Author's Note: Hello! I am excited to finally be writing a Pokemon story.

For this story, it will differ from the Pokemon games in that Pokemon can know more than four moves. The reason for this is because, I feel like the Pokemon games have to have some kind of restriction on them in order to keep them a challenge. But in the real world (as if Pokemon is the real world... hah), I feel like Pokemon would be able to know each move they've learned, like how the anime seems to imply.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy this story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. Period.

Chapter One

The World Outside

The long drive to what I'm sure will be a nightmare is uncomfortably quiet. The car rumbles softly and the radio is turned down, while the heater hums in the background, giving warmth to my chilled toes. In the driver's seat, my mother watches the road with a straight, unchanging gaze. She hasn't said much the entire way. Probably because she can sense my fear—knowing that even a single wrong word could cause the churning in my stomach to bubble up and eventually out of me.

Like her, I watch the road. But my mind is somewhere else. Cars drive by, and the scenery changes, but I don't notice much of it. I'm too focused on what I will do when I'm finally in the classroom—or on campus, for that matter. My thoughts are racing, filled with situations I can't control—filled with the fear of the unknown.

It isn't until we've pulled up to the Viridian university that I snap back into the present. My mouth feels suddenly dry as I realize that I'm going to have to leave her familiar side to wander the halls among people I don't know. I grab my backpack from behind the seat and put a shaky hand on the door lever.

My mother puts a hand on my shoulder. "You'll be alright, sweetie. Just remember to be yourself. I'm sure they'll like you."

I nod. It doesn't do much to resolve my outward shaking, but I feel slight comfort at her words.

"I love you. I hope you have a fantastic day." She smiles, though with hesitancy. We've been through this before, with less than adequate results. "You'll be fine. Remember, your Pokemon are always with you."

"Thanks. I love you too. ...And I'll remember."

I peer through the window, watching as students walk up to the nearby mathematics building. They seem carefree and in good spirits, many of them talking and laughing. It's in stark contrast to me, who will probably be eaten up like a Mareep among Mightyena.

I suck in a breath and finally open the door. The chill hits me hard, but it's nothing compared to the fear I feel. I wave goodbye to my mother, shut the door, and pull out my class schedule. As I read it, warm fog continues to shoot up my legs from behind me, letting me know that my mother is still behind me, in the car—probably concerned. I turn around and wave goodbye again before crumpling the sheet and heading to my class.

When I get inside the building, the hallway is crowded and busy. Students pass by me wearing backpacks or rolling laptop cases. It's noisy also. I lower my gaze to the floor and tighten my grip on my backpack handles. I make my way to my first class, taking quick steps, trying my best not to bump into anyone or attract attention. As I pass by the maze of unfamiliar faces, I can feel the churning from earlier making my stomach toss and turn. Only a little more to go, I tell myself. Along with my own voice of help, I remember my mother's words and her daily affirmations. It's the only way I am able to make it to the classroom without losing my breakfast.

I arrive at the classroom five minutes early. I feel relieved that I have a chance to enter before everyone has arrived and taken their seats—their gazes won't be on me. At least, that's what I hope for.

The classroom is nearly silent when I enter. A part of me had been hoping that some of the students would be chatting with each other, so their attention wouldn't be focused on me. I try to ignore their gazes and walk to an open seat, my mind in a hundred places at once. My lack of focus, however, ends up to my detriment as I walk straight into a nearby desk, almost toppling over.

Someone snorts loudly, and snickers soon follow. I pull back from the seat in embarrassment and continue to the desk by the window, one of the few open seats. After I slide the backpack off my shoulders, I sit and rest my head on my elbow, trying to hide the flush on my face.

What a great first impression... I think, closing my eyes for a brief moment before leaning over to pull out my notebook. I can feel a few amused gazes on me still, but I try to ignore it.

And so begins my life here at uni.


Lunch is a single slice of pizza and a bottle of cold iced tea. It's hard getting it down, but I force myself to eat. My mother told me many times that not eating can make you throw up. And, as I've learned over the years, about that and many other things, she is usually right,

As I eat, people sitting at the other tables talk and laugh. Some of them study, reading through textbooks or mouse-scrolling on laptops. But all of them look at peace. I look down at the remains of my single slice of pizza, feeling downtrodden. It looks suddenly more greasy than before. My stomach rumbles a warning, and I manage to swallow one more bite before pushing the now unappetizing plate of food a good distance away. Well, at least I got a few bites in.

I sit for a few minutes more to let my stomach settle. Then, I grab my plate of food and start to inch out of my seat. However, a sudden voice behind me freezes me to a halt.

"Hey!"

I turn my head just in time as a guy approaches. He has dark brown hair, and his eyes are a cobalt blue. He smiles, then nonchalantly walks across from me to the other side of the table. I don't understand it, but I have an odd feeling in the back of my mind that something isn't right about him.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" he asks.

I shake my head, smiling the best I can. "No. Go ahead." But inwardly I can feel myself panic. He sets down his plate of mini cheeseburgers and french fries. I slide myself back fully into my seat, pretending I wasn't just about to get up and rush off to the ladies room.

"I'm Trev," he says. "I'm in your College Algebra class. Saw you sitting by yourself so, I just thought I'd give you some company."

I nod, then pick up my pizza slice and take a small bite. He eats as well, and for a little while it's quiet. I start to get nervous since I'm not sure what to say. But suddenly, the silence is interrupted when he starts laughing.

"Sorry. I was remembering your entrance."

My eyes widen. The image of me nearly flopping over the desk on my way into the classroom hits me. Very strongly. I can't help the sudden laugh that makes its way out of me. My anxiety disappears as though someone has waved it away. He grins.

"I'm so embarrassed I did that..."

"It's okay. I figured you were just nervous or something."

I nod, though I'm surprised inside. Is there a possibility that the other people in class thought the same thing? Maybe I had been getting flustered over nothing then.

"What's your name?"

"Kyrie."

"Kyrie?" He holds out a hand. "It's nice to meet you, Kyrie."

"Nice to meet you too," I return, shaking his hand.

It's quiet for a moment as he takes another bite of a mini cheeseburger. Then he turns back to me, but his mind seems to be in the clouds. "What's your favorite Pokemon, Kyrie?"

I lower my eyes. "I...don't have one."

His eyes widen. "You don't? But, everyone has a favorite."

"Definitely not me." Before I've realized it, my lips have pressed together tightly. I can feel a bitterness rising in me. "Though I have a least favorite type."

"A least favorite? But no favorite?"

I nod. "I don't like fire types."

"Why not?"

"They're just..." I hesitate. It feels like a past that I'd finally managed to forget is coming back to mind again. "It's nothing. I don't really want to talk about it."

He watches me for a while, curiously. But after a while he turns back to his food, eating. "I understand. You don't have to tell me."

A silence passes between us. I stop attempting to eat my pizza, feeling a slight sickness in my stomach. He continues to eat, but seems to notice my discomfort. He sets down his burger and grabs a Pokeball from his belt, enlarging it as he holds it out over the table.

"Let's have a battle," he says, smiling.

I pause, and my entire face probably turns white. "H...Huh?"

"Battles always make me feel really good." He pauses. "Or are you not a trainer?"

"I...I'm a trainer but..."

"You don't like battling?"

"Not exactly..." I pause. "It's just not fun for me."

He stares at me for a while as though I'd just said I'm a monster. Then, he slowly nods.

"So you're a trainer but...you don't like battling? Not to be rude but...isn't being a trainer all about battling?"

"It's not that I don't want to battle. It's just, not fun when I try to." I can feel his confusion becoming more and more apparent, so I try to clarify. "I kind of have an issue with...getting anxious or whatever during battles. And I don't know how to control my Pokemon well. But, I really want to get better eventually. I just don't know if I'm ready right now..."

"Well isn't now a better time than ever? If you're going to try eventually, any time you start you'll feel the same way. So why not start now?" He smiles.

I look away, feeling pressured.

"Come on."

He stands up, leaving his plate on the table, and comes around to my side, putting a hand on my arm playfully. I hesitate to stand at first, but the smile on his face makes me feel guilty, so I slowly rise to my feet. I leave my plate on the table as well, grab my schoolbag, and follow after him as he leads me towards the edge of the cafeteria.

As we walk, an alarm in me goes off. My heartbeat is suddenly faster, and a sinking feeling grows in my stomach. I'm not sure where it comes from, but it scares me. And then the thought hits: Are we even allowed to have battles on school grounds...? I pull back from him and stop in place. He notices my lack of presence and turns around.

"Something wrong?"

"It's...nothing. I just... I realized my next class starts in ten minutes," I lie. "Sorry. I have to go now."

"Oh..." His voice is filled with more frustration than I expect. "Well...alright."

"See you,"

I quickly turn away and head back to the table. I can feel his eyes on me still, but I don't turn around.

"Maybe we can battle some other time, then?" he calls suddenly.

I stop in place and nod without turning around. Then I quickly continue walking.

When I've reached the table, I turn around to see if he's still there. Thankfully he isn't. I breathe a sigh of relief and pick up my plate. My heart is still racing.

What in the world was that...? I think. I don't know what came over me all of a sudden...

The feeling isn't there anymore, so I start to wonder if maybe I was just imagining it.

I start to turn around so I can walk towards the trash can. But as I do so, I accidentally bump into someone coming my direction. My plate of food nearly falls to the floor, but I grab it before it can fall on the person's shoes. I immediately apologize, but the person, who I notice now is a boy, just stares at the ground, something in his face that I don't understand.

"Watch out for that guy Trevor..." he mumbles.

I blink. "...Trevor?"

"The guy you just met. Just...watch out for him."

I watch as the boy lowers his head even more, as if hiding his face. He's wearing a tan hat with what looks to be Meowth ears, and his hair is a light, sandy brown. I now notice he looks to be about fourteen or fifteen years old, several years younger than I am. He's certainly shorter.

"Oh... Watch out for him?" I ask, rather stupidly.

He nods, then quickly shuffles past me, still looking down. I watch as he walks away and disappears around the corner at the edge of the cafeteria. I stay where I am for a moment longer before finally taking my plate to the trash.

I wonder who that boy was.


The house is dark when I arrive home in the evening. I close the front door behind me after flipping on the light switch, watching as the pitch black hallway becomes visible. I slide my backpack off my shoulders and carry it into the living room. Then I collapse on the couch. The TV is still on. Probably because my mother and I had rushed out that morning.

It's been a long day... I think, closing my eyes and trying not to let the soft pillow behind my head send me to sleep. I think about the events that happened, absentmindedly listening to the news reporter speak.

'...the events of yesterday, Ash Ketchum informed Kira News that he will not be accepting new challengers until the case is resolved. In further news..."

I shake my head. I had seen the reports yesterday. Apparently someone charged the Champion with cheating in his match, after they lost 6-0.

"What a horrible world."

I start to reach for the remote. I don't like listening to sad or negative news reports. But before my hand touches it, something catches my ear.

"...disappearances around Viridian City. Witnesses say they saw a man dressed in what looked to be a Team Rocket uniform around the Viridian Pokemon Center area. However, no additional information has been found at this time."

My eyes widen. Usually you hear of these types of reports in places other than your hometown.

"I had better be careful then..." I mumble.

"In other news..."

I sigh and lean further back into the couch. Beneath my shirt, my Pokeballs dig into my waist. I reach for a Pokeball and enlarge it, twirling it in my hand.

Maybe that guy was right. Maybe I should learn how to battle now, rather than waiting. It would sure help me to be safe... I bite my lip. Maybe.

The events of the day flash through my mind again. I think about my nervousness, and the classroom, and that strange, almost withdrawn-looking boy, with the Meowth hat. I have a feeling, based on my anxious experience with Trevor, that the boy was telling the truth about him. I shake my head to myself and close my eyes again.

hat a horrible world.

Before I know it, the news reporter's voice has faded into background noise. The warmth of my jacket and the softness of the couch lulls me, and I drift into sleep.


I hope you liked the first chapter. This was more of an introduction to the characters. The story will be picking up in the next chapter.