Chapter Four: Leaving on a Grand Adventure

Her walk home was, for once, full of glee. Alaska couldn't help but skip down the road, the rush of her first win coursing through her body. The thud of Bulbasaur hitting the wall, the look on Chloe's face, the fact Paige had pulled that off so soon... it was too much to take in, but it only made Alaska hungry for more.

"Didn't that make you feel aliiiive Paige?" She yelled, spinning on the spot and resisting the urge to scream.

"Pidge Geeeeeee!" Paige replied as she soared up into the air and dived back down gracefully, managing to land perfectly on Alaska's shoulder. Alaska just laughed and began wandering through Viridian City in peace. Now that she had completed this battle, there was only one thing left to do: begin her journey.

It was only over the last few days that Alaska had realised how much she had wanted this. Her life and dreams had been on hold for five years now. With her father unemployed, her brother and sister taking off to the Arcethian Academy, Alaska had been forced to step up. She had fantasized about leaving, but it had never seemed likely.

As she headed back towards her house, Alaska suddenly felt very small. This would be the last time she would enter her house for weeks, months, possibly years. The last time she would be in her room, see her family, watch her shows, eat her mum's food… Alaska would have to fend for herself now, and she hoped she would be able to handle it.

As long as I have my Pokémon, I'll be fine. Alaska thought. Paige had been her oldest and only friend for many years, and she pulled out the PokeBall that now contained Darwin. If I keep these two with me, and whatever other Pokémon I catch, I will be fine.

Out of nowhere, a crooked white gate appeared before her. Alaska paused and stared into her backyard, taking the sunset-lit view in for the last time. She could remember all the colours of their old garden; the rich green grass, a rainbow of flowers everywhere you looked. Alaska couldn't remember the ground being flat though. It was always cracked and uneven in her mind now. Her mum had tried to keep the pot plants going, but eventually they had been left to shrivel and die. Alaska could see the grass was beginning to yellow in the summer heat.

Still, it looked better than the outside of the house. It was still upright, that was the one thing Alaska never took for granted – they may not qualify for funding, but they've always had a roof over their heads. Unfortunately, theirs leaked, the cracked tiles and twisted frames making a bad combination. Alaska's eyes gazed over the cracked windows, the peeling paint, the rotten weatherboards. The thing that hurt much about this view was how much it affected her parents. They had been so proud, she remembered that at least. How she wished they would be again some day…

"Come on then Paige," Alaska said quietly. "It's time to say our goodbyes."

"Pidgey Pidge." With her wing, Paige patted Alaska on the back. Alaska smiled, and she walked slowly into her house for the last time. It was dark inside, and Alaska paused beside an old family portrait, stepping cautiously on the creaking floorboards. Had the power been cut again, or had they just not bothered to open the curtains?

"Hello….?" No response. Clutching Darwin's PokeBall, Alaska crept further into the house, the only light coming from her father's television in the distance.

"SURPRISE!" The curtains were flung open, and Alaska was nearly blinded by the low sun. Two figures leapt out from behind the couch, clapping at her shock.

"Told you we'd get her!" A woman who looked identical to Alaska, with greyer hair and a wrinkled face, stepped forwards with her arms extended. "Come here, love."

"Should have known you'd do something like this," Alaska groaned, but accepted the hug from her mother Robin all the same. The stress of the two jobs, financial problems and having a house that was falling down had taken a toll on her once great beauty, but Robin always had a smile and refused to let anything get her down.

"I want a hug, I want a hug!" Freddie came running up to them and colliding with their hips, making both woman groan. Only nine, Alaska still felt like was too short, his head barely reaching over her hips. He had wild black hair, a cute little face with big blue eyes and wore the sort of mismatched clothing typical of all small children. Alaska had spent years caring for him, and as he was oblivious to the issues of the family, his clueless optimism always managed to cheer her up.

"I hope you haven't planned anything else," Alaska said after hugging her younger brother, looking at her mother with a serious gaze.

"Nothing big," Robin replied defensively, shrugging. "Don't look at me like that – we might not see you for months, we have to do something!" There was no messing with her when she wanted her way, and Alaska sighed and prepared for extravagancies.

"We made you brownies!" Freddie grabbed Alaska's hand and led her to the kitchen. The two had whiled away plenty of weekends baking together while Emily and Edward trained without them. Freddie had a habit of misreading recipes though when left to his own devices, and Alaska and Robin exchanged looks as the younger boy threw a tray onto the bench, the "brownies" inside. It looked as though Freddie had sprinkled ash over bricks, as the kitchen knife Robin tried to put through nearly snapped in half.

"It looks delicious!" Alaska began, putting on her fakest of smiles. "I wish I could have some now, but I'm really in a bit of a rush to get going." While Alaska had all the time in the world, she didn't know what else to stay to get out of eating the teeth-destroying brownies.

"Oh, ok." Freddie looked sadly down at his impossibly hard brownies. But then his face lit up and he grabbed a plastic bag from a cupboard. "You can just take the brownies with you!" Alaska's heart sank, and Paige had to land in order to laugh into her wings.

"Great idea Freddie, I can't wait to try them!" Alaska threw the bag with the brownies and a knife towards her backpack, nearly taking a huge chunk of her wall out.

"Must you go now? I was going to make you dinner – roast potatoes and deep fried karp, your favourite!" Alaska's stomach rumbled at the thought, her mouth salivating slightly.

"I'd love to, but I really want to get going. I have to start at some point." Freddie let out a loud sob, and Alaska quickly pulled him into a hug. "Don't worry, I'll be back eventually – I have to come home to fight Leaf, remember?" She explained, though the words filled her with disgust. Freddie nodded, but then let out a wail and ran off towards his room.

"I feel so guilty," Alaska moaned. Robin sighed and gave her daughter a tight hug.

"Don't be, it'll just hold you back," she whispered. "You deserve to go on a journey. You've been a great daughter these past few years, it's about time you got to be a teenager." She paused, and both women glanced at the cracked walls around them. Alaska could see her mother was on the verge of tears, but Robin caught her staring and wiped them away. "Don't you worry about us, we'll be fine!"

"If anything goes wrong, you have to –" but Robin cut her off, pointing firmly at the door. Alaska sighed and smiled, accepting the order. "See you later dad!" There was no response from William Acevedo, which probably meant he was asleep. Alaska was tempted to go and wake him, but what would she say to a man who never spoke, the father she barely knew anymore?

"Let me know if he gets any better, okay?" Robin nodded at this, her eyes welling up again. Alaska shoved the brownies into her bag and checked she had everything, doing it all in silence. They had said all they possibly could say now: if she hung around any longer, the tears would flow and never stop, and Alaska doubted she would find the strength to leave.

Paige was twittering madly on her shoulder, the sentimentality meaning nothing to her. Wanting to laugh, Alaska stood up and headed for the door. She caught Freddie peering out of his room and she waved vigorously before stepping out the front door.

"One last thing." Alaska paused and turned; her mother was standing in the doorway, her face suddenly serious. "Just… just be careful." Robin spoke to her daughter, but her eyes looked towards the town. Alaska knew what she was staring at: even from here, their bronzed heads were visible, particularly at dusk when the sunset hit their faces just right.

"Our journeys are going to be completely different mum. There haven't been any serious threats since Galactic."

"I know, I know, but still… it's a whole new world, isn't it?" Robin said, laughing slightly in her nerves. "I thought the War had been bad enough, but all that…"

"I'll be fine, please don't worry." Alaska threw her arms around her mother again just to silence her, but it felt nice to touch her again, one last moment of contact. Silently they broke apart, and both just smiled at the other. Alaska was the one to turn away first, and as she headed for the gate she had to block out the sound of sob, escaping a second before Robin closed the front door. It was painful to hear, but Alaska pushed the thought aside and looked to her left: Route 2 lay in the distance, a few minutes' walk away before she hit the town borders. Alaska was tempted to run head first towards the long grass and endless fields, but instead she turned right, walking solidly back to the town centre.

There was one last thing she had to do.


The idea for a statue had been borne out of the idea the town needed a symbol, something to rally around as inspiration as they found their identity once more. The natural place for it had been outside the gym: it was a sign they were reclaiming this facility, taking it back from the monster who had used their town as a shield for his own nefarious plans. It had been commissioned quickly, and its unveiling had signalled the start of construction.

A plaza had been built around it, with cafes, a small museum and plenty of lovely gardens to disguise the horrors that had transpired there. The gym had been rebuilt, a sleek black box with strips of neon lights all around the edges. Normally the area was crowded with tourists and trainers, but Alaska was pleased to find it was empty. She could do what she needed to do in peace.

Stepping up so she was less than a metre away, Alaska stared into the faces of the saviours. Edward Lowe, Leaf Oak, Blue Oak; their faces immortalised in their prime, steely eyes gazing down at the city they had saved. Their starter Pokémon loomed mighty as well: Venusaur low beside Blue, Blastoise crouching next to Leaf, while the almighty Charizard towered behind the already giant Red.

The statue was meant to be confined to the plaza, but it dominated the city, a bronze beast that looked down at them, a reminder that refused to go away.

A strong taste had risen up her throat. Fists clenched, Alaska looked down at the shining plaque directly at her eye level.

WARRIORS

"The monsters have only truly won
when we no longer believe
that we can defeat them"
- Edward 'Red' Lowe: Kanto Champion

This statue was paid for in part by the Indigo League
with donations from the Carmichael family, the …

Alaska stopped reading there. She felt sick to her stomach every time she saw this, this hideous, gloating hunk of metal. To this day, she still could not fathom that this was what Viridian had chosen as a memorial: not the people that had died, not the lives that had been destroyed, just three people who had brought this hell upon them in the first place.

You didn't save us. You're no heroes. Fists clenched, Alaska looked up at Red's bronze face. Her eyes flickered around, making sure no one was around, and when she knew she was alone, she spat. White saliva hit the plaque with a satisfying splash. Alaska watched it dribble down the metal, smiling.

Everyone wants to be like you, but your nothing but a fraud. One day, I will prove that to you in battle.

"Come on Paige, let's go change the world." The Pidgey chirped in agreement and took off, leading the way towards the boundary lines. With one last look of content, Alaska turned and walked through Viridian City one last time, ready to begin her journey.