Chapter 11

Disclaimer: moi-moi819 does not own Pokémon, or any of the titles therein. This is a nonprofit fan fiction. No copyright infringement was intended. Please support the official release.

Moi-Moi: Hey guys! I know… I know… These chapters have been coming out later than usual. It's not my fault, I swear! …Um… Well… It's just that I've been pretty busy lately. ^.^' But, don't worry. The semester is almost over so I'll have plenty of free time to focus on writing. :D

In other news, I can't tell you guys how invested I am in Serena's character. Her triumphs, failures, and even her little challenges are all important. She is my absolute favorite girl. I have never cared so much about a female travelling companion. Sigh…

And now for the answer to the last Pokémon trivia. It is the ten! Charizard, Pinsir, Gyarados, Mewtwo, Ampharos, Aggron, Sceptile, Altaria, Lopunny, and Audino can all change type when they Mega Evolve. Remember, Mewtwo and Charizard can Mega Evolve into two different Pokémon. ;) Congratulations to 19jchoi! For your next question,

How many main protagonists (meaning Ash and his travelling partners) have caught/owned an Electric type Pokémon?

~:~

Following her loss at the Verdanturf Contest to May, Alena and Anya are now heading towards Rustboro City. They're hoping to spend some time in their new home before the next Pokémon Contest.

"Rustboro City looks nice. Doesn't it, Anya?" Alena questioned her sister with a small smile. The girls had just arrived in Rustboro City and were looking around them in keen observation. This was their new home after all. They should know every detail about the city.

"I guess. I thought the city would be nothing but dirt, rocks, and rust. This isn't so bad," Anya relented. The town held a modern feel about it with it's sleek buildings and nice homes. The volcano in the distance and the shimmering ocean served as a reminder that nature still dominated.

Alena smiled at that. "That's good to hear. Come on. We're almost to our new home," Alena said and lead Anya down a street and towards a suburban area. "It'll be great to see Dad again."

"I wonder what our new house looks like," Anya commented.

Alena shared in her sister's feelings. The amount of excitement and curiosity she was feeling was exhilarating. Once the girls started to pass by some of the most lavish homes they had ever seen, they shot each other a look. Were they in the right area? Alena looked back at the map of Rustboro City in her hands. She was sure that they were on the right street. Suddenly, Alena stopped in front of a two-story home with a tall, brick foundation. The home was painted white and had copious amounts of glass windows and doors. The lush, green lawn out front invited the girls towards it and possibly lie on it. Instead, they stared for several seconds. In that time, a woman dressed in high-class clothing strolled by along the sidewalk while walking her even more elegant Ninetales.

"Is this it?" Anya questioned. Alena nodded numbly. Slowly, the girls made their way up the brown, brick path that was cut through the lawn. Their eyes roamed over the bountiful flower beds and trimmed shrubbery. The path led them around the left side of the home and towards an oak porch. The front door was a navy color and had several glass panes embedded in it. Hesitantly, they rang the doorbell.

It only took several seconds before they could see their father heading towards the door. With a wide grin, he opened the door for them before pulling them in for a bear hug. "Finally! I was beginning to worry! It's so great to see you girls," Isaac said and pulled the still-stunned girls into the home. Closing the door behind them, Isaac asked, "So? What do you think? I actually got everything unpacked and I did it all by myself."

"This is our new house?" Anya asked incredulously as she turned slowly in a circle to take in the entire view. The walls were white inside and the floors were oak. Two, long staircases to the left led upstairs and downstairs. With an excited squeal, Anya took off.

"This sure isn't like our home in Lilycove," Alena mused.

"I know. Your sister seems to like it. What about you?" Isaac questioned hesitantly.

Alena stared at the home before looking at her father. He looked... nervous. Alena gave the home one more look before smiling. "It's nice, Dad. I just feel bad that you were staying in it all alone for so long," Alena finally answered.

Isaac breathed a sigh of relief before wrapping an arm around Alena's shoulder. "You get used to it after a while. It's just nice to have you girls home," he said.

"Alena! There are five bedrooms!" they heard Anya cry out from somewhere in the home. Alena and Isaac laughed lightly at Anya's enthusiasm before moving into the living room.

"How long are you planning on staying?" Isaac asked, trying to keep the nerves out of his voice. He had missed his girls like crazy. Although he'd love it if they stayed, he didn't want them to. It was a difficult feeling.

"The next Contest is taking place in Lavaridge Town in about three weeks. It should only take a week to get there if we pass through Fallarbor Town. So I guess we'll stay here for about two weeks if you don't mind us intruding on your privacy," Alena joked lightly.

Isaac smiled before taking a seat on one of the white couches. He was about to say something, but Anya had suddenly appeared and interrupted him. "I already called my bedroom, Alena. You'll have to pick somewhere else. Dad, why didn't you tell us how awesome this place is!? There are, like a billion bathrooms and a pool!"

Isaac shrugged. "I didn't want to spoil the surprise."

"Alena, you should let your Pokémon out so that they can see this, too. They'll love it!" Anya suggested and twirled once in happiness.

"Sure. You're right," Alena agreed before releasing her Pokémon.

Upon release from their balls, the mixed group looked around them curiously (all except Grovyle who only offered two, quick glances before looking away in disinterest). Absol sniffed around twice before smiling and jumping up onto one of the couches for a comfortable nap. Lairon looked around him once before stomping over to the side and slumping down for a nap. Manectric barked happily before zipping around the room quickly, only stopping long enough to sniff at something before he quickly moved on. Grovyle gave Isaac a quick nod of recognition before leaping out through a window to bask in some sunlight.

"Your Pokémon have quite the range in personalities," Isaac commented.

"You don't know the half of it, Dad. Grovyle is always cool and calm. He barely ever talks," Anya started and plopped down on the couch next to her father. While Anya spoke about every and any thing she could think of to say about Alena's Pokémon and their journey so far, Alena left to explore the home.

It was big- far bigger than she had been expecting. She knew that her father was making a substantial income from his new job, but it hadn't hit her just how much he would be making. It was no big deal. He was happy with the change and Anya had more than taken to it. Everything would turn out fine.

After waking up the glass-enclosed staircase, Alena observed the hallway with many doors along it. The door closest to the stairs hid a room that was almost bare except for the unmade bed, white night stands, and matching dresser. All over the floor were stacks of boxes marked "Alena's things" or "Anya's things". Their dad must have left their stuff for them to unpack wherever and however they chose. "Well, better get started," Alena mused. Gathering up a random box, Alena walked across the hall to another bedroom- her new room.

~:~

Falling back into the routine was easier than she had expected. Before Anya or her father were even up, Alena was already in the kitchen making breakfast. The kitchen was quickly becoming her favorite room in the house. Not even she could deny how beautiful it was. "Grovyle, would you mind cutting up the fruit for me?" Alena questioned one of her helpers.

With a nod, Grovyle tossed the fruit up into the air. "Gro...vyle," Grovyle grunted as he quickly slashed twice at the falling fruit with two Leaf Blades. With impeccable balance, he caught the sliced fruits in a bowl before carrying it over to the table. Absol was going back and forth between the kitchen and the dining room with dishes of cooked food.

"I never knew that making breakfast could go so fast," Alena smiled at the fully stocked table of food.

"Alena?"

The trio turned at the sound of someone speaking. With a drowsy expression, Isaac stood at the entrance to the kitchen. His eyes roamed over the breakfast spread before he chuckled with a grin. "I haven't seen a spread like this in months."

"Breakfast is served. You can go ahead and dig in, Dad. I'm gonna feed my Pokémon and then I'll join you," Alena said before moving to dish out some Pokémon food and iron ores.

Breakfast was a peaceful affair. Anya was enthusing about her amazing night's sleep in a real bed. Isaac listened intently, not realizing until now how much he missed hearing Anya go on. Alena smiled happily at her family's dynamic. Having her Pokémon nearby only served to complete the scene.

"Girls, while you're here, I think you should both attend the Trainer's School in town," Isaac suggested.

"A Trainer's School?" Alena parroted.

"Yes. They take kids from age eight and up. They even offer classes on battling and Contests. I think you girls would benefit from it. Roxanne is an excellent teacher," Isaac said and took a sip of his coffee.

"Roxanne?" Anya questioned.

"She's the Gym Leader here in Rustboro City. She's an intelligent woman who teaches the beginner's class when she's not tending to the Gym," Isaac explained.

"She sounds nice, Dad," Alena said. "We'll head over there today."

"We can't spend too much time in school though. Alena still has to train for her next Contest," Anya reminded them and finished off her juice.

~:~

"This is the Pokémon Trainer's School? Looks like a dump," Anya mumbled to herself.

"Anya! Don't say that. Do you want themto kick you out before you even get to class?" Alena chastised before shaking her head with a sigh. "Come on. The Headmaster's office should be around here…"

The Pokémon Trainer's School consisted of a few large, brown brick buildings and a courtyard that doubled as a battlefield. While it wasn't much to look at, it wouldn't be too hard to get lost on the extensive property. Within a matter of minutes, the girls had found the Headmaster's office. And after introducing themselves to the secretary, they only had to wait for a few moments before the headmaster came out to meet them.

The headmaster was a middle-aged man with short, brown hair and a thick, brown mustache. He wore a red jacket over a white button up and beige slacks. As he approached them, he smiled brightly. "Welcome to the Pokémon Trainer's School, young ladies. My name is Geoffrey. Your father has told me quite a bit about the two of you. We're very fortunate to have another skilled Coordinator in our midst today. Pease, follow me and I'll direct you to your classes," the headmaster said and led the girls to the door.

"Due to your age, Anya, you'll be in the Beginner's class that is taught by Miss Roxanne. I'm sure that you'll have much to learn from her," the headmaster said. "I hope you don't mind, Alena. When your father told us about your talents as a Coordinator, we decided that it would be best to have you speak in our Coordinator's class."

"Speak? I'm not sure I'm cut out for that. I'm still a beginner, myself," Alena said nervously.

"A beginner with four Ribbons?" Geoffrey chuckled. "You're very modest. Have no fear. You won't be speaking alone today. We have a second Coordinator who is just as competent as you," he replied before stopping outside a wooden door. "Here we are, the Beginner's class."

"Be good, Anya," Alena reminded seriously.

"Don't worry, Alena. I'll be fine," Anya shrugged her sister off before opening the door and striding into the room confidently.

"Miss Roxanne, you have a new student. This is Anya, Isaac's youngest daughter," Geoffrey informed the young woman who was standing at the front of the large classroom.

Roxanne turned curious eyes onto them before smiling brightly. "Welcome, Anya. It's a pleasure to have you," Roxanne said. Anya thoroughly inspected Roxanne's outfit. A navy, long-sleeved dress over red tights and a matching red pin in her long, taupe hair. Seemingly satisfied, Anya nodded once. Turning her red eyes onto the girl standing behind Anya, Roxanne smiled again. "You must be Alena. Isaac has told me a lot about you," Roxanne said before turning back to her class. "Class, this is Alena. She's a Pokémon Coordinator. She'll be giving a talk to the Coordinator's class. A little later, we'll pay her a visit."

If Alena wasn't sweating before, she sure was now. What had her dad gotten her into? Feeling the eyes of all the children on her, Alena started to back away and out of the door slowly. "Yes, well... Farewell, Miss Roxanne," Geoffrey said before leading Alena away.

The Coordinator's classroom was styled quite differently from the Beginner's classroom. On some days, the Coordinator's class would have desks and tables for the students to sit at. Most times, however, all the furniture was removed from the room to allow for demonstrations and hands-on practice. Today was one of the days where the furniture was left in the room.

After knocking and pushing the door open, Geoffrey cleared his throat to gain everyone's attention. "Good morning, scholars. I'm pleased to announce that your second guest speaker for the day has arrived. Please welcome, Alena," Geoffrey introduced and gestured to Alena. Alena offered a small wave. "I'll leave you in her capable hands."

Alena felt completely alone and exposed once the headmaster had left. All the aspiring Coordinators were staring at her from their desks. Releasing a breath, Alena made her way over to the podium at the front of the room. "I should have known that they'd get you…"

With a surprised expression, Alena turned and potted Charlotte glowering at her. "Charlotte? What are you doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious? I was asked to speak to the class because of my experience as a Coordinator. I mean, I have five Ribbons already. They'd be fools not to ask me to speak," Charlotte bragged.

"Five Ribbons? That's great! Congrats," Alena smiled. Charlotte didn't respond.

An older (but still pretty young) man stepped forward to address the class. "Now that you all have heard from Charlotte, do you have any questions?"

One hand shot into the air. Charlotte smirked at Alena. "Yes?" Charlotte asked in a sweet voice.

"I have a question for Alena," the young woman in the third row announced.

"Me?" Alena questioned and pointed to her chest. Charlotte balked.

"Yes. I saw your performance at the Oldale Contest and I was wondering how you came up with that routine? I've never seen anything like it," the girl said.

"Um… Well, I was just looking up information on my Pokémon in my Pokédex one day and I learned that Treecko's evolutionary line are known for tending to trees in forests. After that, it was just working out how to get a tree on the Contest stage," Alena shrugged and blushed lightly.

"Can I see your Grovyle? I've only ever seen it on tv," the girl went on.

"That's an excellent idea. Why don't you two let your Pokémon out so that the class can observed what healthy, well-raised Pokémon look like," the instructor said.

"Alright then. Feast your eyes on my gorgeous Pokémon," Charlotte said and released her Flaaffy and Delcatty. Following her example, Alena also released her Pokémon.

The six Pokémon faced the students in the class, but didn't acknowledge each other. When Lairon spotted Delcatty standing next to Grovyle, he growled lowly. The Steel type still hadn't forgiven the cat for the tricks it had played on his mind. His growling ceased, however, when Grovyle shot him a quick glare that said, "Now is not the time nor place". At the appearance of the Pokémon, more hands shot into the air.

"How do you get your Pokémon's fur so shiny and smooth?"

"What kind of PokéBlock do you use?"

"How do I raise my Pokémon to always win Contests?"

Charlotte had been totally ready to answer all their questions, but froze when she heard Alena's soft voice speak up. "Well, my little sister usually brushes their fur, polishes Lairon's shell and waxes Grovyle's scales every day. I make my own PokéBlock to keep them healthy," Alena said. Charlotte frowned at all the students who had the gall to take notes.

Suddenly, the door opened to reveal Roxanne and her Beginner Class. "Mr. Roman, I hope you don't mind, but I wanted my class to listen in on your guest presenters," Roxanne said.

"Not a problem," the instructor replied. Roxanne ushered the children into the room and had them sit on the floor at the front of the room and directly in front of Alena and Charlotte. All the children stared up at Alena with eager expressions. Charlotte rolled her eyes.

"Unlike Alena, I take care of my Pokémon on my own. I don't have baby sisters tending to my Pokémon," Charlotte snubbed.

"Can we see your Ribbons?" A little girl questioned while shooting her hand up in the air.

Charlotte chuckled. Let those snot-nosed brats anywhere near her Ribbons? Charlotte's laughter died off when she heard Alena acquiesce. The children oohed and ahhed at the four Ribbons as if they were the best thing on the planet! Charlotte huffed before whipping out her Ribbon Case.

"I've already seen Alena's Ribbons. I was there when she won them," Anya bragged.

Charlotte steamed. Now they were all paying attention to Alena's sister!? What about her!? Charlotte was the more accomplished Coordinator! She was clearly superior. Why was Alena being praised for mediocrity!? Charlotte huffed silently.

~:~

Alena was observing the children in Miss Roxanne's class have mock battles with the school's Pokémon. Anya was doing well enough at battling and seemed to be taking her rare defeats in stride. Alena was sure that the school would have already been destroyed by one of Anya's meltdowns after losing in battle. Giggling to herself, Alena turned to leave the courtyard in search of a bathroom.

Rounding a corner, Alena was met with a deserted hallway. Getting the feeling that she wouldn't find a bathroom here, Alena turned to leave. She was stopped when she heard her name whispered. "Hello?" she replied, but received no answer. Continuing down the hallway, Alena could hear the sounds of a soft conversation reach her ears. Someone was speaking in one of the classrooms. Stopping at the door, Alena could see that it wasn't completely shut. She was about to walk in, but stopped when the voice spoke up again.

"It's ridiculous!" the person said in a subdued shout. It was Charlotte's voice. Alena almost turned to leave. It would be wrong to listen in on Charlotte's conversation. But then- "She comes out of nowhere and everyone thinks she's so amazing. They've got to be blind. She's just lucky. I refuse to believe that she's good enough to have won four Ribbons already…"

Alena froze in place. Was Charlotte speaking about her? Her voice sounded so rude and a bit snobby. Surely, Charlotte wouldn't say anything so mean about-

"Of course she cheats. If you'd seen her, you would have to think that she's a cheater. She's this freakishly tall nobody with the worst sense of fashion. Personally, I think she dresses herself in the dark."

Alena looked down at her clothes. She wasn't that bad… Then again, Anya had always said that she had no style… But Anya had been joking. Right?

"She doesn't even look Top Coordinator material. I bet she's just going to get worse as she gets older. She's only going to get taller. She'll probably end up being a bigfoot freak that's too tall and too skinny to fit into anything… Corinne, all tall people have big feet. That's just genetics."

Alena felt a mix of emotions settle in her chest and stomach. There was sadness- a deep sadness that clogged her throat and gripped her lungs and heart. There was anger. It brewed just under her skin, leaving her feeling heated in the face but cold in her digits. The last emotion that she could identify was a feeling of hopeless worthlessness. The anger flickered out slowly as the worthlessness took over.

"If I didn't have five Ribbons already, I'd enter a Contest just to put Alena in her place and give her a wake up call…"

~:~

Later that evening, Isaac watched Anya eat her dinner peacefully while slipping bits of her meal to a waiting Manectric who was under the table. The single father hadn't seen his eldest daughter since she had come home that afternoon from the Trainer's School. "Anya, where's your sister?" he asked.

"In her room. She said that she wasn't feeling okay so she was going to take a nap," Anya answered.

"She must be feeling pretty bad. She's pretty resilient," Isaac frowned.

"Sure, Dad," Anya muttered while feeding Manectric some of her fruit.

She wasn't napping, however. Alena had laid on her bed for hours just thinking about all her past Contests. She had always thought that she had done a good job. The judges believed so. It couldn't have been luck. She's worked too hard with her Pokémon for all their wins to be determined by luck. Charlotte had to be wrong.

But the other stuff she had said…

Alena rolled over onto the stomach with a quiet sigh and hid her red face in her wet pillow. There wasn't anything special about her. She was too tall, too skinny, boring, shy, quiet… There was no way to prove that Charlotte had been wrong then. So…Charlotte had to be right… Why couldn't she have turned out more like Anya?

~:~

Isaac kept eyeing the digital clock on the stove that flashed the time. '10:54'. Isaac sighed and sipped his coffee. His girls would be leaving him today. He had really enjoyed this time with them. But, Alena still had one more Ribbon to win. Maybe they would come back after Alena won her Ribbon?

"Ready!" Anya sang as she descended the stairs quickly. She twirled once at the bottom of the stairs with a bright grin on her face.

"You seem excited," Isaac noted with a smile.

"Of course, Dad. We're heading to Lavaridge Town today. I heard that the town has a really famous hot spring. I can't wait to relax in it," Anya sighed happily.

"We have to get there first, Anya," Alena reminded as she came down the steps at a slower rate than Anya had.

"Well let's get going! We're wasting time!" Anya urged before quickly embracing her father in a tight squeeze. "Love you, Dad. See you later!"

Isaac was left staring after his youngest daughter with a stunned expression. She was gone before he could respond. Isaac smiled fondly before saying, "I'll see you girls soon. Good luck in your Contest, Alena."

"Thanks, Dad," Alena said and hugged her father. While mid-hug, they both heard Anya's voice call out, "Hurry up, Alena!"

"You better get going before Anya leaves you behind," Isaac chuckled.

"Alright. Bye, Dad!" Alena said and quickly left her father alone.

"Finally. I thought we were never going to leave. Come on! Lavaridge Town is waiting for us!" Anya exclaimed and took off in excitement.

"Anya! Wait! Do you even know where you're going!?" Alena called out as she ran after her sister.

The road from Rustboro City to Lavaridge Town took about one week to travel. Along the way, the girls would stop in Fallarbor Town for a night, but would have to leave the next morning in order to make it on time for the Lavaridge Contest. Fortunately for Alena, she'd already practiced and perfected her routine for the Contest while in Rustboro.

Honestly, Alena wasn't sure if she was going to compete in the Lavaridge Contest. She sure hadn't felt up to it. Having her self-confidence crushed made performing on stage the last thing she wanted to do. A strong sense of commitment was what had finally persuaded her to continue on. She had to at least try. There were a lot of people who had faith in her and supported her fully. She had worked so hard with her Pokémon as well. What did it matter if she wasn't special or appealing? Her Pokémon sure were. And everyone was going to see that.

Around noon, the girls had stopped walking and claimed a small clearing to occupy for lunch. Alena had felt a tiny twinge of longing for the luxurious kitchen they had left behind in Rustboro when she faced her cooking supplies. Anya missed eating in her new home as well (but not enough to go back home, mind you). While Alena cooked, Anya dished out food and PokéBlock for all the Pokémon and got out the grooming supplies.

"Alright. Time to get you guys all clean," Anya said to the Pokémon. None of them showed any sign that they had heard Anya, eating their food took priority. Anya approached Lairon's large body first. With a cloth in hand, she went about polishing his shell.

Lairon ate his meal without interruption, not bothered in the slightest by Anya's ministrations. While mid-chew, the Steel type was disturbed by a new sight. A small, blue and white bird had landed before him and was perched atop his iron ores. It stared up at him with its beady, black eyes. It tilted its head curiously before cooing happily and rubbing its white, cottony wings all over Lairon's face.

After hearing the new sound, Anya looked to Lairon in question. She raised a brow at what she saw. "Alena, check this out," she called out to her sister with a giggle.

Alena looked up from her stew in question. Her eyes widened slightly before she stifled a giggle. Lairon was no longer being cared for by Anya. Instead, a small bird-like Pokémon was polishing Lairon's entire body with its wings. Lairon growled grumpily, not happy in the slightest about the intrusion of his personal space. Alena took out her Pokédex.

Swablu, the Cotton Bird Pokémon. Swablu loves cleanliness and is quick to wipe off any unclean surface with its cotton-like wings.

"It's so cute. Wow, Lairon. Swablu is getting you cleaner than I ever could," Anya giggled.

"Blu," Swablu trilled happily from the praise. Having polished Lairon's body, Swablu decided to perch atop Alena's head. Wrapping its wings around its body, Swablu resembled a white, cottony cap atop Alena's black hair.

"I've never seen a Pokémon act like this before," Anya mused.

"The Pokédex says that Swablu are very friendly, unafraid of humans, and like to perch on their heads," Alena remarked.

Anya quickly took the Pokédex from her sister to look over Swablu's entry. Scanning through the information, Anya became even more interested when she spotted Swablu's evolved form. "Wow. Look at what Swablu evolves into, Alena. Isn't it pretty?" Anya asked and showed Alena the picture of the larger, blue bird with white, fluffy plumage and two, long blue plumes extending from its head.

"Why don't we have lunch now before it gets cold? Swablu, you're welcome to join us for lunch if you want," Alena offered. Swablu cooed happily from atop Alena's head before flapping over to rest patiently atop Lairon's shell.

"I think Lairon made a new friend," Anya snickered at Lairon's exasperated look.

With a huff, Lairon quickly shook out his body and caused Swablu to fly off his shell. The second he ceased his shaking, however, Swablu was back to resting on his shiny shell. With a soft coo, she wrapped herself in her soft wings and settled down for a nap. Lairon huffed again before plopping down loudly. Sensing Lairon's submission, Swablu cooed again while patting Lairon's shell with her wings.

~:~

Moi-Moi: For a better look at Alena's new home, you can see it here: southern nehome ? p=2043 Just remove the spaces. It's a really nice home... I'm really going to try to get these chapters out to you guys as fast as I can. I'll be pretty busy for the rest of the month and I'll be travelling next month… NO MATTER! I made a subconscious commitment when I started this story! I started it so I'm gonna finish it!

Edited: 4/13/16