Chapter 3: The First Trial
The rest of the day went well for Sapphire.
Now she'd caught the Pokémon she'd been looking for, she brought all four of them out of their Pokéballs for training. She brought James Pond out to act as a second teacher for the team. An experienced Pokémon would be great in teaching the new ones a few battle tactics while acting like an opponent they had to face. James proved to be a tough match for all of them but they tried their hardest to show their stuff. Kagami especially proved to be surprisingly resilient, taking an Ice Beam from James and still going, though she couldn't handle a second one. Dal was able to give James some cause for concern due to having a type-advantage but as he was only a Magnemite, he didn't quite have the power to make his attacks more powerful and so James was able to take it. To help with making them stronger, Sapphire gave each of them some TMs and TRs to study to try learning new moves. Mysterio was especially eager to learn as he wanted a more diverse set of moves to work with. He spent most of his training studying TRs that contained the moves Shadow Ball, Energy Ball and Dazzling Gleam. He held his spoons out and concentrated hard on mastering the moves but as any Pokémon knew, it would take time to learn and perfect the moves. Kagami learned her new moves very quickly, which Sapphire chalked up to her spending a lot of time in the wild training so she would naturally be a fast learner. Terri was most interested in learning Thunder Fang as she thought it would be a great counter to the Water types that would normally give her trouble. She kept biting at the air numerous times but couldn't get her teeth to summon any electricity. Sapphire assured her that if she kept trying and following the TM, she'd master it.
In the end, it was time to return to the Master Dojo for dinner so Sapphire returned her Pokémon to their balls and cycled back out of Loop Lagoon and to the dojo. Once she arrived back, she very quickly saw that the rest of the students had arrived in the time that had passed since she and Klara had left to do their own thing. There were boys and girls of similar ages to her and to her relief, there were a few black students here too. She'd have felt out of place if she was the only one. She was greeted by two of the students upon entry. One was a white girl with her hair done up in a pair of buns and the other was a black boy with his hair done up in a single bun. They both seemed pleased to meet Sapphire.
"You must be one of the new students." the girl said brightly, "I'm Abigail and this is my friend, Sanjay."
"This is our second term here in the Isle of Armour." Sanjay explained, "If there's anything you need to know, we can help you out."
"That's very kind of you." Sapphire said appreciatively, "I'm Sapphire. I'm not sure if you've seen this year's Pokémon League, but I was a semi-finalist there."
"I thought you looked familiar…" Abigail said thoughtfully, "So if you made it to the semi-finals, what are you doing over here? I doubt this place will be much of a challenge to a strong trainer like you!" she chuckled.
"I'm not here to get stronger. I'm here to seek direction." Sapphire confirmed, "You see, I don't actually want to be the next Champion. Getting to the final to face my sister for the title was just a motivator to get strong. Winning wasn't my endgame. So now I've been through the Gym Challenge and made it to the semi-finals of the Pokémon League, I'm here to put my skills to something new. And maybe Mustard can give me something new to strive towards."
The two students nodded.
"We get ya, mate." Sanjay said sympathetically, "Abigail and I were equally as aimless until we came here. We've tried to become Pokémon trainers but things weren't exactly working out for us until we came here. Once we're done here, we might have a go at taking on the next Pokémon League."
"No hard feelings if we beat your sister." Abigail insisted.
"Oh Ruby won't make it easy for you two." Sapphire declared, "So what kind of Pokémon do you two have?"
Abigail and Sanjay showed her a Pokémon each. Abigail had brought out a Zoroark, a Dark-type Pokémon first discovered in the Unova region and a native to the Isle of Armour. Sapphire recognized it at once thanks to its trademark long red ponytail and black fur. Sanjay had a Poliwrath, another native to the Isle of Armour that Sapphire had seen during her travels earlier today. The Poliwrath looked friendly despite its buff physique, waving politely to Sapphire. The Zoroark didn't share the Poliwrath's welcoming nature. It looked up at Sapphire with a snarl of contempt as if she'd somehow offended it. Sapphire recoiled.
"Oy! No growling at the new student!" Abigail said sharply, "I've told you about that before, Zoroark!"
The vulpine-like Pokémon just turned its head and huffed.
"I'm so sorry about that, Sapphire. He's always acting like this for some reason and I don't know why." Abigail said apologetically, "I've tried training him ever since I caught him last year but he still acts like that. I'm really hoping I can tame him at last as he always makes me worried he'll attack someone for no reason."
"I see." Sapphire said, still shocked at how the Zoroark had reacted upon seeing her, "Not every Pokémon is friendly, as we know…"
The two friends returned to their Pokémon.
"What kind of Pokémon do you have?" Sanjay inquired.
Sapphire informed the duo of the different Pokémon she'd caught in Galar and used throughout the Gym Challenge and in her semi-final battles with Ashley and Emerald. She also told them about the four new ones she'd caught today.
"That's quite a roster!" Sanjay said with a hearty chuckle, "It's easy to see how you got as far as you did with a variety of Pokémon like that!"
"Thank you." Sapphire said graciously, "I love them all so much and am glad to call them my Pokémon. Say, if you don't mind me asking, what do you two think about Klara?" she asked.
She looked over at the pink-haired pop singer. She seemed to be bossing a couple of students around, ordering them about like they were her personal slaves. Abigail and Sanjay frowned.
"We can't stand her." Abigail sighed, "Not only is she vain as all hell, but she's a lazy bitch too. She prefers being doted on than actually putting any effort into her training."
"She only came here because she thought she could get strong without putting in much effort." Sanjay muttered, "Heck, do you know why she chose to be a Poison-type Gym Leader? It's because for her, there was less competition! And yet she gave up after only two days!"
Sapphire snorted.
"I see what you mean by her being lazy. How pathetic do you have to be to give up after only two days of training?" the blue-haired girl scoffed, "For crying out loud, Allister's younger than all of us here and HE'S a Gym Leader that's regularly challenged in the Gym Challenge! If a kid can be a strong Gym Leader, what's her excuse?"
Unfortunately for her, Klara overheard her and she did not like what Sapphire had been saying. She strutted up to her, her face a hideous scowl of contempt for the new girl. Sapphire saw her coming but her face didn't change. Klara didn't scare her and she was going to show it.
"You making fun of me you little brat?" Klara snarled, "I'll wipe that smirk off your face before this term is over and don't you forget it!"
"Yeah right Klara, I beat you using only one Pokémon." Sapphire retorted, "Also, I'm the girl who beat the Champion of Unova in the semi-finals, and I'm also dating her by the way. What achievements can YOU boast about when you're the girl who couldn't even sell more than eight copies of her album?"
"You know about that too?" Abigail laughed, "Ha! Me and Sanjay always love to rile her up with that fact!"
The trio all burst out laughing while Klara just slumped on her knees, turning blue from depression as once again, her most embarrassing failure was used to mock her and bring her down several pegs.
"Uuuugggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…they taunt me! They ALWAYS taunt me!" she moaned.
Klara got up again and stormed off, seeing no point in continuing to argue. They'd only regret laughing at her when she passed the trials and won the secret armour for herself! So they thought she was lazy and pathetic? She'd show THEM what she was truly capable of!
Later on, dinner was served and after everybody had eaten, Mustard gathered everyone in the hall to introduce the new students and the returning students to each other. He also explained the rules of the Master Dojo.
"I strive to make this dojo a fun and safe place for everyone and their Pokémon learning with us." he explained, "So naturally, I have to lay down some ground rules for everyone:
Rule 1: No bullying will be tolerated. In this dojo, we accept everyone for who they are and if I hear of any bullying going on, you'll answer to me.
Rule 2: No cheating in any Pokémon battles. I take cheating VERY seriously so you better think twice before trying that kind of stuff in my dojo.
Rule 3: Nobody is permitted to leave the island without my permission. It would be awful for all of us if any students tried to run away and ended up getting severely lost or injured out on the island. If you wish to leave, let me know right away and I'll arrange for a Flying Taxi to take you home.
In the meantime, I hope you all enjoy your stay here on the island and have a fantastic term. Happy trials, students! And I hope you all learn something valuable while you're here." he concluded with a cheerful smile.
And that was that. The Dojo Master slunk off back to the living room to continue playing a video game he'd been in the middle of before dinner time. The living room contained a pair of sofa, a coffee table with a single vase of flowers in the centre, a flat screen TV with a Nintendo Switch hooked up to it, a bookshelf and Mustard's personal trophy cabinet. Even if his Pokémon battling career had ended on a sour note, Mustard still held some sentimental attachment to his trophies and wanted to keep them on display. There were even some beds for any Pokémon to sleep in if they so choose and there was a computer that Hyde was very rarely seen away from. Sapphire noticed him there now, staring studiously at the screen at something or another. The living room was open to guests but it was the one room where Mustard and his family most often seemed to occupy. After Mustard sat back down to continue playing on his game, Sapphire came into the living room to see what Hyde was doing. On the computer screen, she could see he was looking at what appeared to be blueprints for Pokéball designs. That was interesting. What was he looking at those for? Was he trying to create a new Pokéball? If so, what for? She'd been about to ask the young boy but Mustard glanced up from his game and shook his head. Hyde didn't like to be disturbed and he wasn't a very sociable kid so he suggested it was best that she stayed back for now and let him come to her. Sapphire understood and didn't come any further. She couldn't help but be curious what he was up to.
The next morning came, another hot sunny day as was usually expected from the island. Sapphire had found it hard to sleep as even at night, it still felt ridiculously warm. The heat just seemed to be trapped on this island with no real release from it as if even a cool breeze couldn't get through. Regardless, she had slept as best she could and felt ready enough to tackle the day and what it may bring. The trials began with the first one starting this morning and she couldn't help but be excited and also nervous to see what was coming. After breakfast, Sapphire was given her own personal uniform to wear. All the students in the dojo wore uniforms, which were always kept in good condition by Honey, who washed and ironed them after every turn. Sapphire was given a uniform in her size and she put it on. The uniform consisted of a black t-shirt with yellow writing across the chest, a yellow jacket with the dojo's emblem printed in black on one side, a white sash tipped with blue and red to wear around the waist, white gloves, black shorts with yellow stripes down the side, black and yellow knee pads and white and black trainers with yellow laces. The uniform was available for males and females with the only difference being that female dojo uniforms had smaller shorts. Sapphire wondered what Ashley would think to her in this uniform if she saw it. After getting dressed, she joined the other students in the main hall where they were also dressed in their uniforms. Everyone that is but Klara. Sapphire stood beside Abigail and Sanjay and whispered to them.
"Why's Klara not in her uniform yet?" she asked.
"Dunno. I guess Honey's not handed it out yet." Abigail whispered back.
"Oy master! Where's my uniform?" Klara asked rudely, "You gave everyone else their uniforms but I'm left hung out to dry again! Are you doing this on purpose to irritate me?"
"Why Klara, what on Earth gave you that idea?" Mustard asked, still keeping his composure and smiling mischievously, "Your uniform's right here! It just took longer to dry out than the others."
Honey came up beside him with Klara's uniform in hand. Sapphire narrowed her eyes suspiciously. The way Honey had walked in right on cue with Klara's uniform seemed…rehearsed somehow. What was going on? She didn't buy for one minute Klara's uniform "took longer to dry out". The Dojo Master and Matron were clearly plotting something and Klara was going to be the poor schmuck who was going to fall for it. She smiled dryly. Maybe they were going to teach her a lesson in humility and take her down a peg or two. Honey handed Klara her uniform. The former pop star's face quickly changed to a sweet smile as she took it.
"Thank you, Honey!" she said kindly, "Now I have my uniform, I'm ready to take on the first…"
WHOOSH!
Everyone recoiled and Klara shrieked in amazement as out of nowhere, a pink and yellow flash just shot past. It had moved so fast that Sapphire rubbed her eyes, confused for a minute and questioning if she'd even seen anything at all. The uniform had been swiped out of Klara's hands by the whooshing object. Klara looked around wildly, bewildered that her uniform had been stolen from her in the blink of an eye.
"What on Earth was that?! Where's my uniform gone?!" Klara exclaimed.
Everyone got the answer as they turned to one side and saw that, curiously enough, a trio of Galarian Slowpoke were standing there with dopy grins on their faces. These Slowpoke looked a lot like regular Slowpoke, except they had yellow splotches on the top of their heads and their tails were tipped in yellow too. Slowpoke were usually dopy, lazy Pokémon but these ones seemed more energized by comparison. They were standing up straight and looking ready to leg it any minute. They held Klara's uniform in their mouths. One had the jacket and t-shirt, one had the shorts and the third had the shoes. They looked at the students innocently as if they weren't doing anything wrong.
"Was…was it those Slowpoke that did that?!" Sapphire gasped.
"But that's impossible! Slowpoke are…well, slow!" Abigail exclaimed, "They can't move as fast as that!"
"But THESE ones can!" Mustard crowed, grinning deviously, "Show them boys!"
The Slowpoke obeyed instantly, shooting off at incredible speeds. They'd belted out the door faster than anyone could draw a breath and now they were running outside with Klara's uniform in their mouths. The students were incredulous. They'd never seen anything like it! Who knew Slowpoke could run so fast?
"Impressive, isn't it?" Mustard said, sounding proud of himself, "I personally trained those three myself. They're the fastest Slowpoke that Galar has ever seen, and possibly the world too for that matter! This students, is the first trial of the Isle of Armour: you must chase those Slowpoke down and retrieve Klara's uniform. First person to catch and defeat all the Slowpoke and get the uniform back will pass the trial!"
Sapphire was speechless. THAT was the first trial? Chasing a bunch of Slowpoke to get a uniform back? She'd expected something more challenging and extravagant than that! This sounded more like a child's game than some kind of trial! Then again, the Slowpoke were ridiculously fast so it wouldn't be as easy as one might think it was. Klara didn't want for anyone else. She was already bolting out the door before Mustard could say "GO!".
"I'll pass that trial and get my uniform back!" Klara declared, "Those pesky Slowpoke won't get the best of me! I've trained a Slowpoke myself so I know how to handle them!"
Mustard shrugged.
"Well, I guess there's nothing left to say but go for it." he said casually, "Good luck students. You'll need it with those speedy Slowpoke…"
The students all filed out of the dojo to carry out the trial.
"Well this wasn't what I was expecting!" Sanjay cried as he ran outside.
"I know! Last term, the first trial involved us having to swim after a Poliwag carrying jewels around its tail!" Abigail called back, "Remember how you won that one?"
"Barely!" Sanjay exclaimed, "I'm amazed I didn't drown with how worn out I felt after all that swimming!"
"Wait, so the first trial was different in the previous term?" Sapphire asked, "Do the trials change every new term or something?"
"Only the first one!" Sanjay explained, "The rest pretty much stay the same. Mustard likes to keep us on our toes that way!"
"I'm honestly wishing I could've been swimming after a Poliwag right now…" Sapphire muttered. At least the sea would give her a break from the heat of the day if that had been the trial.
Everyone found themselves in the Soothing Wetlands as they chased down the Slowpoke. The three Psychic/Poison type Pokémon were rushing around with Klara's uniform still in their mouths. Klara had been running after them as fast as she could but she couldn't even manage a fraction of their speed. She may as well have been trying to chase a car with the pitiful effort she was putting up. The Slowpoke rushed around, refusing to slow down for a minute. The other students ran into the wetlands to try catching the Slowpoke. But neither of them could do any better than Klara. Some students were fitter than others and thus could run faster, but not even they could chase them down. Abigail and Sanjay brought out their Zoroark and Poliwrath respectively to try and catch the Slowpoke. Poliwrath jogged happily, clearly keen to get a chance for some exercise while Zoroark got down on all fours and pursued the Slowpoke. He didn't seem particularly happy to be doing this trial. Sapphire stood where she was for a moment. She had never been a great runner. Out of herself and her sisters, she was always the slowest runner as Ruby and Emerald were fitter than her so what chance did she have of catching the Slowpoke? She needed to think for a minute. There had to be an easier way to catch the Slowpoke than running after them? She was interrupted from her thoughts as she saw Klara chasing after the Slowpoke that had the uniform shoes.
"SHOOOOOOOOOES!" the Slowpoke hollered out loud for no real reason.
"Get back here you stupid Pokémon!" Klara yelled angrily, "That's my uniform and I insist you give it baaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeee!"
She stepped in a slippery pile of sludge and fell face first into a muddy puddle with a huge, squelchy splash. A Wooper nearby scuttled away in fright from Klara falling over. Sapphire put her hand over her mouth, trying desperately not to laugh, as much as she wanted to. Klara lifted her head out of the dirty water and groaned.
"Ugh, and I just showered this morning!" she whined, "I'm all mucky! Those Slowpoke will pay for this!"
"Klara! Getting cross like that won't help you catch them!" Sapphire called out, wanting to help her out, "You need to calm down!"
Instead of taking her advice, Klara just grimaced as if the very idea of her needing to calm down was a personal insult.
"I need to…I'M COMPLETELY CALM!" Klara screamed at the top of her lungs, her demented, enraged expression betraying that statement.
Sapphire smiled queasily and held up her hands.
"I-I-If you s-say so." she said feebly.
She quickly walked away and left Klara to wipe the mud off her face and try again to catch the Slowpoke. Sapphire took a moment to think again. What would be the best way to catch the speedy Pokémon and get that uniform back? Running after them wasn't going to do any good. Even Abigail and Sanjay's Pokémon didn't seem able to keep up with them. Sapphire wondered if using the Rotom bike would make things easier but she decided against it. That would be cheating and it wouldn't be fair on the students as they didn't have bikes too. Maybe speed wasn't the answer to catching them. Maybe brainpower was…
Sapphire smiled coolly to herself.
"I know just how to catch them." she mused.
The teen girl brought out all five of her Pokémon and gathered them together to explain her plan. They all listened closely as she told them what they had to do. Obviously the Slowpoke were too fast to catch so they would have to rely on cunning to catch them. James nodded.
"Should work out well for us." he declared, "Let's go, team."
The five Pokémon split up to take their places. Sapphire had decided to set up traps for the Slowpoke and her Pokémon were going to be said traps. The Slowpoke were speedy, but Slowpoke were also very stupid Pokémon so they wouldn't suspect any traps lying in wait for them. They probably moved too fast to even watch out for any. James hid up a tree and turned invisible so nobody would see him. He kept careful watch out for any of the three Slowpoke running around. Terri found a mud puddle and wallowed deeply into it until she was covered completely and nobody could see her anymore. Dal hid up another tree and kept deep behind the leaves so he wouldn't be seen. Kagami had no real place to hide in due to her size but Sapphire had a different plan in mind for her. Mysterio floated to the top of a nearby cliff and watched over the Soothing Wetlands. He would act as lookout and if any Slowpoke were getting near to the others, he'd use his telepathy to alert them and prepare them to spring their surprises. Sapphire stood by and waited for the fun to begin.
"Now to see if this works." Sapphire murmured, "I just hope Mustard didn't train those Slowpoke to be clever as well…"
Up from his spot, Mysterio watched over the wetlands to see where the Slowpoke were. He could see them still running around wildly with the other students trying in vain to catch them. Even Klara was still trying despite constantly falling flat on her face the moment she got close. Mysterio could see that one of the Slowpoke was heading towards Terri's hiding place. He closed his eyes and reached out telepathically to the hiding Sandile.
"There is a Slowpoke heading towards you. Get ready to strike." he said.
Terri nodded. She could see the pink and yellow Pokémon zooming towards her. This was the Slowpoke carrying the dojo jacket and t-shirt. The moment it came within range, Terri lashed out like an actual crocodile jumping up from underwater to snatch an unsuspecting antelope that had come for a drink. Sapphire had told her to use Crunch the moment the Slowpoke got near and she did just that. It was a super-effective hit and the Slowpoke cried out as Terri chomped down on its leg. Sapphire ran over to the two Pokémon and scooped up and jacket and t-shirt as the Slowpoke had dropped it from yelling in pain. Terri used Crunch a second time and that was enough for the Slowpoke to pass out. Mustard did say they had to defeat the Slowpoke as well, not just get the uniform back as they'd only just snatch it back if they didn't. Sapphire smiled happily.
"Great shot Terri!" she complimented, "That poor Slowpoke didn't know what hit it!"
"That was fun!" Terri cried, "It was like my way of surprising people back in the desert!"
"Only instead, we're catching some speedy Slowpoke." Sapphire added, "That's one down. I bet the other two will be caught in no time."
She watched as the other two Slowpoke ran around, unaware that there were traps lying in wait for them too. The second one, which was carrying the dojo shorts, was rushing towards the tree that Dal was hiding in. The Magnemite could see it running with his single eye and he locked onto it so he could take aim and fire. His magnets shifted forward.
"EX-TER-MIN-ATE!" he screeched.
Then he fired a powerful Thunderbolt at the Slowpoke just as it came close to his tree. The Psychic/Poison Pokémon yelped and tried to dodge at the last minute but Dal's attack came in a fraction too quick. The thunderbolt hit the ground and the force of the impact knocked the Slowpoke off its feet. It dropped the shorts and sailed through the air towards Kagami. Kagami grabbed the Slowpoke with her three-clawed hands and head-butted it viciously with an Iron Head attack. As Kagami dealt with the Slowpoke, Sapphire ran over and scooped up the shorts the Slowpoke had dropped. It was amazing that so far, the dopy Pokémon hadn't gotten any of the uniform dirty despite running through muddy wetlands over and over. She looked over to see Kagami had knocked out the other Slowpoke by using Outrage to finish it off. Dal floated over to her.
"THE-PLAN-WAS-SUC-CESS-FUL! WE-ARE-SURPEME!" he cried in triumph.
"Yes, Sapphire's plan is working out brilliantly." Kagami agreed, "Now there's just one more left and I feel James has it covered."
"It's not like they'll see him given he can turn invisible." Sapphire concurred, "Now I got the jacket, t-shirt and shorts back. What's left to get from the uniform?"
"SHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOES!" cried a dim voice from further up the wetlands.
"Huh, that answers my question." Sapphire chuckled, "Just the shoes left. James will get them and I hope Klara will be at least a little grateful for my efforts."
She watched as the third Slowpoke sprinted merrily up ahead, still keeping well ahead from Abigail's Zoroark and Sanjay's Poliwrath. It was heading towards James's tree. James watched with his keen eyes, smiling to himself. He could see it but it couldn't see him, making this the perfect trap! He slid down from the tree, still invisible, and the moment the Slowpoke came close, he launched a powerful Dark Pulse attack at it, just as Sapphire had commanded. Due to being the most powerful Pokémon out of the team, he was able to knock it out in a single hit. The Slowpoke fell over backwards and dropped the shoes. Zoroark and Poliwrath recoiled in surprise for to them, it looked as if it had come out of nowhere until James revealed himself. He folded his arms and smiled coolly at his success.
"Trust me to leave my enemies completely in the dark." he sneered.
Sapphire ran over to James and scooped up the shoes. Abigail and Sanjay caught up to their Pokémon, panting and gasping from exhaustion. They stared incredulously as Sapphire gathered the uniform all together and smiled brightly.
"Hey guys! I guess this means I win!" she said casually.
"No way…you…got the uniform?!" Sanjay cried, "We've been…running ourselves ragged…and yet you got it?!"
"How did…you do that?!" Abigail puffed, "You…look as if…you barely put in…the effort!"
"Well I did put in the effort." Sapphire said with a shrug, "It's just I focused more on catching them by surprise then trying to catch them. This was a trial of intelligence, not speed and as you can see, I won because of it!"
"You sure did! Well done!" Abigail praised, "Master Mustard will be impressed."
Klara approached the trio of friends, covered from head to toe in mud. She was panting heavily and her face was a mask of humiliation and shame. It only got worse when she saw that somehow, the new kid was standing there with her uniform in hands while she, the colourful, caring, charismatic Klara was standing there empty-handed. How did some newbie one-up her in this trial?! Sapphire smiled sweetly, though to Klara it looked more like a taunting sneer of mockery, as she handed the uniform to her.
"Your uniform, Klara." Sapphire said cheerfully.
Klara didn't say anything. She just took the uniform and trudged off back to the dojo, her feet squelching with every step she took. Sapphire frowned.
"You're welcome by the way!" she snapped in annoyance.
"Let it go, Sapph." Abigail said dismissively, "She's always like that."
"Gotta say, it's really funny seeing her covered in mud." Sanjay said with a broad grin on his face.
"True, though I guess it'll be too much to ask that it's taught her a valuable lesson." Sapphire muttered.
She and the others headed off back to the dojo. With the trial complete, there was no reason to stay any longer. Sapphire returned all her Pokémon as they left. This trial, as unexpected as it had been, had been pretty fun. She was curious on what the next trial would be like and if it'd be any more challenging…
Minutes later, everyone returned to the Master Dojo to let Mustard know what had happened. He and Honey were standing together as everyone returned. Klara didn't stick around as she just wanted to have a nice long shower to clean herself up and get into her uniform. She left her dirty clothes outside her room for Honey to collect and put in the washing machine later on.
"I see you're back students." Mustard said jovially, "So tell me, who was it that got Klara her uniform back?"
"It was Sapphire, master." Abigail explained, "She defeated all three Slowpoke by herself while the rest of us couldn't even catch them!"
"How amazing!" Honey exclaimed, "Tell me dear, how did you do it?"
Sapphire scuffed her feet shyly. She didn't feel comfortable being the centre of attention like this. She coughed.
"It was nothing really…" she mumbled bashfully, "I just got my Pokémon out and had them hide throughout the wetlands so they could ambush the Slowpoke and catch them by surprise."
"I'm amazed I didn't think of that!" exclaimed one of the students.
"Yeah, sounds bloomin' obvious when you think about it." muttered another.
Mustard stroked his beard with interest.
"Setting up traps to catch the Slowpoke instead of chasing them down…very clever of you Sapphire." he complimented, "I remember when Leon tried this trial himself. He was equally as cunning in completing it."
"So Leon did this one too?" Sapphire asked curiously, "And he did it the same way I did?"
"Absolutely." Mustard confirmed, "He had his own Pokémon hide in place and wait for the Slowpoke to strike. It always astounds me how few of my students often think of that tactic."
The other students shifted uncomfortably.
"Nevertheless, congratulations on passing your first trial, Sapphire!" Mustard praised happily, "I feel the next few trials will be a cinch for you with how well you've done at this one. Very well done!"
"Well um…thank you." Sapphire said, blushing.
"I think something like this deserves a little reward, don't you Honey?" Mustard purred.
"I agree, darling." Honey concurred, "Oh my darlings! Why don't you come over here and meet our new student?" she called out.
Sapphire looked in the direction Honey had called to and found herself staring in amazement as a Squirtle and a Bulbasaur ran into the room towards her. These two were part of the Kanto starter trio along with Charmander and were often the first Pokémon trainers from that region were given.
Bulbasaur was a Grass/Poison type Pokémon with a blue, scaly body, red eyes, short stumpy legs and a huge green bulb on its back. They looked vaguely frog like with a bit of dinosaur in them and despite not being as popular as Charmander or Squirtle, many trainers had a soft spot for this species. In fact, they were unanimously considered the best starter to pick when in Kanto as Bulbasaur had a type-advantage over at least three of Kanto's Gyms.
Squirtle was a Water-type Pokémon with a blue scaly body, a red shell and yellow underbelly, a curled up tail and purplish eyes. It resembled a turtle and stood up on two legs. Squirtle were very popular amongst many trainers, almost rivalling Charmander as the most popular Kanto starter. They were also considered the best starter to pick in Kanto alongside Bulbasaur for also having a type-advantage against three out of eight Gyms.
The Bulbasaur and Squirtle gathered by Honey's feet and looked up at Sapphire with cutesy, friendly smiles. Sapphire's eyes lit up with delight.
"Aww, how cute! You have a Bulbasaur and a Squirtle here! They're both adorable!" she squealed happily.
"They are, aren't they?" Honey said with an affectionate smile, "They're a pair of darlings and I've raised them both very well. As a reward for your excellent work in today's trial, I'm offering you a choice of which one you'd like to keep. And that's not all…when these two fully evolve, they'll be able to Gigantamax." she added with a wink.
"Wow! Just like when Leon gave Ruby that Charmander!" Sapphire cried excitedly, "She evolved him into a Charizard that could Gigantamax. Now let's see, which one should I pick…"
She stared at the two Pokémon for a while. It was so hard to choose. How could she possibly pick JUST one when both of them were so cute?! She also really liked both their evolved forms, Venusaur and Blastoise respectively. It would be sweet to have both of them, especially when they could Gigantamax. But Honey was only offering one of them so one it had to be. Sapphire thought about her current roster. She didn't actually have any Grass-types of her own while she at least already had a Water-type with James Pond. Maybe it would be best to pick Bulbasaur to give her that. In the end, she made her decision.
"I'll have you." Sapphire declared, kneeling down and picking up Bulbasaur.
"Thank you, thank you!" the Bulbasaur said graciously, "I'm so glad you picked me! I'll be the bestest Pokémon for you, I promise!"
"Ha, ha! There's no need for that!" Sapphire giggled, "I love all my Pokémon equally and I'll love you just as much as all the others I own! I hope we can be great friends, you and me."
She hugged the Bulbasaur close to her chest, making the others aww at the tender scene. The Squirtle was a little disappointed he didn't get picked but he still smiled and offered his support to Bulbasaur.
"That's great for ya, bud." he said kindly, "You and yer new trainer have fun together!"
"I bet they will, dear." Honey agreed, "Don't worry about Squirtle, Sapphire, I'll raise him up well and train him to be as strong as can be."
"Wait, you'll train him?" Sapphire asked in amazement, "Are you a trainer too?"
"Maaaaaaaaybe…" Honey said slyly with a mischievous grin, "You'll see for yourself when the time is right. I hope you and Bulbasaur got on swimmingly together." the Dojo Matron added, smiling sweetly.
"I think we'll get on just fine." Sapphire insisted, looking down affectionately at her new friend, "And since you'll be joining me, you deserve a name for yourself. Let's see, what would suit you…"
She thought for a moment. As the Bulbasaur was a Grass-type, giving him a plant related name would be the most appropriate. She considered the options for a moment before settling on one.
"What do you think of "Bloom"? Do you like it?" Sapphire asked.
"Sounds fine to me." Bloom said brightly, "It makes me sound like I'm about to blossom into a mighty Venusaur one day! I'll take that name."
"Glad you like it." Sapphire said happily, "Bloom it shall be. I'll take very good care of you while you're on my team."
Bloom nuzzled her chest in appreciation.
"Very good, Sapphire." Mustard said brightly, "I'd say you deserve that Bulbasaur and I'm sure you'll raise him into a fine Pokémon battler. OK students, that's the end of the first trial!" he announced, "You may have some time to yourselves until after lunch. Then we'll have our usual trainer battles to hone your Pokémon skills to finish the day with. Tomorrow, the second trial begins and I assure you, it'll be as much of a challenge as this one was."
The students nodded and headed off to have some free time. Sapphire knew just what she fancied doing until after lunch's activities. She carried Bloom outside with her so that she could find a place for him to begin some training. He had a lot of catching up to do with the others so now would be a good time to begin. She wanted to train her Pokémon was much as possible for tomorrow's trial. Whatever it may be, she wanted to be ready for it…
Pokemon obtained: Bloom the Bulbasaur: Gender: Male. Nature: Mild. Ability: Overgrow (powers up Grass-type moves when its health is low)
And that was the first trial. It was quite a task but Sapphire pulled it off and passed with flying colours! Pity Klara isn't that grateful. :/ So that's one trial down. What will be next for Sapphire? We'll find out in "The Second Trial"...
Trivia: No doubt any Avatar: The Last Airbender fans reading this story recognize Klara's outburst of "I'M COMPLETELY CALM!", one of the show's funniest moments and memetic scenes. I watched it for the first time on Netflix lately and I found a good way to reference that scene. XD
If you're curious about the Slowpoke that keeps yelling "SHOOOOOOOOOOES!", that's a reference to my brother. He created a character called Roland the Dog and his shtick is to run by people, yell "SHOOOOOOOOOOES!" and nick people's shoes. I thought it would be funny to have a Slowpoke do that when running off with Klara's Dojo Uniform shoes. XD
In the actual game, for some reason, Klara doesn't even wear her Dojo Uniform after we get it back for her. She keeps her trademark outfit throughout the DLC. What, did GameFreak want to save money on creating a new character model for Klara in the Dojo Uniform? =P Here of course, that's changed and she'll actually wear the uniform.
Also, as you've probably guessed, Abigail and Sanjay are based on the student NPCS in the game. :)
Oh and if you're curious, I had Sapphire pick Bulbasaur because she hasn't got a Grass-type in her roster and I thought it'd be redundant to let her have a Squirtle when she already has an Inteleon.