Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon; I own only my original characters.
"Daaaaaaad! You are being completely unfair! Why can't I leave home yet? I'm almost thirteen!"
"I've told you before, young lady! While I'm off at work, you have to stay home to help your mother watch your brother and sister!"
Good God. Whenever that tone came out, I knew trouble was gonna start...
It's hard being a Riolu, especially an overly sentient one. I've heard being a Lucario is nice, but until then, I could feel literally everything in my trainer's living room.
Amber's frustration, Cyrus's annoyance and anger, Amber's mother, Annie's, worry...
Stop it, you guys! I curled up on the couch, resting my head on my knees. Max was next to me, clutching the egg containing my baby sibling while he napped.
Normal Riolu were only supposed to detect ripples of aura. Ripples of emotion. Not feel the entire room's vibe. So, I guess I'm not normal at all.
That's one of the reasons I was doubtful about Amber going on a "journey", whatever that entailed. I liked it here in quiet, low-profile Twinleaf Town just fine.
"Auugggghhhh! You're such a hypocrite; you and Mom met after you guys left home!" Twelve year old girls should not have voices that can reach that pitch.
Amber stomped off to the staircase, scooping me up in her arms. I pressed my furry little paws to my ears; my head hurt so bad...
She set me down on what I assumed was her bed, and gently rubbed my little tummy.
"I'm sorry about all that, Azzy..." She apologized. "Are you okay?"
It took a few minutes, but my headache slowly ebbed away. I pulled myself up to sit.
"Y-yeah," I answered. "I-I guess...but, why d'ya have to fight so much? God."
You remember me saying it's hard to be an exceptionally sentient Riolu? That includes telepathy. Let that sink in for a moment. This story's gonna be a long, bumpy ride, so you oughta get ready to hold onto your panties.
Amber sighed. "I just wanna get out of here, I guess," She mumbled. "Mom doesn't have a problem with me leaving. She's the one who gave me your egg, remember...?"
"Yeah. With a genetically engineered freak show inside, waiting to get his ass kicked whenever he steps into the 'real world', or whatever I suppose is beyond freakin' Sandgem Town."
Amber's father was, I suppose, a scientist. He was interested in the idea of a talking pokemon, so he crossed a strand of his own DNA with a Lucario's, to try and create a Riolu like that.
Nobody expected telepathy, or a complete lack of physical combat abilities. I had little to no physical strength, but despite that, I was still a pretty decent battler.
This went on for a few more minutes, until Amber's Pokegear went off. While she answered, I pouted and demanded, "What does Dee want this time?"
"Shhh, Astro." Amber plugged one ear, and put the Pokegear to the other. "Dee Dee? Oh...it's Tess."
Dee and Tess were our neighbors, and Amber's best friends. They were twins, too. Shocking, right?
"Amb?" Tess was saying something to Amber, but she gave me no indication of what it was. "What does she wan-!"
"Oh my God, I'll be right down there!" Amber hung up the Pokegear, grabbing a shoulder bag and filling it with clothes and other items.
I was confused, to say the least.
"Astro," Amber finally addressed me. "Astro, we're going down to Lake Verity. Me, Tess, and Dee're all running away from home!"
"Hell no." Amber shook her head at me, laughing. She knew I'd still come along.
I must have been out longer than I'd thought, because when Amber looked out the window, the living room lights were out. That meant Cyrus and Annie were in bed, and even Max, too.
"Okay, Astro. No talking, got it?"
"Whatever."
Amber slung her shoulder bag over her shoulder and sat on the window ledge. I climbed up onto her back and hesitantly wrapped my arms around her neck.
Quietly, Amber opened the window, pulled herself out until she was holding onto the edge of the window sill, and then let go.
When that girl jumped out of her 2nd-story bedroom window, I felt sure she was gonna break her leg. It really is a medical marvel that little psycho didn't.
She ran all the way out of Twinleaf Town, with me holding on to her back for dear life. I can't tell you how many strands of her red hair I got caught in my mouth, but it was a lot.
Thank God Twinleaf wasn't too far from Lake Verity, or I might have died from frustration. Amber had no consideration to the fact that she had a passenger.
Panting, Amber set me down when we made it to Lake Verity. I glared up at her in indignation.
"I am never riding you again, Amber Lynn Daniels." I was dead serious, too.
In the moonlight, I saw Amber flash a grin. "Well, hopefully, you won't have to, Azzy."
Besides the sound of the lake, things were mostly quiet. I really liked the peace; Lake Verity had always been one of my favorite places, albeit one of the few I'd ever visited.
"Amber? Astro?"
"We're over here, Tess!" Dammit. Now the terrifying twosome were upon us.
Now, Tess wasn't so bad. She was the shy, quiet-girl type. I couldn't, for the life of me, understand why her partner was that wild hooligan of a Sneasal she kept around. It was her sister that put the fur on the back of my neck on edge.
Dee was a punk. There's no doubt about it. Her favorite color was camouflage, she dressed like a guy, and she was as polite and kind as her sister's aforementioned hooligan Sneasal.
The two of them climbed out from the bushes lining the lake, with sticks and twigs sticking out of Dee's ponytail.
"What took you so long?" Dee demanded. "We've been here for...for a while, at least!"
Amber rolled her eyes. "Dee, Tess only called me twenty minutes ago, okay? And I ran like a maniac the whole way here, too!"
I raised a paw. "I can vouch for that."
Dee made a face, and stuck her tongue out at me. "Anyway. You're all packed, right?"
"Of course. I'm not stupid." Amber patted her shoulder bag.
While the girls chatted about plans and Pokemon Contests and all that womanly stuff, I walked over to the side of the lake, sat down, and dipped my feet in the water.
It was a pretty warm Spring night. Amber wouldn't mind if I got a little wet, even after I'd had a bath...
"Astro!"
I was already completely spaced out when Amber shouted my name. A Floatzel came out of the water, grabbed me by the knobbly little legs, and pulled me underwater.
AOF: I've been dying to repost this story, and with another of mine ending pretty soon, I'll be looking for something new to work on. So, I'm working on this.
