…luck

Ethan's eyes shot open and he gasped for breath. His head snapped around, looking to reorient himself. He was still in his room, on his bed. Slowly, he stretched his arms out and looked around. After a moment, he realized what day it was.

The young boy jumped out of bed full of energy, and hurried through his normal routine. After dressing up nicely, he quickly ran into the bathroom attached to his room. He then immediately ran back out of the bathroom to throw his clothes back on his bed, before going to take a shower.

He looked at one of the many mirrors that lined his bathroom. His face was as clean as ever, and he flashed himself a clean smile. The freckles that dotted his face the night before were nowhere to be seen. Whatever, he didn't like looking at them anyway. His deep blue eyes blinked as he fixed his hair up to make it look nicer.

After getting himself ready, he rushed down the large staircase and headed over to the left side of the house, where breakfast awaited him. He reached the dining table at record speed and sat down.

"Morning Mom, Morning Dad!" He said, a smile plastered on his face.

His mother was the first to respond. "Good morning to you Ethan! Did you get a good sleep?"

Ethan took a moment to respond, due to the fact that he was busy stuffing his face with pancakes. He swallowed the food and nodded enthusiastically, before shoveling more into his mouth.

"Ya. I had a weird dream last night."

A more attentive person would've seen his mother momentarily cringe at this. Unfortunately, Ethan was not an attentive person. She recovered and smiled again.

"Really? What did you dream about?" She questioned.

Ethan thought for a moment, before shrugging. "I don't remember. Anyway, when are we leaving to get a Pokemon?"

The parents shared a silent look, before sighing. Of course that's what he would be excited about. Today was the annual starter giveaway for kids across the world. They would be visiting one of the top professors of the region today in order to get himself one of the rare starter Pokemon. Elm was his name, and if he was to get one of the better ones, he would have to leave early.

He finished his pancakes and ran upstairs in order to finish packing his bag. He first grabbed some warmer clothes, on the off chance that it would be a bit cold today. He threw in some snacks to hold him over for the car ride to the lab. He grabbed his phone and put it in, and after a moment, he grabbed his wallet.

Finally, he carefully put his laptop in its personal bag, and squeezed that bag into his backpack. If he had paid more attention, he may have noticed that he had received a message. Alas, he wasn't the most attentive kid, and was too excited about what was going to happen today.

His parents were waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs, near the front door. He sped down the stairs in high spirits and opened the door. Without breaking stride, he reached his father's car and hopped in the back seat. His father pulled out of the driveway and began to head towards New Bark Town.

The radio filled his head with mindless chatter as they drove towards their destination. The radio host spoke about how some officials predicted an increase in Team Rocket activities, but the channel was changed by his father before he could hear any details. His mother flipped through a few more stations, before making the executive decision to turn it off entirely.

"Do you know which starter you're going to choose?" his mother asked, filling the silence she just created.

He nodded. "I think I want the water type. It looks so cool!"

"Mmmh. Just remember, looks aren't everything dear. Each one of those starters will pack a big punch once they evolve."

"I know Mom."

They continued to drive in relative silence, and it was enough that he started to feel awkward. Ethan decided to munch on one of his snacks that he brought for the ride. He looked out the window and watched as the cityscape slowly disappeared from view, being replaced by a more wooded area. His parents were muttering something quietly in the front seat, but he didn't pay it any attention.

It had been a long time since he had traveled so far away from home. The last time he had gone this far was...the visit to the doctors office? He couldn't be sure, because of how long it had been since he had a checkup. Although now that he was thinking about it, he couldn't remember much of the visit at all.

Eventually, they arrived in town, and he left those thoughts behind. The drive wasn't very long, so it was still fairly early. He hoped that no one else had visited the professor yet. Perhaps they were lucky, and they were the first ones to show. He sprinted ahead, looking for the lab in the small rural town.

The family found it, perched on the shore near the edge of the town. A bit further away, he could see the water that snaked further ahead, out of sight. He didn't know where it went, and he didn't care right now. He sprinted towards the lab doors, intent on being the first one there.

He didn't even make it close before a loud bark was heard, prompting police officers to run outside the lab. When he saw them, he stopped short and waited to see what they would do. This wasn't exactly the best choice to make, as they walked towards him and started asking him questions.

"What's going on here?" A voice rang out. His mother had arrived. He looked towards the noise and saw his mother walking over to the officers, with his father in the distance. He was on his phone, looking away from them completely.

"There was a break in ma'am. No one is allowed in yet."

"Who would do such a thing?" She asked, shocked.

"The Professor says he got a glimpse of the thief. He looked a bit older than your son. He had black hair, and was wearing a blue jacket. Have you seen anyone like that?"

She shook her head no, and Ethan followed suit. Why would anyone ever steal something from a Professor. Weren't they supposed to be really important? His mom had her own questions. "What did they steal?"

The officer crossed his arms and shook his head. "They stole one of the rare starters. From what I'm told, it was the water type."

Ethan was not happy with the news. His anguish was put on hold, when the professor walked outside.

"What's going on?" The Professor looked at the officer, then to him and his mother.

"One of the early birds are here. They probably want a starter. This isn't him, right?"

"Of course not. I hate to be rude, but how much longer will this investigation take? There's going to be a mob here very soon." The professor said, in a very matter-of-fact tone.

The officer merely shrugged in response. "I'm aware of this sir. As of right now though, we're not leaving anytime soon."

The professor hummed at this, and thought to himself for a minute. Then, he looked towards Ethan again. "Come with me. I'll give you a starter."

Ethan paused for a moment, then nodded, following him inside. There were more police inside, looking at a broken window near the back wall. He stuck close to the professor, and walked deeper in with him. In the far back lay a pedestal of sorts that held two Pokeballs on it. Ethan asked what his choices were.

Elm gave a practiced sigh, before beginning his explanation. "The one on the left is a Chikorita, the Leaf Pokemon. She's a very calm pokemon that loves to sunbathe. The other one is a Cyndaquil, the Fire Mouse Pokemon. This one is quite brave, but it will flare up if he feels threatened.

Ethan started to think over his choices. He couldn't get the one he wanted, so he had to decide what would be second best, an outcome he hadn't prepared for. His gaze shifted between the two Pokeballs silently, before he came to a decision.

"I want that one!" He proclaimed loudly, pointing to the Pokeball on the right. Elm moved the temporary protection that the police had set up, and handed it to him. He tossed it into the air and the Cyndaquil formed on the floor below him. He looked down at the small fire type, before kneeling down to get a better look at it.

It was quite smaller than he expected. It had a long snout, with blue fur on its back, along with some other red marks. He could feel the heat that it was giving off though. He smiled and returned it to its Pokeball. Steering clear of the police, the professor walked him outside.

His mother was speaking with the officer stationed outside. When she saw him, she smiled and he walked over to her. His father was still on his phone, faced away from the whole debacle.

After a short goodbye and thanks to the Professor, they started to walk into the small town. His parents said they had to do some business with someone, so they let him wander into the town park while they worked.

The park in New Bark Town was quite a ways off the beaten path. There was a small, worn walkway that led towards it. Bordered only by the forest, it had all the standard equipment on it. Swingset, slide, and monkey bars, with a see-saw off to the side. He didn't care about any of that at the moment, however. He was focused on the ball within his hands, which he tossed into the air and released his new partner.

The Cyndaquil came out again, looking around at the unfamiliar scenery. It raised its nose in the air and sniffed, curious as to where he was. Ethan watched it with rapt attention, waiting for it to do something interesting.

Cyndaquil did eventually catch its nose on something, but it wasn't exactly what he had expected to find. Of course, he was well aware of what happened earlier this morning in the lab. Did his friend escape perhaps? He started running as fast as his tiny legs would carry him. Ethan followed closely, wondering what had set him off.

The Cyndaquil ran deep into the woods, with Ethan hot on his trail. He had been following it for quite a while now, but was starting to worry. Unknown to him, his new partner was also having similar concerns. It smelled like the source of the scent was getting farther and farther away.

Wait, was Totodile aware they were chasing after him? He stopped running for a second, trying to focus on the scent

Something was wrong. The scent kept moving deeper in the woods, but something was different about it. He looked in the direction of where the scent came from. It had stopped too, and was now heading for them. He realized that they were about to be attacked. Although Cyndaquil hadn't gotten to meet his new trainer properly, he would protect him as best as he could.

Movement suddenly exploded into their vision, and the suddenness of the situation made Ethan freeze up. In that split second, he looked towards the larger figure heading towards him at the moment. He managed to get a glimpse of black hair before he was tackled to the ground. A hand was thrown over his mouth before he could make any noise.

Cyndaquil had not been idle during this, but he couldn't help his trainer at the moment. The scent had bounded out of the woods, revealing itself to be a Poochyena. It darted forwards at him, intent on attacking. But where was Totodile?

Nonetheless, Cyndaquil was ready for the charge and completely sidestepped the attacking mutt. As it ran past him, he spewed out billows of smoke, obscuring his attackers vision. Next, it charged forward and landed a Tackle on its side. When the hit connected, he realized that this was a young 'mon like himself. That meant that he could win.

At least, that was what he hoped. Cyndaquil went for another tackle, but the Poochyena had learned its lesson and was moving constantly through the smoke, in an attempt to dodge. Its agility spared it from the first tackle, barely moving out of the way of his attack, but he landed a hit on the rebound, sending it flying backwards.

He heard a grunt from behind him, and turned to see the same human from earlier this morning. He was on top of his new trainer, preoccupied with keeping him from shouting. One of his hands was over the boy's mouth, while the other was reaching for something behind him.

But that was all he saw before he had to move his focus elsewhere. He heard the Poochyena get back up and yip at him, and the Fire-type prepared to knock him back down. He spun around and fired off more smokescreen, refreshing the earlier cloud that had started fading away.

The Poochyena dashed towards him, and Cyndaquil dove into the smoke for cover. It didn't work, and the Poochyena jumped after him and landed a bite on his flank. He tried to shake the canine off, and he felt his body flare up in response. The Poochyena backed off, not wanting to burn its mouth.

However, Cyndaquil's reprieve lasted only a moment. The Poochyena recovered quickly, and dove back towards him. Cyndaquil was unable to dodge the next attack in time, and the wind was knocked out of him as he was sent into the side of a tree. Dazed, he tried to jump out of the way of the next attack but was just a second slow, and the tackle knocked him down again.

He struggled to get up, and this time he was able to do so before the next attack. He looked over to the Poochyena, who had backed off and was panting heavily. The Dark-type wore a wicked grin on its face. Getting a terrible feeling that he was missing something, he turned around. The last thing he saw was the hostile trainer holding his Pokeball, before his world turned white.

Ethan saw the Cyndaquil get returned and started struggling even harder. But now that his defender was gone, the hostile Pokemon walked towards him, and he gave up his resistance. On top of him, the other trainer was panting heavily, but still on high alert.

"I can't believe that worked." The trainer said between gasps. He nodded towards his Poochyena, and then looked back at him. "I'm going to get up now. If you try to move, I will tie you up. I don't want to, but I will. Believe it or not, I'm here to help you. So shut up for a moment and listen."

Ethan gave his attacker a shaky nod, and he slowly got into a sitting position. Now he was able to get a better look at him, he realized who it was. The trainer that attacked him fit the description of the one that broke into the lab earlier. He was definitely older than him by a few years, and had two Pokeballs at his waist. The next words that came out of his mouth was the last thing he expected to hear from a criminal.

"My name is Silver, and I just saved your life." the boy said, sounding completely serious.

Ethan was incredibly confused. "Wh..what?"

"Don't talk. Let me explain as best as I can." He paused for a moment to make sure Ethan's full attention was on him, which it obviously was. "Before I start, a few rules. Don't speak. Save your questions for when I'm done. Everything I'm about to say is true. Got it?"

Ethan nodded vigorously.

"Well, where to start. First. I just saved your life. Your 'parents' are not your real parents. They are part of a criminal group called Team Rocket. They were about to take you somewhere you DON'T want to go. At all. They left you at the park so they could set up their operation without you noticing. They're executives in the organization, which is why they're so rich." He paused for a moment before deciding to drop more bombshells, watching as Ethan's face was filled with confusion.

"Do you remember the last time you visited a doctor?"

"What? I...no. Why does that matter?" Ethan's thoughts from earlier were back. He felt sick.

"Don't speak. I already knew the answer to the question, because Team Rocket tried to put me through something similar." He steadied his breathing for a moment. "To them, you are nothing but an asset. An investment. They gave you everything you wanted so that you felt safe. But their end goal is to experiment on you."

The boy continued, "I attacked the lab today to throw them off. They've been planning this for a while now, but so have I. If you try to go back, you will be taken away, cut open, and tortured. You need to trust me, and we need to run before they realize you're gone."

He stopped for a moment to catch his breath. "Questions?"

"You're insane." Ethan spat out, bewildered by what this boy was saying.

"That's a fair reaction. Of course I wouldn't do all of this for no reason. You need proof? Here." He took out a phone and tapped the screen for a second. "Watch this."

Wordlessly, he swiped the phone from him. The screen displayed a picture of the park that he had been in minutes ago. Then he saw movement, and realized that it was a video of some sort. In the corner he could see the current time, and Ethan realized that this had been recorded recently. From what he could tell, it was in one of the taller trees, angled in such a way that he could see most of the park.

After a moment of looking between the camera and giving Silver mixed looks of disbelief and fear, he saw movement. The picture quality wasn't the best on the camera, but he was clearly able to make out his mother walking down the path towards the entrance. Once she reached the park, she looked around in a panic. She then whipped out what looked like a radio from her coat pocket.

At this, Silver tapped the volume button on the side of the phone, raising it by a click. His mother's voice came through the receiver, shouting into the radio.

"All nearby units, converge on the park! Subject is missing! Code 4, I repeat, Code 4!"

His eyes were glued to the video and his heart fell when he saw more figures enter the scene. A group of about 10 people came out of nowhere, dressed in what could only be Team Rocket uniforms. Most of them carried Pokeballs. Others carried guns. They fanned through the park and he watched as one sent out a Nidorino.

Silver grimaced as the Poison-type materialized. "Shit. We need to start going now. That thing will hear us from a mile away. If we don't leave, we're both dead."

"What?"

"Get up, grab your stuff, and follow me."

"I, but…."

Silver got a bit angry at his inaction. He got his stuff ready, and knelt down to Ethan. He spoke in hushed, but hurried tones.

"Listen Ethan. I risked my life to save yours. I just gave you enough information to prove what I'm saying is true. You saw the cameras, you heard your mother. They are coming for us. I am not staying here and arguing with you. Get up and come with me now, or you're going to be captured."

At this, he turned and began to head deeper into the forest. Ethan didn't know what to think, and he realized that he had to make a choice. Follow the strange kid, or run towards the park.

And he realized something was wrong. Was that kid right? Was he really just some sort of investment? He stood up and grabbed his bag, and he realized that Silver had given him Cyndaquil back, the Pokeball laying on the top of the crap he had packed.

He took it out and put the Pokeball on his belt. Zipping his bag up, he knew it was time to go. As much as he wanted to run back towards the park, something in the back of his mind told him that was a terrible idea. And if what he said was anything to go by, he had to start moving away from the park, now.

With this, he broke into a sprint, and ran in the direction that Silver went. He still didn't trust the kid, but he needed more answers. And the only was he was going to get any, was by catching up to Silver.

And so he ran, deeper and deeper, leaving hardly a trace that anyone had ever been in that little clearing in the forest.

~0~

Back at the playground, a Rocket admin was throwing a fit. Somehow, the clueless brat that she had been handling for however long it had been now was gone. She was not happy.

She put her radio to her mouth and spoke. "Have we found anything yet?" Silence answered her, before a voice responded, "Negative. Nidorino isn't hearing anything nearby."

Another man spoke. "Same thing here, boss. Nothing."

She cursed to herself silently. Turning, she saw her fellow admin that had been assigned with her.

"We're fucked. This is the second one that got away." He spoke in his usually gruff voice.

She tried to ease his, and her own, worries. "Relax. The kid is clueless. He couldn't have gotten far."

"I hope you're right. It'll be both of our asses getting cooked if we don't find him." He responded.

She felt her face furrow into a frown. Her radio was back to her face, and she began barking more orders. If they didn't find him soon, they would have to pull back. Whoever had stolen the Pokemon earlier put the police on high alert, and she wasn't sticking around to deal with them.