Hikari's Sinnoh Adventures
Author's Note: Okay, well, I just got back from vacation yesterday, and then school's about to start in a few days, so things are getting a little hectic around here. But I was able to put this chapter together. And I decided to go with the story being in first person. From reading To Kill a Mockingbird (Good book!), I realized that I really like first person, more personal when reading, so yeah, lol.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or its characters or franchise, etc. And certain dialogues used in this chapter are quoted directly from the video game.
Chapter 2: Go Away, Kenji!
"Auuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugh," I yawned, face down into my pillow. I had that feeling that one sometimes gets: knowing you're conscious, but still feeling as if you're asleep; and I didn't think I could move my body just yet, either. It felt heavy, or maybe it was just the blankets I had. Eventually, I was able to roll over and onto my back, thankfully without falling off the bed…again. 8:00 a.m. That's what the clock read. That was barely morning for me! I would have just gone back to sleep, if it weren't for my mother calling for me from the bottom of the stairs. My eyes popped open, clearly annoyed by my sudden need to wake up. "What now?" I mouthed to my ceiling, too lazy to actually speak out. Considering I was alone, I didn't feel the need to say anything aloud. But what could my mother possibly need from me that couldn't wait until a couple hours later, when I normally got up?
At least this interval of consciousness didn't interrupt any good dreams I occasionally have. The one I had just had was a strange one, though; however blurry and vague in my memory it is now, it was still a weird one indeed. Something about clowns and Pokéballs…or was it mimes? Now that I think it about it, my dream may have just been in black and white, and that would just be weird itself. I don't think I usually have my dreams in –
"Hikari! Are you awake yet, dear?" screeched my mom from down below. Well, maybe it wasn't quite screeching, but at 8 in the morning, it sure seemed like it. I decided to just try and drown her out by putting the pillow over my face. No use. She called again, and I could still hear her muffled voice, loud and – well, muffled. So, seeing as she wasn't intending on giving up anytime soon, I begrudgingly sat up, pulled my blankets and sheets off me and to the side, dragged myself to my bedroom door, swung it open, and croaked, "I'm coming, Mom!" My voice apparently was still not quite awake, as it cracked as I spoke. And although I'm sure I sounded as cranky as one could get as I responded to my mom, I was also sure she would have taken no notice, her being oblivious to anything but her own dreamy world.
I took a step forward, and suddenly my television turned on. It surprised me, but I realized I had only stepped on the remote control. The TV started flashing the news, and I instinctively picked up the remote and turned up the volume to see what they were talking about. A roar emitted from the TV as the volume grew louder; it sounded like a Pokémon. A red Gyarados was what they were speaking of, it seemed. "Despite the exploration team's best efforts, however, the rare, oddly colored Pokémon eluded detection. The rumored red Gyarados failed to appear, even fleetingly, to the crestfallen team…" announced the reporter. "That concludes our special report, 'Search for the Red Gyarados!' Brought to you by Jubilife TV on Nationwide Net! See you next time, same time, same channel!" That was the end of the program. A commercial appeared on the screen next, and that's when I turned off the TV and headed back to my doorway.
I stomped down the stairs, almost tripping as I neared the bottom step. Heaven forbid should I have another accident on the staircase. That would be, maybe, the third one this month? Or fourth? I've lost track; maybe all of the head injuries I've endured during those falls damaged my memory. But continuing to the kitchen, I found my mother, Ayako, bustling about, then stationing herself at the stove, happily cooking away, making this morning's breakfast. She turned to me, a wide grin on her face, which seemed to make her face glow. She had the same shade of dark blue hair as I had, only shorter, and the same type of face, only hers seemed to be quite a few years older than myself.
"Good morning, Hikari! It's about time you got out of bed!" beamed my mother cheerily as she turned to face me.
I grunted to her, "Morning," then I sat myself down to the breakfast table, muttering about how it was earlier than usual that I had awakened, and wondering how in the world she could be so jovial this early in the morning. Of course, she could not hear me, for I didn't say it loud enough. As bothersome as she may have been every now and then, she was still pleasant to have around. 'Oh, that Ayako, always in an annoyingly good mood,' I thought, making my mouth form a small smile.
After she finished cooking the scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast, she slid them onto a plate and set them on the table as I had gotten myself a glass of milk. I realized how hungry I was as I saw the scrumptious food laid before me. I thanked my mother, and soon the meal was devoured. "So, why did you wake me up so early today, anyways?" I inquired, after swallowing my last bit of food.
"Oh, that's right! I had almost forgotten!" Her sudden abruptness in the response made me jump a little in my seat.
"...Yes?" I said slowly, waiting for her to continue.
"Kenji came by earlier." I groaned at hearing his name.
'Oh, so it was Kenji's fault I had to wake up this early. Great,' I thought dully.
"I don't know what it was about, but he said it was an emergency," my mother carried on.
"It's always an emergency," I retorted as I rolled my eyes. Sure, he was my best friend, but he sure could get on one's nerves sometimes, and when he always had some crazy idea and would want to rush and drag me off, it was never something worthwhile. My mother just smiled at me in amusement. I failed to see what was so funny; after all, it was true. He always reacted in exaggerated ways. "So…" I began, knowing the answer to my upcoming question, "I guess I should go and see what he wants, then?"
"Aren't you curious as to what he wants?"
'Not particularly.' "Yeah, I guess so," I sighed. Pushing my chair away from the table, I stood up and went to the kitchen doorway. "I'll be back a little later, then!"
"Have fun, dear!" Yeah, with Kenji, things were always 'fun'. "Oh, yes! Hikari! One more thing, don't go into the tall grass. Wild Pokémon might attack you. It would be okay if you had your own Pokémon, but you don't, so…"
"Yeah, do you have to keep bringing that up, Mom? I'll get one soon enough, but the Pokémon Professor has been gone for four years, anyways," I grumbled to her and left the room. 'And they've never attacked before; why would they start now?'
I went out the front door and made my way leisurely to Kenji's house. I assumed it was nothing too important; he was just his usual impatient self with a load of wild plans, but I figured that whatever it was, it could wait a couple more minutes. I greeted the neighbors delightfully; we had a lovely town, and although nothing much happened, at least everyone was friendly. And they were always willing to lend a helping hand when needed. It was a beautiful day, and I was almost glad to actually be up this early.
As I approached Kenji's front door, it flung inside, and Kenji came bounding out, right into me. Not only was I a klutz, so was he. He made a loud thud as he bumped into me and exclaimed, "What was that about!?" Yeah, like it was my fault. But before I got the chance to say something, he went on, "Oh, hey, Hikari! Hey! I'm going to the lake! You come, too! And be quick about it! Okay, Hikari? I'm fining you $1,000,000 if you're late!" He started to leave then came right back around. "Oh, jeez! Forgot something!" And with that, he bolted back into his house. Not wanting to just wait outside, I entered in after him.
I was welcomed by his mother, who was happy to see me, said that Kenji had come back in and up to his room, and went off into her own world (like my mother, I guess all parents do that), wondering who Kenji had taken after. I departed from the downstairs, went up the staircase, into the hallway, and into his room. "…I'd better take my Bag and Journal, too…" I heard him say to himself. He looked up from his computer at which he had been sitting, and acknowledged me once again. "Oh, hey, Hikari! We're going to the lake! I'll be waiting on the road! It's a $10,000,000 fine if you're late!" Then he pushed past me and hurried out the door.
To myself, I asked, "Is it just me, or did the fine just go up $9 million?" I sighed and followed him once again. Leaving the house, I headed towards the town's entrance. That boy was a speedy one, alright. He was nowhere to be seen, that is, until I walked a little farther down the path. There I spotted his bright yellow hair up ahead attached to the rest of his gangly body, waiting anxiously for me. He stood there, tapping his foot on the ground restlessly, with the look of "Hurry up!" written on his face.
As I caught up to him, he said in a purposely dark and quiet way, "Hey, you saw that news report that was on TV, right? You know, "Search for the Red Gyarados!" His voice started rising and became excited again. "The mysterious appearance of the furious Pokémon in a lake!"
"Yes," I replied flatly. I didn't like where this was going.
"That show got me thinking…" he carried on.
'Of course it did. Here it goes,' I thought, somehow knowing what he was going to say next. He looked deep in thought, so I guess what he said fit his appearance.
"I'll bet our local lake has a Pokémon like that in it, too! So, that's what we're gonna do. We'll go find a Pokémon like that!" Kenji seemed so excited, what a character he was.
"Oh, come on, Kenji, you know there's nothing there." As fun as it would have been to have something in the lake, I doubted there was anything. Kenji had such a childish air about him, but I guess he was only 10. Then again, so was I. Although we grew up together, somehow I seemed to mature a bit more than he had. I would like to have believed there was something there; it would have been really awesome. But being more reasonable than he was, I acted in a more logical manner, and I just didn't believe there would be anything.
He just waved off what I said and told me in a smug tone that I wasn't as fun as I used to be and that I need to be more open-minded. I wondered, how many times had we gone to Lake Verity to hang out? And we never saw anything out of the ordinary while we were there.
I sighed and decided to amuse him by going. Apparently I had to lead the way, though, as he went behind me. I was wondering whether he was afraid or something, and he would rather something happen to me first than him. After raising an eyebrow at him, I turned back towards the Lake and started off, with him right behind me. I could tell he was still excited and eager to get there, but I kept at an even pace.
We soon arrived at the entrance of Lake Verity; it was a thicket of trees surrounding the lake, but it wasn't too long that we entered the small forest before seeing light at the end along with Lake Verity.
Author's Note: Okay, that concludes this chapter! I know Hikari's personality is way different than in the anime, and for fans of her, I also apologize for that difference. But seeing as I'm taking it from the video game, she doesn't necessarily have a defined personality in it (she never really talks). I like her this way, but I guess that's just because she's the way I would want her to act while playing the game. But I hope this one is still likable to you all, too. If not, please let me know, and maybe I can change her a little to make her more charismatic, lol.
Any comments and/or criticisms (just not flames) are very much welcome! And I'd like to thank those who have read and those who have reviewed. I really appreciate it!
