A girl waited anxiously at the edge of the platform, her blue-green eyes gazing restlessly down the endless train tracks. Her long blonde hair messily hung down her back, wafting in the wind in its usual waves of mass hair. The long, almost curly strands that hid her ears blew about gently, as she instinctively kept pushing them behind her ears. Holding a pale hand to her face in an effort to keep the sunlight out, she searched for any sign of the missing train. It should have been here by now. Did it come early? Did she miss it? Oh how embarrassing that would be, and all because she forgot her bags!
This, dear trainers, was Rosanna, an excited, budding trainer who had gotten accepted to the prestigious Silver Scarlet Academy. She was almost of average height for a 14 year old girl, but a little on the short side, with a light hearted, creative, and sweet personality. Her build was light, not quite skinny enough to be considered thin. A long, trailing silvery white scarf hung around her neck, bring out the bold colors of her colorful knit sweater and blending with the dull gray of her sweat pants. A red Gracidea flower was pinned to the right side of her head, holding as much hair as it possibly could. Whether or not the outfit particularly matched was not a big concern of hers. She was not a fan of the usual girly look anyways, so she did not particularly care. The girl's eyes were on a much more exciting prize. Not only would this be her first step into her own journey, but her first time actually being away from home. She would be able to meet people and, even better, Pokémon from all over the world, and learn from some of the best professors in the field. All she had to do, though, was catch the train. Despite being fairly observant, she also was strangely very oblivious and forgetful. And that was why she was panicking.
It was a fairly nice day out. The sun sparkled merrily in the sky, as puffy white clouds floating lazily by. There was a light breeze that rustled the green trees and flowers. People milled about, going about their lives and business, and awaiting their own transportation. But even as serene and lovely as nature was at the moment, Rosanna still kept checking the clock at the center of the white and yellow station.
"I guess I must've missed it," she sighed, checking the clock hastily, "I wonder how I'm supposed to get there now? I could-"
Just then a loud whistle cut her off as a familiar Pokémon cried out, "Sew! Sewaddle!" Tailor, her Sewaddle partner, leaped up and down from where he sat on her head, doing everything in his power to alert his trainer.
Rosanna quickly whirled around just in time to see a silver and scarlet train come to a screeching halt in front of the station, like a giant phoenix. The golden outline of a Poke Ball with two large cursive silvery "S"s swirling about the middle, their tails forming intricate designs around the outside, blazed proudly on the sides of the train. The emblem of Silver Scarlet Academy couldn't have been a bigger relief or seem more amazing to Rosanna than it was at that moment. The train glittered, paint fresh, and wheels polished, pausing to let out a huge breathy sigh of steam.
"All students aboard who are going to Silver Scarlet Academy!" the conductor shouted, snapping Rosanna out of her daze. Hastily pulling out her red and gray ticket, along with several bags of luggage behind her, Rosanna reached the man relieved. Showing him her ticket before he could ask, the conductor chuckled, "A bit eager are we? Sorry about being behind schedule; our Torkoal and Slugma had trouble getting going this morning. Well, everything seems to be in order, Miss. Seamheart, you may board. Your luggage shall be stored for you."
"Thank you sir," Rosanna politely responded, watching as a group of men and Pokémon carefully lifted her suitcases away before boarding. The train was much more crowded than she thought, and there were few available seats left. Soon finding out that it would be impossible to get a seat to herself, she sighed and sat down in the nearest one. The train wasted no time, and soon the scarlet engine roared back to life, racing down the tracks once more.
Finally able to relax, Rosanna casted a glance out the window, enjoying the bright, grassy green fields and forests. Wonder what mom and dad are up to now without me there, she mused. She almost missed the shape of a person next to her.
Huddled against the window was a girl about her age, small and thin. Her hair, at least what Rosanna was able to see was long, falling to about her mid back, and pale pink in color. Part of the back was held up by a white rose clip, letting the rest fall neatly and loosely. Her face was turned away, but Rosanna could tell that she had bangs that swept to the left, hiding that portion of her face from view, and sported two mysteriously longer strands that framed the sides of her face. She appeared to have headphones in and was listening to music. She was writing something inside a small journal.
Tapping her on the shoulder, hoping to get her attention, Rosanna nervously said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to just plop myself down here without asking permission."
The girl, pulling out a headphone, faced her, only nodding and replied with, "That's fine." Her right eye was a pretty sea green, with two small markings underneath that accented her peach skin. They resembled small teardrops. She could only wonder if they were a birthmark or a tattoo. Her gray hoodie was baggy on her and hid the rest of her body from view, but hey, Rosanna didn't blame her. She preferred comfort over fashion any day.
As if sensing an awkward conversation about to begin, the girl wasted no time turning back around.
Rosanna tapped once more on her shoulder, wanting to at least know her name. Who knew? Maybe she would be her first friend? When the girl came to face her again, Rosanna smiled shyly and introduced herself, "Umm... Sorry to bug you again, but I kind of didn't introduce myself. My name is Rosanna, pleased to meet you. And this is my Sewaddle, Tailor." The said Pokémon gave a jolly cry, as Rosanna lifted him down from her head for the girl to see.
The girl tentatively paused for a moment, as if thinking about the consequences of involving herself in the conversation, before quietly responding with, "My name is Alita. Nice to meet you two..." After that, Alita went back to her music and journal silently.
Not wanting to bug her anymore than necessary, Rosanna decided to give her some space. It did no good to be pushy, especially to those who didn't want to talk. Instead she focused out the window, whispering to Tailor, "Look at the pretty trees and grass racing by. It sure is exciting isn't it? I'm so giddy and nervous that I feel like I'm filled with Butterfrees!"
"Sew!" her partner agreed merrily, before pointing curiously at one of Alita's Poke balls, "Waddle? Sewaddle Sew Sew Sewaddle?"
"Don't touch that now Tailor," she whispered, before giggling a little, "I'm sure we will meet lots of new Pokemon, but not now." Her partner nodded ecstatically, before crawling back up to her head, letting out a big yawn. In a flash, the small caterpillar curled up and folded his hood over his face, drifting off into sleep. Smiling, Rosanna kept herself busy daydreaming, feeding her imagination and fantasies about the school.
At some point she must have fallen asleep as well, because Rosanna remembered waking up nearly halfway off her seat. Another stop forced the train to a skidding halt in front of yet another cream colored station.
"They really should slow down a bit more in advance," she heard a student mutter in the seat ahead of her, "Could they be any faster?" Rosanna couldn't have agreed more, reaching up to pet Tailor. However, the small caterpillar Pokemon was not there. Rosanna began to panic, searching desperately for any sight of the Bug and Grass type, hoping the poor creature was alright. He must've flown off her head when the cart stopped! Her nerves were answered when there was a shriek, followed by another.
"Ah! There's something on the back of my head! Get it off! Get it off!"
"Stop moving, your making it worse!" the dark haired boy ahead of her said, "It's only a Sewaddle. It's just a small Bug type, calm down."
"Easy for you to say! Grab it!"
"I don't want to touch it." However, taking a deep breath, the dark haired boy eventually agreed to pull out the poor struggling bug. Plucking her frightened and angry Sewaddle off the back of the other kid's head, Rosanna tried to warn the boy as he lifted Tailor to eye level. Oh no. Tailor immediately sprayed silk and string all over the surprised boy's face, glaring at him. The boy was not pleased, and tried to maintain a cool demeanor, though his arms were beginning to quiver.
"Tailor! You know better than that!" Rosanna cried, causing the boy to turn around. His eyes were a stunning electric blue, calm and placid in appearance.
His mouth twitched slightly, "Is this your Sewaddle?"
"Yes, I'm so sorry about this mess!" Rosanna apologized frantically. Tailor, once catching sight of his trainer, leaped out of the boy's arms crying happily. Even though there was no movement of expression, Rosanna could have sworn the boy was relieved to be rid of the Bug type.
Shockingly, the boy only gave a small chuckle, "Believe or not, this isn't the first time this has happened. I've never been good around Bug types. They're hard to raise for me. My name is Kevin by the way. I'm not going to lie, that scared me a little." He didn't seem to be the kind of person to be easily shaken up by something so small, not to mention to screech like a little girl, but Rosanna chose to say nothing.
"O-Oh, I'm Rosanna," she bashfully replied, helping him get the silk off his body, "You've already met Tailor. I'm sorry. It's not your fault; Tailor dislikes -no, more like he distrusts guys and new people around me, and its worse when he's scared. I can't tell how many times he's done that to people, even my own dad! It will get better when he warms up to everybody."
Kevin became very quiet after that, withdrawing from the conversation. "It was nice to meet you," he stated, before turning back around. Rosanna's worries once again decided to visit her today. What did she say? Was there something on her face? Everybody she talked to today so far just wanted to get out of it.
The train hissed, roaring as it took off once more. A couple of students hurried down the aisle, hoping to grab a seat, before it picked up too much speed. Hearing a sigh, Rosanna turned her head in Alita's direction. The girl only stared down at a small device, before taking out her headphones and muttering, "I thought I charged it this morning..."
"Is something the matter?" Rosanna asked curiously.
"O-Oh... It's nothing much. My music player just stopped," she shyly glanced about the train, not wanting to make eye contact.
"Oh that sucks. What kind of music do you like?"
Her eyes brightened up. "Oh all sorts. I especially like art rock, soul, and baroque pop the best. I even write some of my own," she added with a small, shy smile, "It's not very good, but its a fun hobby you know?" That's all it took to get the shy girl to finally start talking. Rosanna learned about what art rock and baroque soul even was, listening intently to Alita's explanation. She was even had heterochromia iridium: that is to say, her eyes were two separate colors. There was the green one Rosanna had already seen, and the red one that was hidden. How cool! The two even had signed up for a similar course: they were both in Appeal, and even shared a love for reading and books and mythology.
"Where are you from?" Rosanna finally asked.
"Kalos."
"Wow that must be amazing. I've always wanted to see Kalos. It has some of the prettiest sights in the world, not to mention delicious pastry shops and food," Rosanna admired in awe, dreaming.
Alita only blushed modestly, "I-It's not all that great. Where are you from, Rosanna?"
"You can call me Rosey. I'm from a small town in Unova."
"What's it like?"
"Very diverse. Large cities in one place, country the next. Not to mention that seasonal changes are very pronounced and shift in and out. I like it, but I've always wanted to travel the world." Rosanna sighed, "My mother wouldn't hear of it and let me go do it though. At least I get to go here, right?"
Alita nodded, "That's good."
"Do you know when we'll reach the actual Academy? I feel like I've been on this train for at least two hours."
The pinkette pulled out a watch, but shook her head in dismay, "We don't reach Silver Scarlet Academy for another hour or two. The train was behind schedule."
Wondering about what she would do to pass the time, Rosanna watched as some students got up from their seats and headed to the back. That was the third time today. Curious, she tried to get the attention of one, "Excuse me, but where are you all heading?"
"Didn't you know? At the back of the train there are some battle compartments for trainers," one explained, hazel eyes glittering. Shaggy, light sandy brown hair fell to his ears and neck, framing his face. He wore a simple white buttoned collar shirt, with a green and brown vest over it. Matching beige pants clung to his legs, sliding down until they reached his patterned boots, where the sank down into the unseen depths.
Battle compartments? She remembered hearing some rumors about that. It was just like the Battle Subway back home!
"Yeah, but they're only for good, experienced trainers, not weak freshmen like you," the other sneered. Short dark hair sat upon his head, bangs hanging over his forehead like the teeth of some beast, and dark green and fierce looking. His jeans rippled as he shifted back and forth in his sneakers and on his feet, as if expecting a fight any time soon.
"Jake, leave her alone." the other warned, but it was too late.
Rosanna felt her blood run hot. "What do you mean only for "good trainers"?" she asked slowly.
"You're a freshman, correct? Your at the bottom of the chain, compared to us juniors. And look, how cute! She has a Sewaddle!" captain jackwagon "Jake" teased.
At that last remark, Tailor began to growl, glaring at the two. "What does my Sewaddle have anything to do with this?" Rosanna demanded, wondering why the hell they were being such jerks. All she did was want to know where they were heading to, and so they insulted her? Well, one actually. The friend seemed embarrassed and face palmed.
"It's a Bug and Grass type, giving it six weaknesses to have to defend against. It useless to train, I mean unless it evolves, but even then there are so many other better Pokémon to choose," Jake shrugged. Now if there was one Rosanna couldn't stand, it was when people looked down on other Pokémon, or should she say, "weak" Pokémon. Especially when people insulted her own choices. Usually though, she preferred to stay silent and ignore it, but this guy was asking for a beat down. Rosanna felt Tailor tensing up, and could practically feel the Pokémon's glare.
"Oh well, I'd rather have a Bug and Grass type than an arrogant and jerk type," she decided to respond with.
Jake's expression soured. "How rude. Somebody needs to teach you some manners about how to talk to upper classmen. If you think you're so great, than I challenge you and your Sewaddle to a double battle. Hope you have a partner ready," he smirked, grabbing the arm of his friend. Rosanna frantically looked back at Alita, who only shook her head and sank into meekness. What was she to do? She only had two of her Pokémon with her at the moment; the rest were being delivered separately! She would be in big trouble if they declared anything larger than a one on one fight. Rosanna prayed for a miracle.
"You know, that's not really all that fair. But I don't suppose you know any better." Shockingly, Kevin stood up coolly and gazed at Jake with disinterest, raising an eyebrow ever so slightly, "You may be a junior, but you're acting just like a grade-schooler." Rosanna was finally able to see what he was wearing: black shorts, dark blue T-shirt with Cerulean City embroidered on it, a black jacket that hung loosely off, and dark green Nike shoes. A silver wristband with a cut sapphire in the center wrapped around his wrists.
"Who are you and said you could join in on our discussion?" Jake scowled.
"I was under the impression this was a double battle. My name is Kevin Watersoul, and I will be your worst nightmare if you don't shut up soon." He nodded in my direction, "I will join on Rosanna's side, if she would like."
Even though she hardly knew him, something was defiantly better than nothing! Not to mention that this guy really had it coming. Deciding to give it a shot, Rosanna nodded back, "Thank you, I would be honored."
The pairs made their way to the back of the train where the battle compartments waited. Hundreds of whispering eyes followed them the entire trip, making Rosanna feel uneasy. She nervously approached the green line, which was he place for the battle. What had she done? What happened if they lost? Rosanna couldn't bear the thought of being taunted more. She glanced over at her temporary partner, who appeared as calm and collected as ever.
"Relax, and stay focused," he replied, gripping a Poke ball in one hand, "we're going to need it. We have never battled together before, so we both need to pay attention."
Rosanna nodded, "You know you didn't have to do this, considering we hardly know each other."
"Yeah, but that kid was starting to annoy the hell out of me. I can't stand people like him."
"It'll be four on four, each trainer choosing two Pokémon to use. You two okay with that?" the hazel eyed boy asked. Upon receiving no complaints he threw a Poke ball up into the air, shouting, "Alright, let's get this over with. Let's go, Wooly!" The Poke ball cracked open as an explosion of white poured forth from the inside. It took shape into a familiar pink, bipedal sheep Pokemon.
"Flaaffy," it baaed, the blue tip of its tail flashing.
Jake wasted no time throwing his own, and Rosanna waited anxiously as the red and silvery white capsule ball spun in the air. Once more, the Poke ball bursted open to reveal a large, slick navy blue beetle. "Hera!" the Heracross cried, waving its long horn.
"Shade, you're up," Kevin said as the Poke ball opened in his hand. The white light materialized into the shape of a Shelgon? What an odd name for a a Dragon type. The Shelgon made no noise, and instead only looked back at Kevin with a nod.
"Tailor be careful," Rosanna whispered, as her Sewaddle jumped off her head, giving a fierce cry as it landed onto the battle field. Taking one last gaze around her environment of metal and pipes, very small benches on the sides, and hanging wiring, she gave her signal, "Let's go."
"Heracles, Aerial Ace. Hit that Sewaddle as hard as you can!" The beetle's large horn began to glow, wings buzzing, before it charged at astounding speed towards Tailor. The small Sewaddle rolled forward, tucking itself into a ball, nearly dodging the attack by a hair.
"Shade, Dark Pulse. Swat that over-sized beetle back!" What? Well that certainly wasn't very common move for a Shelgon to know, even with a TM. But, Kevin wasn't bluffing as the Dragon type opened its mouth and shot a curling purplish beam of shadows. Both the Heracross and its trainer were surprised and suffered from a direct hit. The Bug type flew back, digging its feet into the ground. Heracross stood up, brushing off the attack, though Jake still appeared bewildered.
"Discharge!" The Flaaffy began to spark, before a large arching wave of electricity shot out of its fleece. Zipping through the air, it crashed down upon Tailor, shocking the Sewaddle as it fell to the ground. Twitching, Tailor got himself back on his feet, shaking off, glaring at the Flaaffy.
"Let's try your Brick Break, Heracules, on that Shelgon!"
"Don't bother, counter with Night Slash!" Rosanna saw that Shelgon move faster than it possibly could on those stubby four legs. It could've run circles around the other Pokémon. The two clashed with such ferocity and power, that both remained struggling at a stand off, before being launched backwards. Both took damage it seemed, and Kevin's Shelgon seemed to flicker? Wait, what? Rosanna watched stunned as the illusion faded, revealing a Zoroark standing in its place.
The trainer with the Flaaffy nodded, "I thought as much. Those moves seemed a little odd for a Shelgon. But, anyways back to our battle. Wooly use Power Gem." The Flaaffy did not hesitate turning around, the sparkling orb on its tail glowing bright.
"Tailor, Razor Leaf! Try to knock the Flaaffy's aim off balance!" The Sewaddle immediately launched some sharp spinning leaves, watching as they raced towards the Electric type at high speeds. They smashed against the wool Pokémon, enough to leave damage and get the Pokémon to teeter, right as it fired its attack. The energy shot about the room wildly, missing both Pokémon, and actually hitting the Heracross a fair amount of times. "Great! Now, dive in for a Bug Bite." The Bug type wasted no time and quickly closed the distance between the two. Jumping and clinging onto the Flaaffy's wool, Tailor opened his mouth wide, his small fangs glowing a soft white, and seemingly getting slightly longer, before rapidly beginning to bite down hard on the Pokémon's exposed skin. Chaos insued as the Flaaffy flailed around, trying its hardest to shake the Bug type off.
"Wooly use Discharge and zap that bug off!" The Flaaffy began to spark dangerously again.
"Tailor, quickly, use your silk to get away," Rosanna cried, pointing at one of the metal rings that hung down from the ceiling. The Bug type stopped its assault long enough to hastily leap off, and shoot a long string of silk. He swung away just in time to be a safe distance from the sparking Flaaffy, and with a stolen treat as well. Tailor quickly gobbled up a round, blue object that was unmistakably an Oran berry. Meanwhile, Kevin and his Zoroark were keeping Jake and his Heracross at bay, using their faster speed to make quick attacks. Rosanna swore she saw the Dark type taunt its opponent once or twice.
"Argh! Heracles use Brick Break once more, this time aim carefully." The beetle Pokémon's right arm began to glow, its eyes narrowing as it focused on Shade's incoming attack. It swung directly, but quickly changed direction and swept in a large arch below. Shade, expecting to easily maneuver around it again, was caught off guard by the feint. The fox Pokémon tried to do an awkward side step to avoid it, but Heracross's attack smacked hard against Shade's right leg. The Pokémon stumbled, trying to regain its footing before falling down.
"Shade! Are you alright? You got to get up," his trainer urged. The Zoroark tried to stand up, but winced and fell back down.
"Nice job Heracles! Finish it off with another Brick Break attack!" Rosanna worriedly watched in horror. Shade's leg took a real beating it seemed, evident from its vain attempts to stand. They needed more time! But, what could she do? Think, Rosanna think! She had one option, and Tailor wasn't going to like her for it, but it had to work.
"Tailor, use your silk and trip Heracross up! Wrap it around its arm and pull as hard as you can," Rosanna commanded. Tailor obeyed, and opened his mouth, releasing a thicker strand of string. The sticky stuff wrapped around the Pokémon's arm just as it raised it in the air. Heracles, glancing back to see where the attack had come from, irritably tugged on the silk. Tailor held on, gripping as hard as he could to ring he was on and pulling with all of his might until the attack fizzled out.
"Don't let a weakling hold you down. Grab that string and throw that small Sewaddle!" Jake yelled, diverting his attention on the small nuisance.
"Hera!" his Pokémon called, grasping the line of silk with its free hand. With a forceful pull, Rosanna watched as her Sewaddle was helplessly dragged through the air, and smashed onto the ground. Smirking, Jake said, "Finish off this little runt with a Seismic Toss!"
The Heracross, ripping off the silk that constrained its other hand, charged, pinning Tailor in its arms, preparing its attack. Tailor wiggled and squirmed in its grasp, trying desperately to escape. "It's over freshman," Jake gloated
Rosanna only smiled though, "Gotcha. Tailor use Struggle Bug. Give it everything you got!"
"Sewaddle!" her Pokémon said, before struggling more. The small Pokémon soon became cloaked in a crimson aura, and giving a loud cry, forced out a enormous wave of crimson energy. It pushed Jake's Heracross back, forcing it to release its hold on Tailor as the energy quickly expanded outwards. The attack also managed to strike the Flaaffy in cross fire, though not as hard as it did on Heracles, but enough to cause it to fall to the ground once more. Waves of energy smacked against it like tides on the beach, causing the Pokémon to faint. When finished, Tailor jumped back over to Rosanna's side, panting heavily. He was exhausted and had taken more damage than she had hoped in that little diversion.
"Thanks for the save," Kevin said, "Though, that was a lot of risk you gambled with."
"It was the least I could do for all the times you covered me," she answered back, before refocusing back on Tailor. Just a little bit longer, please. I know you can do this.
The trainer of the Flaaffy sighed, holding out his Poke ball, "You did a good job. That Oran berry would've helped more, but that was not your fault. You deserve a good rest." The red beam sucked the Pokémon back inside, as he shuffled for another. "Star," he said throwing a black Poke ball with a moon on it, "you're up."
"Clefairy," the pink star shaped Pokemon replied.
"Let's keep going eh? Star, Double Slap on the Sewaddle!"
"Tailor try to keep it back with your Razor Leaf!" Her Sewaddle tiredly stood up, launching a wave of leaves directly at the charging Clefairy, much slower than the first time. It still struck strongly, enough to force the Clefairy to bounce back.
"Shade Night Slash once more to your left!" Rosanna briefly watched as the trickster Pokemon clashed its claws once more against the Heracross' arm, each pushing for dominance. The air crackled with the building energy of the two powerful Pokemon, and became very tense as the stalemate continued. As if she could hear a clock ticking inside her mind, Rosanna counted each loud second that passed.
One second.
"Come on Heracles; show that Dark type true strength!"
Two seconds.
"Show that bug who is stronger Shade. I know you can do it."
Three seconds. Both Pokemon glared at one another, filled with fiery determination, and unwilling to give in. They each took turns pushing, trying to overcome one another in vain.
At the fourth second, there was the slightest change of movement. That was all it took. The two slid past one another at incredible speeds, and turned back around. Shade staggered and fell to all fours, before laying across the ground. "Shade!"
"Yeah Heracles!" Jake triumphantly shouted. His Heracross turned to acknowledge his praise. However, as soon as it lifted its horn in victory, the Pokemon flinched as if it just received a blow.
"Hera..." it whined, before falling to the ground in a thump.
Frowning, Jake called it back shaking his head, "You did good, at least you took out that- Huh?" Rosanna watched as the previously thought fainted Pokémon stirred. Pushing itself to its staggering feet, the Zoroark gave a jagged smile. Jake's eyes widened in disbelief, "How is that possible? It shouldn't be able to stand." Shade must've struck the Heracross as they passed by, and side stepped its attack at the last moment. It probably put a lot of strain on Shade's weakened leg, causing the Pokémon to fall right afterward.
Kevin only shrugged in response, holding up Shade's Poke ball, before saying, "Return Shade. You need some rest. Great job." After dissolving into red light and promptly going back inside its capsule, Kevin held up a different Poke Ball. "You should probably give Tailor a break too," he advised, observing her Sewaddle.
Rosanna's face flushed red. She knew that! But if she called Tailor back, she would have to use her one other Pokémon. She wasn't to keen on that idea, considering that it might cause problems for all of them. Glancing at her Sewaddle, she bit her lip and said, "Tailor can handle a bit more. Right?"
"Sew... Sewaddle," the small Pokémon loyally replied between breaths, and gazed back at her. Rosanna felt terrible about making the poor Bug and Grass type continue through this, but she didn't have much of a choice.
"I choose you, Atlantic." Bursting open to reveal a large figure, Kevin's other choice was a very tall and confident Samurott; its bushy whiskers and large shell horn showed that it meant business. Glancing down with narrowed eyes at the Pokémon before itself, Atlantic calmly yawned.
"I underestimated you. Though, Heracules should've won due to advantage but... Oh well. Flanny, you're next!" Jake's second choice happened to be a Flareon. Oh boy. Rosanna paled at the sight of a Fire type. Tailor became rather skittish as well, glancing back and forth at the Flareon. The fire fox stood proudly, swishing its tail to the side. "What's wrong?" he grinned maliciously, "Don't like a little fire?"
Rosanna glared back, "No, I just prefer the cold more." What was this kid's problem? It was like he was constantly trying to prove something to her.
"Maybe you just need to warm up a little. Flanny Flamethrower on that Sewaddle!"
"Tailor, dodge it quickly!" Rosanna cried, as the Flareon released a huge stream of red hot, searing flames from its gaping mouth. Tailor jumped up into the air, barely able to avoid the blaze's path in time. In fact, he was so close to the fire that is singed some of his leaf clothing off. She'd have to help him fix that later. Shooting some silk, Tailor grappled to the celling.
"Try again Flanny! It can't dodge forever."
"Aqua Tail Atlantic."
"Star, Moonblast." The Clefairy fire a beam of pinkish energy that collided with the Samurott's tail. All the churning water around it hissed as the beam forced its way through. Atlantic landed on its feet, digging them deeply into the steel ground below them to stop its momentum.
"You alright Atlantic?"
"Samurott," Atlantic growled, shaking off the attack.
"Tailor, slow down that Clefairy down." The small Pokémon swiftly sprayed as much silk as it possibly could all over the opponent's battle field, creating a very sticky hold on the pink moon Pokémon.
"Oh no you don't. Burn that crap away Flanny!" Flames were spewed everywhere, though at a significantly slower rate than before. Jake's Flareon kept lifting up its paws and tail, trying to pull them out of the sticky silk's grasp.
Sensing the opening, Kevin called to his Samurott once more, "Aqua Tail now." Water instantly swirled around the fearsome Pokémon's tail, whipping around as Atlantic charged towards their trapped opponents.
Jake's friend, crossing his fingers, shouted, "Star use Metronome." Wiggling its fingers back and forth until they were glowing bright white, Clefairy paused for a moment. Then, just as Atlantic was about to strike, Star pulled back its now yellow, crackling fist and punched, sending wave after wave of electricity pulsing through the poor Samurott. The water Atlantic used for its attack only made things worse by acting as a conductor for the electricity. Star had used Thunder Punch! Rosanna was shocked by how lucky that was, and she wasn't the only one. Star's trainer let out a huge sigh of relief, "Whew! I thought it was going to be Growl or something. It must be my lucky break."
Atlantic, however, was far from happy, and although it was severely weakened, the Samurott still calmly stood its ground, whiskers twitching. It took a direct super effective hit, and still managed to stand somewhat. Rosanna was impressed.
"Try your Mega Horn attack." Kevin's Samurott roared. Rosanna watched as the shell horn on the Water type's head began to glow, extending out, before Atlantic charged. Striking the slowed Clefairy, the great sea lion Pokemon flicked its head, easily tossing the much smaller Pokemon sprawling into the air. "Now, knock it out with an Aqua Tail." Atlantic spun, swinging its water covered tail as the Clefairy fell to the ground. It had doubled in power, likely due to its ability.
However, Star's trainer quickly shouted, "Give your Metronome another go!" The pink Pokémon snapped out of its daze, and began to float slowly using its wings, wiggling its fingers once more. A split second later, it charged back down head first towards Atlantic as a blueish- white aura cloaked its body. Smashing hard against the Samurott's back, the small pink fairy bounced back to the ground below. Atlantic struggled to get back up to its feet, and for a moment it did seem like the Pokémon would, but its legs wobbled too much, giving out from underneath it. The Clefairy suddenly winced, probably taking recoil for the powerful attack, as red static sparked off its body. The damage was too much, and the Pokémon fell on its back. Both trainers called back their Pokémon.
"That was Head Smash," Jake's friend sighed, gazing at the Moon ball, "Powerful but it came at a bad time. That recoil really got you, huh? Oh well, you did your best Star." Turning to Jake, he grinned, "Looks like your against that viscous, weakened Sewaddle. Think you can handle it on your own?"
Jake huffed, "Her partner still has that Zoroark, not to mention she still has a second choice, if she even has that many Pokémon. Can't believe you let them win. I've seen you battle with stronger Pokémon."
He shrugged, "Sorry for wanting to enjoy the battle and train at the same time. I'll sit over there and wait, ok?"
Shade was tossed out once more. The illusion master seemed a bit shaky and tired, but managed to stand. Tailor wasn't looking any better, panting and swaying from his place on the ceiling. Meanwhile, Flanny the Flareon was looking as refreshed as ever. Rosanna bit her lip. This was bad. At this rate, she might be on her own with...
"Fire Fang!" Rosanna snapped back to reality to see Shade and the Flareon going at it, repeatedly clashing and countering the other. Shade managed to strike it once with a Night Slash, but was quickly forced into defense. Mouth full of scorching hot flames, the Flareon tried in vain to bite at Shade's legs and torso. "Follow up with Fire Spin!" A spiraling circle of flames erupted forth, licking the ground and walls as it shot passed. All the webbing caught flames and ignited easily, burning up into ash. Tailor panicked and fell to the ground, right in the middle of the two. Jake smirked, "Perfect! Go Flanny, give them another taste of your Fire Spin!" Another wave of spiraling fire sped past. Their Pokémon stood no chance; the Flareon was just too fast.
"Sew!" Tailor cried as the flames swept over him. He skidded across the ground, where he promptly fainted, swirls in his eyes.
"Zor!" Shade yelped, falling down, this time fainting for real.
Rosanna ran as fast as she could. "Tailor! Are you okay?" she frantically asked, picking up the small Pokémon and cradling him in her arms, "I'm so sorry! I should've switched you out. But I-" She faintly heard the sewing Pokémon weakly reply back in reassurance. Walking back to her side, she set the curled up Pokémon on a nearby bench, saying, "Rest right here. You did amazingly."
"See? What did I tell you? Too many weaknesses and not enough strength," Jake gloated, "But I can't wait for your next choice. What are you going to throw out next? A Caterpie or maybe even a Weedle?"
Turning back around, she fixed a cold stare back at Jake. Losing her easy going demeanor and tone, she said, "Actually, I have someone else planned." Then slowly, she pulled a dark black and green Poke ball with orange lining. Holding up the Dusk ball, panicking and praying that for once it would listen, she whispered, "Glitch, it's your time."
Instantly, the ball exploded open. A deep, shadowy black mist creeped out, forming into a small figure with a pair of glowing eyes peeking out. The fog dissipated, revealing a tiny orange Pokémon surrounded by electricity. It grinned wildly and zipped about uncontrollably, "Ro Ro Ro Rotom!"
Jake seemed more than a little astounded. "No way! A Rotom?" he gasped, eyes widening, "How did you manage to get one?"
"It doesn't matter. Glitch," she pointed at Flanny, "use Thunderbolt!" The Rotom only floated over and gave her a light shock, snickering. Rosanna sighed. She knew this was going to happen. Glitch never did anything she asked quite right, if it bothered at all. And now, she was on her own, stuck in a battle with the mischievous Pokémon.
Jake began to laugh, "Oh you can't be serious! I was worried for a second about facing such a powerful Pokémon, but it won't even listen! Flanny use Bite."
"Flar!" the Flareon cried, leaping up to Glitch and catching the Ghost type within its jaws. Glitch, obviously surprised (that Pokémon saw everything as a game) by this sudden attack, glared, before releasing a massive shock. Flanny yelped, dropping the Rotom in surprise. Then, without Rosanna's orders, Glitch began shooting Shadow Ball after Shadow Ball at the vixen. The poor Pokémon tried its best to dodge each attack, getting smacked side to side by the shadowy black orbs.
"Flanny Flamethrower," Jake shouted. The Flareon, snapping out of its daze, expelled yet another large beam of fire.
"Glitch throw it off with Double Team," Rosanna tried, but once again, the Rotom ignored it in favor of another joke. It began appearing and disappearing randomly around Flanny, snickering as the Pokémon whirled around trying to aim. When it finally stopped, Glitch shocked it with a Thunderbolt attack. Better late than never, Rosanna internally groaned. Flanny, growing increasingly more frustrated like her trainer, shook off the attack with a glare, firing another Flamethrower. The attack hit Glitch square in the face as it was in the middle of sniggering, blowing the Rotom back.
"Glitch listen to me!" Rosanna icily commanded, "Please! If we have any hope of winning this, I need you to follow me." Glitch blinked, losing its grin ever so slightly. It seemed to pause, as if thinking intently about her suggestion.
Please, Rosanna hoped, I need you. Take me seriously for once.
As though Glitch saw the fire burning in her eyes and sensed the urgency in her tone, it nodded with a buzz.
"Thank you! Let's go, try Double Team!" Rotom zipped around, and actually followed her orders, creating several duplicates of itself that circled around Jake's Flareon. Unable of which one to hit, the Flareon became overwhelmed.
"Child's play! Flanny concentrate, then use Bite!" Rosanna fearfully watched Flanny taking its time, steadily at the copies. No doubt it would find which one was the real one; Jake was a junior after all and his Pokémon were very well trained and strong. If it landed another attack, Glitch would be in pretty bad shape. So, what could she do? A solution suddenly hit her right as the Flareon prepared to strike.
"Glitch, switch your movement up! Quickly!" The Rotom copies immediately shifted to the left, moving in erotic patterns. Flanny leaped, biting down hard on one, but it dissipated into mist.
"Great job Glitch! Cause even more confusion with your Confuse Ray!" she shouted back, smiling. Her Rotom paused long enough to release a small dazing orb that whizzed around the Fire Type's head. Soon enough, Flanny was teetering around with swirls in its eyes. They might actually have a chance. She could win this!
"Flanny, Rest!" echoed across the compartment, causing Rosanna to freeze. No. No! She glanced over in time to see the small fire fox close its eyes and sleep. That wasn't the worst part. It got even better. Sniffing, the Pokémon awoke immediately to eat a small purple berry, a Chesto berry to be exact. Not only did it look refreshed, but now Jake's Flareon was brimming with energy, and not confused in the slightest. The Pokémon resumed its attack, fiercely biting down on the next Rotom that passed by. It turned out to be the real one.
"Glitch! Get away, shock it with Thunderbolt." Sparks flew off her Pokémon, before it let loose a huge surge of electricity. Flanny let go, but the damage had been done. Her Rotom twitched uncontrollably, like a computer system with a virus or glitch, before falling down to the ground. Rosanna hung her head in defeat, pulling out Glitch's Dusk ball before whispering, "Nice try Glitch. Take a rest."
Jake called back his Flareon gleefully. "Excellent as usual Flanny. Nice job showing that... trainer," he trailed off mockingly, "what good Pokémon look like. Do you see now, freshman? This is the importance of picking your Pokémon. There's a lot more than you obviously can think about: type advantage moves, Pokémon power and potential, held items, and evolution to name a few. Why bother with a weak little Bug and Grass type when you could pick something sturdier and stronger? As for your Rotom, it's a joke. Sure, its powerful, but you couldn't even control it till the near end. You can be creative and strategize well, I'll give that to you, but its useless when you have Pokémon who you constantly have to worry about avoiding moves and won't listen. They were hardly worth my time; the only real fight was against Kevin. At least he managed to make multiple powerful and successful moves."
Rosanna only listened bitterly, feeling so small and angry. However, in her mind she was haunted by fears and doubts. Was that true? Was she really that bad? She only had two of her Pokémon. What could you expect? Excuses, excuses, she chided herself.
The final remark he made felt like a slap to her face. "Honestly, your Sewaddle would be so much better as a Leavanny if you're that desperate to cling to it. At least then it could actually put up a fight on its own." Rosanna began to quiver, whether in suppressed rage, or disappointment she did not know. How dare he! But, he did have a point. What had she really contributed to the fight? Sensing her internal turmoil, he arrogantly waved, taking strides past her, "See you two later, Kevin. Rose." Rosanna said nothing, even when he got her name wrong. Kevin only scowled.
His friend hurried over to them, sighing, "I'm sorry for Jake. He... gets like this sometimes. Doesn't really know how to enjoy noncompetitive battling. My name is Nicholas by the way. I hope to see you both again; I thought you guys did great." Then Nicholas ran after the Jake, leaving Rosanna alone with Kevin.
"Are you alright?" he quietly asked.
"I'm fine," she automatically replied, walking over to Tailor. Picking up her sleeping Sewaddle, she gazed at him for a brief second. He yawned, and gave a jolly cry after his eyes locked onto Rosanna. Rosanna cradled the Bug type in her arms. Were her Pokémon weak? No, if anything, it was herself. She lost the match, not them. Tailor and Glitch both worked very hard, and she blew it. It was her fault Glitch didn't listen to a word she said.
Kevin didn't buy her response. He glared at the spot where Jake stood moments ago, "Don't let what that idiot said bother you. He's just an arrogant blowhard. You and your Pokémon aren't weak, quite the opposite. I never imagined a Sewaddle being able to last as long as yours did."
"But you did all the fighting!" she exclaimed.
"Some of which wouldn't have been possible without your sticky traps," he calmly answered, "The point is, don't let a simple loss against a junior get you down. Hell, most freshmen probably don't get as far as we did. We will get back at him someday. Believe me, I will make sure something comes his way. Nobody gets away with that." Tailor nodded, before crawling all over his trainer, being goofy and tickling her to try and cheer her back up. He didn't like it when Rosanna wasn't in her usual high spirits.
Rosanna giggled lightly, thankful for her partner, before turning her head to look back at Kevin. "Well, you might want to cool your jets. It'd be a shame if you got kicked out our first day. Besides, he was a bit right in his observations, although he could've been less of a jerk about it. But," Rosanna grinned happily, petting Tailor as he sat on her head, "I'd rather have Tailor with me any day. Sorry about pushing you too hard." Her Sewaddle only nudged her affectionately in response.
"We should probably get back to our seats. Other people might want to use this room," Kevin reminded her.
As soon as she sat back down, Alita kept glancing at her bashfully, twiddling her fingers. Knowing she wanted to ask something but was far too shy to start, Rosanna started, "Would you like to ask me something?"
"Umm... Well, I-I wanted," she swallowed, gaze falling to the floor, "I wanted to apologize."
Cocking her to the side, Rosanna puzzled, asked, "For what?"
"For not joining the battle. I left you high and dry," she guiltily replied, "I'm not very good and dislike getting involved, a bit of a pacifist I suppose. I was afraid that I would make you lose."
"Oh, if that's all, don't worry about that," Rosanna reassured, "I lost anyways. They were really tough."
Alita seemed relieved, "That's good. I-I mean that you're not offended, not that you lost." Rosanna chuckled.
The train jerked to another stop, and this time, Tailor gripped onto Rosanna's hair for dear life. After another hoard of students hastily shuffled past, trying to find seats, a man in a white coat with brass buttons stood up in front, a blazing scarlet emblem of the Academy stitched proudly on his left bosom area. Black hair trimmed sharply, barely reaching the side of his head, contrasted with his soft silver eyes and small face. "Excuse me please," he tried, raising his small voice over the uproar of students. Slowly, everybody quieted down. "Thank you. For those who just boarded, welcome, this will only take a minuet or two. I am Delano Willow, but many returning students may remember me as Professor Willow of the Pokémon Research course. As some of you may know, or may not, we shall be arriving to Silver Scarlet Academy soon enough. Please make sure you have all your carry-ons in order and do not forget any Pokémon or personal items on the train please. I will speak more when we arrive, until then enjoy the rest of the ride."
Rosanna glanced out the window, excitedly waiting for the moment the school's grounds would pop up from the horizon.
Here it is, the first chapter. I'm sure I proofread well, but there might be some mistakes. It's fairly wordy (sorry) and most other chapters will likely be half this length. Many thanks to everbody who has sent in OCs, credit to OCs used this chapter are as follows:
Alita: Oly in Flight
Kevin: The 6th Spectral King
OCs I haven't used yet that I have accepted are bound to appear the next chapter or the one after that. I'm still accepting, so don't be shy. Until then, ciao!
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