A/N: Seeing as how this story was among the most requested out of all my new ones to come, I figured I'd publish the first chapter to see how you folks all like it! Of course, to any reader who happened to stumble upon this story, I hope you find it to your liking as well. ^_^

NOTE: This story is a Pokémon fanfiction, and it will feature actual Pokémon and Pokémon-related themes will be used and mentioned. But please take note; this story takes place almost entirely in the real world (that is, our real world Earth, where Pokémon are merely videogames), but the main setting is in a fictional city (based off of a real one). The situation and circumstances will be explained eventually, trust me.

Without further ado, read and review!

~ My Life With Pokémon ~

Chapter 1: A Gift From a Stranger

Several things were going through Lucas' head at once. Today's supposed birthday celebration, the vacation his parents had planned for months now, and most worryingly of all: school. As the summer break recently ended, Lucas would have to return to school as early as tomorrow. Well, at least the birthday will help dampen the boredom of school, he figured. Gifts are always a nice concession.

To most people, Lucas is "the quiet kid that lives down the road"; a twelve-year old black-haired boy attending public school who always keeps to himself. In his hometown of Steel Rapids, Ontario, he's practically an unknown.

Lucas is not the bravest kid, or the strongest, but he knows something that many kids (or adults, for that matter) don't know: how to show compassion. This might seem like an almost trivial or frivolous concept to some, but it is probably the most important trait that a creature of any kind can give.

…The only problem would be that Lucas had very few opportunities to prove his caring capacity. Even now, as he idly watched the television in the sanctity of his bedroom, the boy was…lonely. But it had not always been so.

When he was just six years old, Lucas had a cat. A small, cute, fluffy, and cuddly kitten named Copper. It's the same, tired "boy-and-his-X" archetype that we all know and love (or hate, if you're some kind of callous cynic). Oh, how he loved that little fuzzball. It always snuggled up with him when Lucas sat on the couch, or cutely mewed at him when it was hungry.

It made it all the more painful when his mom broke the sad news.

Copper was never a healthy kitten, you see. At first, neither Lucas nor his mom understood why it was getting so weak. It ate and drank less, moved more sluggishly, and seemed to be losing focus of the world. Concerned, his mom went to arrange an appointment with the veterinarian. That day, she left to the vet, and took Copper with her. She promised Lucas they would be back soon.

But when Lucas woke up the next morning, he couldn't find his beloved Copper anywhere. Distressed, he searched the house top to bottom, until his mother finally stopped the boy, and grimly told him, "Copper is somewhere else. He had to leave."

"B-but…why?" Lucas cried. "Why did Copper have to go? I wanna see him!"

"…" His mother swallowed down an unpleasant feeling rising in her throat. She had no idea how to explain what she had to explain. There had to be a way to make him understand… "Lucas… Copper is sick. He can't stay here, he needed to go get fixed."

"S-sick? But…but he'll be back, right? Copper'll be back, right? Right, mommy?" The tears collecting in his eyes still wouldn't go away.

"…Of course he will, sweetie." That was a lie, his mother knew. But a necessary one. After all, Lucas was still too young to truly understand the concept of loss. But it would not even be a week until the boy learned the truth. His long period of mourning was to be expected…

…but, that was long ago. Lucas knew that he had to move on from his past.

The boy sighed, and lay back further in his chair, watching some good television programs that have just come on. He let his mind become absorbed by the machine, as most people tend to do, and started feeling a bit drowsy.

But right before Lucas was overtaken by sleep his mother's voice suddenly rang out, jarring him from his half-asleep state. "LUCAS! Come downstairs right now, please!"

Startled, Lucas blurted out a quickened response. "C-coming mom! I'm coming!"

In his haste to get out of the chair he was in, poor Luke stumbled and fell flat on his face, with his leg still caught on the chair. "OW!"

Cursing, he wiggled his foot loose from the chair and got back up. Though slightly dazed, Lucas shook himself awake again and hurried out his bedroom door.

Bounding down the flight of stairs at a breakneck pace, he swerved into the kitchen where his mother was waiting.

"There you are Lucas," his mom said, smiling warmly. "Are you ready for your gift?"

"You bet I am!" Lucas exclaimed. "I've been waiting all summer for my birthd—" He suddenly realized something, and looked around the room. No one else was there besides him and his mother. "…Uh, where's dad? I thought you said he'd be here…"

His mom sighed. "I know I did honey, but he got tied up at work with some urgent business."

"…As usual," Lucas grumbled, hanging his head with disappointment.

"Hey now, don't be too upset, we'll all have another celebration later, with everyone! Me, dad, gramma, your cousins, your friends—"

"I don't have any friends," the boy interrupted, looking to the side. "Everyone at my school thinks I'm a sissy…"

"Lucas, you know that isn't true. You can make as many friends as you want, if you put your mind to it."

"But mom, you know I'm really—"

"Shy, I know, I know. Oh well… Uh, about your birthday gift?"

"…Ah! Right, so…what'd you get me?"

Lucas's mom turned around to pick up a colorfully wrapped box from the counter, then turned back to her son and handed him the box.

The boy stared curiously at the rectangular box, which was a little smaller than a shoe box. "It's a little…small, isn't it?"

Mom giggled. "Well, you know what they say!"

Though somewhat disappointed, Lucas slowly removed the wrapping on the package. Inside was a rather ornate wooden box, with a shiny gloss coating. Opening the well-crafted box, Lucas marveled at what was within.

It was a circular, golden badge of some sort, with an engraving of a heart encompassing most of it. Within the heart there was another engraving of what appeared to be a shield; a coat of arms, to be precise. On the back was the pin (where the badge can be affixed to a shirt or whatnot), along with an inscribed date: 1825 (Despite age it seemed almost brand new). The badge seemed to radiate positive energy.

"What exactly…is this?" Lucas asked, wearing a confused look on his face. "I mean, it looks kinda cool, but…"

"That belonged to your grandmother; and her grandmother as well. It is a very special gift."

The boy arched a curious eyebrow. "…But does it, you know, do anything?"

"Of course it does! Though, it might be a while before that becomes apparent. Just take care of it, and it will take care of you…so to say."

"Oh, I see… Um…" Lucas looked down at the gold accessory, still unsure of what to make of the gift. Nevertheless, he smiled and said, "Thanks mom."

Soon after he received his 'gift', Lucas' mother served him some of his favorite cupcakes, fresh from the oven. The taste always comforted him, for some reason. Perhaps it was the way his mother cooked it; always at the right consistency and temperature. Or maybe it was the simple notion that he and Copper used to share these kind of cupcakes...

Admittedly, it wasn't much of a birthday, but Lucas hoped mom would make good on her promise of a bigger, hopefully more memorable party at a later date. ...But, deep inside, Lucas wanted something more than a simple material gift. As he said before, he has no friends. And that's precisely why he isn't a happy camper, so to speak.

Sitting on the living room sofa, Lucas lazily stared off into space. What he truly wanted right now, was someone to be friends with. Or better yet, have many different friends. Friends he could confide in, trust, and have fun together with… Friends to possibly try and fill the void that Copper had left behind in his passing…

Sometime that afternoon, Lucas' mom informed her son that she was going to have a quick shower, and she asked him to make sure to take any calls or answer the door just in case it's his dad returning from work.

Right when mom went to take the shower, Lucas remembered the 'gift' he had received, and rushed to place the box and the badge up in his room. Stuffing it under his bed, he ran back downstairs and decided that it would be easier to watch some TV so that he doesn't get bored or anything just waiting for the phone to ring. So, he sat on the living room couch, turned on the tube, and started to become absorbed by it again...

...Not long later however, there was a knocking at the door.

RAP RAP RAP!

At first, Lucas didn't hear it. But seconds later…

RAP RAP RAP!

Realizing that someone had come—possibly his dad—he jumped off the couch and ran to the front door as it continued knocking. Seizing the doorknob, and throwing the door open, Lucas expected to see his dad. But to his surprise, it wasn't. It was a different man, wearing a long coat and a natty-looking hat. He appeared friendly, judging from his expression and soft voice.

"Good afternoon," the stranger said, smiling casually. "Are you, by any chance, Lucas?"

Lucas gave him a suspicious look. "How do you know my name?"

"A better question is: how wouldn't I know your name? Heheh, but seriously, a lot of people know about you. Word comes 'round, hmm?"

"Uh… M-mom says I shouldn't talk to strangers," the boy said softly, biting his lip with anxiety.

"Indeed you shouldn't! But who said I was a stranger? Hah, no one except you in any case."

Lucas gulped, tightening his grip on the door. He thought about shutting the door right then, but curiosity and nervousness delayed that. "L-l-look, just w-what do you want?" he demanded. "W-why are you here?"

The man suddenly became serious. Reaching into his coat pocket, he pulled out a small box (which looked oddly similar to the one his gift from mom was kept in) and held it forward to Lucas. "It's not what I want, it's what you want."

"…Eh." Lucas was confused.

"Is it not your birthday today?"

"…!" Lucas gasped softly. "How did you—?"

"Again, word comes 'round. Here's my gift to you. After all, no one else is capable of having it."

The stranger handed the box to Lucas, which he hesitantly took. "B-but I don't think I should…" Lucas protested, but trailed off.

The man simply nodded, and the smile came back to him. "…Take good care of them, won't you?" he said, and then with a tip of the hat he turned on his heel and walked away.

As Lucas shut the door again, the new "gift" tucked under his arm, he wondered about the man just now. How come he just gave him something like that, no questions asked? Does mom or perhaps dad know him? A friend of theirs, maybe? And what did he mean by "take good care of them"?

"Who was that, honey?" a voice called out. "It sounded like someone was at the door." Lucas turned around, and saw his mom walking down the hall towards him. She had apparently just gotten out of the shower, as she was in her bathrobes and was still blow-drying her hair.

Lucas quickly faked a smile and hid the box behind his back. "No one, mum. I thought it was dad, so I checked and all, but nobody was there," he lied.

"Oh, I thought I heard someone talking…"

"I-it was just me, mom."

"I see… Hmm? What's behind your back?"

Lucas began to sweat, and grinned sheepishly. "What's behind what now?"

"Oh Lucas, don't play games with me. I mean that box you're holding behind your back."

"O-Oh…that… It's a…err…" Lucas slowly held out the box in front of him, sweating more and more. Mom would be furious if she found out he accepted something from a total stranger, so he quickly fabricated a story. "…It's…the gift you gave me earlier! I hadn't put it somewhere nice where it can be safe yet, soooo…"

"Oh. Okay then," mom said, briefly looking at the shiny wooden box, then back at Lucas. Fortunately for the boy, both gift boxes he had received today were quite similar, so mom probably couldn't tell it was just received from a stranger (though he wasn't sure if he could simply write that fact off as coincidence).

"Well, err… Okay then mom," Lucas said, sighing inwardly with relief, "I'll be in my room then…y'know, finding a, um, place for this." He quickly excused himself while mom went to cook dinner, and rushed up to his room. For safety's sake, he locked the door behind himself.

Finally alone, he set the box on top of his bed, and spent many a good minute staring at it, wondering what was within. His imagination quickly took over. Is it something nice? Rare even? Or more likely it's just another trinket?

Lucas even began thinking of more disturbing possibilities. Was there a bomb inside? Primed to explode upon opening? Maybe it was cursed! When he would open it he would probably fall over dead, or maybe even turn into a frog! What if there were live spiders, snakes or other creepy crawlies inside, ready to strike the instant the box was opened? But for all Lucas knew it could've been empty.

Deciding that he would never know unless he opened it, Lucas grabbed hold of the lid and—carefully—he lifted it.

Right away, he half-expected to be consumed by a blast or something equally terrifying, but fortunately for his well-being (and his health insurance) that never happened.

Instead, there was indeed something interesting inside the box, and Lucas gaped when he saw them.

Inside the box, there were six metallic red-and-white spheres, each roughly the size of a pachinko ball.

Six Pokéballs.

Lucas gawked. Pokéballs? From the video game series Pokémon? But…that's supposed to be made up! Why are there six here in this box?

To be sure they weren't false (or to confirm they were fake, which is much more believable), he picked one up and carefully examined it. It was rather small though… But, from what Lucas remembered from watching the anime, they tended to be this small so they could be pocketed; the Pokeballs could be enlarged for proper use later.

As Lucas played with one of the tiny spheres, he accidentally pressed a button on the device's center, causing it to suddenly expand with a whir to the size of a grapefruit.

"WAH!"

Startled, Lucas dropped the ball to the floor, where it landed with an odd metallic 'ping!' Almost immediately, the ball split into halves along the equator, and a bright mass of light spewed from its depths.

The light collected to a spot on the floor, and continued to gather until a distinct shape of an animal-like creature was visible. As suddenly as the light came, it dispelled, leaving behind something quite amazing. Lucas stared in shock at the spot where it stood, unable to say a word.

It was some kind of tiny mouse-like creature, barely a foot tall, with a coating of orange-yellow fur over its body. Its head was round (and quite disproportionate to the rest of its body), with a pair of large triangular ears jutting from the top of its head. Its body was tiny, with equally small arms and legs, and a tiny L-shaped tail. Two red circles were visible on both cheeks. The creature scanned the room with its beady eyes with a distinct sense of curiosity, and then took notice of Lucas, who recoiled at its gaze.

Lucas could hardy fathom what he saw was real. This creature was, in fact, a Pokémon. A Pichu, to be exact. And a shiny one, at that. Lucas didn't play the Pokémon games, but he did watch the cartoon (as before mentioned) on a few occasions. But he usually took extra care not to mention anything about them at school, since kids who play Pokémon or talk about them at his school are much lower on the social ladder than Lucas is. So he took care to not be associated with them.

…Well, so much for that now.

Though Lucas had to admit that the Pichu currently staring at him was beyond adorable, it shouldn't even exist in the real world! How is it that it was here now? Was he hallucinating? Perhaps he ate too much pizza at lunch? Or…maybe he actually DID fall asleep when watching TV and this was all a dream!

But before Lucas could verify that fact, the Pokémon let out a happy cry of "Pichu!" and jumped onto him, causing Lucas to fall backwards to the floor, right on his rear end. "Owww…"

While rubbing his sore bottom, the Pichu jumped up and down on his lap, continuing to cheer in its own dialect. "Pi pichu! Pichu!"

Lucas, somewhat angry at and afraid of the mouse, took a chance and picked it up in a manner similar to holding a baby. He could feel its soft fur by doing so, which helped assure him that this was no dream. Pichu just stared at Lucas with happiness and curiosity, even when being held.

'Must…resist…cuteness…' Lucas thought, finding it hard to even be slightly upset at this little ball of fuzz. Nevertheless he breathed deeply and decided to talk to the Pokémon. "Okay… Err… Listen up, uh…Pichu? Yeah, Pichu, err…"

The tiny mouse perked up, having heard its name being called.

"Listen, uh…" He was having a hard time finding words that the Pichu could understand. "You…you can't be here, okay? It's…not natural! I mean, you're supposed to be…well, not real!"

Pichu gasped at the last two words, and then started to whimper.

'I may have gone a little overboard with that,' he thought, biting his lip. "Uh, I'm s-sorry! I didn't mean to say it like that! I meant, err…you should be somewhere far away! And not here!"

Pichu looked pretty upset still.

"Ugh… Look, the point is...y-you have to go, okay? I can't deal with you and those other…" He suddenly remembered the five other Pokéballs. Lucas put the Pichu on the floor, then stood up and checked the box again. The other five balls were still there, along with something else that Lucas hadn't noticed before. "Huh?"

It was an envelope. Lucas picked it up, and saw that an emblem of the Pokémon League was on the front; a Pokéball icon with a sort of triangular shape jutting out from the bottom half. Curiosity piqued, Lucas removed the wax stamp holding the envelope shut, took out a letter, and started to read.

"Dear Lucas,

By special honor, the League has permitted you to hold, care for, and train any species of Pokémon. The card enclosed is proof of this right. As a corollary, considering your location, we have provided you with six Pokémon of varying types to have and to take care of.

Our reasons for this are unfortunately confidential, but we assure you, no harm will come of it. There are certain conditions on keeping them however. Though you may handle your Pokémon in any way you see fit, we recommend highly that these few guidelines be followed:

I: Pokémon are to be treated fairly, and should be looked upon as friends and partners; never tools or weapons. This is a general rule, one that should be followed.

II: We are aware that Pokémon in your world are, shall we say, nonexistent. As such, it would be wise to keep them concealed from the public eye. This rule ties in with Rule IV.

III: Whether you are raising Pokémon as battlers, contesters, or simple pets, you are always responsible for their well-being.

IV: Under no circumstances are you permitted to disclose the existence of the Pokémon League to authorities. It is recommended that this letter be destroyed upon reading and committing the guidelines to memory.

V: In the case of Rule II being compromised, under no circumstances will you allow the Pokémon to be taken elsewhere by anyone.

VI: There is no Rule VI.

(Note: The above rule was suggested by one of our more 'carefree' professors whom is under the impression that he has a sense of humor. This remains to be seen, however.)

VII: Should any of the above rules (VI is notwithstanding) be broken, then your privileges can and may very well be revoked, and the Pokémon returned.

Keep these points in mind, and your life with Pokémon should be an exciting one indeed. This is truly a "once-in-a-lifetime" offer, if that, so we ask that you be thankful. We hope that you enjoy life with your new friends.

Sincerely,

Pokémon League HQ, External Affairs Division
Indigo Plateau, Kanto Region."

Lucas read the letter through once. Then he read it once more. Was this some kind of joke? There really is a Pokémon League? And a Kanto region? B-but how? Where? When? If the Pokémon are real, then…they must be real as well…

Checking inside the envelope once more, he found that there was in fact a card in there! It had a picture of him and everything! It looked kind of like an ID card or a Driver's License, only for Pokémon training. On the reverse side was, big surprise, nothing. Still, it clearly wasn't phony. After all, how could anyone have faked all of this?

Sighing, Lucas looked over to the shiny Pichu, whom had climbed on top of the bed and was still staring at him with a pleading face. Seeing as how this was all planned out for him somehow (he didn't know why though), Lucas had little other choice.

"Pichu…?"

The tiny mouse perked up at once, gazing at him expectantly.

"I…I…guess you can stay here, seeing as how—OOF!"

Lucas was suddenly tackled again by an overeager Pichu (sending him to the floor again, on his back this time), which then jumped up and down happily on his stomach.

"Owowowowww…" Despite the pain, Lucas still couldn't feel upset at the little guy. Its cuteness was a bit much for him to handle. Nevertheless, it was time to lay down the law.

Though rather hesitant at first, Lucas began to talk to it again. "Hey, Pichu? I need you to…uh, listen to me for a second…okay?"

Its attention regained, the Pichu stopped jumping and looked at him wonderingly.

"Err… If you're gonna, well, 'be here', then I need you to understand some ground rules… D-do you understand me so far?"

Cocking its head to the side, the Pichu nodded.

"Well…uh…first things first, I guess… No jumping on me all the time, okay? I may have broken something that last time…"

Pichu frowned with disappointment, but still nodded.

"Alright…" Lucas thought for a moment. "And, uh, don't break anything! Don't even touch anything! Got that?"

Ears drooping a bit, Pichu nodded.

"Okay…and, err, please stay in this room, okay? If my mom sees you…I don't wanna think about what would happen if she did. It won't be pretty. Understand?"

Pichu nodded again.

"Great, well… That's all the rules I can think of right now… I suppose that's it then. Got all that, Pichu?"

Pichu nodded, this time with an accompanying cry of, "Pichu pi."

Lucas thought for a moment. "Hmm… Now that I think, calling you just 'Pichu' all the time is a bit… generic… Huh… Maybe I should give you a better name?"

"Pichu!" The tiny mouse obviously had no objections to this.

"Okay, but… What to call you…? Hmm…maybe Watt? …Nah, too clichéd… What about Sparky? …No, I'm pretty sure that's taken… Oh! I got it! How about…'Jolt'? …Ugh, again with the electric nicknames… I-I need to think of something...nicer..." Lucas bit his bottom lip. What would be a good nickname for a little mouse like this…?

…But as the boy gazed deeply at the electric rodent, he found that its slightly deeper fur coloration of yellow than usual made it seem…familiar somehow…

Wait a second…

Lucas recalled a distant memory of a pet he once owned. A pet he considered his best friend. One that didn't live its own life as long as it deserved. He knew what to name this Pichu that was currently standing on his chest. "…How about…Copper. Yeah. That sounds…good." He drew a breath, releasing it slowly. "…What do you think?"

"Pi!"

"Uh…is that a yes?"

Pichu nodded.

"Oh, then great!" Lucas said, smiling brightly. "Copper it is!" After a moment of letting that sink in, Lucas felt...oddly happy. But...he couldn't help but wonder: why did he name a Pichu after his long-deceased kitten? Perhaps...he could feel some kind of connection with this little mouse Pokemon? Or, was it just because the name suited its fur color? Even Lucas wasn't fully sure...

"...So…uh…what am I supposed to do now?" he found himself asking after another minute, realizing he was still on the floor.

"Pi, pichu!" The Pokémon jumped off of Lucas at last, and scurried atop the bed. Standing back up, the boy saw the Pichu, Copper, point at the box, which contained the other five Pokéballs.

"Oh…right, I nearly forgot about them," Lucas said, then walked to his bed and grabbed one of the metallic spheres before scrutinizing it. "…I wonder what's in this one," he thought aloud.

"Chu!" Copper squeaked, and pointed at the ball Lucas was holding.

The boy looked at Copper, then at the ball. "Guess I should open it then, huh? And the others, too?"

Copper nodded.

Lucas shrugged, and then said, "Well, here goes nothing…" He was completely unsure of how to properly call out the creature inside, but took a stab at it and gently threw the Pokéball into the air. "Go…Pokéball…?"

With those uncertain words, the ball weakly tumbled around in midair before falling back down and hitting the floor. With a popping noise, the Pokéball split open and a light poured out onto the floor and gathered into a single entity.

When the light cleared, what was left behind surprised Lucas yet again.

A/N: LOLCLIFFHANGER. Well, I personally found it kind of necessary. But just what are the other ones? Ah-ah… That's a secret!

…BUT! I decided that it would be best if YOU, the reader, could help decide what the remaining five 'Mons would be! Remember: if you leave a review, don't forget to also suggest potential Pokémon that Lucas can have! I implore you to consider, my friends.

Reference Notes:
-Lucas' hometown, Steel Rapids, is very much based off of my own hometown. :D I made up a name that I felt was appropriate, but the way the city is laid out is basically the same as my town.
-You know the rule 6 reference. Admit it. :P

Review where it's due, osha! Until next update, fare thee well!

-TheAuthorGl1m0