Chapter 1 Cruelty

It was evening time. The sun was slowly going down behind the mountain and illuminating the sky orange. On the ground a young boy with black hair riding his bicycle through the thick forest of the Viridian, with his best friend Pichu on his shoulder who was hanging for his dear life because they were going too fast. But the boy didn't notice, he was too excited to do that. He was griming nonstop all the way.

"We did it, pi! We finally graduate from Pokemon Technical School." The boy exclaimed. He was practically beaming from the excitement.

Pokemon Technical School is a school for aspiring Pokemon trainers. In this school, the students learn how to take care of their pokemon and trained them. They also learn about basic survival skills like how to make tents or how to cook. It's is necessary for the students to graduate from this school if they want to become Pokemon trainers.

"Pika pi" Pikachu squeezed his out word, trying to catch his best friend attention.

"Oh, sorry Pikachu. I got carried away. I just to tell the to mom as soon as possible." the boy apologised to his creature friend as he slows down his bicycle. He looked around the forest to see various Pokemon preparing for the night.

The graduation ceremony took longer than expected. After the graduation ceremony, he said goodbye to his two friends, Misty and Brock and took off toward his home in Pallet Town.

"I'm going to miss those two. It would be fun if we were all able to travel together but they have their dream to fulfil. So there nothing can be done." Ash thought.

Misty wants to become a water type gym leader and for that, she needs the approval of another gym leader. The only way to get that approval is to complete a one-year internship at that gym. Brock wants to become a doctor. So he going to study at some university.

He quickly passed by a board sign which said: "Pallet Town ahead". When the town was in his sight his thought moves from his friends to his mother. His mother raises him as a single mother when his father left him many years ago. Ever since then he promised himself that he would become the greatest Pokemon trainer.

" I will make you proud, Mom. I, Ash Ketchum, will become the greatest Pokemon Master there ever be." The boy thought who's name is Ash Ketchum.

When Ash entered the town, he notices something strange. The town was awfully quiet. There is a pin drop silence. Normally at this time, there would be a lot of people outside. You would see children playing near the roads while the adult's chit chats with each other. And yet, so far he didn't see a single soul. He getting a bad feeling about this.

"Where would everyone go?" He thought aloud. Although the population of Pallet town is very low. Only twenty to thirty families including his lives here. Even then this situation feels wired.

Suddenly, his Pichu jump from the bicycle and run towards the backward of a house.

"Hey, Pichu! Where are you going?" Ash calls out to his friend. He quickly gets off his bike and follows Pichu. Upon arriving he discovered a boy laying down on the ground covered in blood.

"Hey, are you okay?" Ash come close to the boy. After checking he found out the boy isn't breathing which freaked him out.

"What going on here?" Ash leave the lifeless body on the boy and run towards his house.

"I'm sure Mom's going to be okay. She going to welcome me as usual. That boy probably gets into some accident. I will come back to that boy with Mom to help him. Yes, that's right." Ash repeatedly thought that. But no matter what he thinks he wasn't able to put out a sick feeling at the bottom of his stomach.

Along the way to his house, he saw some more corpses covered in blood. Seen those lifeless bodies increased his sickening feeling. He burst open the door of his house. What he saw in his house horrified him even more. Every single piece of furniture was destroyed.

"Where are you, Mom?" He calls his mother. He quickly checks the entire house but didn't find his mother.

"Did you find her anywhere?" He asked his Pichu at which the Pichu whole his head. Normally Pichu can find her easily but for some reason, Pichu wasn't able to pick up her scent.

"Maybe she went to Professor Oak's lab," Ash said. His mother is an old student of Professor Oak. He always takes care of his mother and him. From Ash, there is still hope.

He quickly picks up Pichu and sprints towards the laboratory. The only thing Pallet Town is known for is the laboratory of famous Professor Oak. He rings the bell countless times but no answer come from the other side. With each second his sickening feeling is getting stronger.

"Professor Oak! It's me, Ash. Please open the door. Is anybody there? Professor Oak, Tracy, Mom!" Ash shout through the door. After a few more attempts, he gives up. He knows that there is another way to get into the lab which is through the ranch.

At the ranch, he saw the horror of his lifetime. He saw the corpses of pokemon laying all around the ranch. Many of those Pokemon which he considered his friends are under his care.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" At the sight of his friend's lifeless body, he screamed at the top of his lungs. Tears are coming out of his eyes. But he didn't stop. He continued to walk towards the lab. His hope was slipping from his hand as he saw more and more corpses.

"Arceus, I pray to you. Please let my Mom be safe." Ash pray to the God Pokemon hoping for a miracle. His heart stopped for a second when he saw the body of Tracey Sketchit, the assistant of Professor Oak. Ash noticed that some limbs were missing from the body which nearly makes him vomit.

He stands in front of the lab door or whatever is left of it. The door was smashed into pieces. He entered the lab while continuing praying to Arceus and hoping for the best. But it looks like Arceus didn't listen to Ash prayers.

Ash soon find his mother body laying in the large pool of blood which undoubtedly is her own. There are several stabs wounds on her chest. Both of her arms were missing. Upon seeing his mother in this kind of state, Ash feels like his heart dropped to the floor. He dropped down to his knees and hugs his mother's lifeless body. Pichu stands near his friend as weeps unable to provide any comfort to his friend.

Pichu ears pick up a strange sound behind them. He turned around and saw three Pokemon came out of nowhere and were growling towards them. Feeling danger he took a defensive position between them and his friend, ready to protect him at any cost. Electricity sparks from his cheeks.

These Pokemon look strange. They looked like Arcanine but their fur is all black and they had red glowing eyes. Several shaped teeth were coming out of their jaw. One of them charged toward Pichu. To stop that Pichu release an electric blot. Unfortunately, the Pichu attack was too weak to stop the Pokemon. The Pokemon slammed into the Pichu making fly towards the wall. Upon impacted Pichu let out a painful cry.

Pichu cry being Ash back to reality as he watched Pichu smashed into a wall and then fell unconscious.

"Pichu, No!" Ash exclaimed. He quickly runs towards Pichu and picks up his unconscious friend into his arm. He turned around to face three Pokemon. They were all growling at him. At this point, he could care less about his own life. He just wants to make sure that Pichu makes it out of here alive.

"I can't defeat them not I can't outrun them in a long distance. My best option would be to avoid them and find a place where I could hide Pichu and then distract them so didn't find Pichu." Ash made up his mind. He going to sacrifice himself so Pichu would stay alive.

"AAAAHHHH" Ash screamed as he leapt towards them. They also attacked him but he was able to dodge them. While dodging them he stumbled and fell on the floor. He looks up to one of them is charging a claw attack at him. So he quickly rolled out of the way and then get up and run outside the lab.

Just when near the boundary of the ranch, Ash was struck by a blast. The blast throws him onto the ground and Pichu landed a couple of feet away from him.

"An attack from those Pokemon?" Ash thought as tries to stand up. But a sudden weight much him down harder.

He looked through the corner of his eyes and saw that one of those black Pokemon is pressing him down. From a close distance, they looked more menacing. The Pokemon open his jaw and bite Ash's right shoulder.

"AAAAAAA" Ash screened in agony. His eyes were shut due to pain. He feels like his life is draining from his body. His consciousness was fading slowly.

"It looks like this is for me. I'm sorry Mom I'm not able to make you proud, I'm not able to become the greatest Pokemon Master. I'm sorry." Ash apologised to his mother in his mind. He looks at Pichu one last time and saw that his friend was still fighting. This makes his eyes wide open. There are several wounds on Pichu body. Every time he was knocked out by those black Pokemon he slowly and surely stands up and attacks them.

"This is so pathetic of me. I promised Pichu that I will become the greatest Pokemon Master with him and we will never give up until the very end. And here I am, giving up before even started." Ash thought. A new flame ignites in him. A flame of determination and as to show this determination his eyes turn blue. His body was overflowing from an unknown strength.

He grits his teeth and squeezed his plan into a fist. He slowly gets onto his knee. To stop him, the black creature applied more force. Ash grunt in pain but remain up. After a lot of struggle, he was able to open the jaw of the Pokemon who was biting him. With his newfound strength, he threw the black Pokemon over his shoulder towards the other black Pokemon and smashed into one of them. Without wasting time Ash closed the distance and punched the remaining one of them. Ash didn't notice but his fist was glowing blue.

All three black Pokemon recovery quickly and surround Ash. He and Pichu take a stance ready to protect each other. Ash's shoulder was bleeding heavily, his back was also injured from the previous blast. Pichu was had various wounds on his body.

"We both are not in a good shape. We need to get out of here and look for help." Ash thought. When Ash was lost in his thought one black Pokemon charges at him with a claw attack.

"Piiichu!" Pichu cried to gain Ash attention but it was too late. After noticing the black pokemon, he tried to dodge the attack but it was too close. Just as the claw is about to touch Ash's chest, a voice echo in the dark atmosphere of Pallet Town.

"Aura Sphere"

Simultaneously a blue sphere comes out of nowhere and struck the black pokemon with an explosion. Ash was also caught in the blast which blows him towards the ground.

Ash heard someone footsteps stop near him. He turned around to saw a person who was dressed in blue. He gets down and touched Ash's head. And some after a blue flame enveloped him. First Ash panicked at the sight of blue flame but then relaxed. He can feel that his wounds are healing and pain is slowly going away.

"Save Pichu," Ash mumbled as he slips into a deep sleep.

"Don't worry, Everything was going to be alright." The man said as he looks at Lucario defeating three black Pokemon with ease. After Lucario is done dealing with them, he returned to the man with a wounded Pichu in his arms. The man picked up Ash and disappeared into the dark of night.

To be continued