Ten Years Old
In the Pokemon world, a kid's tenth birthday is the most exciting thing ever. It's the age where they break free of parental shackles and the whole world finally opens up to them. Finally, after ten years of admiring Pokemon and their Trainers, they get a Pokemon partner of their own.
It is not, normally, the age when they stand in front of their bathroom mirror, putting on peach-colored makeup, blue contacts, and prosthetic feet.
Toma adjusts her beanie in the reflection—making sure it's covering up the pairs of fluffy, pointy tufts on the sides of her head—a shaky-yet-confident smile spreading across her face. Right now, it's HER time to shine.
She has been cooped up in this stupid tiny house in this stupid tiny town for ten years. Littleroot isn't the worst place to grow up, but it's also kinda…boring? It contains such dazzling sights as trees, trees, and—oh! She almost forgot about the trees. It's no wonder a hundred people live here, tops.
The young girl blows a tuft of her fluffy green hair out of her face before gently placing the blue contact lens over her deep red eyes. She's done this a few times, but it always grosses her out. Dad's definitely not letting her go out without them, though, so it's a must.
As she puts the second contact in, she hears someone clear their throat at the doorway.
"Hm Hmm~ You sure you're ready to go out on your own, Toma? It feels like yesterday you were still as tall as me!"
There's a soft giggle accompanying the shrill voice, to which Toma just responds with a sigh and a clap of her hands.
"Stop with the teasing already, Yuki. I've got this."
She turns her head to glance down at the small pink canine sitting on the other side of the door. Her father's pokemon, a Sylveon, covers her mouth with a ribbon as she giggles again.
Toma pouts and bends down, scooping her up before the Pokemon can react. Yuki starts to let out a shrill cry of protest, but Toma just scratches under her chin to shut her up, grinning as she carries the tiny Pokemon out of the tiny bathroom.
"You act all bossy all the time, but this is all it takes to knock ya down a peg, huh? Where's dad's ace fighter and her legendary resolve now?"
Toma pulls her hand away, but this is a classic Pokemon battle mistake.
WHAP.
Yuki's ribbon smacks Toma right in the nose. Her grip loosens as she squeaks in surprise, and the pink Pokemon hops out of her arms and onto the floor.
"Dear, I could pound you into the ground if I so wished. But I won't, because I love you soooo much."
Yuki gently puts her on the leg with her paw, looking far too smug. Toma rolls her eyes in response.
"That kind of battling ain't my style, you know that."
The young girl forces a grin as she walks past Yuki and down the hallway outside her room. Yuki strolls behind and follows Toma to the front door.
"And if things go the way I want, it never will be."
Breakfast and prep is already done. All that's left is to kiss this comfy little house goodbye. It's not much, but neither her nor her dad actually spend that much time here. Toma's usually at school, and he's at work.
Yuki frowns as Toma puts her hand on the knob, her tone finally turning serious.
"...Toma, be careful out there. Please. With the disappearances lately, it seems even human children aren't safe out there."
Toma's grip tightens on the doorknob, and her grin hardens into a slight grimace.
Human children, huh?
"...I'll be fine, Yuki. Don't need to aim for the heart like that, you know."
After a moment of awkward silence between the two of them, Toma pulls the door open and walks out into the bright morning sun.
Fresh air. The wind blows Toma's hair aside, messing it up a bit more than it already was. She takes a deep breath before hopping down the porch steps to get on her way.
The town is pretty quiet in the morning. Well, Littleroot is quiet all the time, but it's especially quiet while most of the younger kids are in school. Anyone in the older class has bolted out of this tiny town by now, and Toma has watched them go, one by one. She watched them enviously.
That all ends today.
The green-haired girl shoves her hands into her baggy sweatshirt pockets as she walks down the dirt roads, taking in the greenery and tiny houses.
Hoenn doesn't have any roads, since everything is either walkable or flyable—so all that connects the various homes and shops are stepping stone paths and foot-worn tracks. It's charming, if a bit rustic. For all her bitterness about being trapped here, it's not like she's not going to miss it.
…Okay, maybe she won't. Not for a while, anyway. She certainly won't miss the stares.
It's not a surprise how many she's getting today. She can see their eyes curiously drifting toward her as they water their gardens or pass her by. Sure, the townsfolk immediately look away the second they notice that she has noticed, but it's still just another sigh she has to painfully swallow and add to the infinite pile.
She can't really blame them; with how much prep she's done this morning, Toma basically looks like a different person. That's the idea, anyway.
Maybe she should have tried to make more friends while she was living here? The only people Toma has really spoken with in years are her classmates, and she has a rocky relationship with most of them. Close enough to chat at school, but never to be invited to do anything, or to invite any of them over.
Is it her fault? Or is it just because of…
…
A bitter look spreads across her face as she ponders and passes by the school. At least It's not like she has an outright bad relationship with her classmates or any of the adults who've settled down here. Well, except for—
"Well, well… Look who it is!"
—her.
Toma clenches her jaw, debating heavily on whether to turn to look in the direction of the voice. She can distinctly feel where her fingernails would be digging into her palms (if she had fingernails). It's a few silently tense moments before she huffs out a response.
"Arie."
She glances to the side, finally making eye contact with the cat-faced, blue-eyed brat standing there with her hands folded behind her back. It's like she was waiting here, knowing that Toma would pass by on the way to the lab. She probably was.
Arie bounces on her tippy toes, closing her eyes as her pink, jacket-covered sundress sways from side to side. It's trainer gear, or wannabe trainer gear at least… but just barely. She could just as easily be heading out for a day at the beach.
"Toma~"
All the blonde-haired girl does is utter Toma's name, but she somehow still does it in the most infuriating way possible. She covers her mouth and giggles in a way she probably—and falsely—believes is cute. Stupid popular rich prissy little—
"On your way to get your Pokemon, hmm? My, what a coincidence! So am I~!"
Shut up, shut up, shut up—
"Though it's weird, isn't it?" Unfortunately for Toma, Arie is not a mind reader, so she just keeps going. She grins, walking up to Toma and poking her right on the tip of her nose, just hard enough to shock her a bit. "Why does someone like you need one anyway~? Seems kind of silly, doesn't it?"
Toma grimaces and forcefully pushes Arie's finger away, but the other girl continues talking in that singsong tone anyways. Arie hasn't stopped smiling once.
"After all… well. Ehe~" Arie's smile grows a bit more as she closes her eyes.
And that's where Toma draws the line. She pokes Arie back, though at her chest instead of her face. Arie barely reacts, just letting out that sickly sweet giggle again.
"Who asked you, huh?" Toma huffs. "I don't remember inquiring." She pulls her hand away, shoving it back into her pocket. "Not looking to get beat up by wild Pokemon after I head off, thank you very much."
Toma watches Arie tap at her chin, her smile finally disappearing in favor of a more thoughtful expression. After a moment, she shakes her head and closes her eyes.
"Ohhh, you'd be fine. I'm sure the wimpy Pokemon around here aren't a match for someone like you, isn't that right?"
It'd sound like a compliment to anyone who doesn't know better, but it still manages to rub Toma exactly the wrong way. 'Someone like you'.
That's the worst part—it's not like she can really just get angry at the other girl without looking ungrateful for Arie's 'kindness' and sweet demeanor. But it's all fake—or at least, that's how it feels. She just can't figure it out for sure, because either the other girl is being perfectly sincere, or she's just that good!
Toma sighs. Then again, it's not like she has much room to talk about appearance management. Arie's effort draws some level of begrudging respect. And all that aside, she's one of the only people who actually talks to Toma on a regular basis. She has never been sure why, and with the way the blonde-haired girl acts, Toma is pretty sure she never will.
While Toma grumbles internally, Arie just smiles slightly, folding her hands behind her back.
"Well… I know what Pokemon I want, anyway." Arie pats Toma on the shoulder as she breaks the silence, which Toma raises an eyebrow at. Truthfully, she's just happy to get away from the other subject.
"Oh? That so?"
Arie hums in affirmation, sounding pleased with herself. "You'll see! You wanna head to the lab with meeee~?"
…this seems suspicious. Everything Arie says feels like it has some elaborate agenda behind it. At the same time, it's not like anything bad could happen just from walking a block or two down the street with the girl, right?
"...fine." Toma rolls her eyes, before glancing back toward Arie. "Hey, aren't you even gonna ask what Pokemon I want?"
Arie puts her hand over her mouth but Toma sees her grinning behind it.
"Hmm… Well, I'll see soon enough, right?"
Toma squints at Arie's weird response. Whatever. She doesn't get this girl.
Without even answering, Toma shakes her head and starts off down the road. Arie skips along beside her, humming a happy little tune.
The two of them are an odd couple to see going down the road together. Usually, Toma would rather be caught dead than be seen willingly walking around with Arie, but she just can't see the harm. It might even help her reputation, but she just doesn't want to be associated with her. After today, she'd have to be extremely unlucky to run into her again.
…
Arie clears her throat after a minute or two of uneventful walking.
"Soooo… Are you gonna say 'happy birthday'? It is my birthday, after all."
Oh Arceus. Please no. Right, she's a talky type, isn't she? Even if it's not something infuriating or self absorbed coming out of her mouth (which it currently is), Toma just doesn't jibe with the girl. Both of them are way too different. And that's saying something considering how different she already is from the average person.
Toma sighs and closes her eyes, leaning her head back. It's not worth it to argue.
"...Happy birthday, Arie. Good enough?"
Arie claps and smiles.
"Happy birthday to you too, Toma~!" She giggles, twirling one of her long blonde hair strands around her finger. "You wanna hear what presents I got?"
Toma gives Arie a deadpan look, to which she just tilts her head. Arie waits a moment before seemingly taking that as enough of a yes to keep talking.
"Well, I got thiiiis designer bag from my mom—" She pats her shoulder bag, which is really straddling the line between a fancy purse and a trainer bag. "—And it came with a bunch of ribbons! They're really cute!"
Arie pulls out a green strip of fine cloth, proudly showing it off. Toma gives it a momentary glance, before blinking and furrowing her brows.
"Aren't those the ones you get for beating a contest? Like—not the contest ribbons, but the accessories they give with a win."
Arie gives a small wink at that, looking pleased.
"Ehehe… maybeeee~ I'm a special girl, you know? I need the best tools at my disposal for my contests! They came with the box inside!"
Toma lets her shoulders drop a bit, staring flatly at the other girl. She is unbelievable.
"...isn't that just cheating?"
Arie blinks, before looking down at the green fabric in her hands. She stares at it intently for a moment, brows furrowed, before looking up again.
"Hmm. No? But, like… here, do you want one? I have four others, and that way I'm not the only one with them. Fair's fair, right?"
Arie gives Toma a surprisingly sincere looking smile, though it's not like her other ones look particularly insincere.
"Uh…" Toma rubs the back of her head. "I mean, contests aren't exactly my biggest priority, but… sure?"
She holds her hand out. Arie looks at it and quirks her lips before pulling Toma to a stop and reaching up for her head. Toma is so confused by this course of action that Arie gets the ribbon clipped onto her hat before she can react.
"There~" She smiles and steps back as Toma realizes what's just happened. Her cheeks flush.
"HEY! T-Those don't go on PEOPLE!"
She frantically reaches up to her hat and yanks it from the brim. Arie tilts her head, looking slightly crestfallen.
"Aw… I thought it looked cute."
Toma puffs her cheeks out in an embarrassed huff as she shoves the ribbon in her pockets and quickly starts walking. Arie blinks and squeaks.
"H-Hey! Wait up! Tomaaa!"
Arie clumsily shoves her accessory box back in her bag and runs after her to catch up.
"DAAAAAD!" Toma screams out into the building and pushes the lab door open.
"ACK-" There's a loud yell, before a CRASH echoes from within. This just leaves Toma with an amused smile on her face—the first smile she has had since running into Arie.
Arie follows behind her, just barely stopping the door from smacking her in the face. This purposeful ignorance of common etiquette finally elicits a small pout from her as she follows Toma inside.
Rather than acknowledge the commotion, Arie starts complaining about the behavior of her 'friend'.
"You know, you really could learn some manners. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were just like any other girl! I thought your kind was supposed to be 'elegant and graceful'."
Toma completely ignores Arie's petulant whining and instead starts off toward the back-left corner of the lab, heading for the source of the yelling and crashing sounds. While Toma investigates, Arie waits up front in the lobby area, still pouting.
The lab isn't all that big. Sure, it's impressive compared to anything in town, but it's really only a one man operation. Well… two, sometimes. Really, the biggest difference from the rest of the houses in Littleroot is the sterile whites and silvers of the equipment and walls. Everything else around town is very natural-looking.
Toma recognizes about half of the beeping machines lining the walls from her prior experience using them. The others she'd just never bothered to check out. She gets that laser focus from her dad, probably. Her hiking boots clack on the diamond-tiled floor as she reaches the back and peeks around the corner.
Her investigation reveals a man in a white lab coat flat on his butt and slowly coming back to his senses on the floor—papers and pokeballs and pencils surrounding him and lying on his lap. Toma stares down at him, smiling, and the man combs one hand through his spiky dark-green hair before starting to collect his scattered things.
"I've told you again and again not to scream like that when you come into the lab, Toma. You know it's going to startle me if I'm focused on something…!"
He grabs the last Pokeball sitting on the ground beside him before dropping it into his coat pocket.
"Well, this'll be the last time! Today's the big day!"
Toma folds her hands behind her back, looking pleased with herself. The professor gives her a weary smile as he pulls himself up.
"Yes… today is the day, isn't it?" Before Toma can react, he's ruffling her already messy green bangs, distracting her from the worry creeping over his face. Toma yelps a bit and jumps back as he suppresses a nervous laugh. "Happy birthday, Toma."
"C-C'mon, dad. I'm not a little kid anymore. Ten whole years old, y'know? Hands off the hair!"
The now-pouty Toma shoves one of her hands in her pockets and, with the other one, restores her hair back to acceptable levels of messy. The professor smiles and walks past her toward the front of the lab as she finishes up with that.
"I'm sorry, Toma. You know how it is with parents." He gestures for her to follow with a wink and a slight smile. Toma huffs and puffs as she trails beside him. "And come now: you're ten, not even a teenager. You might be grown, but you're still a ways off from adulthood."
Toma wants to argue his points, but their bickering quickly stops before it can really get going as they round the corner and her dad catches sight of her 'friend'. He blinks, and his weary expression grows even wearier.
"Ah- Yes, Miss Everis… You must be here for your starter Pokemon."
Toma watches Arie's expression shift instantaneously from a pout to a bright smile as the conversation shifts. She claps her hands together.
"Oh, yes! Hello Professor Pine! It sure is funny that Toma and I share a birthday, huh? It's almost like fate!"
She is definitely up to something. Toma is sure of it. Just because she doesn't have any proof of this specific instance doesn't mean anything. Arie always gets what she wants, whether it's through gifts, or saccharine sweetness, or just… her family. She hides very very slightly behind her dad as the two of them reapproach the front table.
"Hmph." Toma squints her eyes at Arie and pouts. "Well it sucked for me at school. Everyone always pays attention to you instead of me!" She blushes a bit, looking down. "I-I mean, it's not like I want all the attention, but it was always completely one-sided!"
Her father sets a hand on her shoulder and pats her lightly. He offers her a weak smile.
"Come on, Toma. Be nice. It's a special day for both of you, and I'm sure this could be a good chance to… put differences aside."
Toma stares up at him for a moment, before shoving her other hand away into her pocket and looking down with a frown. Right.
'Put differences aside.' Arie wouldn't be a good enemy to make, and Toma knows that. It's why she's only ever at most passively rude to her. The people of Litteroot are largely accepting or at the worst quietly unhappy about her… delicate situation.
But even the worst people living here know to be respectful of her and her unique problems because of her father. She's Toma Pine after all. The daughter of Hoenn's most prestigious Pokemon Professor, and the previous Champion.
Arie isn't even the worst kind of person out there for how much she gets under Toma's skin. But if she's rubbed the wrong way, no amount of fatherly prestige is going to save her from a social nightmare—or worse. Arie's family holds just as much public respect, if only for how much money they have.
It's definitely where she got those absurdly expensive contest ribbons earlier. It's why everyone at school likes her so much. She's so generous, giving out all sorts of cool toys and trinkets—must be nice to have a bottomless grumpiggy bank. She has even tried to give Toma handouts in the past, and Toma refused them. The ribbon has been the one exception, and she only took it because… it was an unfair advantage. Yeah.
"Mmgh." Toma keeps frowning, but she does glance up a bit in Arie's direction. "...Sorry. I know it's not your fault."
It's borderline painful to admit, but in the end, it really isn't her fault. Not any more than Toma's situation is her own fault. Arie offers a small smile to Toma, happy to see she's trying.
"It's okay. It probably isn't so fun having everyone ignore you on your special day. It's not always great having everyone look at you either, eheh… Sure, it's fun most of the time, but sometimes it's like… there's no escape."
Arie scratches her cheek, looking a bit sheepish for a moment. Toma offers her a slightly surprised look at the moment of actual clear honesty—but Arie quickly moves past it with closed eyes and a shake of her head.
"Anywayyyy… Do I get to pick my Pokemon now, Professor? That's what I'm here for~!"
Toma's dad—smiling slightly at the diplomacy attempt between her and Arie—gives a small nod.
"Ah, of course…" He retrieves three small red-and-white balls from his pockets and places them on the table in front of her. "Here you are. I'm sure you're aware of your selection, but let me go over them anyway—for good measure."
As Toma's dad starts on the explanation she's heard a hundred times before, she completely zones out.. It's not really important to her own journey, anyway. Mudkip, Torchic, Treecko... They're Hoenn's special starter pokemon, all pretty rare to find out in the wild.
But none of them appeal to Toma in the way her very special pick does. She might not have Arie's monetary benefits, but she does have a dad who comes in contact with a lot of really cool Pokemon.
"—Toma."
Toma snaps out of her daze as she hears her name called, by Arie. She glances at her, then her dad. His face is shocked pale, as if he's unsure he heard her right. Toma is getting more confused with the second.
"Huh? What, Arie?" She shoves her hands back into her pockets, and frowns a bit. "Did you pick your Pokemon or whatever?"
Arie closes her eyes and smiles sweetly. Toma gets a sick feeling in her stomach, for some reason.
"Oh, you must have not heard me."
She claps her hands together, and chills run up Toma's spine as she begins to repeat herself.
"I choose you, Toma!"
…oh no.
Hello! Thanks for reading chapter 1!
This is a story I've had in mind for a very, very long time. It's really special to me, and my life is finally in a place where I feel safe to really start working on it in a real capacity. I hope you enjoyed! There will be more to come this year! ;P