3.
Viridian
Liko woke up in the middle of the forest, Sprigatito by her side. The Pokemon was holding onto her ruined uniform's sleeve, trying to shake her awake. "I'm up, I'm up…" the girl murmured, unable to stop being tackled by a very happy kitten. Liko hugged Sprigatito back, laughing a bit…
…before noticing the trees above and realizing that her nightmare had been real after all.
The pain in her leg was gone.
Liko could see the bite marks left behind by that nasty man's Umbreon. Her leg didn't hurt to move but it felt stiff, numb. The girl tested her leg, walking around, limping once or twice in the process. "...maybe it'll go away," the girl said as Sprigatito stared at the ground. "It's not your fault, Sprigatito…it's…mine…I…"
Liko had been tricked.
Ann, her roommate, had sent a message to Liko's Rotom phone.
The message was innocent enough.
Her friend had forgotten something "super important" back at their dorm. If Liko would do her the favor of passing the object to the secretary back in the main office, telling her that they'll deliver that important thing home to Ann. Liko remembered being surprised because she's sure she saw Ann packing everything from her side of the room that wasn't nailed down before she left for their school break.
An Umbreon was waiting for her in front of their dorm's door.
Sprigatito had sensed the danger and jumped in front of his trainer only to be tackled aside with ease.
Liko recovered from her shock, grabbed Sprigatito in a panic, and started running. A Magneton blocked her path as she was heading down the stairs forcing her to go up. Another Pokemon, a Beheeyem, blocked her path on the third floor, forcing her to go up again until she was on the roof, near the clock tower.
A man waited for her there.
He asked for her pendant.
Liko shook her head, said no; it was her precious grandmother's pendant, she wouldn't give it up to a thief.
And that's when the man started to laugh and told her everything.
Her grandmother had been a thief, and Liko's mother knew.
The pendant had been one of her many successes but only because she stole it from her partner a long time ago.
That old hag gave her granddaughter the pendant while she hid like a coward in Galar, waiting for Liko to take the fall, waiting for Liko to be the one to suffer from her mistakes.
Wasn't it odd that her parents sent her away?
A suggestion to go to Indigo Academy, make new friends?
What a bunch of lies!
Lies!
They wanted to keep Liko away so the old hag's baggage wouldn't shatter their perfect little life in Paldea.
"Ah, little girl, little girl…how sad to have a family that doesn't care."
Umbreon bit her leg.