Chapter 3: The Thief: Brendan

(Sorry for the late update, was busy playing Pokemon, haha)

Brendan crouched in the tall grass of Petalburg Forest. His friends, Matt the Poochyena and Calvin the Zigzagoon, were lying down next to him. They both saw what he saw: an unprotected Shroomish coming from the North. From his glasses, he was most likely a Devon Labs Researcher. He gave a signal with his tail, and Calvin went further south before lying down on the path, looking as if he had died. When the researcher saw him, the Shroomish stopped in horror and started to walk slowly towards Calvin to help him when Matt jumped in front of the Shroomish. The Researcher tried to turn and flee. Too late, Brendan was behind him.

"Give us everything you have. NOW." The young Treecko may have been small, but he was intimidating. He had on a white hat, which looked almost like hair, and he was a fighting position. The Researcher squealed, fell flat on his back, and fainted out of sheer terror.

"Alright, now's our chance, let's go!" The three thieves began to search the bag the Devon Researcher had. Nothing but plans, and some complex designs the three couldn't decipher.

"Are you serious? He has no money on him?" Calvin was exasperated.

"Yeah, just some stupid papers. Well, its no use staying here, c'mon, lets go find someone else to steal from."

"Hey you! Hold it right there!"

The trio looked back. A Mightyena with a blue bandana stood behind them, growling.

"Whadda you think you're doing, interfering with Team Aqua's plans, huh? Give me the bag now."

Brendan suddenly grabbed the bag, thinking it was important, now that someone wanted it. He climbed up a tree nimbly and stood there with the bag around his chest.

"You want it that bad? You better come and get it, or pay up! We're the masters of this forest!"

"Masters of the forest, hah! More like little kids playing a game. No one gets in the way of Team Aqua… and lives…" In a flash, Mightyena had grabbed both Matt and Calvin under his paws. "Here's a deal for ya: drop the bag, or the brown one dies. I'm giving you till the count of three… One… Two…"

"You're just faking it!" Brendan shouted.

"Heh. That's where you're wrong." And Mightyena Crunched down on Calvin's neck, over and over again, Brendan realizing too late what he had done to his friend.

"Well? You got another friend over here too. Shame he's related to me. But drop the bag, or he dies too." Mightyena looked up, blood on his maw.

Brendan was crying, he had just seen his friend, one of his two best friends, die in front of him. Tears in his eyes, he dropped the bag.

"Good boy… Yes. I'll take the bag, thanks for the goods. I can't grab you, but I will take your friend over here…"

"NO! Don't take him…" But the Team Aqua Grunt was already dragging Matt away…

Brendan wondered what his parents would have thought of him. His mother would have cried with him while his adopted father, Norman, would just stare at his son in disappointment. Neither knew about his rogue-like activities, and since his father was in charge of the police at Petalburg, he realized that his father could have arrested him if he knew. Brendan never knew why his mother, such a cheery, happy person, would marry a person as gloomy and lazy as a Slaking, and when he learned that Norman was not his father by blood, he cared for Norman even less.

Brendan climbed down, tears in his eyes, and buried Calvin at the side of the path, near the ledge where Calvin had loved jumping up and down from. He then sat, crying in the tree for hours, criticizing his weakness and his stupidity that had cost Calvin his life. He was glad he didn't know Calvin's parents and Matt's either: he didn't know what he would tell them. "Um.. excuse me… Your son is dead, and it's all my fault." Or "Um… excuse me… Your son has been kidnapped, and it's all my fault." If he went to his father, Norman would just punish him to the fullest extent of the law for thievery.

Sometime during this, the Researcher got up, saw the scene with the bloody Zigzagoon, and sprinted out of there as fast as he could towards Devon.

Then at night, Professor Birch, a Blaziken, walked down the path. He heard crying, and looked up.

"Hey, anyone up there?"

Brendan debated for a moment, reveal himself to Birch, or just hide. He had been a wimp before, he would face the consequences, at least it was not his father.

Brendan jumped down nimbly, landing on his four feet, still crying over Calvin.

"Brendan! What happened?"

Brendan went and hugged the Blaziken's leg, crying and retelling what had happened.

"... I see… "

Then Professor Birch stayed in Petalburg Woods that night, staying up and comforting Brendan while holding vigil for Calvin with him. In the morning, Birch carried Brendan, who was exhausted, all the way back to Littleroot Town. Birch, after hearing the story, decided not to tell Brendan's mother, in fear she may panic or tell Norman.

Brendan dreamed… He was deep in the sea, yet somehow he could breathe. He saw a great blue creature, like a massive whale/fish hybrid. It looked right at him, and said "Your friend is gone, and my sanity may be gone soon as well. Come… Save me…" Then, Brendan was whisked up out of the water and was suddenly on land. He saw a cave behind him, and saw a mysterious deer with antlers that formed an X.

"Come! Your destiny awaits: save the titans of earth and water, fulfill the wishes of the titan of the sky, then find me. I wait, alongside death, to give you answers that you must hear."

Brendan awoke, surprised that he was in Birch's lab. He walked out of the little room that Birch had placed him in, and saw Birch, who looked like he was poring over a book, but was also crying.

"Professor… Professor?"

"Yes Brendan?" Even in his grief, Birch kept his composure.

"Do you know anything about dreams?" Brendan said to Birch. The Professor nodded, and asked Brendan what he had dreamed. Brendan told Birch everything about the dream, and the Professor helped Brendan understand his dream.

"You have been called… by the gods. That fish, was Kyogre, the titan of the sea. The titan of the earth must be Groudon, his counterpart. And that means the titan of the sky is Rayquaza. I don't know what the "alongside death" means, but I am sure the deer you saw is Xerneas, the god of life. But he lives in Kalos!"

"So what do I have to do?"

"If a god ever calls you, Brendan, you do as he says. If two do, you follow it twice as determinedly. Become stronger and find out more about this Team Aqua. They would not have come to you if you had no clue on where to begin. I would start by taking the Gym Lord Challenge, even if you have no intention of challenging the Elite Four. They will still help you gain strength, and that will aid you when the time comes to save the gods…"

Brendan understood everything he heard from Birch. He grabbed his hat, pocketed some money Birch gave him, and headed out west, towards Rustboro City and Roxanne, the first Gym Lady.

I WILL succeed. Both for the gods, and for you, Calvin and Matt. I will avenge you, Calvin. And Matt, I will save you. No matter what it takes...