As Sams mother began to gather the discarded plates from the table, Uncle Jack pulled himself from the couch, running towards her. He grabbed them from her grip, smiling kindly. "Don't worry, Karen, I got it." He told her, winking. She giggled, blushing not-so-secretively. He trotted to the sink, letting the water fall freely down the plate as he grabbed the sponge. His large, rough, hairy hands grasped the silky china plates.
Unfortunately, Sam was cursed to watch the whole thing unfold before him. He had just emerged from the bathroom, and was bestowed upon him this great scene. He stared for a few moments, his peculiar grey eyes wide in exasperation. He then proceeded to walk up the stairs, his legs shaking. He reached the top steps, where the door to the small hallway stood. Opening it widely, he practically fell into the hallway.
Uncle Jack and Mom are…. EW WHAT THE FUCK! What about Dad? Don't they… Don't they… Sam couldn't even finish his thought without choking up. He sat against the wall, his thin, long fingers running through his coarse brown hair. Why was his mom doing this? I mean, it just looked so obvious. Anything could be possible, but nothing else was very likely, except..
"BARK!" Sparky's silhouette was seen in the air coming from the door, as he flew at Sams head. The two collapsed, laughing playfully. For a moment, he forgot about his sudden sadness. Sam pushed himself off the ground, petting Sparkys head. The two clambered down the stairs, where Uncle Jack, his Mom, and his sister were all watching the news, their eyes glued on the screen as a crudely taped video of the current war situation was.
A Machamp was shown on the screen, holding a rocket launcher with each side of his hands, jumping out of a Helicopter. The Machamp grew smaller and smaller as it grew nearer to the Earth. Finally, a cloud of dust arose, and there was a series of yelling and bullet fires. After that, silence. Everything was quiet until another explosion rocked the camera and demolished the buildings around them. Sams mother gasped, and wrapped her arms around Uncle Jack, sobbing into his shoulder. He closed his eyes sadly, patting her on the back. He tightened his eyes and face, not wanting to cry. Sam bet they were faking. He had to hold back a sob, though, too. He had just watched his fathers Machamp, his favorite Pokémon, die. The only ones left, were about three. Sam and his family surprisingly kept in touch with The General, who was close friends with his father. The General always kept his fathers Pokémon with him, as a final request from him. The Pokémon were a Ditto, a Pidgeot, and an Arcanine, all very fond Pokémon of his.
"I'm going out for a walk with Sparky before I head out today, do you guys need anything?" Sam stared around at them, who were all in a very sadder mood than when he left them.
"N-nothing… Nothing Dear…" His mom choked from Uncle Jacks shoulder. Sam didn't wait up for anyone. He was already out the door.
The day was gloomy and cloudy. A perfect one for starting a life changing journey across the region. As the two friends for life walked down the small path towards the forest, they sensed a strange presence. Sparky spun around, barking like crazy, sparks flying from his teeth as the fire sacs in his throat flared up. Sam turned around and faced behind him, unsure of what to do. He has no Pokémon besides Sparky, and he wasn't official. And even then Sam wasn't to sure what attacks he had in store. So he just kind stood there, trying to muster up a fighting stance, but ending up in a strange kind of position, with his fists clenched, making an X over his forehead, while one of his lanky legs was pivoted to face him, and the other was pointing to his side. Finally, Sparky stopped barking, and sat down, eyes still spotting the area that he was barking at. Nothing was there.
BANG!
Sam and Sparky jumped, both scared out of their skins. Sam paranoidly looked up at the skies. Lightning surged across the clouds, but not a drop of rain was in the sky. Strange… He scratched his chin as a flash of light illuminated everything, and a black shadow in the shape of a bird was visible for a second before disappearing into the clouds. No way… But of course, Sam was wrong. A screech echoed throughout the world, one full of sadness and pain, like a nesting mother bird has lost its young somewhere, and has almost no hope of finding it.
Same walked Sparky back to his house, after the Growlithe relieved himself after the many crackles of thunder. The thunder was on and off. It was unnatural at this time of year for thunder to go off like this. Weather reporters were going mad trying to figure out what was happening to the weather patterns. Everything is going crazy.
"Are you sure you still want to start your journey today, Sam? Why don't we wait until a nice day?" His mom sounded really worried. Maybe she didn't want to lose another family member like she did her lover. Sam couldn't bear picturing her if he died. But maybe it was selfishness, maybe it was something bigger than that, but Sam stubbornly refused to delay his quest.
"I'm going to be seeing this weather throughout my journey this whole time. It won't matter whether I start or end in a Thunder Storm, mom. I love you…" He kissed her forehead as they hugged. His Uncle ruffled his hair, hugging him warmly. His sister just hugged him, not wanting to let go. Finally, though, she did.
"See you Sparky…" The dog whimpered sadly, before Sam grabbed his backpack full of potions and other items he might need, including Pokeballs. He took one final look, than closed the door, starting his journey. But first things first, he needed a companion, a Pokémon to help him along his journey. He still needed an idea on who to get, though.