[WolfEx]

Chapter 0: The Prologue

It started with a dream....

Gabriel was a child when his mother had gone away from their home on the coast to research the Dream World with a small crew of scientists she had known through her days in college. They had used various Pokemon and methods to research such a thing but Gabriel had never heard any updates or further information on it other than the tales his mother had told him before she left about a magnificent place where Pokemon go in their sleep. He desperately wanted to go himself, it sounded like a paradise. Why is this? Because Gabriel couldn't dream. He was born with a photographic memory and a fast learning curve. His brain couldn't shut off so simply, it was constantly turning its cogs and wheels thinking of things and puzzles and facts and about the future each night as he slept. He had goals, aspirations, desires; oh so many of them.

All his brain had given him during his nearly sleepless nights as a child was a blackness he couldn't quite describe. Just darkness and nothing else. If he did dream he never remembered them. His mother left him when he was nine, he was left with a house maid he called NaNa to take care of him on their beach home with a father who traveled the world and abandoned him sending letters every now and then, but soon even that stopped and he never saw his father anymore. He was an only child who just wanted to dream, but he always felt the need to be awake even with his eyes closed suffering from severe insomnia. Such a condition only got worse when just like his father, his mother had never returned.

It was just him and NaNa now. They had no Pokemon around the house, but they often watched across the beach and the sea wild water Pokemon enjoying the environment with frolicking chatter. He was curious about them, but alas, left them be. He lost hope that any of his family would ever return to him as he stared at his NaNa with tear filled eyes sitting on a rusty old bench upon the shore watching nature, and she would look at him and always say the same thing.

"Dry your eyes, watch the tides, they'll come again when the time is right."

She always did rhymes like that whenever he felt sad, but the more time ran on, the more tears that came. One day, he had enough. When he was twelve he had snuck out late at night as his NaNa was resting and headed to the nearest rail station. He boarded a train and headed to the research lab he overheard his mother mentioning when talking to NaNa before she left. It took nearly a full day to reach the destination, but with the help of his photographic memory and good sense of direction Gabriel made it to the very same lab his mother had visited. When he approached it though in the middle of a barren forest all he could see was a broken down warehouse. Rust, dirt, grime, and misery was all this place was. Gabriel looked very confused when he arrived. He entered the place and investigated only to find nothing but broken machinery.

As he investigated though, he noticed a gleam at the corner of the warehouse shining brightly. It was a key. He had picked it up and began trying it on every door in the building. He managed to notice one door cluttered with objects blocking its path. He started to dig his way to the door scuffing himself with bruises and scratches during the process but managed to clear the debris. He tried the key on the door and it opened perfectly. A loud creak sounded as it swung on its hinges granting Gabriel entry. The room was filled with maps, pictures of planes, and a giant photograph of a mysterious island. When he scanned through all the information he had gathered, he noticed more about the island. He thought that island must have been where his mother had gone off to, but there was nothing to say where exacty it was. He saw another picture of a plane, and what looked like his mom in front of it with a crew of others at an air field. She was waving hello with the biggest smile on her face while her blue hair glistened in the morning sunlight making the photo almost seem alive. There they were; the tears again. At twelve years old, it was like Gabriel could see his mom again only for a brief moment.

Minutes later he had heard a noise behind him and turned around only to find a man dressed in a lab coat kneeling beside him. He looked grim. He had white scruffy hair and a five o' clock shadow. He emitted a presence of deep sorrow and told Gabriel what would be something he wished he never had ever heard, the news about his mother's death. The research plane his mother had taken to the island crashed, and with it, her life was taken and all the research she had gathered including the exact location of the island itself. The man in the lab coat was helping oversee the expedition from the same lab Gabriel was standing in but didn't end up himself going on the plane, making him the sole researcher left after the crash.

"I'm so sorry my boy, I wish...I wish I could have never sent her...sent any of them on that journey. But now I know, nobody will ever be forced to go on such an expedition again, that island I don't think was ever meant to be found. The Dream World is a dangerous subject, and it's best it remain it's own mysterious entity."

Gabriel couldn't say anything. Only tears, only pain left him. The man went on to say Gabriel's NaNa sent him to retrieve Gabriel and bring him back home. The train ride back was the most grievous time in Gabriel's life keeping dead silent. He wondered if a smiliar thing happened to his father, and he worried. One thing was for sure, many years later Gabriel tried to reach his father, but to no avail. When he was twenty years old he left his home to educate himself across various lands, cities, and towns. He went from school to school learning all he could drifting to whatever peaked his interest. A few months later his NaNa had passed away from a heart condition and he was truly alone.

In his travels though he grew to enjoy the company of Pokemon more and more. He watched numerous battles and competitions, went on adventures, and even volunteered at various DayCare facilities expanding his wisdom and becoming ever more curious and atoned to the world of Pokemon. When he grew to be twenty three he decided he wanted to be a trainer. He traveled to a region called Celestion to put his past behind him and start fresh not as a drifter or some lonely sap, but as Gabriel Nite, a Pokemon Exhibitionist in the making and harboring a love for Pokemon that is boundless beyond the stars.

[WolfEx]

Chapter 1: Hello.....Friend?

I remembered that it hurt.

The pain of starting new, the pain of letting go, there was no relief like I had planned, just the etching catastrophe of an unknown journey ahead. I also remembered what it felt like; the sea breeze washing away my sadness as I waited for what was never coming on our rustic beach home with with my Nana...and my parents return. That faint touch of salt in the air tickling my tongue as I watched the waves is something that I could never quite get out of my mind. When I found out mom and dad were never coming back, well, I had my struggling fits and outbreaks, but I knew that wouldn't change anything. Here in Celestion it was...different. There was still a lingering sting from my life's trials but there was also an icy chill of promise. It was much like catching your first fish. There's the tackle at the ready, there's the bite of the bait, then there's the sting from your arms as you pull and twist your way to a victory dance with a sea creature in your hands, but in the end it becomes worth it, and you receive satisfaction and that cooling calmness of a fresh catch.

Ofcourse I had never caught any fish myself, but hey, why would a book on Pokemon Fishing Technique ever want to lie to me, right? It happened to be what I was reading and studying on my way to the Pokemon Lab to get what I was told was going to be my very first Pokemon. Was I scared? Sure I was, up until now my only friends and companions on my journey with me was my books and collections of top quality ties and cufflinks. I always thought perhaps that was all I needed in life to truly be happy, but that would be a false course of action if anything, and I would be living in a delusion. I thought hard about my idea for a first Pokemon, the right fit for a philosopher like me, and I think my overall general idea was a decent one of what I was looking for. But whether or not my ideal Pokemon in my head was the one I was going to get was a different story. The Pokemon would have to be a thinker, like me, smart, slightly on edge, and focused when it came to thinking on their feet.

In a perfect world I would be set with such a partner, but then again, where would the challenge in that be? I enjoyed a bit of a challenge, being alone was starting to get me funny looks from others around me. Some guy traveling alone without a Pokemon great distances, that's a little ridiculous, although a grand idea for a new novel, no? Celestion was a nice place, mighty fine. It had grand trees, green everywhere, all sorts of fascinating plants and shrubbery that is great for attracting a plethora of different Pokemon.

I remembered that it hurt, but I also remembered that it was beautiful.

The people seemed nice and I never had any objections to the area myself. It might have been the determination in me talking, but I was ready to take my first step into Pokemon training and hoping it would help me forget things for a while and keep my brain focused on a healthy and very active hobby. This could only help me. Before I knew it I was at the doorstep of the lab. I took a breath and I had finally entered a point of no return.

For a brief moment....the pain was gone.



A young lady with dark golden hair and a rather vivacious presence had greeted me with more excitement than I'd like. "OH MY GOODNESS! You must be the new trainer in town! Welcome to Celestion! I'm Goldie and.....myyyyyy ARE YOU CAYUUUUTE!" There was no way she worked in this lab, her behavior was unprofessional, unethical, and completely unacceptable for such an environment. She must have been a passerby trainer just here to pick up her first Pokemon like me. Yes, you can go away now little trainer, no sense in finding love in a twenty three year old guy like me with no interest in such ventures to begin with. "I'm Professor Bronkie's assistant and I'm like, so excited to see you! He's very good at his work and chooses only the very best Pokemon for trainers he meets based on first impressions. I think he's just finishing up with someone right about now, follow me!" So she does work here, great, that makes me feel so much better about how the professor behaves; if it's anything like her I think I'll take my chances at catching a wild Pokemon instead.

"OHHHHH PROOOOOOOFESSSORRRRRR!!!!!!!!!" She yelled like that of a shrieking Spearow, it was so irritating. I just wanted to get my Pokemon and leave so that I can move on becoming closer to my goal of being the greatest Pokemon Exhibitionist. As I followed her down the halls of the lab I thought of all the different types of Pokemon Trainers in the world, there was a Pokemon Coordinator who was into all that beauty contest and pageant hoodoo, there was also the usual Pokemon Trainer, who's main goal is typically catching every Pokemon in existence to earn the title of Pokemon Master, then there was a Pokemon Breeder, someone who breeds and cares for Pokemon at DayCares or to study and research growth and fertility. The list goes on, Pokemon Researchers, Archaeolgists, Rangers, Connoisseurs, Gym Leaders, Artists, Photographers, it really never ends. A Pokemon Exhibitionist is a bit different, they pride themselves on mastering each category all in one so that they may use every skill from each to raise and evolve the best Pokemon team imaginable. That was what I wanted.

The lab was bigger than I thought it would be, it felt like I was walking around for days doing my usual scenarios in my head of what kind of relationship I would have with my new Pokemon, so many questions, so many mysteries with such creatures that could never truly be fathomed even after so many years of research. There was so many machines around me that I couldn't even begin to guess had what functions, but we neared one very special machine and it was being used by an older, somewhat round man. I could only see the back of his head but he appeared to be quite scruffy looking and I swear I could feel the sweat and stress of his job lingering towards me. "Uhm, Professor? Your next appointment is here, and he uh..." She looks at me in a seductive and uncomfortable gaze. "Looks to be a good fit." And there was a wink in there as well, wonderful, nothing like starting a journey off with a stalker. It was do or die now, this Professor better be a wise and knowledgeable patron or I am storming out of here without a second glance. He finally turns around as the machine he was fiddling with makes a strange noise and in his hand was a Poke' Ball. This was it.



He looked me right between the eyes without a single twitch and made sort of a, scorning expression. I don't think he liked me much. There was an awkward silence as Goldie decided it was probably best to leave the room; thank goodness. "I'll just leave you two alone. Cya later cutie!" There was that wink again, and she was gone. It was a staredown for a while, me and him, a gleam striking through my designer glasses I was given as a gift, my tall slender body towering over his short stature, and my neatly pressed black suit and tie showing off to his sweaty old man in a lab coat style, what is there to brag about? I just dress for any occasion. "You need not say anything, boy. I'm Professor Bronkie. I read you like a book before you even entered this laboratory. Believe it or not first impressions are everything, and I have a Pokemon right here who suits you well, and maybe even can teach you a lesson or two...." And he speaks! He was quite brash, with a very hoarse tone to his voice, but he intrigued me.

I have never known a Professor like him to be so straight forward, let alone dare to talk me down in such a fashion. I suppose I can be a bit intimidating and stand offish, but in this case, I felt the need to speak up myself. "Sir, I just want to be on my way and thank you for the hospitality, I have no desire to upset you or your staff in-" He cut me off, the damned guy actually cut me off! "Shut it, kid! I've seen people like you every day come in here quiet, calculating, a cold wind practically swirling all around you bringing the chill of lonely and chiseled from all your childhood problems. Frankly, I grow so tired of lecturing you kids and telling you it'll all work out, this time, I'm going to let this Pokemon here teach you about how to move on and be somebody wtithout the doom and gloom attitude. Meet your friend and your new teacher, son!" The man known as Professor Bronkie opened the Poke' Ball and after a flash of light there she was, my first pal, my new best friend, my partner in crime....and very...pink.



"JIGGLYPUFF!"

You've got to be kidding me!

"Her name is Jigglypuff. To be honest I've been trying to find the perfect trainer to tame this wild gal for months now, and I think I finally found the right one. I believe you two are going to be great for eachother, regardless of how you think you feel about this decision, it has been made, so live with it." He saw the grim look on my face and smirked actually finding my dissatisfaction funny to him. I didn't want to give him the luxury of my distaste, so I simply smiled back and looked down at her in curiousity, she was just as curious about me too, however. She walked around me in circles studying me, my stance, my personality, feeding off my energy, scanning my fashion sense. She then puffed up in an angry huff and then kicked me in the shin. I couldn't help but react. "OW! What did I ever do to you?" I then glanced over at the Professor noticing him studying how I react with my new friend and I quickly changed my attitude. "I mean uh...thank you Professor...I'm sure she has a good reason for such...motives." I gave the Jigglypuff an angry look and she averted her gaze folding her arms reluctantly standing by me as if it was by force. Bronkie could tell it wasn't going to be an easy relationship and will have many obstacles before true trust can be placed in both of us, I figured this was all part of his plan to match us up together. "You best take good care of that little gal there son. You see Jigglypuff have powerful minds, really their like one giant cushioned brain. They have pyschic abilities that can sense things, hear thoughts, feel what you feel....and I take it that little kick to your shin wasn't for no reason if you know what I mean. Keep your mind focused and at ease with this one, or else she's gonna make some more bruises all over you boy." Regardless of how I felt or not about the Professor's decision, he was right. I needed a challenge, I needed some real motivation, and this was it.

This Jigglypuff was now mine, and I had a duty and a responsibility to uphold. "Here's her Poke' Ball kid, don't neglect her and remember the importance of a bond. Always keep that bond going and work at it as much as you can, cause if ya don't, you'll find yourself hard pressed if any other Pokemon obey you, and just like your own personal struggles, them Pokemon you think you are raising well, are going to destroy you in more ways than you know." He hands me the Poke' Ball as if handing me the key to a new life, and curls my fingers around it assuring me the importance of such an artifact. I gaze into the Poke' Ball with the rush of promise and opportunity darting around in my mind, and then I look down at Jigglypuff who won't even acknowledge me. I did what I thought was right at the time and sent her back into her Poke' Ball; or at least attempted to. "Jigglypuff, return!" She pranced into the air and floated down like a balloon avoiding the command, I tried again...and again....and again...and she simply refused. Professor Bronkie put a thinking hand on his chin and shook his head, but there was still that hidden smirk that he had plain as day.

"Remember kid, the bond...the bond is the thing. Don't give up, and she won't give up on you." And finally those words of real wisdom came out of him. Right about here you would cue the dramatic cheesy music, and the image of me and my new Jigglypuff floated in my head. I closed my eyes for a second and pictured it all. Victory poses, picnics, adventures....this was a promise I was making for myself, for us, right now, that we could grow to that point. And this was going to be a promise I'd never forget for the rest of my life. I looked over at Jigglypuff one more time, waiting for recognition, a quick glance, something....but there was nothing. It was time to go now and start my mighty task of taming this pink behemoth. I tried to shake the Professor's hand as a real thanks, but he didn't bother with it. He turned his back to me and continued his lab work muttering a few words that stung before my departure. "Come back when you've got some chemistry with that Jigglypuff, and youd've earned that handshake." His eyes were winced and his focus was now elsewhere. This new journey was supposed to be comforting, a clean slate, different....so far, it has been anything but that. I closed my eyes and turned to walk myself out. I knew it would be pointless right now to make any contact or a connection with my Pokemon, she didn't care about my feelings, not yet. She followed me out of the lab at her own pace still copping a discontent for me. The first steps of conquering the Jigglypuff challenge was afoot, but it didn't help that there were so many more ahead. I was in for it, and all I could think about was NaNa, and mom, and dad, and the beach....but such happiness didn't exist anymore.

I was on my own.

[WolfEx]

Chapter 2: The Adventure....OF A NEW LIFETIME!



So it appeared my journey had begun in the strangest sense that it could. With only a fiesty young Jigglypuff to be my guide in this strange new land I wasn't quite sure where to go next. We were just starting to head out of the main town of Celestion within the region of Celestion, kind of a double standard to name a city after its own region, but it worked I supposed and I had just about enough of that place anyway, so far I really had no desire to go back and confront Professor Bronkie about his lack of faith in me, in us, but I would one day and he would see that we really are capable of forming that bond he had asked for. There were so many things I wanted to do, so many things I could do, find my first gym to battle, volunteer at a DayCare and help breed some Pokemon hatchlings, take a few more classes in Pokemon Connoisseuring, catch some wild Pokemon, I was overwhelmed with choices. Celestion was a big place, and it called for alot of ground to cover. One thing I suddenly began to notice however as I was feeling around in my pockets was that the Professor never gave me any Poke' Balls to start with; a device used for catching Pokemon, or a Pokedex for that matter; another device used for researching Pokemon. All he gave me was a Jigglypuff. Maybe that's all I needed. She was still very much refusing to engage in conversation with me, following me like a slave or an agitated pet, I just didn't know what to do with such an unwilling partner. We were walking to a forested area right outside of the town which was a scary thing in itself due to wild Pokemon being bound to leap out at us with no real battle experience or materials to help us on our quest, but like magic, we were stopped by a similar voice we had heard earlier, in fact, it sounded like a shrieking Spearow.



"HEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY! Wait UUUPPP!!!!!!" Man, this girl just wouldn't quit. But this time, the girl who introduced herself to me as Goldie looked to be packed for a long time away. She had a bag on her back, and a determined look on her face. Wait, don't tell me....oh no. I was really in for it now, something told me she didn't just come all the way outside of town just to say hello. My Jigglypuff seemed to perk up around her for some reason though, it was the most lively I have actually seen it since we left. "You walk pretty fast ya know that? I barely even had time to pack my stuff! Anyway, you forgot your starter Poke' Balls and your Celestion Pokedex, so here ya go!" With a creepy smile on her face, Goldie had handed me a pile of Poke' Balls and my very own Pokedex. Good, now maybe she can go back on her way. "Thank you. Now if you'll excuse us....come on Jigglypuff." I turned to leave but my Jigglypuff wasn't following. It stayed with Goldie hugging her shin with a grin. What is with that Pokemon and shins anyway? And it only infuriated me to see my Pokemon show affection to another and nothing at all to me. "Well well there spunky, looks like your Pokemon wants me to come with. And look at that, I'm already all packed and everything!" Her coyness was revolting. I respectfully disagreed. "No, thank you. Jigglypuff return!" I tried again with trying to get the pink menace to go back into her Poke' Ball and still she pranced around the order without missing a beat. She continued to be defiant. My face started to grow red with rage and I about had enough.

"Fine then. Goodbye....to the both of you." I was ready to take my chances completely solo at this point. I snapped my heels back towards the forest and left them in the dust. While I was also angry, I was also fighting back tears. This was very definitely not the adventure I had hoped for. Maybe this was all a mistake to become a Pokemon Trainer at the ripe old age of twenty three, maybe I should have started when I was younger, that way I'd at least be a little more free spirited. I didn't see it, or turn around to look back, but apparently my Jigglypuff, even for only a brief moment, seemed to show concern. Was it going to follow me, or stay with crazy lady over there. Turns out, they both kept on my tail either way. "HEY WAIT UP! Come on! Professor Bronkie asked me to keep an eye on you, so will ya please let me come with? I can even help you get your Jigglypuff in shape for ya!" I stopped in my tracks at that woman's gawking and shot a stare at her large and child like eyes. "I don't need your help. I don't need false security for how I raise my Pokemon, and if Jigglypuff wants nothing to do with me, then...I...I guess I don't need her either. I should have never come to Celestion." What else could I have said, my emotions were controlling me beyond repair, and I just couldn't deal with such unfavorable circumstances the way others could. I was going to head to the forest, and that was that.

"NO! You stop it. Stop it right now!" She grabbed my hand and halted me from walking. I couldn't stare at her again, not while she was so bubbly and carefree and I...was just so cold and strung up with feelings of anger and bitterness. "Now listen, you made the choice to go on this journey kiddo, and when you took the responsibility of raising this Jigglypuff, you took all the challenges that came with it! Now stop being such a quitter, and buck up! You have got to quit being so down, and suck it up. Life is hard, raising Pokemon, is hard! All I am trying to do is help you and I don't even know your name!" She was right, I hadn't told her my name, for good reason too. But she was also right that I made the choice to take Jigglypuff along and be a liscensed trainer, and it was something I was going to have to live up to. I guess I had to give in. "The name's Gabriel, okay? And what's the point of trying if I have a Pokemon who won't even budge to a single command I give or even any attempt at a connection."

Let's see her counter that point with any sort of knowledgeable rebuttal. "I'm not going to raise a Pokemon for you Gabriel, and I sure as a Metapod won't be forgiving you if you ever think about abandoning this poor thing. But I can tell you that giving up is going to get you nowhere fast, and this Pokemon will never learn the way it needs to. Just like me, I couldn't learn anything else from the Professor back there, so I thought going on an adventure would be a nice change of pace and a good learning experience if I wanna be a Pokemon Researcher one day. Ya see, we have that in common you and I. Now let me come with, and stop bein such a Negative Nancy!" She hit a power pose at that point, the whole hands on her hips thing trying to get me to take in what she said. I had heard her loud and clear. I thought about her words, and came to the conclusion to allow her to come with me, only because being alone with an unwilling Pokemon inside unfamiliar territory wasn't going to be a picnic. I kneeled down to my Jigglypuff and got eye level with her. She hid behind Goldie and once again gave me the cold shoulder, but I kept my composure.

"Jigglypuff....I am so sorry for whatever I did to make you act this way, but please, please you must understand, I need your help to learn from my mistakes and be the best trainer I can be for you. We can learn from eachother and grow together." She remained stalwart in her unwillingness to appease. I could see a small crack in her armor though, slowly coming apart the more I interacted with her. I believe she was starting to see my motives, and overtime, I just know she will start to come to. I stood up and gestured to Goldie. "Alright then, come along. Just do me a favor though and...hide the annoying will you?" Goldie looked confused at my comment but giggled as if my discomfort was funny to her. I made tracks to the woods again and she came along with Jigglypuff beside us, at least everything was complacent again, for the moment anyway.

We all managed to make it through the opening of the forest and I stopped to read a small wooden sign posted into the moist soil below our feet. "Welcome to Twiggy Forest, BEWARE OF BUG TYPES!" Bug type Pokemon? Well it was only obvious due to the fact that bug Pokemon loved shady and enclosed habitats, they had lots of hiding places here and lots of food. Many would think a bug type Pokemon would creep them out, but I was absolutely fascinated by them, I was fascinated by all Pokemon really. I glanced around and noticed how the place lit up in my eyes, it was so full of vibrant greens and bright colors my eyes were almost glowing upon their reflection. It was Summer after all, and everything seemed to come to life by sunlight. Fields of marigold flowers, bushels of red roses, tulips, white orchids, this was a Pokemon paradise! "It's been a while since I've been through these parts, the Pokemon around here are generally friendly! They see alot of new trainers come through these parts, so they usually like to test the waters and see if there is a trainer they get a liking to or not." I knew there was a good reason for Goldie to come along after all, if she keeps up these helpful tips I may just have to buy her dinner. It seemed my Jigglypuff was pretty happy to be in such a place as well, she was impressed by the sights and sounds of such origins, and I bet she was excited to finally get out of that lab too.

It was pretty, sure, but it only lasted so long until it became downright dangerous. A loud thunk was heard flying by our ears which was followed by a cry from Jigglypuff. "JIGGLY! PUFF!" My little Pokemon suddenly fell flat on its face and showed a bump on her head. She got to her feet and felt at it in which triggered some unfortunate tears and then a waterfall of them. "JIGGGGLLYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" The tears came like no tomorrow. I wasn't quite sure what to do about that, so I knelt next to her and tried to console her, but she stayed near Goldie and jumped in her arms wailing at her pain. "Oh you poor thing! Who did that! Show yourself!" Goldie was nursing Jigglypuff trying to calm her down while eye balling the area in which I helped her scout, but we saw nothing that could of done such a thing, just an empty forest, until that is, I got hit as well on my own noggin. "OW! WHAT IN THE WORLD!" Whoever or whatever was throwing things sure had an aim! I eyed the ground and saw a sizable pebble in front of my foot and picked it up now knowing exactly what was pelting us; Goldie was next to get hit. "OUCHIES! ALRIGHT THAT'S ENOUGH!" She let Jigglypuff down again once she saw Jigglypuff's crying had stopped. She took out a Poke' Ball and tossed it into the air. "GO, SENTRET!" In a flash I got to see the Pokemon Goldie was carrying around, it was a Sentret. But just to be sure I knew what kind of Pokemon it was, I let my Pokedex give me the update.



POKEDEX ENTRY: Sentret, the Scouting Pokemon. Sentret like to balance on their long, sensitive tails to track food and find their family when they are seperated. These Pokemon can see extremely long distances thanks to the amount of nutrients they eat daily, if they don't keep up with their required nutrient intake, they could later grow blind and break their tail.

"A Sentret huh? I suppose it's a good fit for a Pokemon Researcher like you." She smiled and happily agreed in a proud stance. "That's right! Sentret, stand on your tail and use those awesome ears of yours to find our attacker! Listen real hard kay?" Sentret nodded with a squeak and began to raise up from the ground on its tail listening super closely to our attacker's location. Jigglypuff watched in awe at the Sentret's strange technique and tried to listen herself for the culprit. The Sentret seemed to catch wind of something as it twitched its ears and hopped on its tail in alarm. "SENTRET! SEN!" With another whoosh of a pebble the Sentret was pelted and sent flying off its tail. It fell on its back and readjusted to a fighting position. "SENTRET!" It raised its little hands into the air making fists ready to attack scoping out a particular tree which was pretty high up from where we stood. It looked like now we knew where we were being hit from. Seonds later the one responsible seemed to know it was now found out and dived from the tree in a black shadowy movement and landed in our wake with grace and balance. It was a red and orange oval shaped creature of some kind, and when it peeked up at us, I knew right away it was the fire type Pokemon known as Darumaka.



POKEDEX ENTRY: Darumaka, the Fire-Breather Pokemon. When it sleeps, it pulls its limbs into its body and its internal fire goes down to 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit.

"DARUMAKA! MMMMMMMMAKA MAKA MAKA!" Within seconds of its landing it was already on the attack, scorching us all with an Incinerate attack! We rolled, we jumped, we ducked, we dipped! The flames were everywhere. Poor Sentret was the first to get hit and sent flying against a tree stump enduring quite the damage. Goldie ran over to her Pokemon to check on it while being cautious of the flames. "SENTRET! Please be okay, we need you right now!" Sentret shook it off and went on the offense to stop the Darumaka's nonsense. I must say I was very intrigued by the Sentret's resilience with a direct hit like that. "Okay Sentret, use Mud Slap on that little fella, go!" Sentret struck with such passion and without question, striking the Darumaka with accurate judgment. "YES! Great job!" The bond between Goldie and her Sentret was powerful, no doubt. But I wanted to get in on the action too. The Darumaka came back full force with a Fire Punch which Goldie tried to have her Sentret dodge. "Sentret, jump out of the way!" But the punch hits and sends Sentret packing! It was now or never for me. "Jigglypuff, we need you. Use double slap before that Darumaka knows what hit it!" And ofcourse, in response to my command all I received was a yawn from my little puff ball of a Pokemon as she seemed to be taking a nap by a nearby tree. That bump on its head must have exhausted it somehow, just my luck. "Gabriel, your Jigglypuff needs to know your in charge! Go get her and keep up the motivating! My Sentret won't be able to take much more of this." What was I going to do? I was a trainer with a rebel Pokemon, it was about as good as having a piece of paper with no pen to dot the i's and cross the t's. Our goose was going to be cooked and we'd have to flee back to town. "I thought you said these Pokemon were friendly here!" The Darumaka wasn't going to get any more patient and Goldie might not be as useful as I thought. It's body began to glow and smoke bellowed from its mouth, it imbued a bright orange color and the area started to get hot. I ran to my Jigglypuff and nudged it to wake it up, we were defenseless here! "Jigglypuff come on, come on wake up! We are all going to have alot worse than bumps on our heads if you don't listen to me!" This was it, this was the way I was going to start my very first Pokemon battle and kick off my adventure, in defeat and complete hopelessness.

When am I ever going to get a break...

[WolfEx]

Chapter 3: THAT DARN DARUMAKA!


"JIGGLYPUFF! I NEED YOU NOW MORE THAN EVER! Fight!" I couldn't have screamed any louder even if I wanted to. I was exhausting myself and no matter how much effort I put into training Jigglypuff, it only seemed to make things worse. She was stubborn and unshaken by my pleading, I have ran out of options. We were all going to be sent to the hospital from this rampaging Pokemon and that was it. As Goldie was trying to help her Sentret recover I tucked my head in my arms as I sat next to Jigglypuff and huddled next to her trying to protect us both from the flaming doom of Darumaka. But through some thin strip of hope and an unsuspecting miracle, Jigglypuff sensed how much danger we were all in, squeezes away from me, and opens her mouth to begin singing a beautiful melody. It was soothing, loud, and strangely toxic. The tune reached all of us in a lull and we drifted into a quick slumber. The last thing I remember before dozing off, was seeing Darumaka calm itself and no longer prepping for a big fire attack, but instead collapsing into a snooze to the ground. Jigglypuff, MY Jigglypuff, had tamed the wild beast in that hot headed monkey Pokemon. Had I reached it? Was it finally true? Jigglypuff listened! No, no...maybe I was all wrong, it was the heat of the moment, it was all under instinct and survival....she clearly couldn't have felt bad for me.

This was just its way of being rebellious and making its own choices, but saving our lives in a way nonetheless. Goldie was the first to wake up from Jigglypuff's melody, and had returned her Sentret back to its Poke'Ball, I woke up next after a few nudges from Goldie and her clammy hands. "Hey, hey wake up. Darumaka is still asleep...you should catch it!" I heard Goldie's suggestion and I instantly snapped to attention with an eagerness suddenly filling up inside me. Catching my first Pokemon, actually catching and earning my first Pokemon, oh how good it would feel! But would it being asleep really be enough to claim it as mine? I was about to find out.

Little did I know through all the time that we snoozed because of Jigglypuff's Sing attack, Jigglypuff actually stood beside me the whole time as if watching over me to make sure I awoke alert and ready and she kept me safe as I rested in case the Darumaka awoke before any of us. I was feeling connected, in this precious moment with my Pokemon, and I felt like for once, this partnership was going to work out. "Hurry, it's gonna wake up soon! Go for it!" Goldie was painfully rooting me on and motivating me to make the capture, I gripped a Poke'Ball in my sweaty hand as an uneasiness overcame me, I didn't feel like I was ready for this, but I knew I simply had to be. Tightening my grip and letting the adrenaline control my actions, I tossed the Poke'Ball at the Darumaka without any expectation and the beam of light from the device swirled around the Pokemon engulfing it into the mechanism. The ball rolled a few times....

One....

Two......

Three......

Four........

Pause............

SUCCESS!

I couldn't believe it! I did it! I caught my first Pokemon! I cheered, I jumped, I lifted Jigglypuff into the air and thanked her a thousand times over. She liked the attention for a brief moment, but quickly jumped back to the ground once again pretending she was still mad at me. Goldie celebrated with me in her rambunctious tone she loved to use so much and gave me an extremely tight and rather uncomfortable hug congratulating me. "You're awesome Gabe! I can't believe it! That was a really strong one too! And now he's yours." Goldie wrapped her arms into a clinch around my neck and I had to squirm out of her death grip with a struggling push. When I broke free of it she tried to go in again for another hug and I stopped her. "Okay, I know, a huge win for me right? But I would be willing to bet there are tons more stronger Pokemon out there just waiting for me to challenge them. But this one....it felt...I don't know...weird. I don't know that its intentions were to be caught, but let's find out what its real problem was shall we?" I took out the very same Poke'Ball I caught the Darumaka with, and sent it back out for some explanation. "Go, DARUMAKA!" In a quick flash the Pokemon comes out and looks around quite confused, it then looks at me, and makes a frustrated wince. It picks up a pebble and then chucks it at my forehead. "Oh come now! Why can't I ever just have an easy Pokemon to deal with?" Jigglypuff giggles at the comment and walks over to Darumaka scanning him to see whether or not she approves of another team member traveling with her. After a moment, she smiles liking the Pokemon's similar spunk, and they shake hands.

"Just be thankful buddy boy, you got a powerful new addition to your team! And with Jigglypuff's wit and how she just saved us all from this little fire cracker's rage..." Goldie gestures to Darumaka. "I'd say you couldn't have a more perfect pair to start your journey with. So look at the good stuff, not the bad stuff." Goldie wasn't making my curiosity of Darumaka's pebble throwing frenzy any less curious, I knelt down to Darumaka and made a stern look with him. "Ok newbie to the team, tell me...what is your deal with throwing rocks!?" Darumaka stands there intrigued by the question at first, and then simply picks up another pebble hesitant to toss it at my face. "Don't do it Darumaka....don't even think it." The miniature ape smiles and instead of throwing it at my face, he points it at the tall tree he jumped out of early and throws it to the branches. Several other Darumaka suddenly fall out of the tree like acorns but looking kind of differently. They are curled up in balls with their eyes closed...they seemed to be hibernating. Well, I can safely say that the damage one Darumaka can do was enough, and that I was way too thankful to see the others asleep like they were.



The Darumaka I caught wandered over to the three sleeping ones and pointed to them with a sad face. Goldie being around a professor and Pokemon all the time automatically seemed to interpret what the little monkey was trying to say. "I think these are its family.....and it didn't mean to cause any harm with the rocks....it was just trying to protect them." Darumaka pointed all around the forest and seemed even more sad ultimately leading a gaze into the horizon and towards the sky. "From what I understand this forest wasn't meant to be their home, but its family seemed to hibernate earlier than usual, so they had to make do and so it became territorial and protected them." I had no clue how Goldie was so good with the Pokemon language, she must have studied far too much with Professor Bronkie for me to even consider any other logic. I was aghast at the feelings of Darumaka though, its intentions were good, but maybe I shouldn't have caught it after all. I consoled in Goldie. "Oh great. So I just captured a Pokemon that should have been kept here to protect its family. I feel bad now." The Darumaka waddled over to me upon my statement and patted my leg as if it was ok. It shrugged signaling there was nothing it could do but let them rest. Goldie spoke up again.

"Well Gabriel, the lab isn't too far from here. I'll call the Professor and he can make sure these sleepy heads have a nice place to rest at his Research Facility. And when they wake up, he can let em go." Goldie took out her phone and dialed the Professor, after a short chat she hung up and the Darumaka I had just caught appeared hopeful. "Taken care of, Professor Bronkie will stop by and pick them up and keep em safe soon. For now, I'd say we should let these little guys sleep and continue our journey shall we?" It seemed the only right thing to do and Goldie was scaring me with her random intellect all the sudden.

Jigglypuff nodded in agreement standing beside Darumaka and comforting him. I acknowledged them, and Goldie, and prepared to go deeper into the forest. "Very well. Darumaka, return!" Darumaka returned to its Poke'Ball much happier than it was previously for ensuring its family's safety. I didn't attempt to call back Jigglypuff, because I sensed it was still not fully ready to trust me yet. I looked at my Jigglypuff right in between its eyes as it gazed up at me halfway unsure of my motives still and said only two simple words; "Thank you." Jigglypuff heard them as its eyes flushed at the comfort of my words, and then she looked away trying to maintain her rebellious toughness. Goldie was pleased with our progress though, I can tell. I thanked her too. "And thank you Goldie, for surprising me with your Pokemon knowledge and seeing me through to that capture. Darumaka will be a great asset to my team." Goldie blushed. What else is new? "You're welcome hun, just remember, sooner or later you'll owe me somethin for my deeds!" She snuck in a smile after that at me and I rolled my eyes knowing full well eventually I'll have to pay her back somehow. We kept walking ever more into the forest. It slowly went from beautiful and open to dark and closed in. Jigglypuff suddenly grew more cautious and clung closer to me while Goldie kept a good pace and a neutral expression, she's obviously used to this forest.

"You got nothin to worry about Gabriel, this place is just intimidating as the look of things show, but its really just a look. Its got some real character!" Why did she have to be so loud, why. Whether she was right or not was her own motives, but this forest was not an entirely happy place, I knew there was some creature out there wanting us gone and on our way to the next town. I could only imagine the amount of annoyance these Pokemon living here feel when seeing their home be constantly invaded by humans with slavery inducing balls. I was contradicting myself in thought, but it was entertaining and distracting me to get through the forest without nerves taking over and Goldie driving me crazy. After a bit more ground covering, we finally reached another open and more stunning part of the forest that didn't look so gloomy. There was a door ahead connected to a small building with an exit sign above the door frame. But there was also something else, well....someone else blocking the exit. A police woman known as Officer Jenny! Goldie ran in an urgency to the officer recognizing the immediate sign something was wrong I suppose. Me, well, I was used to seeing guards posted up everywhere on the island I lived on because my mother worked in very confidential job callings and restricted areas, so we got the luxury of having protection all over the place. But seeing a public defender was a nice difference.



"Officer Jenny! If you're guarding the door then something must clearly be wrong!" The officer known as Jenny made an upset look proving Goldie right. "That's correct young lady. The gym leader of the next town over, Garrison Town has been kidnapped by a criminal syndicate." Goldie gasped gripping me in terror as if finding an excuse to get close to me again. I was too interested in Officer Jenny's report to care enough. "A criminal syndicate? Excuse me if I seem oblivious but I'm new to this region...who?" Officer Jenny sighed not enjoying saying the name, but she did so anyway. "This criminal is a member of Team Dust, a group dedicated to forcing people into giving up their Pokemon to the group so they can research them in the Dream World." I couldn't believe what I was hearing, The Dream World, the very idea has come back to haunt me. Why was this happening. Officer Jenny went on. "Originally the group was a harmless group of lab rats trying to figure out how Pokemon link to this mysterious world in their sleep....but lately they've seemed to find a way to use this link as a power source....to control other people and Pokemon's minds and actions as they dream. They would harvest something called Dream Dust, residue left over from Pokemon's Dreams during sleep. They want to mass produce this into weaponized chemicals and control an army to help make a more perfect world of imagination and free reign." This was my nightmare coming to life, Officer Jenny was telling me everything I didn't want to hear. I mumbled something I could not control.

"My mother...my mother worked for them long ago..." I was just as shocked as the officer was to hear it. She quickly went into a defensive stance upon my confession. "Your mother? Well then, I guess I'm going to have to take you in for questioning!" Goldie stopped Officer Jenny from going to far and tried to reassure her. "Officer, please, let him explain." Goldie seemed to neutralize the tension, at least for now. I went on. "My mother, she mentioned she was part of a research team called Dust, to research the Dream World, but she died before she could complete her work. She died in a plane crash to a mysterious island that was said to hold the answers. She told me very little about it, and I promise you I want to do nothing but help you Officer." Officer Jenny promptly went from seething to sympathetic and backed off from her accusations. "I....I see. Well I am very sorry about your mother young man. But if you really want to help me, follow me and let's talk. And you young lady, stay close." Goldie easily took Jenny's advice and stayed glued to me which I guess was better than losing sight of her while a criminal was on the loose. I didn't think though somehow losing track of Goldie was entirely a bad thing. Jigglypuff kicked my foot reading my thoughts and I bit my lip refraining from yelping this time.

This was going to be yet another long back road far away from my intended path. Perhaps it will ultimately lead somewhere to a point of closure for my mom and her mysterious death, it was not yet my time to have a perfect goal of becoming a Pokemon Exhibitionist apparently, no, the universe had other plans for me...something much, much bigger. Well, at least we were all going to make it to the next town.