AN: Uh, yeah, so I was sorta in retirement because I was kinda fed up with my writing ability, but Sonoftherigod sent me a message and restored a little of my own self-faith. I've updated this chapter and the second chapter with a ton of new-ish content and I recommend re-reading because the story is going in a different route than was first intended. I'm a freshman in college so updates will be whenever I can. Uh, redo of chapter three will be soon-ish. Still accepting OCs.
A gentle breeze drifts by like a stranger, it's refreshing and leaves nothing behind except a simple "howdy do," warm sunlight shines in between a canopy of jade leafs, casting a hue of emerald along the soft and earthy soil. I rejoice in the cool and simple feel of grass cusped in my hand, once again I relax my head onto a worn and tender root. Easing into it, I have no direction to look but up. Above me is the outstretched limbs of a hundred year old oak, various avian species hop and glide from branch to branch, chirping their individual songs in joyous melody.
"This world… This world is boring," I mutter under my breath. I'm sick of it, I'm sick of all of it.
I can feel the anger beginning to bubble in my chest, it's an uncertain and confused rage that makes me want to clench my fist and kick out my foot in violent frustration, but as if on cue my phone blasts its obnoxious alarm; I sit up and turn it off, forgetting my anger for the time being. I take another look around me, at the pleasant scenery of my own hidden grove: the trees, the flora, the shrubbery, and low glow of sun and plethora of shade, a simple yet peaceful beauty.
"Boring," I sigh.
I drag my feet, making my way along the beaten path in-between the tall grass and low bushes into a dense forest of close knit trees. I take in a deep breath and enjoy the fresh smell of pine needles and the remnants of a mid-summers rain.
I haven't seen much wildlife today, the multiple species have seemed to have disappeared, except for the few bird pokémon that litter the branches above. However the sound of ground dwellers aimlessly rambling about through the forest between the trunks of the trees is absent. I'm surprised that I can't even catch a glimpse of a bidoof, whose species overpopulates the surrounding forests and groves.
Where had they gone?
It couldn't be because of the approaching winter, it's June for Christ sake. Perhaps some natural phenomenon? If that sort of thing happens to bidoof, they aren't the most naturally inclined pokémon after all. I shake off the creeping notion of worry and try to think of something else, choosing to ignore the shiver that goes down my spine. I break from the dense forest and walk into the outskirts of town.
Twinleaf isn't a bad place to grow up, the small secluded country town is ideal for raising children and building a family. Everyone knows everyone else and lifetime friends are decided almost at birth. I remember the countless summers of food festivals, playing until the sun went down, chasing the glowing rears of volbeat at night, and spending endless hours down by the creek trying to fish up some magikarp. It was peaceful, monotonously so.
I headed towards home, it is a simple two story house painted brown just like every other on the block. I reach the door, but I am stopped by my neighbor. Her small frame physically stands in between me and the door; where she had come from I have no idea.
"Hey Al!" She greets with a smile.
"What do you want?" I ask cutting pleasantries.
She puffs out her cheek in a pout, "No need to be rude, I just wanted to talk."
"Talk about what exactly?" I ask. I don't really care about the topic, but last time we "talked" she got drunk in my living room and ranted about how men are pigs. I don't want to go through that a seventh time.
She brushed a curl of her long chocolate brown hair aside and offered me a sweet smile, making sure her brown eyes met my own.
"Well there is a party tonight at Lake Verity Beach and I was wondering if you wanted to go," she says as she leans against my door and paws her foot on the patio boards.
"No thanks," I say brushing past her making for the door, but she stops me with her hand.
"I don't think you understood me, will you go to the party tonight with me as your date?" She asks.
"I understood you, I just don't want to go," I say emotion absent from my voice.
"And why not?" Her smile now replaced with a frown and her hands straight to her hips.
"Getting drunk and then do nothing but be drunk with other drunks does not sound like a good time to me," I say.
She gives me a glare, "It's not like you have anything better to do."
"I have work," I say.
"You can work tomorrow," she argues.
"I can work tonight and tomorrow," I say without losing a beat. She lets out a groan and stomps her foot on the ground.
"Will you do it for me as a favor?" She asks, a last ditch attempt to drag me with her to the party.
However, her persistence wasn't actually to get me to go in particular I assumed, I was probably at the bottom of her list of people to go out on a date with. She most likely has ulterior motives.
"No," I say pushing past her and open the door to my house. I wasn't surprised that she followed me inside.
"Albert? Is that you?" my mom calls out from somewhere in the house, I can already hear her footsteps echoing from down the hall.
"Yeah mom," I call back.
"Hello Mrs. Russel!" My neighbor calls out from behind me. My mom walks into the living room, she is a small lady with short brown hair that falls to her neck and warm and friendly brown eyes.
She wipes her wet hands on her apron as she talks, "Oh hello Samantha. What brings me the pleasure of your visit this evening?"
Samantha smiles her crooked smile of undoubtedly vicious evil, but I speak before she has a chance to, "She just came by to say hi, she has to go though, busy day." I push her towards the door and manage to get her into the doorway.
"Mrs. Russel, Al doesn't want to take a pretty girl like me out on a date!" She exclaims. I push her farther out and slam the door shut. That damn Samantha knows my mom's weak point.
"Just ignore her, she's just crazy. I'm going to get ready for work," I say rushing past my mother; I practically sprint up the stairs to escape her glare. My mother hadn't heeded my words, since I could hear the opening and closing of the front door along with the customary, "Hello." I let out a puff of air in disapproval, this wasn't going to be worth the trouble.
I push open the door to my room and toss the contents of my pockets onto my bed, a pack of gum, some crumpled up cash, and my phone. I proceed my way to my own private bathroom, peeling of my plain black tee before doing so. I stop however before entering, a neatly wrapped gift sits tall on my desk next to it is a card. I toss my shirt in the general direction of my hamper and quickly work my hands around the wrapping, shredding it to pieces, uncovering the white box underneath. I easily open it and pull out the contents.
Surrounded by glass, under an artificial light, sitting on a pillow, rests a large egg. It's shell is generic tan with blotches of navy blue here and there, its unmistakably a pokemon egg. I didn't have to read the card to know who it was from, it had to be my brother.
Within the card was a brief note, it read:
Hey bro! One of my pokemon recently had this egg. I figured you wouldn't mind taking care of it for me. Hahaha.
Much love,
Barry.
P.S. It should hatch any day now.
I rolled the note up into a ball and tossed it into a nearby waste basket, my brother has always done things like this. He just assumes I have nothing better to do than raise an egg and always acts on any damn idea that pops in his head. Of course he is right about me having nothing to do, but still he is a little asshole.
I let out a sigh deciding that I might as well just hatch it, maybe I can sell it for some quick cash later or something. I give it another glance over, the little bastard could of at least told me what pokemon it would hatch into. My thoughts drifted to my younger brother. The hyperactive blond left three years ago with his buddy to be pokemon trainers and he seems to be making a name for himself, both of them actually.
Last I heard, my brother's friend is on track to being the champion of Sinnoh, having taken down the first two elite four members and currently tracking down the third. It is strange to think about the silent boy that used to sit patiently next to my brother as he raged about some money making scheme. I never thought he would amount to anything honestly, just kind of fade away into the background like me.
Barry, last I heard, was trying his hand at the battle frontier and apparently doing fairly well, from what I've seen on TV from time to time he seems to be quite skilled. I wonder if he has battled father yet. That's just a whole other can of worms, I shake the thought out of my head and make my way to the bathroom to look at myself in the mirror. My body is uniform, my face is big, my shoulders are wide, my chest is puffed out, my hands are like baseball mitts, and my stomach is round. I'm muscular, when I flex, but when I don't my body just looks soft.
I run a hand through my dark black hair. It is perhaps a little overgrown, being its usual untamable self with random knots of hair and spiked cowlicks yet somehow is able to fall over my eyes like a drape. I look into my own dull brown eyes and frown in disappointment. Unlike my brother, I've done nothing with my life. Not that I really wanted to, but in retrospect I could have done a little more, like gone to college and eventually become an accountant.
I turn on the shower and jump in, having peeled of the rest of my clothes prior. I work at the local pokemart as a store clerk, I make minimum wage and am there for about five hours every day, every week. I currently have 500 poke in my bank and owe my mom 3000 in rent. My life isn't what I expected it to be, but then again I hadn't had much expectations.
The water is warm and nice on my skin.
I'm not jealous of my brother for his success, I just wish that I did something to be better. I don't care that I live in his shadow, especially in the eyes of my parents. It doesn't matter to me that he was born with all the talent or that my parents prefer him over me, I really don't care. The pressure to be something is just so overwhelming and I'm glad I don't have to deal with that bullshit, I don't plan to be anything and am perfectly content with that. My thoughts drift to the horrible conversation going on downstairs this very moment.
Samantha will have my mom around her finger, and ergo have me around her finger as well since my mom basically owns me. I really don't want to go to the beach, I don't generally like other people, but I feel like it won't be my choice soon. I turn off the shower and exit wet, wrapping a towel around my body as I walk. Quickly I get dressed, khaki pants, a plain white shirt, and a blue apron.
I suppose it is time to face the inevitable. I look at the egg one more time and figure it is good where it's at. I leave my room and make my way downstairs. My mom sits on the couch wearing an obvious scowl, a plus is that Samantha is gone.
"You're going to that party," are the first words that come out of her mouth.
"No," I say with a steady breath. My mom looks me in the eye, she is a terrifying woman, but I am able to return the death stare by firming my footing and squaring my shoulders. She takes in a deep breath and lets it out with a huff.
"You're going to that party," she says not willing to back down.
"I don't want to," I say.
"How do you expect to meet women?" She asks. Here we go.
"I'm not looking to meet women right now," I say.
"Well I want grandchildren and you're eighteen for Christ's sake! You aren't on an adventure like your brother and frankly are doing nothing else with your life! So why not meet some girls and give me grandchildren?" She snaps.
"Because I'm eighteen and don't want a kid," I say also standing my ground.
"Do you hear yourself?" She cries.
"Excuse me? Do you hear yourself? You just told your eighteen year old son to go get a girl pregnant," I practically scream back.
"And what is wrong with that? You spend too much time at home being a bum, maybe if you get a girl pregnant you'll get some sense of responsibility in you! Don't you want to live your life?" She scolds.
"Yes, I want to live my life! Without you constantly meddling in it, how is getting drunk and partying living? And why do I need to be responsible?" I ask.
"You think I'm meddling? Hows this for meddling? You either go to the party with Samantha at eight or you move out!" My mom wins the argument.
"Fine," I snap at her with venom. My mom is unreasonable, but she means well in her head. It's the thought that counts I guess. Without another word, I leave and venture the short five minute walk to the pokemart.
The blue roofed building is new to Twinleaf, having been built last year for access to any trainers in the area. I found this strange, since trainers would have to travel out of their ways, and I mean way out of their ways, to even visit Twinleaf. Especially since the town's main attraction, Lake Verity, can be visited without the need to actually visit our small town. Whatever, employment is employment.
I work behind the main counter and my responsibilities include greeting customers, if there is any, and to restock the shelves before I leave. It is a good gig, most of the time no one comes in, so usually I get to read or do nothing. Both are pleasant, especially since I'm getting paid for it.
I kick my legs up on the counter and balance the stool underneath my ass on one leg. I pull out one of my books from within the counter and resume from the last place I read.
The book is interesting, instead of a normal writing format, it consists a series of fictional letters that the main character sends to an anonymous person. The character offers a fresh perspective on what it is like to be different and unnoticed, always noticing the falsities in other peoples lives and his own and trying to make sense of it all. He suffers from his own introverted-ness and desperately wants to shed it off and find a place in his crazy messed up world.
I've read it at least twenty times.
"Good book?" a girl asks. I hadn't noticed her come in, which is strange since she would've had to walked right past me and I usually don't miss people. I set down the book and eye the customer curiously. She isn't what you would call normal, in a small town like Twinleaf anyways.
For starters her hair is silver, and I don't mean a fancy gray or even the aged depressed hair that most elderly people have. I mean it was like she had actually melted down silver and made a wig out of it, but it looks too soft, glossy, and wavy to be actual metal. It certainly isn't natural, but it almost fooled me.
Her skin is pale and her eyes are an abstract red, if my suspicions are right they are most likely contacts. She is shorter than me, but tall for a girl, thin, but muscular. The definite signs of a trainer. Her choice of clothes can only be described as open, her shirt is cut high to stop only an inch under her bosom, exposing her belly button, which is pierced.
Her jeans are just as special, one pant leg had been completely cut off, and the pant leg had been drawn on with a sharpie. I find her interesting, and I think that is the point frankly.
"It's great," I say snapping it shut and stuffing it away. She places all of her intended purchases on the counter: Twenty pokeballs, ten potions, and a protein bar; I begin running them under the scanner.
"So, where're you from?" I ask starting up some meaningless chit chat.
"Castelia city," she says bland and uninterested. That explains the clothes and hair, Castelia is like a hive for that type of fashion.
"What brings you to town?" I ask.
She gives me an uninterested look, cocking back her eyebrow.
"I came to see the lake," she says. I knew the answer, but I figured I'd ask to be friendly. There is no other reason to visit Twinleaf.
"Your total is 7050 poke," I say, finishing up our brief meeting. She hands me a pile of neat bills of exact cash, grabs her things, and leaves. With nothing to do I rest back into my stool and being to read again.
Eight o'clock comes fast.
I got off work early and shut down the mart; I'm early enough to make it home, argue with my mom one more time, lose, and get changed. Samantha arrives on time to my dismay, but I guess I can't turn back now. As if that would've been a choice at this point.
I loosen the tie around my neck, it is a bright teal, and pops compared to my black shirt. My mom had insisted on me wearing it, I don't like ties. I wonder if the guy who came up with ties was trying to hang himself, but looked in the mirror and decided that this was style.
Samantha grabs my arm and hoists me away, so that we could walk in silence for thirty minutes to the lake. We hear the music before seeing anything, it is some horrible hip hop pop crap sensation. The party consists of a grand total of fifty or so young adults, all around my age, the oldest being twenty and the youngest fifteen. I wonder if that Castelia girl is here.
Samantha drags me over to a group of boys, one of which is her ex-boyfriend, Patrick. Patrick is a young attractive blond that knows he is attractive so he uses the advantage to try and fuck every female with a pulse. That is all I know about Patrick really.
"Hello Patrick," Samantha smiled. Patrick offered her a nod and sent a glare in my direction. I took it and offered one of my own; a face that says I don't give a fuck about you, trademark pending.
"Who's the stiff?" Patrick asks.
"My boyfriend," Samantha starts, but I cut her off.
"I'm not your boyfriend," I say. She elbows me in the ribs, it was a laughable intent. She is too small to do any damage, it felt like a tickle.
"He's a friend," she says.
"We aren't friends," I say, she hits me in the ribs again. Still doesn't hurt.
"We're neighbors," she puffs out with a lost smile. Patrick looks at me with a questionable look, he is too stupid to understand what is going on. I guess that years of drinking, smoking, and humping isn't good for the brain.
"She brought me here to make you jealous," I say blank. Patrick gives Samantha a look of confusion as she tries to not seethe in anger. I don't get her problem, I saved us time by cutting all the useless chit-chat that would eventually lead to her ditching me to go home with Patrick anyways. This way she can just do it now and save me the trouble of a boring conversation with these meat sacks.
"I'm going to get a soda," I say before walking away from the group. There isn't much to choose from in the cooler, most of the beverages are alcoholic and the only soda I could find was a Sprite; of course I'd be stuck with the lamest drink of all time. I grab it and walk away from the party goers, who are currently humping each other on the beach to music, call it dancing if you will.
I find a small grassy area and rest my head back against a tree so I can look out at the lake, the water is still and calm.
Earth must be purgatory, the monotonous boredom that wreaks havoc among the surface is enough to prove my point, the people of this planet are brainwashed into doing the same thing for the rest of their lives and following what others do instead of taking risks to change. I can't say I am much different, I do the same thing, but I can blame it on my nature and the nature of this world.
I wonder what Heaven and Hell would be like, if there is a Heaven or Hell. Maybe the reason we can't really perceive these places or ideas or whatever, is because we are a product of our environment, and our conforming mindset can't even begin to contemplate.
In an instant the world around me exploded. Human debris flew into the air, arms, legs, and who knows what else. Each landing in pools of their own blood, fleshy bits slapping against the now drenched red sand. They had died in a flash with no visible source of the explosion that ripped them to shreds.
For a moment, the surviving few stare in blank awe, but eventually fall into panic and fill the air with various shrieks. They scramble for the tree line and the path towards town in dumb horror, I watch as a boy is lifted into the air by some unseen being, his limbs are stretched as far as they can go by some unseen force, it tears him apart in five directions causing sickening snaps and cracks to sing out through the carnage. What's left of the body drops to the ground adding to the now piling dead.
The lake water rockets upwards in a pillar, killing the once glassy waters calm. Tons upon tons of water crashes down on the few alive still near the lake's edge, crushing them and flooding the beach in the process. And from the pillar emerged a small figure that shook the air with god-like energy.
I hear a cry of panic and fear and turn to see Samantha hanging over Patrick, or what used to be Patrick. He is like the rest, another pile of unidentifiable bloody flesh. She wails her sorrow and fear and pity and anger in a single desperate scream, but it comes to an abrupt end when her head takes a fast and nasty turn to the right.
The figure hovers above the water's edge, watching the carnage unfold, the being seems pleased with itself. I can't shake the sense that I've seen this monster before.
Twin gray tails hang from its small and round body, its skin is a sickly gray and leathery. Its head is larger than its body with four pink furred antennae sprouting from it and drapes over a ruby like jewel embedded in its skull.
A shiver goes down my spine, I know why it seems so familiar. It's the Mespirt, yes "the" as in singular. A god-like pokemon that is said to protect the lake and all those who inhabit around it. I don't think it is really doing a good job.
I feel the bile rear its ugly head in my throat, and soon I can't control myself. I vomit until my stomach is empty; all that remains on the beach is death and blood stained sand, Oh God, I haven't seen so much red in my life.
My face is hot, I hadn't realized I was crying. I look at our protector and anger swells itself in my body, it is involuntary. I have no idea where it could have possibly came from, but it was the angriest I have ever been. It was like I was being provoked and I had no control of my body.
I find myself screaming, "Why would you do this!?"
The Mesprit warps and is in front of me, fear takes place of anger in an instant. The pokemon in front of me relishes in it. I meet its cold golden eyes and a splitting headache brings me to my knees. Images flood through my head, destroyed buildings, mass graves, dead children and fallen soldiers; I can hear the screams of these countless people, each a scream of anger, fear, and sorrow, and in that moment I know I am screaming like them.
I can't control it, that monster is putting them there; It is too much to handle, the pain is now searing, as if the beast had begun to rip my brain apart. I shut down, and darkness begins to overtake my mind and everything begins to blur.
"This world is boring."