"My child..." a deep, echoing voice called out.
In a bright field of dozens of different varieties of flowers, a young woman was laying down on her back, sleeping peacefully.
"Wake up, my child..." the voice said again.
The young woman's bright blue eyes slowly opened to a strange view. A long streak of stars stretched across the sky above her, the rest of the pitch black sky dotted with bright stars and celestial clouds. A crisp, refreshing breeze blew her golden brown hair lightly as she sat up and looked around. A rainbow-like assortment of flowers surrounded her, dousing the area in an alluring, spring-like aroma. She appeared to be on top of a mountain's peak, a place she didn't recognize at all. At the far end of the field of flowers was a pool of pristine, clear water that seemed to glimmer dimly under the light of the stars.
As if against her own will, the young woman stood up and walked towards the spring. The mystical sight seemed to pull at her subconscious as she slowly strolled toward it. Confused, she asked, "Where am I?" There was no response. As she reached the outer bank of the spring, a faint and ghostly shape that she could not identify rose from the center of the spring.
"My child, what is your name?" the figure said in its echoed voice.
"Huh?" she asked, even more confused. Upon receiving no response again, she answered. "Andrea."
"Andrea... Yes..."
Andrea tilted her head to the side, still perplexed at what was happening and where she was.
"You are the child I am looking for."
"What's going on? Where am I?" she asked.
"You will know soon enough." the figure said before descending back into the spring and fading from view.
Andrea turned around and looked at the field of flowers, then up at the sky. Thoughts raced through her mind as she tried to understand what the figure was, what it might have meant and why it was looking for her. She walked back out into the field as her vision slowly started to fade to black.
The sun was shining brightly into the small room through the open window. A light but refreshing breeze flowed through the window, carrying with it the scent of the pristine morning ocean. In a bed in the corner of the room, frizzy golden brown hair poked out from under a pink and red blanket.
The radio next to the bed rolled over to 9:00 AM and turned on. "Gooooood morning, Storm! Island! This is your host on STAR, Eliza!"
A low and exhausted grumble came from under the covers of the bed. A hand emerged from under the blanket and aimlessly struggled to find the snooze button on the radio, but failed.
The radio continued loudly. "...tell us what's in store for today, George!"
"Another brutal day, Eliza. Temperatures in the triple digits are a given, especially later in the day with a projected high temperature of 109 degrees!"
Another grumble came from under the blanket. The blanket exploded off as the person under it pushed it away rapidly, revealing Andrea. She sat up and pressed the snooze button on the radio, then stretched and yawned. "Not another scorcher..." she mumbled to herself with disappointment. This had been the eighth straight day of triple digit temperatures across the southern shores of Storm Island. Having lived in Azure Ridge her entire life, Andrea was accustomed to the heat waves that gripped the region in the early summer, but she certainly didn't like them. She pushed herself out of bed and wandered over to the open window.
There wasn't a single cloud in sight all the way to the horizon. The sky was a deep tropical blue and the ocean was an even deeper, richer blue. The wind had picked up, blowing through the palm trees quite fiercely. As she stared out into the ocean, a small red, white and blue feathered bird dive bombed onto the window sill and hopped around, pecking at the wood in a feverish attempt to find a small seed to eat.
Andrea swatted the bird away. "Get, you... flying rat!" she shouted. As the bird flew away, she sighed, then turned around and walked over to the dresser next to her bed. As she opened it, she saw herself in the mirror. Her white and sky blue striped pajamas were a crinkled mess and her hair was frizzy and unruly. She dug around in the drawers for something she hoped would be appropriate for the hot weather. She had remembered that most of her clothes were still piled up in the corner, waiting to be thrown into the laundry, so she picked out what she had left over; a pair of shin length, olive green khaki pants along with a red and white french-striped tank top. She carried them over to a small room off to the side and disappeared behind the door.
Nearly half an hour had passed before she reemerged from the small room in her fresh change of clothes. Her damp hair dripped along the floor as she attempted to dry it with a soft brown towel. As she did so, she tried to make sense of the dream she had overnight. Not finding any rational explanations, she chalked it up to just another one of her weird dreams. Grabbing her purse, she bunched up the towel and tossed it onto the growing pile of clothes in the corner of her room and walked over to the stairs.
It was busy downstairs. The scent of freshly cut sand pears was thick in the air, as was the alluring aroma of sizzling bacon. An orange canine creature with black stripes and tufts of puffy white fur sat at the foot of the oven, panting and wagging its bushy white tail happily. It barked with joy as a woman walked over with a basket full of berries and placed them on the table next to the stove.
"Well, you're certainly full of energy this morning, Spud!" she said, kneeling down and rubbing his cheeks. "Who's a good boy?"
The creature barked again.
"Marv, come get your mutt! He's in the way again!" she called out as she flipped the bacon in the frying pan.
A tall, brown haired man walked in from the other room. He was wearing a Storm Island Police Force uniform which was covered in numerous awards and badges. "Now, now, Meredith. You know how Spud feels about being called a mutt." he said, taking a seat at the table. The Growlithe jumped up and began to lick his face with appreciation, barely fitting on his master's lap. "Did you catch the news this morning?" he asked. "Has there been any word about the Slate Valley cave in?"
Meredith pulled two strips of bacon from the frying pan and placed them onto a plate, adding in a sliced up sand pear as well. As she served the meal to her husband, she said, "There's been a few words, but they've amounted to nothing."
"It's such a damn shame," he said. "They worked so hard to get the subway system up and running, and now the grand opening is being delayed again!" he said as he raised a piece of the bacon to his mouth. Before he could react, his Growlithe snatched the bacon quickly and scurried out of the room, leaving him wide eyed at what just happened.
As the Growlithe ran out of the room, he nearly knocked over Andrea. "Morning," she said. "How are you two?"
Marvin looked up from his plate to see his daughter standing there. "I'm fine, getting ready for work. How are you this morning?" Andrea sighed upon her father mentioning his job, having been recently fired from her own. "Oooh... I guess you're still getting over being replaced, huh, sport?"
"It's just not fair..." she replied sadly. She remembered the day it happened clear as day. She had worked at the Crimson Crawdaunt as an assistant manager until the arrival of a new employee who seemed to do her job twice as efficiently. The exchange of unfair insults between her and her former boss is what she felt the worst about. "I hope I never see that spiteful bitch again," she said, looking at her parents. "Pardon my language."
"I really don't understand what Chaz sees in her!" Meredith said, beginning to speculate. "Unless..."
Marvin smirked wryly. "Let's not go down that route, dear. I'm sure there's nothing sinister going on, he just had a lapse of judgement... like usual."
Andrea could tell her parents were just trying to cheer her up, but it wasn't working. "Thanks guys, but... I just need some time to think." she said as she walked over to a rack in the corner of the room. She grabbed a black bandana and tied her hair into a pony tail with it. "I think another walk out in the park should help with that."
"Alright. Have fun, and be careful! It's going to be extra hot today."
"I know. I'll be back in about an hour, I think." Andrea said as she opened the door and felt a blast of heat surge in from outside. She stepped outside into the relentlessly oppressive rays of the summer sun and looked around. Despite it being rather early in the morning and very warm, the atmosphere around her was very alive. Children were playing on the beach in front her house, engaging in mock trainer battles and building impressive sand castles. Dozens of boats dotted the deep blue sea, sailing along under the sapphire sky. Not wanting to waste too much time watching the scenery around her, she walked down the street towards the park.
As she walked down the street, she felt a rumble from the depths of her purse. She frantically dug around inside, grabbing her cell phone and answered it. "Hello?"
A young man's voice was on the other line. "Hey Andrea, it's Larson."
"Hi! Are you still in town?" she asked.
Larson laughed. "I told you, I'm going to be here for about a month! I was wondering if you wanted to do anything today."
Andrea paused and thought. She wanted to walk through the park alone, but figured that bringing her best friend along would cheer her up, especially since she never gets to see him anymore. "I was going to go down to the park and have a walk around, clear my mind about some things. But I'd rather you come along, too, if you don't mind."
"Awesome! It'll be good to spend some time together after so long. Wanna meet at my house?" he asked.
"Well... I'm almost there, but... I'll be right over, I guess. See you soon." she said as she closed her phone and placed it back in her purse. She grumbled and shook her head as if annoyed, then turned around and walked away from the park towards Larson's house.
A young man and an older man were sitting under the shade of a large palm tree that stood like a towering sentry over a large brick house. They were watching over a small, stocky, pink star-shaped creature that was sitting idly in the sunlight, looking dazed and confused. Standing above the small creature was a large purple porcine Pokémon with black patterns running along its arms, legs and belly. It glared down at the pink creature with disapproval, bouncing around trying to grab its attention.
"I think your Clefairy is a little... slow, son." the older man said. "Look at her, she's clueless. You sure you trained her properly?"
"I'm sure of that," he said, watching the Clefairy aimlessly wander around. "She's just not much of a fighter, that's all."
The older man sighed. "Let me guess. You make her do all of the menial tasks that your other Pokémon are too good for."
"Menial tasks?" Larson asked. "She enjoys cutting down small trees and lighting the way for me! Right, Star?"
Star looked at her master with a blank, serene grin on her face and nodded.
His father sighed, then laughed. "Typical. If I had a silver coin for every trainer who did that... well, I could probably retire."
"If everyone's doing it, I must be doing something right," he said as he grabbed a shiny red and white ball from his pocket. He held it in front of him as Star deformed into a blob of red, luminous energy and entered the ball.
"Just because everyone does something doesn't mean it's the correct way to do things," his father said as he grabbed a Pokéball and recalled his Grumpig. "But yes, you are doing something right. Five badges from Kanto and four from Johto is quite impressive at your age, son."
"I've always been impressive since the day I was born!" he said with a smile on his face as he ran his hand through his hair.
Larson's father walked out into the street and put his policeman hat on. "Don't let it get to your head. I'll see you later." he said as he walked off into the bustling city.
Larson looked at his watch impatiently as he ran his hand through his short brown hair. He paced back and forth waiting for Andrea, who never took this long to arrive at his house. Just as his impatience got the better of him, she appeared on the horizon. "Finally... women, huh. Always late." he joked to himself. He waved towards her, but didn't receive a wave back. "Late as always, I see," he said as she approached him.
"And you're as impatient as always."
Larson spread his arms and shook his head. "Guilty as charged," he laughed. "Let's go."
As the two walked through the bustling city streets, they talked about their experiences since they had last seen each other over two years ago. Larson recalled his journey through Kanto, earning five badges before moving onto Johto.
"Only five?" Andrea asked. "I shouldn't say anything though, it's a lot better than I'd ever do."
"You never know..." Larson said, reaching around into his backpack and pulling out an ornately carved oaken box. "I know you've never been big on becoming a Pokémon trainer, but I have a feeling you'd be good at it. You're smart, unlike most people. Besides, it'd offer some stability for you."
"Travelling the world like a bum while throwing dangerous creatures into the mix doesn't sound stable to me, Lars," she replied, watching as he opened the box. An assortment of glimmering, colourful badges lined the inside of the box, but many were missing.
As the two walked along discussing Larson's collection of badges, the two passed by Dr. Spruce's Pokémon Research Institute, a large brick building shrouded under the welcoming shade of nearly four dozen trees. A tan blur moved quickly through the trees out towards the street, flying out of the last tree. The tan blur was revealed to be a long ferret like creature, covered in creamy white fur and brown stripes. The creature crashed right into Andrea, knocking her back into Larson. It walked over to her and sniffed her, then bit onto her loosely tied bandana and ran off with it.
"My bandana!" she shouted as she tried to grab onto the Furret's tail.
Larson quickly hopped to his feet and chased after the Furret. He caught up with it down the road, catching it with a diving tackle. The two fought viciously over the bandana before he was able to rip it from the Furret's mouth.
Meanwhile, the door to Dr. Spruce's Pokémon Research Institute opened up and several scientists poured out into the street to look around. The lead scientist walked over to the commotion, placing his hand to his large and bushy black beard. "So that's where that Furret has gone!" From within his white lab coat, he retrieved a red and white Pokéball and recalled the Furret, still wrestling with Larson.
Andrea looked up to see the big bearded man silhouetted against the sunlight. He offer his hand to her to help her up.
"Just my luck that you two were here! That Furret is... well, let's just say it would be a terrible thing for him to escape back into the wild." he said, pulling Andrea to her feet.
"You're welcome," Larson replied. "Unfortunately the luck was all yours, poor Andrea here went flying." he laughed.
"I must apologize, he is quite the handful sometimes," He looked around to see his scientists had all disappeared back into the research lab. "And what's your name?" he said, looking at Larson.
"Larson Reiserben, sir!" he said with excitement.
"Ah, Reiserben? You must be Jack's son! I'm Dr. Spruce, as you may know. It's a pleasure to meet you!" he said, firmly grasping his hand and yanking his arm up and down, nearly tearing Larson's arm off. "Come inside, I'd like your help, if you're not busy."
Andrea and Larson looked at each other in confusion. Andrea mumbled and looked away while Larson shrugged.
"C'mon, Andrea. A walk in the park can wait a few minutes." he said. "This is Dr. Spruce! He doesn't normally ask for help!"
She continued to grumble. "Fine."
The two followed Dr. Spruce into the research institute. The air inside was crisp and cool, a welcome change from the heat wave outside. The monotonous hum of the electricity that supplied power to all of the high tech machines lining the walls was oddly relaxing. Throughout the main room were pairs of scientists working feverishly to complete their research concerning a variety of topics.
Andrea melted upon seeing the inside of the laboratory. Ever since she was a child she dreamed of working as a scientist and being on the frontier of discovery, but she never applied herself properly. She had hoped that this might be her chance to relive that dream.
Dr. Spruce led the two to his office. He sat down behind his desk which was lavishly covered in small golden and silver trophies, awards and ribbons. The walls were lined with shelves filled with even more trophies and awards. He pulled the Pokéball out of his lab coat and slapped it down onto the table. "I can see it in your eyes. Impressive place, ya think?"
Both Larson and Andrea nodded in agreement as they marvelled at the awards and technology strewn throughout the room.
He grabbed the Pokéball and placed it onto a machine behind his desk. "Now, which one of you would like to do me a favor?" he asked as he pressed a button on the machine. An eerie green glow began to project from the machine and envelope the Pokéball.
"What is it?" Larson asked.
"I need a delivery made to Blueleaf Village. One of my colleagues is more prepared than I am for a new field of research that I am getting involved in. All of my scientists are busy working on other research projects or upgrading our equipment."
"A delivery? That doesn't sound very exciting..." Andrea said with a noticeable tone of disappoint in her voice.
"It is a bit of a boring task, I suppose," Dr. Spruce said, lowering his head. He snapped his head back up with enthusiasm and continued, "But, that is the spice of life! New things, whether boring or marvelous, should be welcomed. They keep us busy and they keep us out of trouble."
"I agree," Larson said, nudging Andrea with his shoulder. "Beats walking around in the park for the fifth time this week, doesn't it? What do you need delivered?"
Dr. Spruce picked up the Pokéball and presented it. "This Furret. My colleague and I theorize that he may hav-"
Andrea threw her hands up in the air in protest. "Not me. If you want to, Larson, be my guest." she said, turning around to leave.
Dr. Spruce was curious at her abrupt and almost vicious unwillingness. "Any specific reason?"
Larson leaned forward and talked quietly. "It's a long story. She... isn't too experienced with Pokémon."
He raised his pointer finger excitedly. "This is perfect, actually! Andrea, please, hear me out."
Andrea stopped in her tracks and took a deep breath, then turned around.
"I'm not sure of the details behind your connection with Pokémon, but I think I may have been in a similar situation to you when I was young. My father was never around in my youth... I blamed the Pokémon for this, as he had left my mother and I to become a world famous Pokémon trainer. I developed an intense hatred towards them due to the carelessness of my father. But one day, my mother gifted me with a young Phanpy. I took responsibility for it. I kept it happy, and ever since that day, my life has never been the same."
"That's a nice story, but what does-"
Dr. Spruce leaned forward in his chair, studying Andrea closely. "Human emotions are not my expertise, but I can see it in your face. Your eyes. You're... how do I put this... Frustrated and resentful of what life has given you."
"Oh hoho, you got that right..." she sarcastically said.
"That is why I am urging at least one of you to take up this task. Blueleaf Village is absolutely exquisite this time of the year. Your nerves will loosen up and your life will look brighter when you arrive."
Andrea looked at Larson and tilted her head inquisitively.
"If you won't do it, I will, and I'm dragging you along," Larson said. "He's right. Some relaxing time out in the countryside is just what you need."
"Fine," she said. Dr. Spruce tossed the Pokéball between the two. Andrea reacted quickly by grabbing it in mid air, not trusting Larson's slow reflexes. She took a close look at the Pokéball, seeing her reflection in the deep, shiny red metallic top. A slight smirk appeared on her face, visible in the faint reflection.
"It looks like you're feeling better already," Dr. Spruce said before quickly turning around. He opened a cabinet and pulled a large folded up map out, sprawling it out on his desk. He ran his finger along the map between the south eastern shoreline and a point on the map labeled 'Blueleaf Village'. "Route 301 lies between Azure Ridge and Blueleaf Village."
"We're not stupid, ya know," Larson interjected.
"Very well." he said. "So, who is escorting this Furret along to Blueleaf Village?" Larson quickly pointed to Andrea. Before she could object, Dr. Spruce continued, "The wilderness around us is filled with danger, Andrea. The tall grass is the most perilous of places for a person to travel, so do your best to avoid it. If you must defend yourself, your Pokémon are your first line of defense."
"I always thought that was cruel of trainers..." Andrea said.
"It's not cruel, it's good sport! Pokémon are highly competitive creatures, they love proving themselves in battle!" he said. He knelt down and grabbed a cardboard box from the floor and placed it atop his desk. "However, just as you or I would suffer injuries if we started trading punches, so do Pokémon," He pulled a small purple squirt bottle filled with a thick and syrupy silver liquid out of the box and handed it to Andrea. "This will help if that becomes an issue."
Andrea grabbed the bottle with her other hand and studied it.
He picked the box back up and dropped it to the floor with a loud crash, then kicked it back under his desk. "That covers the very basics. If you have any questions, I'm sure Larson here would be more than happy to explain things further."
"Well that sounds simple enough," Andrea said, placing the spray bottle into her purse. "How far away is this place?"
"It's about a day's walk, if I remember." Larson said.
Andrea's optimism dimmed to horror as she heard Larson's estimate.
"A day's walk sounds correct to me," Dr. Spruce answered. "If you have a bicycle, I would suggest using it. Much better exercise!"
"I don't... anymore." She glared at Larson. "I have someone's Charlizard to thank for that."
"Charizard," Larson corrected her.
"Whatever!"
Dr. Spruce turned around and dug through a basket full of folders and loose papers. After a moment, he found what he was looking for; two photos taken from the laboratory's security systems. One displayed a young woman with shoulder length blonde hair, holding several Pokéballs that were taken from a smashed display case. The other showed the same young woman standing behind an older man with dark brown hair, grinning widely as he reached for more Pokéballs. A large and jagged scar drifted along his face, starting under his receding hairline, jumping across his nose and ending above his left cheek. Dr. Spruce put the photos down onto his desk. "Be on the look out for these shady folks."
Larson and Andrea studied the photos. "My dad told me about these guys..." he said.
"I assume these two have skipped town already and headed west," he said, turning to Larson and giving him a look of concern. "Please, Larson. Keep Andrea and her Furret safe if you run into them. Do not try to fight them unless it is your last resort."
Larson nodded. "Got it."
"That is all. Good luck." Dr. Spruce said, taking a seat behind his desk. "Make sure you notify your parents, or whoever you're living with, of where you'll be going, you probably won't be back in the city until tomorrow night if things go according to plan."
Meredith was outside of the house, knelt down in the garden. She was running her fingers through each of the bushes, checking the growth of the various berries and taking notes. She moved on to a pine tree, digging her hands into the thick branches and pulled out a fist-sized orange-red fruit in the shape of a water drop. "The firekiwis are much larger this year..." she mumbled to herself, placing the fruit into a basket beside her. She looked around to see Andrea and Larson walking towards her.
Andrea waved as she walked up.
"You're back early," she said.
"Yeah... I decided against a walk in the park." Andrea said, reaching into her pocket. She pulled out a small Pokéball, gleaming in the sunlight.
Meredith noticed the sun reflect off of the red top in the corner of her eye. She turned to study the Pokéball and looked up at her daughter with shock and surprise. "Where did you get that?"
"Dr. Spruce, ma'am." Larson said.
Andrea nodded. "Larson and I have been asked to deliver this to Blueleaf Village."
Meredith thought. She knew her daughter wasn't the adventurous type and figured it would be a bad idea, especially with the wild and reckless Larson around. "Blueleaf Village, huh... That's an awful long way away..."
"It's not that far, only a day's walk." Larson said.
"Exactly!" Meredith put her hands to her hips. "Are you sure you're up to it?"
"I think I am... Has dad gone off to work yet? He'd probably want to know, too." Andrea asked.
"He has. I'll let him know where you've gone." she said, pulling Andrea closer. "Be careful out there and try to be home tonight if you can."
"I'll be careful!" Andrea replied. "But I probably won't be home tonight..."
The two let go of each other and Meredith looked at Larson with a sharp and intimidating glare. "And you keep your hands off of my daughter! I don't want to be a grandmo-"
"Mom!" Andrea yelled.
Larson laughed with an uproar. "C'mon, Andrea. Let's go before your mom changes her mind!"
"I'll see you tomorrow." Andrea said, bowing and turning to follow Larson who had already left in a hurry.
Meredith watched the two disappear down the street and into the city. A sense of dread filled her; she didn't believe her daughter, who often complained about the twenty minute walk to and from the restaurant she worked at, would ever be able to reach Blueleaf Village. As she was about to chase after them, she stopped herself and reasoned that Larson would be there to keep her safe. "I can only hope that boy learned a thing or two while he was gone... She's gonna need it."