In The Shadow of Zekrom!

Chapter 1

In the Shadow of Zekrom

The sunlight shines through the window and into my room, where I get dressed. I choose a black tank top and a ruffled jeans skirt. I put on my blue jacket and zip it up. I slip on my black boots and suddenly feel a weight jump on my shoulder.

I see my best buddy for five years on my shoulder—Pikachu. He smiles.

"Pika pi!"

I open the door of my room and run out, running back into my room. "Oops." Forgot my hat.

I slap it on my head and smile at Pikachu. "You ready, Pikachu?" I ask my buddy.

"Pika pi," he says determinedly.

"Taking a trip with Mom," I say. "Can't remember the last time we've done that."

My door suddenly opens, revealing Mom. "Alice? Professor Oak is here to pick us up." She slightly frowns and adjusts the hat on my head. "There! You're all set!"

Mom and I wait and see Professor Oak pull up in his truck, him wearing summer clothes. I hold back a giggle.

"Let's hit the road!" Wow. Professor Oak seems excited.

"Why are you dressed like that?" I ask.

"What, this?" Oak asks. "To get everyone in the vacationing mood! It's been years since I've visited the Unova region!"

"This is work-related, right Professor?" Mom asks.

"Yes," he answers. "When I'm in between conferences, it's my time. So, here we go!"

"You heard what he said, right, Pikachu?" I ask.

"Pika pi!" he cheers.

We pack into the truck, and he starts it up. We drive towards the airport, and get into the plane. I sit with Pikachu in one seat, and the plane starts.

I stare out the window, the Unova catalog in my hand. Pikachu gasps.

"I can't wait!" I say excitedly.

"Pi pika," Pikachu adds.

Our communication lines are only so we can understand. So, I piece together what he says.

Pi=me

Pika=neither

"The Unova region," I read out of the book. "I bet there are all sorts of Pokémon I've never seen before!"

"Of course!" Professor Oak says. "It's filled with Pokémon. Pokémon you won't find in Kanto, Johto, Hoenn or Sinnoh!"

My heart races. New species of Pokémon! Awesome!

"Wow!" I say. "That's awesome! I can't wait! Man, I hope we get there soon!" I look out the window. "Wow! Unova!"

"Pika pika!" Pikachu says.

The clouds uncover the sky and I see land. Beautiful green land. I gasp.

"That's the Unova region," Professor Oak tells us. I smile.

I get off the plane when it lands. "We're here, guys!"

"Pika!" Pikachu yells.

As I start following Mom and Professor Oak, I stop when Pikachu stops.

"Pika?" he asks. He stares off into the ocean.

I turn fully towards my buddy. "Hey, Pikachu!"

Pikachu steps closer to the ocean and looks around. "Pika?"

I stare off, too, and see a huge, swirling black and gray cloud. I gasp.

I run over to him. "Pikachu! What's up? Huh?" Suddenly, a pink creature jumps out and back into the water. I gasp. "Never seen that before!" Pikachu and I run closer, and stare into the water. "That was cool! Wonder if there are more!"

Pikachu doesn't seem to notice. Instead, his attention is fixed on the cloud, which seems to be coming closer.

"What's that?" I ask.

Suddenly, a metal claw cages Pikachu. I gasp and lunge. "Pikachu!"

"Pika!" he screams.

I try to pull him back, but chuckles interrupt me. We look up. Two—or three—people are looking down at us.

"Hey! Who are you guys?" I ask.

"'Who are you,' the question indeed," the girl says.

"We'll answer you, as we feel the need!" the boy says.

The overcoats come off, to reveal Jessie, James and Meowth.

"Team Rocket!" I yell. Where did they come from?! How'd they find us? "What are you doing here?"

"I'll ask you the same question!" James says.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" I yell.

Pikachu releases a bolt of electricity towards the thugs, but they block it with some kind of protector, sending it off in different directions like a Discharge attack.

"Waste of effort!" James shouts.

"We're completely Thunderbolt proof!" Jessie adds.

Suddenly, the cloud moves right above us, and I gasp. It releases a powerful bolt, shocking us and breaking the cage. Pikachu flies out of the bars, and we tumble onto the ground.

I slowly get up to find my buddy on the ground, sparking. "Pikachu?" He gets up and stares at the sky.

"...Pika...chu!" He releases a huge Thunderbolt into the cloud and glares.

In the cloud, I see a black shape, staring at me with red eyes. I hold its gaze. "A Pokémon?" I whisper. It floats away, leaving Pikachu sparking. "Pikachu!" I yelp. I run to him and gather my baby into my arms. "Pikachu, you okay?"

He opens his small eyes and smiles weakly. "Pikachu."

I smile and chuckle. "Pikachu!"

"Pika~" he coos. I hug him tightly.

"Alice!" Mom cries. She and Professor Oak run towards us. "Are you okay?"

I nod. "Yeah."

"But Alice, are you completely sure?" Oak asks.

"Yup," I say. "Aren't we, Pikachu?" My friend has perched on my shoulder, grinning.

"Pika!" Suddenly, Pikachu's cheeks spark, leaving him confused. He shakes it off and jumps into my head. I giggle.

Mom looks at the sky. "I'll tell you, that was some thunderstorm."

"It sure was," Professor Oak agrees.

I look back to where the cloud was, but it's gone. "Who was that?"

"Who, Alice?" Oak asks me.

"I'm sure I saw the shadow of a Pokémon in that cloud," I explain.

Oak frowns. "From our vantage point, all we could see was the cloud."

"Right," Mom adds.

I shake my head. "Man, that's weird. What could it have been?"

A new voice joins the conversation, and I don't recognize it. "Oh, Professor Oak!" I turn to see a young woman in a lab coat smiling at us.

"What do you know?" Oak says. "Professor Juniper!"

She smiles apologetically. "I'm sorry I was so late. How are you getting on after that huge thunderstorm?"

"We're just fine, Professor," Oak assures her. "Thank you." He turns to us. "I'd like you to meet Professor Juniper, and don't let the youthness of one of the most important Unova researchers fool you!"

"Pleasure to meet you!" she says.

We drive in her car along a few roads. Pokémon crowd the forests, and I don't pay much attention in the car. I'm too busy watching the Pokémon.

We come to this huge building, Professor Juniper's lab. We head to a room and I set Pikachu down on the examination table. At once, multiple wires are hooked to him, and Professor Juniper examines him through a screen.

"Pikachu!" my baby pouts, unhappy about the wires.

"What do you think, Professor?" Oak asks her.

She answers, confusion in her tone. "According to Alice, Pikachu was completely enveloped inside a powerful electric field. Still, I see no evidence of any problem."

I smile. "Then Pikachu must be fine! That's awesome!" I turn to a sad Pikachu. "You're okay, buddy."

He jumps up, smiling. "Pika?"

Juniper smiles. "Please stay a little longer, Pikachu. I'd like to run a few more tests."

"Just a little longer, 'kay?" I whisper to him.

"Pika..." He sits back down.

One of the professor's helpers comes into the room. "Professor Juniper! There's a new Trainer who's about to start his journey."

Juniper blinks. "It's really that time again?!"

My eyes widen. "New Trainer?! Cool!"

Oak turns to me. "You see, Alice, one of Professor Juniper's numerous duties is to give all new Trainers from the Unova region their starter Pokémon."

I can barely keep the excitement inside me. "Awesome! Starter Pokémon!"

I follow Professor Juniper out into the main room, where a boy awaits. Dirty blonde hair clouds his head and his clear eyes are focused all around the room. He constantly snaps the button on a camera, taking numerous pictures.

"Hello, Trip!" Juniper says in a friendly tone. "Welcome!"

Trip smiles. "Hi, Professor Juniper. I'm finally ready to set off on my journey as a Pokémon Trainer!"

"I know you've waited a long time for this day," Juniper says. "Welcome to the world of Pokémon!"

I speak up. "So...hey! I bet you were so excited last night that you couldn't even sleep a wink!" I rub the back of my neck, blushing slightly. "I was the exact same way."

Trip meets my eyes, not giving any emotion. "Who are you?"

My blush and smile disappear. I've known this kid for less than three minutes and already I'm not a big fan of his attitude.

"Trip, meet Alice," Juniper introduces me. "She's come all the way from Pallet Town in the Kanto region."

"Nice to meet you, Trip!" I say.

Trip looks surprised. "From Pallet Town? Kanto region?!" He bursts into chuckles.

I frown. "Huh? What's so funny?"

"See, I was just thinking that a girl like you came from the boonies," he sneers.

My eyes widen. "Hm?" I spread my feet apart, like I'm in a battle position, and my hands clench into fists. "Hey! What do you mean, boonies?!" No one disses my region and gets away with it!

I hate this kid right now. I've known him for five minutes and already he pisses me off. Thank Arceus Pikachu isn't here to give him a piece of his mind. A thought comes to mind. Maybe Trip doesn't even know what a Pikachu is. I smile to myself in my head at the thought.

"Come on!" Juniper interrupts us. "Today's your first day as a Trainer! So it's a happy day!" She turns to a small cart. "Now, you can choose your partner from among these three types. The first is Tepig, a Fire-type!"

She takes a Poké Ball and throws it, a small orange pig coming out. It snorts.

"Tepig!"

I kneel down and smile. "Wow! Awesome! So you're called a Tepig!" He runs to the side and blows a few sparks of fire from his snout. "That's a Fire-type! Nice and fiery!"

Juniper chooses another Poké Ball. "Up next, here's Oshawott, a Water-type!"

She throws it and a tiny sea otter comes out. He smiles.

"Oshawott!"

"Aw!" I coo. "Aren't you the cutest!" Oshawott blushes and giggles.

"Finally," Juniper continues, taking the last Poké Ball. "Snivy, a Grass-type!"

The Poké Ball opens and reveals a slim, green snake-like Pokémon. It has a sly glint in its half-closed eyes.

"Snivy!"

I smile. "Cool! This one's got plenty of confidence!"

Snivy nods, as if to say, "You know it, sister!"

I stand up and look each Pokémon over. "Each one of 'em would be great to train, so it's gonna be one tough choice!" Personally, I wanna take all of them and train them all. They're all special in their own ways. Besides, Pikachu would like to have another couple friends.

"Don't forget, I'm the one who gets to choose!" Trip shoots at me.

I roll my eyes. "Don't worry. I know that. But if it was up to me..." I don't even care if he's listening to me. "...well, that's a tough one." Tepig, Oshawott, Snivy.

After a minute, Trip speaks. "Hm. I've decided. I'm choosing Snivy."

The green Pokémon smirks, while Tepig glares and Oshawott seems to faint with disbelief. I giggle at them.

"Okay." Professor Juniper hands him a device. "First of all, here's your very own Pokédex."

Trip takes it, smiling. "Thanks, Professor!" He holds it up to Snivy and it flips open, speaking.

Snivy, the Grass Snake Pokémon. Cool, calm and collected, Snivy uses photosynthesis to collect energy with the leaf in its tail.

I sneak up and look over his shoulder to read the description. Trip notices and flips it closed, glaring at me.

"And here are your Poké Balls," Juniper says as she hands him five Poké Balls. "You can carry up to six Pokémon around with you."

Trip takes the Poké Balls. "Yeah, that's basic."

"And this is Snivy's Poké Ball," she says, handing him another Poké Ball. "Take good care of it."

Trip nods. "Right." He points the Ball towards Snivy. "Alright, Snivy. So let's get this journey started!" Snivy's sucked into the Poké Ball in a red light.

Juniper smiles. "Have a great journey. Good luck."

"Thanks," Trip says. "Thanks for everything." He walks out of the lab.

I bite my lip. He seems so arrogant, so much like a know-it-all, and yet I have the urge to go follow him. I walk out I the lab and see him a few yards away.

I jump down the stairs and run towards him. "Trip! Wait up!" He turns to me, not smiling. "Hey, Trip." I catch up with him. "Goin' for Gym battles?"

He rolls his eyes. "That's basic. Pokémon Trainers go around challenging different Gyms and try to win eight badges." His clear eyes glow. "So they can enter the Unova League."

My eyes widen. "Really?! That's just like back in Kanto!"

"Pika pi!" a voice calls.

I turn to see a yellow shape run towards me. I smile. "Pikachu!" He jumps on my shoulder and nuzzles me. "Done with your tests, huh?"

"Pika," he nods.

"Who's that Pokémon?!" a surprised Trip yelps. I smirk at the fact I have a Pikachu and he doesn't. He takes out his Pokédex and holds it to my Pikachu.

Pikachu, the mouse Pokémon, and the evolved form of Pichu. Pikachu's tail is sometimes struck by lightning, as it raises it to check its surroundings.

He suddenly takes out his camera and snaps a few pictures of me and Pikachu, at different angles. I raise my eyebrow.

"What are you doing?" I ask, putting a hand on my hip.

Trip glares and points a finger in my face. "This is why we don't like people from the boonies. Listen up! A Pikachu in Unova's huge! It's a really big deal!"

I smile. "It's not a big deal. Pikachu's my number one partner and buddy!"

"Pika pika," he coos as I scratch his head.

"Huh?" Trip smirks. "Is it strong?"

I meet his sly look. "Oh, you bet!"

"Pika pika!" Pikachu growls, smiling.

"You wanna see?" I challenge him.

"Sure I do," Trip says.

In the battlefield, Trip stands on one end and I stand on the other. What a perfect way to show that arrogant little brat how strong I am!

"Snivy, go get 'em, now!" Trip yells, throwing Snivy's Poké Ball.

Snivy appears in a flashing blue light. "Snivy!"

I turn to my buddy. "You ready, Pikachu?" He nods and jumps onto the ground, posing. "Alright! Use Quick Attack!"

My baby picks up speed and it trails behind him in a white blur as he runs towards Snivy. He smacks into the snake, resulting in the green Pokémon crying out.

"Pika!" Pikachu cries out gleefully.

"Alright!" Trip yells. "Snivy, use Vine Whip!"

Long vines snake out of Snivy's neck and lunge for Pikachu. They connect the first time, but Pikachu dodges the second time.

"Good!" I yell. "Now, use Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu smirks as I call out his signature move. He inhales and pushes out pressure, but no electricity comes out. Only a few sparks from his cheeks erupt.

"Huh?!" I gasp. "Pikachu, what's wrong?" He shrugs. "Alright, then! Use Volt Tackle!"

He charges at Snivy, but no electricity clouds him. He pants and stops running, sweat slicking off his yellow fur.

I bite my lip. What's wrong with my baby?!

"Is this some kind of strategy?" Trip asks, smirking. "Using moves your Pokémon doesn't even know?"

I glare. "Pikachu, use Iron Tail!"

Surprisingly, his tail shines into iron and glimmers. I smile. It's only with Electric-type moves. The tail of iron smashes down, but only connects with the ground. Snivy dodged it.

"Snivy, use Leaf Tornado!" Trip yells.

I gasp. "Leaf Tornado?! What's that?!"

Trip smirks. "Don't know it, do ya?" I grit my teeth.

Snivy spins and a storm of leaves gathers around it. They form a tornado and sweep up Pikachu. It smashes my buddy to the ground in a flash.

"Pikachu!" I yelp.

Once the dust is cleared, what I see completely breaks my heart. My baby, lying in the dirt, all bruised and scratched. I run to him and take him in my arms.

"Our first win," Trip says. "I thought we synched pretty well for a first battle. I'm glad I chose you." He returns Snivy to its Poké Ball. I stand up and run towards the lab. "I think you two better start over with the basics!"

Pikachu is hooked back up to the system and wires, looking dull because of our loss. But I could care less about that. All I care is getting my buddy back to normal.

"Professor Juniper!" I cry, tears threatening to spill. "So something's really not right with Pikachu after all."

Juniper frowns. "It appears that Pikachu has suffered an electrical overload of some kind."

"Huh?" I tilt my head. "Overload?"

She turns to me. "All that electrical energy Pikachu absorbed from the thunderstorm was too much."

"Right," Oak adds. "And that would explain why Pikachu's not able to use any Electric-type moves."

I can't believe it. "No way! You mean Pikachu's not able to use Electric-type moves anymore?" I look at my buddy with sadness.

Suddenly, the lights flicker and the monitor and system shorten out. We stare in confusion.

"Huh?" Juniper mumbles.

"What's going on?!" Oak cries.

Suddenly, Pikachu is shocked with electrical currents. I gasp. "Pikachu!"

"Huh?! Look! Professor Oak, that cloud!" Juniper yelps. Oak and I look to see the black cloud that caused Pikachu to lose his electrical energy.

"Huh?" Oak gasps. "It's the same cloud as before!"

Pikachu cries in pain, which stabs my heart. "Pikachu!" The system completely shuts off.

"Reload the system quickly!" Juniper orders to one of her helpers.

He nods. "Right!" He runs out of the room.

Juniper turns back to the window. "It couldn't be, could it? Could the source of those clouds be Zekrom, the legendary Pokémon?!"

My head shoots up. "Zekrom?"

Juniper continues. "Zekrom's quite a legend in these parts. From within its thunderclouds, Zekrom watches over people and Pokémon. And it's lightning bolts are said to be judgements from up above. And they're also the pillars that hold up the sky."

Suddenly, the wires connected to Pikachu snap off, and an electrical cloud covers my baby. He screams out and yelps.

"Pikachu!" I yelp in terror.