[Pokémon] Illusions of the World

The cries of the helpless fell on deaf ears. Shock, awe, and fear had captivated those with the power to help. A ragging inferno engulfed the great stadium; the once proud and magnificent sign that hung above ruined entrance was quickly being reduced to cinders. The words Indigo Plateau were now nothing but kindle to the fire.


It was a peaceful and quiet morning for Aspertia City. The sun was shining overhead, warming the cool air quickly. Pidove sang their songs happily in the trees around the city. Being tucked away in the corner of the Unova region had its advantages.

The front doors of the Pokémon School opened up; a man with black hair stood in the entrance. He breathed in the clean morning air with a smile on his face. As he brought an Xtransceiver closer to himself, it began to ring. He was slightly surprised, but answered it. "Hello?"

"You're late Cheren!" A blond woman shouted through the screen. Cheren flinched slightly and a few Pidove from nearby trees took flight. Her bottom lip was put out as she pouted. "You were supposed to meet me at the overlook a half an hour ago."

"Sorry Bel." Cheren apologized, "I had to take care of something first."

Bel sighed. "Was it him again?"

"I actually haven't seen him today yet." Cheren looked around. "Maybe he finally gave up?"

"Don't you wish!" A young voice shouted from above the gym leader.

Cheren sighed. "I think I spoke too soon."

Bel sighed and gave Cheren a half-smile. "Well I'll let you off the hook this time. How about I head for the gym in the meantime?"

"It won't take long." Cheren turned around and looked to the roof of the school. A boy was perched at the peak of the building, the extra cloth of a headband billowed in the wind. Under the locks of red hair, a Pokéball was drawn in the center of the headband. A Tepig stood next to the boy, a confident smile on its face matched the one on the boys. "It's only Sean."

Sean laughed as Cheren ended the call. "Only?" Sean scoffed. "You're poorly underestimating me!"

Cheren watched, unamused, as the boy leapt off the roof with his Tepig and landed on the steps of the school. "What do you want this time?" Cheren asked.

"You know what I want!" Sean accused, pointing dramatically at the gym leader. "I challenge you to a gym battle! Bacon and I will win for sure!"

"Tepig!" Bacon cried energetically in agreement.

Cheren sighed, again. "Sean, we've been over this. You're too young to start challenging the gyms. It's a miracle that Bel and I managed to convince Professor Juniper to give you that Tepig since you're only twelve."

"Other regions let kids start their challenges when they're only ten!" shouted Sean.

"But you're not in another region," Cheren countered, "You're in Unova."

"But I'm strong! You'll see!" Sean turned to his Tepig. "Show him Bacon!"

"Pig!" Bacon cried. It spun around, as if trying to look fancy, before standing on its hind legs and spiting an Ember attack into the air. The small flame flickered for a moment before being extinguish.

"I bet you're pretty scared now!"

"Terrified." Sarcasm was heavily laced on Cheren's tongue.

"Cheren!" Bel's voice joyfully cried out. The two men turned to see that the blond had just rounded the corner and was running past the Pokécenter. Cheren waved back as Sean suddenly became very quiet. "Ah, Sean!" Bel smiled at the boy when she had finally reached them. "How has Tepig been doing?"

"Ah…" Sean looked down at the ground. "Bacon's been great."

"Is that so?" Bel smiled down at the Tepig, who nodded. "That's wonderful. I knew it was the right partner for you."

"Maybe," Sean shot a dirty look at Cheren, "but Cheren won't accept my challenge so I can't help him get any stronger."

"Is that so?" Bel placed a hand on her face and tilted her head like she was thinking. "Well, Cheren does have a point." Sean seemed to lose all energy he previously had and sank into the pavement. Bel smiled sweetly at the boy. "But you know, age isn't measured by years."

Sean looked up at Bel with a questioning look. "It isn't?"

Bel shook her head and smiled at Cheren who was also shooting her a look. "It's measured," she pointed to her head, "by knowledge!"

"Knowledge?" Sean hung his head. "But I've already memorized everything in Cheren's stupid school…" He muttered.

"Well then, I have the perfect idea!" Bel giggled. Sean looked up curiously as Bel revealed two purple tickets from her bag. "You know that the Pokémon League tournament is being held in Kanto next week, right?" Sean nodded. "Well then takes these!"

Sean took the tickets curiously and read it aloud. "Indigo Plateau Pokémon Tournament VIP spectator. Admit one…" Sean looked up to Bel, his energy seemed to be returning if the sparkle in his eyes was any sign. "You mean!?"

Bel nodded, a smug look on her face. "How about this? You take your grandmother with you to the Tournament! There will be a lot of knowledgeable people there, so it will be the perfect chance to learn something. When you get back I'll quiz you, and if you pass I'll make sure that you'll be given special permission to challenge the gyms!"

A large grin spread across Sean's face before he jumped high into the air. "ALRIGHT!" he screamed. When he landed, Sean immediately took off down the pavement, skidding past the Pokécenter. "Thanks Bel!" he yelled.

Cheren watched the boy disappear, Bacon fast on its trainers heels, before turning to his childhood friend. "I thought those were our tickets."

"They were." Bel giggled.

Cheren sighed. "Bel, I'm a gym leader. I'm supposed to be going to that tournament."

Bel smiled at him before looping her arm around his. "Oh I know, but I talked to Professor Juniper and Lenora beforehand. Lenora won't mind taking your place, you know, since you took over her work as gym leader and all."

Cheren raised an eyebrow. "You expected this to happen, didn't you?"

"Maybe." Bel smiled.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Smog filled the air of the crowded city, and suspicious vendors lined the allies. Thugs and bikers stood on street corners, glaring at any soul brave enough to venture the streets. On a backstreet, surprisingly free of any of the city's inhabitants, sat a young boy, frustrated out of his mind. A Liepard stood nearby; it growled at any soul that tried to come near.

"I don't understand." The boy mumbled to his Pokémon. "According to the directions dad gave us, White Forest should be around here." He looked up at the grey sky, "But I haven't seen a tree for miles."

Liepard gave the boy a sympathetic look and the trainer sighed. "We're gonna have to get out of here somehow." He stood up and scratched behind the Liepard's ear. "Come on Fluffy, maybe we can find the Pokécenter. I just hope the nurse isn't a thug too…" Fluffy nodded in agreement, and began to trot down the alley.

"THE HELL YOU ARE!" A voice roared overhead.

The boy jumped, surprised by how close it sounded. Looking up, he spotted a window about three stories up the black building that was partially open. The back of a sweat stained white shirt was standing at the window.

"You don't control my life old man!" Another voice shouted back. It sounded younger than the previous voice, but it was deep.

"As long as you live under my roof, you will live by my rules!" The first voice shouted back. "You're still a kid! What makes you think you're responsible enough to go to Kanto?"

"I'm seventeen! I'm not a kid anymore! You're a lousy excuse for a father!"

"YOU BRAT!" The father roared, "I'll teach you some manners!"

Something that sounded like a lamp shattering into a million pieces followed. Down in the alley, the boy was paralyzed with fear. His Liepard had come back and was tugging at his shirt to try and drag him away. But the effort went without any success. Above, it sounded like a whole city was being demolished.

"Get back here!" The father roared.

"**** you! Friend, use High Jump Kick!"

"Scraggy!"

The glass window that was partially open shattered into the alley. Fluffy stopped with the tugging and tackled its trainer out of the way. Glass rained down in the spot the boy was standing before, but his gaze was still on the window. Along with the glass came a Scraggy, which bounced off the two building before landing on the top of a closed dumpster.

"Come back here!"

"Sayonara old man, have a cruddy life!" A second later, a black-haired boy leapt from the window as well. A picture frame sailed out the window with him, shattering into the opposite building. The boy who had just come out the window skidded down the side of the black bricks before landing on a fire escape. From there, he swung down and landed on the dumpster next to the Scraggy.

The teen looked rather impressed with himself, and his Scraggy gave a cry of joy. However, the Liepard growled at two, getting their attention. The acrobatic boy blinked at the other trainer. "Oh, hey."

"Hi…" The younger boy replied.

"Get back here!" Both boys looked up to see a large man throw a Pokéball from the broken window. A rather menacing Druddigon appeared in the air, its eyes dark. "Druddigon, Flamethrower!"

"Shoot!" The boy on the dumpster leapt off his perch and ran towards the Liepard and its trainer. "Don't just stand there!" He shouted at them. As he ran past them, the teen grabbed the collar of the other boy and dragged him out of the way of the Flamethrower.

"AGAIN!" The man roared.

Druddigon beat its powerful wings and took after the two boys.

"This way!" The teen yelled, ducking down a side alley. The Liepard trainer followed, their Pokémon leaping into the alley just in time to dodge another Flamethrower. After jumping a fallen crate, the teen yelled over his shoulder, "The Pokécenter is a few blocks away. If we can make it there it should stop following us!" The other boy merely nodded, his breath already ragged from running.

As they turned the next corner, Druddigon was already there waiting for them. "Duck!" The teen shouted, hitting the ground. Trainer and Pokémon copied the teen, the heat scalding their backs. When it ended, the older boy shot up. "Friend, Headbutt!"

Scraggy leapt into the air, bouncing off another dumpster and crashed headfirst into the Druddigon. The dragon cried out and the two Pokémon crashed down to the ground. Scraggy leapt up first, racing back to its trainer. The teen turned helped the younger boy to his feet before dragging him down a different alley.

They ran in silence for a minute before Scraggy's trainer spoke again. "We're almost there! Just one more alley!"

"Digon!" The dragon had appeared right before them once again, fire already swelling up in its throat.

But this time the boy was prepared, "Fake Out!" He ordered.

Fluffy leapt over the two trainers, spinning in mid-air. It slashed at Druddigon, but continued its spin to instead hit with its back legs. Druddigon cried in pain and crashed to the ground. Fluffy landed with grace, flicking its tail in pleasure.

"Hey, not bad." The teen commented. He ran past the fallen Druddigon, making sure to spit on it as he passed. As Fluffy and its trainer passed, the dragon tried to stand up, but flinched backwards as they passed. A few seconds later, they emerged onto the main street, and Fluffy's trainer spotted the familiar red Pokécenter.

The two trainers dashed through the automatic doors, choosing to collapse into the nearest set of chairs. Pokémon and trainers were exhausted, panting for breath. The Scraggy leapt up into its trainer's lap and smiled up at him. The teen smiled back and turned to the boy. He stuck out his hand, "So, we haven't been properly introduced. Name's Khak."

The boy panted, looking the older boy over. "A-Anthony." Taking his hand, Anthony shook it. "You have a weird name."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

A door was slammed open on one of the apartment buildings that lined the street. A girl with long, light brown hair was in the doorway, decked out in a pair of worn-out jeans and a light brown tee. She readjusted her glasses before turning into the door. "I'll be back later mom!" She called and swung a backpack over her shoulder.

"Be home in time for dinner Valerie!" A voice called from inside.

"Kay!" Valerie yelled back. Quickly slamming the door shut again, Valerie jumped off the front stoop and took off charging down the street. As she ran past the bike shop, waving hello to the owner, Valerie pulled a Pokéball out of her bag and tossed it into the air without stopping. After a flash of red light, a Ninetales appeared next to Valerie, charging down the street just like its trainer.

"So," Valerie skidded around a corner and charged into the park, "ready to crack that cypher?" She asked her Pokémon.

"Ni!" The Pokémon cried happily, leaping into the air.

Valerie laughed at her Pokémon's energy. "That's the spirit!" As the two ran past the large statue, dedicated to Palkia and Dialga, Valerie blew it a kiss. I will discover your secrets. Valerie thought determinately.

It took about a ten minute charge past the ruined Galactic Building for the two to finally leave the city. Ever since Team Galactic's fall ten years ago, the city had quieted down considerably, not a soul daring to enter the headquarters. Children played games in it now, daring each other to spend a night in the so called haunted building. While it's true that ghost Pokémon had taken up residency, Valerie had yet to hear of a human soul wandering its corridors.

But the building was already out of Valerie's mind as she and Ninetales entered the Eterna Forest. She had another haunted building currently haunting her mind. "You remember where it is, right?" asked Valerie.

Ninetales nodded and ran ahead a few paces. Valerie followed, running along the well beaten path. Her Ninetales had stopped a few feet ahead, looking into the denser woods. Valerie reached her Pokémon and a smile reached her lips as the mansion came into view. "The Old Chateau." Valerie smiled. "Just full of mysteries, begging to be solved!"

Ninetales lead the way, trotting up to the building. Valerie followed and pushed the front door open. As the rusty hinges creaked, a thought popped into Valerie's mind. She turned around and looked back at the main path. The undergrowth here grows surprisingly quick. So why hasn't it grown back since yesterday?

But Valerie didn't need anyone to answer that question for her, because the answer had already come into her head. Someone else was here.

She couldn't really be angry if someone was here, it wasn't like Valerie owned the place or anything. But she did have a habit of leaving her research and notes just lying around the chateau's study. If anyone had defiled or even so much as moved a paper, not even Arceus would be able to save them.

Valerie shot inside, leaving her Ninetales slightly dumbfounded at the entrance. She dodged past the wild Ghastly, not that they even bothered attacking her anymore, and flew up the staircase. She ran past one door, two, three, until Valerie had reach the end of the hall. Skidding to a halt, she stopped right before a massive bookcase. It was lined with books of all colors and sizes, some falling apart, others looking brand new; but Valerie had read them all.

Ninetales was only seconds behind, looking up to its master with a questioning look. Valerie was staring at the top shelf as a sigh escaped her lips. "It looks like I'm still the only one who knows."

Just then, the floorboard's creaked from somewhere farther down the hall. Valerie and Ninetales both whipped their heads around. Straining her eyes to see in the dark hallway, Valerie failed to spot anything that wasn't as Ghastly. "Come on," she whispered, "let's go before whoever it is finds us."

Ninetales nodded in agreement and lowered its head. Valerie carefully climbed onto the back of her Pokémon and reached for the very top of the shelf. Her fingertips brushed a large volume, Poffin Recipes for Beginners. The first time here, Valerie had considered not even touching it. Everything else on this shelf was about Pokémon themselves, it was out of its element. But that was what had caught her eye in the first place; it stood out like a diamond among simple rocks.

Finally, Valerie's fingers caught the top of the book's spine. She yanked it backward, and a second later it was followed by a soft 'click.' Valerie let the book go, which snapped back into place, and jumped off of Ninetales' back. The bookshelf had already swung inwards slightly, so all she had to do was give it a gentle push.

The secret door gave way to a spacious room, a whole new and cleaner portion of the mansion. The walls were lines with large shelves, much like the one acting as the door, stuffed to the breaking point with books and journals. A single window illuminated the room, casting light across a desk, a large cushion, and countless sheets of paper.

Ninetales immediately ran for the cushion, taking care to not disturb any of the papers on its way. The papers where everywhere, pinned to the walls and shelves, lying on the floor, and several were even attached to the ceiling. Valerie placed her bag down on a free spot on the desk and opened it up. "Hungry?" She asked, pulling out a Sitrus Berry.

She didn't bother waiting for an answer before tossing it through the air to her Pokémon. Ninetales snatched it out of the air greedily and began to munch away. Valerie smiled at her Pokémon and pulled out a notebook and an apple for herself. Crossing the room, she settled down next to Ninetales and opened the notebook.

A purple ticket fell out, sliding onto the floor. "I almost forgot the reason we came today." Valerie picked up the ticket. "We need to decide what we're bringing with us to the Pokémon League tournament."

Ninetales let out a snort at this. Valerie flinched as a bit of guilt shot through her. "I'm sorry I couldn't get us into the actual tournament." She apologized to her Pokémon. Valerie's gaze fell upon her backpack where three badges were pinned to. "You know I'm more of a thinker, not a battler."

Ninetales seemed satisfied with this apology and laid its head down on the cushion. Valerie picked up a paper from the floor and examined it. It was covered in symbols that were foreign to her, two sets of notes scrawled in the margins. One was set her own, written in with fresh ink, and the other was almost as faded as the text itself. The way it was arraigned made it clear she was reading a type of language. "The professors will be showing up during this tournament." Valerie voiced her thoughts. Hopefully she added, "Maybe one of them will be able to recognize it."

Valerie sighed and stood up. She started collecting the papers she had tossed across the room and returning some of the books to their posts on the shelves. A handful of the books had similar symbols scrawled into them. She had been using them as references, assuming they were the key to cracking whatever language was written on the pages scattered across the room. The only problem was that even spending hours poring over all the books in the mansion, she had only been able to collect a handful of translated words. There were simply too many words left to makes heads or tails of it.

As Valerie took a page she had taped to the window, a girl caught Valerie's eye. She had long, black hair spilled out from under a white wool cap. Despite the fact that it was only the beginning of autumn, she was also wearing a large pink jacket, fit for surviving a blizzard. She couldn't be much older than Valerie herself. An Empoleon lumbered behind her as the girl walked closer.
She must have been the person who was in here earlier. Valerie thought. Below, the girl's grey eyes scanned her surrounding, clutching a bouquet of flowers a bit tighter in her arms. She seemed a bit agitated. Valerie found herself intrigued. What was this girl doing back here? Where was she headed? What are the flowers for?

Finally, the girl stopped walking and looked around one more time. Her eyes crossed the window and Valerie ducked out of view. She didn't know why she was hiding, but Valerie just felt it was necessary. After a minute, Valerie dared a look. She managed to just catch the back of the Empoleon disappearing into a tree. Yes, right into a tree.

Valerie's eyes widened and the papers fell to the floor. Ninetales looked up, wondering why its trainer would be so careless with her work. "Quick!" Valerie shouted, bolting for the exit.

Less than a minute later, Ninetales ran up to Valerie, who was very intently examining the trees that ran along the property border. Ninetales titled its head and gave Valerie a look.

"Which one was it…" Valerie muttered. She kept touching different trees, looking them up and down with great care.

Ninetales settled down in the grass, knowing that when it was better to leave its trainer alone when she got worked up like this. Valerie continued to obsess over the trees, not even noticing the Bidoof that had appeared behind her Ninetales. The small Pokémon looked extremely confused, but when it spotted the Ninetales the wild Bidoof gave a squeal of fright.

The large fox turned and saw the Bidoof run headfirst into the stump of a tree. The Pokémon ran its head into the tree several more times before running off into the forest. Ninetales tilted its head in confusion, and walked over to the tree Bidoof had tried running into. The scent of the tree was different from the forest, it smelled more of the ocean.

"Ragh!" Valerie suddenly cried out. She had grabbed fistfuls of her own hair and fallen backwards onto the grass. "Where did she go!? I saw her walk into one of these trees!" Suddenly, she sat up, a frown painted on her face. "That was a special distortion." Valerie turned to her Ninetales. "Do you know what that means?" When the Pokémon shook its head, Valerie grinned, "It means she's connected to Palkia."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Spectators of this battle screamed with excitement and encouragement for both sides of this battle. On one side, an old man with a cane and bowler hat gave orders to his Arcanine, a white mustache decorating his upper lip. The other side, a young woman with long blond hair gave orders to a Charizard. Her fashion choice happened to be nothing but simple two piece swimsuit.

"Charizard, use Flamethrower!"

"Dodge it with Extemespeed Arcanine!"

Arcanine ran along the make-shift battlefield, drawing the Charizard among the construction of a new looking gym. More people chattered and yelled excitedly as the two Pokémon ran by them. Once clear of the construction, the Charizard opened its powerful jaw and let loose a jet of flame aimed at the Arcanine's tail.

However, just like its trainer had ordered, the fire dog disappeared from sight at the last second, causing the flame to crash into the ground harmlessly.

"Above you!" The woman shouted.

Charizard looked upwards to see that Arcanine was flying through the air at it. The fiery dog crashed into Charizard and Charizard cried out in pain.

"You need to think ahead!" The old man laughed at his opponent. "Or else you'll never beat me!"

The blond woman smiled at him. "Oh, but we were waiting for that, old man."

"What?" The old man looked up. All eyes turned upwards to see that Arcanine was still in the air, but not of its own accord. It was struggling in Charizard's tiny limbs, trying to free itself from the flying Pokémon.

"Now, use Seismic Toss!" The woman ordered.

Charizard gave a battle cry before flying even higher into the air. Arcanine's cries of terror filled the air, getting fainter with every second. Very quickly the two had become nothing but a dot high in the sky. However, as quickly as they had become the dot, the two Pokémon were suddenly becoming larger again as Charizard started its plummet back to the ground.

Mere seconds away from crashing, the Charizard let Arcanine go, and the Pokémon shot towards the ground faster than a speeding bullet. Arcanine connected with the ground and a cloud of dust was sent flying into the air. The spectators began coughing until the beat of Charizard's powerful wings cleared the dust cloud away. Sitting in a small crater, was Arcanine, knocked out.

"Blaine's Arcanine is unable to battle!" A small man declared as he raised a small red flag. "The winner is Simbachu!"

"Alright!" The blond yelled while pumping her fist into the air. Her Charizard landed nearby, a smug look on its face.

Blaine recalled his fainted Pokémon and walked over to Simbachu, a smile on his face. "Congratulations!"

Simbachu smiled awkwardly, her gaze pointed towards the ground. "Thanks Blaine. You fought well."

"Ah, but you were better my dear." Blaine pulled a small case out from his pocket and opened it. Inside was a collection of dark red badges, shaped like the fire that had just ravaged the battlefield. As he took it out, he spoke. "In recognition of your strength and for defeating me in a battle, I hereby present you with the Volcano Badge!"

Simbachu took the badge, giggling like a child who had just stolen some candy. "Alright! That makes eight!" She declared.

"And just in time." Blaine laughed. "The tournament is only a week away."

"I think I can make it." Simbachu smiled at the man before throwing her arms around him. "And I had the best teacher ever to thank for it." She released the old man before turning and jumping onto her Pokémon's back. "See you at the tournament!" She waved.

"Ah, wait!" Blaine reached out, but it was too late. Simbachu and her Charizard were already headed for her place on the other side of Cinnabar Island. Blaine sighed before sitting down on a nearby rock. "I'm getting too old for this." He chuckled.

"You're right." The small man who had been referring the match walked over to Blain. "She is an expert in fire types and a fine battler."

"So, you have no qualms, Mr. President?"

The small man smiled and shook his head. "No. None at all. But shouldn't you go after her and let her know?"

Blaine smiled. "I think it will be a bit more of a surprise this way. That girl always did like surprises." Blaine looked around at the construction currently occupying Cinnabar Island. After the volcano had finally erupted all those years ago, the town was almost completely rebuilt. His eyes came to rest on the rebuilt gym. Everyone on the island had been told it was still being finished, but truthfully it was still just an empty building. "She'll have fun with decorating at least."

The president followed Blaine's gaze and chuckled. "It's kind of fitting that the new gym leader gets a new gym." He admitted. "Expert of fire types, Simbachu, the flaming mermaid."

Blaine laughed. "Don't tell me that's what you plan on putting on the front of the gym!" The president shot Blaine a look, and the old man laughed harder.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

The sun shone warmly overhead, not a cloud in sight. Even the water seemed calm today, the waves lazily running up the beach. The boat call of a large cruiser rang out over the water, sending Starly flying in fright. However, this was unable to wake a certain individual.

Lying on his back, and using his hands as a pillow, a man with light brown hair slept. Nearby, a Swellow had made a nest in a dark blue jacket, also taking a nap on this warm, sunny day. A fishing pole had been stuck into an outcropping of rocks, completely alone and abandoned.

A bit farther down the beach, another individual was quickly running towards the sleeping man. It was a woman, her arms full of plastic bags. Flying next to her was an Altaria, another plastic bag held in its beak. The bird was showing signs of fatigue, but continued to beat its wings.

She kept running closer, and closer, frantically looking around like she was searching the beach for something. Finally, she reached the man, and ran right over him, using his stomach as just another part of the beach. Surprised, she uttered a scream and tumbled into the sand. The man was now wide awake, also screaming, but he was screaming in pain. The Swellow had awoken, squawking with fright as the Altaria had decided to copy its trainer.

"Watch where you're going!" The man yelled, clenching his stomach. He looked to the fallen woman, ready to give her a piece of his mind.

Pulling her head out of the sand, she turned to the man she had just trampled. "Oh, are you okay?" She crawled closer as she asked her question. "I hope I didn't hurt you too badly. I didn't even see you!"

The man backed up a bit, not comfortable with how close she was getting. A second ago he was ready to chew her out. Now…not so much. The bright red sundress she wore was a bit askew, revealing parts of her skin that had not been tanned. Sand was still falling from her long, light orange hair. Looking behind her, the man saw the contents of several plastic bags were split onto the sand, ranging from small statues to beaten books.

"Ah, no I'm fine. It was just an accident, right?" He muttered, not making eye contact.

"Oh I'm so glad!" She exclaimed. With that, the woman stood up and brushed off her flower printed dress before going to pick up the bags and their spilled content.

"Here," the man stood up, "let me help you."

"Why thank you." The woman smiled at him.

"Don't mention it."

A moment later, both trainers looked up at the sound of their Pokémon squabbling. The Swellow was snapping at the Altaria, looking rather angry to be woken up from its nap. "Alcard!" The man scolded his Swellow, "Don't be like that. It was just an accident."

Alcard shot its trainer a look before turning away, its chest puffed out in annoyance. The man shot his Pokémon his own dirty look. "I'm sorry about Alcard." He handed her a snow globe with a lighthouse inside. "He can be a bit difficult at times."

"Oh it's alright. You two did look so peaceful napping."

The man raised an eyebrow. "I thought you said you didn't see us."

The woman laughed nervously, but didn't respond. Her items now fully recovered, she stood up and looked around. She bowed, thanking the man and took about three steps down the beach before turning back. "Um, I don't suppose I could bother you for directions, could I?"

"I suppose not." The man smiled. "Where are you looking to get to?"

"Um…the harbor."

The man scratched his chin, collecting his thoughts. "I believe it should be about a thirty minute walk, that way." He gestured in the direction the woman had come from.

"Oh, it was in the opposite direction?" the woman sighed before smiling weakly at her Altaria. "Well I feel silly."

"But I don't think that will do you much good."

The woman shot him a quizzical look. "What do you mean?"

"That," the man pointed out a large ocean cruiser that was quickly becoming a dot, "was the last ship for the day."

The woman's jaw slowly dropped as his words sunk in. "B-But I was supposed to be on that ship!"

The man shrugged. "Your Altaria looks pretty tired. You got any other flying Pokémon?" The woman shook her head. "Well, it looks like you're gonna have to wait for the next on to come in. Here," he stood up and took the jacket from Alcard, who was just about to settle back down, and threw it on. "I'll walk you to the Pokécenter. They should have a few open beds for the night."

"Oh!" The woman looked down, slightly embarrassed. "You don't need to do that."

Alcard took up roost on the man's shoulder, knocking its trainer's head with its wing as if to say 'Don't be a gentleman. I want to sleep.' But the man ignored his Swellow. "Considering you just ran thirty minutes in the wrong direction, I feel like I have to."

The woman blushed and giggled a bit. "You might have a point." She tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear. "I'm Kar, and this is [FONT=&quot]Sratus.[/FONT]"

"Huh?" The man was a bit surprised until Alcard helpfully smacked him. "Oh right! I'm Saimax."

"Well it's a pleasure to meet you Saimax." Kar smiled. "And thank you."

"Oh don't thank me yet." Saimax picked up the plastic bag before [FONT=&quot]Sratus could. The Altaria shot Saimax a grateful look. "Volkner's been remodeling again. We might be without power tonight."[/FONT]

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

"Oh just look at that sunset Elizabeth!" A blue haired man exclaimed. His dark purple dress shirt was like a bright stain on the deck, topped with a black tie. His arms were spread out in joy like he was exalting the heavens. "Isn't it just a fabulous sight over this wonderfully blue ocean?"

"Rose…" A small Roselia perched on the man's shoulder nodded in agreement.

"The salty sea breeze, the spray of the ocean water, and the view!" The man sighed very suggestively, "Oh the waters of Sinnoh are almost as wonderful as Hoenn's!" He inhaled deeply, a content sigh on his face.

"Are you done proposing to the ocean?"

The blue-haired man turned, trying to spot the source of the voice. On the deck of the Royal Anne, that wasn't too hard. Most people were ignoring the blue haired man and his obsession with the ocean, save one. Another man was lying on a nearby chair, a black trench coat folded up by his feet. He lazily turned a page of the book he was reading, Pokémon Habitats of Unova. Bits of his dark brown, almost black, hair stuck out from underneath a white and black bandana.

"Excuse me?" The blue haired man placed a hand on his hip, frowning at the other man.

"I asked if you were done." The reader looked up at the ocean lover with a slightly annoyed look. "Your exclamations of love are kinda getting annoying."

"But love is a beautiful thing!" The blue haired man grabbed a woman who just happened to walk by. "Wouldn't you agree, my dear?"

The woman blushed slightly while in his arms. "I-I guess."

"You guess?" The blue haired man spun the woman around to take in the view he was just partaking in a moment before. "Love is a force that knows no bounds, it goes on forever just like this ocean! It is such a beautiful thing." He turned to the woman. "But not nearly as beautiful as you."

At this the woman's face exploded in color. "T-T-T-Thank you." She stuttered. "But I-I don't even k-know your name."

"Ah, where are my manners." The man sighed placing his hand on his face like he was ashamed of himself. "My name is Christofferson D. Miyazaki, by you may call me Chris for short. And,"

"And I'm Clegs." The reader from before cut in Chris off, placing himself between Chris and the woman. "His boyfriend."

"What?" Chris and the woman both exclaimed.

"Yeah, it's really a sad case of in the closet." Clegs sighed and draped an arm around Chris. "I'm talking deep, deep in the closet. It's actually kinda cute."

The woman pushed away, "Um, sorry, I think I need to go."

"Wait!" Chris cried, reaching out after her. But it was too late, as she had already fled halfway down the deck.

"Aw, that's too bad." Clegs put his hand sympathetically on Chris's shoulder. "She was really cute too."

Chris smacked Clegs hand off of himself and spun on the bandana man. "Then why the hell did you tell here we're gay?"

"Because you were interrupting my reading." Clegs sated it like it was obvious. "So, if you promise to leave me alone, I won't go around telling all the girls you're gay. Deal?"

Chris almost growled at the man, frightening Elizabeth slightly. "Deal." Before he could let Clegs say anything else, Chris spun on the spot and stormed off down the deck. "What an unfabulous man," he mumbled.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

An orange glow was cast across the skies of Kanto, deep purples mixing with the blues and puffy white clouds. Dusk was settling in slowly and the hum of bug type Pokémon mixed in perfectly with the humidity. It was the perfect time to take a nap. And that's exactly what a certain individual was doing right now.

Parked underneath a large oak tree outside the eastern gates of Saffron City was a trainer. His black shorts and plain black tee helped him almost blend in with the dark grasses that swayed with the wind. A black wool hat was pulled over his eyes while he rested his head on a backpack. Lying next to the boy was a Cubone, its head lying on the trainers lap. It was peaceful.

That is, until the drunken laughter came out of the underground pathway. The door was slammed open and several rough looking men came out, laughing their asses off. They all had some sort of strange haircut, ranging from mohawks to dreadlocks, and wore black leather jackets that had 'The Golbats' written across the back of them. There were about five total.

The largest one took a swig out of a small brown bottle. When he finished, he used the back of his hand to wipe his mouth. "Eh, I didn't need that stupid broad." He slurred.

"Yeah boss!" Another one agreed. "Bros before hoes!"

"Always!" The boss laughed and took another swig. However, this time he examined it, realized it was empty, and tossed it into the tall grass. A hiss of annoyance followed from the Ekans he had hit.

"Eh boss, check it out!" The smallest one pointed out the sleeping trainer and Cubone. His fingers pointed crookedly, like they had been smashed and broken several times.

"I smell a sucker!" The boss snickered and rubbed his palms together. He brought a finger to his lips, indicating to his buddies to be quiet. The four other men snickered as the boss tiptoed his way over to the boy. He gently picked up the boys head and removed the backpack before charging back to his friends like a mad Tauros. When he returned, they roared with laughter.

"Like stealing candy from a baby!" The small man laughed.

"A sleeping baby!" Another corrected.

The boss laughed. "Now let's see what we got here!" He turned the bag upside down and dumped the contents on the ground. Among the clothes, all black or dark colored clothes, was a journal, a few recovery items, and some candy.

A man with dreadlocks picked through the stuff with a stick, like a child would poke at a piece of poop he found. "Aw, there's nothing good here." He sighed.

Suddenly the little man with the crooked fingers jumped up, a small piece of plastic in his hands. "I got his trainer card!" He giggled like a little girl. "That means I have access to his cash!"

"Gimmie that!" The boss snatched the card from his buddy, giving him a dirty look before attempting to read the card. "Spa, Spa, Spa…" He narrowed his eyes at the card, as if squinting would give him better vision. "Sparta Scales." The boss smiled, rather pleased with himself.

"Who cares who he is." Dreadlocks unwrapped a piece of the hard candy. "Let's just eat the candy." He tossed it into the air and opened his mouth to catch it. An inch from his mouth, it stopped in midair, and dreadlocks snapped his teeth around air. He looked around, slightly confused. The piece of candy flew into its wrapper and quickly rewrapped itself before hopping back into the pile of clothes.

"Hey, he's from Lavender Town." The boss announced, "Isn't that the haunted place?"

"Only if you believe in ghosts." A skinny one waved off his bosses fears. "How much cash does he have?"

As the boss tried to check a piece of plastic for money, the smallest of the group hugged himself. "Hey! Who turned down the heat?" He demanded. "You!" He pointed a boney finger at dreadlocks.

"It's not me!" Deadlocks defended himself. "Blame the sun!" He shouted, pointing at the setting sun.

"DAMN YOU GIANT BALL OF GAS!" Boney fingers screamed at the sky, dropping to his knees.

"Ugh!" The quietest one of the group finally spoke up. "Someone help!"

The other four looked to their buddy. He was hanging upside down in the air, pocket change and other items falling onto the ground. "Hey!" Dreadlocks exclaimed. "How are ya doing that?"

"I don't know!" The man cried, tears were running up his face. "Just get me down!"

"But that's so cool!" Boney exclaimed. In the next second, he was floating too. "Cool!"

"Why's it getting colder?" The boss asked, as he was floating too. In a few seconds, all five men were in the air, and the next second they were flipped upside down and started to shake violently. Now they were all crying like babies, screaming for someone to let them down. After everything loose had been emptied from their pockets, they were thrown together by the invisible force.

"Leave…" A soft voice was carried on the wind into the men's ears.

"W-what?" Boney fingers asked, looking around nervously.

The sky went dark and a white woman appeared, blood running from her tear ducks. "Leave!" She screamed, a powerful wind came screaming from behind her. The men screamed and went charging for the tall grass, as anything seemed better than the woman. The moment they hit the grass, several Ekans hissed and jumped at them. The men screamed even louder, wet spots appearing in their pants before turning around and running back towards the underground path.

The door slammed shut, and the sky returned to the warm colors it was only moments ago. The buzz of Bedrill and flutter of Butterfree wings filled the air again. The woman was missing now, but a pale Marowak appeared slowly pushed its way out of the grass. It walked over to the bag, picking up the spilled contents and replacing them, along with items dropped by the drunken men.

When everything had been placed into the backpack again, the Marowak dragged it towards the sleeping Sparta. After placing it next to the sleeping trainer, it vanished into thin air. Cubone however suddenly sat up. It looked around, blinking its eyes sleepily at the empty road. After a few moment, the Cubone yawned and fell back onto Sparta's lap, quickly falling asleep.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

A gale was brewing on the slopes of Mt. Coronet. Snow danced along the night sky, creating intricate patterns with the stars. A full moon shone overhead, casting a pale glow over the ruins of Spear Pillar. Sitting atop a fallen pillar was the figure of a young man, a heavy black coat protecting him from the freezing wind.

"It's beautiful, isn't it Lumeo?" The man asked, gazing up at the night sky.

"Bre…" An Umbreon in his lap purred sleepily, nuzzling closer to its trainer. The blue rings on its body glowed dimly, losing more light every second; a sign that the Pokémon was close to falling asleep. This silence was ideal; the world was at peace right now.

Master. A voice spoke in the man's head, breaking the silence. A Lucario appeared in the snow before the man only a second later. The jackal was kneeling before the man's perch, his head bowed like he was a servant before a king. You have a guest.

Frowning at this news, the man roused his Umbreon. The sleepily Pokémon was disgruntled at this news as well, taking it's time to stretch before leaping of the man's lap. Using the Lucario as a stepping stone, making sure to swat its tail in Lucario's face, Lumeo bounce over to a snow-free piece of the ruins. The Lucario growled at Lumeo, who smugly walked away.

"Not now you two." The trainer scolded.

Laughter echoed off the pillars, surprising trainer and Pokémon. "Your Pokémon are as lively as ever, Alexander." A woman commented. The muffled click of a heel was heard through the snow, signaling the woman's approach. The trainer, Alexander, turned to the entrance of the ruins. A rather tall woman was walking towards him, pushing her way through the snow with ease. Her dark red hair seemed unaffected by the wind, locked into a large sway of curls.

Lumeo growled at her approach, eyeing the Eevee fur coat with anger. The woman frowned at Lumeo, "You know, you should teach your Pokémon some manners. Honchkrow?"

"Krow!" The large black bird came from the shadows, aiming its sharp talons at Lumeo. The Umbreon easily dodged by jumping to another fallen pillar and prepared a counterattack. However, Alexander raised a hand to signal a stop. Lumeo looked dissatisfied with its orders and gave a hiss of annoyance. Honchkrow took up next atop a pillar next to the woman, a smug look on its face.

"What do you want Kathy?" Alexander asked, glaring at the woman.

Kathy pouted, looking down at the young man with sad eyes. "What, no 'Hello!' or 'How are you?' You don't have to be so cold Alexander, we are family after all."

"What do you want?" He repeated.

Kathy sighed, placing a hand on her hip in defeat. "Not in the mood for small talk? Fine, you never were my favorite nephew." Before Alexander could point out that he was her only nephew, Kathy went on. "I've got a job –"

"Not interested." Alexander interrupted. He turned away, fully ready to run. Sinnoh might not be his native region, but he knew these mountains like the back of his hand.

"Mean Look."

Alexander's body froze, every fiber of his being had suddenly been gripped by a billion little hands. His skin crawled and prickled as the click of a heel slowly came closer. "Don't be so hasty now." Kathy's voice came into his ear. "You haven't even heard about the details."

"I don't want to be a part of your corrupt syndicate." Alexander growled. His eyes drilled holes into Kathy as she smugly took the seat he had previously occupied.

"Oh, but trust me. You'll want to hear this." Kathy paused for a moment, collecting her thoughts. "I guess the word job doesn't accurately describe my dream."

"Then what is you dream?"

A grin spread across Kathy's face, like she had been waiting for Alexander to ask the question. "What I dream for is simple. What I dream for," She slowly pulled two purple tickets out of her pocket, "is a revolution."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

"Come on, we can work faster than this, can't we?" A girl scolded from her perch on a large crate.

A man with black hair shot the teenager an annoyed look. "Yes, we can, if you actually started to help me!"

The girl laughed, bringing the back of her hand to her mouth like a noble would. "Oh Sora, you amuse me." Sora mumbled under his breath and continued to unpack the crates that filled the room. She watched Sora go about his work, connecting wires to different packages, double checking everything every time me changed or added something to the room.

Sora jumped when a very loud and annoying ringtone went off and shot the girl another look. She smiled and then jumped off the box. "It's from mom; I'll just take this outside." The girl quickly walked out the doors, stepping into the cool night air. "Hello?"

"Feddy!" came a woman's energetic voice. "How are you doing?"

"Ahead of schedule!" Feddy chimed. "I'm glad you called, Sora had me worked halfway to death!" From behind her came sarcastic laughter.

"Well I have something that will lift your spirits. I managed to find Alexander!"

"Really?" Feddy cried happily. "Did you find him rolling around the snow like I said? He's always had a fetish for snow."

"Shut it Feddy!" A male voice came through the phone, clearly irritated. Feddy simply laughed at him snapping at her.

"So, can you give me a full report?" Kathy asked.

"Well," Feddy skipped down the steps and spun on her heel. Her gaze traveled up the tower that seemed to pierce the sky. "Sora and I are almost done at Tin Tower." Feddy sighed. "It's kind of beautiful in its own way. Almost a shame that we have to destroy it."

"Yes." Kathy sighed as well. "But we were never able to get those Kimono girls to summon Ho-oh for us. It's better that we destroy the tower than risk Ho-oh getting in our way."

"Yeah, I know." Feddy sighed again. "Oh! Speaking of legendary Pokémon; team seven has located and captured Zapdos, team nineteen has located and are currently pursuing Suicune, and team thirty-three has managed to steal Regirock, Registeel, Regice, and Riakou from the heads of the Battle Frontier. Oh, and finally, team thirty-nine has captured Cobalion."

"Oh perfect!" Kathy exclaimed joyfully. "You're doing such a great job Feddy. When you're done there, I want you and Sora to meet up with team three and head for the Indigo Plateau."

"Kay, see you soon mom." Feddy hung up the Pokégear and looked around again. Under the pale moon, the golden trees of Ecruteak City seemed to glow with a different sort of radiance compared to the sunlight. She sighed, "This really is a beautiful city."

"Dreavus!"

Feddy looked up and spotted her Misdreavus descending from the sky. She smiled at her Pokémon. "So how did recon go Trello?"

Trello smiled and then bumped into its trainer's forehead. Instantly, images flooded Freddy's mind. Dark, thick trees of a forest made up her vision for a few moments, but then Feddy saw a soft, glowing light ahead. The pale green light seemed to pulsate, growing brighter and dimmer steadily; it was like watching someone's sleeping chest rise and fall slowly.

As Feddy drew closer, the trees began to thin out until she reached the edge of a clearing. Sitting in the center of the clearing was a small shrine, dedicated to a certain green Pokémon. But what Feddy was interested was sleeping in front of the shine. The small green fairy, Celebi was sleeping inside a green sphere.

The image faded and Feddy was now staring eye to eye with her Pokémon. "Looks like it just jumped through time, just like mom predicted." Feddy called back into Tin Tower. "I'm gonna have to leave you for a while Sora! I've got an errand to run."

"Your help will be greatly missed." Sora called back sarcastically.

Feddy smiled as she lazily walked through the forest back towards Ecruteak City. Thoughts about the plan her mother had concocted began to lazily float through her mind. Trello floated through the trees, enjoying the moonlight. "Enjoy the forest while you can." Feddy smiled. Because soon it will be burnt to the ground, she thought with a grin.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o


Authors Note: If you managed to reach the end of my lengthy prologue, then congrats! That also means I managed to grab your attention successfully! I tired to introduce all the main characters right away, and as you can see they're all OC's (original characters). The cast is a bit large, but that's thanks to me and my friends. We were brainstorming characters and kinda went overboard. We all write bits of fanfictions, but we all have ideas and characters that we were never able to fit into other stories, so we all came up with the characters, mini plots, and I was tasked with creating the main story. So instead of just posting it on Fanfiction.net, I decided I want as much criticism as possible since this is my first fanfiction using an OC cast.

So, criticism is welcome! Flamers are not!