Chapter 6 – Battle in the Slums

A/N: Also, this is an original Pokemon Fan Game made by Amethyst. To check it out and play the game, download it at Reborn Evolved. Search for it on your web browser to get to the website.

Edited/Rewritten as of 1/25/2024

Things to note: Lucille, in the story, has had a massive overhaul on her team. She has a lot more Pokémon and uses the PC System. As of Chapter 5, Lucille has: Quiladin, Budew, Noibat, Panpour, Munna, Numel, Magikarp

"Gasp!" A blonde girl rushed upward, cold sweat trailing down her face, right over the fading scar, around her silver eyes, and down her cheeks. She was breathing heavily, her emotions all over the place… Determined yet scared? It was a strange feeling. However, that sense of determination faded slowly, leaving her confused and frightened, and she felt like she had forgotten something important.

"Ah…" The blonde girl held her head in her hands. The ache of the faded scar was there… like a muffled scream. Calming her breath, she focused her attention on something else. She picked up the chain necklace and glanced at the silver moon pendant she wore. It seemed to soothe and worsen the ache simultaneously.

Lucille's fingers traced the pendant carefully, treating it with care. It was a gift from her mother, who said there was another to match it… though it was lost somewhere in Reborn. Nothing else was said about it, not that Lucille could get her mother to say more. Around the edges, there seemed to be traces of a bracket, but no seam indicated a way to open it. With a sigh, she got up… and prepared for the day.

"Lucille! Are you alright? " a voice screamed as Lucille left her rented room in the Grand Hall. Lucille looked over and saw a girl in a black-and-white kimono with yin symbols across her sides. Lucille knew this girl as Victoria Marlow, a friend she had recently made in Reborn.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why did you…" Lucille looked behind Victoria and saw the shy face of a boy with white hair and blue eyes. Another friend Lucille had made, Percival, Middle name Omited, Whitehall, did not usually seem shy, but his confident demeanor seemed missing today.

"I've heard you and Percival fought against Team Meteor the other day! But more than that, you fought against the Demon!" Victoria shouted, caution and worry painting her face. "Have you not heard the rumors about that guy!"

"Um… no, but…"

"No buts, he's very dangerous! Especially if you get on his bad side! It's said he's killed his sister and father!" Victoria continued, worried for Lucille's safety. Her words, however…

"Victoria, calm down; I'm sure that is just a wildly exaggerated rumor." Percival calmly interrupted, "Besides, if anything, he seemed to want to pick a bone with me for one reason or another. He's already thrown a Doublade at my head twice."

"..." Lucille sighed,

Victoria retorted back at Percival with another shout. "Do you have a death wish?!"

"No, I wish just to beat the Reborn League," Percival finally seemed to smile. "Besides, I have Gym Battle later this morning."

"Ah, right against Julia." Lucille nodded along.

"Can you two not change the subject?! I'm serious!" Victoria shouted, interrupting the abrupt change in subject.

"Victoria… regardless of how it is… We've already made our moves. If that de-...Nero probably already sees us as an enemy." Victoria sighed in response to Lucille's comment; Lucille was likely right…

"I guess you're right."

"Anyway, I have a Gym Battle later; what might you two fine ladies be doing?" Percival said with a sly grin, his blue eyes shining teasingly.

"Well… I've been hearing something strange is happening in the Obsidia Ward." Victoria acquiesced. "Something about plants growing out of control. I think the ward has been locked down because of the park. I was planning on heading over to see if there's anything I can do to help!"

"I'll join!" Lucille exclaimed, almost surprised by her determination. It was one thing to be dragged into something somewhat dangerous yesterday and another to go into an unknown today. Though perhaps the idea of visiting a park warmed her mind… Lucille always liked visiting Johto's National Park with her mom; it was just a short trip from Goldenrod.

"I'd love to join, but… I don't think Julia would like me bailing on a Gym Battle." Percival sighed, his blue eyes showing concern towards his blonde compatriot.

Victoria, however, showed concern toward Percival. " It's probably true… it was discussed in an interview with Julia that she blew up her first boyfriend's phone because they broke up… or something like that."

""..."" Percival and Lucille looked at Victoria; neither needed nor wanted that information.

Location: Obsidia Ward (Slums)

Victoria and Lucille left the Grandhall and moved through the streets of the Opal Ward. Two police officers stopped them, and the duo was allowed to go at the request of a passing Florinia.

From there, moving with Florinia, they traversed the Obsidia Ward. The ward was much more chaotic than what reports let on; the whole ward was a disaster. Plants grow from every single crack on the street. Vines sprawl up and dig into nearby buildings, and other vines were freely wiggling… almost as if to grab an unexpecting passerby. From what Florinia had reported to Lucille and Victoria, a few vines already did.

It was soon that they arrived At Obsidia Park. At this stage, one could not simply call it a park. It looked more like a forest had managed to sprout itself in the center of a city. Florinia continued to explain how the unnatural plant growth started here… and progressed, as seen by the overgrown ward. It was also mentioned how this phenomenon has been observed in the Jasper and Beryl Wards… Causing a major Lockdown. Given their little information and the report of several suspicious individuals hauling a large machine to the Park. This Growth was somehow man-made, for whatever reason. Florinia continued how they needed to get to the forest's center, though one more person was to be present. That person was now investigating suspicious individuals in the Obsidia Slums.

This brought Victoria and Lucille to the southern part of the Obsidia Ward, where they were looking for the individual known as Amaria. A place that seemed to have been an abandoned shopping mall? Rusted and broken escalators stood on two ends of the building, going to a lower floor. Old rooms were hallowed into the walls, and metal grates indicated where shops once stood. The tiled floors were a mess. Some peeled off, showing the concrete floor below, and other tiles showed the floor below. Lucille looked over the railing to the center below. Her silver eyes danced across, piecing together how it looked initially been…

"...Urey…?" Lucille looked at the sign above a gaping doorway. Some letters were still hanging above, though some had fallen off, leaving the name changed.

"I believe that was supposed to say Yureyu." Victoria's eyes caught the letters, recounting the history of the Reborn Region. "From what I recall hearing, the company was the center of Reborn… in more ways than one. The company owned many things, like a railnet below the city, Powerplants, and most importantly… supporting Reborn's Economy… but years ago… I think I was like seven or something… The company went under, and so did Reborn."

"..." Lucille's fist curled… her mind racing… If Victoria was only seven… how old-? "Haa…"

"You okay?" Victoria heard Lucille's sharp breath and looked at her in concern.

Lucille struggled not to cradle her head… "Y-yeah, I'm fine…"

"Uh, hey, Lucille, would you agree to a match?" Victoria said with a worried grin. "It's just that pokémon battles tend to do well to distract people and clear the mind. Besides, we could probably both use the experience. What do you say?"

Lucille blinked, seeing the concern in Victoria's eyes, though she understood this was her way of helping. Smiling through a headache, "Sure, I won't lose this time."

"Don't hold back then, okay?" Victoria chuckled. Her Pokeball released a blue light and out came a small pokémon with a white dress, green hair, and a red crystal horn atop his head.

"We won't, right Theros!" out from Lucille's side was a rotund pokémon with a green shell and spikes; its appearance was oddly similar to a chestnut. "Use Pin Missle!"

"Quil!"

"Ralts interrupt them with Disarming Voice!"

Green spike lit up from the quiladin's back, readying to fire. The small Ralt's red horn glowed as it cried out, causing pink illustrious music notes to fly at the Quiladin. The impact of the notes wasn't significant, but enough for a pin missile to fly off course into a nearby wall.

Theros wasn't entirely done just yet as its back glowed green again, sending out two more glowing spikes flying into the Ralts' side, knocking the small creature unconscious.

"Ah, no! Ralts!" Victoria cried out in surprise. She heard from Percival that Lucille had grown quickly. But hadn't Lucille grown a little too soon since their last match? Regardless of how different their first and current fights were, Victoria did say she wouldn't hold back. "Well, Lucy, I hope you can handle the heat, Torracat!"

"Oh, not a gain. Neph, come help!" Upon seeing the large red cat hit the field, Lucille immediately recalled her Quiladin throwing out a small monkey with blue and tan fur, eyes like a line, and floofy blue hair top.

"Pan! Pou-?!"

As the Panpour hit the field, she was immediately hit by the fireball known as a Torracat. Neph looked up to see itself pinned by the paws of the small cross between a tiger and a cat. However, the attack didn't end there as the two front paws glowed green before raising and slamming the paws atop the Panpour's chest.

"Ah, Neph, don't give up! Use Watergun!" Lucille cheered for her little monkey; despite taking a beating, the Panpour expelled a gushing spurt of water at the Cat

"Rraa!" the Torracat yarled at the water-spitting monkey, hurt and annoyed by the gush of water. Angry, the cat raised its paws again, glowing green.

"Pan!" As the cat raised its paws into the air, Neph shot another blast of water, creating a burst of steam that obscured the sight of the two Pokémon. There was still a loud thud in the cloud of steam. When the steam cleared, both the Torracat and Panpour were left unconscious.

""Ah!"" Lucille and Victoria screamed in shock, not having expected the double knockout.

After returning their respective pokémon to their Pokeballs, the battle continued.

From Vicotria's side was a small bear-like creature with white fur along its head and a small bamboo leaf hanging from outside its mouth. At the same time, Lucille sent out a small camel-like creature with thick yellow skin, tired eyes, and a large green-colored hump.

"A Numel, huh? I guess we got lucky. Okay, Pancham, Arm Thrust!" Victoria shouted; Pancham ran forward deftly. Aiming the palms of its hands to strike right into the Numel.

"Brigid, prepare for the strikes with Stockpile!" Lucille called out to her Numel in support. "Following that, use that energy and force them down with magnitude!"

"Numel!" The Numel cheered, glowing a fiery yellow as its body reinforced, sharply raising the defenses of its sturdy skin. Taking the repeated strikes of the Pancham, Brigid's focus did not change. Instead, it only fuels the focus efforts of this sturdy pokémon.

"Nuuu!" Brigid cried loudly as its hump glowed bright, releasing energy into his feet. Seeping into the building's broken floor, the room shook heavily. With a swipe of its neck, Brigid sent the Pancham flying past Victoria into a wall behind her.

"Alright! Nice going, Bri-"

Clunk! Shnk, shnk, shun… Bang!

The victory was short-lived, as the intense shaking must have forced one of the mall's shutters to close forcibly. Brigid and Lucille looked stunned as they realized they had been cut off from Victoria.

"LUCILLE! ARE YOU ALRIGHT? " A shout and banging came from the other side of the metal door. The voice was Victoria's, if not somewhat muffled.

"YES! I'M FINE!" Lucille shouted back. The metal shutter seemed locked in place and too heavy to lift back up. "I THINK BRIGID'S MAGNITUDE CAUSED THE SHUTTER TO CLOSE. I DON'T THINK I CAN MAKE MY WAY BACK!"

"DON'T WORRY! THERE'S ANOTHER ENTRANCE NEAR THE CORAL WARD. YOU SHOULD STILL BE ABLE TO MAKE IT THERE YOURSELF, BUT I'LL TRY TO SEE IF I CAN TAKE THE LONG WAY!"

"OKAY, I'LL SE IF I SPOT AMARIA ON MY WAY OVER!" Lucille responded, trying to stay calm in this scenario. Being trapped in a ruined building with no way to go but forward, with the outside swarmed with weird plants. Returning Brigid to his Pokeball, Lucille took a deep breath as she looked down the ruined hallway.

Unbeknownst to her, someone in the shadows quietly walked away from a shutter release switch. Following Lucille into this forsaken and forgotten mall.

Time passed as Lucille wandered through the forgotten mall, now known as Obsidia Slums. Wild pokémon ran apparent and unruled, it seemed. Most of those pokémon seemed to be fighting types aside from skewed Normal or Dark type. She also found one of these weird light shard objects; upon touching said shard, a light enveloped her, recovering all pokémon to their full capabilities.

In what seemed to be a backroom section of the mall where most powerlines connected, Lucille encountered a hungry Electrike. Feeding the Electrike some snacks, she quickly managed to befriend it. Lucille found a small Vanillite stuck inside a vending machine at a different location, quickly using some pocket change to rescue the snowcone pokémon. However, her current lineup was full with Deme (Budew), Theros (Quiladin), Aurras (Noibat), Neph (Panpour), Lunark (Munna), and Brigid (Numel). With a Magikarp (Livia), the two new captures are resting in her PC.

While continuing through, Lucille noted she now had nine pokémon. Quite the surprise since she had barely been in this city for a week. It had been seven days since the horrific train crash… seven days since she had that weird dream that preceded the crash. Ignoring the crash, it only took Lucille about three days to catch so many new pokémon.

Lucille wondered how many more she might meet, how many more she might catch, and how she might learn how to befriend and fight with others. She asked how many she could catch before reaching her limit. Not many trainers could use a large number of pokémon, usually averaging between six and nine pokémon. Very few people have filled a PC box with a whole thirty pokémon. Even Pokémon Collectors, while they would have many pokémon, never knew how to utilize them properly. Even Pokémon researchers, while they did study Pokémon, most believed in the standpoint of catch study and release.

Clunk! Shnk, shnk, shun… Bang!

"Huh?!" A loud noise interrupted Lucille's thoughts. As she turned around, she found another Metallic shutter closed on her. Looking forward, she saw that another metallic door blocked the exit.

Lucille felt trepidation as she realized she was trapped. Glancing around, she saw a boarded-up window on a wall. Though it seemed high up, she could use Theros or Aurras to break it. Would any of the nearby cardboard boxes be able to support her weight?

Thud.

That thought would have to wait as Lucille heard a noise. She looked around the room, missing the cardboard box that had moved. However, she noticed the box move as another thud echoed. Then, another box moved. Upon being noticed, the boxes continued to shuffle until they reached the center of the room, when finally…

"Scra!" "Rag!" "Ggy!"

Three yellow and orange creatures jumped out of each box. Each had a slight lizard-like appearance. The creatures stood on two legs, red scales covering their bellies and some saggy skin that seemed to stretch.

Upon seeing the situation, Lucille immediately tossed out three Pokeballs, each releasing one of Lucille's pokémon. From the first, one landed a small purple bat with ears similar to that of a speaker cone; the next was a small yellow camel with a green hump, and the third was a small monkey with blue accents.

"Neph, use the move you learned and scald the middle one! Brigid douse all of them in flame with flame burst! Aurras, support them as you can!" Lucille ordered her pokémon; the nervousness in her voice could barely be heard. In a situation with no way to escape, Lucille and her Pokémon only have one choice: win.

Neph took the lead as she breathed before expelling a stream of burning water from her mouth at the Scraggy in the middle. Brigid's green hump glowed before spitting out a large burst of flame from its mouth. The large flame exploded on the middle Scraggy, and minor flames split off onto the Scraggys on the sides.

"Scra!" "Gggy!" they screamed as they got hit with flames.

"NOI!" They were quickly drowned out as an unbearable screech sounded through the room. Aurra's mouth and ears rippled with the screech. However, the Scraggy on the far right seemed most affected.

The leftmost Scraggy shook off the screech before shaking its friend. Then the two glared at the Numel for hitting them and knocking out their friend. Their hand glowed with dark energy as they made their strikes. Each strike was heavy with Anger.

"Brigid!" Lucille screamed as her Numel was taking heavy damage. "Neph, Aurras, get them away from Brigid!"

"Pan!" Neph pour acknowledged, pushing one of the scraggy's back with another blast of scalding water. While Aurras swiped her wings on the one whose defense was lowered, knocking this one out as well. Meanwhile, Lucille held Brigid's Pokeball and returned the Numel to safety.

Angry about the scalding water, the lone Scrafty lashed out at Neph, its head glowing with black energy. Neph was knocked back, taking a lot of damage. But even still, she took the hit with grit and shot another spray of scalding hot water! Knocking the final Scraggy out.

Lucille took a breath as she won that fight… though that fight… wasn't over.

"Scccrrrraaafffftttyyy!" came an unexpected cry from above. Crashing down onto the floor, Aurras and Neph looked on in shock at the unexpected arrival of this orange creature with the giant red mohawk. It looked down on the blue monkey; it reached out before picking it up and throwing it at a wall.

"Pa-" Neph didn't stand a chance as it crashed into the wall.

"N-Noi! NO-" The small purple bat didn't stand a chance as the Scrafty suddenly charged, smacking it to the floor.

"Scra!" The Scrafty roared, happy to eliminate the pest making so much noise in its territory.

Lucille paled, a cold sweat dripping down her face… It looked like she was in trouble and had no backup to help her out…

"..." Lucille clenched her teeth, mind racing through what she needed to do… Lunark? She only knows psybeam; psychic moves don't affect dark types. With a sigh, Lucille made her choice as she threw out her quilled hedgehog and a small green plant with two vines wrapping above its head: Theros and Deme…

Scrafty grinned as it saw the quilled Pokémon before it. Chagrin forward as the Quiladin's quills glowed green, launching into the Scrafty.

"Scra. Scra." The Scrafty laughed as it was tickled by the Pin Missle and slapped the Quiladin.

"Q-Quil!" Theros shouted in pain as it took the heavy attack.

"Bu…" Deme looked on, still, though seemingly growing larger. Wanting to do something though lacking power… Deme gleaned at the window in the corner.

"Quil?" a glance that wasn't unnoticed by Theros, Theros quickly understood what was needed. Its quills glowed green, launching haphazardly around the room. Destroying boxes, hitting Scrafty, and other things.

Scrafty, though, just shrugged off the attack and knocked Theros out.

"..." Lucille was unsure how to continue, just as blind as the Scrafty to the new light from the broken window.

"Budew." Unnoticed, Budew jumped into the light enveloped by the light. Budew succeeded in meeting its last requirement. Its body glowed blue as the buds atop its head split into two flowers, one red and one blue.

"Deme…" Lucille gasped as she saw Deme changed before her eyes.
"Roselia." Deme now stood sprouting into a beautiful flower. Seeing the enemy before its eyes, Deme raised her red flower, which started to glow green. Deme's eyes flashed red as particles of green energy formed on Scrafty's skin.

"Scra? Scraft?!" Scrafty turned its head in confusion before seeing the green particles turn into a stream, flying right into Roselia's rose flower. Scrafty felt its energy being drained from its body. On instinct, it lunged at the Roselia but was too slow to reach its target.

"Lia!" Deme flicked her red rose away from the Scrafty, cutting off the energy drain as the Scrafty collapsed.

"Deme… Y-you did it! You evolved! You're amazing!" Lucille cheered happily. Lucille thought this battle would be her downfall, but Deme proved otherwise.

"Roselia." Deme smiled cheerfully as she was praised by the first person she met, her master.

Picking the small rose creature into her arms like Lucille did when Deme was still a Budew. "We succeeded… but how do we get out of here now?"

"..." Deme was silent, but her eyes were on the four passed-out creatures before them.

"Oh, right… I guess we're trapped in here with them… They might just attack us again if we leave them here. Oh, I know, Pokeball go!"

With an open hand, Lucille tossed a Pokeball first at the Scrafty. It was the toughest of the four, so getting that out of here was the priority. But to Lucille's surprise, the Pokeball just bounced off the Scrafty to no effect.

"Wha? But that can't be unless they're another trai-"

Psssh! Clank, Clank, Clunk.

"*Cough, Cough*" caught off guard as the room suddenly filled with smoke. Lucille started to cough; loud metallic clanks filled the background. When the room cleared, the Scrafty and its three subordinates had disappeared. With the metal shutter blocking her way forward, was now slightly ajar. "Huh…?"

A shiver ran down Lucille's spine, realizing this wasn't just a random encounter. That likely the shutter that had separated her from Victoria, the shutter that locked her in this room… was set up by someone else…

Who could it have been? Why would they have wanted to trap Lucille with four Dark-Fighting types?

"Dark types?... Didn't Percy say that Nero had a Scraggy?"

Lucille didn't know how to feel. She had barely met Nero in the Mosswater Factory, but something seemed strange about him—not inherently evil. Nero certainly had a perpetually angry face and seemed more incredulous when Lucille was nearby… but something seemed familiar about him. Between those two things… Did Nero know her?

"..." Taking a deep breath, Lucille only had one way to find out. She returned Deme to her Pokeball and ran after the person she could only assume was Nero.

Lucille chased Nero through the forgotten mall, purely on instinct alone. She ran past random trainers, civilians, and Pokémon alike. Ignoring them all in pursuit of someone… she might not even be able to beat. She unnoticingly stepped on a light shard, healing her team, and continued forward. Seemingly headed to the roof of this abandoned place.

Lucille turned a corner and encountered two unfamiliar people. One was a man in dirty clothes and brown hair, his arm seemingly wrapped up in a cast. The other appeared to be a Stern man with purple hair and dark purple eyes.

"Thanks again, Dr. Molinar, sir! I'll be heading off then." The man with a cast smiled at the supposed doctor. The street rat headed down the same passage Lucille was standing in. In a cheery mood, he called out to Lucille. "Oh, another patient? Sorry to keep you. Dr. Molinar's free now, and he'll take good care of you, Former Gym Leader in all."

"Uh… thanks?"

Lucille didn't know what to say, but as she looked around, she could easily see that the purple-haired doctor was looking at her… no, a better term would be glaring.

"I'm not due for any more appointments. Unless you require urgent treatment…" Dr. Molinar scanned Lucille, not noting any apparent injury.

Lucille was flustered that she had not found the person she sought. Maybe the doctor would have seen him. "Uh… no… I was looking-"

"Then be gone." The doctor swiftly cut off Lucille. "Access through the building is across the roof; the other route. If you were you were looking for someone, I'd have already sent them the way you came."

Did I lose him…? Lucille thought. She could have sworn that Nero had traveled down this way… but was she wrong? The man seemed annoyed. Yeah, he probably wouldn't have hidden a Criminal. "Alright, sorry for disturbing you." Dejected, Lucille turned her head away, not having found who she was looking for.

As Lucille walked away, as soon as she was out of earshot and out of sight. Dr. Molinar Sighed heavily at the shadows. "That was reckless, Demon. One wrong move, and both our covers would have been blown."

"..." A boy with black hair and silver eyes, wearing a wooden mask with Oni-like teeth, dropped from the ceiling. Unnoticed by Dr. Molinar's Patient or Lucille. Nero was quiet as he looked down the passage Lucille left through.

"No witty remark this time? How unlike you."

"Shut it, old man." Nero snapped, his silver eyes burning with annoyance. Things didn't go as planned; his gang of Scraggy and Scrafty failed to get Lucille to send out her Absol or even get it to appear; worse yet, it suddenly caused the Budew to evolve into a Roselia. But what was even worse… She followed him to this point.

"Ah, getting beat by the young lass, turning tail, and nearly getting caught." Dr. Molinar chuckled. "Quite an interesting sight."

"She didn't beat me!" Nero growled, "I wasn't supposed to be seen here, yet she somehow sensed me! I don't even know how she managed to track me this far! She didn't even fall for Hela going down the wrong path!"

"So, did you learn anything from it?" Dr. Molinar wasn't interested in Nero's complaints,

"Yes and no. The Blonde may be marked, but she hasn't contacted her Absol yet. And the situation I put her in was not dangerous enough to force the Absol to show itself." Nero sighed in annoyance. It was a good plan; he had her cornered and scared. But as it turned out, it didn't work out. "On another note, the Obsidia Ward Gymleader is preparing a small strike team to Hit the PULSE. Me, you and ZEL are being put on to guard the damn thing."

"Understood." Dr. Molinar, Agent Borealis, nodded in understanding. "We still have time. The gym leader who was looking for me still thinks I went somewhere in Coral Ward. Let's move."