Chapter 3

I was still quite asleep when I turned and my face brushed up against something very warm and very soft. I moaned slightly and would have fallen into a deeper slumber had it not been for what followed. I was rudely woken up by something big and rough scraping the skin off my cheeks.

"Ow! Stop! I'm up!" I yelped while still half asleep. If this continued I wouldn't have any face left.

Slight rumbling could be felt through the bed as the rough object continued its rigorous rhythm. I reached in the direction it was coming from. My hand met something soft and unyielding as I gently tried to push it away. I pushed a bit harder and the nerves all over my body lit up with pain as though someone had flipped a switch to turn it on. It lasted several seconds before I was forcefully thrown from the bed.

"Ouchy," I mumbled weakly. I couldn't stop my body from twitching while I gazed up at the ceiling.

A large yellow and white face with slight black and blue on it entered my field of vision the same time I became aware of the snickering. I swear that face looked like it was smiling happily at me.

"What's so funny?" I grumbled. I tried to push myself off the ground and was met with the rough tongue on my face again.

"You've never been on the receiving end of a Thundershock before," replied my mother with a grin once she was able to stop laughing at me.

"That hurt!" I growled as I glared at the tiger Pokémon standing over me. "Never do that again!"

The tiger whimpered softly and shied away at my harsh tone.

"Chris!" snapped my mother as all jollity left her. "That Raikou is little more than a baby. It doesn't know any better. I've never had the chance to study one, but being an electric-type Pokémon I wouldn't doubt they use minor shocks and such for affection. Don't yell at it. It may not be able to understand your words, but it understands the tone of your voice and they seem to react to a trainer's emotions very well too."

I stared at the Raikou as it approached me slowly. It nuzzled my hand and then began rumbling deeply in its chest as I started to pet the top of its head.

"Just don't yell at it when you get angry," continued my mother. "They have feelings too, and I don't think this Pokémon knows how to use the move Roar yet."

"Roar?" I asked softly with a raised eyebrow.

The Raikou opened its mouth wide and made a cute growling sound.

"You know that Pokémon have certain moves they can use," stated my mother.

She would know. She taught our local school and me. Although, our subject on Pokémon had been unsatisfyingly short.

"Yeah," I replied with slight sarcasm. "We learned quite a bit about them. In fact, I don't even know what kinds of moves they can use."

My mother got out of the chair she was sitting in and began rummaging through the items sitting on the shelves. "That is hardly my fault, so don't take that tone with me. I know I have at least one I managed to save. Where is it?! I put it somewhere around here!"

I watched my mother as she began shoving through the various objects. Finally, she pulled out something small, rectangular and red and black. She handed it to me.

"What is this?" I asked hesitantly.

"It's a Pokédex," she replied softly. "Press the white button to turn it on. It will tell you about any Pokémon you come across and meet. You can try it out on your Raikou."

"Like this?" I asked hesitantly.

I tapped the white button in uncertain hesitation. The top cover of the Pokédex slid back and a second screen was revealed. They both lit up as I stared at it.

"It's twenty years old as we're not allowed to carry one or work on updating them," replied my mother somberly. "It will automatically update and bring the info you need to light when you meet a new Pokémon."

At her words, a calm female voice emitted from the device as a picture of a Raikou was displayed on the topmost screen.

-"Raikou, the Thunder Pokémon. It is said to have fallen with lightning. It can fire thunderbolts from the rainclouds on its back."-

I continued to stare at the device. "Um … Okay. This guy certainly came down in a lightning bolt in front of me."

"That Pokédex will also tell you anything you need to know about attacks and how certain Pokémon will evolve," replied my mother. "You'll need these as well."

She handed me a whole bunch of what looked like differently coloured spray bottles. "Those are potion bottles. The purple are regular Potions and will heal the Pokémon slightly, the burgundy ones are Super Potions and the pink one is a Hyper Potion. Save them and use them sparingly. If your Raikou gets hurt, rest in the Master Ball will help in most cases, but for something serious use the Potions."

She took the bottles from me and stuffed them into a knapsack. Next, she handed me several of the objects that I'd noted in the chest.

"That is a Dragon Fang," she said as I examined the notched-looking tooth again. "It will power up the moves of a Dragon type Pokémon. That spoon is a Twisted Spoon. Give it to a Psychic type to make their abilities stronger. That bright powder in the bag is called Silver Powder. Sprinkle it on a Bug type Pokémon for extra power for them. Same goes for the Magnet, but for Electric types. In fact, why don't you give it to Raikou to hold onto right now?"

She packed the rest of the items as I hesitated with the horseshoe magnet in my hand.

"Um, okay." I turned towards the yellow feline. "What do you say? Do you want to hold onto this magnet?"

The Raikou mumbled happily and rubbed against my hand affectionately.

"I'll take that as a yes," I mumbled. "Um, where do I put this thing?"

"Here," said my mother softly. "Put it on its back under its cape-like mane. It will stay there until you remove it."

I did as I was told and the tiger Pokémon rumbled happily in its chest. It licked my face again before I could get out of range.

"Gah!" I exclaimed. "You're going to be doing that a lot aren't you?!"

The Raikou closed its eyes and rubbed against my hand.

"Here's the bag," said my mother as she put it on me. "You need to meet grandpa in Accumula Town. It shouldn't take more than a day for you to get there. He'll tell you what you need to do next. We've been waiting twenty years for this. You'll find help when you need it. Grandpa Cedric will give you the details."

I stared at her. "I'm leaving?"

"Yes," she replied. "You caught Raikou and if you don't leave now, Team Plasma will be knocking down our door and they will find it. I won't allow you to be taken by them; not like how they took your father away from me. He stood up to them and I haven't seen him again. I don't know what they did to him. I was lucky to find where he'd stashed his items. You have them now. They are better off being used by you."

It felt like the floor was caving out from under me. I didn't want to leave.

"Can you come with me?" I asked softly.

"No," she replied as she brushed some of her messy hair out of her green eyes. "I'd look too suspicious leaving. I need to stay here. You'll have that Raikou. Keep it with you and it will protect you. Take care of it and help it grow stronger. The Pokémon surrounding our town were cleaned out by Team Plasma, but I'm willing to bet you can find some if you travel to the most desolate regions of Unova."

She snatched a small case with a zipper from off the wall. She placed it in the bag.

"I'm giving you some Pokéballs so you can catch some more companions for your journey," my mother said. "You need to leave before the sun rises completely."

"But I can't take those Pokéballs!" I exclaimed. "I can't hurt the Pokémon."

"Capturing them doesn't hurt them," said my mother darkly. "If you treat them with kindness and compassion, you aren't hurting them. Those are Team Plasma lies so they could rule Unova. They don't want anyone with Pokémon to be able to become strong enough to challenge them."

"I don't want to go."

"I know," she replied as she held me in a gentle hug. "But you must. Grandpa will be waiting for you."

She pressed a book into my hands. It was small and had a dark blue leather cover. I flipped open a page to find it was empty. It was a book with blank pages.

"I want you to keep a journal," my mother said softly. "You don't know where you might end up travelling so you should keep a careful account of everything that happens and everything you do."

I sighed and hung my head. "I suppose."

"You're sixteen years old. There really isn't anything for you here," she continued. "I believe you need to travel and find out what your purpose in this life is for yourself."

I silently tucked the book into the bag. I swung it onto my shoulders when a thought occurred to me. I felt my cheeks get rather warm.

"Uh, how do I get Raikou to return to the Master Ball?"

My mother sighed heavily. "Take the ball and point the white button at Raikou and command it to return. It will go back into the ball for rest and easy transport. Be careful you don't lose it."

"Oh," I muttered as I picked up the Master Ball from on the desk where I'd put it. "Okay. Do I always have to have Raikou in the ball?"

"No," she replied. "But you really don't want Team Plasma to come across you with Raikou. Pokéballs are easier to conceal. Do you want them to hurt that Raikou more?"

"No," I answered softly. "I don't."

My mother hugged me again. "Think of it this way. Until someone manages to rise up and defeat Team Plasma, you need to use this ball to protect Raikou. Think of the Pokéballs as a way to keep Team Plasma from hurting any of the Pokémon you decide to protect. You know they were after Raikou and probably hurt it before. Keep it safe."

I closed my eyes and tensed my muscles before I sighed a let everything relax. I raised the Master Ball until it was aimed at the Raikou.

"Raikou, return," I muttered softly. There was a flash of red light and the Pokémon was gone. "I promise I'll keep you safe."

"Time for you to go before the day starts and Team Plasma gets here searching for this Pokémon," said my mother as she kissed me softly on the cheek.