Journey to Cinnabar Island

Author's Note: This is my first attempt at a Pokemon fic. I'm not a crazy Pokemaniac like most of the authors who post these kind of fics, but I am a real long-time fan of the old series (you know, Red and Blue? Aw, nevermind). I never really got into the new Pokemon games, but Pearl is fun to play every now and again. I have a lot of respect for the first generation, so I'm writing this story for any first gen fans like me, as well as those of you who can remember the classic days of Nintendo's world domination plan (incidentally, I found an article from 1997 about how Pikachu took over the whitehouse. Don't know how that turned out). Anyway, just to remind you, this is my first Pokefic so go easy on me in your reviews. Thanks a lot!

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Chapter 1: Settlement

Thomas had never been known as the adventurous type; he usually spent his leisure time tinkering with his computer. It was probably the only fun thing to do in the town of Pallet.

He and his mother had moved to this quiet rural area in order to keep close connections with Thomas' father who worked at the Silph Corporation. He was one of the head members at the company, developing new technologies and gadgets for eager and young Pokemon Trainers. Thomas always knew him to be headstrong and a bit of an egocentric, but all around, his father was a caring and generous guy. Periodically, it would cause Tom to wonder why he had left his mother in the first place, especially since she was suffering from a strange illness.

Day in and day out, Thomas would have to run downstairs to fetch his mother a hot cup of tea, where he would there after return to his room and get to work on his homework or PC.

Indeed, he was surprised he even had time for school because of his duties. It's not like he hated school, but classes did get rather boring when the academic population lingered below 35 students total. All the students who had gone to school had moved on to explore Kanto, fulfilling their training journey like all the other young dreamers. But not, Thomas, no. Thomas had no time for Pokemon at all.

Even though Professor Oak had encouraged him to try out, Thomas would still refuse.

"You're an interesting case," said Oak as he crossed his arms and glanced at the three Pokeballs lying on the table. "Most kids your age would give anything to go on Trainer's Leave, but you're passing up the opportunity like it's a waste of time."

Thomas sighed and turned around to read the large books organized on the shelf.

"With all do respect, sir, I'm 15. I missed my calling 5 years ago. Even if I did have a dream to run around the world and chase after Pokemon, there's no way I could do it now, not when I've already got a grade-A education," replied the pale boy, trying to take control of the situation. "My mother is still sick. I'm sorry, but to me, there are more important things in life than Pokemon."

The professor gave a small chuckle at his response. Pokemon Training was a not just a hobby, but a sport in the Kanto region. Of course, you would get the occasional football fans, but besides that, Pokemon battles were all the rage.

"I understand, son, but it should not be your fault to deal with. Your father should be the one taking after your mother," said Oak as he picked up one of the Pokeballs and tossed it up and down in the air.

Thomas still kept his sharp eyes focused on the books, skimming through the titles.

"I will not drag my father into this mess. It is because of him that we have been living so fortunately these past few months. I owe my life to him. I'm going to be just like him one day. I'm going to leave my mark on the world, so that everyone will remember me," responded Thomas. He slowly turned his head to the side, giving Oak a menacing glare. "And if I can influence the life of just ONE person, then I can truly say that there was some meaning to my life. Pokemon Training is a waste of time, effort and money; it's no different from gambling. I'll decide what I want to do with my life, thank you very much. Good day."

With that, Tom stormed out of the laboratory, leaving a shocked professor in the dust. He was surprised that the boy could speak to an adult so seriously, so maturely. Tom didn't even take into account the fact that Oak's entire life had been dedicated to the research of Pokemon species. Truly, his last words must have been an insult.

Thomas walked out into the sunlight pensively, absorbing the rays as they warmed up his body after that cold conversation. He really didn't mean to be so disrespectful to an elder, but he just wanted to make his point clear. All in all, Tom was a friendly guy, that is, if you stayed on his good side. But it was also a truth that he had no real interest in Pokemon at all.

His father was a successful businessman, making a ton of cash every week; that was the kind of life he wished for. In a few years, Tom was hoping his father would reserve him a spot at Silph. He had heard rumors about the company opening up a laboratory on Cinnabar Island, a lab where scientists would attempt to revitalize Pokemon that had been extinct for thousands of years. A feat like that would be truly incredible, but then again, it was just a rumor. Thomas and his father could only make contact via e-mail, but it was no easy task communicating with each other because his father only had a few minutes to reply to his messages. Not only that, but the head of the board wiped his inbox of everything that was in it every 12 hours to halt hackers from leaking any information out of the company. Although there was a home phone, Tom rarely ever used it because his father was not allowed to give out his phone number to anyone, not even his own family.

This sort of situation made Silph seem as suspicious as Team Rocket, but they only focused on 'big' deals, like poaching rare and valuable Pokemon to sell on the black market; Team Rocket was more of a cult than an actual business. Tom never had to worry about them though because he planned on staying in Pallet Town, a town so small that it could barely be seen from satellite. Team Rocket would never have any need to go there. Then again if they somehow got their hands on a certain boy whose father worked for Silph Corperation, well that would be another story entirely...

"Mom! I'm home!"

Tom shut the front door gently behind him as he took off his light jacket and hung it on the nearby coat rack. His mother was resting on the sofa in the living room, the same state he had left her in this morning.

"Oh, hi Tommy," she said, her voice cracking a bit. "Why are you home from school so late?"

"I had to stop off at the lab to pick up some medicine," he replied as he set a capsule of pills down on the table. "I saw Professor Oak, too. I told him you said hi."

"Oh, Professor Oak. Such a nice man. I hope you were minding your manners. Men who go through as much stress as he does on a daily basis are known to be cranky."

"Don't worry, I did. Did you need me to get you anything?"

"Um, could you find the remote for me? I seemed to have misplaced it. Oh, and could you get me a cup of tea?"

"The remotes behind your head, mom."

Mrs. Weston pulled her scrawny arm behind her head to find the TV remote on the head rest.

"Oh, thank you, Tom," she said as she pressed the power button.

"Heh. No problem."

Thomas then scurried off to the kitchen to get his mother her beverage.

In all honesty, Thomas didn't mind serving his mother at all. He wasn't quite sure of the reason why, but he figured it had something to do with himself making something out of his life. He didn't have a job, he barely had any hobbies, and his friends at school were either too busy fantasizing about Pokemon journeys or working to hang out.

Tom wasn't an unpopular kid at his school, considering the population of 35, but he tried to spend most of his time alone so he could study. Once, a girl actually had openly admitted in front of his face that she had a crush on him. Tom's reaction to this was rather mediocre as well as a bit flattered, but he wasn't ready for any kind of commitment. It's not that he didn't want to have a girlfriend, or that he didn't want to have any friends at all, but Thomas Weston found solitude in the sanctity of his room.

Take a tour around any teen's bedroom in Pallet Town, and you will instantly notice various posters, toys, accessories, decorations, and even furniture that relate to Pokemon. Take a tour around Tom's room, however, and you may not be quite as astounded. To put it frank, his room lacked the enthusiasm of any striving Pokemaniac, so let's just leave it at that.

As soon as he poured the last dropped of boiled water into the mug, Tom proceeded back out into the living room where his mother was watching a live battle at the Indigo Plateau. The television screen portrayed a Rhydon and a Charizard locked in combat, attempting to throw the other one down with brute force. The announcer was shouting his lungs out, but the volume was turned down.

"Thanks dear," said Mother as she graciously accepted the hot cup from Tom's hands.

"You're welcome. Do you need anything else?"

His mother coughed a bit before replying.

"Ahem... sorry. No thank you, Tom, I'm fine. Better go upstairs and finish your homework."

"Actually, I didn't need to bring any of my books home today. This is like the first time I've never had homework."

"Ah, but if I know you, you'll find something to busy yourself with."

"Heh heh. Too true."

With a loving kiss on the forehead, Thomas ran to the stairs and headed to his room, shutting the door behind him in a quiet manner; he never had a need to lock his door like most teens because his mother never bothered to intrude on his privacy. Immediately, he dashed to his desk in the corner of the room and turned on his computer. While he waited for it to boot up, the boy opened up the top drawer of his desk. He shuffled through a series of paper, pencils and pens to find a small box located at the bottom. Carefully, he pulled out the leather case and opened it, revealing a very small, pin-like object. As his PC booted to the desktop, Tom grabbed a pair of tweezers off his desk and cautiously removed the white pin from the box, where he then slowly placed it on the microscope slide next to him. After some quick analyzing through the lens, the boy opened up the internet browser and started searching.

"You have 0 new messages!" said the friendly female computerized voice.

"What a surprise..." replied Tom sarcastically.

The pin shaped object before him was a gift from his father 10 years ago. His father had claimed that it was a fossil from a "rare and ancient Pokemon," one that could heal any sickness known to mankind. A Pokemon like that sure would come in handy. However, if this truly was a valuable fossil, there was no way his father would give it to him without showing it to the company first. It was only natural for Tom to assume that his father had no idea of the potential this fossil actually possessed. He solely believed that the fossil was real, and he was going to do everything in his power to extract the life form data from it. Of course, this operation would have been much easier if he just gave the fossil to Silph, but he didn't want them hogging it all to themselves and making money off of it. No, if Thomas was going to leave his mark on the world, this was the way he was going to do it.

Periodically, Thomas would scroll through the pages of Google and then quickly switch to his microscope, attempting to figure out if there was any other fortunate soul who had stumbled upon the same relic as he. Sadly, not a single person on the web seemed to know anything. Forums were no help either because most discussions related to his question would end up being just more rumors about the lab on Cinnabar Island.

Tom wished he knew where the island was; he wasn't quite familiar with the geography of this region because he was born in Johto. He knew that Cinnabar was precisely south of Pallet Town, across the water, but swimming there would be suicide. If there really was a lab there that specialized in Pokemon fossils, then maybe the scientists would be able to extract the data out of his artifact, assuming the pin was a fossil.

Through the lens of the microscope, Tom could see thick wavy lines in the shape of zig-zags, but no movement at all. On the outside, the pin didn't look like anything special, which was what his analyzations showed. However, he refused to believe that this needle shaped fossil was just a stone sliver.

"You may look like a regular pin, but I know your secret. Don't think you can keep it bottled up from me forever," muttered the boy as he adjusted the lens a second time.

It is interesting to note that whenever Tom finds himself in deep thought, he has the peculiar habit of talking to himself. It gives him the impression that there is someone else in the room, someone who can relate to his problems, as well as possibly provide a solution. It was heavy leveled thinking such as this that caused the boy to become lost within the bowels of his very mind; he ignored all objects and people around him. Snapping him back into reality could only be accomplished by a loud sound or physical touch.

"Ping! You have 1 new message!" said the female computer voice happily.

Tom's head shot up at the sound of his PC, causing him to scramble with the tweezers in his hand, nearly shattering the poor fossil to bits. Once he regained control of his nerves, he opened up the new message; it was from his father:

From Robert Weston

Subject: Cinnabar Island

Hey Tommy! How are you doing? Is Mom doing okay? Listen, I don't have much time right now, but I have some information that I'm sure you're dying to hear about. You've heard the rumors about Silph opening a new lab at Cinnabar right? Well guess what? They are! The building is going to be state-of-the-art, with new technology that we're developing over here in Saffron City. But the most significant feature, which is what I know you want to hear, is how specialized scientists are actually going to have the technology to bring back Pokemon from thousands of years ago! That's right! It's a revolutionary breakthrough for mankind! Anyway, the reason why I'm telling you this is because I know archaeology and reanimation interests you. Although there is a large entry fee in order to get in, you should be able to enter just fine if you give them your identity. So don't be shy if you want to go check out the place yourself! Oh, and you don't have to worry about someone stealing our technology. As you know, Silph has the most advanced security system than any other company in Kanto. So no worries about Team Rocket.

When you go, be sure to take some pictures of the place. I'd go myself but I'm pretty much glued to my office chair. Don't let me take away a part of your experiences, boy! Take care! Love you!

Thomas' eyes crept slowly across the screen, followed by a quick skim of the entire page. It turned out that Thomas was one of the very few people outside of Silph who knew of the building's development. Not that that was a bad thing, but it did give the boy some advantages. For example, if he had the resources, he could scoot down to the island and get his fossil checked, thereby beating the mad crowd that made up the rest of the Kanto population. Then again, if his fossil did prove to be valuable, what's to keep Silph from stealing the information to themselves? No, the safest route to take would have to be to befriend someone in the laboratory, someone who could be trusted by the other employees.

But this was just a rough sketch of Thomas' plan; it's not like he was really going to travel across the sea by himself.

It was situations like these that made him wish he was a Pokemon Trainer.

The boy gave out a small laugh and fell backwards onto his bed. He combed his dark hair back with his hand staring at the white ceiling. He felt the need to drift off into dream land, but forced himself to stay awake; to sleep during the day is to waste precious, precious time.

He reached over to the wireless phone on his night stand and quickly punched in some numbers; he decided it was time to call up his trusted friend, Pete.

"Hello?" asked a low male voice after the third ring.

Tom's face lit up as he heard the scientist's voice.

"Hi, Pete. It's me, Tom. How are you doing?"

"Oh Tommy! I didn't realize it was you! Wow, your voice sure has changed over the past year. You sure are growing up fast!"

"Thank you."

"So, what's new?"

"Listen. My dad just sent me an e-mail. He said that Silph was opening up a laboratory on Cinnabar Island. Tell me, is the whole company aware of this?"

"Um. No, I don't think so. Since I'm one of the head researchers here, I knew about that months ago. Hell, I even helped to come up with the blue prints for the building!"

"Oh good. Does that mean you're going to be working there?"

There was a brief pause here, causing Tom to entertain himself by watching the Pidgeys fluttering around outside.

"You bet I'll be working there, kid. This stuff is like second nature to me," said Pete.

"In that case, do you think you could maybe keep a spot for me? I have a fossil in my possession right now. If this lab is everything like my father told me, you will be able to reanimate and revitalize ancient Pokemon from the past."

Pete gave an impressive whistle.

"Oh man, you're dad didn't leave out a single detail did he?"

"Nope, I guess not."

"Anyway, sure. I'll be more than happy to reserve a spot for you. Tell you what: I'll put your name at the top of the list! That way you can stop by as soon as the place opens up to the public!"

"Heh heh. That sounds great. Thanks a lot, Pete."

"Hey, it's what I do. I make people happy, know what I'm saying?"

"I thought you studied Ground Pokemon."

"Ah... I consider it more of a part-time job."

Thomas chuckled at his joke.

"Ha ha. Alright, whatever. Thanks a-"

"Tommy! Could you come down here for a second?" called Mrs. Weston from downstairs.

Tom sat up on his bed and looked to the door.

"Sorry, Pete, but I have to go now. I really hate to ask a favor and not give anything in return," said Tom quickly into the phone.

"Hey no worries, man. You'll actually be doing us a favor by letting us test your fossil. But I've kept ya long enough. Take care kid. And say hi to your mom for me!"

"Will do. Good-bye."

"Bye."

With that, the boy placed the phone back in the cradle and dashed out the door and to the living room. Unsurprisingly, his mother was still sitting on the sofa. However, instead of watching an epic Pokemon match, she was now watching a black and white screen of static.

"Oh, Tom, could you fix the TV for me?" she asked with a weak cough.

Tom went over and examined the screen.

"What happened?" he asked. "Did you hit a button on the remote?"

"No, I didn't touch anything. It was fine a few minutes ago, but then the screen went blank and now there's that static," she replied, gesturing to the remote on the coffee table.

Tom sighed as he started flipping through channels. Each screen bore the same annoying black and white pattern; the boy was beginning to think the television was busted.

"Wait a second. Let me jut check the back," said Tom as he got up and attempted to squeeze his thin body around the back of the box.

His mother watched patiently.

"Be careful not to get electrocuted," she said worriedly.

She really didn't have to worry so much. Tom dealt with computers and electrical components all the time; he knew that rubber was resistant to electricity.

Tom peaked behind the TV. He tried juggling the cables around in hopes that it would bring the picture back, but sadly, nothing happened. He got up and took a step back to where his mother was as they both stared at the dead screen.

"Sorry, mom, but I don't know what the problem is. The antenna is working just fine and the channels are all okay," he said.

"Oh don't worry about it, Tom. I should get back to my sewing anyways. That quilt isn't going to finish itself," she replied positively.

Tom smiled at her enthusiasm, but he was still puzzled as to why the TV ceased to function. His questions were soon answered when the screen started emit some sort of eerie noise. It sounded like a malicious laugh, like the kind one would see in movies or anime. The boy and his mother stared at the black and white box.

"What is that?" she asked, almost certain that Tom heard the exact same thing too.

Tom's eyes were focused on the screen.

"I... I'm not sure."

Cautiously, Tom approached the television. The laughter started to get louder as he edged closer and closer to the screen. This certainly was a strange happening.

"Be careful, dear."

"There's nothing to worry about. I think the picture's coming back in."

Coincidentally, the opposite of what Tom had said took place; the TV shut off. He got at the same level as the screen and stared into the void of blackness.

"That was weird," he started.

Suddenly, something jumped out of the screen and rammed right into Tom's head, knocking him to the floor. The black ball that collided with him sprang up and flew around the ceiling in a circle. Mrs. Weston screamed.

"Ah! Tom are you okay!?" she cried, attempting to get up but with difficulty.

Thomas quickly jumped to his feet and felt the bruise on his forehead.

"Mom, stay down! Something hit me!" he said as he winced at the pain.

The television was in fine condition, but the evil laughing was now filling the room. The black sphere that had jumped out of the screen was still floating around on the ceiling.

"What is that thing?" asked Tom's mother as she sat back down, pointing to the ball up high.

Tom didn't respond, but somehow he knew that round object was dangerous. Hastily, the boy jumped up on the coffee table and leaped towards the ceiling arms outstretched. He swiped at the ball in mid-air, narrowly missing it. He crashed down onto the carpeted floor, grunting in pain.

"Dammit..." he muttered under his breath.

There was no doubt in his mind now that the laughing was coming from the dark sphere. It seemed to be mocking his feeble attempts at stopping it. The ball stopped spinning on the ceiling and quickly dive bombed the boy on the floor. Tom rolled out of the way just in time, causing the ball to ram into a tall lamp, knocking it over instantly. The ball lost control of itself and began crashing through the room, taking down pictures, book shelves, furniture and curtains. The laughing had turned into moans of pain. Tom got up and began chasing the thing all around his living room, running over any of the fallen objects.

"Thomas be careful!"

"I've got to stop this thing!"

Tom clawed and swiped at the ball when it was in arm's reach, but he couldn't touch it. His hands were going right through the object.

The ball bounced and bounded across the room, creating dents in the walls and holes in the ceiling. The living room was now becoming a war room.

"Someone help us!" cried Mrs. Weston.

Almost immediately, someone kicked open the front door and threw a Pokeball into the room.

"Alakazam use Psychic now!" ordered the familiar voice.

The Pokeball revealed a yellow mustached Pokemon with two spoons in its hands.

"Kazam!" shouted the creature as it bent its spoons with its mind.

The black ball instantly froze on the spot, causing Tom to trip over it and land on his face.

"Ugh! What happened?" he asked as he got to his feet and rubbed his bruises.

Professor Oak walked into the room and put a hand on the shoulder of his Alakazam.

"I could hear yelling and crashing coming from in here. I was starting to worry," he said as Alakazam used its Psychic to bring the black ball over to the professor.

Tom ran over to him and dusted himself off.

"What is that thing?" he asked seriously, panting hard.

The ball tried hard to break free from Alakazam's magic, but the high level Pokemon was too powerful.

Oak rubbed his chin as he responded.

"I have a feeling I know what it is, but you'll have to come by the lab later if you want to find out. Are you both okay?"

Tom looked over at his mother who was still sitting on the sofa. Surprisingly, she was perfectly fine, although a bit shaken up.

"I'm alright, professor," she said. "Can you please tell us what happened?"

"I should be asking you that question."

Tom hesitated, but decided to reply for her.

"I... I don't really know what happened. That thing just jumped out of the TV and hit me. It was laughing like crazy too. Is it a Pokemon?"

Oak closed his eyes with a nod and then opened them.

"More than likely. But like I said, if you want to find the culprit behind the destruction of your house, then you will have to come by the lab later on. I'm going to take this specimen away, if that's okay with you."

"That's perfectly fine with me."

"Okay. Then see to it that your mother is alright. Good day."

With that, Professor Oak walked out of the room, his Alakazam following closely behind, along with the black ball that was in a trance. Tom watched them leave through the front door before running back to embrace his mother.

"Are you okay, mom?" he asked.

"Yes," she coughed. "Yes, I'm fine. But what about you? You look hurt."

"Oh, it's a just a few scratches. Nothing to worry about." Pause. "Mom, I'm going to go wash up. Then I'll clean up this mess. You don't have to do anything, you just stay right here."

"I'll help you-"

"No mom. You stay here. Leave everything to me. I'll take care of you."

"Thomas..."

They hugged again, tighter this time, before Tommy ran upstairs to clean his face. He disappeared into the bathroom and locked the door.

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Author's Note: Please review. Tell me what you think so far. ;)