Brave to Dare
A/N: Howdy there, readers! This is MiraculousDragonMaster here, and I have here another Pokémon story to share.
Here's some background info. This is a Hunchback of Notre Dame AU placed in modern times, and with gender role reversals.
However, here's a warning. This has Pearlshipping vs one-sided Negaishipping vs one-sided Amourshipping; definite love triangle, or square or whatever one would call it. There will also be some Serena bashing. So, if you don't like any of this, turn away now.
All right. Now that that's out of the way, let's begin! And, action!
Chapter 1
Loneliness
Iris Dracon quickly walked through the shadowy alleyways of Lumiose City. She wore a beige tunic with pink trim, matching leggings, matching loafers, and a dark purple hoodie over her head to conceal her face. It was bad enough that everyone at school teases her and spread rumors about her just because she wears a hoodie all the time. But, she didn't want them to know something very personal.
Finally, she made it to the central plaza of the city. She looked up and saw her home. Prism Tower. The white, sleek, tall tower curving up to the sky at a point was the trademark of Lumiose City, possibly even the entire Kalos region.
Every since she can remember, at age 7, she had secretly lived at the very top floor of Prism Tower. The immense height of the tower can give people shaky knees, but not Iris. Living up there for 10 years; heights are a cinch.
Iris got out a Poké Ball from her hoodie pocket. A soft smile began to grow on her hidden face. "Dragonite, let's go!" She called out as she tossed the red and white capsule in the air.
In a stream of blue light, a pale orange and yellow Dragon type Pokémon appeared. It had amber eyes, two pale yellow antennae on his head, and wings on his back. He roared as he demonstrated his power and size, towering almost two feet above his Trainer.
Iris covered her ears for a second, then went over to Dragonite. "Shh!" She shushed, pressing a finger to her lips. "Dragonite, keep it down!" She patted the neck of the Dragon type, and it quieted down. "We can't draw attention to ourselves." She then got on Dragonite's back. "Take us up." She said.
Dragonite spread open his wings and took off into the air. He spiraled up towards the top and stopped at an open window. Iris then jumped off his back and through the window.
"Thanks, Dragonite." She said. "Go take a flight. But, be back soon and don't get into any trouble."
Dragonite gave his Trainer a grateful growl, and then he zoomed off into the sky.
Iris rolled her eyes with a smile. She then looked around her home. It was dark and shady, with boxes stacked around the hidden entrance. There was a mattress with a pillow and worn lilac blankets off in a corner. And near the window she came in from, there was a table with painted wood carvings of the buildings and people that mean something to her.
Iris pulled off her hood to reveal dark tan skin, brown eyes, and dark purple hair in a huge low ponytail. But, her face had jagged scars all over her cheeks and a very bad one was hidden by the bangs on her forehead.
When she was 7 years old, Iris and her parents were caught in a terrible car accident. She was the only one who survived; barely. Being left all alone with her Axew, who also survived it, Iris hid inside Prism Tower, not wanting to go to a foster home because of her fears of being mistreated by strangers. She managed to heal her face, but it left all those scars. She thought she looked deformed and ugly. So, she never left her sanctuary in the tower.
However, as she started to get older, she wondered what the outside world was like now. A few times, she had snuck out with her hoodie over her face. She eventually attended school a few times, but not often, because of the jeers the other students would give her.
Her Axew then popped his head out of her hair, slightly gasping for air. He then jumped out and landed on the floor. He had olive green and gray scales, ruby red eyes, and two tusks coming out of his jaws.
Iris chuckled softly, then bent down to Axew. "Sorry about that, Axew." She said. "But you know that no one must see me."
"Axew." The little Dragon type said, understanding completely.
Iris then reached into her hoodie pocket again and pulled out two more Poké Balls. "Okay. Excadrill, Emolga, come on out."
The two capsules opened, and when the blue lights disappeared, there were two more Pokémon. One was a Ground type mole, with sharp claws and a curved helmet on his head. The other was a cute Electric type flying squirrel with white and dark gray fur, and yellow electric sacs on her cheeks.
Iris had met Excadrill first, soon after she turned 10 and got her Trainer's license. Back then, he was just a Drillbur, but after some hard and intense training, he had evolved.
Some time later, she met her Emolga, when the cheeky Electric and Flying type tried to take some fruit from her, but eventually, the two became friends and Emolga joined her team.
A year later, she met Dragonite, when he had caused some power outage to some parts of the city from the Lumiose Power Plant and stopped by Prism Tower for a rest. Iris managed to befriend him, and added him to her team of friends.
"You guys ready for lunch?" Iris asked as she reached for her backpack. Her three Pokémon cheered happily for something to eat.
Iris got out three cans of Pokémon food from her faded pink backpack. She placed three bowls on the ground, and poured some food pellets for them. As her Pokémon began to eat, Iris got out a bag of apples for herself. But before she could take a bite out of one, a knock was heard on the door.
Axew, Excadrill, and Emolga instinctively hid behind boxes or in dark corners. Iris cautiously walked over to the door and glanced outside. She then visibly relaxed when she saw who it was.
"It's okay, everyone." She called out to her Pokémon. "It's just Serena."
Serena Ryder was the mayor's daughter, and the most popular girl in school. And, she was the only friend Iris had. Serena was the first to discover Iris living in Prism Tower, but instead of telling the authorities, she promised to visit her and keep her company.
As they grew older, Iris still loved her friend's visits and wished that they can do it more often. But, Serena insists that they hang out in secret. Despite her initial confusion about it, Iris complied.
The Pokémon slowly came out of hiding. Even though they knew that Serena was her friend, there was something about her that they didn't like. She was sweet and kind when they first met her, but now, she seemed too proud of everything she does, and acts like she knows what's best. Something was wrong about her now at age 17, but what was it?
A/N: All right. What do y'all think so far? Okay at least? Sorry, I guess my nerves get to me whenever I post a new story. Maybe it's because of trolls out here. But, they can't bring me down if I read your support. Let me know what you guys think so far in your reviews.
Got to fly! ;)