Hi guys, this is a story about what happens after a young boy, Oscar, is killed (for reasons I will still not go into) by pokemon while trying to save his own pokemon. Jack, Oscars older brother, is thrown into a world of cataclysm as the Hoenn League disbands, and law and order collapse.

I am also considering making a rom hack for Ruby (Considering? I've already started reworking the Hoenn map, though partly for help knowing where my story is going) based on Cataclysm.

Please R&R

-Ship-

P.S. Thanks for the pointers, I have tried to include a bit more character description in this chapter.

Chapter 3

Today was Oscar's birthday. Actually, it was his tenth birthday, and the day on which Professor Birch would give away one rare pokémon each to the new trainers of Littleroot and Oldale. Oscar was, needless to say, excited. In front of him were four pokéballs – those of Torchic, Treecko, Mudkip, and, a new addition to the offered pokémon since last year, when Birch acquired a female Salamence, Bagon.

To Oscar's delight, the twins, Dale and Dena, eleven this year, and identical in nearly every way, from their dark hair, to their fiery determination, picked Torchic and Treecko. Oscar desperately wanted a Mudkip, and, he reasoned, no other trainer but himself would choose a Mudkip over a Bagon. He hadn't met a trainer yet who preferred the little splashing water pokémon to the powerful dragon. Then despair fell over him; the Oldale trainer was reaching for the ball with the little water droplet imprinted on the front. His heart fell as the hand closed around his dream pokémon.

"Yeah!" Chris shouted out with glee, "I got Mudkip!"

So Oscar had no choice but to choose the last remaining pokémon, and feign happiness, saying that he had always wanted a Bagon, that it was his favourite pokémon, and they would be the best of friends.

He followed the others outside and silently cursed his politesse in allowing the others to pick first. His mother was waiting for him, and she congratulated him on getting his favourite, and his father slapped him on the back, laughing. Only his brother, Jack, leant against the fence, his auburn hair dishevelled by the breeze, and smiled sadly. Oscar had confided his preference only in Jack, and now the older boy knew, as soon as he saw the concealed dismay on his younger brother's face, that he had been disappointed.

"It'll be alright." Jack said later, in an attempt to console his younger brother, "You know what? I never wanted a Treecko. But now, me and Grovyle are great friends."

Oscar had not yet let his new pokémon out of it's ball, and now he saw Jack reach around to release the Bagon from the pokéball, distinguished with a white tooth printed onto the red.

He smiled involuntarily as the little pokémon wandered around, and looked towards him. It smiled back and jumped up into Oscar's lap.

"There you go!" Jack exclaimed, "It likes you already!"

Oscar laughed, "Hello Bagon!" he said, his tears brushed away, "You're a funny little guy, aren't you?" Then he stopped, bemused, as the little pokémon jumped from his bed and went, head first, straight through the floor. He landed on a kitchen tile, cracking it, and stood up, slightly dazed. Bagon looked up though the hole, slightly confused as to how he got through the floor, and the two boys began to laugh uncontrollably.

"Oscar!" His mum called, "Why did your pokémon just break through my ceiling?" She sounded annoyed, understandably.

"I'm not sure, Mum. Why did my pokémon just break through your ceiling?" Replied Oscar. He and Jack immediately burst into fits of laughter again.

By the next day, Oscar was ready to leave. He and Bagon walked out of Littleroot in high spirits, Route 101 ahead, and his home town retreating into the distance behind him. The slight uphill climb of the Route, combined with the ledges Oscar climbed to avoid crashing through the undergrowth, where he knew he should be venturing to find the resident pokémon, tired his legs, and he soon sat down for a rest, perhaps a mile from home.

He watched a Swellow circle high above, searching for prey in the shade of the surrounding woods. Munching on a sandwich, he pulled out his new pokédex, and aimed the target-finding lens in the vague direction of the Swellow;

"Swellow dives upon prey from far above," It said, "It never misses its targets. It takes to the skies in search of lands with a warm climate." A small eye appeared beside the icon of the Swellow and the machine continued: "This particular Swellow is close to two meters from beak to tail, an unusually large specimen." A new icon appeared in the corner, "Data saved for information transfer."

Oscar knew what that meant – the pokédex would wait until the next time it was linked to a computer and send the data to the Professor. He could easily imagine the Professor becoming excited over such a trivial thing as he watched the bird dive into the forest with lightning precision, probably having seen a small animal to eat.

Bagon watched the bird soar, seemingly wistful.

As the sun rose to it's zenith, a bizarre bird-like pokémon (at least, Oscar assumed it was a pokémon) drifted down to land on a shrub. It looked somewhat like a blue ball, with a beak and feathers, with cloud-like wings.

Oscar scrabbled to his feet, having sat for ten minutes or so, and fished his pokédex back out of his pocket.

It began to speak again in it's tinny tone "Swablu. The Cotton Bird Pokémon. It can't relax if it or its surroundings are not clean. It wipes off dirt with its wings. Swablu are seen throughout Hoenn due to their ability to ride the lightest breeze for an indefinite amount of time. Sightings are rare, however, as there are very few Swablu left in the wild."

Oscar grinned and grabbed a pokéball from his rucksack. He briefly considered getting a belt to keep them on, but then returned to the task at hand. "Bagon!" He shouted, "Use, er, tackle!" He was working off what seemed the most basic move he had seen his brother battle with at the Hoenn Conference last year.

Bagon nodded and leapt at the Swablu, crying out in exhilaration. The startled pokémon hopped into the air, it's wings catching the wind as it did. Bagon's solid head clipped one wing as he made to tackle his opponent back to the ground. The pokémon lost balance and crashed into the dirt. Bagon turned around for another attack, predicting Oscar's hesitant command, and leapt at the prone form of the bird pokémon, knocking it back down as it tried to push off the ground.

The Swablu was injured, but as Bagon closed in for the final tackle, it's cottony wings turned to steel, allowing the bird to club Bagon around the face with surprising strength. Now, the two were on equal footing, the Swablu unable to take off for fear of taking it's attention away from the dinosaurian attacker, and Bagon dazed and confused.

Oscar decided that his time to strike was now, so he threw the pokéball at the little blue pokémon and hoped. The ball opened and encased Swablu As it wobbled, Bagon threw himself on it without hesitation and held it shut, not wishing to battle with metal wings again.

"Go, Bagon!" Oscar cheered, as the light on the ball dimmed, "Oh yes! I caught a Swablu!" He caught the ball coming back to him and tossed it in the air, catching it in one hand. He grinned

Bagon stood up wearily and held up a thumb to Oscar, before scampering over and opening Oscar's bag. He pulled out his own pokéball and looked at Oscar. "Bagon?", the meaning of the question seemed obvious, so Oscar laughed. He knelt down and took the pokéball from Bagon, turning it to find the button, before recalling his new friend. Oscar quickly packed away his lunchbox, and his pokéballs, and carried on his way, scrambling onto ledges and trotting slowly up the hill.

He had covered most of the eight mile trek by the time he saw the Oldale Radio mast that linked the networks as far as Littleroot. Bagon was once again walking beside him, his energy replenished after a short time in his pokéball. With a smile, he broke into a run over the crest and back down the last slope to Oldale.

Oldale was a small town, only a little larger than Littleroot, but with it's own Pokémon Center, a few shops, and, most notably, the Oldale Brewery, a large brick building that gave the surrounding area the smell of fermenting beer. As Oscar entered the small town, he looked around for the Pokémon Centre, where he knew he could find free lodgings, and heal Bagon and Swablu, hopefully not completely rebellious after it's capture.

"Hello, young man." Nurse Joy welcomed him as he entered the centre, only a little way down the path littered with stores and houses at the entrance to Oldale. The Center was predominately built from wood, the rich colours of the local Acer, taken from the edges of Greatroot Forest, giving the Centre a good feeling.

"Hello." Oscar replied to the Nurse, "Nurse Joy, please can you heal my Bagon and Swablu? I think Swablu is hurt, and Bagon is very tired." He crafted his sentence to seem as pleading as possible, and it seemed to work.

The Nurse smiled warmly and took the pokéballs from the young trainer. "A Swablu and a Bagon?" She said, "It sounds like you're trying to be a Dragon pokémon trainer."

Oscar just looked confused; "I don't know." he said, he didn't understand how Swablu was in any way related to dragons. Bagon, perhaps, although he seemed more like a lizard than a dragon, but Swablu? A little blue bird with wings made of clouds?

"Bagon is a Dragon-type" The Nurse continued, "and even though Swablu is a Flying and Normal-type pokémon, it evolves into Altaria, which is part Dragon-type. I have to say, for a beginner trainer, to have caught a Swablu is an achievement to be proud of."

Oscar retrieved his Pokédex and opened it up. "Bagon is a Dragon-type pokémon." It confirmed, "It evolves into Shelgon, and then Salamence when it becomes old or experienced enough. Swablu's evolved form, Altaria, is also a Dragon-type."

"Oh yeah..." Oscar said, still not sure. Salamence, at least, was clearly a dragon, and so must Bagon be, as it's offspring, but Altaria didn't exactly look like the dragon Pokémon he had seen on TV, predominately in the Indigo League, as he had stopped following the Hoenn Conference when Jack was knocked out in the sixth round last year, before he could face any dragon trainers. Dragonair and Kingdra, for example.

Nurse Joy smiled again, "You can stay in Room Seven, if you want. Two other trainers from Littleroot arrived a few minutes ago, after going through Greatroot. Chris came straight home to Oldale after he got his Mudkip yesterday, and he's on his way to Slateport today – he took a ferry across the river on Route 103.

"Thankyou, Nurse Joy. I'll come and get my pokémon later." Oscar replied, slightly annoyed that Chris was already on his way to the next town, even though he planned to visit Petalburg next. He went to his room for the night and dumped his heavy rucksack on the floor. He had a few hours until the shops closed at half-five, so he fished through his bag, looking for his wallet.

He was about to open the door, when a knock came, and startled him into hitting his head on the wardrobe beside him.

"Crap!" He muttered, and opened the door. Dena stood there, her hand resting on her hip and leaning against the deep doorframe. She was a little taller than Oscar, and her face was less linear. Her twin brother was standing a little way back, his posture almost identical to his sister's, standing at an angle, hand in his pocket, but his head dipped slightly so his dark, tidy fringe fell over his face.

"Oscar!" Dena almost shouted, and Dale smiled at his sister's enthusiasm, winking at Oscar, who was slightly unnerved.

"Hi guys," Oscar replied mildly, "Nurse Joy said you were in town, but I forgot you would be staying here. I was just about to go and buy some stuff, do you want to come with me?"

Dale nodded his affirmation, and Dena beamed, "Yeah!" she said, happily. It took a lot to make Dena unenthusiastic.

Oldale had few shops, but the convenience store held a wealth of cheap food that they could buy, in addition to the food given to them from their parents, which wouldn't last a very long time – perhaps a few days, enough to get them from Littleroot to Petalburg, but both Oscar and the twins wanted to replenish the food eaten on the way to Oldale, and buy some extra, just in case. Oscar had doubts about how he would fit the food in, with his sleeping bag and clothes, but at least he didn't have to carry a tent, thanks to Hoenn's hot summers and very mild winters.

Oscar went, on his own, into a camping store. He browsed through the shelves stacked high with equipment he would never need, but eventually found what he was looking for: A belt with clasps for pokéballs, and a pouch for his Pokédex. The belt was cheap, so Oscar bought it and left the shop.

Having left Dale and Dena to do their own thing, Oscar returned to the Pokémon Center. Nurse Joy looked up as he walked by her desk, and called out to him.

"Oscar?" She said, making him turn around, "Your pokémon are fine now." She picked two pokéballs from behind the desk and placed them on the counter.

Oscar murmured his thanks, and took the balls, clipping them onto his new belt. He lay down on his bed, looking forward to the free dinner served in the atrium of the Center. Again, a knock came from outside. Dale and Dena let themselves in through the unlocked door, and sat on the bed, Dena pulling him upright.

"What?" Oscar said, grumpily.

"Nurse Joy healed our pokémon, we thought you might like to see." Dena said.

"Actually," Dale interjected, "Dena heard Nurse Joy talking to you about your Swablu earlier – our room is right above the Atrium – and she thought it might be healed by now so she wanted to see it."

Dena shot Dale a nasty look, but Oscar just laughed. "I haven't actually brought it out myself, yet. I get the feeling it might be a bit pissed off." Dena looked shocked at the use of the expletive from a boy a year younger than her, but Dale didn't seem to register it. He had learned plenty of curses from the same source as Oscar. Jack. The two boys idolised the eldest of the four current Littleroot trainers, who had competed in the Hoenn and Indigo Leagues in two years, and created a formidable team of pokémon, spearheaded by the agile and strong Grovyle.

Oscar pulled both pokéballs from his belt and called out Bagon and Swablu. Bagon jumped onto the bed beside the three friends, and Swablu fluttered around nervously, before settling on the arm of wooden chair in the corner.

Dena laughed with delight at the little Swablu, before summoning her own Treecko, who sat down by her feet in content. Dale brought out Torchic, and a small lilypad-like pokémon. Oscar took his Pokédex from it's new pouch and aimed it at the pokémon:

"Lotad. The Water Weed Pokémon. Lotad live in ponds and lakes, where they float on the surface. It grows weak if its broad leaf dies. On rare occasions, this Pokémon travels on land in search of clean water."

Oscar looked up. "A Lotad, huh?" He said, "Cool."

Swablu uncertainly flew over to Oscar's outstretched arm and looked at him curiously. The wings were soft, and it's sharp claws dug into his arm slightly, causing a bizarre sensation.

"Oh, Oscar, I forgot to say, Happy Birthday. We bought you this." Dale said, holding out a large paper bag labelled Blacks. Blacks was the outdoor shop where Oscar bought his belt, and he wondered what the twins could have bought him.

"Thanks, guys, you really didn't have to..." Oscar tailed off.

"Yeah, we did. You gave us twenty pounds each for our eleventh." replied Dale, "Now open it."

Oscar reached into the paper bag and slid out a large folded bundle of brown felted cloth. He lifted it and it fell into the shape of a long travelling cloak.

"It's for you to use on the journey." Dale said, "You must have felt the wind today, on Route 101. That's going to get worse as the Winter sets in – It'll be fine, sleeping under the shelter of trees, but out on the Routes, the wind chill will be cold."

"And it goes with your hair... sort of." Dena interjected.

Oscar smiled at Dale's practical thoughtfulness, and Dena's odd whims, and thanked the two. Dena, of course, hugged him, and Dale smiled back. "I got myself one too. Dena thought she might look strange so she's sticking with her regular coat."

"Will you two travel with me?" Oscar asked suddenly, "I don't have any plans further than Petalburg, and I know you two don't – you never have plans, but I don't see the point of us going places separately."

Dena withdrew from her crushing hug. "Of course." She seemed surprised, and Dale nodded, "The only reason we went our own way this morning was because you had already left at some ridiculous hour. Which reminds me, how did you get here after us?"

Oscar shrugged, pleased that the twins shared his desire to travel together, "I stopped a few times. Bear in mind I had to go up a bloody huge hill."

Dena laughed and Dale grinned quietly.

That night, Oscar went to sleep happy.