BTW, Sophie (who I made up) is one of Ash's rivals. You know how Ash had three rival trainers from Pallet? There you go. ^_^.
***
"They say Pokemon came from the stars."
"That's stupid."
"But, they didn't exist a thousand years ago."
"It's still stupid. Nobody can come from the stars."
"You think too scientifically."
"That's how I'm supposed to think."
Aurora
by Leto
Part 1
"Aurorae are the birthplaces of the stars."
"Don't phrase it like that. It sounds too romantic when you say that."
"It's not a straightforward topic, is it? The birth of a star... it lives as we do, watching everything that happens around it."
"Stop talking like that. I've told you dozens of times. You play with words too much."
"I can't play with anything else, can I?"
"You're 12 years old. Stop acting like a child."
"I am a child."
***
My name is Aurora. Destined to follow in my father's footsteps, that's right. So, I'm meant to go into astronomy. That's kind of a cool science - comparatively speaking, lots of scope for an imagination, but not what I want to do at all.
There are other things in life, aren't there. Stars, for all they see, aren't alive after all. You can talk to a star, but it won't respond. You can't make friends with it, unless you're a bit strange in the head.
I'm in all accelerated classes, I skipped a year level at school and got seperated from all my friends. Dad keeps sticking me in all these ridiculous national science competitions. I won a couple, placed well in others, but it's not my strength.
And it's not enough for him. Of my best friends... one was left a year behind me after I got put ahead, another left to become a Pokemon trainer, and the other left to do Pokemon photography. I lost my friends but my Dad still thinks I'm not doing enough to reach my - or his - goal.
To do things with living things, that'd be great. Instead, I'm left looking up at the dark night sky through my father's telescope...
Looking up there and wondering about what my friend - who I never get to see now I'm in high school - said. That Pokemon once came from the stars.
***
- two weeks later -
Woah, I was just watching TV, and I saw my old friend! A competition for Pokemon Master? She always mentioned that phrase, but I never learnt a lot about Pokemon.
I think there must be a real future in Pokemon training.
If I could've asked someone else, I would've, but I don't have a mother, so I went to Dad.
"Dad, how does someone become a Pokemon trainer?"
"Eh? Oh, I don't know. Get a license, I suppose." He was busy, a bit irritable, so I should've known better than to disturb him. But I couldn't really stop myself.
"A license? What sort of license?"
"A trainer's license, so you can hold Pokemon. Now if you don't mind, Aurora, I have to finish this. You can help me, if you like."
I peeked over his shoulder. Pages of equations.
"Uh, no thanks. I was just wondering."
Trainer's license...
***
"Oh, hello there Aurora! I haven't seen you in a long time! How are things?"
"Hi Mrs Slater. Not too bad. I saw your daughter on TV a couple of days ago."
"Oh yes, she's gotten so far, hasn't he?"
I smiled. "Anyway, I was actually curious about Pokemon training myself."
"You want to become a trainer?"
"Oh, no! I was just wondering... how anyone would go about it."
"Well, in Pallet, when someone turns 10 years old they're allowed to get a trainer's license. It doesn't cost anything, and you get some Pokeballs and a Pokedex to take along with you for free, as well as your own starting Pokemon."
"Starting Pokemon?"
"There are three choices, a grass Pokemon, fire or water."
"Where do you get a license from?"
"Well, Professor Oak is the local Pokemon graduate, he's the one Sophie got her license from. But no more applications are being accepted this year."
"Oh, that's okay. I was only just wondering anyway. Thanks a lot, Mrs Slater."
"You're leaving so soon?"
"I gotta, sorry. My Dad's expecting me."
"Have fun, then!"
She smiled before turning back into her house. Fun... I don't think I've had fun in my life.
***
I went back home, opened the front door and was about to walk in when my Dad walked into the front corridor and stood in front of me. He didn't look pleased.
"Hi, Dad."
"Sneaking around behind my back!" he replied.
"Um...?"
"I just spoke to Mrs Slater on the phone. She said you were asking about Pokemon training?"
In a small town, everyone talks.
"Oh, don't worry. I don't want to be a Pokemon trainer, I was just wondering..."
"Yeah, that's what you always do! Can't you focus your curiousity into something relevent? Look at this, Aurora. I found something that might interest you."
I perked up as he left the room, and returned with a leaflet.
"See this?"
"Scholarship... study... NASA...?"
I skim-read it, and my heart sank. Well, not literally, as my Dad would say, but I like the phrase. I don't want to go study overseas. Isn't it enough I lost all my friends?
"It's a great opportunity, Aurora."
"I'm not going," I said finally. It was hard to say.
"You're going to try, and try your best. I've already signed you up. You do the qualifying exam tomorrow."
"Thanks for asking," I said, and turned into my room.
***
"The results are in," he said. It was a few weeks later.
I tried to take the envelope from him but he wouldn't give it to me. He slit open the envelope and pulled out the paper.
I could see by the way his knuckles turned faintly white that I'd done as expected.
"This mark isn't good enough, Aurora," he said finally, and I knew this wouldn't be the end of it.
"This mark is nowhere NEAR good enough! What sort of stupid daughter have I raised?"
I ran past him into my room. My bedroom, my only refuge. Whenever Dad got mad, which wasn't very often, he scared me.
I needed a lock on my door. He simply barelled in after me, continuing his tirade.
"Don't you care about your future? Did you even try? You could've done better. You know you could've."
I didn't answer, just hugged my knees anxiously. I wished he'd drop it. The worst part was that he was right, I hadn't tried. And I didn't want to.
Sometimes when you can't escape physically, you can in your mind. I just closed my eyes, squeezed them shut hard until I could see stars. But these stars weren't unfriendly and distant like the ones my father saw, or the ones he saw for me.
They were a different sort...
***
That night, I silently crept out of the house. Some part of me, the writer in me, was thinking about what an exciting adventure this was, and how I was just like someone in a movie.
The common sense side, the one that Dad had drilled into me, told me I was being stupid and melodramatic.
I told it to shut up. That scientific part of me hadn't gotten me anywhere with its analytical reasoning. So there was no reason to listen to it now.
Professor Oak wouldn't give out any more Pokemon this year. But I didn't know of any other people who know anything about Pokemon who wouldn't talk to my father. Maybe he could give me a clue.
I knew where his house was. Everyone in Pallet does. We're not a huge town, and his house is beyond anyone else's.
I saw his mansion up on the hill, and started to walk up.
Then I checked myself, and looked at my watch. 2:05. I didn't think he would appreciate a call at this hour. So I curled up under a tree where I hoped nobody would find me, and went to sleep...
***
"Hey! Hey, kid! Yo, wake up!"
I blinked, vaguely aware that someone was shouting at me.
"Kid! WAKE UP!"
I cringed. I hate it when people shout at me. But I made more of an effort and shook my head tiredly. Sleeping on the ground isn't terrifically comfortable.
I looked at my watch in shock. 10:15! Why do I always sleep in so late?
Whoever was shouting at me was getting annoyed because I still wasn't paying attention to them. I felt a foot kick at me, and lost my temper. I'm not a morning person. I grabbed the foot and swung my arm out, so my waker fell over.
Then I shook my head again and looked properly at the world around me.
A boy around my age sat on the ground nearby, glaring at me and rubbing his foot.
I glared right back. "Why'd you wake me up?"
He snapped, "Well, I'm sooo sorry but I'm not used to finding complete strangers asleep on my property."
"This isn't your property, it's Professor Oak's."
"Close enough. I live here, anyway. Professor Oak's my grandfather. Don't tell me you didn't know that, kid!"
"Why're you calling me kid? You're no older than me."
I realised now that I was in the wrong, but I was still grumpy after being woken up. I thought he was going to lose his temper or something but instead he just laughed.
"Oh, probably not," he agreed. "Anyway, what's the story, kid?"
"The story is... well, I'll tell you if you cut out calling me 'kid'."
He grinned. "Sure thing, kid."
I hit him.
"Okay, okay. What's the deal?"
"Can I trust you?"
He looked surprised. "Some big secret, is it? Yeah, you can trust me."
I wasn't sure about that, but there wasn't much choice. I told him how I'd run away and wanted to start a Pokemon journey.
"Oh, no problem," he interrupted, as soon as I mentioned Pokemon, "any Pokemon questions you've got, feel free to ask me! I, Gary Oak, am a Pokemon Master!"
I blinked at him. "Pokemon Master? My friend Sophie mentioned that to me... she was on TV a few weeks ago in some competition."
"She was? Sophie, from Pallet? Hah, I beat her easily! My Blastoise thrashed her Charizard!"
I think I looked rather blank. "Blastoise? Charizard? Look, *kid* -" - he grinned - "- I don't know anything about Pokemon except the ones I've seen people with."
"How can you NOT know anything about Pokemon?" he asked, apparently surprised.
"Well, my Dad never really encouraged it... anyway, you said you can answer anything. How can I start my Pokemon journey?"
"You can't," he said, still surprised. "If your parents don't encourage it. You need to get their consent if you're under 18."
I muttered something unrepeatable under my breath.
"The reason I want to be a trainer is to get AWAY from my parent and be on my own."
He looked at me thoughtfully. "I don't think Gramps would let you. He's sorta out of Pokemon, and he doesn't want to do anything that would get him in trouble with the law."
"I know, I know," I sighed, "I guess I was just hoping he could point me in the right direction."
"Well, what you need for a journey is a Pokemon, Pokeballs, a place to store your Pokeballs after you've got more than six Pokemon - a trainer can only carry six at a time and the rest go into storage," he added, after seeing my blank expression. "A Pokedex is good, but not really necessary... hmm..."
I didn't really know what he was talking about, but I just nodded.
"Alright!" he announced suddenly, after musing to himself for a minute, "I'll help you!"
"Umm... why?"
"Don't be so suspicious! Anything to get some new blood from Pallet out there in the world of trainers. Also, you're kinda cute."
I grinned at him. I hadn't known him long, but I felt relaxed around him. So I thought I probably could trust him, since I don't make friends easily.
"Only 'kinda'?"
"Would you like to join my fanclub? We're up to over 200 members!"
I sweatdropped again. "You have a fanclub?"
"Of course! How could I not?"
I couldn't help laughing. "Umm, maybe I'll join after I've learnt more about Pokemon."
"Oh, okay. Make sure you do, okay? We've now got membership cards and a free Gary Oak t-shirt. Membership is only nine ninety-five, but I could give you a discount if you like."
That finished me. This kid, my age, who was fairly good looking but mostly just like every other kid I've seen, who was sitting in the dirt just like every little kid, was telling me all about his fanclub in a promotional voice.
He looked at me with a mildly disapproving expression as I started howling with laughter.
"Methinks you're not taking me seriously."
"Methinks," I gasped, "you're right. But, you know what they say, don't look a gift horse in the mouth."
He stood up and pulled me to my feet.
"Well, let's go find you what you need then."
***
Gary led me into his house, or his grandfather's house, whatever. He waved to an old man, who I recognised from TV. That was Professor Oak, alright.
"Hey, Gary!" he said, "who's your new friend?"
"Oh, she's just one of my fans," he said hurriedly, and I couldn't help sweatdropping, "I'm just gonna show her my collection."
"Have fun!"
I followed him upstairs, where he stopped outside a room. He looked at the door as if he weren't quite sure if he should open it.
"You like Pokemon, don't you?" he asked, sounding a little apprehensive.
"Umm... I think so?" I ventured. To be honest, with the exception of pictures in magazines and stuff, I'd only ever seen about 10 different types in real life.
"Oh, that's good. Well, this is my room."
He opened the door, and I followed him inside. My eyes widened.
Pokemon posters lined the walls. On his bed was a Pokemon quilt, on his desk were a number of Pokemon figurines. A Pokemon pencil sharpener, a Pokemon pencil case, a Pokemon lamp. His bookshelves - yes, plural - were full of books with names like "Discovering Sea Foam and its Inhabitants" and "Learning to Master Fire Pokemon". There was even a jacket with the Pokemon League symbol on it, lying on the floor.
His room was quite big, but unlike most guy's rooms, it wasn't a pigsty. But what surprised me about his room was...
There were Pokemon EVERYWHERE!
I didn't know what they were all called back then, of course, but on his bed lay a Persian and a Growlithe - curled up together without any apparent aminousity - on the back of his chair roosted a Pidgeotto, from his ceiling fan hung a Golbat... A Metapod and Kakuna lay on his desk, a Pikachu sat on his lamp, a Jigglypuff was smacking his radio, and two Vulpix tussled playfully on the floor. A Jolteon ran up to meet Gary as we entered the room, and a Fearow swooped at me, causing me to duck, as it flew out the room.
I was just staring at the scene before me, gaping. I also swallowed hard. This was more than I'd expected from Pokemon.
This guy obviously liked Pokemon.