Disclaimer: I. Don’t. Own. Pokémon. Period. I wish I did, but sadly, I don’t… *sighs loudly*

(*666* Hm, my shortest disclaimer yet… Thank God! Let’s get this unholy disaster rollin’, shall we?)

[Note: This whole fic takes place about eight years in the future. Ash is the Indigo Pokémon League Champion, and, well, I’ll have to come up with something about everyone else later… Oh, and all words in italics are the lead character thinking to himself… Well, let’s get goin’…]

(Untitled)

Chapter 1: Beginning of a Journey

By Umbreon (Master of Darkness)

I stared at the television nervously, praying to be picked. It was nine twenty-three PM, and tonight was when three lucky kids under the age of fifteen would become official Pokémon trainers. Being fourteen, I just managed to slip under that specific rule. Anyway, back to the contest…

The show I was focusing on was rather simple. It barely took five minutes to complete. All it consisted of was our hometown Pokémon professor, thirty-two year old Jacob Acacia, pulling three slips of paper out of a large barrel. Each slip of paper had an I.D. number on it. It was a rather unsophisticated way of choosing, but it worked all the same…

" And the numbers are…" began Professor Acacia, selecting three slips from the large white pile.

I crossed my fingers and began to chant, " Please be me…Please be me… For the love of PokéNip, please be me…"

" Number zero one two two five…"

I glanced at my PokéGear. " Damn…"

" Number three eight four six zero…"

I looked again and bit my lower lip, trying not to say what I was thinking…

" And number six one three four eight…"

I glanced down one final time and slowly read my number aloud…

" Six… One… Three… Four…" I held my breath and read the last number, " … Eight…"

" I hope those three lucky trainers will be at the Ebony Island Pokémon Center tomorrow at eight thirty AM. Congratulations. I hope to see you there!" With that, the usual parade of commercials began to play…

I sweatdropped and looked back down on the numbers that appeared on the tiny screen of my PokéGear…

Just then, I began to comprehend what had just happened…

" I WON! I WON! I CAN’T BELIEVE IT! I ACTUALLY WON!" I yelled, hopping up onto my bed and doing a victory dance, and then suddenly remembering why my parents had said specifically not to jump on the bed. The supports at the foot of my makeshift dance platform suddenly snapped, causing my body to go flying into my open closet and landing with a dull THUD!.

After feeling my way out of the mess, I held up my left hand and made a peace sign, still yelling " I WON! I WON!" from beneath a pile of jumbled clothing…

I (eventually) got to my senses and climbed out of the avalanche I had created. I managed to dig my old denim book bag from the pile and immediately set to work packing it.

I didn’t put in that much… Just a few sets of clothing, my GameBoyä with a few games and batteries, a First Aid kit, a few bathroom supplies, the usual.

I walked/moon-walked into my bathroom to figure out how I would introduce myself tomorrow…

" Hi, I’m Yamato, but please, just call me Duo…" I began, flipping a few strands of my brown/blond-streaked hair out of my eyes…

I stared at my eyes for a short while. They were my most defining features. They were the reason why I called myself "Duo"… The right one was a light amber-brown color while the left one was a dark shade of indigo… Very unusual…

" Hmmm… Hey, I’m Duo. What’s your name?" I tried again… " Nah…"

That intro just didn’t seem right, so I tried it again…

" Hiya, I’m Matt. What’s your name?"

… And again…

" Hey, my name’s Yamato, but I’d prefer if you’d call me Duo…"

… And yet again…

" Yo yo yo, wha’s up?!"

… Finally, I just said screw it, set my alarm, and went to bed…

*~*~*

" Ma-rill! Ma-rill! Ma-rill!" squeaked my Aqua-mouse clock.

I slowly lifted my left hand and groped about for the "Sleep" button, completely forgetting the consequences of that action…

I hit the button and snuggled back into my sheets, headed for dreamland once more…

" Lazy, eh? WATER GUN!!" the clock shouted, spraying a jet of icy water all over my body…

" YAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!!!" I yelped, jumping nearly a meter in the air and then rolling off the foot of my bed, which was still off-balance.

I slowly lifted myself off of the floor and climbed to my feet, yawning. As I headed for my bathroom, I stumbled over something soft. Looking down and rubbing my eyes, I saw something light blue sitting in front of me. I kicked it slightly and slowly realized what it was…

" Why *yawn* is my backpack here?… Oh CRAP!!" I yelled, running to my dresser and pulling out some clothes. I had (somehow) completely forgotten about the previous night’s events!

Approximately five minutes later, I had pulled on a pair of jeans and a navy blue shirt, brushed my teeth/hair, put on a pair of sunglasses, snatched up my book bag, and was out the door, running all-out toward the tiny Pokémon Center that sat near the beach (although considering the size of this island, anywhere is "near the beach"!).

I burst through the wooden doors of the primitive-looking building, completely out of breath.

" In a bit of a hurry, I see…" said a feminine voice.

I coughed twice and looked for the source of the voice. A girl, probably about my age, stood over me, grinning. She had jet black hair streaked with red dye. Her eyes were a dark shade of green. She was wearing a yellow blouse with a picture of a very pissed off Zapdos on the back. On the front it read "All Charged Up!"

I took a few deep breaths and replied, " You *gasp* you would be too if *cough* you *hack hack* wanted to become a trainer as *cough* as bad as me…"

The girl raised an eyebrow. " I see… Well, what’s your name? I’m Ayeka."

After I had caught my breath, I introduced myself as well… " I’m Yamato… But I’d prefer it if you’d use my nickname…"

" Which is…?"

" Duo."

Ayeka gave me an odd look. " Why Duo?"

I grinned. " You’ll see soon enough…"

Just then, another kid dashed into the small lobby-like room.

" Is-is this where the Professor *gasp* told the trainers to *cough* meet?" the new kid, another girl, gasped.

" No, he meant the other Ebony Island Pokémon Center…" I said sarcastically.

The new girl glared at me. " Shut up! Boys are so stupid!"

I sweatdropped. Boy, do I know how to make enemies or what?

The second girl was shorter than Ayeka and I. She had cherry-red hair, tied back in Piloswine tails, and light brown eyes. She was obviously younger than me, maybe about ten or eleven. She was wearing light blue coveralls decorated with multicolored flowers.

" What’s your name?" Ayeka asked.

The little girl smiled at her. " I’m Ali Keeson. Who are you?"

" Ayeka Harris. And this is Yamato—"

" Duo," I interrupted.

"—Ahem, Duo, um…" She looked at me. " Uh, I didn’t quite catch your last name…"

I grinned. " Maybe that’s because I didn’t tell you my last name."

Ali rolled her eyes. " Ya know what, I really don’t care who you are, ‘Duo’. I don’t like you, and I never will."

I raised an eyebrow. Jeez, what’d I do to deserve this?!

I opened my mouth for a comeback, but was silenced when a fourth person walked in.

" Hi kids. I’m Professor Acacia," the man introduced himself with a short formal bow.

The three of us returned the bow and immediately shut up.

" Now," the Professor continued, " As you all know, you have been chosen to start your journeys this year. Many things have changed within the past few years. For one, you will be required to start your quest from New Bark Town in Johto. For another, you each will be given a starter Pokémon that will not register in the PokéDex."

I raised my hand. " Um, why won’t our Pokémon register in the PokéDex?"

Acacia smiled. " Well, these three Pokémon are very special. They were created in a laboratory using the methods of a man simply called Doctor Fuji…" He paused. " You do know what Fuji is famous for, right?"

I nodded, remembering what I had read about TR’s failed Project MewTwo… Just thinking about it made me shudder…

This time, Ali raised her hand. " Who’s Doctor Fuji?"

I nearly fell over. This kid wanted to become a trainer, but she didn’t even know about MewTwo… That was pathetic!

" Doctor Fuji was the lead professor in the Mew cloning project a long time ago, when Team Rocket was in power," I explained.

Ali glared at me, " I didn’t ask you!"

Too bad… I thought sarcastically.

" Ahem, anyway," continued the Professor, " You three will have a choice of three very special Pokémon… I believe Nurse Joy has their PokéBalls…"

Just then, the young, red-haired nurse appeared behind the front desk of the Pokémon Center. She smiled sweetly and handed Professor Acacia three PokéBalls. The first one had an orange top with a small flame etched into it. Obviously, that was the Fire-type. The next one had an emerald-green lid with a small leaf pattern on the top. I could tell that it housed a Grass-type. The last one was dark blue with what looked like a teardrop on its lid. It contained a Water-type.

" I’ll let you three meet these Pokémon before you choose which one will be your partner…" With that, Acacia open the three Balls.

I sweatdropped (and I’m pretty sure that Ayeka and Ali did too) as the three balls of red light solidified into a trio of Pokémon.

The one that came from the green Ball appeared first. The small creature hovered in the air, looking at the three of us curiously.

" It’s a Mew!" I exclaimed. I did a double-take and realized that I was wrong. The body shape was similar, but this small Pokémon was most certainly not a Mew. It body was light green, with the tips of its hind feet and spade-shaped tail a bit darker. Five little nub-like buds sprouted from its neck, sort of like a Chikorita. They started on the sides and forming a half circle around the creature’s neck.

I walked over to the Pokémon and stroked its head. It purred and released a cloud of some sort of pollen, causing me to break into a sneezing fit.

After about five minutes of constant "Achoo"s, I finally managed to open my eyes.

A second Pokémon hovered near the green Mew. It looked a lot like the first one, but this time it was pink. There were four diagonal stripes on its back along with one vertical stripe down its forehead. The feature that caught my attention first, however, was its tail. It seemed to be on fire!

The Pokémon waved its tail in front of my face. I took a few steps back to avoid being toasted. Something was weird about that fire, though. When it was close to me, it didn’t feel hot at all. It fact, it didn’t feel like anything.

" Heh, it a hologram," I announced, waving my hand through the faux flames. I then proceeded to scratch the little creatures ears. Before I knew what had happened, the Pokémon became a ball of fire…real fire.

I yelped in pain, holding my burnt hand and running in circles. That’s when the third Pokémon came in.

At first, I thought someone had shot my singed hand with a hose. I wiped the tears from my eyes with my good hand and glanced over at the girls. They were holding onto each other, trying not to fall over in their fit of silent giggles. I glared at them, then looked at the small Pokémon that was now hovering in front of me.

Its fur was pale blue in color, with a white underbelly. A large violet crystal was fixed under its chin. The tip of its tail was like that of a Vaporeon, but with another crystal attached to it.

" Um, thank you," I said softly, gazing at the Pokémon’s big indigo eyes.

It squealed happily in response and latched onto my midsection.

" I guess this one’s mine…"

Ali looked at the other two Mew-like Pokémon before choosing the Fire-type, giggling because of what it had done to me.

Ayeka shrugged and took the Grass Mew, which was the only one left.

" Now that you’ve got your Pokémon, would you like to give them nicknames?" Professor Acacia asked.

Ayeka nodded, as did Ali and I.

" Mine’s gonna be, um… How ‘bout… Blaze?" Ali looked at her Mew. It shook its head fervently.

" Maybe Inferno," Ayeka provided.

The Fire Mew grinned and nodded.

" Inferno… Okay!" Ali laughed.

I looked at the small Pokémon who had now perched upon my right shoulder. Maybe Bubbles… no… Splash? Nah… What should I name it?

Ayeka stroked the Grass Mew’s head, obviously trying to come up with a nickname for it. Finally, she stated, " I’ll call mine Eden."

The Grass Mew smiled and purred, releasing another wave of pollen.

I let out a yelp and ran outside before the spores could reach me. One sneezing attack was enough for me!

" Perhaps it would help if I told you that all three of your Pokémon are female," Professor Acacia shouted as I trotted back up the boulevard.

They’re all female? Well, I guess that would account for these recent events…

That’s when it hit me. I had the perfect name for my Water-Type Mew…

" Tempest," I stated, finally returning to the small building after escaping the Grass Mew’s Stun Spore attack (which Acacia swore it didn’t have… Yeah, right…)

Ayeka and Ali looked at me questioningly.

" I think I’ll call her Tempest," I repeated.

The Water Mew smiled and hovered over my shoulder, making it obvious that she liked the name. She then snatched my glasses and began to hover near the ceiling.

" Hey, give those back!" I yelped, jumping as high as I could (which wasn’t more than thirty centimeters).

I then became quite aware of everyone staring at me.

I raised an eyebrow in question. "What?"

" What’s with your eyes?" Professor Acacia asked.

I sweatdropped. That was why I’d been wearing the sunglasses.

" Hah! I knew it!" Ali laughed.

" What?" I asked again.

" You are a freak!" With that, she burst out into a fit of hysterical laughter.

I rolled my eyes. " You know, it’s not that uncommon…"

" Yeah, right…"

I sighed loudly. " Too bad my only friends are back in my real hometown…"

" You, friends? Hah! Those words don’t belong in the same sentence," Ali continued.

" You’re lucky that I was taught never to hit a girl…" I growled.

" Duo, calm down, she’s just a kid," Ayeka said quietly, putting a hand on my left shoulder.

Professor Acacia blinked twice. " Your real hometown? You mean you weren’t born here?"

I sweatdropped again.

" Uh, yeah. I moved here with my Dad after my parents divorced. I was shifted around a bunch between my Mom and Dad. I was born in Pewter City, though. That’s where all of my friends live," I explained, kind of nervous.

" I see…" the Professor trailed off.

Oh man, this isn’t gonna be good… I knew perfectly well that in order to get a starter Pokémon, you had to receive it in your hometown/ island.

" I guess that this means that you can’t become a trainer…"

Ali grinned evilly.

" But…." I retorted, trying to come up with some sort of excuse.

Tempest wrapped her flipper-like tail around my neck, squeaking her protest.

" Professor Acacia, can’t you make an exception?" Ayeka begged.

Wait a minute, Ayeka begged? She actually wants me to become a trainer? Things were starting to get weirder and weirder.

" I don’t know… It says in the rules that in order for someone to become a trainer, they must receive their first Pokémon and start their journey from their place of birth…"

I looked down and toed the ground a bit, muttering, " Well, this certainly sucks…"

" Hmmm… You know, I think I can let it slide… But just this one time," Professor Acacia smiled. He then winked and added, " We’ll keep it as our little secret."

I grinned broadly, not sure of what else to do. This guy was great!

" Humph!" Ali huffed, crossing her arms. I had no idea why she hated me so much. It didn’t bother me really, but it was annoying.

Ali went over to the small VidPhone in the Southeastern corner of the Pokémon Center. She later explained to Ayeka that she called her parents because they wanted to say goodbye.

Ten minutes later, a car pulled up. Two women stepped out. I sweatdropped, slowly realizing just why Ali disliked me, and most other guys as well, so much… (*666* Uh, if you’re under the age of thirteen, then I suggest that you skip this next part…)

" Mommy!" Ali cried, running to one of the women, Inferno following close behind.

The brunet hugged the little girl and smiled at the blond. The blond, in turn, kissed the brunet on the cheek…

" Well, that explains a whole lot…" I remarked quietly as Ayeka and the Professor gawked.

Tempest cocked her head to one side, obviously trying to understand what I meant.

" Um, never mind…" I said to her, shaking my head. (*666* Okay, younger readers may continue… Sorry ‘bout that…)

Soon, we were all outside, ready to start our journeys.

" Ahem, I believe I may have to explain a few things about how you are to get to New Bark Town to begin," Acacia started.

" I’m guessing that we’re gonna be together a while…" I heard Ali mutter to seemingly no one.

" You three will board the ferry that leaves here in ten minutes for Hamlin Island. From there, go directly to the Pallet Town ferry. When you get to Pallet, you should be met by Professor Oak and a few of his assistants. They will explain the rest. Ta-ta!"

As the three of us left for the small port, I heard Acacia mutter, " Good luck… You’ll need it…"

Well, that’s mighty encouraging…

The Ebony Port wasn’t much… Just a small inlet where a few boats were docked…

" Hey!" someone shouted.

The six of us (the Mews were out of their Balls) looked for the voice.

Suddenly, Eden squeaked loudly, obviously to get our attention.

A young man, maybe in his mid-to-late twenties, was jogging over to us. He was wearing a tan sweater and white jeans.

I glanced over at the girls. I swear, Ayeka looked as though she could’ve melted on the spot. Ali had a similar look about her… Yeesh, and she was the girl with "two mommies"! (*666* Whoops!)

" Are you the group headed to Hamlin Island?" he asked as soon as he got within six meters of us. He flicked his jet black bangs out of his green eyes and grinned.

Ayeka nodded, practically drooling.

The grin spread across the man’s face. " Great. The boat’s over here."

Something didn’t feel quite right as we boarded the small craft. Tempest was muttering anxiously to Inferno and Eden in her small, Mew-ish voice.

" I don’ know ‘bout you guys, but I’m kinda nervous ‘bout this whole thing…" I whispered as we took our seats below the deck.

Ayeka was wearing a far-off look that suggested that she was no longer among us… Well, mentally, anyway…

" You’re such a baby…" Ali leered. She seemed to have recovered from her "condition" rather quickly.

Soon, a new person joined us. Well, actually, they stayed on deck. It seems that being below deck was too "uncivilized" for them.

Suddenly, the room began to shake as the engine sputtered to life. The Mews scattered and hid behind their trainers.

I laughed internally as I watched Tempest take a nosedive into my knapsack.

" There’s nothin’ to afraid of. That’s just the engine," I reassured her when she poked her head out of the opening.

She looked at me questioningly, as if to say, "Are you sure?"

I smiled and nodded. These were all normal sounds… Nothing to be afraid of… Nothing to worry about… Right?

Oh, how very, very wrong I was…

*~*~*~*~*

" Are you sure these are the kids?" a young woman, perhaps in her early twenties, asked in a hushed voice. Her curly, dark blue hair gave her the youthful, innocent appearance of a little girl.

The man nodded. " They’re the ones, all right. I saw the clones with them. They’re the ones…"

‘ Well then, let’s see what the Boss does when he sees what I’ve accomplished…’ she smirked, straightening her black, white, and red blouse, making sure that the crimson "R" was smooth. She crossed her fingers, praying for her wish to be granted. She had no use for the money that was offered for the capture of the Mew clones. All she wanted was… well, you’ll see…

The man pulled off his tan sweater, revealing a similar shirt. ‘ Perhaps I’ll get that bonus I’ve been dreaming about…’ he thought greedily, licking his lips at the thought of the large cash reward that was offered. Things were running a lot smoother ever since the old man, Giovanni, had been run off by the Elite Four and the Indigo League Champion. Everyone got the same pay, although there were "extra credit" assignments one could do to add on to ones paycheck.

A large screen slid down from the ceiling, completely covering the front windows of the small water craft.

Soon, the screen flickered to life. First, a large scarlet "R" appeared. It was followed by the picture of a young man, seeming to be in his late twenties, perhaps early thirties. His dark green hair, neatly parted down the right side, was slicked back, much in the same style as his predecessor, Giovanni.

" Good morning. How are you two doing today?" the man on the monitor asked politely.

The woman curtsied, which was quite an accomplishment on her behalf, for the skirt she was wearing would’ve embarrassed a striper.

" We got ‘em…" the first man grinned.

" The clones?" the figure on the screen inquired.

" Yup."

The man on the screen smiled. " Perfect… Well, I suppose you two will be wanting your reward…"

The first man nodded anxiously. His partner seemed to be a bit unaware of what was happening, though.

" Natalia?" the man on the screen asked.

The woman’s head snapped up, as though she was woken from a deep sleep.

" Are you okay?"

The woman, Natalia, stared at the face on the monitor, unsure of what to make of it. ‘ Did he just ask if I was okay?’

" Nathan, be a good man and see if she’s alright," the boss figure ordered lightly.

Natalia shook her head. She had been having the most wonderful daydream. It was about her and the man who had employed her… ‘Nuff said…

" I’m okay. Just a bit, um tired, that’s all…" Natalia insisted in a wavering voice, stopping her partner’s advance.

Nathan shrugged. " Whatever… Anyway, what about that bonus?"

The figure smiled. " Bring the clones to me first. Then we shall see about your reward…"

With that, the screen slid back into its hiding place.

The two people aboard the boat were ecstatic.

‘ Bonus time!’ Nathan thought happily, forgetting his training for a moment and dancing about the cabin.

Natalia smirked inwardly. ‘ I shall finally be able to meet my love face to face…’

*~*~*~*~*

" I wonder how long it will take to get to Hamlin Island…" I muttered, opening my PokéGear and looking at the Map Card. According to it, we were only a few minutes away…

Tempest nudged my hand. I smiled and stroked her head.

Hah! This is great. I’m finally going to become a trainer… Huh?

I glanced back at my PokéGear. Something was wrong. We were moving in the wrong direction. Hamlin was to the East… Why were we moving South by Southwest?

" Uh, guys…" I said aloud, looking at my two human companions. Ayeka had finally come out of her daydream state and Ali was playing with Inferno.

" What is it?" Ayeka asked.

I showed her my PokéGear. " Either this thing’s malfunctioning, or that guy above deck is lost…"

" Let’s go check it out!" Ali piped.

I was taken aback by her sudden change in personality… Then I remembered that that guy was up there…

I shrugged it off and stood up.

" And just where do you think you’re going?" asked a voice.

A woman with curly, dark blue hair had appeared in the small doorway that led to the deck.

" Uh, I was just gonna tell the captain that he’s goin’ the wrong way…" I explained.

" Oh, he’s not going the wrong way… Not at all…" the woman smiled in an oily voice.

I sweatdropped, just beginning to notice the woman’s wardrobe. She was wearing a black blouse with long white gloves along with a really, really short black skirt with white trim. Long white boots completed the outfit. Of course, the main thing that caught my attention was the large red "R" that was in the middle of the blouse.

" Uh, we’re in trouble, aren’t we?" Ayeka asked suddenly.

The woman smiled again. " Oh, you’re not in trouble… Well, as long as you obey our every command, anyway…"

I sweatdropped again. Things were getting very bad, very fast…

(*666* Hmmmmm, gee I wonder what’s gonna happen next, eh? Well, I guess you’ll just have to wait and see. Oh, and if you have an idea for the title of this, I would really appreciate it if you’d tell me. My address is Houndoom666@aol.com. Well, Ja Ne!)