CHAPTER 2

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ALTH

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Press and I left the Tower shortly after that. He stated we needed our own Pokémon if we were going to survive on this Territory. He said he knew someone who could give us some.

I was stoked. I played Pokémon when I was a kid, but I could barely remember anything about it at all. I just remember leveling up to fight four people at the end, but I was sure that the game greatly differed from the Territory.

We walked from the Tower around the outside of town. That is…if you could even call it a town. I counted four tiny houses in what I assumed was a 'neighborhood'. A slightly bigger building with a half-burnt out neon sign that read, 'Pokémart' was sitting nearby the town's entrance. There was a run down motel nearby the Tower, but that was it for the structures.

"This...are all the cities on Alth like this?" I asked.

"Not really…most of them have gyms and PokéCenters." Press said. "Lavender Town…this one…has the Pokémon Tower. This place was hit hardest from the war, but they've come a long way."

"What war?"

Press motioned to a patch of tall grass that looked as though it would tower over our heads blocking the only way out of the city if we didn't want to take the forest trek. "Maybe it'd be better to show you. But I will explain on the way."

We headed for the tall grass. "Was this entire Territory destroyed?"

"Partially. I suppose it could be considered a world war. A civil war. The entire Territory was once ruled under one ruler, until he was killed in the first stages of the battles." Press said. "Now they are divided into two. On one side, the population is huge, more than three fourths of the planet's people. But they are unarmed and trying to rebuild. The other side is a crime organization. They steal and gain things illegally. They are only slowing our progress to pick up the pieces. And they are—"

"Stop!" A voice shouted behind us.

Press and I turned to see a short boy. He was wearing a black T-shirt under a red vest and blue jeans. He had a red and white hat on, but it didn't tame his messy black hair. He had a full belt of those little red and white balls. He couldn't have been any older than eleven.

"What is it? Is something wrong?" Press asked.

"You can't go into the grass without a Pokémon," he said. His voice sounded older than he was.

"Oh, that's right…I've forgotten about that." Press admitted.

"I can give you one." The boy continued.

"I don't have one either." I confessed, opening the empty ball at my belt.

"Well, don't be walking around with that one at your side! That's recipe for robbery. The thieves around here are itching for battle…don't make yourself seem like easy targets," the kid pulled a light coloured pack from his back and opened it. "I'm not allowed to carry more than six…none of us Trainers are. But with everything happening lately…" He handed us two of the balls.

"Thanks," I said. "…What's in them?"

"Pokémon," the kid said, as though it was obvious.

"No…I mean, what kind of Pokémon?"

The kid leaned in, as though fearful of being overheard. "A Vulpix and a Pidgeotto."

"What are those like?" I asked stupidly.

"See for yourself. Away from any prying eyes," The kid said.

"Well, thanks…" I started.

"It's Red."

"Thanks, Red." I held out my hand.

Red's eyes flicked to my Traveler ring as he returned the handshake. "May I ask how you came into the possession of an empty Pokéball?"

"Uh…" I started.

"The Tower. Where else would two random Trainers without Pokémon find a Pokéball?" Press said sarcastically.

Red nodded, casting my uncle an odd glance. "Right. Well…good luck out there. Watch out for the Rockets."

"Rockets?" I hissed as the kid walked off.

"Not literal rockets. The other half of the world…the thief part of it…they call themselves Team Rocket." Press said. "And we should try and keep our Pokémon out of sight if we can help it. These are rarer ones. They used to be common before the war."

"I take it a lot of Pokémon and people died?" I asked.

"I'm not even sure who's still alive and who's six feet under." Press admitted. "I know that some Pokémon have gone extinct. I know some close friends of mine have died here. I know the Acolyte has died, leaving the job to his daughter, who isn't much older than Red. This Territory has its beauty…it's just harder to see it now. It's been tainted by war…something it didn't have to witness."

I nodded. "None of the Territories should see war."

Press sighed. "Let's just continue on." He motioned to the grass in front of us.

I clipped my—Pokéball, was it? Odd name—to the first spot on my belt to the right side. I put the empty one to my left. "So which one did you have? The…thing or the pigeon?"

Press chuckled. "The 'thing' is called a Vulpix, which sort of resembles a fox. And I think you claimed that one. I have a Pidgeotto. It's a bird."

"Odd combination…" I muttered.

"Red probably stole them from a Rocket at some point. That kid's really unpredictable…just like his father. Speaking of him, I'll have to stop by and chat. I haven't seen Joe in a long time." Press made sure I was still keeping up with him before continuing. "Red's father is the Traveler of Alth. And a damn good one too, if I may add. He nearly stopped Alth from going to war with five words. If only Saint Dane hadn't been where he had been…we might have saved this place."

"The people here are so easily swayed to take a side?" I felt as though I had overlooked an extremely important detail.

"They can be, making it an extremely dangerous Territory. If Saint Dane has already worked his way into the ranks, talking to the officials…the rulers…we could be in more trouble than we thought." Press stopped walking.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Don't make a sound. There are thieves up ahead." Press muttered. He slowly sank to one knee and parted part of the grass, staring ahead. I dropped down next to him.

There were three people up ahead on a path. One of them was older, with graying hair. He was wearing a lab coat. The other two were dressed in black, complete with black caps. A red letter 'R' was stitched into the front of their outfits. I suspected I knew who these guys were.

"I didn't expect to run into danger just outside of town." I whispered.

"You never know what to expect on Alth." Press sighed.

The two Rocket members had cornered the older guy into a tree. He was speaking fast, rushed…he was obviously scared. I spotted a few Pokéballs lying scattered across the ground.

"Can we do something?" I asked.

"Just wait… they probably have reinforcements just around the corner."

"Or right here." Came a low voice behind us.

I spun around to see two more Rockets, both of them holding a Pokéball in a hand. "We can do this the easy way, or the hard way." The first one said. He was a young guy…probably just a bit older than me.

"Just give us everything you have and we'll let you go." The second piped up. He looked to be more around Red's age.

I shook my head. I was afraid if I spoke, I would say something incredibly stupid.

"No? All right, then…we'll settle for that ring around your finger. What's it made of? Onyx stone?" the older Rocket asked.

"What does it matter to you? You've got some nerve, kid." Press said.

"I think they want to do it the hard way." The smaller kid cast a look at the other.

"Very well, then. We'll make short work of this." The older Rocket threw his Pokéball into the air, where it burst open in a flash of purple light. The light condensed at his feet, forming into a huge, rat-like creature with long whiskers and extremely sharp looking teeth. It was a light brown with large ears that twitched at the slightest breeze. It ran around its Trainer's legs, as though happy to be out of the tiny space.

The younger kid threw his Pokéball into the air, where it erupted in a flash of light blue. The light formed together in the air, where a small blue bat was left flapping. I took a step back. The only facial feature the thing had was a mouth.

"Go, Zubat! Use Bind!" the kid said proudly.

The bat gave an odd, almost electronic cry and swooped down at us. I ducked and stumbled back. Something grabbed my shoe from the ground, holding me in place. Thick vines erupted from the soil and wound up my legs to my knees, preventing me from moving. Press met with a similar fate.

"This is good," my uncle said with a small smile.

"Good?!" I hissed.

"The Zubat's a low level. It hasn't had much training. If it had, we wouldn't be able to move at all." Press motioned to the vines around our knees. "These would probably end up suffocating us."

"Oh," I muttered.

"Still won't give us what we want, eh?" the older Rocket grinned.

I shook my head and reached for my own Pokéball. "You're going to wish you've never done that." I threw it into the air, where a red flash of light formed.

"I won't give you the chance to attack! Go, Raticate! Use Hyper Fang!"

The ugly rodent running around his feet snapped to attention and lunged at me, fangs glowing an odd purple. I screamed and threw up my arms to protect my face. Press shouted something…There was an odd squeaking sound…

But the blow never came. I slowly lowered my guard to see the rat circling another Pokémon. This one looked a bit like a fox…at least, its ears did. It was reddish brown in colour, with a white underbelly. It had tiny curls of fur on its forehead and dark, fox-ish eyes. And it had six curled tails.

The fox yipped at the rat and swiped at it with a paw, making the Rocket's Pokémon flinch. Press had thrown his own Pokéball into the air, where a large, majestic bird had appeared.

"Let's get this over with." Press sighed. "Pidgeotto! Use Whirlwind!"

The bird began beating its wings harder, creating a mini tornado of dust. I shut my eyes and held onto my hat, hearing the wind pick up. Was this natural…?! Did Pokémon have some control over the weather now?

The wind eventually died down. I didn't uncover my eyes until I felt something tugging at the vines wrapped around my legs. I blinked and stared down at the little six-tailed fox, who was biting through the vines.

"That went well." Press grinned. The bird landed beside him and began tearing at the vines with its beak. "I think we succeeded in scaring the other Rockets away, too."

The fox had freed one of my legs and was hard at work at the other. I stared around the tall grass we had been in. Before, it had been over my head. Now it was all flattened by the gale force winds. I could actually see back to Lavender Town.

"What is this Pokémon again…?" I pointed to the fox.

"It's a Vulpix. And this is a Pidgeotto." Press patted the bird's back as it tore the last vine away from his leg.

The Pidgeotto was pretty impressive looking. A few long, multicoloured feathers streamed from its forehead and its feather design was very unique. It was by far the awesome thing I have ever seen.

I felt the last vine being tugged from my leg and looked down. The Vulpix was sitting at my feet, its head tilted to one side as though expecting something.

"You're pretty cute." I said.

Press chuckled.

A sound behind me made me turn. The old man from earlier was making his way through the flattened grass. "Did you create that whirlwind? Impressive! You really saved me there!" He glanced from my Vulpix to the Pidgeotto. "Oh my…Red was giving out Pokémon again, wasn't he?"

"How do you know?" I asked before I realized what I said.

The man laughed. "I'm Professor Oak. I'm a Pokémon expert. I know who has what…well, most of the time."

Oak was probably old enough to be my grandfather. He had gray hair that was sort of swept to one side and wrinkles around his eyes and mouth. His eyes were sharp, though. Sharp as a knife.

"I assume Joy told you about who brought what to the Centers?" Press grinned.

"All right, so she relayed her information to me. We've got to keep an eye on these Trainers, though." Oak shrugged. "Anyway, where are you off to? And who is this?" He cast me a look.

"This is Bobby…he's my nephew." Press said. "And we were just headed to the next town. I was going to show Bobby the place. He's not form around here."

"Tourists are always welcome." Oak said. "Oh, and don't hesitate to stop by my lab ever now and then."

"All right." I said.

He walked past us to Lavender Town. Press retrieved our Pokéballs and pointed up ahead. "If we keep going forward, we'll end up in Saffron. It's a bigger city…you'll get a feel for what this whole Territory's like."

"Pix,"

I stared down at the Vulpix, who was still sitting beside me. "What?"

Press' Pidgeotto had taken to the air and was circling overhead, keeping a lookout for anything that could pose a threat. I followed Press as he led the way.

"Hey…my Pokémon just said something." I said.

"Pokémon say their names. Or…they were named based off what they say. It's still unclear which one." Press shrugged. We had reached more grass that wasn't flattened. I pushed my way through the tall blades.

"So they can talk, but we can't always understand them?"

"Exactly. But a good Trainer can learn to recognize their Pokémon's intentions."

I cast another look at the Vulpix. "I sure hope I become a good Trainer…"

A rustle of grass up ahead made me hesitate. Press did the same. "Pokémon also like to hide in the tall grass," he said. "Although, there has been a shortage lately."

"How so?" I asked as the grass continued to rustle.

"During the wars, many of them have been wiped out. Only a few remain. I'm surprised we ran into one so close to Lavender."

My Vulpix had snapped to attention, growling at the moving grass until a small Pokémon had tumbled out. It looked like a green worm with large eyes and a pink, Y shaped antenna.

"A Caterpie," Press said. "It's no threat to us. Come on."

The caterpillar Pokémon cast me a glance and crawled off, my Vulpix still growling at it until it vanished out of sight. We followed Press to a path, tall grass lining either side of it. The path extended ahead toward a group of trees.

"Saffron is just up ahead." Press said.

We followed the path out to a small cluster of trees. After a few minutes of wondering through the mini forest, we stumbled upon another town, this one slightly bigger and in better shape than Lavender.

There were more houses that were in better condition than the ones in Lavender. I spotted a few mini-neighborhoods. The PokéCenter was more magnificent, with florescent lighting lining the rooftop. It was set into the middle of the town and was taller than all the other buildings. There was a small shop set up just to the right of the path we emerged from. A list of things it advertised was tacked to the doors and windows. There was even a five-star worthy hotel.

"This place is great…!" I remarked. "It's nothing like Lavender."

"Saffron is trying its hardest to recover." Press nodded. "The last time I was here, those houses weren't even built yet." He motioned to a group of homes up ahead.

"Wow…" I said. "So…what does this town offer?"

"Pokémon contests…the Center, the mart…a little bit of everything, I guess." Press shrugged.

"Contests?" I asked.

"You enter your Pokémon into a contest. If you get on the judges' good side, you earn points. You perform the moves your Pokémon knows and hopefully take first place. I've never been able to win. I swear, it's rigged. It's always some kid with the most common, unimpressive Pokémon."

High above, the Pidgeotto gave a screech and dived toward us, landing next to Press and buffeting me with wind. My Vulpix cast it an annoyed glance.

"I suppose the town's safe." Press said. He took the Pokéball at his side and recalled his Pokémon in a flash of light. "You might want to do the same. There's no telling how people will react to Pokémon so rare."

I took Vulpix's Pokéball from my belt and pressed the middle button. A flash of light like Press' engulfed the little fox and pulled it into the device.

"What do you think Saint Dane is doing here?" I asked as we walked further into the town.

"No telling," Press shrugged, "but I would be ready for anything. Anything at all. He could be anyone…"

I nodded. "Right."

"I suppose I should explain a bit about the towns here," Press said. He pointed at the PokéCenter. "This is where you take your Pokémon if it has been injured in battle. They will heal it to full health at no charge. There is always a Center in every town, but this one is by far the best. There is a battling arena in the lower levels, where Trainers from all over Alth gather to compete. The grand prizes are usually pretty decent despite the wars that have deprived the cities of anything of value."

"Awesome," I said. "So…if we want to get stronger, we just go there and beat the crap out of other Trainers?"

"You're catching on fast." Press slapped my back. "Good job."

"Can we go there now?"

"Not yet. I could spend an entire day in there if I could." Press grinned. "It really eats up time."

"So what do we do now?"

"I believe our biggest lead right now is Team Rocket." Press said. "We can start by gathering answers from them. If Saint Dane is anywhere around here, he'd be with them."

"So how do we find these Rockets?"

"We take a walk just outside of town." Press pointed to the right. "There's a path that leads to Lilycove. That place has the highest crime rate on the entire Territory."

"Oh. Fun," I muttered.

"It will be. Let's go." Press grinned and began walking. "Oh, and make sure to hold onto anything valuable. Some of these thieves are experts."

"Brilliant…"

We walked around the edge of town to another path, this one wider and without grass choking every inch of it. We began heading down the trail. I thought I felt someone watching me.

"What's Lilycove like?" I asked.

"It's built on the edge of the sea," Press said, "it's home to many fishermen and Water-type Trainers. They're a fairly simple bunch, but they catch most of the seafood around here."

"Do they have a cool Center too?" I thought I saw someone duck behind a tree.

"They have a move deleter." Press glanced to the side. "He makes Pokémon forget a move so they can learn another."

"How many moves can a Pokémon know?" I asked.

"That depends on how much they love and trust you. The more they do, the more moves they can learn."

I saw someone else. I was fairly sure we were being surrounded. "Uncle Press…?"

He didn't respond. He just kept his gaze fixed ahead and kept walking.

I tried not to look as though I expected an ambush. My muscles tightened and my hands curled into fists. I was ready…I just hoped I looked like another kid to rob to them…They would get a surprise fist in their face.

Press cast me a grin.

"You there! Stop!" A voice echoed behind us.

I turned to see two more Rocket members. They were about the same height and wore similar black outfits with the red 'R' on the front, but something about them set them apart from the other two we went up against. These guys looked unsure and possibly scared.

The first one had bluish gray hair that reached to about the middle of his neck. His eyes were wide enough that I could see green irises staring back at me. He held four Pokéballs, two in each hand, and looked as though any second he would drop them.

The second had long, red hair that curled to her knees. She had piercing blue eyes and looked as though she had more confidence over this robbery than her partner did. She held a single Pokéball, arm cocked back to throw it. The pair of them didn't look any older than seventeen.

"Hands in the air!" the boy commanded.

Press chuckled. "Did Team Rocket recently recruit you two? You're doing a terrible job of hiding it."

The girl blinked. "Recently? I've been with the Team for two years! It's James…he was simply so horrendous with every other Rocket he worked with. Now I'm stuck with him," she huffed.

"Stuck with you?" the boy, James, glared. "You practically begged the boss to pair me up with you!"

"I did not!"

"That's not what he told me, Jessie," James grumbled.

Jessie took a deep breath and calmed down enough to glare back at us two Trainers. "So…where are you two headed?"

"Lilycove." I said.

"It's a lovely city. I recommend the sushi," she smiled, an evilness lying beneath the gesture. "That is…if you still have enough money with you to purchase it after we're done with you."

"We intend to." Press nodded.

"We'll see about that!" James declared. He threw the Pokéballs he had, sending them scattering all around the road. Beams of light shot from each, solidifying into a Pokémon. Two I recognized as Zubat and Raticate. Two more were completely foreign to me.

One was a tall, terrifying plant-like…thing. It had beady black eyes that glared straight through my skull. Its head resembled a Venus Flytrap, with teeth for the trap's bars. Its body was a spherical orange, with long leaves as arms growing from it. Its 'legs', if you could call them that, were many vines, all a different shade of green or even a light pink root colour.

The other was a large, black and white wolf. Its eyes were yellow, with red for irises and a void of black for a pupil. Its claws looked razor sharp and its teeth glimmered in the light. I took a step back. I felt extremely intimidated by the thing…

"Attack! Carnivine, use Leech Seed!" James commanded. He seemed a lot more confident now that he had his Pokémon to do the talking.

The giant Venus Flytrap turned its gaze from me back to its Trainer. It lunged at him instead of us, jaws opening wide.

"Not me! Attack them!" James dodged its jaws and kicked it back. "Attack them!" He pointed at us.

Jessie sighed and smacked her forehead with her open palm. "Do I really have to do everything around here?" she growled. "Let's test this new Pokémon out. Go, Lucario!"

She threw the Pokéball, where it was engulfed in fierce, lightning-like bolts. A Pokémon appeared in front of her that was nearly as tall as me. It had pointed blue ears and its fur was coloured in a way that it looked as though it were wearing a black mask around its eyes. Its torso was a light yellow, a spike adorning its chest. It had similar spikes on the backs of its hands…or paws…a crooked tail twitched in annoyance.

"Time to battle!" Press looked way too excited about this. He released his Pidgeotto, which took to the air in a rush of wind. I sent out my own Vulpix, who hissed and spat, fur bristling, at the Carnivine thing.

"Such rare Pokémon!" Jessie gasped. "Our boss will reward us beautifully when we present him with them! Lucario! Aura Sphere!"

Her Lucario cast my Vulpix a glance but didn't do anything else.

"I said," Jessie commanded in a harsher tone, "Aura Sphere!"

The Lucario turned its gaze to me, trailing its way down my arm to my Traveler ring. Its eyes widened slightly.

I pulled my sleeve over my hand.

"I'll take care of this! Mightyena! Raticate! Use Quick Attack!" James shouted. The giant plant Pokémon had finally left him alone.

The wolf and the rat turned their attention on us. I stepped back as my Vulpix jumped into the way of the Raticate, taking the hit for me. It let out a squeak of pain and stumbled, but didn't stay down. The Mightyena had jumped and successfully struck Press' Pidgeotto, ripping a few pink and yellow feathers from its side.

"Uh…Vulpix! Attack!" I shouted.

My Pokémon only cast me a patient glance, as though expecting something more.

"Pidgeotto! Use Wing Attack! Vulpix! Ember!" Press commanded for me.

The Vulpix immediately sprang into action and jumped at the Raticate, spitting a mass of fire at James' Pokémon. Its fur ignited and it screeched, rolling on the ground to try and extinguish the burn. My Vulpix cast me an excited look and bounded back over to me as if nothing had happened. James recalled his Raticate into the Pokéball.

The Pidgeotto, meanwhile, had created two mini whirlwinds in its wings. With one powerful, downwards swoop, the two whirlwinds were sent flying at the wolf. It was buffeted and sent flying backward, striking the Carnivine.

You truly are not from around here, are you?

The voice took me by surprise. I glanced around wildly, but was unable to find the speaker. "Who…?!"

You do not know the true abilities of your Vulpix, do you? And that ring…Are you who I think you are?

Jessie stomped her foot in a very frustrated, childlike manner. "This is taking too long! Lucario! Finish them off or I'll condemn you into the deepest ocean I can find!"

The Lucario sighed and locked eye contact with me. I am sorry; Traveler of Second Earth, but it appears I must fight you.

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Hey, look an update on this story! Surprise!

So yeah, tell me what you think, please!

Hasta la Vista, Readers!

Lordoftheghostking28