Yo, readers! ExDraco here. I got this idea of a human-pokemon hybrid from StylishDescent's fanfic "Evolve and Survive". If you readers have time and haven't checked the story out, I recommend it to all of you! Sit back and enjoy the fanfic!
The Existence Artifacts
Prologue Chapter: Fate of the Past and Present
I walked through the sewers of Altis City, thinking about my life leading up to this point. I was no older than 14 years old, and yet I wandered the lowlife areas of the city, as if I were a criminal. Though, on most occasions, people would count me as one. Why? Ever since that horrible accident, I became a thief just to survive, I stole mostly food and necessities for myself, occasionally stealing clothes to replace the ripped ones that I had torn due to fights with the "higher-ups" of the gangster life. My current outfit consisted of a blue T-shirt that portrayed a Grovyle, an orange vest, spiked wristbands and red sneakers, pretty simple for a ten-year-old thief.
"Heh, sometimes I wonder what I live for…"
I wandered the darkness of the city, soon exiting the sewers and emerging in the main roads. I walked, oblivious to everything I passed, until I spotted a rich-looking guy in the distance.
Perfect, finally a chance to get some cash and get my next meal.
My stomach grumbled in agreement. My hunger controlled me now, my last meal was at least 9 days ago. I picked up the pace, and as soon as I passed him, I reached out my hands and swiped his wallet before he noticed. Unfortunately, the rich guy was really sharp, and caught me red-handed.
"Hey, kid! What are you doing?!" He shouted, creating a commotion.
Without thinking twice, I dashed off, with the man in hot pursuit. The man would shout at times, quick words like 'Stop!' and 'Damned kid!'. That didn't exactly comfort me as I thought of what my brother would think if he saw me doing this. But I couldn't let my conscience get the better of me. This was my life now. I stole to survive, and I didn't have any choice.
I turned around the corner, into the alleyway where I usually hanged around. It was always filled with typical items you would find in an alley, stuff like trash bags and rats, making the entire alleyway even creepier. The man continued to follow me, but upon seeing this horrific sight, his words changed from an angry to a disgusted tone, words like 'Eww!' exiting his mouth. He still pursued me, his energy seemingly to never run out. I, on the other hand, was soon running out of breath and I knew I couldn't run anymore. But I wouldn't let myself get caught, the dark alleyways were my territories, and I was sure I could outsmart this idiot snob.
I ran through the alley where I had set up the trap for warding off irritants like the idiot chasing me. The man, stupidly followed me, and before he knew it, he was trapped in a net used to trap wild animals. I dashed back to the sewers, where I was sure I would be safe, leaving the man to claw his way out of that net. I finally came to a stop at a sewer tunnel, crawling through; I sat down, heaving a sigh of relief.
By the way, my name is Kyloris. Kyloris Altair. But my friends down here just call me Kylor. Since I was still resting, I recalled that horrible accident that led me to live this horrible life.
That day, I was still just five years old, my sixth birthday coming in just a couple of weeks. I was but an innocent little kid, playing without a care in the world. My parents worked as pokemon researchers, working with the town's Professor Arkadia, a kind and friendly woman that I often felt a calming sense whenever I was around her. I was out in the garden that day, running around with my parents' pokemon, having so much fun, ever doubting that I would have to deal with hardships. My best friend was a Monferno. We hung out almost every day, playing, pretend battling with the forest pokemon, that sort of thing. I always counted my lucky stars that Monferno was always there for me, even when my parents couldn't be. Thanks to their field of expertise, my parents often travelled the Pokemon World to research new species more pokemon. In fact, Monferno was still a Chimchar when I met him. My parents caught him while on their trip to the Sinnoh Region.
As the sun went down, after an entire day of having fun and just being ourselves, we sat at the cliff, overlooking the entire Verius Town, my hometown. We stared over the horizon, wondering if we would ever be able to go on a journey together. The sunset was magnificently beautiful, a mix of red and yellow shining across the entire town, a final outburst of light before the dark of night arrived.
As the sun descended down the horizon, I jumped up, saying in a cute, five-year-old voice, "C'mon, Monferno, my parents are probably wondering where we are. Let's go back, okay?"
"Mon, Monferno!" I could never understand pokespeak, but occasionally I was able to get a good guess of what Monferno was saying. This time, he probably said: 'Okay, let's go!" or something of the like.
We climbed down the cliff, watching carefully not the get scratched by the sharp edges, and being extra careful not to trip and fall. Normally, a five-year-old would be terrified of such a height, but we had climbed up and down this cliff thousands of times and it seemed like a simple routine now.
But, as I touched down onto the ground, Monferno following, that was when the tragedy happened. I looked at the ground and noticed a strong light flashing on it.
Strange… It's already night time and even the stars wouldn't have this much effect…
I glanced up in the sky, and noticed a big helicopter, with its searchlights pointing directly down at our house. I had no idea what was going on, so I rushed back to our house to find out. No sooner had I taken my first few steps, however, missiles were sent raining down and blew our house into a thousand pieces, killing both my parents and their pokemon instantly. The smoke and fire was all that remained of our old house.
Afterwards, I passed out, and didn't come to until much later. I was sitting inside Verius Woods, beside a small fire, with no one in sight. The darkness surrounded me, clouding my sight as Monferno stood nowhere in the vicinity. I had woken up, shaken by what had just happened as I tried to process all of my memories.
A friendly voice jolted me back to the present.
"Kylor! Where are you?" The familiar voice asked.
I looked out of the sewage tunnel and saw Ethir, who was a boy I met after I got accustomed to the life in the sewers of Altis City. We met shortly after the incident, past Verius Woods I arrived at Altis City, at first resorting to begging on the streets. What luck I had with that… As I lay dying after only having my latest meal two weeks ago, Ethir found me. He taught me to steal, how to live life like this. Basically, I owe him my life.
"Hey! There you are. I've been looking all over for you."
"Hey, Ethir… I was just… reminiscing. Sorry to make you worry."
I jumped down from the sewage tunnel, landing perfectly in front of Ethir.
"I stole this today." Rummaging through my pockets, I took out the wallet I had stolen and flashed it to Ethir, particularly the money inside.
"Perfect, Kylor! With this money we can feed ourselves for at least a month! Good find!" He praised, making me blush.
With that, we walked out of the sewers, chatting happily on the way, talking about our latest steals. We walked over to a Pokemon Center, with a cold blast of air hitting us as soon as we entered.
Ah… it felt good to experience the cold air, even if it wasn't our objective.
We walked over to the PokeMart, purchasing items for our next meal, such as sandwiches and soda. The lady at the counter talked to us in a kind and gentle tone, all the while handing over to us what we purchased. As we walked away, I had one more look at the lady at the counter, her kind and gentle voice reminding me of Mom. No… can't let my old life take over. I slapped myself in the face, trying to knock myself out of the drifting back.
We walked out and were faced with the ever crowded traffic of Altis City, sounds of driving and honking filling the night life. Just then, I looked across the street, and my eyes widened. I saw the ghost of an old friend, one I had never seen since that horrible accident. His form seemed to flicker, and his eyes shot me a look that said: 'Follow me'.
Out of impulse, I dashed across the road, despite Ethir's best efforts to stop me. I ran, my life in darkness giving me quick reflexes for a ten-year-old, managing to dodge every single vehicle that came our way. I ran into Monferno's "ghost" and it vanished instantly upon my touch.
Could it be a hallucination? No, couldn't be. I'm pretty sure I saw him earlier.
Just then, out of nowhere, I heard a voice. It sounded a lot like Monferno's, yet so distant.
"Kylor… Head to the Verius Woods, where it all began…"
My mind was messed up, I was confused. Why would Monferno ask me to go back there, the painful memories would just resurface, and I really didn't need that right now. But then I thought, Monferno's always looked out for me, if I didn't listen to him now, wouldn't that mean I didn't call him my friend?
So, I trusted his judgment, leaving Altis City behind and headed for the Verius Woods. I ran past speeding vehicles, walking people that I bumped into, and various buildings that outlined the layout of Altis City, but I was oblivious to all. I just kept running and running as if a black hole would swallow me if I didn't. I sped to the edge of the city, where a high-up hill gave me a perfect view of the city. I had a sinking feeling, I wouldn't be seeing the city for awhile. I turned back to the forest, and Monferno spoke again.
"Good… Enter Verius Woods and the game will begin… Are you willing to play for your fate? The journey you are about to embark on will mean re-enacting your past, but along the way you will gain new friends, and you will grow ever stronger…" I heard Monferno's ghostly voice.
I would do anything, if it meant there was even a slight chance I could find Monferno back. And if I could exact my revenge on the guys that caused me this, it would be a perfect bonus.
"Goodbye, Altis City. Verius Woods, my destiny waits."
And that's the end of the first chapter! I'm sure there are a lot of questions going around at this point, like who exactly is behind that ghostly voice? Could it really be Monferno from the past? Perhaps, I'll answer all these questions in the next chapter, or not…
Also, I'm thinking of holding of accepting OCs for the fanfic. Probably would be in the first chapter. (This is still the prologue.)