Rattata scurried up the apricorn tree, claws on bark clicking.

"コラッタ!" he called back.

"Hey, wait up!" Joey chased after him, stopping at the tree's roots to look up at his furry friend, who seemed to enjoy taunting him like this. The sprightly young boy grabbed hold of the first branch and the next, hoisting himself up shortly to Rattata's level.

"Wow!" said Joey, marveling at the plentiful bunches hanging all around them, amidst the foliage flecked with newly changing autumn gold. "Good find!"

"コラッ."

He pinched one of the orange-red fruits. The apricorns wouldn't ripen for another three weeks at least, but somehow Uncle wanted them this way, far too firm and tart for the taste. Not for eating, though. For the workshop.

One by one he plucked the suitably young ones off the branch, which he gripped with his other hand for balance, until he had filled his shoulder-bag with as much as he could carry. The rest could wait till harvest.

"コラッ?" Rattata perked up his ears all of a sudden. He dropped at once to the ground into a crunch of fallen leaves, darting away along the forest path whence they had come.

"Hey!" Joey jumped straightaway from the tree, landing with a thud on the soft earth, and followed through the brushwood, twigs cracking underfoot. This was no prank. Rattata must have sensed something, something worth running from. A predator, perhaps? The beedrills ruled the Ilex Forest, they and the noctowls, by day and night in turn. One sting from the vicious insect could paralyze a man; two could make him go mad. Three stings – well, Joey preferred not to wonder.

They emerged into the open air, at the base of the short hill leading up to the village, where Joey spied Rattata up ahead, a speck of white and purple cutting through the grass. Back to the cottage? Why the hurry, then?

He found the road deserted. Azalea Town wasn't exactly the most bustling metropolis this side of the Silvers, but this time of afternoon one might have expected to see at least a few folks milling about. But no, nothing. The bubbling brook, the hum of the ledybas, distant voices...

By the time he got up to their little house, Rattata had reached the wooden door, scratching at its base. He cracked it open to let them both in, feeling a certain sense that he should latch it behind him.

"Uncle?"

He dropped his apricorns by the doorstep. Iron tools and empty vessels lay strewn in disarray about the room. The furnace had no fire, but a thick layer of charcoal dust covered the floor. Joey knew what that meant – Uncle had told him enough tales of blacksmithing accidents. They ran up the stairs to the bedroom, also coated black with the incendiary powder.

"Uncle?"

He stood by the window, blowing the silent whistle he reserved for the most urgent of times. "Joey!" He turned, dropping the instrument from his lips. "Thank the gods!"

"What is it?"

"We don't have much time," he replied curtly, emptying a box of papers from the floor onto his bed. "They'll be here any moment."

No, it couldn't be... "The Imperials?"

"They're here. They're checking every house."

Uncle had mentioned it before, but Joey had always dismissed it as harmless paranoia. What business had the Empire all the way out here? Blackthorn and New Bark had bent the knee to Kanto, but Azalea?

"What? How?"

The old man upended another box, finding what he wanted – a thin, flat package, wrapped in brown leather and tied up with twine. His eyes darted about the room as he crouched down in front of Joey.

"Listen carefully," he began, his voice shaking. "Take this." He folded Joey's hands around the rectangular parcel, and then produced a scrap of papyrus, presenting it as well. "Read these instructions."

Joey obliged, doing his best with Uncle's hasty, cryptic scribbles. "Saffron City?" he protested. "That must be a thousand–"

Uncle pressed a finger over Joey's lips. "They may already be listening!"

"But what does this mean?"

"Have you memorized it?"

"Yes, but–"

Uncle snatched the paper out of his hand, and, to his astonishment, crumpled it into his own mouth and swallowed.

"Unc–"

A rapping at the door below cut him off, draining the blood from his face. "Open the door!" someone shouted outside. "In the Champion's name!"

Uncle lowered his voice to a whisper. "We have friends there. Don't be afraid."

"But I am."

"I have faith in you, you and Rat. Promise you will do this. Promise you won't let them take it. Or you." His words were solemn, final.

"I promise, Uncle," Joey replied.

The knocking downstairs intensified. "We know you're in there. This is your last warning!"

He gave Joey a rushed hug. "Now go. Out the window. Run!"

"You're coming too!"

The old man stood and turned around, taking up a tinderbox from the pile of items. "Gods speed, Joey. I love you."

Joey gaped in horror.

"Machoke, break it down," he heard the muted order. A cry of "ゴーリキー!" and a splintering of wood.

"Go!" Uncle commanded.

Joey peered down through the window beside him. He climbed up onto the sill, holding the parcel under his arm, and Rattata jumped up on him to cling to his collar.

He glanced back at Uncle one last time. The man wore a serene face, eyes closed, muttering some prayer, flint in one hand and steel in the other. Joey could hardly bear to turn away from him, knowing what he meant to do. But Joey had promised. It would not be in vain.

He hurled himself out the window, bracing for the impact into the thorny thicket below. Like jumping from a tree. He surveyed their ways of escape. The hill led down just a short dash back to the woods. They could hide safe among the trees for a time...

"You there!" A sentinel stood over him, brandishing a spear. He bore on his shoulder what Joey knew as the Champion's crest. "Hold it!"

"コラッタ!" Rattata sprung up before Joey could think. The little monster seized upon the enemy, sinking his fangs into the soldier's bare neck, whose spurting warm blood sprayed them both as he collapsed with a weak gurgle.

There was no time for fear, only to run. And run they did, mouse and boy, down the grassy slope, away from the violent blast that destroyed in an instant what they had once called home, away into the forest, into the wild's dark embrace.

Next chapter: Challenge

Author's Notes

This story's setting is a geographically enlarged, pre-tech version of Kanto and Johto from the RBY/GSC games. The characters are mostly from the anime, although Ash is replaced with Red, since Ash doesn't fit the role. I try to develop them in their own direction here, so I hope no one will be offended by departures from canon, but you can think of the characters as "inspired" by their namesakes.

Pokémon names are capitalized as proper names and lowercase as common nouns (e.g. "A pidgey flew over Pikachu's head"). Their vocalizations are written in katakana to distinguish them from human speech (ピカチュウ=Pikachu, コラッタ=Rattata, etc.).

This is looking up to be a fairly long story. While I won't commit to a specific update schedule, I do have at least the first dozen chapters plotted out, which I'll post as fast as I can write (assuming that people actually express interest, and I'm not just wasting my time...)

Please subscribe/read/review – if you send me your own story I'll return the favor. Enjoy!