Chapter One: Awakening
"Darn it! Those blasted idiots!" A twenty year old boy said as he burst into an old warehouse and closed the doors behind him. This shed was said to have existed long before Pallet Town had been built, sealed shut. Nobody had ever entered it, though rumors of a ghost maiden who lived inside had been circulating for countless generations.
As the men outside yelled about finding him, the boy snuck deeper into the shed. He nearly cried out as his feet fell on something, and he stumbled. Breathing heavily, he turned and opened his Pokedex to send out a small glimmer of light. A girl lay there, adorned in blinding white apparel unlike any seen before. An angelic ghost. A shiver of fear ran down the man's spine. Then her eyes flew open, and the man screamed in silent horror.
Nora kept her eyes on the three dogs as she was sent to the lands of dreams. She knew they would wait forever for her, as she would them. She found as she drifted away how different enchanted sleep was to real sleep.
Time flew beyond her control. Years passed in what felt like seconds, but the dream of being with her friends was all that carried her. Memories of finding them scared and alone in the woods. How as a child she came back for them and healed them. Slowly, she gained their trust and love. She was ten when they followed her home. Nora's mom was happy she found some Pokemon friends. They were treated as family in their diminished Clan. Nora loved helping take care of the family Miltanks. She loved finding out from them that she was blessed to be a Pokemon Whisperer. She could spend hours talking to the Pokemon that gathered around.
But..it was all gone now. Her mom…the Miltanks…The villagers of Ecruteak…. everyone was gone. They died as she slept. Nora prayed in her dreams they had a great life…Nothing disturbed her…until something nagged at her to wake up. Her mind came slowly as she felt the desire to awaken. Her green eye snapped open to the new world. Her ears rang as sounds filled her ears again. She slowly began to move her body to awaken after so long.
The ghost was awakening. He was going to die! He was too young to die. It totally wasn't worth it. Running from cops was one thing, being devoured by a freaky ghost was totally worse. The boy stumbled backwards against the wall, doing his best to remain silent as he stared at the girl. She was getting up… She was moving… He began to sweat, and slid his hand into his bag to touch his treasures.
His other hand went down to his belt, where he lifted one of his pokeballs and pointed it at the intruder. If she came near him, he could at least try and defend himself. Sure he wasn't at all sure what a Pikachu could possibly do against a phantom, but it was better than just sitting there defenseless and dying.
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Outside, the police were beginning to disappear into the distance. There was, of course, the possibility that the boy had gone into the shed. However, if he had there was no way they were going to follow him. That place was a cursed death-trap. Even those who had not a superstitious bone in their body knew… that place was to be left undisturbed.
A young officer, however, stayed behind while the more veteran wandered off. He frowned and sat down in front of the shed, his gun ready. There was no way that he was going in there. But if the boy had, and somehow managed to survive, he was going to arrest him the moment he walked out of the door.
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Nora rubbed her head a bit as she stood. She felt out of balance for being woken up. Questions began to fill her mind as if it was on overdrive mode. She blinked to get her eyes to adjust to the diminished light around her. Nora looked at her outfit, saddened by the look. The hand woven silk Kimono her mother made was faded to pure white. It felt bitter on her rather than its once soft touch. Her wooden shoes were rotten and splintered to dust to leave her barefoot.
She looked around as the sound of shuffled footsteps reached her. Nora turned to see the person in the distance. Her brunette hair, once held in a bun, now flowed to her hips in a wild nature. Nora could almost feel the fear coming off the shadowy figure. Her guess, she looked like a ghost…and she felt like it.
"I come with only peace in my heart…Come where I may see you, stranger. There is no need to fear a member of the Miltank Clan." Nora spoke outwards. Her voice was slightly cracking from the years of un-use. She tried to put on a warm smile, one her mother used to show the other Clans in the area.
"What…year is this?" Nora asked, wondering how long the legendary bird kept her asleep.
The ghost was standing, must have seen him. Oh, he was going to be so screwed for this. You didn't want to awaken demons from their naps. That was the first thought to enter the boy's mind. The second was that this ghost spoke weird. She looked confused, bewildered and sad. And the boy began to feel just a little bit more safe. After all, she wasn't trying to kill him. She looked just like any other dopey girl that he had seen before. Besides…
His eyes widened as he stared down next to where she had laid in absolute bewilderment, and the terror was returning. There was no way this was an ordinary girl, or even an ordinary spirit. After all, no ordinary spirit from the past would have been able to get their hands on pokeballs. He stepped backwards and raised the ball over his head.
"Miltank Clan," he stated at that moment, utterly bewildered. "What the heck kind of name is Miltank, and if that is supposed to be an awesome name…" He stopped short of insulting her. Way to go genius. You just got the demon angry with you. And the last question caused him to gape. This weird demon made no sense. If she could time travel, then surely she must know when she currently was. "Uh… 200ak. Why?"
Nora felt her eyes tighten as she looked towards him. How…dare anyone say the noble name of Miltank be horrible! She took a deep breath to calm her already on edge nerves as she folded her arms in her kimono. She knew it was a sign of shielded anger to fold you arms like so, hands holding the elbows.
"Maybe the noble Pokemon race of Miltanks do not exist anymore..but they are a strong and enduring Normal type Pokemon. They are know to be kind and gentle but can get powerful and strong when brought to anger. Not even a mad Gyarados can match it's anger when brought forth. I consider it a great honor to count them as my Clan Guardian Pokemon. I supposed your a member of the Slowpoke Clan then…Slow and idiotic fool." Nora said as strength returned to her voice, slowly returning to it's normal tone.
"200ak…I fear I don't understand. Tell me then…boy, how long has it been since those fools set fire to the great Tin Tower to destroy Lord Ho-Oh and his great vision?" She asked, keeping ehr arms across her chest.
The man stared blankly back at the girl, trying frantically to separate the logical from the not so logical. Firstly, Clans? What the heck was that supposed to mean? He glanced around to ensure that she truly was the only spirit dwelling in this shed. Secondly, he was pretty sure he had gotten her angry which likely didn't really raise his chances of getting out of the situation still breathing.
Wait… Miltanks were an extinct Pokemon species? So what, this spirit had been simply lying here all this time… sleeping? A match for a Gyarados? He nearly laughed at the thought. No Pokemon with such a… Pathetic… Name could truly have such godlike powers. Gyarados, Alakazam, and Arcanine were as strong as they came.
His mouth nearly dropped open and he couldn't contain a snort. "A Clan guarded by trash like slowpokes, seriously now? Whose stupid idea was it to place junk like slowpokes as guardians?"
Lord Ho-oh? Tin Tower? "Sorry but those words don't mean anything whatsoever to me. This shed you are in was here when people discovered this abandoned island almost 500 years ago though. And it looked ancient THEN."
Nora felt her eyes tighten as she glared at the man. He dare mock the system set down by Ho-Oh himself to keep the fragile peace between Humans and Pokemon?! He dare insult the way the world functions? Well…USED to function. It was dawning on her Ho-Oh's words that her life and time would be like a fairy tale when she awoke. But her anger was not as easy to push away for his insults.
Nora wished she had a blade or something as she moved towards the man. She wanted to shove him against the wall and yell at him. But her legs were moving slowly from their inactivity. Heh, guess he would have to fear a ghost coming after him.
"You.. DARE to insult the system created my Lord Ho-Oh, protector of the bond between humans and Pokemon. The system of noble Guardian Pokemon who call the qualities of humans and other Pokemon to be like them. To bear their race's name and to emulate their qualities? Yes, the Clan of Slowpokes are…sad. But they are still the most loyal and honest Clan out there!" Nora growled at him. Her green eyes glared with an internal fire of pure anger. "You have the same..ignorance as those idiots that tried to kill the powerful bird Pokemon and in turn almost killed me." She added on towards him.
As they stood there, and the spirit began to draw closer to him, the man did something just a little bit unsettling, he started to smile. It was just dawning on him that he was still alive, that he was unharmed, that this spirit seemed more lost and confused then he did. And then there was this, this attempt at walking that looked seriously pitiful. All of this, put together was beginning to draw out a realization. This spirit wasn't powerful, or even really all that knowledgable. It wasn't a threat to somebody like him.
So, his posture regaining, he took a menacing step towards her. "Listen little girl. I don't know who you think you are, but you haven't made a lick of sense since you woke up a couple of minutes ago. You talk about non-existant creatures and times unknown, yet also keep pokeballs with you. If you really are from some other time and are supposed to be the cream of the crop, I pity that world. As for guardian pokemon," he laughed, actually laughed out loud. "Pokemon are tools to be used for the good of mankind, nothing more."
He threw one of his pokeballs, and it landed on the ground. A pikachu popped out, and looked up at the boy before tilting its head in the direction of the spirit. "They don't have a conscience or feelings. Watch. Pikachu, see this weak flimsy girl in front of you. Thunder shock." Without hesitation, the Pikachu's cheeks sparked and shot a bolt of lighting at Nora.
Little girl?! Brainless tools?! How dare he speak this way! Pokemon are friends, NOT tools of destruction! He needed some sense knocked into him, and Nora was just the girl to do it.
The second she saw his Pikachu, she had a feeling it would attack. Apart of her heart went to the rodent for a warrior like this human. Nora forced her legs to jump an flip. She knew she was still weak as the bolt grazed her arms. She hissed and landed, a ball rolling out from her belt. A bright light filled the room as a Pokemon erupted outwards. Nora looked up and gasped at the back of the Pokemon of her Clan…Miltank.
"Mila-MI!" It cried and roared towards Pikachu. Nora knew it was mad that the boy dare to attack her. The Miltank turned and grinned lopsided to Nora. Nora was confused before she gasped. That grin... only one Miltank she knew of had that grin. Only one had the paw print spot on it's back…
"Milly! Is it really you? Did you let Celebii put you in there so you could be with me?" Nora asked, her voice bearing a mystic sound as she spoke to the Pokemon.
"Of course I did! Celebii told me your future, and I came to help. I am more than the Clan's guardian…I am your friend and family. We stick to each other no matter what." Miltank spoke, Nora hearing more then Milly's name over and over again.
"Alright then…. If you think they are tools, you are terribly wrong. Pokemon are our friends, our partners. You sicken me to hear such foul things. See now the strength of our friendship. Miltank, attack Pikachu with Swift!" Nora called out to her friend. As the stars erupted from Milly's mouth, Nora jumped and aimed a punch at the foolish boy.
The boy slipped to the side, as he held up his pokeball and said, "Return, Pikachu." As Pikachu disappeared, and the stars therefore missed, he glanced over at the girl with a look of pity and disgust in his eyes. "My point here was not to fight you. It was to illustrate the fact that there is no conscience whatsoever within pokemon. They just do whatever they are told unquestioningly. Now, however, I am beginning to realize that I can prove no such thing to you. The reason, you are certifiably insane."
What had convinced him was simple. First the way that she responded when the pokemon came out of the ball was absolutely laughable. Was she really such an idiot that, however she had managed to get the balls from wherever she was, she hadn't bothered to figure out what in the world they were? More than that though, she had spoken… actually SPOKEN to the pokemon. What kind of idiot did that? It was like speaking to a dog or a cat. Those two things just proved she was weird though.
What truly set him off was that when the Miltank… that strange cow-thing… had said its unintelligent, "Miltank." The girl had continued speaking to it like it was actually responding in JAPANESE! There was nothing weirder than watching an unintelligent animal and a human having a serious discussion. Nobody called their pet to come have a serious discussion with them.
Then he spoke again, "All I see are a loon who rants about a really whacked out past that I am seriously beginning to doubt ever existed and the unintelligent pokemon that she likes to pretend has the ability to think. You living in a fantasy world, Sleeping Beauty."
Nora felt a feral growl escape her lips. She may not fully understand this loon or Sleeping Beauty person…but it sounded like he was still yapping about Pokemon being tools. Her rage was nothing like the Miltank. It snorted and howled loudly at him. It ran after him and jumped. Milly curl up into a ball and came barrowing down at him.
Nora lightly smiled. Not anyone could dodge her Rollout attack, let alone when she was PISSED as heck at her target. Even Nora could not come close to getting away. The Miltank moved with great speed as it rolled towards him like a wrecking ball.
The boy looked at the Miltank and simply sighed. Then he pulled out one of his pokeballs and called, "Go Geodude." The Miltank's rollout smashed into the poor Geodude shield as the trainer took one step and dodged out of the way of the two. Then he called out, "Return Geodude," and sent it back inside of its pokeball again.
He glanced towards the door to the shed and said, "Alright little girl. Play times over." Then he reached into his pocket and produced a semi-automatic pistol. "You may not know what this is so let me enlighten you. It's more accurate, and far more deadly, than an arrow. As you can see, I'm fast. If you or your pokemon does anything I don't want you to, this precious miltank of yours is going to die. Now take off that belt of pokeballs and toss it over to me."
Miltank bounced off and recovered as best as it could by Nora. It swayed on its feet as Nora looked towards him. That Geodude did not deserve to be summoned like that then used as a shield. It had no idea of the incoming attack! How dare this boy cause such a break in the honor of Geodude!
Nora felt her eyes grow big as she took in the object he held. Miltank shook its head to recover all the way and stood by Nora. Her training to be a Pokewarrior had her train with a bow and arrow. They were so quiet and quick to take a foe down… how could something be more accurate then that? Especially being so small and having no draw string?
Nora knew she could not dare give up the little balls she had. The way Lord Ho-Oh spoke about them, she was to hold on tightly to them. Besides, this belt was keeping her weak Kimono closed. She couldn't dare give it up.
A bright light came from her waist as two other Pokemon formed. Next to Nora, a lean and tough looking Raichu formed. It had a scar over it's eye. Behind her a Arcanine with long fur and a Pink scarf with a paw print on it formed. The two stood by Nora and growled with Miltank at the stranger.
"No one hurts my Clanmates!" the Arcanine called out with a growl. It stepped a paw over Nora to hide her a bit. Miltank hid behind it as well. Raichu was already charging up an attack.
"Archie? Rai-Rai? You guys slept as well?" Nora said to them in her mystic tone. they nodded, keeping an eye on the stranger.
"I fear we are in a standoff. I need these balls as they are a gift to me from Celebii. I must find the hero and bring peace to the hearts of humans and Pokemon, or else Ho-Oh will kill the entire human race! I will not follow you if you leave in peace, stranger. Just know that some day I will find you and teach you to respect Pokemon. They are more than tools. They are friends, family, Clanmates, and partners. May every step you take from here on out be filled with pain, I now curse thee!" Nora told him, glaring at him.