Today was the day.
A childs tenth birthday was the most important of their life, it was the day they were allowed to start a pokemon journey. Risa was no exception to the unspoken rule, but had a problem on her hands.
"God no, I'm late!" She cried anxiously whilst stuffing the nearest supplies she could reach into the open backpack that lay on the floor. Splayed around it was a smattering of items - both medicinal and hold items - that Risa haphazardly stuffed into the nearest pocket. Today was the day that she would get her first pokemon; if she wasn't late. Putting each leg into the corresponding trouser, she jumped down the stairs almost tripping over her pumps in the process.
As Risa ran out of the house, it dawned on her how late she truly was. Each and every prospective trainer should be at the Lilycove art gallery before 8am on their 10th birthday - no exceptions. The sun at it's highest point, and there wasn't any sign of a crowd around the gallery. "Great. Just great. Mew must hate me, putting me through school and now this..." Sprinting flat out past the department store had it's disadvantages, the main one being the fact that she bumped into many shoppers with overflowing bags and bad tempers after losing the lottery or spending too long in a queue. "sorry, sorry..." She muttered as she pierced the crowd head on. Once she escaped the crowd, she'd be at her eventual destination; the art gallery.
Deathly silence enveloped the area around the art gallery. The only signs of life there was a grumpy janitor cleaning up after the madness that had occured just hours ago. Risa headed in through the impressive doors, dishevelled and panting. The lady at the desk said sarcastically, "Name?"
"Risa Coleman - and before you ask -yes, I am the daughter of the explorer Charlie Coleman."
"Woah, I'm in the presence of a celebrity. Through the double doors to the left, kid." The lady drolled, half hidden by the stack of papers that was the names of all of the children in Lilycove.
"Thanks for the help; miss." replied Risa, carrying on the sarcastic tone that their convesation had taken. She walked along the wide corridor with walls lined with artwork of past contest winners and headed to the room on the left. Oddly it was empty, except for one single pokeball on the table in the centre, surrounded by paper that might have been stacked but were now scattered all over the place. Curiousity got the better of Risa and she pressed the button in the centre of the ball. From the centre of the ball came a beam of red light, and the creature that materiallised from the beam of light was a small crimson fox.
"Pix.." The small fox whimpered. The poor creature was clearly battered with scratches and bruises visible through the knot of red that was her fur. Blood matted the usually silky fur of her species and 5 tails twitched unconciously. Clearly distressed, the tiny pokemon cowered in the corner as though it had seen a ghost. Risa reached towards her wrist, then said,
"Oh no, I can't believe that I forgot something that important! My translator!" Risa pressed the button in the middle of the pokeball that sucked the vulpix back inside in a beam of red light. Oblivious to the fact that she didn't have a starter pokemon and had just stolen someones vulpix, Risa rushed past the department store once again. "Gosh, people must really be sick of me..."
Arriving home to an extremely peeved mother was not part of Risa's ingenious plan. "Where have you been? I went to the department store this morning for some shopping and trusted you to get up in time and get your first pokemon. But did you? No, thats much too much of a simple task for Risa! Just because it's your birthday doesn't give you the opportunity to be late for everything!"
"Sorry mum... But seriously, I have a pokemon and it's hurt! Do we have any potions? And I wanna find out how it got the way it did..."
"Where did you find that? Anyway, I think I might have a few potions in the cupbard of your fathers... But don't think this has got you off the hook young lady!"
"Thanks mum!" Exclaimed Risa as she handed the hurt fire pokemon's pokeball to her mother. With a soft popping noise the six tailed fox materialised. The small pokemon looked weaker than ever, but still gave off a warning growl. "Oh yeah! My translator!" Risa grabbed the small watchlike object from the kitchen cabinet, where it was stored until she got her first pokemon. As she clipped it on the feeble growls coming from vulpix changed into a steady chorus of complaints, and begs for it not to be beaten.
"Please don't hurt me, what have I done wrong? "
"What? I'm not going to beat you! I want to help you! Here, eat these." Risa said, handing the terrified fox some small blue berries. "Mum can't find the potions, but she did pick these from the garden. They're oran berries, they will help you feel better." Vulpix crept forward slightly, sniffing the air for danger. Than in a quick flurry of red fur the berries were gone and so was vulpix. She was sat in the corner, eating the berries daintily. She obviously had got used to not being fed because of the way she savoured each bite, and didn't wolf it down like other hungry pokemon would.
"Thankyou, but why are you making me better? Are these poisoned? You coming up with some new form of torture? Please not another tail..!" Vulpix's paranoia kicked in again, as she stared the berries down; daring them to tell her that they were poisoned.
"Of course they aren't!" And to prove her point, Risa took one of the berries and ate it. The berry's juices exploded in her mouth, exposing a hard seed and a variety of flavours. If a rainbow had a taste, this would be it. After swallowing she felt energised. "See? I wouldn't have ate them if they were poisoned! Now carry on eating silly, they'll help you to no end."
"Okay, but I'm watching you..." The vulpix said, eyeing her apprehensively. She turned back to the berries, eating them at a slightly keener speed. It wasn't long before the whole pile was gone, as were the bulk of her injuries.
"So vulpix, what actually happened to you? Were you, I dunno, in a battle with a larger pokemon or something? Those injuries were pretty serious."
"Well, some guy in a red shirt with a rune on it caught me and didn't think I was strong enough. Long story short, he beat me to make me more agressive. Didn't work though, I've got too strong a will to give in to that. Then suddenly one day he beat me more severely than usual, cutting one of my beautiful tails!" Risa noticed the small stump on her back, that had thankfully healed slightly since the berries. "Then he tried to give me some kind of an injection to make me stronger. Of course I didn't let him give it to me, I heated it so that he'd get a burned hand and ran off. He recalled me, and then I ended up here. Thats pretty much it. Now who are you?"
"Oh my god your tails! I thought I had miscounted or something! That's so cruel! We have to tell someone!"
"NO! We can't tll anyone because you technically stole me and they might think that you did all of this to me!"
"True I suppose, but we need to get you actual medical help... I think I might be able to get Mum to take you with me to the pokemon centre."
"Good, I'm okay for now though. So what about you? How's your life been so far?"
"Hmmm, where to start... My full name is Risa Elizabeth Coleman, I'm ten years old today, and I live with my mother. I wanted to go on a pokemon journey soon, but I can't because you are hurt really badly and it really wouldn't be fair. Plus you might not want to come on a journey with me of course, I could take you to mt. Pyre where all of the other vulpix live, it's up to you."
"Hmmm, I'll think about it. But for now, I'll stick with you, you seem okay for a human. After all, I have nowhere else to go and I was actually happy to be caught until I found out what the trainer was like. So where are you off to first?"
"Nowhere yet, I have to ask my mum if I'm still allowed to go on a journey..."
"Risa? Are you alright in there? How's Vulpix?" Shouted an anxious sounding mother from the bottom of the stairs.
"We're both fine, and I know whats wrong with Vulpix!"
"Come on then, come downstairs and spill the beans!" Almost tripping over her things for the second time that morning, Risa charged down the tairs, this time with an anxious looking vulpix at her heels. She relayed the story to her mother, as vulpix clearly wanted.
"Abused? Woah, lets rewind a bit, who did this to her?" Risa's mum was clearly surprised at this new revelation.
"Someone who was following the new fashion craze... I don't know really, and niether does she."
"Well, there has been lots of mischief going on with these people. I've decided. Since there's so much going on, you're not going on a pokemon -"
"But mum!" Risa cut in, "I've been waiting for this my whole life! And what about vulpix? We can't exactly return her!"
Well you can keep vulpix if she wants to stay with you but to train her you aren't going ANY further than the safari zone. I want you home every night, and to keep you safe." A single tear formed on Risa's mothers bottom eyelid.
"Yesterday you said I could! Whats the difference between today and yesterday?"
"Risa, your father is missing."
"What? He's exploring some new land called Unova isn't he? Mum, whats going on?"
"I got the phone call while you were out getting your pokemon. He went out to explore a new part of Unova and was missing on the job.. I'm sorry honey..." The tears came out faster now, and were soon reaching her trembling lower lip. Risa burst into tears and hugged into her mother's breast.
"I love you mum..."