Darkness looms in everyone's shadows; it is just a matter of whether one's self acknowledges its presence or not. It consumes one's soul if looked upon, yet if it goes ignored it only makes one stronger.
Every human being has a shadow, but what is hidden within them differs for each person. Some hide hate for one another in their shadow, while others hide their pain. Some mask their regrets, grief, and sadness in their shadows, while others seal their past within it. And then there are those who mask their true evil nature within their shadows in order to go unnoticed by those who live in the light.
Demons walk amongst us every waking day, hiding within their shadows... They take us as fools, thinking that we cannot see what lies in their shadows. They can smile innocently all they want and try to make us for a fool, but their eyes are a dead giveaway. Hatred consumes one's soul just as much as bloodlust and revenge. It consumes, and the only way to defeat it is to let it go unacknowledged.
It can be unlocked unintentionally. Some may see something tragic or scarring, and the evil inside of them might just come into play. Some have tempers that consume their rational thoughts, while others may get so frustrated that they just snap.
The only way to fight darkness is with light. However, darkness consumes any shred of hope, rendering it unstoppable. Fight the evil that is darkness; stop it from overtaking the light. Stop those who are evil from smothering kind souls until they are left empty inside. Fight the darkness and pull the light out to shine high above with the stars, that is vatonage. To give life to the light that has been concealed in darkness...
"KATE!"
The book snapped close when the desk chair screeched backwards slightly, and the girl sitting in it stood up from her desk. She gingerly held the rather large hard cover within her arms, stepping out of her bedroom to glance down the staircase.
"Yes, mother?"
Fay Hitomi, Kate's mother, stood at the very bottom of the stair steps. She smiled up at her daughter, ushering her to follow. "It's almost time for you to leave soon. Finish packing your bag so you don't miss your boat!" She had curly brown hair a similar shade to Kate's and vibrant green eyes.
The girl simply nodded, returning to her room. Her name was Kate Hitomi, an eighteen-year-old with short, medium-brown hair that brushed her shoulders and middle-part bangs that barely covered her eyebrows. Her sky-kissed blue eyes glimmered when catching the light that poured in through her windows, which accented her pale skin. She stepped over to the suitcase lying atop of her blue bed without eliciting a single sound, placing the book on the very top and zipping it up.
Aside from the necessary essentials, Kate had only packed two school uniforms, her phone, and at least twenty paperbacks. She never bothered with makeup or any other girly things such as that, so there really was no need to pack such items.
Kate's passion was to read. She loved reading, both for pleasure and education. She was never much of a talker, but if the subject was books, you would have a tough time getting her to shut up. She was an introvert who's ideal day consisted of lounging on Summerland's beach with a good book for hours. She easily went through five novels a week of any genre. She enjoyed reading adventures the most, however. Despite her introverted nature, Kate desired the adventurous life the characters in her books lived. And, that was precisely why she had filled out an application to attend Almia's Ranger School, the best Pokemon Ranger Academy in the world.
It had been her dream to attend Almia's Ranger School for as long as she could remember. Living in Summerland had its perks; sure, it was a popular vacation spot and all, but it also provided young girls like Kate with the opportunity to grow up around Pokemon Rangers. Ever since she was six, she had visited Summerland's Ranger Base Leader Cameron to shadow Rangers and simply watch what they would do. Of course, this drew some attention. The Summerland Rangers had found it odd that a girl so small and so young desired to be just like them when she was older, but regardless, they welcomed her with open arms whenever she came to visit. She was a curious one, too. She would ask Cameron all sorts of questions about his life as a Ranger, (which was pretty uneventful, given that he operated in the one Fiore city with the lowest crime rate), but Kate found his stories absolutely fascinating, regardless of how simple it may be. ...such as finding an old lady's lost Skitty.
And today was finally the day that her life-long dream would come true.
Kate picked up her suitcase and straightened her posture, flicking off the lights before walking out of her room for what felt like would be the last time. Almia's Ranger School was not only in a different region than where she lived, but it was also a boarding school, meaning she would have to be away from her family as she attended her dream school. She would manage, although she would probably miss her little brother Adam the most.
Kate lifted her suitcase with her skinny arms as she walked down the stairs, careful not to ding the bottom of the suitcase on the steps. She quickly found her grinning mother waiting for her not even two feet away from the bottom of the staircase.
"Ooh, this is so exciting!" Fay clapped her hands together with anticipation, grinning happily. "My little baby, all grown up and going to school... It feels like yesterday you were the only just the same age as Adam!" She wiped a stray tear from her eye.
Kate could only crack a small grin at her mother's emotional state, shaking her head. "Where is Adam and Father, anyways? I want to say good-bye before I leave for the boat."
Fay placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder and began leading her towards the front door. "They're already waiting by the docks to see you off! Let's go!"
Kate pushed open the front door and submerged herself into the thick, humid and sweaty atmosphere that was Summerland. The entire city was built up on interconnecting piers halfway submerged in ocean water. Her little house was closer to the beach behind Summerland which connected with the Olive Jungle, which put her a little further away from the docks that were on the other side of town. Kate and her mother calmly walked across the pier straight ahead, taking in the gentle sound of boats rocking at the docks and Wingulls flying overhead.
It wasn't long before a little five-year-old boy came into view, and he grinned goofily at the sight of Kate and Fay. "Big sister! You're here!"
Kate couldn't help but chuckle quietly as the little black-haired boy tackled her legs into a big hug, and she had to bend over to reciprocate the hug properly.
A man standing beside a boat a few feet behind Kate and Adam let out a small laugh, shaking his head at Adam. "Adam, don't knock your sister into the ocean before she leaves for school."
Adam looked behind his sister to see that they were standing rather close to the edge of the docks, only a few feet away from ocean water. "Oops... Sorry." He sweatdropped at his carelessness.
Kate simply smiled and ruffled her brother's hair gently. "I think I'm going to miss you the most."
Adam frowned, despite being touched by her words. "I'm going to miss you too..." He hugged her legs tighter, as if that would somehow keep his sister from leaving.
Adam was a sweet kid, and Kate couldn't be happier with her younger sibling. He had blue eyes that matched her own, which they both inherited from their father, Norman Hitomi. Kate got her mother's looks (with the exception of her eyes), while Adam got their father's. He was a foot shorter than Kate, who was only five feet tall. She was rather short and scrawny for her age, which caused a lot of people to wrongfully underestimate her. She read books and increased her knowledge on a daily basis to make up for it.
Kate walked hand-in-hand with her brother over to her father, who had just been joined by her mother right next to the boat. She gave them a quick hug before looking over at the boat. "I guess I should get going now..."
Adam tried to contain the urge to get watery eyes and sniffle. "Aww..."
Kate smiled sympathetically and kneeled down to his height, placing a hand on his shoulder in the same motherly fashion that her mother would do to her. "Hey now, don't get all sad on me. You know I'm going to write you a letter at least once every week, right?"
The sadness quickly melted away from Adam's face when he heard his sister say that. "Okay, good! You better!" He childishly hugged her possesively, not wanting to let go.
Fay and Norman Hitomi simply smiled at their two kids, nearly brought to tears by their closeness. Sure, they would miss their daughter while she was gone, but they knew this would be hardest for Adam in the end, even if she was going to write him a letter every week.
Kate turned to face the boat and began to board, then paused halfway. She glanced back at her family with a warm smile on her face, waving good-bye. "Wish me luck."
Soooooo... I felt like writing another Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia fanfiction. What do you guys think? This is going to be my vatonageshipping (Kate x Keith) retelling of the game, which will be filled with lots of comedy and romance. Please leave me reviews and tell me what you guys think!
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon, or its characters. Also, the pictures in the cover are just one's from Google that I photoshopped together; they don't belong to me.
Claimer: I own all changes to the plot and original characters. Do not copy this story, please!
Read, review, and enjoy!