Hi all. I don't own Pokémon.
(*)
Cynthia looked at the girl in front of her and sighed. "Why'd you have to come to Kanto?"
"You came to Kanto too!" Verity retorted. She didn't sound angry, just upset.
"I came here for their rich history and their legends."
"I came to check out the Gyms."
Cynthia groaned and leaned back in her seat, her cupcake forgotten. "You could at least try to sound sorry."
"So could you," Verity answered, "considering this is your fault."
Cynthia groaned and looked out at the port of Vermilion City. The sight of boats out on the water relaxed her enough to face her sister again.
"I've been asked to assist with a situation in Hoenn," she said, carefully watching Verity's face. "I was hoping you'd tag along."
Verity looked dumbstruck but quickly schooled her features, sending an angry glare at her sister. "No thanks. I think I'll head to Unova. I hear they've got good music there." With that she stood up and made to leave.
Cynthia struggled to think of something to say. "Take care of yourself!" she called as Verity opened the door.
Verity paused suddenly. "You too," she answered before leaving.
Cynthia sat down and groaned, putting her head into her hands. It seemed that every attempt she made to get into her sisters life ended with Verity more distant than before. AT the rate they were going they wouldn't speak for another few months.
"Would you like anything else," the waiter asked. Cynthia jerked her head up before regaining her composed exterior.
"No thank you, I was just leaving," she answered. Standing up she reached for her bag, stopping when she saw the zipper partially open. Opening the bag she found everything in order except for the fact that a prototype Pokédex and five Ultra Balls were missing.
"Is everything alright ma'am," the waiter asked, sounding slightly disturbed by her sudden quiet.
"Nothing," she answered absentmindedly. Smiling she slung her bag on her shoulder and said, "For some reason I'm strangely proud."
(*)
Cubone swung his bone at the tree, a crack spreading halfway through the trunk. Marty looked back at Lucien and grinned.
"Not bad, not bad," Lucien said amiably. "Here's my question: why do you think your Pokémon haven't evolved yet?"
Marty was caught of guard by the question and struggled to think up a response. "Well," he said finally, "Beedrill's evolved."
"Every region has a few Bug-types that evolve quickly," Lucien said, easily taking away his excuse. "I'm not saying it's a bad thing, but why haven't any of your other Pokémon evolved?"
Marty fidgeted under Lucien's piercing gaze, quietly wondering if he even knew he was doing it.
"Well, training is harder than I thought, my Pokémon don't fight as much as yours, I never know what Bounsweet is feeling because she's always hopping around-"
"Marty," Lucien said suddenly ", you're babbling again."
Marty quickly shut up and counted to ten before speaking again.
"I'm sorry," he said looking at the ground. "Maybe I'm just not cut out for the Trainer's lifestyle."
Lucien scoffed and said, "There's no doubt you aren't. Not as you are now. There are plenty of people just like you who never go on journeys."
Marty looked at his feet and sighed. Smelling something sweet he saw Bounsweet hopping next to him, a cheery smile on her face. Reaching down to pat her head he smiled softly and asked, "What was your journey like?"
"Oh, I never went. I stayed home and studied."
Marty looked up in shock, his surprise as plain as day. "I thought you said kids who stayed home and studied were three times as likely to drop out of their journeys?"
"Okay first, I said not to quote me on that because I made it up," Lucien reminded him. "Second, I never went on a journey, but I did stay home and study. Most of the Pokémon I caught were caught on trips I took with my mom."
"But...?" Marty asked curiously.
"But while everyone in my class sat around priding themselves on their strategies and theories I grew impatient, and caught Pokémon of my own to refine my methods," Lucien said, clenching his fist. "The looks on their faces when they tried to battle me for the first time was something I'll never forget."
"Because it was so satisfying?" Marty asked slowly.
Lucien smiled. "Among other reasons."
With that the Sinnohan Trainer took out a Pokéball and sent out his Lopunny. She gave Marty a quick wave before taking a relaxed stance, her Trainers expression telling her all she needed to know.
"Consider this a test," Lucien said.
"A test?" Marty gulped. "What kind of test?"
"We've been training for months now. I will be leaving soon. So here's the deal: all of your Pokémon against Lopunny here. If you can land a single hit then you keep training the way you're training now, sans me of course. However, if you can't then you will do what I did, and return home. I don't care how you do it Marty, just that you do."
(*)
Pierre grinned at Amelia, the video phone crackling slightly. "How's reception on your end?"
"I can see you fine, my problems the sound," Amelia told him.
"Alright, so what was so important that I had to make a video call?" Pierre asked.
Amy grinned and sat back in her seat. "Well, there's a juicy bit of gossip from Sinnoh, but if you're busy..."
Pierre cocked and eyebrow at her. "You have my attention."
"Well," she started, looking smug, "rumor has it that the Sinnoh Champion was visiting Snowpoint City, this place in Sinnoh's mountains, and she got challenged by this random Trainer."
"The Sinnoh Champion is a girl?" Pierre asked.
"That's what you focus on?" She sounded incredulous. "Whatever. Anyway, she gets challenged, and obviously she's not gonna look like a coward so she accepts, but she gets cocky and this Trainer manages to beat her best Pokémon with one hit."
Pierre's eyes widened. "How did I not hear about this?!"
"The Sinnoh League is trying to keep it quiet, very hush hush, but it's starting to leak. Besides, Sinnoh's news has never bothered Kanto."
"Fair enough," he agreed. "So, what happened after?"
"That's the fun part," Amy said growing excited. "Not sure what it is, but the Trainer that beat the Champ had something about them that made everyone go berserk, even people who don't usually care about the Pokémon League. The scandal got so bad that the Champion had to leave Sinnoh until the issue could be resolved."
"What about the Pokémon League?" Pierre asked, concerned.
Amy shrugged. "Got me. They'll probably just call her in when and if they get a challenger."
"Right, I forgot to ask, but how is the search for that Pokémon you wanted going?" Pierre asked.
Amy groaned and sat forward. "Terrible. I've found a few, but none of them want to go with me, so I'm at a loss."
"Huh. Well, I'm out of ideas," Pierre admitted.
"I'm not," Amy said, looking as if she'd just realized something. "I've gotta go."
With that she hung up and Pierre was left staring at a blank screen. He took a few minutes to process that their conversation was over before leaving the communications tent and motioning to the technician.
"All yours," he said. "And thanks again for letting me do this."
The woman nodded and went into the tent, leaving Pierre to find his way out of the maze of tents. He began walking and tried to retrace his steps, giving up with a groan when he recalled that he'd basically just followed the technician from before all the way there.
"Oh Pierre!" Bonji called, hurrying to his side. He was a lot cleaner, although his massive beard was still firmly in place. "I'm glad I caught you. See I need some research papers summarized and you seem like a capable young man."
Pierre shrugged and said, "Sure, okay. I mean, my Pokémon are still recovering anyway."
"Oh," Bonji said as they began walking, "they still haven't gotten over that Rhydon then?"
"That Rhydon fought dirty," Pierre insisted.
"Oh, clever pun," Bonji remarked, chuckling at the glare that earned him. "Oh don't look at me like that. Besides, some would call that strategy."
They walked in silence until they came to the large tent the research team was using to house their books. Of course, most of their "books" were electronic, but the shelves of hardcovers seemed to make some of the older researchers feel better.
Pierre stepped into the tent and paused, observing the table overflowing with books with an arched eyebrow. Turning to Bonji he asked, "So, is there any order you want them in?"
"Um, just alphabetically is fine," Bonji said, quickly looking away.
Pierre shrugged and walked to the table, flipping over one of the books and pausing. The cover of the book seemed to indicate it was about cups or bowls, though it didn't matter either way.
"There's a chart somewhere here that should tell you which books goes in which piles," Bonji said helpfully. "You'll need to finish before you turn in for the night, if that's okay."
Before Pierre could ask him when that would be the old man had left him alone within the tent. Sighing, he sat down in a plastic fold-out chair and began his search for the chart Bonji had mentioned. I still don't get why we need pottery guys around.
After what felt like hours he had figured out where each book went. After what was definitely hours he managed to sort the books into piles that roughly fit what Bonji described. Spotting a file on the table he sat down and eyed it thoughtfully. Should he?
Deciding he should, he reached for the file and flipped it over, blinking at the strange dots and lines on the cover. He began flipping through the file, taking note of the pictures of what looked like a ruined temple, before freezing at a picture of a mural of Mew, engraved on a crumbling stone wall.
At first he thought the terrible lighting was playing tricks on him but no, the image in front of him was definitely Mew. Standing up he hurried out of the tent, almost knocking over a stack of books on the way, and began asking around for whoever had set up the tent. Instead of finding the missing intern (they always went missing when he needed them) he instead ran into Bonji, who seemed surprised at his sudden urgency.
"What happened?" Bonji asked. "Did that Charizard of yours destroy something else?"
"What? No!" Pierre took a deep breath before showing the book to Bonji. "Where did this come from?"
Bonji gingerly took the book from Pierre's hands and peered at it. After a few tense moments Bonji declared, "I don't have my reading glasses, but this certainly looks like crumbling ruins."
Bonji said nothing for a few minutes. Eventually Pierre snapped and asked, "Well?"
"Well what?"
He felt like screaming. "Where is it from?"
"Well that's hardly important." Bonji handed the book back. "Just a file of some pictures taken on an expedition in Hoenn. They're still looking into the site from what I hear."
Pierre's eyes widened and he felt like kicking himself. How could he not have realized sooner?! Excusing himself he tried to find the communications tent and burst in, almost scaring the techie out of his chair.
"I need to make a call," he snapped, the urgency in his tone allowing no room for argument.
As soon as the man left Pierre planted himself in front of the video phone and dialed a number, hoping that in his rush he hadn't forgotten anything important. Instead of flashing to life and showing him the person on the other end the screen merely showed the image of a telephone as the call was answered.
"Hello, this is Cynthia speaking."
"Master, we need to talk," he started.
"I specifically told you not to call me that," she reprimanded.
"Master," he said, ignoring her protest, "I've recently found a file on ancient ruins found in Hoenn, but to my surprise I found that the file contained pictures of the Pokémon I am pursuing, the legendary Mew. I had hoped you'd shed some light on the matter."
Cynthia was quiet for a second. "Do you talk differently when you speak to me?"
"What?" Pierre asked, startled by the question.
"Never mind. Look, I don't know what to tell you. There are myths in Johto on Pokémon I thought we only knew of in Sinnoh, but I thought that was the only case. More importantly, what do you want to do?"
Pierre considered the question for a minute. "I wish to travel to Hoenn to gather more data on the matter. If it is at all possible, could you meet me there?"
Cynthia was silent for a moment. "I may not be able to travel the entire way, but I'll go there with you."
Pierre nodded once. "Agreed. I'll meet you in a few months."
Cynthia hung up and Pierre walked out of the tent. He was vaguely aware of someone hurrying in behind him but he was too preoccupied to pay them any attention.
Hoenn is my next target, he thought, shivering. I wonder what the climate is like.
Deciding he'd better check on his team Pierre headed for the medical tents, shaking his head at the sight of them. Where they'd gotten a Nurse Joy on such short notice he still wasn't sure.
"Welcome," the nurse said as he entered the main tent. "What is your medical emergency?"
"I'm just here to check on my Pokémon. It's been a few days now."
"Name?" Nurse Joy turned to her monitor.
He told her his name and watched as she pulled up records. There was a brief moment where her face twisted before she schooled her expression and turned back to him.
"Your Pokémon should be mostly recovered by tomorrow, though I'll have to keep your Charizard and your Goomy, because your Goomy took more damage in that fight than expected, and your Charizard kept trying to get out early. He's sedated now, so that's fine."
Pierre nodded, unsure about how he should feel about that. "So, are any of them recovered enough?"
She threw him a look and went back to typing. After a few minutes she looked up and said, "Well, it seems that your Magmar is the least injured of your Pokémon and should be able to leave. I'll just go get him."
Pierre thanked her as she went to get his Pokémon. As soon as she returned he left the tent and sent out Magmar, bringing his arm up at the sudden burst of heat.
"Hey bud," He said, slowly bringing his arm down. "Are you feeling alright?"
Magmar nodded absentmindedly, looking around at their surroundings. Turning to Pierre he raised his hand and tapped his forehead. Pierre shook his head and Magmar shrugged, beginning the walk back to their tent.
"So basically, while you guys were recovering I got a lead on where we can find Mew," Pierre bragged.
Magmar turned and gave him a condescending look.
"Okay maybe not find. 'Get closer to finding' is probably better," he admitted, scratching the side of his neck.
Before Magmar could send him another sarcastic look or gesture they heard a thud and were covered in a puff of dust. Looking up they saw a Dragonite standing on what looked to be the remains of their tent.
Before Pierre could say anything a piece of his backpack landed on his shoulder, reminding him of exactly what had been destroyed in the Pokémon's landing.
"Magmar!"
The fire Pokémon wasted no time, unleashing a Flamethrower that quickly bathed the surprised Dragonite in fire. As Pierre watched however the Dragonite recovered itself, lunged forward and almost casually swept Magmar aside before turning to face his Trainer. Surprised and more than a little scared he took a step back, but paused when the dragon Pokémon reached for a satchel he hadn't noticed and handed him an envelope.
Gingerly taking the envelope, Pierre noted how heavy it was and how hard it felt. Opening it he found a grey tablet with a lone light on its face and a piece of paper with check boxes for "Yes" and "No". Looking the device over he was shocked when the light flashed and the image of a woman appeared, clad in a heavy brown dress with a white high collar and a strange flat-topped hat. What stood out to him though was the blank look on her face, as if she felt nothing at all, and he shivered involuntarily.
"Greetings Trainers, I bare an invitation," the woman said, sounding oddly familiar. "You have been chosen to join a select group of Trainers at a special gathering. It will be hosted by my master, the world's greatest Pokémon Trainer, at his palace on New Island. A chartered ferry will leave from Old Shore Wharf to take you to the island within a weeks' time. Only Trainers who present this invitation will be admitted. If you decide to attend you must reply at once. My master awaits you."
Greatest Pokémon Trainer? he thought, arching an eyebrow. Reaching for the piece of paper he held out his hand to the Dragonite, which handed him a pen. He heard a low growl and turned to see Magmar slowly moving towards them. "You need to rest?"
Magmar shook his head, choosing instead to glare at Dragonite. After Pierre ticked 'Yes' and handed the note back Dragonite turned and took to the sky, kicking dust up as he did. Within seconds he was out of sight and Pierre turned to face a group of shocked researchers.
Bonji shoved his way to the front of the crowd. "Pierre, what was that?" he asked, looking at the remains of the Trainer's tent.
"From the looks of things I'm going traveling," Pierre said. "I'll need to speak to Nurse Joy about sending my Pokémon to Pallet Town..."
As Pierre considered what he'd need and what he could replace Magmar reached over and picked the piece of tent off of his shoulder. He sighed and the Fire-type dropped the scrap of fabric, looking mareepish as he did.
"If I may, perhaps the first thing you should do is salvage your supplies?" Bonji suggested.
Pierre nodded. "Alright. Magmar you start salvaging, I've got calls to make." With he left once again for the communications tent, vaguely aware of his Pokémon's indignant growl. He felt a little bad, but not enough to turn back.
As he entered the tent and sat down he frowned and adjusted the seat. It felt lower than the last time he'd used it, but he was too engrossed in calling Professor Oak for a new Pokédex he ignored it.
(*)
Her boss was reading the report over with a critical eye, the casual posture she was feigning at odds with the tight grip she kept in the mouse. Finally she looked up and the grunt had to stop herself from stepping back.
"What's your name?" her boss asked.
"Jennifer madam."
"Right, I'll be speaking to your team leader. Did you see anyone else of importance?"
Jennifer struggled to find the right words for her boss. "There was a boy with dark skin and an afro," she said. "He received something from a Dragonite that appeared at the camp site."
"I'll check if that relates to any of our other jobs," her boss said, turning back to her computer. "You can leave now."
Jennifer left in a hurry, swearing to herself that she wouldn't ever be alone with the boss again.
(*)
There was nothing around him but an empty, white horizon. As he turned to look for anything else in the area the space around him changed, darkening until he could see nothing at all.
"Who are you?" he heard someone say.
Turning around a lightning bolt struck the area ahead, illuminating an odd, almost humanoid shape.
"My name's Pierre," he answered.
"Will you be coming?" the figure seemed to ask.
Before he could answer he felt his pants leg being tugged and looked down to find Charmander tugging on his pants leg. Looking up again he saw the entrance to Viridian Forest and sighed.
"We really should get more Pokémon soon," he said, striding forward.
(*)
That's all folks. I will now be allowing OC submissions in this story, but like Nen I'll be setting rules and limitations.
The OC may not have a shiny Pokémon.
These kinds of Pokémon will be removed or altered to suit the Trainer: Eevee, Riolu and Pseudo-Legendaries.
Legendaries will not be permitted as team members, as they make no sense.
Long names will be shortened.
Epitaphs will be allowed within reason of accomplishments.
If the OC possesses powers of any kind they will be given a major flaw or weakness that interferes with those powers.