The Kanto Kronicles Prologue

The Pokémon League, a tournament held once a year. Trainers from all over the Kanto Region compete in it. The winner is able to challenge the Elite Four and the Champion, Xerxes. In order for you to understand my problems, I have to let you in on a little secret. Xerxes was my father. How horrible a secret is that? Well, Xerxes might have seemed to be an admirable and competitive champion. After all, what champion wouldn’t? However, Xerxes had a secret. Unknown to the public, Xerxes was also the mastermind, The Archon. The Archon was the leader of an organization called Team Alpha. Team Alpha has one goal: Discover the secrets of the Kanto Region and take over it. So, as you could probably guess, my father wasn’t really the marvelous champion that everyone knew and loved. You would think I would have great respect for the Archon, seeing as he was my father, but you’d be wrong. My father and I were very different people. Xerxes was always trying to control me, he was very manipulative. He thought that just because he was The Archon, he could order me around like a Pokemon. There were many countless, sleepless days researching the Kanto region, fighting off my restlessness with an extreme effort. And for what? So that The Archon could gather the information that he needed to take over Kanto? Well, I disagreed. My father was always discussing his plans for world domination, and he never gave it a rest. All day and all night, I could hear The Archon’s ‘menacing’ voice. “Our research must be successful! I must gain control of the entire Kanto region!”

“Give it a rest will you!” That’s what I had always wanted to shout, but I couldn’t. The Archon wouldn’t approve of my behavior, which would just end in punishment for me.

My father could be very vicious. He was always very cold to me, leaving me without a caring parent. When I was eight years old, my father told me that my mother had died in a lab accident. He never told me the cause, but I was sure that it wasn’t pretty. I was very sad and didn’t know what to do. However, I did notice something very peculiar. During the funeral, my father seemed to be forcing his tears. For the rest of that day, Xerxes seemed to have a scary smile on his face. I had never seen my father that happy, and I never did again. It has haunted me to this very day.

Anyways, I also worked for Team Alpha. In fact, my father had made me one of the top members. Sadly, this just resulted in more work for me and more power for him. Even though The Archon was my father, I found him very unlikeable. I just couldn’t see how all of his workers had such deep respect for him. Cassandra and Alexio, two of The Archon’s top members, were the only ones who were given more work than me. They were constantly given instruction to attack people and places, just so that they can steal their Pokemon and valuables. The Archon paid off the entire police force, as well as the Elite Four, so that they would not interfere with his plans. To be honest, they actually did a pretty good job. Until just recently, that is. My father had gotten word from one of his employees about a certain Pokemon. This was no ordinary Pokemon. This Pokemon was a Growlithe, a special Growlithe. Professor Oak, a great Pokemon researcher had just recently found a Growlithe while he was conducting research on the outside world. This Growlithe was larger than a normal Growlithe, but that was just the beginning. Professor Oak noticed that, under certain conditions, Growlithe was able to change its form. Each form consisted of a new pigment and a new type. The only problem was that Growlithe was unable to control them. The forms were only activated in certain situations, and they only lasted for a specified amount of time. Professor Oak was currently the holder of this Pokemon. Naturally, The Archon wanted the Growlithe. He felt a need to have it, like it was his mission, and he knew the perfect person for the job.

It was morning time, and I had just finished eating breakfast. The Archon walked up to me. “Neo,” The Archon said. “I have a very important mission for you. The Growlithe must be captured, and I think that you are the only one who can do that.”

I was very confused. All I was good with was computer work, and I didn’t even have any Pokemon! What help could I possibly be? Well, Xerxes gave me the details. My mission was to go to Professor Oak’s lab as a trainer. I was supposed to enter the laboratory, ask Professor Oak about the special Growlithe, and when the coast was clear, take the Growlithe. To be honest, it actually seemed to be possible. Still, the fact that my father wanted me to go undercover was angering. I wanted to complain, but I didn’t. After all, anything was better than spending another day researching, even though that was probably going to be my next job after I retrieved the Growlithe. Nevertheless, I agreed. And so I left to Pallet Town, where Professor Oak’s lab was located. It was a pleasant, sunny morning. Professor Oak’s lab looked very sophisticated and well-kept. It was a large building made of white stone. There was a large gate that seemed to be made of real gold. I pushed a button. Suddenly, I heard a woman’s voice.

“Hello! How may I help you?” the voice asked, coming from a speaker on a brick gatepost.

“Yes,” I said. “I was looking for Professor Oak. I have a few very important questions for him. I can’t explain the details right now, but Professor Oak would definitely be a help to me.”

There was a long pause. Was she going to let me in?

“Okay,” the girl said. “Step right in! Thank you!”

“Thank you,” I said, trying to show respect, something I wasn’t really accustomed to doing.

Through the gates was a long fleet of stairs. They were made of the same white stone as the lab. They sure were a lot of stairs. Suddenly, I noticed a dark-haired boy walk out of the lab talking on the phone. It seemed he was talking to someone close, simply from the tone of his voice to the way he spoke.

“I guess all that hard work as Professor Oak’s assistant really paid off,” the boy stated with a great joy, “he gave me that mysterious Growlithe we’ve been studying for so long.”

What! The Growlithe! Professor Oak had just given that boy the Growlithe! The Archon never told me what to do in this sort of situation! I couldn’t fail my mission! The punishment would be very severe, especially due to my father’s extreme obsession with the Growlithe. I felt that there was only one thing that I could do. It was so evil, so vile, so sick and inhumane, but I had to do it. I stopped and allowed the boy to pass by me. When he was behind me, I walked over to him and pushed him down the stairs. We were quite a few stairs high. The boy crashed down, his helpless body slamming onto the edged stone stairs repeatedly. Within seconds, he was on the floor. Now was my chance! Now was my only chance to get the Growlithe. I rushed over to the boy. He was severely injured. He had many cuts all over his body and was bleeding fast. Part of me wanted to help him, but I couldn’t. I looked around for the Pokeball. Somehow, the boy had managed to hold onto the Pokeball. I reached for it, ready to grasp it from his hand. I was about to grab it, when I heard a voice behind me.

“Adam!” Professor Oak cried.

I turned around and saw Professor Oak rushing to the scene.

“What happened, boy?” Professor Oak cried.

I decided to lie.

“I was just walking to your lab, when I saw this boy slip and fall down the stairs!” I cried, trying to sound believable. “I quickly rushed over to him and tried to help him, but there was nothing I could do!”

“Damn it!” Professor Oak cried. “I have to call the ambulance!”

Professor Oak grabbed a phone from his coat pocket and called the ambulance. I would have grabbed the Pokeball, but Professor Oak kept on looking at Adam. Within minutes, a white van arrived. Two men emerged from the van and put Adam on a platform. Professor Oak grabbed the Pokeball from Adam’s hand right before he was rushed into the van. A few seconds later, the van was far off into the distance, leaving a cloud of dust behind. Professor Oak looked at me.

“Thank you, young man, for doing what you could to help my assistant,” Professor Oak said. “You’re a Pokemon trainer, right?”

I nodded my head.

“Well, in about a week, I am going to be giving starter Pokemon to new Pokemon trainers,” Professor Oak said. “You seem to be a nice boy. Why don’t you come to my laboratory, and I can give you one early.”

Perhaps my mission wasn’t going to be a failure. Perhaps, I could snatch the Pokeball when Professor Oak wasn’t looking. Professor Oak led me inside of his lab. While I was there, he showed me three Pokemon. The first one resembled a frog or a reptile. It was green with blue green spots all over it. It had four legs, pointy ears, sharp claws, and an olive green plant bulb on its back. It was a grass-type Pokemon. The second one resembled a small, light blue turtle. It stood on two legs and had a curly tail, almost the same shape as a squirrel’s tail. It was a water-type Pokemon. The third one resembled an orange, bipedal lizard. It had small hands, two feet with sharp claws, a yellow belly, and a long tail with a small flame at the end. It was a fire-type Pokemon. I carefully thought about my situation. My mission was to retrieve the Growlithe. I looked around the room, but the Pokeball was nowhere to be seen.

“Professor Oak, where is that other Pokeball?” I asked, trying not to sound suspicious.

“Well, that’s not important right now,” Professor Oak said, disappointing me. “Now, why don’t you just choose one of these Pokemon?”

I saw a tear run down Professor Oak’s cheek. He was very sad about what happened to Adam. What did I care, though? He was jeopardizing my mission! I guess that I just feel that way because my father never taught me proper manners. I stared at the starter Pokemon.

“This one!” I shouted, pointing at the grass-type Pokemon.

“Excellent choice!” Professor Oak said. “Here is what you will need.”

Professor Oak handed the starter Pokemon’s Pokeball to me, as well as five more Pokeballs and a red device. The device had many buttons.

“Allow me to explain-” Professor Oak started.

Before Professor Oak could finish his sentence, I walked out of the room. As I left, I took a quick glance around the room to make sure that the Growlithe wasn’t there. There was no sign of the Pokeball anywhere. I stormed out of the laboratory, feeling like a complete failure. I walked down the stairs, being careful to not trip. I did not want to be like Adam. As I stepped off of the final step, something occurred to me. I couldn’t return home. My repercussion for failing such a vital mission would be brutal. I would be fortunate to not die from torture. So, I knew that there was only one thing for me to do. I looked to my right and noticed many thick bushes beside the sidewalk. That was where I would conceal myself. I was going to hide in those bushes, safe from my father and the rest of team Alpha. They would never know that I was there. Professor Oak said that in one week, new trainers would come. I had already received a Pokemon from Professor Oak. If three trainers ventured to Professor Oak’s laboratory for their starter Pokemon, one would be out of luck. That trainer would hopefully receive the mystical Growlithe. Then, my plan would commence.