odd places, looked over at the girl with remorse shining in his eyes. The said young girl lay crouched on the carpeted floor, the Blitzle next to her, having crawled out of the child's arms before Alisa had gotten to her feet earlier. "He's... so mean." she whispered shakily, and N paled. Why does she speak of Father like that? He has accomplished many things, even if he has had to rule with an iron fist... Wiping at her eyes, Alisa looked at N with a scared expression; "Y-you know what? I-I hope your proud of your f-father." She sniffed angrily. She wiped away a tear. Something stirred inside of the young boy at Alisa's words; it was an emotion he hadn't felt before - it was a desire to apologize, was a desire to comfort her; though he didn't know, it was guilt. "... I..." N didn't finish; he instead looked away from her, staring blankly at the ground.
"I'm very sorry that I dragged you into this, Blitzle..." The brown haired child hung her head, finally seeming to be defeated. It was practically hopeless; she had no idea where she was, what would become of her or Blitzle, or if she'd even see her family again. They'll think I left... like Daddy... She tugged out her ponytail and let her long brown hair flow to settle around her face, slightly hiding her tears.
Outside of the castle, the sun began to set under the thick cloud cover.