Hey ya'll! I happen to be in fantastic mood right now, for no reason in particular, despite the fact that I have a boatload of homework and I'm spending all my time writing fanfics… Well, there goes my good mood… Ah, well! I got four reviews on my latest chapter, which is a record breaker for me, however pathetic that may sound, and I'm thrilled! So, it's not like, aw, I only got four reviews, it's more like, I CAN SCROLL DOWN NOW!
Enjooooooy!
Shoutouts to Sonicboom123456, Katieisawesome, Pure Gamer, and Rogue Krayt Dragon!
~Chapter 6~
BEEP! BEEP! PIKA-PIKA CHUUUU!
I bolted up in my bed, and for a second, I forgot that I had set my Pikachu alarm to go off as loud as it possibly could. I heard a squeal and realized that I had accidentally hurled Glacie off the bed.
"Glacie! I'm sorry! Are you okay?" I asked her from my bed, concerned as she rubbed the side of her head. I hurriedly scooped her up and placed her on my soft light purple covers. She blinked a couple times, and then smiled as well as she could, having a beak and all, but she somehow managed a sweet grin and reassured me with a cheery "Pip!" I smiled and looked back down. Falon was sleeping on the air mattress, her face buried in her pillow and her orange mane splayed out around her. It seemed that she had only been slightly disturbed by I giggled when I noticed that, with her blanket pulled up to her neck and her face in her pillow, she just looked like a mess of fiery hair. "Falon," I whispered, causing Naruto to stir. He blinked at me a few times, then put his head back in his paws and closed his eyes. I frowned, not getting a reaction out of Falon. "Falon." I said, louder this time. Still nothing. "Falon!" I yelled, moving my foot out of the safety of my warm bed to nudge her.
She groaned and said something along the lines of, "I'm awake, just… five more minutes…" I smiled and nudged her some more, this time earning a growl and a glare, "I'm up, I'm up," She grumbled before retreating back into the depths of her pillow. Laughing, I nudged her again and this time she tried to smack my foot away, missing by about seven inches.
"C'mon, time to get up," I said, laughter in my voice. She groaned and rolled over, facing away from me. Naruto yelped, as he was displaced when his owner moved, and, finally giving in, he stretched and leaped off the air mattress. Sniffing, he looked around and padded downstairs, where an alluring scent was emanating from. Getting out of bed, I changed into my outfit from yesterday, as it seemed as though my mother had washed the clothes yet again. I pressed my fluffy white scarf to my face and inhaled the clean lavender aroma. A pang of homesickness hit me, because, even though I hadn't left yet, I knew that it would be some time before I got to see my familiar bedroom again. I surveyed the room, with it's light beige walls, creamy wooden floors, and fuzzy pink rug. So many memories. I sauntered over to the tv and crouched down to the shelf of Wii games and DVDs. I sighed, surveying the items that I sadly knew I couldn't bring with me. Yet, everything I had made up some part of me. It's strange, when you think about it, that if you remove even one item or event from you childhood, you would probably be an entirely different person. Looking at the movie titled Howl's Moving Castle, I smiled, remembering how obsessed I used to be with that film. The familiar feeling of nostalgia overcame me, and I became wistful for my childhood, where everything was so much easier, so much simpler.
Hearing a frustrated growl, I turned around and noticed that Glacie was making an enormous effort to wake Falon, but it seemed as if my new traveling companion had gone back to sleep. Sighing, I grabbed my Pikachu alarm and set it for seven fifteen, and, dragging the cord as far as it would go, placed it near Falon's head. "I don't want to have to do this," I warned her, though it went unnoticed by the snoring girl. I headed for the stairs. Glacie chirped, hesitating to follow, and I turned to face her at the head of the staircase. "Trust me, you don't want to be here when that alarm goes off." Glacie looked thoughtful for a moment, and apparently decided to heed my advice, because she soon trailed after me. We entered the living room, and the heavenly aroma filled my nostrils, making my mouth water. Stepping into the kitchen, I immediately noticed Naruto gulping down some homemade pokechow while Mimi looked on jealously. Padding up to her, I crouched and stroked her back.
"What's wrong, girl? Don't be jealous of Naruto; you get homemade pokechow everyday." I reasoned with her, causing her to sniff haughtily and turn to her own bowl of food. I giggled, watching her manage to eat and glare at the innocent Shinx at the same time. Our stubborn Glameow had been that way as long as I could remember. Always jealous of anyone or anything that gets attention from my mom, with the exception of Nullama. It seemed as if the only thing Johanna's Pokemon had in common was their protective and sometimes overbearing nature. And yet, they were what some would describe as the best of friends.
I heard the back door opening and looked up to see my mother enter the kitchen. I glanced past her and noticed that Nullama had been let out of her pokeball and was being fed out in the backyard. My mother was wearing a teal blue skirt, a blue shirt, and a pink apron. Her deep blue hair, matching mine, was clipped back on the right side with a pink hair clip. Her feet glided silently on the floor, making me realize that she had on her fuzzy pink slippers that I had given her for Christmas last year. She glanced at the two new Poke-additions to the kitchen, and finally realized that I was sitting at the counter.
"Oh, Dawn! Is it seven already?" Glancing at the clock, I noticed that it was seven fourteen. I smiled.
"Yeah… Mom?" She raised her eyebrows and looked at me questioningly. "You might want to cover your ears. I nodded to the clock and placed my hands on my ears. Johanna, confusingly following my lead, did the same and put her own hands over her ears. Glacie stiffened and placed her flippers over her… ears? Either way, they each covered a side of her head. Naruto blinked, also confused, and did he best he could to cover his perky round ears with his paws. Mimi, always the proud one, decided that protecting her own ears was too degrading for a Pokemon of her stature, so instead, she sat up straight and turned her nose up. I looked at the clock.
7:15.
BEEP! BEEP! PIKA-PIKA CHUUUU!
"AHHHHHHHH!"
Even through my hands the blast of sound was deafening and I instinctively grimaced. Finally the ungodly screech ended and I put my hands down slowly. I glanced across the kitchen to see my mother taking her hands away from her ears as well, although her hands were shaking. Glacie appeared to be fine, other than the fact that she seemed to be having trouble focusing on anything, and on closer inspection, her eyes were rolling around in her head. Naruto seemed to have passed out. I didn't blame him. Mimi was probably regretting her decision to remain stoic, although I doubted she could even think. Our Glameow appeared to have been petrified in Falon's scream, her normally springy tail was straight out, and she was on her side, but stiff as a board. Her normally bright blue eyes were glazed over, and for a second I was concerned, wondering if the scream could've killed her. But my fears were soon dashed as I saw her twitch several times.
Outside, Nullama roared, answering what she probably thought was a cry of her own species. Close enough.
"Well, that was interesting." My mother commented cheerfully after we had all recovered from the brutal onslaught to our senses, although my ears were still ringing. I heard a thumping noise over said ringing, and a moment later Falon sluggishly trudged into the kitchen and slumped down in the stool next to me. After a moment of everybody staring at her, she moved her arm out and shoved me off of my chair.
"Hey!" I called out pointedly from the floor. She turned her head creakily to face me, and laughed creepily.
"That's how I felt when I was woken up like that." I chuckled as I climbed back on the stool, and earned a glare from Falon, but it quickly melted into an easy grin. Traveling is going to be more fun than I thought.
"Yes, that scream was quite impressive, Falon." Johanna complimented, making Falon blush and rub the back of her head, "I bet you could learn Hyper Voice!"
After a wonderful breakfast of eggs and bacon, we were all packed and ready to head out. I withdrew Glacie after she had begun to fight with Mimi about which one would get the left over eggs. In the end, Naruto ate it while they were arguing.
"Hey, Dawn? I'm going to go on outside," Falon called from the front room as I put my plate away.
After I had put my plate in the dishwasher, I stood silently in the middle of the room. Seeing that Nullama was still in the backyard, I opened the sliding glass door and stepped outside. The large Kangaskhan was circling a spot on the grass, which confused me. She had never done that before.
"Something wrong?" I said, walking toward her. Hearing my approach, she turned around, her muzzle bared in a snarl, stopping me in my tracks. Nullama was threatening me? "N-Nullama… It's me, Dawn." Blinking a few times, she relaxed and I slowly moved toward her. When I got close enough, I realized that she had been walking around a patch of tall grass that had some sort of lump in it. As I drew closer, my eyes widened.
It was an egg.
A slender, perfect egg. That had a green circle on the top and a light brown circle on the bottom with dark brown in between.
"Good Arceus…" I murmured, an elated feeling growing inside me. I kneeled next to the egg and looked back up at Nullama. "Nullama, you're going to be a Mom!" She huffed proudly and nudged the egg.
"Dawn! It's time to head out!" Falon's cry snapped me back into the present. I stood, and looked at Nullama.
"I'll miss you, girl. Take good care of that egg of yours!" She nodded and looked at me sternly, as if to say Don't you tell anyone. I nodded hastily and patted her on the head. "Don't worry about that. You'll be a great mom." I struggled to get my parting words out. Nullama had been my caretaker whenever Mom wasn't around. She took care of me, with the exception of cooking, and was always there when I needed her. She looked at me with kind eyes. "And think about how surprised Mom will be when you walk in one day with a baby!" I laughed as I retreated back into the house. Closing the screen door behind me, I trotted quickly upstairs to my room. Grabbing my small duffel bag, I attached a shoulder strap to my violin and slung it over my back. I paced quickly out of my room, staring at my feet. I knew that if I got sentimental I would never be able to leave. I took deep breaths as I walked through the cozy living room, and stumbled outside, where Falon and my mother were waiting for me.
"You're bringing your violin?" Johanna asked questioningly, her brows furrowed in confusion, "What if you break it? Or lose it?" Now it was my turn to frown.
"I'll be careful," I told her. My mom looked like she wanted to argue, but thought better of it. Naruto barked at the door and brissled static electricity. I whirled around, curious, and saw that Mimi had gotten out an open window and was strutting towards us. "Mimi?" I said, concerned, as she rubbed up against my legs and pawed at my knees. "I'll miss you too, girl." I said soothingly, crouching down to pet her, making her purr. I stood and looked into my mother's smiling face.
"I always knew this day would come," She stated sadly, bringing me into a soft embrace. A lump gathered in my throat and I struggled to speak.
"I'll m-miss you," I whispered, my voice catching. She pulled back and grasped me by my shoulders, and I noticed that her eyes were glistening.
"I'll miss you, too. Be safe." I nodded and bit my lip. I couldn't cry. I wouldn't. Oh, to heck with it. Tears spilled over my eyelashes and I hugged my mom like the little girl I really was. I took deep breaths and released my mother, who looked like she was trying very hard not to cry. She turned to Falon, a cheerful smile on her face. Falon was looking bashfully away, as if she didn't want to intrude on this little mother-daughter moment. "Falon, take good care of my little girl," She said, making me turn red. Falon nodded solemnly, as did Naruto.
"Don't worry, I will," She said with laughter in her voice. I sniffed and wiped my eyes, moving to stand beside my friend.
"Well, Mom…" I trailed off, not knowing how to continue, "Goodbye?" I said it as if it were a question rather than a farewell. Johanna shook her head.
"No." I blinked, "We'll see each other again, and when we do," She paused, a smile growing on her face, "You'll be a big, strong, successful trainer! I won't stand a chance against you!" She finished, making me laugh.
"Well, alright then! Goodbye for now!" I called, walking away with Falon at my heels, Naruto trotting alongside her. My mother turned to walk back into the house, but stopped with her hand on the doorknob, and waved at us. I stopped, waving back at her until she retreated back into the house. The lump reappeared in my throat, but I swallowed it and stood beside Falon. "Off on an adventure…" I murmured just loud enough for her to hear.
"Who knows what'll happen?" She said with a laugh as we walked down my street for the last time. I looked around, absorbing every detail of my home. Finally we came to the end of the street and started down the dirty path. When we came across the fork in the road, Falon immediately trotted down the right one that led to the forest, but I hung back, staring towards the lake path. I remembered that cry I heard last time I went there with Barry. What did it mean? Why did it seem to have such a huge impact on me? "Dawn!" Falon called from within the woods, and I hesitantly turned away from the lake and jogged to catch up with her, but thoughts of the strange cry lingered in the back of my mind, as they would for a very long time.
Once we had trekked about halfway through the woods, a shout reached my ears, and I turned around just in time to see a blonde and orange figure speeding toward us.
"Barry!" I called as he grew nearer. I lifted my hand to stop him, but he didn't slow down the tiniest bit. He ran even faster, if anything. He came closer, close enough for me to see Tyke running along side him, not even breaking a sweat, his little twig being bent down from the wind resistance. A bud of nervousness bloomed in my stomach; what if he didn't stop and plowed right over Falon and I? A superficial fear, maybe, but he was running fast enough to cause injury, that's for sure.
"Hey! Dawn!" Barry cried, each word growing louder than the next. In mere seconds he passed the two of us, making my coat flutter around my body and Falon grab her bag to keep it from flying off her shoulder, "First one to Jubilife is AWESOOOOME!" He screamed over his shoulder, elongating the word awesome and making me roll my eyes.
I cupped my hands around my mouth and shouted back, "First one to get to Jubilife without forgetting anything is even BETTEERRR!" I retaliated, making Falon laugh. In the distance, Barry fell, sending up a cloud of dust. But, he soon picked himself back up and continued onward until we could no longer see him. All of this had happened in less than ten seconds.
"Is he…" Falon began, staring at the horizon with a dumbfounded look.
"Always like that? Pretty much." I finished for her, which earned me a disbelieving glance from both Naruto and Falon. I shrugged. "Stick with me and you'll get used to it. I'm sure we'll be seeing more of him." The thought made me sigh as we continued on once more.
"Do you think we need to stop by the Professor's?" I questioned Falon as we arrived in Sandgem Town.
"Hmm… Probably. He might have something important to tell us." I nodded and we set off for the Professor's. We walked in a companionable silence, the quiet being broken by the sounds and noises of everyday Sandgem Town life. When we finally reached the lab, however, we found the door locked. "This… is weird…" Falon said as she struggled to open the door, finally giving up when she realized that it wasn't going to budge.
"Hey! You must be the two trainers the Professor told me about!" I turned around to see a man with black hair and dorky glasses. He looked familiar, too… "I'm one of Professor Rowan's assistants; he told me to wait for you two. Although, he also mentioned a hasty boy with blonde hair, but I haven't seen him…" Falon and I shared a look, and she spoke up.
"Did you happen to feel a strange gust of wind at any point in the last half an hour or so?" The man got a thoughtful look on his face.
"Speaking of which… Yes! I have! Why?" My companion and I exchanged another glance.
"Never mind. So, the Professor told you to wait for us? Why?" Falon quickly changed the subject.
"Oh!" The man started rummaging in the satchel he had slung over his shoulder, bringing out two folded pieces of paper, "Here you go! Sinnoh maps for each of you." We opened our respective maps and examined them. I was awed by how… Big the Sinnoh Region really was. It would take who-knows-how-long to trek all the way across it.
"Um, sir?" I started.
"Please, call me Mr. Koki," Mr. Koki alerted us. "I'm Lucas's father," He informed us, making me realize that that was how he looked familiar. Aside from the geeky glasses, Lucas was the spitting image of his dad.
"Yes, Mr. Koki? I happen to know that other trainer; I'll give him his map." I told him.
"Oh, alright, then! Makes my job easier," He jokingly told us as he pulled out another parcel and handed it to me. "Thanks!" He said before tapping his head and strolling off down the street. We put our bags away and followed Mr. Koki's lead, walking down the street and away from Rowan's lab.
We soon came across an odd looking building with a blue roof and a half-pokeball design. I was about to walk right past it when Falon grabbed my arm and pulled me back to stand in front of it.
"I'll bet you don't know what a Pokemart is," She stated knowingly as I shook my head. "Well, you're looking at it! And that building over there?" She said, pointing to a similar building, but bigger and with an orange roof, "That's a Pokemon Center. It heals your Pokemon for you and serves as a hotel for trainers. Now, c'mon! We need to stock up!" She said, tugging me into the Pokemart. We browsed the wares for a while, and I ended up getting three potions, which heal Pokemon, as I learned from Falon, and a bag of pokechow. After I had paid for my items, I walked outside, preferring to wait for my friend in the cool breeze.
Speaking of which, it certainly was getting cold for October, and I was thankful that I wore my coat. Suddenly a gust of wind dragged my hat off of my head, and I chased after it. Tumbling through the breeze, I began to worry that it would blow out into the street and get run over by a passing car, when suddenly a pale hand snatched it out of the air.
"Oh, sorry!" I apologized, trotting up to the woman who now held my beanie, "That Autumn wind, am I right?" I smiled at the woman standing before me. She had short, bright red hair and matching eyes. She was wearing a long-sleeved black leotard and pink tights, along with tan ballet shoes. She smiled at me and handed me my hat, which I gratefully secured back on top of my head.
"Don't I know it," She joked, laughing. I laughed with her. "Are you new in town?" She asked politely. This woman seemed nice, maybe in her early twenties? Either way, she was young.
"No, just passing through."
"Pokemon trainer?" She said, rather than asked, with a knowing look.
"Yes." I confirmed, nodding. For a second, I thought I saw a shadow pass over her face for a moment, but it faded so fast I couldn't be sure if it was real or not. "Thank you so much for getting my hat," I thanked her, but she waved it away with a graceful sweep of her hand.
"Don't mention it," There was a shout from inside the building next to us, and she turned towards it, "Oops, gotta run. Nice chatting with you!" She called as she entered the building. I looked at the neon sign in the window. Dance for the Stars. When I looked through the clear glass window, I saw that the woman was now standing in front of a class of children, all dressed similarly to her. It appeared as if she was a dance instructor, and she taught at the dance studio. It would explain her clothes, at least.
"Hey!" I turned around to find Falon walking towards me, an irritated expression on her face. "You told me you would wait for me outside!" I looked around, pretending to be innocent.
"This is outside." I stated, making her roll her eyes and grin.
"You know what I mean. Do you need to go to the Pokemon Center for anything?" I shook my head, and she pulled me along the sidewalk. "Alright then! To Jubilife City!" She half-shouted, pointing into the distance, making people stare at us.
"Falon!" I chided.
"What? I didn't do nothin'." She said innocently, making me roll my eyes.
"C'mon, let's go." I started, making her grin even wider.
"Alright! Look out, world! Falon and Dawn are coming through!" She yelled again, dragging me down the street, making even more people stare at us. Naruto barked loudly, which didn't help matters. "Race you!" She called, taking off down the street, earning glares as she shoved past people. I sighed, racing after my spunky friend. This was going to be a long journey.
"Do we really have to run?" I asked, exasperated, when I caught up to her. She lightly punched me in the arm, not slowing down in the slightest.
"Oh, lighten up! We are starting an adventure, after all!" She reasoned. I rolled my eyes again.
"Oh, fine. Let's go!" I challenged, speeding up and earning a laugh from Falon, thinking the whole time how right she was.
So, I've gotten through, like, what? The first twenty minutes of the game? This is going to take forever… Oh well! First off, I'd like to apologize for not updating in a week. I had planned to get this up on Monday or Tuesday, but I didn't get a chance, and then Wednesday through Friday I was at a friend's house, and had no internet access. Yesterday, I was just being lazy. I've also been sick yesterday and today, which has also dampened my good mood, but, hey! If I can stay home from school tomorrow, I promise I will write another chapter and get it up! I'm planning on having another chapter up, anyways.
I had planned on Nullama giving Dawn her egg to take with her, but then realized A) That would be a very out of character thing for a Kangaskhan to do, and B) Kangaskhan are only available after you win the game and obtain a National Pokedex, and I was being lazy and didn't want to make something up, and C) Dawn is just starting out, and I personally found it unwise to give an inexperienced trainer an egg. I then relayed those feelings to Nullama.
I'd also like to state that, in copying Sonicboom123456, hope you don't mind, I AM accepting OCs. There will be many more in this fanfic, so if you would like to see one of your characters in it, then tell me about them! But, on one condition, also copying Sonicboom123456, again, hope you don't mind, they must. Be. Detailed. All right? Now…
Sonicboom123456: Thank you! I try to update fast, as I am on a tight schedule. And I did try to differentiate their personalities, and I will work more on that. But, the alarm clock thing? I felt as if that would be something Falon would do, but I couldn't resist. I know stereotypes are sometimes good, true, but I wanted to do something different for Falon. But! I will delve deeper into her personality, so you might see some stereotyping later on.
Katieisawesome: Oh. My. (Insert word of your choice here). I cannot possibly tell you how much that statement meant to me. Please, keep reading and reviewing! You nearly made me cry, by the way!
Pure Gamer: Thank you so much! I try to write well, and it appears as if all the work I've put into this is paying off!
Rogue Krayt Dragon: Thank you for your insight. I do realize that my summary and title aren't the best, but I keep drawing a blank whenever I try to revise them. I am planning some plot twists (evil grin), and thanks for the comment on my description. I try to be detailed when I write, mostly because I want to impress my teachers, because in my school, I don't know about other schools, but most kids are still writing things like; The blue car was fast. Uh-uh. Not me. I can't take that kind of thing, so the fact that you complimented my description meant a lot.
I apologize if this chapter dragged on or wasn't good. As I said, I was sick this weekend, so this isn't my best work. It was also a bit of a filler chapter. My line break thingy is also not working, but I'll try and get it up and running. (EDIT: I did.)
Also, I'll give you a virtual hug if anyone can guess who the red-haired lady was!
This was a very long Author's Note. I'm sorry. If you've read this far, I congratulate you! Now, I'm off to bed, right after I take another Aspirin…
Shoot. I don't own Aspirin, either.
Sincerely,
A very, very tired, yet somehow satisfied, Russetwing