This is my first published story. It may look new, but i've been working on it for some time now. Enjoy the first chapter!
Lights flashed at me from all directions. So did my life.
My name is Calvin Winthrop, and this is my story. Well, one third of it anyway.
I packed everything I could find. Clothes, toothbrushes, journals, pictures, tents, and flyers--a whole stack of them. I was going to need some backup, so Gallade, Mismagius and Electivire were comming along. My daughter had been gone for three years, and with much encouragement from Giratina, I wasn't about to lose hope.
"I'll be back," I told Gallade. "Just need a little walk."
He gave me one slight nod before I left.
The walk was uneventful. I've lived in Alto Mare for eight years, and I'd pretty much seen everything. I couldn't stop thinking about my daughter. You'd think that after three years, any father would have pronounced her dead, but not me. I had searched hard and relentless, crossing the conjoined continents of Kanto and Johto, and later Hoenn. now I was headed for Sinnoh, and it wasn't going to get any easier.
Mismagius appeared in front of me, and I had to stop and acknowledge her once I had passed right through her. It's a feeling you don't want to experience.
She looked as if she was worried...about me.
"I know what you're thinking," I said. "And i'm not considering suicide."
She looked relieved. Unlike Gallade and Electivire, who knew me better than that, she had been worried about my mental state ever since the break-in and kidnapping at the restaurant three years ago. I continued walking, and she followed alongside.
"I probably deserved this," I mumbled.
After my wife's death (it was just me and Molly, my daughter. Her full name was Melinda Carolyn Winthrop. She chose the name for the restaurant), I started to become more and more....inconsiderate to the people who cared about me. Now, not only did I lose her, but I lost a valuable employ....no, friend, because she had been kidnapped simultaneously as Molly. I was lucky that her family didn't blame me for that, but I'd still have to live with the guilt. Unfortunately they weren't as open-minded as I was, and held her funeral which I joined, after only seven months of searching. In retrospect, that seems like a long time for any family to wait, but I swore there and then that I wouldn't give up looking for Molly.
Since I was in deep thought, the walk was very quiet, and pretty awkward. I figured I needed to talk to someone, and Mismagius was all open. I hadn't been talking to any of my pokémon for quite a while now, and presumably, the effect was growing on their emotions.
"So we're off on another adventure," I said. She nodded. "Just like old times."
She smiled. I did too. It wasn't much, but it was a start.
"Okay, let's head back to the restaurant." I said. "We have to go."
When I got back, Gallade was polishing the wooden counters, and Electivire was drying an already wet floor. Electricity makes heat, doesn't it?
"You guys...you don't have to do this," I said.
Since we were all going on this trip, the restaurant was going to be closed. I picked up the window cleaner and some paper towel and joined the cause. Mismagius used her psychic powers to turn up the chairs. Lucky. At the same time, I heard a soft knocking on the door. Probably another customer who didn't read the sign. When I peeked through the blinds at the door, I saw a young girl in severely torn clothing. She had magnificent blue hair that aroused some suspucious looks from across the street. Her face was pale, and brown eyes full of worry. I couldn't leave her out there, especially in her condition. I unlocked the door and she slipped in, and looked around.
"Hello...may I help you?"
"No...no you can't..." Yeah, I don't think so.
"Well, i'm pretty sure I can," I stared her down. "Would you like something to eat?"
"Yes, thank you."
I walked into the kitchen, a bit confused. I was probably the only restaurant in the city that was closed and she decided to come here. That said something at the time. I figured she didn't want to go to any other restaurant because she wanted to be alone, and a 'closed' sign always has a green light for that kind of thing.
I made her a sandwich, and finally finished up the last bit of food. Thank God. Putting it in the garbage is one thing, but leaving it there to rot for months is pretty nasty.
When I got back out front she had taken it upon herself to sit at one of the tables. Mismagius helped her with a chair and the two of them were talking quietly. I joined them.
"Here you go," I placed the sandwich in front of her. She quickly started eating. "I hope this is enough."
She nodded and continued eating. I looked at Mismagius. She looked as if she was crying.
"What's wrong?"
She tipped her hat and glided away. I shrugged and went back to cleaning.
"Where are you going?" She asked.
"Out of town."
"You're moving?"
"Of course not," I said. "I'm going to Sinnoh to look for my daughter."
"Why Sinnoh?"
"Well," I sprayed the glass. "It's the only place I haven't checked, and....i've run out of options."
I finished cleaning, turned around to look at the girl, and she was staring back at me.
"What?"
"I was...just wondering--"
"No, the sandwich is on me," I looked at her clothing, and I couldn't help but ask. "You need a change of clothes?"
She looked at herself, and clearly read my mind. "You don't have to--"
"I insist," I said. "I won't be here anyway."
She nodded. I grabbed my bag, and called for Mismagius, Gallade, and Electivire. When we all got outside, I locked the door to the restaurant. For the three years that I'd been searching the world, there had hardly been any management, which meant no profit. As painful as that sounded, Molly was still on the top of my agenda. This had to be done.
"I could probably lend you some of my daughter's clothes.''
Much like the walk earlier, it was quiet and awkward. I tried holding the girl's hand, but everytime I did she pulled away. She was pretty reserved, so I gave up after three tries.
'Calvin!' Someone called through telepathy. I stopped.
'Who's this?'
'Giratina,' He said. 'Did you leave yet?'
'No, I got held up.'
'What happened?'
'I don't know,' I continued walking. 'This strange girl popped up at my restaurant.'
'Your daughter?'
'You know....' I'd never considered that. My daughter, 8, was kidnapped three years ago, and this girl... "How old are you?"
"11."
That said something. However, two things threw me off. The blue hair, and the fact that she could have told me earlier.
'No,' I said. 'She looks a bit...lost, so i'm helping her.'
'You're getting soft.'
'I'm being nice.'
'Even worse,' I could hear him laughing.
I sighed and continued walking.
My home was a short walk from the restaurant. It was a comfortable two-story house on the edge of a canal, with a terrace, abundant with greenery, behind the kitchen. My green thumb was useful for something. There was always a gondola tied to a wooden bollard right in front of the house, but I never felt the need to use it.
"Come with me."
I left everyone else outside, and took the girl up to Molly's room. I'd left it the same way since she disappeared.
"Here you go," I took out some clothes for her. "I always had the problem of buying my daughter's clothes a couple of sizes too big. But it was for good reason."
She looked at me and calmly smiled. "Yeah, you always did that."
I walked to the door and started to pull it in, when I finally registered her words and threw it open again. "Wh....what did you say?"
"It's me, dad."
That was too much. I think I passed out because when I reawoke, a couple of hours had passed and I was sprawled out across my bed.
"Molly!" I sprang to life. "Molly?"
I ran out into the hallway. Once again I ran through Mismagius and stumbled. Dammit that's horrible.
"Mismagius, where's Molly?" I asked. She got me to follow her across the hallway and down the stairs, and towards the terrace.
From here, I could see Molly through the kitchen window. She was sitting in a clearing of grass. I couldn't believe it was her. I stepped outside. The night was cool and breezy. A crescent-shaped moon illuminated the sky, and it reflected off the surface of the water in the fountain. The running water made it very peaceful. Molly must've sensed my presence, because she turned around to acknowledge me.
"Dad," Her face was full of tears. "Please don't question me."
"I wasn't planning to," I lied. "Just came to see if I was haluccinating."
She ran into my arms. "Dad...i've missed you..."
This was a dream come true. My daughter was finally back after three years of searching. But something wasn't right. This was too....easy. Why now did she show up? Was she held by someone? And why was her hair blue?
"I don't get it," I said. She looked up at me. "I've searched the world and I couldn't find you."''Dad....''
"That had to have meant that you were in Sinnoh." I was trying my hardest to keep away from the questions.
"Yeah, I was."
I had to ask where Danielle was--the friend\employee that was working overtime on the night of the break-in. "Molly, you have to tell me....where's Danielle?"
She frowned, and didn't answer. It was her way of dealing with me when I didn't listen to her, so I gave up.
Someone tapped me on the shoulder.
"Hm?" It was Gallade. "What is it?"
He pointed back to the house. I followed his arm and made out two figures standing in the foyer.
"Could you stay here with Molly?" He nodded. "Thanks."
I walked back into the kitchen. I didn't usually get visitors like this, so it had to be important. I looked at the clock on the wall, and it read 11:36 pm. Not this late either. When I got to the foyer, it was a bit of a surprise who showed up. A tall, blonde-haired, slim-faced man, probably in his mid-forties, wearing a sleeveless gray jacket; two golden armlets were wrapped around his arms, followed by about four or five bracelets down by his wrists. His jeans and undershirt were black, with three thick red stripes running through their mid-sections. He would've looked oddly human if it weren't for his crimson red eyes.
He was followed by a younger companion, probably sixteen or seventeen. Followed by the same set of red eyes, I always objected that for his appearance in age, he had a full head of gray hair. He was wearing a gray jacket in a similar fashion as his partner, with the exception that his sleeves were detached, gray as well. Appropriate for the climate, he was wearing shorts that ended in a large blue stripe, matching his blue undershirt. There was a lone red triangle positioned right in the center.
"Giratina, Latios," I said. "I figured you'd come."
"Well, you never showed up to the hall," He said. "So, we came here."
"Just you two?"
"Unfortunately."
"Sorry," Latios frowned in pity. "It's just that...Molly showed up."
"She came back? Where was she?"
"Apparently Sinnoh," I said. "She doesn't want to answer any questions."
"So everything's back to normal?" Latios asked.
I had to figure out what happened to Danielle. Was she dead or alive? "For now."
"Good," Giratina gave me a disturbing smile. "Will you be at thursday's meeting?"
"We'll see."
For some accuracy, and just in case you're wondering, this story takes place in 2003, the same year the movie "Pokémon Heroes" debuted in the US. That last part will be explained in the chapters that come. Please review!