Today, our heroine looks especially relaxed! Citrata is covered by a towel, bathing in cool pond water. The blissful moment won't last much longer though! Trouble is brewing nearby, of a nature that will forever shape her destiny!
"Have you gathered up the rocks yet?" A young man dressed in a fiery red uniform asks his subordinate. "The boss expected us back already!"
"No, sir!" The subordinate confirms. "My scanner indicates these are ordinary rocks."
"Bah!" Digging around further, the team leader eventually gives up. "Let's go, this cozy town isn't worth... On second thought..."
The shifty duo watches in awe as our heroine dries herself and gets dressed.
"I know what you're trying to do, you morons!" Citrata tosses a clump of mud at the duo. "But my dashing prince doesn't wear tacky suits!"
"Yuuuuck!" The subordinate spits out some mud. "It tastes like dirt!"
"That's because it IS dirt." As he rubs off his uniform, the young man grabs a Poké Ball. "Team Flare won't stand for this insult! Don't let the girl get away, Growlithe!"
The Team Flare member tosses his Poké Ball onto the ground, revealing the small yet reliable canine Pokémon.
"Grrr..." Growlithe clinches its teeth, unexpectedly at something other than our heroine.
"There's nothing over there, attack her!" The young man commands his Pokémon.
"Growl-ruff!" With impressive agility, Growlithe tackles Citrata to the ground.
"Oshawott, that girl needs help!" A woman's voice can be heard from nearby bushes. "Use your Water Gun!"
The sudden stream of water knocks Growlithe off our heroine's belly, right into the Team Flare subordinate.
"Ooooff!" As she stumbles backward, the subordinate's wig comes loose to reveal rich brown hair.
"You... You're Hilda!" The young man now realizes his supposed ally had been spying on him all along. "Team Plasma warned us about you!"
"Red isn't my color anyway." Hilda cheerfully tosses aside the rest of her disguise. "Are you ready to finish Growlithe, Chespin?"
"Chespin!" The inexperienced grass-type nods, then sends a Razor Leaf swarm at Growlithe.
It's a marvelous finishing blow! Team Flare's Pokémon is down for the count!
"My comrades will hear about this! Really!" Picking up the fainted Growlithe, its trainer scurries away shouting incomprehensibly.
With the coast clear, Oshawott and the hidden woman emerge from their shrubbery to congratulate Hilda. Why, it's Professor Juniper! I wonder what important business has brought Unova's leading Pokémon authority to Kalos?
"How are you feeling, Chespin and Oshawott?" Professor Juniper checks the Pokémon for signs of injury. For one kind, intelligent, AND easy on the eyes, her career keeps her too busy to earn all that many admirers.
"Osh! Oshawott!" The otter-like Oshawott dances a tiny jig to express its satisfaction
"Che..." Chespin however seems concerned about the type disadvantage it had to face. "Chespin?"
"You're still learning the basics." Professor Juniper explains. "A bit more practice, and you'll be ready to join an eager new trainer on their Pokémon journey!"
"Hellooo? It's me Citrata, the finest prospect TCG Island has to offer!" Citrata's exaggeration falls flat on the level-headed professor.
"Ah! Please excuse me for neglecting you." Once she puts her Pokémon back in their Poké Balls, Professor Juniper's attention turns to Citrata. "I'm happy to say the Pokémon are in good health!"
"Professor, do you see those letters on the girl's headband?" Hilda stares at our heroine's 'GR' emblem. "She might be a criminal!"
"Did someone say 'criminal'? Never fear, ladies! Cacnea-Man is here!" A valiant-sounding voice declares.
Is it a Pidgey? No! Cacnea-Man has arrived on the scene, riding his spiky green V8 convertible: the Cacturnemobile!
"Hahaha! I bet mommy left your nightlight on again, mister!" Citrata taunts the costumed oaf. "Superheroes are a superstitious, cowardly lot."
"I'll have you know I was busting up bad guys when..." As Cacnea-Man stuggles to recall his own past, he trips over the outfit's cape. "Owww! I should've worn my glasses this morning!"
When the aging man puts glasses over his mask, a startling metamorphosis occurs and he hugs our heroine. This is no two-bit joke, Citrata has a crime-fighter for a father!
"Cici! I hardly recognized you!" Cacnea-Man's reaction to seeing the 'GR' emblem is much the same as Hilda's. "But I won't let my precious girl turn to crime!"
"Dad, you're embarrassing me!" Citrata gently pushes away her father. "I was rejected from Team GR, remember?"
"Cacnea, shred the awful logo with your Cut attack!" Disregarding that last remark, Cacnea-Man unleashes his faithful partner from its Poké Ball.
After a flurry of swipes from Cacnea's cactus arms, our heroine's face turns red with pain.
"No, Cacnea! Owowowow!" Citrata cringes as her headband gets torn apart.
"Cacnea, return!" The Pokémon's task completed, Cacnea-Man laughs heartily. "Evildoer!
You should go home and stick to newspaper 'help wanted' ads!"
"Is this how parents on TCG Island treat their children!?" Baffled at the scene she's witnessing, Professor Juniper sighs. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised, Ash said Team Rocket used to own a Cacnea too."
"Team Rocket dares soil my partner's good name!?" Cacnea-Man asks, raising his arm into the air. "I shall teach them the embracing justice of Leech Seed!"
The not-so-super hero jumps back inside the Cacturnemobile, pressing its gas pedal so fast a murky smoke cloud chokes up Hilda!
"Blech! I'm not letting MY dealership put that stuff in its cars!" Hilda jumps up and down to dispel the stench.
"Chespin! Chespin!" The Pokémon softly nuzzles our heroine's leg.
"What's the matter with you?" Not used to affection from Pokémon, Citrata doesn't know how to respond. "My leg isn't a chew toy!"
"I think it likes you, Citrata." Professor Juniper points out.
"Aw, this'll ruin my tough-gal image..." Citrata complains, as she tries to shake off Chespin.
To lighten the mood, Hilda pats our heroine on the back. That gesture is countered by a pricelessly displeased look!
"If I can't steal Pokémon cards, I'll just steal the spotlight!" Citrata grins as she makes her grand announcement. "Men will fight glorious combat to learn my three sizes!"
"Uh-huh. I wore these shorts to the brightest cities and tallest peaks in all of Unova, do you see any hunks at my side?" Hilda's sarcastic comeback is met with silence.
"Oshawott!" Deciding to take advantage of the moment, Oshawott blows playful bubbles at Chespin. "Ossss!"
"It seems my Pokémon have a lot of energy to spare. How would you two like to battle them?" Professor Juniper asks.
"A live Pokémon battle!?" Startled by the sudden question, Citrata hastily gives Chespin a command. "Chespin, hit Oshawott with Flamethrower!"
"Chespin?" Unable to use Flamethrower, Chespin shakes its head. "Ches! Chespin!"
"Cici, that strategy isn't very effective." The professor begins explaining Pokémon battles in earnest. "Chespin is a grass-type, and they rarely learn fire-type moves."
"It feels good to be called Cici by a nicer person." Citrata's thoughts turn to her parents again. "Dad was never the same once he tried to imitate that kooky Imakuni?"
"I think I've heard of Imakuni? somewhere..." Hilda replies, curious to know more.
"The black-suited Imakuni? is TCG Island's singing, dancing card player!" While over-enthusiastic, Citrata's answer goes right to the point. "Kids think he's a lovable clown, but grown-ups just don't get it. It's said his red copycat lurks on GR Island now."
As the professor's impromptu lecture goes on, our heroine drifts into a snooze! In a moment, we will find out how much Pokémon knowledge she absorbed! The trainers and their Pokémon are lined up, eagerly awaiting the chance to prove themselves!
"Since we have neither a commentator or referee, allow me the honor." Professor Juniper declares. "The battle between Citrata's Chespin and Hilda's Oshawott starts now!"
"Use your head, Oshawott!" Hilda kicks off the action with a basic Headbutt.
"That's too slow!" Citrata boasts. "Jump up and counter it with Vine Whip!"
Amazing! Chespin leaps into the air, then has its vines smack Oshawott from behind!
"It's a powerful direct hit!" The professor announces the obvious. "Can Oshawott turn this situation around?"
"Keep the momentum going, let's try out Leer!" Citrata makes a funny face, hoping to encourage her Pokémon.
"Cheeee!" Chespin's expression unsettles its opponent! Or does it?
"Oshawottttt!" Oshawott says something in response.
"It looks like the Pokémon are at a standstill!" Professor Juniper grabs some Pokémon food from a bag, ready to refresh them after the battle. "Tensions soar as our non-existent crowd anticipates another fierce move!"
"You have an opening, spray Sleep Powder on that runt!" Citrata points at Oshawott. "And make it count!"
"Che-che! Chchche!" A noxious cloud surrounds Chespin, numbing its foe's body.
"Ohsa?" Oshawott hardly gets to utter a word before the proverbial lights go out. "Osh... zzzzz..."
"Don't do this to me, Chespin!" Hilda implores her Pokémon to budge. "I may have been wrecked by the Unova Elite Four, but we're fighting the greenest rookie there is!"
"Elite what?" Unfamiliar with high-level trainers, Citrata doesn't think much of the comment.
"I'll tell you later, after Chespin gets its tail off the ground!" Yet the trainer's efforts are futile, Hilda can only watch in awe as Vine Whip slams Oshawott into the ring of small rocks surrounding the makeshift arena.
"Oshawott is unable to battle, the match goes to Cici and her Chespin!" Professor Juniper delivers the final result in a gym-like manner.
"Aha! I toss a mighty curve ball, don't I?" Ecstatic over this first victory, Citrata spins around while holding Chespin in front of her. "Team GR better watch out for us!"
"Yeah, that last move walloped me!" Despite the match outcome, her opponent's mood has rubbed off on Hilda.
"I didn't know you had such words in you." Citrata jokes. "Well, I should get moving soon. The Kalos League won't thrash themselves either!"
"I have a proposal, Cici." While feeding Chespin and Oshawott, Professor Juniper chimes in. "How about working together with Hilda to investigate Team Flare along the way? It'd be unfair to other trainers if I'm away from Unova too long."
"Mm, I've never bossed around a sidekick before." Citrata's laugh frustrates her friend.
"Let's go, Oshawott." Hilda grabs its Poké Ball from the professor, then walks on ahead. "Cici can tag along if she wants to, at this rate she might not survive Santalune Forest!"
"Wait! You can't chase after her alone!" The professor shouts to stop Citrata from making a reckless mistake. "Some wild Pokémon attack people who enter their territory."
"I'll be okay, yaaaa!" Citrata demonstrates techniques she picked up from her father's superhero training regimen.
"Whoa, put down those feet!" Professor Juniper is slightly rattled by the martial arts. "Chespin learns different fighting-type moves than Blaziken."
"I'm not that ignorant. "Citrata's pop-culture knowledge kicks in. "Blaziken was breathtaking in the hit flick 'Barboach of the Rebellion'!"
"Now isn't the time to discuss movies." As she hands over Chespin's Poké Ball, the professor smiles. "That is, if you still intend to catch up to Hilda!"
Citrata stares in astonishment when Professor Juniper fills her travel bag with additional items! Including rations to keep she and her Pokémon fed, a Kalos region map, and a gym badge storage case. Trainers have an ever-growing variety of merchandise at their disposal!
"Ciao!" While Professor Juniper waves goodbye, Citrata returns Chespin to its Poké Ball and dashes over the horizon toward her goal. "You owe me for leaving early, jerk!"
The next stop for our heroes is Aquacorde Town. Can they set their differences aside long enough to appreciate its shopping center, or the river's romantic moonlight sparkle? We'll find out as the journey continues!