Timely Hero (A Pokemon Scarlet and Violet story)

Chapter One: Zero Gate

Mother always warned Michael to stay away from the crater. But today, he felt adventurous. Leaving home, he decided to grab a small bite to eat from one of the many food stands around the town of Medali. Michael was nine, but just short of getting his own pokemon yet. His mom was very insistent that he waited until he was at least ten. 

But all of Michael's friends have pokemon already. Sure, some of them were a bit older than him, but he felt ready for one himself. So today was the day he decided he was ready, and he wasn't just going to catch any pokemon to be his first. He was going to catch a strong pokemon from Area Zero. 

Everyone always talked about how Area Zero, the area inside the Great Crater, was super dangerous and off limits to every trainer. But if Michael wanted to prove he was worthy, he needed the best pokemon out there. Munching on the fried rice balls he bought from the Ice Cream Stand, he pulled out one of the Pokeballs he managed to get.

His friend Chace was a bit older than him, at the age of fourteen, so he had already caught many pokemon in his time. He couldn't convice him into giving one to him, but he did manage to convince Chace to give him a few spare Pokeballs he had left. 

Michael finished his fried rice balls, deciding that he was ready. Standing up, he grabs his backpack, which had some basic supplies, and began heading towards the crater. His phone luckily had a map, but even without the crater was easy to spot from pretty much the whole region.

Michael shifted his backpack, the path becoming steep. He was getting close, he could feel it. "Rotom, are we almost here?" he called to his rotom phone. It zips out of his pocket, showing the map for him on the screen. He was getting close, from what he could tell. 

Michael wondered what kind of pokemons would be down in the crater. Maybe something like the legends he's heard about from other regions? Stories of Rayquaza flash in his head, making him smile to himself. With that thought in his mind, he began picking up the pace, going into a jog as he nears the crater.

A building looms over a cliff as he approaches the crater. He's heard about the building, a way down for researchers, so he's heard. Approaching the building, he looks for a way to open the large door. It seemed closed tight, even seeming unpowered in a way. Seeing no way inside, he steps to look down at the cliff. Heavy clouds were blocking his view down to the bottom, making him frown. What were you hiding, Great crater?  

Suddenly, something flies out of the crater, Michael stumbling backwards. "What the...", something lands behind him. Slowly, he turns his head to look back, trumbling in fear. A garchomp stood over him, slamming its sharp spikes into the ground next to him, before roaring loudly in his face. With a scream, Michael crawls backwards, before he felt the ground under him collapse. 

He began falling into the crater, another scream escaping his lips. His vision began to go dark, just as he felt his pocket shift.

Michael sits up quickly, panting. He quickly checks himself over, making sure he was ok. His pocket felt light. "Rotom... Rotom!" he quickly gets up, looking around the grassy area. Smoke and sparks caught his attention, as he walks over to the broken phone. Crouching down next to it, he picks it up. "Rotom...? You ok?" he asks the smoking phone. 

Rotom blinks up at him, giving him a slight smile. It closes its eyes, powering down. Michael lets out a small sniffle, putting the phone in his shirt pocket. He begins looking around the area. It was a grass clearing, with a rocky path leading down. Strange buildings were near where he fell, seemingly abandoned. Walking towards the cliff, he puts his hands on the railing. 

Looking down, he sees the spiral of large cliff faces. A waterfall was at the opposite end of the crater. This was Area Zero, huh? Suddenly, he heard the roar of the garchomp, making him jump. He had to move, he wasn't safe here. 

He rushes down the path, tripping over himself a bit. He trips, falling down and rolling off a rocky slope. At the bottom, he grunts. He was covered in dirt, scrapes all along his body. Standing up, a proper building greets him. Getting to his feet, Michael limbs over to the door, happy to see it slide open for him. 

Inside, metal boxes of some sort lined the wall near the door. Large cylinders lined the back wall, with another large one on either side of the room. A bed greeted him. Putting is backpack down next to the bed, he curled up on it. Another cry escapes his lips, as he slowly fell asleep.