The Lugia Chronicles, season one: Terror of the Seas


Episode one: Be a Trainer

Aurora Ketchum was bored. She stared out the window. Lately, Pallet town had seemed too small for her. She wanted to go out and unlock the mysteries of the Pokemon, to see the whole world there was out there. She was 10, but didn't make the cutoff date. She'd have to wait another year to become a trainer.

She flopped back in her bed, shifting her gaze to the ceiling. It was beautiful, with stars and moons and Pokemon painted on it. What fascinated her most was the dark shadow blotting out part of one of the moons. She wished she knew what kind of Pokemon it was.

She rolled over and checked her clock. Midnight. Her parents would be sleeping now. "Run away... Run away... Be a Pokemon Trainer..." The words tumbled over and over through her mind. That was it! She leapt out of bed and padded over to her door. On the back of it was a hook, on which she hung her backpack. She took it down, packed some clothes, then slipped into the kitchen. She grabbed some food, stuffed it in her backpack, then ran back to her room.

The window was open. "Good," She whispered to herself. She changed into some normal day clothes and slid out the window, landing on the soft mud. With one last glance at her house, she set off into the night.

*

Aurora reached Viridian City just as the dawn's first rays peeked over the horizon, warming the bare earth beneath her feet. She smiled to herself. She was making good progress.

There was a big hotel up ahead, the Viridian Star. Aurora noticed that they were open, and decided she'd best get some sleep. She had a long day ahead of her.

She stepped through the revolving door.

"Hello, can I get you a room?" The attendant asked.

"Yes, please. Just a small room, it doesn't have to have a balcony."

"All right, the Nidoran room is open. How long will you be staying?"

"Just tonight."

"Ok. That's 20 dollars."

Aurora fished in her pocket, pulling out a crisp 10-dollar bill. Quickly, she pulled out two fives and handed over the money.

"Thank you! Here is your key! Please come again!"

Aurora walked down the corridor to the elevator. She took a brochure along the way. The Nidoran room was on floor five. Next to it was a huge room set on the corner of the building. Curious, Aurora checked the name. Lugia.

As she rode the elevator up to the fifth floor, Aurora began wondering. Lugia. She'd never heard the name before, but it somehow felt familiar...



Episode two: Here we Go!


Aurora woke with sunlight streaming through the window and hitting her face. She blinked, rubbing her eyes. Where was she? Then she remembered. She was traveling to Pewter to get a license. The Pewter cutoff date was later than the cutoff in Pallet.

She climbed out of bed and stood staring out of the window for a moment. Not far off, she could see the trees of Viridian forest looming up, reaching for the sky, standing out with their soft deep green hues.

She changed quickly, then hurried to the Mart. She needed to buy some items for when she finally got her Pokemon, and to avoid battle before she did. She bought three repels and two PokeBalls. Around nine o'clock, she had finished breakfast and packing and set off.

"Hey, you girl! Do you have any Pokemon?" Someone called.

Aurora turned. A redheaded boy with bright green eyes was standing behind her. He was holding a PokeBall and had a Totodile sitting on his head.

"No, but I'm going to Pewter to get my license."

"Heh, so am I. This Totodile isn't mine, he's Professor Sumac's. I was visiting Sumac and Wani-sama here started following me wherever I went."

"Wani-sama? That's a cute name!"

"Isn't it? It's short for Waninoko. This lil guy came all the way from Japan, where Totodile are known as Waninoko. He was used to being called Waninoko or Wani-sama, so the name stuck. By the way, my name's Jason, but you can call me Jesse. Sort of a nickname."

Aurora smiled. "Nice meeting you, Jesse. I'm Aurora." The two shook hands and set off together for Viridian Forest.

*

"Oh, great! That was our last repel!" Jesse slumped against a tree. "We'll never get to Pewter at this rate!"

"Wani," Wani-sama agreed.

"Oh, come on!" Aurora said. "Get up! We're going to get to Pewter by nightfall!"

"Aw, c'mon, Aurora. We've been walking for hours!"

"Noko, wani! Ni wan! OKO!" Wani-sama suddenly began jumping up and down frantically. "Wan! Wan!" He pointed toward a bunch of bushes. "Noko noko!" He charged through them. "Wa NI!" He cried happily as he burst out onto a well-beaten old path.

"I think he's found a way out!" Aurora shouted. She grabbed Jesse by the wrist and dragged him through the bushes, where Wani-sama stood, smirking and pointing at the Viridian Forest Visitor's Center, just a little while up the path.

"YOU DID IT! WANI-SAMA, YOU'RE A GENIUS!" Jesse grabbed Wani-sama and charged up the path, flinging open the door to the center, Aurora sprinting after him.

The trio stood, panting, at the entrance to Pewter City.

"Look out world, we're gonna be the greatest Pokemon Masters in history!" Jesse said, grinning at Aurora.

"Let's go get our licenses!"

*

Professor Sumac's lab was breathtakingly humongous. Its exterior was made of stone, with pictures of Pokemon carved into it. Aurora nervously rand the doorbell. Instantly, the door was flung open. A tall 17-year-old girl with shoulder-length black hair, gray eyes, and tortoiseshell glasses stood in the doorway.

"Hello, Jesse. Who's your friend?"

"This is Aurora. She came to get her license, too."

"Hello, Aurora. Nice to meet you."

"Where's the Professor?" Aurora asked.

"You're looking right at her. I'm Professor Sumac." The girl leapt down from the ledge.

"Aren't you a bit... Uh, young to be a professor?"

"Most people think that, but I am the leading Pokemon expert right now, regardless of my age. Professor Oak sometimes comes over to help me. He is my best friend, you know."

"THE Professor Oak?!" Jesse gasped.

"Professor Gary Oak, the one and only! But enough with the chitchat, you came here for the licenses, right?"

Jesse nodded.

"All right. Come on in and feel free to look around. I'll have them ready by one-thirty. Then you can pick your Pokemon."