18

[Dragon Master Mike]

Chapter 1: Captured

Turning his head around, he came to face to face with them. Humans. There were three in total, two male and one female. Two were standing behind while one walked forward with a large net. The second Corey moved, the net was thrust over him. Before Corey even realized what was happening, he had been dragged off and dropped into a cage. He cried for help as loud as he could, but there was nothing he could do. Any form of resistance was futile. He fruitlessly clawed at the side of the cage, all the while crying for help.

“Shut up in there.” He heard a voice coming from one of the humans.

“Do you want me to use the tranquilizer?” The female human said.

“No, not yet.” the first human responded.

Corey laid down in the cage in despair, all the while being carried further and further from home. They carried Corey until they reached a large gate in the metal fence around the sector. The humans opened the gate, taking him through and closing the gate behind them. On the other side was a human device of some sort. They walked to one side of it and grabbed a handle. As they pulled it up, it opened. They tossed him inside, shutting it behind him. Seconds later, the device began to move, making the cage shake.

“This can’t be happening!” Corey thought, shaking in fear.

“Why is this happening!” Corey knew very well the answer to that question, yet he refused to believe it. He began to examine his surroundings. It was dark, making it difficult to see anything. He could just barely make out the shapes of four empty cages around him.

“They got you too, kid?” Corey heard, startled. He scanned the room again and noticed that not all the cages were empty. The cage next to him had another Pokemon in it. It was too dark to tell what Pokemon, but he was sure it was there

“Y-Yeah” Corey said, barely audible, Looking away from the Pokemon in the cage beside him.

“You know where they are taking us right?” The Pokemon asked.

“Yeah” Corey said, even quieter than before. Corey sat, expecting another question, but none came. Corey was exhausted. He began struggling to keep his eyes open, and before he knew it he was sleeping. When he woke up, he was no longer in the same place. He was in a new cage, in a large room. Though the first cage was just big enough to hold him, this cage looked as though it could hold very large Pokemon. He then noticed he had a collar on. It was tight and uncomfortable. In the dim light provided by a single light bulb in the center of the room he could make out many cages with Pokemon around him. He had never seen such Pokemon before. The Pokemon to his left was mostly black with a few blue areas and a yellow star like shape at the end of its tail. To his right was a large grey winged Pokemon with red spots and a red head. He noticed that every one of them had a collar like him.

Corey was so amazed by the Pokemon around him that he had almost forgotten his current situation. He had been captured by humans, and he knew what they wanted these Pokemon for. Their twisted games. Pretty soon they would all be fighting. Corey didn’t know what to do. His situation was hopeless. He was a young Eevee who was going to be tossed in a massive arena with 17 deadly opponents. He knew he was going to die in this fight. He laid down on the cold floor of the cage, accepting his fate. At some point he managed to fall asleep. He slept for a while before being woken up by a loud noise. He looked up to see a large group of humans walking in. The human at the front of the group began to speak.

“Listen up. You are all going to behave or suffer the consequences. In a few minutes you are going to be led into a room. You are going to be broadcasted on live television, so you better behave. You are to look at the camera while the announcer talks about you, before being led out of the room. After this you will be led into another room. You will be put into another set of cages before being released into the arena.” The room was in an uproar at these words. There were cries of fear and anger echoing through the room.

The men then walked around the room with leashes, letting Pokemon out and putting them on the leash. When it was Corey's turn, he reluctantly obeyed. The Pokemon were lined up in a long hallway, with Corey at the front of the line. In front of him he could see a room. It was a nice room, with floors made of wood, and the walls painted with designs of leaves. There was a man sitting at a desk. As he examined the room, he noticed something behind him. He turned to see another one of the strange Pokemon. It was blue and had sharp claws. Corey turned just in time to see it claw one of the human's legs. The man quickly pulled out a long pole. Upon pressing a button on the pole, the end lit up with electricity. He jabbed the strange Pokemon with it, and upon doing so, it let out a cry, immediately jumping back.

“I guess that's what happens when you misbehave” Corey thought. Seconds later, The man in the room in front of him began speaking.

“Good morning! I bring you live from the arena, the 92nd annual Arceus Tournament! Lets skip all the unnecessary talking and jump right to the introductions!” He said. Suddenly Corey was being led forward. The man holding his leash led him into the room. Corey was shaking with fear.

“Is that the camera?” Corey thought, looking at a strange device pointing towards them. Corey had never seen a camera before. He hoped it was, not wanting to suffer the same injuries as the other Pokemon, and looked at it. The man who had led him in Attached Corey's leash to a loop that was connected to the desk the man sat on. The man then backed off and left the room.

“Aren’t you a cute one!” The man said, looking at Corey.

“From sector one we have an Eevee! He may not be very strong but perhaps his small size and agility can give him a chance!”

That was all the man at the desk said before the man who led Corey in came back and led him out. The man put him in another cage in another room. In the center of the room was a square of screens. They all showed the room where the Pokemon were being led through. This time it was the strange blue Pokemon that had tried to attack the man.

“Now from the cold barrens of sector two we have Sneasel! He looks ready to fight! We will see how he fares against the rest of the competition.” Corey watched as the Pokemon continued to be led in and out.

“Hailing from sector three we have Mismagius! its cries are said to cause headaches and hallucinations! That combined with its ability to phase through solid objects will give it an edge in the tournament!”

“And from sector four we’ve got Donphan! He is a strong one, but does he have what it takes to win?”

“From the marshes and lakes of sector 5 we have Croconaw! Its razor sharp teeth will make it a formidable opponent!”

“And from the mountains and forests of sector 6 we have Talonflame!”

“Now from sector 7 we have Ninetales! It is said that they can live for one thousand years, but will this one live through the tournament?

“And from sector 8 we have Machamp!”

“This Pokemon, it looks so strong!” Corey thought, “I don't stand a chance against any of the other Pokemon! I'm too weak!” Not wanting to hear another word about his inevitable destruction, Corey laid down, looking away from the screen and covering his ears with his paws. When he looked up again, only one Pokemon was left.


“And from sector 18 we have Slyveon!” Corey had never seen such a pokemon, yet somehow he felt a connection to it. It was clearly distressed. Tears ran down its face as it cried in fear.

“This one stands no chance,” The Machamp said in a rough voice, amused, “I will crush her, right after i crush the Eevee.” At these words Coreys blood ran cold. The Machamp had targeted him for termination. As far as Corey was concerned, all hope was gone. The Floodgate holding back his tears finally opened, as water poured from his eyes. He payed no attention to the Pokemon around him laughing and mocking. He didn’t care. His misery was cut short however by a slight pain in his back. He turned around to see a human standing next to his cage. It held a needle, and had just poked it into Cory's side. It only took a second for the medicine to begin to kick in. Within seconds he was sleeping.