A petite teenager in the small village of New Bark Town sat in front of a large mirror, rhythmically running a brush through thick, black hair.
The chirping of Pidgey on nearby Route 1 filled the air, and sunlight filtered in through the window, illuminating the gently drifting specks of dust.
All was peaceful.
Until said teenager got too frustrated.
"Aaa agh!" With a frustrated growl, she hurled the brush across the room, hardly wincing when it made a small dent in the white wall. Running a hand through her hair did nothing to calm her frizzy black curls. She exhaled slightly and leaned on her pale hand, staring into her reflection's violet eyes.
"Maybe I should just shave it all off," Kira mused as she affixed her accessories, a Pikachu-themed headband and a purple and silver wristband. After appraising her reflection- a yellow t-shirt and jeans shorts worked for her just fine- she looked up at the posters on her wall. "It would certainly make things easier."
As usual, she spent just a couple seconds staring at posters that advertised gym badges and starter Pokemon. Staring any longer wracked her with sadness for her one dream. It was fate that she would never be able to do the one thing she always wanted to do. She had accepted that fact, but couldn't help but glance at the posters every morning before heading down the stairs.
The kitchen was filled with the scents of burnt bacon and eggs. "There you are, lazybones. Carry up Dad's breakfast, would you?" Without so much as a greeting, Kira's older sister Patricia headed up the red carpeted staircase, her own plate of burnt breakfast in hand.
Kira sighed and looked around the kitchen. The pale peach countertops were covered in bacon grease and charred bits of egg. Even the red linoleum and orange walls were covered in some of the stuff. With a sigh, Kira tossed her hair behind her back and grabbed a sponge, setting to cleaning up after her flighty sister.
"Mmm. This tastes delicious, Patricia!" Kira complimented her sister, sitting on a folding chair besides her father's bed.
"Uh huh." Patricia gagged on a bite of her own burnt food. "That's just because you covered it in relish."
"Did not!"
Patricia raised an eyebrow and gestured to Kira's paper plate. Kira bit her lip, staring down at the food- or rather, the relish that covered the food, rendering the meal completely hidden.
Patricia laughed and punched Kira on the arm a bit too hard at seeing her expression. Kira simply turned to her father.
"Dad, how is it? Edible? You want some relish?"
Their dad peered up at them, having closed his eyes for a minute, and glanced to the plate lying on the nightstand, breakfast barely touched. "It...it's fine. I love it, Patty."
"Don't lie, Dad. Even if Patty'll storm off if she's told it's not good." Kira's tone was teasing, earning her another playful punch, but carried an undertone of her usual honesty.
Their dad beamed up at Patricia. "It may not be as good as your mother's was, but you've improved quite a bit. If we didn't have your breakfasts, we probably wouldn't have breakfast as a family. And I really love to have breakfast with my children."
While Kira marveled at her father's ability to put everything in a positive shade of light, Patricia smiled sadly. "I love the praise, but that doesn't meant you can't eat it. The medicine won't work on an empty stomach."
"Darn. Nothing'll get me out of eating it, huh?"
The trio shared a chuckle until heavy, clomping steps sounded from the stairs. They grew louder until a teenage boy, muscular and tall, emerged into the room. His normally dominating appearance was marred by his messy mop of hair and his pretty pony kingdom pajamas.
"Sorry I'm late," Marcus said as he stomped over to the empty folding chair, the last plate of food in hand, accompanied by a protein bar. He slumped into it, and started eating with a fury until he noticed his two sisters snickering quietly.
"What's so funny?" he asked, blue eyes issuing a challenge. His voice, muffled by a mouth full of egg, caused the snickering to get louder.
"Oh, nothing," Patricia replied, covering her mouth with a white gloved hand that complimented her party dress wear. "Just the sight of Cherrygrove's basketball star in little girl pajamas is a bit underwhelming."
"They are not little girl pajamas!" Marcus glanced down at his shirt, decorated with an image of a red and blue Ponyta-like creature, then back up. "Lightning Bolt is the coolest pony around!"
"Settle down, kids," interrupted the man lying under thick maroon comforters. Their dad coughed several times, and Kira rushed over to gently pat him on the back.
"You okay, Dad?" she asked, frowning slightly. He nodded, coughing fading as he waved her away.
"Just fine, dear. Finish your breakfast. How did you kids sleep?"
"I slept great!"
"Despite Marcus's snoring, I slept alright."
"Pretty good!" Kira chirped. "Funny you should ask, I had this really crazy dream-"
"No way! Me too!" interrupted Marcus. "I was with Zapdos, and it was crazy, because-" Marcus suddenly stopped and visibly gulped at a glare from his father. "Er, I mean...ladies first?"
"That's my son."
"It's funny you say that, Marcus," Kira replied thoughtfully, making eye contact with a now curious Marcus. "I had a dream with Raikou in it. And in it, uh..." Kira fiddled with the edge of her tee shirt, glancing at her father momentarily. "Raikou used some sort of special move, one I've never seen, on Dad."
"I'm certainly glad dreams don't foretell the future," replied the father with a chuckle.
"Actually, I think you might not be. After Raikou used the move, you were...well, you were fine. Not sick at all, anymore. It was...well, let's just say I'm upset it wasn't real."
Their father quietly pondered this revelation while the other two siblings stared at Kira in shock. She frowned, noticing their stares.
"Sorry if it's a bit unbelievable. It was interesting, is all..."
"No, no, Kira," Marcus replied hurriedly. "I uh...well, I had the exact same dream! Except with Zapdos!"
"You're pulling my leg right now, right? Because I had the same dream, with Zekrom." Patricia looked back and forth between her siblings in disbelief.
A quiet, uneasy silence filled the room, and suddenly the lush bed sheets and oaken furniture seemed far less comforting. Heads whipped around towards the bed's occupant when the siblings' father cleared his throat.
"Kids, you do know that legendary Pokemon can do extraordinary things, don't you?"
The question lingered in the air, until Kira dared to speak. "So...are you saying...our dreams could be real? They could be messages from the legendary Pokemon?"
The three teens eyed their father with bated breath. He smiled and nodded, a twinkle in his tired eyes. "I don't see any reason it couldn't be true."
Everyone turned to stare at Marcus as he jumped up, folding chair clattering to the floor. "I'm going to find Zapdos! And see if my dream really meant something!" He clenched his fingers in a tight fist before pumping it into the sky.
Patricia jumped to her feet. "Alright, me too! I'm headed to Unova! Finally, a Pokemon journey!" The girl squealed and bounced on the balls of her feet, clapping her hands excitedly before grabbing Marcus's arm and dragging him out of the room.
Silence reigned once again as Kira watched her siblings go. She turned to her dad, who seemed to have shrunk into the bed, much less cheerful without two of his children around. She smiled quietly and sat back down, far too excited to properly express it. Despite the euphoria bubbling deep inside her, she still had a couple responsibilities before she could start preparing for what she had always waited for.
"Eat up, dad, and then I'll give you your medicine."