Big Sis Star, Chapter 49
Compared to Route 1, way back in Kanto, Route 101 was short. Terribly short; took me all of an hour to walk it towards Littleroot Town. Of course, this was better for me in the long run. So long as I didn't have to spend the night on the road again, I was content. There were various kinds of wild Pokemon on the road, some of which were familiar. What wasn't familiar, however, was someone on the side of the road. She was watching the wild Pokemon at a distance, entranced by their actions, yet never daring to get closer.
"Hi there!" I greeted, smiling at the older girl.
"Oh, hello. Are you a Pokemon trainer?"
"I am, actually. My name is Star, and this is Vulpix. What's yours?" Vulpix walked up to the girl, licking her hand in a show of greeting.
"I'm May."
"So, May, are you a Pokemon trainer as well?" Littleroot Town was just ahead, so she was probably from there.
"Not yet. I'll be turning ten in a few months, then I'll finally get a Pokemon from the Professor."
"Really? You look so much older than me!" Seriously, she really did! I was just a month or so away from eleven, and she looked years ahead of me. Body size, of course.
"I get that a lot, so they're all amazed when I tell them how old I am. Listen, I have to get back home."
"Littleroot Town?" She nodded. "Then mind if I tag along? I have to see the Professor in town."
"Sure thing. I'll take you to his lab."
~o~
Littleroot Town was little, as the name suggested. It kind of reminded me of Pallet Town, with most of the buildings being small houses meant for families. By that reasoning, May really didn't have to show me to the lab, as it was the largest building in town. Unfortunately, it was also locked up for the day, and Professor Birch was no where to be seen.
"Please don't tell me he left for some sort of conference or something."
"No, I don't think so," said May while peeking through the windows. "He was here earlier. Maybe he just quit early today?"
"Either way, now I have to wait until tomorrow to see him," I sighed. I had been hoping to get this whole trainer card ordeal over with today, so I could be off to an early start the next morning. Not like there was much to do in Littleroot Town, anyway.
"Want to stay over at my house tonight? There's no hotel you can stay at here, unless you want to camp outside." That was certainly out of the question.
"Thanks for the offer. You sure it'll be okay with your mom?" My own mom would've interrogated May if our roles were reversed. Anyway you looked at it, May would've been a complete stranger. And so was I to her.
"Oh yeah, no problem!"
Well, to skip ahead a bit, May's mom didn't have a problem at all. She asked me some questions first, of course, just to make sure I wasn't some juvenile delinquent out to corrupt her daughter. With every question following this line, I could tell May was getting more embarrassed than I probably should've been. Having spent so much time on my own adventure, though, and having experienced far worse than an interrogation by a concerned mother, I shrugged it all off quite easily. After all, her questions didn't compare to being caught by a Pokemon gang boss, being putty in the hands of a psychic master, and being at the mercy of Pokemon capable of tearing me limb from limb, or erasing me from time entirely.
"Well, I hope you have a pleasant stay here with May," she finally concluded, pointing out the staircase so I could depart. "And May, let her stay in your room. I don't want Max to start complaining that his room's a mess."
"I know, Mom. I wasn't going to put her there, anyway." After I was done being regarded as the latest piece of furniture, May led the way to her room at the top of the stairs and down the hall. Once inside her room, which was pretty plain, considering its owner, I took a seat on the bed.
"Is Max your older brother?"
"Little brother. He's a pain is what he is." May reached for a picture on her desk and showed it to me. The kid in the picture had glasses, and he looked happy next to his smiling sister. At first glance, I never would've guessed they'd be at each others' throats.
"Where is he now?"
"In Petalburg City, with my dad. We're sorta in the process of moving here, which is why my room is so boring. I wanted to stay in Petalburg, but Mom made me move."
"I see," I said, looking away for a moment. I guess after having spent your entire life in one place, you'd want to stay there. Then again, since I went off on my adventure, I had to wonder what the point in being sour about moving, when in the end you weren't home most of the time.
"Well, you'll be going on your Pokemon adventure soon, so it doesn't matter, does it?"
"Actually, I don't care about that," May said, taking a seat in her desk chair. "I'm just getting a Pokemon so I can go traveling. I have no interest in catching Pokemon or anything like that."
"Really? Well, that's your choice, but I think you should give it a shot."
"Trust me, Star, I know what I'm saying." May seemed adamant, but I pushed the subject a bit more.
"Maybe you'll change your mind when you get your Pokemon! I never thought about going on an adventure of my own, you know. When I was nine, Mom got me Vulpix, saying she did it because she didn't want me to leave when I turned ten. For a time, I didn't care about it, until my friend Deneb left on his own adventure. When I started out, it was all about following Deneb, but eventually I started liking my adventure for what it was."
"Nice story, Star, but trust me when I say I know what I want. Now, how about we get Mom to buy us something to eat?" Before I could even answer, May left the room, no doubt to avoid any further discussion regarding Pokemon.
I could tell she truly meant it, about wanting to use the Pokemon solely to get out on the road. However, there was something she was holding back, a fear of something, probably Pokemon itself. I noticed while I told my story, May didn't make direct eye contact, as if her secret would be brought into the light. Being a simple guest in her house, I wasn't about to start pushing the matter, but I didn't want to let it go, either.
May also said her brother Max was her younger sibling, meaning she was the eldest. Considering I was roughly a year older than her, a thought struck me on the spot. I looked down at Vulpix, who was busy etching the room into memory.
"What do you think, girl? Would I make a good big sister?" The fox licked my nose, which was all the convincing I needed. May walked back into the room a while later, though food was still not available from the look of things.
"Mom said she'll be back with something to eat. Want to play a game while we wait? I'm sure I have something we can both play here." It was only now that I noticed the video game console next to the TV.
"May, you're the eldest child, right?"
"Yeah, why'd you ask?" She continued to sift through her collection of video games, not giving it anymore thought.
"Ever wonder what it would be like to be the little sister?" May froze in place, turning her head towards me.
"What are you getting at, Star?"
"Vulpix and I think you need some guidance! You don't know what you want to do, and you're just scared! We'll help you find your true calling with Pokemon!" Vulpix barked afterwards, while May's shock became clearly visible on her face.
"And just what do you two have in mind?" I simply smiled.
"Probably won't need much, if you're already thinking of Vulpix as more than just a Pokemon."
~o~
After we had dinner, which was absolutely delicious and free, despite my offer to compensate with some of my own money, the two of us returned to May's room to begin the Big Sister Program. May, of course, wasn't exactly on board with it all.
"It's kind of hard taking advice from a girl who looks like she should be on the playground," she said, doing her best to ignore me and focus on the video game on her TV screen. It looked to be something out of a fantasy movie, with monsters and swords and stuff.
"Being the big sister doesn't mean I have to look the part, just know the part! Why don't you just tell me why you're so against becoming a Pokemon trainer!"
"I just don't wanna!" May screamed childishly back at me. I couldn't help but giggle a bit, especially once she realized how that came out.
"I meant, I don't want to, because- I just don't!" She huffed.
"Vulpix, Tackle her!" Upon hearing my command, May spun around to see me pointing at her. Vulpix wasn't actually going to attack her, she knew better than to actually hurt a person, unless it was Team Rocket or something. Still, May instantly ducked for cover once Vulpix eyed her as well, thinking the fox capable of doing it. That act alone pretty much solidified my initial assessment.
"What happened, May? Why are you afraid of Pokemon?"
I admit, I was surprised when May actually decided to share her story. She explained that when she was little, she was surrounded by a school of Tentacool, and cried out for her parents to save her. Both her parents were trainers, so they rushed to her aid, though not quite the way she expected. Because of her swimsuit colors, her parents mistook her at a distance for a Tentacool, and tried to catch her instead. The Tentacool became a bit hostile after that, but directed their anger towards her parents. Since then, she's been a bit scared of Pokemon in general, fearful that at any time they could overrun her.
"So you see," she said, capping off the tale, "I don't want to have anything to do with Pokemon! Unfortunately, it's the only way I'll be allowed to go traveling, so I have to get a Pokemon when I turn ten. I just don't want to have anything more to do with them!"
"I'm sorry, May," I said, truly apologetic for having been so insensitive. "I didn't know."
"Yeah, well, it's okay. I didn't mean to get so mad, either." There was a bit of silence in the room following that, neither of us wanting to break it. It was only after her mom called out for some desert that May chipped in one last thing.
"Thanks, Star."
"For what?"
"For being so nice. You're not a bad big sister, you know?"
I gave May a smile, my heart almost melting from the appreciation. You can bet your life savings I'd confront Mom once I got back home again. Why didn't I have a sister or brother of my own?
~o~
The next morning, I went to Professor Birch's lab on my own. May politely offered to accompany me, but she made it pretty clear she didn't want to go. Rather than force her along for the ride, I thanked her and her mom again for letting me stay the night. Just across town, I knocked on the door, hoping the professor was in already.
"Come in!" A voice called through the door. Taking the invitation, I turned the knob and went inside.
Like Professor Oak's and Elm's, this laboratory was hardly any different. A bunch of machines and an overall white color scheme dominated. However, unlike the other two, there were all sorts of maps plastered on one wall. Hoenn was the prominent map, but I also saw smaller ones of Kanto, Johto, and a couple other regions I didn't recognize, including one that looked like a giant desert. I didn't know there existed such a region, so I assumed it was just a close up of a desert in some other region.
"Can I help you, miss?" Professor Birch signaled for me to come closer to his desk while he arranged some paperwork. Unlike the older Professor Oak, or the much younger Elm, Birch was somewhere in between, probably in his late 30s or early 40s. His white lab coat was unusually dirty, as if he had been rolling around in dirt for a while. Vulpix stayed behind me the entire time, apprently not liking the Professor's appearance or something.
"Professor Birch?"
"That's me, unless you're here to serve me a subpoena, in which case I am not." The humor in the joke flew right over my head.
"Um, no. My name is Star, and I came to get a trainer card. Brawly of Dewford Island sent me." To get Birch started right away, I handed him my Johto card and the Knucklebadge, which he took in hand with a pleasant surprise.
"Wow, quite the accomplished trainer. Pulled a fast one on Brawly to win this badge, I take it?"
"N-Not exact- I mean, I didn't mean to! Since the SS Aqua had to stop in Dewford, I figured why not take advantage of the opportunity?" Birch just laughed a bit as he slid across to the side of the desk where his computer was.
"No need to explain opportunity to me, Star; in my line of work, it's the holy grail."
"What is your line of work?" I asked, just before adding, "I mean, I know you're a professor, but what part of Pokemon do you study?"
"Habitats. That's where Pokemon live and how they live naturally. Familiar with Elm's field, that you're asking?" Birch started punching in all sorts of information on the computer.
"I met with Professor Elm because of Professor Oak. They spent hours talking about Pokemon research with Mr Pokemon." A day filled with learning and boredom.
"Quite the learned little scholar! Not many trainers get the chance to discuss Pokemon with such a crowd, short of becoming a professor yourself. Almost done here, just another few seconds." Birch started typing even faster, as if trying to make some unknown deadline.
"There's no hurry, Professor. I know you're busy and all."
"No, actually I'm done and the hurry is necessary. See, my work is out there, not in here. Here I just push papers around; out there is where the real action is!"
Birch went silent for a moment as he punched in a few more keys. The computer started to whir a bit before it produced a brand new trainer card, the same picture of me featuring Vulpix in the foreground on the side and a whole new ID number beneath it. Birch also took the liberty of attaching the Knucklebadge onto the card for me before handing it over.
"All set! You're now registered in the Hoenn League. As I'm sure Brawly told you, you can get on any computer here and check out the rules and regulations. They are a bit different from Johto."
"Thank you, Professor. Is there anything else?"
"Actually..." He eyed me closely, putting his hand to his chin as he tried to remember something After a moment, he snapped his fingers. "I thought I recognized you! You're the trainer from that news report!"
"News report?" I thought back for a minute, remembering Gabby and Ty from outside the Oceanic Museum.
"Yeah, you were on there, talking about the incident at the museum. You're becoming quite the media sensation here, you know. If you want my advice: stay away from that Gabby. She doesn't know when to call it quits, and she'll probably hound you half way around the world until she gets the story she wants." Birch didn't need to offer that piece of advice. I didn't have anything against Gabby or Ty, but I also didn't want my movements broadcast on TV. I'm camera shy, you know.
"Thanks again, Professor, I'll keep that in mind." I turned to be on my way, when Birch called out again.
"Oh! One final thing, Star. Mind giving me your Pokegear number?"
"Sure thing. But why?"
"There's going to be a conference between professors coming up soon, and I'd like to get Oak's input on something. Since you seem to know him, I thought you'd might like to accompany me to Pallet Town for it." A trip back home?
"When?"
"Not sure, but it's coming up in a couple months, maybe. Don't know if you'll be able, but I'll keep you informed, if you want." I snapped on my Pokegear and scoured the interface for my own number.
"Here it is. I'm on my way to Rustboro City to get it fixed, but I'd love you go with you! I'm from Pallet Town, you know."
"Great! Then I'll stay in touch. Good luck out there, Star!"
Once outside, I kneeled down to assemble my bike. Vulpix watched intently as I did, as she usually did.
"Well, girl, looks like we have our ride back home! Let's try and see as much of Hoenn as we can, so that we can travel back home with the Professor!" Vulpix barked as she hopped into the basket on the bike.
"Then it's a deal! Let's get moving!"