Somewhere, far from our quaint little village, it's rumored that powerful, terrifying beasts live apart for the human race and the various species of Pokemon. One of a kind Pokemon with abilities beyond that of the species we know today. What would happen, I wonder, if someone was to ever challenge such a thing...? Surely they would lose... If those Pokemon, strong as they are said to be, were ever to face a trainer, they'd would always come out on top. I've heard that some people were even stupid enough to try and capture said Pokemon in something as silly as a Poke' Ball. But no one could ever hope to capture something like that. They are dubbed 'legendary', after all...


Pale sunlight streamed in through the blinds of a tiny window, flooding the room in golden sunlight. The morning glow illuminated the various features of the tiny room - the desk in the far right corner, cluttered with books, papers, and various other objects, all piled high and meshed together into one large mess. The dresser, so tall, it nearly brushed the top of the ceiling sat just opposite of the mess they called a desk. And, most important, the queen sized bed that was pressed against the wall parallel to that tiny little window. Tossed beneath layers of patterned and blue blankets were clothes, their neat and organized pile days gone. And their owner, brown haired and messy, lay curled up in some sort of a ball.

The steady beeping noise of an alarm clock blared loudly throughout the small excuse for a bedroom and, hard as one might, it would be quite difficult to ignore. Not to mention the increasing annoyance that it would cause to anyone who let it ring for so long. Even hidden under a mountain of sheets, it was apparent that it wasn't hardly enough to block out the the sound the electronic device gave off every other second. Who would blame the arm that slowly slithered out from under those very blankets, searching for the button labled 'snooze'? Five minutes of silent bliss were enough to the said alarm clock's master, is seemed, as this was the eighth time she hit that button.

But five minutes seemed to last five seconds for the figure who tried oh so very hard to sleep in more, and it wasn't long before the black object resumed it's infuriating blare. Piles of covers, all a similar shade of muted blue, where tossed aside and landed sloppily on the carpered floor to the right. Previously conceiled by the items that had been thrown off the bed, a young girl, no younger then sixteen or seventeen, sleepily roused herself and hit that important button that would put a hault to the alarm until seven o' clock rolled around the next morning. Did she want to get up? One couldn't be more wrong. But school was always a looming threat, and being tardy or skipping again would not look good on a college application, even if she was inching towards her twenty-fifth in a row. Her mom, of course, had no knowledge of her poor attentence, and she planned to keep it as such.

However, that is a bit off topic, is it not?

The brunette sluggishly shifted herself into a sitting position, sitting there for several moments in the dim lighting of the sun raising over the horizon, before finally leaping to her feet and beginning her preporations for the day. A change of clothes consisting of a plain white shirt, a dark blue skirt, knee high socks, and black tennis shoes. Not to mention her own personal flare - a red ribbon tied under the lapel of her shirt. Her hair was typically managable, so all she had to do was straighten it, tie her hair in pigtails, add in her signature barrets and ribbon, and she was done. Showers weren't necessary, as she'd grown into a habit of doing that in the night-time hours, and breakfast was a simple 'toss some bacon and a peice of toast in your mouth' and she was set to go.

Her mother didn't question her late start of the day when the girl made her way to the main floor for her quick breakfast, as it'd be hard to miss the awful noise her alarm made in the morning. "You know," the older woman would always say, "we should really think about getting that replaced. If my alarm won't wake me up, yours certainly will - and it's halfway down the hall." The start of every day was typically uneventful, though the school day made mornings seem like action movies. Not that the few hours at home afterward were all that great, either. The life of a child who stuck out through high school before leaving or didn't feel like leaving on a quest altogether was painfully dull, and for one particular girl, her dull life needed the spice of an adventure.

But an adventure was completely out of the question.

The pigtailed teen waved her mom farewell before swinging the door open swiftly and making her way into the streets of New Bark Town. Commonly refered to as New Bark, the town was one of the least populated areas in the entire region, bested only by the neighboring town of Cherrygrove. Most of the adults that began their quests at a young age, however, hailed from said town. Rules weren'ts as strict where she lived. In fact, rules there seemed almost non existant in comparison to the more populated areas like the huge city of Goldenrod, the beautiful town of Ecruteak, or the home of dragons, Blackthorn. Children were allowed to drop out of school as early as the age of ten, and few children stuck around for the rest of high school, and fewer to move on to college. But, in order to make sure that poorly educated ten-year-olds weren't wandering the routes of the region blindly, education between the grades of kindergarten and fifth grade was brutal. High school seemed easy in comparison to the aggressive learning system that the town had developed early on in it's history. Children who stuck around to the seveth grade typically had the education of a junior or senior in high school, as unbelievable as it might have seemed.

Summer break? None existant to the elementry schools. In fact, holiday breaks were only for one measly day - the day of said holiday. School days began earlier and ended much later in the day. Breakfast, lunch, and dunner were all provided there. But it was necessary, everyone agreed, if they were to let such young children loose into the world to travel by themselves. So, being of the age of sixteen, she could have very well been in college. In fact, high school year, for many, was very similar, if not the same as college in the small town of New Bark.

"Lyra!"

The brunette's head whipped around at the sound of her name being called. Yes, Lyra had stayed behind for six years to continue her education and possibly earn a decent job that did not involve the creatures that inhabited most of the land - Pokemon. In fact, if it had not been for those Pokemon, perhaps she would have dropped out at ten like almost every other child she had known before left. The only good friend of hers that had not embarked on a grand adventure to capture and train Pokemon yet was a young man by the name of Ethan. It was to no surprise that it was that very boy who was racing towards her.

"Good morning!" he called, waving a hand in greeting as he neared. He was not garbed in his own school uniform, however, she noticed, and a spark of curiosity lit up inside of her. But she said nothing. Not yet, anyways. Ethan worked for the town's local professor, Professor Elm in an attempt to help earn money for the family. Being poor as the dirt they walked on made feeding a family of a eight a difficult task, and the boy had spent most of his days gathering as much cash as he could to keep his family well feed. He never accepted the charity of others, however, as he had grown quite stubborn over the years she'd known him. "Heading off to school already?" he inquired, scanning over the bland uniform she was forced to wear. "It's unlike you to be up this early in the morning."

Sarcasm was very much implied, as this was almost always the time when she headed off for school.

"Yes, like it's so unlike you to not be ready for school. Shame, Ethan, shame - you'll never get anywhere in life-"

"Without saying 'is'?" This earned him a laugh, she had to admit.

"Without going to school and getting at least a little of your school work done." Working for the Professor, who Ethan simply called Elm, often caused him to have to skip out on school and assist in the labratory. Rules were almost nonexistant, compared to the other city's ridiculous rules, so playing hooky was usually disreguarded. That wasn't the male's problem, however - he was up to his neck in late work. "You and I said we'd stay behind until we got out of school, and, if you don't make up any of your work, you'll get bad grades. And, without good grades, you won't get through high school. At least try to make some up..."

"Um, correction," he interupted before she could go on. "you said you were going to stay behind to tough out high school. I just stayed behind so you wouldn't wind up old an lonely." Actually, they both knew the real reason for the other staying behind. Ethan had a major crush on his childhood friend that had developed when they were both young. Her answer was still no, but he'd promised himself to follow her around like a lost puppy until she gave in. This also meant putting his dreams of becoming a Pokemon Trainer on hold. Besides - he was still struggling to keep his family well fed. He couldn't leave them to fend for themselves just yet.

And Lyra... Lyra had a deep phobia of Pokemon. It had all started when she was very little. Pokemon would attack her and her family out of random. Once, a group of water-type Pokemon, in an attempt to carry her out into the sea, had almost drowned her. Not to mention the fact that a Pokemon had been the cause of her father's death, leaving her mother to take care of her and her older sister. Flying-types trying to swoop in and carry her away. Fire-types almost burning straight through her flesh. And the bug and poison-type Pokemon... She didn't even want to try and image what they had done to her in her past. All of these attacks, however, had happened when she was a bit to young to remember - all except the inncident where a Krabby almost snapped her in two and tried to hold her as it's captive underwater. Ever since, she'd distanced herself from any and all Pokemon she could. And, would would you know? No more attacks.

"Oh, Ethan," she cooed, patting his head and ruffling his hair, trying to take her mind off of her traumatic childhood and loss of her father, "you're so sweet." This caused his face to turn somewhat red and he laughed a bit to awkwardly. "But I know you better then that. You'd wait here in New Bark and eternaty if you had to. Or, you know, if some other girl doesn't sweep you off yout feet."

"Yeah," he muttered. "If only."

"So you're going to be working for the Professor this morning? What are you going to tell the people at the attendence office? 'I slept in and my mom didn't bother to wake me up'? Or, 'we got into a car accident on the way to school'?" Subject changing. A specialty.

"Nah, Elm's got dibs on me all day. Looks like I'm going to have to call in sick. Again."

"Gosh, he's really working you hard, isn't he? No breaks, either?"

"Not unless you count lunch. A bunch of his other assistants are out taking some sort of trip, so there's only me and Braidon for the next week or two. But I can't complain - I'll be gotting some more cash and an excuse to get out of school." He paused for a second, scratching his head and looking at the clouds that lazily floated by. "Wonder what big brother would think if he saw me now... Staying in school, helping the professor, and not a Pokemon to my name... Well, 'cept Ura, but he belongs to the family." Ura was Ethan's 'birthday present' for his thirteenth birthday from his elder brother, Gold. Gold had claimed it had hatched from an egg his own Aitaro and some other Aipom had given birth to. Though the present was technically for Ethan alone, Ura became more of a family pet then a battle trained creature used in Pokemon battling. "You want to hang out with me for the day? Old man Elm could use a few more pair of hands to help out in the lab. You won't believe all the stuff he has to do on a daily basis..."

"Nah, I think I've skipped school to spend time with you to many times already. I don't want my mom finding out I'm cutting classes for my own enjoyment."

"Well, you wouldn't have to if you'd just come on a quest with me..."

"Drop out of school just to waist the rest of my life with creatures out to get me? I think I'll pass."

"You make it sound worse then it actually is, you know," he argued, but shooed her off with a hand. "Alright, Ms. Kotone," he said, refering to her pathetic excuse for a last name, "I think it's time to head off to school and get that good education your so obsessed with. See you later, toots!" With that, the stormy haired boy dashed off in the opposite direction. A few blocks away was the Professor's labratory, she knew, though it was impossible to see from where she stood, blocked out of sight by too many buildings.

"Oh, well," she said with a sigh. "You're not here to visit the Professor. You're here to get to school and make your mom proud." And, with that all said and done, she carried on her way to the local high school with great haste. It looked as though her little chat had left her running behind.


"Thank Arceus for open campus lunches."

The first half of the day had been waisted on pointless school work and annoying teachers - she was certain her AP Bio professor was out to get her personally - and a break from school work, if only thirty minutes, was like heaven for the pigtailed girl. She'd earned open campus lunches upon entering high school, she she often stopped by at home, fast food at hand, to spend her half-an-hour break with her only guardian. On occation, she'd passd up an oppritunitey to spend time with her mother to hang out with Ethan for a while, and, with the dark blue haired boy not at school, she decided that this was one of those days. He'd be overjoyed to see what she had in her arms for him to eat that day, as he was a sucker for Chinese food - sweet and sour chicken and plain old fried rice, in particular. She couldn't say she was to much of a fan of New Bark's pathetic replica of the foreign food, but it was better then the dirty food they served in the cafeteria.

"Ethan!" she called, her black shoes pounding on the concrete pathway that led towards the Professor's front door. The building wasn't much larger then any normal two-story house. Painted a bright gray, the green roof and red door really clashed in color. 'Is this guy colorblind?' she'd always wonder when she approached the labratory. A staircase outside the building lead to the second floor where the Professor and his family actually lived. He couldn't keep his wife and daughter in the back of a labratory, could he...? But the sight was peculiar to the eyes, certainly, and many thought little of the odd man who made his profession in the study of Pokemon. Her fist pounding on the obnoxiously red colored door, she called, "Ethan! Look what I've brought you! Come on, lets go and eat together for once!"

No answer. Absolute silence from inside the lab. Curiosity taking control, her feet lead her to the exposed window. It was hard to make out all of the features of the labratory, as all of the lights were turned off, and she strained to make out anything at all. The floor was spotless, as per usual, though the tables and desks were as cluttered as her own room. Odd. Professor Elm's home had always looked so neat and organized. 'Maybe he's just as cluttered as me,' she mused thoughtfully, 'and has his assistants worked to the bone cleaning up after him. That would explain why Ethan has to spend so much time in the lab, even with the other assistants...'

"But that doesn't explain where everyone is!"

If she recalled, she could remember a day or two when her stormy colored haired friend had told her about a feild day - or something along those lines - when the Professor would take all his assistants out onto Route One to examine Pokemon up close. The teen'd never gone on one of his own, however, and they tended to occur out of random, so there would be no telling when the Professor announced that they'd be heading out into the feild. "Hm... I wonder... Is that where Ethan's gone off to...?" Even more curious then before, she half walked, half skipped towards the entrance to the first route of Jhoto, though stopped before she took a step out of town.

"No," she reminded herself. "You're not leaving town. Not when they're out there." The 'they're' was obviously refering to the Pokemon that inhabited the long strech of a route. They were even more common there then in most places, and some of the most playful wild Pokemon of them all. If she had to choose between the different types of Pokemon, the vicious ones would always come in last, but the rowdy weren't much better. "Ethan's just out and about with the Professor, is all. I'll go have lunch with mom."

As she spun around and prepared to head back home, a noise stopped her in her tracks and forced her to face back towards the exit of town. A noise, so familiar, it could only be one person. 'It's... It's just my imagination...' Lyra tried to tell herself, and, when the sound didn't continue, she honestly began to believe that. But when the noise hit her ear once more, she couldn't brush it off.

It'd be hard to miss the terrified wail of a boy and his employer.


But, if those Pokemon are so feared and honored, ouldn't the one to tame them also be dubbed with that same title? The legendary trainer who could defeat and possibly capture the greatest Pokemon of all time? ... And maybe that's what drives the foolish to challenge such magnifisant beasts. A futile attempt to be compared to the legends themselves. Me? I'd rather be caught dead then trying to snatch myself the great beasts of the Jhoto region... I think I'll let them do the snatching...


Oh, you thought I wasn't going to continue this story? Thought I fell off the face of the Earth? WRONG. So, with my arrival, I bring to you this very... long... boring... chapter... ._.' I appoligize for any spelling errors - I ran it through spell check and it failed to check, and then my beta reader didn't really help with spelling. ;w; Oops. Well, I hope you all enjoy this chapter very much! Don't forget to leave any comments you might have through a review - critisism is welcome, as long as you're not mean. Flames will be used to make smores. Yum~!