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Pokemon: Shadow

Prologue.

As the moon began to drift slowly across a black sky dotted with millions of stars, a disturbance could be heard in a field outside of Glarinfeld City. Several people in dark clothing were setting up a camp, there was little light, so none may see them.

"Hurry up with that tent, I don't wanna be out in the open for too long!" Yelled the one that was obviously in charge. Suddenly, a large winged Pokemon with stingers on it's arm flew into the field, followed by others of it's kind.

"Watch it, there's a swarm of Beedrill, Talon, take care of it." The leader said to one of the Grunts.

"Yes sir. Vulpix, use Fire Blast!" Talon yelled as he threw a pokeball through the air. Upon impact with the ground, the pokeball burst into a flash of white light, and in it's place stood a small, red fox-like pokemon with several tails. When it had spotted to Beedrill, Vulpix opened its mouth and emitted a large amount of fire. Any Beedrill that wasn't knocked out flew away.

"Good work, Talon, Have the men capture the trash." Said the leader as he walked away into the darkness.

Chapter 1.

Markis McLericson was awoken by the rising sun, as he did every morning. Though, unlike yesterday, or any day before, today was the most important day of his life. It was his tenth birthday, the day he would leave home and begin his pokemon journey.

"Markis, time to get up, you don't wanna be late!" Yelled the orphanage caretaker, Miss Julia. Markis has lived at the Hunaya Orphanage ever since he could remember, with his mother passing away soon after birth and his father disapeering. Markis' only form of parenting was Miss Julia the caretaker. She was a kind woman, but a little too overprotective. She would always give children a special gift on the day they left.

As Markis walked down the orphanage stairs, he reached down and pulled out a loose board. There were 3 things in that hollow in the stairs, but the most important of which, was a black trainer vest, which was his fathers when he was 10. The vest was light, but insulated with fur from a Piloswine which has been dyed black. The other 2 items within the hollow stair were a bandoleer which could hold 6 pokeballs and a letter from the absent father. Markis picked up the letter which held so much sorrow and regret and began to read it once more.

"Hey Markis, this is your old man. By the time you read this, you'll be ready to start your pokemon journey. I know I haven't been around, and you might hate me. Nothing in the world can justify what I did, and I am sorry. I only did it to make you stronger. A trainer's main weakness is homesickness, so when your mother died, I made one of the hardest choices in my life. I went away, and when I did, I made sure you wouldn't ever have a proper home. Without a home, you can't get homesick.

"Everything has already been arranged as to what pokemon you will receive, when you meet Prof. Kapok, tell him that your Tyrian McLericson's kid. It's a very special pokemon, Markis, and it will be my third and final gift to you. I love you kiddo, I hope we get to meet someday, either so you can punch me in the face or shake my hand, I'll accept either."

-Dad.

Markis looked down at the letter. The first time read it, he was filled with so much rage he tore it in half. He eventually taped it together and read it again, and began to feel the sadness his father must've felt when he left. The third time he read it he was determined to prove his father right, and become the strongest trainer ever. It was Markis' goal, to find his father after he became the Kalloran Region Champion.

As Markis entered the dining room he was greeted by all the other orphans there, 12 in all. It was an orphanage tradition to hold a ceremony every time a kid turned 10 and began their pokemon journey. Everyone stared at his new clothes in awe and several gasps were heard. It wasn't as if the orphanage was neglecting its children at all. They were given clothes, proper bedding, and 3 meals a day. It was just uncommon in the orphanage to have clothes that weren't hand-me-downs from older orphans. His vest alone made him stand out from the crowd of other orphans, as it was pure black, same color as his hair, in fact.

Markis was a little tall for his age, having black hair and fair skin. His most distinguishing feature, however, were his orange eyes. It is often said by any adult who has seen him that he has a fire in his heart.

"Well, look at you, all grown up and ready to start your pokemon journey." Said Miss Julia as she walked in from the kitchen carrying a large bag. "This is a trainer's bag, it is meant to be lightweight and can hold a fishing rod on the side. Inside I have put some potions and a special gift just for you, Markis." After she was done speaking, the ceremony continued until 10:00 in the morning, what followed was a teary good-bye from Markis's friends and what could only be called, family.

As he neared Prof. Kapok's lab, he reached into his new bag and pulled out the special gift. It was a grey hat with the orphanage symbol on the front, a white pokeball with a black heart in the middle. He decided he would wear it with pride, alongside his vest and bandoleer. He rounded the corner of an apartment building and laid eyes upon the most impressive building he had ever seen. Prof. Kapok's lab was unlike anything Markis had seen. It was 2 stories tall, the first being the lab building, made from white concrete with some reflective glass windows. The second story had walls mad from these windows which transitioned back to white concrete near the back.

Behind the lab was a large expanse of field, full of pokemon such as Tauras, Aipom, and Pachirisu. Filled with excitement, Markis rushed forward and nearly ran into 1 of 3 kids waiting in front of the Lab. There were 2 boys and 1 girl. The girl had hair so blonde that it was almost silver, which went well with her green eyes and fair skin. The first boy had brown hair, pale skin, and brown eyes, and had a very bored expression on his face. The last boy looked as excited as he could be, he had black hair, similar to Markis', fair skin, and dark eyes. They all looked at Markis with peaked curiosity. The last boy was the first to react.

"Hey, another trainer, my name is Leon Skye. What's yours?" He asked while shaking Markis' hand vigorously.

"I'm Markis McLericson, nice to meet you." No matter what happened to Markis, he was always able to keep his cool, whether during a test or meeting new people.

"Cool name, these are my friends, Lucy Hart and Craig Straddus." Leon said, gesturing at the others in turn.

"Pleasure to meet you." Said Lucy as she shook Markis's hand. Craig merely looked over and nodded at Markis then went back to staring at the door.

"You guys been waiting for long?" Markis asked as he looked at Craig curiously.

"No, I got here a half hour ago, Lucy only just got here, I don't know how long Craig has been here." Answered Leon as he to went to stare at the door. Markis stared at the door for a few moments as well, but decided to find something else to pass the time. Just as he turned his back, however, the door to the lab opened, and standing in the doorway was a tall, dark-skinned man with even darker hair.

"Welcome, children," Said Prof. Kapok "Are you ready to begin your pokemon journeys?"