Author's Note:

Greetings, all. Lately, I've been needing a creative outlet, so I decided to revive and revamp an old story of mine; I've been a pokemon fan for a long time, and so, I'll be using that world as a template for my ideas. So, I suppose, just sit back and enjoy the ride. Feedback is always appreciated. I'm not very well practiced at writing actual fiction, mind. Hopefully I'll be able to surpass your first impressions, regardless of what they are. (small note - my "C" key is hit or miss. Every once in a while, it won't register when I press it.)

What I'm looking for most here is feedbak on the way the plot is progressing, mind. While I've got this whole story very clearly etched out in my head, I'll still be willing to consider suggestions from the community.

Chapter 1

The sky dimmed as a cloud drifted listlessly in front of the sun. At this exact time, however, a bright red light flashed, and was followed by a soft thud. A young man watched expectantly as the blue and white orb shook this way and that, before it finally gave up, coming to a stop with a soft click. He was clearly very pleased at this, as his face showed – he pumped his fist and ran over to where the ball rested. Following his every move was something of a cross between a tiger and a small dog; its muzzle and chest, as well as a tuft of fur on its head and its tail were a cream color, while the rest of its body was covered in a luxurious yellow coat, adorned with jagged black stripes. Indeed, the creature practically shimmered in the sunlight, which had returned from behind the cloud.

"Well, don't you look pleased with yourself? You ought to, I suppose. Well done, Ryko." The young man said, a wide grin filling his face. The growlithe named Ryko gave a happy bark and trotted back to its owner. Tilting his head, Ryko stared up at the young man, who seemed to be able to easily interpret the unspoken question. "Well… You took a few hits there, you know. Do you really want to walk all that way..? Sure you don't want to rest? I suppose it's fine. You didn't take all that many attacks, after all…" he said, shrugging. "C'mon, then. We've got a long way to go before we hit Lilycove City." He said, folding his hands behind his head as he walked.

The young man appeared to be in his late teens or early twenties. He had short, dark brown hair which only managed to lie reasonably flat, as well as hazel eyes. Currently, he wore a dark blue jacket, which covered a black shirt, while a lightly colored and obviously well-worn pair of jeans covered his legs. As he walked, his attention was diverted upward, staring at the clouds as he strolled down the path toward his next destination. Ryko was certainly a tough one… The young man's mind had fallen back in time, dwelling on just one on many happy memories involving his canine partner.

"Kent? Could you come down here for a moment? We've got something to talk to you about…" his mother's voice rang out. In response, the boy raced down the stairs, obviously very curious as to what they needed him for. Understandably, he didn't look overly excited; nine times out of ten, it was just some chore he forgot to do – luckily, this was the one exception. Kent's head tilted gently as his eyes met with a small package in his mother's hand. "Now, son.. I know you're… disappointed about your friends leaving town, and I know that you wish you could join them, so… Your father and I wanted to make it up to you; at least in some way.." she said, offering the package.

Kent's eyes lit up as he accepted the gift, tearing the wrapping paper off as quickly as he could. If he looked happy while he was opening the package, that was nothing compared to what he looked like when its contents were revealed – his mouth hung open, though he was left speechless. It was a pokegear; though this device was much more advanced than those that came before it. The manufacturers had managed to cram so many functions into this generation's version that it had cemented itself as not only a must-have item for trainers, but a must-have item for just about anyone. The one Kent was holding was quite top-of-the-line, as well. It had a GPS unit, a phone, a clock, and a radio, but it also had a function which assessed the strength of wild pokemon, a function which assessed the condition of one's own pokemon, as well as a full-blown pokedex; and that was all in addition to the dozens of applications which could be found on the poketches and standard phones which were so common these days.

Wordlessly, Kent ran up and hugged his mother, clutching tightly onto his new pokegear all the while. It meant a lot to him – a few of his friends were packing up and heading on their journeys, while he… "Ha ha, you're welcome, Kent… But come, now; there's still a bit more to see – after all, just because you're staying in school, doesn't mean you're not as capable as your friends are; your father and I just wanted to show that we had confidence in you, which is why we've got one more stop to make – we're heading to the breeding center in Mauville City." She said, smiling down at her son as she waited for his reaction.

Kent smiled happily as the memories drifted through his consciousness. Right then and there, he had been driven to a ranch owned by a kind old man, where he was able to pick out an egg to raise for his own. The resulting pokemon was now trotting happily at his heel. He had come a long way; that much was certain… The memories had carried Kent much of the way to his destination; passing the time as he walked, he took out the pokegear he now carried. The original, he had gotten years ago – as such, it had long since passed its lifespan. This new one, however, Kent treated as if it were the very same object he had received on his tenth birthday. The map function told him that he would reach town before sundown; thankfully, he would get to sleep in a bed tonight… Curious, he switched over to the pokedex function – his recent acquisition was highlighted:

Absol – The Disaster Pokemon Type: Dark

Height: 4' Weight: 108.4 lbs

Absol has the ability to sense natural disasters. As a result, a number of superstitions have been raised about this POKEMON. It is known as a doom-bringer, due to the fact that its appearance precedes nearly every catastrophe in those areas which it resides. It is a long-lived POKEMON – individuals can survive for over 100 years.

Page (individual level and statistics)

Surrounding it were a number of blank spots – the full Pokedex had been filled in long ago, though Kent liked to keep its records limited to those he had caught and seen, just like it was before the various famous trainers filled its proverbial pages all those years ago. At the touch of a button, however, the function could be filled with information on every pokemon currently known, whether Kent himself had caught it or not.

The pair continued walking for a time, and soon, they began to hear the telltale sounds of civilization. Ryko's ears twitched – his pace increased, leading him somewhat ahead of Kent. The grand city of Lilycove came into view before long. Kent had a weary smile on his face as he slowly but surely became surrounded by buildings – immediately, he headed for the pokemon center. Before he got to sleep, there was just one last bit of business to take care of.

Heading through the automatically sliding glass door, Kent gave a cheerful wave to the nurse at the counter before approaching. "Just for a bit, buddy.." he said, looking down to Ryko before recalling the creature into his pokeball. The nurse greeted him, and Kent handed over the five pokemon he was carrying at the time. The nurse placed them all on a machine behind her, and in a flash, the process was complete. Kent bowed his head, thanking the woman before releasing Ryko once more and heading over to a PC-like apparatus in the corner of the building. With a few keystrokes, Kent was logged in. Placing the blue great ball in the round slot to his right, Kent watched as the recently caught Absol disappeared in a flash of light – he'd get to training that one later. Finally, Ryko let out a long yawn, which lured Kent into doing the same.

Pokemon centers were incredibly convenient; they were government-run, set up in order to provide free support to the many trainers that came their way. Not only did they quickly heal injured pokemon, but they allowed for management of the pokemon the trainer had captured. Finally, they were also used as a sort of bastion in which trainers could come to rest for the night before continuing their journey; as such, Kent notified the nurse and proceeded to a couch which rested over in the corner. Laying down, Kent allowed Ryko to hop up and relax on his chest – the growlithe exuded a near-unnatural heat, though it was far from unbearable; indeed, it was rather comforting. In mere moments, the pair of them were off to sleep.