Age 30
CA
Seen June 4th, 2013
Posted June 2nd, 2013
150 posts
13.8 Years
.::Season Poem::.
chapter two is up~ C:

Hello all! :D In my lifetime I have written several Pokemon fics, but this is my first Pokemon Ranger fic and also the first Pokemon-based fanfic I've felt is worthy to be posted on the Internet. n.n Before posting it on fanfic.net, I figured I ought to test the waters first with a slightly smaller audience, so, here it is. x3 If there is a decent interest in it I'll continue to post chapters here while placing this on ff.net, and if not, no harm no foul. n.n

A (Very) Brief Summary

Two sisters embark on a journey from Hoenn to Fiore in pursuit of their dream to become Pokemon Rangers. But when the world of Fiore becomes a much more dangerous place, to people and Pokemon alike, it seems that maybe becoming a Ranger was more than they had bargained for... [rated PG13 for some language and probably some violence, etc. in later chapters.]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Season Poem takes place approximately five years after the events of the first Pokemon Ranger game (not Shadows of Almia -- I repeat, NOT Shadows of Almia!). It is primarily composed of original characters but with enough characters from the Ranger game to keep it from seeming completely unrelated to the first game.


A Few Additional Notes

~For the purposes of this story, we're going to ignore the fact that Aron weighs far too much for a normal girl to carry on her head, shoulders, etc. This fact did not occur to me until well after the first few chapters had been written, and so, I'm taking a little creative liscense here. Sorry if this bothers anyone. n.n;

~Obviously this is not a poem but a story, in spite of the title. The title was inspired by the song -- you guessed it -- "Season Poem" by the wonderful Gregory and the Hawk. While it is not in any way necessary to listen to the song to understand this story, it is still a wonderful song that has provided much inspiration for this fic and other writerly undertakings. If you'd like to listen to it, there is a lovely AMV for it [which has absolutely nothing to do with this fic, I just love the AMV] which you can find here. [I AM NOT the creator of this video. All credit goes to the maker for this wonderful AMV. n.n]

~The computer on which I type this story is not the best, and the keyboard is very much difficult to use. Some of the keys are a bit on the broken side, so if you find any typos within the story please feel free to tell me! I'll fix them right away. n.n

~On a similar note, crits are always welcome! It is my hope to become a published author someday [these fics are more side projects than anything I would ever consider sending to a publisher, of course] and as such, I am always striving to improve. If you have anything to say about my fic, please do not hesitate to tell me! :D


And so, without further ado, here is chapter one of Season Poem!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Part One :: Spring
Chapter One :: Beginnings




“Where the hell are my pants?” Chidori grumbled, looking around their cramped quarters while shoving assorted articles of clothing into a small suitcase.

“I told you not to make a mess of the room,” Chise, her sister, sighed with a shake of her head. Her clothes were all already folded nicely and packed in her own small suitcase.

“They have to be in here somewhere,” Chidori groaned, looking under the lower bunk bed, then peering up to see the top of the upper bunk. She was on the tall side, taller than older, smaller Chise, so it wasn't too difficult. The only thing up there was her little Pokemon, an Aron named Eisen,

“Eisen,” Chidori said in all seriousness, “Have you seen my pants anywhere?” Eisen let out a metallic gurgle and shook its heavy head. Chidori sighed.

“They have to be in here!” she exclaimed, looking around. Chise poked her head into the tiny bathroom.

“Are these them?” she asked, lifting up a pair of dark denim jeans.

“Oh,” Chidori said, blinking in surprise, “I must have left them in there when I was taking a shower.” She grabbed them and shoved them in her suitcase, pushed the lid down and sipped it closed with some effort.

“Are we all ready?” Chise asked, grabbing her bag and patting her Ralts, Etude, on its bright green head.

“Looks like it,” Chidori replied brightly, running a hand through her red-brown hair, cropped short in the back with tendrils almost touching her shoulders in the front. She picked up Eisen off the bunk bed and lifted her suitcase. They made their way out of the cabin and onto the deck of the ship, closing the door firmly behind them.

Peering to the right, Chidori could just make out the harbor. She hoped they would be able to see it better once they got to the front of the ship.

Excitement swelled in Chidori's heart. Fall City was just right there, and once she was there – once she and Chise were there – they could finally become Pokemon Rangers.

As if reading her thoughts, Chise said softly,

“Don't be nervous, Chidori.”

She wasn't surprised at her sister's sudden comment. Her sister was a total empath, and a strong one at that. Her empathy was so strong that she only had to be within a few feet of someone to know their feelings, and being in large crowds gave her headaches or nausea. Maybe she was just good at telling people's feelings, or maybe she was touched by the gods the way some people thought – either way, Chidori knew she could rarely hide her feelings from her sister.

“I know,” Chidori replied, “I'm just afraid I won't be good enough, you know? I could never go back to being a regular trainer if I'm not, not after getting a taste of what it's like.” Chise nodded slowly. Secretly Chidori was a little jealous – her older sister's empathy would make her an excellent Ranger, able to transfer her feelings to Pokemon easily if she could sense their feelings – but Chidori hid those feelings as best as she could, not wanting Chise to sense them at all. Chise had her empathy to help her, but Chidori would have to rely on her own skill – skill she wasn't even sure she had.

“We're in this together,” Chise said reassuringly, smiling, “Everything will be fine.” Chidori smiled back at her thankfully.

They reached the front of the ship and waited to be allowed to get off. After what seemed like an eternity, they finally finished attaching the exit ramp, opened the gate, and Chise and Chidori walked off the boat and into Fall City.

“Wow,” Chidori murmured, looking around. Living in Dewford in Hoenn for their entire lives, the biggest city either of them had ever been to was Petalburg City, and once to Rustboro on vacation, but Fall City was easily twice the size of both towns put together.

Chise looked around nervously. Big cities meant lots of people, and lots of people made her sick – and there were definitely a lot of people here.

“It'll be all right,” Chidori said, patting her shoulder in what she hoped was a reassuring way. Chise grinned back at her hesitantly, and the walked along, Eisen and Etude following them and looking around in wonder. Neither of them had seen a city so big or so man people all at once either.

The Tourist Center was not very far from the harbor, but it took the girls a while to get to it through the crowd.

“Lunick's supposed to pick us up here,” Chidori said, setting down her bag when they finally reached it, “So hopefully we won't be here too long.” Chise nodded, and they sat down against the wall next to the door.

Chidori tapped her fingers on her knees nervously, but Chise just rested her head on her knees quietly, Etude standing close to her. Eisen waddled around near Chidori, doing some exploring of the five foot radius around her.

Chidori checked her phone for the time, then again a few minutes later. Lunick was supposed to have been there nearly ten minutes ago. She sighed, resigning herself to the wait. She lowered her head onto her knees in imitation of her sister, pulling her bag close to her body, and closed her eyes.

The dull roar of all the passerby had nearly lulled Chidori to sleep when one voice suddenly raised above the rest.

“Excuse me?”

Chidori looked up, squinting in the sudden light, to barely make out a tall boy – man? – standing above them.

“Excuse me,” he continued, “But are you Miss Utasora?”

“Oh,” Chidori said, blinking – just able to make out his Ranger uniform with her eyes still adjusting to the light. “Um, yes. And my sister...” She gestured towards Chise, who had lifted her head as well to look at the newcomer.

“Good to meet you,” the man said with a smile that seeped into his eyes, “I'm Lunick.”

“I'm Chidori,” she replied, returning his smile – a very pretty smile, she thought wryly.

“So you must be Chise?” Lunick said to her, and she nodded. “Well, you look like two promising recruits.” He smiled again, sounding terribly honest, as if the statement were as true as the sky being blue. Chidori's heart beat a little faster.

Lunick was tall, with dark hair that flipped up ridiculously high under his Ranger headband. He was terribly cute – Chidori wondered if Chise's heart was pounding too.

“Thank you,” Chise said with a gentle smile, the first words she had spoken to him, “We're hoping we'll do well.”

“We're both really excited,” Chidori added, and Lunick's smile became amused.

“I'm sure you'll do well,” he said, and looked around suddenly as if remembering something, “Now where did he...?”

“Minun mi!”

A tiny Minun came dashing over playfully, trailing a ribbon in its paws, but the ribbon was soon forgotten at the sight of Chise and Chidori – and, more specifically, their two Pokemon. It let out a joyful squeal of glee and dashed over to Eisen and Etude.

“Sorry,” Lunick sighed, reaching over to pick up the tiny mouse Pokemon, “He gets a little excited at the prospect of a new friend...”

The two girls smiled at the little Pokemon now sitting on Lunick's shoulder. Eisen peered up at it curiously, but Etude seemed a little hesitant and inched closer to Chise.

“These must be the Pokemon you've picked to be your partner Pokemon,” Lunick said, kneeling down to see them. Eisen nudged his hand, making metallic sounds of curiosity. Etude peered at the stranger, not exactly afraid but not particularly compelled to be so friendly as Eisen, either. Chise and Etude both were painfully shy.

Lunick grinned and patted Eisen's head. He looked hopefully at Etude, but the little Ralts made no move to approach him.

“Sorry,” Chise said, putting a hand on Etude's head, “She's just a little shy...”

“It's all right,” Lunick said, that pleasant smile still on his face, “Well, we had better get going. We'll use the Dragonite Bus at the Ranger Base here. It's not too far away.”

“Okay,” Chidori agreed, and she lifted her bag, as did Chise, “Let's go.”

Lunick guided them away from the harbor towards the center of town. They passed a huge fountain where some people were sitting and some giant Ludicolo were wandering about.

“There are a lot of wild Pokemon that live in the city,” Lunick told them as they stared in awe at the giant, merry Pokemon, “Fall City is kind of unique like that.”

They climbed up a massive amount of stairs leading to the main part of town – at least, it felt like a lot of stairs, but Lunick seemed to breeze up them with no difficulty at all.

When they got to the top of the stairs, Lunick stopped and showed them a few things.

"That's the famous clock tower,” he said, pointing to a tall clock tower in the distance, “That's one of Fall City's historic monuments.” He then gestured off vaguely in another direction a bit below the clock tower.

“Professor Hasting's lab is over there,” he said, “He created the Styler and Capture Disk. You could say he's the father of Ranger technology.” He smiled bemusedly. “He's a little eccentric now – he's getting up there in years – but I think you'd like him. He visits the Ranger Base in Ringtown a lot too so you'll probably get to meet him soon.”

Chidori smiled. If he said that, then that meant that he really thought they could become Rangers. It wasn't an easy job – they only picked people who could do it proficiently right off the bat, and had decent personalities, since they obviously had to at least be kind towards Pokemon – but if the legendary Lunick thought they could do it, then that was probably a good sign. Chise had a small smile on her face as well.

“Here we are,” Lunick said when they arrived at the Ranger Base. It was a large, dome-like building with the letters “PR” plastered boldly on the front, presumably for “Pokemon Ranger”.

They stepped through the automatic doors to the Base. Chidori and Chise looked around curiously – all Bases looked essentially the same, so they could get the basic idea of what the Ranger Base in Ringtown would look like by what this one looked like. There was a large computer screen and a map on the back wall, a few plants in the corners, and a Styler recharging center behind a counter to their right. An elevator stood in the left corner.

“Aria's the Ranger Leader here,” Lunick said as they walked towards the elevator, “She's nice once you get to know her, I guess. It looks like she's not here right now so maybe you can meet her later.”

They went up the elevator – it was a tight fit, with three people and three Pokemon trying to use something made for one person and one Pokemon, plus the two girl's luggage. The top floor looked basically the same, but with a lounge directly across from the elevator. Two Rangers were sitting around a table – they waved at Lunick, who waved back. Their Ranger uniforms were a light purple jumpsuit – Chidori definitely liked the red and black and white of Ringtown's Ranger uniform better. At least they looked like actual Ranger uniforms, a stark contrast to the purple jumpsuits.

Lunick led them to the opposite end of the room, where a tall, well-built man was standing next to a massive Dragonite. Chidori and Chise gawked at it openly and Lunick chuckled.

“Hello, Precious,” he said, petting the Pokemon on its orange snout, “Think you can carry all of us?”

“She should be able to carry you all without a problem,” the man said, smiling fondly at the Pokemon, “But you won't be able to sit on her, I think, Lunick. The two girls can sit but she'll have to carry you in her arms.” Lunick frowned slightly, eying the Pokemon's claws, but nodded.

“All right,” he said, “Chidori, Chise, you'll sit on Precious' back.” The Dragonite – Precious? – knelt down to reveal a large saddle strapped to its back. Cautiously Chidori climbed on, knowing the Pokemon was probably only letting them close because Lunick was there, then helped Chise up to sit behind her. Eisen clambered into her lap and Etude huddled up between them. Precious grasped Lunick and his Minun firmly in its – her – upper claws and clutched the girl's suitcases in her feet.

“Hold on tight,” the man said, then lightly slapped the Dragonite's shoulder and exclaimed, “To Ringtown, Precious!” The Dragonite roared gleefully, its wings pounding to lift them into the air – they were a lot stronger than they appeared. Precious flew straight up through a hole in the ceiling, and they were off.

Chidori looked around her in amazement. They were rising higher and higher until she could just barely make out the faces of the people in Fall City. A few people waved up at them – they knew that the Dragonite in the sky meant a Ranger with it, and Fall City's inhabitants usually had a deep respect and love for Rangers. Lunick waved back at them, as did Minun, with a happy cry of “Minun mii!”

Eisen made a nervous sound and Chidori held him closer. “It'll be okay, little guy,” she said, planting a kiss on his cold metal forehead. He purred metallically and relaxed a bit. Chise was clutching hard at her waist as if afraid they'd fall, but, looking behind her, Chidori could see the same wonder and excitement in her eyes as she watched Fall City melt away into Krokka Tunnel that she was certain was in her own eyes.

“That's Krokka Tunnel down there,” Lunick shouted above the noise of the wind, “Then we'll go over Lyra Forest, and then we'll be in Ringtown.”

“Okay!” Chidori called, not looking away from the cave, a mass of dark rock surrounded by dirt and grass.

“That's the Halfway Tree,” Lunick shouted again. Chidori assumed he was talking about the largest tree in the forest that colorful dots – little Pokemon – were running around. “It's exactly halfway between Ringtown and Krokka Tunnel.”

Chidori nodded – she already knew that, having done some research even before she had applied to become a Ranger.

A moment later, Ringtown came into view. It was the first time Chidori had seen it – her hopeful new hometown. It was small, bigger than Dewford – that wasn't hard – but small and cozy-looking, surrounded by forest and the river. She could make out the Ranger Base easily, with its circular blue modern roof amidst the smaller, cottage-like roofs of the local houses.

That was why they had picked Ringtown to apply to. Most Ranger hopefuls applied to Ringtown because of Lunick and Solana – his friend and partner – but the two sisters had selected it for its atmosphere. At first, Summerland had been their top choice, for an island climate like Dewford, but then decided it was much too big of a city for Chise's taste – and, honestly, for Chidori's as well. They were small-town girls through and through. Wintown was only a bit bigger than Ringtown – and also at the base of the mountain range and blanketed with snow eight months out of twelve, so that idea was quickly demolished. Neither of them had ever seen snow in their lives, and thus had no intention of living in it. Fall City was definitely too big as well, which left Ringtown. At first Chidori had been a bit worried, but now, even with the first glimpse of it, the sleepy village seemed perfect.

Suddenly, they were falling, and Chidori suppressed a scream as the Dragonite nosedived to the ground by the Ranger Base. Then, just as suddenly, it pulled up to slow their descent, causing Chidori's stomach to leap into her throat. As it hovered a few feet off the ground, it dropped Chise and Chidori's suitcases from its feet, then landed gently on the grass. It set Lunick down, who then helped the two sisters and their Pokemon down from the seat.

“Wait,” Chise said as Lunick picked up their suitcases. She pulled a small notepad and a pen from her jacket pocket, wrote something on a slip of paper, folded it in half, and stuck it firmly but visibly in the strap holding the saddle to the Pokemon's body.

Chidori smiled knowingly. Chise always left little notes for people, usually happy and encouraging, since she could often feel what they felt. Chidori had gotten more than few before, slipped in her backpack or in her shoes or under her door. That one was probably for the Dragonite's – Precious' – owner.

“Okay,” Chise said, smiling at them in an attempt to be mysterious, “Now we can go.” Lunick smiled back at her questioningly, but said nothing.

“All right,” he said, patting the Dragonite on the snout, “Thanks, Precious. I'll see you later, girl.” His Minun did the same, only patting its – her – foot rather than her snout, chirping its name happily. The little mouse always seemed to be cheerful.

Precious – what kind of name was that? Chidori wondered – gave an affirmative “Ite!” and lifted herself into the air, and flew away. They watched it go for a moment, then Lunick gestured for them to go inside.


White: Klein -- 5457 9480 5619
Black 2: Nikolas -- 5244 0858 4656

Age 29
Female
Dublin, Ireland
Seen June 21st, 2013
Posted June 21st, 2013
222 posts
14.4 Years
No one’s replied? I know the feeling!

Firstly, can I say I was drawn to your story by the title - “Season Poem”. It’s lovely, and quite fresh and clever (it‘s a pun on the towns, right?)

“Where the hell are my pants?” Chidori grumbled, looking around their cramped quarters while shoving assorted articles of clothing into a small suitcase.

“I told you not to make a mess of the room,” Chise, her sister, sighed with a shake of her head. Her clothes were all already folded nicely and packed in her own small suitcase.
Firstly, the first few lines were very lacking in description. Whar is Chidori’s suitcase on? The bed? The floor? Was it a polka dot suitcase? Or old or battered (perhaps because she‘s so scatterbrained she‘s constantly bashing stuff of it?). The sentences just seemed vague.

The only thing up there was her little Pokemon, an Aron named Eisen.
That should be a full stop, rather than a comma, understandable, the keys are right next to each other.

Eisen let out a metallic gurgle and shook its heavy head.
Cute! ^^ I can almost hear him as I read that.

She wasn't surprised at her sister's sudden comment. Her sister was a total empath, and a strong one at that. Her empathy was so strong that she only had to be within a few feet of someone to know their feelings, and being in large crowds gave her headaches or nausea. Maybe she was just good at telling people's feelings, or maybe she was touched by the gods the way some people thought – either way, Chidori knew she could rarely hide her feelings from her sister.
Interesting, Chise has a great understanding of others. Be wary of making her stray into Suedom with this. So far, I haven’t seen any of that. Just be careful of making her too perfect. Obviously, her sister would be a little biased towards her own sister.

But as a skill, it could really be interesting when the sisters meet new people. Her reactions could be very strong or weak? Do certain people make her shiver? Do certain emotions make her react stronger? Or are certain people that she had no reaction from?

I like this, it could be quite interesting.

“Wow,” Chidori murmured, looking around. Living in Dewford in Hoenn for their entire lives, the biggest city either of them had ever been to was Petalburg City, and once to Rustboro on vacation, but Fall City was easily twice the size of both towns put together.
I noticed the main problem with your descriptions here. Obviously, they can see Fall City is huge, but what about their other senses. Perhaps you could them tasting the salty sea air? Or perhaps the hear hubbub of tourists in the harbour? What about feeling fresh sea breeze in their hair?
Most people get berated about bad descriptions when they start out. The best way of describing a place is to apply all the senses to it, not just sight.

[/quote]“So you must be Chise?” Lunick said to her, and she nodded. “Well, you look like two promising recruits.” He smiled again, sounding terribly honest, as if the statement were as true as the sky being blue. Chidori's heart beat a little faster.

Lunick was tall, with dark hair that flipped up ridiculously high under his Ranger headband. He was terribly cute – Chidori wondered if Chise's heart was pounding too.[/quote]

Just the description again. I’d like to know what makes him particularly cute. (I‘m not saying Lunick‘s ugly!!! :p ) Is it his body, hair or his Fiore accent…?

“We're both really excited,” Chidori added, and Lunick's smile became amused.
Huh? You could just say he became amused. I just read it out loud and it sounded odd.

"That's the famous clock tower,” he said, pointing to a tall clock tower in the distance, “That's one of Fall City's historic monuments.” He then gestured off vaguely in another direction a bit below the clock tower.
It seems kind of odd that the clock tower is so important (well, famous) and yet the reader is only told that its tall. Imagine you are with Chidori - what do you see? What particularly stands out about the tower?

I’m not going to go through the rest of the fic pointing these out, because your descriptions get better than this towards the end of the chapter, for example the description of Ringtown.

“That's the Halfway Tree,” Lunick shouted again. Chidori assumed he was talking about the largest tree in the forest that colourful dos – little Pokemon – were running around. “It's exactly halfway between Ringtown and Krokka Tunnel.”
Dos? I have no idea what that means. It might be a slang word I don’t use in Ireland, or a typo. Just pointing it out in case it is.

Anyways, your grammar and spelling is very good, as no one likes deciphering a fic ridden with them. Really, it’s the shortness in the paragraphs is your main problem, they need a little padding out with description to get an idea of what’s really going on. I love the concept, but remember you don’t have follow the plot of the game.

Good luck! :D
Age 30
CA
Seen June 4th, 2013
Posted June 2nd, 2013
150 posts
13.8 Years
Ah, thanks so much! I really appreciate that. C:

As for the title, it was first just because of a song called Season Poem that really inspired me, but then I realized that it did pertain to the towns, so yes, I suppose it is a bit of a pun there. xD

Hm... Ok, I see what you mean! I'll try and get more description in the rest of the chapters. I'll edit the ones I've already written before posting them, too. Thanks! n.n

And as for the "dos" thing... Yeah, that was a typo. xD; Meant to be "dots". Thanks for pointing that out! I fixed it. C:

Thanks much for reading and commenting! It means a lot to me. n.n


White: Klein -- 5457 9480 5619
Black 2: Nikolas -- 5244 0858 4656

Age 29
Female
Dublin, Ireland
Seen June 21st, 2013
Posted June 21st, 2013
222 posts
14.4 Years
^^ Thanks! I just know what it's like to be a newbie and no one comments on your fic. >D It was so funny with the 'dos' thing. I was sure it was a typo, but then I wasn't sure if it was some American word... and I sounded crazy not knowing what it meant... I rewrote that sentence about five times... XD
Age 30
CA
Seen June 4th, 2013
Posted June 2nd, 2013
150 posts
13.8 Years
Here's the second chapter! I did a little revising and such with this chapter before posting it. It's also quite a bit shorter than the last chapter... I tend to write rather long chapters but not so much with this one. x3; Not much happens in this chapter... Sorry if you find it boring. n.n; But it worked better as a standalone chapter than merging this chapter and the next one together, I think... But I'll have the next one up soon, hopefully.
So anyways, please enjoy chapter two of Season Poem! n.n
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Part One :: Spring
Chapter Two :: Introductions




The layout of the Ranger Base was the same as the one in Fall City, with the computer and the map and elevator and Recharging Center. But the walls were a different color, a soft green rather than blue, and there were far more colorful plants and decorations. It had a much more homey feel to it, rather than the business-like feel the Fall City Base had.

The air in the Base was wonderfully cool and crisp as well, good and air conditioned in contrast to the warm spring air outside. Chidori took in a long breath, savoring the coolness. The door swished closed behind her.

A girl was sitting at the computer, with bright blue hair in a high ponytail and a Plusle playing at her feet. She turned around as the door closed, and smiled broadly when she saw them walking in. She must have been Solana, Chidori thought.

“Lunick,” she said happily, walking over to hug him. The Plusle and the Minun scurried over and hugged each other as well, in playful imitation of their partners.

Duh, Chidori realized, Solana was Lunick's girlfriend. How could she have forgotten? And even if she hadn't known already, a boy that cute couldn't possibly be single. Stupid. She gave herself a mental smack in the back of the head.

Chise hung back from them a bit, smiling awkwardly. Of course. Being around couples like that made Chise uneasy – their feelings were always strong when they were together, and often gave her headaches.

“Solana,” Lunick said, pulling away from her to gesture towards the two sisters, “These are Chidori and Chise Utasora, our new recruits.

“It's so good to meet you!” she bubbled, scurrying to shake their hands, “It's so nice to get recruits here who actually care about Pokemon, not me or Lunick – we get too many of the those kind and not nearly enough of the others!” Suddenly she smiled knowingly. “I read your application letters. Really, they sound just like Lunick's did – I remember reading his, still. I'm sure you'll do great.” Lunick blushed a bit, and muttered something too low and quiet for Chidori to catch, and Solana laughed.

“We're glad to be here,” Chidori said, smiling, just as Chise said, “It's good to meet you too.” Solana beamed at them, revealing a set of pearly white teeth.

“You're sisters, right?” she asked, then went on without waiting for them to answer, “My sister lives in town – my whole family does – but I hardly ever see her. It's good that you're together.” She glanced at Lunick. “It's good to have a partner, one you're with from the beginning.” Lunick smiled back, his smile somehow more gentle yet far more heated than the smiles he gave to Chise and Chidori.

“Aron arr!” Eisen interjected suddenly, stamping a little silver paw on the tile.

“Eisen,” Chidori said warningly, her brow furrowing, but Solana gushed before she could continue,

“Oh, an Aron! And a Ralts!” She knelt down to pet them, her boots squeaking on the tile. The little Aron gleefully extended his head towards her hand.

“Yeah, that's my Eisen,” Chidori said, smiling bemusedly as Eisen purred happily at Solana.

“That's Etude,” Chise said, holding the thin white hand of the Ralts as it glided closer to her, up against her leg with a faint murmur. “She's a little shy. I'm sorry...”

“Oh, that's all right,” Solana assured her, with a smile and a wave of her hand. “Are these going to be your partner Pokemon?”

“Yes,” Chidori said, grinning, “Our dad, he caught them as gifts for us for our tenth birthdays, and we've been together ever since. I couldn't imagine life without Eisen.”

Suddenly Lunick frowned, looking sharply at her. She nearly jumped at his sudden intensity.

“Wait,” he said, his voice taking on a startling seriousness, “These are captured Pokemon?” Suddenly Chidori was nervous. Something was wrong – she didn't know what – but something.

“Well, yes,” she said slowly, “But they don't stay in their Pokeballs.”

“Never,” Chise agreed, her face adopting a frown much like the one Lunick wore.

For a moment Lunick was silent, then he said with a deliberate, careful slowness,

“As Rangers, we don't keep Pokemon against their will. Even if they don't stay in their Pokeballs, captured Pokemon are still bound to you. Partner Pokemon can't be captured Pokemon.” He paused, then said softly, “I'm sorry. You'll have to release them. If they stay here with you of their own free will, then that's okay, but their Pokeballs have to be destroyed before you take the Ranger Test.”

Chidori's heart stopped dead. “Release Eisen?” she said slowly, looking down at the little Aron, which was peering up at her wonderingly, unsure of what was going on. His gaze became worried at her expression and he let out a little whine, nudging her leg gently. If her heart had stopped before, it had broken now.

Eisen wouldn't leave if she released him. Of course not – she had gotten Eisen when he was just a baby, she was all he knew – but the thought that he could leave her scared her to her bones. She had just said she couldn't imagine life without him, and now it could really happen. Her chest felt cold and heavy, and she drew in a shuddering breath.

“Let me get your things,” Lunick said softly, pointedly ignoring a worried look from Solana, “I'll show you to your rooms. It's almost dinner time and you're both probably tired. We can deal with everything in the morning, okay?” He lifted their suitcases with ease and walked over to the elevator. Chidori followed him, her legs feeling like they might give out at any step. From the way Chise was trembling, she was feeling the same as Chidori. Etude was shaking as well – both being strongly empathic, their emotions fed on each other and escalated as such – they would probably be weeping wrecks all evening. Chidori wasn't sure if she would be much better.

They crammed into the elevator like they had in Fall City, she and Chise and Lunick and their Pokemon. All she could think about was that her Pokemon wouldn't be hers by this time tomorrow, and wonder whether being a Ranger was worth letting Eisen go.


White: Klein -- 5457 9480 5619
Black 2: Nikolas -- 5244 0858 4656