It all started on a normal day. A few hazy clouds dotted the cerulean sky, and the sun beat down on the grass. Kantonian summer was in full swing. My best friend, Lori, and I were both ten at the time, only a few months in to our pokemon journeys and still brimming with excitement. The battle was my idea. I thought it would just be a fun way for us to test the strength of our partners. We met in the field just outside school, laughing and joking as we always did. Lori sent out her partner, a tangrowth her parents gave to her, and I sent out mine. Starmie. Ever since I caught it down at the beach, Starmie had been the most important thing in the world to me, and I thought that it could do anything. Boy, was I wrong.
"Okay Elliot! Ready to do this?" Lori said, a huge smile on her face.
'Yeah! Ready to crush you!" we both laughed, and the battle began. It was all going well for a few minutes. We seemed pretty evenly matched, and I was having a good time. But then, just as it seemed everything was going perfectly, Lori said four words that would change my life forever.
"Tangela! Use Vine Whip!' everything else was a blur. I remember Lori screaming for tangela to stop. I remember starmie's scream. I remember the sterile, white walls of the hospital.
The funeral was two weeks later. We travelled out to Lavender town. Lori couldn't stop apologizing to me, but I wasn't upset at her. I knew it wasn't her fault. But that didn't change the fact that starmie was gone. I had only had it for a few months, but it still felt strange to walk around without it at my side, to not feel the weight of its Pokeball in my hand.
When we left the tower a few hours later, the rain was pouring down. "starmie would've liked this weather' I thought to myself as the warm rain ran down my neck. My parents called me back to the car, but I didn't want to go just yet.
'I'll be there in a minute!' I called to them. I sat down on a bench just outside the tower and let out a shaky breath. As I sat there, deep in grief, I heard a crying chirp from below me. I opened my eyes and at my feet was a pidgey, drenched from the rain and shivering. It looked up at me with tearful eyes and let out a cry. I recoiled for a moment, but I couldn't just leave it there. 'Are you lost, little one?' I said, reaching out my hand and letting the pidgey climb onto it. I pulled it close to me. It was trembling. "Yeah. Me too' I sighed. As I ran my fingers through its feathers, a thought crossed my mind. Maybe, just maybe, we were going to be okay. Still holding Pidgey in my arms, I made my way back to the car. When we got home, I wrapped it in a towel and scratched its head. At first I had just planned to release it after it dried off, but looking at it now, I don't think I could bring myself to let the little guy go. I was shuffling through my drawers for a spare Pokeball when I heard my mom knocking at the door.
"Elliot honey? Can I come in?" She opened the door and sat down on my bed. "I'm so sorry about what happened to Starmie. I know how much it meant to you and-'
"It's okay, mom. It's not your fault.' I sat down beside her and she put an arm around me.
'I know, I know, it's just-' she reached into her pocket and pressed something into my hand. "Here. I made this for you. Something to remember starmie by.' I opened my hand to see a necklace with a little star-shaped pendant. I slipped the necklace around my neck and hugged my mom.
'Thank you.' I said. Pidgey jumped into my lap. I smiled faintly and rubbed the pendant around my neck. In that moment, I made a promise to myself. Pidgey and I were going to achieve everything starmie never could. We were going to become pokemon masters.
-- to be continued --
"Okay Elliot! Ready to do this?" Lori said, a huge smile on her face.
'Yeah! Ready to crush you!" we both laughed, and the battle began. It was all going well for a few minutes. We seemed pretty evenly matched, and I was having a good time. But then, just as it seemed everything was going perfectly, Lori said four words that would change my life forever.
"Tangela! Use Vine Whip!' everything else was a blur. I remember Lori screaming for tangela to stop. I remember starmie's scream. I remember the sterile, white walls of the hospital.
The funeral was two weeks later. We travelled out to Lavender town. Lori couldn't stop apologizing to me, but I wasn't upset at her. I knew it wasn't her fault. But that didn't change the fact that starmie was gone. I had only had it for a few months, but it still felt strange to walk around without it at my side, to not feel the weight of its Pokeball in my hand.
When we left the tower a few hours later, the rain was pouring down. "starmie would've liked this weather' I thought to myself as the warm rain ran down my neck. My parents called me back to the car, but I didn't want to go just yet.
'I'll be there in a minute!' I called to them. I sat down on a bench just outside the tower and let out a shaky breath. As I sat there, deep in grief, I heard a crying chirp from below me. I opened my eyes and at my feet was a pidgey, drenched from the rain and shivering. It looked up at me with tearful eyes and let out a cry. I recoiled for a moment, but I couldn't just leave it there. 'Are you lost, little one?' I said, reaching out my hand and letting the pidgey climb onto it. I pulled it close to me. It was trembling. "Yeah. Me too' I sighed. As I ran my fingers through its feathers, a thought crossed my mind. Maybe, just maybe, we were going to be okay. Still holding Pidgey in my arms, I made my way back to the car. When we got home, I wrapped it in a towel and scratched its head. At first I had just planned to release it after it dried off, but looking at it now, I don't think I could bring myself to let the little guy go. I was shuffling through my drawers for a spare Pokeball when I heard my mom knocking at the door.
"Elliot honey? Can I come in?" She opened the door and sat down on my bed. "I'm so sorry about what happened to Starmie. I know how much it meant to you and-'
"It's okay, mom. It's not your fault.' I sat down beside her and she put an arm around me.
'I know, I know, it's just-' she reached into her pocket and pressed something into my hand. "Here. I made this for you. Something to remember starmie by.' I opened my hand to see a necklace with a little star-shaped pendant. I slipped the necklace around my neck and hugged my mom.
'Thank you.' I said. Pidgey jumped into my lap. I smiled faintly and rubbed the pendant around my neck. In that moment, I made a promise to myself. Pidgey and I were going to achieve everything starmie never could. We were going to become pokemon masters.
-- to be continued --