Before you guys get into this story, I need to make a few things clear. One thing is that, while it may not be a M-rated story, it takes place in a more realistic AU of the Pokemon world that combines the games, anime, and manga together. Also, while this story may be focused on the OCs, a lot of the supporting characters are already established characters in the Pokemon world, such as Cynthia, Ash, and Paul. Another thing I want to make clear is that this story follows five experienced trainers, not five rookies, just starting out on their journies. I decided to take a different approach at the whole OT story genre and make them experience because I thought it would be more interesting from a reader's perspective. One more thing I need to make clear is that their journies aren't the overall focus of this story. The overall focus is the main plot between the protagonists and antagonists. That may be a little vague, but I'm sure the plot will come through sooner rather than later. Anyway, let's get right into this.
Chapter 1 - The Beginning
Pokemon League Facility, Sinnoh
September 2nd, 2032
"So you all know why you're gathered here today, right?" a women asked from the head of a wooden, regal table. The blonde wore all black clothes and a black coat as well, with her hair running well past her back.
Eleven other people, all different ages and genders, were seated at the table. The room itself was relatively small and closed off. The only other notable items in the room was a picture of the speaker, who was a lot younger, with a massive Garchomp. The other picture was another older picture with the blonde speaker and four other people, all of whom were present in the room.
"Yes Cynthia, we are all here to discuss our contracts, right?" a girl asked from the other side of the table. She wore a light blue dress that complimented her light brown hair and dark blue eyes.
"You are correct, Ms. Brooke Winters," Cynthia responded, with a smile. "As Champion, it is my duty to deal with these kinds of affairs, along with Mr. Shawn Goodshow" - she motioned over to a brown-haired, taller man, who was wearing a black suit - "and the Elite Four." Once more, she pointed to four people all sitting around her. "Volkner, Flint, Lucas, and Terrell."
Volkner was a grayish-blond haired male with a blue suit. He had electric blue eyes and sat with his hands held together on the table. He had an unreadable look in his eyes. Flint was a male with red hair that was in an afro of sorts. He wore an exotic yellow suit and had a set of gray eyes. Flint had an ear-to-ear smirk on his face that made him come off as incredibly cocky. Sitting to the right of Cynthia was a pale male, Lucas, who appeared a lot younger than the other Elite Four Members. He had a dark blue suit on with gray hair and eyes. He looked at Brooke and four other people across the table intently. The last member was Terrell, who wore a light brown suit. He had dark brown hair and light brown eyes and he was tapping his fingers almost restlessly on the table.
"These are the people we're giving contracts to?" Volkner asked with a bored tone of voice. "They seem better fit for Ka-"
"Volkner," a stern, raspy voice interrupted with a dissatisfied tone. "You know better than to say something like that."
The voice belonged to an old man with gray hair that was spiked up. He also had thick gray sideburns and an equally as thick mustache. He wore a dark brown coat that was opened, revealing a dark blue shirt. He eyed Volkner with a disappointed look.
"What did I say wrong Professor? I didn't insult their skills or anything," Volkner attempted to reason with a monotone voice, but it was to no avail.
The professor paid no mind to what Volkner said and cleared his throat to continue.
"Please, take no offense to what Volkner said." He glanced at him quickly before turning to Brooke and four others. "He has a good heart, but that isn't what we're here for."
"Professor Rowan, can we just begin?" a male asked restlessly.
The speaker was a dark brown-haired teenager with a black suit on. He had a gold watch that seemed fairly expensive on his right wrist. The male was practically on the edge on his seat the entire time.
"Lenny, you've never changed. Always the impatient one," Professor Rowan said with a laugh that he and Lenny shared.
Lucas on the other side of the table had a slight chuckle, but it went unnoticed.
We all know someone like that, he thought to himself.
As Lucas was thinking to himself, Cynthia spoke up once more, causing the room to get quiet.
"Anyway," Cynthia started, grabbing everyone's attention, "Mr. Goodshow, Professor Rowan, the Elite Four, and I have decided on all of your contact's information weeks before you all got here. Everything in the contract is based off of your previous league performance, which were all tremendous for all rookie trainers, I might add."
Brooke, Lenny, and the others each looked at one another and nodded their heads in a pleased manner. They finally were all getting somewhere. However, one particular person didn't share the same expression.
"Cynthia," he spoke up. The speaker was a male with a plain tuxedo that matched his black hair fairly well. "I appreciate the praise, and so does everyone else I would assume, but we all have a lot of work to do, especially me."
"I agree with you, Michael Owens, but self-deprecation isn't something I agree with," she said with a chastising tone. "Right now isn't the time to be critical on yourself; you have an entire season to correct your mistakes you made in the Kalos League."
Michael simply nodded his head and went quiet. Meanwhile, Cynthia cleared her throat and continued on.
"Hopefully, we have no more interruptions," Cynthia started with a laugh that most people in the room shared. "I'm assuming you five want to get to business right?"
All five trainers agreed and Cynthia smiled and gave them a nod. She looked at Mr. Goodshow and spoke.
"Shawn, if you will, hand out their contracts please?"
Mr. Goodshow didn't say anything in response and got up from his seat. He had five brown, expensive folders in his hands and started to hand them out accordingly.
"Brett Rodriguez," he said to himself and walked over to a blonde-haired teenager. Brett wore a blue suit-a little darker than Volkner's, but not bright-and had green eyes. He had a confident look on his face as Mr. Goodshow gave him the contract. "Here you go, Mr. Rodriguez."
"Thank you sir," Brett said with a nod.
Immediately, he started looking through the contract details. As he was reading through, Brett looked incredibly pleased, with a slight smile on his face.
Twenty million Pokedollars? Brett thought to himself, surprised. I guess Sinnoh really takes battling seriously, holy shit.
As Brett was going through the contract, Mr. Goodshow arrived at the final trainer. She was a light brown-haired girl with light green eyes. She wore a red, spaghetti-strapped dress and had a silver, sparkling necklace. As Mr. Goodshow held out the last contract, she gave him a shy smile.
"And lastly, Olivia King, if I'm not mistaken," he said, smiling at her. "Here you go, Ms. King; you'll have a bright future in the Sinnoh region."
"Thank you, Mr. Goodshow."
He gave her the contract with a nod and wished her good luck for the upcoming season. She didn't bother responding and dove straight into the contract. Upon reading some of the details, she seemed surprised.
Mr. Goodshow sat back down in his seat and patiently waited for Cynthia to speak up. After all, she was in charge of this meeting and invited both him and Professor Rowan to come. Cynthia, however, planned on giving them ten minutes to look through their contracts as this was the first time they were doing this. They were all fairly professional, though, she had to admit, unlike herself on her first time.
They all have bright futures, she thought to herself, scanning each individual trainers.
As Cynthia was thinking to herself, Lucas got her attention.
"Ms. Shiro?" he asked, snapping her out of her thoughts.
"Lucas, I've told you to call me Cynthia many times," she said with a laugh. "Anyway, what's up?"
"Oh," he started, "I was just going to ask who do you think has the most potential in the Sinnoh League?"
Lucas thought that was a fairly reasonable question. Plus, he was curious about it and why not ask the best trainer in Sinnoh who she thinks. Cynthia took a moment before answering Lucas' question and analyzed each trainer, all of whom were quietly looking through the contracts. She couldn't help but notice that Brett looked much more pleased than the others.
"Honestly, I don't know yet. It's just way too early to tell, and they all have a lot potential in any league," she said, turning to Lucas. "I can say that Ms. King's battling style reminds most of yours, though, if that means anything."
Lucas looked at Olivia and nodded.
"I can see that," he agreed. "I remember watching her videos and the way she battles, especially with her Swampert, reminds me too much of how I battle with Torterra."
"I wouldn't be surprised if she was inspired, I'm not going to lie," she said, with a shrug. "You're style isn't too common."
"Maybe so," Lucas said. "To be fair, I wouldn't be surprised if Brett was inspired by you a little bit." He glanced over at the blond, who had closed his contract, satisfied. "You may not be extremely hyper-offensive, but the way he battles with his Garchomp is almost identical."
"If it's not broke, then don't fix it," Cynthia said with a laugh. She glanced at Brett, who caught her gaze, and gave him a respectful nod. He returned the nod and mouthed a "thank you," which drew a laugh out of Cynthia as she waved him off. "He seems funny too."
"You find everyone funny, Cynthia." Lucas rolled his eyes and Cynthia shrugged once more. "In all seriousness, though, I think they're ready to talk?" He looked at the trainers and they placed their contracts on the table.
Cynthia turned away from Lucas and agreed.
"I think so too," she said to him quietly before clearing her throat once more. Cynthia was quite good at getting people's attention, she must say. "Well, I'm assuming you're all satisfied with your contracts, right?" Each trainer gave her a nod so she continued. "If that's it, then it was good talking to you all. I wish you all luck in the Sinnoh League and hopefully the Lily of the Valley Conference."
"Thank you, Cynthia," all five trainers echoed.
Cynthia nodded her head and rose from her seat. Immediately, Lucas and the rest of the Elite Four followed suit, rising just as quickly. Mr. Goodshow followed and the six exited the room, leaving just Professor Rowan and the five other trainers.
"Well, there's that," Professor Rowan spoke up, with a chuckle. He turned to each trainer and said, "Well, I'm assuming that you all already know this, but make the most out of your journey." Each teenager nodded their head once more and Professor continued, "As an old man, it pains me to see such young people not live their lives to the fullest."
Lenny rolled his eyes.
"Oh stop Professor," he said laughing. "You're not that old. You have a long, healthy life ahead of you."
Rowan laughed and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "If you say so Lenny," he said before once more turning to the others. "Again, just promise me that much," the professor continued, sounding hopeful. "Also, make sure to stop by in Sandgem. It'll be good to see you all.
"Anyway Lenny, speaking of Sandgem, would you mind coming back with me? I have a lot to talk about with you," Professor Rowan requested. Lenny didn't even need to say anything as he gave Professor Rowan a nod, and the two left, leaving four trainers.
"Well, I think I should go too," Michael spoke up. He looked at his competition and nodded. "Good luck in the Sinnoh League you all."
With that, he dismissed himself quickly. He looked to be walking with a purpose, so everyone assumed he had something to do. In the conference room was just Olivia, who seemed like she wanted to get out as fast as possible, Brett, and Brooke.
After Michael, the three had just left without saying a word to each other, Olivia being the first. Anyone with a little common sense could tell that Olivia King was fairly quiet, but that was the least important problem.
Brett and Brooke were walking next to each other in a tight hallway, and from the looks of it Brooke was trying hard to keep her distance from Brett.
"Look Brooke," he started. "I'm sorry about what happened back then. I didn't mean what I said! I was just annoyed!"
Brooke, animosity in her eyes, turned around and stared at Brett. She walked towards him simply glaring.
"Brett, it was five years ago," she spat out. If someone could literally talk with venom, she would have a lot of it. "Honestly, I'm over it, but it doesn't make what you said any closer to being remotely right," Brooke said. "All I know is that I proved you wrong and I'm willing to prove you wrong once more by beating you in the Lily of the Valley Conference."
Brett looked at her and shook his head. He had the most confused expression on his face, but he still responded nonetheless.
"I just don't understand why we can't be friends," he said, looking at the ground. Picking up his gaze, he stared right through her blue eyes. "As you said, it was five years ago, but if you want to go down this road of not liking each other and being rivals, I'll gladly prove that I'm the better trainer."
He didn't even wait for a response and walked past her. As Brett walked by, Brooke could swear that she saw a teardrop fall, but it was probably her imagination. His steps were quiet and fast; the only thing on his mind was getting far away from her.
"That bitch wouldn't cry in front of me," she said to herself. "He doesn't have the nerves."
As Brooke continued walking out of the building, her eyes were glued to the red carpet she was walking on. As much as she didn't want to admit it, her eyes were tearing up. Why do I care so much? He said himself that didn't back in Pallet… she thought to herself.
With that, Brooke reached the exit to the Pokemon League. She was the final one to leave and she had a lot of work to get started on. It was best to get her mind off of whatever just happened.
Fuck him, she concluded. I have to win this time.
X.x.X
Sandgem Town, Sinnoh
September 3rd, 2032
Professor Rowan and Lenny were back in Sandgem Town. Before they left the Pokemon League Facility, Professor Rowan told Lenny he had something to talk to him about. The entire ride to his lab, Lenny insisted that the professor tell him what it is, but Professor Rowan told him that he has to be at the lab to told him.
"Lenny Collins, I must say, I have never met someone as im- wait, maybe there's one," Rowan said, laughing. "But you get my point. You need to work on being less demanding and impatient."
"Professor, I'm not impatient!" Lenny told him, a little too defensively. Rowan just rolled his eyes, waiting for Lenny to say something meaningful. "Now that we're at your lab, you can tell me, right?"
In fact, the duo was at the lab. The laboratory wasn't a large building, considering the small town it was in, but it got the job done. As Rowan was a more hands-on professor, contrary to his increasing age, he didn't need it too much. It was a one room facility with a lot of books that Rowan's assistants and colleagues read, which most of them Rowan wrote himself. However, there was one place Professor Rowan was fond of and it was his large, incredible expensive computer that only he could use.
"Yes Lenny, I can tell you," Rowan said. Lenny was practically jumping for joy when he heard those words. "Just… please stop pestering me about it."
"Alright, alright," Lenny said.
Lenny lead Professor Rowan back to his desk as he assumed he'd want to sit down after all that they did today. The professor thanked Lenny as he sat down and prepared to start business. Lenny pulled up a chair across from Rowan and clasped his hands together, in an ironic fashion.
"Soooo-"
"Well," interrupted Rowan, "since I know how impatient you are, let's get started, shall we?" Rowan cleared his throat, and immediately Lenny knew he was in for a long discussion. "You remember, before you left for Hoenn, how I was doing research on the three orbs?"
Lenny raised an eyebrow at what he said.
"Orbs? What kinds of orbs?"
Rowan let out a sigh. Why do I even bother with him, he thought to himself.
"The Timespace Orbs, Lenny," he said bluntly. I swear to God if he doesn-
"Ohh yeah!" Lenny exclaimed, basically facepalming. "The Lustrous, Adamant, and Griseous Orbs?" Professor Rowan gave Lenny a quick nod, prompting him to continue. "We spent years researching them! What happened?" he asked. Rowan cleared his throat once more-this time more dramatic effect, Lenny assumed-as he prepared to explain.
"Well, in the past year, I have found that there has been a drastic energy spike with them, compared to when we were looking at them five years ago," Rowan explained. Lenny figured there was more to the story, so he let the professor continue. "My theory is that someone could be messing with the orbs, which is very bad."
"I think you're looking to far into it," Lenny put out. "Maybe it's just another professor."
"We should still be cautious about it," Rowan explained some more. "You weren't alive when it happened, but you do remember the last time someone messed with the Timespace Orbs, right? I'm sure we talked about it."
Lenny nodded his head in confirmation.
"Yeah, we have," Lenny said. "Team Space or whatever got ahold of the Lustrous and Adamant Orbs and the Lake Trio." Lenny paused for confirmation, which Professor Rowan gave him.
"Team Galactic, but yes, correct so far. Continue." Lenny nodded and did what he was told.
"Well, with the Lake Trio, they created the Red Chain and summoned both Dialga and Palkia. Using the Red Chain, they planned on taking control of Dialga and Palkia, which they succeeded for a bit," Lenny said. "The region was about to be destroyed, but sensing a disturbance, Giratina came and trapped their leader in the Distortion World. The Red Chain was disrupted and Cynthia and Lucas defeated Team Galactic!"
Professor Rowan nodded in approval with an impressed look on his face. Lenny saw that and gave him a smirk, drawing Rowan to roll his eyes.
"Not going lie, Lenny, I'm impressed you remember that much. Of course, there's more to it, but for a brief explanation, it's spot on," Rowan told him. "Anyway, back to my theory. Even if it is a researcher messing with the orbs, that can still do a lot of damage. A little power spike can cause problems with time, space, or antimatter, respectively."
Professor Rowan let out a sign, and after explaining, he logged on to his computer and started typing rigorously. Lenny waited curiously, tapping his fingers on the desk. After five minutes, Professor Rowan turned the monitor around to face Lenny. On screen there was a line graph and it had three lines: a blue, a pink, and a red one, each representing one Timespace Orb.
"Lenny," the professor started, looking directly at him, "if you take a look at the graph, you can see that the amount of energy that each orb produces has exponentially increased these past few years."
Lenny glanced at Professor Rowan with a confused look. Despite the amount of years he spent working with him, Lenny would never understand certain aspects of science. Professor Rowan saw Lenny's look and elaborated.
"With more energy each orb produces, Lenny, they become more active," Professor Rowan explained, but Lenny had just raised his eyebrow. Sighing, Professor Rowan continued. "By active, I mean they essentially start to disrupt balance in the world. For example, if the Adamant Orb starts to produce a certain amount of energy, it can disrupt the balance of time in our world."
Lenny nodded at what Professor Rowan said with a look of realization on his face. This had gotten a slight smile from the professor, but Lenny didn't pay attention as he started to speak.
"I think I understand, Professor Rowan," Lenny said, a satisfied look on his face. "Going by your logic then, if the Griseous Orb ended up generating over a certain amount of energy, would there be rifts between the normal world and Distortion World?"
Professor Rowan nodded his head and prepared to speak once more.
"If the Griseous Orb generates a drastic amount of energy, then yes, rifts between both world would occur," he said. "However, looking at how much energy the Griseous Orb is producing now, it would cause a little matter to change into antimatter."
Lenny started at Professor Rowan with his mouth wide open in disbelief. It was extremely hard to believe that such small orbs had powers this great.
"These orbs have the power to do things like this?" Lenny asked, which Professor Rowan nodded in response. "I knew that the Timespace Orbs shouldn't be messed with, but wow."
"You have to understand that these orbs were created by some power beyond our world, and we do not fully understand them," he said, looking at Lenny with an intent gaze. "If people really are tampering with the Timespace Orbs, this is a rather dangerous situation."
"I agree completely," Lenny responded, getting up from his seat. Taking a glance at the line graph before him, he actually realized how large of an increase they've made these past few years. He turned back to Professor Rowan and opened his mouth again to speak. "I'm going to check on one of the orbs, Professor Rowan, and see what's happening. Is this alright?"
Professor Rowan sighed at Lenny's proclamation. He glanced down at the floor before looking back at him. He simply stared at him for a long time, with a rather worried expression, but after a shake of his head, Rowan opened his mouth to speak.
"Yes," he finally said. "It's probably the best thing for us to do, but please be care-"
Lenny sarcastically rolled his eyes at Professor Rowan and gave him a smirk. The professor saw this, causing him to let out a sigh. Too reckless, he thought to himself before Lenny continued.
"Professor! Don't worry about me, I'll be fine," Lenny said. "I'm only going in and out, just to check the area, and I have my Pokemon with me."
Rowan nodded his head, but he had a crestfallen look on his face, which Lenny didn't realize.
"I understand that, Lenny, but I can't help but worry for you," he said. "You're way too reckless, and I don't want you suffering the same fate as-"
Lenny cut him off, shaking his head as he did so.
"Professor, that was nearly ten years ago," Lenny said with a stoic expression. "And plus, their death was an accident, anyway. There was no way to expect what could happen." Lenny looked at Professor Rowan with an observant gaze, searching for any doubts and when he found none, smiled. "I will be careful, though, Professor Rowan."
The professor gave Lenny a slight smile and subtly nodded his head at him.
"Okay, I'm glad to hear that," he said. "Anyway Lenny, do you know where the closest Timespace Orb is?"
Lenny opened his eyes wide and shook his head. He didn't even have to say anything for the professor to shake his head.
"I figured that they were all in the same place, maybe somewhere like Mount Coronet," Lenny said in defense, rubbing the back of his neck with a sheepish look.
"Well, they're not, Lenny. These orbs are scattered across the region, hidden incredibly well," Rowan started with a blank expression. "The closest orb us, however, would be the Adamant Orb, the one representing Dialga. It is located in Iron Island, which is just north of Canalave City."
Lenny didn't waste any time before responding.
"Alright then Professor," he began. He flashed Rowan a look of confidence then said, "It's time for me to set off. I'll make sure to get back to you soon, though."
"Very well, Lenny." The professor nodded his head. "Get back to me soon, though, Iron Island isn't exactly the safest area to be in."
Lenny waved Professor Rowan off with a smirk before saying his goodbyes. As Lenny left the lab, he couldn't help but feel worried for him. Sighing to himself, Professor Rowan got back to work, turning his monitor back around. He looked at the graph and shook his head.
Hopefully, it's nothing too dangerous. I want him to be safe.
X.x.X
Veilstone City, Sinnoh
September 3rd, 2032
"Scizor, Bullet Punch into Superpower! Zoroark, phase him with a Night Daze, then punish with Flamethrower!" a blond teenager called from the end of a battlefield.
The red, metal-coated Bug-type rushed across the dirt field, leaving a cloud of dust. His pincers glowed took a dark gray outline, almost resembling metal, and kept them pointed at the Zoroark across from him. Just as he was about to reach her, she raised both of her hands above her head and brought them down to the ground hard. This caused a wave of dark energy to come towards the Scizor, ultimately disrupting his attack. The Night Daze pushed him back, but didn't appear to do much damage.
The Zoroark was almost finished with her command when she opened her mouth wide and started to form fire. However, when she saw Brett walk onto the field, she stopped.
"So," he started. "Judging by what just happened, Scizor" - he looked at the Pincer Pokemon - "your attacks aren't as fast as we need them to be. Normally, a Bullet Punch would've beaten out Night Daze, but yours was a little off." He then walked over to the Zoroark and nodded his head. "I'm surprised with you, though. You pulled off that Night Daze, which is usually a slower move, incredibly fast. Although it didn't do much damage to Scizor, it did have a good amount of power behind it."
Brett looked pleased with his compliments and walked back over to Scizor, who stared at the ground with an upset look
"Don't seem down about that, Scizor," Brett spoke up. "If it was any other Pokemon, that easily would've been a devastating blow. It's just that you aren't as fast as you used to be, and I've trained her to be extremely fast in attacking speed."
Scizor looked down at Brett and nodded his head.
"Sciz, scizor."
"Imagine if we get that Bullet Punch to be faster, buddy," Brett said with a smirk on his fast. "That'll open up so many combinations, and you'll be near unstoppable."
Scizor returned his trainer's smirk and held his pincer out for a fistbump of sorts. Brett immediately saw this and brought his fist out. The two had an awkward fistbump and laughed it off.
After, Brett had walked back to where he was before and got ready to give out more commands. They had been doing this for the past hour and neither Pokemon had gotten tired.
"You guys ready?" Brett called out. When his Pokemon gave him noises of confirmation, he smirked and called out commands.
"Scizor, use Swords Dance and charge with an Night Slash shield! Then, I want you to use Superpower!" he yelled. "Zoroark, I want you to fire a Flamethrower!"
Immediately, Zoroark fired out a stream of bright red flames and it was closing in on the Steel-type bug. However, with his attack boost, Scizor began charging forward, glowing a darker red, and his pincers were a pitch black color. His night black pincers met the Flamethrower attack and he charged right through it. When he finally met Zoroark, he prepared to hit her as hard as he could with his entire body, but was stopped by Brett.
"Good job, Scizor!"
The blond rushed forward and patted the Pokemon on his broad, metallic shoulders. Brett was very impressed with what he had just done.
"I think we just found a way to make approaching easier for you," he started with a smirk. "Instead of looking at the speed side, we can have you boost your attack with Swords Dance, then you can just power through whatever ranged attack your opponent throws at you."
Scizor had a slight smirk on his face when Brett said that. Jokingly, the steel bug flexed a little, drawing an eye roll from Brett, who then turned to his Zoroark.
"Despite Scizor powering through your Flamethrower, the attack itself seemed very strong, I must say." Brett looked at the Dark-type fox before him, with a curious look. In response, the Illusion Fox Pokemon shrugged her shoulders, her long red mane swaying in the wind. "Have you been training with Charizard?"
Once again, the Zoroark shrugged, avoiding eye contact with Brett, who had just sighed.
"Zoroark, I told you not to practice Flamethrower with him because your Flamethrowers are completely different. To put his simply, his Flamethrower attack is pure fire, while I want yours to incorporate some dark energy into it."
Zoroark rolled her eyes at Brett before transforming into a massive orange lizard, who stood just over six feet tall. Flexing her orange and blue wings, she looked up and fired a long stream of bright red-orange fire into the air.
"Charizard makes that Flamethrower seem strong because he's been able to use it for years now," Brett said, crossing his arms. "His Flamethrower is meant to burn his opponents to a crisp, plain and simple. Yours, though, is meant to target a variety of types. If we fuse dark energy into it, we can hit Psychics and Ghosts a lot harder."
Zoroark morphed into a small black fox and hopped onto Brett's shoulders. In her Zorua form, she was able to sit comfortably like this for a long time. Brett turned to Scizor, who was trying his hardest not to burst out laughing.
Brett shot his Bug-type a glare, and he immediately stopped laughing. Turning his attention to Zoroark, he shook his head.
"Why can't you just cooperate with me? I'm trying to turn you into the strongest Zoroark in the world and your refusing my suggestions," Brett simply said. When Zoroark met his gaze, he opened his mouth to speak. "You know Grimsley's Zoroark right?
The Zoroark-turned-Zorua gave Brett a nod, prompting him to continue.
"Well, he knows that exact Flamethrower technique and it's probably very close to the power of Charizard's," he told her. "Once we work on fusing the Flamethrower and dark energy, then we can work on the power of it."
The Zoroark jumped down from Brett's shoulders and hopped around happily.
"Zorua! Zor! Zor!"
Brett laughed at his Dark-type's antics and continued on.
"Maybe once we're done with the dark Flamethrower, then we can work on your pure fire one," he said to her with a smirk. "Then, everyone will be scared of your Flamethrower because of how versatile it is!"
Zoroark yipped as loud as she could in excitement and jumped into Brett's arms, licking his face. Brett pet the Dark-type on the small, black, red-tipped tuft of fur on the top of her head.
However, interrupting the human-Pokemon moment, was ironically Brett's Scizor. His red pincer lightly tapped him on the shoulder, grabbing his attention. Not even giving Brett a chance to respond, he pointed over to a stone set of stairs and a human was walking down from them.
Lenny returned Zoroark into her Pokeball and walked towards the person quietly with his Scizor next to him. When they were close enough, Brett and Scizor could make out an older man, with purple hair. He wore a dark purple jacket, black jeans, and black shoes. As he walked down the stairs, he kept his hands in his pockets and held a gaze on Brett.
Upon recognizing who it was, Brett took a few steps back and held his mouth opened wide.
"Mr. Shinji?"
Paul didn't say anything as he walked towards Brett. He glanced at his Scizor and nodded respectfully. The Bug-type, sensing a lot of power from the person, nodded back in return.
"I see you train your Pokemon with a lot of respect, Brett," he said, turning his gaze back to the Sinnoh trainer. Brett didn't say anything, but nod at him. "That's a good thing, something I wish I knew when I was your age."
Mr. Shinji smirked at Brett and stuck his hand out for a handshake. Almost immediately, Brett took his hand and shook it, nodding his head.
"Please, though, call me Paul," he said. "It'd be nice, not being so formal all of the time." Paul laughed and Brett awkwardly shared one with him.
"I guess so," Brett finally said. "What made you come down to see me train, though? I'm curious."
Paul shrugged. "I was raised in Veilstone, and since the Kalos League is out of season, I have a small vacation, so I just wanted to visit my hometown." Paul sighed aloud before continuing. "I really don't get that many opportunities to travel anymore, to be completely honest, but I can't complain."
Brett nodded before speaking. "I can only imagine what it's like, being an Elite Four member and all."
"It's not as bad as most people think, Brett," Paul said. "We really just single out trainers not ready to face the Champion. Since I'm the last Elite Four member, I don't get too many challengers, but the ones I do get, are incredibly strong."
"I couldn't even fathom how intense your battles are," Brett said with a laugh. "The trainers you face could probably sweep my team, now that I think about it."
Paul shook his head. "I wouldn't think so, Brett. The trainers I face are probably a little stronger than Misty for the most part." Brett simply sighed at that statement. Paul looked at his Scizor, too, and saw him glance at the ground. Seeing this, he reassuringly put a hand on Brett's shoulders.
"It was a very good battle, you do realize, right? If you were a little bit more experienced, you definitely could've won. Anyone who isn't blind can see that you took Misty to her limits."
Brett looked up and smiled at Paul, bowing his head thankfully.
"I really appreciate that, Paul, thank you," Brett said. Paul just smiled and nodded his head.
"It's no problem," Paul said. "Y'know the Kalos League could've used someone like you, but I guess Cynthia got to you first." Both trainers shared a laugh, and Paul continued on. "Nonetheless, though, I can foresee a great future here for you in Sinnoh, and this is coming from someone who's been in the Sinnoh League a lot."
"Thank you again," Brett said. In the back of his mind, though, he couldn't help but have his doubts. In the silence, however, Paul took a glance at his watch and sighed.
"Well, I guess it's time for me to take my leave," he said. "As much as I would want to stay and chat or even have a small battle, I have to go meet my brother." As the Elite Four member prepared to leave, he said, "Good luck in this season and make sure to go far!"
With that, the experienced Paul Shinji left, going up the stairs he came from. Watching him leave, Brett couldn't help but smirk to himself. Even though he had his doubts, Brett had still gotten personally complimented by arguably one of the strongest trainers in the world, and he wasn't going to let up anytime soon.
"We're going to train as hard as we possibly can," Brett said, turning to his Scizor who nodded proudly. "We're going to win the Lily of the Valley Conference and conquer the Elite Four."
"Scizor!" the red Bug-type cheered.
Brett could feel the other Pokeballs on his belt shake in excitement. They all were one team, and each had one same, common goal: they were going to conquer the Sinnoh region.
And there you have it! The first chapter of this different OT fanfiction! I really hope that this satisfied you all, and that you consider sticking around. Please leave a review and give me any sort of criticism that can better this story. Before I sign off, though, I'll leave you guys with a few questions.
1: What do you think of the characters I introduced? While some may be more established than others, I feel like I made their personalities clear.
2: Do you like the different approach I took of trainers getting signed to leagues?
3: Overall, what are some of your thoughts so far? Maybe some things you'd want to see?