No...N-N-No!!
Stop it you...evil...STOP!!!!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
Syrus awoke with a fright, his brow covered in sweat.
"Another nightmare..." he panted. His blinds were golden on the tips of them, with rays of light shining through the gaps. He sat there in bed, quietly, until it dawned on him.
"Oh man! We gotta go!!"
He jumped in the shower and cleaned up before jumping out almost as soon as he jumped in, brushed his teeth, threw his clothes on, not forgetting to pause and breath every few seconds. He put on his favorite necklace, the one his father gave to him as a child, that had a black lightningbolt symbol on it. This is it, Pop, he thought.
He grabbed his backpack full of traveling gear, and ran into the hallway, shouting past his older brother's room, "Beo! Beo, wake up!! WE GOTTA GO!!!" His brother didn't stir. "Eh, whatever," he sighed, "He'll realize soon enough."
Syrus said a quick goodbye to his loving grandmother, the basis of which the boys were starting their journey. "Goodbye, Nana!" he said, before bursting out the door.
"Bye, sweetie! Be careful..." she said quietly.
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Syrus felt good about today. The sun was bright. New Bark Town's winds were strong as ever. It was the perfect day to begin his journey---well, he and his brother's, that is. After walking for a few minutes, he spotted Professor Elm's Lab on the horizon.
"There it is!" he exclaimed. Syrus ran as fast as he could the rest of the way to Elm's lab, but had to stop for a minute to catch his breath when he got to the front door.
"Whew," he said, "that was farther than I thought." He knocked on the door, and almost instantly a man in a white lab coat opened the door and said, "Hello, Mr. Anthony! The professor's been expecting you!" Syrus followed the man inside to the back of the laboratory. He saw tons of books and gadgets around, among other things.
"Cool," he said. When they reached the back, Syrus saw a rather sloppy-looking man with his back turned over a table from around the other lab-man. "Sir?" the man who had let Syrus in said, "One of the Anthony brothers are here." The brown-haired man turned around quickly and adjusted his glasses, knocking down a single pokeball. "Oh, my!" he said, "Terribly sorry!" He rushed over and picked the ball up. As the first man walked back to his quarters, the new man introduced himself, "Hello," he said with a chuckle, "My name is Professor Elm. You're here to pick a pokemon to start your journey as a... sorry, what did you want to become with your pokemon?"
"I want to be the first ever co-champion of the Johto league sir! ...With my brother, that is..." Elm noticed the boy was alone. "Where exactly is your brother, if I might ask?"
"He's at home--asleep," Syrus said blatantly. "Ah," Elm said, "Well, nonetheless, you still have to pick your starter!" Syrus wallked over to the table that Elm had been hunched over when Syrus first saw him. There were only two Pokeballs on the table.
"Umm..Professor Elm?" Syrus asked, "Weren't there supposed to be three starters to choose from?" The professor turned around and said, "Hm? Oh yes! I forgot! Here's the third pokemon to choose from." He took out the Pokeball that had dropped from his coat pocket and pressed the center button. There was a white flash that almost blinded Syrus, but as it faded away, Syrus opened his eyes to see a rather small Pokemon standing in the place of the flash. It had blue and tan fur, and slit-like eyes on his head, which was dominated by a long snout. It also had four red spots on its back. Syrus looked at it for a moment, and finally said, "What is it?"
"Why, it's a cyndaquil!" the professor said, "It's a fire-type Pokemon."
"Hmm," Syrus said. He comtemplated the choice; fire-types were considered strong, but this thing didn't even have the slightest sign of fire on it, which doubted Syrus.
"I don't know, " Syrus said, "Seems kinda...well, wimpy."
The cyndaquil, upon hearing this, started the flame on it's back. It was rather large in comparison to its body.
"Whoa!" Syrus exclaimed. He didn't expect much from something so small, but that flame...
"Hmm...I've changed my mind! I'll take it!" Syrus said happily. The cyndaquil looked just as happy as Syrus, and ran over to him. "Great! Then you're gonna need these!" Elm said, as he ran over to his desk and back to Syrus. The professor gave Syrus five pokeballs, a pokedex, a couple of Potions, and the Cyndaquil's pokeball. Syrus latched the extra five Pokeballs to his belt, put the Pokedex into his left-back pocket, and put the Potions in his backpack. He turned toward the fire mouse.
"Time to go little buddy!" Syrus said, and pressed the button on the pokeball, releasing a red beam. The cyndaquil dodged it. "Hey!" Syrus exclaimed, "C'mon, cyndaquil! Return!" He pressed the button again. Cyndaquil dodged the beam again. Syrus began to get frustrated, but pressed the button again. The cyndaquil jumped to make the red beam miss agian, and landed on top of Syrus's head. "Hey!" Syrus yelled, "Don't mess up the hair!" Syrus ran around the lab trying to get the Pokemon off his head.
"GAAAHH!!! Get off me, you stupid flaming rat!" At this, the cyndaquil got a gleam in its eye, and blasted its flame again from atop Syrus's head. Syrus immediately stopped struggling.
"Touche," Syrus said calmly, "Well, I better get going Professor Elm."
"Okay then, Syrus! Be safe! Don't get in too much trouble!"
Syrus walked out of the lab with the cyndaquil on his head, feeling good about the rest of the day. Then he realized that his brother wasn't walking beside him. Syrus took off his backpack and rested on a tree stump just outside of New Bark Town. I wonder what's keeping Beo? he thought.