[Pokémon] Convergent Paths

Sorry for the long wait, everybody!!

Chapter Fourteen
Cassandra adjusted the straps of her backpack so it fit more comfortably. Swablu perched delicately on her bedpost, gazing across at her. Finny sat on the floor, staring blankly. Fluffy wasn't watching at all; he was scratching his ear and squinting up at the ceiling, fully focused on his itch.

"You three are going to have to be in your Poké Balls while we're flying," Cassandra told them. Fluffy's ears perked up and he stopped scratching to listen. "I won't chance losing any of you. Now, don't think that we're not training just because we're going to Almia. The only day we'll take a break is the day of Alyssa's graduation." She patted her backpack and sat down on her bed, opening her arms as if to encompass the whole room. Swablu fluttered over and perched on her head, while Fluffy nestled to her side and Finny jumped to the other. "You'll like Alyssa and Belle," she told them. "They're not anything like me, though. We're all very different, but we're all very best friends." She stroked Finny's head and scratched behind one of Fluffy's ears. "Well, it's time to go down and say goodbye to my parents and Dorothia."

Cassandra actually lived in a very grand house. Her bedroom was in the tower, making it circular. When she went downstairs, she descended a winding, spiral staircase before coming into a sitting room on the second, and also topmost, floor. They only used this sitting room for very special family occasions, like opening presents Christmas morning. As a result, the white leather couch looked amazingly new, as did the white leather recliner and oak coffee table. The fireplace was incredibly clean. When she exited this room, she entered a much larger room set up for entertaining. A grand piano stood against one wall, with a brown couch facing it. There was a large space for dancing, as well as a stereo and karaoke system set up in a corner. An archway led to the stairs. The door across from the stairs was almost always shut. Upon opening this door, one would find the guest bedroom, which was done up in several different shades of green. A small door in the corner of the large entertainment room led to her parents' bedroom.

Going downstairs brought Cassandra into a small hallway, which turned off almost immediately into the parlor. This room had a flat-screen television in the wall and all the necessary furniture, such as a couch, recliner, loveseat, end tables, coffee table, and the like. Joanna most often used this room for her stupid "girl nights", in which she gathered all her snotty friends and talked about snotty things while watching television and smoking cigarettes. The maids, however, did a very good cleaning job, so nothing in the house smelled even remotely of smoke. The parlor was in the center of the house; on the side of the parlor nearest the door was the entryway, a large hall decorated with fancy hardwood floors and sage green wallpaper with little white flowers. There were sculptures, plants, paintings, and such to decorate this room, so as to immediately impress whoever happened to stumble in. On the other side of the parlor was the dining room. It had a long, gleaming oak table with matching oak chairs all around, each with its own blue velvet cushion. The kitchen spanned the length of the house, but one could only get to it by way of the dining room. A small table was set up in there for when Cassandra and her family didn't feel like utilizing the humongous dining hall. Mostly, this was where Cassandra and her father dined; Joanna almost always wanted to sit at the large, fancy dining room table, even if she was alone.

Cassandra made the trip to the parlor, where her parents sat talking and drinking coffee. Gerald was facing the stairs, and he looked up and grinned broadly as usual when she entered the room, setting down his coffee. "Sandy-bear!"

Joanna turned, mug still in hand, and took a sip. "Hello, Cassandra dear." She eyed her daughter. "Can't you teach that thing not to sit on your head like that? It's repulsive."

Cassandra felt Swablu tense atop her head.

"I think it's adorable!" Gerald proclaimed. "Ah, is that little Fluffy? Glad to see he's doing well!"

Fluffy wagged his tail from his place at Cassandra's feet. "Yes, he's doing very well," she told her father, smiling. "I just came down to say goodbye. I'm not sure when I'm supposed to be leaving, but—"

"Leaving?" Joanna set down her mug. "I thought I told you that you were not allowed to take Staraptor."

"You did, Mother. I am not taking Staraptor. You told me to find other transportation, and I did. Belle is picking me up on her mother's Skarmory."

"Skarmory?" Joanna exclaimed, aghast.

"That's a Steel and Flying Type, am I correct?" Gerald asked. "That Bird Pokémon that looks as though it has armor on it?"

"Yes," Cassandra was about to answer, but Joanna cut across her in a disgusted tone. "Yes, it is, flying through the air with its great metal wings—"

"Fantastic! I've never seen one in person!" Gerald's grin broadened. "Won't this be exciting?"

Joanna clamped her mouth shut and picked up her coffee mug. Cassandra tried to keep her amused expression off her face. Her father was always painfully oblivious to Joanna's attitude, and as a result, she couldn't be quite as nasty around him.

There was a great cry followed by a thud from outside. Gerald leapt to his feet, suddenly throwing himself to his near-seven-foot height. "That must be her!"

Cassandra felt a thrill in the pit of her stomach as she ran to the doorway, Swablu chirruping indignantly as she was bounced about. Finny and Fluffy chased her excitedly.

Gerald beat her to the door; he threw it open to reveal Belle sliding surely off a Skarmory, which folded its wings back and preened itself. Cassandra frowned. How did a giant bird made of sheet metal preen itself? She stopped pondering this as her eyes fell on Belle, who looked as though she had grown since her last picture. She looked a lot more womanly. She even had breasts! Well, Cassandra herself had these, as did Alyssa, but on Belle it was strange to see them. She was so tomboyish.

"Belle!" Cassandra shrieked, dropping her backpack by her feet and throwing open her arms.

"Cassandra!" Belle ran toward her and nearly bowled her over with the force of her hug, squeezing the air out of her lungs. Cassandra squeezed right back, just as hard. They drew back panting and laughing. "It's good to see you, too, Papa G," Belle added, giving Gerald a much calmer hug. Gerald laughed as he returned the embrace—he loved the simple nickname Belle had created for him. Both she and Alyssa used it.

"So, this must be Swablu and Finny and Fluffy," Belle said, looking over Cassandra's Pokémon. Swablu had flown off Cassandra's head when Belle had run at her and was now hovering gently in the air. "I'm Belle."

"And where are Charmy and Swifter and Mankey?" Cassandra prompted.

"Oh—right here." Belle pulled out three Poké Balls and tossed them, releasing her three Pokémon.

Joanna now stepped out onto the porch, curling her lip at the Skarmory preening itself in her yard. "Oh, hello, Miss Joanna."

"Now, now," Gerald said, climbing the steps to the porch. He threw an arm around his wife's shoulders. "Miss Joanna doesn't sound nearly as young as Mama J. Why don't you call her that?"

"Now really, Gerald," Joanna said, her face turning rapidly to a scowl, "there's no need for that."

Cassandra glanced over at Belle. Her eyes were sparkling dangerously. "Oh, it's really no problem. I'd love to call you Mama J. Sorry I called you Miss Joanna at first—Papa G's right, it sounds so much older than Mama J."

Gerald laughed uproariously. "It's settled then!"

Cassandra wanted to collapse into laughter. Her mother had crossed her arms and looked away, but now she was surveying Belle. She saw her mother's eyes go over Belle's blue baseball cap, her red T-shirt, her cutoff-jean shorts, her old and battered tennis shoes. "Wherever did you get those shorts, Belle?" And just like that, Cassandra's mood snapped right into boiling anger.

"Oh, these? These were some jeans I had. I got a hole in the thigh from playing in the yard too much so I had to cut them. They make pretty nice shorts. Don't you think, Mama J?" She lifted up the tail of her T-shirt a bit so as to show off her shorts. Cassandra bit down on her knuckle, amused and wishing she could take a picture of her mother's face.

"Well, we'd better get going," Cassandra piped up when she trusted herself to speak.
"Oh, surely Belle can stay the night. She must be tired from flying!" Gerald was strolling down the steps of the porch, toward the Skarmory.

"No, we really need to go, actually. Don't worry, Papa G. I'm coming back to drop Cassandra off, so I'll be in time to watch her first Contest. I'll stay the night then."

"Excellent!" Gerald clapped his hands eagerly. "And you'll be riding Skarmory?"

"Of course," Belle replied. "Well, bye, Papa G! Bye, Mama J!"

Cassandra gave her mother a stiff hug before giving her father a daughterly embrace. She returned her Pokémon and allowed Belle to help her onto the Skarmory. Gerald strode over to stand by them when they were mounted up.

"Have you got enough money?" he asked Cassandra.

"Yes, Daddy."

"And you, Belle?"

"Oh—yeah, Papa G."

Gerald lost his smile. "I'm very serious, Belle. Do you have enough money to get you through your adventure? We can help you. It's no problem for us, really."

Cassandra looked at Belle, who glanced over Gerald's head (quite a feat) and at Joanna, still standing on the porch. Her gaze went back to Gerald. "Papa G, I think I'm okay. But if I need help, I know where to turn."

Gerald's face split into his wide grin again and he patted her knee. "There's a good girl. Keep my Sandy-bear safe!" He patted Cassandra's knee as well. "Love you!"

"Love you too, Daddy."

"Please back away, Papa G. Skarmory has got quite a wingspan."

Gerald jogged backward several steps as Belle shouted a command to Skarmory; the Pokémon spread its wings and gave a mighty flap. Cassandra reached out and wrapped her arms around Belle's waist. Skarmory rose into the air and flew off, leaving Hoenn behind.


To: [email protected]
From: dancing_through_life@pokénet.com
Subject: WE'RE COMING!!!
____________________________________________________________
WE'LL BE THERE TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Review for Chapters 12-14...

I feel really bad for letting you down and not having a review up before now, nokyo. I know you said "don't feel bad", but it's just me. Having gotten a bit of spare time up my sleeve, I can now give you an honest review of aforementioned chapters. They are very well written and I am looking forward to reading more of your work. The part where one of them complained about Skarmory was amusing. Admittedly, riding a Skarmory would be quite difficult.
 
Chapter Fifteen
For the last week of school, Alyssa was free. The very day after graduation, she would begin her training as a Ranger. She chose to spend her week at home.

It wasn't a very long walk to Chicole Village. She passed through Vientown, glancing longingly at the Ranger Base. She had learned that she would be stationed there; oh, how excited she was to begin working. She passed by it and walked Chicole Path to her hometown.

The village was small, but she was so happy to say that she hailed from it. She patted her untidy ponytail as she made her way to her house, eyes locked on it. It was a big red farmhouse. Her room was on the second floor, and it was rather large—it had enough room for her, Belle, and Cassandra to sleep. The only other room up there belonged to her older brother, who had run away from home at the age of thirteen. They hadn't heard from him since then.

As Alyssa rounded the corner of her farmhouse and saw the front, she grinned broadly. A large banner was stretched over the door bearing the words Welcome Home Alyssa! in several different colors. She laughed and picked up the pace, jogging instead of walking, excited to see her parents again.

The door opened to reveal her mother in all her motherly glory. She had the same color hair as Alyssa, a pretty blue-green, and wore a faded blue dress. Her smile was the most beautiful thing Alyssa had seen in a long time; she dropped her bag on the ground and charged toward her mother, throwing her arms around her. "I missed you, Mom!"

"I missed you, too." Diana Thompson hugged her daughter fiercely. "It certainly has been a while since we've gotten to see each other."

"Where's Dad?"

"He and Machamp are out in the field." They released each other. Diana smiled. "Ambipom is upstairs tidying your room."

"I'd better go put my stuff up there," Alyssa remarked. She grabbed her messenger bag from the yard and walked upstairs to her room.

Ambipom was in there just as her mother had said; the Pokémon had joined their family as an Aipom before Alyssa had been born, and had evolved when she was three. She reached out and hugged it, laughing as all of its hands pressed against her back. "It's good to see you, Ambipom."

"Am!"
Alyssa went to her bed and placed her things on it. "You've done a great job with my room."

"Am, ambipom," Ambipom replied in thanks. It picked up the cleaning supplies it had left on her dresser. With one of its extra hands, it patted her on the head. "Ambi!" Then it turned and left the room.

Alyssa surveyed her room. It had been quite a while since she had been in here, let alone slept in her bed. She had forgotten how large the mirror on top of her dresser was; if she stood on her bed, she could see her whole body. Her nightstand still had a framed picture of her family. It consisted of her and her parents, Ambipom, and Machoke before he evolved into a Machamp. The only person missing was her brother. He had left a few weeks before the picture was taken. As a result, everyone had slightly sad smiles.

"Alyssa! Your friends are here!"

Alyssa ran to her window and looked out. Sure enough, there was a Skarmory in her yard. She squealed and ran downstairs, stumbling the last few steps and almost crashing into the kitchen counter. Belle and Cassandra stood in her kitchen, smiling at her with their familiar yet unfamiliar smiles.

"You're graduating!" Cassandra yelled before throwing herself onto Alyssa.

"Don't hog the hugs!" Belle cried, leaping out to join her.

Alyssa laughed as they shared a group hug.


Hey you guys,
I figured I'd leave you this note. I've gone to the beach in Vientown. Mom will give you directions. I didn't want to wake you guys up; you've traveled a really long way. If you didn't bring your bathing suits, I have some that might fit you in the top left drawer of my dresser. I'll be waiting for you guys!
Love ya lots,
Alyssa
 
Chapter Sixteen
Belle stretched luxuriously, feeling like a Persian as she rolled over on her belly and pushed her borrowed sunglasses up on her head. Tomorrow was Alyssa's graduation. Her week in Almia had been very fun—they had spent almost every morning out on the beach, and Alyssa had taken them on tours. They had even been up to Pueltown, a large, historic city. They had met Ian, and Belle was convinced that he was smitten with Alyssa. He couldn't take his eyes off her. Belle looked over at her green-haired friend, lying on her back next to her.

"What?" Alyssa turned her head and blinked at Belle.

"Nothing," Belle replied. She propped herself up on her elbow. "Are you excited about tomorrow?"

Alyssa sighed happily. Cassandra sat up on her other side. "You have to be."

"It's bittersweet." The graduating girl thrust her hands up to the air, examining her arms. "I mean, I'm so glad to be done with it all, but…there are so many memories in that school."

"Where's your uniform?" Cassandra asked, always concerned about clothes.

"It's in my room. We have to wear them for the ceremony, and then, after that…no more." Alyssa put her arms down and laid her hands on her stomach, pushing her fingernails into the fabric of her one-piece bathing suit.

Belle looked over at the beach. She and Cassandra had let their Pokemon out to play. Swifter and Swablu had taken to the skies; Swablu seemed to be teaching Swifter the graceful maneuvers she had learned from Cassandra. Finny swam around in a circle close to the shore. Poochyena sat with Charmy, who was too afraid to even go near the water, and Mankey sat by itself, focusing intensely on the sand castle it was making.

"Do you miss your family?" Alyssa asked suddenly. Belle and Cassandra both looked at her.

"Who?" Belle asked.

"You! You're the only one of us that has actually gone off. You're in a whole different region." Alyssa turned her head to look at her. "Do you miss your mom and Derek?"

"Of course. But…my journey is something I have to do, so…I live with it."

"But doesn't it hurt?" Cassandra inquired softly. She had never been away from her family before. Her eyes were wide and scared.

Belle nodded. "Yeah."

"Don't you cry?"

"Sometimes," Belle admitted. "But it's not like I can stay with Mom and Derek forever, y'know? And it helps that I have a friend that takes my mind off it."

"That Derrick kid?" Alyssa asked, pushing her sunglasses up and glancing sideways.

"Yeah."

"By the end of it, that guy's gonna be head-over-heels in love with you." Alyssa put her sunglassses back over her face.

"Wh-what¾ how¾ ?" Belle spluttered, flabbergasted. Cassandra burst out laughing.

"It's true."

"Nuh-uh!"

"No, I'm totally right," Alyssa said. "Look at him¾ he's already following you around like a lovesick Poochyena."

Belle got to her feet. "He is not!" she yelled. "You're wrong!"

"Why are you getting so defensive?" Cassandra pulled her legs up to sit cross-legged.

"Because that's gross! Derrick's just a friend. He's got the same name as my brother."

"That'd be awkward during sex," Alyssa piped up.

Belle gasped. Cassandra burst out laughing and threw herself facedown on her towel.

"What?" Alyssa asked, removing her sunglasses and setting them beside her on the sand. "It would. Could you imagine? 'Oh, Derek!'" she moaned, sitting up. "'I-I mean, Derrick.' You'd have to pronounce them different."

"Mankey!" Belle called, and the Pokémon came shooting to her side. She pointed at Alyssa. "Seismic Toss, into the water!"

"What?" Alyssa yelled as Mankey grabbed her. "Hey, no!" But Alyssa went sailing into the ocean, landing with a large splash. She surfaced, spitting water and laughing.

"Finny, Water Gun!"

The jet of water completely doused Belle. She spluttered and headed toward Cassandra, grabbing her and pulling her to her feet. "No, no!" Cassandra laughed, but Belle wrestled her to the shallow part of the water, where she threw her down. Alyssa came up to join them, and soon they were all playing in the water, laughing and splashing.

When the sun began to set, the three girls reluctantly packed up their things and walked back to Alyssa's house, all their Pokémon follwing behind in a tired group, and unwittingly being stalked by one Zigzagoon.

___________________________________________

Alyssa grinned out at everyone, clutching both sides of the podium for dear life and trying not to let them see how nervous she was. This whole giving-a-speech thing was a lot harder to do than it was to think about.

She had already addressed everyone¾family, friends, significant others, and fellow graduates¾and thanked all the staff. Now it was time for the most important part of her speech.

"In my years in the Ranger School, I learned many things. But perhaps the most important lesson is something that I didn't learn from the teachers at all. This lesson is better explained through anecdotes.

"When I was very small, I heard that my brother had gotten an A on a test in the Ranger School. My parents were so happy and proud when they heard this. When I myself joined the Ranger School, I decided that I would get an A, so that my parents would be proud of me, too. They were ecstatic about my good grade, and I made it my mission to get as many good grades as I possibly could to make them happy. Now here I stand before you, valedictorian of my class.

"A very long time ago, my family took a cruise on the SS Anne. My mother told me to go play in the kiddie pool. That's not a very exciting story, is it? Well, that was when I met my two best friends I've ever had. Ever since we met as three disgruntled nine-year-old girls forced to play in the kiddie pool, we've been as close as three people who live in different regions can be. They have been so important to me over the years.

"Once, last year, I saw a boy in the hallway drop his books and papers. I helped him pick them all up before I went on my way to class. Sound insignificant? Well, this boy turned out to be a year older than me and is currently a Ranger. He remembered my kindness, and now he will be an excellent mentor for me as I work hard at the Vientown Ranger Base.

"While on the beach not too long ago, I saw a Zigzagoon being chased by a Krabby. I helped a Ranger rescue the Zigzagoon. Surely, you say, that was just a random occurrence of no great importance. You would be wrong. That Zigzagoon now follows me everywhere. I have plans to make it my Partner Pokémon.

"So you see…the greatest lesson that I have learned comes not from the teachers here at the Ranger School, even though they are excellent educators. It comes instead from real-life experience. So remember this, fellow graduates, as you embark on your journeys; be careful with what you say, because the most seemingly random person can end up being instrumental in your future. Be careful about how you act, because the most seemingly insignificant situation can turn out to lead to something much greater."

Alyssa wrapped it up with a generic "congratulations" speech and went back to her seat amid cheers and applause. Before she sat, she caught sight of Belle and Cassandra in the crowd, beaming as they clapped loudly.

_________________________________________________

Belle smiled down from her place astride Skarmory. "Sorry that we have to leave, but I have to get Cassandra back to Verdanturf."

"I'm just sorry that I have to miss our little beauty's first contest," Alyssa replied.

Cassandra adjusted her legs more comfortably on Skarmory's back. "I'm so excited," she breathed. "I wish you could be there, too, Alyssa."

Alyssa smiled. "Yeah, but I start my Ranger duties tomorrow. "

"That uniform is adorable," Cassandra remarked. Both she and Belle had oohed and aahed over the uniform as Alyssa had pulled it on, arranging the short jacket and pulling up the black thigh-highs. "That ponytail even looks good with it."

Alyssa patted her sloppy ponytail with a frown. "What's wrong with the ponytail?"

"Nothing," Belle told her. "We can't all spend tons of time on our hair, Cassandra."

Cassandra smiled prettily. After a few more good-byes, Alyssa took several steps back and watched her friends' ascent into the clouds. As they flew away, she wiped away a tear.


To: dancing_through_life@pokénet.com, dingdongbelle@pokénet.com
From: [email protected]
Subject: sigh
_____________________________________________________________
Hey you guys,
You just left my yard, but I'm sending this because I want it to be in your inbox waiting for you when you check your email. I couldn't say any of this without crying.

It really means a lot to me that you guys took all that trouble to come and see me graduate. You two are my best friends in the world, and I probably wouldn't be where I am today if you guys hadn't coaxed me to do my best. I'm so glad that I met you, and I'm so happy you could be a part of one of the biggest things that's happened to me ever. I know that we'll all be busy with our different things for a while, so we probably won't get as much chance to talk. But I just want you both to know…even if we don't get to contact each other very often, I love you guys. I love you guys so much, and I will always and forever think of you as my best friends.

Ah, if you could see me, you'd hug me…because I'm tearing up.

Love your mushy crybaby friend,
Alyssa
 
Thanks for the update though PM :)
 
Review of Chapters 15 + 16...

Excellent chapterage there, nokyo. Keep up the good work. Not much I can really say except that you're doing a wonderful job with your fic.
 
Chapter Seventeen
Cassandra squinted up at the huge board across the top of the contestants' waiting room that displayed the tourney tree, looking for her number and picture. The row across the bottom was rapidly filling up with pictures, but the rows above were empty; the first contest battle hadn't taken place yet. She leaned sideways.

"Stay still!" barked a disgruntled Belle near Cassandra's stomach. She was trying to pin Cassandra's number on her left hip. "If you keep moving, I'm gonna end up poking you."

"But I haven't found my picture yet."

"I don't give a damn. Find your picture when I'm done— "

"There I am!" Cassandra rushed off excitedly. Belle almost toppled over; she had been kneeling on a bench in front of her friend. Frustrated, she stood and dusted off the jade green skirt she had borrowed from Cassandra and walked after her. "Right there! Ooh, I'm close to the beginning!" She whirled happily, but her smile quickly faded as she saw the look on Belle's face.

"That's fantastic. Now can you stand still while I put this damn thing on you?"

Cassandra obliged and stood still, gazing up at the board as Belle knelt in front of her. Her picture was connected to a blank square by a little silvery line, and her eyes remained fixed on that blank square as Belle carefully pinned her number on her dress.

Finally, the blank square lit up and a picture of a girl with wildly pink hair appeared there. Cassandra quickly turned her head to look around for her.

"Done," Belle said. She straightened and looked up at the board. "You're up against some pink-headed girl."

"I know. I'm looking for her to see which Pokémon she has."

"Maybe she doesn't have her Pokémon out. Like you. But I don't see any sense in trying to make it a surprise which Pokémon you have when you're dressed like her."

Cassandra smiled as she looked over the crowd, searching for pink. She wore a long blue dress with a fitted bodice and a slightly flared skirt. It fastened in a halter. She had borrowed—stolen—a pair of her mother's elbow-length white evening gloves, and her honey-colored hair was pinned up in an elegant bun.

"I don't see her," Belle said. She sat down on the bench with a sigh. "You realize there's only four rounds, right? So you only have to win three times before you're in the final two."

"I doubt I'll do that in my first contest," Cassandra said, still craning her neck and looking for any flash of pink she could find.

"You're really good," Belle said, just as an announcement came on over the PA.

"The first battle is about to begin. Pair one, you have ten minutes to get set up on stage. If you are not a contestant, please have a seat in the stadium. Thank you."

"Well, I guess I have to go," Belle said. She reached out and hugged Cassandra. "I'll be rooting for you."

"Thanks so much," Cassandra replied, hugging her back. "I love you, Belle."

"Love you too, Cassandra." And she turned and hurried to the stadium, where Gerald and Joanna had saved her a seat.


Cassandra's first battle was against a Wigglytuff. She won easily; while Wigglytuff was cute, it could only be graceful so much.

For her second battle, Swablu easily defeated a Chikorita, since she had a type advantage. The poor Chikorita didn't even have time for its points to start building before Swablu hit it with a graceful Wing Attack and fainted it.

The third battle was against an Espeon. This was a bit tougher, but Cassandra and Swablu managed it.

When Cassandra wasn't battling, Belle and Gerald left the stadium to join her in the waiting room. They found all the other battles unimportant.

"You're in the finals!" Belle cried as she hugged her friend.

"I'm worried," Cassandra choked out. "What will I do? The person I'm about to go up against defeated three other people to get here!"

"Hey, Sandy-bear," Gerald said, patting her on the shoulder. "So did you."

They soon had to make their way back to their seats with Joanna. Belle watched apprehensively as Cassandra and her opponent took their places. The girl on the other side of the stage had her orange hair fastened into two balls. She wore an elegant white kimono tied with a light orange obi.

"The moment you've all been waiting for!" the MC shouted into his mike. "The final battle of the day! This battle will determine the winner of the contest! Ladies and gentlemen, introducing Cassandra Étoile, from right here in Verdanturf Town!"

Gerald and Belle cheered loudly along with the crowd; Cassandra's classic grace had won her many fans already. Cassandra turned and curtsied grandly.

"And also, introducing Sakura Konohana, from Lilycove City!"

The redheaded girl, apparently Sakura, lifted one hand and waved gracefully.

"Ready the stage!"

Belle frowned as the stage seemed to split down the middle; the two halves moved away from each other, revealing a small pool underneath. "What— ?"

"If you had stayed here and watched the other battles, you would have already known about that," Joanna sniffed. "That Sakura girl has a Goldeen, so they need to accommodate her."

"Isn't that a bit unfair?" Belle asked.

"Well, a Goldeen really couldn't do much on land," Gerald reasoned. "I guess they have to take that into account."

Belle looked worriedly down at Cassandra, who didn't appear to be freaking out at all.

But she was.

Cassandra was trying very hard not to move her facial muscles one bit as she stared down at the shifting water of the pool. What was this? What was going on? She raised her eyes to look at Sakura Konohana, who stood tall and erect in her kimono.

"Begin!" the MC said.

Sakura pulled a Poké Ball out of her sleeve and tossed it out towards the water. "Go, my Deena!"

A Goldeen burst from the Poké Ball and dived splendidly into the water, shaking out its tail.

"A magnificent entrance!" the MC announced. "The judges seem to have given Deena a respectable amount of points for it!"

Then we have to do better than that, Cassandra thought. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, searching her memory for one of the more beautiful Poké Ball throws she had come up with.

Belle leaned forward in her seat. Cassandra raised her Poké Ball into the air above her head before bringing her arm across her chest and spinning around in a complete three-sixty. As she did so, she released the Poké Ball straight up into the air. "Fly, Swablu!"

Swablu rocketed out of the Poké Ball, wings tucked in and spinning as it whirled up, up, up, before fanning out its wings abruptly and hovering over the stage. The crowd burst into applause and the little yellow bar beneath Cassandra's picture on the scoreboard shot forward.

"And Swablu makes an incredible entrance, putting its score ahead of Deena's already!" The MC's voice shrilled a bit in his excitement.

"Deena, use Horn Attack!"

"Goldeen!" Deena leapt out of the water.

"Underneath!" Cassandra called. Swablu understood. She waited until Deena was almost upon her; then she dipped underneath the Goldeen and flew past. "Now use Wing Attack!"

Swablu wheeled and brought its wing down on Deena, who fell back into the water with a flop.

"Ooh, that's going to take away a considerable amount of points from Deena," the MC said. The yellow bar under Sakura's picture retracted.

"Doing great, Swablu!"

"Hide," Sakura said, so soft that Cassandra could barely hear her. Deena dived down under the water and disappeared. Swablu hovered uncertainly. Cassandra squinted into the water, unsure of what to command. "Now!" Sakura yelled suddenly.

The Goldeen burst from the water and buried its horn into Swablu's stomach. Swablu cried out and did an awkward sort of barrel roll, leaving Deena to dive gracefully back into the water. Of course, points were taken away.

Belle winced as she watched Cassandra's yellow bar contract. Gerald looked troubled as well; he had his elbows placed on his knees and was frowning as he watched his daughter's battle. Joanna, however, wore a half-smile as she brought her drink to her lips.

"Nancy talks about that Konohana girl," she said, noticing that Belle was watching her. "She says that she's a Lilycove favorite. I see why now."

"You do realize that you're supposed to root for your daughter, right?" Belle asked her.

"I root for the winner." Joanna took a sip of her water. Belle had the urge to reach over and smack it into her face.

The battle was an intense one; points were given and taken away on both sides. It was the longest battle yet. After a while, it didn't look so good for Swablu; she seemed tired, and her points were pretty low. Cassandra looked calm, but she was panicking as she surveyed the battle.

Sakura smirked. As far as she was concerned, she had this battle in the bag. "Hide," she said softly.

Big mistake. Cassandra was a swift learner. In her mind's eye, she saw Swablu hovering uncertainly over the stage and falling victim to Deena's Horn Attack from below. She knew how to avoid it this time.

"Swablu, circle the stage from above!"

"Swa!" the Pokémon cried in reply, beginning its circling. Sakura frowned. If Swablu didn't stay in one place, Deena wouldn't know when to attack; the Goldeen was probably swimming in circles to match Swablu's right now, uncertain.

"Now!" Sakura cried, hoping for the best. Deena burst out of the water.

"Do a barrel roll!" Cassandra yelled. She could see a question in Swablu's eyes: Why?, but she did one anyway. Deena sailed up and over her, splashing as she landed back in the water.

"That was a beautiful dodge, but was it enough to give her more points?" the MC said into his mike. Cassandra's yellow bar pushed forward a bit, but not enough to put her past Sakura. She gritted her teeth.

"Hide!" Sakura said desperately, eyeing her own yellow bar as the judges took away points for Deena's graceless landing. She was now only ahead of Cassandra by a very small margin; she needed to get more points. The clock was going to run out soon; it hadn't for any of the other battles, which had all resulted in a definite win by a Pokémon fainting.

Cassandra was beginning to see that Sakura was a bit of a one-trick pony. "Get her!" she yelled to Swablu. "Go fishing!"

Swablu did one quick tight circle over the center of the pool before diving into it. The crowd gasped.

Swablu didn't come up.

For several agonizing seconds, neither Pokémon was visible. Cassandra watched the water, every muscle of her body on high alert. She saw a slight shadow and moved her hand; the shadow turned in the direction she indicated. She reached one hand back toward her hair, and then several things happened at once.

Cassandra's hair fell from its bun and fanned out, catching the light as it tumbled down around her shoulders; she flung her arm out at the same moment, and Swablu burst from the surface of the water, synchronized perfectly with Cassandra's movements. Deena flopped helplessly in her beak. Water droplets shimmered as they fell from her body, making her seem to glow as she ascended to the ceiling.

"A beautiful coordination between Trainer and Pokémon!" the MC shouted excitedly. "And what fishing skill!"

"Drop!" Cassandra called. Swablu opened her beak; Deena fell, tumbling over herself. "Hit!"

Swablu chased Deena down and buffeted her with a wing; she zoomed to the other end of the stadium, wheeled expertly, and then came back to hit Deena again. She kept this up until Deena landed in the water with a flop, belly-up.

She had fainted.

And Sakura's points were now down to zero. Swablu's, however, were practically bursting from the bar; the MC was yelling excitedly. "What a victory! Our own local, long-haired Cassandra Étoile has annihilated Sakura Konohana!"

Swablu shook itself dry before coming down to land in Cassandra's arms; Cassandra squeezed it. The crowd was on its feet, including Belle and Gerald. Joanna set down her water and stood, clapping with a surprised expression on her face.

To: [email protected]
From: dacning_through_life@pokénet.com
Subject: I WOOOONNNN!!
_____________________________________________________________
Hey Alyssa,

I WON MY FIRST CONTEST!! I'm so happy! Mom even took me and Belle to Lilycove Department Store so I could pick out a ribbon case. She BOUGHT it for me. Isn't that freakin' AMAZING?? My mother did something nice for me!!

I don't think I did all that well, but I won!! YAY!!

Well, tonight is Belle's last night here (T_T), so I better get back to her. Oh, she wants to type something.


Hey, don't let our modest Cassandra fool you. She did AWESOME!! You should have seen it! Actually, Papa G bought a DVD of the battle from the Contest Hall. We're gonna put it on PokéTube!!! XD
Hey, Cassandra again. And NO SHE'S NOT.


Love your winning friend,
Cassandra ^_^
P.S. That email…we love you too, Alyssa. It really made us cry.
 
nokyo-chan said:
Chapter Seventeen
Cassandra squinted up at the huge board across the top of the contestants' waiting room that displayed the tourney tree, looking for her number and picture. The row across the bottom was rapidly filling up with pictures, but the rows above were empty; the first contest battle hadn't taken place yet. She leaned sideways.

"Stay still!" barked a disgruntled Belle near Cassandra's stomach. She was trying to pin Cassandra's number on her left hip. "If you keep moving, I'm gonna end up poking you."

"But I haven't found my picture yet."

"I don't give a damn. Find your picture when I'm done— "

"There I am!" Cassandra rushed off excitedly. Belle almost toppled over; she had been kneeling on a bench in front of her friend. Frustrated, she stood and dusted off the jade green skirt she had borrowed from Cassandra and walked after her. "Right there! Ooh, I'm close to the beginning!" She whirled happily, but her smile quickly faded as she saw the look on Belle's face.

"That's fantastic. Now can you stand still while I put this damn thing on you?"

Cassandra obliged and stood still, gazing up at the board as Belle knelt in front of her. Her picture was connected to a blank square by a little silvery line, and her eyes remained fixed on that blank square as Belle carefully pinned her number on her dress.

Finally, the blank square lit up and a picture of a girl with wildly pink hair appeared there. Cassandra quickly turned her head to look around for her.

"Done," Belle said. She straightened and looked up at the board. "You're up against some pink-headed girl."

"I know. I'm looking for her to see which Pokémon she has."

"Maybe she doesn't have her Pokémon out. Like you. But I don't see any sense in trying to make it a surprise which Pokémon you have when you're dressed like her."

Cassandra smiled as she looked over the crowd, searching for pink. She wore a long blue dress with a fitted bodice and a slightly flared skirt. It fastened in a halter. She had borrowed—stolen—a pair of her mother's elbow-length white evening gloves, and her honey-colored hair was pinned up in an elegant bun.

"I don't see her," Belle said. She sat down on the bench with a sigh. "You realize there's only four rounds, right? So you only have to win three times before you're in the final two."

"I doubt I'll do that in my first contest," Cassandra said, still craning her neck and looking for any flash of pink she could find.

"You're really good," Belle said, just as an announcement came on over the PA.

"The first battle is about to begin. Pair one, you have ten minutes to get set up on stage. If you are not a contestant, please have a seat in the stadium. Thank you."

"Well, I guess I have to go," Belle said. She reached out and hugged Cassandra. "I'll be rooting for you."

"Thanks so much," Cassandra replied, hugging her back. "I love you, Belle."

"Love you too, Cassandra." And she turned and hurried to the stadium, where Gerald and Joanna had saved her a seat.


Cassandra's first battle was against a Wigglytuff. She won easily; while Wigglytuff was cute, it could only be graceful so much.

For her second battle, Swablu easily defeated a Chikorita, since she had a type advantage. The poor Chikorita didn't even have time for its points to start building before Swablu hit it with a graceful Wing Attack and fainted it.

The third battle was against an Espeon. This was a bit tougher, but Cassandra and Swablu managed it.

When Cassandra wasn't battling, Belle and Gerald left the stadium to join her in the waiting room. They found all the other battles unimportant.

"You're in the finals!" Belle cried as she hugged her friend.

"I'm worried," Cassandra choked out. "What will I do? The person I'm about to go up against defeated three other people to get here!"

"Hey, Sandy-bear," Gerald said, patting her on the shoulder. "So did you."

They soon had to make their way back to their seats with Joanna. Belle watched apprehensively as Cassandra and her opponent took their places. The girl on the other side of the stage had her orange hair fastened into two balls. She wore an elegant white kimono tied with a light orange obi.

"The moment you've all been waiting for!" the MC shouted into his mike. "The final battle of the day! This battle will determine the winner of the contest! Ladies and gentlemen, introducing Cassandra Étoile, from right here in Verdanturf Town!"

Gerald and Belle cheered loudly along with the crowd; Cassandra's classic grace had won her many fans already. Cassandra turned and curtsied grandly.

"And also, introducing Sakura Konohana, from Lilycove City!"

The redheaded girl, apparently Sakura, lifted one hand and waved gracefully.

"Ready the stage!"

Belle frowned as the stage seemed to split down the middle; the two halves moved away from each other, revealing a small pool underneath. "What— ?"

"If you had stayed here and watched the other battles, you would have already known about that," Joanna sniffed. "That Sakura girl has a Goldeen, so they need to accommodate her."

"Isn't that a bit unfair?" Belle asked.

"Well, a Goldeen really couldn't do much on land," Gerald reasoned. "I guess they have to take that into account."

Belle looked worriedly down at Cassandra, who didn't appear to be freaking out at all.

But she was.

Cassandra was trying very hard not to move her facial muscles one bit as she stared down at the shifting water of the pool. What was this? What was going on? She raised her eyes to look at Sakura Konohana, who stood tall and erect in her kimono.

"Begin!" the MC said.

Sakura pulled a Poké Ball out of her sleeve and tossed it out towards the water. "Go, my Deena!"

A Goldeen burst from the Poké Ball and dived splendidly into the water, shaking out its tail.

"A magnificent entrance!" the MC announced. "The judges seem to have given Deena a respectable amount of points for it!"

Then we have to do better than that, Cassandra thought. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, searching her memory for one of the more beautiful Poké Ball throws she had come up with.

Belle leaned forward in her seat. Cassandra raised her Poké Ball into the air above her head before bringing her arm across her chest and spinning around in a complete three-sixty. As she did so, she released the Poké Ball straight up into the air. "Fly, Swablu!"

Swablu rocketed out of the Poké Ball, wings tucked in and spinning as it whirled up, up, up, before fanning out its wings abruptly and hovering over the stage. The crowd burst into applause and the little yellow bar beneath Cassandra's picture on the scoreboard shot forward.

"And Swablu makes an incredible entrance, putting its score ahead of Deena's already!" The MC's voice shrilled a bit in his excitement.

"Deena, use Horn Attack!"

"Goldeen!" Deena leapt out of the water.

"Underneath!" Cassandra called. Swablu understood. She waited until Deena was almost upon her; then she dipped underneath the Goldeen and flew past. "Now use Wing Attack!"

Swablu wheeled and brought its wing down on Deena, who fell back into the water with a flop.

"Ooh, that's going to take away a considerable amount of points from Deena," the MC said. The yellow bar under Sakura's picture retracted.

"Doing great, Swablu!"

"Hide," Sakura said, so soft that Cassandra could barely hear her. Deena dived down under the water and disappeared. Swablu hovered uncertainly. Cassandra squinted into the water, unsure of what to command. "Now!" Sakura yelled suddenly.

The Goldeen burst from the water and buried its horn into Swablu's stomach. Swablu cried out and did an awkward sort of barrel roll, leaving Deena to dive gracefully back into the water. Of course, points were taken away.

Belle winced as she watched Cassandra's yellow bar contract. Gerald looked troubled as well; he had his elbows placed on his knees and was frowning as he watched his daughter's battle. Joanna, however, wore a half-smile as she brought her drink to her lips.

"Nancy talks about that Konohana girl," she said, noticing that Belle was watching her. "She says that she's a Lilycove favorite. I see why now."

"You do realize that you're supposed to root for your daughter, right?" Belle asked her.

"I root for the winner." Joanna took a sip of her water. Belle had the urge to reach over and smack it into her face.

The battle was an intense one; points were given and taken away on both sides. It was the longest battle yet. After a while, it didn't look so good for Swablu; she seemed tired, and her points were pretty low. Cassandra looked calm, but she was panicking as she surveyed the battle.

Sakura smirked. As far as she was concerned, she had this battle in the bag. "Hide," she said softly.

Big mistake. Cassandra was a swift learner. In her mind's eye, she saw Swablu hovering uncertainly over the stage and falling victim to Deena's Horn Attack from below. She knew how to avoid it this time.

"Swablu, circle the stage from above!"

"Swa!" the Pokémon cried in reply, beginning its circling. Sakura frowned. If Swablu didn't stay in one place, Deena wouldn't know when to attack; the Goldeen was probably swimming in circles to match Swablu's right now, uncertain.

"Now!" Sakura cried, hoping for the best. Deena burst out of the water.

"Do a barrel roll!" Cassandra yelled. She could see a question in Swablu's eyes: Why?, but she did one anyway. Deena sailed up and over her, splashing as she landed back in the water.

"That was a beautiful dodge, but was it enough to give her more points?" the MC said into his mike. Cassandra's yellow bar pushed forward a bit, but not enough to put her past Sakura. She gritted her teeth.

"Hide!" Sakura said desperately, eyeing her own yellow bar as the judges took away points for Deena's graceless landing. She was now only ahead of Cassandra by a very small margin; she needed to get more points. The clock was going to run out soon; it hadn't for any of the other battles, which had all resulted in a definite win by a Pokémon fainting.

Cassandra was beginning to see that Sakura was a bit of a one-trick pony. "Get her!" she yelled to Swablu. "Go fishing!"

Swablu did one quick tight circle over the center of the pool before diving into it. The crowd gasped.

Swablu didn't come up.

For several agonizing seconds, neither Pokémon was visible. Cassandra watched the water, every muscle of her body on high alert. She saw a slight shadow and moved her hand; the shadow turned in the direction she indicated. She reached one hand back toward her hair, and then several things happened at once.

Cassandra's hair fell from its bun and fanned out, catching the light as it tumbled down around her shoulders; she flung her arm out at the same moment, and Swablu burst from the surface of the water, synchronized perfectly with Cassandra's movements. Deena flopped helplessly in her beak. Water droplets shimmered as they fell from her body, making her seem to glow as she ascended to the ceiling.

"A beautiful coordination between Trainer and Pokémon!" the MC shouted excitedly. "And what fishing skill!"

"Drop!" Cassandra called. Swablu opened her beak; Deena fell, tumbling over herself. "Hit!"

Swablu chased Deena down and buffeted her with a wing; she zoomed to the other end of the stadium, wheeled expertly, and then came back to hit Deena again. She kept this up until Deena landed in the water with a flop, belly-up.

She had fainted.

And Sakura's points were now down to zero. Swablu's, however, were practically bursting from the bar; the MC was yelling excitedly. "What a victory! Our own local, long-haired Cassandra Étoile has annihilated Sakura Konohana!"

Swablu shook itself dry before coming down to land in Cassandra's arms; Cassandra squeezed it. The crowd was on its feet, including Belle and Gerald. Joanna set down her water and stood, clapping with a surprised expression on her face.

To: [email protected]
From: dacning_through_life@pokénet.com
Subject: I WOOOONNNN!!
_____________________________________________________________
Hey Alyssa,

I WON MY FIRST CONTEST!! I'm so happy! Mom even took me and Belle to Lilycove Department Store so I could pick out a ribbon case. She BOUGHT it for me. Isn't that freakin' AMAZING?? My mother did something nice for me!!

I don't think I did all that well, but I won!! YAY!!

Well, tonight is Belle's last night here (T_T), so I better get back to her. Oh, she wants to type something.


Hey, don't let our modest Cassandra fool you. She did AWESOME!! You should have seen it! Actually, Papa G bought a DVD of the battle from the Contest Hall. We're gonna put it on PokéTube!!! XD
Hey, Cassandra again. And NO SHE'S NOT.


Love your winning friend,
Cassandra ^_^
P.S. That email…we love you too, Alyssa. It really made us cry.
Click to expand...

Chapter Seventeen was good. Keep it up :D:)
 
My review is as follows...

Overall, you did a fantastic job.

However, I didn't like Sakura or her Goldeen.

"Hide," Sakura said, so soft that Cassandra could barely hear her. Deena dived down under the water and disappeared. Swablu hovered uncertainly. Cassandra squinted into the water, unsure of what to command. "Now!" Sakura yelled suddenly.
Click to expand...

"Hide!" Sakura said desperately, eyeing her own yellow bar as the judges took away points for Deena's graceless landing. She was now only ahead of Cassandra by a very small margin; she needed to get more points. The clock was going to run out soon; it hadn't for any of the other battles, which had all resulted in a definite win by a Pokémon fainting.
Click to expand...

I disliked these two parts in particular, because hiding seems cowardly.

the MC was yelling excitedly. "What a victory! Our own local, long-haired Cassandra Étoile has annihilated Sakura Konohana!"
Click to expand...

IMO, this was the best part.

Keep up the excellent work.
 
:D I've read all seventeen chapters, and I have to say, good work. There are almost no grammatical errors *remembers Venosaur*, and you're characters are very believable. I like the idea of having three different girls, with different goals, and intertwining them to make a story. The only thing that I would like to see is that you show us more of the Pokemon moments, like how they capture their Pokemon, all of the contest battles, the gym battles, and training sessions. Every time you are a bout to do a battle, I get so excited, and then you skip right over it, and I am disappointed.

But overall, well done, I like the story, the ability I have to connect with it, and the character development and scenarios. Just work on showing us those things, and it will be perfect! :D
 
Chapter 18
Cassandra felt strangely empty as she watched Belle disappear into the sky the next morning, but she had to push the thought out of her mind. She needed to go off to Fallarbor Town— the next contest date was three weeks away.

Cassandra ate breakfast and then walked into the parlor, where Joanna and Gerald sat on the couch. Gerald put away his paper and smiled as she walked in. "There's our little winner!" He stood up and embraced her. "How did it feel?"

"Good," Cassandra replied. "Very good."

"Well, much to my surprise, Cassie, you seem to have potential." Joanna smiled as she took a sip of her coffee. "You may borrow Staraptor to get to Fallarbor Town."

"Um, actually…I'd…" Cassandra looked over at Gerald rather than act like she wanted her mother's blessing. "I'd rather go myself. Y'know…like Belle is going on her own."

"Go yourself?" Joanna echoed. She set her mug down on the table in surprise.

"Like a Pokémon Journey," Gerald said. "Well, you're old enough now, and you have your official first Pokémon…I think it's a grand idea!" He clapped his hands. "The only thing is, what route should you take?"

Cassandra grinned broadly. Joanna seemed shell-shocked. "But…perhaps we should hire a bodyguard or two to go after her. Or we could order a car."

"No, that's okay," Cassandra told her. "I'd like to do this kind of…classically."

"Kickin' it old school!" Gerald proclaimed. "Now, as for routes…I'm not particularly fond of you going through Meteor Falls by yourself, but you'd be able to stop off in Rustboro if you went that way."

"But there's always a sandstorm brewing on Route 111," Joanna said. "She shouldn't be there by herself, either."

"That's true," Gerald replied. "Hmm…well, Swablu, Finny, and Fluffy should be strong enough to get you through Meteor Falls. You know, Finny should be about ready to evolve…don't you think, dear?"

"Yes, about ready." Joanna lost interest in the conversation. She picked up her coffee mug and produced a crossword puzzle from seemingly nowhere. "You should pack." Joanna then picked up a pencil and wrote down something on her puzzle.

"Yes, you should pack! We'll help you!" Gerald sprang to his feet. "Come on, Joanna!" He knocked her elbow, making her spill coffee on her crossword.

___________________________________________

The very next day, Cassandra emerged from the Rusturf Tunnel, Finny trotting along beside her. She made her way to the Pokémon Center.

Once inside, Cassandra settled into one of the plastic chairs and pulled out her breakfast and a newspaper as she waited for Nurse Joy to tend to her Pokémon. She was just reading an article about strange Snorlax movements in Kanto when the glass door slid open again and a slightly familiar voice said, "Hello, Nurse Joy."

"Hello, Karen."

Cassandra looked up. A girl about a year or two younger than her was walking to the counter, her violently pink hair in two ponytails on either side of her head, both of which were in elaborate ringlets. She wore a pastel yellow sweater with sleeves that only let her fingertips protrude from the ends and a pink-and-yellow plaid skirt. A Wigglytuff walked beside her.

Karen Lowell and Tuffly, Cassandra's first ever contest opponents.

Cassandra put her newspaper down in her lap as Karen and Tuffly approached Nurse Joy's counter. "What brings you two here today?" Nurse Joy asked.

"We're bored," Karen replied.

"Wiggly!"
"I'm sorry. I don't have much for you to help with today. I only have one person in here right now."

Karen looked over her shoulder at Cassandra. "Hey! Hey! I know you! I'd recognize that hair anywhere! It's so long, and it's honey-colored."

Cassandra blinked. This girl thought her hair was recognizable?

"You're Cassandra Étoile! I went up against you in the preliminaries!"

"Yep. How are you and Tuffly? And what are you doing here?"
"Oh, we're great! And I live here in Rustboro. So I guess the question is…what are you doing here?"

Cassandra smiled as she folded up her newspaper carefully. "I'm heading to Fallarbor. I figure I'll get there early and introduce myself."

"That's a fantastic idea," Karen told her. "A good Coordinator familiarizes him or herself with the Contest Hall."

"So, are you trying to become a Coordinator?"
"Who, me? Oh, no. I just like Pokémon. I've tried being a Trainer, too, but the fact is…I just like them for pets." She reached out and hugged Tuffly. "Right, Tuffly?"

"Wiggly."
"Oh, you know what? You're headed to Fallarbor, right? I'll just go with you! Wait here and let me get my stuff together. We can travel together. It'll be fun!"

Cassandra laughed. "Right. You're cute."

"Come on, Tuffly. Wait here, Cassandra, okay?"

"Wait, what— ?"

Karen rushed out of the Center.


____________________________________
To: dingdongbelle@pokénet.com
From: dancing_through_life@pokénet.com
Subject: Now I know how it feels.
_____________________________________________________________
So I unwittingly attracted a traveling companion.

Her name is Karen Lowell and she's fifteen. She likes having Pokémon as pets, and she has a Wigglytuff named Tuffly. She's actually the girl I first went up against in Verdanturf. Turns out she lives in Rustboro and she's bored out of her mind, and her parents don't care if she goes running off to Fallarbor Town with a sixteen-year-old stranger.

Whoopee for me.

Love your enthusiastic friend,
Cassandra


P.S. Okay, she's not that bad.
 
Chapter Nineteen
Belle stepped into the train station and adjusted her hat better on her head. Charmy reached up and held her hand like a four-year-old.

"Belle!"

She turned in the direction of the voice, catching a flash of tousled blonde hair. "Derrick?"

He grinned broadly as she came over towards him. "Surprised?"

"What are you doing here? I said I'd meet you at the Pokémon Center."

"Well, I figured that it would be nice if someone was here at the station waiting for you. So, what's the plan? Do you want to stay the night at the Center, rest up a bit, or do you want to go ahead to Vermilion City now? I'd recommend waiting, actually. The past week must have been tiring. Here, let me get your bag."

Belle smiled. It was really sweet of him to think of her.

They walked to the Pokémon Center together. Derrick asked about her trip and listened with great enthusiasm as she told him of first Alyssa's graduation speech, then Cassandra's fantastic come-from-behind victory.

"Your friends sound almost as great as you," he said.

Belle smiled again. "You know, I think they're even better."

"Nah," Derrick said as the Pokémon Center door slid open. It was quite busy; people milled about the lobby, talking and laughing. Belle sighed as she looked around.

"It's going to be hard to find a place to sleep."

"Oh, so you're going to stay the night?"

"Yeah, I'd better."

"Well, it won't be hard for you to get a place. Come on." He led her through the crowd and waved at Nurse Joy as he passed by the counter and went into the back. He led her past the Pokémon being tended by Chansey and into a back room.

"This is where Nurse Joy set you up," Belle observed. Derrick set her bag gently on the floor beside the bed.

"Yep. And you'll sleep here tonight."

"With you?" Belle was thunderstruck.

"No," Derrick said quickly. "You'll sleep in here, and I'll go find a place out there."

"But this is the place you've been sleeping— "

"And you're tired, right? Sleep here." He gathered his things. "I'll just go ahead and claim a space now."

"Derrick, wait!"

"I'm not changing my mind," he told her, pausing at the doorway. Belle smiled at him.

"I know. Thank you."

He smiled back. "You're welcome. Hey, once you get settled, we'll go eat some dinner. Sound good?"

"Yeah."

______________________________________________________________

The next morning, Derrick knocked softly on Belle's door. When she called for him to come in, he entered to see her already dressed and packing her things.

"Oh…I thought I'd have to wake you up."

"I've always been an early riser. Dad used to say that was the first sign of a Pokémon Trainer." She paused, surprised that she had just said that.
Derrick seemed to sense the change in atmosphere.

"Used…to say?"

"Yeah. Dad…died."

"Oh." He came to kneel beside her. "How old were you?"

"Eight," she replied, a bit uncomfortably.

"I was nine."

Belle looked over at him. She only saw his profile; he didn't look at her. He reached forward and picked up a shirt that she had been meaning to grab off the floor, folding it idly. "We lived on Cinnabar Island…me, Mom, Dad, and Koko."

"Koko?"

"My little sister." He placed the shirt on her bag. "She was three. We were all fishing…Koko fell in, and Dad went in after her." A strange smile seemed to touch Derrick's lips. "He...was a little afraid of water." The smile disappeared, and he slowly pushed Belle's bag towards her, not looking at her. "A Tentacruel came up, and…Koko never surfaced. Dad was poisoned to death." His whole body seemed to be rigid as he spoke.

Belle blinked and found her vision blurry. She turned away and shoved the folded shirt inside her bag, wiping away her tears as she did so. "I…I'm sorry. Is your mom worried about you?" She glanced over her shoulder at him. Derrick didn't reply; he was, instead, smiling in a sad sort of way at the floor.

"So, uh…Didja catch any new Pokémon since I was gone?"

"Yeah. I caught a Geodude." Derrick passed a hand in front of his eyes; Belle looked away. "I went back to Mount Moon to get it."

"Wait." Belle closed up her bag and stood up. "You went back to Mount Moon by yourself, after you made that big stink about not wanting me to go there alone?"

Derrick looked up at her and smiled. "Pretty much."

Belle shook her head. "Well, I'm all packed. Let's get a move on, shall we?"
He nodded and stood; Belle looked down at the floor and noticed a bit of water glistening where Derek had knelt.

___________________________________________________________________________________

To: dancing_through_life@pokénet.com
From: dingdongbelle@pokénet.com
Subject: Oh really?
_____________________________________________________________
It's nice to hear that I'm not the only flypaper for freaks in the world.

But does your traveling companion have a tragic past? MINE DOES. Get this…when he was nine, he lost both his father and HIS THREE-YEAR-OLD SISTER. In one shot! His sister drowned and his father was poisoned by a Tentacruel trying to save her.
O
M
G
I CRIED. And so did he. He tried not to let me see, but I saw. 0.o

Well, I'm in the Vermilion City Pokémon Center right now. I caught a Diglett at Diglett Cave. Derrick had caught a Geodude, and I couldn't let him have more Pokémon than me!! Also, I needed a Ground Type to use against Lt. Surge. Plus…
Don't judge me…
I think Diglett is cute.
0.o

Oh, I think Derrick's coming out of the bathroom. I don't want him to know that I'm blabbing about his tragic past, so I've gotta wrap this up.

Love your turning-girly friend (YEEUUCCKK!),
Belle
 
Oh. Em. Eff. Gee.

Chapteer Nineteen...was awesome! I found these past two chapteers really enjoyable, as we learn more about Derrick, and Cass gets a partner. Chapteer eighteen was actually very funny. When Gerald got the coffee on the crossword, and when Cassandra made the remark about Karen's hair. xD

Then for chapter nineteen, epic. I was kind of annoyed by Derrick's kindness for some reason, but it wa just my problem, not yours as a writer, But then the chemistry between Derrick and Belle, and suddenly, you don't feel that Derrick is annoying and whiny anymore, but you feel bad for him, and it was great.

And I don't really have a problem with the battling scenes anymore (a.k.a. no battle scene for diglett) Because the fic is kind of more of a....I don't know how to put it. Like, more of a human fic than Pokemon. But overall, great chapters, can't wait for moere!

(btw, I hope Zigzagoon ends up as Alyssa's partner, I <3 Ziggy! xD)
 
Its a human fic so it makes your fic stand out from the rest of the forum. Good luck with the next chapter :)
 
Chapter 18's review follows below...

I found Cassandra's reaction to having been dumped with Karen amusing. Although, I have to admit, simply having her partners as mere pets would not impress Josephine (a character from my fic). She prefers to have them battle and be friendly with them.

Chapter 19's review...

Reading about Derrick's past was indeed sad and may actually be on equal par with what happened to Josephine's older sister. Her name was Tara and her death was caused because of their other sibling, Rowan.
 
nokyo-chan said:
Ha, the capture process is so hard to explain because you do it by drawing a circle around the Pokemon. I'm totally unsure as to how to explain that.

Actually, speaking of that, if anyone knows how a ranger actually captures Pokemon, could they tell me so I can stop being all vague in my story?? Thanks! XD
Click to expand...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Q4eHhaJWY8

https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Capture_Styler


I saw you thread when you lasted updated I wanted to read it, so I bookmarked it, I just now got time to read it.

As stated before, the chapter where the Zigzagoon is captured needs work. I like how you skip over most of the battles.

It works and thats the cool part. The way you write it, it flows really well. I wouldn't change it at all I'm just complementing you on how you got it to work out.

Looks like you got another reader.

Sorry this post is short and choppy; I tired, soar, and buzzed. lol
 
Chapter Twenty
Alyssa's heart pounded in her chest as the glass doors of the Vientown Ranger Base slid open. It was time for her to start her new, exciting life of helping people and Pokémon. Zigzagoon, who she had decided to call Ziggy, happily trotted after her as she walked inside.

She had only been inside the Ranger Base one other time in her life— on a field trip a few years after she had joined the Ranger School. She had been about eight, and had looked around at the lobby with wonder.
She felt the same way now as she did back then.

The lobby spread out before her. The floor was green and grassy, and she stood on a glass walkway that bridged over a watery moat. She felt Ziggy push himself against her leg as he stared warily down at the water beneath his feet. The only places that weren't covered in smooth green grass were the large computer in the corner on her left and the Operator's office area in the corner to her right. The water, she knew, was to help keep the part of the tree on top of the building alive. Every Ranger Base had a bit of the tree on top, and the large Tree of Life (or whatever it was called) was growing out of the roof of the Ranger Union.

A few Rangers stood in the grass; one of them was a fat, dark-skinned man with a tuft of dark brown hair sprouting out of the top of his head. He turned as the door opened; he had been talking to Ian.

Ian smiled. "And there she is!"

"Right on time," the fat Ranger said in a deep, booming voice. "I'm Barlow. I run things here at the Vientown Ranger Base. What's that?" He pointed.

"Oh, this is Ziggy." Alyssa scooped Zigzagoon up and walked forward a few paces. "I was hoping to make him my Partner Pokémon."

"All right, done," Barlow replied, waving his hand dismissively. "So, we usually make the rookie deliver the local newspaper. You up to that?"

The other two Rangers in the base and the Operator were now eyeing her with interest. Alyssa felt a rush of adrenaline. "You mean…like a mission?"

"Uh…sure, whatever. I'll have somebody go with you. Any volunteers? Crawford? Luanne?"

The other two Rangers, a boy with a brown bowl cut and a raven-haired girl, shrugged noncommittally.

"I'll do it," Ian piped up.

"All right then. The papers are over there." Barlow gestured towards the large computer behind him, where Alyssa now noticed were two stacks of newspapers tied with twine. "Actually, Ian, don't you have a younger brother?"

Ian's face darkened. "I helped him get stationed in Pueltown."

Alyssa started heading over towards the papers, setting Ziggy down on the ground. He followed after her.

Ian picked up one stack of newspapers, and Alyssa scooped up the other. They left the base side-by-side.

"I made sure of it that Greg got stationed in Pueltown," Ian remarked as he yanked at the twine. "They're a bigger base, so he'll get paid a little more." He frowned. "That's what he cares about. And I won't have to deal with him here."

"I'm glad I got stationed here," Alyssa said. She yanked a newspaper off the top of the stack and tossed it into someone's yard as they passed. When she looked at Ian, he appeared to be blushing.

"Well…I may have…done a little persuading…"

"What?" Alyssa asked. Ian didn't reply; he pulled a newspaper off his stack and threw it onto a porch.

"Barlow doesn't like trainees," he said finally. They continued their routine of throwing. "He thinks it's too much work to train one. You notice how you're the only new Ranger that showed up today?"

Alyssa didn't say anything. She was a bit surprised. Sure, Barlow seemed less than friendly, but…

"That crap about how we usually make the rookie deliver the paper…well, that's when we get a rookie. I was his first rookie in seven years." He grinned down at her. "But he took a liking to me; I did my job really well. So he listens when I recommend things, and…I recommended you."

"Why, though?" Alyssa asked.

Ian's ears turned red. "Well…you're…nice. I kind of liked the idea of…getting to know you better. Working with you."

Alyssa smiled and looked down at the paper, not even taking in the headline. By now, they only had a few newspapers left to deliver. "Well, I'm glad you did a little persuading. I like the idea of getting to know you better, too."

Ian's whole face turned beet red, and when he threw his last newspaper, it went wrong and smacked into the mailbox of the next-door neighbor to the house at which he was aiming, forcing him to go retrieve it.

Alyssa smiled. It felt good to fluster someone.


To: dancing_through_life@pokénet.com
From: [email protected]
Subject: COOL!!!
________________________________________________________________________
AWESOME!!! SUPER!!! I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!
It's so cool that you won your first contest! I'm so happy for you! XD You have to email me the video!!! I DEMAND COVERAGE!!! How high do you have to go before it's televised?
Well, I am so excited for you. And now you need to be excited for me. It turns out that I'm only stationed in Vientown because…get this…
IAN WANTED ME TO BE THERE!!!
Barlow never takes rookies, and Ian convinced him to!!! w00t! Do you think Ian has a crush on me??
…maybe.
…God I hope so.
AAAHH!! XD I am so happy!!
Well, I've gotta go…I need to get to bed. I had quite a busy day of waiting around and watching Bowl-Cut Crawford and Vain Luanne get quests.
…do I sound bitter?
Love your un-busy friend,
Alyssa
 
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