Sorry for the wait but Chapter 7 is now here! Let's hope this chapter is lucky! I think I'm gonna start posting Chapters weekly and speaking of Chapters, The backgrounds of our characters get really spicy and in-depth from here on out. The last chapter was very exposition heavy, but this second half of the introductory arc will mainly just be getting to know the characters and setting up this second Arc. Now, Chapter 7, Here we come!
2027 - Unova, Star City League Hall
Asther and her Serperior stood together in the underground battle stadium.
Standing across from her was an I.P.F. agent and their Hydriegon, ready to battle again.
A monitor above them repeated a line of text shown on the screen.
"Opponent number 68. Battle begin." The electronic voice said.
"Leaf storm," ordered Asther, as leaves surrounded Serperior and shot at the Hydriegon.
"Fire blast!" shouted the opposing trainer. Fire blasted out of the Hydriegon's mouth, burning through the leaves, but Serperior quickly moved behind it.
"End this. Dragon Tail." Said Asther as the Serperior charged energy in his tail and it grew bigger.
He swung his tail and immediately knocked out the Hydriegon, sending it flying into the wall.
The I.P.F. agent slumped down in defeat and Asther looked up to the screen.
"Next ." She ordered.
The I.P.F. Agent walked off of the battlefield and was replaced by Naoki, much to Asther's chagrin.
"What do you want?" She asked irritably.
"We need to talk. Now." Naoki demanded.
Asther hesitantly agreed and walked out of the room with Naoki and her Serperior.'
The two stopped in a private hallway, and Asther leaned on the wall in anticipation of what Noaki had to say.
"Yesterday, when you met With Retsuko, Kion, and Kyu, you didn't tell them the full truth," Naoki said.
"What didn't I tell them that wasn't necessary?" Asther inquired.
"Maybe the part about your decision to hold the Star Fest early? Or the exhibition battle that you planned? Or the truth about your plan to use Retsuko Kourada's abilities for your gain?"
Asther sighed.
"I don't think you understand. The Orakuru destroyed the Star City plaza, which was a monument of the city and its accomplishments, a huge factor in trade for the region, it supplied all of Unova with goods! These people aren't amateurs, Naoki. They know what they're doing."
Naoki gazed at Asther.
"So many lives lost and ruined because of one simple explosion. The people of this region need a bit of a morale boost, don't you think?" Asther added.
"So you're going to promote the biggest Festival on this side of the equator right after an attack on a world monument? That's asking for another attack." Naoki said.
Asther smiled and placed her hand on Naoki's shoulder.
"They won't. Even the Orakuru knows that they can't do anything public for a short while. The I.P.F. are already on their trail, and any big stunts will cause their downfall." She explained.
"Do you even care for this region?" Naoki asked her.
Asther's grin turned into an angry scowl, and she tightened her grip on Naoki's shoulder.
"My love for this region and my anger towards the people that jeopardized it are both immeasurable. My question for you is, why do you suddenly care about Retsuko Kourada, the older brother that you swore you hated." She said with a terrifying look in her eyes.
Naoki pulled himself out of Asther's grip.
"I don't care for him. His survival is beneficial to my goal. Don't forget that I'm not your puppet, nor do I work for you. You're just the prime collaborator." He said as he walked off.
Asther looked at Naoki as he left.
"You know, for the smartest boy on the planet, you aren't very perceptive to my plans." Asther taunted Naoki.
Naoki continued to walk, seemingly ignoring her before he paused to speak.
"You just aren't perceptive to anyone at all. If you were... then maybe Iris would still be by your side."
He disappeared into his room, leaving Asther alone.
Asther then turned towards the wall and punched it in a fit of rage, leaving a large dent in the steel exterior.
Asther collected herself and fixed her posture before turning to her Serperior.
"Though annoying, the boy is somewhat correct and had a point. I should summon the boys back here before the announcement."
She walked into the Battle Stadium and another I.P.F agent joined her.
The automated robotic voice rang throughout the room a second time.
"Opponent number 69. Battle begin."
2027 - Unova, Star City Retsuko's Apartment
Retsuko woke up this time to find himself back inside his apartment in his bed.
He turned over groggily in his bed and opened his eyes to see that his Buizel and Kuu had shared Kuu's bed and were sleeping together peacefully.
"Those two have become fast friends." He thought to himself.
Retsuko forced his body to move and got out of bed, still half asleep, and he made his way to the Kitchen.
His muscles still ached, though less than they did the day before.
He found Via there, making a smoothie with his blender and Retsuko paused at the sight of her.
Via had tied her hair up in a bun with two hairpins sticking out of the tie that held it up. She was wearing Retsuko's hoodie that she had taken, paired with an oversized T-shirt and shorts that were covered by the hoodie and shirt.
"D-Damn," Retsuko thought in awe, stunned by her attractive appearance.
Though the shirt and hoodie were big, the outfit failed to hide her hourglass figure, and large features.
Via had been well endowed since she became of age, but Retsuko hadn't looked at her in that way before.
"Retsuko..
"Retsuko..."
"RETSUKO."
Retsuko snapped out of his trance and saw Kyu leaning over the couch with a controller in his right hand and waving in his left hand.
"You okay? I've been calling you for like a minute," Kyu said. He tossed Retsuko the game controller in his hands and turned back around to see the screen. "Wanna play some 'Battle Zero'?" Kyu asked.
"Good Afternoon," Via said politely as she walked by Retsuko with her berry smoothie.
"Hey," Retsuko replied.
He looked around the apartment for a second and then back to Kyu.
"You know what. I need to take a breather. Wake me up a bit. I'm gonna go out and clear my head." Retsuko said as he ran back into his bedroom.
Kyu slouched down in disappointment.
"Fine then. I'll ask Via." He pouted.
Retsuko went over to his desk and grabbed ace's Pokeball, inspecting the pokemon inside through the clear red top.
"You up for some parkour?" Retsuko asked as he released the Alolan Rattata from his Pokeball.
Retsuko paused for a second at his door and the images of the Plaza attack flashed into his mind. All of the lives lost that day still hurt his heart.
Ace worriedly looked up at him.
"Rattata-tarat?" He asked Retsuko if he was okay, to which he nodded.
"Nah, I'm fine," Retsuko said assuredly, grabbing his own Z ring as a precaution.
"It's my duty to protect this Region as it's champion. I failed once, and I'm not gonna fail again, so I need to clear my head." He thought.
Ace jumped up happily, and the two ran out of the room and then out of the house.
"You sure you don't wanna play-" Kyu asked as Retsuko and Ace brisked by him, shutting the door.
"Okay then," Kyu grumbled in response.
2027 - Unova, Star City District 7 Airport
Kion and Khan stood by themselves at terminal 7, waiting for a certain someone.
After a while of sifting his eyes through the hundreds of people departing and landing from their flights, rushing to see family and friends, and traveling with one another, he saw the outline of a tall Latin girl and a short Irish boy walking together.
The girl had a delicate skin tone similar to Kion's and had a slender and athletic figure. She was fairly tall, being 5'7, and had waist-length long pink hair that was tied up in a ponytail with curly bangs in the front. Her eyes were a sharp, turquoise green, similar to Kion's, and her attire consisted of a green top with black arm sleeves and black jean shorts. There were brown and black bands on her arms and her boots were black with white highlights.
The boy had ginger hair and fair skin with a freckled face. His eyes were a light brown color and his irises were oddly shaped like stars. He wore an orange hoodie that didn't have a zipper, a pair of black short sweatpants that had a blue stripe running up the side, and white sandals. On his wrist was a blue poketch watch.
The girl ran up to Kion excitedly and attempted to jump on him for a hug.
"Hey, Ki-Ki!" She shouted as she jumped.
Kion stepped over to the side and out of her way, allowing her to fall flat on the airport floor.
"Don't call me that… Hey, Carmen!" Kion said in annoyance.
The girl sprung up in anger.
"That's no way to greet your cousin." She said,
Kion ignored Carmen and turned over to the boy.
"Long time no see, Gill," Kion said, going for a handshake with the boy.
Gill accepted it and smiled widely.
"You promised me food!" Gill whined.
Kion smiled and took a donut out of his bag, from the same café that he and Khan had eaten at earlier.
"Dig in, old friend."
Retsuko and Ace leaped from Retsuko's balcony and onto a short rooftop near their building.
The two ran over and passed a window that reflected on their bustling surroundings.
Retsuko had always loved the busy Star City with its breezy, bitter buildings.
Retsuko and Ace jumped to a second building, and they flipped over some solar panels.
Retsuko vaulted over a flower garden below him and saw a flock of Pidove soar from the plants below.
As they approached the edge of the building, Retsuko flipped over, using his body weight to propel himself, and grabbed onto Ace's paw.
Ace boosted them up with a quick attack, and Retsuko landed safely and continued running.
He jumped down from the roof, and across another building, jumping down a flight of stairs to get to ground level.
Retsuko leaped out into a hill with a lakeside river at the bottom, coming face to face with his Buizel.
"You..." Retsuko said in confusion.
"Master!" The Pokemon exclaimed giddily.
A few minutes prior - Unova, Star City Retsuko's Apartment
Via walked into Retsuko Retsuko's bedroom by mistake and looked around.
She turned around to leave but was knocked off balance by the force of a Pokemon running past her.
Buizel had woken up and rushed out of Retsuko's room, fascinated by her new surroundings.
She jumped onto the couch where Kyu was playing a Pokemon battle simulator game, and she snatched the controller out of his hand with her mouth.
"Hey! Give it back, I was gonna 3 stock him!" Kyu shouted as he chased the Buizel around the room.
Kou, who Kyu had convinced to play with him, continued to manipulate his character in ignorance.
"Damnit Kou, help me!" Kyu shouted out to his partner as he chased Buizel into the kitchen.
She knocked over boxes of food and utensils, and then tripped Kyu with the microwave cable.
She then wrestled open the refrigerator and began to rummage through the things inside.
"What was that!?" Via asked as she ran into the room but was met with an Oran berry to the face.
Vye ran in after her and picked up the treat, taking a bite of it.
Buizel found a bowl of Pokemon food and took it out.
She sniffed it and began to dig in after taking a liking to the smell.
Kyu, still grounded, took advantage of the opportunity and signaled Via to sneak up behind her and grab her.
Via complied, but when she went to snatch up the Buizel, she jumped up and whacked her with her tail, leaving both Via and Kyu on the ground.
Kuu burst into the room right as Kyu and Via slowly stood up and watched as Buizel opened the door and ran out in the direction that Retsuko left.
"Crap! She's gone!" Kyu said, as he got up and made for the door.
"Should we be worried?" Via asked frantically.
Kyu picked up the controller that Buizel had taken and held it up in glory.
Kuu squawked in fury at the sight of the mess Buizel had made and quickly busied himself with cleaning it.
Via chuckled at the act and Kyu tossed her the controller to her surprise.
He looked at her with a stream of tears in his eyes in desperation.
"Please...1v1 me..." He begged.
Via looked at the controller in her hands and then to Kou, who was enjoying his first victory against Kyu, who was unable to play.
"You're on."
Retsuko and Buizel locked eyes before landing on the ground beside each other; Retsuko did a barrel roll to avoid injury from the fall.
Ace caught up to them and stopped next to Retsuko, inspecting the unfamiliar pokemon.
Retsuko slowly stood up, keeping his unwavering gaze in Buizel's eyes.
The pokemon did the same, failing to break eye contact with Retsuko's navy blues.
"That that last trick took us a month to perfect, and that jump we just did was extremely difficult for any beginner to land without injury..." He thought.
"You must be a natural talent," Retsuko said, placing his hand on the back of his head.
Ace crawled up Retsuko's clothes and perched himself on his shoulder.
"Ace, you don't mind if she joins us, do you?" Retsuko asked his partner.
Ace shook his head violently and Retsuko smiled.
"Welp. try to keep up then!" Retsuko said as he leaned backward, falling off the hill.
"Parkour... makes me feel alive." Retsuko thought as he fell and flipped to his feet.
The Buizel ran up and copied the action, and they ran down the path next to the hill.
They had no idea what they were running towards, but it was as if he were being attracted to it, and had no control over the force that had come over them.
Retsuko jumped around people and objects, making his way through the city with Ace right by his side.
He pressed his index finger and thumb together and flipped over a glass ceiling, scaling an abandoned apartment building.
They were quickly approaching another building, and Retsuko had to jump it to continue.
"Ace! Grass Knot!" He shouted, as Ace forcefully slammed his paw into the concrete, making a sturdy knot-shaped pillar of grass for Retsuko to jump across.
Retsuko hopped across and continued running across buildings.
District 1 of Star City consisted mainly of abandoned buildings scheduled for demolition or reconstruction, and the remains of what was once Castelia City.
Retsuko, Ace, and Buizel jumped from building to building, enjoying every step they took together.
When Retsuko was parkouring, he felt free.
He attempted another series of leaps, before trying a 5-meter leap across the edge of two buildings.
Retsuko tripped and fell on the edge of the building he landed on, and half of the roof crumbled beneath his feet.
"Oh No! Ace!" Retsuko called out to his Rattata.
Ace prepared to use crunch to destroy the debris that would hurt Retsuko, but Buizel instinctively used a piece of the falling roof to spring herself forward and pushed him backward.
A piece of the old building fell towards them, and Buizel closed her eyes in fear.
She made a swift swiping motion with her paw, and what seemed to be a blade of pure water slashed straight through the concrete.
Ace used Quick Attack to carry them down to safety and Retsuko watched as the roof of the building fell.
"If anyone were in that building then they would have been killed. The aftermath of the plaza explosion extends to district one..." He said slowly.
Retsuko's eyes widened in realization as he remembered what Buizel had just done.
"Hey. That move you just used. What was it?" Retsuko asked.
The motion that she had done and the way the blade of water moved were somehow familiar to Retsuko.
The pokemon opened her mouth to speak.
"I-I D-D-Don't K-know." She stuttered.
"Her English has improved a bit." Retsuko thought to himself.
Buizel continued to talk.
"I'm scared. Something is very wrong here. I can feel that something is wrong." She said, grabbing onto Retsuko's pant leg in fear.
Retsuko looked down at the pokemon and grabbed her paw in reassurance.
"Right then. Let's go back."
2027 - Unova, Star City Retsuko's Apartment
Via and Kyu went on all day playing video games, and much to Kyu and Kou's surprise, Via was constantly winning in every game they played.
Kyu, getting frustrated after losing 20 times in a row sprung out of the couch and walked over to the kitchen.
"I'm hungry! You want me to make something?" HE asked.
Via smiled at Kyu.
"From what I remember from our travels through Alola and Unova, Retsuko was our chef and you were a terrible cook." She teased.
Kyu pulled a pan out of the cabinet and spun it around with his hand.
"Things change, Via."
"Mmmhmm," Via replied as she walked over and snatched the pan from Kyu.
I will not disappoint!" Kyu said as he took the pan back.
An Hour of cooking later, Kyu and Via met with their abomination of a shared dish.
Via had wanted to make Tamato berry sauce, but Kyu wanted to use the juice from a Rawst berry, and when they mixed the two, the flavors conflicted. The sauce looked purple and was bubbly, oozing a putrid scent from it.
Kyu had failed to clean the rice properly, and it was a yellowish color underneath the sauce.
On the side of the dish was a piece of Mareep meat, and two Tamato berries on each plate.
Kyu And Via took a spoon and prepared their guts for the taste of the dish.
"Welp. Bottoms up!" Via exclaimed as she and Kyu both took bites.
Their initially strained expressions turned joyous after a second, and they both gulped at the same time.
"It's actually good!" Kyu said happily, as he clapped his hands and jumped around the room.
Kou sighed in annoyance and took a spoon from the counter, having a taste of it.
Kou then jumped up and joined Kyu in his happy clapping and jumping in pleasure.
"Greninja! Greninja!" He said in a sing-song voice as he danced.
Via leaned over the counter and took a spoonful of the meal.
"Things really do change." She said, satisfied.
"Yeah! Like Retsuko's hair color!" Kyu said cheerfully.
Via took another spoonful and looked at Kyu.
"You know that that's his natural hair color, right?" She asked him.
Kyu stopped dancing and looked at Via in confusion.
"What?! His hair is naturally green. What are you talking about?" Kyu said defensively.
"Nope. He just used to dye it. I'm not sure why." Via said giddily.
Kyu jumped over to her and began to pull on her cheeks playfully.
"I've been friends with him for 7 years and nobody ever thought to tell me that?!" Kyu said as he shook her back and forth.
"Hey... Let me go!" Via wailed.
2027 - Unova, Star City District 8
Retsuko, Buizel, and Ace quickly made their way to the apartment, and Buizel and Ace had become friends quickly.
They chased each other around playfully as they walked in a tag-like game, something Retsuko found amusing.
He pulled out his phone and began to listen to music, but was disrupted by a loud buzzing sound.
Out of absolutely nowhere, a small Pokemon zipped towards Retsuko at unbelievable speeds, parting wind and knocking down Star City citizens in it's way.
Retsuko slowly looked towards the Pokemon, unafraid by it's presence and the trajectory for his head.
Right as the attack hit him, Ace came bursting upwards and slammed the Pokemon into the ground, minimizing all damage and stopping the threat.
The Pokemon easily maneuvered out of the attack and landed back on the street; Neither of them took any damage.
Buizel looked at Ace, awestruck by his power and Retsuko smiled as a very short boy walked up to him, the owner of the Pokemon.
"Hey... Gill." Retsuko said calmly.
The two high-fived and smiled at each other.
"Where have you been bro!? It's been two years!" Retsuko said happily.
"I've been training for another chance to battle everyone again!" Gill responded.
"Yeah..." Retsuko said uneasily.
Carmen snuck up behind Retsuko and grabbed him by his shoulders, startling him so much that he dripped his phone.
Retsuko turned around and jumped back at the sight of her, his eyes widening.
"Carmen." He mumbled with a breath.
2025 - Unova, Pokemon League Entrance Ceremony
13-Year-old Retsuko stood alongside Kyu, Via, Gill, Kion, and Carmen.
Retsuko was wearing his same black and white hoodie paired with an undershirt and blue sweatpants. His hair was still dyed green at the time and was much shorter.
Kyu's appearance looked similar to that of present-day Moé, with a black and white long sleeves undershirt beneath a grey dress shirt and black tie. His hair was still tied up into side-swept bangs with hair ties, and he wore ripped jeans with a black and white belt.
Kion was much shorter and had a green sweater jacket paired with a grey undershirt. He too wore sweatpants like Gill and Retsuko, and Gill's outfit was entirely the same, just in a smaller size.
Carmen's hair was jet black at the time and she wore pink-rimmed glasses. She had on a burgundy V-neck shirt with two pendants on it, matching a similar one that Via had, and white shorts.
Via, instead of her current school uniform, had on a white shirt with a Pokemon league insignia on it and a red skirt. She had on her Z Ring and her bow was a different shape. Her hair was slightly wrapped around her face looking like a sort of scarf.
A few minutes before the ceremony began, Carmen grabbed Retsuko's hand and turned to everyone.
"Guys! Retsuko and I forgot to get our snacks back at the food stands! We'll be right back!" She said, dragging the short Retsuko away.
"Wait, what? I just ate." Retsuko said in confusion, causing Carmen to roll her eyes.
"Ehhhhhh?!" That's so dumb! Retsuko's competing today and he's gonna be late if he's getting all kissy with you!" Gill whined.
"Your battle can wait, this is important!' Carmen replied assertively.
A dumb grin crept onto Retsuko's face, delighted by the idea that his girlfriend wanted to speak to him in private.
"There's nothing we can do then," Kyu said, folding his arms and cringing at Retsuko's ecstatic expression.
Carmen dragged Retsuko past the food stands and into a secluded picnic area near the League.
"We need to talk, Retsuko." She said, placing her hands on his shoulders.
Retsuko snapped out of his ecstasy and placed his full attention on her, his ultramarine eyes meeting her turquoise eyes.
"I know that this is very sudden and my timing could have been way better, but...
We need to break up."
Chapter 7, done! I planned for chapters 7 and 8 to be combined, because of the length but decided against it. The next chapter is going to be pretty fun for me to write so let's hope I can get it out next weekend! please feel free to review as it helps me improve as a writer and gives me the confidence to continue, and I will see everyone in chapter 8!