April 24, 2010.
A/N: Greetings, fictioners!
So, this is my first Pokemon fanfic; my first time dabbling in the Pokemon fandom :3 Let's see how we go, ne?
I haven't had much to do with the recent seasons. To be honest, I've pretty much been marathoning Indigo League (season one) and that's about it. But this fic is set in Hoenn... so go figure... :/
Note! The title is NOT a typo. Haha.
To my TMM fandom readers, if you're reading this... O_O Maybe just stick to my TMM work XD'
Anyway! Please enjoy, and if you have a moment, please review. I'd appreciate it. 5 reviews and I'll update :)
SUMMARY
Kim needs a job. Badly. So her best friend finds her one, as a 'Pretty Kitty'; a waitress at the Pretty Skitty Cafe - a lively, bustling place so pink and glittery it's almost disgusting. With a cast of colleagues with a startling variety of personalities, a staff of boys so cute it should be illegal, and a bunch of Skittys whose main purpose seems to be to create as much havoc as possible, Kim's about to be sucked into a whirlwind of drama, romance and frilly dresses. Will she be able to handle the cuteness? Or will the Pretty Skitty Cafe conquer our unsuspecting heroine?
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon :)
~ PRETTY KITTY ~
One: Golden Ticket
"Ugh."
Kim groaned loudly, lying face-down on her desk. Her silky brown hair fell across her eyes. She sighed heavily. "I need a job. Fast."
"Running low on cash, eh?" Nina asked. Kim 'Mmm'd' gloomily, her moan muffled by the wood. Her friend chuckled, brushing her chocolate ringlets behind her shoulder. "You might wanna take down these notes, by the way. We have a test next week."
"Whatever," Kim muttered. She turned her head and gazed out the classroom window with troubled blue-green eyes. Right now, she had bigger things to worry about than the properties of Aprikorns. If she didn't come up with some money somehow, she wouldn't be able to afford Pichu's day-care tuition. Without the day-care program, she had no idea what she was supposed to do with her precious Pokémon while she was at school. Pichu certainly couldn't sit with her in class.
She was still troubled when the final bell rang. As students of all ages crowded the main corridor of Petalburg High, Kim walked beside a chattering Nina, only catching a few words every now and then; her thoughts were miles away.
"Hello-o-o," Nina said loudly, waving her hand in front of Kim's face, and frowning. "Are you even listening to me?"
Kim laughed, blushing. "Sorry. I'm pretty distracted today."
"You're telling me!" Nina retorted, propping her hands on her hips. "Look, if you're that stressed about money, just start applying for jobs everywhere. I'm sure someone will be hiring."
"No-one in Petalburg," Kim told her glumly. "I even asked Nurse Joy at the Pokémon Centre if she needed any help – even just with cleaning, or whatever. But they've already got enough staff."
"Man." Nina whistled appreciatively. "That's tough."
Their lockers were right next to each other. With the rest of the school buzzing around them, the general enthusiasm for the end of class static like electricity in the air, they began packing their bags with books.
"I'm going to Rustboro City this afternoon," Nina said, smiling excitedly. "Wanna come? We can go shopping, or see a movie."
Kim laughed humourlessly. "And how can I afford that? Which money for shopping are you referring to? Do you know of a secret account I have somewhere?"
Nina chewed her lip for a moment. "Aww, man. This sucks. Well, we can still go to the movies. Tickets on me."
"Thanks for the offer," Kim replied, pulling her mousey hair up in a high ponytail. Her fringe fluttered disobediently back into her face, across her eye. "We'll have to go another day. I have to pick up Pichu from the day-care centre. Besides, I have homework to do."
"Fine," Nina sighed, rolling her pretty, misty-green eyes. "But you're missing out. Ziggy's been looking for a playmate." She laughed and zipped up her bag, slinging it over her shoulder. "He's been so bored lately; he's been chewing through my socks to get my attention."
"Why socks?" Kim asked curiously, as they walked out through the front doors into the afternoon. It was a beautiful, sunny day. The skies overhead were bright blue.
Nina shrugged. "Beats me. I'm not inside his crazy little head." She grinned and poked out her tongue, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "Well, I'll miss the bus if I stand around gas-bagging with you all day. Then neither of us will get to go to Rustboro."
Kim's lip curled in a smile and she shoved her friend's shoulder. "I get it. Go on. I have to get going anyway. See you tomorrow?"
"Sure will. I'll bring you something for lunch." Nina waved cheerfully over her shoulder, heading off down the flower-lined street. Petalburg really was a beautiful town. Modest, and perhaps a little boring, and it wasn't anywhere near as big as some of the other metropolises, but it had fresh air and sparkling water, and all the buildings were cute and graffiti-free. The houses were especially sweet. Kim had always been of the opinion that Petalburg had some of the nicest architecture in all of Hoenn.
The day-care centre was only a short walk from Petalburg High, down a few streets lined with identical, red-thatched-roof cottages and perfect front gardens behind white picket fences. She unlocked the gate and closed it carefully behind her, following the little brick path to the front door. Various Pokémon of all types played and snoozed in the garden, many of them glancing over to watch her curiously. Some called happy greetings of recognition.
"The door's open," an elderly voice called after she knocked, from somewhere in the house.
Kim opened the door, poking her head inside. "Hello? Mrs. Honeysuckle?"
"Hello, Kimberley dear. We're in the kitchen!"
Kim slid her bag off her shoulder and left it in the front hall, following the corridor in the direction she knew was the kitchen. She nodded a greeting to Mr. Honeysuckle, who was sitting in the living room, grooming an obviously content Poochyena, surrounded by other Pokémon who were watching curiously.
Kim had always liked Mrs. Honeysuckle's kitchen. It was a small, colourful place, with lace curtains on the window above the sink, doilies atop the floral tablecloth, and vases filled with fresh flowers. The place was warm and homey, and always smelled of freshly-baked pies and biscuits. Today, she found withered old Mrs. Honeysuckle in an old blue dress and an apron smudged with flour, up to her elbows in cookie dough, which she was kneading with a vengeance.
A Wurmple had curled itself around the bowl to hold it in place, while her Pichu tipped milk from a jug that was just too big for it, its cute little face scrunched up with concentration. A Torchic was rolling an egg around on the bench, trying to grab it with its talons and looking extremely frustrated.
"Hello, dear," Mrs. Honeysuckle said, looking up and smiling, her kind brown eyes crinkling in the corners. "How was school today?"
"Oh, it was fine, thanks," Kim replied. At the sound of her voice, Pichu whipped around excitedly, tipping milk all over Wurmple, who bristled in protest and uncurled itself to complain. The bowl wobbled dangerously, almost knocking into Torchic, who managed to dodge narrowly, but lost control of the egg in the process. With a loud crack! and splatter!, the egg shattered on the floor.
All three Pokémon stared at it in dismay.
Kim gasped. "Pichu!"
"Pi-i-i…" Pichu apologised sadly, its ears drooping. Torchic shot it an accusing glare. Mrs. Honeysuckle chuckled merrily.
"There, there," she said, putting the bowl down. "No harm done. It wasn't your fault, Pichu. You were a very good helper today."
"Pi-chu!" it chirped, beaming at her praise. It turned happily to Kim, its eyes big and proud. "Pichu Pi!" I was good today!
Kim laughed lightly, holding out her arm for Pichu to scramble up and sit on her shoulder; it's favourite perch. It squeaked happily, rubbing its cheek against hers with a familiar little static crackle. "You've been baking again, I see."
"We have," Mrs. Honeysuckle agreed. "We've been making treats for afternoon tea."
"Thanks for taking care of Pichu again."
"Always a pleasure, dear," Mrs. Honeysuckle replied. "You know we love having its company."
"I'll leave the envelope in its usual spot, okay?"
"Oh, that's fine, dear. See you tomorrow morning."
"Have a nice night, Mrs. Honeysuckle," Kim said. "C'mon, Pichu. We're going."
"Pi-chuuu!" her Pokémon called farewell to the elderly couple. Kim took out a small white envelope and left it behind the Dragonair statue on the stand in the front hall. She scooped her bag up and headed back outside, Pichu humming happily on her shoulder.
It was her very first – and only – Pokémon, a gift for her tenth birthday from her father, who lived in Johto. Her parents had split when she was young; she couldn't remember a time when they'd lived under one roof, but it didn't bother her. Since she'd never had two parents at once, she didn't feel like she was missing out. To her, it was normal to have only a mother. Besides, how many other kids spent every summer in another country? Divided families had their perks.
In the five years since they'd met, Pichu had become her best pal. At first, it had been hesitant about going to day-care when she'd started high school. Petalburg High didn't allow its students to bring their Pokémon to school. But it had grown quickly used to spending its days with Mr. and Mrs. Honeysuckle, and had come to love the sweet old couple. Plus it had made lots of Pokémon friends. Kim didn't think she had the heart to tell it it might not be able to go back again.
"Pi, Pichu Pi! Pi-chuuu Pichu Pi! Chu chu, Pichu!" Pichu was chattering away cheerfully, telling her about its day. Apparently mud pies weren't actually meant to be eaten. Kim laughed and tickled one round cheek with her pointer. It crackled statically at her touch, and ticklish Pichu giggled, accidentally letting off a gentle shock of electricity that left the hairs on the back of her neck standing. It far from hurt; Pichu's zaps weren't very strong, unless it was attacking.
"Nina's going to Rustboro City today," Kim said, shoving her hands in her pockets so her Pokémon could recover. It always got a little worked up – like a little bundle of repressed energy – when it let off tiny shockwaves. "She told me Ziggy needs a playmate. We should visit soon."
"Pi-Pichu!" Pichu agreed enthusiastically. It liked to play with Zigzagoon on summer holiday sleepovers. During the term, though, they didn't get to see each other very often.
By now, they were walking down Kim's street. Up ahead was her house, almost identical to all the others, except its garden needed a little tending to, and the gutters probably needed to be cleared out. Her mother worked long hours as a nurse at a special dermatology clinic for Pokémon, in Rustboro City. She wouldn't be home until much later, and she left before Kim had even risen in the morning.
Kim opened the gate and reached into her pocket for the keys. Pichu tensed on her shoulder, preparing. She smiled to herself. Every day it was the same routine, and it had been the same for five years. She inserted the key and turned the lock, deliberately pausing, knowing Pichu would get impatient. Seconds later: "Pichu Pi!"
"Okay, okay," she laughed, obediently opened the front door. In a flash, Pichu had sprinted down her arm and launched into the house, landing on the little table in the front hall under the mirror. From there, it took another flying leap and landed on the back of the couch in the lounge room. It ran the length of the sofa and jumped to the next, making its way towards the kitchen without touching the floor.
Kim couldn't remember when the challenge had started, but now it was tradition. She watched her tiny electric mouse Pokémon jump onto the final couch. At the very edge, it prepared itself for another jump, wiggled its backside and sprung like a coil, sailing towards the curtain – the hardest obstacle. And today, it didn't look like it was going to make it. Kim bit her lip. Pichu didn't like dealing with failure.
But no – right when it seemed Pichu would miss, it somehow managed to grab hold of the pulley with its teeth. The curtains slid rapidly closed; Pichu's black-tipped ears perked up in alarm. It hung, suspended by its teeth a few feet off the floor, visibly calculating its next move. Kim laughed, one arm curled around her side, which was starting to hurt. The kitchen bench was so close…
Pichu seemed to have realised the same thing. Using its body weight, it began to swing back and forth on the cord, reaching vainly for the edge with its hind paws. Again and again it narrowly missed, or tantalisingly just scraped it. Finally, with one extra large swing, Pichu launched from the cord and landed on the bench, drifting like a sports car in a wild skid that almost swept it straight off the counter. It scrabbled and barrelled the length of the bench to the phone, almost crashing into the answering machine, and tapping the button with one tiny paw.
"You have no new messages," the answering machine informed them obediently. Pichu, huffing, perked up and looked around expectantly for Kim, its job done. Wiping her eyes, Kim kicked the front door shut and walked into the kitchen to turn the answering machine off.
"Good job, Pichu," she praised, opening the fridge and grabbing her half-finished bottle of aloe-vera drink and a can of Soda Pop – Pichu's favourite. "C'mere, rascal."
She offered out her arm and headed upstairs to her room, Pichu perched on her shoulder like a parrot.
"Look what your dearest, darling-est friend has got you!" Nina sang, dancing around in front of Kim's table. Kim, who was finishing her sentence, didn't look up.
"What?" she asked vaguely. Surprisingly, she wasn't finding this Aprikorn stuff too dry.
"Look, silly!"
Sighing, Kim rolled her eyes and obediently looked up. "Okay, what?"
"This!" Nina chirped, placing a little plastic box wrapped with a shiny yellow ribbon. Kim recognised it; she often bought back similar boxes from her trips to Rustboro. When they were younger they'd always spent their allowance on them.
She laughed appreciatively. "A Berry Box. Thanks, Nin."
"Open it!" Nina commanded, crossing her arms. "I wanna see which ones you got."
"Can't I just open it at lunch?" Kim asked hopefully. "I'm studyi–"
"No!" Nina snapped, grabbing her textbook from under her nose and snapping it shut. She grinned and poked her tongue out. "Now, open the box! Class hasn't even started yet!"
With a playful scowl at her friend, Kim obediently untied the ribbon, letting it slide off the top of the box. She carefully lifted the lid, watching Nina bounce on the balls of her feet in the corner of her vision.
"Ooh," she said loudly, deliberately hiding the contents from view. "Ooh, I like this one. And Pichu will adore that one!"
"Let me see!" Nina cried, pulling the lid off. Kim laughed; she could be so childish sometimes.
"Pecha," Nina said, pointing at them as she counted them. "Oran, two Rawst, a Leppa and… is it a Figi? No, it's not! It's um… um…" She fluttered her hands in frustration.
"It's a Cheri berry," Kim said, glancing at it. Nina deflated.
"I knew that," she moaned. "I knew. You just needed to give me two more seconds."
"Whatever," Kim laughed, rolling her eyes. "Sure, sure."
Nina hit her arm playfully. "This is the thanks I get? Some friend you are!"
They laughed together, then Nina reached into her pocket. "That's not all I got you. You're going to lo-o-o-ove me for this one."
"Am I?" Kim raised one eyebrow as she revealed a piece of folded paper. "Mmm… paper. Thanks! It'd better be seventy-five percent recycled, Nina."
"Shove off!" Nina snorted. "Read it." She nodded encouragingly as Kim unfolded it in her fingers. Glancing up once at her friend, Kim shrugged to herself and examined the page. It seemed to be some sort of promotional flyer, for something called–
"The Pretty Skitty Café?" she read aloud, sceptically.
"That's right!" Nina sing-songed. "But it gets even better. Look down there."
Underneath all the garish pink and curly font were the bold words: Currently Hiring!
Suddenly, Kim understood why Nina had brought her the flyer.
"They're looking for workers!" Nina said excitedly. "Waitresses! You could waitress, Kim. I'm sure it'd be easy."
"But the café is in Rustboro," Kim replied, frowning a little.
"It's only a half-hour by bus," Nina said confidently. "It really goes by in a flash."
"I don't know, Nina…" Kim trailed off uncertainly. There was so much… pink. It had to be a foreboding sign. Nothing this pink could be good.
"Consider it," Nina replied. "Just consider it. We'll go take a look at the place tomorrow, okay?"
Kim looked up at her, back down at the flyer, and shrugged her shoulders. It couldn't hurt to just have a look. And she wasn't doing anything else after school tomorrow…
"Okay."
She had no idea what she was in for.
A/N: A little introduction. I just wrote this today, so sorry if it's a bit... odd :/
Reviews are love :3
Until the next update.
Love,
Cherrie xx