A/N: I've finally got around to posting what I promised many weeks, probably months now, ago; the sequel to Do's and Don'ts! My boyfriend thought of the punny title so I'm afraid I can't be given credit for that one, but the rest of this is all mine, promise ;) I really missed Do's and Don'ts, and after all your support with it I wanted to make another! If you haven't read Do's and Don'ts, you'll probably understand most of this but it's probably best if you do read it first. This continues directly from the epilogue of Do's and Don'ts. Anyway, without further delay, on with the story!
Ash sighed heavily, a sigh which was laced with both sadness and hopefulness. He had just watched his one and only child leave on her Pokémon journey, exactly as he had, twenty-two years before. His wife of nearly eleven years, Misty, stood beside him, her head resting on his chest as his arm enveloped her waist. Pikachu stood in front of them, watching Pikapi's offspring disappear in the distance toward Gary Oak's lab.
Misty wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, sniffing as she did so.
"That was a little harder than expected," the mother admitted, her voice drenched in sadness. "And we're going to see her in half an hour!"
Ash smiled lovingly at his wife. "I know, I'm going to miss her so much, I already do."
He pulled Misty a little closer, for both her comfort and his own, the pair still staring into the wake of their child.
"I can't wait to see which Pokémon she picks," Ash mused.
Misty giggled. "Typical Ash; even at thirty-two, Pokémon always on the brain!"
"It's exciting though, isn't it? Her first ever Pokémon…" Ash trailed off, grinning, his own memories coming to mind. "The day I got Pikachu was one of the best of my life!"
"Pikachu," the little mouse said happily from its trainer's feet, as he smiled down at it.
Misty didn't respond, just continued to stare into the distance, sighing sadly.
"C'mon, Mist, don't you remember that rush you got when you got your first Pokémon?" Ash pressed.
Misty smiled softly, turning to face him. "I'd been surrounded by Pokémon my whole life," she said, more to herself than Ash. "I never really got that 'rush' until I got Togepi. I loved it so much, and releasing it was difficult; I was sad, but I knew letting it go was the best thing to do, it would do great things…" she paused. "It's not dissimilar to how I feel right now, actually."
Ash surrounded the red-head in a hug. "She's going to be amazing. I know it."
Alora's heart thumped in her ears. She was running as fast as she could down the dirt track toward the lab, her red trainers leaving a trail of dust behind her with every step. Her water drop necklace that Daisy had bought her bounced from side-to-side as she ran, and her Spheal backpack thumped against her back in rhythm with her steps. Alora was oblivious though, her veins pumped with adrenaline. Today was one of the most important days of her life.
She was panting a bit now; suddenly the short trip to the lab seemed a lot longer than usual, and the beaming sun didn't aid her. Eventually the silhouette of the great windmill came into view, and she grinned, picking up speed, the building getting closer and closer…
Thump.
She landed on the hard track with a hefty bang, her exposed knees stinging and she was sure they were cut. She groaned, and suddenly heard a chorus of laughter from beside her.
"Aww, did little Alora trip up?"
Rubbing the dust out of her eyes, Alora looked up and moaned. Stood towering over her was a girl of around the same age, perhaps a year or two older. She had long, blonde hair that reached her waist with deep, teal eyes, which matched the short, green dress she was wearing. She also wore matching green pumps, and had a Bellossom clip in her hair.
"Hey Bella," Alora grumbled, pushing herself up from the ground, feeling the sharp stones dig into her palms. The girl chuckled evilly, along with her hoard of sidekicks whose names Alora never bothered to learn. They all stood, hands on hips, looking the tomboy up and down. Bella's gaze averted downwards and she cackled even louder.
"Cute backpack," the girl spat, "And, oh look girls, little Alora needs her teddy bear for her big trip! You got a blankey in there too?"
Alora looked down in horror to see her precious Pichu laid in dust of the track, covered in dirt. She quickly stuffed it back into her bag while the other girls continued to laugh. Suddenly, a car pulled up, and Bella turned to Alora.
"That's my sister," she announced, flicking her hair. "See you later, loser!"
The rest of her clones giggled in sickening chorus as they piled into the car and Alora could only groan as the car drove off, sending dust flying back at her, leaving her as dishevelled as her Pichu. She sighed as she looked down at the teddy, resting awkwardly on top of all her stuff, covered in dust and dirt. Having dusted the messy toy off, she zipped her bag up for the second time. Adjusting her hat, she swore to herself she wouldn't let Bella ruin her day.
After descending the ridiculous amount of stairs to the lab, Alora had finally arrived, mostly in one piece.
"Hey Uncle Gary," Alora called as she entered the establishment. The lab was pretty much the same as it had been twenty years previous; Gary had wanted to preserve his grandfather's honour. A lot more staff worked there than before though, not just him and Tracey; both being fathers, the two had more responsibility than they could cope with alone. The high ceiling and grand, large windows showcased the tall bookcases that were completely stuffed with every book on Pokémon imaginable, a few written by Gary himself. Various computers beeped as the research assistants scurried around the lab, each looking extremely busy and preoccupied.
Gary turned, pushing his glasses back up his nose and caught sight of his honorary niece. "Jeez, Alora, what happened to you?" he asked with concern, walking over to her from the other side of the room, clipboard in hand.
"I uh, fell," Alora lied. "I'm fine, don't worry."
Gary wasn't convinced, but decided not to press her. "Well, never mind, guess you got your dad's clumsiness then," he said with a chuckle, which elicited a genuine smile from Alora. "You ready to meet your first Pokémon?"
Alora grinned happily. "Am I ever?! I'm going to be a Pokémon Master, I know it!"
Gary chuckled. "You're like a mini Ash, and believe me, kid, it's not a bad thing."
Alora smiled wider. "So, which ones are left?" she asked, referring to Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle; the typical starter Pokémon for a Pallet Town trainer. Gary grinned.
"Actually, I picked out an extra special one for you, I hope that's okay."
Alora was thrilled. She loved the fact her dad didn't just have a typical starter; he got his own, special one, that no-one else got to have, and she was going to start out the exact same way.
"I know you were getting a little annoyed with everyone assuming you'd end up with either a Pikachu or a Squirtle, just because it's a water type, like your mother's speciality," Gary said, as they walked through the lab, passing various computers, bookcases, and researchers looking busy at work. Alora nodded, despite not being in Gary's line of sight as she was a few steps behind, looking round interestedly. She'd seen the lab hundreds of times, but she was always intrigued about what new research was going on.
"Your parents are great trainers, some of the best in the world… Don't tell your dad I said that," Gary said. Alora giggled and promised not to. "But you need to have your own journey, your own adventure. You might be like a mini version of the pair of them, Arceus help the World, but I want you to make your own life, your own preferences, and I think I picked the perfect Pokémon for that. I also think it might annoy your dad a bit, which is always a benefit," he said, winking over his shoulder at her.
Alora smirked. "Glad to see your rivalry's over."
Gary answered with a chuckle. "Our rivalry will never be over, kid. When he had you I decided I needed one myself."
"Ooh, can I see Rose at some point?" Alora asked. "She's so cute!"
"Course you can, she loves her 'Lorry,'" Gary smirked. "I'll take you to see her as soon as I've given you this…" he pulled at his lab coat as they ascended the staircase to the room her father had received Pikachu, twenty-two years earlier. Gary walked over to the big podium in the middle that held three Pokéballs, pressing a button on the side that opened the middle compartment, and another Pokéball appeared. Alora watched on in awe, her palms sweating with anticipation.
Her dad was a Pokémon Master. Her mum was a member of the Elite Four.
No pressure then.
Gary looked at the mixed expression on Alora's face; her eyes twinkled with excitement but her lip quivered in expectation. "You ready?"
It wouldn't be the sequel to Do's and Don'ts if I didn't leave you a slight cliffhanger ;) Any guesses as to what Alora's first Pokemon might be? Also, I know the fic seems very Alora centered right now, but don't worry, they'll still be a lot of Ash and Misty too! Hope you all enjoyed the first installment :)