Prologue

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Welcome to the world of civilized Pokémon. That's right, it's a world where Pokémon actually act like humans! They have jobs, they go to school, they cook, they do laundry, and the list goes on. No humans exist in this world, only Pokémon.

This world is kept in balance thanks to the gemstones made by Arceus. These twelve gemstones keep life going, with the Grass gemstone creating all vegetation, the Water gemstone controlling the flow of rivers and oceans, the Fire gemstone creating the flames that light up candles and volcanoes, the Light gemstone creating the warm daytime, the Dark gemstone controlling the blackness of night, the Air gemstone creating the skies and the clouds, so on and so forth.

But should the gemstones ever be stolen, the world would be knocked off balance. If the Grass gemstone was taken, all plant life would disappear. If the Water gemstone went missing, you'd have no rivers, seas, lakes, not even rain. You get the drill.

That is why the twelve gemstones are hidden, far away from prying eyes. Some think they're in a forest, some in a mountain, some say they're in an ocean, others in a burning volcano. No one knows where they are, and no one knows whether they even exist at all.

Legends say that there are Pokémon that protect the twelve gemstones. Some say that they protect the world, others say that they only protect the gemstones. Some even say that it's a legendary Pokémon that protects the gemstones from possible intruders, but that fact remains unknown.

For now, though, all is calm in this world. Pokémon just went about their daily lives, working at their jobs, spending time with their families, leading ordinary lives in their small, cozy towns and cities. However, all that is soon going to change…

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In the darkness of the night, all was still, save for the slight rustle of leaves in the wind. Then, the crunch of footsteps on grass resounded as a figure, black as the night itself, jumped out of the forest, panting as it looked back the way it came.

"Hey! Stop right there!"

"Get back here!"

"Don't bother running, we'll catch you anyway!"

"It went this way!"

Once they heard those shouts coming from the undergrowth, the Pokémon started running, fleeing up the hill beyond the forest, carrying a small, round object with them.

At the top of the hill, the black figure stopped, glancing around wildly for the nearest place to run, until they spotted a light, albeit a faint one, from a nearby town. With the voices from before growing louder, the figure knew they had no time to waste, and darted towards the town, clutching the round object in their paws like their life depended on it.

Illuminated by dim streetlights and the faint glow from nearby houses, one could make out the canid figure of the black Pokémon, with their voluminous crimson mane and long claws glinting somewhat under the glow of the lights, and the bright blue eyes that darted frantically about, looking for something. In their claws was a small egg, black and tipped with bloody red. The Zoroark made a beeline for the nearest house, hoping beyond hope that its occupants could keep the egg - her child - safe. In the distance, the voices grew louder. She had to do this fast.

Placing the black egg as gently as she could on the doorsteps of the small house, the Zoroark felt the warm tears forming in her eyes, threatening to spill out. Though it pained her to say goodbye to her only child, she knew what would happen should her pursuers find the egg. Even she didn't want to think about it.

"Please...be safe." With that, the Zoroark stepped back to look at her egg once more, then rang the doorbell and took off into the surrounding bushes. When the door opened, the only evidence of anyone ever ringing the doorbell was the egg.

The Lucario couple who answered the doorbell were rather confused. ''An egg?'' The shorter of the two asked, her feminine voice soft and kind.

''What would an egg be doing here?'' The taller Lucario said, voice low and gruff.

''I don't know, but we can't just leave it out here, Jake."

''Alright, Lenda. Let's take it inside.'' The taller Lucario, apparently named Jake, picked up the black egg and carried it into the house, all the while unaware of the Zoroark that was watching the entire scene from the bushes. The Illusion Pokémon breathed a sigh of relief, and took one last glance at the house.

''I hope you live a good life, my little angel...'' With salty tears finally streaming down her face, the Zoroark disappeared into the forest, the only traces of her being a short trail of tear drops soaked into the ground.

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''How could an egg wind up outside our house?'' Jake asked, inspecting the black-and-crimson egg while Lenda washed the dishes.

''I don't know, Jake. Maybe someone left it there?'' Lenda suggested.

''That...is a possibility. But who in Wisp Town would leave an egg outside our house, of all places?''

''Like I said, I don't know,'' Lenda said, putting the plate away. The blue jackal wiped her paws before sitting down on the sofa, next to Jake.

''Well, we cou-'' The egg started to shake in Jake's paws.''What the?!'' Both Lucario stared in shock at the egg shaking before a crack appeared on its shell. ''I-it's gonna hatch!'' The egg began to shine brighter, with the Lucario couple quickly covering their eyes as light engulfed the room.

In a flash, the light faded away. As both Lucario opened their eyes and looked down to see what had hatched, they were given the shock of a lifetime.

With the Pokémon's black fur and red accents, it could only be a Zorua. The Zorua's eyes opened as it curiously took in its surroundings, and looked up, staring at the Lucario couple. It let out a happy yip as it wagged its tail happily, oblivious to the shock on its 'parents' faces.

''A...Zorua...?''Jake stuttered out.

''Yip!'' The black illusion fox barked.

''Aw! It likes you!'' Lenda squealed in delight as Jake stared at her, his jaw touching the floor.

''Lenda! you don't know what this means?!''

''What do you mean?'' Lenda asked, confused by the sudden outburst.

''A Zorua is born bad!'' Jake said.

''So?''

''What do you mean 'so'? This Zorua might bring a bad omen!''

''We can make this Zorua good,'' Lenda said simply, her husband staring at her as if she was a madwoman.

''You are not suggesting that we keep this Zorua?!''

''We are doing exactly that,'' Lenda replied calmly.

''Lenda! You can't just ta-''

''Jake! He doesn't have a family! We can't just give him up for adoption! You said a Zorua is born bad, so what do you think will happen to him?!'' Lenda shouted, her normally soft tone laced with anger. ''He's gonna be treated badly! And you want to subject him to that kind of life?!''

''But it's...oh geez, fine.'' Jake gave in after receiving a sharp glare from his wife, letting her take the baby Zorua from his paws.

''He's gonna make a fine brother to Barke,'' Lenda cooed. Jake could only frown in response, and approached her.

''So, what are you gonna name the fox?'' Lenda gave her husband another sharp glare, somewhat unhappy that Jake just referred to their adopted son as a wild Pokémon, causing him to sheepishly grin as sweat rolled down his face. However, the Zorua let out a happy yip. Both Lucario then stared at the black fox, mildly confused.

''Whatever I said, it li-''

''It's a boy, Jake.''

''Okay, he liked it.'' Jake retorted.

''So Fox, huh?'' The Zorua yipped in approval at his new name, bringing a smile to Lenda's face.

''Fox...His name is Fox McClaws.''


A/N:I would like to thank Rockium for the help with this chapter. This story was bugging me for a while, so I decided to write it out, and post the story. I don't own Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, Chunsoft those.