At a quiet campsite next to a river, a lone figure was preparing a large pot of food for breakfast as the sun began peeking over the horizon. It was early morning the day after Serena had started traveling with Zinnia. Right now, the blonde was getting breakfast ready. And while stew for breakfast wasn't conventional, it was still a good way to start the day when you didn't have access to a kitchen.
Despite her initial agreement, Serena was wondering if she had made the right call to travel together. Yesterday had proven she had been somewhat right and the dark haired girl as she clearly was used to traveling alone.
She was stubborn and used to doing things her way, even down to how fast they should be going. Several times Serena had been forced to call to the girl to get her to slow down or outright stop. And while the blonde wasn't slow by any counts, Zinnia was made different. She could go hours at a brisk pace that the blonde had to jog to march.
In comparison, when Serena had traveled through Kalos, even at Ash's most impatient, they still made sure to take it slow and enjoy the journey.
Zinnia always seemed like she was in a hurry or rushing to get to the next place. Something that perplexed the blonde. But she hadn't had the breath to ask yesterday.
"Smells good. You cook often?" Zinnia said as she walked over from the edge of camp. Despite having a tent, the girl had chosen to sleep in a nearby tree. At first the blonde had thought that she wasn't comfortable sharing a tent, but when she checked her in the middle of the night, the girl had been sound asleep with Aster hugging her chest. Clearly, this was something she was used to.
"Yep! I used to travel with some friends back in Kalos before I came to Hoenn." Serena said as Zinnia walked over and tried to stick her finger into the stew before pulling back from the heat. "We had a couple of big eaters, so I got pretty good. Although, I'm much more comfortable when I'm baking."
"Cool! Next time we're in a town, you'll have to show me what you can do." The dark haired girl said as she began filling bowls with Pokémon food. "Not to brag, but I'm pretty good at whipping up a mean Pokéblock if I can get the right berries. I should make you some for your contest! It'll really give you an edge in the competition!"
Standing up, Zinnia sent Serena a grin as she took a step back. "But that's a conversation for another day. For now, breakfast is ready!" She yelled, tossing her two Pokéballs into the air where they opened with a pop.
"Rrraaoorr!" Salamence roared as he appeared for breakfast. Apparently, he, just like his trainer, liked to do everything over the top.
As for her other Pokémon, she had an old Noivern.
Unlike Salamence, Noivern was much calmer and more relaxed then either her trainer or her partner. She had the demeanor of a battle hardened general with years of experience to back her up. And while Serena was no exert on dragon Pokémon age, she thought it almost seemed like Noivern was older then the other two.
Although, this might just be because of the numerous scars that covered the Pokémon's body. Tatars across the edges of her wings to several small cuts across her back, the bat Pokémon had clearly seen her share of battles, many of which must not have had rules or regulations to get those kinds of injuries.
But even that didn't explain the largest scar on the Pokémon. It started at the bottom of her chest, then went all the way up her face and ripped through taking off her right ear. What's more, the attack had run right to her eye, ripping it off along with a good chunk of her face.
Serena couldn't even begin to imagine what would warrant such violence against the dragon, nor could she guess what could have done it. She had seen Ash's Noivern up close, she knew how tough it's scales were. She could only guess it was a legendary Pokémon who had done it, or some human made trap. Because in the wild, she couldn't think of any Pokémon capable of doing that.
But she quickly pushed those thoughts from her mind. It was breakfast time and the food was ready to be served!
"Right, breakfast everyone!" She called, tossing her three Pokéballs into the air. And with a pop, Sylveon, Pancham, and Braixen appeared on the grassy hill they had set up camp.
As they landed, the three Pokémon turned to look at their new companions, who in response, looked back at them.
"Okay guys, meet our new traveling companies!" Serena said. "You should all try to get along with each other and become friends."
Her Pokémon looked at the two dragons for a few seconds, then Sylveon stepped forward and offered one of her ribbons, a bright smile across her face. However, the greeting was met with a fiery huff Salamance, who turned up his nose at the peace offering.
"Oh boy. Not again." Zinnia groaned, burying her face in her hand as she saw the fairy's face fall. "Salamence, get your head out of your ass! Would you please stop being a complete dick to others and just learn to be friendly for once?!"
When the Pokémon didn't respond, the girl sent an apologetic look to the fairy.
"Sorry about him. He's got an ego problem." She apologized. "He didn't mean to be rude. He just can't bear not looking, what he thinks is cool in front of others. Trust me, it's a pain for everyone he meets."
The dragon turned and let out another huff, this time at Zinnia. But before he could continue to voice his displeasure of being made fun of, Noivern spun around, smacking him on the head with her tail. Not enough to do damage, but enough to cause him to lose his balance and stumble for several seconds.
With an apologetic look, Noivern lowered her head and licked Sylveon's ribbon gently.
"Ve!" The Pokémon purred as she reached up and patted the dragon on her head with a soft ribbon. Behind them, the two other Pokémon smiled and walked forward to meet their new companions. Pancham happily ran forward and introduced himself to the battle-scarred Pokémon while Braixen waved from a little farther away until Aster ran up and began chatting with Sylveon.
"Well, looks like everyone's getting along well enough." She said as she put both her hands behind her head. "Honestly, Salamence has pissed some Pokémon off so badly they've actually attacked! I remember one time, I went into a Pokémart for ten minutes. When I came out, he had picked a fight with three different trainers! And after I tried and failed to defuse the situation, it still ended in a fight!" Zinnia let out a sigh as she shook her head. "People these days are so touchy."
Serena thought back to the last time the girl had tried to 'defuse' a situation and quickly understood why Salamence wasn't too keen to listen to his trainer about not picking fights.
But she decided not to comment, and the two settled down over a nice hot breakfast.
After a few minutes of ideal chatting about the region, the topic turned to Fortree city and Serena's first contest.
"So, have you decided which Pokémon you're going to use?" Zinnia asked between mouthfuls of food. She was almost as bad as Ash when it came to trying to talk and speak at the same time. "Do you have a strategy? If half of what I've heard about Kalos showcases are true, you should be golden in the performance stage. But the battle stage is probably going to be the hard part for you. No offense, but none of your Pokémon look battle hardened."
The blonde nodded at the girl. While she didn't say it, she was surprised she could tell what she had been training for at just a glance at her Pokémon. She wondered how long Zinnia had been around Pokémon to have an eye like that.
"I plan to use Sylveon for the performance stage. When it comes to expressing oneself, she's easily the flashiest. And when it comes to battle experience, while it's nothing compared to yours, Braixen has the most, so I planned to use her in the combat stage!"
Zinnia smiled at the girl, watching her getting pumped up for the competition when they weren't even there yet.
"I will say, Braixen is probably your best choice." The dark skinned girl said. "Not only is fire a great type, but combined with psychic type moves, you can do a lot of fun combos with them if your Pokémon can stay focused! All while staying far away from your opponents."
Immediately Serena felt herself blush as her enthusiasm came to a screeching halt. She reached a hand behind her head and rubbed it awkwardly as she stared at the ground towards the edge of their camp.
"I-Umm…actually,,,Braixen doesn't know…ANY psychic type move." She said nervously. "I…Umm never even knew she could learn them. I mean…I guess I kinda did, but it…never really crossed my mind to try and teach them."
A few seconds of silence followed her confession, then
"Braixen doesn't know any psychic type moves!?" Zinnia yelled in surprise and disbelief, hands slamming the table as she launched her upper body at Serena so she had all her weight on the table. "You mean you haven't taught her Confusion, Reflect, or even Calm Mind!?"
Serena gave an awkward nod as she slunk back a little blushing. Given what she trained for, the thought of using psychic type moves had never occurred.
Mouth hanging open, Zinnia sat back in her seat, still just staring at the blonde. Her face still a mask of disbelief and shock at this revelation.
"Serena." She said after a few minutes of gathering her composure. "If you don't understand how battles work, you should just give up now. You aren't going to get far unless you have a variety of moves that you can whip out at a tip of the hat! And if you can only use a couple types of moves, what are you going to do when you come up against a Pokémon who resists both? Going at battle like this is a level of stupidity I can't even comprehend."
The blonde bit her lip and looked at the ground blushing. Of course she knew there were battles in contests, but she had polished her move on the way to Hoenn. She had never thought about type coverage before now. Honestly it was embarrassing.
Zinnia studied Serena's face then let out a sigh. "Sorry, that was out of line." She said, rubbing the back of her head. "I shouldn't have called you stupid. Everyone gets skills they need on their journey and you're no different. I should be more considerate of that. Again sorry."
Looking back at the girl, Serena saw an apologetic look on the girl's face and She quickly shot her a smile.
"No! That's fine. My lack of battle experience is something I've always thought to correct and never actually did." Serena's smile faltered a little and she looked down at her lap. "Honestly, one time my friends went off to fight a big battle and I was forced to stand on the sidelines. That was when I decided I wanted to get better and be able to stand next to them. So if they ever needed me, I'd be ready!"
Zinnia looked over at the girl through unusually soft eyes. As the blonde was still looking at her lap, she didn't notice the dark skinned girl smile. She knew the blonde was talking to herself, but that fire of determination burned in her eyes whenever she spoke about her friends is what drew Zinnia to her in the first place.
"Well, no time like the present!" She said, jumping to her feet, startling the blonde. "How about I teach you a psychic type move?"
Serena blinked, completely caught off guard by her proposal. "I! Umm. Sure! I mean, if you don't mind!" The Coordinator mentally facepalmed at what she said. Of course the girl didn't mind! She was offering!
With an amused chuckle, Zinnia whistled immediately catching all of her Pokémon's attention.
"Noivern! Come over here! It's teaching time!" She called to her bat Pokémon who rose and made her way over. With a quick wave at Braixen, the blonde followed her new friend over to the river where several big boulders stood. Some were easily twice bigger than the two trainers.
"The move I'm going to teach you is one of the best around, although it's name's not so much." Zinnia said as she waved at the rock. "It's called Psychic. A move where the user manipulates an object with only their mind."
As she explained, the dragon Pokémon's eyes lit up and almost immediately the boulder rose into the air earning several wows from the Coordinator and her Fire Pokémon.
"Next, depending on how familiar you are with the move, you can rip the target in half, throw it around or." With a snap of her fingers, Noivern raised the rock even higher, then her eyes flashed purple and immediately crumpled the rock into itself until she had reduced it to dust. All while keeping complete control over it so none blew away until the attack was shut off.
"Incredible." Serena breathed. She had never seen a Pokémon use Psychic like this before and she had to admit, she was impressed. She wondered how long they two had been training to get that good. Not even psychic types had that much power!
"Right! Now it's our turn!" Serena said, turning to Braixen. Both raised their fists and turned to a smaller rock.
"Focus your mind on the object. Picture it moving and then make it reality. That is the basics of any psychic move." Zinnia explained, folding her arms as the fire type narrowed her eyes at the rock. "At some point, you should feel some energy building up. Once you've got it perfectly envisioned, release all the energy onto the target."
"Braixxx!" The fire Pokémon murmured as she concentrated, eyes narrowed, nose flared, hands clenched. As Serena watched her Pokémon she saw a light appear around the boulder as the Pokémon suddenly saw her eyes flash pink.
This was it!
"Now, Braixen! Fire the Psychic!" She yelled and with a cry the fox Pokémon threw her hands up, focusing all her mind on making the rock follow, the rock began to shake as some smaller stones fell upward! Then…
Braixen lost her balance and fell onto her butt. The boulder not moving an inch.
"As far as first attempts go, that wasn't horrible." Zinnia said as the blonde helped her Pokémon up. "You go something to move with that kind of focus, but it's still a long way until your ready to use it in a real battle."'
Braixen let out a huff and glared at the ground both frustrated and embarrassed. Apparently being . Seeing this, the dark haired girl smiled and walked over, placing a hand on her head.
"Don't worry about it. Psychic is one of the most powerful moves out there. I wasn't expecting you to get it on your first try. You wouldn't believe how long it took Noivern to learn it." She said, making the fire type look up at her. "Just keep working at it and eventually you'll be throwing your opponents to kingdom come."
Serena and Braixen smiled, then turned to look at each other.
"She's right, that wasn't bad for a first try." The blonde said. "Let's take it from the top and make this move ours!"
"Braix!" The Pokémon cried in agreement as they both turned back to the rock. Focusing all her mind on the rock, the fire type once again tried to love it with her mind. The same light appeared around it and her eyes began to glow, but this time both were brighter.
"This time for sure!" Serena thought. "Okay, Braixen! Use-!"
Suddenly Noivern's head shot up and she let out a warning cry. Before the blonde could even process what was happening, Zinnia had tackled her to the ground just in time as a triangle made of shifting energy flew over their heads and slammed into the ground a few feet away, burning and freezing it at the same time!
"I finally found you!"
Both girls looked up to see a three headed bird Pokémon looking down at them from a short distance upstream. Next to it was a girl with mousy brown hair and chocolate eyes with freckles running across her face. She was wearing overalls on top of a gray working shirt and stood a good head taller than both of them. Her boots caked in mud and she smelled just like the bird she was standing next to.
Her entire outfit was dirty and she had a muscular physique, yet was still slender. Her hands were callused and she had a clear tan across her hands and face from spending most of her time outdoors. Clearly she worked hard labor.
"It's over for you now!" The girl yelled. "Surrender now! I'm not letting you hurt anyone else! You poachers have stolen your last Pokémon! So give me back those Rhyhorn!"
Serena's eyes widened as the accusation. Immediately she leapt to her feet, hands raised in surrender.
"Wait! You've got the wrong people!" She yelled. "We're not poachers! We're just passing through on our way to Fortree! We haven't done anything wrong!"
"Hah! A likely story!" The girl yelled back. Behind her, her Pokémon, a Dodrio, began to paw at the ground, getting ready to charge. "You match the description! A girl with long hair with a strange fire type and a girl with short hair who has an unusual dragon! Now, where's your father! I'll be throwing him in the pen while I'm at it!"
Serena bit her lip as she began to panic. She couldn't think of anything she could say to get this girl to believe her! Unfortunately, the description of the poachers was so wide it was hard to prove that it was someone else! Maybe she could-!
"Noivern!"
Immediately responding to her trainer's call, the bat Pokémon shot forward towards the girl's mouth hanging open as she belched dragonic power!
"W-wha!?" The girl took a step back at her opponent's speed. Clearly she hadn't expected to face someone at Zinnia's level. "Dodo, Fury Attack!" She cried half panicked at how fast the battle had shifted!
The bird lunged forward, all three beaks glowing as they were hardened to the point they could puncture bone!
But as it lunged forward, Noivern shot skywards, effortlessly dodging the attack.
The Pokémon reeled, completely caught off guard as the bat was directly above it. All three heads looked up at the Pokémon, but Noivern had positioned herself to have the sun at her back and when all three looked at her, all three were blinded by the light!
"Now, Dragon Pulse!" Zinnia yelled. And immediately the bat Pokémon released a powerful energy blast at blinding speed towards her opponent.
"Dodge it!" The girl screamed, but it was too late. The powerful attack made a direct hit! The resulting explosion staggered Serena and the other girl while covering the bird with a huge cloud of dust.
And when that cloud disappeared, all three heads were unconscious.
"No! Dodo!" The girl cried, rushing over to her Pokémon, coming to a stop in her knees next to her partner. "You gave it your all, good job." She said as she recalled her Pokémon, then turned to glare up at Zinnia.
"You're better than I thought, poacher! But I'm not done yet!" She yelled, pulling another Pokeball from her belt. But before she could throw it, Zinnia lunged forward, grabbing her wrist while kicking her legs out from under her! Effortlessly bringing the girl down with the wild girl on top, pinning the other to the ground while twisting her arm behind her back.
"That's enough out of you." The dark haired girl said as her opponent struggled beneath her. "As much as I enjoy a good battle, I don't like beating up people weaker than me. Makes me feel like a bully." Despite her words, the girl didn't seem to be listening as she continued to fight for her freedom.
"Get off me!"
Zinnia sighed at the girl under her, then using her free hand prided the Pokeball out of her grip. "Would you calm down?" She asked, annoyed. "I've been practicing martial arts since I was a girl, you can't get out of this pin! So how about you listen and I'll let you up in exchange? Otherwise, I'm fine sitting on you all day."
Before she could answer, the dark haired girl released the other girl and stood up. She walked a few feet away as her opponent got to her feet, and when the girl opened her mouth to hurl another insult, she made her shit up by throwing her Pokémon back.
This act completely caught the girl off guard, her eyes went as wide as plates as she caught the ball.
"You're giving me my Pokémon back?" She asked confused, making Zinnia smirk.
"Because it proves we aren't the bad guys you're looking for." She said with a wave of her hand. "So how about you drop the fisticuffs and listen to our side, yeah?" With that, the dark haired girl offered her hand to the other, who hesitantly took it and gave it a firm shake.
As she watched the scene play out in front of her, Serena found herself doing a double take of what had just happened.
When Zinnia had gone on the offensive, she had been sure there would be no hope for a peaceful negotiations. But the dark haired girl had just proved her wrong. Not only stopping her opponent, but also getting her to listen to them. Something she had failed at.
Maybe Zinnia was better at talk things out than Serena had originally thought.
A little while later.
"Thanks for coming with me and sorry again about earlier . I should have listened to you before attacking." The girl, who was named Kay, said as they arrived at a small farm in the woods where a few people were tending to Pokémon in the yard. A little ways past them was a farmhouse that looked like it had come right out of a picture book! With a single story design and little roof with a chimney poking out of one side.
Next to the house stood a large barn with a few Ponytas and a single Rapidash. Hey was scattered across the floor and there was a large, open door that led to a fenced off field where some other Pokémon were grazing. One of them was a Rhyhorn which looked up when Serena approached as if welcoming her.
After they had talked to the girl, Serena and Zinnia had agreed to help her track down the poachers who had been seen in that area. But first, they had decided to go to Kay's home to see if they could pick up any clues about where they had gone.
"Don't worry about it." Serena said with a smile. "We're more than happy to help capture someone who steals Pokémon. Those kinds of people should be stopped."
Kay let out a dry chuckle as she stared straight ahead, her hand clenching into a fist. "A little late for that." She muttered under her breath. And while it definitely seemed more likely that she was speaking to herself, Serena still heard her.
"What do you-?"
"You sure have a lot of Pokémon here." Zinnia interrupted the blonde as she walked over to a fenced yard that held several Dodrio, a Rhyhorn and a Pikachu all in the same field. "What kind of farm is this? None of these Pokémon produce stuff you can sell. How can you afford a farm that doesn't generate income?"
Kay shook her head as she turned to face the girl at the door to the house. "We're not a farm, we're a rescue." She explained. "We find injured or abandoned Pokémon and nurse them back to health before releasing them back into the wild. And if the Pokémon can't survive on their own, we find families to take care of them. And since we're non-profit, the Pokémon league and other companies give us funding. Some are surprisingly generous!"
Serena walked over to Zinnia and looked out over the field. She saw grain silos, water tanks, hay bales and a ton of unusual equipment that had been set off to the side. Most likely because they didn't need it right now.
"Wow!" She said, eyes wide as she took everything in. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to work at a Pokémon rescue. She knew from her mother that it was a job that didn't pay well, had long hours, and most of the people never got the kind of glory that trainers or gym leaders had. But to dedicate your life to helping Pokémon was a career worth of that and more.
"My family actually got a Pokémon from a rescue." The blonde said happily, causing Kay to smile. "Our Fletchling had been abused by her previous trainer. After mom adopted her, she spent weeks getting used to us before finally letting her personally shine through. It was one of the happiest days of our lives."
"That's great!" Kay cried happily. "You wouldn't believe how many people come here to adopt a Pokémon only to return it a few days later. Most people don't have the patience to help an emotionally damaged Pokémon heal. It's just easier to catch a wild one. I'm glad a few got a happy ending."
Serena turned and smiled at Kay. "And I'm glad there are people like you out here who are willing to help Pokémon like that. To give them a chance at a happy life instead of just abandoning them. It's such an inspiration to see people like you going above and beyond to help them!"
Kay grinned as she proudly put her hands on her hips and raised her head while puffing out her chest.
"Actually, I work as both a rescue worker and a Pokémon Coordinator!" She said, face brimming with pride. "My pa used to travel around as a Coordinator! He sent all injured Pokémon he found to my ma, who nursed them back to health before releasing them. In fact, he founded this very rescue! And now I'm following in his footsteps to help Pokémon from all across Hoenn! And any money I make to help out the rescue is an added bonus."
She rubbed the back of her head awkwardly as she said the last part. A blush appeared across her face. "Not the most noble goal, but recently things have been getting out of hand and we've been losing a lot of our funding. Not anywhere near enough to put us under or anything! But we are missing a lot of equipment for proper rehabilitation. I know I probably sound selfish, but..."
Serena smiled at the girl, who was suddenly staring at the ground blushing deeply. "It's not selfish at all!" She said. "What you're doing is amazing! You are helping Pokémon in need and you want to do the best job you can! There's nothing selfish with that. So keep going and let's both aim for the Hoenn Grand Festival!"
Kay perked up at the blonde's words. She returned her smile with a big grin.
"Right! I won't let that keep me down!" She cheered. "Now, let's get back to catching those poachers! First, let me get Dodo healed up, then we can head out!"
"Umm, actually." Serena began timidly. "Would it be alright if I saw the inside of the rescue frost? I've always wanted to see one outside of TV. So if we have time…"
"Absolutely!" Kay said happily, her face shining as she looked at Serena. "We can take a few minutes to look around! I'll even give you the grand tour! Let me just go ahead and get Dodo healed up, then I'll show you around before we track the poachers!"
"Okay!" Serena called as Kay disappeared into the house. Once she was out of sight, the blonde turned back to the field, her gaze wandering across it as she watched the Ponytas and Rapidash run around, having just been let free for the barn.
"It's so amazing in Hoenn." She said as the horse Pokémon galloped across the field startling the Rhyhorn as it grazed. "I can see why so many people come here just for a vacation. It's hard to imagine Alola is rated higher for tourists, but I guess since they don't have a Pokémon league there are fewer trainers."
When she got no response from the dark haired girl, she decided to try a different conversation starter.
"Say, I've been wondering." She said as she turned to look at the girl. "Have you competed in Pokémon leagues? You seem so strong and you beat someone who actually won one. And while I'm not an expert, it definitely feels like you are more than capable of-."
Serena cut herself off when she saw Zinnia. A look of utter disgust and hatred was stretched across the girl's face as she glared daggers at something on the far side of the field like she had just seen the poachers themselves!
Following her gaze, the blonde saw it was the logo on the side of the water tower was the object of the dark haired girl's ire. The logo itself was for the Devon corp, a company that was so internationally famous, Serena had heard about them all the way in Kalos.
They were responsible for some of the most important creations of their century! From the Pokénav to the EXP share, they made some of the biggest and best products for improving life alongside Pokémon. Hell, even Serena's handheld map was made by Devon and the computers that Pokémon center used were made by, or in partnership with them. The only company that didn't do business with them was the Aether foundation and smaller companies that made extensions.
Curious what was upsetting the girl, Serena began speaking very slowly and carefully so as not to upset the dark haired girl.
"Hey, Zinnia? Are you ok-?"
"Serena! Zinnia! I've got everything set up for the tour!" Kia's voice cut the blonde off mind sentence and startled Zinnia out of her trance like state. Both girls turned to see their new friend waving at them from the door to the house.
"We're coming!" Zinnia replied, any trace of her previous fury was completely gone, almost causing Serena to wonder if she imagined it. But she couldn't ask as Zinnia quickly made her way towards the building.
Deciding she could wait, Serena quickly followed the girl into the building. And as soon as she set foot inside, all thoughts of Zinnia were driven from her head as she took in the wonders all around her.
Pokémon were everywhere!
Several Skitties and Zigzagoons were running around playing while others were sitting on the furniture napping. A fake tree in the center of the room had several Flying types perched on it as people nursed injured wings or teaching them how to hunt. On either side of the room were special enclosures, one built for ice types, housing plenty of cold water and floating ice. Serena saw a family of Walrein and Spheal playing with a red bell as a lone Piplup watched from the side, trying to pretend it didn't want to join.
On the other side was a sandy and rocky enclosure made for fire types. A herd of Numel were happily grazing on some dry grass as a Torkoal slowly made its way past. A Trapinch was in the far corner and a group of people were using a stick with food on it to teach the soon to be dragon how to hunt.
"Welcome to Safari Rescue." Kay said as she led the two girls through the building. "Here we take Pokémon from all walks of life and help them get back onto their feet. Our ultimate goal is to get them back into conditions for re-release, but the ones who can't survive in the wild we put up for adoption. So at the end of the day, everyone's taken care of."
"Downstairs is where we keep all the Pokémon, and upstairs is our lab and storage, as well as a habitat for bug Pokémon. And in my a couple bedrooms for me and my folks. Most of the other workers go back to their homes in Lilycove."
"Wow!" Serena breathed as she ran to look into a room with a large window. Inside she saw two people treating a Slugma who had a duller color than what it should be.
"Huh, a lot of these guys look pretty old to have gotten separated from their parents." Zinnia said as she scanned the area. "I can't imagine all of them had a run in with the poachers you're hunting. Were they…"
Kay turned and gave the dark haired girl a sad smile.
"Unfortunately yes." She replied. "Many were abandoned by their trainers or released without having the skills to survive on their own. As such we make sure they go to homes that don't want battling Pokémon."
Serena turned to face the other two girls, the surprise clear on her face.
"Abandoning their Pokémon? Why would a trainer do that?!" She asked. "I thought that they worked side by side with their partner, getting stronger together. Why would somebody just throw that partner away?"
Kay gave the blonde a sad smile as she turned to look over at the Piplup. "Unfortunately, so people aren't interested in the training aspect of their title. They want to get strong immediately. And as such, they only use Pokémon who are naturally strong." The disgust in her voice was clear to the other two girls as they listened.
"This year's Pokémon league winner was one such trainer. His victory speech was all about how only the strongest Pokémon are worthwhile and the weak are just shackles that should be left behind. Unfortunately, a lot of other trainers are likely to follow his example."
Serena felt a horrible sensation in her stomach as she realized just how much influence a Pokémon league victor would have. That had never crossed her mind before as both Ash and Alan were so kind hearted. But if someone like Karen won, his toxic influence would naturally cause undue harm as many others would use him as an example of what it takes to win.
"Hah! I if people are trying to copy that loser, they must be desperate!" Zinnia's voice broke through the tension as it carried her usual jovian tone. The other two girls looked over at the dark haired girl who had walked over to one of the skitties and gently picked it up.
At first the Pokémon snarled at her, but Zinnia calmly reached out and began scratching behind its ear, immediately making it purr and move into her hand.
"Last year's Pokémon league wasn't anything great. In fact, many people, myself included, are more amazed that trainers of that level even got in." She said as she continued to pet the kitten Pokémon. "People like Karen just ride the strength of the Pokémon. They'll never win against someone who knows how to actually battle. Once people realize that, they'll start treating their Pokémon right."
The dark haired girl looked up with a grin. "I mean there's always going to be living trash that takes a human form and maybe I'm just being naïve, but I do believe that people who treat their partners as nothing more than a tool will never win."
Serena stared wide eyed at Zinnia. She hadn't pegged her as the idealistic type. But honestly, she was glad. A part of her had been worried the girl would be the type of person who didn't believe in sappy stuff like that, or something. Now that she knew she wasn't, it felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
"Right, well, that's enough of that cheesy stuff!" Zinnia as she put the Pokémon down. "Now how about we go out and catch us some poachers?!" The girl said, throwing her fist into the air.
"Yeah!" The other two girls said, joining the dark haired girl by punching at the ceiling as well. Play time was over, now they had to get to work.
A little while later.
Serena and Zinnia followed Kay through the woods towards the deepest part. Their senses on high alert for any danger as the cane to a river. There, on a tree, was a metal arrow tip with a net coming out the end where the shaft should have been. Another was set up on a tree opposite it, meaning it was the type of trap where someone would have to chase prey towards the net.
"This is the spot." Kay gestured to the two metal objects as Zinnia strode past her and knelt next to it. "Unfortunately, I couldn't find any other leads so I followed the river down where I came across you two. I've already contacted officer Jenny and she said she'd come by tomorrow, so until then we shouldn't-."
Crack!
"Or maybe not. I mean, what do I know?" Kay said as Zinnia pulled the metal tip out of the tree. And then, just to make sure she hadn't contaminated the evidence already, spun the object in her hand, inspecting it from all sides.
"Hey! Look at this!" The dark haired girl said as she walked over to her companions, who reluctantly leaned in to look. "See the net? It's a steel weave with break away parts at the ends. This isn't the run of the mill stuff. This alone is worth a good few hundred bucks."
"A few hundred!?" Serena cried in surprise. "How on earth can they afford something like that? How much did these poachers make?!"
"Not enough to just leave this behind." Kay said, a dark look appearing in her eyes. "Most likely they're working with Delta Reapers. That would explain a lot. Especially why they've been so difficult to catch."
"Delta Reapers?" Serena asked, promoting Zinnia to speak up.
"Their an organization that rules the criminal underworld." She explained. "Before, Hoenn was split between two warring factions. Team Aqua and Team Magma. As a result, there was never a monopoly on the sale and manufacturing of illegal equipment. And do to their constant fighting, neither side ever got to powerful."
Serena nodded her head at Zinnia's explanation. She had heard about Team Aqua and Magma. Their names had reached all the way to Kalos, but only as scary stories that kids would tell at sleepovers.
"The real problem occurred when the two teams disbanded." Zinnia said, a hint of irritation in her voice. "With them gone, a massive power vacuum tore through the underworld as hundreds of groups started fighting for the spot of top dog. This went on for a few years until one group finally came out on top. And unfortunately, they were quite careful to ensure no other organizations could rise up to contest them. Now they are the sole rulers of Hoenn's underworld."
"The Delta Reapers." Kay said as she spat on the ground. "An group of lowlifes who sell Hoenn Pokémon across seas to collectors or other criminal organizations. They started out small, less than half a dozen if memory serves. But now they have their finger in every poacher from here to Littleroot! They supply them with all sorts of equipment in exchange for a cut of the profit! And because some of the members have some skill, now everyone's afraid to stand up to them! Even my colleges just wanted to lay down and roll over instead of fighting them!"
Kay then threw her fists onto the air and let out a roar!
"Well I'm not scared! Bring um' on! I'll take on any poacher even if they're the leader of these clowns!" She yelled at the sky, prompting Zinnia to let out a snort.
"Your colleges have the right idea." She said sternly. "These guys are no joke. Apparently, less than a month ago, they were spotted in Petalburg and the local gym leader mustered a few dozen trainers to arrest them. The result? The trainers were brought back WITHOUT their Pokémon. And the gym leader was in a coma. He has yet to wake and his daughter flew back all the way from Sinnoh to be with him. Do you honestly think you have a chance against someone like that?"
Kay lowered her head and glared at the floor, her fists trembling giving the dark haired girl her answer.
And she wasn't the only one Zinnia's words had gotten too.
Serena swallowed a lump in her throat as she felt her stomach curl. All this talk about the criminal underworld and life or death battles was starting to get to her. You'd think helping in the Kalos crisis would have given her some confidence in dealing with thugs like that, but just the thought of how vast their network must be gave the young woman chills.
"D-do you think that we're dealing with one of them?" The blonde asked, though a part of her was scared of the answer. "I-if so, maybe we should wait for backup?"
"I doubt it's the main members we're dealing with." Zinnia said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "The Petalburg incident was them trying to catch Ralts. A rare and powerful Pokémon that some rich fucks us for other things than battling. But a bunch of Rhyhorn? I don't think so. They wouldn't sell for enough to warrant them coming all the way out here."
Serena let out a sigh of relief. Thank goodness! They weren't going up against psychos! She wasn't anywhere near ready for something like that!
However, the third girl had a very different reaction.
Beside her, Kay shifted her weight and folded her arms as she sent a hard look at Zinnia.
"You sure know a lot about the criminal underworld." She said suspiciously, taking a step towards the girl. Her tone caused the both girls to turn and look at her, one with shock and surprise, the other with almost total indifference.
"Wow there!" Serena said, stepping between them. Arms raised in an attempt to defuse the situation. "Let's not go throwing accusations! Especially not serious one like that when there's no proof that-!"
"The type of nets used, the price range for Pokémon on the blackmarket, and even a pretty detailed description of their rise. I'm pretty sure that's not a baseless accusation." Kay said, glaring at Serena. "If I'm wrong, I'll apologize. But only if Mrs i-still-wear-stuff-from-a-hundred-years-ago can give me a satisfactory answer!"
Serena took a step back. She hated to admit it, but Kay had a good point. Zinnia did have a strange amount of knowledge on the subject and some of that would be hard to find. And if that wasn't enough, she seemed completely calm and cool even in the face of crisis. Something even Ash wasn't capable of!
"You're right. I know a lot about the underworld. So maybe I am a poacher."
Serena's head whipped around to the girl, who was walking towards, arms out with a big grin across her face.
"Maybe I'm the leader of the Delta Reapers. Maybe I'm just using you to get all the captured Pokémon for myself. Maybe I intend to stab you in the back when this is all over and leave your corpses to rot in the forest." Zinnia was now standing right in front of Kay, her body bent and at an angle letting her look up at the girl in an incredibly creepy way.
But the next thing the girl said was disturbing in a very different way.
"Or maybe, I've been hurt by someone deep in the underworld and am quite eager to get even. So knowing all that might help me find a way to hurt them just as badly as they hurt me."
Immediately, Serena felt guilt replace the doubt that had filled her stomach. And the way she spoke in such a calm, even voice, as if she had become numb to her pain, made it so much worse.
She wondered how long the girl had lived with that pain. How many times she's had to explain herself to others when they accused her. A part of her was cuiries what had happened, but she knew better than to ask. And if she's had this conversation so many times that she had gone numb to it, it must have been eating at her for years at least. Something that horrible she didn't want to think about.
"I-I'm sorry." Kay said, her head lowering. She must be feeling pretty guilty right now. "I shouldn't have brought it up. I didn't know." Her tone was quiet and submissive. Something that didn't go unnoticed by the dark haired girl.
"Aww! Don't worry about it! I get asked all the time!" Zinnia said, her tone returning to her cheerful one. Though Serena began wondering how much of it was real. "Water under the bridge! Now, let's get back to the matter at hand. We'll have to find the poachers so we can do anything. How about we split up and look for them?"
Both girls nodded at her suggestion. While neither said anything, they both had the sneaking suspicion that she had an ulterior motive for wanting to split up. The blonde wondered just how many times was 'all the time?' Although again, a part of her didn't want to know.
"Great!" Zinnia cheered, completely oblivious to the much quieter mood of her companions. Or maybe she was just ignoring it. "I'll go look from the sky. If you find anything, just shoot and Aster will pick it up and let me know."
"Whismur!" The Pokémon said, poking her head out of the hood of Zinnia's cloak where she had been sitting quietly. She waved happily at Serena, but before she could wave back, the dark haired girl let Salamence out of his Pokéball and jumped on.
"We'll call if we find anything!" Zinnia called as the dragon Pokémon took off with a powerful gust of wind. "If not, I'll meet you back at the rescue at sunset! Hope you don't mind but I'm crashing there for the night! Thanks! Bye!"
Serena could barely hear her final word as by then she was high in the sky. Looks like she was right about that being a sore spot.
A sigh next to her caused the blonde to turn. Kay was rubbing the back of her head awkwardly as she stared up after the dark haired girl.
"Guess I'll have to apologize tomorrow when she's calmed down." She said dejectedly. "Man, me and my big mouth."
Later that night.
"Ug!" Serena cried as she collapsed onto a soft bed before rolling onto her back to stare up at the ceiling. Zinnia had disappeared into the bathroom to shower leaving the blonde alone with her thoughts.
A full day of searching and not a single clue to where the poachers had hidden. Back in Kalos, when she had been traveling with Ash, for better or worse, they hadn't had much trouble finding the bad guys and taking care of them. But now she was realizing that those guys weren't the real deal.
During the search, Kay had mentioned how tropical places like Hoenn attracted more competent poachers because the Pokémon were more exotic. And under anyone the Delta Reapers had strict laws they had to abide by. This included avoiding battles with trainer and law enforcement as much as possible which effectively meant even the incompetent poachers were wised up.
As she lay there on the bed staring up at a fan spinning above her, her mind drifted once again to Ash.
She had been in Hoenn for a few days now. He was probably still at home preparing for his next journey. She wondered if he'd come to Hoenn again. She knew he had come here before, but with the star festival in full swing, maybe he'd stop by for a visit! Maybe she could have a chance to talk to him face to face! Maybe he would even tag along with her on her journey!
As soon as she thought that last part, she immediately reprimanded herself. How dare she want Ash to come and protect her from everything again! She had resolved not to keep moving forward back when she faced off with the Flygon trainer. Now here she was wanting him to come along and look out for her.
She was a coward! Only appearing brave when she had Ash to pick up her slack! One word about a gym leader and she was shaking in her boots. If Ash had been there, it would have been more motivation for him to catch the culprit! Not run away from them!
Serena was broken out of her thoughts as the door to the guest room swung open. "Okay, I'm finished in the shower! It's all yours now!" Zinnia called as she stepped into the room, though, the blonde's gaze didn't leave the ceiling right away.
"Right, thanks." She said as she heard the girl walking over to the other bed in the room, followed by the soft pads of Aster's feet. While Serena made a point of trying to bathe at least once a week and took very good care of herself, maybe the show would help her with her self-loathing.
She sat up and was about to walk out the opened door when she saw Zinnia out of the corner of her eye. And immediately her jaw hit the floor.
"Zinnia! Why are you naked!?"
"Hhm? Said girl replied, glancing over at the blushing blonde. The dark haired girl was completely nude save for a towel draped over her next. Her wet hair had been let out of it's ponytail and it was surprisingly long for what Serena had originally thought.
"What's the big deal? We're both girls." Zinnia asked nonchalantly. "It's like you've never gone to a public hotspot or sauna before. In there, everyone's naked. Nobody cares."
"I care!" Serena retorted. "Back in Kalos, you put on a towel! You didn't just walk in wearing your birthday suit! If it was like that, neither I nor anyone else would be comfortable going! It's an invasion of privacy! So will you please put something on!"
"But it's my privacy. And besides, there's no dryer here and Kay told me to hang mine up on the cloth line out back. Which you're probably going to want to do as well. When you're traveling you never know when you'll have the opportunity to-"
"Zinnia!"
"Ugg! Fine!" The girl said, taking off the towel. "If you're going to make such a big deal about it. Just don't blame me when all the towels in Kalos get completely soaked for no good reason."
As she went to retrieve a spare set of clothes, Serena was about to explain that it wasn't difficult to dry a towel. But she was brought to a screeching halt as she caught a glance at the girl's stomach.
A huge scar was on her stomach right below her ribs. It was visible from both the sides and wrapped around her connecting on her side. It looked like some kind of claw or maybe a horn of some kind, she wasn't sure. But what she did know was that it looked old, very old. And given that Zinnia didn't look much old than Ash, she must have been a child when she got it.
"Serena?" Zinnia asked, making said girl realize she had been staring.
"Oh! Sorry! I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable!" She quickly apologized. "Well, I'm off to show! Don't worry about getting dressed! It'll probably be a while! Don't know why I even brought it up! I was just-."
"You know my scar isn't some kind of big secret, right?" Zinnia cut in, stopping the blondes rambling mid sentence. "I got it being stupid when I was a kid, nothing I'm ashamed of. In fact, I like it! Makes me look like some old warrior from ancient times. So feel free to ask or stare away. I didn't mind."
Serena stared at the girl speechless. How could the girl just talk about something like that so casually? If it was her, she would be doing everything in her power to his the damage. Yet Zinnia had no problems talking about it.
"What's up?" The girl asked, noticing the strange look on the blonde's face. "If you've got something to say, just say it. If we're going to travel together, we might as well get to know one another."
"You're amazing." The blonde breathed out awestruck. "You can beat a top league trainer like it was nothing, you know everything about how to catch poachers, and you're brave, smart, and beautiful! It's amazing! I'm honestly a little jealous. I wish I had half of your skill."
Serena wasn't sure why she was saying all this, but she also meant every word. If she could match even a fourth of the dark haired girl, she would have the courage to face whatever else was ahead of her. Something she was currently struggling with.
Zinnia stared wide eyed at the girl in utter shock. Then, she threw her head back and let out a bark like laugh.
"You know, I think that's the first and only time someone said they wanted to be like me!" She laughed much to Serena's surprise. With her ability and looks, she would have thought the dark haired girl would have an army of fans who wanted to be like her.
"Honestly though, I'm not that special." Zinnia said as she sat down on the floor folding her legs. "I'm not as brave or smart as you think. In fact, in the two most important moments of my life, my stupidity cost me dearly. You can still see the results of one of my mistakes." She jabbed her thumb into her scar to emphasize what she was talking about.
"As for my knowledge of poachers, I got it from an obsession. Many have told me to let go. You look like the type to read fiction, so I'll spare you the slugg of usual, 'revenge doesn't help anyone.' And in a contest between you and me, let's be honest, you'd have guys drooling all over you while I was pretty much ignored."
As she locked eyes with Serena, a grin spread across Zinnia's face. "Besides, you're a Coordinator, battling isn't one of your biggest priorities. In fact, according to Lisia herself, a Pokémon contest is about showing off your Pokémon in a setting that doesn't involve battles. Hell, Lisia normally wins her rounds by dropping her opponent's points to zero with flashy moves that make her Altaria shine. So don't sweat it if you can't battle as well as a league trainer."
Serena paused at Zinnia's words, she looked down at her hands as she weighed her words.
"Maybe." She said slowly. "But I want to develop my own style. Not copy someone else's. There's someone I want to catch up to, someone I want to stand beside as an equal. And for that, I want to be able to battle. Not at your level or anything, but enough that I can hold my own. Otherwise how can I be worthy of standing beside him?"
Zinnia stared as Serena's face, her expression one of uncharacteristic softness.
"I understand." She said with an equally gentle smile. "Believe it or not, I'm the same way." She stood up and walked over to the window looking out it with a nostalgic expression on her face.
"There's someone I want to stand beside as well, someone who I want to see me as an equal. She's out there, waiting for me, and I promise I wouldn't let her down. When we next see each other, I'll have made our dreams come true."
Zinnia spoke with such softness and warmth, it was hard to believe there was such a powerful and skilled trainer in there as well. However what was even more surprising was that there was someone who Zinnia held in such high regard. For someone of her skill to long for someone to see her as an equal, they must be quite a trainer."
"In any case, we've probably talked long enough." Zinnia said suddenly. "You should hurry up and shower before Kay turns off the hot water. Apparently leaving it on during the night racks up the heating bill."
Serena gave a start. That's right! She still had to shower!
"Right! Thank Zinnia!" She said, quickly scooping up her toiletries. "I'll be right back, so make sure you're dressed by them! If you're not, we are going to have a serious talk later!"
With that she raced out the door to the bathroom, leaving Zinnia alone in the room.
Said girl stood still for a few seconds, then she closed her hand into a tight fist. "Aster." She murmured to herself, making her Whismur look up at her in confusion. But the girl said nothing to the Pokémon, she just stared out the window, her hand moving to rest on the scar on her stomach.
Then she let out a whisper, so quite even the sound Pokémon might miss it.
"I promise I'll avenge you."