●○●Pokémon: Kyanite Version ●○●
First off, thank you for having some interest in reading this story. The following are notes that MUST be read to help you through this story.
One; This does NOT have Ash and Co. in it. There are references to him, but this Pokémon story is set in an entirely new region with new characters, but old school Pokémon.
Two; Pokémon is owned by Nintendo and Satoshi Tajiri. I own the plot and characters.
Three; Everyone is an OC. Do not expect me to write in Ash merely because you want me to.
The most important note you will read for this story: Please, I cannot stress enough, PLEASE respect the fact that I have spent an entire year working on this story. There are blood, sweat, and tears in the characters and their development along with the plotline.
PLEASE THINK BEFORE YOU REVIEW.
I know that things will be confusing, especially with characters you cannot see, so if there is confusion, please PM me. I will do my best to clear up any confusion and answer questions. Other than that, please enjoy! :)
Name Pronunciation: This section will always be included should a new character appear in a chapter and will be done in order of appearance.
Kyani Willow: Kai-ah-knee Willow Fayal Ushiwaka: Fay-all Oo-she-wah-ka
Fiori Ushiwaka: Fee-or-ee Colby Brandt: Coal-bee Brand-tuh(subtle)
Nikolai Merensky: Nick-oh-lie Mer-en-ski Malachi Solomon: Mal-ah-kai Solomon
●○● Prologue ●○●
Well, I wasn't expecting a guest so soon, but nevertheless, it's nice to meet you. My name is Kyani Willow and I'm the Pokémon Professor of the Tōhoku Region. I live in the quiet town of Ante Town, the town you're in right now.
…What's that? You don't know what a Pokémon is? Well let me explain. A Pokémon is a creature that inhabits many lands, Tōhoku being one of them. They are marvelous creatures with strange powers that allow them to do a lot of different things. Many young kids, and even adults, befriend Pokémon and become Pokémon Trainers, who partake in competitive battles and contests.
I know, I know…it's a bit of a hard concept to grasp. But don't worry. I have a story of a young trainer that was just as clueless as you.
It all started years ago, in the small and peaceful town of Ante Town…
Chapter 1 ●○● Meeting Her
It was early. Really, very early.
And Fayal Ushiwaka did not like it.
Standing outside the door of his new home in this new town, the raven haired Senior rubbed his eyes of sleep, doing his best to remember to keep his book bag on his shoulder. He had never in his life, even in his previous home, gotten up this early for school.
His mother, also a raven haired, stood opposite her son in the doorway, smiling. Now he knew what it was like to get up for work every morning. "I know it's not easy being the new kid…especially since you're in your last year and all," She began softly, knowing that the move to this new region wasn't easy on her two children. "but we've got a chance for a new life now, Fay."
Running a hand over his face and through his widow's peak that made his bangs just sit gently over pristine blue eyes, the Ushiwaka smiled, knowing his mother's concern. "I know, Mom." He nodded, letting his hand fall to his side and slip into his pocket a moment later. "Dad said it was for the best, and I trust him. We'll be fine. Don't worry."
His mother smiled a soft smile as she sighed. She knew her son would adjust fairly well, yet she still had those first day jitters.
Blue eyes looked away from his mother, he turning slightly to look to the path beyond their home that led to the main road, and his new High School. "Well…I should probably get going or I might be late."
"Yeah," His mother let out a chuckle, leaning closer to her son. "we wouldn't want our little Fay-fay to be late on his first day of school, would we?" She asked in a baby voice, reaching out to pinch his cute little cheeks before he batted them away, smiling.
"Fay?"
Turning back at his nickname, the elder of the two Ushiwaka children looked to his younger sister, who made her sleep appearance beside their mother. "You should be sleeping, Fiori." He told her softly, knowing she didn't have school for another or so, but if it were him...he'd definitely get all the sleep he could get.
"I know…" She mumbled, rubbing her eyes like he had done minutes before.
Kneeling down to her level, Fayal set a hand on her head, tousling her hair. "Then go back to bed, silly. You need your sleep."
She looked up to him, a slight smile on her face from the tousling. "But I wanted to see Nii-san off…" She mumbled further, this time a little louder before leaning on her brother and falling back to sleep.
Smiling at her, the raven kissed the crown of his sister's head, gently picking her and handing her back to their mother. He waited at the door as she took her inside to the couch to sleep until it was her turn to get up for school. "Give her a hug and a tousle for me when she leaves, will you?" He asked when his mother returned.
She continued to smile, nodding. "Of course. You call me if you need me." She stated with a serious voice and face. "Mommy will come running."
Fayal let out a small laugh, a smile cracking onto his lips as he took a few steps backward, toward the path to school. "That's what I'm afraid of!"
His mother narrowed her eyes, trying her best not to smile. "That's what you say now! Just wait! You'll need your mother soon enough!" She wagged her finger, unable to hold her smile back.
Giving the largest grin he could, Fayal gave his mother a wave before turning completely and start his long walk to school. "Bye, mom!"
"Goodbye, Fay." Mother Ushiwaka said softly to herself, watching her son disappear down the path to the main road. She knew he didn't need her for a lot of things anymore. He was a big boy, starting his own life…
One thing about being out this early in the morning – although he really did detest getting up this early in the morning – Fayal had to admit that having the peace and quiet of the streets to himself was pretty nice.
When they first moved here a few days ago, he swore he'd go crazy with all the sounds of cars, beeps and the hubbub of a town. Granted, at night it certainly slowed down enough for him to sleep, but it was one of those things he'd just have to get used to.
Just like this walk to school. Again, it was one of those things he'd have to get used to, but did the school really have to be so far away?
He'd scoped out his route one night when the hubbub had died down and it certainly took a lot longer than he would've liked. After leaving his home, he took the path to the main road, took a right and walked down that for a while. Then, he'd cross the street and, instead of walking left, then right and then left again to get to the school, he'd found this little patch of land.
It was bordered by a really plain white picket fence, but it seemed untouched and he was sure no one cared if he walked through it. So he did.
It cut off nearly 10 minutes of his route, which just meant in future days, he could sleep in even more.
And as the Ushiwaka jumped over the picket fence, he realized something about the property was off. The trees were the same, the grass was the same…it was just…
Well, there was a giant orange…thing, if it was even alive, sitting on a few giant rocks that had littered the ground.
Now, Fayal knew that sometimes his blue eyes liked to play tricks on him, but he was pretty sure he wasn't hallucinating a giant orange thing in the middle of a green field. It's not like green and orange were similar colors. He didn't need to be an art major to know that.
He made sure to keep his distance, but still came close enough where he could see what the hell this thing was. It was obviously alive, its chest rising and descending slowly, like it were asleep.
It looked like a dog, actually. A really large dog, what with its massive paws that were probably close to the size of his own head, Fayal figured, and its massive head. This thing had to be a beast. A huge beast, with a tan head and tail, orange body and strange black stripes.
He hadn't realized it before, but Fayal had stopped and stood there in awe at this thing. "What the hell is this thing…?"
Before the Ushiwaka had a chance to begin to answer himself, the beast stirred, stretching out its large paws in a fan like manner before opening its jaws and yawning. "Arrrrrrr…." It whined softly before shaking his head and blinking his blue eyes in the sunlight.
Fayal could do nothing but gulp and stare at this thing – this huge thing with huge paws and even huger, very sharp teeth – that was staring him down with blue eyes that rivaled his own. He couldn't help but feel like he was a meal.
And as sudden as the rush of fear and mystery had hit the raven, it left him. The beast stood, shaking its head one more before turning around and sauntering off toward the forest.
Fayal blinked. He blinked again. "What the hell…"
"DUDE."
Jumping what felt like ten feet in the air, the raven tore his eyes away from where the beast was as he dropped his back and nearly screamed bloody murder. "Holy hell, who the – " Turning around to the owner of the voice, his blue eyes lit up, smile taking his lips. "Colby, you asshole!"
Colby Brandt stood behind his old friend, grinning a devious smile from ear to ear. "I got you good, man! I got you so fucking good! I thought you were gonna shit your pants!" He laughed, grabbing the Ushiwaka's bag and slapping him on the back. "What the hell are you doing out here anyway?"
Taking his bag from the shaggy haired blonde, the raven fell into step beside Colby, still trying to get his racing heart to calm down. "I was taking a short cut, you know, just to cut off some time when I saw this giant orange thing sleeping on that rock." He explained, pointing behind him to where the beast had been.
The blonde didn't even bother to look at the rocks, repositioning the bag that was slung over his shoulder. "Ah, that's probably Zero." He said, having seeing the dog before when he would take the shortcut. "He likes to sun himself on the rocks in the early morning."
Fayal couldn't believe how nonchalant his friend was. This "Zero" was a beast! He was huge!
Seeing the rather shocked look on his friend's face, Colby figured Fayal had no idea what Zero really was. "He's a Pokémon, man. Relax."
A…Pokémon.
Fayal's steps slowed to a stop, his eyes lowering to the ground in thought. A Pokémon. That thing was a Pokémon. It had to have been.
Okay sure, he'd never actually seen one himself…but why would Colby lie to him? And it just had to be true. No dog was ever that size! No dog could be that size! And those teeth. Those paws.
It just had to be.
"Dude, are you coming or not? We're gonna be late!" The Brandt yelled, seeing as his raven haired friend had apparently forgotten how to keep up.
Shaking his head and pushing most of the thoughts from his mind, Fayal ran to catch up with the blonde, knowing he should probably focus on other things right now. He had a lot going on; learning the layout of the new town, the new school, new people…
But knowing that Pokémon existed here – and the fact that he'd just seen his first Pokémon ever – was a very exciting fact.
As he caught up with the blonde who still continued to walk on, something else caught blue eyes. And it certainly wasn't as magnificent as "Zero". "Colby…what the hell is that thing?"
"What thing?" The blonde asked back, turning his head as he jumped the bordering fence. He could easily see that the raven was looking at his jacket, but he couldn't possibly be thinking anything bad about it. "What are you talking about?"
Fayal let out a small chuckle, wondering if Colby was truly serious as they both checked for cars before crossing the street. "That is the ugliest jacket on the face of this planet!" He laughed, knowing the Brandt was a little outrageous – even though that in itself was an understatement – but couldn't believe he was wearing that. "It's hideous!"
Colby took a minute to look down at his beloved jacket.
Yeah, okay…so the bright purple wasn't exactly easy on the eyes. And there weren't a lot of stains, either! There were those spots of bleach on the side there, and some paint on his sleeve…that burn mark on his other sleeve…the orange spray paint pretty much everywhere...and it definitely had holes. But it wasn't ugly. It just wasn't. It couldn't be.
"You're just not into fashion!" He replied, defending his beautiful jacket as he and Fayal arrived on school grounds. "You're just too blind to see it! Trust me, you'll be jealous soon!"
"I think you're the blind one. I've had to look at that thing for the past four years and I'm nowhere near jealous of it." Another voice added, joining the two as they made their way through the parking lot.
Looking back to the voice, Fayal's face lit up once more, seeing yet another old friend. "Nikolai Merensky…" He began, seeing his old friend smile. "It's been a while."
Nikolai Merensky completely the trio, glasses framing his silver-nickel colored eyes, long dark brown hair tied halfway back. He graced his old friend with a smile. "It has been a while…it's good to see you, Fayal."
Fayal nodded, returning his sight to the large white building in front of them, remembering how long it had been since the three of them had been together. Before the two of them moved, they all lived in the Chūgoku region. It wasn't too far from this region, but it had to have been at least four years since they had seen each other… "It's been a good few years, Nik. It's nice to be out of that place though."
Nikolai let his eyes shift ahead of them as well, voice rather low. "I guess Chūgoku's gotten worse, then?"
"Really guys?" Colby asked, looking to both of his friends. "It's Fay's first day here and we're going to talk about how shitty that place is? Please." He rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "You two disgust me sometimes."
Fayal shot a look to Nikolai before opening his mouth. "That jacket disgusts me. My eyeballs puke every time I look at it."
"Fuck you, you're just jealous." The blonde snapped. His jacket was the best.
"Jealous? Of that raggedy old thing?" Yet another voice added as the boys made their way up the stairs. Unlike knowing Nikolai's and Colby's voice, Fayal was unsure of who the voice belonged to.
Looking to the other side of Nikolai, he found its owner, a shaggy redhead – although it looked more burgundy than red – whose hair seemed to have a mind of its own as it fell over his teal eyes.
Before anyone became confused, Nikolai introduced the two as they made their way inside the school. "Fayal, this is Malachi Solomon. We met him when we moved here a few years ago." He motioned to the redhead. "Malachi, this is Fayal Ushiwaka, a friend of ours from Chūgoku."
Malachi offered up a smile, nodding to the raven. "Other than having your eyes bleed from looking at that thing," He snickered, motioning to Colby's jacket. "how're you liking Ante Town?"
Snickering as the blonde shot all of them dirty looks, the Ushiwaka smiled. "I'm not used to the hubbub of the town…but it's nice. It's really sweet that you guys have Pokémon here, too." He added, remembering how exciting it was to learn they lived here.
"Oh really?" Malachi asked, not having a great interest in the creatures, but seeing the look on the raven's face gave him a hint as to what it meant. "What did you see?"
"He saw Zero." Colby answered, pretty sure Fayal either didn't remember his name or wasn't sure of it in the first place.
The redhead turned his head away, now completely disinterested. "Oh."
The change was apparent, enough to cause Fayal to crease his eyebrows as the three lead them to their lockers for this year. "What is a "Zero" anyway? Is it bad?"
Nikolai let out a snicker, as well as Colby and explained as he entered in his combination. ""Zero" is his name, Fayal. He's a Pokémon – an Arcanine to be more specific – owned by a local trainer. He's usually loafing around town, so don't be surprised if you see him again."
Fayal looked down, his heart beginning to race at the thought of seeing the Arcanine again. Now that he thought about it, the beast was pretty magnificent… "Who owns him?" He asked, eyes on his combination just to make sure he didn't screw it up.
Both Colby and Nikolai shot each other a look before glancing to Malachi.
As they thought, he was turning red with anger, his hand clenching his open locker door. "Her name's Kyani Willow. And she's a total bitch." Slamming the door shut, he walked away, silently fuming to himself.
Fayal watched him leave, eyebrows furrowing even more. "And what pissed him off?"
Colby decided to answer this one, setting most, if not all of his books in his locker because he was too lazy to carry them. That and he could look off of Nikolai's, since the guy really didn't need them anyway. "Don't mind him, he's just bitter." He rolled his eyes. "Kyani's the daughter of the Pokémon Professor in this town, so naturally she's got Pokémon."
"She's…an odd one, Fay." Nikolai added, waiting for the raven to finish up with his locker. "It's best you just avoid her."
Turning with his friends as they led him to their homeroom, Fayal looked to both of them. "But if she's the daughter of the professor, she's the one to go to for a Pokémon…right?" He asked, taking in the different flyers on the walls.
The Brandt shook his head, smiling slightly. Fayal had always been mesmerized by Pokémon, but seriously, was he that badly obsessed? "Dude, it's your first day here. Stop worrying about Pokémon and deal with life first."
Nikolai nodded in agreement for once. "He's right. Get acquainted with your life before you even start thinking about stuff like that. It'll be tough enough, dealing with school and having to see that ugly jacket all day, every day."
Fayal couldn't help but laugh, watching as steam nearly flew from Colby's ears.
"You guys rip on my gorgeous jacket one more time and I swear to god I'll kill you both." He threatened in a low voice as they made their way into the classroom.
"Aw, but Colby, then you'll have no one who appreciates you and tolerates that jacket." Fayal joked as he sat down in front of the Brandt – which probably wasn't a good move – and beside the Merensky.
"You're first, Ushiwaka. You are fucking number one on my list, so sleep with one eye open."
As the bell above them rang and class officially began that day, Fayal wasn't sure if his friend was being serious or not.
And that probably wasn't a good thing.
Even though he wasn't walking out with his friends, Fayal felt extremely proud. The day had gone by so smoothly, he wasn't sure he was awake. Every class he had didn't start anything at all, just going over some stupid syllabus that allowed his mind to zone out into space.
And every time, he kept thinking back to the…Arcanine, was it? He just couldn't keep his mind off the thing.
"Hey, Fayal."
Snapping from his thoughts, the Ushiwaka looked back to the voice, only to see Nikolai walking out of the building after him. "Hey, man." He answered, waiting for the brunette.
Catching up with the raven, the boys continued to walk home, the day finally done. "How was your first day? Everything go well?"
Fayal looked up in thought, smiling a small smile. "Yeah, everything went pretty well. There was this blonde girl that would stop looking at me all day… and I ran into some poor chick around lunch." He stated, remembering the encounters. "She looked so scared, I felt bad…but when I went to help her, man, she was already done and gone."
"That would be Kyani." Nikolai informed, knowing who she was immediately. There was only one girl in school who seemed like she was scared of everything. And the other girl…well…that could be any one of them.
"Really?" Fayal asked incredulously. That shy girl is the one who owns that magnificent Arcanine? How the hell did that work? He imagined someone like Malachi or someone….confident owned Zero.
The Merensky nodded. "Yeah, I know, it's hard to believe." He began, looking through the parking lot before walking through it. "She's always been like that. She's the only one in school that acts that way. As I said before, it's just best if you stay away from her."
There was a part of Fayal that knew he was right. If she was a shy girl, it was best to let her alone so there wasn't added stress on her. But… "What if I want a Pokémon? Wouldn't she be the one to go to?"
Nikolai sighed. He knew Fayal was thickheaded, but to keep going on about that! "You're still thinking about that?"
"Yes, I am." The raven answered quickly. "You and Colby left at a good time. Chūgoku's gotten so much worse…my dad stayed behind to help and eventually, I want to go back and help, too."
Letting out yet another exasperated sigh, Nikolai stopped the Ushiwaka before they crossed the road. "Alright," He relented, knowing nothing he said or stated could change Fayal's mind. "there's a tournament in town this weekend. It's a charity event for trainers…it'll give you a good chance to scout around and see if there's a trainer you'd like to learn from."
"Will Kyani be there?" The Ushiwaka asked, blue eyes boring into silver.
Nikolai let his eyes slip shut. Dear god the boy was stubborn. "Yes, she will be there. But there are better trainers out there, trust me." Before Fayal could open his mouth and argue, he continued. "Just think about it."
Fayal knew that out of the two of his friends, Nikolai wasn't one to lie to him or deceive him – although the Merensky was known for using his sharp mind and wit to manipulate – and decided to at least think about it. It was the least he could do. "Alright, man. I'll think about it."
Besides, there was no harm in wondering what it would be like to have a beast like Zero, was there?
Sitting in the cold, hard steel bleachers of the High School's gymnasium, Fayal couldn't believe his eyes.
There were so many Pokémon! He swore that there were at least 50 different Pokémon. Maybe 100.
The rest of the week had passed like the first day; smoothly and without a hitch. He didn't run into Kyani at all, but swore a few times that he caught a glimpse of her. The other girl…well…she kept her distance, but he swore, every time he looked over to the blonde girl, she was looking at him with those green eyes. Nevertheless, the weekend – and the tournament – was upon them.
The four boys had gotten tickets earlier in the week, since they went pretty quickly. This charity tournament was one of the only activities in the town and gave them all a chance to watch the mastery and abilities of the Pokémon they didn't own.
As much as they watched the Pokémon, Fayal's blue eyes were more on the trainers. He didn't know about Pokémon, but it was pretty obvious that one needed to be a good trainer to have good Pokémon.
His friends, even Malachi, had been giving him tips and little snippets of information on the battles and the trainers, trying to convince him to go with this person, or that one. It was definitely helpful, because he really didn't know much about them anyway, but it was getting annoying.
He wanted to be able to make his own decisions with his own thoughts. "Guys, seriously," He began, not letting his blue eyes waver from the rings. "I want to watch the battles. I'll ask you when I need info or something."
"Alright, dude." Colby said, leaning back so that his back was resting on the wall as he shoved some popcorn in his mouth. "We'll lay off."
Nikolai and Malachi followed Colby's suit; leaning back so they wouldn't hurt their backs, also remaining silent. If he wanted to make his own decision, fine.
So long as it wasn't Kyani. They would give anything to know he wouldn't choose her.
Later that very day, the boys were still up in the bleachers, three of them leaning back, almost uninterested, while their raven haired friend sat forward, watching the matches intently.
There were so many trainers, he wasn't sure who he should focus on first. There were trainers who put up these giant Pokémon against small ones, and there were trainers who won match after match after match.
And as much as his friends told him to stay away and disregard this Kyani girl, Fayal could not help but watch her matches. It was astounding, really, the way she battled. She seemed just like his friends – disinterested in the match – and yet, she won each time. She even used the same Pokémon for each match!
Fayal couldn't help but wonder, if Kyani was such an astounding trainer as he believed, why were his friends telling him to avoid her? They were practically begging him not to choose her. But why?
It didn't make sense.
Shaking his head to drive those thoughts from his mind, the raven knew he couldn't figure out his friend's minds. Well, Nikolai and Malachi's he couldn't understand.
He didn't want to understand Colby's mind.
Returning his focus back to Kyani's match, he checked the match sheet on his lap, making sure he knew what exactly was going on. "So it's an…Umbreon," He mumbled to himself, looking at the slick black fox-like creature. "verses a…Ni-do-ri-no." He sounded out, looking at the larger purple creature.
The rest of the sheet really didn't make much sense to him since it talked about levels, types, abilities and a few other things, but right now he didn't need to know that. He figured he'd learn that when he became a trainer… and put his focus back on the match.
It seemed to him that the person facing Kyani was aggravated at the fact that she looked like she didn't care. She wasn't even watching the match! That…Umbreon also seemed a lot better trained than the Nidorino. It was running circles around the purple beast…but that could have been because it was just quicker.
Fayal had to frown inwardly. How the hell was he supposed to pick someone to train under when he didn't even know the basics himself!
Yet, as he continued to watch the match, he noticed something. Kyani became…alert. She still wasn't watching the match, but her eyes were definitely watching something going on in another ring. Within seconds, she reached to her side chain and pulled out another Pokéball, releasing some type of bird Pokémon.
The referee also watching the match raised his hand, blowing the whistle that hung around his neck. "Trainer Kyani is disqualified!" He yelled, the match stopping within an instant.
"Aw, damn." Fayal mumbled, leaning back. He knew trainers couldn't call out a second Pokémon without swapping out the first, but why didn't she? He wanted to see the rest of her match.
She didn't seem as upset. "Yes, well, you see that Weezing over there?" She asked, pointing to a floating purple monster that had a skull and crossbones mark on its chest. "It's about to spew toxic gas everywhere unless we deal with it."
He glanced over to the Weezing, examining it as it coughed and hacked, a brown gas flowing from its mouth. Pulling up his whistle, he nodded to her, blowing the silver trinket to get everyone's attention. "Please, everyone! There is an emergency and we need all of you to exit the building safely!"
Trainers recalled their Pokémon and jumped out of their rings, while the people in the bleachers left with urgency. They weren't sure why, only some had heard Kyani's words, but still obeyed.
Fayal was still seated when his friends began to stand, also complying with the ref's words. "Aw, come on guys, wait a second." He pleaded, still wanting to see what was going on.
"Dude, are you deaf?" Colby asked incredulously. "The ref wants everyone out. Now."
"I know you're blind from looking at Colby's jacket…" Malachi began, snickering as he received a glare from Colby. "But we've got to go."
"Hey! You guys, up there!"
All four boys turned their heads to the voice, their eyes going wide when they saw the owner. Kyani had yelled to them.
"Open all the windows you can! We need to air out this place right now!" She continued, turning her attention away from them as quickly as she'd put it on them.
Fayal watched her as he and his friends opened the windows, amazed at how she commanded that bird of hers to blow the smog away. She had such a mastery over, not just the large brown bird, but over everything, it was astounding.
It was the fact that she was aware of everything around her – not just the battle like other trainers – but that she was wise enough to realize that that creature was going to do something harmful to everyone and get them out of here.
Kyani was the trainer he needed. Fayal knew it, right then and there, watching the brunette work with her Pokémon and clean the place out. She obviously knew many more things than her opponents, and definitely him, no matter what his friends said.
She was it. Kyani was the only one he wanted to teach him about Pokémon.
Despite making his decision already, Fayal had returned to the tournament on Sunday to watch the rest of the matches and find out who would win the entire thing.
He didn't really need further assurance that the Willow was the one who he wanted to train under, but with every battle of hers that he watched, his choice was further assured.
She was confident and relentless. She had a fire in her eyes, even if she wasn't saying anything to her Pokémon. They acted…as if they were one. And they were so well trained! He couldn't believe it.
Even though he'd made his decision, he made it seem like he hadn't chose yet. His friends had been so adamant against her, he wasn't sure how to break it to them that he'd picked her. He'd definitely tell them, eventually…but he could at least wait until they warmed up to the idea.
That, and he had to at least talk to his mom first. It wouldn't be fair to not include her.
"So…you wanted to talk to me, Fay?" His mother asked, sitting at the kitchen table, across from her son. Her voice had a ting of worry in it.
As he'd thought earlier in the day, Fayal wanted to talk to his mom. He wanted to make sure what he was going to do was okay with her. The raven really wanted her approval, and asked to talk after his younger sister had gone to bed. "Yeah..."
It fell to silence for a few moments, his mother unsure of the severity of this talk, and Fayal unsure of how to start the conversation, his blue eyes looking away from his mom.
"Uh…" He began, breaking the silence as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I know that we came to this region to get away from Chūgoku, and I'm really glad we got out of there." His eyes still diverted from his mother's. "But…I do want to go back, mom."
His mother's dark brown eyes widened in a bit of alarm and shock. He wanted to go back? But why?
He saw her look, and immediately put his hands in front of him to calm her. "I don't mean now, mom…" The raven assured. "It's just….there's this girl at school. She's the daughter of the Pokémon Professor…and for me to go help dad, I need a Pokémon." He finally looked at his mother, not sure of what to make of her reaction. "But I wanted to get your approval first."
Sitting at the table, the mother Ushiwaka looked away from her son, letting out a deep sigh. "So…" She began apprehensively, eyes drawn to the table. "You're going to get a Pokémon? …and go off training for who knows how long?"
Blue eyes closed. "I knew you wouldn't like the idea." He muttered.
"No, no…" She refused, shaking her head slightly. "I think it's great that you want to go help your father." A small smile took her lips before it fell. "But…if you do get a Pokémon…it's going to be hard work. You'll be gone quite a bit…"
He nodded, already understanding that much.
"Fiori will miss you…she's always had you by her side. And I'll miss you too." She added, her voice soft, eyes diverting away.
"Mom, I'm not leaving yet." Fayal said, looking to his raven haired mother. "There's a lot I would need to learn first…and I'd have to actually get a Pokémon, you know." He smiled, letting out a soft chuckle. "That's the most important part."
She couldn't help but chuckle, a smile breaking out on her face. "Alright…" She began, still very apprehensive to the idea. She'd seen what those creatures could do to a person first hand. It certainly wasn't hard to imagine something happening to her only son.
He could read her anxiousness and knew it wouldn't ever go away. She was his mother, after all. "Mom, when we moved here, you told me we had a chance for a new life."
She nodded. "Yes, I did."
He smirked in return. "How about one with Pokémon?"
Normally, Fayal wasn't a nervous guy. He was pretty smooth when it came to talking to girls – at least, he thought so – but none of his charm had gotten him anywhere with Kyani.
It wasn't that she refused to teach him, or that she completely denied him…it was that he hadn't even gotten to ask her yet!
Every time he saw her, it was either for an instant and she was gone, or she was so nervous and worked up, it made him nervous and worked up. It just didn't make any sense at all. How could this girl who could control Pokémon so well be such a nervous wreck around people?
It had been three days since the tournament, and Fayal was starting to wonder if he would ever get to ask her. It didn't seem that hard when he thought about it; he'd go up, ask her for a Pokémon and if she'd train him.
It was actually getting those words out when he saw the poor girl standing there, shaking as her turquoise eyes desperately looked around for an escape.
The sudden clatter of a plastic tray landing next to Fayal shocked him from his thoughts, making him jump. "Dude, what the hell!" He yelled, smiling as Colby sat next to him. Of course it was the blonde that startled him.
"Ah, come on Fay, you make it too easy." The Brandt replied, picking up his fork and plunging it into the mashed potatoes on his tray.
Sitting opposite the blonde and raven, Nikolai opened his lunch box, nodding in agreement. "You did seem out of it." He added, watching in disgust and awe at Colby. How the hell he managed to eat the cafeteria food without getting sick was beyond the Merensky.
Fayal looked back down to his own packed lunch, sighing. "Mmhmm." He answered.
Deep blue eyes looked over to the raven. It didn't take him long to figure it out. "You still haven't asked her yet, have you?" He asked, eyebrows creased. He wasn't really keen with the idea of Fayal asking Kyani, but once the Ushiwaka made his mind, there was no way they could convince him otherwise.
Blue eyes remained on his lunch, specifically the chocolate pudding. It looked pretty good today. "I can't." He began, eyes shifting to the table. "She's always so nervous when I go up to her, which makes me nervous and I can't ask her when I'm nervous!"
"Ask who what?" The last to join them, Malachi sat next to Nikolai and looked up to the raven, unsure of what he was talking about.
Fayal had been very hesitant to tell Malachi about his decision with Kyani, since he barely knew the guy and knew how much he despised her. But, he had asked…and it seemed like the best time to tell him. "I'm going to get a Pokémon from Kyani…and I'm going to ask her to train me to."
All movement from Malachi stopped. He even held his fork in midair. His teal eyes flashed to blue. "I am warning you, that girl is no good." He growled in a low voice, pointing his fork to the raven.
"You don't know how bad Chūgoku needs help." Fayal retorted in the same low voice, eyes just as adamant. "If I want to go back and help, I need proper training and she was the only one who seemed to really know her stuff."
It was pretty obvious that he wasn't going to crack the Ushiwaka's skull – at least mentally – and let out a growl of frustration and anger before getting up and walking to another table. At least then he wouldn't have to hear about Kyani.
Fayal watched him walk off and sit at another table. Seriously, what was the guy's problem? Why does he care who Fayal gets trained by? Returning his gaze to his two remaining friends, the anger dropped from his face, it being replaced by confusion.
The two were sharing a look of concern. "Do you want to tell him?" Colby asked, swirling his fork in the gravy that pooled around his potatoes. "Or should I?"
Fayal looked to Nikolai curiously. "Tell me what?"
The dark brunette sighed a very deep sigh, his eyes closing momentarily. "Well…you see…back in 11th grade...Kyani and Malachi dated for about three months."
Blue eyes widened at the Merensky before his whole being slowly turned to look back at the redhead. He and Kyani…dated?
Nikolai nodded, knowing the Ushiwaka was thoroughly shocked. "Yes, it is true." He assured, watching as the raven turned back to face him.
"But you see," Colby picked up, remembering those days very well. "Kyani broke it off one day out of the blue. Didn't even give the poor bastard a reason. It broke his heart."
"We think he still has feelings for her…" Nikolai added, nickel-silver eyes looking to the still fuming redhead. "He's just too angry to see it right now."
Fayal nodded slowly, letting blue eyes return to his lunch. Well, he couldn't blame the guy. If he'd been dumped out of the blue with no reason whatsoever, he'd be pretty freaking pissed off too.
"But back to the point," Colby broke the silence, looking over to the raven. "you're going to ask her to train you too?"
Once again, the Ushiwaka nodded, his voice turning soft and low. "You guys seriously don't understand how bad Chūgoku is right now. My dad desperately needs help…and Kyani was the only trainer I saw that seemed to really know what she was doing." He explained, looking back and forth between the two of them.
"She's never taken on a "student", I'll have you know." The brunette said, understanding the raven's pain. He really did. They all grew up there; they didn't want to see it go down in flames. But the fact was that Kyani was the weirdest girl and it wouldn't be easy to get her to accept him.
"I have to try." Fayal replied, determination in his voice. "It's the least I can do for my dad."
Sharing yet another glance at his determination and will, the two boys knew they could only relent to Fayal. Nothing was ever going to change the boy's mind unless he heard it straight from Kyani.
And even then he might persist.
"She teaches a "Pokémon" class after school, most weekdays." Colby told him, reaching for his chocolate milk and taking a sip before continuing. "She might be more relaxed there…since she's not around so many people. It might be easier to talk to her there."
"It usually starts a little after school ends, so stick around after class." Nikolai continued, looking to the raven who looked a little more chipper. "And it's usually held in the field out back, by the forest line."
A smile broke out onto Fayal's lips. He knew they didn't like Kyani and they weren't keen on him asking her to train him. But to know that they still supported his decision made him smile. "Thanks, guys." He said, looking to both of them. It was nice to have friends like he did…and knew, even if Kyani didn't accept him, they'd help him out one way or another.
That's what friends were for.
Standing in the field the day after his talk with Colby and Nikolai, Fayal felt so out of place, it wasn't even funny.
He had figured when Colby said, "Class", that there would be a bunch of kids around, but the raven did not realize that they were kids. All of them were little kids, and to add fuel to the fire, they all had Pokémon.
Every single one of them.
He was so hot in the face, he felt like turning around and going home before anyone saw him. He didn't need a Pokémon that bad. No, no, he could certainly wait to talk to Kyani someday after school. Or maybe he could go over to her house and ask her.
"'Cuse me, mister," One of the little girls around him asked, bringing Fayal out of his thoughts. "are you waiting for Master Ky?" She asked, looking up to him with big eyes.
"U-uh," The raven began, unsure of what to say. He was waiting for her…but who knows what she'd actually say to Kyani. "Y-yeah," He nodded. "I wanted to ask her about getting a Pokémon."
At his words, a few more of the children gravitated toward him, bringing their Pokémon with them. The one little boy had a small yellow and black mouse with obviously red cheeks, and one of them had a brown bird that looked a little like the one Kyani had at the tournament, although it was kind of different. Another girl had a very small purple rat with huge teeth, and there was a green caterpillar too.
But as mesmerized as he was with their Pokémon, they were mesmerized with him. "Aww, you don't have a Pokémon yet?" One asked.
"They're really cool, you know." Another little boy said, pulling his hands behind his head. "My Pikachu's the best!"
"Nut-uh," A little girl argued, pushing the boy gently. "My Rattata's better!" Feeling successful that she won, she looked back to the raven. "Do you know what Pokémon you're gonna get?"
"Yeah! Tell us what you want!" Another agreed.
Thankfully, before Fayal could answer, something in the bushes took the kid's attention from him, giving him a moment to breathe, let alone think. He never thought about any of those things! And these kids….they already knew more than he did!
"Aww, it's just Noxxy and Vexxy!" The little boy with the yellow mouse cried, obviously upset that it wasn't Kyani.
"Noxxy…and Vexxy?" Fayal asked, unsure of what they were talking about until he saw the two new creatures in the lot of children and Pokémon.
One he recognized; it was the sleek black fox like Pokémon that he saw at the tournament the previous weekend. Seeing it now in fuller detail, he realized that it wasn't just slick black. Its legs from the elbow down were pure yellow – like its counterpart – and it had hollow circles of yellow on it shoulders and hips, and even more yellow in one ring on each ear and its tail.
The other one….it looked sleek too, except this one was almost completely yellow, save for a collar of white fur and the fact that its legs were black from the elbow area down. Unlike its black counterpart, its fur was wild and spiky and seemed like it could cut someone if they touched it. It kind of reminded Fayal of lightning.
A girl somewhat older than the rest of the children heard Fayal and smiled. "Yes, Noxxy and Vexxy." She smiled, seeing the awed look on his face. "They're two of Kyani's Pokémon, Nox and Vexare."
"Nox is the black one, and Vexare is the yellow one." Another voice explained, her voice coming from the bushes where the two Pokémon had emerged.
Fayal's blue eyes blinked. It was Kyani. The brunette, who always had her shoulder length hair braided back loosely, bangs pulled the right, resting gently over her eye as the rest framed her face, her turquoise eyes always avoiding him, was now standing there, smiling and looking directly at him.
Now, Fayal wasn't stupid…but he did not believe this was the same girl he knew in school. It couldn't be!
She knelt, still smiling, and watched as her two Pokémon came to rub up against her. "Nox is an Umbreon, a Pokémon of the dark type, and Vexare is a Jolteon, a Pokémon of the electric type." She explained simply, looking back up to him.
The raven had to make sure his jaw wasn't hanging open. Who was this girl?
Chuckling softly, Kyani stood once more, still smiling. "You must be new."
Still quite shocked, Fayal closed his mouth and nodded, shaking his head to get his brain working again. "Umm, yeah… I actually came to ask you for a Pokémon. Everyone said you were the person to go to."
Turquoise eyes didn't waver, although her smile did slightly. It was surprising to her that a boy his age didn't already have one…but that could be fixed rather easily. "I am the one to go to….but do you mind waiting until I get the class started first?"
Feeling his brain and facial features working again, the raven smiled. "Not at all, go right ahead."
Before turning to her class, the brunette reached into her bag, pulling out a small packet. "While I'm doing that, go ahead and take this little test for me, okay?" She asked, handing the papers to him, along with a pencil.
He took the items hesitantly, smiling falling. If he had to take a test to get a Pokémon, he'd fail it. He didn't know anything about them! "But I don't know anything about Pokémon."
Kyani continued to smile, chuckling once more. "Don't worry; it's an easy test. Just do your best."
Before the raven could retort, or even blink, Kyani had turned away from him, still smiling and sat down with all the children. Feeling a little awkward that he was still standing – and the fact that he was taller than all of them – he sat too, finally looking over this "test".
"So how was everyone's summer? Did everyone do what I told you and spend lots of time with your Pokémon?" Kyani asked, smiling as she heard their responses, hands petting the heads of Noxxy and Vexxy.
Fayal knew he wasn't being deceived. He knew he wasn't dreaming this – this was real! This girl was the same girl that was nervous, shaking and horribly shy in school! But it didn't make any sense! It was just like how Colby could see that jacket as gorgeous – he just didn't understand.
Shaking his head once again to focus his thoughts, blue eyes tore themselves away from the Willow and looked to the paper, wondering how in the world he was ever going to pass this test. If getting a Pokémon relied on this, he was sure to fail.
…At least he thought. Looking over the questions, the Ushiwaka could not believe that he'd been shocked twice today. The questions were simple. Really, really simple. Sure, they were short answer, meaning he actually had to think up an answer instead of filling in a little bubble, but still!
And none of them pertained to Pokémon. None. Not one whatsoever had the word "Pokémon" in it. Fayal knew there had to be some underlying reason, some way that she read through and understood the meaning behind the answer given.
Feeling a bit more confident, the raven quickly began to scribble down answer after answer, taking some time in between to think about what to write down. He definitely wanted a Pokémon, and if she was looking for a hidden meaning, she was sure going to see that he at least put some thought into his answers.
"Jolt!" A very soft, sweet voice called out, making the raven jump slightly.
Looking up from his test, he found that the yellow one…the…Jolteon – if that's what Kyani called it – was sitting right beside him, deep purple eyes watching him curiously.
It was almost like it wanted something from him, but Fayal wasn't sure what that was. So, he went back to his test, hoping it would get bored with him and walk away. Honestly, it was making him kind of nervous.
By the time he finished the test – in which that Jolteon was still sitting beside him – he looked up, seeing Kyani walking over to him.
Offering a small smile, she crouched beside Vexare, turquoise eyes shifting from it to Fayal, her head in her hand. "She wants you to pet her." She said softly.
Blue eyes looked to her in shock. He hadn't even been this close to a Pokémon before in his entire life, and this one wants him to touch her?
The brunette sighed softly, still smiling. She could sense his discomfort from a mile away. "It's alright," She assured, taking the finished packet from the raven and flipping it open. "She's very good with people. She won't bite, I promise."
He was hesitant. Sure, Kyani was a good trainer, and Vexare seemed so calm – she hadn't moved from that spot for a while now – but there was still a feeling of unease. What if he got shocked? What if he touched a sore spot and she bit him? What if?
The Jolteon, upset with the fact that she hadn't been petted yet, finally stood, stretching out her legs before moving closer to the Ushiwaka slowly. When she deemed he wouldn't startle her in any way, she rubbed up against his side and his back, closing her eyes.
Kyani, still flipping through the packet, watched the raven with amusement, a smile still plain on her face. It was always fun to watch a person's first reaction to a Pokémon, because she could just see them fall in love with them immediately.
She watched further, and with more amusement when Fayal gently and slowly raised his hand, reaching it out to the yellow fox, definitely hesitating to put it on her head. When he did though, she could see shock take over his face.
He was surprised! The fur that he thought would cut through skin like butter was actually really soft. It felt a lot like a buzz cut on someone's head, where the hair was so short, when someone went against the grain, it prickled against their hand.
"Vexare, here, is a Jolteon." Kyani repeated, knowing he probably didn't remember as he continued to watch her and pet her. "She's an electric type Pokémon that can charge the negative ions in the air around her for an attack, along with many other electric type abilities." She explained, smiling. "Her appearance and fur make it obvious that she's an electric type, but you'll learn to spot different types when you get your own Pokémon."
Fayal had been petting Vexare, but stopped suddenly at her words. He had to replay them in his mind before looking up to the brunette. "I…I'm getting a Pokémon?" He asked, smile growing on his face.
She returned the smile. "Yep. You may not know a lot about Pokémon," She began, knowing what he told her. "but I can help you out if you need it…and you'll learn these things as you train and experience more." Turning her head, she looked over to the black fox. "Nox, would you mind pulling out the book?"
Happily, the Umbreon bounded off for Kyani's bag, returning not a moment later with a small book in its jaws. Letting his master take the book, he snuggled up against her, earning a smile and a laugh.
"He's a really cool Pokémon." Fayal noted, watching as the red eyed Umbreon stood in front of them, waiting for Kyani to pet him.
Kyani nodded. "He's actually Vexare's brother." She informed, watching him shake out his fur before petting him.
"Is that even possible?" The raven asked, ruffling his eyebrows. He didn't know a lot..but he was fairly sure that wasn't possible.
She smiled, shaking her head. "I'll explain another time." Turquoise eyes met with blue as she looked over to him. "This is "The Book". It has the information for every Pokémon available to starting trainers like yourself. Take it home with you and look it over carefully. Pick just one, because I don't think you can handle more than that."
He chuckled, taking the book she offered. "I know I can't handle more than that."
She giggled as well, watching as he thumbed through it. "Decide by Friday, and we'll head out that weekend to catch it, alright?" She asked, not sure if he was paying attention. He seemed to have a short attention span, but that may have been because he'd never been around Pokémon before.
"The weekend?" Fayal questioned, still holding the book even as Vexare rubbed against his hands for attention, blue eyes shifting to meet turquoise. "Why can't we go now?"
Kyani smiled, letting out a soft giggle, shaking her head. "Because you have to be patient," She answered, knowing that he was pretty excited. After all, a lot had happened to him in such a short amount of time. "and you need to be sure that the one you pick is definitely the one you want. That and it'll be easier on Friday, since we don't have to worry about time."
Fayal looked back down at the book, still amazed at the fact that Kyani now had a completely different personality and slowly came to realize she was right. He did need to slow down a bit and let his mind take everything in. After all, he'd just touched his first Pokémon and found out he was going to get one.
Smiling, he closed the book and set it back into his bag to keep it safe and stood, finding that Kyani stood as well. "Thank you," He nodded, smiling softly at the brunette who returned the smile. "for being so patient and helping me out."
"You're welcome," She answered, laughing slightly as Nox sat next to her, nodding his head at Fayal, as if he were also saying you're welcome. "and it's no big deal. It's my job to help all trainers out, really."
It fell to a very short silence between the two, Fayal watching how she acted with Nox and Vexare, and god, that smile, wondering how in the world she was the same Kyani Willow he knew at school. Sure, everyone acted differently when they were in a place they were more comfortable with, but this was such an extreme change…
He wondered how he should ask her. It was natural to have that curiosity, wasn't it? To wonder how in the world it happened?
But before Fayal could think of a way to ask, let alone get his mouth open, one of the young girls he had been talking to earlier ran up to the both of them – well, more Kyani than him, but they were standing across from each other – completely red in the face and out of breath.
"Master Ky," She barely breathed out, setting her hands on her knees. "One of the…"
Kyani went right to her side in alarm, kneeling to see her face and setting a hand on her back to help her calm down. "It's alright, it's okay. What's wrong?"
Closing her eyes, the girl pointed behind her, to where she had just come from. "The Rhydon…one of the Rhydon…rampaging."
The brunette immediately stood, Vexare and Nox coming to stand right beside her, eyes narrowing, face turning grave. "Stay here," She commanded to the girl before turning to look at Fayal. "Umm…"
"It's Fayal. Fayal Ushiwaka." He told her, realizing he'd never given his name.
She smiled slightly before it fell back to a grave and serious look. "Fayal, I want you to go straight home. Straight home, you hear me?" She stressed, voice urgent.
He wasn't sure what was going on, but nodded slowly. "Y-yeah…"
Turning away from him, to the area where the girl had pointed, she looked to the black fox following her footsteps. "Nox, I want you to go with him, just in case." Still walking forward, she turned her head to the raven. "He'll walk you home."
Once again, before Fayal could get his mouth open to protest – after all, he was 17 years old, he could certainly walk himself home – Zero appeared from literally out of nowhere and slowed his pace, allowing Kyani to speed up her own pace and jump onto his back, Vexare following the Arcanine's footsteps as they ran off into the bushes.
Fayal stood there in awe. He thought those types of moves were only done in the movies!
Taking a deep breath and shaking his head, he slowly turned around, heading for home as the Umbreon followed in step beside him.
He had no clue as to what had happened, but it was awesome.
And he knew he had to get Kyani to train him. No ifs, ands or buts.