Her Beginning Is Only the Beginning;

Kotone is merely three years old when she realizes that her life isn't going to get any better. Her mom left her, at the age of one, with nothing but the name Kotone can claim, and a dusty Poke-ball with an Arcanine somewhere on a shelf. If Kotone sits and really concentrates, she can remember a tall lady with ocean blue eyes, and soft brown hair. She placed a kiss on her head, and said goodbye, without a backwards glance. But, when her mom left without her, Kotone was left with her dad. Giovanni.

Giovanni could be a good father, she thinks, if he didn't care so much about trying to take over the world. Well, actually, he wouldn't be a good dad. He already makes Kotone train with his Team Rocket grunts, claiming that he's "preparing her for the world", and that it's "good to stomp out the weakness while she's young." Giovanni also forbids her from playing with toys. But, she's learned to hide her precious items from him since she learned how to walk. Behind her bed in her room, she's already carved out a hallow wall space to hide things. Such as her Jigglypuff stuffed toy, and a delicate tea set from one of the nicer grunts. As well as the Poke-ball.

Kotone isn't happy, like most three year olds are. She's already become a Team Rocket grunt, and she's already pegged to become the heir to this legacy when she turns sixteen. She's already got her things packed to run away.

Kotone is seven years old when her dreams of running away are crushed into oblivion. If only she hadn't taken the time to try and write a letter of explanation to her dad. She had her bag sitting by her open door, filled with her extra set of clothes, and her toys. Kotone wanted to write the letter to get some closure and ensure that she wouldn't have anything left to say to him. She had placed the letter, written in crayon, on her table, and was about to grab her Poke-ball from her secret hiding place when Giovanni came sprinting into her room.

Giovanni looked extremely enraged. His face was darker than beet red, and the frown that was permanently set on his face had become even more prominent. He glanced at the bag, then to the letter. He immediately grabbed it before Kotone could even take a step to save it. He read the letter quickly, his anger becoming more obvious. Kotone tried to sneak past him, to run for it, and she was this close to making it out the door… When he grabbed her shirt collar and pulled her back into the room. Efficiently trapping her. He let go of Kotone, and let her stumble back before falling down.

"What is this, Kotone." His voice was deathly calm, and she knew two things; She would not be able to lie, and that he was seriously mad. Plus, he used her name, something he never did.

"A letter." Kotone answered quietly, rubbing the sting away from her neck. She didn't even dare to look up at him.

"You know what I mean." His patience was wearing thin, she could tell.

"I was running away." She took a chance, and looked up at her father. He didn't reply, didn't acknowledge that she had spoken… Giovanni walked closer towards her. "I'm sorry! I just… I just wanted to go find m-" Kotone didn't have the chance to finish; Giovanni had slapped her across the face. Hard.

"I hope you've learned your lesson, Kotone." He grabbed her backpack, and walked out of the room. Kotone couldn't cry, as much as she wanted to, there wasn't anything left for that much energy. Instead, she hung her head low, and just held her face.

Kotone is finally starting to realize, that she isn't going to ever be her father's golden child, and that she won't be able to live her life the way she wants to. And as a result of trying to run away from him, she is forced to take even more Team Rocket grunt exercises that will put her on the fast track to becoming an Executive. She's already broken at the age of seven… What else could go wrong in her life.

Kotone is thirteen years old when she's shown a glimpse of kindness in this world. There's a guy who's been ruining her father's plans, and she can't help but love him. She's seen the guy who wears a red cap, with his Pikachu, just single handily taking down every grunt in the team. He wears this smug smile each time he passes by Kotone, just watching him destroy their hideout. His name is Red.

In the past six years, Kotone has become quiet, yet defiant. Her attitude infuriates her father so much, that she's been cut from the track of becoming a significant part of Team Rocket. It makes her want to smile, but then her dad will catch onto her happiness and squash it once more. And now, sitting outside the city where their current hideout is, Kotone is praying for her savior to come running through the gates.

And he doesn't disappoint her. Kotone immediately grabs his wrist and drags him off to a spot behind a few trees.

"Who are you!" Red shouts, but he doesn't look afraid. He seems quite capable of breaking a few of Kotone's bones before she can explain herself.

"You have to listen to me, Red!" She shouts, grabbing his hand now. His expression softens a bit, when he hears that she knows his name.

"Do I know you?" He asks her, looking at her just a bit harder trying to remember where he had seen her.

"Try putting a black hat on my head and a Team Rocket shirt on me." Kotone pulls the cloak away from her face. She instantly smoothes down her brown hair.

"Ah. The girl who never attacks me. I remember you, now." Red smiles at her, and she thinks she just might faint. No one has smiled at her in a long time.

"Kotone, for future reference." She says sarcastically, enjoying his brown eyes way too much.

"Kotone. What did you need to tell me?" He asks, and suddenly Kotone is hit with guilt. She shouldn't be asking him to take care of Team Rocket once more. He's saved the world enough already.

"Giovanni's got another hideout here in town." Kotone mumbles, looking away from him.

"Great." Red mumbles. He pries his hand away from hers, and Kotone can't stay here anymore, his silence is reminding her of Giovanni, and she just can't associate Red with him.

"I've got to go." Kotone says while backing up, he's still looking at the ground. "I'm sorry I even told you." She flinches at her own words; In six years, she hasn't had the need to apologize for anything. Kotone was raised (aside from trying to run away at seven) to do as she pleased with no concerns about the consequences.

"Don't be." Red looks up suddenly, and his eyes are determined now. "I appreciate your help, Kotone." He smiles so brightly at her, that Kotone just might break down with years of suppressed "weakness". Something that she refuses to be.

"Anytime. But, I've got to go. Da-Giovanni might notice I'm not there. And… It wouldn't end well." Kotone looks down, not wanting Red to see how scared she really is.

"Thank you, Kotone." And in a move so quick that Kotone doesn't realize it's happening, Red is right next to her, placing a kiss on her cheek, before running away towards the Pokemon Center.

Kotone is feeling brightly alive, for the first time in her life, and she just hopes that maybe if Red can knock her dad down to size that he'll become a perfect dad. Someone she can look up to, and someone who will love her no matter what. And most definitely someone who won't make her try to take over some legacy she never wanted. But, somewhere in her pessimistic mind, Kotone knows that these things won't happen. It's just too wishful to even imagine a new reality for her family.

Kotone is fifteen when everything in her life finally falls apart and hits rock bottom. Her dad's spirit has been utterly broken (Not that she cares, she so totally doesn't.), and is leaving her. Leaving Kanto. And even though she's been hoping for this day to come for years… She just can't let him leave. He's all she's got in this crazy messed up world. But Giovanni's already got his things packed, and is walking out the front door. Just like her mom. And it makes Kotone wonder what the hell is wrong with her.

"Dad! Don't go!" She's following him (As usual), and trying to find some reason to make him stay.

"I have to." Giovanni just keeps walking away from their small two bedroom house. Away from their life. He's got his hat pulled down low over his eyes, and has a small briefcase. Kotone is practically running after him just to keep up… When she hears an explosion behind her. Time slows, and she can see from the corner of her eye her house consumed by raw flames.

"Why?" Her heart's broken (weeping for her mom's Arcanine still trapped behind her bed), and she can't even cry.

"It doesn't matter." Giovanni keeps walking, and so does Kotone. Numbly though, and there isn't anything to take the pain away. Her dad leads Kotone through the grass on Route 22 without a word. The air has become tense around them as they run up the road towards the Victory Road gate, and there aren't any Pokemon popping out of the grass to challenge them. He stops, and without turning around,

"I'm leaving, Kotone." He doesn't sound sad, or depressed. And, suddenly, Kotone's blood is boiling with white hot anger.

"You told me… you were number one in the world! Are you gonna quit? What are you going to do now?" Kotone throws her hands up in the air to show how incredibly frustrated she is at him.

"….." Silence. And then slowly, almost as slow as a Slowpoke, her dad finally turns around to face her. "One must acknowledge one's defeat before he can move on… I will go solo… for now… So that one day I will form a stronger organization!" Giovanni is looking at her as if she is three years old again and is trying to teach her to talk.

"What aspect of you was number one? Gathering so many only to be defeated by a mere child!" Kotone can't help herself from trying to spike a reaction out of him. And she does get one; Giovanni's eyes flare with anger, and he almost takes a step closer to her, but stops himself before continuing his little speech,

"Putting together the potential of many is how you produce a huge power… That's what an organization is… That's the strength of an organization! I failed… To make the best use of my subordinates' potential…! But you shall witness one day the revival of me and my Team Rocket!" He shouts with true passion, and it's like he isn't even talking to his own flesh and blood. As if she doesn't exist.

"I don't understand you! You don't make any sense!" Kotone finally shouts at him, unleashing her anger that she's stored for years. Kotone has finally closed the gap between them, and she can see the disappointment brewing in his eyes.

"….." Silence takes over them once again before he speaks again. "One day you will understand." With a tiny smile, that Kotone has never seen, he walks away from her. Her fists ball up, and she can feel her nails cutting deep into her palms, drawing blood.

"I don't want to understand you! I will never become someone like you. A coward when you're alone and acting like a tyrant when you're in front of other cowards! I will become strong! I will become a stronger woman all by myself!" She yells at his retreating back. He's stopped. And suddenly Kotone knows that these will be the last words she'll ever be able to say to him. It could be about how much she hates him for not taking the time to care about her over the years, or to thank him for keeping her alive, or just saying she'll miss him. But she can't because she knows these words won't matter to him. Only three words will, so she screams them with everything she has left,

"ALL BY MYSELF!" Giovanni is gone before she can open her eyes. There's nothing left to hold her here in Kanto. Not anymore. So she walks away from the spot where her heart has just been broken by her own father. But, to her horror, there are two boys standing in her way. One is really young; He has black hair covered by a yellow and black hat, gray eyes with nothing but sympathy in them, and is wearing a red jacket and black pants. The other one… Is probably fifteen, sixteen (she's not sure), is tall, has super red hair, red eyes with a hint of sympathy and… Recognition? He's immediately got her attention, and she can't take her eyes away from his.

"…What are you staring at?" She finally asks, remembering who she is. What has just happened to her.

"Nothing!" The younger guy blurts out. He seems intimidated by her, and she has a sick satisfaction from that. Red hair elbows his companion, and Kotone thinks that if she hadn't promised herself to be alone, this would be someone she could easily get along with.

"Yeah, I wasn't talking to you, short fry." Kotone rolls her eyes at black hair. "I meant you." She puts her hands on her hips, and red hair is looking as if he's used to her whole tough girl routine. She shakes the thought; Because it's impossible, he doesn't even know her.

"You don't know who I am, do you?" He asks quietly.

"No, and I would appreciate it if you would get out of my way!" Kotone snaps, and pushes him out of her way. Her heartbeat picks up from the contact, and she suddenly feels like he's her home that she's been searching for.

"Sheesh, do you always got to be so pushy!" He yells at her retreating back. Kotone can't stop the grin that's creeping onto her face.

I decided to combine these all into one place. (Maybe I should have done this earlier? Whoops.) But, you all can expect the newest chapter to come up soon! It's halfway done. :)