The Sardonic Adventure of Briar Casey
Author's Note: Okay, I already have this chapter written down somewhere else, and everyone who read it assured me that it was a lot better than the first one.
Anyway, before I let my friend read this one, I told her "What I really want to do is make the most boring part of the game interesting." After she read it, I asked if I'd succeeded.
"Yes, *insert any name you wish in here because I won't tell you my real one*. You succeeded."
So this chapter is one of my biggest successes. Read on and discover how I supposedly made the beginning of the game, a part dreaded almost as much as Victory Road, interesting!
Chapter 1
The Twins' Prison Break
"So you're going-" Dina started.
"On an adventure?" Earl finished. They always talked like this.
That's what I've been saying since Gracie died," I answered. At the last word, Dina sniffled, Earl hung his head, and Forget stopped doing her favorite thing (running in circles around her trainer) and sat down. I was the only one who could say she died releasing legendary sobs that could probably be heard in Accumula. After all, I was the bitterly realistic one.
"Just you and Forget-Me-Not-"
"Travelling all over Unova?"
"For now," I explained. "But I'll catch more Pokémon, some may not even look like Pokémon, and together all of us will become powerful." I stopped stuffing a brush in my tiny backpack. "Just like I always dreamed." Dina and Earl looked at each other, kind of uncomfortably.
"Maybe-"
"We could go too?" This time, I was zipping up the backpack (carried everything I needed and was lightweight, but at that moment I hated it nonetheless) and stopped, which turned out to be a mistake on my part.
"What do you mean?"
"Well we have Pokémon too!" Dina exclaimed, all by herself.
"She has Oshowatt and I have Tepig and you have Forget. We could all go on a journey," Earl added.
"And, unfortunately, we could never have done that with Gracie."
"She was always more of a stay-at home kinda girl." They looked at me with big, dark blue eyes, as if it was my destiny given to me by the great Oracle of the universe to decide whether they went on a Pokémon journey or not. I knew I would never do so; they were fourteen and should think for themselves. However, I did decide that it'd be good for them when they didn't finish each other's sentences.
"I can't make you go or not go," I murmured, attacking the zipper again. "You have to decide for yourselves." Earl and Dina spun on each other, wearing expressions that made it seem as if I'd slapped them. This I didn't get, because I could easily have thought of a hundred other ways to say it, at least twenty-five actually including me slapping them. Why are Unovians such dreamers? Am I the only realistic one in this entire region?
"I… I think it may be good for us," Dina muttered.
"This place has some bad memories, too," Earl added.
"Then you should go," I concluded, out of breath and triumphant from my battle with Senor Zipper.
"Yeah!" Dina agreed.
"We should!" Earl finished. The two darted out the door; I scrambled to follow them, trying to get my backpack on my back at the same time. They didn't even set foot inside their house. They just yelled: "Mom! Dad! We're going on an adventure with Briar!" and slammed the door. Though it seemed impossible to do so without hurting their feelings… maybe I should've rephrased my earlier statement about thinking for yourself.
"Don't you think your parents deserve a bit more than that?" I asked, but the twins didn't even hear me. They were both chattering excitedly, letting Oshowatt and Tepig out of the Poke balls.
"We'll get strong, too-"
"All of us will have a team of our own-"
"6+6+6=18! We'll have 18 of Unova's strongest Pokémon!"
"It will be-"
"Awesome!"
So much for them not finishing each other's sentences.
"Not if I can help it!" All three of us spun around and came face-to-face with Mrs. Baldridge. "Which I can! Because I'm your mother!" Honestly, I don't know how she birthed those two.
"Mom!" Earl complained.
"You can't do this forever!" Dina whined.
"Just watch me! You're far too young!"
"In Kanto, kids could go on Pokémon journeys when they were only ten," I muttered.
"Really? Well, this isn't Kanto, Briar. You of all people know that."
All right. That hurt.
"What's going on?" Mrs. Pope, who was almost at Mrs. Baldridge's side, asked. Ever since Gracie's death, she was paler, talked less, never came out of her house, and always had red, puffy eyes.
"My children are trying to go on a Pokémon journey even though they're far too young!"
"My daughter was far too young to die," Mrs. Pope backfired. "She still did, though."
Oh snap. What now.
Mrs. Baldridge turned her head (in shame, I thought), then said:
"I agree, Rosie. But a journey and death are two very, very different things." All three of us looked to Mrs. Pope for more support.
"Is it really, Daisy? Do you believe that?" I'm not quite sure if this comment was in our favor or against it, but it did make Mrs. Baldridge (her first name was Daisy? What?) think for a second.
"They… they're not leaving." Once again, all of us eyed Mrs. Pope, but she just shook her head and shuffled back to her house. I guess we shouldn't have asked so much from a daughter widow.
"Come, Dina. Come, Earl," Mrs. Baldridge ordered. "You still have chores to do." Dina and Earl followed their cranky mother (seriously, I was beginning to think that her crankiness was like my crankiness but on steroids) back to their house, looking some sort of demented parade of defeat. I sighed, dusting off the old empathy and putting it in overdrive, then sadly walked home, too.
Well of course I wasn't starting my adventure today, not after Earl and Dina's brutal defeat. But even if Mrs. Baldridge didn't see it, I did. They should go on this journey. They needed to go on this journey. And I was determined to take them with me.
"Mrs. Baldridge?" I asked Earl and Dina's slightly scary mother. "Can I say bye to the twins again? I'll be leaving really early tomorrow and, well, they're not really morning people." Mrs. Baldridge debated this for a second, trying to figure out if it was possible that I could yell "RUN!" and have the twins follow and actually survive.
"Earl! Dina! Briar wants to say bye!" The twins couldn't have shown up faster if they'd been wearing jetpacks.
"You're-"
"Leaving?"
"No, no, not right now," I assured them, eyeing their eavesdropping mother. "But I'll be leaving very, very early tomorrow, and I highly doubt you'll be awake when I do. That is, unless you stay up all night or something." The shrewd Baldridge twins seemed to be catching on already.
"You're right-"
"We probably won't."
"Well, I'll throw pebbles at your window just in case," I concluded. I made sure to sound like I was joking, just a little bit. Luckily for me, Dina and Earl already seemed to understand my plan entirely.
"Well, alright-"
"But no promises." I laughed.
"Well then, maybe I'll see you tomorrow. If not… bye." Both hugged me to make it seem realistic (Dina even managed some sniffles and a tear), then I set off back to my house, winking at them only when their mother's back was turned.
Neither of my parents were in bed, despite the fact that it was almost dawn. They were both proud and worried of their (somehow) beloved daughter, and couldn't seem to fall asleep like normal people. I saw that the light was on in their room, which meant Dad was probably reading. I'd also heard the TV on downstairs for a while now, so Mom had surely been asleep for hours.
When I decided that it was officially safe (actually, more like half an hour after I decided it was officially safe), I crept out of my open door with Forget at my side. I heard Dad snore, which was good. Mom, as expected, was passed out on the couch with 9021Minccino blaring from the TV. I blinked for a second longer than usual, then Forget and I raced quietly out the door.
Just so you know, I didn't enjoy sneaking out early. My parents were Kanto to me, and I definitely didn't enjoy leaving Kanto behind without saying goodbye. I'd left them a note apologizing seven times, explained why I believed Dina and Earl should come with me, told them I loved them, left my Xtransceiver number, and said I was sorry and that I loved them one more time on my pillow.
When I got to the Baldridge home, I scooped up some gravel and began throwing pebbles at their window. I began to worry that they'd fallen asleep after all or, even worse, just given up when Earl finally came to the window.
"Sorry!" he hissed.
"We were getting our stuff," Dina (who had joined him) finished.
"We'll be right down."
"No need," I replied. "Forget, use Vine Whip on their windowsill!" Forget, ever obedient, attached her strong vine to their windowsill. "Climb down." They did, mercifully jumping down early to save Forget from exhausting herself. I picked her up and cradled her, the same way Gracie used to do it, and then we all dashed towards the exit of Nuvema Town.
"Just where do you think you're going?" We spun around, fearing the worst. It wasn't Mrs. Baldridge, though. It was Professor Juniper.
"We're going on an adventure," I explained, meaning to sound brave but having it come out kind of smart-alecky, "and you can't stop us."
"I certainly could," Juniper said, nodding towards Dina and Earl's house. They tensed. "But I won't." All three of us let out our breath. "I just have a favor to ask of you."
"Yes-"
"Ma'am?"
"Fill in these Pokedex," she said, fanning three gleaming, brilliant Pokedex out in front of us like money. Earl and Dina grabbed at them eagerly, but I hesitated, not wanting to believe it. I finally did, though. They were certainly more ostentatious than the ones in Kanto, but they were beautiful nonetheless. After a few seconds of us admiring Juniper's creation, she said: "Go!"
And we did.
And, despite the fact that I'd been outside for a while, I was just now feeling the cool autumn breeze.
Author's Note: Did I do it? Did I make it interesting?
Also, how do you say Pokedex plural? I haven't asked very many people, but those that I have were unsure. Anyone? Anyone?
And one more thing: If you're still unsure of what sardonic means, this line sums it up:
"My children are trying to go on a Pokémon journey even though they're far too young!"
"My daughter was far too young to die," Mrs. Pope backfired. "She still did, though."
Oh snap. What now.
Making something funny out of something sad or awful, or just being sarcastic to hide your true feelings. It describes a lot of people, actually.
Anyway, thanks again for reading, and please review!