A Mother's Poison

Started by luke June 21st, 2007 5:12 PM
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luke

Master of the Elements

Age 33
Male
New York
Seen 1 Day Ago
Posted 2 Days Ago
7,794 posts
15.9 Years
A Mother's Poison

Chapter One
This was the first time I had experienced the salty air usually associated with the ocean. From where I lived, way back in Lilycove City, the sea smelt like rotting garbage and spilled oil. This was one of the reasons my father Kane, brother Cecil, and I decided to move. So we packed up our belongings, sold our apartment, and found a room on a grungy transport ship that would take us to the continent of Obero. That's where my grandmother, Professor Khan, lived. We were going to stay at her laboratory/home until we found our own place to stay.

"Jun, come away from the edge of the ship. One of the crew just told me that we might be passing through some rough seas and its best that we get into our rooms," my father yelled from a doorway that was only a few feet away.

My poor Dad. He had aged tremendously these last ten years. His brown hair was speckled with spots of gray, and the hair on the top of his head had thinned. His one brilliant green eyes were dimmed and foggy, and now were hidden by those glasses that you only saw on people almost twenty years his senior. His once fit and athletic form was now hidden behind a good thirty pounds of extra weight. The only thing that had remained unchanged were his shining white teeth. For the rare times he smiled, his teeth shimmered with the same brilliance they had when I was younger.

"Alright Dad. I'll come in in a minute. I just want to spend a minute more in this air. You know, just in case the air in Obero smells as rancid as it did in Lilycove," I said, turning away from him and looking back at the ocean. He let out a slight chuckle, smacked the side of ship, and walked back inside. It always made me feel better hearing my father laugh.

You see, like I said, my father was once a tremendously handsome man. In the few conversations I had had with my grandmother she told me he was the Golden Child of Lilycove. Incredibly attractive, unbelievably intelligent, and a natural when it came to dealing with Pokemon.

That's how he landed my mother. From those same conversations, my grandmother told me my mother was the female equivalent of my father. My parents were one and two in their class. I don't remember who was first and who was second, but I guess that doesn't really matter. The two often competed with each other, whether it was in the classroom or on the battlefield. Through these competitions, it seems my parents slowly fell in love with each other.

Of course it didn't hurt that the two of them were both incredibly attractive. They were the definition of the "Perfect Couple."

Eventually my father proposed to my mother when they found out she was pregnant. Eight months later, only a few days before my mother was due, my parents married.

I was born several days later in the Lilycove Hospital, healthy and happy. My mother, on the other hand, grew quite ill during my birth, and stayed in the hospital for an extended visit. She experienced severe fevers, convulsions of great pain, blurred vision, and extended periods of when she lost her speech. Thankfully, she recovered, and the three of us returned home after a few weeks.

Then, when I turned two years old, my parents told me that I was going to have a baby brother or sister very soon. It didn't really phase me at the time. So when my brother Cecil came home several months later, it didn't really affect me. This was probably because my mother and Cecil spent a great deal of time in her bedroom. My mother had gotten sick once again during the birth and it appeared my brother was very sick as well. So my father and I spent a great amount of time together while the doctors and nurses took care of my mom and brother.

Thankfully, after two months or so, both Cecil and my mother were healthy. So, for the first time, I met my brother. From that day on, I felt an unusual connection to him. It seemed as we almost shared a brain to tell you the truth.

Time progressed and our family matured like any other family. But when I was four years old, something changed in my mother. I thought she was getting sick again, so of course I expected the doctors and nurses to return. But they didn't. My mother just spent day after day in her room, barely speaking to dad, brother, or I. My father too started to change. He smiled less often, and just sat on the porch, staring out at the sea for hours on end. But at four years old, I had other things on my mind. My brother and I had discovered Pokemon and our obsession had begun. We spent the majority of our days at the Contest Center downtown, watching the various species of Pokemon performing tricks and battling. When we weren't there, we spent time playing with my father's Hariyama and my mother's Chatot, who would wake Cecil and I every morning to go out and explore with her.

But one morning, Chatot didn't wake me up. Instead, it was the sobs of my father. I jumped out of my bed and ran downstairs. I ran to my father and attempted to gain his attention. But he acted as he didn't hear me. He just buried his head in his arms and sobbed.

Laying on the floor next to him was a piece of paper. I had just begun learning to read, so I picked it up. The only words I could make out at the time were "I'm... leaving... sorry... I... you... care... always... me..."

"Daddy, what does this letter say?" I asked, but all I got was a loud sob in response. So I folded up the letter and put it in the pocket. It seemed to make my Dad sad, so I wanted to hide it so he couldn't see it anymore.

So from that day onward, I never saw my mother again. She just became a shadow in my memories. I began to forget what she looked like, having to rely on a picture to remember what color her hair was.

Returning from my memories, I reached into my pocket. From it I pulled a picture of my mother and the letter she had left my father. I unfolded the picture and looked at it. In many ways, I resembled my mother. I shared the same silky blond hair as my mother. My bangs even grew in the same way as her hair did. My eyes were the same crystalline blue hue as hers. My father says they even refract the sunlight my mother's eyes. Unlike my father, I was no delicate flower like she was. I had gained my father's athletic, powerful body. I also inherited his naturally tanned skin, and his embarrassingly large feet. I never wore sandals. It killed me that my feet were so big.

Then, a large rain drop splattered on my face, awakening me from my trance. Oh yeah. They said it was going to rain. I better get inside. So I folded up the picture and pushed it back into my pocket along with the letter. I turned and walked inside, and entered the small space they called our room.

The room was dank, cramped, and smelled strangely of moldy cheese. There were two beds, nestled tightly into one half of the room. So that left one bed for my Dad and the other for my brother and I.

I sat on my bed and listened to the rain outside beginning to fall harder. Cecil was under the covers, presumably sleeping. My Father was laying on his back, reading one of his many books. In these last ten years he had given up on exercise, instead opting to spend his time reading.

We had been traveling for three days and my father said we should be arriving in Obero tonight. I couldn't wait to get off of the ship. I am not one to sit still for too long. These last three days had been complete torture. On top of that, I had been stuck in the same outfit for the entire trip. The rest of my wardrobe had been placed below deck with the rest of our luggage. I was wearing a plain green tee shirt, khaki short shorts, and white tennis shoes without socks. I looked out the door again and saw the rain had stopped.

So much for horrendous storm... Then I saw something that made me really excited. I leaped off the edge of my bed and ran outside, while nearly slipping on the wet deck in the process, and grabbed the edge of the ship. Only a few miles away, I saw land for the first time in almost three days. I like out a little squeal of joy and ran back inside. I jumped on my brother, who let out a grunt of pain, and began to squeal uncontrollably. I was so excited I couldn't muster words.

"Jun, relax. And get off of your brother," my father said, putting his book face down on the bed. So I quickly rolled off of my brother, who pulled the sheet off of his head. My brother appeared to be an exact clone of my father. His hair was the same chestnut color as my dad and his eyes shone with same emerald hue as my father's eyes once did. Like me, his skin was also naturally tan, but it was much darker than either my father and I due to the fact that Cecil spent the majority of his time outside. For his sixteenth birthday, all he asked for was a kayak so he could venture further out into the ocean to explore the small islands that were scattered outside of the bay. He thrived outdoors. "Now, what got you all excited Jun?"

"I see land!" I said. My brother laughed and sat up on the edge of the bed. He turned his head to the doorway and strained his eyes to take a glance at what was outside.

"Yeah. She's right. That means we get to get off this ship soon." Cecil said, rubbing his right eyes with his hand. "Better get ready to get off."

So, the three of us began to gather our various belongings that had been scattered across our room. I didn't know what I was more excited for. Whether it was getting off this ship and showering or seeing my grandmother. It had been seven years since I last saw her and she was a great woman. She was considered one of the greatest Pokemon experts in the world, ranking alongside Professor Rowan and Professor Oak.

I quickly packed my one bag and once again ran outside. The land I spotted earlier was more visible now. I saw a small port forming, along with a bustling city behind it. My whole body was electrified with my excitement.

Soon, the crew of the ship were out, beginning preparations for docking. Ropes were unwound, bridges were prepared, and orders were barked.

Finally, after another excruciating fifteen minutes, we finally found ourselves docking in the port city of Endelbar. The captain gathered all of the passengers together, and checked our tickets once again, checking for any stowaways. Then, the bridge was lowered and we began to descend down to solid ground. We found ourselves walking behind an angry mother with her several children who had obviously been cooped up on the ship for way too long.

We exited the ship with our bags in tow, and looked around us. Honestly, this was the first time I had ever left Lilycove, so being in this city was an overwhelming experience. Then, out of the blue, a familiar voice rang.

"KANE! CECIL! JUN! COME HERE!" I turned my head, and spotted my dear old grandmother. She was well into her sixties, but her appearance was that of a forty five year old. She wore an ankle-length lab coat with a pink shirt underneath, and pink slip-on shoes. Her hair was the same chestnut color as my father and brother, pulled back into a tight bun. Small, circular glasses graced her wrinkle-free face, nested neatly on the bridge of her nose.

I ran forward and embraced her in a deep hug. After giving a quick hug to my father and brother, she said "Well, well my dears, let's be on our way. My car is over here." So we followed her to her car, and placed our bags in the open trunk of her dinky little car. We forced our way into the car, my brother and I squeezing into the backseat. "Grandma, I am so happy to see you!" I said, looking at her through the rear view mirror.

She smiled, and looked back at me through the mirror. "Yes my dear. I am as well."

The car was silent for a while until Professor Khan broke the silence, "I think Obero will do you kids good. I see big things in your future."

(I apologize for the dryness. I am terrible at opening chapters. And the length, I'll admit, is a bit long. But I hope your interest isn't lost. I promise more in the future.)
The bloody blade
Age 37
Server Nehra
Seen May 18th, 2009
Posted November 3rd, 2007
468 posts
17.7 Years
You gave much for the detailed describtion and i don´t think you have to apologize for the lenght. It´s just normal to write that much in a chapter and believe me, i have read chapters which were much longer than that one of yours. Well, i had much fun while reading it (turning on the right music) and i hope i will read much more chapters of your story!
Just returned. I have to update this profile, so please just wait some time.

I claim Raichu and Nidorina! Fear them!
In a House
Seen March 20th, 2016
Posted January 22nd, 2010
1,823 posts
16.6 Years
Erm... what Nigma said without the typoes, grammatical errors, or purple font color. XD

Your chapter is actually about the right length. Not overly long, grabs you from start to finish, describes characters and setting, provides background- wow, it does a lot.

Anyway, I may only be this excited because I just got finished reading I don't know how many one paragraph long fics, so yours was like a breath of fresh air after being trapped in a cardboard box for ages.

Keep up the good work!

x x x x

luke

Master of the Elements

Age 33
Male
New York
Seen 1 Day Ago
Posted 2 Days Ago
7,794 posts
15.9 Years
Chapter Two

"We have an appointment with Mr. Rikko for 9:15," the man said to the receptionist, who was seated behind the counter. The man was around 6'02" or 6'03", tall and lean. His face lacked any fat, with the cheekbones protruding into sharp angles. His hair was colored an unusual blue hue. His hair was slicked back with a massive amount of gel, shimmering in the artificial lighting above his head. He wore a tacky silver suit that obviously had not been tailored to his body. His undershirt was wrinkled & white and his shoes were silver and tarnished, lacking any polish. Around his neck hung a platinum chain that had a moon-shaped pearl attached to it.

Following closely behind him was a woman who was around 5'06" or 5'07". Her golden blond hair hung down to the middle of her back and was tied in a ponytail which was held together by golden hair tie. Her outfit consisted of numerous pieces that were colored a gaudy yellow. Her top was a long sleeve button up with tarnished buttons. She also wore a yellow miniskirt that revealed her lengthy, muscular legs. Her shoes were yellow three-inch heels that made a clicking sound every time she took a step. She too wore a necklace. But instead of platinum and silver, her necklace was made of gold and rubies. She placed her purse, also colored pale yellow on the receptionist's desk and waited for a response from the woman.

"Mr... uh... Lunerio... and Ms... eh... Solaria. Ah yes... take the elevator over there to the third floor. His office is the first one on the right. I'll call him and inform him of your arrival," the young woman said, averted her eyes from the duo's cold stares. The two nodded and walked away from the desk to the elevator door. As they boarded and the door closed, the receptionist let out a shudder of fear.

The two arrived on the third floor and made their way Mr. Rikko's office door. Lunerio looked at Solaria and said "Wait here. I'll take care of it." Solaria nodded in response and proceeded to lean on the wall. Lunerio reached into his pocket and walked in.

Inside Mr. Rikko was sitting at his desk, reading some papers on his desk. He was so entranced with his work he failed to notice that Lunerio had entered his office. It wasn't until Lunerio placed his hand on Rikko's desk that the man even noticed. "Oh, I'm sorry. Please excuse me. You see, I have a presentation at three o'clock and I'm in the process of placing some finishing touches on it. So, um, your name is Lunerio? From your e-mail, it seemed as if you had something to offer to our company. Am I correct?"

Lunerio stared at the man, his expression remaining emotionless and cold. His cleared his throat, and said in his same monotonous voice he responded, "That is correct Mr. Rikko. My company, L&S, specializes in taking another company over, molding it to its full potential, and then utilizing it to further progress our domination on the market. You see, we currently lack the proper machinery to produce the military goods we are desperate to produce and your company provides the solution. So if you could arrange this partnership as quickly as possible, we at L&S would greatly appreciate your cooperation."

Mr. Rikko stared at the man sitting across from him in complete disbelief. "ARE YOU MAD? Even if I wanted to, my board would never allow the sale of our company to, well, no offense, a company that more than likely lacks the funds to purchase even the machinery that runs in our factory. Incredulous!"

"Oh, we had no intention of 'purchasing' your company. The way L&S works is that we absorb a company under our umbrella, placing it in a system of various companies that works to a greater good. Am I clear, Mr. Rikko?" Lunerio said.

"Actually, no, you're not. Please, leave my office. I have no further business with you young man. Thank you," Mr. Rikko said, seeming to believe he had resolved the issue. Lunerio shook his head and stood. His hand slowly slid from his pocket, apparently concealing a small object. And with an unseen flick of the wrist, he tossed the object, now revealed as a small dagger at the seated Mr. Rikko. Before the middle-aged man could react, he found the blade embedded into his arm. Almost immediately blood began to rush from the wound. He let out a scream of agony, calling for someone to help.

"Apparently, you didn't understand me Mr. Rikko. This wasn't a meeting to discuss a proposal. I came to explain to you what would be happening to your company very soon. My associate, Solaria, has already discussed the process with your board members and they more the happily agreed to the proposal. They asked for us to come and discuss it with you, seeing as they're very busy preparing the transfer." For the first time Lunerio's mouth curled into a devious smile. He stood from his seat, and slowly walked to Mr. Rikko's chair. He patted the man's head and with a fluid motion, pulled the dagger from his arm, which resulted in another scream of agony.

"If your associate negotiates using the same tactics as you do, Mr. Lunerio, I fear for my colleagues health," Mr. Rikko said, stooped over in pain.

"I think we are done Mr. Rikko. Oh and by the way, your presentation with the board's been cancelled. They are far too busy." And with that Lunerio exited the room, leaving the bleeding man alone in his office.

Upon exiting, Lunerio walked to the door of the elevator. He pulled from his other pocket a pure white handkerchief and a tiny spritz bottle. Solaria walked up behind him, grabbing his shoulder. "Did Mr. Rikko like the prospect of belonging to our company?"

Lunerio proceeded to spray a small amount of water on the blade and with one wipe of the handkerchief, wiped any traces of blood from the dagger. "Yes, as you can see, he fully accepted the terms the board members outlined with you," he said as he placed the dagger, bottle, and handkerchief into his pocket. "Now, let's move on. We have other business meetings to attend." Solaria nodded and the two entered the opened elevator, listening to one final scream of pain from Mr. Rikko...

---

Finally we arrived at grandma's laboratory after about an hour of driving. While driving, I was astounded by the apparent lack of urbanization on this continet. In Hoenn, you could barely drive five minutes without seeing ten different buildings. But here, all I saw were open fields with numerous Pokemon running free. The closest concentration of Pokemon near Lilycove was the Safari Zone, the one spot where I could go and not be bothered by my mother's depression those last few months. I just spent my time with the Pokemon, feeding them the PokeBlocks I made out of boredom at home.

Like I said, we finally reached my mother's laboratory, which was the largest building I had seen since I arrived in Obero. It sprawled over three acres of land, and it was built entirely out of brick. My grandmother smiled and placed her hand on my brother and I's shoulder, amused at our staring.

"This building makes our old apartment building seem like a tiny shack," my brother said, using his usual cool choice of words. Grandma pulled on our arms, and led us inside. My father followed behind, grumbling about having to carry everyone's bags. As we walked inside, I was astounded by almost everything I saw. Upon walking into the house, we were greeted by a large photograph containing five figures: my grandmother, Professor Elm, Professor Oak, Professor Rowan, and Professor Birch, the five foremost Pokemon experts in the world. As you walked further down the hallway, there were pictures of my grandmother at a fossil dig, another of her attending to a sick Ampharos with a strange-looking woman who I found out was named Jasmine, and then another of her judging a Pokemon Contest where a Charizard was manipulating a Fire Spin it had created. But then, there was this one particular picture at the end of the hallway that struck my interest:

Hung in a large, ornament-adorned frame was a photograph of my parents battling each other. My father was commanding his Hariyama while my mother was commanding a Pokemon that I never knew she had owned: a Salamence. At the bottom of the picture it said "Julie and Kane Battling Year Before Marriage." At first I surprised to see my mother's first name. It had been so long that I was beginning to forget the little details about her, like her first name.

"Wow, you and mom looked so young Dad," I said, still amazed with the photograph.

My father didn't respond at first. He too was staring at the photograph. I think it had been a while since he had seen a picture of my mother. I had hid the one picture I had of her and he removed any traces of her after she left. So it seemed to be a shock to his system to see her. "Yeah... that was the night I first proposed to her. She said no of course, because she was still mad that I had beat her that night. But when we found out she was expecting, she was definitely more than willing to marry me."

"Miss Chrystie, is that you?" an almost robotic voice sounded from the other room. It shook my father, brother, and I out of our trance, startled by a voice that not one of us recognized. "I have something to show you."

"Coming Isis. Hey you three, follow me," my grandmother ordered as she walked in the direction of the voice. We followed her into what appeared to be my grandmother's living room. It was a nicely decorated roomed, littered with red furniture and more pictures of various accomplishments in my grandmother's career. Standing at the back the room was what appeared to be a young girl. Her hair was jet black, cut neatly at her shoulders. She was about my height and weight, but her skin was much paler than mine. She wore a white tee shirt with a large red "X" on it. She also wore a jean skirt with white sandals. She was a very pretty girl.

"Wow Isis. This room looks completely different. What would I do without your organizing skills. Oh, Isis I'd like you to meet my son Kane and my two grandchildren Cecil and Jun," my grandmother said.

"Nice to meet you," my father said. It seemed like he was barely there. I think he was still shaken up by the picture.

"Hello Isis," my brother said, obviously awestruck by the girl's beauty.

"Hi Isis! I'm Jun," I said, approaching with hand out for her to shake. She took my hand, and gave the firmest handshake I had ever received. I pulled my hand back in recoil, wincing in pain.

My grandmother laughed and walked over to Isis. She wrapped her arm around the girl and said, "Oh my. I should of warned you. Isis is abnormally strong. You see, she's not actually a girl. She is, in fact, an android."
The bloody blade