Arc 0 - New Region Order (Ch1)
LuxBeacon
Bug Catcher
- Pronouns
- He/him
AN: Would love any reviews if you have any thoughts! Preferably less grammatical (I've edited this story so many times if there are still errors fml) and more on the story and world itself. Thanks!
AN2: Currently the whole story is in revision. The rest of the story is on fanfiction.net, but I plan on slowly editing the story to meet my new standards before adding more chapters. Thank you for understanding.
Sinnoh, the land of the gods, famous for its myths, culture and frigid climate. Times may change, but the people shall never forget their origin, their creators and protectors above. Our story is a tale of strife and pain, but also happiness and adventure. There are centuries long mysteries waiting to be resolved and it befalls a select few individuals and all their allies to make it happen. To change Sinnoh- no, the planet, Regiearth, forever. To seize your answer, you must take action and uncover the secrets that blind the truth. In this epic, we will be following the life of Topaz Heart and his allies as they live through an ever evolving Sinnoh region to solve its mysteries and to defeat the evil that dwells within it. Before that we must address his origin, how Topaz and his friends came to be. Welcome to Arc 1: New World Order .
~Sunyshore City, May Year 8520~
The storm was intense tonight. Lightning struck the sky and the waves roared with a furious passion. Most pokemon and humans were nestled away in their dens and homes in an attempt to escape the intense downpour. Wingull huddled within small coves to shelter themselves. The aquatic pokemon sunk deep within the ocean to avoid the worst of the rolling sea. The famous solar panel walkways of Sunyshore still shone, a subtle luminosity highlighting the paths for those misfortunate enough to be stuck outside seeking shelter. It was past midnight, so most of the city's denizens were fast asleep, allowing the pitter patter of the rain to lull them into a deep slumber.
If only I were so lucky.
I clung onto Mother's hand as if I were holding on to dear life, which very well have been the case. It was frigid, soaking wet, thunderous and terrifying. Daddy always said it's dangerous to run around during thunderstorms without protective gear since electric types come out and they aren't always careful when they eat the lightning strikes. The city has countermeasures for this, but he said to still be careful or I'll get shocked. I also felt really dizzy for some reason.
"Mother, Daddy said it isn't safe to be out in the rain like this!" I yelled over the sound of roaring thunder and constant splashes of our feet in the puddles.
She didn't answer, simply choosing to tug on me to move faster. In the distance I saw a Munchlax and two Aipom running in the distance looking for shelter. The Munchlax tripped, but his Aipom friends turned back to help him up before they all continued running.
I hope they find somewhere safe to hide.
I was pulled from my thoughts once again when my mother began running through a park dodging past several of the playground structures. I could barely keep up compared to her longer legs, having to jump up all over while she continued to drag me.
We then began to climb a long concrete staircase in which I slipped and nearly fell on my face, catching myself before I fell. I scraped one of my hands and I think my knees, but I knew complaining too much would probably upset her even more so I stifled my tears. Mother has been gone for awhile, so I don't want to upset her by crying.
Climbing all the stairs made my dizziness intensify. My head felt like it was spinning too fast for me to handle, causing me to lag behind even more.
"Mother, can we go slower? I don't feel good," I lightly pleaded.
"If you make us wait in the rain you certainly won't get any better. This is for your own good, trust me. We are almost there, just hold on," She retorted.
If you say so…
She allowed me to properly stand up before we made off once again into the night. It was dark, but I was beginning to recognize landmarks of which part of the city we were in. The beach house district close to the ocean where I could see the water crash against the beach rocks with a ferocious intensity. Most of the houses were perched on cliffs far from anything short of a tsunami, so I think they should be okay.
A sizzling bolt of lightning shone through the sky. In the distance I could see crowds of Electabuzz, Magnemite and Pikachu awaiting the next bolt of lightning to strike one of them. Another bolt descended upon the horde of Electabuzz stirring them into a bright, whirling frenzy.
A stray bolt made one of the street lamps shudder and pop, glass splintering everywhere. I closed my eyes and clung onto Mother's arm hoping she'd protect me.
"Let go of my arm, I can't move with effectively if you accost me in a vice grip," She chastised me wrenching her arm from me and grabbing my hands. "If a threat is imminent the smart thing to do would be to flee, hide or dispose of it. Not cling on my arm and impede our progress increasing the chances of both of us acquiring injury."
She muttered to herself a bit more dragging me along. The blinding flashes didn't help with my disorientation, but I coped in fear of another tongue lashing. We continued our way onward and my vision only blurred more and more. The cold rain soaked through my clothes.
Mixed with the exhaustion from running around the city made me feel uncomfortably wet. My will to go on was diminishing with my every step, but my desire to not disappoint Mother kept me standing.
I don't wanna be yelled at again… but I miss my bed. Where are we going? Why did it have to be now?
My thoughts must've been running faster than my legs because my brain couldn't handle the disorientation and tripped, sprawling on the solar panel tiles. It felt as though I stepped off a cliff with how it felt like I was plummeting to the ground in a sprawl.
I could vaguely hear Mother curse before hoisting me up. She looked me straight in the eyes and snapped her fingers, but I barely noticed. With a huff she took my hand and we kept on going, with me too dazed at this point to protest anything.
"There it is, we are finally here," I heard Mother exclaim. My vision had gotten a lot woozier the more we progressed and even more so after I fell, but even I could tell where we were. A modest beach home perched atop a cliff, surrounded by various palm trees. There was ample space and it was obvious how much training had been done in the backyard.
"Uncle's house?" I softly asked. She practically dragged me to the front steps before kneeling in front of me and holding my head.
"Mother has to go now, you'll be staying with your grandparents and uncle, understood?" She spoke quickly.
I-why!? Where is she going? Where's Daddy?
"But Mom-Mother, where are you going? I wanna stay with you and Daddy!" The tears were nigh immediate. I was feeling a lot of things right now and none of them were good. Abandonment was the breaking point.
"Hush child. Mother and Father have errands to attend to, but we will come back for you soon. All of us will be a family again. Until then I need you to be good and study hard, you are my son, correct? You have a sharp mind, but you must hone it. It does not befit our family for you to grow up to be anything short of exceptional. Come now, stop crying and answer. You'll grow up to be exceptional, correct?"
I stifled a cry when her cold eyes began to sink like daggers. "...I promise. I'll train and study hard! I'll become so smart you and Daddy will be jealous, but you have to come back!"
"That'll be a feat. We shall see in due time, dear child," She said before caressing my face. "Be well, my Topaz."
"I will. I love you... Mother," I said with a slight giddiness. She's not usually like this, that's strange. At the same time, I haven't seen her in a long time. Daddy said they were taking a break, so maybe she got nicer during the break.
She gave a curt smile before ringing the doorbell and fleeing through the rain. I watched her dash away much faster than she had with me, so even if I wanted to catch up I had no chance in my condition. As she grew smaller and smaller in the distance the urge to cry came once again.
In the corner of my eye I saw lights go on from within the house. The rain was too loud to hear what was going on, but they must've heard Mother pushing the doorbell so many times. A few short moments later the door opened revealing a boy over twice my age with short blonde hair and very tired blue eyes looking around before he fell upon me. Out of the corner of my eye I could see his Electabuzz, Roland, with a pajama cap looking over.
"Topaz!? What are you doing here in the rain at 4am?" Uncle demanded pulling me.
"Uncle Volkner… Mother… she left me… here," I staggered after each word falling into my uncle Volkner's arms, having difficulty regaining focus. I was so tired, I could barely move anymore. "She said… she had… to go…"
"Oi Topaz! Wake up! Mom! Dad! It's Topaz! Come on, wake-" Those were the last words I heard before I closed my eyes. I couldn't focus anymore, I wasn't sure if I was still crying or not due to being completely soaked, but I just couldn't stand any longer. Everything faded into a swirling black cloudy night.
Mother never came back, not a word from Dad either. The night after I collapsed at my grandparents' place they investigated my house finding signs of conflict, but otherwise it looked like a home invasion.
The police questioned me asking me what I could remember and I told them all I remember is running away from the house and my mom leaving me with my grandparents. Everything else was too foggy.
What the police must've wanted to do was have a psychic type look into my brain to find out what actually happened, but apparently psychic type interference on a developing brain can be pretty bed even with the slightest mistake, so in Sinnoh it's illegal to do it on minors and forbidden for children under 12.
All they could deduce was that my head had been tampered with by a psychic type, which explained why I felt so awful. I'd recover eventually, one day.
Granddad Vito, the Sunyshore gym leader, set up search parties all over the city looking for my parents, but they couldn't even pick up a scent so they figured the invaders teleported out. When they brought psychic types to investigate they smelt dark type energy ruining the signal. They asked my grandparents and uncle a bunch of questions about possible enemies, but the investigation proved fruitless.
~~Luminous Beach, June Year 8520~~
I sat down on the warm beach sand and stared out at the sea.
It's been a month and they still aren't home.
Living with my grandparents wasn't bad, just different. My granddad is the gym leader of Sunyshore City and my uncle Volkner is training to take his place soon. Volkner and his Electabuzz, Roland, would pick me up from school to take me to the gym while they trained. Usually I just sat on the sidelines and watched since I didn't feel like doing all that much else and watched.
Ever since my parents left I just didn't feel the same anymore. There were so many people and pokemon around me all the time now, yet I still felt alone. Grandma said I'd get used to it, but I wasn't all that sure.
My head is in a constant daze from the psychic tampering. I can't remember anything that happened that night and my memories of beforehand were fading. I spent most of my team asleep trying to drown out the physical and mental pain.
"Yo Topaz. Dinner is ready," Said the familiar voice behind me as I turned around to see Volkner standing above me with his usual expression: apathy. Ironically enough I found him more approachable than anyone else because of it.
"Hi Uncle," I said quietly before staring back at the ocean. He didn't say anything for a whole minute. Uncle Volkner isn't that much older than me, I'm 6 and he's 12. A pretty big gap, but he was still nice to me. Quiet too and sometimes I needed that.
We watched the waves cascade in the distance. Mantyke leaped through the waters as the sunset painted the environment in an orange hue.
"Do you think I'll see my parents again?" I asked him innocently. Volkner wouldn't lie to me.
There was a long pause.
"Dunno," Was all he said.
I exhaled. That's the best answer I could expect. He didn't lie, he just doesn't know. I stood up and brushed off the sand.
"What's for dinner tonight?"
"Lasagna. Hurry up before Roland eats it all, he fought in 10 battles today, he's starving," Volkner informed me with his constant neutral expression before turning away.
"Coming."
I looked at the sea one more time before chasing after him. I could brood later.
~~Sunyshore Gym, July Year 8520~~
I was sitting inside the gym watching Volkner and Roland demolish another potential challenger effortlessly. They both had a semi dissatisfied and bored look, but that wasn't a sign of carelessness. It was mercy. Roland using all his energy in this fight would be a waste.
"Roland, catch Donphan and then use Ice Punch," Volkner said with his arms crossed.
The opposing trainer commanded his Donphan to use Rollout, barreling right into Roland's open arms. Contrary to popular belief, Electabuzz aren't very big at all less than 4ft tall typically, but for pokemon size rarely matters as he easily caught Donphan without even a grunt of distress.
"Don!?"
"Buzz!" Roland smirked before he incased the poor Donphan in ice freezing him.
"Donphan? Donphan can you move?"
There was a slight shake of acknowledgement as Roland placed the Donphan down, enjoying his little trick.
"Recall them, we're done here. Try again when you know what you're doing," Volkner yawned as he recalled Roland to his pokeball. "Another easy win…" He said to Roland's ball before pocketing it.
The trainer ran over to their frozen Donphan, recalled them and ran to the pokemon center looking like they were about to cry.
Didn't he say he had 8 gym badges? That's what you get when you lie about your skill huh…
Volkner stretched and walked over to me. "Pretty boring right?"
I nodded. My action figures had a more exciting battle than that.
He sat down next to me. "I've traveled the whole region and now I'm in a rut. Got all these pokemon who want strong challengers, but all we keep getting are these weak trainers who want to fight the electric gym thinking it'll be easy with ground types. It might be time for us to start traveling again…"
I looked at Volkner quizzically as I fiddled with my Munchlax action figure. The main reason why he hasn't gone out traveling is because he's lazy. That's what my grandparents say anyway. I don't think Volkner is lazy at all since he's always working with the pokemon and taking on challengers as a gym trainer. It's just that sometimes he looks a little sadder than usual and doesn't have the energy he needs to get up and go.
Flint, his best friend, is usually able to cheer him up, but he's off traveling again and training on the island north of the Pokemon League. Something about a Battle Tower?
Maybe he needs more motivation?
"I'm gonna get a drink, ya want an apple juice or something?"
"Mango punch."
"Of course ya do," Volkner said before walking off to go get it. The gym was pretty quiet at the moment. We haven't been busy in awhile so most of the gym trainers are in the back taking care of the pokemon more than anything else. I didn't mind, all the battles I've seen are kinda overrated.
I waited in silence for a bit just looking at the relatively untouched battlefield.
I'm so bored.
That is until I heard the gym entrance open up. There in walked a girl around Volkner's age with long blonde hair and an even longer black coat. Actually everything she wore was black including her hair accessories. I looked at her and noticed her focused gray eyes looking around for the gym trainer or puzzle that was supposed to be in here. Lots of trainers have that look.
I wonder what the receptionist tells them before they enter?
She raised an eyebrow before looking at me, smiling a bit when she saw me. "Hello there. Am I missing something or is there no particular puzzle or pathway here?"
"Nope. Just some fights. My granddad is old fashioned. The reinforced glass ceiling is new though," I said pointing at the ceiling before returning to my toys. "My uncle should be here any second now."
And just as I said that Volkner came in with two glasses of mango punch, one for me and him. After he handed me mine, he looked at the girl.
"I'm guessing you're a challenger right? The name's Volkner Beacon."
She nodded, bowing slightly. "I am. My name is Cynthia Valkyrie, and I'd like to issue a challenge." She tilted her head slightly. "You're a bit young to be a leader, but you're quite strong aren't you?"
Volkner raised an eyebrow at that. I wonder why.
"I've been through my fair share of fights during my journey, but now I'm just a gym trainer. My grandfather is in the back, he's the leader…" Volkner looks at Cynthia proper. "How can you tell how strong I am?"
"You carry yourself with the air of earned confidence." She gave a bit of an awkward smile. "I just saw an example of relatively unearned confidence running out of here. It's subtle, but you give off this aura of knowing what you're doing."
"Ah him. That kid wasn't anything special, nothing to write home about," Volkner stated, but even he looked annoyed. Easy fights always make him feel sour. "Anyway, my team is on lunch break and all the other gym trainers are busy. Might as well fight my dad, he's got nothing better to do."
She gave a nod of affirmation and shifted slightly on her feet. "Should I wait while you go get him, shall he be coming soon, should I get him myself…?"
"He's just in the back, give me a sec," Volkner said before turning around to the back to go get Granddad. I finished my juice and continued playing with my toys before I turned to Cynthia.
"Do you have any electric types?" I asked.
She shook her head. "Not yet. I don't know what the future will hold just yet, though they certainly are fascinating. It's quite rare for Pokemon to only be innately weak to one type, and electric types have a number of interesting aspects about them." She started a bit, shook her head and smiled. "Sorry, I have a habit of going on to myself. I don't believe I caught your name?"
"Topaz," I said simply before holding up my toys. "This is Munchy the Munchlax and Blitz the Blitzle."
A flash of a grimace crossed her face before she smiled kindly and extended a hand. "A pleasure to meet you and your friends."
I shook her hand before returning to my toy battle. A few seconds later Volkner came out with Granddad Vito. He smiled at Cynthia before walking over and extending a hand in greetings. "Welcome to Sunyshore gym. You must be Cynthia Valkyrie correct? A pleasure to meet you."
She gave him a smile as she shook his hand. "I am indeed, and likewise. I take it you're the gym leader?"
"Indeed I am. My name is Vito Beacon, I specialize in electric types and my family is responsible for creating the solar panel walkways that brought you here. It was actually my son Volkner's idea in order to provide bountiful renewable energy to the entire city. Did you know-"
There he goes.
My grandfather liked to introduce himself by hyping up the accomplishments of Sunyshore. Volkner coughed loudly to prevent him from getting too off track.
"Oh my apologies, I tend to ramble on. I haven't actually seen too many challengers lately, Volkner scares them off."
Volkner huffed before the attention focused back on Granddad.
"So, how many gym badges do you have? We can determine how we fight from there."
She pulled out a small case, and upon opening it it held the Snowpoint, Eterna and Veilstone gym badges. "This would be my fourth gym, however." Her face hardened. "I have a request to make. I would ask that you come at me with your strongest team members."
I immediately looked up. Both Granddad and Volkner's eyes widened a bit at that remark.
Have I ever even seen Granddad's strongest team fight?
"Are you sure? It sounds like you aren't too far in your journey… ah wait, you must have strong pokemon from past journeys, of course," Grandfather rationalized.
She shook her head. "This is my first journey. That does not change the fact that my younger sister was taken two months ago and I have every intention of becoming Champion to fix things. I don't expect you to believe blind bravado, however." Her hand went around one of the four Pokeballs on her belt, and she took a couple steps back. "Reginleif? It's time to fly."
She threw the ball into the air, it bursting open with a brilliant light before forming the largest Garchomp I'd ever seen (and the first). They stood well above Granddad and were far taller than Cynthia, with fins worn smooth and a determined, prepared look on her face.
She gave a small smile to her companion before turning back to Granddad and Volkner. "I would also hope you don't think I'm so foolish as to expect I'll win simply because Reginleif is a ground type. Types may be fundamentals, but fundamentals must be expanded upon."
Granddad was speechless a moment before he collected himself. "Seems I underestimated the youngsters of today. Your Garchomp appears young, but she is quite large and exudes power. Fine then, I shall fight you with my oldest companions. They need to get the blood pumping anyway. Volkner would you care to referee?"
He nodded, still staring at the towering dragon.
Garchomp… I've never seen one in real life before. The strongest dragon type in all of Sinnoh and Cynthia has one in only 3 badges.
Volkner walked over to me with the referee flags.
"Volkner, Garchomp are super strong right?"
"They are devastating. Some of the most dangerous pokemon a trainer can use due to their sheer diversity and overwhelming power, especially within sand. Any battle with a Garchomp has to be worth watching."
I gripped my toys tighter as I watched Cynthia and Granddad go to the opposite sides of the field.
"This will be a 4v4 battle between Leader Vito and Challenger Cynthia. Only the challenger may switch pokemon and she will also have the first move. She's already sent out her pokemon though, so I guess you just send yours out next, Dad," Volkner stated.
Granddad nodded, unclipping an old pokeball from his belt releasing Electivire, his oldest partner. He was relatively big, but you could see his age with his graying fur around his face and battle worn body. Despite all that he looked healthy and ready to go.
"You have the first move, Challenger Cynthia."
She didn't respond, simply staring at her foe. She tapped the ground gently with her foot, nodded slightly to herself and then looked to her Garchomp. "Reginleif? Avalanche."
Isn't that an ice type move?
Reginleif, the moment that was said, roared in affirmation and burrowed into the ground in a burst of dirt and stone. There was a slight rumble before huge rocky spires started blasting up from the ground, lodging themselves in various spots around the arena and closing in on Granddad's Electivire.
"Interesting approach. Electivire dig your tails into the ground to figure out where the spires will emerge next! Dodge accordingly and smash through with Dual Chop!" Electivire roared back, and stuck their tails into the ground. They looked confused though, and simply stood where they are.
No spires actually came up right underneath or even particularly around them. No wall made of them or anything of the sort. The furthest ones were out of arm's reach.
After a quick moment where no more spires were shooting up from the ground, a torrent of sand came cascading out from the hole Garchomp had dug. The battlefield was quickly covered in a thick sandstorm, but there was no time for that. Behind a pillar in Electivire and Granddad's blind spot, she came bursting up from the ground, tore a pillar from the ground and launched it towards Electivire. Followed up quickly by three more, and then herself.
Electivire's tails twitched as he reflexively turned to where Reginleif emerged from the ground in a battle stance.
"Shield yourself with Magnet Rise, she's coming through, make sure to push her back with Ice Punch!"
I remember this strategy. Magnet Rise would catch the debris and Electivire would take on the opponent. I've watched Roland do it a few times against other ground opponents. Volkner said rather than making the pokemon float, it creates a levitate-like field around them. Sounds complex, but Electivire can prolly do it easy.
With a flick of his tails Electivire was surrounded by the Magnet Rise field as his hands began to cool with Ice Punch's wrath. The shield barely caught the debris as even he was surprised with how much force she had thrown at it, having to strengthen his guard to prepare for his counterattack.
After the fourth spire, rather than waiting for it to hit Reginleif was inside the spire itself. Using it as both an attack and a shield, she clamped onto Electivire's arm with her mouth and flew into the air.
Cynthia chuckled slightly. "Apologies, but we're from Snowpoint. We've trained specifically against ice." As if to punctuate this, the frost slowly forming on Reginleif's head was shattered as she blew Electivire back down to the ground with a point blank Dragon Pulse before going for a dive attack.
"Electivire!" Granddad yelled as he witnessed the carnage that transpired. Electivire had a look mixed with pain and 'I'm too old for this' as he laid on the ground looking fairly charred as he slowly got up looking at Reginleif come crashing down. "Outmaneuver her! Quick Attack!"
Electivire huffed as his body cloaked himself in a white light before moving out of the dive attack and charging straight into Reginleif with a Quick Attack mixed in with some Bulldoze.
Electivire doesn't like using moves like Quick Attack anymore cuz of his age, but even he sees how much he needs the extra speed right now.
A smile crossed Cynthia's face. "You know what to do." Reginleif simply roared, slammed her massive tail against the earth and sent a powerful Earthquake shattering through the battlefield. The huge amount of spires still left over crumbled to form sharp stones that littered the ground, not to mention the ones currently falling every which way. And while Electivire was too busy trying not to have an avalanche fall on him, Reginleif used the opportunity to send a huge pillar of raw Earth Power right underneath him.
"That won't be enough to stop this old boy!"
Electivire continued running through the Earth Power and before it could blow he stepped on it and the energy was curbed.
"Huh?" I asked.
"Electivire used Bulldoze to destroy everything on and under the ground, including Earth Power. He's going to charge straight on through."
And charge he did, slamming into Reginleif with normal and ground energy clashing. Cynthia's eyes lit up, having seen something she was unfamiliar with before she called out. "Reginleif! Fly!"
She roared, clamped her claws onto the charging Electivire, and took off into the air. In just a moment though, she came right back down dragging Electivire through the ground with draconic energy sparking across her body. Stones were jutting out of the ground in front of the two as they flew, making the keelhauling that extra bit more impactful.
I watched Reginleif drag Electivire through the battlefield wincing at how much that must hurt, but enthralled. Volkner's breath hitched as he noticed something.
"Barrier," He whispered.
"Yeah, we're standing behind one. If we weren't dirt would be everywhere."
Battle barriers are so convenient.
"No, look at that sheen at his back. It's taking the brunt of the rocks. Some of them get by, but it's mitigating the damage," Volkner pointed at how Electivire was holding on for dear life, but there was a subtle psychic barrier surrounding his body shielding him from the worst attacks. As well as…
His tails are all over her body!
We watched as Electivire's tails, while he was being attacked, had moved all over her body before he inserted the tips deep within her scales breaking through to her tissue.
"Watch closely Volkner! This is what Electivire can truly do!" Granddad shouted. "Thunder!"
"But that's an electric move and ground types are immune and she's a dragon type! Isn't that like super immune?"
"That's what I thought, but we can't underestimate Electivire and their electricity. Pokemon's insides aren't totally vulnerable and there have been reports of Electivire taking down ground type enemies by inserting electricity straight inside them. Guess this must be what they were talking about," Volkner answered, shaking with excitement.
Wow, is that a smile? A little weird, but he's got the right idea… I think?
Reginleif seemed to take notice of the unexpected piercings she just received as she began to slow down. Electivire seemed to notice and seized his chance as his tails began to constrict around her and inserted deeper inside before he let loose a ruthless thunder.
Volkner stood in front of me as we both covered our eyes to the blinding light. I heard a loud smash and turned to see Electivire had thrown Reginleif into the ground with all his strength with a vicious Hammer Arm, shoving her neck deeper and deeper into the ground so she could let loose another dragon pulse as he just kept shocking.
Pokemon battles… they are so violent, but I… I can't not look. My imagination hasn't been trying hard enough. I should make my toy battles more like this.
Cynthia flinched, her eyes darting before they focused once more. "Reginleif! You've got this! Make that your own and finish this!" There was a roar from the ground as she grabbed onto his arm with her claws, red and black lightning began to mix with the yellow and she didn't resist the Hammer Arm. She went with it.
The sudden shift in balance threw of Electivire just enough for her to turn it around and start burrowing through the ground, still getting shocked. Cynthia though just glanced upwards. When I followed her gaze, I found a huge meteor growing above the stadium. Oh.
"Now!" As the meteor had reached a critical mass and began to fall, Reginleif burst forth from the ground, still with Electivire held in front of her, and sandwiched him between the oncoming meteor and herself while shielding herself from the draconic energy with Electivire. She then tossed him to the ground, snarling and shuddering before the electricity left her system. She'd come out of it with some burn marks and a couple injuries, but nothing that kept her from standing strong.
The dust cleared and we saw Electivire flat on his back looking like he had just been sandwiched between two incoming trains. No wait, that'd prolly hurt less than what just transpired. He seemed to just stare into the ceiling lights, barked something before his eyes went all squiggly. His body was charred and bloody with some patches of fur missing. Just to make sure I checked his tails and luckily they were still there and-.
Wait, how long are those tails? They aren't that long outside of battle. I never knew he could extend them. I guess Roland will be able to as well.
Volkner looked like he witnessed Arceus descend upon us before I coughed breaking him out of his hypnosis.
"Ahem, Electivire is unable to battle, Reginleif wins!" He said, raising a flag.
I rolled my eyes as Granddad recalled Electivire. "You sure showed those whippersnappers. We'll get you fixed up, right as rain."
He turned to Cynthia with a more serious expression.
"Your strategies are nuanced and your Garchomp fights like a demon possessed. If I didn't know better I would have thought I was fighting the dragon master Lance himself. Electivire hasn't been pushed that far in years."
She was beaming back at him as she gently stroked Reginleif's scales, her slowly calming and feeling less shocked. This was likely her first time being electrocuted and she was not keen on repeating the process.
"You praise me too much, I've only done as much as I can. Reginleif deserves the credit far more than I. Though I have to thank you for teaching me during that match; I didn't know there was a way to stamp out Earth Power or that ground types can still be affected by electricity if you inject it. I'd wondered about utilizing Magnet Rise the way you did, but haven't had the opportunity to attempt it with any of my team. I learned a lot from that, but this match isn't over yet is it? I hope to learn much more from the coming bouts."
"You are an ideal trainer. Learn from every experience, yes and as an elder gym leader I shall teach you. It's not a well known or easily performed tactic, but if injected directly electric type moves can do damage albeit it is still lessened. Ground types are unused to the shock though, so they tend to recoil more than necessary. There are strategies for other types as well."
She put a hand to her chin and looked deep in thought for a moment. "Perhaps it was because of prior training…" Then her gaze turned to Reginleif. "Reginleif, was that similar to when we were training against ice? Of course different, but the same concept."
She nodded, and Cynthia's eyes brightened. "So learning how one elemental weakness affects you and counteracting it makes future training of that sort easier…" She started again and laughed awkwardly. "Sorry, I tend to do that. I doubt you want me to keep you while I theorize."
"I never knew battling was so complex…"
"When you're older you'll understand. There are so many factors to look into for a fight and contingencies you have to prepare for. Every battle is a learning opportunity and you have to take it into consideration when raising your own pokemon. Their strengths, weaknesses and theoretical immunities," Volkner explained a tad giddily. "The best pokemon trainers are the ones who think the hardest after every new strategy."
"Oooh. Hm."
Training pokemon. I wonder if I'll be any good at it.
"No worries young lady, take your time. It's been awhile since anyone was willing to listen to advice," Granddad says as he takes out a pokeball. "Unfortunately, the rest of this battle may not be as interesting. Electivire is by far my most powerful teammate, if he couldn't win, I'm not sure what the others can do even at their best. Even with Reginleif in that state."
I turned to Reginleif curiously. She looked fine when I last looked at her, but upon closer inspection you could still see the marks where Elecitivire's tails constricted her, slight bruising around her neck and deep holes where his tails broke through her scales. Despite it all she stood strong, ignoring whatever pain she must've felt.
Is this a battle high or was Granddad not too far off with the possessed demon part?
She raised an eyebrow. "I wouldn't count yourself out just yet. And there's always something new to learn from any battle. However, I believe you wouldn't mind if I swapped who's out? I would prefer Reginleif doesn't get injured too badly, and she's quite frankly the most experienced member of my team. I have another in mind who could do with a properly challenging battle."
"Of course. Switch to whomever you like. In my case… Electrode, go!"
Electrode landed with a whir. I don't know how old he is or if they even age.
Cynthia meanwhile had pulled out Reginleif's Pokeball. "Take a rest, my friend. You've more than earned it." Reginleif gave a gentle roar of thanks, and her shoulders slumped a bit before she was recalled. She fastened the ball back to her belt before taking off another one, her face a bit more serious. "Hel, you're up."
As the ball opened, a sudden ghastly pressure swept throughout the room. A simple rock formed with some strange markings shaped vaguely like a face, before a purple and green swirling mist coalesced into a jagged sawlike circle. The eyes looked loathing and an odd screech rung through the air. And yet…
Cynthia just looked to… him? Her? Them? "Tell me if you'd prefer to rest soon, alright? I won't force you." The whirling seemed somehow less intense for a moment before they stared down at the Electrode facing the two.
First her Garchomp fights like a demon on a rampage and now she's got the swirling portal to the underworld fighting with her?
Feeling concerned, I walked up to Volkner and pulled on his shirt. "Did Cynthia catch Hell?"
"Huh? What? No, that's what I assume is their nickname. That looks like… a Spiritomb. Never seen one in person before… or really heard of anyone having one."
Granddad rubbed his chin. "Spiritomb hmmm. That's an exceedingly rare, but dangerous pokemon you have."
The Spiritomb made a threatening noise while Cynthia nodded. "Please refer to them as an entity all their own. They don't much like being treated like an object. But yes, I found them and after helping calm them down they decided to come on my journey with me. They're the second newest member of my team, and as such them getting some experience would be best." Her gaze turned to Hel. "I take it you want to get on with this?"
Hel simply made another noise, sounding vaguely like dozens of distorted voices talking at once, before a purple black mist spewed forth from the strange stone they projected from. Almost nothing was visible, and Cynthia simply stood there and waited to see what her opponent would do.
"Battle begin I guess," Volkner announced.
"Electrode, spin while using Sonic Boom to get rid of the mist! Then use Discharge if they get too close!"
Electrode followed commands quickly spinning in place cutting through the mist. However, they began to slow as the mist itself began to surround and almost eat away at Electrode. Meanwhile, several orange flickers of flame burst to life, dancing about and almost… cackling? Hel was still entirely shrouded in the smoke, and seemed to be continually making it quite simply.
"This pokemon is… really spooky."
"Ghost types have that attribute, yes."
"Electrode, Rollout with Shock Wave! Find the target!"
Electrode began spinning rapidly, firing off Shock Waves to find Hel.
"Shock Wave is the attack that never misses right?"
"On paper yes, but there are ways around it."
Her brow furrowed slightly before she gazed into the billowing cloud. "Become one with the shadows!" The odd glow from the Spiritomb disappeared before reappearing in various places across the battlefield. And then multiple. And from multiple directions, purplish glows began to light up.
"Why does Electrode look so sleepy?"
"Is that… hypnosis!?"
"Damnit, Protect!"
Before Electrode could be put to sleep he used Protect blocking the last of the waves.
Cynthia just smiled and waited patiently.
"So um, what's Electrode going to do now?"
"Hmmm, ah I see. Pay attention, Topaz."
"Huh? I already am, but sure."
"Electrode it's time!"
Electrode nodded before releasing the protect and began glowing a bright purple. When the real hypnosis made contact with him it bounced right off and went straight at wherever Hel must've been hiding. The mist cleared a bit allowing Electrode to let loose a Signal Beam in that general direction.
"I'm lost, what just happened?"
"Electrode used Magic Coat. It reflects status moves."
"Wow, never heard of a move like that, is it fairy type?"
"Psychic."
"...but it's magic."
"And it's still psychic."
"That name is misleading," I huffed as Volkner rolled his eyes.
"I suppose you don't know what type Spiritomb are then?"
"Hypnosis is a status move. It works on dark types as well," Granddad said confidently. While there was a distinct lack of glow and the mist was very slowly clearing, the Signal Beam left a telltale mark on the barrier around the arena. Cynthia, while not having lost her composure, had raised an eyebrow and was clearly thinking.
"Wait, Hel isn't there? I thought they were asleep?"
"Guess they moved."
"Before they fell asleep?"
"Yeah, but that doesn't really matter to Electrode."
I raised an eyebrow at that as I watched Electrode charge up a Discharge hitting everything within the arena. In the light he must've seen where Hel was because he immediately darted over and launched a Zap Cannon at point blank. There was a pained screech from dozens of voices that made my skin crawl as the small rock went careening out of the cloud and hit the ground, the Spiritomb looking quite pissed off.
Cynthia then bowed to Hel. "My apologies, I should've directed better. But at the same time…" a grin spread across her face. "An eye for an eye, no?" They rotated back to the battle as a slim bolt of energy streaked across, struck Electrode, and then bounded back. Hel started spinning distinctly faster after that while Electrode went from having taken no damage at all to having taken quite a bit.
"Volkner, what is even happening anymore, why did Electrode let that happen?"
"That was Pain Split, it equalizes damage between you and the opponent. It's not really an attack you can dodge."
Where did all these moves come from? Roland just used Ice Punch last match and won, but now we've got fairy moves that aren't fairy moves and magical evening the odds? Ugh, I wonder how pokemon deal with all this since they don't see all the wacky stuff trainers do.
We watched Electrode shake his ummm body I suppose before staring back at Spiritomb. The blast must've woken them up and they did not look pleased.
"Sneaky play, but fitting from this type of opponent. Pursue!"
Electrode flashed everything- So this is why Volkner always keeps sunglasses on him just in case for battle- and I heard him move so I guess he's attacking now? I squinted my eyes to see what was going on to find Electrode using his vastly superior speed to lob Electro Balls at Hel. And yet, after only a couple a purple aura surrounded Hel as they almost teleported in front of Electrode, blasting them away. Before they could touch the ground though, they were engulfed in a pink aura. Hel let out a screech as they began slamming Electrode into every surface available; the ground, the barriers, the ceiling, anything.
"Electrode resist!"
Electrode caused the psychic to stop as they began spinning in place before rocketing into Hel, knocking her out of the way like a bowling pin, albeit it looked like the sudden aggressive smashing took him by surprise.
"Cynthia's pokemon don't play," Volkner muttered to himself.
For real, I wouldn't be surprised if the arena turned into a molten field.
As they flew off and landed a fair distance away, while Electrode just stayed snoring where they were. Hel gave a malicious grin before floating over and engulfing Electrode in a deep purple light. The longer it went on, the more hurt he seemed while the faster Hel spun.
"Volkner-"
"It's Dream Eater. Spiritomb must've used it before they got hit causing Electrode to fall asleep. This match is over, Dream Eater is not nearly as disruptive as a Zap Cannon to the body."
"Sleep is kind of overpowered isn't it?"
"There are ways around it, especially if you're lucky and wake up in time, but…"
We watched as Electrode's eyes went from slight distress to squiggly. "Electrode wasn't so lucky."
Granddad recalled Electrode and thanked him for the good showing. "You are quite the incredible trainer, Challenger Cynthia. Your pokemon respond to simple instructions and function very well independently."
She shook her head. "Indeed, but that was due to my own ineptitude that Hel fell asleep. I assumed that because they are a dark type they would be immune to Hypnosis, as it is a psychic type attack, but I suppose not. For some reason. Frankly all the credit for this win should go to Hel, not I." Hel gazed at Cynthia curiously before seeming satisfied and looking to the next opponent. Or maybe victim.
"It is a common mistake. Status moves follow different rules than offensive ones. It's just important to remain cautious," Granddad said sagely. He seemed satisfied to teach, so good for him even though he's losing. "Now shall we continue?"
Cynthia nodded and awaited for Granddad's next pokemon.
~~2 Rounds Later~~
Cynthia didn't need to switch out Hel for anyone else. Manectric and Luxray put up good fights, but Hel kept using Hypnosis and Dream Eater to keep going, disrupting their attempts to use Electric Terrain which forbids sleep. The battles were cool, but not as noteworthy as the first 2 rounds, but I know they tried their best. They are an old dog and cat after all. Volkner on the other hand looked more giddy with each passing fight.
Granddad returned Luxray and sighed.
"Luxray is unable to battle. Gym Leader Vito is out of usable pokemon which means Challenger Cynthia and Hel are the winners!" Volkner announced. Granddad made his way over to him, which is when Volkner handed him a box with the Beacon badge inside. I can't actually remember the last time I saw them give a trainer this badge.
It feels more like Cynthia is an overseer rather than a trainer. None of her orders are direct and her pokemon tend to do what they want to do. I wonder how many plans they have? Isn't it hard to remember them all? It's bad enough that trainers have to remember so many moves and add strategies to the mix? Yikes.
Cynthia smiled and bowed to Granddad. "Thank you for the gym badge and the battles." She then turned to Hel. "And thank you for battling. You deserve the praise for this, not I." She then turned back to Granddad and Volkner.
"Your pokemon are a force to be reckoned with at this stage and you only have 4. I like to think I'm a competent trainer, but it looks like I need to stay on my toes with kids like you and my Volkner running around."
Volkner simply nodded at that before turning to Cynthia proper. "Hey if you don't mind, I'm sure you're busy and want to get your pokemon to the center, but I wouldn't mind a quick shot at ya."
And I knew this would happen.
She smiled at him. "Of course. I shan't be using Hel or Reginleif though, as they both have more than earned a rest. A quicker bout then?"
He removed Roland's pokeball from his belt and he had that eager look on his face. "But not an easy one," Volkner said, clenching the pokeball with an excited expression. As for me, I had the same one.
~~Chapter 1 Fin~~
Author's Note
Welcome to Hybrid: Topaz Edition! I've come from FFN and was introduced to this forum by HelloYellow17
Now a word from my friend and co-writer (She wrote Cynthia and her team this chapter).
-And I'm said friend! Bit honored to be called one of the best, but that aside. There's gonna be plenty to this story, dark and humor alike. Sometimes both at the same time. I'm just helping out on this side, the other side is the side I'm writing! So check that out when you like. Sinnoh best region and Cynthia best person in all of Pokemon bar none!-
As a way to engage with the audience I'll have questions at the end of each chapter. Answer at your leisure.
Question: Favorite mainline region? Mine has got to be Sinnoh! First region I ever played and the one I am most familiar with!
AN2: Currently the whole story is in revision. The rest of the story is on fanfiction.net, but I plan on slowly editing the story to meet my new standards before adding more chapters. Thank you for understanding.
Sinnoh, the land of the gods, famous for its myths, culture and frigid climate. Times may change, but the people shall never forget their origin, their creators and protectors above. Our story is a tale of strife and pain, but also happiness and adventure. There are centuries long mysteries waiting to be resolved and it befalls a select few individuals and all their allies to make it happen. To change Sinnoh- no, the planet, Regiearth, forever. To seize your answer, you must take action and uncover the secrets that blind the truth. In this epic, we will be following the life of Topaz Heart and his allies as they live through an ever evolving Sinnoh region to solve its mysteries and to defeat the evil that dwells within it. Before that we must address his origin, how Topaz and his friends came to be. Welcome to Arc 1: New World Order .
~Sunyshore City, May Year 8520~
The storm was intense tonight. Lightning struck the sky and the waves roared with a furious passion. Most pokemon and humans were nestled away in their dens and homes in an attempt to escape the intense downpour. Wingull huddled within small coves to shelter themselves. The aquatic pokemon sunk deep within the ocean to avoid the worst of the rolling sea. The famous solar panel walkways of Sunyshore still shone, a subtle luminosity highlighting the paths for those misfortunate enough to be stuck outside seeking shelter. It was past midnight, so most of the city's denizens were fast asleep, allowing the pitter patter of the rain to lull them into a deep slumber.
If only I were so lucky.
I clung onto Mother's hand as if I were holding on to dear life, which very well have been the case. It was frigid, soaking wet, thunderous and terrifying. Daddy always said it's dangerous to run around during thunderstorms without protective gear since electric types come out and they aren't always careful when they eat the lightning strikes. The city has countermeasures for this, but he said to still be careful or I'll get shocked. I also felt really dizzy for some reason.
"Mother, Daddy said it isn't safe to be out in the rain like this!" I yelled over the sound of roaring thunder and constant splashes of our feet in the puddles.
She didn't answer, simply choosing to tug on me to move faster. In the distance I saw a Munchlax and two Aipom running in the distance looking for shelter. The Munchlax tripped, but his Aipom friends turned back to help him up before they all continued running.
I hope they find somewhere safe to hide.
I was pulled from my thoughts once again when my mother began running through a park dodging past several of the playground structures. I could barely keep up compared to her longer legs, having to jump up all over while she continued to drag me.
We then began to climb a long concrete staircase in which I slipped and nearly fell on my face, catching myself before I fell. I scraped one of my hands and I think my knees, but I knew complaining too much would probably upset her even more so I stifled my tears. Mother has been gone for awhile, so I don't want to upset her by crying.
Climbing all the stairs made my dizziness intensify. My head felt like it was spinning too fast for me to handle, causing me to lag behind even more.
"Mother, can we go slower? I don't feel good," I lightly pleaded.
"If you make us wait in the rain you certainly won't get any better. This is for your own good, trust me. We are almost there, just hold on," She retorted.
If you say so…
She allowed me to properly stand up before we made off once again into the night. It was dark, but I was beginning to recognize landmarks of which part of the city we were in. The beach house district close to the ocean where I could see the water crash against the beach rocks with a ferocious intensity. Most of the houses were perched on cliffs far from anything short of a tsunami, so I think they should be okay.
A sizzling bolt of lightning shone through the sky. In the distance I could see crowds of Electabuzz, Magnemite and Pikachu awaiting the next bolt of lightning to strike one of them. Another bolt descended upon the horde of Electabuzz stirring them into a bright, whirling frenzy.
A stray bolt made one of the street lamps shudder and pop, glass splintering everywhere. I closed my eyes and clung onto Mother's arm hoping she'd protect me.
"Let go of my arm, I can't move with effectively if you accost me in a vice grip," She chastised me wrenching her arm from me and grabbing my hands. "If a threat is imminent the smart thing to do would be to flee, hide or dispose of it. Not cling on my arm and impede our progress increasing the chances of both of us acquiring injury."
She muttered to herself a bit more dragging me along. The blinding flashes didn't help with my disorientation, but I coped in fear of another tongue lashing. We continued our way onward and my vision only blurred more and more. The cold rain soaked through my clothes.
Mixed with the exhaustion from running around the city made me feel uncomfortably wet. My will to go on was diminishing with my every step, but my desire to not disappoint Mother kept me standing.
I don't wanna be yelled at again… but I miss my bed. Where are we going? Why did it have to be now?
My thoughts must've been running faster than my legs because my brain couldn't handle the disorientation and tripped, sprawling on the solar panel tiles. It felt as though I stepped off a cliff with how it felt like I was plummeting to the ground in a sprawl.
I could vaguely hear Mother curse before hoisting me up. She looked me straight in the eyes and snapped her fingers, but I barely noticed. With a huff she took my hand and we kept on going, with me too dazed at this point to protest anything.
"There it is, we are finally here," I heard Mother exclaim. My vision had gotten a lot woozier the more we progressed and even more so after I fell, but even I could tell where we were. A modest beach home perched atop a cliff, surrounded by various palm trees. There was ample space and it was obvious how much training had been done in the backyard.
"Uncle's house?" I softly asked. She practically dragged me to the front steps before kneeling in front of me and holding my head.
"Mother has to go now, you'll be staying with your grandparents and uncle, understood?" She spoke quickly.
I-why!? Where is she going? Where's Daddy?
"But Mom-Mother, where are you going? I wanna stay with you and Daddy!" The tears were nigh immediate. I was feeling a lot of things right now and none of them were good. Abandonment was the breaking point.
"Hush child. Mother and Father have errands to attend to, but we will come back for you soon. All of us will be a family again. Until then I need you to be good and study hard, you are my son, correct? You have a sharp mind, but you must hone it. It does not befit our family for you to grow up to be anything short of exceptional. Come now, stop crying and answer. You'll grow up to be exceptional, correct?"
I stifled a cry when her cold eyes began to sink like daggers. "...I promise. I'll train and study hard! I'll become so smart you and Daddy will be jealous, but you have to come back!"
"That'll be a feat. We shall see in due time, dear child," She said before caressing my face. "Be well, my Topaz."
"I will. I love you... Mother," I said with a slight giddiness. She's not usually like this, that's strange. At the same time, I haven't seen her in a long time. Daddy said they were taking a break, so maybe she got nicer during the break.
She gave a curt smile before ringing the doorbell and fleeing through the rain. I watched her dash away much faster than she had with me, so even if I wanted to catch up I had no chance in my condition. As she grew smaller and smaller in the distance the urge to cry came once again.
In the corner of my eye I saw lights go on from within the house. The rain was too loud to hear what was going on, but they must've heard Mother pushing the doorbell so many times. A few short moments later the door opened revealing a boy over twice my age with short blonde hair and very tired blue eyes looking around before he fell upon me. Out of the corner of my eye I could see his Electabuzz, Roland, with a pajama cap looking over.
"Topaz!? What are you doing here in the rain at 4am?" Uncle demanded pulling me.
"Uncle Volkner… Mother… she left me… here," I staggered after each word falling into my uncle Volkner's arms, having difficulty regaining focus. I was so tired, I could barely move anymore. "She said… she had… to go…"
"Oi Topaz! Wake up! Mom! Dad! It's Topaz! Come on, wake-" Those were the last words I heard before I closed my eyes. I couldn't focus anymore, I wasn't sure if I was still crying or not due to being completely soaked, but I just couldn't stand any longer. Everything faded into a swirling black cloudy night.
Mother never came back, not a word from Dad either. The night after I collapsed at my grandparents' place they investigated my house finding signs of conflict, but otherwise it looked like a home invasion.
The police questioned me asking me what I could remember and I told them all I remember is running away from the house and my mom leaving me with my grandparents. Everything else was too foggy.
What the police must've wanted to do was have a psychic type look into my brain to find out what actually happened, but apparently psychic type interference on a developing brain can be pretty bed even with the slightest mistake, so in Sinnoh it's illegal to do it on minors and forbidden for children under 12.
All they could deduce was that my head had been tampered with by a psychic type, which explained why I felt so awful. I'd recover eventually, one day.
Granddad Vito, the Sunyshore gym leader, set up search parties all over the city looking for my parents, but they couldn't even pick up a scent so they figured the invaders teleported out. When they brought psychic types to investigate they smelt dark type energy ruining the signal. They asked my grandparents and uncle a bunch of questions about possible enemies, but the investigation proved fruitless.
~~Luminous Beach, June Year 8520~~
I sat down on the warm beach sand and stared out at the sea.
It's been a month and they still aren't home.
Living with my grandparents wasn't bad, just different. My granddad is the gym leader of Sunyshore City and my uncle Volkner is training to take his place soon. Volkner and his Electabuzz, Roland, would pick me up from school to take me to the gym while they trained. Usually I just sat on the sidelines and watched since I didn't feel like doing all that much else and watched.
Ever since my parents left I just didn't feel the same anymore. There were so many people and pokemon around me all the time now, yet I still felt alone. Grandma said I'd get used to it, but I wasn't all that sure.
My head is in a constant daze from the psychic tampering. I can't remember anything that happened that night and my memories of beforehand were fading. I spent most of my team asleep trying to drown out the physical and mental pain.
"Yo Topaz. Dinner is ready," Said the familiar voice behind me as I turned around to see Volkner standing above me with his usual expression: apathy. Ironically enough I found him more approachable than anyone else because of it.
"Hi Uncle," I said quietly before staring back at the ocean. He didn't say anything for a whole minute. Uncle Volkner isn't that much older than me, I'm 6 and he's 12. A pretty big gap, but he was still nice to me. Quiet too and sometimes I needed that.
We watched the waves cascade in the distance. Mantyke leaped through the waters as the sunset painted the environment in an orange hue.
"Do you think I'll see my parents again?" I asked him innocently. Volkner wouldn't lie to me.
There was a long pause.
"Dunno," Was all he said.
I exhaled. That's the best answer I could expect. He didn't lie, he just doesn't know. I stood up and brushed off the sand.
"What's for dinner tonight?"
"Lasagna. Hurry up before Roland eats it all, he fought in 10 battles today, he's starving," Volkner informed me with his constant neutral expression before turning away.
"Coming."
I looked at the sea one more time before chasing after him. I could brood later.
~~Sunyshore Gym, July Year 8520~~
I was sitting inside the gym watching Volkner and Roland demolish another potential challenger effortlessly. They both had a semi dissatisfied and bored look, but that wasn't a sign of carelessness. It was mercy. Roland using all his energy in this fight would be a waste.
"Roland, catch Donphan and then use Ice Punch," Volkner said with his arms crossed.
The opposing trainer commanded his Donphan to use Rollout, barreling right into Roland's open arms. Contrary to popular belief, Electabuzz aren't very big at all less than 4ft tall typically, but for pokemon size rarely matters as he easily caught Donphan without even a grunt of distress.
"Don!?"
"Buzz!" Roland smirked before he incased the poor Donphan in ice freezing him.
"Donphan? Donphan can you move?"
There was a slight shake of acknowledgement as Roland placed the Donphan down, enjoying his little trick.
"Recall them, we're done here. Try again when you know what you're doing," Volkner yawned as he recalled Roland to his pokeball. "Another easy win…" He said to Roland's ball before pocketing it.
The trainer ran over to their frozen Donphan, recalled them and ran to the pokemon center looking like they were about to cry.
Didn't he say he had 8 gym badges? That's what you get when you lie about your skill huh…
Volkner stretched and walked over to me. "Pretty boring right?"
I nodded. My action figures had a more exciting battle than that.
He sat down next to me. "I've traveled the whole region and now I'm in a rut. Got all these pokemon who want strong challengers, but all we keep getting are these weak trainers who want to fight the electric gym thinking it'll be easy with ground types. It might be time for us to start traveling again…"
I looked at Volkner quizzically as I fiddled with my Munchlax action figure. The main reason why he hasn't gone out traveling is because he's lazy. That's what my grandparents say anyway. I don't think Volkner is lazy at all since he's always working with the pokemon and taking on challengers as a gym trainer. It's just that sometimes he looks a little sadder than usual and doesn't have the energy he needs to get up and go.
Flint, his best friend, is usually able to cheer him up, but he's off traveling again and training on the island north of the Pokemon League. Something about a Battle Tower?
Maybe he needs more motivation?
"I'm gonna get a drink, ya want an apple juice or something?"
"Mango punch."
"Of course ya do," Volkner said before walking off to go get it. The gym was pretty quiet at the moment. We haven't been busy in awhile so most of the gym trainers are in the back taking care of the pokemon more than anything else. I didn't mind, all the battles I've seen are kinda overrated.
I waited in silence for a bit just looking at the relatively untouched battlefield.
I'm so bored.
That is until I heard the gym entrance open up. There in walked a girl around Volkner's age with long blonde hair and an even longer black coat. Actually everything she wore was black including her hair accessories. I looked at her and noticed her focused gray eyes looking around for the gym trainer or puzzle that was supposed to be in here. Lots of trainers have that look.
I wonder what the receptionist tells them before they enter?
She raised an eyebrow before looking at me, smiling a bit when she saw me. "Hello there. Am I missing something or is there no particular puzzle or pathway here?"
"Nope. Just some fights. My granddad is old fashioned. The reinforced glass ceiling is new though," I said pointing at the ceiling before returning to my toys. "My uncle should be here any second now."
And just as I said that Volkner came in with two glasses of mango punch, one for me and him. After he handed me mine, he looked at the girl.
"I'm guessing you're a challenger right? The name's Volkner Beacon."
She nodded, bowing slightly. "I am. My name is Cynthia Valkyrie, and I'd like to issue a challenge." She tilted her head slightly. "You're a bit young to be a leader, but you're quite strong aren't you?"
Volkner raised an eyebrow at that. I wonder why.
"I've been through my fair share of fights during my journey, but now I'm just a gym trainer. My grandfather is in the back, he's the leader…" Volkner looks at Cynthia proper. "How can you tell how strong I am?"
"You carry yourself with the air of earned confidence." She gave a bit of an awkward smile. "I just saw an example of relatively unearned confidence running out of here. It's subtle, but you give off this aura of knowing what you're doing."
"Ah him. That kid wasn't anything special, nothing to write home about," Volkner stated, but even he looked annoyed. Easy fights always make him feel sour. "Anyway, my team is on lunch break and all the other gym trainers are busy. Might as well fight my dad, he's got nothing better to do."
She gave a nod of affirmation and shifted slightly on her feet. "Should I wait while you go get him, shall he be coming soon, should I get him myself…?"
"He's just in the back, give me a sec," Volkner said before turning around to the back to go get Granddad. I finished my juice and continued playing with my toys before I turned to Cynthia.
"Do you have any electric types?" I asked.
She shook her head. "Not yet. I don't know what the future will hold just yet, though they certainly are fascinating. It's quite rare for Pokemon to only be innately weak to one type, and electric types have a number of interesting aspects about them." She started a bit, shook her head and smiled. "Sorry, I have a habit of going on to myself. I don't believe I caught your name?"
"Topaz," I said simply before holding up my toys. "This is Munchy the Munchlax and Blitz the Blitzle."
A flash of a grimace crossed her face before she smiled kindly and extended a hand. "A pleasure to meet you and your friends."
I shook her hand before returning to my toy battle. A few seconds later Volkner came out with Granddad Vito. He smiled at Cynthia before walking over and extending a hand in greetings. "Welcome to Sunyshore gym. You must be Cynthia Valkyrie correct? A pleasure to meet you."
She gave him a smile as she shook his hand. "I am indeed, and likewise. I take it you're the gym leader?"
"Indeed I am. My name is Vito Beacon, I specialize in electric types and my family is responsible for creating the solar panel walkways that brought you here. It was actually my son Volkner's idea in order to provide bountiful renewable energy to the entire city. Did you know-"
There he goes.
My grandfather liked to introduce himself by hyping up the accomplishments of Sunyshore. Volkner coughed loudly to prevent him from getting too off track.
"Oh my apologies, I tend to ramble on. I haven't actually seen too many challengers lately, Volkner scares them off."
Volkner huffed before the attention focused back on Granddad.
"So, how many gym badges do you have? We can determine how we fight from there."
She pulled out a small case, and upon opening it it held the Snowpoint, Eterna and Veilstone gym badges. "This would be my fourth gym, however." Her face hardened. "I have a request to make. I would ask that you come at me with your strongest team members."
I immediately looked up. Both Granddad and Volkner's eyes widened a bit at that remark.
Have I ever even seen Granddad's strongest team fight?
"Are you sure? It sounds like you aren't too far in your journey… ah wait, you must have strong pokemon from past journeys, of course," Grandfather rationalized.
She shook her head. "This is my first journey. That does not change the fact that my younger sister was taken two months ago and I have every intention of becoming Champion to fix things. I don't expect you to believe blind bravado, however." Her hand went around one of the four Pokeballs on her belt, and she took a couple steps back. "Reginleif? It's time to fly."
She threw the ball into the air, it bursting open with a brilliant light before forming the largest Garchomp I'd ever seen (and the first). They stood well above Granddad and were far taller than Cynthia, with fins worn smooth and a determined, prepared look on her face.
She gave a small smile to her companion before turning back to Granddad and Volkner. "I would also hope you don't think I'm so foolish as to expect I'll win simply because Reginleif is a ground type. Types may be fundamentals, but fundamentals must be expanded upon."
Granddad was speechless a moment before he collected himself. "Seems I underestimated the youngsters of today. Your Garchomp appears young, but she is quite large and exudes power. Fine then, I shall fight you with my oldest companions. They need to get the blood pumping anyway. Volkner would you care to referee?"
He nodded, still staring at the towering dragon.
Garchomp… I've never seen one in real life before. The strongest dragon type in all of Sinnoh and Cynthia has one in only 3 badges.
Volkner walked over to me with the referee flags.
"Volkner, Garchomp are super strong right?"
"They are devastating. Some of the most dangerous pokemon a trainer can use due to their sheer diversity and overwhelming power, especially within sand. Any battle with a Garchomp has to be worth watching."
I gripped my toys tighter as I watched Cynthia and Granddad go to the opposite sides of the field.
"This will be a 4v4 battle between Leader Vito and Challenger Cynthia. Only the challenger may switch pokemon and she will also have the first move. She's already sent out her pokemon though, so I guess you just send yours out next, Dad," Volkner stated.
Granddad nodded, unclipping an old pokeball from his belt releasing Electivire, his oldest partner. He was relatively big, but you could see his age with his graying fur around his face and battle worn body. Despite all that he looked healthy and ready to go.
"You have the first move, Challenger Cynthia."
She didn't respond, simply staring at her foe. She tapped the ground gently with her foot, nodded slightly to herself and then looked to her Garchomp. "Reginleif? Avalanche."
Isn't that an ice type move?
Reginleif, the moment that was said, roared in affirmation and burrowed into the ground in a burst of dirt and stone. There was a slight rumble before huge rocky spires started blasting up from the ground, lodging themselves in various spots around the arena and closing in on Granddad's Electivire.
"Interesting approach. Electivire dig your tails into the ground to figure out where the spires will emerge next! Dodge accordingly and smash through with Dual Chop!" Electivire roared back, and stuck their tails into the ground. They looked confused though, and simply stood where they are.
No spires actually came up right underneath or even particularly around them. No wall made of them or anything of the sort. The furthest ones were out of arm's reach.
After a quick moment where no more spires were shooting up from the ground, a torrent of sand came cascading out from the hole Garchomp had dug. The battlefield was quickly covered in a thick sandstorm, but there was no time for that. Behind a pillar in Electivire and Granddad's blind spot, she came bursting up from the ground, tore a pillar from the ground and launched it towards Electivire. Followed up quickly by three more, and then herself.
Electivire's tails twitched as he reflexively turned to where Reginleif emerged from the ground in a battle stance.
"Shield yourself with Magnet Rise, she's coming through, make sure to push her back with Ice Punch!"
I remember this strategy. Magnet Rise would catch the debris and Electivire would take on the opponent. I've watched Roland do it a few times against other ground opponents. Volkner said rather than making the pokemon float, it creates a levitate-like field around them. Sounds complex, but Electivire can prolly do it easy.
With a flick of his tails Electivire was surrounded by the Magnet Rise field as his hands began to cool with Ice Punch's wrath. The shield barely caught the debris as even he was surprised with how much force she had thrown at it, having to strengthen his guard to prepare for his counterattack.
After the fourth spire, rather than waiting for it to hit Reginleif was inside the spire itself. Using it as both an attack and a shield, she clamped onto Electivire's arm with her mouth and flew into the air.
Cynthia chuckled slightly. "Apologies, but we're from Snowpoint. We've trained specifically against ice." As if to punctuate this, the frost slowly forming on Reginleif's head was shattered as she blew Electivire back down to the ground with a point blank Dragon Pulse before going for a dive attack.
"Electivire!" Granddad yelled as he witnessed the carnage that transpired. Electivire had a look mixed with pain and 'I'm too old for this' as he laid on the ground looking fairly charred as he slowly got up looking at Reginleif come crashing down. "Outmaneuver her! Quick Attack!"
Electivire huffed as his body cloaked himself in a white light before moving out of the dive attack and charging straight into Reginleif with a Quick Attack mixed in with some Bulldoze.
Electivire doesn't like using moves like Quick Attack anymore cuz of his age, but even he sees how much he needs the extra speed right now.
A smile crossed Cynthia's face. "You know what to do." Reginleif simply roared, slammed her massive tail against the earth and sent a powerful Earthquake shattering through the battlefield. The huge amount of spires still left over crumbled to form sharp stones that littered the ground, not to mention the ones currently falling every which way. And while Electivire was too busy trying not to have an avalanche fall on him, Reginleif used the opportunity to send a huge pillar of raw Earth Power right underneath him.
"That won't be enough to stop this old boy!"
Electivire continued running through the Earth Power and before it could blow he stepped on it and the energy was curbed.
"Huh?" I asked.
"Electivire used Bulldoze to destroy everything on and under the ground, including Earth Power. He's going to charge straight on through."
And charge he did, slamming into Reginleif with normal and ground energy clashing. Cynthia's eyes lit up, having seen something she was unfamiliar with before she called out. "Reginleif! Fly!"
She roared, clamped her claws onto the charging Electivire, and took off into the air. In just a moment though, she came right back down dragging Electivire through the ground with draconic energy sparking across her body. Stones were jutting out of the ground in front of the two as they flew, making the keelhauling that extra bit more impactful.
I watched Reginleif drag Electivire through the battlefield wincing at how much that must hurt, but enthralled. Volkner's breath hitched as he noticed something.
"Barrier," He whispered.
"Yeah, we're standing behind one. If we weren't dirt would be everywhere."
Battle barriers are so convenient.
"No, look at that sheen at his back. It's taking the brunt of the rocks. Some of them get by, but it's mitigating the damage," Volkner pointed at how Electivire was holding on for dear life, but there was a subtle psychic barrier surrounding his body shielding him from the worst attacks. As well as…
His tails are all over her body!
We watched as Electivire's tails, while he was being attacked, had moved all over her body before he inserted the tips deep within her scales breaking through to her tissue.
"Watch closely Volkner! This is what Electivire can truly do!" Granddad shouted. "Thunder!"
"But that's an electric move and ground types are immune and she's a dragon type! Isn't that like super immune?"
"That's what I thought, but we can't underestimate Electivire and their electricity. Pokemon's insides aren't totally vulnerable and there have been reports of Electivire taking down ground type enemies by inserting electricity straight inside them. Guess this must be what they were talking about," Volkner answered, shaking with excitement.
Wow, is that a smile? A little weird, but he's got the right idea… I think?
Reginleif seemed to take notice of the unexpected piercings she just received as she began to slow down. Electivire seemed to notice and seized his chance as his tails began to constrict around her and inserted deeper inside before he let loose a ruthless thunder.
Volkner stood in front of me as we both covered our eyes to the blinding light. I heard a loud smash and turned to see Electivire had thrown Reginleif into the ground with all his strength with a vicious Hammer Arm, shoving her neck deeper and deeper into the ground so she could let loose another dragon pulse as he just kept shocking.
Pokemon battles… they are so violent, but I… I can't not look. My imagination hasn't been trying hard enough. I should make my toy battles more like this.
Cynthia flinched, her eyes darting before they focused once more. "Reginleif! You've got this! Make that your own and finish this!" There was a roar from the ground as she grabbed onto his arm with her claws, red and black lightning began to mix with the yellow and she didn't resist the Hammer Arm. She went with it.
The sudden shift in balance threw of Electivire just enough for her to turn it around and start burrowing through the ground, still getting shocked. Cynthia though just glanced upwards. When I followed her gaze, I found a huge meteor growing above the stadium. Oh.
"Now!" As the meteor had reached a critical mass and began to fall, Reginleif burst forth from the ground, still with Electivire held in front of her, and sandwiched him between the oncoming meteor and herself while shielding herself from the draconic energy with Electivire. She then tossed him to the ground, snarling and shuddering before the electricity left her system. She'd come out of it with some burn marks and a couple injuries, but nothing that kept her from standing strong.
The dust cleared and we saw Electivire flat on his back looking like he had just been sandwiched between two incoming trains. No wait, that'd prolly hurt less than what just transpired. He seemed to just stare into the ceiling lights, barked something before his eyes went all squiggly. His body was charred and bloody with some patches of fur missing. Just to make sure I checked his tails and luckily they were still there and-.
Wait, how long are those tails? They aren't that long outside of battle. I never knew he could extend them. I guess Roland will be able to as well.
Volkner looked like he witnessed Arceus descend upon us before I coughed breaking him out of his hypnosis.
"Ahem, Electivire is unable to battle, Reginleif wins!" He said, raising a flag.
I rolled my eyes as Granddad recalled Electivire. "You sure showed those whippersnappers. We'll get you fixed up, right as rain."
He turned to Cynthia with a more serious expression.
"Your strategies are nuanced and your Garchomp fights like a demon possessed. If I didn't know better I would have thought I was fighting the dragon master Lance himself. Electivire hasn't been pushed that far in years."
She was beaming back at him as she gently stroked Reginleif's scales, her slowly calming and feeling less shocked. This was likely her first time being electrocuted and she was not keen on repeating the process.
"You praise me too much, I've only done as much as I can. Reginleif deserves the credit far more than I. Though I have to thank you for teaching me during that match; I didn't know there was a way to stamp out Earth Power or that ground types can still be affected by electricity if you inject it. I'd wondered about utilizing Magnet Rise the way you did, but haven't had the opportunity to attempt it with any of my team. I learned a lot from that, but this match isn't over yet is it? I hope to learn much more from the coming bouts."
"You are an ideal trainer. Learn from every experience, yes and as an elder gym leader I shall teach you. It's not a well known or easily performed tactic, but if injected directly electric type moves can do damage albeit it is still lessened. Ground types are unused to the shock though, so they tend to recoil more than necessary. There are strategies for other types as well."
She put a hand to her chin and looked deep in thought for a moment. "Perhaps it was because of prior training…" Then her gaze turned to Reginleif. "Reginleif, was that similar to when we were training against ice? Of course different, but the same concept."
She nodded, and Cynthia's eyes brightened. "So learning how one elemental weakness affects you and counteracting it makes future training of that sort easier…" She started again and laughed awkwardly. "Sorry, I tend to do that. I doubt you want me to keep you while I theorize."
"I never knew battling was so complex…"
"When you're older you'll understand. There are so many factors to look into for a fight and contingencies you have to prepare for. Every battle is a learning opportunity and you have to take it into consideration when raising your own pokemon. Their strengths, weaknesses and theoretical immunities," Volkner explained a tad giddily. "The best pokemon trainers are the ones who think the hardest after every new strategy."
"Oooh. Hm."
Training pokemon. I wonder if I'll be any good at it.
"No worries young lady, take your time. It's been awhile since anyone was willing to listen to advice," Granddad says as he takes out a pokeball. "Unfortunately, the rest of this battle may not be as interesting. Electivire is by far my most powerful teammate, if he couldn't win, I'm not sure what the others can do even at their best. Even with Reginleif in that state."
I turned to Reginleif curiously. She looked fine when I last looked at her, but upon closer inspection you could still see the marks where Elecitivire's tails constricted her, slight bruising around her neck and deep holes where his tails broke through her scales. Despite it all she stood strong, ignoring whatever pain she must've felt.
Is this a battle high or was Granddad not too far off with the possessed demon part?
She raised an eyebrow. "I wouldn't count yourself out just yet. And there's always something new to learn from any battle. However, I believe you wouldn't mind if I swapped who's out? I would prefer Reginleif doesn't get injured too badly, and she's quite frankly the most experienced member of my team. I have another in mind who could do with a properly challenging battle."
"Of course. Switch to whomever you like. In my case… Electrode, go!"
Electrode landed with a whir. I don't know how old he is or if they even age.
Cynthia meanwhile had pulled out Reginleif's Pokeball. "Take a rest, my friend. You've more than earned it." Reginleif gave a gentle roar of thanks, and her shoulders slumped a bit before she was recalled. She fastened the ball back to her belt before taking off another one, her face a bit more serious. "Hel, you're up."
As the ball opened, a sudden ghastly pressure swept throughout the room. A simple rock formed with some strange markings shaped vaguely like a face, before a purple and green swirling mist coalesced into a jagged sawlike circle. The eyes looked loathing and an odd screech rung through the air. And yet…
Cynthia just looked to… him? Her? Them? "Tell me if you'd prefer to rest soon, alright? I won't force you." The whirling seemed somehow less intense for a moment before they stared down at the Electrode facing the two.
First her Garchomp fights like a demon on a rampage and now she's got the swirling portal to the underworld fighting with her?
Feeling concerned, I walked up to Volkner and pulled on his shirt. "Did Cynthia catch Hell?"
"Huh? What? No, that's what I assume is their nickname. That looks like… a Spiritomb. Never seen one in person before… or really heard of anyone having one."
Granddad rubbed his chin. "Spiritomb hmmm. That's an exceedingly rare, but dangerous pokemon you have."
The Spiritomb made a threatening noise while Cynthia nodded. "Please refer to them as an entity all their own. They don't much like being treated like an object. But yes, I found them and after helping calm them down they decided to come on my journey with me. They're the second newest member of my team, and as such them getting some experience would be best." Her gaze turned to Hel. "I take it you want to get on with this?"
Hel simply made another noise, sounding vaguely like dozens of distorted voices talking at once, before a purple black mist spewed forth from the strange stone they projected from. Almost nothing was visible, and Cynthia simply stood there and waited to see what her opponent would do.
"Battle begin I guess," Volkner announced.
"Electrode, spin while using Sonic Boom to get rid of the mist! Then use Discharge if they get too close!"
Electrode followed commands quickly spinning in place cutting through the mist. However, they began to slow as the mist itself began to surround and almost eat away at Electrode. Meanwhile, several orange flickers of flame burst to life, dancing about and almost… cackling? Hel was still entirely shrouded in the smoke, and seemed to be continually making it quite simply.
"This pokemon is… really spooky."
"Ghost types have that attribute, yes."
"Electrode, Rollout with Shock Wave! Find the target!"
Electrode began spinning rapidly, firing off Shock Waves to find Hel.
"Shock Wave is the attack that never misses right?"
"On paper yes, but there are ways around it."
Her brow furrowed slightly before she gazed into the billowing cloud. "Become one with the shadows!" The odd glow from the Spiritomb disappeared before reappearing in various places across the battlefield. And then multiple. And from multiple directions, purplish glows began to light up.
"Why does Electrode look so sleepy?"
"Is that… hypnosis!?"
"Damnit, Protect!"
Before Electrode could be put to sleep he used Protect blocking the last of the waves.
Cynthia just smiled and waited patiently.
"So um, what's Electrode going to do now?"
"Hmmm, ah I see. Pay attention, Topaz."
"Huh? I already am, but sure."
"Electrode it's time!"
Electrode nodded before releasing the protect and began glowing a bright purple. When the real hypnosis made contact with him it bounced right off and went straight at wherever Hel must've been hiding. The mist cleared a bit allowing Electrode to let loose a Signal Beam in that general direction.
"I'm lost, what just happened?"
"Electrode used Magic Coat. It reflects status moves."
"Wow, never heard of a move like that, is it fairy type?"
"Psychic."
"...but it's magic."
"And it's still psychic."
"That name is misleading," I huffed as Volkner rolled his eyes.
"I suppose you don't know what type Spiritomb are then?"
"Hypnosis is a status move. It works on dark types as well," Granddad said confidently. While there was a distinct lack of glow and the mist was very slowly clearing, the Signal Beam left a telltale mark on the barrier around the arena. Cynthia, while not having lost her composure, had raised an eyebrow and was clearly thinking.
"Wait, Hel isn't there? I thought they were asleep?"
"Guess they moved."
"Before they fell asleep?"
"Yeah, but that doesn't really matter to Electrode."
I raised an eyebrow at that as I watched Electrode charge up a Discharge hitting everything within the arena. In the light he must've seen where Hel was because he immediately darted over and launched a Zap Cannon at point blank. There was a pained screech from dozens of voices that made my skin crawl as the small rock went careening out of the cloud and hit the ground, the Spiritomb looking quite pissed off.
Cynthia then bowed to Hel. "My apologies, I should've directed better. But at the same time…" a grin spread across her face. "An eye for an eye, no?" They rotated back to the battle as a slim bolt of energy streaked across, struck Electrode, and then bounded back. Hel started spinning distinctly faster after that while Electrode went from having taken no damage at all to having taken quite a bit.
"Volkner, what is even happening anymore, why did Electrode let that happen?"
"That was Pain Split, it equalizes damage between you and the opponent. It's not really an attack you can dodge."
Where did all these moves come from? Roland just used Ice Punch last match and won, but now we've got fairy moves that aren't fairy moves and magical evening the odds? Ugh, I wonder how pokemon deal with all this since they don't see all the wacky stuff trainers do.
We watched Electrode shake his ummm body I suppose before staring back at Spiritomb. The blast must've woken them up and they did not look pleased.
"Sneaky play, but fitting from this type of opponent. Pursue!"
Electrode flashed everything- So this is why Volkner always keeps sunglasses on him just in case for battle- and I heard him move so I guess he's attacking now? I squinted my eyes to see what was going on to find Electrode using his vastly superior speed to lob Electro Balls at Hel. And yet, after only a couple a purple aura surrounded Hel as they almost teleported in front of Electrode, blasting them away. Before they could touch the ground though, they were engulfed in a pink aura. Hel let out a screech as they began slamming Electrode into every surface available; the ground, the barriers, the ceiling, anything.
"Electrode resist!"
Electrode caused the psychic to stop as they began spinning in place before rocketing into Hel, knocking her out of the way like a bowling pin, albeit it looked like the sudden aggressive smashing took him by surprise.
"Cynthia's pokemon don't play," Volkner muttered to himself.
For real, I wouldn't be surprised if the arena turned into a molten field.
As they flew off and landed a fair distance away, while Electrode just stayed snoring where they were. Hel gave a malicious grin before floating over and engulfing Electrode in a deep purple light. The longer it went on, the more hurt he seemed while the faster Hel spun.
"Volkner-"
"It's Dream Eater. Spiritomb must've used it before they got hit causing Electrode to fall asleep. This match is over, Dream Eater is not nearly as disruptive as a Zap Cannon to the body."
"Sleep is kind of overpowered isn't it?"
"There are ways around it, especially if you're lucky and wake up in time, but…"
We watched as Electrode's eyes went from slight distress to squiggly. "Electrode wasn't so lucky."
Granddad recalled Electrode and thanked him for the good showing. "You are quite the incredible trainer, Challenger Cynthia. Your pokemon respond to simple instructions and function very well independently."
She shook her head. "Indeed, but that was due to my own ineptitude that Hel fell asleep. I assumed that because they are a dark type they would be immune to Hypnosis, as it is a psychic type attack, but I suppose not. For some reason. Frankly all the credit for this win should go to Hel, not I." Hel gazed at Cynthia curiously before seeming satisfied and looking to the next opponent. Or maybe victim.
"It is a common mistake. Status moves follow different rules than offensive ones. It's just important to remain cautious," Granddad said sagely. He seemed satisfied to teach, so good for him even though he's losing. "Now shall we continue?"
Cynthia nodded and awaited for Granddad's next pokemon.
~~2 Rounds Later~~
Cynthia didn't need to switch out Hel for anyone else. Manectric and Luxray put up good fights, but Hel kept using Hypnosis and Dream Eater to keep going, disrupting their attempts to use Electric Terrain which forbids sleep. The battles were cool, but not as noteworthy as the first 2 rounds, but I know they tried their best. They are an old dog and cat after all. Volkner on the other hand looked more giddy with each passing fight.
Granddad returned Luxray and sighed.
"Luxray is unable to battle. Gym Leader Vito is out of usable pokemon which means Challenger Cynthia and Hel are the winners!" Volkner announced. Granddad made his way over to him, which is when Volkner handed him a box with the Beacon badge inside. I can't actually remember the last time I saw them give a trainer this badge.
It feels more like Cynthia is an overseer rather than a trainer. None of her orders are direct and her pokemon tend to do what they want to do. I wonder how many plans they have? Isn't it hard to remember them all? It's bad enough that trainers have to remember so many moves and add strategies to the mix? Yikes.
Cynthia smiled and bowed to Granddad. "Thank you for the gym badge and the battles." She then turned to Hel. "And thank you for battling. You deserve the praise for this, not I." She then turned back to Granddad and Volkner.
"Your pokemon are a force to be reckoned with at this stage and you only have 4. I like to think I'm a competent trainer, but it looks like I need to stay on my toes with kids like you and my Volkner running around."
Volkner simply nodded at that before turning to Cynthia proper. "Hey if you don't mind, I'm sure you're busy and want to get your pokemon to the center, but I wouldn't mind a quick shot at ya."
And I knew this would happen.
She smiled at him. "Of course. I shan't be using Hel or Reginleif though, as they both have more than earned a rest. A quicker bout then?"
He removed Roland's pokeball from his belt and he had that eager look on his face. "But not an easy one," Volkner said, clenching the pokeball with an excited expression. As for me, I had the same one.
~~Chapter 1 Fin~~
Author's Note
Welcome to Hybrid: Topaz Edition! I've come from FFN and was introduced to this forum by HelloYellow17
Now a word from my friend and co-writer (She wrote Cynthia and her team this chapter).
-And I'm said friend! Bit honored to be called one of the best, but that aside. There's gonna be plenty to this story, dark and humor alike. Sometimes both at the same time. I'm just helping out on this side, the other side is the side I'm writing! So check that out when you like. Sinnoh best region and Cynthia best person in all of Pokemon bar none!-
As a way to engage with the audience I'll have questions at the end of each chapter. Answer at your leisure.
Question: Favorite mainline region? Mine has got to be Sinnoh! First region I ever played and the one I am most familiar with!
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