This story was co-developed by Titan127 and beta read by ShonnaRose.
[1-2] Then Behind Me
March 2011 - Six Months Ago
The end of her life, between parted velvet curtains, beckoned from the auditorium's recessed stage. The headmaster of Plateau Senior High School bowed to the crowd and offered his place to a homeroom professor when he descended the platform. She grimaced in her tight kimono but diligently carried out her duties as she announced the names of her students.
The entire third-year student body sat in a sea of chairs before the stage. No two students were adjacent, as to each student's right was a matted space for their partner Pokémon. All students of Plateau were required to train, and learn, and commit themselves to Pokémon alongside their general studies. At sixteen, they were two years from the regular requirement for Pokemon Trainers, but they were all granted certified exceptions by the Pokemon League.
Upon hearing their name, the first student rose and exclaimed "Yes!" to accept their passage to the next life. At the same time, he tapped the button on his Poké Ball and released his Kingler onto the mat in a brilliant flash of red. The clamp of its pincers sounded mechanical.
Another name was called, accompanied by a stand, an affirmation, and a Pokémon—Leavanny. Then another name. And another. The students became statues on their feet, and only when their entire third-year homeroom stood did the stone crack and allow them to fall to their seats. She saw friends from Track Club, rivals from Training Hall, distant acquaintances, polite enemies, and every heart-strung sap that had looked her way and decided she was out of their league. She would leave most, if not all of them, behind.
Kris kept her eyes focused on the stage as the professors cycled and more classes were revealed. Her nails sliced her palm as her fists clenched tighter, and her muscles coiled and wound each second she sat. It was just a simple roll call, a simple acceptance of her diploma. She needed to be dignified and collected, like Mom and Dad.
Finally, when class 3E's call began, the students around her began to stand. They weren't sitting in alphabetical order, so pillars rose at random around her. Finally, the voice of her homeroom professor announced the end of her childhood, and the beginning of her new world.
"Christine Masuta," the professor said.
Kris shot to her feet. The instant release of tension from her muscles nearly launched her airborne. The capsule in her palm clicked open. Her eyes filled with neon, and the heat of her materializing partner burned her skin. Zara, her Charizard, turned her snout to the ceiling and roared.
Kris harmonized with her partner, and sang with all her might, "Yes!"
The auditorium muted. Multiple students, faculty, and attending family members turned to her at her outburst. The only sound remaining was the subtle crackling of the flame on Zara's tail. But Kris refused them the courtesy of embarrassment, and she stood unflinching until the assembly reached a tacit agreement to continue.
The remainder of the roll call blurred in her mind, as her ordeal wasn't yet over. Kris's grades, battle performance, role as the Student Leader of Track Club, and various other accolades meant she was at the top of her class, which naturally also meant one thing.
She had a speech.
And not just any speech. She had the closing speech of the ceremony.
With her head tipped, the words rolled silently off her lips as she practiced for the thousandth time. At this point, she could repeat the transcript in alphabetical order from memory if she so pleased. This was a role three years in the making—the leader of her future.
The students began to sing celebratory hymns and no one noticed as she continued to practice under her breath. She had to be perfect. No slip ups or pauses. Absolutely perfect.
After the songs passed, the speeches began. Kris muttered to herself through the words of the Training Hall Coordinator. She whispered faster through the speeches of the homeroom teachers and the Student Council President. It was only when the penultimate guest speaker rose to the stage that she finally took a breath.
An energy surged through the graduating students as he ascended the platform stairs. His navy ceremonial uniform was concealed by the cloak billowing behind him. A king had appeared to greet his bowing subjects. His name was whispered through the student body. Lance Masuta, Champion of the Indigo Plateau.
Kris, of course, wasn't fazed by his appearance, and merely chuckled to herself at the star-stricken kids surrounding her. No matter the presence he exerted, Lance was one thing above all. He was Dad.
"Students," Dad began, "it is truly my honor to be in attendance today. I will keep this short, as I understand you wish to finish this ceremony and spend this joyous day with friends and family."
His eyes scanned the room, addressing everyone and anyone. Except for her. Strangely, his gaze never once landed on his daughter as he continued to judge the rising Trainers before him.
"You have fought for three years. As a benefactor of this institution, I do stand by the assertion that it was a fight. That you stand bloodied today, having survived combat with the most selective school on the continent, is a testament to the strength of your character. And of your partners," he said. He summoned an Ultra Ball from within his cloak and held it at arm's length in front of him.
Kris could feel the Pokémon in the room roused by his words. Even they understood who this man was. Zara's flame raged with pride and smoke seeped from between her teeth.
Keeping the capsule in front of him, her Dad continued. His gaze continued to tear through the crowd and imbued each student with a tiny percentage of his limitless strength. Yet it still evaded her. "Now, you have accepted the title of commander, leading an army of yourself and your Pokémon. It is you who must choose your engagements, and no two of you will stain the same battlefield. Many of you passed your university entrance exams. Others look to the world of professional battling. Some have done both."
A warmth enveloped Kris, easing her tensed muscles. She looked up and found that the Champion's—Dad's—eyes had finally met her own. And he refused to look away.
"Your war begins now," he said. "With courage, you fight. With honor, you fight. With dreams, you fight. Are you prepared to give your life?"
On that question, he stepped back from the podium. The auditorium was left petrified as he descended and disappeared behind them, hair burning, cape flowing.
How was she to follow him? She mirrored his path to the stage, knowing that they expected her to match, or exceed, a Champion. But for his daughter, it was obviously an easy task. She would take his place one day, and so standing in his shadow for a few short moments was simply an ode to the future.
Kris looked out to the auditorium, finally able to see the greater crowd behind the students. Dad had retreated to the back wall, accompanied by black-garbed security. Next to him, Mom sat in an all-black kimono. She had fought it when Dad proposed it—no doubt feeling strange, as a Sinnohan, to tread ceremonial ground of another culture—but now sat supportive of Kris's performance. She would never miss her daughter's graduation. A phrase escaped her lips, but at this distance, and under the stage lights, Kris couldn't make it out.
She chose to believe it was "I love you".
And so, with no transcript in hand, she faced the student body. The full speech whirled in her mind and ricocheted off the inside of her skull. The only way she could match her Dad was to be perfect. That's all she could ever be. She cleared her lips, straightened her back, took in a breath, and spoke.
Perfect. As usual.
May 2011 - Four Months Ago
It was the final round.
Kris stood on the raised platform, a cage barely protecting the thousands of shadowed spectators from her and her Pokémon. To her right, a giant screen played a live feed of her face as she stared down her opponent. Lightning spiked her hair in every direction as it danced around her. Her body was scorched by the pummeling daylight, and she was drowning in her own sweat, but she wasn't done yet. Not by a long shot!
She swiped her right hand from her chest to her side, holding open the palm towards the floor. The energy of the battle concentrated in the order gesture. "Leo, get to close range!"
Her Heliolisk chirped and bounced. He was a short creature, mostly covered in yellow scales, though orange bands decorated his legs and tail, and his head and extremities were wrapped in black. A similarly black frill, normally folded around his neck, flared to life. The bioelectric cells within respired in overdrive. His body surged with so much energy that sparks overflowed through the gaps in his scaly skin, and he darted towards his opponent.
"Zebstrika, Discharge!" her opponent shouted.
A radial wave of electricity burst from within the Zebstrika's body and raced across the arena floor. Leo narrowly cleared the wave with a short hop. After two uses of Agility earlier in the battle, he was fast enough to create sparking afterimages. They trailed him to the opposite side of the field in less than a second.
Kris's opponent shifted strategies quickly, no doubt realizing she had no way to counter the adept foe. She said, "Use Stomp!"
The equine enemy reared onto its hind legs, its own jagged stripes channeling negative ions. It descended to squash Leo on his approach. However, on his own judgement, he leapt early, corkscrewing through the air towards Zebstrika's head.
"Volt Switch!" Kris ordered.
With a last-second overdrive from its frill, Leo was engulfed by golden lightning. He smashed into the opponent's snout and transferred all his built-up power to the point of collision. The charged action snapped its neck backwards. The reaction, conversely, sent him hurtling back with nearly the same speed he crossed the battlefield.
Kris had his Poké Ball ready and fired the materialization beam to catch his body. The Electric-on-Electric matchup was fruitless for direct confrontation, but she understood its importance as she felt the skyward heat radiating across her skin. Leo had used Sunny Day mere moments ago. Kris quick switched for her partner. In a brilliant light, her Charizard, Zara, entered the battlefield to bask in the artificial sun.
She threw out her hand again. "Flamethrower!"
Though the opposing Trainer tried to call a dodge, the confusion of the attack caught her off guard long enough. A solar-powered spire of flame swallowed the Zebstrika whole. When the wisps cleared, it was forced to its knees, burns painting its hide between its stripes.
Kris's opponent placed a hand on her hip and played with a long cable that trailed from her headphones. She was the Gym Leader of Nimbasa City. But here, at Unova's biggest annual tournament, she was fighting as Elesa. She tried to look bored even while the sweat on her cheeks smeared her foundation.
"I commend you, sweetie. Perhaps I should teach my entire team Pursuit if people keep using my strategy against me," said Elesa.
"Thanks so much! I'm always fired up for an extra challenge, but I can't say I was expecting to face a Gym Leader," Kris replied. Though neither of their speech was audible over the roaring audience, the playback through the jumbotron carried loud and clear.
"I was interested in seeing the new talent. And I can see why you're here."
All around her, she could hear her name. Kris. Kris. Kris. In just a year of being an official Trainer—helped by years of off-the-record practice with her parents and brother prior to getting licensed—she had rocketed to the top. She had worked, and toiled, and trained and trained and trained.
Her gaze turned to the crowd, and to the signs. Some had images of her face, others simply shouted encouragement. But the ones she couldn't look away from said "GO FOR THE WORLD TRIAL", bold and brash. Once she took this PWT Masters Division title, her third national-level competition, she'd have every requirement needed to storm the Grand Axis and claw at the title of World Champion.
She could feel their eyes. Their expectations. Walking the trail of her parent's deep footsteps, she was bound for greatness. If the world was watching, she wouldn't let it down.
"It's about time we finished this, don't you think?" asked the Gym Leader. "Wild Charge!"
Kris couldn't agree more. She wiped the moisture from her head and gave her command. "Prepare Flamethrower!"
Her opponent galloped forward, channeling the power of thunder itself. The Zebstrika grew as it closed in, looming over both Kris and her partner. No matter how close it got, and how its eyes pierced through her, she wouldn't lose her will. Her parents wouldn't. She couldn't.
She threw out her hand. "Fire!"