Three: Listen to the Stupid Voices in Your Head

Chloe's cheek was squashed against a page of an open magazine on her desk. She stared vaguely in the direction of her bedroom window while Yamper's snoring signalled it was down for the night. She should be down for the night soon as well, once Stupid Goh and Stupid Ash and Stupid Goh AND Ash stopped invading her head.

No, she wasn't sulking. She was stewing in her own irritation, letting it all flow out in uneven waves at nothing in particular. Waves powerful enough to repel even the most doting of family members. All because Goh and Ash were idiots who did idiotic things together... and because she was always at home while those stupid things were going on. She was doing normal things most normal kids did, watching other kids do not-so-normal things. Playing with Pokemon from far-flung regions, travelling around and seeing all kinds of sights, meeting all-kinds of weird people, and the like. Not for her.

It was cool they had their thing. As did her dad and his assistants. Everyone was so occupied all time and whenever anything happened, she'd say "Oh, okay, I guess that's happening right now" and then proceed to ignore it because, again, it just wasn't for her.

So what was for her?

She had school and all the work that came with it. She always got the latest magazines on whatever subject she fancied, though always ended up with what was "in", because when enough people at school talked about something it was always good to check it out, just to keep up. She had Yamper, too. She fed him, played with him, and took for him walks because only she could. Maybe none of that was exciting adventures or important research, but they were her choices all the same.

She lifted her head off the desk and peeled a page of her magazine off her cheek. Her eye caught one of her mum's illustrations – a tiny pixie with puffy lavender hair and huge eyes. It somehow resembled her a lot, but was different enough for her mum to deny it actually was her if she ever brought it up. The Pixie Chloe spoke into a large white speech-bubble in a scratchy font straight out of a kid's notebook. She was advertising some event or another. Chloe was certain she'd never receive royalties for her likeness being used.

Below that was another ad. This one was for a Pokemon battling event for kids under the age of 10. The one Ash got so excited about he tripped over thin air. It wasn't even for him!

What a strange guy Ash was.

Come to think of it, everything changed when he turned up.

He appeared out of nowhere, befriended Goh over a chance encounter with a Lugia, of all things, and landed himself a job as a research assistant, complete with board and free meals. In a single day, no less.

Since then, he and Goh had gone all over place. Goh, the loner always chasing after Pokemon, was suddenly smiling every single day, in a way he never used to around her.

"They do have a lot in common..." she muttered to the silent air of her bedroom, as if it could agree with her. She began flicking through the pages of the magazine for a distraction, but noting appealed to her. Her busy mind could only focus on the ins-and-outs of Goh's friendship with Ash. How despite their different goals and approaches, they fed off each other's enthusiasm for Pokemon. Enthusiasm she didn't have.

Maybe that was why Goh was drifting away from her and spending all his time with Ash. Why hang out with her when she kept turning him down, while Ash kept saying yes?

She slapped the magazine shut and put her forehead on her desk. Blaming Ash didn't do her any good, but she wasn't prepared to admit she was too boring for Goh. They'd been friends for years, long before Ash even showed up, so there had to be something between them; some sort of unique connection formed when they were younger. That time at Professor Oak's lab came to mind, when they spent the day chasing after Mew, and Goh wouldn't shut-up about his plans to catch it one day. She hadn't been as inspired as he was, but it was still something only they shared.

Now she thought about it, Goh stopped going to school not long after that day. He started roaming around the city instead, looking for the local Pokemon, chasing after myths and legends... and he had asked if she wanted to join him.

She had said no. Why? Probably something to do with school. It always seemed to come back to school.

"Maybe I should be a teacher someday, since I love school so much," she grumbled.

Then, her bedroom exploded in light. It lasted for a blink before fading out and leaving a cavernous silence. What the heck was that? She moved over to the window, moving silently, as if something evil was lurking outside. She could see the stars peeking out over the city's intense night-time lights. The night was clear without a single storm cloud in sight.

There was a second flash, followed by a low rumbling. Not thunder and lightning, but something eerily similar. She gripped the window edges harder and looked in the direction she thought the sound had come from. It was Westwards, through the neighbourhood houses and towards the sea. Is it coming from the harbour? It'd be concerning if it was. The harbour was a boisterous place during the day when people came and went on ships, but at night the whole thing shut-down, save for the dingy pubs built specifically for thirsty sailors. Loud noises weren't normal. I hope there hasn't been an accident...

Next to her on the bed, Yamper's ears twitched. It abruptly shot up, eyes wide open and alert. It scurried over and pushed itself in front of her before leaping out of the open window. Chloe gaped as it descended onto the wall surrounding the house and took off down the street. "Wait!" she cried out, but it was too late. Yamper was disappearing into the distance.

"Just what is going on right now?" she cried to nobody in particular. Not that she had time to ponder her question. She had to follow it. Quickly.

She searched around for a pair of shoes. Finding none, she weighed her options. Tear downstairs, take a pair by the front door and leave the house without anybody noticing, or go as she was, in her lounge wear and socks, through the window. She didn't know which one would be easier to explain to her parents.

Another flash lit up the room.

There was a tree by her window. Her little brother loved it, because the branches were low and easy to climb, so even a shrimp like him could feel tall. He once tried to prank her by climbing to the top and entering her room via the open window, but ended up stuck and needing to be rescued. If he could climb in to her room, then she could surely climb out.

"Yeah, go for it!" said a voice in her head that sounded suspiciously like Goh. Or was it Ash? Either way, somebody was encouraging her and shooting adrenaline to every body part.

"Guess I'm having my own little adventure," she said, hoisting herself up onto the window ledge. The tree was a simple hop away. There was still a leg-breaking drop between it and the window, but she had to ignore that. Breathing deep, she concentrated all her power into her legs and launched herself off the window ledge and onto the branch. It shook with her weight, and for a frightening moment she thought it would snap and she would go splat on the ground, but it held firm. She climbed down, slow and steady, until she reached the wall. She hopped down onto the road and exhaled, begging her heart to stop pounding. Above her, her bedroom light did an impressive job of pretending somebody was still in the room.

Her parents were going to be so mad at her.

She chastised herself. Worry about that later. Find Yamper now.

Resolve set, she headed for the harbour.