Once my sister and I had two gameboys between us, we'd use them to trade so we had the "ultimate team". Crafting the ultimate Pokemon team, or a team of favorite Pokemon, and sending that team to a new game is something that's become more and more common. I wondered how that would work in-game and the idea of a powerful clan training its members to become Champions was born.
This work is an attempt to explore the implications of sending a Pokemon team from an old game to a new game within the context of Heart Gold/Soul Silver.
This is more than a replay of Heart Gold/Soul Silver; this is a critique of common Pokemon fanfic tropes, a deconstruction of gaming tactics, and a close look at character development. I take certain liberties with Pokemon legends, abilities, and the Pokemon themselves to enhance the story.
This is a reposting of the story. Although the first two chapters remain the same, I've rewritten later chapters to better reflect the ideas I want to get across.
I imagine the Trainers to be somewhat older, perhaps in the 16-19 range.
For the "action replay" White/Black version of the story, see my other fic, Spiraling Downfall of the Deus Ex Machina.
Title: Suppressed Warrior, Shrouded Revolutionary
Summary: After being groomed from birth to become Champion, Kotone's strict clan assigns her Pokemon for her Pokemon Journey, not all of which are willing to work with her. Her life is further complicated by Team Rocket, Silver, a potential uprising, and romance.
Welcome! This is the story of a Trainer in Johto trained by the Minamoto clan to become Champion. Of course, she's up against the other Trainers of her clan, and only one can win and fulfill destiny.
Kotone knew the R stood for Team Rocket, but also knew that they had been shut down by one of the few Champions not of the Minamoto Clan three years back. She lingered, sensing something wasn't quite right.
- Chapter 4
We derive our power from the Champion, just as his power is derived from us.
Within these four walls, the cycle of Champions rises and falls.
Our Champion uses our Pokemon for the good of our Clan.
Your life begins on Judgment Day.
Kotone Minamoto's eyes traced the words etched in wood she'd heard her entire life. She closed her eyes to banish them, but the image of the three small signs hanging on the door across from her refused to disappear. She slouched into her chair, only to straighten back up at the thought of an elderly Minamoto Clan member catching her. The Minamoto Clan was always perfect.
Kotone had tried her best to become perfect for this moment, just like the other members of the Clan sitting in the waiting room with her. Usually, when such a large gathering of similarly aged youths occurred, the room exploded into joyous chatter, isles bridged by the relief of the elders not observing and evaluating every movement. Today, however, each boy and girl remained on his or her own island, individual concerns and worries splashing into the vast ocean that both separated and threatened to drown the group. Kotone couldn't be the only one struggling to remain calm - every exam, every exercise, every assignment boiled down to this day.
The Minamoto Clan bred and engineered future Champions; children were groomed and measured for potential until Judgment Day. The Clan invested in their potential future Champions by assigning them a low-level Pokemon team to train on this day.
For some, such as the promising boy who'd received a Lugia and other treasures, Judgment Day was the realization of a successful career. For others, like the bumbling girl whose third best Pokemon was a Caterpie, Judgment Day was the beginning of a cascading downfall into alcoholism.
Kotone didn't think a Caterpie was in her future, but she wished for a certain Pokemon more than anything in her heart of hearts. The Clan discouraged this kind of behavior, naturally - Our Champion uses our Pokemon for the good of our Clan. Members used the Pokemon they received, and nothing else. Kotone would be allowed to catch and train additional Pokemon in her free time, but using an unapproved Pokemon in an official battle was unheard of and downright scandalous.
Kotone's journey would be perfect if she received her dream Pokemon – a Cyndaquil. She loved the flames that bursted out of its body and how its final form towered upwards in a threateningly powerful way. Wishing for a Cyndaquil wasn't entirely unreasonable. Popularity factored into the Clan's choice, as the Champion's team had to be adored by fans, and the starter Pokemon of Kotone's region were always a big hit. Perhaps…
Kotone drifted out of her thoughts as the Judgment Room door opened. Every eye in the waiting room focused on the tall girl who appeared from it. Her eyes sank to the ground as if guided by gravity and a slight pink rose in her cheeks as she fiddled with his glasses and mumbled a name. A dark-haired boy sprang up to enter the Judgment Room. The girl scooted to the side to allow him access and closed the door behind him.
Kotone studied her face, trying to catch a glimpse of what had transpired in the Judgment Room. Was she instructed to obtain a Cyndaquil from Professor Elm? The girl said nothing as she crossed the room to the second door leading outside, clutching at her bag as if something of great importance resided inside. The room stared at her, transfixed and envious. Her steps outside marked the first steps of her Pokemon journey, and the resounding clank of the door shutting ended the magic. The room quickly returned to silently fretting about the fast-approaching future.
Kotone inconspicuously straightened her overalls. Waiting only served to make her more nervous. Cyndaquils danced in her head, which she tried to suppress. Hoping for a certain Pokemon was dangerous; she knew she should be trying to remember the tactics she learned to bond with her new team. That was the hardest part for most Trainers, as their Pokemon had most likely been partially trained by other Trainers. Granted, the Clan only gave out low-level teams, but Pokemon that had spent even a minute under a different Trainer's ownership were challenging to handle.
Horror stories swirled in Kotone's head…The Umbreon who slipped away from its Trainer into the night a few years ago…The Roserade whose Pin Missile took out its Trainer's eye…Kotone shivered, banishing the thought. She resumed staring at the door, wondering how much longer the dark-haired Trainer would be in there.
Another ten minutes passed, and the boy finally stepped out with a grateful look on her face. "Kotone?" He called in a clear voice, grasping his bag with the same air of importance as the girl before him.
Kotone stood up and obediently crossed the room and entered the Judgment Room, completely missing the encouraging smirk the boy threw at her before closing the door. Kotone blinked, surprised by her surroundings.
She stood alone in a small, poorly-lit room. A massive second door loomed in front of her, illuminated by a simple chandelier hanging from the ceiling. A Porygon-Z, the Clan's symbol, was carved into the wooden door. Bigger than life-size, the Pokemon seemed to hover just below the chandelier and wave Kotone forward. She approached the door, and the chandelier went out as soon as she touched the doorknob.
Cold air rushed forward as she yanked the door open and stepped into a second chamber of the Judgment Room. The complete blackness prevented her from judging the size of the room and observing its contents. Was this supposed to happen…?
"Hello?" she called meekly. A lamp fifteen feet away from her turned on, revealing a table with four Pokeballs and a Pokemon egg. Confused as to whether she should go to the table or not, Kotone bit her lip.
A voice suddenly boomed from all four sides.
Generations ago, a man set out to travel the world.
He was a wise man, and guarded his secrets well.
He was a clever man, before whom secrets unfurled.
He was a strong man, who could only be expected to excel.
Generations ago, this man trained and assembled an unbeatable Pokemon team.
He was a brilliant Trainer and soon gathered all badges in record time.
He was a dedicated Trainer, who soon accomplished his dream.
He was a legendary Trainer, once he became the Champion in his prime.
Generations ago, this Trainer became determined to preserve his strength.
He was a diligent Founder and created the Minamoto Clan.
He was a caring Founder and for his Clan, he went to great lengths.
He was an intelligent Founder and under his wings, our education began.
Today, our Founder's teachings, secrets, and success live on in the Minamoto Clan .
We are a Clan devoted to raising the trainers who become Champions.
Within these four walls, the cycle of Champions rises and falls.
We derive our power from the Champion, just as his power is derived from us.
Our Champion uses our Pokemon for the good of our Clan.
Today, Trainer, your life begins.
Kotone recognized the voice as belonging to one of the Clan elders, but couldn't place it. A second male voice spoke up.
"Kotone? You are Kotone Minamoto, correct?"
Kotone straightened. "Yes." This was it…Everything she had ever dreamed off, everything she hoped to accomplish all rested on this moment.
"Good. You have been raised for this moment, but it's only the beginning. As a member of our Clan, you are obligated to attempt to become the Champion with the Pokemon on the table in front of you."
Kotone peered at the four Pokeballs and the Pokemon Egg. That was only five Pokemon total…Kotone's heart raced. That had to mean that only Professor Elm could give her her final Pokemon- a Cyndaquil! Relief flooded her senses.
" You will take the Pokeballs and the Pokemon Egg. You will exit the Judgment Room and instruct Wally to enter the Judgment Room, after which, you will speak with no one. You will walk to Professor Elm's Laboratory. He will offer you the choice between Cyndaquil, Chikorita, and Totodile."
Kotone knew the shadows hid her face and allowed a smile to break through her attentive expression.
"You will choose Chikorita."
Smile gone, Kotone's heart sank. Chikorita? How could she pick Chikorita when she was so close to her dream Pokemon?
"You will not examine or send out your other Pokemon until you have obtained Chikorita and are alone. Are there any questions or are these instructions clear?"
Kotone managed to croak out one word. "Clear."
"Pokemon Trainer Kotone, the clan thanks you for your contributions and encourages you to become the Champion. You will now send in Pokemon Trainer Chris."
The table shot forward as if propelled by Ghastly, stopping itself mere inches from Kotone's body. She hurriedly crammed the Pokeballs and the Pokemon Egg into her bag before turning. Unable to make out the door in the darkness, she waited a few seconds until the glowing outline of a Porygon-Z appeared on the door. Numb, she wandered back into the chandelier room, reentered the waiting room, and called Chris's name.
As a nervous Trainer slowly stood up, Kotone glanced at the chair she had been sitting in a mere fifteen minutes ago, when her future remained largely undecided. She left the waiting room, talking her first few steps into the future, an Egg and four unknown Pokeballs rolling around in her bag.
Later, Kotone wouldn't be able to recall a single second of the ten minute walk to Professor Elm's Laboratory. Her hands tingled with the thought of meeting her Pokemon team, quickening her pace.
Kotone arrived at the Laboratory distressed, made worse by the Cyndaquil that greeted her when she entered. It seemed to shake its nose at her before meandering over and plopping itself down in front of her. Kotone almost lost it when the Cyndaquil peered up at her and squeaked.
"I see you've met Cyndaquil!" Exclaimed a cheerful, young man with spiky hair. "I'm Professor Elm. You are…?"
"Kotone Minamoto."
"The Minamoto clan! Splendid. I was told a few of you were becoming Trainers today...Your clan requested some of my starter Pokemon." Elm trailed off, looked around, and frowned. Although the main area of his Lab was vast, it seemed to be almost entirely stuffed with desks and bookcases crammed with books, notes, and god knows what else.
"Huh…" Professor Elm jabbed a pen into his pocket protector-protected breast pocket. "Well, there should be more Pokemon running around here somewhere." Elm didn't seem to notice the Cyndaquil quietly nibbling the bottom of his lab coat.
Kotone suppressed a laugh. "I can help you find them. How many of each kind do you have?"
"I'm not sure. I know I have enough…I would never disappoint the Minamoto clan; your Champions have helped me make great progress in Pokemon research. I would never disappoint you!" Kotone wanted to point out that she had never even implied a failure on his part, but refrained.
"Well, do you have something we can use to lure the other Pokemon out, like food? And do you have some sort of containment area for the Pokemon we catch?" Elm squinted at Kotone as if he didn't quite understand her.
"Hm…Probably, somewhere. Well, I'll deal with that later…" And with that, the Professor sprung back with the boundless energy that guided him in his research. "You have a choice between three Pokemon; the fire type, Cyndaquil; the water type, Totodile; and the leaf type, Chikorita. You'll most likely share the strongest bond with this Pokemon, so choose wisely. This Pokemon will-"
"Chikorita! I chose Chikorita." Kotone resigned to her fate.
"Good! That's step one. Step two is finding the Pokemon in this mess…Here's Chikorita's Pokeball, there should be only one Chikorita running around." Handing her the Pokeball, which she immediately tucked away, Elm finally noticed the Cyndaquil nibbling away at his lab coat. With a yelp, he jerked the lab coat out of the disappointed Cyndaquil's mouth.
"Stop doing that! Ok, Kotone…This will be your first bonding experience with your Pokemon. Find the Chikorita in this room!" Elm leaped into a door leading into one of the many side rooms. "I'll be in here if you need me!" He slammed the door.
'He's probably looking for a new lab coat' thought Kotone as she surveyed the room. The large space held at least twelve desks, eighteen bookshelves, and more notebooks and loose papers than she could ever possibly count. The desks and bookshelves formed a sort of semi-complicated maze, with plenty of hiding spaces for sneaky Pokemon.
Kotone sighed, annoyed that she couldn't somehow use the four Pokemon she already had. The Cyndaquil squealed at her, so she bent down to pick it up. It fit perfectly in her arms and sat there, content.
Kotone kicked aimlessly at a few piles of books, unsure of what to do. She wandered around the Lab for a few minutes until she heard the distinctive Chic of a Chikorita. Reluctantly, Kotone placed Cyndaquil on a desk before leaning down to inspect her findings. She could hear the rustlings of a nearby Pokemon scurrying on tiny legs through the wreckage of papers. Kotone noticed a path of stepped-upon papers under the desk that trailed further than she could see.
Sighing, Kotone gave Cyndaquil some random papers to nibble (she knew it probably wasn't a good idea, but decided even the most unusual Professor wouldn't leave extremely important papers lying on the floor) before crawling under the desk to hunt the Chikorita.
She ended up slithering under four more desks and creeping around a few bookcases before locating the Chikorita behind a particularly large bookcase.
It gave a peep of surprise when it saw Kotone. Startled upon the realization that she was finally seeing one of her Pokemon for the first time, she waved uncertainly. She coaxed the Chikorita into her lap, and a warm feeling of relief washed over her when the Chikorita settled down. Kotone smiled. Although she wouldn't consider a Chikorita a particularly powerful Pokemon, she already felt bonded to this one.
Just as she was about to stand up and find Professor Elm, all hell broke loose.
Life changes suddenly and unexpectedly.
Some sort of explosion went off outside, breaking the windows and filling the room with smoke. Kotone clutched the whimpering Chikorita closer to her chest, as a Totodile shrieked somewhere behind her. Professor Elm burst out of the side room in time to see the papers disturbed by the explosion settle.
He let out a cry as a bomb throw into the room exploded near him, releasing a gas that knocked him unconscious in seconds.
Kotone cautiously edged her head around the bookcase to catch a glimpse of the attacker without revealing her presence.
A boy around her age climbed through the broken window, his tilted smirk seeming to take over most of his face.
The sun bounced off his red, shoulder-length hair as he stumbled towards the cowering Cyndaquil.
Cliffhanger! 10 points if you can guess who it is in a review…
Since the first five or so chapters are already written, updates should be pretty quick. I intend to release a new chapter every week or every other week, just to give myself time to write the rest of the story. Hope you enjoyed the first chapter and see you soon!