Disclaimer: Yes, I do this before all of my stories start. The main char.
In this short fanfic is Falkner, the Violet gym leader. I dreamed this up
and it is soooo sad… I had to write it down!! I do not own this character,
nor do I own Pokemon or anything existing in it. Okay? Good. Now I can
start writing it!!
Falkner
The little boy was 16 months old, barely speaking yet. He hardly knew how to crawl. He didn't understand life yet… he couldn't know that his father was dying.
Kari stood beside the bed of white, looking down into the fading eyes of her loved one. "You can't leave me now," she sobbed, allowing the tears to fall freely. "Please, Cloud…"
Cloud gazed up; watching each icy clear droplet fall to what would be his deathbed. "Take this," he said, pointing to the Pokemon ball that was sitting on the table beside him. "It's the one I just caught… Give it to Falkner, when he's old enough…"
These words were his last. The monitor, which was beeping slowly seconds ago, now sounded a shrill, continuous tone. "Cloud…" Kari sighed, clutching the Pokemon ball close to her heart. "I love you…"
"I'm very sorry," the nurse said, handing the small child back to Kari.
"It's all right," Kari responded. "There's really not much you could have done… sadly."
"You can leave now, if you want to," said the green-haired nurse that had been attending to Falkner. "You'll be planning the memorial, I trust?"
"Right," she said. "Come on, sweetie, time to go home now."
"Ba," cooed little Falkner, trying to take the strange ball from his mother's hand.
"No, no, not for you," she said gently, placing it in her purse. "At least not yet."
**************************************************
The wind was blowing sharply that Saturday. The small, seven-year-old boy ran out ahead of his mother, holding the kite in his left hand. With a flick of his wrist, and a few steps back, the silver and blue kite was released into the breeze.
"Look, Mommy!" Falkner cried, pointing in amazement. "It's flying!"
"Yes," she replied, smiling at the Pidgey perched on her shoulder.
"I want to fly too! Just like Pidgey and the kite!" he announced. "Someday, I want to train bird Pokemon, and fly together with them!"
Kari sighed, half out of happiness, but half out of sorrow. "Your father was the same way," she told him. "He was the greatest trainer of Flying-type Pokemon ever."
"Better than you, Mommy? But you're the Violet Gym Leader!" exclaimed Falkner.
"I took over for him when he… when he died," Kari stammered. Falkner looked down at his feet, but soon his gaze trailed back up to the fascinating kite.
"I'll be just as great as you… and Daddy!" he said, his black hair blowing in the wind.
Kari smiled. "That's not hard to believe," she sighed.
Five years passed quickly. Falkner and Kari lived in peace; Kari watched Falkner grow up, and as he matured, she was shocked to find that he was exactly like his father. His heart was truly kind, and he was friendly toward all wild Pokemon and not just his mother's. He enjoyed the hang- gliding lessons his mother gave him more than anything… he explained to her so many times that he loved being up there so close to the clouds.
The day came when Falkner had his first Pokemon battle. Kari captured a wild Pidgey outside of Violet City, and it was given to Falkner as a gift for his twelfth birthday. He battled another rookie trainer who had come to Violet to battle Kari… and she was astounded at his prowess in battle. He was very serious, and seemed to want to win very badly; he was exactly like Cloud down to a tee. Unfortunately, he lost the battle, and he was very disappointed… but Kari soon avenged him by defeating the young trainer.
"Sorry. Come back when you're a little more experienced, and maybe you can win your gym badge then," she said as she shooed the little girl out the door. Immediately after, she turned to Falkner.
"I was very impressed today, sweetie," she said.
"Why? I lost," Falkner sulked, holding the Pidgey's Pokemon ball. "I'm not good enough to be the gym leader here."
These words almost made Kari take her hand back and slap him. "Falkner! That is not true! You are so much like your father… I watch you every day and I can tell you're going to be just like him!"
"Are you sure?" Falkner asked intently, again staring at his only Pokemon's ball.
"Very sure," Kari returned, hugging her son lovingly. "Don't worry. Of course a Pidgey that has no experience is going to lose its first battle. It will get stronger… and someday it will be a Pidgeot that will be your loyal Pokemon for life."
Falkner smiled at his Pokeball. "Thanks, Mom," he said.
Of course, every tale has to have a twist to it… something that happens to dramatically change a life forever. That change came to Falkner's life when he was almost thirteen… two more months and he could officially become a Gym Assistant. After his mother passed, he would be the Violet City Gym Leader. Kari had planned to train him to the best of her ability, and leave him the gym when he was older, and more responsible.
But then, the cancer hit.
Kari was struck with a case of breast cancer that she had carried for over three years without noticing it. She went in for a checkup one day and came back with the news that she had about a 30% chance of living through the surgery she had to take. She might die through that… but if she didn't go through it she would just die anyway… slowly.
Falkner was sleepless for the entire week before Kari's surgery. He could almost feel what was going to happen… and all he could do was cry. Cry, holding Pidgey's Pokemon ball against his damp cheek, trying to comfort himself. Eventually he cried himself to sleep, in the waiting room of the hospital; by the time he woke up, the nurses were telling him that his mother's surgery was over.
"Is she okay?" Falkner shouted as he stood up, rapidly shaking the sleepiness out of his bloodshot eyes.
"She's in critical condition now but the cancer has been removed," one of the nurses informed. "She may live, but that's a big 'maybe.' Would you like to see her?"
"YES!! Yes!" he shouted, startling a few other people in the waiting room. So the nurse led him to a small room at the end of what seemed like an endless corridor; Kari lay inside, on a bed of pearl-white.
"MOMMY!" Falkner cried as he ran inside the dimmed room. "Are you feeling all right?"
"I really… don't know…" she said slowly; he could tell that she was struggling to speak. There was something wrong… that energy that accompanied every word she said just wasn't there anymore. Her eyes weren't even the same… they were a deep green but they now resembled seaweed… it was like all the life had been drained from his mother.
"What's going to happen?" he asked, not exactly expecting an answer.
"I don't…. know…" she repeated. "The only… thing I'm sure… of is… take that."
Kari pointed to another Pokemon ball on the bedside table. Falkner picked it up and held it. "What is it?"
"That is… the Pidgey that… Cloud gave me before he… before he…"
"I think I know," Falkner sighed. "Mommy… you can't leave me now!" he blurted.
Kari sighed mournfully. Those were the same words she had said to Cloud... that day would be forever etched in her mind. "Falkner… I want you to carry on my duties as the Violet City gym leader," she said with one breath. She stopped, breathing deeply, and started again; "I… love you, Falkner. I know you won't… let me… down…"
Kari's head turned, and her eyes slowly closed. Her chest was no longer rising and falling… breath had stopped. "Mommy…" Falkner whispered, dropping the Pokemon ball to the floor. "MOMMY!! WAKE UP!!!"
Falkner
The little boy was 16 months old, barely speaking yet. He hardly knew how to crawl. He didn't understand life yet… he couldn't know that his father was dying.
Kari stood beside the bed of white, looking down into the fading eyes of her loved one. "You can't leave me now," she sobbed, allowing the tears to fall freely. "Please, Cloud…"
Cloud gazed up; watching each icy clear droplet fall to what would be his deathbed. "Take this," he said, pointing to the Pokemon ball that was sitting on the table beside him. "It's the one I just caught… Give it to Falkner, when he's old enough…"
These words were his last. The monitor, which was beeping slowly seconds ago, now sounded a shrill, continuous tone. "Cloud…" Kari sighed, clutching the Pokemon ball close to her heart. "I love you…"
"I'm very sorry," the nurse said, handing the small child back to Kari.
"It's all right," Kari responded. "There's really not much you could have done… sadly."
"You can leave now, if you want to," said the green-haired nurse that had been attending to Falkner. "You'll be planning the memorial, I trust?"
"Right," she said. "Come on, sweetie, time to go home now."
"Ba," cooed little Falkner, trying to take the strange ball from his mother's hand.
"No, no, not for you," she said gently, placing it in her purse. "At least not yet."
**************************************************
The wind was blowing sharply that Saturday. The small, seven-year-old boy ran out ahead of his mother, holding the kite in his left hand. With a flick of his wrist, and a few steps back, the silver and blue kite was released into the breeze.
"Look, Mommy!" Falkner cried, pointing in amazement. "It's flying!"
"Yes," she replied, smiling at the Pidgey perched on her shoulder.
"I want to fly too! Just like Pidgey and the kite!" he announced. "Someday, I want to train bird Pokemon, and fly together with them!"
Kari sighed, half out of happiness, but half out of sorrow. "Your father was the same way," she told him. "He was the greatest trainer of Flying-type Pokemon ever."
"Better than you, Mommy? But you're the Violet Gym Leader!" exclaimed Falkner.
"I took over for him when he… when he died," Kari stammered. Falkner looked down at his feet, but soon his gaze trailed back up to the fascinating kite.
"I'll be just as great as you… and Daddy!" he said, his black hair blowing in the wind.
Kari smiled. "That's not hard to believe," she sighed.
Five years passed quickly. Falkner and Kari lived in peace; Kari watched Falkner grow up, and as he matured, she was shocked to find that he was exactly like his father. His heart was truly kind, and he was friendly toward all wild Pokemon and not just his mother's. He enjoyed the hang- gliding lessons his mother gave him more than anything… he explained to her so many times that he loved being up there so close to the clouds.
The day came when Falkner had his first Pokemon battle. Kari captured a wild Pidgey outside of Violet City, and it was given to Falkner as a gift for his twelfth birthday. He battled another rookie trainer who had come to Violet to battle Kari… and she was astounded at his prowess in battle. He was very serious, and seemed to want to win very badly; he was exactly like Cloud down to a tee. Unfortunately, he lost the battle, and he was very disappointed… but Kari soon avenged him by defeating the young trainer.
"Sorry. Come back when you're a little more experienced, and maybe you can win your gym badge then," she said as she shooed the little girl out the door. Immediately after, she turned to Falkner.
"I was very impressed today, sweetie," she said.
"Why? I lost," Falkner sulked, holding the Pidgey's Pokemon ball. "I'm not good enough to be the gym leader here."
These words almost made Kari take her hand back and slap him. "Falkner! That is not true! You are so much like your father… I watch you every day and I can tell you're going to be just like him!"
"Are you sure?" Falkner asked intently, again staring at his only Pokemon's ball.
"Very sure," Kari returned, hugging her son lovingly. "Don't worry. Of course a Pidgey that has no experience is going to lose its first battle. It will get stronger… and someday it will be a Pidgeot that will be your loyal Pokemon for life."
Falkner smiled at his Pokeball. "Thanks, Mom," he said.
Of course, every tale has to have a twist to it… something that happens to dramatically change a life forever. That change came to Falkner's life when he was almost thirteen… two more months and he could officially become a Gym Assistant. After his mother passed, he would be the Violet City Gym Leader. Kari had planned to train him to the best of her ability, and leave him the gym when he was older, and more responsible.
But then, the cancer hit.
Kari was struck with a case of breast cancer that she had carried for over three years without noticing it. She went in for a checkup one day and came back with the news that she had about a 30% chance of living through the surgery she had to take. She might die through that… but if she didn't go through it she would just die anyway… slowly.
Falkner was sleepless for the entire week before Kari's surgery. He could almost feel what was going to happen… and all he could do was cry. Cry, holding Pidgey's Pokemon ball against his damp cheek, trying to comfort himself. Eventually he cried himself to sleep, in the waiting room of the hospital; by the time he woke up, the nurses were telling him that his mother's surgery was over.
"Is she okay?" Falkner shouted as he stood up, rapidly shaking the sleepiness out of his bloodshot eyes.
"She's in critical condition now but the cancer has been removed," one of the nurses informed. "She may live, but that's a big 'maybe.' Would you like to see her?"
"YES!! Yes!" he shouted, startling a few other people in the waiting room. So the nurse led him to a small room at the end of what seemed like an endless corridor; Kari lay inside, on a bed of pearl-white.
"MOMMY!" Falkner cried as he ran inside the dimmed room. "Are you feeling all right?"
"I really… don't know…" she said slowly; he could tell that she was struggling to speak. There was something wrong… that energy that accompanied every word she said just wasn't there anymore. Her eyes weren't even the same… they were a deep green but they now resembled seaweed… it was like all the life had been drained from his mother.
"What's going to happen?" he asked, not exactly expecting an answer.
"I don't…. know…" she repeated. "The only… thing I'm sure… of is… take that."
Kari pointed to another Pokemon ball on the bedside table. Falkner picked it up and held it. "What is it?"
"That is… the Pidgey that… Cloud gave me before he… before he…"
"I think I know," Falkner sighed. "Mommy… you can't leave me now!" he blurted.
Kari sighed mournfully. Those were the same words she had said to Cloud... that day would be forever etched in her mind. "Falkner… I want you to carry on my duties as the Violet City gym leader," she said with one breath. She stopped, breathing deeply, and started again; "I… love you, Falkner. I know you won't… let me… down…"
Kari's head turned, and her eyes slowly closed. Her chest was no longer rising and falling… breath had stopped. "Mommy…" Falkner whispered, dropping the Pokemon ball to the floor. "MOMMY!! WAKE UP!!!"