Chapter 2: Spark of Friendship
Disclaimer: Pokémon is a registered trademark of Nintendo and affiliates. I don't own them. The characters and storyline, however, are fully registered to me. I own them.
Chapter 2: Spark of Friendship
The Anthropomorphic Care Center (or ACC as its denizens called it) had been in service for about twenty years, too late to help care for the many anthros that had existed before hand, but it was a good start. Its founder was a human woman named Violet Radiant, who grew up learning that all of the creatures of the world were to be loved and treated equally. As such, she decided to make this "home for the homeless", since 99% of anthros were abandoned near birth. Those statistics still held true, but now 98% of all anthros were now given to the care of the ACC. The other 2% were either totally abandoned by heartless humans that cared nothing for their "mutant" offspring (or by the heartless parents of the birth parent), or were actually cared for by those that brought them into the world. The ACC grew from donations given by others who cared about the plight of these fascinating creatures, or secretly from the parents of those inside who wanted to care for their children but were unable to for many reasons.
Roxanne was just a baby when she was left in the care of the ACC. She was the fifth baby to be put on the center's doorstep in the past three days. Within a few days, she was assigned a housing center in the complex, and for many years was cared for by the center's own Nurse Joy. It was discovered that all anthros were literally half-human and half- Pokémon, and as such, a Pokémon nurse was just as qualified as any doctor in taking care of them (and a lot easier to find, because the Nurse Joys of the world were much more interested in caring for others than finding careers or making money). By the time she was five years old, Roxanne had grown quite healthily and was allowed into the ACC's play area, to meet with others like her and to make a companion. Apart from being half- Pokémon, all the anthros were exactly like human children; as such, they found the inherited abilities from their parents to be fascinating, and made friends more often than not because of them.
Roxanne was very shy, and stayed off on her own near the swing-set. She watched the other children play with each other, showing off the things they'd learned to use in their free time. An Abra girl was showing off for her friends that she could lift the shovel and pail in the sandbox; a pair of Squirtle boys were turning the slide into a water slide for the other children; a Meowth girl and boy were fighting over a penny one of them had found, though Roxanne had clearly seen the girl find it in the thick grass. Roxanne sighed to herself. She was sad, because she hadn't discovered any sort of powers that her Flareon form granted her. None of the other children knew yet, because this was her first day. But it wasn't long before this was found out.
"Hey! Are you a Flareon?" poked a young boy next to her.
"Huh?"
Roxanne blinked. The boy was a Growlithe, most likely. He had three friends with him, all Fire-types: a Magmar, a Vulpix, and a Charmander. They all looked about her age, so Roxanne smiled. Maybe they'd be her friends.
"Are you a Flareon? You look like one." He smiled.
"Yeah...I think so." She nodded.
"Cool! I'm Mark, and these are my friends."
"Anthony." nodded the Magmar.
"Vince." Smiled the Charmander.
"I'm Charles!" smiled the Vulpix.
"I'm Roxanne." She smiled back.
"We're finding Fire-types like us. We want to make a big fire tonight, for a marshmallow roast for all the others."
"What's a...Fire-type?"
"It's one of us, silly." Charles laughed, "You can make fires and stuff. It's fun!"
"Here, let me show you." Mark smiled.
He turned around and spit a small fireball in the air a little, and caught it and juggled it like a ball.
"Wow!" Roxanne said, eyes aglow with delight.
"You try." Mark said.
Roxanne stood up, and with all her might concentrated on blowing fire. But all that came out was air.
"How do you do it?" she asked.
"You just...do it. I don't have to try or nothin'."
"Okay..."
She tried again, but nothing came except a gust of air.
"Aww...I can't do it."
She turned to look to her friends for help, but didn't get any. In fac,t it looked like the opposite.
"She's not even a real Fire-type." Scoffed Butch, "She's just a fake."
"She can't use any fire! Ha!" laughed Charles, who was rolling in the sand.
"But I-" Roxanne sniffed.
"What a weakling." Mark snorted, "Why'd I even bother trying to be friends with you?"
"Yeah. Who needs a no-good...uh...weakling. Yeah." Vince mocked.
"Weakling! Weakling!"
The boys started to taunt her and call her names. Roxanne began to cry.
"Hey! Quit away from her!" called a voice from nearby.
"Ah! It's that big kid! Run!" yelped Mark.
He and his friends sprinted off in the direction of the other slide, leaving Roxanne alone with her tears.
"*sniff*"
"Hey...are you okay?" said a calm voice from beside her.
A hand was placed on her shoulder, and she looked up at its owner. Her eyes met with a Jolteon anthro, a little older than her. Roxanne was young, but she knew how to read a person very well when she wanted to. His eyes gave off the impression that he was very caring and kind, but very lonely.
"*sniff* They...made fun of me..."
"Hey, it's okay." He smiled, "It doesn't matter if you can't use fire, huh?"
"But...*sniff* I'm supposed to be a Fire-type...or something...*sniff*"
"So?" the boy grinned, "I can't use electricity, how about that?"
"What?"
"I'm a Jolteon. I should be able to use electricity, but I can't."
"Then...what did you get from your Pokémon parent?"
"I can run. Fast."
"You can?"
"Sure. Watch this."
The boy took off in a flash and Roxanne watched him run around the length of the entire sandpit in no time at all. She was amazed, and it made her stop crying.
"Wow..."
"See? Just because you can't use fire, doesn't mean you didn't get anything."
"But...what did I get?"
"You'll find it out some day. Just give it time."
"Okay..."
"What's your name?"
"I'm...Roxanne."
"Nice to meet you, Roxanne. I'm Lance."
"Hi Lance..."
"Do you want a friend, Roxanne?"
Roxanne looked at him with slightly wet eyes and a smile.
"You mean it?"
"Sure. We all need friends, Roxanne."
"Okay...let's be friends."
Lance smiled, and helped her up. When the day was over, Roxanne went to sleep in her room with a huge smile. She had...a friend.
Roxanne makes a friend in my good pal, Lance, but did she make an enemy as well? By the way, for anyone curious, Lance personifies my extreme love of speed in video games. Okay, so Chapter 3 will be up this weekend, so just sit back an enjoy!
Chapter 2: Spark of Friendship
The Anthropomorphic Care Center (or ACC as its denizens called it) had been in service for about twenty years, too late to help care for the many anthros that had existed before hand, but it was a good start. Its founder was a human woman named Violet Radiant, who grew up learning that all of the creatures of the world were to be loved and treated equally. As such, she decided to make this "home for the homeless", since 99% of anthros were abandoned near birth. Those statistics still held true, but now 98% of all anthros were now given to the care of the ACC. The other 2% were either totally abandoned by heartless humans that cared nothing for their "mutant" offspring (or by the heartless parents of the birth parent), or were actually cared for by those that brought them into the world. The ACC grew from donations given by others who cared about the plight of these fascinating creatures, or secretly from the parents of those inside who wanted to care for their children but were unable to for many reasons.
Roxanne was just a baby when she was left in the care of the ACC. She was the fifth baby to be put on the center's doorstep in the past three days. Within a few days, she was assigned a housing center in the complex, and for many years was cared for by the center's own Nurse Joy. It was discovered that all anthros were literally half-human and half- Pokémon, and as such, a Pokémon nurse was just as qualified as any doctor in taking care of them (and a lot easier to find, because the Nurse Joys of the world were much more interested in caring for others than finding careers or making money). By the time she was five years old, Roxanne had grown quite healthily and was allowed into the ACC's play area, to meet with others like her and to make a companion. Apart from being half- Pokémon, all the anthros were exactly like human children; as such, they found the inherited abilities from their parents to be fascinating, and made friends more often than not because of them.
Roxanne was very shy, and stayed off on her own near the swing-set. She watched the other children play with each other, showing off the things they'd learned to use in their free time. An Abra girl was showing off for her friends that she could lift the shovel and pail in the sandbox; a pair of Squirtle boys were turning the slide into a water slide for the other children; a Meowth girl and boy were fighting over a penny one of them had found, though Roxanne had clearly seen the girl find it in the thick grass. Roxanne sighed to herself. She was sad, because she hadn't discovered any sort of powers that her Flareon form granted her. None of the other children knew yet, because this was her first day. But it wasn't long before this was found out.
"Hey! Are you a Flareon?" poked a young boy next to her.
"Huh?"
Roxanne blinked. The boy was a Growlithe, most likely. He had three friends with him, all Fire-types: a Magmar, a Vulpix, and a Charmander. They all looked about her age, so Roxanne smiled. Maybe they'd be her friends.
"Are you a Flareon? You look like one." He smiled.
"Yeah...I think so." She nodded.
"Cool! I'm Mark, and these are my friends."
"Anthony." nodded the Magmar.
"Vince." Smiled the Charmander.
"I'm Charles!" smiled the Vulpix.
"I'm Roxanne." She smiled back.
"We're finding Fire-types like us. We want to make a big fire tonight, for a marshmallow roast for all the others."
"What's a...Fire-type?"
"It's one of us, silly." Charles laughed, "You can make fires and stuff. It's fun!"
"Here, let me show you." Mark smiled.
He turned around and spit a small fireball in the air a little, and caught it and juggled it like a ball.
"Wow!" Roxanne said, eyes aglow with delight.
"You try." Mark said.
Roxanne stood up, and with all her might concentrated on blowing fire. But all that came out was air.
"How do you do it?" she asked.
"You just...do it. I don't have to try or nothin'."
"Okay..."
She tried again, but nothing came except a gust of air.
"Aww...I can't do it."
She turned to look to her friends for help, but didn't get any. In fac,t it looked like the opposite.
"She's not even a real Fire-type." Scoffed Butch, "She's just a fake."
"She can't use any fire! Ha!" laughed Charles, who was rolling in the sand.
"But I-" Roxanne sniffed.
"What a weakling." Mark snorted, "Why'd I even bother trying to be friends with you?"
"Yeah. Who needs a no-good...uh...weakling. Yeah." Vince mocked.
"Weakling! Weakling!"
The boys started to taunt her and call her names. Roxanne began to cry.
"Hey! Quit away from her!" called a voice from nearby.
"Ah! It's that big kid! Run!" yelped Mark.
He and his friends sprinted off in the direction of the other slide, leaving Roxanne alone with her tears.
"*sniff*"
"Hey...are you okay?" said a calm voice from beside her.
A hand was placed on her shoulder, and she looked up at its owner. Her eyes met with a Jolteon anthro, a little older than her. Roxanne was young, but she knew how to read a person very well when she wanted to. His eyes gave off the impression that he was very caring and kind, but very lonely.
"*sniff* They...made fun of me..."
"Hey, it's okay." He smiled, "It doesn't matter if you can't use fire, huh?"
"But...*sniff* I'm supposed to be a Fire-type...or something...*sniff*"
"So?" the boy grinned, "I can't use electricity, how about that?"
"What?"
"I'm a Jolteon. I should be able to use electricity, but I can't."
"Then...what did you get from your Pokémon parent?"
"I can run. Fast."
"You can?"
"Sure. Watch this."
The boy took off in a flash and Roxanne watched him run around the length of the entire sandpit in no time at all. She was amazed, and it made her stop crying.
"Wow..."
"See? Just because you can't use fire, doesn't mean you didn't get anything."
"But...what did I get?"
"You'll find it out some day. Just give it time."
"Okay..."
"What's your name?"
"I'm...Roxanne."
"Nice to meet you, Roxanne. I'm Lance."
"Hi Lance..."
"Do you want a friend, Roxanne?"
Roxanne looked at him with slightly wet eyes and a smile.
"You mean it?"
"Sure. We all need friends, Roxanne."
"Okay...let's be friends."
Lance smiled, and helped her up. When the day was over, Roxanne went to sleep in her room with a huge smile. She had...a friend.
Roxanne makes a friend in my good pal, Lance, but did she make an enemy as well? By the way, for anyone curious, Lance personifies my extreme love of speed in video games. Okay, so Chapter 3 will be up this weekend, so just sit back an enjoy!