Here comes the first chapter! Really excited to hear what you guys think. Happy reading!


One

Pallet Blues

Broken.

No, it would not do.

It most certainly would not do.

Arkie was many things, but being a thieving bandit was rather low on his list of priorities for the day. He was also pretty sure being skewered, roasted, and dismembered as a result of the broken vase laying unfurled on the ground would put an end to his aspirations as a trainer too early.

"What the hell, Arkie?!" screamed a rather effeminate voice from the other end of the room. A girl with startlingly brown eyes emerged from within, an unquenching fire slowly building in her gaze. "That was a vintage product! There isn't exactly, uh, I don't know, an abundance of Palkia-themed wares going around!"

"Sorry, Iddy," chuckled the teen, relieved he wasn't going to die today. The girl wasn't nearly pissed off enough for that to happen.

Nearly.

"This could've been a great morning, y'know? I was ready to walk downstairs, eat a perfectly normal bowl of cereal, and find Roddy so we could be on our merry way," Iddy continued, keeping up her fiery tirade. "But no, one of my most prized possessions is now a heap of shards at my feet. Damn it, Arkie."

"Don't wrap yourself in a tizzy, Iddy," Arkie chuckled, swiveling a leg from where it rested on the windowsill. He landed with both feet onto the hardwood floor below. "Wow. Tizzy. Iddy. Hey, it rhymes. I amuse myself sometimes."

"Oh, I bet you do," Iddy snorted, turning swiftly to the door. "I want this mess fixed in ten minutes to the dot. No more, no less. It's a big day, Arkie, and I'll be damned if you fuck it up for all of us. I'm going to leave now, pretend this never happened, then we're going to start over again when I come back."

"As you wish," said the boy, extending himself into a mock bow as Iddy departed. "Isabella."

The only response he got was a particularly unsavory finger emerging from the middle of her right hand. Iddy departed out of sight, clomping down the stairs as quickly as she had jumped into the inferno. For all the strengths the girl had, subtlety was not one of them.

Arkie blew some air, busying himself with ridding the trace amounts of glass that remained of the Palkia vase Iddy had so dearly treasured. A little bit of an odd hobby for someone with a temper like her, but Arkie wasn't about to judge. He hadn't climbed through Iddy's window nearly every morning for the last eight years for nothing, anyway.

Okay, that sounded way creepier than he was willing to admit, but the teen remained adamant that their friendship wasn't about to dissolve because of him being nearly mistaken for a burglar and kicking a sentimental vase to the floor. Sadly, those type of situations happened way more than he would like to admit over the course of his sixteen years on the planet, only spurred by whatever freak of nature had decided to play a practical joke on the people living on it.

Depositing the shards into a bin near the window, Arkie took the time to gaze out into the horizon beyond, revealing a small section of road in the humble town of Pallet, where he had spent much of his childhood.

Situated in the middle of a sleepy plain with Route 1 to the north and the waterways of Route 21 to the south, Pallet Town was as ordinary as the name offered. Besides Oak's lab in the eastern part of town, nothing attracted the interest of trainers across Kanto who sought to hone their skills.

Kanto. Famous for many things, yet notorious in none, the region was the perfect place for retired battlers to settle or mild-mannered civilians looking for an easier life. As perhaps the most sparsely populated territory in the known world, it was about as stress-free as you could get when it came to living life. It was still plenty filled with a lot of people, but...

Not as if many gave it notice. Not since the time of Red, as if anyone knew where he was now. None save for Trainer Green herself.

At least the cities were something else. Pewter. Saffron. Celadon. Vermillion. Life was a little more exciting in the urban areas, Arkie supposed. One could spend their hard earned cash on Game Corner locations or try the Kanto Gym Circuit if the aim was to blow as much money as possible, save for actually winning battles in the first place.

But no matter, it was difficult enough as it was to complete a full run of the Kanto gyms. As a sovereign state, the region prided itself on having one of the more tenacious badge challenges out there. So much for the Pokemon League maintaining consistency.

Arkie did have to give credit to the organization, though, even as he turned his attention from ridding himself of the vase's remnants to clearing out some of Iddy's junk drawers, careful not to open the ones labeled, ahem, otherwise. The reach of the Pokemon League extended far and wide; as an official coalition of its member states, it could carry out officiating duties, deploy security forces as necessary, and set guidelines for Pokemon battling. It was at the regional level where things started getting murky, thanks to the various states deciding on their own subsets of rules. Fair enough for the population, but for Arceus's sake, the amount of Elite Fours to keep track of was starting to get slightly tedious.

Yeah, it was kind of Mudsdale shit in theory, but the execution was surprisingly efficient.

Damn. Had he been revisiting his history lessons too much?

Arkie blinked, fishing out some old pamphlets from years past and turned away from the sunshine filtering through the window. The light was relentless, reflecting the teen's own desire to finally leave this godsforsaken town. He was tired of remaining listless in Pallet, barely staying afloat from time to time. At first, the idea hadn't been so bad, what with the massive hordes of Pokemon and the trials of journeying in the wild to deal with, but things got boring after a while. A recent job at Pallet's only market in town had only served to confirm his desires.

Arkie supposed it was one of life's mysteries. Every kid out there wanted to bolt and get their junior trainer's license as soon as possible once reaching the age of ten, but the disappointments of living, in general, sucked them in faster than entire careers of battling could do. Nary could one even hope to build up the skills necessary to earn a single badge, let alone travel an entire regional circuit and hope to beat the Elite Four. Money only lasted so long, unfortunately.

That was not to say Arkie didn't discourage the youngsters who decided to leave Pallet, however. He simply viewed himself as a pragmatist, refusing to take unnecessary risks where it was not needed. Honestly, it was simple enough to wait until hitting the legal age of sixteen and getting a fully certified license instead.

The teen sighed, cleaning up the remnants of yet another drawer. He knew it looked as if he was playing the role of a maid, but the whole situation was kind of complicated. Being a bit of a recluse was at the heart of Arkie's nature, which was the real reason he had waited so long to consider leaving town. Iddy knew him best, hence those odd "busy" exercises.

Iddy... why she waited until now to leave, Arkie didn't know, especially with the overlapping sounds of distinct argument traveling all the way up here. She was bright enough to skip town at ten years old with a license in her hands, but she did not.

Arkie had a sneaking suspicion Roddy was involved with that decision, although he didn't let in on it. His friend was notoriously skittish, though had a buzz of nervous excitability surrounding him. At first glance, none would guess his Alolan descent, the distinct looks of which had been lost sometime in the last two generations. Onlookers would argue he had it beaten out of him with the ferocity of a Granbull in third grade of primary school, though.

The kickball circuit had been brutal around that time, drawing out something Arkie had never seen before- a silent beast at the ready in the form of Rohan "Roddy" Jones. Only little Iddy had been unfazed at that time, instead opting to punch Roddy across the nose for pulling what experts would call a "dickbag manuever."

Arkie chuckled at the memory. Violence was oddly effective in growing friendships, and he cherished every moment he had with Iddy and Roddy, who both at sixteen, were perhaps additional catalysts for his decision to venture forth on his own journey.

What would he find? Arkie didn't quite know yet, although he supposed checking out a gym or two along the way wouldn't be out of the question. By hard analysis alone, his experience would grow rather exponentially while undertaking a journey, he guessed. Therefore, it would serve him well to explore what the world had to offer. An ace trainer, perhaps? A coordinator? A gym leader? All were viable options.

That was if he didn't get killed by a swarm of Beedrill first, though.

~0~~0~

"Arkie again?"

"Ugh. You tell me, Mama."

Iddy huffed as she reached the bottom of the stairs, landing with a thud. "If I had a gun with two bullets and I was in a room with Giovanni, Cyrus, and Arkie, I would shoot Arkie twice."

"Then you wouldn't have been friends with him for as long as you have, dear."

"Yeah, I know... I know," Iddy sighed, crossing the entire length of her living room in mere seconds and sliding down onto a kitchen stool. Pallet's houses weren't that big to begin with, anyway.

Liz Garcia turned from the nearby stovetop, a smile gracing her eyes. "And, quite frankly, if I'm being honest, I think the both of us know you're not keeping him around for nothing."

"Come on, Mama. He's a good friend. Sure, he's kinda obnoxious, thick-headed, obtuse-"

"I said the same about your father, you know."

"MAMA!"

Liz opted to say nothing more, instead raising her hands in surrender. "At least eat first if you're going to complain."

Iddy growled, grabbing a nearby cereal bowl full of Combee-os and shoving a spoonful in her mouth. It was the same every morning, the plain breakfast fare a testament to her life here in Pallet. Sure, the cereal was pretty damned delicious, but nothing to write home to the factory about.

A clatter shook from upstairs, indicating Arkie was still hard at work. Liz turned her attention to the eggs simmering over by the stovetop, being used to the boy's constant stampeding around the house. All the while, Iddy considered the irony of the situation- Arkie was a hell of a recluse, but he had a habit of kicking up a storm.

It'd be nice if a storm could hit Pallet once in a while, Iddy mused. Sure, it was one of the safest places around, but it offered nothing. Yeah, Oak's lab was the best for hundreds of miles, especially with the state of the art technology it provided and the fields of Pokemon roaming around. But everything always had to be about Oak's lab, and it was starting to get annoying.

The mood was oddly muted, only interrupted by the noise upstairs ever so occasionally, and Iddy knew why. She was hoping Mama wouldn't try to change her mind again about today, despite dozens of attempts already.

The girl had given her choice some thought. Everybody's lives ended the same way, all buried underground in shitty-ass dirt (if a wild Pokemon didn't eat them first). Alas, it is only the details of how they lived and how they died that distinguish them from the others. After all, who would remember Isabella Garcia from Pallet Town, compared to the likes of Red himself? Lucky Green? Blue? Yellow? Even people here in the town would remember the name Sapphire, who had gained fame after the recent events of the Hoenn Calamity.

Then there was Roddy.

"You know," Liz began, taking advantage of a lull in the pounding upstairs. She moved her attention away from the eggs, leaning on a nearby cabinet. "You could always reconsider."

Iddy rolled her eyes, pushing the cereal bowl away. "Mama, we're not having this conversation again."

"I still don't want you to do this. It's not as safe out there as you think."

"I have to, Mama," Iddy sighed, tapping a foot agitatedly. "I promised Roddy as soon as I was sixteen, I'd be out of here. He wants to challenge the Kanto circuit, and you bet I'm helping him out. Who knows? Maybe you'll read about me in the papers along the way."

"When a passing Ranger finds you lying dead in a ditch!" Liz exclaimed, rapping the countertop. "It's a dangerous world out there, Iddy. You'd be surprised at how few people end up making it, despite everything they try otherwise. I didn't move us to Pallet for nothing, especially with what happened to your father!"

"I'm sorry, Mama. I really am. But there's nothing you can do to stop me now. I'm legal."

It was at that moment Iddy thanked Arceus for PLB 1410.65, which lowered the legal adult age. The oddly shorter lifespans humans had in comparison to before the thing happened was also a bonus in getting that law passed.

Liz sighed. "Very well. If I can't talk you out of this, then at the very least, I want you to have something."

Iddy inclined her head curiously. "It better not be one of those nesting dolls."

The only other living member of the Garcia family smiled. "No. Rather, it's this."

Liz spun around, heading towards a corner of the kitchen. She muscled the pantry open, reaching for a previously-unseen alcove nestled near the back. Most of the food was stored there, which made what Mama fished out all the more unusual, Iddy thought.

A minuscule Pokeball appeared in Liz's hands as she paced back over to Iddy. It was shrunken from its normal size for ease of carrying, but the crescent emblazoned on the top was unmistakable. Gray and blue conjoined together to crown the shape in all its glory, alighting it in even the darkest of rooms.

Iddy raised an eyebrow. "A Moon Ball? You're giving me a Moon Ball?"

Liz smiled. "It's what's inside, honey. I know you want to forge your own path, but promise me this- use it should you ever find yourself in any kind of trouble."

"This is from your Ranger days, isn't it?" guessed the teen, gingerly taking the specialty ball and cupping it in her hands. "This is why you retired, isn't it? Dad had something to do with it, didn't he?"

A momentary flicker of pain flashed through Mama's eyes. "What happened wasn't anyone's fault. It was a bad place at a bad time, that's all."

"I still haven't changed my mind."

"I know."

Iddy looked up. "Then why try?"

Chuckling, Liz shook her head. "I'm your mother, Iddy. For as long as I can remember, it's just been you and me. It's my job to worry, hm?"

"In that case... I'm never having kids," sighed the girl, jumping up from the stool. She placed the Moon Ball into her pocket, silently reminding herself to stash it in her bag later. "Plus, taxes. Pretty sure there's a child tax or something."

Mama laughed. "No such thing. But this is what I'll miss most about not having you here."

"You'll be fine, Mama," Iddy assured, noticing the moistening eyes of her lone parent. "I'll call in when I can, promise. You could even take up a hobby or something if you want. Get your mind off things."

Liz wiped her eyes. "Nonsense. I did just fine the last ten years. I'll be fine for the next ten."

"You really think I won't be coming back?"

"It's your nature, kiddo. You've been chomping at the bit for months now. For better or worse, I think you'll find what you're looking for out there."

Iddy smiled. "Thanks, Mama."

By some unspoken words or pure instinct, perhaps, mother and daughter alike shared a hug. They lost themselves in the heat of the moment, each embracing in the fact it would be a long time before they saw each other in person again. Iddy wasn't one to be sentimental, but the moment was way sappier than what she was accustomed to. She broke away from the hug, giving her mother a knowing look.

"I'm going to get Arkie now."

"Okay."

"I've got my bag ready and everything."

"Okay."

"Oh, and... uh, I'll try out the 'lil Mon in the Moon Ball for you, if it helps."

Now that caused a considerable shift in the atmosphere.

Iddy jumped with a start as her mother clamped a hand on her shoulder. "Please. I'm begging you, don't open it unless you have to."

"Could you at least tell me what's in it?"

Liz sighed. "I wish I could tell you, but I can't. It's something you need to find out for yourself, honey."

"You do know I can just open this Pokeball later and-"

"Don't."

Iddy leveled eyes with her mother. "You're serious. Okay."

In her sixteen years on the planet, Isabella Garcia had seen nearly every range of emotions go through Mama, but this was different. She didn't keep secrets, which made the mystery all the more intriguing. Why was it so bad? There was no way any type of Pokemon who came across Mama's possession could be so incredibly devastating, nor dangerous enough to leave entrusted in her daughter's care. Still, with respect to her wishes, Iddy supposed it wouldn't be so bad to keep the Moon Ball on the down-low for now.

But why such a request without knowing? Either Mama had gone crazy or there was something else, and the elder Garcia was unwilling to say any more on the subject for now. The best she could do was stare in her daughter's eyes with a tumultuous whirlpool of emotions.

"If that's all," Iddy started, doing her best to break the tension, "no use in crying, the both of us. I'll be on my way, Mama."

~~~0~~0~~~

Inner peace.

Inner peace.

Arkie whistled as he busied himself with the last of the drawers, happily finishing up his duties as a slave-turned-maid in penance for smashing the vase. Granted, it would've been settled had he just cleaned up the glass, but going overboard was a habit at this point. Besides, applying tips from Agatha's Cozin' the Home TV show worked out much better than he was hoping to admit.

"You make a lot of noise, you know."

Dammit, Arkie cursed. Seven minutes of reflective mediation was too much to ask for.

With that, he turned to the doorway for what seemed to be the millionth time in his life. Except, this time involved a little bit of a heart spike and a curious expression. "I, uh, cleaned it as best as I-"

"I know," Iddy stated, leaning on the frame with crossed arms. "And I appreciate it."

"Do you ever not swear when your mama isn't around?"

"Fuck off, Damalas."

"There it is."

The girl huffed, sauntering into her room. "I meant what I said earlier. Let's try it again."

"T-try what?" Arkie stammered, momentarily remembering why his heart spiked in the first place. His friend was wearing an expression he very rarely saw on her, mired with serious contemplation. Perhaps one percent of the time, maybe even two. Either way, Iddy wasn't one to get deeply philosophical or get herself bogged down in austere thoughts often. Arkie usually took care of those kinds of things, leaving the hot poker stuff to his other friends.

"Arkie," sighed Iddy. "Let's not beat around the bush with this. You want to leave. I want to leave. Roddy wants to leave. Any objections?"

"No."

"Good."

"I wanna say this, though-"

"What?"

"If it's possible in any way to grab a couple of Vanilluxe cones on the way out, then I'd really be all for it."

Iddy rolled her eyes. "Sure, we'll get you some ice cream. After you get your starter and after we step foot out of Pallet, that is."

Arkie shrugged. "That's fair. Are you sure you're okay, though?"

"'Course. Why wouldn't I be?"

"I dunno. It's just... you looked kind of different from before, and I wanted to be sure-"

"You're sweet, but I'm fine," Iddy interjected. "My mom's a little worried, but that's pretty much it. We were overdue for a conversation, anyway."

"A little worried? Your mom?"

"Yeah, believe it or not. Even got a little parting gift, I guess," said the girl, fishing out a crescent-stamped ball out of her pocket. "Supposed to keep me safe and all that."

"Whoa, a Moon Ball. Nice," Arkie whispered, reaching out a hand to touch it. The only response he got was a hand slap from Iddy. "Ow!"

"Sorry, ball boy. It stays with me for now," Iddy said, tucking it away as quickly as it had appeared. "Precautious and all that chiz."

"Geez, Iz. It sounds like a nuke or something with the way your mama wants you to take care of it. You're sure we're not smuggling weapons or anything out of here?"

"One hundred percent certified no. Either way, Damalas, you said yes to going. You're coming with us, for better or worse. Ready to see what destiny awaits?" exclaimed Iddy, stamping a foot.

Arkie raised his bag. "Lead the way."

"How in Dialga's name did you get yours? You didn't have it when you got here."

"I, uh, kinda climbed back down and picked it up while I was waiting for you."

Iddy's expression lightened. "Oooh. Explains why the clattering finally shut the hell up. Arceus, you really are loud sometimes."

"Sure I am."

"Yes you are. I'll give you points for stealthily sneaking in and out, though."

"Fair."

Iddy raised a hand. "One more thing, before we go."

"Yeah?"

"You still owe me a new vase, by the way. That'll be 500 PokeDollars once I find a ware market in Viridian somewhere."

With that, Arkie raised his voice to the mocking tone he knew Iddy hated all those years. "Of course, dear."

"Oh, f-"

~~~0~~0~~~

To be continued

~~~0~~0~~~


Key Terms

Dialga: Associated with Dex Holder Diamond, this legendary is the sole controller of time itself, bending it to however it deems necessary.

Palkia: Legendary deity of the Sinnoh region- god of space and manifestation of space itself. Last seen in possession of Dex Holder Pearl.

PLB: PokeLeague Omnibus Bill: Piece of legislation by a region's governing body.

Pokemon League: Worldwide organization created by the joining of several member states. Broken down into regional headquarters in each region with one global branch overseeing all operations. (Think NATO in the real world)

Kanto: One of many currently known regions. Recognized as an easygoing place to live.

Trainer Red: Known for his defeat of Team Rocket years prior. One of the most legendary trainers to ever walk the planet.

Trainer Green: Close friend of Red. Known for her prowess in battle (and occasional pickpocketry). Also known as Lucky Green.