Pokemon Fan Fiction ❯ Empty Days ❯ Dreams and Directions ( Chapter 1 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Chapter One Dreams and Directions

"Hey! Wait up!" yelled a voice in the darkened wood of the forest. The trees rustled in the shadows as the light poured in from the outside. A small figure began running into the area, its shadow growing thinner as it edged closer into the dark. It was small and it's shape was that of a small dog, but it stood upright. With a vigilant gaze and a sensitive ear, this creature was a Riolu.

"Where'd you go?" it shouted. It turned its head to the left and right, searching for whoever it was looking for. There was no reply except the rustling of leaves in the faded trees. It took a couple of steps forward, being cautious and diligent. It took in any sounds that could give way to another presence. It looked to the trees and then made a large leap into one of the branches. Being small as it was, it could stay on the structure without causing it to fall. It concealed itself behind a large group of leaves, trying its best to blend into the darkness.

"I know you're here. Don't try to hide," it said aloud. Giggling was heard and it could immediately tell that whoever it was searching for was... right below.

"Ah-hah! I got you!" the Riolu cried as it jumped down onto the ground below, landing on its feet without making a sound. Small amounts of dust were whipped up and dispersed into the air as it saw someone hiding behind the large roots of the trees that slithered above the ground. It turned around instinctively.

"Eek!" cried the hiding figure. It was startled and fell forward on its face. It was small and had a light beige color to its body. On its head extended a large, black, and menacing mouth. It was large enough to engulf the Riolu with one swoop. It was a young Mawile, just an inch or two smaller than the Riolu.

"Hey, that was mean," it said, getting up and rubbing its cheeks.

"You wanted to play remember?" the Riolu replied. It smiled sheepishly and the Mawile glared, pouting.

"You must've cheated or maybe you can talk to the trees, but I know it was impossible for you to find me!" cried the Mawile, flailing it's little arms about. It's friend chuckled at the spectacle.

"I don't cheat or talk to trees. You were an easy find."

"Oh, shush, I don't want to hear it from you."

The Riolu turned around and began to walk away. The Mawile only noticed after it felt the pain of the bruise on its cheek had dulled.

"Hey! Where are you going?!" it asked.

"We shouldn't be here for too long. It gets dark you know and it'll be too dark to see later."

"But...I thought we could play some more."

The Riolu turned around and saw its little friend walking up behind it. It sighed.

"...Alright. We can stay a little longer. But, I don't feel like playing any games now."

"Aww...what do you want to do?"

"I don't know..."

Suddenly, a ominous wind blew through the surroundings. The shades of dark purple could be seen flowing through the air as if becoming one with it. It looked thick like pollution. The Mawile held its hands up to its chest as its second mouth growled and made movements of hostility by itself.

"Hey...what's that?" it said out loud. The darkness seemed to pulsate as if it were alive.

"I think I've seen this somewhere. It's...making me shake," said the Riolu, holding its paw up to its face. It was true; he was shuddering intensely with fear, but from what he could not understand. It felt something then; a strange feeling of invasion, like someone had passed right through its body without warning. As the feeling dispersed and faded, it became stricken with terror as it looked into its paw. It became rigid and it seemed to bulge and become heavy. The Riolu struggled to keep it's paw in place, holding it up with its free one. A repulsive sound could be heard as the skin on its paw began to tear itself apart.

"Aah! What's going on?!" it cried in pain. Blood was slithering down its small arm and onto the ground and as its skin was about to completely leave its hand and a sudden burst of dark light emitted from it. The Mawile looked on with horror on its face and it began to cry and shout for its friend.

"No! What's happening?!" it cried.

Underneath the furry exterior of its paw was a dark, almost ethereal claw. A slow laughing sound could be heard echoing in the distance. The Riolu gritted its teeth as it tried to hold back a painful scream that wanted to leave its mouth and to also try and calm down his crybaby friend. But before anything could be done, all sound became silent. The pulsating noise stopped and the cries of the Mawile halted. The Riolu held its paw to its chest, the excruciating pain still running through its body, but it managed to stay standing. A faint light appeared before the two Pokemon and it slowly manifested itself, the light growing brighter. Both of them stood in awe as they spotted a small figure hovering within; its shape was almost that of a pixie; a yellow head shaped almost like a bicycle helmet and set of two long tails behind it. It was visible after only a few moments, but one could not look directly at it. It was almost like looking at the sun in the sky on a clear day.

"Who is that?" asked the Mawile. It apparently was in awe at such a sight that it forgot about the strange occurrence that was currently taking place. It's second mouth became calm and appeared to be sleeping. Before, it actually began to snap and bite in random directions like a rabid Mightyena.

"I don't know...but...it's making the pain go away," said the Riolu, letting his paw rest at its side. It was still in its strange , supernatural state. The Riolu suddenly began to feel drowsy and faint as the aforementioned pain became dull. It was like his worries were melting away.

"W-What's wrong with me?" it asked as its breathing became heavy. Its vision blurred as it took one last look at the figure. It noticed something about it after looking closely; it's eyes were tightly shut and its face, expressionless. As the Riolu began to lose consciousness, the pixie slowly opened its eyes and looked straight into the Riolu's; the small red orbs piercing the eyes of the one it gazed upon. With that, the Riolu fell into a deep, relaxing slumber.

"Lucas..." said a voice, the name echoing through the darkness.

"...?"

"Lu...cas...Lucas!" yelled a distant voice.

"Ah!" he cried as he stumbled off of his bed and landed on the ground with a loud thud. He landed straight on his back and was still too tired to pay attention to the sting of the impact. He opened his eyes and stared into the ceiling and sighed. The ceiling, made of dried mud and grass, was held strongly up by tree trunks. The walls were also made of the same substance as the ceiling and a large square was carved into the wall right by his bed and acted as a window. A small breeze came in and blew through his fur. He closed his eyes and lifted his head.

"Another dream? This is so boring," said Lucas as he helped himself up. He was a LucTaikio, large for one of his kind being slightly taller. He still had the power of one all the same, though he seemed just a little skinny. He was still tired, though he couldn't remember why.

"Hey, Lucas! Are you up yet?" asked a slightly high-pitched voice. Before Lucas could reply, a familiar figure jumped into his room, making a "whooshing" noise, before crashing into his bed. Grass and leaves flew into the air and slowly floated back onto the ground. Lucas sighed again and chuckled.

"You dork. Ever hear of something called "walking"? All the cool kids do it," he said to his friend. There was a recovering Mawile on his pile of soft grass and large leaves.

"Liar. Markus floats all the time!" retorted the Pokemon. He got up and dusted himself off.

"So Markus isn't cool, huh? I should tell him you said that."

"W-Wait! I never said that!"

"I'm kidding."

"...You're just mean."

"So, what are you doing here, Taiki?" asked Lucas. Kataiki was the Mawile's full name, but his nickname was "Taiki" for obvious reasons. Taiki stood up and had a sudden realization. He remembered the reason he was here so early in the morning and turned to Lucas.

"Oh that's right! I need your help!" he said as he reached for Lucas's paw and sprinted into the opposite direction with his good friend yelling and shouting behind who struggled to keep his balance. Out into the bright sun the two of them went and they were in a small forest area. It had been thinned down to quite a small number of trees due to the unpredictable weather and natural disasters. Through it all, Lucas had been living here for quite a while. Though, it only was a quick walk west to find a small suburban area full of houses that sheltered many Pokemon. Lucas took this area as his own to get away from all the gossip and all the rumors that floated around in places with many Pokemon. Only about half a mile north was another place that stood high above the trees and looked so out of place. A large, bustling city was seen in the distance. Many Pokemon came there to either do business or start one. Taiki seemed rushed.

"Why are we going to Arethem?" asked Lucas after they had stopped running and began walking. Taiki looked at Lucas sadly.

"You don't remember?"

"I must've forgotten or I'm just too tired to remember."

"Grace, remember? The New Light Orphanage? It's in danger of closing," he said, sighing. It seemed to just suddenly come back to Lucas after a few moments.

"Oh yeah, that's right. Sorry," he replied. A nicely paved trail was what they followed as they started their early stroll towards their destination. Bushels of green and patches of shrubs were scattered all along the trail. Pidgey and Pidgeotto flew overhead and also headed towards the city of Arethem. With each passing day, Lucas has noticed more and more Pokemon were coming here. He didn't bother to think of it as a problem however. With the bright sun overhead and the urgent cries from Taiki, Lucas had no choice but to pay attention and wake up.

"Come on! We should hurry, I don't want to keep her waiting at this time," said Taiki, beginning to run.

"Hey, wait up!" he yelled, chasing after him. Taiki was rather quick on his feet despite the large, gaping mouth that was attached to his head. Lucas hadn't been exercising as much as he should be and was just a little low on endurance at the moment from lack of breakfast.

"H-Hold up!"

Only after a moment or two, Taiki did halt to a stop and Lucas quit running as he made it to his friend's side.

"Take it easy. I'm sure Grace wouldn't mind if we were just a little late-"

Before he could completely finish his sentence, he looked at Taiki and noticed there was something in front of them; a large cluster of bushes were rustling, but there was no breeze. The only other way would be for someone to be lurking about within it.

"Do you...see that?" asked Lucas.

"Y-Yeah."

Suddenly, the black, feathery bottom of a bird protruded from the bushes; its tail feathers sticking up high in the air. It was a Pokemon and it seemed to be struggling to pull itself out. Lucas was just about to speak again when another voice spoke before him.

"Hey, hurry it up! I think I heard someone coming!" said a shady and urgent voice.

"Be quiet! I'm going as fast as I can!" replied a shakier, more nervous voice. Taiki stood beside Lucas and watched the dark Pokemon try one last pull before tumbling backward, somersaulting on the way. After it stopped, it laid on the ground, disorientated.

"Hey...it's a Murkrow," said Taiki, putting a hand to his mouth to hide his laughter. He tried not to giggle, but he let some slip.

"Vinny!" said the shady voice. Sounds were coming out of the bushes again and out popped another Pokemon; it was a Sableye. He suddenly noticed Taiki and Lucas standing close by and was shocked and startled. His mouth hung open as he backed away towards the Murkrow.

"Aah! Get up!" he said, shaking the disorientated Vinny.

"Yeah...yeah, I'm comin'," he said, standing on his feet. He turned around and saw the two also. He froze and leaned over to his companion.

"Plan B, Joe?"

"We didn't even have a Plan A," he replied in a whisper.

"Run! Now!" yelled the frightened Vinny. They both sprinted back into the bushes and disappeared from sight. A loud thud could be heard as they struggled to get away. With that, more bickering was heard between the two. Lucas and Taiki were bewildered.

"What was that about?" Taiki asked, leaning forward.

"Let's not dwell on it. We have better things to worry about. Let's go," said Lucas. He couldn't help but try to at least keep an eye out for those two if he ever came across them again. He refused to ponder anymore about it and began to walk again. Taiki, of course, followed close behind. As they came closer towards the city, they began to notice more Pokemon traveling in and out through other trails leading into Arethem.

"Hey, Lucas, where do think these guys all come from?" asked Taiki with curiosity. He had spotted a Snover running by with an Abomasnow wearing a snow hat pulling a large stand made of wood from behind. It's wheels were light and the spokes looked worn, but were strong enough to hold themselves up. He felt a slight chill as it passed by.

"I don't know. Maybe somewhere cold because they're of the Ice type?" said Lucas with an almost sarcastic tone. Taiki glared.

"I meant where exactly. Like a town or a city. You can be so mean, you know?" he said, crossing his arms. Lucas smirked and chuckled for a moment as he continued.

"I've been around a little, but not that far out there."

"I thought you were smart. Your friends say you are," said Taiki, pondering. Lucas sighed and shook his head. He looked ahead and saw they were almost at the front gate and what a sight it was. Nowadays, the city needed extra security. For some reason, Pokemon have been becoming more violent and seem to just build up rage for no apparent reason. This was a condition diagnosed as the R.A.G.E. or Reoccurring Aggressive Guise Extortionate Syndrome. Lucas knew as he had to deal with quite a few in his life that were affected; a rampaging Donphan, a fiery Chimchar, and a ludicrous Gyarados. He tried to forget those times because they were just...let's just say they weren't the fondest memories. Lucas never really liked to fight with anyone. His friend, Taiki, never had to fight as he seemed to get along with everyone. It was just something he had; it was a gift.

"Oh, Lucas. You do have your Arethem Key Card, right?" asked Taiki, slightly nervous.

"Yes, I always do...wait, you still haven't gotten one, yet?" he replied. To be able to get into Arethem, you either had to sign up and recieve a Key Card exclusive to Arethem or pay a total of one hundred fifty Poke, or money, to get in. It is much safer and much easier to own a Key Card rather than pay up, yet Taiki always used his money. Lucas has been trying to convince his friend to go and sign up, but he always found a way to forget.

"No, I just don't feel like I need one," he replied happily. He smiled and stopped as they reached the large entrance to their destination. The large, twenty-four foot, metal gates were open as it was midday, but to get past the Magnemite and Magneton that stood in the way, you needed permission. They act as the "fence" of the city. They released a steady flow of electrical charges, but hovered above as if bored. Taiki lived within the city, so they aren't something unfamiliar. Lucas usually doesn't visit Arethem often as he'd rather be at home nowadays. A Machoke sat within an office structure which stood nearby the front gate. It was only about twelve-feet high and had a window right in front of where he sat. He wore glasses which was strange for someone so muscular and brawny and he was reading the latest news in the Arethem paper. Taiki came up to him first.

"Hi, Ian!" he said, sounding like a child. Ian looked up and turned the page to continue his reading.

"Hello there, Taiki," he began, a kind of "intelligence" in his voice.

"Did you forget something back at your house again?"

"No, not this time! I have to go visit Gracie. You heard, haven't you?" he asked, placing his arms on the counter and leaning forward.

"Yes, I have. I'm reading about that right now," Ian replied, his eyes scanning the columns. Taiki placed his fare on the counter and Ian took it without looking up. He was focused on the current news.

"And your friend?" he asked. Lucas took a step forward and flashed his Key Card. Ian nodded and pressed a button on his desk. A cybernetic sound was heard and the electricity emitted by the Magnemite and Magneton stopped. They also floated out of the way to allow the two to pass. Unless the gatekeeper gives the signal, the Pokemon would shock the person.

"Alright you two, go on in. I can't keep it open for more than five minutes, so hurry along," said Ian, turning to look at his little friend. Taiki smiled and skipped past the security Pokemon and into the city. Lucas followed and as he walked a couple steps within, the electricity could be heard surging through their bodies again when they reached the other side. Ian looked grim as he read the column titled "New Lights Put Out". The orphanage Taiki previously mentioned was being forced to close down because it seems to have become "irrelevant" due to the lack of orphans showing up nowadays. At least that's what the mayor of Arethem was trying to say. Young Pokemon wander the streets after losing family and search for a new home. The owner, "Grace", desperately tried to keep it open as she felt she had to do something, but with the problems of today, those with higher power don't seem to notice these abandoned Pokemon. She reaches out to them with the help of her employees, but they seem to be having troubles in funds. It's rumored that a certain group of Pokemon are insisting and supporting the closing of the New Light Orphanage, but the reason is still unknown.

"I have to say...what they're doing is unjustifiable. What could someone like me do?" he said to himself. "I'm just a gatekeeper...damn them..."

End of Chapter One