AU: Hello Everyone! So this is the first chapter of Shattered Four. A couple of things to preface is that this is a project that is currently still being worked on. We have a team of three people currently working on it together and we have made some serious progress.

Also when reading this story you are able to read one characters chapter and not the other for it to still make sense. So that means you can read the two's chapters out of order. Despite this it is recommended that you read both chapters. If you want updates on how much progress has been made on the story, it is best if you are on the discord server as we will be discussing stuff there as well as posting updates. The link to it can be found on my page.

Also we would LOVE reviews because we want to make this story even better. So we encourage you to instead of giving reviews like "wow great story" to give us constructive criticism.

Anyway without further ado, please enjoy and follow the story for more in the future!


Atri was on the top of his house, standing on the black and grey roof lining as the sun went down, casting an orange sunset sky below, some of which also reflected into a nearby light blue river. He was never able to cross through the other side of the daunting river, however, as it was too thick for a normal person to cross. He would need a Pokémon to do that, a water typed creature so he could sail across the body of water. At that moment he made it his goal to reach the other side so he could finally solve the mystery. What was on the other side of that river.

The young boy had been chatsized by his young mother a couple minutes ago, "I swear you gotta get a haircut one day." Her nagging voice echoed inside his head. She had gone off to a nearby city for the evening to discuss a topics with the town regarding the current state of the Indigo League challenge. This meeting was being held in Violet City, one of the most historical places in Johto, with its importance standing just behind that of the deserted Ecruteak City. He didn't give much care to trivial politics though, being nine. All that mattered to him was that his annoying mother was gone and he finally had some space to breath and time to collect his thoughts.

A nearby young man caught the stare down that Atri was giving the other side of the river, so as he adjusted his thin-framed glasses he began to stroll over. His white lab coat failed to reflect the sunlight that Atri was so infatuated with. "I can't believe that your mother would let you on the roof," his young but mature voice split through the air, grabbing Atri's attention.

Atri turned to him, "Professor Elm, aren't you supposed to be at some meeting or whatever?"

Professor Elm sighed, dropping his brown bookbag onto the dirt area that comprised the center of the town. "Well," he begun, "I am busy with Pokémon research and stuff of the sort. It's quite the odyssey, really." He sat down on the ground, smirking as he opened his book bag to reveal a blue and red Pokeball from the main pouch. He put it above him so that Atri could see. "This is a Lure Ball. It contains a water Pokémon."

Atri turned back towards the sparkling river, "Like one that could cross that river?"

Elm laughed, "Why of course Atri, it could indeed. I got this from the nearby Daycare Center over near Goldenrod. They hatched it for me so I have no idea what's inside!"

"Can I see?" Atri quickly stomped off of the rooftop, heading down a flight of metal stairs, and walking along the thin grass, letting his sandals march through each blade. He sat opposite of Elm with lit eyes and an eager smile. "Show me!"

"Alright then." Elm strung his arm back, ready to throw the Pokeball into the air. He threw the Pokeball vertically into the air. As the ball opened into two halves, a red blob of light came out, transforming into what seemed to be a blue crocodile-like creature. It fell through the air to land between Elm and Atri. "Well well," Elm blinked his eyes a few times and readjusted his glasses with the quick flick of his hand, "I'll be damned, it's a Totodile."

"What's a Totodile?"

"A Pokémon normally given to starting trainers. I guess I'll let the next one along have it, if the League lets me, that is." Elm winked at Atri before holding the Lure Ball out to Totodile. The creature transformed into a particle of blue light that went inside of the sphere, the latches closing on the sides. Elm stood up, searching for his lab which he finally found at his left.

"I suppose I should go see what else this Pokémon can do." He picked up his book bag and walked inside, kicking the door open. "Later Atri!"

"Why does he always have kick the door open?" Atri wondered to himself as he watched Elm walk into his lab, leaving the door wide open. He knew that he'd end up with that Totodile, or at least that was his wish. He reached out to the sky as the orange sky faded away into nothing, "I'm gonna be a trainer one day."

8 Years Later…

Sirens wailed as a flood of revolutionaries filled the street. A few carried banners emblazoned with the callsign marking of the Pokémon gyms as they did. The clamour of protest ran throughout the once peaceful city as Atri scrambled to escape to safety. The rising tensions in Johto had begun to spill over into other regions such as Kanto and Sinnoh, since Atri had resigned from his spot as Champion of the Indigo League. When taking up the mantle as the figurehead of the League, he hadn't expected the political turmoil that would follow. Most people failed to understand that the Champion had little power over the decisions made that were made by the Four. Yet the position inherently attracted attention. And not the good kind. All the more reason to stay hidden.

Atri slipped down the alley, creeping along on the balls of his feet in an attempt to stay quiet. Rainfall had just recently fallen upon Eterna City, forming puddles in spots the drains did not reach. Everything was covered in a wet sheen, from the buildings to the sidewalks. Gutters and access stairways dripped with leftover water from the night before which produced a methodical calming 'plop' when hitting the ground. Yet this serenity was disturbed by an uproar from town square. With his attention drawn, Atri tentatively made his way down the length of the alleyway as he avoided the pools of water in his path. He stayed close to the wall in the dark early morning shade not wanting to be easily seen by any passerbys. Eterna for the most part from what he had seen, was a lawful city. But, nonetheless not knowing much other than what a tourist brochure would say about it, he was clueless as to what kind of crime took place in the back streets. Quite frankly Atri wasn't too eager to find out for himself. So he quickly and quietly made his way over to a dumpster that sat at the end of the cramped street and crouched behind it as he settled in for the show. The voices were clearer now being closer to the source of the sound, with them being amplified to an even greater extent after he poked his head out from behind the trash container.

"We want reform!" They all chanted with an obvious lack of unison. "We want change! Bring down the Four! Bring down the Four!" The air was charged with anger and tension. People started to throw rocks at an ancient Palkia statue, scuffing the Pokémon's stone complexion. The protesters doned signs and pickets with a variety of slogans painted on lazily. Some just had the letters GLARE scrawled across the length of their cardboard. Others were an outcry for their government to support GLARE. Either way, these deluded people failed to understand what they were fighting for, clear by their support for such a radical terrorist cell. Yet this came as no surprise to Atri. How could these people have an informed opinion when they stood nearly half a continent away from the events at hand.

Suddenly, the contents within dumpster rustled lightly. Yet Atri was too entranced by the protest at hand to be disturbed by this. That is until the Trubbish hopped out. The walking bag of trash coiled it's legs and sprung from the container blocking the vision of Atri as it called out. "TRUBBIIISH". Atri let out an ear piercing screech as he fell on his ass and readied a Pokeball in his right hand. He could feel the passion burning from the light metal sphere, the Feraligatr inside prepared to protect its owner at a moments notice. But as the Trubbish hit the ground, it took one glance at Atri then turned its attention elsewhere. More specifically, the angry crowd that was now staring at the champion, sitting on the ground. Atri was a striking young man who stood out in most crowds making his identification an easy task. After the astonishment had worn off, they returned to chanting their intimidating slogan. "Kill the Four! Kill the Four!"

Except this time they had a target.

Atri and Trubbish both turned on their heels and bolted down the alley, attempting to navigate the maze of dirty streets. With the buildings towering over him, discerning where he was became a near impossible task. But it didn't matter where he came out. He just had to get off the ground.

The crowd of protesters stayed hot on his trail, forcing him to fall off track and to take an obscure side street. He could hear the pounding of footfalls growing louder as they continued to gain on him. Their chanting continued as a constant reminder that he was in danger. He kept glancing back whenever he had the chance, trying to gauge the distance between him and the pack of people, charging like a swarm of Tauros. Looking back one more time Atri saw that their numbers had decreased. The group had now thinned, containing only the aggressors of the protest. At this point they had dropped their signs to focus all of their energy to the pursuit. Luckily he seemed to be gaining distance from them. Their bodies not being able to keep up the the metabolism of the teenager. He could tell they were growing increasingly more tired.

Unfortunately he failed to notice a pothole in the path ahead. With all the recent rainfall, the path had become weakened, as well as significantly more slick.

As Atri's foot caught on the dip in the road, he turned around just soon enough to see the concrete. His vision swam as stars exploded into existence before his eyes. The sound of blood rushing to his head dulled the shouts of the revolutionaries around him. Sleeeep. How easy it would be to float around in the darkness forever without a care. How easy it would be…

THUMP

The darkness quickly faded back into the world as a foot was driven straight into his gut. He could feel his stomach churn as another blow was delivered soon after.

A man hovered only inches above Atri's face, so close that he could smell the Charizard Whiskey on his breath. Definitely a heavy drinker. As he spoke, spitle sprayed onto Atri's face. "Think your a big shot eh?" he asked tauntingly. "Well you I think you're uh.. monsters!"

The man turned his head to look at the other protester. He was seemingly taller than the man crouching before Atri but other than that, the features were indistinguishable, the pain from the kicks dampening his senses. "You. Come over here and give him what he deserves. Let's get one less scum off out of this world" he said maliciously.

"Kill the Four…" the tall one muttered, obviously not as enthusiastic.

Atri tried desperately to gather himself but he was a mess. Blood was now trickling down the ridge of his nose from the wound on his forehead. The pain was excruciating, shooting through his body like the current of a Jolteon, incapacitating him. 'This is it' he thought as the tall one made his way over. The man pulled a Pokeball off of his belt preparing to finish the job. Pressing the button, an Aegislash was released from the capsule in a flash of light, where it materialized just feet away from Atri. The blade Pokémon hovered over the ground as it made its way to it's target as the nervous trainer followed closely behind.

The alcoholic rose to his feet and began to walk away as the Aegislash approached, giving it plenty of space to carry out its task. As he walked away he turned his head to briefly look at Atri. "See you in the Distortion World, kid."

The trainer caught up to his Pokémon as it hovered menacingly over Atri, who struggled to stand, his strength building slowly but surely. Unfortunately, his balance failed him as he fell back to the ground. The taller man glanced quickly at Atri but averted his gaze to the Pokémon in front of him. There was a sad look on the man's face, or maybe one of sympathy. Either way, he was determined to carry out his task.

He raised his head, looked at his companion and said "Aegislash, use sla-"

"TRUBBIIISH!"

The Trubbish that had scared Atri, jumped out in front of the Aegislash in a bold move of courage. Both the trainer and the Pokémon were startled as a result of the change in situation, in addition to the cry of the living trash bag. In an attempt to ward off the foes at hand, the Trubbish began to excrete a smog like gas. It's pores opened up and the green vapor came flowing out, creeping along the ground before beginning to rise and form into a cloud of noxious fumes. The smell hit Atri's nostrils like a freight train, overpowering all of his other senses and making his eyes water. Instinctively he covered his mouth and nose trying to negate the effects, to little avail.

Raising his head, he saw the Aegislash and the taller man falling back, trying to escape the grasp of the miasma. For the second time he climbed to his feet, using the nearby buildings wall as a support. The Trubbish had risked it's life as it stalled for time. He had to take advantage of it.

Atri clung to the wall as he shuffled along the path. He could see the opening he had been looking for. The wall of buildings split to reveal a baron street, one with sunlight pouring over the road like a flood. One step, Two steps, Three steps. He neared his saving grace as he counted his steps. Once in the open air he would have the chance to release his Charizard and take off into the sky. Fueled by adrenaline, Atri pushed on full steam ahead, ignoring the throbbing pain that sat at the bottom of his stomach. Thirteen steps, Fourteen steps, Fifteen steps. Finally he reached the opening in the alley that met up with an open road. Beams of sunlight, fell upon his face as he inhaled the fresh open air. Atri briefly turned his head to his assailants to find that only the tall man remained with his Aegislash close to him, both of which attempted to scramble away from the gases. But that was of no matter to him. He had made it out alive when he hadn't expected to. And that's all he could have asked for.

He stepped out onto the street for what felt like the first time in hours and collapsed to the ground. The morning sun had since risen further into the sky, lighting it ablaze with a deep orange hue. It really was a beautiful sight to see. Upon the backdrop of the sky, the green of the heavily cultured trees captured your attention. Atri could hear the sound of Starly's, singing their songs in harmony. This was the calm after the storm. The peace after the war.

Yet he could not be bothered to indulge himself in these niceties. Just because he had escaped didn't mean that the danger had dissipated. His face was still plastered all over Sinnoh as a target. Although Eterna was the capital of Sinnoh, protests took place across the region, spreading like wildfire. If he didn't get out, the heat was gonna get to him.

Atri straightened his posture as he rose from the ground. His thighs burned, the tendons shooting throbs of pain along his back as he stood. Knots had formed in a significant amount of his muscles, all of which tightened as his ligaments and bones worked together to push him to his feet. Along with this, came the still present pulse of pain from the back of Atri's head, a constant reminder that he had to get out of here.

His hand instinctively wandered over to his left hip where the majority of his Pokeballs were clipped, with the exception of the empty one that resided in his bag. Atri's fingers glided over the tops of the metal spheres, feeling the custom inscriptions form letters as well as the aura's of each being inside. Soon enough, his fingertips grazed the Pokeball he had been looking for. The smooth surface of the dome was disturbed by a C that had been carefully etched into the metal. Atri wrapped his hand around the ball and yanked, freeing it from his belt with a single swift movement. The orb radiated with a heat that although felt untamed, also gave him a sense of comfort. As if it were an old friend wrapping an arm around his shoulder.

As Atri pressed his thumb into the round button at the center of the ball, a crack opened up and the ball began to come alive as the life force inside prepared to spring out at a moments notice. Know his Charizard's impatient nature, Atri swung his arm and released his grip on the ball, tossing it into the street before him. It cut through the air, exploding into a flash of light when reaching the top of it's arc. From it emerged a grand, dragon like Pokémon. It unfurled its large, leathery wings and let loose a roar from its maw as it reared its head.

Atri stumbled over to the beast cautiously. He could feel the heat emanating from the Pokémon, almost like an aura of it's rage. Although he had caught the Charizard, it still acted on it's primitive nature of aggression quite often. Many people often forget that Pokémon are partners rather than slaves. This fatal mistake led to injuries every year, to both parties.

As he approached the Charizard, he put a hand out to the snout of the animal as a peace offering. The Pokémon sniffed at his hand as it identified the boy in front of him. It pressed it's nose to his hand closer, smelling closely.

It then crouched on all fours as Atri nodded to it. As it folded it's wings up so that Atri would have a place to sit, he explained to Charizard the plan. How much of it the Pokémon understood was up to interpretation, but it understood enough to understand it was flying and where the destination was. And that was all he needed from the beast.

As Charizard zipped through the air, Atri's hair was sent blowing messily, the brown strands multiple times getting in his face. The flames that burned on the tip of Pokémon's orange tail, melted the small snowflakes that fell as it illuminated the cloudy sky, like a lighthouse in a storm. Atri noticed the small town below that had been coated in white, covered by an endless snowfall. From the sky, he could see SnowPoint City's harbor, which flowed due to the salt water of the sea as well as the movement of the waves.

"Char! Down there!" Atri shouted, his voice piercing through the cutting winds as he released a hand from the dragon to point at the building below. Charizard growled as a sign of acknowledgement as it began to descend slowly to the powder covered ground below. It's wings beat as it landed, stirring up a small scale blizzard of its own.

Atri hopped off of Charizard and again, unclipping his Pokeball as he pressed the center button of the device to recapture his companion.

His feet began to get cold under the weight of the cities snowdrift, more of it falling endlessly from the sky. The small city had an old Gym, a Pokémon Center, and a now-defunct PokeMart, along with a few houses here and there. Atri's breath had returned to normal after both the flight and the beating from the alcoholic he had endured hours before. He began walking through the snow.

The old PokeMart came with no surprise to be unlocked. Ever since the integration of PokeMarts into Poke Centers, the buildings had been cleared out and had fallen into disrepair. Atri pushed the glass door open using his shoulder with all his strength as it opened. The PokeMart was abandoned, dust on the counters and with little supplies left to bare on the now-broken and torn down shelves. Atri had a plan for a situation like this, and he had made sure to bring the necessary gear for it.

Plopping out onto the ground Atri opened his bag, trying to execute his plan. Once it was open he digged around for a few moments, setting the bag aside as he brought out the clothes. The clothes were a blue pair of shorts, a light blue t-shirt with a black PokeBall on it, and a white short-sleeved jacket. Even if they were girly looking clothes, his name led the disguise well enough.

Atri took off his bloody jacket and shirt, pulling the somewhat tight blue t-shirt over himself as it snugged along his body. The white jacket fit over it almost perfectly. He had to look legit to pass through without any suspicion. Taking off his jeans, Atri slipped on the blue shorts, his legs suddenly becoming cold. As they were tight Atri adjusted the shorts to feel comfortable. The only time he had worn these clothes were when he had initially, and awkwardly, bought them. He remembers the odd stare the PokeMart employee gave him. But Atri didn't care for the odd stare as it was his ticket out of there. Packing up his things and old clothes he searched the PokeMart for some tissues to wipe off the blood from his right hand. Finding the last bits on a shelf at the back he cleaned the blood from his hands.

Heading out from the PokeMart, Atri closed it back up as if he had never been there. He didn't care- PokeMarts were beginning to decline, and Snowpoint's PokeMart was no exception to this new fact.

Atri spotted his next ticket out of there- a giant boat. Rushing over to the boat he snuck into a crowd of people walking through with his disguise is working like a charm. No one ever realized that he was the Champion of the Indigo League. No one throwing Aegislash's at him, no one attacking. Not a single soul in the line knew his true identity.

An attendant, dressed like a sailor, was taking the information of passengers as they stepped up in line. When it was his turn, Atri took his pre purchased ticket out of his back shorts pocket and handed it to the sailor. The large and buff man looked it over closely, checking to make sure it was not a counterfeit. After he was satisfied with his search, he ripped off the stub and handed it back to Atri. With this the attendant handed him a key to Room 11, that of which was connected to a small wooden board with the inscription "Property of S.S. Waillord"

Atri made his way through the restaurant as he proceeded to the passenger rooms, what was located upstairs. Many classy passengers appeared to be enjoying themselves on the cruise ship, some ordering as much as humanly possible. Of course they weren't going to eat all of that food, but it was more of a show of wealth than anything else. It wasn't his place to judge though so he ignored them and continued up white tiled stairs located to his right at the end of the dining hall which brought him to the second floor and to the suites.

Heading through the hallways, Atri heard a familiar sound behind him like that of a crinkling plastic bag. Yet when he turned around, there were only other passengers at the end of the hall. He chalked the sound up to the other guest that had just entered the corridor and continued down the hall, scanning the gold placards for the number 11 which would mark his room. Eventually, about half way down the hall, Atri found the door that he had been looking for. The tag on the wall next to the entrance read

Room 11

Absol Suite

Atri took the key he had been carrying and plunged it into the lock and twisted, with the door producing an audible click. With that, he turned the knob and swung the heavy fir door open. Atri entered the room finally feeling a sense of safety. It felt like the first time in forever. Inside, the walls were painted a shade grey with swirls of light blue like a cyclone. Atri took a seat on the edge of the bed on top of the neatly folded fur blanket.

Throwing his bag down onto the bed he stretched his arms and yawned, closing his eyes. When he opened them, a trash bag was clinging to his leg ferociously, so tightly that goop oozed out of its pores and onto his bear leg. Atri screamed, startled by the slimy Trubbish on his left leg, and the Trubbish… screamed? Right back.

"AIEEEIIAHHHIEHAIHHH!"

"TRUBBIIIISH!"