First of all, sorry about formatting issues. FF doesn't take well to converting my documents.
I also want to say that I have the first eight chapters of this story already completed, but I've gone through them to touch up some things. As such, quality levels may vary, as these were written over the course of a year. If something seriously bothers you, and you point it out in a review, there is a high chance I will change it, unless the change is unjustified or changes the story's plot. Basically, I'll fix anything relating to character, diction, and syntax, and maybe some other miscellaneous things.
Anyway, enjoy this first chapter. It's mainly exposition though, but I promise the later chapters will be much more exciting.
Chapter One: My Name is Marcus.
I ran through the burning town that had a name I can't remember now.
I was more scared than I ever had been in my life. What was there to fear anyway? My town was peaceful, my family was caring, and everyone was kind. Crime was unheard of, and we were in an area where natural disasters were uncommon. So, when the fire came, everyone was caught off guard.
It was the middle of the night. The town was asleep, and my family and I slept with our
Pokémon, whose faces are now lost to the sands of time. Suddenly, the towns alarms were blaring. My family and I shot awake, as did most of the town.
"This is an emergency! Effective immediately, all citizens are to evacuate! Prioritize escape and do not take anything with you! I repeat, this is an eme-" The announcer was cut off by a draconic roar and a burst of fire. Suddenly, everyone was screaming as they tried to frantically escape their homes. At that moment, lightning struck our house, setting it on fire. There was no doubt in my mind that the attacker caused this. We all panicked and ran through the blaze, frantically trying to get to the door.
I ran and ran through the burning rooms. Our Pokemon were scrambling to get out the door, while my father and mother lagged behind. Suddenly, I heard something fall from the ceiling, followed by a scream of pain.
"Marcus!" My father yelled. I turned around and saw my father. My eyes widened in horror and I felt myself freeze in place.
He was trapped under a piece of burning wood.
…
I sat under a tree, admiring the sunset. It had been ten years since I lost my town, my family, and anything I had in life. Now, I was left to travel from town to town, taking up jobs no one else wanted to work just to survive. I've tried to suppress my past, but every so often, in the dark hours of the night, I'll be reminded of what happened that day. But regardless, nowadays, I'm a drifter.
Which brings me to now. I'd been laid off my newest job after only a week. The job involved scraping up Donphan shit at a local park. With an occupation like that, it isn't hard to see why I wasn't content with continuing it. Anyways, I was planning on staying in this town for one more night before moving on. This place does have beautiful sunsets… Oh well.
I was situated under a tree overlooking a field, which was teeming with wild Pokémon, some retreating to dens and others coming out for their nightly activities. I admired them to pass the time as I waited for night to come. Some of the predatory nocturnal Pokémon were able to intercept the diurnal ones, eating them greedily. I found it odd that some Pokémon behaved as if they were almost human, while others acted like animals. Maybe it had something to with the whole Nature vs. Nurture thing. Well, I wasn't really an expert on Pokémon behavior, so I dropped it. However, I always was interested in Pokémon as a whole.
I watched as the sun set and the Pokémon in the field reached a state of calm. Now I needed to figure out where to sleep… I suppose I could just sleep under the tree. The only problem with that were the Bug Type Pokémon that would crawl on me in my sleep.
Well, I didn't have any other options. I mean, I could stay in a motel, but the one's I could afford were rather… unsafe.
I pulled out my sleeping bag from my bag of essential items and began to set up my
temporary bed. As I was doing so, I heard a distant roar coming from the sky. I looked up but couldn't see what had caused the noise. Could that have been a rare Pokémon, maybe even a Dragonite? They're big, but the sky was cloudy, so it could have easily hidden itself behind the clouds. I paid no further attention to it, as I probably couldn't catch it, both due to its distance from me and the fact that I didn't have any Pokeballs. I've also never had a Pokémon of my own, aside from those owned by family, so I wouldn't be able to wound it.
Brushing off the roar, I continued to unroll my sleeping bag. I took off my bag, shoes, shirt, and pants and crawled into my sleeping bag. Once I was comfortable, I decided to watch the stars as I waited for sleep. However, as I looked up at the sky, I realized that it was still cloudy. "Dammit…" I muttered to myself. I always enjoyed looking at stars, even though they're just balls of hydrogen. I guess they always remind me of the otherworldly, something I've always found intriguing. "Guess I'll just imagine that there are stars there…" I mumbled in annoyance.
I looked up and pictured what the stars might have looked like tonight. Immediately, a grand picture of a sky filled with thousands of stars, accompanied by the band of the galaxy stretching across the sky, came to me. However, I knew that it would probably just be a normal night, with only a few stars showing their faces. Being near a town wouldn't help, as the light pollution would cause many stars to not be present.
Speaking of the otherworldly, I'm also interested in the Legendaries. They're the gods that rule our world, from the Legendary Birds of Kanto to the Creation Trio of Sinnoh to Arceus himself. All of them interested me. Here in Unova, my home region, we had three main Legendaries, The Tao Trio. The Tao Trio consisted of Reshiram, the Dragon of Truth and Fire, and Zekrom, the Dragon of Ideals and Electricity. They were opposites of each other, but they had an in between, Kyurem, the Dragon of Absence and Ice.
I noticed that I was starting to have a hard time keeping my eyes open, so I decided to finally fall asleep.
Sleep came quickly tonight.
…
Warmth.
All around me I felt a burning sensation. My eyes shot open to find that the field I was
sleeping in was on fire. I immediately started panicking and scrambled up.
I suddenly felt a rising heat near my legs. I looked down and saw that my legs had also caught fire. I jumped back but quickly noticed something strange about this. Surprisingly, my body was unharmed, and I didn't feel pain. I figured that I was dreaming and decided to go along with it.
In the center of the field, a white glow gathered and parted the flames. The glow grew more intense, to the point where I had to shield my eyes. The glow continued to grow, and even became fused with the flames surrounding it. Wisps of white energy began to emit from the bright ball, some of which passed right through me. Just when I thought it couldn't get any brighter, the glow quickly settled down and materialized into a coherent shape.
It was that of the Legendary Pokémon, Reshiram.
The god's blue eyes pierced through the flames and were fixed right on me. "Marcus…" A feminine voice said, echoing through the field. This certainly was an odd dream I was having… I decided to play along.
"Yes?" I responded.
"Let us first get this out of the way. You may think you are dreaming right now, and to some extent, you are. However, everything I am about to say is as true as the truth I embody. I am Reshiram, The Dragon of Truth and Fire, and I have called to you."Reshiram said. With that, I began to reconsider what was happening. Was this a real experience? Why would Reshiram even be here? Or was this just part of the dream?
"I-I'm not dreaming right now?" I asked.
"We are conversing in your mind now, but I am the real Reshiram." Reshiram stated. She turned her head towards the sky and continued "Legendaries choose humans to act for them. In other words, these humans act as our representatives in this world. You, Marcus, are my new chosen human.
"W-What? Chosen human? What's so special about me?" I asked. I had no idea what was happening anymore. Why would Reshiram choose me? What did I have to offer to the world? For the past years, I've been scraping up shit and babysitting unruly Pokemon.
"This world is in danger. All around us, someone is manipulating the world in collaboration with an unknown power. He seeks to change the universe, completely resetting it to his own liking. Every Legendary is preparing their chosen humans for a coming battle. But those who haven't chosen a human yet, such as me, must do so. As for why I chose you specifically, I'll just say that I've had my eye on you for a while. But that is a story for another time. " Reshiram said in a professional tone.
"W-What!? How can any of us even stop someone who wants to destroy the universe!?" I asked, getting even more confused.
"The Legendaries and their respective humans are working tirelessly to control the situation. I am currently without a partner, so you must fill that gap. We need all the help we can get." Reshiram replied.
"Well. what am I supposed to do!? I've never had a single Pokemon!" I yelled.
"That is why you will be receiving a Starter Pokemon at Professor Juniper's Lab here in Unova." Reshiram stated.
"But those Pokemon aren't even strong! How can we stop a universal threat with a Snivy, Tepig, or Oshawott?" I asked. Reshiram sighed.
"People talk of strength, saying that this Pokemon is stronger than that Pokemon. The truth is that we Legendaries created all Pokemon to be equal, so long as their bonds with their trainers are strong. With enough love, even a Feebas can be as powerful as a Dragonite. That is why you need to receive a Pokemon. From the looks of it, you could benefit from a companion. I can see into your heart. You long for a partner."
"O-Oh! Well, Juniper is pretty far away from here…" I mumbled.
"I am a god! I can merely teleport you there!" Reshiram said, annoyed.
"S-Sorry!" I apologized. Reshiram eased up slightly.
"It's fine. Now, you shall wake near Juniper's Lab. I trust you know what to do from there." Reshiram said.
"Yes… Y-Yeah, I think I can figure it out." I mumbled.
"Great. Then let us seal this bond. Grasp my wing, and shake it as you would shake a human's hand." Reshiram ordered. Nervously, I stuck out my hand, and Reshiram connected her wing. Then we, shook our connected limbs. After a moment, Reshiram disconnected her wing.
"Our souls have been bonded. Now, Marcus, you shall sleep. When morning comes you will awake. For now, rest." Reshiram advised. With that, I suddenly collapsed back into a dreamless slumber.
...
After enjoying a nice sleep, I awoke.. However, I was nowhere near the field I was sleeping in. It seemed like it was early morning, and I was outside some sort of town.
"W-Where am I…?" I muttered to myself.
"Didn't you pay attention to what I told you? You're outside Nuvema Town, the location of Juniper's Lab." Reshiram said. I jumped back. It wasn't a dream...
"Wha-Where are you!?" I said a little too loudly.
"Behind you" The fire dragon said. I turned around and found that she was indeed directly behind me.
"Gah! W-Won't someone see you!?"
"I am visible only to my chosen human or others I deem worthy of seeing my form. You would be one of those people."
"Well… Ok, then." I said, turning to face the town. "Well… What're we waiting for?"
"Yes. We should head in." I looked down, already worrying about my coming mission, one that had been thrust upon me in a matter of seconds.
"Reshiram… Can I really do this? How can I save the world?"
"Do not be worried about that now." Reshiram reassured, facing me.
"I am here with you."