Amy stared at what her mother had placed before her. "What is this?"
Dr. Anderson replied with a straight face, "Two changes of practical clothing. A small tent. A portable stove and some preserved food. A backpack capable of holding all those easily, with room to spare. A pokedex, registered to you. Six empty pokeballs. Everything a young trainer needs to start her Pokemon Journey."
Amy glared at her mother. "I know that. But why are you giving this all to me? I don't have time for a pokemon journey..." She held up a book that would have been daunting to the average college student, "My studies..."
Dr. Anderson deftly snatched the tome from her daughters hands. "Can certainly wait a year or three. Amy... you're ten years old. And while I am honored that you wish to follow my footsteps and become a doctor, you don't need to achieve that goal before you are legally an adult!" She knelt down to look Amy in the eye. "I haven't seen you playing with anyone your age since you were three. Or even just goof off, for that matter! You go to school, taking college level courses already... and then you come home and study more!" She closed her eyes. "I know I haven't been the best mother..."
"That's not..." Amy interrupted.
"Yes, it is true! Your father's... gone... and I spend more time at work than I do with you! But I refuse to sit by and do nothing while you squander away your childhood!" Dr. Anderson took a few deep breaths to calm herself before continuing. "I don't care if you only travel for a single year... but you will go! Travel around, see the world. Meet people!" She then cracked a small grin. "Surely you can do that for your mother?"
Amy sighed. "As you wish, mother." Then she grinned herself. "And don't call me 'Shirley.'"
Mother and daughter shared a laugh at that. Then Amy sobered. "There is one thing missing. I do need a starting pokemon..."
Dr. Anderson shook her head. "That's easy. You can take Marill."
Amy's eyes grew wide. "But she's..."
Dr. Anderson shook her head. "It's okay. Her mother stood by me when I was young, and now she will protect you."
_-=^=-_
A young girl with long black hair watched the sun set from on top the gateway to the shrine. It had been her family's sacred duty to guard the Flame of Moltres since the legendary pokemon created it. Even though some... like her father... might scoff at the idea, Raye embraced it. And was gifted with the ability to glimpse the future in the flames. A future... that wasn't at all like she thought it would be. She absently stroked the fur of the vulpix in her lap.
The creaking of the ladder warned her that someone was going to join her. She didn't need to look to see who it was. "Good evening, Grandpa."
"Raye." The short old man sat down next to his granddaughter. For a few minutes, no one said a word, as they watched the sun sink lower and lower.
"You'll be leaving tomorrow, won't you?" he asked at last.
Raye nodded. "Yes. I don't understand all of the visions I have seen... but I know that for now, I must leave the shrine and travel the world."
The old man sighed. "I will miss you, but we all must do what we must do." He paused in thought for a moment. "I don't suppose you will be taking those blasted birds of yours, will you?" he asked, referring to the pair of Murkrow that had made their nest in the shrine years before... and never left. Although technically wild, they always seemed to do whatever Raye asked them to, and she'd never seen any reason to chase the dark pokemon off, herself.
Raye giggled and shook her head. "Phobos and Demios will continue to guard the shrine while I'm away, Grandpa." She lifted the vulpix up higher, "just as Ares shall come to protect me!"
"Vul!" Ares replied, excited.
_-=^=-_
A young brunette walked down the forest path at a leisurely pace. At the moment, she wasn't hunting for any pokemon, and was just enjoying the beautiful day. She'd have to set up camp soon, but she didn't feel any need to rush.
Peace wasn't something Lita had felt often, and she wanted to soak up as much of it as she could.
Orphened when young, Lita had never really fit in. This wasn't helped by the fact that she was unusually tall for her age. So it hadn't been hard for her to fake being a couple years older than she really was, and left on a Pokemon Journey earlier than most kids did.
"Meg?" Her first pokemon ever, now evolved into a Meganium, brought her out of her reminiscing. It was getting awfully dark... time to set up camp.
Lita smiled as she walked over to her Meganium. She'd always had a way with plants, and so it was little surprise that she was very good with plant-type pokemon. "And how's your passenger?"
"Meg! Meg, Meganium!" Meganium lowered her head, allowing Lita to pick up the small pokemon that had fallen asleep on Meganium's back. He ability with plant pokemon hadn't surprised her... but finding she had a similar affinity for electric types was a bit of a... 'shock.'
As Lita lifted the small form up, it woke up. "Pi! Pichu!"
"Just settling down for the night, Pichu. Tomorrow, we enter the Kanto league!"
_-=^=-_
Mina Harker, child star and future action heroine, crept away from her mansion with the skill of a meowth...
"Whoa!"
...promptly tripped over a sprinkler head...
"Ahhh!!"
...rolled down a hill, and incidentally right over her mother's prize flower beds...
"Oh no!" SPLASH!!
...and right into the reflecting pool.
"Owie..."
A large pokemon gave a deep sigh as it walked over to where its mistress had failed to sneak away. Again. "Scizor."
"Aheh... Hiya, Scizor!" Mina replied, embarrassed.
"Scizor."
Mina pouted. "Do you have to?"
"Scizor. Scizor."
Mina sighed as she let the steel type pokemon lift her out of the pool. "I know, I know... it's just... I always thought being a star would be so cool. But now... I'm just tired of being watched all the time. I just want to be Mina Harker again, not 'Mina Harker, Idol Singer' or 'Mina Harker, Child Actress.'" She looked longingly at the gate leading away from the mansion, brushing he wet, blonde hair out of her face. "Every other kid in the world gets a chance to go on a Pokemon journey when they're ten... why shouldn't I, Scizor?"
"Scizor. Sci." For once, the steel pokemon wished it hadn't evolved, as its metal carapace didn't lend itself toward comforting.
Mina smiled anyway. "Thanks, Scizor."
Unseen by either Mina or Scizor, Mr. Harker thought about what he'd heard. He'd seen his daughter getting depressed recently, and now he knew why.
Well, then! One way or another, his daughter would get to have herself a pokemon journey! He'd see to that!
Now he just needed to figure out how to get his wife to agree...
_-=^=-_
Darien Shields shook his head in disbelief. Sure, this wasn't the first time he'd gotten lost... but still...
He looked at the sign before him, again.
"Pewter City, 5 Miles"
Yep, still the same.
"How in the world did we get so far off course, Houndoom?
Houndoom would have barked some kind of answer to his master, but he was too busy trying to figure it out, himself...
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(Posted Fri, 07 Nov 2003 05:20)
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