Set in Stone (A Pokèmon Fanfic)

Chapter 1

My mom walked into my room, carrying a tray filled with six pokeballs. I stared at her, afraid to speak. Her long brown hair swished to and fro, and her dark chocolate eyes glinted maliciously as she banged it down on my nightstand. I cringed, sympathizing with the poor pokemon inside. "You are ready for the ultimate test," she said, looking back into my eyes. I felt beads of sweat forming on my forehead. My mom smirked, satisfied with the way I had reacted.

"You are being kicked out of this house," she sneered, hands on her hips. I started. This was not what I had expected. Kicked out of the house? I opened my mouth to speak, but was silenced by my mom's glare.

"You can not come back to this house until you are the champion of Johto," she continued, ignoring my stricken look. "Now we will finally have a pokemon master in the house. Your pokemon team is here." She patted the marble tray.

"You have twenty minutes to pack. I don't want to see you again- until you are the very best. In twenty minutes I will come to this room and check. If you are still here, you will be beaten and dropped off in the middle of the ocean. I do not care to look at your pitiful face until you are worthy of being my daughter." She gave me one last look and stalked out, slamming the door.

I stood still, mind blown. Was this the reward my parents were talking about, every time they beat me with a cane? Was this the achievement they told me my pain would bring? I shook my head in disbelief. Walking over to my nightstand, I gingerly lifted the pokeballs. I almost cried right then and there. My whole team was there, and I could see that they were ecstatic to see me. The ticking of the clock brought me out of my reverie. Snapping my head up, I realized that a whole five minutes had gone by. Flying to my travel bag, I stuffed clothes, undergarments, and various trainer items into my pack. Slinging it onto my shoulder, I snapped all six pokeballs onto my utility belt. I took one out and fingered it. It was an ultra ball, lined with a puffy pink cloud seal and a bright yellow P.

"Pidgeot, come on out!" I whispered as a beautifully plumaged pigeon burst out, cawing.

I hopped onto its back and ran a hand down its wonderfully soft feathers. "Johto please," I whispered in its ear. "Can you take me to New Bark Town?" Pidgeot nodded and flew off into the air.

I sat on the back of Pidgeot, enjoying the feel of the wind whipping around my face. And then, I realized something. I was free. Free from the torture, free from the pain that my parents brought- I was free to be myself. Tears gathered into my eyes and spilled over, running down my cheeks and leaving a dark wet stain on Pidgeot's back. The bird looked back at me, cocking its head. "Sorry," I whispered, furiously wiping the tears from my eyes.

I leaned over the side and peered down at the landscape below. The glittery expanse of rolling waves. The miniature houses that I could barely see, perched upon gentle, rolling hills. The tall mountain peaks, towering over the small towns littered at their bases. I inhaled. As a child, I had spent most of my time cooped up in the house, with only books for company. My pokemon were locked away and only brought out during training time. I never interacted with other children my age, unless I was battling them in competition. Radios and TVs were banned, effectively blocking me from any contact in the outside world. My home was a prison.

I looked out into the horizon, where the sea just kissed the sky. Puffy clouds floated lazily across a blue background. Tears swam in my eyes once again as I drank in the scene. It was beautiful, absolutely beautiful. I couldn't believe that my whole life was spent deprived of these small, petty things.

Pidgeot began to dip and we slowly descended, aiming for a cluster of houses at the edge of the sea. As we got closer, I saw five two story houses, with flowers and plants lining the windows. They looked so comfortable and cozy, and I couldn't help but wonder who lived in them, and what kind of life they led. When Pidgeot was a few feet from the ground, I hopped off, my feet landing firmly on the floor. There was nobody in sight, so I decided to test out my skills on the route left of the small town, and come back later. I strolled over to the grassy area. I took one step...two steps...

All of a sudden, I saw grass rustling, and a raticate jumped out at me. I stumbled backwards, startled. The raticate regarded me with its beady black eyes as I took out a pokèball, fingers trembling. My vision went grey, and I saw my mother's ghost, arms folded and dark eyes glaring at me.

"Who are you, a coward?" the ghost spoke, her voice a rough warble. "Can't even fight a stupid raticate." I clutched my head, squeezing my eyes shut. I knew I was hallucinating, but try as I might, my mother would not go away. She glided closer to me. I could see now her eyes were gaping black holes, her smile distorted and evil. I screamed.

"You will never be good enough," she rasped, inching closer to me. "Make me believe you are mine..." She extended her bony fingers, beckoning me to come closer. I screamed again, one last desperate plea for help. My pokeball dropped to the ground. I fell on my knees, praying that it would be over soon.

And then, a new voice came into the scene. "Haha, someone afraid of a Raticate? Not much of a trainer, are you?"