Chapter 5

Nate

"Bye Blair!" Nate shouted to the tall figure. Blair was leaving to start his Pokémon journey, and the whole town was there to send him off. Blair was their little towns golden child. His mom died at birth and his dad disappeared, much like nates own dad had. Blair had been raised in the orphanage and had been schooled according to tradition. Cast out at 8, and Blair quickly found a place at the Pokémon day care center. There Blair discovered an aptitude with Pokémon which the town helped him succeed with. It was for that reason that the town pooled their resources to send him on a boat to the nearby town pallet, where professor alder knew of another professor that resided there. Blair was the towns golden child, and the pride of the whole town. While Nate loved Blair as a brother, he couldn't help but notice that Blair never had to work for anything; it was always given to him. You should be able to see why a person like Nate, who's had to work for everything would begin to resent Blair for all of his handouts. To nates right the daycare owners cried quietly as Nate embraced them for the final time. After they finished blair came over and looked at Nate.

"I'll come back Nate, I swear." He told Nate ruffling his hair. Nates eyes began to fill with tears and he pulled blair into a tight hug. Nate let out a silent sob and stood back. Blair turned his back on the town and headed out to the dock.

Nate woke groggily from passing out and had a splintering headache. Nate groaned audibly and did a self-examination. His shoulder ached but didn't feel dislocated. There were countless scrapes and bruises all over him, but nothing he hadn't had before. The only thing he was frightened of was the swelling in his ankle; the fact he couldn't feel it made it worse. Nate glanced to the roof and could see the hole he fell down from. Splintered pieces of wood lay around him, and dust filled the air. The drop looked about 10 feet which would explain the injures. Nate felt odd now, like a hand was gripping his heart. That may be a side effect of the electricity that ravaged his body, but Nate wasnt stood up and fell down almost immediately gripping his ankle and crying out in pain.

"Broken, definitely broken" Nate thought as he cursed silently at his predicament.

"Alright enough complaining, be a man and do something!" Gus's voice rang in his head. That was his favorite thing to say to Nate whenever he screwed up. Whether it was a splinter or a cut requiring a trip to the hospital, Gus allowed zero complaining. He was a man of action, and didnt stop for anything that was unnecessary in his opinion. Nate took a deep breath and glanced around looking for something that he could use. There was absolutely nothing useful around him, just stone and broken wood.

"Stupid wood!" Nate shouted as he threw a piece of broken wood into the nearby wall. Nate had a nasty temper when provoked, and the situation was making his emotions flare.

"Wait... I can use it!" Nate thought excitedly as he grabbed two medium sized pieces that were roughly the same size and width. Nate ripped off yet another part of his now jagged shirt, and tied the two pieces of wood on either side of his ankle; making a splint. Nate stood up slowly and tested his ankle, it hurt like hell but he could walk with a slight limp. Nate then examined the chamber he was in for a way out, and saw a faint glowing coming from the other side of the room. It was meandering, an unnatural glow with an indescribable color. Nate slowly limped over to the glow and discovered it to be a sort of altar. There was no beautiful painting, no inscription; just a bright yellow stone sitting on it. It was oval shaped, and seemed to draw light all around to it. Nate felt the hand on his heart squeeze as he reached out to take the stone. All of the hairs on nates arms stood at end and Nate gently placed his hands on the stone.

The hand gripping his heart released and Nate felt relieved and happy again. All that mattered was the stone. It was all Nate needed to be happy, and he would defend it with his life. In fact, Nate would have to now kill the professor to protect it. Yes that's-

"No!" Nate shouted as he released the stone. The petrifying effect it had on him was released and he realized what he had been thinking.

"I was gonna kill professor alder" Nate muttered to himself looking at his hands as if they were covered in blood. Nate shivered and turned his attention to the stone. Nate didnt like what it did to him, but didn't want to just leave it after coming so far. Knowing not to touch it else risk coming under its spell again Nate pulled a sack he normally carried crops in and put it around the strange stone. The room seemed to brighten after muffling the stone, and Nate picked it up from the alter and set it in his backpack. As soon as he had picked it up, the wall behind the alter slid open, revealing the large chamber Nate had started in.

...

Nate felt rain pounding on him as he trudged through the forest dejectedly, slightly limping. The sky was lit up with lightning and thunder boomed above him. Nate knew that just walking in the icy rain like he was he risked getting badly sick; so he needed shelter. Nate couldn't think of any place until it dawned on him... Gus's ranch! It shouldn't be that far away from him, as he was in the forest at the moment. Gus's ranch would be perfect, plus he hadn't talked to Gus in a while and wanted to reconnect with the aging man.

With Gus's ranch on his mind Nate set off through the forest with a purpose and still with a slight limp. It only took him 20 minutes or so, but Nate reached the edge of the forest, and that was when he was tackled. Nate cried out as he was taken to the ground and felt a heavy weight on his chest. Nate shoved whatever it was off and rolled back. He quickly pulled out his now and notched an arrow. It would have been a very cool little move except for his bad ankle. Nate cried out in pain and fell down, his bow falling out of his hands.

If it had been an actual angry Pokémon Nate would have been screwed, but luckily for him it wasn't. Looking up Nate realized it was a growlithe, not just any growlithe but Gus's.

"Come here Argos." Nate crooned to the familiar dog. Argos's ears perked and he walked over to Nate slowly sniffing every few seconds. The dog looked terrified, and that was probably why he had attacked Nate. Nate pet Argos and scratched behind his ears while thinking. Gus would never let him out of his sight, and why was he so scared. Nate decided to investigate as he arose to his feet and walked to the edge of the forest, Argos trailing behind him. What Nate saw would shake him forever.

The sky was filled with these awful blimps with a blood red R on the side. That wasnt even the worst part. The city was in flames, as dark smoke billowed out from the towers. Nates beautiful city he called home, destroyed by these lunatics. Near Gus's house Nate spotted a large group of men sporting a black skin-tight outfit with a large R on the chests. Their was one exception to the consensus however. One man who was tall, and had a head of grey hair. He wore a dark suit with a red tie. Gus was slouched over with handcuffs on his wrists and was being dragged by two of the normal men. A blimp was resting on the ground with a ramp extending from it. The men took Gus onto the blimp and the man in the suit followed. The ramp slid back onto the blimp and it was gone, taking Gus with them.

"They took Gus!" Nate exclaimed audibly feeling the anger take over him. His hands shook and tears flowed down his cheeks. Next to him, Argos keened softly and lowered itself down.

"Stop complaining! Be a man and do something!" Gus's voice rang out in Nate's mind. Knowing the old man to be correct, Nate shook his head and put his mind on the task at hand- getting to the city. Nate realized that Argos would slow him down greatly but couldn't leave him behind with Gus gone. Nate thought hard and remembered his necklace. Pulling the pokéball off of the chain, Nate pressed a button and enlarged it.

"I need you to go in here so I can travel quickly." He told Argos softly while holding the middle button on the ball. A red laser point light was trained on Argos and Nate let go. Argos was transformed into a red blob as it disappeared into the open pokéball. Nate couldn't help but feel a sense of exuberance as the pokéball clicked. Technically it was his first catch, discounting pidgey, who didn't reside in a pokéball. Nate pocketed the pokéball and moved onto his next problem... How to get to the city. With the limp Nate had to walk with it would take hours, and Nate needed to be there yesterday.

Examining his surroundings Nate saw a lone ponyta grazing in Gus's now empty fields. Nate approached as quickly and silently as he could and got within a stones throw of it before it noticed him. It glanced up at him with these blue eyes that pierced right through Nate. The ponyta snorted at Nate and stamped its foot. Nate took another step and the ponyta screened and charged Nate. The Pokémon in its fear could do serious damage to Nate so he quickly thought of a plan. As the ponyta approached Nate stayed in place until he could feel the heat from its mane and jumped to the side. As the ponyta passé Nate grabbed it and swung himself onto it in one fluid motion. The ponyta proceeded to buck and scream for a few minutes until it calmed and accepted that it had a passenger now. Nate pulled out his rope and formed a sort of reins with it draping it over the ponytas mouth so he could have some sort of control. Nate turned his eyes to the city now and flicked the reigns.

...

Nate approached the city gates on the ponyta feeling very sore. He wouldn't recommend riding bare back as it led to soreness in some odd regions. The city gates were in ruins and fires were everywhere. The sky was filled with probably 20 air blimps which all had ropes dangling down to the ground. Nate had ponyta jump over the rumble blocking off the city. The ornate fountain was destroyed and the water ran red. Nate looked left and right and saw fires and destruction everywhere.

"Water gun Poliwrath!" A voice rang out. Nate felt himself fly off of the ponyta and hit the ground hard. One of those men in the black jumpsuits had a Poliwrath in front of him. The ponyta was lying down on its side knocked out. The Poliwrath made a move to attack again, and Nate jumped to his feet and took of running. He took of down a side street moving as fast as he could with his limp. Nate turned down another street and glanced behind him, the man hasn't pursued him. Nate took of at a quick pace making for his house.

...

Nate turned the final corner to find his childhood home on fire. He approached quickly.

"MOM?" Nate yelled out as he limped quickly to the house. Smoke billowed out of the windows. Suddenly a scream tore out from the house and Nate watched it happen in silent shock. His mom came out from the upper window and flew few a short trip. She hit the ground with a sickening thud and a blood pool filled. The grunt that had pushed her stood in the window and laughed. Nate felt his vision go red as he stared at his mother's dead body in disbelief. His hand reached for the arrows with actual points on them. He notched it and pulled back feeling the muscles in his back tighten. Nate let go I the string and let the arrow fly sailing through the air.

The grunt stopped smiling as the arrow breached his temple and he fell backwards, never to smile again. Nate ran to his mother's dead body and wept, holding her fragile hand. Nate took her golden pokéball necklace and strung it around his neck for remembrance.

His mother, the woman who changed his diapers, taught him to read and write, gone. Nate swore to destroy team rocket at whatever cost. It was then he remembered his friend pidgey still inside. Nate rushed inside and found pidgey screeching in its cage. Nate opened it and pidgey flew out and landed on his shoulder. Nate then took off out the house and to the pokélab.

...

The pokélab looked better than most places, but the glass sliding doors had broken, so Nate rushed in the gap to check for anybody.

"Hello? Professor Alder?" Nate called out stepping over broken computers. Wires were everywhere, and the destruction left nothing untouched.

"Back here!" A week voice cried out from the back. Nate rushed back there and discovered professor alder with partially crushed by rubble. He looked like he was barely hanging on.

"Professor, let me help you!" Nate cried rushing forward to help.

"No stop!" The professor barked at Nate "it's too late for me. Go to my desk and grab the pokéball. It's a very rare Pokémon, take it and leave." He instructed Nate.

"Professor I won't leave you!" Nate cried to the man.

"Go child, if you knew the things I've done you wouldn't be so eager to save me!" The professor shouted at him.

"Goodbye professor." Nate cried out as he grabbed the pokéball.

"Goodbye Nate"

AUTHORS NOTE: Please read an review guys, request any pokemon you want to see, and please review and tell your friends, it gives me inspiration to keep writing and I love constructive criticism.