Maiko looked up at her mother who held two Pokemon eggs. "what's in them, mama?" "that's what you have to find out sweetheart. you know how you've always wanted to start a journey with your sisters?" maiko nodded as she held the eggs. "well the four of you will have to care for them and when you get old enough, I'll give you your starters, okay?" maiko's lips curved into a grin as she nodded, sprinting off to her room. "okay mama!"
"Whoa...so mama gave us the eggs to look after until they hatch?" Jade asked as she examined the eggs. maiko nodded. "i'm gonna be the best egg caretaker, just like aunty Michiko!" maiko put a black bandana on the purple egg and a blue bandana on the yellow egg. "there, you guys comfy?" iko giggled as she got some pillows for the eggs. the purple one moved slightly then bounded into maiko's arms. "whoa!" the girls tipped over and fell as the blankets that they used to make a pillow fort toppled over them. "oops.." the girls laughed as they rebuilt the fort to shelter the eggs.
the egg moved for a moment. "hey lookit!" Mizu held the egg as it glowed a pale light blue. the egg shot into the sky as the girls stared up at the egg which then hatched into a purrloin, the bandana on the egg now wrapped around its chest. "it's a purrloin?!" the three girls shouted but were quickly cut off when the purrloin jumped and hugged maiko. maiko stared down at the purrloin in shock for a second. "heh. I'll name you lavender." the purrloin let out a cheerful cry before nuzzling its owner. "hey, what gender is the purrloin?" "Hmph! i'm a girl!" the girls jumped and fell over but maiko. "so you can talk..?" lavender rolled her eyes before nodding. "i can, but only you four can understand me." maiko nodded. "well...that's pretty cool, lavender." suddenly, the yellow egg hatched as well. Jade let out a surprised gasp and fell as the yellow egg in her arms shot into the air, a yellow Pikachu with a tuft on its head backflipped and landed. the Pikachu yawned before turning to lavender. The two jumped out and started chasing eachother around the backyard. "can't catch me!" the Pikachu laughed as lavender raced after it. "hey! no fair! you're an electric type!" lavender panted as the Pikachu stopped running. The Pikachu's blue bandana from when it was an egg was now on its neck. "so what? shouldn't you be faster? it's cat n mouse after all!" the Pikachu pat lavender on the head, before turning to maiko. "so, you must be..well...my trainer, right?" maiko nodded as the Pikachu jumped into her arms. "cool! you seem like an awesome trainer!" maiko's jaws were parted for a moment before she closed them into a smile. "heh." she took a look at the Pikachu's tail. it wasn't a heart shape, so the Pikachu must've been male. "okay then, I'll call you Yukio." Yukio looked up at maiko for a moment. "yukio...that name's cool!" the Pikachu grinned. something told maiko that this could be the start of something great.
"now, Yukio use thunderbolt!" "don't hold back! ace, stone edge!" the two Pokemon charged out, using their attacks on the enemies. the enemy lurantis and ninetails falling. "what the hell?!" the lurantis's trainer cried out, rushing to his partner. "Lura..." "lurantis and ninetails are unable to battle, the victors are jade and maiko, partner pokemon Yukio and ace!" Yukio and ace cheered out "we did it!" Jade smiled as ace jumped into his trainer's arms. yukio ran to lavender as the two hugged "we're going to the third round baby!" they laughed. maiko smiled, before walking to the defeated trainers. "you guys fought well." the lurantis's trainer swat her hand away, causing maiko to gasp in shock. "don't give me that! because of you, lurantis could've died! you and your stupid cheating Pokemon!" with that, he turned away to run off. lurantis could've died! echoed in her head. the ninetails' trainer gazed at her sympathetically, before bitterly turning away, carrying her weakened ninetails. maiko felt almost every remain of confidence shatter. she almost killed a partner Pokemon of a trainer. her school life was already bad. even then, it broke her. but this?
she almost killed a partner pokemon. that is a crime punishable by shattered faith.
and that was exactly what she accepted.
"maiko? we're going home now." she jolted, before turning to face mizu's partner pokemon, Azura, a vaporeon. "oh..okay, i'm coming Azura." Azura nodded, before gracefully padding back to her blue-haired partner, who pat her head, before maiko slowly followed.
"maiko!" she shuddered, looking up at necrozoma.
this is how it ends for me...how i'm going to die...
she coughed, blood pooled from her mouth. "no...i can't...not...like...this..." she rasped. the strange greninja tried to get up beside her as well. "hey...gr...grenin...ja...go...find your...trainer...go...with...iko...i'll...fight...him...off..." she tried to stand, pressing her palm to the ground to give her strength. "do not speak...save your...strength...we will...win...together..." he assured her, as he tried to get up. "no! greninja! maiko!"
if only i got to see greninja reunite with him...
"can you fight?" she rasped out, as she got on her feet, but she was wobbly; she still couldn't stand by herself. he nodded,helping his arm onto the lucario that fought with the two. "i will.." she tossed him an oran berry "let's...finish this." "yeah..." maiko felt her strength return, and she gave the pokemon god of chaos a long, and rage filled glare. "greninja! dark pulse! finish him!"
greninja leaped up, and from then, maiko felt her vision blur.
she groaned, before falling, feeling a black wave wash over her, welcoming it.
thank you, arceus...give them strength...let them win...
her time was up, her mission fufilled.
as she felt fate embrace her body, all she could hear were the desperate wails from her pokemon and family. "lady maiko? LADY MAIKO!" "maiko!" "no!" "MAIKO!"
she coughed, before managing to try and flash a smile, though she could not see if anyone could react. she rasped out
"goodbye."
she opened her eyes, to see she was on an island, with a sakura tree, the blossom blowing in the wind. the night sky was speckled with stars. hello amaiko. she whipped around, to see lunala, goddess pokemon of the night. "lunala?" i have been waiting. "why for me?" maiko shifted her gaze down. because by arceus's command, i want to offer you something, my friend. amaiko looked up, her hazel eyes welled up with tears. "what...what is it?" lunala closed her eyes, as stars formed maiko's younger self. lunala glided beside the adolescent female, to show her what she was planning.
the starry version of maiko held two eggs, and a gleeful smile appeared on her face. the image transfigured to a toddler version of maiko, battling with her two pokemon, yukio and lavender, then their voices echoed in her ears
"we love you, maiko!"
maiko covered her ears immediatley, clenching her jaw. "lies." she mumbled, before another voice, that sounded more pained
"maiko wake up! please! please come back!" she looked down to see a starry outline of yukio shaking a outline of herself. "please, maiko! what about greninja? please wake up!"
maiko felt frosty tears blur her sight, as they blew away in the wind.
they miss you, maiko. and yet, you were so eager to let them be. to leave them alone. do you feel that regret tearing at your heart?
maiko did. she felt the pain lunala telepathed. she sniffed, before nodding.
that is the trainer's heartbreak. the very same heartbreak that ash, one of your heroes, felt when he left the pokemon he caught through his journey. and you still have to reunite greninja with his trainer. do you want to deprive a trainer of his friend? maiko widened her eyes, before hardening her gaze.
"no."
she answered, the stinging in her heart going away as she spoke the words. then you must go back to your life. go back to when...when you first found greninja. and bring him home. do all i ask. okay? amaiko felt everything dissolve into white. she closed her eyes, and when she opened them...
she was in her bed, at her house, on poni island. was it all a dream?
she was about to find out.