(A/N: Hey, guys! Here we are, chapter 4! I have something in store for you that I think you're going to like (no, not another pokemon for Skylar's team, that's not for a while).
I want everyone to enjoy reading this chapter and I hope you do. To keep you intrigued so you'll stick around, a couple of villains are making their debut. Without spoilers, all I can say is that they are from Team Rocket.
If that's not enough to pique your interest, I don't know what will. Again, I hope you enjoy the new chapter.)
O-I-O-U-0-U-O-I-O
It was only a couple of days since Skylar's journey began and she caught her second pokemon, Chinchou, and learned the moves he could use. She and Dawn made good time while on their way to Jubilife City, it should take no more than another day to arrive there.
It was morning and they were eating breakfast after packing up the rest of their stuff on the campsite. They were eating toast with raspberry jam while their pokemon were eating their food.
"This time tomorrow we'll be in Jubilife City," Dawn mentioned excitedly.
"And I'll be competing in my first contest," Skylar added, equally excited.
"Have you thought about what you're going to do yet?" she asked.
Her stomach suddenly dropped, she didn't know what she was going to do. The first challenge was the Appeals Round, where the coordinator had to use their pokemon's characteristics to impress the judges. Next, the Battle Rounds, where the coordinators battled each other to advance and hopefully win via lessening the points of the opponent within the span of five minutes.
"N-no! I haven't!" she stood up from the chairs they were sitting in.
She was quick to calm her down before she became too nervous, "Hey, hey, don't panic. There's still time before it starts. Why don't you think about what you want to do in the Appeals Round first?"
She thought about it for a couple of moments, but it was difficult for her to decide. She wanted to use both of her pokemon, but she could only use them one at a time since the contest was a solo performance instead of a double.
She did have a little more variety with Chinchou being a Water and Electric Type pokemon, but she also wanted to show off Wurmple and her unique colors. Neither one was particularly commonly used in contests, even though Beautifly were arguably the most popular Bug Type pokemon to perform.
She couldn't think of anything, her mind was blank. She tried to imagine a scenario of her pokemons' moves that could be used in any way in the performance, but no mental image could be produced.
"That's the thing, Dawn, I don't know what I want to do," she admitted. "I don't even know if I want to use Wurmple or Chinchou in the first round."
"Hey, it's okay," she assured. "Trust me, when I first started all of this, I swear I was so nervous even my hair was falling apart. If there's one thing my one year as a coordinator has taught me, it's that you can learn a thing or two in even the most unlikely situations."
"So, what do you recommend?" she asked. "What should I do?"
"Let's have a battle," she proposed.
She was slightly surprised by the sudden suggestion, "Why?"
"You're gonna be doing gym battles too, right?" she pointed out. "Why not have a battle now and practice for both of them?"
She let the idea circle inside of her mind for a moment as she thought about it, "I… I guess it couldn't hurt. But I haven't battled since before you left last year."
"Don't worry, I'll go easy on you," she winked.
Meanwhile, a blonde woman and a green-haired man in matching white uniforms with a capitalized letter 'R' imprinted on the chest in red lamented over their current positions in their job. They wished to be a part of a high level project, but they were rejected, sent to the Sinnoh region, where careers went to die over the lack of unusual and powerful pokemon.
"Ugh! Why do we get sent to this backwater place and Jessie and James get to go to Unova?!" the woman groaned. "Why, Biff?!"
"It's Butch," the man corrected. "And I don't know, Cassidy! Maybe we're just slightly more incompetent than they are!"
"Impossible!" she yelled, grabbing him by the collar. "We don't obsess over one little Pikachu! We don't get blown up every day! We don't- Huh?"
They suddenly heard two voices, two young girls. She let him go and looked through the bushes they were hiding in, watching as the girls prepared for a battle. One of them had a Piplup, the other had a Wurmple that was purple in color instead of red.
"Is it just me or is that Wurmple purple?" she commented.
"No, I see it too," he replied.
It was at that moment she realized that they had found their ticket back into the organization. She grabbed him by the collar of his shirt again and shook him excitedly, "Do you realize what we have here, Bob?!"
"No," he slurred dizzily. "And it's Butch."
"This Wurmple is our way back into the ranks! We catch it and we're back!" she beamed.
"Wait, doesn't one of these girls look familiar?" he asked.
"Who cares! Let's just nab it and get out of here!" She dragged him further into the trees.
"Okay, Sky, are you ready?" Dawn asked.
"As ready as I'll ever be, I guess," she responded.
Dawn was ready for their battle, especially if it was to help her cousin, "Ready, Piplup?"
His head was held high with his wings on his hips, "Piplup."
Skylar knelt down to talk to her partner, "Don't worry about winning or losing, okay? This is just for practice. Are you ready, Wurmple?"
She turned around to face Piplup, looking at him with a determined gaze in her eyes, "Wurmple!"
"Why don't you have the first move, Sky?" her cousin offered.
"Thank you," she replied. "Okay, Wurmple, use Tackle."
She rushed towards him with a speed that was normally difficult for her little legs. She extended her upper body and hit him with the small horn on the top of her head.
The force caused him to fall backwards and slide a couple of feet on the ground. He got up after only a second, unharmed, and dusted himself off.
"Not bad," she complimented. "Piplup, use Peck."
"Pip, Pip, Pip…" he channeled his energy into his beak as it grew with a white glow. "Piplup!"
Wurmple was intimidated, he was putting a lot of power into his beak. She had seen Flying Type pokemon use Peck many times before, she was usually on the other end of the beak, but this one was a missile!
Skylar could see that her partner was becoming nervous, she might have been too if she was in her position. "It's okay, Wurmple. Remember, this is just practice." She saw her relax slightly with the reminder and smiled in relief, "Deflect that Peck with String Shot."
Her eyes became determined again and she released the sticky thread from her mouth. The String Shot wrapped around his body, entangling him and preventing him from moving.
He struggled against his bindings as his beak shrunk and the glow dimmed, "Piplup!"
"Piplup, spin and break out of it!" Dawn ordered.
He spun rapidly on one foot, he was so fast that Wurmple could hardly see any details of his body. He stopped spinning when he finally broke free, bits of the String Shot landed on her face and she shook it off.
"Now, use Bubble Beam," his trainer commanded.
"Piplup." He opened his mouth and multiple blue bubbles came out of his beak.
"Quick, counter with Poison Sting," Skylar told Wurmple.
Many purple needles shot out of her mouth to prevent the blue bubbles from reaching her. The two attacks combined and created a beautiful display of small blue fireworks with purple sparkles surrounding them.
Chinchou, who was out of his PokeBall, bounced when he saw the glittery combination, "Chinchou! Chinchou!"
Dawn giggled at his enthusiasm, "Looks like someone likes what he sees. I hope this gives you some inspiration, Sky."
She smiled, "It does. Should we continue?"
"Sure," she replied. "Use Bubble Beam again, Piplup." He released the blue bubbles one more time.
Skylar wasn't sure why she decided to use that move again, but she didn't want to question it. After all, Dawn had been on a journey for a year, she had just started.
Instead of having her use Poison Sting again, she decided to have her use a different move, "Wurmple, use String Shot and pop those bubbles!"
The white string came out of her mouth again, since there was nothing it could connect to, she moved her head from side to side. The tread coming out of her mouth acted like a whip, popping many of the bubbles and leaving blue sparkles in the wake.
Although it was very beautiful and Wurmple could have been easily enamored by it, there were still bubbles remaining. She used String Shot again, ejecting short threads that hit with incredible accuracy, like a sniper.
It was like little blue fireworks decorating the trees and sky. It reminded Dawn of the first contest she and Piplup competed in, which would also be Skylar's first contest very soon.
"Wow! That looks great!" she chirped. "You know, there are seals that give you things like hearts and stars, maybe you can use that trick with one of those?"
Skylar liked her cousin's suggestion, "That's a good idea."
"I think it's time to wrap this up," she twirled her finger in a circle.
She nodded, "Yes, we should. Now, Wurmple, use Poison Sting one more time."
Her eyes narrowed, determined, "Wurmple!"
Just as she was about to fire her purple darts, two pokemon, a Primeape and a Raticate, came in between her and Piplup out of nowhere! Before she could even react, she was suddenly grabbed by the Primeape!
She struggled in its grip, "Wurm! Wurmple!"
Skylar gasped, "Wurmple!"
"Chinchou!" Chinchou exclaimed, alarmed.
The Raticate used Super Fang on Piplup and they made their escape, taking Wurmple with them. She cried for her trainer, "Wurmple! Wurmple!"
Dawn picked up her partner, "Piplup!" He rubbed the spot on his head where Raticate got him.
Skylar grabbed Chinchou and ran after them to get her pokemon back, "Dawn, come on!"
She ran to catch up with her cousin, surprised by how fast she was, "Right behind you!"
They followed them into the forest, Wurmple's cries guiding them when they became momentarily lost. Finally, Primeape and Raticate came to a stop, a man and a woman were waiting for them with a net. The girls hid behind a bush to listen to what they had planned.
The woman collected Wurmple, who struggled even harder when she saw the net. "Unova, here we come!"
"Now who are the throwaways?" the man laughed.
Skylar clenched her fist in anger, "We have to stop them!"
Dawn put her hand on her shoulder, "Wait a second, I recognize these guys. They belong to Team Rocket!"
"What?" she questioned, perplexed. "You mean the people who keep stealing other Trainer's pokemon?"
"Exactly," she replied. "And I'm pretty sure I remember encountering these two before. The lady is Cassidy and… I forget who the guy is. I think it's Bill or Hutch…"
"I really don't care what their names are, I just want to get my Wurmple back," she responded bluntly. "What should we do?"
"Well, if you want to get her back…" she put her hands on her hips, determined, "...we'll have to take her back!"
"Wurmple! Wurmple!" She thrashed violently to escape the net and return to her trainer. "Wurmple! Wurmple!"
Cassidy hit the net with her gloved hand, "Quiet! You're our only chance to get out of this backwater region!"
"Hey! I resent that!" Dawn protested as she emerged from behind the bush. Her hands were still on her hips, Piplup was on the ground next to her, his fins on his hips.
"Piplup!" he twittered.
"Me too!" Skylar joined her cousin. Chinchou was also on the ground, next to his trainer.
He shook his antennae, "Chinchou!"
"I want my Wurmple back!" she yelled.
Butch pointed his finger at Dawn, "Hey! I thought I recognized you! You're that blue-haired twerp that freed the Hippowdon we caught!"
"That's right! And you better give my cousin back her Wurmple!" she demanded.
"As if!" Cassidy scoffed. "Raticate, use Super Fang. Now!"
Raticate's front teeth elongated and glowed, similarly to Piplup's beak when he used Peck against Wurmple. It ran towards Piplup and tackled him, using its teeth as a battering ram, knocking him to the ground.
"Primeape, Dynamic Punch!" Butch ordered. Primeape charged Chinchou, raising its fist for an attack.
Skylar had to react quickly before her pokemon got hurt, "Chinchou, quick, use Spark!"
The orbs of his antennae emitted a light yellow electricity, which quickly built up in his body. He released it, stopping Primeape in its tracks and sending it backwards.
"Nice move, Chinchou," Dawn praised, causing him to blush slightly. "Piplup, use Drill Peck!"
He stood up and his beak started glowing and growing again, this time it was longer than before. He spun at a rapid pace, like the blades of a helicopter, hitting Raticate.
Wurmple couldn't do nothing as she waited helplessly for them to free her, she was neither willing nor had the patience. There was only way she knew of to escape, to use a move she didn't even know yet. She had one chance to perfect it, but it was a gamble she would take in order to return to Skylar.
She concentrated and built up as much power as she could, while rocking her body back and forth, the net swinging with her. She managed to propel herself forward far enough that she released her stored energy, tearing a hole through her mesh prison. The force caused her to fly through the air, before landing safely in her Trainer's arms.
Skylar could have cried when her partner freed herself and reunited with her. She held her close in a hug, "Oh, Wurmple! Thank goodness you're safe!"
She nuzzled her, "Wurm."
When she took a better look at her after their hug ended, she saw two glowing white fangs in front of her mouth. She learned a new move in order to escape!
She gasped, "You learned Bug Bite! You've learned a new move!"
She nodded, her fangs disappearing, "Wurmple, Wurm."
"You think that changes anything?!" Cassidy yelled. "Raticate, Skull Bash!"
"Primeape, Thrash!" Butch commanded.
Raticate began to charge them rapidly with golden-yellow streaks surrounding its body. Primeape started to do the same, its fists clenched and ready to punch.
"Uh, oh, we're going to need some extra help to deal with that Primeape," Dawn threw two of her PokeBalls. Pachirisu and Buneary were released from them. "Buneary, Ice Beam! And Pachirisu, use Discharge! Piplup, use Bubble Beam!"
Buneary fired a light blue beam from her mouth, Piplup unleashed blue bubbles from his beak, and Pachirisu released a blue electricity from her body. The three attacks combined and hit Primeape, stopping it and knocking it out.
Primeape was defeated, but Raticate was still active and had to be stopped. It was Skylar's turn to demonstrate the capabilities of her own pokemon.
"Chinchou, use Water Gun and Wurmple, Poison Sting!" she ordered.
Wurmple shot her purple darts and water spurted out of Chinchou's mouth. The Poison Sting hit Raticate first, slowing it down as it became ill, the Water Gun finished it by knocking it out.
Butch and Cassidy were dumbstruck, the last thing they wanted and expected was to be defeated. The defeat for them was even more humiliating because it was by someone they had come across before and a rookie trainer. They returned their pokemon to their PokeBalls with angered looks on their faces.
"We won't forget this!" Butch clenched his fist.
"We'll meet again!" Cassidy declared angrily. "And your Wurmple will be ours!"
Wurmple enraged when she heard that and shot her Poison Sting at them without Skylar's command. Chinchou followed by using Spark, which combined with the purple darts, turning the electricity the same color as the Poison Sting. When the mixed attack struck them, they ejected into the air and it left purple and blue sparkles in the wake.
"Whoa! Beautiful and powerful!" Dawn gushed. "You've got to consider using that Poison Spark combo in a contest, Sky."
Wurmple and Chinchou jumped into Skylar's arms, "I just might do that, Dawn. Now, what do you say we get back on the road to Jubilife City?"
She returned Buneary and Pachirisu to their PokeBalls and picked up Piplup, "Yes, please."
O-I-O-U-0-U-O-I-O
(A/N: Probably a little short, but at least I tried to make this enjoyable for all of you. I realize that I could have done a lot more and better, but just look how much I was able to produce.
I know it might not seem like it and you won't believe me, but I worked on this for more or less two months. Reason for that is because (and I kid you not) I was working on five to seven other stories at the same time and gradually this one got pushed to the back.
Skylar's Pokemon:
Wurmple (shiny) (female): Tackle, String Shot, Poison Sting, Bug Bite
Chinchou (male): Water Gun, Confuse Ray, Charge, Spark
Well, that's all I have for you, until the next chapter at least. I can tell you that's going to be exciting and some more familiar characters will be appearing.)