Author's Notes: I must admit, it's been quite awhile since I've been able to find the time to write anything and actually be able to commit to it. However, I hope this story to be different. It definitely marks a more...darker tone than anything I've written before, and I'm also looking forward to devoting an entire story to my favorite Pokemon subject.
So, with that, I hope everyone enjoys this short, but hopefully entertaining, prologue. I promise the chapters themselves will be much longer. (This part was originally going to serve as an introduction to Chapter I, but I felt it better stood out as a stand-alone prologue.)
Note: Right now, I'm rating this story as PG-13, but depending on what direction I decide to take it, that rating may go higher. Just a little heads-up.
Prologue
"Come on! Hurry it up already!"
The masked figure's words were harsh and straight to the point. As he once again glanced outside of the doorway which he was guarding, he told himself they still had plenty of time. At least, he hoped they did. Better safe than sorry, though.
"What's taking so long?!" he once again shouted at his partner in crime. The second masked hoodlum, though, paid no attention to the shouts directed towards him; his only focus was on the frightened shopkeeper who stood only inches away on the other side of the convenience store counter. Shaking, with erratic movements, the aging man fumbled to remove the cash from his register, all the while never taking his eyes off the cold steel of the handgun that was pointed straight at his forehead.
Through the opening of his mask, the gun-toting crook cast a discerning glance at the terrified clerk. It was obvious to all in the room the patience of the robber was nearing its end. Slowly, ever so slowly, the second he began to pull back on the gun's trigger. The sound of fire was inevitable.
"Here, take it!" the shopkeeper shouted, thrusting the bag of money at the masked man before him. "J-just take it all and leave me be!"
The robber grabbed the top of the sack. With the money now in hand the hands of his attackers, the old man figured his troubles were over. The two crooks would take the money, split before the police showed up, and his life would be spared. The villainous man before him, however, had other ideas, as he still held his handgun firm. It remained pointed at the shopkeeper.
"Forget him, man!" the robber positioned at the door shouted. "Let's get the Hell out of before the cops show up...or worse, The Shadow."
The second robber rolled his eyes at the pleas of his partner. His belief in that popular urban myth was truly disturbing. The cops, while rather lackluster in this part of town, were still somewhat to be feared. But a rumor of a mysterious superhero? No, that was just nonsense on the mind of the second robber.
After a few more tense moments, the robbers made their move. With cash in hand, they bolted out the door, leaving an exhausted shopkeeper to collapse to the ground in relief.
As the sound of distant sirens began to slowly reach their ears, the two crooks dashed down Fifth Street before darting into a nearby alleyway. One fence hopped and two more alleyways later, they finally came to a stop, figuring they were far enough away and well enough hidden to catch their breath and bask in the victory that had just achieved. The two removed their masks and pulled the opening of the bag loose.
"Looks like we got a decent haul this time!" the first robber exclaimed as he looked into the cash-filled sack for the first time.
"Yeah, not bad," the second, more reserved robber added. "Now let's get back to the hideout before--"
His words were cut off by the sound of an ominous wind. The cold chill suddenly filled the late summer evening air held within the back alley. As if sensing another presence with them, the two robbers quickly drew their handguns and positioned themselves back-to-back. Pointing their firearms all around, ready to fire at a moment's notice, they struggled to see a target.
"Who's there?!" the second robber demanded. His strong words echoed through the alley before quietly dying out.
No response.
"We...we must be imagining things," the first robber said, though unsure of the words he had just spoke. "I-it's nothing."
Before his partner could even speak, both robbers felt their bodies suddenly being slammed up against the opposing brick walls that lined the sides of the alley. They struggled to move, struggled to cry out in pain, but were unable to do either. They were pinned by some unseen force.
Then, as quickly as it had happened, the force was gone. The two crooks could feel their bodies slamming hard into the concrete below them, temporarily stunning each of them. As their senses slowly returned and the two raised their heads, the sight of a large, imposing figure stood over their bruised bodies.
He stood as still as the shadows from which he had emerged. Covered from nearly head to toe in a brown clock, the only visible parts of the mysterious figure were his oddly-shaped, white-colored feat and his glaring, indigo-shaded eyes. His presence alone seemed to emanate a powerful aura. He was unlike anyone the bandits had ever encountered before.
Quickly, ignoring their initial fear, the robbers staggered to their feat, eager to confront the vigilante that they assumed was responsible for the punishment they had only seconds before endured. They were not allowed a chance, as they immediately found themselves suspended in the air. Their eyes widened as the ground beneath them began to slowly move further away from their feet. Without any control over their bodies, the crooks could only watch helplessly as they were sent flying through the wooden fence that had previously served as the end to the alleyway.
Their bodies crashed into the street, pieces of wooden debris showing around them onto the pavement below. An oncoming car quickly swerved to avoid them, narrowing missing their nearly unconscious forms.
His senses barely holding out, the second robber caught only a slight glimpse of his attacker in the glow of the street lamps. The flick of a purple-colored tail surfaced from beneath the cloak of the mysterious figure before he disappeared into the shadows of the night from whence he came.
And as the sires grew louder and the police cruisers arrived swiftly onto the scene, the robber lost consciousness and the flashing red and blue slowly faded into black.
To Be Continued...
