Hey, it's Fornara...submitting something at long last. I apologize for the shortness of this chapter – it's more explanatory than anything else – and the rest of this will become clear as the story moves along. I hope you enjoy what's here, though, and I hope you come back for more!
I've heard from several of you now, that there are very few challenges in being a Leader anymore. Complaints of this have reached my ears many times (Chili, Iris, I'm looking at you) and I finally have an idea on how to beat this boredom problem. As many of you already know, I've seen a few other regions, and I've collected a bunch of new Pokemon – almost none of which you've ever seen. My proposition is simple, should you choose to accept the challenge.
I have eleven Pokemon Eggs on hand right now, one of each containing a Pokemon of the Type you specialize in. It will be up to you to hatch these Eggs and raise the creatures inside. Ah, but this seems too easy – just to hatch and raise a Pokemon, the very thing you've been doing for most of your lives. So, there are a few restrictions!
You may only battle with the Pokemon you receive at any given time, with the exception of extremely important battles (Gym challenges, Elitist challenges, long-since-planned battles, etc).
If word reaches me of foul play (sabotaging a fellow competitor's battle, mistreating your Pokemon, etc) the Pokemon will become mine once more, and you will be disqualified.
You have free rein to travel where you like in Unova, but you may not leave the region.
The challenge is complete when you have successfully defeated all of the other competitors.
And on to some questions you may have in consideration to the rules.
When you have completed the challenge, you are no longer bound by the rules, but when a fellow competitor who has not finished the challenge comes to you to battle, you must oblige them. In these battles, the same rules as previous apply – you may use only the Pokemon you were given.
When you have completed the challenge, it is entirely up to you what you do with the Pokemon. You may keep it (which I expect you'll most likely do) or return it to me. If you choose to keep the Pokemon, I will continue to pay for its upkeep (as I will throughout the challenge itself) but if you abuse it, I will kick your butt to next week and reclaim the Pokemon.
This is an open contest, though only you and a select few others will receive this letter. However, anyone may join in. This does not mean you have to battle them to finish the challenge as well – you only need to beat the original contestants. If there's anyone you'd like to invite into the game, feel free – I'll breed a Pokemon for them as well. This means the Elite Four may also be joining the game, and if they do, they will be counted as some of the original contestants.
Also – in those cases where you absolutely cannot separate with your partner Pokemon, you may keep them with you, but they may not battle. This rule, quite frankly, was created for Iris's sake. Be grateful, Ponytail. (I'm messing with you.)
In the case that you lose a battle, no penalties will be held against you, and you do not need to re-battle previously defeated competitors. Just heal your Pokemon, and have another go.
I only pay for the overall upkeep of the given Pokemon – food, water, intensive care. I do not pay for stat-boosters or TM's. That must come out of your own money, if you want to use those.
In conclusion, I'll say this – if you want to participate, swing by my place in Nuvema Town. It shouldn't be too hard to find. May luck be with you.
-Cade Esprit Lato
Cade smiled, swiping the eighteen copies of the letter off of her PC's printer, somewhat amused by the fact that they were still warm. She checked around the room, found her envelopes, and began sticking the letters inside.
As a fairly young Trainer, fourteen years old, with moderately long tawny hair and bluish-gray eyes, Cade had done more than most Trainers her age. She had conquered the Elite Four, completely obliterated Team Plasma (with some help, of course), and traveled to several other regions. Recently she'd just been rematching with the Gym Leaders, and utterly shaming them each time with her overly-trained team.
Of course, they had issues with this – being constantly whipped by a girl who had a five-year-old's mindset was a little disconcerting if it happened one time too many. On occasion they would voice their thoughts, and the idea for this challenge had slowly come to her. She'd gone on a bit of a breeding spree, collecting Pokemon that matched the type of specialty and general personality of each Leader. And now, after some serious work, she was ready to unveil the project.
The said eleven Eggs (and a few more) sat in one corner of Cade's bedroom, moving every so often. Cade finished her task and walked over to these Eggs, resting her hand on the one closest to her. "Hope you guys have a good home soon. If not...you're stuck with me." She smiled softly, and moved away. She pushed the eighteen envelopes into her bag (which had been thrown dejectedly onto Cade's unmade bed) and slung it over her shoulder, briefly pawing through it to check that everything was still in order. "And...set."
It took her all of ten seconds to be down the stairs and out the door, blowing past her adoptive mother and leaving her reeling. She yanked a Pokeball off the belt at her side, looking through the top to see the curled-up shape of her Archeops, Deseo. She kept her eyes on the snake-like bird for a bit longer before tossing the ball out, releasing him in a flash of light.
His reptilian head swiveled to face her, and for once the usually-grumpy Pokemon's expression was excited. 'Finally delivering the letters, are we?' Cade grinned and nodded, climbing between Deseo's shoulder-blades. "We're all set. First stop, Striaton City, if you will!"
The Archeops took off running, and leaped into the air, the caresses of the wind lifting the two higher and higher. Cade looked down, watching her hometown of Nuvema get smaller and smaller. "Man, I love flying..." she stated quietly. Deseo growled beneath her – it was his odd form of laughing.
'You amuse me, Cade.'
"Well, good! That's what I always intend to do."
A few more minutes saw Striaton City coming into view, and Deseo dove down close to the restaurant that housed Unova's first Gym. Cade jumped off of her bird's back, and he landed beside her. With a grateful nod, she gestured for him to stay where he was, and she slipped into the Gym quietly. A few minutes she came back out, her bag one letter lighter than it had been. She hopped back onto her Archeops' back, and they were off for Nacrene City.
The rest of the deliveries were much the same, just a quick stop to either leave the letter with the Leader or leave it someplace they'd find it. Then came the harder part – Cade and Deseo had to locate their moving targets.
Sarah and Cheren – the two Trainers who'd accompanied Cade on her original journey – had been wandering Unova and training for some time, and it was near-impossible to find them at any given time. Sometimes they would go to certain places on routine, and it was these places Cade hoped to meet up with them.
Cheren, for example, would commonly pop up near the summit of Victory Road at night, and it wasn't too odd to see him hanging around the Nacrene City museum, since it was full of books. Sarah, however, was harder to anticipate – she would fly all over Unova with Kage (the name she'd fondly given to Zekrom) and that was the only place Cade could really catch her.
Deseo was rising higher and higher into the sky, using thermals to get more lift whenever possible. 'I believe that is a big black dragon, and I believe it has a Sarah,' Deseo said expressionlessly, and this made Cade buckle over with laughter (much to Deseo's confusion). The large bird glided over to the dragon, careful not to get too close, and Cade began yelling and waving frantically at her friend.
The black haired girl looked over at the commotion, chocolate-brown eyes curious. "What's up?" she called casually, and Cade waved one of the letters around in the air, chiming in a mechanic voice, "You've got mail!" Deseo shot over Zekrom, and Cade dropped the letter over Sarah's head. The girl caught it and popped it open, and Deseo zipped off, headed for Victory Road.
"Man, you always seem to know where to go, don't you? Are you psychic?"
'For the millionth time, Cade, no. You are just unbelievably predictable.'
"...Shut up and let me have my fun," Cade complained, tucking the Archeops upside the head. 'You asked the question, genius...'
This story will circulate, switching POVs with each chapter. There will be at least one chapter for each competitor, and this goes for OC's, too! If you want your OC to join in the competition, then fill this out and throw me a PM with its details!
Name:
Gender:
Age:
Challenge Pokemon: (Cannot be from Unova, and will start in its basic form. No Legendaries unless I say otherwise, for the time being)
Personality: (You can leave this blank if you don't really care, but it would add some spice to the story if we knew what your character was like!)
Appearance: (Pic or description.)
Other: (Pretty much anything else that defines your character.)
Example:
Name: Cade Esprit Lato
Gender: Female
Age: 14
Challenge Pokemon: Eevee (Nickname – Reese. Female.)
Personality: Spunky and oblivious to danger. Can be a little ADHD at times, and is almost always running. Has a dangerous vulnerability to mood swings.
Appearance: Tall and lanky, with medium-length brown hair (usually tied back in a loose ponytail) and bluish-gray eyes. She dons a lavender-colored t-shirt with a black vest, and khaki cargo pants with about a million pockets.
Other: She is adopted – her mother is dead, father unknown. She can talk to Pokemon, which just tops off her oddness.
And that's about it! The next chapter should be out fairly soon... Just a warning, my chapter posts are a bit erratic. I will try to post often, but there will probably never be a defined date that a chapter will come out.