Chapter 3 - Trainwreck Part 3

Disclaimer: The following is a "parody" of the Pokémon fangame, Reborn. While this story functions mainly as a retelling of my playthrough of the game, I do take some creative liberties on the story and characters while using Nuzlocke comics and other parodies as inspiration. This is all to say, expect some nonsensical bits along the way. Enjoy!

-Grand Hall-

Challenger Kuro vs Prettyboy Cain!

BEGIN!-

"WAIT!" Kuro's abrupt shout caused Cain and Mudkip to freeze up, both of them turning to him with a mix of confusion and annoyance, especially on Mudkip's part. "Shouldn't we move to like a battlefield or something?"

Cain laughed. "Why? It's not like anyone's going care if we do it right here~" At the unamused look Kuro gave him, he further explained, "No, seriously. Look around!"

And so Kuro did. The Grand Hall itself wasn't totally trashed but it wasn't anywhere near from being well-maintained. The people inside it were a whole different problem which only got worse the more Kuro looked. A guy chugging a beer on a sofa here, two dudes smoking oddish there, a group of old men playing poker- wait, why was that one guy taking off his-

Kuro looked away just before he saw something he definitely didn't want to see, still gagging from the idea alone. Cain seemingly shrugged it off with little to no reservations. "You'll get used to it. Point is, it's not like one small battle isn't going to do THAT much more damage. If you're still unsure, you could just forfeit right here and now."

This city was going to kill Kuro physically and mentally, wasn't it? "Can we just start now?"

"Ready when you are," Cain smirked.

Challenger Kuro vs Prettyboy Cain!

BEGIN!

Cain had moved back a dozen feet or so to give them both a good playing field. Maintaining a relaxed stance, he threw his Pokéball up, a small creature popping out. A male Nidoran based on the purple coloring of his body.

Upon meeting Mudkip's eyes, the Nidoran shrunk under his gaze, his big spiny ears drooping. Despite that, Nidoran made no attempt to fully back down.

The familiar and exhilarating jitters before a battle had already flooded Kuro's senses, The moment Nidoran had been released, his mind went on overdrive, thinking about the moves Nidoran could and would possibly use. In a span of seconds, he already thought of his first command. "Mudkip, Ta-"

Kuro was caught off guard when Mudkip burst off in a sprint. Surprisingly, the trucker hat stayed firm on his amphibian head.

"Close the distance, Terrance!" The words came out of Cain's mouth smoothly, only accompanied by a small nod towards the incoming Pokémon.

Whatever emotion Terrance the Nidoran displayed earlier didn't stop him from rushing forward, head pointed down with his horn pointing right at Mudkip.

The two trainers only had a fraction of a second to make their next moves before the two Pokémon collided. Fortunately, that was all Kuro needed.

"CUT!" "DODGE!"

Terrance's horn glowed as he slashed it down at Mudkip. The attack met nothing but air, Mudkip leaping out of the way with ease. Kuro wasted no time in planning a counterattack.

"Tac-"

Mudkip Growled right before Terrance could get a second strike in. Nidorans were known to have a good sense of hearing, but that proved to be a double edged sword given by how harshly Terrance flinched back.

Inwardly, Kuro was taken aback by Mudkip's impatience, yet he couldn't exactly deny it wasn't a good call.

"O-Owie!" Terrance cried when Mudkip's tailfin slammed into his body, knocking him across the tiled floor.

Kuro managed to suppress a wince, an instinct years of battling still hadn't gotten rid of. He knew what the aftermath of a devastating attack, much less a killing one, looked like. With the strength the two Pokémon had already displayed, he had no fear they'd dish out anything the other couldn't handle.

That's why he wasn't surprised when Terrance immediately got back up no worse for wear.

"Keep your guard up," Cain suggested. Terrance nodded before running towards Mudkip once more, the latter following suit.

When they crossed paths again, Mudkip leapt over Terrance and attempted to pivot on his front legs to backhand - heh, backfin - him, but the Nidoran was faster. Terrance spun around and blocked the attack, horn and fin clashing together. They pushed back and forth, and with neither of them being able to gain a upper hand, they were forced to leap back and away from each other.

There was a brief period where none of them made a move; an unspoken truce that allowed them time to process. Kuro's heart was already starting to race. He knew his first starter battle had no reason to be THIS intense. Of course, he was using beginner ten year old trainers as his only baseline, and suffice to say he and Cain were much older than ten and definitely not inexperienced.

Cain seemed to have come to the same conclusion too. "Damn... I was wrong. There's no way this can be your first League Circuit." Cain thought aloud, moving his attention from Kuro to Mudkip. "If I didn't already know, I'd think there's no way you just got Mudkip today with how strong he is."

"Actually, it IS my first League Circuit," Kuro said, somewhat sheepish and proud. That aside, the praise would've been appreciated if Kuro was actually doing something. So far, everything Mudkip had done was on his own accord, even if his skills were admittedly impressive.

Kuro snapped out of his thoughts, chastising himself for getting lost in them in the first place. He was in the middle of a battle for Arceus' sake, and he couldn't afford his opponents too much time to recover.

As a matter of fact, "Alright, Mudkip! Keep 'em moving with Wa-"

"RAHH!"

Aaaand Mudkip charged in again, ruining the plan Kuro had thought up. Brilliant! The first two times he was confused. Now? He was starting to get annoyed.

It wasn't clear if Cain was aware of it or not, but he grinned all the same. "Keep him at bay with Cut!"

"R-right!" Terrance nodded, readying to attack.

The third time they clashed made the start of the battle just seem like practice. Terrance's horn, glowing white, cut through the air with broad yet rapid sweeps. Meanwhile, Mudkip dodged and weaved in fluid motions, evading the attacks sent at him with ease. Together, they made quite the show... if anyone besides the two trainers was watching, that is.

Kuro had to force himself not to get too caught up in their movement. Had he seen more impressive from even stronger Pokémon? Definitely, but the performance from the two was far from mediocre, especially considering they were relatively low-level Pokémon. At least, that's what he assumed.

During his analysis, a pit widened in his stomach when he realized something terrible: Mudkip was losing.

If anyone had been watching who was not knowledgeable about the ins and outs of battling, Kuro's conclusion would've stumped them. Mudkip and Terrance seemed evenly matched at first glance, both being able to land good hits here and there. But Kuro saw beyond that.

Mudkip was stronger than Terrance, significantly so in fact. However, while Terrance was lacking in accuracy, he wasn't lacking in agility and speed by any means. The Nidoran was fast on his feet and could strike in rapid succession, even if he missed. Mudkip not only was slower to counter, he also had to use more energy to keep up with him. The fact Terrance was also strong in his own right made it even more difficult for Mudkip to endure.

In other words, they weren't evenly matched at all. This wasn't a battle of strength, but one of endurance. A battle Mudkip was going to slowly lose in.

Despite the odds, Mudkip managed to get a lucky shot in, smacking Terrance away just enough to give him some much needed breathing room. Kuro didn't waste any time in trying to reach his Pokémon.

"MUDKIP! Listen!" He shouted, clenching his fists. "Don't engage in close combat! You have to use Water Gun to keep him away from you!"

For the first time in that battle, Mudkip acknowledged him. At first, Kuro was relieved that he managed to get to him, but that sensation was ripped away from him when he saw Mudkip's face. Their eyes only connected for less than a second, but to Kuro, time slowed down.

He had seen this before. The cold indifference in their eyes, the callous scowls across their faces, blatant disregard to his orders. How could he have not figured out it before?

"Naw," Mudkip said, turning back to his opponent.

That asshole had been ignoring him the entire time ON purpose!

If Kuro was frustrated before, he was fully pissed off now. "MUDKIP!"

*Mudkip pretended not to notice!

Mudkip ran towards Terrance in a Tackle, and predictably, Terrance dodged. But then Cain gave him a strange order. "Stay close and wait for it again!"

Even stranger, Terrance obeyed, but he didn't try to attack as much. No, he instead started to focus mainly on dodging. A seemingly perfect way to let Mudkip tire himself out, but Kuro felt as if there was something beyond that. And what exactly did he mean by wait for-

After yet another one of Mudkip's attacks was dodged, the Mud Fish Pokémon spun towards Terrance and opened his mouth. Cain grinned. This was the opening they had been waiting for.

"NOW! SHOVE IT IN!~"

Kuro eye's bulged. "DON'T-"

"Shove wh-"

Mudkip's attempt at a Growl was cut short when Terrance jabbed his horn inside Mudkip's mouth and flung him into the air. He leapt up after Mudkip's flying body and slashed, landing three full Cuts on him. Mudkip cried out in pain, but Terrance wasn't done yet, finishing things off with a devestating Double-Kick to the back.

"W-Was that too far?" Terrance stammered, landing as Mudkip flew, then crashed and tumbled across the tiled floor, stopping in front of Kuro's feet.

The combo of attacks went to Cain's head as he wagged his finger. "You couldn't have really expected us to fall for the same thing twice, couldn't you?"

"Mudkip!" Kuro cried out, anger replaced with panic as the Pokémon staggered up, his back marked with scratches. "You can't-"

"I GOT THIS!" Mudkip barked, pushing through the blatantly obvious pain. He stormed right back towards Terrance, causing the latter to let out a high pitched squeak.

He lunged at Terrance as the latter darted around in terror. Still, it was clear who had the advantage. Blinded by rage, Mudkip left himself wide open to Terrance's attacks. His movements were getting sluggish each time he was hit, the pain clearly taking its toll on him. That only made him angrier, leading him to get hit even more in the brutal cycle.

'Fuckfuckfuckfuck FUCK!' Kuro resisted the urge to pull his own hair out as he watched Mudkip get pummeled. Today, it seemed like he was a magnet for all sorts of bad luck and now, his own starter was refusing to listen to him and he didn't even know why! Just what was up with this stupid city?!

He barely registered Mudkip getting knocked towards him again. Ironically, the hat seemingly glued to his head was barely damaged, unlike the rest of his bruised body. It took two strained attempts for him to wobble back up to his feet. Kuro made no mistake, Mudkip would faint long before he could sustain the rare injury. The point was he WAS going to faint if he wasn't careful.

Just like the many other times in battle, Kuro attempted to reach him. "Listen to-"

Mudkip whipped back, growling. "I said I got-"

Kuro finally snapped. "FOR FUCK'S SAKE JUST LISTEN TO ME!" All the emotions he'd been bottling up flooded out with no signs of stopping. "You clearly don't got shit! You don't even know HALF of what I've been through today, and now, I'm about to lose my FIRST LEAGUE BATTLE all because someone's being an EGOTISTICAL... INSUFFERABLE... ASSHOLE!"

Mudkip immediately fell silent. He studied Kuro's gaze before finding the floor much more tolerable. Even Terrance took a step back, seemingly spooked by the mere observation of the trainer's outburst. Cain himself looked a mix of surprised and intrigued.

Kuro took a deep breath, trying to close the floodgates of red hot emotion. An angry Pokémon and an angry trainer wouldn't help them win, if they COULD even still win at this point.

"Listen... Respectfully, right now, you're acting really really stupid, and I'm not sure why. Is it a lack of respect? Arrogance? Spite? Whatever it is, my point is, you're losing. Bad. And if you lose, I lose too. I've had a really shitty day so far, and I really don't want to lose my first trainer battle in this league circuit, and I'm sure you don't want to either. And well..."

'Anime logic please don't fail me now.'

"I think you're cool."

"...Huh?" Mudkip was dumbfounded.

"Should I attack?" Asked the meek voice of Terrance.

"Nah. I wanna see what he pulls out of his ass," Cain decided.

Kuro ignored them. "No, really, I do. Swamperts are like the best water type starters out there competitively, even if most get one-shot by Energy Balls. And on the topic of YOU specifically: you're strong. Even when you're getting your getting your ass handed to you, you're still fighting. Even when you're struggling to stand, you're still pushing yourself. I like that about you."

Okay, he might've been laying it on a bit too thick, but it wasn't like he didn't mean most of it.

"What I'm trying to say is, I want to win. But I don't just want to win. I want to win with YOU. With our combined efforts, I really think we can turn this around and actually win this. To do that though, I'll need your help." He took another long breath of anticipation. "So whaddya say? Want to believe in me like I believed in you?"

Mudkip, Terrance, and Cain processed Kuro's small speech. Mudkip was the first one to speak.

"I... I don't know what to say," Mudkip croaked, meeting Kuro's eyes. "I reckon... that was the WORSE gosh darn speech I've heard in my life."

At the same time, Cain was unable to hold it in and started cackling to himself. "FUCK! I can't- I CAN'T!" He managed to say before it was overtaken by laughter.

"Uh, you know, I-I actually thought it was decent...ish," Terrance mumbled.

"Yeah? Well fuck you all too," Kuro scowled, blushing red as he crossed his arms.

Mudkip shook his head, letting out a sigh. "Still... Can't say you ain't got a point of us not wanting to lose. Reckon I don't want that either." He gave his opponent one hard look before turning to Kuro. "What're your orders?"

"H-Huh?!" Kuro stammered, surprised.

All cards on the table, he didn't expect that to accomplish anything other than embarrass himself further. But, since it DID work...

"Water gun, far range!" Kuro shouted, pointing to their opponents.

Mudkip hesitated, but fired a jet of water straight from his mouth. Startled, Terrance hopped to the side to avoid the attack. Immediately afterwards, he had to move out of the way again when another Water Gun shot towards him. Then another one. And another one. Soon, he was leaping to and from to avoid the blasts of water.

Cain's lips tightened; his posture became more rigid. "Get close to him!"

It was Kuro's turn to get cocky. He had his suspicions and Cain's latest command was the final nail in the coffin.

Terrance didn't have any ranged attacks.

"KEEP FIRING!"

And fire Mudkip did. Terrance sprinted for him, weaving past Water Guns. He was still gaining ground, but the water slowed him down significantly.

"DON'T ENGAGE!" Kuro yelled as Terrance leapt for Mudkip, preparing a Cut. "Leap back and keep it up!"

Mudkip protested, but dutifully jumped away just as Terrance's horn hit the tiled flooring. The Nidoran would've immediately tried again too if it wasn't for the blast of water crashing into him. Despite his current state, Mudkip seemed to have plenty of energy left to consistently fire off Water Guns.

So what if Terrance was dodging most of the water? He was still USING energy. Mudkip was already severely weakened from the earlier bout. No doubt one good hit would K.O him. But with Kuro's strategy, they could slowly chip away at Terrance's stamina, evening the playing field.

Terrance rolled under another Water Gun and charged. Mudkip was already prepared to fire.

"Full blast!" "Cut through it!"

Just as the blast would've hit him, Terrance used his attack's movement to part the water around him. A smart move, but not smart enough because as soon Terrance got through the attack he was introduced to the bad side of Mudkip's fin, sending him flying past Cain and almost into a wall.

Mudkip readied to make chase when Kuro yelled, "Stop! Let him come to you!"

Mudkip was confused, rightfully so. "That last attack took a lot out of 'em. One good-"

"Just trust me!" Kuro insisted.

"I..." Again, Mudkip looked like he wanted to argue. Seemingly mulling it over, he eventually nodded. "Alright."

Cain's composure was fully broken by now. To him, it was obvious Kuro was planning something, even if he didn't exactly know what. He looked to Terrance who already wobbled back to his feet. The Nidoran was soaking wet and his body's condition wasn't a far cry from Mudkip's.

"Attack, but stay cautious!" Cain warned.

Shaking off his dizziness, Terrance tentatively raced forward, prepared to dodge any attack that came his way. But Mudkip didn't rush at him nor did he attack.

Terrance, gaining some confidence, ran faster. Cain's lips tightened with uncertainty. Mudkip widened his stance, still not moving.

Finally, just as Terrance was closing in, Kuro made his call

"Aim at the floor! NOW!"

Without hesitation, Mudkip fired.

Cain was speechless.

Sure, Terrance was prepared to dodge a Water Gun at moment's notice, but he wasn't prepared to dodge the massive puddle on the tiled floor. He couldn't react fast enough. He slipped, falling onto his stomach, and began sliding.

Sliding in the direction he had been running in.

Sliding right towards Mudkip.

Sliding right into Mudkip who seemed like he was going to-

SMACK

*A critical hit!

This time, Terrance landed right at Cain's feet. He let out one final squeak before fainting, swirly eyes and all.

BATTLE WON!

It all hit Kuro at once. The calming sensation that came as his body began to relax, the relief from all that anxiety dissipating in an instant, and the familiar rush of dopamine thumping at his brain.

He won... He won!

A unstoppable grin made itself known on Kuro's face.. Even after feeling this wonderful feeling so many times before, he couldn't help himself from pumping a fist in the air. Winning always felt so... exhilarating! And admittedly, that close call with Mudkip made it even more so.

"How's that for making someone wet?~" Kuro quipped, blasting two finger guns at Cain for good measure.

...What? Cain totally would've found a way to sneak that in if he won.

Any judgement, if there was any at all, couldn't bother Kuro now. "Right Mud...kip?" Kuro looked to Mudkip only to find him too slumped on the ground. "Crap..."

Meanwhile, Cain scooped up Terrance in his arms, looking over the knocked out Pokémon tenderly.

For a second, his face showed another emotion. Guilt? Regret? Shame? Yet as quickly as it came it was replaced with a smirk as Cain looked up to Kuro who rushed to his own Pokémon.

"Huh. Cute AND Talented~"

"Like, here's your Pokébuddies-"

"Pokémon." The Trubbish next to the Nurse Joy corrected.

"Riight! Well, here they are, all healed up and stuff!"

She carried a tray holding two Pokéballs, walking back to the counter where Cain and Kuro were waiting. The two had went to the small Pokécenter to get their Pokémon healed up after situating themselves after the battle. Speaking of which, as soon as Nurse Joy sat the tray down, the Pokéballs popped open and revealed Mudkip and Terrance.

Mudkip was silent. His eyes were covered by the lip of his trucker hat, but Kuro could tell he was avoiding his gaze.

"Hey, c'mon, we won and that's what matters, right? Plus that comeback was INSANE!" Kuro exclaimed, trying to break the tension. "You're pretty strong for a starter Pokémon!"

"...Appreciate it," Mudkip eventually croaked, though the previous edge in his voice present during the battle was gone.

Cain glanced to his own Pokémon. "You did great too Terrance. How are you feeling?"

"T-thanks Cain," The Nidoran muttered. He lied on his stomach and rubbed at his eye. "Though, I'm still feeling a b-bit woozy. Could I take a nap maybe?"

"Of course. Take a good rest," Cain said softly, picking up Terrance's Pokéball. With a click of a button, Terrance vanished inside it in a flash of red light.

Mudkip hopped off the tray and onto the floor. Taking this as a sign he was more than fine, he simply pocketed Mudkip's Pokéball and glanced up at Cain.

"Hey, good battle out there. I mean it," Kuro said, holding out his hand.

"You too," Cain smiled, accepting the gesture. "I'm actually surprised. I didn't expect to get so wet, espically by a first timer~" The flirty look on his face quickly morphed into a frown. "No seriously, the bottom of my jeans and my socks are sopping wet."

"Sorry about that," Kuro sighed, already cringing at the mess OF WATER they made in the lobby of the Grand Hall. He had gotten so caught up in the fight he actually forget they weren't on a proper battlefield.

It was all so strange reflecting on it. Mudkip aside, the disparity between Cain's apparent skill level as a trainer and Terrance's fighting experience, while not too big, was still noticeable. Did he use a less inexperienced Pokémon on purpose?

Before he could ask, the Nurse Joy beat him to the chase.

"Oh! I'm supposed to like, say something to you both." She thought for a moment. "We... We uh... It was on the tip of my tongue..."

"We hope to see ya again," The Trubbish helped her out.

"Yeah! That's like totally what I was getting at! Thanks Trubby!"

"Wait, your assistant's a Trubbish?" He asked, staring at the literal trashbag Pokémon with disbelief. "Shouldn't you have a Wigglytuff, or an Audino, or even a Chansey? Let me guess, budget-cuts?"

The Trubbish glared at him.

"Listen, kid. Us Poison-types know our way 'round when it comes to da poisoning and da diseases. It's practically second nature. I haven't effectively identified and diagnosed hundreds of different infections just for my capabilities to be questioned, espically not from some boy band reject who thinks wearing shades automatically makes 'im look cool."

"Damn, my bad, I'm sorry for asking." Kuro held up his hands defensively.

...

"Okay, it might be a little bit of da budget-cuts," Trubbish admitted.

"Knew it."

"Kuro-kun! There you are!" Cain, Kuro, and Mudkip turned around to see Victoria and Ame walking towards them. Victoria greeted them by bowing before continuing. "I thought you had forgotten about our promise and ran off."

"That would've been bad since I didn't fully finish registering you!" Ame added helpfully.

"Well-"

"Sorry~" Cain interrupted Kuro before he could say anything. "I kinda stole Kuro for a bit, so my b."

"Oh... Cain." Ame's tone became somewhat reminiscent of how she spoke to Julia, thought not as cold. "Right, I forgot you were coming by today."

"It's okayyyy, when you were gone, I met Kuro and had some fun~"

What.

"'Had some fun'?" Victoria asked before gasping. She covered her mouth as she blushed beet red. "So that's the kind of person Kuro-kun is..."

Oh HELL nah. Before Cain could make it worse, Kuro spoke up. "What this dipshit means is that we had a Pokémon battle. Mudkip can vouch."

"Eeyup," Mudkip nodded, much to Kuro's relief.

Ame tilted her head. "Wait, was that not implied?"

"Yeah, Kuro. What exactly DID you think she meant, hmm?~" Cain asked, smirking.

"Don't you even fucking dare." Kuro growled.

The blush vanished from Victoria's cheeks. "Oh! I see now. That does like it would be 'Fun'! I would like to battle Kuro-kun as well. Not only would it establish our current skills but it would further cement our bonds as destiny-bound rivals and serve to strengthen our relationship. Kuro-san, I implore you to accept my proposition for a battle!"

"Did you two get all that?" Cain asked genuinely.

Kuro at least did. He didn't mind too much, as long as Mudkip didn't pull that stunt again. Speaking of him, Kuro turned to the Pokémon in question. "How are you feeling? Can you fight?"

Seemingly surprised Kuro asked him beforehand, Mudkip hesitated before nodding. "As fresh as a daisy."

Ame smiled "Great! Cain, I'll get you registered as a challenger while they do that. Follow me!"

"Ooh, yes mistress~"

Ame faltered, but didn't lose her smile nor cheerful tone."On the way there, maybe you could help with the huge mess you and Kuro made near the registration desk!"

"Mess?~"

"You have five seconds!~" She singsonged.

"Yes, Ame, sorry, Ame."

'Karma' Kuro thought with a satisfied look as he watched Ame walked away, quickly followed by Cain. He turned back to Victoria who now stood in front of him, wearing a steely eyed gaze on him.

"Let us begin," Victoria said, pulling out a Pokéball.

Challenger Kuro vs Apprentice Victoria

BEGIN!

Victoria closed her eyes and released her Pokémon, a black and red striped cat with yellow scelera. If Kuro remembered correctly, it was a Litten? Yeah, definitely a Litten.

"Kuro-kun. Mudkip-san. Your opponent is Hibana-san. In Kantonese, her name means spark -"

Unbeknownst to Victoria, as soon as Hibana set eyes on her opponents, she leapt into action, forcing Mudkip to begin as well.

"- While it is true I named her that as she is a fire-type -" Victoria obliviously continued as the Pokémon in question began to duke it out with Mudkip, "- It goes beyond that. A spark alone starts out weak, but with fuel, oxygen and time, it can grow into a raging inferno that could ravage entire forests. Just like a spark, Hibana -"

Mudkip dodged an incoming Ember.

"- with enough time -"

Hibana yowled as she was Tackled by Mudkip.

"- and I -"

Mudkip grunted as Hibana Scratched him.

"- can grow alongside each other to go even further beyond. Kuro-kun... You -"

"Water Gun!"

"- Even if you just met your Mudkip today, I can already sense a budding bond between you two. Truly, it must be fate that brought you together as was the case for me and Hibana-san. So to speak, this battle will bring us together -"

Hibana screeched.

"- to achieve our goals. My sensei once said that learning to work and train together with Pokémon would be an invaluable step on my journey of personal growth." Her eyes flared. "Kuro-san! Let us take these first steps tog-"

"Uh, Victoria?" Kuro spoke up. "I hate to break it to you... but we kind of already won. Sorry?"

Victoria looked up to see Mudkip standing victoriously over the knocked out form of Hibana.

BATTLE WON!

She gasped, too shocked to even immediately recall the Litten into her Pokéball.

"Defeated so easily?! And so fast too? I... I cannot believe this!" Victoria exclaimed dramatically. "Kuro-kun... You are no ordinary trainer, are you..."

"Uh... Thanks? I think?" Kuro rubbed his neck, torn between feeling bad and dumbfounded.

"No matter. I-"

Fortunately, before Victoria could go on another tangent, Caine poked his head out from behind the corner. "Heyy! If you're done, Ame is waiting for you guys!"

Kuro sighed in relief; saved by the bell.

After Victoria got Hibana healed up and put away in her Pokéball to rest up, Her, Kuro, and Mudkip joined Cain at the registration counter. Surprisingly, most of the mess had been cleaned up in that short amount of time. Fortunately, Ame had gotten most of their documentation done while they were 'battling,' so all she had to do was to give them the standard stuff: League information, League challenger badges, Pokéballs, Poképasses, Pokégear, a Pokédex, and all that poke-jazz.

"Oh, and before I forget-" Ame reached from underneath the counter and pulled out three boxes. "As a sort of promotional bonus, Silph Co. has paired up with the Reborn League to give each and every one of our league challengers the super special limited time only League approved Running Shoes Deluxe Pro... 2! They're not only super comfy but they're even tougher than the Running Shoes Deluxe Pro 1!"

She gave a dramatic pause.

"What do you all think?"

Everyone was silent, all except for Mudkip who had the guts to say what everyone was really thinking. "Sell-out."

Ame sweat-dropped. "Budget-cuts, remember? These shoes are practically the only thing Silph Co. is comfortable officially endorsing, and even that's pushing it... Pleasetakethem."

Well, an extra pair of shoes were always nice. Kuro took one box and placed them in his yellow league backpack now strapped over his shoulders. Once Victoria and Cain did the same, Ame clapped her hands.

"I think... you're all set now!. I'd love to take any questions any of you may have, but I've got more damage control to run, so I'm afraid I have to leave you all be now."

Victoria bowed gratuitously. "You have our eternal gratitude, Ame-sama!"

Cain rolled his eyes at Victoria's antics. "I don't know about eternal, but yeah, thanks... MISTRESS Ame-"

"I think there's a bit of water you missed," Ame stated while smiling.

"You have our eternal gratitude!" Cain bowed twice for good measure before giving Kuro and Victoria an awkward glance. "I'm uh... I'm gonna hit the road now. See ya!"

Before Kuro could say anything, Cain spun around and power-walked straight out of the Grand Hall. He wanted to ask which starter he picked, but oh well.

He turned back to Ame, making a mental note not to ever get on her bad side. "Thanks Ame. Not just for this, but for also saving me back in the bombing. Without you I would've..."

"Hey, you're the one enrolled in my league! I should be thanking you!" Ame assured him, stopping him from continuing that train of thought. "That said, if you really want to thank me-"

"AMYTHEST!" Someone shouted from the back.

Ame sighed. "Well, duty calls. Until next time. I can't wait to see your progress!" She waved to them while walking away. Once she was far enough, Kuro swore he heard her add, "I swear if that idiot broke the printer AGAIN I'm gonna-"

"Kuro-kun."

Kuro glanced to Victoria who gave him a somewhat somber look. "What's up?"

"Earlier, I forgot to thank you for the battle. In a way, losing is a better alternative than winning as we will be able to more greatly learn and grow from our mistakes. I look forward to battling you again, Kuro-kun." She bowed.

"Hey, you too!" Kuro grinned, deciding to return the bow. "And uh, good luck on your journey. May um... Lady destiny let us cross paths again?"

Victoria let out a small giggle. "I wish the same "Until next time."

Kuro watched her leave, feeling leagues better than he had been before he arrived at the Grand Hall. His opinion on Ame had shifted significantly, but his mind lingered on Cain and Victoria - his rivals? Sure they both had their own strange quirks, but Kuro definetly didn't hate them.

Unlike a certain greenette cheerleader...

He shook his head. 'Guess I should probably get going as well.'

"Kuro."

Mudkip's voice surprised Kuro. He hadn't forgotten about him as much as Mudkip's silence had made it pretty easy to overlook him. Kuro looked down, the Pokémon's frown being the first thing he noticed. "What's wrong?

"I... I reckon I should apologize on account of my behavior earlier. I don't got no excuses. What I was doing wasn't right, and we almost lost because of it," Mudkip admitted. "You... actually made some good calls back there, espically that last one about aiming at the floor."

Kuro thought about his words, wanting to give a genuine response. "It's cool dude. Really, I was more confused than angry or anything like that." 'Mostly.' "Like I said, you're really strong. I think you could've actually won without me... at least, up to the point you directly disobeyed me."

Mudkip held his head lower. "Wanted to apologize for that especially. It was real petty of me and I guess I did it on account of..." He looked conflicted, torn between wanting to say something and not wanting to. "...Nevermind. Just know I'm sorry. Real sorry. I know I can't expect you to want to start over, but-"

"I'd be happy to start over." Mudkip looked up to see Kuro crouching down with his hand held out to him. He added, "It'd suck if we had a bad relationship throughout the entire League Circuit."

Half of Kuro wanted to press the issue a bit more, but the other half knew better than to do that. Besides, admitting all the stuff Mudkip did, that took guts and Kuro respected that.

"So to start us off... Hey! I'm Kuro and well, I'm hoping to win this entire thing. I'd be happy to have you as my partner."

For the first time that day, Mudkip smiled.

"Pleasure to meet you Kuro." He extended a front foot and gave Kuro and impromptu handshake. Afterwards, Kuro stood back up, satisfied. He thought for a moment.

"Tucker," He said.

"Huh?"

"I just realized I forgot to give you a nickname. Something to make you stand out from other Mudkips, y'know? How does Tucker sound to you?" Kuro paused. "That is, if you even want a nickname."

He mulled it over for a bit. "Tucker... I reckon that's a mighty fine name. Tucker it is! And Kuro? I'd be happy to be your partner!"

"Alright!"

Kuro's grin grew wider. Maybe this whole Reborn League wasn't going to be as terrible as he thought it'd be.

"HEY, I'VE BEEN LISTENING TO YOU TWO FOR A WHILE NOW, AND I JUST WANTED TO SAY YOU TWO SOUND GAY!" Someone shouted.

"GO TO HELL!" Tucker and Kuro shouted back in unison.

Mudkip joined the team!

- "Tucker" Mudkip: Kuro's starter -

Hardy Nature
Quick tempered
Ability: Damp

And that's chapter 3 finished AND the last part of the mega-upload to kick this story of mine off! It's been a heck of a journey just to get this far. I fought off de-motivation and general bad habits the entire time! So I just wanna say, to anyone who cares enough to read this story of mine and comment, thank you. It means the world to me. As always, if you have any critique or questions, feel free to notify me right away! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! See you all next time!