Reason for an Umbreon
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Pokémon
Summary: A mysterious trainer has appeared in the league. She arrives during one of Shigeru and Satoshi's confrontations just days before the Indigo Pokémon League begins. What's to happen when she like Kasumi ignores Shigeru? Follow the mysterious trainer through her journey as a Pokemon coordinator and trainer and watch as her dreams change while finding love along the way.
"Speech"
'Thoughts'
:Pokémon Speech:
:Pokémon Thoughts:
The golden sun had already risen above the horizon as the new morning settled into place. Pidgeys, Pidgeottos, Spearrows, and other non-Pokémon birds sounded their unique morning calls as a warm breeze rustled across the land. It was on a morning such as this that two rivals met with each other, ruining the gentle mid-morning peace.
"Ah Satoshi-kun," called Shigeru as he began to taunt his rival and childhood friend. "I'm surprised to actually see you here. I didn't think you'd be able to get here on time with how slow you've been traveling around."
"Urusai, Shigeru!" yelled Satoshi, baring his teeth at the brunette as he took the other boy's bait. "Of course I'd be here. I wouldn't miss the Pokémon league for anything."
"Yeah, but everyone knows how sidetracked you can get," the blue clad trainer replied in a cocky tone and with a shrug of his shoulders and a lifting of his hands. "It only makes sense that you'll end up being late and missing the entry deadline."
Thus the argument began between the two young boys with many shouts from Satoshi and jeers and taunts from Shigeru. A fair distance away from the argumentative boys, Kasumi and Takeshi could only shake their heads and sigh in exasperation as they once again watched the duo argue while Shigeru's cheerleaders cheered him on. The two of them did this whenever they met. Every single time, Satoshi would rise to the Okido boy's teasing taunts, and a banter would begin.
The group of kids and cheerleaders were so absorbed in the banter that they never noticed a Pidgeot land just several yards away from them. Sitting on the Pidgeot's back was a paled skin girl with long dark purple hair that was pulled into a ponytail and clipped with an ice blue floral hairpin. Sliding off the Pokémon's back, the girl patted one of her bird Pokémon's wings once her feet soundlessly touched the floor while softly speaking to it.
"Thanks, Tsubasa. I'll have Joy-san check over you later. You must be tired from flying me all the way from Sinnoh," the girl said apologetically before recalling her Pidgeot to its Pokéball. "You deserve a nice long rest for helping me," she whispered to her Pokéball, which had her family crest and surname stamped on top and a gold chain was tattooed to its middle. Tucking away that particular orb after shrinking it, she took out two more balls of identical looks to the one she had just placed away, enlarged them, and released the monsters that were inside.
Once the bright flash of light from the Pokéball faded, an Espeon with an onyx colored collar and a Pikachu wearing a blue goggles stood by the girl's side. Both Pokémon shook their heads to clear the daze that came from being trapped inside of the small sphere, not having been used it as neither liked being in them, causing a soft tinkle and flapping of fabric to sound. When they finished, Espeon looked up at her trainer and the Pikachu climbed up her trainer's arm that had been lowered for her and settled on to the girl's shoulder.
"Hey Hanabi," the girl greeted softly before bending down slightly and petting her lavender cat on her head as the electric mouse rubbed her head against her trainer's cheek and the psychic cat released a content purr. "Nice to see you too, Elfie."
After petting them for a few more moments, the girl straightened up and said, "Why don't we go get registered for the conference? We didn't have Tsubasa fly us back down here for nothing, ne?"
Receiving a positive nod from both Pokémon, she turned to the entrance of the Indigo League's registration center only to see a small crowd around two arguing boys around her age. Walking over to the crowd, she found that there was no way around the group to get to the hall. The boys were completely blocking any available entrance.
After a few minutes of just standing there and waiting for the boys to stop arguing and for the crowd to finally disperse, the purple haired girl lost her patience when it looked as if the boys bantering would not be ending for a long while. Starting to become irritated with the two boys, the young female trainer yelled at the group interrupting the arguing pair, "Can you guys all just move it? There are some of us who don't have all day, and would like to register for the Indigo Conference before the sun sets."
She emphasized her point by jabbing a thumb at the small crowd of her own that was beginning to form behind her. Her Espeon and Pikachu both chirped in agreement with their trainer from their position by her side as the group of other trainers made sounds of agreement, supporting her yell.
Neither one of the boys stepped out of the way, nor did the surrounding crowd separate from around them. The only thing that seemed to have happened from her yell was to cause the group to turn to face her, and for the black haired boy to pull out a Pokédex while asking, "What kind of Pokémon is that?"
When the girl realized that the boys and the crowd would not be moving aside as she had hoped, she ordered her Espeon to help fix the problem. Even when that threat had been made clear, the group did not leave as they only crowded around the cap wearer to listen to what the Pokédex would say, blocking more of the entrance.
"Elfie, use Psychic to separate these clowns so we can finally do what we came back here for."
Without further prompting, a purplish blue glow began emitting from the Espeon's form as her eyes glowed blue. The next thing anyone knew the crowd in front of the much wanted entry way was surrounded in the same glow, and lifted into the air before being forcibly divided into two different groups and moved to different sides. The levitating groups were just high enough in the air for the girl and everyone behind her to walk under conformably. It was good thing that none of the floating girls were wearing skirts.
The purple haired girl let all the trainers head into the registration center before she walked over with Hanabi laughing at the levitated group's predicament. She had Elfie keep the boys and girls in the air even when she had crossed under the group and had safely entered the registration hall. The girl left her Espeon outside of the building to continue levitating the crowd as she went to register for the Pokémon league that was to begin in just a few days, thinking it would be a nice humiliation for their being road blocks.
While they were being psychically held in the air, Satoshi was frantically checking the Espeon on his Pokédex. When he didn't get a reading on the lavender cat he exclaimed, "I'm not getting anything on it! The Pokédex isn't registering what kind of Pokémon it is!"
"No way," cried Kasumi as she kept a firm hold on her Togepi. "All Pokémon are listed in there."
"Well duh," started Shigeru. "Ojii-sama said that new Pokémon are always being discovered, so of course it won't be recognized if it's a new discovery."
With Shigeru's last words a whole new argument broke out, but this time between Kasumi, Satoshi, and Shigeru. Takeshi was left to play peacemaker between the three younger kids, and to freely flirt with Shigeru's cheerleaders. Satoshi's Pikachu could only shake his head at what was going on and tried talking to the Espeon to convince her to release them. All of the small mouse's attempts reached no results as the cat just ignored him and continued about her set task.
When the purple haired girl returned from the registration hall nearly half an hour later, she would have finished earlier if it wasn't for the long wait; she had to sweat drop at the site that she had come back to. The whole entire floating group was in a complete ruckus either of flirting and giggles or full blown yelling. Not liking what was going on, recognizing one of the members, and vaguely remembering the others, she ordered Elfie to forcibly close the group's mouths to shut them up before lowering them back to the floor.
"Thanks, Elfie," the girl said, bending down to pet the Espeon, whose eyes were glowing blue and the gem on her forehead was flashing through an array of colors. "You won't have to hold on to them for much longer, okay?" she reassured her lavender cat, not wanting her Pokémon to tire herself out from doing what she had ordered her to do.
The attention of the boys and girls in the levitating group was quickly caught when they could no longer open their mouths. The four trainers in the group immediately turned their attention to Elfie, after trying to speak again, and then to her trainer once they landed. When they saw the trainer, they found a girl who looked to be about the same age as Satoshi and Shigeru, maybe a little older, dressed in an ice blue colored long sleeve shirt, a dark blue sleeveless short vest, and a black skirt. A silver belt with several Pokéballs adorned her waist, an onyx black backpack was slung onto her shoulders , and a black ribbon with a crystal pendant was tied around her neck. She had long dark purple hair that reached just below her hips while in its ponytail, pale cream colored skin, and bright silver eyes.
"Now, have you guys cooled down enough? Or am I going to have let Hanabi shock you into being civil with one another?" the girl asked with her arms crossed over her chest and a raised eyebrow. Her Pikachu, Hanabi, mimicked her motions as she sat on her trainer's shoulders and sparks emitted from her cheeks. "The Indigo Conference isn't just about competing with other trainers to find the best in the region. It's also about finding and making new friends for Pokémon and trainers alike."
Receiving nods from everyone that had just landed because they still were not able to talk, the girl told Elfie to release them. "Honestly, I thought better of you Takeshi," the girl spoke as they all started working their jaws to regain feeling in their mouth muscles. "Saori-sama would probably be laughing at your recent display," she continued with a small mirth filled smile.
"M-Manami," Takeshi stuttered out when he finally realized who it was that he was seeing. He received a nod and smile from the silver eyed girl as confirmation as he looked over the younger trainer. It had been several months since he had last seen her, a few days before he had the gym battles with Shigeru actually. "What are you doing here? I thought you left Kanto for Sinnoh."
"I did leave Kanto the last few months, but I didn't get a chance to go to Sinnoh until recently," the now identified Manami answered with a soft shake of her head as she stepped closer to Takeshi. "My family sent me on a surprise trip out of the country before I could go."
"Ahh, that was nice of them," Takeshi smiled. "Have you gotten any new Pokémon?"
"Of course I have. It's been almost an entire year since you last saw me. Why wouldn't I have gotten any new Pokémon since then?" she asked laughingly. Takeshi joined her laugher with several soft chuckles of his own. Before the duo could continue catching up with one another, they were interrupted by one of the others surrounding them.
"Eh? You know her, Takeshi?" Satoshi asked, turning to face the only male teen amongst them.
Takeshi made a positive hum from his throat as he nodded to the raven. "We met a few weeks before you guys challenged me in Pewter City."
"But how do you know her?" Satoshi pressed on.
"Remember, I used to be a gym leader before I started traveling with you," Takeshi reminded while lifting a hand with his index finger raised. "I'd have to have met a lot of other trainers before you, Satoshi."
"That tells us how you two met, but not how you know her," Kasumi interjected.
"I stayed at Takeshi's house for a few weeks after our gym battle. He gave me some cooking lessons, and I helped him out with his siblings while I was preparing for a contest," Manami supplied quickly.
"This isn't any of my business or anything, but who the hell are you?" Shigeru demanded a bit irritated that he had been ignored for so long and for being forcibly silenced and levitated. The brunette ended up with Manami and Kasumi giving him a glare for his language.
"I have to agree with Shigeru, Takeshi. Who is she?" supported Kasumi, retracting her glare to stare at her friend and traveling companion.
"Ehh! You mean you don't know her?" cried Takeshi when he heard Shigeru's inquiry. Seeing the negative response from the three younger trainers, he asked, "But Shigeru and Satoshi, you two should know Manami. She's from the same town as you guys."
"I've never seen this girl in my life!" declared Satoshi.
"Never seen her anywhere in Pallet Town before," agreed Shigeru. Though he did get surprised stares from Kasumi and Takeshi as neither has ever seen the brunette agree with the older raven haired boy before. "There's only one empty property back home, and no one's lived there in years. The place was never put up for sale either."
"Just who the hell are you?" exclaimed Satoshi, throwing an arm up and pointing it at Manami. His Pikachu offered his own to his trainer with an assertive cry, : Yeah! :
When both boys and Pokémon had turned their attention to the purple haired girl, Kasumi whispered to her older friend, "How does he even know all that? It's been a while since he's gone back there anyways."
Takeshi could only answer the red head's question with a shrug and whispered back, "No clue. Maybe it's a town thing. Kind of like how every town has its own little quirk."
Realizing her mistake, Manami's glare disappeared and a startled look appeared across her face at the raven's demand.
"Oh sorry, let me introduce myself. My name's Manami Ryu, and I was originally from Pallet Town before my family moved cross country when I was four. The empty property you're talking about is one of the several my family owns. We don't sell our land when move to a new town or city; I hope that clears some things up," she replied with a smile before continuing on, but this time with a frown on her face and her arms still crossed. "And I have to say I'm sure Nanami-sama and Okido-hakase taught you better than how you just acted, Shigeru-kun. The same can go for you with your mother, Satoshi-kun."
Shigeru and Satoshi both had the decency to look away from Manami as a light blush dusted their cheeks in embarrassment.
"Well you obviously know Takeshi, Shigeru, and Satoshi, but hi. I'm—" Kasumi began before being cut off by Manami.
"No, no. Let me guess please," Manami cut in before Kasumi could finish. The silver eyed girl stepped closer to the red head and started circling around her as she examined the carrot top's different physical traits. "Sea green eyes, similar shaped faces, same natural hair color; you're from the Hanada family," the girl guessed before continuing on. "And seeing as how their youngest sister was gone when I saw them, you must be Kasumi-san. It's nice to finally meet you," she finished off with a friendly smile.
"It's nice to meet you too," Kasumi said, returning the greeting somewhat awkwardly. "But if you don't mind me asking, how did you figure that out?"
"You have the same facial structure and face shape as your big sisters as well as the same natural hair color. Plus, You, Sakura-san, and Botan-san have the same sea green eyes. You'll probably be even prettier than Sakura-san when you're older, and if you let your hair grow out," Manami said with a smirk beginning to form across her lips. "And just so you know, they think higher of you than they'll ever let you know," she stage whispered and giving the red head a wink as if she was telling the other girl a big secret, which she was. The older Hanada sisters had been adamant that they didn't want her telling Kasumi, if she ever met her because they didn't want their baby sister getting a big head.
"Thanks," Kasumi said through the giggles. After always being compared to her sisters because of her looks, it was kind of nice to hear a compliment like that even if it is from a stranger.
"Don't worry about," Manami waved off. "I have siblings back home that I had to live up to as well before I found my own path. Just show them how great you are and prove them wrong," she said thinking about her older brother, Tatsuo, and younger sister, Sachiko, the two biggest academic prodigies of her family's current generation and comparing them to herself, the supposed dunce and black sheep of her generation.
"Yeah," Kasumi agreed with understanding eyes and an empathetic smile. "By the way, how do you know these two clowns even though they don't know you?" she asked while pointing at the two male Pallet Town trainers, only to receive a yell from both aforementioned boys.
"Actually, I don't know them, but I know their family members. Before my family moved, my siblings and I had been too young to go outside to play with the other kids, but Shigeru-kun's sister and grandfather and Satoshi-kun's mother would come to visit us every once in a while. Nanami-sama and Hanako-san would always tell us stories about these two."
"Ahh!" came from Kasumi and Takeshi in understanding. "That would explain why they don't know you."
"Oh yeah, congratulations Manami," Takeshi suddenly announced with a grin, remembering an article he had read in a magazine a few months back. "I read that you won the Kanto festival a few months ago."
"Yeah," Manami confirmed while sheepishly ducking her head and rubbing the back of her neck with a hand after uncrossing her arms. "I'm kind of in the wait period for the next one right now."
"Huh? What festival are you talking about? There hasn't been any festival in over three months," Shigeru voiced, finally getting over his embarrassment.
Manami didn't answer him as she only looked away with a light blush forming on her face.
"Oh, you guys probably don't know this but Manami here is a coordinator on top of being a trainer. She's recently become known as the Contest Queen in several Pokémon magazines since her last contest victory. It's said that she hasn't lost a single Pokémon contest since she started entering them when she was nine. The most famous thing about her is that she's entered and won the Grand Festivals during her first circuits in them. Her most recent Grand Festival victory was here at the Indigo Plateau," Takeshi announced with pride completely evident in his voice as Manami flushed a darker red.
Before the three other trainers could voice their opinions on the accomplishments or ask questions, the purple haired girl was swarmed by Shigeru's cheerleaders as they exclaimed, "Eh! Manami-sama's here!"
"Oh my kami-sama! It is the Contest Queen!" yelled one of the teenage girls that followed Shigeru.
"That's Hanabi, her Pikachu! Can I please hold her?" asked another girl as she clamored to touch the Pikachu
"Do you have Nokoribi with you, Manami-sama?"
"Manami-sama, can you help train my Pokémon?
"Hey I heard Elfie was here too! Where is she?" questioned another that had been looking around for an Eevee that was now an Espeon.
"Maybe she got another Pokémon she named Elfie?" another said answering the previous girl's question while pointing at the Espeon.
"Did you finally evolve Elfie, Manami-sama? Which evolution is she now?"
"Tell me your secret for having such cool Pokémon, please!"
As they gushed over the young girl and her Pokémon, all six cheerleaders momentarily forgot about Shigeru, and the other three trainers. The four trainers could only sweat drop as they watched Manami squirm within Shigeru's cheerleaders' hold.
"Who the heck is Nokoribi?" Shigeru demanded, disliking that his cheerleaders had abandoned him to gush over another trainer. It didn't matter to him that it was a girl trainer they were fawning over; it was the principle of the matter that counted!
"What is Elfie anyways," asked Satoshi semi quietly, remembering that he couldn't find what kind of Pokémon that the cat is on his Pokédex.
As the older girls continued to clamor over her, Manami finally had enough and apparently so had Hanabi, seeing as sparks where starting to appear on the electric mouse's red cheeks. She ordered Elfie to push the girls away, but that didn't stop them from bombarding her with more questions and requests. The girls were pushed just far enough away so that she could at least see her friend as she spoke with him and not lose her hearing from the older girls' calls.
Sighing in exasperation to herself, she took out another Pokéball and released a Pokémon as she answered Satoshi and Shigeru's questions. "You won't find Elfie's data in a Kanto region's Pokédex, so you might as well stop trying, Satoshi-kun."
In a flash of white light and a shower of sparkles, a silver and blue Ninetales with a scarf that matched her tails appeared next to Manami. "This is Nokoribi; she's one of the Ninetales I have," Manami explained as she scratched the Ninetales behind one of her ears. Her and everyone else's ears were soon met with an ear shattering squeal from the cheerleaders as they cooed and fawned over the fox Pokémon, causing everyone including all of the Pokémon to wince or flinch away.
"Why is your Ninetales such a weird color?" Satoshi asked after checking his Pokédex and comparing the provided image to the Ninetales that stood before him. "The Pokédex says it's supposed to be gold and orange, but yours is silver and blue."
"I'm sure you've all seen Pokémon of different colors than what the Pokédex says they are. I guess you can say it's an albino gene, but the offspring from the Pokémon doesn't always take after its parents' color," the silver eyed girl explained. "And that reminds me, do you think you can let your Vulpix out, Takeshi? Yuki told me you had hers," she asked, turning to Takeshi. "I'm sure Nokoribi would love to see her, ne Nokoribi-chan?"
"Eh? You sure want to do that?" Kasumi asked warily. "Takeshi's Vulpix is a bit temperamental, and she doesn't exactly like strangers," she cautioned, wincing a little as she remember the burn the Pokémon had given her when she had tried to pet the fox during their first meeting.
Even with the warning, Manami just waved off the concern and encouraged Takeshi to let the Vulpix out. The rock type trainer hesitantly released his Vulpix out for his friend's inspection, knowing exactly what Vulpix would do to strangers she didn't like.
When the white glow disappeared from around the small red fox Pokémon, the purple haired trainer kneeled to the floor next to her Ninetales while discretely signing for Elfie to stop, and called out with her arms stretched out and a smile on her face, "Hey Megumi-chan."
"Huh? Who's Megumi?" Satoshi asked looking over to Takeshi, thinking that the Pokémon breeder would know the answer, only to receive a look as equally confused as his.
It only took a moment for recognition to sink into the Vulpix's mind and before Takeshi or anyone could stop her, the red fox had already darted over to Manami's side, knocking over the girl as she crashed into her.
Thinking that the Vulpix was attacking, the trainers and the cheerleaders all cried out and raced over to the floored girl. "Manami!" and "Manami-sama!" were the cries that the boys and girls yelled out, but it seemed as if their worry was all for not. As they arrived next to Manami, they found her laughing and giggling as the Vulpix nuzzled and licked her face. Hanabi the Pikachu had not been harmed in anyway as she had already leapt out of the way before the small fox made contact with her trainer's body, and Nokoribi did not seem to care that her trainer had been knocked over by a stranger. In fact, the Ninetales was watching the Vulpix with fondness and adoration.
"Yes, I missed you too, Megumi-chan," Manami said in between giggles as the Vulpix continued to lick her until Nokoribi picked the little fox up by the scruff of her neck. Finally able to get up, the purple haired girl wiped her face clean of saliva with a towel Hanabi had grabbed from her backpack, which had flown off of her when Megumi had knocked her over. "Thanks Hanabi," she said with a smile when she finished cleaning and Hanabi had come back with her backpack.
When she had shouldered her bag back on, the girl had to suppress her squeals of delight when she saw Nokoribi giving Megumi a tongue bath. "If you haven't figured it out yet, Megumi is Takeshi's Vulpix and Nokoribi's daughter. I gave her to Yuki a little after her hatching a little over a year ago," Manami informed the group as she turned away from the adorable mother-daughter scene.
"So does that mean Vulpix gets her bad attitude from your Ninetales?" Satoshi asked bluntly, earning him a smack across the head from both Takeshi and Kasumi.
Satoshi's Pikachu could only sigh in exasperation at his trainer's stupidity. : Doesn't he know that it would be best to not ask something like that? Megumi would only try to fry him later on. : Pikachu thought while shaking his head before he hopped off Satoshi's shoulder and headed over to the other Pokémon to talk.
"Can you be anymore tactless?" grumbled Kasumi as she readjusted her Togepi's position in her arms. "Shessh."
"What do you mean by bad attitude?" Manami asked focusing her attention on Satoshi.
"Well you see…" the raven started off before faltering a bit. "When we first met Vulpix, she burned Kasumi when she tried to pet her."
After his explanation, Manami sighed to herself before speaking again, "Fortunately, that's not Nokoribi's fault. Megumi, unfortunately, is actually taking after her father in more than just looks. That snot nosed tom." She grumbled at the end when she started thinking about her other Ninetales, Yoichi, who had impregnated her Nokoribi and was still trying to win her little lady over with displays of affection and manliness whenever he had a chance.
"Oh, so does that mean I can pet your Ninetales?" Kasumi asked hopefully.
"If she lets you, and if you guys don't mind, I would appreciate it if you would use their given names. I didn't give them names just for decoration," Manami huffed. "Hey, Takeshi do you mind if I take Megumi with me tonight? I think Nokoribi and she could use some nice family bonding time."
"Um sure, here's her Pokéball," Takeshi replied pulling out said item and enlarging it. Staring at the ball, the dark brunette face palmed as he finally noticed the crests at the top of and around the sphere and recognized it as Manami's family emblem and gold signature. "How the heck didn't I see this sooner?" he muttered to himself as he handed the ball over to Megumi's first and real trainer. "It really explains why Megumi was able to be a supermodel amongst Pokémon. She's following in her mother footsteps, and her breeding is excellent even with an unknown father."
"Maybe it's because you were too in love with Yuki?" Manami offered with a chuckle as she took the orb, shrunk it, and attached it to her belt.
"See what?" asked Kasumi from her position. She was very close to Nokoribi and Megumi, but she dared not touch the two fire foxes, fearing what would happen. Shigeru's cheerleaders had already tried to pet the gorgeous foxes, but one sharp bark from the silver fox had the Espeon forcing them back with Confusion. "And what do you mean by breeding?"
"You see that crest?" Takeshi asked, pointing at the mark that was on top of Manami's Pokéballs.
"Uh huh, and?" prodded the red head, standing up from her kneeled position to get a good look at Manami's belt where all her Pokéball were.
"Well, Manami told me when she lived with me that everyone in her clan has that same crest stamped on top of their Pokéballs along with a unique signature of his or her own. Manami's signature is this gold chain around the middle of the ball," Takeshi explained and pointed to the chain and crest when the said girl handed an empty Pokéball as an example. "Every Pokéball she has that looks like this one is already pre-registered to her, and even if she gives a Pokémon away, it'll still legally belong to her until she has an official trade with that trainer."
"Oh, I get it!" Satoshi cried. "Sort of like how trainers can only have six Pokémon on hand, and any new Pokémon we catch will automatically go to our professors and they'll know which trainer they belong to, right?" he asked, thinking back to what had happened with his Muk and Krabby.
"Yeah, that's about right," Manami said and went on to further explain the stamps' functions. "The only thing that's different is that before we're license trainers we're allowed to keep all Pokémon that we catch on our person, even if it's over the normal limit."
"Okay, so that explains the Pokéball stuff, but what about the breeding that you mentioned?" Kasumi pried, nodding her head in exaggerated understanding.
"We can explain that," one of Shigeru's cheerleaders, the one with pearl earrings, said, stepping out from their circle formation crowded around Manami and her Pokémon.
"You see, before Manami-sama's Megumi started her rise into stardom," began another cheerleader, the blue haired one, who had stepped next to previous one.
"Manami-sama's Nokoribi was and is the current star of Pokémon contests and supermodel among Pokémon," continued another, the slim faced one, also standing next to the last cheerleader spoke. The cheerleaders continued this until all six where standing in a line together and arranged by the ordered of how they spoke.
"Manami-sama's family, the Ryu clan, is famous across the country," the one with the sunglasses added.
"The Ryu clan is famous for not only their Pokémon medical research and herbal medical research for people and Pokémon alike …" trailed off the cheerleader with red earrings.
"But also for their superior Pokémon breeding especially of Vulpix and grass type Pokémon!" finished the short haired brunette. "Not to mention most members are prodigies and excel at what they do, mainly in academics."
"Manami-sama's Nokoribi has in the last two years been rated as the Vulpix and Ninetales with the best genes. And because Manami-sama's Megumi is Nokoribi's daughter, she'll have just as good genes as her mother despite the untraceable sire," all six cheerleaders finished off together.
As the cheerleaders spoke, the red blush that had finally faded from Manami's pale complexion had returned with a vengeance. The purple haired girl turned to hide her face, and at the moment wanted more than anything to be swallowed by the ground.
"Okay that's it! All that you talked about was how famous her family is. What's so special about this girl though? I've never even heard of her!" yelled Shigeru, losing his cool and getting fed up with being ignored. "How the hell do you even know all this about her anyways?"
"Wahh! Shigeru-sama's yelling at us!" a good portion of the girls cried as tears formed in their eyes and dripped down their faces.
"You don't have to yell at us, Shigeru-sama. We read about Manami-sama in our magazines," answered the cheerleader with the pearl earrings, a small pout on her face as she got her fellow cheerleaders and friends to stop crying.
"You know, they do have lives outside of just you, Shigeru-kun," Manami said as she handed some tissues to the crying cheerleaders. "And you're right. I'm not special. I'm probably the least deserving of my name in my clan…" she trailed off, fingering the crystal dragon pendant on her ribbon choker and releasing a depressed sigh.
'I really am worthless,' she thought as she once again compared herself to her talented, prodigy older brother and little sister. 'Why couldn't I have been born like them?'
The next thing anyone knew, Takeshi was giving the young purple haired girl a comforting hug and giving her some encouraging words. "Now don't say that about yourself. Of course you deserve your surname," he said, trying to give the girl back some of the confidence he had seen when he had first met her. "You're the top coordinator in three, soon to be four, different regions."
Getting over their own hurt feelings when they saw the depressed air around one of their idols, all six cheerleaders crowded around Takeshi and Manami to give the girl a supportive group hug while saying, "Don't forget you're also the youngest coordinator to ever win a Grand Festival and receive the Ribbon Cup, much less two of them in your first year!"
A small smile began to reappear on the depressed trainer's face as the seven people around her gave her words of comfort and support. Seeing the smile, the cheerleaders and Takeshi gave each a victorious grin at their success.
Feeling slightly put out that she wasn't really able to help the other girl all that much, Kasumi offered what she could to cheer up the trainer. "If you want you can hold my Togepi? Togepi always cheers me up when I'm down in the dumps," the red head offered. "And like you said just prove them all wrong. You're already great in your own way from what Takeshi and the girls have told us."
"Thanks guys," she said with a smile as her sadness evaporated. It wasn't but a few passing moments later that Kasumi's offer had clicked in her mind. "Wait did you just say Togepi?"
"Um yeah," the red head replied blinkingly.
"No way!" Manami exclaimed as she whipped her Pokédex out from its case on her belt. "I never thought I'd see a Togepi. I heard you could only get them at Mirage kingdom," the girl spoke excitedly as she checked Kasumi's Togepi over with her Pokédex. "Maybe I should have taken that egg back then. It had the same markings a Togepi would have,' she mumbled to herself softly. 'Well, I guess I'll have to visit Mirage Kingdom or fly back to Sinnoh to get my own Togepi then. That's going to be a fun trip."
"So you know what Kasumi's Togepi is?" Satoshi butted in; fully intent on learning anything he could about Pokémon.
"Yeah, he's considered a baby Pokémon, and if you treat him right, love him, and keep him happy he'll eventually evolve. I would be careful with the spikes on his head though," Manami warned as her Pokédex took and saved a picture of Kasumi's Togepi. "You're very lucky to have one, Kasumi. They say Togepi's do almost anything to keep their trainer or care taker safe," she said with sincere smile, turning back to the red head. "They also say that Togepi trainers will have long happy lives too."
"Oh wow, really?" the carrot top asked, completely surprised by the information she had just been given. "How do you even know if my Togepi's really a boy?"
"Uh huh, and if you want just swing by my cabin sometime and I can show you the information on my Pokédex," the purple hared girl offered. "I don't actually. It's just that Togepi's are typically male, and he seems a bit like a fighter," she said the last bit with a smile as she held a finger out for Kasumi's Togepi to hold. "Where did you get him anyways? I didn't think it was possible to find one anywhere but in Sinnoh and Mirage Kingdom."
"We actually hatched Togepi from an egg that Satoshi found at a fossil dig," Takeshi supplied.
"Was it the dig in Grampa Canyon a few months ago?"
"Yeah, how did you know?" Satoshi answered
"Unlike you Satoshi-kun, I bet she actually listens to the news," Shigeru interjected, surprising many, his cheerleaders included, because of how quiet he had been.
"Actually it was because I was there for the dig. That would probably be why you guys looked so familiar even though we never met until now," Manami said aloud while tapping her chin thoughtfully.
"You were there?" Shigeru asked with disbelief clearly written across his face.
"Of course, what's wrong with me being there?" she asked, turning towards the light brunette and her silver orbs just daring him to say something stupid.
"Nothing's wrong about that. My girls had gone there with me, but you certainly don't look like someone who'd be willing to dig around and get dirty," he said defensively before pointing at the silver eyed girl's outfit to show his reasoning. The outfit was really quite girly. Even the most feminine of female trainers preferred to wear shorts or pants over skirts. Heck even his cheerleaders wore shorts instead of skirts.
"You're an idiot, you know that?" Manami told the brunette with her arms crossed over her chest and a blank face. "Just because I like to look nice, doesn't mean I can't get down and dirty when I have to."
Turning away from the cocky brunette with a sniff, it finally clicked in Manami's mind where she had seen Satoshi and Kasumi at the fossil dig. "Hey, weren't you the one that was being carried off by the Aerodactyl? You own that Charizard that was trying to fight her, right?" she asked them. She would have asked them about the Jigglypuff that had put them all to sleep, but after seeing what happened afterwards it didn't seem like it belonged to Kasumi.
"Uh yeah, what about it?" Satoshi blinked, confused about why she asking about that. Officer Junsar had told everyone after they had woken up that it had been a dream induced by Jigglypuff's song.
"So that wasn't a dream after all!" Shigeru interrupted while rubbing his chin in contemplation. "I should have tried looking for proof rather than accepting it. No one should be able to have the exact same dream as everyone else."
His cheerleaders nodded vigorously in agreement with him, already over the fact that he had made some of them cry.
Manami only gave him a glare before continuing, "If you want I can give you that Aerodactyl. She should rightfully belong to you since it was your Pokémon that fought her."
"What do you mean? I thought all of the fossil Pokémon were sealed back underground," Kasumi cut in. "How do you even know it's a girl?"
"How about I explain as we go to the Pokémon center? I need to get Tsubasa looked over," Manami suggest as she began to walk away. Nokoribi stopped washing her child, and picked Megumi up by the scruff of her neck before trailing after her trainer. Elfie and Hanabi immediately followed after their oldest team mate and her kit.
Satoshi, Kasumi, Takeshi, and Shigeru's cheerleaders followed after the departing girl as she told them about how she had obtained the supposedly extinct Pokémon. Wanting to sate his own curiosity, Shigeru quickly chased after them. Using his cheerleaders as an excuse to learn more about what had actually happened.
At the Same Time with the Pokémon after Pikachu hops off
: Hey, : Satoshi's Pikachu greeted as he approached the other electric mouse that was talking to the psychic cat, both of whom were standing protectively over their fire fox companion and her kit.
: Yes, : answered the lavender cat primly as she closed her eyes and began cleaning one of her paws.
: How can we help you? : the other Pikachu asked as she fiddled with the excess material on one side of her blue goggles.
: I just wanted to talk. I can't exactly talk to the humans after all, : Satoshi's Pikachu said before extending out his tail for a Pokémon tail shake. This action was one that all Pikachu do when they wished to become friends with another Pikachu. It was their form of a greeting and handshake. : By the way, I'm Pikachu. :
The two female Pokémon giggled softly to each other at the male's introduction and the fact that he apparently didn't notice his own mistake, judging by his confused expression.
: Yes, you are a Pikachu and so am I, : the female returned, taking the male's tail with her own and giving a firm shake before letting go. : My birth name's Heart-Tail, but Manami-chan named me Hanabi. : Hanabi said, introducing herself and showing the male what he did wrong. She waved her tail a little to show him the nearly perfect heart shape that the dent in her tail formed and indicated her gender.
: And my name's Silk-Fur, but everyone calls me Elfie, and I'm an Espeon. : Elfie introduced herself as she stood from her seated position and began circling Satoshi's Pikachu. : What's your name? It obviously not just Pikachu, is it? :
: Uh… My birth name's Steel-Eyes, : Satoshi's Pikachu stuttered out, a little nervous with the two females focusing their attention on him. : Satoshi-kun didn't give me a name. He only calls me Pikachu. :
: That's a strong name, : Hanabi commented as she settled down on floor, watching as her younger team mate circle her fellow mouse as if he was prey. : But I wonder if you can back up its claim? :
Steel-Eyes didn't reply as he fell into silence. In his entire life as a Pikachu and Pichu, he's never met another Pikachu that acted like the female before him. Not even the Pikachu living in the Viridian forest acted like she did. She was different from the others of their kind and if he was willing to admit it, he kind of liked it.
: Hey Hanabi, : Elfie called, once she had finished inspecting the male and was once again sitting next to her electric companion. : Don't you think he'd make a good mate? He looks to be about your age too, : the Espeon prompted slyly as she laid down on the floor to bask in the sunlight while she and her team waited for their trainer to finish chatting with the other humans.
: I suppose, : Hanabi sniffed as she looked over Steel-Eyes like her friend just had. : But I'm not looking for a mate right now. If you think he's good enough, why don't go for him? : she asked, turning away from the other Pikachu to speak with her friend.
: He is cute, : Elfie admitted, causing the male Pikachu to blush and the female Pikachu to chuckle. : But I think I'd prefer one of my own kind or of another evolution set. What I wouldn't give for Manami-chan to find a male Umbreon for me, : the Espeon sighed dreamily. She had a thing for other Eevee evolutions, but more so for the dark type even though it was the opposite of her own evolution. Before she could even start day dreaming about a dark and handsome Umbreon, she yelped in pain courtesy of a smack to the head by one of Nokoribi's silver and blue tails.
: Watch what you say in front of my kit, : Nokoribi the Ninetales growled with a glare at the younger Pokémon while protectively cuddling Megumi to her body. : Don't listen to what they say, you understand me, Megumi? I don't want you turning into your father. :
: I wouldn't be able to live if you grew into being a pervert like him, : the silver fox mentally pleaded before fond thoughts of her arrogant suitor came to mind. : Such a stubborn and persistent male. :
: Yes, mama. But what's wrong with papa? : Megumi the little Vulpix asked, tilting her head curiously.
: You'll learn what I mean when you're older. Now what's this I hear about you burning a human? : Nokoribi demanded with a patronizing glare at her daughter. : Manami-chan and I raised you to be better than that. It seems that we'll have to correct your behavior for the last year, won't we Megumi? :
Megumi had the decency to shrink away from her mother and look properly chastised. : Yes, mama, : the fox said dejectedly. She didn't like the idea of having to being retrained, but at least she got to spend time with her mother and trainer. It's been over a year since she had last seen them in person, and she had truly missed them. Maybe that was why she had given everyone but Yuki and Takeshi such a hard time.
Nokoribi nodded in acceptance of her daughter's current display of submission before gathering Megumi into her body and continuing with her kit's tongue bath.
: Ne, Nokoribi? : called Elfie
: Yes, Elfie? : Nokoribi answered between licks.
: Don't you think it's time for Hanabi to start looking for a mate of her own? I mean you already have Yoichi chasing you, and we all know you're going to give into him sooner or later especially since you already have Megumi. : the last comment earned the cat another smack to the head from the silver fox. : What was that for?! : Elfie yelped while rubbing her head with one of her paws to soothe the pain away.
: You're such a perv, : Hanabi commented with a soft giggle as she playfully tugged at her feline friend's ear. : I don't have to find a mate now, but Steel-Eyes is definitely the most handsome Pikachu I've seen, : the female mouse said as a barely noticeable blush dusted her cheeks.
: If you're really interested in him, then chase him or let him know, :Elfie told Hanabi telepathically when she noticed her older friend's flushed look. : He's not going to wait forever and might not even court you, : she added in concern, seeing her friend sigh a little when her message was received.
: She's right about that. It's a little too bad that Raiko and Hibana were practically made for each other, : Nokoribi said just as she finished Megumi's tongue bath. Raiko and Hibana were respectively a Minun and a Plusle, who were also the longest mated pair on in Manami's team.
: You're right about that, : Hanabi said, lying down next to Elfie. : But you know it's kind of cute seeing them together like that. It's so different from seeing yours and Takusen's courting. :
: Yeah, I don't think Daiki will ever stop chasing Takusen. He's been trying to get her to be his mate ever since he came into our group as a Ralts and she evolved into Kirlia, : Elfie exclaimed excitedly. : Do you think she'll finally cave in this year? Their courting's coming close to the two year mark. :
: It'll happen when it happens, : Nokoribi huffed, not liking the direction the current conversation was heading. : But Miki did tell me she was interested in Mikuri-san's Milotic, Bright-Scale, after seeing him at that Mikuri Cup last year, : the silver fox caved in after a few moments and joined in on the gossip of their friends and companions, who were all residing at Professor Okido's lab. Miki was a Milotic who was, much like herself, a color off from the normal of her species.
: Really? I knew she wasn't just measuring the competition when she was looking at him. I'm so telling Sakaeru and Miyuki when I see them, : the Espeon cried, excitement rushing as she thought about gossiping with her fellow Eevee evolution sisters. : Miki's and Bright-Scale's children are going to be so beautiful when they're born. :
Meanwhile as the female Pokemon chatted and gossiped about their friends, Steel-Eyes (Satoshi's Pikachu) watched on with fascination at what was going on. Sure he and his companions on his trainer's team were all friends and talked amongst each other, but they never really talked on the topic of mates and courting such as the girls were doing. In fact a good portion of the Pokémon on Satoshi's team were too young to think much less speak about this topic with exceptions of himself, Charizard, Pidegotto, and Butterfree. But since Butterfree had found his mate in the pink one several months ago, Pidegotto was never really interested in the topic, and Charizard wasn't cooperating with anyone, he had been left alone to think about possible mates while being surrounded by young ones.
Steel-Eyes flushed deeply and his ego rose a bit when he heard the pretty female Pikachu call him handsome. He really did like Hanabi, at the very least as a possible friend. She was pretty, nice, and from what he's seen and heard, intelligent as well though she did seem to like to gossip with her friends.
His ego was quickly shot down when they quickly moved on to talk about their other friends and their love interest. : What the heck are Milotic, Kirlia, and Ralts? I don't remember ever seeing one of those before, : he thought to himself, a wrinkle forming between his eyes as he tried to remember anything that would resemble those said Pokémon.
Turning away from the gossip that they were having, Hanabi saw Steel-Eyes thinking with a wrinkle between his eyes and a frown starting to settle in. Remembering that she and the others had pretty much cut him out of the loop by talking about their friends, she decided to keep him company. Walking over to the male with silence that she had picked up from her training as a contest and battle Pokémon, Hanabi contemplated on what she should do.
: On one hand I don't really want a mate right now, but on the other hand I should start looking for one soon, : the female electric mouse thought. : What better candidate for a mate than Steel-Eyes? From what I've seen, he's decently smart… better than his trainer anyways, and he's pretty nice too… :her thoughts trailed off as she made up her mind and stood in front of the male Pikachu. : I'll never hear the end of this if Elfie tells the others. : Her thoughts ended with a mental groan.
Gathering what courage and confidence she had gained over the years, Hanabi lifted one paw and poked Steel-Eyes between the eyes, smoothing away the wrinkle that had formed and gaining said male's attention.
: You shouldn't frown like that, : she said with a light smile on her face. Though on the inside she was a ball of nerves as she had no idea what she was doing. It was usually Odoru the Skitty and Elfie's forte when it came to flirting, but it were the unmated Nokoribi and Takusen the Gardevoir who have the most experience with males. : You'll only end up getting wrinkles, : she ended with an eye smile and an almost unnoticeable blush tinting her yellow and red cheeks.
Feeling someone touch his forehead, Steel-Eyes rapidly blinked before looking at the female that had caught his attention. : Huh, : he answered ever so intelligently.
Giggling softly, Hanabi explained to him, : You frown and wrinkle your brow when you think. :
: Oh, thanks, : he replied back a bit slowly, still slightly confused from thinking.
A moment of silence passed between the two mice before Steel-Eyes tried to break the tension.
: So how do you like being in Kanto so far? : the male Pikachu asked. : It must be a lot different from where you're from. :
: I like it, but it's not different from where I'm from… : Hanabi answered, feeling slightly mischievous.
Satoshi's Pikachu could only bring his paws up and stare from one to other as if he was trying to connect what she had just said. It didn't seem possible to him that another region wasn't very different from Kanto. From his experience in traveling with Satoshi and his friends, every city and town he's been to has been completely different from one another and so have the surrounding environment. Once he finally processed what she had said, Steel-Eyes stared at the female confusedly for a moment and gave her an equally confused response, : What? :
: I'm originally from this region, : the female explained, laughingly. : But I think I like living in LaRousse better. There's so much more electricity, : she finished with a delighted sigh. Like all Pikachu, Hanabi was very much attracted to sources of electricity, and LaRousse City just happened to be one of the nation's biggest sources of environmentally friendly electricity.
: Really? I never saw you in any of the packs before, : he answered with curiosity. : Where's this LaRousse place anyways?:
: Manami-chan says it's an island city in Hoenn, : Hanabi answered. : I doubt you would have seen me in any of the packs, : she continued with a giggle.
: Why's that? All Pikachu and Pichu live together in packs. : Steel-Eyes's ear twitched as he questioned Hanabi. Living in packs was a way of survival for Pikachu and Pichu especially against other Pokémon. It seemed fairly peculiar that the female wouldn't have been in any pack.
: Because I left this region and my pack when I was still a little Pichu, : Hanabi explained as she fiddled with her goggle straps. : Manami-chan saved me from drowning just a few weeks before she started traveling with all of us. : She smiled as she reminisced about the day she had joined Manami's Pokémon team. No matter how horrible that day had been, it had been one of the best days of her young life. She had been overjoyed to join her savior's team, and had been welcomed with open arms by all of Manami's other Pokémon.
: You must be really grateful to Manami for that, : the male Pikachu commented. He remembered how the young Pikachu he had helped saved a few months ago had acted. He also remembered how he himself had felt when Satoshi risked his own life to save him from a flock of attacking Spearow on the first day of their meeting.
: Yeah, I'd do anything for her, : she agreed with a nod.
: I know how you feel. I remember how Satoshi saved me before too, : Steel-Eyes emphasized.
: So how did you and your trainer meet? : she asked. She was curious about his first meeting. Every first meeting was different from one Pokémon to another. It was special and held close to most Pokémon's hearts, and was usually considered one of the most treasured of their memories.
: Actually, Satoshi and I met in Okido-hakase's lab. He's this really old human male who lives in Pallet Town and does research on Pokémon, : he supplied, not knowing that Hanabi already knew who Professor Okido was and that she was quite familiar with him.
Blinking confusedly for a moment, Hanabi guessed, : So you're your trainer's starter Pokémon, huh? Manami-chan told us about the starter Pokémon of the other regions, but she never told us that a Pikachu could be one of them. :
Before Steel-Eyes could ask what the female meant, they were interrupted by a yell from Elfie.
: Hey! Are you two love birds done flirting? : Elfie called over to the two Pikachu. Instead of lying on the floor like she had earlier, the psychic cat was now standing on all four legs and was several feet ahead of them. : Manami-chan and the others are already leaving us behind. : To get her point across, she jabbed her two pronged lavender tail ahead of her.
Both Pikachu were now blushing madly at Elfie's comment of them being love birds and quickly broke away from each other. Looking at where Elfie had pointed, both electric mice saw their trainers walking further away while still having a conversation with one another. They also saw Nokoribi, who was walking by Manami's side, with Megumi dangling from her mouth. As she was held by the scruff of her neck, Megumi was whining to her mother that she didn't need to be carried around despite the air of complete contentment emitting from her.
Giving each other a look, Hanabi and Steel-Eyes both bolted after the other Pokémon.
: Wait for us! :
: Ladies, hurry up! : Nokoribi yelled from up ahead, her voice mostly muffled by the mouthful of her kit's fur.
: We're coming! : shouted the girls as they chased after the pair of foxes and the group of human trainers.
: Come on Steel-Eyes, : Hanabi cried joyfully as she slowed down a bit to run besides the male. : They'll leave us behind if we don't hurry. :
: Yeah, : Steel-Eyes returned as he picked up speed, happy that Hanabi actually liked him enough to wait for him.
AN: Yes, Shigeru/Gary does have a sister in this story. She's getting pulled in from the manga versions. There have also obviously been changes to the anime canon to work with this story. If you don't like it, then don't read. This is after all, fanfiction.