Author's Note:

There're just things in the world that one can't forget. Well, for me, it's Pokémon. It was my childhood, watching the anime, begging the parents for a Nintendo handheld, playing the game, and wishing, wishing, that somehow they were real. That never really went away, just muted like many of a child's hopes and dreams.

Ha! So next best thing, right? Write a fanfic about Pokémon.

So this is my story. It's about a guy, and a whole bunch of other people, and of course, Pokémon! Nothing is mine but the characters in this tale. Be warned though, that this story is mine to tell, and anything goes. So, enjoy!

The core of a caged animal is the want to break free. No matter that he is tamed, as long as there are bars that separate him from the rest of the world, there is nothing but the desire to run. Run and be free.

But sometimes, the caged animal remains that, even if he runs as far and as fast as he can.

XLX

Rye crept down the stairs, his socked feet barely making noise against the wood. He made sure to skirt the sixth step down since that always creaked. He didn't want to risk waking anyone up. He didn't want to let this chance slip through his fingers. He wanted out of this house.

He wanted away.

Rye breathed a sigh of relief when he cleared the stairs and no lights went on upstairs, no voices called for him and told him to fucking go to bed already. He quickly went to the living room and slid the window open, thanking whoever was watching over him that he'd managed to oil the hinges on the window and no one had noticed anything.

He threw his shoes out, the faint rustle of leaves telling him they landed in the bushes and cushioned the noise a bit. He then dove headfirst out, rolling to control his momentum and closing the window softly behind him.

He felt a soft tap on his lower leg and recognized Venero, his Treecko, staring up at him in the darkness, his gold eyes reflecting moonlight. Calm and cool as always, but there was hint of relief there, the barest of emotions peeking through. Beside him, Rostik, his Snivy, looked up at the house with a disdainful sneer, his red eyes narrowed, making faint hissing sounds in his chest.

They were coming with him. Away. Before they were forced to do something they didn't want, before they became the things they hated the most.

Rye grabbed his boots and laced them up, the worn steel-toeds hugging his feet. Rostik had his backpack wrapped in his vines, handing it up to him. "Thanks, Ros."

Rostik hissed something about not being Rye's valet. Rye grinned down at him, grateful for his Snivy who was haughty and stubborn and had a cruel streak a mile wide but Rye loved him anyway. Bipolar tendencies and thorns and fangs and claws and all.

He quickly shouldered his bag and tightened the straps, his booted feet quietly crunching against grass. "Let's go. Our boat leaves in a few hours."

Rostik slithered up his leg and settled himself around Rye's neck, vines wrapping around his arm to keep him steady as he settled in for a nap. Venero went on ahead, scaling a tree before disappearing in the branches. Rye couldn't see him well but he knew Venero was keeping an eye out for trouble and keeping most of the nocturnal wild Pokémon at bay.

He absently rubbed Rostik's scaly head, ignoring the annoyed hiss and the odd gurgling purr that followed when Rye scratched that spot on the back of his head that made him all boneless and happy. Each step brought him farther and farther from the house, farther and farther from a future he wanted no part of, for himself and for his Pokémon.

He felt lighter. Free. Something that scared and delighted him in equal measure. But he was finally getting what he wanted. Away.

As the sun slowly rose and the silhouette of Castelia City came into view, he began to hope. To want for something better. "Onward and forward," He whispered to himself.

XLX

Rostik kicked up a fuss with being recalled back in his Pokéball but in the end, he had no choice. A Color Alternate Snivy was pretty remarkable and he didn't want people remembering him. They'd come too far to be dragged back without a fight. They'd lose, he knew, but that didn't mean they would fall without trying.

Rye didn't want it to come to that.

So he'd told Rostik that the moment they got to Kanto, he'd buy him those gourmet chocolates that were sweet and spicy and he had free reign in the cabin. That got him a disgruntled but resigned hiss and he finally stopped dancing out of being recalled. Rye wondered idly if other Trainers had to resort to bribery to get their Pokémon to cooperate. Venero stayed out, as usual. Treecko weren't a native species to Unova but he wouldn't be seen unless he wanted to be seen.

He got past the check in by the docks, the sailor punching in tickets looking at him oddly when they asked for identification. There was his unsmiling picture on the laminated piece of paper with his trainer class and his name: Rye. No last name. But it was legit when he scanned it on the computer and confirmed his identity so the man couldn't really do anything about it.

The SS Rebecca was a small ship but it was a direct route to Kanto with a brief layover in Sinnoh. Plus, it was the only ship he could afford without totally bankrupting him.

He had papers, he had a ticket, and he had a little bit of money left. Finally, finally he was on his way.

There were only a few passengers on the Rebecca so they were off by eight o'clock. Good thing too since the docks were getting a lot of activity and he was getting antsy.

Another sailor escorted him to his cabin for the month-long journey, a nice fellow named Marty that told him that meals were three times a day and any Pokémon he might have were to be given food too. He could also roam topside, with firm reminders to stay the hell out of the crew's way.

Rye thanked him and released Rostik who took in the small cabin with the narrow bed and the bedside table where a small lamp rested with slitted eyes. There was also a small table and two chairs under a porthole and a small sink by the door, all bolted down to the ship. Rostik eyed everything with disdain and sneered at the poor accommodations.

Rye shrugged and put down his bag on the bed, glancing at the porthole when Venero jumped through and nodded a greeting at him and Rostik. Rostik ignored his of course and used his vines to straighten the bedclothes before jumping at the upper left corner and settling in for a nap. "I'll wake you when it's time to eat."

He didn't get a response but he knew Ros heard him anyway. He took a deep breath and had to sit on the chair, his legs feeling shaky all of a sudden. Venero jumped on the table and sat on his shoulder, his paw patting him on the head in a gesture that meant everything was going to be okay.

"I'm scared, V." Rye chuckled weakly and rubbed the back of his neck with an unsteady hand. "The trouble with that's I don't even know what I'm scared of."

"Treecko, treecko. Tree-tree-treecko."

Rye sighed. "I guess you're right. You and me and Ros. We're fine. Everything's going to be fine."

Venero grunted and jumped off his shoulder, going to the open porthole to get some time in the sun.

Nothing really changes, Rye thought. Ros was sleeping the day away and V was in a nice sunny area. They were on a ship to a far land where no one knew them. A fresh start. A change.

And Rye smiled. They were fine. Everything's going to be fine.

XLX

Rye was on deck, sitting on a chair bolted down to the floor. A fishing rod sat between his legs, a line cast on to the side of the ship. Rostik and Venero were somewhere, exercising their freedom from the cooped up quarters below. Rye hadn't meant for them to stay that long inside, indoors, or in their Pokéball if they got too sick of the confined space, but he didn't want to risk it.

It was a week and a half now since they cast off Castelia Harbor, and they were stopping off Sunnyshore Harbor in Sinnoh for supplies and such before finally heading off to Vermilion in Kanto.

Rye had to admit that he was glad they stopped off for a little while. Rostik was getting cranky and took great pains to annoy Venero, just for something better to do. Venero took it in stride but there was just so much a Pokémon could take.

Needless to say, he'd had to break up a fight more than once during the long voyage.

Besides that, Rye found out that most of the passengers were Sinnoh-bound and the Rebecca wasn't taking anymore passengers so he didn't have to stay cooped up in his cabin. And the Rebecca's crew was a secretive bunch, especially Captain Skippy. Smuggling wine and fabric region-to-region didn't endear them to the greater governments around the world—something he'd discovered by accident when he was chasing Ros in the middle of night and stumbled upon the ship's cargo.

The Captain was there, not angry, strangely. And then he'd said words that had Rye feeling cold and tensed. "I know you. The odd-colored snake there's a dead-giveaway."

They made a deal, the two of them, in the dark space of the ship's cargo hold. Silence on both sides. Though in truth, he didn't much care what the Captain and his crew did on the sidelines. It wasn't any of his business. Rye and his team were safe here as long as they didn't cause trouble for the crew and the ship.

Rye closed his eyes and breathed in deep. Salt and sun and sea. It was different. He liked it.

He felt a nudge on his leg and found Rostik staring at him through narrowed red eyes, his pointed snout tilted up in the air. He raised his claws and made grabby hands, all quiet and silent-like. Rye grinned and scooped him up, settled him on his chest since the chair reclined.

"Snivy, snivy. Sni-sniv-sni." He said sleepily, curling into a loose coil on top of his chest.

Rye chuckled softly and stroked the fine, smooth scales on Ros's back. "Yes, your majesty."

"Snivy, sni!" Ros glared up at him, a low annoyed hiss vibrating against his chest.

"Insolence, my foot." Rye pressed hard on the scales on the base of Ros's neck, chuckling softly when Rostik shuddered and became loose-limbed, that odd gurgling-purr rumbling against him. "And I'm not a peasant."

Rostik didn't say anything else or maybe he just ignored it. He closed his eyes instead and pushed for more petting. Rye obliged him, it was a good day. And he was feeling good.

XLX

Rye woke up though he didn't know what did it. Rostik grumbled angrily and shifted in his chest, claws digging in the fabric of his shirt, biting softly against his skin. He gently dislodged Ros off his chest and placed him on a cushioned chair next to him.

He looked around, checked what it was that had disturbed his sleep. He was alone, mostly, a few sailors up on the far side deck, scrubbing and polishing. There was a battle on the far side of the ship, right near the helm, with men shouting angrily about keelhauling somebody else and scraping the barnacles off the ship's underside with the other's face. Wingull lazily drifted in the updrafts, far off, a school of Finneon splashed out of the calm waters.

He looked around, confused. He was kind of a selective sleeper, always waking at the slightest hint of danger or trouble, but he could sleep in a crowded bus or in the train without waking until he was where he was headed.

Then the line on his fishing pole suddenly tensed as something pulled at the lure, the reel hissing, spitting as the line was tugged. He stared at it in shock. The Captain had told him he wouldn't get a bite out here so near the harbor, that he'll just be wasting his time. But Rye had time to waste so he cast a line and left it at that.

He grabbed the pole and stood up, unceremoniously sending Ros sprawling on the floor and unlatched the rod from the tethered base. He whistled two sharp, short notes, calling for Venero. Venero jumped down beside him, seemingly coming out of nowhere. "Need your help with this one, bud. Get a couple of Pokéballs from my bag and then come back here."

"Treecko," Venero disappeared immediately. Rye tugged on the fishing rod, reeling periodically. He was sweating now, though it was quite chilly. Rostik hissed and glared balefully at Rye before scampering off someplace quiet.

"Don't wander too far, Ros."

"Snivy, snivy, sni." He snapped. He clearly didn't like being awakened from his nap. "Snivy!"

"I'm sorry, okay? And yes, I am the boss of you." Rye cursed under his breath when the line went taut and lurched. He pulled again and grinned when he had enough give in the line. "Don't wander too far."

Venero appeared with a handful of minimized Pokéballs in his paws, which Rye thanked him for with a smile. Venero watched him coolly as he reeled back the rod, the Pokémon on the other end of the line fighting him every step of the way.

Rostik was somewhere behind him, muttering and hissing angrily.

It was close, Rye could feel it. He stepped a foot back and forward with the other and heaved. With a mighty tug, Rye hauled the Pokémon out of the water and pulled it up on deck. Rye blinked at the tiny Pokémon glaring up at him, its smooth wing-like fins flapping on its back for balance, while it cleverly used its tensile tail to bounce up and down on the deck.

It was a Horsea, a relatively harmless Pokémon, popular with the more experienced Water-type Trainers because aside from the fact that they were cute, they were usually docile and easy to train and their evolutions were extremely powerful.

Rye hadn't honestly thought of getting other Pokémon to add to his team—he didn't want to subject any single Pokémon to his life, never mind the fact that Venero and Rostik had been with him for a very long time—but now that the opportunity had presented itself, he didn't see anything stopping him from getting a new teammate.

He knew he had to get the Horsea. His life was in his own hands now. He was away.

"V, Agility, confine. Slam."

Venero disappeared—and reappeared in front of the Horsea; the Horsea backed up and released a Bubblebeam from his snout—docile this Horsea was not. Venero disappeared again, reappearing behind the Horsea. He stood on one hand and spun, hitting the other Pokémon with a powerful Slam.

He cried out but quickly righted himself, sending an Ice Beam right at Venero. Venero dodged, cartwheeling and spinning, using his tail to jump up. The Ice Beam followed, the Horsea angrily growling when Venero easily weaved through the intense cold blasts.

"Slam."

Venero arrowed straight down and spun, hitting the Horsea right on the head. But it was as restrained as possible as the Horsea wasn't completely knocked out, merely dazed and confused. Rye grabbed a ball from the bench and threw, the capsule hitting the Horsea's body softly and engulfing him in a red light. The ball closed and shuddered on the ground before completely stilling.

Rye stared at the ball in shock. He'd never really caught a Pokémon before. Venero, Venero was his from the start. His partner in all things. Rostik had been raised from an egg.

Rye grabbed the Pokéball and rolled it in his hand, a soft smile playing across his lips.

XLX

The Horsea was pissed. Positively seething at being captured. Rye could work with that.

The Ice Beam meant he'd had a previous Trainer or had a sire with the move. He wasn't a Breeder but he knew that that was entirely possible. But the dislike of humans in general suggested he had a Trainer before Rye captured him.

The Horsea glared at Rye but paid it no mind. "You need a name."

The Horsea spat a stream of weak bubbles at Rye. He averted his eyes and pinched the middle of the Horsea's snout, effectively muzzling him. Rye smiled slightly at the outraged look Horsea gave him and the muffled but angry trumpeting that followed, and continued speaking. "Like I said, you need a name. Hmmmm…"

Rostik was asleep, on his back, his mint green belly exposed to the sun. Venero was sparring with a crew member's Mienfoo, who proved to be as fast and as agile as his Treecko. The Horsea squirmed in his firm grip but he wasn't going to let go, not until he stopped wiggling like that. His smooth scales provided a rather slick grip but he managed.

"I'm going to call you Artur." Rye said after a while. He slowly let go of Artur's snout when he stopped moving and smiled a little. "I'm your Trainer now."

Artur trumpeted something at him. Anger and disdain evident in his tones.

Rye shrugged. "I don't care. You're my Pokémon and I'm your Trainer. Now, c'mon, I think I want to challenge the Captain. We're good together—you'll see."

Artur narrowed his crimson eyes at Rye but didn't protest to being recalled back into his ball. Rye smiled. Before the week was up, he'd win over the newest addition to the team. He was still feeling all kinds of incredible with the distance he put between him and Unova and capturing his first Pokémon. Artur's hostility and outright dislike wasn't going to put him off.

He felt lighter. He felt free.