The Viterals

Chapter 1: Pokeball, Go

Zakana was sitting in a familiar place when the first wave of bad news came. On the cliffs near the back of his house, he scanned the deep-blue ocean that stretched across a fire lit horizon. A sprightly mist floated before him as he watched the dumb, pink creatures below. They moved so slowly, so dopily. He couldn't understand why anyone would want to obtain one.

The winter winds whipped at his half-covered face. His dark brown hair fell across his exposed head and ears. He pulled his scarf up higher and breathed into it, tasting a hint of fresh lavender in the cotton.

There weren't many places that Zakana could think about nothing and forget everything around him, but his spot at the cliff was one such place. Maybe it was the dopey pink things glued to the rocks. Maybe it was that it was so peaceful and loud in a distant roaring sort of way that made Zakana forget. He always tried to find ways to forget, but it never lasted long.

The sound of hooves galloped toward him and pulled him from his trance. Jindo never ran that fast unless it needed to. Subconsciously, Zakana stood up and faced the oncoming noise, a dull pounding against the deadened earth. Zakana avoided Jindo and Jindo avoided Zakana. They knew where each other stood, always on opposite sides of the fence. A flash of orange-red fire pulsated toward Zakana, melted the frost in its path. Jindo kept its neck on a swivel, plowed onward, its chariot flames dancing around it like wildfire. Now, this yellow-white fire-maned beast bee lined for Zakana, which could only mean one thing.

"Where's my mother?" Zakana asked, detecting the defensiveness in his own voice.

Jindo reared up, his mane and tail made of fire shimmering in the morning sun. He neighed loudly, and said the same thing he always said: "Ponyta," before returning to all fours.

Jindo, Audria's horse Pokemon, rarely went anywhere without her, which made Zakana suddenly nervous. All he could do was repeat his question, which made Jindo more jumpy and scattered, bucking up wildly. Zakana got the feeling that Jindo wanted Zakana to ride him, which was a great leap of faith by the horse on both their parts.

"Where is she?"

Zakana ran past Jindo, knowing that his mother had gone into Town Square. She was likely there to discuss safety issues with some of the more proactive adults in Pallet Town. Jindo kept pace with Zakana as they passed the house and the stable next to it. Jindo seemed to accept that the two could just run together.

But Zakana's worry was over nearly before it began. Down the frosty trail, he could see his mother, her head down, as though it helped her run faster, her red boots stomping a footpath in front of her.

"Mom! Are you okay?" Zakana shouted ahead, looking at Jindo for reassurance.

Audria lifted her head, her expression changing from determination to fear. She had something to say, something important. She had sent Jindo to warn Zakana, and as she ran she shouted back, "Get in the house."

Eyeing Jindo suspiciously, Zakana flung the door open and obeyed. In the next instant, Audria revealed a Pokeball before entering her house and said, "Jindo, return!"

The horse Pokemon morphed and shrunk, its white and yellow hellish fires disappearing into an amorphous ball of white light, vacuumed into the ball in Audria's hand.

She slammed the door behind her, and sucked in a few heavy breaths before she was able to speak. Audria's town meetings didn't always end well, but they never ended like this. Zakana pulled a chair out from the kitchen table, thrust it in front of his mother.

"What's up, mom? What happened?"

"Oh, Zakana," she finally said. "We must be quick. Gather everything you're going to need. We have to leave Pallet. Now."