Prologue
"Sissy! Is it almost done?" Sadie, my little sister, asked tugging on my shirt sleeve.
"Almost, be patient," I replied sewing in another stitch into her favorite yellow dress. Her pale cheeks reddening with frustration.
"You said that forever ago," she pleaded shaking her head making her golden curls swing back and forth wildly. Sadie was the spitting image of her mom, but sweeter. She looked almost like a little porcelain doll. Her features made her look so fragile that if she were to trip and fall she would break like glass.
"It's been ten minutes and besides if you stopped ripping your dress you wouldn't have to keep waiting on me to sew it up," I joked with her. She crossed her arms and 'humph'd. The reason why her dress keeps getting ripped is because every time she sees a wild pokémon she tries to follow it. "There it's done," I stated handing over the tiny dress to her eager hands.
Looking it over she giggled said "Thanks Sissy!" while giving me one of her hugs and ran to her room to put it on.
Today was the first day of the Kid's Day Festival and 5 year old Sadie and 9 year old Aiden were definitely not going to miss it. Aiden is my younger brother and he acts like a little brat most of the times, the complete opposite of his little sister. That's why he surprised me when Sadie was born because I thought for sure he was going to terrorize the poor girl but instead he became overly protective of his little sister.
"Ronnie!" speak of the devil, "Where's big brother?!"
"Where do you think he is?" I remarked standing up from the kitchen chair I was sitting in and headed to my room to fix myself up before going out, "If he's not here then he's still on his way."
"Smart mouth! Stop being such a pain in the butt!"
"Funny, I was about to say the same thing."
Our older brother Zane became the runner up to the Indigo League Champion and was coming home for a rest before he set out for some other region. Zane and Aiden were almost identical with the same jet black hair and dark skin like our dad yet completely different personality wise. Zane was like dad because he was patient and nice. Well I guess not completely different because like how Aiden is protective over Sadie, Zane is protective over me, and they both share an attitude. It just takes a lot to make Zane's to come out.
My room was normal, I guess. The walls were an antique white decorated with posters of my favorite bands, singers, and anime. The carpet was a sandy brown. My full bed was in the far corner of the room with a few stuffed pokémon thrown on top for pillows. The only other things in my room were my book shelf stocked full and my computer desk.
I flopped on my bed and just started falling asleep when mom's lullaby started playing. The lullaby was set to play whenever dad or Zane called. Realization hit me in the middle of falling asleep. My heart jump started and as I half jumped, half rolled over to grab my phone off my desk I fell off my bed, hitting my shoulder on the corner.
Without thinking to look at the caller ID I clicked the little green button and answered, "Hello?"
"H…lo?…onnie?" I recognized my brother's voice through the static.
"Zane! Hey, you still there?"
"Ro…ie, can you hear me?" his voice instantly becoming clearer.
"Loud and clear captain. What are you flying through? A monsoon?" I joked.
He laughed, "No. Avoiding one I think." I frowned looking outside my window at the clear blue skies of Kin Island. "Dragonite insisted we change flight course so we will be late by half an hour at the least." Dragonite roared in the background.
"Good thing you chose Dragonite to fly you home, huh?"
"No kidding. But tell everyone I'll be coming home late. With any luck it will just be a half hour delay." The wind picked up and started howling through the speaker.
The Johto weather report this morning clicked in my mind. I was fixing breakfast and wasn't really paying attention but remembered a tropical storm was heading north into Route 29, "I will and just be careful out there, ok?"
"I'll be fine. Don't wait on me though, I'll find everyone when I get there. You go and have fun at the festival with everyone else."
"Fun? You think wading through a sea of screaming kids is fun?" We both laughed. "Sorry, Zane, I think I'll head to the other side of town."
"I don't b… y…," the static returned, threatening to disconnect us.
"Zane?!"
"Ron…?"
"You're breaking up," my heart sunk a little in disappointment.
"I'll ta… to y… when I … ther…" I barely understood him.
"Bye!" I practically yelled into the phone just before my phone beeped, informing me the call failed. I stared at my phone for a few seconds letting my mind wander.
I almost turned off my cell when one of my favorite rap songs, telling me Casey, my best friend, just sent a text. Flipping the lid open the screen read 'im ready to get outta the house u? meet me at the ol sakura tree'.
I replied and made my way over to my closet to find a top other than the old volleyball tee I wear just around the house when I remembered that I had gotten a new outfit just for today. Picking the bag up off the floor next to the foot of my bed I dumped the contents out and started to get dressed.
My new outfit was a black lacey, tank with a purple, plaid shirt, the jeans were the high rise kind so I wouldn't be battling with them to stay up, my new sneakers were black running shoes. I put in my small, silver hoops and put my dark blue hair in a claw-clip leaving my bangs down and pushed to one side. I didn't really wear make-up just a thin line of black eye liner.
I ran down stairs looking for Carmen, my step mom. As I turned into the living room she was standing there fixing Aiden's dress shirt. I almost felt sorry for the kid having to dress up for the festival. When me and Zane were little we just went in whatever we felt like as long as we had coats on.
"Zane just called," Aiden's head snapped up in anger.
"Why didn't you let us talk to him?!" he snapped.
"He was cutting out. He told me to tell you guys he will be running late. A storm caught him when he was coming into Kanto," I said waiting for a reaction from Carmen.
"Where are you going?" she demanded with her usual snobby look on her overly make-upped face.
"Anywhere but at the festival. I have my phone on me." hoping she had ignored me on the last part I grabbed my favorite jean jacket with sleeves that cuffed just below my elbows and gave my baby sister a hug before I left the Victorian-style house and started walking. I pulled my ipod from my pocket and breathed in the fresh sea air.
We had moved to Kin Island ten years ago after mom had died. Dad had found work in the Sevii Islands as a crewman on a ship. It paid good but he was hardly ever home. Me and Zane stuck together and gotten really close when we moved and left all of our old friends behind. The first summer I had gotten a really bad sunburn and all the other kids called me the Krabby girl. Two years ago, Zane finally got bored with life on the island and decided to take the gym challenge.
After walking for about twenty minutes I finally reached my favorite spot next to a cliff looking out to the west. I sat down under the cherry tree that grew there and continued to watch the sun set and make an array of colors across the clear water. Over in the distance to the right I could barely make out Berry Forest sitting on it's own little island, the only thing connecting us was a single walkway bridge. In the distance Goldeen and Seaking were jumping out of the water. Two Goldeen hit their horns together and I wondered whether it was the result of a fight continuing on just under the surface.
"Earth to Ronnie?" I heard as one of my headphones were yanked out of my ear.
"You're going to give me a heart attack one of these days. You know that, right?" I joked as Casey flopped himself down next to me. When Zane wasn't around one day the other kids stole my stuffed Tediursa and were about to throw it into the ocean. Casey happened to see and needless to say he got my Teddi back. That was how we met.
"Well at least I won't have to listen to your loud mouth after that," he smiled. I punched him in the arm making him laugh but still rubbing his arm. Running his fingers through his dark brown hair he slouched against the tree trunk and asked, "So where is mister champion?"
"Runner-up," I corrected, "And there's a storm so he's going to be late." A tinge of worry seeped back into my thoughts and I started ripping a blade of grass into tiny little pieces. Casey looked tired of hearing about Zane. They never did get along. I knew Zane was protective over me but I still couldn't see what he had against Casey. Whatever it was, the feeling was mutual. "So what are we going to do?"
"Dunno," the sun was slowly starting to sink behind the waves, "You wanna go grab a bite?"
"Sure," I perked up a bit. I honestly hadn't eaten all day, "Is there a place even open?"
"The coffee shop is open."
"The one Maria works at?" Maria was 18 and ran her own coffee shop with the help of her Magby. She always looked out for me and Casey. Not to mention she used to have a crush on Zane.
"Yep," with that it was settled. Casey jumped to his feet and reached for my hand to help me up. We made our way down the hill towards town. The warm breeze was slightly brushing my skin sending chill bumps up my arm.
"So-, I wanna know. How come you never wanted to challenge the gyms?" I asked more than a little curious, which earned me a Your joking right? look.
"Honestly?" I nodded my head as he thought to himself, "I guess I was just never interested in the whole thing." Really? He's telling me he never even considered it? "What?"
"You're lying."
"Oh really? Well I guess you wanna pay for your own coffee huh?" he retorted striking childish fear into me, causing Casey's smirk to get wider.
"Hey, no fair! I have no money!" I half-whined.
"Should have thought of that earlier," he laughed.
We argued like that until we reach the café and he stopped and turned to me. "Alright, I'll pay for your coffee but on one condition."
"What," I was almost too afraid to ask.
"You don't drag me around with your brother while he's here." he demanded with a straight face.
"Serious?" I didn't think that they actually hated each other that much.
"Serious. So?"
"Yeah, 'course."
We continued our way into the small café. Maria was sitting behind the counter on a old bar stool reading the Celadon Times. Maaaag! Magby greeted us as he lit a stove burner with his Ember. Maria lowered her newspaper.
"Well look who it is! So what can I get ya?"
"The usual?" Casey asked looking at me.
"Yep." I replied. Maria started brewing our coffees and handed me a cinnamon roll and Casey a slice of raisin bread.
Maria was five nine in height. Almost as tall as Zane who is an even six foot and Casey who is five ten. She has a very dark tropical looking tan with curly, cherry red hair and red eyes. "So tell me," she said slapping her hand on the counter in front of me making me almost choke on my cinnamon roll, "Where is my celebrity?" she asked with a giggle.
Seems my brother is the talk of the town and I didn't even notice, "He's going to be late for some weather. He'll be here soon."
"Good, so what've you been up to broody?" she asked turning to Casey.
Casey scowled, "Are you trying to piss me off?"
Suddenly Maria had reach over the counter and had her arms wrapped around Casey's neck with her cheek pressed against his, "Oh, why do you hate me so much Casey? Is that mean Zane making you angry?"
"You're on crack," he said as he tried leaning backward out of her grasp. I couldn't help cracking up in my seat. Even Magby joined in on the laughing. "C'mon let go," he pleaded trying unsuccessfully to pull her arms off his neck. Even compared to Zane, Maria was freakishly strong.
"Not until you say you love me," She laughed. At this point her feet weren't even on the ground, but her legs were hooked behind the counter.
He started to panic and turned to me, "Well don't just sit there, help me." Me and Maria laughed harder as me and Casey just barely unclasped her arms. The very second her grip was released Casey tipped his chair backward from his earlier attempts of releasing himself. Maria would have went with him over the slick counter if I hadn't had a grip on her arms.
Everything was quiet for a couple of seconds as Casey cursed and sat up on the ground rubbing the back of his neck. "I swear you're on something," he joked and we all began laughing.
All of a sudden Casey stood up and dug a ten out of the pocket on his over sized jacket and laid it on the counter for Maria, "I'll see you guys later," then he turned to me and ruffled my bangs, "See ya, V," I ducked away from his hand, him knowing I don't like people to mess with my hair like that. My full name was Veronica, but everyone calls me Ronnie. Casey is the only one who calls me "V" though.
"And where do you think you're going?" I asked running my fingers through my bangs. It already didn't want to do anything and looked bad enough without tangles.
"To check on mom," he replied without looking back and walked out past a tall figure I didn't notice there before.
Author's Note: I wanted to try my hand at an underestimated genre but this will NOT be like a lot of other pokemon is. This is goin to be as adult as real life is but not too much that people will want censoring. in other words i just dont want it to be Rated M. I luv constructive criticism and my best friends have helped me create characters which will come up in chapters soon to come.
My friends who helped I have to give credit to, even though my readers wont know who they are. They are Alyssa Johnson, Dylan Smith, and Korrey Morgan. You guys are the bestest anime luvin friends in the world.
Alyssa is also a really good artist and she has drew some stuff about this fanfic and many other stuff. So when i asked her she said that i could post up her deviant art page for you guys to see. Just visit my home page i will have a link. :)