Secret

Lying across my bed, I waited until the perfect moment. I already had my jeans on, they had cuts made into them, and my shoes were at the foot of the bed. My arms were behind my head, and one leg was bent. I glanced over at the clock. It said 11:30 p.m.

"Great." I groaned. I threw my legs onto the floor, and slid my feet into the shoes. I bent over and tied them, glancing at the clock again. I walked over to my dresser, and I opened a drawer. Not caring what I wore, I just grabbed a shirt that was comfortable against my skin. It was a blue one, with a stripe across the breast area. I turned my head to my desk, and saw my black leather jacket hanging on the chair.

I nodded to myself, and tip-toed to the window. I scanned the horizon, looking for the sign. I placed my elbows on the windowsill, and I caught a small glimpse of flame. I looked towards the flame, and I noticed it get bigger. I pushed myself off of the windowsill, and grabbed my jacket. I was carefully walking down the stairs, pushing my arms through the sleeves as I went. I quietly opened the front door, and gently closed it, making sure my parents wouldn't wake up. Once the door was closed, I sprinted to the shed, and grabbed my bike. It wasn't new, but it wasn't completely rusty. I just didn't want to pull out my thunderous motorcycle, which would surely wake up my folks.

I pedaled my way past the pastures, and a few of the Tauros' was awake. They were mumbling to each other, keeping quiet so they won't disturb the rest of the herd. The orange glow of the flame was in the forest, and I made my way to the trees. I could tell it was getting bigger, which meant I was getting closer.

"Lucas." I heard someone say, and I screeched to a stop. I looked around, but I didn't see anyone or anything. I shook my head and kept going. "Lucas, hurry!" I heard the voice say again. I recognized it this time, so I booked it. It sounded like my friend was in distress, and I was the only one that could save him. I checked my back pocket, and I felt a small round ball.

"I'm glad I didn't forget." I mumbled as I whipped passed the trees. I skidded on the dirt path when I saw a pack of Mightyena in a circular formation.

"Poor little Houndour." One of them said, and from his voice I gathered that he was the alpha. "No one is here to save you." He growled as they closed in.

"Stop." I said, my teeth clenched together.

The Mightyena turned towards me, and he coughed a laugh. "And what exactly can a human do to enforce that?"

I gathered that he didn't know that I could understand pokémon, so I reached around to my back pocket and grabbed the small ball. "Go, Tiger!" I yelled, throwing the pokéball at the ground in front of the Mightyena.

The pokéball expanded, and opened in mid-air. A small light poured out of it, and a Wartortle appeared on the ground. He cracked his neck, and growled at the Mightyena.

The Mightyena turned toward the Houndour. "Don't worry, little one…" He growled, and then he turned back to me. "…this won't take long."

"Tiger, use Aqua Tail!" I yelled, and my Wartortle did exactly that. Water wrapped around his furry tail, and he shot towards the lead Mightyena. He turned, and slapped him across his face, the water thicker now. Tiger landed in front of me, and he growled again at the Mightyena.

"You'll have to do better than that." He growled, and his whole pack came closer.

"Tiger, use Surf!" I said, and Tiger was lifted up by a huge tidal wave. The Mightyena stopped, and tried to retreat, but Tiger's surf caught up to them, and whisked them far away.

"'Bout time you got here, Lucas." I heard someone say, and I turned toward the Houndour. He was smiling at me. "So, you got the signal?"

"Yeah." I nodded to the fire and Tiger came up to my side.

"Want me to handle that, boss?" He asked, acting like mister tough-guy.

"How many times have I told you not to call me boss? We are partners." I said. "Part-ners." I emphasized the syllables. "And yes, before it burns the whole forest." Tiger nodded and ran to the fire. He used Surf to douse the flame, and he came back to me.

The Houndour edged in closer, and he cocked his head. "So, parents still don't know?" He asked, sitting down.

I sat down next to him, and sighed. "Not yet." I shook my head. "They'd just think I'm a freak."

Tiger nudged my arm. "I don't think you're a freak." He said, looking at my face.

I chuckled and mussed the spot in between his ears. "Thanks." I sighed again. "How many others can do what I can?"

"None, from our record." The Houndour said, eyeing me apologetically. I've told him and Tiger how I feel about having this gift. The gift to talk to Pokémon made me a freak among the other humans. I didn't realize I had this gift until my sixteenth birthday, one year ago, when Tiger started to speak with the human language.

I sighed. "I wish I could talk to my parents, you know? I mean, I love them, but how would they treat me when they find out about this." I said, gesturing my hand toward Tiger and the Houndour.

I looked up to the sky, and stared at the stars. Hard to see, of course, but they were still there. I wondered why god would choose me to have this gift. I'm just the son of a pokémon rancher, nothing special.

Tiger pulled my arm until I looked at him. "We should get going. I think your dad wants to go to town today."

I moaned and stood up. True, going to town meant that I could use my motorcycle, but I hated doing the heavy lifting for dad. It seems that as I grew older, dad grew lazier, piling the tasks on me. "Alright, let's go." I said, and I pulled the pokéball out. "Tiger, return." Tiger became a light, and he was sucked into the sphere. "I'll see you around, Houndour." I said, waving.

"Lucas, you can call me Rusty." The Houndour said, running up to me. "Anyway, I was hoping that maybe I might possibly become your pokémon soon." He looked up at me, smiling sheepishly.

"I'll have to convince dad to buy me a pokéball, seeing as I'll need another one…" I said, grinning. I was wondering when Houndour would want me to capture him. We've been friends for awhile, and I've always bailed him out of trouble. "Anyway, catch you later."

I ran off to the house, and went to the bathroom before bed. I looked at myself in the mirror; my light brown hair was in its usual messy doo, and my green eyes looked tired. Must be because I was tired. I hopped in the shower, watching as the water slid off my body.

I worked out, some. I mean, I'm not a couch potato, but I wasn't a wrestler. I had enough muscle to carry all of my father's crates of milk, without getting tired until the end.

I got out of the shower, and dried myself off. I heard the uneven snoring of my father, and the coughs of my mother, who was fighting a cold. I tried to think of the best way to tell them, but I couldn't find one. I guess I have a classified heart.

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A/N: Well, how you like this chapter? I'm not used to writing these stories, so bear with me. Anyway, I used the national pokédex that has Diamond and Pearl pokémon in it, so you'll see a whole variety of pokémon.

Read and tell me what you think.