Pokémon: Bonds That Will Never Break

by Galladite

At a young age, Sean had received a special Larvitar named Ranger for his birthday. However, days later, the Plasma Gang had attacked his hometown, in which his mother was killed, and Ranger was kidnapped. Ten years later, Sean has his mind set. He plans to take down the Plasma Gang and retrieve Ranger, and serve justice for this world.

I was just a boy when it happened.

My father lives in the Johto region, while my mother and I remained in Sinnoh. I didn't see him much back then, but he did stop by once in a while. My father works for the Radio Tower in Goldenrod, and it's a big deal. He was the guy who invented the Pokégear, after all. But that's only one of his accomplishments. He used to live in the Kalos region, where he worked at the Poké Ball Factory, where he created the technology needed to make Dusk Balls and Dive Balls. My father has been a part of some other companies across this world, but he didn't do much for them. He's also competed in the Hoenn League, losing is the Grand Finals before switching dreams.

My father feels absolutely terrible about leaving us in Sinnoh, so whenever he does visit, he always makes it up to us. Whether it's a family vacation, or a special gift, or anything at all, his visits always made up for his absence. His visits are always something I'll never forget.

And I'll especially never forget my 4th birthday, when I met Ranger.

Ranger was a gift given from my father on July 15th, 2006. He was a rare Pokémon from the Johto Region, a Larvitar. What was special about him were his purple eyes, and a scar that went through his left eye. My father told me that there was something special about this species of Pokémon… a hidden power yet to be unlocked by most people. And given Ranger's and I's friendship at first sight, he knows we'll be able to unlock it – together. He gave me this stone, which my father said I'll need someday. I didn't know what a simple rock could do, but I kept it anyways. My father stayed for two more weeks, and he left on July 29th.

If only he stayed a couple more days, I wouldn't be on this ship right now.

August 1st, 2006, another day I will never forget. I was eating lunch, as Ranger was too. We heard a knock on the door, as my mother answered it. Two men wearing black appeared. I lived in a small town, and knew everyone in it. I've never seen these guys before in my life. They glared down at Ranger, and my mother.

"Ma'am, give us that Larvitar, and that necklace, and there will be no harm," one of the men demanded.

I got instantly scared. They wanted my Ranger? Also, why my mother's necklace? It was just a string holding this weird rainbow rock with an "S" on it. What possible use can they use that for?

"Sean," my mother said. "Run upstairs, now."

"But mommy, why?" I asked.

"Just go!"

"That's it," the other man shouted. He pushed my mother out of the way.

"Mommy!" I screamed.

"Give. Me. That. Larvitar. NOW!" the first man demanded.

I was holding tightly to Ranger. I don't know if it was me or him that was quivering. But he seemed to have enough. Ranger jumped out of my arms, and shot out a ray of purple energy at the men.

"GAH!" They shouted as the men were pushed back a bit. "That's it; I've had it with this little bastard." They both sent out a red and black Pokémon. I saw my mother struggle to get up, but she wasn't able to.

"Bisharp, Night Slash!" The first man demanded.

"Iron Head!" The other guy commanded.

One Pokémon's claws sharpened as they began to glow purple, as the other's head-blade sharpened drastically. They charged at me and Ranger. I was paralyzed, unable to do anything. But then…

"Lucario, use Bone Rush!"

Out of nowhere, my mother's Lucario appeared with a blue staff blocking the other Pokémon. She turned around and looked at me. "Are you okay?" Ranger and I both nodded. "Well, that's nice to hear," she said in a rather calm tone. She turned back around, and her soft voice exploded with rage. "You dare barge into my house, start demanding things, and then attack my child? Who the hell do you think you are."

"We're the Plasma Gang," one man stated. "We do what we want for our own goals. And if that means taking that Larvitar and your necklace to reach that goal, we shall do it without hesitation."

"You're sick in the mind. Lucario, Aura Sphere!" A ball of blue energy burst to life in Lucario's palms, as it slowly grew.

"Don't let him launch that attack. Use Slash!" The Bisharp's claw sharpened – without a colored glow – as it charged towards Lucario. He swung, but Lucario stepped back, and launched it at Bisharp's leg. He tripped, as Lucario used Sky Uppercut, launching Bisharp to the ceiling.

"Heh… You're quite strong for a frail lady. Such a shame such talent will poof right out of existence…"

"What are you saying...?" My mother questioned.

"Ghetsis said no survivors," the other man chimed in. "This town doesn't have MUCH… But that Larvitar and Key Stone will do. Of course, that includes both of your lives."

My mother's hand had clenched into a fist. Her other hand grabbed the stone that lay on her necklace. "Key Stone, respond to my heart!" A light began glowing put of my mother's hand. A similar light glowed from Lucario's neck. "For those who must be protected, I refuse to lose. Lucario… Mega Evolve!"

The lights connected from Lucario and my mother's necklace. Lucario's whole body began to glow. His body began to change shape. What looked to be a pink rock form around him. The rock exploded, as a Lucario was now visible. The lights had faded away.

"What… what the hell?" one man said.

"This is the power Ghetsis was talking about. So we now know Lucario can use it, to," the other man explained. "Well… we have a whole lot of Riolu at that one ranch near Flocessy…"

"Well, we also have one right here. Why not take this one too? We won't have to go through the trouble evolving this one."

"Of course, why didn't I think of that?" The man who's Bisharp was down sent out a tall, green Pokémon, with red and black jaws on its face. "Haxuros, Flamethrower!"

"Bisharp, Dark Pulse!"

Flames spewed out of the dragon's mouth, where the move executed by Larvitar before was performed by Bisharp.

"Lucario, Bone Rush!" The staff from earlier reappeared, as Lucario quickly spun it around to deflect the attacks. "Great, now charge at them!" Lucario ran forth, as Bisharp – without its trainers command – used Night Slash, and Haxuros with Dragon Claw. The three attacks kept clashing with each other for quite a while. But then, both Bisharp and Haxuros clung to the staff Lucario wielded. The Pokémon broke the staff in half, and forced Lucario's hands behind his back. Bisharp held onto him, as Haxuros brutally slashed it with Dragon Claw. Eventually, Lucario returned into his original form. Bisharp carried the Lucario out of the house.

"Now… proceed with Larvitar," commanded the other man. Haxuros slowly walked up towards me. I was never more scared in my life. He pushed my paralyzed mother out of the way. Then, he stood only a couple feet from me. A single word escaped that man's mouth. "Flamethrower."

I didn't understand death back then – but I sure knew this was going to hurt a ton. I knew Larvitar wouldn't be affected as badly, due to it being a Rock-type. But I was no Pokémon. Haxuros launched the attack. But I felt nothing. The reason was, my mother jumped in front of me.

"MOMMY!" I shrieked in the highest voice possible. As she was slowly being stripped of her life, tears slowly rolled down my cheeks… But I'll always remember her final words.

"Sean… Your life, it can't end now… You... you have so much to live for… You have so much to accomplish… Please… dry your tears now, love…"

"B-but… you're…" I tried to find the right words, but I didn't know them back then.

She smiled. "I'm going to be safe… I will no longer have to feel any pain anymore after this… I'll be fine… Just… promise me… get out of here… and know… that I love you." The flames now have fully engulfed her. No screams… she accepted death.

"GOD DAMN IT!" one of the men screamed, "Great job. Now we can't get that Key Stone."

"Not my fault she died," replied the other man. "She was the one who jumped in front of that boy."

The first man sighed. He sent out a Pokémon which he called Amoongus. "Use Spore on the kid."

The Mushroom Pokémon breathed out this green gas. Suddenly, I got tired. I tried to fight it, but I was too weak to…

I woke up. I was near the river at our town, and I was on a pile of leaves for comfort. My memory at the time was fuzzy.

"Hey… are you alright Ranger?" I looked besides me – but Ranger wasn't there. I was confused, so I looked to the other side of me. "Ranger… stop playing tricks on me." I got up and looked around my area. Nothing. I was starting to get scared. I had no idea where he was. I knew my way around this town, so I decided to run back to my house.

But I didn't see my house. I saw a bunch of Police Officers surrounding a pile of ash. I was confused, but then I remembered. My mother was set of fire from the Haxuros. The fire must have spread throughout the house. I was put to sleep from that Amoongus… And when I woke up… Larvitar was missing. And that could only mean…

I got on my knees. I started to cry. The police officers finally noticed me. One of them – a blue haired woman – came up to me and asked me what was wrong.

I told her everything – the Plasma Gang, my mother, Ranger – as they wrote down what I said.

"Well, what should we do about the Plasma Gang?" asked the man writing everything down.

"It's not our problem – they're mostly stationaried in a different region. If I had to guess, they are back in Unova right now. The best we can do is ask people all around the region if they've seen them…" said the female officer.

"It's only been a couple of hours, Jenny. I'd say it's pretty impossible for them to have left Sinnoh."

"They are the most advanced evil gang out there. I'm pretty sure they had a high-speed aircraft of some sort pick them up. Especially after a mission like this…"

"Anyways… There is still one thing that doesn't add up. Sean?" the man asked.

"Y-yes, sir?" I responded, quivering.

"If you were put to sleep by an Amoongus in a burning house… How did you survive? "

I was confused myself. Why did I wake up at all? And why was it near the river and not where my house used to be? Wait a minute… the river.

"Sir, please follow me." I led them to the river, where I woke up. The pile of leaves was still there. "This is where I woke up, sir."

Jenny began speaking to the man. "Well, everyone else in this town was killed. Who could have dragged him all the way out to here?"

"Must've been a Pokémon – either a Fire or Water-type. No other types could have survived something like that," the man replied.

Suddenly, a nearby bush began rustling. All three of us focus our attention on it. Out came a Buizel, with surprisingly different colors, holding a bunch of berries. She dropped the berries, and pulled me towards the pile of leaves. She tried to make me lay back down. Shee then grabbed all of the berries, ran over to me, and tried feeding them to me.

"Oh, I'm not hungry, but thank you," I said. But she insisted that I eat them. I began eating, and overheard the officers talking.

"Do you think that this Buizel right here could've saved this boy?" asked Officer Jenny.

"Quite possibly. A Water-type could have survived a fire like that, and she seems to be caring for the boy. But a Shiny Buizel…"

"Excuse me, Miss Jenny?" I asked.

"Yes, Sean?"

"If we take her to where my house was…"

"Ah, I see where you're going with this. Very well, then."

We head back to the ash pile, now with Buizel at our side. I lead her to where the house used to be.

"Does this place seem familiar to you, Buizel?" I asked. She nodded her head. Buizel ran over to the area I laid after the Amoongus attacked me. "I guess that solves that problem…" Buizel stepped out of the ashy area, and surrounded itself with water to clean itself off. I returned to Officer Jenny at that moment, and confirmed Buizel was the one to save me.

"Officer Jenny!" cried another woman's voice. She ran up to us with a box. "This is everything we found that survived the fire.

"Go on, Sean. See if you can find anything at all," she said as she set the box down.

I rummaged through the box. The first item I found was an empty Dive Ball – probably the first one my father created. The second item was the stone my father gave me along with Ranger. I found a couple of old toys that I used to play with that doesn't mean anything to me anymore, along with some other things. The next thing I found was my mother's red I Poké Gear, something my father created specifically for her. then found a framed picture, recently taken on my 4th birthday. The whole family – me, my mother, my father, and Ranger – were in this picture. I began bursting into tears once more, as Officer Jenny and the newly befriended Buizel tried to comfort me. And finally, I found the stone that my mother wore – the stone that transformed Lucario.

"That stone right there… That was found under what was left of your mother… It survived due to the power stored inside. This stone means a lot to your mother. I think you should keep it. You never know what may happen," explained Jenny.

I put the stones in my pocket, and held on to the family picture. But then, an old man with a lab coat appeared. "Where is the boy, Jenny?"

"Professor Rowan!" Jenny put her hand on my shoulder. "This is Sean. Sean, meet Sinnoh's greatest Pokémon Professor, Professor Rowan."

He slowly walked over to me. He had an intimidating look on his face that scared me. "Nice to meet you, lad." I hid behind Jenny, as he kneeled down to me. "Now, there, no need to be afraid of me." I slowly revealed myself to him. "There we go." He stood back up. "So, what are you going to do with the boy?"

"We're trying to contact his father right now, but he is not responding. We're not sure if he'll be available to take him in," Jenny replied.

"Hm… Well then, with your permission, I'd like to take him in for the time being."

"What? Why?"

"Well, you see, his mother was a very skilled Pokémon Trainer, with her winning the Sinnoh League 10 years ago… She was able to win thanks to her Lucario – one capable of evolving even further. As you know, my main focus is Pokémon evolution. I am aware her Lucario is not here at the moment, but the boy is now the owner of the stone required for this evolution. That is why."

"Ah, I see. Well, it's up to him. Sean, would you like to go with Professor Rowan?" Jenny asked me.

I was unsure at first. I looked at Buizel, and then at Rowan. I didn't know this man at all. I also didn't want to leave Buizel at all, but he was offering me a place to stay and food to eat, all for the exchange of my help…

"Yes, I do, Jenny," I answered.

Rowan's face seemed to lighten up a bit. "Excellent. All right, grab your things, and let us be on our way."

I picked up the box that I had received, and I looked at Buizel one final time. I followed Rowan, constantly looking back her. It took some time, but she was eventually out of sight. I had this strange sadness.

We eventually made it to Sandgem Town, home of Professor Rowan's Lab. I considered making a video call and try to contact my father, but Johto's in a timezone where it is six hours ahead – he must've been asleep.

It was a strange feeling. I only had memories for about two years, the other two being very, very fuzzy. Living in a completely new house scared my past four year old self. I eventually got used to it, but I was still nervous – and Rowan's intimidating looks did not help at all.

Eventually, the time came for me to go to sleep. The room Rowan provided to me was much smaller than my old one, but it still worked out. It took me some time to fall asleep that night, but it eventually happened. However, the day was not done yet.

About two hours after I managed to fall asleep, I heard a banging against the window. I woke up almost immediately. I was confused and tired, until I figured where the noise was coming from. The window was directly above me, so I couldn't see who was there at first. I sat up and turned around, and to my surprise, the Buizel who had saved me before was there. I opened the window as quietly as I could, so Rowan wouldn't hear.

"What're you doing here?" I asked. Buizel then jumped into my room. "H-hey! What are you doing?" She began walking to the box I have received before. The only thing in there was the Dive Ball. But then I realized what she was trying to do. "Buizel, stop it! I'm not allowed to have any Pokémon until I'm ten years old!" I whispered. She then held the Dive Ball in her hand. "BUIZEL, STOP IT!" I shouted accidentally. I covered my mouth, but it was too late. I was hearing footsteps. The door then opened, revealing Rowan.

"Explain to me why you're still up at this hour?" He then looked over to see the Buizel. "And why is there a Pokémon in your room?"

"P-p-professor, I can explain! You see, this Buizel rescued me from the fire earlier today, and he just showed up! I opened the window and he jumped in here, and-"

"You let a wild Pokémon into your room when you know as well as I do you are not allowed to own one?"

"But… but… he's my friend!"

The Professor looked at the Buizel. "She," he told me. "This Buizel is a female. If you look on her back, you'll see one spot instead of two. That's how you can determine a Buizel's gender."

"O-oh… I didn't realize. "

The Professor stared at her for a while. He took the Dive Ball away from her, and captured it for himself. "Look… You are not allowed to own a Pokémon for yourself, yet. You claim you two are friends. I believe you. This Buizel will technically be my Pokémon, but I will allow you to care for it. And, once you are ten years old, I will be legally able to give you this Pokémon as your own. Do you understand?"

"Y-yessir!"

Rowan sent out the Buizel, but kept the Dive Ball to himself. He closed the door and walked away. The Buizel ran up to me and hugged me, so I hugged her back.

"We're going to be good friends, I just know it!" I stated with a smile.

The day is August 1st, 2016.

It's been exactly a decade since the Plasma Gang had attacked my hometown. I'm still the assistant of Professor Rowan, as we haven't heard anything about my father in a whole decade. Nothing from Johto news reports at all. Rowan didn't achieve anything involving the two stones that I had in my possession. However, I was able to learn a lot about Pokémon. I learned about Pokémon from different regions, different forms of Pokémon, their personalities – everything. I needed all of the knowledge I could get before I set out on this very day. I told Rowan months in advance I'd set out in hopes of retrieving Ranger. He told me I was crazy to go do something like that, but he fully supported my decision.

I was packing my bag for my upcoming journey, when I heard a knock on my door.

"Come in," I answered. Rowan opened the door.

"Ah, Sean. Almost ready to go, I see," he stated. "If I may ask, where are you heading off to?"

"Well, I'm not going directly to Unova. Azura and I are not strong enough to take down a powerful organization such as the Plasma Gang yet. We have a lot of work to do before we head over there. However, they aren't my main focus right now. I'm worried about my father. There's been no word of him for ten years straight now. I'm going to take a ship to Olivine City. It's a long walk, but I'll eventually make it to Goldenrod."

"You know your way around?"

"Well, I've studied Johto's geography. And besides, if I ever get lost, I'll just use this," I held up a red Poké Gear.

"Hm, I see. Well, before you go, there is something I'd like to give you," Rowan said. He handed me a Pokédex. "I know you've been studying Pokémon for the past ten years… But you never know when you may need it." I looked at it for some time before I handled it for myself.

"Thank you, Professor."

"Of course. But, one more thing…" He rummaged through his coat for a bit before pulling out a Dive Ball. "You're now an official Pokémon Trainer. Azura is no longer mine. She is yours." The Professor handed me the Dive Ball. I stared at it for some time before shrinking it and clipping it to my belt. "With that being said, if you ever catch more Pokémon than you can handle, feel free to transfer them to me. I'll keep watch over them."

"Really? Gee, thanks Professor." Rowan put his arm on my shoulder, as he spoke his final words.

"Now, Sean. Be careful out there. It's dangerous… but you aren't alone. Your Pokémon is with you, and you have raised it well. She'll be able to protect you. I wish you good luck, and safe travels. Call me when you reach Olivine."

"Thank you. I will, Professor." Rowan took his hand off of my shoulder.

"Now, off you go, boy."

I grabbed my bag, and head out of my room, possibly for the last time in my life. I opened the door separating the inside of the lab and the outside world. Azura, my Shiny Buizel, followed behind me.

So… this is really happening, I thought. I'm really leaving the place I've called home for so long. I'm setting out to complete a mission… I may not even complete this mission. I may die out here in the open world before I get a chance to DO anything important. I may not even make it safely to Johto. I may not even make it safely to Canalave. I may not even make it safely to JUBILIFE for Arceus's sake. Yet… I'm doing this anyway. They took the life of my mother… They took her Pokémon… They took MY Pokémon… I may not be able to bring back my mother, but I can at least TRY to retrieve Ranger and Lucario…