Star in the Storm, Chapter 1

Lody- "New Rivals"

One week later…

"You're submitting to peer pressure, Lody. You can't allow yourself be brainwashed by what other kids may say. Just because you don't hang around with those other kids doesn't mean they can exclude you from their group.

I sighed heavily. "Dad, it's not peer pressure, and no one's excluding me. It's none of those things in your Psychology 101 lectures. I just don't like tag; that's it!" I folded my arms, bracing myself for another harebrained lecture. True enough, I wasn't the world's most sociable person, but my own father didn't have to hold it against me. "Besides, I need to find Amulet," I finished peremptorily. If my father thought he could single-handedly improve my meager social life, he was dead wrong.

Dad rolled his eyes. Was I the only kid whose parent still performed juvenile gestures? "Of course you do, but it can't hurt to play one harmless little game of tag with Roary to make you father a happier person, can it?" Without waiting for a reply, he gave me a sharp nudge forward. "Have fun!" he yelled behind his back as he darted away, cackling evilly.

"Playin', Chimera?" a feminine voice hollered from across the field. I sighed again. Roary Ketchum and her big mouth were unwelcome in any possible aspect, especially in a game that involved mindless idiots running around and trying to knock each other over.

"Hey, move it, Lody!" Roary yelled, stamping forward, her sharp black eyes flickering in my direction. Roary was what my dad called a "PokéMaster Freak", when Mom wasn't around, of course. Roary had become a Pokémon trainer at the orthodox age of ten, and her sole dream was something along the lines of her motto, "Gotta cream 'em all!"

"That's okay," I said quietly. "I'll watch."

Roary cocked her head questioningly at me. "You need more than one person to play tag, Chimera," she snorted. Reaching into her pocket and withdrawing a small, round object, she brandished the PokéBall in my direction. "But you only need two for a Pokémon battle!"

Glad you learned how to count, I thought sarcastically. It was strange, really, how an experienced trainer like Roary Ketchum still insisted on using the old, obsolete PokéBalls after the invention of the PokéCapsule, or PokéCap for short. But I didn't pursue the thought any longer.

Subtly, I felt around in my pocket. Though I didn't have Amulet, I still stood a decent chance of giving Roary a taste of her own medicine. Pokémon training had been a casual hobby of mine that Mother had been more than glad to coach me about. But then again, I'd never been in a real Pokémon battle before. Not with a trainer as experienced as Roary.

"I think I'll pass," I said firmly.

Roary scowled, "A real Pokémon master never turns down a challenge!"

I rolled my eyes in perfect imitation of my father. Who's a Pokémon master? Definitely not me!

But I paused a moment, anyway. Winning equals shutting Roary up for the next few hours. "Okay," I agreed finally. "You're on!"

Roary grinned and pivoted on the ball of her foot, the high ponytail at the top of her head whipping forward. "Three on three, bet'ya can't beat me! Go, Vaporeon!"

Roary seems to have gained Ms. Waterflower's love for Water types, I mused as the sleek, aquatic Pokémon sprang onto the nearby pool with a battle cry. Everyone knew Misty Waterflower, one of Roary's numerous role models, trained marine Pokémon for movies and was head specialist at the new aquatic-based exhibit down by PokémonLand. Not that I had ever cared to go.

Okay then, I'll fight water with water. Reaching into my own pocket, I emerged with a shiny blue PokéCap. "That's your cue, Cascader!"

Throwing my capsule into the air, I watched breathlessly as my own Pokémon materialized. We had trained hard, and we were good enough to win by a long shot. But would we?

Water sparkled off the shimmering scales on Cascader's side as her long fins beat foam into the air. Slender antennae atop her forehead twitched about alertly, awaiting my command.

Roary could only stare. "Is that a…?"

I broke in before she could find her Pokédex. "That's right. Cascader's a Kingdra, half Water and half Dragon. I raised her from a tiny abandoned Horsea my mom found in the Seafoam Islands."

"You need more than impressive Pokémon to beat a seasoned trainer! You need experience!" Roary countered, though she didn't look nearly as confident anymore. "Okay, Vaporeon! Head it off with an Aurora Beam!"

Not bad. She knows Ice moves can really do damage to a Dragon type, I thought. But then, what would you expect from someone whose been battling two years?

"Cascader!" I called. "Agility, now!"

The Kingdra obeyed immediately, becoming little more than a shimmer as it zoomed through the water. Needless to say, Vaporeon's Aurora Beam missed by a long shot.

"Now, Cascader!" I yelled. "Double back with Hyper Beam!"

Cascader's aim was true, as always. I smiled to recall all the days we had trained together when she was just a Horsea, trying to hit Frisbees with jets of ink. The effect was explosive! When I had finally wiped the water from my eyes, I grinned. One down, two to go.

Roary wrung the water from her ponytail and recalled Vaporeon, looking sulky and extremely wet. "You did a good job, Vaporeon," she whispered to her PokéBall. Straightening, and digging another PokéBall out from her jacket, she lobbed it onto the battlefield. "Try your luck with…Jigglypuff!"

I recalled Cascader. Fast. I had been warned too many times about the dangers of Jigglypuff to take any chances.

"Then you can try your luck with…Stratagem!"

An earthshaking roar sounded as my enormous Pokémon emerged. With her armor-like skin and powerful build, Stratagem was a mighty opponent, one of my best Pokémon. Oh, it had taken so long to raise the stubborn Larvitar Mother had adopted in Silver Cave, but it was well worth it.

"Um, that's a…um, a," Roary stammered.

"Tyranitar," I finished for her. "Sahra's her pet name. Isn't she just the cutest little thing you ever saw?"

Sahra growled at Roary's Jigglypuff, an evil sneer twisting her face.

"Jigglypuff, don't let the Tyranitar's size intimidate you!" Roary shouted. "Sing attack! Now!"

I had been prepared for this. "Sandstorm, Sahra! Now!"

A blinding whirl of stinging sand flared up as Jigglypuff began its song. It choked as the dust scraped its throat raw.

"Finish it off with Earthquake!" I commanded. The ground tore asunder, throwing Roary's Pokémon skidding to the side. Bruised badly, the Jigglypuff struggled to its feet, inflating its body angrily.

This was all too easy. But then, I had never had the patience for the restrained, complicated battles Mother excelled at. I like things fast. Fast and crushing.

I nodded once, to myself. Jigglypuff was as good as beaten. Once I did so, the match would be mine.

"I'm elated that you two ladies are enjoying one another's company," my father's voice came from the side. "But I've abducted another innocent bystander for you two to persecute!" He gestured towards the jacket-clad boy just coming up behind him, led by an energetic Umbreon.

Roary went suddenly silent, a first. I sighed as the battle was broken off and both Roary and I recalled our Pokémon. Clearly, we would have to finish this match some other day.

The boy smiled behind his pair of black sunglasses. "I'm Shane, one of Prof. Koreyu's students," he said.

Instantly, my mind snapped to attention. Dad's a teacher, and a popular one at that. All that Pokémon research he's so famous for is really (or so he claims) just "an unusual hobby designed to occupy oneself in times of leisure". Strangely enough, he'd rather spend time cracking jokes, dodging spitballs, and just plain "torturing" his innocent students. Why any one of them would even consider coming to his house is beyond me.

My father nodded in response to the boy's statement. "Shane's going to be with us for a few days, working with me in the lab. Go easy on him, okay?" He winked.

Quickly, I scanned the boy up and down, ignoring the Umbreon's curious red stare. Shane Rising was about my age, twelve or so, with blond hair so light it seemed almost silver. His skin was even paler and drawn tightly across his face, as if he'd never seen the sun before in his life.

Beside me, Roary blinked absentmindedly at my father's request and I snapped back to attention. "Of course," Roary agreed fervently.

Shane smiled at her, which just seemed to make her even more stupefied.

"I'm Roary Ketchum," she giggled. "Who're you?"

I dug my elbow into her shoulder.

"Ow! Lody!"

Dad grinned. "You'd better watch out for my daughter," he told Shane. "She's a real sadist if the opportunity arises. And believe me, it rises with the sun."

Shane laughed, Roary along with him. "Of course," he said.

I glared at Roary. "In case you don't remember, we have a match to finish!"

She ignored me. "How old are you, Shane?" she asked.

I'll give the kid some credit; he raised an eyebrow half-questioningly behind his sunglasses. "Uh, twelve," he said finally.

"Me two!" she gasped. "Isn't that just so cool?"

I rolled my eyes and folded my arms pointedly.

She ignored me again. "I'll bet you're a Pokémon trainer, right Shane? Have you been to the League before? I have, twice. Unlike some people."

My father shrugged, speaking for me. "Lody's decided to wait a little before going full force with training, or anything like that. She needs to finish up her homeschooling, for one."

Father had decided that, not me.

Shane smiled at me. "I think education's pretty important, too," he said sincerely. "I'll be finishing up college this year, and maybe start something new next year."

Roary's eyes went wide. "Whoa, you must be some kind of genius or something!" she gushed.

I resisted the urge to kick her. Since when did Roary approve of education?

To my surprise, my father nodded and put an arm around Shane's shoulder. "That's Shane, alright," he agreed. "Best student I've had in years. I'm sure he'll fit in just fine here; Shane's a talented battler, you know, Roary. I'm sure he could even teach you a thing or two."

Roary giggled. They'd hit it off, without a doubt. I turned away.

"You could take some pointers from Shane, too, Lody. Lody?"

"See you all later!" I called over my shoulder, starting back. "I need to find my Espeon!"

Shane's voice called after me. "Hey, I think there was an Espeon by the gate! Gauntal stopped for a chat, and I had a hard time pulling him away." He patted the Umbreon teasingly on the head.

I ran down the hill, not looking back. The PokéCap in my hand felt smooth and comforting. I'd settle the score with Roary soon enough. As soon as her brain returned from lunch break.

To my great frustration, Roary was gone by the time I returned with my Espeon. Father had disappeared as well, and I was still stinging with their slights. Shane and his Umbreon, however, were still there.

"Hi again, Trilody," Shane called as I approached. "Gauntal wants to know your Espeon's name. Whoa, slow down, boy!" he yelled as the Umbreon dragged him forward by the leash.

I eyed him coolly. "Her name's Amulet," I replied. "And I'm called Lody."

"Lody, sorry," Shane corrected himself. "Gauntal, down! Down! Whoa!" I watched almost too amusedly as the Umbreon proceeded to drag its trainer another several feet. Beside me, Amulet wrinkled her nose and hid behind my legs.

"I'm really sorry about this," Shane said sincerely. "Gauntal really has a mind of its own. Down, boy! I said down!" He managed to calm down his Umbreon enough to look up and smile at me. "The Professor says you're a pretty good battler, Lody."

"I'm just a rookie," I protested uncomfortably to his unexpected praise. "It's not as if I actually have badges or anything like that."

Shane shrugged. "What do badges mean? Just that you've beaten certain trainers and not others. Collecting badges is fun enough, but people go on Pokémon journeys for many reasons other than that."

"You sound like you've had experience."

He shrugged again. "Some might say that. I never was an orthodox trainer like your friend Roary, though I didn't tell her that. Like I said, there're many reasons to go on a Pokémon journey. You just have to find the right one. I know I did. Maybe you will someday, too."

I stared at Shane incredulously, at the silvery-light hair sweeping over his forehead like a halo and the angelic smile upon his pale face.

Suddenly, my vision turned green, and I saw the hair as too silver and smile as too smug. College-bound and a Pokémon master-to-be, that was Shane alright. Twelve year-old boy wonder. Roary and Father thought so already, the whole world probably did. His unspoken words hung suspended in the air between us: Maybe someday you'll be as good as me, Lody Chimera.

"I don't know where you get off telling me what to do," I heard myself saying coldly. "Just leave me alone, won't you?"

Shane didn't move, didn't say anything.

"Lody," Amulet chastised, batting a paw in my direction.

I hated myself at that moment, as I broke away and ran.

Reviews, comments, etc. are greatly appreciated! This is my first non-short story ever, and constructive criticism would be very, very useful.

Notes:

Okay, first of all, why does Lody Chimera have all these ultra-rare and super-powerful Pokémon (Kingdra, Tyranitar, Arcanine) if she hasn't even started her Pokémon journey yet? Well, considering that I once raised my Charmander to a Charmeleon before even leaving Pallet Town, I'd have to say it's possible. Lody, after all, wants to be the very best, and will go to any length to achieve this goal. It makes her kind of paranoid most of the time, and she starts seeing most everyone around her as a potential rival and an impending threat. Could this be part of the reason she doesn't have any friends besides her Pokémon? Hmm, I wonder...