"The Audacity!" the elder to the left of me yells.
I knew the elders would be mad at me, but I never imagined it would be this bad. My knees already hurt from the way they're making me sit. I continue looking at the floor, not bothering to meet their gaze.
"The very idea of a Blackthorn leaving with a lowly fairy as their starter" the center elder says with so much venom in his voice it might as well be coming from a poison type. To the right of me another elder decides to chime in.
"Even after we graciously grant you one of the clan's swablu this is how you repay us."
I clench my fists, I want to speak up so bad, to yell at them and say what I've always thought of them. How they're all jerks that are undeserving of their dragons.
The center elder once again speaks . We will not have you dishonor the clan using an igglybuff of all things in battle." "As punishment, we forbid you from leaving the clan compound until you come to your senses and release that fairy
My head shoots up "WHAT! You can't do this."
The center elder glares at me "We can and we will. As long as you keep that fairy you will not be leaving. You are dismissed." I stand up to leave barely able to keep myself together as I get up. As I leave the room I once again hear the left elder speak " This is what we get for letting Darren marry that foreigner. The daughter's just as bad if not worse." I can't hold it back anymore as I run out of the main building towards home as tears stream down my cheek.
Just as I make it home I hear behind me
"Hey blondie, did they finally kick you out of the clan?"
"Jenna not now, I can't deal with this today" I say. I turn around to see her hands on her hips with her swablu on her shoulder
"Answer the question blondie." she said while sweeping her long black ponytail over her shoulder
"At this point I wish they would." How is it that she's somehow able to look down on me even though she's a full inch shorter than me? Oh Ho-Oh I want to punch her so bad. "Why are you even here?" I ask.
Jenna then gives me her biggest fakest smile "Just wanted to see my bestest friend before leaving to win the conference."
Before I can say anything a shadow begins to loom over us. Jenna's face pales and her swablu looks like she's going faint on the spot as the pressure of a massive dragonite weighs down on her. The dragonite's eyes bore into Jenna as she squeaks out "I wasn't going to do anything" as she slowly backs away before turning around and running off.
I turn around and wrap my arms as much as I can around the dragonite's body. "Thanks for looking out for me, Empress."
Empress looks down at me before gently placing one of her hands on top of my head. Even now I still find it hard to believe how kind and gentle Dad's dragonite is considering all the scars littered across her body. I know Dad was once a top ranger at one point before mom died, but he's never told me what caused any of Empress's scars. I can't even begin to imagine what sort of danger he must have been in to cause such injuries to a dragonite of all things. After a minute of hugging Empress I slowly pushed myself off her "I'm feeling a bit better now Empress."
Empress then gives me a warm smile before stepping aside to let me through to the front door. As I unlock the door I hear her launch herself into the air flying off probably back to wherever Dad is. Even after he retired he still patrols the forest around the city. At this point I think he does it more out of necessity than routine. Home hasn't felt the same since mom died. The halls carry an air of longing. Pictures of me, mom, and Dad are still hung around the house, a constant reminder of happier times. Just thinking about it makes me miss her more. I especially miss the stories she used to tell me before bed. She would tell tales of far away lands I've never heard of and fantastical pokemon I can't even begin to picture. I've always wondered If mom was from one of these places from the stories she spoke of. I knew she wasn't from anywhere in Indigo. Hell, the clan won't let me forget it. I regret not pushing her more on where she's from. She always said she would tell me when I was older, but she never told me before she died. All she left me was a pokeball with an Igglybuff inside I named Wiggles.
As I open the door I'm tackled onto the ground. As I collect myself and sit up I feel Wiggles nuzzle into my stomach. Flying slowly after her Opera my Swablu chirps happily before landing on my head welcoming me home.
Once again I feel myself begin to tear up "I'm sorry guys it looks like we won't be going on our journey after all"
Wiggles just looks up at me with a face of confusion and disappointment. Opera on the other hand just looks at me with a shocked expression before chirping and flapping his wings in outrage.
"I'm sorry Opera the elders won't let me sign up for the gym challenges as long Wiggles is a part of our team."
Opera gives another chirp of outrage however no longer at me but at the elders that have the gall to even ask to give up his comrade in arm.
Wiggles just stares at me before letting out a sad "Buff."
"Of course I'm not gonna get rid of you dummy. Being a part of this team means your family, and you don't get rid of family"
Wiggles let out a relieved "Buff." while Opera lets out a reassuring chirp.
As I walk into the house I just feel dejected. Both Wiggles and Opera look at me with concern and follow after me. Our whole lives have been building up for our journey. Where we would complete the gym challenges and become a super powerful trainer that can go wherever they please like Professor Oak, Lance, Clair, Dad, or Mom. I never did learn how strong mom was but Dad said that she was a really powerful fairy specialist and that he and Empress never won against her once so she must have a really powerful team. Not that I ever met them. I remember asking her about it and with a distant look she just told me "When I moved in with Dad the clan would have never allowed her team to stay on Blackthorn land, so her sister is taking care of them in her homelands." That was the first day I learned I had an Aunt and I never even learned her name.
Even though it's only 3:30 pm I feel exhausted. As I make it to my room filled with merch filled with clashing fairy and dragon merch. Over my nightstand hangs a poster from Lance's battle against Pryce for the championship featuring Lance and Pryce facing each other while their starters dragonite and mamoswine prepare to attack. I still remember when mom and Dad took me to see it live. It was the best gift ever, besides Wiggles of course. On my shelf are a bunch of fairy type figurines of fairies native to Indigo. As I make it my bed I let myself collapse onto it. I immediately feel myself begin to pass out as I feel Wiggles jump on the bed to snuggle up with me and Opera stares out the Window from his usual perch as I drift off to sleep.
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I always hated Blackthorn City hospital. From its clinical white, to the chemical odor from all the constant sanitation, but mostly it’s the aura of dread that saturates the floor I’m on in particular. As I walk through the floor for the terminally ill I’m brought out of my thoughts as I feel Dad’s hand on my shoulder as he holds me back from bumping in a chansey pushing a cart out of one of the rooms. The pink blob gives me a quick glance before carrying on with its work.
“Pay attention to where you’re going” Dad quickly chides me but I can see his mind is also elsewhere.
Eventually we make it to our destination. I hesitate slightly before opening to a small hospital room. Inside is a table full of flowers and cards from all her friends within the city. She didn’t have any friends that also lived in the clan’s compound but that didn’t stop her from trying.The bed sits by a large window with a tv playing a battle from the latest ace tournament. Even now she still keeps with the ace trainer rankings. Mom gives us a warm smile however her eyes betray her showing the pain she’s in. Her face is pale with large bags under her sapphire blue eyes, her usually radiant golden blonde hair is matted and dull.
“Hey Mom, how are you feeling?” I say
“Fine sweetie, whatever the doctors have been putting in me has been helping with the pain” Mom said with a tired voice.
Dad then steps up placing a bag on mom’s lap “We stopped at Bailey's Bakery earlier, They were out of your favorite cookies, but when they learned they were for you they made us a fresh batch”
“Thanks honey” mom smiles then sighs. “There’s something I need to tell you two. I’m not going to make it”
“That’s not true, the doctors still say you have a chance.” Dad says, but Mom holds her hand up quieting him before he can continue speaking
“The doctors are wrong.” She states “Even now I hear Yveltal calling for me, but before I die I want you both to make a promise with me. Mom looks me in the eyes “Alice my beloved daughter. No words can describe how much I love you. You have the potential to do whatever your heart desires. Promise me that no matter what path you go down you’ll let nothing hold you back.”
With tears streaming down my face I croak out “I promise Mom”.
Mom smiles “Then I can die knowing that you’ll both be fine without me” Mom then locks eyes with Dad “Darren though it wasn’t as long as I wished, I have cherished every moment I’ve spent with you. Promise me that you won’t let my death hold you back. I want you to live your life to the fullest after I’m gone. I don’t want you to join me too quickly. One day I want you and Empress to go on another journey.”
Dad starts to break down crying. Little louder than a whisper he says “I promise.”
Mom smiles “Now I can pass on without worry. I love you two so much. Don’t feel sad, I'll be watching over both of you.”
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I woke up with a gasp. I am drenched in sweat and feel dried tears stuck to my cheeks. Glancing at the digital clock on my night stand seeing it is three in the morning. Despite the sad memory my dream encompassed I feel strangely upbeat, like a weight has been taken off my chest. I start to smile at the idea that starts to form in my head. If me competing in the gym challenges will bring shame to the Blackthorns then I won’t compete as a Blackthorn. Fuck the Blackthorns, the elders, and fuck dragons they worship so much except for Opera and Empress. My promise to mom repeating itself in my head, if they’re going to hold me back then I’m better off on my own. I'm leaving the clan. I’m going to become a fairy master and be just like mom. I look around my room to see Wiggles hugging a pillow at the end of my bed and Opera asleep on her perch. “Guys” I whisper but neither respond. “GUYS!” I say half whispering half yelling. Opera wakes up giving me an annoyed and groggy look. Little guy loves his beauty sleep. Wiggles slowly opens his eyes, mumbling something probably along the lines of “What time is it?”
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
“Good news guys. We’re running away.” I say cheerily.
If they weren’t awake before they certainly awake now both of them staring at me with shocked expressions. I quickly explain “If the clan is going to get in the way of our dream then the only option is to leave the clan. If we leave now we can sneak out of the compound and into the city.” As I speak Wiggles just smiles at me simply happy at the fact that my moods improved while Opera flaps onto the bed giving me a happy chirp excited that we are going on a journey after all. I continue to explain “Once we're into the city we’ll register for a trainer id and for the gym challenges. Then we hop on the next bus to a different city. By then we should have enough distance from the clan that were in the clear. From then on we’ll train by challenging the gym challenges and winning the conference. We’ll make the clan eat their words” I’m getting giddy just from the thought of the elders' faces as they beg me to come back.
I jump out of bed and get dressed in my pink hoodie and jeans, grabbing my backpack before stuffing multiple sets of clothes in along with the allowance of five hundred I’ve been saving for my journey and a family photo of me, Dad, and mom. I then grabbed mom’s old belt that Dad got refitted for me. It’s capable of holding twelve pokeballs which is more than enough. I check to make sure I haven’t forgotten anything before grabbing Opera’s and Wiggles’s pokeballs before telling them “I’ll recall you both for now, and I’ll let you out once we’re in the city.” They both nod as they vanish in a flash of red light into their balls. I then miniaturize the balls and stick them to mom’s belt. Before I forget I grab a piece of paper writing a quick note for Dad. Leaving on journey. Yep that should do it.
I silently slip out my room and down the dark hallway. As I sneak past Dad’s room I let sigh he’s the only person I’m going to miss. I tiptoe down the stairs into the living room. It’s completely dark and I can’t see anything. All of a sudden a lamp in the middle of the room turns on and I freeze.
Sitting in a chair next to a lamp with a cup of coffee is Dad. All he does is look at me before simply stating “Going somewhere.”
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Dad offers me the sofa across from him. “How did you know?” I ask as I take off my backpack, leaving it on the floor before sitting down.
Dad sighs and puts his coffee. “I think I know my own daughter well enough to know when she’s going to do something rash.”
“I have a plan.” I blurt out. “I’m going to leave the clan, and sign up for the gym challenges. I’ll win and force the clan to acknowledge me and Wiggles.”
Dad just gives me an unimpressed look in response. “First off, your whole plan relies on you actually getting into the conference in which you’ll need eight gym badges to enter. Ninety percent of first year trainers barely make it to the fourth gym let alone making it to Clair. Second problem, even if you defy the odds and get eight badges and get into the conference you’ll be up against almost exclusively veteran trainers with full teams of elite pokemon. You wouldn’t make it past the elimination rounds without a team of elite pokemon of your own, and to put it simply you don’t know how to train elite pokemon.” Dad then reaches past the coffee table grabbing my backpack and begins to go through it. “Third problem, you don’t have any of the essentials or experience needed to survive in the wilds. Did you think you’ll just be able to sleep at a pokemon center every night?”
The longer Dad goes on the more embarrassed I become. I can’t even look him in the eyes.
Dad then chuckles “Luckily for you, you have a cool Dad that can help with all three.”
I looked up in surprise “I’m not in trouble?”
“No, once I learned about the punishment the clan elders gave you I planned on getting you out of the compound. To be honest I’ve been looking for an excuse to leave the clan for a while now. I see the path the clan is going down and I want no part of it.” Dad then smiles at me “ Now go back to bed. Your Training starts tomorrow.”
I go around the table and give Dad a tight hug, my head resting against his chest. “Thanks Dad, I love you.”
Dad just smiles before saying “I know, now go back to bed we have a lot to do tomorrow.”
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I wake up and grin as I remember the events of last night. Getting out of bed I put on the same clothes I was wearing earlier. Rushing downstairs I find Dad cooking eggs and bacon. Dad hands me a plate telling me to sit down and eat as we have a busy day ahead of us. I release Wiggles and Opera so they can eat as well. They both eat their usual poke feed with sliced oran berries.
After we finish our meal and clean all the dishes Dad tells me to sit down and close my eyes. When he tells me to open them there is a large leather bound book. Me and my team all look at it with interest.
Dad then speaks up “Your mom wanted you to have this when you left for your journey. She comes from a long line of fairy specialists. This book is the accumulation of everything they knew about fairies. It was her hope that you would eventually add your own entries to it.” Dad then smiles at me “Go ahead open it” he says.
I warily place my hand on the cover as if the mere touch will somehow ruin it before gently opening the book to the first page. On it is a long list of names I don’t know until I see mom’s name as the last signature. I consider signing my name under her’s but quickly discard the idea. Not yet, one day when I add my own entry that will be the day I add my name to the list. I then open the book to a random page. On it is a depiction of a pokemon I’ve never seen before. The pokemon has a small spherical body followed by what appears to be a vine with flowers stuck to it. Its tiny arms are holding the end forming a ring or necklace. Beneath is an entry reading
“Comfey (The posy picker pokemon):It stretches sticky vines out from its head and picks flowers to adorn itself with. When it doesn't have any flowers, it feels uneasy. It picks flowers and sticks them to its body with fluids it produces. The aroma that wafts from its petals has a healing effect.
In the archipelago region of Alola the pokecenters often prefer to use Comfey over the more common chansey or audino lines due to the healing powers comfey imparts on the flowers it collects.”
The book goes on to list more such as their learnable moves, ability, and where to find them as well as other remarks.
Dad then reaches over and closes the book “You’ll have plenty of time to read it later. We have a lot to do today.”
I nod, grabbing my bag and putting the book inside, also returning Wiggles and Opera to their balls. As I head out the door with Dad following behind I see Empress in the front yard already with her harness and saddle on waving at me. On her other hand she’s carrying Dad’s backpack which she hands him. She kneels down as Dad puts on his bag then lifts me up and places me on the saddle. Dad then makes sure I’m secure before sitting behind me and securing himself to the saddle before saying two words I’ve heard him say many times before “Empress up.”
In an instant my stomach drops as Empress kicks off the ground launching herself into the air hundreds of feet into the air before leveling out. When I finally regain my bearings I look down to see the whole of Blackthorn city beneath us as well as other people flying on their own pokemon such as pidgeot and fearow. I even see another person on a dragonite which isn’t too surprising considering the city is home to the most influential clan of dragon trainers in all of Indigo.
_________________________________________________________________________
Gently touching down at the designated spot for fliers outside the pokecenter. Dad recalls Empress and we make our way inside. After waiting in a short line we finally make it to the nurse joy manning the counter. “Hi, I’m here to get my trainer license.”
The nurse Joy responds “Of course, will you be signing up for the gym trials as well?”
Before I can respond Dad speaks up “No, just the license for her please.”
He then turns to me “You’ll be spending this year training and sign up for the gym challenges next year, trust me.”
“Ok.” I look back at nurse Joy “What he said.” Spe proceeds to hand me a form and pen.
“Please hand me the pokemon you’ll be registering. We need to check them for illness or any signs of abuse, it’s standard practice. You can fill out the form while you wait.” The nurse then hands me a small buzzer. “This will let you know when your pokemon are ready.”
“I understand.” I reply while placing my team’s pokeballs on a tray. I take the form and turn around to find a table to sit at.
As me and Dad sit down at a table in the center’s cafeteria I ask “Why not sign up for the gym trials?”
Dad responds “Because, this year is supposed to be about your training.”
“But, won’t I be able to at least be able to challenge at least the local gym?”
Dad chuckles “Not where we’re going. There is a small land to the north outside the region called Kitakami. Your mother took me there for our honeymoon. The wild pokemon there are a bit stronger than what you can typically find in Johto due to less human interference making it perfect for training, also there are a lot of Pokemon you can find there that are not native to indigo. It will be a good opportunity to expand your team. A big problem a lot of new trainers face is being too slow to put together a full team. It can lead to a trainer challenging the gym at a disadvantage as some the team will be weaker as they won’t have the time to catch up to the rest. Your mother showed me about a lot of different fairies you can find there.”
I nod excitedly before finally looking over the form and begin to fill it out. I fill in my first name ignoring the last name section and move on. Just then Dad stops me. “Put down Kingsleigh, It was your mother’s maiden name.”
I smile and fill it in. The rest of the form is the usual stuff: date of birth, Pokemon I'm registering, etc. I finish quickly and begin to look through the book while I wait specifically looking for pokemon with habitats listed in Kitakami.
While on the entry for Togekiss Dad points at it and says “Your mother had one, Me and Empress used to race her togekiss. I think we won every one in five. I still believe she was cheating somehow.” Dad smiles as he continues to reminisce.
Eventually the buzzer buzzes and me and Dad make our way back to the counter. The Joy manning the counter hands me back my team’s pokeballs. I hand the form to the Joy and she enters the info into a pc and directs me in front of a camera to the side. I give my best smile for the camera. The Joy then prints the license. She hands me the standard trainer license allowing me to carry up to six battle trained pokemon on my person. If I catch a seventh I would need to pay for stabling since I won’t be using the clan stables. As I thank the nurse as me and Dad turn to leave. As we leave I immediately want to go to the nearest battlefields, but Dad reminds me that we have places to be. Next stop the trainer surplus store.
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We soon made it to the store as it’s only a few blocks away from the pokecenter. I decided to release my team as we walk so I’m holding Wiggles in my arms and Opera makes himself comfortable atop my head. As we enter, Dad grabs a cart which I place Wiggles into. Dad leads me around the store grabbing a bunch of camping supplies along with pots, a tent, and sleeping bag. Eventually we came to a display area featuring the latest generation of secret power bags from Silph Co. The bags are much bigger on the inside than on the outside and while weighing a fraction of what it should when fully packed allowing the wearer to carry more than should be feasibly possible. I have no idea how it works, only that it has something to do with the move secret power. I balk at the price “Ten Thousand Poke Dollars!”
“It’s a necessary purchase with how much you’ll have to carry on your journey. Don’t worry we can afford it, just pick one you like.” Dad says.
Walking down the display I eventually pick out a purple bag with a canvas texture. Besides the expanded space it has two separate sections one being refrigerated. The other for storing fresh water, it even includes a tap.
Dad then calls over an employee. The employee opens the display with a key around his neck and takes out my future bag. He explains that it will be taken to the check out and we will be allowed to pick it up after we pay. Me and Dad walked around a little longer buying some other necessary objects such as dozens of packs of poke food and berries along with a crate of potions and even a few super potions. We also grab a half a dozen pokeballs. By the end of our shopping trip Wiggles is back in my arms as he lost all his room in the cart. I don’t even look at the price we pay, only focusing on my new bag as the clerk hands it to me. Before we leave me and Dad place all my new stuff into the bag even Wiggles and opera help out throwing stuff randomly into the bag. The bag takes in everything with room to spare, and I’m surprised as I pick it up and barely feel any weight.
As we leave Dad tells me we have one more place to stop. As he releases Empress in the parking lot I return to my team. People are recording and taking pictures of Empress as we get on the saddle. She waves at them just before taking off.
—--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We end up landing just outside a place I know all too well, Blackthorn cemetery. We enter with Empress walking behind us. We head over to a well maintained grave reading “Helen Blackthorn Beloved Wife, Loving Mother, and Master of Fairies. May Ho-oh grant her eternal peace.”
“Hi mom, I’m not going to be able to visit for a while. I’m finally going on a journey. Thank you for the book. I promise I’ll take good care of it. I’m going to be a fairy specialist just like you and make you proud. Next time I visit I’ll be a powerful trainer and I’ll introduce you to all my teammates. I love mom, see you then.” Even though I begin to tear up at the end I have a smile on my face. When I turn around Dad’s giving me a proud look and Empress is wiping a tear from her eye. Dad asks me for a private moment. I oblique but as I walk away I hear “Helen, Alice is growing up to be just like you. She’s going to go far, I’ll make sure of it.”
As I wait by the entrance Dad and Empress walk up to me. Just then Dad’s phone starts ringing. When Dad looks at it he just chuckles and tells me “One of the elders is calling.” He answers it. I don't hear what is being said but I can’t hear what’s being said but Dad just continues to listen. All of a sudden Dad just says “Hendrik, go fuck yourself.” The silence is deafening, after a couple seconds the air is filled with an unending string of curses and threats at a volume that shouldn’t be possible from the phone’s small speaker. Dad hangs up and starts laughing. Just as he starts catching his breath he turns to me and says “We’ve just been exiled.” and I start laughing with myself. When we finally start to pull ourselves together Dad clears his throat “We should get going, it will take at least a week to reach Kitakami.
Nod and jump on Empress. After Dad Gets on I pump my fist into the air and shout “Empress UP!” Cheering as we shoot up into the sky before leveling out and flying away as the city becomes smaller and smaller behind us. As I finally set off on my journey.