Journal Entry 1 - Inside the Wall
I've heard stories from the elders of times before this nightmare. Where people and Pokemon lived together peacefully, and no one abused their Pokemon (except for the occasional exception). But those times are definitely over. I guess it was only a matter of time until humanity's selfishness caught on to the advantage of Pokemon. About 60 years before I was born, the first strike had happened. In the powerful country of Valos, a colossal explosion rocked the world. It was an attack, to tis day sent by an unknown country. Half the population of Valos was decimated, and it was in ruins. The government decided to arrogantly strike back against Hearthland, which probably wasn't the attacker. They sent hundreds of huge flying-type Pokemon towards Hearthland, with a trainer on the back of each one. They dropped huge chemical capsules upon the country, which wiped out millions as well. Soon, other countries retaliated, and an all out war with Pokemon at the front lines began. Today, there isn't such thing as a "country" anymore. Governments were totally destroyed by anti-government organizations taking advantage of the situation. Now, to survive, you have to be part of a Team. Teams, I guess, sort of could be called "countries." They control territory, have their own rules, and don't like other teams. Lots of things were changed dramatically. For example, you don't get your Pokemon when your 10 anymore. You take a test when your 12, and if you pass, you get your first Pokemon at 16. This prevented any cocky pre-pubescent teams forming, and any ones that did were swiftly destroyed. I, however, didn't pass this so-called test, apparently. Anyone who didn't pass the test usually just did other jobs for the part of the Team they are in, such as cleaning or maybe even building. I was part of Team Stonewall, a huge team that were in control of every island in the Valos Strait. Now, Stonewall had enemies, but they didn't go on the offensive. They took advantage of their island terrain and instead invested in building a huge wall around the islands, hence it's name. So, everyday, me, the average 15 year old punk went on cannon duty, to protect our wall from invading teams. And, on my 16th birthday, this is where my story begins.
"Lance! Wake up, you fool!" a Stonewall Lieutenant roared outside of my cabin. "You're on cannon duty! We're expecting an attack again!" I woke up, irritated that I'd have to work on my 16th birthday. I looked around. My cabin was small, but it was basic, with a lamp providing the only light. I jumped off my dark gray bed and landed on the hard, steel floor. In the wall surrounding Team Stonewall's territory, were buildings that held around 70-100 cabins, each cabin being the home of a unlucky cannoneer like myself. I slipped out of my dark gray pajamas and put on my dark gray jumpsuit. Everything was dark gray. The clothes were, the food was (to my disgust), and basically everything was.
I walked out of my cabin, to see my fellow cannoneers running about, getting prepared. Your average Stonewall morning. Inside of the wall, not much was different. I looked up at the huge gray banner, saying the usual Stonewall propaganda; "The outside is dangerous. Only inside the Wall are you safe." I groaned. It was all just a big stinking pile of Pignite dung.
"And where have you been?" shouted the Stonewall Lieutenant from behind me.
"Getting ready. What, I can't slack off on my 16th birthday?" I replied, walking to my cannon station.
"Lance, you failed the test. You showed remorse for other Pokemon than yours. Now, go to your station!" the Lieutenant yelled quickly. I shrugged, and ran off to my cannon. My cannon was luckily on the same floor as my cabin, so I got to it just in time. I looked over the ocean through my cannon's scope. The ocean was as clear as day, no ships or hostile Pokemon to be found.
"Glad you could make it, Lance." someone whispered next to me. It was my friend Kyle, who also got the unfortunate job of cannon duty. We've known each other for as long as I could remember.
"So how was your morning, Kyle?" I asked, figuring there was nothing better to do than to make idle small talk.
"Eh, same as always. Woke up late. Lieutenant yelled at me. Said there was gonna be an attack today, but I don't buy it." Kyle replied, leaning against his cannon.
"Yeah. It always seems they're wrong." I replied as I looked at the ocean again. "Kyle, if you passe the test, what Pokemon would of you chose?" I asked.
"Well, uhm... Since Stonewall's starters all are Rock-types, I'd have to say I'd shoot for getting a Kabuto." Kyle replied, looking at the dimly lit roof of the Wall.
"But Kabuto's a Fossil Pokemon. They've not been revived yet." Lance shot back.
"I read in the Daily Digital that they managed to revive a Fossil Pokemon. I don't know if it's a Kabuto, but I want a Fossil Pokemon." Kyle said. We talked for the 7 hours we were stuck at the cannons, and not a single threat was spotted. I heard the ever familiar whistle of steam, and knew that our shift was over.
"Well, I'll see you around. I'm going out to grab a bite." I said, and bid Kyle goodbye.I went back to my cabin, and threw on my casual outfit; A dark-green t-shirt, with a pair of jeans. I also always carried a backpack with me, just in case I need to carry something. I headed to the huge gate of the Wall, and the sunlight blinded me. 7 hours of being in a dark place doesn't really do good when you first see the sun. I had gotten used to it though, and waited a few seconds for my eyes to adjust to the sudden change of lighting. I walked to the place I usually had lunch; The Stonewall Deli. It was the only place to eat near my side of the Wall, so I was sort of forced to go there. As I walked, I looked around the town. More Stonewall propaganda, stupid things like "The Wall is our savior" and "Stonewall protects you. Protect Stonewall." Inside the Wall, the primary mode of transportation, if you passed the Pokemon test, was riding on Gigaliths. They were provided free of charge from Team Stonewall, and they were only meant for transportation. But, I didn't pass the test, so I wasn't legible for Gigalith travel. I finally arrived, and felt hungrier than before. I ordered 3 of the classic "Rocky Sausage Dogs". They tasted OK, and were honestly the only OK food I've ever had in all of my years as a cannoneer. I sat at a bench, and began eating my first one. Out of the blue, a huge THUMP was heard. I put the three Rocky Sausage Dogs into my backpack and ran outside. Hundreds of flying Pokemon littered the sky. The Lieutenant was right, there was going to be an attack today, but not from the ocean. From the air.
As everyone was staring at awe, I had an idea. If this town was going to be attacked, I might as well use the confusion to my advantage. I jumped the fence, and started running towards the Pokemon Lab. It was soon after that I saw thousands of little tiny bombs falling from the sky. These were a lethal weapon in numbers, and this island was being bombed with them. I finally arrived at the Pokemon Lab, after dodging crashed Gigaliths and running as fast as I've gone in my life. I kicked down the locked doors, and to my relief, saw that it was already evacuated. To my displeasure, the ringing sound of the alarm was present too, which is the most annoying sound of anything ever. I plugged my ears and tried to jog my memory of where they kept the Pokemon. I finally recalled that it was in the East Wing, but that was when I heard the first mini-bomb come crashing down through the roof and exploded. Debris flew everywhere, but none of it hit me. I hurried over to the East Wing, following green arrows. When I arrived, the East Wing was in ruin. The attackers knew where to attack, I thought. I started to run for a black and green Pokeball, but a bomb crashed through and blew up right there next to it. That Pokeball, and whatever Pokemon that was maybe inside it, were gone. I looked around, and saw barely any undamaged Pokeballs left. I dodged debris and to my relief saw 3 Pokeballs on the ground. Two were regular old Pokeballs, and one was a regular one except it was blue rather than red. They looked fine. I reached for one, but then a little bomb blew up next to me. I was blown back into a table, and my ears were ringing. It was a better sound than the alarm, though.
I slowly got back up, to see that the other 2 Pokeballs were blown up, both of them the red ones. I reached for the blue one, which was still unharmed, and grabbed it. After, I needed a Pokesensor. They were devices that told you what type the Pokemon was, and how much health they had left. They could also heal pokemon outside of a battle. I searched for one, and to my luck found a slightly dented one. I pressed the blue button in the center and to my relief it still worked, and had 76% battery left. I put it in my backpack and bolted out the window, which was shattered from the blasts. I had gotten a Pokemon, now to get out of the town. I heard screams of terrified people everywhere, but they didn't matter. In this world, you can only trust yourself. I quickly bolted, following floating holographic signs to the nearest exit. On the way to the nearest exit, a bomb dropped on my head. It didn't explode, but it did hurt me pretty badly. I kicked it away just in time, and it exploded, crumbling a house. I shrugged, and touched my head. I looked at my hand, and to my displeasure saw a tiny bit of red blood. I cursed under my breath, but didn't have time for this. I started running again. Soon, I reached the exit. To my disbelief, no guards were there. I looked at the gate, and wondered how I would open it. I looked at my Pokeball I'd obtained from the Pokemon Lab. "Alright, whatever you are. Lets do this. Go whatever-type-of-Pokemon-you-are!" I shouted as I pressed the button on the Pokeball. A shining flash of light came out as the Pokemon was revealed.
A small, turtle- like pokemon came out. It's body was a sort of dark blue with black spots on the edges of its flippers. It's shell was a pure black, with six indentations in it. It's beak was a pure black as well, and it looked pretty irritated. I pulled out my Pokesensor, and scanned it. "Ok, you're a Tirtouga. Level 5, you know Tackle and Rollout. Neat." I said to myself. "And, you don't have a current owner, apparently. Brilliant!" I yelled. "Ok, Tirtouga. Listen to me." I said in a soft voice to the young blue turtle. The turtle looked at me with curious eyes. "Um... use Rollout and roll around for a bit. Then, smack that gate with all your strength!" I commanded the Tirtouga to do. The turtle turned it's head, and nodded. It went into it's shell, and turned on it's side. Then, it rolled around in a circle 2 times, then slammed into the gate. The gate rattled, then fell down. Tirtouga's head popped out, observing what he had done. "And they said I couldn't have a Pokemon..." I whispered to myself. I looked out the gate, and saw rolling hills. I tried to spot a cave, but I didn't find any. "Well, Tirtouga, we're offically Loners now. No team, nothing. Let's do this." I said to the turtle which I now called my Pokemon.
Review please! It will make Tirtouga happy!