First of all, I don't own Pokemon. Second of all, this is co-written with a friend, John, whose pen name is Aural Sex. (Clever, huh?)
We've been playing with this idea for a while, and finally finished the prologue. It's hard for us to get together and work on this story, so updates will probably be kinda slow. Despite all that, we're working hard to make a good story for you all, so please enjoy!
"Ralts! Use… Use… Err... Tackle!" A little voice cried, her hands held into tight little balls in front of her as her Ralts stared up at her, blinking, as if confused. "Oh, come on, Ralts, please use tackle? We're never going to be as good as Papa if you don't listen to me." The little Pokémon still stared at her young trainer, confusion still radiating from her. The little girl gave a long suffering sigh. "Why won't you listen to me, Ralts? Do you not like me?"
"It's not that, Megan." A strong hand rested on the little girl's dainty shoulder and she looked up, her brown eyes a bit pouty. A young man with black hair looked down at her, smiling gently. "I don't think Ralts knows how to use Tackle. She's only just hatched, baby girl." Megan blushed slightly, ashamed that the thought didn't occur to her, pulling at her black pigtail in slight frustration.
"Then what moves does Ralts know, Papa?" Megan asked the man, and he looked at the Ralts, who had shrunk away from her trainer nervously, obviously disliking the negative feelings coming from her. He knelt down, holding his hand out to the little Pokémon. She looked at it hesitantly before walking up to him, looking up at his gentle green eyes.
"Not much, baby girl. You're going to have to teach her how to use anything else… But…" He paused for a moment before digging into the little pack that he always had, pulling out a few coins for the little girl to take. "Why don't you walk yourself down to the Pokémon center and buy yourself a TM to teach Ralts?" Megan took the GP, her eyes bright with excitement. Was her father allowing her to go all by herself? "You can ask the little boy next door to go with you." The little girl wilted slightly.
"I don't like boys, Papa!" Megan squealed. "They're icky, and they smell funny!" The man laughed.
"I'm a boy, too, baby girl."
"You're different, Papa. You're a man." He smiled.
"Well, just do this for me, please?" Megan pouted before nodding. The young man smiled and patted her head gently. "There's my best girl. Be good, and don't be long, okay?" The little girl nodded enthusiastically before turning and climbing the fence at the edge of their yard. The man sighed. Even though there was a gate not even 5 yards away, his little explorer insisted on climbing the chain fence every single time. Ralts followed after her trainer, having a bit of a harder time following after her, but Megan waited patiently until her Pokémon was on the other side with her. She waved at her father, who waved back with a smile, and skipped down the road.
There was a soft growl from the door of the house. The man glanced over as his Typhlosion lumbered towards him and stood next to his trainer. The man reached up and gently patted the Flame Pokémon's head as he watched her run to the neighbor's door.
"She's growing up so quickly, isn't she, Ty?" Typhlosion growled in agreement. "Pretty soon she'll go out on her own journey. Who knows, maybe she'll follow in my footsteps and become Champion?" He smiled. "Enough of that. Let's go inside and make some lemonade. She'll be thirsty when she comes back." The pair walked inside and the man gently closed the door behind him.
Megan climbed the stairs of the porch to the neighbor's door. She took a moment to wait for Ralts, who scurried after her and stood next to her, looking up at the doors that seemed to tower over the two. Megan stood on her toes in an attempt to reach the doorbell, but, alas, she found she was still too short.
"Raaallllts," the little Pokémon said, gaining little Megan's attention. Ralts waved her arms at the doorbell, and Megan quickly caught on, lifting the Feeling Pokémon up so she could press the doorbell. The soft chiming echoed in the house, and after a few moments, the sound of footsteps could be heard. The door opened and a tall man stood over them. Megan looked back up at him, meeting his direct gaze.
"Hi, Mr. Neighbor Man," she said. "Can your son come out to play?" The man looked down at her.
"You're our new neighbor, right?" He asked. "Raphael's kid." Megan nodded. "Your dad was quite the trainer in his day. Champion of the Kanto region and the Silver Conference, if I'm not mistaken. For six years."
"Yeah!" Megan puffed out her chest proudly. "My Papa's the greatest trainer ever!" The man looked down at his feet for a moment when she mentioned the skill of her father, even a look of melancholy came over him briefly. Then, swiftly, he turned so he faced the inside of his residence.
"Io!" He called. "The little girl from next door wants you to go out and play with her. Come here!"
Silence ensued, then shortly after followed the light footfalls of a young boy, seemingly pacing.
"You can't stay cooped up in here forever, as much as I'd like that. Go outside and play with her for a little bit!" There was a groan and the pitter patter of two pairs of feet, and soon a young boy- around Megan's age- came to the door, a small brown Cubone following after him. Long brown bangs covered his dark brown eyes as he stared grimly at Megan. The little girl smiled back, but faulted for only a second when she saw the unsettling scar that covered the upper right half of his face - a grotesque dividing line of scarred red flesh.
"Er... Hi!" She said, regaining her composure. "My name is Megan Goldman. And this is my Ralts. What's your name?" The little boy looked at her Ralts, then back at Megan.
"...Io," he answered simply as he walked out onto the porch. His dad went to pat Io's head but stopped and instead walked inside, shutting the door behind him. The two, including their Pokémon, were left alone.
"Nice to meet you, Io. I'm going to the Pokémon Center to buy Ralts a TM so she can learn a new move. Wanna come with me?"
Io crossed his arms and looked to his Pokémon for guidance. Cubone nodded, and so did Io.
Megan glanced at Cubone, then at Io, then at Cubone again. "Er... Okay! Let's go!" She leaned down slightly and picked up Ralts, who cuddled with her slightly, her body warming pleasantly in response to Megan's touch.
"So, uh, Io... How long have you lived in Aspertia?" Io shrugged slightly, his eyes downcast as he stared at his feet. Cubone walked in time with him, his stubby arms swinging idly at his sides. "Oh... Um. Okay. I just moved here with my Papa. His name is Raphael, and he's a great trainer! He was Champion in the Silver Conference AND the Kanto Region!" She beamed, pausing for a moment to see her silent companion's reaction. At first, there was (shockingly) a cool silence. But then Io looked up at her behind a curtain of brown hair.
"I know," he replied almost disappointedly. "Mom never beat him, even though her earth weakened the fire... I've heard a lot about him." He paused, allowing his face to return to its stoic stonewall usual. Then, "Sorry. I've said too much," he digressed.
"Your Mom knew my Papa?" Megan turned to look at him completely, tilting her head, Ralts mimicking her move. "Um, what is your Mom's name? Papa talks a lot about a few trainers... Uncle Silver is the only one I've met. He comes to visit sometimes." She tapped her chin. "Um... He also talked about Lance and some guy named Red... There was only one lady trainer he ever talked about. Was she your Mom? Elite Four Terra?"
Io hung his head low at the final mention. "...What'd he say about her?"
"That she was the greatest trainer he knew," Megan said. "She was super cool, and was the only one Papa ever took seriously." She nodded. "She sounds cool. I wish I could meet her."
At that, he finally smiled. "One day," he answered. Megan looked at him, confusion in her eyes, blinking slowly before nodding.
"Erm... Okay. Hey, look, the Pokemon Center!" She pointed down the road. "Hey, after I get the TM of Ralts, do you want to come over to my place for a snack? Papa makes the best lemonade!" She smiled at him. "Come on, it'll be fun!"
"I... don't," he stammered, "I don't know if I can - if my dad will let me." That caused him to look up, then to Megan quickly - the spark of defiance was now in his eyes. He smirked at her. "Yeah. I guess I'll come."
Megan smiled brightly and cheered: "Right on! Hurry, hurry, we're almost there!"
She jogged the short distance to the Pokemon center, turning her head to see if Io was following her; he never kept pace with her and walked instead of jogging, leaving some distance between them. The automatic doors opened with a quiet 'woosh', and Megan skidded to a stop in front of the PokeMart's counter. She stood on her toes, looking at the different Technical Machines that lined the walls before glancing over at Io. "Which one do you think I should get? There are sooooo many of them!"
Io stood a distance away from her, looking up at the disks that sat neatly on the shelves. His eyes scanned over them for a moment before shaking his head slightly. "I don't know, it's your Pokemon..." He thought. "Ralts is a Psychic-type, though, so I would go with one of the purple TMs," came his perfectly reasonable response.
"Oh! Good idea!" She blushed. "Why didn't I think of that?" She looked up at the TMs, narrowing her eyes as she tried to see the words on the discs. "U...Um... Ps... Psy... Be-am," she said, stumbling over the words as she sounded them out. "Psy... er... Tic? Psytic?" She frowned. "Oh! Psychic! That's it! I want that one!"
After a cashier assisted her with some prompt service, unlocking the display case and bagging the item for Megan, she put her GP on the counter in payment. The two children shortly left the Pokemon Center and both their eyes moved to the packaged disc when Megan's small hands removed it from the bag. "... Um... What now? Papa never told me what to do with it..."
He was too inexperienced as a trainer and couldn't tell Megan that her choice of might be more difficult to master than a Psybeam or Psywave technique would have been. And of course she was able to find another question to blindside him with, further extracting him from his stubborn shell.
"Your dad probably knows how to use it," Io suggested, assuming the Champion of two other regional conferences had the knowledge to operate a technical machine. His cubone stood faithfully at his side and nodded in step with his answer while it remained equally as stoic and reserved as its "trainer".
"Yeah, let's go ask Papa!" She put held ralts in one hand, who held the TM tightly in her little hands. With her other, she reached out and grabbed Io's hand tightly, her little hand surprisngly packing a tight grip. It was obvious she wasn't going to let him go, not without a fight. She smiled brightly at him. "Come on, come on, I'll race ya!" She took off down the road, considerably slowed down by Io, who struggled slightly to get out of her iron grip. After a moment, the little girl realized her new friend wasn't comfortable with the contact, letting him go and slowing down slightly to look at him. "Um... Are you okay, Io? You always look so sad... Did I say something to make you sad?"
She looked at him with wide, worried eyes, holding Ralts with both arms. Ralts squirmed uncomfortably in her arms, apparently not enjoying the sadness coming from her young trainer. She looked up at Megan, then at Io, mimicking her sad expression, though it couldn't be seen from the Pokemon's hair over her eyes.
Io sighed in silence while Cubone simply watched. "No, you didn't - it's not like - no..." After much stuttering he managed to say absolutely nothing, but tried again. "Look. If you really want to race, we won't take it easy on you just 'cause you're girls," Io stood proudly with his partner, shoulder-to-shoulder.
Megan looked at Io, her sad eyes brightening before she nodded quickly, putting Ralts on her head. "Alright, but don't cry to me if you lose!" She crouched slightly. "Alright, ready-steady... One for the money, two for the show... Three to get ready..." She bolted. "And four to go!" She shouted, turning her head to look back to see if he was chasing her. Ralt gripped onto her head tightly, bouncing slightly with every step the girl took. "First one to my house is a rotten egg!"
"..." Even as a young child, Io was endowed with those attractive qualities shared by both his mother and the ground itself: he was steadfast, disciplined, strong. Always focused and ready to lash out at a moment's notice, he proved that much when he took off running at the sound of Megan reaching the bottom of her countdown. Cubone sped off after him, more playfully keeping pace with Megan before shifting gears and passing both humans.
Crossing the makeshift finish line that was the border to Aspertia, Cubone had won by a veritable landslide while both Io and Megan had lost. Megan skidded to a stop next to Io, resting her hands on her knees as she leaned over, catching her breath, a huge grin on her face as she looked up at Io.
"Wow!" she panted. "You're so fast! That was so cool!" She looked at Cubone, crouching down so Ralts could crawl off her head and stand next to the taller Pokemon. The Feeling Pokemon tapped Cubone on the shoulder, the smile on her face mimicking her trainer's as she congratulated the Lonely Pokemon. Cubone seemed a bit pleased with himself, nodding slightly.
Io smiled at that; here he would have a chance to boast about his pokemon for a change of pace. "He's even faster underground!"
Cubone tilted its head down, its hidden cheeks reddening with modest embarrassment. He paused when Ralts touched his shoulder, taken aback but feeling befriended as well. It would be wonderful for him to have a pokemon friend - or a friend other than Io, period.
Megan giggled again, finally catching her breath.
"Are you going to be a trainer someday, Io?" She asked, tilting her head. "I'm going to be just like my Papa. Are you going to become an Elite Four member?" She smiled, clapping her hands. "Oh, that would be so cool! Then we could battle each other and train together! Papa always says Pokemon grow best when they're around friends." She took Io's hands, holding them tightly. "Can we be friends, Io?"
If Megan wanted to be JUST like her father, then wouldn't that mean... "You want to be the Champion?" He frowned; there wasn't room at the top for two.
Io quickly reeled back and ripped his hands away from hers - he wasn't with the sudden physical contact. Cubone left Ralts and again stood loyally next to his trainer; Io's decision was his as well.
"I... I don't know. Nobody's ever asked me that," the boy explained, "That question makes me feel kind of weird. We could, like, I don't know - try it out?" What did it mean to be or to have a friend? What did friends do? Why?
Honestly, his best friends had always been his mother and Cubone, only one of which was still alive.
"Of course we can try!" Megan said brightly. "We'll be great friends, right, Io?" She nodded, as if he had already said yes. "Of course! Let's go inside now. I think Papa is making something yummy! Well, um, sort of yummy, Papa's not a great cook..." She giggled, reaching up and grabbing the door handle, opening the door and nearly tumbling in. "Papa, I'm back! And I brought Io and Cubone!"
"Welcome back," Raphael said, walking into the family room from the kitchen, carefully balancing a tray with a pitcher of lemonade and two glasses. "You must be Io," he said, looking down at Cubone and his trainer. "My name is Raphael. It's very nice to meet you. Go ahead and sit down. My Typhlosion is bringing in some food in for Cubone and Ralts." He placed the tray down on the coffee table, pouring a glass for both Io and Megan before sitting himself, Megan crawling in to sit next to her father. Ralts sat on the floor next to her, apparently comfortable with where she was sitting, as the little girl tapped the place next to her, an invitation for him to sit with her.
Io lowered his head modestly, greeting the Champion with a simple "Hello, Mr. Raphael" before taking a seat near - but not next to - his new friend and her father. He rose his head again to get a better look at the interior of Megans house: everything was clean, nicely furnished, some things even looked brand new or close to it. Cubone waddled over and sat close to Ralts, happily making her acquaintance.
"You knew my mom," Io piped up, not so much a question or a statement as it was more of an icebreaker in conversation. He was also genuinely curious to learn more about his mother now that he couldn't get it from her own lips any longer. "Um, that's what I heard, at least."
"I did," Raphael said, looking at Io with genuine sadness in his eyes. "She was a great trainer. The best I knew." He looked down at his hands as Megan reached out and grabbed a glass of lemonade for herself. "Words can't express how sorry I am, Io. Your mother was one of my greatest friends." Megan looked at Io, then Raphael, a confused expression on her face.
"Papa? Did Io's mom go away like my Mama?" She asked, staring up at her father with wide eyes. Raphael shook his head.
"Not quite like that, baby girl. She..." He paused, looking at Io, not sure if the boy wanted this information revealed just yet.
"Went away. Far away," Io caught the conversation in rebound and tossed the ball back into the court, "But you'll meet her... one day."
After uttering those words, a small grin almost seemed to grow on his peculiar little face, but with this child, it was almost impossible to tell.
Reviews and critique are greatly appreciated! Thanks, all~
Sincerely,
Siri-Chan and Aural Sex