Disclaimer: The day I own Pokémon is the day I change the plot. As such I am not the owner of Pokémon.

Chapter 1: Lyra

Lyra walked along the road, skipping happily. It was not because of any particular reason, she was just happy as a person. Anyone in New Bark town, her hometown, would have told you that. Her motto was that she had no reason not to be happy, despite living alone with her mother.

As she skipped home she noticed her mother, a middle-aged, well off woman, talking on her pokegear.

"Hi mom!" Lyra said, coming to a stop in front of her mother who was just now putting her phone away.

"Rosa, its good that you got here so quickly!" Her mother said. "I just got a call from an old friend. Tell me, do you remember professor Elm?"

"Wasn't he the one who gave Jackson his Larvitar?"

Jackson was one of Rosa's oldest friends, being only a year older, but he had left on his own journey, about two years ago. She hadn't heard from him all that time. Lyra had another friend, Ethan, who never left New Bark, mostly because she was here, and he was waiting for her to get a pokemon so he could be her rival. He too had a pokemon, but he had raised it from an Azurill.

"That's the one." Her mother replied, snapping Lyra back to reality.

"What about him?"

"He recently just moved here." Her mother replied "And he wants to talk to you! HE lives next door in the new lab."

"OK!" Lyra said, with a smile. Was she finally going to get a pokemon of her own?
Turning, she skipped back towards the new lab, which was about twenty feet away. Soon she was looking up at the double-decker house. Opening the door she peeked inside.

"Hello? Anyone home?" She called out.

"Oh, hello!" A middle-aged man suddenly appeared in front of her, wearing a labcoat and glasses, and sticking out a hand to shake. "You must be Lyra. I'm professor Elm."

Accepting the hand, she was soon following him to the back of the laboratory, where there was a small station with three pokeballs on it, each marked with a different insignia, which she assumed marked the balls content's type. One for fire, one for water, and one for grass. Her hope for a pokemon went up again.

"Lyra, do you know anything about my research?" Elm asked, speaking incredibly fast. "As you know, these days, pokemon are carried in pokeballs, but before those, people walked with their pokemon."

"Yup. I found that out in history class at school." Lyra replied, wondering whether or not this meant she would get a pokemon. "Ethan walks with his Marill too."

"Good. I would like to experiment with this." Elm said, confusing Lyra. "I want you to take one of these pokemon and-"

Elm was interrupted by a nearby pokegear suddenly ringing, and Elm walked over to pick it up.

"Hello? Oh Oak, what is it?" Elm asked, talking into the pokegear. "A new discovery? I'm busy, but I think I have another way."

As he finished the last sentence he looked towards Lyra, before placing the pokegear down, and walking over to her.

"Lyra, have you heard of Professor Oak?" Elm asked. "He's quite renowned as a Pokemon Professor. He just called me and told me he had found a new discovery, but I'm busy at the moment. Could I ask a favor of you?"

"Sure, what do you need done." Lyra asked, dawning a smile in hopes of recieving a pokemon.

"I need you to take one of these pokemon over to professor Oak and retrieve a package he has for me." Elm said, gesturing to the nearby machine. "Please keep the pokemon out of the ball, I'd like to study the effects of the short term."

"You want to hit two Pidgeys with one geodude?" Lyra asked.

"Precisely." Elm replied to the common term.

Walking over to the machine, she looked at each pokeball carefully. Finally choosing, she picked up the pokeball marked by the water insignia. Pressing the activation button, she unleashed the pokemon within.

"To-Totodoile!" said the small, almost crocodile-like pokemon. It smiled up at Lyra with a huge, toothy grin.

"Ah you chose Totodoile." Elm said, with a smile, "Watch out for his mouth. He'll eat anything."

"Thanks for the warning, professor." Lyra said, returning the smile with one of her own, even as Totodile began doing a little dance. "But I think we'll get along pretty well."

"Why do you say that?" Asked a confused Elm.
"Oh, no reason." Lyra replied. In truth, she had felt something almost calling to her from the ball. She felt like she had heard the chimes of faraway bells.

"Ok, then." Elm said, still slightly confused. "Oh, would you like to name your pokemon? Some trainers do."

"Maybe later. I'm not sure what to call him right now."

"Alright then. Have a safe journey."

Turning, she waved goodbye to the professor, and walked out, Totodile in tow. As soon as she was out the door however, she saw Marill and her friend Ethan.

"Oh hey, Lyra!" Ethan yelled over, before noticing Totodile, hiding behind Lyras leg. Oh, hey you got a pokemon!"

Crouching down to the hiding crocodile, Ethan held out a hand to the pokemon, a warm smile on his face.

"To-todo?" Totodile said, curious, his perpetual grin a perfect mask. Slowly making his way to the hand, he first sniffed it, tilting his head in curiosity.

Then the toothy mouth suddenly clamped down around Ethan's hand.

"Gah!" Ethan yelled out, shaking his hand wildly, trying to get the biting crocodile off.

"Totodile!" Lyra yelled, pulling on the small pokemon's jaws, trying to open them. "Ethan is my friend, don't bite him!"

Totodile suddenly let go, and for a moment Lyra and Ethan were suspended in the air, looking at each other in surprise. Then they both fell back, landing, hard.

"Owwww…" They both said, rubbing their backs.

"Sorry about him, he isn't used to being around so many humans in one day." Lyra said. "Oh, you're bleeding!"

"Nah it's fine." Ethan replied, shaking his slightly bleeding hand. "The little guy has a strong bite."

"Yeah…" Lyra said, concerned. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yup." Ethan said, even as Marill washed his hand with a water gun. "It'll be fine."

"Ok." Lyra said. "Well I have to go. Off to see Professor Oak."

"The Professor Oak?" Ethan asked, suddenly curious.

"Yup." Lyra replied,

"Wow." Ethan sad, whistling "Put in a good word for me?"

Lyra simply smiled, rolling her eyes as she thought a single word: Boys.

"See ya!" Ethan said, beginning to chase his Marill. Lyra watched as he ran across the small town.

Turning to the woods she began her journey into the world of Pokemon.

…...

"How is the Operation: Azalea continuing, Tyrant?" The Rocket Executive, Archer asked, speaking to the masked, middle-sized, man crouching on a ledge. They were on one of Goldenrod City's many skyscrapers. 'Tyrant' was kneeling next to a gargoyle set on a ledge.

"The grunts have yet to be able to sneak past the woods." Tyrant replied, his voice slightly deepened by his mask, whose only design was the four arrows pointing towards the center, forming an 'X' shape. Other than that he was wearing a regular Team Rocket uniform. "They continue to tell me the reason is due to the trees and local pokemon getting in their way. I suggest sending an overseer, in order to make sure the operation is done correctly."

"Very well. I'll send Proton." Archer replied, scowling at the mention of the grunt's incompetence. "Just to make sure the operation is done flawlessly."

"He strives for perfection, too often. It can get in the way of quick results. I suggest Ariana. She is a better fighter."

"She can be too overbearing on the grunts. And she is too hot-headed for such a boring task."

"If not her then send me. At least as a reserve."

Archer thought it over for a few moments, his head tilted in thought.

"Very well. You will be there only as a reserve. Proton doesn't need to know of you. If anything goes wrong and Proton is inequipped… handle it."

"Yes, sir."

Tyrant jumped off the ledge, and Archer watched as he sent out a Pidgeotto, flying on it's back, towards Azalea Town.