"I still don't understand why I'm here."
The police officer glanced at the girl sitting across from him, who for the past ten minutes had been staring at him with her unnervingly violet eyes as he filled out paperwork regarding her arrest. "Well, landing a helicopter in the middle of Accumula Square, for starters. Not to mention flying a helicopter without a license."
"I didn't do that; the pilot did," she replied tersely, her arms folded across her chest. I don't know why he thought landing there was a good idea, anyways.
"When we arrived on the scene, you were exiting the helicopter. Upon further investigation, there was nothing in the helicopter besides some crates. What else are we supposed to believe?" The girl scowled. He probably ran out the back when he heard sirens and I wasn't paying attention.
"Now, I assume you have a trainer card, correct?" the police officer remarked, gesturing to the pokeball he had found in the girl's bag, which was among a multitude of items spread out in front of them on his desk. The girl plucked a thin card out of her bag and handed it to the officer.
"Be careful with it," the girl snapped as the officer closely examined the piece of plastic.
"Faye Wexler. You wouldn't happen to be associated with the owner of Mistralton Cargo Service, perhaps?" Faye nodded, smug at the mention of her father's multi-million poke corporation. How else would I have gotten a trip in a helicopter?
"Well, unfortunately for you, I don't think your father can bail you out of this," Her face fell. "Flying a helicopter at thirteen is dangerous business, young lady. You could have seriously injured yourself and others. I'd say an overnight stay in the jail would teach you a lesson or two."
"Can't I get a lawyer or something?" Faye argued.
"Perhaps, but you'd have to stay in jail for the duration of the court procedures. That would take, oh, a week or so," the officer replied. Faye sighed. The officer figured she had given up and turned his attention backed to the mound of paperwork on his desk. However Faye was still thinking of a solution. She'd have to try and maneuver her way out of this one. Carefully she glanced about, looking for openings. After a few seconds, she grinned. Bingo.
"You wouldn't happen to have a sister named Teresa, would you? A medical student?" Faye questioned.
"Why?" he asked warily.
Because you have a picture of her on your desk. "I remember seeing a picture of her in the newspaper as one of the most promising medical students of the nation," she lied smoothly. "There's a lot of family resemblance."
"Yeah, Teresa's always been one of those studious types," he chuckled, his face softening.
"What's she studying?" Faye feigned curiosity, her head tilted slightly.
"Neuroscience," the police officer replied, gently laying his pen on his desk as he conversed with the girl.
"Oooh, that's seems really hard," Faye pretended to wince. "That's amazing that she managed to be recognized as one of the top."
"Yeah." the police officer grinned, before frowning ever so slightly. "She has mentioned she's been struggling a little. I think the difficulty is finally catching up with her."
Faye decided to move in for the kill. "I'm sure my father would be happy to donate money to her university in your name. That would surely help make her education much smoother."
The police officer scowled suddenly, standing and jerking Faye up as well. "Teresa would hate it if I pulled something so underhanded." Quickly he escorted her to a cell across the hall and roughly pushed her in. "I would, too," he added, before leaving. Faye hissed, slamming her fist against the wall.
Damn it damn it damn it. It was all the stupid police officer's fault. Couldn't he take a bribe like a normal person? She didn't have a lot of time. If only he hadn't thrown her in the cell, she could have come up with a different plan. Damn police officer.
Faye sighed, slumping against the cold stone wall. This was not how she planned her first day as a trainer to go. I mean really? Don't get lost in thought, Faye chastised herself, hopping to her feet. You'll start to think about stupid things, and then important things, and that's just way too stressful. Quickly Faye tried to distract herself by doing anything. However, her first plan of redoing the thin braid framing the right side of her face was dashed when the guard confiscated her bobby pin.
"Don't get any ideas," the guard had grunted over her protests, pocketing the thin piece of metal. "Wouldn't want you to try picking the lock or anything."
Faye was rather disappointed, as braiding was one of the things she was best at. Unlike gymnastics, which she had dropped out of after a traumatic competition at the age of five or so. The only thing she learned was how to somersault. They couldn't have taught her something more flashy, at least? She'd have to learn those by herself...
That thought process was what led to Faye's current position: on top of the edge of her thin mattress that was pressed against the wall, hands held over her head. The guard's eyebrows were narrowed as he watched Faye carefully, but he did nothing to stop her.
Just lunge forward and kick your legs up. Faye chanted mentally, staring down the gray wall that would hopefully prop her up as she tried to do a handstand. This is the easy part. Its the form that's difficult.
Easy or not, Faye still managed to have trouble with it. Everything went smoothly as she lunged forward, getting a rather stable position as her hands pressed firmly against the ground. However, as she kicked her leg forward, it became very evident Faye had misjudged the distance. She barely scraped the wall with the empty tip of her shoe, leading her to tumble forward and crash into the wall. In hindsight, she probably should have taken off her shoes first.
Shoot. Faye rubbed her head irritatedly as it ached with pain. Dumb wall, not being closer.
I thought this would be easier. Faye thought, pulling her legs towards her. She pondered that for a second before editing her statement. I thought everything would be easier. She sensed she was moving into complicated territory, but still she continued on her line of thought. Why is pokemon training so hard? First day, and I haven't even done anything but gotten myself in trouble. Why did I want to do this anyways?
Faye sat there for a few seconds, the answer weighing heavily in her mind. To see if they would notice. In more ways than one.
Faye sat there for a little bit longer, before pushing the thoughts out of her head. They were too confusing, too complicated, too unsettling. Carefully she got to her feet and raised her hands over her head again. That handstand was going to happen on its own, after all.
-oOo-
"Oy, girlie!" a voice called, trying to rouse the barefooted, blonde-haired girl currently curled up on the bottom of her mattress, the head of which was oddly pressed up against the wall. "Come on, wake up! We've got another criminal who needs some jail time!"
The girl stirred slightly but refused to budge. The odor of sweat still lingered on her frame, and she looked exhausted. However, that was no excuse. Frustrated, the police officer grabbed his flashlight and shone it near the girl, trying to fake sunlight streaming in from invisible windows. That did the trick. She groaned as she sat up, stretching her arms.
"Faye, is it?" the officer grunted. Faye nodded at her name, raising her hand slightly as if she was in school. "You're free to go."
"Really? What time is it?" Faye perked up slightly. However, her eyelids still drooped a little.
"Ninr in the morning," the police officer replied, holding Faye's things out to her.
Faye moaned. "I'm up that late?" Quickly she shoved on her shoes, inspected her things to make sure everything was there, and then stumbling out of the police station into the street.
Where am I? Faye thought as she wandered aimlessly through the town, glancing at the wooden apartments that lined the stone tiled streets. I should probably get a map or something.
"Excuse me," Faye questioned, tapping a random person on the shoulder. As he turned around, Faye quickly realized he was a businessman, judging by his crisp suit and the speaker in his ear. Perfect. "Do you know where I can find a map?"
The person just stared her oddly, like he was wondering why she would even talk to him, before returning back to reality. "Try the Pokemon Center," he snapped quickly, before hurrying away.
"What was his deal?" Faye asked annoyedly, before realizing she was in a wrinkled shirt and shorts and her hair was a mess from sleeping on the floor. She looked like those poor trainers who camped on the ground instead of in a tent. Not to forget the evident stench of sweat that was residue of her desire to do a handstand, which was amplified by the fact she hadn't showered. "Oh."
At least he gave some decent advice, Faye looked for the distinctive red-roofed building. Up on cliff and surrounded by short, squat houses, it was easy to spot. Faye strolled towards the building, feeling cheery. At last she was making progress.
Faye's enthusiasm quickly fled, however, as she realized just how far the Pokemon Center was from her current location. It had been ten minutes since she had spotted the building, yet still she seemed no closer to it. Despite the fact she could see the building on the horizon, being up on a cliff on the other side of town made getting there quite a challenge. She had to walk there, as Accumula, along with many other small towns, was too small for vehicles. The summer sun beat down on her harshly, even in the morning.
Head high, girlie. Faye chanted mentally. Don't look like one of those poor trainers that stupid businessman took you for. However, her sluggish steps and disheveled appearance betrayed her attitude. When she finally arrived, she had to resist falling to her knees and thanking Arceus for the air conditioning. How are you going to make it through Unova on your own if you can't even make it through a tiny town? Instead, she tried to act calm as stepped up towards the counter near Nurse Joy.
"Excuse me," Faye asked politely, deciding it was the best strategy. "Do you happen to have a map I could have?"
Nurse Joy blinked, before answering, "Oh, I'm sorry! We only have the map up on the wall." She pointed left of her, displaying a large, full color map of Unova from above. Faye tried not to groan with disappointment, instead keeping her calm attitude.
"Oh, that's too bad," Faye replied, letting only a hint of disappointment seep into her voice.
Nurse Joy stared at her curiously. "You are a trainer from Nuvema, aren't you?"
Faye shook her head. "I'm heading there, actually."
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Nurse Joy gasped apologetically. "I just assumed, considering your … appearance."
A fair assumption, Faye conceded. New trainers, unprepared, often received a starter pokemon from Professor Juniper after a sob-filled goodbye dinner and set off to Accumula. They usually misgauged the distance and ended up sleeping on the floor without a tent when night approached much faster than expected, resulting a similarly unkempt look.
"Well, if you're heading to Accumula," Nurse Joy continued, "You can probably ask Professor Juniper for one."
Faye brightened. "Really? Thanks for the information!" she replied cheerily, before internally wincing at how fake she sounded. You could at least make an effort to be convincing, me. Thankfully, Nurse Joy didn't seem to notice as she quickly barreled on to cover her odd tone. "Could you tell me how to get to Nuvema from here then, please?"
"Oh it's simple!" Nurse Joy chirped cheerfully. "If you head south from here, you'll run straight into Route 1. From there, just follow the path. You should reach Nuvema in an hour and a half, at most. Two hours if you're really unlucky with pokemon battles."
"Pokemon battles?" Faye tilted her head. "Is there anyway to prevent them?" Quickly realizing how dumb she sounded, she whipped up a lie. "My uncle is expecting me in-" she glanced at the clock to drive home her point. "an hour, and I wouldn't want to be late just because I ran into a lot of wild pokemon."
Nurse Joy paused thoughtfully, "Well, you could buy some repels, but they're sort of expensive."
Piece of cake, Faye thought smugly, while nodding."Okay, thanks," she replied, trying to sound more sincere. Easily she turned on her heel and walked towards the Pokemon Mart store counter. Unlike in other regions, Unova had the Pokemon Center and Mart combined as a convenience to trainers.
Pokemon battles, she thought carefully as she stepped towards the miniature store. Don't want to be bogged down by those, especially when I don't know my pokemon's moves. Not like I'll admit that.
"Excuse me," Faye questioned the clerk manning the store. "May I buy twenty-five repels?"
-oOo-
Faye tried to hum as she strolled along Route 1, before deciding it was dumb. Maximum repels weighed down her bag. The clerk had convinced her they were just as effective as her first request and much easier to carry.
How far is Nuvema, anyways? Faye wondered, regretting her decision of not buying a bike, or at least a Poketch so she could tell what time it was.
Quickly glancing up, the sun was shining just about above her head, and her shadow was a dark puddle around her feet. She had been walking for about an hour now, she estimated, as she had set off at about 11, having grabbed a quick breakfast before leaving the Pokemon Center.
Eventually, Faye started to think she was very far from the small hamlet and was never going to make it. At about that moment, Faye spotted a thin path leading in front of her towards a clearing in the trees. Goddammit, universe. Stop proving me wrong.
As Faye carefully followed the path, the town quickly opened up in front of her, as small as it was. Consisting only of houses scattered here and there, it was pretty uneventful. It didn't even have a Pokemon Center, for goodness sakes. The only things that were remotely interesting was that it bordered the ocean, evident by the slightly salty breeze tickling her nose. However, it was too elevated to be of use as a tourist beach or at least a harbor, and of course, what Faye was here for: the renowned Professor Juniper's lab.
After quickly asking a local (who was much nicer than that dumb businessman, thank you very much) to direct her to laboratory, Faye soon arrived in front of the wooden building. On the outside, it looked deceptively like the houses in Nuvema, although slightly bigger and with glass doors. Easily, she knocked on the doors, and after not getting a response, stepped inside.
"Hello?" Faye's voice echoed into the spacious, empty room. "Is Professor Juniper here?" After a few seconds, a brunette popped out from behind a stack of papers.
"Yes, hello?" the woman, who Faye presumed was the professor responded. "Oh, sorry. My assistant isn't here today and she's not exactly the most organized person, so I'm trying to sort through this stack of papers." Straightening, the professor asked, "So what can I do for you?"
"I was wondering whether I could purchase a Pokedex," Faye replied tersely but brightly, hoping to appear cheery. Professor Juniper's eyebrows raised.
"A Pokedex, hm? Well, they're sort of expensive..." she trailed off, before explaining. "They're still being developed, so most are one of a kind." Faye brushed the remark off with an airy shrug.
The professor looked curious, realizing Faye must be rich. Most wealthy trainers didn't go out of the way to purchase a Pokedex, claiming they were good enough not to need one, so she rarely got any real buyers. She watched as Faye easily reached into her bag and pulled out a wallet. Deftly she plucked out a wad of bills and handed to the professor, almost emptying it of pure cash, though a multitude of credit and debit cards still remained. The professor nodded, quickly leafing through the stack. Amazingly, she had gotten the price correct, probably having looked it up online previously. Professor Juniper reached into a nearby box. After digging through it a little, she retrieved a bright red object and handed it to Faye.
"The Pokedex isn't quite complete, but it's only missing data on legendary pokemon," Professor Juniper told the violet-eyed girl who was curiously turning the Pokedex over in her hands. "If you happened to encounter them, the Pokedex would record it and send it to me. That would be a great help, actually, but I doubt it's possible."
Faye wasn't quite listening as the professor talked, instead inspecting the device. It looked similar to those ancient music devices her "high-tech" friends used, with a screen at the top and a spinning wheel and a few buttons at the bottom. Carefully she pressed what looked like the power button, and the machine hummed to life.
"BEEP. THIS IS THE POKEDEX," the machine said dully but loudly as it flickered to life, causing Faye to squeal at the almost ear-splitting noise. She quickly mashed the power button again, sighing in relief as the screen faded to black.
"Where's the volume control for that thing?!" Faye yelped loudly, before remembering she was trying to act cheerily polite. "Sorry. It startled me."
Professor Juniper remarked sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head, "Well, this is a prototype, so... it doesn't actually ... have ... one?"
"I'm going to have to listen to that thing every time I scan a pokemon?" Faye asked. When the professor nodded her head, she moaned internally. Gonna have to find a way to shut it up...
"Well," Faye continued, recalling Nurse Joy's words, "Do you have a map of Unova I can have?"
The professor looked thoughtful. "Maybe," she replied, rifling through a different stack of papers, before shaking her head. "No, I'm sorry, I normally only have them to give to new trainers." However, instead of refocusing on Faye, she continued to look through the different reports and notes and other things. She quickly sat down, murmuring to herself where this and that should go.
"Oh," Faye remarked. "That's okay then." I should probably leave, her attention's wandering a little.Quickly she slipped out of the building before running into a boy, who couldn't be more than eleven.
"My bad," she apologized quickly, before trying to move on to try and buy some food. However the boy sidestepped and blocked her path. "What?" Faye asked, more annoyed this time, before realizing his gaze was fixed firmly on the Pokedex in her hands.
"I wanted that Pokedex so badly," he growled, the action comical paired with his short, stature and childish figure. "How come you can just waltz in and get it?"
"Uhm, I bought it?" Faye replied flippantly, trying to act haughty to intimidate the boy. It didn't work.
"Yeah? Well I bet you don't even know how to battle!" the boy replied angrily, reaching towards a lone pokeball on his belt.
"Is that a challenge?" Faye tilted her head nonchalantly. On the inside, however, her blood boiled. Stupid kid. He's not better than me. The boy nodded fiercely.
"Well then," Faye replied, trying to withhold her dread and excitement at her first battle. She reached into her bag and pulled out her sole pokeball. "Let's do this."
Welcome to my first (overly long) pokemon story, as well as my first pokemon journey story! I am super excited to get this started. Please review; CC is greatly welcome and appreciated!