(Okay, it's been a while, but I've got a whole new chapter for all you loyal readers (WELL, WHICHEVER ONES ARE STILL LOYAL, ANYWAY—I CAN UNDERSTAND YOU GETTING FRUSTRATED AND LEAVING)! This chapter features insight on a character's past, BUT DON'T WORRY, THERE'S PLENTY OF ACTION, TOO! ENJOY!)
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The Dog Days of Pokémon Tech
Chapter Seven: Early Bird
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I feel that the first sentence from Dickens' classic "A Tale of Two Cities" would fit well here.
It was the best of times; it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom; it was the age of foolishness; it was the epoch of belief; it was the epoch of incredulity; it was the season of Light; it was the season of Darkness; it was the spring of hope; it was the winter of despair; we had everything before us; we had nothing before us; we were all going straight to Heaven; we were all going straight the other way—in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.
A fitting description of Parents' Night, I'd say.
It was three weeks after the dance, and the entire school had gathered in the cafeteria for this event. Some students were nervous about what their teachers might say. Others were afraid of what their parents might say. Still others were excited to show off. But the majority of the children were just glad to finally see somebody from back home.
Students and parents embraced each other with open arms, so pleased to see each other. In many cases, you could easily see that the acorn doesn't fall far from the tree—Roxanne's father, for example, was a slim, dark-haired man in a grey business suit who seemed to radiate intelligence, while Erika's mother was a short, pretty woman with big eyes and the scent of a flowery perfume with an aura of kindness about her.
On the other hand, Noel's dad was a tan, towheaded guy with a boisterous attitude and a loud voice, completely unlike his daughter. You know this type of parent—the one who likes to brag about their kid and doesn't realize it's embarrassing.
This group of six had just gathered to meet and greet when Riley walked up, accompanied by an elderly man dressed all in indigo. Despite his age, he seemed perfectly sturdy.
"Hey, girls," Riley greeted. "This is my grandpa. Gramps, this is Roxanne, Erika, and Noel."
The three girls grinned and waved, and Riley's grandfather broke out in a huge smile. "Oho!" he laughed. "So this is the Noel I've heard so much about! She looks like a sweet one!"
"You've got a real ladies' man there," Noel's father chortled, before extending a hand. "Call me Christian. I'm Noel's father."
"Raiden," Riley's grandpa replied, vigorously shaking it. "And yes, I'm quite proud of him."
"Who knows?" Christian chuckled. "We may just be planning a wedding soon!"
I'm sure Riley and Noel would want me to cut away right now, so I will, over to Persephone's clique. A few of their parents had already arrived. Maxie and Archie's moms were there, Archie's a stout, dark-haired woman in a deep blue gown and a large sapphire brooch, and Maxie's a thin redhead in a scarlet tracksuit and ruby earrings. The two had arrived just in time to break up a fight between their sons and started a cheerful conversation with one another.
It wasn't long before Vienna's father arrived. He was a short, balding man with a piercing gaze and a half-dozen pagers strapped to his belt. "Pumpkin!" he cried, holding his arms wide.
"Daddy!" Vienna called back, embracing him in a big hug.
"How's my little tax shelter?" Mr. Silton chuckled, tussling her hair with his palm. "Making lots of friends?"
"Of course, daddy!" Vienna replied. "Are you making lots of money?"
"You tell me," her dad winked.
Mr. Silton reached into his pocket and handed Vienna a sterling silver, diamond-encrusted tennis bracelet. "Stocks are climbing higher and higher," he laughed. "Last week, my accountants threw a party!"
Archie and Maxie's moms' eyes suddenly went wide as they sped over to Mr. Silton.
"Oh, you're a lucky man to have such a sweet, beautiful daughter," Maxie's mom said smoothly.
"Your…wife must be very happy," Archie's mom hinted.
"Actually, I'm divorced," Mr. Silton told them. "Too bad, really—I have so much love to give…"
"Oh, that's too bad!" Archie's mom said right away. "I'm Arianna."
"And I'm Maxine," Maxie's mom stated, pushing Arianna aside.
That's when the catfight broke out.
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Across the room, Steven, Jose, and Russell had adjourned to the snack table when two others walked up to them. One was a short, grey-haired man in a grey suit with a neatly-trimmed grey moustache. The other was an elegant, blue-haired man in a showy white outfit, complete with white beret and white silk cape with blue velvet lining inside.
"Hey, dad," Steven said, holding a tray of snacks over to the grey-haired one. "Pig in a blanket?"
"Thanks, Steven," his dad grinned, taking one of the hors d'euvres.
Jose, meanwhile, ran over to the blue-haired man and hugged him tight.
"It's good to see you, too, Jose," the man said, in a deeper voice than expected. "I've certainly missed you."
"You look familiar," Steven's dad commented toward the man. "Have we met before?"
"Unlikely," the man replied, gently letting go of Jose. "But you may have heard of me: Wallace, professional coordinator and Jose's…godfather…"
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Up against a nearby wall, Persephone and Jason were watching all the family reunions with contempt.
"Check out Adrian's ma and pa!" Jason laughed. "I think they're just visiting from the fifties!"
It was true—Adrian's dad had short-cut black hair, brown loafers, blue slacks, a brown vest over a white shirt, and a pipe, and his mom had curly blonde hair and wore a polka-dotted dress and red high heels. Not only that, but they kept using outdated words like "nifty" and "keen", and, on top of that, they were obsessed with improving the school's safety protocols, insisting that there should be more sprinklers on the ceiling and non-skid mats in the showers.
"That's nothing!" Persephone giggled. "Look at Saoirse's mom!"
Saoirse obviously took after her mother. That woman could give a boner to a blind monk! She (like her daughter, obviously) was of Japanese ancestry, and had flowing obsidian hair, pearly white teeth, eyes like emeralds, and a trim figure held up by long legs and tiny feet. She was currently working on Mr. Silton, and, unlike Arianna and Maxine, she seemed to be doing quite well.
Jason and Persephone continued to laugh until they could hardly breathe.
"So," Persephone said, trying to catch her breath. "Where are your parents?"
"Eh," Jason replied with a wave of his hand. "Mom's been gone for over a year now, and Dad's…well, he's not coming. Yours?"
"Mom said she'd get here late," the albino girl replied. "With luck, she won't make it."
Persephone was disappointed in just a few minutes when her mother walked in. She was the spitting image of Persephone, but with Russell's hair, eyes, and complexion, and she was still in her police uniform. Though Russell was eager to meet with her, Persephone preferred to stay distant until the teachers' reports, where she stayed closer to her mom than she had since she was in the womb.
I won't bother you with all the reports for everyone, as that would be sure to bore you. I'm sure you know that Jose only had trouble with oral reports, and that Roxanne was shooting straight toward valedictorian, and all that. What matters here is what they said about Persephone.
"She's quite bright," Mr. Grady had said. "But she seems to show a lot of contempt for the actual work."
"A delightfully smart girl," was what Mr. North informed. "But not all that delightful to be around. She has a few friends, but she's rather disliked by the other students, due to her somewhat…prickly personality."
"I don't know how many times I've sent her to the principal's office," Ms. Goyal told Ms. Jenny. "She's quite an anxious one, and is very eager to leave the school."
"I've lost count of how many times I've treated Charon," Ms. Joy reported. "Persephone gets into a lot of battles between classes, likely because she needs something to do with her time. I've suggested a variety of hobbies—needlepoint, painting, choir—but she's rejected them all.
"She's a troublemaker, plain and simple," Coach Gold grunted. "Plays rough, pranks the other students, mouths off to me, and refuses to come to my outdoor classes without that umbrella! Good soccer forward, though."
"I just don't understand, Caesar," Persephone's mother said to Principal Gonzales after hearing all of these. "Persephone was always so well-behaved at home."
"No, she wasn't!" Russell argued. "She was always like this! You even sent here because she and Charon—mmf! Mmmf, mmf!"
"Don't ever mention that!" Persephone threatened, clapping a hand over her brother's mouth.
"It could be any number of reasons, Demeter," Principal Gonzales said smoothly—almost flirtingly. "Lack of a proper role model, a façade to cover insecurity, a desire for attention…"
"I don't think so…" Demeter pondered. "Persephone was never shy or insecure, and always found acceptable ways to get attention. She was a six-time Junior Miss, after all."
At this statement, several students did spit takes, stunned that the Persephone they knew and feared had actually won no less than six beauty pageants!
"For real?!" Archie and Maxie exclaimed.
"Yes," Demeter said dreamily. "She was crowned Little Miss Olivine four years running, and Little Miss Johto twice. She was so sweet back then…"
"Dude!" Steven whispered to Russell. "Why didn't you tell us?"
"She's not embarrassed," Russell said simply.
"And she shouldn't be," Principal Gonzales commented. "That's quite an accomplishment. Still, I have no idea what provoked this change in her," he told Demeter. "You're her mother. Perhaps you have a theory?"
Demeter thought for a moment, and then scowled as she came up with an answer.
"Charon," she growled.
"What?" Persephone whimpered, clutching Charon's Pokeball tight.
"That Murkrow has always been trouble!" her mother said. "I put up with it until now because you were so excited over your first capture, but now I can clearly see that it was a big mistake! Charon was a bad influence from day one! It's led you into all sorts of intolerable acts! Well, I'm putting a stop to it right now!"
"What does that mean?!" Persephone gasped, squeezing Charon's ball even tighter.
"It means no more Charon!"
Despite Persephone's grip, Demeter swiftly and easily wrenched the ball from her daughter.
"Here, Caesar," she said, handing it to Principal Gonzales. "I'm entrusting this to you until I find a more permanent solution."
"Of course, Demeter," the principal said amorously. "But perhaps you should think about this for a moment. Charon is Persephone's first and only Pokémon—."
"Russell doesn't have a Pokémon and he's doing just fine," Demeter interjected, and quite sternly at that. "Persephone will find a new starter and bounce back, but Charon has got to go!"
Persephone opened her mouth to argue, but closed it before any words could come out. She knew it was pointless. Once her mother had made up her mind, she became impossible to sway. Like mother, like daughter, really.
This was truly a dark time in Persephone's life.
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If you're ever had to give away a pet because somebody in your family is allergic, you might have some idea of how Persephone felt that night. After the parents had spent a couple of hours catching up with their kids, they had said their goodbyes, but not all of these farewells had been happy—Persephone was cold and prickly (more so than usual), not just to her mother, but to everyone around her, even her clique.
Persephone couldn't sleep that night. She just kept wide awake, staring out the window in misery. It was raining, just like the night before she'd met Charon.
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Flashback…
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Persephone crept out of the house one morning, as quietly as she could. She had to be careful not to alert her nanny, or worse, Russell, that little snitch—if he caught her going out alone this early, he'd have their mom on the phone before she could say her own four-syllable name.
Still, Persephone loved these muggy mornings after storms—the rain had stopped, but the grey clouds were still out, and the sand down by the beach made a delightful squish under her feet. It was days like this that Persephone loved to go outside most. The strong sunlight that usually shined on her hometown was murder on her sensitive albino skin.
As usual, Persephone went toward the beach instead of into town. She was nowhere near stupid enough to go right toward her mother. Besides, the beach had lots of neat Pokémon to observe.
The young albino spread out her towel and took a seat. She hadn't brought her umbrella this time; there wasn't enough sun to bother. As she stared out at the beach, she saw a bunch of the usual Pokémon—the red gemlike forms on the heads of Tentacool, bright lights flashing from underwater Chinchou, and Magikarp flopping about like idiots.
However, there was a difference this morning—the numerous Wingull of the beach, normally quite mild-mannered, were angrily swarming around the cabanas.
Persephone was anxious to investigate this strange occurrence, so she picked up her towel and ran over. There, in the middle of the fracas, she saw a Pokémon that was decidedly not a Wingull. It was birdlike, like them, but that's where the similarities ended. Its feathers, instead of being white with stripes of blue like a Wingull's, were jet-black, unkempt, and soaked with rain. Its beak was long and crooked, and its eyes sharp and fierce. This Pokémon seemed to have selected one cabana as its own, and wasn't too eager to share. It was obviously strong—it was beating over a dozen Wingull on its own!
It's a Murkrow, Persephone noted in her mind. She had seen its kind on TV, but never in person—Murkrow were forest Pokémon, and never hung out on beaches. She decided that she wanted a closer look, so, being careful to avoid the Wingull, she approached the cabana.
To her shock, the Murkrow flew down and violently pecked her, cawing angrily and refusing to stop until she ran off of the beach.
Biting back tears, Persephone ran home, vowing to win in round two.
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End Flashback (and Scene)…
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The next morning at breakfast, Persephone couldn't bring herself to eat. Her team mercifully sat with her, but none of them knew quite what they should say. Miserable, Persephone excused herself and went down to the library to be alone for a while. Before she could even find a good book, though, she was called to the principal's office.
"Hello, Persephone," Principal Gonzales greeted sadly when she walked in. "Your mother has some news for you, and I felt that it was best delivered in private."
The albino girl sighed and walked over to the videophone, seeing her mother on the screen. "Hey, mom," she said, dejected.
"Hello, Persephone, dear," Demeter replied. "I felt you should know that I've found a place for Charon."
"So soon?!" Persephone exclaimed.
"Oh, yes. There's a wonderful bird Pokémon sanctuary near Ecruteak City that would be happy to take Charon off of our hands. I just need to fill out the paperwork and we can send him over first thing tomorrow."
"You mean you can send him first thing tomorrow!"
Demeter scowled. "Don't you talk back to me, young lady!" she scolded. "This is for your own good! That Charon was a bad influence, and if you keep up that kind of bad behavior this whole family could end up disowning you!"
"Is that all you care about?" Persephone cried. "Me becoming a police officer? I don't want to follow the family business! I want to do something fun with my life, and with Charon!"
"The only thing you'll end up doing with Charon is becoming a wanted criminal! The subject is closed, Persephone! Charon is going away, and that is that!"
With that, Demeter hung up.
"I'm sorry about all of this," Principal Gonzales sighed. "I really am."
"Can't you just give me back my Charon?" Persephone pleaded. "Please?"
"Absolutely not," the principal said sadly. "Demeter is expecting me to send over a Murkrow, and I can't risk my job to help a student disobey their mother. I'm sorry, Persephone, but there's nothing I can do."
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Persephone adjourned to her room after that. She had no idea how long it was before she heard a knock on her door.
"Go away!" she shouted.
"Come on, boss," Adrian's voice called. "Let us in. We have something for you."
Persephone was silent.
"I choose to take that as a 'yes'," Saoirse said.
The door opened and Persephone's six enforcers came in and took a look at their leader. Her hair was messed up, her nose was runny, and her eyes were puffy. She had been crying lately.
This was a new experience for Persephone's clique. They'd never seen her sad before—it was like an aggressive Wobbuffet or a friendly Coach Gold.
"What do you want?" the disheveled albino snapped.
"We haven't seen you since breakfast," Archie informed.
"We were worried," Maxie added.
"We brought something we thought might make you feel better," Jason said.
Jason pulled out a paper bag and handed it to his leader. She reached in and pulled out a large, red Berry with a bumpy top and oblong shape—a Pomeg Berry.
"It's your favorite, right?" Saoirse asked.
Persephone nodded, but she couldn't stop staring at the fruit.
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Flashback…
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"Sorry I'm late," Demeter said, hanging up her hat and uniform as she entered the house. "How were the kids?"
"Oh, angels, as usual," replied Prudence, the twins' buxom, redheaded nanny. "But you're home awful late. What was the delay?"
"Oh, some Murkrow has been terrorizing the beach all day. We had to rope off the whole area, and then it just flew off to find a new roost. If I never see that Murkrow again, it'll be too soon!"
"Murkrow, eh? They're not native to this area. What's it doing here?"
"No idea. Best theory is that it was blown off its migration path during that storm last night. Whatever the problem, it doesn't seem to care. It just wants to spread trouble. And it's a lot stronger than you'd expect—Nurse Joy tried to capture it, and her Chansey was creamed."
"That's terrible!"
"Oh, she'll be fine. I just hope that we've seen the last of that thing!"
Neither of these grown-ups ever would've guessed that Persephone was listening in. She was glad to hear more about this Murkrow. After all, Sun Tzu's first rule of war was "know thy enemy". She knew that the Murkrow wasn't gone. It had power here, and it wouldn't give that up so easily.
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The next day, as Persephone went to school with Russell, she kept an eye out for the Murkrow the whole way there, but saw nothing. It wasn't until lunch that she did.
It was a sunny day, so the kids got to eat lunch at the outdoor tables. Persephone angled her umbrella to give her proper shade and inspected her sack lunch. In addition to the pastrami sandwich, carrot sticks, and lemonade, Prudence had included a special treat: a Pomeg Berry.
What happened next happened in the blink of an eye. Wingull swarmed the playground, swooping down and stealing food and occasionally beating a student away here or there, and commanding them all was that Murkrow.
The teachers rushed out as the students stampeded in, but Persephone just sat, paralyzed. That Murkrow had seen her, and it definitely recognized her. With a sadistic caw, it swooped down and stole the Pomeg Berry right out of her hand, then proceeded to greedily devour it.
Persephone snatched at the Darkness Pokémon's feathers and painfully pulled a few out before a teacher rushed her indoors. That Murkrow had just declared war, and it had picked a very dangerous enemy.
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End Flashback…
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"Pers?" Vienna said, poking her roommate. "Pers, are you there?"
"Yeah," Persephone replied, though she didn't sound entirely sure. "I'm just not hungry right now."
"What's the matter?" Maxie asked. "I've never seen you pass up a Pomeg Berry before."
Persephone sighed, then told them what her mom had told her.
"That's awful!" Adrian exclaimed. "A trainer and their first-ever Pokémon share a very special bond! Getting rid of it is like getting rid of a huge piece of you!"
Persephone just threw her head back into her pillow and started crying again. Unsure of what to say, her clique left the room.
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Classes that day were a nightmare for Persephone. Gossip of Charon's departure was spreading, and, though almost nobody knew for sure, Persephone was still losing respect left and right without her Murkrow to back her up. People weren't as afraid of her anymore, and her hold on the school was slipping as a result. People laughed at her, challenged her, and, worst of all pitied her. She didn't want sympathy—she wanted Charon!
The only one whose fear for her hadn't ebbed at all was Coach Gold. He was as terrified of those pictures as ever. He made her captain of her baseball team for class, but she was in no mood.
Then, when she was up at bat, she couldn't help but notice that Riley, the pitcher, held the ball just like a Pokeball. He threw it like one, too…
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Flashback…
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Students were brought home early on the day of the bird Pokémon attack. Parents wanted them safe. Russell was scared out of his gourd (the little wuss), but Persephone was just furious. That Murkrow would pay for stealing her Pomeg Berry, she'd see to that.
A couple of hours later, as Persephone and Russell were having a snack at the dinner table, Demeter returned home, looking quite distressed.
"What happened, mom?" Russell asked, unable to stop staring.
"You were in the middle of the bird Pokémon attack, weren't you?" Demeter snapped, causing Russell to cower slightly. "They've been swarming in different spots in town all day! That Murkrow is a threat to everyone here! The Wingull were easy enough to scatter, but that Murkrow is persistent. It may have left town temporarily, but we're sure it'll be back real soon, and who knows what then?
"As it is, I'm forbidding both of you from leaving this house until this crisis passes!"
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Persephone was never one to follow the rules too closely, no matter what her mother thought. That Murkrow had made it personal when it ate her favorite snack. She wouldn't let anyone else get her revenge for her.
Of course, she wasn't just going out willy-nilly. She had a plan. She had gotten the family's pet Growlithe, Darla, a retired police Growlithe, to come with her for a battle. She held the feathers she'd pulled off of the Murkrow up to Darla's nose and followed the tracker out of the house and through the city. The Pokémon led her down to the beach, then back up to the school, and downtown into several back alleys. It was in one of those that Darla stopped, pointing her nose straight up.
There, perched on a clothesline, was the Murkrow.
"All right, Murkrow," Persephone shouted. "I'm challenging you to a battle!"
"Murk, murkrow!" the Murkrow cackled. It wasn't taking her seriously.
"I mean it!" she yelled.
The Murkrow just laughed harder.
Persephone had had enough. "Darla, hit it with a Flamethrower!" she ordered.
"Growlithe!" Darla barked, opening her mouth and shooting a jet of flame up at the Darkness Pokémon.
"Murkrow!" the Murkrow screamed, flitting aside just in time. "Mur, murk!"
"That's right!" Persephone called. "I'm serious! Now battle me!"
The Murkrow narrowed its eyes, but nodded, then flew in for a Peck attack.
"Dodge and use Fire Fang!" the albino instructed.
"Grow, growlithe!" Darla replied, leaping out of the way of the Murkrow's assault and trying to bite it as its teeth burned bright. The Murkrow, however, just laughed and flew behind Darla, then hit her with a strong Wing Attack to the posterior.
"Don't take that, Darla!" Persephone yelled. "Knock it into the wall with your feet!"
Darla nodded and kicked the Murkrow into the brick wall behind it.
"Now Fire Fang!"
Darla turned and advanced in for another attack, but the Murkrow let out a loud cry and paralyzed her in place. While Darla was cringing from the Astonish, the Murkrow flew around and knocked her down with another Wing Attack.
"Keep trying!" Persephone cried. "Another Flamethrower!"
Darla growled and pulled herself to her feet, shooting another jet of flame at the Darkness Pokémon, this time hitting her mark—the attack struck the Murkrow square in the breast, pinning it to a wall.
"Keep it up!" Persephone cheered. "Turn up the power!"
The Puppy Pokémon barked and put more of her strength into the attack, dealing critical damage.
"Murk, murkrow!" the Murkrow screamed. With an immense amount of effort, it managed to break free, then swooped down and hit Darla in the face with yet another Wing Attack.
That was it for Darla. She was old and retired, and couldn't take any more. She fell over on her side, unable to battle.
The Murkrow laughed and laughed, savoring its victory. It never saw Persephone until it was too late. She beaned it with her umbrella, knocking it out on the spot. Then, to make her victory permanent, she pulled out a Pokeball that she'd taken from her mom's cabinet and threw it at the Darkness Pokémon. The ball opened and the Murkrow was converted into light and sucked in. The ball closed and began to wiggle as the Pokémon struggled to escape. This lasted an entire minute before the ball was still.
She had captured the Murkrow.
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End Flashback…
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"OW!" Persephone cried as the ball struck her in the forehead. She held her hand to it and felt a bump growing.
"Hit by pitch," Coach Gold said dismissively. "Take your base."
"Coach," Saoirse called. "I think she's really hurt! She needs to see the nurse!"
"Hm?" the coach grunted. It was obvious that he didn't care. "Oh, fine. Jenny, you know where Ms. Joy's office is."
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"That's quite a nasty bump," Ms. Joy commented. "How did this happen, exactly?"
"Hit by a baseball in gym," Persephone sighed. She stared around at the stark-white infirmary, with all those childish posters telling kids to avoid bad habits like smoking and riding bikes without helmets. She absolutely hated this place. It smelled like iodine and rubber gloves.
Joy stared at Persephone with her big, brown eyes. "That's not like you, Persephone," she said. "You're usually so focused."
"I'm allowed to have off days," the albino girl growled.
"Yes, I suppose so. But I find that it's better to talk out your feelings. Is there anything you'd like to tell me?"
Persephone truly did want to talk—but not to a Joy.
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Flashback…
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"I don't know what to say, Persephone," Demeter said when her daughter showed her the Pokeball the next morning. "You directly disobeyed me, and left the house to chase after a dangerous Pokémon in the middle of the night, but you also showed great initiative and resourcefulness—I'm not sure whether to ground you or deputize you."
"Do whatever you think is right," Persephone replied. "But can I keep it? Please?"
"No!" Russell shouted, the little brat. "That thing's evil! Get rid of it!"
Demeter had to think on this one. "I suppose…" she said. "If you can be responsible and keep it under control, Persephone, then I suppose there's nothing wrong with you keeping it. All children should have a Pokémon, after all. For protection, at the very least."
Persephone was overjoyed, and Russell looked ready to cry, the big baby.
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Keeping the Murkrow under control was definitely easier said than done. The Darkness Pokémon had a strong will, and was reluctant to call Persephone its master. It constantly cawed loudly and made her jump, and violently pecked her. It ate her food and stole her house key. It alerted Prudence whenever she tried to sneak out, and laughed when she got punished. It declared Darla's bed as its own, which led to daily fights between them.
The Murkrow usually won.
It was after one of these fights that Persephone took her Murkrow to the Pokémon Center to heal, and hopefully get some advice from the local Nurse Joy.
"Well," the nurse told her, putting a finger to her cheek. "Pokémon are actually a lot like people—they often act out due to neglect or abuse. I'd advise showing Murkrow some compassion and kindness instead of just anger and frustration. The healing process is slow, but it will happen over time."
That was the last time she'd ever take a Nurse Joy's advice. The Murkrow wasn't neglected or abused—it was just mean. It enjoyed causing misery to those around it. It continued to wreak havoc day after day, and only interpreted her (admittedly forced) kind gestures as signs of weakness.
Finally Persephone had had enough. She ran into her room and slammed the door shut, then released the Murkrow from its Pokeball.
"Murkrow!" the Pokémon squawked, violently pecking at her head.
"ENOUGH!" Persephone shouted, striking it with her umbrella. "I have had it with you! I'm sick of you acting like you're above the rules here! Like it or not, I'm your master and you obey me!"
"Murkrow, murk!" the Murkrow argued.
"I'll show you some respect when you actually earn it!" the oddball Jenny snapped, picking up her umbrella to hit it again.
Just before the two could begin fighting, the door flew open and Russell came in.
"Persephone," he sneered. "Mom says you have one more week to train that Murkrow or it's out of here! Whatever you're doing, keep it up!"
Persephone raised her umbrella, but before she could advance three steps, the Murkrow was angrily pecking her twin all over.
Russell ran out of the room, screaming bloody murder.
Persephone stared at the Murkrow for a minute. "That was…pretty cool," she finally said.
"Murk?" the Darkness Pokémon replied, confused.
"Yeah…" the albino girl responded. "What are we doing, anyway? We're wasting our time trying to control each other! Why should we make each other miserable when we can team up and make everyone miserable?"
"Murkrow!" the Murkrow agreed.
"Perfect," Persephone said with a smile. "Watch out, world—here comes Persephone and…you know," she stopped. "You need a real name. Something that matches you."
"Murk, murkrow?"
"Yeah, something from Greek mythology, like all the women in my family. Not Hades—he and Persephone never really got along, and I'm trying to promote team spirit here. How about Thanatos, a lesser god of death? Or Hypnos, god of sleep? They were pretty important in the underworld."
"Murkrow," the Murkrow cawed. The look on his face made it clear that it hated the names.
"You're not an easy one to reason with," Persephone frowned. "Hey, how about 'Charon'? He was the ferryman of the river Styx, and he'd milk people for all they were worth, taking their money just for transport to the land of the dead. He's the reason the Greeks couldn't take it with them. Sounds like you, doesn't it?" she said hopefully.
The Murkrow hesitated for a moment, then smiled and nodded.
"Charon it is!"
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End Flashback…
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"Persephone? Persephone?"
"Huh?" Persephone said, snapping back to reality.
"Is there anything you'd like to talk about?" Ms. Joy asked again.
Persephone looked directly into Ms. Joy's huge brown eyes.
"No," she lied.
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Lunch turned into a nightmare for Persephone, and it all started when a familiar dark-haired boy walked up to her brother's table. He was handsome and charismatic, with his hair combed down low so it nearly covered one eye.
"Hey, guys," he said. "Glad to see me?"
Russell looked confused, but the others were ecstatic.
"FALKNER!" they all exclaimed (except for Jose, of course—he just smiled). Riley seemed especially happy, jumping up and hugging the boy.
"Dude," the indigo-clad boy said. "Was today the day you came back from that Valencia Island exchange thing?"
"Yes, Professor Exposition," Falkner replied, rolling his eyes, but then he grew excited again. "It was a blast! We had all our classes outdoors every Friday!"
"Lucky…" Erika and Noel mumbled.
"Sorry," Russell piped up. "But…who are you?"
Steven laughed and spoke up. "Russell, this is our old friend Falkner," he said. "He won a drawing to attend a sister school on Valencia Island not long before you got here. Falkner," he grinned, turning to the old friend. "This is our new friend Russell. He's Persephone's twin brother, but you'd never guess it."
"Great to meet you," Falkner greeted, shaking Russell's hand before addressing the group. "So, guys, what else has changed since I left?"
As Persephone watched her frequent opposers fill their old friend in on recent events, she couldn't help but remember how she had clawed her way to her place as underworld queen of the school.
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Flashback…
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As soon as Persephone had met her roommates, she had begun formulating plans to rule the school. If pageants had taught her one thing, it was how to manipulate people around her. She needed Vienna's money for influence, and for that she needed Vienna. That was easy enough—Vienna was a sucker for flattery, and just kept getting easier to control.
She also needed muscle, which was where Archie and Maxie came in. Those two disagreed on almost everything, but they did have a couple of things in common, most prominently their big crushes on Vienna.
These may have been unusual friendship starters, but they worked. The foursome became thick as thieves (which they also became once in a while).
The next step had been establishing a reputation for herself, which she did by defeating other trainers. Riley was her first choice—he had a really strong Pokémon that was still a bad matchup against Charon. After beating him, she took on Falkner, Steven, Erika, and numerous others, beating them all easily.
Roxanne had been a lot tougher. Nosepass had numerous advantages against Charon, and dealt Persephone a devastating loss the first time around, but with clever planning and lots of evasive tactics, Persephone and Charon managed to pull off a win in the rematch.
Still, given a choice, she preferred to look like a good guy in the eyes of the other students, and she formulated a plan to do just that.
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"You want to battle me?!" Coach Gold laughed, his booming voice echoing all over the gym.
"That's right!" Persephone said, loud enough for the entire class to hear. "I'm not afraid of your intimidation tactics!"
"Why would I waste my time battling a student?" the coach sneered. ""Your Pokémon's too low-level to actually be a challenge!"
"Then you have nothing to worry about!" Persephone shot back.
Coach Gold looked all around the room as the kids stared with anticipation, then let out a growl. "Oh…fine!" he consented. "I guess a demonstration of proper Fighting Pokémon tactics couldn't hurt!"
"Then let's sweeten the deal," the oddball Jenny smirked. "If I win, then we all get out of your class for a week!"
"Why not?" the titan laughed. "But when you lose, everyone here's running an extra thirty laps!"
All the students gasped, but Persephone just smiled. "No problem," she said, pulling out Charon's Pokeball. "I don't plan on losing! Go, Charon!"
Persephone threw her Pokeball and Charon appeared with a loud squawk.
"Beating a student's low-level Pokémon shouldn't take long," Coach Gold laughed, throwing his own Pokeball. "Hitmonchan, get ready to punch 'em out!"
"Hitmonchan!" Hitmonchan cried as it materialized in a flash of light.
"Persephone had better know what she's doing…" Falkner muttered under his breath.
"Yeah," Riley agreed. "Normally I'd love to see that Murkrow of hers pummeled, but not if it means extra laps!"
"You're the student, kid," the coach declared smugly. "You take the first attack."
"Fine by me!" Persephone snapped. "Charon, start things off with Peck!"
"Murkrow!" Charon cawed, flying at Hitmonchan with its beak held high.
"Too easy," Coach Gold laughed. "Hitmonchan, intercept with Comet Punch!"
Hitmonchan nodded, and when Charon got close it struck with a flurry of punches so fast that its fists looked like a couple of red blurs.
"Now hit it with a Mach Punch!"
"Monchan!" Hitmonchan hissed, striking Charon in the breast with another ultra-fast punch and knocking it back.
"Murkrow!" Charon cried, doing everything in its power to remain airborne.
"Okay," Persephone admitted. "That wasn't the smartest move. Let's try Night Shade!"
"Murk, murkrow!" Charon laughed, opening its beak and sending a beam of dark energy at its opponent.
"Take it, Hitmonchan!" Coach Gold commanded.
Hitmonchan nodded and stood its ground, letting the attack strike it right in the chest, but when all was said and done, it didn't have a scratch on it!
"Persephone, Charon's too inexperienced for Night Shade to be of any real use against a higher-level Pokémon!" Roxanne shouted out.
"Get your head in the game, Pers!" Falkner urged. "I don't wanna run laps!"
"Not much choice now!" the herculean PE teacher laughed. "Hitmonchan, give it an Ice Punch!"
"Evasive maneuvers!" the albino girl yelled.
Hitmonchan ran at Charon, its fist out and covered with frost, but Charon flitted aside just a fraction of a second before the punching demon could strike.
"Great work!" Persephone cheered. "Now use Astonish!"
"Murkrow!" Charon replied. "MUR-KROW!"
A blast of red sound waves flew from Charon's beak and struck Hitmonchan dead-center, but the Punching Pokémon just chuckled, ready for more.
"Is that all you've got?" the coach boomed. "I've faced Magikarp tougher than that Murkrow of yours!"
Persephone growled as her anime vein began to bulge. Charon looked pretty miffed, too.
"You want tough?" she shrieked. "I'll show you tough! Charon, hit it with a full-power Wing Attack!"
Charon obeyed the command, zooming forward with its wings arced.
"You never learn, do you?" Coach Gold jeered. "Hitmonchan, strike it down with Ice Punch!"
"Hitmon," Hitmonchan smirked, raising a frost-covered fist.
Charon was headed right at its imminent doom! Persephone had to think fast!
Then, a flash of inspiration came.
"Dive down and strike low!" she cried.
Charon heeded the instruction just in time. It swooped down out of the way of Hitmonchan's attack and slammed its wings into the Punching Pokémon's shin with all its might.
"Hitmon!" Hitmonchan said through its teeth, falling to one knee.
"Hitmonchan!" Coach Gold called. "You can still battle, right?"
"Hit, hitmon!" the Fighting-type responded, forcing a confident smile as it raised its fists up by its cheeks. "Hitmonchan!"
"Good," the coach grunted. "Because from now on, we're not holding anything back!"
"That won't help you now," Persephone sneered. "Hitmonchan's in no condition to go on much longer!"
"I can't believe I'm saying this," Falkner breathed. "But Persephone might just win this!"
"She'd better," Riley muttered back. "Otherwise we're all in trouble!"
"Charon," Persephone called. "Finish this with one last Wing Attack!"
"Murkrow!" Charon cawed, smiling wide as it spread out its wings and flew straight at its opponent. "Murkrow, murkrow!"
Every student in the room held their breath hoping with all their might that the attack would succeed.
The coach scowled, but stayed silent as he stared at Charon. He had to time this perfectly. He watched as Charon inched closer and closer and then…
"Hitmonchan, Close Combat, now!"
Hitmonchan's reaction was lightning-fast. It caught Charon in a volley up super-concentrated punches that just never seemed to end. Like with Comet Punch, Hitmonchan's fists moved so fast that they were nothing more than blurs, but these blows were about ten times harder. Charon was tossed helplessly between jabs, unable to so much as cry out in pain.
Then, as suddenly as it had started, the assault stopped, and Charon fell to the floor, unconscious.
It was over. Persephone had lost.
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That one loss didn't quite destroy Persephone's reputation as a strong trainer, but it certainly did that to her mark as a smart one. People began to think of her as a self-absorbed punk who thought she could beat anyone. It was just lucky that Vienna wasn't in that class or everything she would've worked for would've been lost.
Still, it was at that time that Persephone decided that if she couldn't control the school, she'd just have to escape it. But not in just any old way—no, that wasn't becoming of someone with her intelligence and abilities. She'd escape the school, and become a legend for it.
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End Flashback…
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"But enough about what happened here, F-sharp," Steven laughed. "What news have you got?"
"Oh, you guys are gonna love this!" Falkner smiled, reaching to his belt and snatching up his Pokeball. "Check this out!"
Falkner threw the ball and a Pokémon emerged in a flash of light. It looked like a large, predatorial bird, with brown and white feathers and a crown of pale pink ones over its head. It let out a caw as it landed on Falkner's outstretched arm.
"Awesome!" Riley raved. "Pidgey evolved into Pidgeotto! I can't wait for a rematch!"
"Well, you don't have a choice," Falkner said with a frown. "Pidgeotto's first opponents here will be Persephone and that Murkrow of hers!"
Everyone at the table exchanged glances, but it was Russell who spoke up.
"Persephone doesn't have Charon anymore. Mom made her get rid of it."
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Word spread fast. Within a couple of hours, the whole school knew for sure that Charon would be gone forever by tomorrow. Her control wasn't just slipping anymore—it was almost gone. Only her clique remained loyal to her now.
As Persephone lay back in her bed, counting the minutes going by, she realized that those people were more than just her valued minions—they were her friends, and close ones at that. They'd help her through this terrible time.
Suddenly there was a rap at the window. Persephone got up and went over to open it, but found absolutely no one there. Upon closer inspection, though, she found a Pokeball tucked onto the sill.
Curious, Persephone took the ball and pressed the button to open it.
A Pokémon appeared in a flash of light. It was a black, birdlike Pokémon with a crooked yellow beak. Charon!
No, not Charon, Persephone realized, her euphoria coming to an abrupt halt. Charon had an air of smugness that she could easily recognize. This was just an ordinary Murkrow, probably one that had been caught in the nearby forest.
Persephone's disappointment was soon replaced by anger. How dare somebody think that this, this Murkrow could take the place of her Charon! Charon was irreplaceable!
Or was it?
Slowly, a plan crept into Persephone's mind.
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"So you switched the Pokeballs?" Jason laughed.
"Yep," Persephone replied with a smirk. "Just as I was saying my goodbyes. They'll never figure it out. Only I know Charon well enough for that."
Persephone was spending her recess in the library with her clique—no, her friends. She had to get used to calling them that—telling them the events of the previous night. It was quite a relief knowing that Charon wasn't gone forever.
"So," Adrian asked. "What happened to the real deal?"
"I released it into the forest last night. He can handle himself there, and I'll leave food out for him every day. Still, we need to keep his presence on the down-low, so I'll be looking to you guys for muscle from now on, okay?"
"Sure thing," Saoirse said.
"We got your back," Maxie added.
"Nobody's gonna mess with you, now or ever!" Jason promised.
Persephone smiled. This had worked out well, but one thing was still tugging at her.
"So," she said. "Which of you caught that Murkrow?"
All six of her friends shrugged, but before the conversation could continue, the bell rang and the group got up to go to class. Persephone lagged behind, noticing a couple of stragglers.
Jose was seated in front of a videophone, in the middle of a call with his father, and Russell was sitting right next to him. She peeked around to listen in.
"I've had enough of this, Jose!" Jose's dad raged, his face going pink as he held up the Pokeball that Jose had just sent back. "Wallace and I have caught dozens of Pokémon for you, and you've rejected them all!"
Jose opened his mouth to speak, but his dad cut him off.
"No excuses!" he yelled. "You're becoming a spoiled brat, and as of now I am done overworking myself to ensure that! When you're ready for your first Pokémon, call me and I'll send over one of my choice! Until then, good-bye!"
Jose's father hung up, and Russell put a sympathetic hand on his friend's shoulder.
As they got up to leave, Persephone noticed something.
Russell's spare Pokeball was gone.
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(So, what'd you think? DRAMATIC ENOUGH? I CERTAINLY HOPE SO. I aim to please. SPEAKING OF WHICH, IT'S NOW TIME FOR THE "POKEMON IN-DEPTH" SEGMENT! This week's featured Pokémon is, understandably—
Murkrow, the Darkness Pokémon. Murkrow are feared and loathed by many as an alleged bearer of ill fortune. It is said that anyone who sees a Murkrow at night will soon suffer terrible luck. This is more than mere superstition, however, as Murkrow are not simply omens of misfortune, but the causes as well. Wild Murkrow enjoy causing travelers trouble by leading them down dark trails where they will quickly become lost, and are also well-known thieves, having a love of anything shiny—they will even be so bold as to steal the rings right off of womens' fingers. They share this love of shiny objects with another Pokémon, Meowth, and the two have been known to loot each other's stashes. Murkrow is obviously modeled after a crow, and its name comes from "murk", meaning "partial or total darkness", or possibly "murder"—
DON'T GET TOO AGITATED, READERS! A "murder" is what you call a group of crows!
—and "crow". Its Japanese name, "Yamikarasu" comes from "yami", meaning "dark" and "karasu" meaning "crow".
THANK YOU, DEXTETTE! (WOW, SHE SURE IS OPINIONATED FOR A COMPUTER…)
And now, an announcement: as of now, I am officially ending the OC acceptance. YOUR CHARACTERS WERE GREAT, AND I'LL TRY TO USE AS MANY AS I CAN, BUT I AM NO LONGER ACCEPTING ANY. However, I am still accepting requests for the In-Depth segment, and I'd be happy to take them. JUST LEAVE YOUR REQUEST AT THE END OF A (PREFERABLY LONG) REVIEW, PLEASE! Until next chapter, this is MultiplePersonas signing off!)
