~Chapter Fifteen~
I stared at the leather journal in my hands. My mouth was hanging open and I was pretty unaware of how stupid I looked, but I didn't care.
I turned the journal over in my hands. A strip of material was set across the side of the journal where it was supposed to open, and a complicated device on the back cover held the strip and locked the journal.
I decided to try and open it anyway. I tugged and pulled, but it wouldn't budge.
"Dang it," I muttered, and drummed my nails on the back cover. I saw a weird circle-shaped lock. I thought that maybe you put something in there and somehow the journal would open.
"Hmmmm. . ." I said out loud. The Dragonair ring Danny had given me glinted off of a light turned on near the bed. I smiled a sad smile and looked at the ring, then back at the journal, wondering how to open it. The ring, the journal. The ring, the journal. The ring. . .
"That's it!" I cried, my eyes opening wide. I pulled the ring off of my finger-for the first time since Danny had given it to me-and stuck it into the hole, where it fit perfectly. I slowly turned it, and the journal clicked-and popped open.
I just sat there, staring at the ring in one hand and the journal in the other. Mystic was snoozing in her basket. She did not realize what had just happened. She did not realize that the ring Danny had given me had opened Dad's journal.
I blinked and absentmindedly slipped the ring back onto my finger. With shaking hands, I opened Dad's journal and started reading to myself.
~*~
"September 30 1974
I can't believe that stupid Anthony! I know we've been rivals since forever, but he's gone too far this time. That stupid person says he's going to capture more Pokemon than me. Ha! We'll see about that!
I'm going to capture more Pokemon than anyone ever, and become the best trainer in the universe. Maybe I can even get an Eevee to give to Serena- she's the girl I really like! She doesn't even look at me, though. She stares at Brian in Pokemon School all day long. Grrr, that Brian. Well, I don't think Brian will be able to get an Eevee when I start my Pokemon journey and capture more Pokemon than Brian or Anthony!"
~*~
I frowned. I was slightly confused. I pictured the first entry in my diary- it told my name, where I lived, and things about myself at that minute so if someone found it in the far, far future, they'd know who they were reading about.
I reread the passage again, and my mouth dropped open when I read one particular part.
"Serena!" I gasped. "That's mom's name!"
I stared at Mystic. That's so sweet, I thought. If this Serena was my mom now, Dad married his first love! That's so romantic! I sighed and turned the page to the next entry.
~*~
"October 1, 1974
I always thought Anthony was annoying, but now I really hate him. I thought we could be friendly rivals, like they show on those Pokemon TV shows, but he's so stupid! I ran into him earlier today when all I had was Mars, my starting Cydaquil. He already had three Pokemon, including his Chikorita! He challenged me to a battle and wouldn't take one-on-one. He laughed when he said I only had one Pokemon, but what did you expect-I was only about three hours into my journey!
Then I ran into Brian. Guess what-Serena was tagging along with him! I heard she was going to stay with him through his whole journey! I was mad at Brian, and sad at the same time. Now I'll probably never get a chance at making Serena like me."
~*~
I raised my eyebrows. Dad, a romantic? And he was THAT set on trying to make Mom like him.
I smiled and shook my head. I wondered how they met and then got married. I flipped through the rest of the diary, and saw it was only halfway filled. I guess Dad was too busy training Pokemon or something. I froze when I saw the date of the final entry.
June 18, 1998.
"That's. . .that's. . ." I stammered.
I couldn't believe it.
That was the day Dad died.
I stared at the date for awhile, until my eyes drifted towards the entry written. I was so afraid to read it, like someone was forbidding me to, but I read it anyway.
~*~
"June 18, 1998
I've decided I should probably leave the den today and go home to April and Serena. April does turn 10 in a few months, and she should then start her Pokemon journey and find out about the den. I already know how I plan to give her Mystic-as a birthday present. I know she'll love it. She's always loved Pokemon, even if I didn't really have any of the ones I talked about.
I'm going to leave Cielo and Rio here as guards, though, and tell them if I don't come back in two weeks to go back in their Pokeballs.
I managed to watch a little of the Champion's League battles on the TV in the Pokemon Center when I was buying some food. That darn Anthony was in there. I do feel sorry for Brian, it's a shame that those Krabbies killed him. But I'd never feel sorry for Anthony. We actually ran into each other and he laughed like a teenager that I was 'still in Ecruteak City.' Ha-ha. If only he knew about the den, then he wouldn't laugh. But he just asked about Serena. He's still mad I married her, I can tell. But a choice is a choice, and he chose to pursue Pokemon instead.
I'm going to leave this journal here until I return. I hope everything's still here and waiting for me when I get back."
~*~
My eyes filled with tears. I felt like a Pokemon about to use Rage, and started building up. Finally, I threw the journal across the room and stood up and started screaming.
"WHAT HAPPENED? How did it happen? How did he die why couldn't he have just stayed, why-"
Danny suddenly burst into my room and saw me in my rage. "April, what the-" he started to ask, but then he knew it was useless to try and talk to me right then. He sat me down on my bed and held me until my screaming was reduced to quiet sobs.
"Shhh. It's okay April," he whispered
"No it's not," I whimpered, burying my face in his shirt.
"What's wrong?" he asked, and started to stroke my pigtails. I was getting too used to that, but I didn't care.
"I-I found-" I started to say, but then a new thought dawned upon me: the ring. The ring Danny had given me had opened Dad's journal.
What did THAT mean?
"April?" Danny asked . "Oh!" I cried, and looked up. Danny was staring at me with worry and concern in his eyes.
I looked at my hands and twisted the ring around on my finger. I took a deep breath. "Danny," I began. I stopped turning the ring and just stared at it. "Where did you get this ring?"
"I, uh," he said. He looked at his feet. "Well, I don't want to lie to you, but I really don't know. It just appeared somehow in my bag, and I knew it belonged to you."
I stared at the ring and wondered how something could have just appeared like that. Maybe a Pidgeot picked it up and accidentally put it in his bag, I thought.
"Danny," I said. "This ring opened up Dad's journal."
I walked across the room and picked up the journal where I had thrown it. I locked it and demonstrated how I opened it for Danny. He looked just as confused as I felt.
"Did you read it?" he asked.
I slipped the ring on my finger again and sighed. "Not really. Just the first two entries and the last one. . ." I trailed off.
"What about the last one?" Danny asked.
"It. . .it was the last one he wrote before he died," I said, and Danny raised his eyebrows. "He was coming home that day. He was coming home from the den and. . .he didn't have a chance."
Danny opened his mouth to start to say something, but just then, there was a loud cry from Cielo. I heard some more screaming, but I didn't think it was the Pokemon.
Mystic woke up and snorted. Her bright eyes opened wide and she slithered to the door. Danny peeked outside and turned to me. "I think there's someone here."
I stared at the leather journal in my hands. My mouth was hanging open and I was pretty unaware of how stupid I looked, but I didn't care.
I turned the journal over in my hands. A strip of material was set across the side of the journal where it was supposed to open, and a complicated device on the back cover held the strip and locked the journal.
I decided to try and open it anyway. I tugged and pulled, but it wouldn't budge.
"Dang it," I muttered, and drummed my nails on the back cover. I saw a weird circle-shaped lock. I thought that maybe you put something in there and somehow the journal would open.
"Hmmmm. . ." I said out loud. The Dragonair ring Danny had given me glinted off of a light turned on near the bed. I smiled a sad smile and looked at the ring, then back at the journal, wondering how to open it. The ring, the journal. The ring, the journal. The ring. . .
"That's it!" I cried, my eyes opening wide. I pulled the ring off of my finger-for the first time since Danny had given it to me-and stuck it into the hole, where it fit perfectly. I slowly turned it, and the journal clicked-and popped open.
I just sat there, staring at the ring in one hand and the journal in the other. Mystic was snoozing in her basket. She did not realize what had just happened. She did not realize that the ring Danny had given me had opened Dad's journal.
I blinked and absentmindedly slipped the ring back onto my finger. With shaking hands, I opened Dad's journal and started reading to myself.
~*~
"September 30 1974
I can't believe that stupid Anthony! I know we've been rivals since forever, but he's gone too far this time. That stupid person says he's going to capture more Pokemon than me. Ha! We'll see about that!
I'm going to capture more Pokemon than anyone ever, and become the best trainer in the universe. Maybe I can even get an Eevee to give to Serena- she's the girl I really like! She doesn't even look at me, though. She stares at Brian in Pokemon School all day long. Grrr, that Brian. Well, I don't think Brian will be able to get an Eevee when I start my Pokemon journey and capture more Pokemon than Brian or Anthony!"
~*~
I frowned. I was slightly confused. I pictured the first entry in my diary- it told my name, where I lived, and things about myself at that minute so if someone found it in the far, far future, they'd know who they were reading about.
I reread the passage again, and my mouth dropped open when I read one particular part.
"Serena!" I gasped. "That's mom's name!"
I stared at Mystic. That's so sweet, I thought. If this Serena was my mom now, Dad married his first love! That's so romantic! I sighed and turned the page to the next entry.
~*~
"October 1, 1974
I always thought Anthony was annoying, but now I really hate him. I thought we could be friendly rivals, like they show on those Pokemon TV shows, but he's so stupid! I ran into him earlier today when all I had was Mars, my starting Cydaquil. He already had three Pokemon, including his Chikorita! He challenged me to a battle and wouldn't take one-on-one. He laughed when he said I only had one Pokemon, but what did you expect-I was only about three hours into my journey!
Then I ran into Brian. Guess what-Serena was tagging along with him! I heard she was going to stay with him through his whole journey! I was mad at Brian, and sad at the same time. Now I'll probably never get a chance at making Serena like me."
~*~
I raised my eyebrows. Dad, a romantic? And he was THAT set on trying to make Mom like him.
I smiled and shook my head. I wondered how they met and then got married. I flipped through the rest of the diary, and saw it was only halfway filled. I guess Dad was too busy training Pokemon or something. I froze when I saw the date of the final entry.
June 18, 1998.
"That's. . .that's. . ." I stammered.
I couldn't believe it.
That was the day Dad died.
I stared at the date for awhile, until my eyes drifted towards the entry written. I was so afraid to read it, like someone was forbidding me to, but I read it anyway.
~*~
"June 18, 1998
I've decided I should probably leave the den today and go home to April and Serena. April does turn 10 in a few months, and she should then start her Pokemon journey and find out about the den. I already know how I plan to give her Mystic-as a birthday present. I know she'll love it. She's always loved Pokemon, even if I didn't really have any of the ones I talked about.
I'm going to leave Cielo and Rio here as guards, though, and tell them if I don't come back in two weeks to go back in their Pokeballs.
I managed to watch a little of the Champion's League battles on the TV in the Pokemon Center when I was buying some food. That darn Anthony was in there. I do feel sorry for Brian, it's a shame that those Krabbies killed him. But I'd never feel sorry for Anthony. We actually ran into each other and he laughed like a teenager that I was 'still in Ecruteak City.' Ha-ha. If only he knew about the den, then he wouldn't laugh. But he just asked about Serena. He's still mad I married her, I can tell. But a choice is a choice, and he chose to pursue Pokemon instead.
I'm going to leave this journal here until I return. I hope everything's still here and waiting for me when I get back."
~*~
My eyes filled with tears. I felt like a Pokemon about to use Rage, and started building up. Finally, I threw the journal across the room and stood up and started screaming.
"WHAT HAPPENED? How did it happen? How did he die why couldn't he have just stayed, why-"
Danny suddenly burst into my room and saw me in my rage. "April, what the-" he started to ask, but then he knew it was useless to try and talk to me right then. He sat me down on my bed and held me until my screaming was reduced to quiet sobs.
"Shhh. It's okay April," he whispered
"No it's not," I whimpered, burying my face in his shirt.
"What's wrong?" he asked, and started to stroke my pigtails. I was getting too used to that, but I didn't care.
"I-I found-" I started to say, but then a new thought dawned upon me: the ring. The ring Danny had given me had opened Dad's journal.
What did THAT mean?
"April?" Danny asked . "Oh!" I cried, and looked up. Danny was staring at me with worry and concern in his eyes.
I looked at my hands and twisted the ring around on my finger. I took a deep breath. "Danny," I began. I stopped turning the ring and just stared at it. "Where did you get this ring?"
"I, uh," he said. He looked at his feet. "Well, I don't want to lie to you, but I really don't know. It just appeared somehow in my bag, and I knew it belonged to you."
I stared at the ring and wondered how something could have just appeared like that. Maybe a Pidgeot picked it up and accidentally put it in his bag, I thought.
"Danny," I said. "This ring opened up Dad's journal."
I walked across the room and picked up the journal where I had thrown it. I locked it and demonstrated how I opened it for Danny. He looked just as confused as I felt.
"Did you read it?" he asked.
I slipped the ring on my finger again and sighed. "Not really. Just the first two entries and the last one. . ." I trailed off.
"What about the last one?" Danny asked.
"It. . .it was the last one he wrote before he died," I said, and Danny raised his eyebrows. "He was coming home that day. He was coming home from the den and. . .he didn't have a chance."
Danny opened his mouth to start to say something, but just then, there was a loud cry from Cielo. I heard some more screaming, but I didn't think it was the Pokemon.
Mystic woke up and snorted. Her bright eyes opened wide and she slithered to the door. Danny peeked outside and turned to me. "I think there's someone here."