Rated M for language, mild violence and possible lemons in later chapters.

This is my first story, published on or anywhere else. I had a lot of ideas swimming around in my head for a story and decided to act on them. Kade is based off of my character in Pokemon Diamond.

I do not own Pokemon, any Pokemon characters, the Sinnoh or any other region, and any towns.

Any kind of feedback is much appreciated! Hopefully will have next chapter up within the week.

It gets better, I promise. (:

Waiting. It was one of my weak points, a soft spot that got me into trouble and a result of my non-confrontational attitude. You see, normal kids scratch out the first few years of their lives waiting, so I was normal in that aspect. Waiting for their tenth birthdays, waiting to be able to leave home and embark on this 'amazing adventure, filled with new friends and fun'. That's what we were told, anyway.

Getting your own pokemon was supposed to be exhilarating, the first of many new experiences. This was so far from the truth, so far from the fantasies that schoolchildren had that the teachers and parents in their lives instilled. Every year, parents let their ten year old children loose on the world, gave them a weak young pokemon and a phony dream. Some of these children were never heard from again, the result of carelessness on the parents' part and laziness on the childs. More and more children were being taken, stolen from their false hopes by death, death brought about by nothing more than their general unpreparedness. Children who had waited out their first years in school, not paying attention to their studies and not paying attention when they were informed of all the dangers becoming a trainer presented. Which was why I believed, and still quite frankly do, that waiting probably saved my life on more than one occasion.

But waiting was a terrible thing for me, too. I chose, on my tenth birthday, to stay in school. To stay home with my mom and dad and finish my education and hopefully not become another statistic for juvenile mortality rates. I had been criticized, mocked by the older kids in the trainer school, my neighbours, people around town. It was unheard of for someone living in Hearthome to not start off with a pokemon the day after their tenth birthday or to start conditioning themselves to be a coordinator. Hearthome, right smack in the middle of Sinnoh, was one of the busiest towns for miles. It's right by the end of Mount Coronet, the biggest town in the long pathway that cut clear through Sinnoh. One would think that a kid, especially a young girl who really had nothing going for her there, would want to get away and start on her own as soon as possible. But I was scared of the change, of not being able to live comfortably and having to worry about my safety every minute.

I was perfectly happy continuing on in school, waiting until I was sure I was ready to become a trainer. And becoming a trainer was something I knew that I wanted to do; although breeding pokemon was in my blood and something I had known inside and out since I had begun to form coherent sentences, it wasn't appealing to me to make a pokemon beautiful and show off. There were a lot of people living in Hearthome that did just that; it was a daily thing on my walks to school to see men and women dressed to the nines and parading their prized pokemon through the bustling streets of Hearthome. My dislike for the whole business shunted me farther from the children at school, for many of them were raised in homes absolutely dedicated to the art of making a pokemon bigger than the rest, softer and smarter.

I was that weird kid that apparently didn't like pokemon; the loser not even the youngest children wanted to be seen with. My dad was always encouraging, even though I had already expressed an interest in becoming a trainer and not taking over as head breeder at his ranch. He still dropped subtle hints at getting me interested in the art of producing pokemon superior to the parents, but I would have none of it. The years of being the only older kid with the younger ones in the school took their toll, and I became secluded from the others. Just a kid walking home, taking the long dirt path along the base of Coronet home to the sprawling ranch on the outskirts of town.

Considering the circumstances in which I was raised, one would generally think that I would be depressed, wouldn't want to be anything more than someone who drifted through life with no real purpose. If any of the countless children at school or in town had bothered to try to make friends with me, they would have found that the apparent psycho was actually a nice person. Optimism came just as strong to me as shyness, which my dad seemed to think was hilarious. At school and around the town I was Callum's daughter, the quiet one who had rejected pokemon. But around my parents and the pokemon my dad bred on the ranch I was a different person, stubborn and outspoken.

It was around the time my mom left again during the summer that I turned fifteen. Mom was famous in her own right, and people often challenged me to become half the person Cynthia was. She left for months at a time; you don't get to be head of the Pokemon League and do no work. She would call once a week, about as often as she could. Being the daughter of the Champion and a widely known breeder was tough enough, but my decision to wait was beginning to take its toll on me. I was starting to tank in school, my grades slipping faster than my reputation. I had been bumped into the senior trainer's school not too long before my fifteenth birthday, and the change had seemingly had its affect on me. I wanted to go out, to catch pokemon on my own and to explore Sinnoh. My mom had effectually convinced me, and I was raring to go. Just one problem presented itself; how in all hell was I supposed to just go out and catch my own pokemon?

Sure, I had been reading about it and studying the techniques for much longer than other kids had, but reading about it and practicing it were two very different things. The one time I managed to save enough money up to go and buy a pokeball from the local market, the store owner had laughed me clear out of the marketplace. When I told my dad about my failed attempt at starting my own team, he kindly suggested that I try to get some experience with pokemon before trying to actually catch a wild one. I agreed, but under one condition; I could have one of the pokemon that he bred.

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Fifteen years old. Finally. I had been waiting for this day to arrive since I had first made the decision to stay home. I had figured that I would be capable enough to tackle all the challenges becoming a pokemon trainer would throw at me, and I had the entire summer to figure things out. I wished I could be there to see the younger kids' faces when they realized that Kade Whiting, freak extrordinaire, wouldn't be returning for another year at the Hearthome trainers' school. I grinned at this, sticking my legs out from under the warm bedsheets as I made an attempt to wake up. It was early in the morning, but the intense sunshine blasting me full on in the face and illuminating my small room told a whole different story. I was already sweating after having been lying awake for mere minutes; I didn't want to think about what it would feel like out there come noon.

Sitting up, I brushed my hair backwards from my face with my fingers and stood, stretching as I examined myself in the mirror. I frowned slightly; I must have been sleeping pretty weird to have this many lines indented across my face. Taking a few steps towards the mirror, my bare feet stuck to the wood floors as I creaked my way to the full length mirror hanging on the back of my door. Soft blue eyes stared back at me, examining the criss crossing mess that meshed my face. I had my mothers eyes, the only compliment I had ever received about being her daughter. I raised my fingers to trace across my face, whispering over my lips and nose thoughtfully.

I liked my face; my nose wasn't as obnoxious as my dad's, a soft slope that fit perfectly with my pink lips. I never wore makeup, never wanted to. It was part laziness and part uncertainty that kept me from trying to look like all the other hotshot girls at school; on one hand, I couldn't be bothered to wake up an extra half hour early to apply some gunk to my face that would probably only be messed up by lunchtime. On the other, a part of me wanted to believe that I was pretty enough not to need the help makeup was said to offer women. Soft chocolate locks fell in straight strands over my shoulders, just brushing my shoulder blades. I liked my hair as well, liked the fact that that was the one thing I could hold over the heads of all the snobby girls at school. That I didn't have to straighten and fry my hair every morning, didn't have to worry about it getting wet and having that little wave starting up at the side. I had been made fun of in the past, yeah. But never about my looks, about my face. I was glad about this, because it meant that at least people didn't consider me shit-ugly.

My skin was creamy white right now, but that was a result of the harsh Sinnoh winter. I couldn't stand snow, hated being cold and hated being out in the wet stuff even more. Once summer started, which, judging from the intensifying sun lighting up my room, wouldn't be too far off, my skin would adopt my favoured skin tone, a soft brown that beat looking like a snowman. I was lucky that I took after my mom; even though I had taken my dad's darker locks, my facial features were almost identical to my mothers. People often told me that I looked remarkably like the League's Champion, and I never bothered to correct them. Whoever knew in Hearthome either didn't feel the need to spread this particular bit of gossip around or wasn't up to seemingly appreciating the quiet pokemon hater.

I snorted derisively at this thought. Pokemon hater, my ass. One wouldn't fare well living on a ranch if they were in the mindset that pokemon weren't to have any contact with humans. I couldn't help the grin that spread across my face now; there was a reason I had bothered to roll out of bed so damn early. Raking my fingers through my hair as a sad substitute for my brush, I pulled the yellow elastic off my wrist and twirled my hair into a messy bun at the nape of my neck.

Practically skipping across my room, I changed into more acceptable day clothes, discarding my pyjamas into the soft plastic bin at the foot of my bed. Today was the first day of summer vacation, and if everything went as I was hoping it would, the first day marking my freedom. Never again would I have to return to that infernal hell hole that I had actually decided to stay in. And, I thought happily as I pushed the pockets on my jean shorts the right way, the day that my dad had promised to give me my first pokemon. My mind began to wander again, much the same as it had been the last few weeks of school. My dad was proud of the fact that I had decided to stay at home and learn as much as I could before becoming a trainer, and had promised me not long after my eleventh birthday, when I had become quite sick of the school, that not only would I not have to go out and catch a wild pokemon, but I could pick any of the pokemon that he bred here on our ranch. This idea was mind boggling to my eleven year old brain; the pokemon that my dad bred were so diverse that I was almost certain that I would pick six out right off the bat and be set for life. While I had grown out of this particular train of thought in the ensuing four years, I had still been up most of the night last night trying to decide which pokemon I would pick.

Straightening the hem of my sky blue tee, I shut the door on my sunny bedroom and thumped across the antique wood landing and stairs. Our house was small, but it was cozy and I had never found myself wishing that we lived somewhere bigger or more modern. It had been in my fathers family for as long as anyone could remember, and my dad was not-so-secretly hoping that I would raise a family here someday.

My bare feet scuffed along the throw rug at the bottom of the stairs as I entered the little kitchen, looking around for my dad. His enormous frame would have been immediately obvious had he been anywhere in the kitchen or adjoining living room, so I was disappointed when I realized he must be out in the yard already. Jesus, how early did I have to get up to be able to beat this guy?

I opened the door of our fridge, glancing over at the clock on the stove as I chugged back some milk from the carton. It wasn't even 7:30 yet. Man, if I ever had to make this a routine, getting up at such an ungodly hour, I doubted I would be a trainer for very long.

I rolled my eyes at my own attempt at sarcasm, wiping my milk moustache off on the back of my hand and then my shorts as I replaced the carton and began the search for my flip flops. My dad was very lenient with the smaller pokemon he raised, and the Poochyena that he had become rather fond of had what was basically a free rein of our house. I had lost so many pairs of shoes to the little thing that I had taken to buying the cheaper kind, so when I bought a rather nice pair I went out of my way to hide them away in a kitchen cabinet. My dad would probably never find them; it was a rare occasion when he actually searched for anything to eat. If it was put at the front of the fridge, it got eaten, no questions asked.

Taking the vivid purple sandals out of the cabinet and clapping them together to get rid of the subtle layer of nutmeg that had begun to accumulate on them, I slipped them onto my feet and wiggled my toes to get them on properly. I didn't wear them to school much, and they had gone almost forgotten the entire school year until about a week ago when I had been searching for a package of salt.

The screen door slammed shut behind me as I stepped off our front porch, the rumbling growl of the sleeping Poochyena vibrating against my ankle as I barely avoided stepping on the sleeping pokemon. "Don't sleep on the stairs unless you want to brush your teeth with my foot, you beast." I muttered to him, reaching down to scratch his nose. This earned me a sigh as he began to wake, and I resumed walking and was halfway to one of the large barns before he caught up.

Rounding the corner of the large red building, I could hear my dad huffing away as he worked at clearing out some of the clutter in his workshop. The Poochyena jogged past me, sniffing at corners and barking a hello to my father, who looked up and smiled.

"Kade," He grinned, wiping his hands on a dirty white rag which went over his shoulder moment later. "Morning, Dad." I smiled back, glancing around before clapping my hands on my hips. My dad laughed at my impatient pose. He knew how impatient I could be when I wanted something, and he made an attempt at dragging it out as long as he could. "Well, you see, Kade. I've been thinking," He said, tapping his temple with a dirty finger. I gave him the most scathing look I could come up with to get the point across that I had waited long enough.

My dad was still young in his own right, his bronze hair shaved down short for the summer. He was in his late thirties, not many wrinkles showing on his bearded face for all the worrying he did over the ranch. He was tall, and broad. My god, he had to be the biggest man I had ever seen. He cleared six feet easily, and me and my mother liked joking that he was just as wide. But not even the people who didn't get along with him could call him fat; it was all muscle. If he wasn't my father and if I wasn't aware of the fact that he was a complete pushover, I would be scared shitless of him.

"Maybe we should wait to get you a pokemon?" He asked, trying his absolute best at keeping a straight face. I huffed and couldn't help but laugh too as the telltale creases started beside his eyes.

"Dad. I am so ready for this. Bring it," I challenged, an old game we had. He shook his head at me as his rumbling laugh echoed through the cavernous building, turning and beckoning for me to follow him around the side of the barn. The entire side of the barn was a door, and it was currently wide open. Once we could see past the colossal door, the wind picked up the strands of hair that hadn't quite made it into my bun and fluttered them around in front of my face as we stared out over the acres of land spreading out in front of us. The bigger pokemon were enclosed in large black fences, taller than I was and reinforced with steel. All the precautions my dad took weren't entirely necessary: many of the pokemon had been hatched here and had no desire whatsoever to leave the acres of wide green land.

"You decided what type you want?" My dad asked, a method of his at attempting to discern which pokemon I was going to pick. I had played coy all these years, never once mentioning a favoured pokemon. I shrugged, using a thumb to gesture in the direction of a dark blue, smaller barn off to the right. It was a fair distance away, three large pastures spreading out between where we stood at the beginning of our property and where the barn was.

"I was thinking about looking around over there. Good idea?" I asked my dad, shoving my hands deep into my shorts pockets. I could barely contain my excitement, but I definitely didn't want to come off as if I had never entertained the idea of my own pokemon.

My dad's laugh again rumbled through his chest and I couldn't help but smile again. Today was looking amazing already. "You sure know how to pick 'em," He admitted. The dark blue barn was the oldest barn on the property, the one where my mom kept the pokemon she couldn't bear to keep cooped in the PC system. We began to make our way to the barn, my dad ambling along at his own slow pace while I very nearly began to run.

My mom had a lot of pokemon she couldn't always keep with her, and my dad had built this barn the year I was born so she could work with the comfort of knowing her pokemon were safe at home. I visited the barn often, not only to feed the pokemon but to make an attempt at bonding. It had been drilled into my head since I could read that a pokemon and their trainer had to bond for anything to come of the partnership, and I considered it good practice for whenever I managed to kick my ass into gear.

The doors gave a mighty creak as my dad opened them, leaning against the thick white doorframe as I entered the barn. It was still a large building, larger by far than our house but paling in comparison to the workshop we had just left. There were four rows arranged along the walls of the wood building, and spacious stalls separated these rows into comfortable places for pokemon to sleep in during the colder months. Right now these doors were thrown open, and an array of pokemon were lounging on the cool concrete floor. Normally we didn't allow pokemon to have such freedom, but these were my mother's pokemon and they were trained very well. They wouldn't leave and they had grown alongside each other, so we could leave this barn in peace when need be.

Some of the pokemon merely looked up at my presence, barely batting a sleepy eyelid before curling back up. Others gave happy little calls, but none moved towards me. They had been trained to stay their ground until called, something I thought was a rather stupid thing to do to your partners but which I continually found convenient.

I clicked softly with my tongue, my eyes trained on on of the spacious corner stalls as I awaited patiently one of the pokemon that I envied the most. There was a brief shuffling as the hay was kicked around the stall, and I could hear my dad's chuckle. As hard as it was for me, I stood where I was and waited for the fiery pokemon to make her way towards me. I could feel her heat almost as soon as she stood up, the clopping of her hooves a dull thud against the padded floor.

"Hey, girl." I murmured softly as the Rapidash approached me, her head low so I could place a hand on her creamy fur. She snorted quietly, turning her long face so she could look at me. Her jet black eye seemed to study me for a second as I rubbed her warm fur appreciatively before she huffed and raised her head back up.

She was big for a Rapidash, her back easily brushing my shoulder when I stood beside her. I had bonded with her the first time my mother left for longer than a week, and she was the only pokemon on the ranch that I could freely tell anyone that I loved.

"So it's one of the herd, is it?" My dad asked me, and I turned around. He was still smiling, but this was a proud smile. I guessed he had known for a while now that I would want one of the Rapidash's offspring, but I let this slide as she nudged my hand again.

"Yeah, it is." I rubbed her forehead for a moment longer before turning to leave the barn, the slow clacking of hooves following me. "I kind of want a boy, though. They're supposed to be much easier to train," I added, letting my mouth run in my excitement. My dad only nodded, that same smile brightening his features. My mother's Rapidash seemed to know where we were going, and trotted ahead to the smaller pasture directly behind the little blue barn.

My dad had bred her to a friends Rapidash the previous winter, and she had produced six small Ponyta's in the year following. They all stood side by side against the barn, the majority of them still half asleep. They were hard to tell apart at first, but I had been studying them since they were born. I picked out the largest male in the group easily, the one that I had decided that I wanted to take as my own. He was enormous, even for a Ponyta. His shoulders stood a good foot over his brothers', and his fiery mane burned higher than any other Ponyta I had ever seen. My mother's Rapidash gave a soft cry, and the heads of her offspring rose one by one. My dad opened the gate, and I followed in behind him. I made sure to close this one; these Ponyta were still young, and they were unpredictable at this point.

My dad clapped a hand on the large male, working his fingers through the thicker neck fur as he examined the small herd of Ponyta. "Which one will it be?" He asked, gesturing around at the now alert Ponyta.

Out of the six babies, four of them were male. This was what my dad had expected, and he was proud of the results. I could tell he favoured the male that I was now examining, and this bothered me slightly.

"Big boy here is pretty appealing," I admitted, lifting a hand to pet his nose the same way I had done his mother. He shied away from my touch, backing into one of his brothers and causing the entire lot of them to shuffle backwards. I frowned, and my dad did as well. "Kade," He started, his voice rough from disuse. "I don't think he's a very good idea. You've never raised a pokemon before, and he's a mighty big boy." He offered me an apologetic smile, but I kept my frown firm on my face.

"Dad, I can do it. I didn't stay here for nothing." I said, crossing my arms. Out of the six of them, only one had stood its ground. I examined this Ponyta now, trying to make it look like I wasn't upset that my dad had just rejected my request. It took me another moment, but I recognized it as one of the two females. She was big as well, although nowhere near her massive brother. Her mane and tail were longer than those of her siblings, and her fur was noticeably a darker shade of cream. She stared me down as I watched her, and I found myself looking away from the intense stare.

My dad shook his head, giving the big male a firm pat on the shoulder before backing away. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to say no this time, Kade. He'll be too much for you to handle. And besides," He added, looking sheepishly at me. "I kind of had plans to get him into the breeding program. Traits like these are hard to come by, you know." He explained, giving the big pokemon an appreciative glance.

"But, dad." I started, trying to reason with him. "I'll let you breed him, I promise. But I really do think we'd make a good team. You want me to succeed, right?" I asked, trying to convince him to let me take him. But it was a losing battle, and I could already see it in his face, the way he crossed his arms as soon as I began to make my argument.

"No, Kade. Look, I really wish I could let you have him, I do." He apologized, watching me look away again. I noticed the same female was still eyeing me down, and I fidgeted under her gaze. "But not him. What about her?" He asked, suddenly very interested in the female who was giving me the stink eye.

I shook my head, keeping my eyes on the jet black ones that were boring into me. "I don't think she likes me." I told him, taking my loss of the big male in stride. My dad shook his head, approaching the female. "Nonsense. You haven't even tried to approach her yet," He said, walking slowly towards the Ponyta with an outstretched hand. She stiffened visibly, but made no attempt to avoid my dad's hand. He patted her head, smoothing an ear as he looked at me.

"What do you think? She's good, built real nice. She'll make an excellent runner." He explained, beckoning me over. I reluctantly agreed, giving the male a last look before approaching the female. She snorted as I approached, but I ignored it and pet her nose. Her eyes followed my face as my dad walked beside her and motioned for me to come closer.

"C'mon, let's see you on this girl." He held out his hands, making a platform for me to step into to mount the Ponyta. I was already apprehensive about her, being glared at not among my favourite things in the world. "I don't think that's a good idea, Dad." I shook my head, but he was insistent. I gave in, placing a hand against her broad shoulder to steady myself. Her fur was hot to the touch, much warmer than her mothers. My dad hoisted me up and over her back almost as soon as my foot touched his hand, and I struggled for a moment to regain my balance.

"Vault me over her, why don't you." I muttered, my hands trying to find purchase in the velvety fur as I grimaced. My bare thighs felt like they were being burned, which they probably were. She gave another snort, louder this time. My dad took a step back and let out a hearty laugh, but it was cut short.

I could feel her shifting her weight from hoof to hoof as he stepped away, and as soon as his hand left her body she let out a loud cry. "Dad," I said nervously as she began to back up, obviously not liking my weight on her back. My dad laughed again, and I began to try to slip off her other side as her rear end bumped the fence. "Dad!" I said again, getting more anxious now that she was beginning to paw the ground.

He seemed to think my panic was immensely funny, as he did nothing to stop the imminent rampage. I could feel her muscles bulging and tensing under my fingers, her brothers and sister long since having migrated to the safer side of the paddock. She gave a final snort before I felt her rear end come up, smashing my upper body and face into her neck as she made the first attempt to get me off of her back.

My fingers grappled for something to hold on to, but all I managed to do was stick my finger directly into the fiery mane between her ears. I yelped, trying to bring my finger to my face as the burn began to sting. I barely had time to look at the red spot forming on my middle finger before my hand was replaced with the sky. I frowned for a moment, my eyebrows dipping down as I tried to figure out what had happened. But then the air got incredibly cold on my thighs and I realized about a second before I hit the ground; she had bucked me off.

I landed on my back in the grass just outside the fence, my eyes watering as the clouds above me swam. It took me a few tries to suck in air, and while I was struggling to breathe I could hear my dad's laugh booming over the cries of the Ponyta. I rolled onto my stomach, the stomping hooves of the triumphant Ponyta kicking sand into my face.

"That was great!" My dad hollered, doubled over in laughter. I groaned, the hair from my recently undone bun flying in the breeze that had picked up. There was grass in my mouth, and judging by the metallic taste, I had probably bit my cheek in my arc over the fence. What the hell was this?

As I lay there, I heard my dad closing the gate to the paddock, his laugh still coming in quick bursts. "That was brilliant, hun. I think she really likes you," He said, but I didn't hear the rest of his sentence for the laughter that cracked him up again. "You've earned it, kiddo." I did hear him say, and for one second of ringing silence I was confused. What was he on about now?

I heard a thump about a foot away from my face, and when my eyes focused I saw a small pokeball. I made no move to grab it, wondering what my dad was meaning. When he noticed that I wasn't taking it, he stopped laughing long enough to explain to me what I had desperately been hoping he wasn't going to say.

"You've just earned yourself your very own pokemon, Kade. Congrats." This was all he managed, because as he began to shuffle away his voice was broken up by laughter again. I reached my hand out to grasp the small pokeball; it was no bigger than the palm of my hand, brand new. He wasn't serious, was he?

I lifted my head just enough to see his heels turn the corner of the open barn door, followed by the Rapidash who was now giving me what appeared to be an apologetic smile. I stared at the empty space they had just left for what seemed like minutes before turning my face to look at the paddock. The five Ponyta who had been smart enough to vacate the immediate kicking area were all snuffling through the dirt, and it took my eyes a few seconds to refocus on the hooves less than three feet from my face. I followed the creamy orange legs up what now seemed to be an impossibly tall body until I reached her face. She was looking down at me, breathing hard through her nose. She gave a quick shake of her head, sending sparks raining down on me. She turned, allowing me an ample view of her powerful hind legs before she rejoined her siblings, acting for all the world like she hadn't just bucked a human over a fence. I stared at her backside incredulously for a few seconds before lifting my finger to my face. An angry welt was forming on the tip of my middle finger, and it throbbed almost as hard as my head was.

Looking at the small pokeball clenched in my hand, I groaned and let my face fall back into the grass. It was going to be a loooong day.