Pokemon: Chaos Inferno

by Sytex

Four trainers - Alex Vowlt, Mira Torren, Nicholas Blare and Rex Alder - are finally realizing their dreams of being Pokemon trainers. Along the way, things will change. For better or for worse? That's up to them. The strong do not succumb to the wicked.

2. Chapter 1: Dawn of Days to Come

Chapter 1: Dawn of the Days To Come

Book 1: Beginnings

The air in Pallet Town was stagnant and warm, yet the freshness of abundant greenery pervaded the area; not at all a displeasing scent. The sky was clear and vivid blue without a cloud to be seen for the whole of its expanse. I felt a twinge, was it excitement or nervousness? I couldn't tell in the slightest, but I couldn't care less, either. I knew the day had things in store, things that would change my life forever and make it unique to me alone. Before me towered the Kanto Pokemon HQ; the world reknowned windmill looming over me as I advanced towards the building."My new beginning... I wonder-"

"Nick!" Behind me, a voice called and snapped me out of my musing. It was my father; a tall and robust man of forty years; he was the biggest influence on my life. His face told anyone he means well, but won't be stepped on; a trait I inherited and live up to. He shrugged; his arms following and forming a "w" with his body to ask me where I was going. "You gonna say bye to everyone before you just walk off? Get yer ass back here!" His harsh words were belied by my years spent with him; he meant it harmlessly. He stood beside the driver side door on the family vehicle; a black, Caddillac Titan luxury sports utility vehicle (the only model from the line as of late to resemble anything of theirs from the twenty-first century; the Titan was modeled after the Escalade of those days). Black paint with a charcoal grey interior with all the bells and whistles; from a sunroof to voice navigation and autonomous driving; very expensive, but very worth it.

I just stood looking blank for a mere second, then responded without words and started my way back from whence I'd come. "Sorry Dad, I guess I just got a little absorbed in the moment." I flung the flimsy excuse without feeling much need to explain; I didn't even have to apologize.

He brushed off the apology as expected, but pulled me into a suffocating hug. "I'm gonna miss you, son. There's a lot ahead of you taking this path." He sounded a bit choked when he said this, I knew parting would be hard, but even my father was starting to break a bit. But this path, I needed to take it; I felt it necessary.

"I know. I'm gonna miss you too, Dad." I hugged him back. He released me completely, then I noticed Mom had come around from her side of the truck, and stood with a big grin on her face; belied by her sorrowful eyes. Mom was quite a bit shorter than Dad, "I'm gonna miss all of you guys. I'll try and stop by whenever I can. Hopefully I can get a reliable flier and I'll have free airfare." I assured them both with a light break in the flatly solemn mood. I hard a click from the nearby door and saw it swing open; the second oldest in the family, and my little brother, Cory Blare hopped out of the open door without a break in stride; his too-big graphic t shirt and slightly sagging shorts, as well as well defined white basketball shoes told all about his scene. He was a bit scrawnier than I, but not terribly short; in fact he was slightly past my shoulder; icy blue eyes and his face thinner and shoulders not as broad, he shared the hypertrophic calf muscles with me though, as well as hair color; dishwater blonde. Following him was Sadie, the third of us, as well as the only girl; she was almost exactly like Mom. Very thin and a bit short; nut colored, shoulder length hair and murky brown eyes; a sleek face and small chin. Zack was the slowest of the three to get out, but he eventually managed to hardly long after Sadie; Zack looked almost exactly like me, but only younger; his hair was a gleaming blonde and eyes a shimmering cyan blue; he had the rather broad shoulders and rounder face of Dad and I, as well as a bulkier build; his face was always sporting a smile, giving off a loud warmth

"Nick." Mom had taken time now away from her silence to say simply my name, but it had a profound effect on everyone. She walked over to me and laid a hand on my shoulder, looking straight at me. "I know you're going to make both Anthony and I proud. If you ever need help, just give either one of us a call; we'll do what we can for you." She pulled me into a hug and held me there for a while.

"I will, mom. I promise." I hugged in return and gave her a meaningful pat on the back. She left go and crossed her arms, eyes a bit tearful; she was concerned, I could easily tell. (It was like she knew of what I would be getting myself into during the year to come...) "I'll be with Alex, Mira and Rex; they'll take care of me. We'll all have each others' backs; don't worry."

She took a deep breath and nodded to me. "I know you all will." She said unconvincingly, but I knew of no reason this would be harmful.

Cory stood silently as always, but eventually dropped his silence. "I guess I'll take your room then." He joked, something I couldn't help but expect from him. "Does that mean I get your sound system too?"

"How about this? You can borrow my room while I'm gone and use the sound system whenever; but if I drop in to stay overnight, you gotta' get your ass out." I threw a smirk his way. His expression flipped from being the comedian, to the one being roasted.

"Whatever. That's fine, I guess." He shrugged in response, looking as if he felt slightly awkward after my response.

Zack said nothing, but suddenly ran at me and latched onto my legs and gave me a hug, swiftly followed by Sadie. "Are you really catch me another Pokemon, Nick? I wanna go back to school with two this year." Zack looked up at me hopefully.

I couldn't say no to him, I did say I would try, but I guess he needed some reiteration. "I promise I'll get you one. What did you have in mind anyways?"

"I want a Dragon! This kid in my class has a Bagon, and everyone asks him how he got it. He brags it sometimes, too." Zack chimed cheerfully.

A difficult type to get your hands on... Most Dragon types live in the most inhospitable or difficult to find places: deserts, ancient caves, relic sites, deep underwater or in high elevations. And the rest beyond that are legendaries. "Okay Zack. I'll try to get one for you. Sadie, I know what you're going to ask." She'd grown silent and had been looking at Zack slightly envious. "And I'll try to get you one too." She smiled, obviously rather happy.

"I'm gonna miss you too, Nick. I hope you have fun!" Sadie hugged tighter and then let go. She went immediately to dad's side and waited with him. Zack was less prone to leaving, so he stuck around.

I ruffled Zack's hair a bit. "I'll see you guys as soon as I get to Celadon. The house will be my first stop, I assure you all." I gave a parting wave, my signature wave; my pointer and middle up, and thumb out, then a flick of my wrist towards them. "I love you guys, and I promise I'll do my absolute best to make the Blare family name one of champions." I started to slowly backpedal, and as they all began to wave I couldn't help but smile softly. "There goes opulence, here goes nothing for everything." I mused, imagining just what lay in wait for me as a Pokemon Trainer. I knew I was good, but did I really have what it takes to reach the top? I would do everything in my power to reach the top as I dearly desired; but I refuse to be broken if I don't make it. I'd been so deep in thought I forgot to pay attention to where I was going and backed into the Pokemon HQ's front door, I fumbled for the opener without turning around. I waved one last time to my family before opening the oaken sliding door and entering.

The inside of the HQ was rather different than expected; self-cleaning, beige-colored carpeted floors, chromatic border along the corners of the redwood paneled walls. It looked a bit off to have such a high tech place to look like an older person's home. I caught sight of a holosign sitting on top of a wooden desk off in the narrow, far right corner of the huge room, near a dividing wall. It read "lobby, take a seat and wait for the next available attendent." Unfortnately, there was no attendent currently sitting at the desk; I did as it read and went around the dividing wall to find a modest-sized sitting area with a few armchairs and a large couch, finding the room already moderately occupied. "Oh hey, look who's finally here!" I introduced myself with light wit, throwing my arms out to my sides, palms up.

"'Bout fuckin' time Blare. I got here a few hours ago; the professor's been wondering what was taking you." Rex, nonchalant as usual, was kicked back in one of the leather recliners off to the left, footrest up and laying back with his arms crossed behind his head and some of his black hair covering his face.

Alex shared no similar response, letting down his chair's recline and taking point on the edge of the seat. "Dude! You're hella slow! You- wait, did you gt caught up in traffic at all?"

I shook my head in response. "Roads were empty as they could get."

"Then yeah, slow ass." Alex meant no harm with his mocking. He's generally pretty fast about things, and quite hasty all the same.

"You try organizing two little siblings and reigning in four huge ass, fire-breathing dogs almost directly after waking up. And when you can succeed, then you can tell me I'm slow." I boasted before settling in on the black couch. Its cushions seemed covered in a felt material, and it was extremely comfortable. I'd only just sat down to hear the front door to the lab open. Moving my head to look, only fleetingly, I fell on my side. Though I did manage to catch sight of a satchel bag; familiar yet I still knew not who it was.

I readied to get up, but it was found to be unecessary; Mira walked around the dividing wall with her usual swagger. She froze, all three of us looked up at her; "Am... Am I late?" She was well dressed as always, though this timeshe was in all black. Her tight black t-shirt was adorned in various gems and patterns; reflective of many colors in the light, the wavy patterns always seemed to be moving or changing. The skinny jeans she wore rather long and bunched up at the top of her slick and dressy athletic shoes.

"A little. If you mean by my terms. We have the reservation all day; so it's not like we're in a huge hurry," Rex kicked himself up from his seat and grinned.

My heart was warm at seeing her. I admired her choice of clothing; both simple yet intricate, and her modesty was charming as always. I hid my attraction and smiled as she looked at me. I saw the hint of a blush spread across her face. I shook off the lapse in the moment as casually as possible; "What all happened to slow you down?"

"The Corvette was having some trouble and broke down halfway here. Esteban had to call one of his friends to come fix the car, so we got stuck for about an hour. Good thing is that I thought to bring my Omega Portable; I did some training simulations while I waited. I just hope he can make it back without an issue." She looked back at the door behind her, then returned attention forward, flipping some of her lustrous brown hair from her right eye. "Nick, you mind if I sit by you?"

I waved a hand at the open area and smiled. "You're more than welcome, I mind not at all. The man who denies a woman a seat is one with an issue, in my opinion."

Mira smiled back and started towards the open spot. "I'm sure there are situations where it's perfectly fine to deny a lady a seat. When it comes to either gender." She said as she took the seat.

I brought my eyes back up as she took the seat. I could see Rex in his chair grinning, I made a short motion to him, a jolt of my head to the side and a raise of the lip, silencing him. "I guess so. But I think you get what I mean." Mira looked over at me, her green-blue eyes putting me at peace yet further. "So, I have to ask; what starters were you guys considering? I'm not straying from a fire type, so it's either Charmander or Torchic for me."

"Tst," Rex chuckled. "Still no change of heart from you dude. I could call that a good thing." He strained the last few words as he pushed himself up to sit on the edge of his seat, resetting the recliner. "I'm after a Totodile, more than likely. Possibly a Cyndaquil or a Treeko. But that's only if I'm not able to get a hold of a Totodile."

Alex remained where he had been; at the edge of his seat. He had no sound of haste, nor did he make any exuberant motions of any kind. He said simply, "Turtwig." In unison, Rex, Mira and I all looked at him in sheer amazement. He leaned back a bit uncomfortably. "What?"

Mira went first. "That's a very offbeat choice for you, Alex. Uusally you're all about the fastest things, Turtwig is a rather slow Pokemon. Hence it being a, you know, turtle."

Alex cocked a brow and leaned back. "Do I look stupid to you? I know that, Mira." Yet more reason for us all to be incredulous, Rex and I looked acros the room at one another, and Mira remained silent. The surprise was a very odd one. "I think it would be a good challenge. And after all, I like turtles."

"Well the irony is enough to set someone's head spinning. Perhaps this is what they mean by 'opposites attract'," I relented surprise and added to the conversation.

"No, magnetism is what started that saying," Rex added needlessly. "But I getcha."

"Well then, sir literal," Mira said in poignant sarcasm. "Still rather amazing, his choice is. As for mine, I'm going to stick along the lines of fire, too. I would love to get a Cyndaquil, but I guess a secondary and tertiary choice would be Charmander and Chikorita." She settled back comfortably onto the couch. The time was now half-past noon.

We commingled a little while longer, waiting for the professor or her assistant to come and get us like the desk attendant had informed. Mira had taken to casually leaning against me and resting her head on my shoulder; deeming me her recliner in place of the ones Rex and Alex occupied. A joke, I knew, but I still couldn't help but feel the vibe of happiness at the contact emenating from her; something I too was experiencing.

As it came to light, Rex's cousin, Shane, had just landed a spot as gym leader in Johto's Mahogany Town; a well known town for odd goings on and "Ninja" activity. I'd met Rex's cousin before; apparently his house is built directly on top of an ancient ninja hideout and has all sorts of rigs and devices on the interior. Considering I was going to challenge each and every region's league – even Unova possibly – I would more than likely be going head to head with Shane. Similarly, Mira's mother was to be involved in the year's Kanto-Johto Grand Festival at the Indigo Plataeu; if all went well, both Mira and I would be enrolled in the same contest. The chit-chat was broken by the lab assistant. "Nicholas Blare, Mira Torren, Rex Alder and Alexander Vowlt; my mother will see you now. Please, come with me." This was Blaze Fernus, an intelligent young adult in her mid-twenties with fiery red hair and dark eyes. She was no definite eye catcher, much more average in appearance and overall build, but what she didn't have in looks she had in courtesy and intelligence. Her white lab-coat fanned out as she walked, a more straight motioned gait guiding her forward.

I let Mira up first, seeing as she was laying on me; then took behind her with Rex and Alex follwing us, making us four in some disorderly tow with Blaze. She led us across the main room, passing a large glass door that lead out into the children's garden; a place where any young patrons could go and play with the more gentle Pokemon kept at the lab. The ceiling was higher in the main entryway as well, with a large chandelier dangling from the highest point, not appearing in any danger of falling. At the far side of this entryway, there was an intricate iron door with a hand scanner to its right. Blaze used this scanner accordingly, an intriguing locking mechanism rotated open on the door, and it finally slid down and out of the way. Blaire Fernus, the elderly professor of the Kanto Pokemon HQ was standing just inside, by a rather long countertop dressed with twelve lines of five Cherish Balls. "Ah, come in children. I've made extra special preparations for you all under the knowledge of each of your relatives. Specifically yours, miss Torren." The statement was a bit unexpected. A professor of Pokemon, choosing favorites? "Come, we have the whole day at our hand, let us not squander it."

We four of us stepped inside the checkered-tile room. "Horizontal single file facing the counter please," Blaze instructed, sounding almost like a police officer. We did as she said, myself on the far left end, followed by Mira, Rex, then Alex. Blaze proceeded to shut the door behind us; already feeling as awkward as it gets, the isolation made no difference.

"Good, good; now, which of you would like to select your starter first?" Blaire said as soon as the sounds of the door closing had faded. "Why not you, young man?" She gestured to Rex.

He was a bit on the spot at first; looking awkward for a moment, but cool as usual, he settled almost instantly. "I would be honored, Professor. Thank you." He kept his arms at his sides as he went up, folding them behind him, leaning forward, and peering at the Totodile ball with unnecessary scrutiny. I cocked a brow and chuckled as he peered at the label just beneath the ball. He made a few strange faces, now portraying the fact he's merely jesting in his scrutiny. "I choose Totodile!" He jerked straight and flung a fist in the air, his pointer finger extended. He grabbed the Totodile ball with his free hand and opened it, letting free the tiny crocodilian in a flash of red light. Its blue body was contrasted by the vivid red spines that went down its back, and the larger-than-average teeth in its mouth made it hardly powerless. It cried its name once in an odd fashion.

"Here, give it one of these," Professor Blaze snagged a small string off her desk and tossed it to Rex. "Ask him his name, we'll need it on the registry."

Rex caught the black string without error, and laced it around the Totodile's neck rather quickly; necessary to avoid its test bite. "Heh, looks like you don't break species standard too much; nippy like I read." The Totodile's expression went flat, obviously a glare of sorts. The string just laced around its neck began to fade from view slowly, and as it did, the cries of the Pokemon slowly changed...

"To, totod- jerk," it said when the string disappeared in full. "My Dad said I broke a record in my clan for bite force. Watch your hands or you might lose one."

"Fiesty, eh? Well, looks like it'll take a little while longer for me to reign you in and get you to not nibble on every little thing. But that's pretty nice you managed to do that; if you let me train you, I'll help you best your best. Nice to meet you pal. My name's Rex, what might yours be?" The level-headed goth smirked and foolishly extended a hand towards his starter; promptly displaying his boldness.

The little croc merely examined Rex's hand, obviously wondering what to think. "Well, if you say so... My name's Riley Trace; and I'm known for power. So watch yourself, the last guy who messed with me learned the hard way. Be nice, and you won't find my jaws around your neck."

"Heh, don't worry. I'm not a bad guy to start with. Here," Rex pulled his hand back and reached in his pocket to pull out a small bag dyed light red; a fish, fully gutted and cleaned settled at the bottom. He opened the bag and fetched the fish from it. "I hope you like Salmon. My cousin snagged this from the sea just near Olivine."

Riley's eyes glowed as he studied the fish. "I love Salmon..." his mouth began to water, quite obviously. "I used to live near Olivine. I can really have it?"

"Well it won't do much good in my pocket. I brought it specifically for you; though I had no idea you came from the same area as this fish." Rex tossed it to the now clacking jaws of Riley, who snapped it from the air with a startling crack. "Well now, I do believe your bite force claim even more than earlier. That was impressively loud."

The Professor adjusted her standing position then smiled. "Why don't you two boys go and get further acquainted in the friend area? Blaze, if you would lead them, that would be most welcome." Rex nodded and silently followed Blaze to a small door at the far left end of the room, just a bit behind the Professor; Riley followed cheerfully, possibly just because of the fish. When they had completely exited and the sound of the door died away, Blaire Looked dead at Alex and motioned for him to choose next. "Take your time, I knew your mother mister Vowlt. My condolences to her untimely demise; she was a fiery young spirit with a passionate heart... Choose well and make her proud, my boy."

Alex looked down for a moment, then regained composure. His mom had died in a traffic accident many years back, when he was only a year old. He never knew her, and desperately wishes he could have known her like his older siblings; Mandy and Tracy. He'd told me this many times before, and if he ever got down about it I was there to cheer him up again. "Thank you, Professor." He stepped forward and scanned the line of Pokeballs until he came across the one with a Turtwig label below it. He was far on the other side from it, so he raised a hand and muttered "Ah," as he went to it. He tossed the ball quickly and caught it rather effortlessly as the small turtle appeared. The Professor tossed him another of the strings, which Alex too paced around the neck of the little reptile; and as it disappeared, Alex watched in interest. "So that's how the Pokemingler works its stuff; that's pretty cool."

"A pokey mingler? An odd description for a necklace, blonde guy." The Turtwig uttered no cries, obviously having no need to unless prompted. Patience was well shown by it in that instance; stark contrast to Alex in all ways. "I have a question: where did it go and how does it translate my words into your tongue?"

Alex chuckled. "You're asking the wrong guy. All I know is it involves nanobots of some kind. Anyways, what's your name? Mine's Alex, it's cool to meet my starter Pokemon finally."

Alex's simple introduction didn't seem to impress the Turtwig, who only sat down with no apparent haste. "My name is Galdon; according to the ancient's lore it means 'Plant Dragon,' and I carry the name happily." Obviously more of an intellectual, Galdon's introduction was rather interesting to me. Alex even seemed slightly captivated by it. "So, I'm under the impression that you are to be my trainer. Are you?"

"That's for sure. Hell, I think you might just train me, the way you're talking," Alex joked. He wasn't afraid to admit to his limited vocabulary and more athletic background. "Come on, there's Blaze; let's go talk with Rex and Riley. What say you?" Alex pointed his chin to Blaze and began on his way out of the room.

Galdon cocked his head and lifted a brow at the name. "So Riley was chosen as well? Are we to be travelling with this 'Rex?'" The young Turtwig tailed behind Alex with an eased gait, barely keeping pace, but in no apparent hurry. Their conversation tapered off as the door closed yet again and they went on their way down the hall.

"Excuse me, Professor?" Mira addressed Miss Fernus casually.

"Yes?" The professor cast an easy gaze at Mira, awaiting the question. I only just noticed that the professor's face was generally clear of most age signs; minimal wrinkles and a very lively smile.

"Would it be alright if my friend and I go together, rather than separate? We both have a definitive idea of what we're going to choose, so would that be fine?" Mira smiled to try and appeal further, though obviously unnecessary, the Professor seemed to welcome the gesture with a light chuckle.

"That is perfectly alright. You four seem very unlike the usual groups we get here. Why, the last set of graduates sat here squabbling with one another even as I kept them going one at a time. Probably not such good friends as you four must be," she recounted the event with obvious disgust. I had a hunch I knew who it might have been to come in last, but I wouldn't point fingers; a rather immature move that would be. "Go on, you two make your choices then we can move on to the next part of registration. Something you should very much enjoy, mister Blare." She stepped more to the right, holding two Pokeminglers in her hand, obviously following the mentality of "ladies first" and intending for Mira to get her module first.

I knew what she meant, though despite her claimed knowledge of our families, I was still incredulous she actually knew. I smiled but made no reply to her statement, instead choosing to move forward and scan the row for the Charmander label. I noticed it far to the left, the very first of them all; I only now realized that they were in alphabetical order. This meant Cyndaquil would be only two spaces to the right; preceded by Chikorita and Chimchar. "Easy selection for me. My all time favorite Pokemon's first evolution. Charmander for me." I took hold of the ball and lifted it; I hefted it once to flip it right side up.

Mira, too, had hers held similarly; so turning back to face the closed door we'd entered through, I looked across at her. She smirked. "Ready?"

I returned the expression. "All too much so, Mira." And on the word, we lightly tossed the capsules in the air, and only slightly off from being simultaneous did the two fire types appear in similar fashion to Riley and Galdon.

"Ohh! It's so cute!" Mira's eyes went quite wide and she scooped her Cyndaquil up in her arms. I've known her to have quite the soft spot for anything cute; and obviously the squinted eyes and tiny stature of Cyndaquil was enough to evoke an expected response. She accepted the Pokemingler that the professor gave her and slipped it around the echidna's neck.

"Cute's not a choice word for me, but thanks anyways. I'm Tyson. My parents weren't overly creative with my name." Her Cyndaquil sounded a bit arrogant just by his voice, but who am I to judge? Let actions dictate that. "You're my trainer, aren't you?" Now a hint of nervousness lingered in his voice.

I looked down at my starter; expecting a regular Charmander. But my thoughts were poorly founded, as this Charmander defied what I had assumed to be nature's definitive idea. It was neither shiny nor regular; instead, the majority of its scales were black in coloration, only changing to a deep red around the belly area. And beyond that, the flame on its tail was a bright cyan with a warmth to be felt even from my position several feet away. The Charmander raised a brow at me, obviously feeling a bit awkward being examined. The professor handed me a Pokemingler and I placed it around the Charmander's neck, and as it faded, the fiery lizard cricked its neck. "You're quite the unique one. I've never seen a Charmander with your colors before."

"Unique is more welcome than the general things I used to hear about it. My brother's very similar, but has a blue belly rather than red." The voice I heard shocked me further, though I withheld the surprise easily. The voice was quite feminine.

"Pardon me asking, but what gender are you?" A silly question as it got me a rather odd look from the little Charmander. "Awkward question, I know. But I'm inot/i checking via the second option."

"Nor would you be able. I'd cook you like a pig on a spit in seconds flat; but for your information, I'm a girl. And beyond that, my name is Flare Sintari. So there. Now let me guess; you're to be imy/i trainer, correct?" Her arrogance only seemed out of light frustration. I blame my terrible introductory skills.

I put my arms out to my side, palms upturned in a self-presenting shrug. "That would be correct, Flare. My name's Nick. Pardon the awkward, I suck at introductions sometimes."

Flare giggled at this. "Don't worry, I know you were just a bit surprised by my uniqueness, if the phrase is applicable." She smiled and flicked her tail playfully. At a glance, she was taller and leaner than the average Charmander, and her head was more angular. And now, looking at her jaws, I saw she had two snake-like fangs jutting out. "I see you've noticed my teeth. Yes, they can inject venom. But I have had the venom glands removed since I was a baby. It was an odd mutation, don't ask me too much about it. I wouldn't know the details." Her explanation seemed unnecessary, but I guess she gave it because of being used to having to.

"Quite interesting, if I might say. Maybe I could see if we can get those venom glands put back; see if it can give you some extra move diversity." I smiled her way with a slight sinister twist on my lips. Her eyes seemed to shine at my words, obviously enticed by the idea of regaining an even deadlier bite.

"You can have that done?" She cocked her head a bit, the glint in her eyes obviously wanting to be hidden. She tensed back up, not showing her ease as before. "I mean, it would be pretty nice, I promise I won't nip any of you unless you really do something irredeemable to me."

Professor Fernus waved both Mira and I to come along, so I continued my conversation with Flare as we walked; while Mira was cuddling the obviously uncomfortable Tyson. "Do I look like a bad guy to you?" I spread my arms wide in a shrug and smiled at her. She squinted a little and pinched the air with her foreclaw and thumb. "Whatever," I laughed amiably at her obvious sarcasm. "Well, I'm getting the vibe you're a battler, eh?"

"Battling is something I live for. My brother and I sparred all the time back at home. He usually would beat me; he's better at physical combat." She hung her head a bit after saying this, but perked up immediately. "Well anyways, why do you ask?"

I snickered harmlessly. "You're in luck. I'm one of my school's top three battlers, I'll help you become the best damned Charizard in the world." I could see she was quite excited to learn this news, as she smiled rather wide; showing the rest of her vicious maw, albeit clenched. "And I've grown up using fire types and dragons; so a fire dragon means I can combine the two aspects."

She snickered a bit, eyes closed and her hand near her mouth. "I like the way you think. Maybe you and I will get along much better than I had thought before." She punched my knee quite firmly, playing, quite obviously. "You probably won't even have to do too much of your own training of me; I'll make your job easy, hehe."

She had quite a bit of charisma and energy; I remembered dreaming about something like that once...

"Now you four, we will commence a battle and coordination practice session in the room beyond this door," the Professor explained in a simple manner. She waved her hand at the door, a similar design to the one that the starter's room was covered by; though this one was much larger. "It's a state of the art battle stadium made to evaluate how you all have learned to battle at your Trainer's School. And no, before you ask, it is not like a test." Alex had evoked the response by starting to raise his hand, now returning it to his side with a jerk. "There will be no failure; only evaluation. Your school will be represented by your skills or your inaptitude, crossed by an average. We have chosen, at random, the matchups." The elderly professor pulled a small device from her lab coat and held it before her. "As you see, it will be as it says. Alex and Rex, then Mira and Nick. Seeing as there is only one stadium, you all will have to go separately. No spectators are allowed, there is a waiting room on the far side of the stadium where the two combatants that are next must wait. The battle is timed, and has fifteen minutes set on the clock; a fair time for your levels of battling given to us by the school." Her explanation was a little robotic; as if she's said it hundreds of times before. I couldn't help but assume so, seeing as she was well into her seventies now. She scanned over us four with intent, then with a short nod, the door slid open. I still don't know how it reacted like that, but I'll guess it was a visual cue given to a motion sensor near the door. "The sequence is alphabetical. Alex and Rex, you are first; Blaze will keep an eye on the proceedings. Nick and Mira, I will lead you to the waiting room." She wheeled around effortlessly and began walking.

The room was massive and could be opened to the sky if need be. The floor was padded on all areas excluding the center where the battle arena was located; instead covered by moderately trimmed grass. From a glance, it looked like a very lush spot. The field was marked by neon lights under a diamond cover, though seeing the time of day, the lights were not active. The walls of the room were bare and blue, though they seemed to give off a light glow. "By chance, Professor, are the walls able to change colors?" I let my curiosity take me along.

"Hmm?" She turned her head slightly my way, then back as it was. "Oh yes. And the battle platform you see here is merely one of eight. There is a large barrel under this stadium that can be rotated for the proper terrain. What we have up currently is the swamp terrain, perfect for a grass type and water type to go head to head." Her point was proven by the sloshing noises made as we all corssed the center of the field. "Rex, Alex; you two stay put. Head to your boxes and get ready for a battle."

"Will do Professor," Alex voiced with vigor instantly breaking course and dashing unhesitantly to his side of the arena, patiently followed by Galdon.

Rex cocked a brow and snickered at him. "Yeah, he's gonna' lose," Rex looked down at Riley for a second. "Come on Riley, let's test that bite of yours." Rex stuffed his hands in his pocket and whipped his sleek black hair back. Riley made a quiet sound of excitement, sort of sounding like a short cheer.

"Hey Nick," Mira walked up closer to me. No longer cradling Tyson in her arms and coddling him to death; she brushed against me. "You said you were planning on entering contests, didn't you?"

I made a single, sharp nod. "Yup. People can call me whatever; I'll bring the word badass to the table before those judges." Flare merely looked up at me with curious eyes, while Tyson actually smiled. My assumption would be that the two of them were contest fans themselves.

"Great! I wanted a friendly rival; it just makes it that much more fun." She controlled her enthusiasm, as best she could; a surprise, as usually she would hug whoever made her happy.

The professor walked further ahead as we approached another intricate door on the far side of the battlefield. She put her eye to a security scanner, which pinged in response; the door slid open without an issue and she lead Mira and I inside. As the door slid shut, she began to explain. "If you so desire, while you wait, there is a small questionairre in the interactive-brochures on the coffee table. It is merely for fun; a personality quiz that suggest what Pokemon might suit you best if you were to be one. That should kill the time you have to wait; I have a feeling that these two will have quite a long battle." Outside, I could hear Blaze's piercing voice announcing the start of battle.

I had just finished my questionairre; a grueling two-hundred questions with a simple answer at the end. But it was actually quite entertaining, especially with some of the questions themselves and responses. "Oh, no way!" My result popped up on the advanced pamphlet. "Flare, check out the result I got."

"Hmm?" She had taken to napping on the fireproof furniture, only roused by my calling of her name. "Wow, isn't that coincidental? A Charizard is a pretty nice result for you, really. I could actually mentally picture you as one."

"Sure you can. But what did you say your brother's name was again?" I had been speaking with Flare a bit while I took the test, and she told me about her past. The loss of her parents, how her brother went missing about a decade ago, and how she came to be here. Her family was a heavy focal point of her explanation.

"You forgot that quick? Guess you and him have some pretty distinct similarities," she straightened herself up and stretched, then scooted closer to me. "His name's Nicholas; he likes being called Nick, however. Just like you."

A coincidence beyond my understanding, that was. "Damn; that's pretty amazing, if you ask me. Maybe he's my clone."

Flare smiled at me with incredulity; "Yeah, that's totally true." Her sarcasm was a bit abrupt, but made me smile in amusement. "Just coincidence, Nick." She batted me on the arm playfully.

Mra walked from a door just around the side of the couch moving her hands within each other. She had obviously heard my conversation with Flare. "I don't disagree that Nick fits a Charizard. He always had an affinity for reptiles and claims fire to be his favorite natural element." She took a seat right next to Tyson, sitting gently enough that he did not stir from his nap. The little guy was curled in a ball, something Mira had said multiple times was quite cute. "I still don't know if I fit a Salamence; it seems a little, masculine."

"You'd be surprised. My Grandmother had a female Salamence that was pretty feminine," I leaned back on the couch and kicked my feet up on a rest. A similar voice to what I heard about a half hour ago resounded from outside in the battlefield. It was Blaze announcing the battle's conclusion, I assumed.

Professor Fernus poked her head in the door and confirmed my suspicion. "Come you two, let's get your battle underway. Hopefully, you two put on a more interesting showing than your friends; all they did was dodge and attack. Impressive as it was, there was no dazzle." She seemed prone to rambling on, but it wasn't really a big deal. Flare and I got up without hesitation, while Mira had to slow down a bit to wake up Tyson. He jolted from sleep and revved his dorsal flames, slightly startling Mira, as she'd had her hands very near him. "Ah the joys of starting out. Come on now, we've just come to learn we're on a bit of a schedule."

I was followed out the door by Mira, then had her join me on my left with Tyson in her arms, while Flare was on my right. Rex and Alex were heading the opposite direction; "Hey, so which of you won?" I extended a fist as they passed and hit it against both of theirs, Mira doing the same as soon as they were behind us.

Rex started walking backwards almost as soon as I did. "Who do you think? Riley and I were untouchable. You guys kick some ass." He whipped back around, not concerened with getting an answer; the Professor ushered both of them into the waiting area and closed the door. I snickered, a bit unsurprised Rex had won.

"Nick, you are to be in the blue box, Mira, in the red;" Blaze's voice was quite loud, revereberating off the walls of the rather empty room.

Mira and I did as we were told and went to our respective locations on the battlefield; The blue box was on the farther side of the stage, so when I turned around, Mira already had Tyson on the field, ready to go. "Hey Flare, what moves do you know?" I slightly turned my head to the side and looked down at her as she looked up at me. "Just the basic, or a little more?"

"Actually, I know a bit more. I have Ember in my arsenal, but other than that, nothing but the basics." She herself was a bit disappointed, something I learned from her passive shrug.

"That's fine. I just wanted to know what I'm working with on the field; you know the basic idea to dodge when he comes your way, I'll only give commands when it's something a bit more offbeat. That fine?" I reached the box and turned around, leaving it to Flare to take point where she saw best.

"That's what I was hoping you'd say. I'm ready to go, let's do this!" Flare widened her stance and put her arms out in a defensive position, obviously knowing well what to do when it came down to it.

"Both combabatants seem ready! Are you both ready? Any fitting gesture will do," her instructions seemed a bit redundant, but both Mira and I obliged anyways; a thumbs up was as simple as it got. "Then if you are ready, begin!"

Flare dove out onto the field without hesitation, headlong towards Tyson, who began running a bit later than Flare. They reached the center in no time flat; Tyson weaved under Flare and tried to launch himself at her with the intent of using Tackle. Flare stayed put, then rolled to the side with a cartwheel, catching Tyson with her dangerous feet and slamming him onto the ground. "Try harder!" She shouted at him as she rolled backwards.

Tyson recuperated quickly, he landed facing the same way he'd been snatched and glared at Flare strangely. A Leer attack; Flare only raised her guard more, now. He dashed to the side and came at her in a small arch, trying to throw her off. He spat a burst of flames at Flare, all of which made contact, but so little damage was done due to type matchups, she brushed it off with ease. "Heh," Tyson grinned, then spat a black cloud of smoke into the air around the field.

"A smokescreen? Is that the best you have little echidna?" I could no longer see Flare in full, the best I could get was her shimmering blue flame through the cloud. "Come at me!" She started to move around the field, stirring up the cloud as she went and trying to avoid being a sitting duck.

"Tyson, she's on the move! Look for her flame and keep yours down!" Mira called from her side of the field. A good tactic, Flare's flame made her visible in the darkness, while Tyson's ability to conceal his left him generally undetected.

I swore, "Damn!" My fist clenching and face contorting to a snarl. Mira had gotten better.