Chapter 1: The Wolves In The Mist
Author's Note
Hi Solar Force here. Here’s a new story for you. Congrats to those who get the reference in this chapter. Hope you enjoy it and stay tuned for more.
Bye for now.
Chapter 1: The Wolves In The Mist
In a massive stadium, filled with countless spectators, two powerful Pokemon, a Gardivior and a Gallade, clashed with each other in a fierce battle. Pulling back from the battle, which was being shown on TV, a young girl, sitting on the floor at the foot of her bed and clutching a sphere shape cushion that looked like a Pokeball, watched the battle with eyes filled with excitement. On each side of the field, two young women, the trainers battling, then each returned their Pokemon to their Pokeballs.
“Here it comes!” Said the girl, so excited she could burst. “Their going to Dynamax!”
But before anything else could happen, the TV suddenly turned off.
“NO!!” The girl yelled. “Right at the best part!”
“Sunset, get to bed now!” Said a stern female voice.
“Aww, but mom!” The girl now called Sunset moaned.
“No buts!” Said her mother. “You and your sister have a big day tomorrow, and it's already way past your bedtime. Now, go on, get to bed.”
“Humph, alright, fine.” Sunset grumbled.
“Don’t talk like that to me young lady.” Said her mother as she left the room.
Sunset reluctantly stood up and climbed into her bed, before a sneaky smirk crossed her face. As she reached for the remote for her TV, she heard her mother's voice once more.
“And I’d better not hear that TV again, understood?!”
Sunset rolled her eyes and groaned. “Yes, mom.” She said begrudgingly. Knowing she had no choice, Sunset layed down, and she soon fell asleep.
The next morning, Sunset slowly awoke, looked over at her alarm cock, and saw that it was 10:30 in the morning. Her eyes went wide in alarm. “Is that the TIME!!” She shouted in panic. She had overslept! She bolted from her bed.
Meanwhile at the meeting place…
“Aw, man, where is she?” A young boy complained. He had red eyes, amber colored skin, similar to Sunset, and red hair with yellow streaks, also similar to Sunset, but shorter and spikier.
“Patience, Solar Force.” Said Celestia. “She’ll be here when she gets here.”
“But when will that be?” Said the boy called Solar Force. “She’s already so late, everyone else has already gone.”
“WAIT UP!!” A voice suddenly yelled. Everyone looked as they saw Sunset running at top speed toward them. She skidded to a halt in front of them, wheezing and puffing for breath. “Sorry...I’m...so late…” She wheezed. “You still...have…a Pokemon...for me...right?”
“Speak of the she-devil and she shall appear.” Muttered Solar, rolling his eyes. He straightens up from the wall he was leaning against, unfolding his arms. “Ok, now that Latey Mcgee is here, can we please now pick our Pokemon, Aunt Celestia?”
“Unfortunately, not just yet, Solar.” Said Celestia. “We are still waiting on one more person.”
Solar face palmed. “Who are we waiting on now?!” He demanded.
Just then, a voice was heard from above them. “Heyo!”
“Steve?” Sunset said, looking in all directions.
“Oh, there you are Mad Page.” Said Luna, looking behind her. “How long have you been up there?”
Everyone turned around and saw a boy hanging upside down from a tree branch. “Um, I don’t know.” He said. “I think I just appeared here.”
Solar Force frowned in confusion. “Uh, this guy is who we’ve been waiting for?” He asked.
“Well, It appears that we are not waiting on him anymore.” Said Celestia.
“Well, yeah.” Solar replied. “Considering that the other six trainers have already gone.”
“Yes, quite.” Said Celestia. “Which means we really must get down to business. We’ve lost more than enough time. Luna, the Poke Balls, please? And Mad Page, you can come down from there now.”
With a swing and a flip, the boy known as Mad Page landed on the ground, almost losing his balance, before steadying himself. “And Mad Page nails the landing!” He said with a victorious smirk.
Sunset frowned. “Barely.” She muttered.
They all turned their attention to Luna as she held up a black suitcase and opened it, revealing three Pokeballs inside, all in their pocket sized form. The inside of the case had nine round indentations in the lower half, each for holding a Pokeball, six of which were empty.
“Now, traditionally, we would show you the three Pokemon inside these Pokeballs for starting trainers to decide which one you would like as your partner.” Continued Celestia. “But these three are the only Pokemon we have left. And so, since there are three of them, and three of you, we’ve decided to do something different, and I think, more fun.”
“And what would that be?” Asked Sunset curiously.
“Simply put,” Said Luna. “We will use a lottery system.”
“Oooh, a lottery system.” Said Mad Page with a smile. “How fun.”
“Are you kidding me!” Exclaimed Solar Force. “So I won’t even know what Pokemon I’m getting?”
“It’s the same for all of us.” Sunset pointed out. “Besides, it sounds pretty fair to me.”
“If you want, you can go first. I don’t mind.” Said Mad Page.
“Aw, man, this sucks.” Solar sulked.
“Oh, come now, Solar.” Said Celestia with a smile. “Where's your sense of adventure?”
“How can I have a sense of adventure when I don’t even know what Pokemon I’m going to get?” Solar Complained. “What if it’s something really lame? I’ll be total laughing stock.”
“But, Solar, isn’t that what an adventure is?” Celestia said knowingly. “Not knowing what lies ahead of you? Besides, that’s precisely the reason your here today. To start your journey, which is also an adventure.”
Solar thought for a moment, and finally relented. “Yeah, I guess you're right.” He sighed. “Ok, whatever Pokemon I get, I’ll try and make the best of it.”
“That’s the spirit.” Smiled Celestia. “Now gather round everyone. It’s time to pick your partner.”
And so, the three new trainers stepped forward and each took a Pokeball from the case.
Then, Solar Force threw the ball into the air, the ball burst open, and in a flash of light, his new Pokemon appeared. It was a small reptile like Pokemon, with a flame on its tail. “Whoa, awesome! A Charmander!” He said excitedly. “You are so not lame!”
“Char! Charmander!” Said the little fire lizard happily.
Next, it was Mad Page’s turn. He threw his ball with a flury, and with a flash, his new partner appeared, a little fox like creature with large ears.
“Fennekin!” The pokemon chirped as it looked up at him.
“Aww, aren't you a cute little thing.” Said Mad Page with a smile.
And finally, Sunset threw her ball into the air, and her new Pokemon appeared, a little orange chick like creature.
“Torchic!” It said happily. It walked up to Sunset and nuzzled her leg.
“H-hey, stop that! That tickles!” Said Sunset with a giggle. She then knelt down and petted the little chick. “Aww, your so adorable.” She cooed happily.
Celestia and Luna couldn't help but smile at the site. “Looks like first impressions are going well.” Said Celestia.
“Indeed, sister.” Luna agreed.
“Hey, Celestia. Do you think I could go and show my new partner to my family?” Sunset asked.
“Well, I suppose you could go and show Torchic to your mother.” Said Celestia. “But, unfortunately, all the other challengers have left, including your sister.”
“Twilight already left?” Said Sunset in an annoyed tone.
“Yeah, that's kinda the thing,” Said Solar Force. “All the other challengers left as soon as they got their pokemon. And we would have done the same, if a certain someone hadn’t been late.”
“Alright, alright, don’t bite my head off.” Sunset said, rolling her eyes.
“Yes, calm down, Solar Force.” Said Luna. “It was an accident.”
“Well, anyway, can I still go and show Torchic to my mom?” Sunset asked again.
“Alright, but don’t take too long. You’ve fallen behind enough as it is.” Luna replied.
“OK.” Sunset then picked up Torchic. “Come on. Mom is gonna love you.”
“Torchic.” It chirped.
“My curiosity has been piqued.” Said Mad Page. “Come Fennekin.”
“I’d better come with you to make sure you don’t take too long.” Said Solar, eyeing Sunset.
And so, the challengers made their way toward Sunset’s house. “I don’t see why you two are coming along.” Said Sunset.
“I’m just coming along just to make sure you don’t take all day.” Said Solar.
“And I’m just curiously weird.” Said Mad Page with a wide grin.
As they walked, all three of their Pokemon turned their heads as they sensed something. Mad Page was the only one to notice. “Sunset, what is the purpose of the trees over there?” He asked.
“Oh, those woods.” She replied, “Those are called the Slumbering Woods, but were not allowed to go there.”
“Why not?” Mad Page asked.
“Because a lot of dangerous Pokemon live there. Why?” Sunset said with a raised eyebrow.
“Because our Pokemon just ran off in that direction.” Mad Page replied casually.
“What?!” Sunset shouted, looking frantically around for their missing Pokemon.
“There they are!” Said Solar Force, pointing at the retreating Pokemon.
“Well let’s get after them!” Said Sunset. And so the three challengers gave chase. They quickly reached the edge of the Slumbering Woods, but Sunset was hesitant to go any further. Up close, the woods did look a bit menacing, and they were forbidden for a reason. Solar Force seemed reluctant, but the decision to proceed was made for them by Mad Page, who literally cartwheeled right past them, and into the trees. After seeing this, Sunset and Solar shrugged before quickly following.
They wandered through the dark woods, calling out to the missing Pokemon. As they went further into the woods, Sunset was getting bit creeped creeped out. “Uh, guys, we really shouldn’t be here.” She said. “Maybe we should go back and get the champions for help.”
Solar frowned. “Uh, uh, no way.” He said firmly. “I’m not going back to my aunts without my Pokemon. That would be so embarrassing.”
Mad Page, hanging from the branch of a tree again, then spoke up. “Sometimes it’s best to ask for forgiveness than ask for permission.” He said. Sunset and Solar turned to look at him. “What?” he asked.
And so, the search went on, until the woods were suddenly covered in a thick fog.
“Whoa, what's up with this weird fog.” Sunset said. “It just came in out of nowhere.”
“Yeah, I can’t see a thing.” Said Solar. “And the weather app on my phone didn’t say anything about a fog.”
“How ominous.” Said Mad Page in almost creepy tone. “This fog is so thick, I can pull it out of the air with my bare hands, like cotton candy.”
“Okay, guys, I think we’re starting to push our luck here.” Said Sunset. “Let's get out of here, and come back when the fog lifts.”
“But Sunset.” Said Mad Page. “The fog is so thick, I don’t know which way we came in.” He paused. “We could be lost in here for days.” He said in creepy voice.
Sunset rolled her eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous Mad Page.” She said. “We’re not going to get lost for that long. Now come on, lets keep going, and try to find our way out.”
As they continued through the fog, Solar Force saw a faint orange glow in front of them. He thought it might be Charmander, so he headed off ahead of them to investigate by himself.
“Solar wait, come back!” Shouted Sunset. “Don’t go off on your own!”
“Where are you going you silly sausage.” Said Mad Page. “You get back over here.”
And so, Sunset and Mad Page gave chase after Solar, barely keeping up with him, and when he suddenly stopped, they ran into him.
“Why did you run off like that?” Asked Sunset. Before Solar could answer, something fluffy jumped up and nuzzled her cheek.
“Tor! Torchic!” It chirped happily.
“Oh, hey, Torchic.” Said Sunset with a smile, hugging the fluffy little Pokemon. “Why did you run off like that? You had me worried.”
Solar then saw that his theory was right. The glow had indeed come from his Charmander’s tail. “Where have you been little buddy?” He said, kneeling down and picking up the little fire lizard before petting it.
As for Mad Page, he too had found his partner. Fennekin padded up to him and jumped up into his arms, nuzzling against his chest.
“We’ve been looking for you, little fox.” Mad Page said, gentling petting his new best friend.
“Fen! Fennekin!” The little fox like Pokemon chirped happily.
“Ok, now that we’ve found our Pokemon, can we please get out of here before anything else happens?” Sunset asked, only to notice Solar and Mad Page staring at her. “What?” She asked. The two boys pointed with their fingers. Sunset’s face fell. “There’s something behind me, isn't there?” She said in a deadpan tone. The boys nodded. Sunset rolled her eyes. “Ugh, that’s so cliche.” She muttered, before she slowly turned around, and her jaw dropped.
Standing behind her was a Pokemon unlike any she had ever seen before. It was big, walked on all falls, and looked wolf-like, with long, shiny blue fur, and one ear that was shorter than the other. It simply stood there, fixing them with a piercing gaze. Sunset was both awestruck, and scared.
“Uh, what do we do?” Asked a slightly trembling Solar Force.
“How about we run?” Said Sunset.
“No argument here.” Said Mad Page.
The three trainers turned and were about to run, but froze when they saw another large Pokemon, very similar to one that was now behind them. This one was also wolf-like, but had red fur, with a deep blue mane and tail, and also had a short ear, but opposite to the other pokemon. They were trapped.
“W-wait.” Stuttered Sunset. “T-there are two of them?!”
“We’ve been pincered.” Said Mad Page, surprisingly calm.
“How can you be so calm at a time like this?!” Solar demanded.
“I’m not.” Mad Page replied. “I’m just really good at hiding it.”
“Maybe we can fight our way through?” Suggested Sunset.
“With what? These Pokemon?” Said Solar, gesturing to their three little partners.
“Well, it’s better than just standing here doing nothing.” Sunset argued.
Just then, the blue wolf crouched down and pounced, the trainers covering their heads, but it sailed right over them, and landed next to it’s red counterpart. The trainers lowered their hands and stared at the two.
“Now, I wish we had a MasterBall.” Said Mad Page in awe.
The two wolves turned to look at each other, before, much to the trainers surprise, they turned and strolled away together, disappearing into the fog.
Once they were gone, Sunset let out a sigh relief. “Oh, thank goodness for that, right guys?”
“Maybe they weren't hungry.” Stated Solar.
“Uh, guys.” Said Mad Page. “How did we end up back out here?”
Sunset and Solar looked around, and much to their shock, they saw that they were now back at the edge of the woods where they had first entered.
“W-what?” Stuttered Sunset. “H-how did we get-?” She couldn't finish her sentence, because at that moment, the air was pieced by a loud, furious shout.
“SUNSET SHIMMER?!!”
Sunset eyes shrank to pinpricks. “Uh oh.” She squeaked.
Marching towards them, with anger burning in her blue eyes, was a 30 something year old woman, with grey skin, and light purple hair with white streaks. She wore a light gray sweater, light purple jeans, a pearl necklace, and light purple high heeled shoes. She marched up to a now nervous Sunset, and grabbed her by the ear.
“Ow! Mom!” Sunset yelped.
“Mom?!” Shouted Solar and Mad Page.
“Don’t you ‘Mom’ me, young lady!” Snapped Twilight Velvet. “You are in so much trouble!” She then turned to look at the two boys. “And don’t think the two of you are off the hook either.” She said dangerously.
Solar and Mad Page gulped. “No, maame.” They said nervously in unison.
Sunset and the boys trailed quietly behind Twilight Velvet all the way back to meet up with the champions.
“There you are.” Said Luna.
“Where have you three been?” Asked Celestia.
“Yes, care to explain what you were doing in the slumbering woods?” Asked Twilight Velvet sternly.
“W-well y-you see…” Stuttered Sunset, utterly intimidated by her mother’s stern glare.
But before she could say anymore, Solar spoke up. “We didn’t choose to go there. Our Pokemon did that for us. They just ran off.”
“And besides there’s way worse things Sunset could have done.” Said Mad Page. “Like for example-” He was cut off by Solar, who pressed his hand over his mouth.
“Whatever is in your head, keep it in your head.” He said.
“Now, now, Velvet.” Said Celestia with a placating wave of her hand. “We all know that Sunset and these boys are still young, and are bound to make mistakes every now and then.”
“Yes.” Agreed Luna. “And from the sounds of it, they had a legitimate reason for going into the Slumbering Woods.”
Twilight Velvet sighed. “Alright, yes, I understand. But the fact still remains that they went somewhere they shouldn’t have without permission.”
“Hmm, yes, I see your point.” Said Celestia, walking up to Sunset, grabbing her arm, and giving her a very light slap on the wrist. “There, punishment served.” She then turned to address the three trainers. “Now that that’s settled, it’s about time you three caught up with the others.”
With that said, the three trainers headed to the train station. Before boarding their train, Sunset said goodbye to her mother, while Solar spoke to Celestia,
“Be safe on your journey, dear.” Said Velvet, hugging her daughter. “And do catch up with your sister as quickly as you can.”
I will mom.” Said Sunset.
“I won’t let you down. I’ll do my best in the league.” Said Solar in a determined voiced.
“I know you won’t.” Said Celestia with a smile. “But don’t push yourself too hard, and remember to have fun. Because, what’s the point of being in a competition if it’s not fun.”
At the same time, Luna was heaving a similar talk with Mad Page.
“I must say, Mad Page.” She said. “I was actually surprised that you changed your mind. What made you want to become a trainer after all?”
“I had my reasons for changing my mind.” Said Mad Page simply.
“Alright, I suppose that’s all the answer I'm getting from you.” Said Luna. “You’ve always been an oddball, Mad Page. That’s why Cadence choose you.”
With all their goodbyes said, the three trainers hurried on to the train, and the train set off, taking them to their first destination on their journey, Hammerlocke.
To Be Continued...
