Chapter 1
Louis Roth
"Thank you mister! I'll take good care of him and love him forever!" The young boy sprinted back into Santalune City with his newly caught Fletchling.
"I can't thank you enough Louis, you truly are a sweetheart. Bless your soul!" The young boy's mother chased after her ecstatic son, leaving me in the dust.
Bored, Scizor and I plopped down by the fountain and gazed at the wild Ledyba fluttering across the violet summer sky. The sun smiled down upon Kalos and birthed a burst of life all across the region. The Flabébé sing their cheerful melodies, the Combee buzz around the brightly colored flowers, and the emerald leaves dance to Parterre Way's gentle breeze.
My hand reached for the Premier Ball hanging around my neck – my fingers traced the crude 'S' that was drawn on. The other hand brushed back my dark-brown hair, trying to cool down my forehead.
"Another boring day, huh Scizor?"
"Sci."
I sat there for who knows how long. Wasting my day away playing with the local wild Pokémon. The local Flabébé and I played hide-and-seek for several hours before Scizor and I got into a couple of battles with some of the trainers coming from Lumiose City. Bullet Punch, win. Bullet Punch, win. Bullet Punch, win. How long can this cycle repeat? Am I fated to live this life forever? Winning battle after battle, showing trainers to the local Pokémon Center, go home, sleep, only to rise up in the morning to repeat the cycle.
As sunset arrives, I shove my hands into my pockets and headed back home…
"Mommy, how do you be a strong trainer?"
"Why do you ask sweetie?"
"You and daddy were super strong trainers, right? I want to become like you and daddy and explore the world!"
"In that case, I'll let you in on the secret to becoming a strong trainer. A strong trainer loves their Pokémon."
"Love?"
"Yes, love. A strong trainer will do anything for their Pokémon and in return, your Pokémon will do anything for you. Do you understand?"
"Yes mama!"
"Haha, great. Here's a Premier Ball, go caught yourself an Eevee or maybe even a Pikachu in the backyard."
"Okay mommy! I love you!"
"Love you too sweetie."
"Mama, I'm home." She was sitting on the couch, watching a documentary about oceanic Pokémon. She wrapped herself in a large, velvet blanket with a bowl of popcorn on her lap. She had tied her hair into a bun and was wearing a large sweatshirt. Mom was a preschool teacher and spends all day making sure the kids don't hurt each other with their Pokémon. She looked at me with her pearly eyes and her gentle smile that could melt anyone's heart.
"You've been staying really late outside lately; are you okay?" Yes, your 17 year-old son that spends all day outside with the wild Pokémon is absolutely fine.
"Yeah sure, whatever. Hey, do we have any coffee left?"
"I think I drank all of it this morning." Groaning, I threw my jacket back on.
"Fine, I'm gonna go out and buy some more. You want anything?"
"Anything you want Louis. Oh yeah, did you see your father on your way home?"
"I saw him this morning but I think he is still at work."
"Oh, okay… Stay safe."
"Alright, love you mom."
"Louis Roth, correct?" Standing by the fountain was a woman and four guys about my age all dressed in a white uniform with a blue star on their chests. I could feel the woman's frigid glare freezing my legs, while her lackeys give their crooked smile. She had a notepad in her hand as well as a pen.
"Age: 17. The only son of Madeline and Marquis Roth. You have a Scizor; estimates show it being Level 60-80. You spend all day playing with the local Pokémon. You have an average gpa of a 14.3, but have an 18 in Pokémon Biology according Santalune's Trainer School for the Gifted and strive to go into the field of Pokémon Researching." I dropped the bags of groceries and unhooked the Premier Ball off my necklace.
"How do you know all of this?"
"We have members all across Kalos. It isn't exactly hard to find out info on people."
"We? Who's 'we'?"
"You ask too many questions. Haven't you heard the phrase? Curiosity killed the Skitty! Boys!"
"Yes ma'am!" The four send out their Bisharp, all of which looked ready to slice me in half.
"Now, come with us or we'll turn you into a Magikarp fillet. It would be a shame if the world lost a trainer with such potential; you'll make an excellent admin of our organization. So, what's your choice?"
"Sccciiii!" Within a heartbeat, a blur of red came out of the Premier Ball. Planting itself onto the ground, Scizor kicked up the dust and created a shroud for the two of us to hide behind.
"Scizor! Swords Dance!"
"SCIII!"
"Don't just stand there you idiots! Do something!"
"Slash!"
"Fury Cutter!"
"Metal Claw!"
"Night Slash!"
"Scizor! Bullet Punch!" Scizor pierced the cloud of dust and launched a barrage of slashes against the airborne Bisharp, knocking all of them out.
"What the hell?"
"I thought Bisharp resisted Steel-type attacks!"
"Ma'am, we should call in reinforcement from the Lumiose Branch!"
"You worthless… I'll take care of this. Pyroar! Flamethrower!"
"Bullet Punch!" Leaping over the Pyroar's Flamethrower, Scizor landed right beside it and let out a flurry of punches.
"Fire Fang!" The Pyroar bit onto Scizor's claw.
"S-scciiiiiiii!"
"Scizor, X-Scissor!"
"Bite harder!" Scizor rammed its other claw into the Pyroar's face, but it only made it angrier.
"Scizor! The fountain!" Scizor swung the Pyroar into the fountain, trying to drown it.
"Pyyyyyyyyyyy!" It released Scizor's claw and leaped out of the fountain. Scizor kneeled down, almost at defeat.
"You worthless Pokémon! You had a type advantage! And boys! Don't just stand there, kidnap the boy and the Scizor!"
"Y-yes ma'am!"
"Scizor! Suppress them with Bullet Punch!" Scizor leaped behind the grunts and let out a series of uppercuts that launched them into the air. Hitting the ground, the four laid there sobbing. Scizor dropped to the ground, barely staying conscious.
"Y-you brat… You really are as strong as he says." He? Who the hell is 'he'?
"Why are you trying to kidnap me!? Who sent you and why?"
"Grr… Dragalge, Smokescreen! All members, retreat! That's an order!" The plaza exploded in a thick, black smoke.
"Don't run away you cowards!" The sounds of running footsteps echoing was all I could hear. When the smog cleared, it was just me and Scizor.
"Scizor! Are you okay?" I rushed to his side and pulled a Sitrus Berry out of my bag.
"Scii…" Putting the berry to his mouth, I fed him by hand. I hugged him tightly and continued to nurse him.
"Good job Scizor, I'm proud of you."
"Zor…" After giving him some berries and a couple of potions, he recovered very quickly.
"Scizor, return!" I hooked the Premier Ball back onto my necklace and picked up the bags of groceries I left on the ground. In the middle of the plaza, where the women was standing, there was a sheet of paper on the ground. Upon closer inspection, it was a recruitment poster. The paper was mostly blank except for a large blue star and the words "United for a Stronger Kalos" printed below the star.
"Mama, I'm home."
"Why were you out so late? I thought you were just buying coffee."
"I was. I met some friends at school and they wanted to battle me. They wouldn't take no as an answer, so I tried to finish the battle as quickly as possible."
"Okay, leave the coffee on the counter and go say 'Hi' to your father. He got home while you were buying coffee and he told me that he wanted to see you when you got home."
"Okay mama, good night." My father is a scientist that spends most of his time in his study when he's at home. He and mom were Ace Trainers when they were growing up and were one of the strongest battle couples in Southern Kalos. He's been busy lately, saying that he's working on a really big project. Standing in front of his study, I stare at the golden plaque on the door: "Roth Family Study". When I was younger, he used to take me in and show me his gadgets. He would read me books about legendary Pokémon and tell me stories about his and mom's journey. Nowadays, he locks it up and makes sure that no one gets in.
"Hey dad." I hear him turning off the screens of his computers and closing books.
"Just give me a minute!" I played with my necklace for a bit while he was cleaning up.
"Hey kiddo, how have you been doing?"
"I'm doing okay, how about you?"
"I'm doing great. So… Did anything happen today?"
"Not much, but can I ask you a question?"
"Of course! Ask away!"
"What does this symbol mean?" Pulling out the paper, his smiling expression degraded into a shocked state.
"Where did you get that poster?"
"I found it in the plaza, a lady that challenged me to a battle dropped this out of her purse."
"Louis, promise me that whenever you see this symbol, you run."
"Huh?"
"Louis, these people are ruthless. They are called the Hand of Kalos and they are one of the biggest terrorist organizations in Kalos: they want to take over Kalos and revolutionize it into a police state. They go around, kidnapping and recruiting strong Pokémon for their cause."
"How come I've never heard about them before?"
"Their influence was limited to Coastal Kalos and only recently have they been considered a threat by the Board of Kalos. They have been making gains recently in Lumiose City and will not stop until they achieve their goals. So Louis, promise me that you won't get involved with them."
"Okay dad, I'll run away if I see them." Liar.
"Good… And Louis."
"Yeah?"
"Your mother and I have been planning this out for a while now, but how about the three of us take a trip to Laverre City?" Your son just battled someone that's a potential terrorist, and now you want to talk about a vacation?
"Um… Sure?"
"Great. We're leaving next week, good night."
"Wai-" He slammed the door, leaving me in the dark once again.
Exhausted, I decided to go to sleep early. I tossed my necklace and jacket onto my door's coat hanger and plopped face-first onto the bed.
"The Hand of Kalos… Who are they, why did they want me, what are they trying to do?" I rolled over and stared at the ceiling.
"I'm sorry mom. I'm sorry dad. I'm sorry that your precious son is a huge liar."
End Chapter 1
