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~Leaving the Nest~

“Many, many years ago a boy and his Pokemon set out on a journey…” an old woman sat before me. It was Sunday evening; the sun was just sinking below the horizon. The creatures of the night had begun to sing. The light had dimmed dramatically, and it was becoming tricky to see even a few steps in front of you.

The old woman continued with her story. Every Sunday when I’d come out the house to sit with my grandmother she’d told me all the stories she knew. This one was her favorite.

“I was a young girl when the trainer set out. Young and impressionable…” I couldn’t help smiling internally. My gran’s story telling had modern influences. I can remember that before she started watching TV soaps she wouldn’t have used the term ‘young and impressionable.’

She rambled on and on about this trainer and his adventures, her eyes taking on a sparkle.

At the time I wasn’t interested in trainers I was more interested in the Pokemon they trained. I couldn’t help burning with anger every time a trainer took credit for something their Pokemon did. Then they went on to say that it was all done with trust between each other. I don’t know how that works when all the trainer does is order the Pokemon around.

While my gran told her stories my mind always strayed off and I ended up getting the vague idea of what she was saying. If I ever got a quiz on the details of all her stories I know I’d fail.

“…and so the trainer retired. He had achieved all his dreams, he had become a Pokemon Master, and his Pokemon were all top class fighters…they disappeared one day. Many say he relocated to the mountains to find a new level of power having achieved the highest level he could…sometimes I wish I’d…” by that time I was interested in the story. Did my grandmother actually know this trainer? To such an extent that she had wanted to go with him?

“So you knew him?” I asked.

She focused her eyes on me; I could see every single fold in her skin. She had tiny crinkles in the skin beside her eyes, and her eyelids drooped over a good fraction of her eyes.

Her head twitched in what I knew was a nod.

“Story time is over now, Granny needs some rest,” I swear I heard her bones creaking as she hobbled inside the house, leaving me outside.

From the few catches I heard from the story I guessed my gran was in love with this trainer. He couldn’t still be alive, what with men living shorter than women and my gran was like a hundred or something, that didn’t leave a high level of possibility.

It made me wonder. What if I could find him? That’d probably make my gran happy. She had married but my grampa had died before I was born so that left her free to go out with this trainer guy if I ever found him.

Well, it’s wasn’t likely that he was still alive, and I wasn’t about to leave my home to go and find some dude who was definitely dead or that I didn’t even know.

“Sumi, what have I told you about staying outside at night all alone?” my mother was leaning over my shoulder. I jumped as I saw her scowl. I hadn’t even known she was there until she’d spoken. You know how moms are, masters in the art of surprise, and knowing the unknown. Especially when you’ve done something you’re not supposed to, and however hard you try not let her find out, she’ll know just by the innocent look on your face.

“Mom please don’t call me that.” I said and went inside no argument.

“I’m your mother I’m supposed to give you embarrassing names,” she replied, and did that thing that mom’s do when there is something on your cheek. She stuck her thumb into her mouth, and once it was all gobby she rubbed my cheek.

I squirmed in her clutches. “Mom I don’t need you to look after me anymore I’m going to be a Pokemon trainer tomorrow! I can look after myself!”

She let go of me. “I’m really going to miss you…Sumi.”

I couldn’t help but melt slightly. My mother was my mother. No warm-blooded kid can be mean when your mom pulls that one on you.

I submitted to my mom’s fierce hug. I know I’m going to need a doctor after this my ribs are aching.

She smiled once she’d released me. “Have fun. Always remember to call me, and… (A.N sorry I couldn’t resist this one) remember to change your underwear everyday.”

Yeah…I know Moms are MAD!

I nodded weakly and withdrew into my room.

The bedroom floor was littered with Pokemon guides, handbooks and comic books, every normal kid has them!

I sat down on my bad with my hands on my cheeks. I was a tweak nervous about tomorrow. There were a few things I should be worrying about, getting there in time to get the Pokemon I wanted, figuring out which Pokemon I wanted and lastly and probably most importantly finding my way to the lab. I was hopeless when it came to direction.

That thought made me remember something. Well not exactly remember, more like remember something forgotten. So in reality I’d actually remembered forgetting something and not remembering anything at all.

My head was spinning with all the pointless thinking I was doing so I decided to sleep on it. I lifted the sheets and slumped into bed.

With my arms folded behind my head I lay, staring at the ceiling. Slowly I began to drift off but not before I heard my mother and grandmother come into the room. I pretended to be sleeping. I could tell they were looking at me. I heard two sets of footsteps come across the room, then I felt my mother lean over to kiss me on the cheek. Soon after I felt the whiskery lips of my grandmother brush my skin as well.

I faked rolling over in my sleep. It added to the authenticity. I heard them leave the room. Somehow I knew, I know I can’t believe it myself, that I would miss them. Alot.

“…Sumi…wake up…it’s time to start your journey,” I could see my mother, though somewhat vaguely. My crusty, squinted eyes distorted her features.

“You do know that you’re on the verge of being late?” I sat straight up, I knew that it was just a ploy by my mother to get me out of bed but nonetheless I worked.

I threw the sheets off my body and hurriedly got dressed, hopping out of the house while trying to put on my shoe.

My mom and gran were standing at the gate, both looked kinda sad.

I stood in front of them. Since it was the last time I was going to see them in a long time I took extra care in remembering how they looked like. My mom with her dark waist length hair, heart shaped faith and large ebony eyes. My gran was like your typical stereotype of a granny. She only reached my chest, and had her white hair swirled up into a bun. She even had cute little granny glasses and a cane.

I hugged each of them.

My mother broke into tears.

“My little Sumi is leaving! Just promise me you’ll show me your Pokemon before you go okay?” She dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief.

Something tugged at my ear, and I was yanked down to my gran’s level. She is incredibly strong.

“Always remember to…” I expected her to say something like treat your pokemon with respect, “…follow the roadmap!”

The feeling in my ear was going, “Gran can you let me go? My ear…”

I looked at her, puzzled. Since when did my grandmother start spouting nonsensical confusious sayings?

I gripped the straps of my backpack.

“Bye guys,” and then I set out on my first pokemon journey.

Upon glancing at my watch I realized that I was in fact bordering on late. Sadly kicking up dust was not my thing and I got to the lab just off time.

No one seemed to be there yet luckily.

The lab was made up of five glass domes, each differing in size but all clumped together so it looked like bubbles in a bath.

I opened the door. Praying with all my might that no one had taken the pokemon before I had.

The door opened inwards, I stepped in. The lab was bright, the light from the morning sun intensifying through the glass.

I walked forward kind of blindly.

“My boy! So you’ve come for your first pokemon?” I heard a male voice to the right of me.

“Here use these,” I felt something in my hand, I guessed they were sunglasses and put them on.

“Better?” A man, who looked to be on the wrong side of forty, he was smiling.

“Yeah…so uh where do I get my pokemon?” I asked, feeling just a little over nervous.

The man put his hand on my back and led me through to the next room.

There were three thick tubes standing like columns in the room. In each tube had a pokeball floating in its centre, bubbles rising around them.

“And these do what…?” I asked, nodding at the tubes. Maybe these were super charged pokemon?

“I just wanted it cos it looked cool!” The professor already seemed weird to me so imagine what I thought when he cracked up laughing.

“Uh yeah…now can I get my pokemon?” I just wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. The professor was really…I’ll say eccentric.

“Yes yes we’ll get to that. Firstly these are your pokedex and pokeballs. Oh and have you heard of our new package? Take one pokemon and get a pokemon egg free!”

Was he serious?

“Whahaha! Keep dreaming…okay let’s choose your pokemon,” he gestured to the pokeballs in the tubes.

By then I was ready to run away screaming. But I needed to get this pokemon.

“So there are three pokemon to choose from. A grass type, fire type and a water type. Which will you pick?”

The professor’s face was suddenly serious, “Unfortunately the water type has already been taken so fire and grass will be your options.”

I heard a sound behind me, the professor and I both turned to see who was coming in.

A girl, she looked about my age, her hair was tied back into a ponytail. I couldn’t help noticing her weird hairstyle. She had predominantly black hair, but her bangs were almost lightning bolt shaped and were blonde. To top it all off the ends of her hair were pink.

“Hi,” she said to the professor and me. “I’m here to get a pokemon.”

She was kind of pretty I had to admit. I even liked the hairstyle and the high voice.

I noticed she had a gold necklace with a strange ornament on it, kind of like a ruby cut in a triangle.

“So you two will be taking my last two pokemon. Since you were here first you should choose first unless you’re one of those ‘ladies first’ types.” The professor said to me.

Smooth was all I could think. But being me I let the lady go first. She flashed me a smile.

“I already know what I want,” she said and pointed to the fire type. Well, lucky me…

“Good choice. Here you go,” said the professor. I could’ve sworn he gave me a sneaky smile.

I gave a small sigh, small enough so that nobody could hear it I hoped. But the girl’s eyes flickered towards me.

I took the grass pokeball before she could say anything. I’d planned to get either a fire type or water type but here I was saddled with a grass type…for a girl!

What was the world coming to?

It seemed I was the only one who didn’t know what my pokemon was; the girl was getting all hyper over her new pokemon.

“Oh I’ve always wanted a torchic!” so that’s what hers was. I was grateful I didn’t choose fire type then, chickens didn’t appeal to me.

So that meant I had a Treeko, not bad.

But when I opened my pokeball I had something else.

END PART ONE

Review! If you read this please tell me what you think! Should I change anything!? Review!!!!!!! Now!!!!!!! ...please

~JJJ~

Regards

The Abstract Noun