Well, here we go. The first part of Shadow I: a Rocket Pikachu's story. Tell me how you feel about it so that I can improve on it in future chapters.

Prologue: Awakening

July 7, 2056, 7:54 p.m.

Loud explosions. The sounds of men and pokemon yelling commands to their allies below the scarlet sky of sunset. Several crying out in anguish as they were wounded, or worse.

Flying types took to the skies, marks identifying them as either being from Team Rocket or Kanto. Attacks soared through the air, eventually hitting a target or exploding as they were pulled to the ground by gravity. Battle cries sounded in the aerial conflicts, tackling and wounding each other as to force them out of the air and into the battles on the earth.

Meanwhile soldiers from each side attacked viciously on the ground, painting the ground red as theywere wounded or killed. "AAH!" a soldier cried out as he was burned alive by the incinerating heat of an arcanine's flamethrower. The charred corpse dropped to the ground as the arcanine sprinted away to attack another target. "Dammit! When is he going to arrive?" yelled a Kanto soldier to his captain via radio while unloading rounds from his heavy laser MG on a very unlucky Rocket grunt who had wandered into his vision. The grunt barely looked up before the lasers ripped into his skull, spraying scarlet as the corpse dropped dead to the ground. "I don't know, just keep firing! Don't give up! Not after what these bastards did to Pallet!" the captain's voice boomed back. The soldier grimaced as he aimed at more approaching Rocket grunts from behind his earthen barricade.

Damn straight, sir.

An explosion nearby from an airborne dragonite's Dragon Rage rocked the ground, sending the soldier to his knees as small chunks of soil rained on him. He reached up to the handle of his MG and pulled himself back up as pair of lasers shot at him at high speed, which made him get down again to dodge. As they passed over him a mammoth sound, like the sound of a bass drum being beat relentlessly, reverberated through the battlefield.

Then another, this time obviously closer.

The soldier lifted his head slowly, to find a man in a black variation of the soldier's own armor with a helmet on that concealed his face standing there, wielding what appeared to be a rod of pure electricity, with wiry strands of its own energy zapping around it. A symbol that looked like a thunderbolt with a strike through it decorated the figure's left shoulder pad. "Finally, you've arrived, sir." Said the soldier, breathing a short sigh of relief.

"Get down." The figure replied calmly as he leaped high into the air, then landing before a score of Rocket grunts with his electricity sword raised. " It's him! Kill him!" One cried out as he reached for the electro-saber on his belt, but was kicked into the air by the man, then slammed to the earth from above by the same man who, with lightning fast agility, had appeared behind him in the air. The grunts, in panic, shot into the air at him, but he blocked each shot with his electricity sword, and then slammed the sword into the ground, creating a shockwave of electricity that blasted the grunts and a few pokemon several feet back, twitching from the electricity interfering with their nerves. The man then sprinted at an inhuman speed towards a group of houndoom and mightyenas. (Shadow ball!) a mightyena called as an inky sphere appeared in its gaping mouth. The sphere blasted forth, an aura of darkness trailing behind it. "Hmph." The soldier said as the attack exploded on contact, creating an explosion of black fire. The mightyena looked on with a triumphant look on its maw that turned to fear and surprise as the smoke cleared, revealing a transparent shield of electricity surrounding the man, who now had a small creature with yellow fur and red circles on its cheeks, with brown stripes on its back and a thunderbolt shaped tail, standing in front of him with its arms raised. "Good job and timing, as always." The soldier said to the creature. It gave a nod before lowering its paws, causing the shield to dissipate.

The small group of houndoom and mightyena seemed to simultaneously take a step back in fear before running for it as some Rocket soldiers nearby who saw the duo began firing on them. (Nuisance, huh?) The creature spoke to the figure before seeming to disappear. "Hey, where'd that pikachu go?" One said before being stricken on the back by a Thunderpunch. "GAH!" the soldier cried, blood trailing behind him as he was thrown to the ground. "What the-" another said before being stricken by a massive bolt of lightning out from above, which blasted him and others around him into the air from the sheer force. A golem used Rollout nearby, intending to crush the pikachu. (Let's see you survive this!) It said to the pikachu, laughing.

(You should be worrying about yourself!) The pikachu replied, standing its ground as the golem rolled near. The pikachu reared its right leg back as its tail began to glow. (Iron Tail!) It cried as it jumped up and slammed its tail into the golem. A cracking sound was heard as the golem abruptly stopped. It unrolled slowly, a look of shock on its face as its outside shell shattered. Blood trailed from its back as it fell to the ground, its Team Rocket collar getting crushed by its weight.

"Good work, Bolt. Return." Said the figure, prompting the pikachu to leap onto his shoulder. They looked at the wave of enemies before them still fighting, unaware of the existence of the figure or his partner on the battlefield. (Lets go.) Said the pikachu to the man in a determined voice. "Alright. Lets show them why destroying a town…has its consequences." As he said this the pikachu jumped off his shoulder, then ran with the man at a blinding speed towards the enemy force…

"Is he ready?" Asked the old one to the scientists gathered around him as they walked. "Yes, sir. All is as planned. The experiment is ready to be released from stasis. All we have to do first is check his vitals, to make sure he really is ready." The older man gave a slight, but sinister curved smile. He had been waiting for too long. It had been years since they had actually gotten a hold of that pokemon's DNA. However he could admit that the process would take long, as it had with several others they had created over the years. Only this time, the process was successful. And the scientist in charge of this project was new, to boot. Obviously a keeper for what the old man planned for this war.

"Let me see."

The scientist nodded as he stopped and pushed a code into a number pad, which in turn activated the door next to it, causing it to open. The old one shuffled silently into the room, the scientists walking in behind him. He turned to the scientist from before. "Release him, Xepher." The scientist, now known as Xepher, signaled to the other scientists. They ran to terminals around a large glass tube and began to type in different codes and commands into the computers that controlled the tank. Xepher looked to the other scientists, who each gave him conformation through gestures.

"He...He is ready, sir. He has all expected properties we have given him: intelligence, power, and loyalty…to you." He said the last part with emphasis through a smile, almost sarcastic in nature when looked at. The old man looked triumphantly at the pokemon suspended in the fluid inside the tank, wires sticking to it for readings. "Begin." The old one said with an anxious voice. "Yes sir. Beginning release protocols." All of them again began to type in codes as the old one looked on.

What are these…sounds?

The fluid began to drain from the cylinder through holes on its bottom while the wires connected to the pokemon disconnected from its damp yellow fur.

These…new feelings…

Finally, the glass cylinder lifted, revealing the short pokemon standing there, starting to wake up. It blinked its eyes rapidly as they adjusted to the light inside the room.

Sight?

As they adjusted, he could begin to make out the room. He looked around curiously, like a newborn child, seeing different instruments up against the walls. "Greetings, my friend." The old one said to him. The creature turned its head to the man, as its intelligence kicked in. He tilted his head, observing the man before speaking. "…Where am I?" the pokemon asked in complete English. The old man smiled as what he hoped was confirmed. "You are home, friend."

"Home?" the pokemon repeated. "Yes, home. This place is home, the place where you live, where you eat, where you sleep. Remember, you pikachu?" the pikachu stared at him blankly before its ears lowered, distraught. "But…I don't remember this…In fact…" The pikachu mumbled, "I don't remember who…I Am."

The old one blinked and made a frown. "You don't remember? You must have been…hurt a lot more than we thought, Shadow." "Shadow?" the pokemon repeated, staring intently at the old one. "Yes, Shadow. That is your name, the one you've always had. Why can't you…remember?" Shadow shifted his feet uneasily.

Why can't…I remember?

"What happened to me?" Shadow asked the old man in a sad voice. The old man grimaced. "You were brutally attacked by members of the Kanto Army, our enemies. Your mother and father died trying to defend you, sadly." He paused to let this information sink into Shadow's mind. "…Died?" Shadow asked, afraid and disbelieving. The old man made a slow nod. "They received injuries from the attack that even we could not heal. You were less wounded than them, but you had still suffered severe trauma and critical injuries. Thus, we kept you in that tank so that you could survive and heal, but we hoped you wouldn't lose your memories from the damage you received." Shadow lowered his head, trying to take all this information in. "But…why?" He asked. "Because they wanted to make sure that they stood unopposed in the future. Thus, they resorted to killing your parents and nearly killing you." The old man turned. "You will never…be able to see them again." Shadow's bottom lip quivered as his paw formed a fist.

"… For this…we can't forgive the Kanto Army. Do you at least remember… who I Am?" Shadow's mind raced, trying to remember something about this man. It felt like he had never seen him before, and yet…

. "You're… Giovanni, right?" The man gave a small, happy-sounding laugh upon hearing the answer. "Yes, Shadow. That is indeed my name. At least you remember that." Giovanni chuckled again.

It appears Xepher successfully inserted the artificial residual memories into his mind.

"Do you remember Xepher here?" Giovanni asked, pointing to Xepher sitting at his terminal, giving a genuine-looking smile. "Yes, actually. My…Old friend, Xepher…" Shadow answered at once.

At least…I remember these two…

"We are at war with the Kanto Army now, and we cannot afford to lose, my old friend. Even though you've lost your memory…will you help us defeat them, to avenge your mother and father, and to help your old friends?" Giovanni asked. "Yes, of course I will…anything for my friends…and anything to get back at them…for making me lose…" Shadow looked down at his tightened fist. "…My parents, and my memories." Giovanni smiled, knowing he now had Shadow under his control. Sadly for Shadow, this meant he was about to go down a very long, and difficult road, and he simply believed he was helping this deceptive 'old friend'…

Well, first portion. I'll see you next time.