Hailing Thunder
© Pokemon is a trademark owned by Nintendo/Creatures Inc. /GAME FREAK Inc.
P.S But the original characters belong to me!
"I graduated from high school just like you wanted mom! What more do you want from me?" I screamed fuming.
"I just feel you can have a higher purpose in life then living like a hobo playing with animals for the rest of your life!" My mother screamed back. THIS, this was a typical argument in the Summer household. Just to catch you up, I am probably the only teenager in the world that doesn't own a Pokémon. My father was a great explorer, to travel the world and map all of its secrets was his passion. Because of that passion, he died. They call it the Burned Tower nowadays. They say there is a legendary Pokémon that flies through the skies and comes back to rest at the tower, dad wanted to learn more about the tower. The townspeople say there was a massive lightning bolt that hit the tower and it started a fire, no body knew he was there. Days later they found him, stuck under a lumbar beam holding our family photo. Pokémon and the curiosity to see the world runs through my veins and my mom won't have it.
"Why do you do this? Just because an accident happened to dad, you can't just put me in a bubble mom! You can't always protect me!" I fumed and slammed the door behind me. I walked a little ways from the house and sat down at the edge of the lake. The wind blew my hair into my face…but I'm okay with that. I didn't want anyone to see the angry tears run down my face. I looked down at my reflection and hatefully splattered it. I didn't even hear my best friend walk up behind me.
"I'm sure whatever the water did, it didn't deserve to be smacked." Looking up, I saw Conner. He was a lot taller than me, maybe 6'4"? The girls in town were always all up in a knot about him; he had the most brilliant silver hair that went past his shoulders and steel gray eyes. Always in perfect shape from swimming with Sumi, his Marill. He wore a black tank top with a white button up, that was unbuttoned, over top and some baggy khaki pants and his trade mark sandals.
"It did…it looked at me." I sort of smiled. He smiled and leaned against a tree near to where I was sitting. I sighed and looked back down at the water. Mom sometimes can't even look at me because she says I look like dad to much. I have pretty fair skin, can't ever catch a tan, more like I reflect sunlight. I'm short like my mother, 5'1 to be exact. I'm defiantly not an athlete but I'm the girl everyone hates because I can eat a pizza and it never shows; got the metabolism of a rabbit. My hair is a crème brown and it goes a little past my shoulders and my eyes are, as Conner says, seaweed green. Inviting isn't it?
"How did the post graduation talk go? According to plan?" He asked softly. Yeah I had it all planned, planned it to be calm, collected, and grown up! I wanted to be free to explore the world so bad I managed to graduate at 16. My mother made the perfect excuse for me not to stop going to school when she showed a controlled poll. It says most Pokémon trainers that stop going to school when they are 13 (which is an accepted age for Pokémon trainers to venture on their own) have a considerably low IQ and usually at the age of 30 are homeless and don't have a cent to their name. I think it's because they missed the part in school where you have to go through an advanced college class to become a Gym leader. Well anyway, I told mom I would go and COMPLETE school, because after that, she shouldn't have anything to get mad about right? Wrong apparently.
"Oh all of it went 'great'. She was no madder than a Gyrados out of water." Really pissed off…
"That bad?"
"It went horrible! Once I said Pokémon it was like getting hit by a truck! I'll never get to see the Dragon's Den now…" Seeing the Dragon clan has been my dream since a child. It was probably hard for Conner to sympathize. He was raised around Pokémon his whole life. His father, Prof. Elm is a famous researcher on Pokémon. The easiest way for him to understand was to tell him to imagine a life with Sumi, he's had her since she was an Azuril. He leaned down and put a hand on my head, only if the village girls could see him now, they would be boycotting my existence.
"You could always pull the cat trick." He cheesed.
"The what?" I laughed.
"You know, little kid sneaks pet into home, upon parent discovering pet in house, kid says 'can we keep it' by that time it's to late so they agree."
"Well! Who would have thought you were so devious!" Usually Conner is the calm, cool, collected person on the scene. "I really like that plan! To bad I can't exactly go shove a random Pokémon into a ball and take it home." I pouted. He smiled coyly and extended a hand out for me to take,
"Well, my dad is starting a new experiment and he's trying to find a volunteer other than me." He grinned.
"Really?" I grabbed his hand and jumped up, "Race you!" I laughed and spun on my heel. I was the wind. He may be the best swimmer in the world but I was the fastest runner no matter how short my legs were! A cloud of dust spurred up behind me as I grabbed a corner of a building to help me make the sharp turn. I heard Conner breathlessly laugh behind me as ran toward the local Pokémon lab. I heard his fan club squeal as he ran by and I pushed harder. I made a powerful sprint over a fence and with a mild stumble, I regained my speed, I flew down the grassy hill; the lab in sight. I looked behind me and saw Conner's determined face as he braced a hand on the fence and made a sideways leap over it. Practically flying over the next fence I braced myself as I ran towards the nearby barn's wall. A rush of air leaving my chest, I didn't waste a second and took off down the winding side road, apparently Conner took a short cut as both of us almost collided at an intersection.
"Watch it short stuff!" He gasped as he braced himself against a building after missing his turn. I laughed and tore down the road and Conner was hot on my heels. He grabbed the hood of my hoodie and pulled himself ahead of me and I barely missed his shirt tail.
"Cheater!" Swiftly catching up to him we were in the last stretch. Both of us had our arm outstretched aiming to touch the lab door first when it suddenly opened. "WHOA!" Sliding across ceramic tile floor is a whole new kind of rug burn. We had both flown through the door, scaring a tech out of the way, and tumbled over one another into an ungraceful heap.
"What the….my goodness son! You guys need to be more careful!"
"Haha, sorry Prof. Elm!" I laughed as one of his assistants helped me up. His dad just smiled, Conner's family is full of light hearted people. Conner dusted his pants and he grinned boldly.
"I found you a participant!" He clapped me hard on the shoulder, making me stumble a step.
"So the post graduation talk went well?" He replied excitedly. I've always wanted to do work for Prof. Elm and he said I have the perfect enthusiasm to do experiments with Pokémon. The only road block was my mother and no matter how bummed both of us were, he always respected her wishes. No Pokémon.
"Of course it did dad!" Conner grinned. I wished I could lie like that. Geez. Right when he was about to delve into the project at hand, another visitor walked into the lab. Giselle. Conner was the best looking boy at 19 years old, and Giselle was the best looking girl in town at 18. I just turned 16, probably why I don't get flustered over Conner; he's almost three and half years older than me. Hell, probably even had his first kiss by now. Geez I'm such a weenie. Giselle walked in with her long flowing white skirt, black leather boots, and a pale blue tunic. Her hair has always been a naturally wavy blonde that went well past her waist. Magazine sun kissed skin and bright blue eyes; she was a model but soured her "flawless" image by knowing she was beautiful. I sighed. Maybe I should come back?
"Just in time Giselle! We have another participant!" She eye balled me like I was a bug. He clapped his hands together and gestured his hand over towards a tall tower like contraption. On a platform in the middle were three Poké balls. I fluttered to it like a bug to a zap light. "So, I've been talking to Mr. Pokemon and apparently there is some unseen connection between evolution and a trainer when a Poké ball isn't involved. Of course now a days you will still need to have one per the registry act but I would be incredibly grateful if you took these rare Pokémon with you and show them the life of companionship outside the ball! Let it walk with you, eat with you, etcetera. Would you all please? Since I couldn't find another participant, you can take one too Conner." I soaked it all in like a sponge.
To have a Pokémon like that with me at all times? That was would be amazing! Prof. Elm released them from the Poké balls and we watched as the glittering light turned into shapes. "Fire Pokémon, Cyndaquil. Water Pokémon, Totodile, Grass Pokémon, Chikorita. Now take your pick!" BUT, there wasn't any choosing for me. More like, I got who was left because as I've said, Conner is an extreme water Pokémon trainer. So, there goes Totodile. Giselle is a fire Pokémon trainer to the T. So…leaves me grass, a little bright yellow Pokémon called Chikorita with a giant green leaf on its head. I don't know what kind of trainer I'll be, but I know any dream team of mine is going to have a dragon in it because with Chikorita, that Dragon's den doesn't seem like such an elusive dream after all! Like the awesome mind reading person I am, I guessed right. Giselle leaned down and gave the little ball o flame a million dollar smile and he warmed up to her immediately, I couldn't help but smile though. Those two were amazing with Pokémon, it made me kind of feel like a wall flower at a dance. I watched as Sumi appeared and leaned out from behind Conner's leg. The Totodile dropped open his large chompers as the sight of another Pokémon, the two water Pokémon blew bubbles at each other, guess that was water Pokémon speak for "I accept!" I turned my head back and stared at the flora and it stared back at me…talk about awkward.
"Uh…hi there?" I pathetically greeted. It didn't even blink. It turned to look at Conner and Giselle and obviously saw a scene of perfection. I dropped my head. I must look so lame! Prof. Elm put a hand on my shoulder and chuckled.
"Now, now Nyla. Don't get down on yourself. A bond between a trainer and a Pokémon is something that blossoms." I looked up over my folded arms and sighed. The little Chikorita turned its head back towards me and put its head towards the floor. It scooted towards me a few steps and stopped in front of me, flopping down on its rear and putting its head down. I put my head down and sighed.
"Look at Nyla's Chikorita! It's a perfect mime!" I heard Conner laugh as he pointed to his dad. A mime? I looked up and peeked at it barely from beneath my bangs. Chikorita looked up to where its shiny little eyes could barely be seen from underneath its leaf. I felt myself begin to grin and I slowly raised one of my hands and waved it slightly. It did the same! I lifted my head and smiled.
"Chiko!" It cheered as if it planned it all along. I reached out my hand and the smooth glossy surface of its leaf brushed my hand. I stroked it gently and the small Pokémon seemed to purr. Aww.
"Alright. Come over here and lets get you all registered before you set out!" Prof. Elm announced with a clap of his hands. I held out mine for Chikorita to climb aboard and it did so without hesitation. The small Pokémon in my arms seemed to weigh nothing! It was laying on its back waving its small yellow feet at the leaf on its head.
"Giselle, let me read the document out to you, help me fill in the blanks, and just sign! Ok…uh huh….filled that part out already….ah! Okay, Giselle Hearth, 18 years old, documented Pokémon under your care is a Ponyta, now registering a Cyndaquil, male. Will he have a nick name?"
"Lyulf." She announced proudly. She always had regal names for her Pokémon. I envied her; her family owns the Fire Horse ranch further down the way. All the ponytas and rapidashes you could ever dream of. It was a family tradition to own a ponyta, from what I heard, he eldest brother's ponyta recently evolved into a Rapidash and was heading home.
"Lyulf it is. Noting that you follow the Registration Act and all other Pokémon constitutional rights, he is yours if you just sign….here!" Holding out a digital tablet towards her, she signed it in beautiful penmen ship and when she handed it back, he handed her a PokéDex. Sweet!
"Alright my son, Totodile, male. Nickname?"
"Nami"
"Sign here…." Once Conner walked off to the side I nervously walked forward. "I'm so glad you and your mother worked this out Nyla! It brings me no better joy."
"Right..." I tried to smile…probably a pathetic attempt because of the weird face Chikorita was making.
"First Pokémon, Chikorita, male, nick name?" I wish he would of caught me in a more inspiring mood but I looked down and it was practicing some weird grass Pokémon karate chop move on its leaf so I went with it,
"Leaf!"
"Alright, just sign here. You are now responsible for this Pokémon no matter what. You and his life are now forever intertwined; I hope to see great things!" He cheered. Way to put me on a guilt trip Prof. I was hesitant at first but I took a deep breath and signed the tablet, scrawling my name that in hopes of if something bad did happen, at least they wouldn't be able to read my name. "Alright! See you three tomorrow morning!" He handed me a PokéDex and I headed outside with the others. We all said our side tracked goodbyes and I looked down at my newfound responsibility and sighed. Mom is going to kill me.
A/N What did you think? :D