Author Notes
This fanfiction is based on Pokémon and takes place in the Pokémon world. It uses the game, anime, manga and Pokémon movies as references for the history and timeline of the world. I will be taking some creative liberties as I write however I will always try to stay as faithful to the source material as I can. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy the story of the Pokemon Master, Dakota Gryphon.
This prologue is a braindump that help me get to the start of the story starting in Chapter 1. If it feels rushed or reads more like an outline, it was done purposly to allow me to get over the hump of HOW to start this story. This allows me to introduce the character and his motives without committing time to writing 4 chapters that play no real role in the novel. The rest of the story is written in third person. Sorry for the confusion.
Chapter Zero (Prologue)
My name is Dakota Gryphon. I grew up on Pacifidlog Island with my mother and father. My parents were very wealthy but simple people. My father was an investor and had been a part of the earliest days of Silph Co. and later helped upstart the Devon Corporation located in Rustboro City. I had a life of luxury filled with all the toys I could ever want or need. We had butlers and maids that tended to us and help raise me when my parents were not around. I was schooled by the best teacher from around the region. We lived in a large mansion on the island that overlooked most of the town. Both my parents were considered ambassadors and were well liked within the community. Our wealth helped provide many facilities for the town allowing it to thrive and become more important within the Hoenn Region. There were even talks of Pacifidlog Town being upgraded into a city. Overall, my childhood was the stuff of dreams until it all changed when two Pokemon lost control.
One day, two wild Gyarados were having a territory dispute while I was playing down by the oceanfront. The destruction caused by their dispute was devastating, I remember the sky turning black and thick stormclouds appearing. Lighting crackled and tore across the sky while the wind whipped and whirled uprooting palm trees and tossing anything that hadn't been tied down.
It was only because my mother found me that I am alive today. I remember her shouting and cradling me in her arms just as one of the Gyarados launched a hyper beam that missed its target. The bright beam of light was heading toward us, and its mass was unlike anything I had ever seen. I remember crying as my mother shushed me and insured that everything would be ok. Next, I remember the flash of light and then total darkness. When I awoke, I was surrounded by Corsolas; however, my mother was nowhere to be found. Most of the city was on fire. The thick smell of smoke filled the air while Officer Jenny, Fireman Alex, and Doc Jordan attempted to regain order. All the while, I screamed through tears for my mother but to no avail. My father later found me wandering aimlessly on the beachfront within hours of the attack.
The reconstruction of Pacifidlog Town was funded by my father who became very sullen after my mother's death, a few years later he decided that he couldn't live any longer. I remember standing in the hallway of our mansion, after coming home from school, only to find my father hanging from the balcony of our stairwell. After my father's suicide, the family lawyers told me per my father's will that our wealth was left all to me in a trust fund. The next day, I was on a plane to the Sevii Islands near Kanto to live with my grandmother.
Life with Granny Gryphon was not a bad one. Granny Gryphon was also extremely wealthy and owned the largest crystal company in all of Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn. She owned most of the smaller islands that contained underground mines and caverns that were filled to the brim with crystals. Every day she would leave on what she called her flights of fancy and tell me to find an adventure to go on. She believed life was a better teacher than school however due to the will she had to ensure that I attended the local school. So, I spent most of my free time on my own exploring the different islands of the Orange Islands.
On one of my adventures, I wandered down to the rocky edge of our ranch. There was a path that led to a beach that would be filled with seashells when the tide was low. That day, I found a group of Squirtles playing on the rocky ledges in the distance. I watched in fascination as turtle Pokémon shot their water guns at the jumping Magikarps and knocking them back into the ocean. The Squirtles had set up a stick which had some bait at the end of a string to draw the Magikarp from the sea. From the safety behind a large rock, I watched the game go on until a large Tentacruel attacked the Squirtles. They scrambled up the ledge, but one fell and got its shell stuck in between two rocks. I watched in horror as the Tentacruel began to whip the poor turtle again and again.
To this day I don't remember picking up the rock. I also don't remember throwing it at the large jellyfish monster. What I do remember is the sound of its red jewel located on his head cracking and the piercing stare it had as it turned to face me. The Tentacruel launched a series of poisonous globs toward me as I ran away zigging and zagging. One hit me in the arm however I also don't remember it hurting. I remember running toward another set of rocks while in the distance the Squirtle who was still stuck cry out for help. Behind me, the Tentacruel reached for me with its long legs and toss rocks away to clear a path. Quickly, I pulled poured all my snacks from my backpack and left them in a large pile. Without a second thought, I dashed toward the Squirtle who was still stuck. Up and up I climbed until I reached the top of the cliff where below me the Squirtle was wedged. Carefully I looked down at the crashing waves and the trapped turtle. Behind me, the jellyfish Pokémon seemed distracted by the food, so against all my better judgment I started to climb down. Slowly, I made my way down the slippery wet rock wall until my feet touched the rough edges of the ledge.
"Squirtle…." The Pokémon cried weakly.
"Are you ok?" I asked.
"Squirtle Squirt!" it replied.
"Don't worry, I'll get you out of here," I said. "Somehow..."
I kneeled down at the blue turtle and pulled hard freeing him from his rocky prison. He wasn't able to stand, so I put him in my backpack and began to climb.
"TENTA!" a deep voice cried
I turned around to see the Tentacruel staring at me with glowing red eyes. I shook so hard I could barely stand. The jellyfish Pokémon roared and began to snake its large black tentacles toward me when suddenly streams of water blasted the Tentacruel in the face. It roared as I looked above me and saw the other Squirtles firing their Water Guns at the beast. I scrambled up the ledge as the Squirtles drove off the Tentacruel. The Squirtles cheered, but I didn't have much time to celebrate. The small Squirtle I had saved was very weak. I don't remember how I ended up in her basement in front of the Pokemon Healing Machine, but I do remember panicking as I didn't have a way to heal Squirtle without a Pokeball. Luckily, my Granny kept a few Pokeballs lying around, so I use a Luxury Ball I found in a drawer. I was able to heal the Squirtle, but when I tried to release it back into the wild, it refused to leave. That same Squirtle has been with me ever since.