"Chapter 1: Prologue"

By: Von Stupor

"…But I have to have a pokémon!" cried Ash Ketchum.

Ash was a boy of average size and build, and sported white shoes, blue jeans, and a black T-shirt. He also bore a red vest and green gloves with their fingertips cut off. He had jet black hair and on his head, he wore a red and white baseball cap with a unique insignia on its front.

"Now Ash, calm down. I do have one left, but there's a slight problem with this one," said an aged professor.

"I'll take it, please!"

"Well, alright. I have faith in you, Ash."

"Alright! Thank you so much, Professor Oak!"

Professor Oak pulled a pokéball with a lightning bolt on the front out of a machine. He pushed the button on the front and out popped a furry, yellow creature.

"Pikachu!" it chirped.

"Ash, meet Pikachu," said the professor.

"Wow!" exclaimed Ash. "Nice to meet you, Pikachu!"

Ash reached to pick it up and it growled at him. Ignoring its less than subtle hint, he embraced it anyway.

"Now Ash, be careful," warned the professor. "Pikachu doesn't quite know you yet, and being an electric-type, he can have quite a—"

Just then, Pikachu released a charge of energy that shocked both the professor and Ash.

"…shocking personality," the professor finished, emitting smoke.

Ash emerged from the lab to be greeted by cheering town members, led by his mother.

"Oh, Ash, I'll miss you so much. I never thought this day would come so soon…" she whimpered.

"Don't worry Mom, I'll be fine," replied Ash.

After a few more farewells, Ash departed on his great pokémon adventure. A short ways down the road, he found a pond. There was a fisherman nearby, fumbling with some things in his lap.

"Hi!" Ash greeted him. "What are you doing?"

"I just caught the biggest magikarp I've ever seen, and he's right here, inside this pokéball!" he replied.

"Wow! Can I see it?"

"Sure, how about I show it to you in a pokémon battle?"

"Wow, sure! My first pokémon battle!" he whooped, setting his knapsack down. "Whaddaya say, Pikachu?"

"Pika!" grunted Pikachu, and stuck his tongue out at Ash.

"Alright, let's go!" said the fisherman. "I'll choose my newly caught Magikarp!"

The fisherman threw his pokéball and out came a rather large magikarp.

"I choose you, Pikachu!" cried Ash as Pikachu simply turned his back.

"Now, Magikarp! Use your Tackle attack!"

Magikarp flopped over and brushed Pikachu pathetically. Irritated, Pikachu loosed a jolt of electricity that knocked the opposing magikarp out cold.

"Arrrgh, magikarp are always so weak! Return!" ranted the fisherman, returning the Magikarp to its pokéball.

"Yeah, I just won my first pokémon battle!" cheered Ash.

"You beat me fair and square, here's your prize money."

The fisherman then sulkily walked away. As Ash was counting his money, he noticed a dark shadow looming over him. Pikachu looked over his shoulder, terrified. Ash turned around and looked up to see a large, serpentine creature.

"Wh-wh-what is that?" whimpered Ash and pulled out his pokédex.

"Gyarados, the atrocious pokémon," buzzed the computer. "Very aggressive and violent, it will not hesitate when attacking humans."

Ash took a few steps back, and as he turned to run, the Gyarados shot its head down and slurped up Ash in a single gulp. Pikachu ran away in fear.

About an hour later, a man came traveling down the road. He wore white tennis shoes, blue jeans, and an orange T-shirt with a single blue stripe that stretched around his ribcage. Covering his face was a purple heart-shaped mask. It had huge, piercing, yellow eyes with spikes distributed decoratively around the edges. Around his neck, he bore a heavy, slate colored winter coat, fashioned like a cape.

Accompanying this man was a large rat that walked upright. It was roughly two-thirds the man's height and was of a light brown color, save a large white spot on his belly.

"Say," said the rat, sniffing the air. "I smell food…"

"I have been taught that it is dangerous to trust food that which is found in the wilderness," commented the man in reply.

"It's coming from that bag, you dolt. Smells like sandwiches."

"Is it not still found in the wild?"

"Ah, shut up and help me shnuffle through it."

"Packrat, you cannot do that!" gasped the man. "'Tis not yours!"

"Oh, come on, Stupor! Maybe the previous didn't owner didn't want what was in it. Besides, their loss is our gain, eh?"

"Well, I am unsure whether one would leave a pokédex of all things behind or not…" replied Stupor, picking up a pokédex found near the bag, opened and lying in an awkward state. "This bag must belong to someone who has lost it. Be what it may, 'Tis our duty as human beings to return this luggage to its rightful owner, so as to prevent their further despair over the mysterious disappearance of their tighty-whities!"

"Ahem, well I, however, am not a human being, therefore it is not my duty to return this baggage to its rightful owner so as to prevent yadda yadda yadda, so if you don't mind, I have some spelunking to do."

"Packrat, stop it!" cried Stupor, slapping at Packrat's shoulder repeatedly.

"Alright, Alright! Stop hitting me for crying out loud! Fine, I'll help you return it, but I'm gonna demand a reward! Don't think I won't, because I will, and they don't comply, then hoo boy! It'll be a dark day if I ever get my claws on them!" Packrat rambled as the tandem continued their journey with the freshly added luggage.