Ember and Rockwell: At the Beginning
A story by: Sparky L. Jolteon (completed on 8/1/16).
Overall story theme song: "Invincible" by Pat Benatar.
Chapter 1: "He's Just a Dog, and She's Just a Girl… How Very Obvious"
Pitter patter pitter patter. The sound of rain is all too familiar, as drop after drop of the stuff incessantly falls upon the car roof. Peering wistfully out the window, a pair of young girlish eyes watch every building, lamppost, and person go by, her gaze seeming empty and distant. "Great… looks like another uneventful outing. There'd better be a good reason for all this," the girl thinks, sighing as she slumps her chin into her hand, resting her head inside it in boredom. "Emily, we're almost there. Just a few more minutes," a voice says from the other side of the car seat before her. The girl cringes sharply at the mere mentioning of her real name, shrinking in her seat and rolling her eyes, a visibly irritated look on her face. "Mom, you know I hate being called that. Call me 'Ember.' That's what all my friends call me, and I like it so much better," Ember tells her. "And I know your birth name's so much more beautiful and sophisticated than some childish nickname. I should know, I named you," her mother replies smugly. "Aw come on! I didn't even ask to be born, let alone named, so why should I use your name for me? I…" Ember protests. "Emily, that's enough. I don't want any more lip from you now, or we're turning around and heading back home. Consider this a warning," her father sternly interjects, stalling the vehicle at a red light intersection. "You already ruined my birthday party yesterday, and now you silence me? Gee, thanks dad…," Ember muses, her irritation compounded even more. Once the car gets moving again, another minute passes until the car eventually parks itself in a small lot, the façade of a pet store lying before it. "We're here. Let's go Emily," her mother prods, exiting the vehicle and joining her husband at the store's entrance, Ember lagging behind unsurprisingly. "Took you long enough. Let's head inside," states her mother.
Inside the pet store is far more vivacious than the gloomy rainy world outside it, with people shopping up and down the aisles and small animals of all kinds housed in display cases, some partially enclosed and others fully so. The shelves are stocked full of a wide variety of pet food, toys, and other supplies for creatures ranging from dogs and cats to iguanas and tarantulas, as well as the occasional Pokémon species, too. Some Pokémon-only items are for sale as well, including Pokéballs, potions, and status healing medications. Upon entering the store, Ember's eyes slowly widen as she takes a good long look around the place. She had never been somewhere quite like that before, and in a rare moment of serene curiosity, her interest was truly piqued the first time in a good long while. "Emily, you may choose any pet you see here as your final birthday gift, but one and only one. Try not to break the budget with your selection too, if you can resist," her father explains with a faint smirk. "Really? Any pet I want? Hmm… don't worry, I'm gonna make this count for sure!" Ember exclaims excitedly, briefly hugging her parents individually before running from enclosure to enclosure wildly, thoroughly examining each animal she sees before heading to the next.
Lying idly alone in the corner of his open enclosure, a small nameless Electrike waits hopelessly for someone's attention. He is noticeably underweight for his age, his countenance clearly dismal. He had been essentially living the same routine for the past two weeks since he first arrived at the store: eat, sleep, and hope someone happens to be interested in adopting him. His two enclosure companions, a Poochyena and a Vulpix, were not exactly the best company for him, since they often ignored or annoyed him for fun. Suddenly, he sees a young human girl running haphazardly about the store looking for a pet. "Whoa, what's she doing? Could it be… she's looking for a new pet? This might be my lucky day!" he thinks, instantly leaping to his feet and smoothing the rough fur patches on his body with a moist paw to look his best. Ready for anything, he trots briskly to the side of the enclosure closest to the girl and wags his tail slowly, watching with much eager intent.
Eventually, Ember arrives at the small Electrike's open enclosure, noticing him almost immediately. "Well aren't you just a little cutie! You act like you already know me before you've really even met me," she says softly, smiling at him for a moment before turning her gaze toward the other two canines in his vicinity. Each time she did, though, the Electrike pup would whimper and draw her attention back to him again, wagging his tail vigorously and smiling widely, mouth partly open. The third time this happens, she gives in and approaches the playful pooch. "All right you, I'll play. C'mere!" Ember remarks with a clever smirk, reaching over the partition and grabbing the pup. He merrily licks her face and grins, panting lightly with his bright blue eyes radiating much youthful energy. "You're just so adorable! I'm keeping you for sure! What to name you, though…," she tells herself, lifting him up slightly to check his gender. "Yup, you're definitely a boy doggy!" she says, giggling to herself while he blushes under his facial fur in slight embarrassment. As she tries to think of a good name, she notices the store radio playing a familiar '80s song: "Somebody's Watching Me." "Hey, I know this song, and it started playing as soon as I set my eyes on you, little guy! Plus, you really won't stop watching me wherever I go, so it fits in that way, too. Who sings it again?" she remarks, waiting for the song to finish so the radio DJ will hopefully say the name of the artist before playing the next song. Surely enough, he does, and she smirks, holding the Electrike up to her face again and speaking to him, "That's right, I remember that guy's name, and since I can't think of a better name right now, it'll be yours: Rockwell!" Rockwell barks with joy as Ember shows him to her parents, they pay for him (in addition to a couple cheap toys and some dog food for obvious reasons), and they all leave the store together, actually seeming like a happy family – a welcome rarity – as they climb into their car and return home for the day. The whole ride there, a once sullen girl was now smiling warmly with her new pet in her arms and a once lonely pup was now lying peacefully upon the lap of his new young master.
