Chapter 1

I was floating. Flying through the dark, without a clue as to where I was headed. There was a light up ahead, and I reached for it. Suddenly I was enveloped in it. I couldn't see anything, but my blindingly white surroundings were slowly fading into a familiar landscape, my town. I was standing on the same street I had walked down hundreds of times, but something was off. The buildings in front of me were hazy as if the air around them was hot. I looked behind me, expecting to see my house, but I saw only the dirt road fading away into whiteness. I floated through the town, looking for the inhabitants, but there was no one. The streets that once bustled with activity, were empty. I called out, hoping someone would hear, but no answer came. The scene began to fade back into white. I cried out again, louder this time, but in vain. I was being pulled somewhere, I didn't know where, but I didn't want to go. I screamed and tried to grab on to something, anything. My vision went black, and my scream echoed in my ears.

I woke sweating in my bed, practically drowning in my silver hair. I sat up, pushing my hair away from my face, and looked left out my window. My bedroom was on the second floor of the house I shared with myself, so I had a pretty good view of the streets below. The town looked normal; the people were outside going about their usual business, and the children were playing in the dirt with their Pokemon.

I got out of bed and looked around. My bed was tucked in the far corner of my carpeted room. Sitting next to it was a nightstand that held an alarm clock and a water bottle. Across the room, close to the door, was my desk, on which sat a reading light, a picture of my parents, and the PC that I'd left open last night. Above that was a colorful poster advertising the Pokemon league. Getting up, I opened my closet and picked out the clothes I would wear that day, before heading to the bathroom to shower.

I opened the door and shivered as my foot made contact with the cold wood floor. I looked back into my room just to make sure I hadn't forgotten or dropped anything. I completely ignored the first door on my right and headed into the second one, closer to the stairs. The first room had belonged to my parents, but after they left, I shut the door and went in only to clean.

After I had showered and dressed, I came back to my room, chucked my night clothes into the laundry basket, and began to fix the sheets on my bed. Once that was finished, I headed back to the bathroom to attempt to brush the mess that was my hair. Once brushed, I dried it and then re-brushed it before properly looking at myself in the mirror.

I was of pretty average height for a thirteen-year-old girl. I had a slim face that was roughly heart-shaped, with a sharp jawline and high cheekbones. My eyes were large and icy blue with flecks of white, and I had thin, white eyebrows. My lips were thin, and I had a sharp nose that stuck out a bit more than I liked. My hair was a shiny silver color which was very rare, it fell to the middle of my back, and I was currently busy braiding the hair that refused to stay tucked behind my ear.

When I finished in the bathroom, I picked up my laundry and started the journey to the laundry room. I plodded down my stairs, ignoring the front door to my left, and turned into the largest room in the house. The hallway loomed ahead of me, and I knew that the laundry room lay within, mocking me as I stumbled awkwardly towards it with my basket. I struggled as I passed the kitchen and was so focused on not tripping that I forgot to look up and as I entered the hallway, I almost smacked into the library door I left open last night. Sighing, I pushed past it and headed into the laundry room. After starting the machine, I came back to the hallway and properly closed the door.

The library was filled with books both written and collected by my parents before they disappeared, and spanned a number of topics. My favorite were the books on Pokemon. The library was where I spent most of my free time.

After closing the door I retreated to the kitchen to get some breakfast. I grabbed an apple and a piece of bread from the fridge before leaving the house. I was eager to start my day.

I worked odd jobs around my town, working for anyone who needed my help. It was a good way for me to earn some money and, depending on the job, a way for me to stay in shape.

Outside, the sun was bright, and people waved to me as they saw me walk out. I usually found a job by walking through town and if someone needed me they came up and talked to me. So I started up the road towards the busier part of town.

The town was roughly circular with the market square in the middle and the houses extending outward from it like waves. But, to be honest, there were only two streets, with four houses on each. My house was located on the second street. The professor of the town lived a short walk away from the main village.

Trees dotted the sides of the dirt road and clustered between buildings. It was late spring, so the trees were in full bloom. I admired them as I walked along.

I slowed as I passed a neighbor's house. The owner of the house, Mrs. Green, was outside working in her yard, she raised a hand in greeting as I approached.

"Good morning Alice." She called. "You out looking for work again today?"

"Morning Mrs. Green. Yes, I am out looking for work, got anything for me today?" I replied.

"I'm afraid not, but I hear Ms. Wells in the next block over has been having trouble with something, I forget what. Why don't you check up on her?"

"I'll do that. Thanks" I said as I began walking again. Mrs. Green nodded and smiled and continued her work.

Mrs. Green was a tall woman in her early forties. She had shoulder length brown hair and bright blue eyes. Ms. Wells, however, was entirely different. I stood on her front porch having just knocked, and when she opened the door, I beheld a woman maybe two inches shorter than me. Ms. Wells was definitely of under averaged height for someone in their thirties. She was quite slim, and she had curious brown eyes. Her dirty blonde hair that usually fell to her shoulder blades, was pulled back in a ponytail.

"Oh, hello Alice. I was just cleaning up in here, but would you like to come in and have some tea?" She asked in a quiet voice that completely matched her stature.

I thought about it for a second, "That would be nice, thank you." I answered politely.

Ms. Wells admitted me into her dimly lit house. There was a table to my right, and to the left, a study area. The rest of the house was blocked from view by a wall.

She led me to a seat, and once I was settled, she disappeared into the kitchen through a swinging door. She reappeared a minute later carrying a tray laden with cups of sugar, milk, and tea. She set the tray down in the middle of the table, took the seat opposite me, and served us both.

"I heard from Mrs. Green that you were having trouble with something again," I said, taking a sip of my tea.

She looked away shyly and took a sip of her own tea before answering. "Well, maybe I was having some trouble moving a few things, but I'm sure I'll get it eventually."

I rolled my eyes at her. "You know I'm always looking for work, why didn't you come to me?" I asked.

"Yes, yes of course I know I can come to you, but I didn't want to bother you with something so trivial."

Sighing, I replied, "It doesn't matter if it seems small to you, if you come to me I'll always do the best I can. Why don't you show me what you need to move after we finish our tea." Ms. Wells grudgingly agreed, and we finished our tea in silence.

Afterward, she showed me around the house and laid out my work for me. As it turns out, Ms. Wells was exaggerating when she had said "a few things", the entire back room was full of boxes that needed to be taken out. It was explained to me that Ms. Wells had been talking to Mrs. Williams who needed all these boxes delivered to her house, and Ms. Wells had agreed to help. I looked down at the first box and shook my head. Ms. Wells was a kind soul, but sometimes she took on more than she could handle.

Mrs. Williams had recently become a widow, her husband had died no more than a month ago. She had cleared out all the things she no longer needed and had ordered new stuff to fill the empty places, that's what all these boxes were. I had my work cut out for me, and certainly didn't help that her house was on the opposite side of the town.

I had done many jobs for the Williams family before and had been over here almost every week since Mr. Williams had passed, but it still struck me how empty the house looked. The door opened into a rectangular room split into a living room and a kitchen, with one hallway in the middle of the right wall. The first room was empty of most furnishings except the kitchen essentials, a couch, and a table with one chair.

I was sitting on the floor next to the box I had been carrying after I had burst into the house without knocking. I had been about to drop the box and had been desperate to put it down. As a rule, I always took the heaviest thing first when the job was transporting something.

A very startled looking Mrs. Williams appeared from the hallway. She looked much the same as I remembered. Mrs. Williams was a stereotypical grandma, short, round, with curly gray hair, spectacles, and wore clothes with flower patterns. She was still young enough to walk without a cane, but she was slow.

"Whatever are you doing on the floor, you poor girl." She said, clearly worried.

"I'm just resting," I replied, getting up. "I went to Ms. Wells this morning and I'm helping her deliver your boxes."

"You're such a sweet girl for helping out like that. I'll be here, if you ever need anything, just ask." I nodded and headed out the door to retrieve the next box.

Transporting boxes took longer than I thought it would, and it was late afternoon by the time I finished. I had nothing else to do today, so I wandered around the town, window shopping in the marketplace, and chatting with the townsfolk. I started home as the sun began to sink.

I stood in front of my house, ready to head inside when I heard a voice calling my name. I turned around a saw a man half jogging towards me. It took a moment but I finally recognized professor Oak.

The professor had slightly graying hair, thick eyebrows, and wore his ever-present white lab coat. When he reached me he had to stop and pant for a second before he could speak.

"Alice, I'm glad I caught up with you," He began. His voice was deeper than I remembered. "I know its late so I'll get right to the point. I've been hearing about a group of people that have been causing trouble around the region." He stood up a little straighter and looked me in the eye, "I'm not talking about some idiots going around bullying people. No, according to my sources, it's much bigger than that. These people are kidnapping or otherwise illegally taking Pokemon, and taking them to an unknown place to do who knows what with them." Stepping a little closer, he began to dig around in the bag he brought, "Now, I know you said you'd never do it, and I really hate to ask, but we're desperate to stop this. So, will you take these, and help me?"

I didn't answer him, I just stood there, looking at the ground, avoiding his outstretched hand which I knew held Pokeballs and a Pokedex. I had been struggling with the idea of being a trainer for four years now, and I couldn't deny that it was tempting, but neither could I forget why it never happened.

I was nine, one year away from being a trainer, and happy. Little did I know that my parents were soon to be taken away from me. Why did they leave? Because they were trainers. They were trainers and they got called away to help with a problem, not unlike the one I was being asked to help with now. That was four years ago, and they never came back. On the morning that was supposed to be the best day of a ten-year old's life, I slept in. I told myself that I would not become a trainer, I would not abandon the people that love me like my parents did.

I'll never really understand why I accepted his offer that night. Maybe it was because, deep down I really wanted to be a trainer, but I liked to tell myself it was my fate.

I couldn't sleep that night, I kept replaying the conversation I had had with the professor, mainly the part where I told him I'd help. I kept weighing the pros and cons of being a trainer. I silently promised the village that I'd come back and visit. I wouldn't be like my parents. By the time I finally fell asleep I had come to terms with my decision and was excited to begin.