Chapter 1

Sandgem town had always been a quiet, happy, blissful place, despite being the home of one of Sinnoh Region’s most prestigious Pokemon Laboratories. The residents were all pleasant, welcoming every traveling trainer or visiting professor with easygoing smiles. Every visitor had left Sandgem town feeling better than when they arrived. Every town member was as happy and carefree as the next.

One particular town person, however, wasn’t feeling exactly carefree at the moment. In fact, he was down right nervous. Deep in his own laboratory, the doors and windows secularly locked and shuttered, Professor Rowan paced back and forth in front of his computer screen, old and wrinkled hands clasped tightly behind his back, thick, gray eyebrows drawn together. Every once in a while, he would stop, glance over at the computer screen, and then resume his circuit once more, looking a little disappointed each time.

At one point, Rowan stopped in front of one of his windows, staring at it despite the thick blinds blocking his view. Really, he wasn’t really looking at anything, instead projecting his thoughts out to the world. They swirled around inside his head, each one zooming by faster than the other. Most were just disjointed, random snippets of information, but some were actual thought lines. Decades of work as a professor, though, had taught him to filter out the crap thoughts (as he called them) from the true ones.

How could this have happened? It wasn’t until he had received that email had the worrying started. It had been two, short, simple sentences, and yet it had almost immediately formed a rock in Rowan’s stomach. “The One shall be calling sometime today. Be sure you are there to answer.”

“Something worrying you, Professor?”

Rowan spun around, eyes instantly narrowing in on the computer screen. Only one person had such a silky, smooth voice. Sure enough, a video box had opened on the screen, and a man, his face completely shrouded in shadows, had appeared, glowing eyes tracking Rowan’s movements. “Sir-“, he began, eagerly stepping towards the screen.

The man held up a smooth, youthful hand, silencing Rowan before he began. “Please Professor, allow me to speak before you ask your questions”, the One said, his words smoothly leaving his mouth,” Time is off the essence, and we don’t have much to spare.”

Rowan instantly shut his mouth, the One’s voice immediately captivating him. He had always had this power over him. He was definitely a master at his profession.

Folding his hands in his lap, the One cleared his throat. “You see, professor, I’m afraid that our secret is in peril.”

Rowan blinked. “Peril?” Rowan didn’t understand. “I thought that it was safe! We took every precaution…”

The One chuckled, face never leaving the shadows. It was light, careless, as though Rowan had just told him a lightly funny joke. “Despite all the protection we put around it, I always knew that one day it would become compromised. It was just sooner than I expected.”

Rowan staggered towards the computer screen, and collapsed in a heap in a chair. He rubbed a hand across his wrinkled face. This day had gone from good, to bad, and now it had sunk to rock bottom.

Once again, the One’s light chuckle pierced the silence. “Professor, why are you so worried? After all, we established a system when we hid the secret from the world for just this reason. It’s time to put that plan into action.”

Rowan glared over his hand at the computer screen. If the One had a failing, it was his ability to tick off those he was speaking to. “Come on!” Rowan snapped, standing to his feet. “You know how I operate. I need facts! How did they find out? Or, better yet, how much did they found out about it?” Rowan sat back down in the chair, still glaring at the computer screen, but this time in suspicion. “And why the hell did you call me first, anyways? If you really are going according to our system, then you should’ve called-“

“Professor, please”, the One said, and Rowan could have sworn if his face wasn’t hidden, he would’ve been smiling the same sad smile one would give a child who didn’t understand why two plus two didn’t equal five. “Obviously, one of our number has betrayed us. There’s only one person who I can trust right now. And that’s you, my oldest friend. You must carry out the task in the other’s place.”

“Oh, come on, I’m too old to go travelling on my own! I don’t carry pokemon with me anymore. You know I’m retired!” Rowan growled, frustrated by his boss’s inconsideration.

“Oh, please, Professor”, the One tittered,” I remembered that you retired. No, it’s not you that I want to complete the task. I just want you to find someone that you can vouch for and place the enormity of our task on their shoulders. In fact, I do believe there is such a person under your employment right now…”

Rowan started, caught by surprise of his boss’s knowledge of such small things. “How the hell do you know about him?”

“I’m hurt, Professor,” the One said, injecting just enough emotion into his voice that anyone who didn’t know him as well as Rowan would have believed him to be really hurt in an instant,” I figured, you of all people, would know that not a scrap of information doesn’t escape my eyes.”

“Then how the hell”, mumbled Rowan,” did one of our own dupe you?”

“I heard that”, the One answered, eyes glinting dangerously.

“Anyways, I don’t know if he’s up to it.” Growled Rowan. “Jade is only sixteen. And he can be naïve at times. Plus, I don’t know how easy it would be to sway him. He could turn if trusted with our secret.”

“True”, the One said thoughtfully, threading his fingers together and resting his chin on them. Rowan blinked. He could’ve sworn that the shadows had actually descended a little to keep his entire head shrouded in darkness. “But, unless you come out of retirement, we really don’t have a choice. So I suggest you figure this out.”

The video chat closed, leaving Rowan to his thoughts. He had never been so worried, nor had the future seemed so unknown. All that he knew was that dark times were ahead.

Suspense. Action. Wow!
I would have never guessed that Prof. Rowan could have done something bad...
Keep up the good work!

Bravo