Fan Fiction

Emily Aguirre

Chapter One: Sayo

If it hadn't been for the rain, he would have missed her, and walked straight ahead towards the rest of his life. Who knows what would have become of the child, lost and cold, if the rain had not brought them together that day. As it was, the Professor had neglected to bring and umbrella with him, for there had been no hints of clouds in the windswept autumn sky. When the downpour started, it came down like a fury, and the sodden man was forced to flee to the nearest shelter he could find. He huddled miserably under the dingy outcropping, watching the sheets of rain fall endlessly before his eyes. He felt impatience tearing inside of him, reminding him of all the work that he had to complete. How could he have been so careless? So consumed he was with his own thoughts that he did not notice the girl standing noiselessly behind him, hidden in the shadows.

The barest hint of a snuffle was enough to shatter his gloomy thoughts. He was not a man taken to fright at unexpected things, and when he turned; his wise, wrinkled eyes beheld her with merriment rather than surprise. She was around 14 years of age, and terribly thin. Her torn, baggy jeans hung loosely around her bony hips, and her sodden and tattered shirt clung to her upper frame, allowing the Professor to count every rib along her side. She stood stock still, avoiding eye contact with the old man, as if she hoped that if she ignored him long enough he would somehow vanish.

"Why hello there," The Professor said cheerily. "Terribly inconvenient time for a downpour, don't you agree?"

She turned toward him then. Her eyes were bright green and overpowering. The old man felt a twinge of unease in his stomach as she gave him a long piercing look that seemed to bore right down to the core foundations of his mind. Finally, one corner of her mouth twitched upwards in a smile, and she turned away from him again, crossing her arms and legs, staring back out at the rain. The Professor smiled sadly to himself when he noticed that her small feet were bare and dirty. He refocused his gaze at the rain, and leaned against the wall as well, tucking his hands in the pockets of his long white lab coat.

"It won't do for two strangers to stand so sullenly," he said again, unperturbed by her silence. "Conversation makes the time pass much more pleasantly. May I ask your name?"

A definite grin spread across her features this time. She looked at the rain, and then looked up into his kindly blue eyes. "Sayo," she answered in a lovely, musical voice. "My name is Sayo."

"Sayo, eh," He said. "Pleased to meet you. My name is Samuel Oak."

Before she quite knew what had happened, Sayo found herself standing in the middle of a wooden bridge, looking up at a quaint building that sat at the top of the hill. The path in front of her wound around and around until it came to rest at the doorway of Oak's lab. The rain had long since ceased, and a pleasant fragrance hung about the air, filling her with a new energy and vigor. Sayo hardly noticed the pain in her bare feet as she followed the strange Professor up the path and to the doorway of the lab. A cheerful hum floated past her ears and she looked up to see a large windmill floating lazily in the warm air.

"Stay there, Sayo and let me find you some slippers." Oak said as he briskly opened the door.

Sayo didn't respond. She simply stared around her, marveling at the simple tranquility that permeated the atmosphere.

"Pallet town is something else isn't it?" Oak had returned carrying a pair of soft pink slippers. "Sometimes it seems the most peaceful place on earth. It's almost impossible to imagine that just beyond its border lies a world of hate, violence, and greed."

"What world is without it?" Sayo answered quietly, speaking almost to herself. Oak didn't respond, but ushered her into the entry hall, and though the girl didn't see it, his eyes were filled with a deep sadness.

When Sayo stepped into the hall, her first impression wasn't anything spectacular. The neat room was very large and roomy, with doors leading off on each side. The gleaming wood floors were polished to perfection, and a neat row of shoes lay in the entranceway. The girl began to walk foreword, with interest, reaching her hand for the nearest door. Before she could open it, however, a small red creature barreled through it and crashed right into her. She was sent sprawling, and skidded several feet on the slippery floor.

"Ugh!" She said, getting up and rubbing her backside. "What was that?"

She peered closer, and saw what had collided with her. It was a Charmander. The little Pokémon was smaller than any she had ever seen. It stood halfway down the hall, growling threateningly at her, looking at her menacingly through giant emerald eyes.

"Careful with that one!" Oak warned as Sayo bent to look at a tiny little Charmander. "He doesn't take kindly to humans at all anymore. Apparently he was mistreated by his previous trainer. It has been a long, hard road to get him to allow even my company."

Sayo didn't reply but continued to keenly observe the small creature. She was giving it one of her ruthlessly piercing gazes, and it was staring just as keenly back at her. Oak suddenly realized that the two of them had the exact same colour eyes. That same shade of green was evident on each face, as well as determination, courage, and something else that he could not quite place. The little Pokémon was glaring at her more fiercely than Oak had ever seen it, as if daring her to come closer. Undaunted, she met its challenge, walking forward, and extending her hand, palm downwards. In a flash, the Charmander had sunk its sharp fangs into the soft flesh of her wrist. She did not flinch, but continued to gaze at it, a smile now playing on her lips. They faced each other like two combatants, ready to fight to the death, neither showing any mercy or weakness. This moment stretched on for longer than the surprised Professor could tell. He was enraptured by the silent battle that was being waged in that moment, the war mete by the twin pools of emerald.

Oak shook himself. What was he doing, watching this girl being hurt without raising a finger in her defense? He was about to step forward and intercede when the Charmander suddenly relinquished its hold, and gently let Sayo's arm fall out of its grasp. In its large eyes was a great hope mixed with regret. The Professor stood dumbfounded as Charmander tenderly licked her wound and then tearfully threw itself into her waiting embrace. Some connection seemed to exist between the two that allowed them to understand each other perfectly, regardless of their past fears and experiences. Sayo closed her eyes and rocked her new friend slowly, and as her hair swung back, Oak could see a single tear running down her cheek.

"Well I'll be!" Said a voice from behind the professor. He turned to see Tracy, his jovial assistant gaping at the scene from behind an enormous stack of sketchbooks. "How did she do it Professor? It took me weeks for that little guy to even let me stay in the same room with him. Who is she?"

"I don't know," he replied thoughtfully. "Just a girl who desperately needed help. It seems that she and that Charmander share a pain that only they can understand. She certainly does have a special gift, and may be a force to be reckoned with should she choose to pursue it."

"As a trainer you mean?"

"Perhaps," Oak mused, "Though my senses tell me that she will become something much, much more."