Pokemon: Quartz Version (Violet Arc)

File No.1

Save no.2: Departure.


"Uhn, morning yet?"

A large warm ball of fur shuffled to life at the foot of the bed, stretching fore and hind legs in answer to the faint murmur on the other end of the plush covers. Finishing with a yawn the growlithe shook itself awake before coming to rest in the arms of the dark room's resident, a young female with eyes made of amythest and shimmering hair of matching colour, reaching a little ways below the shoulder blades even with the slim, little pigtails that stuck out and upward. The storm outside had died down some even though it remained as heavy a downpour as it had throughout the night, but without the fierce winds and bolts of lightning it became something not to fear but instead enjoy, contrasting beautifully with the landscape awash in orange-gold and dotted with puddles long and short.

One small nip from the pokemon in her arms and the girl's mind jumped, her suddenly alert attention turning to the clock on the nightstand next to the bed. It read 6:00 AM. "Alright alright i'm up i'm up" Shinobu whined, pulling aside the curtains to let the light envelop the once-dark quarters.... yes, indeed she remembered all too well why she was staying up this time. Mikado Shinobu, the youngest member of a family of move tutors, was to set out and begin her adventure as a pokemon trainer. Not only would she be collecting badges and performing the usual tasks of said occupation but growing, honing and testing her skills as a budding tutor and commander of potentially powerful allies. beyond all that however, more personal matters drove the girl.

First and foremost were missing family members... namely her father, a kind and quiet fellow adept in the world of science and her beloved brother, who left on aspirations of becoming one of the elite Four. For as far back as she remembered the two had always played together, and whenever trouble arose Shinobu would run to him... Save for that one time when a ghastly had run to her for help and in return for defending it the stalking arbok attacked. That time a pair of Zangoose that often patrolled the area came to her aid, one of them in particular taking a liking to the child -so much so that, even though the cat-ferret was wild it often listened to the little one.... That was back when the family still lived in Hoenn. After only a year of bonding father left for research - the brother shortly after, and they moved to Kanto a month after the older sibling's departure, leaving the three pokemon behind. She never even got to say goodbye to them, much less the big brother she looked up to and the father who never failed to put a smile on her face.

Now, it was just the purple-haired lass and her mother that remained, all but alone in the town despite having been residents for at least three years. They didn't really know many people and truth be told, Shinobu didn't always get along with the other kids her age which left her often either hanging out with the family pet at home, or exploring and relaxing in the lab, even killing time by helping out. whatever the case the girl didn't exactly feel at home around the people here, not that some of them didn't try... She just had a hard time coming out of her shell it seemed.

6:45 read the kitchen clock where the trainer-to-be sat, silently eating breakfast while riding her inner train of thought. Having gone throught the usual morning routine she was now dressed in a jacket three sizes too large, the rolled up hem coming to her hips and sleeves -also rolled up- so long that her fingertips were the only things visible. the pants, cargos, were comfortably roomy without being overly baggy, the overall look in the end being fashionable while stressing comfort. She had planned to leave
without notice, leaving only a note behind then dropping by the lab one last time to grab a pokemon from the professor (as well as a pokedex) then off she'd go. Of course, the fire dog laying in her lap gave her leg a nip of protest, followed by a short whine that quickly lowered in pitch. Shinobu explained in reply.

"It's better this way, trust me... besides, mom'll be happy to have the place to herself and you'll be there to keep her company."

That was only half the truth. Ever since the nightmares had begun mother had grown worried, then steadily more frustrated at her inability to solve her daughter's problem, and it didn't help that
the mixed messages threatened to have the kid and parent at each other's throats at one point in time. Deep down she knew she would find no answers by waiting for them to come to her... or by waiting for her parental unit to snap and strangle her in her sleep. 6:50 read the clock from the living room, reflected faintly on the glass of the open front door where Shinobu now stood, shoes and backpack on, the fire-type tugging sadly at her pants. kneeling down to pull the puppy into her arms she squeezed tight, burying her face into the soft red and black fur.

"How about a deal? You take good care of mom, and i'll come back to visit and take you with me."

The little canine barked in a tone that clearly translated to "Promise?" which earned a smile from the eager girl.

"you bet. See you soon okay?"

A kiss between the ears earned a lick on the cheek, then he was placed back on the floor as the door gently shut, the rain outside lightening a little bit more.It took but a minute's time to reach Oak's lab and the violet eyed one made straight for the table upon which three pokeballs rested, she would have to choose who to take along with her but that decision just couldn't be made, memories of the friends left behind in Hoenn revealing themselves in the form of a depressed frown...

Six minutes to seven, and she now stood just outside the edge of town, about to continue forward when a familiar voice stopped her.
"You're not actually going to leave without at least a set of pokeballs are you?"

Whirling around to find that it was indeed professor Oak standing behind the kid the wide-eyed shock settled back into an expression that was only slightly less depressed.
"When did you get here?"

"Came here from the back of the lab. At any rate i'm surprised to see that you're an early riser, but don't misunderstand, that dosen't mean i'm about to let you run off completely unarmed. Here."

From the left coat pocket a book-shaped device was pulled out and handed to Shinobu, and the right pocket produced five minimized pokeballs. Both were put away within her jacket's seemingly bottomless pockets." A pokenav system, five pokeballs.... and this..." A bulky looking envelope pulled from the left pocket, and handed over to the younger one to be stored away in the backpack, lest it get damaged in the rain. Oak flashed a kind smile as he informed her.

"It's from your mother, she says not to open it until you've reached Viridian."
To this news the girl blinked in surprise, then sighed shaking her head slowly and the white-haired fellow merely chuckled.


"Well, as i'm sure you know it's going to be a long and hard road ahead, so be careful and when the going gets rough, choose your battles wisely."

"thanks Oak..." Shinobu's frown seemed to lighten a little as she turned and started forward into the tall grass, turning back one last time to smile at the researcher who pretty much provided nothing short of a sanctuary for the lonely trainer, through the laboratory. Of course he had little to no clue of just how much he had helped her.

"...Thank you, for everything. Tell mom I said thanks as well." Waving a few times for good measure the move tutor's smile kept brightening, soon turning back around to head deeper into the rain-soaked grass under the storm until she was finally lost from sight.

---

~ happy Canada day everyone! (Even though i'm two days late xD) I meant to get this up during the weekend but that just didn't happen obviously, and I originally intended to have this chapter end in Viridian but after pulling an all-nighter just to get this to halfway done I flaked out. >.>;

But that's okay cause now that she's officially out of town I can really get started on this Whoo! the slow pahse is Ovar! (I hope.)
On a side note: Word wrap is giving me trouble, so if any of the paragraphs don't look right then I apologize in advance. @_@