I'm back!
Oh, wow, you have no idea HOW surprised I was when I saw the reviews! Quality over quantity, here more than ever! So, thanks to you amazing people, a new chapter is up sooner than I expected ;)
Of course, that may have something to do with the fact that it's MUCH easier to submit three-page chapters than eight-page chapters, but y'know XD (I'm kind of used to the latter)
So there will be no Pokedex, since Celeste is just on her way to become the best trainer ever, but there will, of course, be Gym badges. I'm taking a few things from the anime (I've only seen the first eight episodes), and I know that Ash was perfectly able to get a couple of badges as a ten-year-old. Granted, I was a little disappointed with the fact that he was simply GIVEN the badges instead of having won battles for them, but it goes to show that a ten-year-old CAN get a few Gym badges. Celeste may be a little different, but I'm trying as hard as I can not to make her a Sue. I want her to actually get Gym badges and make it to the Elite Four, but I do understand that it might take a little while. I'm planning on having her spend a really long time maybe journeying around Sinnoh or leveling up and THEN getting badges, but we'll get there ;)
Disclaimer: Don't own Pokemon. And Cynthia is just about the coolest character I've ever seen other than Lance. Actrually, CxL would be an adorable couple...
x.X.x
I sat glumly on my bed, staring at picture frames on the windowsill like the people I'd seen in movies. Maybe Mespirit would take pity on me and give me a Vulpix if she saw how sad I was. It worked for Lily, the heroine in my favorite movie, so why shouldn't it work for me?
I blew a raspberry and put my chin in my hands, wondering where Lucy was. At this rate, she would be the Champion by the time my journey started. I flopped back onto the mattress, staring up at the ceiling and the glow-in-the-dark stars pasted there.
A weird sound drew my gaze to the floor, where my new Riolu was sitting cross-legged on the carpet and pursing its lips. I raised my eyebrows as it-he, I reluctantly corrected myself-blew out, making a sound similar to the one I made when I tried to whistle. He looked up at me, and a smile broke out on his face as he waved. I huffed, turning away and absently blowing another raspberry as I did. The same noise, though, made me turn back and look over my shoulder accusingly at the little blue thing. His lips were still pursed like mine, and he was blowing as hard as he could. Finally I realized that the little Riolu was trying to copy me, and I snorted and laid back down on the bed with my back to the Pokemon, my face buried in my pillow.
"Rio? Riolu?" came a small squeak from the floor.
"Be quiet," I muttered. "Go downstairs or something."
"Rio-lu," the Pokemon chirped, and I heard little feet pattering toward me. Then a small poke in my shoulder, and shifting of the mattress as he jumped onto the bed with me. Angrily, I threw the covers back and shoved the Riolu back onto the floor.
"Go away! I don't like you!" I exclaimed. "I wanted a Vulpix! Or an Eevee! Not a Riolu!" I ignored the sadness that welled up in his little scarlet eyes as he turned with a tiny, "Rio," and disappeared out the door. I muttered to myself a little, yanking the covers up over my head and watching the blobs of light streaming through the window shift as they filtered through the blanket, clamping my hands over my ears to block out the sound of the tiny whimpers that I could hear all too well hiding behind my bedroom door.
"Go away," I muttered. "Go downstairs or something. I know Dad likes you more than I do." I knew I was being mean, but all of my big plans for my life had just been crushed. I had been counting on at least getting a fire Pokemon, and I'd made different backup plans in case I didn't get the Pokemon I'd been dreaming about since I was seven. Three years ago, my Eevee-obsession had started. I'd just woke up one day and decided I wanted to be a fire-trainer, with my unstoppable Flareon at my side.
Now, of course, that was gone. With a Riolu I'd never be unstoppable.
After a few more minutes I rolled over, hearing the familiar clicking of tiny claws against the hardwood floor and the steady tapping of Mom's slip-on shoes. She was coming up, her Flareon at her side, probably to get mad at me for being so mean to Riolu.
"Celeste?" I didn't expect her voice to be soft and sympathetic, and I rolled over again, my back to my mother. "Are you under there?"
"No," I answered, my voice muffled and hopefully hiding the fact that there were tears in my eyes. Why was I crying? I was mad, darn it!
"C'mon out; let's talk."
Slowly I pushed the covers back and sat up, sniffing as Mom gave a sad smile and combed her fingers through my flame-red hair, trying in vain to smooth it down. She chuckled lightly, shaking her head. "You really hurt Riolu's feelings, you know," she started, and I shifted.
"Sorry," I mumbled, knowing that an apology was needed and it was best just to get it out.
"Now, Celeste, don't give me that halfhearted tone. You don't sound like you're sorry," Mom answered, raising an eyebrow. I shrugged, muttering, "I am."
"Then why don't you apologize to your new Pokemon, not me. Riolu can sense emotions, you know. He'll know if you're sorry or not." I looked up in surprise. That wasn't fair!
I opened my mouth to tell her just that, when I caught sight of a little face peeking around the doorframe.
"Rio?" he asked meekly.
"Um…" I shifted, looking down and thinking that maybe if I didn't make eye-contact he wouldn't know my emotions, like Mom had said. "Sorry." That didn't mean I now liked him, but at least I was kind of sorry. I never meant to hurt any Pokemon's feelings. I was just mad and disappointed.
"Rio, riolu." He sounded like he was sighing, or maybe just resigned. Mom nodded, deciding that was good enough, and smiled kindly at the little Pokemon. Then she turned her gaze on me, still with that warm smile, and said, "Shall we cut the cake now?"
I nodded, almost having forgotten about the triple-chocolate, Pokemon-shaped birthday cake, and she smoothed my hair back again and kissed my forehead, getting up and patting her leg for her Flareon to follow her back into the kitchen. With a last glance over his shoulder at me, Riolu chirped and bounced after them. I blew a raspberry, then stood and trudged down the stairs. Cruel, cruel world. Stupid Mespirit. And Azelf. And Uxie. And Dialga. I still didn't understand why I couldn't have had just one little Vulpix.
I managed to cheer up a little as cake was being served, though both Pokemon in the household kept trying to beg for snacks and scramble up on the table. Mom and Dad each swatted them away, laughing, and from the stairs my Riolu peeked into the kitchen and silently watched.
When we were all finished, a last round of Happy Birthday was sung, and then I went willingly up to my room for the second time that day. Normally I might have played with Flareon or Growlithe, but I couldn't help but feel a little bitter when I thought of being able to play with my Vulpix after dinner. I might have been overreacting, but one couldn't blame a ten year old to act dramatically when her dream-world comes crashing down around her.
I sighed and shut my door, wordlessly sending a message to my parents-and to Riolu-that I didn't want to be disturbed, and flopped down into the chair in front of my PC to kill time until it was reasonable to go to sleep. Then, I went willingly to bed for the first time in my life.
That night, I lay awake thinking. I tried to get myself hyped up about having a Pokemon at all-something little like this wasn't going to get me down! I was still going to be the best Pokemon trainer ever!-but nothing worked. I just couldn't be happy about having a Pokemon I knew nothing about.
Why couldn't Mom or Dad have traded Togetic for something else? Or, better yet, why couldn't they have traded Riolu for an Eevee? Riolu were rare, and Lucario even more so, right? So couldn't they have just kept trading until they found a good fire type? I mean, Riolu were about as tradable as it got-
I stopped thinking for a moment. Then I sat bolt upright as the brightest light bulb I had ever had lit up in my head-we're talking Pikachu-powered, Voltorb-generated, one hundred percent light here, people!
What if my parents didn't have to trade Riolu? What if…
What if I could trade?
I had an ID, I had a Pokemon, I was technically an official trainer, and there was a center for it in Jubilife! It was perfect! Put up a trade for an Eevee or a Vulpix for a Riolu, and bing! My very own fire-type! Then I could keep training as the fire trainer I always wanted to be!
Sure, maybe it would make Mom and Dad a little miffed, but they would understand, right? Right? And Riolu probably wouldn't care much, since I would run all the way to Jubilife and not have any time for bonding on the way there, so it could just be passed right along to the next trainer-one who might actually appreciate fighting types!
Content for the first time that day and thinking that maybe things would turn out okay after all, I drifted off to sleep.
Morning sunlight streamed through the window, and I swung my feet out of bed and bounced down the stairs with my backpack, ID, and Pokeballs. Doing my best to ignore Riolu, who met me at the foot of the steps with a big smile, I met my parents in the kitchen.
"Feeling better?" Dad asked with a grin, and I nodded as my daily pancakes were set in front of me. I had, among other things that I would need for the journey, a big box of pancake batter and anything else I would need to make all the pancakes in the world. I had learned how when I was nine, and I never forgot.
"Ready to start your journey?" Mom's voice came from behind the counter, where she was apparently crouched: looking for something underneath the sink, I guessed. Her Flareon was prancing around on the countertop and waving its tail in Dad's Growlithe's face, who was desperately trying to get up on the ceramic.
"Yup!" I answered through a mouthful of pancakes and syrup.
"Manners, Celeste," Dad scolded gently, and I nodded and swallowed.
"I'm ready!"
"Okay. You remember everything you need? Money, Pokeballs, your cell phone, and changes of clothes to wash at PokeCenters?" my mother asked, and I bounced up and down in my chair, my head bobbing in time with my jumping.
"Yep!" I stuffed another bite of pancakes in my mouth, hopping down from the chair and bringing my plate to the sink.
"Alright, sweetie. Remember to call us at every Pokecenter!"
"Aw, mo-om! Not every Pokecenter! I won't have time for that! Besides, big kids don't need to call their parents all the time!"
"Well, you do. Just call us if something happens, okay? Or if you just get lonely," Mom answered with a laugh. I beamed.
"I won't get lonely! I'll have my Pokemon with me!"
"I'm sure. Now, off you go! Remember, don't talk to strangers, and don't go walking in tall grass or off the trails if your Pokemon aren't up to it, okay?" Dad gave me a big, crinkly-eyed smile, and I ran out into Twinleaf Town, turning around with a wave and bending down to tighten the laces on my running shoes.
"Bye!" I yelled, waving. Mom chuckled, holding Flareon back, and nodded.
"Have fun! Be safe!"
"I will!" With that, I turned and dashed off, already having put Riolu in his Pokeball: I was headed straight for Jubilife.
x.X.x
Tada!
Ooh, Celly has a plan...
Sorry about the freakishly long author-notes at the top ^^;
(And, by the way, I absolutely love long reviews. More than two-sentence reviews, anyway. It makes me feel like you really appreciate the story, somehow...ah, I dunno. You know what I mean)
If you review, I'd love to know what you think about the monster-paragraph at the top. Gym badges, I mean, not that paragraph itself ;D
Thanks!