This is fanfic I wrote a long time ago. I think I also posted it here, but that thread must be dead and gone by now. Not wanting the story to get wasted, I decided to post it here again. The previous version had lots of bad grammar I've tried to fix, and I've also done other changes to improve the fanfic. This time, I hopefully won't be disappointed in the fic, and instead complete it.
This story I wanted to make different from the games and give a new theme of Pokemon, yet I have chosen to make references to the games. You will see there is a character called Satoshi, just like in the Pocket Monsters anime. This is not the same Satoshi, but you can think him more like a Link in another Zelda game, since this takes place in another era.
I. A New Friend. A New Adventure
II. The Mystery of Aoiro Town
III. An Unpleasant Surprise
In the great city of Gintokai, at the centre of Regendaia, the eight sages gathered in the Great Hall for their last council.
One of them was Fushigi, the Sage of the Grass element, with his emerald on his wooden staff. Another was Hi, the Sage of Fire, with his ruby ring, and there was also Kame, the Sage of Water, who carried his small turtle sculpture possessing a gleaming sapphire.
Rai, was the Sage of Lightning, in possess of the lightning pearl, and Kuro, was the Sage of Darkness, in possess of the diamond.
Amongst these were also Keishii, the Sage of the Espers, who carried the crystal, Ishiriki, the Sage of Earth, who bore the silver stone, and Haga, the Sage of Steel, who had the gold.
They were called the Seijin and their stones were the Seijin Stones, the source of all these eight elements. The sages had all gathered here, for Gintokai, and maybe even Regendaia, was in danger.
"An enemy is upon us," related Kame to the others. "And he has the Meteorite in his possession. Our powers are not enough."
"We cannot let the fate of our people fall into the hands of the enemy and never will we let go of the stones!" Hi exclaimed with fiery resolution.
"But we cannot defend Gintokai any longer," Keishii, the Sage of the Espers, said sadly.
"But that does not mean we will hand over the source of the elements!" said Hi, his anger of the situation rising.
"What are we to do then?" Fushigi asked camly, but Hi found no answer.
"There is only one way . . ." Rai began looking from one Seijin to another, whereupon they looked curiously his way. "We have to send away all the stones, far away where the enemy cannot find them, and far apart, in case he would come upon any of the stones."
"Even if this will work for some time, that time will surely come to an end," said Kuro. "Only if all the nine elements unite can we defeat our enemy."
"But the ninth element is gone," Fushigi reminded them. "During the War of the Elements, the ninth Seijin Stone was lost!"
"Still, let us scatter the stones across the world, and let there be a long time ere they are all united again!" said Kame, and they all took their respective precious item and raised it into the centre of the one circle they had made.
And as Regendaia was lost to the enemy, the stones were sent away to lands unknown . . .
It was a late evening, with a starlit sky and a cool breeze, when Satoshi saw Mei calling for her Pocket Monster Kinogassa. The green kangaroo-like creature with the mushroom covering its head leapt through the high grass toward its friend, and thereafter they both walked into the village to rest. Satoshi did not feel much tired, so he stood on a hill, lookig at the fields and forests covering their land. He saw no wild Pocket Monsters, but they must surely be hiding in the shadows of trees and bushes. Pocket Monsters, or Pokemon for short, were creatures that lived everywhere over the world, and if you caught one it could be your friend. Some tamed Pokemon ran about in the village and Satoshi used to play with them. When had had been little, he had used to chase the Eevees around, the small fox-like Pokemon that came to the village for food. Now, Satoshi was fourteen years old and had grown a more calm personality.
"What do you see, Satoshi?" said a voice from behind. An old bearded man walked slowly up the hill; this was Ran, the boy's grandfather.
"Nothing special," explained Satoshi. "All the living creatures have gone hiding and the forest looks like it has always done."
"You'd ever tried to capture a Pocket Monster, Satoshi?"
That he had done, some time ago, but he had let it go off into the wild again. He had never had a Pokemon as his own. Since he did not travel far, he had no need for a Pokemon to protect him in the wilderness. To be a friend of the village's Pokemon was enough for Satoshi, but sometimes came that thought, of how fun it would be to go on adventrues to find different Pocket Monsters. The dreams of seeing how many different kinds there were, and where they lived. Yet, he stayed at home in Orchid Village, to help his friends and old Ran. They would all miss him if he went away, and where would he go anyway?
"Look," Ran said and pointed toward the sky. "Do you see that star up there?"
There was a glowing, lilac dot that was different from the other stars. Satoshi had never seen a such before.
"It's growing bigger, isn't it?" Ran said.
Yes, so it did . . . or no . . . it was coming toward them. The star fell into the forest and the glow slowly left their sight.
"What was it, Granfather Ran?" Satoshi asked curiously.
"I don't know, but it was no ordinary star, I'm sure. Why not go and look?"
Satoshi felt excited. He wanted to see waht it was and beckoned Ran to come with him.
"I do not know if I have enough strength to go." I'm tired . . . and growing old. But you can take Zigzaguma with you would any wild Pokemon appear." He called for his Pokemon, and a little, furry badger-like animal with brown zig-zag stripes ran happily toward them. It looked gladly up at Satoshi, whom it knew very well, and then followed him down the hill towards the forest without any hesitation.
The leaves rustled in the wind as Satoshi and Zigzaguma entered the forest. The little Pokemon smelled on rocks, bushes and trees, maybe scenting what other kinds of Pokemon had been there before. Satoshi looked round; it was dark in the forest, but soon he spotted a faint glow behind the trees.
"Come on, Zigzaguma."
As they drew near the shining object, the glow seemed a little stronger. The flap of a bird's wings was heard somewhere, and the leaves rustled in the trees again. The wind was getting stronger and the air a little colder, but soon the boy and the Pokemon came upon a crater surrounded by trees. The crater was not very large, but big compared to the glowing rock laying in its centre. Becoming very curious, Satoshi could not stop himself from going down inside the crater to see what the stone was, whereafter he picked it up and held it in both his hands. It was about the size of his head, and looked like many similar crystals fused together.
"Look!" said the boy happily and looked up at Zigzaguma where the Pokemon sat at the edge of the crater, which was, after all, a bit deep. Then, he climbed up to his little friend. "Wait till Grandfather Ran sees this one!"
They were on their way back when they encountered Pachirisu, "the bright squirrel", a white squirrel with a blue stripe all the way from its head and over its fluffy tail. There was a yellow dot on each of its cheeks where it could generate electricity. Seeing Satoshi and Zigzaguma, the Pachirisu hurried up a tree, where it lived with its friends. Satoshi saw no other wild Pokemon on his way home, but he knew that most of them were shy. That a Pokemon came to attack was very rare, and therefore this forest was very peaceful.
In a hurry home, Satoshi found Ran waiting there for him. Zigzaguma playfully jumped round inside the little, wooden house.
"Look what I've found!" the boy said exclaimed eagerly as he reached out his hands holding the purple stone, whose glow was weak now.
Ran, looking very surprised and curious, let his grandson hand it over to him and then he examined it through his glasses.
"What is it?" Satoshi said calmly, since his excitement was wearing off. He was none the less curious, though.
"I have no idea, but why not ask Elder Haku?"
The elder lived in a house on a little hill in the village. Satoshi took the crystal stone with him as he went out, while Ziguzaguma went to sleep in a couch.
It was blowing outside and Satoshi's black hair fluttered. He followed a path up the hill and knocked at the elder's door, whereupon another boy his age opened. Satoshi knew him well. This was Shigeru.
"Grandfather! Satoshi has come for a visit!" Shigeru was responded by a distant voice from inside the house, telling him to let the guest in.
As Satoshi entered the house, he came into a big hall, and there the other boy told him to sit and wait for Haku. There was a sofa and a round table in the hall, and as he sat down Shigeru left him there. On the table lay a magazine, but it was nothing that interested him. It was quite dark in the hall, only lit up by an orange light in the ceiling, but Satoshi could see that there were many booshelves crammed with books. Most of them were about Pocket Monsters, since the elder was a Pokemon professor. Haku was very old, though, older than Satoshi's own grandfather, and soon Shigeru had to take his place. The other boy had been a friend of Satoshi since they were babies; but friend is perhaps not the right word since they never got on very well with each other. Shigeru was more a rival than a friend.
Soon Haku appeared in the hall. The old man had a long, white beard and a woooden staff to support him.
"I was just trying to find out where . . . oh, never mind. I better go off to sleep soon, but first my little friend here wanted to ask me something. If it is about Pokemon, I'm sure I can be of some help to you."
"Not really about Pokemon," Satoshi began. "You see this stone here . . .?"
Elder Haku looked at it, trying to see if he recognised it. "What is it? My sight is not what it used to be and I'm tired, but if you leave it here I will proably have solved your problem to-morrow."
Satoshi put the stone down onto the table. "Thank you, Elder Haku."
On his way home he was starting to get sleepy, so when he got there he went to bed. He slept in a little room of his own, whilst his grandfather slept in the larger room of the house. They were alone, since Satoshi's mother had become ill and died when he was young, and his father had left the same year and never come back.
Zigzaguma had woken at the boy's approach, and now went to sleep by his feet, as he so often did.
The boy woke up late the next morning and the furry Pokemon woke with him; this was the usual morning for Satoshi. On the left side of the bed was a window, and through it he could see children playing with their Pocket Monsters. The sight made him a little more alert, so he went to have some breakfast. He found bread in a cupboard, out in the common room, and also some food for Zigzaguma. As they ate, Ran appeared through the front door, and it looked like he had been off shopping at the market.
Satoshi suddenly remembered the stone he had found yesterday, and took his bread with him as he headed outside, chewing on the way to the elder's house.
"Wait, Satoshi," said Ran, who tried to keep up with his grandson.
The boy waited for him at the small hill, so that they could visit Haku together.
"I know what the stone is now," Haku said in his laboratory, as Satoshi and Ran listened carefully and Shigeru listened interestingly. "I have done some research," the wise man continued. "This is a Seijin Stone."
"I don't understand," said Satoshi.
"You have not read about them, have you? I do not think Shigeru knows about them either. The Seijin Stones are guarded by the Seijin, nine great sages. Each stone possesses its own element; Grass, Fire, Water, Lightning, Darkness, Esper, Earth and Steel."
"But they are eight elements, Grandfather," Shigeru stated.
"Yes . . . the ninth element was lost during the War of the Elements, thousands of years ago," Haku explained.
"So this is a Seijin Stone," his grandson said amazed to himself.
"What is it doing here?" Satoshi wondered. "Where's the Seijin?"
"They live very far from here, Satoshi," explained Haku. "In the land of Regendaia they live. What the stone is doing here . . . I don't know. Where did you find it?"
"It fell from the sky," Ran told him.
"They must have lost it, because the Seijin would never give up their stones."
"Can we hand it back to them?" Satoshi asked. "They may be looking for it."
"You mean take it to Regendaia? Yes, but it is very, very far."
"We'll do it, right, Satoshi?" Shigeru said, thinking he could manage anything.
The other boy was unsure, but did not want to be taken for a coward in front of his rival. "Yes, we can do it," he said hesitantly.
"You're sure you will be all right, Satoshi?" his grandfather asked.
"Of course . . . I'm not a little boy any more. You can trust me."
"That's the sound of it, Satoshi!" Shigeru said, glad that the other boy had agreed to go with him.
"You know there are many dangers out there . . ." Haku began, " . . . but together I think you can make it, as long as you each bring another friend with you." Slowly, he went over to a shelf and searched for something, whereafter he returned with a white and red ball, which fitted nicely in his wrinkled hand. "This is a Monster Ball, and if you did not know, you may store a Pokemon in it. I'm not sure what magic or technology makes it function, for these balls were made a long time ago. This particular ball, however, holds a Pokemon. Here, Satoshi." He held it out for him.
Shigeru took it eagerly from his grandfather's hand.
"No, not you, Shigeru."
"But I wanted one, Grandfather Haku. You know I've always wanted an own Pocket Monster."
"Yes, yes . . . But I was going to give you one any way." He looked at Satoshi again. "I will have to give you this one then." Putting his hand in the pocket of his long robe, he soon held out another ball, identical to the one Shigeru had snatched.
Satoshi took it and looked curiously at the orb in his hand. It was very smooth, made of a very light metal.
"Open it," Haku said.
The boy felt a little stupid as he felt Shigeru's impatient eyes on him. Why, shouldn't he be more curious about his own Monster Ball!
There was a button on the ball, but as he turned the orb round in his hands, its shiny surface made it slip from his grip and fall to the floor. Satoshi's heart jumped in fear that he might have broken the ball and hurt the Pokemon, but right then he got startled by a bright flash and he cursed himself for not being more careful. When the light died down and his eyes adjusted, he could see that the Monster Ball had opened and released a Pokemon . . .
"Oh, a Pachirisu!"
This was perhaps not the strongest of Pokemon, but that was not what mattered. What mattered was that he had a new friend.
Shigeru, not at all amazed by the white and blue squirrel, paid attention to his own Pokemon, and let his ball fall from his hand to open and release it. Out came a little brown monkey with a tiny tail of flames. "What's this s'posed to mean?" he said, looking at the weak-looking creature.
"Do not underestimate your Pokemon, Shigeru," Haku adviced him. " . . . Or any other Pokemon for that matter. The Pokemon, Hikozaru, can be a strong one if trained properly."
"Stronger than Satoshi's?" The squirrel did not look any stronger than his own monkey Pokemon, and as long as his rival had no stronger Pokemon than himself, he was satisfied.
Satoshi thanked Elder Haku and petted Pachirisu, who seemed happy. It climbed up and sat on the boy's shoulder, playing with his red and whtie cap that had belonged to his grandfather when he was a young adventurer.
"Pokemon are creatures who bear many secrets," explained Haku. "You will discover these secrets on your travels. Humans have been living alongside Pokemon for thousands of years, but have still not found all the secrets there is about Pocket Monsters."
Picking up Pachirisu's Monster Ball from the floor and putting it in his pocket, Satoshi just realised where the name Pocket Monster came from.
"Then, let's get ready," Shigeru said eagerly and ran to his room.
Thereafter, Satoshi followed Ran home to pack everything needed for the journey.
An hour or two later, the two boys had said good-bye to their friends and families, and met at the edge of Orchid Village.
"So, you have not backed out, Satoshi," Shigeru said.
"Of course not." The other boy tried to sound a little tougher than he really was.
"Then, let's go, but you have to keep up with me." He walked quickly toward the forest and Satoshi followed. "By the way, did you bring the stone?"
"Yes, I have it in my backpack. Did you bring your Pokemon?"
Shigeru did not have to reply, since Hikozaru's head popped out of his backpack. Pachirisu looked happily at the monkey from Satoshi's shoulder, but the other Pokemon disappeared again.
They reached Hanana Forest which surrounded the village from every way, and there they continued to walk in amongst the trees. Sounds of birds and other wild creatures could be heard distantly, as the two companions followed a narrow path that led them past the crater. Satoshi told Shigeru that the stone had fallen down there. His rival looked around.
"Look there, Satoshi."
The friendlier boy turned round and saw something moving in the vegetation. "What is it?"
"A wild Pokemon of course," his rival said in a way that made the other boy feel stupid.
Of course he knew that it was a wild Pokemon, but that was all Satoshi knew. Carefully, he stepped forward to have a better look, and managed to spot a pale-brown, furry Pokemon with a long body and a long, furry tail.
"Why not get it?" Shigeru suggested, and before his companion and rival could respond, he added; "We were given these by my grandpa." He handed the other boy five Monster Balls.
Satoshi turned toward the Pokemon with the brown rings round its furry body. It was time to get some Pokemon!
Even though its legs were short, the wild Pocket Monster quickly moved away to escape.
"Hey!" The excited boy followed the Pokemon, which swiftly went under a tree root and was about to vanish out of sight. He threw one of the Monster Balls, and it hit the Pokemon, which was absorbed inside. "Yes, I got it!" Such an amazing sight!
But suddenly, the ball opened and the Pokemon went free. Satoshi did nothing as it fled into the forest.
"Pachichi . . ." said his own Pokemon, unhappy of her friend's failure.
"Ha-ha-ha!" The rival laughed and Satoshi felt embarrassed. "You get no Pokemon that way. You have to let your own Pokemon weaken it and prove you're worthy as a Trainer. Then, you might get the wild monster. Let me show you how it's done." He looked round to see if there were any wild Pokemon about.
Satoshi was aware of that his rival knew more about Pokemon than himself; after all, Shigeru's grandfather was a professor in Pokemon. But he often tried to do his best by himself, without his rival's advice. Still, he watched as Shigeru found a weak, green caterpillar, let Hikozaru attack it and then he threw the ball. Shigeru had gotten his first Pokemon.
Whatever the two boys were doing, Shigeru would always be a step before Satoshi.
Trying to forgive himself for being so naive, Satoshi continued with his companion through the woods. Soon, the air got colder and the sky turned darker.
"I'm tired, Shigeru."
"Let's just go on a little more, then we'll rest."
After a while, they were going to stop, and Satoshi realised he felt hungry too, and could not stop thinking about the sandwiches he had brought with him. Unfortunately, his rival spotted a wild Pokemon he wanted; it was a white bug, flapping eye-patterned wings as it travelled away between the trees.
"Get it, Hikozaru!" Both boy and monkey went off the way the bug had gone.
Satoshi was not prepared for that. "Wait, Shigeru!" Despite running as fast as he could after his rival, he lost sight of him eventually, but he could still hear his loud voice throughout the forest.
"Fire sparks, Hikozaru! Fire sparks! Get it!"
He followed the sounds, but they faded away more and more. "Shigeru, where are you?!"
"Hikozaru!" was heard distantly, and then no more.
Satoshi had to slow down and breathe, knowing he would not catch up with his rival anyway.
"Pachii," said his Pokemon as he sat down to rest, reminding him that at least he was not alone. Pachirisu sat in his lap as he leant against a large tree. The forest was full of sounds, but it was too dark to see any wild Pokemon now.
He woke up suddenly, realising that he had fallen asleep. Still a little drowsy, he could see that the forest was brighter. The sunrays lit up the leaves and made them shine with a green light. Sounds of wild creatures were heard clearly and wild Pokemon showed themselves. A Subamé, a tiny, blue swallow, sat chirping on a branch above Satoshi before it joined its friends in a flight among the great trees. A Zigzaguma, the badger- or racoon-like Pokemon, watched the boy from a safe distance, whilst some flying butterflies flew past into the sunlight.
"Furiiiiii!" they cried out happily, their cute voices full of kindness.
Satoshi watched the Butterfrees play with each other and flapping their transparent, black-patterned wings, big compared to their small, purple, round bodies. Suddenly, he realised he was hungry, so he took his sandwiches he had longed for. He also had a little box full of tasty berries, some of which he gave to Pachirisu.
Then they started to walk again, the little squirrel running some paces before Satoshi as they passed the sunlit area where the Butterfrees had just been. Even though he had been left in the deep forest by Shigeru, Satoshi did not feel afraid or alone. The Pokemon here had kindly and curious looks upon him, and there was nothing to be afraid of. Since his rival had the map of Hanana and maybe of what lay beyond the trees, he did not know in which way to go, but he followed Pachirisu as she ran playing with the wild Pokemon. The forest creatures were shy and hid as the boy approached, but peeked curiously when he petted his happy friend. When he let the wild ones eat of his berries, they seemed to like him, yet they were cautious.
Wandering with Pachirisu through the woods, he wondered if he should have tried to find his way back to the village, but decided not to. Having gotten this far, he would only be more lost by heading back. Instead, he went on with his friend until evening once again closed in on them, and as his feet began to hurt, he spotted a light further ahead. The forest was very dark now and the light very bright, but quite small. Pachirisu looked interestingly from his shoulder as he carefully approached.
The light was a fire made by a man, resting against a tree, the brim of his hat hiding his face. Looking at him from a distance, Satoshi wondered if he should approach any further and talk to the stranger, but suddenly Pachirisu was gone.
It appeared that the little Pokemon had quietly sneaked to the man's backpack, scenting a good smell. The boy tried to call her back as quietly as possible, in fear of waking the person by the tree.
Still, the man began to move in his sleep, and Pachirisu, fast as lightning, hid behind the young boy.
"Who's there?" the man said, pulling the hat up from his face and looking around. When he noticed Satoshi, he looked even more surprised. "Not often I see anyone else out here. Only wild Pokemon." Another squirrel, brown and unlike Pachirisu, jumped down onto his hat and thus brought it down over his face again, whereafter the wild Pokemon went off, back among the bushes.
As the man pulled up his hat again, Satoshi wondered what he would say to him. "I am Satoshi," he said at last. "I come from a little village two days from here."
"I'm Junichi. I come from afar. Are you travelling alone?"
"No . . . or yes. Have you seen another boy my age pass here?"
"I'm afraid I haven't. Lost your friend?"
"Yeah . . . we lost each other. I have to find him . . . Shigeru . . . Well, I'm quite lost." He let out a sigh, but the soft, warm fur of his little friend against his cheek comforted him, for Pachirisu had again seated herself on his shoulder.
The boy sat down and talked with Junichi, eager to hear about his travels, but the man did not reveal much of his own history. He had a Pokemon with him on his journeys, but he kept it in the Monster Ball and said that it was very large and that it was unnecessary to summon it here.
"Lizardon fits better inside his orb," said Junichi, holding the ball in his hands. "But maybe I will show him to you one day."
"I'm on a quest," said Satoshi a little proudly. "This is the first time I leave home with a Pokemon."
"Really?"
The boy wished Junichi would talk a little more about himself, or perhaps give him a little traveller advice. You did not often meet people who were not from Orchid Village in this area. Considering the look on Junichi's badly shaved face and his worn clothes, he had probably travelled a lot and not been home for a while. There was so much Satoshi wished to ask him, things like if he ever missed his home and old friends on his journies, and if he travelled to look for Pokemon or for some other reason.
"There used to be a time," Junichi began, "when boys and girls a little younger than you each took a Pokemon with them to go on travels and see the world. I know that some towns and villages still keep this as a tradition. They want to see their children grow up that way, to be able to take care of themselves and their Pokemon friends."
"That sounds very fun. Is that how you got started?"
"Well . . . you could say I did." He looked down at the Monster Ball he slowly rolled from hand to hand. "I've been to many of these villages. I remember a town where they tried to find a way to reconstruct the Monster Ball. You know, there is no one who can remember how to produce them any more. Fortunately, these orbs were made in such great number, that even to-day, plenty of them still exist."
"Yes, Elder Haku has a whole room filled with Monster Balls."
"But they are going to run out sooner or later. That is why in some places, they teach young Pokemon Trainers how to befriend Pokemon without the Monster Ball. The Monster Ball has, after all, not always existed to help a Trainer."
"How do you get a Pokemon without them?" Satoshi asked curiously.
"There are two important matters to take into account when you wish a Pokemon to join you. Depending on what sort of Pokemon you encounter, one of these matters will prove a little more important than the other.
"One," Junichi went on, "is to prove your strength to the Pokemon. This is often done by initiating a battle between the wild Pokemon and one of your own. You see, wild monsters are clever, and do not wish to join a Trainer who is weak. But if you ever fail to impress a wild monster, do not despair; it will surely be there again when you are stronger and ready for it.
"The other important thing is, that you are empathetic toward your Pokemon, and see them as your friends, and not your tools. For some species, this can prove much more effective than proving your power to them. If you can master both these skills, to fight and to befriend a Pokemon, then you don't need Monster Balls any more. The Monster Balls have made it far too easy for humans to get Pokemon, thus it has led to that people not yet worthy of certain Pokemon get power over them, and thus in some way abuse them. When a Pokemon disobeyed the Trainer, people blamed the Monster Ball and not the Trainer for his incompetence, and started to produce even stronger Monster Balls to solve the problem. I do not say that Monster Balls are totally useless, however, for they are very effective in means of transportation. It would, for instance, be rather risky to send out my Lizardon in this forest."
Satoshi nodded, amazed at all this information. Not even Shigeru culd have thought of this. That you needed to be a good friend to the Pokemon, was already clear to Satoshi. His rival, however, seemed more like the battle-type Trainer. But Satoshi needed to learn how to battle too, for both parts were important. There was so much he and Shigeru could learn from each other, if they hadn't been in such competition with one another.
"It is already very late," Junichi mentioned. "You can have some of the supper that is left over if you like."
Satoshi's own food had ran out, so he gladly accepted the offer. Pachirisu munched on a pile of berries that Junichi had collected. Then, the boy went to sleep beside his friend during the cool night, whilst the nice, but mysterious, Junichi lay some paces away, with his backpack as a pillow.
And there the boy dreamed of his future adventures, but as with many adventurers in the world of Pokemon, his journey would never be what he expected of it. The journey of this particular youth, however, would later come to be a decisive part in the future of many people and many Pokemon. But for now, the boy slept peacefully, close to his best friend, unaware of any peril that would ever threaten him and the ones he loved.
To be continued . . .
This story I wanted to make different from the games and give a new theme of Pokemon, yet I have chosen to make references to the games. You will see there is a character called Satoshi, just like in the Pocket Monsters anime. This is not the same Satoshi, but you can think him more like a Link in another Zelda game, since this takes place in another era.
I. A New Friend. A New Adventure
II. The Mystery of Aoiro Town
III. An Unpleasant Surprise
In the great city of Gintokai, at the centre of Regendaia, the eight sages gathered in the Great Hall for their last council.
One of them was Fushigi, the Sage of the Grass element, with his emerald on his wooden staff. Another was Hi, the Sage of Fire, with his ruby ring, and there was also Kame, the Sage of Water, who carried his small turtle sculpture possessing a gleaming sapphire.
Rai, was the Sage of Lightning, in possess of the lightning pearl, and Kuro, was the Sage of Darkness, in possess of the diamond.
Amongst these were also Keishii, the Sage of the Espers, who carried the crystal, Ishiriki, the Sage of Earth, who bore the silver stone, and Haga, the Sage of Steel, who had the gold.
They were called the Seijin and their stones were the Seijin Stones, the source of all these eight elements. The sages had all gathered here, for Gintokai, and maybe even Regendaia, was in danger.
"An enemy is upon us," related Kame to the others. "And he has the Meteorite in his possession. Our powers are not enough."
"We cannot let the fate of our people fall into the hands of the enemy and never will we let go of the stones!" Hi exclaimed with fiery resolution.
"But we cannot defend Gintokai any longer," Keishii, the Sage of the Espers, said sadly.
"But that does not mean we will hand over the source of the elements!" said Hi, his anger of the situation rising.
"What are we to do then?" Fushigi asked camly, but Hi found no answer.
"There is only one way . . ." Rai began looking from one Seijin to another, whereupon they looked curiously his way. "We have to send away all the stones, far away where the enemy cannot find them, and far apart, in case he would come upon any of the stones."
"Even if this will work for some time, that time will surely come to an end," said Kuro. "Only if all the nine elements unite can we defeat our enemy."
"But the ninth element is gone," Fushigi reminded them. "During the War of the Elements, the ninth Seijin Stone was lost!"
"Still, let us scatter the stones across the world, and let there be a long time ere they are all united again!" said Kame, and they all took their respective precious item and raised it into the centre of the one circle they had made.
And as Regendaia was lost to the enemy, the stones were sent away to lands unknown . . .
I
A New Friend. A New Adventure
A New Friend. A New Adventure
It was a late evening, with a starlit sky and a cool breeze, when Satoshi saw Mei calling for her Pocket Monster Kinogassa. The green kangaroo-like creature with the mushroom covering its head leapt through the high grass toward its friend, and thereafter they both walked into the village to rest. Satoshi did not feel much tired, so he stood on a hill, lookig at the fields and forests covering their land. He saw no wild Pocket Monsters, but they must surely be hiding in the shadows of trees and bushes. Pocket Monsters, or Pokemon for short, were creatures that lived everywhere over the world, and if you caught one it could be your friend. Some tamed Pokemon ran about in the village and Satoshi used to play with them. When had had been little, he had used to chase the Eevees around, the small fox-like Pokemon that came to the village for food. Now, Satoshi was fourteen years old and had grown a more calm personality.
"What do you see, Satoshi?" said a voice from behind. An old bearded man walked slowly up the hill; this was Ran, the boy's grandfather.
"Nothing special," explained Satoshi. "All the living creatures have gone hiding and the forest looks like it has always done."
"You'd ever tried to capture a Pocket Monster, Satoshi?"
That he had done, some time ago, but he had let it go off into the wild again. He had never had a Pokemon as his own. Since he did not travel far, he had no need for a Pokemon to protect him in the wilderness. To be a friend of the village's Pokemon was enough for Satoshi, but sometimes came that thought, of how fun it would be to go on adventrues to find different Pocket Monsters. The dreams of seeing how many different kinds there were, and where they lived. Yet, he stayed at home in Orchid Village, to help his friends and old Ran. They would all miss him if he went away, and where would he go anyway?
"Look," Ran said and pointed toward the sky. "Do you see that star up there?"
There was a glowing, lilac dot that was different from the other stars. Satoshi had never seen a such before.
"It's growing bigger, isn't it?" Ran said.
Yes, so it did . . . or no . . . it was coming toward them. The star fell into the forest and the glow slowly left their sight.
"What was it, Granfather Ran?" Satoshi asked curiously.
"I don't know, but it was no ordinary star, I'm sure. Why not go and look?"
Satoshi felt excited. He wanted to see waht it was and beckoned Ran to come with him.
"I do not know if I have enough strength to go." I'm tired . . . and growing old. But you can take Zigzaguma with you would any wild Pokemon appear." He called for his Pokemon, and a little, furry badger-like animal with brown zig-zag stripes ran happily toward them. It looked gladly up at Satoshi, whom it knew very well, and then followed him down the hill towards the forest without any hesitation.
The leaves rustled in the wind as Satoshi and Zigzaguma entered the forest. The little Pokemon smelled on rocks, bushes and trees, maybe scenting what other kinds of Pokemon had been there before. Satoshi looked round; it was dark in the forest, but soon he spotted a faint glow behind the trees.
"Come on, Zigzaguma."
As they drew near the shining object, the glow seemed a little stronger. The flap of a bird's wings was heard somewhere, and the leaves rustled in the trees again. The wind was getting stronger and the air a little colder, but soon the boy and the Pokemon came upon a crater surrounded by trees. The crater was not very large, but big compared to the glowing rock laying in its centre. Becoming very curious, Satoshi could not stop himself from going down inside the crater to see what the stone was, whereafter he picked it up and held it in both his hands. It was about the size of his head, and looked like many similar crystals fused together.
"Look!" said the boy happily and looked up at Zigzaguma where the Pokemon sat at the edge of the crater, which was, after all, a bit deep. Then, he climbed up to his little friend. "Wait till Grandfather Ran sees this one!"
They were on their way back when they encountered Pachirisu, "the bright squirrel", a white squirrel with a blue stripe all the way from its head and over its fluffy tail. There was a yellow dot on each of its cheeks where it could generate electricity. Seeing Satoshi and Zigzaguma, the Pachirisu hurried up a tree, where it lived with its friends. Satoshi saw no other wild Pokemon on his way home, but he knew that most of them were shy. That a Pokemon came to attack was very rare, and therefore this forest was very peaceful.
In a hurry home, Satoshi found Ran waiting there for him. Zigzaguma playfully jumped round inside the little, wooden house.
"Look what I've found!" the boy said exclaimed eagerly as he reached out his hands holding the purple stone, whose glow was weak now.
Ran, looking very surprised and curious, let his grandson hand it over to him and then he examined it through his glasses.
"What is it?" Satoshi said calmly, since his excitement was wearing off. He was none the less curious, though.
"I have no idea, but why not ask Elder Haku?"
The elder lived in a house on a little hill in the village. Satoshi took the crystal stone with him as he went out, while Ziguzaguma went to sleep in a couch.
It was blowing outside and Satoshi's black hair fluttered. He followed a path up the hill and knocked at the elder's door, whereupon another boy his age opened. Satoshi knew him well. This was Shigeru.
"Grandfather! Satoshi has come for a visit!" Shigeru was responded by a distant voice from inside the house, telling him to let the guest in.
As Satoshi entered the house, he came into a big hall, and there the other boy told him to sit and wait for Haku. There was a sofa and a round table in the hall, and as he sat down Shigeru left him there. On the table lay a magazine, but it was nothing that interested him. It was quite dark in the hall, only lit up by an orange light in the ceiling, but Satoshi could see that there were many booshelves crammed with books. Most of them were about Pocket Monsters, since the elder was a Pokemon professor. Haku was very old, though, older than Satoshi's own grandfather, and soon Shigeru had to take his place. The other boy had been a friend of Satoshi since they were babies; but friend is perhaps not the right word since they never got on very well with each other. Shigeru was more a rival than a friend.
Soon Haku appeared in the hall. The old man had a long, white beard and a woooden staff to support him.
"I was just trying to find out where . . . oh, never mind. I better go off to sleep soon, but first my little friend here wanted to ask me something. If it is about Pokemon, I'm sure I can be of some help to you."
"Not really about Pokemon," Satoshi began. "You see this stone here . . .?"
Elder Haku looked at it, trying to see if he recognised it. "What is it? My sight is not what it used to be and I'm tired, but if you leave it here I will proably have solved your problem to-morrow."
Satoshi put the stone down onto the table. "Thank you, Elder Haku."
On his way home he was starting to get sleepy, so when he got there he went to bed. He slept in a little room of his own, whilst his grandfather slept in the larger room of the house. They were alone, since Satoshi's mother had become ill and died when he was young, and his father had left the same year and never come back.
Zigzaguma had woken at the boy's approach, and now went to sleep by his feet, as he so often did.
The boy woke up late the next morning and the furry Pokemon woke with him; this was the usual morning for Satoshi. On the left side of the bed was a window, and through it he could see children playing with their Pocket Monsters. The sight made him a little more alert, so he went to have some breakfast. He found bread in a cupboard, out in the common room, and also some food for Zigzaguma. As they ate, Ran appeared through the front door, and it looked like he had been off shopping at the market.
Satoshi suddenly remembered the stone he had found yesterday, and took his bread with him as he headed outside, chewing on the way to the elder's house.
"Wait, Satoshi," said Ran, who tried to keep up with his grandson.
The boy waited for him at the small hill, so that they could visit Haku together.
"I know what the stone is now," Haku said in his laboratory, as Satoshi and Ran listened carefully and Shigeru listened interestingly. "I have done some research," the wise man continued. "This is a Seijin Stone."
"I don't understand," said Satoshi.
"You have not read about them, have you? I do not think Shigeru knows about them either. The Seijin Stones are guarded by the Seijin, nine great sages. Each stone possesses its own element; Grass, Fire, Water, Lightning, Darkness, Esper, Earth and Steel."
"But they are eight elements, Grandfather," Shigeru stated.
"Yes . . . the ninth element was lost during the War of the Elements, thousands of years ago," Haku explained.
"So this is a Seijin Stone," his grandson said amazed to himself.
"What is it doing here?" Satoshi wondered. "Where's the Seijin?"
"They live very far from here, Satoshi," explained Haku. "In the land of Regendaia they live. What the stone is doing here . . . I don't know. Where did you find it?"
"It fell from the sky," Ran told him.
"They must have lost it, because the Seijin would never give up their stones."
"Can we hand it back to them?" Satoshi asked. "They may be looking for it."
"You mean take it to Regendaia? Yes, but it is very, very far."
"We'll do it, right, Satoshi?" Shigeru said, thinking he could manage anything.
The other boy was unsure, but did not want to be taken for a coward in front of his rival. "Yes, we can do it," he said hesitantly.
"You're sure you will be all right, Satoshi?" his grandfather asked.
"Of course . . . I'm not a little boy any more. You can trust me."
"That's the sound of it, Satoshi!" Shigeru said, glad that the other boy had agreed to go with him.
"You know there are many dangers out there . . ." Haku began, " . . . but together I think you can make it, as long as you each bring another friend with you." Slowly, he went over to a shelf and searched for something, whereafter he returned with a white and red ball, which fitted nicely in his wrinkled hand. "This is a Monster Ball, and if you did not know, you may store a Pokemon in it. I'm not sure what magic or technology makes it function, for these balls were made a long time ago. This particular ball, however, holds a Pokemon. Here, Satoshi." He held it out for him.
Shigeru took it eagerly from his grandfather's hand.
"No, not you, Shigeru."
"But I wanted one, Grandfather Haku. You know I've always wanted an own Pocket Monster."
"Yes, yes . . . But I was going to give you one any way." He looked at Satoshi again. "I will have to give you this one then." Putting his hand in the pocket of his long robe, he soon held out another ball, identical to the one Shigeru had snatched.
Satoshi took it and looked curiously at the orb in his hand. It was very smooth, made of a very light metal.
"Open it," Haku said.
The boy felt a little stupid as he felt Shigeru's impatient eyes on him. Why, shouldn't he be more curious about his own Monster Ball!
There was a button on the ball, but as he turned the orb round in his hands, its shiny surface made it slip from his grip and fall to the floor. Satoshi's heart jumped in fear that he might have broken the ball and hurt the Pokemon, but right then he got startled by a bright flash and he cursed himself for not being more careful. When the light died down and his eyes adjusted, he could see that the Monster Ball had opened and released a Pokemon . . .
"Oh, a Pachirisu!"
This was perhaps not the strongest of Pokemon, but that was not what mattered. What mattered was that he had a new friend.
Shigeru, not at all amazed by the white and blue squirrel, paid attention to his own Pokemon, and let his ball fall from his hand to open and release it. Out came a little brown monkey with a tiny tail of flames. "What's this s'posed to mean?" he said, looking at the weak-looking creature.
"Do not underestimate your Pokemon, Shigeru," Haku adviced him. " . . . Or any other Pokemon for that matter. The Pokemon, Hikozaru, can be a strong one if trained properly."
"Stronger than Satoshi's?" The squirrel did not look any stronger than his own monkey Pokemon, and as long as his rival had no stronger Pokemon than himself, he was satisfied.
Satoshi thanked Elder Haku and petted Pachirisu, who seemed happy. It climbed up and sat on the boy's shoulder, playing with his red and whtie cap that had belonged to his grandfather when he was a young adventurer.
"Pokemon are creatures who bear many secrets," explained Haku. "You will discover these secrets on your travels. Humans have been living alongside Pokemon for thousands of years, but have still not found all the secrets there is about Pocket Monsters."
Picking up Pachirisu's Monster Ball from the floor and putting it in his pocket, Satoshi just realised where the name Pocket Monster came from.
"Then, let's get ready," Shigeru said eagerly and ran to his room.
Thereafter, Satoshi followed Ran home to pack everything needed for the journey.
An hour or two later, the two boys had said good-bye to their friends and families, and met at the edge of Orchid Village.
"So, you have not backed out, Satoshi," Shigeru said.
"Of course not." The other boy tried to sound a little tougher than he really was.
"Then, let's go, but you have to keep up with me." He walked quickly toward the forest and Satoshi followed. "By the way, did you bring the stone?"
"Yes, I have it in my backpack. Did you bring your Pokemon?"
Shigeru did not have to reply, since Hikozaru's head popped out of his backpack. Pachirisu looked happily at the monkey from Satoshi's shoulder, but the other Pokemon disappeared again.
They reached Hanana Forest which surrounded the village from every way, and there they continued to walk in amongst the trees. Sounds of birds and other wild creatures could be heard distantly, as the two companions followed a narrow path that led them past the crater. Satoshi told Shigeru that the stone had fallen down there. His rival looked around.
"Look there, Satoshi."
The friendlier boy turned round and saw something moving in the vegetation. "What is it?"
"A wild Pokemon of course," his rival said in a way that made the other boy feel stupid.
Of course he knew that it was a wild Pokemon, but that was all Satoshi knew. Carefully, he stepped forward to have a better look, and managed to spot a pale-brown, furry Pokemon with a long body and a long, furry tail.
"Why not get it?" Shigeru suggested, and before his companion and rival could respond, he added; "We were given these by my grandpa." He handed the other boy five Monster Balls.
Satoshi turned toward the Pokemon with the brown rings round its furry body. It was time to get some Pokemon!
Even though its legs were short, the wild Pocket Monster quickly moved away to escape.
"Hey!" The excited boy followed the Pokemon, which swiftly went under a tree root and was about to vanish out of sight. He threw one of the Monster Balls, and it hit the Pokemon, which was absorbed inside. "Yes, I got it!" Such an amazing sight!
But suddenly, the ball opened and the Pokemon went free. Satoshi did nothing as it fled into the forest.
"Pachichi . . ." said his own Pokemon, unhappy of her friend's failure.
"Ha-ha-ha!" The rival laughed and Satoshi felt embarrassed. "You get no Pokemon that way. You have to let your own Pokemon weaken it and prove you're worthy as a Trainer. Then, you might get the wild monster. Let me show you how it's done." He looked round to see if there were any wild Pokemon about.
Satoshi was aware of that his rival knew more about Pokemon than himself; after all, Shigeru's grandfather was a professor in Pokemon. But he often tried to do his best by himself, without his rival's advice. Still, he watched as Shigeru found a weak, green caterpillar, let Hikozaru attack it and then he threw the ball. Shigeru had gotten his first Pokemon.
Whatever the two boys were doing, Shigeru would always be a step before Satoshi.
Trying to forgive himself for being so naive, Satoshi continued with his companion through the woods. Soon, the air got colder and the sky turned darker.
"I'm tired, Shigeru."
"Let's just go on a little more, then we'll rest."
After a while, they were going to stop, and Satoshi realised he felt hungry too, and could not stop thinking about the sandwiches he had brought with him. Unfortunately, his rival spotted a wild Pokemon he wanted; it was a white bug, flapping eye-patterned wings as it travelled away between the trees.
"Get it, Hikozaru!" Both boy and monkey went off the way the bug had gone.
Satoshi was not prepared for that. "Wait, Shigeru!" Despite running as fast as he could after his rival, he lost sight of him eventually, but he could still hear his loud voice throughout the forest.
"Fire sparks, Hikozaru! Fire sparks! Get it!"
He followed the sounds, but they faded away more and more. "Shigeru, where are you?!"
"Hikozaru!" was heard distantly, and then no more.
Satoshi had to slow down and breathe, knowing he would not catch up with his rival anyway.
"Pachii," said his Pokemon as he sat down to rest, reminding him that at least he was not alone. Pachirisu sat in his lap as he leant against a large tree. The forest was full of sounds, but it was too dark to see any wild Pokemon now.
He woke up suddenly, realising that he had fallen asleep. Still a little drowsy, he could see that the forest was brighter. The sunrays lit up the leaves and made them shine with a green light. Sounds of wild creatures were heard clearly and wild Pokemon showed themselves. A Subamé, a tiny, blue swallow, sat chirping on a branch above Satoshi before it joined its friends in a flight among the great trees. A Zigzaguma, the badger- or racoon-like Pokemon, watched the boy from a safe distance, whilst some flying butterflies flew past into the sunlight.
"Furiiiiii!" they cried out happily, their cute voices full of kindness.
Satoshi watched the Butterfrees play with each other and flapping their transparent, black-patterned wings, big compared to their small, purple, round bodies. Suddenly, he realised he was hungry, so he took his sandwiches he had longed for. He also had a little box full of tasty berries, some of which he gave to Pachirisu.
Then they started to walk again, the little squirrel running some paces before Satoshi as they passed the sunlit area where the Butterfrees had just been. Even though he had been left in the deep forest by Shigeru, Satoshi did not feel afraid or alone. The Pokemon here had kindly and curious looks upon him, and there was nothing to be afraid of. Since his rival had the map of Hanana and maybe of what lay beyond the trees, he did not know in which way to go, but he followed Pachirisu as she ran playing with the wild Pokemon. The forest creatures were shy and hid as the boy approached, but peeked curiously when he petted his happy friend. When he let the wild ones eat of his berries, they seemed to like him, yet they were cautious.
Wandering with Pachirisu through the woods, he wondered if he should have tried to find his way back to the village, but decided not to. Having gotten this far, he would only be more lost by heading back. Instead, he went on with his friend until evening once again closed in on them, and as his feet began to hurt, he spotted a light further ahead. The forest was very dark now and the light very bright, but quite small. Pachirisu looked interestingly from his shoulder as he carefully approached.
The light was a fire made by a man, resting against a tree, the brim of his hat hiding his face. Looking at him from a distance, Satoshi wondered if he should approach any further and talk to the stranger, but suddenly Pachirisu was gone.
It appeared that the little Pokemon had quietly sneaked to the man's backpack, scenting a good smell. The boy tried to call her back as quietly as possible, in fear of waking the person by the tree.
Still, the man began to move in his sleep, and Pachirisu, fast as lightning, hid behind the young boy.
"Who's there?" the man said, pulling the hat up from his face and looking around. When he noticed Satoshi, he looked even more surprised. "Not often I see anyone else out here. Only wild Pokemon." Another squirrel, brown and unlike Pachirisu, jumped down onto his hat and thus brought it down over his face again, whereafter the wild Pokemon went off, back among the bushes.
As the man pulled up his hat again, Satoshi wondered what he would say to him. "I am Satoshi," he said at last. "I come from a little village two days from here."
"I'm Junichi. I come from afar. Are you travelling alone?"
"No . . . or yes. Have you seen another boy my age pass here?"
"I'm afraid I haven't. Lost your friend?"
"Yeah . . . we lost each other. I have to find him . . . Shigeru . . . Well, I'm quite lost." He let out a sigh, but the soft, warm fur of his little friend against his cheek comforted him, for Pachirisu had again seated herself on his shoulder.
The boy sat down and talked with Junichi, eager to hear about his travels, but the man did not reveal much of his own history. He had a Pokemon with him on his journeys, but he kept it in the Monster Ball and said that it was very large and that it was unnecessary to summon it here.
"Lizardon fits better inside his orb," said Junichi, holding the ball in his hands. "But maybe I will show him to you one day."
"I'm on a quest," said Satoshi a little proudly. "This is the first time I leave home with a Pokemon."
"Really?"
The boy wished Junichi would talk a little more about himself, or perhaps give him a little traveller advice. You did not often meet people who were not from Orchid Village in this area. Considering the look on Junichi's badly shaved face and his worn clothes, he had probably travelled a lot and not been home for a while. There was so much Satoshi wished to ask him, things like if he ever missed his home and old friends on his journies, and if he travelled to look for Pokemon or for some other reason.
"There used to be a time," Junichi began, "when boys and girls a little younger than you each took a Pokemon with them to go on travels and see the world. I know that some towns and villages still keep this as a tradition. They want to see their children grow up that way, to be able to take care of themselves and their Pokemon friends."
"That sounds very fun. Is that how you got started?"
"Well . . . you could say I did." He looked down at the Monster Ball he slowly rolled from hand to hand. "I've been to many of these villages. I remember a town where they tried to find a way to reconstruct the Monster Ball. You know, there is no one who can remember how to produce them any more. Fortunately, these orbs were made in such great number, that even to-day, plenty of them still exist."
"Yes, Elder Haku has a whole room filled with Monster Balls."
"But they are going to run out sooner or later. That is why in some places, they teach young Pokemon Trainers how to befriend Pokemon without the Monster Ball. The Monster Ball has, after all, not always existed to help a Trainer."
"How do you get a Pokemon without them?" Satoshi asked curiously.
"There are two important matters to take into account when you wish a Pokemon to join you. Depending on what sort of Pokemon you encounter, one of these matters will prove a little more important than the other.
"One," Junichi went on, "is to prove your strength to the Pokemon. This is often done by initiating a battle between the wild Pokemon and one of your own. You see, wild monsters are clever, and do not wish to join a Trainer who is weak. But if you ever fail to impress a wild monster, do not despair; it will surely be there again when you are stronger and ready for it.
"The other important thing is, that you are empathetic toward your Pokemon, and see them as your friends, and not your tools. For some species, this can prove much more effective than proving your power to them. If you can master both these skills, to fight and to befriend a Pokemon, then you don't need Monster Balls any more. The Monster Balls have made it far too easy for humans to get Pokemon, thus it has led to that people not yet worthy of certain Pokemon get power over them, and thus in some way abuse them. When a Pokemon disobeyed the Trainer, people blamed the Monster Ball and not the Trainer for his incompetence, and started to produce even stronger Monster Balls to solve the problem. I do not say that Monster Balls are totally useless, however, for they are very effective in means of transportation. It would, for instance, be rather risky to send out my Lizardon in this forest."
Satoshi nodded, amazed at all this information. Not even Shigeru culd have thought of this. That you needed to be a good friend to the Pokemon, was already clear to Satoshi. His rival, however, seemed more like the battle-type Trainer. But Satoshi needed to learn how to battle too, for both parts were important. There was so much he and Shigeru could learn from each other, if they hadn't been in such competition with one another.
"It is already very late," Junichi mentioned. "You can have some of the supper that is left over if you like."
Satoshi's own food had ran out, so he gladly accepted the offer. Pachirisu munched on a pile of berries that Junichi had collected. Then, the boy went to sleep beside his friend during the cool night, whilst the nice, but mysterious, Junichi lay some paces away, with his backpack as a pillow.
And there the boy dreamed of his future adventures, but as with many adventurers in the world of Pokemon, his journey would never be what he expected of it. The journey of this particular youth, however, would later come to be a decisive part in the future of many people and many Pokemon. But for now, the boy slept peacefully, close to his best friend, unaware of any peril that would ever threaten him and the ones he loved.
To be continued . . .
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