Reason for an Umbreon: Rubello Town Contest

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Pokémon

AN: Really, if you don't like that I make Haruka the villain in this story then go find another story. And please stop using my story's review section as a forum for you guys to communicate with one another. It's really annoying to have to read reviews that don't help improve anything.

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

: Pokémon Speech :

: Pokémon Thoughts :

Mr. Sukizo gave a deep sigh as he began reading through the folder of legal files and newspaper articles. It was always saddening to hear about, much less see, human cruelty to Pokémon. The only sounds breaking the deafening silence in the small office of the Pokémon Center were that of shuffling paper and human breathing.

"Is that so?" Mr. Contesta spoke as he laced his hands back together, the reports of crime racing through his mind. It wasn't every day or even year that the Pokémon Activities Committee was confronted with the issue of coordinators having criminal records. Normally, the clerks who issue the Contest Passes were supposed to do a thorough check on the pass applicant's background before issuing the pass. Despite some having criminal records, certain past crimes (such as petty crimes, traffic violations, and etc.) still allowed coordinators to be issued their Contest Pass; however, serious crimes and all crimes involving Pokémon would prohibit the applicant from receiving a pass.

"Yes, Contesta-dono," Manami answered promptly, her form utterly stiff from the tension in the office.

"And how would you like us to go about banning Touka-san?" Mr. Contesta inquired. "As you also know, it is the judge implementing disciplinary action that decides the punishment's severity and duration."

"Like before, I would like to request a permanent ban to be placed on Touka-san. She doesn't belong with the rest of us Coordinators, and a person willing to abuse Pokémon once is willing to do so again."

"By enacting her ban, we will also have to conduct an investigation into the clerks in charge of the three Pokémon Contests that Haruka Touka-san had entered before. As you know, with her record Touka-san should not have even been permitted to compete in her first Pokémon Contest much less issued a competitor's Contest Pass," Mr. Contesta explained. It amazed the Chief of the National Pokémon Association's Pokémon Activities Committee that his subordinates had let such a thing to slip through the system. They were going to have to be very through in their investigation especially for corruption, which happened easier at the lower levels. "It could be a problem as one of the cities being investigated will be Slateport City, which you know is where the Hoenn Grand Festival is held annually. Hopefully, the investigation will be completed within the next four months before the Grand Festival."

In Hoenn there existed two types of Contest Passes for Pokémon Contests, and one type of Contest Pass in the other regions. The two Contest Passes in Hoenn were not the same and one could not be substituted for the other. Unlike the other regions with Pokémon Contests, Hoenn required that all audience members have or register for a viewer's Contest Pass to be able enter the Contest Hall and watch Pokémon Contests. The viewer's Contest Pass did not allow Pokémon Coordinators to enter Pokémon Contests. The other pass, known as the competitor's Contest Pass, allowed Pokémon Coordinators to compete in Pokémon Contests. Coordinators in every region were required to register for and have the competitor's Contest Pass to be able to compete in a Pokémon Contest. The competitor's Contest Pass is only issued if the Coordinator passes his or her background check.

"And what are you going to do with the two Ribbons she had won?" Mr. Sukizo asked as he placed the files down on the office, no longer able to or willing to continue reading the case.

"She earned those Ribbons, so I won't have them revoked even though she shouldn't have been able to get them in the first place," Manami replied, crossing her arms as she continued to explain. "I want her to have a reminder of what her actions had cost her."

"Though that seems rather harsh, I think it would be for the best," Nurse Joy added in. "Although it's been nearly six years since that incident, crimes of this kind are never expunged from a person's record no matter the person's age. If a person is willing to do something like this at such a young age, they're more likely and willing to do so again later on."

"What will you do if Touka-san challenges you on your decision?" Mr. Contesta asked in concern. Out of all the Pokémon Coordinators he had worked with over the years, Manami was one of his favorites right next to Mikuri, Melissa, and Ayako; and he was worried about her and her current strictness. He understood and could sympathize with the teen. After all, the incident they had been discussing had taken place shortly after Manami had won her very first Grand Festival in Johto's Goldenrod City, and it was distressing for any trainer to have their precious Pokémon attacked so brutally after such an immense victory.

"If she does, I would consider lessening the ban depending on how well she does against me in a Contest style double battle," the purple haired girl replied. "Even if she's a new trainer, Nokoribi, Madoka, and I won't go easy on her."

"Very well," Mr. Sukizo sighed, assenting to the decision before any of the other adults. He may be upset with the current situation, but he was more excited to see Manami's Ninetales and Beautifly battle again. It had been a long time since those two Pokémon had appeared in a Pokémon Contest, much less be in a double battle together. "Then no matter her actions tomorrow, Touka-san will no longer be allowed to compete in contests, correct?"

"If you and Contesta-dono would allow it," Manami politely requested.

"In the end, we'll be allowing her this single exemption to compete in the Rubello Town Pokémon Contest so we can gain information to decide whether or not a larger investigation would be needed. If that's all, we'll leave the rest of the disciplinary action to you, Manami-kun," Mr. Contesta announced, nodding his head in agreement with the Coordinator's choice. "I'll make a call to the Pokémon Association to begin an immediate investigation into this matter."

Manami gasped as an idea formed in her mind. Turning quickly to the Pokémon nurse, the silver-eyed Coordinator asked, "Joy-san, could I request something of you as well?"

"Of course, what is it?" Nurse Joy asked blinkingly.

"Could you look up Touka-san's information such as her trainer's license and Pokémon?" Manami asked, her eyes no longer frozen glaciers but still as hard as steel. "If I'm right, an investigation into the Petalburg Gym and Gym Leader Senri will have to be initiated. And if Touka-san has a Pokédex and a Torchic as her starter Pokémon, an additional investigation into the Pokémon researcher that had issued them to her would have to be launched as well. Per the agreement to allow Touka-san to take the Pokémon trainer's license exam when she came of age, she was prohibited from receiving a Fire-type as her starter Pokémon," Manami continued to explain as Nurse Joy went to ask why.

It was internationally known that the only people who could obtain a region's official starter Pokémon from either a Nurse Joy or a Pokémon Researcher were trainers who have passed the Pokémon trainer's license exam on their first try. All ten and nine year olds were required to take the exam and could choose (within a certain time frame) when they began their official Pokémon journey depending on if the examinees pass. Legally, the earliest a licensed trainer could begin their official Pokémon journey after receiving and responding to the Pokémon Association's official letter was in early mid-March, and the latest was in late September.

Passing trainers could choose to begin their official journey with an official "starter" Pokémon, a Pokémon they already have, or with both. Failing potential trainers must re-take the exam in June or join the next set of nine-year-olds and ten-year-olds in the December exam to gain their license. The trainers that had to re-take the exam were forbidden from obtaining a "starter" Pokémon from the Pokémon Association and its related facilities, and must catch their own starter Pokémon or be given one by their parents.

When the results for the December exam are announced in late January, the regional branch of the Pokémon Association would select nine of their new official trainers to receive a Pokédex. The selected trainers were always the ones who passed the exam on their first try, and received high scores on the overall exam. Only the top nine trainers were ever chosen to be the lucky few to receive a Pokédex to help guide them on their journey and to act as the trainer's identification pass. The trainers who do not have a Pokédex were instead issued an ID card that would act similarly to the Pokédex and would transport the trainer's excess Pokémon to the Pokémon Center of the trainer's hometown.

The trainer's license exam consisted of testing trainers on the basics about Pokémon and living on the road in four parts; one theory and three practical. In the theory portion, examinees were tested on the different Pokémon types, each type's weaknesses, immunities, and advantages, and Pokémon attacks. The practical parts of the exam tested trainers on their abilities in Pokémon battles, on Pokémon care and interaction, and travel survival. To be recognized as a licensed trainer, an examinee had to score well on three of the four part exam with an emphasis on the theory portion and the two later practical tests; the Pokémon Association and the government didn't want children, who weren't able to take care of themselves, out traveling on their own.

From what Manami remembered of the brat that she had the greatest misfortune of ever meeting, she doubted Haruka had passed any part of the exam. Unless Haruka's parents finally smartened up and taught their eldest child something about Pokémon, the silver-eyed teen would bet anything that Haruka had not actually passed the license exam and that the girl's father, gym leader Senri, had pulled some strings for his dear little girl.

"Oh my! How can a gym leader do something so illegal? We can't let something like that happen in the Pokémon League," the Pokémon nurse gasped before she turned to the single computer in the office. "It's a serious offense, if what you're implying is true Manami-kun. The Petalburg Gym is going to be in a whole lot trouble once this contest is finished, and it's probably going to be in need of a new gym leader too. Being a new gym leader, Senri-san has a high chance of having his gym leader license revoked if it turns out that he had interfered in the exam and falsified his daughter's records and documents. I'll have to inform the PIA (Pokémon Inspection Agency) immediately," Nurse Joy said as she connected to the Pokémon Association's trainer database.

"Thank you, Joy-san," Manami said, bowing her head in gratitude.

"It's the very least I can do, Manami-kun. I can't just let something like this slip by. It just isn't right," Nurse Joy called back. "And it'll only take me a few minutes to get everything in order and the PIA notified, so you and everyone else should go enjoy yourself. It seems like some of your friends are here too, so why not enjoy your time with them before the contest begins."

"If that is all, this meeting is adjourned. Thank you for having us, Joy-san," Mr. Contesta thanked before he made to leave the office. He stood by the door as he waited for his fellow judges to exit.

"But I thought the judge's rule book says judges aren't allowed to interact with the competitors until the contest is over," Manami grumbled to herself as she followed the Pokémon Fan Club president and the committee chief out of the office.

"It's true that it says that," Mr. Contesta said, hearing what the teenager had said. "But that only applies to the eighteen hours before a contest."

"Really?" Manami asked, her silver eyes blinking in surprise

"It's truly remarkable isn't it?" Mr. Sukizo smiled, happy to see the Coordinator act like the fifteen-year-old that she was.

"Sukizo-san, why don't you explain some of the rules for Manami-kun while I call the association? I'm sure even after six months of being in the Pokémon Association, she's still a little confused over some of the rules we judges have to follow," the chief suggested.

"It would be my pleasure to help," the Pokémon Fan Club president agreed. "We'll have a remarkable time, Manami-kun."

"Great, we'll have another meeting when Vivian arrives tomorrow morning," Mr. Contesta told his two colleagues. "We'll be informing her of the situation, and be going over the setup of the contest hall."

"Of course," Manami and the Fan Club president replied.

"I'll see you at the hotel later, Contesta-san," Mr. Sukizo said as he guided the silver-eyed teen to an open table in the Pokémon Center's lobby.

"Thank you, Sukizo-dono. I'm sorry for any inconvenience I may be causing you," Manami apologized as she slid into a seat at an open booth opposite of the older judge.

"It's fine," the president waved off before continuing. "And I must say, congratulations, Manami-kun. You've only been in the Pokémon Association's Investigation committee for a few months, and you've already found and cracked a case!" Mr. Sukizo praised. "Now what was that organization called again Pokémon A-men…? P-men…? Oh, I know! It's the Pokémon G—"

Before Mr. Sukizo could finish his sentence, he was promptly quieted by a hand over his mouth. "Shh!" shushed Manami "Please don't speak so loudly, Sukizo-dono. You know our committee is supposed to be kept a secret." The purple haired teenager sighed in relief and pulled her hand away when the fan club president nodded his head in understanding.

The Pokémon G-Men was one of the committees that are run by the International Pokémon Association, which also presides over the Pokémon League Competition Committee, Pokémon Contests, and other Pokémon related activities. The Pokémon G-Men was a secret organization within the Pokémon Association; people not within this specific committee often associated the G-Men with the Pokémon Rangers Union and the Pokémon League's sub-committee, the Pokémon Inspectors Agency.

Though inspecting official and potential Pokémon League Gyms was not a part of the responsibilities of the Pokémon G-Men, even if it was only on the gym and gym leader's background information, it was not out of the group's jurisdiction, which was why the G-Men were often times mistaken for the PIA inspectors. Protecting Pokémon reserves and Pokémon was also partially within the scope of a Pokémon G-Men's job, but unlike Pokémon Rangers the G-Men were not restricted to specified areas.

The responsibilities of the Pokémon G-Men mainly consisted of investigating mysterious happenings, preventing major crises and crimes involving Pokémon, and thwarting the plans of criminal organizations. Most of the Pokémon G-Men had to carry out these responsibilities by going undercover to infiltrate whatever organization that was being investigated. Some examples would be the incident with the red Gyarados and Team Rocket that Manami's colleague Wataru had taken care of, and Johto Elite Four members Karin and Itsuki's current infiltration of Team Rocket. Their members sometimes also acted as substitute Gym Leaders for when a gym's actual Gym Leader has their license revoked and is in need of a new Gym Leader or when a gym's Gym Leader goes on vacation or missing. Because of their responsibilities the Pokémon G-Men organization was also sometimes referred to as the Pokémon Association's Investigation Committee.

Though it hadn't been the Top Coordinator's idea or plan to join the Investigation Committee, she didn't exactly have a choice in the matter. The Pokémon G-Men was consisted of all the Elite Four members and their Champions, both former and current ones, from each of the regions that the Pokémon Association presided over. And as she had ended up in a three-way tie with her two older brother figures at the Hoenn Champion League, which begins whenever the Hoenn League Ever Grande Conference winner starts their Elite Four challenge, she had ended up becoming one of Hoenn's three Elite Four Champions.

As a member of the organization, the Pokémon G-Men were required to patrol their reigning region every now and then, and to keep things in order; a bit of a bother for her, Mikuri, and Daigo as all three of the Hoenn Champions preferred to travel around doing their own thing. Luckily, being a G-Men didn't require the Champions to stay within their region; she would have hated to be confined to single place all the time.

"I'm sorry, Manami-kun, but I truly am amazed by what you can do," Mr. Sukizo apologized. "Now tell me, which rules are you having trouble with? Being a Coordinator for nearly seven years, you should know how everything in a Pokémon Contest goes."

"Just these," Manami said, pointing to a page in the judge's rulebook that she had pulled out from her bag. "The rules about the contest don't bother me, but it's some of these rules that apply to the judges that I'm not too sure about."

"Oh, well this one means…" began Mr. Sukizo as he started to explain the regulations to the newest Pokémon Contest judge.

"So… I can still do this even when…"

"Yes, and you can even do other things like…"

Manami's Pokémon Mentioned:

Ninetales—Nokoribi [F]

Beautifly—Madoka [F]

Current Ages and Birth Months [Currently September]: (Oldest to Youngest)

May – Takeshi—21

May – Satoshi—16

October – Kasumi—15

November – Shigeru—15

January – Manami—15

February – Shu—11

March – Haruka—11

October – Masato—7

AN: If you re-watch episode one of the original Pokémon series, you'll hear Satoshi mention that he just got his trainer license. And with my version of the exam, even I wonder how he got one of the Pokédex. Don't you think it's just sad that he's one of the top nine trainers of his year in Kanto with how he was at the beginning of his journey? You've got to think just how bad the other trainers in his year are… and the majority of the Kanto region. The biggest example of the everyday Kanto trainers being the other trainers competing against Kasumi and Musashi in the Princess Day/Hinamatsuri's Queen of the Princess Festival contest. Hoenn trainers, on the other hand, aren't all that bad. Just take a look at the ladies in Sootopolis City.

AN 2: I really wanted to make Shu the one who won the Verdanturf Pokémon Contest, but then Haruka wouldn't be the pompous brat that she is in these two episodes and his worry for his Roselia prevented him from entering the contest with his other Pokémon altogether. In my story, Shu started his journey a year earlier than Haruka because his birthday is in the winter season and he should have more Pokémon than just his Roselia by then. I'm going with the belief that all trainers get their official "starter" Pokémon the April following their tenth birthday.

AN 3: I actually have an explanation on why Musashi was able to get a Contest Pass. Even though she's a Team Rocket member, she's so bad at being a criminal she has never been convicted of a crime. She has either failed every crime she has tried to commit or has never been caught long enough for the police to have her registered into the database.

AN 4: Yes, this hates on Haruka, Senri/Norman, and Professor Odamaki/Birch rather badly, and I don't give a damn. If a ten-year-old is considered responsible enough to travel around on his/her own, then a six to seven-year-old is old enough to be responsible for his/her actions in the Pokémon world.

Pokémon Contests: By my calculations, in the four regions that have Pokémon Contest a contest takes place every 2.5 half days. Each region holds a Pokémon Contest every ten or so days, which makes three (sometimes two or four) contests are held a month per region depending on when the Grand Festivals or the Mikuri Cup are held. Some contests may have a large time apart from each other because of Grand Festivals in other regions. Such as the two weeks before the Pacifidlog Contest. In this story the Pacifidlog Contest takes place in the same month as but after the Kanto Grand Festival. I don't know about you guys, but I feel sorry for Mr. Contesta and Mr. Sukizo for how much they have to travel around.