Here's the beginning of the flashback. Marion's story starts here! What will her history and backstory reveal to us?
Aakareo Kokokuhikari: She's really an unlucky girl.
Pokemonking0924: Marion's backstory has got some stuff in it, that's for sure.
Just a Bad Writer for Fun: Dude we haven't even gotten to her character arcs yet, it's too early to call her best anything. Wait until she gets some more focus.
Draisen: Thanks, I'm doing my best.
JoshGamerV: Marion's too stupid to be guilty.
Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings
Chapter 171
"I don't understand…" A young Marion Rivers looked up at her parents with tears in her eyes. "Did I do something bad? Is it because I keep hearing voices?"
She clenched her small Mantyke to her chest so tightly the pokemon let out a yelp.
"I won't listen to them anymore!" She wailed, her tears falling on the small white dress the hospital had given her. "I won't say anything! Please don't send me away!"
"Mari, sweetie…" Marion's mother knelt down to face the small girl, and raised her hand, wiping the tears from Marion's eyes. Marion looked into the eyes of her mother, seeing an older version of herself in the woman's kind smile and golden hair. Her mother's smile always made her feel better. "Do you remember what mommy told you? What are you?"
"I'm… 'speshial'," Marion replied after thinking for a moment.
"That's right," Marion's mother said, nodding, giving her a kind smile. "Just like mommy, and mommy's mommy, you're a very special girl."
"Because I have 'harmo-knee-a'?" Marion asked.
"Exactly."
"But if I'm so special why are you sending me away?" Marion asked, her voice hitching. She was about to cry again.
"Because you're even more special than I thought," her mother said, hugging the small girl. "I learned how to control my powers… but yours are different. Nothing I've tried worked. If I could help you, I would… but I don't know how. These people will help, Mari. You won't get headaches anymore, or nosebleeds. And when you're all done, you'll be able to do all sorts of amazing things..."
Marion felt something wet on her shoulder. Was her mother… crying?
"Mommy, why are you crying?" Marion asked, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Because mommy is going to miss you, Mari… I'm going to miss you so much…" Marion's mother couldn't hold back her tears anymore, squeezing the young girl and her Mantyke tightly against her body.
"It's okay, mommy," Marion said, kissing her mom on the cheek. "I'll be really really good, and work really hard. And… and…"
*pomf*
Something covered Marion's eyes. She reached her hand up and felt the rough straw brim of her dad's hat. It had once belonged to her mother, but she'd given it to her husband. And now he was giving it to her.
"Daddy?" Marion asked, raising her head up to look at her father. The tall, black-haired man had a harsh look on his face, but she could tell he was trying not to cry.
"You take care, kiddo," he said quietly. "We'll come visit you soon. Maybe we can all go down to the beach for fishing."
"Mhm…" Marion said, nodding.
"Do you have everything?" Marion's mother asked. "Do you have your books? And your nightlight? And what about your toothbrush? Don't forget to stay up to late, be sure to listen to the doctors…"
"It's okay, mommy," Marion said, giving her mom a sad smile to try and reassure her, if only to stop her from crying. "I've got everything… I'll do my best…"
"Oh, Mari! I'm sorry I couldn't help you more… I'm sorry we have to leave you right now! I wish I could stay with you, but… I love you, Marion… I'm so sorry…"
"Malia…" Marion's father quietly said, placing a trembling hand on his wife's shoulder. "If we cry… then she'll feel sad. We need… to see her off… with a smile…"
Marion's mother nodded, rising to her feet, forcing a trembling smile to her face even as tears fell from her eyes.
"Bye-bye…" Marion said, trying as hard as she could to smile back at them.
"Remember, if it feels like things are too hard… remember to think positive… and don't forget to make friends, and try to get enough sleep every night… and even if you don't like it, make sure to finish your meals… so you can grow big and strong…"
Marion's mother kept calling out to her as Marion turned to the two doctors at the gates. She couldn't look at her mom anymore. Because she wouldn't be able to see her off with a smile if she did. And if she wasn't smiling, then mommy would worry about her. So even as she cried, and hugged Mana tightly for comfort, she couldn't look back at her parents or else they would feel sad…
The clang of the heavy gate as it shut behind her sent a chill down Marion's spine. She held Mana tighter, the weight of her backpack feeling like it was dragging her down. Doctors walked on either side of her, leading her towards the large house. It was the biggest building that Marion had ever seen. She looked up at it and gulped. It looked like a castle from one of the scary cartoons that her mom didn't like her watching. She shivered, and nearly ran back to her parents.
No… I'm going to be strong… so mommy and daddy don't feel bad… if I hate it here… then they'll cry again…
Marion gritted her teeth and blinked away the tears welling up in her moist blue eyes. One of the doctors placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed down on it. If he was trying to comfort her, it didn't help. In fact, it hurt. The large doors opened, and Marion was escorted inside.
As she walked down the long halls, Marion felt even smaller than she normally did. This 'hos-pit-tal' place was scary. Everything was so big, and all the walls and floors were a cold white that made her feel so isolated and alone. It was nothing like her house, which was always so cluttered and warm…
"Um…"
"Quiet," one of the doctors snapped, squeezing down on her shoulder. Marion winced in pain.
"But… where are the other kids? Mommy said there would be other kids here, and…"
"You'll see them soon enough," the other doctor coldly replied. "But first, you need to see the director."
Marion gulped. These doctors were nothing like the doctor back home, who would always give her a lollipop when she was done. They were mean and scary. Whatever this D-rek-ter was, would it be as mean and scary as they were? She didn't want to be here. She wanted to go home, back to her small house and the big warm bed she shared with her mommy and daddy…
"Stop crying!" The doctor holding her shoulder's voice got angry, and he squeezed so hard it hurt. Marion let out a yelp. "The director hates it when you brats cry!"
"It hurts!" Marion wailed.
"Man!" Mana cried, thrashing against Marion's small arms.
"Damn brat," the doctor growled, raising his other hand. Marion flinched, squeezing her eyes shut in fear. She began shaking. The doctor struck her in the back of the head so hard it knocked her over, sending her hat falling to the ground. She dropped Mana, the small blue pokemon letting out a yelp.
"Stop crying," the other doctor said, his voice softer but no kinder than his partner's. "This is your last warning."
"I'll stop… I'll stop…" Marion said, inhaling, forcing herself to stop crying. Her ears were ringing and her head hurt. She didn't want to get hit again. "I'll stop… I'll stop…"
After a few moments, she managed to swallow her tears down, and force a big smile onto her face. She picked her hat up off the ground and stood up, showing the doctors her smile.
"S-see? I'm not crying anymore…" Marion replied, trembling.
"That's good. Just keep smiling like that. The director will be happy to see you."
Marion knelt down and picked Mana up off of the ground, holding her close to her chest. The doctors were so mean… what would this D-rek-ter do to her if she cried? She couldn't cry… she had to keep smiling… The doctor put his hand on her shoulder again, and Marion flinched at his touch. His fingers squeezed tighter.
The two doctors led her to a large door, which had a sign that read "director" followed by two words that Marion didn't know.
"Ann-ja Car-zat…" Marion mouthed.
"The director is in there. Just remember, smile and nod. Don't do anything that might upset her," the doctor who had hit her replied. He raised his hand. "Unless you want to get punished again."
Marion's eyes widened and she flinched, remembering how much it had hurt before. But she managed to keep her smile on her face and nodded. The other doctor knocked on the door.
"Come in," a soft voice called.
Marion reached up and held the doorknob, turning it until it clicked. The door opened and she swallowed, slipping inside, not looking back at the mean, scary doctors.
Marion entered the room where the director was. She looked around. Unlike the empty halls of the hospital, the room was decorated with pokemon pictures, children's books, and stuffed pokemon dolls. She felt herself start to relax. Then she spotted the only other person in the room, who must have been the director. Marion's eyes widened. She was even prettier than Marion's mommy, and mommy was the prettiest woman Marion knew, except for mommy's friend. She had soft white hair and deep red eyes, and the most pale skin of anyone Marion had ever seen, so different than her suntanned skin.
The beautiful woman rose from her seat and smiled at Marion, walking closer to her. She smelled of strawberries.
"Hello there, sweetie," the woman said to her.
"Are you the d-rek-tor?" Marion asked, wondering if she was in the right place. This woman seemed nice, nothing like the mean doctors from before. Even though she was dressed in the same white lab coat and uniform, she gave off an entirely different air from the others. Marion hoped that she was in the right place.
"Yes, I'm the director here. But you can call me Anja," the director told her.
"Ahn-yeh?" Marion's tongue was all funny, she didn't know how to repeat what she'd been told.
"That's okay, you can call me whatever you like," the kind woman laughed. "Can you say 'doctor'?"
Marion nodded.
"Then how about you just call me that for now? Doctor K."
"Okay, Doctor K," Marion nodded.
"And you're Marion Rivers, right?" Doctor K asked. Marion nodded. "And how are you doing today, Marion?"
Marion wanted to say "bad". Her head still hurt, and she wanted her mommy to kiss it and make it better. She missed her parents, she missed the smell of the ocean, she missed the warm sun… she missed everything. She didn't want to be here!
But she smiled and said "okay" because she was afraid. Afraid that mommy and daddy would feel bad if they knew she had gotten upset on her first day. Afraid that the mean doctors would punish her again if she said anything. And she was mostly afraid that if she made Doctor K upset, then she wouldn't be so nice to her anymore.
"Are you sure?" Doctor K asked. "Because it looks like you're a little sad."
"N-no, I'm not, see?" Marion said, smiling as wide as she could.
"You miss your mommy and daddy, don't you?" Doctor K asked. "It's okay, Marion."
"…Uweeh…" Marion broke down crying, nodding her head. Doctor K knelt down and extended a hand towards her. Marion's eyes widened and she flinched, raising her hands defensively.
"N-no! I'm not crying, see?" Marion said, forcing a smile to her face. But Doctor K didn't hit her like Marion expected. She wrapped her hand around Marion's back, pulling her into a warm hug that reminded her of her mommy.
"It's okay," Doctor K said. "I know you're lonely. But don't worry. I'm here for you now."
Doctor K raised her other hand to cradle Marion's head as Marion cried into her shirt. As her fingers slipped under the brim of Marion's hat, Marion hissed in pain, flinching.
"Are you okay?" The doctor asked, pulling back, concern crossing her face.
"I-I'm fine," Marion said, her face paling.
"That's quite a bump you've got there…"
"I-I fell," Marion lied.
"Let me take a look," Doctor K said, lifting Marion's hat off of her head. Marion reluctantly turned around, the doctor's fingers gingerly running through her hair.
"Your hair is such a beautiful color…" the doctor murmured. "Ah, there it is. My, my… this must sting."
"It's okay…" Marion lied. It actually hurt quite a bit. "I'm tough. Mommy says I'm speshial."
"You certainly are special," Doctor K agreed, giggling. "But even special girls can feel hurt sometimes. Luckily I have the perfect spell to get rid of all your pain. Pain, pain, go away~"
Marion's eyes widened as she felt the doctor's lips press against the bump on her head.
"There, does that feel better?" Doctor K asked. Marion turned around, nodding. It really did feel a little better. It wasn't the same as when mommy did it, but her head didn't hurt as much.
"That's good," Doctor K said, smiling. "I'd hate to see you sad."
Marion blinked. Doctor K's smile was so warm and kind, it made her wonder why she was working with such mean doctors.
"Marion, do you want to meet your fellow patients?" Doctor K asked, standing up.
"C-can I?" Marion asked timidly.
"Of course!" Doctor K said, nodding. "Don't you want to make some new friends?"
Marion nodded her head. Doctor K extended her hand out to Marion, and Marion took her hand, wrapping her small fingers around the doctor's large ones. Doctor K and Marion walked hand-in-hand out the door, and through the large hallways of the facility.
The wide, empty halls were still rather intimidating, but holding the doctor's hand made it a lot less scary, much to Marion's relief.
"Here we are," Doctor K said, smiling, stopping in front of a large, reinforced door. Are you ready?
Marion glanced up at the doctor, then to the door. She swallowed, feeling her heart beat in her chest. She held Mana tightly, the doctor giving her other hand a reassuring squeeze. Marion nodded her head slowly.
The doctor lifted up a key card from the lanyard on her neck, and slid it through the door. The panel beeped, and the door slid open.
"Hello, loves!" Doctor K's melodic voice rang out as she led Marion into the room. "I'd like to introduce someone! This is Marion Rivers! Marion?"
Marion flinched, looking uneasily around the room. It was very empty. There were a lot of beds lined up in a row, but not a lot of kids. She only saw six other children. Unlike the clutter of the doctor's office, this room was sparse and empty, much like the halls. The walls were even colored the same drab white, as were the floors. Even the bedsheets were white. Marion didn't understand the idea of a sterile, controlled environment, so to her, it just made everything seem empty, which made her feel very small in comparison. She hid behind Doctor K's leg, shaking nervously.
"Don't worry, Marion," Doctor K reassured her, smiling. "The other kids are nice, you'll get along fine with them." Marion gulped, and nodded, tentatively stepping out from behind Doctor K's leg. The doctor let go of her hand to let Marion go. Marion looked at the others. Some of the kids were older than her, and a few more looked younger than her. Particularly, a small toddler, who waddled up to her, reaching out with fat fingers towards the tan girl, gurgling happily.
"H-hello," Marion said, feeling a little more comfortable talking to the small red-eyed girl.
"Hey there." Marion glanced away from the toddler, looking into the eyes of a boy around her age. He had the same shining red eyes and bright white hair as the young girl, and he smiled at Marion in a way that made her relax slightly.
"I'm Marion," Marion said shyly.
"I'm Rast," the white-haired boy said, wrapping an arm around the toddler protectively. "And this is my little sister, Alk."
"You're Marion?" Marion flinched, glancing up to see two more kids, a boy and a girl, had come to speak with her. She swallowed nervously. The two kids were both a few years older than her, and she had to crane her head to meet their eyes. She wasn't good with older kids.
"I'm Kyrese," the brown-haired boy introduced himself. "And this is Flora."
"Hi, Marion," the taller girl said. "I'm Flora. Are you okay?"
Marion nodded shyly. The tall girl was very pretty, with sparkling amber-colored eyes and wavy blonde hair. She smelled like flowers and smiled like sunlight.
Another girl quickly joined them. She had curly, rusty-red hair and freckles, and fired a million questions at Marion, which quickly caught her off guard.
"Where are you from? What's your favorite pokemon? How old are you? Where'd you get that hat? What kind of pokemon is that you're holding? Does she have a name?"
"Um… uh…" Marion stuttered.
"Sorry, sorry, I got a little carried away," the girl said sheepishly, scratching her dark locks of hair. "I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Katrina! And this is my partner, Leo."
The girl gestured to the small blue and black pokemon standing behind her. The pokemon looked up at Marion with big red eyes.
"Leo's a little shy," Katrina admitted sheepishly, her green eyes glittering. "He's a Riolu. Don't worry, he wouldn't hurt a fly."
"H-hi," Marion said, smiling back at Katrina and the other kids. "I'm Marion. A-and this is Mana."
The other kids said hi to Mana as well.
Marion glanced at the last of the kids, a boy whose hair was a deep, rich black. He was sitting on one of the beds, reading a picture book. He glanced up at her with clear brown eyes, but his face wasn't as kind as the others. He looked mean!
"Hey, Little Rey, come over and say hi to Marion!" The older boy, Kyrese, called out to the seated kid. The boy, Rey, clicked his tongue at Marion, rolling his eyes.
"Don't call me that!" The boy snapped. He gave Marion the once-over, and clearly not liking what he saw. He clicked his tongue at her, turning back to his picture book. "No need for that. I'll remember her name if she can make it through the first day of testing."
Marion scowled. Her mommy had told her to make friends, but she decided that she wouldn't be friends with a rude boy like him.
"Don't worry about Little Rey," Kyrese laughed, scratching his short brown hair. His blue eyes were rather comforting, they reminded Marion of her father. "He's just a little upset right now because his last test didn't go well, but he really isn't that bad."
Marion huffed.
"So what do you think, Marion?" Doctor K asked, smiling. "See? The other kids are nice, aren't they? There's nothing to worry about."
Marion glanced over her shoulder, and nodded shyly. Doctor K gave her a kind smile, patting her on the shoulder.
"I'm glad. I don't know how long you'll be staying here… but while you're here, I hope you can come to consider this place your home," Doctor K told her. "Everyone here… they're all special, like you and I. They have harmonia, just like we do. I hope you can get along."
"They're… like me?" Marion asked, her expression turning hopeful. Doctor K smiled. She knelt down so she was staring Marion in the eyes, and raised her hands to cradle Marion's cheeks.
"People like us… tend to be lonelier than most others," Doctor K said, the sadness in her voice touching Marion in the heart. "That's why we've got to stick together. If we all work together, and show the world that we aren't just special, but just as normal as anyone else… well, who knows? Maybe we'll be able to even life a normal life. That's my dream. Well, Marion? Can you help me?"
"Help you how?" Marion asked, blushing. She really wanted to help the kind Doctor K.
Doctor K smiled.
"For now, just be your cute little self and try your best," Doctor K told her. "That will be good enough for starters. Maybe then… someday, my hope for a peaceful world, where regular humans and harmonia users can live together in harmony… Peace in our world, what do you think?"
She was saying a lot of things that Marion didn't quite understand, but she nodded her head anyway. She wanted Doctor K to be happy, and her mommy and daddy to be happy. So she'd try her hardest.
"I-I'll do my best," Marion said, nodding. Doctor K smiled at her.
"I'm glad," Doctor K said, raising the brim of Marion's hat and leaning in, kissing her tanned forehead. She rose to her feet, staring down at Marion. Marion looked up at her in awe. She was like a goddess, clad in a white halo of light that seemed to radiate tranquility and happiness.
"I'll come see how you're settling in tomorrow," Doctor K told her. She turned and headed for the door. "If you need anything, come let me know. I'll help you however I can."
Marion nodded, swallowing nervously. She turned to her fellow kids, unsure but ready to try her best.
Marion's story is just beginning. What secrets will the mysterious facility Anja Karzat have in store for her?