A/N: Thanks for all the support!
Again, Kudos to AmaltheaLuchiaAizen for her assistance~! ^-^
STARTER VOTES SO FAR:
(BTW, if you don't vote, it automatically gives each option one vote)
FIRE – 9
WATER – 5
GRASS – 4
THE WINNER IS….
Geckurn!
The new Vote is:
Which Pokémon Type Should Our Heroine Capture Next?
BUG – 0
ROCK – 0
NORMAL - 0
Pokémon: Amethyst
Episode Two: Rumble With A Rival!
(Announcer Voice): Last Time on Pokémon: Amethyst, we met our young Heroine, and her Rival, and left young Amethyst with an important choice to make.
Which Pokémon should she pick as her Starter?
We rejoin her now, as she makes her choice…
Smiling, Amethyst made her choice.
Reaching forward with confidence, the new Trainer picked up Geckurn's Pokéball. With its stoic nature, it would be great in stressful situations, and most likely calming to frightened Pokémon looking for something steady. Tapping the button, she called out her new Pokémon. Geckurn blinked up at her, yellow eyes widening slightly, before it flicked its tongue at her.
"'Kurn," it hissed softly, and carefully, but swiftly, crawled up her body and onto her shoulder, where it settled, a thrumming heat that weighed very little, and decided it was content. Amethyst couldn't help but laugh and reach up to stroke its soft, surprisingly-dry back, disturbing the thin plumes of black smoke rising from its black diamonds.
"You ready for our Journey, Geckurn?" she asked it; the Fire-Type hummed and nodded decisively, closing its eyes as she stroked a finger down its head, silently marveling at just how hot is body temperature was. Must be the Flame Body, she thought, before smiling up at Professor Evergreen when the pink-haired woman clapped her hands.
"Excellent choice!" She declared, nodding, before pulling a strange purple device from her pocket and holding it up so the twelve-year-old could see it. "This is your PokéDex. It has every Pokémon's information and stats recorded on it. If you run into one you don't recognize, aim this at it," here, she pointed at the camera lens on the back, "and it will take a picture of the Pokémon and tell you about it." She proceeded to do so, aiming at Geckurn. The PokéDex made a chiming noise and spoke up as the Professor turned it, showing off the screen, which now had a generic picture of Geckurn on it.
"Geckurn," the PokéDex announced in a robotic, feminine voice, "The Cinder Pokémon. A Solitary Pokémon, Geckurn are never found in groups in the Wild, unless it is very cold or wet. These Pokémon enjoy eating charcoal and can find it with ease. Subject Pokémon Stats: Male, Caught (Trainer: Amethyst Tachibana), Ability: Flame Body, Nickname: N/A, Level: 5, Moves: Scratch, Tail Drop." There was then a soft chiming sound, and four options appeared on screen. Exit, Nickname, Stats, and Release.
"Wow," Amethyst murmured, accepting the PokéDex when it was offered, and quickly clicked Stats, looking at the amount of experience Geckurn would need to Level-Up.
"This will be your Proof of Registry for the League," Professor Evergreen explained. "It's also adaptable, and you can, with the right chips, add things like maps, music, phone numbers, and a day planner." Amethyst grinned.
"Thank you very much!" she chirped; the Professor chuckled, and Amethyst turned her head to peer at Geckurn, who blinked calmly up at her. "What do you think of Apollo for a name, Geckurn?" She asked him, opening the Nickname option; the Fire-Type seemed to think about it for a minute, then hissed and flicked his black tongue, smiling up at the girl and nodding his head. "Awesome," she declared, and registered the name, before exiting the offered screen and slipping the PokéDex into her pocket, smiling up at Professor Evergreen and her Head Assistant.
"Yeah, yeah, okay already!" Amber called out impatiently, and Amethyst turned narrow eyes on her rival, feeling Apollo heat up steadily as he hissed at the girl from his shoulder. The orangette smirked and held up a Pokéball, turquoise eyes gleaming challengingly. "You owe me a battle!" Amethyst's mouth tightened as Apollo heated up even more, becoming painfully hot against her shoulder.
"Not here you won't," Professor Evergreen declared sharply, light brown eyes hard. "There's a Gym Arena a few rooms down. It's set up so Trainers can safely Battle with their new Pokémon. Follow me," she ordered, with a small, disapproving frown, while Daisy shook her head and quickly followed her wife. Amethyst and Amber followed, glaring at one another even as the purple-haired Trainer had to pick Apollo u to prevent him from accidentally burning her shoulder, wincing slightly as the Geckurn hissed from her hands, the smoke from his back darkening as he glared at Amber.
"Here we are," Daisy announced as the four of them entered a large room. The floor was stone, with clearly painted red and blue lines and the image of a Pokéball in the very center.
"Girls, pick a side, red or blue," the Professor ordered; Amethyst moved to blue while Amber moved to red, and the two stood, glaring at each other from a good thirty feet away. Apollo didn't hesitate, leaping from the purple-haired girls hands and skittering forward to stand in front of the red line she stood behind, hissing at Amber and opening his mouth widely, exposing the black inside.
"Go, Bubbleat!" the taller girl cried, throwing her Pokéball. I a flash of red light, the Water-Type sheep-Pokémon appeared, exactly like the one Amethyst had almost chosen, but this one had sea foam-green eyes.
"Bubbleat!" it cried, and got in an aggressive stance.
"Ready to do this, Apollo?" Amethyst asked her Geckurn.
"'Kurn!" he agreed, and hissed at his opponent. Professor Evergreen stepped in between the two, raising a blue and red flag in both hands.
"The following battle is between Amethyst Tachibana and Amber Anzu!" she called. "This is a single Pokémon Battle, between each Trainer. The winner will receive fifty Pokédollars from the loser, and earn a Winning Point in the Trainer Stats! Are the Trainers ready?"
"To win? Of course," Amber replied; Amethyst glared.
"Oh, wow!" She mocked, "Thanks for acknowledging my win, Amber! You shouldn't have!" Sparks flew as the two glared darkly at one another, their Pokémon copying them.
"Then, let the Battle begin!" The Professor declared, swinging the two flags down, and Amethyst reacted, throwing an arm out.
"Apollo, use Scratch!" She cried; the gecko-Pokémon hissed and darted forward, surprisingly swift despite (or maybe because of) his small size.
"Bubbleat, knock that lizard out with Tackle!" Amber cried; the sheep-Pokémon bleated and ran right at Apollo. The two met in the middle, with the Geckurn leaping up and latching onto the Water-Types face, scratching its muzzle sharply, making Bubbleat cry out and stumble, shaking its head furiously, and sending the smaller Pokémon flying.
"Tackle it, quickly!" Amber cried, and her Pokémon obeyed, smashing its head into the smaller Pokémon roughly and sending it flying.
"Apollo!" Amethyst cried; the Geckurn staggered upright, scrapped up and bruised, but hissing. "Geckurn, use Tail Drop, then Scratch again!" She cried; the Pokémon hissed and, with a sharp move, whipped its tail forward…
And Amethyst could only stare, wide-eyed, as her Pokémon's tail detached and flew forward to smack Bubbleat in the face, before it landed on the ground, writhing about like a snake.
"W-what the heck?!" Amber choked out, both her and her Pokémon looking horrified as they stared at the writhing tail.
"Much like non-Pokémon geckos, Geckurn is able to lose and regenerate it's tail in order to distract its enemies, giving it a chance to flee or attack," Daisy called and, just as she finished, Apollo lunged from Bubbleats side, where he had skittered after using Tail Drop.
"Bubbleat!" Bubbleat cried as Apollo viciously scratched it's face.
"Again!" Amethyst cried as the Geckurn leapt away while Bubbleat shook its head, distressed. Obediently, the Cinder Pokémon lunged forward and scratched the Water-Type. With a weak bleat of it's name, the Water-Type staggered and collapsed, eyes rolling up in its head as it fell unconscious. Professor Evergreen immediately lifted the blue flag and waved it.
"Bubbleat is unable to battle," she declared. "The Winner is Amethyst and her Geckurn, Apollo!"
"We did it?" Amethyst asked, startled, before grinning. " We did it!" She cheered, jumping in the air, before kneeling down as Apollo skittered back to her, looking smug even though he didn't have a tail. "Good job, Apollo!" She told him, petting his almost too-hot head.
"Geckurn," the Pokémon replied, pleased despite his mildly battered body.
"You deserve a good rest," Amethyst said agreeingly, and gently recalled him, smiling down at the Pokéball.
"Whatever,' Amber scoffed, recalling her own Pokémon with a scowl, before tossing her hair over one shoulder. "Here's the fifty Pokédollars, Amethyst," she said, holding out the relatively small bundle. "I guess you do need it more than I do. Anyways, I'm going to go home and get my Mom to heal my Pokémon, and make sure my brother doesn't give you that map. Bye, loser!" She called mockingly, and stalked from the room.
"Ooh, that girl!" Amethyst growled, glaring after the orangette and clenching her fist around the money, eye twitching, while Daisy sighed and shook her head.
"I just don't know where my sister went wrong with that girl," she muttered, before smiling at Amethyst. "Here, why don't you let us heal Apollo for you, and you go and see if you can get Lapis to give you a map chip anyways, okay?" Amethyst sent the clumsy Head Assistant a relieved smile.
"Thanks, Daisy," she replied, handing over Apollo's Pokéball, before running out the door and down the hall, making Professor Evergreen shake her head in amusement. Amethyst ran as fast as she could (which, admittedly, wasn't that fast) back to the main part of Shore Town. Amber and her brother were actually her next-door neighbors, so she knew the way pretty well and, unlike his sister, Lapis was actually pretty cool, and was a year younger than Amethyst (while Amber was actually a year older).
Gasping for breath as she finally got to the pale-blue two-story, Amethyst had to throw herself abruptly to the side a Amber, once again, almost ran her over.
"Good luck getting a map when I have all the Chips!" her Rival called back, laughing as she pedaled away, and Amethyst growled, eye twitching in irritation.
"Ugh, that girl," she growled, and tiredly stomped to the door anyways. No point in missing a chance to say goodbye to Lapis since she was there. Knocking, she waited until she heard a muffled 'come in!' from inside.
"Hello?" She called after opening he door, and smiled tiredly at the Pokémon who slunk around the corner to come and greet her. It was a large, lean fox, white with bright red bands all along its body, and pale orange eyes. "Hello, Stripex," she greeted, patting the Normal-Types soft, thick fur.
"'Pex," he crooned back, eyes narrowing in pleasure, before he pulled away and turned, thick, fluffy tail flicking at her in a 'follow me' gesture, which Amethyst obeyed. Stripex led the way to the kitchen, where Amber's mother, Shasta Anzu, was cooking up a lunch for Lapis to take to school with him.
"Hello, Amethyst!" The cheerful, orange-haired woman greeted, green eyes warm. Immediately, Lapis, who was sitting at the table looking grumpy, perked up, blue hair still mussed from sleep.
"Amethyst!" He cried happily, jade-green eyes bright, and Amethyst waved while Stripex left her to sit next to his Trainer while she cooked, looking for treats.
"Hey, Lapis, how are you?" the purple-haired girl asked, sitting down.
"I'm okay," he replied, and carefully backed out from under the table, his wheelchair clipping the table leg as he made his way around it, making him wince a little at the loud noise and send a sheepish look towards his mother, who just rolled her eyes fondly. The eleven-year-old had broken both of his legs the month before, falling from the roof while cleaning the gutters for his mother, and had been wheelchair-bound since, but tat hadn't stopped him from getting into mischief with Stripex's help, of course.
"I'm happy that Amber's going to be gone for a while, honestly," he muttered, shaking his head, before a mischievous smile lit his face. "Here, she missed this, and I knew you'd come looking, since I have the best collection," he told her, and handed her a small, green chip. It was a map, and Amethyst sighed in relief even as she carefully pulled out her PokéDex and inserted the Map Chip into one of the many slots along the sides. The PokéDex beeped, and a map appeared on the screen. Exiting it, Amethyst put it away, and ruffled Lapis's hair with a grin while the eleven-year-old complained and half-heartedly tried to fix his messy hair.
"Enough of that, you two," Shasta called, setting a plate of food in front of her son and handing Amethyst a blueberry muffin with a fond smile. "That's for the road, Amethyst-dear," she told the girl kindly, before nodding towards the door. "You best hurry back to the lab. You've got a Journey to start, don't you?" With a smile, Amethyst said her goodbyes and left, walking back towards the Lab.
"Champiroo!" Came a call behind her as she neared the Lab once more, and, blinking, Amethyst turned and found herself facing her Dad's Pokémon.
"What is it, Champiroo?" She asked, worried; the Fighting-Type Pokémon hoped to a stop before her and, with a sigh, rifled around in his pouch, before pulling out a box with a bow on it, rolling his eyes and handing it to her.
"'Roo, Champiroo, champi'," it told her with a sigh, patting her on the head with one of its boxing-mitts before turning and hopping away, back towards town. Shaking her head, bemused, Amethyst opened the box, finding a note from her Dad resting on top of a pair a purple running shoes.
"Sweetheart," the note read, "I realized after you had left that, while you had your trust boots, you didn't have any running shoes, which are very important on a Journey, o, here you go! Your very own pair of Running Shoes! Have fun and be safe. Love, Your Dad." Amethyst shook her head with a fond smile even as she slipped the new shoes into her backpack for later, carefully folding the note and tucking it into her wallet with a tender smile. Shaking her head and putting her wallet away, the twelve-year-old threw the empty shoebox in the trash and continued on to the Lab, where she fond Daisy and the Professor waiting for her, smiling sheepishly.
"Apollo is all healed up and ready to go, Amethyst!" Daisy announced, handing her the Pokéball, which she received with a happy smile, shrinking it and placing it in one of the six, similar-sized notches on her belt, made just for this reason. "Ah, before you go…" Daisy started, looking sheepish, while Professor Evergreen smiled down at the new Trainer.
"Would you be able to do us a big favor, Amethyst?" She asked; Amethyst hesitated, eying the two women curiously. "You see, I have a package that just arrived in Snake Town, which is abut a two hours walk from here, but a new batch of Pokémon just hatched and we can't leave them very long this early in the developmental stage or else they start getting people-shy…" Amethyst nodded in realization.
"Sure, it's no problem," She reassured the Professor, who sighed with relief even as Daisy clapped her hands together gratefully.
"Wonderful, I'll all ahead and let Charles know you're coming," Professor Evergreen announced. "It'll be waiting at the Hiss Inn, okay? Thank you very much, Amethyst, and I'll be sure to have a reward for you when you get back!" She declared, turning and quickly returning to the lab before Amethyst could protest. Daisy just shook her head and quickly followed her wife with a fond smile, tripping over the doorframe and disappearing inside with a thump and a muffled 'For crying out loud!'.
"Erm…" Amethyst sweat-dropped and shook her head with a sigh, before pulling out her PokéDex and tapping the Maps App, checking for directions to Snake Town. Guess I better get started, she thought, and tugged her backpack into a more comfortable place. Taking a deep breath, she started out, ready to get this last chore done so she could finally start on her adventure!
(Announcer Voice): What new friends will Amethyst meet on her next adventure? Will she get to Snake Town safely? And just what is the Professors mysterious package? Stay tuned for next time on Pokémon: Amethyst!
A/N: Ta-da! What do you guys think? And you can find the next voting topic at the top of the chapter!
Oh, and, if you ask about other fics on this fic, you are going to be ignored, thank you for stopping by.
Vocab/PokéDex Entry
Amethyst – Age: 12 Gender: Female Hair: Purple Eyes: Orange Height/Weight: 5 feet/150 lbs Ambition: To become the League Champion and use the prize money to start up a Pokémon Shelter for Abused, Abandoned, or Rehabilitation-needing Pokémon, and pay for schooling in Nurse Joy Classes at a local university. History: After her mother died two years previously, her Dad spiraled into a nasty depression that almost lead to him being arrested after a bar fight. They had soon moved to the Hoseki Region, where they were introduced to the strange wonders of the new and unique Pokémon that lived there, and her father got a job on a mussel-collecting boat. Pokémon: Geckurn/Apollo (Starter), ?
Amber – Age: 13 Gender: Female Hair: Orange Eyes: Turquoise Height/Weight: 5 Feet, 4 Inches/110 lbs Ambition: Wants to become League Champion and use the title and prize money to start up her own Pokémon fashion line. History: Middle child of the Anzu Family, she looks up to her Fashonista sister, Citrine, who owned her own Pokémon Themed Fashion Line. Determined to outshine her famous sister, ad her generally athletic (if reckless) brother, Amber immediately formed an aggressive rivalry with Amethyst when the other girl moved in, and is now determined to leave the other girl in the dust. Pokémon: Bubbleat (Starter), ?
Lapis – Age: 11 Gender: Male Hair: Blue Eyes: Green Height/Weight: 5 feet/100 lbs Ambition: To become a famous Pokémon Racer. History: Youngest child and only boy in eh Anzu household, Lapis is athletic but reckless, and has broken more bones than his older sisters and mother combined. His father, a Racing Pokémon Coach named Lazuli, who he gets his looks from, works in Sapphiro City. Lapis wants to train with hi father and become one of the best Water-Type Racers in the Region, if not the World. Pokémon: None
Stripex – The Banded Pokémon. Type: Normal Height/Length: 3 feet/5 feet Weight: 50 lbs Ability: Run Away or Prankster Evolution: N/A PokéDex Entry: Stripex are extremely crafty Pokémon. They are capable of sneaking into locked rooms, and able to figure out combination locks with ease. They are a solitary Pokémon, and often found on the outskirts of big cities, where there is plenty of food for them to steal, and lots of shiny objects for them to hoard away in their dens.