Chapter 24
"Here you are Samantha. Your Pokémon are fully recovered. Enjoy your stay at Saffron City" Nurse Joy smiled politely.
It was a clear September morning. Samantha called to Kat, who was sharing a long, very passionate kiss with Tony, "Ready Kat?"
Kat could only frown.
"Come on now! You're tougher than that! Take a deep breath. You have to face the music sometime. Let's just get this done and over with. Everything will be OK, I promise." Samantha reassured her friend.
"H-Hello?" Kat managed to say as she opened the door to her house.
The house was completely dead. Kat's mother and father must have gone out for lunch today. The house was still as Kat's voice echoed off the walls, "Anybody here? It's me, Kat…"
Suddenly rapid footsteps were heard running down the stairs with great speed. A pinkish figure emerged soon emerged from the darkness.
"Blissey! Bliss, Blissey!"
Kat laughed as the family Pokémon happily tackled her to the floor.
"Ha ha! Come on Blissey! Knock it off! Ha Ha Ha!"
Samantha entered the house to find Kat on the floor being hugged by her family's first Pokémon.
"Hmmm what is that?" Samantha inquired pulling out her Pokédex.
"Blissey. The Happiness Pokémon.
This evolved form of Chansey,
is extremely friendly, and its happiness
can be extremely contagious."
Tony walked in next, a bit uneasily. Blaze as always followed close behind him cautiously.
"See? Blissey sensed that Kat was upset, so she's trying extra hard to cheer her up." Tony noted.
"No honey, she just really missed me," Kat said standing up. "But I do feel WAY better!"
"I'm glad Kat, but where are your parents?" Tony asked.
"I have no idea…"
Samantha was standing in the corner ignoring everything going on around her. In her hand was Blaze's broken Poké Ball.
"Hey Tony, Kat…I'm going to see my dad now. I'll come back when the Poké Ball is fixed."
As she made her way though the humongous city, Samantha was struck by the thoughts and feelings that she had made every attempt to avoid. Try as she might, she couldn't help but feel that is was good-bye to Tony and Kat. Who knew that a few months ago, a young girl that went around imitating people, had matured into a beautiful young woman with quite the talent for training Pokémon.
At that moment, it hit Samantha how much she too has changed since the start of this Pokémon quest. Going from a lonely house-girl, to a Pokémon trainer. The day Bobby floated into her life…her first capture, and the toughest Pikachu that had ever lived…the first Gym Match, and Bobby's special ability.
"We've been through a whole lot in a year's time, haven't we Bobby?" Samantha said picking up Bobby, then "his" Gloom. She gave the both of them a big hug, and held them close to her.
"Mistress Sabrina, what troubles you?"
Sabrina's eyes were glowing blue with psychic energy. Her serious expressions did not take away from her beauty. "I sense a powerful trainer in Saffron City…"
Her underling looked confused, "Will she come against you?"
Sabrina pushed her long, black hair back, and closed her eyes in deep concentration.
After a moment, Sabrina had the answer to it, "No…no she will not. For this reason, I feel somewhat…fortunate…"
Coming from Sabrina, any compliment was rare, but self-doubt?
"Mistress, why is that" her servant asked morbidly.
"Because, she is a destined trainer. One day, she will be the best of them all. Perhaps she will be the strongest Pokémon trainer in the world, but one thing is for certain. Meeting her, even through my visions…has been an honor…"
"Welcome to Silph Co. May I help you young lady?" the receptionist asked
"Yes ma'am, I'm here to see my father, Kurt." Samantha replied.
After a few moments of sitting in the waiting room, Samantha's father came running up to his daughter.
"Samantha! Goodness you've grown!" Kurt said hugging his eldest daughter.
"I missed you too Dad," Samantha said looking up at her father.
Kurt looked at his daughter. How much she had grown in one year's time! One sad fact about Pokémon training is it begins at the age where parents should be watching their little girls grow into beautiful young women. Kurt quickly collected his thoughts, "So what brings you to Saffron?"
Samantha reached into her satchel, and pulled out Blaze's Poké Ball. She dusted it off and handed it to her father. "I have this friend Tony, this Poké Ball won't take in his Growlithe anymore. I was wondering if you could repair it Daddy…"
Kurt examined every aspect of the Poké Ball carefully. He then frowned, and handed the ball back to his daughter, "I'm sorry Samantha, I can't. Only one person could fix that problem, and that would be your grandfather, Kurt."
Samantha was taken aback. Her grandfather lived in Azalea Town…and that was all the way in Johto!
"Dad! That's so far away! It would take a long hike up the Indigo Mountain range just to get to Johto!"
Kurt smiled, and reached into his pocket. "Those days are long over. Here take this. It is a ticket for the new Magnet Train. It was just built. It will take you from Saffron City to Goldenrod City in Johto. From there, it's a short walk to Azalea Town."
Samantha smiled at this fortunate turn of events. "Thank you Daddy!"
"My pleasure, Samantha. I have to get back to work. Come back and visit anytime. You take care of her now Bobby, you hear?"
"Bulbasaur!"
"WHAT?" Kat screamed.
Samantha ignored her friend's disbelief and continued packing supplies into her satchel. Tony was in the adjacent room, talking to Kat's mother. Blaze sat at Samantha's feet with Bobby and his Gloom staring at her with a saddened look on his face.
"My parents won't let me go to Johto! You just have to stay Sammie!" Kat cried.
"Listen Ms. Copycat…we all need to do what needs to be done. The winds of fate have called me to Johto, and that is where I must go." Samantha said.
"I…understand…"
"So, dry those tears. You and Tony can come see me off, OK?"
"ALL ABOARD!"
Kat and Tony gave Samantha a long group hug. Samantha did her best to disguise her feelings, and finished collecting her things for the trip. As Samantha started heading towards the train, Tony winced painfully. All of the sudden, he grabbed Samantha's arm.
"Sam…I…I want you to take Blaze with you!" Tony said out of nowhere.
"WHAT?" Samantha asked surprised at that statement.
"I'm staying here with Kat. I know we'd both feel a whole lot better if Blaze were there protecting you."
"Tony…are you sure?" Samantha asked touched.
"Growlithe!"
"I've said my good-byes. Blaze will protect you well. Just you'd better not stay away for too long. I'm going to miss him a lot."
"Oh Tony, you know I'll take great care of him!"
The three shared a group hug for the final time. Samantha smiled, and stepped onto the train.
"Come on Blaze!"
"Growlithe!" he barked running to join Gloom and Bobby by Samantha's side
The doors shut behind Samantha, Bobby, his Gloom, and Blaze. The train's engines whirred electronically, and it started to move westward. The sunlight from the setting sun highlighted Samantha's figure through the windows. All that was visible was Samantha's silhouette…it seemed almost divine.
Kat and Tony waved as the train sped off. When the doors opened, Samantha would be in a whole new world…with a brand new adventure awaiting her.
END OF BOOK 1
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
"Call it irony, call it coincidence…
I finished Book #1 on September 11, 2001
at around 9 AM that morning, while I sat
unknowingly in my class.
Lest Americans never forget that terrible day
when evil terrorists felt it necessary to take
the lives of thousands of innocent people.
I was 19 years old on that day, but the images
on that date will haunt me for the rest of my
existence in this mortal world."
(Hope that doesn't stop you from reading Book #2:
"The Living Legend")
