Loud music blared through headphones, effectively drowning everything out. Sandals dragged through the sand, hands shoved into jean pockets. Cool teal eyes, hidden behind sunglasses, glanced at the festivities under way in the main square. She rolled her eyes as she remembered seeing Elder Terrance donning his annual festival outfit, others carrying theirs slung over their shoulders.
"Man, this would've been a great time to set sail with Coron," she grumbled, shaking her head.
How she hated these yearly festivals and the fact that she had to the Festival Maiden . . . the thought made her curl her nose. "I can't believe I have to do this, figures Karol would – oof!"
Eyes widening in surprise, the brunette flailed slightly, and not catching her balance, she found herself spread out in the sand. Grumbling to herself, she picked herself up off the ground, brushing the dirt off her clothes as she glared over her shoulder.
"Hey, watch it!" she grumbled, throwing his earphones off. "What the hell . . .?"
She raised her eyebrows as she glanced at the scenario before her. Lying on the beach, their red hair splayed out around them, eyes closed. Rolling her eyes (she wondered idly how much this person had drunk the night previous) she kneeled down in the wet sand, a confused expression on her face as she reached a hand out.
"Hey," she sighed as she caught sight of a Pokeball on her belt loop. "Great, the first trainers' arrived – I'm not kissing you though – now, what kind of Pokémon do you have?"
Humming to herself, her music playing lowly from her now sandy earphones, the brunette reached out, grabbing the red and white ball. Moving to sit down in the sand, she rolled the ball over in her hands, and shrugging, threw the ball before her. "Come on out!"
As the top popped open, a white light shot out, a silhouette appearing slowly. Drumming her fingers against her arm as she waited, she couldn't help but narrow her eyes in the process.
"There's . . ." she blinked, stunned. "It's empty . . . what kind of trainer is this?"
Sighing, she threw her hands up over her head. This was going to be a pointless festival. Tossing her hair back, she slipped her earphones around her neck, stretching out her arms. "This is going to be some lame festival . . ."
"Melody!"
Letting out a groan as she heard her sisters' voice, she glanced over her shoulders, pushing her sunglasses back up. Shrugging, she shoved her hands back into her pockets. "You know it's true," she mumbled to herself, slowly making her way towards her sister.
"This trainer doesn't even have a Pokémon!" she shouted, nodding to herself.
At least the last trainer had a Nidorina, she thought idly.
It was just her luck that her first year as the Festival Maiden she'd get stuck with a dud trainer.
###
Erika smiled as she bustled around the small apartment kitchen, humming lightly to herself. Pulling open the cupboard, she brought down two mugs, filling them up, before turning on her heel. Dropping the two mugs onto the table, she pushed one over towards the black haired teen before sitting across the table from him.
"So, Cole," she said, fingering her cup. "What were you doing out there at this time of night? Won't your parents be worried?"
Cole frowned slightly, taking a sip of the hot drink. "My parents . . ." He could vaguely see a smile, someone standing in the doorway. "No . . . no . . . they won't be worried. I . . ."
"Did you have a fight with them?" Erika asked quietly, looking at him over her cup. "You'll have to make amends with them in the morning."
"No . . . I . . ." How could he explain it?
"Did you run away then?" Erika ventured. "You'll miss them when they're gone; I'm giving you one night, okay?"
Biting his tongue, he didn't want to tell her too much, so he smiled instead. "They sent me here," he said, fumbling over the words. "They wanted to me attend . . ."
"The Academy?" Erika supplied. "That's right across the street from my perfume shop. It's kind of early for you to arrive though – school's ending for the summer in a couple weeks time, see? Unless, you're moving into residence for the summer . . ." Erika shook her head, she was rambling again. "I might be able to help get you in though; a lot of the staff at the Academy are my clients. I used to go there myself when I was your age – so, we'll go in the morning and try to sort it all out, Cole . . ."
Cole frowned. "Thompson," It was the first thing that came to mind as he glanced around the homey kitchen. "Cole Thompson."
"Well, Mr. Thompson," Erika laughed lightly. "Tomorrow, you're getting into the Academy, we'll figure something out. Your parents picked a good school, if you want my opinion."
Cole nodded slowly, dropping his eyes from the smiling blue haired girl to the half eaten sandwich before him. This kindness seemed strange to him for some reason . . .
###
"Willow, how are you feeling today?"
"I'm fine, really," the red head responded with a laugh, their footsteps echoing slightly through the empty hallway. "You can stop asking me that, Solona."
Solona shrugged, her hands in her pockets, Minum following behind the two. "I know, but yesterday you were lying unconscious. I'm not a doctor, but –"
"Then don't worry about," Willow interjected with a shrug, throwing her a look. "If I stayed in that bed any longer I'd go crazy: sleep to long and you'll be a Snorlax!"
Solona let out a laugh, hiding it behind her hand. "Where'd you get that expression from?"
Willow frowned, a blonde haired woman coming to mind. "Someone . . . an old friend . . ."
"I see," Solona said, seeing a range of emotions flickering across the red head's face. "We'll have to talk later, alright? Misha's – she's the CEO of the Pokémon Rangers – office is the last door at the end of the hallway, see? I'll meet you in the quad afterwards; I have a debriefing to attend. Good Luck though!"
Grinning, Solona gave her a small shove, sending Willow skittering ahead a few steps. As she cast a heated glance over her shoulder, Solona just waved, opening the door before her. Willow let out a sigh as the door closed with a thud behind Solona, leaving her standing in the corridor by herself.
"Well . . . here goes nothing . . ." she mumbled, glancing down the corridor.
Sighing, Willow started down the corridor; her footsteps slow as they echoed within the empty hall. With only her footsteps echoing within her head, she wrung her hands together, trying to get her thoughts straight.
What was she supposed to say? She didn't have any answers.
Lost in her own thoughts, Willow found herself standing in front of the heavy oak door before she knew it. Taking a deep breath – she could do this – she reached a hand out, raising it to the door. The knock sounded low against the heavy door as she dropped her hand back to her side. Rocking back on her heels, Willow narrowed her eyes at the door.
What if there was no one in there?
"The doors open, come on in," A voice sounded, slightly muffled.
Nodding to herself, Willow grabbed the doorknob, easily slipping through the heavy doors. The door closed soundly behind her as she let the handle go, making her pause on the plush carpet. A desk was situated at the other end of the room before the wide windows, the brunette behind the desk glanced up. The woman's youthful face broke out into a smile at the sight of the small red head. The woman placed the PokeGear she held down beside her computer screen, motioning to the empty seat.
"Come and sit Willow. It's about time we spoke."
Shaking her head, Willow moved forward before slumping down in the chair offered to her. She smiled awkwardly at the woman as she tucked her hair behind her ear. "Thanks for letting me rest here," she said, wracking her brain for something to say. "I know that I'm taking up space, so I'll –"
"Not so fast," Misha cut her off, waving the comment aside before folding her arms before her. "I've already spoken to both Solona and Jackie while you were unconscious. They say that you were found on a raft halfway to Sinnoh. What, may I ask, where you doing in a place like that?"
Willow opened her mouth to reply, and then paused, closing it again. Frowning, she sunk down in her chair, closing her eyes as she tried to remember. It had to be . . .
She was found out at sea . . . she had a well trained Goldeen . . . but, there should have been more. One just didn't sound like enough.
Then, there were those two people that had appeared in her dream. She could vaguely picture them, the names on the tip of her tongue. There was also that blonde woman that had appeared moments' previous . . . why did she feel like she knew them?
"I'm not . . ."
She was cut off as the computers' speakers went off, drawing Misha's attention. Shaking her head, the CEO sighed, holding up a finger for Willow to hold on a second. "We've been getting a lot of inquiries," she supplied, her eyes flying across the screen. "Our main goal is to help the relationships between us humans and the Pokémon, and naturally, coming to the aid of a Pokémon in distress," she explained, glancing momentarily at Willow. "Something seems to be happening in Altimar. I think that Solona's free at the moment."
"So, she'll be leaving?" Willow blurted out before she could stop herself.
Misha's eyes narrowed slightly as she glanced back at Willow, making the red head fidget slightly. "Would you want to be a Pokémon Ranger as well?" Misha said, jumping right to the point.
"Well, I hadn't even thought –"
"Well, we'll have to see if you have what it takes firstly. Jackie currently doesn't have any missions lined up, so I could spare him for a couple days to look into the abilities of you and your Goldeen. We have to see how you function under stress and time limits; Jackie is a good judge of character."
Willow nodded, slightly confused. "A Pokémon Ranger . . ."
"Yes, like I told you before, our main ideal is to help Pokémon in need. We work very closely with Officer Jenny and her forces," – that name seemed to register to Willow – "Lately though; we've had a string of incidents popping up, and we have yet to find any linking factors. It is indeed strange," Misha shook her head. "I have our analytical team working on any possible meaning to these events, but I digress. It isn't something you need to worry about Willow. Currently, a majority of my staff is either on the field or are currently being debriefed. I will have Jackie come and speak to you later."
"Jackie . . ." she mumbled to herself. "Sure . . . that sounds fine."
Wasn't he the blonde man that seemed to have the standoffish attitude? Inwardly, she sighed – it was just her luck she'd have to get stuck with him. Willow glanced back at the brunette, Misha's eyes trained on the computer screen before her, fingers flying across the keyboard.
"That's great, Willow," Misha said, glancing momentarily at the red head. "All of my employees carry one of these on them at all times," she rooted through the top drawer, producing a strange device moments later. "If you want to rise within our ranks, you'll have to work hard."
Willow nodded, sensing a dismissal in her words. "Well, thank you, Miss. Valina, if you'll excuse me."
Misha nodded, stealing a glance back at her computer. "Yes, we'll be seeing you around then."
Picking herself out of the chair, Willow crossed the room, silently slipping out the door. Once outside, Willow couldn't help but let out a grin, resisting the urge to jump up in enthusiasm. Instead, she shook her head; grin in place as she looked at the communication device Misha had given her. Humming lightly to herself, she slipped the device onto her wrist like she'd seen both Solona and Jackie wearing it earlier.
With the device on her wrist, she couldn't help but feel like she belonged in this headquarters, helping Pokémon. With that in mind, she headed in the direction of the quad, eager to tell Solona what had just transpired.
###
The streets were busy, neon lights illuminating the streets. People stood outside of shops, glancing through the windows, bags in hand. The colourful window displays stopped the customers in their tracks, luring them inside.
It was well known that Hop Hop Town, located just on the outskirts of Saffron City, was the perfect description of a tourist trap. With its high rise buildings towering over you, the neon lights and colourful window – it was almost impossible to not open your wallet countless times.
The main attraction in the small town was the famous Suzy Lamont and her Vulpix – which graced most magazines covers nowadays. Her name was well known throughout the streets, no one had been able to compete against her. She was the go-to girl.
However, the past couple of days had seen a new face appearing in the town. He had appeared one night, taking up residence on the corner under the lamppost, scissors in hand. No one knew where he had appeared from – he had been very aloof about it when asked – but it was his talent that brought people flocking to the youth under the streetlight.
It was said that he might be able to last.
It would be the first time that Hop Hop Town had two Pokémon Stylist's.
"My Jynx next!" A teen yelled, shoving the Poke ball before her. "I want it to shine!"
"No, my Chansey!" Another voice countered. "I came all the way from Cinnabar!"
"Hold on, hold on," the blue haired youth said, holding his hands out before him. "Everyone will get a chance. Alas, this Jynx has been here for a couple hours, your Chansey will be next. Now, let the magic begin!"
Grinning wildly at the crowd before him, he turned to his messenger bag sitting on a stool with a flourish, picking up an elaborate blue comb, a design littering the handle. "Just bring your Jynx right over here," he said, indicating underneath the street light. "With any Pokémon, you want to bring out their inner beauty, but it varies per type and personality. The key is . . ."
As they spoke, running the brush through Jynx's blonde hair, he didn't notice blue eyes watching him silently from within the crowd. Her eyes were calculating as she watched his movements, crossing her arms across her chest. After a few minutes of watching, she nodded, turning on her heel.
"It seems they were right about him," she mumbled, glancing back over her shoulder, her bangs falling into her eyes. "I'll have to come back later." She added, pulling her hat down again, it felt like the wind was going to knock it off again.
With a crowd like this surrounding it, it would cause too much confusion if she made her presence known. Shaking her head, she fingered the empty Poke ball in her pocket as she glanced at the small creature following along behind her.
Her shop had been open for the past five years and never had her store been that empty.
Suzy Lamont was not used to competition.
###
Brock wandered through the seaside town – learning that it was actually called Hutber Port – retracing his steps to the Pokémon Center. He wondered idly what had brought him to the small resort town as he tried to figure out where he was heading next. Glancing around the bustling town, he took little notice of the bikini clad girls that littered the streets and beaches, lost in his own thoughts.
Not paying any attention, Brock jumped when the automatic doors to the Center opened, allowing him entrance. "Yikes!" he found himself mumbling, jumping back out of habit.
Nurse Joy looked up at the exclamation as the doors chimed, a smile appearing on her face as she noticed the tanned youth. "Oh hello Brock, you're just in time. I just finished scanning and treating your Pokémon not too long ago. Besides the fact that they were extremely weak, there was nothing overly wrong with them. My only question for you, is seems that they had been submerged in water, so I must ask what you were doing? You were being very irresponsible."
Brock blinked, leaning against the desk, Joy on the other side, hands on her hips. "Submerged in water . . ." He had a brief flash of water pouring in around him, soaking his shoes, his socks. "I'm not sure . . ." he said at length.
"Well, I suggest you make sure it doesn't happen again," Nurse Joy said, leveling him with a stare as she brought forth the tray containing his Poke balls.
Brock nodded, picking the two balls off the tray, rolling them over in his hands, his mind whirling.
"Where are you planning on heading next?" Nurse Joy asked, cutting into his thoughts as she picked up the unused tray. "With only those two Pokémon . . . how many badges do you have?"
Brock watched her disinfect the tray before placing it in the large stack with the others. Mulling over her words, he shook his head slowly. For some reason, he didn't seem interested in collecting the sought after badges. But, there was something.
"I'm not after badges," he said at length, Joy's pink eyes staring at him. "I'm just travelling for the time being."
"I see. Well, it's getting late to be travelling," she commented, glancing around him at the setting sun against the beach. "I do still have a couple rooms available, you might as well make use of it," she said distractedly as she glanced underneath the counter, a jingle of key's reaching Brock's ears. "It's the fourth on the right," she said after a moment, producing a key.
Brock nodded, mumbling his thanks as he took the offered key. Joy watched as Brock moved away from the counter disappearing around the corner moments later. Letting out a sigh, she dropped into her chair, turning her attention to the computer screen.
Turning the key over in his hand, Brock headed down the brightly lit hallway, thoughts whirling around in his head.
His Pokémon had suffered from being in the water.
Collecting badges just didn't seem right on his tongue.
Idly counting the doors on the right, he slowed to a stop as he reached the fourth door, slipping the key into the lock. As the lock clicked open, the door swinging open, Brock flicked on the lights with a sigh, glancing around at his surroundings. Crossing the room, Brock flopped down on the bed, running a hand over his face.
He could tell something was missing – something important.
If only he could put his finger on it . . .
###
"If you want my opinion – we wait for the next trainer," Melody said, drumming her fingers against the counter in boredom. "Because technically, she doesn't have a Pokémon . . . last time I checked, an empty Poke ball didn't count."
"Melody," Karol warned, shooting her a look. "She was the first trainer on the Island – it's our tradition!"
"Whatever," she grumbled under her breath. "You're just saying that because you always had the guy trainers! That Paul and his Weavile from last year were pretty awesome. You just want all the good trainers! She doesn't have a Pokémon – that's just stupid. The tradition is to honor Pokémon trainers, not wannabe's."
"Melody . . ." her sister sighed, narrowing her eyes.
"It's our tradition," Elder Terrance interrupted, glancing between the two sisters. "There's nothing we can do about it, we are bound."
"She still doesn't have a Pokémon," Melody grumbled, making her point known as she pushed away from the counter. "This is going to be so lame."
Karol sighed, shaking her head as Melody slipped her headphones on as she crossed the room. "You know Melody's attitude," she shook her head, the brunette disappearing around the corner. "Just ignore her, she'll get over it. But, on that note, the girl doesn't have a Pokémon . . ."
"Washing up on the shore like that, it makes you wonder." Elder Samantha said, pouring herself another cup of coffee. "But, the festival isn't for another couple of days. In the meantime, I have Alina and Alec watching the coastline and the area where she was found to locate any lost Pokémon."
"I see," Karol said, bringing her coffee to her lips as she glanced at the empty doorway. "At least you seem to have a plan . . ."
Melody sighed, shoving her hands into her pockets, a scowl on her features. The music blared through her speakers, drowning out everything around her. She narrowed her eyes at the dark brown door before her, rolling her eyes at the small handmade 'occupied' sign on the door handle. Pushing her hair back as she wrinkled her nose up, she reached out, turning the handle.
The light from the hallway crept into the room, lighting up the room slightly, illuminating the still figure in the bed. "I can't believe you had to be the . . . oh! This is so lame!" she huffed, leaning against the door jam, arms crossed over her chest. "This is . . ."
Grumbling to herself, Melody pushed herself away from the door, slipping her headphones down around her neck. She shrugged as she moved forward in the room, making no motion to turn her music down.
It was about time she woke up anyway.
Melody wanted answers – she definitely wasn't in the mood to wait around.
Stopping at the foot of the bed, Melody let out a sigh, frowning. The girl was still out cold . . .
"These stupid traditions," she grumbled, turning on her heel. "I'm not going through this next year . . ."
Lost in her own thoughts, her music blaring, Melody didn't hear the bed springs rustle as the red haired woman slowly started coming to. Shaking her head, Melody slipped her headphones back on – she wasn't in the mood to listen to Karol's ramblings – as she pulled the door none to softly behind her.
In the darkened room, teal coloured eyes slowly opened, trying to focus in the darkness all around her. Feeling disconnected, the red head blinked a couple times, shapes appearing in the darkness. As her eyes adjusted, she moved to sit up in the squeaky, hardly used bed, questions running through their mind.
"Where . . ." she mumbled, a hand flying to her throat, her voice harsh.
Shaking her head, she slumped back down in bed, frowning. Bringing up her legs, she let out a sigh, resting her chin on her knees. There was something about this – maybe it was the comfy bed? – that seemed wrong, it wasn't right. If only she knew what it was . . .
Suppressing a yawn, she blinked, her eyes wanting to close.
Slowly, she moved down in the bed, bringing the comforter up to her chin, her mind wandering. She knew something . . . someone . . . was missing, if only she could put her finger on it. Yawning once again, her eyelids closing slightly, she found herself drifting off once again.
". . . James . . ." she mumbled, unaware of her words.
###
Willow sighed, picking aimlessly at her tray of food, glancing around the large courtyard at the others' milling around. Solona was supposed to meet her five minutes ago . . . she felt awkward sitting at the picnic table by herself. Catching sight of her new communicator glinting in the bright sun, she grinned. Dropping her fork with a clatter, she ran a finger across the glossy red surface, a wider grin appearing on her features.
Lost in her own thoughts, she jumped when a tray fell down opposite hers. Tearing her eyes away from her communicator, she glanced up at the person, squinting her eyes in the sun.
"Well, well, look at what we've got here," Solona said with a grin, nodding at the device on Willow's wrist. "It seems your meeting went well."
Misha rarely like anyone, she thought idly, sitting down on the bench.
Willow nodded; a huge smile on her features. "Yeah, it was . . ." She shook her head, her thoughts running around in her head. "Miss. Varsa said that I might have the potential to be a Pokémon Ranger if I trained –"
"I'll do it in my spare time," Solona interrupting, not missing a beat. She noticed Willow's stare as she took a bite of her salad. "I mean, I'm heading out to Altimar tomorrow; an elite sector of Team Rocket is up to –"
"Ah, so this is where the ladies are hanging out," a man's voice interrupted the two, another tray dropping down on the picnic table. "I'll have to remember to come out here more often . . ."
"Hello Jackie," Solona said in a dull tone, propping her chin in her palm. The blonde didn't seem to notice as he sat down beside her, his trademark smirk on his face. "What can we do for you today?"
Willow let out a laugh at Solona's words, hiding the grin behind her hand as Jackie winked at the two of them. "Well, it turns out I just got myself a little trainee here," he said with a shrug, glancing over at Willow. "I just had to see who the girl is."
"What?" Solona asked, narrowing her eyes at the blonde. "I'm . . ."
"Er . . . yeah . . ." Willow said awkwardly, grinning sheepishly. "Miss. Varsa thought that Jackie would be a good mentor as you're –"
"So not fair," Solona grumbled with a sigh, closing her eyes momentarily. "Figures, Misha decides to send me all the way to Johto the same time she decides to make you a Ranger as well."
"Yeah, what a shame," Jackie said with a laugh, picking himself up from the picnic bench. "While you get to head off to the field and have all kinds of fun, I get to train the new girl."
Solona rolled her eyes, turning her attention back to her salad. "I plan too, Jack. While you get to stay here with Willow, I get to go and work for my money," she commented idly.
Jackie threw the blue haired woman a look, picking up his tray. "Well, you have fun with that then, Solona," We all know you never go on a vacation to spend it all with, he thought idly, before glancing at Willow. "And Willow, I'll see you bright and early in the training room. I hate delays –"
"He means it too," Solona cut in, bringing a forkful of salad to her lips.
"Either way," Jackie said with a laugh, turning on his heel. "I'll see you at eight am in Training Hall B. For every minute you're late . . . well, goodbye."
Solona rolled her eyes at his words as he waved over his shoulder, heading back across the quad. Shaking her head, she glanced back over at Willow, a mixture of emotions moving across the red head's face.
"Jack's a real card, you'll get used to him," Solona laughed, pointing her fork at Willow. "Have fun, alright? You'll have to show me what you learned when I get back, right?"
"Yeah, sure," Willow said, glancing back at Solona, holding her gaze. "He seems kind of . . . different, you know."
Solona nodded, leaning back on the bench. "Right . . . well, you've got that one pegged right. You've definitely got a good head on your shoulders then. Are you done yet?" she asked after a pause. "Let's enjoy the day; we've got nothing else to do."
###