Disclaimer: I know this is getting to be rather tiresome, but I gotta do it. I don’t own Pokémon or any other Animé show (Yet! *grins optimistically*), nor do I own the David Bowie song "Quicksand." That brings me to another point. Because I chose that song, I now have to rate this fic PG-13, for "Quicksand" has exactly one, um, adult word in it. Anyways, I do, however, claim rights to Yugi Indigo and some (but not all) of his friends and rivals. Alrighty then, let’s get goin’!

The Start of Something New

Chapter Two: A Warning and the Hatching

By Umbreon (Master of Darkness)

I headed to my room, yawning and stretching the whole way. I slipped on my P.J.s (Mint green with Ponyta and cowboy hats on it. I’ve had it since I was eight, and I still haven’t grown out of it *sigh*) and went to the bathroom to brush my teeth. After the typical nightly ritual, I dragged myself back into my room and collapsed heavily on the bed with a sigh…

I awoke suddenly to the sound of my Grandmum banging on my door. After rubbing the sleep from my eyes (among other things), I checked the clock.

" ELEVEN TWENTY-THREE IN THE MORNING?! ACK, I OVERSLEPT!!" I yelped, fully awake.

I jumped out of bed and attempted to run to the door. Unfortunately, I had misjudged the length of my bed and the distance to the door. I stumbled over the sheets and slammed face first into my dresser, which is not a very pleasant way to wake up in my opinion.

My Grandmum opened my door to see me lying face down on the carpet with my sheets on top of me.

I raised my right hand out of the mess and said in a rather muffled voice, " I’m OKAY!"

Grandmum helped me out of the pile of various items.

" Yugi, you have a phone call," she said finally.

I yawned, nodded, and forced my eyes to focus on her face.

Once I had regained my sense of balance, I followed my Grandmum out of my now completely destroyed room to the single VidPhone in the house.

" Um, hello?" I said, picking up the receiver and stifling a yawn, still not quite awake.

" Is this Yugi Indigo?" asked a deep, masculine voice. No picture appeared on the screen.

" Yeah. Who are you?"

" No time to explain. Yugi, you must get out of town right now," the voice said urgently.

" What? Why?"

" Team Rocket is coming. You must get out of town right now!"

" Why should I believe you?"

The person on the other end of the line sighed heavily. " Please, just trust me…"

Suddenly, yelling could be heard from the other end of the line. It was a bit muffled, but I still managed to make it out…

"… What is that?…"

" … It can’t be!…"

" … It’s…It’s…"

" MEWTWO!" all of the voices yelped as one. At that moment, the line went dead…

I stared at the receiver for what seemed like forever.

" Who was it, Yugi?" my Grandmum asked, appearing behind me suddenly.

I shifted my gaze from the phone to her face.

" We… We have to leave…" I said softly.

" What? "

" We have to go. The Rockets are coming back…"

Grandmum raised an eyebrow. " What do you mean ‘The Rockets are coming back’?"

Just then, Grandpop jogged in.

" Tillie, Yugi, we have to go!" he yelled, breathing heavily.

" Why?" Grandmum asked, looking rather confused.

" It’s… It’s Team Rocket… They’re coming…"

My eyes widened. That stranger was telling the truth!

" That’s just what Yugi told me…"

Grandpop looked at me. " How’d you know?"

"… Someone called… I don’t know who they were exactly… They said that I had to leave ‘cause the Rockets were coming…"

Grandpop looked puzzled, but then shook off the expression. " Come on, hurry up and pack! We don’t have much time!"

I was at my door before he had said " Come on".

I nabbed my backpack, which was already fully packed, quickly put on the clothes I had been wearing the day before, and picked up the Pokémon Egg. I then proceeded to unplug the heater and dash out of the door.

Just as I had left the front gate, a cloud of thick, foul-smelling, black smoke blanketed the area. Before I had time to react, I was unconscious…

" Yugi? Yugi, please wake up!" a soft voice begged.

I moaned in response, unable to comprehend what had happened. I tried to move, but the moment I did so, I was seized by a mind-splitting headache.

" Yugi, it’s me, Kelly. Please wake up!"

" Didja get th’ number o’ that bus?" I asked thickly, trying to open my eyes, though they remained glued shut.

I, with difficulty, managed to wrench my eyes open and looked up at my opponent. Her eyes were a bit bloodshot and her face was stained with tears.

She wrapped her arms around me, whispering, " I’m so glad you’re okay…"

I tried to wriggle free of her embrace, but found that I was too dizzy and tired to do so.

" Kelly, get off him!" someone else said sharply.

The girl let go of me abruptly, causing me to land hard on my back.

I moaned again as my spine came in contact with the hard surface.

" Where are we?" I said in a slight whisper. Then, remembering the Egg, I added, " And where’d my pack go?"

Someone put their finger to my lips. Focusing hard, I saw Anna sitting beside Kelly, her face in the same condition.

Something horrible must’ve happened, for the only other time I’d seen them this upset was when our Starter Pokémon had been stolen.

" Yugi, be quiet. The Rockets are coming back…" Anna whispered, removing her index finger.

" I need my pack…" I coughed, sitting up.

Just then, another voice joined our little conversation.

" You brats are gonna stay here ‘til we find that disc," growled a new person. A man, much taller than myself, stooped over the three of us. He was wearing a black zoot suit with a small crimson "R" stitched to its front pocket.

" What disc?" Kelly asked, looking up at the man.

" Eh, you brats wouldn’t understand ‘bout this sorta stuff…" the man explained, standing up straight.

" Please tell me, mister," Kelly begged, making a "sad Growlithe" face.

" Aww, jeez kid. Wouldja stop it with that face!"

Kelly grinned, " Only if you tell me about this disc-thingy…"

The man sighed. " Okay, jeez…One of our best scientists put a ton of information about how to genetically engineer Pokémon onto that disc, and now our Boss needs it…"

" Who was the scientist?" I inquired.

" Why do you brats wanna know so much?"

" We’re bored!" Kelly, Anna, and I said in unison.

The man rolled his eyes. " His name was Luke Indigo… Or something like that…."

Anna and Kelly stared at me. I tried my best to look disinterested.

The man then left the three of us.

It was a while before any of us spoke.

"… Luke Indigo?" Kelly asked me finally.

" I can’t believe it…" I muttered, trying to get up. Luke Indigo…. That was my Pop’s name…. How could he, of all people, work for Team Rocket?…

That’s when it hit me… The disc contained info on genetic engineering… My Pop was a TR scientist… Then someone, or something, named MewTwo had called me…

I fingered my chain nervously, trying to figure out what it all meant…

" Yugi? Are you okay?" Anna asked, waving a hand in front of my face. I was so submerged in thought that I didn’t even bother to blink…

Suddenly, a small clicking sound brought me back to reality. Looking down, I saw that the Dragonair charm on my chain had broken… No, not broken… Opened…

" What the…?" I asked no one in particular. A small vertical slit had appeared in the side of the figure. I pried it open farther with my fingernails. Soon, the back of it came off all together. A small C.D. dropped onto my pants. I sweatdropped.

" So, how much ya wanna bet that this is what they’re lookin’ for?" I asked, not really believing what I had just seen. I gingerly picked up the small disc and stared at it.

Anna and Kelly mouthed wordlessly for a few moments.

I hastily shoved the disc back inside the charm just before another Rocket came walked by. This one was a woman with long, jet black hair tied back in a Ponyta tail. She tossed three sacks in our direction.

" My backpack!" I yelped in surprise, snatching up the bag and holding it close.

" You brats better get up if ya know what’s good for ya," the woman sneered. " You’re being moved to another chamber… I SAID GET MOVING!"

Anna, Kelly, and I quickly rose to our feet. I swayed a little where I stood, for I was still a bit off balance. The three of us were "escorted" to another room. It was dark, damp, and depressing… You know, your typical medieval dungeon sort of place…

Anna and Kelly soon took up crying again. I glanced over at them…

* The boy begins to play with the charm once more…*

* He gazes at his reflection in the small disc, wondering about its contents…*

* ‘ It’s all over…’ Yugi thinks to himself, tears forming in his eyes…*

* He glances over at the girls again. They’ve stopped crying and were now staring at him…*

* Yugi shakes his head and stares at the ground, very depressed*

* The boy sighs heavily and puts his head in his hands…*

*Yugi jerks suddenly as someone gently touches his right shoulder…*

*He raises his head and looks up to see his rivals standing around him…*

*"Don’t worry about it, Yuge. Here…" Kelly hands him his pack…*

*Yugi opens the pack and is surprised to see that the Egg is still there…*

I blinked twice, staring at the red and black egg that was nestled inside the sack. Quite suddenly, the entire pack gave an almighty leap. I jumped several centimeters, surprised. The pack hopped again. I picked up the egg and held it carefully in my lap.

" What is that?" Kelly asked, scooting over to me.

" It’s a Pokémon Egg…" I explained.

A quizzical look crossed the girl’s face. She said, " I think it’s broken…"

I sweatdropped and dropped my gaze to where she was looking. A small crack had appeared in the side of the elliptical structure…

" It’s not broken…" Anna said, poking Kelly in the shoulder.

" It’s…It’s hatching!" I breathed, looking at the gift I had received over a week ago.

" Lemme see!" Kelly yelped, trying to wrestle the Egg from my grasp.

Anna grabbed the back of Kelly’s shirt and pulled her back while explaining," It’s Yugi’s Egg. The baby Pokémon has to see him first so that it will trust him…"

I smiled at Anna. She was the more sensible one of the pair.

Small squeaking sounds were now being emitted by the Egg. The small crack began to widen. I held it facing me. The two girls crowded around me trying to get a better look…

Soon the small creature had made the hole wide enough to stick its head out.

"… What is that thing?" Kelly asked, recoiling from the sight of the young Pokémon.

Its head was rather elliptical and covered in dark blue fur. A small gold charm was in the center of its forehead. Its long maroon and dark blue ears twitched as it yawned and opened it eyes.

" Sel…?" the little Pokémon blinked twice. It looked up at me with its big red eyes, which seemed to be outlined somehow.

I grinned at the tiny creature. " It’s a Sneasel," I announced, gently cracking open the rest of the shell to let the small animal loose.

" Sne? Sneasel sne sne!" it squeaked. Suddenly, the Sneasel jumped up and landed in my arms, its small paws wrapped around my neck.

I couldn’t stop smiling. I finally had a starter Pokémon… Nothing was gonna stop me now!

(*666* Apparently I didn’t get enough bad reviews… Well, I guess I oughta move on to chapter three… That is, unless you guys don’t want me to… Please R+R this fic and lemme know what you think. Sayonara!