Chapter 18 – Battles of Annoyance

A/N: This is a original Pokemon Fan Game, made by Amethyst. if you wish to check it out and play the game download it at Reborn Evolved. search for it on your web browser if you want to get to the website.

Time: 12:00

Location: Opal Ward (Grand Hall)

It was the next morning since Percival's gym battle with Shelly. Though the previous night, was spent having multiple Pokémon battles, helping Lucille learn more strategies, and Percival to help his own team to increase their strength. On Percival's and Lucille's way out, Shelly informed them about the Reborn League's Reserve Leader system. Feeling that they should do something, Percival and Lucille agreed to talk to Ame about what happened just to check if they already knew, and also for Percival's knowledge where the next Gym would be. Though when they arrived, they found Fern already talking to Ame. Before they could decide to leave and not bother with Fern. He noticed them

"Well look, if it isn't the two Reborn Newbs, looking like lost puppies as usual." Fern smile taunting them.

"Do you want me to punch you again?" Lucille the normally docile girl threatened the Green haired Fern.

Fern slightly contemplating about getting punched again, "I was just telling Ame about your little accident with the Beryl Gym Leader."

"I know it's not your fault." Ame reassured Percival and Lucille. "Though it's really unfortunate… I was worried about him for this exact reason…"

"Yeah, yeah." Fern rolled his eyes, as Ame sighed. "Look, tell Aya to be ready by the time I get there, okay?"

"Yeah. I'll call her now." Ame said getting up from the counter. Started to leave before turning to Percival and Lucille. "oh, Oh Percival, Lucille! Bye, Percival, Lucille!"

"Good to see you Ame." Lucille called out as she left.

"Hope things go well." Percival also responded, as well.

"Hmm…" Fern looked at Percival and Lucille in confusion. "You don't seem to be that confused… Well, less confused then normal. Shouldn't you be asking about the back leaders?"

"We were already informed about them, by the Lapis Leader Shelly." Percival responded in contempt to Fern.

"Oh… that little brat." Fern rolled his eyes at hearing that. "I'm assuming you got her badge, talk about taking candy from a child, right?"

"Only someone like you would think that." Percival responded, annoyed at Fern's constant need to insult others. "I found her battle style very intriguing. Nice use of the forest for taking on her targets. Not to mention about her using the rain to wipe her Fire type weakness."

"Ugh…" Fern groaned at Percival's analysis of Shelly's fighting style. "any event. So, you know Every Reborn League has a back-up. Like I'm the back-up for the Flobot. When she retires, I'll take over. Just like that Demon, Nero, He was supposed to be the Reserve for The Dark Gym."

"Wait? Didn't Florina say he was a Leader in Training?" Lucille questioned when she heard that.

"Same difference." Fern waved his hand. "It's also the same for the Poison guy he retired, well in a sense, yanno, so now we're letting the back-up, Aya, know she's up."
"Wonder what she's like?" Lucille asked in curiosity.

"heh." Fern Laughed. "Turns out she's some chick who live in the wasteland southeast of the city… Heh, but you won't be able to get out that way unless you have the key."

"Let me guess, you have the key, and you won't tell me where you got it." Percival looked Fern in the eyes calling him on it.

"… You know just how to ruin the fun of things don't you, Whitehall." Fern responded with a blank angry stare. "… You know what, fine. Fight me, Whitehall. If you win, I'll tell you."

"Oh, so you want me to sweep through your team with Vee again?" Percival smiled.

"Huh?" Lucille asked questioningly as she wasn't there for that battle.

"Like hell that's going to happen!" Fern responded with anger. Tossing out a Rhyhorn.

"You say that, yet Rhyhorn is four times weak to both grass and water." Percival responds sending his Leafeon to the field.

"Tch… Rhyhorn return!" Fern backs off with his Rhyhorn and switches in his Dartrix. To the field. Though as expectant of a hit there would be, Fern's Dartrix was not damaged. Fern was surprised to see swords fading around Percival's Leafeon Vee. "What?"

"heh, Vee aerial Ace." Percival smiled, with Vee charging in. With the one strike, Fern's Dartrix was one shot by Percival's Vee.

"Fu…Gr…" Fern started to see red at this. Then throwing out his Roserade next. "Hidden powe-!"

Fern barely was able to get out the whole name of the mover before Vee, connected with another Aerial Ace, knocking it out as well. Percival picked up a half smile. "Fern is this the best you, got?"

"Gr…" Fern started to growl more. Sending back out his Rhyhorn.

"Razor Leaf." Percival simply stated. Vee followed shooting a wave of at the Rhyhorn taking it out in one hit as well.

"You're really starting to grate on my nerves, and you don't wanna do that." Fern growled. Threatening Percival. Sending out his last Pokémon, Krokorok.

"You've been grating mine since the day we met." Percival called back. "Vee."
The Krokorok didn't even last a second as it got hit with another wave of Razor-Sharp Leaves. Fern glares at Percival, and quietly says. "…Noob."

"What was that?" Percival asked in curiosity, somewhat gloating over his victory over Fern.

"Percy." Lucille interjected. Snapping Percival back to reality.

"Oh… Right." Percival shook his head.

"…" Lucille looked a Percival worried, but turned her attention to Fern. "Fern, Percy won. Could you please tell us about the key?"

"Talk about a cheap way to win… Whatever, man." Fern shakes his head pissed. "You wanna know about the key? Fine, I don't care. So, the new Poison Gym Leader's a girl who lives out in the wasteland, yeah? Well I got the key from her brother. He's a real fruity lookin' guy. Decked out in purple, fishnet, looks more like a girl. Kind of like Whitehall."

"hey!" Percival called out at the insult.

Fern Ignored him. "Totally freaky. He wouldn't stop singing, either…"

Percival and Lucille then looked at each other, with Lucille asking first. "Cain?"

"Cain." Percival affirmed what Lucille said

"What, you know him?" Fern looked at curiosity, with Percival and Lucille nodding yes. "Hah. I should've expected… you WOULD."

"Just say where he is." Percival sighed already at his limit of dealing with Fern

"He said he was going up to the Beryl Cemetery for something or other. If you want a key, go ask him." Fern said, with his business finished Fern started to walk away. "Later, Losers."

"Tch… that guy." Percival spat out once Fern got out of Earshot.

"Percy." Lucille looked at Percival with curiosity.

"Yes?" Percival asked trying to play it off as nothing.

"What was with that." Lucille looked into his eyes. "That wasn't like you… at least how you usually are…"

"… It's nothing…" Percival smiled, again as if nothing was wrong. "Fern just… gets under my skin. He and I are like fire and ice."

"…" Lucille looks at Percival warily, reluctantly agreeing. "Okay… but, I think you should try to be better friends with him."

"…" Percival thought hesitantly… "…fine, I'll try."

"Good." Lucille smiled brightly at Percival, and the two of them started their way to Beryl Ward.

Time: 15:00

Location: Beryl Ward (Cemetery)

"hah… we were here just not too long ago… yet if feels like years." Percival said, with some level of dread in his voice.

"…Yeah." Lucille also grimaced, though for more than one.

Percival picked up on this, and noticed that Lucille was looking around warily. "What's wrong… I know the last time we came here, there was some… complications… But you seem spooked here."

"Oh… Right." Lucille perked up. "I guess, I never really told you what happened to me after you went to challenge Corey."

"Right, all I know is you getting a Gothita." Percival nodded. "Did… something bad happen?"

"You could say that?" Lucille responded questioningly. Even now, she still couldn't tell whether meeting with the Absol was good or bad. "I met an Absol."

"An… Absol?" Percival had gotten chills remembering what Victoria talked to him about.

"Yeah… Though it was weird…" Lucille looked to the ground. "Without i-… her help I probably wouldn't have known about what was going to happen…"

"What do you mean?" Percival questioned.

"I saw a vision." Lucille admitted. "I didn't know who it was about at the time, but it was Corey. He was standing at the edge of Beryl Bridge… just before he jumped."

"Oh…" Percival, didn't know what to say… he didn't understand much about it.

"Yeah… but that's not all." Lucille then remembered where they were in the Grave Yard, and thought she should show Percival what she saw. "I also-."

"Heyyy, if it isn't Lucille and Percival!" Cain who was right around the corner called out to them.

"Cain. Good to see you." Percival smiled putting out his hand to shake.

"hey, Cain." Lucille smiled as well.

"Didn't expect to see you up here," Cain said with a sly smile. "Came up her for some 'privacy'. Ah, to be young and in love."

"What- that's not!" Lucille blushed immediately at the thought and started to ramble nonsense.

"Oh, come now," Percival also picked up a sly smile. "Lucy is too pure for those things, Cain. I think it would be me and you."

"Oh, stop~" Cain laughed, bashfully knocking Percy away. Then getting a little more serious. "Actually, there are some weird grave's around here. Ya know."

"Really?" Percival asked, in curiosity.

"…" Lucille stayed quiet, probably guessing what Cain was guessing.

"Yeah, look over hear. Two graves, I based on their names and ages, I think it's a Father and Daughter." Cain led them to where the graves stood. Lucille grimaced once more, with another odd feeling staring at the graves. Percival analyzed, and was surprised to read the names as well. "Poor, girl she would be about our ages now. Though the oddest thing she shares the same name as you, Lucy."

"…" Lucille nodded, with a frown.

Percival however, stared at with a mix of anger and sadness. "(Damn bastard didn't lie then.)"

"Um… So, Cain!" Lucille changed the Subject. "What brings you up here."

"I came up here, because I heard about what happened with the old Poison Leader. I mean, I know there's nothing anyone can do for him, but I heard he left a daughter too." Cain sighed… "Rather, that she ran away. I want to find her. That's a big thing, not having anyone take care of you when you're so young."

"Right." Whether it was because she was in front of the two graves, or just being in Beryl she remembered night in captivity. But she thought about Nero, and what he told her about his life.

"… running away would have been better, than being raised like that. I should know…" Percival said trying to be quiet, but it was heard by Cain.

"… So, Percy, what brings you here?" Cain, tried to be polite and ignore what Percival said. "If you were serious about before, you don't have to stalk me to do it."

"heh, no. I was hoping to get into the Wasteland." Percival smiled back at Cain.

"You want the key to the wasteland, too?" Cain seemed to look down hearing that. "Yeah… I shoulda thought as much, haha."

"You okay?" Lucille asked worried, as this wasn't natural behavior for Cain.

"Yeah… I'm just not really a fan of people going out there." Cain sighed. "Might run into my family and, you know…"

"Know what? We barely know much about your past." Percival said, before saying… "albeit, you don't know much about either of ours, either…"

"Well they're pretty much all grrr all the time." Cain… teased? But was also serious. But then "Whatever, I don't really want to be the reason you can't complete the gym Challenge. But tell you what. Beat me and I'll give you the key~ kaykay?"

"Sure." Percival smiled in Return, feeling that a battle was just what they needed.

"Um… could we maybe do this some place else…" Lucille indicated to the gravestones they were near.

"Right, it wouldn't be well to bother the dead." Percival understood. "What say you Cain?"

"It's fine, I mean you're not gonna leave till you get the key." Cain shrugged, understanding what was meant.