The sun was starting to peek over the horizon when Sam Sapphire, snuck to the mailbox
and stole a small page from the local newspaper.
His little brother, furious at not being old enough to be allowed to train pokemon, had
torn up this sheet ever since Sam was eligible for the prize.
Sam snuck back into the house and tiptoed into his room. He shut the door quietly, and
then locked it.
He walked calmly over to his desk, satisfied that Josh had no way to get the paper he held
in his hand.
"Excuse me, but I believe that belongs to me."
Sam whirled around. His little brother was standing on his desk chair. Sam held the
precious paper to his left. Josh lunged for it, then Sam yanked it away just in time for
Josh to miss it.
What he didn't miss, however, was the wall.
"What's goin' on in there?" Yelled my mother, Fiona. She had been asleep but was now
awake.
"Josh's trying to steal my paper!" Sam yelled quickly. That was the only way to get the
paper safe. His mother hated the two of them fighting over things. But she hated getting
woken up worse.
"JOSHUA JACOB SAPPHIRE! GET YOUR REAR END INTO YOUR ROOM! IF I
HEAR ANOTHER NOISE FROM EITHER OF YOU, I'LL FLOG YOU FROM HERE
TO KANTO!" My mother screeched. Josh walked past Sam on his way to the door, but
not without another attempt on the paper.
Sam snatched it out of Josh's range in the blink on an eye. You had to be quick. Sam had
top reflexes.
"Move it or lose it." Sam said, motioning to his door.
Josh slunk out, looking like a depressed Growlithe.
Sam rolled his eyes. He then grabbed his laptop and its carrying case. Sam would do the
sheet at his Secret Base.
Beginnings of a Master
By Articunokel
Sam sat down at the comfort desk that his Dad had brought for him and sighed.
He gazed at the giant Snorlax Doll that his sister had gotten him.
Everything in his Base was a present from either his Dad or Ani.
Ani was currently journeying somewhere in Hoenn.
His Dad was the new Gym Leader for Dark Pokemon in Tyrost Town.
Sam sighed again and flipped his laptop on.
He then, finally, gazed down on his prize.
It was an entry sheet to the biggest event for all kids above the age of ten and below
seventeen.
If you won a place in it, you were offered the best prize in the world.
The chance to leave home and become a Pokemon Trainer.
It was every normal kid's greatest dream.
Three Professors from around the world, each leading in their region's Research, were
randomly chosen to give ten kids a pokemon.
Sam stared down at the paper, thinking hard. This year Professor Birch, the best scientist
in Hoenn, was on the board, which meant that Treecko, Torchic and Mudkip would be a
choice.
Professor Elder, a man represent Forenzis, the great artic continent to the south, would
put forth Senvar, a small, black, chubby bear which was a Dark/Normal type would be
shown.
Hekark, a large, green, fluffy Grass/ Ice type that was able to put itself into hibernation
for years, would be a choice.
And Frezint, the small pre-evolution of Frezent, an Ice/Dragon type with small, wiry blue
wings would be there.
And Professor Willow, a hurly burly, muscular woman was going to be there too.
She would present pokemon like:
Liktretch, the pre-evolution of Lickitung, a small purple blob would be there.
Yoryu, a yak-like pokemon with bright red wool would be stampeding around.
And Qizret, the strange Quiz pokemon that didn't say it's name. More irritating still, it
spoke in riddles.
Sam leaned back in his chair. To get any one of those would be a dream.
It might not be made true if he didn't do the sheet.
Name: Sam Sapphire Gender: Male
Age: 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Sam grinned. This was one of his most eligible years. People who were 10 or 11 were
almost always discarded without a second thought.
15 and 16 year olds were starting to get sick of pokemon by then.
Sam circled '13' with a large circle.
Pokemon License Number: 482-10840
Region: Hoenn/ Southern Island. Town: Latios Town. Address:
17 Articuno Street.
Sam placed his pen down, and then stared hard and long at the subject of the Thousand
Word topic that they were supposed to do.
'Pokemon Legends' was the topic. Sam stifled a grin. Professor Elder was renowned
because of his obsession with legends. Professor Elder had probably put this down while
the other two were arguing.
Sam knew exactly which pokemon legend to do. People had a choice. Choose a human
legend, or a Pokemon Legendary.
Sam knew exactly what to choose. His favorite pokemon was a legendary. Articuno, the
Titan of Ice.
He had loved Articuno ever since he had seen the movie
"Pokemon 2000."
Sam sincerely hoped that Ash Ketchum's pokemon journey was not like that.
If it was, Sam thought that it would be the corniest journey ever.
Every episode was the same.
"Pikachu! Use your Thunderbolt! Huh? Why isn't it working?!"
"Tough luck kid. We've made these arm/ machine Pika-proof. Ha ha."
Sam rolled his eyes again.
He started off on the essay.
Mid-way through it, he was interrupted by a ring from his Poke-Nav.
He pulled it from its belt and held it to his ear.
"Hello, Sam Sapphire." Sam had the annoying tendency to say instead 'Hello, Sapphire
residence, Sam here, may I ask who's speaking please?' at his home phone.
"Hi. Are you coming home for breakfast?" It was his mother.
If Sam wasn't there when she woke up, she always called his Poke-Nav.
"Doubt it. You know this is the first year I've managed to get this contest paper. So it
makes sense that I'll spend tons of time on it." Sam explained. He wanted to get back to
his essay quickly. Which was unusual for Sam, because he HATED homework with a
passion.
"Ok. The weather reporter said that it should get cold and start raining. I'll send Hotspot
and Cestrer up if that happens." Hotspot and Cestrer were his mother's Combusken and
Castform.
In winter, Hotspot usually slept. While she slept, she produced a lot of heat.
Cestrer was an interesting pokemon, even by Castform standards. Unlike most Castform,
he could change the weather, but only for a zone of five metres away from him.
Meaning that, for example, when it was raining, there was a bubble of dry air around
Cestrer.
"Yep. Send 'em up with some food too. If I stay the night, we don't want to little darlings
getting hungry." Sam rolled his eyes. Hotspot liked him ok, but Cestrer hated him for
some reason. If Sam was carrying him while it was raining, he would always suck in the
bubble of protection back into himself, getting Sam drenched and him snickering.
"I will. I'll send them with some food for you too." Said Fiona. Sam could already hear
her bustling around the kitchen. "Ok, I'll see you later then."
"Yep. Bye!" Sam withdrew his Poke-Nav from his ear.
Sam shook his head, and then went back to the essay. By the time he had finished, the
time, according to his Poke-Nav, was Six Pm.
Sam stared at his Poke-Nav. How could the day have gone by so fast? The yelped. The
application had to be posted by Seven!