-DreamSequence#001-
"Do we really have to do this?" the young girl complained. Beside her, a wet-eyed Eevee whimpered in front of a vibrant, red, and yellow pepper-like berry resting in a tall man's rough left hand. The man's sharp eyes judged the tiny pokemon before him, and his rocky jaw was expressionless. The sunlight merged with his white outfit, featuring a frilled button-down, slacks, and a pair of shoes. His long, ash-gray waves of hair glowed in the sunlight.
"Don't worry little one," the man confided the small, brown pokemon in an elegant, northern accent. His ice-blue eyes seemed to calm down the pokemon's nerves somewhat. "It will only last but a moment."
The three were in Rustboro's park, and the summer heat bore on them without end. Around them, Tailows chirped from their tree-top perches, and Poliwag played under an iconic, stone Politoed fountain in the distance. A few families enjoyed the hot day, whether that be admiring the fountain, frolicing in the well-trimmed grass, or having a picnic under the shade of the tall trees.
"B-But what if something happens to my pokemon, Elliot?" the twelve-year-old girl mumbled. Her red, lush hair fell to her shoulders, and her bright green eyes were on the verge of tearing up. She wore a white sundress, as well as white slip-ons that complimented each other.
"Oh, bother. Must I explain it to you again, Moxy? She will only feel the pain for a minute, that's all. If you want your pokemon to grow stronger, then you both need to make tough decisions. The strongest steel can only be forged within the hottest fire," Elliot explained, placing his hand over his heart passionately.
"Does Charles do this? I don't believe it." Moxy crossed her arms, unamused. Elliot sighed while putting two fingers between the bridge of his nose.
"Yes, yes, once a week until evolution. You shall then swap the berry for a different one. Since Eevee is of normal attribution, this Chople berry will create the illusion of being struck by a fighting type attack, therefore bolstering your pokemon's resilience to the fighting type. When she endures a Close-Combat from Brawly's Hariyama, you will thank me."
Moxy scratched her head. "I'm pretty sure a Close-Combat would kill Eevee, no matter what."
Elliot squinted his eyes. "That's not the point."
"Ughh, fine." Moxy finally gave up, surprising Elliot by snatching the berry from his open hand. "It will go down better if it comes from me."
"By all means." Elliot put his arms behind his back.
The girl knelt in front of her pokemon and gestured her to eat the berry. Hesitantly, the Eevee took a bite out of it from her trainers' hand. Nothing happened, and Moxy had a smile on her face.
"Wow, Eevee must be really-"
A sharp yelp pierced the air and Eevee toppled onto her side, her body shaking in pain. A wide-eyed Moxy reached for a potion from her bag, but Elliot grasped her arm before the girl could take it out.
"No! You must have faith in your pokemon's strength," he insisted. Moxy's gaze faltered, every yelp from her pokemon causing her to wince.
"I believe in you!" she cried out suddenly, clenching her hands into fists, "A stupid berry isn't enough to take you down, come on!"
Surprisingly, Eevee used all her might to get up, her face turning red as she fought the pain. After one minute of fear and anxiety, Eevee relaxed. She smiled at Moxy and wagged her fluffy tail. It was as if she never went through the trial at all.
"Very well done, little one," Elliot praised the pokemon, tossing her a small Sitrus berry. The Eevee hopped up, eating the berry straight out of the air.
"Yay! Good job, girl!" Moxy beamed while petting her pokemon. Eevee yapped before jumping into her trainers' body, tackling her.
"Waaah!" Moxy yelled, tumbling onto the glimmering grass with Eevee in her arms. The pokemon nuzzled Moxy's stomach, and Moxy's legs flailed in the air as she laughed.
"Alright, that's enough of this tomfoolery," Elliot said, smiling at the young girl playing with her pokemon.
"Oh, one second!" Moxy exclaimed suddenly, throwing Eevee off her. The girl ran to a backpack that was leaning on the side of a nearby tree. When she came back, she was holding a cupcake. The bread was pink, and a small swirl of white frosting garnished the top of the cupcake.
Elliot crossed his arms as he watched the Eevee gobble up the cupcake in an instant, cream and cake flying everywhere. "You know, if you are keen on treating Eevee like a princess, she shall evolve into a Sylveon."
"What's wrong with a fairy type? They are super cute, and they scare dragon types away. Roar!" Moxy mimicked a dragon, and Eevee pretended to be fighting her.
"Fairy types are tough, but like all pokemon they have weaknesses. Besides, your Eevee, according to its battle behavior, is too careful. I would think you'd desired, em, an Umbreon to take advantage of that, or perhaps even a Leafeon."
"I don't care what Eevee evolves into. I just know that when she evolves, it's going to be awesome!" Moxy cheered.
Elliot didn't seem amused, "It would be smarter to think about her evolution now instead of saving it as a surprise for later. If you want to succeed in tournaments, then your team and strategy must be sound."
"I think I'll worry about that when I get my second pokemon. After all," Moxy cleared her voice, "'Battle isn't always about strength. It's about utilizing whatever advantages you can grasp.'" She said, making a bad impression of Elliot's voice.
"That is not how I sound."
Moxy gave him a slick smile before cleaning up Eevee's cupcake disaster.
Elliot sighed. "To be honest, I can't say I'm not proud of how properly you've raised her from just an egg. I chose well."
Moxy hid her face behind her little hands, embarrassed from the compliment that came out of nowhere.
"Where did you get her, anyway?" Moxy asked, trying to change the subject.
Elliot sat down, the grass crinkling under his weight. "You recall what happened in Unova?" His expression was grave as he spoke.
"Yeah. There was a war or something because..." She tilted her head, trying to remember the name, "of uhh... Gennis?"
"Ghetsis," he corrected, his body tensing up. "The man who tried to rid the relationships between pokemon and humans."
Elliot stared silently at the floor for a few seconds. It looked like his jaw was hardening in his cheek. Moxy was unsure if it was a good idea to have brought that up. Elliot noticed her face, and he relaxed, the fire in his voice dying down. "I apologize, Moxy. It dredges up bad memories. Anyways, the League granted me two Eevee eggs because of my service to the region. Their species is rare in Unova, so it was meant to be a special gift. It was decided I would give one to Charles, and raise the other myself. However, Charles insisted you participate in his pokemon training. Upon seeing you had yet to gain a starter, I had no qualms about satisfying my younger brother's wishes instead of my own."
Moxy put a hand on Elliot's arm in an attempt to soothe him. "Well, it was very kind of you. I don't know what I would do without Eevee," Moxy thanked, smiling at her pokemon. Eevee brushed her body off the side of Moxy's leg in response.
Elliot gave Moxy a nod. They sat in silence for a few seconds before Elliot picked himself up. "Alright, enough of this. Charles should be finished with his lessons. We'll meet him at the mansion, and then we shall all train together."
Elliot placed his hand on Moxy's shoulder, and suddenly her vision began to darken. All the sounds drowned away until everything around her vanished. Only the feeling of Elliot's hand on her right shoulder was present, growing firmer with every passing second. One, two, three seconds passed, and the feeling began to shove her back and forth. A disembodied voice emanated from the darkness, but it was imperceptible to her. Suddenly, her world flashed white, and she finally heard what the voice was saying.
"Moxy. Wake. Up."
Moxy brought her head up from her desk. Roxanne was standing beside her, hand on her shoulder. Dazed, Moxy looked around the room and found all the students staring at her. She hid her face behind her hand in embarrassment.
"I'm terribly sorry Ms. Roxanne. I didn't mean to-" Moxy was cut short when her teacher motioned her hand towards the front door. Two men in beige trench coats with navy blue suits underneath were standing there. One had spiky, blond hair, a thin beard, and was well-built. He also wore a pair of jet-black shades. The other was leaner, paler, and a flat-topped police cap sat upon his short black hair. Both bore a gold shield on their chest with the words HNLE engraved on them.
"Moxy, these two gentlemen would like to talk with you for a moment," Roxanne whispered. It took a moment for Moxy to get her bearings, but once she did her heart began to pound in her chest. They were police officers with the Hoenn Law Enforcement, and they didn't look happy.
"I… I swear I didn't do anything, miss," Moxy mumbled.
Roxanne allowed a small smile to show and she rubbed Moxy's arm in reassurance. "Don't worry, dear. They just want to talk, that's all."
Moxy's head swirled with fear as she put all her belongings in her bag, got up, and walked hesitantly towards the officers. Moxy looked over at Janice who was mouthing the word 'crook' from across the classroom. The redheaded girl gritted her teeth together in her pursed lips. When Moxy reached the officers, one put his hand on her back and led her out of the classroom.
Roxanne glanced at Moxy's now empty desk, and she was shocked at the horrendous word exposed for all to see.
'Oh, Moxy. What have you gotten yourself into now?'