This is a novelization of the game Pokémon Colosseum, focusing on looking deeper into the characters of the game and the history of Orre.

Therefore, I must request to readers to leave the plot out of any reviews for this story, simply because this was never written to have an original or exciting plot except for those readers who are not familiar with the plot of Colosseum. By all means comment all the more on the style and characterization, however.

Also, if you have a better idea for a title, by all means suggest.



Now, the prologue... I'm not too satisfied with the later half of it, although I'm not quite sure what is wrong with it. I do like the first part, though.

Also keep in mind that this is a prologue and it's not supposed to explain everything. Be patient.




Prologue
Snagem Hideout

Gonzap was usually not one to worry.

He had a whole team of thieves at his disposal, all ready to do anything he told them – in fact, sometimes he thought to himself that if he told them to jump off one of the many cliffs in the Orre desert, they would leap like lemmings before he could say “idiots”. Additionally, both he and all of the team members had countless Pokémon, all trained to great power by their former trainers, and he had his proud creations, the Snag Machines, ready to disable the anti-theft measures of Pokéballs and enable them to catch already-caught Pokémon. Again and again, he told himself that he didn’t have to be concerned.

Yet, he couldn’t help having a bad feeling about that kid, Wes.

Gonzap had found the mousey-haired boy on the streets of Pyrite Town a few years ago as a desperate, poor orphan who stole for a living for himself and two Eevee that he appeared to have ‘adopted’. He had talked to him to see if he would be interested in joining an organization for people like him, where he would get food, make some money of his own and discover his true abilities. Wes had gladly accepted. Found it exciting, even.

Soon, Gonzap had discovered that the boy was extraordinarily talented. He was a very bright kid (unlike most of his other members), was a quick learner when it came to Pokémon battling, and as a bonus he was never particularly interested in keeping the Pokémon he snagged from their trainers, instead often giving them to Gonzap as some kind of a thanks for bringing him off the streets. The kid had managed to make quite a bit of money right off the bat with his battling talent, and Gonzap had even given him a special blue uniform and considered him as a potential heir of Gonzap’s title as the leader of Team Snagem.

But not anymore.

Wes had gradually become more withdrawn from the rest of the team, focusing less on the snagging itself and more on earning money. When he gave Gonzap his share of the earnings, he always seemed more and more reluctant to hand it over.

And a few days ago, he had just walked into Gonzap’s office with an inscrutable expression, his now-evolved Espeon and Umbreon following him, and announced his resignation from the team, throwing his Snag Balls into a corner with a clatter and walking out before anybody could stop him. Gonzap hadn’t seen him again.

Now he wasn’t sure what Wes was up to, and that worried him. Somehow, he had started to like Wes – and now he was gone, probably for good.

Gonzap sighed. Such talent… wasted.

He looked up at his team members, sitting by the wooden table in the hideout and drinking beer from large green mugs. None of them worried about Wes. What was wrong with him? What exactly was it that he was worried about? He shook his head.

All of a sudden, the wall to Gonzap’s left burst in a deafening explosion. Pieces of concrete blasted across the room and dust filled the air. The Snagem members ran around coughing as a shape stepped in through the hole in the wall.

“Wes?” Gonzap asked slowly, but as he opened his mouth, it got filled with dust; he spat it out. The teen didn’t answer, but as he stepped inside and the dust started to settle, it became apparent that it was indeed Wes, accompanied by a small black feline with glowing rings on its body. He had clearly found a new use for the silver shades that he used in order not to be recognized – they kept the dust completely away from his eyes, and while Gonzap struggled to blink rapidly, Wes walked decisively to the torso-shaped dummy near where he had entered. He slowly reached out for the black device fit on the left shoulder of the dummy, and after a moment of hesitation, he set his hand on it.

Then suddenly, he removed it and tucked it quickly under his arm before turning around and darting deeper into the headquarters.

“Follow him!” Gonzap shouted, recovering his ability to speak and running after the boy, all the rest of team Snagem at his heels. He turned round a corner and saw to his horror that Wes had just fastened a round metallic object on the wall. The boy looked quickly up and ran the other way.

“It’s a bomb! Everybody leave the building!” Gonzap yelled in panic. “And get him!”

Chaos arose; some of the team members turned to exit through the hole that Wes had created, while others ran straight after Gonzap who followed Wes again. The boy turned towards the exit of the base with his Pokémon and ran outside.

“They’re going to escape! Get him, quick!”

Gonzap eyed a rusty red motorbike a short distance away, guarded by a light purple cat Pokémon sitting in the side seat. He immediately realized it was Wes’s.

“Get him already!” he shouted in frustration as the boy and his Umbreon jumped onto the motorbike; Wes immediately started the engine and the bike sped off in the direction of the Outskirt Stand.

For a second, it looked like Wes was simply leaving, but then Gonzap eyed a small remote control in his hand.

“NO!” he yelled as the boy pressed a button. Gonzap threw himself down to the ground, covering his head just before the Snagem base behind him ignited and exploded with a rain of metal.

Gonzap gritted his teeth. “You’ll pay for this, Wes… you’ll pay…” he muttered just as the teen and his bike disappeared from sight, leaving nothing but a cloud of dust.