He knew they were coming for him.

It had been non-threatening at first. Letters finding their way to his workplace and home, men in dark clothing with an even darker disposition coming to visit his house. Yet over the course of a couple months, his life turned dark and suspicious. Looking over his shoulder became normal, making his Pokemon stay at home to protect his family became typical.

Oh, he knew they were coming for him.

So he prepared to leave on his own terms. He couldn't risk his family and as he stared at the sleeping form of his one-year-old daughter, he couldn't help but feel regret at the decision he was about to make. Stepping into the small room and up to the crib she was sleeping in, he took a moment to just look at her.

He had been shocked and honestly scared when he first found out his wife was pregnant. But now he couldn't imagine his life without the small bundle sleeping away as if her whole life weren't about to change. Smoothing her light- brown hair, so much like his own, he reached down into the one bag he planned on taking with him and pulled out three things.

One was a small, fire red and deep blue egg. It pulsed with a heat of its own and in the light flooding into the room from the door he had left cracked, he could see the sparkle it gave as if the whole thing were on fire. He placed it gently next to the sleeping child and tucked a blanket around it to keep it warm. The girl turned in her sleep as if magically drawn to it and wrapped a chubby arm around it, yawning widely before settling back down.

The next two things were of a much simpler nature, letters, each with a different name on it. The one reading Marlene was tucked under the egg for safe keeping, the much thicker one inscribed with Sarah put on top of it. His wife would surely find it when she came for her daughter in the morning.

Leaning forward, he kissed the child on her forehead whispering, "Good luck, Princess. Be strong. One day I will come back for you, I promise."

After smoothing her hair one last time, he picked up his bag and walked out of the room. He stopped at the door and turned one last time to stare at her before softly closing the door.

There was one more thing to do though, before he could leave. Stepping outside, he closed and locked his front door behind him before pulling out a single Pokeball. There was a flash of bright red light and a Pidgeot stood perched on the ground, looking at him expectantly. He is sure not going to expect this, he thought grimly.

"Prince, I have a very important job for you," he said not meeting his Pokemon's eyes.

"Geot?" Prince said in confusion, tilting his head to one side in a questioning manner.

"I need you to stay here and protect them."

He had given extreme thought to who he would leave behind to protect his family. He couldn't leave behind just anyone, he needed someone who could stay out of sight and protect from afar and the woods surrounding his home would be perfect coverage for the bird Pokemon. This would be lonely, but he knew his strong-willed Pidgeot could handle it. Prince had been with him from the beginning and was one of the most reliable Pokemon he owned. If anyone could do it, Prince could.

But that didn't mean either one was fond of the idea. Prince made this immediately apparent as he fluffed up his feathers in indignation and seemed to swell in size, as if offended he wasn't going to protect the trainer he had been with for so long.

"Don't look at me like that!" he exclaimed now looking directly at Prince. "I can't leave Sam behind, and Bella and Homer are a package deal. You know that. Besides! None of them can protect from a distance like you can. You're the best protector I've got."

The Pidgeot still looked unconvinced. The man approached his Pokemon slowly and reached out to pet his head. Prince jerked away at first, unwilling to look at his trainer, but soon was leaning into the touch of his trusted friend.

"Hey, look at me. No seriously, look at me." He waited until the Pokemon had turned his head to look at him before continuing. "You've saved my life more than once. You're one of the only ones I trust with the lives more important to me than my own. Will you do this for me? Please?" He looked at Prince with wide eyes, trying to convey how important this was to him.

After a few moments in which the Pokemon opened and closed its beak several times, it finally replied with a weak "Pidge-Pidgeot" and a nod of its head.

Relief broke over him. Lurching forward, he hugged the Pidgeot tight, whispering quietly, "Thank you. Thank you."

After backing away, the Pidgeot looked him directly in the eye, gave a sharp nod of his head, and then took off, flying for the nearby trees of the forests surrounding his town.

This time, when he walked away from his house, Charles Martin did not look back. Because he knew they were coming for him.

(A/N):

Hello everybody! This is my first attempt at any sort of story here. (Like really this is my first time posting something here so it may take me a few times to get the hang of things!) I've had this idea bouncing around in my head for a long time, and I'm hoping if I get it down in writing it'll help. I don't know completely where this story is going to go, I have some ideas in mind but I don't know all of what I'm going to do yet. I've decided to post this Prologue here and if it is received well, I will continue it. So it is up to whoever is reading this on whether I continue it or not. Any feedback would be nice!

Thanks!

Thatonebookworm