Children of Blackthorn

Chapter One

Tanis had never quite seen anything like it, though she had heard rumors that there were Pokémon that were coloured differently from most of their species, but when she spotted that yellow-green shaded Pidgey just outside of Violet City, she knew that she wanted to catch it. The only problem was that someone else was in the middle of trying to do just that. But they were obviously either inexperienced regarding Pokémon or they were just plain cruel.

She had to bite her tongue and dig her nails into her palms to keep from storming over and teaching the boy a lesson he wouldn't soon forget. Had the boy been older than he was she would be on him already. He was young and stupid.

"Worthless piece of crap."

Tanis sucked in a breath and clenched her eyes shut.

"Stupid thing fainted."

She heard his footsteps as he started walking away, the sound fading. When she could no longer hear him tromping through the tall grass and muttering to himself she snapped her eyes open.

She had to force her fists to unclench at the sight; blood seeping from every injury. Feathers were strewn about the grass.

"Oh, god," she moaned, as if his pain was hers. She approached quickly and knelt beside him, her hands hesitating to touch. She scooped the heavily injured Pidgey into her arms gingerly, wincing when he let out a soft, pained squawk. "Don't die. For the love of god, don't die."

And then she was running.

"NURSE JOY!" she shouted frantically, her sight blurred by tears.

"Oh, dear! What happened?"

"Some idiot happened," Tanis spat angrily, her voice cracking. "He's wild, but he's severely injured, and I-I—"

"Chansey!" the local Nurse called to her trusted healing Pokémon. "We have our work cut out for us today!" The urgency in Nurse Joy's voice registered in the Chansey's mind and she hurried to bring out a gurney.

The pink pair took the yellow-green Pidgey from Tanis, and all she could see was the red "Operating" sign. She sat for a very long time, her eyes glued up above the doors to the operating room. She hated this. It was too familiar. Hours seemed to pass in a painstakingly slow manner, largely uninterrupted as Tanis sat, then started fidgeting and resorted to pacing, then sitting again. Finally she stopped staring at the illuminated sign. Her head hung in her hands, her elbows propped up on her knees. She'd done this before, and it had been heart wrenching to sit there, unknowing and worried out of her mind. It was the same today.

Tanis didn't hear the murmuring coming from the Center's lobby, and she barely paid any attention to the footsteps that softly headed her way. The seat beside her shifted as the person sat, his hands clasped and his elbows on his knees. There was silence as he thought of what to say. "I heard that you… came in here with a strangely coloured Pidgey."

She swallowed thickly, her throat dry. "I did," she croaked, not looking up. Years ago, she'd felt this way.

"I…" the young man beside her sighed, not sure what to say; he didn't want to upset her any more than she already was. "I've never… seen a shiny Pokémon before."

"'Shiny'?" she asked, just barely peeking over to see who was keeping her company. Years ago, it had been Zeus, her Dragonair, her precious first Pokémon that she had raised from an egg, on a similar gurney.

"Yeah," Falkner let his lips curve upward into a very small smile, "That's what we call differently coloured Pokémon; shiny." Tanis almost smiled, too, before she remembered that the shiny Pidgey was still in the operating room and a frown marred her face instead. The gym leader observed the girl for a while, his smile slipping away. He sighed and sat up straight, scratching the back of his head. "You're really lucky, you know?"

Tanis snorted.

"I mean it. You found a shiny Pokémon, and they're really rare. If… no," he shook his head as he corrected himself. "When that Pidgey comes out of there, I think you should keep it."

"I've thought about that…" Tanis sat up as well, though still slumped in her seat lethargically. "When I first saw him I wanted to catch him, but now I'm thinking that it would be best if I didn't keep him." She rubbed her red eyes. "He'd be better off with you, Falkner."

"You're kidding, right?" Falkner turned to look Tanis in the eye. "You were the one that made sure that he got here. He wasn't even yours and you took care of him the best way that you knew how."

Tanis scowled and avoided his gaze. "Can we stop the pep talk? I'm really not feeling it today." She really wasn't. As much as she hated this situation she didn't want his pity or his attempts to get her mind off of what she was dreading.

"Sorry, Tanis," Falkner looked down and away from the girl. "It's just…"

"Don't. Just don't."

He didn't heed her warning. "It's just that he asked me to look out for you; make sure you're okay and all that."

Tanis's eyes narrowed as she peered at the bird trainer. "'He' who?"

Falkner glanced at the suspicious and angry look on her face for a second before looking immediately away. "Lance. Lance called all the gym leaders and some others and asked us to keep an eye on you if you came by."

"Aaaarrrrghhhh! That bastard! Oh, he would, wouldn't he?" she raged, her hands balled into fists, her nails digging crescents into her palms. "He just can't leave me alone, can he? God!" She abruptly stood up and began pacing angrily. "Everything, everything comes back to him, doesn't it? I can't even step into a Pokémon Center without remembering what that rat-bastard did!"

Falkner followed her example and stood up. "Calm down!" he ordered, gripping her shoulders. "You're in a Pokémon Center, Tanis, and you can't throw tantrums like this!"

She looked about ready to jump down his throat in her rage, but she was interrupted.

A soft ding alerted Tanis to the illuminated "Operating" sign going out. She looked to the doors, tenser than before. This was it; the moment of truth. Was he alive? After a few seconds that felt like far longer than they were passed, Nurse Joy and Chansey exited through the double doors. A sigh escaped the nurse's lips; either relieved or disappointed, Tanis couldn't tell.

"He'll be just fine," Nurse Joy said, smiling tiredly. "The Pidgey will heal, but right now, he needs lots of rest."

Tanis felt her knees go weak and she had to use Falkner to keep standing. "Thank god."

He, however, was not expecting the extra weight. "T-Tanis!"