It was still dark outside when I leapt from my bed. The excitement from the night before had made it difficult to sleep but somehow I managed. After dressing quickly in my usual shorts and favorite Mudkip hoodie, I raced downstairs where my father was preparing Pidgey eggs and toast. Our new family Growlithe puppy, Fawkes, was asleep on the rug in front of the fireplace but awoke when the patter of my feet hit the stairs. His excited bounding reflected my own excitement as we ran into the kitchen.
The summer morning air was already warm as my father and I ate our early breakfast. My father ate slowly in silence while I wolfed down my eggs and toast, scrounging for crumbs. Fawkes sat at my elbow, hoping for a stray crumb to fall his way. Our packs rested against the door frame with our poles beside them. Dad was letting me use Pop-Pop's old rod that he had used in fishing competitions all around the country.
Unable to keep my silence, I blurted, "What do you think we'll catch today? A Psyduck? Maybe a Gyarados? How cool would it be to see a -." My father cut me off. "Shhhh son, you will have to be quiet today or the water pokemon will be scared away." Overcompensating for my outburst, I merely nodded. Silence again prevailed.
Once the dishes were cleaned and dried, we collected our packs and poles and opened the door. The sun was barely coming over the mountains casting a magical orange, pink, and a purple-blue hue over the valley. My father and I headed down the path towards the deep lake in the middle of the woods, Lake Kett. Fawkes sprinted ahead of us, probably spying Pachirisu that were common in the surrounding forest. Spinarak's webs glistened with the morning dew as Ledian and Ledyba began to drift from blossom to blossom in search of sweet nectar. In the distance we could hear the cooing of a Noctowl, singing its Hoot-Hoot to sleep.
"Over here," my father said in hushed tones, "We need to collect some bait. The Butterfree spawning grounds are just up ahead, in the old apricorn grove." Following my father, we made our way stealthily towards the location. "Careful," my father said, "We don't want to wake them up." Not hearing this last bit being as excited as I was, I leapt forward and started picking up Caterpie and stuffing them in my bait bag at my waist. I was reaching for a Metapod when the air around me started to hum. "NO!" Cried my father, but it was too late. In my haste, I had awoken the bug colony.
My father sprinted over to where I was, just as a multi-colored haze blanketed the skies as the Butterfree keepers released their various powders. With his powerful hands, he held me close and started to run. Fear gripped me as we crashed headlong back into the trees. "At least I didn't get too far into the grove," I thought as I slipped from my father's grasp. I turned to him, a joke at the tip of my tongue, but it caught in my throat.
My father, a big man, was sparkling from head-to-toe with the different spores released by the Butterfree. He couldn't speak, probably due to the poison already seeping into his veins. I froze, thousands of thoughts racing through my mind. We didn't bring any antidotes or other medicines with us. It was just supposed to be a simple fishing trip!
I tried lifting his body but he was too heavy. Some sleep powder rubbed off on my hand. I brushed it off as quick as I could but I could already feel the effects of the powder take hold. My father's hand slipped from my grasp and my last thought before falling unconscious was of my father's prone form next to me.
A few hours later I awoke. My father never did.