"So, any particular reason you gave me the name 'Aiko'?" Aiko asked as she and Ho-Oh soared over the region of Johto.
"It's a mixture of Ai, meaning love or affection, and Ko, meaning child. Since I was in an amicable enough mood when I found you amidst the ruins of the Brass Tower, that was the first name that popped to mind," Ho-Oh replied, glancing back at the young girl sitting on its back. "Was it wrong of me to give you a name?"
Aiko shrugged. "I don't remember if I had one before that. Got conked on the head, burned alive, and resurrected, so my memory is a tad dodgy about my life before meeting you. Nobody ever mentioned a missing child in the aftermath of the destruction of the tower, so I guess my parents didn't care about me."
"I'm sorry," Ho-Oh said as they flew towards the Bell Tower. Alighting atop it, Aiko slid off Ho-Oh's back and patted it lightly.
"Don't worry about it," Aiko said. "I've got a new family now, and these past few months have been the best I've ever had."
There was a commotion at the end of the roof, and the door that led into the tower burst open, depositing three excited canine-esque pokémon in an undignified heap.
A blue one leapt to its paws and trotted forward, panting excitedly.
"Dad! You'll never guess who blew up the kitchen this time!"
"Wasn't me!" a red one yapped proudly, puffing up its chest.
"Yes it was," a yellow said dryly, nudging the red one, who deflated, ears going flat against its head.
"Children, please," Ho-Oh said, spreading its wings. "One at a time. What's this about wrecking the kitchen?"
Aiko stifled a giggle as she joined her surrogate family.
"One thing I do not like about my resurrective immortality," Ho-Oh grumbled, as Aiko preened his wings, "is how small I am, and how unrecognizable being a chick is."
"You lack the proper hardware to be a chick," Aiko pointed out, which earned her an ineffectual peck from Ho-Oh's tiny beak, which made her giggle. She brushed a finger through Ho-Oh's soft chest fur. "Besides, you mature quickly, so the suffering is only temporary."
Ho-Oh sighed, relaxing. He shifted his wings against his torso and looked up at Aiko. "Well, you're going to be seeing this side of me more than any other human due to the gift I've given you."
"I do not mind caring for you during your rebirth," Aiko replied with a smile.
Ho-Oh's voice dropped as he leaned closer to Aiko. "I do have to admit though, you're much better with delicate movements than my other children."
Aiko chuckled, leaning back. "Maybe, but they're much better at other things, such as carrying you once you get bigger, or catching you as you practice flying so your muscles develop correctly," she pointed out.
"That's true," Ho-Oh said thoughtfully. "But that is what family does."
"Quite so," Aiko said, getting to her feet. Ho-Oh jumped onto her arm and settled on her shoulder as she then went off to lunch.
Aiko strolled through Johto's route 36, enjoying the sunny weather.
She glanced at the trees lining the path, occasionally catching flashes of yellow and blue among the trees, and she smiled. Ho-Oh, as he often did, had tasked his children with keeping an eye on her. Usually, such a precaution would've irritated Aiko, but since she was currently without a pokémon, having them keep an eye on her let her relax and go at her own pace instead of hurrying from one town to the next.
She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice someone coming down the path until it was too late to avoid them, and she collided hard with them, sending both to the ground.
She heard a deep grunt and shook her head to clear it. Blinking, she looked up to see a red-haired boy dressed in dark blue glaring down at her.
"Watch where you're going," he snapped at her.
"I could say the same for you," Aiko growled back, getting to her feet. Brushing herself off, she noticed something lying on the ground at her feet and picked it up. "You dropped your trainer card," she said, holding it out.
The boy snatched it out of her hand and stowed it away, before he stormed off.
"Sheesh," Aiko grumbled, turning towards the direction he had come from. "Some people..."
She continued on, eventually reaching the outskirts of Violet City, and she ducked into the gate house for a quick rest. An electronic news board dominated one of the walls and she glanced at it, more interested in the upcoming weather, which she was pleased to see was more of the same good weather.
Ordering a lemonade from the vending machine, she then exited the gate house and entered Violet City.
There wasn't much of interest for her. The Sprout Tower and Gym were the main points of interest, but she'd likely be back for them once she had a pokémon of her own beside her. Unless she could talk her siblings into participating... The idea amused her, but she knew it wouldn't be fair. She looked at the Pokémon School for a moment before turning away. She'd spent more than enough time looking over the basics of pokémon - and she'd lived with four of them for almost two hundred years, so there probably wasn't much she was missing.
Continuing on to Route 30, she broke into a light jog, letting her eyes roam over her surroundings. Nothing leapt out at her and she again caught glimpses of Raikou and Suicune in the trees, watching her.
Cherrygrove was a sleepy little town and she took a moment to walk along its small beach. An old man was skipping stones and logging the number of skips into a device in his hand. He noticed her and turned, bowing his head.
"Hello there," he said cheerfully. "Welcome to Cherrygrove." He looked her over for a moment before nodding. "New trainer?"
"I'm on my way to New Bark Town to pick up a pokémon," Aiko said.
The old man frowned. "Ah. You haven't heard the news? Someone broke into the lab there and made off with a pokémon."
Aiko blinked in surprise. "That's terrible!"
"Unfortunately, there's not much known about how they did it. The cameras were all knocked out and it was early in the morning," the old man said with a sigh. Shaking his head, he crossed his arms. "But on a lighter note, I usually help new trainers understand how pokémon centers and marts work. Do you know about them?"
"Since I don't have a pokémon to take care of, no," Aiko said. "I'd be grateful for any tips you have."
The old man chuckled. "That's good. Never be afraid to talk to people if you don't know something or are unsure of where to go. Most will be happy to help, although some may want a pokémon battle before telling you anything, just to make sure you're ready for it."
He pointed at a building with a red roof, then at one with a blue roof.
"Most PCs and Marts are distinguished by their color scheme, red and blue respectively. Nurse Joy should be able to answer any other pressing questions you may have about pokémon centers, and most marts are straightforward affairs."
"Thank you," Aiko said, glancing over the buildings to memorize them. She'd seen similar ones in Ecruteak, but never had a reason to go in them, since Ho-Oh and his children had provided for her.
She blinked in amusement when she realized she'd spent over a hundred years in one place and had never gotten around to fully exploring it. Something she'd have to rectify once she got a pokémon, perhaps.
She bid farewell to the old man and headed out to Route 30.
"How are you finding your trip so far?"
Aiko jumped a little also Suicune melted out of the woods and fell into step beside her. She gave the Aurora pokémon a pat and smiled.
"Well, aside from that red-haired kid, it's been fun. I imagine with a pokémon of my own, it'll only get more interesting."
Suicune nodded. "I hope the theft doesn't delay things, but it most likely will. Which I suppose gives you more time to settle on which pokémon you'd want."
"Cyndaquil, Chikorita, and Totodile, right?" Aiko asked, receiving a nod. "Hard to pick. Although I've spent plenty of time with Fire, and Water types, thanks to you, Entei, and Ho-Oh, so...maybe grass?"
"Not a bad choice. Even though the Violet City gym is Flying, and there's also a Bug gym nearby. Ice too, in Mahogany Town..." Suicune mused.
"So then I'd catch others to cover for Grass's weaknesses," Aiko said. "I know mareep live around Violet City and there's plenty of pidgey to catch if I want to demolish a Bug gym. Maybe a growlithe if I want to hike back to Route 36..."
"Sounds like you have things planned out," Suicune said. "That's good." She glanced forward before giving Aiko a nuzzle. "Best of luck. We'll always be nearby if you need us."
"Thank you," Aiko said, and the Water-type vanished back into the trees.
"Hello, welcome to Elm Pokémon Labs. I am Professor Elm. It's a pleasure to meet you, although I do wish it was under better circumstances."
Aiko smiled politely and dipped her head respectfully. She glanced over at the Jenny standing nearby, arms crossed over her chest, a growlithe at her side and then looked around at the rest of the lab. Most of it seemed intact and the only thing out of place was a missing poké ball in a machine that held two others.
"It would be nice to have met on better terms," Aiko said with a grimace, lacing her hands behind her back. "I can come back some other time once things calm down, if you wish."
"No, no, no," Elm said, adding another sharper-toned one when Jenny looked like she was about to object. "It's not a problem, really. You've come all this way to get a pokémon, and it seems wasteful for you to leave empty-handed."
Aiko shrugged. "Maybe," she said slowly. "Which one was taken?"
"Cyndaquil," Elm said, stepping over to the machine. He opened the case and removed the other two. "What's left are chikorita and totodile."
"Oh good," Aiko said in relief. "I was hoping for a chikorita."
"Isn't that convenient," the Jenny grumbled. "Did you set that red-haired boy up to steal the cyndaquil so you wouldn't have to pick it?"
"That is a very stupid idea," Elm pointed out. "Trainers always have a choice as to their starter."
The Jenny grunted.
"Did you say red hair?" Aiko asked, perking up. "I ran into a kid with red hair on the way here. Literally, actually, and he dropped his trainer card. His name is Silver."
The Jenny whipped out a notepad and started scribbling. "Can you describe him? Maybe a drawing of his face, if you can remember it?"
Aiko did what she could and the Jenny hurried off. Aiko turned back to Elm, who had put the totodile's ball back into the machine and had picked up a set of five empty poké balls alongside the chikorita ball.
"I'd offer you a pokédex, but that boy took the last one I had," Elm said apologetically. "I'm not due for another set for a while, although I can call Oak over in Kanto to speed the process up a bit, I suppose."
Aiko tucked the extra balls away and cradled chikorita's in her hands, smiling. "Not having a pokédex isn't an issue," she assured Elm. "I've grown up around a lot of pokémon in the Johto region. The Kimono Girls were quite helpful in that regard."
"Well, that's good," Elm said. "I wish you and chikorita the best of luck on your journey."
"Thank you," Aiko replied, bowing low. "Enjoy the rest of your day."
Turning, she strode out of the lab, and the door closed behind her.
A/N - Another story set in the Ashes 'verse. Expect glacial updates, anachronistic order, and the other things that constantly plague my writing