Chapter 1
Silver Dreams
"This weather pattern is something we have never seen before. This blizzard has been moving across Anotica, even to areas where we don't normally get snow. The Aurion Desert Region was covered in a few feet of snow, the first recorded snowfall in its history. The blizzard has a movement never before seen to meteorologists. Here with an explanation, is Doctor Melvin Meltokio."
"Thank you, Dianne. This blizzard is something we at the lab could never hope to fathom. It almost seems to stop moving in places, which is unheard of. The storm almost seems to have a mind of its own. It also does not seem to have a set speed, and the wind has absolutely no effect on this monster of a storm. There is no telling when it will hit Silver Town.
"Thank you, Melvin. We suggest all residents of Silver Town to stay indoors this week. There is no telling when it will hit. As Dr. Meltokio explains, this storm is too unpredictable to chance. Make sure you have just enough supplies for the storm. You need to be prepared for any situation. We'll send it back to you, Tom, to explain some safety procedures."
"Thank you, Di-" the words were cut short as the screen fizzled out into blackness. A young man, with chestnut brown hair and eyes to match, sat there with a frown etched on his rather well developed face. Not now, I was so close... he moaned mentally. He would have finally gotten his first Pokémon tomorrow.
"Chris, honey, you should think about going to bed. You will just have to wait a few more days to go out on your Pokémon journey," his mother comforted, although her words felt hollow.
"But Mom! You know that Silver Town is hit by hard snowfalls ever winter. This one won't be any different," he argued. His rather thin figure, which he had assumed to be around 5'8, was quivering nervously.
"Yes, Chris, but this blizzard has crossed the entire region of Anotica. You heard the weather report just now. Even the Aurion Desert was buried. You will just have to wait until the storm passes," she firmly stated.
"The weather report also stated that the storm could be rather unpredictable mom, it could pass through here in a matter of minutes," he argued, hoping to have gained some ground on his stubborn mother. Chris stared deep into his Mother's dark eyes, which were so much like his own, and knew he was getting nowhere.
"I just can't take that risk! I don't want to lose you like I did your father!" she cried, desperately hoping to end this argument. Chris cringed at the mention of his father. He had no recollection of ever meeting his father. His mother had always told him she had not seen his father since he was three years of age. He had always believed this statement, as he had no recollection of any time before his third birthday.
Suddenly, his eyes narrowed in developing rage. She's just being selfish! She probably hasn't even bothered to get me a Pokémon, he thought darkly.
"Mom, you are being so selfish! I'm leaving tomorrow, no matter what! You probably haven't even gotten me a Pokémon yet!" Chris spat out in disgust. He knew he crossed the line though, when he saw her eyes widen in surprise. He could see her chocolate brown orbs beginning to water.
"I only want what's best for you, Chris. I just don't want you to get hurt. And no, Chris, I haven't gotten you a Pokémon yet," she explained quietly. She had been trying to fight back the tears as she said that. The last line enraged him. If she wants what's best for me she would have gotten me a god damn Pokémon!
"I knew it! Why the hell did we move to this hellhole of a region anyway? If we had never left Johto, I could have started my journey 5 years ago with a Cyndaquil. But no! We had to move to a place with a wasteland of a winter. Just to add insult to injury, we moved to a region where there is no professor, or even a single Pokémon native to it! So all beginning trainers need to rely on their parent to buy or catch them a Pokémon. I'll get stuck with a freaking Bidoof or something!" he snarled.
"Christopher Stanley Davis! We moved here because I was offered a job. I will get you a Pokémon when I deem you ready to leave! The way you are acting now tells me that you aren't!"
"Mom, I am leaving on my journey tomorrow. I will leave whether you get me a Pokémon or not!" he declared, and then turned tail and ran back to his room. Leaving behind his rather stunned, frustrated, and distraught mother behind.
He clambered up the stairs to his room, and threw himself on the bed. That went swimmingly, he thought sarcastically. I'll apologize in the morning. I was out of line. With the last thought, his breathing slowed, and he quickly fell into a deep slumber.
-.-.-.-
Chris had been expecting the usual dream, as he slumbered through the lands of sleep. He reached for a ball on his belt, which contained his trusty Typhlosion, until he realized it wasn't there. He was shocked upon the feeling that he was floating. The area around him was flashing a deep violet, and in the distance he saw a large shadow. It appeared to be a dragon like creature from a distance, with rather large wings.
"Hello?" he called out, hoping that the creature was good, but even if it wasn't what harm could it do? It was a dream after all.
The dragon like creature turned its head sharply, and then took off towards Chris at speeds unlike he had ever seen. He braced himself for the impact. The beast flung its head on into Chris; he had no time to scream, before he was sent into unconsciousness.
-.-.-.-
Chris jolted himself out of bed, his neck and forehead lined in a cold sweat. What was that thing? A Pokémon? Chris did not have time to ponder these thoughts before his mother came into his room.
"Are you alright, dear?" she asked with great concern.
"I'm fine, now if you excuse me, I really must get dressed," he said, as politely as he could. He was still mad about last night. Chris waited for his mother to leave the room before peeling off his sweat drenched pyjamas, and replacing them with his favourite outfit. Covering his body was a plain black T-shirt, and a pair of blue jeans, which were slightly baggy on him. The snow did not bother him, he rather liked the cold. He would pack more clothes on his journey though. Whenever I finally get to go on it...
Realising that his dreams came crashing down last night, he slunk down the stairs to approach his mother.
"Mom, I'm sor-" she stuck her hand out to stop his speech. She nodded slowly, showing that she forgave him. She proceeded to speak.
"Chris, do you remember the house that was built across the street earlier this week?" she asked him. Of course he did, it had taken years to build. What we're they going to do with all the property on it?
"Yeah," he said simply. He seemed fairly disinterested, and was still really frustrated with his mother from the incidents last night.
"Well last night I went over and met the new neighbour. Her name is Hannah Hemlock, and she is a former assistant of Professor Oak." Chris' eyes lit up at the mention of Professor Oak. He opened his mouth to speak, but his mother continued. "She brought Pokémon with her, and when I mentioned your predicament, she agreed she'd let you have one of hers. She came down here to be the regional professor you know."
Maybe she might have a Cyndaquil, he thought with glee. Perhaps his dreams were not shot after all. Even a Totodile or a Chikorita would do. All would be exceedingly powerful Pokémon, suitable for a trainer like him. Or at least the trainer I will become.
"That's incredible, Mom. Maybe she might have a Cyndaquil! When do we leave?" he asked excitedly, but then he noticed his mother was already dressed and ready to leave. Blushing in embarrassment for his goof up, he slipped on his runners, and headed out the door with his mother.
The snow glittered as the pair left their house. Chris had always believed that Silver Town was named correctly. On a nice sunny day, the whole town glittered in a fantastic shade of silver.
Chris could barely hold in his excitement upon arriving at Ms. Hemlock's house. He was finally going to get his Cyndaquil. He knocked on the door, and was greeted by a tall slender woman. Her sharp green eyes were glittering.
"You must be Chris, it's a pleasure. I am Professor Hemlock, and I will be giving you your first Pokémon," she declared. Chris looked her over carefully. She looked to be in her early forties, with short red hair and a slender figure. Her green eyes glimmered nervously. He could tell this was a big moment for her too; this must be the first time she has gotten a chance to give out a Pokémon.
"You have a choice between the 3 Pokémon I brought with me from Pallet Town," she said while releasing 3 Pokémon. They all looked up at Chris expectantly.
The first one was a dinosaur type creature, with a bulb on his back. Chris knew this Pokémon to be Bulbasaur. It had poison type attributes, as well as the grass type. Not what he was looking for though.
The second one was a small, blue turtle. Chris recognized the Pokémon as a Squirtle. Its final form of Blastoise was known to kick some serious butt.
The last one he looked at was a small, salamander like Pokémon. It was orange in colour, and it had a small flame on the tip of its tail. It was a Charmander, a good Pokémon, although Chris believed them to be inferior to Cyndaquil. This reminded him...
"Professor Hemlock, do you happen to have a Cyndaquil?" he asked hopefully. He didn't want these Pokémon. He wanted a Cyndaquil.
"I'm sorry, Chris, I do not. I only have the Kanto starters. However, you can always pick Charmander. They are both of the fire element, and they can learn many similar techniques," she suggested. The little Charmander appeared to brighten up a bit at this; it seemed to think it might actually be taken.
"A Charmander? Why would I want a weak Pokémon like that? I want a Cyndaquil, a god damn Cyndaquil!" he shouted. The little Charmander was on the verge of tears, he had obviously hurt it, but at the moment he did not care. The little Pokémon tried to affectionately rub up against his leg, but he kicked it away. His mother and the professor gasped in shock.
"Christopher!" his mother screeched. The little Charmander, after finally picking itself off the ground, ran towards the open doorway. He could hear the poor creature wailing, and it finally occurred to him what he had done.
"Oh my God, What have I done?" he mumbled. He stood there in shock for a few minutes, all the room was quiet. Suddenly, he turned around and ran out the front door, ignoring his mother and the professor's cries to come back. I let my anger get the best of me again. That's twice in two days I've hurt someone who only wanted to help.
He had to find the little Charmander, he needed to apologize, and to make sure it was alright. In his blind rage, he forgot that the poor Pokémon had feelings, and he had crushed them. The snow was deep, and the poor Pokémon might drown. Then Chris saw something ahead that made his whole body go numb.
Damn it! Why now? I have to save that Pokémon! he mentally shouted, as the snow filled vortex approached his line of sight.
-.-.-.-
The small Charmander was crawling along the snow, trying to avoid the deep parts. She approached a wooded area, and began to feel slightly scared. She could hear the cries of various bird Pokémon, such as Pidgeotto and Noctowl.
Suddenly, she heard the blood curtailing cry of a Pokémon, presumably a young Caterpie. She turned her head sharply to see the young Pokémon, a small green caterpillar with a yellow underbelly and little yellow feet, being carried off by a large bird with blue plumage and a white belly. She recognized this Pokémon as a Swellow. She cringed at the sight, and broke into a run. She wanted to get as far away from here as possible, but face planted into the ground.
(Ouch! What the hell was that for?) shrieked a small monkey like Pokémon. It had a pig like nose, and semi long limbs. It wore an annoyed expression on its face, and was holding his trampled over tail.
(I'm so sorry! I'm lost in here, and I can't find my way back to town. Will you help me?) she asked hopefully. She hoped that this was a friendly Pokémon, but the young fire lizard was becoming slightly innerved at the strange glint in the strange Pokémon's eyes.
(Oh we'll help you, right boys) he snickered. Suddenly, two identical Pokémon emerged from the undergrowth. They glared at Charmander, and charged at her. The leader of the trio connected with a kick to her face. She let out a loud wail. It was her only hope; she knew she could not beat these three.
(HELP!)
-.-.-.-
(HELP!)
Chris could hear the voice clearly now. At the sound of the cry he dashed off, towards the voice. He didn't really know if he could do anything, but he had always been the type that would do anything he could to help. He kept running through the forest, until he came across four Pokémon, one of them who was very familiar.
(Maybe next time you'll think twice before stepping on my tail, punk,) one of the Pokémon said. Chris recognized this Pokémon as a Mankey. He had heard that Mankeys were very easy to anger. He assumed this particular Mankey was the leader, and the others were his henchmen.
Wait a minute, I can understand it. Does that mean that Charmander was the one who cried out for help? And furthermore, how can I understand it? Humans can't understand Pokémon... he thought, utterly confused. I won't worry about this now, I need to save Charmander. I'll ask the professor about this later.
"Leave her alone!" he shouted. The Mankey jumped in surprise, and turned to face him. Its cronies let out little yelps, but the leader glared at them. He turned back to Chris.
(Human! What business do you have here? We are taking care of a little problem, so if you wouldn't mind coming back later we'd be gla-) he was cut off as Chris charged at the Mankey. The leader had no time to react as he was kicked square across the, sending him back a few feet. The other Mankey gasped in disbelief, and ran over to their leader.
Chris looked on triumphantly at the leader trying to pick himself off the ground. He watched carefully, as the leader pulled himself to his feet, just in case he tried anything again. The Mankey finally forced himself up, and turned to glare at Chris and Charmander.
(You're lucky your human came to save you punk! And as for you,) he said turning to Chris (you will regret ever messing with us. We will be back, you hear me!) With that, the trio of angry Pokémon ran away screaming. Hope nobody's was trying to nap, Chris thought. Snickering at the thought of a hoard of angry Pokémon going after those Mankeys, he turned back to Charmander.
The young lizard was panting heavily, holding her ankle in obvious pain. He tried to examine her ankle, but she smacked his hand with her tail. Her eyes were coated by a large layer of tears.
(Leave me alone) Charmander shouted. (Haven't you hurt me enough?) Her words went on empty ears though, as Chris knelt down beside her, and examined her ankle again.
"You've hurt yourself, let me help you. Look, I'm sorry I was a jerk earlier. I honestly don't know what came over me," he added quickly. She finally gave in, and let him examine her ankle. "You've sprained it; it's a good thing I bought some potion a few days ago for my journey, I guess."
(Why do you want to help me? Don't you hate me?) she asked, her voice quivering. She had felt an immediate attachment to this trainer; she knew he was the one who would make her great. She had never felt a stronger emotion towards anyone before, not even her mother. She wanted nothing more than to be with Chris for the rest of her life. She could only hope he felt the same way.
"Of course not! I just reacted wrong, we should probably go bac-" he stopped abruptly as a gust of wind and snow blew into his face. "Oh no! The blizzard is here. We have to find shelter!"
Luck was in for them, as he saw a hollow tree nearby. He picked up Charmander, and ran inside of it. Once inside, he sat down and put Charmander safely on his lap. He was surprised at the amount of room they had in this thing. I'd laugh so hard if this was the Mankeys home, he snickered mentally.
"So, Charmander, do you have a name? And you are a girl right?" he asked, hoping to strike up conversation. "I could call you Princess, especially if I'm going to have to keep saving you like that," he said, with a light laugh.
(I do not, nor do I wish to have one. I like the name Charmander, and yes I am a girl,) she smiled sweetly. Maybe she still had a chance to be with Chris. Her sapphire eyes glittered in excitement; she had never felt so happy in her life. (And if you called me Princess, you'd be the one needing to be saved.) She winked at him, and he began to laugh.
"Say, Charmander, I was wondering, when we get out of here... Would you like to be my Pokémon?" he asked hopefully. He had grown deep admiration and affection for the little salamander, and a powerful Charizard would make the fact that he couldn't have a Typhlosion a very easy pill to swallow.
(I thought you might never ask! Of course I would!) she declared, and jumped up and nuzzled against his face. She gave him a quick lick on the cheek, and he started to blush. She gave a light chuckle. She knew this was going to be a great friendship.
"I say we have a little sleep, until the storm is over," Chris suggested. He was completely exhausted, and could barely keep his chestnut brown eyes open.
(I guess you better wake up then,) Charmander declared cheekily. Her sapphire blue eyes glittered, as if every part of her spirit was laughing at him. How cliché is this, he thought.
He looked across the horizon, to where the blizzard was heading, and could have sworn he saw a large bird. Probably my imagination, he reassured himself. No way I'd see anything like that, I'm not special...
-.-.-.-
"They've been out there a long time, I'm really worried," Chris' mother cried. She had been waiting for hours to find out what happened to her son and the little Pokémon. She had been pulling at her dark brown hair, and her slender figure was drenched with sweat out of worry. Her dark brown eyes were watering.
"I'm sure they will be fine," Professor Hemlock said encouragingly, but even she wasn't sure. Suddenly, the doors burst open. Standing there was Chris, with the Charmander in his arms. They both had the biggest smiles on their faces.
"This is the Pokémon I want, Professor!" he declared. The professor smiled, she knew that would happen as soon as he ran after the little Pokémon.
"Perfect! Let me get you a Pokédex and some Pokéballs," she declared.
"Christopher Stanley Davis, what were you thinking! You could have gotten yourself killed!" his mother cried. Her eyes were on the verge of tears, although Chris couldn't tell if they were happy tears or not.
"I'm fine mom! Why don't you go home? I need to ask Professor Hemlock a question," he stated. His mother nodded, gave him a light kiss on the cheek, and left through the front door. The professor returned momentarily.
"Here is Charmander's Pokéball, as well as 5 others for catching more Pokémon. If you have more than 6 Pokémon on you, the next one you catch will be sent here. It won't be behind on training though, as I train the Pokémon left here. Now here is your Pokédex. You can use this to get information on Pokémon if necessary. My version of the Pokédex includes a special function. I can transfer Pokémon to you from anywhere with it, you don't even need to go to a computer. All you have to is send one back. That make sense?" she asked.
"Perfect sense, but I have a question for you. In the forest, I could understand what Charmander and other Pokémon were saying. Is that normal?" she looked shocked when he asked that.
"No, that's the first case I've heard of it? Are you sure you weren't imagining it?" when he nodded she continued. "Well, looks like you are a special case? When will you leave?"
"Tomorrow morning," he said. "The First Gym is in Evertown right?
"Yes, the gym leader uses the ground type, so Charmander will be at a disadvantage." She said. Chris smiled lightly.
"Don't worry, we can take on anything, can't we, Charmander?" he looked at the flaming lizard, and was returned with a beaming smile and nod. Her sapphire eyes were glittering with excitement, she was ready too. Their adventure started tomorrow.
