It was Koga's day to teach a class. Dressed in purple robes, he sat next to an incense candle amongst students in a dark-lit room. The desks sat in a neat pile away from the students. He fed the minds of his students not with textbooks or written lessons, rather with hands-on experience; making their own potions and mastering skills of ninjitsu and pokemon training.
All she did was walk in and challenge him. No one else had quite as much moxie than Delia that day. It was like something clicked inside of her. Nothing would stop her.
She didn't waste the rest of the day training. All she knew was that she wasn't going to be left behind. No one would beat her to excelling out of this school.
Koga didn't even react any differently. Without a change on his face, he ordered the students to leave the classroom and escorted Delia to the indoor battlefield.
"This is where we'll do battle, Delia. I give you one last chance to leave before we fight to the end."
He moved his hand away from her shoulder as the students watched her stand in pause. This would be it, she thought. One more fight and this will all be over.
She turned to the young ninja, confident behind his bowed head and hard jawline.
"Let's do this." That's all she replied. The other students stared in awe as she walked to the other side of the platform.
"I see."
An official referee was called to the match as he reached his platform.
"So this must be your last fight before becoming a trainer?" He small-talked. She nodded, and he smirked.
"I see. So you must have been here a long time, haven't you?"
She took her battle stance as the official stepped between the two trainers, two flags in her hands.
"Welcome, spectators to the match between Delia Arvaniti and Gym Leader Koga. Are both fighters ready?"
"Yes, Ma'am. I, Koga the Gym Leader, am ready," he smirked.
Delia simply nodded.
"Then trainers, select your pokemon!"
Without a moment's notice, Bella anxiously emerged from her pokeball. A second later, Koga's champion cracked out of its metallic shell, hovering onto the stage. She knew it was coming, awful stench and all. A Koffing faced against her Weepinbell.
The official raised her flag.
The fight of her life began.
"Vine whip that sucker!"
A torrent of vines emerged from the massive bell, smashing down on the poison gas Pokemon.
"Smog attack."
Koffing obeyed, sending a cloud of poison smog in Bella's direction, seeping into its skin and poisoning it. Delia winced as her beloved pokemon stumbled to the floor.
"Hit back with a wrap!"
The other trainer chuckled as the bell pokemon tried to grip Koffing, only to grab at smelly air.
"You're one of those three trainers that are always together, right Delia?"
After multiple attempts to wrap Koffing, the poison ebbed away at Bella's strength. Delia kept an ear perked to what Koga was saying.
"I've seen you here for a long time."
Weepinbell stumbled down again. One more attack would do it.
"MEGA DRAIN!"
In a surprise twist, Koffing's energy transferred to Bella, revitalizing the bell Pokemon back to full strength.
"You only know this life. Nothing more."
With a second wind, Bella struck at Koffing with vine whips, finally wrapping it in a vice-like grip.
"Yes! We've got 'em!"
Delia's teary-eyed joy was cut short almost immediately.
"You'll never be ready for out there."
Without an instruction, Koffing's mouth began to glow.
"Without them, you're just like who you were before, the worst trainer in the Academy."
A fire blasted out of Koffing's mouth, striking Bella square in the face. It flopped backward, succumbing to the fire burning its body.
"Weepinbell is unable to battle. Koffing wins round one."
She fell to her knees, her red hair falling across her head. The crowd chanted Koga's name and booed her own.
He was absolutely right. She only got in because of her father. Astrea Arvaniti begged Professor Oak to let her in- since she knew all of the Pokemon's names by heart. She got in at seven years old.
It took her six years to accomplish what others did in three. She saw star trainers come and go- some even younger than her. Once the entire academy watched as an alumnus took on Lance, and she was two years younger than her. She could barely watch.
Dozens of trainers passed where she stood. The spectators all had two pokemon for a while now, yet had the time to train themselves to be like Koga, the Master Ninja.
What did she have?
Almost on cue, a bright light emitted from the pokeball in her right hand, followed by an orange flame.
She looked up and through watery eyes saw her next champion. She never noticed how much it had grown since she received it. A small bump grew out of the back of its head, as its skin turned a deep orange. She looked up into its bright blue eyes as it nodded reassuringly.
Let's do this.
She nodded in return. Charmander reached her waist as it marched forwards.
"Charmander has been chosen. Round two, BEGIN!"
"Scratch that Koffing."
It happily obliged, knocking out the Koffing with one hit.
A Muk oozed out from its pokeball. Round three had begun.
"Minimize!"
The blob shrunk in appearance.
"Ember!"
A blast of coals shot out of Charmander's mouth, only to hit solid ground.
"Disable."
A bright light hits Charmander between the eyes.
"We'll send one back! Leer!"
To both their dismay, Charmander could use that attack.
"I can see that you're ashamed of what has happened, but you're more afraid of what comes next."
A massive sludge emitted from Muk's mouth, missing Charmander by inches. Being close enough to Muk, it successfully landed a scratch on its face.
"You'd rather lose than leave everything behind, everything you've built. Your friends would stay. You wouldn't need to move any further."
Unfortunately, it got too close and got hit square in the face with a poison gas attack. It reeled back as poison seeped into its skin as well.
"Admit it," Koga sneered, as Charmander stumbled backward.
"You're too scared to leave."
That did it. She felt a fire burn inside her. I'm scared of nothing. She looked at her lizard, headstrong and resilient. She'll be like her pokemon. If they don't give up, why should she?
"But, you're wrong! Ember! Let's do this!"
Muk reeled back from a barrage of embers, retaliating with a sludge. It would've hit Charmander, had it not moved out of the way.
Claws protruded out of it paws as it scratched Muk again. The purple blob minimized again, as Koga watched helplessly. Another ember attack blasted through Muk, as minimizing didn't work anymore.
"Again, buddy!" Delia's eyes burned brightly that day.
Another stream of embers hit, as another sludge missed by a long-shot.
"ONE MORE TIME!"
Delia screamed, her hair flying in all directions, out of her familiar pigtails. Charmander obliged, sending a barrage of embers towards the opponent one more time.
Without any energy left, the sludge pokemon collapsed inward.
"Muk is unable to battle. Charmander wins!
Delia looked towards her pokemon and gave a little salute, one that no one had ever seen before but had been saved for a momentous occasion. She took two fingers and brushed them off the side of her head towards her Charmander.
It happily obliged, returning the salute.
"It's not over yet, Delia! You're going to LOSE today. Here's where your journey stops."
A massive Weezing emerged from its pokeball, roaring as it hovered towards the battlefield.
A calm swept over Delia and her Charmander. The pokemon raced towards her and stood between her and the massive Weezing. One hand blocked Weezing from its trainer.
It turned to its trainer one last time. Charmander saw into Delia's eyes as its own turned white, with an iridescence that could only mean one thing...
Charmander accepted the evolution with a roar. Spectators gasped in awe as the lizard pokemon grew and changed into a spectacle of light and fire. Out of the ashes stood a raptor, with a flame on its tail and glistening fangs. The bump on its head turned into a horn and the roar emitted from its mouth frightened the crowd into silence. Charmander was reborn as a Charmeleon.
Delia felt her breath catch up to her. They were going to do this together.
