THE CHRONICLES OF SHADOWS The Boy: Part One A story by Akei-Dragon E-mail: simfreak322@hotmail.com Category: OT - Author's Note: Wow, someone stab me. I haven't written in ages. Hopefully with February vacation, I can catch up a little on the story. I do have some good ideas though. :) --- "Uuuurp... glurgh!" I vomited into a brown paper bag. Obsidian was beside me, concerned for my well being. I laughed and ruffled the great black bird's feathers. "Just a spot of air sickness, Sid..." I tossed the bag into a nearby trash bin and clutched my stomach. The day was not starting off as well as I wished for, but hopefully it would get better. Bored, I tossed my golden Pokeball into the air, then caught it as gravity pulled it into my hand. My watch said 1:30. The boat should be here in half and hour, I thought. Time to kill. I decided that a bit of grub would make me feel better. After sending Sid back to Jake, I took my skateboard out of my bag and skated on over to the nearest Pokemon Mart. It was easy to spot - Lilycove is known for its vast array of items essential for the trainer in its big department store. Opening the sliding glass doors, I strided into the building and looked around. I was surprised to see how many people were there - it was a Tuesday, for God's sake. Anyway, I didn't take my time picking up a ham sandwich, but apparently, it took 25 minutes to walk over to the indoor deli and order food. I raced back to the dock, and just as I arrived, the boat was waiting.After quickly flashing my ticket I was welcomed on board the S.S. AHOY. Gay name, but whatever. I grabbed a seat near the side of the boat and watched the rippling waves as we sped by the continent of Hoenn. --- "Hey, kid! Wake up!" "...Wha?" I looked up from my seat on... a boat. What?! Where the hell was I? Oh, right. The biggest event of my life. Anyway, a man with messy black hair was shouting at me. "Come on, sleeping beauty. I don't have all day." Heeding the man's command I got up and walked off the boat, dragging my feet. Maybe it was the hum of the ocean that lulled me to sleep... nah, it was probably that fucking Jigglypuff sitting right next to me. As I stepped on to the sandy beach, I looked ahead. YOU HAVE NOW ENTERED PALLET TOWN, HOME OF THE WORLD FAMOUS OAK LABORATORY AND POKEMON MASTER ASH KETCHUM. Ash Ketchum... name sounded familiar. Must have been something in history class. Focusing on the laboratory, me and about nine other kids my age walked along a cement path toward the lab. I guess these were supposed to be the people I would leave behind in the dust. Just kidding, I'm not that arrogant. I looked at a few of them; most of them appeared to be older, but some were my age - maybe even younger. But the one person that caught my eye was a girl near the back of the crowd. She had green eyes and was really hot. She wore a white t-shirt and jeans. Did I mention she was really hot? Turning my mind back to Pokemon, we were nearing the lab. It was a tall white building that looked kind of like a hospital. My brother said that it was the first Pokemon Lab built for the Pokemon League. Inside the lab, there were many computers and high-tech equipment that looked complicated. There were a bunch of those glass cylinders filled with various chemicals - obviously, someone was trying to make an updated version of a Super Potion. Actually it wasn't that obvious; I just read that little sign on the desk. A man in a white lab coat walked into the room. He appeared to be in his forties - his spiky brown hair was just graying, and he had a couple of lines near his mouth. At his side was an Eevee pup. "Good afternoon, everyone. I am Professor Gary Oak III. As you all know, you will be training to compete in the Kanto Pokemon League, formerly known as the Indigo League..." I was distracted by the Eevee. It seemed to be pawing Gary's shoelaces, biting at them and untying them. He stopped and picked up the little bundle of brown fur, then continued on with his less than exciting speech. "In conclusion, each of you will be able to pick from ten Pokemon. The order in which you will choose your Pokemon will be determined by... uh... your birthday." Shit, my birthday was in December. I couldn't lie about it either, because he had our records in his hands. Anyway, a short kid with brown hair walked up to the desk, for his birthday was in January. He picked out a Marill. A couple other kids picked out a Poochyena, Growlithe, Swinub, Bagon, Natu, Shroomish, and Meowth. The girl I liked got a Pichu. And finally, it was my turn. I walked slowly up to the counter. The Professor was smiling about something - probably making fun of me because I didn't really have a choice. All of the other Pokeballs were shiny and new, but this one was a piece of crap. It was dirt and beat-up. I sighed, and picked it up, releasing the Pokemon inside. A look of shock flashed across everyone's face. Surprised at the reaction, I looked down to my feet. A black dog with silver rings on it feet and a hard skull plate looked up at me, tongue hanging out. I had gotten... a Houndour? I counldn't believe it. What was in the Pokeball that nobody wanted was the best one of all. The little puppy smiled up at me, wagging its tail. Grinning, I reached down to pet it. It licked my hand. I bent down to its eye level and scratched his nose. It lay down on the ground and I scratched its belly - or rather, HIS belly: it was easy to see from here that it was a boy. I was about to pick him up, but he was surprisingly heavy, so I let him rest at my feet. All the other Pokemon were curious, walking up and sniffing him. My Houndour had a great disposition; he was calm with other Pokemon, but was strong and healthy. I looked at the Professor. "Beautiful things come in ugly packages, Mr. Camden," he said with a wink. --- - Well, there's part one. I feel like such a jerk for prolonging it so long, but its done, and I'm going to try my best to keep up. I hope you like it!