Chapter One – Aurora and Star

It was a dull sort of day. Grey clouds ran over a dim sun, seemingly too lazy to throw it’s bright rays 
across the world, which was currently victim to a light shower of rain that fell down upon it. A young 
girl sat inside, pressing her nose against the wet window.
“Wet.” She mumbled, “I hate wet.”
The Goldeen in the fishtank nearby simply swam on, oblivious to their owner’s boredom. Both they 
and her were completely unaware of the change about to take place. 
“Aurora!” a voice yelled. The girl sighed, she hated her name. Her parents were a pair of hippy-type 
people, tree huggers. Hence the Goldeen that swam in her fishtank, and the incense sticks that burned 
in their pots, filling her room with a lavender smell. She didn’t really mind but...they could of gave her 
a nicer name. Aurora was so...cheesy. 
“Coming Mom!” she yelled as she blew out a few candles that sat on her window sill. She paraded 
loudly down the stairs, her long, brown skirt flipping about her slender legs. This was another thing 
that annoyed her, she wanted either miniskirts or jeans like the other girls. Not these earthy, hippy 
clothes that most of her family wore, apart from Star, who was, of course, old enough to make her own 
choices in life – as her parents said. Star was sitting at the table, red hair flopping down and a spoon in 
her mouth, outlined with violet lipstick on her pale face. 
“Aurora, dear, you know what day it is?” her mother said, lips pursed as she looked her youngest 
daughter up and down. Aurora blinked...
“Thursday?” she said quizzically, completely baffled by the tense faces her mother and father held. Her 
mother was dressed in beads, along with an long brown skirt, decorated with a green Celtic pattern and 
a long sleeved top. Her father had taken on loose garments of green pants and a shirt.
“No, dear.” Her father said wearily, “Aurora...it is Thursday, eighteenth of August. Star decided that 
today she would set off to be a pokemon trainer. Star, are you sure you want to do this?”
Star stood up, revealing her gothic clothing of violet and black, as well as a few neon greens thrown in 
for extra colour. 
“Yes, Dad. I told you already. Me and Cheveyo are going to go on a journey. We’ll win all the 
badges!” Star said enthusiastically, patting the Houndour by her side. Cheveyo barked and licked Star’s 
fingers.
“Well...if you run into trouble...” her mother began.
“Come straight back home. I get it.” Star finished, scowling, devouring the rest of her cereal in a few 
quick spoonfuls. Cheveyo barked again and ran about his new trainer’s feet, much to Star’s 
amusement. Aurora watched enviously as Star picked Cheveyo up, oh, like all girls Aurora wanted to 
go out with her own pokemon and win badges. Unlike Star, however, who wanted to see a picture of 
herself in the Hall of Fame, Aurora wanted to collect a menagerie of pokemon. From Rattatas to 
Dragonites, she wanted to collect them all. It was a silly dream and pretty a pretty pointless escapade to 
try but it was her dream and she couldn’t help that. Her father glanced at the clock on their kitchen 
wall, which was painted white.
“You’ve got ten minutes. Got all your stuff packed?” he informed his daughter dutifully. 
“Yup.” Star said with a smile. 
“Cheveyo nice and healthy?” her mother asked. Cheveyo barked in approval and the woman allowed a 
brief laugh to pass her lips – as if the Houndour was funny or something. Aurora frowned and sat 
down, digging into her own bowl of cereal. This was so unfair, she thought to herself silently, shoving 
the corn flakes into her mouth. She wanted to go on her journey as much as Star, why couldn’t she? 
She mumbled to herself as her parents fussed over Star and Cheveyo, preparing them for the world 
ahead.  While she, Aurora, sat at home yet again this year, her best friend abandoning her this year (her 
second year in high school) to go on his own pokemon journey. Making a private promise to herself to 
kick both Star and Liam when they get back. While Liam was planning to just journey for a good year, 
Star was going to be away as long as it took to win all eight badges. Plus, she wanted to be in the 
Pokemon League this year. She was going to be away as long as it took, basically but she would 
probably come back after a year, after all, few people completed their journeys. Most just returned 
home with their pokemon and got a normal job and a normal life. 
“Well, Hannah, I think our girl is ready.” Her father announced and she jumped slightly. She had been 
so involved in her own thoughts she had forgot that her family was actually in the room.
“Yes...yes Steven. I think she is. Oh, my little girl!” her mother announced, grabbing Star in a tight 
hug, her large blue eyes tearful. Despite herself, a smirk tugged at the corner of Aurora’s mouth. Never 
would she tire of seeing Star embarrassed. She was shocked however, as her older sister started 
sobbing slightly and hugged their mother back.
“I’ll be alright Mom. I love you.” She said as she released her female parent. Steven simply stood 
there, arms folded across his chest, watching the whole scene with a smile on his face, his green eyes 
twinkling.
“Mom, Dad, I’m going out for a little bit. I want a bit fresh air.” Aurora announced, she was tired of 
watching her parents baby her older sibling while Aurora sat, with the cereal to talk to. Hannah smiled 
and Aurora stifled a sigh, Hannah liked her daughters getting outside in the fresh air to ‘speak with 
mother earth’ as Dad described it. Aurora took the rain coat off the hanger and headed outside, the 
hood up and her umbrella in hand. She opened the umbrella up as she opened the door and headed out 
onto the street, glancing at her mother’s garden. It wasn’t doing too well with the ‘summer’. The rain 
ran through the soil, drowning the tulips, the daffodils. Even their pet Sunflora was less than happy in 
the rain, reduced to sitting in Cheveyo’s old kennel as she waited for somebody to come and notice that 
she was wet, cold and hungry.
“Knock on the door.” Aurora said to the plant-like pokemon dryly. The Sunflora obeyed and knocked 
on the door with a curled up leaf as Aurora meanders down the road, not sure where on earth she was 
heading. Silverfish Town wasn’t the biggest town on the map. It had no lab, no gym, no contest halls 
just houses, a pokemon centre, a mart and the park, just off the side of the town. Slightly annoyed, 
Aurora stormed past the Pokemon Centre and paused, creeping near the window. Inside, a trainer was 
grooming his Quilava, the fire pokemon crooning as the brush went through it’s hot black fur. A 
Vaporeon and a Milotic were trying to be taught how to use Rain Dance by an old Swampert who, 
Aurora supposed, was the cause of all this ridiculously random rain.
Storming away from the centre, she headed directly to the park. Ignoring the man standing outside, 
taking deep puffs of a rather smelly cigarette and threw the gate open. She slammed it behind her and 
sat down on one of the few swings that somebody hadn’t managed to swing over the top bar, wrapping 
her hand about the chain, swinging slightly. Urgh...she was so sick of this. It wasn’t her fault she was 
only thirteen...she just wished her parents would see that most kids would go at age twelve so thirteen 
was old. Besides, she could take care of herself! As this thought rippled through her body she let out a 
loud growl of frustration, oh she was so annoyed! Liam was leaving for the year, Amy and Ruby had 
already been on their journeys...that just left her! Amy had Croconaw, Ruby had Dodrio and soon, 
Liam would have Natu.  She had pet Goldeen and they were trained not to fight at all anyway so she 
had no hope of starting from there. Sometimes she just wished that there were no pokemon at all so 
nobody could go on journeys, or train pokemon or have excitement in their lives while she was stuck in 
Silverfish Town where it rained every day because of  a senile Swampert! She was fuming so much she 
didn’t realise that Star had plonked herself on the closest swing, watching her younger sister as she 
fumed silently away to herself.
“Rough day, huh?” she said finally, in a mocking voice. Aurora turned her head to face Star, annoyed 
that her fuming had been interrupted but even more annoyed that interrupter was the cause of fume in 
the first place.
“Urgh...it’s just.” Aurora grumbled quietly. Star nodded, her crimson hair bobbing up and down.
“It’s just, is it?” Star replied, as if she was funny or something! Aurora turned her head around and 
gave Star an icy glare that could freeze the toes off a Charizard.
“It’s just that you and...urgh. It’s just...” Aurora began before she lost her temper and leapt up and 
bellowed, “I want to go on a journey ok! I don’t care what Mom and Dad say! Why should I be forced 
to wear these crappy hippy clothes and be stuck behind in bloody Silverfish Town while you and your 
stupid Houndour get to travel across the whole freakin’ continent!”
Even Aurora was surprised at the loudness of her voice, or the bitter hatred filling every word. Star 
looked onto her, her eyes mirroring a feeling of hurt and dejection. Aurora flopped back down onto her 
seat, guilt twisted her stomach uncomfortably as her sister gazed into Aurora’s green eyes, lost for 
words.
“Sorry...but...I want to go and journey too.” Star said helplessly. Aurora felt tears coming to her eyes, 
she was always told she got overemotional at the stupidest of things but she felt so stupid taking her 
anger out on Star...why couldn’t she be happy for her sister?
“C’mere.” Star said as tears began rolling down her sister’s cheeks and caught her three years younger 
sibling in a hug.
“It’s just...just...unfair.” Aurora wailed pathetically, disgusted at herself for being so weak and pathetic. 
Star shushed her and patted her on the back in a motherly way, crouching down and holding her 
younger sibling at arm’s length.
“Ok...Aurora...I’ll make you a promise. I’ll go and catch a pokemon for you. I’ll send you it along with 
a message. Tell Mom and Dad...that you have to go take the pokemon back to me, alright? That way 
they’ll have to let you come. I’ll see you then.” She said with a secretive smile, beeping Aurora on the 
nose with her finger, like they had done when they shared secrets as children. Aurora brightened, a 
childish smile spread across her face.
“You promise?” Aurora asked, looking at her sister, not daring to believe what she was hearing.
“I promise...just...bring it back to me, ok?” Star promised. Aurora laughed and touched the other girl on 
the tip of the nose with a smile.
“Ok, I will.” Aurora told her sister. Star stood up to her full height and Aurora, for a minute, thought 
how much that Star had grown. She wasn’t the little blonde girl that had played Barbie with Aurora as 
a child, she a gothic teenager with a good head on her shoulders, ready to show the world what she 
could do. Aurora...hadn’t matured as much as Star, she hung her head slightly at that thought. She 
would still cry if she couldn’t get her way, still sulk if something went wrong, still ‘go out’ with people 
and still...unlike her sister...thought of pokemon as toys. She looked up at Star, a new respect shining in 
her dark eyes for her sister. Maybe she should dye her hair as well, she thought, flicking a lock of 
auburn hair from her face. The two sisters, Aurora’s face still slightly red from crying, were opening 
the gate and making their way away when the man grabbed Star on the shoulder.
“Give me your pokemon.” He said in an aggressive voice. Aurora found herself shaking as her eyes 
went to the black shirt, covered by a black coat. A red R decorated it.
“Star...give her him.” Aurora said, her lip trembling. Rockets were not like other trainers, she stuck 
close to her sister, who snarled at the rocket’s challenge.
“No.” She said, starting to walk away. The rocket tightened his grip and dragged her back.
“Give me your pokemon and your money!” he bellowed and took a pokeball from her belt. Star did the 
same, taking the only one she had.
“Please...Star...we can get another pokemon.” Aurora pleaded, frozen with terror. Star cast a look 
behind her and Aurora understood. She didn’t want another pokemon...she wanted Cheveyo. She 
couldn’t replace a friend. Star threw the ball onto the floor and in flash of white light, Cheveyo 
appeared, howling and barking, blissfully unaware of the fact that this strange man could kidnap him 
and he’d never see Star again. The Rocket sneered and threw a pokeball onto the floor, revealing a 
white monkey pokemon with a brown pig snout sticking out of his fuzzy face. Before Cheveyo could 
react, the Mankey charged forward with a loud shriek and punched the dog pokemon in the face, the 
dark type growled and realised a spurt of crimson flame from his jaws. The fighting type leapt back, 
rolling on the floor to get rid of the fire, leaving his fur burnt and blackened. 
“You stupid creature! Don’t let it get you again!” the Rocket yelled, the Mankey leapt forward and 
pinned the Houndour to the ground and the Rocket took a pokeball from his belt, throwing the empty 
sphere at the struggling dark and fire dual type. 
“What! Don’t!” Star cried out, blocking the pokeball with her body and scooping it off the floor. The 
Rocket charged towards her, his white boots banging against the ground.
“What are you doing you disgusting little maggot.” the Rocket growled, grabbing Star and shook her 
vigorously. Star screamed and kneed Rocket in the groin, he backed away, groaning quietly away to 
himself. He charged forward again and punched Star, leaving a great bruise on her eye. Cheveyo leapt 
at the Rocket, clawing and biting. A rather confused Mankey charged forward, thrashing about and 
hitting everything in sight. Aurora, watched, backing away slightly and trying to run, but her legs 
refused to obey. She looked down as a pokeball hit her foot, she looked down and picked it up, looking 
at it curiosly and slipping it in her pocket as Star approached, Cheveyo’s pokeball in her hand.
“Aurora, start running!” Star yelled and ran past her sister, Aurora followed as an enraged Rocket 
chased after them. What seemed like hours passed before they threw themselves into the house, 
slamming the door and locking it behind them.
“Aurora...get to your room. I’ll explain to Mom and Dad.” Star said in a authoritative tone that Aurora 
didn’t really want to protest against. She went up the stairs and threw herself on her bed, closing her 
eyes as she drifted into a nightmarish sleep.