Chapter 6: It Begins

"Wake up, Chris! Come on!"

Christopher groaned as he felt himself being shaken by someone with a hushed voice. Christopher was only half awake and was too tired to fully open his eyes. Through his slightly opened eyes he couldn't see anything except the faint moonlight pouring in through the windows. It's still dark. He moved his head little by little to look around and saw a dark shape standing over him. The dark silhouette was big, giving it a threatening look. But I'm the only guy here. And he knows my name!

"Come on, Chris!" said the dark figure in the same hushed tone, but now it sounded distressed. The dark figure started to shake Christopher harder. "We need to get the others."

Christopher was now fully awake and sprang up from the couch, nearly hitting the dark figure with his head. Christopher pushed him away and jumped over the side of the couch. He was about to turn on the lights when someone with smooth, soft hands behind him grabbed his arm.

"Who are you people?" Christopher nearly yelled.

Whoever was behind him squeezed his arm and told him to be quiet. "Will you settle down. It's only me Katherine," said the person behind him, letting go of Christopher's arm.

Christopher was both relieved and shocked. "What's going on? And who's that guy over there?" Christopher glared at the dark figure before him, who was still covered in darkness. He was ready to attack if he came any closer.

"Don't you recognize your own brother Nicholas?" the dark figure said while moving towards a nearby window where the moonlight shown through.

The light revealed a tall man with a cap on, which was embedded with the insignia of the Pokémon World Championship. Christopher looked over his brother to confirm it was actually his brother and noticed that there was a red scratch on the man's arm and that his clothes were slightly torn.

"Nick," Christopher said with relief. He had forgotten that his brother was still coming. "What took you so long? And what happened to you?"

"Never mind that," he replied, stepping back into the shadows and peering our through the window. "We're in trouble. Quickly, but quietly, take whatever you need. Mom is already waking up Grandma."

Christopher tried to glance out the window, but his brother stuck out his arm toward him, a quiet gesture telling him to stay away. Christopher did not know the seriousness of what was going on, so he complied and quietly put his things in his bag and put it over his shoulder. When he looked around, he noticed a red light lit on the VCR of the television. He knew that it must be the recording of the Championship and quickly ejected it, placed it in a nearby empty case, and placed it in his bag.

"What's going on, Nick? Where are we going?" Christopher was feeling nervous. His brother just shows up in the middle of the night with bleeding scratches and torn clothes. What happened to him?

"Listen, when I say, I need you two to get those eggs and run away with them," Nicholas said, ignoring his younger brother's questions. "You remember where the Rest House is, right, Chris?"

"Yeah, near the department store."

Nicholas was referring to the Lilac Rest House near the only department store in town. The department store supplied everything the inhabitants needed to live in the small town, so it was not necessary for any more. There was actually no Pokémon Center anywhere in town. The Rest House was similar to a Pokemon Center except it was more like a temporary shelter for passersby. There was a small pokémon clinic, which was run by the Green family, in the Rest House, but it was suggested to go to the Pokémon Center in the nearest city, Florville, because they had better doctors and equipment. There was a bus that passed through Lilac Town three times a day that would take anyone to Florville City. And because Lilac Town was small and peaceful, there was no police station. The nearest police station was also in Florville.

"Good. When I first got here I tried to call the Florville police, but the phone line has been cut and my PokéGear's signal is being blocked." Nicholas was feeling uneasy. Why now? Why here?

From the dark hall on the other side of the room, they could hear someone coming. "Nicholas? Christopher?" It was their mother. Spotting them hiding in the shadows with Katherine, she said, "I was looking out of your grandmother's window and I saw someone leaving the side of the house. I had heard something, so I looked. I think they just turned off the electricity. I even tried a lamp, but it did not turn on."

"Okay, thanks Mom." Nicholas had to think fast. "We're alone in this. I think there is only one way to get out of here."

Katherine sensed what he was considering. "I'm a trainer. My pokémon and I will gladly help out." Even though she felt this was not the time, she introduced herself anyway. "My name's Katherine Meleski, by the way."

"Thank you. I'm sure we can hold them off. But I must warn you that these guys have pretty strong pokémon."

"I can take care of myself," Katherine assured him.

Once again, Nicholas looked outside the window. "I wonder what they're doing? I can see some of them moving around in the darkness, but they are not attacking."

"Are vaporeon and umbreon all right? What about their eggs?" It was their grandmother. She had just come out of the hall carrying a bag.

"Yes, Grandma. Both of them seem to be ready to fight, too," Nicholas said. "Okay here's what we need to do. We need to get vaporeon and umbreon and their eggs and get them out of danger. A while ago, I saw someone messing with the car, so we're going to have to run."

"I will not be able to get far if I run," the grandmother said wearily. "I am not as young as I used to be. I'll get too exhausted."

Nicholas hesitated on what they should do. We need to get out of here quickly. "Mom and Grandma, stay near me. My pokémon and I will protect you. Chris and Katherine, I need you two to run to the Rest House and try to call for help. See if you can get a hold of the police in Florville."

Everyone nodded and moved closer to the sliding glass door in the kitchen. Nicholas held one of his poké balls in his hand while Katherine was holding one in each. Both of them stood at the front of the group, in front of the door. Christopher was behind Katherine and his mother and grandmother were at the back.

As Nicholas slowly slid the door open, he could see vaporeon and umbreon a few feet in front of him. They were looking all around them, growling into the night. Umbreon's yellow stripes were glowing brightly with anticipation. Both of them glanced back at the group, and then back into the cold, dark surroundings. Nicholas looked around and couldn't see anyone. There was no tall grass or trees to hide behind. He slowly walked over to where the eggs lay with their parents. Everyone else followed.

"Where did they go?" Katherine said. She tried to look around the corner of the house from where she stood, but it was too dark, even with the light from the moon.

"Let's not stay here to find out," Nicholas said. His mother handed him a large bag big enough to hold all the eggs. The inside of the bag was soft and cushioned. He slowly placed the eggs into the bag one by one while, at the same time, keeping an eye out for any movement. What's going on? Why haven't they attacked? He decided that they were hiding out in front of the house. "I think we're going to have to move around the outside of the town," he whispered back to everyone. As he placed the last egg into the bag he noticed a shadow creeping over to them, covering the moonlit ground with darkness.

"There's something in the sky," Christopher whispered, looking up into the star-filled sky.

The oval-like silhouette of a massive object loomed high above the ground. It slowly and silently moved directly in front of the moon. Only a small whir could be faintly heard coming from the object. The dark shadow it cast over the group below nearly covered the entire area. As it completely blocked out the moon, a glint reflected off the metal covering. It was now nearly pitch black in the covered area. The only hints of light came from the lampposts that weakly illuminated small area of the town.

Nicholas instantly knew what this massive object was and where it had come from. "A zeppelin..." The small breeze carried his words away. What remained was the realization that they were in much greater danger than he had expected.