RE: Enigmatic Star
Kyroid: Haha, thanks. Care to elaborate at all? ;D
NZ: Thanks. Oddly enough it was that way around for this part; I tend to jump into things without thinking about them so the prologue WAS done before I got to writing this. Chapter 1 is different, though. ;D AND YOUR WISH IS MAH COMMAND!
...Hmm. Been a while since I posted a chapter.
Yeah, it's only been like what, two months? Bad Crystal, bad! So might as well. :3
I took a little time to go through this one, so HOPEFULLY there won't be as many glaring errors like last time. If there are any major errors, feel free to
shoot me correct me. Only major errors though!
I had to split up the next chapter because it was nearing 20 pages lol. So I dunno when I'll post that up :X Still working on 3 and I wanna get more done before then. You'll all have to wait so sorry.
Read RQO in the meantime! It's beast!
Mainly just using this as my script for my comic, Enigmatic Star; obviously it was quickly written and junk. I do think this is an upgrade from before, though. :B We get to see a little more of the duality from the comic too! I can't wait to get to that as it plays a kinda important part of the story.
Visit the comic! You'll enjoy it!
And nao, Chapter 1- Wish.
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Chapter 1- Wish
“Asa…Asa! Stop daydreaming and pay attention to the lesson!”
“Huh?!” Blushing horridly, the young girl whipped her head around to watch her fellow classmates chorus together in laughter. Her previous train of thought was eradicated as she was brought back to reality.
The teacher sighed, calming the class down. “That’s enough, class…we’re on page fourty-two of the textbook, Asa.” After gripping at her temple and fixing her glasses, her hand moved down to the laptop in front of her. The young girl jolted out of her seat as she saw her typing something into the system. “Please read for us about the status condition, ‘paralyze’.”
“Ah, uh, yeah! Yes!” Asa hastily noted as she nervously gripped her book. She stood at four-foot-one with hair that definitely depicted her as a Leo. She twiddled the wavy pieces of her hair as her hazel eyes desperately attempted to trace over the pages to find the entry. “T-the status condition, ‘paralyze’…”
Soon she found the entry, marked with illustrations of an Oddish and a Mareep. “Paralyzed, or unable to move,” she began, thumbing over the page. “Some Pokemon, such as Mareep or Oddish, know paralyze-inducing moves like Stun Spore or Thunderwave.” The illustration showed the Mareep using Thunderwave, leaving the Oddish covered in arcs of electricity. “When a Pokemon becomes paralyzed, not only does it become more sluggish, but it may be completely unable to move at all. Items such as Paralyz Heal and Cheri berries can restore mobility to Pokemon afflicted by paralysis.
“Humans, too, can be-OW!” Asa’s words fell short as she felt something collide with the back of her head. At once she dropped her textbook and grabbed at the wound. The class briefly laughed at the seemingly invisible ‘attack’.
That really hurt…what was that…? Still rubbing her head as the class silenced itself, her eyes traveled to her desk. Resting innocently upon it was a petite, glossy berry. Taking it into hand, her confused expression turned to malice at the irony.
A Cheri Berry…
The only two left snickering caught her attention. Whipping around, her eyes fell on the two boys sitting behind her. Quickly they turned their tune from roars of laughter to nervous whistling. Even as they looked away, she could clearly see the trouble makers sharing a secret handshake with one another at their success.
The teacher, as angry as Asa was, rose from her slouch. “That’s enough!” she raged, “We do NOT throw items at other students! I’ll be seeing you two after class, gentlemen!”
Ire fading, she slumped back into her seat. “Now, Asa…please continue.” Even as she heard the complaints of the bad students behind her, the young girl picked up her study book again.
“Ah, okay…” she nervously began again, noting people were finally looking away from her. “Humans, too, can become paralyzed. This can lead…”
…just another day. Same old teasing, same old book, same old lesson…
They treat me like I’m dumb, she somberly continued her dialogue in her mind.
I know I can be bubble-headed at times, but…I’m just sick of it all. I’m sick of this same old life and the expectations of it… Emptily she turned her page. There was only a bit left as the sound of rustling pages chorused through the room. Once again her eyes fell on the illustrations of paralyzing Pokemon.
Oddish, Mareep…they say that these Pokemon have fun when battling. But I just…I just know that they’d enjoy a free life without conflict better. How would I know? I’m human, after all… But, if I could be a Pokemon…I’d want to be something that could soar away from trouble like those boys at the first sign of it. Or, maybe I would just be something that could have the strength to intimidate these ‘foes’ away. …just enough so I could be alone…
A sigh escaped her lips as she finished the passage and plopped herself down into her seat. The teacher’s words were nonexistent on her ears as she was deep in her thoughts.
If I could be a Pokemon…even I know that it could never happen…
Her various daydreams and wishes were shattered as her eyes fell on the clock. “Oh!” The sound of the school bell ringing signaled her brief freedom.
“-Alright, class is over,” the mentor finally got her words through. Asa perked her attention up as she hastily shoved her books and supplies into her Dragonair sack. “Remember, we have that test tomorrow…”
And with that, she didn’t need to hear any more. Slyly she snuck out of the room, off to the side exit before the teacher could pick her out of the crowd for daydreaming.
Hasty retreat, hasty retreat, she anxiously repeated to herself. Her heart leapt as she heard the bold reprimanding voice from the front of the room.
“Not so fast, you two.”
Asa began breathing again, knowing the poor mentor’s eyes were locked tightly on the two boys hoping to escape detention. The young girl could hear whispered cries of distaste from the two. She didn’t care; all that mattered was getting out of the building as fast as possible. Soon, bright sunlight engulfed her figure as she left the Academy.
The fresh air of the bustling city filled her lungs as she wandered out onto the gravel streets of Violet City. The afternoon sun was warm and comfortable, typical for a late May day. The violets themselves moved much like the Bellsprouts belonging to local monks due to the pleasing breeze of the area. Various trainers, monks, and townsfolk carried on their business both on the earth and in the sky. Chatter made the city feel alive. Sprout Tower appeared to be the liveliest point of the city, swaying in its peculiar state. Battle cries and shouts of sheer exhilaration almost echoed from the nearby gym.
As busy as it was, Asa couldn’t help a gentle smile. As she concentrated on the nearby pond, she breathed deeply.
Wow…it’s such a beautiful day out today. …It’s a pity I have track, ballet and etiquette lessons today…I’d love to just stay here for a while and enjoy the day.
Her daydreaming was cut short as she caught sight of a red-brown feather lazily floating down from the sky. “Huh?” she dumbly questioned out loud, watching its free-fall for a moment, before gazing around. She finally locked eyes with a tiny bird swooping down from a nearby tree. “Oh! Breeze!”
“Karuu,” the bird responded, before zooming to Asa’s side. Covered in a peculiar down that matched Asa’s hair color, the Pidgey wasted no time not only landing on the girl’s outstretched hand, but clambering over to her shoulder and giving the side of her face an affectionate nibble.
“Haha, nice to see you too, Breeze,” the girl giggled as she pet the long crown of the bird. “How’ve you been doing, huh? Getting enough food?”
At the word the bird immediately changed her demeanor; she fluttered off Asa’s hand and onto the ground. She gave a few sharp pecks to the ground, as though pecking at a Caterpie or Wurmple, before casting her stare up expectantly. Asa’s happy face immediately dulled to a deadpan expression.
“Oh, I see how it is,” she began, narrowing her eyes at the bird. Breeze kept staring. “Just trying to mooch off of me again, huh?”
Knowing she wasn’t going to get food that way, Breeze quickly changed her tune again. Her eyes welled up dangerously with tears. Pleadingly she gazed up to Asa and whimpered weakly, “Karuu-gey? Kuu?”
The bird held the position. Soon guilt forced Asa to shake her head slowly. “You’re gonna make me starve one of these days, you know that?”
“Karuu!” the tiny bird happily proclaimed victory at that, and flew back to her friend’s side. The human wandered over to the nearby bench that faced the eastern exit of the city, the exit that lead to Cherrygrove. Soon she settled her bag in her lap, digging anxiously in it before pulling out a small sandwich bag containing bread.
“I hope you’re not sick of bread yet…it’s all I could really afford to sneak out behind Mom’s back for you.”
“Kuugey!”
Obviously she doesn’t care, Asa decided as the bird anxiously climbed closer. Even before she could begin to rip the bread into sizable chunks, the Pidgey began pecking at it and attempting to swallow the piece whole.
“Hey! Hey! You’ll choke! Gimme a minute, you little kid!”
“Rrrmph,” Breeze attempted from her beakful. After the first incident, she finally managed to slowly start feeding her friend. Breeze was always careful to pick the bread up without pinching the human’s skin. Asa allowed a full smile to spread on her face. Memories of when she met Breeze, stranded at the bottom of her nest’s tree with a broken wing, flooded her mind. And more importantly was the memories of her taking care of the sickly hatchling behind her mother’s back.
“The way you eat, you make it seem like you have it so hard here, Breeze…but can it really be that tough to get a meal from anyone here?” The aerial creature glanced up from her bread-eating mayhem for a moment to listen to her ‘mother’s’ words. “I know you can’t go back to your nest, but surely you can give that look to other people and get food from them?”
“Karuuf,” she muttered before swallowing. She hastily grabbed another large chunk with her talon and began chewing as best she could with her beak.
“Ah, I don’t even wanna bother. I know you can’t understand me, anyways. Humans and Pokemon weren’t meant to…I’m not sure why. I think it’d be wonderful if I could talk to you. You’re practically my only friend…”
Asa sweat as she glanced back to the bird. Her cheeks were bulging with food as she appeared dizzy.
“See, that’s why you don’t stuff yourself! Quick, come here…”
“Asaaaaaa!”
Seconds after clearing the Pidgey’s windpipe through force, the girl glanced up. “…ugh, Mom…”
“Asaaaaaa! Come here!”
“Agh, I gotta go, Breeze,” she hastily muttered as she shredded the bread into smaller bits, before throwing them down onto the nearby pavement. “Don’t you go choking yourself again, okay? I don’t need you dying on me!”
“Karuu?” Breeze looked up questioningly. As Asa turned to the source of the sound, the bird gave a weird squawk, then hopped down to the earth. “Kuu…”
“Hey, I’ll be back again soon, okay?” As she watched her peck at some nonexistent piece of bread and then stare at her again, she shook her head. “And I’ll bring some more food with me, I promise you.”
“Karuu!” Breeze happily complied, flapping her good wing gently in a form of saying ‘goodbye’. The young girl grinned gently, before taking off towards the western part of the town. A sad look came across the bird’s eyes, watching her as she left.
It wasn’t long before a sleek black Toyota and a professional looking woman came into Asa’s view. Her lips were pursed in a tight, small frown as her daughter strode up to her. “Asa, where have you..-CHOO!” Knobbly fingers raced to reach into her business suit pocket. She was just in time to reach her handkerchief and bring it to her face.
“To your wishes, Mom,” Asa tried to be optimistic as she maintained a small distance. Guiltily she decided to keep the fact she was with Breeze a secret.
“Thank you-choo! Oh, blast-choo! H-have you been-choo! Been around any-any of those dirty Pidgey-AHCHOO!”
“I’ve heard rumors that there’s a Pidgeotto nest somewhere in the school,” Asa lied, hoping it would be enough. However, her mother’s frown disagreed.
“I’m not paying for-…for Pidgeys…choo! Choo! AHCHOO!” the dark brunette groaned as her sneezing got worse. “Anyways, get in the car. We’re already late for your track meet in Goldenrod. It’s going to mess your entire schedule up…”
“Yes, Mom…” Asa droned, yet was reluctant to get into the car. The girl wasn’t dumb. She knew that there were more accidents per percentage in vast comparison to Pidgeot transport, but the fact that her mother had terrible allergies to the bird line didn’t help. Reluctantly, she was nudged into the back seat of the car by her mother.
“…and things are heating up today for our latest challenger for the Blackthorn Gym!” an announcer on radio ecstatically commented as cheers were heard in the background. “Our last challenger for Clair was no match, but the infamous little hot-head ‘twin’ of her prodigy brother, Kiyo Dustren, is making easy work of the gym’s trainers! I’m sure you’ll agree with me, folks, that the battle between our Ecruteak native and the Elite Four’s strongest member’s sister will be a fierce one! Now, let’s get some details from the MC on the trainer level of the gym…”
“Where to, ma’am?” Asa’s thoughts drifted away from the radio as her mother got in the car. The cab driver punched his timer as she buckled up.
“Goldenrod on thirty-first and fourth, and please make all haste,” she curtly instructed.
“Do what I can legally with the traffic, ma’am,” he tipped his cap before shifting it into drive.
Yeah, I’d definitely be a flying type, Asa mindlessly thought as they merged onto the main road. Cars were travelling half the speed limit. The mindless muttering of the MC was cut off by the local weather report. “…Clouds are expected to roll in at sunset and cover up the night sky. Expect temperatures to dip down from these comfortable, spring-like temperatures to a chilly forty degrees tonight in the Goldenrod region, so be sure to bundle up! …”
I just want to be able to do what I please, without living in this cage. It’s so awful, being forced to live under my mother’s expectations…and her allergies. Yep, I’d want to be a Pidgeot…
Again she was forced back into uncomfortable reality as time flew past and the track field came slowly into sight. Asa’s mother only briefly checked her watch, before expectantly glancing back.
“Go on, you’re five minutes late,” she ordered coldly. The girl was eager to remove herself from the dangerous and lifeless vehicle. Slinging her bag onto her shoulder, she quickly ran over to the team.
Time slipped past in her thoughts as she leapt over hurdles, sprinted the two-hundred meter and awaited her turn.
I gotta face the reality of this situation… Before she knew it track was over, and she was being whisked away to Ecruteak for ballet. As she practiced each elegant move without thinking it, her thoughts continued.
Still, it’s not quite fair. I never asked for this. What seemed to be five minutes later was an hour, and she was dolled up in her kimono, attempting to learn about how to be a lady.
Why should I be forced to do something that I don’t want to do just because it’s popular by everyone else’s standards? …If Dad was home, I think he’d have something to say about it…
And boom, she was back in the Toyota before she could blink and in her summer outfit. Mindlessly she twiddled at a piece of her hair. Still sour about the events at school, she felt the small lump on the back of her head from the hard Cheri. Quietly she sighed, but not before Mom caught sight of the action.
“So how was school?” she managed, glancing over her phone for any updates as she did every five seconds.
“Same ol', same ol'.”
“What did they teach you?”
“Something I already knew,” Asa grumbled. Her response to her mother’s question had not changed for the last few weeks. Defiantly she refused to look to her parent.
“I’m sure you must have learned something today…”
“Yeah, that Cheri berries hurt when they’re flung into your head,” she sarcastically replied.
“Now, I will not be hearing any satire from your mouth, Asa. It’s highly unlady-like for one as becoming as you are.”
“Yes, Mother,” she sighed. The fast-paced city life of Goldenrod soon came into view again. Even in the noise-canceling car, the ever-so-present sound of sirens and beeping horns played their tune.
“We’ll continue this discussion when we’re home, you understand?”
“Yes, Mom…”
“...Ma’am, we’ve arrived.” Even though the car pulled up to the three-story condo, Asa didn’t budge. Another lecture was not on her list of enjoyable things.
“Thank you, Steven. Here’s your payment and tip.”
“Always courteously taken, Mrs. L’Étoile,” he tipped his hat.
Once again expectant, emotionless eyes fell onto the girl. She didn’t look back; she just got out of the car, bag hanging loosely in her grip.
As they entered the building, the familiar feeling of the cold foyer greeted the girl. Nervously she glanced up to the small yet fancy chandelier resting on the raised ceiling; for whatever reason it gave her the shivers to think it could come crashing down relatively easy if the city was ever hit with a major earthquake. Floods were more prevalent in Goldenrod though. It seemed none would even pay attention to the two or three smallscale earthquakes they had every month.
That’s life in Goldenrod for you, she bitterly noted.
Within moments Asa removed her shoes and plopped her bookbag down in its routine spot on the stairs, before sneaking off towards the TV room. All efforts were in vain as she could hear her mother from the kitchen.
“No TV till your homework’s done…”
“I have a test tomorrow,” she called back. There was no response. Taking advantage of the situation, she hastily grabbed the remote and turned it on to her cartoon show. Blissful figures of magical girls and handsome heroes filled the electronic device…and her thoughts.
Until Mom had something to say about it.
Striding into the room, she disdainfully watched as the lead heroine did battle with the evil Space Pirates. In her daze, Asa could do nothing as her mother slipped the remote out of her grasp. “Hey!”
“If you’re going to be watching TV, at least have it be educational.”
With a small click, the channel changed to Johto Journeys. Asa frowned as the camera was locked on the beginning of a battle in Blackthorn.
“Oooh, already I can feel the tension building! Kiyo has gone through a quick wardrobe change to get used to the heat of the crushing magma sixty feet below our competitors, but will it be enough to keep her head cool in the battle? Already she’s sweating as her Typhlosion, Ty, has been knocked out!”
“Can’t I relax and watch what I want?” Asa frowned and glanced up. The faint sounds of the TV filtered through her head.
“Your trainer test is nearly within a month, Asa,” Mrs. L’Étoile frowned. “You need to be studying up on your battle material for your match against Falkner.”
“But what can I learn from a battle of dragon types and fire types?” she countered.
On screen, the figure of a massive earth creature revealed itself. The challenger took haste in ordering it. “Terro, Sandstorm!”
“Rhydon doesn’t look like a fire type to me,” she coolly responded, walking away with the remote in hand. Asa frowned. She had had enough of this. She rose from her comfortable sitting position on the couch to her feet.
“Now, Flamethrower!”
The last bit of the command caught her curiosity. Turning back, the sand melted together to form a tightly-knit glass net over the opponent Dragonair. It effectively stopped it from moving. Asa shook her head as she focused on her objective as the crowd roared in awe.
Horrid smells began coming from the kitchen as she approached it. Her mother fanned a dish rag at the stove top. Smoke was gently curling from the grease-laden burner.
Trouble, Asa grimaced.
Whenever Mom cooks, there’s always trouble…
“Mom, why do I-” she began, but it wasn’t long before the phone rang.
“Sorry, Asa… …hello, Felicia speaking…” she quickly answered her phone as she placed a old, burned pan on the stove.
“Mom, it’s important-”
“It’s Silph Co, hunny,” she nearly mouthed, before turning her entire attention to the phone. “Uh huh….yeah…why don’t they find a new trainer to campaign the Pokegear on? It sounds like he’s being a load of trouble. …oh, for goodness sakes, he’s a tramp! Yes, yes I know that a lot of the younger generation like him, but he’s becoming a negative image on our company.”
More smoke coiled up. It was from the contents of the pan this time. Asa daren’t look; her imagination would make dinner worse if she did.
Asa emptily walked back to the TV room and sat down. The battle had cut to a commercial for Goldenrod’s massive Department Store. “Everyday’s a great one at your Depot!” the main chorus hummed in the background. Blankly she stared at the screen. The battle was soon back on. Both the Dragonair and the Rhydon were gone, replaced with a Gyarados and an Altaria. The battle roars of the two dragon-like Pokemon fell deaf to Asa’s ears as she attempted to think of how to get herself out of the situation…or at least make a point.
The smell of the burning food worsened. The battle was a victory for the challenger as Ice Beams shot across the field and cleared out all remaining opponents. Asa turned off the TV before she watched Kiyo get her final badge. Her mind was steady and ready.
Her mother tugged at the pancake stuck to the pan. Her phone was practically glued to her ear as she attempted to shove the spatula under the flapjack. The other pancake resting on a plate nearby looked half-burned, half undercooked. Asa’s stomach churned.
"...alright, I’m coming in. Call a conference session. I know they’re all still there, they have the night shift today. I’m going to settle this matter once and for all. …will you give me a moment? I’m cooking this pancake and…”
Soon the pancake flew from the griddle and onto the countertop. Picking it up with perfectly manicured fingernails, she pulled the piece of food onto the plate and handed it to Asa without looking at her daughter. The girl glanced down. Not only was it a mutant pancake, but it was burned as well. Batter oozed out from the edges when she prodded it.
“I’ll be there in a half-hour. Thank you. Good-bye.” Click.
Now’s my chance.
“Okay, honey, I have a very important last-minute meeting to attend to…”
“Mom, I don’t want to be a trainer.”
She stopped for a moment, finally facing the girl. Her eyes were slightly narrowed. She forced her lips to curl into an unnatural smile. It almost looked painful for her to do so.
“Why is that?”
“Because it’s abuse to Pokemon. I don’t want to have to command them like slaves.”
“No-one said they had to be your slaves. Now, I have to go-”
“But that’s what we’re practically doing!” Asa continued, sliding the poor excuse for flapjacks onto the table. She chased after her mother. “We take them unwillingly from their homes and put them to work, whether they like it or not!”
“Well, why don’t you ask the Pokemon what they think? Nevermind, you can think that up in that dreamland head of yours, can you not? Pokemon are animals that are naturally born for battle. They don’t mind.”
“You and I can never know that for sure!”
“So just assume the happier truth and go eat your supper. I have to leave. There will be no further questioning on it.”
“You just want me to be a trainer like Daddy so you can get more money. That’s all you ever care about.”
The woman spun around, glaring down on the child before she harshly pinched at her jaw.
“Do not disrespect me like that. Go eat. I’ll see to your punishment tomorrow.”
She turned around. She didn’t see Asa’s tears building up. She couldn’t see the wound she had caused.
The door slammed shut.
Silently Asa dragged herself to the kitchen. The pancakes looked worse through blurry eyes. The remote was nowhere to be found, and the girl knew that her mother had slipped it into her purse when she was busy arguing with her. She groaned quietly, her stomach gurgling and whining for nourishment. She couldn’t make anything for herself, nor could she order for take-out without money. Opening up the fridge to find only fruits and snacks that could never fill her up, she slowly hung her head as the searing pain of her chest bubbled up and through her expression.
“It’s…it’s just not fair,” she whimpered to herself, clutching the door to the refrigerator as though it was her emotional support. “Isn’t it supposed to be…a free country? Shouldn’t I be able to do what I want to, and not what my mom wants? …Daddy, where are you? You said that I was your little princess…a-and that you would never let harm fall to me…d-doesn’t this count? I’m hungry…a-and all alone…” Her breathing became more irregular as wetness rolled down her cheeks. The cold was biting at her skin, but it helped against the terrible hotness of her face.
“I just…I just want to be taken far away from here! Far away from lessons, far away from bad food, far away to a place where I can actually make friends…s-so far away I could just be myself for a change!”
Tap tap tap!
Asa jerked her head out of the fridge, hastily wiping away her tears and closing the door. Paranoid, she peeked her head down the hallway for her mother. The noise of tapping wouldn’t make sense though. Her mother would always knock twice with quick efficiency if she needed to get back into the house.
Tap tap tap! T-tap!
“Karuu! Kuuuu!”
“Br-Breeze?!” the girl gasped, making haste to the source of the noise- the back door that lead out to the plain patio. The last few rays of the sun filtered down through the other buildings. Resting on one of the three rusted chairs around the white, circular albatross of a table was the Pidgey, anxiously tapping at the glass. As soon as she saw Asa, she proudly chirped.
“Kuu!”
“Breeze, what are you doing he-” As she moved to pull the sliding door open, the bird fluttered over, attempting to meander her way in. “Ah! Breeze! No! You know as well as I do that Mom’s really allergic to Pidgeys! She’d take you and put you in a Pokeball and sell you to a professor for a starter Pokemon if she ever found out you were here!”
At that, the bird froze, landing back on the table. “Karuuugey, kuu,” she disgustedly clicked her beak, as though understanding the entire sentence. She ruffled her feathers up into a giant puffball of down, before busily preening her wing and hissing off in some random direction other than Asa’s.
“Yeah, it sounds bad enough. I wouldn’t want to be stuffed in a ball either if I was a Pokemon. I’d want to be free like you, free to do as I pleased and not having to worry about battling…”
“Kuuuuu?” Now deaf to Asa’s rambles, the bird repeated the pecking action from earlier in the day before staring up with near pleading eyes.
“Ah, again?! You are such a little Munchlax with that appetite!” The girl couldn’t help but laugh. “Sorry, there’s nothing to eat here, otherwise I’d be eating it…”
“Kuuu? Karuugey?” Beady eyes filled with hunger locked onto Asa.
“…Breeze…” Asa sweat from guilt once again, thwarted by the gaze. “…fine, you can have an apple if you want, but you can’t come in!”
“Kuu!” Breeze protested, hopping up and down like a Natu before fluttering to the doorway again. The small amount of wind pouring in from outside made Asa shiver; the chilled night air was starting to pour in on the city.
“I know it’s cold! But….well…maybe I can take you up to my room. Mom never goes up there anyways, unless it’s to take away my video games or something like that. She already took them away recently, though, so there can’t be any harm in taking you up there…but you can’t go pooping up there!” she said very seriously.
“Karuu!” Once again the bubbly happy eyes shimmered from the bird as she attempted one last time to get in. Asa hastily closed the door, waving her finger.
“This won’t become a habit!”
* * *
“You know, Breeze…” Asa emptily rolled a grape between her fingers. She gazed off into the distance, beyond the sea green confines of her room.
“Kuuuh?” the Pidgey called back with a mouth filled with fruit, hearing her name.
“I have to wonder…what it’s like to be like you. Like a Pokemon, I mean.”
“Kuu,” Breeze boredly announced, before pecking at the red delicious further.
After slipping the grape into her mouth, Asa chewed for a moment in thought. As she swallowed, her hand wrapped around the raggedy Shinx doll her father had gotten for her as a child before he trekked off to Hoenn in search of a challenge. “I mean, I know it could never happen, but still, I have to wonder,” she began, settling down on her stomach. Curiously she eyed the Pidgey. The beady green eyes of the bird darted from her back to her food as she nibbled away. “It blows my mind! To be able to have all these special abilities, to use the forces of nature at your whim, and to be able to communicate with you guys! I’m sure you’d all be friendly to one another, so long as you’re not captured.” The Pidgey lifted her head up in disgust at the word. The human quickly waved to her that it was alright, and Breeze fluffed up her down before resuming her feast. “…I’d like to be something that could fly…or even just run away while the opponent’s dealing with a minor status condition or something like that…I’d love that more than anything else in the world, wouldn’t you?”
“Kuu.”
“Haha, silly me! You can already fly! And Leonardo could do that too, if he was real…” Affectionately she hugged the Shinx doll. The Pidgey rolled her eyes as she attempted to steal a grape from Asa’s bowl. “Hey! That’s enough! This is my dinner, fiend!”
“Puugey,” Breeze sarcastically snickered before being forced back to her apple.
“I don’t know…just wish I could be a Pokemon. With or without wings, so long as I was cute or something of that nature and could be free to do what I wanted!” Asa decided as she took a few more grapes triumphantly.
“Be careful of what you wish for.”
The words made the girl hesitate. The man’s voice was indistinct in her head, yet the message was loud and clear. A somber look crossed her face. “Daddy always did say that, didn’t he?”
“Karuu?” the tiny bird Pokemon glanced up at the sudden voice change. Asa had turned her head to glance out the only window in her room. The big sky was a strange color of dark orange and pink, as the clouds were illuminated from the many parking complexes and stores around the city. It felt lonely to her; no stars could ever shine through because of the many lights of Goldenrod.
“Breeze, what can I do? I don’t want to leave. I don’t want to leave you. I don’t want to have to go on some stupid trainer mission in a month just to fight against people like Falkner and Clair and all the rest of the Johto Gym Leaders…” Pain riddled her words as she continued to gaze out into the sky, half-expecting some plane to come in for landing nearby.
“Karuugey!” Breeze unknowingly concurred, attempting to make her friend feel better. Asa could only offer a small smile back to her- a fake one. The auburn bird hopped over to the girl’s side, nibbling on her ear and taking a gander outside as well.
“Unfortunately…I don’t think there’s any way out of it. Mom’s an executive for Silph Co., and I’m just a little kid. She’ll have her ways of keeping her eyes on me, I’m sure… …huh? What’s…that?”
Her words trailed off as hazel eyes locked on a shimmering object in the sky. It flew across the sky at a slow speed. “…is that a plane? It can’t be. It’s too far away for it to be one. And it’s too slow…but it can’t be a shooting star…we never see them here, and it’s cloudy!”
“Kuu?!” Breeze fluffed up her feathers at the sight of the mysterious star.
“Quick, Breeze! Make a wish! I think it’s really a shooting star! But maybe someone’s already wished on it. No, people don’t look out their windows at the sky normally! Quick! Wish!” The girl closed her eyes in haste and excitement.
I wish for a way to get out of this set life for me and to create my own dream.
She opened her eyes. The star was gone. She frowned, and turned to the bird. Breeze was having her fill of grapes.
“Augh, Breeze…” Asa groaned as the grapes had disappeared. “Why did you do that? …and why do I not particularlyyyyyyyyy... when did get so late?” As she yawned, she glanced towards her Dodrio alarm clock. It was 21:01. “Definitely bed time…I have to get enough rest for tomorrow’s test…”
Moving the bowls of fruit out of the way, she crawled under her covers, suddenly exhausted by the day’s tolls. The Pidgey, too, seemed tired, and took perch on the nearby windowsill until Asa yanked her down. Screeching from being held soon lead way to grunts of apathy as the bird could feel signs of wetness on her feathers.
“I just don’t want to have to deal with this life. Never,” she whispered, before allowing her eyes to fall shut.
“Ah! Ow! Help!” Cries of distress took to the air as the earth shook violently. Asa lazily opened her eyes to bear witness to countless rocks from a nearby cliff roll down to where the racket was coming from. The shock of the rumbling quickly brought her to consciousness.
“E-Earthquake! Ah!” Asa yelped, quickly rolling away. A particularly large boulder crashed down on the earth she once lay on.
Wait, where…
“Hey! Who-whoever that was! Help! I-I’m having trouble breathing!” the voice croaked from the pile of rocks. The quakes died down to an eerie stillness. Asa, still fearing for her life and still half asleep, reluctantly crawled over. Her center still felt uneasy and off balance.
“Are you okay?” she anxiously replied before she grabbed ahold of one of the smaller rocks and began pushing it out of the way.
“I will be once these rocks are off of me! They’re my weakness! Pl-please hurry!” the one in need coughed in pain.
Weakness? What’s going on here…? Her mind still in a fog, Asa yanked rock after rock off the pile with all the might her tiny hands could handle.
Soon all the boulders creating a tomb for the living victim tumbled away. Asa peered down into the shadows. The figure was faint in the poor morning light. “Are you okay?” she queried again, her breath nearly gone from the effort.
“Ah, yeah,” the female victim grunted, still gently wheezing for air. “I think I’ll be fine in a little bit.”
Asa’s expression turned from horror to confusion to panic as she saw not hands, but feathered wings clutch the top of the rockslide pile. As the rest of the figure revealed herself to be not human, but a fire chick Pokemon, she felt dangerously faint. “Owww, owwww…my head,” the Torchic groaned, clutching a small spot on her head with her wings. “Hey, thanks for that! I thought I was a goner when that rock slide hit!
No…this can’t be real…
“Huh? What was that? Are you okay?” the little fire bird, covered in shades of golden yellow and red, tilted her head in confusion.
“This can’t be real…” Asa repeated again, slowly crawling away in fear. “N-no…this feels so real, b-but it has to be a dream, right…?!”
“Last I checked this was reality. …are you okay? Where’s your home? I can take you there so you can lay down…” As the Pokemon inched nearer, Asa backed up with all haste.
“Don’t come any closer!” she threatened.
Why?! What’s going on?! Where am I?! Why can’t I even remember where home is, or anything besides my name?! Torchic’s don’t speak English, either! Why can’t I wake from this weird, awful dream?!
“Relax! Your ‘Run Away’ ability’s probably kicking in. You’ll be okay, don’t worry…just calm down-”
“Don’t talk to me!” Asa whimpered, rising uneasily to her legs. They buckled at weird angles, and she only rose a few more inches over the Torchic where she should have towered feet over the creature. Anxiously she ran backwards, quickly losing her balance.
“Hey, you’re going to fall in…!” The fire-type’s words were too late; Asa felt her footing be compromised by loose pebbles as she fell backwards. Cold suddenly splashed over her body as it was nearly submerged from the shore of the nearby pond. The interesting sensation of hair clumping to her skin all over her body made her shiver. She attempted to roll up to her feet again, only to feel a large addition to her body throb in pain as she tumbled onto it. Resorting to a side maneuver, it soon became clear that her arms were no longer present and that her hands had been replaced by paws covered in a dark scarlet-brown fur. The feeling of breathlessness was creeping up and over the girl. As the water stilled, the sight before her made her feel sick.
Staring back from the water’s reflection were not her own, but of that of a terrified Eevee. She felt two wet pieces of hair push back against her skull; the reflection of the Eevee mimicked her by folding her ears back in fear and realization. Asa was now that Eevee.
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Gogo comments attracter!
