Disclaimer: I do NOT own Pokemon! Only the OC's and the plot, so no stealing!!!
Rising Storm
Chapter 1: Preperations Begin
"Alas, we mourn the death of one held dear to us." The priest's voice droned on and on through the hazy afternoon.
He was garbed in black robes and his black hair was streamed with gray. His dark and hooded eyes darted among the people gathered, settling upon a young girl. Her head was bowed, her hands clasped in her lap. If he hadn't been paying such close attention to the girl, he wouldn't have noticed the small shudder that shook the girl's thin shoulders every few moments.
He brought his speech to an end and then stepped off the dais. He gazed mournfully at the oak coffin, onto the peaceful expression on the woman that lay in it. On his shoulder was a Murkrow. "Murk…" she cawed softly.
The priest stood to the side as he watched the townspeople come up to pay their respects to the dead woman. She was so young, had been so full of life. It was amazing how swiftly one's life seemed to end.
Her daughter was almost a mirror reflection of her mother. There was never any need to ask if they were related. Both had long red-gold hair, mischievous violet eyes, full lips, a proud chin, a dainty nose and a small stature. The girl's hair was swept in a high ponytail but she had long bangs. Her bangs covered the left half of her face and her eyes were downcast.
Compared to other girls her age, the dead woman's daughter seemed even smaller. But both carried themselves with confidence and the girl could throw quite a good punch. Her uncle, after all, was a martial arts trainer who taught the girl how to fight as soon as she was able to walk.
The priest was so immersed in thought; he didn't realize that the girl had come up to him until she tapped him on the arm. She was ten but her eyes held a wisdom and knowledge that no ten year old should know. It was cynical and bitter wisdom and a bitter expression that adorned her face now. The priest knew very well that the girl's bitter expression would disappear as soon as she was with the Pokemon that her family breed and cared for.
"Murk!" the priest's Murkrow called out.
"Yes Kumori, what is it?" the priest asked. How ironic, that this child's name should mean Shadow…
"Father wants to talk to you." The child said briefly before disappearing into the crowd. That was the upside of being small. She could squeeze through spaces that many other people couldn't.
The priest smiled wryly and then went to talk with the girl's father, who was a Pokemon professor and gave aspiring trainers their starters. It was all very well that the family owned a Pokemon breeding farm.
Meanwhile, the girl, Kumori, had escaped out of the church and into the forest. She sighed, wandering aimlessly among the giants. That's how she liked to think of herself when she was in the forest. Kumori sat down under one of the large oaks and closed her eyes.
She felt tears escape her eyelids and trickle down her cheek. She was very thin mainly because she was always dogged by sickness. She had never had that big of an appetite. Kumori had grown up with Pokemon. After all, her mother had been a breeder. Now, it was up to her father and herself to keep the farm going. Kumori began to make her slow way back home.
The call of the Starly and the Pidgey filled the air as Kumori continued to walk. She found herself leaning against the fence that bordered the field where the farm's three Rapidash were grazing.
Kumori felt her face break into a small smile as she gazed at the graceful Pokemon. She swiftly climbed over the fence and began to head across the field. The three Rapidash looked up at her but only one of them called.
He galloped up to the girl and she gently stroked his nose. "I'm really ok, Blaze." She assured the Pokemon. Blaze snorted as if in disbelief, than returned to grazing.
Kumori then glanced around at the other fields. She headed for the incubating hall, intent on seeing if any of the Pokemon eggs had hatched yet. Kumori was just about to start her Pokemon journey and she still hadn't found a starter yet.
Maybe this might be her lucky month. Her birthday was this month as well and she planned on leaving then. She heard the sounds of the newly hatched Pokemon before she saw them. The egg in the first case had hatched and a Torchic was chirping from amidst the broken shell. Kumori swiftly grabbed the clipboard that was hanging from a hook and recorded the data.
Doing these chores helped take her mind off the throbbing pain in her heart. She gently stroked the top of the Torchic's head, intent on getting it used to human contact from an early stage. After spending about five minutes with the Torchic, she continued down the corridor. Numbers 2-12 were still in their eggs. At first, number 13 seemed the same but as Kumori moved away, she noticed the egg begin to crack.
She froze, than glanced at the data sheet pinned to the glass case. This egg had been found in the Lucario enclosure. Kumori grinned in excitement. This would be the first Riolu the farm had. The farm had two Lucario's but they had been gifts from a man named Riley.
Kumori then heard the bell on top of the gate ring and she scowled. The girl darted towards the guests and tried to smile welcomingly. But these guests were here to comfort the young girl and she accepted their sympathies silently. This was a family of three, a family whom Kumori knew quite well. At least, she knew the adults.
Their son, about Kumori's age, smiled at her shyly and she rolled her eyes, anxious to get back to the hatching Riolu. "Hey, um, Kumori, right?" the boy asked. He had shoulder length brown hair and his bangs framed his pale face. It was amazing that he was the only one close to Kumori in height. Both of them were only about 4'7" in height.
"What's it to you?" Kumori growled under her breath. "Yes, that's my name," she said louder.
"I'm going to start my Pokemon journey soon and I need a starter…I'm not sure if this is a good time to ask, though…" he grinned hopefully.
"No, now is a great time…" Kumori tried to smile again but failed miserably. She motioned for him to follow her.
"Come home when you're done, alright Arashi?" the boy's mother instructed him. Arashi nodded and fell in step behind Kumori. She led him past the fields with the Rapidash and the pool with the Poliwag.
"Hey, I've always wondered. What do you guys do with all of these Pokemon anyway?" he waved his hand around.
"We give out starters and my father does research on them." They passed by the incubating hall now. "We breed them as well and supply the neighboring dairy farm with all the Miltank they need." The two walked on in silence until they passed the first of the six fields that contained the available starters.
"So, what choices do I have?" he asked.
Kumori had watched many new trainers select their starters and she knew what she had to do. She vaulted over the fence and moved among the grass. She came back with a Bulbasaur, which she tied to the fence post via a leash and then repeated it five more times.
At the end, there were six Pokemon tied to the post. The Bulbasaur, a Piplup, a Charmander, a Cyndiquil, a Squirtle and a Turtwig gazed up affectionately at Kumori. She had basically been the first human they had seen. Many of the other staff members who worked at the farm didn't have much to do with the incubating hall.
"This is it?" Arashi asked, slightly disappointed. He had wanted a Pokemon different from a normal starter.
"Take your time. I need to check on the newly hatched Rio—" she broke off, astonished at the change of expression on Arashi's face. She had been kneeling down to pet the top of the Bulbasaur's head.
From disappointment to excitement is a marvelous change. "There's a newly hatched Riolu? I want it for my starter."
"What? Hell no!" the girl jumped to her feet, her eyes blazing. "That Riolu is the first Riolu to hatch on this farm!" she told him, fighting to keep her voice calm. "That Riolu isn't going anywhere."
Then, one of the staff members came dashing over from the Lucario enclosure. "Kumori," he panted, white cap askew. He eyed the boy uneasily. "We found another egg in the Lucario enclosure." Kumori acknowledged this.
"Take your time choosing." She spat at Arashi. "I'll be right back." She took off towards the Lucario's.
"Is she always so temperamental?" Arashi asked wistfully. The staff worker raised an eyebrow.
"If you're not going to choose…"
"Oh, right. Maybe I'll wait." Arashi wandered away, hands in his pockets.
The staff worker shook his head, than returned the six Pokemon back to the field. He headed for the Rapidash field, knowing it was nearing their dinner time. Kumori, meanwhile, had entered the Lucario enclosure, her sharp eyes searching for the egg. She finally found it and then gently picked it up, cradling it against her chest.
Nobody had entered the Lucario enclosure for a while so there was no knowing how long the egg had been there. The Lucario had always been led inside for feeding and the outside enclosure needed no cleaning.
Kumori then slowly existed, walking towards the incubating hall, silently counting steps in her head. One…two…three… She began to pace, suddenly wanting to make the egg hatch. She walked towards the back of the hall and then stopped to gaze at the newly hatched Riolu. Its red eyes blinked at her sleepily and she smiled.
She continued pacing, her steps nearing two hundred by now. It was amazing how long the incubating hall was from end to end. At around the five hundred step mark, she noticed Arashi was standing near the entrance and she groaned. "What do you want?" she asked.
"I've got two questions."
"Ask away."
"One, why are you pacing and two, is that the egg that was found in the Lucario enclosure?"
"I'm attempting to speed up the hatching and yes, this is the egg that was found in the Lucario enclosure. And no, when it hatches, you can't have it for your starter."
"Why?"
"Because, I need a starter and this Riolu will be my starter."
"Hey, what happened to customer satisfaction?"
"You're not paying any money, and since when was there a guarantee for customer satisfaction?"
He snarled angrily and she smirked. "Just let me see that newly hatched Riolu." He growled and pushed past Kumori. She rolled her eyes but let him past. He proceeded down the hall, and then stopped outside of the newly hatched Riolu's case. "What gender is it?" he demanded.
"I'd say…probably a male."
"Hey, there's two Riolu now. I can have one now!" he grinned in triumph.
"Uh-uh," Kumori shook her head at such foolishness. "I'm keeping one for my starter." She resumed pacing.
He looked at her in astonishment. "Fine then," he spat. "I'll come back when Professor Maple is around. He'll let me choose whichever one I want."
"If that's what you want. I'm not stopping you." Arashi stalked away, anger coming off of him in waves. "Hey, not my fault you're a stuck up snob who always get what you want." Kumori muttered under her breath.
The newly hatched Riolu seemed to smile.
---
The next week, Kumori woke up to the absence of the scent of breakfast cooking. Again. Almost at once, the pain that had been held at bay all week came crashing down on her and she began to sob uncontrollably.
Her door creaked open and a Growlithe padded in. He jumped onto her bed and nuzzled her gently. She had to wait for the hysterics to stop before she could talk. "I'm fine now...I think..." Kumori smiled reassuringly, resting her cheek against the top of the Growlithe's warm head.
"Grow," he barked.
Kumori absentmindedly continued stroking the Growlithe, then stood up with a sigh. She shrugged out of her gray tank top and shorts and pulled on a black tank top, a black jacket and black cargos. She laced up her sneakers and hurried downstairs to begin cooking breakfast.
Her father walked into the kitchen, almost lifeless. "Mornings just aren't the same with Mother, are they…" Kumori remarked softly, setting a plate of waffles before her father. She sat down opposite, not eating this morning. He didn't say anything, used to her passing up meals.
He tried to eat but couldn't swallow more then a couple mouthfuls. He shoved the plate away from him. "It's just hard to believe she's gone…I mean, I know it's been a week but it seems so much longer..."
Kumori placed her chin on her hand, her elbow propped up on the table. "Hey Dad," she began. "You know how I'm leaving for my Pokemon journey in a couple of days?"
"Days?" this caught his attention. "What? That fast?"
"Yes. Are you going to be able to handle being alone for the next couple of years? I'll come back during the summers and everything but I'm just worried about leaving the farm…"
"Right, we need to get you a starter. Any of the newly hatched caught your eye?" he asked.
"Yes…" the small, thin girl traced a pattern on the wooden table. "The Riolu…"
"Riolu?" her father managed to crack a smile. "And there I was, thinking you'd go for the Fire type."
"Yeah, I know. I was thinking the Fire type at first but there's something about this Riolu that really catches my attention." Kumori said sheepishly. "And he also caught the attention of Arashi Whitewind. But please, Dad, don't let him have the Riolu. Neither of them, I'm begging you."
"Why?"
"They're not his type. Besides, wouldn't it be nice to have at least one Riolu on the farm?" she persisted.
"Hmm…you've got a point there. Well then, what do you think Arashi's type is?" her father's black eyes had regained some sparkle now and they recognized the mischievous grin on his daughter's face.
"I'm thinking Grass or Electric. Oh, gotta go check on the Riolu's!" Kumori dashed out of the house, the screen door slamming in her wake.
She dashed off along the path leading to the incubating hall and skidded inside. She raced down and then stopped a couple cages away. The newly hatched Riolu didn't have a separate enclosure yet so they still had to stay inside. But Kumori made sure to take them out for walks each day. She gently took both of them out and attached leashes to their collars.
She was pretty sure that the male Riolu, the first one to hatch, was the one for her but the female Riolu was also quite interesting. She completed her rounds then, out of sudden inspiration, placed the female back into the glass cage and picked up the male. "I'm calling you Twilight, from now on." Kumori said.
She didn't feel any pain when she was with the Pokemon. It was only a dull throb, almost non-existent. She brought Twilight back to the house, seeing that her father had already gone to his lab and headed for her room.
As she began to pack her knapsack with things needed for her adventure, like spare clothes, extra food and her wallet, she observed Twilight as well. The Riolu was a curious Pokemon, prodding around her room. She noticed Twilight was also very cool and calm, not even the least disturbed when Arrow barked at him.
For the next few days, she continued packing and getting things ready, bonding with Twilight as well. Arashi came over the day before she was going to leave and he left with his starter. He was able to get a starter that wasn't exactly a normal one. He left with a Shinx, one of the numerous little electrical lion cubs prowling around the Luxray enclosure.
"Well, tomorrows the big day. Best rest up, Twilight." Kumori whispered to the Riolu. Her starter pretty much spent all of his time with her and he hadn't even gone in a Pokeball yet. Kumori wasn't intending on placing him in a Pokeball either.
I wonder what the next few years will be like…she thought as she drifted off into welcome darkness.