Strife89
Not an Ace Attorney
A Retelling and Nuzlocke of Pokémon: Ruby Version
This thread contains my work on an attempt to tell the story of my own Nuzlocke through a copy of Pokémon: Ruby Version, coupled with some creative liberties with the game's plot. Feedback is appreciated and encouraged, as I'd hate to churn out crap without even realizing that it's crap.
For now I think I'm going to post chapter-by-chapter. This one is five pages long when viewed in Liberation Serif 12 in OpenOffice.org Write.
Yes, I am aware that it's probably crazy to have two open fics, but I haven't had the motivation to work on the other one lately.
Anyway, here's chapter 1 without further ado.
They say that there's a knot in your stomach whenever you move from one town to another. I would not be the first to say that it's true. When we got off the ship at Slateport Harbor, I was still feeling the effects of seasickness. Some muscular creatures moved all our boxes into a moving van with incredible speed, and before I knew it, I had to be ushered into the back of that same van. Mom gave me some medicine for my stomach before we departed, but alas she couldn't let me sit in the cabin.
We didn't own a car. In the front was just her and the van driver, while I slumped in the back, feeling only slightly better as the van noisily traveled over the terrain, trying to occupy myself for the half-hour ride.
Eventually, though, I heard and felt the van slow, then stop. I got up as the door opened, hopping out to greet my mom.
“We're here, honey! You feeling any better?” I nodded a little. “It must be tiring … riding in the back of the moving truck like that.”
Some large, very muscular, bluish-looking creatures walked past me, taking a few boxes and pieces of furniture and lugging them into our new home with ease.
“Anyway, this is the place … Littleroot Town. What do you think?”
I took a look around. There were only a handful of mostly wooden buildings, scattered across an open area of grass. There was also a more modern-looking building, standing wide and somewhat tall by comparison. Surrounding the area were endless trees, save an opening to the northern end. All in all, it was absolutely nothing like Goldenrod City, even if it was just a small apartment ….
“I … I dunno, Mom. It's ….”
“A little quaint, yes, but I think it'll be easy to live in. Oh, and you'll get your own room here, remember?”
“I … yeah, I remember.”
“C'mon, let's take a look inside.”
She made a beeline for the front door at once. I followed her closely.
“See?” she said. “There's even some extra furniture in here! Oh, no-no-no-no-no, set it there, Machoke, if you please …”
She was talking to one of the muscular creatures.
“Those are the mover's Machokes. Aren't they so sweet, moving all our stuff in like this? They don't mind in the slightest!”
One of the Machokes flashed a thumbs-up at her. Probably to indicate agreement.
“So, let's see … This is the main area, so your room must be upstairs.”
I looked at her, wondering what to look around at first.
“Why don't you check it out? I hear your father bought a little something to celebrate the move.”
She gave an insistent smile. I nodded, and headed up the stairs.
My room was relatively plain. A wooden floor with a small rug across the middle. Tan-painted walls. A clock, a single photo of the family from years ago, my old TV and Gamecube …
Something in the far corner caught my eye. Another TV-like device on a desk, as well as an open notebook; with a black box underneath. It was a computer. Walking over, I peered at the notebook, finding my dad's familiar scribbles that he called his handwriting.
Hey, son. Congrats on you and your mom moving in! I hope you like the computer.
I'll visit you both very soon. I promise.
My heart sank a little. “Don't make promises you don't intend to keep,” I muttered.
“What was that?” Mom was peering into the room. Somehow she climbed the stairs without me noticing.
“Oh, uh, I was …. er ...”
“Thinking aloud, honey?”
I frowned. “I miss him, Mom.”
“That's part of why we moved here. So we could see him more.”
“More? He never came to visit us in Johto.”
“Sure he did! You don't remember?”
“I remember you saying he came to town because he had a case there, and that he'd show up. But he never did …”
My mom didn't know what to say. She stood there for a moment, looking thoughtful.
“Honey … Your dad has had some … busy times for the past few years. But it's the only way he's been able to make enough money to feed us. And now he's finally doing well enough that he could afford to move us to Hoenn, where we'll have more chances to see him!”
I was still too upset to reply. Mom got on one knee in front of me.
“Cheer up. You'll get a chance sooner than you think.” She got back up, and started down the stairs. “Come downstairs when you're ready. I'll make you a sandwich.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
With that, she returned to the living room. The wooden clomping of her footsteps grew faint, and I turned to the computer to check it out. As it was starting up, I heard Mom's voice ring in through the staircase.
“Brendan! Hurry down, you need to see this!”
I bolted down the stairs at once. Mom was practically jumping in front of the living room TV, pointing at it and exclaiming:
“It's Petalburg Gym on the news! Maybe dad will be on!”
I hurried over, excited. An early chance to see how Dad looked after all this time …
The image on the TV cut to a reporter in a studio, holding a microphone. Any second now they'd show Dad … Surely …
“This report was brought to you live from in front of Petalburg Gym. Tune in tonight at five for more exciting Hoenn news.”
Mom's face fell more than mine, if that was possible. “Oh … it's over …”
My head hung a little. I turned around and headed back to the stairs.
“He'll be on again, I'm sure of it!”
I looked at her questioningly.
“They probably do reports on him all the time. Petalburg isn't that far from here.”
For a moment, I stared blankly.
“Oh, I just remembered! One of his friends lives here. He says that he's told him a lot about you. Professor Birch, I believe. … Tell you what. Why don't you go over and say hello? I'm sure he'd like to meet you in person.”
“... Okay,” I finally answered. “Where is his house?”
“Right next door, actually. Head to your left when you step out.”
“... Alright. See you later, Mom.”
“Have fun!” She grinned enthusiastically as I stepped out the door.
Lily Namron sat back in her chair as her son stepped outside, trying to relax a little. The move, while made easier with the aid of the mover's team, was stressful on her. She had no doubt that her son was feeling the same way. Change was tough; she knew all too well. She wanted to try her hardest to make it easier on her son, but it was definitely harder than she predicted.
She picked up a photo of her husband. Norman Namron. Brendan took after him in many ways, especially appearance. They shared the same flat, black hair; that same somewhat stern face; and the same justice-hunting, yet competitive nature.
She sighed. Norman had indeed not shown his face to his son when he visited them last year, in Goldenrod City. It was a bustling town in the Johto region with an opening to the sea. Its port wasn't as well-known as Olivine's, but the Radio Tower, Department Store, and Magnet Train ensured that there was never a shortage of visitors. She and Brendan lived in a small, single-room apartment.
Norman's last visit there involved him arriving at about one in the morning, though he gave Lily a good forewarning that he would be late. Brendan was already sound asleep at the time. They talked for a while, and before Lily knew it, Norman had to leave for court at seven in the morning, two hours before Brendan would awaken. They had not met in person since.
Lily wondered where Norman was. Probably training with his Pokemon at the Gym. Norman had two careers: he was a lawyer and a Gym Leader. The latter job was paid by the Pokemon League; his task was to test aspiring trainers and their team of Pokemon. If they passed, they were awarded a badge and allowed to move on to the next Gym Leader in a league of eight; a trainer that possessed all eight badges was allowed to challenge the Elite Four and the League Champion, for the right to the latter's title.
Norman's lawyer job was hectic at times, but usually other defense attorneys would take cases in his stead if they knew he had challengers at the gym. Once or twice a case required him to go overseas. In spite, however, of this hectic workload, Norman kept at it. Lily knew he did it for the family's welfare. His inability to visit was the price they had to pay; so when she and Brendan heard that he was paying for them to move to the Hoenn region, she was thrilled; Brendan, not quite so much.
“Mom, what's wrong?”
“Nothing, honey … Oh, thank Arceus for this ...”
“For what, Mom?”
“... We're going to move, honey. Your father is paying for us to move across the ocean to where he lives.”
“Do we have to move?”
“... I would rather we do, honey. I think it's for the best.”
Brendan was staring at the floor.
“What's wrong, honey? … You don't want to leave your friends behind, right?”
No response.
“Don't worry, okay? I can help you make new friends when we get there.”
Brendan did not have the heart to tell her that he didn't have any friends.
I knocked the front door on Professor Birch's house, and was met with a chirpy “Come in!” from the other side. I opened it and stepped inside.
A cheery lady was looking at me from a table nearby. As I stepped all the way in, she got up from her chair and seemed to skip toward me.
“Why, hello there, young man! Who are you?”
“Er … Brendan. My name is Brendan, ma'am.”
“Oh, are you our new neighbor? Norman told us that his family was moving in.”
“Yes, ma'am. We moved in a little while ago.”
“Well, you came just in time. I think May's still upstairs. Oh,” she added, seeing my confused look, “she's our daughter. She was very excited about having a neighbor her age.”
When I didn't move, save for gazing around the room, she ushered me toward the stairs.
The house's layout was exactly like my own, albeit mirrored. May's room reflected this (pardon the pun); for a moment I had to make sure that I was indeed in another house's. May even had a Gamecube.
She was sitting at a computer desk, scribbling on a piece of paper and murmuring to herself.
“Pokemon fully restored … Items all packed, and …”
She jumped slightly, looked at me. “Woah! Who … who are you?”
“S-Sorry … I didn't mean to startle you. It's just --”
“Wait … are you by chance our new neighbor?”
“I am. Name's Brendan.”
“May. Good to meet you, Brendan! … Oh, I almost forgot …. Here's my best partner. He goes with me everywhere.”
She pulled a small ball from a bag strapped to her hips. The ball looked like it had a belt, and was colored red on the top half, white on the bottom. She pressed a button in the middle of the ball, and a streak of light emerged from the button, gathering on the floor and molding itself into a shape, then fading away to reveal a small, blue creature on four legs. It was smiling at May, looking up like a toddler on the floor.
“Say hello to Mudkip, Brendan! He's been my partner for a few years now. Do you have one?”
I frowned. I had never owned a Pokemon in my life. “No. I don't.”
Her smile dipped a little. “That's too bad … Pokemon are such wonderful creatures. I ….”
She hesitated. “I have … this dream … of befriending Pokemon everywhere. And … well, and you. I've heard a lot about you from my dad.”
A watch on her wrist started to beep softly. I glanced at the clock on the wall; it was 1:00 PM.
“Ehehehe … this is silly, isn't it. I mean, I just met you. And I need to hurry up and go … I promised my dad I'd help him catch some Pokemon!”
I didn't really know what to say, so I shrugged with a smile and simply said, “See you later, then?”
“Yeah,” May nodded. “See you later, Brendan!”
And she dashed away, leaving me to ponder the introduction. I wandered back downstairs.
Mrs. Birch was chatting away on the phone as I hopped off the last stair. “Oh, I don't know. Probably doing his usual fieldwork … It drives me batty sometimes … And of all times! Brendan is visiting right now! … His lab? He could be anywhere, Sylvia ...”
I exited the house without a word, and walked over to the odd-building-out of Littleroot.
The inside definitely looked like a research lab, but there was hardly anyone in it. Books were lined across the walls (and the tables) and several computers had eye-boggling amounts of data on their screens. A single man in a lab coat was slowly marching around his own little corner, looking as though he was interrogating the book in his hand.
“Um … sir? Sir, would you happen to ...”
He had not budged his gaze in the slightest, lost in the book. I tried again.
“Sir? Professor? Sir! Please, I need to ask you something!”
No response whatsoever. Pouting, I turned around and exited the building.
“Hi there, honey! How was the town?”
“It's okay.”
“ … Just okay? Is anything wrong?”
“ … No.”
Mom paused. “Brendan, I'm serious. We can discuss anything you like.”
“ … I'm fine, Mom. Just a little tired, that's all.”
“If you're sure. Your sandwich is on the table if you want it.”
“... Thanks, Mom.”
I took the sandwich, headed upstairs to my bed, and sighed as I laid down.
“I knew it would be like this.”
Brendan's next day fared far better. May introduced herself and Mudkip proper, and talked about the town, while Brendan soaked up the information. She learned that he had never been a Pokemon Trainer, but it appealed to him. She showed him all she knew.
Professor Birch dropped by his house during the afternoon. He was ruffled by a near run-in with a vicious Poochyena, but he had escaped unscathed. A bit of a scatterbrain, Birch knew his material. He spent the week showing Brendan a few things about what he studied, and (with the aid of May) taught him a few things about being a Trainer for the day he eventually became one. Subjects like type advantages, growth, and the like had Brendan captivated for the entire lecture, and when it came time to return home for dinner, he never wanted to leave.
Lily was always glad to see Brendan returning home with a spring in his step, something she hadn't seen in years. The move, she decided, was indeed the best thing for the family.
But Brendan, even in all his newfound friendships and role as a pupil, had not forgotten the thing that had caused them to move in the first place.
He still had not seen his father.
---- End of Chapter 1 ----
I've almost forgotten what having a mom IRL is like, so please let me know if something's inconsistent.
This thread contains my work on an attempt to tell the story of my own Nuzlocke through a copy of Pokémon: Ruby Version, coupled with some creative liberties with the game's plot. Feedback is appreciated and encouraged, as I'd hate to churn out crap without even realizing that it's crap.
For now I think I'm going to post chapter-by-chapter. This one is five pages long when viewed in Liberation Serif 12 in OpenOffice.org Write.
Yes, I am aware that it's probably crazy to have two open fics, but I haven't had the motivation to work on the other one lately.
Anyway, here's chapter 1 without further ado.
Memoirs of a Ruby
A retelling of Pokemon: Ruby Version by Strife89 (Michael Carr)
Inspired by land-walker's Nuzlocke of Pokemon: Sapphire Version
and Strife89's Brendan Namron: Ace Attorney.
Pokemon, its characters, settings and directly related material are the intellectual property of Game Freak and published by Nintendo.
This document is a fan work and is not to be sold, plagiarized, or otherwise misued in any shape, form, or fashion that would break copyright laws. Use cautious judgement.
One - Move
A retelling of Pokemon: Ruby Version by Strife89 (Michael Carr)
Inspired by land-walker's Nuzlocke of Pokemon: Sapphire Version
and Strife89's Brendan Namron: Ace Attorney.
Pokemon, its characters, settings and directly related material are the intellectual property of Game Freak and published by Nintendo.
This document is a fan work and is not to be sold, plagiarized, or otherwise misued in any shape, form, or fashion that would break copyright laws. Use cautious judgement.
One - Move
They say that there's a knot in your stomach whenever you move from one town to another. I would not be the first to say that it's true. When we got off the ship at Slateport Harbor, I was still feeling the effects of seasickness. Some muscular creatures moved all our boxes into a moving van with incredible speed, and before I knew it, I had to be ushered into the back of that same van. Mom gave me some medicine for my stomach before we departed, but alas she couldn't let me sit in the cabin.
We didn't own a car. In the front was just her and the van driver, while I slumped in the back, feeling only slightly better as the van noisily traveled over the terrain, trying to occupy myself for the half-hour ride.
Eventually, though, I heard and felt the van slow, then stop. I got up as the door opened, hopping out to greet my mom.
“We're here, honey! You feeling any better?” I nodded a little. “It must be tiring … riding in the back of the moving truck like that.”
Some large, very muscular, bluish-looking creatures walked past me, taking a few boxes and pieces of furniture and lugging them into our new home with ease.
“Anyway, this is the place … Littleroot Town. What do you think?”
I took a look around. There were only a handful of mostly wooden buildings, scattered across an open area of grass. There was also a more modern-looking building, standing wide and somewhat tall by comparison. Surrounding the area were endless trees, save an opening to the northern end. All in all, it was absolutely nothing like Goldenrod City, even if it was just a small apartment ….
“I … I dunno, Mom. It's ….”
“A little quaint, yes, but I think it'll be easy to live in. Oh, and you'll get your own room here, remember?”
“I … yeah, I remember.”
“C'mon, let's take a look inside.”
She made a beeline for the front door at once. I followed her closely.
“See?” she said. “There's even some extra furniture in here! Oh, no-no-no-no-no, set it there, Machoke, if you please …”
She was talking to one of the muscular creatures.
Machoke? That's an odd name.
“Those are the mover's Machokes. Aren't they so sweet, moving all our stuff in like this? They don't mind in the slightest!”
One of the Machokes flashed a thumbs-up at her. Probably to indicate agreement.
“So, let's see … This is the main area, so your room must be upstairs.”
I looked at her, wondering what to look around at first.
“Why don't you check it out? I hear your father bought a little something to celebrate the move.”
She gave an insistent smile. I nodded, and headed up the stairs.
My room was relatively plain. A wooden floor with a small rug across the middle. Tan-painted walls. A clock, a single photo of the family from years ago, my old TV and Gamecube …
Something in the far corner caught my eye. Another TV-like device on a desk, as well as an open notebook; with a black box underneath. It was a computer. Walking over, I peered at the notebook, finding my dad's familiar scribbles that he called his handwriting.
Hey, son. Congrats on you and your mom moving in! I hope you like the computer.
I'll visit you both very soon. I promise.
My heart sank a little. “Don't make promises you don't intend to keep,” I muttered.
“What was that?” Mom was peering into the room. Somehow she climbed the stairs without me noticing.
“Oh, uh, I was …. er ...”
“Thinking aloud, honey?”
I frowned. “I miss him, Mom.”
“That's part of why we moved here. So we could see him more.”
“More? He never came to visit us in Johto.”
“Sure he did! You don't remember?”
“I remember you saying he came to town because he had a case there, and that he'd show up. But he never did …”
My mom didn't know what to say. She stood there for a moment, looking thoughtful.
“Honey … Your dad has had some … busy times for the past few years. But it's the only way he's been able to make enough money to feed us. And now he's finally doing well enough that he could afford to move us to Hoenn, where we'll have more chances to see him!”
I was still too upset to reply. Mom got on one knee in front of me.
“Cheer up. You'll get a chance sooner than you think.” She got back up, and started down the stairs. “Come downstairs when you're ready. I'll make you a sandwich.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
With that, she returned to the living room. The wooden clomping of her footsteps grew faint, and I turned to the computer to check it out. As it was starting up, I heard Mom's voice ring in through the staircase.
“Brendan! Hurry down, you need to see this!”
I bolted down the stairs at once. Mom was practically jumping in front of the living room TV, pointing at it and exclaiming:
“It's Petalburg Gym on the news! Maybe dad will be on!”
I hurried over, excited. An early chance to see how Dad looked after all this time …
The image on the TV cut to a reporter in a studio, holding a microphone. Any second now they'd show Dad … Surely …
“This report was brought to you live from in front of Petalburg Gym. Tune in tonight at five for more exciting Hoenn news.”
Mom's face fell more than mine, if that was possible. “Oh … it's over …”
My head hung a little. I turned around and headed back to the stairs.
“He'll be on again, I'm sure of it!”
I looked at her questioningly.
“They probably do reports on him all the time. Petalburg isn't that far from here.”
For a moment, I stared blankly.
“Oh, I just remembered! One of his friends lives here. He says that he's told him a lot about you. Professor Birch, I believe. … Tell you what. Why don't you go over and say hello? I'm sure he'd like to meet you in person.”
“... Okay,” I finally answered. “Where is his house?”
“Right next door, actually. Head to your left when you step out.”
“... Alright. See you later, Mom.”
“Have fun!” She grinned enthusiastically as I stepped out the door.
Lily Namron sat back in her chair as her son stepped outside, trying to relax a little. The move, while made easier with the aid of the mover's team, was stressful on her. She had no doubt that her son was feeling the same way. Change was tough; she knew all too well. She wanted to try her hardest to make it easier on her son, but it was definitely harder than she predicted.
She picked up a photo of her husband. Norman Namron. Brendan took after him in many ways, especially appearance. They shared the same flat, black hair; that same somewhat stern face; and the same justice-hunting, yet competitive nature.
She sighed. Norman had indeed not shown his face to his son when he visited them last year, in Goldenrod City. It was a bustling town in the Johto region with an opening to the sea. Its port wasn't as well-known as Olivine's, but the Radio Tower, Department Store, and Magnet Train ensured that there was never a shortage of visitors. She and Brendan lived in a small, single-room apartment.
Norman's last visit there involved him arriving at about one in the morning, though he gave Lily a good forewarning that he would be late. Brendan was already sound asleep at the time. They talked for a while, and before Lily knew it, Norman had to leave for court at seven in the morning, two hours before Brendan would awaken. They had not met in person since.
Lily wondered where Norman was. Probably training with his Pokemon at the Gym. Norman had two careers: he was a lawyer and a Gym Leader. The latter job was paid by the Pokemon League; his task was to test aspiring trainers and their team of Pokemon. If they passed, they were awarded a badge and allowed to move on to the next Gym Leader in a league of eight; a trainer that possessed all eight badges was allowed to challenge the Elite Four and the League Champion, for the right to the latter's title.
Norman's lawyer job was hectic at times, but usually other defense attorneys would take cases in his stead if they knew he had challengers at the gym. Once or twice a case required him to go overseas. In spite, however, of this hectic workload, Norman kept at it. Lily knew he did it for the family's welfare. His inability to visit was the price they had to pay; so when she and Brendan heard that he was paying for them to move to the Hoenn region, she was thrilled; Brendan, not quite so much.
“Mom, what's wrong?”
“Nothing, honey … Oh, thank Arceus for this ...”
“For what, Mom?”
“... We're going to move, honey. Your father is paying for us to move across the ocean to where he lives.”
“Do we have to move?”
“... I would rather we do, honey. I think it's for the best.”
Brendan was staring at the floor.
“What's wrong, honey? … You don't want to leave your friends behind, right?”
No response.
“Don't worry, okay? I can help you make new friends when we get there.”
Brendan did not have the heart to tell her that he didn't have any friends.
I knocked the front door on Professor Birch's house, and was met with a chirpy “Come in!” from the other side. I opened it and stepped inside.
A cheery lady was looking at me from a table nearby. As I stepped all the way in, she got up from her chair and seemed to skip toward me.
“Why, hello there, young man! Who are you?”
“Er … Brendan. My name is Brendan, ma'am.”
“Oh, are you our new neighbor? Norman told us that his family was moving in.”
“Yes, ma'am. We moved in a little while ago.”
“Well, you came just in time. I think May's still upstairs. Oh,” she added, seeing my confused look, “she's our daughter. She was very excited about having a neighbor her age.”
When I didn't move, save for gazing around the room, she ushered me toward the stairs.
The house's layout was exactly like my own, albeit mirrored. May's room reflected this (pardon the pun); for a moment I had to make sure that I was indeed in another house's. May even had a Gamecube.
She was sitting at a computer desk, scribbling on a piece of paper and murmuring to herself.
“Pokemon fully restored … Items all packed, and …”
She jumped slightly, looked at me. “Woah! Who … who are you?”
“S-Sorry … I didn't mean to startle you. It's just --”
“Wait … are you by chance our new neighbor?”
“I am. Name's Brendan.”
“May. Good to meet you, Brendan! … Oh, I almost forgot …. Here's my best partner. He goes with me everywhere.”
She pulled a small ball from a bag strapped to her hips. The ball looked like it had a belt, and was colored red on the top half, white on the bottom. She pressed a button in the middle of the ball, and a streak of light emerged from the button, gathering on the floor and molding itself into a shape, then fading away to reveal a small, blue creature on four legs. It was smiling at May, looking up like a toddler on the floor.
“Say hello to Mudkip, Brendan! He's been my partner for a few years now. Do you have one?”
I frowned. I had never owned a Pokemon in my life. “No. I don't.”
Her smile dipped a little. “That's too bad … Pokemon are such wonderful creatures. I ….”
She hesitated. “I have … this dream … of befriending Pokemon everywhere. And … well, and you. I've heard a lot about you from my dad.”
A watch on her wrist started to beep softly. I glanced at the clock on the wall; it was 1:00 PM.
“Ehehehe … this is silly, isn't it. I mean, I just met you. And I need to hurry up and go … I promised my dad I'd help him catch some Pokemon!”
I didn't really know what to say, so I shrugged with a smile and simply said, “See you later, then?”
“Yeah,” May nodded. “See you later, Brendan!”
And she dashed away, leaving me to ponder the introduction. I wandered back downstairs.
Mrs. Birch was chatting away on the phone as I hopped off the last stair. “Oh, I don't know. Probably doing his usual fieldwork … It drives me batty sometimes … And of all times! Brendan is visiting right now! … His lab? He could be anywhere, Sylvia ...”
I exited the house without a word, and walked over to the odd-building-out of Littleroot.
The inside definitely looked like a research lab, but there was hardly anyone in it. Books were lined across the walls (and the tables) and several computers had eye-boggling amounts of data on their screens. A single man in a lab coat was slowly marching around his own little corner, looking as though he was interrogating the book in his hand.
“Um … sir? Sir, would you happen to ...”
He had not budged his gaze in the slightest, lost in the book. I tried again.
“Sir? Professor? Sir! Please, I need to ask you something!”
No response whatsoever. Pouting, I turned around and exited the building.
“Hi there, honey! How was the town?”
“It's okay.”
“ … Just okay? Is anything wrong?”
“ … No.”
Mom paused. “Brendan, I'm serious. We can discuss anything you like.”
“ … I'm fine, Mom. Just a little tired, that's all.”
“If you're sure. Your sandwich is on the table if you want it.”
“... Thanks, Mom.”
I took the sandwich, headed upstairs to my bed, and sighed as I laid down.
“I knew it would be like this.”
Brendan's next day fared far better. May introduced herself and Mudkip proper, and talked about the town, while Brendan soaked up the information. She learned that he had never been a Pokemon Trainer, but it appealed to him. She showed him all she knew.
Professor Birch dropped by his house during the afternoon. He was ruffled by a near run-in with a vicious Poochyena, but he had escaped unscathed. A bit of a scatterbrain, Birch knew his material. He spent the week showing Brendan a few things about what he studied, and (with the aid of May) taught him a few things about being a Trainer for the day he eventually became one. Subjects like type advantages, growth, and the like had Brendan captivated for the entire lecture, and when it came time to return home for dinner, he never wanted to leave.
Lily was always glad to see Brendan returning home with a spring in his step, something she hadn't seen in years. The move, she decided, was indeed the best thing for the family.
But Brendan, even in all his newfound friendships and role as a pupil, had not forgotten the thing that had caused them to move in the first place.
He still had not seen his father.
---- End of Chapter 1 ----
I've almost forgotten what having a mom IRL is like, so please let me know if something's inconsistent.
