The Queen of Hearts
Chapter One
The sky was blackened with the intense storm clouds that gathered overhead. Flashes of light, followed by the roar of thunder, stretched through the sky. This was a night of dismay, a night of uneasiness. The angry swells of the waves foamed rabidly, crashing against the jutting rocks and the loose sand. All the pokémon had buried themselves deep beneath the waves of the ocean. The land dwellers hid as far inland as they were able to.
In the shallow water above the Seafloor Cavern, the Aquatic Council were gathered. These Pokémon held total control of the seas of Hoenn. The Council leader was Kyogre, the King of the Seas. Surrounding him were the rest of the Council; Relicanth, Walrein, Wailord, Lanturn, Kingdra and Swampert. They were ancient. Born when the sea was born. They were talking in hushed voices, arguing over the decision to be made.
Before them stood the elegant and graceful misfit, a prisoner to her own greed and selfishness. Wrapped in the painful shackles of tentacles reaching from beneath the surface, she coiled around a totem, restrained. Seething hatred was spread across her otherwise beautiful face. Her pale scales glowed with each flash of lightning. Blood was seeping from the few wounds she had across her long, attractive body. Eagerly, she watched the Council, awaiting their decision. Her impatience was slowly getting the better of her, and her tail flicked impatiently.
At last, the ancient pokémon separated from their conversation, a decision finally made. Silence fell across the Council.
Kyogre spoke, his voice loud and booming, "We have reached out final verdict. Because of the terror you have brought with you, because of the destruction you employed, you will be imprisoned within the deepest depths of the oceans. The shackles of justice shall chain you. Never shall you see the light of day again. Never shall you be able to wreak havoc upon our oceans again."
Their captive snarled at the elder pokémon. She was never able to stand their rules of equality and justice. She wanted a revolution, a world where she was queen. Where she was God. But they held her back, interrupting her plans, destroying all she worked for.
The creature screamed as tentacles from mighty tentacruel pulled her down, dragging her into the dark abyss of the submerged world. She flailed about, her sparkling blue tail thrashing about, attempting to hack away at the solid tentacles that held her in place. The cobalt and rose tinted fan at the end of her tail was quivering wildly. Her wild eyes blazed with fury.
"You will regret this!" shrieked the beautiful eel. "You will regret ever defying Moana the Milotic!" Her voice drowned out as she was pulled further into the icy depths of her sunken prison, of her submerged hell.
In a town far from the sea, Oldale Town, a young girl was beginning her pokémon journey. Her backpack was packed with her essentials; a fold out tent, a thin sleeping bag, and two spare changes of clothes. Her satchel was half-packed, with the girl throwing half her contents across the room, deciding what should and should not be brought along with her.
"Awww, I wish I could bring you, Spinny," the girl moaned sadly, cuddling a plush toy in the shape of a Spinda. One of its' ears had been torn off and stitched back on with purple thread. The girl put down the toy, and packed her wallet into her satchel, along with a few empty pokéballs and a bottle of water. She looked around the room, scratching her head, wondering if there was anything else she needed to pack.
Once assured that she didn't need anything else, she grabbed her two bags and headed downstairs where the rest of her family were waiting for her. It was a picture-esque view, an image of a perfect family; a mother, a father, a bubbly little boy, a teenage girl about to embark on her first adventure, and the family pet, a poochyena.
"We're so proud of you, Alice," the girls' father said, enveloping her into a hug. Her mother joined in, and soon, tears of happiness and pride were being shed.
"Mum, dad, stop crying already," Alice laughed. "I'll be back soon. And you know I'll call every once in a while."
"We know, honey. But it's just going to be hard to get used to not having anything break every few minutes, or not hearing screams of panic coming from your room."
Alice giggled. "I understand. Try not to let it affect you too much, okay?"
Her parents smiled in response, and her father opened the door for his daughter. They said their last goodbyes to each other, and the girl turned her back on her home, walking towards Littleroot Town, where she would finally be able to obtain her first pokémon. She was jittery with nerves and excitement.
For months, she had contemplated which of the three starter pokémon of Hoenn she should pick, but still couldn't make up her mind. She tried deducing which of the three would be most effective against most gyms, but they were all seemingly equal in their own way. Finally, she decided that she would make her choice upon seeing the pokémon and observing their behaviours and personalities. It would be no use to get a stubborn, selfish Treeko when a loyal and obedient Torchic was available.
The journey to Littleroot Town only took about half an hour; the two towns were incredibly close to each other, so close they could have easily merged and became one town. Alice had been to Littleroot Town on many occasions, mainly to pass the compulsory course that all would-be trainers had to go through. The course consisted of lessons teaching the students the very basic aspects of pokémon and battling. It was only after completion of this course was anyone able to obtain their starter pokémon.
She found the large grey-painted laboratory with ease, and stepped inside, feeling the cool air shroud around her. Upon hearing her footsteps, Professor Birch turned and smiled.
"Welcome, Alice!," he said, stretching out a hand. They shook, and he led the girl out back, to a pen where three pokémon were frolicking.
Treeko, a grass gecko-like pokémon, moved with the grace and elegance of a cat. Flexing its' lanky limbs, it stared up at Alice, its large yellow eyes boring into her own. Moments later, its' eyes diverted, and it soon became disinterested in the girl, focusing its attention on promoting the growth of the grass surrounding it. Alice frowned in thought, observing its deep concentration as the grass surrounding it grew several centimetres. It stopped and smiled at its work.
The next pokémon Alice looked to was Mudkip, a small water type. It ran towards the bars, jumping up, wanting to be seen. It wagged its' opaque tail happily, meowing excitedly. Alice thought it to be cute, but a bit too much of an attention seeker, as it was nudging Torchic out of the way, in order to get the most of Alice's interest. It blew out a couple of tiny bubbles, which floated up towards Alice, popping as one touched the tip of her nose, making the young girl giggle.
Even though Torchic was being pushed out of the way by Mudkip, it kept its cool. It simply threatened the mud fish pokémon with its fire breathing powers, by breathing up an ember. It laughed when Mudkip cowered away, with its tail sunken, between its legs. It then looked up at Alice with its beady brown eyes and chirped innocently, kicking its leg backwards to cover Mudkip with sand, as if hiding the evidence of its cruel prank on the mudfish.
"Well, Alice, which pokémon do you choose?" Professor Birch asked. "Remember, this is going to be your partner for life, so think hard."
Alice nodded, and bit her lip, deep in thought. Treeko seemed smart, calm and collected. It would be good for tactical battles, but it had no interest in Alice. Both Mudkip and Torchic were attention seekers, and it seemed evident that they both wanted to go on a journey with her. It was going to be tough for Alice to decide between the tiny orange chick and the blue mud fish.
Clenching her eyes shut and holding her breath, she answered. "I choose Mudkip."
When she opened her eyes, she saw Mudkip jump excitedly, making squeaking noises, spouting water like a fountain, whilst Torchic had a downhearted expression. She felt sorry for Torchic, wishing she could have both. But such is life. And as Alice expected, Treeko paid no notice to what had happened, sitting in the patch of grass he had grown, eyes closed in content.
Professor Birch nodded, and retrieved a pokéball with a blue teardrop engraved just above the centre button. He recalled Mudkip into the ball, and the pokémon turned red, and distorted, pulling towards the ball.
He handed a Pokédex and the Mudkip's ball to Alice, and the moment her fingertips touched the ball, she felt a surreal sensation wash over her, filling her with a pleasant warmth. She knew at that instant, that she had chosen the right pokémon, that she was going to share many an amazing memories with the little pokémon on their journey together.
Alice walked with Mudkip by her side. They were on Route 101, the route separating Littleroot and Oldale towns, and Alice was taking in the landscape. She didn't know when she would see this place again. It might be years before she returned to this place. She had spent her childhood hiding within the hollow tree trunks, skipping over rocks. The boughs of the trees stretched over the road, blocking out the sunlight. The road was just a dirt track, worn by pokémon and human alike.
"Mudkip," Alice said quietly. The pokémon turned to her, eyes eager to hear what she had to say. "I think it's prime time I named you. Don't you think? Imagine, calling you Mudkip. It would be like calling a cat 'Cat', or a dog 'Dog'. Wouldn't that be funny?" Alice laughed happily, finding the idea quite humorous. Mudkip seemed to agree with the name change, and jumped around at her feet, making squeaking barking sounds.
"Well, what should I call you then? You're a boy, so a nice manly name would suit you just fine." Mudkip stood proudly, pushing his breast out, head raised high, making Alice giggle and reach down to pet him.
"How about Dover?" Alice asked. Mudkip scrunched up his face, scowling at the name. "Okay, okay. What do you think of Kano?" Mudkip shook his head, clearly displeased. "What about Murdoch?"
At the sound of the name, Mudkip bounced excitedly, nodding his head wildly.
Alice smiled. "Murdoch it is, then."
And so, Alice and Murdoch took the first steps of their journey, not knowing where the wind would take them, not knowing where they would be steered.