Yes, very sad that Grey doesn't get a badass partner. Then again, the story is still being written. Let us see how it goes.
Chapter 2: Bribery Works
Grey ran between the EIs, trying in vain to find a pokemon. Every time she entered one, any pokemon in view would seem to vanish. They seemed scared of a five foot three teenage girl, and would scurry away as soon as she approached. She felt slightly guilty as she halfheartedly waved at the Pidgeys, Rattatas, Bidoofs, and other common pokemon that could easily be found in the wild. They didn't really seem to mind though, as they usually would be chosen by over eager trainers(with shorts) and generally inexperienced people. Except for the Bidoofs, poor useless bastards. To put into perspective, Grey was running in enough circles to give a Spinda run for it's money.
"Having trouble finding a friend?" a voice said from behind her, causing Grey to spin around.
A small boy stood beside her. He had frizzy brown hair with green eyes and was wearing the standard school uniform(something that only the younger kids had to do). An even smaller girl was holding his hand, wearing a white dress that dragged behind her and at the moment had her thumb in her mouth. She was fair skinned, had red eyes that were shadowed by her green bowl hair cut. The strangest thing was the pink horn poking out on top of her head, one side in the front and the other in the back. She looked up at Grey curiously, other hand swinging carelessly.
"Is that a Raltz?" she asked, pointing towards the little girl. The girl in question shied behind her trainer, smiling slightly.
The boy nodded, grinning softly as he glanced at the Raltz. "Yeah, she's my new best friend now. I just went up and asked her. Her name's Mary. Now we're buddies!" his grin became huge now, as if he loved saying the words. Mary's eyes glowed with psychic power and she stared intently at her trainer.
He looked back to Grey. "Mary says you should sit and wait for your friend to find you. You're scaring them away by running around everywhere. My names Pierre by the way!"
Grey looked confused but then figured that Mary was right, she was to energetic for her own good. Not only that, but how was this kid already picking his starter? "How-"
"I'm very smart. I won't be able to travel for a while but they're allowing me to pick my starter now. I'm graduating out of the junior school today." He looked at her happily, as Grey's face became aghast. How did this kid-
"Read your mind? I can't do that. Mary does and she tells me things. What happened to the Snivy wasn't your fault. She could have chose to not go with that girl but was to prideful to go back on her own words. So quit blaming yourself and let your partner find you, okay?" He cocked his head to side, as if listening to something. "Oh, and keep your eyes on the pancakes." With that he left, leaving Grey flabbergasted and even more confused.
"That kid is-is really smart." Mind reading...wow. "I guess I should listen to him." Sitting down, she crossed her legs in front of her. "I'll just wait until they show up!" she said happily and waited with a determined look.
Five minutes later...
"It's been forever since I've been sitting here! Was that kid just messing with me? I'm so bored!" She began to scan her surroundings, watching for any signs of movement. "What was that bit about pancakes?"
She pulled out what was left of her breakfast and found that she still had one and half left. Grey was an enthusiastic eater but really couldn't put away that much food. "Was I supposed to eat them? Or was it something else?" While she pondered this riddle of riddles, a small green horn poked out of the ground. It was straight and rounded at the top.
Grey sighed and placed the pancakes beside her, laying down on her back in frustration. "I don't like waiting, waiting's boring!" she crossed her arms, pouting.
Unknown to her, the green horn slowly passed behind her head. If she hadn't been ranting at the sky she might have noticed the sound. Coming from the other side, a dark blue fin emerged from the dirt. It was curved, like a sharks, and had a small chip in the back of it. Both horns made for the unguarded treats but stopped about five feet away, as if sensing each others presence. They stayed still for a few seconds and then blasted towards each other, keeping away from the pancakes to prevent the prize from being soiled.
While Grey continued to complain her predicament to the heavens, the two horns smashed into each other and seemed to shiver with the impact. Shaking themselves, they backed up and flew forwards again, this time slicing by each other. They continued to do this, neither one wishing to give up the chocolate filled wonders above them. "What was I supposed to do! Something about keeping my eyes on them?" She face palmed as she blurted it out, groaning about her own stupidity. "Well fine! I'll keep my eyes on them and further more-?"
As she reached over to grab them, she was met with the sight of two horns attacking each other. "Uh, are those pokemon or am I just tripping?" they seemed to busy to notice her as they hit head on, both horns struggling for dominance.
As she watched, completely entranced, she began to realize what Pierre meant. They want my pancakes. She slowly pulled out the half pancake, and cleared her throat. "Is this what you guys want? I'm willing to share!"
The horns slowly stopped, turning around to look at her. The blue one took advantage of the distraction to quickly hit the other pokemon underground. The green one answered in kind, hitting harder. As they began again, Grey shouted at them. "Stop fighting or neither of you get some!"
They froze and then turned back towards her, standing at attention. "That's better. Now, how about you both show yourselves and I'll give you a bite." she said, giggling as they eagerly shot forward, stopping right in front of her. "C'mon, I'm not going to bite. Come up here." She dangled the pancake above the ground and both horns disappeared beneath the earth, fast enough that she would have missed had she blinked.
She gasped, her eyes wide, and then they began to water. No. I didn't just scare them away did I? "I'm so stupid-Woah!"
Apparently, the two horns had gone deeper for a quicker departure. The reason for her scream was two small pokemon. One was green, had a single horn atop it's head, a red belly and an odd tail that was made from small rectangles going around in a circle. The second one was dark blue, had a curved horn with a nick in it, also a red belly, two oval shaped horns with stripes that mirrored each other on the main horn. The green one had red eyes, tear shaped holes below them, and a few more diamond shaped holes around it's body. The blue one had black eyes and seemed to be a walking mouth with rather large teeth.
Remembering her classes, Grey quickly identified the two pokemon. "A Larvitar and Gible...those are actually pretty rare!" Noting their hungry expressions, she quickly split the half pancake into quarters and gave each pokemon a piece. "I did say you'd get some if you came up here."
She giggled as the Gible devoured his piece in one bite, then proceeded to look around, as if wondering where his piece went. The Larvitar was far more delicate, and took smaller bites with his considerably smaller mouth. Thinking that the Larvitar must have took his piece, the Gible jumped forward, intent on taking his prize back. The Larvitar, barely looking up, lowered his head and smacked the dragon/ground dual type away with his horn. Before they could begin to squabble, Grey brought out the final pancake. "You guys really need to learn how share more. There's plenty for both of you, don't worry!"
Two sets of eyes locked onto the pancake, following it's movements. The Gible simply opened his large mouth, eyes closed as he waited to be fed. The Larvitar decided to play a joke. Grabbing a handful of the dirt they had stirred up, he quickly deposited into the Gible's waiting mouth. The Larvitar himself could eat dirt but didn't think the Gible would appreciate it as much as he does. Him and Grey were quickly shocked when the little dragon swallowed, burped, and then opened his mouth for more. "Uh, you know that was dirt right?"
The Gible shrugged, not really caring what fell into his gaping jaws. She ripped the pancake in half and gave them equal shares. As they snacked, the Gible having already eaten his half, Grey began to explain the situation. "Alright guys, I think you know what I'm here for."
The Larvitar held up the remaining part of his pancaked and pointed, nodding as he did so. "No I didn't just come here to give you guys pancakes! I came to find a partner."
The Gible didn't seem to care what she came for, but his eyes were obviously curious. The Larvitar seemed to be thinking and then closed his eyes. Glowing up with a soft green(I've decided to make it the light the same color as them. Just seems easier.)light, he grew a couple more feet and then the light faded away, revealing his Gijinka form. He looked like a young child, around the age of 11, and had sage green hair with a one large spike sticking out to the side. His eyes were red and he still had the black triangles under them, but they were now almost makeup instead of holes(that would be weird). He wore a striped red shirt and a green jacket over that. The jacket was only buttoned at the top, leaving the bottom to hang out to his sides. The jacket had a few diamond shaped holes around his waist and had overly long sleeves. He also wore green shorts that fell well past his knees and white shoes. He looked a bit nervous but seemed determined at the same time. "Hi...my names Larvitar." He said quietly, holding his hands behind his back while he absentmindedly kicked a loose stone.
Grey giggled, noticing that he hardly came up to her chest. Oh, all these little guys are so adorable!. But she kept that to herself, not wanting to scare away the poor things. "Nice to meet you Larvitar. I'm assuming you have something to say, since you changed to your gijinka form?" she asked sweetly, trying to keep him comfortable.
He met her eyes but quickly looked down. "Uh huh."
Grey leaned forward. "Well what is it buddy, Purrloin got your tongue?"
The Gible seemed to get where this conversation was heading. Glowing with his own light, dark blue in his case, he quickly changed to his own gijinka form. He was taller than Larvitar and had purple eyes that looked just like the ones he had in his Gible form. His hair was a bluish purple and had a blonde streak going horizontally along the left side. It was fairly short cut and grew quite straight. He was just slightly tan and looked pretty lean. His dark blue hoodie was short sleeved and had a vertical red stripe going down the middle. The hood itself had two dragon eyes on the side of it and had white, cloth teeth lining the rim. He also wore blue cargo shorts along with blue and red sneakers. He also had quite a set of chompers, which was still open as he waited for more food. Since none was forthcoming he closed his mouth and glared at the Larvitar.
"Hey new guy, how about you stop trying to make a move on my trainer." he held his gaze as the Larvitar turned around.
"You interrupted me. That's not very nice and who said that she's going to be your trainer!?" he shouted but his voice was also fairly soft. It carried well though.
"Guys! How about you unlatched from each others throats and we can solve this peacefully." she smiled uncertainly as they both glanced at her, the Gible grinning as he did so.
"Uh, you know that practically every argument in existence can be solved by a battle right?" he asked, tilting his head to the side.
The Larvitar agreed with him. "Yeah. Talking things out really isn't a pokemons strongest suit."
Grey became worried. "Wait just a minute! There isn't any reason to fight I'll just have to pick one of you and then no one gets hurt alright!?" she said quickly, not wanting to watch the little gijinkas hurt each other.
The Larvitar and Gible waited, an awkward silence stretching on. Then they turned back towards each other. "Waited a minute. Battle time!"
The Gible started off with a tackle attack, flying with his shoulder forward. The Larvitar countered with leer, causing the Gible to falter for a second before going forth with his attack. Dodging the slightly slowed down attack, Larvitar jumped to the side and attempted to grab Gible with his right hand. But the dragon gijinka was faster. Turning it's momentum into a skid, he kicked sand into Larvitar's eyes, temporarily blinding him. Turning this attack into his own advantage, Larvitar pulled his arms to his chest. "Sandstorm!" the sand blasted away from him, clearing his eyes and cloaking the two fighters in rolling waves of grit.
Grey quickly moved out of the storm, coughing and rubbing her eyes. "Would it kill you guys to warn a girl?" she asked, shaking her hair to dislodge the sand.
Larvitar waited. He could see in this storm, but he was having trouble locating his opponent. "Not very smart are you?" He gasped as he was knocked forward from a tackle attack. Larvitar swiveled around, fist raised. "That didn't hurt. I'm part rock so normal attacks don't do much. Who's the stupid one now!"
He was attacked again from the side, the Gible disappearing just as soon as he was there. "My ability is sand veil, that means your little sandstorm makes it easier for me to move! I have protective eyelids that let me see through this thing like it isn't even here!" Larvitar was hit again, sent sprawling but was quickly up again.
He's being predictable. If I can guess right, then there's a good chance that I can land a decent hit!" Closing his eyes, Larvitar put both his hands on the ground, relying on vibrations rather than his sight. Let's try, behind me! He spun around but hit nothing and was knocked in the back for his trouble.
"Where you aiming kid? Maybe you should try opening your eyes!" The Gible jumped away, getting ready for another attack. Let's see what he thinks of my Shadow Cut. He could tell that his tackle wasn't doing much to the green gijinka. But maybe his weaker version of a Shadow Claw would do some real damage.
As he ran forward, his right hand fingers having a small amount of black energy encircle him. I'll go for his front, it's just a little weaker than his back, but it might be enough! "Here's my Shadow Cut! I've got you-what!?"
The Larvitar had struck out, smacking Gible's hand to the side and grabbing him by his hoodie. "Bite." He said. His left hand came up, connecting under Gible's jaw and sending him a few feet into the air. Making sure to follow up with this opening, Larvitar jumped through the air and headbutted his open opponent in the stomach. Gible flew into a tree and slid down, fainted.
The sandstorm cleared away, letting Grey see the result. "I would say good battle but I really couldn't see what was going on." she smiled, patting Larvitar on the head.
He looked up at her and blushed, as if embarrassed that he won. "I'm sorry about all the sand. But if I'd missed, then he could have easily been your starter. Then I'd be...I'd be alone again." He looked at the dazed Gible, and poked him with a shoe. "Get up stupid, I have to tell you that you almost won."
The dragon complied, shaking his head in an attempt to clear it. "I hate you." he said, glaring at the little green boy.
Larvitar took a step back, looking somewhat frightened. "W-what? You knew either one of us could have lost so why are you blaming me?"
Gible burped. "That headbutt almost made me barf my pancakes out. I'd never forgive you if that happened. Losing sucks but it was always a possibility. If only I knew more ground moves." he acted like he didn't care, but it was obvious that he was depressed about losing.
Grey put a hand out to help him up. "Sorry. If I was allowed, I'd take both of you with me, but that's not allowed. Come one, I'll walk you back to the school so they can heal you."
Knowing that it was probably the best he'd get, he followed, looking at the ground in disappointment. He'd been here much longer than most of the gijinkas. He was picky and stubborn. These traits made sure he didn't pick a trainer unless he really liked them. Grey was nice; funny, and gave him pancakes. Almost nobody though of bringing food with them. Much less share with him.
When they arrived, a teachers walked up to Grey. "Sorry Miss Grey, but you can't bring two pokemon with you. You're going to have to pick one." He smiled gently, thinking that Grey was simply to childish to decide on her own.
He actually wasn't far off. "I'd really like to, but I've already chosen. Gible just lost his battle so I brought him here so you can heal him up." She glanced down at the gijinka, who stubbornly refused to act sad.
The teacher seemed to recognize the Gible. "How's it going pal? So you finally found someone you like but lost, hmm?"
He nodded stiffly, wiping his face. "No big deal. I'll just have to be more patient I guess. Thanks for asking Principal Chad."
Chad reached out his hand. "Well, come one. Let's get you patched up. Might be able to beg a few plates of food from the cooks. Sound good?" He smiled gently, knowing what it meant for the gijinka to lose his first pick in his whole time of being here. Fifteen years to be exact, though he didn't actually start until he was eight. Didn't help that he only grew more stubborn with age.
The promise of food perked him up but didn't completely restore his spirits. "Sounds just great. I just have to say something first." He turned towards Larvitar and seemed to have trouble getting it out. Finally, he thrust a hand out, eyes closed in irritation.
Larvitar stared at it, uncomprehending. "What're you doing?" he asked, taking a cautionary sniff.
Gible smacked on the nose but kept his arm outstretched. "It's to congratulate you moron! You won and get to get out of here. See the world, get stronger, and hang with your nice trainer. We don't all get this chance so make sure you enjoy it! Now shake it." he gritted his teeth, waiting for Larvitar to shake his hand.
The green gijinka obliged, awkwardly grabbing Gible's wrist and shaking it, causing the dragon's hand to flop around. "Good enough." the land shark pokemon growled, then quickly turned around. Chad placed a comforting had on his shoulder, patting him gently.
Staring up at his new trainer, Larvitar cocked his head in confusion. "Why'd he want me to shake it? It doesn't make any sense."
She shook her head and scratched his. "Don't worry about. I'll show you how to do it right later. For now, let's get to the arena!" As they walked away, she glanced back at Gible's retreating back. I'd accept you if I could kid. Sorry that it has to be this way.
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Waiting in line was not one of Grey's strong suits. While Larvitar looked at the crowd of people in childish wonder, Grey was about ready to scream. "Get on with it already! It was bad enough waiting five minutes, but this is torture!"
Larvitar looked up at her in confusion, and began to check for any objects of torture. "What's wrong? Did you get a splinter or something? What can I do to help?"
Grey looked at him and smiled. I can just tell that he's got a bit more to learn than just more moves. "It's nothing. But maybe you can help distract me. Any idea on what you'd like to be called?"
He scratched his chin. "Well, people call me Larvitar. Is something wrong with it?"
She sighed. Yeah, this is gonna be fun. "Nothing's wrong with it. We just have to give you a nickname that way you're more of an individual."
He nodded. "Alright...how about Pupitar? That way when I evolve I'll have the right name." He though this was a good idea and didn't understand why his trainer was muttering "hopeless" under her breath.
"Well, if you want a name that will fit you even after you've evolved, then how about we name you after a Tyranitar." She began to think but couldn't find any good ones. I'll just ask Larvitar...this should be good. "What would you like to be called when you're a Tyranitar little guy?" she asked sweetly, prepared for the worst.
He thought for a second and seemed to be hit with inspiration. "How about...Ty?" He asked, thinking this was pure genius.
Grey rolled it around in her head. "Well, it certainly isn't the worst name and I guess it's really up to you. Fine, from this day forward you shall be known as Ty!" she proclaimed, pointing a finger at him.
He stared at it until he became cross eyed, then blinked and shook his head. "Okay, but what are you pointing at?"
She poked him in the nose. "You silly! I think being around me is going to be great for your social awkwardness. Arceus knows you need it."
She decided to focus on the stage as trainers began to walk up with their starters. Each person was asked to give their pokemon a nickname and were given an Extranciever, their first pokeball, Pokedex, and a trainer's license. She was also interested to see the people who had found the rare starters.
"Derrick, with his Oshwatt, Raine!" The enthusiastic brown haired trainer waved to the crowd, while Rain stared at the large amount of people. She was obviously trying to act tough, but seemed a bit overwhelmed at seeing so many humans.
"Sasha, with her Tepig, Aiden!" While she seemed completely undeterred by the stares, even going so far as to glare at some people, Aiden quickly hid behind her. He was blushing furiously and did his best to stay out of their sight.
"Belinda, with her Snivy, Jasmine!" Grey quickly grew angry as Belinda smugly accepted her license, pushing Jasmine in view in an attempt to show her off. Though the gijinka put on a brave face, it was still just an act. Her teeth were bared, which showed that she was feeling defensive.
"Pierre, with his Raltz, Mary!" Pierre was very polite, and accepted his tools with a calm face. Mary was obviously excited but to nervous to show it all off. She waved a bit, causing the crowd to cheer some more.
A few more names where called before it was Grey's turn. Finally! Thought they'd forgotten about me. "Grey, with her Larvitar, Ty!" While Grey was the one acting like a child, Ty was examining his pokeball. He was completely mystified as to how he would fit. I think Grey was just kidding. There's no way I can fit in this tiny sphere. When he looked at the crowed, he stared in shock. "Look at all the people Grey. What are they doing here?"
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Gible watched from the caferteria, about four plates stacked in front of him. Chad walked over and noticed what Gible was staring at. "Something wrong pal? Your not eating your usual amount. Though I'm sure the cooks won't complain." he chuckled but stopped as the dragon gijinka ignored him.
"You want to go with her, don't you?" he asked, softly. He could see the wanting in Gible's eyes, something that usually was only reserved for food.
"She's the only person in the last seven years that's interested me. Now she's going to leave. She won't even come back to the school probably." he looked away and sniffed snadly.
Chad put an arm around him, knowing what this meant. Who knows how long it would be till another person showed up? Gible could almost become full grown, a fossil compared to the youngsters that filled the EI's. "You know it's against the rules for a trainer to have more than one gijinka from the school, Gible."
He nodded and slipped out of his seat, getting ready to walk away. "Though I guess, for the sake of the cook's sanity and for you're own, I'll just have to kick you out." Chad said it calmly, a sly grin forming.
Gible stopped, for a moment shocked. "Kick me out? Why would you do that?"
Chad nodded. "Kick you out. The school has no jurisdiction over a wild gijinka. They could do whatever they want. Go with whoever they wanted." He glanced at Gible, as understanding began to dawn on his face. "I am expelling you. Get out of here Gible. Follow your dream."
A hug grin spread across his face, sharp teeth easily visible. He began to run for the door but stopped and quickly ran back, wrapping his arms around Chad's waist. "Thank you Principal Chad, thank you." A few tears of joy fell from his eyes and then he was gone, the door swinging behind him.
"You're welcome kid." he asked, brushing a few tears of his own away. He was going to miss the stubborn little guy. Just wait till he told the cooks.
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Grey and Ty were on the way to her house to get started on their packing. Not to mention stock up on food and her savings. She'd been putting any money she earned away, just for this moment. Ever since she was ten. It wasn't much, but it would be better than nothing. Ty stopped suddenly, as if hearing something she didn't. "What's wrong Ty? Forget something at the school?" she joked.
He shook his head. "Uh uh. Somebodies coming this way. Fast." he turned around and blinked in surprise. Grey followed suit and shouted. "The hell is that!?" A large dust cloud was coming towards them, shielding their follower from view.
Ty braced himself, ready to defend his new trainer. "I got this Grey, don't worry!" he wasn't so sure though. He was still kind tuckered out from his last battle. Still, he'd do his best to stop whatever was coming towards them.
All at once it was there, the dust cloud blowing past them as the disruptor skidded to a stop. As it cleared, they saw a familiar face. "Gible?" Ty said, not sure if he should let his guard down or not.
He seemed a little winded but grinned, showing of his rather sharp teeth. "I got expelled! That means I'm coming with you and nothing you say is going to stop me. You guys already beat me in a battle so now I'm on your team, whether you like it or not. So there!" He thought for a moment that Grey would reject him, her shocked face making him slightly nervous. "Uh, that okay?"
Then he was squished in a hug, gasping for air as Grey lifted him up and swung him around. "Of course you can stay I can't believe that they let you come with and now I'm so excited that I could SCREAM!" her words rang true as she yelled till her lungs quit and lightly let Gible drop to the ground. His skin was slightly rougher than she expected, but it was worth it. She had another pokemon!
"You okay?" Larvitar asked, a bit bewildered by his trainers actions.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Think a rib might have punctured a lung but I'm fine." He groaned, rubbing his chest.
Grey began to walk away, her two pokemon following cautiously. Those hugs seemed super effective. "Okay you need a name. How does Drake sound Gible?" she asked.
At risk of being hugged for denying it, he quickly agreed. "Of course, sounds great Grey. Best name ever."
She turned around and grinned, hands on her hips. "Good, that's settled then. Now! Let's go to my house and celebrate! Pancakes for everybody!
Wondering what they got themselves into to, Ty and Drake followed, albeit less enthusiastic than their trainer.
"That's it. She's completely nuts." Drake whispered, keeping his voice low.
Larvitar cocked his head, scratching it as he did. "Nuts? I think she's a human. What are you talking about?"
Alright, got it done! I bet somebody was scared that Drake wasn't going to be accepted right? Just me playing a small joke. Ah well. Keeping this short cause I work soon. Please let me know what you think in the reviews and I'm still accepting OC's! I need one more boy and two more girls okay? R&R&Later!
By the way, Drake is an OC submitted to me by gallantmon7196. Sorry that I didn't say so earlier! Oh, and Ty was made by me, if that wasn't obvious. It might tak a little while for me to accept more OCs but it will happen. Thanks!