(A/N: Hello! This is my first story, so it's probably got a ton of flaws. I don't mind constructive critiscism, or advice. I need it. Not much else to say, except this is my hardest attempt at not making a Mary-sue. Thoughts on that?)
Disclaimer: I don't own pokemon, Ash is a pokemon abuser, blah, blah, don't sue. Besides, If I owned pokemon, it's be a LOT less kid-orientated. Damn FCC.
Lorelei Ashforth was taking a walk in Aurice City, not realizing the implications of the one act that night. She sighed happily as the snow crunched under her feet. Peace, quiet, cold—then a child's cry broke that spell.
"Huh?" She asked herself, following the sound. She came across a small basket covered by a blanket. A small white-haired and skinned child looked up at her, peeking out with ruby-red eyes. "Oh, my god." She picked up the basket, and the child blurbled. "Hey, there's a note...'
"Take good care of my daughter. She has powers beyond belief. Her name is Luna. –A" Lorelei whistled. "Well, that's odd. Come on, kiddo," she said, looking at the baby, "can't leave you here." And she walked off to her house, child slung over her shoulder. Four years later, and the baby had grown into a miniature hellion. She prodded and begged her mother for a pokemon. As she was doing now.
"Maaaa, can I have a pokemon?!" Luna whined. Lorelei rolled her eyes. "Luna-li, I already told you. No." Luna waited for a moment. "Oh. How about now?!" Lorelei pushed her outside.
"Not until you're thirteen! Go play in the backyard, okay?" Her voice softened. "Dammit." Luna muttered, kicking at the snow. "Well, if she won't give me one, I'll go find my own! I don't want a water pokemon, anyway!" She scrabbled off. She was headed through the Cursed Forest. These were scattered throughout the region of Aeroh, and were both awesome and terrifying. Luna clambered over rocks, and yelled, "HELLLLOOO?"
It reverberated back to her millions of times, making her edgy. "Frig. Hey, pokemon! Are you THERE?!" No one answered her for a moment, so she went deeper in. She tripped over a rock, and when she struggled to get up, she realized she couldn't. "Hey! HELP MEEE!" Luna screamed. Someone did come, but not to help. A pack of snarling Poochyena surrounded her. "Noononono! Getaway!" Luna screeched. They advanced, and she cowered, certain she was to die.
"Leave her alone!" A small black doglike thing had raced down the slope, and began to attack the Poochyena. Once he'd chased them off, he turned to the girl. "Child. Come with me."
She clung to his back, as he padded home. "Thank you, doggie..." Luna murmured. "You're a Houndour, right?" He nodded. "What's your name?" He growled, "I don't have one. I was exiled from my pack." She nodded. "Right. Can I give you one?" He nodded. "I suppose, but make it good." She nodded. "Azrael."
He yipped. "Fine, pale girl. What is your name?" "Luna." He reached her house, and pawed at the door. Lorelei opened it. "Luna! You're okay!" She picked her up. "Don't do that again, got it?!" Luna grinned. "Look, I got a pokemon!" Lorelei stared. The Houndour was waiting at the door, wagging his tail expectantly. Lorelei sighed. "Oh, hell. Fine, he can stay." "Yay!" Luna hugged him. "Yay for Azrael!" He growled, then smiled. (sort of.)
"Yay for Azrael, indeed." After Azrael arrived, Lorelei finally realized that pokemon could understand Luna. And she could understand them. Lorelei waited expectantly for more powers to surface, but none showed.
Luna, apart from this small gift, was nothing special to others. As she grew older, her skin didn't shimmer; it was just dead white. Her eyes were not orbs; they were big, sure, but they made her look as if she was about to cry, rather then act cute. She wasn't skinny, but was a bit stocky.
Her hair was not thick or lush; it was straight as a whip, and down-thin. She saw the other girls in the city, model-skinny with big boobs, the girls that had rainbow hair, and super-special pokemon. She wished she could be just like them, just so she'd stop being hated at school. At seven, she was already an outcast. She had Azrael, though.
The little helldog was her best friend, and beat the crap out of anyone who dared to make fun of her. Making problems worse for her, but he cared, at least. Even though the laws of Aeroh decreed that you couldn't be a trainer until you were thirteen, most every child had at least one pokemon.
And to understand them, their parents bought Translators. Luna, not needing one, was one of a few children. When Lorelei found out about these things, she checked them out. Turns out the company, Skygo Corporations, was rumored to check out the people who didn't buy their Translators. If they showed any talent with pokemon, these people soon turned up missing.
Lorelei shuddered, and, concerned for her daughter, bought a Translator. Luna, not understanding, threw it in her closet. She was about seven-and-a-half, (as she declared proudly to the Spinarak and Snover in her backyard), when the man in white came. She was playing the in snow with Azrael, when he walked up.
"Hi, mister. Are you lost?" She asked. "No, Luna. I have grave news; your mother is in the hospital. I was sent to bring you there." Luna, shocked, didn't think of the fact that this man she'd never met knew her name. He threw a pokeball, and a Pidgeot flew out of it's confines. "Get on." Luna did so, and Azrael with her.
He glared at the Houndour, but thought, "It matters not. It can do no harm." "You know where to go." He ordered the Pidgeot, who lifted off. "Hey, where are we going? What's your name?" The Pidgeot squawked mournfully. "Oh, my name... I have none, but for you, daughter of the heavens, I am incredibly sorry."
"Why? What's wrong? Where are we going?" Luna interrogated the Pidgeot, who did nothing but shree angrily about these sins of men. Luna clutched Azrael. "Help me..." She pleaded to the heavens in terror. "Someone..."
In Aurice City, Lorelei was returning home from grocery shopping, when she found no Luna in the front yard. "Luna! Luna-li!" Her bootprints and Azrael's pawprints led off, then there were none. "Icia!" She screamed for her Lapras. "Where is Luna?" The Translator buzzed.
"I thought she was with you. Lorelei, this man... he said you were in the hospital. She went with him." Lorelei dropped to her knees, clutching at the snow. "Oh, Christ, no." She moaned. She remembered the letter. "Take good care of her." She'd failed. She'd failed.