"Many decades had passed in the Pokémon world since a young raven-haired boy set out on his journey with his Pikachu. Well-known faces had passed on, but their legacies had not. Not only did they live on through their work, but they also lived on through their descendants. And one of the most special of these kids was a newly minted 10-year-old girl named Danica Hvam. She was many generations removed from the well-known celebrities, but she had a lot more of all of them in her than she realized. But that revelation was coming faster than she knew. It all started when she woke up on her 10th birthday. Danica was asleep in her bedroom as the sun peeked out from the gaps in her curtains. The gentle beams of light hit her face and her eyes began to open. She yawned and sat up in bed, stretching her arms wide when a soft knock came to her door.
"Sweetie?" her mother's voice came through the door. Danica rubbed her eyes as she turned towards the door.
"Come in…" she called, still half asleep. Her mother, Caitlin, opened the door and walked inside, giving her daughter a warm smile.
"Happy birthday honey." She greeted. A smile graced Danica's face as the realization hit her. Today was her tenth birthday. Which means she was going to go out on her very first Pokémon journey. The thought of this had excited her for years, and today was no exception.
"Thanks, Mom!" she replied with excitement.
"Go ahead and get dressed and ready to go and then come on downstairs. There's something your Dad and I need to talk with you about." Caitlin said.
"Okay!" Danica responded as she jumped out of bed and began getting ready in a hurry. Flashing her one last smile, Caitlin closed the door and head back downstairs. Once back downstairs, she finds her husband, Andy, talking with their visitor, a floating Pokémon who had only arrived that morning.
"Andy you must stop worrying. We told both you and your father at this age. You both came to terms with it quite admirably." the Pitch-Black Pokémon reminded him.
"I know I know…it's just hard." Andy sighed. "I mean she's had such a great childhood and now that could be over-" his reply was cut off as Danica came running down the stairs in her traveling clothes and a fully stocked backpack on. "Oh hi, honey! Happy birthday!"
"Thanks, Dad!" Danica replied. It was only when she looked over did she notice the Pokémon floating beside her parents. She recognized the Pokémon species easily, but she hadn't a clue what he was doing in her house. "Uh...why is there a Darkrai here...?"
"Come sit down honey and we'll explain everything." Caitlin answered. Danica cautiously allowed her mom to guild her to the couch where everyone sat down. Andy took in a long and nervous breath before finally speaking.
"Danica honey...do you remember how your Grandpa Hudson used to tell you all those stories about a friendly Darkrai who used to watch over Alamos Town?"
"Yeah! Those were always my favorites!" she exclaimed.
"Well...this is the same Darkrai from those stories." Andy explained. "And the truth is...he's part of our family." Danica's eyes widened, her mind trying to process what she was being told. The Pokémon that she always admired and loved to hear about was not only right in the room with her, but her dad was now telling her that they were related.
"...You're kidding, right...?" she barely managed to croak out.
"I'm not...he's your ancestor... Specifically your great-great grandfather..." he answered.
"I…I see…" was all she could manage to say.
"It's been a sort of family tradition to tell our kids about their Pokémon heritage at age 10...so they know what to expect when they go out on their journey." Andy continued. Danica was literally stunned into silence by this revelation. Several minutes of silence passed before Caitlin finally spoke up.
"Tell me what's going through your head sweetie..." she coaxed her daughter.
"A lot...this is just big for me to be told...I'm actually 1/16th Darkrai...?" Danica asked, suddenly feeling as though she just needed to hear it again to make it real.
"Yes..." Andy nodded.
"Andy." Darkrai suddenly spoke up. "You need to tell her all of it."
"What?" Danica looked up at him confused.
"You also carry Dragon Pokémon blood from your Grandma Ava. That makes you 1/32 Haxorus." Darkrai explained.
"What?!" Danica nearly screamed. Andy winced at his daughter's outburst, very aware of how hard it was to learn about the family's heritage. "So Grandma and Grandpa Hvam were both part Pokémon…and now I'm like…9% Pokémon?!" each member of her family nodded in answer to her question. "Oh my Arceus…"
"I know it's a lot to take in..." Andy tried in an attempt to comfort her.
"No kidding Dad..." Danica replied quietly. Andy put a hand on her shoulder as Caitlin held her hands gently.
"Talk to us, sweetie…" Caitlin offered gently.
"It's all just so much to take in..."
"I know...I felt the same way when I found out..." Andy added.
"Really...?" she asked curiously. Andy nodded to her in response./p
"I'm even more Pokémon than you are. It was a lot to take in even for me. But once you really think about it, it's a really good thing."
"Why's that?"
"You get to honor both Pokémon and humans just by being you." Andy explained to his daughter. Danica smiled a little as she considered his words.
"I guess that is kinda cool…" she admitted. Both her parents smiled at her as did her great-great grandfather.
"And none of this changes who you are." Caitlin added. "You'll always be our Danica." Danica couldn't help but smile and even blushed ever so slightly. She then turned her attention to Darkrai.
"Can I ask some questions about all this?" she asked him. Darkrai nodded in response.
"Of course you can. We expected many questions."/em Darkrai replied.
"I already knew about my special Aura I got from Mom, but how will that work with my Pokémon genetics? Like am I capable of using Pokémon moves?" she questioned.
"We don't know...9% isn't a lot. I've struggled to do any attacks myself." Andy responded.
"Unlike Aura, the ability to use any attacks seems to diminish over the generations. So it's possible the ability may never surface for you." Darkrai added.
"I see..." Danica was clearly a bit bummed out by this news. She had always loved training her Aura with her mom's help. So the idea of training with her dad to learn how to use Pokémon attacks was appealing. But after some thought, she decided it was probably a good thing. After all, she already had a journey and her Aura training to work towards. The last thing she needed was one more thing on her plate.
"Are you ok honey?" Andy asked.
"Yeah. I'll be okay with not using attacks." Danica smiled, getting a relieved smile from her father in turn. "I'm plenty happy with just having my Aura."
"And you have great control over it." Caitlin added.
"Thanks!" Danica grinned.
"And of course if your Pokemon abilities ever do surface, you can always come to me or your father to learn how to control them." Darkrai added. Danica smiled at him. He was everything her grandfather said he was. And now she could see him whenever she wanted.
"Thank you so much Great Great Grandfather Darkrai." She answered, getting up and hugging him. Darkrai could only softly smile as he returned her hug.
"Great Grandfather will be fine my dear." He said softly.
"Then thank you Great Grandfather." She giggled.
"Should you ever need anything on your journey, just call out for me. I will hear you no matter where you are."
"Thank you. That means a lot to me." The two stayed in the embrace for a few moments longer before finally releasing each other.
"I should go. Have a good journey my dear." He gave her another small smile which she reciprocated.
"I will. Thank you Great Grandfather." Darkrai gave her a nod before fading into the shadows, leaving Danica alone with her parents once again. Andy and Caitlin looked between each other before they looked back to their daughter.
"Danica honey are you sure you're ok with all this? It's alright to not be completely ok with all this news." Andy reminded her. Danica turned back to her parents and smiled just as she did before she knew all their family history.
"Really Mom, Dad, I am alright. It's a lot to take in, but it's not that much bigger than when you guys told me about my Aura. It's just part of me." She explained. Both of her parents couldn't help but smile. They were so happy that she was able to take it so well. It really was a testament to just how amazing she was.
"We love you so much sweetheart." Andy smiled.
"I love you you all too." She echoed as she pulled them both into a hug. Andy and Caitlin hugged her back for a minute or two before letting her go.
"Now are you ready to pick your starter?" Caitlin suggested. Danica's face lit up as if she had almost forgotten about that part of her big day.
"Yeah!" she exclaimed.
"The Professor sent us the Pokémon last night." Caitlin said. She got up from the couch and picked up three pokéballs from the kitchen table. She went back over to Danica and threw all three pokéballs, releasing the traditional Hoenn starters. The Wood Gecko Pokémon, the Chick Pokémon, and the Mud Fish Pokémon all popped out of their respective pokéballs and landed in front of Danica.
"Tree!" Treecko happily cried out as he struck a pose pointing up at the ceiling.
"Mudkip!" Mudkip yelled as he gave Danica a determined glare, clearly ready for a battle.
"Chic..." Torchic whimpered as he hid a little behind the others, looking very nervous. This behavior caught Danica's attention and she decided to cautiously approach the little Fire Type.
"Hey there...no need to be shy..." she said gently, offering her hand to Torchic. He looked up at her nervously and didn't move for a few moments. But just when Danica was about to pull away, Torchic slowly began to approach her. Danica remained still to keep from scaring him until he finally reached her hand. She moved her hand slowly and touched the side of his head, beginning to gently stroke his feathers. Torchic seemed to visibly relax at her touch after a minute.
"Tor…" he cooed softly. He took a few steps closer to Danica, nuzzling into her hand. At that, everyone couldn't help but smile.
"He sure is friendly. Shy, but friendly." Caitlin commented. Danica smiled and nodded in agreement, but after a moment she began to sense something about Torchic. It was as if through her Aura, she was able to sense that something was off about the little Pokémon.
"Hmm..." she said quietly.
"What's wrong honey?" Andy asked.
"Something's off about him...but I don't know what..." Danica worried. Both her parents thought in silence for a minute before Andy suddenly snapped his fingers and pulled a brand new Pokédex out of his pocket.
"Here." He started as he handed her the Pokédex. "Maybe this can help."
"Thanks, Dad." Danica nodded. She accepted the Pokédex and scanned Torchic. Once the scan was complete, the Pokédex screen came to life and showed a picture of Torchic before a female voice began reading the information.
"Torchic. The Chick Pokémon. Torchic sticks with its Trainer, following behind with unsteady steps. It has a flame sac inside its belly that perpetually burns. It feels warm if it is hugged." The Pokédex explained. After hearing the data on Torchic, a thought suddenly crossed Danica's mind. Even as she touches Torchic, she doesn't feel any extra heat coming from his body. In fact, she didn't feel any heat at all.
"Why isn't there any heat coming from you...?" Danica asked him. Torchic looked down sadly and stayed quiet for a minute.
"Tor..."
"Could it be there's a problem with his internal flame sac?" Caitlin asked, looking at her husband.
"If the problem is serious there's a chance that this Torchic may have long-term problems. Perhaps we should get him checked out at the Pokémon Center." He suggested.
"We should." Danica nodded. Caitlin recalled Treecko and Mudkip to their pokéballs while Danica picked up Torchic in her arms and began heading towards the Pokémon Center. With her parents following behind, the family arrived at the Pokémon Center and was watching as Nurse Joy examined Torchic.
"It looks to me like a naturally occurring disability. A birth defect if you will." Nurse Joy explained as she completed her tests. She pulled up x-rays of Torchic's body and pointed to his flame sac on the monitor. "See here? The flame sac never developed fully for whatever reason."
"So what does that mean for him? Is he going to be ok?" Danica asked in concern.
"Physically he'll be fine. But I'm afraid it'll be impossible for this Torchic to use any Fire Type moves...the sac is so underdeveloped that trying to use one would probably rupture it and the fire would leak into his body. And that could be deadly." Nurse Joy continued somberly.
"Is there any way to get his flame sac fully developed...?" Danica questioned.
"I don't think so...it would be like trying to regrow an arm you ever born without." Nurse Joy answered, shaking her head. Torchic looked down and teared up quietly, Danica watching him with a sympathetic look.
"That must have been why he was so nervous...he's afraid no one will want him as their partner because of the disability..." Caitlin realized. Danica watched Torchic cry as her mother's words sank in. She clenched a fist at her side as she suddenly made a decision.
"Well, I don't care about his disability." She declared. Both of her parents and Nurse Joy looked at her in surprise. Torchic lifted his head slowly and looked at her curiously.
"Tor...?"
"My Grandpa Ben had a disability with not being able to talk but that didn't stop Grandma Emily from loving him. And a disability won't stop Torchic from being a great partner." She explained. Torchic watched her as she explained, his eyes sparkling with hope.
"Torchic...?"
"Honey...are you saying...?" Andy wondered. Danica smiled at him and Caitlin before turning back to Torchic.
"I'm picking Torchic!" she exclaimed. Torchic smiled and began to cry happily before he jumped into her arms. Danica caught him in her arms and hugged him. She smiled and laughed as Torchic continued to cry happily and nuzzled her cheek. Andy, Caitlin, and Nurse Joy all smiled as well as they watched the two embrace. Andy put a hand on Caitlin's shoulder./
"We raised a good young lady." He smiled.
"We sure did..." she agreed. She walked over to Danica and handed her Torchic's pokéball. "I'm sure you two will be an amazing team."
"Thanks, Mom." Danica nodded, taking Torchic's pokéball.
"Have you decided what type of Pokémon trainer you're going to be?" Andy asked as he handed her a few empty pokéballs.
"Not yet...there are so many cool options." Danica admitted, putting the pokéballs in her bag.
"That's ok. Sometimes it's something you need discover on your journey." Caitlin said.
"Right." Danica nodded. Caitlin smiled and hugged her daughter one more time.
"I'm so proud of you honey...promise to call home every now and then ok?" she requests as she worked to hold back her tears of pride.
"I will Mom." Danica chuckled. Caitlin let her go from the hug slowly, moving aside so Andy could have his turn. Andy smiled and pulled his daughter into one more hug of his own.
"Remember, if you're ever in trouble, call out for your Great Grandpa. He will protect you." He reminded her.
"I will. Promise." She agreed. Andy smiled and released her from the hug.
"Now go have an adventure." He said. Danica gave them both one more smile before she runs off out the Pokémon Center's front door with Torchic trotting along beside her. She took a deep breath of fresh air and smiled at Torchic, who looked back at her and smiled back.
"The nearest city is Fortree City. What do you say we head there?" Danica asked him.
"Torchic!" her partner replied. Danica chuckles to herself and nods.
"Alright. Fortree City it is!"
To Be Continued...