Bonus Chapter 1: The Good Old Days And How She Changed

Her name was Amara Parisa, and she was just happy, social, and outgoing girl.

Most of the time, she would be out and about after school, riding her bike to lord knows where. A friend's house, the ice cream parlor, the little park in Cherrygrove, the swing on the cherry tree near the little beach, she was always on the go. On one morning, a nine-year-old Amara threw on some of her favorite clothes for today: a long sleeved light blue shirt with white stripes, brown jean pants, and red and white sneakers that flashed red and blue lights like police sirens when she ran. Her large, round glasses obscured her bright blue eyes, but not even they could contain the eagerness and energy that was near impossible to contain.

"Mom!" Amara bolted down the stairs, her smile almost radiant. Her mother, Kassia, was sitting on the living room floor, brushing her vaporeon's fur with a small brush. Vaporeon purred contentedly as the brush's soft bristles combed against his sleek fur. Amara's mother's head snapped right up, her hair almost falling to her face as she started at her older daughter's unexpected entry.

"Morning, Amara," Her mother greeted her warmly as a smile touched her face. Vaporeon shook his head vigorously, as though he had become drenched with rain water. "What's got you all bouncy this morning?"

"Debbie, Maria, and Emily want me to meet them by the swing!" Amara announced, having already brought a bright pink backpack with red spring flowers dotting its surface with her. A small butterfree keychain dangled from one of the zippers. "They want me to go on a picnic with them! Can I go, Mom? Please?" Amara clasped her tiny hands together and gave her puppy eyes.

Kassia couldn't hold back a chuckle. "Sure, sweetie. They're good kids, so I don't mind," At this point, she stopped brushing her vaporeon's fur and watched as her blue friend sat down on the couch, curling up on the cushion. A younger girl crawled over to vaporeon and stroke his fur gently with one tiny hand. "But I want you to be back by twelve thirty at the latest. I have to go to school to talk to one of Julia's teachers at one o'clock."

The joyful girl nodded vigorously. "Okay! Will do!" She had already darted out of the living room.

Before she could leave the house completely, Kassia stood up. "Amara! Wait!" Amara stopped in her tracks, right in front of the entrance. "Can you tell Emily to give these to her mother?" Kassia ran into the kitchen and handed Amara a small plastic container with a lime green lid. Inside were what appeared to be black and white balls of candy. "These are to thank her for helping me last week. She hasn't shown up at work lately, so I haven't been able to give them to her myself."

"These are your bailey balls, right?" Amara asked, taking the container and stuffing it in her backpack.

"Yep!" Kassia replied. "And don't forget, you have homework to do. I know you're good about doing your homework, but-"

"No worries, Mom!" Amara held a hand up to let her know she didn't need to hear anymore. "I know what you said! If I don't do good in school, I won't get into college and be a good pokemon vet, right?"

"Yes, indeed," Kassia gently pushed Amara out the door. "You have fun, and tell the girls I said hi. Be careful, too! Don't go into the tall grass, and run away if wild pokemon try to attack you!"

"I will!" With that, Amara darted out the door.

Milky morning light illuminated the entire neighborhood, giving it a warm glow that would energize almost anyone. The white sunrise reflected off of nearby puddles and ponds as Amara raced through the grassy terrain, turning them into pools of liquid light. The illusion was decimated by the rubber wheels of Amara's bike, speeding through the puddle, splashing water into the dirt, turning them into mud. Amara sped through Route 29, focusing solely on the path before her, her legs pushing the pedals up and down, forcing the wheels to carry her to Cherrygrove City.

The lush cherry trees and their pale pink foliage came within her vicinity, coming closer and closer the further she pedaled. Every single tree dotting Cherrygrove City was alive with cotton candy pink flowers, with some petals having already fallen to the ground. If one were to look at the city from the sky, they would think it was some kind of beautiful paradise, helped by the spring breeze having a distinct, floral aroma to it that one couldn't sniff with their nostrils anywhere else. Truly, this was a day that would make anyone happy to be alive.

"Hello, Amara!" An old man with thick glasses waved his hand at her as she raced by.

"Hi, Mr. Mapson!"

"Good morning, Amara!" A fat but cheerful lady said as she watered her garden. "How's your family?"

"They're great!"

"Amara! Be careful on your bike, dear!" One younger woman exclaimed.

"Don't worry! I'm invincible!"

Soon, the figures of three young girls the same age as her came into her line of vision. Two of them had chocolate brown skin and jet black hair, and another had tan skin like she had soaked up the sun's rays constantly. One girl had her hair cut short into a tiny bob cut, and her hazel eyes shined with some kind of cheerful energy. She was wearing blue jean shorts, a long sleeved grey sweater, tall white socks, and pink and purple sneakers with flowers on them. The girl next to her was slightly fatter and plumper than she was, had her hair in a flouncy ponytail, and her small, oval shaped glasses obscured her brown eyes. She was wearing a fluffy pink dress with white lace frills peeking out from the hem of the skirt with puffed sleeves, matching pink shoes, and small grey socks. The tan skinned girl had deep brown hair, like Amara's little sister, held back with a turquoise headband. Her brown eyes were a much lighter tint, and she was wearing a purple coat over an orange shirt, white jean pants, and black shoes. All of them carried woven baskets in their arms, with the tan skinned girl's basket being yellow, lighter than the other baskets, both of which were a deep rustic red color.

"Heeeey!" Amara waved her arm at the trio of girls as her bike raced to catch up with them. She stopped near the swing and hopped off her bike. "I'm not late, am I? Sorry!"

"Nope nope nope!" The bob cut girl exclaimed, waving her index finger. "You're just in time, Amara!"

"You look great today, Debbie!"

"Thanks!" Debbie rubbed a hand through her own hair. "My dad took me to get my hair cut yesterday. Dunno if I like it too much, though."

"I think short hair looks good on you," The girl in the fluffy pink dress piped in, flashing a radiant smile that could even make her oval shaped glasses reflect its light. "My mom won't let me get my hair cut. She thinks I should let it grow, but it's so hard to take care of!"

"You're at least lucky your mom buys you nice dresses, Maria," The tan skinned girl mused, setting her basket down. "I want to be a model like Valerie(1) Volantes, but my mom says her dresses are too expensive! She's one to talk!" She shrugged. "She's a tax lawyer, and I hear she makes a lot of money with that, so I don't see why we can't!"

All three of the girls burst into laughter. "Your mom sounds like my dad, Emily," Amara replied. "Oh! I brought some goodies with me, like candy bars and water bottles and chocolate pocky!" She sat down and pulled out whatever was in her backpack. Maria pulled a knitted quilt out from her basket and spread it out on the sand. Soon, the quartet gathered on the soft quilt and pulled out whatever they brought with them.

For these kids, the setting was perfect. The wide, blue ocean reached so far out into the horizon that the sea and the sky looked as though they touched. The sky looked almost white in comparison to the ocean's blue hue. The kids brought lots of food with them, such as bananas, apples, candy bars, grapes, carrots, sandwiches, crackers, rice balls, pocky, water bottles, soda, and other things. The four girls shared stories, told jokes, and talked about whatever came to mind.

"So then this guy in front of me said, 'my head's hard like a cubone's skull!'" As soon as Emily finished that joke, the three girls burst into vociferous laughter, rolling on the quilt. Amara's hair mingled with the burning white sand to the point where some grains of it got caught inside, not that she noticed much.

"Oh! My stomach is hurting!" Maria exclaimed, sitting back up as she brushed some sand out of her dress. "Hey! Do any of you plan on getting pokemon sometime soon?" She asked out of the blue.

"Heck yeah!" Debbie wasted no time answering. "I'm gonna be the Pokemon League champion someday! I'll get a super cool pokemon and go places no trainer has ever gone before!" She balled her fists and threw them in the air. "It'll be awesome! I'll run through deep jungles, super hot deserts, ice cold tundras, underwater caverns...it's just so exciting to think about!" She cheered, enthusiastic.

"I wouldn't mind trying that out," Maria added timidly. "But while I do like the pokemon Professor Elm gives away, I'd love a cute pokemon like Pikachu or Clefairy," She clasped her hands together, losing herself in her thoughts. "I hear they're so nice to hug."

"You live right near Elm's lab, don't you, Amara?" Emily asked as her friend finished chomping on a banana.

"Yeah, I do, Mom and Dad talk to him a lot, so Julia and I have been there a hundred times," Amara replied, brushing some sand out of her hair. She reached out to grab a rice ball and bit off a chunk of it. "I'd love to have my own pokemon! Sure, the ones Mom and Dad have are nice, and I love playing with them, but I'd love my own special friend all to myself!"

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Maria piped in.

Amara swallowed the rest of her rice ball. "Whoops. Sorry!"

"I like pokemon and all, but I want to be a model," Emily interrupted, brushing some hair out of her face. "I just live for the spotlight!"

"Of course you do," Debbie snark. Maria had finished eating a cheese sandwich before letting out a chuckle. Soon, the other girls joined in merry laughter. They weren't degrading Emily's dream, just laughing for the sake of laughing. Emily understood and laughed along with them.

When Amara calmed down, she had turned around just to see if sand got in her shoes, only to notice someone walking past them about a few feet away. Amara recognized her right off. It was a girl their own age, with the same brown skin as Debbie and Maria, with black hair tied into two messy pigtails that came from her neck, held up with two fake pearl accessories. She was wearing a white shirt underneath a purple dress, white socks, and black tap shoes that were so dirty one would think she had stepped into a mud puddle. Upon closer observation, sunlight reflected off of the girl's cheeks. Tear marks had stuck to her cheeks.

Debbie noticed Amara staring into the distance and shouted, "Yoohoo! Earth to Amara!" pulling her back to reality.

"Hey!" Maria exclaimed. "Isn't that Chanel?"

"Chanel?" Amara asked, raising an eyebrow. So that was her name.

"Chanel Ramsey. She's in the same class as me and Maria," Debbie explained after she finished drinking some water. "She doesn't talk to anyone, and she always looks sad."

Now Amara's curiosity was piqued. "How come?"

Debbie simply shrugged. "I don't know. I've talked to her a few times, and asked her to come sit with me and Maria, but she never sat with us. She always sits alone at lunch and at recess. But she always eats a huuuuge lunch. Her lunch tray is always full of corn, mashed potatoes, jello squares, milk, and whatever else is on the menu. She eats way more than we do, like she's starving. Maybe she thinks she's too good for us."

"That's not true," Maria interrupted. "The other day, I was in the bathroom and found her crying. She had a huge bruise on her arm. I asked her what was wrong but she didn't answer. She looked at me like she was a scared kitten who was about to be beaten," The memory of the expression the girl gave her was strong in Maria's mind. "Like she thought I was going to hit her. I also saw her getting yelled at by who I think was her dad. He was really harsh. I wanted to stop her, but my mom wanted me to get to my piano lesson."

"I hear she lives on Lancelot Avenue, just a little ways from here," Emily added. "She's really poor."

Amara had completely lost herself to her mind as the girls continued to talk. Her mind wandered off, thinking of nothing but Chanel. She had seen her a few times at school before, but they never had the chance to talk. But she would always walk around school like someone had duct taped two pounds of bricks on her. Just now, she learned that Chanel is sad, poor, and possibly being beaten by someone. Was her dad doing it? Amara knew a little bit about child abuse. She had seen a documentary on it on TV by accident, and was horrified at the thought of parents hurting their kids or not loving them for whatever reason.

It made her believe she was lucky to have nice parents. They loved her, helped her with her homework, praised her when she did good, scolded her when she did something wrong, everything, even if they admittedly were a little bit embarrassing at times. Still...perhaps Chanel would like a friend. Someone she could rely on. She deserved that much, right? Once the girls finished their food, Amara stood up and sputtered, "Sorry, girls! I gotta get back home."

"Awww! I wanted to show you my new necklace!" Maria complained.

"Mom wants me home by twelve thirty, and you know how mad she gets if I break her rules," Amara explained as she hopped on her bike. "See you later!" With that, she raced right off. She could hear Emily exclaiming, "But it's only ten thirty!"

Amara knew where Lancelot Avenue was. It was about five blocks from where she and the girls were just now. Although Cherrygrove City was a nice town, it had its fair share of low income houses that always looked as though they were abandoned. Soon, Amara stopped in her tracks. The sound of soft sobbing caught her ear. Whipping her head around to face the direction the sound was coming from, she found herself face to face with the smallest house she had ever seen.

It was a one story house that was painted green, but it had huge swatches of white from where the green paint had chipped off. Other white spots dotted the house as well. The grass was brown and withered, with some weeds springing right up, standing taller than any of what was left of any signs of plant life. The grey roof was covered with leaves that had got stuck in between the tiles, with some tiles missing. The windows looked fine, except for the fact that some had chips and cracks in them, like someone threw tiny stones at them. Young shoots shot up from the rusty gutters that lined the roof. The white fence was completely dirty, with some fences covered with a combination of dirt, mud, and moss. One board was broken completely in half, and at least three were missing.

The sobbing grew louder. Amara put her bike on the sidewalk and tip-toed past the side of the house. She wondered if it was abandoned. If it wasn't, that meant she was trespassing, and if she got caught, she could get arrested. Amara didn't want to get arrested, but at the same time, she wondered who was crying. She didn't want to leave the person alone. Soon, she turned the corner and found who she was looking for.

There was Chanel, curled up in a ball, leaning against the wall, her legs covered in fresh bruises. Her fists were covering her face, but Amara could make out her tears with ease. Amara froze in place? What should she do? Should she comfort her? Amara really wanted to, and seeing the girl cry wounded her heart. But at the same time, she did deal with some people who wanted to be alone, and when that happened, she was told to respect their space. Already, she wondered if she made a mistake in coming here. A twig snapped right underneath her shoe, pulling Chanel's face out of her hands. The sobbing stopped as the girl's sad, bronze eyes gazed right into Amara's light blue ones.

"Oh! Sorry!" Amara apologized immediately. "I'm not trying to break into your house or anything!" She waved her hand back and forth. "I was riding my bike and I heard you crying, that's all. Are you...okay?" The girl could see that she was most definitely not okay.

Chanel didn't even try to hide her sorrow. "No. No, I ain't," The girl's voice adopted a thick drawl. Amara had heard it many times before. Most of the kids she went to school with talked like they came from the South. At this point, she didn't mind.

"I'm...I'm Amara! We go to the same school, but my friend Maria has a class with you. You're Chanel, right?" The girl nodded sadly. "Can I...sit down with you?" Once again, the girl nodded, and Amara sat down on a rock. A loud rumbling sound roared from within Chanel's stomach. Hearing it, Amara rummaged through her bag and pulled out a banana. "Would you...like this? You sound hungry."

At first, Chanel didn't take it at first. She looked at the banana first, then up at Amara, then back at the banana, then at Amara. Was Amara really giving her food? Slowly, Chanel took the banana, peeled it, and scarfed it down like a hungry houndoom. She ate it so fast, Amara wondered if she'd end up choking. She didn't, thank goodness.

"Thanks. My dad...don't give me no food no more."

"How come?" Amara asked, pulling out a box of pocky. "I have some of these if you want some."

"That's mighty kind of you," Chanel took some pocky and stuffed them in her mouth. Debbie's words came to mind, telling about how Chanel would eat huge trays of food at lunch. The girl's voice was clear and pretty, if a little on the hoarse side, probably from not having eaten. "I see you sometimes at recess, playin' with Debbie, Maria, and Emily. They're yer friends, right?"

"Yep!" Amara looked down and noticed a magazine at Chanel's feet. The girl's eyes widened and sparkled with delight. "Wow! Is that Poka Poka Pretty?! I love that magazine!"

Immediately, a smile touched the hungry girl's face. "Ya do? My big sister buys them, but she lends me her old issues, and I like'em for reals!"

"I love doing the little crossword puzzles on them! They're so fun, and I always get them right!"

"They always come with cards. I really like the ones with the sparkly flowers and berries on them."

The two girls found themselves talking about lots of things, Poka Poka Pretty, clothes, school, and lastly, pokemon. Immediately, Amara's curiosity was piqued once more. "You want to be a pokemon trainer, too?"

"Absolutely!" Chanel exclaimed with a radiant smile. "More than that, I wanna be the champion of Johto, just like Lance! He's super cool!"

"I'd love to go to Goldenrod City and go to all the stores and salons!" Amara mused out loud. "If I get my own pokemon, I'd love a totodile! I love cyndaquil and chikorita, but I always liked totodile best."

Chanel chuckled. "I like cyndaquil. If you hug them, they're all warm and cozy, and they're nice, too," Her smile morphed into a frown as she looked down at her bruised legs, averting Amara's gaze. "But my dad says I can't ever be a trainer."

"How come?"

"He says they're way outta my league, and that no sane pokemon will ever wanna be around a piece of worthless trash like me."

A pocky stick fell right out of the box as soon as she said that. Amara was speechless. Not once had she ever met someone whose parents hated them. Chanel's dad sounded like a terrible person. If her parents were here right now, they'd give her father a verbal lashing, like they did with that smelly boy who gave Amara a wet willy with snot from his nose. She shook her head to dispel that bad memory before replying, "He's wrong! You're not trash! We can be pokemon trainers together when we get older!"

"Umm...why are you bein' so nice to me?" Chanel asked timidly, her bruised legs trembling. "We only just met."

"I dunno. You seem nice, and you like pokemon and the PPP clothes, just like me!" Amara said. "But my friends say you don't talk to people at school. Why is that?"

"I tried makin' friends," Chanel explained, clutching her magazine. "But nobody wanted to be my friend. I'm poor and all the other kids don't like me 'cause I smell bad and can't wear nice clothes."

"That's not your fault," Amara told her in a firm voice. "Hey! How about tomorrow at school we hang out?" A smile touched the girl's face. "I can introduce you to Maria, Debbie, and Emily! They're super nice, and I'm sure they'll like you!" She looked down at her watch. "Oh no! It's almost twelve fifteen!" She pulled out a piece of paper and a pen, scribbled on it, and handed it to Chanel. "Here's my phone number!"

This time, Chanel didn't hesitate in taking the piece of paper. A set of numbers were hastily written on it in black pen. "You can call me all the time if you want!"

"I don't have a working phone," Chanel clarified.

"Seriously? You don't?!"

"Nope nope nope," The black haired girl shook her head dejectedly. "But my sister might let me use her cell phone. She goes to college though and isn't home much."

"I see," Amara packed her things. "Well, I hope we can be friends! I'll see you at school tomorrow at lunch! Okay?"

"Okay! Bye, Amara!" Chanel waved her arm happily as she stood up to watch her first friend ride away.

A strange warmth enveloped Amara's whole being, and she couldn't stop smiling the whole way home. Chanel was quite nice, and liked the same things she did. How could anyone not like her, especially her own parents? Perhaps it was time to cultivate this new friendship. She couldn't wait to tell her parents and sister all about it.

When school resumed, Amara wasted no time befriending Chanel, much to her other friends' confusion. At lunch, she'd invite her to their table. At first, Amara's friends weren't sure how to deal with this new addition. However, as soon as they started sharing pokemon-related stories and talking about PPP cards, it was as though Chanel had always been a part of their group. The girls were laughing and palavering merrily, like the friends they were. Any kind of doubt or confusion had been completely kicked out of their system.

After about four weeks, Amara popped a question. No, she wasn't asking Chanel to marry her. "Hey! Do you want to come over to my house?"

Chanel didn't waste time answering. "I'd love to! Is it true your parents have a lot of pokemon?"

"Yeah!" Amara explained. "Our backyard is basically a big pokemon pen! My little sister Julia loves playing with everyone in there. I think you'll really like her. She's kinda shy but she loves pokemon and drawing and reading and playing pretend games."

"But will your parents let me come over?"

"I'll ask them! I hope they say yes, but chances are they'll probably say no. They're very busy."

Contrary to Amara's expectations, when she asked them if Chanel could come over, they immediately said yes. "Bring your friends over, Amara!" Truman suggested cheerfully, delighted by the thought of a new friend coming over. "Your friends are always welcome here! There's plenty of room to play!" Amara couldn't contain her joy, and hugged both her parents tight. Kassia thought about making some snacks for them to munch on when she got here.

The next day, Kassia picked them both up from school and took them to the house. "Wow! Yer house is mighty nice, Amara!" Chanel exclaimed. Compared to her own decrepit house, Amara's looked like it belonged to someone rich. The living room was painted a pristine white, with a green couch at the very end of it, with a large watercolor painting depicting a meadow full of happy pokemon hanging right above it. A large, black, flat screen TV stood on a mahogany credenza across the living room, and a vaporeon sat in front of the large window, watching whatever was out there. Julia sat on said couch hugging a small sentret like it was a stuffed animal. Sentret didn't mind, smiling as she basked in the girl's soothing touch.

"So you're Chanel Ramsey?" Kassia shook the girl's hand gently. "It's nice to meet you! Amara's been going on and on about you."

Amara was in charge of introductions. "This is my mom, Kassia. That's my dad, Truman," She pointed to the girl on the couch. "And that's my little sister, Julia!"

Hearing her name, Julia looked up to see Amara's new friend in her house. With a smile, Chanel came over and just said, "Is this your little sister?" Chanel didn't come too close, but enough so she wasn't in Julia's personal space. The sentret crawled out from Julia's arms and trotted off somewhere else. "Hey there! Mah name's Chanel! Your big sistah told me all about'cha! You like pokemon, right?"

The younger girl smiled. "Yeah! I do!"

The three children found themselves playing in the meadow. Chanel was in awe of the many pokemon here. Meganium, ampharos, blastoise, ninetales, oddish, sandshrew, rattata, sentret, bellossom. She and Julia wasted no time playing with the pokemon. "Wow! They're so cool!" Chanel exclaimed.

Julia held onto a bellossom's hand gently, escorting her over to Chanel. Said pokemon was exactly Julia's size, small and cute, with light green skin, two stubby arms, and two red flowers on both sides of her head. The creature's blue eyes twinkled lightly and her cheeks were a rosy red as the large green and yellow petals on its body made a soft, chime-like sound with every step she took. "Bellossom likes flowers and playing hide and seek," Julia explained in clear, concise words.

"Bella!" Bellossom chirped in a cute little girl voice, shaking Chanel's hand, welcoming her to the Parisa ranch.

Amara, Julia, and Chanel ran all over the backyard, rolling on the grass, playing hide and seek amongst the trees, riding on the big pokemon like meganium and blastoise, and just sitting around, talking. Julia even put some flowers she picked from the ground into Chanel's hair. "Pretty!" Julia chirped as she put a small white flower behind Chanel's ear.

This was the beginning of their long friendship.

A year after their first meeting, Amara and Chanel had become close. How close wasn't clear to either of them until a ten-year-old Amara got a frightening phone call. The phone rang at dinner. Amara was all too happy to get away from those gross soybeans. "Hello?"

"A-A-Amara?" She knew that shaky voice anywhere.

"Chanel! What's up?" Amara yelped cheerfully.

"H-He-Help...me…" Chanel croaked on the other side. Her voice trembled as she talked, and Amara's smile faded. Something about Chanel made her sound like she was scared.

"What's wrong?" Amara asked. Truman and Kassia turned from their dinner to look at their daughter. Julia just sat in her chair, eating mashed potatoes and garlic shells quietly.

"My dad...he's hurting me…" Chanel sobbed. "I can't take it no more!" She shouted, sobbing hysterically. "Help me, Amara! I don't wanna be beaten no more!"

Then, another voice echoed on the line. A deep, burly man's voice boomed through the static. It was so loud, Amara had to pull the phone away. "You piece of sentient trash!" The man's voice roared like a wild Pyroar. "You's been a bad girl! I ain't done teachin' you a lesson in pain yet!" All of a sudden, the line cut off. Beep. Beep. Beep.

Amara whipped her head around, facing her mother. "Mom! Chanel's in trouble! She needs help! Can we go help her?! Please?! She says her dad's beating her up!"

Without a word, Kassia gestured for Amara to come with her. She grabbed her keys, coat, and shoes, and went right out the door with Amara following her from close behind, leaving Truman and Julia alone in the house. Amara's heart was pounding with fear. Never had she felt something like this before. She wasn't scared for herself, but for Chanel. So what she said was true. Her dad didn't love her. But why? Amara saw nothing about Chanel that warranted shame or hatred. But already, she had known that adults could be cruel to children, sometimes for little to no reason. Kassia had told her about the incidents with Mrs. Amoretto and her abusing Julia. Hearing it made Amara want to find that woman and give her a good smack across the side of the head. Her sister didn't deserve to be beaten or yelled at. She couldn't help Julia when she needed her.

Now, she had a chance to save her friend, even if Kassia had to help her.

The two pulled up toward Lancelot Avenue. Chanel was right at the corner. Her hair was disheveled, with stands of it sticking up like someone had tried to pull on it. A pigtail had come undone. Her left eye was swollen and yellow, giving birth to a fresh bruise. Her purple dress was torn in places, such as the hem, and she had only one shoe on. Red blood trickled down her right arm. Chanel wasted no time yanking the car door open and leaping right inside. The fear in her brown eyes was unmistakable, and seeing them made Amara scared as well.

A man barged out from the front door, almost knocking it down. The girls couldn't make out his appearance, but the burly, muscular silhouette and his loud, Pyroar-like voice was enough to instill fear in them. "I'LL KILL YOU! COME BACK HEEEEERE!"

"GO GO GO GO GOOOO!" Chanel cried, tears streaming down her face like little waterfalls. Kassia slammed her foot on the pedal and sped right away, leaving the raving man all by himself.

When they got to the Parisa house, Chanel fell to her knees and cried on Amara's shoulder. The other girl just wrapped her arms around her friend, letting her know she was safe now. Some pokemon even gathered around her, nuzzling her, consoling her. "It's okay," Amara whispered in a low, calm voice. She wondered if this was what Kassia and Truman felt when they consoled Julia after she had a bad day. "It's okay. You're safe now."

Kassia was quick to tend to Chanel's small injuries. She may work in a Pokemon Center, but that didn't mean she couldn't heal people's physical wounds as well. Julia sat down and watched as her mother wrapped gauze around the girl's scratch. Julia held a stuffed pikachu doll in front of Chanel, making it dance. "Pikachu's here to make you happy!"

The dark skinned girl smiled and stroke Julia's hair kindly. "Thanks, Julia. You's sweet."

"Do you…" Amara wasn't sure if she could ask these questions. Her parents often told her that sometimes people had things they didn't want to tell people. It was their right to keep secrets, and it was her duty to respect their decisions. But seeing that awful scene and hearing Chanel cry like that made her want to know. It didn't hurt to ask, right? "...want to tell us what happened?"

"If he's hurting you, I'll call the police," Kassia told her as Chanel calmed down. Julia wrapped her tiny arms around the older girl, hoping the hug will make her happy. "They can help you. We will, too."

Chanel nodded. "My dad...he beats on me and my family. Mom can't do nothin' about it 'cause she scared. She thinks nobody will believe us," She explained. She went into detail about how her father would flip out at everyone over extremely petty and trivial things-sometimes nothing-like spilled milk or the kids playing outside. Chanel told everyone about how he would deprive them of food or drinks for days at a time, lock her in the closet for a day, tie her up in the basement, and other things. At this point, Truman escorted Julia out of the living room.

"I wanna hear more, Dad!" Julia protested. "I want to help!"

"Sorry, Jules. This isn't stuff a kid your age should hear," Truman told her gently.

"Does he really do all that stuff to you?" Amara asked. The more she heard, the more appalled she became. Chanel nodded dejectedly.

"He...does other things, too…" Chanel whimpered, telling them more. Something about touching her in places he shouldn't, threatening to kill her and everyone she loved if she ever told anyone.

Mother and daughter watched Chanel sob for a brief moment. "Chanel. Thank you for telling us all of this. You're a very brave little girl," Kassia told her softly, with the air of someone who was trying not to cry. "What your father does to you is wrong. None of this is your fault. You don't deserve to be treated like that. I'll call the police and tell them everything. He won't hurt you anymore."

"Yeah!" Amara pumped her fist. "If he tries to come here and take you away, Mom and Dad will sic meganium and blastoise on 'em, and they'll attack him so bad he'll go flying off to Mars!" She shouted, her voice brimming with courage.

Chanel hugged Amara, clutching her so tight, she didn't want to let go. It felt so good that Chanel didn't even worry about the threats her father uttered against her. For the first time in a long while, she finally felt safe. Paramedics came and took Chanel to the hospital to tend to her other injuries. Amara watched the news to see if her father got arrested. This was a new change for her, as she usually never watched the news. Then, it happened: a newscaster announced that Tyrell Ramsey was arrested on charges of child abuse and many other charges Amara didn't quite understand. Chanel was safe!

"Yaaaaay!" Amara cheered and jumped all around the room. "Chanel's evil dad is thrown in the clink!"

"He's in jail?" Julia asked, joining right in. "Yay! No more Chanel being beaten!" The two girls joined hands and jumped on the couch up and down, cheering and laughing and rejoicing.

"Girls! Don't jump on the couch! You'll get hurt!" Kassia cried. But inside, the woman was just as happy as they were.

It didn't take long to run into Chanel at school. "Chanel!" This time, the girl didn't look disheveled or sad anymore. She was wearing a nice purple dress over a white shirt and new black shoes. "I heard the news! Your evil dad's been arrested! That's great!"

"I know it is! Thanks so much, Amara! I don't know what I'd do without'cha!"

"You're the one that called us, after all! So...are you still living at Lancelot Avenue?"

Chanel looked down at her shoes and nodded. "Yeah. We don't got the money to move. But Mom's not afraid anymore. She's workin' two jobs now, and my sister's stayin' with me now."

The girls both let out sighs of relief. "That's good to hear. I'm glad you're okay."

"Me too, best friend."

Life had completely changed for Chanel, and Amara could see it every time she saw her. Chanel smiled more, and did so all the time. Chanel interacted with other people, and instead of rejecting her, they welcomed her with open arms. Chanel would tell funny jokes and make everyone's stomachs hurt from too much laughing. She would show everyone her PPP cards, even some rare ones she happened to get. Her mother managed to scrape some money together to buy her some new clothes and give her fresh food. Chanel's cheeks became plumper. No longer did her arms, legs, and face be battered with bruises.

Then, one day, three weeks before Amara's eleventh birthday, Debbie came to school with a surprise: a cyndaquil! "Cyndaquil!" It squeaked.

"Whaaaat?!" Emily was the first to shriek with delight. "You got a pokemon, Debbie?!"

Debbie gave a proud nod. "Yeppers! My mom said I can be a trainer now! I just got this little cutie yesterday! This is cyndaquil!"

"You're so lucky, Debbie!" Maria exclaimed, stroking cyndaquil's nose with her hands. "He's so cute! I want a pokemon!"

Soon, all the girls crowded around Debbie, begging for a chance to look at or pet her little fiery anteater friend. Said cyndaquil liked the attention, and giggled happily when the girls would tickle his belly and shower him with unadulterated affection. However, a pang of jealousy grew in Amara's heart. Debbie got a pokemon and she didn't. Amara and Chanel both wanted to be trainers. Why couldn't she get a pokemon yet?

When she got home, Amara popped the question. "Mom? Can I have a pokemon of my own?" Kassia was sitting in the living room watching an episode of Judge Rudy.

"Why do you ask?" Kassia asked curiously, looking as though she hadn't quite comprehended what her oldest daughter just asked.

"Can I, Mom? Please?" The girl clasped her hands together and begged. "Debbie got a cyndaquil, already! You know how much I want to be a trainer!"

Kassia looked away from the TV to face her daughter. She looked neither stern nor disapproving, but her daughter could tell her mother wasn't sure whether she should say yes or not. "If you do get your own pokemon, will you take care of it?"

"Of course! I'll do anything! I'll feed it, play with it, take care of it, pick up his poop," Amara couldn't help but find that gross, but she had seen Kassia and Truman do it with their pokemon, so she figured it was important. It was still gross, though! "Make sure it doesn't hurt anyone, all that stuff! Please, Mom? I'll clean my room and do my homework and watch Julia when you and Dad are gone!" She pleaded, giving her mother her infamous puppy eyes.

Her mother closed her eyes and ruminated. Immediately, Amara assumed the worst. What if she says no? All of a sudden, Kassia's eyes flew open and she smiled. "Alright! You'll get a pokemon from Professor Elm on your birthday! How's that?"

For a moment, Amara thought she died and went to heaven. She wasted no time leaping on her mother, trapping her in a tight hug. "Yaaaaaaay! Thank you thank you thank you thank yoooouuuu!"

"I hope you keep your promise, because if you don't do your homework and your chores, the deal's off," Kassia told her. "I don't think you're ready for a journey yet, so don't count on that."

Amara let go and put herself down. "No worries! I wasn't planning on going on a journey right now anyway!"

True to her word, Amara did everything as asked. She paid attention in class, did her homework, sometimes asked for help if needed, and passed any tests she might have gotten. She got a few C's and B's, and only two A's, but for her parents, that was enough. She worked hard and did her best, and that in itself was something to be proud of. Amara kept her room clean, helped with the laundry multiple times in the day, played with Julia, and studied on how to take care of a pokemon. She could bring her pokemon to school and show it to everyone. She would be popular! But she knew very well that pokemon weren't shiny toys to be shown off. They were animals with feelings, wants, and needs. That was something Truman and Kassia drilled into their daughters since they were born.

Amara knew exactly which pokemon she wanted.

On the morning of her eleventh birthday, Amara was bouncing out of her seat with joy. One present came in the mail: a Trainer ID card with her name and picture on it, certifying her as eligible to own a pokemon. As soon as she got it, Amara raced out the door to Professor Elm's lab. Kassia thought about going with her, but decided against it. This was a new experience for her. She figured Amara could handle it by herself. Sometimes letting kids do things on their own allows them to learn new things.

She burst through the door, greeted Professor Elm, and saw the three pokemon. Well, she saw chikorita and cyndaquil, but barely paid much attention to them. Her gaze was completely fixed on the totodile. The small, bipedal blue alligator with red spines on its back and tail and a beige, V-shaped mark on its chest. Amara kneeled down in front of the curious pokemon and said, with a bright smile, "Totodile? Do you want to be my best friend forever?"

To say the totodile was overjoyed would be an understatement. Totodile danced all around the room, squawking and cheering and leaping in Amara's arms. Totodile's body was warm yet wet, considering he's a water type. Amara's cup of happiness was full before, but the minute this totodile became her friend, the final drop melted into the cup, making it overflow.

"Tototototototodiiiiiiiiiile!"

"We're gonna be best friends, totodile!"

Unable to wait, Amara ran home as fast as she could, with totodile happily trotting behind her. He immediately became the talk of the Parisa house. "Wow! He's a cutie!" Truman stroke the happy totodile's head gently with his big, rugged hand.

"I do hope you'll take good care of him, Amara," Kassia reminded her.

"You bet I will, Mom!"

"How come you didn't get a chikorita?" Julia asked curiously. She didn't ask it to be rude, only out of curiosity.

"Now now, Julia," Truman told her. "Other people don't always like the same things you do. Amara likes totodile. Nothing wrong with that. Besides, if you say things like that, you'll hurt totodile's feelings."

Oddly enough, totodile didn't seem to mind at all. He hopped out of Amara's arms and immediately danced around Julia, wanting to play. "Totodile says he wants to play tag!" Julia immediately tapped Amara on her arm. "You're it!"

"Hey! I'm gonna get you twooooooo!" Thinking this was a great chance to play with totodile, Amara chased her sister and pokemon all around the house and the backyard, taking care not to knock anything over. Both parents smiled and watched as the kids played to their hearts content.

Keeping true to her word, Amara lavished totodile with all her love. She gave him food, played with him, gave him baths, kept him out of trouble, and everything else that was required for a good trainer. Kassia and Truman helped out a couple times while she was at school. Even Julia pitched in and became playmates with him when Amara was away most of the day. One day, Amara couldn't wait to show totodile to Chanel. She finally found the time to ride her bike to Chanel's house. It was still as decrepit as ever.

"Amara!" Chanel waved, gesturing for Amara to come by. "I hear you got your pokemon already!"

"Yep! Come here, totodile!" Amara gestured for her new friend to meet Chanel. The blue alligator wasted no time trotting over to Chanel, flashing a big, toothy smile, and waving his hand.

"Awwwww!" Chanel picked him up and held him close, nuzzling his large head. "He's sooooo cute!"

"I know, right? He's my baby!" Affectionately, Amara tickled his large feet to get a laugh out of him. It worked. The two girls and the tiny alligator played tag in the backyard for a while.

"Diiiile!" Totodile beamed as Chanel gave him a big sugar cookie to munch on.

"It's a shame you didn't get a pokemon yet," Amara told her friend, putting her totodile on her lap. "I was hoping we'd become trainers together."

"I'll get a pokemon yet!" Chanel exclaimed cheerfully. "It probably won't be a while, but I'm gonna get one no matter what!" She pumped her fists. "In fact, my mom says she's gonna save up money to get me a trainer ID, and that'll let me get a pokemon!"

"That's great!"

"Totodaaaaauhh!" Totodile agreed, flashing a thumb's up as he swallowed the sugar cookie whole.

"I'm gonna get a nice cyndaquil and maybe we can both travel together!" Chanel looked up at the blue sky. The sun was shining bright, unmarred by any passing clouds. "I can see it now! Us fightin' double battles all the time, beatin' the Johto League champion, becomin' champions together! It'll be so great!"

Amara let out a sheepish laugh. "I don't know if we'll go that far."

"It don't hurt to dream right?"

"No. No it doesn't. The minute you become a trainer, we'll both go on a journey. Promise?" Amara held out her pinky.

Chanel linked her own pinky with her friend's. "Promise!"

"We'll always be friends, won't we?"

"Absolutely! You can count on that!"

"Aww man! I gotta bolt. Mom said I had to be back by lunch. Gotta help her with some stuff," Amara hopped back on her bike with totodile in tow. "I'll see you later, Chanel! Bye-bye!"

"Goodbye, Amara! We'll always be BFFs!" With that, Amara rode off into the distance.

Unfortunately, that was a promise the two girls would never be able to fulfill, no matter how much they wanted it.

Six months after Amara received totodile from Professor Elm, she was sitting at the table eating breakfast, giving totodile some hash browns. She figured out that he absolutely loved eating hash browns. She could understand why. They were warm and flaky and shaped like ovals. She always liked the triangle shaped hash browns at Jack-Ronald's, but any hash browns were fine. Totodile wasn't a picky eater, unlike Julia. She and Chanel had made plans to go to the little beach to have a picnic with Debbie, Emily, and Maria, pokemon included. Yesterday, Emily received a pokemon from her father as a birthday gift, an aipom, and she showed her to everyone. Amara thought it'd be great for the pokemon to meet and play together and be friends, just like they were.

Truman was in the family room, sitting at the computer and sipping a cup of coffee at the same time. He had turned the TV on, and a news report was being broadcast. "Last night, for no reason at all, a wild gyarados suddenly went on a rampage in Cherrygrove City," Hearing that made Truman whip his head around. "At eight o'clock last night, said gyarados suddenly shot up from the water and began firing Hyper Beams all over the city," Truman stood up from the computer chair and turned up the volume. The volume could be heard all the way from the dining room. "Pokemon Control was able to subdue it, but as you can see here, the pokemon left a trail of destruction in its wake."

Footage showed parts of Cherrygrove City in pieces. Houses were reduced to nothing but piles of rubble. Streets had huge holes in them, some stretching for miles. Trees were knocked over, blocking roads. Electrical lines had snapped off, with wires dangling from their posts. Small fires continued to consume some houses. Paramedics carried injured or dead people on gurneys, carrying them onto ambulances by the dozens.

A feeling of dread ran right through Amara's body right then and there. On impulse, she found herself walking toward the family room. Totodile just gave her a confused look, wondering what was up. "Amara! You need to see this!" Truman called for Amara to come inside. She was going to wish she hadn't watched the news. But then again, it was inevitable.

"Unfortunately, despite everyone's efforts to subdue the creature, 14 people are dead, and about 247 people are injured," The next scene showed photos of those who perished. One of them stuck out like a sore thumb.

Chanel Ramsey.

Lancelot Street flashed on the TV. Chanel's small, decrepit house was completely gone. Amara's eyes grew large. Immediately, the implications ran through her mind, telling her what this meant. No. It couldn't be true. This had to be a prank. A cruel prank. But TV didn't always lie. Worry and fear seized her. 'Chanel!' She ran out the front door, hopped on her bike, and sprinted away.

"Amara!" Truman raced out the door. "Amara, wait! It's too dangerous! Come back!" He grabbed his keys and leaped into the car.

The bike raced through the streets, passing right by rows and rows of houses. 'NO! Chanel is NOT dead! We're having our picnic today!' She told herself, her heart screaming for this to not be true. They promised they'd be pokemon trainers together. They wanted to be champions together. Chanel had finally managed to find happiness after years of being abused by her father. This couldn't be true!

Could it?

Clouds of black smoke curled into the air. Amara found herself riding her bike in a sea of rubble. This was nothing like the Cherrygrove City she knew and loved. Houses had become piles of wood and scrap. Trees had completely fallen over, with some falling right into houses. Flames danced on the grass, some still within some houses. She passed by people bending over, wailing hysterically. Paramedics putting a tag on someone's toe, covering them with a light blue sheet. Firefighters using their hoses to douse flames in one house.

Lancelot Avenue. Here it was! Amara turned the corner and stopped in her tracks. She had expected Chanel's house to be there. But it wasn't. It was as though the house had never been there. The street was swarming with police cars, their loud sirens wailing, their ghostly red and blue lights flashing. A woman wearing a simple green dress sat on the porch bawling, and another woman in a police uniform was rubbing her back with one hand, consoling her. The woman continued to cry, so it didn't work. Amara threw her bike down and raced toward what was left of the house. "Chanel?! Chanel! Where are you?!" She shouted, her voice consumed with worry and fear.

Let this not be true. Let it be a trick. Chanel's still alive! She had to be! She just had to.

"Amara…" The woman stood up, stumbling toward the younger girl. "Amara…" She fell to her knees and sobbed once more. "I...I...I'm so sorry, dear!" Tears came streaming right out, and the woman was helpless to stop them. Amara knew her well. She was Chanel's mother. "Chanel's gone!" She croaked.

Chanel's gone. The very words she didn't want to hear. Soon, she saw and heard nothing. Only echoes. Her legs gave out, and she fell to her knees. "She tried to save her baby brother...Eladio...but he and Chanel are both gone! We tried to save them! Graciela and me both!...but it was too late!"

"Edelmira...it's not your fault…" The police woman tried to console her, but Edelmira continued to cry.

Using what little energy she had, Amara walked away from the chaotic scene. Grief completely consumed her from head to toe. She didn't even pick up her bike. Soon, a silver car pulled up. Truman came out and hugged his daughter. "Amara...I'm so sorry..." She went inside without a word. As soon as she got home, it was Kassia's turn to hug her. "Amara! I'm so sorry!" Finally, she could no longer contain her despair. Tears came pouring right out, and with a high pitched wail, she cried and cried until she could cry no more. She and Kassia sat on the couch, crying until their grief dried them all up. Julia tried to go over to them to offer her own comfort, but Truman put a hand on her shoulder and shook his head. No. That was alright. They needed space. Amara needed space.

The reality of the situation hit Amara like a freight train. Chanel was dead, and never coming back. A mother lost two of her children. She lost a friend. A friend who was happy, cheerful, outgoing, and finally had a new life to look forward to. No more seeing her smile. No more seeing her big teeth, her awkward rural way of talking, her obsessing over Poka Poka Pretty cards and magazines, her dreams of becoming champion alongside Amara. The whole thing just made her feel so sad, so sorrowful, so bitter...but more than anything, she was angry.

Angry. Angry angry angry. Angry at herself for not being there. Angry at that gyarados that decimated part of Cherrygrove and took her friend away. Angry at the world for not doing much about it. Angry at the potential reality that for all she knew, everyone might forget Chanel, her accent, her dreams, her love for PPP cards and magazines, how she thought the crescent moon was a piece of God's chewed off fingernails, how she wanted to get a cyndaquil because she liked how sweet and warm and cozy they were or whatever, like she was never there in the first place. Like she never had fantasies about becoming the champion or visions about college or a whole unique way of seeing and thinking about the world that would never be articulated to anyone.

Why did life have to be so cruel? And to someone who didn't deserve any more cruelty? That was what was most unfair.

Amara did nothing but cry in the days that followed. Of course. It was understandable. Her friend just died. It wasn't as though she was going to get over her grief in the snap of a finger. These things take time. Kassia and Truman simply stayed by her side, letting her know they were there if she wanted to talk. She stayed home from school for a week, only going back because she couldn't be absent for very long. But Chanel wasn't the only friend who was gone.

"Where's Maria?"

Debbie was the one who answered. "She moved away. Her family just up and left without a word."

First Chanel was gone, and now Maria? As happy as she was to know that her other friends were okay, Maria was gone in a different way. "Why?!"

"That gyarados attack really rattled them," Emily replied. "I'm pretty sure they wanted to get the heck out of there."

"Did they tell you where she was going?!"

Both girls shook their heads grimly. "Nope."

Amara slammed her fist on her desk, knocking some pencils down to the floor. Now two friends were gone. At least Maria wasn't dead. She did take some comfort in that. But still, couldn't she have at least given them some advance notice? Granted, it might not have been her fault. Her parents always had pampered her a lot, but still! Why did life have to be so unfair?

But something about Emily and Debbie made Amara's blood boil. They didn't react to Chanel's death even a little bit.

All Debbie said was "Total balls," That was it. All Emily did was hug Amara without a word. Not a tear to be shed. They didn't even talk about wanting to make Edelmira and Graciela feel better. Some part of her brain told her that maybe they already did their grieving in private, perhaps at their own homes, but Amara ignored that thought.

Amara confronted them about this at recess. "Want to make sympathy cards with me? We can send them to Mrs. Ramsey and Graciela?" Amara asked.

"We already did that," Debbie replied tersely. "The whole school did."

What? The whole school did? When was this? Amara's jaw fell open, and her pupils shrunk. She had no idea the school already arranged that.

Emily nodded in agreement. "We tried to tell you, but-"

"What's with you?!" Amara yelped, scaring them into recoiling. "I tell you Chanel's dead and you just go on like nothing's changed?! She was our friend!"

"Your friend," Debbie replied. "Besides, there's more to life than Chanel."

How could Debbie say that? Both Amara and Emily's mouths fell agape. After all the time Chanel spent with them, Debbie had the gall to say that? Amara found herself stepping backward in shock. "Debbie! You don't mean that! She was our friend, too," Emily exclaimed.

"Are you kidding me?!" Amara stamped her feet twice. "Do you even care that your friend is dead?!"

"Of course we do!" Emily protested.

Amara growled. She couldn't believe it. They acted as though Chanel never even mattered. "Uuuuugh! My God, you girls are terrible!" With that, she stomped away. Now all her friends were gone.

Not even her teachers said a word about Chanel. She was the only child her own age who died in the attack, the other child being her three year old brother. She thought they'd at least have the kids take a moment of silence to remember her. Nope! They just went about their way, like nothing had changed! Something popped up in her head right there: why should she obey and respect people who never so much as gave a flying farfetch'd about Chanel? It was here that her grades began to drop, and her ambitions for school dwindled down to nothing. If school didn't care about Chanel, why should Amara care about school? Her friends didn't care about Chanel. The other kids didn't care about Chanel. The teachers didn't care about Chanel. Why should she care about them?

One day, Amara sat in her room doing nothing. Julia was crying in the other room. Normally, her crying would be a cause for alarm. But now, all it did was annoy her to death. Suddenly, she stormed out of the room, barged into Julia's, and shouted, "Stop crying, stupid!"

Julia's hands flew to her ears. "I'm crying for Chanel!" She snapped back.

"Oh, like you care! All you care about is pokemon and drawing and eating like a tepig! Whatever it is you're being a baby about, get over it!" With that, Amara slammed Julia's door and returned to her room.

"Amara?" Kassia peeked inside. "What's wrong, sweetie?"

"Nothing!"

"Something's wrong. I can tell by your voice," Kassia sat down on Amara' bed and stroke her hair. "I know it's hard. Chanel's death is affecting all of us. She was a very good friend."

"If it's affecting everyone, how come nobody's doing anything about it?!" Amara screeched. "Nobody at school cares about her! It's like she was never important to them!"

All Kassia did was listen and stroke Amara's hair. "Sometimes people hide their grief. Others feel it's more important to go about their lives," She told her. "Some people never met Chanel, so maybe they don't know how to feel about it. It makes me sad to see you like this. Would you...like to go to the park? You can bring totodile with you and we can sit or walk."

"No thanks, Mom. I just...want to be alone."

Kassia nodded. "Alright. Let me know if you need anything. I'm here if you want to talk."

For some reason, Amara felt that sounded empty. Insincere. In fact, everything her parents said sounded insincere. Sure, they were adults and they probably had their own experiences with death and passing, but still! Anything her parents said came off as hollow to her.

"Tell me what I can do for you."

"I'm sorry to hear about what happened."

"I'm not sure what to say, but we want you to know that we care."

"How are you feeling? Is there anything we can dot help?"

"This is normal, Amara. It's okay to grieve."

At first, Amara's parents did everything they could to be there for Amara and take the initiative. They took on the chores, didn't ask about school, took care of totodile for her, made her favorite food, try to do fun things with her like puzzles or sharing embarrassing family stories. Amara always liked to hear about the one where when she was two years old she put yogurt in her hair like it was shampoo when Kassia was pregnant with Julia. It always made her laugh. But now, not even the most embarrassing story brought a chuckle out of her.

It didn't help that Amara met some new kids who, in society's view, weren't exactly a good influence. These kids smoked cigarettes, skipped classes, got into fights with others, and generally didn't care about anything. Amara found herself just sitting with them, listening to them talk about how awful life is and how nobody cares about anything but themselves and what they want. She couldn't help but think that that described everyone around her-Kassia, Truman, and Julia included.

Something else sprung up in her heart, and it was the worst feeling she had in the world: she hated pokemon. She hated them all. She hated seeing them every single day. She hated seeing them happy and smiling, running around the meadow all smiles and sunshine and rainbows. She hated how Julia would talk about them like perfect little angels who could do no wrong. What a load of crock. If pokemon were so good, why did that gyarados attack Cherrygrove, killing Chanel? In her mind, all pokemon were responsible for Chanel's death. Even her totodile, who had been there for her and stayed by her side, she considered an enemy.

Why should she care? About school? About people? About pokemon? In her mind, they deserved nothing from Amara. Not even her parents. Soon, the fights, the detentions, the slipping grades, and the defiance took over, and her parents took notice. Even they were at their wit's end. After another six months, Amara was still obsessing over Chanel. To everyone around her, this was unhealthy, and her change in behavior and demeanor only highlighted it for all to see.

"Amara? What's going on? You don't talk to us anymore."

"You're always so angry. You should enjoy life while you still can. I'm sure Chanel wouldn't want you to be sad all the time."

"We're all worried about you. Please. Give us a chance to help you."

"Have you thought about seeing a counselor? Maybe they can help you better than we can."

"I've lost some friends, too. I've been in your shoes. But this isn't the best way to go about it. There are better ways to deal with this."

"I'm going shopping later. Do you want to come? We can make anything you like."

"I know you're upset, Amara. We all do. But yelling at people and taking it out on them doesn't solve anything. It just makes things worse."

"It's been six months. Chanel's gone. We get it. We all do. But you can't let her death take over your life."

"Do you feel like talking?"

Amara hated everything. She wanted the world to just die. Everyone should just leave her alone. It's not that hard. Nobody cared. In her mind, they were only pretending to care. She was sure they'd tell her to get over it and forget about Chanel like she never existed. Fat chance. Everything made her angry. Even pokemon made her angry. Hitting totodile with a rock, losing her trainer's license, being put on the blacklist...that was the spark that lit the powder keg.

No more sitting around. It was time to get out of here. Fulfill her dream. If she and Chanel couldn't do it together, she'd try it herself for her sake.

Her name was Amara Parisa, and although she has a dream she wants to fulfill, in her mind, the world was her enemy. Chanel was all that mattered to her now. Never again would she open her heart. Or would she?

Footnotes:

1. Yes, Emily is talking about Valerie, the fairy-type gym leader in Laverre City, Kalos.

5/27/14: Update: Tweaked the chapter a bit, namely some of Emily and Debbie's dialogue.