"Dad, we've been sitting in the car all morning. Let's just go back and not put up with all this nonsense." I blew a strand of green hair from of my face and pouted. "And why do we have to be the ones to move? I'm sure Sophia and her kid could have come to Eterna instead. Our old house was certainly big enough to fit all of us and more if your current children aren't up to your standards."
"Charlotte," my father said, effectively cutting me off. He was probably paying more attention to the time on his watch than to me, but at the very least he replied. "We're moving and that's final. Jubilife is an exciting city; I'm sure you'll find ways to entertain yourself." He paused to take a look outside. "Perfect, we're almost there. Sophia wanted us to have a fresh start as a family, so try to behave yourself."
I snorted at his comment, but looked outside as well. Our car finally rolled to a halt at our destination, our new home. My father got out first and said a few words to our driver. I crawled out next, taking in the sight of an impressive high rise building as it emerged into full view. A concierge greeted us at the door, but we say nothing as I followed my father into the elevator and to our apartment.
The apartment, as expected, wasn't terrible. It was already furnished with modern looking furniture. The windows were tall and the ceiling was high. The view from the living room, I had to admit, overlooked a spectacular city skyline. It was the unfortunate sight of my stepmother and stepsister that ruined the scene.
"Oh, you guys are finally here!" exclaimed Sophia, the stepmother. "I was getting worried because you were taking so long." She came over to give me a quick hug and a kiss for my father.
Standing by the kitchen island was her 14 year old daughter Lily, who waved to us with one hand and held a half-eaten sandwich in the other. Like any Pokémon crazed teenager, she was fully equipped with all your Pokémon trainer essentials. A battered pair of running shoes, a Pokémon themed t-shirt, and a fancy pink pokétech. She looked like she was ready to set off on a Pokémon journey at any moment, but obviously wasn't since she was still stuck here.
"Would you two like something to eat?" Sophia continued, "Lily and I just started lunch."
"No, I ate already," I lied. "Could you please show me my room instead?" My father ignored my antics, and walked away to grab a sandwich. He didn't really care what I did as long as I didn't upset his new marriage. So, with my best smile, I thanked Sophia politely for pointing out my room and quickly navigated myself out of the situation.
Once alone, I let out a sigh and plopped onto the bed, my bed. It felt weird to call it mine. I had lived in my previous house for so long that it was hard to call anything else my home: the gardens in the backyard, Mt. Coronet in the distance, the maids busy at work, my family and me...everything was just a memory now.
A box in the corner caught my eye. I got up to open it, carefully taking out the contents. There was a book on the geography of Sinnoh, a clock, a few pokédolls, an old picture, and at the very bottom, a backpack. I placed everything in their respective places, except for the backpack, which stayed in the box and was tucked safely away in the closet. There will be a time for me to use it, but not now.
After all was said and done, I went back into the living room.
"Are you going out Charlotte?" asked Sophia.
I nodded. "I want to explore the city."
"Have Lily come with you. She's going out soon too, and it's better to have someone show you around in a city as big as this one."
I pursed my lips, and apparently, I wasn't the only one opposed to this decision.
"But mooom, I'm going to hang out with my friends," Lily whined.
"Then introduce Charlotte to your friends. I'm sure they'll get along."
"That's not fair. We have our own stuff to do, and I don't have time to be babysitting Charlotte all day," she pressed.
An idea came to mind. "I think having someone to accompany me would be nice," I interrupted.
Lily shot me a glare, and Sophia beamed.
"Then, it's decided. Lily, please take care of Charlotte today and show her around. Just remember to be back before dinner," Sophia sang happily.
"Fine," Lily grumbled.
The elevator door closed in front of us, and I turned to Lily.
"Let's meet up outside this building at 5," I suggested.
"What?"
I rolled my eyes, "You can go hang out with your friends, I can do my own business, and we can meet up at 5 to make it look like we were together the entire time," I explained.
"No," Lily said definitively.
"What?" it was now my turn to question her sanity.
"I said no," Lily repeated. "I'm not letting a kid like you run around by yourself in the city. I promised my mom that I'll take care of you. What if you get kidnapped?"
"You're only 2 years older than I am," I said stubbornly, "and your reasoning is stupid. People don't just get kidnapped randomly. That's what the police are for."
"Whatever," countered Lily, "you don't have a say in this anymore. It's your fault that we're stuck together in the first place."
"And we have a perfectly simple solution to this problem if you stopped being such a stick in the mud about it," I retaliated.
Ding. The elevator door opened, and we both stepped out. Lily released her Shinx Domino from its pokéball.
I crossed my arms, "So what's your plan?"
"I want to visit the convenience store first," said Lily, ignoring my hostility.
And so, to the convenience store we went. Lily, being Jubilife born and raised, expertly weaved in and out of the city's crowded streets. I followed closely behind her, matching her movements to the best of my abilities. I didn't know why I was following her - I could have easily left by now, but my mind was too distracted by the hustle and bustle of city life to process my thoughts properly. This was the first time I had ever roamed the streets of Jubilife on my own two feet, and the experience was nothing short of exhilarating. People and Pokémon walked side by side, lively chatter filled my ears, and multistory buildings towered from above. Trainers, especially, frequented the busy streets; the summer months were popular times for travelers.
Speaking of the summer...I soon felt beads of sweat crawl down my forehead. It was midafternoon, and the sun was at its prime. Unlike in Eterna City, there were no trees here to provide shade, so the full intensity of the sun bore down on me like an invisible, stuffy blanket. Fortunately, the convenience store was not too far away, and I rejoiced when I finally took a step into the air conditioned facility.
Upon entering, Lily immediately disappeared into the Pokémon aisle. Instead of following her, I wandered towards the back of the store to grab a bottle of water - keeping hydrated seemed like a good idea. Across the aisle from me stood a certain dark haired boy. He looked slightly older than I was, and his clothes were battered and dirty. If I had to guess, I would say that he got lost on his journey for a few days, nothing too unusual. However, I noticed that he wasn't carrying around any pokéballs...Upon closer inspection, I noticed that his movements were rather shifty as well. He was scanning up and down the aisle while holding a pre-packaged sandwich in his hand - and then, in a second's worth of time, slipped the item into his pocket!
Oh Arceus, what should I do? Report him? Let him get away? The poor boy might be homeless, or worse; maybe his sick, dying mother and five little siblings were depending on him to bring food home! I shook my head and cleared my thoughts.
"Ahem," I tapped the boy on the shoulder. "If you want, I could help you pay for that." Mother always did say to help the less fortunate; it's good for your public image.
The boy widened his eyes in surprise, but didn't say anything. He regained his composure quickly and fixed me with a steely gaze.
"Here." I took out 500 pokédollars. "This should cover for the sandwich and a bit more." I grabbed his arm and placed the money in his hand.
"Fucking busybody."
My breath hitched.
"I just want my damn sandwich. If you want to give me 500 pokédollars then suit yourself bitch," the boy stepped aside and started walking towards the front of the store.
What. The. Hell. "Get back here you shoplifter!"
The store clerk emerged from around the aisle, "Is there anything wrong here?"
"No, this girl is just bothering me. I would like to pay for this item," the boy replied casually, holding up the sandwich.
"Sure," the clerk motioned towards the counter, "you can come right ahead to check out."
That jerk then proceeded to pay with my money, and then had the nerve to smirk at me right before leaving the store. What the actual fuck. How dare he do that!
Somewhere in the store, I could hear Lily's voice, "Charlotte! I got my stuff, and I'm leaving!"
Ugggh. I hope that boy chokes on his sandwich because today might actually be the worst day of my life.