In a tiny little town by the sea, the autumn sky was bright and clear. Pidove were chased away from a lovingly tended garden once again. In a house on the edge of town three friends waited nervously.
"Ugh, where is Bianca?" Cheren asked as he glanced at his watch for the fifth time in as many minutes. "She should have been here fifteen minutes ago." The young man tapped his foot impatiently against the hardwood floor as he leaned against the hallway wall. His plain black backpack lay next to him. He pat down the cowlick in his dark hair and glanced at his watch again.
Hilda looked out the bow window that graced the end of the hallway. The packed sand road wound through the different estates. The clouds blew by and Mister Renfrew worked on his garden. His purrloin stood watch, daring the vermin to return.
The Most Annoying One rolled his eyes. The oldest, rattiest, most comfortable hat topped his brown mullet. His thick jean jacket looped through the strap of his favorite blue bag. The bag hung off of one shoulder.
"Do you want me to go find her?" He asked.
"Don't bother, I'm here!" The final member of the group shouted as she rushed up the stairs, her flyaway blonde hair stuffed underneath her favorite green hat. "I'm so sorry. I though we were going to meet at Professor Juniper's lab." She missed the final step off of the stairs and went sprawling down the corridor over the carpet runner.
"It's okay," Bianca said as she got back onto her feet. "I'm fine." She looked from Cheren to Hilbert and then to me. "We're all ready?" she asked.
"Yes we are," Cheren snapped. "We've been waiting here forever for you. I've known for years Bianca Jones that you have no sense of timing, or location or anything at all for that matter, but did you have to be late today of all days?"
I smirked at that. Cheren is the eldest of the four of us. His sixteenth birthday was almost ten months ago. Still, we made him hold to the pact our group made when we were six.
"Where are they?" Cheren asked.
I motioned to the oak door that marked Mom's office. "I think the professor put them in there."
Cheren was off like a shot. If I didn't know that people couldn't use attacks, I would have said that his movement was a definite Quick Attack.
Bianca trailed behind him at a more sedate pace. "Cheren, wait!" It's Hilda and Hilbert's birthday! They get first pick!"
He Who I Cannot Stand met my eyes and we shared a giggle. In those few seconds of conversation the entirety of Cheren and Bianca's relationship had been laid bare. Bianca was the slow, steady, and most likely late one. Cheren was punctual and headstrong. It was amazing they hadn't killed each other by now.
From the stories I had heard, the two of them had been like that long before Hilbert, Mom and I moved to Nuvema Town after Dad's death. The two of them had grown up together and were as close as my twin and me. When we moved here, the two of them had welcomed us and our new foursome had become almost inseparable.
Cheren had moved his bag onto one of the big wingback chairs that framed Mom's desk. He leaned against the chair. Bianca sat primly in the second chair. On top of the hardwood desk was a long package wrapped with a bright blue bow. On it in looping handwriting was a message form the professor: "Hilda, Hilbert: Happy Birthday! I do wish for all four of you to settle your choices politely and then meet me at my lab. Good luck and I will see you soon."
The box was much longer than it was wide. Its top easily flipped off to reveal four pokeballs nestled in gray foam. On the top half of each ball, near the release catch was a symbol etched though the red paint and into the silver steel below: a leaf, a tongue of flame, a drop of water, and a spark of lightning.
I glanced up at my brother to try and gauge which one her would choose. He gave no indication, but I guess he would go for the electric type. I looked down at the second pokeball and looked back up again. Tepig, you're mine, I thought.
Bianca walked around the large desk to referee. "On three" she announced.
"One." I exhaled deeply.
"Two." My fingers twitched.
"Three!" I shot out my hand and wrapped it around tepig's ball. And my brother's hand.
"Dammit!" I cursed. I released the ball that contained Hilbert's tepig. Hilbert smirked in his most annoying 'I beat you hahaha' smile and bean to shimmy around in his dance of joy.
"I snagged the electric pokeball and quickly resized it then clipped it to my belt. Bianca grabbed the leaf-emblazoned one and slipped it into one of the deep pockets in her bag.
"Hey!" Cheren called. "Don't I get to pick?"
He looked at the box to view what was left. "Oh never mind, I wanted an oshawott anyway." His new pokémon went into the front pocket of his pants.
I smiled. "We did it," I said softly. "We're finally Pokémon trainers."
Hilbert straightened his back, a light in his eyes. "My dear Bianca," He began in a posh, yet crappy imitation of a Castelian accent. "Would you do me the honor of fighting me in my first Pokémon battle?"
She laughed high and tinkling as bells. "Why Hilbert, I do believe I shall."
I looked over at Cheren. "You want to make it a double?" I asked him.
He grinned and retrieved his Oshawott's ball. I unclipped mine and thumbed the catch.
"Blitzle, it's time to shine!"
