AN: (EDITED) Woo, I've made my first Pokemon roleplay! This will take a bit to unravel but hopefully it'll be worth it :) One important change: Pokemon aren't bound to certain regions in this story. So you can find Hoenn Pokemon in Johto, Sinnoh Pokemon in Kanto etc. Just makes it slightly easier for me XD!
Chapter One: Midnight Dreams
I gave a slight sigh, wondering out of the Pokemon Centre after a long day. So long it made all the examinations I'd taken seem to shrink to half their original timings. The wind rustled the trees enchantingly, encouraging my steps into their embrace. Walking into the wood with a soft, gentle moon as my guide, I took in the autumn air and felt its soothing stroke as it played with my hair. As I strolled, trying to forget the last twenty-four hours, I heard the soft Night Song that played whenever I disappeared into forests late at night. Every Night Song is different, but at the same, just as beautiful as the last. Each sinking of the sun, the Pokemon of the shadows came out to chant, and play, and dance. It was so peaceful and untouched by any human: trainer, co-ordinator or professor. This was the secret world, only seen by those who knew of its existence or who just discovered it. I knew that the few who found it would never tell another soul - mostly because they found it (as I did) as children, and to a child, a secret, starlight world of song and play is the best secret on the globe.
As I mused, I found a place to sit without interrupting the choir and took my seat, still listening. I glanced down at my pokeballs and smiled, choosing one and releasing the creature inside silently, so they too could enjoy the melody. My Pokemon of choice was an orange rodent, with yellow cheeks, a white belly, two brown stripes on his back, curved ears and a long, whip-like tail topped with a blunt lighting bolt. A Raichu, if I summarise. She was about to greet me loudly, when I put two pairs of fingers over his lips, allowing the blissful nightfall to whisper its gentle words to her. Her eyes gleamed at the sound and he gave a slight swoon, before sitting at my side and listening eagerly. We remained for who knows. Time slipped away as Raichu and Trainer gazed around serenely, much like a Christian would to behold a magnificent, foreign cathedral.
"I'm tired -" I announced quietly, speaking to both myself and my companion. "- of travelling the way we have been." Shocktail blinked at me innocently. She knew that was how I felt, but she hadn't expected me to voice it.
"You're admitting it?" She asked. The sweet nightsong hushed itself without dying out completely, as if understanding the need to talk. Shocktail turned to face me as I focused my gaze on her. "You are saying those words, right?" I smiled at her softly, holding back slight tears.
"Yeah. It's been long enough now." Shocktail instantly sidled up beside me, always looking up at me with her gentle eyes, willing me to keep speaking. With my opening line, there was no way I could take it back. "Yeah…it really has been too long." Together, we looked up to the canopy of leaves and stars above, both thinking deeply. Of course we were replaying the same scenes in our head, replaying the same voices in our minds, replaying the same story in our minds eyes.
Setting off on my journey with my then-Pikachu Shocktail by my side, those years ago, I felt ready to take on the world. Even better, I was with my mate Emily. We'd been fast friends for a while had even promised to tackle the planet together: and now we were! Her Charmander walked alongside her, Shocktail alongside me. It was something we'd planned for years and now it was really happening. Taking those steps felt like a fresh beginning - no more being shy, no more watching Pokemon battles and police chases, no more idle dreaming. But it wasn't just the two of us. Emily had also insisted that her boyfriend, Justin, also join us. He and I got on fine - at first. As the journey wore in, he became harder to be around for me. He often criticised my techniques, insisted that he was right, made a debate out of simple conversation. It wore at my self-confidence.
Emily though, demanded that we stay on friendly terms for her sake. She badly wanted both of us in her life, one as the love of her life, the other as a friend. But time continued and didn't reverse itself. While I could put up with Justin, I soon came to see myself as nothing more then a sidekick, a third-wheel. The comic character who tags along with the heroine and her boyfriend. I knew Emily and Justin would both deny these feelings, claiming that they were solely in my mind. But I could feel it, deep in my heart and rooted into my soul. I had spent my days before we travelled together quiet as a mouse, the person you see but don't really talk to. Now I was just a follower. Hardly the adventure of a lifetime.
Me and Shocktail turned to each other, eyes clear of reminiscing. She looked at me seriously, obviously noticing the unspoken sadness in my eyes.
"The two of them are fine by themselves. No ifs or buts!" She shook a finger at me as I drew a breath to speak. Inside I smiled - she knew just what I was going to say, as she always does. "It's time for you to move on by yourself and not live your life for someone else. You and Emily have always been friends and you will probably always be friends. But she's got Justin by her side. She doesn't need you both, no matter how much she wants you both. Justin does want her to travel with just him, but respects her wishes to have you with her too. However, you're not three kids going into the world - you've grown. She's a lively, fiery young woman. He's an intelligent, slightly smart-arsed young man. And you're a mature, calm young woman yourself. There is always a time for the paths we travel to change direction, or even split. The time is now for you and the lovely couple to go your own ways."
I had sat and listened to her, the smile appearing on my face. She was right of course. We weren't idiotic kids anymore, stumbling at the first hurdle and landing flat on our faces. We'd all grown up and changed as we found ourselves. I scratched Shocktail behind her ear, a slight smirk flitting over my smile at her typical reaction to the gesture. The song behind us changed - it became empowering, no longer gentle in its tone. It was like every Pokemon around had seen our memories, floating like cloud signals from our joined psyche and were contributing to Shocktail's frank, but honest speech. Looking up from my Pokemon, I had to check for any watching eyes. I spied some in the trees and the forest, but my expression only softened to them, and with a grateful nod I bowed to the nocturnal singers. They seemed to nod back but continued to watch, as if wanting to see what would occur next.
My fingers slid from Shocktail's ear to below her chin, getting her attention directly. I gave her a personal nod and spoke my reply, short and clear.
"You're right. It's time." She gave a tiny cheer, hugging and squirming against my frame. I gave a small laugh and held her back. It was clear she hadn't been keen on the travel arrangements either. Looking up at the moon, I felt several other Pokemon come forth slowly, continuing their earlier song, dance and play under her motherly glow. Shocktail and I separated and began to join in their wordless song. My own lyrics consisted of childish "la"s in time to the wind, trees and Pokemon. In this harmony we were contained, until some began to yawn and I realized that dawn approached. Me and Shocktail glanced at each other. Unless we moved on today, I'd back out again. We both knew that. With a sigh, I pulled out of my pockets some shiny trinkets, gifts to our nocturnal kin, and then we hurried back to the Pokemon Centre, to get in before the sleeping trainers awoke.
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With a heavy heart but a lighter soul, I vanished back into the forest, having snuck back into the Pokemon Centre silently. Having scooped up my belongings and clothes, I was discreet in leaving behind a simple note and my PokeWatch. A lengthy letter would only make things complicated and lead to emails, trying to convince me back. By leaving my watch with the note, there was no way to communicate with me to try and pull me back. Shocktail and I hid away, knowing that they'd wake and probably ask around for me. The letter I had quickly scribbled was short and wouldn't satisfy them at all. With a last glance, me and Shocktail whipped out the map and quickly plotted our route. To prevent running into Emily and Justin, we'd have to back track to the last city we'd visited, staying in the denser parts of the woods and travelling by our beloved moonlight. With this agreed, we began our new journey. A completely new series of our adventure, about to unfold.
AN: Thanks for reading the first chapter! Let me know how it's going so far. Your opinions are important to me, honest!