Rikka and Kuria

[Kyuukurochan]

Why yes, this is a fanfic. No, it's not Full Metal Alchemist. It's...

Pokemon! Yes. This is the story of a young girl that suddenly has a Dratini dropped in her lap. Almost. It was thrown at her, really. But everything is truthful to both the games and anime, but not the manga. I lost those a couple years ago. >>

Going to Johto will be her biggest adventure yet.

[Kyuukurochan]

The second I stepped outside of my front door, I wanted to drop all my stuff and turn back inside. My bed was calling me, the soft pink comforter with the little Jigglypuffs singing down the side with random Wigglytuffs dancing beside them. I loved my bed. It was mine, it was clean, it was comfortable, and Copycat was only down the street. I loved Kanto, I didn't want to board the train and move to Johto.

At least, that was until I met Dratini.

Living in Saffron, I was only a hop away from Celadon City. On weekends, you would find me there at the slot machines, pulling away tirelessly at the lever for coins. I'd stay in the little room in the back of the Celadon Gym every Friday and Saturday night; I was friends with one of the trainers in Erika's gym. If she caught me, she'd put me to work in her perfume shop. Mirae finally convinced me to spend some of my coins, at least. For three years, I kept those coins in my case, and I finally grew tired of her proding and walked next door to cash in my coins.

I parked my bike outside and chained it with my little lock, and she kicked hers off to the side of the fence.

"Mir, there's no ro-"

"Come oonnnnn," she whined and grabbed my hand with her long, acrylic nails, pulling me into the little building. I blinked at the blue tiled room, and the two little windows that served as the only thing on the walls. I saw the pens and paper on the counter below the openings, and I infered that it was the exchanging windows. A few people walked around, muttering to themselves and companions, and one stood at one of the windows, accepting a TM from a hand inside the window. I was taken aback.

"There, I'll show you the really awesomely-amazing-cool Pokemon that's been here for ages-" I blocked her jabber from my mind as she pulled me along again to the free window, where a hauntingly, friendly voice rose from the darkness.

"May I help you? You can exc-"

"Yeah, yeah, we know!" Mirae cut her off, waving a hand in an impatient manner. She leaned over the counter and tapped it, a big grin on her face. "We want your most expensive Pokemon-"

"Excuse me!" I cried, my eyes wide as my gaze fell on her tanned face. The Kogal winked and reached in the pocket of my coat, producing my coin case and flipping it open before I even realized what was happening.

"That...Dra-thing, the cool one, we want a girl," she said in an airy voice, her long nails tracing the coin edges. They clinked and one fell down, hitting her plastic white boot and rolling to my foot. I grimaced slightly and bent down, picking it up and running it over my fingers. I hoped it wouldn't clear me out....Mirae upturned my case and the coins hit the counter, making a large pile. The hands slinked out from the darkness and started to pull in coins, a soft counting humming from the woman. She skipped a few numbers and pulled more in, then waving away the Kogal from the counter.

"1200...coins...Please keep coll-"

"Yeahhhhhh, we knowww," she cooed, pushing the coins into the case again. I shuffled my feet around the tiles, one of them uplifting under my flipflop. I looked around quickly and then pushed it back in, and I turned just in time to hear my name called.

"Rikka, catch!" I almost screamed; I put up my hands and a Pokeball hit my fingers before I wrapped around it, and I calmed down, examining the red and white ball. I cradled it in my hand, a feeling of awe washing over my mind.

"Mirae, I don't kn-"

"That's why I talked to your mom, you're going to go out and be a Trainer."

And that was when my heart stopped.

I held the coin case outside my house, my mind reeling for a moment. The girl outside Copycat's house that paced walked past me, heading for Sliph Co. She disappeared inside of the building, and I was the only one left on the street. I sighed and started walking down the street, my pack hitting my back with every step. I knocked on the door of Copycat's house, and let myself in.

Her dad regarded me by holding up his hand, his usual greeting. Her mom stood at the sink, not paying attention. The Marill next to her used watergun on the plate, and she set it on the counter to dry. I walked up the staircase, and was immedientally greeted by a Charmander doll being pitched at my head.

"Ow!" I heard a similar cry of pain from inside the room and I rubbed my head. One of the eyeballs hit me in my forehead. I picked the doll up off the floor, and walked in to see myself sitting at the table. My doppleganger smiled at me, in the way that I usually did, but it quickly melted into one of pain. She even made her eyes the same shade of blue like mine.

"Hey Copycat." Her reply was my statement. I smiled and she followed suit; I sat myself at her table beside her, throwing the doll on her bed. She copied me like a mirror, with her elbow on the table, holding up her head. I hadn't even realized I had done that.

"I'm going to be leaving Saffron for a while, will you say goodbye to everyone for me? Besides Sabrina, I'm sure she won't notice I'm gone." Instead of meerly relaying my statement, she stopped after leaving, and she broke her concentration. Her face fell and she looked down, scratching the green that was really mine, just on her. Copycat reverted back into her normal self: the black and pink outfit, and the black updo, but the eyes remained; she looked back at me again.

"Why are you leaving?"

"Mirae is the one to blame for that. Next time you go to Celadon, look her up. She's the one that hangs out in Erika's gym..." I trailed off, my fingers wrapping themselves around the lace hem of my red dress. She reached behind me and tugged on my orange backpack, and the pokeball rolled into my lap.

"What's that?" Copycat inquired, snatching the pokeball and examining it, looking at every nook and cranny of the small device. I shrugged. She handed it back to me and I held it out, wondering how the hell the pokemon actually comes out.

She took the ball from my hand in exasperation, and I marveled at the white bolt that shot from the Pokeball. My mouth dropped open, and there, on her floor, a little blue snake-like creature wiggled. The cute little white face looked around at her surroundings, and her black beady eyes fell on me. She cooed in her Pokemon speak, and slunk over to me, curling up in my lap.

"It's a Dratini! You got that with your coins?"

"Mirea did for me, actually," I sighed, and I ran a hand down the dragon Pokemon's back. She cooed again, wrapping her little tail around my arm. She nuzzled my hand and closed her black eyes.

"What's her name?" I looked at Copycat with a quizzical expression. She looked around her bedroom for inspiration, and she stopped at her bed. "How about Pillow?"

"Pillow!?" I cried, and the Dratini awoke from her daze, looking around again. I shook my head and scratched her again. A cry of happiness filled the room. I guess she liked being scratched behind her fins. "Pillow wouldn't be a good name...for a dragon," I added quickly when I saw her expression darken, but she shook her head and turned back into me. She scratched an imaginary Dratini, and I smiled at her, and she smiled back in the same fashion.

"How about...Kuria?" I offered, and Copycat repeated the phrase, and the Pokemon looked up at me with a confused look. I repeated, and my doppleganger repeated, and then the Pokemon cooed in acceptance.

"Rikka. Promise you'll come back-And bring me something? Like....a doll...?" I smiled at Copycat, nodding my head.