Hey, how's it going! Welcome to Chapter 2 of Defiance. I've decided that from now on, I'm going to try to keep these intro things short and if I want to really say anything, I'll leave it for the end of the chapter. So, here goes! Thanks for Reading!
DISCLAIMER: I don't and haven't ever owned Pokémon, whether it be the games, anime, or the manga.
Chapter 2: Quartz Dorima
January 21st-Violet City, Johto-8:00 AM
Zircon's POV
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
Click. Stupid alarm clock. I get it; get up, there's no need to annoy me all morning long. I sat myself up and stretched out my arms. I grabbed my glasses from the nightstand and put them on as I looked around myself. It sure has been a long time since I've woken up in a place that isn't either my own bed or the couch in the living room at home. I pinched myself to make sure it wasn't a dream.
"AH!" There's the pain, verifying that it's not a dream! I'm in Violet City, and I'm only a few steps away from actually accomplishing this crazy plan of mine! I threw the covers over to the side and jumped off the bed, stretching the rest of my body this time. I decided to take a quick shower before heading to the lobby of the hotel. All the while, I continued to run through my head the plan and prepared what I would say or do through several different scenarios that I could think of. The excitement of achieving a goal I've been waiting for several years was giving me an unbelievable amount of anticipation and energy, and I felt like I just couldn't slow down for a second.
After changing, I went downstairs and was able to get breakfast as part of the deal Kaito was able to get me yesterday. I have to admit, despite all the trouble I went through yesterday, it was starting to feel like it was worth it. I was making incredible time on my schedule. Arriving at Violet City originally was going to take about a day and a half, minimum, and I was going to have to spend the night at a Pokémon Center to save money. Now, here I am, in Violet City almost an entire day early, having breakfast at one of the priciest hotels in the city, and I'm not paying a penny! If that's not good luck, I don't know what is! After finishing up breakfast, I gave the front desk back my key and slung my now one-strapped backpack over my shoulder as I made my way out into the new day that was awaiting me.
I looked up to the sky and thought, 'All right, first things first. I need a complete makeover. In order for me to continue on my journey, I need to change my appearance so I'm unrecognizable to anyone who knows me if I ever appear on TV. With a good enough disguise, be it Dad, Jade, or even Mom herself, I'll be able to disappear without a trace and be able to continue my journey and not have to constantly watch my tracks to see if I'm being followed. Thankfully, last night before going to sleep, I looked through some pamphlets detailing all the stores in Violet City's shopping center, and it seems that everything I need should be there. I took a deep breath as a final preparation before running out to the city to get started.
I decided the first order of business should be to get rid of my two most distinguishing features: my hair and my glasses. I went to a salon where some of the hairdressers have styled hair of many famous Trainers, one popular example being the Elite Four's Karen. With their help, I dyed my hair into a blonde color which kind of bordered on being silver, but it was anything but brunette, so it was good. Afterward, she was able to cut my hair from its long ponytail and gave it a typical spiky hairstyle, one that could hide the Idaisa family tuft of hair that we were easily identified by and was able to make it pass for just a part of my "signature look."
Next, I went to an eyeglass store and was able to get some contacts that not only help me see without my glasses, but also changed my eye color from the dark red to a very light blue to the point that it was almost clear. I bought several sets of those reusable contacts in case a couple got lost. Hey, a Pokémon journey is no easy task, you gotta be prepared.
Speaking of being prepared, I needed both a new backpack and some stuff for the road. I went to a store that specialized in Trainer gear. First off, I bought myself a hat that I could use if my hair situation ever got out of hand. I got an orange backpack that embodies the spirit of "is bigger on the inside than the outside," with practically enough space to fit 1000 Pokéballs. I know, it's a weird comparison, right? No one needs that many Pokéballs. Anyway, I decided instead of getting a tent to camp out when in the middle of a route, I just got a sleeping bag. Hey, if I'm in the middle of a route, I'll just find a tree and sleep under it for the night, that'll be my tent.
Second, I needed a new PokéGear. My previous PokéGear was now useless, as its only contacts were the people I was trying to escape from: Dad, Jade, and most of all, Mom. I decided to get a brand-new one, with a new number without transferring any of the data from my last one. If I was getting a new start, I truly needed a clean slate. To make sure I didn't get lost, I bought a Map Card for the PokéGear, and then decided, since there was a 2 for 1 sale, I might as well get the Radio Card as well. Lastly, since I can't always eat at a restaurant because I won't always be in a town or I'll run out of cash, add in the fact that I can't cook to save my life, I got some easy to prepare food: energy bars and cup ramen. Not the most ideal of meals, but easy enough that anyone can make.
As the final step, I decided I needed a completely new look. Usually, my attire was pretty basic: a t-shirt and jeans. However, after checking how much money I still had and remembering the price needed for taking the Trainer's exam, I decided I had enough to get an upgrade in terms of my wardrobe. I went to a place called Kalos Boutique where they had clothes imported all the way from the Kalos region, a region known for its style. I got a green shirt, blue sweater with a lightning bolt on the left sleeve, and since they're all the rage, ripped jeans. Since I needed a change of clothes, I just got a second set of the same stuff. I looked at my shoes and decided to get a new pair, picking up some purple sneakers. In order for me to carry Pokéballs at my waist, I got one of those specialty Trainer belts. The last thing I got was a wallet to hold my leftover money and so I would have a place to put my Trainer license once I got it.
After my last purchase, I took a look in one of the store windows. 'Wow,' I thought. 'If I didn't know I was looking into a window, I could swear this isn't my reflection.' If I couldn't recognize myself, then I know my transformation was a success. However, in seeing this completely different person, I realized that I was going to need a completely different name. After starting my journey, I was planning to challenge the Gyms, and one of the most popular stations turned on every TV was Trainer's Center, where they gave reports of Trainers who won Gym Badges every day and if Zircon Idaisa came up as one of the names, there's a red flag right there.
Now a name isn't the easiest thing to choose. Once I decide on one, that's who I'll be known as to all people. Hmmm, how did Mom choose my name? Oh yeah, she named me Zircon because of the color of my eyes! Well, my eyes now seem to be a like a crystal-like blue, but Crystal is a girl's name, so…I got it! As for a last name, hmmm… It's got to be something normal but not overly common. Eh, I guess I'll make something up. They say the best names come up on the spot, I think.
With all that in mind, I made my way to the Pokémon Trainer's School. It was a lot bigger than what is was when I last came 5 years ago. Back then, the Trainer's School was a small building that seemed more like a daycare than a school. Now, with several branches of buildings based on specific areas of training, classes based on age, and even a battlefield outside, it has transformed into the perfect preparatory school for any aspiring Pokémon Trainer.
I made my way inside and walked up to the front desk. At the desk was a secretary, currently on the phone, signaling me to wait a couple seconds as she finished her call. I took a seat and waited in the room, checking out some of the magazines in the waiting room. Unfortunately, the main story in the magazines and the front covers all focused on one Trainer in particular: Mom. I tried watching the TV in the waiting room, but guess who was being interviewed, that's right: Mom. As the number one Trainer in Johto, she's been swarmed with press coverage around the clock. Although in the joint regions of Kanto and Johto, there are a couple who are better than her, her position as both mother and skilled Trainer make her the most interesting topic in today's current news.
"Next please," called the secretary as she finished up her phone call. I looked around the waiting room and saw no one else, so I guess she means me. I walked up as she smiled and said, "Welcome to Violet's Pokémon Trainer's School, how can we help you?"
"Well, I…uh, w-would like t-to, uh see a teacher about taking the Trainer's GED test or something," I managed to make out.
The secretary looked at me from top to bottom before asking, "How old are you?"
"I'm 16," I answered, trying to be a bit more composed and sure of myself.
It seemed that this worked as she smiled and said, "Well, to take the Trainer's Equivalency Exam, you need to be accepted by one of the school's professors. I'll call one over and ask that she do an evaluation, okay?" I nodded and waited as the secretary called over the PA, "Could Ms. Tensari please come to the Main Office. Ms. Tensari to the Main Office, thank you." She then turned to me, "She'll be here shorty."
I went back to the waiting room and sat down, going over in my head what kinds of questions she might ask and my answers. I sat in anticipation as I saw a silhouette of not one-but two people coming down the hallway. They seemed to be having a somewhat heated discussion that I only really paid attention to once I recognized one of the voices.
"I've told you maybe a thousand times, don't interrupt me in the middle of one of my classes," the woman, I'm guessing the teacher, said.
"Ah come on, Crys. I've got nothing better to do, and you're always busy with teaching here, helping the Professor, or volunteering at the orphanage," the other voice complained who I recognized immediately as the silhouettes came into view.
Kaito?! I remember he had said that was going to visit his girlfriend in this city, but I had no idea she was one of the teachers here!
"Well, excuse me for actually having a job!" she yelled as she turned to the secretary to see why she was called down before turning to me. She was a bit shorter than Kaito, with a red buttoned up blouse, an orange skirt and black shoes. Behind a pair of glasses I saw a pair of crystal blue eyes, rather annoyed at what I'm guessing is Kaito barging into her class. She had dark blue hair, tied into one long ponytail and star shaped earrings. As she walked over, I stood up, and prepared for whatever questions she would ask as Kaito walked beside her still trying to get the last say into their conversation.
"I do have a job! It's called being a Trainer! Isn't that what this entire school is for?"
"Ah, forget it, we'll talk about this later," she said, waving him off before trying to smile as she looked at me and said, "Hello there, my name is Ms. Tensari and I'll be doing your evaluation okay?"
I bowed as I greeted her and thanked her for her time. I turned to Kaito, bowing, and said, "It's nice to see you again, Mr. Kaito."
"Do I know you?" I looked up from my bow and saw he had an eyebrow raised with a confused look on his face.
The teacher looked at him and asked, "Do you know this kid? And who calls you by your last name?"
I laughed as I realized that my transformation in my appearance was probably why he didn't recognize me. "I met you yesterday, remember? You ran over me with your Tauros?"
"YOU DID WHAT?!" the teacher yelled at him. However his face remained unchanged.
"Not ringing a bell…" he said.
"Really?" I guessed I need to jog his memory a bit, "I rode here on your Mantine?" Nothing. "You shot me out of the sky on that other Pokémon?" Zero. I sighed and said, "That kid you helped out last night?"
"OHHHH! You're that kid!" he exclaimed as I sweatdropped since he only remembered me after I referred to myself as 'that kid.' "Wow, man, you really changed! What'd you do, get a haircut or somethin'?
I chuckled and said, "Sort of…" A haircut was only scratching the surface of what had changed about me.
"Well, you look a lot better than you did yesterday, that's for sure."
"Excuse me." The teacher cleared her throat before saying, "So, have you two met before?"
"Oh yeah!" he said, turning to her. "Remember that kid I told you about last night? The one who rode Tibo like a boss?"
She close took off and cleaned her glasses as she said, "I remember you telling me about someone." She put back on her glasses as she got a good look at me, "He's different from what I imagined."
"Well, anyway, kid, it's good to see you again!" Kaito said with a huge grin on his face.
"I had no idea we'd meet up so soon, Mr. Kaito!" I told him back. Maybe he can help put in a good word for me! After all, one could say he still owed me for almost killing me several times yesterday.
He looked at me before saying, "All right, no need to be so formal. Mr. Kaito was my father's name." he said, pulling out that old joke. "My name is Gold. Gold Kaito." He put out his hand for a handshake as my jaw dropped open.
"G-G-GOLD KAITO?!" No wonder he looked so familiar! He's one of the Dexholders, who've helped save Johto against Team Rocket multiple times! I've seen him all the time on T.V! The man's a legend! I took his hand with both hands and shook it like the crazy obsessed fan I am.
"See Crys, I do have a job," he said with a smug look on his face. "Being there for my fans."
I looked back to the teacher and it only took me a couple of seconds to put two and two together. If he's Gold Kaito, she must be… "Crystal Tensari?" She nodded, less enthusiastic on being recognized than Gold. Two Dexholders in the same day? I've always wanted to meet at least one of them on my journey and to think I've met two of them before I've even started!
"All right!" Crystal started, breaking me out of my daze. "In this school, I am not Crystal of the Dexholders, but rather Ms. Tensari or Tensari-sensei; whichever one you prefer to use."
"Yes, Ms. Tensari," I said, standing up straight as I remembered why I was here. She sat down on one of the chairs so I sat down on the chair across from her as Gold slouched down on a seat on the side from us. She took out a clipboard and began to write down notes, before she began to ask questions. Since I didn't have any sort of résumé, she began with some basic questions like my age, hometown, history with Pokémon, and previous schooling. I answered truthfully to all the questions since they were basic questions and although I've taken classes here before, they didn't have any computers back then, so I figured that I wouldn't be in the database so they couldn't trace it back to me. Oddly enough, she skipped asking my name, so I guess that gave me more time to think up a last name.
She looked over my information before saying, "Well, your qualifications seem to be okay, but in order to take the exam, you'd need a reference or two from licensed Trainers saying you're okay, be it friend, sibling, or a parent or guardian."
I panicked over what to do. Obviously, my family was out of the question and all the friends I had left 5 years ago and now could be anywhere in the world by this point. I started to give up hope but then I heard, "I'll vouch for him." I looked over to a tired Gold who had his hand up. YES! If he helps me here, I'll forgive him completely for everything that happened yesterday! "I mean I saw him in action yesterday, and he seems perfectly capable of taking care of himself and he seems to get along perfectly with Pokémon," he stated, smiling with a wink in my direction.
"Are you sure about this Gold?" Cry-I mean, Ms. Tensari asked, "I know you might feel guilty about whatever you did to him last night, but this is about letting him going out into the real world by himself."
"Sure as I am about anything, Super Serious Gal," he teased but made sure to give enough of a serious tone that showed he knew the serious nature of the matter.
"Well, if Gold's your reference, I guess you don't need a second one." She began. "He might be rash, irresponsible, and not the smartest…"
"HEY!"
"But he's definitely one of the best trainers out there," she finished with a smile towards him. He smiled back as he broke out into another one of his signature grins.
"All right, I'll go get one of the tests. Gold, you spend enough time here to know which of the classrooms are free at this time." She tossed him a ring of keys. "Sit him down and I'll join you after I get him an exam."
As she went to go get the exam, we did just that. Gold found some random room that was empty and fiddled with the keys as he tried to find the right one. Once he got it, we went in and I sat down on the first desk in the front row. There was no one there so where I sat didn't matter. I tried to go over some key facts I knew would be on the test but couldn't since Gold was messing around with a pointer pretending to be a teacher. Thankfully, before long, Ms. Tensari came in with the exam and handed it to me.
"All right, you've got an hour to complete it," she explained. "All the questions are multiple choice and when you're done, just get up and walk over to Room 217 across the hall and hand it to me. Any questions?" I shook my head. It was easy enough to understand. Ms. Tensari turned to Gold and said, "Watch him and make sure he doesn't try to look up answers on his PokéGear or something." Gold gave her the thumbs up and sat back in the chair behind the teacher's desk. Ms. Tensari left back to her class, worried that the lack of a teacher led her class into anarchy.
I dived straight into the test, answering question by question. I'm not the greatest test taker or the smartest guy around, but I've had 5 years to study, and even with a good portion of those years making it hard to study between Mom watching and developing my escape, I'm pretty sure I'd do fine. A lot of questions were easy, such as basic type matchups between a Fire type and a Water type, how many badges were required to skip the preliminaries in the Pokémon League, what was the best method to catch a Pokémon, and so on. All the questions weren't about Pokémon though, they made sure you could live on your own while traveling, with questions asking what you would do in certain situations like if you were lost or caught in a disaster of sorts. Although some questions seemed like they were giving you the answer, some others seemed like they fell in a bit of a grey area. I checked my answers twice, because if I remember correctly, the pass margin had been upped from 75% to 80% in the past years due to several criminal organizations rising in almost every region. In each of these occurrences, Trainers have been caught in crossfires, so knowledge in survival of many different scenarios had become crucial for any starting Trainers.
I stood up after finishing and checking my answers twice. I looked up at the clock and saw I had only 5 minutes left. I guess I finished with just enough time left over. I was confident that I was at least getting 80% on this test. Gold looked up at me from his PokéGear and smiled, "You done?" I nodded and he walked out with me.
We walked over to Room 217, where the class was just ending. After all the students left, I gave Ms. Tensari my exam. She looked it over and took us to another room where a machine would scan my answers and score it. In 5 minutes, she came back out with my test and was about to announce my score. I tensed in anticipation.
"Well, your score is…" She paused for dramatic effect. "You passed. You got an 88, congratulations."
"All right, little man!" Gold turned to me and gave me a high-five. I passed! I passed! Step 3 com-
"One second," Ms. Tensari knocked me out of my thoughts. "You forgot to write your name. Unless you want your Trainer Card to say "Little Man" as your name, I suggest you put it down."
"You know, now that you mention it, I don't know your name yet, either." Gold said.
She handed me my already completed test for me to actually answer the hardest question on it. My name. I decided on a first name earlier that day. Since my eyes were now a clear blue, I had decided on: "Quartz," I said as I wrote it down. As for a last name, I decided since this entire situation was a dream come true so: "Quartz Dorima," as I finished writing it down.
"Quartz Dorima, eh?" Gold said, looking at me. "It kinda suits you." Thanks, I guess?
"All right Quartz," Crystal said, turning around. "It's time for the battle part of your exam."
"BATTLE PART?!" When was this added to the exam?
"Yes," she said as if were basic. "When the battlefield was added to the back of the school, a battle supplement was added to the test. It determines your capability of commanding a Pokémon in battle."
"But I don't ha-" I tried saying.
"Don't worry, Pokémon will be provided for this part of the exam," She said as she led us out the back. The battle was to be held on a sandy field drawn out in the corner of the school.
Gold clapped his hands together and said, "All right, Quartz. It's time to show us what you're made of!"
"Glad to see you're excited, Gold," Ms. Tensari said. "You're his examiner."
"WHAT?!" we exclaimed simultaneously.
"Well, of course. Gold, you said you'd vouch for Quartz here, and let's face it; you're more capable at battling than I am."
"But-,"
"No buts," she said.
Gold gave in and then nudged me and said, "Hey, just cuz we're friends doesn't mean I'm going easy on ya!" He grinned and walked over to his corner and began to reach to his belt for a Pokéball.
"Gold, you're not using your own Pokémon!" Ms. Tensari called to him.
"I'm not?"
Ms. Tensari sighed as she pushed a button on the wall. Two trays of six Pokémon came out on each of our sides of the field. I walked over to see the options. I noticed two of the Pokémon were some common ones you find everywhere, like Rattata and Pidgey. There was some variety in types among the other four though. The other four: Bellsprout, Poliwag, Geodude, and Growlithe all were different types, thus making the type matchups completely random. "Both of you have the same set of 6. You can choose 3 of the Pokémon," Ms. Tensari laid the rules down. "Switching out is prohibited and when all 3 Pokémon of one side are unable to battle, the battle ends." Those are some harsh rules. If I can't switch out, it all depends on what type matchups we end up with. "Don't worry," she said as if reading my mind. "Winning or losing doesn't affect your score. This is mainly used to see if you can battle effectively."
"So, I don't need to win, just show my skill…" I thought about this. I never really battled before, I've only done target practice with- "Ms. Tensari!"
"Yes?"
"Could I use a Pokémon of my own?"
She looked at me with a raised eyebrow, "You have your own Pokémon?"
"Well sort of," I tried to explain. "I haven't exactly caught him. He lives in the forest. I told him to meet me here when I left for Violet. I can call him with a special whistle we share."
Ms. Tensari looked at me and asked, "Well, we've allowed this before, but if you do, you can only use that one Pokémon. Is that okay?"
I thought it over, 'If I use Pete, I might have a better chance at showing my ability. I mean we're usually in sync when we do target practice on the soda cans back at home. It might be difficult since we'll be fighting 3 to 1, but winning isn't the goal here.'
Gold called from his side of the field, "I've got my 3 chosen already, so you don't have to worry about me trying to get a good matchup against you!" I smiled at him, appreciating that he was taking this match seriously and giving me a fair shot.
I looked over at Ms. Tensari and nodded. I put my index finger and thumb in my mouth and let out the signature whistle. Within seconds, Pete popped out of the bushes and ran over to me. He looked me over, confused at who whistled to him before sniffing me. "Yeah, it's me, buddy." I reassured him. "I kinda changed my look a bit. What do you think?" Now sure that I was who I said I was, Pete smiled and gave me a thumbs up with his signature 'Pi, Pichu!'
"Oh, you got a Pichu, too!" Gold called out from the other side. "He got a nickname?"
"His name's Pete!" I called back. I looked over at Ms. Tensari, "So, can Pete be my partner here?"
She smiled and said, "The bond between you two seems strong. I look forward to how you two battle together." I'm going to take that as a yes.
I turned over to Pete and knelt down to discuss the situation. "Alright Pete, this isn't like target practice at home. This is a real battle. Remember all the videos I showed you?" I had showed him several videos of people battling from specials on T.V. Pete nodded to show he remembered. "Well, let's do just that, 'kay?" The sparks flying off his cheeks were the only answer I needed as we prepared for battle.
"Alright Quartz, I'm ready when you are!" Gold called from the other side. Pete looked at me funny at the mention of my new name and I gave a look that said 'I'll explain later' as he turned back.
"I'm ready!" I called out.
Ms. Tensari went to the referee's position in the midway point of the field. "The Supplementary Part of the Trainer's Equivalency Exam between Gold and Quartz shall now begin!"
Gold tossed a Pokéball into the air, "Poliwag, let's do this!" A Poliwag? He knows I'm using an Electric type, so why would he send out a Water type? I know he's limited to the 3 Pokémon he chose, but he's starting off with a disadvantage? If I remember correctly, during one of his interviews on TV, he showed that a Politoed is part of his main team, so he must have had a Poliwag at some point. Therefore he must know how to use it. I got to be on my toes.
"Pete, don't get too comfortable! He must have a plan!"
"You better believe I do!" Gold smiled as he called out his first command, "Poliwag, use Water Gun on the ground!" The small tadpole Pokémon burst a stream of water from its mouth on the ground, starting to turn the sandy field into mud. Thankfully, the rental Pokémon here were relatively low level, so Pete and I could close in on Poliwag before the entire playing field was altered.
"Pete use Tackle!" Pete ran up and smacked the Poliwag in the middle of its Water Gun attack, keeping the field a bit moist, but not too muddy. If the place got really muddy, it would have the same effect as Mud Sport and Pete's electric type moves would have been weakened.
"Poliwag, use Hypnosis!" Poliwag eyes began glowing and the swirl on its stomach seemed if it were spinning.
"Pete, turn around! Don't look at Poliwag!" Pete spun around and looked straight at me. As long as he didn't look at Poliwag, the hypnosis shouldn't take affect and Pete won't fall asleep. Time to see if all those months of target practice paid off. "Pete, use Thundershock at your 6 o'clock position!" Pete let out a burst of electricity directly behind him which made a direct hit with the Poliwag. Poliwag fell with swirls where its eyes were, meaning Poliwag was out of this competition.
"Poliwag is unable to battle, Pichu wins!"
"All right Pete!" I knelt down and gave him a high five. "That's one down, two to go!" Pete started punching the air with his paws as if to say 'Who's next?'
"Good work, Poliwag. Come back," Gold said, recalling the tadpole and reaching for his next Pokémon. "Pidgey, show him what's up!" The tiny bird took to the skies and stared down at Pete. He sent out yet another Pokémon weak to Electric types. Is it just the luck of the draw or is this part of his plan? He decided to not give me much time to think because he went straight on the offensive. "Pidgey, mix things up with Whirlwind!" Usually, Whirlwind sends a Pokémon back to its Pokéball, forcing a Trainer to switch, but in cases like these, where I neither had a Pokémon to switch into nor a Pokéball that Pete called his own, it just blew him backward. What's worse is that the move also spread the mud Poliwag created earlier giving the Mud Sport effect I was dreading. Now, my electric type attacks were going to do less.
Well, I wasn't going to get anywhere moping about it, so we continued our attacks. "Pete, Thundershock!" Pete, now able to face his target without the threat of falling asleep, did a 180° spin before sending burst after burst of electricity.
"Pidgey, use all of the sky above the arena to dodge those attacks," Gold commanded. Unfortunately, as a Pichu, Pete's shocks couldn't reach all too far and Pidgey was able to dodge them all. "Perfect," Gold called out, "Now use Aerial Ace!"
For a low level Pidgey, Aerial Ace was a pretty powerful move. I knew this was one of those unavoidable moves like that Aura Sphere that shot me out of the sky yesterday, so I decided that we should just attack head-on. "Pete, use Tackle!" Pete ran straight at the bird flying at him like a game of chicken. Although in this game of chicken, neither side was willing to give in and Pidgey's Aerial Ace was stronger, leading to Pete being sent flying back. However, as the Pidgey flew back to Gold's side of the field, I saw Pete give me a secret thumbs up, meaning he got the plan I was going for. "Pete, charge right at it with Volt Tackle!"
Gold was extremely shocked at me calling out the legendary move Volt Tackle and was a bit late in getting Pidgey to dodge therefore getting Pete a direct hit, knocking out his Pidgey. "Pete knows the Ultimate Electric Type move?" he said as he returned his bird. "How?"
"I'm not sure. When I met him, he just happened to know it." I'm guessing one of his parents held a Light Ball, because if I remember correctly, that's usually how Pichu can be born with the move. "However, he hadn't mastered it then. We've been practicing and we've got its success rate to about 50% of the time."
"So that last move was just luck?"
"Not entirely," I explained. "After the collision, Pete gave me a sign."
"What do you mean by that?" Ms. Tensari popped in a question here.
"He gave me the thumbs up," I smiled. "It meant he was sure that Pidgey was affected by his Static ability."
"IT WAS?" both Gold and his girlfriend exclaimed.
"Yep," I told them. "We charged into Pidgey with Tackle so when Aerial Ace hit us, we could see whether or not Static would take effect. When it did, all we needed was Volt Tackle to succeed since Pidgey being paralyzed made it an easy to hit target. Luckily, the 50-50 odds were in our favor."
Ms. Tensari smiled and said, "Well done. With that, Pichu wins Round 2." Pete jumped and gave a "who's next" pose.
Gold pulled out the last Pokémon he chose. "It's far from over!" he called. He didn't know how right he was. Despite how easy I may have made this look, I knew behind Pete's strong façade that he was almost out of energy. The other flaw in our Volt Tackle besides it only working 50% of the time was that it gave Pete far more recoil damage than a normal Volt Tackle. Pete might be able to take one more Pokémon, just as long as the third Pokémon Gold picked wasn't- "GEODUDE, LET'S GO!"
For the love of Arceus, why did he have to choose Geodude? There was a 1 in 4 chance of him picking the one Pokémon that was a perfect matchup against Pete. I debated the possible choices. If I stay in, I can demonstrate my skills against an unfavorable matchup and that could seal the deal on me passing the Trainer's Equivalency Exam, but Pete would end up getting wrecked. Or I could surrender here, heal up Pete, and hope for the best on the Exam results. Although Plan A would have worked better for me, it wasn't my choice to make, it was Pete's.
I went up to Pete and gave him the two scenarios. I gave him the positives and negatives of both choices and waited for his answer. Pete turned toward the Geodude with an enthusiastic cry and sparks forming in its cheeks. I agreed with his decision under the clause that it things got rough, we'd retreat.
Gold waited for us to come to our conclusion before asking, "You ready for Round 3?"
"Let's go!" I yelled. With Geodude being part Ground type meant all my Electric type moves were useless against it. However, with the Mud Sport-like battlefield, I wasn't planning on using any more Electric type moves anyway. "Pete, get some distance!" If we were going to win, we were going to have to play defensively.
"Not so fast," Gold said. "Geodude throw mud at Pete!" Geodude began picking up the mud and throwing it as if this was the Safari Zone. Pete successfully dodged the first couple of throws, but the muddy floor finally got its desired affect causing Pete to slip and fall. "Geodude, now's your chance, Tackle!"
"Pete, get out of there!" I yelled, but unfortunately Pete couldn't get out in time. Pete was sent flying, but got right back up after he fell. If Pete seemed like he was willing to keep going, who was I to say no? "Pete use Tackle!" Pete began his charge toward the rock creature.
"Not if I can help it Geodude, use Harden!" Geodude took a defensive stance and started to shine as it heightened its defensive capabilities. Pete was able to land solid Tackle, but the heightened defense of the Geodude coupled with the fact of the already unfavorable matchup made the attack pretty much ineffective. Gold took advantage of Pete's fatigue and called out, "Geodude, Rock Tomb!" With that, the floating rock Pokémon threw several rocks toward Pete that almost took Pete out.
Looking at the battle, I decided that Pete was reaching his limit. Not only was Pete exhausted from taking on two prior opponents, that previous move: Rock Tomb had an added affect. When hit by that move, the speed of a Pokémon was decreased. With almost no strength left and his speed stat lowered, Pete had no chance of winning.
Usually, Trainers would battle until a Pokémon had become unable to battle since they could rest upon returning to their Pokéball. In Pete's case, he didn't officially have his own Pokéball yet. Therefore, he'd have to wait to visit a Pokémon Center before he was back to full strength and with the time it would take to bring him there, the situation could get worse with no form of rest in between. 'Pete stills wants to go on,' I thought watching him struggle back up. 'But, he can't go 100% in this battle or he'll be in real danger.' Continuing would most likely ensure my passing of the Trainer's Equivalency Exam, but the risk was too great.
"Ms. Tensari," I called, raising my hand as the battle paused and as Pokémon, Trainer, and referee turned towards me. "I'd like to withdraw from the match."
She gave me a confused look, asking, "Why, do you have a specific reason?"
"Without an actual Pokéball, Pete doesn't have a way to rest if he loses this battle," I explained. "I'd prefer it if I could ensure his safety rather than risk an accident."
She looked at me before turning towards Gold. He nodded at her and the both turned to me with smiles. "Alright," she said. She turned back to the arena before raising her arm to signify the end of the battle, "The winner of this match is Gold!"
"Good show, little man!" Gold called over as he returned the last of the rental Pokémon he used.
I went over to Pete to see if he was mad at my surrender. "Sorry Pete, but you were no shape to continue." Pete tried to stand up straighter to go against my reasoning but ended up falling over in exhaustion. As he tried to stand up again and pretend that never happened, I laughed at the determination he showed.
"So Crys," Gold said as he returned the Pokémon he rented for the battle, "What's your conclusion?" I turned to Ms. Tensari to see whether or not I passed.
"Quartz," she said turning to me, "Despite your loss, you displayed confidence and strategy alongside compassion for your Pokémon; therefore proving you have what it takes to be a Trainer. Congratulations, you've passed the Trainer's Equivalency Exam."
"YES!" I screamed as I jumped for joy. "Pete, we've done it!" I knelt down and gave a fist bump to the small mouse that was my partner. Ms. Tensari took out a pouch and pulled a Sitrus Berry which she gave to Pete so he could recover from the previous battle.
After returning to the main building and filling out some forms, my picture was taken and in a few minutes, I was handed a card. "Quartz, for your passing of the T.E.E, or Trainer's Equivalency Exam, I present you with a Trainer Card, proof of your ability to train Pokémon!"
As I took the card, I looked over the picture and the name: Quartz Dorima. To tell the truth, whenever I dreamt of this moment, I had my actual name and I kept my original look (minus the ponytail, I planned to cut that off anyway). However, I felt that although both my appearance and name were different, the person I was on the inside was the same. The real me was still Zircon Idaisa, son of Titanium Idaisa, previous Champion of the Pokémon League. I was just currently using Quartz as a shell, and hopefully, sometime in the future, I can crawl out of this shell and return to being Zircon. Until that day, I was Quartz Dorima.
"So Quartz," Gold said, breaking me out of my little "identity realization" moment, "You want to go grab some lunch? My treat, think of it as a congratulatory gift on becoming a Trainer! Hey, Super Serious Gal, you wanna join us?"
"Well, I am done with classes for the day," Ms. Tensari responded. "Emerald did promise me he'd take care of my duties at the orphanage today, so that should give me some time before I have to go help the Professors with their research." She smiled before finishing, "As long as you're paying!" She laughed as we left the school while Gold started looking at his wallet to make sure he had enough money.
Before we set out, Ms. Tensari told me how that because I was officially a Trainer, I was allowed to get a starter from New Bark Town. I quickly decided against doing that because I didn't want to risk the chance that Professor Elm would recognize me. The real reason however, was that I remembered that I had to complete a promise I made several years ago. I pulled out a Luxury Ball from my backpack and pointed at Pete. "Pete, you ready to begin our journey?" Pete gave me a determined look before jumping and pressing the button on the Pokéball as he shrunk down and entered the ball. The ball wiggled a few times before finally beeping, signifying a successful capture. I immediately let Pete out, as he and I have always been a team, and I felt keeping him in the Pokéball put a type of wall between us. I pointed to Pete, signaling to Ms. Tensari that Pete was my starter Pokémon, and I felt as if I didn't need another. As we walked together side by side, I felt that I could honestly say that Step 3 was complete.
Afterwards, we went to a nearby burger place and grabbed some lunch. As we sat down at a table and ate our burgers, I gave Pete some Pokémon food on the side as Ms. Tensari said, "Tell me something Quartz. Even though you just officially caught Pete, why hasn't he evolved?"
I put down my burger and asked, "What do you mean?"
"You see, Pichu evolves into Pikachu via happiness. This usually happens when Pokémon and Trainer are extremely close, but there are occasions where wild Pokémon who are close to people still evolve despite not being owned by them. From what I've seen, you and Pete seem to have a close enough connection."
She made a good point. I've known Pete for about 4 years now and we've gotten rather close. We made the pact to become Trainer and starter years ago, so if it was an issue of being officially caught, he would evolved upon me catching him so that wasn't it. I looked over Pete and realized something. "Ms. Tensari, Does it have anything to do with the rock around his neck?"
She took a closer look at Pete's necklace and thought it over for a bit. "It looks like an ordinary rock…"
Gold cut in, "Where'd he get the rock anyway?" I explained how Pete always carried the rock around with him, so I made him a makeshift necklace out of it.
"Seems like it might be an Everstone." Ms. Tensari said. "It's a stone that prevents evolution. It's what Trainers without a Pokédex use to keep their Pokémon from evolving." I looked over at Pete who was eating, unaware of our current conversation. "If you want to evolve your Pichu, you should probably take that off," she finished.
I thought about for a moment before shaking my head. "I think I'll leave it on for now." Ms. Tensari and Gold turned from Pete to me as I gave my reasoning. "Pete's always kept that rock close to him and whether he knows it keeping him from evolving or not, it's special to him. If it's keeping from evolving, I'm okay with that. That makes sense, right Ms. Tensari?"
"I guess in some way it does," she said. "By the way, we're not in the classroom, so you can call me Crystal."
"Okay. Thanks, Ms. Te-I mean Crystal-san." Based on her position as a Dexholder and the fact she was older than I was, I felt I needed some form of honorific attached to her name.
"Anyway," Gold said, hoping to change the conversation more exciting asked, "What do you plan to do, now that you're a Trainer?"
"Well, I plan to enter the next Pokémon League." Since Mom has won one, I thought I should give it I try as well. Well, Quartz should give it a try to be completely honest. "I guess in the time being, I'll train and try to get some Gym Badges, considering the fact that if I get 8 of them I can skip the preliminary rounds."
"So, you're the same as me!" He smiled and got a lot more excited.
"Wait, you don't have eight badges, yet?" He was the Gold Kaito of the Dexholders, surely he was strong enough to get the eight badges of Johto.
"Well, ya see…" he started, scratching the back of his head, embarrassed.
"He never really knew about the extra rule that applied to people with badges." Crystal said quickly.
"WHAT?!" He really didn't know that? That's like basic Trainer 101!
"I never really thought it was that big of a deal." He shrugged. "Anyway, I'm going to collect them at my own pace until the next League. Apparently, the Goldenrod Radio and I got a contract going that they'll cover my trek conquering the Johto Gyms, and I get a small commission, thus giving me an income outside of basic Trainer battles."
"So how many badges do you have so far?" I asked.
"Four." He showed me the inside of his sweater pointing to them. "Got the Plain, Fog, Storm, and Hive Badges. Haven't gotten around to taking on Falkner, since I only come here to see Crys, but I guess since you're here, I can show you a proper Gym battle."
"Wait, isn't Falkner the first Gym Leader," I asked. "How did you get the other badges before him?"
Gold looked at me funny, "Wait there's an order?" He started to look worried. "Did I break some kind of rule? Super Serious Gal, tell me it isn't so!"
"Don't worry, Gold." She sighed and turned to us. "Quartz, you probably don't know this since it was actually a recent change by the Pokémon Association. You are right in saying that Gyms have been known to have orders on which they are faced, usually given on how far they are from the town where Trainers can get their starter Pokémon from the region's Professor." I remember learning that several years ago back when I attended the Pokémon Trainer's school before my Mom took me out. "However, the order was never forced to be followed, since lots of Trainers started far from towns like New Bark or Pallet and so on. Sure, the first Gyms they faced were harder than if they first went to Violet and took on Falkner, but that was how it worked until last year."
"What happened?"
"Well, you remember the Gym Leader Tournament that happened 10 years ago before the whole Mask of Ice fiasco?" Oh don't remind me. No one was allowed to leave my house for a year after that incident. However, she was noting the Gym Leader Tournament which happened before, where the Gym Leaders of Kanto and Johto faced off against each other. I nodded my head for her to continue. "Well, if you remember, some of the "lower ranked" Gym Leaders were fighting on equal terms with some of the "higher ranked" Gym Leaders of the opposite side. Now how is that possible if their rank is proportionate to their skill?" She made a good point there, I remember Falkner going head to head with Janine, who was known as Kanto's 5th Gym Leader at the time.
"You see, the Gym Leaders are all around an about equal skill level, save a few that generally outrank the rest, like Senior Green for example," she explained. She was talking about Green Oak, one of the leaders among the Dexholders. He was truly a Gym Leader who probably stood high above the others. "So," she continued. "The Pokémon Association decided that in order for Trainers to have an equal chance no matter where they started, the difficulty the Gym Leader sets for them depends on how many badges you have." Upon seeing the confused looks on both Gold and my faces, she sighed before elaborating. "Using Falkner as an example, if he were your first challenge, he'd use either one or two Pokémon against you. However, if Gold were to face him, as his 5th Gym challenge, Falkner would face him using around 3-4 Pokémon. From there, it continues and if you manage to get 7 badges, the 8th one will be a full 6 on 6 battle against said Gym Leader."
"So, what you're saying is that Quartz should wait and face Falkner as his last Gym Leader to make it an easy win, since his Pichu's got an advantage on Flying types?" Gold asked, thinking of strategies on how to beat the systems.
"Well, yes and no." Crystal explained. "While Gym Leaders do specialize on certain types, therefore making it easier for a Trainer to focus on using a type with an advantage, one of the basic tests put against a Trainer aiming for the position of Gym Leader is displaying the ability to overcome a disadvantage in battle." As she finished explaining, the three of us had already finished our meals and were just chatting while slowly finishing our drinks. "Therefore, whether a Gym where you have the advantage on is your first or last, it's no doubt going to be a challenge."
"So, no matter what order you face 'em, a Gym Leader's always going to be a challenge," I repeated, finishing up my soda. Crystal and Gold slowly turned their heads towards me to see my decision. "Since I'm already here, how about I just face the Gym Leaders in the order they were originally in. I'm most likely going to end up going on the same path most Trainers from New Bark travel, so might as well challenge Gym Leaders on the way in the same order they were originally intended to be." I was never one for formulating complicated strategies, so I decided that the simplest route would be the best choice.
While Crystal just looked at me as if I was some child rambling about impossible dreams, Gold started looking at me with a certain look in his eye that showed him scheming something. "So, Crys, what do you think?"
"Hmm, what about, his chances?" She took a good look at me; top to bottom then turned to Pete and did the same. "I give him 6 badges, max, and out after a few rounds in the preliminaries of the Pokémon League."
"Excuse me?" Are they sizing my potential after only knowing me for a couple hours?
"No offense Quartz, but out of the hundreds of Trainers that make it into the Pokémon League every 3 years, only around a dozen manage to get 8 badges in the time frame. It's not as easy as the textbooks make it sound. And let's not get started on any new Trainer's chances of winning." She closed her eyes before turning to Gold. "I mean, look at Gold. He is one of the most powerful Trainers I know, but even after almost a decade of training, he just made the runner-up in last year's Pokémon League tournament."
"Hey! It was my first time challenging the League! I would have won too, if it wasn't for that old lady, what's her face…"
"Titanium?" I tried.
"Yeah!" Gold said, snapping his fingers. "The one they call the 'Infallible Wall!'"
"That's what I mean," Crystal went on. "She's been training for possibly all her life, and she's finally reached the status of Champion. She even took a break from training after starting a family." Yeah, not that she's ever home. I've only ever seen her at major holidays like Christmas and New Year's. All the rest of the time, she's been improving her skills or challenging the Elite Four.
"However," Gold said after a long pause. "Every now and then, they say there's always someone who is considered a natural amongst all the newbies…" The lifted his head and looked at me straight in the eyes, as if trying to look in my soul or something.
"No…" Crystal looked at him, then turned to me and gave me a disbelieving look. "You think he's got what it takes to reach the status of a Champion? No way…" I'm still a bit confused, what exactly are they arguing about?
"Not alone, but with a little guidance from a certain pro, ya know what I mean?" Gold then straightened himself up and looked at me with a huge grin. "Hey Quartz, I'm about to make you the deal of a lifetime: you can be my new protégé! I'll bring you with me around the region, and by the time the next Pokémon League rolls around, I guarantee you'll have 8 badges and be almost as amazing as I am!"
"Phhhh, with your teaching skills?!" Crystal rolled her eyes. "Remember the last time you tried to take someone under your wing? They gave up after a week and they spent a year at home before they finally had the courage to try going out on journey again!"
"I'm telling you, this kid's got what it takes! I can feel it from him!"
"You said the same thing about the last kid!"
"He was just a trial run. Quartz, now he's the real deal!" Gold mentioned over to me. "He's managed to make his way New Bark to Violet, obtained his Trainer's License, and lived through several encounters that would put most Trainers in the hospital with only minor injuries! And in only 1 day, no less! With my expert guidance, I am most certain he can be the next runner-up of the Pokémon League!"
"Runner-up?" Crystal and I both said at the same time.
"Well yeah, there's no way the student's surpassing the master here." He motioned to himself as if he were an all-powerful being of sorts. "I may have lost last year, but this year's my time to shine!" He then turned to me. "So, Quartz my man, what do ya say? Wanna be the Johto's next Top Trainer?"
"Uhhhhhh…" I had no words. This guy was taking a huge gamble on me. Yeah, the accomplishments I made over the last day were no joke, but let's face it; most of what happened was probably just luck. Besides, Gold seems to have a lot of danger follow him. The guy is usually in the center of any dangerous occurrences in the surrounding region and he wants to take me for the ride? I was recently just hoping for a simple everyman journey and now I'm being offered the chance of a lifetime. "I'm not sure if-"
"That doesn't sound like a no!" Gold grabbed me and pulled me into a headlock which I assume was an attempt at a hug. "From now on, you're with me!"
"I didn't say y-" I tried to squeeze out as he let me go as I fell onto the floor.
As I fell to the floor, Crystal gave me a sympathetic look. "Sorry about this, but when Gold's mind is set, there's no changing it. You're stuck with him for at least a month." WHAT?! "Gold, I'm giving him a month, max two months before one of you gives up on the other." I'm ready to give up now!
"Hmmm, care to make it interesting?" Gold said with a smirk and a challenging tone.
"Oh, you're that confident?" Crystal replied in voice that seemed to be accepting his challenge.
"You better believe it, what are the conditions you wanna set Super Serious?" he said as he got up from his seat.
Getting up from her seat Crystal looked him dead in the eyes, "8 badges and at least runner-up in the Pokémon League, you said you could take him there yourself."
"I can and I will." He smiled and looked back at her.
I slowly raised my hand and said, "Um, do I get a say in this?"
"Quartz, Mommy and Daddy are talking right now, stay out of this," Gold said, not leaving the staring contest he was having with his girlfriend. "So, you wanna bet the usual?"
"Whoever loses pays for the winner's rent for the month?" Crystal asked, determination behind her glasses.
"Sounds fine with me." Gold said with a smirk. "But let's make it different this time, double or nothing." He then held out his hand awaiting the handshake.
Crystal took his hand and shook it firmly. "It's a bet. You better save up your money, my rent's not gonna pay itself."
Gold shook his head with a wide grin. "Sorry, but that's my line. Hope your teacher's salary can cover 2 months' worth of rent on a Goldenrod apartment!" He then turned and looked straight at me. "All right Quartz, Gold Kaito's Official Boot Camp starts right now!" He walked up to me, grabbed me by the collar and dragged me out into Route 32.
January 21st-Saffron City, Kanto-8:00 PM
Normal POV
Meanwhile…
A great flash of light appeared high above the sky of Saffron City. Out of the flash a blue dragon appeared and descended in front of the local Pokémon Gym in the city which was known as the heart of the Kanto region. The Trainer atop the dragon hopped off and returned his dragon to its Pokéball before he entered the building.
Clyde, the glassed wearing guide of the Gym walked up to the black haired Trainer, greeting him like does with all challengers. "Hello, Welcome to the Saffron City Gym! My name is Clyde, and I'll be-"
"I already have this Gym's Badge." One look from the man's blood-red eyes made sure his message: 'Get out of my way unless you want to die,' went through without failure.
"G-g-g-go r-r-right ahead."
After casually making his way past all the Gym Trainers and warp panels he finally reached the Leader's room where he walked slowly to one corner of the battlefield.
The Gym Leader, Sabrina, lifted her head from the chair she was sitting in to see the challenger. "Ah, Garnet, I've been expecting you. I've had a vision of-"
"Cut the psychic crap already. If you're really psychic, you should already know why I'm here." Garnet snapped, his voice filled with rage.
"I take it my source wasn't any help." She looked at his eyes for her answer and sighed. "It's too bad you made the trip all the way here. Truth is, I'm going to Unova first thing tomorrow morning. I got a role in one of the movies over at PokéStar-"
"Do I look like I care?"
"Impatient, aren't we?" She got up from her chair and walked up to the other side of the battlefield. "So, what do you want cuz I know you're obviously not here for a Gym Battle?"
Garnet pulled out a Pokéball and took a battle stance. "Let's discuss it over a battle. I win, you give me the information I need, and don't try lying. We both know I can read you like a book."
Sabrina shook her head before waving her hand over to a desk holding 6 Pokéballs. Her bracelets glowed as she telekinetically lifted a Pokéball into her hand. "It seems like your trip to Unova did you some good. Your old method would have been along the lines of 'Tell me what you know if you value your life!'" She chuckled before throwing her Pokéball, summoning her most powerful Pokémon, an Alakazam. "Don't tell me you've gone soft."
"Remember, I'm only letting you live because of the information you provide. Once I have no use for you, I'll kill you." Garnet put the Pokéball back on his belt and took out a different one. "Let's make this quick, cousin." He then threw the Pokéball in the air, releasing his Pokémon as the battle began.
Chapter 2 done! So, the main plot has been set. Zircon/Quartz's journey has begun and is now training under Gold. Gold now has about a year and half to make a capable Trainer out of our unwilling protagonist.
I'm going to explain here certain things in the chapter and what inspired them.
-As it is pretty clearly stated: MangaQuest Shipping is canon in this story.
-When the battle part of the exam starts with trays coming out of wall, I'm comparing it to how Brock/ Giovanni pulled out the Pokémon they used in the Pokémon Origins Special Episode.
-Also, I based the whole new badge system over how it works in the anime. For example, in the BW saga, Ash's eighth badge is against Roxie, when in the games; she's the second Gym Leader. Besides, it makes sense because not every Pokémon Trainer is born in the starting towns Pallet, New Bark, Littleroot, etc.
-This story begins around the end of the B/W arc of the manga, and in the beginning of the B2/W2 arc, Sabrina is already an actress over at PokéStar Studios, so I'm basing this as where she starts. Also, Sabrina is using her HGSS outfit, so that's what I mean by "glowing psychic bracelets."
As for Names:
Quartz Dorima- As I explained, the contacts have made Zircon's reddish eyes into a clearer blue-like color, thus the name Quartz. Like Zircon before, I know that the color of Quartz can vary, but for the sake of this story, it's a clear blue. As for Dorima, it's just the Romanji version of "Dreamer" after written in katakana.
Crystal Tensari- As we all know, Crystal's name comes from the game/ her eye color. However, Tensari was formed by combining 天才-Tensai (Genius in Japanese) and 玻璃-Hari (a variation of Crystal/Glass in Japanese).
-Lastly, I've posted my own artwork of Zircon (As Quartz), Gold, Crystal (As Teacher and normal look), and lastly Garnet as I've imagined them in this story. They're on my Deviant Art page-link is under my Bio.
Ages:
Zircon/ Quartz-16
Gold/Crystal-21
Garnet-21
With that, that's the end of my excessively long post chapter A/N. I just put these things at the end so I can explain certain scenes and how I pictured them because sometimes I feel the description in the story might seem confusing. It's also part of why I draw my characters, whether my drawing sucks or just passes for adequate. Anyway, I want to thank you for reading, reviewing, and I'll see next chapter.
-MateiFire