Disclaimer: Pokémon does not belong to me it belongs to the geniuses at Nintendo.
Tess walked happily next to her big brother, just barely restraining herself from breaking into a run. Actually the only thing stopping her from just taking off like a runaway train (and probably causing as much damage and destruction as one) was her brother's hand clamped tightly over her own. Darren might have been many things, great trainer, good breeder, awesome big brother, but stupid he was not. And so he kept a good hold and even better eye on his little sister lest she get free to wreak the kind of havoc only she seemed capable of.
The reason for this little brother/sister outing was quite easily explained. Just a few weeks ago Tess had turned twelve years old. And while for most children this would not normally be a big deal, for Tess (and her parents) it had been a day she had waited two years for, the first few minutes in sullen anger and for the last two years in stoic determination. For today she would finally be registered as a pokemon trainer and receive her choice of starter pokemon. Professor Elm had graciously allowed her a separate day from the ten year olds to collect her starter, he had mentioned something about two other kids, also twelve year olds, who would be joining her. Tess didn't much care about the other two, so long as she got her dream starter. Cyndaquil was a dream of her past, she had her eye and heart set on Totodile now. Nothing would get in her way! The feisty little reptile pokemon was just what her all-water type team needed.
Tess had spent her two years preparing, reading every book, article and eternally questioning her brother on all things water pokemon: strengths, weaknesses, moves, strategies, the whole shebang. Tess had been, for her at least, patiently studying her two years away and also training her own water pokemon, Man O' War. She was quite proud that now Man O' War could hold his own against pokemon stronger than him, not much stronger than him but by five levels at least. A good solid start she thought.
Darren of course was more than happy to help his sister with her quest to know all things water pokemon. Her parents as well, both for different reasons. Her parents believed that this was Tess calming down, and getting serious about something…they were only half right. Tess was serious, deadly serious but she hadn't calmed down in the slightest. Darren pretty much knew how his sister would react to their parent's reasoning, and was looking forward to her proving them and possibly the whole world wrong. Besides being a type specialist was a lot of work and would hopefully, fingers crossed and toes as well, keep her out of trouble for at least a year. But he knew that was probably a long-shot. Glancing down at his little sister, he shook his head. She was humming happily under her breath and shaking her fist at random Growlithe and Vulpix in neighbor's yards who had the nerve to bark or yap at her. More than a longshot then…probably a lightyear shot.
---^__^---
Connor bounced on his feet, face a mask of happiness, Mike stood next to him, brooding. He and Connor were currently waiting outside of Professor Elm's research building. Mike had been slightly dreading this very day for some time now. Over the last two years he had been trying, hard, to convince Connor that Chikorita and not Totodile was the starter for him. Connor, though in possession of the attention span and focus of goldfish, had proven to be remarkably resilient to any and all of Mike's attempts to divert or change his mind. He wanted a badass starter, not a girly starter, girly pokemon were weak, he didn't want Chikorita, he wanted Totodile and nothing Mike did or said could make him give up on that.
Mike's last hope between him and listening to his brother complain about his starter for the rest of his life was the third kid who had been held back. If the kid wanted Totodile he or she was in for a fight, if Connor wouldn't back down for Mike what were the chances he'd back down for someone he didn't even know? The other kid had a snowball's chance in hell of getting Totodile away from his brother. But you know…there is the rare day when hell freezes over…
And so here they were waiting outside the lab, for the third member to join them.
---^__^---
Tess sneezed and wiped her nose on the back of her long sleeved shirt. The action caused Darren to give her hand a tug.
"Tess. Use a klenex next time." Tess only smiled brightly up her big brother, they both knew that wasn't going to happen. As they completed the last rise to Professor Elm's lab, Tess saw the two figures standing outside waiting for them. She decided to ignore them until circumstances dictated otherwise. "Wait here." Darren commanded, letting go of her hand to walk the extra few steps to the lab door, disappearing inside. Tess shrugged, looking at the two boys she found herself next to. The one next to her looked far too happy for his own good and the one further away looked like he was in the running for Prince of Angst. In short no fun.
Tess was quite content therefore to just ignore the two of them until she could collect her Totodile and leave. But then the happy one just had to ruin her perfect plan and in the worse way possible she might add. He spoke.
"Hey! My name's Connor, what's yours?" The voice was overly friendly and child-like. Tess eyed the bouncing ball of sunshine and candy canes like it was going to explode on her. She was not disappointed. "What starter do you want? I'm going to get Totodile."
---^__^---
Later Mike would wonder when he had blinked. One minute his brother had been talking to the new girl the next he was sitting in the dust staring up at her with wide eyes, surprised, as blood dripped from his nose. And before he could do much more then register this change she had started talking, actually yelling was a more accurate word, at his brother.
"What the hell kid?!" Totodile is MINE, got that?!" And with that Mike was resolved to stay out of this. Connor wasn't one to just take things and he scrambled to his feet.
"Why should you get Totodile?! You're just a girl!" This time Mike saw the girl move, she didn't ball her fist up to punch Connor, instead she just threw herself at him. Catching him in a vicious tackle and then perching upon his chest once he had hit the ground, with his legs and arms immobile and the breath knocked out of him, Connor couldn't really do anything as the girl then preceded to lecture him in a loud angry voice with a single finger jabbing him repeatedly.
"I should get Totodile because I'm stronger. I should get Totodile because I've spent the last two years reading up on all things water-pokemon and I already have a water pokemon. I should get Totodile because I already have several wins under my belt as well." With each reason she jabbed at Connor a little bit harder. "I should get Totodile because you would never be able to handle him, and I know that because you can't even handle me." When the girl quit talking momentarily to take a breath, honestly Mike was surprised she hadn't keeled over, a deeper male voice stopped her from continuing.
"Tess, I'm glad you made a new friend but if you don't get off of him neither of you will be able to get your pokemon." That had the girl, now named Tess, jumping to her feet and consequently dragging a dazed and shell-shocked Connor to his feet as well. She smiled brightly at Professor Elm and the older male, who, with the same shade of dark red hair and blue eyes, was probably her brother. Professor elm shot the brother a quizzical look. "Honestly I only left you alone for a minute."
"She always punch her friends Darren?" He asked slightly incredulously. Darren nodded sighing.
"Only the new ones." He said in a very tired voice. Tess didn't seem to notice or if she did she ignored the way the two were talking. Bouncing over to Professor Elm, still smiling she held out a hand.
"Totodile please." She demanded. The Professor looked from her bloody knuckles up to Tess's face and back again before deciding it was best to please the scary child and dropped the appropriate pokeball in her hand. Tess giggled happily bouncing back to her spot, rubbing her cheek against the pokeball in an affectionate nuzzle.
"And who would li-"
"Cyndaquil." Mike cut in quickly, he couldn't risk his brother choosing the fire type either, since it was the only 'manly' one left now. Professor Elm handled being cut off rather well and handed the Cyndaquil's pokeball over to Mike, turning to Connor and dropping the remaining ball in his hand as well.
"And Chikorita for you." Connor stared rather dejectedly at the pokeball in his hand, casting Mike a wounded look that he ignored. Professor Elm continued on, pulling out three pokedexs from one of the large pockets of his lab-jacket and passing them around, informing the children of the function of the pokedex and the other duties it could perform. Finally he shooed them off with a flap of his hand and a 'good luck' when he was done talking, disappearing back into his lab, leaving the three trainers and Darren standing outside.
Darren crossed over to his sister's side, ruffling her hair with one hand he grinned as she growled and tried to swat him away. He tugged the blue and green beanie mother had knitted for the start of his journey off and plopped it on Tess's head.
"Happy late Birthday kiddo, now get out there and show 'em what you can do!" He put his hands on her shoulders. "I'll be rooting for you." Then while she stood ramrod straight with shock he reached up and yanked the too-large hat down over her eyes and nose. That brought Tess out of her stupor, she squawked yanking the beanie back up to rest above her forehead. By that time her brother had vanished and with him any hope of sibling retribution. Tess kicked the ground and stomped off down the road. Ignoring Mike and Connor as she muttered under her breath about how using teleport to get out of a beating was not becoming. Mike grabbed Connor's shoulder and dragged him after the girl. She seemed to know where she was going.
--^__^--
"Why the hell are you still following me?" Mike shrugged, Connor was still staring at the pokeball in his hand and so did not answer. "Well, stooopp!" Mike just walked faster so the three were walking side-by-side.
"Sooo…where you from?"
"Arg! Go away!"
Author's Notes:
-And so begins a beautiful friendship…oh Mike, you are so awkward.
-Tess has a brother complex.
- And so marks the first of many beat-downs for Connor and not all of them by Tess. In this case Connor totally deserved it. He actually goes through extreme personality changes as he grows up due to being beat-up and lost all the time.