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Storm Island: Chapter 1

Just a City Girl

The sun shined brightly into the window. A Taillow landed on the window sill and let out a chirp, signaling that morning had arrived. A young girl stirred in her sleep, tossing and turning. She sat up and looked at her clock. 7:28 AM. She rubbed her eyes, let out a yawn and stretched. Stepping out of her bed, she walked toward the window, then swatted the Taillow off of the window and looked outside. The palm trees lining the beach waved gently in the wind that was blowing ashore. She let out a sigh and smiled.
She walked over to a dresser, opened it, and pulled out some clothes. She disappeared into a closet. About a minute later, with her pajamas ruffled in her hands, she emerged from the closet, then threw her pajamas into a basket beside her bed. She looked into a mirror that was hanging on the wall. "Well well, Andrea, aren't you looking snazzy?" she muttered to herself. She grabbed a pin off of the table and stuck it onto the chest pocket on her black and orange shirt. Grabbing a brush off the table, she ran it through her silky brown hair, puffed it up a bit with her hands, then smiled into the mirror.
She started to walk down the stairs when she realized she had forgotten something. She went back into her room and over to her desk, grabbing her cell phone and stuffing it into her purse. She then returned on her way down the stairs.
A news report was on in the kitchen. "It has been a week since the Catrianna Subway System's western tunnel collapsed, and still no progress is being made in fixing the problem. There have been many reports of explosions in the vicinity of the Slate Valley quarry, but there has been no confirmation of this yet. We'll keep you posted. In other news..."
"Haven't they made any efforts to fix that tunnel, dear?" a woman asked.
A man in police uniform replied, "They can't. Not until the investigation is complete, which could take awhile."
"That's a shame... They were just about to open the subway system, too!" she said.
"Yeah, it's unfortunate..." he said, struggling to open a bottle of lemonade. He noticed Andrea walk into the room. "Hey there, sport!"
"Hey mom, hey dad."
"Well, look at you! You're lookin' pretty snappy today, Andrea!" Andrea's mom said.
"Thanks." she nodded.
"What's the occasion?"
"The Catrianna Corporation is holding a meeting of sorts at the Crimson Crawdaunt. Mr. Winston asked me to come in. He probably wants me to help, but he also said he'd like a word with me." Andrea replied.
"A word, eh?" her dad asked. "Maybe it's that promotion you've been working at for the past year." He took a sip from his lemonade.
"Yeah, you've earned it." her mom said.
"That's what I'm hoping for." She walked over to the refridgerator and grabbed a bottle of water out and put it in her purse. "It'll be awhile before I have to arrive."
"Uh huh..." Andrea's dad said in an uninterested tone. His gaze was fixed on a reflection of himself in the window. "Damn, do I look good or what?"
Andrea's mom spproached her dad. "You do, sweetie! Especially in that important uniform." The two started to hug and make incomprehensible giggling noises.
"You know, on second thought? I'm just gonna go for a walk." she said with a grimmace on her face. She grabbed a black bandana with a pink Pokeball design embroidered on it from the table. She tied it around her hair, adjusting it to her own sense of perfection. She looked back to see her parents still cuddling, then opened the door and stepped out. "Goodness..." she muttered to herself. She walked towards the beach, which was right in front of her house. Looking up and down the coast taking in the sights, she spotted a reddish brown rock. She ran over to it and jumped on top of it, taking a seat as she looked out to the vast, blue ocean that lay before her.
A Krabby side-stepped its way down the beach, inching closer and closer to Andrea. It attempted to climb onto the rock but was unsuccessful. Fearing the big and menacing girl, it scurried away as she swatted at it.
"Stupid things..." Andrea muttered to herself. She felt a slight rumbling in her purse and heard a noise. "Huh?" she said, digging to find the source of the rumbling. She pulled her phone out, opened it and said, "A message?" She paused. "...From Larson?!" she asked, shocked. "Dear Andrea;" she began reading. "I'll be home shortly. I figured I'll take a break from my journey through Johto to catch up with you and the gang. I should be in Crestfall by noon today, then Azure Ridge the next day." Closing her phone, she sighed. "Larson's coming home... Finally..." Opening her phone again, she began to type a message. "Hey there, Larson! I'd call, but you're probably out in the middle of the ocean right now so you'd never get it. I just wanted to say that I'm looking forward to your return... See ya soon!" Clicking the 'send' button, she closed her phone again and looked at her watch. She stood up and dusted off her white cargo pants, then walked down the beach to the east.

---

"Alright, Angelique. Right here." A heavy set man with glasses said while carrying one end of a table. "Ready?"
"Yeah." A young girl with ruby pink hair replied, holding the other end of the table. "One... two... three!" she said, releasing the table. She rubbed her forehead with her arm and placed it on her hip. "Well! That's the last of the tables, right?"
"Yeah." the stocky man replied. "Could you head into the back room and do some inventory counting while I tend to some paperwork up here?"
"Sure thing, Mr. Winston." Angelique replied, turning her attention to the back room, making her way through the maze-like setup of the tables strewn about the restaurant.
Mr. Winston turned around and focused on some papers sitting on the counter next to him. He raised his thick glasses up as he looked at a chart of his projected profits. An 'X' was scribbled onto the peak of the line with 'Andrea' scrawled next to it. Another line arched higher on the graph with 'New Girl' written along the curve. He sighed and picked the paper up, folding it twice and sticking it into his pocket. "I really hope-"
Suddenly the door opened and Andrea walked in. She closed the door behind her then walked behind the counter, taking a seat on a stool in front of Mr. Winston. "Mornin', Chaz!"
Worried that Andrea might look at the papers, he spread them all over then stacked them into a neat pile. "Good morning." he said quickly and quietly. "So much paperwork!"
"Anything I can help with?" she asked.
"Huh?" Mr. Winston said. He took a good look at her and cleared his mind. "Sorry, a lot's going through my head."
"I understand. It's not everyday that a corporate client comes through your door. But, I'll be with you 100%!"
Mr. Winston made a weird groaning noise. "Yeah..." he said, turning around. He took a deep breath and turned around again.
Andrea raised her eyebrow inquisitively. "So what was it you wanted to talk to me about?"
"Yes..." he said slowly. He called out to the back room. "Hey, Angelique! Can you come in here?"
Angelique emerged from the back room with a clipboard in hand and a pencil tucked away above her ear. She leaned on the door frame and said, "Yeah, boss?"
Andrea looked at Angelique, then back at Mr. Winston. "Go on..." she said.
"Uh. This is Angelique." Mr. Winston said carefully, as if his words were about to set off a bomb. "She's going to be working here."
Angelique waved as she continued to lean against the door.
"Alright, let's just..." Mr. Winston muttered to himself. "She'll be replacing you. I'm sorry, but-"
"Replacing?" Andrea asked sadly.
Mr. Winston took a deep breath. "Yes." he nodded.
"Move aside, I'm takin' charge from here." Angelique smirked.
"Remember the past few months I've asked you to bring in a cute Pokémon to help keep the guests entertained a bit?" Mr. Winston continued. "Month after month passed with no results."
"A waitress should not be judged by a small creature following her."
"Well, now you've learned that they are. And that's not all. Some of our repeat customers have... how to put this nicely..."
"They think you're ugly." Angelique chimed in.
Andrea stared blankly at the table. "Really?" she asked.
"I wouldn't go that far, but... they said a cuter face around here wouldn't hurt."
"I..." Andrea started, but couldn't form a sentence.
"I understand how much you've put into this place, how much you want to see it succeed. Hell, you turned it around, but there's only so much a single person can do. Your replacement may actually be what's best for this place." Mr. Winston said, trying to make it sound like he didn't want it to happen.
"I... I..." she said, starting to lose herself. She looked from side to side, her vision blurring up. "I gotta get outta here..." she said, getting up and bolting for the door, slamming it behind her.
Mr. Winston sighed. "I really, really hope I made the right choice and that she doesn't take it too hardly."
"Hey, lighten up." Angelique said. "You said it yourself. You're looking to grow and she was holding you back." She flipped her hair to the side. "Now are we going to rock these suits or what?"

---

Outside, Andrea was sitting at a table in the outdoor café. She had her head resting in her arms, her bandana undone and beside her, almost crying. "I... This..." she stumbled with her words trying to make sense of what had happened.
A group of men and women in business suits approached the restaurant. One of them stopped the group and raised her arm to grab their attention. "Alright, folks. Here's where our meeting will be held." she called out. She looked at Andrea momentarily, noticing her crying and said to the rest of the group, "Uh, I'll catch up with you guys in a minute."
"Yes sir, boss!" one of the men said. He led six others into the restaurant, leaving the woman alone.
The woman approached the table that Andrea was at and sat down. "Hey there, what's the matter? It's a little early in the day to be crying, don'tcha think?"
Andrea looked up at the woman and wiped a tear from her cheek. "Huh?"
"I'm Jenna Catrianna. What's your name?"
"Um... Andrea." she replied.
"What's troubling you, Andrea?"
"I... I was just fired. From here."
"Oh no, that's terrible!" she said with enthusiasm in her voice. "Why?"
Andrea quickly fixed her hair up and struggled to put her bandana back on, but failed. Leaning back into her chair with her arms crossed and looking off to the side she said, "I was replaced... For not being cute enough, I guess..."
Jenna Catrianna studied Andrea. "You look cute enough to me." She grabbed Andrea's hand and tightened her grip trying to comfort her. "But hey, Andrea, don't let it get to you. It happens. I went through it when I was younger..." she recalled. "But I didn't let it defeat me. I believed in myself."
"And what good will that do me now?" Andrea said.
"Think of it as a new chapter in your life... Believe in yourself. Find a hobby or a passion and work towards it. You never know what you're capable of accomplishing until you try it."
"Ha, thanks..." Andrea said sarcastically. "I guess."
"You'll be fine." she said, looking at her watch. "I have to get going. Good luck with everything." She stood up and pushed the chair under the table. "There's something I like about you, so I'll do you a favor."
Andrea looked up. "Oh yeah?"
"I think I might just go antagonize that person who replaced you... Bye!" she said and walked into the restaurant.
Andrea raised her eyebrow. "What a bizarre and eccentric lady..." She tried to tie her bandana around her hair again, then looked into the restaurant through a window. Angelique was bringing the group some menus. "I... I should probably just leave." she said, then walked down the street with her hands in her pockets. Andrea passed by the Storm Island Radio Centre and Doctor Spruce's Pokémon Research Laboratory as she slowly trudged home, thinking. A noise in the trees behind the small laboratory caught her attention. "Huh?" Andrea approached the fence that lined the sidewalk along the street and looked around. Seeing nothing, she shrugged and turned around. "Maybe that- Ooof!"
A Furret came swinging through the tree, crashing into Andrea and knocking her down. It sniffed at her, then bit at her bandana and making off with it.
Andrea picked herself up and felt for her bandana. "Hey! Give me that back, you thief!" she said. She charged at the Furret, which was taunting her, and tackled it. She wrestled the bandana from Furret's grasp and put it in her pocket.
The Furret jumped on top of her and started licking her face.
"Hey, quit it!" she said, laughing. "That tickles!"
The front door to the laboratory opened up and out stepped a bearded man in a lab coat. He placed his hand on his slightly grey hair as he walked over to Andrea. "So there you are, you little scamp." he raised a Pokéball and said, "Furret. Return."
Furret looked around before being converted into a red glob of energy and sucked into the Pokéball.
"My apologies. My name is Dr. Spruce, are you alright?"
Andrea stood up and shook her head side to side. "My head hurts a little..." she quietly said, rubbing the back of her head. "I guess I'll be fine though." She took her bandana out again and placed it over her head.
Dr. Spruce put the Pokéball in the pocket of his lab coat and looked at the pin attached to her shirt. "Good to hear, Andrea."
"How..." she asked.
"The pin on your shirt. It has your name engraved on it."
Andrea placed her hand over the pin and looked down, fumbling to take it off.
"Anyways, I'm glad you were here to stop this Furret in time. My colleague would have my head if I were to lose it."
"Don't mention it..." Andrea said shyly.
"I have a question, are you busy?"
"...No, not really."
"Good, then perhaps you'd like to do me a favor?"
"I don't know, I real-"
"It's settled then! Just come into my lab and hear me out, please?"
Andrea let out a sigh. "Well... I have nothing better to do..." She knelt down and picked her purse off of the ground, then followed Dr. Spruce into the laboratory.
Inside, the laboratory looked much bigger than it did outside. The lab was a marvelously high-tech looking place. An electric hum permeated the air as well as the beeping from machines and small chatter from the working technicians. Several tables were laid out around the room with several scientists each, covered in papers, tools, small devices and Pokéballs of all different types. Very expensive and complicated looking machines with an array of blinking lights lined the walls. A crisp breeze blew in from a few open windows, keeping the lab workers cool and calm.
"Pretty impressive place, don't you think?" Dr. Spruce asked.
"Yeah..." Andrea said, looking around and taking the sights and sounds in. "I used to have an interest in this place when I was younger, but..." she paused.
"But?"
"Oh... it's nothing. Nevermind." she replied. "I guess it was a false interest, this place looks way too technical for me."
"Perhaps we can test this out?" Dr. Spruce said, leading Andrea into a small office. He took a seat at a desk that was covered in papers and lined with small silver statues. Presumably they were research awards, as they were all engraved with Dr. Spruce's name as well as specific years. "I'll have to ask this first, though. Do you have any arrangements scheduled with anyone today? Anyone to visit, anything to do, that kinda stuff?"
"I kinda..." she paused and sighed. "No."
"That's a bit of a shame, isn't it? My philosophy is that everyone should always be busy, busy, busy! We should have things to keep us occupied. Having things to do is the spice of life, even if these things are boring or mundane." Dr. Spruce replied. He took the Pokéball holding Furret out of his lab coat pocket and placed it on a small scale. He pushed a button on the scale, causing a green light to begin scanning the Pokéball. "While we're waiting, I'd like to ask you a favor." he paused. "That is, if you don't mind."
"A favor?"
"Yes. I need this Furret delivered to a colleague of mine. Her name is Professor Ansen, perhaps you've heard of her. She lives north of here, in Bluele-"
"Oooh, no. I don't think so."
"Aww... Why not, if I may ask?"
"I'm really not in the mood to be dealing with a furry nuisance right now. Because of these creatures, I... I lost my job this morning."
Dr. Spruce leaned forward. "This is perfect, actually." he said in a serious tone. "You see, Andrea... When I was young, before I got into research, I was a bit like you. Only I had no hope for a future. My father was never around and my mother had to work in two jobs just to make ends meet. I blamed the Pokémon for this... My father took off one day, leaving my mother, aiming to be a master trainer of Pokémon. I hated them for this, but one day as a birthday surprise, my mother gifted me with a Skitty. I took responsibility for it, kept it happy... I must say, ever since that day, my life has never been the same. I started researching them... learning about them... I began to develop my bond with them."
"That's a sweet story, Doctor, but--"
"Now, human emotions are not my area of expertise, but you seem very... how can I put this?" he paused. "Frustrated. Resentful. Jealous of another, even." He leaned back in his chair. "I know I may seem pushy, but I insist. Blueleaf Village is an absolutely gorgeous place this time of the year. It's a very relaxing place to be, your worries and troubles just melt away. You'll feel better the second you walk into town."
Andrea looked down in thought. "I have been a bit negative lately..."
"So can I count on you?" he asked.
Andrea put her hand on her chin, thinking. "Yeah. I could use some relaxation."
"Wonderful!" he said happily. A beep signaled that the device's scan of the Pokéball was complete. He picked up the Pokéball and tossed it to Andrea. "Catch!"
Andrea reached out both hands and fumbled with the Pokéball as it landed in her arms. She held it in her left hand, studying it, then smiled. "I can see my reflection in it... I'm smiling?" she said.
"Feeling a bit better already?" Dr. Spruce asked.
"A bit." she said, staring at it. She clicked the center button, causing it to shrink. "Woah!" she said, surprised.
"Yeah, they're designed to do that for easy storage so that you can carry them in pockets and the like." Dr. Spruce replied. He opened a drawer on his desk and pulled out a small pamphlet. Unfolding it on his desk, he revealed a large map of Storm Island, placing his finger on the south eastern coast. "This is Azure Ridge, as I'm sure you already know. I'll guess you know your way around the immediate area, right?"
"A little." she replied.
"Right. As I said, Blueleaf Village is north of here, and between us and the town is Route 301. It's decently short, and shouldn't take you more than an hour to cross. Maybe even less if you keep your pace up."
"Sounds easy enough..." Andrea said, studying the map.
"As with anywhere else in the world, wild Pokémon lurk within the tall grass outside of town. Avoiding the tall grass is your safest bet, but if you find yourself unable to, be on your guard. You may need to sic that Furret on a wild Pokémon if it approaches you."
"Goodness!" Andrea exclaimed. "That sounds awfully cruel."
"Pokémon are very competitive creatures. They don't mind it at all." Dr. Spruce said, kneeling down to retrieve a box from under his desk. With a loud crash, he placed it on the table and rummaged through it. "Furret may be injured during a battle, however." He pulled out several purple squirtbottles with a shiny, silver liquid inside. "These will ease Furret's injuries should you need them." he said, handing them to Andrea.
Andrea grabbed the bottles, unzipped her purse and stuffed them inside. "Thank you."
Closing the box up, Dr. Spruce said, "That just about covers up the basics. Since this will just be a simple delivery I won't bother getting into much else." He picked up the box and dropped it on the floor with a crash, kicking it back under his desk. "One last thing." he said. He turned his attention to the large room outside his office. "Hey, Beverly! Could you come in here? Bring the picture from a few days ago with you!"
A young red haired scientist walked into the room and placed a photo onto Dr. Spruce's desk. "Here is the picture you requested, Doc." she said. "Is that all?"
"Yes and thank you. Dismissed." he said to the young scientist as he sent her off.
"What's this?" Andrea asked, taking the picture and looking at it.
"This is the uglier side of a research center such as this. Our security camera spotted this three nights ago."
The photo showed a man and a young woman inside the lab ransacking the place. The woman was in a pink shirt and had a striped pink hat. She was holding a Poké Ball with a smile on her face. The man had medium length brown hair and a peculiar scar over his left eye.
"These two are thieves, obviously... They can't be trusted. I'm very sure that they skipped down already, but if you see them while you're on your way to and back from Blueleaf Village, hide until they go away." Dr. Spruce said in a serious tone.
"Got it." Andrea nodded. She placed the photo back onto the desk.
"Well, that's that. When you arrive and deliver Furret, Professor Ansen will likely send you back with another Pokémon to deliver to me, so that way you're not stuck on Route 301 without a Pokémon. But, if she's absent minded about that, stop by my lab anyways when you get back. We'll negotiate payment." He smiled. "Also, it'd probably be a good idea to stop by and notify your parents."
Andrea placed the Pokéball in her purse. "I planned to."
"I guess that's it." Dr. Spruce said. He reached into his lab pocket and pulled out a phone. "Let me give you my number, just in case anything happens. It's 1432-6012-A. Got it?"
Andrea pulled out her phone and muttered the numbers back as she input them into her phone listing. "Yeah."
"Alright, dismissed. Good luck, Andrea."
"Thanks, I guess." she replied. Andrea placed her phone back into her pants pocket and stepped out into the larger room of the laboratory. She quickly passed by the scientists as a few of them looked up at her silently.

---

"Well, I guess I'm getting the day off." Andrea's dad said as he walked into the kitchen. "Jack called and said we're getting the day off."
"Wonderful to hear, dear!" Andrea's mom replied. "You two have been overworked lately, in my opinion."
"Being a police officer is a tough job, but I love it. I get to meet all sorts of fascinating people." he said, taking a sip from the same lemonade bottle from earlier in the morning. "Like that peculiar Dr. Spruce fellow down the street."
"Oh?" his wife asked.
"Yeah. A few nights ago--" he started, being interrupted by the door opening. "Andrea?"
"What are you doing home so early?" her mother asked.
Andrea silently walked over to the kitchen table and unpinned her Crimson Crawdaunt nametag from her pocket, placing it on the table. "Mr. Winston replaced me..."
"Rep--" Andrea's dad started. "Replaced?! Why I oughta go over that and kick his--"
"No, dad." she started. "I don't think that'd solve anything." She reached into her pants pocket and grabbed Furret's Pokéball, clicked the button to enlarge it and placed it onto table next to the nametag.
"A Pokéball?" Andrea's mom started. "How... Where did you get that?"
"Dr. Spruce asked me to do him a favor." Andrea said. "He wants me to take this to Professor Ansen in Blueleaf Village."
"Blueleaf Village?" her mom asked. "I'm not sure if I feel right with that."
Andrea's dad sat down at the table. "You know, Meredith... this might just be what our daughter needs. She's nineteen, she's beautiful, and she never leaves the house that often. It's almost like a crime, and you know how I feel about crime!"
Andrea looked down at the pokeball and laughed shyly. "Heh, thanks dad..."
"You're a strong individual, Andrea. This shouldn't be a problem, riiiight?" he said, turning to Meredith.
Meredith looked at her daughter, then back at her husband. "You're right. But I still don't like the idea. If you do leave, be careful."
"I will." She said, grabbing the Pokéball.
"Huh... several weeks ago you said you'd never want to look after a Pokémon, and now..." her dad started, making a fake tear wiping motion. "They grow up so fast!" he said in a joking manner.
"You're such a rascal, dear!"
"Yes, I am." he said. He snapped his fingers. "I know! Spud, come in here!" he called out.
A Growlithe charged into the room, sliding across the shiny hardwood floor to the feet of its master. It wagged its bushy tail as it stared at Andrea's father expectantly.
"Good boy!" he said. "Would you like to see Andrea's new Pokémon?"
Spud yelped with joy and excitement.
"Well Andrea? How about it?" Meredith asked.
"Um..." Andrea held the Pokéball out in front of her. "Uh... Come on out?" After a short pause, she shook it, then turned it around to look at it. "Hmm..." she said, stratching her head.
Suddenly, a burst of white light filled the room as the Pokéball opened. Furret appeared on the floor in front of Andrea, looking around the room and investigating its new surroundings. It looked up at Andrea and made a purring noise.
"A Furret, eh?" Andrea's dad said. "It's cute!"
Spud leapt towards Furret and started licking it. He smiled and barked as he continued to lick Furret.
"Hey, they like each other!" Meredith said.
"Of course they do, Spud's the sweetest!" Andrea's dad said, looking at his watch. "13:04... Did you want to head up to Blueleaf today?"
"Yeah. Dr. Spruce said Professor Ansen was expecting Furret today." Andrea said, looking down at Furret as it brushed up against her leg.
"If you leave now, you should be back in time for dinner." Meredith said. "I think so, at least. I've never been to Blueleaf Village."
"Yeah, the walk isn't long." he replied.
"Well, I guess I'll be heading off now..." Andrea said. "Wish me luck, okay?"
"Have fun, dear." Meredith said.
"Take pictures with your new phone! The Blueleaf trees should be in full bloom around now." He stood up and placed his hand on Andrea's shoulder. "Loosen up a bit while you're out there. Relax and enjoy yourself."
"Thanks, you two." She raised the Pokéball again and said, "Furret... get back in this thing."
Furret looked around one last time, turning into a ball of red light and slipping into the Pokéball.
"I'll call you guys if anything happens." She bowed as she waved good by. She walked towards the door and opened it, stepping outside.
Andrea's dad sat back down at the table, opening his bottle of lemonade again.
Meredith turned around with a look of frustration on her face. "Marvin... how could you!"
"How could I what?" Marvin asked, tightening the cap to his lemonade back on. "She has to get out into the world eventually... Who knows? Maybe this little trip of hers, even if only for a few hours, will inspire her to do something with her life. We certainly can't rely on Chaz down at the restaurant to make that happen anymore, can we?"
"You may be right... I just don't know if we did the right thing sending her off like that. She's never been a confident one..."
"You worry too much!"