Dedicated to Pikachick for inspiring me to try out writing fanfiction. Good luck on your future journeys!
Chapter art done by me, with 3D animation software!
***
"Elron! Breakfast is ready!!!"
My eyes jolted open. "Coming!" I yelled as I lay on my bed, freshly awakened by mother's voice. I became animate, jumped into my slippers, and raced downstairs. Skidding to a stop, I looked at today's loot. Cheri berry pancakes, slices of Watmel, and some golden brown hash browns.
"Eh? No meat today?"
"Meat is a luxury for breakfast--if you want it you should get a job and start supporting yourself," mother lectured. Mother had her white apron on and was twirling a ladle between her fingers. I inherited quite a few of my physical features from her: my black, straight hair, my dark black eyes, my scrawny stature, but I got my disinterested looking face from my father. Thanks dad.
The TV was on, and I watched it out of the corner of my eye as I inhaled my food. "Today, Moore, gym leader of Lavaridge town, stepped down from his position, giving it to his granddaughter Flannery."
As usual, the news is dominated by pokemon news.
"That old geezer finally is stepped down huh? About time! I remember facing him when I was a trainer."
"I'm not sure who you're trying to make sound old: you or Moore."
Mom glared at me, and an evil grin spread across her face. "Just for that, you get to make your own lunch and dinner. Have fun!"
Great, now I have to go earn the money to eat. Better see if the lab needs any help today. I sighed, went up to my room, slung my backpack over my shoulders, and started making my way out of the house.
"Oh, and that reminds me Elron, Flora's back from her journey." She giggled. "And I hear she's looking for someone to go with her on her next one."
I stopped, and my face burned up. I had liked Flora for several years, probably ever since I was in school, and mother definitely knew it. It had been about three years since I saw her last, and without many people to talk to in such a small town as Hedgewood, this was an unbearably long time. I tried to act disinterested, but for once my face expressed the proper emotion and my mom winked at me when I looked back at her.
"I-it's not like I'd want to go or anything. That would require becoming a pokemon trainer."
"Mhm, you keep telling yourself that. I'm sure Professor Aspen would give you a pokemon if you asked."
"Not going to happen!" I yelled as I ran out the door, slamming it behind me. Why is it always about pokemon? What did we learn about in school? Pokemon. What are 90% of books about? Pokemon. Heck, what do parents allow their kids to go out into the wilderness with at the young age of ten? Pokemon. Good grief, does anyone ever consider that there are people who don't want anything to do with pokemon? I mean, they're dangerous, noisy, eat a lot, and are all around high maintenance. Does anyone understand my pain?
I almost reached the lab when I heard a familiar voice. My heart skipped a beat.
"Yeah, I'm going to hang around town for a little longer, but since I won't find anyone here to go with me I'm going to head to Fallarbor soon."
Hardly twenty feet away Flora was having a conversation with one of the older villagers. She was taller, and even more beautiful than when I saw her last. She was really growing her silver hair out, as it went halfway down her back, and accented her hazel eyes perfectly. Three pokeballs were fastened to a sash that went around her body from her right shoulder to her left hip. At the top of the sash I could see four pins attached: probably gym badges.
After all these years she only has four? I guess she must be having trouble.
"Well, make sure to say goodbye before you leave town honey."
"Don't worry, I will. For now I'm going to go check in with the professor, though."
She's... she's also headed to the lab?! There was no time to waste, I had to get to the lab and look like I was busy before she got there. I ran to the laboratory, panting as I reached the door. Aspen was sitting at her desk scribbling some things down, but when I walked in she stopped and looked at me.
"Oh what a surprise! Haven't seen you in a while Elron! What's the special occasion?"
I was still catching my breath. "Hey... Is there... Any work... I could do today?"
Aspen smiled. She was a kind, middle aged woman, with orange hair tied up in the back. Her upward curved glasses and glass earrings were the only things that would make you think she was as old as she was at first glance. "Let me see... I could use some help with handling transfer requests. I've been supposed to be doing those for a few days now, but I haven't yet."
"Okay, that works."
"Okay, then you'll find the list on the clipboard over there. I believe they are primarily requests to transfer orphaned pokemon around to the various safe houses, you know, to help their chances of getting adopted."
"Understood. I'll get to work then." I walked over and picked up the clipboard, then over to the transfer machine. First things first, need to check if anyone is awake yet. I looked at the list, which said "Aron -- Dewford", then typed "connect dewford" into the terminal screen of the computer. The screen spat out "Connected to Dewford", which was followed by a blinking cursor. "Good morning, requesting Aron," I typed. It didn't even take an entire minute before the computer chimed and printed "Sure thing, sending Aron over" to the screen.
The transfer machine was a rather peculiar device, with a normal looking computer on the right side and a platform with a strange looking needle pointed down above the platform to the left. The needle glowed a bright red then shot a laser down at the platform. The bottom of the beam took the shape of sphere, then dissipated, revealing a newly materialized pokeball. The pokeball wasn't anything special, just the standard design of top half red, bottom half white, separated by a black ring and a white button.
I picked up the ball when the door to the lab opened up. I froze in place.
"Mornin' professor! I'm back in town and figured I would stop by and say hi."
"Oh Flora! I guess everyone just decided that today would be the day they would stop by after a long while."
"What do you mean?"
I felt attention drifting my way, and I pivoted in place, turning red all the way, finding that Flora and the professor were looking right at me.
"Oh, Elron! Long time no see! I see you finally got yourself a pokemon!"
I looked down at what was in my hand. Shoot. "W-well you see... actually..."
Nothing got past the professor, and she figured out what was happening immediately. "He had a change in heart and decided to adopt one, yes."
That's not what happened at all, dang it!
"You're adopting your first one? That's so nice of you! And it's great to see that you've had a change in heart! What kind of pokemon is it?"
Cringe cringe cringe cringe. "Ummm... It's an Aron."
"An Aron?! Those things are sooo cute! Come on now, show me!"
I pressed the button on the ball and it flew open, shooting a red laser akin to the previous one out of it. The laser hit the ground and from out of the light came an Aron. Aron was a little steel and rock type pokemon, not uncommon in Hoenn, and the girls seemed to love its disproportionately large head and deep blue eyes.
The little creature looked up at Flora, who lowered herself down and reached out to pet its head. The creature panicked, and tackled her in what it thought was self defense. Flora was squealed and was knocked down, and all I could do was watch. Nothing went through my mind, I was too paralyzed by the situation to even think.
I heard laughter come from Flora. She quickly sat up, and hugged Aron too tightly for it to escape. "Aren't you just the most adorable thing ever?! Poor guy, I guess being alone for so long has traumatized you."
It took me a second to realize that that last sentence was not directed towards me.
"Have you given him a nickname yet?"
A nickname. Really?! First this thing is forced upon me and now I have to name it?! "Um... I haven't really named him."
She somehow cradled Aron in her arms. "What's this? Your trainer is a big old meanie and won't give you a name? I'll give you a name instead then. From today on you'll be known as Aaron the Aron!" Aron seemed delighted and accepted Flora as if she was his trainer, right then and there.
"...Not very original..." I murmured.
Flora got visibly irritated.
Now I've done it...
"How can you call yourself a pokemon trainer?! I was going to ask you if you wanted to come along with me on my next journey away from home but if you're going to be like that then I won't bother."
"...Eh? ...What did you say?" I couldn't believe my ears.
"Well I mean you're obviously not very experienced, and I'm not too terribly good, and it would be incredibly hard finding another person our age who isn't super good, so I would've asked you to come, but I'm not traveling with anyone who treats their pokemon that way."
She was serious! Don't mess this up Elron! "Well... I guess I should've named him... Hey... er... Aaron. Come here boy." I kneeled down and held out my arms to him, and he looked at me, tilted his head a little to the side, and promptly headbutted me. I was thrown to the floor by the force of the little guy. Ouch. Even a little pokemon can be this dangerous. Aaron turned around and ran up to Flora, jumping at her legs like it wanted to be picked up. He was far too heavy to be picked up though.
"Awwww... You're so cute! I can't possibly leave you alone with this dork. You, Elron," she pointed at me, and a very serious look spread across her face.
The professor, who had been watching the entire exchange, smiled in her seat.
"I'm going to leave this town again, but this time you're coming with me." Her face quickly shifted into an even more feminine and kind smile than usual. "'Kay?"
Naturally, I got caught up in the moment at her smile and agreed without thinking. Stupid hormones.
-----
"I figured that would happen. Mother's intuition." Even though she had said that I wouldn't get any dinner from her, after I told her what happened she didn't seem to care.
"Even you couldn't have guessed that."
"Well, not in that way of course. I would've thought that you'd be a little bit more manly when handling that."
Mothers sure do know how to push your buttons. I picked up my plate and silverware and put them over to the dishwasher.
"Hey, before you go, why don't you show me your pokemon?"
I knew that I wouldn't escape until I did, so I pulled the pokeball out of my pocket and pressed the button. Aaron came out and landed on the floor.
"Awww... He's so adorable." She petted the steel pokemon, even though there wasn't a scrap of fur on the creature. "You got really lucky when you got this one. He's stubborn and has a hard exterior just like you."
"I wouldn't necessarily say that he's stubborn. Anyways, that's enough of that, come back Aron." I pushed the button again and the beam shot out, but the little sucker dodged it. He looked back at me with a glare. "I take that back, he is stubborn." After a few more tries I got him back in his pokeball.
-----
I laid down in my bed and placed the ball on my night stand. The moonlight hit it and reflected a blue and purple tinted version of my room. Well, good night Aron, you little brat. I couldn't help smiling. I guess it's thanks to you and that stupid professor that I'm in the situation. I suppose I'll give you a chance.
I daydreamt about all the time I'd be spending with Flora until my daydreams melted into real dreams. At that moment even my craziest delusions couldn't have lead me to come up with what was about to happen as my journey began, eight years delayed.