Hello. Nice to meet you. I'm just a regular kid living in Littleroot town. I have a small circle of friends, 2 parents, and a normal school life. I fret about homework; I'm a good student. I like hanging out with my friends; we spend a lot of time together, always having fun. I'd like to be able to play with Pokemon, but ever since the huge legendary incident with two criminal organizations, Team Aqua and Team Magma, my parents deemed Pokemon dangerous and made sure I never went near them. That went as a rule between me and my friends, as my parents were familiar with all their parents. As I said.
I'm just an ordinary boy.
"Hey, come on, little boy! We're here!" I woke up to the sound of a screech and a familiar voice. Looking around my surroundings, I remembered leaving the nice outdoor world, and entering the back of a truck. My parents said something about moving, and I became aware that we weren't coming back to the peaceful town we lived in. The sound of the voice came from my mom, sitting across from me in the dark corners of the truck. She gestured towards my father, who went to open the back door of the truck. Sunlight poured in, and I had to cover my eyes from the sudden difference in brightness. We stepped out of the truck, and I was greeted by the scenery of a small town, not unlike the one I used to live in. Grass surrounded the ground where there was no pathways created, a few houses here and there, and it also seemed there was some laboratory of some sort. I didn't get much time to observe, as my mom pulled me into the house we were supposedly going to live in.
"Come on Shield, let's take a look a the house. You'll be able to choose where you want to put your things!" We didn't have to unpack anything, because the Machoke, big, buff Pokemon, would serve as the un-loaders.
I ran ahead of my mom, excited at the offer. When I got upstairs, however, there was another child sitting there, looking angry. Detecting my presence, he turned his glare towards me. Upon this, I noticed he was around the same age as me, probably 10, although his anger gave a mature aura off him. His hair was strikingly dark blue, and his eyes also matched his hair.
"Hey."
"Wha-wha-h-hi." I was surprised when he finally spoke; even his voice gave off a mysterious and scary feeling.
"Shield, don't run so fast! You could fall and hurt yourself!" My mom was catching up to me now, and I don't really know what she'd think when she saw this stranger in our new house. However, he threw a note at me, which I managed to clumsily, but surely, catch, and spoke again.
"Read it, and follow the instructions." He then jumped out the window at the side before my disbelieving eyes. "Wha-what are you doing!" I managed to squeak out. I started running to the window when my mom appeared. The kid was already gone.
"So, see a good spot for anything?" She asked, looking around, although my mind was already trailing to wonder about the contents of the note.
"Uhh…I'm going to find dad. I won't be able to tell unless I have the stuff with me. " With that, I left to go downstairs, hastily opening the note as my mom disappeared from sight. I could tell she wasn't convinced by what I said, as that was probably a horrible lie, but nonetheless, I got away.
Shield,
Tonight, I will come again. Go outside and we will have a talk.
The note also had an picture of the boy I just saw, with that glare plastered on his face.
From Spirit
The rest of the night passed by quickly, and I was feeling anxious already for this newfound person. My parents didn't really notice my anxiety, as they never bothered me about my spacing off, but I could've spaced off too much to even notice them ask me about it. The moon and dark sky appeared, and so did Spirit. I glanced down the window to see the angry kid. He brought a ladder up to my window, prompting me to climb down. Anxiety took control, and after a quick peek outside my room, which had also been absentmindedly organized by myself, I went and started climbing down.
"H-Hi." I nervously spoke when I reached the ground, afraid of his strange personality.
"You." His voice was crisp, clear, and most significantly, cold. I sensed so much hatred just from one word; and began to stiffen.
"W-Why did you call me out? How do you know my name? I don't want to start any trouble-
The blue-haired boy shot up a hand, indicating me to stop talking. "Eep."
"Listen, kid, Littleroot's a small town, but the residents here are all good people. We all get along, and help out each other. I don't want some new kid coming in here and screwing up everything for my friends and the rest of the community. Got that?"
My mind began spinning at this direct approach. 'What could I possibly do to him? To his friends? I'm just an ordinary kid, not looking for trouble.'
Spirit looked directly at me, eliciting a small yelp coming from me. 'I don't think I could ever get used to being around him…'
"Well, that's all for tonight. I'll be coming around tomorrow, so don't you dare ignore me." With that, the cold boy left, walking into the dark night, leaving me standing dazed.
Days past. I waited for Spirit every night, and we had short chats. Surprisingly, I got to know more about him, and eventually got used to his cold personality. Unbeknownst to him, I discovered hi threats about not disturbing the residents and his friends gave him a motive to come and talk with me, Without any other friends in this small town, I spent all day inside the house, waiting for the summer to end so I could go to school. My parents may be over-protective to keep me in the house, but even they can't keep me from an education system. I'd eventually understand why they didn't let me out of the house for all these weeks.
Staring at the Wingull-shaped clock (Spirit explained to me what that oddly-shaped bird thing was, when I showed him once) which my parents ironically gave me, I watched the time go by slowly. I walked around my now personalized room, throwing around some Pokemon plushies which my parents also ironically bought me, and waited.
Just waited.
Even though I can't really understand my life now, I guess it's okay. Eventually I'll go to school, meet new friends, and live a normal life.
At least that's what I thought.
It's been a few weeks ever since my move to Littleroot town, and with my nightly conversations with Spirit highlighted my life. This time around, I was extra excited because Spirit was bringing along a friend.
"Hey, Shield!" The familiar angry voice caught my attention, and I instinctively jumped out of my room, down to the ground. Spirit had taught me the proper technique to do that while we were having our nightly talks a week ago. Although we risked being discovered by my parents, I was still taught, and gained something fun.
"Where's the person you brought with you?" I asked anxiously, wanting to make a new friend.
"Right here~" A shadow appeared from one of the trees nearby, and upon closer inspection, it looked like a girl. She was dressed in casual clothes; a white t-shirt and blue jeans, unlike Spirit's full blue outfit. She had a cheerful smile, and seemed a little childish. Then she walked up to me, and spoke. "My name's Beach. Nice to meet you."
I suppressed a laugh at the unusual name and shook her hand. "Your name's Shield, right? Spirit's been talking a lot about you."
"Beach!"
"He might not look like it, or act like it, but he's actually a really kind person after you get past his cold exterior~" She gave a wink at him, and he turned a little red. From my angle, I realized only I could see that in the dreariness, and chuckled.
"Yeah, I'm starting to see that too."
Spirit then got angry. "Shield…"
One by one, Spirit brought his friends to my house during the nighttime. Every week, a new friend would show up, and we would have fun talking and playing around. My parents never seemed to appear in my room during nighttime, which aided me quite well.
I met Apple and Spin afterwards, they were both a bit younger than me and Spirit, but only by a few months. Apple was a generally silly guy, who never would stop making jokes. Always having a smile on his face, he spread happiness to other people, except when he was playing pranks. Spin, on the other hand, was much more calm, albeit childish, and looked after Apple to prevent him from getting into trouble. Apple usually wore red, while Spin wore yellow.
Next week, Spirit brought Raze and Flare with him, and both of them were older than me. Raze and Flare both had an air superiority, but were also humble and greeted me with smiles. Raze, however, was like Spirit, and cold, while Flare was more warmed up and we were able to chat easier.
With that, one week later, school started.
Time passed. Years and years flew by, and I was accepted into Spirit's circles of friends.
Beach. Spirit. Apple. Spin. Flare. Raze. All of them. Today was the day. With my eyes shining, happy smile plastered on my face, and laughter echoing from a recent joke, no one could guess this was the last day I would see all of them.
I turned my head. "Hey, Spirit!"
"What is it?" The sapphire eyed boy asked.
"Remember that time Apple convinced all of us to play that prank on Professor Birch's assistant?"
This time Flare piped up. "Oh yeah! I doubt she'll ever go near a Torchic again!"
Many years had past, and I was let to associate with Pokemon a few years ago.
Beach, Flare and Spirit shared a laugh, while Spin and Raze looked accusingly at Apple, who shrugged.
"We're just playing with you, dummy." Raze muttered calmly to Apple.
"Well, shows what you know-"I broke in the argument. "Come on, guys. Stop arguing. You can do it some other time." With that, we all started walking again, with Apple lagging behind us, plotting against Raze, as always.
I tuned out of their indistinct chatter, focusing once again on an event that had bothered me for weeks on end.
"But I don't want to go to Sinnoh!" I was wailing, screaming with despair.
"I'm sorry, dear, but daddy can't find a job here. We need to find one before it's too late!"
I ran up the stairs, stomping angrily, cursing. I slammed the door shut, and fell on the bed.
"UUUGGGGHHH!" My muffled screams came endlessly, not caring what anybody thought, as I drifted off to sleep.
'How will I be able to cope without these guys? Can they cope without me? We've been together for so long, never separated. Is it right for them to tear us apart? Is it? Is it?'
"Shield, you're being all spacey today. Is everything all right?"
I turned to Spirit, eyes full of concern. He was always there to help me, even when the others couldn't. A lot had changed ever since the late night chats, and we had become closer than anybody in the group, applying to Spirit as well. I looked up at the ceiling. We were now at school. "No, nothing's wrong," I lied. "I'm just…..thinking."
"Alright. But don't hesitate to tell me, if you have anything, okay?"
I nodded; this seemed to satisfy the young boy, and he left for class. Coincidentally, all 7 of us had the same class, and this would be the perfect opportunity to tell them my event. 'I just hope I have the nerve to," my thoughts wandered to this topic, once again, as I slowly walked to class.
Step, step. Will they hate me if I tell them?
Step, step. No, our friendship is much stronger than that.
Step, step. Okay, no more thinking. Just go for it…….RUN! NOW!
I dashed into the class, unaware of how awkward that looked. Dashing into class when you're about to be late is one thing, but dashing into class early just makes you seem…..eccentric. To put it simply, like Twitch, my classmate.
"Umm…..hi guys!" I said sheepishly. There was Raze, Flare, Spirit, and Twitch in the class. Raze and Flare stuck up a hand towards me, indicating they noticed my presence (well, hey, who wouldn't?), and Spirit just nodded. Twitch, however, was literally nose-to-page with his book. I peered at the hardcover labeled Effectiveness of Stat-raising moves during long range combat. "M-My book!" He held the book protectively, and everyone sweatdropped. That kid studies a little too hard, if you ask me.
I headed to the teacher's desk to see Professor Birch, completely unaware of me; he was gazing out the window at a couple of Seedots. "Umm….Mr. Birch? I whispered softly, hoping my friends wouldn't hear.
"Huh? What? Oh, it's just you, Shield. Yes? What would you like? He also whispered quietly, imitating my volume to accommodate whatever reason I had for doing so.
I held my hands together nervously. Professor Birch could be scary at times, but he seemed more…caring today. "Umm….well….I kinda want to explain to the class something when the period starts."
"Is it about your move to Sinnoh?"
"What? How'd you-"
"Your parents phoned me. They said it was just like Shield to tell everyone last minute."
"He's right. I WAS too afraid to tell everyone in the morning....but what choice did I have? I'd have to tell everyone in the class afterwards, making me say things twice!"
After realizing it wasn't my fault of speaking up last minute, I breathed a sigh of relief, and some curiosity. Professor Birch was always one step ahead of me somehow, and that always lead to my benefit. "Thank you Mr. Birch, I'll do it first thing this period." With that, I left to sit in my seat, awaiting the bell.
10 minutes later
Ding! Dong!!!
The arrival of the bell instantly shot my back up with anticipation, and I looked towards Professor Birch, who nodded subtly. It was time. The class filed in, but I didn't care to look at any of them. I was a little too nervous. I sighed. I was never good at speaking to an audience, even a small 30 student class.
"Students!" Professor Birch's voice immediately caught everyone's attention. " Shield would like to announce an important event." I got up, my heavy steps unnoticed by all except my 6 dearest friends, looking at me quizzically. 'Sorry guys, it's gonna be time for me to leave soon.'
Working my way carefully to the front (I sat in the back with Apple and Flare), I thought about my times with my friends…..no more going to the park…..nor more chasing Zigzagoons….no more late night stargazing…..I reached the front of the room, and looked up.
"I'm sorry for not telling all of you sooner," my friends now looked at me, anxious for my next words. I chose them carefully. "but I am moving to Sinnoh, so my dad can find a better place to work. I'm sorry. I'm leaving tomorrow."
There. I said it. I put my head down, and started crying. Crying for all that I would lose. Crying for my friends. Crying for myself. But crying mostly because…….
"WHATTTTT?!?!?!" Spirit's furious voice shook, and Flare, Beach, Raze, Spin, and Apple stood. The blue-eyed boy whipped around in anger, throwing over desks and trying to break anything possible. The 5 restrained him, and Beach looked at me with sorrow while holding him. She left the rest to hold Spirit, and walked up to me. "Before you leave, take this." She handed me a blue shard like object, on a necklace. I didn't know what it was…but nonetheless, I thanked her. "Now get out you idiot!" She then proceeded to slap me , and pretty hard too. I looked up, and saw her face full of hatred. I'd never seen her get so angry, in fact I've never seen her get angry at all, so this must be a big tragedy for her. Tears streaming, I ran out the door, ignoring distant cries for me to come back, and ignoring everyone there. Including my friends.
I'm now back at home, watching the Machoke pack up my stuff. I held a small picture of me and the gang together. Taken at our trip to the Slateport city beach, Spin and Apple were doing bunny ears on each other, Raze and Flare were smiling obediently (Flare for once), and me, Spirit and Beach were laughing at a good joke. I refused to think anymore….I didn't want to get too emotional before leaving.
"Ok! We're done packing!" "Ma-Machoke!" I heard the workmen and Machoke tell my mom and dad. It's time to go. To leave Hoenn. My birthplace. I finally grasped the reality of that fact, and started wailing like crazy. "Get ahold of yourself!" That voice….Beach! What was she doing here?
I turned around swiftly, excitement taking over sorrow, and she started to speak. "Listen. I'm sorry for slapping you that day. It's just….when you told us at the last minute, if felt like you betrayed us. It felt like…"
"It's okay. I get it," came my soft reply. "I shouldn't have kept it so last minute either. I'm sorry." Needless to say, we shared a parting hug, and then I started walking away. "This isn't goodbye….this is see you later, okay?"
"Hey. Don't forget me. Our exploits with Apple to prank Raze, our times together on Slateport beach with Spirit, when we first met during the late night…"
"Don't be silly Beach. How could I forget anything?"
I stepped into the truck, with my parents and the workmen at the front. The door closed slowly, and I could swear I saw Beach, Spirit, Flare, Raze, Apple, and Spin waving at me for a split second. The door shut. Silence. Then, I felt something in my pocket. Beach's gift! I looked at it carefully, and on it neat little words inscribed on it were: Eternally friends.
Hmm. This was just like Beach.
