Hi everyone! This is my first fanfic and my first time writing a story, so hopefully it's okay. I plan on adding chapters regularly, so enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Pokémon, nor am I affiliated with it in any way.

Chapter 1

Ryley stared blankly out of his office window, as he did all too often, watching the orange sun slowly dip down under the horizon, and let out a sigh. His life was a dull, predictable cycle. Every day, he'd get up, go to work, and go home again, with nothing interesting or unusual in between.

He worked for the Devon Corporation, at their headquarters in Rustboro. Devon is a company known worldwide for developing advanced Pokéballs and various other appliances. However, he didn't have one of the leading research jobs, and he wasn't part of the exciting field team, who tried and reviewed the developments. He worked in the corner of the main office building as IT support.

He picked up the job after he'd finished college 4 months ago. At about the same time, he moved out of his parent's house and into a small apartment nearer to his workplace. It was a shabby building, but as one of the few cheap properties in Rustboro, Ryley had little choice.

"Hey, Ryley, you actually gonna leave?" said his friend Aaron, bringing him out of his trance. Ryley looked down at his watch and saw that it was indeed closing time. He picked up his small, beige backpack, shut down his computer and then walked off to the exit with Aaron at his side.

"Do you ever think of leaving Rustboro, Aaron?" Ryley asked, as they left the lobby. It wasn't raining, and the evening sun was still warm on Ryley's skin.

"Nah, not really. I like it here." Aaron replied with a shrug. "Besides, I can always walk down to Petalburg if I want a holiday."

Ryley turned to Aaron and sighed. "But don't you want to go somewhere other than Petalburg? Verdanturf isn't far. I heard it has great food." He smirked.

"They say you can't go through the Rusturf Tunnel unless you have a Pokémon now. Too many Geodudes live there, and they're pissed that we keep smashing their food to make more room." Aaron said. Exploration never occurred as a good idea to him, unlike Ryley.

"Well, I don't plan on staying here forever, let me tell you." Ryley said, as he began to make for his apartment. "See ya." He shouted as Aaron headed to another part of the city. Aaron waved quickly and wandered off, his golden hair gently moving in the breeze.

Ryley walked up to his apartment, and fumbled around for his key. The sun had just disappeared under the horizon and bright orange streetlights started to flicker on like flames all around the city. He caught a quick sighting of a lone Zubat out hunting, rapidly flapping its little wings in an almost comical way. His door unlocked with a faint 'clunk' and he went inside, tossing his backpack into the corner and kicking off his old black sneakers.

He went to go and examine himself in his bathroom mirror; a daily ritual of his. He saw the same baggy eyes and messy light brown hair as there was yesterday, and the days and weeks before. He also noticed his slim frame, something he's had since he was a child. After splashing some water on his face and seeing no improvement, his ritual was over.

He made himself a small instant noodle meal and sat down at his desk, eating whilst watching a Pokémon battle from the Hoenn Regional Tournament in Slateport. A Raichu fired off a devastating thunderbolt attack at a Mightyena, who made a poor attempt to dodge and fainted shortly after. The trainer gave his Raichu a high-five before carrying on, receiving cheers from the crowd.

Once the battle was over, Ryley turned off the TV, threw his noodle pot into a bin and leapt onto his bed, in the corner of his apartment. Like earlier, he began to enter a trance, but his relaxation was short lived.

A loud moaning noise could be heard from outside, and a small, dark figure shot past his window. It appeared to be falling, so Ryley got out of his bed and glanced out of his window, with the cool night air blowing in and making him shiver. He looked down and saw a hole in the normally perfect bush that sits directly below his window. The bush was rustling, but not as much as others, so it couldn't be the breeze. Ryley shuffled into his sneakers, hurriedly put on his grey hoodie and rushed downstairs to investigate.

By the time Ryley had reached the bush it was shaking even more violently than earlier. He cautiously approached, and once he had reached the plant, it stopped shaking altogether. He slowly pushed some leaves out of the way and fell back in shock. A gleaming white eye stared at him. After being analysed by the creature for what seemed like hours, the shaking began once more. The bush made a loud snapping noise that further startled Ryley before a Pokémon burst out, tackling him in the stomach. Ryley was instantly winded as he fell back, gasping for air. In the orange glow of a streetlamp, the Pokémon walked along besides him and peered into his eyes once more.

"Baaaaaagon!" It cried.