Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of its characters.
Cold wind lashed at her face. Her brown pigtails whipped around her head. The only sound she could hear was the wind roaring in her ears. With a lurch of her stomach Lyra realized she was falling.
She opened her eyes and wildly tried to take in her surroundings. Turning her head upwards (or what she hoped was upwards) she saw the sky; blood red in the sinking afternoon sun. Lyra was sure that at any moment she would hit the ground. Eyes watering, she looked down towards the Earth. But what she saw wasn't the dirt and grass she expected. Instead she found herself plummeting towards the sea. The dark swirling mass of churning water seemed to rush up to meet her. Lyra screamed.
She closed her eyes and braced herself for the impact. ...3..2..1!
Lyra sat up in her bed gasping. Her blankets and sheets were tangled in a clump at her feet. She touched a hand to her forehead and found it slippery with sweat. She wiped her face with the sleeve of her oversized t-shirt. It was just a nightmare. She was safe at home in her bedroom.
She took in her familiar surroundings, letting her eyes adjust to the darkness. Her bedroom walls were plastered with a number of posters of famous Pokemon trainers and champions. The outlines of the article clippings from various magazines about battling strategies could just barely be seen taped on the opposite wall. Clothes lay scattered across her carpet and a bag lay half-packed next to her door. Across from her bed was the desk where her computer sat, its power button glowing red in the dark. Lyra looked out the window beside her bed, but all she could make out outside were the dark shapes of the trees surrounding her home.
Lyra untangled her blankets from the foot of her bed and pulled them up to her chin. She looked over at her glowing digital clock. 2:00 am. She listened for any sounds that might indicate she'd woken her mother, but the house was silent. The only thing she could hear was the soft hooting of a far-off Noctowl and the whisper of a summer breeze rustling the trees.
Rolling over onto her side, Lyra tried to fall back asleep. But no matter how many Mareep she counted, her mind kept wandering back to her disturbing dream. Sure she'd had nightmares before, but this one seemed different. The falling sensation had felt so real.
The room was hot and Lyra was restless. Feeling the need to do something, she peeled back her sheets and crept to her desk. She plopped down on her wooden chair and switched on her PC. The machine hummed to life and the sudden light of the screen filled her eyes with stars.
When her eyes adjusted to the brightness she opened up her email. Maybe Ethan or Krys finally responded.
Nothing. She clicked refresh. Nada. Zip.
Lyra leaned back, furrowing her brow. It had been almost two weeks since they'd last updated her on how their journey was going. Could they really forget about her this easily? Lyra opened her last email from Krys. A few blurry pictures of the new Wooper she caught and short message greeted her:
Hi Lyra!
Ethan and I have been having soooooo much fun! Johto is so beautiful and so much larger than we ever imagined. Yesterday we saw the most gorgeous sunset in Olivine City! Ethan and I almost had our first kiss 3 but we were interrupted by an angry Kingler. Apparently they don't like it when you get too close to their babies… Anyways, we hope you're feeling better! Tell us when you're ready to leave on your own journey and we can meet up somewhere.
Love you, Krys
P.S. Wooper's name is Winston and he helped me win my fifth gym badge!
Lyra sighed. She wanted to be happy for her friends. She really did. A twinge of anger surged through her. Don't they know how she must feel? All they ever do is brag about their stupid adventure and she was stuck here, alone. Lyra wanted to scream. Scream at Krys and Ethan. She wanted to tell them the real reason she couldn't come with them. Two months ago they were all supposed to leave New Bark together. Lyra had been so excited. Her dream of getting a Pokemon would finally come true. The day before she was supposed to leaver her mother called her down to the kitchen. Eyes brimming with tears her mom told her that she couldn't afford the cost of her first Pokemon. Lyra sat across from her stony-faced. Of course. She should have seen this coming. Her mom worked as Professor Elm's assistant and after her dad disappeared, she was the family's only source of income. Professor Elm could barely keep his lab afloat and Mom had to take pay cuts. A whole mix of emotions brewed beneath Lyra's passive face. Anger at Professor Elm for slicing her mom's paycheck, jealousy at the adventure he friends would start without her, and deep she would have been homesick anyway. She knew her mom could see right through her facade, but she said nothing as she gave her a teary smile.
That night Lyra had lay in bed wondering what she could possibly tell her friends the next day. She didn't want to tell them the truth. It was embarrassing and she knew if they did hear about her financial problems they would insist on paying the cost for her. Lyra refused to make them spend single dime.
When morning finally came after a long night of tossing and turning with indecision, Lyra trudged toward the lab to meet Ethan and Krys. In the most sickly voice she could muster Lyra explained to her friends how she'd just been diagnosed with Magikarp Fever. A rare disease that made the infected weak and fatigued.
Krys narrowed her eyes. "You look okay to me. Let me feel your forehead."
Lyra leapt backward. "Oh no no no! Magikarp Fever is very contagious. You don't wanna get anywhere near me!" She giggled nervously.
"Now that you mention it you do look a little sweaty…"
"EW! Isn't that spread by kissing?"
"No Ethan, you're thinking of Slaking Cough"
"Oh."
Lyra had convinced them. Thank Arceus they trusted her enough not to look it up. She was pretty sure their was no such thing as Magikarp Fever let alone Slaking Cough. After a long, tearful goodbye (mostly from Ethan) the friends went their separate ways.
Now, two months later, so much had changed. Krys and Ethan were now a couple. Lyra always knew they liked each other but it still came as a surprise when she received excited emails from the two of them telling her all about their first date. Lyra emailed them back with lots of congratulations and exclamation points, but she couldn't help but feel sort of hollow. If they have each other do they really need me anymore?
Shaking her head a little, Lyra snapped back to the present. Suddenly she felt very tired. She had to get up early the next day to get to work on time. To raise enough money to start her journey Lyra had taken a job babysitting her neighbor's kids. All the money she raised was tucked safely underneath the loose floorboard in her closet. A starter Pokemon would cost 15,000 Poke, but so far Lyra only had 5,120. Two months of hard work and she wasn't even close!
Rubbing her eyes, Lyra switched off her PC and slipped back into bed.
She didn't know how much longer she could stand being cooped up in New Bark. All the images of her earlier nightmare were replaced by thoughts of what she would do on her journey. A light rain began to fall outside. Wishing she was sleeping in a tent in a far off forest surrounded by her Pokemon, Lyra drifted off to sleep.
Rain began to fall harder and faster. A streak of lightning crossed the sky. The shadows of trees and boulders loomed menacingly around him. Panicking, he broke into a run. Where the hell am I? Why did I do this tonight? Shit.
The boy tripped, falling face down in the mud. Spluttering he got back up and continued to run. He twisted his head frantically trying to catch a glimpse of light, any light, but the forest was pure black. The waterfall he passed earlier could still be heard over the pouring rain. HOw could that be? He'd passed it what flt like an hour ago.
It's no use. I have to stop. I'll never make it to New Bark at this rate.
Panting heavily, he crouched beneath a towering pine tree. Thunder rumbled in the distance. The boy wrapped his arms around his knees trying in vain to get warm. His clothing already sopping wet, he plopped down on the wet dirt with a squelch.
This is gonna be a long night.
AN: Hey everyone! This is my first mutlichapter fanfiction! I've been hoping to get around to writing this for a long time and now that summer is here hopefully I can get a lot done! However, it's summer before my senior year of high school and I'll be somewhat busy with college applications and such, but hopefully I'll have time to write. All I can say is don't expect super long chapters lol.
SOO I started this off pretty cliche with a dream but that's just who I am. I'm a cliche kind of gal. Sorry if this chapter wasn't super exciting, I'm still setting things up of course. So, who was that mysterious boy hmmm? Who knows? /sarcasm. Btw Ethan, Krys, and Lyra are all 15 years old. Alright that's all! Please leave a review if you enjoyed or if you have any critiques! Again this is my first multichapter fanfic and I'd love to get some feedback. Until next time!
:^)
