Chapter 1: A New Friend
Today would appear the same as any other. My parents have ordered me around, keeping me busy for the entire day. Today, they've sent me off to Slateport City to pick up a parcel for them. They refuse to tell me what it contains, only telling me that I am not allowed to look inside it, and that it needs to be brought back to them by the end of tomorrow. I decided to leave early this morning, hitting the road before dawn broke. Although I live in Mauville City, it's still quite a ways to Slateport, so I wanted to make sure I didn't fall behind. What I didn't realize is that this day would change my life, as well as the life of my future partner.
I suppose I should introduce myself. My name is James. I'm eighteen years old, I have blue eyes, blonde hair, with a splatter of freckles across my face, and I'm five feet eleven inches tall. I'm quite shy, so I've never had many friends, and the ones I have had never lasted long. I was never much for sports, or, should I say, my parents were never interested in allowing me to play sports, so my life mainly revolved around my home and the daycare my parents run. My parents run the pokemon daycare just west of Mauville, on the south side of the route, which provides a decent income for them, though they've never chosen to share said income with me, or even give me an allowance. So for simplicities sake, I'm poor, they're not. However, I've kept you long enough and I suppose I should continue the story.
The journey to Slateport went smoothly enough. I took the bicycle road to avoid the tall grass, and the pokemon contained within it. My bicycle was the one luxury my parents provided me, and it was more for their sake, as it let me cut my travel time down to a third of what it once was. Once I arrived at Slateport, I made my way to the building with the ocean-blue roof, indicating that it is a pokemart. I entered the building, and approached the counter to find Bill, the owner of the pokemart, awaiting my arrival. He greeted me with the usual "Hey James, what's crackin?" he's odd like that. I informed him that I came for my parents parcel, and that I unfortunately didn't have the time to chat. Nodding, he went to retrieve the parcel from the back room. After a few moments of absence, he returned, parcel in hand. After paying for it, I stuffed it into my backpack, and made my way outside.
I paused for a moment, taking in the fresh sea air. It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining, the wingulls were circling in the sky, and there was even a pleasant breeze, dragging the sweet smells of the florist's shop down the road towards me, washing over my body with a feeling of peacefulness. With a sigh, I got back upon my bicycle, preparing to make the journey home. I checked the time, seeing it was only 4 p.m. I realized I was way ahead of schedule, so I decided to take a detour through the back streets of the city, hopefully exploring a few places I've never been before. I decided to explore an alley by the new apartment complex on the west side of town. It was a nice section of town. New buildings everywhere, trees planted at regular intervals in little dirt plots in the sidewalk, and most everyone had a smile on their face.
As I entered the alleyway, I felt something shift inside the parcel. Although I normally obeyed my parents, for fear of retaliation if I didn't, I was quite curious as to what they were hiding from me that was contained in this package. I paused for a moment, hidden behind a dumpster, thinking about my options. If I chose to not open the package, I would be safe and sound, minus the curiosity that would bug me from time to time. However, I felt I could open it without tearing the paper, and hopefully resealing it without a problem. Though there was always the risk of tearing the parcel, which I admit, terrified me. If my parents found out that I opened it… well, I don't even want to imagine what they could or would do to me. After pondering for several minutes, I finally decided to open it. Even if it was just some berries for the pokemon, I needed to know, or my curiosity would drive me insane.
With my last opportunity to turn back slipping away, I started to work at the corners of the parcel. After several nerve-racking minutes, I finally managed to slip the package out of the wrapping without tearing it. Out of the wrapping slid something I did not expect. In my hands rested a beautiful mahogany box with silver trim around the corners. 'What in the hell…' I wondered, completely at a loss as to why my parents would pay for something so extravagant. I knew, however, that this wasn't the main event. Something inside of this box was worth quite a bit to my parents, and I wanted to know about it. Gently lifting the lid, I peered inside. Resting on an ornate stand sat a plain pokeball, and next to it, a note. I carefully grabbed the note, making sure it was safe to open. Thankfully there was no sealant on the paper itself. It read "Johnathan: Inside you will find the pokemon you requested. Modest nature, just as you desired. It will be holding the object we discussed over the phone; I trust you will be quite satisfied. Not every day you find one after all. In return, along with your payment, I will be expecting to receive copies of said object, once you've found a way to duplicate them. Respectfully: Maximus"
Although the note was confusing, I understood that whatever was inside of this pokeball was quite valuable to my parents, as well as this 'Maximus' guy. I also understood that whatever this thing was, it didn't seem that any good would befall the pokemon contained within. I started to panic, unsure as to what I should do. Do I put the box back, turning a blind eye to whatever befalls this pokemon, or do I try to protect it. My conscience and my fear battled inside of me, each trying to conquer the other. In the end, my conscience won. I knew I couldn't just let this defenseless pokemon be harmed. Although I feared my parents as well, so I knew what I had to do. I would run away with this pokemon. We can become partners, protect one another. Anything would be better than continuing the hell of an existence my parents provided. And at that thought, I realized, I don't even know what lies within the pokeball.
I glanced around, making sure no suspecting eyes were watching. After deciding it was safe, I pressed the button on the front of the pokeball, releasing what I hoped would be my new partner. As the glow of the pokeball faded, my new partner stood before me. Standing a little over a foot tall, a white pokemon was in front of me, green hair masking its eyes from my view, and A reddish horn poking through the hair on either side of its head. Although I've never seen one in person, I instantly knew what this pokemon was, and my excitement grew inside of me as I stood there admiring it as it looked around, unsure of its surroundings. With a cry of curiosity, my new friend said its name. Ralts.