A/N: I'm sorry for the delay… You wouldn't believe my excuse. ^_^
You guys rock. Thanks for reading and reviewing.
Disclaimer: Pokemon will never belong to me.
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I believe my greatest gifts have been given to me … The first gift (or gifts I should say) is friends who have faith in me. The other gift is a second chance… My chance to be great I suppose! My biggest task at hand is to try and look like I know what I'm doing…
Here goes nothing!
Cherrygrove City – Agility
Squeak. "Ahh! What's that?" Agility screamed, slamming Grace's book shut with a loud clap. The pen she was writing with fell to the ground. Two shiny eyes glowed back at her before retreating further into the woods. Talon laughed.
"Is Rat, yes! No worry!"
"Scavenger…" Pyra growled at the Rattata who hid behind her. He grinned sheepishly at her, but made no attempt to walk ahead of the Cyndaquil. "You aren't going to do this every time Agility spots something, are you?"
"Very scary!" He whined back, getting no sympathy from her.
"No pokemon get close to attack you! I make sure!" Talon's attempts to reassure him were in vain. "Too nervous, yes…"
Squeak. Agility reacted yet again. "Ahh! What's that?"
"'Nother Rat!" Talon sighed.
Pyra was less than pleased. "Scavenger, if you run behind me one more time-"
BEEP-BEEP-BEEP! Talon joined Scavenger in his panicking, jolted from her spot on Agility's shoulder. "What that?!"
"Oh, that's just my pokegear. I thought I turned this off…" Agility tried her best to ignore her glaring team. "Eh-heh… Now, don't be angry…" She pressed a few buttons on her watch. Its top flipped open, revealing a screen with Prof. Elm's face on it. He was furious.
"Agility!" The trainer in question yelped fearfully.
"Ahh! You're mad at me too?!"
"Why is your pokegear off? I've been trying to call you for quite a while now!" This jogged Agility's memory. Leon had left a note the night he left, saying something about the Professor…
"Wasn't the best time to talk." She answered. "Um, if you don't mind me asking, how did you turn on my phone?"
His voice was flat. "Don't you think you should be more interested in what I have to say?"
"Heh… You're the Professor!" Elm wasn't impressed.
"About two days ago, someone got into my lab and took some of my research papers. I doubt that the thieves will be back, but just in case, I'm sending each of my trainers a pokemon so it can't be stolen. I want you to pick up my pokemon and observe its growth. As a reward, you'll get to keep it!"
"Sounds good to me! Where do I go?"
"Well, since you're already in Violet-"
"N-not really…" Agility grinned.
Elm rubbed his temples, sighing heavily. "Okay… It's in Violet City, at a place called 'Earl's Pokemon Academy.' Just show them your pokedex and you'll be fine. Get to it!" His picture was replaced by static.
"Finally, we'll be making some progress!" Pyra exclaimed. "You heard him! Let's go to the city!" She took it upon herself to set the pace, forcing Agility and Scavenger to keep up with her. Talon continued to ride on Agility's shoulder (until she was eventually shaken off).
The route between Cherrygrove and Violet City was an uphill hike through the woods. Pyra proved to be less than focused on the task at hand. She often made sharp turns and zigzagged past trees, trying to drive out some pokemon to battle with. Finally she found what she was looking for. A curious green spider dangled down from a tree branch, staring at them. "All right, Scavenger!" Pyra waited for the Rattata to get closer before finishing her command. "Get up there and beat that Spider!"
"Wh-what?!" He was in too much shock to slow down. Pyra stood in front of him, her head low.
"You heard me!" She charged at him, thrusting her snout beneath his body and tossing her head. He was launched at the Spinarak with surprising force. "Cowardice and hiding do not a warrior make! Defeat your enemy and gain strength!"
Scavenger collided with the bug pokemon, sending them both at a tree. He clung to the Spinarak's abdomen. It struggled to make the Rattata let go, but Scavenger held on even tighter with his blunt claws. The Spinarak screeched as the claws dug into its soft underbelly. Talon rooted him on. "That good! Bite, yes!"
"Yeah, use your teeth!" Pyra added. Scavenger couldn't hear them on account of the wind whistling through his ears, but he acted out of instinct and clamped down on the durable strand of webbing. It didn't break. He tried to squeal for help, but the sticky webbing caught in his mouth and face.
The claws penetrated Spinarak's body. Now it truly panicked, raising its head and spraying a thick stream of webbing at a nearby tree. The two pokemon were stuck in an awkward position, dangling in-between the trees and still fighting. Their twisting and turning caused the webbing to cover their bodies until they could move no more. Pyra and Talon stared on.
"Scavenger win? Scavenger lose?" Talon wondered.
Agility finally caught up to them, wheezing. "Wait… Up… What the heck is that?"
"Scavenger." Both of her pokemon replied, not sure what to do.
"Well get him down before he suffocates!" Pyra shrugged and tossed a few embers at the prisoners. The webbing hardened immediately and gravity took control, dropping both the Rattata and the Spinarak to the ground. "Should we… Break open?" Talon asked Agility. There was no need to. A white paw tore out of the dried substance. Then another paw. Then a head. Scavenger pulled himself out and the Spinarak followed, skittering away in fear.
"I think I-I won…" Scavenger said.
"…Sure… Congratulations?" Agility scratched him behind the ears. The Rattata beamed at them all, and then he sank to the ground exhausted (not to mention terrified). Agility decided to carry him. "Anybody want to explain how Scavenger got up there in the first place?"
Pyra responded too quickly. "Later! City!" She began to run again. Agility groaned.
"Oh… Wait up!" She ran after Pyra, Talon following close behind. "Can't we walk and talk?"
"Walking and talking are for weaklings. We are warriors!"
"Not helping!" Agility shouted after her, only keeping up because she would have gotten lost otherwise.
Gradually the trees began to thin out, leading to rocky hills spotted with blades of brown grass. Pyra, Agility, and Talon came to a rest on one of the hilltops. "Take a look at the land beneath us!" Pyra asked them. Below them was a gathering of wooden buildings, the most interesting one among them being a swaying tower. Just beyond that was the sun, sitting on the horizon and bathing the land in a golden glow. "A perfect place to begin a glorious quest!"
Talon agreed, very excited. Even Scavenger looked happy for once. Agility sat cross-legged to watch the sunrise. "Wow… What a sight."
Pyra joined her. "Just in time to see it, too. Worth the run?"
"I'm beginning to think you planned this. Am I right?"
"What do you think?" Pyra replied casually. "Now answer my question. Was it worth the run?" Agility put her Cyndaquil in her lap.
"What do you think?" They smiled at each other. The two of them hadn't felt so close since they captured Talon. "So, tell me… How did Scavenger get up in the tree?"
"One, two, three, fooour!"
"I'll be the best I can be…!"
"Five, six, seven, eiiiight!"
"The pride of Earl's Academy…!"
Agility opened her eyes, slowly rising to her feet. "What was that?" Though her vision was blurry, she could make out two moving lines at the foot of the hill. "Huh?"
"Sound off!" A gruff voice.
"One, two." Many children?
"Earl I am!"
"Earl I am?" Agility frowned. She nudged the pokemon closest to her foot, which turned out to be Pyra.
"Agility? What…?" Pyra yawned.
'Earl?' "Wake the others. I think I may have found the Academy."
A plump, red-faced man marched ahead of several kids, grouped together as two lines of seven. From the distance they looked very organized, but in actuality the only thing military about them was their formation and their song. They wore white shirts (much too small for them) over their clothing, the words "Earl's Pokemon Academy" printed in a tiny circle on their chests. Some children dragged their feet along the grass, and even though they sang at the same time, the chants weren't enthusiastic at all.
Most of them weren't, anyway. The only two with any energy in their voices was the man with the flushed face and a girl in the very rear. When they got to the top of the hill, the man stopped marching and bellowed, "Halt we will!" He turned his attention to Agility. "You are who?"
"Depends. Who are you?"
"Earl I am!" Agility covered her ears to block out the loudness.
"Um, good…" She opened her pokedex and brought up her Personal Profile. "My name's Agility Surestrike, one of Prof. Elm's train-"
"Agility!" He yelled even louder, smiling brightly. "Your pokemon you will recall! Step in line you will!"
"No, no, no. I don't think you understand. I'm here for the pokemon Prof. Elm was going to give me. I don't want to enroll!"
"No Academy, no pokemon. Elm said this!"
"But-"
"No Academy, no pokemon!"
"I'll be the best I can be…Pride of Earl's Academy…" Agility growled, stomping behind another miserable kid. She was going to kill the Professor if she got back to New Bark. She was too annoyed to take in the sights of Violet City, but she did look up when she entered a building. There were desks scattered everywhere and an old blackboard with a stick figure drawn on it.
"Dismissed!" Earl shouted, and then disappeared.
"What, no class?" Agility asked, confused. Pyra's pokeball was shaking. Agility let her, Talon, and Scavenger out again.
"Finally, where the heck are we?" Her Cyndaquil asked.
"I'll tell you! The most distinguished school in Violet City! The greatest honor that can be bestowed upon a young trainer! The birthplace of tomorrow's leaders!" A female voice yelled. Someone ran across the room. The lights went out. "Welcome to...!" It was quiet for a second. There were more footsteps, and then the lights were turned back on. It was the girl that had sung so cheerfully during the march. She ran back to the desk, jumped on top of it, and struck a pose. "…Earl's Pokemon Academy!"
"That was the worst introduction I've ever heard in my life." Agility said, trying to regain her nerve.
If Agility's blunt comment got to her, the girl didn't show it. "That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said about it! Yay!" She climbed down from the desk and sat atop it, kicking her booted feet back and forth. A wide, manic grin spread across her face. "Pokemon!"
Talon found herself in a crushing grip. "Ah-ack!" Agility looked around frantically, trying to find something to help Talon escape the odd girl's hug. The trainer ended up having to pull at her pokemon's head.
"Please let go, uh…"
"People of this world call me Korba!" She let go of the HootHoot, making Agility fall on her back. She crouched down to her level. "Nice to meet you, random trainer!"
"Agility." Agility picked herself off of the ground, stirring up a huge amount of dust. She hacked and wheezed until she was out of breath. "You guys don't clean up much, do you?"
"We really don't use the classroom… After our last budget cut, we don't have enough to buy any textbooks or anything!" Even after this, Korba sounded joyful.
"Your teacher can't talk about his experiences or something?"
"He tries, but no one listens…" Korba plopped on the ground, tugging on her long, blonde and blue streaked braid thoughtfully. "Short story. We're supposed to be a Trainer Preparation School, but with our budget all we can afford is the payment on the building and food… So, we turned it into a home for orphans and children of low-income families. Nobody wants to leave three meals a day, a warm bed, and friends…" Korba struggled to get out of her white t-shirt. Underneath it was a black shirt with a yellow smiley face on it, a pair of fatigues, and boots. She wiped the lenses of her green-tinted glasses and put them on. "Except me, of course! After I graduate and become a trainer, I'm going to get a lot of money and give it to the Academy so they can support kids further! So, what's your story?"
Agility was surprised at her ability to tell the story with such calm, and just a little jealous that she knew her goal in her life. She told her own tale with a straight face. "I was lured into a trap by a man called Professor Elm. He promised me a pokemon and I was forced to come here in order to get it… That's why I'm here."
"Very disturbing!" Korba clapped. "So why do you want to be a trainer?"
"To be a legend…" Agility didn't like the hesitation in her voice. "I… So, when's graduation?"
"Three days!" Korba shoved a calendar into Agility's face. Agility leaned against a desk, scooting away. Scavenger quietly approached Korba. He circled her slowly, sniffing at her clothes. He contented himself by pressing his nose on her arm. Korba had no translator; she only heard him squeak, but she picked him up and swung him around just the same. "Hey, little one! My first adventure! On an adventuuuuure!" And for the first time, Scavenger laughed.
Heavy, pounding footsteps rattled the old hardwood floor. Earl pushed past the door and laughed heartily. "Ready you should be, for mission you go on!"
Korba spun around, almost losing grip on Scavenger. "Really?!"
"You and Agility go to Sprout Tower! Problem they have! Help you will!"
"Wait, what?!" Agility protested.
"Pokemon trainers they need. You help Korba, no pokemon she has!"
"It'll be fun! Drop down, Scavenger!" The Rattata reluctantly obeyed. Korba saluted to Earl. "I'll bring pride to the Academy, sir!" With that said, she turned to Agility and picked her up in her arms.
"H-hey! Put me down!"
"Adventure time!" She rushed out the room with the three pokemon racing behind her. Earl picked up Korba's discarded t-shirt.
"Worry me she does…" Earl walked off, shaking his head.
"Is that the Violet City Gym?!" Agility squirmed in Korba's arms. "Wait up, I wanna challenge Falk-"
"No time! We gotta help the monks!"
"Monks?" They drew closer to the giant swaying tower. Talon hesitated briefly. It bore a striking resemblance to a Bellsprout's stem; making her wonder if Bellsprout could ever get that big… And if they got as powerful as Thorn.
"You're not giving up before we get in, are you Talon?" Pyra teased, running backwards so she could face the HootHoot.
"We see who scared first, Firebringer."
Pyra's heart sank. Grace had been right; the bond between Talon and Pyra hadn't been destroyed, but it had weakened so much that Pyra didn't know if she'd ever regain the HootHoot's trust. She managed to smirk back. "Oh-ho! Is that a challenge?"
Scavenger ran between them, listening to the whole conversation. "Y-you think something s-scary is in there?"
"Did I ever tell you how Talon and I faced a terrible beast?"
"A b-beast?!"
"Oh yes! It frothed at the mouth with a fiery poison that could melt stone! A toothless mouth to swallow its victims whole! It was as tall as this tower! Even bigger! With thorns jutting out at every angle, as sharp as the Fear-bird's beak, as the Cat's claws, as the Fire Dog's teeth! It's eyes were as dark as night, as was its soul!"
"Ahh!" Scavenger ran ahead to Korba's heels, trying to find security in both her and Agility's scents.
"Not nice to lie… He already afraid!" Talon scolded.
"But how he runs! That would aid him in battle!" Pyra cast a final look at the Rattata. "As for our challenge, we'll see who cannot stand strong in the face of fear! We shall see!"
"You eat those words!" Then again, maybe the bond wasn't so weakened after all…
Korba came to an abrupt stop. She dropped Agility and stepped over her, knocking politely at the huge doors. They rumbled gently, and then slowly creaked open. Two frail monks in tattered clothes stood in the dark. "Earl's Pokemon Academy! We heard you had a problem!" Korba saluted.
"You are… A pokemon trainer?" The left monk said.
"My friend is! I'm just here to help!" She motioned to Agility, who was picking herself up off the ground.
"Ah. Come in, come in…" The other monk led them in, waiting for the pokemon to go in as well. The doors closed. Sprout Tower loomed overhead, groaning with every sway in the wind.
Sunlight poured in through holes in the wall. The first floor of the tower was bare. There was a dusty floor and a few monks, all of which were on their knees chanting.
"The Sprout Tower is in grave danger. Something is causing the spirits to become restless. You must destroy the cause of it and calm the spirits, and you must do it as quickly as possible…" A monk instructed.
"Why quickly?" Korba leaned in closer.
"Earlier, our leader went up to help the spirits himself. We could sense he was safe at first, but we don't have that feeling in our hearts anymore. We have shut our doors to all. Trainers that want to face us in battle grow impatient as the days go by. We fear they could force their way in, and release the angry spirits to the Outside World. While we are downstairs praying for you protection, you will be upstairs moving about the tower… Please accept. We will be eternally grateful…"
"Of course we will!" Korba assured him. Agility never got the chance to speak. "Let's go save everybody!"
A hand grabbed Korba's shoulder. "No, you mustn't go yet."
"Why not?" Korba whined. Agility sighed in relief.
"The spirits will only come at night."
Agility scowled. "Oh come on…"
The monk bowed kindly. "You will need your rest. I will send you into a deep sleep, and you will awaken when it is time. Highton, John. Serve the drink."
"Now wait- Don't I get a say in this?" Agility waved them off. The trainer looked down to see Pyra, Talon, and Scavenger taking a long drink from a bowl. "Scavenger? You too?"
He glanced at the three others and nodded. "Pyra and Talon are doing it… Korba's doing it too…"
"Pyra just wants to explore! Talon has lost her judgment! Korba's a psycho! Can we just slow things down for a second? A nice walk through the woods? Some friendly sparring between teammates? Do we have to meet every challenge head-on?!" Agility yelled. It was too late. Korba and the pokemon nodded off, one by one. A sickly sweet smell filled the air. Monk John extended the drink, his pleading eyes never wavering from Agility's own. "Fine! Whatever…" She snatched the glass (thanking him first) and gulped its contents down. The effect was instant. Her legs went numb, a relaxing cool flowing through her body. Agility dropped like a rock, entering a dreamless sleep. "I'm… Never gonna get to… Face Falkner…"