The egg was safely in Mirus's top draw when night fell. He'd polished it several times until its grey-silver surface shone. It was grey all over, except for a black star-shaped patch stretching across its middle. Mirus knew a lot about pokemon, but forced himself not to look up what kind of pokemon was inside. It was going to be a surprise.
He had just closed the draw when his bedroom door slowly opened and his parents walked in.
"Mirus," his mum said, seemingly blind to the fact that her son wasn't listening, but trying to hide something. Her eyes were clouded and she was well into what appeared to be a well-rehersed speech. His father wasn't listening either, but staring out of the window until he could speak.
"We've thought long and hard about this. You've been searching for a pokemon for the last year and still havn't found one. We're starting to think we've been too hard on you, since you haven't been into the routes. Now your father and I have decided to take you to a village where you can recieve your first pokemon." She took a deep breath.
Mirus looked up suddenly. "Pokemon?" he asked. "Um... how about you let me into the route to catch my own?"
His mother's face drained of colour. "No! Definatly not! Without protection..."
"Mum! I'm fifteen." He thought. His parents were too... parenty. "And I've got a friend with pokemon who could come with me."
"You have?" his father asked. "Who is he? Anyone we know from shool?"
"She's called Heron," Mirus replied, sitting on the bed.
"Have we met her?"
"I don't think so, no." Mirus was getting tired of all these questions. As long as he was allowed a pokemon, he could just say he caught whatever hatched from the egg in the route.
"How about you invite her round?" his mum was saying. "We don't meet many of your friends."
Mirus groaned inwardly. "Yes. Fine. I'll tell her tomorrow. Thanks."
His mum smiled. "Well, that's settled."
When they had gone, Mirus breathed a sigh of relief. "Finally."
---
The next day, Mirus woke up at the usual time, and after fitting the egg in his pack he set off to the park again. Heron was sitting by the entrance, with a purple snake coiled loosely around her.
"Hi," she said. "Egg hatched yet?"
"No." Mirus sat down next to her. "but my parents think I'm going to catch a pokemon in the route, which is good."
She grinned and stood up. "Hope the egg does hatch. I'm dying to know what's in it! Come on, let's go."
Her ekans hissed at being disturbed, and slithered into the park ahead of them.
"Oh, by the way, my parents want you to come over for some reason."
She laughed. "Sure, why not? When?"
He shrugged. "Anytime."
"Good with me. Let's have a look at your egg."
They walked on in silence for a while, then Heron sat herself down by the tree she was next to the day before, and held her hands out expectedly. "Alright then. The egg."
Mirus automatically reached inside the pack and withdrew the egg, wiping off an imaginary speck of dust. It felt warm in his hands and he put his ear to it, hoping to hear a sound or so.
What happened next nearly gave him a heart attack, he said later.
The egg glowed a soft white, before transforming into a four-legged shape. He sheilded his eyes as the glow on his lap brightened, until he got an unexpected lick on the face.
Heron laughed, and Mirus opened his eyes to see a grey-and-black small dog, front paws on his shoulders, yapping happily. "Che-an!" it said, and climbed down, before running up to Heron and giving her a lick, too.
Mirus laughed too, mainly out of surprise. "A poochyena," he said. "I should have guessed."
Heron gave it a hug. "It's so cute!" she said, before looking up. "And I think it's a boy."
"How'd you know?"
"See that?" Heron pointed to Poochyena's tail. "He holds it upright. Females don't do that. It comes from his insincts of living in a pack."
"Alright then," Mirus said slowly, before being attacked again by the energatic dog.
"Do you want to give him a name?" Heron's ekans had curled up to go to sleep, having no respect for this grey ball of fluff, but Heron herself was gazing at it and grinning.
"Um... OK then. How about Grim?"
"Grim?"
Mirus looked at his pokemon. My pokemon, he reminded himself. The poochyena was anything but grim- his face was carved into a carefree, happy style. "OK, I mean that he's a dark-type dog. You know, dark-type, grim..."
Heron smiled. "I see. So, you want to do some training?"
"Sounds good." Mirus reached into his back for a pokeball and turned to Grim. "How does the name Grim sound to you? "
The dog's tougue fell out. "Chien! Chee-en!"
Whatever Grim was saying, it was clear from his attidude that he liked the name, so Mirus tapped his on the head, lightly, with the pokeball. Grim offered no resistance, and dissappeared inside. Mirus stood up.
"He talks a lot, but I've got no idea how to understand him," he sighed.
"Yes, you do." Heron was grinning. "I saw you."
"When?" Mirus was confused. To him, Grim's yappings were nothing more than that- yappings.
"Just then. When you asked him about his name."
"I didn't understand any of that."
She laughed again. "You did. You knew he liked the name from the way he acted." Hearing no responce, she pressed on. "Understanding pokemon includes their expressions and body language. In dogs, especially. What pokemon actually say with sounds makes up only a small part of their vocabulary."
"How do you know all this?" Mirus asked her.
"I read a lot. You should try it."
Mirus shook his head. "I do... or I thought I did."
Heron was already walking away. "Time you did some training.."
Mirus started walking after her, pulling his pack over his shoulders, Grim's pokeball in hand. It felt different now something was occupying it. A little heavier? Warmer? He couldn't place it. Whatever it was, it was accompanied by that secret thrill he had, just by knowing that this tiny sphere he held, was everything he wanted.
And it was his...
-----------
E/N: Grammar of pokemon names (capital letters and such) depend on whather the pokemon's name is its species. For those of you that are interested: "She caught an ekans earlier" implies that she has caught AN ekans, in the way that you may say She caught a rabbit earlier". If the ekans had no name, it would be named "Ekans". E.g.: "She caught Ekans earlier", in the same way as, "He caught Grim earlier". Just like calling a dog, "Dog". How inventive. Anyway, I just wanted to make a point. :P
He had just closed the draw when his bedroom door slowly opened and his parents walked in.
"Mirus," his mum said, seemingly blind to the fact that her son wasn't listening, but trying to hide something. Her eyes were clouded and she was well into what appeared to be a well-rehersed speech. His father wasn't listening either, but staring out of the window until he could speak.
"We've thought long and hard about this. You've been searching for a pokemon for the last year and still havn't found one. We're starting to think we've been too hard on you, since you haven't been into the routes. Now your father and I have decided to take you to a village where you can recieve your first pokemon." She took a deep breath.
Mirus looked up suddenly. "Pokemon?" he asked. "Um... how about you let me into the route to catch my own?"
His mother's face drained of colour. "No! Definatly not! Without protection..."
"Mum! I'm fifteen." He thought. His parents were too... parenty. "And I've got a friend with pokemon who could come with me."
"You have?" his father asked. "Who is he? Anyone we know from shool?"
"She's called Heron," Mirus replied, sitting on the bed.
"Have we met her?"
"I don't think so, no." Mirus was getting tired of all these questions. As long as he was allowed a pokemon, he could just say he caught whatever hatched from the egg in the route.
"How about you invite her round?" his mum was saying. "We don't meet many of your friends."
Mirus groaned inwardly. "Yes. Fine. I'll tell her tomorrow. Thanks."
His mum smiled. "Well, that's settled."
When they had gone, Mirus breathed a sigh of relief. "Finally."
---
The next day, Mirus woke up at the usual time, and after fitting the egg in his pack he set off to the park again. Heron was sitting by the entrance, with a purple snake coiled loosely around her.
"Hi," she said. "Egg hatched yet?"
"No." Mirus sat down next to her. "but my parents think I'm going to catch a pokemon in the route, which is good."
She grinned and stood up. "Hope the egg does hatch. I'm dying to know what's in it! Come on, let's go."
Her ekans hissed at being disturbed, and slithered into the park ahead of them.
"Oh, by the way, my parents want you to come over for some reason."
She laughed. "Sure, why not? When?"
He shrugged. "Anytime."
"Good with me. Let's have a look at your egg."
They walked on in silence for a while, then Heron sat herself down by the tree she was next to the day before, and held her hands out expectedly. "Alright then. The egg."
Mirus automatically reached inside the pack and withdrew the egg, wiping off an imaginary speck of dust. It felt warm in his hands and he put his ear to it, hoping to hear a sound or so.
What happened next nearly gave him a heart attack, he said later.
The egg glowed a soft white, before transforming into a four-legged shape. He sheilded his eyes as the glow on his lap brightened, until he got an unexpected lick on the face.
Heron laughed, and Mirus opened his eyes to see a grey-and-black small dog, front paws on his shoulders, yapping happily. "Che-an!" it said, and climbed down, before running up to Heron and giving her a lick, too.
Mirus laughed too, mainly out of surprise. "A poochyena," he said. "I should have guessed."
Heron gave it a hug. "It's so cute!" she said, before looking up. "And I think it's a boy."
"How'd you know?"
"See that?" Heron pointed to Poochyena's tail. "He holds it upright. Females don't do that. It comes from his insincts of living in a pack."
"Alright then," Mirus said slowly, before being attacked again by the energatic dog.
"Do you want to give him a name?" Heron's ekans had curled up to go to sleep, having no respect for this grey ball of fluff, but Heron herself was gazing at it and grinning.
"Um... OK then. How about Grim?"
"Grim?"
Mirus looked at his pokemon. My pokemon, he reminded himself. The poochyena was anything but grim- his face was carved into a carefree, happy style. "OK, I mean that he's a dark-type dog. You know, dark-type, grim..."
Heron smiled. "I see. So, you want to do some training?"
"Sounds good." Mirus reached into his back for a pokeball and turned to Grim. "How does the name Grim sound to you? "
The dog's tougue fell out. "Chien! Chee-en!"
Whatever Grim was saying, it was clear from his attidude that he liked the name, so Mirus tapped his on the head, lightly, with the pokeball. Grim offered no resistance, and dissappeared inside. Mirus stood up.
"He talks a lot, but I've got no idea how to understand him," he sighed.
"Yes, you do." Heron was grinning. "I saw you."
"When?" Mirus was confused. To him, Grim's yappings were nothing more than that- yappings.
"Just then. When you asked him about his name."
"I didn't understand any of that."
She laughed again. "You did. You knew he liked the name from the way he acted." Hearing no responce, she pressed on. "Understanding pokemon includes their expressions and body language. In dogs, especially. What pokemon actually say with sounds makes up only a small part of their vocabulary."
"How do you know all this?" Mirus asked her.
"I read a lot. You should try it."
Mirus shook his head. "I do... or I thought I did."
Heron was already walking away. "Time you did some training.."
Mirus started walking after her, pulling his pack over his shoulders, Grim's pokeball in hand. It felt different now something was occupying it. A little heavier? Warmer? He couldn't place it. Whatever it was, it was accompanied by that secret thrill he had, just by knowing that this tiny sphere he held, was everything he wanted.
And it was his...
-----------
E/N: Grammar of pokemon names (capital letters and such) depend on whather the pokemon's name is its species. For those of you that are interested: "She caught an ekans earlier" implies that she has caught AN ekans, in the way that you may say She caught a rabbit earlier". If the ekans had no name, it would be named "Ekans". E.g.: "She caught Ekans earlier", in the same way as, "He caught Grim earlier". Just like calling a dog, "Dog". How inventive. Anyway, I just wanted to make a point. :P