I am an enigma.
I'm not sure if Lucario quite understands that I don't even understand myself. I tried to show him that I missed him, I really did, but it didn't seem to come across as I had hoped.
He did, much to my elation, inquire about my travels.
"What is the most beautiful thing you have ever witnessed?" I could tell by the look on his face that he expected me to be shocked by this question. All that it told me is that he is barely clinging on to hope - a feeling that I know all too well.
Digging through the troves of my memories, I locate a session within my earlier travels. Lucario is waiting patiently, but I can tell that he's anxious to hear of any plights I have to offer. I'm not certain he can relate to what I am about to tell him, but I'd rather recall a fonder reminiscence of mine.
"I'll reveal to you this fraction of my heart. At the time of this memory, I was more similar to the apprentice you remember. You can bask in it for that fact at least."
"Go on."
...I'll choose to accept that as an invitation to begin the session.
The streets of Goldenrod city were vibrant with activity. It was a mid-summer day; waves of heat battered the masses crowding the pavement. Most all of the citizens had with them some form of protection, rather it be umbrellas, fans, or sunscreen, but one girl in particular bore only a dark-colored hat.
One could simply assume she came underprepared, but, in truth, she enjoyed the heat. It made her feel alive, but although the heat kept her in comfort, she was still confused as to why the city was so crowded.
The apprentice had visited Goldenrod to fight for a gym badge. Normally she was uninterested in such competitions, but there was nothing else to do. The girl had acted similarly in another region, but after being catapulted into another world from there and then thrown into this region, she found herself unable to complete the challenge.
She enjoyed Pokémon. The apprentice didn't care what was happening to her as long as she had them to tag along. She only kept a few with her that remained close to her heart; her companions were her friends, and she could never abandon them.
The crowd around her now was being herded together like a group of Mareep and shepherded through huge double doors. The apprentice, still befuddled, was also overcome with a sense of excitement. Unknown adventures crept around every corner.
Her excitement started to fade as the amplified body odor of all of the packed bodies began to accumulate around the girl. Her strength started to wane and the apprentice began feeling both famished and dehydrated. It felt like several hours had been wasted standing among the elated chittering surrounding her.
Finally she was handed a number. From where the extended sweaty arm originated was impossible to tell. All she knew was that it wouldn't be long before this began... whatever this was.
A loudspeaker boomed overhead, "Participants! Find your partner who has a number matching yours! If you did not get a number, please leave and try again next season!"
As several people began to clear out, giving the apprentice some needed breathing room, she observed the slip she'd been given.
"Thirteen," she read aloud.
"You're my partner?" The voice had emerged from a boy standing just behind her. Despite the heat, he wore a black jacket and jeans. His bright red hair - the color matching his personality, the girl thought - just reached his shoulders. "This has to be some kind of joke."
He swiped the slip from her paws as though she were a reprimanded Houndour. She felt a rush of blood that was immediately excused as adrenaline.
"Well I'll be damned. I'm damned." He stared at her accusingly, expecting a reply.
The apprentice instead made the mistake of asking, "What is this?" Her partner grunted.
"Why'd I have to get stuck with you," he lamented. "This is a Pokémon Contest in which you have to coordinate with a partner, get it? I hate doing this sort of thing already, but I need the prize money, so you'd better not screw up."
"What's a Pokémon Contest?" The boy slapped a palm to his forehead.
"Do you battle with Pokémon?"
"Yes," she answered, and he sighed with relief.
"It's a lot like that, you just have to use your moves to make it look all pretty. It's pretty lame, actually."
"That's weird," the apprentice commented. "When do we start?"
"We're already standing on our battleground, dimwit."
"I didn't-" He began walking away. "Hey! Where are you going?!"
"Would you hurry up?" He glanced back. "I thought you'd at least be faster physically."
How in Arceus's name am I supposed to deal with this guy?! The girl decided to swallow her pride and follow him without retort. They stopped when they found themselves standing inside of a rectangle drawn on the ground with chalk.
"It's time for the preliminary rounds!" The announcer shouted. "Participants, send out your Pokémon and show us what you've got!"
"By the way," said the boy, "The name's Silver."
"Silver? You mean the color of your eyes?" He recoiled as though the comment physically hurt, but quickly straightened.
"S-Sure, whatever. Typhlosion!" He pulled a Poké Ball out of his pocket and threw it. "Standby for battle!"
From the red energy-like substance emerged a Pokémon that the apprentice had never encountered. It reminded her of a large green lizard, but flames erupted from its back. The Pokémon seemed not only strong but full of fury just waiting to be unleashed.
Fire. I like fire. "I choose you, Charizard!" The girl had chosen the first Pokémon she'd received from another world; she had raised it from a Charmander during one of her very first adventures. It had grown from a timid salamander into a ferocious dragon. The Pokémon let loose a flurry of flames from its mouth upon entering the field.
"Fire meets fire," muttered Silver. "Hey, girl. You never told me your name. I'd like to know just so I'm sure I'm snapping the right person's neck in case you make us lose."
"I- I'm-" She gulped, not quite sure how to respond. He grinned, reveling in her shock. In any case... Do I give him a fake name, or not..? If I leave - which I most certainly will - I don't want to be remembered... Do I? "Amith."
"Amith? That's a weird name. Are you from Kalos or something?"
"What's a Kalos?"
"...Just make the first move. The judge is waiting on us." The apprentice hesitated, not quite sure how to approach the situation. "Hurry up!"
"Flare Blitz," she commanded. Charizard covered himself in flames and blasted into the air like a rocket from Mossdeep. "Dragon Rage, now." The dragon blew blue flames from his mouth while still shooting up, creating a swirling, iridescent mix of purples, reds, blues, and yellows trailing behind him.
"Use Eruption." A pillar of flame exploded from Typhlosion's back, firing straight into the air; unfortunately, the attack nicked Charizard's wing. After releasing a cry of pain, the dragon fell into a downward spiral ending in a crash landing.
"What the heck?! Why'd you do that?" Silver kept his eyes on Typhlosion.
"You should really stay out of my way. Rollout, now." The lizard curled into a ball, fire still erupting from its back, and spun around. Fire was being spewed everywhere, and eventually its force became enough to propel Typhlosion into the air, creating a giant circle of flames.
Amith watched helplessly as the lava pummeled her own Pokémon. By the time Silver's had finished its combo, Charizard was barely able to stand.
"Are you alright?" The dragon roared, but it lacked the enthusiasm it had before. The apprentice whipped around to face her partner. "How could you? We're supposed to work together. That's the whole point of this contest!"
"I'm just doing what I know how to do. If you stay out of the way, we'll do alright, get it? I can win by myself."
"That's not what coordination is! You can't win by yourself! In any case, you need your Pokémon, right?"
"I just need the money," he stated. "Look at that. We only barely made it into round two because of your mistakes. We're in last place right now." She stared at a huge screen built into the wall above them. Numbers and moving bars made up the scores that were displayed. She didn't understand the scoring, so she took her partner's word for it.
"Can't we just try to work together..?"
"The next round will be against two other contestants," he said, ignoring her question. "We'll have to outdo them if we want to win."
"Do we have to go somewhere?"
"No. They come to us this time." As if by cue, two men who looked identical entered their arena.
"Are those guys clones?!"
"No, you dolt. They're twins. Now, focus. If you want to switch, now's the time to do it." Amith wanted to stick with Charizard.
"I choose you, Volbeat!"
"Let's go, Illumise!"
"Even their voices are the same." The apprentice shuddered.
"Typhlosion, use Earthquake."
"Fly, quick!" The dragon was barely able to escape the earth shattering move. "I thought that these contests were about beauty?"
"Nothing more beautiful than a little disheveled dirt," he answered with a smirk. Their opponents seemed jarred by the swift onslaught, so the apprentice took her opportunity.
"Use Dragon Rush!" Charizard fell into a steep descent, tucked wings lighting with blue sparks until it collided with Illumise.
"Let's go with Helping Hand, Volbeat!" The bug began buzzing around in a form of dance. Illumise perked up at the sound of it.
"Zen Headbutt!" The purple bug became cloaked in a blue aura. It struck Charizard with such force that the dragon was thrown backward; Amith was surprised by the amount of strength packed in such a small Pokémon.
"Typhlosion. Fire Blast." The lizard shot a huge furry of flames that would consume both targets if it hit.
"Charizard, use Seismic Toss to grab them both!" The Pokémon flew forward at an alarming speed and managed to grasp both of the opposing insects in its claws. They squirmed, attempting all sorts of methods and moves to escape, but to no avail. Fire Blast made a direct hit and knocked them both out, and though Charizard was hurt as well, it had minimal effect.
It was only when the twins trudged off, their heads hung in shame, that Amith realized that Charizard was paralyzed.
"We've moved up in the standings. I told you that I could manage this myself." The apprentice felt the overwhelming need to tell him that her aid was invaluable, but she broke off in a sprint to help her Pokémon recover. When she had returned, her partner stated, "What a waste of resources. You should've just replaced it with another."
"No. He's my partner. We see this through together." Silver snorted, but said nothing until the next batch of opponents arrived.
"Return, Typhlosion. Sneasel, standby for battle!"
"Let's do this, Stunfisk!"
"Drapion, you're up."
"...They made it all this way with a Stunfisk and a Drapion?"
"Hey. You're not the judge. Focus on winning." She growled, but prepared to take the first movement. A glint from something shiny caught her eye as she observed the field; Stunfisk held a small blue gem in its beak.
"Use Surf, Stunfisk!" It was only as the blue gem disappeared in wake of the tremendous wave barreling towards them that the apprentice recognized the item.
It's too strong..! "Charizard, no!" With a terrifying splash the wave crashed into Drapion, Sneasel and Charizard. In the aftermath, the dragon of flames had fallen unconscious. Amith recalled the Pokémon, ashamed by the brevity of his fight.
"Partners, indeed. A lot of good he did you."
"Shut up! He's my friend!" Silver laughed.
"I don't suppose you have many friends if they end up like that. Sneasel, use Blizzard." A barrage of snow and ice formed around the arena, throwing itself upon Drapion and Stunfisk.
"You're not very nice, Silver..." The apprentice's violet eyes started to shine.
"I don't have to be." He started to give another order, but was cut off by one of the opposing trainers.
"X-Scissor, Drapion!" The purple scorpion burst from a pile of snow and sliced at Sneasel with its pinchers.
"I don't understand... This is meant to be spectacle of beauty, but we're treating it like a battle..."
"Survival of the fittest. Still, even if I get knocked out, there's still a chance we could-"
"Thunderbolt!" Stunfisk charged then released a stream of bright yellow electricity, striking Sneasel again. The Ice-type cried out and fell.
Silver's face contorted in anger as he brought the Pokémon back to its ball. "Worthless piece of-"
"Team thirteen has been eliminated! Congratulations to team Twenty-one!" Silver shouted in anger and grief.
"This is all your fault. If you don't get me that money somehow I swear I'll-"
"What did you need it for?" The apprentice's never ending curiosity seemed to cool the boy's anger. He lowered his head to where his face was covered in a dark shadow. He was breathing heavily.
"...Her operation."
Amith was confused, just as she had been when this day began. She wanted to ask more, wanted to help him, wanted him to not be angry and sad. All of these emotions only escalated when she was shot into another world, not of her own choice, but of some divine's cruel whim.
The same question always came to her mind - one not of hope, love, or faith, but of despondent consternation.
Why me..?
Author's Note: Prompt for this entry was, "For this theme we will be visiting the more aesthetic side of Pokemon, Pokemon Contests. Here, use your creativity and wonderful imagery to either take part in, or observe, or something else I'm not thinking of right now, a Pokemon Contest."
I love writing contests! ^^