The first time I had a brush with death, I was ten years old. My mother had gone to the store, leaving me with the neighbor. But Mrs. Shalo was feeling ill that day and asked me to go play in the garden. I forget what it was, exactly, that drew me to the forest. Perhaps I saw or heard something, or maybe it was just childish curiosity. Either way, I ended up going even further than I had planned - much further - and I came across a sight that will haunt me until the day I die.
I ran through the forest as fast as my feet could take me. It was getting dark outside, and I had been out here since before lunch. I pushed my little body to go faster and in return for my struggles I slipped and rolled down a small hill. Groaning I pushed myself to my feet. I took a single step before my foot squelched strangely on the ground. I looked down only to nearly faint. I had just stepped in the disemboweled corpse of a Rattata. I looked around and realize it was not just the Rattata. There were dozens of mutilated pokemon laying all over the forest floor. With a fearful cry I leapt away and took off running, praying that I wouldn't find whatever had done this. God was feeling mischievous that day.
So blinded was I by my fear that I nearly ran straight in the legs of a huge pokemon. I fell on my butt from trying to stop too quickly, but before I could scramble away a long green tail swatted me away. I flew through the air until a nearby tree stopped me.
All I remember after that is a flash of pink, a ferocious roar that ended short, and a voice in my head. The voice had a strange chime like quality to it, and it said "It may not have been your intention, but your distraction allowed me to triumph over the beast. I can sense you are a kind human...please watch after my child...I fear...the battle was too much for me after all…please find the humans that caused this slaughter...I see...this is but the beginning...they...must...be STOPPED!"
When I next woke up, I was in the hospital. The first thing I noticed was a large gem-like egg. It sparkled in the morning sunlight, all emerald and white swirls with the slightest wisps of red. The next thing I noticed was my mother's head.
After a tearful reunion, my mother explained how I had appeared in the living room in a flash of purple light. I was clutching the egg and had a severe concussion.
At the time I couldn't remember what happened, all I could remember was that it was a something bad, and the voices message.
The message in particular stuck with me. I had never really given any thought to what I would do when I was older. A lot of my friends were determined to become pokemon trainers when they turned fifteen. But until that day I had never really expressed a passion for pokemon. I had never really expressed a passion for anything. That's probably why when I declared that I would "one day travel on a pokemon journey and no one could stop me" my mother accepted it with little argument. To be honest, I think her joy that I finally expressed a genuine interest in something outweighed her fear for me on my chosen path.
And that interest only grew once I started my preparations. Within a week of getting out of the hospital I found my way to Professor Birch's lab. I all but threw myself at his feet and begged him to teach me everything I could possibly know about pokemon. In exchange I would do whatever menial task he needed free of charge. He agreed.
I threw myself into my studies and into my work. I quickly learned that everything I thought I knew about pokemon was absolutely nothing when compared to what there was to know.
For example I learned that pokemon are more lethal than most non-trainers give them credit for. Even with the protection of the Pokemon League's members and the gym leaders, there are hundreds of pokemon related deaths each month in Hoenn alone. Even seemingly harmless creatures like Caterpie have been reported to capture unsuspecting travelers in their sticky string and let them starve to death.
Also, the more powerful a pokemon becomes, the more powerful their offspring will be. The professor said that the truly powerful pokemon can give birth to offspring that are as powerful as a normal second evolutionary level pokemon.
Finally, even though pokemon are still most commonly found in their "home region", illegal pokemon smuggling and natural migration have dispersed pokemon throughout the world more evenly.
Besides those basics, Professor Birch taught me all he knew about types, moves, abilities, tracking, pokemon recognition, and even field survival.
I literally spent the last five years of my life training for my journey. Because, while no one else knew, this wasn't going to be a regular journey. I was going to war. The reports of human criminal activities have been getting progressively more common since that fateful day years ago, and that is all the proof I need to know the mysterious voice was right.
Though maybe I shouldn't call it a mysterious voice anymore. I am nearly 100% certain it was a Gardevoir. After all, the egg hatched into a Ralts two years ago.
--Spectre--
Professor Birch's Lab
"Ah. Luca my boy! I think I can guess what you are here for." Birch said with a kindly smile. The young boy ran up to the professor upon hearing his name.
The boy was a little on the short side, with a wiry frame. His shaggy, obsidian black hair and amethyst eyes gave him an exotic look even in today's world where people seemed to try their hardest to stand out.
"I should hope so Professor. Looking back, it seems to be the only thing I have talked about for nearly a month." Luca shot back with a sheepish smile. Beside him, a Ralts mimicked his posture.
"HAHAHA!!! Don't worry about it Luca. Anyway, I have your pokedex and basic supply kit ready. Normally I would also offer you your first pokemon but…"
"Yes. Freya is more than enough for me." He says with a smile directed at the little psychic and fairy type. "I wouldn't wanna start with an extra pokemon. That might be considered unfair . . . though the extra protection another one would bring would be welcome."
"Yes I thought you might say that, and I think I have a possible solution. I have heard a few rumors flying about that there was a stronger than normal pokemon hanging around route one. I don't have much information on it other than it is a poison type, as such a lot of trainers had been having trouble with it and more than a few have barely escaped with their lives."
"A poison type? Well I agree that Freya would be a good pokemon to face a poison type. But how does that solve my problem? If it is as aggressive as you say I doubt a newbie like me would be able...wait how did other newbies get away if it attacked them? If it was truly that strong, and mad enough to be offensive it should have chased them down. Unless it had something to stay behind for."
Luca look down in concentration as his brain worked through the information. Birch was smiling a proud smile.
"Very good my boy. I always love seeing your mind work, and I admit I will miss seeing these flashes of brilliance of yours. You are exactly right, except on one part. The pokemon has already been reported as dealt with. Apparently there were enough cases that the Petalburg gym dispatched some trainers to put it down. But as you said it must have had a reason to stick around, and I believe that reason may still be there."
--Spectre--
"This is where the professor said the poison type was. Freya stay sharp. We don't know what we might be dealing with." Luca said as he slowly walked off the path.
Freya replied in a series of chimes as she spread out her mind. This was her first real outing and she refused to let Luca get even one scratch.
He slowly walked through the forest, picking his way through small bushes, and staying alert for any movement. Even a Rattata can be deadly if one was caught unaware. After about an hour of searching, he was nearly ready to quit. They had only come across a couple of Sentrets and a Pidgey.
Suddenly there was a short rustle to his left. But before he could even turn, a purple blur came whistling from around a tree and flew at his throat.
Just as suddenly as the attack came, however, it was halted mid flight in flash of familiar, purple light. Luca looked behind him and nodded in thanks to Freya for protecting him. The Ralts returned the gesture, barely looking affected by the use of her psychic power.
Turning back to the wannabe assassin, Luca took in its long, purple body, its glistening fangs, and the thick muscles under its scaly hide. He also noticed that despite the powerful look to the creature. It was rather small for its kind and seemed to be malnourished.
"Ah. An Ekans. So the mysterious poison type was an Arbok. Well hello little guy. You look hungry. Would you like some food." He quickly reached into his bag and brought out the plain, Stantler jerky his mother had given him for the road.
The snake - who had been thrashing about in mid air, trying in vain to escape Freya's grasp - froze and looked at the meat with a longing that nearly broke Luca's heart. With another look to Freya, she released the baby pokemon from her hold, though she stayed on guard. Slowly the little snake slithered forward. Luca stayed completely still and refused to flinch when the baby suddenly sprung forward and snapped the meat up in a single gulp. As soon as the meat disappeared down the snake's throat, it head butted his hand in a clear call for more.
"I'll give you more but I want to catch you first." Luca said, pulling out a pokeball. Without warning he shot his hand forward and tapped the little snake on the head with the ball. It rattled for only a second before giving a successful ping.
He turned back to Freya and they shared a happy look. One more friend for them.
--Spectre--
(Six hours later - 5:00 PM)
In a forest clearing, Luca was issuing orders to his pokemon.
"Naga, use disable. Freya, teleport behind them and use confusion. Max power!" Luca shouted as he punted rattata that had snuck past Naga.
As soon as the launched pokemon landed, it and its many brethren turned and began to charge again. Only this time, their charge was halted by the a rush of energy coming from the ekans's eyes. The rats shook as a combination of fear and slightly psychic power held them in place. Though it placed a noticeable strain on the young pokemon, he didn't have to hold it for long because Freya faded into existence behind them and unleashed her psychic might. The rats all squealed in agony as their small bodies were crushed under the weight of her fury. When the last one finally collapsed, dead, Freya finally allowed herself a small respite. They had been locked in combat with the den family of rattata for nearly ten minutes, and only just then had Luca been presented an opportunity to go on the offensive.
"Oh my god. I hate rattata! Of all the pokemon we could get swarmed by, it had to be them. They're so weak and annoying, but then they're just like 'oh let me inflict ridiculous damage with my fangs'. Stupid little . . ." Luca carried on his little rant for a few minutes longer, barely pausing when Naga gulped down one of the rats then slithered up his body to rest around his waist and shoulders. Not to be outdone, Freya made hold-me motions until Luca finally lifted her and held her - facing out - against his chest.
"Is all I am a source of food and a vehicle to you two?" He asked in mock hurt. They gave a respective hiss and chime in the affirmative (or at least he thinks so). "Whatever. We'll travel a bit further then settle for the night."
And so on they went. Freya practiced her psychic powers by lifting various objects as he walks, and Naga slept close to his trainers throat. The day was very eventful for the young pokemon. After about an hour Luca starts looking for a good place to spend the night. Before he can find someplace suitable, though, he hears a bunch of gruff voices talking loudly off to his right.
Acting on instinct, he recalled his pokemon to their balls in a split second and stows on up each of the baggy sleeves of his deep purple shirt. He had specifically filled his wardrobe with shirts such as this one because - not only are they amazingly comfortable - the sleeve are very large, almost like the robes of a monk in movies. And he loves hiding things in them.
As it turns out his speed was a good thing, because as soon as Naga's ball disappeared from view, a group of seven men in matching uniforms entered the small clearing he was in.
"Oh thank god! Pl-please help me!" Luca shouts as he run up and clutches the shirt f the lead guy.
"Woah brat. What do you think you're doin'?" The grabbed man asked in a warning tone.
"Please! They j-just l-left me out here. I knew they didn't really like me . . . but I didn't know that they - that they - h-HATED ME!" He let out a little sob, and looked up at the men with big, tear-filled eyes.
"H-hey now kid. Just calm down okay." One of the men said, the others just watching is breakdown with uncomfortable looks. "Tell us what happened."
"My friends and I, w-we live in Oldale town. And Ricky, he's the oldest, got a pokemon from his dad this year. And he told us we should all go on an adventure in the woods. I was sc-scared but Ricky said we wouldn't go super far, and his drowzee would protect us. But after a long time, I started to think we should go back, but when I turned to tell him . . . he-he had his drowzee use hypnosis on me!" Luca let's out his loudest sob yet and makes his legs tremble a little bit, collapsing slightly against the man he had grabbed.
The man caught him and looked around at his companions in shock and just a bit of amusement. It wasn't often they got to be seen as heroes.
"You mean they knocked you out and left you here for dead? Why didn't you retrace your steps?" The man holding him asked, causing Luca to flinch.
"I tried. But I think they moved me after, and I have never been in the forest before so I don't know where I am."
"Well kid. It's your lucky day. Cause we are gonna help you get out of the forest." One of the other men declares in a pseudo-heroic voice.
"Really!?!" Luca, glances up at them with a dazzling smile. "Thank you so much. I hoped you would. You all look so big and tough. Now I don't have to worry!"
The men all preened under his compliment and looked at each other with varying levels of amusement and pride. Had any of them been paying attention to their new ward they would have noticed a smile that definitely did not belong on the face of the sweet, scared little boy they had just "rescued".
And so they processed through the forest, the men having sworn to get him back before his curfew if they had to carry him. They ran into the occasional pokemon, but the men all took turns releasing their pokemon to fend them off. Of course the fact that Luca made sure to fawn over every single one just stroked their egos further. They actually had some tough looking fighters so Luca was glad he had decided against confronting them.
Eventually, Luca got bored of his act. So he decided to take them up on their offer of carrying him. By this point the men were so enthralled with his facade that after only a few minutes of drooped eyes and swaying strides, one of them crouched in front of him and told him to hop on.
By the time they reached Oldale Town, it was 9:50. Luca went through the appropriate motions, asking if they would come and meet his parents - he was sure his daddy would reward them being the police chief and all. Then he accepted quickly when they all shot each other looks and said they had somewhere to be. With a hearty good-bye the men all turned off and walked toward the edge of town.
Once again, had any of them thought to look at their little friend they would not have missed the dark gleam in his eyes, or the gleam of the two stones in his hands.
He couldn't believe his luck when the second guy to carry him had both a dusk and a dawn stone in his satchel. So when he first got a chance he snagged them and swiftly tucked them up his sleeves. Now he carefully placed them in the bottom of his backpack, and headed in the direction of the pokemon center with a spring in his step and a happy hum in his throat.