Attention: Since English is not my mothertongue you might find some spelling mistakes or syntax errors. I apologize in advance. My mothertongue is Swiss-German so I normally imagine a sentence in German and try to translate it as well as possible into English, sometimes there is a lack of vocabulary or I don't find a match or the appropriate idiom but I want to improve my English and become a better writer. Another thing I want to make clear is that I use „..." to introduce direct speech! „ are not commas but the German quotation marks, just to avoid confusion.
Coming to Alola
Chapter 1:
It was a beautiful morning somewhere in Kanto. A path along the river lead to an ostentatious manor, equipped with stained-glass arrangements, towers and golden cupolas. This was the home of James, a young man with lavender hair and emerald-green eyes who, until now, never had the chance to see his welcoming crib from outside.
He was lying in his bed, covered with a blanket made from silk. His pillow was so cuddly and soft that it almost absorbed his head. James was drowsing, but fully aware of what was going on in his surroundings. He could hear footsteps coming closer and an elderly man, the butler of the house called Hopkins, grasped at a megaphone and filled his lungs with fresh air.
„Good morning, Master James! It's time to wake up", Hopkins yelled. James recoiled. He was sitting bolt upright between the sheets. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and shook his head in disbelief.
„It's your birthday, Master", a lovely voice said. Trish was James' foster mother and had taken care of him for the last decade. The lavender-haired man took a look at the calendar on his nightstand. As a matter of fact, another year had passed. Another year in which James wasn't able to have a wash by himself or get dressed on his own. It was time to address the problem. He cleared his voice.
„Hopkins, I think I'm finally old enough to choose what I'm going to wear today all by myself", he said. His butler laughed heartily.
„You jest, Sir! Let the Pokégirls help you with your wardrobe. It's not only your birthday today, but a very special occasion too", Hopkins explained. James sighed heavily. Nobody was ready to give him credit for independence.
„What's the occasion, Hopkins?", he wondered.
„Tonight, you are going to meet your future wife. Believe me, she is dainty, graceful, gentle and absolutely enrapturing", the butler was delighted, he couldn't stop holding a torch for the unknown contender. James didn't set much store for this seemingly fantastic choice of his parents. He enjoyed his bachelorship and used his freetime to improve his skills in Pokémon-battles, but it was his duty to follow his mother's and father's will.
After his daily morning routine, it was time for James to join his parents for breakfast. He sat down at a long table and was hardly able to spot his family at the other end of it. The cook had surpassed himself. The servants brought James fruit salad, crême brulée, egg and bacon, toast with blueberry jam and a giant chocolate birthday cake, decorated with James' Pokémon Koffing and Chimecho. Still, the young adling wasn't able to relish the moment and seemed depressed. His mother noticed his discomfort and addressed her son.
„What's wrong with you, James? Don't you even have a weary smile for us? We took great pains to educate and advance you and you're just sitting there with the lousiest mood, how ungrateful you are" she scolded. James stared at his empty plate. He had to clarify the situation, stood up and walked over to his parents.
„Mother, Father. I've always been pampered and extremly spoiled. Every wish was anticipated. I've been looked after, bathed and even fed. The only thing I want, is to take a decision on my own. I know that you carefully picked a bride for me, but what if I'm not ready to get married or what if I'm not capable of developing feelings for her?", James raised his concerns.
„My parents chose your mother for me. In the beginning, it wasn't easy for both of us. Let's say, we were strangers and we didn't have the chance to get to know each other beforehand, but by and by I started to fall in love with this ravishing dame and I hope that you will be able to make the same beautiful experience with Jessiebelle", his father replied.
That was it, James didn't dare to contradict his father, he had to give in.
Luckily, Butch, James' closest friend and trainer, joined the company and broke the akward silence. He took the hand of the noblewoman and kissed it gently.
„You look wonderful, Ma'm, as always. Your hair is a magnificence, your perfume smells like a rose-garden and your eyes shine like the full moon", Butch was used to pay the lady of the house compliments.
He turned to James, examining him. His dark red eyes sparkled. He took a Pokéball out of his trousers and held it under his master's nose. Butch didn't have to say a word, James jumped up and was relieved to leave the dining room in order to consecrate himself to
the daily training.
They walked to the sports area and James got ready for an intensive workout. He called out Koffing and thought about effective attacks, but Butch had other intentions.
„So, I heard you're going to meet your future wife tonight", he said.
James rolled his eyes. He wasn't in the mood for talking about his meticulously planned futurity. He wanted to beat Butch and ordered Koffing, filled with toxic gasses, to use Tackle in order to weaken Butch's Primeape. The Pokémon cleverly avoided the attack and countered with Low Kick.
„What kind of woman are you looking for, James?", Butch wanted to know.
James groaned.
„She has to think for herself, have an own opinion, has to be punchy and brave, open for adventures and has to be rebelliously, just like me", he admitted.
„And how does she have to look?", Butch asked.
„I don't care", James replied. „As long as she doesn't have crook legs, only two teeth left and a distinguished nose, I'm fine", James gagged.
They dedicated the rest of the time to the workout and Butch had to acknowledge that James was a hard and cunning combatant. He had no chance against his master, drops of sweat built on his forehead and he was quite out of breath.
Darkness fell and hundreds of guests arrived at the manor. James was nervous.
The bow tie seemed to strangle him. His heart was pounding. What kind of woman was Jessiebelle? Would she please him? Could she become his eternal partner? Was she loving and as sweet as sugar, just as Hopkins predicted? James' head was slightly spinning. He was standing next to his father and waited for Jessiebelle to appear in the crowd.
A group of girls lined up. Each of them owned a Buneary. They told their Pokémon to use Bounce. Their companions jumped in the air, there was a flash and thousands of little pink hearts that filled the hall. Amid this attacks, which were pretty to watch, appeared a woman. She wore an elegant ball gown, light green with silver pearls. A fan covered her face. She laughed with a high voice. Her red curls fell on her shoulder. She had crystalline shoes and matching jewellery. Once she removed the fan, James could see her thin face. She smiled temptingly and came closer.
„Do I meet your wishes and desires?", she asked. James swallowed hard. The first thing he wanted to do was talking to Jessiebelle in private. He asked the guests to excuse him and lead his bride to a nearby chamber. Their parents exchanged questioning glances.
James entered the room and was followed by Jessiebelle who slammed the door behind her. He didn't even have the opportunity to say a word, his prospective bride shushed him right away. She forced him to take place on a carved wooden chair and tethered him up with strings. James didn't know what would happen next. She approached him, she was so close that he could feel her warm breath on his cheeks.
„Listen carefully, James, my dear. I was chosen to give you a strict upbringing. I'm going to teach you the right manners, how to behave in public and how to avoid embarrassing situations. You're going to obey me, every word I say is law! Don't ever try to disagree with me. You're going to like everything I like, you won't have the right to present your own opinion. You hate what I hate and you will share the same interests as I do. You're going to make me proud and don't dare to disappoint me, otherwise I'm going to make your life as miserable as possible! And now, let's get out and smile all over our faces to show our parents and the guests what a loving couple we are", her voice had a threatening undertone. James was stricken with fear. He had made a really bad catch.
They stepped out of the chamber and James tried desperately to seek talks with his father. He agreed and they left the hall direction garden.
James commanded all the courage and begged a break.
„Father, please, I think I'm not ready to get married, not yet", he whispered in a fearful voice. „I mean, is that really it?", he wondered. His father looked at him worriedly.
„I know, my son. You want to sow your wild oats, right?", he said and gave James a pat on the shoulder.
„That's not what I meant, it's just that Jessiebelle is the most..", he didn't have the chance to finish his sentence. He couldn't tell his father what a horrible, temperamental diva she was. His father turned to him and smiled.
„Alright! I give you 40 days to live on your own! Do whatever you please, meet young women and have fun! After that, you're turning home and commit yourself to Jessiebelle, don't answer back!", he commanded.
James nodded, he was too scared to dissent his father.
The next day, James called for Butch. He asked his best friend to accompany him as a travel companion.
„Where are we going?", Butch was fully motivated.
„We're going to Alola", James decided.
„What do you want in Alola? It's so far away from home", Butch said.
James shook his head.
„To be honest with you, I want to find my future wife in Alola. If I have to get married, if I'm being forced to get married, I want to find a woman who attracts me and who gives me the possibility to breath", he confessed.
„What's wrong with Jessiebelle?", Butch wondered.
„She's your worst nightmare! She's like a general, a darn stern and obsessed officer! I can't imagine spending the rest of my life with a person who wants to change every little detail about me", James was glad that he could tell Butch his reservations.
Butch nodded contentedly.
„And where in Alola do you think you could find your woman of your dreams?", he asked.
„I think I'm going to find my luck on an island", James said. „Either Mele-Mele or Ula'ula. Let's decide by toss-up. Head is Mele-Mele, tail is Ula'ula", he threw a coin in the air and it landed on the secretary. Butch was eager to find out the result.
„Head! We're going to Mele-Mele", James said triumphantly.