It was a nightmare that woke me up. I shot straight out of bed and strained to remember what exactly it was about. I remembered nothing. The thunderstorm that has been going on for almost an entire day now, which was another possible addition to my sudden awakening, made me think that Groudon and Kyogre were fighting again. 

But that wasn't possible. Rayquaza had already stopped the skirmish between the two about half a year ago. Is there some sort of strange force causing this? Or is this just another dream? I rubbed my eyes, dragged myself out of bed, and got changed into a pair of pitch black jeans, a blue and grey plaid button-up shirt, and a couple of green sneakers.

I quietly snuck down the stairs into the kitchen to check the time because I didn't have a clock in my room, at least one that worked. It was six in the morning, according to the clock on the stove. Dad would be at work by now, and mom would be sleeping soundly. But today, things were different.

Because of the storm, dad's work was canceled – so he went to the PokéMart to buy some things for dinner – and mom was in the living room reading a book. More specifically, a book I wasn't too thrilled to see: a Pokémon trainer guidebook. I guess at the age of fourteen, I've been a bit delayed on starting my Pokémon journey, but here I am, seeing my mom reading a book before she gives it to me, which is a thing she always does.

She finished reading it and looked up at me. "Oh, I can't believe you're starting so soon!" She hugged me as if she'd never see me again. She's been acting like this ever since I was ten, and things were getting agonizingly annoying. 

I was about to open my mouth to reply, but she quickly hushed me. "Listen, Jake. Don't worry about what Team Aqua did. There was nothing we could do except wait. We just... We had to wait longer than we expected," She handed me the book and sat back down on the maroon sofa. A flash of lightning shone brightly from the window.

I took my time looking in the book. The book begins with explaining what Pokemon are, the different types there are, type advantages and disadvantages, different items such as Pokéballs, potions, antedotes and what they do, and last but not least, the different types and characteristics of berries. "when do I leave?" I asked after I did a somewhat quick skim through the book.

"Oh, I heard from the professor that you leave right as soon as this storm passes by. But if it doesn't I'll just send you in to get your starter Pokémon tomorrow," my mom sweetly answered. A loud boom outside told me that the sky was still indeed angry.

"OK, that sounds great!" I lied. Something deep inside of my heart told me that today was going to be a terrible day, although I didn't know what this 'something' was. "Is there anything else you'd like to do with me before I leave?"

My mother thought for a moment, then replied, "Let's go out for ice cream. Does that sound good to you?" I nodded. There was only one restaurant around here that sold ice cream, but it was homemade and tasted like it was cream from heaven.

* * *

I took my last bite of the creamy, smooth chocolate swirl sundae when the storm started to clear up. I, being one of their most favorite customers at Fat Al's Super Burger Palace, was offered another sundae on the house, but my mom kindly rejected the offer and told them it was time to go.

"How'd you like it?" mom asked as we jumped into the car. I said nothing, and to kill the silence, she announced that it was time to go to Prof. Birch's lab.

The entire trip there was silent as if someone had just died. Then, a couple hours later, we finally came to the town of Littleroot, where I could see the two-story-tall science lab. It was a brick building and had four circular Windows on each floor and side except for the front. We parked, walked into the vast building, and waited for Birch to finish talking to one of his colleagues. He finally looked up and walked over to, not surprisingly, me.

"Hey, It's finally time for your Pokémon adventure! Are you ready... Uh," he paused, trying to jog his memory. "What's your name again? It's been a few years since I saw you last."

"It's been four years, to be precise, Professor Birch. My name's Jacob, but you can call me Jake." I replied, vividly remembering who this man was.

"Ahhh... Yes, Jake. I remember you, now. Now, what Pokémon are you going to choose? This is an important decision, so don't rush." he asked, showing me to a table where three Pokéballs were mounted. The rest of the room was a mess, as he was still unpacking. But aside from that, the room was filled with computers, strange new machines and technology, and shelves where a plethora of books sat. The tile floor was a tan-white hue.

My attention went back to the Pokéballs. The Pokeballs were spherical in shape, with the top half colored a scarlet red color while the bottom half was a whitish-silver color. The two halves were seperated by an indented black ring that ran around the ball with a button on the front of it.

Which one to choose? 

I was getting nervous, so I decided to open the first Pokéball. It was a Torchic, the classic Fire-type starter pokemon for the Hoenn region. It was a small bird-like Pokemon that had an overall orange color on its feathers. The short wing feathers were shaded a yellow. Three feathers protruded from the top of its head, beginning with the same orange color and ending with yellow at the tip. The Torchic's curious eyes stared at me as it tilted its head to the side. Despite how adorable it was, Torchic was a Pokémon that I didn't want, so I returned it to the Pokéball that it belonged in. 

I grabbed the second, threw it onto the ground, and Treeko - the Grass-type starter - quickly appeared from the red flash of light the Pokéball produced. Treeko, the Wook Gecko Pokémon, was a green lizard with a red colored belly and chin. Its tail, which was colored a darker shade of green, swished back and forth enthusiastically as the Treeko's yellow eyes gave me a friendly, yet serious look. "I'll choose this one, I guess," I stated.

Professor Birch had a strange look on his face. "You think? It either is that you want it or you don't," he said jokingly. "Nah, I know what you mean. It's yours now! Keep good care of it, and good luck!" My mom and I started to leave when Prof. Birch stopped her. "Um, Scarlet, may I please talk to Jake? You know, privately?" My mom nodded understandingly. I followed him into a small office room crammed with a computer, books and file cabinets.

"What do you want?" I asked curiously as we sat down on two adjustable chairs.

Professor Birch didn't know where to start, from what I could tell. "There've been some rumors of a new gang that call themselves 'Team Thunder'." I instantly thought of the storm from this morning. "There have also been disappearances occurring. Mainly Pokémon trainers, which is why I want you to be careful. If you see any traces of them, tell me right away. And don't tell your mom or dad, or they might reconsider your journey."

"O-okay," I stammered. I was afraid. "May I leave now?" He nodded, and I left the room, headed outside, and got into the car where mom was waiting.

"Is everything alright?" She could see the fear on my face.

"Yeah, just going to miss you," which was mostly the truth. We headed home with my new Pokémon. By the time we got there, it was 5:00 PM and dad was almost finished with dinner.

"How'd it go, Scarlet?" My dad asked. He now was setting the table for us to eat, and I quickly helped him place the plates and silverware down as he set down the meal: fresh Magicarp with mashed potatoes, homemade rolls.

"It was great, Scott! Jacob got his first Pokémon today, and he leaves tomorrow," my mother said excitedly, then turned to me and said in a concerned and saddened tone, "We're going to miss you, Jake."

Dad turned to me after placing the pecha berry jam on the embellished table. "What Pokémon did you get?"

"I got a Treeko. It was my favorite of the three," I stated, then realized that I never opened the third Pokéball. "Actually, I didn't even open the third Pokéball to see what was in it."

We ate for about twenty minutes, chatting excitedly about the adventure that awaited me. After cleaning the table and washing the dishes, mom made me go to bed. I took no hesitation, eager to get the much needed rest. Tomorrow was going to be a big day.