Chapter 2
Arylide. A small fishing village along the river of Kanto's Route 10.
Children watched the sun glimmer out of sight from rocky cliffs as it set in the eastern sea. They packed up their belongings - a sheet, a picnic basket, and a couple of Old Rods - and scurried west down the rocky hill home, before supper.
The houses were all a solid shade of yellow, but each was accented differently. Pink trimmings here, red roof there. Each dock a beautiful hue of mahogany that sat gently on the riverbank. Some of the homes extended up the mountainside to the ocean cliff. Others moved towards Rock Tunnel. The village, though incredibly small, was decorated in fairy lights and street lamps by the electronically experienced residents. Two small yellow bricked paths lined the sides of the river where several homes sat, and were joined by a single arch bridge serving as the village gate.
Arylide Village was known for two things, its unique river-inspired seafood, and the Kanto Power Plant right outside of its borders. Many of the residents helped renovate the plant after the Magnet Train required its reestablishment and many families adopted the Electric Pokemon they found within. The river, which flowed north from the caverns under Rock Tunnel to the ocean, served as the main strip of the village which had most of its buildings seated on its banks. Many homes had their own docks.
The streetlights flickered on, one by one down the river.
A small boat sat still on the river. A girl could be seen sitting quietly and watching the twinkle of lights in the water. As she let her eyes glaze over the water's surface, she found the glow of yellow orbs in river to be somewhat entrancing. Arylide Village was small and rural, yes, but it never lacked amperage.
She turned and lay her back on the deck, chest to the sky. The lights she studied now were the stars. She straddled a PokeBall clipped to her bag.
"Come out, Magnemite."
A flash of light emitted from the device, purer than the electric lamps lighting the river, yet somehow gentler. When it faded, a small robotic creature appeared next to it. It opened its one groggily as if it had just woken from a nap.
"Magnemite, you ever think theres more to life than Arylide Village?" asked the girl, never breaking contact with the sky.
"Bzbbzzzbz," Magnemite buzzed a little in a reaffirming tone, still waking up. It rolled back a little, attempting to rise.
"No, I mean besides Lavender Town, silly."
After a little struggling, Magnemite began to notice its surroundings. It was sitting on the deck of a wooden craft surrounded by water.
"BZZBBBBZZZZBZ!" it cried, stressed by its newly-realized handicap.
The girl sat up. She smiled at her panicking Pokemon friend and straightened out her purple dress. Picking up Magnemite by his its horseshoe magnet, she reached into her jean bag and pulled out a metal disc.
"Don't worry, ya little tyke," she assured as she plopped the Pokemon onto the disc, "I know you don't like being away from metal."
At once the Magnemite began rising and its once-panicked eye began easing into a state of comfort. It brushed itself on the girl's large magenta ponytail, purring to the delicious static electricity.
"I mean it Magnemite," she continued, "If I dont get out of here soon, I'm gonna lose it!"
"Bzbbbzzz!"
"Theres a whole new world out there since the Trade Agreement was passed! Theres new places to explore with new people and new attitudes and new things to share with me and I want to be there at the forefront of whatever new discovery awaits!"
Her eyes shined, but not with the glow of the stars or warmth of the streetlights, but with pure softness of a PokeBall activation.
A woman's voice called from one of the docks.
"Ina! Your dinner is getting cold!" she exclaimed, "Come back in now!"
The girl on the boat sighed. "Just one minute, mom!" she called back.
Ina struggled to get herself upright as she pulled an oar from off the deck and began to row back. She saw her mother go back inside, as the river began to flow a little harder than normal.
"Well that sure is weird," Ina noticed, "isn't it Magnemite?"
Ina stood up in the craft to get a better look at what lie beneath the water. Suddenly, the sky grew darker; she looked around, but everyone in the town seemed to be inside. Ina barely got to take another full glance at the water when three full-sized and highly frightened Seaking leaped out and bum-rushed her, lifting her into the air.
Ina yelled while falling but before she could land back in the craft an unexpected gust of wind knocked her a couple of feet from the craft and into the river.
"BBbbzzzb!" Magnemite cried out.
From under the water Ina could barely see anything but the bubbles of air she was exhaling, following them to get the to the surface, large flashes of lighting lit up the entire riverbed, exposing many Water Pokemon Ina didn't see before. When she finally broke out of the river she tried to catch her breath but it didn't last long.
Up, directly above her, Ina caught one full glance at something she had never seen in person but was eerily familiar.
"That looks like…"
A bird-like Pokemon, with spiky yellow and black feathers, flew through the newly formed rainclouds. It wings glimmered against the dark grey sky and each flap struck like thunder.
SNAP. SNAP. SNAP.
And as it flew past the river, and over the Power Plant, Ina's eyes were transfixed on the majestic creature.
BOOM!
A surge of electricity shot up out of the stacks of the Power Plant and into the avian Pokemon, seemingly charging it, and as it turned north over the mountains, small surges of electricity rose up as well.
Ina treaded lightly in the water, using only as much energy as she needed to stay afloat. She was paralyzed by what she saw. Never in her life had she seen something so powerful. She wanted to know more. She yearned for it. What was that thing? And where was it flying to?
"INAAAA WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUT THERE!?" screamed her mother from the dock.
Ina turned around slowly, and just like that the trance broke.
"OH MY GOD MOM DID YOU SEE IT? DID YA? THAT WAS AMAZING!"
"Ina! Its lightning outside why in the world would you think it'd be a good idea to swim, especially when I told you to come in for-"
"MOM IT CAME OUT OF NO WHERE FROM UP OF THE CLIFFS AND THE OCEAN AND THEN IT WAS LIKE SNAP SNAP BANG!"
"Came from the… ocean?… What are you talking about honey? Get inside now!"
"AND THEN THE POWER PLANT WAS LIKE HIYA THERE COLOSSUS THUNDER TURKEY AND THE MOUNTAIN PEAKS WERE ALL LIKE WHADDUP BIRDHAM? WHAT IT DO ELECTRIC CHICKEN?"
Ina was flailing in the water. Other villagers looked out of their homes to see the commotion. Some of the women snickered.
"Ina, I mean it!" yelled her mother, "You get inside right this instant!"
Ina swam as fast as she could to the boat, hopping in and beginning to row all in one fluid motion. Her clothes were dripping Magnemite was cowering under the bench.
"Magnemite, fu- fu-" Ina panted, "I need you to be brave, fu- fu- … We have to go exploring in Rock Tunnel, fu- fu-…"
Magnemite opened its eye cautiously and towards Ina. She caught her breath after what seemed like hours. A light drizzle began to pitter patter on the wooden vehicle.
"That's right, buddy," she confirmed, "Tonight."