"Dr. Fuji! We must hurry! It has escaped!"
The bespectacled man grabbed his colleague by the shoulder, pulling him away from his desk. Fuji stood up with a bolt, dropping his journal to the ground.
"Out of its capsule? Has the chamber been locked down?"
"No. It's escaped out of the building. Now, let's go before we both get killed!"
"You and I both know that if it wanted us dead, we wouldn't even be having this conversation. Where has it gone? I may be able to coax it back."
A violent tremble shook the laboratory, knocking the men to their feet. Down the hall, Fuji could hear the muffled screams of men. He grabbed his partner by the arm and stepped out into the corridor, only to be pushed back by the smoke billowing in from a nearby office. The men could barely comprehend what was happening until the next shock hit the building. A hole had torn open in the ceiling, allowing the smoke to clear and the fire to grow. Beneath the newly exposed full moon, Fuji could see the devastation that had befallen his coworkers. Flames licked the walls as the corpses of lab assistants and technicians decorated the hallway.
A force, maybe terror or fatigue, took over Fuji's elderly body. He nearly collapsed again, barely grabbing hold onto a nearby Rhydon statute. He looked back and saw that his partner had been trapped under a piece of the ceiling. He tried to yell back to him but the heat and smoke had become too overwhelming. He slowly felt himself growing weaker. As he slipped to the base of the statue, propping himself up on one arm, he could see a silhouette forming in the cloud of ash.
It was coming for him. It wasn't going to leave. The figure leaned in close, inches away from his face. Fuji knew what it was going to ask, as if the creature was already in his mind, searching for the answer.
"Where is my father?"
Fuji did not know the answer. But he did know that his lack of knowledge was unacceptable. A pure white light, brighter than the fire, filled the room. And the pain began.
* * * * * *
"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Ash sat straight up in bed, blinded by a searing headache.
"Are you okay?" called his mother from downstairs. Ash rubbed his temples and squinted in the sunlight.
"No, I...," Ash stared out the window. "Wait...what time is it?!" The pain and memory of his headache was replaced by the pain of an even bigger headache as he grabbed his alarm clock which read 12:00. And then 12:00. And then 12:00. He screamed again, even louder.
"Mom! My alarm clock didn't go off!" He rushed out of his room and down the stairs where he saw banner reading "HAPPY 10TH BIRTHDAY!" over the breakfast table. His mother presented him with a gift box and a plate of eggs.
"Oh, the power must have gone out last night. I told you if you stayed up late to watch the Indigo League finals, you'd be tired in the morning! But it's okay. The birthday boy can sleep in a little later if he wants to."
"But the professor is handing out Pokémon for the new trainers today. If I'm late, all the best ones will be taken! How am I supposed to start my first day as a trainer if I can't get a good Pokémon !" Ash said, between heaping bites of dry cereal. He finished off his breakfast with a large swig directly out of the milk bottle.
"Pace yourself, Ash! I'm sure there will be plenty of good Pokémon to chose from. Now here, open your present!"
Ash's mother handed him the box, and he quickly tore into it. He pulled out a Potion bottle and a red and white baseball cap. The cap was a little frayed on the brim and featured a round black patch that was sewn onto the front.
"The Potion is to help heal your Pokémon after battles. Be sure to replenish it when it gets low. And that hat was your father's lucky cap. It was the same one he wore when he challenged the Elite Four at your age. He wanted you to have it."
"Whoa," Ash tried the hat on. "It's a little big, but...thanks Mom." He hugged her and looked at the Meowth clock on the kitchen wall over her shoulder. It was 10:46!
"Ah! I've gotta go! The new trainers were supposed to be at the lab an hour ago!" Ash dashed out the door, and immediately tumbled down the front steps of his house. Holding his scraped knee, he looked up to see what he had tripped on. A small, yellow mouse had dragged on of the main powerlines out from under his house and was chewing on it contentedly.
"Ugh! You stupid rat! You've made me late! Shoo! Shoo!" Ash kicked his foot in the air to scare off the rodent. The mouse's red cheeks began to emit a few sparks as it glared at the boy, finally sending a bolt to shock his bare foot. "Ow!" Ash dove for the mouse, but it quickly ran up a nearby tree. And if Ash didn't know any better, he could have sworn the mouse was laughing at him.
"Pipipi," it squeaked from its perch.
"Oh, I'll deal with you later." And with that, Ash continued towards the laboratory on the side of town. As he ran, his mind turned to his mission at hand. Oh, there had better be a Charmander left when I get there, he thought. I don't want to be stuck with a Bulbasaur...If I had a Charmander, then I'll make him just as strong as Dad's Charizard. I'm going to be the next Pokémon Champion! Please let there be one left!
Ash finally made it to the doors of the giant laboratory. He passed a sign that said "PALLET TOWN LABORATORY" in big letters and a paper flyer underneath which read, "Professor Oak will be greeting new trainers at 10am, Sept. 1. Shades of a new journey await! Choose wisely!" Pictures of three Pokémon a Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle were shown underneath. Ash tapped the Charmander as he ran by, and found his way into the main lecture hall.
A crowd of children, all around Ash's age, had filled the dark room. Ash was forced to take a seat at the very back and strained to see what everyone was looking at. Fortunately, the seat was quite comfy. At the front of the room, a black and white film was playing on a projector screen. It showcased two teenage trainers who were in the middle of a battle. The female trainer had a short round Pokémon with a spiky head and a wide menacing grin while the male trainer owned a four-legged monster with a large horn and big stiff ears. As the two creatures attacked each other, an elderly professor at the front of the room narrated the action.
"As you can see, my Nidorino's options were extremely limited. In order to do any damage, I had to rely on Poison Sting to get the job done. Can anybody tell me why this is?" asked the Professor. "Yes, Gary, once again?"
A tall boy at the front of the crowd answered with a condescending tone. "Since you were fighting a Gengar, which is a Ghost type, Nidorino's Normal and Fighting moves would pass right through it."
"Yes, that is exactly, right-"
"Also, Poison Sting wouldn't have helped any either because Gengar is also a Poison type and is immune. Nidorino had no chance. You should have evolved it right away. I'm sure you lost this battle," the cocky boy continued.
"Er, yes, you are exactly correct."
Ash thought he recognized the voice of the boy and realized that it was his next door neighbor, Gary Oak. He used to play with him when he was younger, but he hadn't seen him for the past year, as he was abroad training. Ash couldn't wait to see his old friend again and learn from him.
"Um, excuse me, but you're sitting on my puff."
"What?" Ash turned to face the girl he had been sitting next to this whole time. He didn't recognize her.
"That's my Jigglypuff you're sitting on." The girl pushed Ash to the side and he saw that the pink cushion he was sitting on was actually a round sleeping Pokémon Ash restrained himself from yelling in surprise so as not to draw attention to himself. "Shh," the girl whispered. "If Puff wakes up, she'll be angry." She picked up the Jigglypuff and put her in her lap. The big-eyed puffball remained fast asleep.
"Sorry," Ash whispered. "I didn't know." He took the now empty seat. It wasn't as comfortable anymore.
"Why are you so late? Oversleep much?" The girl giggled, and fiddled with her white lace gloves.
"Uh, yeah, heh. I hope I didn't miss a lot. Have the professor handed out the Pokémon yet?"
"No, he was just going over the basics of battling and stuff. It's been pretty boring. I'm hoping to get a Squirtle. I think they're the cutest. How about you?"
"A Charmander. Like my dad."
"Well, I guess I'll have the type advantage then! You know, water beats fire!"
"Haha, I don't know, Charmanders can be very strong."
"Ahem!" came a voice from the front. "And what is Gengar's signature move, young man?" Professor Oak was glaring at Ash and the rest of the crowd had turned to face him.
"Um..." Ash looked to the girl who shook her head. "I don't know, sir."
"Dream Eater. If you had been watching the film you would have seen that my opponent's Gengar used the devastating Dream Eater on me." Oak turned back to the film.
The Jigglypuff girl laughed quietly. "I knew it was Dream Eater."
"Then why didn't you tell me?!"
"I just wanted to see you squirm. That's what you get for sitting on Puff!"
Ash grumbled to himself as the lights turned on. "Alright boys and girls. The moment as come to collect your official starter Pokémon Please line up single file and present your Trainer ID to select your starters."
"I'll see you down at the front," said the girl as she stood up. She hadn't noticed that her Jigglypuff had left a bunch of little pink hairs all over her dark blue dress. Ash decided not to tell her. "Nice pajamas, by the way," she smirked. Ash looked down at his outfit. He had forgotten to change! And his pajamas didn't have pockets, meaning that his Trainer ID was still at home! Without another word, he darted out of the lab and hightailed it back towards his house.
As he passed by the Oak residence, a pretty teenage girl stepped out onto the porch and called, "Hi Ash! Did you get your first Pokémon?" This was Gary's older sister, Daisy. Ash had always been too shy to talk to her, even when he used to go over to her house to play with Gary. But he didn't have time to not talk to her today.
"Not...no...soon...ID....need!" Ash called behind him. As he approached his house, he saw the yellow mouse from earlier once again blocking his doorway. Without breaking his stride, he scooped up a handful of pebbles and threw them at the creature. One of the larger rocks hit the mouse on the head, causing it to run away. "Serves you right, you dumb rat." Ash quickly ran through the door, up the stairs, into the bedroom, and grabbed his ID. But on his way back out, he met another obstacle.
Two small Pokémon were standing in his way. One was the electric mouse, and the other looked like a pinker, fatter version of the mouse. With wings.
"Hey, kid!" shouted the pink Pokémon Ash was stunned into a halt as he had never seen a talking Pokémon before. "Wh-what?" Ash stammered.
"My cousin here says that you threw a rock at his head. Is this true?" The pink Pokémon puffed out his chest, trying to look tough. "Pika, Pippi, pika pika," squeaked the mouse. "Now he's saying that you also tried to kick him earlier! I believe you owe him an apology." The pink Pokémon fluttered its tiny wings to punctuate his point.
Ash didn't have time to comprehend what was happening, for at that moment, he came down with another headache, as violent as the one he experienced earlier. "Look, I don't have time for this. I've got to get back to the lab!" Pinching the bridge of his nose, he pushed the two Pokémon out of his way and made his way back to the lab. "Hey, come back here!" shouted the Pokémon. "Pika!"
Most of the children were already outside admiring their new Pokémon Bulbasaurs, Charmanders, and Squirtles mingled and battled. Leaves, embers and water droplets were spraying everywhere. In the middle of it all stood Gary Oak with a little brown fox-like creature perched on his shoulder.
"Hey there, Ash! I thought I heard you inside. Wanna battle with our new Pokémon? I got the strongest one there was."
Ash pointed to the furry creature on his shoulder. "Is that your starter?"
"Eevee? No, he's just my training buddy. Although I'm sure he can beat you just as well." Eevee perked up at the thought.
"Look, I'd like to stay and chat, but I haven't received my first Pokémon yet, so if you'll excuse me..."
"You haven't picked one yet? Looks like you've already got two." Gary pointed at the pink and yellow Pokémon that had been chasing Ash from his house. The mouse was starting to release another burst of electricity in his direction. Ash pushed past Gary to get to safety. "Whatever! Smell you later, Ash!"
When Ash made it back to the lecture hall, he saw the girl from earlier arguing with Professor Oak. Apparently, she was the last one in line.
"I am NOT going to start with an ugly Bulbasaur!" the girl shouted.
"I'm sorry, sweetheart, but that is my last Pokémon It's only fair that those who arrive first get first pick. And any Pokémon you start with will be a strong member of your team that you will bond and grow with."
"Ugh! I came all the way here from Viridian City just to get stuck with a lousy Bulbasaur! I wanted a Squirtle! Ergh!" Her Jigglypuff had awaken by this point and was just as angry. The girl stormed past Ash, and he could tell that the Bulbasaur in her Poké Ball was hurt by her reaction. "Good luck," she sarcastically said to Ash as she passed by him.
"Yes, can I help you?" Professor Oak asked.
"Um, I'm here to get my starter Pokémon? My name is Ash..."
"Hmm," Oak checked his roster. "Are you a boy or a girl?"
"Boy...?"
"I don't see any Ash listed. Are you sure you're eligible?
"Yes," Ash handed over his Trainer ID. "I just turned 10 today. That means I can start my journey, right? I don't want to have to spend another year at school, waiting."
Oak looked at the ID and back at Ash. "Yes, I suppose you're right. But I handed out all of my starter Pokémon It'll take months until the next batch are bred. Unless you don't mind starting with another Pokémon."
"Yes, I'll take anything at this point! Please!"
At that moment, the girl with the Jigglypuff shrieked and ran into the room, followed closely by the two wild Pokémon "Go get him, Pikachu! This Jigglypuff looks like she could use some company!" the pink one shouted, before sidling up to Puff. She, in turn, slapped him. Twice.
The Pikachu was dashing down the seats of the lecture hall, bouncing from chair to chair. Professor Oak shouted, "That's a rogue Pikachu and Clefairy! They're pretty far from their habitat. And if you don't look out, you'll be electrocuted!" He then pulled Ash behind his desk as a bolt of lightning careened toward his head. Oak steadied his Poké Ball. "Which one do you want?"
"Are you crazy?!" Ash shouted. "That Pikachu is a psycho! And that other thing is annoying!"
"Look, these are very rare Pokémon and I've only got one ball on me. You're going to have to pick one. And you're going to have to learn to work together, whichever one you choose." Another shock bounced off a blackboard behind them. "You want to prove that you're a trainer? Show me what you've got!"
And with that, he stood up and tossed the ball at Pikachu. In a beam of light, Pikachu was captured in the capsule. After a few trembles, the ball closed and Ash could see the angry Pikachu inside, storing up energy. Oak carefully picked up the ball and handed it to Ash. "I wish you luck on your new journey to becoming a Pokémon Master!"
As the girl, the Jigglypuff, the Clefairy, Ash, Pikachu and Professor Oak gathered themselves amidst the fallen ash, Oak turned to his lab, and fell to his knees.
"My books...my computers...all of years my research...gone!
And Ash could sense that this was going to be the worst headache yet.
To Be Continued...
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