Annette Chapter 1 – A New Player
The crowd roared as the two finalists rose from the ground to take their places on opposite sides of the field. On one side stood a charismatic man with fierce eyes and a bright face, wearing a flashy white tuxedo over a black dress shirt; on the other side a slim, mysterious young woman with a jet black pixie haircut that matched her all-black, close fitting outfit; cargo capris pants and a black t-shirt under a black blazer with elbow-length sleeves. His confident aura was matched only by her quiet sense of danger.
"Ladies and gentlemen", the announcer's voice rang out across the boisterous stadium, "Welcome at long last to the highly anticipated final of this year's Iron Island Championships! The stakes; a spot in the one and only Lilly of the Valley Conference! This is the last chance for these trainers to qualify for Sinnoh's biggest tournament, which begins in just two short weeks!"
From the comfort of the VIP box, Cynthia smiled to herself. She listened respectfully to the now-familiar introduction to the battle. As expected, the crowd's energy grew as they awaited the battle impatiently; simultaneously hanging on the announcer's every word, yet also willing him to just get on with it. This was one of her favorite parts of being Champion; it was a perfect, cloudless day for a battle, the stakes were high, the competition would be stiff, and she got to watch what promised to be a spectacular contest. She tuned back in as the announcer finally initiated the battle proceedings;
"Now, the competitors: First, your reigning Iron Island Champion, winner of the last three consecutive titles at this most prestigious of qualifying tournaments! Please put your hands together for the Fire Tamer himself; the incomparable, the magnificent, the indomitable – DARIUS!"
The battling veteran and crowd favorite waved proudly, pumping his fist in the warm summer air, taking the noise of the crown in perfect stride, with fire already burning in his vivid eyes.
"DA-RI-US", the chant began to rise from the stands, "DA-RI-US! DA-RI-US!"
"Next", the announcer cut over the uproar with some difficulty, "Next, we have the phenomenon from Floaroma, the tournament newcomer who has taken each and every opponent by the scruff of the neck and obliterated them! She's undefeated, she's a total mystery, and she's here to measure herself against the best Iron Island has to offer! Give it up for….CORDIA!"
Cynthia chuckled at the general reaction. Some in the crowd, most likely the most devoted Darius fans, actually booed at the enigmatic young woman, though most gave a good-natured cheer. Visibly, she was the exact opposite of the famed Fire Tamer. He smiled and waved, he charmed and inspired, and he cast an aura by his very presence. She gave no reaction of any kind to the crowd, didn't even acknowledge her announcement. She'd been this way throughout the tournament; her stark demeanor putting off her opponents before she crushed them utterly, often winning six-on-six matches with a single Pokémon.
Today she was no different. She stood completely still, her sharp face devoid of emotion. Something about her tickled Cynthia's brain, though who could say why. Perhaps it was the feeling of excitement at the entrance of a new player onto the Elite Trainer scene.
Finally, the long-awaited moment came. The announcer took one last pause and yelled,
"Let the battle…..BEGIN!"
Darius moved without hesitation, "Infernape, let's light the fire!"
"Sylveon, let's go."
Interesting choice, thought Cynthia, What's she playing at?
As Infernape beat its chest and flung a plume of fire in the air, to the crowd's delight, Cordia's Sylveon simply sat patiently on the battlefield, staring calmly at her opponent.
"If you're done showboating, we can start", called Cordia coldly across the field, eliciting a round of oohs from the onlookers.
"Well", answered Darius with a wink, "I'd hate to keep a lady waiting. Infernape, Mach Punch!"
"Wait, then Fairy Wind."
Sylveon merely blinked in acknowledgement, regarding the onrushing Infernape with mild curiosity, head tilted slightly. At the last second, it opened its mouth and barked,
"VEE!"
Instantly, a silvery-pink wind slammed into Infernape, flinging it back behind Darius, who could only watch in shock as his prized starter peeled himself off the ground with difficulty.
Impressive, Cynthia noted, even a super-effective hit doesn't usually faze Darius that much. Cordia knows what she's doing, for sure, and she's not afraid to use her power.
Darius was no fool, and knew better than to force a bad matchup just to save face; "Infernape, Return. You'll get your chance later, old friend. Rapidash, turn up the heat! Flame Charge!"
Rapidash materialized with fire already erupting all over its body as it sprinted at the unmoved Sylveon.
"Quicksand, Sylveon. Now."
Darius' eyes narrowed; he was unaware of any move called Quicksand…
Sylveon seemed to understand, and sprang to the side with a Quick Attack. A standard dodging tactic, Rapidash had seen it before. However, just as it turned the Flame Charge towards its new target, it was hit in the face by a Sand Attack that Sylveon had dropped in its wake.
Cordia smirked as the combo move succeeded in cancelling the Flame Charge. She'd done her homework on the 'Fire Tamer', and she knew he'd go down like the rest as long as she was careful. She had to win. This was her only shot at the Lilly of the Valley Conference, and she absolutely had to get close to the Sinnoh Champion without raising any…underground suspicions. She had to appear as no more than the latest big name to ascend to the League. As Rapidash struggled to clear its eyes, covering itself with a poorly aimed Flamethrower, she pressed her advantage;
"Now Dazzling Gleam."
Rapidash looked up, only to be struck by a blinding flash that dealt significant damage and furthered the Fire Horse's disorientation.
"Rapidash", Darius switched tactics, "get moving! Flame Charge anywhere, just go!"
Not for nothing was he called the Fire Tamer, the repeat winner of the toughest qualifying tournament of the competitive battling season. Rapidash began Flame Charging willy-nilly, and Sylveon took a hit or two, unable to predict the erratic movements of the flailing Fire Horse.
Desperation, however, has its limits, and all Cordia had to do was keep Sylveon calm enough to dodge until Rapidash exhausted itself.
"Now", called Darius, "Flamethrower, full blast! Take that thing down!"
"It's just not your day, Darius. Moonblast, please, Sylveon."
A blast of energy left Rapidash unquestionably unconscious.
"Alright, let's try something different, then", Darius was trying to remain positive, but that Sylveon was brutally tough, and now it was almost taunting him, sitting adorably in the middle of the field and scratching behind its ear as if nothing had happened, ribbons fluttering delicately in the light breeze.
"Altaria, I need you now!"
Out came the majestic flying dragon, with a regal and elegant cry.
"Now, Steel Wing!"
So, thought Cynthia, watching with great interest, his Dragon-types are still equipped to deal with Fairy types. Bold, but this Sylveon will take some beating.
"Jump, Sylveon. When it's time."
The obedient Intertwining Pokémon nodded calmly, and looked on calmly yet again as an attack came flying in. Just as before, it dodged at the last minute, this time by leaping upward, as another order came from Cordia,
"Good, now Moonblast."
Moonblast struck true, and Altaria took heavy damage, but Darius wouldn't go down without a fight;
"Pursuit, Altaria!"
Finally, his attack landed. Altaria flashed in behind the unprepared Sylveon and dealt a heavy blow, though admittedly not very effective. Sylveon got up primly, taking a brief moment to shake off the impact.
"Quick Attack, Sylveon."
"I know you can dodge that, Altaria!"
As Altaria took off, Sylveon flashed underneath it, prompting another call from Cordia.
"Swift, straight up."
Swift hit hard on Altaria's soft underbelly plumage, forcing it to land.
"Now Quick Tackle, Sylveon."
"Astonish!"
Unable to dodge, Altaria managed to halt Sylveon with an Astonish attack, but it was clearly on its last legs, while the Fairy type showed very little sign of its exertion in the battle thus far.
This round is already over, thought Cynthia, Cordia isn't the type to toy with her opponents; she'll end this quickly.
True to form, the ferocious Trainer barked out, "Dazzling Gleam and Swift."
The double attack finished off the unfortunate Altaria, and Darius found himself outmaneuvered yet again, and down by two Pokémon despite his efforts.
"Fine, then, I'll go with Magmortar next!"
"MAAAGGG!"
The Blast Pokémon was certainly fired up. Cordia, in response, made her own change. Rather than let Sylveon battle until it went down, she returned it and released a fresh fighter;
"Furret, you're in!"
A round of chuckles went through the crowd. It was almost comical, seeing a little Furret facing down the titanic firepower of a fully grown, well-trained Magmortar. Sure, Furret could be trained to be quite strong, but surely this was too much for it to handle. This round wouldn't last long.
Only Cynthia seemed to see what was really going on between the two Trainers.
Is Cordia…Is she taunting Darius? If so, she's playing some brilliant but dangerous mind games. Still, after seeing her Sylveon, Darius will know not to underestimate that Furret.
Darius grimaced, knowing full well that his opponent was intentionally disrespecting his strength. He'd seen her sweep her past opponents with her Scizor and Haxorus, amongst others. Now she pulled out a Sylveon and a Furret to beat him in the final? She was all but sticking her tongue out at him. Very well, she'd soon learn how foolish she was to discount him.
"Let's really light this party up, Magmortar! Fire Blast!"
"That's your best shot? Furret, Dig."
In frustration, Darius watched as Furret burrowed into the field, letting Fire Blast pass harmlessly above it. But where would it emerge?
"Ready a Thunder Punch, Magmortar, and be on guard."
"Now, Furret. Follow with Sucker Punch."
Not only was Dig successful, but the attempted Thunder Punch flew tamely past the speedy Furret, who was already coming in for the Sucker Punch follow-up. The devastating combo left the proud Magmortar reeling.
"Keep it together", Darius urged, "let's turn it around! Lava Plume before it digs again!"
"Stand tall, Furret. You can take that."
The Lava Plume was truly an impressive one, but Furret took the hit boldly, with barely a shake of its head to steady itself.
"Now, Pursuit. Recognize this one, Darius?"
As Furret slammed into Magmortar's back, Darius groaned. He'd fallen for the very same trick his Altaria had pulled against Sylveon. This girl was making him look downright foolish!
"Turn quick, Magmortar, and Thunder Punch!"
"Meet it with Iron Tail, then Hyper Voice."
Furret obliged with relative ease, as if Lava Plume had hardly touched it. When the dust cleared from Hyper Voice, Magmortar struggled back to its feet before collapsing to the ground, unable to continue.
Damn, thought Darius, She's downed half my team and I've only even seen two of hers; and none of her strongest battlers. This doesn't look good.
"Alright. Infernape, come back out! We'll match speed for speed!"
"Speed, eh? Furret, return. If you want speed, try Scizor instead!"
Something about this Cordia truly intrigued Cynthia. As Scizor appeared, lithe and ready, she knew that this battle was totally one-sided. It was only a question of whether Darius could knock out any of Cordia's team before she beat him. She had such confidence, and her style was so…merciless. She didn't use any kind of special tactics, didn't look for the most graceful or the flashiest win – she simply took the most efficient possible route to complete victory. It was almost frightening.
"Poor choice, Cordia", Darius had found a weak spot, "Heat Wave!"
"As if. Scizor, beat it back with Razor Wind."
Almost flippantly, Scizor summoned a powerful Razor Wind that blew the Heat Wave safely back at Infernape. Darius looked absolutely flummoxed, and Cordia wore a cool smirk.
"Get in there, Scizor. Slash, then Fury Cutter."
"Close Combat, Infernape. You can match this thing."
But Infernape, it turned out, could not keep up. Every punch it threw was two steps behind the relentless Scizor, and within seconds the Fire Monkey was covered in Slashes while Scizor retreated comfortably to a safe distance.
"Don't let it go, Infernape! Mach Punch!"
With a roar of rage, Infernape charged at blistering speed towards Scizor, and Cordia quickly responded,
"Catch it with Metal Claw, then Iron Head!"
Infernape's glowing arm met Scizor's glistening claw and the unfortunate Flame Pokémon's eyes widened, before an Iron Head put it down for the count. Scizor crossed its arms and stared menacingly at Darius as he recalled the fourth defeated member of his team.
"If speed won't do the trick, I'll go for power. Salamence, come on out!"
"Fair enough. Power it shall be. Scizor, return. Let's go Dragon vs Dragon. Haxorus, you're up!"
Darius was visibly frustrated at having to face yet another fresh Pokémon, this one a much more daunting opponent, when he was already back into a corner.
This would be hard enough as is, he thought, but even if I make a miracle comeback, I've got to contend with the Sylveon somehow, and all I've got left is Dragons.
"Alright, Salamence", he certainly planned to fight through to the end, "go straight for the KO! Draco Meteor!"
Salamence gave an almighty roar, and meteors filled with draconic power flew from the sky all around Haxorus.
"Focus up, Haxorus, use Cross Chop and Iron Tail to block them out."
At least that one sort of hit, Darius reminded himself, She blocked the direct hits, but I'm sure it still took some kind of damage. That's a start.
"Our turn", called Cordia, a cruel smile playing on her lips, "Show them what a real Draco Meteor looks like!"
Once again, meteors came streaming out of the clear sky, but these were undeniably larger and glowed with a brighter blue, almost white-hot Dragon-type flame.
"Salamence, use Fly! Get up and avoid as many as you can!"
Darius was pleased to see Salamence escape with only a few light hits, and watched with prideful anticipation as it came down to land Fly, which pushed Haxorus back quite a ways. At last, he was gaining his footing in this battle!
"Dragon Claw before it goes anywhere!"
Haxorus lashed out before Salamence had time to turn and escape, and took a severe and potent Dragon Claw head on. It roared in pain, but managed to launch itself into the air to fly back and take up position in front of its Trainer.
Haxorus' red eyes showed a vicious fire fueled by anger as the two Dragons fell into a staring match. Evidently Cordia's Pokémon didn't appreciate being hit.
"Dragon Pulse!" Cordia yelled, urging her Pokémon forward as Darius gave his own command, "Fire Fang!"
Dragon Pulse struck home first, and Haxorus used it as cover to get in close to Salamence, whereupon Cordia continued her unrelenting assault,
"Dragon Claw! Night Slash!"
The resourceful Haxorus landed one attack with each of its hands, and followed it with a Dual Chop for good measure, before Salamence swung an unbidden Dragon Tail to force its attacker away.
"Once more, Haxorus, Dragon Pulse!"
Haxorus' chest was heaving from the intense battle, but it stood strong, showing no sign of its exhaustion. Salamence, on the other hand, was done. Darius recalled it silently.
It all comes down to this, thought Darius, One versus six. Let's do what we can, old friend.
"Flygon, Earth Power!"
Flygon was already halfway done with its attack by the time it had finished emerging from its Pokéball. It slammed viciously into the ground, and Haxorus roared at the sudden hit. When the ground ceased shaking, it fell to one knee, and then collapsed. Somehow, Darius had actually taken down one of Cordia's Pokémon!
The young woman's eyes narrowed as she quietly recalled her fallen companion, whispering "I'm sorry" before calling out her next choice,
"Alright, Sylveon, you're back in."
A rested Sylveon burst back onto the field, and Darius barely restrained a groan. Of course she'd call Sylveon back out. All of his favorite Dragon moves were instantly rendered completely innocuous.
"Let's do this. Earthquake!"
"Nope. Dazzling Gleam!"
A flash accompanied by a blast of energy stopped Flygon in its tracks before Earthquake could kick off. The Ground and Dragon type and backed away instinctively, but Sylveon followed it in with a Quick Attack, and Cordia called,
"Tackle it!"
Flygon was forced off balance by the Tackle attack, giving Cordia yet another opening to pummel the hapless Mystic Pokémon;
"Moonblast! Then Swift!"
Flygon hadn't managed to land a single hit. The battle was over. Darius had lost.
Speechless, he recalled Flygon and crossed the field for the customary handshake between the combatants. Cordia was as emotionless as ever, and said only,
"You fought well. Be proud of your team."
Still in shock, Darius blurted a blunt question before he could stop himself, "Who ARE you?"
She answered simply as she turned away, "I'd love to know that myself."
Cynthia
As she boarded the jet later that afternoon to take her back to Lilly Island, Cynthia was still pondering the puzzling woman she'd watched in the final. She'd heard of Cordia only recently, when she exploded onto the Iron Island scene in the early stages of the tournament. As the rounds progressed, more and more attention had been drawn to her by her blitzkrieg battling style, and also by the variety in her team. She had Pokémon from Kanto, Johto, Kalos, and even Unova.
The Pokémon Master stirred slightly as her bracelet buzzed to indicate an incoming call. She pressed the button and Lucian's face appeared, as cool and collected as ever.
"Lucian, my friend; how are you?"
"Distracted, Cynthia. But I'm sure we all are right now."
His meaning was clear, "You saw Cordia's battles too, then?"
"Indeed", nodded the Psychic Master of the Elite Four, "but I'd like to hear your thoughts."
"Honestly", Cynthia considered carefully before continuing, "I think at the very least she'll make some noise at the conference. I wouldn't be surprised to see her make the semifinals, maybe more. Could you beat her?"
"It's difficult to say", shrugged Lucian, "but I'd love the chance to find out. As it happens I have researched her."
"Really? In what way? What have you found?"
Lucian grinned, "I thought that might perk you up. She claims to be from Floaroma, but nobody by the name of Cordia has lived there in at least thirty years."
Brow furrowed, Cynthia thought aloud, "That's not possible. Trainers register for all official tournaments with their League-issued Trainer identification cards. Those absolutely cannot be faked."
"I have no idea what this means", admitted Lucian, "but no matter what, she has now legitimately qualified for Lilly of the Valley, so she's just about untouchable until the Conference has concluded, even if we could find her, which we currently can't. Ah, but I have to go now. I just wanted to keep you in the know."
"Thank you, Lucian. I'm on the way back to the Island, so I'm sure I'll see you soon. Goodbye."
As she hung up, Cynthia fell deep into her own thoughts once more. The big question of Cordia's past and identity was quickly growing to dominate her mind. Battlers like her didn't just come from nowhere. Even Cynthia herself had…well, but that was an exception. Just who was this young woman? Who was Cordia?
-o-
Sometimes I hate my job, thought Brian as the umpteenth tournament tourist boarded the cruise liner headed back to Canalave from the Iron Island Tournament.
"Ticket please, ma'am", he said in a flat monotone, his brain on autopilot. Only half an hour more until they would shove off and he could do something, anything, besides ticket duty. If only there was literally any other way for him to pay for school…
The lady and her family barely paid him any heed as they absentmindedly handed over their tickets and got on board.
Sure, he was feeling quite salty, why pay any attention to the ticket guy. It's not like he – whoa…hello, there…
He stood up straight as a drop-dead gorgeous girl approached who looked about his age. He certainly was looking quite intently, too. Her short, blonde hair and rectangular glasses gave her that intelligent but attractive look that he just couldn't get enough of. Her pleated black skirt and tall socks didn't hurt either. This and her simple blue tank top accentuated her figure in all the right ways, which just about made Brian's jaw hit his ticket desk before he remembered he still had to do his job;
"Uh, hi there! We hope you enjoyed your stay on Iron Island, miss. Do you have your ticket?"
She smiled brightly (Brian could feel his face grow warm) and fished through her purse briefly before producing a ticket.
"You mean this ticket? Yup, here you go!"
"Th-thanks…You're free to board, miss. Enjoy the ride to Canalave!"
"Oh I think I will", she answered with a musical, charming voice. She walked off onto the ship, but not before casting a wink back at Brian.
He stood stupidly, waving vaguely at her until he heard a gruff voice,
"Are you quite finished admiring the view, Mr. Derron?"
He cringed as he turned back to his desk to find his grumpy manager glaring menacingly down at him, pointing at the growing line of passengers waiting to present their tickets. Ugh…
Cordia
She grinned to herself as she made her way to the back of the deck. She always got more of that kind of thing as a blonde, for some reason. The student outfit probably helped too. She always hated having to play dress-up in public, but 'Cordia' couldn't be seen outside of the battlefield, so 'travelling student' it had to be. She had to remain completely off the radar. Her Floaroma backstory wouldn't hold up under any great deal of scrutiny and she couldn't be sure who was or was not checking.
She found a bench in a relatively unpopulated area of the ship, overlooking the ocean. Sitting, she released her Raichu, who sat contentedly against her left side, asking silently to be petted.
"You're so spoiled", she joked offhandedly to the Mouse Pokémon, before allowing herself a wistful sigh.
"You ever wonder how big we could get if we went legit?"
"Rai rai", Raichu seemed to understand its Trainer's sentiment.
"Too late now, but still…" She sat quietly for another minute or two before shaking her head. She had no time for such frivolous, careless thoughts. She still had half a job left to do.
"I know she was watching, Raichu. She had to be there. She saw us. We're so close now."
In response, Raichu snuggled closer to her Trainer. Raichu was quite a curious Pokémon. The fact that she was on her Trainer's main team was proof enough of her raw power. She was fast, brutal, ruthless, and dangerous on the battlefield. At the end of the day, however, she was a total softie. She purred gratefully as 'Cordia' began to rub her back.
The evolved electric-type started as she felt a drop on her head. She looked up to see a tear flowing silently down her beloved human's beautiful face.
"Chu? Rai raichu!"
Raichu wanted to comfort her Trainer, but knew she wasn't the one to help right now. She quietly rummaged through the purse that sat next to her and poked the button on Furret's Pokéball.
With a soft cry, Furret burst out onto the bench, quickly observing and, with a nod from Raichu, understanding the situation.
"Furr…"
"Furret", began the young woman, "I just can't believe we're – we're so close. After all these years, we'll get to see her again…"
As Raichu returned herself so as not to impose, Furret climbed up on her Trainer and wrapped herself around her neck like a scarf. 'Cordia' scratched behind the ears of her first-ever Pokémon.
"I'm going to need you and Sylveon to put in a lot of work when the Conference starts. I absolutely have to win to meet her without causing a stir. If I bust through security anywhere on the Lilly Island, the whole underground will know and I'll be blown."
Furret was only halfway listening. Of course she would do whatever was required of her, but she knew her Trainer was only going over the plan again to calm herself down. She nestled into her lap as tenderly as she could, just the way she knew her lifelong friend liked best and allowed herself to be petted as 'Cordia' continued;
"To win the whole thing though, I'll need you two to sweep the early rounds so I can have Scizor, Houndoom, Haxorus and Raichu fresh in the latter stages, plus whatever you and Sylveon have left in the tank."
"Furret furr", answered the Long Body Pokémon calmly, without raising her head. She was used to prolonged stretches of battling and had complete confidence in her favorite human. No matter how exhausted they got, they would pull through this like they always did.
There was a brief silence as 'Cordia' returned to her own thoughts before saying softly,
"…Thanks for trusting me, Furret. You know how important this is. I'm just nervous is all... This time it's personal. I must get to Cynthia."