What does it mean to be an animal? Many associate animalism with something lesser, something primitive. But that primitivism does not equate with inferiority. To be so primal is to be devoid of the cultural complexities of man, but in kind, those few instinctual energies that remain are concentrated tenfold. To be an animal is to be ever so closer to the fundamental interactions that forged us from the primordial soup - to place a hand on the elements that shape our reality.
This is a universal truth, yet it is obscured to you in your world where animals seem to have no more elemental power than a man. Imagine a world, then, where these primal energies have a much more tangible presence. In this world, the lifeforms that populate the earth possess a range of powers unknown to the animals of our own. They can generate forces such as heat or electricity with about as much difficulty as it would take to curl a finger. The power they store is so great, they must routinely metamorphose into new forms just to keep it contained. Even the smallest of these lifeforms can brighten the sun's rays for a short time. The largest can call down hurricanes strong enough to flood small countries. Perhaps it's for the best that such creatures are foreign to your world; a habitat dominated by such monsters would surely prove inhospitable to mankind.
And yet in this world, mankind survives. In fact, it thrives. How can this be so, when monsters of such devastating power freely roam the land? The secret to their prosperity is that the people of this world learned how to live in harmony with these monsters. This monstrous power is the fuel that burns for the sake of mankind's prosperity. Their hurricanes quell man's fires, and their electricity powers man's factories. But what entices these monsters to perform these services? What do they receive in return? Their reward is mankind's affection. These monsters are approached by the most daring individuals, and once an unspoken agreement is made between monster and man to travel together, the man trains their new partner to hone their power. Over the course of countless adventures together, the trainer's monster gains access to a new power, one even stronger than that of the elements - the power of bonding. The power and resolve one finds deep within when they dedicate themselves to someone else's wellbeing. This, the power to make a friend, is the true ability of these monsters. Can they even be called "monsters" when it wouldn't be unlikely to find one tucked away snuggly in a trainer's pocket? Hardly, because the world that hosts these pocket monsters - more commonly known as Pokémon - is first and foremost a world of friendship.
Eternal friendships can be forged at any time in your life, but the deepest bonds run back to the moment of birth. That's where Pokémon Day Cares come in. At a Pokémon Day Care, Pokémon are bred specifically for training. Without having been forced to bear the harsh indifference of nature, nubile Pokémon are best suited for training, and will prove the most powerful once left in good hands. Any trainer hoping to attain any sort of noticeable success - and possibly even the opportunity to challenge the Pokémon League Champion - ought to familiarize themselves with their nearest Pokémon Day Care, and for the people of Sinnoh, the closest option typically lies in Solaceon Town.
Solaceon Town's temperate climate had set it firmly apart from the otherwise frigid peaks of Sinnoh's mountainous terrain. The town's sui generis nature was hard to appreciate, as the town often failed to distinguish itself from the dense woodlands hugging its borders. With a population barely passing 30, the town had little more than the Day Care itself to draw in the outside world; the lone dirt road bisecting Solaceon Town was regularly undisturbed.
The one exception was the cyclists. If you stood next to the Day Care for at least five minutes, you'd be guaranteed to see a handful whizz by, travelling through the grooves left in the dirt by other cyclists. Dawn, the Day Care's youngest assistant, watched from the Day Care's yard as a few of them zoomed by. The yard stretched across the entire length of Solaceon Town, but aside from a few rocks poking out of the ground, there wasn't much that would allow her to hide while she watched. It didn't matter. She was unabashed in her observation, as the only other person in eyesight of her was Mrs. Shelby, one of the elderly owners, and she was far too invested in watering the flower garden to pay Dawn any mind. Just then, Dawn's gaze was drawn to the ground by a feeble scratching sound. It was a rodentoid Pokémon, coated in white fur with stiff blue peaks. A softball sized egg was nestled in its bushy tail. The Pokémon gave a few scratches on the fence while staring at a cyclist, who'd parked in front of the Day Care. Dawn sighed, rolled her shoulders in preparation, and pried the egg from its mother's grasp. With the egg tucked under her arms, she retrieved a pair of rubber gloves off of the side of a cardboard bin - labelled "Not Shiny" - and hopped over the fence.
Standing still for even a minute was clearly getting to the trainer waiting outside. By the time Dawn got to him, he had begun some jumping jacks in order to keep himself moving. He cut his exercise short rather quickly, however, after he noticed the egg in Dawn's hands.
"Oh my!" he cheered, "Did that come from my Pachirisu?"
Dawn sighed yet again, holding out the egg at arm's length.
"Your Pokémon laid an egg while you were away," she said, "Are you ready to take your new beautiful baby home today?"
A plastic grin stretched across the trainer's face as he snatched the egg from her grasp.
"You know it!" he chorused, "Here's hoping its got a shiny pattern! That rose tipped fur is to die for!"
The trainer removed one of the Pokéballs from his belt - any trainer worth his salt carried six at a time - and opened it with the press of a button. A flash of red light burst from the ball, and was drawn to the ground like lightning. While first emerging as thin as a needle, in only a second, the light ballooned into a jagged silhouette reaching the height of the trainer's shoulder. As quickly as it had manifested, the silhouette faded away. In its place now was a shaggy black lion, with a streak of gold coating its muzzle.
"Luxray," the trainer superfluously resounded, "take a look inside this egg and tell me if it's shiny!"
Luxray's eyes glittered with a golden sheen, and it focused its gaze onto the egg. The feline's charcoal mane sparked every now and then with an occasional jolt of electricity, much like a bundle of live wires, as it circled the Pachirisu egg. After a few moments of silent contemplation, Luxray looked up to its trainer and shook its head.
"Damn, this bitch normal colored. YEET!"
The trainer then held the egg up into the air and hurled it into the dirt below. The shell shattered, allowing amniotic fluid to billow out atop the grass in a congealed gob of slime. The Pachirisu fetus then flopped out of the decimated egg with an audible crunch. Its still beating heart was visible, yet to be fully absorbed into its own body. Sure enough, the few nubile hairs poking out from Pachirisu's raw skin were not rose pink, but instead sky blue. Dawn had yet to glance down at the mess; she simply continued to stare off into the distance.
"Man, this shiny hunting can sure get tedious," the trainer continued, "Well, I'm gonna go cycle up on Route 210 while my Pachirisu works on the next hatch. See you in a bit!"
And so, the trainer returned his Luxray to its container and sped off down the dirt road. Dawn, after drawing out a creaky sigh, got down onto her knees and scooped the egg's contents into her gloved hands. She then promptly carried the mess over to the back of the Day Care and dumped it into the "Not Shiny" bin. A few more and she would have to change it again. Her work concluded with a wipe of her hands, in order to clear them of fetal fluid.
Dawn shambled back into the Day Care and peeled off her rubber mitts. The Day Care was cozy at best; the entire building consisted of just one room, serving as both the lobby and reception area. Once inside, the Day Care had little to offer other than the reception desk itself, a peeling cabinet along the side, and the stench of mothballs seeping out of the floorboards. Mr. Shelby, the other owner of the Day Care, was doing his best to shove a drawer into said cabinet. Some sweat had accumulated on his wrinkled skin, but he persisted regardless.
"How did the exchange go?" he asked.
"Great," Dawn replied as she dropped her gloves into the trash bin, "This guy at least had the decency to have a Luxray look inside the egg first instead of just cracking open the shell."
Mr. Shelby gave no response to Dawn's statement, nor any acknowledgement that it was ever made. Dawn watched the old man silently fiddle with the drawer for an awfully long minute before she waltzed over to the coat rack and retrieved her scarf.
"Mr. Shelby, I'm taking my break."
Dawn took Mr. Shelby not pointing out the break she took half an hour ago as a sign of approval, and shuffled out the door.
Her extra break took her to the Pokémon Mart just down the road. Nearly every town had one; you could find them by looking for their distinctive flat blue roofs and the Pokéball insignia hanging over the door. She only bothered making the trip in search of a quick high via over the counter prescription medication, but alas, there was none to be found. In fact, aside from some rope and a couple envelopes, all of the products available for purchase were for Pokémon trainers. What type of business was this, anyway? Sure, it was a Pokémon Mart, so the Pokémon merch was understandable, but every store usually carries some NyQuil or something at least, right? Sulking over the issue wouldn't solve it, though, so Dawn just settled for buying a spray bottle filled with a soapy, piss yellow fluid - "Paralyze Heal" or something similar - and walking out the door.
And so, Dawn crossed the dirt road and sat down by the fence lining the Day Care's yard. Solaceon Town's sparse population gave her plenty of privacy - sure, Mrs. Shelby was standing a few feet away in the Day Care's yard, but she was far too invested in watering a rock to pay Dawn any mind. With the bottle screwed open, she expelled as much air from her lungs as she could to prepare for the huff of her life. However, she ended up not bringing the bottle to her nose, but rather looking around and absorbing the town around her. This did not get her high, but it did get her thinking about her current situation. Here she was, essentially stuck in the middle of the woods, ready to sniff a topical Pokémon spray until her brain stem went numb. What a scene it was to behold, certainly worth leaving Twinleaf Town behind - so far behind that retreat was nigh impossible. Thinking about that last part didn't do much to help soothe the claustrophobic feeling overcoming her. She had to turn her gaze up towards the slate grey sky, lest the surrounding greenery lurch out from the fringes of town and drag her into their shadowy depths. In this moment, she had to contemplate at least some of her choices.
Is this shithole really the last thing I wanna see before I send myself on a deliriant psychosis trip and potentially deep fry every fucking brain cell I have left?
It was an honest question, and one she didn't quite have the answer to. I do, however, and the answer was no.
When Dawn finally looked back down, she noticed a young boy - no older than ten - staring at her from across the road. He jumped back the second Dawn looked down and did his best to keep his own gaze pointed elsewhere. Dawn squinted at the child, only worsening the trembles already pulsing through his little boy bones. He began pacing back and forth across the road, occasionally shuffling an inch closer to Dawn before running back to where he'd come from. Sometimes he'd look around, tracing an invisible line down the road with his index finger and becoming visibly frustrated when each line followed the same path. Once, he even gripped the fence lining the Day Care's yard, as if contemplating jumping it. After long enough, the boy's antics were too much to overlook. With a groan and a sigh, Dawn closed the spray bottle, threw it in her duffle, and stood up from the ground.
"Calm down, twerp. I'm not gonna challenge you to a Pokémon battle. You can go past me," Dawn said.
"But if we lock eyes, we have to fight!" the youngster replied, "It's a rule!"
"Ugh, Jesus. Kid, first of all, that's bullshit. You know that, right? That's not a real rule. It's just something people tell stupid little kids like you in order to trick them into battles for easy experience. Secondly, I don't own any Pokémon in the first place."
"You don't?"
"Nope. Bye now."
The youngster approached Dawn, his gaze now shimmering with the fascination one might experience when travelling overseas.
"Why not?"
"I dunno. Why don't you juggle?"
"I...I don't know. I just...don't."
"And I just don't train Pokémon."
"But it's so fun to be a Pokémon trainer! My Bidoof is my best friend! We watch movies together and I get to feed him and stuff. Wouldn't you want a friend like that?"
"What, you think being a trainer is the only way to make friends? Why don't you make friends the way other kids your age do? Go outside, play some basketball, kill bugs with a magnifying glass, or something else."
"But I don't just want friends! I wanna become the Champion!"
Dawn couldn't help but snicker. She could help turning her nose up at the boy, but she figured doing so would help accentuate her smug asshole persona.
"The Champion? A fucking ten year old is gonna fight every Gym Leader in the League, make it up Victory Road, and claim the Championship?"
"Frick yeah! I even made myself business cards! Here, you can have one!"
The youngster reached into his pocket and whipped out a handful of cards. He held them out to Dawn, who reluctantly plucked one. The card consisted of a folded Post-it Note. The name Joey was scrawled along its surface, followed by the tagline "Your mom suck me good and hard through my jorts."
"Yeah, sure, okay," Dawn said, dropping the card. Joey pouted and ran towards the Day Care up the road.
"You'll see! I'm going to the Day Care to help my Bidoof get stronger! Then I'm gonna fight the League and become the Pokémon Champion!"
Just then, a pink ball - about a foot in diameter - shot out of the Day Care, crashing through a window and slamming into Joey's temple. The ball rebounded off of his head and reentered the Day Care through another window. Joey, meanwhile, collapsed onto the ground, the blow having concussed him into a comatose state from which he would never recover.
"Oh my god!" Dawn exclaimed, "Those windows took me half an hour to clean!"
Dawn scrambled back to the Day Care, trampling Joey's vegetative body in the process. Inside, she found the Shelbys standing idly by as the pink balloon ricocheted around the lobby, wreaking more and more havoc by the second. Mrs. Shelby was far too invested in watering the reception desk to pay Dawn any mind, while her husband continued to fiddle with the drawer.
"What happened!?" Dawn asked.
"Some young man came in and retrieved an egg his Pokémon had laid," Mr. Shelby explained, "When he threw it on the ground, this strange balloon came out."
"Well where's the guy now!?"
"He left because the egg wasn't shiny."
"Of course. How do we catch this thing!? The more stuff it breaks, the more work I have to do!"
"Use a Pokéball. That's how all you kids catch Pokémon."
"I don't have any Pokéballs! I'm not a trainer!"
As the collateral damage accumulated, Dawn stood back and waited for a brilliant solution to come to her. Eventually, though, she settled on the mediocre idea that she came up with a few seconds ago but had been leaving on the backburner in case something better popped up. To steady the erratic entity, Dawn pulled her beanie off of her head and held it open like a net.
"Alright, motherfucker, let's play ball!"
Dawn dug her heels into the floor to brace herself for impact. She tried keeping her eyes on the balloon to follow its path, but every time she tried to predict its next move, it was already there. After not too long, she gave up, instead choosing to run into the center of the room and wave her beanie around wildly. The balloon whizzed just by her head several times, brushing just against her hair and her clothes, but Dawn couldn't care any less. Hell, if she got hit by the balloon, maybe she'd be lucky enough to get KOed like Joey. As the ball hit a corner and rocketed towards Dawn's delicate cranium, however, her reflexes kicked in and she dodged to her left. With a swoop of her makeshift net, she caught the Pokémon midair, ending its rampage.
"Gotcha!"
The balloon Pokémon briefly squirmed around inside the beanie before taking a second to breathe. Once it had calmed down, Dawn dumped the creature out onto the floor to get a good look at what it actually was. It was none other than Kirby, the intergalactic warrior travelling from across the stars! Psyche, it wasn't Kirby. Fucking idiot. Kirby doesn't even exist in the Pokémon universe. Bet you feel stupid, huh? Dumb dumb squishy brain. No, the creature, while much like Kirby, had a tuft of fur atop its head. Furthermore, it stared silently at Dawn with its candy-like eyes, opened wide to fully absorb the scene around it.
"Good job handling that situation," said Mr. Shelby, "Well, I guess if that young man really doesn't want it, you can just bring it out back and we'll look after it like the rest of them."
Mrs. Shelby waddled through the door behind the desk to the yard, while Mr. Shelby continued his work with the drawer. Dawn looked around at the damages. Glass shards were everywhere, there were holes in the walls, and the cabinet was even more broken now than before, though how much of that was the Pokémon's fault and how much was Mr. Shelby's was unclear.
"Hey, Mr. Shelby, are you sure you don't want me to…?"
Mr. Shelby turned his head up to look at Dawn, with genuine curiosity in his eyes.
"...Nevermind."
So, Dawn brought the balloon Pokémon out to the yard. From its place within the nook of Dawn's arm, the Pokémon had started making attempts to grab Dawn's attention, first by chirping and then by tugging on her coat. Both attempts were ultimately in vain, and it seemed as though the creature was content to stop there. That was until it began to sing. To say it "sang," though, was quite generous. The creature's tone seemed innocent enough, but it was clearly straining its infantile vocal cords far beyond their limits, producing a scratchy, grainy sound. It was impossible for Dawn to ignore, though not from lack of trying. Her solution, therefore, was to bring it to a pool in the center where all of the Day Care residents liked to bathe. The Pachirisu from before was present, wallowing along the shore alongside three others of its kind. Dawn placed the balloon Pokémon onto the ground and shoved it towards the Pachirisu group.
"Here you go, you little prick, you're both small and fluffy. You should get along well."
The little prick wouldn't go down so easily, however. It stared at the rodents for less than a second before turning around and wrapping its nubby arms around Dawn's ankle. Dawn tried shoving it away a few more times, but all attempts met the same result.
"Oh no, this isn't that imprinting shit, is it? I am probably the first thing this little prick was able to see after being born."
As she stumbled around the pool trying to free herself from Lil Prick's grasp, Dawn bumped into Mrs. Shelby, who was currently occupying herself by watering the waterhole. The old woman was unphased, simply readjusting her footing and returning to her work.
"Mrs. Shelby," Dawn asked, "this thing clinging to my leg is making it very difficult to work, and it's also been a hectic day. Can I head home?"
Mrs. Shelby gave no response.
"Right. I'm gonna go ask Mr. Shelby. Have a good-"
"Sure, in a moment. I want to speak to you first.."
Dawn was at a loss for words. She rubbed her eyes, almost as if to make sure she was looking at the real Mrs. Shelby. Who knows how long it had been since the last time Dawn had seen her speak.
"Sorry for taking so long," Mrs. Shelby explained as she put down her watering can, "I was simply trying to find the words. I have to ask you something, actually. First, can I see that Pokémon right there?"
Dawn, enraptured with bewilderment, said nothing as she scooped up Lil Prick and handed it off to the old woman. Mrs. Shelby quietly analyzed the Pokémon for a few moments before declaring one name.
"Happiny."
"Is that what it's called?" Dawn asked.
"No. I've never seen this one before. But it reminds me of a Happiny. Both pink. Both small. Both round."
Lil Prick giggled as Mrs. Shelby ran her thumbs across its elastic skin. Eventually, Mrs. Shelby placed Lil Prick back on the ground, at which point the Pokémon ran immediately back to Dawn's feet.
"Can I show you something, Dawn?"
"Uh...sure."
Mrs. Shelby retrieved a polaroid photo from her pocket and showed it to Dawn. Its yellow edges indicated it had seen better days, but even despite the heavy grain that had developed over the photo, Dawn could still make out the visage of Mrs. Shelby - then brimming with youth and vigor - and a young girl. The
"My girl Ariel always loved Pokémon, for as long as I could remember. I bought her that outfit; I regretted doing so for the longest time. She never took the darn thing off. Even when she outgrew it, even when I bought her nicer clothes, she had to be a little Pikachu. I didn't really mind that she kept it, ultimately, because it distracted her from what she really wanted; to be a Pokémon trainer. Distractions can only last so long, though.
"It was the start of Autumn when Ariel came home with her little friend. She told us that she was playing with some kids from school, but she'd actually snuck down to Route 209 - that road just south of here - and found herself a wild Happiny. That tricky little girl. When I look back now and think about her face the day she brought it home, I can see all of the love and affection brimming from her smile. She couldn't bring herself to let the poor thing out of her arms - not that it seemed to mind. The little thing - Twinkle, Ariel had taken to calling it - was already rubbing its head on her chest. It was incredible, really; Ariel hadn't even used one of those confounded Pokéballs and yet the two were so close.
"That bond is all I can think about looking back on it now, but I couldn't see it then. Back then, I was furious. My husband was a little annoyed that Ariel hadn't asked us before bringing a Pokémon home, but I couldn't stand the darned thing. I was never big on Pokémon training. Still, Ariel convinced us to let her keep it in the house, but it did nothing to help me get over the issue. Everything Twinkle did, I had a problem with it. It ran around my feet and made me trip, and I hated it. It made the whiniest noises at night for no good reason, and I hated it. And the stone, oh the stone. Happinies like to carry around a little stone, to pretend they're taking care of an egg. Twinkle trusted Ariel enough to let her play with it. But if Ariel left that rock somewhere in the house and forgot to give it back to Twinkle before going to bed, Twinkle would scream and cry until me or my husband sifted through the house to find its rock and return it. I hated every second it was in our house, and it all boiled over a few weeks later when I blew up on that cursed day.
"Two weeks after Ariel brought Twinkle into our home, she asked us if she could start her own Pokémon journey. It was far from the first time she'd brought it up; ever since she turned 10, it was a monthly discussion we heard. Normally, my husband and I would just deflect the conversation, but on that day, I snapped. I told her no, I told her never, not as long as she lived under our roof. I even told her I wanted her to get rid of Twinkle. I don't remember how we got to talking about Twinkle, or how the argument ended, it hurts too much to think about that day. All I remember is the last look she gave me before heading off to bed. There was so much hate in her eyes; she looked like she wanted to kill me. I wanted nothing to do with her attitude, so I had sent her to bed at that point. If only I'd known...it was the last time I would see her."
Mrs. Shelby had begun to curl in on herself at this point, with tears developing in her eyes. It was clear that she was now forcing the words past her lips. Dawn, unsure of how to react, hovered a hand over Mrs. Shelby's shoulder for a second or two and kept her mouth sealed. Mrs. Shelby took a deep breath and continued her story.
"Ariel and Twinkle were gone the next morning. Her room was a mess, and her window was thrown open. We asked everyone in town if they'd seen her sneak out or if they saw anyone take her, but we only got one lead; a young Pokémon trainer passing through town said he'd seen Ariel and Twinkle standing by the edge of a stream down on Route 209, next to a crumbling tower. My husband and I searched that route for weeks. We only stopped after my husband fell down a hill and broke his leg. He had to stay in the hospital for a while, and I couldn't bear to step down that road on my own. To this day, when I look into the leaves swaying overhead, all I can see is Ariel's face. And even after all of these years, she still stares at me with all of the hate I saw all those years ago.
"That wasn't even the end of it. It was the worst of it, but not the end of it. You see, because of his broken leg, my husband had to spend a week and a half at the hospital. I spent that time alone, sleeping during the day and crying during the night. But one of those nights, I heard this whining sound at the front door. I knew before I'd even ran to the door that it was Twinkle, its screaming was already ingrained into my mind. I was already crying tears of joy when I threw open the door, thinking my precious girl had finally come home. That's all I'd wanted. I didn't care if Twinkle was with her. I wouldn't have cared if she'd brought home 30 Pokémon. I would've let her keep them all, just to see her again. But no, when I opened the door, Twinkle was standing on my porch all alone. I looked down at the pudgy little thing, watching it look into my eyes and cry, and in that moment, I was the one filled with hatred. I hated Twinkle for starting the whole debacle. I hated whoever or whatever was had taken Ariel from me. But most of all - more than anyone - I hated myself for pushing Ariel away in the first place. If even one time I'd tried to meet her halfway and helped her see more of the world in a way we were both comfortable with, maybe she wouldn't have ran off on her own. Everything I could've done, I saw it all when I looked down at Twinkle, and my heart couldn't take it. Not then. So, I slammed the door shut and ran back upstairs, forcing myself to sleep through Twinkle's cries.
"I woke up the next morning and checked the front door. Twinkle was gone, without a trace left behind. I should've been relieved, but I knew deep down that something was wrong. Twinkle had to have been the last thing that ever saw Ariel; crazy as it sounds, if anyone knew where Ariel was, it would've been Twinkle. So why did it come back here, where Ariel was nowhere to be found? So I did a little digging around the house, and that's when I found it; the reason Twinkle came back."
Mrs. Shelby reached into her pocket and took out a white ovoid stone, about the size of your average light bulb. It was smooth, almost unnaturally so, and oddly warm to the touch.
"This is the stone that Twinkle liked to carry around. I'd found it in a drawer in the kitchen; I figure now that Ariel left it there before she ran away. That had to have been why Twinkle was crying at my door - It was the only reason Twinkle ever cried, at least as far as I remember - and once I figured that out, something clicked in me and I realized what I'd done the night before. To think I'd left that poor thing - the last piece of my Ariel I had left - outside all night, crying its lungs out. I spent the rest of that day waiting outside on my porch. I hoped that if I waited long enough, Twinkle would come back and I could give its stone back, and then I could at least fix one mistake I'd made. But just like Ariel, it never came back.
"About a month after my husband returned home from the hospital, I had the idea to open the Day Care. When my husband asked why I wanted to, I just told him I wanted to spend the rest of my life doing good for others. He agreed, as you can see. But the reality was I wanted to open this Day Care because I thought that if I could take in a thousand little critters and provide them all a home, maybe, just maybe I could make up for the one I had abandoned.
"I can't say I've 'moved on' from the matter, and I doubt I ever will, but I think I've accepted most of what happened. There is one thing that still lingers on the back of my mind, though. I once flipped through this book Ariel always used to read. It said that apparently, Happinies give these little rocks to people they consider their friends. Maybe this is just me going off my rocker as usual, but I can't help believing that Twinkle wanted this stone back so that she could give it to Ariel. I can't really explain why, but I feel it deep down in my heart that I'm right. Because of that, I've always wanted to go to that tower where Ariel was last seen and leave the stone there, but the path to it is covered in bumps and slopes. If I were to take a fall now the way my husband did all those years back, I don't think I'd get back up. So the stone just stays here with me."
Mrs. Shelby suddenly straightened her posture and turned to face Dawn directly.
"Has my husband told you about the buyout?"
"The buyout?"
"So no. I figured not. Even with your help, running the Day Care is beginning to wear on us. So, we sold the Day Care to the Indigo Day Care Association, the ones that run the biggest Day Cares in Kanto and Johto. If you bring this stone to the tower where Ariel was last seen, I'll have the Association take that Pokémon off of your hands. I'll ask the Association to transfer it to one of their Day Cares in Johto. They do that sort of thing all the time. They should be able to get it done within the week."
Dawn knew Mrs. Shelby was using Lil Prick as a bargaining chip in her offer, but at that moment, she was hardly even thinking about the balloon Pokémon. All she could think about was the woeful old woman before her. With a sinking feeling in her gut, Dawn knew there was only answer she could give her.
"Sure, Mrs. Shelby. I can do that."
Mrs. Shelby smiled, the tears in her eyes glinting so powerfully, you'd think the sun was out. She held out the oval stone, and Dawn took it from her hands.
"If you plan on doing it soon," Mrs. Shelby added, "wait until tomorrow at least. It'll be dark soon, and that road's not safe."
"Alright. I'll go tomorrow."
Mrs. Shelby nodded.
"Thank you, Dawn."
On that note, Mrs. Shelby returned to watering the water, while Dawn headed home with Lil Prick in pursuit. The little creature started its "singing" once again, much to Dawn's chagrin.
Just for a week, Dawn thought to herself as she ground her teeth in frustration, I just have to put up with this for a week. I can do this.
Dawn lasted approximately 47 minutes with Lil Prick in her company before she said fuck it and travelled down Route 209. Her hope was that, as Lil Prick would inevitably follow her, the obnoxious little prick might just wander off and forget to come back to her. Besides, it'd be nice to drop the stone off sooner rather than later, and it had only just gotten dark. What could go wrong?
Just as Mrs. Shelby had described, Route 209 was about as straight as your average Catholic school student. A steep depression lied in the road just after the road's entrance, followed by a cascade of miniature hills and valleys. It took a bit of elbow grease to traverse the route, but she and Lil Prick didn't have long to travel; the route took a hard right just a dozen or so meters ahead, and on that corner rested a crumbling mound of stones, arranged just orderly enough to be considered a tower. With a kick in her step, Dawn hurried down to the tower and dropped the stone off at its base.
As she stood up off the ground, however, she noticed that the tower had begun to rumble, its stones shaking like eggs ready to hatch.
"Nope. Nuh uh. No way. I am not getting my soul dragged down to the shadow realm tonight."
Dawn swiveled around and prepared to bolt it back to town, but just before she made a run for it, she noticed the absence of a certain little prick at her feet. Looking behind her, she saw Lil Prick, hopping gleefully along away from her presence.
"Finally, there you go. See ya later, Prick."
And that could've been the last time Dawn ever had to see the Pokémon had she found it in herself to resist looking back at Lil Prick one last time. Unfortunately, curiosity claimed her vision for a split second; it was long enough for her to see Lil Prick running to its doom, towards the stream just behind the rumbling tower.
"Oh no, universe! I see what you're doing, trying to lure me over there! I don't care if it's plot relevant, you are not gonna get me to fall for this one!"
Try me.
Lil Prick hopped past the tower. As it lowered its head to drink from the stream, an odd, misshapen keystone began to slide itself out of its place in the tower.
"Hey, you little prick!" Dawn exclaimed with her hands cupped to her mouth, "Don't you see all the spooky shit happening literally right next to you! Move! Fucking move!"
Dawn's cries fell upon deaf ears. Lil Prick continued to sip from the stream, completely oblivious to the purple aura enveloping the tower.
"Fine! Don't move! See if I care. You think I care? Haven't even known you half a day yet. There's been no character development. Fuck off. Die."
The darkness draped across the route began to congregate around Lil Prick, seemingly spotlighting it as the creatures of the night prepared to witness tragedy unfold. Dawn, on the other hand, dropped her arms to her sides and turned her back on the baby Pokémon.
"This is it, asshole! I'm leaving! I'm leaving because in the unlikely - incredibly unlikely, mind you - scenario where you don't get mauled to death by a poltergeist, I would like the opportunity to just assume that you did. That's how unmotivated I am to come rescue you! I am literally anti-motivated to do so!"
The more she spoke, the heavier her feet felt as she tried to walk away. Too much was coursing through her mind for her to focus on not caring. Just a few hours ago, she anguished over being stuck in these woods, left to her own devices with no hope for happiness. Could she really damn a mere infant to such a similar fate? Seriously, could she? If she could, she'd be more than happy to do so.
"Fuck fuck fuck fucking fucker fucking motherfuck motherfucker goddamnit fuck!"
After grumbling about her situation, Dawn finally turned around and sprinted for Lil Prick. Scooping up the little creature was easy, but it left Dawn right next to the haunted tower, which was beginning to howl with ethereal fury. Suddenly, the keystone popped out. It crashed onto the ground, and a gust of wind tore out from the tower's hollow center. Dawn dropped to her knees, brushing her hands across the dirt in search for the keystone, but it was far too dark to see it properly. When did it get this dark anyway? Hadn't the sun just set? At this point, Dawn was tempted to plunge her head into the stream and get this over with already. Before she could do such, though, a red light began to radiate down on her, revealing the location of the keystone. Dawn grabbed the keystone and crammed it back into place. The rumbling ceased instantly, as did the wind. Dawn let out a sigh of relief, clutching her stomach to keep it from unraveling. She hadn't realized how deeply the experience was affecting her; under the red light, she could see that her hands were shaking just as vigorously as the tower was.
All things considered, though, where exactly did that red light come from?
Dawn turned around and, regrettably, found the source of that light. A smoky spirit hung in the air behind her. A skull was embedded in its misty body, and from behind its empty sockets, a red orb rolled back and forth, blaring out light like a siren. Dawn jumped back so hard, she nearly astral projected. The ghost Pokémon had her backed up into the corner of Route 209. Effectively, her only option for retreat was to hop into the stream and hope she remembered how to swim. She was considering it, too, when she remembered that she'd recently acquired a Pokémon companion of her own. As much as she hated the thought of reducing herself to the likes of a Pokémon trainer, all things considered, it seemed like her best option for survival. Besides, if she was gonna go down today, it'd be cool to go down fighting. Her choice made, Dawn took Lil Prick - still smiling and chirping, oblivious to the abounding danger - placed it on the ground opposite the ghost, and braced herself for her first ever Pokémon battle!
"Go time, prick! Pokémon are supposed to use moves, right? Use...uh...use bite! Bite that bitch!"
Lil Prick turned around and stared vacantly at Dawn, tilting its head in confusion. The ghost, meanwhile, shot out a bluish-white wisp at Dawn. Her skin combusted on contact. Before she could even feel the pain shooting up her arms or smell her skin bubbling off of her flesh, she started running for the stream behind her. However, the ghost's eye flared intensely, and suddenly, Dawn's body went numb from the hips down. With her legs disabled, Dawn tumbled into the stream face first. With only her arms to try and keep her afloat, Dawn sank like a rock, choking on water as her life approached an abrupt conclusion.
That conclusion was temporarily delayed, however, as Dawn was dragged back above water. After emptying her lungs - and her stomach to a degree - she looked down to meet eyes with her savior, only to find a massive serpentine Pokémon wrapped around her abdomen. Its slick body, cream in color, ungellated against the rippling water in a manner that was almost hypnotic. Who knows how long Dawn would've stared, had the red light reflecting off of the serpent's skin not reminded her that a ghost had just attempted to take her life. Sure enough, when Dawn looked back at the shore, the ghost was staring right back at her, its eye glowing in preparation for an attack. Just before it could make a move, though, the ghost zipped to the side and focused its attention behind it. After the specter moved, Dawn could make out the silhouette of whomever the ghost was observing. The stranger's figure seemed to be obscured by a coat made with some thick material, but at the very least, Dawn could tell they were tall. Nearly inhumanly so.
"Lucario," the stranger said while pulling out a Pokéball, "let's go."
A canid Pokémon appeared from the Pokéball. Its features were also veiled by darkness, but a blue aura could be seen faintly manifesting around its body. As Lucario and the ghost stared each other down, Dawn's piscine savior gently placed her on the edge of the stream before uncoiling itself. The ghost's eye glowed again, and branches from nearby trees began to warp, encaging all of them.
"Mean Look, huh," the trainer said, "Trying to put some pressure on us? Don't bother; we have no intention of leaving. Lucario, Dark Pulse!"
Lucario dashed into the phantom's personal space in the blink of an eye and placed its palm on its bony forehead. A dark mist circled down Lucario's arm, and the ghost let out a pained scream. The entire route was illuminated a deep shade of red as the ghost evaporated into nothingness. Once it was gone completely, darkness set in on the route once again. The mysterious trainer gave Lucario a pat on the head and grabbed the keystone off of the ground. Dawn propped herself up - her arms stung from the burns, but not enough to keep her from moving.
"Hey, uh...thanks for saving my ass just now," Dawn said before coughing up some water, "Assuming this giant fish thing belongs to you."
"She's a Milotic, and don't worry about it." The trainer returned Lucario and Milotic to their Pokéballs and dusted off their coat. "Maybe you should head over to Solaceon Town and wait until sunrise before coming back."
"Oh trust me, I won't be coming back."
Dawn picked up her duffle and started heading back towards Solaceon Town, with Lil Prick hopping along after her. The trainer, however, followed along beside her, eyeing the balloon Pokémon at her feet.
"Are you sure?" the trainer asked, "The only other route connected to Solaceon Town is 210, and its filled with thick grass. It'd be safer for you to train your Igglybuff here."
"Is that what this thing's called? It's not mine. I'm not even a trainer."
"Oh really? Would it be alright if I walked you back to town, then, in case another Pokémon attacks you?"
"Sure, dude, whatever."
So the trainer strolled by Dawn's side. Her new acquaintance moved with all of the grace of a water strider, gliding over every cavity in the road as if they didn't even exist. Dawn, meanwhile - between her singed arms and her still numb legs - moved with all of the grace of a newborn foal that had just had its knees kicked in. The slopes were now a greater threat to her life than any specter lurking in the trees. Thankfully, there was only one incline left to ascend before they were back in town.
"You say you're not a trainer," the stranger asked, "but have you ever considered it? When I was running up to you, I saw the way you sprang into action, trying to give your partner instructions. I saw this fire spark inside you. It looked to me like training comes naturally to you."
"You clearly didn't catch the part where the little prick completely ignored me and my arms caught on fire."
Dawn held up her arms, now covered in blisters and cracks.
"Even naturals need experience. Go fight some battles with your Pokémon, build up a team, develop your strategy."
"That all seems like a waste of time to me. What do I get out of it other than half a dozen mouths to feed and the trauma of watching small animals beat each other to death?"
"Well, you might get to fight me one day. I'd love to test your mettle if I ever got the chance."
"Oh, I take it you're in the League. There's a Pokémon Gym over in Hearthome, are you the Leader?"
"No, you're thinking of Fantina. She is a friend of mine, though. I'm actually the Champion."
"Haha, sure, okay. And I'm part of the Elite Four."
The "stranger" made it up the incline well before Dawn. Once they were able to get a clear look at the town ahead, they sighed at what they'd seen.
"Looks like the Champion and her Elite are about to get their pictures taken. How did they know I was coming down this way?"
"Huh-?"
Just as Dawn made it up the incline herself, she was hit by a surge of light. The visual impact nearly sent her falling back down the slope.
"What the hell!?"
Once Dawn was able to open her eyes again, she saw that Solaceon Town's main road had become congested with young reporters. Over twenty stood directly in their path, and at least ten were poking out from inside bushes and behind houses. They all fervently worked their cameras, sweating so hard that the town's humidity began to slowly increase. It was only then, against the flash of the paparazzi's cameras, could Dawn recognize her new acquaintance. How could she not? That look was iconic, legendary even. Blonde hair trailed down the trainer's spine, reaching as far as the back of her knees. Even in the absence of any wind, her hair seemed to billow around her figure; her own presence manifesting as a miniature tempest. Perhaps her face was the clearest giveaway; while she was clearly agitated by the sudden spotlight, her expression remained calm and controlled. Such a professional demeanor was perfectly suited for Cynthia, the Champion of the Sinnoh Pokémon League.