Shane, Ben, and Damian continued to run, the sound of their feet pounding on the grassy terrain causing many pokémon near the area to take notice. The boys knew they were getting closer to whoever was in distress as the screams for help began to get louder.

"Somebody help! Please!" As scared and frantic the voice sounded, Shane began to realize that he had heard it before. It took him a second to figure it out, but when the answer came to him, it hit him like a pick-up truck. He began to run faster, the severity of the situation now dawning upon him.

Ben, noticing Shane's increase of speed, asked through exhausted huffs. "W-what's wrong?"

"That's Professor Linden's voice!" Shane yelled back, giving Ben a frantic look.

"Oh, crap," Damian said, looking forward and slowing down to a jog. "It looks like Linden's got company."

Shane and Ben looked in the same direction, their eyes widening and their run reduced to a stop. 'Oh, crap' seemed like the right choice of words for describing this situation to the stunned boys.

Just like Shane predicted, there was Professor Linden, sitting on the ground with his leg stretched out. His pant leg was ripped open, leaving a huge bite mark to further develop evidence of an attack. The boys also noticed how terrified the professor's face was. They looked in the direction he was facing, and it turned out the fear was warranted.

There laying down was a small girl, looking to be about 6 or 7 years old. She was cowering in fear, her light brown eyes filled with tears and terror. Around her stood several racoon-like pokémon, each one creeping closer and closer to the girl. Their small, yet sharp teeth were showing as the pokémon growled, getting their claws ready to subdue their prey.

Professor Linden looked over to his daughter. "It's going to be okay, sweetheart. I promise." He tried to sound assuring, but he honestly didn't know what to do. He tried to lift his leg, but the pain was too much for him. He looked behind him to see his backpack, which was too far for him to reach. The contents of that bag was their only hope, but how was he going to get it?

The three boys looked at each other with looks of helplessness. "What are we gonna do?" Ben asked, looking from the boys to the situation.

Shane looked around, trying to find something that would help. He then noticed a large brown backpack lying on the ground, far away from the professor. He recognized that bag from the video he watched earlier that day.

'That must be the professor's bag!" Shane thought to himself. His eyes widened. "That must mean…"

Before he finished his thought, he immediately sprinted over towards the bag. Damian and Ben looked at the running Shane, confused as to what he was doing.

"He must have a plan," Ben said. Having known Shane for so long, he grew to admire Shane's ability to come up with a solution on the spot. That was one of the things that made Shane… well, Shane. Damian looked over at Ben, seeing absolute certainty in his eyes.

'Is that right?' Damian thought to himself. 'Could that imbecile actually have a plan?'

As Shane was finally able to reach the bag, he went through each pocket to find what could be their only hope.

'Please be in here, please,' Shane wished to himself. He was running out of pockets to look through, which was causing him to lose hope. He closed his eyes as his hand went over the last pocket. 'Please… we need to save them."

As he stuck his hand inside, he felt a small, round object. A slight smile developed on his face.

"Hey!" Shane yelled, causing everyone to turn towards him (even the pokémon). He stood up, his posture and expression showing he was one of great confidence. The professor looked confused, wondering where this mysterious boy came from. Damian and Ben wondered what Shane was prepared to do, their gazes filled with suspense and anticipation.

Shane lifted up his arm, his hand enclosing what he had always dreamed of holding. It was what he wanted his life to be revolved around, what he wanted to use to make a name for himself. It was what made him what to go on an adventure, to explore and learn about the world around him. It was what his parents had and loved, and what he wanted to feel as well.

What Shane had was a Pokémon.

He leaned back and threw the Pokéball as hard as he could, watching it spin in the air and hit the ground. The ball opened, a beam of light hiding what was being contained inside. The light then diminished, showing what was truly a spectacle.

"Oh…," Shane said in awe, his eyes glistening with excitement.

"My…," Ben said, watching what was unfolding with amazement.

"Arceus," Damian finished, his mouth wide and his eyes unable to look away.

Everyone watched as the new pokémon looked around, its eyes the brightest of reds and burning with fiery determination. It was a small-looking creature, with its thin and slithery tail being slightly longer than its body. It's orange fur moved around with the wind, causing it to almost look like the creature was on fire. It did, however, have a small ember moving furiously on top of its head. Its ears were beginning to twitch, and its small puppy-like nose began to sniff around. Noticing the racoon pokémon surrounding the professor's daughter, its eyes squinted and it began to growl.

"W-what kind of pokémon is this?" Shane asked, not able to wipe the astonishment off his face.

The professor looked over at him, wincing in pain as he did. "It's called… a Pyrten."

"Pyrten," Shane said to himself slowly. The name… it had a nice ring to Shane. It just sounded right to him. He smiled, his stance changing into one ready for battle. "Pyrten?"

The fiery pokémon looked over at Shane, its expression softening. It seemed to be able to trust this boy, despite only just meeting him. "Pyr?"

"Let's get 'em," Shane commanded, his hands curling up into fists. The Pyrten then looked in front of him, noticing that the wild pokémon were now charging at them, menacing teeth and all.

Shane grinned. 'Oh, this is gonna be fun.'

To be continued...