Here we go, the beginning of another story, please enjoy, and I don't own Pokémon.
"Oh! Is it Chris?" the question rang out about the woods as the companion traveling in front of her let out a weary sigh.
"Once more, the answer is no, now stop trying to guess my name," answered the leader of the duo, a young boy with unruly black hair, dressed in worn traveling clothes with an old backpack over one shoulder. A Houndoom silently walked next to him.
"I'll stop guessing if you just tell me," his traveling companion replied, a girl about his age, also dressed in simple clothing, her dark brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. She was constantly glancing off of the path, trying to absorb all of the sights around her, "Oh! What about Red?" she exclaimed suddenly, shifting her gaze to glare at the back of the boy's head.
"Red?" the boy asked, "who would be named a color?" he let out another sigh.
"I don't know, it just seemed to fit," the girl offered, once more turning to look at the amazing scenery, "so when are we getting to Garnet?
"If you quit asking questions, I would guess the end of the day," he replied coldly, focusing on the path ahead. The girl let out a sigh of her own and a silence fell between the both of them. Then, glancing around the boy, the girl spied someone heading towards them, the Pokéballs on his belt identifying him as a trainer. She hurried toward the new trainer, eager to talk with this new traveler.
"Hello," she greeted cheerfully, "could you tell us how close we are to Garnet?" he pointedly ignored her, continuing on the path.
"She asked you a question," the boy said, grabbing the trainer by the shoulder, his Houndoom letting out a low growl.
"Listen, I don't have time to help out every person who can't-" the trainer cut off as he glanced upward to look at the boy's face, "I-I'm sorry, I d-didn't realize…you're very close, j-just a few turns and you should be able to see the town," he stammered out, quickly slipping out of the boy's grasp. He hurried away from the duo, obviously trying to put as much distance between as possible.
"What was that about?" asked the girl, obviously confused.
"No idea," replied the boy, "now come Tori, you heard him, we're almost there," nodding, Tori fell in step behind him, and they continued down the path. Turning around a bend, the trees began to thin out and in the distance they were able to spy the city of Garnet. Tori was astounded at the pristine beauty the city showed. They're were several buildings in the town, each one situated to accentuate different parts of the town, mainly the different fields of flowers set around the town, flowers of all type and color, flowing silently in the gentle wind. Then, in the center of the town, a great building that dwarfed all else.
"Wow!" exclaimed Tori, "a real Pokémon Gym!" she turned to the boy to see his reaction.
"Nothing special," he said, shrugging, "now come on, lets go to the Pokécenter, you're supposed to call your parents," he turned and began heading into town. Nodding, Tori quickly followed.
As they walked the streets, Tori couldn't stop from glancing at everything around her, at him hometown, Sienna, the only thing to look at was the towering Storm Mountain, but here, it was almost as if everything begged to be seen. A huge smile on her face, Tori turned from the environment to wave and greet the citizens of the town. They began to smile back, yet, as they drew closer, their eyes fell upon the boy leading her, and they quickly turned, pretending to be interested in something else. Turning to ask the boy something, she realized she was in front of the Pokécenter, and he had already gone inside. Quickly hurrying inside, she found him at the front desk talking to the Nurse Joy.
"We need your phone, where is it?" he asked, glaring at the nurse.
"It's r-right over there sir," she stammered, pointing to the side, obviously unsettled by him, as he turned away she quickly hurried away to a back room.
"Come on, you can call your parents," he said, seeing Tori approach and began walking towards the phone. Before he walked a few steps Tori stopped him by grabbing his arm.
"Wait, can I ask you something?" the question was hesitant, unsure, "have you been here before?" the boy simply closed his eyes, as if trying to uncover a long buried memory.
"Maybe, no idea," he replied simply, opening his eyes, "does it matter?"
"Of course it matters!" she exclaimed, "and how can you not remember visiting somewhere?"
"You…know how I used to be…" he replied, sounding almost ashamed, "I didn't care for anything…the days, weeks…they all blended together. Now come on, it doesn't matter…" Tori nodded, her first memory of him was still strong. He had wandered into her village, alone, and fought one of the villagers, easily defeating, then immediately burned his home to ground. Now though… he was…different, something Tori knew that for a fact. She began to head towards the phone when she heard the Pokécenter front door open.
"You…" the voice was soft and amazed, yet it was impossible to miss the deep loathing that single word carried. The speaker was a young girl, dressed in a simple green skirt with a yellow shirt. Her green hair fell past her neck and a yellow flower was tucked into one ear. She would have been very pretty, if her face hadn't been contorted in anger.
"Hello, have we met?" the boy asked, his Houndoom growling quietly next to him. The newcomer's face blanked, obviously surprised, then quickly filled with anger.
"You don't even remember?" she questioned, walking closer to him, her bare feet rubbing against the cool linoleum, "how could you forget?" as she drew closer, Houndoom's growl grew louder. Quickly, Tori stepped between them.
"Wait, please! If he says he doesn't know, then he doesn't," she tried to explain, "who are you? And why do you know him?" her question seemed to reach the girl, and she backed off slightly. Watching them, she stood straight and tall, appearing almost regal.
"That boy," she began, put as much anger and spite into the second word as possible, "came through here a few weeks ago. He could have passed through with no incident…but he couldn't bear to do something so simple. He went through town, belittling us, mocking everything about us, calling us weak and foolish for living like we do, in harmony with all around us. A few trainers tried to stand up to him…but be defeated them all in a moment…" she trailed off into silence.
"Were you…one of the trainers?" Tori asked hesitantly.
"No," the girl replied sternly, her eyes flashing, "I am Lisa, the Gym Leader of Garnet. The trainers came to me asking for help, so I challenged him. I was…defeated…so, in accordance with the rules, I offered him the badge as proof of his victory. He refused to take it, saying, 'a reward from a weakling is worthless.' He threw the badge into the dirt and left here," finished, Lisa glared past Tori directly at the boy.
"I have nothing to say," he replied with a shrug, "you lost, nothing you say or do can change that," he left and sat down at a bench, his Houndoom immediately following.
"But, I can challenge you," Lisa declared, following him, "and I will do so. I will see you at the gym tomorrow, or I'll know you ran," with that, Lisa left the two of them. Slowly, Tori walked over and sat next to the boy on the bench.
"Uh…" she began hesitantly, "why…did you do all that? Insult the people here, then humiliate the Gym Leader?"
"I told you, I don't remember," he replied, looking away from her. Tori could tell he wanted to avoid it, and she knew better then to press him for an answer.
"What about the battle tomorrow? Are you going to go?" she asked, changing the subject.
"I am not going to run if that's what you mean," he responded, "you, go and call your parents…I need to take a walk," he quickly stood up, his Houndoom beside him, leaving Tori behind at the Pokécenter. Tori sat alone, unsure of what to do, before finally standing up and hurrying after him. As she got outside she looked around for him, finally, she spied him heading towards the outskirts of town. Hurrying, she was able to catch up and ended up walking slightly behind him.
"Don't want to talk to your parents?" he asked, not even turning around.
"That can wait," she replied smoothly, "I just…felt like going on a walk too…I won't talk or anything," the boy merely shrugged at the explanation, but didn't say anything, so Tori simply continued following, staying silent.
Following behind him, Tori didn't focus on her surroundings, but rather on what he did. It was…odd. He seemed to be looking at parts of the village. He would stop at something, a building, a patch of flowers, or simply walking by in the street. He would stop and simply watch them, and them shake his head, as if to clear it, before continuing onward. Eventually, they had reached the outskirts of town. Stopping at the top of a hill, the boy sat down, facing the town. Houndoom stopped as well, resting it's head in it's trainer's lap. Seeing nothing else to do, Tori sat next to him, watching the sun set slowly over Garnet.
"I've never told you of my home…have I…" he asked suddenly.
"No, I guess not," she replied slowly, not knowing where this was going.
"This place…Garnet, is so similar…" he began, "the people, the homes, even the flower. I remember a little of when I first came here. I saw all these people, living like I used to, they were so happy, I couldn't stand it. How could they deserve to be happy, after what happened to me? It wasn't fair. I…lashed out, trying to…I don't know, but it was…wrong," he fell silent, still staring over the town.
"Yes, it was," Tori agreed, nodding her head, "but, it's like you told Lisa, nothing you do or say can change it. But now you're back, and you can try to make up for it."
"I already told you I'm not going to forfeit," he reminded.
"I know just…don't humiliate her like you did last time," Tori offered.
"Sounds like you don't think I'll lose," he observed.
"Will you?" she asked, a touch of humor in her voice.
"No," he replied, fully serious, "now come on, let's go back to the Pokécenter, we can rest there till tomorrow." He stood up, heading back into town, Houndoom loyally following.
"Yeah," agreed Tori, following him as well.
Morning finally came, and as Tori opened her eyes, she saw that the boy was already awake. He was sitting at the edge of the bed he'd slept in, absentmindedly petting his Houndoom.
"Good, you're awake, let's go, Lisa's probably waiting," he told her.
"Right, just let me change first," she asked. The boy nodded, quickly leaving the room. Forcing herself out of bed, Tori quickly pulled on an outfit; a simple pair of blue jeans with a red shirt. She also decided to let her hair flow free rather than tie it into a ponytail. Finished dressing, she left the room and found the boy waiting in the lobby of the Pokécenter. He looked at her, nodded, and then headed outside.
Once more walking behind him and his Houndoom, Tori was surprised to see that a crowd had already begun to form around the gym. All it took was a look for the crowd to part, allowing them through. Passing by the people, Tori caught a few snippets of conversation.
"Do you think he's going to win?"
"He won in just a few seconds last time…"
"But Lisa's been training non-stop…"
Finally, they were clear, they stood before the massive doors leading into the gym. Without any hesitation, the boy pushed them open, heading inside. Tori couldn't help opening her eyes in wonder at the gym. Around the walls were massive trees, their branches interlocking above them to form a massive, living, roof. A smooth field of grass covered the rest of the floor, and in the middle, Lisa was waiting, her arms crossed across her chest. The boy didn't say a single word, simply walking forward to stand across from Lisa, Houndoom at his side. Tori didn't follow, staying behind in order to watch.
"You came, though I can't say I thought you would run," Lisa observed, "the battle will be two on two, good enough for you?"
"Agreed," he replied simply.
"Very well, go, Vileplume, Victreebel!" she released two Pokéballs, the light forming a small blue Pokémon with giant flower perched on it's head and an angry looking Pokémon shaped like a bell, four sharp teeth surrounding it's mouth.
"I choose you, Scyther, Banette," the powerful mantis Pokémon, the blades on it's arms held at it's side, appeared next to a black, cackling, doll-like Pokémon. Houndoom quietly moved to stand next to Tori, "your move," he offered to Lisa.
"Fine," she replied, scowling, "Vileplume! Sleep Powder, quiet that cackling ghost!" Vileplume jumped forward, a spray of particles landing on the surprised ghost. Banette's eyes closed and it fell to the grassy floor.
"Good! Now, Victreebel, razor leaf!" Victreebel jumped forward, ready to attack.
"Not so fast, Banette, Sucker punch," Banette swiftly leapt from the ground, slamming into it's unprepared opponent, "good, now Scyther, Wing Attack!" The wings on Scyther's back began to glow, and it rushed at Victreebel, slamming into it and sending it flying backwards. Victreebel hastily pulled itself back up while Scyther moved back to stand next to the cackling Banette.
"What? But it was asleep!" exclaimed Lisa, clearly frustrated.
"Not quite, insomnia, that ability prevents Banette from falling asleep, it simply pretended with you used the attack," the boy explained simply, "ready to continue?"
"Of course!" Lisa replied, "Victreebel, wrap, and Vileplume, get ready!" instantly leaping to attention, Victreebel shot out two vines, which wrapped tightly around Scyther's body, locking it's arms to it's sides. The boy simply observed, turning his gaze to Lisa's Vileplume.
"Banette, Shadow Ball, right at Vileplume. And Scyther…relax," Scyther simply closed it eyes; it's body relaxing in the grip of the vines. At the same time, Banette charged a ball of dark energy and fired it towards Vileplume.
"Victreebel! Intercept!" Lisa shouted quickly. Vileplume shifted it vines, placing Scyther in the path of the attack. The ball blasted into Scyther's limp body, it winced in obvious pain, "now Vileplume, Solar Beam!" Victreebel moved Scyther again, revealing Vileplume, the flower on it's head gleaming with energy. The glow focused and fired in a burst of power, slamming into the unsuspecting Banette. The ghost Pokémon was blasted backwards, slamming into the ground. It managed to pull itself up, but only just, another move would quickly finish it.
Tori watched in shock, the boy seemed to have the battle under control, but the gym leader had quickly turned the battle around, Scyther was trapped, and Banette was severely weakened. Gym leaders were a class above regular trainers. Yet, the boy remained, silently calculating the situation.
"Scyther, Air Slash," he commanded. Snapping it's eyes open, Scyther tensed it's body and suddenly, a powerful blade of air shot out from it body, slashing the vines to ribbons and slamming directly into Victreebel, putting it out of the fight. Free of it's bonds, Scyther turned it's gaze to Vileplume.
"Vileplume, hold it off with-" Lisa began, an edge of worry in her voice.
"Too slow," the boy cut her off, "X-Scissor!" Scyther charged forward with amazing speed from the Agility it had used when trapped. It slashed both blades down at Vileplume, dealing a powerful blow that sent Vileplume crashing to the floor. Lisa simply stared in shock.
"Finish it with Shadow Sneak Banette," forcing itself up, Banette stood still, seemingly doing nothing, but as Tori focused she saw that wasn't true. Banette's shadow was extending itself across the ground till it reached Vileplume. The shadow seemed to raise itself off of the ground and slashed into Vileplume. Having enough, Vileplume collapsed, unconscious. The fight was over.
The boy nodded at each of his Pokémon, congratulating them, before returning them to their Pokéballs. He moved up to Lisa, who had returned her own Pokémon, and stared at her, waiting for a response.
"So, you beat me again," she said, reaching into her pocket, pulling out a shining green badge, shaped like a sharp thorn, "do you wish to go outside to humiliate me, or is in here good enough for you?" the boy grabbed the badge, holding it in front of her eyes to observe it.
"Thank you," he said, Lisa started, this was that last thing she had expected to hear, "I'm not going to humiliate you. You've gotten stronger since last time, and you gave me an enjoyable battle," with those last words, he turned and left Lisa in stunned silence. Passing Tori, he headed back outside, and with one last backward glance at Lisa, Tori followed, Houndoom close behind.
The crowd was still waiting outside, but when they saw the badge the boy displayed above his head, they all quickly cleared away; there was nothing else to see. The group headed through town, obvious intent on leaving.
"So…" started Tori, "what are we going to do now?"
"Keep moving," the boy answered simply, "what else is there?"
"Are you going to challenge the rest of the gyms?" Tori slid the question in. As the boy opened his mouth the reply, a shout carried over to them.
"Hey! Don't you dare think this is over!" turning, they saw that it was Lisa who was yelling at them, it looked like she had ran from the gym, "we're gonna have another rematch someday, and I will beat you!"
"Looking forward to it!" the boy shouted back, and, staring at the silhouette of the Gym Leader, Tori could swear she saw a small smile on Lisa's face. But it vanished as she turned and headed back to town. Walking behind the boy and his Houndoom, Tori was amazed at all that had happened in two days, she had gone to a new town, seen a gym battle, and it all ended well! This adventured seemed to be starting out perfectly.
"Did you ever call your parents?" the boy's question interrupted her thoughts.
Well…almost perfect.
Wee! This took awhile, hope anyone who reads enjoys it, please R&R, especially if you have any thoughts on what will happen next!
