Dust to Deceit

Chapter 1: Food for Hate

“Damn it! Damn it all!” snarled a voice of rage and anger. The fury seethed in every word as they left the lips of the boy who enunciated them. “Why, damn it?! Why?!” he cried again as he stamped his foot for the ninth time in two minutes towards the warm grass below him, leaving little noise in his temper tantrum

Phil Molson, fourteen years old, and filled with a rage he’s never had before. The scowl marred his otherwise decent looking face as in its current state. Wavy brown hair streaked down towards the top of his neck, and his green eyes deepened to a dark and angry shade. By his foot stood a short and confused blue creature. Crocodilian in shape, it stood its ground on two legs, and a frown covered its long snout. Its back, covered in small red spines, stood on edge in fear. It tapped bravely upon the leg of the boy before him, fearful of knowing there would be consequences.

It took but not even a split of a split second to get the response as the boy spun around and exploded like dynamite. “I HATE YOU!” he exploded in utter loathing as he glared down the Pokemon during the calm before the scorn. “I HATE YOU SO MUCH!” he repeated, emphasizing heavily upon the word much, as if to leave a brutal truth be known. It ended not there though, as he lifted the creature by the nape of the neck with a forced and tight grasp. “You’re a worthless piece of trash!” he continued as he proceeded to toss it to the ground like a crumpled up piece of paper.

The pain the small crocodilian beast felt was indeed harsh, but it wouldn’t dare fight back. After all, it knew the cause of the boy’s anger… and thus felt guilty.

Phillip’s anger was indeed understandable to a point. It all started three days ago. He found his sister… dead. Her bloodied, injured corpse attracting flies, and carrion left and right. Where was this all? Right by a cave of many of these blue reptilians and bigger crocs as well. His eyes caught their glances, and tears of anger began to well in the boy’s eyes. The sight was too much! He could not bear to watch them feast upon his three years younger sister’s remains, which is no doubt what they’d intend to do.

It was extremely saddening news, the death of his sister, and a river of tears flowed at the funeral that was held back in town the next day. To make matters worse, new trainers would be able to receive starting Pokemon in two days, and Phil’s sister was to be a new trainer. Though his father suggested against it, he sighed and replied, “Why not… it may take my mind off of it. Maybe I can live her dream for her. Not like I have any dreams of my own.” It was a reasonable logic. You can never live your dreams if you were dead. In his mind though, he knew one fact. ‘I just hope I don’t get a stupid, *******ly slime ball creature.’

Pokemon Journeys, as they were called, were perhaps one of the biggest mysteries the world would ever have to deal with. People, often children, would embark into the unknown with all but themselves, and small creatures known as Pokemon, traveling the country in search of glory, and in search of themselves. A truly rewarding experience... if not reserved for those with a lack of concern for, or an immunity to death. Sara Molson, apparently, wasn’t immune to death.

The day came fast enough however, and trainers went to take their choices. There were three choices in stock for trainers that day. There was the bluish-green quadruped, Bulbasaur. The tinted green, leafy seed upon its back seemed to indicate some verdant power within it.

Next to it, a red-orange, baby chicken stood with beady black eyes and a lithe form, shaped like the flame of a lit candle wafting calmly in the wind. Its wings, stubbly and hidden from reality as they were, were too small to enable this creature the gravity defying power of flight. It was no doubt to the sad boy that this was a frying chicken. It looked kind of weak and innocent, but then again, it looked way better than option three.

The last option was… Totodile. It was the accursed reptilian species of sister murderer! ‘I’ll be damned if my hands are forced to touch that slimeball!’ he thought, ‘Unless I’m ringing its neck…’ Realization however struck fast. This Totodile was there. It was there in the cave where they butchered his sister into a snack for their cave! He knew not how he knew, but he did. More than likely, it was the slight widening of the beast’s eyes as it caught glimpse of the enraged boy.

He pulled out of the possibility of a staring contest as quickly as possible. The more he looked, the more he felt inclined to ring his hands around its dastardly neck, ruining his likely chance of pursuing his sister’s dream. ‘But Professor Brenetmos knows what happened! Maybe he’d let a violent act slide this once…’ he thought with an odd sense of hope. Yes, sweet vengeance would so sing like a soothing melody through his ears.

With a shrug, he decided that he may as well see who else was here with him. The first person his eyes came across seemed to be female, and one with a certain familiarity at that. With her rather pale complexion, she looked about twelve years of age. Her long, lithe green hair cascaded down the back of her neck like an endless field of grass. At the bridge of her small nose were deep pools of mud brown for eyes. For attire was a simple red t-shirt that hid not her slowly growing feminine body, and below, she seemed to wear a knee length skirt. It all appeared itself in a rather short package that vaguely past five feet in height, though she was sitting down, so it was hard to tell.

Yes… she was very familiar. It was Gina Meshing, a friend of his sister. Though he himself had seen her a few times, he had only once seen the girl actually with his sister. That however, was a few years back. Now however, he’d almost be damned, but he had to admit, she looked rather attractive, or would be in due time. Yes, quite appealing indeed.

He had once heard, from his sister a few years back that some of her friends liked him. Why anyone would like a slightly overweight, introverted loner was beyond his comprehension. Besides, what the heck should nine or ten year old girls be doing by falling in love anyway.

As she noticed his stare, she smiled, turning away quickly. Yet again, sometimes he wondered just how faux words could be. Seeing after all, was indeed believing.

The other person to be there today looked… quiet. His dark blue eyes seemed to stare with a most unfocused concentration of the absoluteness of nothingn. To further the strangeness of the situation, his skin was very dark toned. As far as he knew, few dark skinned people ever had blue eyes. Regardless, he was very awkward, and probably someone who’d best be left as an introvert for the entirety of his life.

A sigh escaped Phillip’s lips as he awaited the fate that was to come. ‘Well, its either the Bulbasaur or Torchic for me, it is.’ The choice between them however, felt tough to make, but thoughts were interrupted as Mr. Wilbur Hamilar Brenetmos walked into the room.

“Ah… well you’re all here.” he smiled. This was a man of intrigue, for some of Kertonmel’s Pokemon research was dealt with by this very man. Though said to be in his fifties, one could say he were thirty-five, if he simply dyed the whitening spots on his black, curled hair. His mustache was a thick black too, though whitening and age has also given it a grayness about it. His green eyes blinked as he stared over the three youngster who would be receiving startering Pokemon today.

‘Where have the years gone?’ he asked himself, as he smiled and looked the three trainers over. “Ah, well then. I take it I know why you are all here.” he grinned, as all three youths nodded, even the one who seemed to stare into space. It was as though that boy’s mind was one tracked, and nothing else even existed at all. “Ah, Gina. Good to see you.” he smiled to the girl, giving her a firm handshake. And man oh man, this guy had a helluva handshake! The firm grasp, the shake in perfect formation. Wow! If anyone were to be an expert on handshakes, then this man would be it. Of course, he studied Pokemon instead. Still, the intensity of the skill in that formal greeting was obviously too good for the girl.

“Hi.” she smiled. Her voice seemed calm as if she knew him well. He smiled and turned then to the introvert.

“And you I presume are Mitchell Parson.” he smiled, “It is good to meet you.” he paused “Uh, hello?” he repeated again, vying for the boy’s attention.

The boy stared up at the man and nodded, “Eh? Oh, yea, hi.” he spoke quickly, and in rather reclusive manner, as though he thought less is more, and people were meant to be avoided.

He finally turned his attention to the boy. “Ah, Phillip Molson. I heard the bad news.” he said with a frown. “Sara was truly a good person, and will be missed.” he chuckled, for half a second, before snapping back to reality. “Oh, I’m sorry.”

“Eh,” Phillip said, falsely enthusiastic. “Don’t worry yourself with it. Just stop talking!” He demanded in a not so friendly tone.

The professorial man simply let it drop, no use bringing up more sad endings on a day of supposedly new beginnings. “Well, since your choice to take this up was very recent, I’m afraid that you’ll have to go last.” he said.

With a shrug for a response, the professor continued. “Well then,” he smiled as he went on to explanations of sorts. Descriptions about each Pokemon were brief and hardly enlightening. All the while the odd, and zoned out Mitchell seemed to be picking at his fingernails with… well, other fingernails. Especially interesting were the positive things he had to say about Totodile. Well, it was interesting in a what the hell is this guy thinking sort of way.

“Yea, wonderful choice! I love murder cases!” blurted Phil in sheer spite, deep venom spewed from each and ever lingering syllable. This of course, caught him the stares of all 3 people in the room. He himself had been shocked by the fact that he had dared to interrupt, and a slight flustering discomfort formed in a deep red shade upon his face and cheeks. “Uh, never mind.”

‘That boy really believes that crap. Sad, truly.’ the Professor pushed back these sad thoughts as he proceeded. “Anyway, Gina. You’re up first.”

‘Yup, as I thought…’ he shrugged. The two people’s turns seemed to come and go, Gina taking Bulbasaur, that weird introvert taking the Torchic. Wait a second, that didn’t sound good. Please, oh please don’t tell me!’

“Well, Phil, it seems that, uh, elimination has made selection easier for you.” the professor smiled. He stood up and brought towards the boy a blue colored Pokemon. “Congratulations to you all!” the professor smiled.

Phil however, nearly snapped. His mind’s eye saw his sisters dream dissolve as though it were cotton candy in a pool of water, shattering like a great vase of very high value. He had failed his beloved, dearly departed sibling. He could not fulfill her dream with the use of a murderer!