Hello, and welcome to the first story of my Pokemon series. Have fun!

Eclo Canyon, 2995 A.K.W (After Kalosian War)

The sun beat down on the canyon walls, heating the rock to temperatures that could fry eggs. The air shimmered, casting mirages to confuse the unwary traveler. Many people wouldn't want to travel through the middle of the Orre desert, with its wild desert Pokémon. People didn't travel to the Orre region either, because of the crime rates and syndicates.

One such syndicate was going to get a nice surprise today.

Team Snagem's base lay within the canyon, protected on three sides. It would take a powerful force to take the base, and that security made the grunts and leader complacent. A scout stayed at the canyon entrance to keep watch.

Wes was on duty for the afternoon. He was unassuming, with his gray hair and wiry body. His blue duster and black outfit were discolored by sand and dirt. A pair of wrap-around shades kept the grit out of his eyes and hid them completely. Wes stood, and he began to run.

His shift was far from over, but Wes didn't care. He ran along the canyon edge, back toward the base. No one could know what he was about to do. Being caught would mean that he would answer to the boss, Gonzap. Being caught meant saying goodbye to his only two friends in this world. He had enough of this game, running and stealing and being told what do. Gonzap being his boss was just icing on the proverbial cake.

No one should be able to tell Wes what to do, and no one threatened his friends.

His hands rested on the two Pokéballs on his belt. His friends, Harmatten and Leveche, were the only thing that he cared about in this world. His teammates would be as likely to stab him as to help him. Gonzap would kill him if he did something wrong. Harmatten and Leveche were the only ones to help out of friendship. Nothing could break the bond between them.

Wes halted, and dove behind a rock spur. The base was below him. The hover vehicles were all parked outside, including Wes's bike. No one was outside. This was the reason Wes was given noon shift. No one else could tolerate the heat as well as Wes could. His mother used to say it was the nomad blood in his veins, drinking in the harsh sunlight and turning his skin dark.

Wes shook his head and cased the rest of the base. Reminiscing would have to wait; there was stuff to do. The wall into that room was clear. No one was allowed in the room without being accompanied by someone Gonzap trusted. Wes was really the only one who went in there, because he was the only Snagger capable enough to use the equipment.

Wes felt a small shiver run up his back at the thought of the Snag Machine inside. The large, immobile Snag Machine was for rewriting the codes put into Pokéballs, making the devices able to snag already caught Pokémon. The Pokéballs would lose the code in three days, and the most worthwhile locations for snagging were farther than that. The second Snag Machine was portable, and fitted over the left arm of the Snagger. The coding was instantaneous, and the Pokéballs was thrown immediately afterwards.

A small smile crept up Wes's face. Maybe he would leave a more fitting good-bye present.

Gonzap snoozed lightly in his chair, the midday heat making him drowsy. The other grunts were in the same state, and Gonzap would have shouted at them. But that would require too much energy to pull off. Besides, Wes was on scout duty. He would alert them to any danger.

Thoughts about that young man filtered into Gonzap's barely awake mind. He wasn't very stocky or vicious like the rest of the grunts. He was lean and careful, the opposite. He needed watching, because he occasionally got that look in his gold eyes. The spark of irritation at every order he gave the man wasn't lost on him. Sooner or later, Wes would turn on the team. But he couldn't do that, at least not now. Not with his Pokémons' lives hanging in the balance. Wes had no other home, and no way to get anywhere with the gas rationing he'd been doing. If he betrayed them now, he would be in the Pyroars' den with no way out. So the gifted Snagger had no chance of rebelling against him.

Another grunt yawned as he passed the open office door. Gonzap still thought about the Snagger. He had grown from the half-starved youngling one of the grunts had found on a job. The now long gone employee had brought him back to the base, saying that the boy had potential. Wes had been trained in the art of Snagging by the older grunt, until he left without reason. Gonzaap assumed that the man had died in the desert while out on a job.

Thoroughly tired now, Gonzap settled deeper into the chair at his desk. Nothing could happen today, and nothing interesting would happen tomorrow either. He began to snore-

BOOOOOOOM!

The head of Team Snagem bolted out of his chair. A deep sound of explosions going off in the base rumbled through the air. Gonzap growled, mad over his nap being interrupted and the stupidity of his underlings. No doubt one had accidentally set off a bomb or used an overly powerful attack from their Pokémon.

Grunts hung out of the doors in the hideout, listening for worse explosions. Gonzap stomped down the hall. He was this close to ripping someone a new one. A sooty grunt came running down the hall, eyes wide with fear. Gonzap grabbed the grunt by the collar and lifted him off the floor.

"What the hell is the problem here?" Gonzap growled. The grunt's face broke out with beads of sweat and his Adam's apple bobbed.

"Sir! We have a problem!" He squeaked.

"No shit," Gonzap said through his gritted teeth. "But I wanna know what's goin' on. Bounty hunters? Police force?"

The grunt shook his head, and his next words caused Gonzap to see red.

"Someone's after the Snag Machines."

Wes coughed as the dust settled. The large Snag Machine was no longer operational due to several holes in it. The portable one was on its stand with no damage, save for a light coating of dust.

He walked into the room. His Umbreon, Harmatten, kept watch outside. Leveche, his Espeon, psychically streamed gas from several vehicles' tanks into Wes's bike.

The Snag Machine was lifted off the stand and Wes's arm slipped into it. The shoulder pauldron clipped with a circular clip onto his coat. His fingers wiggled as the machine whirred to life. Dark red lines shone as the power came on.

Wasting no more time, Wes dashed out of the ruined room. Harmatten followed him, his red eyes sparkling with happiness. Using Swift to detonate the charge had been the Umbreon's favorite part. Leveche picked the gas cap of the bike up and telekinetically screwed it back on.

"GET BACK HERE!" a voice roared. Wes looked back.

All of Team Snagem was outside, with the boss himself leading them. Gonzap's eyes glinted with murderous intent. Wes didn't feel the familiar flash of fear that the shout usually provoked.

He jumped on his bike and turned the key. Harmatten jumped aboard as well, and he rubbed his nose with his littermate. The engine sputtered and coughed, but soon roared to life. Black smoke came from the exhaust pipe as Wes stomped on the gas pedal. The gray-haired Snagger steered out of the canyon and raced away. No one could catch him now.

He grinned, and pressed a device in his hand. The resulting boom made his grin grow even wider, and he pushed his googles up. His gold eyes glowed with success and relief.

Wes didn't notice the Skarmory following him in the desert sky.

A/N: ...And the adventures of the Pokemon world begin! If some of you have seen my profile, you can see some of the stories that are in the works. If you have questions or comments, don't hesitate to leave a review.

~Kuna Longshanks