The Individual (Prologue re-written 5/8)
Author's note; This is my first story. I have written stories for school but never about Pokemon. Hopefully you will enjoy. Also, I need someone to proofread and assess my plot plans, any takers?
Comments appreciated.
Story edited 5/08/08. Story may now be rated a PG-13 for murder-related storylines.
Graduation Day had finally come for the teenagers of Hoenn. Today, they would be accepted by the Pokemon League as official trainers and be admitted to challenge the 8 Gym Leaders of the region. The ceremony was to take place inside the Rustboro Town Hall.
Outside, leaning up against the walls of the building, stood James. In the mandatory suit for graduation, he stood alone. He brushed his light brown hair back, tightened his tie and walked calmly into the hall, and sat alone in the front row.
James had always been a quiet character. In his younger years, he had been wild and outgoing, but he had turned serious with the introduction of school. He had friends, and was a friendly person, but when it came to school he was all business. Whilst relatively good looking, he never seemed much interested in love. The girls seemed to like him, enjoy his company, and complement him on his style and good looks, yet he never saw them as anything more than friends. When it came to having guy friends, the only thing that connected him to them was sports. Unlike the other boys, he disliked alcohol and cigarettes, which separated him from the pack. Sports were the only way he connected to them; he was a natural all-rounder, he was good at, amongst other things, athletics and swimming. However, his first love was Pokemon, and he wanted to become a trainer.
On March 23rd, it was ruled in the region of Hoenn that no child under the age of sixteen was to leave home with intent to challenge the eight gym leaders and to challenge the Elite Four of Hoenn. The rule was enforced after a series of murders all occurring in the Hoenn region to young ten or eleven year-olds. Specifically, in this area, Max Sapphire from Petalburg, was pronounced missing and later found dead in the lake at Route 110. It was heard by the court that young Max had ventured through the towns of Rustboro, Dewford and Slateport before attempting to get to Mauville on the grass path one night, where he was allegedly pushed from the path and into the water, which at the time had fast currents and many Pokemon lurking beneath the waves.
He was found on the 12th January after a week of searching on the seafloor. The autopsy showed that he had drowned because of his inability to swim. The Pokemon he had on him, thought to be a Linoone and a Ralts, had been stolen, as well as his two gym badges. The parents of Max, one notably the gym leader in Petalburg, were unavailable to comment, but were known to be ‘deeply distressed’ by the incident. His sister, legendary coordinator May Sapphire, is though to have returned from the Sinnoh region to the family home in Littleroot.
This was one of many murders dotted around the Hoenn region. This evil crime organization (identity unknown) had killed a total of twenty-one ten or eleven year-olds within the space of no more than two weeks. However, it is unknown whether all the murders were perpetrated by the same organization or by several. The murderers used several different ways of killing the trainers; and after which they stole their badges and Pokemon. The murder of Max had come as a shock, specifically to the area around Petalburg as Max was known as a bright young trainer who could have gone as far as the Pokemon League Championships. He was hard-working and ingenious; he had a Pokedex but very rarely used it; he knew about most of the Pokemon in Hoenn from years of reading.
The event happened seven years ago. James, who had been acquainted with Max for several years, had been waiting in the wings eager to go on a journey and follow in the footsteps of his friend Max, as well as the many trainers he had met that had passed through Littleroot over the years.
James, then a nine year old, was now a mature and able sixteen year old. Now, in order to embark on a journey the trainer must be educated and pass their subjects, including; PE, which involved swimming, running and self defence courses; Pokemon battling or coordinating, using rental Pokemon; as well as the basic subject such as English, Pokemon Biology, and General Health. James had passed all of these exams with ease; he was naturally bright. He could now begin his journey.
It was Graduation Day for the Year 11 students at the Rustboro Academy. The Graduation ceremony was usually followed by the families hastily retreating home, where the trainer would typically be awarded his starter Pokemon.
This however, wasn’t the case for James. As a child, he had found a young Sandshrew, abandoned by a trainer supposedly, and his parents had allowed him to adopt it. It had not been liable to battle and train, but James loved his Sandshrew more than anything else. Sandshrew was to become the starter of James. It had a pokeball, but predominantly stayed outside of the ball around the house.
The Graduation began, and the mayor of Hoenn announced the teenagers as new Pokemon trainers and coordinators. They were handed a diploma (as is typical of all graduations) and a trainer specific card; it had the full name, date of birth, occupation (whether it be trainer, breeder, or coordinator) and qualifications. This card was to be accepted by all eight gyms of the Pokemon league. The mayor said some brief words, outlining that this generation could be this best he had ever witnessed, and that he wished each and every one of them good luck.
Everyone exited, and the families disembarked from the building. James and his family flew back to their home on the Skarmory of James’ father. There, James was greeted by a tearful Sandshrew, who came up to him crying and jumped up to hug James.
The house was in disarray, turned upside down. The sofa’s were tipped, the draws open, windows smashed. As they assessed the damages, James walked into his room. On the wall was spray-painted a giant letter ‘R’.
James had realised why Sandshrew was crying. The ‘R’ symbol had no meaning to him, yet as his father bolted in between rooms, his eye caught the sight of the giant, red, dripping letter. His face went ice cold, and as white as paper.
“Team Rocket. This cannot be, Red of the Kanto region finished them way back. An underground resurgence? This is too hard to believe, it must be a hoax.” James’ dad mumbled to himself, in horror and disbelief.
“Dad? What are you saying? Is this THE Team Rocket, you always spoke of when I was young, in the stories?”
“Yes, yes it is James.”
“I always thought that Red had defeated Giovanni in Viridian City and from there, Team Rocket spiralled into non-existence. Are they back?”
“It seems as much. Call the police; I think we know who had done these murders. We have a suspect.”
James hastily picked up the phone, dialled 989, and spoke quickly to the officer, who raced down from Oldale Town Police Department.
The policewoman assessed the damages, viewed the spray-painted letter, and made her opinion known.
“We think that Team Rocket has been secretly establishing itself for seven years. They started with the children, and now they are publicising their presence. What they have been doing in between is unknown, they could have done what they did in the past; infiltrating popular organizations in order to gain power. Why would they do it to you specifically however? Have you anything rare or special in your home?”
James’ dad suddenly realised. He scrambled towards his bedroom, opened the second from bottom draw on his bedside table, and let out a tearful sob.
The rest of the people in the house ran into the room. The man of the house was sitting sombrely on the bed.
“It’s gone; the family heirloom. The space rock that my father had found as a young trainer in Mossdeep City, they’ve taken it. That rock was priceless, especially to me. My father had handed it to me on his death bed, saying that it had some sort of power, but he never got around to telling me what it was. Rocket must know.”
“Dad, let me find them. You know I am ready, you have seen my progress and you understand that I can do this. Like Red all those years ago, will you let me, with the help of the Hoenn Police force, take down Rocket? I’m not sure what they’re doing with the rock, their motives, or whereabouts they are, but I will get the rock back.”
“Son, this is too dangerous. You alone cannot take on a force as powerful as Team Rocket.”
“What makes me so different from Red, Dad? I can do this. Please, just let me help the police in finding these evil people before they ruin Hoenn.”
“Ok, son. I have faith in you. Stay safe, if you have any problems, don’t hesitate to call me or the police. I will be there alongside you as soon as I can get there.”
James turned to his mother. She just smiled and embraced him, tears streaming down her cheeks.
He turned to his dad again, who he hugged, then winked at. His dad winked back, and James, almost reluctantly, walked out of the door.
He didn’t turn back. He missed his home already. As he walked alongside his loyal Sandshrew, he felt more alone than ever.
Author's note; This is my first story. I have written stories for school but never about Pokemon. Hopefully you will enjoy. Also, I need someone to proofread and assess my plot plans, any takers?
Comments appreciated.
Story edited 5/08/08. Story may now be rated a PG-13 for murder-related storylines.
-------------------------------------------------
The Individual
Prologue
The Individual
Prologue
Graduation Day had finally come for the teenagers of Hoenn. Today, they would be accepted by the Pokemon League as official trainers and be admitted to challenge the 8 Gym Leaders of the region. The ceremony was to take place inside the Rustboro Town Hall.
Outside, leaning up against the walls of the building, stood James. In the mandatory suit for graduation, he stood alone. He brushed his light brown hair back, tightened his tie and walked calmly into the hall, and sat alone in the front row.
James had always been a quiet character. In his younger years, he had been wild and outgoing, but he had turned serious with the introduction of school. He had friends, and was a friendly person, but when it came to school he was all business. Whilst relatively good looking, he never seemed much interested in love. The girls seemed to like him, enjoy his company, and complement him on his style and good looks, yet he never saw them as anything more than friends. When it came to having guy friends, the only thing that connected him to them was sports. Unlike the other boys, he disliked alcohol and cigarettes, which separated him from the pack. Sports were the only way he connected to them; he was a natural all-rounder, he was good at, amongst other things, athletics and swimming. However, his first love was Pokemon, and he wanted to become a trainer.
On March 23rd, it was ruled in the region of Hoenn that no child under the age of sixteen was to leave home with intent to challenge the eight gym leaders and to challenge the Elite Four of Hoenn. The rule was enforced after a series of murders all occurring in the Hoenn region to young ten or eleven year-olds. Specifically, in this area, Max Sapphire from Petalburg, was pronounced missing and later found dead in the lake at Route 110. It was heard by the court that young Max had ventured through the towns of Rustboro, Dewford and Slateport before attempting to get to Mauville on the grass path one night, where he was allegedly pushed from the path and into the water, which at the time had fast currents and many Pokemon lurking beneath the waves.
He was found on the 12th January after a week of searching on the seafloor. The autopsy showed that he had drowned because of his inability to swim. The Pokemon he had on him, thought to be a Linoone and a Ralts, had been stolen, as well as his two gym badges. The parents of Max, one notably the gym leader in Petalburg, were unavailable to comment, but were known to be ‘deeply distressed’ by the incident. His sister, legendary coordinator May Sapphire, is though to have returned from the Sinnoh region to the family home in Littleroot.
This was one of many murders dotted around the Hoenn region. This evil crime organization (identity unknown) had killed a total of twenty-one ten or eleven year-olds within the space of no more than two weeks. However, it is unknown whether all the murders were perpetrated by the same organization or by several. The murderers used several different ways of killing the trainers; and after which they stole their badges and Pokemon. The murder of Max had come as a shock, specifically to the area around Petalburg as Max was known as a bright young trainer who could have gone as far as the Pokemon League Championships. He was hard-working and ingenious; he had a Pokedex but very rarely used it; he knew about most of the Pokemon in Hoenn from years of reading.
The event happened seven years ago. James, who had been acquainted with Max for several years, had been waiting in the wings eager to go on a journey and follow in the footsteps of his friend Max, as well as the many trainers he had met that had passed through Littleroot over the years.
James, then a nine year old, was now a mature and able sixteen year old. Now, in order to embark on a journey the trainer must be educated and pass their subjects, including; PE, which involved swimming, running and self defence courses; Pokemon battling or coordinating, using rental Pokemon; as well as the basic subject such as English, Pokemon Biology, and General Health. James had passed all of these exams with ease; he was naturally bright. He could now begin his journey.
It was Graduation Day for the Year 11 students at the Rustboro Academy. The Graduation ceremony was usually followed by the families hastily retreating home, where the trainer would typically be awarded his starter Pokemon.
This however, wasn’t the case for James. As a child, he had found a young Sandshrew, abandoned by a trainer supposedly, and his parents had allowed him to adopt it. It had not been liable to battle and train, but James loved his Sandshrew more than anything else. Sandshrew was to become the starter of James. It had a pokeball, but predominantly stayed outside of the ball around the house.
The Graduation began, and the mayor of Hoenn announced the teenagers as new Pokemon trainers and coordinators. They were handed a diploma (as is typical of all graduations) and a trainer specific card; it had the full name, date of birth, occupation (whether it be trainer, breeder, or coordinator) and qualifications. This card was to be accepted by all eight gyms of the Pokemon league. The mayor said some brief words, outlining that this generation could be this best he had ever witnessed, and that he wished each and every one of them good luck.
Everyone exited, and the families disembarked from the building. James and his family flew back to their home on the Skarmory of James’ father. There, James was greeted by a tearful Sandshrew, who came up to him crying and jumped up to hug James.
The house was in disarray, turned upside down. The sofa’s were tipped, the draws open, windows smashed. As they assessed the damages, James walked into his room. On the wall was spray-painted a giant letter ‘R’.
James had realised why Sandshrew was crying. The ‘R’ symbol had no meaning to him, yet as his father bolted in between rooms, his eye caught the sight of the giant, red, dripping letter. His face went ice cold, and as white as paper.
“Team Rocket. This cannot be, Red of the Kanto region finished them way back. An underground resurgence? This is too hard to believe, it must be a hoax.” James’ dad mumbled to himself, in horror and disbelief.
“Dad? What are you saying? Is this THE Team Rocket, you always spoke of when I was young, in the stories?”
“Yes, yes it is James.”
“I always thought that Red had defeated Giovanni in Viridian City and from there, Team Rocket spiralled into non-existence. Are they back?”
“It seems as much. Call the police; I think we know who had done these murders. We have a suspect.”
James hastily picked up the phone, dialled 989, and spoke quickly to the officer, who raced down from Oldale Town Police Department.
The policewoman assessed the damages, viewed the spray-painted letter, and made her opinion known.
“We think that Team Rocket has been secretly establishing itself for seven years. They started with the children, and now they are publicising their presence. What they have been doing in between is unknown, they could have done what they did in the past; infiltrating popular organizations in order to gain power. Why would they do it to you specifically however? Have you anything rare or special in your home?”
James’ dad suddenly realised. He scrambled towards his bedroom, opened the second from bottom draw on his bedside table, and let out a tearful sob.
The rest of the people in the house ran into the room. The man of the house was sitting sombrely on the bed.
“It’s gone; the family heirloom. The space rock that my father had found as a young trainer in Mossdeep City, they’ve taken it. That rock was priceless, especially to me. My father had handed it to me on his death bed, saying that it had some sort of power, but he never got around to telling me what it was. Rocket must know.”
“Dad, let me find them. You know I am ready, you have seen my progress and you understand that I can do this. Like Red all those years ago, will you let me, with the help of the Hoenn Police force, take down Rocket? I’m not sure what they’re doing with the rock, their motives, or whereabouts they are, but I will get the rock back.”
“Son, this is too dangerous. You alone cannot take on a force as powerful as Team Rocket.”
“What makes me so different from Red, Dad? I can do this. Please, just let me help the police in finding these evil people before they ruin Hoenn.”
“Ok, son. I have faith in you. Stay safe, if you have any problems, don’t hesitate to call me or the police. I will be there alongside you as soon as I can get there.”
James turned to his mother. She just smiled and embraced him, tears streaming down her cheeks.
He turned to his dad again, who he hugged, then winked at. His dad winked back, and James, almost reluctantly, walked out of the door.
He didn’t turn back. He missed his home already. As he walked alongside his loyal Sandshrew, he felt more alone than ever.
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