His address, of course, is intentionally unclear. That's understandable. After all, Elio Delores - Kanto's latest champion - hasn't the faintest desire to be found. Nevertheless, the League's adamant about his prompt return to his duties - and to that end, they've sent me, Lorelei, to rein him back in.

Frankly, I'd rather spend some time at that quiet little bistro I've just passed, soaking in the morning's warmth while I sample various shots of aromatic espresso and contemplate all the lovely dolls I'd like to add to my collection. But instead, I'm striding urgently down one of Celadon City's busy, opulent streets, feeling somewhat seventeen again in an airy, light-blue t-shirt and matching jeans as my feet, clad in pearly white trainers, rejoice from being freed from their usual heels. A cap, barely containing my crimson hair, and a pair of dark-tinted glasses completes my casual, anonymous look - after all, my trademark, librarian-esque attire just wouldn't do - unless I wanted to be hijacked by a horde of adoring fans, swiftly putting an end to my important mission.

Fortunately, after impatiently navigating through a labyrinth of fashion outlets and office buildings, I arrive without incident at an aging, three-storied brownstone apartment building, an exact replica of the rest on its block. Climbing the metal staircase outside, I huff and puff as I scale each level, comparing the doors' numbers against the records I've painstakingly memorized until one of them, stamped into the peeling, dirt-brown paint of a door, finally matches.

Room 34.

Oddly, I blush, before uttering a sigh of relief. Finally, I've found Elio's apartment - but not a single sound can be heard from within. A knot of unease forms in my gut as I knock, concern underlining my words.

"Elio? It's me, Lorelei - from the League."

The ensuing silence hints at my poor choice of words, whereupon I inwardly kick myself, and knock again.

"Listen, I - I just want to talk, that's all."

Another moment of silence - and then I hear it. The faint shuffling of feet, followed by the slide of a latch and the scrape of a key being turned. The door then creaks, opening slightly - and a pale sliver of a young man's face appears. Dark brown eyes, wide with fear, quickly search my face.

The eyes of a tortured human being.

"A - are you alone?" Elio stammers, his gaze straying past my concerned look and into the corridor.

"Elio, what's happening - "

He repeats himself, voice quavering. "Lorelei, are you alone?"

"Yes - "

My words end, abruptly, from the sudden, damp pressure of his hand on my left forearm as he suddenly yanks me into the dark maw of his apartment's foyer.

Still, warm air, saturated with the scent of sweat and stale ramen, invades my nostrils as he slams the door shut behind him. A light switch flicks on, and I finally behold the thin, disheveled wisp of what used to be a vibrant, promising young man. His plain t-shirt, stained in places, hangs loosely on his shoulders as he hoists his shorts up; his stick-like wrists quickly sink into their pockets before I can glance at them.

This isn't the Elio I know - and he knows it. His eyes refuse to penetrate the tangled mop of greasy, mouse-brown hair obscuring them, choosing instead to glance at his restless feet as I steal a quick glance around his apartment. Hardly big enough to draw a breath in, its lack of furnishings isn't surprising - but for a Champion, merely having a small, secondhand bed, a rickety desk, and a tiny kitchen-cum-living room is less than befitting a Trainer of his skill. There's also an alarming amount of fast-food cartons and soda cans on the floor, but there's greater things to address - such as the visible torment in his eyes.

"Elio," I inquire tentatively, "what's going on?"

He visibly deflates, a precursor of the flood of words to come.

"Lorelei, I - I'm drowning," he laments. "I've tried so hard to be a Champion - one that Kanto could be proud of, but I can't protect this entire region - it's simply more than I can bear."

In handling Elio, I'd been instructed by the League's officials to be assertive - and to state the obvious.

"Elio, but even so, you have responsibilities that you must address."

"And they're not responsibilities a sixteen-year-old like me should have!" Elio snaps, his tear-streaked face suddenly morphing into a mask of anguish. "Can't you see, Lorelei? I'm literally a kid - and I'm supposed to be fighting organized crime, tackling hardened criminals - "

I fold my arms, shrugging. "That wasn't a problem for Red."

"Don't even talk about him," Elio fumes, a subtle frustration emerging with each word. "Stupidly believing that I could walk in his footsteps is the very reason why I became a Champion, and now - now, my life is r-ruined - "

He collapses, his knees thudding on the floor as he clutches his head in his hands and sobs. Seeing his shaking hands leaves me torn inside; impulses, deep and maternal, demand that I kneel and cradle him in my arms - but my favorite straightjacket, woven out of strict, cold professionalism, prevents me from moving a single inch.

I'm supposed to coerce him into returning to his role of being Kanto's champion - and so my mouth opens, seemingly of its own accord, without any regard to the mounting turmoil within me.

My ensuing words, forceful and hard, are so, so wrong.

"Elio, your responsibilities as Kanto's champion will not simply go away - unless you decide to embrace them - "

His resulting sigh, borne from a woeful place within him, adequately silences me.

"You're - you're so blind, Lorelei," he mumbles, wiping his tear-streaked cheeks. "I - I guess I'll have to make you see."

Suddenly, Elio rises, startling me as I trip over myself in fear; landing on my back, my head receives a nasty bump, stunning me as the last thing I see is his body, shaking from an inner torment before his right fist, tightly clenched, rapidly approaches my face.

A/N: Well, you've just finished reading Chapter 1 of Starfall! The entire story's technically done, but the last two chapters need a bit of tweaking. I'll probably release them some time tomorrow, or even earlier than that. That said, I hope you enjoyed reading my work, and do leave reviews if there's anything to be addressed. Take care!

P.S. - And a special thanks to Karla for the review!