KANTO REGION

2004

Spark was walking up the sidewalk to the Allard residence when Noir was leaving. He could see the excitement in the boy's face- the way it transformed his usual stoic features to something more light-hearted. A bit like Blanche when she was talking about her potential Garados. Then again, it was probably the hair that had them resemble so much.

Platinum, not white, he recited. Blanche had checked.

Noir did not say anything when he passed in the vehicle, and Spark didn't expect him to… Though the brown-haired boy still turned half-way and raised his hand. The father had the decency to smile, and it was enough.

He would cut Noir some slack today. After all, it was his day. THE day.

The day when every ten-year old went to see the Professor and get their starter Pokemon to begin their journey.

Not that it should be a big deal for Noir, Spark thought after. Blanche said he already had a Pidgeot, and she'd wondered out loud if that was even allowed.

"Probably is," he told her, "He's just a pet."

"Noir doesn't have pets," she told him exasperatedly. "You should have seen him when he was training it when it was a Pidgeotto."

He couldn't remember what he said to that... Probably told her something about ascribing genders to Pokémon.

He walked straight into the house, and poked his head around the kitchen doorway.

"Good mor-," he begun, but then cut off when she saw Blanche's mother there, hunched over the sink, back towards him. Her body was racked with silent sobs.

It's alright, Spark.

The seven-year-old tore himself away from the scene, just noticing Lucario in the room.

But she's…

It's alright. Go find Blanche. She's with her Magikarp.

Spark spared a glance backward, before walking towards the backdoor. I could just ask Blanche, he thought, trying to tear the image from his brain.

He spotted Blanche immediately near her pool tank. Clad in her wetsuit, she was sitting on the edge, dangling her feet in the water. Even with the distance, Spark could see that whatever was bothering her mother was affecting her too.

"Hey," he called, "How's…?" He watched the Magikarp a little more closely. "That's not Finn."

"I didn't give it a name."

"You put him back," he said, accusation creeping into his tone. "You said you were going to keep him."

She looked at him. "He wasn't strong enough," she said with a sigh. Her eyes seemed very far away.

Spark walked up the steps to take a seat next to her.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing… Everything… I don't know."

He retracted a bit. Blanche tended to talk when she was ready. And just then wasn't that time.

"You gave Finn to Professor Oak again?" he said, trying to attempt conversation.

She shook her head. "I was going to, but he wasn't in. I met Professor Willow."

"Who?"

"He's a trainee professor or something. He said he'd give me some kind of special candy for… Finn… Even though he was injured."

"Injured? But you said…?"

"Noir's Pidgeot got him. If I wasn't outside…"

Spark took that in.

"How injured are we talking?" he asked softly, internally wishing he could punch Noir's face in.

"Can you imagine a fish limping?"

"Ermm… No. Well, kinda…If I imagine the legs and…"

She hit his arm, with a chuckle. "You get it. His fins were in pretty bad shape."

"So you didn't give him away because he wasn't strong enough. You sent him to be healed."

"Both," she said, "If he were stronger, he would've…"

"Mightily splashed a Pidgeot?" he finished.

"Well, something!"

"Why do you even love Magikarp so much? They're lame…. Sorry big guy," he called down to the Magikarp in the pool.

She watched him. "I like… their potential."

"Potential? But they could take years to evolve! And in this stage, how could you even like something that has no survival instinct?"

"Evolution is mystical."

"Normal people would just have said magical," he said with a grin.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Like you'd be friends with a normal person."

"No, probably not."

They sat in silence, albeit with the sloshing sound of water against the pool's edge.

"You wanna go for ice cream or something?" Spark said finally.

"I'd love that," she replied without a pause.

"How are the Caterpie?" Blanche asked, slipping into the seat.

Spark sat opposite her. "You mean the ones that my dad were taking care of? They're okay. The hard bit is keeping them out of sight from the Spearows."

"I'll take a Spearow any day… instead of that Pidgeot."

"They're more scary than they look. Bit like Pidgeys, just less tame."

"Hmmm.."

"You don't have to worry about Noir anymore though. So why…?"

Blanche opened her mouth to answer just when a familiar vehicle drove past the shop window. "Hey, your brother! That took a while. They were leaving when I was coming to see you."

"Oh."

He flashed a concerned look in her direction, and then back at the car. They didn't turn. They weren't going back home.

"Is your dad dropping Noir off somewhere?" he asked her softly, already knowing the answer.

"No. He…"

Spark looked at her and saw the tears welling up in her eyes.

"He's not coming back home."

He'd never seen Blanche cry, he realised. And he wished he never had to again. She was completely out of reach and he knew, nothing he said could be enough.