I remember it like it was all only yesterday...
A huge, well lit stadium. The bleachers were overpopulated with eager spectators. In the middle of the large superstructure was what seemed like a barren wasteland. Sand dunes, boulders, the whole nine.. Everything about the desert like scenery seemed natural, everything except for the large white Pokeball symbol in the center.
The bright lights of the stadium came to a dim. Within seconds it was as dark as night. The crowd began to settle. Spotlights shined on the four corners of the field, and a booming voice could be heard over the intercom system:
“Congratulations to the new Kanto Pokemon League champion, young Dragon Tamer.. Lance!”
The crowd began to roar once again as the spotlights zoomed to the center of the stadium where a young Red Headed boy, and his Dragonair stood aside each other. He wore plain, black, slim fit joggers over a gray pair of sneakers with white soles. The shoes complimented his white shirt which had a pixel art pokeball design over the right breast which is usually covered by his black and red varsity jacket.
His Dragonair happily wrapped around her trainer. The love seemed a bit excessive, but how does one contain themselves after winning a championship title for anything?
From the darkness stepped a blond, white man wearing a black suit and wayfarer sunglasses, holding a microphone. Obviously the announcer.
“Lance!” said the announcer into the microphone. Interested, the crowd simmered down once again as he prepared to speak to the new champion. “How does it feel?” He began. “You were considered a prodigy from the beginning of the tournament, and you rode that title straight into the hall of fame!”
Lance smiled as he looked into the eyes of his Dragonair. “Well, I couldn't have done it without my buddy here,” said the boy calmly. From the way he spoke one wouldn't know that he'd won anything. Was he humble, or so confident in his abilities as a trainer that he just wasn't surprised? “This journey started years ago without a waypoint, or destination. Becoming champion wasn't apart of the plan, but here we are.” His excitement became more and more apparent with each word. “This isn't the end though, and I do plan on getting stronger with Dragonair. We're both gonna sprout wings in due time!”
As if on cue, the crowd broke out into a roaring applause. Lance could hold it no longer. He closed his eyes, and jumped out of pure happiness. His Dragonair mimicked his excitement and took flight into the darkness of the stadium.
Tears of joy ran down Lance's face as he smiled. The assurance of the crowd made him feel as if he were on top of the world..
A short lived bliss...
“Not so fast though, Champ..” An unrecognized voice came booming over the intercom.
The crowd quickly hushed at the sound of the stranger's words. Lance looked towards the announcer who seemed as confused as he was, for he shrugged his shoulders at the boy. A soft red light in the shape of Dragonair glowed near the roof of the stadium, and vanished within seconds.
The spotlights turned off. The stadium was pitch black. The unaware audience discussed the situation among themselves. Children cried, terrified of the darkness.
The lights of the stadium turned on, and the first thing everyone had noticed:
“Where's Dragonair!?” shouted Lance in panic. He reached down to his waist where he kept its Pokeball. The sphere felt light, a sign of vacancy. The boy growled quietly as he grinded his teeth. He knew what was going on. He quickly grabbed the microphone from the announcer and shouted into it, “Show yourself, Noon!”
The black screens of the four sided jumbotron at at the top of the stadium turned on. It displayed the silhouette of a man from the chest up.
Nobody spoke. Everyone's attention was on the screen.
An obvious expression of anger was on Lance's face as he stared at the black figure. He broke the silence as he once again shouted into the microphone: “Give back Dragonair! I know you took her!”
There was a brief pause in the exchange of words, but after a few more seconds of nothingness the stranger's voice rang over the intercom again: “We tried to reason with you, Lance,” said the voice. The man sounded as sarcastic as could be. It was not the tone of somebody who believed in reason. “It seems you've left us with no choice. Your Dragonair's enroute to our labs right now. Don't worry, we'll take good care of her.”
The screen turned off. The crowd was silent. A blind man would think the stadium was empty.
Lance's previously elated expression was now replaced with one of despair. His eyes were wide and drained of emotion. His mouth hung open. Both arms dangled to the boy's side, and the microphone fell to the ground. Feedback could be heard through the stadium's speakers, but to Lance there was no sound. He fell to his knees.
The announcer approached Lance, and placed his hand on his right shoulder. For a second he didn't say anything. He just wanted to show Lance sympathy.
“Hoenn...” muttered Lance.
The announcer kneeled down beside the boy in order to hear what he had to say a bit more clearly. “What was that?” asked the announcer.
“They're taking us.. to Hoenn..”
Lance closed his eyes and fell flat on his face. The announcer tried to catch him, but he wasn't fast enough.
After that some Nurse Joy, and Chansey came to their aid. Nobody heard too much of what had happened for the rest of the week.
“Late last week, Champion Lance lost his favored Dragonair shortly after his victory at the Pokemon League,” said the News anchor. “No suspects have been identified, and the only person with information regarding the crime, Lance, fell into a coma shortly after the event had occurred. Authorities are urging kin of Lance to make reports of all suspicious activity that may have some sort of connection to the incident.”
I remember feelings of sadness from that day. The more I thought about it, the more depressed I grew. Think about it.. You achieve everything, and within seconds... it's all gone, plus tax. That hardly seems fair, but that's the world we live in. A hard truth to swallow when your tale is about to unfold.
A huge, well lit stadium. The bleachers were overpopulated with eager spectators. In the middle of the large superstructure was what seemed like a barren wasteland. Sand dunes, boulders, the whole nine.. Everything about the desert like scenery seemed natural, everything except for the large white Pokeball symbol in the center.
The bright lights of the stadium came to a dim. Within seconds it was as dark as night. The crowd began to settle. Spotlights shined on the four corners of the field, and a booming voice could be heard over the intercom system:
“Congratulations to the new Kanto Pokemon League champion, young Dragon Tamer.. Lance!”
The crowd began to roar once again as the spotlights zoomed to the center of the stadium where a young Red Headed boy, and his Dragonair stood aside each other. He wore plain, black, slim fit joggers over a gray pair of sneakers with white soles. The shoes complimented his white shirt which had a pixel art pokeball design over the right breast which is usually covered by his black and red varsity jacket.
His Dragonair happily wrapped around her trainer. The love seemed a bit excessive, but how does one contain themselves after winning a championship title for anything?
From the darkness stepped a blond, white man wearing a black suit and wayfarer sunglasses, holding a microphone. Obviously the announcer.
“Lance!” said the announcer into the microphone. Interested, the crowd simmered down once again as he prepared to speak to the new champion. “How does it feel?” He began. “You were considered a prodigy from the beginning of the tournament, and you rode that title straight into the hall of fame!”
Lance smiled as he looked into the eyes of his Dragonair. “Well, I couldn't have done it without my buddy here,” said the boy calmly. From the way he spoke one wouldn't know that he'd won anything. Was he humble, or so confident in his abilities as a trainer that he just wasn't surprised? “This journey started years ago without a waypoint, or destination. Becoming champion wasn't apart of the plan, but here we are.” His excitement became more and more apparent with each word. “This isn't the end though, and I do plan on getting stronger with Dragonair. We're both gonna sprout wings in due time!”
As if on cue, the crowd broke out into a roaring applause. Lance could hold it no longer. He closed his eyes, and jumped out of pure happiness. His Dragonair mimicked his excitement and took flight into the darkness of the stadium.
Tears of joy ran down Lance's face as he smiled. The assurance of the crowd made him feel as if he were on top of the world..
A short lived bliss...
“Not so fast though, Champ..” An unrecognized voice came booming over the intercom.
The crowd quickly hushed at the sound of the stranger's words. Lance looked towards the announcer who seemed as confused as he was, for he shrugged his shoulders at the boy. A soft red light in the shape of Dragonair glowed near the roof of the stadium, and vanished within seconds.
The spotlights turned off. The stadium was pitch black. The unaware audience discussed the situation among themselves. Children cried, terrified of the darkness.
The lights of the stadium turned on, and the first thing everyone had noticed:
“Where's Dragonair!?” shouted Lance in panic. He reached down to his waist where he kept its Pokeball. The sphere felt light, a sign of vacancy. The boy growled quietly as he grinded his teeth. He knew what was going on. He quickly grabbed the microphone from the announcer and shouted into it, “Show yourself, Noon!”
The black screens of the four sided jumbotron at at the top of the stadium turned on. It displayed the silhouette of a man from the chest up.
Nobody spoke. Everyone's attention was on the screen.
An obvious expression of anger was on Lance's face as he stared at the black figure. He broke the silence as he once again shouted into the microphone: “Give back Dragonair! I know you took her!”
There was a brief pause in the exchange of words, but after a few more seconds of nothingness the stranger's voice rang over the intercom again: “We tried to reason with you, Lance,” said the voice. The man sounded as sarcastic as could be. It was not the tone of somebody who believed in reason. “It seems you've left us with no choice. Your Dragonair's enroute to our labs right now. Don't worry, we'll take good care of her.”
The screen turned off. The crowd was silent. A blind man would think the stadium was empty.
Lance's previously elated expression was now replaced with one of despair. His eyes were wide and drained of emotion. His mouth hung open. Both arms dangled to the boy's side, and the microphone fell to the ground. Feedback could be heard through the stadium's speakers, but to Lance there was no sound. He fell to his knees.
The announcer approached Lance, and placed his hand on his right shoulder. For a second he didn't say anything. He just wanted to show Lance sympathy.
“Hoenn...” muttered Lance.
The announcer kneeled down beside the boy in order to hear what he had to say a bit more clearly. “What was that?” asked the announcer.
“They're taking us.. to Hoenn..”
Lance closed his eyes and fell flat on his face. The announcer tried to catch him, but he wasn't fast enough.
After that some Nurse Joy, and Chansey came to their aid. Nobody heard too much of what had happened for the rest of the week.
-----
A special news report interrupted my favorite movie the following Monday...
“Late last week, Champion Lance lost his favored Dragonair shortly after his victory at the Pokemon League,” said the News anchor. “No suspects have been identified, and the only person with information regarding the crime, Lance, fell into a coma shortly after the event had occurred. Authorities are urging kin of Lance to make reports of all suspicious activity that may have some sort of connection to the incident.”
I remember feelings of sadness from that day. The more I thought about it, the more depressed I grew. Think about it.. You achieve everything, and within seconds... it's all gone, plus tax. That hardly seems fair, but that's the world we live in. A hard truth to swallow when your tale is about to unfold.