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Destination Indigo
by Sailor Chronos
Chapter Two: Trial by Fire
The next week made her much more aware of the pressures involved at attending such an elite school. Having come from a small town where the educational curriculum was focused more on teamwork than individual excellence, Heather found herself becoming a target. It didn't help that some students believed that trainers who chose to do the Gym circuit instead of studying Pokemon at school were wasting their time and energy, and they would proclaim this loudly whenever she passed them in the hallway, causing uproarious laughter and Heather's acute embarrassment.
Professor Linden gave her a pep talk and advised her to stick it out. "If you have a younger brother then you ought to know that sometimes kids are cruel, whether they are aware of it or not. It's as if life is a game, and to get ahead you can't always play by the rules. Keep your cool, and when they see that they can't get to you, they'll stop bothering you."
This worked for a while, but then one morning she was accosted by the class bully, a hefty blond boy named Todd, and two of his pals, Terry and Jeff. They dragged her to a copse just outside the school grounds, where they had hidden a treadmill, and she was forced to run on it while they fired questions at her about Spearow and its abilities.
Their smugness soon turned to embarrassment, then anger when she answered everything correctly. After all she had Firey, a Spearow that had evolved into a Fearow, which they hadn't known. "If you're so smart," Todd said recklessly, "ask us something. If we can't answer, we'll let you go this time."
The first thing that came to her mind was the techniques that a Pikachu could or couldn't learn, but since Pikachu were relatively common, it was likely that intermediate students would know that. So she asked something that very few people were likely to know. "What is Articuno's strongest attack and at what level does it gain it?"
The three boys stood there gaping at her for a moment, so she hopped off the treadmill and continued on her way toward the school without looking back. She wasn't about to tell them the answer, they could look it up for themselves.
It soon became clear that she had made enemies of Todd and his friends, because they began to spread rumours that she was a know-it-all with an attitude. However, by now she had made her own friends: Scott and Robyn, who studied with her in the library.
"I'd keep an eye out for those three," Robyn said as she finished writing out her class assignment. "They've been causing trouble since they got here. Their treadmill trick is a public secret; almost everyone has been subjected to it at some point. While they claim to be helping out their classmates, they're really using others to get the answers they want."
Heather was livid. "Then why don't those creeps get punished?"
"None of the victims have complained," Scott replied. "They think it'll brand them as tattletales. The professors don't know about it, or if they do know, they aren't doing anything for fear of a backlash from the administration."
"It still stinks," Heather proclaimed.
Robyn shrugged. "Live with it. If someone does report Todd and the others, it's likely they'll get expelled. But then there will be someone else who could be worse. Better to have the devil you know than the devil you don't, as they say."
"Speaking of which," said Scott quietly, and gestured. The girls turned to see Todd, Terry, and Jeff enter the library, and the looks on their faces showed that they were up to no good. The moment they saw Heather, they ambled over to the table where the three friends were sitting.
"Looky here, if it isn't Miss Brain," Todd jeered.
Terry smiled a nasty smile. "A brain? Nah, more like a sponge."
Scott stood up despite himself. "Don't you guys have anything better to do?"
A loud "SH!" was heard from several other students, and the librarian called out, "Keep it down, please!"
Glaring at Todd, Heather pushed her books aside. "If you have a problem," she said softly and dangerously, "take it outside where you won't disturb anyone!"
Jeff feigned surprise. "Is that a challenge?"
"Sounds like it," Terry said with a smirk. "What do you say, boss?"
Todd snorted and pointed back over his shoulder with his thumb. "You don't know who you're dealing with," he said in a low voice, completely serious. "Let's go to the arena."
The school's arena was laid out like most of the other Gym arenas that Heather had battled in. On one end was a row of shelves that held PokeBalls. Todd took one of these and walked out to the chalk circle, and Jeff picked up a microphone from a holder next to the door. "This will be a one-on-one Gym style battle, with no time limit." He grinned suddenly. "Exam rules in effect!"
Heather froze. She had read the arena battle rulebook but hadn't expected this! Battling with one's personal Pokemon was allowed when training or for the formal settlement of a disagreement, which she thought this was. However, for exams the students had to use the school's pre-trained Pokemon in order to prove their ability with Pokemon that they weren't familiar with.
"Come on, pick a PokeBall and let's get started!" Todd said. "What's the matter? You can't battle with a Pokemon other than your own? See, you can't learn everything on the road!"
"Don't, Heather, it's not worth it!" called Robyn.
"I haven't gotten this far by backing out!" she replied as she strode over to the shelves and picked up a PokeBall. "I'm game!"
"Begin!" said Jeff.
Both of them launched their PokeBalls at once. Heather's opened first and revealed a furry Growlithe. Todd's however, contained a large Rhyhorn!
Scott and Robyn gasped. "No way!"
Todd laughed as Heather stared in shock. "You're going down hard, Miss Brain! Rhyhorn, Horn Attack!" His Pokemon reared and charged.
Frantically, Heather tried to remember Growlithe's moves. Its fire-based attacks would be next to useless against a rock type. "Growlithe, Leer attack!"
The Growlithe's eyes glowed, but the Rhyhorn was unaffected and continued its charge. The impact tossed the puppy Pokemon high into the air, but it managed to land on its feet, just barely. "Piece of cake!" Todd gloated. "Rhyhorn, let's make this quick. Fury Attack!"
Aha! The Rhyhorn was at least Level 40 if it could use that attack, so she had to assume that the Growlithe was that level too. "Growlithe, you can't let it hit you again! Use your Agility!" Her Pokemon led its opponent in a merry chase all around the arena; the large and cumbersome Rhyhorn couldn't keep up.
"Enough of this!" yelled Todd. "Rhyhorn, crush it with Stomp!"
Here was her edge, she could use her opponent's size against it! "Growlithe, Roar!" As the Rhyhorn reared up on its hind legs to prepare its Stomp attack, the Growlithe let loose a huge blast of sound, which disoriented Todd's Pokemon and caused it to hesitate!
"No, Rhyhorn, stomp that pesky pup flat!"
"Now, Growlithe, Take Down!" Growlithe charged, sending the already stunned Rhyhorn to the floor with an almighty crash.
Todd growled and stomped on the floor in frustration as his Rhyhorn struggled to get back up. "This can't be happening! Get up, you big blob! Use Tail Whip!" He yelped as the Rhyhorn eyed him menacingly.
"You should know better than to treat a Pokemon with disrespect," Heather told him. "Especially a big one!" She paused as the Rhyhorn finally stood; it looked exhausted. "I'm finishing this battle now. Growlithe, Ember attack!" The fire attack was enough to put the Rhyhorn out for the count. She had won!
"Yeah!" "Way to go!" Scott and Robyn cheered as she knelt down to praise the Growlithe before returning it to its PokeBall. Todd recalled the Rhyhorn and departed sullenly without saying a word, along with Terry. However, Jeff put away the microphone, walked up to her and grudgingly offered her his hand. "Good match," he said as she shook hands with him. "You've proved yourself to me. But I'd watch out for Todd if I were you," he advised as he turned to leave. "He'll be plotting revenge. Stay out of our way if you know what's good for you."
Scott and Robyn wanted to have a victory celebration but she modestly declined and took the shuttle bus back to Professor Linden's house on the outskirts of Vermilion City. He wasn't in when she arrived, and the house was eerily quiet; not even the resident Squirtle and Rattata came to greet her as they usually did. There was no response to her calls either, which made her think that there was definitely something wrong.
Suddenly a bright fiery orange light streamed from the doorway to her room! She raced up the stairs to the door, and almost fell over the Pokemon that were lined up just inside the room. Her gaze was immediately riveted to the warming plate that her egg rested on while she wasn't here. The orange-swirled creamy egg was rocking, and light was pouring from a split right down the centre! No wonder the Pokemon hadn't answered her; they had instinctively known what was happening and gathered here to witness the hatching!
Heather herself didn't dare to breathe as the split widened, then the two halves of the egg fell away. As the light dimmed, she stepped forward to greet the newly-born Pokemon.
Slowly she reached out to touch it, still unable to see exactly what it was, although the light emanating from it was now rapidly diminishing. It was Pidgey-sized, but that was hardly an indication of how large it would be when it was fully grown. She felt damp feathers under her fingers and carefully smoothed them out, noting that the body was very warm but not burning hot. It had a crest that was flaming orange, much like a Spearow's...
Its crest WAS a flame, she abruptly realised, and gasped.
She was holding a Moltres!
