Chapter 1: Dreams Of A World To Come
Hey y'all! Well, I don't have any reviews so far but oh well, as they say; persistence pays off, so I'll keep trucking if you keep reading! Well, enjoy, and when your done be sure to hit that little review button down there! And, obviously this chapter wasn't up the next day after the prologue like I said it would be but we can all blame a case of my PokeMuse being dead U. Gomen to everyone! Anyway, enjoy the new chapter (now twice the size of the previous chapter)!
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I wasn't able to see anything, anything at all, anywhere in that dark space of a dream. I'm not sure how I knew it was a dream, but somehow I did. I turned, looking in all directions for something that would give a hint as to where I was. There was nothing.
" You will be the one…"
I whirled around at the sound of that voice, but only the black darkness greeted my eyes. Fear, and at the same instant curiosity, grew inside of me.
" Who's there?" I asked, not expecting an answer of any sort, my voice echoing back to me off the unseen walls.
But, a mere moment after I had asked, the voice sounded again;
" You will be the one to save our world from death."
Suddenly the black space filled with light and before my eyes the light transformed into a lush, green meadow, filled with flowers. There were many pokemon in the meadow, all looking happy in their peaceful home. Then darkness, like a large wave, swept over the meadow, wilting the flowers and killing the grass the instant it made contact with them. The pokemon however, were effected in a much more severe way. Instead of dying as the grass and flowers had, their eyes glowed red and their faces twisted in rage and anger. In the place of the happiness that had been in their eyes a moment ago, bloodlust and hate bloomed. I gasped in fear, my eyes wide. What in the world was going on?!
" The darkness has tainted the hearts and minds of all pokemon that touch it, bending their wills and changing them. Only the Sacred Crystals can save us now." The voice explained.
" 'Sacred Crystals'? What do you mean?" I asked, having never heard of anything like the voice was talking about before.
" Yes, the Sacred Crystals, the sources of power for the legendary pokemon. Long ago were they sealed into the hearts of pokemon, and those pokemon given to the leaders of the gyms of the Rohen region."
" Well then why aren't the gym leaders doing anything?" I asked, wondering why I had to be the one to do something when the gym leaders where within 5 feet of these crystals.
" They cannot, the Crystals will not allow any one to touch them, and remain sealed inside the pokemons hearts. Only you can gather the gym badges, unlock the shrines and gather the Crystals together. Once this is done, take them to the Sacred Shrine on Northwall Island, and summon the power of the legendaries to push back this evil." Said the voice, as images of the places it spoke of flashed before me.
" Well why me?" I asked, the question I knew we an inevitable one.
" This evil has been foretold, and the one born under certain circumstances, at an exact time, the day the pokemon first came to this earth, will be chosen to carry out the duty of stopping the evil. This one is you."
I jerked awake, sitting bolt up in bed, shocked and at the same time frightened. Could any of that have been true?
" Melinda? What are you doing awake? Its only 2 in the morning." My roommate, Catherine said, checking the time on her digital clock on the nightstand.
Catherine Marie Henson was her full name, and she was one of the few, or the only, friends I ever had at that orphanage. All of the other children were snooty, seeming to think they were much better then me, when in reality we all had next to nothing. Catherine was the only one that realized that, and was the only one that ever even looked at me in my first few weeks there.
" N-nothing just can't sleep." I lied, hoping she was tired enough not to notice it.
But she wasn't, and she sat up in bed and turned the lamp that sat on her beside table on, her brow knitting in concern at the frightened expression that the light reveal to be on my face.
" You're lying, what's really wrong?" she asked.
I sighed, I had to tell her, even though I knew there was no possible way she, or anyone, could believe me.
" Well..." I began, trying to think of some answer that would avoid Catherine coming to the conclusion that I was totally insane, " I can't really explain why, but all I can say is that I have to collect all the gym badges."
She blinked at me in confusion for a few moments before speaking again.
" Why so suddenly? I mean, you've always liked pokemon, but what's with this sudden decision?"
" I can't say..."
Catherine paused at this, seemed to think about my answer. She then sighed and, throwing back the covers, got out of bed, went over to our closet and began rummaging around for something.
" Well, we always knew you were going to leave one day. Its fine that you can't say, I know you'll tell me later. But if you're going to get all the badges you're going to need a pokemon, and lots of other stuff to boot." She said, and pulled a pack out of the closet, tossing it to me.
We had put together this pack together when I'd first come up with the idea, some 4 or so years ago. It had been on a whim; neither of us thinking we'd even actually pull it out one day. On that day all the children had been given some money to go shopping in town with. Catherine and I had run straight to the nearest Poke' Mart and compiled all the things we thought one would need on their pokemon journey. But at that moment that day seemed so long ago.
" You actually kept this?" I asked, looking at the pack that had landed in my lap in slight disbelief.
" Sure, I don't even know why though." She admitted, smiling a bit sheepishly at me " Well, are you going or not?"
I nodded, knowing I couldn't have said no even if I'd wanted to. Going on a pokemon journey had always been a dream of mine, and I wasn't going to pass up the chance to fulfill that dream, even if it did included fulfilling some supposed destiny of mine.
I got out of my pajamas and pulled on a pair of old, worn jeans, a white t-shirt and, over that, a sleeveless, red, zip-up hoodie over it. I put on my best pair of walking sneakers and ran a brush through my long, light brown hair.
" Now you look like a real trainer." Catherine said, handing me my backpack and giving me a quick hug " So get out there and be the best in the world."
I hugged her back fiercely, knowing there was a good chance that I'd never see her again. Tears came to my eyes at the thought of leaving her, my only friend, alone here in that hell hole of a place.
" Thank you for everything." I said before letting her go, trying hard to smile through my tears.
A few minutes later I was out the window and walking down the long driveway, stopping to wave back to Catherine, the Lugia good luck charm she had given me clipped to my backpack. Then I was off, running down the driveway and into the forest, taking the shortcut to the main road. The road was long, about 10 miles south east, and led straight to Whiteoak Town. There, I would finally meet my future and, so I hoped, best friend, and first pokemon.
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I wasn't sure if I should end this chapter here, but it seemed like a good place. A few new characters are going to make their first appearances in the next chapter, so tell me what you think of them. Thanks to Mugen No Ankoku for reviewing! I've learned not to make promises on dates for the next chapter, so I'll just say its up when it's up. So scroll down a little, click that button and review! Feel free to submit ideas and any criticism, but please, no flames.