[CW] Alisa: Reborn Anew [Feedback]

[Valyrian_Reforged]

Chapter One: Arrival and Multiple Rivals

 

The train was fairly-new for its time, with pale, wooden floorboards, fuchsia-pink compartment-seats, which were spaced apart with an odd, square table within their centre that looked like it could be folded-away if needed. Old-fashioned sconce-lamps inset into the train's internal walls. Alisa was keen to take her seat and while away what she deduced would be a boring train-ride to the region that was to be her residence for the forseeable future.

 

"Take your ticket. For the love of Reborn, don't lose it to shenani-gains," the ticket inspector said, as he handed Alisa her ticket.

 

"It's shenanigans, Sir, and don't worry, I won't," Alisa replied, baring her even teeth in a mirthless grin as she took her ticket from the grungy-looking ticket inspector. "Make sure you don't. And while we're at it, you shouldn't put on fancy airs in this region. Some people would knock you down a couple of pegs. Top tip," the ticket inspector said warily, before he gave Alisa a crisp, solitary nod and turned toward the next customer in line upon the train.

 

"Noted. Thank you," Alisa said graciously, and then she made her way to her designated seat and sat down upon it. She immediately noted that a woman with vibrant, long and lustrous white hair was seated opposite her, upon the window-seat side of their compartment.

 

The woman was not old, and so Alisa had to wonder about the origin of her hair shade. Had the woman simply not been of the inclination to dye it any other colour, or could it be that she simply preferred this shade of hair, Alisa mused. Perhaps the shade denoted the woman's status within this region. In any case, it was of no matter. She paid no further mind to it. The journey passed in simple fashion, with no further incident. The white-haired woman turned away from the window and she spoke to Alisa.

 

"Hello there! My name is Ame. I'm the manager for the Reborn League. You want to sign up for it? If so, it would be great! After the incident a few years ago, the whole region was almost completely abandoned - by people and Pokémon. Our Gym Leaders are like nothing you've seen before, and Reborn region is like no other! Can I see your boarding ticket, please?," The Woman of White said benevolently and amiably.

 

Alisa produced her boarding ticket and handed it to Ame, who immediately inspected it with interest.

 

"Alisa? I've got you down. We're almost at Grandview Station. After we disembark, just follow me to the Grand Hall. Once there, I'll give you a Starter Pokémon to kick off your Reborn adventure. If you'll -," Ame said kindly, but in the middle of handing Alisa back her boarding ticket, Ame stared, transfixed, at something, or at someone, who was directly behind Alisa.

 

Immediately claiming her ticket as she turned to face the very strange, Alisa saw a disembodied shadow of a man fade out of thin air and then Alisa turned back toward Ame. "Strange. Shouldn't we be decelerating already? Oh, no - MOVE!," Ame said, as she turned quickly toward the window to her right-hand side. Ame then lunged up from her seat and crash tackled Alisa and herself out of the window before the train crashed. Alisa heard the sound of breaking glass. She felt the searing pain of glass shards tearing slashes of dubious import into her visage...but then she hit the ground. Shock helped her to pass out.

 

*

 

"...y, are you OK? Wake up!."

 

Alisa awakened. It wasn't the most glamorous of awakenings as she was slowly guided into a sit-up position by a frazzled-looking Ame, who immediately deluged her with a concern that could be considered to be motherly. "Oh, thank goodness you're alive! The train exploded as we pulled into the station. I'm - I'm just glad that I could get us both out of there in time, but the others...why? Who would even -," Ame said shakily. A peppy-sounding voice spoke up, its owner moving into view upon a bouncing step. 

 

"Hihi!," a teenage girl wearing a bright-yellow cheerleading outfit and sporting an outrageous, high-ponytailed mop of teal-green hair said brightly. "Julia," Ame said decisively, in an unenthused tone. Before Alisa could even get more than an "I'm okay" in, Ame and the cheerleader held a conversation before her. "Julia, what did you do?," Ame enquired, arching her brows as she spoke. 

 

"I didn't do anything! I was at the Gym-Gym. I heard a BOOOOM, so I ran here! If things explode, I gotta see it. It's so cool!," Cheerleader Girl said bouyantly. "Uh-huh. Based upon the timing, it seems like the train was rigged to destroy Grandview Station," Ame said seriously. "They did a pretty good job!," Julia said, and there was a reverence within her tone that set Alisa's teeth on edge.

 

Alisa didn't like the way that Julia's eyes kept straying back toward the point of impact of the shattered wreck that had been a fully-functioning train, and she really disliked the fervour upon Julia's face. There was a veneer of glee that seemed to emanate quite palpably from the girl whom Alisa fully-suspected to be a past firebug. Ame nodded slowly. She seemed to be grappling with a resolution and a realisation. 

 

"This isn't the time to be admiring their work. We must catch the perpetrator before they can elude our grasp. I'll lock the perimeter down. Alisa, I have to go. Catch up with me later. Find Victoria in front of the Great Hall. She's tall and has long black hair. It's just down this path, you can't miss it. I'll handle all of this," Ame said gravely, and then she turned and hurried away. She moved with magnificent hustle toward what was presumably the aforementioned Great Hall of Reborn. Which left Alisa with Julia, presently. Its instigator could still be monitoring their handiwork, Alisa thought.

 

"So, you're Alisa? I'm Julia, captain of cheer and pep, and all things bubbly and bright! Are you going to take on the Reborn League?," Julia said cheerfully - much too cheerfully for their surroundings and in the aftermath of what could have been the cause of Alisa's premature, teenage death. Put very-much upon the spot as she thought about letting her parents know that she had arrived safely, Alisa blinked, and then spoke. 

 

"Yes," Alisa said, more firmly than she felt right now, discombobulated as she was. Julia jumped up and down upon the spot, shook the green pom-poms that she was carrying with feeling and then spoke. "Yes! Then I'll be seeing you very soon - I'm the Electric Gym Leader! I look forward to your challenge. Get on down to the Great Hall already," Julia said bossily, and then she stood with her back to the obliterated train, leaving the way forward open to Alisa.

 

Get on down to the Hall already? I could have broken bones - or even have internal bleeding. I might get ten steps forward, only to collapse. Oh, wait - I already did that. Fuuuuudge whoever caused this, Alisa thought bitterly, as she found a Normal Gem in the cracked centre of a nearby white rock, then made her quick yet cautious way through the station. She then overheard two police officers discussing the situation across from the train's metal corpse.

 

"The device was remotely triggered. The detonation device had to have been in a fifty-foot radius," Police Officer One said gravely. "The culprit is still most definitely around here...," Police Officer Two said flatly, glancing at Alisa at the very end of his sentence. His expression was immovable, his countenance youthful yet hard-edged with a desire to do well.

 

"The interiour has held up," a police officer to Julia's left said calmly, "but the exteriour is completely trashed." A boy just past the train spoke up, bravely yet quaveringly. "I was just outside the station. The train pulled inside. Not a second later, the engine erupted into flames...," The Boy said. Alisa nodded, thanked the boy for his contribution to the fragmented picture puzzle of the events that she was trying to painstakingly-gather into a cohesive whole, and then she informally-interviewed everyone-else that was present and willing to be questioned by her. "This area is on lockdown due to the destruction. Entry is prohibited," a police officer standing within the entrance to the next part of this city section said tensely. And so Alisa pressed onward.

 

Alisa's way forward was impeded with broken glass underfoot, to be treaded-upon with the very lightest of steps. The way forward seemed to last forever, but this was only because every now and then, Alisa stopped to discuss the event with passerby whom had either also been through it or had been standing near enough to it to have spectated it from where they had stood.

 

A woman not too far away from the crash spoke.

 

"You were on the exploded train? So was my fiancé," the maple-haired woman said, fresh tear-tracks still visible upon her face. Her expression was grave as she then turned away. Alisa then made her way right past the houses and fences and entered Opal Ward, where a man in a brown suit, black shoes, black socks and a brown fedora told her that this city had once been marvelous.

 

A blue-haired woman standing nearby Fedora Man spoke to Alisa as she made her way toward her. "You were on the train? Oh, you poor thing! Are you hurt? Here, take this Potion!," Blue Hair said intently, and then she handed Alisa a brightly-coloured Potion item. After Alisa had placed the Potion within her Bag's Medicine pocket, Blue Hair tipped up her nose and then spoke, her nostrils flaring with self-defence as she spoke. "I know that it isn't for humans, but just take it, OK?," Blue Hair said, in a spitfire tone of voice. Alisa nodded, thanked the young woman and continued past her, moving toward the right-hand side of this ward.

 

"Every personal study confirms that this water is making people sick. Why does the city keep denying it?," a nearby scientist posited in a clinical tone. Alisa nodded to the young man, who merely pushed up the left-hand eye-frame of his glasses in response. With a faint smile, he turned away from Alisa to face the steps of a grand building that could only be The Great Hall itself.

 

A tall, black-haired lady with incredibly-toned biceps and calves stood upon the steps outside of The Hall. As Alisa approached her, this woman's gaze seemed to zoom-in upon-her and sharpen like a hawk's would.

 

Alisa smiled at the slightly-elder woman, who acknowledged her greeting and her approach by giving a sharp up-tilt of her chin. "Hey, Alisa? I'm Victoria. It's nice to meet you. Are you OK? Ame asked that I bring you in for registration. It shouldn't take long. Let's go inside," Hawk Eyes - Victoria - said grimly. Alisa followed Victoria into the Hall. They both then approached a counter at the back of the expansive Hall, where Ame greeted them in her turn.

 

How she had managed to get there so quickly after her arrangement of lockdown, Alisa would never know. "You're here. We caught a suspect almost-immediately. He is undergoing interrogation downstairs right now," Ame said. "A suspect? As in, from the station? I'd heard of a situation there," Victoria enquired. "Yes. It seems that he is not working alone. It is being taken-care of. You're both here to get signed-up for the Reborn League?," Ame said briskly.

 

"That's right. Kiki said that it would be good training if I start anew. She asked if I could get a new Pokémon, too," Victoria said. "Normally, Reborn starters are reserved strictly for Reborn newcomers, but upon Kiki's request, I suppose that we can make an exception for you," Ame said accommodatingly. Victoria thanked her and nodded in response.

 

"However, Alisa will have the first choice," Ame said. "I don't mind," Victoria replied, and then Ame led Alisa to the Pokémon Laboratory room that was located downstairs of the main reception. "These Pokémon are all set aside for Trainers to choose from. The tables run from top to bottom according to Pokémon Types - Grass, then Fire, then Water. The Pokémon are arranged from left to right in order of the Pokémon Region in which they had been discovered. Take any one that you would like," Ame said professionally.

 

This left Alisa within quite the quandary.

 

Firstly, she swept the Grass section, moving from Poke Ball to Poke Ball, looking for just the right Pokémon that would help her to sweep the entirety of the Reborn League. Secondly, Alisa perused the Water section. The order ran thusly: Bulbasaur, Chikorita, Treecko, Turtwig, Snivy, Chespin and Rowlet. The secondary order ran from: Charmander, Cyndaquil, Torchic, Chimchar, Tepig, Fennekin and Litten. The third and final order ran from: Squirtle, Totodile, Mudkip, Piplup, Oshawott, Froakie and Popplio.

 

She did quite like Piplup. In her past experience, the penguin Pokémon had made for quite the solid Steel/Water battler and she did admire the trident spikes that served as its unique and intimidating facial mask. She also was partial to Chimchar, because its feisty final evolution, when paired with the Iron Fist ability, made for one awesome physical sweeper of a 'mon.

 

It was a tough sell, all-told, but Alisa finally chose Turtwig. She didn't nickname it and unlike some, she did not soft-reset it until it was shiny. She did, however, soft-reset it until it showed-up with a great Nature. It was Adamant in Nature, had the Shell Armour ability and it had decent IVs and EVs. She was certain, as she returned to stand before Ame, that she would shiny-hunt every Event Pokémon that she would encounter throughout her journey.

 

This would ammount to many soft-resets, but she was absolutely-fine with that, as Reborn had recoloured shiny variants. Alisa really liked shiny Numel and its evolution, Camerupt. In her opinion, its dusty purple and molten ruby colour scheme really suited the great Pokémon that could. Ame spoke. 

 

"Alright. Let's not keep Victoria waiting," Ame said casually, and then she led Alisa back down to the Hall reception desk. "So, which one did you choose, Alisa? I already know which one I want," Victoria said nonchalantly. "Shall we?," Ame asked. "Okay. Wait here, Alisa?," Victoria said to Alisa, who nodded in response.

 

Victoria and Ame then entered the Laboratory Room so that Victoria could select her Starter Pokémon. Meanwhile, Alisa made her way toward the Hall entrance, where she was stopped in her tracks by a stranger. "Heyyy, you're cute. I didn't say anything! Ohhhh, Ame's with someone else. 'Kay. My name's Cain. How about yours?," the fish-netted, purple-haired young man with extremely-wild mischief and mannerisms said flirtatiously. "I'm Alisa," Alisa introduced herself cautiously, not knowing what this person wanted from her and why this person had approached her out of the blue. 

 

"Alisa...pretty name. So, you just got your first Pokémon. Are you going to challenge the League? Figure I'd start over and try to take this League on. Want to battle, Alisa?," Cain said sassily, and then he threw out his one and only Pokémon (thus far), a Poison-type Nidoran. Alisa summoned her Turtwig in response and she commanded it imperiously. "Turtwig, Tackle!," Alisa commanded decisively, and her Turtwig threw itself at Nidoran, landing the first strike.

 

Its attack did a decent chunk of chip damage and the Nidoran recoiled, surprised by the Turtwig's focus and control. "Nidoran, Scratch," Cain yelped, and his Nidoran performed its Scratch attack, but it missed, sliding past Turtwig only to then return to its starting position. It then landed two further Scratch attacks, but it was swiftly taken-down by Turtwig. "Cute AND talented," Cain opined, before he recalled Nidoran to its Poke Ball and stood back to stare at Alisa admiringly. Feeling spotlighted and a little bit flattered by Cain's attention and compliments, Alisa recalled her Turtwig, which had levelled up one and a half levels due to its combat experience.

 

"Very nice! C'mon, let's get your Pokémon healed-up at the Pokémon Centre. It's built-in right over there," Cain said firmly, and then Alisa followed Cain to the initial desk which housed a Pokémon Healing Unit and the Nurse Joy of this region.

 

When asked if she would like to heal her Pokémon, Alisa replied in the affirmative, handed over her Turtwig's Poke Ball and watched as it was settled into a slot within the Healing Unit and healed instantly. After the green light flashed twice to signal its completion, the Nurse Joy retrieved the Ball from its slot, then handed the Ball back to Alisa, who accepted it with her thanks. After giving an airy wave of her left hand which meant 'Don't mention it,' the Nurse Joy resettled herself before her desktop computer.

 

Ame and Victoria then made their way over to Cain and Alisa. "There you are!," Victoria said. "Sorry, I stole Alisa," Cain said apologetically. "Oh, right. Sorry. I'd forgotten that you were stopping by," Ame said coolly. "It's okayyyy. While you were gone, Alisa and I had some fun," Cain said playfully. "Some fun? I didn't know you were like that, Alisa," Victoria said tonelessly. "Haha, no, we just had a battle," Cain said reassuringly. Victoria looked visibly-relieved to hear that. "That's great! I want to test out my new Pokémon. Alisa, are you up for one more battle?," Victoria countered.

 

In the spirit of 'I thought you'd never ask,' Alisa flung out her Turtwig and it rocked from side to side as it entered this new battle, ready for anything. "Cain, I'll register you for battle while they battle. Come with me," Ame said to Cain. "Ooh, yes, Master," Cain replied flirtily, and then the two went to complete Cain's registration. "Master?," Ame asked incredulously. "Nothing," Cain said innocently, as they walked away. Definitively sure that she didn't want to know what Cain had meant by that, Alisa watched Victoria release her own Starter Pokémon, which, surprisingly enough, was a Litten. 

 

So much for not choosing Type-superiour Pokémon, Alisa thought, as she took command of what she was determined to make her battle. "Turtwig, Scratch that Litten!," Alisa commanded. "Litten, Scratch!," Victoria demanded, and her Litten hissed as it performed its Scratch attack. There proceeded to be a Scratch battle as the two Starters exchanged attacks. After a Critical Hit from Litten, Turtwig emerged victorious with its penultimate Scratch, levelling up to Level Seven thanks to this combat experience. "Wow...I'm speechless!," Victoria said breathlessly, returning her Litten to its Poke Ball as she spoke.

 

"You're no ordinary Trainer, are you," Victoria said calculatedly. Cain approached the two Trainers. "Heyy. Ame is waiting for you two. I'm gonna hit the road - see ya!," Cain said, and then he left the Hall. "Awesome! Let's get League registered," Victoria said, snapped out of her perusal of Alisa by Cain's arrival and summons.

 

"Sorry to keep you waiting!," Victoria said to Ame, as she and Alisa re-approached the main reception desk. "No worries. I took care of the documentation. On to your Trainer Pack: Firstly, a PokéDex. You know the drill," Ame said, handing Alisa the Pokémon Index as she spoke.

 

As Alisa glanced at it, then put it away within the Key Items section of her Bag, Ame continued. "Secondly, the PokéGear. This device lets you check the map and listen to music. There may be other apps for it. As a SilphCo bonus, take these Running Shoes. You can dash around as if you're The Flash!," Ame said, and handed Alisa the two items.

 

Alisa put the PokéGear within Key Items, took off her casual running-shoes and put on her new Running Shoes, admiring them even as she packed away her casual shoes into the Key Items pocket. She then strapped the watch-like Pokémon Gear to her left wrist, zipped up her Bag, which was her black backpack with its Great Ball left side-pocket, Master Ball right side-pocket, Poke Ball zip and Reborn central-pocket and slung her Bag back over her shoulders. She then straightened up and met Ame's gaze as Ame next spoke.

 

"You’re all set. I'm going to go check on the interrogation. Good luck to you both," Ame said, and then she went downstairs. Alisa made sure to thank Ame before she left, and then she spoke to Victoria.

 

"I need to go now, but it was nice to meet you, Victoria," Alisa said to Victoria, and Victoria nodded. "I will tell Kiki, my teacher, that I'm on my way. I'm an Apophyll Academy apprentice. It's in Reborn's Azurine Region. They'll love it if you'd stop by, Kiki is Reborn's Fighting Gym Leader! These might help you," Victoria said. She handed Alisa five Poké Balls.

 

Alisa packed the Balls away within the Items pocket of her Bag and then Victoria spoke. "People say that Pokémon are rare in the city of Reborn, but...you can still find them. They just like to stay hidden," Victoria said, and then she left the Hall.

 

After having been informed that after she had gotten a good team going, she could then challenge the Peridot Ward Gym, Alisa left the Hall and made her way to the grass to the right of the Hall. She conducted a few wild Pokémon battles, levelled Turtwig up to level 10, caught a Level Five Pidgey and then she set about training it and a low-level Meowth. She wanted to have a decent Pokémon Party that would see her through to her First Gym Challenge.

 

Alisa's newly-caught Pidgey, which she nicknamed Streamline, learned Gust at Level Nine. It had but one more level to reach before Alisa ventured up the East-side steps that would lead to Obsidia Ward and the South ward beyond that, as well as to the Third Gym in Onyx Ward. Alisa trained on and Pidgey finally reached Level Ten.

 

Upon venturing East-ward, then North-ward, Alisa encountered a small group of thugs who were threatening to pitch a frightened and wild Zigzagoon into the muddy waters of Reborn. "Hey! We're busy here. Scram!," the leader of the pack, a teenager wearing a dawn-pink hoodie, shorts and baseball cap said menacingly. Pink Cap then sent out a low-level Trubbish. Alisa sent out her Turtwig. "Scratch, Turtwig!," Alisa yelled. "Pound, Trubbish, now!," Pink Cap screeched, and the two Pokemon immediately attacked one another.

 

Turtwig took down the Trubbish and Alisa immediately confronted Pink Cap's pack-members. "Do what you want," Pink Cap said, as he stepped aside to let Alisa confront his two hoodlum colleagues. "Hey, little Pokemon," Thug one crooned, "you disobey us, we'll throw you over this balcony." Thug Two noticed Alisa. "Back off, kid. This is our find," Thug Two sneered. Alisa stepped in to defend the poor wild 'mon, sending out her Turtwig and her Streamline against the initial two goons' Mudbray and Fomantis.

 

Streamline's Gust took down Fomantis in one critical, tactical sweep, while Turtwig's Tackle, combined with Gust, made short shrift of the remaining Mudbray, proving that you could go against type and still win upon occasion. The thug duo immediately recalled their Pokemon, then lifted their hands placatingly.

 

"Eyyy...OK, already," Thug One said, while Thug Two said "Hmmph" and handed over his and his friend's prize-money for a battle well-fought. "Fine," Thug One said, and he stepped away from the beleaguered Zigzagoon. Thug Two made no move to stop Alisa as she soft-reset the Zigzagoon, keeping it only when it showed-up, shiny, in her Party. Alisa chose to nickname this Party-member Hoodlum (after its roguish appearance and after one of her favourite Pokémon YouTubers, the great HoodlumScrafty.)

 

She saw that Hoodlum very-handily possessed the Nature of Pickup, which would be a tremendous boon in her travels around Reborn. Items were expensive and so free items - especially if they were of the healing and capture variety - would go a long way.

 

The little black-and-white, blue-eyed Zigzagoon, Hoodlum, wagged his spiky tail as he rode shotgun within Alisa's backpack, its beady black eyes inspecting everything around it as its head poked out of the middle pocket of the Bag. Alisa made her way to the Lower Peridot Ward from here, backtracking past the destroyed train and finally granted access past the chain-link fence, which the police officer from earlier now stood beside.

 

A look within the nearby houses proved fruitful - a battle within one appartment yielded an Old Rod, while another one yielded a wild Whismur, which Alisa soft-rest to get a sky-blue version of. She nicknamed this Whismur Boombox. Another battle nearby granted access to a rooftop garden, while another one yielded a Kricketot in need of a new home, which Alisa reset-for via quick-save.

 

A few Trainers later and Lower Peridot Ward was all but clear for Alisa to travel freely within.

 

Alisa visited the Underground Railnet via the Lower Peridot train-tracks side and soft-reset until she had encountered, and then captured, a shiny, white and red Woobat. She nicknamed her new Party-member Rider, after her favourite literary character and spy, Alex Rider. It had been the best that she could think of in regard to an on-the-spot nickname.

 

She then tried to locate and shiny-hunt a shiny Noibat, but she was unsuccessful at that right now. Alisa meandered back to the factory where the fedora-wearing gentleman still remained.

 

Only one Trainer remained for her to challenge and it was a dweeby-looking guy with silken, turquoise-green floppy hair, khaki-green shorts, a teal-green t-shirt, black running-shoes and glasses that perched upon the end of his nose and an obnoxious look upon his face. This teenager looked as though he considered the world to absolutely owe him favours and Alisa disliked him intensely at first sight.

 

After clearing out the first alleyway in Peridot Ward that was East of its central tracks, Alisa remained there for a bit in order to shiny-hunt, as well as to finish-off her Pokémon's training-regimen. At this point, everyone was Level Thirteen, which suited Alisa to a tee, as she would only challenge the First Gym once everyone was at Level Eighteen.

 

This was as close to the Level Twenty level-cap that she would let them get to, as she didn't want to risk having them lapse into disobedience. Alisa then approached the green-haired, male Trainer who was standing near the Peridot Ward factory.

 

At Alisa's approach, the young man turned and tilted his left brow, slowly pushing his glasses up to rest against the bridge of his nose with his right pointer-fingertip as he did-so. "Ugh. They said to meet at the old factory. Maybe they meant the other one. Hm? Name's Fern. I'm the cool cat, and the top dog. Got it? Get ready for a lesson in class!," Green Hair said snarkily, and then he flung out a Poké Ball that opened to reveal his first Pokémon - a Level 12 Budew, which Rider took out with three super-effective Confusion attacks.

 

Fern then sent out a Level 10 Sandile, and Alisa switched to her Kricketot, which she was considering giving a nickname to. She would call it Decibel after this battle. "Kricketot, Absorb!," Alisa commanded, and the Dark/Ground type Sandile was knocked-out of the battle. Fern then sent out his Level 13 Rowlet, which Alisa countered with her Level 14 Pidgey's - Streamline's - Peck attacks. It got obliterated.

 

"Hah! Way to get lucky," Fern grumbled, and then he handed Alisa her hard-earned prize-money, which was surprisingly-worth the expenditure of her battle efforts at just above two hundred Poké Dollars. "I have places to be, and people waiting for me. You don't even have a Badge. You should go work on that. Later, loser!," Fern sniped, and then he left the scene.

 

Alisa returned her Pokémon to their Poké Balls and then she headed to Peridot Ward Gym after nicknaming her Kricketot Decibel. She bumped into Julia, who was on her way out of her Gym as Alisa was entering the Gym.

 

"Oh, hihi, Alisa! Sorry, I can't battle you right now. We've got trouble! The perp was working in a team. He said that the next place that they were going to retcon was the power plant - MY Gym! Nobody booms things without me, especially not my things. I'm going to school them. Gotta run!," Julia said, and Alisa stood aside to allow Julia room to pass her by.

 

Julia stopped at the chain-link fence entrance - or 'fen-trance,' as Alisa liked to call it - and turned back toward Alisa. "Why don't you come along? Meet us at Mosswater Factory - it's by the train tracks. See you there!," Julia said intently, and then she moseyed on down to said factory. Alisa revised her previous plans and made her way to the factory that Julia had referred-to. Julia was congregated before the door of Mosswater Factory. 

 

"Alisa, you made it! The door is sealed shut, soooo...stand back!," Julia said expressively. Alisa made sure to stand well back, her eyes widening with sudden and dread-filled realisation as she watched Julia at work.

 

"Kaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...," Julia intoned, and the door exploded, destroyed by one of Julia's improvised and effective explosives. "All better!," Julia said in a smug and satisfied tone, as Fern and another person whom Alisa had yet to meet approached Julia and Alisa, the latter of whom had moved back to stand not far away from Julia. "Hey, where did you guys come from?," Julia asked, puzzled, as she took notice of the latecomers. "Explosion detected. Julia's prescence - confirmed," the robotic-sounding newcomer who stood at Fern's right-hand side said in a monotone drawl. 

 

"Make things go boom - acquire friends. Alisa, this is Florinia. Back at Onyx Trainer's School, we were room-mates and BFFs. Aaaaand this is Fern. Hi, Fern. Okay, moving on!," Julia said excitedly, modulating her tone to sound much-less enthused when referring to Fern. "Hah! I get no respect. Alisa and I have already met," Fern growled. "Time wastes. Let us proceed," Florinia said tonelessly, and then Fern spoke once more.

 

"Hey, Alisa - we got off upon the wrong foot, but it's cool, right? Don't mind my weird sister. People call her 'Flobot'," Fern said drolly. "I call her Rini. She's not a robot! Supposedly, this is their base. The guy who decommissioned the station is from this group, Team Meteor. If we don't boom their faces off, they're gonna keep booming everything else! Which is a practice I ordinarily approve of. Chaaaaarge!," Julia said heatedly, reminding everyone of their current mission. Everyone but Alisa did just that. Alisa checked her Party, rearranging it to suit myriad factors.

 

She then visited a ward house in Lower Peridot Ward that had a blocked-off back room. The Fisherman that stood before its open doorway tossed his Pokemon into the metaphorical ring and Alisa battled-him for access to the back room. Her Level 11 Rider performed Confusion at her behest, and the Level 10 Goldeen succumbed to Confusion Status. It didn't hurt itself and fired-off a Horn Attack, which hurt Rider, but didn't cripple him. Rider then tanked a secondary Horn Attack and two Gusts later, Rider emerged victorious.

 

The Fisherman handed over his prize-money and Alisa was granted access to the back room of this house, which contained a wide pool within which swam Goldeen for her to catch with her Old Rod, should she so choose to do-so. Alisa then returned to Mosswater Factory and she took a moment to stand before it, psyching-herself up a moment before she would enter it.

 

*

A/N: Thanks for reading, thus-far. Please let me know a) what you think of this creative work and b) if you have any Pokemon team-member suggestion/s and/or team nickname ideas - I will make sure that I apply any name/s that I like to my current Party post-haste. Cheers and boomies, Valyrian. :)

Edited September 13, 2021 by Valyrian_Reforged
Sentence structure revamp

[Aphelli]

Hello and welcome on the forums... I guess? I'm not exactly the most emblematic (or known, for that matter) person here so I'm not sure I can really greet you in these terms. But never mind. 

 

The text is rather good overall. Clearly, you've put effort and quality into it. This is why I'll be a little more critical than I usually am (hopefully not making too much a fool of myself in the process). That your writing sensibilities are somewhat close to what I am accustomed to read may be another reason why I comment this extensively. Of course, a lot of this is opinion-based, so you're free to ignore it: your work, your choices. 

 

I adore your vocabulary. It's varied, it's broad, and you use it rather well to describe the scenes and characters. And I love finding new words in there. 

 

Sometimes I feel it's a bit overwhelming though. And sometimes I find your word choice a bit strange (Is Victoria overjoyed to ask Ame for a starter, if the text calls her "elated" [btw my dictionary off- and online do not know "elatedly"]? is Ame "compassionate" when she offers Victoria a Reborn starter, rather than maybe "agreeable" or "accommodating"? Pickup is an ability, not a nature, but is thrifty really the correct adjective for it?), but we're likely from extremely different backgrounds and most words don't evoke the same ideas in our minds. 

 

 

Beware the hyphens, I think you're using too many of them. Some offenders are (I'm reasonably confident about them, but don't take it as gospel):

 

Spoiler

"folded-away"/"hoped-for"/"treaded-upon"

"fully-suspected"/"painstakingly-gather"/"informally-interviewed"

"being-interrogated"

"everyone-else"

"along-with" (two distinct prepositions... I think?)

"upon-her"

"taken-care"

"sconce-lamps"

"train-tracks"/"Party-member"

"very-handily"/"almost-immediately"/"very-much"

"fairly-new"/"slightly-elder"/"brightly-coloured"

"bright-yellow"

 

 

 

 

Regarding content: what I find strangest is the intermittent medium-awareness. Alisa soft-resets (a lot but that's not a problem), proving that it really is a videogame (not to mention natures, abilities [by the way, how can a Zigzagoon riding shotgun in a bag pick up new items?], etc), and yet she's worried about internal bleeding of all things. I find this a little confusing.

 

The best explanation I can come up with is that Alisa is playing Pokemon Reborn 20.0, the well-known VR version of the game when Pokemon falls into the public domain.^^ Or perhaps I'm taking this too seriously. 

 

I told you what I thought of your descriptions (a lot of good), but I would have liked a description of Alisa, and perhaps of how Alisa sees the Peridot Ward.

 

Regarding dialogues, I think you should try and find your own voice, because a lot of characters say almost verbatim what is in the game. I know it's scary to do (and there's nothing wrong with borrowing from the dev's work), but some of the lines from the game don't work as well when the MC is speaking, or refer to stuff that is plain ridiculous ("no one cares if you run inside") to utter. Besides, you're not the first one writing Reborn runs or fanfiction, so it might be a good idea to find ways to stand out. 

 

The ticket inspector might be too verbose or sophisticated, too ("Make sure you don't. And while we're at it, you shouldn't put on fancy airs in this region. Some people would knock you down a couple of pegs." -- maybe?), for someone who can't pronounce "shenanigans". 

 

 

 

 

Wow, that was a lot to write. I hope I'm not coming across too rude. I think there's a lot of good there and I'm interested to read what's coming next!

[Valyrian_Reforged]

Hi, Mindlack!

 

Firstly, thank you for your feedback. It's much appreciated and I'm glad that you like this story so far. :) I'm not offended by your not-too-rude critique at all. I'll definitely add less hyphenated words from now on. I'll switch up the main character dialogue and the Reborn Trainer/s dialogue a bit, but I'll not stray terribly far from it if I feel inclined not to do so at times. 

 

I might just include a part of that dev dialogue. I do get where you're coming from in that it's used alot by other Reborn writers in their Reborn fanfiction and that I need to stand out on my own in that regard.

 

Secondly, you've made my night with your response and critique. I had been hoping to receive some feedback so that it would help fire me up for a story continuation. Mission accomplished. Thank dog for that! xD I like your ticket inspector dialogue. I have applied that to my dialogue and revised its sentence structure. I am grateful for constructive criticism.

 

In regard to Hoodlum the Zigzagoon being able to pick up items, my headcanon has him clambering out of Alisa's backpack from time to time to pick up items and carry them to Alisa, who would then collect the items from Hoodlum and then allow Hoodlum to roam for a time before she would place Hoodlum back into her backpack. If this doesn't suit, let me know and I will have Hoodlum simply dash around and pick up items. regarding Alisa's look/appearance, I'd added her Trainer ticket, which shows what she looks like, but I'll add a short description within my next chapter, in any case. All good. Now let's get this show on the road.

 

Without further ado, here is Chapter Two. My apologies for the wait. I needed to get this chapter just right.

 

*

 

Chapter Two: Anything but the Booms!

 

Alisa walked into Mosswater Factory with purpose, following some feet away from Fern. As she entered the factory, Julia commented that the Factory smelled funky, using some choice word that Alisa didn't care to decipher the meaning of. Approaching Julia, who stood to the right-hand side of Fern and to the left-hand side of Florinia, Alisa peered out over the railing that she idly leaned against, studying the corrupted water that seethed beneath it. Her forearms folded over the cold metal of the rail, Alisa listened as Florinia spoke. 

 

"The red wine hue indicates high levels of pollutants," Florinia said. Alisa tuned out the rest of what Florinia next said because she didn't much care to hear it. Well-aware that in her current attire of black and white corset-dress, purple stockings, black shoes and PokéGear, she looked like an out of place, Victorian-era heroine, Alisa mused that when in the company of such larger than life and brightly-attired characters such as Julia, Fern and Florinia, she alone looked to be the most decently-attired of the group.

 

She was glad that she had chosen to wear this outfit.

 

"And this is being dumped into Azurine Lake! No wonder it's so -," Julia said, but Fern interrupted her in mid-sentence. "Enough with the hippie, environmental bull that no-one but you cares about. Let's go!," Fern snapped irritably. "We have to stop this place from ruining the Lake!," Julia persisted, and then Florinia spoke. "The path diverges," Florinia said listlessly. "So we should split up! Duh. Alisa, you're with Fern. Rini and I will head due East and take point. And...go," Julia said, shaking her pom-poms in the direction of the left-hand side and then the right-hand side of the room. 

 

"Proceed with caution, Alisa," Florinia said, before she set off with Julia and left Alisa with Fern.

 

"Right, let's get this done, kick grass and take those sweet names. What do you say, Fern?," Alisa said to her current partner in good crime. "We'll see who takes the most names by the time that we get through this dead-end joint. Hold me back at your own peril, Alisa. Move it!," Fern sniped, his tone waspish as he set off ahead of Alisa.

 

Rolling her eyes as she made her unbothered way after Fern, Alisa felt a renewed sense of dislike toward the prickly boy with green hair.

 

They made swift progress through their side of the Factory, knocking-down Team Meteor Grunts left and right as they battled to rendezvous with Julia and Florinia. They were promised a world of pain, but Alisa and Fern ended up meting out their fair share of suffering and ruin as they inched toward their final destination. Fern was useless in each double-battle, as he sent out his Pokémon and did not use them effectively against their opponents.

 

His Pokémon ended up being pummeling-bags for the Pokémon of his Meteor opponents and Alisa found that more often than not, she would have to take the reins and cover for Fern as she decimated their opponents.

 

Every now and then, screens located within the main room required a manual override, which Alisa made sure to provide them with. The way through this room was most-assuredly not difficult and at times, Alisa believed it to be a cake-walk.

 

She was grateful for the additional experience that each double-battle guaranteed her in spades and she was sure that Fern likewise appreciated the experience boosts to his team. When Fern's Budew took out a Roggenrola with Mega Drain, Alisa actually felt happy that he had been able to contribute to their battle success, even though it was likely that this would be the only battle which he would be able to assist her with. He was utterly unreliable.

 

It was really quite hilarious, Alisa felt, to be told to stop in her tracks. She never listened to that piece of unsolicited command prompt and she breezed her way through the team of the Grunt whom had really been audacious enough to try to sway her to listen to him.

 

Each room looked the same to Alisa. Steel machines were everywhere, the floor was smooth and the colour of chrome and everywhere that she looked, there was something industrial to clap eyes upon. Of most intrigue were the computer terminals that had been deactivated within the previous room.

 

Alisa had the satisfaction of watching this Grunt's face crumple and his shoulders slump from dejection as she made short work of his team, and when his doubles partner unleashed his Pokémon, she wrecked them, too. Alisa's shiny green kricket Pokémon, Decibel the Kricketot, utterly ravaged a Team Meteor Grunt's Tympole and his partner Grunt's Alolan Geodude with Absorb and Alisa couldn't have felt more proud of her 'mon than she did within that shining moment in time.

 

Being a traded Pokémon, Decibel received boosted experience points.

 

From then onward, it was battle after battle. Alisa and Fern finally pushed on through to the end of this room and the next room, reaching Julia and Florinia in record time. The dynamite duo were standing before a steel shutter door, with Florinia attempting to hack her way through a firewall of the computer terminal that she stood before and Julia advocating for a far less traditional method of getting through that shuttered door. "Why don't we just smash it? There's GOT to be some C4 around here. Who wouldn't bring C4 here? I would. Alisa, Fern, get out there and find me some sick C4, got it? I need it, pronto," Julia said bossily, looking from Alisa to Fern, then back to Alisa.

 

"Firebombs, fireballs, why does it always have to be explosions with you, Miss Miscreant?," Fern groaned. Alisa merely nodded and entered the South room. She soon found what both she and Julia were looking-for, which was a box of explosives settled at the feet of two Meteor Grunts. "Slick moves, wise-grasses, leaving C4 sticks out in the open just like this. Top-tier in cleverness. Stellar job, nut-zoids," Fern sneered, as he and Alisa sent out their Pokémon.

 

"Shut up, you insufferable bull-ant! We'll show you," one of the Grunts spluttered, his face suffused with mortification. She and her fellow Grunt then sent out their Pokémon and another battle was had.

 

The battle was brought to its inevitable and expected closure almost as soon as it began, leaving Fern and Alisa victorious.

 

"I swear, with each battle we have, these twerps just keep improving as they spread like wildfire. It's not what we'd all signed-up for!," the more-intelligent of the two Grunts grumbled as he made sure that he and his fellow Grunt handed over their share of the prize-money. "There goes half of this fortnight's paycheck! Miserable little bullies," the female Grunt griped as she passed Alisa and then Fern her share. 

 

"A pleasure doing battle business with you two. Bye!," Alisa said sweetly, and then she sauntered past the duo as she took point and led Fern to their revised objective. "I still don't like you, but I've got to admit that you surprise me sometimes, Alisa, in a pleasant fashion. Don't let it go to your head," Fern said offhandedly. Alisa merely nodded in response. Gathering up the explosives, Alisa made her way back to Julia and Florinia, with Fern hot upon her heels. Handing the explosives to Julia, Alisa watched Julia prepare to set the explosives, but then...the unexpected occurred. "Access granted. Proceed," Florinia said, as the shuttered doors opened before them all.

 

"Um, whaaat? But my sticks of buh-bye-boom weren't even applied yet! No. Nuh-uh, what the actual Hail? Rini, you'd caused me to miss out upon my happy-snappy fun-in-the-sun kablam time. Blast it all, Rini, I won't forget this," Julia yelped, as Alisa, Florinia, Fern and her own self rushed through the now-unlocked door's open doorway. They were met with two black-hooded Meteor Grunts and an austere-looking man who looked to be the Team Meteor Boss. This man wore a sinister-looking, crimson red eye-patch over his left eye, a brown overcoat over a pigeon-gray long-sleeved top and jet-black jeans over grey boots. His black hair was slicked-back from his face, although one strand flopped over his forehead to stop at a point just beside his left eyebrow.

 

"We are Team Meteor. And we do not relent. Ever. If I were you, I'd about-turn and march off to wherever you first came from. This is none of your concern," The Meteor Boss said snidely. He wore an expression of absolute contempt, his gaze dispassionate as he looked upon those that stood before him. His two, hooded lackeys stood to his left and right, wearing identical expressions of supreme apathy and utmost monotony.

 

"We've deleted all mission-critical files from our systems. You won't get anything out of us!," one of the hooded minions pitched in, which made his boss and his colleague glare absolute daggers at him from where they both stood.

 

The Team Meteor boss was disgusted with the break in protocol. "Why not just give them all of your socials and personal information while you're at it? Never mind. You haven't thrown our plans into disarray, Trainers. That includes you two Gym Leaders. Aster, Eclipse, deal with these minor irritants," The Meteor Boss said coldly, his expression morphing into one of chilling malevolence. "You got it, Boss," the hooded figures replied, and then they sent out their Pokémon in a penultimate Double Battle against Alisa and Fern while Julia and Florinia sent out their Pokémon to hold off the boss.

 

It was the case of two Level Sixteen Rockruffs against Alisa's Level 15 Decibel. Two Absorb attacks finished off the female Rockruff, which left the male Rockruff still in play. "Absorb, Decibel!," Alisa shouted. "Razor Leaf, Rowlet!," Fern yelled. Working together, Alisa and Fern took down the final Rockruff to end the battle and win it upon their own terms. Aster and Eclipse grumbled and muttered beneath their breath. They recalled their fainted Pokemon and handed over their prize money to the victors.

 

Julia's Electrode and Florinia's Cradily stood intimidatingly in front of their respective Trainers, doing an impressive job at remaining quite menacingly in place as they glowered at the villains before them.

 

"Blast it all! Meteor, out. This is far from over. We will always prevail," The Meteor Boss said ominously, his expression veering into antagonistic as a deftly-thrown smoke-bomb ensured their hasty escape. Julia approached the back computer-bank and set up the provided C4. "Alright, let's Bounce like a Ponyta!," Julia advised, and everyone swiftly fled the Factory as though they had metaphorical ants in their pants. Which they didn't, because that truly would be both disgusting and unwanted, not to mention unwarranted.

 

Everyone made it out of the building safely and the Factory blew up in spectacular fashion, although it remained a charred wreck. "All’s well that ends in devastating detonation! Go T - E - A - M, we pulverise and don't repent. We make that cash like we don't spend. It's us that you will recommend! Teaaaaaam Reborn, we'll always settle that score," Julia said exuberantly. Everyone rolled their eyes good-naturedly and had a laugh at Julia's cheer. Everyone dispersed after Florinia updated Alisa's PokéGear with a new Field Notes application.

 

Alisa made her way to Peridot Ward Gym and made her way through it after switching up some of her team-members. She didn't subscribe to having more than one of each particular Type, as that restricted her Type coverage and her move-pool to a large and worrying extent. She would always have more than one Type in her Pokémon Party. 

 

After settling-upon a line-up of Decibel (her shiny Kricketot, a Bug Type), Hoodlum (her shiny Zigzagoon, a Normal Type), Grotle, (her Grass Type Starter,) Rider (her Psychic-Flying Type shiny Woobat), Daenerys (her newly-evolved and shiny Dark Type Mightyena), and Noxious, a shiny Gulpin (Poison Type), Alisa leveled up her new Party members to Level Eighteen and then set-about challenging each Gym Trainer.

 

This Gym required her to blow up several grey shuttered doors in order to advance through the Gym and reach Julia. Alisa had fun defeating each Trainer and then blowing-up each door with the help of handy, supercharged Voltorb that followed her to each door and used Self-Destruct. Alisa managed to avoid any injuries. The path to Julia now cleared, Alisa made her way toward the cheer captain, moving briskly and easily.

 

As with all Gym Leaders, Julia gave an unnecessary and in Alisa's opinion, thankless introductory battle-speech before she released the first of her six Electric Pokémon. "Should have known that you'd blaze a sudden and scorching trail through my Gym, Alisa. Well done. How confident are you, not just overall, but that you'll defeat me? I can't wait to find out in my battle with you. Bring it right on!," Julia announced, and then she sent out her Level 12 Minun. Alisa sent out her Level 18 Noxious before she then commanded Noxious to use Sludge. The Poison attack did decent damage. It was a downhill battle for Minun from that point on as the two traded attacks.

 

Eventually, Minun was downed by a final Sludge and Julia sent out her secondary Pokémon, a Level 12 Voltorb. Noxious got the job done with Sludge as needed, necessitating a third Pokémon switch-in from Julia. This time, Julia sent out a Level 14 Oricorio, which looked the business, but which Alisa would take down with extreme prejudice. She wasn't going to let anyone in, nor outside of, the League crush her spirit and beat her team down. "Brilliant work, Noxious! Sludge and keep your attacks up. We've got this. Let's finish this battle with flair," Alisa called to her spherical, red garbage 'mon, whom acknowledged her commands with a nod and a renewed barrage of Sludge attacks.

 

The Oricorio was defeated in three turns and then Alisa recalled her Noxious and switched-in her Decibel. Julia sent out her Level 13 Plusle. Decibel and the Plusle traded attacks. "Struggle Bug, Decibel!," Alisa commanded. "Charge Beam!," Julia yelled, hopping up and down upon the spot where she stood. It seemed that Julia didn't know how to stand still and Alisa could relate. This battle would be a deciding factor as to whether or not she had what it took to cut a swathe through this Region and its each and every challenge.

 

After Decibel's Struggle Bug attacks took down Plusle, Julia sent in her Level 12, custom shiny Geodude, which looked for all of the world like a regular shiny Geodude, albeit a molten-gold one. It was clear that Julia was not making any effort to pull her punches, which Alisa admired and appreciated. "Decibel, Struggle Bug!," Alisa commanded, and her Decibel struck with the speed of a striking serpent, dealing a considerable ammount of damage to his opponent and OHKO-ing it via one-hit knockout.

 

Decibel then leveled up to Level 19 and Julia sent out her final Pokémon, her Level 16 Electrode. Alisa switched in Noxious, commanded Noxious to use Poison Gas and the Electrode got poisoned by the attack. Alisa then switched in Decibel, which, along with the Poison chip damage, knocked-out Electrode with Struggle Bug. The battle was awarded to Alisa and she recalled Decibel, a look of utmost confidence upon her face as Decibel leveled up to Level 20, just in time to avoid level-cap disobedience due to his having leveled up in mid-battle.

 

"SHOCKER, Alisa. Hot diggity dang, girl, you beat me every which way to Sunday and back. Take this Volt Badge. You earned it. Note that it allows TMX01 Cut usage outside of battle," Julia said, in  a tone of acceptance and resilience that Alisa noted and was shellshocked by. Alisa claimed her new badge and pinned it within her Badge Case as Julia then proceeded to take a nap. Standing-up. As no-one save for Julia did. Go figure, Alisa thought, closing her Case and returning it to her Bag.

 

She then made her way toward the front of the Gym, but she was shocked to a halt by an additional aside from a very familiar voice. "Wait up, girl. This is a parting gift. Teach it to one of your Pokémon to have it learn TM57 Charge Beam. It will increase Special Attack and hit like a thrown brick. Bye now," Julia said. Alisa turned back toward Julia, approached the Gym Leader and accepted the technical gift, storing it within her Bag's TM and HM section.

 

After thanking Julia for her Badge and TM, Alisa left the Gym. She then ran into Victoria, who stayed just long enough to state her intention to check out the happenings of Obsidia Ward, where plants were apparently attacking people, before she left the scene. Deciding to check out the bizarre Obsidia happenings once she had healed her Pokemon, Alisa did just that and then trained her Rider, Hoodlum, Grotle and Noxious to Level 19, then to Level 20. Rider evolved into a Swoobat. Hoodlum evolved into a Linoone.

 

Alisa met Florinia just outside of the gate that led to the Obsidia Ward.

 

Two police officers blocked the way through, and Alisa stood idly by as she listened to Florinia state her case to the police officers. "Plant attack. Obsidia Ward. Recommended action: Annihilation. Stand aside," Florinia said to the officers, who nodded and stepped aside even as they took notice of Alisa. Florinia followed their gaze and likewise noticed Alisa. "Uncannily fortuitous timing. Alisa, do you attempt Ward access? Civilian access prohibited. Exception thanks to prior assistance: granted," Florinia said to Alisa. She then hurried off in the direction of Obsidia Ward. Alisa followed along in Florinia's wake.

 

Upon entering the Obsidia Ward, Alisa immediately set about exploring its length and its breadth. She located The Pokemon Daycare and spoke to its caretakers. They grew aggravated with her prescence and attacked her with their Pokémon. This revealed their true, insidious identities as Team Meteor agents. Alisa took their Pokémon down via double-battle and the Meteor Grunts swiftly left the house, but not before mentioning that the real Daycare Couple were hidden away somewhere and that she would never find them.

 

Alisa resolved to free them once she had cleared Obsidia Ward. Next, Alisa found and battled Victoria, who wouldn't allow her to pass into the Obsidia Slums without a battle to prove her worthiness to visit it. Victoria sent out a Level 17 Ralts, which Alisa decimated with her Level 20 Rider's Gust attack. Victoria then sent out her secondary Pokémon, a Level 17 Pichu, which Alisa countered with her Level 20 Decibel. He had reduced the Pichu to half-health before Victoria switched Pichu out for her Level 18 Torracat. Alisa switched Decibel out for Hoodlum, who took out Torracat with Headbutt attacks.

 

Victoria then sent out her final Pokémon, Pichu, which Decibel eliminated with Struggle Bug. "Fine," Victoria huffed, as she recalled her Pichu, "just watch your step in that place." She gave a reverse-nod of acknowledgement and farewell as she walked away. Alisa made her way to the Slums entrance, where she was accosted by a slum-dweller who set his Pokémon upon her on sight. After the conclusion of the battle, which she had won by a landslide, Alisa collected her prize-money, took a critical look at her surroundings and walked past the downtrodden slum-dweller.

 

To say that this place was a dump was to give every other dump a good name. Glass fragments and discarded papers littered the ground. The floor was cracked in places and contained many missing floor-tiles. The floor was a grubby shade of neglected cement-grey and a wall of dark-grey boxes were haphazardly stacked to the right-hand side of the doorway.

 

Alisa entered the grubby Slums. Immediately accosted by two Trainers and their Pokémon, Alisa battled the duo and won by a long shot, continuing to make her way through the place once she had recalled her Pokémon. A man who hadn't battled Alisa explained that the spiky gold plant that sprouted out from a crack in the floor before his feet was a healing plant that she could use if she wished-to.

 

Alisa let the gold plant lie, thinking that she wasn't in dire need of it as she walked past the trio and delved deeper into the Slums. Passing through a doorway at the end of the main room, Alisa was challenged by yet another slum-dweller and after a short battle with him, Alisa collected her prize-money from him and continued on her way.

 

There had been a chain-link fence that had spanned the entire length of the right-hand side and beyond it, Alisa had seen a doorway and a nest which contained a pure-gold Pokémon egg. Alisa vowed to locate and pick up that Egg. Upon the capture of a Flame Body ability Fire Pokémon, she could effortlessly hatch that Egg in future.

 

After successfully navigating a series of shadow-drenched ledges that formed a maze that led to the lower part of the third room in, Alisa ventured ever onward, soon making her way to the start of a corridor in which a cardboard box sat. To Alisa's absolute befuddlement, the box jumped in fright and scuttled off into the Slum depths.

 

Moving at double-time speed to catch up to the strange box, Alisa navigated a secondary shadow-maze and found a Moon Stone, which she secreted-away within her Bag's Items pocket. She then kept moving through the Slums, eventually emerging from the box room and into the fourth Slums room. Yet another slum-dweller Trainer challenged her to a battle and Alisa rinsed and repeated her previous battle actions. Soon enough, Alisa was victorious. She recalled her Pokémon and then collected the man's prize money before she continued upon her way.

 

This room, too, contained dark-grey boxes that were identical to those that were stacked before them. Alisa had to wonder about their mysterious contents as she walked down the end staircase and reached the fifth Slums room.

 

Alisa quickly noted the West staircase to her right-hand side, the slum-dweller directly South of her current position and the twin dark-grey boxes located within this room's centre. Upon approaching the boxes, the first box instantly shuffled past the foot of the staircase, rounded its left side and vanished into a cracked hole that had been blasted or drilled into its side. The slum-dweller watched Alisa as she set off after the wandering box. Alisa entered the staircase room.

 

The dark-grey box sat, open and empty, upon the ground in front of a chain-link fence. Yet another doorway loomed behind the box, which formed a barrier to defend it. In the room off to the fence's West-hand side, a staircase led up to another part of the Slums.

 

Deciding to see if she could get past the box and venture through the fence doorway, Alisa rounded the box's right-hand side and took a step toward it. This resulted within a light knock of her left toe against the box's side, which shifted the box to one side and freed up the doorway itself. Alisa then searched the room at the top of the staircase, finding this fifth room devoid of anything save for TM60 Quash, which she stowed within her TMs and HMs bag pocket before she returned to the light box and the fence doorway. Stepping through the fence doorway, Alisa encountered yet another shadow-maze.

 

After navigating it with some difficulty, Alisa ventured through the doorway at its end and found the golden Egg. Claiming it as her own, Alisa sent it to Box 1 of her personal PC, which was accessible from the computer within any Pokémon Centre. Alisa made her way back to the light box room, then backtracked until she reached the foot of the West staircase.

 

There was nothing else for it but to keep utterly-calm and carry on and so Alisa ascended this staircase and strode through its doorway. Emerging upon the rooftop of the Slums itself, Alisa trudged onward and healed her Pokémon with the touch of yet another gold, spiky healing plant that had grown through a crack within one of the roof-tiles that sat before a white satellite dish. Alisa then moved past the dish and entered yet another doorway, venturing back into the Slums. In this sixth room, Alisa found two Trainers. One was a Scientist, and one was a slum-dweller. 

 

Both challenged Alisa to a battle apiece and after she had swept the floors with them and their Pokémon, the Scientist informed Alisa of the existence of Pokémon that formed Pokémon gangs with their own kind. The Scientist then warned Alisa to be on her guard and to watch out for any suspicious Pokémon behaviour and activity before he let Alisa continue her journey.

 

A short shadow-maze later and a Scraggy leapt out of a dark-grey box and disappeared into the continuous Slum depths, reinvigorating Alisa and making her hustle forth to catch up to it. In the seventh Slums room, below which snaked a serpentine labyrinth of steel-crossed shadow mazes that Alisa could only hope led to the exit of this incredible yet unpalatable and dingy place, sat yet another dark-grey box.

 

This one snarled and growled at her approach before its contents sped off, still encased within its box as it vanished through a West-hand doorway. After navigating the maze, Alisa encountered a pink-capped Trainer whom had happened to steal the Pokémon that she had bought from a Fisherman within The Grand Hall. The Trainer admitted that he had sold said Pokémon to a North Obsidia person. This left Alisa both disappointed and heartsick as she promised herself that she would locate and claim her rightful Pokémon at all costs.

 

Carrying on through this room, Alisa walked through yet another doorway and into an eighth Slums room. An empty, dark grey box sat within the room's centre, and one battle later, Alisa set off after the Scraggy that she suspected had emerged from the dropped box's centre. Another staircase led to a potential basement room off to the room's West-hand side, while to Alisa's direct North, a new doorway beckoned to her sense of curiousity, adventure and intrigue.

 

A short stroll through this doorway revealed its contents to be a hallway with stacked boxes arranged to its left and right. At this hallway's end was a chain-link fence with a chain-link door inset within its centre which was locked.

 

Its heavy duty padlock required a key which Alisa didn't currently have, and so Alisa backtracked back to the staircase and descended into the ninth room basement, within which were yet more slum-dweller trainers and yet another spiky gold plant at its end. The yawning chasm of yet another doorway promised further fun and fanfare as Alisa battled her way through to it.

 

She made a mental note to return to this part of the Slums with the chain-link door key and discover what secrets it kept within its depths. Alisa availed herself of the spiky plant before she followed the Scraggy into the chasm doorway, only to find herself face to face with a Scrafty that then set itself and its Pokémon gang upon her.

 

Sending out her first two Pokémon, Daenerys and Rider, against the first two Scraggy that were set against them, Alisa commanded Rider to Gust the left-hand Scraggy and Daenerys to Tackle the left-hand Scraggy. A short time later, the left-hand Scraggy was defeated, only to be replaced by the Scrafty. Rider and Daenerys worked together to Sand Attack and then Gust the right-hand Scraggy, which left only the Scrafty and a final, replacement Scraggy to be dealt with.

 

Alisa switched-in Hoodlum, who, along-with the switched-in Grotle, finished-off the Scrafty and the Scraggy with Headbutt and with Absorb, respectively. The Scrafty and its gang disappeared once they had been defeated.

 

One final room navigation later and Alisa and her team emerged within South Obsidia Ward. Upon discovering that North access to Obsidia Ward was currently prohibited, Alisa made her way to the Southern ward, Coral Ward. Here, she located the Pokémon Centre, healed her Pokémon, met a new Water-Type Trainer named Amaria, watched Cain rescue a stranded Popplio and then battled Cain.

 

After this battle, Cain and Amaria left the Ward and Alisa was then able to venture up into Obsidia Ward. Once there, Alisa stumbled upon Amaria and Florinia, whom then entrusted her with TMX01 Cut. Alisa taught Cut to Decibel, rewriting it over its Fury Cutter attack. A moment after Alisa made use of it and Cut down a tree, Florinia and Amaria walked forward and were then captured by vines.

 

Alisa was then thrust headlong into a battle with a shiny Tangrowth.

 

This Pokémon had been bent to Team Meteor's will, been designated the name PULSE Tangrowth and it had been horribly experimented upon. Its eyes were hollow and tormented as it sought to do the bidding of its twisted masters. The Trainer made a collective introduction as Lumi, Eve and Zero, ZEL. They seemed to be co-inhabiting the same host body. They activated their PULSE machine and unleashed their PULSE Tangrowth.

 

The Tangrowth underwent a physical change. Its cyclops-like, singular eye, encircled by a singular steel goggle that looked like a chain-free monocle, stared at Alisa while its tendrilled hair stood on end, spearing back from its temples and scalp in three spike-like, eerie tentacles. Two more spike-like tentacles stretched forward from a point that was just in front of its armpits.

 

Steel pipes appeared to have been fused in place of its arms, leaving its slender gold hands and fingers untouched and poking free of its steel 'sleeves.' Two steel bands encased the place where its stubby, chubby legs met its lower torso. Each foot was tipped with the same gold feet and toe-like spikes that looked identical to the ones that happened to be its hands and its fingers. It looked radically different to its usual form and Alisa was at once fascinated and horrified.

 

Alisa sent out Rider and then a fierce battle was had by Alisa and the Tangrowth's handler, ZEL. After some slick moves had been put into action, the Tangrowth was defeated. This led to Amaria's and Florinia's release. 

 

The Obsidia Ward then reverted back to its un-infested state. ZEL then recovered the PULSE Tangrowth and the PULSE machine which had transformed it into its PULSE state before they made their escape. While Amaria went to inform Ame of what had happened, where it had happened, who had caused it to happen and explain why it had happened, Florinia spoke. 

 

"Alisa. Brilliantly done. Crisis averted and ward restored. Challenge my Gym. Find it within Onyx Ward's School. Farewell," Florinia said, and then she returned to her Gym. Alisa, meanwhile, healed her Pokémon. A short trip past the park where the PULSE Tangrowth had hijacked Amaria and Florinia led to Onyx Ward's gate and the Ward itself.

 

Before Alisa ventured there, though, she found a Warehouse Key in a house due North of the park. She then made her way back to Coral Ward, unlocked each of its South-Western, South and South-East Warehouses in their turn and rescued the actual Daycare Couple from the South-West Warehouse. Alisa then spoke to a Team Meteor Grunt, who then fled the scene, liberated a shiny Happiny and played hide and seek with a shiny Spoink, which she then captured. She nicknamed the shiny Spoink Boing and the shiny Happiny Serene. 

 

Once all of this had been accomplished, Alisa made her way back to the Onyx Ward gate. Hurrying through the gate, Alisa entered The Onyx Ward and swiftly sought to get her bearings. She checked out the Obsidia Department Store, The Onyx Arcade, the locked Move Relearner house and the Onyx Trainer's School itself.

 

There was also an appartment that had a rooftop garden. Returning to the Slums, Alisa shiny-hunt for, then caught, a shiny Mankey and a shiny Pancham. She nicknamed the shiny Pancham Danny Rand and the shiny Mankey E4 Bruno, after the Kanto region's Elite Four member, Bruno. She then trained Danny Rand up to Level 22 in preparation of the upcoming Gym Battle and then, after she had shiny-hunted to her heart's content, she approached The Onyx Trainer's School. 

 

Upon entering the School, Fern pulled a fast one and ordered the School's Trainers to prevent Alisa from reaching his sister, Gym Leader Florinia. Alisa was then forced to run the Trainer gauntlet and solve the computer-terminal questionnaire gauntlet, which would unlock the final Gym door. Once she had done that, Alisa finally confronted Fern in front of the Gym Room itself. After giving Fern the sound battle thrashing that he had been very much overdue, Fern skulked away in defeat and the way to Florinia was unbarred to Alisa.

 

*

A/N: Thank you for reading and reviewing! I hope that you have enjoyed Chapter 2 of this Reborn story. Stay tuned for further content. Please let me know what you thought of Chapter 2 and again, if there are any Pokémon recommendations and nickname recommendations, please don't hesitate to fling them at me and I will name some future Pokémon any nickname/s that I may like. Cheers.

Edited September 13, 2021 by Valyrian_Reforged

[Valyrian_Reforged]

Alright, alright, alright! Thank you to everyone whom has taken the opportunity to read this story of mine thus far. Over 200 views and counting? Man, that does impress me very much. xD I'm hoping that you'll enjoy this next chapter just as much as I hope you had enjoyed my previous chapters. Writing this is great fun and I hope that you all find it to be an entertaining page-turner now and in future. Enjoy.

 

V_R.

 

*

 

Chapter Three: The Flo of Brains and Brawn

 

Alisa smoothly entered the final battle room, her eyes clashing with those of Florinia as she did so. She could feel the rattle of the Poke Balls within her Bag with every step that she took. Hoodlum hugged his paws around her neck in a swift, encouraging embrace and Alisa lightly scratched the spiky scruff of his neck on auto-pilot, never faltering as she did this.

 

Reaching Florinia as she stood upon the white square upon the ground that reminded her of a baseball diamond, Alisa silently drew her Backpack from her shoulders. She withdrew her first team member’s Pokemon Ball from its main pocket and then held it ready to throw.

 

The square that stretched out between Florinia and herself contained sand the colour of melted butter and a few rocks that looked weathered and scratched from Pokemon attacks. A smattering of moss green plants rounded out the desert themed décor. It was a very pretty picture indeed. Florinia spoke, her own first Poke Ball held at the ready within her favoured hand.

 

“A clean sweep…or so you seek. Initiate battle,” Florinia said, deploying her first Pokemon. Alisa sent out her first Pokemon, Rider, to counteract the Level 22 Maractus. “Air Cutter!,” Alisa shouted, and Rider buffeted a strong and sudden gust of air toward Maractus. The Maractus screeched in pain as the super-effective move dwindled it down to a quarter of its health points.  “Sand Tomb, Maractus. Counter it!,” Florinia called. Her Maractus span several times upon the spot, whipping up a sand cyclone in response.

 

Rider winced in pain as the sand grains struck his leathery bat-wings and skin. He tanked the attack like a pro, receiving minimum damage from it. In his second turn of battle, Rider took down the Maractus with another Air Cutter. Florinia recalled her fainted Maractus, then sent in her Ferroseed. Calling back her Rider, Alisa sent in her Level 23 Hoodlum. A few Headbutts took out the Ferroseed, which led to the send-in of Florinia’s Level 23 Cradily.

 

Calling Hoodlum out of the battle, Alisa sent in Noxious, whom she had Poison Gas the Cradily.

 

The Cradily roared in pain as the poisonous gas attack poured forth into its personal space. Breathing it in an unwary inhalation, Cradily was rendered poisoned upon first contact. Alisa let the Poison sap away at the Cradily’s health points, the chip damage from Sludge resulting within Cradily's steady decline and defeat.

 

Florinia sent in her Level 22 Cottonee, which Alisa dealt with using Rider’s speed and Air Cutter attacks. Level 23 Cacnea was next up. Retrieving Rider, Alisa called out Daenerys and took it down with help from her Moxie Ability.  “Challenger receives The Canopy Badge. Conclusion foregone,” Florinia said. She strode forward and handed Alisa her Gym Badge. “Thank you, Florinia,” Alisa said, humbled by the experience and immensely proud of her Pokemon. She recalled her relieved-looking Mightyena.

 

“Amazing job, Dany. I couldn’t have won it without you,” Alisa praised her white dog Pokemon.  Daenerys wuffed. She wagged her tail in response before the crimson light-beam zipped her back into her temporary home. “Pokemon will obey you up to Level 35. Please accept this TM,” Florinia said, handing over TM96 Nature Power. Alisa packed the TM96 away into her Bag’s TMs and HMs pocket. As Alisa thanked Florinia for her new TM and then turned to leave, Florinia spoke up. “The Jasper and Beryl Wards remain besieged by Meteor. In my stead, I ask that you purge them for me. Take this,” Florinia added, and handed Alisa the PULSE Dex.

 

“Data input can now be read by your PokeGear. Tangrowth's data comes pre-installed. Future subjects require separate data acquisition. Passage to Jasper is granted. Watch for surrounding data readouts,” Florinia concluded. Alisa healed up her Pokemon and then she left the School. Backtracking to Opal Ward, Alisa made her way to Lower Peridot Ward.

 

At Grandview Station, Alisa encountered a Numel who was standing numbly in the rain. Alisa fed the baffled Pokemon some Pokemon Snax and it then, after several soft resets, joined her Party.

 

She nicknamed her new camel Pokemon Inferno, because she liked the sound of it. Soon after bypassing a fountain and trekking down a side-street within the upper half of Peridot Ward, Alisa finally reached West Peridot ward and the Jasper Ward gate.  Alisa continued her journey, determined to not stop until she reached the very peak. She found a petrified Mareep making sharp and sudden tracks through an otherwise-abandoned house. One GourmetTreat and several Soft Resets later snagged Alisa a shiny, ethereal-looking Mareep who would become a trusted and invaluable part of her Party.

 

Alisa eventually ventured through the mishmash of ruined buildings and into The Beryl Ward. While the vegetation within Malchous Forest had contained the deceptively-friendly, waving tentacles that would lash out at the unwary, the forest had fared much better than the concrete, Reborn City jungle. Its vegetation had only ragged, raw and untamed at the edges of the forest itself. Although the plant tentacles had been plentiful, there had still been enough wiggle room enough to have gotten around them.

 

This had involved timed bursts of stop and start sprints from point to point that had felt like they were the suicide runs that Alisa had performed during basketball practice.

 

Beryl Ward fared about as well as could have been reasonably expected. Her newly-evolved Flaaffy, which had previously been her Level 15 Mareep, flourished ever more so within this ward due to its boosted experience points. Alisa felt a twinge of guilty conscience at the thought of Alan, its former Trainer, who would forever wonder what had befallen his Electric sheep. Her conscience was eased by the fact that Alan had not pushed aside his fear and ventured in pursuit of his cherished Mareep.

 

Alisa had to wonder how long the hysterical Mareep had been waiting within that abandoned house for Alan to reclaim her before her common sense and practicality had overruled her loyalty to her Trainer.

 

Winding her way to the far East of the Beryl Ward led to an Abandoned Power Plant, Alisa entered the Plant. Its interiour was pitch-black. As it seemed that nothing could be achieved there at present, Alisa exited the Plant and made her way due West. She wandered past dilapidated buildings. Picking her way quickly yet carefully over badly cracked paved concrete pavement and dodging past slap-happy plant tentacles, Alisa reached Rhodocrine Jungle. Decibel sliced down a tree that was blocking their path. Alisa recalled her trusted shiny Kricketot back to its Poke Ball.

 

Sending Decibel out to slash down trees as needed, Alisa threw caution to the wind and dashed through the forest. Pump-faking past plant tentacles as necessary, Alisa reached a staircase. Slowing her pace to take the stairs two at a time, Alisa felt the floor give out beneath her and she fell through an unnoticed pit trap. Alisa landed upon the leafy undergrowth of a secondary forest level. Unfortunately, an intricate cage made of interlaced bamboo, secured with strong ropes of forest vines, trapped her within it.

 

Outside of the conical cage stood a Pokemon Gang of wild Nuzleaf, the leader of whom folded his arms. Wearing an expression of extreme satisfaction upon having been the one to capture his quarry, the Nuzleaf Leader chirped at length at Alisa, no doubt informing her to sit tight until otherwise released.

 

The Nuzleaf Leader signalled to its surrounding gang and the Nuzleafs left Alisa to her own devices.

 

Alisa stared morosely at the cage lever that the Nuzleaf Leader had indicated and tripped. He had shut and locked the bamboo cage door before he had left. She resigned herself to the fact that, situated to the cage's left-hand side as it was, the lever was out of her reach.

 

The unwanted happened. Fern ambled through The Jungle and happened upon Alisa. He briefly left the immediate vicinity, only to return after some time had passed. "Sorry, Alisa. I couldn't help but pitch a giggling fit upon seeing your predicament. Seeing you trapped by Nuzleaf is a bit too much, even for my liking. Guess you didn't know to watch your every step," Fern said. After a moment had passed, Fern continued.

 

"You look so helpless that it suits you. The Gym Leaders of Reborn are super easy. I swept the floors with two of them already," Fern said jovially. "Blast you, Fern. Let me out of here!," Alisa snarled, losing her patience with this upstart. "Hard pass. That is no way to speak to your would-be saviour. Pledge that you'll never be able to beat me. Concede a few rather choice compliments and descriptors to me and I will free you," Fern suggested. "It would depend upon the choice descriptors," Alisa said equably.

 

"Listen closely. They are: 'I, Alisa, admit that I am an inferiour Trainer, battler and person to Fern. I, Alisa, -," Fern prattled on, but Alisa interrupted him in midsentence, her upper lip curled in a wintry sneer. "I vote no, Scrub Lord," Alisa said frostily. "No? You try to help a Street Scrub. Later! You won't be there to watch me crush the League," Fern snarled. He then immediately left this area. Alisa was left to her own devices yet again. What felt like an era passed before something strange happened. A Chatot flew through the sky and spoke.

 

"Release Alisa! Chatot, Chat," Chatot said benevolently. With a singular screech, he landed next to the lever, wrapped his beak around it and dragged it into the left unlock position. The cage door flipped open and upward, colliding with a slight bang as it slapped the cage's upper-middle bamboo wall. Chatot let go of the lever.

 

"Chatot. Bye, Alisa!," Chatot squawked. He fluttered off in a heartbeat, flying back to his Trainer. A Chatot that was able to mimic human speech and that knew Alisa's name? It had to be Taka's Chatot. But as to why Taka would release her from her captivity, Alisa couldn't currently fathom. Setting her uneasiness aside, Alisa made a mental tally of life-debt to Taka. Rushing out of the cage, Alisa backtracked and took the staircase. 

 

Alisa's exploration of the right hand side of the forest revealed a spike floor trap and a nearby lever upon a raised ledge.

 

Betting the metaphorical house that the lever would partially open the first layer of spikes, Alisa wandered down the nearby staircase and along a forest path, turning right at its end. She then ventured East beneath a wooden bridge and exited the forest via its central exit. The exit revealed a Meteor Grunt standing beside a tall, ancient-looking and stately library.

 

Cutting through the tree to the Grunt's right hand side, Alisa strode through a building that led to a secondary Grunt and a small clearing with yet another pit lever inset within its upper corner. Tripping this switch flattened one layer of the spike floor trap, leaving some more to go before she could travel over it safely. Alisa took down the Grunt's Pokemon with Sludges and Headbutts, rendering them unfit for battle. Accepting the Grunt's prize money, Alisa made her way back to the library-guarding Grunt. He challenged her to a battle. "Pignite, go!," The Grunt yelled, sending out his Level 24 Pignite. 

 

"You really want your Pokemon to be overwhelmed today. Daenerys, Bite that Pignite!," Alisa commanded. Daenerys gave a sharp bark and gave a deep and rumbling growl before she lunged at the Pignite and bit it harshly. The Pignite squealed in pain and outrage as it twisted out of Daenerys' grip. "Shake it all of the way off, Pignite. Ember!," The Grunt called. His Pignite landed its Flame Charge, wreathing itself in fire and increasing its Speed by one stage.

 

"No problem, Daenaerys! Sand Attack," Alisa called and Daenerys deluged the Pignite in a layer of thick sand.

 

"Flame Charge times two, Pignite!," The Grunt commanded. Pignite repeated its charge attacks, increasing its Speed by two further stages. Alisa recalled Daenerys, sent in Noxious and had Noxious Sludge the Pignite into unconsciousness. Alisa and The Grunt recalled their Pokemon. The Grunt handed over a little above two hundred Pokedollars and Alisa continued past him. Entering the Pokemon Library, Alisa encountered a fellow Reborn citizen who healed her Pokemon.

 

Alisa then investigated every inch of the library that she could. Fully-grown trees and yet more plant tentacles speared up through the red carpeted library floor. Venturing her way past the library's reception desk, Alisa noted the staircase to her left, the trees blocking her pathway to the right hand side of the Library and the room to the North of her. Entering the room before her, Alisa found two towering bookcases that flanked a tree that had impaled the room's centre. Next to the tree rested an item.

 

The tree fenced it into a natural enclosure. Exiting the room while making a mental note to return here after she had restored the Beryl Ward, Alisa ascended the staircase. The Library was packed to the metaphorical rafters with brightly-coloured and varied books. The second floor curved around to the right in a wraparound style that led to a tree. This tree blocked access to the South-East side of the library, as well as to a first-floor room that was currently inaccessible. Backtracking to the Library's entrance, Alisa vowed to perform more than a cursory and obligatory Library return search. She returned to Rhodocrine Jungle. The malignant growth and mass of the plants had infested the interiour of buildings as well as the exteriour of them.

It was the state of the side-toppled building that flabbergasted Alisa the most. The strength of the malignant vines that had brought it down truly struck awe and dismay within her. Alisa made her way back to the staircase that was next to the Nuzleaf cage. She ventured down its central pathway, making her way beneath a wooden bridge and up to a central tree. To the left of this tree was a cave and Alisa entered it. The cave's narrow entrance corridor led left, then down and then into a clearing. Within this space's top left side was a secondary Nuzleaf cage. A policeman was trapped in its centre.

 

Alisa tripped the cage lever and spoke to the policeman, who had frozen warily where he stood. "I fell into some random pit trip. I must have blacked out. I woke up to find that Nuzleaf had imprisoned me here! I'll get back to the station lickety-split. Thanks, kid. See ya!," The Policeman said briskly and then he skedaddled on out of the cave. This left two out of five policemen to track down and rescue.

 

Alisa left the cave, cut the outside central tree down and entered the cave upon the clearing's right-hand side. Its nowhere near straightforward path led to a new lever. Alisa flipped it to flatten spike layer two. Heading outside the cave and to the central exit/entrance's right, Alisa dashed due North, flipped a lever at a wooden bridge's end, then returned to the now-flattened spike trap.

 

Exiting via the right hand exit, which was the highest situated exit of the three forest exits, Alisa emerged onto a paved pathway. Two trees and a Meteor Grunt barred her path forward. Alisa sent out her Level 21 Flaaffy and The Grunt sent out his Level 22 Timburr.

 

As it wasn't an advantageous type match-up in her estimation, Alisa recalled her Flaaffy, sent in her Level 26 Noxious and took it down with a Sludge. The Grunt growled, sending out his Steenee. Alisa kept Noxious in. A Sludge not only critically hit the Steenee, but it poisoned it as well. The Poison damage took the Steenee to red health points. A Pound put the final nail in its metaphorical coffin.

 

To the victor went the battle spoils and Alisa recalled her Pokemon. Moving past the Grunt at a brisk clip, Alisa found another police officer, a policewoman, in the basement of the first building in this street. "Thank you, I'm saved. The gathered Meteors up ahead are definitely up to no good. I'm off. You take good care," The Policewoman said warmly. She then left the building and returned to her police station. With one police officer left to rescue, Alisa was feeling confident. She would be the one the resolve this Meteor crisis.

 

One Grunt later and then a straight path down led to yet another PULSE Tangrowth. Alongside of it was Taka and someone else that belonged to Team Meteor. "Ah, Alisa. Hello again. I am glad that you had emerged unscathed from the Nuzleaf trap. I would like you to meet -," Taka began, but he was interrupted with extreme prejudice. "Taka, ZeL, deal with Alisa and protect the PULSE. I will deal with Heather," The Newcomer said scathingly. It was then that Alisa noticed the pink-haired girl who had flown in upon the back of a Salamence that radiated with power.

 

"Ah, Heather. Daughter of the Beryl Ward Gym Leader and...well, that's classified," Taka said helpfully. Leave the girl to me," The Newcomer commanded. Taka shrugged. "Alright. Sorry, Alisa. I can't let you interfere any further," Taka said regretfully. "It's payback time!," ZeL snarled. The duo teamed up to have a double battle with Alisa while Heather fought The Newcomer. Alisa had her team worked together, in pairs, to the best of their abilities. With some chance misses of her opponents' attacks, Alisa emerged victorious. Everyone recalled their Pokemon and Taka sighed.

 

"The PULSE has been deactivated. Our purpose here is now moot," ZeL said. Taka put his hands in his pockets and shuffled from foot to foot. "I'll take my leave. Will you accompany me, ZeL?," Taka said to ZeL. The mysterious ZeL nodded. Taka and ZeL made themselves scarce. "Tch. If that's how it is to be, then Crobat, return!," The Newcomer said sourly. He recalled his Crobat. The Newcomer then rushed out of this section of the Beryl Ward.

 

"Hey! Where do you think you're going? Salamence!," Heather snarled, recalling her Salamence as she hurried off after The Newcomer. Alisa caught up to Heather at the forest entrance to Beryl Ward.

 

She seemed preoccupied as she stared at the spot where The Newcomer had last been seen. "Damn, he got away. Ugh, whatever, I'm going home. Yeah, my Dad's this ward's Gym Leader. Sounds great, huh? If only. Dad's no fun at all," Heather said with vitriol. "What makes you say that?," Alisa prompted. Heather gave an angry shrug that seemed to be an instinctive defense mechanism for her. "I'm stuck under his Gym's roof. He never lets me do anything at all. Drop by his Gym and beat him up for me, OK? Thanks," Heather said.

 

She furrowed her brows before she spoke once more. "I'd totally do that myself, but he doesn't even want me to Pokemon battle yet. If not for battle, what even are Pokemon for? I'm serious," Heather said. After a moment in which she gave a long, drawn-out sigh, Heather rolled her eyes. "One of these days...I'm just going to Fly away and never return," Heather said dismally. She walked away. Alisa ran after Heather, but the young woman had vanished without a trace.

 

Suspecting that Heather had summoned her Salamence and flown away yet again, Alisa returned to the Pokemon Library. At the right hand staircase, she walked along the top of a bookcase, wandered down onto the first floor hallway that the tree had blocked off pre PULSE-defeat and she entered the previously-blocked room.

 

An Ill-Fated Doll lay upon the floor and Alisa snagged it, packing it away within her Key Items Pocket. A lone Growlithe stood beside a large crack in the floorboards that ran from bookshelf to wall-end. Approaching the Growlithe, Alisa watched as it barked lengthily and stared meaningfully and intently at the cracked floor. Alisa peered over the lip of the floorboards and saw an unmoving policewoman. The officer of the law was lying flat upon her back far below, illuminated only by the torch that she still clutched with her left hand.

 

The Growlithe stood stoically beside Alisa, its anguished gaze never leaving the policewoman's deathly-pale face. It was difficult to say for how long both Fire dog and Trainer in blue had remained within this place. Growlithe flung back its head. It howled a long, mournful howl of sorrow, farewell and devotion and then it bolted out of the Library.

 

Alisa hoped that it would return to the police station, so that the police would identify it and its previous owner. After she had collected the previously-inaccessible TwistedSpoon, Alisa left the Library. She hustled over to the Beryl Ward gym for her Poison battle with Corey. First, Alisa had to solve a gym puzzle. It involved hitting a switch until every water-bound pipe within the main hall turned a freaky-looking shade of pink.

 

Once Alisa had solved the puzzle, a door behind the pipes slid open and Alisa was free to confront its sole occupant, Corey.

 

Once Alisa had determined that the door would stay open even if she left the Gym right now, she left the Gym and trained her Pokemon within the nearby grass. Once they all were Level 30, Alisa smiled to herself. The blonde Trainer then re-entered the Gym, determined to metaphorically cut Corey down to size with her veteran slayers. Once approached, Corey wouldn't let Alisa exit the room without subjecting her to an oppressive and deeply cynical monologue. "One had locked oneself within a room. That one would think that others would respect that fact and leave that one alone. This world is void of care. Alisa, right? I understand that you have met my daughter, Heather," Corey said. Alisa nodded. Corey took as his cue to continue.

 

"She's an unruly, ten year old child who has no respect for the way that I have raised her, without hope. She cannot see that hope is a weakness that can and will be exploited to the hilt. It's a superfluous illusion that is meant to sugarcoat this reality. Life is nothing more nor less than a nightmare. Do you truly disagree? Then prove me wrong in the arena. I will show you true misery," Corey said indifferently. He left the room. Alisa followed along in the jaded Corey's wake, entering the arena room not a moment after he, himself, did.

 

Corey took his place within the battle square across from Alisa and when she approached, he sent out his first Pokemon, a Skrelp. Alisa sent out her Level 30 shiny Ampharos and the stage was set. "Body Slam!," Alisa commanded and her blue Ampharos lunged toward its aquatic yet corrosive opponent. "Take the hit, Skrelp. Use Toxic Spikes," Corey yelled, resting his arms behind his back. He clasped his left wrist with his right hand, his grip of the white-knuckled variety.

 

His pitiless dark eyes seemed to drill holes into Alisa's impassive gaze.

 

Alisa fought the urge to loose the shudder that longed to sizzle like a livewire down her spine.

 

A gaze like that which could only have been gained by an event so life-altering that there would be no return to joy after that division of heart and soul pinned Alisa upon the spot upon which she stood. A gaze like that would have followed Heather everywhere, haunting her every dream and watching her every movement. It would have sliced so deeply into the young girl that Alisa was astounded that the girl had been able to find the courage and independence necessary to escape from it. It was a gaze that would forever put both Glare and Leer to shame.

 

The gaze looked both at you and straight through you. It was a stare that spoke of having seen and done it all. A stare that said that it was just waiting for the very last straw to break. Alisa mistrusted it intensely. "Ampharos, dodge it. Use Thunder Punch!," Alisa called, staring down the opponent Skrelp alongside of her Pokemon. Her Ampharos baaaa'd its affirmative, dodging the secondary sling of the poisonous shards as they were fired at him.

 

Corey whipped his left hand free of his right hand's grip and swept his left hand forward, as if to show off the ring upon it. The silver ring appeared to be plain, but it emanated a power that was stronger than any that Alisa had yet felt. The band of metal seemed to have a hypnotic pull to it that drew the gaze, that demanded and commanded the attention of the one that beheld it even though it was facing away from Alisa. Corey held his hand still, as though to telekinetically push at Alisa. Just for a split second, Alisa's attention slipped.

 

It was enough for Corey's secondary Pokemon to land an unexpected hit upon Ampharos and make him flinch. Alisa shivered, shaking herself free of the sickening compulsion. "I'm flattered, Corey. Don't flash your magical ring at me, I'm seventeen. Far too young to get married and far too smart to be trapped by that maneuver," Alisa snapped.

 

She recalled Ampharos back to his Poke Ball and then sent out her Level 30 Swoobat without missing a further beat. "Swoobat, Heart Stamp!," Alisa commanded. Wrong-footed by Corey, she was beyond ready to inflict Hell and the highest of water upon him in retaliation against his psyche sneak attack. Swoobat gave a small screech of confirmation and then inflicted a supereffective strike upon Corey' Skrelp. The opposing Skrelp snarled in pain and in rising rage. Corey set about turning the tide of this battle toward himself.

 

"Skrelp, Poison Spikes!," Corey yelled, then clenched his jaw. His expression was unrepentant as he slowly lowered his left hand, returning it to rest casually against his left hand side. Corey wordlessly pointed the right pointer finger at Alisa's Pokemon and his own Pokemon responded by fighting fire with a shocking savagery. It set up with Poison Spikes and then was recalled by Corey, who subbed in his Level 27 Dark/Poison Skuntank. "Bring it on, knockoff Pepe Le Pew. Ampharos, Thunder Wave!," Alisa commanded shrilly.

 

Her Ampharos smirked and then shocked the Skuntank with a weak charge that left it paralysed. "Don't you DARE freeze due to paralysis, Skuntank. Attack with extreme malice!," Corey shouted, leaning forward out of an interest within the battle that he didn't want to feel. His Skuntank scowled and dug its feet against the battlefield floor, its eyes locked hatefully upon Ampharos' sheep eyes. Unfazed, Ampharos swished its tail slowly from side to side, indicating that he was still awaiting further battle instructions from Alisa.

 

"Thunder Punch, Ampharos," Alisa called with purpose.

 

Ampharos' eyes glinted with pure purpose and he pounced upon Skuntank, delivering a powerful and swift uppercut to the underside of its jaw before he sprang back into position opposite the tanky skunk Pokemon.

 

"You may gift me a battle worth a damn this day, Alisa. Skuntank, shake it off, you're better than that! Strike," Corey called across the purple battlefield. His Skuntank stopped its unsteady swaying and then attacked with renewed malice. Ampharos dodged the attack, firing off a Confuse Ray which made Skuntank grunt with pain and stagger where it stood. It was recalled by Corey and replaced by his Level 27 Croagunk. The Fighting/Dark frog leered at Ampharos eerily. "Thunder Punch until it hits the mat, then Thunder Wave his next best Pokemon!," Alisa called to Ampharos, who readily did just that.

 

Corey switched his Skuntank back in once Croagunk had fainted, then recalled his fallen Croagunk. He used a Super Potion to recover his Skuntank's depleted health, but Alisa had Ampharos inflict more confusion. ParaHax, as well as its self-inflicted wounds, soon downed Skuntank. Corey's composure visibly cracked. As he sent in his Level 26 Mareanie, he clenched his teeth as well as his left hand, which he then angrily shoved into his pants' left front pocket to match his right front pocket concealed right hand.

 

"Your team's at the halfway point. Don't think that I haven't put any serious forethought into this and any battle. Ampharos, excellent work, now return!," Alisa called. She then recalled her Ampharos and sent forth her strategy 'mon, her Numel. Corey almost buckled from the pressure of his hysterical laughter. "You send a camel to menace a sea monster? Not what I would do," Corey said, amused.

 

"I'm going to make you eat those words. Inferno, Flame Burst," Alisa ordered. The purple and red camel 'mon bayed his affirmative and then blasted the field with fireballs, transforming the Corrupted Field into a Burnt Field in a heartbeat. "That's what I'm talking ABOUT! No more increased Poison damage and the likes of that. I'll receive residual heat damage, but that's manageable. Inferno, Iron Head. And Corey? How do you like me now?," Alisa commanded.

 

The shiny Numel charged forward and slammed its forehead against the enemy Mareanie, shattering its Telluric Seed enforced barrier and rendering it susceptible to further attacks. "Not at all. Nonexistent ladies and gentlemen, we have ourselves a strategist and an aspiring comedienne! How refreshing. How do you find the time?," Corey trash-talked. "A burnt field is slightly problematic, but don't count me out just yet. Mareanie!," Corey demanded. His Mareanie bared its miniature fangs in a sneer that looked adorable rather than threatening. The Brutal Star Pokemon then launched its attack against Inferno.

 

Having made the battle alot easier for herself, Alisa capitalised upon her current battle advantage. "Inferno, Return! Daenerys, you're up!," Alisa commanded, returning Inferno to his Poke Ball and sending her shiny Mightyena out onto the battlefield. Daenerys barked fearsomely at Marenie. It blinked slowly in response, wearing an expression of supreme monotony.

 

"Cute. Mareanie, finish our onslaught!," Corey snapped.

 

Mareanie chirruped in response and then it attempted to maul Daenerys as best it could. "Daenerys, keep on the move and continually damage it as best you can. Give it no chance to land a move upon you," Alisa ordered.

 

Daenerys gave a yap of acknowlegement, wagged her tail once and then darted around the battlefield. Honing in upon Mareanie, she damaged it with bites and nips of her chomping canines. Neither could forget about the changed Field. With every passing second, every non-Fire Type Pokemon was getting just that little bit more scorched than they had gotten within their previous battle turn.

 

It was a little uncomfortable for Alisa to watch every minute wince of her steadfast Mightyena. Daenerys sped around the field, finally taking Mareanie down. Alisa recalled Daenerys, sent Inferno back out and had him use Magnitude upon the next Pokemon in line, Corey's Level 26 Nidorina.

 

The Poison 'mon did NOT enjoy the unsubtle slap of a super-effective Ground type attack and she got blasted into the next two weeks, sustaining critical injuries from the attack. "This Field, Corey? It's finally level, as it always should have been," Alisa called to her adversary. Corey sneered. "Enjoy your advantage while you can, Alisa. You'll not be employing it upon my battlefield twice. Nidorina, Venom Drench!," Corey responded grimly. His Nidorina used Venom Drench upon Inferno, but was taken down by Inferno's Earth Power.

 

Corey sent out his Croagunk.

 

It, too, was devastated by Earth Power. Corey flung out his Level 30 Crobat, his team's ace bat. Alisa recalled Inferno, sent out Ampharos and Ampharos Thunder Punch-ed the Crobat. eventually felling it thanks to the application of many more electric jabs. Finally, Corey was out of Pokemon and he recalled Crobat.

 

"Salt in the wound of my defeat only adds insult to injury. Disappointment is a two-way street. Memorise that for posterity. To the victor go these spoils," Cory said dismally, handing over 690 Pokedollars and some further dialogue. "You're here for the Badge. Take it and go. I'm sick of -," Corey sniped, but he was interrupted. "Hey!," Heather shouted, rushing forward toward the battlefield.

 

Alisa swiftly recalled her Ampharos and stood aside as Heather took her place opposite Corey. Corey took his hands out of his pocket and folded them across his chest, still clutching Crobat's Poke Ball. "Oh, hi, Alisa," Heather said, as if only just realising that Alisa was also in the arena. "I'm leaving. Bye!," Heather continued, her eyes glued upon her father's own.

 

Corey appeared unaffected by his daughter's words. Heather made to leave, but then just as she was just about to left the room, Corey spoke. "Heather. Where do you think you are going?," Corey enquired. Heather whirled back toward her father. "I am L-E-A-V-I-N-G. For good, thank dog. You KNOW you can't stop me," Heather sneered caustically. 

 

"Heather, you will stop this right now. Your behaviour is unbefitting any daughter of mine," Corey said coldly. "Make me, old man! You can't. I'm done listening to YOU and your stupid, nonsensical rules. I'm just done. Bye!," Heather replied.

 

Alisa was shellshocked. "You can't just fly away and hope that all of your problems will be solved," Corey snapped impatiently. "Oh, can't I? Watch me," Heather yelled. Two more steps toward the door gave Corey pause. "Heather!," Corey called. "What?," Heather snapped, sounding like she could care less about anything more that her father had to say to her. Alisa felt more than a bit like a third wheel as she listened to the rest of the familial dispute. 

 

"You stole your mother's ring," Corey said. He made it sound like a foregone conclusion. "So what? Are you going to citizen's arrest me?," Heather replied calmly. Corey snickered in response.

 

"Funny. No, just don't lose it," Corey replied. Heather then left the arena and the Gym and did not return.

 

Alisa walked briskly toward the Gym's dual entrance and exit, but Corey's additional words stopped her in midstride. "Alisa. Ten years of torment, just for her to vanish just as rapidly. No...I'll be at your side real soon," Corey said gloomily. He sounded like a rejected member of Evanescence. Alisa hated to hear him sound that way. "I'm in no place to ask a League Challenger for favours. If you want a spectacular show, meet me at Beryl Bridge. It's due West of this tomb," Corey said negatively. He then left the Gym. Feeling as though her actions had been decided for her, Alisa followed Corey's direction and exited the Beryl Ward Gym.

 

As soon as Alisa exited the Gym, an Absol upon its roof yapped at her twice, assuming the pounce position before it bared its teeth. It turned its head to the right and then left the scene. Absols heralded imminent and unavoidable disaster. Alisa shook off the lingering sense of urgency and melancholy that the Disaster Pokemon had left in its wake and hurried to Beryl Bridge, hoping to avert said catastrophe. She found Corey facing away from her, his Pokemon arrayed expectantly before him. "You've served me well. Roam freely. Get lost," Corey grumbled. 

 

Skuntank turned tail and scuttled off first, followed by Croagunk and Skrelp.

 

Nidorina turned and walked a few steps away, but then turned back toward Corey with a heartbroken facial expression. "That means you and Crobat, too. You're not special," Corey snarled. With a wounded whine of hurt and grief, Nidorina spun around with a guttural growl and bounded away. Her departure left only Crobat fluttering at Corey's left side. "Move it!," Corey sneered glacially. Crobat gave a loud screech of protest, but Corey was not swayed by it. "You're not wanted here, Crobat. Beat it! You're pathetic," Corey called to it. Crobat finally turned and left, flying off across the desert that was fenced-off by the bridge wall that Corey and Alisa stood upon.

 

"Finally. I no longer require these items of critter captivity," Corey said. He tossed his emptied Poke Balls over the bridge wall that Crobat had flown over. Alisa glanced down over the bridge wall's lip in time to watch several puffs of grainy sand indicate the Balls' landing upon it. Alisa then turned back toward Corey, moving to stand nowhere near the bridge walls as she did so. "So, Alisa. What do you burn to know? Why I mistreated Heather so? Child's play. It's because I abhorred my own weakness. I was terrified of losing Heather like I lost her mother," Corey said bleakly.

 

He turned to stare out across the desert vista. "Heather's mother was a beautiful, fiercely intelligent woman. Her equal does not exist. This, I am sure of. With her, I was complete, happy. Without her, I'm but a husk of my former self. I was naïve. In exchange for the sparing of Heather, my beloved traded her own life and left this cold, cruel world," Corey added.

 

Alisa seized her chance to speak. "May I ask what had claimed the life of your wife?," Alisa enquired, her tone empathetic. Corey turned around. "You may. A chance mechanical error claimed my wife's life. In that instant, I learned how cold reality truly was. I'd found everything in this life that one could ever hope to seek and find, yet my reason for existence was torn so irrevocably from me for all of eternity. I never let Heather believe anything different. By raising Heather with this in mind, I'd sought to save her from my constant torment. But all that I ended up doing was hurt her myself. She, too, is now gone," Corey said, approaching the bridge wall opposite Alisa and himself as he spoke.

 

"Don't do it! You can still salvage your relationship Heather. You have my condolences," Alisa shouted, rushing forward and standing in front of Corey. He climbed onto the lip of the bridge wall.

 

Corey faced Alisa, ignoring the hands that she raised to offer to him to take. "Thank you. Alisa. Heather holds a certain Ruby Ring. She will be hunted for it. Please watch over my daughter for me. Tell her that I don't blame her. I no longer have any right to call myself her father," Corey said, trying to snatch his hands back as she lunged forward to grab them. She caught his hands within her own and only succeeded within the slip of Corey's ring from that particular ring-finger. 

 

"You'll need that. My team deserve the best. You can't save me," Corey said unfeelingly. "My love, I'll join you soon," Corey said.

 

He stepped backward off the bridge, his arms swept wide as though to accept his beloved's and Death's embrace.

 

"No!," Alisa screeched. She leaned over the bridge and reattempted a snatch of Corey's hands, but Corey fell too far, too fast. He was lost to the whipping wind. Alisa gripped the bridge wall as she fell to her knees before it, closing her eyes so that she would not have to watch the acceptance upon Corey's face, would not bear witness to his brutal collision with the floor of the ward below this one.

 

Corey didn't have to die so horrifically.

 

"Damn it!," Alisa snarled, slamming her right fist down upon the bridge wall.

 

Pain radiated from her white-knuckled right fist, but it was better to feel some pain than to feel utterly numb. Alisa curled her left hand's fingers around Corey's Silver Ring, lowering her left hand to rest against her left thigh. She placed it within the Key Items Pocket of her backpack. She would return it to Heather's safekeeping. "I couldn't save him. Heather is going to kill me," Alisa said tonelessly.

 

A voice spoke and Alisa froze, then applied pressure upon the wall. "Oh, hey, Alisa. You're still dragging your feet here," Fern said.

 

The hardened Trainer shoved off the wall with her palms and rose to her feet. Alisa then turned to face the voice's owner. Her expression was closed-off in preparation of further verbal onslaught. Fern was not known for his compassion and nor would he ever be.

 

"Fancy encountering you here. Had you dropped something? You will kneel so before a stone wall before you will ever deign to kneel at my feet. I see how it is. I'd trekked all the way up here to challenge that weak excuse for a Leader. That dumb-grass really hurled himself off of a bridge? Sucker's toast. What a waste," Fern said callously.

 

"That man was far from a waste, Fern. Corey was worth more than you'll ever know to the only daughter that he had left behind, which is more than I can say about you. I have earned Corey's Poison Badge. Speak no ill of the departed," Alisa snarled. Fern's jaw dropped before he could stop it. He stared at Alisa for what felt like half a century before he clamped his lips shut and spoke.

 

"Huh, no way. You beat him, but then he offs himself before he can gift you his Gym Badge. What a Leader! You probably view me as heartless. I hadn't known the guy, but it's natural selection. Some guy tops himself...big deal," Fern said snidely. "You're all heart, Fern. To Heather, it's the biggest of big deals. Corey could have survived. It's a long shot through the dark, but you never know," Alisa opined.

 

Fern smirked. "You don't have a clue. And you never will. The dead man fallen hit the deck of the Lapis Ward, waaaaay below us. It's North of Opal Ward Bridge. Check it, see if Humpty lives. I don't see the point, but -," Fern replied. There was a thunderous cacophony of sound. A gigantic explosion. A massive tremor shook the Bridge. Alisa and Fern swayed, but kept their feet, turning to peer down at the ward below them.

 

"What the WaiLORD was that?," Fern demanded. "It is a secondary explosion. It's a common occurrence within this Region, I can attest to that," Alisa answered, in the tone of a smart-aleck. "Har-de-Froakie-har, Alisa. But yo, over there! That rising plume of smoke. It appears to be wafting up from North Obsidia Ward. Right beside The Grand Stairway! Something's gone down. I'm going to find out what it is," Fern said. He sounded deeply-shaken by having been so close to the explosion's point of impact. With a breezy "Later, loser!," Fern turned and darted away, leaving a now-silent Alisa to gather her thoughts and follow in his footsteps.

 

"Arceus help us, now and always. Fern, you insensitive jackal, you'd best believe I'll make you pay for your disrespect.," Alisa said to no-one at all. She ventured back down to The Jasper Ward and spoke to the police chief. "By Jove, you've done it, lass! You've recovered all of our missing police force. There is the matter of our dearly-departed force member. You found her Growlithe? Our officers are issued a standard-issue Growlithe as their partner Pokemon," The Chief said.

 

After a sombre pause, The Chief continued. "This Growlithe...its partner is dead. Gone. I feel it to be an insult to the memory of its Trainer, my former officer, to hand that Growlithe off to yet another new recruit. Please take it. You were its finder. Consider yourself an honourary member of Reborn Police Department," The Chief said gruffly.

 

Alisa soft reset for a shiny Growlithe and definitely added her to his Pokemon roster and team. "Growr-roooooowr, rowlithe!," Growlithe barked, chasing her tail multiple times before she dashed forward and rested her forepaws against Alisa's hips. As Alisa crouched down and gently ruffled the fur upon her vibrant orange scalp, Growlithe placed her paws upon Alisa's knee-caps. She liberally licked Alisa's face, covering it with dog saliva. This made everyone in the precinct chortle with rumbling, incessant laughter and mirth.

 

"You're each other's perfect match. You'll always have a permanent place within this precinct. Within our midst. Take care," The Chief added benevolently.

 

Alisa thanked The Chief and left the precinct with Flannery, her nicknamed shiny Growlithe. She wiped the dog drool from her face.

 

From there, Alisa walked to the Peridot Ward and then to The Lower Peridot Ward. She traveled up the staircase beside The Grand Hall, made her way back to Obsidia Ward and walked through Obsidia Park. Walking North of Obsidia Ward, Alisa made her way to the large crowd that had gathered at the foot of the deeply crack-ridden Grand Staircase. To the left of the Staircase was another stone staircase that led to The Lapis Ward. Alisa spoke to everyone present to ascertain their opinion upon the matter at hand.

 

Two policemen who served as a North Obsidia Ward entrance honour guard were surprisingly forthcoming. "The blast type was controlled. The radius was contained to the Stairway. I would say that a municipal demolition device was used. Only peripheral structures were minimally damaged," the policemen said gravely. "Judging by the rubble's landing," another policeman upon the Staircase said, "the detonation device had been placed beneath the seemingly solid Staircase."

 

Bypassing the detonated stairway, Alisa ascended the left-hand staircase and entered the Lapis Ward. It was reputed to be the richest ward in Reborn. As such, it was a prime target for gang activity. Alisa was aware of two Reborn Region gangs, Aqua Gang, whose ace Pokemon was the Dark/Water type Sharpedo and Magma Gang, whose ace Pokemon was the Dark/Fire type Houndoom.

 

After making her way up through the Ward, her journey made difficult by the handful of Trainers who refused to let her pass without a battle, Alisa finally reached the foot of the Beryl Ward wall. Corey's lifeless body was shielded by a ring of onlookers, the worse of his injuries currently concealed from view. Victoria and a purple-haired young girl stood staring sadly at Corey's battered body. Alisa spoke to Victoria, drawing her attention away from the macabre vista before her.

 

"Oh, hey! Alisa, you're here. This is horrifying. Shelly, honey, step away from there. You don't have to see that," Victoria said, first to Alisa and then to the purple-haired girl, who was staring, to the exclusion of all else, at Corey's prone figure.

 

"I - is that Heather's dad? Why did he leave Heather alone?," Shelly said, and then she started to sob. "Please don't cry, Shell. It's going to be OK. Let's get you inside. I'll make you a warming cup of tea," Victoria suggested maternally. Shelly nodded. The two started to head toward a building that was right beside Corey's fallen form. "I can't b - breathe," Shelly confessed, beginning to hyperventilate. "Tea will help. Draw in a deep breath and hold it for a count of four. Release it, slowly, to a count of four," Victoria advised, her tone soothing and melodic. Shelly listened to Victoria's advice and her shaky breathing sluggishly returned to normal.

 

Before she could turn her back upon the grisly evidence of Corey's death, Alisa saw the same weird phantasm that she had seen just before her train to reborn had crashed. The corporeal spectre appeared to consist of a copious ammount of dark fog that revealed a humanoid shape that wore a fedora hat, a trenchcoat, the vague outline of shoes and no discernable facial features.

 

Red eyes, set deeply within a hazy approximation of a murky face, stared at everything and at nothing.

 

Alisa shuddered. Where the figure's mouth should have been, there was now a fixed and mirthless grin that bared every single tooth at its recipient. Victoria noticed the wraith. "Shelly. That's the Shade that you'd mentioned? What do you want, Shade?," Victoria said.

 

The shrouded figure said nothing. Ever so slowly, it faded away. "Shade's here? Isn't that...?," Shelly asked. The figure took Corey's body away with it before it drifted away completely. "Oh, he's taking Heather's dad away? How strange," Shelly said, thoroughly flummoxed and also, Alisa noticed, stutter-free. A movement within the vicinity made Alisa look up and notice two nearby Meteor Grunts. The duo were standing upon the rooftop of the appartment building that was directly to the left of Corey's body. "Aster and Eclipse with a fresh, eyes-on report. Agent Beryl confirmed deceased. Over," the duo said into a walkie-talkie and then they cut communication.

 

"Meteors! Are you the ones to blame for this? If you are, I will -," Alisa began, but Aster interrupted her.

 

"As if! That was -," Aster blurted out venomously, but Eclipse rapidly clapped her hand over her colleague's lips, sealing them shut with her palm. "Aster, shut your trap! Listen, girly. You'll do nothing. Keep your nose out of Team Meteor's business. Aster," Eclipse demanded curtly, pivoting upon her heel as she removed her hand from Aster's face.

 

Aster nodded, his eyes locked upon Alisa's own. "Subject confirmed. Mission clear. The Stairway awaits," Aster said peaceably. The duo left the scene. "You were behind the Stairway blast! Why does that not surprise me," Alisa said, before they could get too far away. "How dare you accuse us of that! Of course we were, you nosy brat," Aster snapped. "Tell her everything, why don't you," Eclipse said sarcastically. "OK. Underneath the Stairway, there is apparently a -," Aster began.

 

Eclipse gave a snarl of frustration and then sighed heavily. Alisa almost felt sorry for Eclipse. It couldn't have been easy to have a co-worker like Aster. "That was sarcasm! Come on. I need a vacation," Eclipse said harshly. "Can I vacay with you, Clipsy? I can be tight-lipped. You won't even know that I'm there," Aster said, giving Eclipse a puppy-dog-eyed look. "Oh, no, you can't. Meteors, out," Eclipse replied, "and those eyes don't affect me. Do not call me Clipsy."

 

She then rushed off across the rooftop, leaving Aster to mutter, "Of course it was sarcasm" and scamper off after his colleague. Alisa followed Victoria and Shelly as they entered the green-roofed building beside the point of Corey's impact. She arrived at the head of this building's staircase in time to enter what could only have been Shelly's room and overhear Victoria consoling Shelly.

 

"I'm so, so very sorry that you had to see that, Shelly," Victoria said gently, her gaze glued upon Shelly's own even as Alisa moved to stand in front of a nearby bookcase.

 

Victoria then turned to face Alisa. "Hi. I'd come here to challenge Shelly, this Ward's Gym Leader. However, I'm really concerned about her. We had only just squared off to battle when a movement outside of the nearest window caught our eye. Our battle paused. We saw Corey's falling form. He landed right outside and - Shelly's twelve," Victoria said, distressed.

 

"Now she just seems so remote. Downhearted and traumatised. Something is going on. First the Stairway is blown up, then Team Meteor arrive to inspect a dead man? Had Corey been a Meteor agent in disguise? I'm going to find out," Victoria said charismatically. "The Grand Stairway. Let's search it. I'll be your backup," Alisa said courageously. Victoria immediately flung her hands in front of her body, as if she was preparing to physically stop Alisa in her tracks.

 

"OK. I will meet you there," Victoria said adamantly. "You don't know what may await us there," Alisa said. Victoria nodded. "A valid point. Still, it's worth our trip," Victoria said. She turned back toward Shelly. "I'm going now, but I'll be sure to come back later. Is there anything that you'd like while I am away?," Victoria asked Shelly. "No. Thanks. I'm s - sorry. For making you w - worry," Shelly said shakily.

 

Her rocky emotions brought about the return of her stutter. Alisa felt her heart metaphorically reach out to Shelly in empathy.

 

Victoria's mystified expression cleared up immediately and she shook her head slightly. "No worries. I may not know you well, but I still want to help as much as I am able to. Take it easy. I'll return in no time," Victoria said to Shelly, who slumped within the couch that she was sitting upon and closed her eyes wearily in response. Alisa turned to leave. Before she could, Shelly spoke.

 

"Heather is one of my only friends. I hope that she's OK," Shelly said, without once opening her eyes. Alisa exited Shelly's room, ascended the staircase and rounded its foot. She was met with the sight of a gym attendant in a distinctive lab-coat. He was standing in front of a long hallway.

 

At the hallway's end was a ground-floor door, beyond which Alisa suspected was Shelly's Gym. Swiftly making tracks to the Grand Stairway, Alisa ascended The Grand Stairway's steps. Her way hindered by the gigantic, Z-shaped split within the stairs, Alisa finally reached the gaping maw's centre. A singular ladder led all the way down to what Alisa assumed were the Staircase depths. Victoria was nowhere to be seen. Alisa descended the ladder carefully, trying to push aside her worry toward Victoria.

 

As Alisa had feared, Victoria was in the entrance cavern of the Staircase. Two Meteor Grunts that surrounded her had her fenced-in.

 

"Alisa, help me!," Victoria implored, her eyes wide saucers inset into her fear-drawn face. The Meteor Grunts turned to face Alisa, grabbing Victoria by her forearms in a punishing grip as they did so. "Well, if it isn't Miss Smarmy herself, Alisa," Aster said savagely.

 

"There'll be no help for you this time, Miss Academy. You're trespassing upon our territory of operation. The Boss Man wants a word with you, Alisa. Aster, roll out," Eclipse said meanly. Aster shrugged his shoulders and cleared his throat pointedly. "Shouldn't we also capture Alisa?," Aster said.

 

Eclipse cast her gaze skyward and closed her eyes. She kept them shut for several seconds, only to snap them open unexpectedly and speak. "No, lackwit. We would then be outgunned and overwhelmed. Let's lock Miss Brawler here up and then lure Alisa to us," Eclipse said, spelling it out for her loose-lipped colleague. Aster's eyes gleamed with sharp and rapid comprehension.

 

"Nice! Hear that, Alisa? One wrong step and your friend here will pay for it. Try to stop us and you'll fall into our trap. Bye!," Aster said. The two then dragged a struggling Veronica along with them as they ventured further into the underground labyrinth. Veronica was given little choice but to descend a ladder. Sandwiched between the duo so as to prevent her escape, Victoria and the Meteors slid out of sight.

 

Alisa shoved her hands into her pockets and heaved a protracted sigh. "Well, Shinx on a battlefield. It is on," she grumbled.

 

**************************************************************************

 

Upload Schedule:

 

Three current works upon this site necessitates a lot of time spent writing and editing, switch-ups of dialogue and so on. I will Endeavour to upload new creative content here with regularity. I'll try to not let too much time pass during uploads. I play each game as I write my take upon their story and scenes. This can be a blessing and a curse at times as I multitask between gameplay and writing.

 

There exists this pesky little thing called muse. It strikes when it strikes and as soon as it does, it must be acted-upon.

 

We all also have a life to live in the meantime and so that compounds matters all the more, but we all do what we can, as best as we can, when and where we can.

 

Reviews:

 

I cannot stress the fact more that reviews are key. I'm not trying to be salty or a gaslighter, but reviews are what make our content here well worth the effort and dedication of writing and uploading them here. In my honest opinion, leaving a critique or even just dropping a "Hi, I like your content" does and would go a long way to pay it forward to your fellow, hardworking writer/content creator.

 

I can lead a metaphorical horse to water, but I can't make it drink.

 

It's up to you to review if and when you're moved to do so. Writing without reviews feels more like journaling to me. It is isolating and frustrating at times, but it is ultimately worth doing to chronicle your thoughts, feelings and take upon these games.

 

Edited September 13, 2021 by Valyrian_Reforged

[Aphelli]

Hi!

I guess it’s time for a second review.

 

I see that you’ve toned down on the fancier words a little (there's no harm in using them, just don't overdo it). You also have almost stopped using hyphens where they aren’t necessary (at least, I don’t think they are?). Here are a few exceptions, though: wished-to, secreted-away, dark-grey, utterly-calm, acted-upon. 

 

I'm glad we also got a portrait of Alisa (the protagonist sprite is nice but does it really match completely your own idea of the character?). I'm not sure if it's deliberate, but her speech patterns somewhat match her looks -- in a good way. Though if she’s dressed as you describe, it’s miraculous she doesn’t get dirty. Then again, even though the other characters are larger than life, she's bigger than all of them since she's bound to succeed where all of them fail, so she's above such worldly concerns. ;)

 

Your characters now have voices of their own, which is very good; however, some of their words sound a little surprising again (usually too sophisticated for what they're supposed to be -- but it's a matter of style ultimately, literature is ripe with characters speaking better than they should). I have a few cases in mind:

1. “apologies are unnecessary” from Victoria (I feel that simpler speech suits her far better, like “no worries” or “it’s okay”)

2. Still by Victoria, but earlier on: she calls the slums “that vile place”. I’m not sure (that’s a culture thing, I suspect), but I believe that “that place” with something in the voice (disgust?) is more realistic.

3. “You won’t get anything incriminating from us” – I guess it's Aster speaking, because he’s the one who never gets anything and always says too much. I’m not sure how compatible this is with the use of the word “incriminating”. I suspect that few people would utter it spontaneously – instead, an Aster would say: “you’re too late. We’ve already deleted everything, [insert colorful but harmless expletive]”.

4. “purge [the wards] from all evil” by Florinia – in my opinion, “evil” evokes some sort of emotion while being very unspecific, both characteristics that Florinia would eschew

5. Taka’s first words in the Beryl Ward confrontation are, I think, far too explicit (since everyone else is in earshot – even if not, it’s much too compromising).

 

By the way, there are some other parts that feel a little bit off, perhaps too “solemn” for the setting (like “purge all evil”, which sounds like a life quest given by a dying idealistic paladin): “fulfill every one of her hopes, aspirations and dreams”, “vow to get the egg“.

 

I’m also seeing a few errors that you could have avoided had you proofread more carefully: for instance, Alisa decides to check out Obsidia after she heals her Pokemon, she “does just that” then she starts training them, and only afterwards does she actually get into the ward. In Beryl, Alisa fights a Pignite that is told to use Ember, then uses Flame Charge, which raises its Attack by one stage (it’s Speed). In Corey’s death scene, Alisa falls to her knees at least twice. Afterwards, Alisa screams at Team Meteor as if they’re responsible for Corey’s death, even though she saw him kill himself (even in the game, the scene is awkward, because only a very particular kind of rooftop would make them noticeable). And then a “Veronica” appears. There are a few more sentences where you probably skipped or repeated a word (due in part to your complex sentences – I still like them, but that always carries a risk of mistakes). There are very many unjustified "The" (with capital T) -- why do you do that? And most surprising of all, you entirely skipped Taka’s debut (then write as if you didn't).

 

Which brings me to my last point: your chapter 3 is far too long (chapter 2 is borderline already, but chapter 3 dwarfs it). I don’t know if you checked, but it’s close to ten thousand words, no apparent breaks… that makes it really hard to read.

 

It's almost sad, actually. All this writing, all these magnificent words, all these imaginative nicknames, a few nice battles that I'm impressed you managed to beat in this way, and yet my focus is on what bugged me. I really hope this doesn't come across as too negative. 

 

Best of inspiration for your next chapters! 

[Valyrian_Reforged]

Hi, Mindlack,

 

Hmmm. This critique veers away from constructive and lands in "write the exact opposite of how and what you feel that you should write." Some of your points, I agree with. I'll take onboard that which I feel will strengthen rather than detract from my writing. As for word count, breaks can and should be taken during any read through, not just a read through of my own work. I highly encourage this practice.

 

I may shorten my chapters in future. Some dialogue choices will be tweaked as I deem necessary. My use of 'The', usually written at the start of a fresh sentence, serves to take a break from repeated usage of 'Alisa' this or that (for example, Alisa said/did this.) Your closing statement strikes me of more of a hostile attack rather than an incentive to inspire me to continue further.

 

All errors that you have specified will be corrected immediately. Perhaps it would be more beneficial for you to focus more upon what you like about my writing rather than what you don't like about it. Thank you for your critique/constructive feedback. As for editing, I had lost count of the ammount of times that I had edited so that readability would be accounted for and catered to sufficiently for my readers.

 

Words skips and repetitions. Would you mind giving one or more examples, at the risk of opening myself up to more shots fired? At the end of the day, this is my work and while I do appreciate any given feedback and will take it all onboard, I will write this fanfiction my own way, to the best of my creativity and writing ability.

 

Valyrian_Reforged.

 

E.D.I.T.: Done. Nicknames and snappy character dialogue? They come easily to me. They always have and I'm darn grateful for that. Writing Pokemon battles has become somewhat of an art form for me. It's been a great learning curve for me. It's not always easy to get them written just right. Thanks for your compliments. They mean alot to me. Making each character soar upon their own is important to me. Each character is distinctly unique. I always strive to portray them as such. As for large and impressive vocabulary and words, I'll add them sporadically. They add further polish and pizazz to my works.

 

 

Edited September 10, 2021 by Valyrian_Reforged

[Aphelli]

Hi Valyrian, 

 

First things first: I do owe you an apology. 

 

Second: thank you. I needed such a rebuttal. 

 

Let's get back to the apology. I apologize for writing in a way that visibly hurt you and that was probably hostile too. Please believe me when I write that it wasn't intended this way -- my closing remark was genuinely dismayed at my own selective focus and hoping to soften a potential blow. For, as an aggravating factor, I was aware that this could have landed into "hater" territory, yet dismissed that impression. Instead of fighting my unfair focus, I indulged it.  

 

I did not intend for this to mean "write the exact opposite of how and what you feel that you should write." Your insights, your style are your own. I felt (whether or not it's what I ended up doing is rather for you to criticize, as you did) that I should point out a few sparse times where you might be a little too sophisticated even for your setting. I write might, because, as you probably know (and I remembered a bit too late), a lot of literature has characters speak much better than most real people do.  

 

 

For the little mistakes, I'm thinking for instance of the following sentence, where "she could" is repeated: "Alisa vowed to locate and pick-up that Egg so that *she could*, upon the capture of a Flame Body ability-carrying Fire Pokémon, *she could* effortlessly hatch that Egg in the future". There's also "as they notice of Alisa", or the post-Florinia level cap (35, not 25) in chapter 2. I remember reading a couple more, but I can't find them right now, so maybe I'm just misremembering. 

 

For the "The", I wasn't thinking about the ones at the beginning of sentences (a perfectly normal and sound use), but rather those preceding titles or locations, like in "Fern ambled through The Jungle", "through the mishmash of ruined buildings and into The Beryl Ward", "while Heather fought The Newcomer". 

 

 

 

I guess I really needed that suggestion to focus on what was good instead. I like the way you portrayed Corey during the Alisa battle (and the tactics that she employed to win), where he is conflicted between his own nihilism and his (at first reluctant) interest in the Gym battle, the mixture of intensity and denigrating sneer. Fern and Alisa, Aster and Eclipse make some really good duos (please don't let Aster stop calling her "Clipsy"). I think I'm repeating myself, but I really enjoy your descriptions too, and your vocabulary really is a plus for them.  

 

(also, I had no idea such a word as "pizazz" could exist, so thank you for that one)

 

So I hope that this makes a significant contribution to clearing the air. 

 

(PS if you didn't find out already -- the website automatically time-stamps your posts [at the very top of the post] and your latest edit [at the very bottom])

[Valyrian_Reforged]

16 hours ago, Mindlack said:

Hi Valyrian, 

 

First things first: I do owe you an apology. 

 

Second: thank you. I needed such a rebuttal. 

 

Let's get back to the apology. I apologize for writing in a way that visibly hurt you and that was probably hostile too. Please believe me when I write that it wasn't intended this way -- my closing remark was genuinely dismayed at my own selective focus and hoping to soften a potential blow. For, as an aggravating factor, I was aware that this could have landed into "hater" territory, yet dismissed that impression. Instead of fighting my unfair focus, I indulged it.  

 

I did not intend for this to mean "write the exact opposite of how and what you feel that you should write." Your insights, your style are your own. I felt (whether or not it's what I ended up doing is rather for you to criticize, as you did) that I should point out a few sparse times where you might be a little too sophisticated even for your setting. I write might, because, as you probably know (and I remembered a bit too late), a lot of literature has characters speak much better than most real people do.  

 

 

For the little mistakes, I'm thinking for instance of the following sentence, where "she could" is repeated: "Alisa vowed to locate and pick-up that Egg so that *she could*, upon the capture of a Flame Body ability-carrying Fire Pokémon, *she could* effortlessly hatch that Egg in the future". There's also "as they notice of Alisa", or the post-Florinia level cap (35, not 25) in chapter 2. I remember reading a couple more, but I can't find them right now, so maybe I'm just misremembering. 

 

For the "The", I wasn't thinking about the ones at the beginning of sentences (a perfectly normal and sound use), but rather those preceding titles or locations, like in "Fern ambled through The Jungle", "through the mishmash of ruined buildings and into The Beryl Ward", "while Heather fought The Newcomer". 

 

 

 

I guess I really needed that suggestion to focus on what was good instead. I like the way you portrayed Corey during the Alisa battle (and the tactics that she employed to win), where he is conflicted between his own nihilism and his (at first reluctant) interest in the Gym battle, the mixture of intensity and denigrating sneer. Fern and Alisa, Aster and Eclipse make some really good duos (please don't let Aster stop calling her "Clipsy"). I think I'm repeating myself, but I really enjoy your descriptions too, and your vocabulary really is a plus for them.  

 

(also, I had no idea such a word as "pizazz" could exist, so thank you for that one)

 

So I hope that this makes a significant contribution to clearing the air. 

 

(PS if you didn't find out already -- the website automatically time-stamps your posts [at the very top of the post] and your latest edit [at the very bottom])

 

 

Hi, Mindlack,

 

No worries at all. I appreciate critiques and your own are high upon the list of those that I don't auto-hate.

 

About my usage of pizazz, you're welcome. I'm aware that I do tend to go-to fancy word usage, as I feel that they're usually the best decriptors (especially of emotions and the way that words are spoken ie sharply, menacingly, haughtily, etcetera). I am wary of their overuse and so I try to not go overboard with them. Thank you for your clearance of air. It's appreciated. The Jungle had been a name shortening of The Rhodocrine Jungle. Perhaps I will edit that to Rhodocrine, instead. The Beryl Ward will be shortened to Beryl Ward.

 

I'm really glad that you have enjoyed my Cory, Fern, Alisa, Aster and Eclipse character portayals. I bust several metaphorical bones to ensure that their dialogue is both unique and in line with my headcanon of their individual character. My headcanon is that Eclipse tolerates the Blizzard out of Aster and views him as her endearing and irritating little brother figure.

 

Aster views her as his Big Sis and so calls her Clipsy at every available opportunity, which she allows. My headcanon views anyone's else's usage of that nickname of her as grounds for Eclipse to throw hands with them. I'm thrilled that you enjoy my vocabulary. I certainly never want to use words that are as monotony-inducing as watching paint dry can be. I've toned down some character airs, save for Alisa's, as she is refined AF.

 

Corey's death scene had been an absolute blast to write and to switch up. Alisa gaining The Silver Ring that way had been a great way to have her obtain it without having to backtrack to Corey's hidden Gym room and collect it from there. It makes more sense to have it be involuntarily gifted from Corey to Alisa as it had been during her unsuccessful attempt to save his life.

 

I really like/liked Corey's and Alisa's dynamic.

 

I really like Aster and Eclipse. They're super-fun to write and they just click as a Meteor Duo. Crafting unique yet satisfactory character dialogue for them is far from a chore and it's something that I could get addicted to. I have a tendency to not under-develop even minor characters. This usually leads to my writing more upmarket dialogue for almost everyone, as I abhor incorrect punctuation, grammar and spelling. However...when it comes to the less affluent Trainers, I will make sure to write less intelligent dialogue (aka the homeless and slums Trainers, non-city folk) for these characters. I will also incorporate more Trainer dialogue in upcoming battle scenes and Gym Battles.

 

Welp, this is turning into an unintended essay and so I must surely leave it at these for now.

 

Cheers and regards,

 

Valyrian. :)

 

PS: Chapter Four is incoming. I am writing it as I type this. Stay tuuuuuuuuned for the booms. And that's a Wrap. xD

 

 

Edited September 11, 2021 by Valyrian_Reforged

[Valyrian_Reforged]

Chapter Four: And now we soar

 

"Healing items? Check. Poke Balls galore? Check, check. Items to sell for chunk change? Check, please. Time to hit the road," Alisa said with certainty. She zipped up her bag, which she had been crouching in front of, then rose to her feet. Slinging her backpack onto her back, Alisa approached the ladder that led to the Stairway's deepest depths. "I'm on my way, Victoria. Sit tight. Your captors had best prepare for a fright," Alisa added, beginning her descent as she spoke. Once she had reached the ladder's foot, Alisa took a good look at her surrounds.

 

Immediately confronted with a three-way path split, Alisa circumnavigated the room before she decided upon the middle pathway.

 

The path to the right led to rocks that could be broken up by Rock Smash and a North doorway, while the left pathway led to a staircase with a smashable rock. Beyond this rock which was a new and intriguing ladder. Moving back to stand before the middle pathway, Alisa walked up to its ladder and descended into yet another layer of depth. Crystals of many technicolours were inset into the walls at intervals. These lent the cavern that Alisa found herself in an additional spooky atmosphere. A swift venture due South of her current position revealed a series of rock ledges.

 

Noticing that one wrong ledge hop would lead her to have to backtrack back to the top to continue onward, Alisa bit her lower lip.

 

Deciding that there was no time like the present, Alisa slid her top teeth free of her lower lip. She heaved a somewhat resigned sigh before she darted forward and hopped onto the secondary rock ledge. Each ledge had been Bulldoze-d into a flat, horizontal platform. There was a soft, multicoloured dust that had settled upon the otherwise dove grey floor that was pleasing to the eye, but dangerous to the nostrils. Alisa held her breath as she hopped from ledge to ledge, soon making her way in the direction that she suspected that Victoria had been hauled along.

 

Trial and error from there led Alisa to a Black Belt who gave her a TMX7 Rock Smash. Alisa thanked the man, but he went on to inform her that unless she possessed the third Reborn Badge, she could teach it to one of her Pokemon, but it would be unable to use it. Returning to the central pathway, Alisa forged onward along its platform and soon undertook a series of fleet footed ledge hops.

 

Five ledges down and one to the right, plus another six ledges South led Alisa to a centralised, smooth pathway that was distinct in its own right. Walking South past a stone pillar and off to its right hand side, Alisa happened upon another ladder. This one was conspicuous. Unlike its fellows, it lay within a corner of the platform, out of sight unless you really looked for it.

 

Upon approaching this ladder, Alisa incrementally released her held breath, then breathed in small and shallow allotments as she descended the central ladder. Now standing at the central ladder's bottom rungs, Alisa turned away from the ladder and froze. A short distance away loomed the lip of an ancient stone staircase.

 

To the left and right of the central ladder's legs sat two rocks. Venturing with trepidation down the thin rocky steps of the staircase, Alisa fought her urge to hold her breath with every subsequent step forward. Only once she had fully descended this staircase did Alisa breathe a minute and subtle sigh of relief. At the foot of these steps was a spiky yellow healing plant which seemed to metaphorically scream 'Boss battle up ahead.' A light touch of this plant healed her Pokemon up completely and so Alisa trod past the now withered plant.

 

The narrow corridor branched out into a grand, underground atrium, in pride of place of which was a stone door. This door had bars shaped like an X indelibly carved out of its sturdy surface and there was a sense of forlorn but plentiful power and majesty about this door. A man stood in front of the door and he turned as Alisa approached him. 

 

"Greetings, Trainer. Tell me, did you, as a Reborn citizen, have any inkling that a place like this existed? I suspect not," Mister Mysterious said. He spoke with a strange superiourity and wore a tan brown overcoat and polished black shoes. He had buzz-cut and coal black hair, as well as eyes that seemed to impale anyone they landed upon with a glance.

 

"Ignorant to the centuries of history beneath their trampling, itchy feet, they are beneath even cockroaches. Reborn's bleak citizens ever grasp for that which they dare not rightfully earn. Do you know what lies beyond that gate?," Mister Mysterious said critically. Alisa shook her head. "I will enlighten you. Beyond that gate rests only the very core of Reborn," Mister Mysterious said gleefully. "Reborn's core? Is that what brings you here? Has it been here all along? Who are you?," Alisa demanded, employing an amenable but stern tone of voice.

 

Mister Mysterious chuckled, shaking his head more than slightly as he did so. "I'm afraid that's all need to know. Quite frankly, you just don't. This place, the spot where this world began, is a sacred place. To build such a wretched hovel of a city right over this precious holy land is the very pinnacle of ignorance. Reborn is the City of Insolence," Mister Mysterious continued dourly. "That's all noted, Mister, but what has that got to do with me?," Alisa enquired. 

 

"Perhaps nothing. Maybe it's got everything to do with you. Who can yet say? Rather ironically, this temple was built from the exact symbol from which it occludes. Ruby, the Seal of Pain. Sapphire, the Seal of Love. Emerald, the Seal of Faith. Amethyst, the Seal of the Beyond. Each is a key. Bring the four together to restore Reborn's sacred right," Mister Mysterious said unambiguously.

 

"Its sacred right?," Alisa asked, before she could stop herself. "The true power of Reborn! It will be restored. We shall rid this junkyard of malignance and putrescence so that beauty may be restored to this deserving world. You will walk by me safely," Mister Mysterious said curtly. Alisa peered past Mister Mysterious and caught a glimpse, at this corridor's end, of Aster and Eclipse guarding a rope-bound and struggling Victoria. The Apophyll Trainer sat with her back to the wall, guarded by two terrifying Lycanrocs and a Solrock-Lunatone pair.

 

"I will? Fantastic, that makes a deeply refreshing change," Alisa said boldly. Continuing as though Alisa had not spoke, Mister Mysterious closed his eyes upon a protracted sigh. "You may retrieve your muscle-bound friend," Mister Mysterious said, "upon the proviso that you defeat my admirable Admins. I believe that you and they are acquainted."

 

Alisa pressed her lips into a thin line before she next spoke. "Indeed, I know them well enough," Alisa replied. Mister Mysterious opened his eyes. "You will find her just up ahead. Oh, but when you leave, do this one thing for me," Mister Mysterious requested. "Why should I do that? For all I know, you could be someone whom I could grow to not wish to know," Alisa said. With a hearty guffaw that turned into an indrawn wheeze of air, Mister Mysterious spoke.

 

"My dear, you are not incorrect. Take this place as a keepsake with you. Tell all you meet that this world which they have undone will yet prove itself to be their undoing." Alisa then stood aside as the man turned and walked away, moving with care and precision. Once he was out of her earshot, Alisa spoke. "Irksome and easily irascible misfit. Moving right along," Alisa muttered beneath her breath, hurrying forward with renewed purpose.

 

Aster and Eclipse pushed off from the wall that they leaned against, positioned upon either side of Victoria's hips. "Well, I'll be, Clipsy. I guess I owe you that Oran Berry shake after all," Aster said, managing to sound nowhere near broken-up about his loss of their bet. Eclipse ground her teeth loudly and unfurled a sullen snarl, but Aster merely grinned in the face of her annoyance and drew out his first two Poke Balls.

 

"For the immeasurable last time, Aster, refrain from calling me Clipsy! I thought that you'd never get your Grass in gear, Alisa. Took your sweet time getting here," Eclipse growled at Aster, then purred at Alisa. The object of Eclipse's twisted fascination stared with mingled wariness and battle-readiness at Eclipse before she shifted her gaze back to Aster. Alisa made sure to keep the Meteor Duo in her sights at all times, her gaze flicking from one to the other in a dance of eye contact.

 

"Can you please get on with it? I'm a captive audience over here," Victoria said, in a tone of absolute unrepentance. "The least we can do is wreak Boss's vengeance upon you. Ruffian!," Eclipse said frostily. Her Lycanroc barked and assumed its attack stance against Alisa.

 

Aster smiled a thin and grim smile. "But of course. Rockstar, battle stance!," Aster called. His Midnight Form Lycanroc yipped in excitement as she joined her fellow, albeit male, Midday Form Lycanroc. "Daenerys, Bite!," Alisa called, sending out her shiny Mightyena as Victoria thrashed with all of her might and broke clean through her rope restraints. Victoria sent out her Torracat and the double battle began in earnest. "Alisa, accept my backup. Torracat, only true terror will do! Bite," Victoria called. "You be silent, Musclebound Miss! Rock Throw, Ruffian," Eclipse commanded. Her Lycanroc barked and flung pointed rocks at Daenerys, dealing considerable damage to the Dark canine and to the fiery Torracat.

 

Victoria laughed a harsh, mirthless laugh. "Try to make me be silent! Torracat, shake it off. Bite," Victoria snapped back. 

 

Torracat was struck down by Accelerock attacks. Victoria recalled it, switching in her Pancham. Working as a team, Alisa and Victoria took turns taking potshots at Eclipse's Ruffian. Once her rock dog had been knocked out, Eclipse snarled, recalled her fainted Pokemon and sent out a Level 29 Lunatone. "Circle Throw, then Arm Thrust!," Victoria called to her newly sent-in Pancham.

 

It obeyed and it knocked Rockstar out. Upon his Rockstar's defeat, Aster called back his Pokemon and sent out a Level 29 Solrock. Two Bites took down the Solrock and served to handily raise Daenerys' Attack stat via Moxie ability. A long battle ensued as the bulky Rock Pokemon refused to concede the battle.

 

Aster sneered as he watched the proceedings unfold. Finally, Alisa and Victoria reigned victorious and were given 300 Pokedollars in prize money. "What the absolute duck! Not again. You couldn't be more infuriating," Eclipse yelled, calling back her fainted Pokemon simultaneously with Aster. "Not to worry, Clipsy, we'll definitely get them next time," Aster said in a charming tone. "Aster! Why do I even team up with you?," Eclipse complained. "For my winning personality and can-do attitude," Aster replied innocuously. "Can it, Aster. As for you two - don't let a Graveler whack you on your way out. They do look positively mutinous," Eclipse said maliciously.

 

"You're just going to let us leave?," Victoria asked, having evidently not overheard Alisa's conversation with their boss.

 

Eclipse exhaled a world-weary, exasperated sigh. "Just because you ran us into the battleground, that doesn't mean that you've truly beaten us. We're leaving. Catch you later," Eclipse ground out. She looked as though she would relish being their captor. Aster shrugged. "Boss said you could slip our grasp this time. Later, Feraligatrs!," Aster said. They vanished in the way of true evildoers, with noxious smoke grenades and a flashbang grenade for good measure. The latter had been dropped by Eclipse and the round cannister served as both reminder and warning of their significance.

 

Alisa and Victoria had barely a second to hit the deck and cover their ears before the smoke and the ringing within their ears gradually cleared. Once they had sufficiently recovered their equilibrium, Alisa helped Victoria to her feet as she regained her own footing. "Sore losers, that dastardly yet dynamite duo. Are you OK, Victoria?," Alisa stated and queried. Victoria cleared her throat, then looked Alisa in the eyes as she spoke. "Thanks for your rescue and help, Alisa. I'm fine," Victoria replied. "You're welcome. Let's ditch this desolate place," Alisa said neutrally. After a moment's pause, Alisa spoke as she led the way down the hallway.

 

"Are you sure that you're alright? You'd been here for quite some time," Alisa asked concernedly. Victoria awarded Alisa a megawatt grin. "Ali, I'm unharmed. Their boss wanted a chat. He told me all about that gate there," Victoria said easily. "Mysterious Man mentioned that gate to you, too?," Alisa said, feeling suddenly unnerved. Victoria shrugged, seemingly unconcerned. "It seemed important to him. I don't know why," Victoria replied. Alisa directed a puzzled look at Victoria as they passed said gate.

 

"Ali?," Alisa queried, mystified. "Yeah, Ali. Your nickname. It's cool, yes?," Victoria replied, speaking off the tail-end of a bemused laugh. "To forge friends through the rigours and rituals of battle? It's cool, Tori," Alisa replied impishly.

 

Victoria started to frown, then her flummoxed expression unclouded. "Neat turn of phrase. Tori, huh? It's likeable," Victoria commented, grabbing Alisa in a headlock as she spoke. Alisa chuckled as Victoria ruffled the hair of her scalp, only to release her quickly yet gently a moment later. "But only you can call me Tori, battle sister," Victoria said as a caveat. "Likewise, battle sister," Alisa said, as she led the way up the stone staircase, "regarding my new nickname." They finally reached the entrance/exit ladder.

 

"Oh, you're on. Hey, you climb the ladder first," Victoria said animatedly. Without questioning Victoria's offer, Alisa clambered up the ladder, taking heart upon the ensuing sounds of Victoria following along in her wake. As soon as Alisa reached the top and stood aside for Victoria to emerge from the ladder's lip, Victoria spoke. "Oh, I'd forgotten about Shelly! I've got to revisit her," Victoria said worriedly.

 

Victoria rushed headlong back to the stairway entrance ladder. Upon the Stairway, Victoria waited a moment to see Alisa off. "Be seeing you, Ali!," Victoria added, her expression shifting from content to carelorn before she sprinted off to Lapis Ward with an airy wave.

 

Alisa scrubbed her hands over her drawn face, then walked at a much more sedate pace down the Grand Stairway. She, too, headed back in the direction of Lapis Ward. A short rest within the Whismur house later, Alisa felt somewhat restored. Moving on to Obsidia Ward first, Alisa ventured into a nearby alleyway and defeated the Trainers within it. At the North end of this alleyway, there were two wild Mightyena menacing a wild, shiny Electrike.

 

Not one to stand idly by when someone or something was being bullied, Alisa approached the Pokemon Strays, who immediately yowled an attack klaxon at her. Sending out her Decibel and her Noxious, Alisa had her shiny cricket X-Scissor the duo upon subsequent turns, while she ordered her Noxious to poison the duo with Toxic. A handful of turns later, the Mightyena duo tucked tail and ran, leaving an exhausted-looking yet grateful Electrike to its own devices. Before Alisa could leave, the courageous young Pokemon vagabond gingerly approached her. 

 

"Hi, little prizefighter. Would you like to accompany me?," Alisa asked the spirited Electric puppy, crouching before it as she spoke. The Electrike yipped and nuzzled its left cheek against Alisa's left shin in emboldened response.

 

"Then you're definitely coming with me. What shall I name you?," Alisa mused.

 

The Electric puppy had taken on two Mightyena without a qualm. The only appropriate moniker, in Alisa's humble opinion, was..."Goliath. No other nickname will do. How do you like your new name, Goliath?," Alisa asked her new Electrike. Goliath began to bark in a tone of great delight, chasing his spiky tail as he did so. "It's decided, then. Let's go forth and see the world," Alisa said. Drawing a fresh Poke Ball out of her backpack's Poke Balls pocket, she placed the Poke Ball upon the ground between them.

 

Goliath approached the Poke Ball, nudged it with the tip of his nose and he dematerialised, vacuumed into the Poke Ball that snapped shut around his pure energy form. Alisa hefted the Poke Ball off of the ground, grinned at her new Pokemon addition and returned Goliath to her backpack. "Welcome to my team, giant in Electric dog form. I'll take great care of you. Let's go," Alisa said. Rising to her feet as she spoke, Alisa took one cursory glance around the alleyway before she returned to its entrance.

 

Once there, Alisa visited the Great Hall's Pokemon Center and healed up her latest Pokemon warrior. It was time to revisit Shelly.

 

************************************************************************************

 

A/N: THANK you! Over 300 views now - holy Swalot in a Poison field, Batman, that's stupendous. Thank you for your loyalty and support.

Edited September 13, 2021 by Valyrian_Reforged

[Valyrian_Reforged]

Hey. So, just a bit of a progress update before I post my next Alisa chapter. Not to worry, I haven't given up upon this firecracker of a fanfic. I have simply been caught up with the usual day to day tasks and responsibilities. Thank you for sticking by me with your views and with your feedback, Mindlack - it means alot to me to have your continued creative support.

 

Admittedly, I have been sidetracked lately by the Sucker Punch-es of the whims of Fate and of life, as well as with certain Pokemon fangames (why must you be so darned addictive, fangames? xD) and Let's Plays. In any case, it's been on my mind to keep you all in the loop in regard to my writing here. Please consider yourself/ves looped in.

 

How am I doing thus far? Please let me know what you think of my Alisa fanfic if you feel inclined to do so.

 

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Oh, my Lords Arceus, Helix and the like,

 

Hello, all, and apologies for my abscence. Life has been a Whirlwind for me as of late, which has necessitated my taking time out to myself and for myself. I assure you all that I am doing well and refocusing alot less upon fangames that I need to play (I am focusing solely upon the ones that I am writing about here, instead), as this will result within less stress about meeting self-imposed deadlines and more chill time to write and post my story content in a timely yet relaxed manner and method. In my defence, I have been afk up until today.

 

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EDIT: I will now write and post Chapter Five asap, starting from tomorrow, my time. (Fri 24/09/21). I will edit it here upon its completion.

 

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Chapter Five: The Will and the Won't

 

I have Pokemon to save, was Alisa's first thought. Upon emerging from her shower this morning, Alisa followed her train of thought to its logical conclusion. Pokemon to save, as well as this Region. If I don't do it, who will? I have the autonomy that most do not. I have the will and the resources. In addition to these, I have the inner reserves of a Champion to be. I can- and I will - do this. Sliding the shower door closed behind her, Alisa toweled off and began to get dressed.

 

Today was nondescript black clothing day. Her outfit consisted of a streamlined black Nike hoodie with silver satin interiour lining, as well as crisply pressed black silk underclothing and jeans. Black cotton socks of the Egyptian variety and black, silver shoe-laced Nikes encapsulated her outfit within a microcosm of perfection. Once she was clothed, Alisa sank into a catlike crouch, pulled on her black Nikes, and began to lace them up. Her SilphCo running shoes were still in her backpack.

 

No-one had ever asked her about her thoughts upon this save the world matter, Alisa mused. No-one had thought to ascertain her stance upon anything, truth be told. No, they had just expected her to go along with their region-rescue and Pokemon-rescue in their stead. Alisa imagined the supreme indolence that surely must, even now, be reflected within the stance of one and of many. She imagined the pitiless horde peering out through grimy appartment windows, ungluing themselves from their TV screens to gawk at Alisa, unabashed, as she passed them. She imagined the look of resolve upon her face. This, combined with the purpose within her swift yet economical movements, would serve to lower their self-estimation and lift her within their sense of awe and personal lack.

 

She would be the heroine that this region needed, but had not asked for.

 

The Pokemon that she was set upon saving? They had belonged to Corey. Alisa clicked her tongue, disgruntled, as she laced up the silver satin shoelaces of her Nikes. She hadn't been able to save him. This left her with lingering remnants of caustic unforgiveness of herself. Her heart still went out to Heather. The young girl talked a big game, but Alisa sensed that there was more to the tormented ten year old than met the eyes. Alisa suspected that Heather would always wonder why she hadn't been worthy enough, within her father's estimation, to be the one that he stuck around. Perhaps Heather had expected that Corey would have remained with her until the day of their deaths.

 

Cocking her head to one side as her renegade muse struck her like ten million bolts from the blue, Alisa slowly smirked. She had an idea. Brimming with reinvigorated and renewed resolve, Alisa straightened from her crouch. First things were first, though. After ensuring that she had everything that she needed to suit her various region traversal requirements, Alisa left the Great Hall's Pokemon Center suite room. Closing and locking its door behind her, Alisa checked in at the reception desk. She tried to turn in her borrowed suite key, but the Nurse Joy in residence would not accept it.

 

"For all the help you've given us, you can keep that suite," Nurse Joy said. She employed a volume and an inflection of such good cheer that Alisa thought that she could give Julia a run for her money. "But so many people could make use of it in my stead! It wouldn't be fair to those in n -," Alisa responded on autopilot, always with her thoughts towards others, rather than toward herself. "In need? Oh, we're all in need, honey. But we need to help ourselves," Nurse Joy said philosophically. Alisa's jaw dropped. Nurse Joy gave full sway to her own amusement.

 

She scrambled to close her dropped jaw before the nurse's throaty chuckling could divert the apathetic and mutinous stares of the Hall's many other occupants. Alisa was successful at this endeavour.

 

This still did not sit right with Alisa. She dithered where she stood, which only made Nurse Joy continue guffaw. Before Alisa could stop her, Nurse Joy performed a series of remarkable actions. She cut her laughter off with brute force and gently slid the key from her grip, only to attach it to an official Reborn Great Hall ID lanyard, which was minus its ID card. "Incognito mode activated," Nurse Joy said beneath her breath, as handed it back to Alisa. Accepting the gift, Alisa frowned slightly as Nurse Joy took hold of her hands.

 

Pressing Alisa's fingers softly closed around the key and lanyard, Nurse Joy held her gaze and spoke. "The world doesn't owe us anything. We owe you. Take the key. Take the suite," Nurse Joy implored. Still feeling like an extremely stunned mullet, Alisa nodded, thanked Nurse Joy and put the lanyard and suite key into her Key Items bag pocket. Alisa turned to leave.

 

"Oh, and honey? We've perfected our state of squalor and lack. You don't need to. Show our world what for. Thanks for all that you do us all," Nurse Joy called, in a brisk and peppy tone of voice that conveyed her respect and gratitude.

 

Pausing only a moment to turn back with a rueful grin and a hearty wave, Alisa pivoted toward the Center's entrance and left the Great Hall.

 

Striding swiftly and determinedly back up the nearby Hall steps, Alisa trekked back to North Obsidia Ward, then turned left and hurried up the staircase that led directly to Lapis Ward. The citizens of Reborn glowered at her from the foot of the staircase, milling about either alone or in a ragtag group of threes and fours. Everyone nearby bristled at her approach, but a look of self-pride and censure was enough to make everyone resume their conversation/s. Alisa re-entered Lapis Ward. Descending its entrance staircase, Alisa turned due left at its foot and kept moving. A long walk back to Shelly's Gym was cut in half as she jogged through the Ward, ignoring the derisive looks and exclamations of outrage as she made a zigzagging beeline around a trio of wealthy passerby.

 

"Well, I never!."

 

"Oh, stow it, Clotilde. You would have legged it and joined her if you'd been that upstart's own age!."

 

"Fiddlesticks, Cordelia, must you get my goat? I. Would. Never. Do that."

 

"In my day, Mother would have tanned my hide right proper for that gallivant," someone else interjected.

 

"No-one's gabbing to you, Cecilia!," the first two said simultaneously, turning back toward each other.

 

"Not now, you aren't, but you'll not refuse a chat around a pot of chamomile tea, should I put it on to brew."

 

At the mention of chamomile tea, Clotilde and Cordelia stopped in mid-conversation and swung to face Cecilia expectantly. "Alright, you cunning old shrews! Go on, then, join me and mine for tea and scones," Cordelia said cannily. "Cunning old - Cecilia, we're your own age!," Clotilde and Cordelia said in mock outrage. "True, but I'm the only one who actually acts our age," Cecilia said primly. The trio then set off with purpose, ribaldly needling at each other with playful shoulder-jostles, conspiratorial looks. This trio's broad smiles were continually brightened when looking at each other, only to be continually dimmed upon meeting the hostile and haughty gazes of their neighbours.

 

As Alisa threaded her way around this group, she got the sense that these three had been bickering and bantering since they had been her own age. For once, Alisa felt proud of her sixteen years of life and all that she had managed to achieve within her life. If she could gain such friends as these three seemed to have and to be to one another, then Alisa would count herself extremely fortunate indeed. The trio made their way to Cecilia's house, which was situated within a gated compound lot. Alisa decided to watch the trio from afar.

 

After keying in a code upon the keycode scanner by the compound's front entrance gate, Cecilia chivvied her friends and neighbours through the gate ahead of her. Scanning her immediate vicinity with a rapid and all-encompassing gaze, Cecilia then turned back to the keypad. She punched in the lock code, running through the gate before it could close behind her. Alisa watched the gate slide smoothly and quickly closed. Although the front gate itself was comprised of thick steel, Alisa guessed what would be occurring behind its now inscrutable and locked façade.

 

Upon rejoining her friends at the front steps of her house, Cecilia looked back up the driveway that she had hastened down before she shook her head. Upon Clotilde's and Cordelia's urging, Cecilia stepped onto the front stoop of her manor house. Unlocking her front security door, Cecilia stepped forward and unlocked her front door as Clotilde held the door open for her. In their turn, the trio entered Cecilia's house. Entering her house, Cecilia locked both doors firmly and securely closed behind them all. The uninitiated and the uninvited were not getting to Cecilia easily.

 

Upon re-entering Shelly's Gym, a short trip upstairs led Alisa to Shelly and to Victoria. "Oh, hi, Ali! So, I'm still really worried about Shelly. That man that we'd seen before Shade took him away? He'd been Heather's father," Victoria explained. Shelly looked up from the couch that she sat upon, her small elbows dug deep into the skin of her upper kneecaps. Her face was streaked liberally with ceaseless tears and she shook with visible, myriad and conflicting emotions as she stared at Alisa. "I'm fine! Tell Vicky that. My challengers are waiting for me. I've got to go now!," Shelly said vehemently. Shelly stood up quickly, but Victoria gently placed her hands upon the young girl's shoulders.

 

Shelly took one look at Victoria and then flung herself into Victoria's open arms, allowing Victoria to hug her and hold her in a consoling and maternal manner. After she had sufficiently comforted Shelly into a state of gentle compliance and complacency, Victoria guided Shelly back onto the couch, sat down beside Shelly and then spoke, looking up at Alisa. "Alisa, thank you. I should have waited for you. But never mind that. Shelly really needs our help," Victoria said pragmatically, wringing her hands as she spoke. "How can I help you both?," Alisa enquired.

 

"Oh, I'm fine, really, but Shelly's beside herself right now. A doctor that may be able to help her more than we can," Victoria added. "What's the name of this doctor, and where can he be found? I could speak to him with you, if you'd like," Alisa offered. Shelly lunged up from the couch as though she had just been scalded by it.

 

"Doctor Connal? I won't be checked into that cracked pot's asylum!," Shelly raged. Victoria looked scandalised. "Shelly, honey, no-one said anything about checking you in anywhere. And I'm sure it's not an asylum. It's an orphanage. It has an additional treatment center," she said, her attention swiveling between Alisa and Shelly. "I don't NEED to be treated for anything. I'm just FINE," Shelly said, crossing her arms and planting her feet as she spoke. Awarding Alisa a pointed look and a nudge of her chin toward the staircase, Victoria bit her lip before she turned toward Shelly and spoke soothingly yet maturely to the young Gym Leader. "Of course you are, Shelly. Everything will be alright," Victoria soothed. They lapsed into a prolonged conversation which swiftly escalated into a heated debate.

 

Shelly surprisingly held her own as Alisa turned to leave the room. Descending the staircase, Alisa reached its foot and ventured toward the gym guide. Having gathered that this 'Doctor" was some kind of psychiatrist, Alisa empathised with Shelly's point of view. Still, a word with this doctor surely would not, metaphorically, hurt. "Although Shelly is currently accepting challengers, I cannot allow her to do so in such a fragile emotional state. Please feel free to return at a later time and date," the Gym Guide said seriously. "When would it be best to return for my Challenge?," Alisa asked the Guide. He shrugged dispassionately. "You will know as soon as I know," the Guide answered.

 

He would not be drawn for further comment and so Alisa left the Gym. Visiting Dr. Connal's Center, Alisa was almost barged into by someone who was exiting the center as she was about to enter it. "Oh, excuse me! I simply must get out of here. Right now," the young woman said. She had long, eye-scorchingly bubblegum pink hair and looked to be around eighteen or so. She wore a green outfit. "No dramas at all. OK," Alisa replied in a jovial tone. The young woman smiled with slight warmth at Alisa, then hurried past her, almost running now as she moved toward the ward's dual purpose entrance and exit.

 

Alisa entered the Center. She was met by several people who saw fit to introduce themselves to her. The first, a young girl, seemed to stare straight into her soul from mere inches away from Alisa. She wore her glossy, purple-black hair in high pigtails that dropped to rest at mid bicep height and a magenta outfit. It was her eyes, however, that provided the most unsettling sensation to ripple throughout Alisa in a radiating series of waves. Pigtails possessed violet red eyes that were truly boggling to the mind to behold. When Pigtails spoke, it took Alisa a great effort to wrench her attention off of the peculiarity of Pigtails' eerie eyes.

 

"You're new! Huh, you're not Laura. Not that it's not great to see a new face, quite the opposite, but did you see her? Laura?," Pigtails said manically. "Laura? Er, would the Laura that you speak of have long, bright pink hair? Because if so, she just left," Alisa answered, in a taken aback tone of voice. Pigtails' expression, which had considerably brightened upon hearing Alisa's response, subsequently fell in response. "That's our Laura! Oh, she left? Dang. Anyhoo, who are you, with your glowing self, all set to razzle-dazzle?," Pigtails asked. Giving Pigtails a subtle smile and a slight nod, Alisa spoke. "I am Alisa. Your name is?," Alisa responded sweetly.

 

Pigtails beamed at Alisa. At a glance, Alisa estimated that Pigtails could not be any older than twelve to thirteen years of age. "Anna. Great name! Why are you all super glowy-showy?," Anna replied, her eyes narrowing as she squinted at Alisa with a perplexed expression. "Glowy-showy?," Alisa queried, her own expression shifting from polite interest to sudden bafflement.

 

A chiding voice spoke up as if to break the feeling of awkward tension that had risen up within the face of Anna's focus and question. "Anna, dear, no-one is glowing," a nearby person, a young boy, said seriously. "But this person clearly is, even if you can't see it. Never mind. Come on in and meet everyone!," Anna said charitably. Walking up to the room's centre, Alisa faced Anna squarely, her expression resolute. "You already know me. I'm Anna. This is Nostra, my Jirachi. She says that it's nice to meet you," Anna said, with a childlike solemnity. Feeling profoundly foolish, Alisa waved at the Jirachi doll that Anna held, mirroring its own wave which had been initiated by Anna.

 

"Over there, you'll find Noel, my twin brother, and his Cleffa, Nomos. Say hi, you two!," Anna added. The young boy nearest to the door slid idly off of the mint condition white couch that he had been seated upon. He shared the same unique hair as Anna and he made his Cleffa bow to Alisa as he, too, bowed to her in acknowledgement. Noel straightened up and so did Nomos, with an athletic grace that Alisa wouldn't have attributed to him upon first glance. He had a more serious countenance than Anna, as well as a pair of red violet eyes that matched Anna's own. "Nomos and Nostra are just dolls. Hi. Nomos says hi to you, too," Noel said, speaking in a stoic tone of voice. Anna rolled her eyes. "That's my brother, alright. Always the wise-guy. That's not true," Anna replied, her expression lapsing into one of grievous injury.

 

Noting this, Noel sought to lift his sister's flagging spirit. "Uh, OK, Sis. Whatever you say about that. Nomos says hi," Noel said. Far from being placated, Anna angrily folded her arms, glared one million daggers at her twin and then stomped her right foot against the floor for good measure. "Noel, you lie. They are, too, real. You're being ridiculous!," Anna said insistently, her tone verging heavily toward antagonistic. "Sis, you're one to talk," Noel replied, arching a snide eyebrow. He made a show of metaphorically rolling up his sleeves for a great debate. Before the rising tension could further escalate, Anna changed the subject.

 

"Anyway! That's my friend Charlotte. She of the fantabulous purple-pink hair," Anna said, turning upon the spot upon which she stood to cut her gaze to the left. An older girl forcibly tipped up her chin toward Alisa. The ends of her own high pigtails looked as if they had been partially drenched within smog purple paint. Her side-swept fringe, which fell in a swoop over her right eye, had been given the same artistic treatment. Her virulent crimson outfit terrifically clashed with her dark pink hair, but Charlotte seemed to care less about this fact. She exuded an aura of recklessness, relentlessness and rebelliousness and Alisa liked Charlotte, platonically, at first sight.

 

"Um. Charlotte's really, really pretty. Just try not to stare at her burn scars," Anna advised. The older girl looked visibly aggrieved and annoyed as she flung an inscenced look at Anna, then swiftly swung her look of appraisal back to Alisa. "Look, it's a treat to meet you, Alisa. In all seriousness, I am unmarked," Charlotte said with certainty.

 

Noel rolled his eyes skyward and heaved a short, glass sharp sigh. "Charlotte has no scars, Anna. We've rehashed this many a time," Noel said contentiously.

 

Anna opened her mouth, closed it, opened it once more, then pressed her lips closed. With a shake of her head, Anna spoke. "But - uh - oh, shoot! I didn't mean to call attention to them. I won't speak of them any further. Really," Anna said, visibly distressed. She wrung her hands incessantly, as if by habitual reflex. Charlotte shook her head with a resounding and tolerant sigh. "Again, there's nothing to speak about. Tch, never mind that. Hi, Newbie," Charlotte said testily. "As I hadn't been mentioned to you by name yet, I'll provide it to you and to Noel. I am Alisa. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintances," Alisa said casually. With a wave of her right hand, Charlotte cleared her throat. "That's cool and all, but you saw Laura on your way in, yeah? I overheard that you had. She's my sister," Charlotte explained, her expression relaxing as she spoke.

 

"Your sister? I see the clear resemblance between you both," Alisa replied neutrally. They both had the same unforgettable pink, somewhat mismatched hair. Whether that had been a conscious decision of either of theirs, or simply an unintentional collision of a previously discussed style collusion, Alisa could not tell or say. "Right. Laura's a Reborn Elite Four member. It's no big deal, but awesome runs rivulets within our family tree," Charlotte said placidly. Noel smiled a slow, combative smile as he leaned forward toward Charlotte, paying her his full attention. "Well, those are fighting words. You say that, I might mention that Anna -," Noel began boldly. "Anna, what, exactly, if I may ask?," Alisa asked. Noel made to answer her directly. However, Noel was interrupted by his kid sister.

 

"Er-heeerm. Laura's so cool! Charlotte and Noel? They're also Reborn Gym Leaders," Anna said, quickly and courageously.

 

Noel pressed his lips closed in response to Anna's verbal brush off. "Anna," he began warningly. He appeared to be entirely used to being cut off in midsentence. Anna's interjections did not seem to phase Noel in the slightest. "Whose intro is this, anyway? I'm gonna really miss Laura, but it's great that she's finally free of this dump - er, fine center," Anna said, eyeing the nearby orderlies, clad head to toe in crisp white uniforms and caps, toward the end of her introduction. Noel seized his chance to a) one up his twin and b) further hijack her introduction. "Yowza! Laura turned eighteen today. She's well rid of this place and probably of us, too," Noel said morosely. Charlotte sighed. "Of all of us? Surely you jest. Of this place? For sure. It's partly an orphanage," Charlotte grumbled.

 

"How long will you all need to be here for?," Alisa enquired with interest. "Basically? Forever," Noel said plainly. "Until we either turn of age or earn the Doc's consent, we're stuck here," Charlotte contributed. She spoke within a mutinous tone. Noel suddenly full body shuddered. In response to Alisa's quick and quizzical look, Noel shed light upon his nonverbal response.

 

"The Doctor's really scary," he said fearfully. Anna nodded thrice, each movement following the one before it with metronomic precision. "Yeah. Doc Connal has this freakishly strong Electric Pokemon. He uses it in his quote-unquote 'therapy.' It's sickening, if you ask me," Anna replied, forgetting to lower her voice as she said this. "Anna, no-one did ask you. It's Doctor Connal to you," a nearby orderly said antagonistically.

 

Anna lowered her voice. "Its shocks really hurt. Nostra thinks that his past patients have D - I - E - D. Around him, you'd think so, too. Listen carefully and you'll hear a disembodied voice," she concluded in a whisper. There was a truly confounded expression upon her face as she gave voice to this previously internalised observation. Charlotte scowled. "I haven't heard anything like that. So I really don't know about that. Moving on. Alisa, what brings you to our cosy abode?," Charlotte asked, her tone saturated with a sarcasm so blatant that even Alisa could not doubt nor ignore its prescence.

 

"Someone that I know needs my help. That's why I am here, to seek some medical advice from the Doc -," Alisa began, but Charlotte's cacophonous gasp interrupted her before she could finish her sentence. "Trust me, this is the last place that you should bring anyone to. It'll only make whatever ails your friend worse. Oh, drat and derring-do, the Doctor's headed right for us. Eeeep!," Charlotte said, wearing a genuinely freaked out expression as she turned toward the door that was directly North of their location.

 

A man with sedate blonde hair that had been side combed to his right hand side entered the main room. Middle aged in chronological appearance, he wore a white laboratory coat over charcoal grey slacks, black socks and black shoes. Upon catching sight of Alisa, this man's eyes narrowed in immediate distrust and his expression was one of forced professionalism. "I had been right to investigate. Greetings, Stranger. I am Doctor Sigmund Connal," the man said pompously. Dr. Connal continued, speaking as if she had already spoken.

 

"You may refer to me as Doctor. How can I assist you?," Doctor Connal said in a cloying, obsequious tone. The term 'try-hard' seemed to have been expressly invented to become purposefully and personally attributed to Doctor Connal, in Alisa's subjective opinion. "I had heard that there are Gym Leaders here," Alisa supplied upon the fly, having to think fast within the confines of Doctor Connal's unblinking scrutiny.

 

"And so you came here because of that, perhaps? If that is all...so be it. There are, indeed, some particularly gifted individuals that are here within our care," Doctor Connal said, pausing to take a breath before he continued. "Several of them have managed, either through artifice or undeniable, proven skill, to inherit or earn positions of high ranking within the Reborn League. I take it that you must have some degree of battle prowess. Let's see you prove it," Doctor Connal said sadistically. "I'm ready," Alisa replied, speaking with the truest of grit. She readied her first Poke Ball and Doctor Connal called upon one of his two, main room orderlies to battle Alisa. "Orderly John! Please conduct a concise examination of this challenger," Doctor Connal directed. "Yes, Doctor," the chosen one said dully, stepping forward with a gleeful expression.

 

The first orderly sent out his Level 31 Slowpoke against Alisa's Level 31 shiny Noxious, her Swalot. "Noxious, Toxic!," Alisa commanded briskly. Noxious roared its approval as it slung a large globule of dark purple slime toward Slowpoke. Her opponent immediately failed to dodge the attack and it took two turns of Poison damage. It was immediately recalled by its Orderly Trainer, who then sent out his Level 32 Magneton.

 

The Electric/Steel type glared with baleful irritation at Alisa before she recalled her Noxious. The next two Pokemon, a tanky Level 31 Eelektrik, was taken down by several Confuse Rays from Alisa's shiny Ampharos, combined with the switch-ins of Daenerys the shiny Mightyena and her Bite and Snarl attacks. The Orderly and Alisa recalled their Pokemon, fainted and otherwise, while Doctor Connal spoke.

 

"Very impressive...Alisa, was it not? Young Anna's voice had carried so, you know. I'm afraid that an audience with our esteemed Trainer contingent cannot currently be arranged. We are, most inauspiciously in fact, in the midst of extensive renovations to our battle arena. The common areas are unsuited to battle conditions," Doctor Connal said regretfully. "That's understandable. Thank you, I will leave now. It was ever so neat to meet you. Bye now!," Alisa said, turning to leave as she spoke. Doctor Connal's voice, as oily as a snake oil salesman's yet many times more clinical and detached, made Alisa stop short in midstep. "Oh, but there's no way that I can possibly permit you egress," Doctor Connal said deviously. "And what possible reason could you have to keep me here in an involuntary capacity?," Alisa enquired irreverently.

 

Doctor Connal's eyes gleamed as Alisa spun back to face him. "Sadly, that's for me to know and you to ponder over the next few days. You will remain here. Orderlies, seize Alisa, I beg of you!," Doctor Connal demanded. The left hand and right hand orderlies advanced upon Alisa, who was swiftly dragged out of the Center by Anna and Charlotte.

 

"Man. That simply doesn't fit Alisa's flat out schedule. She'll check back in with you in...I wouldn't hold my breath," Anna called over her shoulder.

 

"Nostra can feel your friend's sorrow waft from you. Something bad must have happened recently," Anna said to Alisa, quietly and grimly. "Yes, it has. How can you possibly know that and feel that?," Alisa asked. "Listen. The one who's been truly hurt by this is the one that's truly in dire need. Your friend should seek her out. Then she won't have to feel sorry for herself and she'll be with her friend in need," Anna said empathetically. "Is there anything in particular that you should bring to my attention?," Doctor Connal called out, as he, too, began to advance toward the trio. "Nothing at all! Bye, Alisa," Anna and Charlotte said breezily.

 

Alisa heard the sliding door swish closed mere millimetres from the tip of her nose. She heard the sound of the glass door mechanisms being clunked into lock position. This made her suspect that the distraction that had been caused by Alisa's hurried departure had been taken full advantage of by Noel. He would have slipped away to locate and activate the door locks to ensure Alisa's ultimate and convenient personal security.

 

Left with the parting words of Charlotte - "This guy is not the right doctor for your friend" - Alisa shook her head slowly. Smiling sadly through the glass doors at her new friends, Alisa sighed as Charlotte and Anna turned to meet their resulting punishment. The knowledge that she couldn't currently re-enter the building and help her friends made the wait to do so feel unbearably long in the teeth to Alisa.

 

Having made a pit stop to heal her Pokemon, Alisa retrieved her replenished 'mons and returned to Victoria and Shelly.

 

*

 

Now, on to Myriad. Please stand by. xD

Edited September 24, 2021 by Valyrian_Reforged
abscence & chapter update

[Valyrian_Reforged]

So. Hi. Unintentional double post here, which I will take my chance to correct via a chapter update/personal check in. I've noticed that there are some of you (ah, you know who you are) who for some reason or another, do not see fit to give any of the feedback and/or content critique that I had previously requested. That's somewhat disappointing, but it's okay. Your views still matter to me. If there is anything that you'd particularly like to see in any of my upcoming chapters, you know how and where to reach me on this site. I'll be sure to implement any proposed additions that you may yet provide to me. I pray that you do so if you feel the urge to do so. Until then, I'll nurture my writing craft and writing talent and hone it via revisions and uploads upon this smashing website. Later, losers 

 

Valyrian_Reforged.

Edited September 24, 2021 by Valyrian_Reforged
post revision

[Aphelli]

Hi! I hope you're doing well. 

It's been a while since I commented. Life happened, I guess. The universe, everything else, too. I have this old half-review of your Rejuv story somewhere and I'm sorry I can't seem to find the time to finish it. 

 

 

 

Chapter 4 was in a similar vein as the previous ones: a delight of words, lively and very evocative descriptions and dynamic dialog. Alisa and Victoria formalizing their battle-comraderie with nicknames is a good idea, an original one too. Is Tori an Undertale reference, by the way? 

Why the Electrike nickname though? I thought that in the myth, Goliath was more like the oversized bully? Perhaps a Camelot knight (or Hurin/Luthien from Tolkien, maybe? Or Theseus/Hercules?) would be more fitting. My standard comparison for anyone fighting an unfair battle above their weight class without blinking an eye is Don Quixote, but Alisa wouldn't see it this way. 

 

Chapter 5 is interesting, I'm seeing a lot of difference there. It's a funny surprise to watch Alisa's very dismissive (sometimes contemptuous) outlook on the world (and especially its people) around her, and with a very high opinion of her own abilities (rather justified, since she hasn't even come close to losing yet), only to be at an utter loss for words when the Nurse actually shows her some recognition and validates her earlier thoughts. Perhaps I haven't read carefully enough, but I don't quite understand why people would bristle at Alisa's presence afterwards in a different place (when she goes to North Obsidia in the path to Lapis).

 

You've reinterpreted some of the characters, too. I don't remember anyone else writing an actually assertive (or would ‘defiant’ be a better word?) Shelly (she certainly has good reason) or being as harsh towards Connal ('try-hard', 'sadistic'?). I'm not sure what's the deal with him wanting to keep Alisa in either -- it might be her being sixteen? Charlotte's pretty good and I like Anna too (her wringing her hands continuously is a very nice finding, I think it really fits her).

 

I'm a little bit more guarded about Noel. Canonically (as you might or might not know), he's supposed to be an aspie, meaning that he has a way of handling emotion and social relationships which is very different from average people. Such people tend to have a lot of issues with sarcasm or the status games implied by being 'snide' (or the definitely-making-a-statement-but-I'm-too-tired-to-figure-out-what "you say that, but I might mention..."). Charlotte has no burn scars -- that's a fact to him, and he utters it as such, like 'the sofa is white'. He might be a little annoyed or puzzled that Anna doesn't seem to get it, and that's all. Mockery is alien to his being. 

But your story, your choices: you have the utmost right to re-interpret characters as you see fit. I guess I just wanted to make sure that you knew you were exercising it. 

 

Here are a few minor things that I found strange:

Spoiler

The ladder in the cave that "Alisa happened upon" is not conspicuous, according to the following sentences. It is, rather, the opposite of it. 

Is Aster's witty reply ("For my winning personality and can-do attitude") really innocuous? Wouldn't the right tone be innocent instead?

 

There seems to be a slight continuity error at the end of Chapter 4: Alisa goes to see Shelly -- and then we cut to her being in the shower and she hadn't seen Shelly yet.

I don't understand how Anna and Charlotte have the time to make their little speech as Alisa makes her escape from the Orphanage. 

 

Cecilia unlocks the door of her home twice? Or is the security door a different feature? 

Also, can you please translate in plain everyday English what the three ladies are saying to each other? I'm a little lost...

 

Would Connal really say "I beg of you" to his Orderlies? He's the Doctor; they're his minions... But I think we've already agreed that it took a lot of the fun out of the dialog to limit oneself to what a likely real person would say in the character's stead. :)

 

Anyway, I'm really interested to see where this will go!