MATURE: Pokémon: World at War (Chapter 2)

[Jester]

​

First off, I would like to thank you for taking the time to read this piece of writing. All advice and constructive criticism is greatly appreciated and will definitely be accounted for. This is rated Mature mainly because of violence and darker themes/suggestions.


Prologue

Arc One: The Queen's Gambit
Chapter One: On Our Own
Chapter Two: More Than Just a Cellar


Prologue

The sky was speckled with gleaming stars all across the dark violet night scape. The moon bore brightly down onto a peaceful and quiet valley, with a sleeping town built around the river bank. The stone houses, coughing small clouds of smoke out the chimney, seemed to hum with the slight breeze drifting its way through the field. The tall trees surrounding the town radiated a silver gleam, reflecting the moon off of the freshly fallen snow.

The now swarming Illumises and Volbeats flirtatiously fluttered through the air. The soft song of the Kricketot rang through the forest, serenading the valley. Starlies and Staravias glided between trees. Budews and Roselias danced across the ground, finding comfortable places to settle for the night. Even the Combees, who normally never stopped working for their queen, were snoring in trees near their hive.

A thundering boom surged through the town, echoing throughout the whole valley. The entire town woke up from the ear-shattering noise. Fathers and sons walked out into the town, looking both weary and confused. Their pokémon followed right behind them, though they were much more aware. Their ears perked up, as if they had sensed the noise was approaching them. Another explosion noise broke the eerie night silence. All the pokémon scurried away, bolting for the forest.

A magnificent green dragon rose over the ridge, its silhouette magnified in the moonlight. The dragon flew over the small town and fired a concentrated ball of blue energy. The attack struck the town on the river, sending stone bridges flying through the town. The dragon looped back around and fired several more, each aimed at a group of people. The people were vaporized, their bodies burning to nothing but mere ashes. The town was set a flame, and the gigantic dragon continued to shoot high-powered attacks at the survivors.

The dragon suddenly dashed away, the same way it had entered. The remaining towns people sprinted into the forest, following their pokémon with no supplies. The town, or what remained of it, smoldered in the heat. The grass in the valley had caught on fire too, but the snow thankfully extinguished it before it could burn down the forest. Moments later, the dragon returned, carrying a man on its back. The man looked over the town and grinned. He whistled to the green dragon, signaling for it to leave the town.

As the dragon spun around to leave, a disoriented yelp was heard. The man turned around and narrowed his eyes. A young man scrambled out of the town, his head bleeding and his leg obviously broken from the debris. The man riding the dragon frowned and signaled for the dragon to fly back to the town. The dragon obeyed and the man hopped off of its back, landing near the river bank. The scrambling man limped into the forest, catching up to the others.

The man who commanded the dragon screamed into the night. “Victory!” he shouted, his voice being carried throughout the entire valley. Behind the ridge, a colossal army cheered the same battle cry. They dashed into the valley, claiming it as their own. They rode on Salamences and and Flygons, soaring down the steep hill. The soldiers cheered again and again, applauding the man who rode the green dragon.

A rock flew out of the shadowy forest, aimed at the man’s head. It fell short a few feet, but made a loud clunk on the ground. All the army turned to see the man with the broken leg with another rock in his hand. Behind him, a Machamp threw a boulder directly at the leading man. The green dragon flew in front of it, shielding its owner from harm. The leader stepped out from behind his dragon and glared at the man. “Overheat, Rayquaza,” the man ordered with a sinister smile. The green dragon obliged and fired a wave of heat at the forest, incinerating the man and the surrounding trees.

Following their leader, the army fired Flamethrowers and Fire Blasts at the forest, igniting the the trees. The leader turned around to face his army and grinned again. “Kill them. Kill all of them,” he grumbled. The army took to the skies, setting the midnight sky aflame and echoing the screams of the forest.


-----------------------------

An aging man, almost 70 years old, stood up in front of a podium, inside a vast hall. Thousands of people were gathered in the hall, each wondering why the president had called an urgent meeting with no warning. Neither his silk blue suit or his slicked-back white hair were as neat as they normally were, which made many nervous that even the president couldn’t contain his composure. He cleared his throat before speaking.

“This morning, at 2:00 A.M., the small and peaceful town of Glacier Valley was attacked by the legendary pokémon Rayquaza. Attacking with the Rayquaza were the Hoenn Dragon Tamers, a section of the Hoenn National Army. The force attacked the town, whose citizens had been sleeping in their homes, with many Dragon Pulses, Flamethrowers, Overheats, and other dragon and fire attacks. The humans who hadn’t been instantly killed by the first attack fled to the nearby forest. After everyone inside the town had been killed, the legendary pokémon and the army set the forest on fire, burning almost all the survivors and their pokémon to death.”

“By this unprovoked attack, Hoenn has declared war on the region of Sinnoh. And as a result of this mass genocide, Sinnoh must retaliate in full swing. Hoenn has refused to deny that the attack was their doing, yet they have already began briefing their soldiers of what’s to come. The government of Sinnoh has come to the unfortunate conclusion that we too must now declare war on our neighbors to ensure the safety of Sinnoh.”

The entire room was silenced by President North’s announcement. Some of the live broadcasters dropped their cameras to the floor, totally in shock. Moments later, the entire room erupted in an outrage. People screaming at the president, people crying from the horrid news, but most of the noise came from utter confusion. President North was escorted off of the stage by his bodyguards, who too were very nervous.

The doors dramatically swung open, revealing a purple, bipedal figure with a dark helmet on. The crowd muttered and gasped, realizing that it could only be the legendary pokémon, Mewtwo. The pokémon lifted its hand into the air, pulling President North into the air as well. The whole hall screamed in fear. Many fled the building, but President North hung suspended in the air. The Mewtwo raised its other hand and telepathically pulled a camera to the Mewtwo’s shoulder.

The Mewtwo faced the camera and telepathically spoke through it, to all the viewers. “Johto and Kanto have joined together as one force to remove Sinnoh from our planet. That makes you and every other person who is watching this broadcast, the enemy of Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn,” the Mewtwo said. The camera turned to President North and focused on him. The Mewtwo twisted its hand, putting obvious strain on the president’s neck. The president reached for his neck, almost as if he was trying to pull away a set of hands choking it.

The nearest bodyguard pulled out a pokéball and tossed it to the floor. A Glaceon materialized from the sphere and saw the Mewtwo. It fired an Ice Beam at the psychic pokémon, but a green barrier enveloped the Mewtwo, protecting it. The Mewtwo flicked its tail at the Glaceon, making the Glaceon stop attacking.

The normally blue Glaceon eyes were replaced by the purple pupils of Mewtwo. The Glaceon turned to the president and fired an Ice Beam on the man, freezing him in place above the ground. The Glaceon walked over to the Mewtwo, seemingly under the Mewtwo’s control.

The camera turned back to Mewtwo. “Your president is no longer capable to lead you. You must turn to Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn if you wish to survive. All who leave Sinnoh for these regions will be pardoned. All who stay in Sinnoh and revolt, you will be flayed without mercy. You have been warned,” the Mewtwo telepathically said before the video feed cut to black.

 

[Flaze]

Re: Pokémon: World at War

That was interesting. It seems to have a lot of action going on if it's really going to be about a war. However, I think you needed a little bit more description especially when Rayquaza was attacking the village. It felt more like you were listing what the Rayquaza was doing rather than describing it.

I'll be reading this to see how it develops so count me in.

 

[Jester]

Re: Pokémon: World at War

That was interesting. It seems to have a lot of action going on if it's really going to be about a war. However, I think you needed a little bit more description especially when Rayquaza was attacking the village. It felt more like you were listing what the Rayquaza was doing rather than describing it.

I'll be reading this to see how it develops so count me in.

I appreciate your thoughts and criticism! Listing and describing are two things I often confuse, but I hope to improve on them as the story progresses. Again, thank you for your advice.

 

[JohtoMotto]

Re: Pokémon: World at War

That was a good read! Going to be following this whole hearted ^^

Now the question is, why Sinnoh?

Spoiler

20 bucks says Unova will team up with Sinnoh and they will still lose :eh:

 

[Jester]

Re: Pokémon: World at War

That was a good read! Going to be following this whole hearted ^^

Now the question is, why Sinnoh?

Spoiler

20 bucks says Unova will team up with Sinnoh and they will still lose :eh:

Thank you! Your support means everything.

Why not Sinnoh? Though almost everyone will disagree with me, I find Sinnoh to have the most interesting pokemon. And almost no one writes about Sinnoh anymore, so I thought I may as well. Y'know, spice things up a bit.

Guess you'll just have to wait and see...

 

[Jester]

Re: Pokémon: World at War

Chapter 1 is posted! Sorry if this chapter seemed rushed, but I wanted to get in one last chapter before the holidays. As always, your advice and criticisms are what make this fic possible!



Chapter 1: On Our Own

Leo stared at the TV, his mouth gaping open. His mother dropped a dish full of chili onto the floor, shattering the bowl and cracking the tile. Thorn the Buizel, who had previously been sitting in Leo’s lap, jumped up and walked over to the chili. Thorn munched on the meal, though the entire family kept quiet in shock. Leo’s father quickly reached for the remote and turned the TV off, though the screen was still black. Leo turned back around to face his family, keeping the same fear-struck look on his face. His blond hair fell out of its normal faux hawk, shrouding his subtle blue-green eyes.

Leo’s mother was the first to talk. “Leo, go get your sister,” she ordered, picking up her belt of pokéballs. Leo stared at her for a moment before nodding his head and jumping up off of the ground. Thorn followed, his two orange tails whipping around rapidly. Leo stormed up the stairs, though he tripped on the last stair. His left eye’s contact popped out of his skull, almost blinding Leo in his left eye. He swore under his breath, angry at his poor vision. He quickly found the contact again and stuck it into his eye again. He pushed himself up and ran into his sisters room.

“Beth, we’ve gotta go,” Leo said, panting. He walked over to the crib and pulled out an infant sucking on a pacifier. Beth had just been sleeping and still had her piplup-styled footy pajamas on. Leo turned back around, stroking her wild, curly blond hair. He quickly searched the room for any essentials. He grabbed Beth’s bottle and spotted Thorn’s pokéball. Instead of getting frustrated with Beth for taking Thorn’s pokéball, Leo simply tucked the pokéball into his pocket.

Leo walked down the stairs, setting Beth down on the couch. Leo’s parents had already emptied out the pantry and the closets into red and white, pokéball styled bags that Leo’s dad got from his job at the pokémon lab. Despite the mass confusion, Leo’s family was uncharacteristically organized and quiet. Leo’s mother was now situating Beth on the family Purugly, while Leo’s father was quickly scanning the house one last time.

Leo opened up the door and walked out, Thorn following him closely. The normally peaceful and calm town of Crown’s Peak was filled with panic. The collection of mahogany colored houses had people streaming out of the doors. The grass seemed to dance, the amber glow quivering in the chilled morning breeze. The center of town seemed to be deserted, though the airplane runway was crowded with all the towns people.

Leo turned back around to face his family, who also had now gathered outside the house. “What exactly is our plan?” Leo asked, picking Thorn up off of the ground. The damp grass had gotten the bottom of his black jeans soaked, and his feet were freezing.

“We just need to get out of the region. Your grandmother owns an area of land in Johto, we should be safe there,” Leo’s mother replied. “But right now, all we need to do is get onto that plane,” she said, pointing to the only remaining plane on the runway.

Leo nodded his head and bolted off to the runway. Out of the corner of his eye, Leo saw a classmate of his sitting on the porch of a house, his face in his hands. Leo looked back at his family, who were all behind him. Leo jogged over to his classmate, thinking he would have enough time to catch up with his family.

“Hey,” Leo said in a worried tone. The classmate looked up at Leo, his unique, grey colored eyes stained red with tears. “You’re Will, right?” Leo asked. The classmate only nodded before throwing his head into his hands again with a heavy sigh. Somewhat awkwardly, Leo patted Will on the back as Will let out a sob.

“My mom and dad went to Solaceon Town yesterday afternoon to pick up their pokemon they dropped off at the daycare. They said they would be back by this morning, but the president’s announcement must have affected them or something. They might have even been spending the night in Glacier Valley, which is between Solaceon and Crown’s Peak. The attack last night... I don’t know if they made it,” Will explained between sobs.

“But either way, I don’t have anywhere to go. I can’t stay in Crown’s Peak and wait for my parents. Glacier Valley is too close to here, and I bet that Rayquaza and the dragon tamer people from Hoenn are still in the area. My parents aren’t going to be allowed to come here anyways, I saw that a road-block was set up at the base of the mountain. They’ll never be able to get back home,” Will concluded. He finally gave up on talking and collapsed, his whole body shaking each time he cried.

Leo felt a twinge of sorrow for his classmate. Will truly had no other options than to simply wait for the worst. Leo scanned the porch and saw a small pokemon sitting on the opposite side of the two boys. “Is that your pokemon?” Leo asked, wanting to take Will’s mind off of the grim subject.

Will looked up and followed Leo’s pointing finger to the pokemon. Noticing its mention, the pokemon turned around to face Will. The pokemon trotted over to Will and sat next to him. The pokemon had dark grey eyes, just like Will’s, with a darker grey, oval face. It’s tan body had a single bump on the back of it, which, combined with its face, reminded Leo of a dinosaur.

“Yeah, it’s a Shieldon. It’s... it was my moms,” Will sighed. “His name is Proto, after the dinosaur species, Protoceratop. My mom left Proto here to watch over me while they were gone. But I guess he’s my pokemon now,” Will explained. He stood up and deeply inhaled, his eyes still red from crying. He pulled out a pokeball from under the steps and called Proto back into it.

“That’s cool,” Leo said, looking at the Shieldon until it was absorbed in a flash of red light. “This is my pokemon,” Leo gestured to the orange dog by his feet. “She’s a Buizel, and her name’s Thorn,” Leo said, patting Thorn on the head. Leo looked back at his family, who were now approaching the airplane runway. Leo turned back around to face Will and sighed at his classmate’s depression.
“Will, why don’t you come with us? We have a safe place to go to in Johto. Staying in Crown’s Peak would be really dangerous,” Leo said.

Will, who was significantly shorter than Leo, looked up at Leo and smiled. “You really would do that? Take me with you?” Will asked, the smile still on his face. “But what about my parents? What if they make it home safe and I’m not here?” he asked, the smile slowly creeping away from his face.

Leo merely nodded his head and stuck his hand out to Will. “Your parents have your C-Gear information, right? They can just call you or something,” Leo explained. He looked back at his family, who were now gesturing for Leo to come to them. “We’ve gotta make a decision quickly,” Leo said, looking down to Will.

Will thought about this for a moment before shaking Leo’s hand. Leo and Will both slung their backpacks over their shoulder and sprinted off for the runway. Leo’s family already boarded the airplane, which seemed to be packed to the brim with people. They walked up to the pilot, who was waiting outside the plane.

“This plane is headed for Johto, right?” Leo asked to the pilot. Through the window, Leo’s mother gestured for him to get on the plane.

The pilot turned to face Leo and nodded his head. Leo and Will both sighed in relief and attempted to board the plane, though the flight attendant stood in front of their paths. “I’m so sorry boys, but the plane is filled. You will have to wait for the next plane to arrive in Crown’s Peak before you can leave the town,” the flight attendant said with a sorrowful look on her face.

Leo and Will both turned to nervously look at each other before turning back to the flight attendant. “You don’t understand. My family is on this plane right now. They can’t leave part of their family behind!” Leo exclaimed, his face bright red from the nervousness.

“I’m sorry, but there really is not enough room!” the flight attendant said, the same look of distress her face. “I wish there was something I could do, but there really isn’t!” the flight attendant exclaimed.

“We’ll sit on the floor! We’ll sit in the luggage area! Just get us onto that plane!” Leo shouted, his voice quivering. He was beginning to imagine life without his parents. Alone, in the center of a battle zone.

The flight attendant sighed. “There is no room. There already are people sitting on the floor. There are people sitting on top of people on the floor. I can’t help you,” the flight attendant replied, her voice also quivering. “There’s another plane coming to Crown’s Peak two days from now. It’ll take you to Johto and you can meet with your family. That’s the best I can do,” the flight attendant said.

Leo sighed and looked through the window, tears forming in his eyes. He stepped off of the stairs leading to the jet, nearly knocking over Will who was behind him. “Day after tomorrow,” Leo nodded his head. Leo looked through the window and waved at his family, tears now streaming down his face.

Moments later, Leo’s mother was walking out of the plane door. Directly behind her was Leo’s dad and Beth in his hands. Leo looked up at his family and shook his head no. His entire family would not give up their safety just for himself. “Go back on that plane,” Leo ordered.

Leo’s parents stepped over to Leo and each grabbed one hand. “We’re a family,” Leo’s mother said, squeezing Leo’s hand. “We’ll wait two days, as a whole, for the next plane out of here. We aren’t about to leave anybody behind,” Leo’s father confirmed.

Leo subtly nodded his head, keeping hold of his parent’s hands. The jet whirred to life moments later, firing a wave of wind onto Leo’s family. The plane floated into the air and slowly flew away. Leo turned back around and started to head back to his house, trying to hold in his tears.

A green flash was spotted out of Leo’s peripheral vision, which made Leo quickly spin around and face the plane again. Flying directly next to the plane was the giant Rayquaza who had attacked Glacier Valley the night before. The dragon pokemon curled into a spiral shape before quickly uncurling, sending an orb of blue energy towards the plane.

The blue sphere collided with the plane, exploding the jet on impact. Pieces of steel set on fire rained down on Crown’s Peak, and echoed screams from the travelers sounded like a thousand Loudred calls. The remaining parts of the plane that hadn’t been separated in the explosion went on a downward spiral into a snow capped mountain. The dragon quickly flew back the way it entered, not seeing Leo, Will, or the family.

Leo grabbed his family by the hand and rushed into the nearest deserted house. Will quickly followed after Leo and shut the door behind him. The group remained totally silent, nervous that the dragon tamers were within earshot. Leo looked around and saw a hidden entrance in the floor boards. Leo cautiously walked over to the entrance and opened it, Thorn directly behind him with her mouth filled with scalding hot water.

Inside the floor was a cellar. Leo and Thorn dropped in and looked around. It was packed with food and empty pokeballs. Leo stuck his head up and gestured for everyone to enter the cellar as well. Each person slowly crawled towards the cellar, keeping out of view from the windows. Moments later, the entire group was sitting quietly in the cellar.

Will had released Proto out of his pokeball and was silently caressing its armored head. Beth, who had managed to sleep through all of the commotion, was now playfully toying with the family Purugly as if nothing had happened. Leo’s parents were sitting in the corner of the cellar and whispering to each other, though neither of them seemed to be calm. Leo was sitting with Thorn in his lap, though both of them seemed to be on edge as well.

Leo lied down on his back, staring up at the entrance to the cellar. “That plane isn’t coming in two days, is it?” Leo asked his parents, though he already knew the answer.

Leo’s father shook his head. “No son. We’re on our own.”

 

[Flaze]

Re: Pokémon: World at War (2)

Well I guess it's a really good thing that they didn't leave on that plane now is it?

It was a good chapter though it seemed to go a little too quick for me and the characters needed just a little more depth to them maybe try and get more into the story and put a little more feeling to it, that way you can make things really emotional.

 

[Legacy]

Re: Pokémon: World at War (2)

I love the idea of this fic and where I think it's headed. Very interesting concept with the war angle, which will undoubtedly make for some exciting action!

I agree with Flame that a little more description and details might be good, but overall, I love the start. Keep it up!

 

[Jester]

Re: Pokémon: World at War (2)

Well I guess it's a really good thing that they didn't leave on that plane now is it?

It was a good chapter though it seemed to go a little too quick for me and the characters needed just a little more depth to them maybe try and get more into the story and put a little more feeling to it, that way you can make things really emotional.

Yep, sure is!

Yeah, this chapter definitely felt rushed in comparison to my others, in my opinion. I think that it wasn't really enough to go off of to write two chapters and elaborate more on. Though now that the initial introduction and rush is over, the characters now have the capability to at least relax a little and show truly who they are.

I love the idea of this fic and where I think it's headed. Very interesting concept with the war angle, which will undoubtedly make for some exciting action!

I agree with Flame that a little more description and details might be good, but overall, I love the start. Keep it up!

Thank you for your compliments! Coming from the author of Pocket Monsters, that means a great deal to me.

Yeah, like I said before, I'll definitely start cracking down on that.

 

[Jester]

Re: Pokémon: World at War (2)

Okay, here's chapter two! Hope you enjoy it!


Chapter 2: More Than Just a Cellar

Leo jolted up from his sleeping position, his forehead beaded with sweat. He quickly reached inside his pocket and grabbed his contact lens carrier. He popped his contacts in, clearing up his hazy eyesight. Once he could see again, he instantly realized it wasn’t just a bad dream. He should have noticed before; the chilled air and musty smell of the cellar were unforgettable. The war was still on.

Leo looked around and noticed that everyone was still asleep, excluding Will, who was sitting by himself next to the dwindling fire. Leo grabbed Thorn, who was sleeping by Leo’s feet, and walked over to sit by Will, warming his hands by the fire. The damp stones combined with the freezing winter nights made the entire cavern like a freezer.

“What are you doing up?” Leo asked to Will, who was petting Proto. “It’s gotta be at least three in the morning?”

“I can’t sleep,” Will replied, his gloomy eyes intently staring at the flames. “Besides, I could ask you the same thing.”

Leo paused for a moment. “Uhhh, bad dream,” he coolly answered. “And it’s like freezing in here. I mean, why wouldn’t they insulate this place? It feels like we’re outside!”

Will chuckled, though he was noticeably shivering. “You don’t want to keep a wine cellar warm. It ruins the wine. Either way, I’m not complaining. It’s better than being above ground, where the Rayquaza is,” Will said.

“Can’t argue with that,” Leo shivered. He stuck his hands into his baggy, gray hoody for warmth. “So tell me a little about yourself, Will. We’ve been in the same class since like kindergarten, but we’ve never talked,” Leo said, sprawling out next to the fire.

“Well, what’s to tell? I moved to Crown’s Peak from Unova when I was a few years old. My dad was an archaeologist, and he couldn’t find enough fossils in Unova, so we moved here for the digging. My mom was a battler in Johto before she met my dad, when she chose to change to a breeder. I was an only child, and I didn’t really have an interest in battling, or pokémon itself for that matter, until about three years ago, when we started middle school,” Will explained, his ash gray hair falling in front of his eyes.

“I joined the battling team with Proto here,” Will said, patting the Shieldon on his back. “I guess we were pretty good, because we were the stars of the team. We won most of the competitions and tournaments we competed in and we won a ton of awards and stuff,” Will said.

In his head, Leo imagined the glass cabinet filled with trophies in the gym, and how most of the trophies had Will’s picture on them. Though the glass cabinet usually was decorated with spray paint or markers. According to most of the students living in Crown’s Peak, battling wasn’t a real sport. It was for little kids before they learned how to play football and soccer, not for kids in middle school.

“But yeah, Proto and I’ve just stuck in with the crowd so far in high school. There isn’t a battling team anymore, so we’ve sort of been practicing by ourselves and... uh.... with my mom,” Will said, obviously embarrassed. “What about you? I mean, I know that your dad works at the pokémon Gym, but that’s about all I know,” Will said.

“Well, like you said, my dad works at the gym. He sets up the obstacles and pathways for the challengers, but he’s always changing it around so it can’t be followed. But my mom used to be a contestant in super contests before she retired. But yeah, I’ve just stunk in the crowd, like you,” Leo said.

“That’s not what everyone else says,” Will replied. “Everybody is saying that you’re training under Gym Leader Rhiannon herself! You’re gonna be the next gym leader of Crown’s Peak!” Will said, with a hint of excitement in his voice.

“Where did you get that idea?” Leo asked. “And who even told you that?”

“That doesn’t matter, is it true?” Will said. His gray eyes reflected his emotion; a sparkling glimmer shone in his pupil.

Leo sighed and slowly nodded his head. “Yeah, Rhiannon’s teaching me to battle. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to be the next leader of the gym. Besides, Crown’s Peak is a Fire type gym, and my only pokémon is Thorn, and he’s a water type,” Leo explained.

Will was hardly listening. He was now petting Proto rapidly, a maniac sized grin creeping on his face. “Did you hear that, Proto? We’re in the presence of the next gym leader! I’m gonna have to challenge you to a battle eventually. Prove your worth and all,” Will laughed.

Deciding it was futile to argue against Will, Leo simply sighed in defeat and put on a playful smirk. “Whatever,” he mumbled. “But really, who told you that?” Leo asked, still confused as to how everyone knew about it.

“Uhhh, you know that girl Madiy? Yeah, she must have picked up on something or another. She’s Rhiannon’s daughter, so I guess it would make sense. Did you tell her or something, or does she train with you?” Will asked.

“I didn’t tell her anything, and I hardly even know who Madiy is in general. I didn’t even know Rhiannon had kids,” Leo said. Thorn had woken up and crawled into Leo’s lap, warming himself as well. Leo huffed as the dog stepped onto him. “He thinks he’s a lap dog or something, like a Shinx or something,” Leo said.
“He can’t be too heavy, he is only a Buizel after all. But Madiy goes to our school too. She’s even in gym class with us,” Will said.

In his mind, Leo imagined the entire classroom. The rock-climbing wall in the corner, the bleachers on the right wall, and the mass of students in the center of the room. Leo imagined each person’s face individually until he came upon who he thought was Madiy. She had pale blond hair that went down to her shoulders, a mouth full of braces, and gorgeous opal eyes hidden behind a pair of pink glasses.

Leo opened his eyes again and looked back at Will, who was confusedly staring at him. “Does she look a lot like her mom, but with straight hair, braces, and glasses?” Leo asked, keeping the image of Madiy in his head.

Will nodded. “Why do you close your eyes like that? You did it when I talked about my trophies, and you did it just now,” Will asked, the same dazed look on his face.

“I close my eyes when I do that? Really?” Leo asked. “Anyways, I have a photographic memory. Once I’m focusing on something intently that I’ve seen before, I’ll see it in my mind’s eye. It helps me to match names to faces and stuff,” Leo explained.

Again, Will merely nodded his head. “That’s cool, I wish I had a skill like that. All I can do i-,” Will said before he was interrupted by a vicious roar. Quickly and silently, the whole family woke up and extinguished any signs of life in the wine cellar, including the fire, leaving them in the pitch black darkness.

Loud clunks of footsteps were heard above the cellar roof. Everybody huddled close together next to each other, hidden behind the largest cabinet of wine. The footsteps gradually got louder as the person above inspected the house until they were standing directly over the hidden door. The whole family held their breath, hoping that the person wouldn’t notice the entrance to the cellar.

“Looks all clear in this house,” the man shouted. His gruff voice echoed through the cavern, causing Leo’s whole family to sigh in relief. Another voice responded with an indistinct command, though it apparently meant for the man to double check.

“That boss guy is stupid. If I say it’s empty, it’s empty,” the man grumbled to himself as he retried his search. He finished much quicker this time and stood directly above the hidden door yet again.

“BOSS! It’s clear!” the man yelled, more frustrated than before. Instead of waiting for a response, the man instantly started walking out of the room.

Beth, who had no idea what was going on, spontaneously sneezed as she woke up from her nap. A high squeak sounded through the house. Suddenly, the feet backpedalled, stepping over the secret door for a third time.

“Crap,” Leo thought to himself as he prepared to charge at the ladder, hoping to at least disable the man before he could kill them. Noting Leo’s actions, Thorn began flicking his tail in anxiety.

The man lifted up the hatch and peered down into the cellar, looking for anybody in it. Deciding it was too dark to be sure, the man tossed a pokéball to the floor below him before hopping down the ladder to land on his pokémon, a Salamence.

“A Salamence? And he’s the one taking orders?” Leo thought. He silently exhaled before stepping into the light.

Wasting no time, Leo quickly threw a nearby wine bottle at the man. Still disoriented from the sudden change in light, the man was hit by the bottle on the head. He quickly stepped back into the shadows.

“God damn it!” the man yelled, his forehead bleeding. “Where are you? Show yourself!” the man ordered. The Salamence’s mouth danced with small cinders, preparing to fire a Flamethrower attack on the cellar itself.

Deciding it was essential to make another attack while he still could, Leo quickly stepped into the light, though this time, Thorn was directly in front of him. “Aqua Jet!” Leo ordered. The Buizel nodded its head and fired a path of water from his mouth. With a cork-screw of his tail, Thorn was zooming towards the man, floating on top of the stream. Thorn smacked into the Salamence’s mouth, damping the sparks of flame. Both Thorn and Leo quickly retreated again.

“Enough!” the man screamed through the cavern. “You insolent kids with pay for what you’ve done! Salamence, use Fire Blast!” the man ordered. His sinister smile with his crooked teeth could be seen from the orange glow growing inside of the dragon’s mouth. “Say good-bye,” the man chuckled as the Salamence released the ball of flames.

Up from the solid rock ground rose a gigantic, drilling rhinoceros. It opened its palm and fired a boulder the size of the room at the Salamence, causing the Fire Blast to be blocked entirely. Riding on the back of the Rhyperior, a young man who couldn’t be much older than Leo.

The man turned around, and looked at the family, who were simply staring in awe. He had black, spiked hair that could impale someone and fierce mahogany eyes. “We need to move fast, Rock Wrecker is strong, but only for so long,” the man said.

Even though Leo’s family knew the seriousness of the situation, they stood still, paralyzed by shock. The man sighed before throwing a grenade at the wall furthest from the family. Once it exploded and the rubble settled, a tunnel was revealed.

“Go through there,” the man ordered, pointing them in the right direction. “I’ll follow soon, but whatever you do, don’t look back,” he warned before turning back to the Rhyperior, not waiting to see if they had left in the tunnel.

Leo grabbed all his items and some of his parent’s and sprinted off into the dark tunnel, Thorn by his feet and his family quickly following him. Explosions, bursts of light, and shrieks bombarded them from behind, though they never stopped and they never looked back.



...And that's it for chapter two! I tried to get to the more emotional and descriptive part of this at the beginning, just to further the introduction. As usual, advice and criticism is always appreciated. Even if you've simply read it, leave a comment telling me you care! Thanks!

 

[sharktooth162]

It's a very interesting story and I'm very curious to see what provokes the attack by hoenn although I did kind of see the plane thing coming when the whole family got off the plane. Very much looking forward to this story developing.

 

[Jester]

It's a very interesting story and I'm very curious to see what provokes the attack by hoenn although I did kind of see the plane thing coming when the whole family got off the plane. Very much looking forward to this story developing.

Thanks for your compliments! I had originally planned for Leo and Will to stay behind by themselves and let the parents and Beth go to Johto, but I later decided to keep the family alive. Thanks for reading too!

 

[Stormbringer]

Very nice word variation, I didn't see any overusage of any particular word.

Overall I really liked it.

I look forward to Chapter Three!

 

[Jester]

Very nice word variation, I didn't see any overusage of any particular word.

Overall I really liked it.

I look forward to Chapter Three!

Thanks! I'm working on the next chapter as we speak!