Disclaimer: I don't own any parts of the Pokémon franchise. All copyrighted materials belong to their appropriate owners. This is a non-profitable story, written purely for entertainment.

The New Trainer

Fan Fiction by Stylust

The morning sun had settled high up in its throne. A stubborn movement of grey clouds hindered the warm effect of the golden beams over the slowly waking town. Rain had poured and thunder had struck the small civilisation throughout the course of the previous night, tiring out only later in the day's early hours. The violent storm was a stranger to Pallet Town and the people could be happy it had died down. Older residents would probably read it as an omen while the youth would simply dismiss it as an unfortunate night.

An alarm clock sang its pleasant tune in one bedroom of the Oak dwelling. Kairi joined in, mirroring the melody with her own hums before dancing over to her study desk to gently put it off. A smile played on her face. Despite always beating the clock to the punch, she never considered disabling its alarm. Most people used it to help them rise but, to her, the tune was a fine harmony that greeted her vibrant form every morning. There was no way she could get rid of something like that.

Indigo curtains, dotted with mini starmie models, were delicately pulled askew. The image of a damp village, boasting a handful of small townhouses, shone dimly through the open pane. She placed her elbows on the windowsill and rested her chin in her hands. Fingers tapped happily on her cheeks.

Pallet Town's scenery was admirable. The oval boundary of brick-laid houses encircled a spotless, green meadow. Silvery sparkles of water glistened at the tops of wet grass. Once rain settled, it always had a way of leaving nature a fresh shine. It was a beauty Kairi wished to wholly immerse herself in.

She wondered if it smelt as wonderful as it looked. Delighted with the prospect, she worked at the window's handlebars and soon had it pushed open. A chilly breeze greeted her face, taking the tips of auburn hair hovering above her shoulders by surprise. It carried a mixture of spring, and the cool scent of the downpour's aftermath.

Slowly, a wide beam of sunlight faded into view, falling diagonally from the skies as it spread about a patch of grass. Kairi was sure this promise of a warmer day would settle well with all the arriving trainers.

She wondered how large the outcome would be this month. The previous month's Trainer Day brought an unexpected number of new trainers looking for their first pokémon. Luckily for Kairi and her father, and for the trainers, they had caught just enough extras not to disappoint any paying customers. Some of the kids were forced to accept spearow or rattata, as oppose to the three standard starters their lab usually offered. At least no kid had left empty-handed. That's what mattered most.

Kairi let out a short gasp. She sprang to her feet, suddenly recalling a favour her father asked of her. A quick glance at her alarm clock revealed the time she had left. It was a few minutes before six; the lab was scheduled to open for trainers at nine.

"Okay, I can do this," she murmured, reassuring herself with nods. Why'd she have to work at the last minute when it came to these things? She scolded herself throughout her scurry to the shower. Her pyjamas were tossed aside to a shabby heap without thought as she stepped bare beneath the showerhead. With a twist of the tap, water came rushing down as if it had known of her urgency.

She had three hours, which should've been more than enough if she approached things smartly this time 'round. It wasn't her father's anger or yelling she feared, since, given even her most aggravating mistakes, he rarely ever did that. He did something a lot worse.

He'd get disappointed in her.

Unlike anger, an emotion often expressed with heated words that carried lessened meaning due to the very state of being angry, disappointment could be felt and expressed with a calm mind. It just seemed too … calculated. Fits of anger came and went, bringing then taking their sentence; while disappointment lingered on until she felt satisfied she proved her reliability once more. Anger would poke at her heart; disappointment would assume a burning grip she'd have to work to undo.

There was a question that always rested at the back of her mind. She heard countless tales and recollections of her father's passion for training during the bulk of his teen years. All his trophies and badges were treasured in a glass display he kept at the back of his bedroom. Not even the fact that he never defeated any region champion in his lifetime could take away from his accomplishments. Yet, here she was, twelve year-old Kairi, daughter and first child of Gary Oak, and virtually more entertained by watching statues at work than by anything pokémon battles had to offer. Could her father's laid-back attitude towards her priorities really be true? Or did he secretly wish she could be more like he was at her age?

… Could it be possible he was disappointed she wasn't?

The fast beat of crashing water returned to her senses. Her right hand resumed its trek over her soaked body. A trail of soap suds followed the washcloth scrubbing her clean. She quickened her pace, realising the shower was taking longer than she could afford. Several scrubs and rinses later, she stepped out and dried her fresh form with a towel she kept hung nearby. The mirror fixed above the sink came in handy at times like this, when she needed to inspect her face after a good shower.

A pale complexion glowed faintly about her young face. Everybody told her she looked young, maybe even for her age, and at that very moment she had to admit she could see their point. Her cheeks rested inertly save for the occasion of a smile, at which they'd puff up a little. Cute dimples formed at the corner of cherry lips. At the risk of seeming arrogant, she would be the first to confess the love she had for her own smile. Thankfully for the world, she was the type of person who loved sharing it.

She snatched the toothbrush resting on the sink and a tub of complementing toothpaste. Her mother would freak if she saw how quickly she was brushing her teeth. She couldn't help it if time was against her. Once she completed the morning ritual, she re-entered her bedroom.

The purple towel wrapped around her body dropped to the carpet and was swiftly replaced with casual wear, in this case, her light-pink skirt. A silver zip trailed down the torso area of her dress, revealing the bust-hugging, white tee she wore underneath. Thin black straps clung tightly over her shoulders, holding the mid-calf skirt firmly in place. She put on a pair of white runners before sliding down the stair-railing to get to the front door.

"And where do you think you're going?"

The feminine voice was calm and soft but abrupt enough to stop her in mid-run. Her head dipped in frustration of being delayed once more. She turned to face her mother, sure to wear an innocent smile. "Hi, mom!" She chimed, as if all was right as rain.

"Morning, honey." The reply came less animated. "You're up awfully early this morning."

Kairi thought the same thing about her. It wasn't unusual for her mother to rise before her on a school morning but, seeing as it wasn't, Kairi believed the hardworking woman more than deserved to sleep in. She knew her father would agree with her there. Their mutual sympathy was no match for Miss Gary Oak's stubbornness however. "Come on, mom." She rolled her eyes. "I'll help you back to bed."

"Oh, don't be silly."

Kairi began to approach her, only to be shooed away by the same hand gestures her mom would use to dismiss a disobedient poochyena. She had always admired her parents for their liveliness. Retirement of any kind was as far from their minds as a cunning thief would be from a crime scene. It's as if they strived to be their young selves forever and ever; trying to escape the shadows that were the aging process. Not that she could blame them. Nobody that she knew, including herself, looked forward to growing old. For the sake of her unborn brother however, stirring in the warm home mother provided, it was best if the woman took it easy for at least the next four months.

"But mom," she nagged. "You know it's best for you to get more sleep." Cautious arms carefully wrapped around her mother's waist. She gently pressed an ear on her nurturing tummy. After a few silent moments of listening, she decided she heard something. "See, even the baby agrees with me!"

Her daughter's cheerful attitude brought a smile to her face. She could hardly remember being that cheerful about anything at that age. Then again, being the youngest daughter in her family, she had never experienced any of her mother's pregnancies. Her hand smoothly traced down the shoulder-length, auburn tendrils of her first child. If there was any physical attribute Kairi possessed that proved she was her daughter, it had to be those sparkling, ocean-blue eyes. Bright and beautiful, just like hers. "Alright, I'll make a deal with you."

"…Hm?" Kairi was half-lost in the embrace.

"If you have yourself a good breakfast before heading out to take care of your last minute errands, then the baby and I…", she sighed. "Though I don't feel we need to, will get a few more hours of rest."

Thin eyebrows jumped up in brief shock. How does she know that I haven't done it yet…? She quickly replaced the expression with something a lot more subtle. "Deal!" She smiled.

Her mother returned the smile. She patted her own short, tidy red hair. It made her look more sophisticated than the unruly, spiky mess she had kept as a trainer, Kairi thought. She lowered her head to better suit Kairi's five-foot-two height and gave her a peck on the cheek before treading back upstairs to her chambers.

Kairi waited until she had disappeared from view. The familiar creak of the bedroom door confirmed her location. Once Kairi heard the door shut, she grabbed an apple from the refrigerator and rushed right out the front door. "She didn't say it had to be a full breakfast. Just a good one!" She told herself. Apples were good.

She hopped over the three steps of the wooden porch. Another quick glance at her wristwatch revealed that it was 6:43. From three hours to practically two and a quarter! She had to get moving and enjoy the snack on the way. Pearly whites bit into the delicate flesh of the red fruit.

"Aha! Looky here girls! Why, if it isn't our favourite little niece!"

The voice struck Kairi with a regretful familiarity. As she stood frozen in place, she assessed her options. To some degree, greeting them extremely briefly and then running to tend to her business right afterwards seemed like the logical thing to do. Not only would it save her time, but it would also spare her the idle banter she knew these three aunties of her were experts of. Why couldn't they understand that she just wasn't interested in all this fashion and beauty stuff? Any chance she had of escaping however, were ruined by her slow thinking. She swallowed the bits of apple just in time to hear aunt Violet speak again.

"How are you, Kairi? My, you've grown! Why, I remember when you and your favourite cousin, Rose, were still crawling about in pampers! You were so cute, fighting over the same toys!" The beam that stretched across the purple-haired woman was full of distant memories. Her eyes shut for a brief moment as if to better help her visualise the events replaying in her mind. All three of the aunts sighed simultaneously. "Those were fine days, dear. Like, now you're all grown up." She smiled. "Move over toys, time for the boys!"

Kairi discarded the 'hi' sitting on her lips that had been waiting for the opportunity to be spoken. Since when was Rose her favourite cousin? And Kairi was only twelve, not even a teen yet! The way her aunts went on about it made her feel so old. Now she knew what her parents felt like. As for the boys comment, she really had no response for that.

"Anyway," aunt Daisy started in that exaggerated cheerful tone of hers. When she thought about it, Kairi couldn't remember one instance in which the woman frowned or didn't sound excited about something. "We're here to, like, see mommy!"

"Yeah, we haven't seen Misty, or visited you guys, in like forever," Aunt Lily added.

If only forever was true, Kairi thought. That's how she felt sometimes. "Yeah, she's here. I asked her to go back upstairs and get more rest because that would be best for her and the baby. If you hurry, maybe you can catch her before she falls asleep!" Her attempt to sound less happy about sending them on their way didn't work so well. Nevertheless, her aunts probably thought she was excited about something else.

"Awww!" The three of them recited together. "Misty should very proud to have a daughter like you!" Violet continued. "That's so sweet, taking care of her like that! Like, I can already tell you're going to be a totally good mother! Gary must have his hands full with two women in the home." She giggled. "Anyway, you can leave your mother to us for now. Run along!"

Each aunt took a turn to pat Kairi on the head before walking up to the front door. As the other aunts entered the home, Lily turned back to her. "Look after Kairi for us, won't you, Rose? And, you play nice Kairi!" She disappeared into the house.

The thirteen year old Rose became visible now that the wall of aunts that had blocked her from view departed. She stood an inch taller than Kairi, clad in a sky-blue skirt touching her knees and a long-sleeved, white sweater. High-heeled, white boots elevated her height a tad. Atop her pink hair sat a brown, cowboy hat, slightly tipped towards the back of her neck so that no facial features were hindered from view. Her eyes were a different shade of blue, almost lavender.

The two girls eyed each other silently for minutes. Kairi would never forget the smug look that stuck to girl's face like dirt would to the inner walls of a bathtub. It was a look that needed to be washed away, permanently; she wanted to be one to do it. "What's with your mom telling you to look after me!?" Firstly, being a baby herself, Rose was in no position to be babysitting anyone and secondly, she didn't need to be babied in the first place!

"Relax, Kairi. It was only a joke," Rose stated calmly.

"Huh?" It was uncharacteristic of Rose to use a civilized tone whenever she spoke to her. Even scarier, she smiled at her. Kairi blinked. Why was she being so nice? It took her by surprise, making the resentment she preserved for her cousin seem pointless. For the moment, Kairi couldn't even remember why she was mad at her. Her creased brow relaxed and her facial expression calmed. She set aside her suspicions for later. "Whatever. Why are you guys here anyway?"

"Careful. You almost sound disappointed to see family." The more she spoke, the more doubt built in Kairi about her attitude. "We know that today is the month's Trainer Day in Pallet. With your mom being pregnant and all, my mom, aunt Violet and aunt Daisy thought we could lessen the workload by helping you guys out with all the day's activities. We heard about how hectic the turnout was last month. In addition to that, the other reason we're here is to visit family. Is there a problem with that?"

"No, no. No problem," Kairi shot back quickly. "Just… hrm, never mind. Well, if you're here to help then let's get moving already! Follow me."

She ran across the wet meadow, leading the way to the lab. Rose followed two steps behind her.

.: End Of Chapter :.