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A long long time ago, I saw an old Lucario standing upon the snowy mountainside of Snowpoint city, gazing down at me through pallor and wan eyes, with enough indifference to make me wonder what it was really doing up there each and every night, all alone, paying detailed attention to what was happening down below in the sea of burning lights and police sirens.
I had watched him every night I could from my house in the outskirts of the city, probably since I was eight, thinking he belonged to some awesome trainer with enough surplus of battling experience to topple an army. I remember staring wistfully, wishing he might've belonged to me so I could have beaten my older sister at least
once in battle against her Chimchar; dreaming of how he and I would conquer the elite four some day and destroy every single gym leader that dared step in our path. They were small and insubstantial dreams, yet valuable to my young impulsive imagination.
The Lucario would stand outside and gaze down at the populace for hours at a time, almost like he was on guard duty. I tried to stay awake one evening and watch him all night, but I fell asleep at about midnight, and woke up at the crack of dawn with the sun shining brilliantly over the mountain, his place empty save for the disturbed parts of the snow where he had been standing.
By the time I was nine, my mother had landed a new job in Sandgem town, and so we packed our things and moved to the nearby Twinleaf without a hitch. She wrote letters to all my siblings (two brothers, and one sister) about our move, and how they should take time off of their journeys and come see us on their downtime. I think only my father and I realized they'd probably never come see us, because Twinleaf and Sandgem served no other purpose to trainers than to get their first Pokemon. My brothers and sister, on the other hand, had already received their first Pokemon, and were well on their way to becoming skilled trainers.
Yes, I was only one who had not yet received a license to catch Pokemon. I was excited, and yet sad about it, because when the big day finally arrived, I knew I could finally go out and catch that Lucario like I'd always wanted, but now I was months away. I'd have to travel through Sandgem town, go through Jubilife city, Floraroma town, Eterna forest and Eterna city, Mt. Coronet and route 217 just to even
reach Snowpoint city again.
The prospect of owning that Lucario now seemed like a far off and distant dream I could never keep.
My father had put me in good spirits the day I left though. He took me aside and told me how proud he was that I'd finally become an adult, and a respectable one at that. I might have only been ten, but he said I acted more mature than all of my siblings put together, and for that I'd make a damn fine trainer. For me it was a big deal, because being the youngest of four children, I seemed to get the short end of the stick for everything.
And now, as I look back and remember standing in front of that imposing lab building with the red "AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY" sign on the door, everything seemed so big, and yet so simple. My life had been no different than any other ten-year olds.
Had anyone told me I'd be the key to ending the very world they lived in, I'd have thought them crazy, and probably ran away feeling a mad and maybe a little hurt, such was my childish mentality.
If only someone would have told me to stop chasing that Lucario. Or perhaps if I'd have just given up myself and caught my own Pokemon fairly, living the stereotypical dream my two brothers and sister did...
But no.
I had to be different.
I wanted that Lucario.
And that's what brought my end. Starting with that innocent spring day, standing in front of Professor Rowan's lab door, trembling from nervousness, taking in my last moments as a child, and starting them as a Pokemon trainer...
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I do not own Pokemon.
Apocolypta :: a journey fic
