Okay! Hi! You know who I am, since you're reading this, so let's skip that - this is the first installment of a series of chapters of a fanfiction about the little sister of Cynthia, the Pokemon Champion from Pokemon Platinum, Pearl, and Diamond, and her quest to find out why her sister is bothering to study Pokemon mythology, as well as her own adventure to becoming the person she was meant to be, although she doesn't know who that person is just yet. I'm looking forward to writing this, so I hope you'll cheer me on! Happy reading!

The Shadow of Fame, Chapter One

"When you grow up and become a Pokémon trainer like your sister, Hannah, you need to always try your hardest – so hard that you never lose. Cynthia's only ever been defeated once or twice, but she's still the Champion of the Sinnoh Pokémon Elite Four. In order to be strong, you need to have a balanced team…" Hannah's mother went on and on until she could hardly bear it anymore, but when an eternity and then some seemed to have passed, Hannah's mother stopped. "Hannah, are you even listening to me?"

Hannah tried very hard (and succeeded) to not snicker or snort or do anything otherwise rude. Carefully schooling her expression to one of demure politeness, Hannah nodded. "Yes, mother. When I grow up I have to be just like Cynthia and follow her footsteps so that I can be the best I can be and continue the family's legacy of greatness, as started by Cynthia. And I have to never lose, like Cynthia did. Not to anybody." Only no one's ever given a thought to the idea that maybe, just maybe, I don't want to be a Pokémon trainer or anything even remotely having to do with Pokémon! Hannah was tempted to scream. But she didn't – she never did. The only thing that blowing up at her mother like that would accomplish was probably something along the lines of a firm lecture verging on a screaming-match between mother and second-daughter.

Even so, Hannah did want to have a life that was very closely entwined with Pokémon – just not as a trainer, not as a person who battled with her Pokémon. If anything, Hannah wanted to be like one of those people who raised Pokémon to be beautiful and cute – not to mention smart, cool, and tough – and then battled in an entirely different way; in Contests. That was Hannah's dream. But who knew if dreams ever worked out the way they were intended to? Hannah certainly didn't know. And either way, dreams were subject to change.

Mostly Hannah wanted the Pokémon she might own to be able to bask in a stage light that she could never share; not with her sister, Cynthia, the Champion of the Elite Four in Sinnoh, and certainly not with anyone else. Hannah had never been much of a fighter unless she really wanted something – and even then, that was rare. Hannah was absolutely plain when compared to her sister – average in height, complexion, hair and eye color. Her skin was a trifle paler than most people's, granted, and her eyes were an odd shade of muddy blue, but her dull, stick-straight sable-colored hair was anything but interesting no matter what she did with it. At the moment that mass of hair was flowing free, with the exception of a ribbon or two and a hair clip. Hannah figured that she would never be as pretty or even as intimidating as her older sister Cynthia.

Even though Cynthia always wore black, when she chose to she looked amazing in any color she wanted to wear. Hannah envied her sister that, for the only things she looked good in were muted greens and blues, with the occasional peach pink or pale orange. As it was, Hannah was wearing a rather plain top in pastel shades of orange and peach red, with a light blue denim skort. She had white knee-socks and black-and-white sneakers that hugged her ankles adorning her calves and feet, and carried a little shoulder bag that held the things she usually took around with her – the usual and ordinary water bottle, two or three granola bars (in case the munchies struck while she was out and about), her wallet (which featured a cute Ralts – Hannah's favorite Pokémon – on its cover, as well as other various things such as her school ID and some money), and the book she was currently reading. There were also a few different types of Pokéballs and some Pokéfood in case Hannah ever came upon a Pokémon she wanted to try to catch or befriend.

Hannah knew that even though her sister was the Champion of Sinnoh (and she should be rightly proud of her for it, as well), her primary goal in life was to learn as much as she could about the mythology of Sinnoh – how it was created, which Pokémon (if any, Hannah couldn't help adding) created the area, what hardships it went through and how those hardships were important, and so on and so forth – but Hannah wasn't really sure why Cynthia wanted to know about it. Even before Hannah had been born, Cynthia had worked or helped out at their Grandma's lab, where she learned all about Pokémon. When Cynthia had turned twelve she had set out on her grand Pokémon adventure, and by the time she was sixteen she had become the Champion of Sinnoh. Hannah had noticed of late that Cynthia was remarkably good at not letting her title get in the way of either her studies into the mythology of Sinnoh and spending her occasional free moments with the family in Celestic Town. When she wasn't in Celestic Town Cynthia was helping out other trainers on their way, and Hannah just couldn't begrudge her sister for that. Somehow, though, she managed to feel jealous about it. It was an irrational, stupid jealousy; but alas, emotions do not respond to reason.

Another thing that Hannah wanted to know about her sister was why she was so intent on learning about Sinnoh's mythology. Did it really matter so much, Hanna wondered? Well, whatever. It's too deep for me, anyways, she thought to herself.

Hannah sighed.

"Hannah, my sweet, this isn't doing any good. Why don't you go and look for some Pokémon to befriend? Just be back by dinner, dear." Hannah's mother sighed and walked back into the kitchen – whatever she was cooking smelled awfully good even though it probably wasn't anywhere near finished yet. Resolutely, though, Hannah nodded and walked out the door. As she did, a sort of feeling came over her, and she got the idea that maybe, just maybe, she might not be home in time for dinner.

Hannah's mother would not be happy about that.

:Brother, we have to hurry!: the little Ralts said to her brother. They were pushing through some strange underbrush that they had never seen the likes of before – but the two Ralts were not from around these parts.

:Sister, what are we even hurrying for?: the brother Ralts complained. They were holding hands as they foraged their way through the plants, which were tough and springy and hard.

:I just have a Feeling that we should be hurrying, Brother. It's strong this time.: the first Ralts confided to her sibling. The brother immediately stopped his whining – his sister's Feelings were very rarely wrong, and if this was a strong Feeling – then they should be hurrying.

The two Ralts were rather unusual among their kind – very rarely did they venture out of their homing areas, and even less frequently was a Ralts born with the ability to have such Feelings as the sister Ralts did. There had been something of a – disagreement over what should have been done with the sister Ralts when they were among their own kind, but eventually it had been decided by the head Gardevoir and Gallade that it would be best if the two Ralts left – if only because the sister Ralts's Feelings were only (then) predictions of ill things to come. That had been many moons ago, however, and now the sister Ralts's ability had flourished and was able to predict more positive things, as well. I think I started out with the negative things because even the people without my ability can feel the ominous tint to the air before something bad will happen – but happy things are harder, because we're so convinced that our lives must follow paths of misery and despair and so we never see the happy things coming. I had to learn to get around that, was what the sister Ralts had said to her brother one evening as they settled down to rest for the night. The brother was inclined to agree with his sister – her explanation made rather perfect sense, in a way.

The two continued pushing their way through the underbrush far past the time when the sun dipped below the horizon – but the Ralts did not rely on only light to see. They had an inner sight, rather like the echoing call of a Zubat without using sound, which allowed them to "see" their premises if their eyes were blinded. If the flat horn-like projection on their heads – called sensor-plates – were to be covered, however, their sight-without-eyes would be hindered. However, nothing short of painfully cutting off the plate would completely blind a Ralts. Either way, Ralts have excellent vision and do not often rely on the thought-sensing that their sensor-plate sensitizes them to.

Finally, shaking with exhaustion even through the endurance they had built up on their travels, the two little Ralts consented to stop for the night. Luckily they had picked food from the underbrush as they traveled and there was no shortage, so they ate what they held and then fell asleep, curled in each other's arms.

Hannah's gut was about three feet underground, her palms were sweating bullets to add to those coming from the rest of her body, and her heart was throttling her throat – only she had no idea why. Anxiety washed over her in waves, threatening to drown her, but still she held on. It was quite dark out, and she was wandering around in the tall grass (which only came up to around an inch or two above her knees) with no Pokémon to call her own. She had friend Pokémon, sort of like a Ranger, but they were all in their homes, sleeping, by now. Hannah was completely alone out here, and she did not like it one bit.

The cry of a Pokémon – a Houndour, Hannah thought? – pierced the night, and it sounded startlingly close to Hannah. She paled and gulped, though made no other sound, and tried to steady her racing heart and shallow breathing. She moved on through the grass, her feet leading her on as if they had a mind of their own. The cries kept coming, from different locations, so that Hannah felt as if she were being chased or boxed in – she did not like the feeling at all.

Her fears did not ease the more steps she took, the more deep breaths she forced herself to inhale, not even when she reached a small clearing that seemed to have some sort of boulder she could perhaps perch on as she waited for the Houndours to go away, or confront them if it came to that. Actually she would speak soothingly to them, assuring them to the best of her ability that she would not make good food at all, and here, look, there was some great food right there! Failing that… Hannah wasn't sure what she would do. But she wouldn't think like that for now.

She went to the boulder to sit on it, but luckily she looked before she sat – that wasn't a boulder… it was a duo of Pokémon! Looking closer, Hannah thought they looked rather familiar… Where have I seen a Pokémon like that before? she wondered. She thought and thought and thought – her fears gradually fading away as she immersed herself in the task of finding the name that of Pokémon.

Hannah was so immersed in her thoughts that she didn't hear the cries of the Houndours getting closer and closer…

"Ralts!" Hannah exclaimed suddenly, jumping up triumphantly, fist pumping the air. "The Ralts on my wallet!"

The two little Ralts jerked awake at hearing the big-walker name for their kind, their sensor-plates shining as they clung to each other, while Hannah gasped at her sudden outburst – or perhaps it was the ten or twelve Houndour that were surrounding the clearing she was in.