It was still ... and quiet. Silent ... and quite calm.
And I sat there, and I was in a van. In a moving van, and I was sitting there ... bored. And my mother turned around from the passenger 座位 and she said,
"Oh, Mylou! Aren't 你 excited? The Johto region, sweetie! 你 get new friends, and a new home, Mylou! A wonderful new 首页 right 下一个 door to New Bark Town's 神奇宝贝 professor!"
And then I give her my look. Dirty look number four-- extra crispy. And I spat out bitterly,
"I liked Sinnoh."
Her smile faded, and she positioned her self around again. I pushed my forehead against the cool window trying to ease my headache.

At first, it was nothing but a turbine. A wind turbine steadily creaking in a circular motion, high above the ground, high about the van, high above the sky. And like me, it was bored, writhing about. At that moment I heard a wretched noise that banged my ear drums with mallets. Sharp caws south of us, heading north. I knew the sound in a moment. Pigeot. Flocking back into their lush forest homes. Returning in the summer, now, back again because it's warm. But then ... one flew. They were all flying, but one got hurt. Busted head first into the turbine I had gazed at, then sailed limply back down to the soft grass. That was my first glimpse of death. And the vegetation around it grew dark red. I swallowed my gum. Nearly choked on the stuff.
"Crash and burn," I heard mom mumble. "The poor dear," she whispered. I could feel myself getting soft-eyed, and my throat ache and swell up.
"Stupid. Starly are smarter. A Starly wouldn't a done that." I told myself.

When we finally stopped, I dragged my heavy bags through the shaved wooden door of a small green-roof house. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a boy. He had trudged up the path and was staring at my with a bouncing Maril at his side. I growled in my throat and hustled inside. Stalker. No manners. Dirty boy. Peeping Tom. Creep.

I staring longingly out of the 厨房 window, which was square and needed a bit of dusting, but I could still see my mother and a man talking. The man had a long white 涂层, 外套 on just like Professor Rowan had worn those days I knew him. And when they were finished I watched as my mother came back inside, beaming, with another silly grin of her face.
"Mylou!" She giggled. "That was Professor Elm. He lives right 下一个 door, just like I told you! I told him about you, and he 说 he had a surprise for you!"
Skeptically, I glared.
"What did 你 tell him?"
"I 说 你 were my daughter, and 你 loved 神奇宝贝 and were up for anything he could offer you!"
My face flushed 粉, 粉色 and I shouted, "Mom, he sounds like a total rapist!"
"Now, dear," she timidly replied, "this is all I ask of you, today. Please, Mylou. For me."
I scowled in her direction, flipped my long green hair onto my back then pushed the door open with my foot. One hand had my bag, and other my Poké-gear.
"Better be a good surprise..."