AN: Hello trainers (Readers)! Welcome to the Reborn region!
... Nah! Just kidding! This is actually my latest non-Naruto fanfic, based off of the best Pokemon game I've ever played since I first picked up a Gameboy Advanced, put in a Pokemon Emerald cartridge, and chose Mudkip as my first ever starter Pokemon!
For those who don't know what I'm talking about, this game is called Pokemon Reborn, made by Amethyst.
Honestly, it's surprised me that there aren't more Pokemon Reborn fanfics, but hey, it's a metaphorical gold mine for me.
Also, a forewarning for all who are reading this: There will be characters who identify as male, female, and transgender or none at all. I apologize in advanced if any of the terms (i.e. gender neutral pronouns) used are in any ways offensive or ignorant. I am trying to expand the spectrum of characters I make and use, and finding the right words to use in a politically correct culture to a writer is the equivalent of trying to diffuse a nuclear bomb... it ain't easy, but I'm trying.
Anyways, on with the story! Enjoy!
... Oh! And I do not own Pokemon or Pokemon Reborn!
Amidst the blackened skies and poisoned ground,
the cries of the anguished make nary a sound.
Nature's tears which hath been wept in vain
hath now lashed out in the most cruel of way.
And the city of cities though erected proud and tall,
masks the wicked deeds and cruel scenes of which it hath thrall.
Justice blinded and bound by means beyond its control,
shackled long enough for crime to take its toll...
But hope still stands as a brightened beacon
with the addition of fresh Trainers and new Pokemon a' shrieking.
This land isolated, separate from the rest of the world,
hides a terrible secret, so cryptic, so old...
So gather 'round! And listen to the tale...
of loves loved...
of heroes lost...
of villains beaten...
The tales from this land - a land known as Reborn... the lost region.
Chapter Start
-Chronicles From The Lost Region-
"*TuckaTHUCKtuckaTHUCKtuchka*!" His heart leapt up into his throat as the train shook a little, making him question why he got on such a high speeds mode of transportation in the first place, risking his own life with the chance that this entire compact box of metal might derail!
This would not be much of a problem were it any other sort of transportation - the torrent of the ocean against a ship or the rugged and worn road for a bus or a car were ideal in comparison to this. But this was no ordinary train...
For starters, it was the Magnet Train, the very same whose normal route was from Goldenrod City to Saffron City and back... at over 340 miles per hour.
Today, though, was different. Instead of the regular transit between Kanto and Johto, the Magnet Train was traveling on one of the... lesser known routes.
In fact, it was the only route that could be used to get to where they were going.
"Hey..." He blinked, broken from his stupor by the sound of another's voice. A soft, delicate voice that belonged to a young woman around his age.
Aqua? No... Amber! That was what her name was, Amber! She was from outside the Kanto-Johto region, if he recalled correctly...
She had a light complexion and stood a bit shorter than him, 5'6" if he had to guess - with blond hair that went down to her shoulders, her bangs swept over her left eye. Her only visible eye was a vibrant orange color, but he could still see the wisdom and experience that no rookie trainer ever possessed.
Wisdom and experience he himself lacked...
Just like every other trainer aboard this train - at least the ones he's seen so far - she wore a black and white themed outfit, consisting of a black button up shirt that hugged her form, the sleeves tapering out slightly as they reached her wrists and edged with white, a black skirt with a similar white trim on the bottom, black thigh-high socks and white shoes, as well as a loosely fitted belt for her Poke Balls that dipped down at her left hip.
"You alright there dude?" she asked, taking note of his panicked expression and doubt in his eyes.
"Ah... Yeah, I'm alright." he replied, scratching the back of his head as he spoke. "Just a little... nervous about our mode of transportation."
He was lying, she could tell that much. There was something else gnawing at him, and she could tell from the look in his eyes what exactly it was...
Every Pokemon trainer aboard the Magnet Train was a seasoned trainer, with field experience and from all sorts of regions and backgrounds.
Without a doubt, everyone here was experienced in some way, shape or form... all except for him.
He stood out like a sore thumb. Not in a sense that he looked odd or dressed flamboyantly... he was actually kind of cute in her eyes... or eye.
He had spiky yet shaggy black hair, slightly tanned skin and stood at 5'10", but what drew her attention was his eyes, which were a dark red color.
Like the others, he wore black and white clothing - specifically a black gakuran commonly worn by students in the Kanto-Johto region, only his was unbuttoned, revealing a white t-shirt underneath with a golden Poke Ball logo, as well as black pants with a white line going down either side of his leg, an empty belt for Poke Balls, and finally a pair of black fingerless gloves and black shoes to go along with his outfit.
Now normally, the fresh clothing would be a dead giveaway that a person was either a rookie trainer or a civilian, but that theory was null and void considering they all had fresh pairs of clothing to fit in with where they were going and not stick out like the lot of foreigners they were.
The second type of sign that marked a rookie trainer was their actions and reactions.
The moment they each got on the Magnet Train, the experienced trainers began to size up the others in the room, see which of the other trainers would be their friends, their allies, their rivals... their enemies...
It was just common courtesy to do so, even she had done so when she boarded.
This guy, however...
She saw him when he got on the train, nervous, fidgety, doing his best to uphold a facade of indifference. He immediately went for one of the window seats away from the others.
The third type of sign was a trainer's aura, something that few could sense without their own aura unlocked. There were some who were trained to harness their aura, some like the Kanto Gym Leader Sabrina that could perform magnificent feats of psychic abilities, others like Psychics and Hex Maniacs could manipulate their aura on a smaller level, and then there were those who had no formal training at all in using aura, the ones who unlocked theirs through... unconventional means.
Each and every person aboard the Magnet Train thus far had their auras unlocked, even this guy in front of her.
"Amber, right?" he asked hesitantly, extending his hand to the blond woman. "I'm Kibidana. Shinku - I-I mean, Kibidana Shinkuyo."
"A pleasure, Kibidana." Amber responded, shaking his hand with a small smile on her face. "So... am I right to assume you're from Kanto or Johto?"
"Ah... what gave it away?" Kibidana questioned.
"The way you introduced yourself. You had to forcefully correct yourself from saying your surname first then followed by your given name, only Kanto and Johto citizens reverse the order." she stated.
"Well - yeah..." he said sheepishly. "I'm from Kanto, by the way."
"Unova." Amber said, receiving a silent 'Ah' from Kibidana.
"Mind if I join your little conversation?" A new voice jutted in, belonging to an... ambiguous individual.
Said individual stood at 5'9", with teal colored eyes, a pale complexion, and tousled silver hair that draped down over the left shoulder. An outfit which stood out from the others was donned, though it only stood out from the small glimpse of non-black-and-white colors - a black button up shirt with an upturned collar, only the buttons from the torso down to just before the hips buttoned up and the sleeves rolled up slightly with white cuffs, a red v-neck shirt peaking out from beneath this as well as a blue ascot tucked under that, black pants, black and red themed shoes, and a blue and black belt to finish.
One thing that neither Amber nor Kibidana could figure out, however, was...
"I'm sorry, but I can't really tell... are you a boy or a girl?" Kibidana abruptly asked.
"Kibidana!" Amber chastised.
"No no, it's alright." he/she said, waving his/her hand dismissively. "I'm actually neither."
"Neither?" Kibidana queried.
"There are people in the world that identify as neither male nor female, Kibidana." Amber responded.
"I know that, it's just... well, I've never met someone before who was neither." he retorted.
"Weeeeeelllll my name is Blake, nice to meet you!" xe said cheerfully, giving a small mock wave and a wink.
"I'm Kibidana, and this is Amber." Kibidana stated, introducing both himself and the blond woman.
"Sooo... what are we talking about?" Blake asked.
"The regions we come from." Amber replied. "He's Kanto and I'm Unova."
"Cool, I'm from Sinnoh!" Blake exclaimed.
"You're from Sinnoh?" Another voice called out, belonging to another woman their age. Peaking out from a few seats behind the trio was a young woman that stood at 5'4", with a dark tanned complexion, chocolate brown eyes, and spiky yet wavy black hair that went halfway down her back with two long strands going down the front of both her shoulders and stopping just below her chest and her bangs swept so that they partly covered her right eye. She wore a white v-neck long sleeved shirt that clung to her figure, cut low enough for a small amount of her cleavage to be visible, a pair of black spandex shorts with a white belt looped around for her Poke Balls, black stockings which were slightly see-through, black boots with white boot cuffs, and a silver necklace with what appeared to be a... helix fossil? A helix-like ornament attached to it.
"Yeah! I'm from Sinnoh, this guy's from Kanto, and the other girl's from Unova!" Blake stated cheerfully.
"Wait, you're from Kanto?" she repeated, pointing at Kibidana.
"Uhh... yes? Why? Are you from Kanto too?" Kibidana asked, the girl shaking her head.
"No, I'm from Johto." she replied. "Tsukika. Ginsuru Tsukika."
"Shinkuyo Kibidana." he responded, using the same family then given name introduction as the Johto woman.
"Amber." the blond woman added.
"Blake." the final member of the trio added, sending a small wave as xe did to the other two.
"Wait... hold on a second." Tsukika called out, looking behind before speaking again. "Hey guys, come up here!"
Two more people popped up from their seats, strutting over and joining the others - one male and the other demigender.
The man stood just a bit taller than Kibidana, at 5'11", with royal purple eyes, a light caramel skin tone, and straight silver hair that went down to his neck, his bangs swept to the right yet not as to obscure his right eye. His outfit consisted of a white unzipped sweatshirt, revealing a plain black t-shirt underneath, as well as white pants, black shoes, a black belt, and a pair of black tinted glasses that were drooped down just enough for his eyes to be visible.
The demigirl (at least that is what Kibidana was under the assumption of) stood at 5'7" with spiky, medium length blond hair with the left side of xyr head shaved, and a tanned complexion with emerald green eyes. Xe wore a white and grey colored tank top, as well as a pair of white wristbands, white pants, black boots with a red trim at the top, two rainbow necklaces that seemed to shift colors in the light erratically and continuously, a lone purple earring on xyr right ear, and a black and white belt to complete the outfit.
"Are we all playing meet and greet now?" the demigirl questioned, scoffing a little at the idea.
"Play nice now, we still have a few hours stuck together." the other man stated.
"Kibidana, Amber, Blake, these two are Zack and Taylor." Tsukika introduced, motioning to each as she said their name.
"Yo." Taylor said, giving a peace sign with mild irritation written on xyr face.
"Salutations." Zack greeted neutrally.
"What region are you two from?" Amber asked, causing Zack and Taylor to share a glance, a silent debate over whether or not to divulge in such information ending with Zack shrugging and Taylor sighing.
"I'm Hoenn." Zack replied.
"Kalos." Taylor responded.
"Hmm..." Kibidana hummed, stroking his chin in contemplation.
"Penny your thoughts, Kibi?" Blake asked, sending all eyes onto the Kanto trainer.
"Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, and Kalos." he stated. "That's one trainer from each region on board this train."
"Yeah? So what?" Taylor questioned.
"Well I'm just wondering... why?"
...
"Clarify for us what exactly you mean, please." Zack requested.
"Well why us? Why are we of all people here?" Kibidana asked.
"I defeated six of the Gym Leaders back in Hoenn." Zack stated. "The next thing I know, some gal approaches me after a Pokemon battle an offer at a shot at becoming Pokemon Champion of a region."
"I was on a hotstreak in the Battle Subway, and then this woman came up to me offering a new challenge in some region." Amber stated.
"I was... busy, running around Lumiose City and a woman found me, offered me a clean slate, a new beginning." Taylor stated.
"I actually was just finishing an internship at the Pokemon Day Care in Solaceon Town when this woman came up to me and offered me a job in some up and coming region." Blake stated.
"I just ran into some woman who offered me an adventure of a lifetime." Tsukika stated. "What about you, Kibidana?"
"I graduated from Celadon University a month ago with a dual major in Pokemon Biology and Pokemon Genetics and a minor in Ecology." Kibidana stated. "I... received this letter through the university from the Pokemon League-"
"Really? Which branch?" Blake questioned.
"It didn't say, but it had the official stamp of the League on it, so I know it wasn't forged." Kibidana replied. "Anyways, it was from this woman named Ame with the offer of a lifetime for me, so... here I am."
"Alright, we've established that we were all invited from this 'Ame' woman, but..." Amber began, a frown marring her face. "How many of us had to leave our old Pokemon behind?"
"... Was there an option to take them with us?" Kibidana questioned.
"Hey, yeah! I had to leave my entire Pokemon team!" Zack exclaimed.
"My Pokemon were confiscated before I got onto the train." Blake added.
"I almost snuck my Gengar onto the train with me, but... damn were they thorough in their body searches." Taylor stated, causing all present to shiver.
"Don't remind me..." Tsukika muttered.
"Did you lose some of your Pokemon in their body cavity search?" Kibidana asked.
"My Magnemite, Mareep, and Quilava." she replied.
"My Serperior, Samurott, Emboar, and my Haxorus." Amber stated.
"My Vulpix..." Kibidana mumbled. "And my Pidgeot."
"Okay, we were all invited by this woman named Ame, and we were all screwed over by the very same bitch." Zack stated. "And now we're probably gonna be taken as prisoners by Team Rocket or Team Magma or Aqua!"
"Not quite."
...
Everyone paused as a foreign voice cut in, belonging to a new face that entered the train compartment.
All eyes fell upon a young woman, who appeared to be in her mid to late twenties. She had curly silver hair which draped a little bit less than halfway down her back, along with dark blue eyes that told a tale of tribulation, the bags underneath her eyes suggesting a lack of sleep, and an unusually pale complexion - one that could only be achieved from a lack of exposure to sunlight.
The woman's clothing could easily be mistaken as a part of the six confused trainers, consisting of a white and black shoulderless shirt that hugged her body, as well as dark, dark, dark purple pants, black knee-high boots, a blue wristband on her left wrist and a yellow on her right, and a black scarf coiled around her neck.
"I can assure you all that this is not some ploy from Team Rocket or the likes, they've been disbanded for years now." the woman said as she walked towards them.
"People say that, but I know they're hiding, plotting their world domination while we enjoy our 'victory'." Zack retorted, throwing his hands up in frustration, mumbling to himself about evil Pokemon team organization conspiracies.
"As for all of your Pokemon, I apologize for such..." the woman trailed off, trying to find the right word to use.
"Anal retentive?" Kibidana suggested, making the woman snap her fingers in agreement.
"-anal retentive inspections, but we've received rumors of a possible terrorist threat in the Peridot Ward recently. We cannot take our chances with security, especially with you six." the woman finished.
"Hold on one second." Amber called out, motioning to the strangely familiar woman amongst them. "I'm sorry, but who exactly are you?"
"Your words wound me so, after all, I'm the gal who brought you all here in the first place." she said in mock heartbreak.
"Ame." Kibidana stated, the other five trainers turning to him. "... You're Ame, aren't you?"
The woman's lips curled up into an amused smile, as much as she could with such a tired expression.
"You are correct." she responded. "My name is Ame, I'm the manager of the Reborn League."
...
"The Reborn League?" Tsukika questioned, receiving a nod from Ame.
"The Pokemon League branch of the region." Ame explained.
"And which region is it you are speaking of? You didn't tell us shit about where we're going." Taylor asked, causing the silver haired woman to slap her forehead.
"I forgot that, didn't I?" she muttered to herself.
"You also forgot to mention why exactly we're all here." Blake added.
"Well that part is a bit obvious, isn't it?" Ame quipped, her eyes scanning over each of the six trainers as she spoke. "Each of you is accomplished in your own right, from academics-" She sent a look towards Kibidana. "-to combat prowess-" Queue a glance sent towards Amber and Zack. "-luck-" She looked towards Tsukika. "-attitude towards Pokemon-" She glanced at Blake. "-and tenacity." Her eyes finally settled on Taylor at the end of her statement.
"Your point being...?" Taylor questioned, fidgeting ever so slightly under the woman's scrutinizing gaze.
"Each of you may already be accomplished trainers, but in Reborn City, where we're currently headed, wild Pokemon are kind of scarce." Ame stated, frowning a bit before looking down in thought. "Reborn City is... Well, I'll let you see for yourself, but it's not an ideal place for many Pokemon to live."
"What the hell is Reborn City?! I've never heard of this place." Taylor queried.
"I... I've actually heard about Reborn City before." Kibidana stated.
"All things good I hope?" Ame said hesitantly, causing the Kanto man to shrug his shoulders.
"It was survey data from two or four years back on Pokemon mutations." Kibidana said. "Reborn City and the surrounding region were mentioned to have a higher count of Pokemon with permanently altered nucleotide sequences."
"... Meaning?" Ame motioned for him to continue.
"Wild Pokemon possessing the ability to pull of set moves which would otherwise have to be learned with the help of a trainer - like a Pikachu knowing Iron Tail, or a Zigzagoon knowing Water Pulse or Ice Beam." he explained. "Also an increased chance of a Pokemon being born with unique skin or fur pigmentation - uhh... 'Shiny' Pokemon, basically."
"Shiny Pokemon?" Zack called out, the two words drawing the attention of the other trainers and Ame.
"In most regions, the probability of a Pokemon - born in either captivity or in the wild - being born 'shiny' is one out of four thousand-and-ninety-six. In Reborn, however, it's three out of seven hundred." Kibidana stated, causing Ame to puff her chest out in pride a bit.
"Humph! You've got that ri-" "These mutations, however, have been theorized to be induced mutations caused by exposure to specific chemicals and other pollutants in the area, resulting in lethal genetic diseases and other sorts of hindering factors in Pokemon that kill off the Pokemon before they can reproduce." At this, she deflated slightly, jaw dropped at the gruesome fact.
Maybe that is why wild Pokemon were scarce...
"I... I won't lie, Reborn is a region ravaged by impurity." Ame admitted. "After the last fall-out, many people abandoned the region... but that's changed since the Reborn League was re-opened." she stated, leaning against one of the seats as she spoke. "Many strong trainers have been flocking to the area in response, and with the Devon Corporation and the Silph Company setting up shop in the region, things have certainly been turning around!"
"I can get why Amber and Zack might be here, but why the rest of us?" Blake questioned.
"Well..." Ame began, pausing as a light chime was heard. "Oh."
"What? What is it?" Tsukika questioned.
"We're nearly there. The train will be pulling into the Peridot Station shortly." Ame replied. "I've arranged for an acquaintance to meet all six of you when we arrive. She'll be your guide to the city. Any questions before we arrive?"
"Yeah... just one." Zack started. "Where are our Pokemon?"
-Chronicles From The Lost Region-
"Vul! Vulpix!" "Yin!" Kibidana caught the excited Vulpix in his arms, both trainer and Pokemon overjoyed to be reunited after their brief separation. It was his first ever Pokemon, the Fire-type Fox Pokemon affectionately named Yin.
Yin, like other Vulpix, stood at a height of two feet exactly. She was a small, quadruped, fox-like Pokemon with a red-brown pelt, brown, pupil-less eyes, large, pointed ears with dark brown insides, and six orange tails with curled tips. Yin also had curled locks of orange fur with bangs on top of her head, and a cream underbelly and brown feet with lighter brown paw pads.
His Pidgeot, Kaze, was standing off to the side with a smirk-like smile on his face, amused by his trainer's interactions with the smaller Pokemon.
Strangely enough, unlike the common Pidgeot, which stood at an average of 4'11" and weighed approximately 87 pounds, Kaze's height toppled the standard, at 6'7" and 117 pounds without the use of a Pidgeotite.
He could only imagine how grand Kaze would be if using a Mega Stone...
Other than an abnormal height and equivalent weight, Kaze was no different than any other Pidgeot. He had large wings, sharp talons, and a short, hooked beak. His glossy plumage was mostly brown with cream-colored underparts and flight feathers, and his head was decorated with a red and yellow crest that was nearly as long as his body. The fan-like feathers of his tail were red, his beak and legs were pink, and there were angular black markings around his eyes.
The other trainers were reunited with their Pokemon as well when they finally exited the Magnet Train. Zack had his Sableye, Medicham, Skarmory, Pikachu and Shroomish; Amber her Serperior, Samurott, Emboar and Haxorus; Taylor xyr Gengar, a Pachirisu and a Liepard; Tsukika her Magnemite, Mareep and Quilava; and Blake had xyr Roselia, Luxray, Buizel, Rapidash, Happiny and Riolu.
It was a little blow to his pride, seeing that he had the least amount of Pokemon out of all six of them...
'Quality over quantity.' Kibidana reasoned with himself.
"See? Nothing happened to your Pokemon. We just needed to ensure that nothing happened aboard the train and that you all weren't carrying something you weren't supposed to." Ame stated. "Welcome to Peridot Station... Welcome to Reborn."
...
A pit of dread suddenly filled Kibidana's stomach. Despite her reassurances, he couldn't help but feel as if... something was off. Like at any moment now, there would be a-
"*BLEEP* *BLEEP* *BLEEP* *BLEEP*!" An alarm flared to life, blaring obnoxiously and repeatedly...
He should've seen it coming.
The first sign... Ame's demeanor suddenly shifted. Her eyes widened, she broke out in a pale sweat, her body trembled a little... she was scared...
But of what?
"Um... That's not a good sound!" Ame yelled over the alarm.
Then the second sign came...
"Vul! Vulpix!" Yin cried out, catching her trainer's attention.
"Yin? What is it?" Kibidana questioned, the Fox Pokemon nudging her head forward, causing him to follow her gaze. "What the heck?" he mumbled, seeing a strangely dressed man in black running towards the Magnet Train, the very train they just got off of.
... Then it hit him.
"Ame! There's some guy running towards the train!" he yelled, pointing at the mysterious man that Yin had spotted.
"Oh shit!" Ame cursed. "EVERYBODY RUN!"
The very first thing the others did was recall their Pokemon, save for the trainers that had one that could aid them at the moment...
Zack had his Skarmory fly him away, crashing through the Peridot Station's upper windows to escape.
Amber had recalled all her Pokemon, making a mad dash towards the exit like the others were.
Blake had xyr Rapidash carrying both xemself and Taylor charging towards the exit as well.
Tsukika and Kibidana were running alongside Ame, Tsukika having recalled her Pokemon but Kibidana having both his out, Yin clinging to his shoulders and Kaze flying around trying to find an alternate exit route.
"Pidge! Pidgeot!" Kaze cried out, veering away from the crowds that were piled around the East exit.
"The Southern Entrance!" Ame exclaimed, following after the Pidgeot-
A cold chill suddenly came across the room, the feeling of inevitable death looming over all in the vicinity...
"*BOOM*!" The first explosion shook the building's foundation, close enough for the trio to feel the tremors, yet far enough away that they weren't too close to the blast.
"*BOOM*!" There, a second blast shook the building even more, this time louder and closer than before.
"*BOOM*!" The third explosion tripped up both Tsukika and Ame, causing both women to fall, the former slamming her head into the smooth, granite floor, effectively knocking her out cold while the latter was able to brace herself slightly, the sound of the bones in her arms cracking slightly being muffled by the explosions and alarm.
He was not without injury either. The tremors made him trip over a chunk of debris, sending him flying towards the exit and crashing in a belly flop and Yin in the opposite direction.
"Vulpix!" Yin cried out.
Kibidana shakily stood back up on his feet, a throbbing pain coursing through his head as he stared around, eventually finding that Yin was closer to his two fallen comrades than he was...
"Yin! Use Protect and shield Tsukika and Ame!" Kibidana ordered, causing the Pokemon to hesitate.
"Vul! Vulpix!" Yin exclaimed in fear and concern.
"*BOOM*!" A fourth explosion sent more parts of the ceiling crashing down.
"Do it now!" he yelled, tears flowing freely from Yin's eyes as she ran over to Tsukika and Ame, her eyes glowing brightly as a dome of energy formed around Yin, Tsukika and Ame. "Hold the barrier as long as you can!"
"V-Vul!" Yin responded, stuttering as she knew that her trainer was on one side of the barrier and she on the other...
"*BOOM*!"
The Southern Entrance was just a dozen yards away from him...
"*BOOM*!"
He limped as fast as he could, unconcerned about the injury to his leg and more focused on getting outside.
"*BOOM*!"
There, just a few more yards and he'd be outside!
"*BOOM*!"
Four yards... three yards...
Suddenly, a heavy force slammed into him, thrusting him forward and straight out of the entrance.
The last things he heard before he fell unconscious were the sound of his body slamming into the ground...
And the closest explosion yet.
-Chronicles From The Lost Region-
"... na... Ki... da... Kibi... dana... Kibidana!" Everything felt sluggish to him. Like he wasn't fully awake nor fully asleep yet aware all the same.
"Ngghh..." he attempted to speak, but only a moan of pain came out.
Who... who was that trying to call out to him? He couldn't tell... it was too blurry in his vision...
"He's alive... He's alive! Ame he's alive!"
He began to drift, his vision blackening and his consciousness slipping...
"Grab his Vulpix! We need to get to a Poke Center NOW!"
"What about his Pidgeot?"
"Already on its way to the emergency room! Now help me move him!"
"Kibidana... Stay with me, Kibidana! Kibidana - we're losing him! Stay awake Kibidana! Stay awake! ... KIBIDANA!"
-Chronicles From The Lost Region-
"... *Beep* ... *Beep* ... *Beep* ... *Beep* ..." The first thing he heard when he came to was the steady beeping sound of a heart monitor.
"Mmmh!" Kibidana groaned, shuffling around in discomfort.
Where the hell was he?! Where was his Pokemon?! What happened?!
The heart monitor's beeping began to speed up as his heart rate skyrocketed, just as a nurse and an Audino came racing into the room.
"Aud Audino!" the Audino exclaimed.
"Sedate the patient!" the nurse ordered.
Kibidana felt a small prick in his neck, then followed by blissful unconsciousness...
...
When he finally awoke once more, he was not alone. There was a familiar face in the room that took notice of his awakening.
"Ah, you're awake!" Ame cried out in relief, a sling around her left arm and a bandage taped to the right side of her forehead.
"A... Ame?" Kibidana spoke, his voice hoarse from disuse. "Where... Where am I? How long... was I out?"
"You're in the hospital, Kibidana, you've been here for nearly two weeks... you suffered a minor concussion and had a dislocated left arm and a spinal cord injury." Ame stated. "The surgery for your spine was done about ten days ago, no complications... the doctors said that it was a miracle you didn't suffer anything worse, considering you took a Brave Bird full force."
"A... Brave Bird?" he repeated, confused at her statement.
"Yeah, your Pidgeot knocked you out of harms way." Ame explained.
His Pidgeot...
"My... My Pokemon!" Kibidana exclaimed, forcing himself to sit up despite the pain it brought him.
"Whoa! Easy there!" Ame said, gently helping Kibidana up without hurting him more than he had already.
"Where... Where are my Pokemon?! Kaze! Yin!" Kibidana questioned.
"I... think it may be best if you see for yourself..." Ame replied, helping Kibidana out of the hospital bed.
-Chronicles From The Lost Region-
"No..." Kibidana muttered, leaning slightly with the help of a pair of crutches and pressing his hands on the glass window which separated him from Yin, who was unconscious and being actively treated by a Nurse Joy and an Audino.
"She held the barrier long enough to protect us from the explosions, but..." Ame trailed off, a sad frown on her face. "When her Protect gave out, she got buried underneath parts of the ceiling that fell. It took them an hour to dig her out and when they did..."
"Will... Will she be okay?" Kibidana asked.
"Once they're finished giving her surgery, she'll have to undergo physical therapy for a few months at best, a year maybe... That is, if she'll ever recover." Ame replied. "You'll have to undergo some physical therapy too, but that should take a few months tops."
"What... what about Kaze?" he questioned.
"I..." Ame began, but was unable to continue.
"... Ame. What about Kaze?" he repeated, a bit more forcefully than before.
"I'm sorry, Kibidana." Ame replied. "The doctors did their best to treat him, but in the end... they... he... he didn't make it."
He was unable to hold back the tears that were forming in his eyes, shell shocked and numbed from the news of his Pokemon's death.
"Kaze... he's..." Kibidana muttered.
"Kibidana..." Ame called out.
"Pokemon... they can't die!" Kibidana denied, unwilling to accept the harsh truth of the matter at hand. "Pokemon just faint! They don't die... right?"
"..."
"RIGHT?!"
"I'm sorry, Kibidana." she repeated, hardening her gaze a she stared at the Kanto trainer. "But your Pidgeot wasn't the only loss from the bombing."
"I..." he began, unable to form the words to express his sorrow and grief, calming down after a few minutes before speaking again...
"What about the others?"
...
"... *Beep* ... *Beep* ... *Beep* ..." Seeing someone you don't know in a coma could still be tragic, eliciting pity and condolences and the likes, at least that's what Kibidana thought on the matter, but actually knowing the person, even if only briefly, was an entirely different feeling...
It was a gruesome sight, seeing Amber hooked up to a bunch of machines in a coma, Taylor in a similar state and Zack in the bed next to theirs, nearly his entire body covered head to toe in bandaging and casts.
Ame told him that Tsukika had suffered the least amount of injuries out of all of them, a bruising to the head which needed only some ice and time to heal, after which she had just... left. To where, nobody knew...
Blake, however...
He found out that Blake had been in the same medical room as he was, in the bed to his right.
The very same bed where the blanket was placed over an unmoving body...
"Who... Who did this?" Kibidana asked.
"Team Meteor. They blew up the train station just moments after the Magnet Train had pulled in." Ame replied.
Team Meteor... did this...
Team Meteor injured his spine and arm...
Team Meteor placed Amber and Taylor in comas...
Team Meteor was responsible for the state Zack was in...
Team Meteor was responsible for Yin's injuries...
Team Meteor was responsible for Kaze's death.
"Those... Those bastards!" he yelled, attempting to express his anger through physical means, but found that whatever medication they had him on to suppress the pain had finally worn off. "Gah!" Kibidana cried out as his back flared in a burning, painful sensation.
"Easy there now." Ame said, holding onto the Kanto trainer before he could fall to the ground.
"They... They're going to pay for what they've done." Kibidana stated.
"And they will, trust me."
"I will make them pay."
"How? You're injured, and the only Pokemon you have left will be in physical therapy longer than you will be."
"I... I'll find a way!"
"Then perhaps... we can both help each other out here..."
-Seven Months Later-
More than half the year had come and gone, with Team Meteor being oddly quiet in this time frame, and the two accomplices to the Peridot Station Bombing having been identified, rumors had it one was even caught!
Kibidana finally finished his physical therapy (a month had to be added to account for that little stunt he pulled when he first woke up), though Yin was still undergoing hers.
Zack was still undergoing invasive surgery for the glass shards in his body, and Taylor finally woke up from xyr coma a few weeks back!
Amber, however... she was still...
As for the deceased Blake's Pokemon, the Poke Balls containing xyr Roselia and Luxray were crushed from falling debris... while they were still inside. Xyr Buizel, Happiny, and Riolu's Poke Balls had all but vanished, to where Kibidana wasn't quite certain.
And Blake's Rapidash... without a trainer, rescue respondents on site automatically assumed it to be Taylor's Pokemon, rather than Blake's.
Though xe was unaware of it, Taylor was now the Rapidash's trainer.
Out of the six... five trainers from the original group, only Kibidana was granted a clean bill of health, fully recovered and ready to go back out into the world.
The only problem was he had no available Pokemon...
Something that Ame said she was about to remedy.
"Go down to the Grand Hall as soon as you're cleared by the doctors; we'll be waiting for you there..." were her exact words to him, and since the doctors did clear him...
He was going to leave the hospital... but he had to stop by and see a few people before he left.
...
"So... I guess the day has finally come for you." Taylor said, pressing a button on a remote connected to her bed to make her sit up, suffering from muscular atrophy due to her coma.
Amber was still in the same place she had been for the past few months, in the same room, same bed... still in her vegetative state.
Zack was currently undergoing another surgery, to remove more of the smaller shards of glass that were still there. Thankfully he only had four or five more surgeries necessary until he was finally finished.
"Yeah. I'll try to come and visit you guys whenever I can, but I'm not sure when exactly that will be." Kibidana responded, sitting down on the edge of xyr bed as he spoke.
"It's a new region at your fingertips, Kib." Taylor stated, smirking a little at the look of annoyance Kibidana had on his face at the nickname. "Try not to snag all the good Pokemon before we can." xe said, shakily extending her hand to the Kanto trainer.
"Heh... Sure." Kibidana replied, reaching out and giving xyr a forearm handshake and a reassuring nod.
"I'll tell Zack you said goodbye, and if Amber ever wakes up..." Taylor trailed off, shaking her head at the thought. "Good luck out there."
"Thanks, Taylor." he said, standing up and making his way towards the door.
"... Hey Kib!" Taylor called out, just as Kibidana was halfway out the door. "When I get out of here... you and I are gonna have a Pokemon battle!"
"I guess I'll have to train hard so you don't whoop my ass then." Kibidana retorted, a smile on his face as he left...
Now just one final stop before he could leave...
...
"V-Vul?" Yin weakly called out, causing Kibidana to smile and gently stroke her head.
"Hey there, Yin." he said softly. "I heard the doctors talking about you earlier! You're doing great with your therapy."
"Vulpix... Vul!" Yin replied a bit more cheerfully, standing up shakily with the help of a metal exoskeleton and making her way closer to her trainer. "Vul Vulpix Vul?" she questioned, tilting her head slightly.
"Yeah, I've finished my physical therapy. The docs gave me consent to resume regular activities." Kibidana stated.
"Vul. Vulpix Vul." As if reading his mind, the Vulpix gave Kibidana a bittersweet smile, nodding her head as if to give her own blessing to the Kanto trainer.
"... Thank you, Yin." he whispered, crying as he pressed his forehead gently against Yin's, an unspoken 'goodbye' shared between trainer and Pokemon.
"Vulpix Vul!" Yin replied.
"And hey, soon enough you'll be up and active again! When that happens, I'll have some new friends for you to meet!" Kibidana exclaimed, kissing the top of Yin's head before standing back up and leaving.
Now... all that was left to do... was go.
Moments before he would exit the hospital, nurses and visitors alike passing by noticed him making his way towards the exit, fumbling around as he tied a peculiar necklace around his neck - a simple, durable cord with a plain Poke Ball attached to it...
If one were to look closely, they would have found the image of a Pidgeot painted onto the Poke Ball.
-Chronicles From The Lost Region-
It was midday by the time he exited the hospital, the sun high up in the sky and nearly blinding him. He raised his hand up to block out the harsh rays, save for the few that slipped through his fingers though it did the job good enough.
The warmth of the sun felt... foreign.
'Seven months confined in a hospital would probably do that to a person...' Kibidana thought to himself as he began to make his way through the Opal Ward, lost, dazed, confused...
That was the view of Kibidana that she found when she happened upon him.
Standing at 5'9" was an exotic and eccentric woman, exotic if only because of her hair and eccentric to... well, anyone within earshot of her. Her hair, which was held in a high ponytail by an orange hairband, was a vibrant green color, and her eyes were two black orbs which held just the faintest hint of glee, amplified by the peppy smile she had on her face.
She had a toned, athletic body, hidden underneath a yellow varsity jacket with orange cuffs and collar, a short orange skirt that just barely hid her ass, though covered by black spandex shorts that were equally, if not a bit shorter than her skirt, a pair of thigh-high orange socks, and a pair of yellow flats.
All in all, it was truly a baffling mystery from an outside perspective why she did not have guys (and some gals) lining up, begging for her to be their girlfriend.
But... most people already knew her, and those that did know her knew how she kept those admittedly horny admirers at a distance.
And then in her daily stroll, she happened upon a new face, someone who she hadn't seen before, someone foreign, if the confusion on his face as he looked around at the street signs was any clue.
...
Her smile widened, if only by a fraction. This could be used to her advantage! Someone who didn't know who she was already! Someone who didn't know about her... 'healthy' obsession with things that go 'boom'!
All she had to do was just nail this greeting-
"HI HI!" "AAH!"
... Or just run up and greet this stranger in her usual, peppy manner... and catch him by surprise, accidentally sending him to the ground.
"Ohh... Arceus damn..." Kibidana groaned out, his back arching up slightly as he reached behind and rubbed his back.
His spine might be healed, but damn if he couldn't still feel pain!
"I'm Julia, captain of cheer and pep, and all things bubbly and bright!" she exclaimed, giving a wink and a peace sign to the grounded Kibidana.
"My spine..." he muttered.
"Sooooo... What's your name?"
"... Are you on drugs?" Kibidana retorted, a bit unnerved by how cheery and peppy this crazy green haired woman was.
'AH CRAP, JULIA! YOU'RE SCREWING UP THIS OPPORTUNITY!' she mentally ranted, noticing the look Kibidana was sending her. 'Say something, say something, SAY SOMETHING!'
"Noooope! Just coffee~!" Julia responded, causing Kibidana's questioning expression to drop a little, though not by much.
"Uh huh..." he said cautiously, slowly getting back up off the ground. "I'm... just going to go now..."
"'Kay~" Julia replied, giving an eye smile as he walked away.
...
"Wait! You haven't told me what your name is yet!"
-Chronicles From The Lost Region-
"-And then I ran into you! You just looked so depressed that I felt obligated to approach you!" Julia ranted, causing Kibidana's eye to twitch in irritation.
No matter where he went, how fast he ran, she just kept catching up to him!
Now he was lost and she was still following him!
"And then-" "If I tell you my name already, will you stop talking?!" Kibidana asked with barely withheld anger.
"Welllll I don't think I can just stop talking for, like, forever, ya know?" Julia retorted.
"I'll take five minutes of silence."
"One minute, and I'll give you directions to where you're trying to go and a little surprise."
"... Fuck it. Deal!"
...
"... Sooo... you gonna tell me your name now?" she questioned after sixty seconds of silence.
"Kibidana. I am Shinkuyo Kibidana of the Kanto region." Kibidana replied. "... I mean Kibidana Shinkuyo - dammit I need to get used to that!"
"Excellent! Now where are you trying to go?" Julia asked.
"The Grand Hall... wherever that is." he said, looking around for a street sign to guide him.
"Oh? Well that's easy! Just keep following this street until you see the street sign that says 'Opal Ward'! After that, just keep heading left until you find the large white building with four Pokemon statues out in the front! Two of them are broken though, so..." Julia answered, looking him over once before draping herself over his shoulders. "Pop quiz! How old are you exactly?"
"Uhh... t-twenty-one... why?" Kibidana replied hesitantly, unnerved and flustered at the same time.
"Next question! Are you going to challenge the Reborn League?" she queried.
"I..." he started, trailing off as he thought on the question at hand...
Would he going to challenge the Reborn League? Could he challenge the League with only a single Pokemon that was still out of commission?
"... I don't know. Yes? No? Maybe?" he finished, the peppy green haired girl mentally sighing in relief.
She would hate to mix business and pleasure now...
"Weeellll Ihavetogetgoingnowseeyoubye!" she exclaimed rapidly, jumping off of him and dashing off faster than he could react.
"..." he remained silent for a good ten seconds, a strange mixture of confusion, shock, and a hint of arousal going through his mind, summing up his feelings in only four words...
"... Somehow, I feel violated..."
-Chronicles From The Lost Region-
Eventually Kibidana found the building she was talking about, how he hadn't before was... kind of embarrassing. The freaking thing could be seen from the majority of all the Wards for crying out loud!
As he got closer and closer to the Grand Hall's entrance, he spotted a strangely dressed woman waiting near the doors...
She stood at 5'4" with black eyes, black hair that went halfway down her back with an outlying bang that stuck out a bit, nearly covering her left eye, and a light complexion to sum it all up. Her outfit reminded Kibidana of what he imagined the Kimono Girl trainers in Ecruteak City would dress in, only monochromatic in color; a light grey-colored top that resembled a karate gi, with two black and white yin-yang symbols on the sides, held together by a black obi. Under this was a black hakama which was open at the front and ended just below her knees, dark grey canvas pants (shitabaki), and a pair of black shoes to finish it off.
Her eyes quickly fell upon him as he made his way up the steps, looking him over before calling out to him.
"Hey, are you Kibidana?" she asked him.
"Yeah, that's me." Kibidana replied, causing a bright smile to appear on the woman's face.
"I'm Victoria. Nice to meet you!" Victoria responded, bowing slightly, to which Kibidana did the same. "Ame asked that I help get you signed up in the Reborn System."
"Uhh... the Reborn System?" he said hesitantly.
"Don't worry, it doesn't take long!" she exclaimed, grabbing his hand and dragging him along. "Let's go inside."
-Chronicles From The Lost Region-
"So... you took the scenic route, eh?" Ame joked as soon as Kibidana and Victoria approached her.
"I got lost on the road of life." Kibidana countered.
"You know... the rumor about the culprit is true. We finally caught him." Ame stated. "He's being interrogated downstairs right now."
"Culprit? You mean the one behind the Peridot Station Bombing?" Victoria barely noticed the glossed over look Kibishin got in his eyes at the very mention of that... particular event.
It brought up some bad memories... fresh memories... in his mind.
"Yep. Team Meteor lowlife. And it seems he's not working alone. But that'll be taken care of." Ame said.
"See to it that it is..." Kibidana muttered darkly.
...
"So you're both here to get signed up for the Reborn League, right?" Ame questioned.
"You just told me to get down here, and nothing else... again." Kibidana stated, sending a deadpan stare at the silverette.
"Heh... Oh yeah, that's right..." she laughed sheepishly.
"Well Kiki said it would be good for my training if I started over completely. So she asked if I could get a new Pokemon, too." Victoria explained.
"Normally we reserve them strictly for newcomers, but I suppose we can make an exception on Kiki's request. As for your... situation, Kibidana." Ame stated, noticing the downcast look on the Kanto trainer's face when that was mentioned.
"'Your situation', Kibidana?" Victoria questioned.
"Why don't we have Kibidana have the first choice!" Ame quickly suggested.
"That's okay, I don't mind at all." Victoria replied, Kibidana sending her a silent 'thank you' for steering the topic away from his predicament.
"If you would just follow me, please..." Ame said, opening the counter door and allowing Kibidana to follow her upstairs...
-Chronicles From The Lost Region-
"Great Emboar's beard..." Kibidana muttered.
"These Pokemon are all set aside for new trainers to chose from." Ame stated. "The tables go from top to bottom in order of Grass, Fire, Water, and the Pokemon are arranged from left to right in the order they were discovered."
"You mean...?" he trailed off.
"Go ahead. Take any one you like." she said, motioning to the three tables.
Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, Chikorita, Cyndaquil, Totodile, Treecko, Torchic, Mudkip, Turtwig, Chimchar, Piplup, Snivy, Tepig, Oshawott, Chespin, Fennekin, and Froakie.
Those were the 'Starter' Pokemon of the Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, and Kalos regions respectively. The reason they were called Starter Pokemon was because they were a trio of Grass, Fire, and Water type Pokemon that were extremely rare and very difficult, if not outright impossible to find in the wild in a given region.
These types of Pokemon were given as a trainer's first Pokemon usually, most often gifted by a region's Pokemon Professor to promising trainers, who always amounted to great things in their lifetime.
Like the mysterious Pokemon trainer Red and his Charizard...
And here he was, in a room full of one of each Starter Pokemon, organized into three rows for him to chose from.
It was the hardest decision he would ever make in this lifetime.
Grass... Fire... or Water?
...
"Okay!" Kibidana finally said, picking up one of the Poke Balls. "I think I've finally made my decision!"
"Very well..." Ame said, her tone shifting into an official and serious voice. "Now onto the other thing I wished to speak to you about."
"Uhh... what about Victoria choosing her Pokemon?" Kibidana asked.
"It can wait. What we will be discussing is far more important." Ame replied.
"... Which is?" he questioned.
"We of the Reborn Branch of the Pokemon League would like to officially request you, Kibidana Shinkuyo, to become the Reborn region's Pokemon Professor."
Chapter End
POST AN: AAAAAAAAANNNNNDDD DONE! Again, apologies if I use any gender neutral pronouns or nouns or anything else wrong.
Graduation week has finally ended for me, and I don't have a summer job soooo... I'll be working day in and day out on conten- nah just kidding! I'm actually going to try to get physically fit this summer, try to find a job, and participate in a musical. I will try to work on my stories (I probably will) whenever I can, but that schedule may change once I go off to college near the end of August.
Anyways, I'll see you guys next time! Read and Review!
-CrimsonKyuubiSage out!