So I did it again… More rewrites! This time I actually have four chapters and I'm going to put two up today and the others tomorrow. If you guys like it please tell me! A review or PM is appreciated with any constructive criticism or whatever! Enjoy!

Chapter 1: Life

Oh I fucked up big now. I was being chased by three seniors out to my rusty Pontiac; unlocking it furiously as I ran. My name's Josh. I was your typical 18 year old high school student living in Jackson, Michigan. I wasn't in shape but I was skinny. I had dark brown hair and wore glasses. I wasn't the type to get into this type of situation but I guess life's unpredictable.

It wasn't much to set these guys off. The only thing I did was witness a drug deal and they got scared that I would snitch. I flung the car door open but that's as far as I got. I was nailed across the cheek with a right hook. I staggered and retaliated with my own that made good solid contact. I backed away from my car and kept trying to defend myself from punches that they were throwing. One would try to throw a punch, I would try my best to dodge or block it (or at least not get hit in the face) and try to hit my attacker with my own before they backed off. Eventually they got smart and they all rushed me. I got knocked down and was beaten until they got bored. Once they left I was bloody, out of breath, and reluctant to move.

I just laid there for a while reflecting about the whole thing. I don't know how long it was until I decided to get up but I stopped by a gas station to pick up a drink and a Powerball ticket before driving back to my house in the ghetto. Burglary and assault was usually as bad as it got around here but it was a common occurrence. I really hated it and I know one day we'll get out of here. I lived in a single story house that was a bit smaller than a house in the suburbs but perfectly average for the area I lived in right now. I pulled up in front of our garage and walked into the house.

I opened the door and threw my bag up on the counter. While I was taking my shoes off Shadow, my Umbreon, came up the stairs to the basement where my room was.

He looked at me disapprovingly and shook his head, "What did you do, Josh?" he sighed.

I explained to him what happened, "Well, i'm sorry Josh, I feel bad for you."

Shadow, at least physically, was just an Umbreon. He was covered in a thick midnight black fur, had a set of deep red eyes that gave me chills when I first saw them, and the bright yellow rings on his fur that glowed in the moonlight. He had a great sense of humor, loved sarcasm, and could take a joke better than most people I knew. He always tried to find the best of a situation and tried to be polite to everybody. He was a Christmas gift from my parents from my mom 10 years ago when my parents were still together as an Eevee. He was always there to look out for me like the brother I never had. I still feel this way today. He evolved when I was 12 and I gave him the name Shadow.

"You gonna be okay?" He asked.

"I'll feel it in the morning but I'm okay for now. You still want go to the park?"

"Yeah!" I grabbed a basketball and we headed out. The park wasn't anything special, just a field with a fence around it where some run down houses used to be.

"How's about we work on psychic?" I told him.

"Sounds good to me!" he shouted. He had worked his way across the field got ready. I tossed the ball high into the air. It came down a few feet in front of Shadow and he rushed to catch it. The ball was enveloped in a blue aura and levitated near Shadow whose eyes were glowing a bright light blue. He used his mind to launch the ball straight back towards me. I caught it with my chest; the impact took the breath straight out of me and I threw the ball violently back at my friend. This time instead of catch it he used protect. A turquoise shield expanded around him and the ball bounced off harmlessly leaving water-like ripples on the shield.

We trained like this a few times a week depending on how we're feeling. Back in 2000 when Pokemon first started appearing in the United States 13 people who loved Pokemon decided to start the American Pokemon League or APL. They had 8 gyms in 8 major cities all over the country and the league finals were held just outside New York City. It's been Shadow's dream to try and participate in this and i've always been there to try and help him along the way. We probably would never have the opportunity to do it but if we could afford it I'd love to see Shadow's strength for real.

This went on for a couple hours. The two of us were exhausted. We walked home admiring the sunset that was partially hidden by the houses. We got home and I sat down on the couch to watch some TV before going to bed. I flipped on the news and Shadow rested his head on my lap.

Most of the stories were boring, stupid, and for the most part nothing was important. The news ended and they showed winning lottery numbers. I paused it there and fished out my wallet.

"Did you really buy a ticket, Josh?"

Shadow hated the lottery. I tried to laugh it off, "Hey man, maybe we'll get lucky for once."

Shadow rolled his eyes and shook his head. I alternated from looking at the screen and the ticket lining up the numbers. They were a perfect match. Wut. I frantically looked up and down making sure my eyes weren't deceiving me. They weren't. I looked under the numbers on screen to see how much money I had just won. 506 million. Are you fucking kidding me.

I held the ticket in front of Shadow, "Read."

"Why? We lost anyways what's the point." He read it anyways, his eyes darting from the ticket to the TV and back again.

His eyes went wide, "You've gotta be joking. Are you for real?!"

I smiled and in an instant we were jumping up and down, yelling, and just having a good time. Our lives turned around in an instant.

"Shadow,",I started, "this is the last fucking night we spend in this fuckin house. After tonight, our new lives begin."

"Fuck yes!"

This is a short chapter. Most of them will be around three to four thousand words. It was more of an introduction to the story.