There was a question about Brandon, and the ownership of Devon Corp.
The simple answer is: This is a DIFFERENT Brandon.
And he's not the owner, nor the son of Elm. He's the sister of Lorelei
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Alora fidgeted as she waited. She didn't mind waiting, but this almost transcended waiting. She was on an elevator in Indigo Plateau, going up to see the National director of the Devon Company's Kanto Pokémon Research division. Lorelei had told her that they were going up to see him to get their briefing before she got her Pokémon. Lorelei wasn't quite sure WHY she needed a briefing, but in the few hours that she had known her new Pokémon Master, she had learned better than to ask questions that would be explained to her later.
Alora glanced around the elevator. It was a lot nicer than she was used to. They were traveling up the side of the building, and the glass exterior of the elevator afforded them an eagle's eye view of the Indigo Plateau. Alora took another step towards the glass, and pressed her face against it, enjoying the spectacle.
The sun was beginning to set over the horizon, and the warm orange glow seemed to soften the lines of the skyscrapers that rose up all around them. The Indigo League's towns were all named after different colors, and suddenly Alora could see why. Mount Moon, off in the distance, and it seemed to have been painted a deep shade of purple. To the south, she could just see where the treeline fell away, and the ocean began. The shoreline and the massive beach that Kanto's southern shore was famous for seemed to glow a golden color, in sharp contrast to the vivid hues of green and brown that was the Viridian Forest. Alora imagined that far off on the horizon, she could barely see the tip of Mount cinnabar, but she was pretty sure that she was mistaken. Alora glanced to the North, and saw the foothills of the Tinted Mountains, the border that separated the nation of Tintia from the rest of the world.
The Tinted Mountains were said to glow with every color imaginable at sunrise and sunset. Lorelei had told her that they were also extremely dangerous, and only Elite-class trainers or higher dared to travel to the mountains because of the dangerous Pokémon. Beyond the mountains was the country of Tintia, a country that even she in Fentis had heard about.
The Tintians didn't like outsiders, and kept to themselves. They were said to be a savage, warrior people. They used to raid the surrounding countries until they were finally pushed back. Now the Tintians were content to sit in their self-imposed quarantine. Nobody knew what they were doing in there, but then, few dared to try to enter the country. Those that did were politely but firmly rebuffed.
According to the stories that abounded, the Tintia was a refuge for Pokémon of all types. According to some stories, the Tintians protected the Pokémon from trainers, and all manner of Pokémon that had long ago gone extinct were thriving in Tintia. Alora could only imagine what it would be like to someday visit the country.
Of course, there were also the stories about Tintia's armies. They were said to be incredibly powerful, and in great numbers. The stories of Tintian foretresses were legendary. Some people said that lost Pokémon or humans that managed to stumble into Tintia were never seen again, and were probably given to the army's Pokémon as food.
Alora shivered. There were certainly no shortage of stories about Tintia, that was for certain. Whether it was the untouched Shangri La or the horrific martial state was a subject of hot debate, but nobody dared to enter Tintia except for Tintians.
Alora closed her eyes and forced herself to think of better and brighter things. She opened her eyes again and looked at Indigo Plateau. Lights were just beginning to come on as the sun's last rays danced over the red brick roofs of the homes of those Kantans that were lucky enough to live in the suburbs that surrounded the Indigo Plateau.
Alora glanced over at Lorelei, who was leaning against one side of the elevator, staring at the digital floor indicator over the door of the elevator, ignoring the beauty outside. She wasn't quite sure what to think of her new Master. They had only met a few hours before. She seemed to be aloof, and seemed to do things her own way. Alora looked down at the floor. She wasn't entirely sure if she liked Lorelei. Lorelei kept pushing Alora, and didn't seem to really care what Alora thought. About anything.
Alora sighed. Well, whatever. She'd stick it out. Because if she did, she'd become a member of the International Pokémon League. She had never dreamed that she'd get into something so prestigious, but here she was.
The elevator dinged, and Alora looked up at the floor indicator. The hundredth floor. Definitely a long way from the lobby. "'bout time," Lorelei growled, and hurried through the doors before they were halfway open. Alora cast one, longing look at the sight behind her, and hurried after her Pokémon Master.
They were on the roof of the skyscraper, Alora noticed. A slightly cool breeze was blowing, and Alora closed her eyes, enjoying the slight coldness of the breeze. It had been too warm all around ever since she'd left Fentis, and it was good to get at least a small taste of her old country back. She breathed in deeply. The air smelled faintly of the ocean far to the South.
Alora sighed, listening to the sounds of the city waking up for the night. The doors behind her whispered closed, and she heard the elevator whirring down, down, down to the lobby, so far below. Cars were honking down there, and she could faintly hear the sounds of a rather rambunctious-sounding Pokémon battle.
Alora raised her face to the sky, letting the wind whisper over her. She had done it. She was here. Slowly, she opened her eyes, and she saw the first of the evening stars appearing. Alora drank in the moment, willing it to last forever, grateful to Lorelei for leaving her alone.
Slowly, she brought her gaze down, and saw Lorelei engaged in a heated discussion with a man in a pinstripe suit. Alora decided to avoid them, and enjoy the moment for a while longer. She melted into the shadows and walked slowly towards the railing. She looked out, and realized with a start that she was at the highest point of the Indigo Plateau.
She had reached the railing, and was walking along it, towards the West, enjoying the breeze ruffling her hair. She was glad that she had decided to change into her formal wear. The slinky silk dress that she had bought seemed to catch the breeze and linger in mid-air. Her long hair, which was normally in a ponytail, was down tonight, and her rusty, shoulder-length hair was blowing back behind her in the chilly Eastern wind.
Alora let her eyes wander over Tohjo Falls, far to the West. According to the guide books, they were the border between Johto and Kanto. They were said to be treacherous, and few but the most determined trainers bothered to travel between Johto and Kanto. The rest took the world-famous Magnet Light-rail system. But as Alora was standing there, literally on top of the world, there seemed to be a quaint, romantic quality about the idea of actually traversing the dangerous waterfall system that was at least a mile long, and a half-mile wide. Someday, she promised herself, she'd find the treacherous path through the waterfalls.
But she would have plenty of time for that. She was a Pokémon Trainer now, or soon would be. She would experience all of it. In that moment, Alora admitted to herself that she was becoming enthralled by the idea of becoming a Pokémon Trainer, instead of thinking about it as a means to an end. Alora breathed in, smiling to herself, and looked up at the stars, twinkling up there in the sky. They were so beautiful, and the moon was so bright.
Something drifted over the moon, then just as quickly disappeared. Alora's eyes brightened. Maybe it was a Pokémon! What kind of Pokémon was it? Would she get one someday? The stars in the sky were obliterated, then, and just as suddenly reappearing. Alora realized that it had to be a Pokémon, flying low, to cover so many stars at once.
A gentle whooshing sound reached her ears, and suddenly the Pokémon was low enough that the lights of the city illuminated its underside. The massive chest and the underside of the wings were a creamy brown. The avian's wings stretched out and caught the wind, and suddenly the Pokémon was soaring into the sky once more, lost to the depths of the night.
There was someone riding on its back! Alora realized with a start. Whoever it was certainly had a flair for the dramatic, because she could see from the figure's outline that whoever it was was actually standing upright on the massive Pokémon's back, and was wearing a cape that seemed to stand straight out behind the person.
The Pokémon flew down again, directly in front of Alora. The bird Pokémon was gorgeous. Its massive wings beat once against the air, then soared through the air. Alora could see that the tan feathers that covered the Pokémon's bottom also touched the last half of the wings, as if the Pokémon had been dipped in some wondrous paint and had used its wings to push itself out. The top of the Pokémon, Lorelei saw now, was a much richer brown that reminded her of the expensive, wooden furniture that she had once seen in the Telchakka's mayoral offices. The Pokémon had a long crest that looked more like several long strands of fur than feathers. The same rich tones as the rest of the Pokémon were there, as well as a deep red that Alora could now see on the underside of the Pokémon's tailfeathers as it turned away, darting between the skyscrapers deftly, its trainer standing confidently on its back, not perturbed by any of the bird's movements in the slightest.
The pair came around again, and Alora focused this time on the trainer. He was short, but he was easily twice her age. His shaggy, black hair streamed behind him in the wind, reigned in only slightly by band of the aviator's goggles that he wore. The plain, bright red jumpsuit stood out sharply against the city's buildings, and his purple cape stretched out behind him. Her heart skipped a beat as he blew a kiss to her as he soared past.
Someday, Alora promised herself as the man smoothly dropped down to a sitting position as the giant bird rose up and clawed for altitude, she'd be just like him, and stand confidently on her own bird. Alora watched as the bird leveled out far above her, and seemed to freeze for a moment.
Then the giant avian had folded its wings and hurtled for her. The man had leaped back up, and was standing upright. But now Alora could see that he had a rope tied around the bird's neck that he was holding onto for support. The bird was coming, faster and faster, but Alora, awestruck by the sight, found herself unable to move.
Then, suddenly, the giant wings unfolded themselves, and pushed downwards. The giant bird slowed, and the rider leaped off, landing in a crouch next to Alora. The giant bird, meanwhile, kept flying, eventually disappearing into the night.
The man slowly rose to his feet, and dusted off his jumpsuit. "Lovely night," he commented. Alora could only stare at him. What a strange Kanto was. Were all the IPL countries like this, she wondered. He turned to her, a grin spread across his features. He held out a hand. "James Travis Falkner," he said. "I'm a Pokémon Master with the Alto delegation. My son's a Gym Leader in Johto."
Alora blinked. Falkner. She remembered the name faintly. Lorelei had mentioned something about a Falkner when she had been rambling on about her boyfriend. "Alora Anophis," she managed, not quite what to say to someone who was obviously an extraordinary trainer. "I'm from Fentis."
That made an eyebrow raise. "Really?" he asked, his brown eyes suddenly giving her a quick once over. "Now I recognize the name," he said, turning to look out over the Indigo Plateau, now fully lit up. His grin had been replaced with a thoughtful expression. "So I suppose that you're the new Apprentice, then?" he asked quietly.
Alora nodded. "Yeah, that'd be me," she said. She looked up at the sky. It was so bright around here. She could barely see any stars. That was definitely something that she missed about Telchakka.
"Would it interest you to know," Falkner said quietly. "That you're the first Fentis Apprentice in the history of the International Pokémon League?" Alora started, and turned to him, expecting to see the playful grin that he had had astride his bird. Instead he was still staring out, deadly serious. Slowly, he turned to face her. "Alora, I don't envy you. You're going to be one of the media darlings of this year's batch. There's usually not a whole lot of novelty at these things usually. You'll prove to be the exception to the rule." Alora swallowed, and suddenly the warm feeling that she had had mere moments before was gone, dashed by a solid dose of reality.
She had known that Fentis was a backwater, she hadn't realized just how much of one it really was. It had been inducted into the International League over one hundred years before. In one hundred years, there had never been a single Fentis Apprentice?
Alora closed her eyes. No. She didn't want this. All she wanted was a Pokémon, and to find her family. She didn't want to be famous. She had wanted to live out her life quietly, never really getting noticed. This wasn't how it was supposed to go at all. She reached out and grabbed hold of the guard rail as her legs suddenly felt like they were turning into jelly. "Thanks," she managed to get out.
"Can I have your attention, everyone?" a sharp, commanding voice cut through the night air. "If you'll gather over here, we'll introduce Masters to Apprentices and get you guys ready to head to the Indigo Mansion for the ceremony."
Alora took a deep breath. She could do this. She could do this. There was only one little ceremony, and her face would be plastered all over newspapers, magazines, and news shows all over the world. Alora suddenly couldn't breathe, and felt herself falling. She felt four hands grab her. "Easy, Alora," came Lorelei's voice in her ear in a soothing tone that seemed completely out of character for her. "Falkner, let's get her to a seat."
Alora opened her eyes, but suddenly the stars that were shining overhead weren't beautiful. Each one seemed like the flash of a reporter's camera. Each picture would be put somewhere, and millions of people would see her, and judge her. And just like everyone else in her life had, they'd dismiss her out of hand. They'd realize that she wouldn't be able to live up to their expectations, and everybody that she ran into would revile her.
Dimly, she realized that she was hyperventilating, but she was too caught up in her thoughts to recognize it. Dimly, she heard Lorelei talking to her. She hadn't even thought of it before. Tomorrow she'd be front page news. That final thought pushed her over the edge. She let go of the dream that had quickly become a nightmare, and let the blackness envelop her in its soothing bliss of nothingness.
"What did you say to her?" Alora heard a voice snap angrily. Alora opened her eyes, to see half a dozen people staring worriedly down at her. Alora grimaced and sat up, a hand reaching around to the back of her head. It felt like it was going to explode.
"She's awake!" someone said in a clipped accent. Alora closed her eyes, trying to remember what had happened. Then, she remembered. She was going to have to not only be on TV, she was going to be famous. Why did she have to be the first Pokémon Apprentice from Fentis? She didn't want cameras, or lights, or money.
"Take it easy," a voice spoke in her ear softly as a pair of hands grabbed her from behind. Alora grimaced, and turned to see Lorelei looking at her worriedly. "Are you okay?" the Pokémon Master asked.
Alora glanced over her body. She had gotten a few scrapes from falling down, but she was fine. "I think so," she said, gathering her knees underneath her and pushing herself to her feet. Her body ached, but she was probably okay. But her dress wasn't. The glamorous silk that had attracted her in the first place was now smudged with dirt.
"Clear out!" Lorelei's voice snapped. "Give her some room, fellas!" a voice snapped, and Alora looked up to see Lorelei pushing people backwards from her. Alora looked back down at her dress. She hadn't been in any shape to be in front of cameras before, and she certainly wasn't in that kind of shape now.
The man in the pinstripe suit that Lorelei had been talking to earlier pushed his way through the crowd. "Are you okay, Alora?" he asked, offering a hand to her. Alora tried to smile as she took his hand and got to her feet. He looked down at her worriedly. "Anything wrong?" his blue eyes roamed her body worriedly, looking for injuries.
"I'm fine, I think," Alora said quietly, closing her eyes. She was going to be famous. SHE was going to be famous. Why did she have to be famous? "I just need to sit down for a little while."
The man smiled gently as he passed one of her arms over his shoulders. "Let's go to my office. Lorelei, let's go. The rest of you, head to the Mansion. We'll follow along later." Alora closed her eyes and grimaced, and instantly she felt Lorelei grabbing her other arm and putting it over the Master's shoulders.
"You sure that you're all right?" Lorelei demanded, keeping a close eye on Alora.
Alora didn't answer for a moment. Was she fine? She had just found out that she was going to be on international TV, and Lorelei was asking if she was fine? Why didn't someone just paint her bright pink and give her something that would make her grow another six feet? "I'm fine." Alora replied.
"Here," Lorelei said, handing Alora a cup on a saucer. "Drink this." Alora took the cup gratefully. The Pokémon Master straightened. "Now, are you feeling better?" Alora took a sip of the drink, and found it to be jasmine tea.
Alora smiled gratefully and took another sip. "I'm fine," she replied quietly. She stared down into the teacup, admiring the fine china, not wanting to make eye contact with anyone. They were all wondering what was wrong, but she was too ashamed to say anything.
They were all famous. They dealt with being famous every day. They had had to, for quite a long time now. And then here she was, fainting at the very thought of being famous. Alora sighed, and closed her eyes.
"It's all right," Lorelei said quietly. "Whatever Falkner said to you, I'll personally make sure he's punished for it." Alora closed her eyes even tighter. She wanted to scream. Falkner hadn't done anything. It was all her fault! But somehow, she couldn't find the strength to say anything.
She heard Lorelei straighten beside her. "Brandon, where is Falkner? You said that he'd be coming straight here."
The wind hit Alora before anything else. She hadn't realized it at first, but they were on the roof of the building.
The doors dinged open, and Alora got her first glimpse of her future. The room before her certainly didn't look like any laboratory she had seen or imagined. The floors were lined with dark brown, plush carpet, and the lush cedar walls were lined with intricate tapestries of Legendary Pokémon.
In the center of the room, a round podium stood, and on top of the podium sat thirteen gleaming Pokéballs. They were all a variation of different colors, and each Pokéball was different. For a moment, Alora couldn't take her eyes off the Pokéballs, but she was brought back to the present by Lorelei grabbing onto Alora's arm and pulling her forward. "Come on," Lorelei hissed in her ear. "You're embarrassing me."
It was only then that Alora noticed the other people in the room. She wasn't sure how many there were, but there were quite a few of them. Lorelei immediately abandoned her and disappeared into the crowd. Alora blinked and shrank back. She was no good in social situations. She had always been by herself. She just didn't know what to do.
That didn't stop everyone else, however. Within seconds, two girls had appeared out of the crowd to welcome her. One was a redhead, but the other had jet-black hair.
The redhead grinned from ear to ear. "Hey!" she said, sticking out a perfectly manicured hand. "My name is Jessica." She flashed a perfect set of teeth, and laughed. "I'm from Goldenrod, and I'm going to be a Pokémon Master!" she flipped her long, curly hair over one shoulder, and glanced at the black-haired girl next to her. "This is my sister, Julie. I can't believe we both got in!"
Alora blinked. At first glance, Jessica looked like just another airhead trainer, with her stylish, designer clothes, perfect hair, and perfect, well, everything, but something about her didn't quite mesh with that stereotype. For one thing, Jessica's blue eyes were flicking over Alora, sizing her up, and seemed to be analyzing every detail about her. For another, her grip was firm and confident, if a bit rambunctious. Alora's gaze lingered on her for a moment, and then flicked to the other girl.
Julie, in contrast to her sister's long, flowing hair, wore her spiky hair short, stuffed under a battered, old fedora. She didn't appear to be wearing any makeup, and was wearing bib overalls over a Pokémon League shirt, with a black vest. The vest was strange, unlike anything Alora had ever seen. There were pockets and what looked like holders everywhere. It looked like Jessica had decided not to wear a backpack and instead keep everything on her vest. Her wide stance and confident grin told Alora that the girl didn't have a lack of confidence.
"Call me Jules," the girl said, holding out her hand. "I'm going along with my sister to keep her out of trouble." Jules' handshake was just as strong, but where Jessica was almost brimming with energy, Jules was calm, reserved, and her single shake was short and to the point. "I didn't see you at Orientation," she said. "Did you get lost?"
Alora paused. "Um, I, ah," she wasn't sure what to say to that. "Well, you see, my Master wanted to take me to the carnival so we could train."
Jules raised an eyebrow, and Jessica laughed. "It's all right, Alora. You don't have to lie to us. We know that the Orientation is boring, but it's an important step. Isn't this exciting? I wonder who my Pokémon Master is going to be!"
Alora blinked. "You mean you haven't met yours yet?" she asked, incredulous.
"They said in Orientation that we'd meet them here," Jules said suspiciously. "Why do you ask?"
Alora fidgeted nervously for a second, not sure if by speaking up she'd get Lorelei in trouble or not. She opened her mouth to speak, but a shout from the center of the room drew everyone's attention. Alora heaved a sigh of relief as she shifted her attention to the speaker.
"Thank for coming, everyone," a tall, brown-haired young man said. "My name is Brandon Winters, head of Devon Company's Kanto Pokémon Research Division. It's my honor to welcome you here this year." He wore a three-piece pinstripe suit, and wore a tie that had Pokéballs on it. "I know that you're all eager to get going, but this ceremony has been done every year for the last hundred, so we're not about to stop now. Thank you all for coming and not showing up TOO late. Lorelei, I'm looking at you!" he glared somewhere into the crowd.
From across the crowded room, Alora heard Lorelei snap back. "Blah, blah, blah, get on with it."
Brandon fumed, but continued his speech. "You have been selected from around the world. Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh of course, are the normal trainer countries, and most of you are from those countries. However, we also have a trainer from Nuschantz this year, as well as a trainer from Acquar and Fentis. It is with great pleasure that I, on behalf of all of the International Pokémon League, welcome you today."
Alora glanced around. She had expected everybody to be from Kanto. She hadn't realized that other countries would be represented as well. Brandon continued his speech. "Today we'll introduce you to two partners who will be traveling with you for a long time. First, your Pokémon Master, who will show you the ropes of training Pokémon."
"Go, me!" Lorelei's voice rang out from across the room, causing several people to chuckle.
"Shut UP Lorelei!" Brandon hissed, before composing himself and continuing. "The other, of course, is your starting Pokémon. Now, we could have gone the old route of giving away the standard Starter Pokémon, we decided this year to mix things up a little bit. This year, we have thirteen Pokémon, each a different type. There are the standard water, grass, and fire types, of course, but there are also many other Pokémon types available as well. Choose wisely; since this Pokémon will be with likely be with you for the rest of your life."
Alora swallowed. She didn't even know what types there were, let alone the Pokémon. She didn't know many non-Ice type Pokémon, either. "As a gesture of respect to the countries that we don't have often, we've decided to let the trainers from Acquar, Nuschantz, and Fentis be the first to choose," Brandon announced. "So let's meet them, shall we? Just a request, though—don't open your Pokéball here. Let it be a surprise to each other when you meet on the road. After all, the element of surprise is a very powerful advantage"
Brandon grinned. "For our first trainer this year, we have a trainer from a country that has never had a trainer in the International Pokémon League before. Ladies and gentlemen, from Fentis, I give you Alora Anophis!" he said, jabbing a finger straight at Alora.
Alora blinked, and her cheeks turned bright red as she stepped forward. She managed a slight wave as she approached Brandon. "Um," she said. "I didn't realize that I was the first or anything. I just wanted a Pokémon." She whispered to him when she had managed to make her way through the crowd.
He grinned and clapped her on the shoulder. "Don't worry. That's all it'll be. Unless my idiot sister does something stupid." He whispered into her ear. He glanced around and began in a louder voice. "And, of course, Alora's Pokémon Master will be none other than Alto's finest, Lorelei Belle Winters, the newest International Pokémon League's Pokémon Master!"
Alora could see Lorelei shoving her way through the crowd. "Great to be here!" she said, grinning. "You promised me food!" she hissed at her brother, before turning back to everybody else. "All my love, really!"
"For once," he snapped back quietly. "Don't make trouble."
Lorelei grinned. "You and I both know that's impossible."
Brandon cleared his throat. "Alora, please choose your Pokémon!"
Alora swallowed and walked up to the podium. There were so many, and so many colors. She had no idea if they corresponded to type or not, but they probably did. But even if she knew the Pokémon types that the balls corresponded to, she had no idea what most of the Pokémon were.
Alora took a deep breath and closed her eyes. If she didn't know what the Pokémon were, she might as well not see the other Pokéballs at all. She stretched out her hand, and brought it down. Her hand closed around a Pokéball, and she lifted it up. She opened her eyes. The Pokéball was colored a shiny silver on the top, and orange on the bottom.
And suddenly, she was a Pokémon trainer.
Dimly, out of the corner of her eye, she heard Brandon announcing the next person. Someone from somewhere, she reflected as she walked back to Lorelei, who gave her an encouraging slap on the back. Whatever was in this Pokéball would be her ticket to whatever relatives she might have out there.
She'd work hard to master whatever Pokémon it was, and together, they'd find her family.
The rest of the ceremony was a blur. She dimly remembered later seeing the other trainers meet their Pokémon Masters and get their Pokéballs, but Alora was too absorbed in her own thoughts to care much. She dimly remembered going back to her room at the Pokémon Center, and lying down for a little while.
The first clear memory she had was of Lorelei bursting in through the door. "Hey, Alora!" she exclaimed as she slammed the door behind her. "Have you checked out your Pokémon yet?"
Alora blinked, and sat up on the bed. "Huh?" she asked, and then glanced down at the Pokéball in her hand. She hadn't even considered letting the Pokémon out yet. Some trainer she was gonna be. "Not really," she said slowly. "Pokéball, go!" She said, throwing the Pokéball into the air.
"Not in here!" Lorelei yelled as it flew through the air. "What if it's an Onix?"
The Pokéball spewed a beam of red light that coalesced into a humanoid form. The red outline of the Pokémon remained still for a moment, and then materialized. The Pokémon glanced around, and honked through its long nose.
"Interesting choice for a starter," Lorelei mused quietly. Alora stared at the Pokémon. She had never seen anything like it. "Makes sense, though."
Alora stared. The humanoid Pokemon stared back the bottom half of the creature's body was covered in brown, almost milk-chocolate-tinted fur. Its top half was covered in a yellowish cream fur. "I got the candy bar Pokémon?" Alora asked. "What's its name? Mars Musketeer?" The Pokémon reached up with one of its three fingered hands and scratched one of its ears, which stood up like a cat. About the only other distinguishing feature of the Pokémon was an almost trunkfish nose that drooped down over the Pokémon's mouth. That explained the honking, Alora thought. She got up off the bed and reached down to scratch the Pokémon's ear for it. It wasn't too tall. Probably only about to her waist.
"Its name is Drowzee," Lorelei explained. "It's a Psychic type. They're generally not as powerful as Kadabra, but the difference is that they've got staying power, and make up for that by being a strong physical trainer as well." Lorelei grinned at Alora. "All in all, a good starting Pokémon."
Alora blinked. "A wowzee isn't as powerful as a candelabra?" she asked, confused. "Sorry, but I'm not all too familiar with most Pokémon. I pretty much only know a few Fire-type Pokémon and most of the Ice-type Pokémon. Doesn't get too warm where I'm from, so most trainers didn't bring other types of Pokemon."
Lorelei groaned. "Great. Now they tell me." She ran a hand over her face, and looked at Alora. "Look, this is your Pokémon. It's called a Drowzee. It's a Psychic type. I'll print out some information on it and go over it with you later. But for now, the little guy needs a name."
Alora nodded, and a smirk spread out across her face. "I have just the right name. Get over here, Snickers!" she said, holding her arms open wide.
Intermission. Intermission. Intermission. Intermission. Intermission
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Intermission 1: The International Pokémon League.
Throughout the story, I'll be taking a break from writing chapters to give you guys information that you will need. For example, since this story will not feature a journey through the canon countries, and only through my own (of varying size) created countries. Some will be the standard, others will be freezing, some will be scorching heat, some won't be on land at all. Before we head out to those countries, I'll give you some basic information here, as well as a wealth of information through the narrative.
But some things in the narrative the characters already know, so I'll just be using Intermissions to give you the information. Much like Dragonfree's Extras. Also, Asterisks (), mean that there is special information about the topic that would not necessarily flow well with the rest of the Intermission. Such information is contained at the end of the Intermission.
Now, the International Pokémon League is a federation of sorts. There are Pokémon Leagues of every shape, color, and climate. Some Leagues rule over their countries, and other Leagues are treated more like sports. Like our NFL, NBA, NHL, etc.
There are many countries in the Pokémon League, and I shall now give you a list of the countries I have so far. Many are canon, many are my own, and there are three countries listed that I would like to include in name only that are pending approval from the authors that created them.
Canon Countries:
Kanto—Indigo League (8 Gyms) Johto—Johto League (8 Gyms) Orre Hoenn (8 Gyms) Sinnoh (8 Gyms) Orange Islands (8 Gyms) Sevii Islands (this is an Elite area of Kanto, and is considered its own Pokémon League, and has 4 Gyms)Ash Junior's Created Countries:
Alto (7 Gyms) Neragosh (8 Gyms) Nuschantz—Resort League (10 Gyms) Acquar—Scorching League (5 Gyms) Sintaur—the Equine League (7 Gyms Fentis—Midnight Sun League (2 Gyms) Brenthis—Flotilla League (a country composed of a fleet of ships that moves from one port to the next. Each ship has a different gym, and there are 8 Gym ships—headquarters of Team Aqua. ) Cansynna—Burning League (a country with many volcanoes, hot springs, and geysers, headquarters of Team Magma, 8 Gyms) Theranys—Subterranean League (the entire country is underground, with a few entrances to the surface in various places—12 Gyms) Qinpra—Tundra League (5 Gyms) Piltnaran—Tropical League (9 Gyms) Kitian—Mountain League (the cities are all of high elevation tucked high away in a treacherous Mountain Range, 6 Gyms) Salitron—Submarine League (Salitron is the first country to have cities entirely underwater. Not only that—the entire country is at the bottom of the ocean—5 Gyms)Other Authors' countries in the IPL (currently shown without permission, but all have received a request from me to feature them here):
Metone (Topaz) Janera (ObsidianBlade) Ouen (Dragonfree)Honorary IPL Members:
FioreEach Pokémon League Country has an equal say in the goings on of the International Pokémon League. Each country (except for Fiore) also hosts the annual Pokémon Month celebration. A huge event starting with the promotion of IPL Trainers to IPL Masters, and the acceptance of new Pokémon Apprentices. A large celebration goes all month, culminating in a week-long Pokémon tournament. The IPL Member countries trade off every year, letting each country have a turn. Each country is allowed to celebrate in their unique fashion, and a day-long parade is usually scheduled right before the tournament kicks off.
To get new members, the IPL recruits Pokémon Trainer hopefuls after an interview, and pairs them with an IPL Pokémon Master to show them the ropes. The Pokémon Master helps the Apprentice with both training their Pokémon and getting ready for the actual journey itself. While the Pokémon Master is supposed to help the Apprentice, they are not allowed to help out in any fights, or lend their Apprentices training supplies or money, as the apprentices are supposed to sink or swim in their own right.
After the Pokémon Masters deem their Apprentices worthy (generally half a League or so), the Apprentices are welcomed into the International Pokémon League as Journeymen.
The only other way to get into the Pokémon League is to defeat at least two IPL Leagues, with full badges. Then it is possible to apply for entrance into the International Pokémon League pending an interview process. If they are accepted, they are inducted as Pokémon Journeymen.
While there are several thousand IPL Journeymen at any one time, there are usually only a hundred or fewer IPL Masters. The Masters are carefully selected from the Journeymen based on experience, badges won and Leagues defeated, personality, and dedication to Pokémon Training.
Note: I included these countries because I am or have been friends with these authors. No additional created countries will be accepted, so please don't post your country's profile in my thread. Also, if the author(s) decide not to let me include them in my list, the said country(ies) will immediately be taken off of this list.
Note: Pokémon Rangers are enforcers of the IPL Rules and Regulations regarding treatment of Wild Pokémon. For this reason, Pokémon Rangers are permitted free travel throughout the IPL countries, and Fiore, while it has no official League and actively discourages Pokémon Trainers from visiting, is an honorary member of the IPL
Note that while it takes two Leagues for the Journeymen to be inducted into the INTERNATIONAL Pokémon League, individual Leagues such as the Indigo League may induct trainers into their ranks after said trainers have reached certain criteria