poke

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon in any shape, way, or form. The only character of this story that I own is Travis. The Experiment is owned by Seth Turtle. This is a fanfic.

Author's Notes: This is my entry to Seth Turtles PD contest, and is set during The Experiment (aka PD1). Here's to hoping for a place... By the way, readers are welcome to use Travis in their stories, though some acknowledgement would be nice. Without reviews, I have no incentive to write more, so Read & Review!

Seeking the Lost

 They were gone.

He had trained them all his life, and they were gone.

Travis Baryl could only watch as Pidgeot, his lifelong companion, flew off to the south. All of his Pokémon were gone, taking whatever routes they could to reach...somewhere.

Some of them, he could understand; he and Charmeleon had never quite seen eye-to-eye, and Mantine was always ignoring him. It was Pidgeot's betrayal that hit him the hardest.

He could still think back to the day he had met that Pokémon, seven years ago...

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Go ahead, open the Pokéball. Professor Birch smiled down as young Travis hefted the ball experimentally, then tossed it.

Travis' eyes widened as a lizard-like creature with a flaming tail emerged, crying out its name.

Thanks professor! I'll take good care of him!

Hurry along, now; some of the others have already left. Professor Birch watched as the young lad jogged down the road, but he couldn't help but notice that the Charmander failed to show the same enthusiasm. He could only wonder...

Later that day, Travis and his Pokémon were walking down a well-used trail, searching for other creatures. Travis spotted one first; a Pidgey, sitting in a tree.

All right, Charmander, try a Scratch attack! The creature reluctantly acquiesced, swiping at the little bird. The Pidgey, awakened by the boy's voice, dodged the attack, and countered with a weak Gust attack.

Though the attack was weak, it was still annoying, and the Charmander tried again. Travis couldn't help but see that this Pidgey was quite agile; it would be a great addition to his lineup!

Charmander, try to lure it down, and I'll catch it! Charmander didn't particularly like this boy, but catching the bird would get rid of it for a while...coming to a decision, it leapt into the air, slashing at the Pidgey, and driving it earthward. The words came soon; Pokéball, go!

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Travis sighed. That Pidgey had helped him win a number of badges, later becoming a Pidgeotto, and finally, Pidgeot. That was when he had moved to the island, Flying with Pidgeot for supplies on occasion.

His thoughts were racing through his mind; the announcement that Pokémon were judged to be extinct didn't bother him. It didn't matter to him...

There was also one time that his Mantine had fallen ill; Pidgeot went for help, and had received it. He had prepared for the possibility that Pidgeot might be injured, and as insurance, had bought a small plane...

The plane! He hadn't flown for a long time, but it was his only chance of finding Pidgeot. It was a single-engine rig, but had good range. Thinking back, he judged the direction in which the Pokémon had fled, and took off for that destination...

When he arrived, he knew that something wasn't right. Was it the Pokémon, standing perfectly still? Was it the hush that had fallen over the area?

Or was it the gargantuan portal to another world?

Travis knew that it had to be another world through the gate; some Pokémon were surely undiscovered, but not a cyborg dinosaur a hundred feet high! The creatures over there were strange, and just as still as those on his side. A few were fidgeting, but that was to be expected...

He returned to the search for Pidgeot, not noticing the mass of black dots being incinerated by a stony creature.

After a short while, he found Pidgeot, still as a statue, waiting. Only his had that distinctive mane of feathers; so why wouldn't it listen to him? He talked to it, shook it, but nothing worked. Pidgeot was too strong...that, he knew from experience...

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I choose you; Pidgeotto! Travis was at the Vermilion Gym; he would have tried another gym, but the others were locked up. It was a three Pokémon battle; Charmeleon had defeated Magnemite, but Mantine had gone down against Electrabuzz...

Time to end this; go, Raichu! Lt. Surge released the orange mouse, and ordered a quick Thunder attack. Pidgeotto dodged as long as it could, but was soon hit.

Travis did a double-take; Pidgeotto was evolving into...

Nice last-minute save there, but it won't help. Raichu, Thunderbolt, now!

Fly out of its range, Pidgeot! The bird, obedient as always, complied, shooting into the sky. The electricity couldn't carry to such height, and Travis knew it. Now, dive-bomb it!

Look out, Raichu! Lt. Surge's warning came to late; Pidgeot dealt a devastating strike, knocking out Raichu instantly. Lt. Surge recalled his champion, muttering, I don't believe it...

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An explosive roar distracted Travis' moping, and he directed his attention to the source of the sound. It was a long way off, but he had a pair of binoculars, and watched what was happening...

A variety of creatures, some Pokémon, some...others were battling several legendary Pokémon. Four of the legends were written in a book he had read; Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, and Lugia. The fifth he had read about in a newspaper; a giant Gengar, larger than anything seen before...except for the Alakazam and Jigglypuff that fought with it.

The side of the strange creatures was mixed, and Travis' head spun thinking about it. Robotic figures, angels, huge hybrids, fairies...mixed with several Pokémon, and one large purple cat...it was extremely confusing.

The battle raged on, and somehow, each of the legendary birds was caught. However, for some reason, the one who had caught them released them, ordering them to attack. Most of the strange creatures had fallen, and it seemed hopeless...but the purple cat was extremely strong; somehow, it defeated all five of the foes.

Extremely strong; it hadn't even broken a sweat! The last time anything that strong had been seen was at the destruction of Team Rocket's base...

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Travis Baryl knew the battle was over, and something else drew his attention. The portal was slowly closing, and some of the Pokémon were shaking their heads, moving away. He tried once more to rouse Pidgeot, and had some success; it turned its head, staring at him blankly.

Then Pidgeot leapt into Travis' arms, crying with joy. Charmeleon and Mantine joined in the group hug, ending all worry. Travis could only reply, You're all right...you're all right!

Travis didn't know then that MissingNo. would soon endanger the Digital World; he couldn't know about Mewtwo's upcoming rampage. Even if he knew about these upcoming events, he wouldn't care. For him, everything was all right.