"Bister, I want you home by four, okay?" my mother walked up to me holding my red back pack. Her short brown hair was permed at the bottom, creating loose curls that bounced up and down as she moved along. She smiled as she knelt down to my height to give me my bag before leaning into me. "I packed you a sandwich" she whispered before giving me a quick peck me on the cheek.
"Bye mum!" I called back to her as I walked out the door, ready for my next adventure. I got up onto my new bike and cycled down the road as fast as I could, nearly knocking Mr Kemp (the bicycle road owner) off his feet – he always was a horrid old man anyway.
After about ten minutes of cycling I reached the Day Care Center. I got off my bike and peered over the picket fence.
"Luke!" I called over the fence as I saw the boy I was looking for.
A face appeared over the fence, "Look at this!" he beckoned me over.
I looked twice and then hurled myself over the fence. I landed in the idyllic garden full of small and friendly looking pokémon. "What is it?" I said to Luke as my eyes tried to take every detail in of my surroundings.
Luke ran off to the other side of the garden and picked something up into his arms, I followed him, intrigued. When I reached him he turned around to reveal the pokémon that sat happily in his arms. It swamped him as he struggled to hold it up. I searched through my mind to think of what it was. Suddenly it hit me, "that's a Zigzagoon!" I said in realisation. The pokémon laughed gleefully at the sound of its name.
"It's my brother Isaac's" Luke said to me as the Zigzagoon chewed at the ends of his scruffy, navy blue hair. "Where were you off too?" he asked as he tried to part the pokémon from his hair.
I looked at him worriedly as he struggled. "Fishing actually" I replied, "wanna' come?"
Luke shook his head and looked down at Zigzagoon, whom had finally released Luke's hair. "I got to stay here while my brother's out" he said regrettably, "but next time" he promised with a smile.
I smiled back, "I better be off, I have to be back by four" I sighed.
"See you at school, Bist" he said as he trotted off into the Day Care building.
"Bye" I said quickly. I hopped over the fence again and back on to my bike.
I zoomed through Mauville and was past the Bicycle Road in no time. I decided to take a quick detour through the thin woods to get to the river. I raced over bumps and dips in the woodland floor so fast, it was if I was flying. The wind soared past my ears and through my hair, whipping it behind me.
Suddenly everything slowed as I found myself colliding with the hard ground. I quickly lost consciousness, and awoke to meet the familiar, but yet unknown, eyes of a young boy- a boy in my class that I'd never really talked to before. To be honest, he'd never seemed that nice, he came across as a competitive, stuck-up rich boy. His wavy blonde hair was perfectly maintained and even though he managed to sit me up against a tree, he had no mud or stains on his expensive looking clothes. Everyone knew his father, a powerful business owner in Rustboro City, where my sister and I went to school.
"I'm Brodie, you're Bister" he said slowly as he blurred into vision.
"I know my own name" I snapped at him, "I haven't lost my mind". The young boy looked at me blankly, unsure of what to do. I still felt uneasy, but ignorantly, I tried to get up onto my feet. I fell immediately, only to be caught by the young boy, Brodie.
"Maybe you should sit down" he said patronisingly with an 'I told you so' attitude, as he lowered me down to the floor slowly.
I obliged, although angered at him, and sat up against the tree. "What happened?" I asked him, in a calm and curious voice.
He shrugged his shoulders and took out a bottle of water from his bag. "I don't know" he said as he handed me the bottle. "I just found you here, but I figure it has something to do with that bike?" he chuckled lightly as he gestured to the bike. It lay good as new on the floor a few metres away from where I fell.
"Yeah" I sighed, "Must have hit something".
"Does it hurt?" Brodie asked me, seriously this time, as he knelt down to my height on the floor.
I nodded, "A little, but I think I can stand". I grabbed the boy's hand and tried to pull myself up onto my feet. "Pull me up" I said through my teeth as I struggled. Eventually I was up off the ground; I tried to wipe some of the mud off my shirt. The boy, Brodie, still held me up, preventing me from falling. I pushed at him forcefully, "Eww! Get off me" I cried childishly. He fell back in confusion before he quickly readjusted his stature and stood straight again.
"I'm sorry" he said sheepishly, his cheeks turning bright red and he looked down to the floor embarrassedly.
I tilted my head up pompously as I walked over to my bike. "Thank you for your help" I said ungratefully, "but I better be off now – I'm going fishing". I stood my bike upright and began to walk it slowly towards the river.
"Can I come?" a voice said from behind me, "- only, I love fishing" he explained.
I turned around to him. "Why should I let you come?" I snapped again at him.
He looked down as if in on a private joke before quickly looking back up at me, with a wide, blood-boiling, smirk on his face. "Because you're going the wrong way" he said through his grin.
I almost screamed I was so angry at him. "You'd better hurry up then" I said through my teeth in annoyance and embarrassment as I turned around my bike and began to walk in the other direction.
Brodie and I walked together until we reached the river - although I made him walk 4 metres behind me at all times.
The river was flowing slowly as usual. A dozen Taillow danced across the surface of the water like ice skaters on a frozen lake. The trees whistled quieted from the behind us as I sat down at the river bank. I watched Brodie as he sat down beside me. He looked out onto the river and sighed before turning to face me.
"Why didn't the Squirtle share his toys?" he said randomly and out of the blue.
I turned to him, confused and perplexed. "What?" I replied.
"Why didn't the Squirtle share his toys?" Brodie repeated with a smile, awaiting my reply.
"Urh…" I mumbled, "I don't know".
"Because he's shell-fish!" he cried enthusiastically. I looked at him blankly. He seemed puzzled at the fact that I hadn't let out a laugh at all. "That was a good joke!" he insisted as he sulked.
I laughed a little, not at the joke, but at him. "It was alright I suppose" I said as I turned to him. Feeling guilty, I opened my bag and took out my old battered rod. "Hey" I said as I handed it to him, "You wanna' fish?" I asked him. He turned and smiled at me as he happily took the rod from me. I got out my newer rod, attached bait, and chucked it out into the water.
We sat in silence for a few minutes admiring the view and watching a pair of Lotad played at the other side of the river.
"Can I try one more?" Brodie turned to me, spoiling the peace.
"No" I sighed. We both turned to each other and laughed at my bluntness.
"I'm going to tell you anyway" he said through his laughs. "What is the difference between a Snor"- he began.
"-No!" I interrupted him theatrically as I covered my ears with my hands and broke into laughter again.
He continued more loudly, "a Snorlax and a"-
"No!" I was almost crying now, not with tears, but in the insane laughing fit he'd put me in.
He stayed like this for hours, just two strangers by a river as we laughed and talked – and fished of course. I knew then it was the start of something amazing. From then on I would count the rich stuck-up boy in my class, as my friend.
"Mum?" I said as I peered round the opened door. There was no reply, which I was rather happy about since I was an hour late home. My plan was to slip upstairs and pretend I was there all along.
I tiptoed through the kitchen, still, no sign that anyone was in. I curiously looked around the kitchen; my mother's car keys were still there, her phone was still there, but where was she? I put down my bag on the table and wondered upstairs to see if she was in her room.
"Azumarill?" I called for my mother's pokémon.
"AZU!" a screech cried from downstairs. In fright, I hurled myself down the stairs.
"Mum?" I questioned, but something wasn't adding up- the opened door, no reply.
I ran into the living room. Azumarill stood over a still body, her face writhing with pain. I suddenly felt faint as looked down at the brown curls of hair that lay dormant on the floor. Without a word, I let out a scream.
6 years later…
It is so easy to lose yourself staring up at the stars. Their beauty so stunning it can make you forget all your worries and fears. I look up at the consolation of Tauros, imagining the magnificent beast from which its name comes. The image brings me back to earth as I remember it all; in less than a week I'll have finished school and I'll be off into the world alone. Although to travel and train is my dream, the thought is terrifying. Leaving the beautiful highlands of Verdanturf town seems impossible, the place I've lived in all my life. All my memories of my mother are here. How could I possibly leave?
"Bister!" a familiar voice called, disrupting my train of thought, "Dad says you've got to come inside now". It was sister's voice, Hallie. I got up off the soft grass I'd been stargazing from and walked back towards the house. I saw Hallie's silhouette in the door of my house. She's not too bad as sisters go. She's helped me through a lot and I'm thankful for that, but she certainly has her strops from time to time.
A Zubat flew overhead and into a close tree. It was silent as it moved through the dark, making me feel even more alone then I probably was. I looked up at the snow topped mountains in the distance and imagined the beautiful mysterious places that must lie beyond them. I dreamt endlessly of the places and pokémon I have yet to encounter on my journeys. But until then, Verdanturf is my home and I know I will sorely miss it when I'm gone.
My house is one of the largest in our town. The Yellow-oak tree walls were black in the darkness. A Hoot-Hoot called from the roof. I looked up to see it, a shadow against the night, but it flew away when it noticed my curiosity. I opened my old, wooden door, without a squeak. My dad, Stuart, stood in the kitchen, seemingly oblivious to my return.
He used to work in Rusturf Tunnel until the plans were scraped to avoid disturbing some Whismurs. It would have been awfully handy to have a tunnel through to Route 116. My school was in Rustboro City, just south of Route 116, but instead I had to walk through several towns to get there. But I didn't mind, since I'd of had to walk through a dark tunnel all by myself if it'd been built - who knows what scary pokémon lurk in the shadows? Anyways, I liked the walk, and I got to see a lot of pokémon and their trainers. Sometimes I'd even get to see a battle between two trainers.
"Excited about school tomorrow, Bist?" my dad asked, acknowledging me.
I didn't answer straight away because I didn't quite know how I felt about tomorrow. Tomorrow morning marked my last few days at Trainer School, the last three days before I became a trainer. It seemed silly to be anxious about it when I thought of all the people who set off on their adventures at 10 or 11 years old. But it was my mother's wish for me to stay on to school until I was 16, and so I did.
"Yeah, I suppose" I eventually replied.
He noticed my hesitation and looked at me as if he understood my worry and anxiety, perhaps because he was worried about me leaving is well. "Don't you worry yourself" he said softly, "You are much more ready for this then I was when I became a trainer".
I looked down at the floor, unsure of why I felt embarrassed, it was most likely to be because what my father was telling me was true. He set off at the tender, naïve age of 11 to take on the world of pokémon. He made some mistakes along the way, but who doesn't?
I looked up at him and smiled, "Thanks dad" and without another word, walked upstairs to bed.
My sister was already in bed; her beautiful golden brown locks of hair covered her face. I suddenly realised how tired I was. I quickly got into my night clothes and into bed. A big damaged old book sat on my bed-side table titled, 'Hoenn Myths and Legends'. The book reminded me of my exam results that I'd receive on my last day. I felt confident about my 'Trainer Knowledge' and 'Trainer Skill' exams, but I'd had to spend extra time revising my 'Hoenn and beyond - geography'. The 'History' exam I actually found rather interesting to revise for. Many nights I spent reading about tales from Hoenn and afar. But tonight I was far too tired for that, and dropped off almost immediately.
The next morning I awoke to find my sister and Azumarill tidying the room. After my mother died my sister saw it unfit to leave home with the state my dad was in. Now she has nothing to do but help around the house and keep Dad company while I'm at school. She'd like to get a job at the Pokémon Day Care down the road, but it always seems like something is holding her back. I felt sorry for her sometimes, wondering if she really liked being cooped up here.
"Come on Bister, it's your last week of school ever!" she exclaimed, "You've only got till Wednesday! You don't want to miss a minute" she added while folding clean clothes that Azumarill was handing her.
I got out of bed and walked to my wardrobe. I picked out some dark blue jeans and a 'Mossdeep Rockers' (one of Hoenn's best, and by far my personal favourite, rock band) band t-shirt. Once I was changed I went downstairs to help myself to some PokéPops. I carefully spooned out the PokéPops from their box and tried to filter out my favoured flavour, Pinap Pikachu. I added the milk and then ravenously circled the bowl with my spoon, picking out the yellow Pikachu shapes. They then sloshed around in the milk on my spoon before I consumed them. This carried on until there were no more Pikachus, and I subsequently had to pick out the odd stray mediocre PokéPop, such as Razz Rapidash and Tanga Treeko.
I picked up my bright red back pack and headed out the door with Azumarill. I walk to school every day with Azumarill – not because I need protecting, but because I have to cross some water at Route 103 before I get to Oldale Town. I use Azumarill to surf across the water, but she also keeps me company. I heard my dad call goodbye as I shut the door behind me, but I was too late to reply.
We started out towards Mauville City which is just along the road the Day Care is on. The sun was hot on my back and I remembered the heat wave that was due this month. I looked down at the exhausted Azumarill and took out a bottle of fresh spring water. I hand the bottle to her and delighted, she took several gulps of water until I had to prize it out of her hands out of fear there would be none left for the rest of the journey.
"Bister?" a voice calls from behind the fence of the Day Care. It was Isaac, one of my sister's friends who worked in the Day Care as a pokémon breeder. His jet black hair was covered by a bright red cloth hat that all qualified breeders would wear. He stood in a matching red apron, holding a small Zigzagoon - the pokémon wriggled joyfully in his arms as he tiggled its tummy.
"Isaac" I replied in recognition.
"I haven't seen you here for a while" he said awkwardly. "How's Hallie?" he asked sheepishly as his cheeks blushed pink.
"She's good" I answered, a little confused. "She's thinking of training to become a breeder or a day care assistant here" his eyes grew wild in excitement as I said the words.
"Really!" he exclaimed before realising how overly excited he'd sounded. He cleared his throat before trying again; "Really?" he repeated, more quietly this time, and obviously embarrassed at his outburst. "Well, you can tell her I am always willing to help her if she wants" he smiled hopefully.
I was not sure how my sister felt about Isaac. He was nice enough, an attractive and caring individual, but I only knew them to be friends. He came over every so often, and sometimes they would go to the markets together, but lately he hadn't been around much.
"I'll make sure I tell her, I'm sure she'd love that" I told him with a smile. "I got to go now, I'm late as it is" I quickly added, anxious to get off to school as Azumarill impatiently tugged on my arm.
He smiled, "Thank you Bister, it's good to see you. Have a nice day". I waved and turned back to the road towards Mauville City.
We entered the bustling city of Mauville rather promptly. Mauville was one of the most beautiful places in the world at night, the whole city would light up – it was almost the city that never sleeps. I came here a lot over the years; I use to play with my friends in the woods around here. Me and my best friend Brodie had our own mini adventures in the same woods he'd found me fallen from my bike all those years ago. We would climb trees in search of pokémon and rein-act pokémon battles.
Azumarill was walking at a fast pace today. She was already past the pokémon gym and about fifteen or so paces ahead of me. She obviously realised us bumping into Isaac had put us behind on time. But I was not too worried about being late. Instead, I admired the gym, imagining the battles inside. From what I've heard, the gym leader here is a master of electric types and is an extremely tricky fight. 'Wattson of Mauville Gym' the plaque on the front of the gym read.
I ran ahead to catch up with Azumarill as I noticed she would soon be out of sight at the rate she's walking.
The wood on the way to Oldale isn't very thick, but there are still a lot of pokémon around. A Minun danced between the trees, a Wingull flew far above in the blue sky and a Taillow sung from a tall ash tree.
You could see the Bicycle Road that lies almost obliviously, high in the tree tops. Brodie and I had been banned from the Bicycle Road for "dangerous racing that could be threatening the safety of others". The owner had informed us that the Bicycle Road was for a 'brisk cycle' above the trees and apparently not for racing on. Not that the ban exactly stopped us both. We still managed to get on occasionally without much difficulty. I smiled as I remembered all of our scandalous encounters with the bitter Bicycle Road owner, Mr Kemp.
After a good hour of slow walking from Mauville City, I could see the water's edge in the distance. As soon as we got to the end of the land, Azumarill got in the water and gestured me to get on her back. I obliged and got on her blue, silky back. The journey was smooth and only the tips of my shoes got wet. I looked down to see a Magikarp swimming below us in the almost translucent waters. It swam around in circles in the water as if it had forgotten where it was going.
In no time, Azumarill has crossed the water and we resumed the walk ahead. Azumarill fastened the pace as we headed towards Oldale Town. Occasionally she goes home after we get to the other side of the water, but today I think she wants to make sure I get to school on time and stop dawdling.
We pass through the quaint town of Oldale, surprisingly even smaller than Verdanturf. I recognise one of the houses here to be the home of one of my school friends, Tiana. Her family moved here from the busy coastal city of Lilycove a few years back. Her family moved primarily so that Tiana could attend the school that her parents both went too in Rustboro City. It was a good school, both me and my sister attended.
After Oldale the trees became denser. Light beams shone down on the forest floor and danced about in the darkness. The forest was so quiet and still that I was glad I had Azumarill with me.
A loud shout echoed through the trees. I looked about, hopelessly searching for the source. Azumarill darted off towards it, leaving me alone and taken aback. I started to run after her, but in my hurry I tripped and fell over a root. I quickly jumped back up and ran off in the direction Azumarill ran.
I screamed and screamed for her in my panic, where on earth has she gone, I thought. She'd vanished so quickly it was remarkable, all I could do was run in the general direction she went in and shout for her.
Branches and thistles clawed at me as I sprinted through the forest. I was running so fast through the shrubbery that when I reached a well-lit clearing, I fell and grazed all up my arms.
I looked up and sighed in frustration at my stupidity. I froze, for as I looked up, I had, not half a metre from my face, a Poochyena that growled furiously at me. Its teeth glistened as it flared its fangs aggressively. I tried to back up slowly, keeping my eyes fixed on the pokémon. Suddenly it leapt at me; I covered my face with my hands in anticipation of the attack. But the attack didn't come, I opened one eye cautiously, and then the other. In front of me stood Azumarill, but before I could thank her she ran over to the other side of the clearing. I looked up curiously.
Lying on the ground behind her, an unconscious boy lay in the leaves. I immediately ran over to them. I looked down at the quiet boy; I notice his frail, sick-looking frame and light green hair. Azumarill leaned over the boy and, to my surprise, directed a jet of water straight at the poor boy's face. He suddenly sat up in alarm, making me jump back in shock. He took a long deep breath and then came to realise he was in company. He looked straight into my eyes; his beautiful emerald-green eyes mirrored the colour of his hair. I remained mesmerised with them until he started to speak, "W-What happened?" he managed to say, his voice was not short of a whisper as he spoke.
I pondered what to say; "Urm, Me and Azumarill just found you unconscious with a Poochyena" I started. His eyes looked around him in fear until I quickly added, "But it ran away".
The boy smiled at me, looking reassured. "Thanks" he said as he tried to stand. He managed to get half way up before falling back on his bum. He let out a small yelp when he hit the hard ground. I reached down and offered him a hand. Eventually he managed to stand, but I had to keep him steady.
"Where do you live?" I asked him, my voice didn't hide the fact that I was struggling to hold up his weight.
"Petalburg City" he said as he tried to point in the direction of his home. His arm fell and his face contracted in pain. Azumarill lead us towards the city. Conveniently, I'd of had to pass through Petalburg City anyway so I hoped the incident wouldn't make me too late. After a couple of awkward minutes of silence he said, "I'm Wally by the way". Although his voice was quiet he tried to put on a frail smile as he said it.
"I'm Bister, and that is Azumarill" I said, pointing towards her ahead of us.
"She must be pretty strong to fight off that Poochyena. You're lucky to have it as your pokémon" he said with a touch of envy.
"She was my mother's actually, but yes, she is very strong" I said the last bit extra loud so she would hear it.
By the time we'd reached the city of Petalburg, Wally was almost strong enough to walk by himself; I still decided to walk him to his house though. We got to the small house and Wally opened the door gently with the arm I wasn't holding up. A woman, who I presumed was his mother, ran across the kitchen to us and pulled out a chair for Wally to sit on.
"Wallykins?" she asked Wally frantically, "What happened?" Wally went bright red as his mother referred to him like a baby. Then, for the first time since we'd both walked in the door, she noticed me standing awkwardly by the wall, unsure of what I should do. "What happened?" she repeated. Wally looked up at her as if he was about to reply, but then he realised the question was not directed at him.
"Urh, well…" I started hesitantly. Wally's emerald-green eyes met mine again as he shook his head as if begging me from behind his mother. "Well… he just f-fell and hurt his foot, yeah" I lied, "I just thought I'd help him back" Wally smiled at me from across the room and I knew I'd done well.
"Oh…" his mother started, interrupting our little moment. "Well, thank you then, urh – what was your name?" she looked me up and down to see if she recognised me.
"Bister Brown", I said quickly as I noticed the time. I was surely going to be late now, unless I ran. Azumarill had noticed the time too and was standing impatiently at the door. "I'm sorry, I've really got to go now" I said, looking to and from the clock and Wally and his mother. "It was very nice meeting you both" I said walking back to the door where Azumarill stood frustrated at me. "And I hope your foot gets better, Wally" I added. We shared a smile at our secret before I closed the door behind me.
When we reached the city of Petalburg, Wally was almost strong enough to walk by himself. But I decided to still walk him to his house. We got to the small house and Wally opened the door gently with the arm I wasn't holding up. A woman, who I presumed was his mother, ran across the kitchen to us and pulled out a chair for Wally to sit on.
"Wallykins?" she asked Wally frantically, "What happened?" Wally went bright red as his mother referred to him like a baby. Then for the first time since we'd both walked in the door she noticed me standing awkwardly by the door, unsure of what I should do. "What happened?" she repeated. Wally looked up at her as if he was about to reply, but then he realised the question was not directed at him.
"Urh, well…" I started hesitantly. Wally's emerald-green eyes met mine again as he shook his head as if begging me from behind his mother. "Well… he just f-fell and hurt his foot, yeah" I lied, "I just thought I'd help him back" Wally smiled at me from across the room and I knew I'd done well.
"Oh…" his mother started, interrupting our little moment. "Well, thank you then, urh – what was your name?" she looked me up and down to see if she recognised me.
"Bister Brown", I said quickly as I noticed the time. I was surely going to be late now, unless I ran. Azumarill had noticed the time too and was standing impatiently at the door. "I'm sorry, I've really got to go now" I said, looking to and from the clock and Wally and his mother. "It was very nice meeting you both" I said walking back to the door where Azumarill stood frustrated at me. "And I hope your foot gets better Wally" I added. We shared a smile at our secret before I closed the door behind me.