Meager Beginnings
And So It Begins...
Alexis yawned tiredly as she stared at her clock, lying lazily on her bed, hand rubbing absently over the Pokèball at her waist. She pressed the button on the center and a Zigzagoon, now fully grown but still a bit small, popped out. He rubbed against his trainer.
Alexis yawned again and absently petted the Pokèmon. "Huh-hello Mickey."
The Zigzagoon meeped as his cute little face lit up. It had been nearly two years since they had met, but if anything, they had only grown closer. Alexis glanced back at her clock, and gave a start, suddenly awake again. "... I'm 10 years old now."
Mickey looked blankly at her. She smiled and patted his head. "I can become an official trainer now. You and I, we get to see the world... tommorrow..." she closed her eyes slowly and was soon asleep, Mickey curled up beside her.
*****
"Mom, where are those Pokèballs you promised you'd get from the store?" Alexis had her backpack slung over one shoulder and a yawning Mickey on the other.
"Hmm, oh yes, here you are dear," Teresa said absently. She was almost always lost in thought, and now was no exception.
"...Mom, you're just sitting there."
"Oh, yes..." she snapped back to reality, throwing a rather feeble smile in her daughter's direction. "Let's see... they should be on the counter." She went back to reading her newspaper.
Alexis sighed and rolled her eyes to herself as Mickey giggled. She located the red-and-white orbs and packed them into her backpack. Her golden-red hair was tied up neatly in a ponytail and her eyes shone a vivid green color. She wore a red shirt and blue jeans with tennis shoes. In the way of equipment she had only Pokèballs and a couple of sandwiches to sustain her.
"Well, Mom... I'm going."
There was no response.
Alexis rolled her eyes and walked out of the door. Sometimes she was glad her mother was not the sappy, spoiling, overly-affectionate type. Sometimes she wished she could get just a little bit more attention.
It was a clear morning with only a few clouds. She made her way to the dirt road and was soon out of the small town she lived in, Sunfield Town, named for the usually-sunny weather and grassy weather of nearby areas.
She stopped for a moment and shielded her eyes from the sun, looking at the path that extended as far as her eyes could see into the distance. "Here we are. Finally," she said. It was hard to tell if it was more to herself or Mickey.
Alexis began walking again, reshouldering her backpack which had started to slip down her shoulder. The walk was pretty quiet and uneventful. At lunch she sat beneath a tree and took out the two sandwiches she had brought. At a pathetic look from Mickey she gave him one as well.
They were nearing finishing their lunch and the sun was around its highest point when he walked up.
A trainer who looked to be eleven was traveling the same path she had been a few minutes ago. He had a cheerful, boyish face, dark brown hair, and expressive blue eyes. As he passed he threw a curious glance in her direction, then stopped.
Alexis stared back, a half-eaten sandwich nearly to her mouth. She lowered it and smiled feebly. "Hi..."
"Hello! Are you a Pokèmon trainer?" the boy asked. He had a surprisingly deep voice, but it was friendly.
"Um... yes..."
"Oh. You looked a little young, that's all..." he stated.
Alexis looked slightly annoyed at this comment, but replaced the look with another grin. She said nothing.
After a moment's uneasy silence, the boy asked "So... um... want to battle?"
Alexis looked slightly surprised. She had no experience in training whatsoever. This trainer looked like he at least knew what he was doing. But she wouldn't refuse. "Sure!" She stood and nodded to Mickey.
The Zigzagoon looked a bit nervous, but stepped forward a few feet, ears twitching.
"I choose you! Surskit!" the boy threw a Pokèball and a small, blue, four-legged buglike Pokèmon popped out. It had a yellowish crown-type thing on its head. "Sur! Surskit!"
Mickey assumed a battle stance. The Surskit seemed to be examining the Zigzagoon.
"Surskit, bubblebeam!" the boy shouted.
Immediately a long ray of cluttered bubbles shot forth from the seemingly harmless bug, and struck Mickey a glancing blow. Mickey regained his footing, looking rather shaken.
"Uh..." Alexis tried to think of what she had learned in trainer's school. She had never paid much attention. "Sand-attack!"
This, apparently, was the right move. Mickey whirled and kicked up the dirt they stood on, blinding the Surskit, who staggered around with its eyes tightly shut. "Surrr? Sur? Sur?"
The boy's mouth tightened. "Surskit! Are you alright? Quick attack!"
The Surskit's four legs pounded forward all at once and it raced blindly forward, but Mickey evaded the badly-aimed attack.
"Tackle attack!" Alexis said quickly.
"Zigoooooooon!" Mickey chased after the Surskit with surprising speed, using its own momentum against it. It was still groping around and lost its balance, falling forward onto its face as the Zigzagoon rammed into it.
"Surskit! Uh.. try another bubblebeam!" the boy sounded genuinely worried.
The Surskit span around, recovering quickly from its fall, though looking a bit bruised, and another column of bubbles rushed forward, slamming Mickey at close range. The Zigzagoon flopped backwards onto the ground. "ZIIIIIIIIII!"
"MICKEY!" Alexis felt an urge to run to him, but held her ground, forehead creased. "Uh... use a tail whip!"
Mickey managed to get to his feet again but more weakly, and his tail moved back and forth in a mesmorizing motion. The Surskit stared at the tail and seemed to forget all else. The bubbles had knocked the sand out of its eyes, which had seemed lucky, but was now allowing Mickey's tail whip to work.
"NO! Don't fall for that! Finish it off with a quick attack!"
The Surskit's eyes focused slightly and it looked confusedly at the boy, but it was too late. Mickey had jumped back once and barreled into the Pokèmon again, knocking it head over heels. It made no effort to move as it rolled to a stop in a bedraggled ball.
The boy returned his Surskit and he and Alexis stared at each other for some time. Then he smiled weakly. "Wow. You're pretty good. You know that brain is more important than brawn. I underestimated you, so I thought I could beat you just by using brute strength."
"Th-thanks!" Mickey ran over to Alexis, panting from exhastion. The short-but-fast battle had him winded.
"Oh, by the way... I'm Ricky. So... see you around, I guess." He smiled again and continued on his way.
Another long silence followed.
Then, "Mickey... we did it!"
And So It Begins...
Alexis yawned tiredly as she stared at her clock, lying lazily on her bed, hand rubbing absently over the Pokèball at her waist. She pressed the button on the center and a Zigzagoon, now fully grown but still a bit small, popped out. He rubbed against his trainer.
Alexis yawned again and absently petted the Pokèmon. "Huh-hello Mickey."
The Zigzagoon meeped as his cute little face lit up. It had been nearly two years since they had met, but if anything, they had only grown closer. Alexis glanced back at her clock, and gave a start, suddenly awake again. "... I'm 10 years old now."
Mickey looked blankly at her. She smiled and patted his head. "I can become an official trainer now. You and I, we get to see the world... tommorrow..." she closed her eyes slowly and was soon asleep, Mickey curled up beside her.
*****
"Mom, where are those Pokèballs you promised you'd get from the store?" Alexis had her backpack slung over one shoulder and a yawning Mickey on the other.
"Hmm, oh yes, here you are dear," Teresa said absently. She was almost always lost in thought, and now was no exception.
"...Mom, you're just sitting there."
"Oh, yes..." she snapped back to reality, throwing a rather feeble smile in her daughter's direction. "Let's see... they should be on the counter." She went back to reading her newspaper.
Alexis sighed and rolled her eyes to herself as Mickey giggled. She located the red-and-white orbs and packed them into her backpack. Her golden-red hair was tied up neatly in a ponytail and her eyes shone a vivid green color. She wore a red shirt and blue jeans with tennis shoes. In the way of equipment she had only Pokèballs and a couple of sandwiches to sustain her.
"Well, Mom... I'm going."
There was no response.
Alexis rolled her eyes and walked out of the door. Sometimes she was glad her mother was not the sappy, spoiling, overly-affectionate type. Sometimes she wished she could get just a little bit more attention.
It was a clear morning with only a few clouds. She made her way to the dirt road and was soon out of the small town she lived in, Sunfield Town, named for the usually-sunny weather and grassy weather of nearby areas.
She stopped for a moment and shielded her eyes from the sun, looking at the path that extended as far as her eyes could see into the distance. "Here we are. Finally," she said. It was hard to tell if it was more to herself or Mickey.
Alexis began walking again, reshouldering her backpack which had started to slip down her shoulder. The walk was pretty quiet and uneventful. At lunch she sat beneath a tree and took out the two sandwiches she had brought. At a pathetic look from Mickey she gave him one as well.
They were nearing finishing their lunch and the sun was around its highest point when he walked up.
A trainer who looked to be eleven was traveling the same path she had been a few minutes ago. He had a cheerful, boyish face, dark brown hair, and expressive blue eyes. As he passed he threw a curious glance in her direction, then stopped.
Alexis stared back, a half-eaten sandwich nearly to her mouth. She lowered it and smiled feebly. "Hi..."
"Hello! Are you a Pokèmon trainer?" the boy asked. He had a surprisingly deep voice, but it was friendly.
"Um... yes..."
"Oh. You looked a little young, that's all..." he stated.
Alexis looked slightly annoyed at this comment, but replaced the look with another grin. She said nothing.
After a moment's uneasy silence, the boy asked "So... um... want to battle?"
Alexis looked slightly surprised. She had no experience in training whatsoever. This trainer looked like he at least knew what he was doing. But she wouldn't refuse. "Sure!" She stood and nodded to Mickey.
The Zigzagoon looked a bit nervous, but stepped forward a few feet, ears twitching.
"I choose you! Surskit!" the boy threw a Pokèball and a small, blue, four-legged buglike Pokèmon popped out. It had a yellowish crown-type thing on its head. "Sur! Surskit!"
Mickey assumed a battle stance. The Surskit seemed to be examining the Zigzagoon.
"Surskit, bubblebeam!" the boy shouted.
Immediately a long ray of cluttered bubbles shot forth from the seemingly harmless bug, and struck Mickey a glancing blow. Mickey regained his footing, looking rather shaken.
"Uh..." Alexis tried to think of what she had learned in trainer's school. She had never paid much attention. "Sand-attack!"
This, apparently, was the right move. Mickey whirled and kicked up the dirt they stood on, blinding the Surskit, who staggered around with its eyes tightly shut. "Surrr? Sur? Sur?"
The boy's mouth tightened. "Surskit! Are you alright? Quick attack!"
The Surskit's four legs pounded forward all at once and it raced blindly forward, but Mickey evaded the badly-aimed attack.
"Tackle attack!" Alexis said quickly.
"Zigoooooooon!" Mickey chased after the Surskit with surprising speed, using its own momentum against it. It was still groping around and lost its balance, falling forward onto its face as the Zigzagoon rammed into it.
"Surskit! Uh.. try another bubblebeam!" the boy sounded genuinely worried.
The Surskit span around, recovering quickly from its fall, though looking a bit bruised, and another column of bubbles rushed forward, slamming Mickey at close range. The Zigzagoon flopped backwards onto the ground. "ZIIIIIIIIII!"
"MICKEY!" Alexis felt an urge to run to him, but held her ground, forehead creased. "Uh... use a tail whip!"
Mickey managed to get to his feet again but more weakly, and his tail moved back and forth in a mesmorizing motion. The Surskit stared at the tail and seemed to forget all else. The bubbles had knocked the sand out of its eyes, which had seemed lucky, but was now allowing Mickey's tail whip to work.
"NO! Don't fall for that! Finish it off with a quick attack!"
The Surskit's eyes focused slightly and it looked confusedly at the boy, but it was too late. Mickey had jumped back once and barreled into the Pokèmon again, knocking it head over heels. It made no effort to move as it rolled to a stop in a bedraggled ball.
The boy returned his Surskit and he and Alexis stared at each other for some time. Then he smiled weakly. "Wow. You're pretty good. You know that brain is more important than brawn. I underestimated you, so I thought I could beat you just by using brute strength."
"Th-thanks!" Mickey ran over to Alexis, panting from exhastion. The short-but-fast battle had him winded.
"Oh, by the way... I'm Ricky. So... see you around, I guess." He smiled again and continued on his way.
Another long silence followed.
Then, "Mickey... we did it!"