Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. All rights belong to Nintendo and Game Freak.
"ZO ZO zORUA!" I watch, shaded by the trees, as my starter yells out. Her right paw is filled with normal-type energy as it scratches against a tree trunk twice her height, leaving small marks that mix with the dozen of other scratch marks.
*Ding*
My eyes drift off to the right as Eclipse charges another Scratch attack.
{-Pokemon Zorua Move [Scratch Beginner] - [Scratch Capable]-}
Smiling as I hear the sound of wood being pierced, I look over to a very tired Zorua panting hard as she stares with wide eyes at the deep scratch mark now on the trunk.
As her eyes turn from the trunk to me and back a few times, she lets out a cry of victory before her legs collapse on themselves as she passes out from using too much normal energy during our training session today.
Letting out a low sigh but with a fond smile, I walk over to my tired starter, raising her body against my chest as I start walking the way I know will lead me to my home.
Taking a peek at the trickster fox snoring in my arms, I call up her status screens.
{Pokemon: Zorua
Titles: Giratina's Chosen
Type: Dark
Abilities: Illusion
Sex: Female
Genetics: Max Iv's, Shiny
Lvl: 1/100}
{Giratina's Chosen: Grants 1000% Speed boost to mastering moves that are Dragon or Ghost, and allows the pokemon to reach level 100.}
{Move list: [Scratch Capable], [Leer Beginner], [Copycat Beginner]}
"It's only been a month since you hatched, and you have already become a training maniac. What am I going to do with you?"
After a few minutes of traversing through the woods, I enter a clearing where I hear the cries of a Zubat as it glides away from my little half-sister, Aria Razzo. Her dark red eyes focus on her Pokémon with a manic look as she chases it with a poison ball clutched in a gloved hand, her scarlet hair shaking wildly in the wind.
Taking a moment just to watch the absurdity, she literally jumps in the air, somehow using Tackle on her Pokemon and slamming it onto the ground. All it can get out is a scream before the ball of concentrated poison is shoved in its mouth. "Nope." Turning right, I rapidly head to the family mansion, ignoring the Pokemon cries behind me.
As I pass by a small battleground, I see my father, Giovanni Razzo, and his younger brother, Grey Razzo, having a sparring match. A Nidoking is on my father's side of the field, and my uncle sends out a Houndoom that lets out a roar when it locks eyes with its opponent.
Taking a quick peek at their Pokémon, I call up their stats. But as I do, I can see at the edge of my vision that my father's starter, Persian, rubs his leg, making me look over in my direction with a small smirk as he calls out his move. "Nidoking! Focus Energy!" Kidoking Roar into the sky as his body is filled with normal energy.
{Pokemon: Nidoking
Titles: Elite Pokemon, Ground Master, Poison Expert
Type: Poison/Ground
Abilities: Rivalry, Poison Point
Sex: Male
Health: 100%
Energy: 99&
Genetics: ===
Lvl: 64/70}
{Pokemon: Houndoom
Titles: Dark Master, Fire Expert
Type: Dark/Fire
Abilities: Flash Fire
Sex: Female
Health: 100%
Energy: 100&
Genetics: ===
Lvl: 48/50}
"Houndoom! Let's get this field ready. Now, use Sunny Day!" My uncle snaps his fingers dramatically, earning an eye roll from his brother as his Pokémon is filled with red-hot fire energy that explodes into the sky. The air becomes dry, creating the illusion of a small sun on the battlefield as Houndoom exhales a bit of smoke from his mouth.
"Thrash." As the words leave his mouth, the world shakes as Nidoking charges at his opponent, his claws closing like two fists that pound against his chest.
"Hit-and-run tactics, Houndoom! Use Flamethrower and Ember as you dodge his onslaught!" Grey commands, a bit of sweat dropping from his face as his Pokémon looks back at him with a look that could only be described as 'no shit'.
Nidoking's fist strikes the earth right as Houndoom jumps to the left, with an Ember barely a second from when her paws leave the ground, flying out of her mouth. However, Nidoking just tanks the flame and slaps it away with his left arm towards the ground.
As the small flame hits the ground, exploding into a small puddle of flames.
"Horn Attack." Nidoking's horns fill up with normal energy as he lowers his body into a crouch, the ground breaking as he pushes forward. His body is soon bathed with a sea of flames from a Flamethrower.
My eyes widened when Houndoom is sent flying a second later as she lets out a cry, Nidoking stepping out of the flames like a beast, the fire licking against his skin.
Houndoom stands with shaky legs before falling with a dazed look, being recalled into her Poké Ball by my uncle. He lets out an audible sigh, and the mini sun disappears instantly as soon as the canine Pokémon faints.
As the two walk towards each other, Nidoking is called back in the middle of a victory roar, Persian following closely behind Giovanni. When they meet in the middle, they chat a bit. I can't make out what they're saying as my focus zooms onto my starter, who moves a bit in my arms, letting out a low yawn. She looks up at me with her crimson eyes as her stomach lets out a noise filled with hunger. "Zorua."
"Yeah, I could use some food too." I let out a chuckle as she stretches in my arms, then climbs up my chest to my shoulder, laying her front and back paws on each side as she points to the mansion and licks her lips.
"Yes, your highness," I say sarcastically as I make my way around the field, heading to the kitchen entrance.
As we make our way around the kitchen, staff dodging out of the way, I toss an apple into the air that Zorua grabs with a munch, holding it with her front paws. I myself soon stuff my face with a green apple as I make my way around the staff, heading to the main room, then up the stairs, taking a right to my room.
Passing through the door, my left leg kicks the door closed as Zorua jumps off my shoulder onto my bed, rolling until she stabilizes herself. Continuing to eat her apple, I walk over to my desk filled with Pokémon drawings and notes.
As my back falls against my desk chair, I throw the leftovers of my apple into the bin across the room. I then pull out a notebook titled 'How to Train Your Zorua to Greatness'.
It flips open to a blank page as a pen spins in my right hand until it soundly stops in a fluid motion, pressing the back of it against the desk.
Writing a few notes on things I've seen today and the plans for a few training routines.
Spinning around on the chair, I look over to the trickster fox as she stares at me with her face filled with apple juice. I roll my eyes as I grab some napkins, patting my lap.
"Zorua." she says sheepishly as she crosses the distance from the bed to my lap with a small jump, quickly settling in as I begin wiping away the evidence of the apple she massacred.
Okay, Eclipse, we are making progress. Your scratch is at the point that I think we can work on getting you experience with fighting wild Pokémon outside of Viridian City. Maybe we can even start getting you used to using Leer." As she rolls around in my lap, soon finding herself on her back, with her left hind leg kicking as I give her belly scratches.
"Zorua zor ZORUA!"
"Yes, yes, no bugs until you can one-shot the little buggers." I say, exasperated, as she keeps going.
"Zo zo zo zor." The Zorua rants as dark energy ominously forms around her body, and she lets out a dark chuckle.
"I... I dont think that Bug Flesh is going to be as tasty as your making it sound..." I let out weakly as her eyes roll.
"Zorua zor zo." One of her paws pat my chest.
"That's messed up on so many levels, but I am going to ignore it, just like I ignore the fact that my family is involved in the mafia, enslaving Pokémon, and has so much money that my grandmother has been to space and back more times than I want to know."
"Zorua." Her tail wraps around my hand as I stop scratching her.
"Well, anyway, before we leave Viridian city and head up north, we could probably get another Pokémon. And seeing that if I get a bug Pokémon, you'll probably try eating it alive... that's off the table. So, what about a Fighting type?" All I get in response is a growl.
"Okay, okay, so I've spoken with my grandmother, and after some bantering, she said she would buy me a Sneasel, a Dark/Ice type. Ice will be a good counter for the Pewter City Gym. It should be sent over by next month when we leave for our journey." I explain as Zorua's eyes scan me for something, but all I get is a nod as I receive a knock on my door.
Lifting up my starter to her spot on my shoulders, I cross the distance to my bedroom door, soon finding a maid on the other side. "Young master, the master is waiting for you in his study," she says, giving a small bow that allows me to see the faint outline of a Team Rocket uniform under her maid attire.
As Zorua's body slowly radiates dark-type energy and she growls, it makes the maid shiver as she quickly leaves, giving me a pantie shot as she walks away. "I know you like the whole dark lady idea, but we need to work on your people skills." All I get in response is a paw smack to the head as I head over to my father's study.
As a man in a Rocket grunt suit opens the door for me, and as I close in, I am met with the Rocket School Drill Sergeant, Viper, whom I remember from the Pokémon Chronicles anime. He is cut off from whatever he was explaining to my father, and he gives me a salute that I return with a nod.
Soon, my eyes fly over to the leader of Team Rocket, spotting my father looking down at his desk filled with files. "Son, soon you will be going on your own Pokémon journey, and as we've spoken before, Aria will be going with you so she can gain experience in the real world, sponsored by the Viridian Gym as its youngest member. Sadly, as we have spoken before, I won't be able to sponsor your trainer license, or the league will throw a fit because of favoritism. But luckily, I couldn't have asked for a better son." As he says this, he looks at me with a raw emotion of love that I rarely see from the stoic man.
As he lifts four letters from his desk, seeing the names of the senders, my eyes widen a bit as Viper lets out a gasp behind me. Samuel Oak, Blaine, Agatha, and last but not least, Koga. "Truly, only my son could get letters not only from a gym leader from another city but also from that Monster Oak and two of his Elite Four. Truly, you will make it to high places in this world, son," he lets out a dark chuckle as I blush a bit.
As my eyes focus on Oak's letter, my father can only grin with an evil smile, anticipating the prestige of having his family directly connected to the current ruler of both Kanto and Johto. Oak is not only a powerful figure in the region but also the strongest trainer to come out of Kanto, a monster that shaped our current system by surviving the war.
"Oak." I say as my eyes lock with his. He presses a button under his desk, and a hidden door opens in his study. A young green-haired woman wearing a Rocket grunt uniform comes through, and my father passes her a letter before she quickly disappears.
"We should get a response by the end of the week. Now, Viper here has sent me the files of the new Rocket grunts that are at our training center, plus some of the people he finds interesting. I want you to choose no more than four that will be placed with you on a long-term mission. Choose wisely because they may very well become your own admins in the future." As he opens the files and turns them my way, I walk closer to his desk, Zorua jumping off of my shoulder onto it to get a better look.
After a bit of time, I choose four.
"Grunt N 5093 Name: Karen Darkmoon, age: 15, Pokemon: Eevee and houndour." As I start reading her info, Viper speaks behind me as I name each Rocket Grunt.
"One of the strongest trainers I've ever trained. I truly believe that she will reach the level of a gym leader in a few years, maybe even less. She is truly a frighteningly prodigious talent."
"Grunt N 5097 Name: Sabrina Morgane, age: 11, Pokemon: Abra."
"She's a legacy member; her mother, the current leader of the Saffron Gym, has been a loyal agent of Team Rocket since she was fifteen. It should be known that she inherited her mother's psychic powers but, to a level never seen before in someone so young."
"Grunt N 5123 Name: Annie Zanne, age: 11, Pokemon: Eevee."
"Grunt N 5124 Name: Oakley Zanne, age: 10, Pokemon: Spinarak."
Viper's voice turns sad as he looks away with a faraway look. "The Zanne Sisters, legacy members; their grandfather served Madam Boss before the war took him, and their father was part of my graduating class. Sadly, he died a few years back from a Dragonite attack."
"Hmm, so be it. You'll meet them next month. Until then, keep up your training, and remember, if you can beat one of my first-level gym Pokémon before you leave, I'll gift you a TM from my collection." With the dismissal, I quickly leave the room filled with energy, Zorua following close behind.
"Let's get a few more hours of training, Eclipse. The day is still young!"
"Zorua!"