Chapter 1: Vista Town
~:~:~:Location: Vista Town Eastern Gate, early morning
Huffing loudly, the kitten Pokemon stood in awe of the eastern gate. It stood tall on two wooden cylinders and reached so high the small kit had to look straight up! A large smile lay on her face as she looked back into the town. But it didn't last. Her smile slowly evolved into a frown. Her excitement shrank. Many Pokemon could be seen walking around near the gate. Many of which this young kit had never seen before. They ranged in many colors and sizes, their voices hard to hear as they seemed to meld with one another. Dropping her ears, the small kit felt a slight chill run down her back. She was nervous.
"Hey, you there!" squawked a females' voice from behind. Shocked from he call the small kit turned round and placed herself into a defensive pose. Shock filled her small eyes as the fur on her neck lifted. She saw nothing. She began to feel a tad frantic. Her mother had warned her about tactics such as this. Looking around her, she tried to find the source of the call. No luck. The bushes blew only when the wind pushed at them while scattered trees stood silent and wise. "Up here!" squawked the voice. The kit looked to the tall oak that stood three Persian lengths away from the trail. Shooting her gaze upward, she saw a small bird perched on one of its branches. It was rubbing one of its eyes with its brown feathered wing, while two dark pink talons clung to the branch. The kit recognized it right away as a Pidgey. "You can leave that defense stance, I'm not going to attack you. So what's your name?" she squawked.
The kit sat where she was, keeping her thoughts and words to herself. She just looked at the small brown and tan feathered bird questionably. "What? Is there something in my feathers?" she chirped. She then pressed her beak to the inside of an open wing and began moving through it. Still the kit kept quite. Looking back to her, the Pidgey let out a sigh. "If you're not going to say anything then fine. I will," she squawked, "can you keep that accursed bell of yours from ringing so much! My ears are bursting and I can't keep a good sleep!" The kit looked down at her golden bell as it let out yet another ring.
"It's not like it has an off switch," she meowed.
"Well, then can you keep from moving so much?" squawked the Pidgey yet again.
"And how do you propose I do that?" the kit hissed.
"I don't know maybe just-" the Pidgey stopped in mid-sentence. Her eyes were fixated on the kit below her. "Hey, you're a Meote, aren't you?" she chirped as she cocked her head. Before the small kit could respond, the Pidgey continued as if she'd been answered, "What are you doing all the way out here at Vista Town? Shouldn't you be back in Nya Town? I thought you guys had some sort of law about young ones like you venturing off on their own, or something like that?"
"We do," she began, "but I was allowed to leave because, I'm going to join the Rescue Force!" she purred as she lifted her chin proudly. A smile made its way onto the Pidgey's pink beak.
"Oh yeah," she chuckled. The proud look in the kits body left as she lowered herself, her ears falling flat as they were previous to the Pidgey's first squawk.
"But, I'm too nervous to go inside," she mewed.
"And why is that?" asked the Pidgey as she began to clean the feathers that lined her wing.
"Well," mewed the kit as she slowly brought her gaze back to the Pidgey, "back in Nya Town the only Pokemon I ever really saw, other than my own kind, were Pidgey like you, a few long clawed mouse things, and a big black striped fire dog." The Pidgey stopped her cleaning and looked at the kit. Confusion filled her as the kit, instead of speaking the names of the species, described the Pokemon she'd seen. Shaking her head, the Pidgey chirped back words of wisdom given to her by her mother.
"I can understand that. Nya Town is secluded right? They hardly permit any travelers from entering their gates. Especially during the time of heat. And if I remember correctly, that should be now? Anyways, don't be intimidated. If you want to become a member of the Rescue Force, you've got to show bravery when facing something you've never seen, or something that towers over you. You did say you wanted to be a member, didn't you?"
"Yeah!" meowed the kit.
"Well, then show no fear! Pounce on through the gate and show Vista Town that you are brave!" the Pidgey chirped with open wings and a lifted head.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" the kit mewed loudly. With a corkscrew turn of her small body, she pounced towards the gate. "That name is RocketMeote by the way. And thanks!" she purred as she turned to look back at the Pidgey. She then ran through the gate, elated and full of excitement. Smiling, the Pidgey opened her wings and took to the sky. The dinging bell was growing fainter and fainter with each flap of her small wings.
Walking slowly, RocketMeote made her way down the road from the eastern gate. She couldn't help but want to take in every sight and every smell that came her way. Her mouth was open slightly to allow the many smells to hit the roof of her mouth. At first it was a tad bit overwhelming. She was used to the smells of the many Meote, Meowth, and Persian that roamed the streets of Nya Town. Even the town itself had its own distinct smell.
"I'll take that one right there," spoke a male Pokemon as he pointed to an object inside a shop.
"Sure thing Long-jaw," spoke the shop keeper as he nodded. RocketMeote stared at them for a minute, getting in their scents as well as their appearances. The one inside the shop looked like a giant orange rat with long brown ears that curved. What was strange was, the shop looked like his head! It was kind of funny at first, because it look like they were being eaten by a giant head. "Here you go," said the rat as he handed a scarf to Long-jaw. RocketMeote watched as Long-jaw turned, showing a very large yellow mouth. Red spikes lined his head, back, and tail while his lower half reminded RocketMeote of an egg. She watched as Long-jaw tied the yellow colored scarf around his neck in satisfaction.
"Thanks Tory," he said as he reached into a satchel that hung around his shoulders. He pulled out golden coins and handed them to Tory who gladly took them.
Wonder what he bought? RocketMeote thought as she turned away and walked on. She began to again look around. Pokemon of all types were both walking around and gossiping to each other in small groups, away from the streets. She could hear a very words of every conversation before the rest faded into mumble. Nothing really intrigued her, so she just kept moving, in search of the Rescue Force.
Time passed and tension grew. She hadn't found the Rescue Force yet, and sign-ups were sure to close soon! She could just feel it! What was worse was that no one listened to her. Because of the many voices speaking at once, her tiny mews couldn't be caught by any of the other Pokemons ears. They just became apart of the single jumble that echoed throughout where she was. She roamed the streets, running every which way and looking in every direction. She could see nothing but shop after shop after shop. It was relentless and antagonized to her, but she pressed on. It was then that she came to a group of Pokemon standing in a circle. They were all cheering and laughing at something. With a high curiosity, she made her way to the crowd. She pushed through the mass until she came to an opening in the center. There stood a blue blob like Pokemon on a crate. Next to it was a sign that read 'The Amazing Morphing Morpheus!'
"You ready for this folks? Come one come all to the best transformation mimic show of your life!" spoke the Pokemon in a fast tone. Rocket recognized this type of speedy talk. She knew it ell from back in Nya Town. ScratchPersian was just like this blob. He was a street performer!
A young orange fire lizard stepped forward. Clutching its left arm, the orange lizard spoke in a nervous voice, "Think you can change... change into m-me?" he asked. The blob looked at him and jumped down off the crate. Wrapping on of its blobby arms around the lizards shoulders, he responded.
"Sure kid! And with me being a shiny Ditto, I can show you what your rarer color looks like!" he laughed. The lizard looked at him a bit confused. Rarer color? What color could a Charmander like him be? Without a single notion more, the Ditto did the most magnificent thing RocketMeote had ever seen. He changed his entire body shape and color into the lizard! Astonished, RocketMeote couldn't help but leap forward, enthralled by what just happened.
"That was amazing!" she meowed. Morpheus looked at her and smiled. Reverting back to his original form, her pulled his blobby body towards her.
"So," he said whilst placing a blobby arm around her, "you really enjoyed that huh?"
"Ye-yeah," she mewed. She felt a bit uncomfortable with him being so close. Morpheus then changed himself into her, but his color was darker. His bell was also a silver color instead of the normal gold.
"What do you think of my new look?" he asked. RocketMeote smiled and pushed herself away. Even when changed, he still felt as blobby as he did when he reverted himself. "Say kid, you've got yourself an enthusiastic personality I haven't seen in anyone in a long while. Wanna join me and be my sidekick?"
"Sidekick?" echoed RocketMeote.
"What is this a cave? Yes, sidekick! C'mon you'd be awesome! With that dangling bell of yours, we'd make such sweet music together!" he continued. He was still in his copied form, making RocketMeote feel even more uncomfortable. Looking around at all the Pokemon, RocketMeote began to feel her small kitten heart race.
"That's enough Morpheus, leave the kid alone!" roared a deep voice. The crowds attention turned to a tall brown bear with a yellow circle on its stomach. It walked forward and put its foot in between RocketMeote and the Ditto. "Can't you see that you are freaking her out?"
"Is she freaking? Or is she just amazed by what she sees!" laughed the blob as he altered himself into a copy of the bear. "Hmm?" he grinned. The original bear huffed out warm breath before bending down to RocketMeote.
"C'mon kid, lets get you out of here." Nodding, RocketMeote followed as the bear lead her through the crowed of noisy Pokemon. She could hear them cheering at Morpheus as she was lead away. Once out of the crowd, RocketMeote lowered herself in both admiration and relief.
"Thank you," she purred.
"You claustrophobic or something?" asked the bear as he looked down at her, making sure she was all right.
"What's claustrophobic?" she mewed back.
"It's when someone cant stand being in tight places or surrounded by a lot of Pokemon. Kinda like back there with Morpheus's lame street act," he answered.
"No," RocketMeote mewed as she looked down, "it's not that. It's because"-she let out a sigh-"It's because I can't find the Rescue Force! I'm heading there to sign up to be a member, but I don't know where it is! And every time I ask someone to help me, they can't hear me because my stupid tiny voice gets blocked out by the single mumble!"
"Single... mumble?" the bear echoed under his breath.
"And sign-ups are likely to end soon!" RocketMeote finished. Her mews were heavy with sadness.
"Well, then, why don't you ask me?" the bear offered. RocketMeote looked at him.
"You would really help me?" RocketMeote mewed, elation filling her voice. The bear let out a laugh as he stood himself up.
"Of course! Just follow me and I'll lead you right to it!" he exclaimed. Excited, RocketMeote let out a cheerful mew as she leaped onto her paws. She thanked the kind bear over and over, expressing nothing but thanks in return for his kind gesture. "By the way, my name is Danny. I'm an Ursaring," Danny greeted.
"My name is RocketMeote! I'm a Meote!" RocketMeote purred in response. The two walked on, talking to one another as they pushed through crowds of wandering Pokemon. They passed many shops, each offering something different from the last. They then walked over a curved marble stone bridge that sat above a river. The water looked clear and fresh, just like the river back at Nya Town looked. Once over one the other side of the bridge, everything had changed. New smells hit the roof of RocketMeote's mouth as a hustling, bustling, shop filled town became green and quiet. There were small fields here with tons of gorgeous flower filling the air with their sweet scents. As they continued on, Rocket saw smaller Pokemon around her age playing in yards that were fenced in. She didn't know what kinds of Pokemon they were, but she didn't care.
"I'm sure you've noticed by now that this area of Vista Town is much different from where you came in," spoke Danny.
"Yeah. Why is that?" RocketMeote mewed in response.
"This is Vista Town's park. There aren't any trees, but there is plenty of room for young ones to play, as well as for old folk like me to relax."
"Vista Town must be big. How much further to the Rescue Force?" RocketMeote asked. Danny let out a laugh as he lead her to a section of the park that slowly turned into a moderately steep hill. Pointing up, Danny answered.
"At the top of this hill sits the Rescue Force. It's the only building up there so you can't miss it."
"Why is it way up there?" RocketMeote meowed. Danny folded his arms.
"Because from up there, you can see all of Vista Town." RocketMeote gazed in awe. "Oh no," said Danny.
"What?" mewed RocketMeote as she looked at him.
"I forgot to run the errands!"
"Errands?"
"Yes. I was in Vista Town to pick up some supplies for my family. I have myself a wife and three kids. Today is my youngest boys birthday and I promised him I'd get him a genuine Att. Boosting scarf. He also wants to be in the Rescue Force, but he's much too young. Getting him this scarf is the next best thing to him. It'll make him feel like a real rescuer! Well, I'd best be going then. I wish you luck with getting into the Rescue Force RocketMeote. May Nolmikia be with you!" explained Danny. He waved and then left back for eastern Vista, where the market was. RocketMeote couldn't help but smile. Danny certainly didn't look like the fatherly type, but as mayor AcanthaPersian once said, 'looks can be deceiving.' She turned her gaze back to the hill. Taking in a deep breath, she marched her way to the top of the hill.
"Almost there."
=^^= Nya
