A/N: Hello, and welcome to the very first part of my Shadow Nexus series. This is going to be very long running, so I hope all you people like that. I'm sorry if I don't update very often. I am quite lacking in the motivation department, but I'm going to get help for that soon since it's affecting my school performance too, so I hope that will have at least some effect.
So, most of the main characters in this are aged up slightly. Red, Green and Blue are all 14, while Yellow is 11. Each region has a different age that kids are allowed to become trainers, and in Kanto that age is 14. Red's younger brother in this is the male protagonist for FireRed and LeafGreen, and Leaf shows up at some point as Green's younger sister.
Anyway, hope you all enjoy! If you find anything wrong, please throw a comment my way. That way, I can learn where I'm making mistakes and grow as a writer.
Red was trying to get some sleep before the big day. He really was. If it weren't for his little brother, he probably would've been fast asleep by that point.
"Flare, turn that down," he grumbled into his pillow. As usual, Flare completely ignored the request, instead keeping his own attention firmly on the battle he was watching.
"But it's so cool, Red! Nidorino's winning!" Flare finally responded. Red lifted his head up just enough to look at the monitor that Flare's battle was on. As per usual, the boy's excitement had caused him to misjudge the contenders. Even from the small bit he could see, the Gengar that served as Nidorino's opponent clearly had the advantage due to its typing. Nidorino's poison type moves had little effect on the ghost and poison Pokemon that was fighting.
"At least use headphones. I have to get up early in the morning," Red reminded his little brother.
"Oh yea! The professor is giving you and Green Pokemon! I heard that the one's he has for you are really rare and awesome, not like the usual starters the League sends," Flare lit up with excitement, even though Red was the one getting a Pokemon. Red shrugged in answer to the statement. He'd heard similar rumors, especially since Professor Oak had asked him and Green to refrain from requesting starter Pokemon when they'd sent in their applications for trainer licenses. He didn't want to get his hopes up too much, though.
"Any Pokemon would really be fine with me," and that was true. He layed back down on his bed with his eyes to the ceiling, having given up on getting any real sleep. Rather than being picky with the kind of Pokemon he got, what Red really wanted was for their oldest brother to be able to see him off on his journey, but that was impossible. For a split second, he thought about trying to call the hospital. It wasn't like there was any point, though. If there was any change, they would've already called their mom about it. Still, he felt the urge to call, just to see. As if Flare could sense what Red was thinking, the younger boy looked up to the top bunk where Red was.
"You're thinking about Satoshi now, aren't you?" Flare asked Red, sadness flickering through his light blue eyes. He and Red had the same eyes, and they were both pretty sure Satoshi shared that trait with them. Neither could really remember, and they were both getting increasingly afraid that Satoshi would never wake up for them to find out.
"Yea. I wish he was here," Red replied with a sigh. "But maybe he'll wake up in time to see you leave, though."
"I hope so… they'll tell us if anything happens, right?" by this point, Flare wasn't watching the Pokemon battling on the screen anymore.
"Of course they will," Red assured. The worried look on his brother's face didn't go away, though. Then, it was replaced by a slightly more embarrassed one.
"Can I sleep with you tonight?" he finally asked. It had been awhile since Flare had asked that. It caught Red a bit off guard.
"Aren't you a bit old to be sleeping in my bed? Plus, you'll be right below me anyway," Red said.
"I know, but it's your last night before leaving… plus, you're good at keeping away the nightmares," Flare went a bit quieter. Even after a few years, Flare still had nightmares about Satoshi's accident, even though no one really knew what had even happened. They only knew that it had been a dark and stormy night the first day of Satoshi's own Pokemon journey. He'd wanted to go challenge the Pokemon League with the goal of someday becoming the Champion himself. Instead, their older brother had ended up in a year's long coma with little chance of waking up.
"Ok, fine then. But just this once," Red secretly hid a grin as Flare rushed over to the ladder to the top bunk, almost forgetting to turn off the computer.
"Thank you," he said as he reached the top, squeezing Red tightly in a bit of an awkward sibling hug. At least it was awkward for Red, since he wasn't the huggiest of people.
"You're welcome," Red murmured, finally able to get some rest.
Red!
At the sound of his name, Red opened his eyes to realize that he was standing. He had absolutely no clue where he was. Tall trees, with blackened trunks and no leaves, loomed around him confusing his sense of direction. They looked dead. A strange, purple black mist swirled around him in the forest, obscuring his view of the sky.
"Hello?" he called out to the mysterious speaker, unsure of who was talking. "Who are you?"
Follow me, the voice said again. The strangest part was that there was no noise accompanying the voice. He merely heard it in his mind. He spun around, searching for whoever was speaking. A glimpse of pink flashed at the edge of his vision, and he turned to it, almost immediately losing it again in the deep mist. The voice had sounded almost like a scared child who needed help, so he started walking in the direction that he'd seen the color. As he went, everything looked the same, and he wasn't sure if he was even going the right way.
You must help us, free us, save us, it came again. Red frantically turned around and around, losing himself in the misty landscape. Suddenly, the flash of pink came again, and he ran after it, only managing to turn himself around even more. Finally he came to a stop at the edge of a cliff, overlooking what looked like his hometown, Pallet Town. Except, it couldn't have been Pallet Town. Everything was destroyed, in ruins, surrounded by the same purple mist that was in the dead forest. There was motion in the mist, but Red was too far away to make out what was moving. He turned away from the scene, unable to look on any more, only to come face to face with what was probably the strangest Pokemon he'd ever seen. Like a pink, hairless cat with a long tail and very fine fur. Whoever it was was floating around him, darting around in the air.
I have come to show you your future. However, it is one that will only come to pass if you allow it, the Pokemon said with the same voice from before.
"Who are you? What do you mean my future?" Red was only getting more and more confused by the second.
I am merely your guide. Seek out the lightning healer of Viridian. She will show you the way, at that, the swirling mists began to condense around Red, hiding the strange Pokemon from his sight.
"Wait, I don't understand!" he called out as a strange buzzing noise sounded in his ears. It was penetrating and annoying, like the sound of a Beedrill swarm. It got louder and louder, seeming to penetrate his very brain. The discomfort caused him to stumble backwards, losing his balance on the edge of the cliff. Just as he was about to fall, the colors of everything changed, and he was back home lying in his bed, having just woken up. He groaned, opening his eyes to see the bright sunlight filtering through the shades covering his window. He stuck his hand under his pillow to shut off his vibrating Pokegear, wondering why it didn't play the usual alarm noise. He laid there for a second, thinking about his dream. The details were already slipping away, but he certainly remembered the strange Pokemon and the message it had given.
"Flare get up," he mumbled, shaking his younger brother slightly. It wasn't hard to reach him. The small eleven year old was clinging onto Red in his sleep like a Komala to a log.
"I don't wanna go to school," Flare whined a bit. In response, Red wiggled out of Flare's grasp. "Hey!"
"It's Saturday dunderhead, there's no school. You've gotta let me get up so I can go to the lab," Red got up and made his way down the ladder. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Flare had rolled back underneath the blankets and was currently burying his face in the pillows. How he never suffocated like that, Red had no clue. Maybe Flare breathed through his skin or something like a Poliwag.
Red quickly got dressed in a black t-shirt and some jeans before grabbing his red jacket from the back of the desk chair. Then he rushed downstairs to the kitchen for breakfast, nearly falling down the stairs in the process.
"Woah there Red. Slow down. The professor isn't going to leave any time soon," Red's mom was already standing in the kitchen, making pancakes.
"I'm fine, don't worry. Are those chocolate chip?" Red asked, gesturing to the pancakes. His mom's chocolate chip pancakes were the best in all of Kanto, maybe even the world. They were always fluffy with gooey chocolate dripping out of every bite.
"Of course. I wanted to see you off with your favorite breakfast. Is Flare up?" she asked, sliding the pancake she'd been making onto a plate.
"Sorta. He slept with me last night, so my alarm woke him up, but I think he went back to sleep. Don't worry, though, I'll come back later to introduce you guys to my new Pokemon of course," Red said as the pancakes were served.
"Alrighty then. By the way, I found something outside that you might like," Red's mom held up a small pink stone that glinted strangely in the light. She handed it to Red, who looked more closely at it. It had a hole through the middle as well. Looking at it gave Red a strange feeling, as if he'd seen it before. That was a silly thought. It was just a pretty rock. It wasn't like it was the second coming of Arceus or something. Then again, if he looked very carefully, he could've sworn he could see a faint glow coming from the center of the stone. Maybe it was an evolution stone.
"Wow," he whispered as he turned it over in his hands. Despite the fact that it probably wasn't anything special, it was still a really pretty stone. "It's really cool mom, thanks!" he smiled widely, knowing exactly what he was going to do with it.
"I thought since it had a hole in it, you could start a chain like Green's," his mom suggested, as if she had read his mind.
"That's a great idea. And I know exactly what to start it with," Red pulled a long steel chain up from around his neck. He almost never took it off, but now was a good time as any. He unclipped it to slide on the stone, which slid all the way to the bottom to rest next to the two dog tags that were already hanging on it. "There. Fitting to start a memory chain with dad's dog tags and a stone to remind me of the day I started my journey, right?" he finished, slipping the chain back over his head.
"I like that. Just be careful not to put too many things on it, or else you'll strain your neck," his mom joked. She gave him a sad smile before turning back to the stove. It reminded Red of how lucky he was to even be going on a journey in the first place, especially after what happened to Satoshi.
Checking the time, Red realized that it was almost time to go, so he scarfed down the rest of his pancakes. He jumped up as soon as he was finished, raring to go.
"I've gotta go now, so I'm not late," he jumped up, almost knocking over his chair. He put his plate in the sink before rushing over to the front door.
"Be careful, ok?" his mom came over to give him a hug before letting him go.
"Don't worry mom, I will," he squeezed her hand slightly. Grinning widely, he pulled open the door. The day was already brilliant, and the wind was just cold enough to make him glad that he had grabbed his jacket earlier. "Bye mom!" he called out before running out into the brand new day.
This was not a good week at all. At least it wasn't for a certain thief waiting out the day at the edge of Pallet Town. First, Blue had gotten caught out in the rain for a few days, and then she'd been attacked by a flock of pigeons of all things. Pigeons! They weren't even Pokemon. It was embarrassing.
Annoyed by the turn of events, she looked down at the five Pokeballs clipped to her belt. All five were empty, but they wouldn't be for long. Soon, she wouldn't be all on her own anymore. All she had to do was wait for Professor Oak to leave the lab for the night, and then she'd be free to make off with whatever Pokemon was left. She didn't care what Pokemon it was as long as she could get to it. With a big sigh, Blue leaned back against the tree behind her, ready to wait for the moment when she could finally have a Pokemon of her own.