Hazel Wilkins 1 - Uranium

She woke up like she always did: surprised and still tired. Except this time, there was an extra noise in the mix.

"Your lucky number is seven." The toy squabbled. It had a habit of coming on in the middle of the night, though her room always looked like it was nighttime, courtesy of the blackout curtains. Once it got going, it wouldn't stop until you shut it up. There were only ever three phrases that it repeated over and over again. The other two are 'Buy more crystals' and 'Luck is coming your way.'. All things you could find written on a slip of paper inside of a fortune cookie, except for the crystal one. She wasn't sure what that one meant. It was modeled after one of those carnival fortune tellers. You know the kind; sitting in a box forever unmoving with names like The Marvelous Mystic Maya or Alistair the All-Seeing. It was even wearing one of those stereotypical fortune teller hats with a small jewel embedded into it.

The toy's glowing green eyes and jewel in the dark stood out like a Heatmor in a group of Durant. She lazily pulled off her covers and waltzed over to the toy, flicking the small off switch located at the bottom of the box. The name of the fortune teller used to be displayed on the top of the box where he sat. But now, the only thing she could make out was 'The Amazing K-'. Try as she might to find the toy online, no record of it seems to exist. Not even a carnival-sized version of it. She flicked the switch back on. As annoying and as creepy as it might be, there was a sort of charm to it. She thought it might be haunted, and she still hadn't ruled out that possibility. It was the only thing Harry allowed her to keep as a memento of her old life. And she did mean the only thing. She talked about it so little that she couldn't even remember anything from that time. Then again, people don't usually remember the first year of their lives all that well.

She sleepily walked over to her window and violently pulled her drapes apart. Bad idea; the ugly light of day immediately shone through the window like a monster waiting to strike, and it has been waiting patiently. She winced momentarily and quickly pulled the curtains back together. Daytime already, what a shame. She was having such a nice dream too, nice to her at least. Post-war Kalos isn't exactly a pretty sight, but Arceus knows it beats Motostoke's two shades of grey and red. But dreams were only dreams; this was real life. She placed the fortune teller on her nightstand next to Applin and flicked the light switch next to her door. The single lightbulb in her room was so old it could barely stay on for even a second at a time; why did she even try? It was a miracle it even still worked. Daylight wasn't looking so bad now; trying to get ready for the day with the lights acting up was a safety hazard. She begrudgingly allowed the bare minimum amount of sunlight required to illuminate the room to peer through, which was most of the window.

Why was it so bright? What happened to the gloomy weather? The thought of a hot summer repulsed her, and it seemed like her wish for a gloomy summer was coming true, at least it was before this morning. Hopefully the weather would be back to her liking soon.

Applin let out a small chirp from her nightstand as she put on her hat. It was the kind that you could find those newsboys riding their bikes and throwing papers wearing. She did find it strange that it was still children delivering newspapers, and she found it even stranger that people still read those things. She wasn't a newsie, but she could appreciate the work they do. But mostly, she just liked the hat.

"About time." She pulled one sock on.

The small dragon time stretched his tail and blinked a few times; he'd been sleeping for a lot longer than she had been. He perked up when he realized what day it was. He jumped off the nightstand and onto her windowsill, jumping up and down in anticipation.

"Yes, I know what day it is." She finished putting on her boots. "We won't miss it, promise."

She was a bit of a liar. Hopefully Harry wouldn't bother her today, or else going out into the city was a no-go. Not like Motostoke was much to look at aside from the giant waterwheels. Motostoke's history was much more interesting than anything it had going on today, save for the gym. It has its origins as a small mining town some 500 years ago, back in the days of King Garth VIII and his however many wives. Galar has only been governed by the league for 83 years; it was a monarchy for far, far longer. But this was a lesson in Motostoke's history, not Galar as a whole.

It turns out, when you're one of the region's biggest exporters of uranium and coal, your town is bound to grow. Add on top of that the fact that the giant river in front of Motostoke was the only way to cross into the north, and you've got yourself the third biggest city in all of Galar. Of course, nowadays there are trains, taxis, and cars. And most mining is now done with heavy machinery instead of sweaty, underpaid miners who worked in near darkness and lost a day off their lifespans with every breath they took. All of this to say, Motostoke was never a good town, just a lucky one. Not luckier than her, though; she had the honor of calling this place her prison.

She threw on a jacket to protect herself from the cold she hoped was coming, put on her watch, and exited the room with Applin on her shoulder. Harry's estate was just about as extravagant as you'd expect, if also ancient. She had researched it once; it was built over 300 years ago. It came complete with a ballroom with a chandelier and a huge foyer you could almost confuse for a hotel lobby. He even had a regular set of guards guarding the entrance 24/7. They were all very easy to bribe.

Even the stairs on the way down to the kitchen, where she was currently headed, were adorned with red carpeting. Instead of finding Harry like she expected, she only found Henry. His 'real' son. Not like that meant anything; he paid him less attention than he did her, and the only reason he ever spoke to her was to give her instructions.

"Where do you think you're going?" He asked with a mouth full of hash browns. Would it kill him to swallow his food before speaking?

"Well, I thought I was going downstairs." She continued descending.

"Well I thought I was going downstairs." He mocked.

"Mature."

"Answer my question." He demanded.

She reached the final step, "Where's Harry?" She ignored him; it was best not to entertain any of his questions, even if they weren't outlandish.

"Dad's out of town," that was certainly good news, "He said you're not allowed to go out." He stuffed his mouth with what was supposed to be a pancake, but it was so undercooked it just slid off his fork. He resorted to using his hands.

"That won't be a problem; the guards like me." She rifled through her wallet for money to bribe the guards. Harry often gave her money to buy things for him that he didn't want his assistants knowing about. Like just the other day he had her buy a whole bunch of film for an old Polaroid camera. What for? She didn't really care. He usually gave her more money than the product itself was worth, and from there it was just a matter of pocketing the money and giving him a small amount of change so as not to arouse any suspicion. She found it strange that he was so careless with his money considering his background, but decades as a rich politician will do that to you, she supposed.

She had 3000 Poke on her. 1500 for each of the guards—

"Well I don't." Henry stood up, slamming his hands on the table.

She looked up, "Okay?" She placed the money in her pocket and closed her wallet. It was probably her favorite thing she owned, unless you counted Applin, but that seemed a little mean. It was in the shape of a Chansey, complete with a small coin pouch where the egg should be. It never got any less amusing to look at. Some people may find it sad, but she called it finding joy in the little things.

Henry was biting down so hard it looked painful. "Calm down, would you?"

"Calm Down?" Oh, now she's gone and made him angry. But that was no trouble; angry Henry was about as intimidating as your average Yamper. He reached for the Pokéball on his belt—

That was certainly more intimidating. His Eiscue appeared by his side in a flash of red light. She groaned; he had become even more insufferable ever since Harry had gotten him that sadistic penguin. But she had to admit, they were perfect for each other. They both had the same shit personality and stupid face. The only difference is that Eiscue is actually somewhat strong; the house was always colder whenever he was out and about. She'd seen the penguin's ice helmet take a full-powered Dragon Claw from Harry's Flygon without so much as cracking; that would be an impressive feat even for a gym leader's Pokémon.

Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

Harry had bought it from some 'breeder' out in Circhester. As if she believed that. She suspected that he got it from the same black market that operates in Circhester and Spikemuth. They had a name, Team Glacier or something along those lines. They're already setting themselves up for failure; don't they know what happened to every other terrorist organization that started with the word 'team'? All defeated, by children no less.

Though, as amoral as Harry is, negotiating with terrorists is still a bit much. She doubted that he would risk the position he takes so much pride in just to satisfy his son.

Applin growled at the penguin. There was absolutely no way they would win in a fight, but it was cute nonetheless.

"Like father like son." If nothing else, the two were both extremely hot-tempered. "What? Are you going to stop me?"

Eisuce looked ready to pounce at a moment's notice. She knew that it would; it was as bloodthirsty as they came. But she also knew that Henry would never give the order.

He cursed under his breath and recalled Eiscue before he could badger him about not attacking, "Fuck you."

"You're the best." Now it's time to leave before he changes his mind.

She heaved a sigh of ice-cold relief as she walked outside and felt the cold pierce her skin. Gone was the sun; hopefully the clouds were here to stay. She greeted both of the guards. One of them she recognized; her name was Penny. She was tall, taller than Harry even. She was pretty and blonde; she didn't see a lot of those. Natural blondes, that is.

She didn't recognize the other guard; she must be new. She was... scary. She was also blonde, but it didn't look real. Not just the color, the hair itself, like a poorly applied wig. Her eyes looked completely black from this angle; she couldn't look at her for more than a few seconds without getting unsettled. She scrambled for the bribe money in her wallet. Penny graciously accepted the bribe, even telling her to have fun. She usually gave her a rough estimate of when she thought Harry might be back; no such luck this time.

The other guard looked at the money, then back at her.

"Thank you." She snatched the money from her hands.

She got out of there pretty fast; that new girl gave her more than the creeps. She checked her watch; 9:43. She must've been sleeping for longer than she thought.

"The alley isn't that far; we'll make it," she reassured Applin. "You think I'd let us be late?"

Yes, she could think of quite a few reasons that she would make them late. None of them, however, were within the realm of reason. Except for one, and that was Harry being home and locking her in the house like a prisoner. Which thankfully had not been the case today.

Today was the calm before the storm. Only three days before the rush Motostoke experiences every summer to coincide with the start of the Gym Challenge. Which meant she only had a few days before this place was bustling with trainers from all over the region. Make the most of it; she probably would not. But at least for today, she would try.

She always made sure to bring a gift with her to the alley. First it had been a microphone, then some speakers; she seemed to like those. Though she didn't need them, her voice carried pretty far on its own. She hadn't had much time to search for a gift this week, but she'd at least look before showing up empty-handed.

There weren't many people out today, which made shopping much easier. Whatever connotation 'downtown' carries in your mind, none of it applies to downtown Motostoke. There wasn't much of note except for the bakery and a few shops she liked to frequent when she could. Of course, there was the boutique, which she had been in exactly twice despite living in Motostoke all her life. Harry bought all of her clothes. Though she didn't mind usually, at this point what she wanted to wear was also what he wanted her to wear. Save for that stupid dress he wanted her to wear for his party, words could describe how much she didn't want to wear it; those words are better unspoken, however.

Despite this, it may still have some gift-worthy items. The display was always changing; she didn't know how often, but it never had the same thing twice. Usually she never paid it any mind, but she wasn't shopping for herself today. One thing on the display caught her eye. It was a hat; it made her strangely nostalgic. It was dark pink, almost red. The brim curved upwards with a black band strapped around the base. Almost like a pork pie hat, though she wouldn't describe it as one.

She walked up to the glass. "What do you think?"

He yipped in agreement, a suitable gift. She walked into the boutique and was immediately taken aback by the warm AC. She supposed people found it comforting; not her; she never felt more out of place. Ignoring the ludicrous price of 700 Poke, she purchased the hat and went on her way.

"Should've brought my backpack." It wouldn't have fit in there anyway, too big. She really only carried around her wallet.

Applin chirped as his trainer donned the hat, "Like it?" She chuckled, "Maybe they make one your size."

He cheered at the statement. Pokémon hats were a thing, but the thought of a hat small enough to fit him made her laugh. She checked her watch, 10:14. A little less than 50 minutes to get to the alley; that gives her time to pick up some food, donuts specifically. She hadn't been to the bakery for a while, but Arceus, she had forgotten how nice this place was. It was the only place in Motostoke that actually smelled good. Everywhere else was either unremarkable or very remarkable; never again would she step foot near Motostoke Outskirts.

The bakery specialized in Caramel pastries, which made sense when took a look at the owners Alcremie. It was the same light shade of brown that her hair was, with white spots on the ends of her hair-shaped blobs of cream. She floated around the bakery applying cream to various pastries; they were much smaller in person, only a little taller than Applin. It released a scent so sweet it made her drool whenever she passed by. Very unbecoming, she knew, Harry would disapprove.

She quickly sat up straight.

She took the donuts and left as soon as they were ready, mostly out of fear that she'd never leave if she stayed any longer. Determined not to make any more stops, she arrived at the alley. Despite her best efforts, she was still 10 minutes late. She could hear the singing coming from deeper inside. The singing faded, and the sound of Pokémon cheering entered her ears. She soon came into view of her destination, an opening in a dimly lit alley between two large buildings whose purpose she was unsure of. It was large enough to house a crowd of 30 or so small Pokémon, mostly city-dwelling Pokémon like Nickit and Galarian Zigzagoon, though there were a few outliers. There was a group of Patrat and one Watchog who never failed to show up. The species isn't exactly known for being polite, but they were surprisingly courteous. A family of Maushold also came, whose children are usually known for being shy; they seemed to come out of their shell here. A few Rookidee watched from the comfort of the few light posts scattered around the alley, and a grumpy-looking Raticate sat in the corner by himself. Considering the notoriously hostile Pokémon wasn't attacking anyone, she took it for a sign of amusement. Though the oddest of them all seemed to her to be a group of Poliwag who were very vocal in the front of the crowd. Water-type Pokémon who don't belong to trainers are seldom seen in cities. She couldn't help but wonder where they came from.

And above them all was Jigglypuff. She sang on a handcrafted stage made of cardboard. And as much as Hazel would like to take credit for it, she had simply broached the idea. Before that, she sang atop a dumpster that didn't seem to be in use. She had, however, gifted her the microphone and speakers she was using. She had made sure the speakers weren't too loud; Arceus knows what would happen if Harry found out about this. She wore a small top hat that by all accounts looked like the real thing. But if one paid attention, you could see it was simply made of cardboard with a very convincing paint job. She suspected it was given by the Grafaiai she had seen around. It was a grumpy creature, but Jigglypuff had many friends, and her charms were very hard to resist; she would know.

She had arrived a little late, barely missing her first song. She made up for it by giving the next three her full attention. Jigglypuff were said to be able to induce sleep in whoever heard their singing. And while she had no doubt that she was capable of that, her songs seemed to have the opposite effect. Not a peep could be heard while she was singing. Even the Patrat and Watchog, who were notorious for being loud and obnoxious. They stood attentive, their eyelids barely moving as they watched her prance around the stage with elegance unbecoming of an environment such as this. There were no instruments, backing vocals, (though Hazel knew she longed for those) or any extra depth besides her voice to be found, and yet she could barely tear her eyes away. She had never been one to find comfort in music, before she stumbled into this alley at least, for she had found it to be one of her only comforts these days.

Applin cheered loudly on her shoulder as the final song came to a close. She signified the end of her performance with a small bow followed by the sound of thunderous applause and cheering from the quadrupeds. She waited for the crowd of Pokémon to disperse before approaching. She used to get weird looks from them, but they had grown used to her by now. Jigglypuff talked for a moment with the family of Maushold before bidding them farewell and making her way towards Hazel. Applin eagerly jumped down from her shoulder to greet the balloon Pokémon. They had a friendly exchange. Rarely did fairies get along with dragons, but Applin weren't especially hostile, so their friendship was a welcome one. She then turned her attention to Hazel.

"Great performance." She mustered as much enthusiasm as she could. She really did enjoy it, and though it warranted praise, she was never very good at conveying it. Jigglypuff smiled; it was very contagious. She could barely stop herself from grinning as well, and she tried. She said something akin to 'Thank you.'. Jigglypuff didn't convey much in terms of body language, but unsurprisingly, their voices carried much more emotion.

"Those new speakers treating you well?" She asked.

Obviously she couldn't understand a word coming out of her mouth, but her enthusiasm combined with the proud look on Applin's face conveyed her message well enough, "Glad to hear it, here I got you something."

She took the hat atop her head and handed it to Jigglypuff, "I thought you might want to replace the cardboard hat, but it's fine if—"

She had barely glimpsed the hat before she inflated to twice her size and let the top hat fly off her head. It landed near the stage. She turned around and blew a raspberry at the hat before turning around to face Hazel. She grabbed the hat in her small hands and struggled to put it on for a moment. She adjusted it firmly. It covered the top part of the swirl on her forehead and left her ears exposed. She inflated herself again. The hat loosened a bit but stayed firm on her head. She deflated and smiled. Hazel sighed in relief as she came back down to earth. She liked it. She grabbed the box of donuts to her side.

"Donut?"

As miserable as Motostoke may be, moments like this almost made her forget. Almost.