A/N: Yes, it's another story. I've been wanting to do this one for a while. You'll notice that the main character's name is also the same as my pen name an the first name of the main character in my other fic. This is only because I like the name, they are not the same person and not me. Okay, that's it. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or any characters from such. The original characters are mine, though.

Time to Save: Prologue: In the Not-So-Distant Future...

"But, why can't I become a Pokémon Trainer?" a boy of about ten shouted. He had messy, dark brown hair and eyes of about the same color. He wore a white shirt and baggy black pants with red stripes that wrapped around the bottom of the legs.

"I've already told you, Kirby, it's too dangerous," his father said, trying to stay calm but still raising his voice a little. He was in his forties and his dark-colored eyes looked perpetually tired. His hair wasn't so much messy as it was just spiky, and it had a redder shade of brown with traces of gray at the sides. He wore a black shirt and tan pants, as well as a white lab coat. Around his neck hung half a very old pokéball that was in its shrunken storage mode.

"You were a trainer at my age," Kirby persisted.

"Those were different times. There wasn't a war then. Being a trainer was about exploring and fun competitions, and you weren't drafted into the Pokémon Guard because it didn't even exist. The Rocket Militia was nothing more than a petty team of crooks," his father explained to him, although he had done it before.

"I don't care! I want to be able to have my own pokémon, to catch them, to raise and train them, to show off their skills in battle, the works." Tears had started to fill his eyes. He rubbed them away trying not to cry in front of his father.

"You have Eevee…" At hearing his name, an eevee that had been lying nearby looked up.

"But you're the one that technically owns him. He won't be mine until I get a trainer's license."

Kirby's father sighed and ran his hand through his graying hair. "Look, I don't want to lose you. I've lost too many people to this war already. Ash, my best friend and rival, killed before the war but still by the same people. He may have been able to stop the Rockets before this war began. And they also killed Melody, your mother, of course." He stared off into space, remembering his lost wife.

Kirby was about to say something when one of his father's assistants came in. The man was a few years younger than his father. He had flat greenish-blue hair. He wore glasses and had a lab coat on.

"Excuse me Professor Oak," the assistant said to Kirby's father.

"Max, please, I've told you to call me Gary. Kirby, why don't you go? We'll talk later."

Kirby just nodded and left the laboratory office. Eevee got up and followed after him, running to keep up. Kirby slowed down to let him catch up, managing to hear some of the conversation in the room he had just left.

"Gary, the forces have started to build up around the city. We think that they may try to make an attack on the base," Max said.

Kirby moved on as his father began to respond. He walked slowly so that Eevee could stay with him comfortably. He wasn't worried. The Rockets had tried to take the Pallet Research Base, his home, before. The Guard had stopped them before and they would do it this time. Instead, Kirby's thoughts were on his father.

"Dad doesn't let me do anything," he complained to Eevee, "He won't let me leave the base. He won't let me become a trainer. I know he's just worried about me, but it's too much. It's not like there's a Rocket hiding around every corner ready to kill a trainer on sight."

"Ee, eevee?" Eevee responded, not sure what else to say.

They walked out side the base, although they were still inside the complex. In the distance, one could see the high fence that surrounded the entire complex. On the other side were some members of the Guard that stood watch. Turning right, Kirby walked into a forest that he often frequented. After following a trail that he had followed many times, they emerged in a familiar meadow.

Kirby looked around before calling out, "Hey! Are you here?"

He waited a few moments before he saw something. It was a dim green glow that came closer to them from deep in the woods. Kirby started to smile as it came closer. Eventually, it reached the meadow, and its shape became clearer.

It had a small, almost human looking, body. Its head was relatively larger and came to a point in back. It had two antennae that were on top of its head towards the front.

"Bii!" it cheered as it came up to Kirby.

"Hey there, Celebi!" Kirby greeted it, "How have you been?" He had known Celebi for a long time; ever since his mother had died and he had run into the woods crying. Eventually, he had ended up in the meadow, lost. Sitting in the field, alone, Celebi had come up to him and cheered him up. It then showed him the way home.

"Bi-Bii," it replied.

"That's good. I wish I was doing as well."

"Bi?"

"Oh, you know. My father won't let me be a trainer. He says it's too 'dangerous' for me. I wish that he wasn't so protective. If only this war had never started."

Suddenly, they heard something in the forest. It sounded like footsteps and they were getting closer. Then there were voices. They couldn't make them out at first, but eventually they started getting clearer.

"…you sure it's this way?"

"I'm sure this is where it was. Wait! Over there, do you see that?"

"There's something over there. Let's check it out."

Kirby was starting to get scared now as the footsteps started getting closer faster. He was more worried about Celebi, though. If someone saw it, whether they were part of the research staff, a member of the Guard, or a Rocket, they would try to catch it. He positioned himself between Celebi and the footsteps; Eevee jumping in front of him, ready for battle.

As Kirby watched, two men emerged from the trees. They were both wearing black pants and shirts. Over their shirts, they wore black vests with multiple pockets. In the upper-right (from their perspective) of the vest was a small red "R," the symbol of the Rocket Militia.

"Eevee, Shadow Ball!" Kirby commanded as soon as he saw who they were.

"Eevee!" Eevee built up a ball of dark energy, which he then launched at the two soldiers. It hit one of them squarely in the chest and threw him back. Getting back up, the man had an angry look on his face.

"Kid, you have no idea who you just messed with!" he said reaching into one of his vest's pockets and pulling out a pokéball. "Go, Houndoom!" he called, throwing the pokéball and releasing the said pokémon. "Bite!"

Before Kirby could respond, Houndoom was already at Eevee and attacking hard. It threw Eevee off to the side and waited for its next order. Kirby had no choice but to check to see if Eevee was okay. Turning his back on the Rockets was a bad idea, though, as he felt a sharp pain in his back from Houndoom's faint attack. Kirby fell near Eevee and ignored the pain in his back to check on him.

"Leave him be for now, Hussein," the other man said, reaching for a pokéball of his own, "We've got a bigger prize to worry about. Come on out, Ariados!" He threw the pokéball up, and it came down, releasing the pokémon on impact.

Kirby looked up at Celebi and saw that it was still there and not fleeing. He wondered why it didn't try to escape; and then, he realized: it was staying for him. "No!" he cried to Celebi, "Don't worry about me. Save yourself!" Celebi just looked over with an expression of anger, not at Kirby, but the Rockets, and shook its head.

"Shut up, kid!" Hussein barked at Kirby. "Hey, Saddam, you sure I can't finish him off first?"

"We can't risk letting Celebi escape," Saddam replied. "Now, Ariados, sludge bomb!"

"Houndoom, flamethrower!"

The attacks launched at the same time. Celebi managed to avoid the sludge bomb, but it couldn't completely avoid the flamethrower. It was still floating, but it looked weaker. It tried to launch a psychic attach at Ariados, but Houndoom jumped in the way and absorbed the attack. Kirby watched in horror as the two-sided battle went on, holding Eevee close in fear. The Rockets' pokémon kept launching double attacks, which Celebi barely managed to avoid the worst of. Whenever Celebi tried attacking one of the pokémon, the other protected it in one way or another.

Finally, when Celebi looked like it was just about beat, it did something unexpected. It flew over to Kirby, grabbed on to him and started chanting silently. As it was chanting a warm blue-green light emanated from it and seemed to spread through the trees. Everyone was in awe, even the two Rockets. They just stood there watching, completely mesmerized. As the light started to entirely surround Celebi, Kirby and Eevee, the two soldiers both snapped out of it. They quickly commanded their pokémon to attack, but they were too late. The boy and the two pokémon had disappeared.

Hope you like it. Please reveiw!