literature

'A Different Kind of Halloween': Part I [OLD]

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<I… do not know how to start this. I can’t just begin with a ~Once upon a time~ or ~It all began when~. That would be stupid. This isn’t some… work of fiction.>

<A question I’m often asked is how I evolved. You see, Lopunnies such as myself evolve through “friendship”. Now, that is much more vague than say, reaching a certain level of experience or touching a magical stone. Evolving via emotion, I think, is more… meaningful… Memorable.>

<When did I evolve, you may ask. Well, I evolved last Halloween. There… is a reason why I have such a distaste towards the whole holiday. Now, it’s not the costume-dressing or the candy-eating activities that I don’t like. Those are perfectly fine. You would think that someone with my looks would be quite happy to be celebrated for their ~ghastly~ features. I have been mistaken for wearing make-up to decorate my burns. You should see the looks on peoples’ faces when they actually touch my face, ha! Those expressions are worth photographing.>

<No... it’s what others try to get away with. They bring the whole expression of
“Trick or Treat” to a whole other twisted meaning. There… are actually beings that would take advantage of a child’s innocence for their own… *growl*. I do not consider myself to be stuffy or uptight, but I think the whole “leaving your kids to take care of themselves for one night” idea can be really dangerous.>  

<You will never understand true danger until you are caught completely off-guard. Especially… when someone that you deeply care for is placed into a situation that they may never be able to walk away from. But you know what is more powerful than fear?>

<…One can be surprised at how far love can motivate you. What? You surprised to hear that from someone so… sharp? I will tell you, though, of one incident where I was pushed further than I could have ever imagined. A perfect example of how something like friendship can cause something as drastic as permanent metamorphosis.>

<… And yes, Davy the Ugly Rabbit himself evolved on the most frightful night of the year. Trust me, the irony is not lost on me.>


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<A year ago. That was when Ruby was just finishing up her last year of school. After her best friend Denice left to go on her journey like so many their age did, things were starting to improve. She was able to focus more on all that trainer stuff. Some of the other pokemon, like the “Leaders” for instance, ended up evolving as a result of her new motivation.>

<For that particular Halloween, Ruby wanted to do something nice and simple. She may not have had enough money of her own to buy all of us costumes, but we didn’t mind. We were perfectly content seeing her giddy over hers.>


“Hey Mommy, how does this look? Do I look OK?”

Mrs. Dingwall saw her daughter emerge from her bedroom, her costume ready for inspection. Dressed like Dorothy Gale, Ruby wore the iconic gingham dress, complete with braids and a old pair of Mary Janes that she had painted red and sprinkled sparkles onto. She waited for her mother to respond, with a basket full of Pokeballs held against her stomach.

“Oh honey, you look wonderful! Why, I would say you are Dorothy!” Mrs. Dingwall exclaimed, crouching onto her knees with a large smile.

“But Mom, I don’t even have her brown hair! I wasn’t able to find a good wig at the store. How can I be someone who is fictional?” Ruby protested, trying to suppress a giggle as her mother gave her a big hug.

“But you capture her sweetness so perfectly! And you didn’t even need to spend much money on it! Not that it matters, mind you. But it is so nice to see you wear a costume that has some true character in it!” Ruby began to giggle now that her mother was squeezing her and rubbing her cheek against hers.

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As her mother lifted off the floor, her red hair bouncing, Ruby looked to the shiny balls in her basket. There were four in there, gleaming brightly from being recently polished. She really wanted to bring some of her beloved Pokemon with her, but there was only so much room.

I feel bad. Ruby thought with a frown. I wasn’t able to find any costumes for them that they liked… And now most can’t even come with me to the Fair…But they seem to be enjoying themselves anyway… Hmm, I can only bring a few Pokemon… So who should I take?

She walked down the stairs to the kitchen, pondering over her dilemma. She found her father sitting at the round kitchen table, drinking his black coffee and reading what appeared to be the latest issue of Hearthome Highlights. He turned his head towards the direction of her footsteps.

“Oh, hello Dorothy. That’s a very nice costume you have there baby doll.” Dr. Dingwall set his newspaper aside to focus his sole attention on his young daughter.

“Thanks Daddy! I’m so proud of my costume-making skills!” Ruby twirled around in her dress, showing off the full details of her costume, her braids dancing and whirling around her head.

Dr. Dingwall gave her a small smile of amusement. “And what are those Pokeballs in your basket for? I don’t recall Dorothy being a Pokemon trainer.”

“Oh, I wanted to bring some of my Pokemon with me!” Ruby said, steadying herself after her twirling. “I think it would be unfair of me to leave them here while I go to the Fair! After all, they’ve all worked so hard…”

Normally adamant and even cold when concerning her pokemon, Ruby’s father instead repressed his critical ways when he saw how earnest his little “Dorothy” was.

“Well, you obviously cannot bring every single one with you. That would be out of the question. Hmm...perhaps, you can reward those who have worked the hardest.” He rose from his chair and removed a handkerchief from his pocket to clean his lenses. “I know some of your pokemon have evolved recently. Going by that rule, you can then have the strongest with you incase of an emergency.”

“What emergency could there be Daddy?” Ruby asked. “Do you think I’m going to get hurt?”

Dr. Dingwall looked down upon Ruby’s face of confusion and sighed. As bright of a child she was, Ruby still hasn’t learned how dangerous the world can be towards someone like her. Especially with her kindness and innocence…

“Not necessarily Ruby.” He tried to explain. “But there is always the possibility of you getting lost. After all, the Fair is quite a popular and large event-”

“It’s only downtown, Dad.” Ruby said, briefly interrupting her father. After seeing a flicker of annoyance flash through her father’s blue eyes, she started to clarify what she had meant.

“What I-I mean is, I can just use some of my Psychic and Flying Pokemon. Even if I do get lost, I will be able to find my way back somehow. As well, I can always ask for help Daddy. People aren’t as shifty as you think they are.”

Ruby’s father wanted to argue further on the matter concerning her safety, but stopped when his daughter suddenly gave him a hug.

“You and Mommy worry too much about me! I’ll be fine, I promise. I’ll make sure I won’t eat too much candy either hehe!”

In spite of his previous mood, George smiled and patted Ruby’s head, trying not to ruffle her braided hair too much.

“RUBY!! DO YOU WANT TO TALK TO YOUR POKEMON BEFORE YOU GO?” A familiar voice yelled out, echoing throughout the house.

Ruby whipped her head around to answer her Mother’s call: “YES MOM! BRING EVERYONE OVER TO THE FRONT PORCH PLEASE!”

Smiling even more from excitement, she jumped up and gave Dr. Dingwall a quick kiss on his bearded cheek.

“I gotta go now. I’ll be back by midnight at the latest! I’ll try and save some toffee for you.”

Dr. Dingwall watched Ruby run out the door, closing it quickly with a slam. The older man was left alone in the kitchen, his coffee now too cold for his liking. His smile melting away from his face, he returned to his chair. Wishing to distract himself from his growing unease, he went back to the article he was reading, depicting something about Pokemon research. Furrowing his brow in concentration, Dr. Dingwall tried to focus on the released images of anatomy, but couldn’t seem to get his mind away from his daughter.

“Uh oh! Looks like someone is brooding again!”

George turned away from his paper to the sound of his wife, who had her arms crossed and was leaning against the kitchen wall. He couldn’t hide his smile when he saw the mischievous glint in her green-grey eyes.

“Brooding? You must be confusing my intensity with unhappiness, my dear.”

“Oh really? With the Hearthome Highlights? If I remember correctly, you once told me that you thought community magazines were “useless drivel”.”

Helen developed a toothy grin and bounded towards her husband, wrapping her arms around his neck. For all their differences, the pair really did enjoy exchanging banter. Such years together gave great insight into each others' character. Indeed, this insight was so finely tuned and so precise, Mrs. Dingwall knew that her quiet husband was hiding something from her.

George snaked an arm around her waist and focused his gaze on her. “Though, I think now I have a more… compelling subject to focus my attention on.”

“Now honey, I thought we were past the point of flattery.” Helen traced one of her sharp purple fingernails across George’s face, trailing down to his chin. “You think you can fool me? You’re worried. It’s about Ruby, isn’t it?”

His intense stare grew serious, and he removed his arm from her waist. He turned away from her, staring out the kitchen window to the sunset outside.

“You know I’m not a person prone to superstition and paranoia Helen. I tend to logic and formality. Dare say, I could be considered rigid in my rationality. So, why can’t I shake the feeling that something… bad is going to happen to her tonight?”

Helen’s gaze softened and she nudged closer to him. She turned her gaze to the streaked patterns in the sky. There seemed to be flocks of Starlies flying across, simple black dots against the brilliant orange Sun.

“She will be fine George. Ruby will only be out for a few hours and she is bringing some of her most powerful Pokemon with her. Our worrying will certainly not help her. She… needs to be out on her own. It’s good for her.”

“I realize that Helen.” George rested his head against hers, his free left hand on the small of her back. “But what will happen when they cannot keep her safe from others’ Pokemon? Or worse, when some predator takes advantage of her? I understand that Ruby is no longer a small child,…but she is still our child…”

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<Ruby’s father, though seemingly overprotective, had every right to be worried. Because what happened that night…well, let’s just say, it wasn’t very pleasant.>
What's this? A piece of literature? What sort of madness is this?! Wink/Razz 

This whole idea of mine started mid-summer. I really wanted to go out of my comfort zone and try writing a shorter story. So, in the spirit of Halloween, here is the story of how Davy evolved into a Lopunny I am a dummy! .

Not only will updates be made in October (where I will hopefully finish on Halloween!) but writing a story instead of making a comic will allow me to be artistically active during the busy life of University. I'm quite looking forward to writing this story (after all, don't you all want to learn more about my "Ugly Bunny"? :lol: ) and hearing your feedback :D.

However, do be gentle with any criticism. I'm not a writer by nature and I just struggle with story-telling in general ^^;. If anything, comment on any grammatical errors I make... or even any theories you might have. ;) (Wink) 

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Part I: You're here!
Part II: Here 
Part III: Here
Part IV: Here
Part V: Here
Part VI: Here

Characters belong to me
Pokemon belongs to Nintendo
© 2015 - 2024 PokeRouge
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