Chapter 0.1 Warning: don't expect for Mewtwo to be introduced to the plot early "Matt, many challenges lie ahead of you. Remember, there will always be a light at the end of the tunnel." That is what my dad told me when I blew out the candles at my 10th birthday party. When I heard that statement for the first time, I didn't think much of it. Little did I know how right Dad was when he said that. ---- Excitement surged through every part of my body. My 10th birthday had come and I could now begin to be a pokemon trainer. My heart was set on a bulbasaur. I had decided that it would be the best choice to choose a bulbasaur, since it would be easier to get the Boulder and Cascade Badge. I smiled uncontrollably in the white limo as I was driven from Cerulean City, my hometown, to Pallet Town. My older brother, David, was with me to keep an eye on me. My other older brother, Alex, didn't want to go with me, since he had something against pokemon trainers. Mom and Dad had something that they needed to take care of at work. Mom and Dad were the owners of a big company, Thomas Tech. The company made TVs, VCRs, radios, computers and other electronics. Dad wanted David, Alex, Gerald, and I to continue running the company when we became old enough. While Gerald was willing to do it, David and I had decided that we wanted to do something different. Alex hadn't decided yet. Gerald, my younger brother and the youngest brother, was staying home, watching TV. He didn't want to miss today's episode of the Brittany Jackson Show. He loved the way that the guests were secretly entered into the show by somebody else, were surprised when they found out that they were guests (or victims), and were publicly crucified on TV by the audience. He also liked the constant fighting. I personally despised the way that the show allowed people to unknowingly become the targets of a bunch of people who had nothing better to do than to make remarks and jokes at the victims'/guests' expense. I looked at myself in the window. A white skinned boy with brown hair and blue eyes stared back at me. I wore a white t-shirt with a green check on it. The same green check that is on the pokemon league caps. My jeans were black while my gym shoes were white. David gave me a warm smile and asked, "Are you excited?" I responded with anticipation and joy. "Yes, very." David chuckled and said sarcastically, "Well, I guess that I'm going to have to watch out! I'm going to have a pokemon master in the family!" I responded, "Yea, I will be a pokemon master! I will be the best!" "That is, if you don't get bored with it in a few years," David said, regaining seriousness. I said with confidence, "You watch me! I will own the strongest pokemon ever! Then, nobody will beat me!" Owning the strongest pokemon. The dream of every pokemon trainer. The dream of being unbeatable. I had repeatedly said that I would accomplish making this dream a reality in the last month I had before I became ten. I had to stop saying it so much when family and friends became sick of hearing it everyday. "Heh, you can be a pokemon master on the weekends. Mom and Dad still want you to go to school. I'm going to have to watch you on the weekends too," David said, letting out a soft sigh afterwards. I retorted, "That's what you get for being the oldest brother." The steady buzz of the limo's engine slowed to a stop. "We're here, sir," the driver said through the communication speaker. I felt the warmth of the sun on my face as I left the limo. I looked over the horizon, at the rest of Pallet Town. It was definitely a quieter place than Cerulean. Smoke emerged from various houses as people walked through the streets, waving to each other. Small flocks of pidgeys flew overhead, their cries of, "Pidgey!" giving sound to an otherwise completely quiet scene. I couldn't help but be amazed at the tranquil beauty of the sight. I pulled my eyes away from the view, and walked into the lab of Professor Oak. ---- Professor Oak greeted us with a smile. "Hello boys. I'm sorry Matt, but somebody has already taken the bulbasaur." Oh great! I spent so much time deciding on a pokemon, only for that pokemon to be taken before I could get it! I clenched my fists and yelled, "darn it!" After looking at the floor in silence for a few seconds, I looked up at Professor Oak and asked, "Well, what else is there?" Oak responded, "Well, there is a charmander and squirtle here." He walked over to a table and grabbed two pokeballs. He walked back to us and opened the balls. A charmander and squirtle appeared from the balls. "They both look so cute!" I said. Another 10-year-old kid walked into the room. His eyes, hair, shirt and shoes were all red. His black pants and white skin were the only things that weren't red. He asked, "Hey, aren't you that rich kid, Matt Thomas?" I responded, my gaze concentrated on the kid. "Yes. I happen to be that rich kid." He smirked and asked, "Why don't I kick your pampered ass around with my new pokemon?" I hated it when people insulted me for my wealth. They knew that they would love to have as much money as I had. They were all hypocrites. The kid, still smirking, said, "Come on! Hurry up and pick a pokemon so I can beat you senseless!" Out of common pokemon sense, I chose Squirtle. It was common knowledge that fire pokemon were weak against water pokemon, although that wouldn't matter since the charmander only knew Growl and Scratch and Squirtle only knew Tail Whip and Tackle. "Professor Oak, I choose Squirtle," I said. "Fine, then I guess Charmander is mine," the kid said. ---- We stepped outside of Professor Oak's lab onto the front lawn of the lab, preparing to battle. A gentle breeze blew through, causing the grass and leaves of nearby trees to waft in the air. This was my first pokemon match. This was what I had been waiting for. Squirtle and I stared across the lawn at the kid and his charmander while the kid did the same. He smirked and asked, "Well, does the little, rich brat want to go first or not?" He was trying to trick me into saying that he should go first. I couldn't make such a stupid move in a match where we were equally matched, considering that both Squirtle and his charmander have not learned any type-specific moves. "Yes, this little, rich brat wants to go first. Squirtle, tackle!" Squirtle nodded and rammed into Charmander, knocking it to the ground. The kid yelled, "Come on Charmander! Don't let that brat's pokemon beat you!! Scratch!!" The charmander rose to its feet, reached back, and swooped its arm across Squirtle's face, leaving three scratch marks and knocking it back wailing, but not to the ground. "Are you okay Squirtle?" I asked with concern for Squirtle. Squirtle gave a nod, its gaze focused on the charmander. "Okay! Tail Whip!" Squirtle jumped in the air and twirled, smacking the charmander across the face with its tail. Tears began to emerge from Charmander's eyes. "Charmander! What are you doing!? Give it a growl attack!" the kid commanded. Charmander mustered the angriest face its cute face could possibly have, and growled at Squirtle. Squirtle didn't seem to be affected at all. "Good job Squirtle, you don't need to be afraid of that charmander! Tackle!" I yelled. Squirtle mustered as much strength as it had left and rammed into Charmander at full speed, knocking the crying, whimpering fire lizard down. "Maybe you should forfeit the match now?" I said to the kid with a smile on my face. I could feel my confidence and cockiness returning to me. A sneer appeared on the kid's face. "Never! Growl Charmander!" Charmander once again growled, and this time, it hit home. Squirtle cowered a little, thanks to Charmander's growl. It was too little, too late for the charmander though. "Tackle, Squirtle," I said calmly. I knew that the match was mine. Although Squirtle's attack was weakened, it was still enough to finish off the charmander. Charmander fell to the ground with a small thud, defeated. I yelled with joy. "YEEEEEESSSSSSS!! This rich prick just whipped you!" I dropped to my knees and hugged Squirtle. "Good job, Squirtle," I said. The kid looked at his fallen charmander, tears emerging from its closed eyes. The kid said to the charmander with narrowed eyes, "Stupid, weak pokemon." David walked over to me and said, "Good job. You won your first match. It was probably just luck." I responded, still happy over my victory, "Maybe that. Or maybe it is because I will be a pokemon master?" "Yeah, I know. With the strongest pokemon ever too," David replied sarcastically. ---- I rode home in the limo with my brother, just as I had come. I held Squirtle as high as the roof of the limo would let me, the both of us laughing with happiness. I couldn't think about anything else but the cute, little pokemon that gave me my first win. I looked out the window to see that we were driving past a lake, which gave me an idea. I grabbed a paper cup from the limo dispenser, and in my worst type of acting tone, I said, "Gee, I am so thirsty, I wish that I could get a drink of water." To my delight, Squirtle filled the cup with water that it shot from its mouth. "Great! It will only be a little while until you'll learn Water Gun!" I rubbed Squirtle's head while drinking the water. "You are really close to that squirtle," David said. "I know. It is my first pokemon, you know," I said back with a smile. ---- My home was a white mansion that was on the outskirts of Cerulean, where most of the rich people in the city lived. I guessed that the people here didn't want to bother with the hustle and bustle of the inner city. Mom, Alex, and Gerald were at the front door to greet me. Mom asked, "Hello, Honey. Did you enjoy getting your first pokemon?" I always liked being around Mom. She always made me feel comfortable and happy. She was always the light in a cloudy day. Gerald asked, "What pokemon did you get? The bulbasaur that you wanted?" Alex asked sharply, "Yes. What pokemon has become your slave?" Mom glared at Alex. "Alex! Don't ruin your brother's birthday! You know he wanted a pokemon for his birthday!" Alex responded, expression not changing at all although Mom was now a little angry, "Just so he could force it to battle with it's own kind for a stupid trophy and/or badge?" "Stop it you two!" Dad demanded, walking from the family room towards us. Dad was like the opposite of mom. He always wanted me to be tough, not weak. When I was around Dad, I felt that I needed to be at my best. I would leave my weakness and kindness for Mom. My strength and toughness was for Dad. Dad kneeled down and ruffled my hair. "So, where is your pokemon, son?" Glad that Dad had changed the subject, I removed the pokeball from my belt and dropped it while saying, "Go Squirtle." When Squirtle emerged from the ball, the whole family, except for Alex and I, crowded around it, petting it and cuddling it. Dad said in a sweet voice, the kind of voice you would hear someone use when they saw a baby or a puppy, "Aren't you cute? Yes you are." Alex retorted, "Hmph. It is just too bad that such cuteness will only be seen by rival trainers from now on." Dad ignored Alex's comment and said, "Well Matt, let's celebrate the rest of your birthday by going to the pokemon fair that is in town!" "That would be great dad!" I responded, with a wide smile on my face. "Okay, it's almost nighttime. Lets go there now," Dad said, walking toward the car keys. I held up Squirtle and asked, "What do you say? Do you want to go to the fair?" Squirtle responded with a wide smile. "Squirtle!" ---- By the time we had arrived, night had fallen. The fair looked beautiful. Flashing lights, loud sounds, and the sensation of action surrounded it. I would have run in immediately if Gerald weren't holding my hand. After waiting in line for 4 minutes, we finally made it to the ticket booth. "Tickets for 6, please." Dad said. I asked, "What about Squirtle?" Alex responded with an edge in his voice, "Pokemon aren't considered important enough." "Quiet, Alex. Son, pokemon go free because the fair owners know that pokemon trainers will get angry if they have to pay for the extra tickets," Dad explained. "Here are your tickets, enjoy your stay!" the booth worker said. We took the tickets and walked through the main entrance into the fair. The first things that we saw when we entered were 5 charmanders, 5 pikachus, and 5 jigglypuffs dancing. One person in a costume of the respective pokemon was leading each group of pokemon in the routine. I noticed Alex's eyes narrowing with hatred. "How sickening," He said, clenching one fist. "Alex, not now," Dad warned. The groups of pokemon started moving through the crowd of onlookers, causing kids to go crazy with joy. The person in the charmander costume picked up a kid and put her on his/her shoulders, causing the other kids to beg their parents to be picked up by the person. The person in the jigglypuff costume moved through the crowd while hugging kids and rubbing their hair. Kids became ecstatic, shouting, "Put me on your shoulder!" or "Hug me! Please!" The person in the pikachu costume walked through the crowd, asking in a cheery voice, "Who's your favorite pokemon?" "You, Pikachu!" the kids, including Gerald shouted at the top of their lungs. While this happened, the 5 other pokemon continued their dancing routine. "It's nice to see the kids enjoying themselves," Mom said to Dad with a smile. I tried to identify the people in a pokemon costume's sex, but their voices were so high-pitched, that I couldn't make them out. The person in the pikachu costume walked over to us, and asked us, "Who's your favorite pokemon?" "You, Pikachu!" the kids screamed at a deafeningly high pitch, causing me to clamp my hands over my ears. The person in the pikachu costume looked at Alex, who was becoming angrier by the second. "Awww!! Don't be mad!! Be happy!" he/she said. Alex's eyes burned with total rage. The person in the pikachu costume fell silent for a few seconds, breaking the silence when he/she said, "Hmmm, maybe you should go catch some pokemon here! That should make you happy!" His/her innocent laugh was stopped when Alex punched the person with all of his strength. "Oh shit! My nose! I think he broke my nose! My real nose!" the person in the pikachu costume wailed. The crowd of screaming kids fell completely silent. "Mommy, did he just say the S word?" A child's voice asked. ---- "Damn it Alex! Why did you do that!?" Dad asked, the anger clear in his voice. Alex looked at the floor in silence. The rest of us watched on as Dad chewed out Alex. We were now outside of the fair security office. After Alex punched the fair worker, we were taken here and interrogated. If it weren't for Dad's quick talking, we would have been thrown out of the park. "You are not going to ruin your brother's birthday! Are you listening to me!?" Dad continued. Alex nodded silently. "I'm going to make sure of that too! You're coming with us!" Dad yelled. "No, he's going with Matt, David, and Gerald," Mom said. "What? After what he did?" Dad asked. Mom responded, "He is only going to keep you from enjoying the fair. Let him go with Matt and the others." Dad looked down, mumbled curses to himself, and looked up at me with a calm expression. "Matt, if you see him hurt anymore workers, tell me. That's goes for you two also." David, Gerald, and I nodded. "Come on honey, I think that there's a tunnel of love around here somewhere," Mom said, pulling Dad by the arm into the moving crowd of fair visitors. ---- First, we went to The Fearow, a roller coaster. "This ride must rock if so many people want to get on," Gerald said. "The perfect name for a roller coaster," David added. Alex asked, "How could they take such a creature and make it into a simple amusement park ride?" 30 minutes of waiting in a line later, we were on the ride. My brothers and I went though 10 minutes of corkscrewed, upside-down, stomach wrenching bliss. Fair lights and attractions flew by in blurs as screams echoed through my ears and gravity defying force assaulted my mind and stomach. David, Gerald, and I screamed at the top of our lungs in joy while Alex stifled his voice. When the ride went into its second slow rise David said, "This is like flying at high speeds!" I responded, "I wish that I could fly." Gerald responded, "You would probably fly into a wall." His laughter turned into screams when we shot down again and went into 3 corkscrews. ---- Next was The Psyduck Water Gun Shooting Range. There was a sign on the front of the shooting range, which showed a psyduck's head with a red crosshair on it. "This should be fun," David said with a grin. "So now they are supporting shooting pokemon?" Alex asked. I, who was starting to get sick of Alex's attitude, blurted, "Don't you think that you are examining this way too much?" Alex hmphed and retorted, "Don't you think you are examining this way too little?" "Ignore him, Matt," Gerald said, picking up a water gun. "He just doesn't want to have any fun." Alex snapped at Gerald. "No! I just don't want to have any fun at the expense of pokemon!" David sighed and said, "Fine, Alex. Do what you want. The 3 of us are going to play this game, whether you like it or not." Gerald, David, and I picked up the water guns, and paid the booth owner. The red, silk curtain lifted on the shooting range . . . revealing real psyducks!! "Real psyducks?" Gerald, David, and I asked in unison. The booth owner said in a reassuring tone, "Don't worry. It's ok." We looked at each other, then at Alex. He had a look on his face that said, "If you do this, I'll . . ." We looked back at ourselves, shrugged, and began firing. The psyducks didn't know what hit them. 3 by 3, psyducks in the range became soaked. "Remember kids, headshots count for extra!" the booth owner announced with a grin. "COOL!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. David and Gerald followed suit. David screamed, "EAT THIS!" while Gerald screamed, "YEA!!" I looked at Alex, who had turned away in disgust. "Congrats! You get this pikachu plush doll!" the booth owner said in a proud voice while handing me the doll. Alex turned to me and looked at me in the eyes. "Does that make you proud of what you have just done?" Alex asked, with hatred in his voice and disgust in his eyes. David pushed Alex away from me. "Let me ask you something, Alex. Does it make you feel big to come down on your brother who is 5 years younger than you?" Alex looked at me for a few more seconds with the disgust still in his eyes. He finally looked away from me, saying, "Lets go to the next attraction at this oh so great fair." You could smell the sarcasm in his voice from a mile away. "We only have about 30 minutes left before the fair closes for tonight." Gerald said. ---- We had decided to go to The Music Center. When we entered the building, we were instantly greeted by loud rap music. We ventured farther into the building to find the source of the music. The room that we entered was full of people, dancing to the music. The room constantly changed colors, due to the lights around the room. On the stage, among smoke, lasers, and other special effects were a pikachu and raichu. They were lip-synching to a song: Hey you, I'm Pikachu So what, I'm Raichu If you don't like that, well then, F you! Here comes the electric mouse Burning down your house Looking up your fuckin wife's blouse. The song went on like that. I didn't like the song, but the concept of a pikachu and raichu rapping was cute and obviously profitable. I looked at the two pokemon's eyes and found bags under them. They must have been doing the routine all day. We found Mom and Dad at the bar drinking a shake together. Dad saw us, pointed us out to Mom, and looked at his watch. "Ok, it's time to go guys," Dad said. Suddenly, a speaker in the room activated and announced, "Attention. The park will be closing in 5 minutes. Please exit the park." ---- We walked in the crowd of people who were all making their way towards the exit. Fair lights and music deactivated around us, taking the bright life away from the fair and leaving nothing more than structures absorbed in the darkness of the night. "Hey, hold on," David said. The whole family turned around and watched as David walked into the direction of the men's bathrooms. "I need to go to the bathroom, wait for a sec, okay?" David walked into the bathroom, and we talked among each other to pass time. "Did you enjoy yourself, Matt?" Dad asked. "Yes, very much," I responded with a smile. I loved the fair. I would definitely want to ride The Fearow again. I looked around the area, and saw somebody. I looked at the figure for a while, searching through my memory. Then, it came to me. It was the kid that I battled earlier today! He walked behind the "Catch the Pokemon" building, which was colored in red, black, and white. The color of a pokeball. I had to see if he wanted to fight again. I ran after him, ignoring my dad when he screamed, "Matt! Where are you going!?" I barely heard Alex say, "Don't worry, I'll get him." I ran behind the building, to see something that I would remember for the rest of my life. I saw pokemon, the same pokemon that worked at the fair, even the rapping pikachu and raichu. Men with tasers and whips were herding them into cages. One woman loaded a magnum with fresh rounds of bullets. The men were the human fair workers. I even recognized the booth manager from the Psyduck Shooting Range. Absolute shock overtook my body, wiping away all the happy images of the fair, and engraving the horrible scene into my mind. "I'm back, Dad," the kid said, waving his hand in the direction of the workers. One worker looked at the kid and waved with a smile after locking a bulbasaur in a cage. "Son, who is that?" the man said, pointing to me. The kid glanced over his shoulder and fully turned around when he saw me. He asked, "What are you doing here?" I tried to recompose myself, to no avail. I responded with a shaky voice. "Well . . . .Uh . . . . . I wanted to see if you wanted to battle again." I heard one of the workers say, "We lost 3 psyducks today. They caught a bad cold from the shooting range and died." "I told you to not make the water so cold!" another worker replied. The kid, while placing his foot in front of something, said, "Well, my charmander is at the center now. Maybe later." "What is that?" I asked, pointing to the thing he was trying to hide with his foot. "Nothing at all." he responded. I pushed him aside to see what it was. It was a red and yellow tail . . . . .a charmander tail . . . . . . . without a flame! My eyes widened as they continued to gaze at the corpse. Mixed feelings entered my mind as my eyes rested upon the kid. Anger, shock and disgust filled my mind, fighting for supremacy over the other emotions. "How . . . . . . . could . . . . . .you?" I weakly asked the kid. "Forget it. Its just a stupid pokemon," the kid responded, folding his arms. I was appalled. How could somebody like this ever have the right to train pokemon? Suddenly, a gunshot pierced the air, followed by a wail of pain. I looked up from the dead charmander's tail to see a dead pikachu on the floor, blood pouring from its head. "Why did you have to kill it?" a worker asked the worker with the magnum. "It tried to bite my leg," the woman responded, blowing the smoke from the tip of the gun. I heard somebody say, "Good God!" I turned to see Alex, staring at the horror that I had just seen. ---- The soft music of the car radio played as we drove home. Mom, Dad, David, and Gerald were laughing, talking about the great times that they had at the fair. "It brought back memories of when we were kids, eh honey?" Dad said. "Next time we go, I'm forcing you to ride The Fearow!" Gerald said. David replied, "Oh no Gerald. They'd rather be alone together." David said, poking Gerald in the side with his elbow. Alex and I hadn't said a word since we left the scene behind the building. I silently looked out the window, watching the highway lights go by. I hoped that Alex wouldn't say anything and just let me forget the horror that I had witnessed. It didn't happen. Alex leaned towards me, and asked, "So, how was seeing reality for the first time?" End Chapter 0.1