Disclaimer: Pokémon and all of its trademarks do not belong to me. All original characters belong to me.
"Hah!" the girl with the long, brown ponytail cried out triumphantly as she shot the ball between the goalposts. A portion of the small crowd in the bleachers erupted into cheers, along with the rest of the girl's team. The teammates currently on the field rode over to congratulate her.
DC shifted impatiently in her saddle. The light up scoreboard proudly displayed a disheartening 11 to 6, with less than three minutes left in the last remaining period of the game. Mary Ann leaned over toward DC from the back of her mount and whispered, "They're going to cream us, again. Coach is gonna make us do pushups for this."
"Shush." DC's eyes narrowed at her teammate. "Don't talk like that, it isn't helping. We can still turn this around." DC knew perfectly well that Mary Ann was correct. Pecha Berry Stables always crushed them in polo matches, and as much as DC hated to admit it the chance of winning was slim to none in the given amount of time.
"Moriarty!" DC turned sharply at her coach's severe sounding voice. "I want to substitute you in for Landon. I know you just got out last period, but that hit she just took has her looking a little out of it."
DC nodded briskly, remembering how one of Pecha Berry's riders had accidentally hit Gabriella Landon with their stick. "Right."
"Is Strider up for it?"
DC looked at the Rapidash she was sitting astride. He'd been a little winded before, but after the short break he appeared to be mostly recovered. She nodded to the coach again. "Yes, Strider should be fine."
The coach nodded, running a hand through her cropped hair anxiously. "OK good, now go." She motioned for Gabriella to come to the sidelines and gave Strider a pat on the flank as DC rode him past. "Give 'em hell, Moriarty."
DC rode Strider at a brisk trot onto the field, taking her place in an offensive position and briefly scoping out the girl that would be attempting to cover her. She was a rather broad shouldered young woman, with curly blond hair cut short and tied back. Her arms looked quite powerful, and her Rapidash was at least a few inches taller than Strider. DC swallowed a lump in her throat as she got in the ready position, reins in one hand, stick in the other, body lifted slightly off the saddle, and eyes locked on the ball.
The instant the referee blew his whistle, all eight players on the field were off. The sound of hooves pounding and her mount breathing filled DC's ears as she tried to focus. One of Pecha's riders was controlling the ball, but DC's teammate Lacey managed to steal the ball with a lucky swipe of her mallet. She swiftly took the ball down towards Pecha's goal, with DC riding at a gallop not too far behind. The rather manly blond girl opposing DC stayed close to her at all times, forcing Strider to zigzag across the field. Lacey was quickly overwhelmed by one of Pecha's girls, who rode her Rapidash so close to Lacey's that their mounts' shoulders were touching.
"DC!" Lacey passed the ball with all her might in DC's direction. Strider was forced to make a sharp turn, but it was worth it, for DC was able to get the ball before the masculine blond girl playing defense was able to snag it. She urged Strider onward, but the masculine girl was hot on her trail, and before long DC could feel the breath of her massive Rapidash on the back of her neck. With sweat drops glistening on her face, DC leaned downward out of her saddle to shoot the ball, just as the masculine girl steered her Rapidash directly in front of Strider. Strider swerved on instinct, but that combined with the bumps and jostles from the masculine girl and her mount, and the fact that DC was currently leaning sharply to one side, sent her tumbling out of the saddle. The ground felt like a rock when she landed on it, her body twisting to avoid the eight flailing hooves around her, and despite the sound of the ref's whistle signaling to cease movement, DC was hit in the face by one of the Rapidash's knees. She instantly clapped her hands to her nose and rolled away from the two Pokémon, glancing up just in time to see the ball she had shot roll right between the two yellow goal posts.
"No goal! The ball went between the posts after time ran out. Pecha Berry Stables is the winner!"
DC groaned in disgust as the Pecha riders gathered in the middle of the field, laughing and cheering. They patted the masculine blond girl on the back eagerly, congratulating her for doing such a good job with DC. DC's teammates began to gather around her as well, concerned for her safety. She glanced up at them wearily. Well, here's to another loss, she thought, cringing at the disappointment in all of their eyes. DC suddenly felt a warm, velvety surface being pressed to her cheek. It was Strider, nudging her apologetically; a bit of the foam from his mouth caused by the bit remained on DC's face. She wiped it away with a sigh and got to her feet, wincing at the steady throbbing in her tail bone and the ache in her face, but other than that she seemed to be fine.
"You alright kid?" DC's coach had jogged quickly to her side, med kit in one hand.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"Your nose is bleeding pretty heavy."
"I know."
The coach shook her head softly and turned to the rest of the team. "OK ladies, this was not your best performance, and I honestly have to say I'm disappointed. I'll see you all at practice on Monday, bright and early."
"But coach, we don't have practice on Monday," somebody complained.
The coach narrowed her eyes. "We do now." There were a few groans and mumbles amongst the team. "I don't want to hear it. Go on ladies, I want each Rapidash groomed, fed, and put away in its stall, now please." Still grumbling, the group of girls dismounted from their Rapidashes and began to lead them away. DC removed a hand from her nose and reached for Strider's reins, discovering quickly that her palm and fingers were coated in blood. Unsure of what to do, DC tried to wipe the blood off on the grass without much success.
"Here Moriarty, I'll take Strider, you go home for the day and get some rest, alright? I'll see you Monday at eight."
"Erm, about that, coach I can't come to practice on Monday. It would interfere with my volunteer time."
"Volunteer time?"
DC frowned, afraid of where the conversation was going. "Er, yeah, I work at the Lavender Volunteer Pokémon House on Mondays, Fridays and Sundays, when we don't have practice or games. They kinda need me right now. There's a boom of abandoned Pokémon lately for whatever reason, and we have a shortage of workers."
The coach turned and gave DC a sharp look. "Look Moriarty, the Amethyst Meadow Stables girls' polo team is a serious commitment. If you aren't willing to put polo before your other activities, then you don't belong on this team." With that, the coach turned haughtily away, leading Strider by the reins. DC scowled at the woman's turned back, dabbing at her bleeding nose with her hands. With a snort, she turned and stomped away toward the stables' parking lot where she had left her dirt bike. Because she didn't own a car, the dirt bike was DC's main method of transportation.
After donning her jacket and helmet, she kick started the machine and roared off down Route 8. Amethyst Meadow Stables was located in between Saffron City and Lavender Town, closer to Lavender than it was Saffron. It usually took DC around twenty minutes to get home, and the late afternoon sun beat down on her as she rode. However, the cool breeze kept her at a comfortable temperature.
By the time she pulled into her driveway, DC could hardly wait for a shower. She stowed her dirt bike in the garage and moodily walked into the house, where she was instantly greeted by her pet Persian, Tiger. Tiger was getting old, but he was still a beautiful creature, loyal, friendly, and gentle, much unlike the stereotypical Persian. DC knelt down to stroke his sleek fur affectionately. The family's other two domestic Pokémon came trotting down the stairs after Tiger, a Skitty named Vampiress and a Purugly named Ed. DC patted them as well, a smile finally appearing on her weary face. "Hi babies, watcha doing?" Tiger rubbed on her legs and purred with enthusiasm.
When she walked up the stairs, her younger sister Rose was the first person she saw. "Hi Dawn, hi!" Her family members were the only people that still called DC 'Dawn'. Everyone else called her DC after finding out that her middle name was Catherine. The nickname had just sort of stuck.
Rose froze instantly when she saw DC's face. "Oh my god, you're bleeding! Are you OK? Did you win your game?"
DC's neutral expression instantly turned sour. "No. We lost. And I'm fine, I just need to get cleaned up is all." She stalked past her sister, passing her mother in the living room. She was sitting on the couch with her husband, DC's stepfather Alexander.
"Hi sweetie," her mother said, not even noticing DC's bloodied face. As usual, it seemed like she barely knew her children existed because Alexander was around.
"Hi," DC replied, rather curtly, and went up the stairs before anyone could say anything else. Her mood was quite foul at this point, and she knew it was better for her to avoid her family when she felt like that.
After depositing her fire resistant riding equipment in her closet, DC headed for the bathroom, closing and locking the door securely behind her. She looked in the mirror. Her nose appeared to be through bleeding, but her face was still caked with blood. DC began to wash it off in the sink, being gentle around her nose in order to avoid it starting up again. After her face was mostly clean, DC started up the shower and pulled her red hair out of its messy ponytail, running her brush through the tangles. She began to peel off her sweaty clothes, shivering as goose bumps appeared on her exposed flesh. DC glanced at her body in the mirror out of habit, and as always felt unsure what to think about her physical appearance, so she turned away quickly, running her fingers through her thick hair.
Tentatively, she stuck one leg into the shower spray, recoiling at the sudden hotness of the water, and adjusted the temperature. When the water was bearable, DC stepped inside, exhaling in pleasure at the feeling of the warmth on her sore and battered body. She began to lather shampoo into her hair, inhaling its fruity scent mixed with the clean smell of steam. After thoroughly washing herself, shaving, and conditioning her hair, DC reluctantly turned off the water and almost instantly felt cold again. Shivering and dripping, she wrapped a towel tightly around her body.
Once in her room, DC selected a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and a sweatshirt to go over it. After putting them on, she slipped her feet into a pair of sandals and glanced at the clock. It told her that she had no time to let her hair dry, so she tied it back into a bun and exited her room. She paused in the bathroom before going downstairs, examining her face in the mirror one last time. There was a little bit of bruising around her nose, as she had expected. Gingerly, DC pressed the soft pads of her fingertips to the surface, wincing slightly, then with a shake of her head she bounded down the stairs.
"Dawn, I need you to do the dishes please."
"Can't Mom, I have work. I'll be back around dinner time."
"But-"
"Sorry, I really have to go, I'm going to be late." With that, DC was out the door and walking briskly towards her part-time job at the local PokéMart. While the job was sort of boring at times, it was at least better than working in a grocery store or other shop. An assortment of Pokémon trainers would often travel through Lavender Town, usually coming out of the Rock Tunnel to the north or from Route 12 to the south. They wouldn't stay long of course. Without a gym, contest hall, or any other sort of attractions like that, Lavender didn't really have anything to offer them. But one thing a trainer would nearly always do while passing through Lavender Town was to stop at the PokéMart to stock up on supplies. And by working there, DC was presented with the opportunity to meet a variety of Pokémon trainers from all sorts of different places. Sometimes there would be a trainer who was friendly and outgoing enough to stop and chat with DC for a while. She would ask them all about their adventures and their Pokémon, and as a result end up feeling rather jealous when she watched them go. How unfair was it that they were free to explore the world with a team of their very own Pokémon, while DC was stuck in a quiet town with a very mundane lifestyle?
Much to DC's chagrin, the PokéMart was unbearably dull that afternoon. Apparently there were no traveling trainers in Lavender that day. Even her manager left for the day to see his girlfriend, telling DC that the night shift employee would be around to relieve her of her duties at six. So DC was stuck by herself in the PokéMart for four hours with nothing to do but reorganize shelves over and over again. The only sales she made were to a pair of giggling local children combining their allowance to buy a Pokéball and to a senile looking elderly man who wanted to purchase a package of Paralyze Heal.
"You see, the trouble is this them there Pokémon here that belongs to me granddaughter," wheezed the old man. "Beast hasn't moved since, oh ho hum, last month methinks? So I says to myself, this confounded thing must have paralysis, so I'll get for it some of that them there Paralyze Heal."
"Um, sir," said DC dubiously, upon looking at what the man was trying to show her, "That's not a Pokémon sir, it's just a rock."
"Well dang blast it girl, don't tell me you've never heard of the rock type!" cried the man, puffing up indignantly. "This here's called a Geodude, remember that iffin ya want to graduate school missy!" He snatched up his Paralyze Heals and the slab of granite he'd placed on the counter and waddled off, mumbling to himself. "…Kids these days, their brains just ain't what they used to be in my time…" DC merely shrugged and began to wipe the dirt crumbles of the counter surface that were left by the man's 'Geodude'.
By the time she finally got home, DC had a headache from the hours of boredom she'd been through. She promptly collapsed at the table, sinking into her chair and massaging her temple wearily. As her family began to sit down for dinner, DC's mother looked at her with raised eyebrows.
"Rough day?"
DC shrugged as she helped herself to a few spoonfuls of steaming rice. "You could say that." She paused, trying to figure out a way to word what she wanted to say next. Finally she just blurted it out. "By the way, I'm quitting the polo team."
Her mother looked up at her in shock. "Why? You've been doing it for years, why are you suddenly quitting now?"
"Because we're having more practices during the week, and it's interfering with my job at the Pokémon shelter. If I don't make it to every practice, I'm not allowed to play on the team. Besides," she added, viciously stabbing a vegetable with her fork, "the coach is a bitch."
"But you love polo. You shouldn't quit just because of the coach."
DC shook her head. "No, I'm quitting because I can't volunteer at the Pokémon House unless I do."
"Well I'm sure you could just explain to Mr. Fuji that you can't help out as often."
"I'm not going to do that to Mr. Fuji, he needs me there right now. There are only three other regular volunteers. And to be honest, volunteering is more fulfilling than polo right now anyway."
A pause. "Well if you're sure that's what you want…" DC's mother looked concerned.
"I'm not sure it's what I want, but I do know it's the right thing," DC replied simply.
Her mother sighed. "It's still a damn shame if you ask me. You had some talent for that sport."
DC merely shrugged as she chewed on a piece of tofu. She had nothing more to say about the subject. Her mind was made up and continuing to talk about it was making her feel bitter. "May I be excused?"
"Don't you want any dessert?" her mother inquired.
"No thanks, I'm good." DC slid her plate into the dishwasher on her way through the kitchen and made her way up the stairs. She spotted Tiger in the hallway and leaned down to scoop up the Persian in her arms, making sure to be gentle with his delicate body.
"C'mon bud, what I need is a good kitty cuddle right now."
"Perrrsian!" Tiger meowed at her good-naturedly.
DC smiled despite her exhaustion and bad mood. "That's my boy." She sank into her bed, placing the Persian beside her pillow, and waited for sleep to claim her.