Sandry opened her eyes. It was morning already. She glanced at the clock beside her bed. There was 3 hours left before it was time to go to the Professors lab for their first Pokemon. She rolled over in bed and tried to remember the dream she had just had. It had been a good one. There had been a flying Pokemon in it. A Taillow, she thought. There had been many Taillows, and she had been sitting on a log, watching them play. Then one had come up to her and perched on her shoulder. The Professor had come up to her, and said, “That Taillow seems quite attached to you. You may have it as your starter…”
But, Sandry thought, as she closed her
eyes, that was impossible. She needed
to choose Mudkip, Treecko, or Torchic as one of her starters. She would have to catch a Taillow.
Haven shifted in her bed, snoring
lightly. All at once Sandry felt sorry
for her twin. Haven had grown up with
her friends in the forest. And she
would have to leave them behind. Sandry
didn’t have any friends besides Haven, so she wasn’t leaving anything. Haven would have to start anew.
As if even thinking her name made her
pay attention, Haven chose that moment to fall out of her bed, landing on the
hard wood. Sandry, stifling a giggle,
went to help her back up.
“I just got an idea!” Haven said
excitedly. Apparently the fact that her
head had a huge lump on it didn’t matter.
“Maybe the Prof will let us choose if we want a Pokemon from the
forest!” Sandry shook her head. “I don’t think so, sis. It’s that starters
or nothing.”
“It wouldn’t hurt to ask, and it may
help,” Haven retorted, slipping on her shoes.
“Were are you going?” Sandry
asked her. “To see if Birch won’t let
us use the Pokemon in the forest as starters!”
Haven called over her shoulder as she disappeared down the stairs. “Hey!
Wait up!” Sandry shouted, racing down the stairs after her twin.
The two arrived, panting, outside the Profs
door. “You knock,” Sandry said
nervously. Haven shrugged and rapped
hard on the door.
At first glance they thought that no
one was inside the house. But presently
they heard some footsteps, coming closer.
Sandry, who was in awe of Professor Birch, shrank behind Haven.
Finally the door opened, and a man
with moss brown hair stuck his head out.
He squinted at them momentarily, as if he didn’t know who they are. Silence past by. Finally he said, “It’s Haven and Sandry, is it? Or was it Sandry and Haven? How is it going, girls? You don’t need to show up for a couple of
hours. It’s early.”
“Yes, w-we know,” Sandry
stammered. “Haven was just
wondering…” “If we can choose a pokemon
from the forest instead of one of the starters.”
“Hmm…” Birch started. “I don’t see a problem, if the pokemon is
level 5. But what pokemon where you
thinking of?”
“I don’t know,” Haven said. “But maybe I can bring the pokemon to you
when I have chosen?” Birch nodded, and
waved, vanishing once more into the lab.
Haven smiled at the closed door, and started on the way to the
forest. Sandry, remembering the Taillow
from her dream, followed her twin.
Haven led her deep into the
forest. Sandry watched, amazed, as her
twin talked with Beedrils, played with Wurmples, and, best of all, laughed with
the Pikachus. Finally she picked up a
small Pichu, who seemed to like Haven.
“I hope Birch lets me keep this one,” she said, concern in her eyes. “I’ll have to leave some of them behind, but
I just can’t leave this one. It’s a
level 5, and a baby pokemon. Do you
think that the Prof will let me use her?”
Sandry didn’t answer. An injured Taillow had caught her eye. It was lying on the ground, crowing in
pain. She could see that its leg was
twisted. Ignoring Haven, who was
chatting on about her Pichu and who obviously didn’t have a clue that her twin
wasn’t listening, she bent down over the pokemon. The Taillow stopped crying when it saw Sandry, and, as if sensing
that Sandry could help it, stuck it’s wounded leg out.
“That’s a Taillow,” Haven whispered in
her ear. Sandry jumped. She hadn’t heard her come up. “It’s injured. We better take it to the Professor.” Sandry nodded, feeling as if her mind was disconnected from her
body, and picked up the Taillow.
Minutes later, they arrived at Birch’s
house again. Sandry rang the doorbell
this time. The door swung open. Birch stuck his head out. His eyes lit on first the Pichu, which had
climbed to Havens shoulder, and to the Taillow, who was being cradled gently by
Sandry. “Come in, you two. Let’s patch that Taillow up and then talk
for a bit.”
Birch’s house was amazing. There was the custom sofa in the corner, and
a TV opposite of it, which was playing “Latest Hoenn Champions”. Someday we might be on there, Sandry
thought. Someday, we will be the
Champions.
She watched anxiously as Birch gave
the Taillow a potion, and bandaged its leg.
The bird pokemon chirped and hopped onto Sandrys shoulder. “So,” Birch started, making hot chocolate
for them all. “That Taillow seems
attached to you, Sandry.” “I guess,”
Sandry replied, watched it as it ate some nuts from the fruit bowl in the
middle of the table they were sitting at.
“I think it will be alright to take it,” Birch
said. “But you got to make sure that it
is ready to leave the forest. That
Taillow is only a baby. I’m guessing
that it doesn’t even know how to fly.”
As if the Taillow agreed with Birch,
it jumped up into the air, and flapped its wings hard. It stayed in the air for three seconds, and then
fell back to earth. Sandry leapt out of
her seat to catch it. The bird,
undaunted, hopped back to her shoulder and attempted another flight. Sandry would spend most of the meeting
catching it.
“Taillow,” Sandry started, feeling shy
all of a sudden, “Would you like to come with me? On my adventure?” The
Taillow seemed to consider it, then leapt onto the table and, facing Sandry,
gave a short nod.
“Well, that settles that one,” Birch
said gleefully. “Now for that Pichu,
Haven. Are you sure that you want it to
be your starter? Would it like to, or
would it rather stay here? Is it a
level 5?” Haven nodded her head for
each question. “That’s it, then,” Birch
stated. “You two are new trainers! Here are your pokeballs and a pokedex. Oh, that these potions too.” He gave them each a single potion, which
they placed in the backpack that they shared.
They walked out of the lab,
cheerful. “Good luck!” Birch shouted after them, and closed the
door.
Their first stop was at their
house. After crying about ‘her little
babies finally leaving her’, their mother packed up some food. “I don’t trust those restaurants over
there!” She said. “Here is enough to supply you until you
reach Petalburg. Don’t forget to call
when you reach there! I want to see how
you’re doing!”
They waved at her, and left
Littleroot, with the villagers cheering behind her, Taillow flying (or trying
too) beside them, Pichu tangled in Havens hair, and adventure laying
ahead. Who knows what they’ll see in
their journey? Only time can tell….