My routine didn't change too much throughout the next few weeks, but I felt a growing anticipation of something important that was going to happen soon.

Sure enough, one day the forest's peace was disturbed by the rumbling of some strange white creature.

But it didn't appear to be living.

Curious, I came up to it, sniffing it. My mother's warning of "Rai!" came too late, and some sort of net came down over my head.

"Pi!" I called out. I prepared myself to give a giant electric shock, but before I could perform the action I was stuffed into a bag that muffled the electricity.

I could hear the cries of several other helpless Pokémon as they, too, were caught. After what seemed like forever, the giant monster took off with me and the others inside it, taking us on a bumpy ride.

Distantly, I heard some creatures talking. "We got us quite a load, eh?"

"Sure did. This poaching pays off."

"Yeah. No one thinks anyone would actually dare to steal Pokémon from the "world-famous" National Wild-Pokémon Preservation," The man snickered.

They don't look like Pokémon, I thought.

"Uh oh."

"Uh oh, what?"

"Don't look behind you, but we've got company."

"Great."

A siren sounded, and the men's vehicle slowed. A female spoke, "I am Officer Jenny, and you are under arrest for stealing Pokémon from a protected area."

"Who's gonna stop us? You?"

"Me...and...my Growlithe!" Officer Jenny's Pokémon came out and growled menacingly.

"All right, all right!" The sound of ripping came to my ears. "Hey! Those are my new pants!"

"Too bad."

Another car drove up, "Officer Jenny, do you have things under control?"

"Of course, Professor Oak. But I'd appreciate if you could take these Pokémon to your lab and make sure none of them are hurt. If we took them back, I'm afraid they would be probably be emotionally traumatized, so I would appreciate if you could find good homes for them. I hear you have a large batch of students and too few Pokémon to give them."

"Thank you." Gently, my bag, along with a few others, was lifted and placed into another...monster?

It was a while before we stopped, and the bags we had unceremoniously been stuffed in were taken somewhere.

One by one, Professor Oak let out Pokémon, making quick friends with most of them, and he finally came to my bag. I hopped out, and he smiled at me and tried to pat me on the head, but I gave him a zap.

I didn't know what kind of Pokémon this was, but I knew I didn't like them.

The man's teeth chattered until I stopped. Dizzy, he fell to the ground, then sprang back up and threw some sort of red and white ball at me.

I don't know what happened, but I (turned into, maybe?) became a red light and was secured inside the ball somehow. I wiggled, trying to get out, but it was no use. Angry and tired, I fell asleep.


It was sometime later that I was let out of the ball by someone different. I was away from that Oak's lab and on some type of paved gravel. "Hey!" someone exclaimed at me.

"Pika." I was not too enthusiastic.

"Pikachu, go!"

I glanced where he was pointing and spotted a Ratatta.

I looked at it.

It looked at me.

The boy yelled, "Thundershock, Pikachu!"

I stood there, refusing to obey.

"Now, go!"

No way.

He was agitated now, "You stupid Pikachu, Quick Attack!"

He kicked me. Hard.

I shocked him. Harder.

I was quite pleased with myself.

"Piiiikkaaaa—CHUUUUUUUUU!"

I was stuffed back in the dreaded ball and brought back to Professor Oak, the boy claiming that he couldn't hope to train a disobedient Pokémon like me.

A similar procedure happened over...and over...and over again.

I decided I hated humans.

Never would I obey their kind. I would not be their slave.

And so went my life.

I would come out, disobey, then be brought back.

"We'll find you a good trainer someday, Pikachu," Professor Oak continued to promise me.

Yeah.

Right.

My life became routine, until Professor Oak held me back and never offered me to anyone else.

Until one day.