Angels Fall First.
Chapter 1: Meetings
Disclaimer- I don't own pokémon. Nor do I own the title of this fic since it was taken from Nightwish's album.
This is my first attempt at writing pokémon fanfiction, so bear with me please. :)
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Have you ever felt so nervous you thought you might faint?
That's exactly how seventeen year old Kira felt as she sat in the lecture theatre of her college waiting for her name to be called.
Carefully throwing a glance around at the other assembled students, she noticed she wasn't the only anxious one. Several people were fiddling with their bags or shifting about in their seats.
Though it was hardly surprising. This was THE day. The day they'd all been dreaming about.
And Kira was scared shitless.
A good few years ago someone had finally noticed that sending uneducated, untrained ten year olds off into the wilderness with nothing but their pokémon for protection, was asking for trouble. Too often kids got hurt or lost. It was always in the news how some young ambitious trainer and his poliwag had been mauled by a wild donphan he'd stupidly tried to catch.
So they'd decided trainers needed to earn their licence by passing certain exams. After going to regular school until you were sixteen you were then able to take a few courses at collages, one of which being a pokémon training course.
After the first year, if you pass that is, you receive your first pokémon. The second year is then spent learning how to handle it and practicing battle techniques. If you pass the final exams then you are a qualified trainer and can depart on a journey of your own.
Gathered in this hall were all the trainers who had passed their first year with a C or above. And on the stage at the front was a huge crate filled with shiny red and white pokéballs.
The headmaster, a rather short and ugly little man, was calling students up one by one to select their pokémon.
The boy on the stage currently, stared at the selection of pokéballs before dipping his hand in and grabbing one. He hesitated then called the creature out to see what he'd gotten. It was a meowth and he seemed fairly pleased with the selection.
"Kira Airstryke," the Headmasters voice boomed, and she flinched realising it was her turn. Shakily she stood up and tucking a few stray strands of ebony hair behind her ear, made her way down to the front of the vast room.
Well aware that all eyes were on her she felt her heartbeat pick up rapidly.
If there was one thing Kira hated it was being the centre of attention. Trying to look casual, she stepped up onto the stage and observed the many pokéballs. They'd been informed that none of the pokémon had been trained at all and all were at the lowest evolutionary level, so no one would end up with a level eighty dragonite or anything. But it was a totally random selection. She could get a magikarp or even a chansey. It was just whatever the schools suppliers had been able to capture.
Closing her eyes briefly she prayed to whatever Deity cared to listen that she'd get something decent. Reaching in, she grasped a pokéball and opened it. She was met with a peal of laughter from the other students as she looked down at the small canine pokémon beside her. It was a houndour, a dark type pokémon.
"Well that sure suits little Miss Goth-ness!" a boy yelled from somewhere near the back while another kid lobbed a balled up piece of paper at her head. It bounced off her shoulder harmlessly, but she felt tears prickling all the same.
She was constantly harassed about the way she acted and dressed, never keeping up with the trends and fashions like the other students.
She was aware of the Headmaster yelling about detention to the culprits and looked down at her new pokémon who seemed completely uninterested in anything that was going on.
With a shaky sigh she recalled the little fire dog and hurried back to her seat, willing the rest of the assembly to hurry up.
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Closing and locking the door to her room once she got home, she tossed her bag to the floor and carefully pulled the precious pokéball from her coat pocket. Draping the ankle length leather coat across her bed, she sat next to it and simply examined the pokéball for a moment.
She'd waited to have a pokémon her entire life, and now she had one she was determined to make the most of it. Pushing the button to release her new creature, she watched as he materialised on the floor in front of her.
"Uh… Hey," she greeted him unsurely, offering a small wave. He looked at her blankly for a second before sitting down and ignoring her.
She frowned uneasily. Great, it didn't like her?
"I'm Kira, your new trainer. Aren't you gonna say hello?" she prompted.
He looked at her again and seemed to roll his eyes before muttering "Hello."
She smiled slightly, glad now that she'd done so well in learning pokéspeak. She'd been worried about trying to translate the real thing.
"See, was that so hard?" she joked weakly, trying to shift the uncomfortable atmosphere that had settled over the pair.
He responded by growling softly, "Look, I have no desire to 'belong' to a human and do as you say. Frankly I don't like you or the idea of training at all, got it?"
Slightly taken aback she felt her eyes beginning to water again. She didn't want to cry. Hadn't cried since that day so long ago. But everything was looking so hopeless.
The orphanage she lived in had refused to pay the 2000 payment required for her to get a pokémon from the academy, so she'd worked her butt off being a part time waitress in a crummy little café down the road.
She'd gotten the money together just in time… but now the pokémon she'd worked so hard to get didn't want anything to do with her.
"Of course not, why should you like me? No one else does." She muttered to herself quietly, trying to keep the tears at bay.
The houndour heard her quiet words and felt mildly guilty, though he'd intended to upset her.
"Look, Kid it's nothing personal. I just can't stand the way humans use pokémon as tools. I was taken from my pack when I was captured, taken away from the only family I knew without a second thought." The pokémon confessed awkwardly.
Kira's jade eyes flashed with emotion as she looked at him abruptly. "That's horrible! And I hate people like that with a passion. Pokémon aren't accessories, they're living creatures and should be treated as friends, partners."
She stood up and began pacing back and forth. "Only problem is, if I took you back to the Professors to demand you get released back into the wild, I know they'd just put you in storage for some student next year. And that'd leave me without a pokémon and you in no better of a situation."
He was watching her with interest. Did she really mean she'd give up her first pokémon just to make it happy? Maybe all humans weren't so bad.
She stopped pacing and looked at him warily. "The only thing I can think of to suit us both would be that you stay and train with me for this year… and then when I leave next year we can head for your old home and you can go back to your old life." She wasn't sure how he'd take the suggestion and nervously tugged at her fingerless black gloves.
The houndour considered it for a while, trying to think of an alternative way out. He couldn't.
"Fine." He nodded his head once. "That is the only agreeable route of action. But I refuse to be treated like a slave." He added stubbornly.
Kira nodded enthusiastically. "Of course, but in order for me to get my training licence I need to pass... So you're gonna have to help me out a little. Ignoring commands in battle and things won't help either of us."
He sighed, but didn't disagree. "If I think you're making a mistake in battle though don't expect me to just do as you say."
She smiled and nodded again. Maybe they could actually get along. "So, do you have a name? I feel awkward just referring to you as Houndour."
"My pack called me Bleak." He tilted his head, somewhat pleased she'd bothered to ask. It was another of his pet hates to see people referring to pokémon by their species names.
"Bleak? That's nice. It suits you." She paused, "Oh and about earlier in the hall… They weren't laughing at you. It's just that you're a dark type pokémon and everyone's always picking on me about my own dark looks. So it was just a coincidence that we ended up as partners but they found humour in it apparently." Her voice sounded a little bitter and she sat back down on her bed.
"Why do you have metal in your ears?" He suddenly asked out of the blue.
Kira grinned slightly running a finger over the multiple piercings in her ears. "Just for decoration. I like 'em."
"Me too, they suit you. Can pokémon get them?" Bleak asked curiously. He wondered what his brothers would say if they saw him with cool metal bits in his ears.
She arched an eyebrow at him. "You want your ears pierced? Well… I suppose there's probably a pokémon cruelty law against it or something. But we can find out if you want. The place I get mine done is only a short walk from here, and the guy is really nice. Wanna go check it out?"
He hesitated. Pokémon cruelty law? "Does it hurt then?" Not that he was scared of course. Nope. Not at all.
"Not really. It stings a bit and your ears go really hot, but other than that it's fine. C'mon lets go see Lenard, and find out if you can even get it done." She grabbed her coat, her boots still being on from when she got in from college. "You wanna walk, or…?" She held up the pokéball.
"Walk." Bleak said quickly. "I grew up in the wild... meadows and forests and all that. It makes me feel too restricted."
Kira nodded her head in understanding. She was claustrophobic herself, so she knew what he meant.
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They walked to the service counter of the little shop and Kira hit the bell.
After a few minutes a guy with sandy coloured hair who looked about 22 appeared in the doorway leading to the back. "Kira! Good to see you, tongue not giving you trouble I hope?"
She grinned back at him. "Hey Len. Nah that's fully healed now, eating properly and everything. I'm just here to ask you something actually." She glanced down at Bleak and tapped the counter. He took the hint and leapt lightly up. "What're the laws on piercing pokémon's ears?"
Lenard's eyes widened slightly. "You finally got a pokémon? Way to go! As far as I know, as long as the pokémon consents then it's legal. I've seen a few Raticate with it done before." He looked down at Bleak. "You wanna get you're ears done?"
The houndour nodded warily, not sure what to expect.
"Hmm… What d'you think? Two silver hoops in the left ear?" Len asked whilst studying the little fire dog.
Kira and Bleak glanced at each other and nodded. "I think that'd look good. Uh… one question though. Houndoom's have no ears…so what happens if he ever evolves?"
Len grinned "The hoops'll just drop out if that happens. In no way can it harm him so don't worry."
"Okay then, let's do this." Bleak said, wanting to get it over with before he chickened out.
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Fifteen minutes later the pair were on their way home, Bleak walking a little taller than usual, with twin shiny silver hoops in his ear. Len had given them a good tip. Potion heals all small wounds on pokémon, so one dose of that and the piercings were as good as if they'd been in his whole life. No care required.
It was getting dark already, what with it being nearly winter, and they hurried home. Kira didn't live in the best parts of the little town, and she didn't want to run into trouble. Getting in safely, she grabbed some sandwiches and managed to avoid the other kids as she headed back to her room.
"You look good, Bleak." She smiled and offered him some pokémon food. She felt like maybe they'd bonded a little now. The awkwardness seemed to have faded, at any rate.
That night he curled up on the floor beneath her desk to sleep and she figured that maybe this pokémon training thing wouldn't be so difficult after all. As long as she didn't get too attached to him that is. She was going to dread the day she had to release him back to the wild. At least she'd have him for a year or so.
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