[Pokémon] Last Champion

[Daydream]

Warning: language/death.

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Last Champion​

Chapter One

(An LCD screen plays an interview. The host is a woman in her thirties with black hair, cropped short. She interviews the champion, Danica Rose, a young woman with dark hair and dark skin. Danica is very matter-of-fact, almost blunt. The host is upbeat and cheerful.)​

HOST:​

You've been champion for two years now, and it seems like you still have a full head of steam. Do you never feel worn down?​

DANICA:​

I have my off days, like anyone else does. But being champion offers me a lot of interesting battles. The trainers I fight are at the top of their game, the very best. That alone is invigorating.​

HOST:​

Have you ever come close to defeat?
​

DANICA:​

Some trainers have pushed me to the brink. A young man wielding kangaskhanite had me down to my final pokémon. (She shrugs) But I brought it back.​

HOST:​

How, may I ask?
​

DANICA:​

League rules prevent me from revealing my team roster, but it involved using the environment.​

HOST:​

Oh, you're teasing us!​

DANICA:​

Rules are rules, I'm afraid.​

HOST:​

I understand, I understand! We'll move on to a viewer's question, then. In your opinion, what is-​

(An explosion sounds. The screen turns to black.)​

---​

Thunder vibrated across the sky and the sea flashed white-blue as lightning broke the water. Rain drummed against the floor-to-ceiling windows and blurred the view of the overcast shoreline.

"Danica."

The champion rolled her eyes before turning around. "Yes, Ruth?"

"Quite done with being in space? This is an incredibly serious matter." Ruth was in her early sixties: pale, wrinkled skin and thick, slanted eyebrows that gave her every expression an irritated edge.

"Then explain it." Danica spoke as she took a seat in the table at the room's centre.

Ruth cleared her throat and stood before the group. She was the oldest of their Elite Four group and favoured Psychic pokémon. Garrick was the ground expert, Lysa focused on water, Brynn preferred fairies and Danica herself primarily focused on flying types.

"We received an urgent call from the police earlier today." Ruth hesitated for a moment. Danica shared a glance with Brynn, who shrugged. "A gym leader has been murdered."

Silence. The storm-angered sea churned outside, and the thunder distantly rumbled. Lysa pulled on her long hair and twirled it around a finger. Brynn bit down on his pen.

Garrick broke it. His thin lips parted and he exhaled. "Who?" he asked.

Ruth took a breath. "Cecilie Sterne of Fireshore city."

The silence returned. Lysa sniffed. Danica put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed.

"She was f****** eighteen!" Brynn stood, paced. His short ponytail whipped back and forth. "Who was it? Have they been arrested?"

"No suspects. No notes, no DNA or fibres." Ruth sat, clamping her hands together on the table. "Just a toxic spike through her chest."

Danica's forehead creased. "A pokémon?"

"There wasn't a single DNA trace to suggest as such. But the forensics team believed it was organic in origin."

Brynn slammed both hands onto the table. "They better be double and triple-"

"I'm sure they did." Danica cut him off. He took a deep breath. Lysa was crying softly. Danica spoke in a measured tone, "This needs to stay quiet. For now. Panic won't help us deal with the problem."

"What will?" Garrick spoke quietly.

"Right now, I don't know." Danica rubbed her eyes. "We should sleep. We'll reconvene in the morning."

Garrick nodded. Brynn strode off almost immediately, boots stomping dirt on the polished wooden floor. He jabbed the elevator call button at the other side of the room several times. Ruth cast her eyes towards the window briefly, then headed towards the stairs. Lysa was still sniffing and pulling at her hair. Garrick had closed his eyes and leaned back, his bare feet now resting on the table.

"Lysa?" Danica ventured. The woman stared vacantly out of the window, and wiped her nose with the back her hand. "Lysa, if you need time off, I understand."

She spoke without turning. "Thank you, Danica. I may need some time."

She stood, gaze fixed to the floor, and exited the room by the stairs. Garrick was breathing deeply. Danica watched the storm outside. The rain was still pounding rhythmically against the glass, but the lightning and thunder had moved towards the horizon.

"Lysa's cousin was a firecracker. They say that Cecilie is gonna replace Ruth." Garrick hadn't opened his eyes. "She would've been a worthy Elite."

"Yes, I agree."

***​

A few thick, fluffy white clouds sailed over the sky, but for the most part it was blue and clear. Danica blew gently on the thickly foamed cappuccino she held in a paper cup, and sipped it. Brynn was pulling weeds from the garden with the aid of his florges, Titania. He hadn't spoken.

"Leave it alone, Sweep." The pidgeot turned to her and cocked its head. "You heard me." He had been eyeing up a caterpie that was inching its way up the cherry tree. She scratched his head. "Be good."

A young man walked up to her and offered her a salute, to which Danica creased her forehead. "Important message Ms. Rose! It was delivered earlier."

"I'm not your commanding officer. You can relax." He nodded so vigorously that his hair fell over his eyes. "Why hasn't it just been put in my postbox?"

"No stamp, ma'am. It was hand-delivered."

"Odd." She took the envelope he was offering to her. "Don't call me ma'am. It's Danica."

"Certainly, Ms. Danica! May I take my leave?"

"Yes… Dismissed." Danica glanced as he marched away, and shook her head.

The letter contained in the envelope was written in a scratchy hand, the letters were large and only a few words took up the page.

She was only the first.

She clutched the letter in a fist, creasing and tearing the paper. She stood, took a pokéball from her pocket and recalled Sweep.

"Brynn. Assemble the others. Meeting room, now."

Brynn looked up as she walked away, fists clenched and shoulders high. He took out a phone, pressed and held '2' and listened to it ring.

"Hello?"

"Cerys, I'm sending some league representatives to pick up you and the girls. You're going to stay with me for a while."

"Why?"

"I'll explain when you arrive. Have to go, Danica's called a meeting." He paused. "Love you."

He hung up the phone before hearing a response.

***​

"Ice beam!" Lysa's command was almost a screech.

The lapras opened its mouth and the attack arced towards the tennis ball that had just been launched over the training pool. It missed, and the ball sailed over and bounced on the turquoise tiles at the opposite edge before rolling slowly into the water.

"No, Nessa! You need to concentrate!" Lysa stamped her foot on the ground. The pokémon hung its head. "We're doing it again."

"I've never seen you push a single one of your pokémon so hard." Ruth stepped into the room. "Let alone at such a ridiculous task."

"We're training. Go away." Lysa didn't look at her, instead she continued to load tennis balls into the machine.

"This is accomplishing…?"

Lysa turned, her eyebrows drawn together. "Now, more than ever, we have to be prepared."

Ruth sighed and stepped slowly towards Lysa. "Child-"

"I am not a child!" The reprimand was shrill, quavering. "We have to step it up. If I could defeat Danica, then maybe I will be…" She rubbed her eyes. "Just go please, Ruth."

"You're already an Elite, Lysa." The younger woman had turned away. "Danica has requested we go to the meeting room. If you're up to it."

Lysa took a deep breath, but she did not speak. Nessa had floated to the edge of the pool, and nudged her trainer with her head. She reached out a hand to gently pet the water type.

"Fine. I'll come."

***​

A blackened humanoid form, sharply contrasted against the white sheets it lay on: this was projected onto the white wall of the meeting room. The video call had started three minutes prior. Not one of the four Elites of the Telos Region spoke a word. They simply stared. Goodbye, Garrick, was written on a piece of paper affixed to the red brick wall behind the body.

The words fought through Danica's sandpaper throat. "Has anyone seen him?"

No one responded. Lysa was shaking. She fell to her knees, weeping. Ruth turned off the projector. Brynn swore loudly, and left the room. A cloud rolled past the sun, and the bright glare through the windows was almost blinding.

"No." Lysa's protest was quiet. "No!" The hysteric scream echoed, as she slammed a fist against the floor.

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I write drama more often than prose these days. My experimental prologue-y thingie/the volume of dialogue in this chapter probably make that apparent. Short chapter here, this felt like the most appropriate ending for it. Hopefully you have a nice little taste of the characters. This will be updated periodically (and by that I mean randomly and when I remember). Feedback and criticism are always appreciated!

 

[Daydream]

Chapter Two

Wind whipped Danica's hair in front her face, she fought to brush it away. The salt and seaweed tang of the air blew into her nostrils as the sand grazed her face. The sea and sky were grey. Lysa knelt over a small watercraft at the water's edge, and Brynn was close by her. Both dressed in black, a veil obscuring Lysa's face. A ninetales lay a foot or so behind her, its head resting on its paws. It whined. Ruth stood to Danica's right and began to sing softly under her breath. Lysa pushed the craft out to sea, and the waves began to carry it away.

"It's time, Hex." Lysa's soft words were carried by the wind.

The ninetales stood and opened its snout. An ember sailed from it, towards the little boat. Brynn took Lysa by the hand, and led her back to the group. She joined her voice with Ruth's song. As did Brynn and Danica, and the few others gathered with them. They sang until the fire had died. The others congregated left, but the elites and their champion stood. The Fireshore's red sand stung their faces, but they held hands and looked out at the sea. Fine rain began to fall and they turned to walk down the beach.

"In two weeks, we've lost two of our closest friends." Brynn's voice was strained. "It's damn well time we buried the bastard that did this."

No one else said anything. They walked up the wooden steps set into the dunes, then along the gravel road towards the pokémon centre. Black cars were already idling in front of it, windscreen wipers swishing back and forth. A tall woman with long brown hair like Lysa's stood by one of them. Her eyes were red, bloodshot. Lysa embraced her tightly. The rest of the elites filed into one of the cars. The driver didn't speak, he simply started up the engine and drove. Gravel rattled under the wheels. Ruth began to hum gently. Rain began to hit the window more heavily, and the world outside was a watery blur.

"Perhaps you should dismiss her, Danica." Ruth spoke quietly.

"Lysa will decide herself," her response was flat.

"But should she?"

Danica did not respond. The gravel eventually gave way to tarmac, and within a few minutes the car had rolled up to the hotel.



***

Fireshore City was well-lit at night. There were many bright streetlamps lining the wide avenues. Lysa walked with slow purpose, Hex a few paces behind her. She crossed a road, and walked up a short flight of steps. The building was right before her. Angular and wrought from red and black metal, 'Pokémon Gym' was emblazoned just above the door to the squat structure. The neon sign wasn't lit tonight, though. Lysa pressed the key card to the scanner and the electronic door swung open.

It was dark inside, as she had expected. After fumbling around with only the light of her phone as a guide, she found the power switch. Floodlights flashed on, revealing the gym's intricate puzzle like layout. Lysa walked towards one of the many doors. She almost smiled, as she touched the iron panel.

I met a gym a designer from Hoenn! He's going to help me with the plans.
The gym was set out as a maze. You had to find your way through the narrow corridors to your next battle, and the door out of that particular arena would remain shut until you had won. There were three trainers before you earned a bout with the leader. All the doors were open currently, so it was an easy enough task for Lysa to make her way to the first field.

And it's not like it's easy! Come on, try the maze. I dare you.

Getting to the next arena tested her memory somewhat, and she ended up once at a dead end. The second arena was no bigger than the first, and no more remarkable.

Just wait 'til you see my leader's room. It's so cool!

Darkness hit suddenly, at the iron doors slammed closed with a clang.

"Hex, light the room."

The fox pokémon sent fireballs dancing around the arena, but the size of it left Lysa with only patches of light. She flicked a pokéball up from her belt, and released the azumarill inside. Footsteps to her left, and then a stream of fire.

"Protect!"

Flames bounced off the shield at an angle. Lysa's breathing began to quicken. Footsteps again, more fire searing the air and heading towards her.

"Whirlpool!"

The azumarill held the cyclone of water as it boiled and steamed from contact with the flame.

Silence. Lysa could only hear her breath, and the pounding of her heart. No footsteps.

"Hex, Firespin circling outwards."

The pokémon did as instructed, drawing the fiery lights towards it and then sending them bursting out in waves around the arena. A cry and a brief shadow caught in the light of the attack darted away more quickly than Lysa could dash towards it. She waited in the dark for a moment.

"Hex, send lights around the room."

Wisps swung back and forth, and revealed nothing. She waited again, only aware of the blood rushing through her ears.

The floodlights flashed on, blinding her momentarily. Iron doors swung open with a mechanical rasp. Lysa did not move. When her legs began to ache, she allowed herself to kneel on the floor. Still, she did not move. Taking out her phone, she typed a message.

'At the gym. Come get me. Now.'

***

Three o'clock in the morning. Lysa had returned from the gym only an hour ago after being attacked. Brynn could not sleep. There were guards stationed at his door, and a police presence in the hotel lobby. The room smelled vaguely of paint and fresh linen. He stared at the ceiling, plain white and single bulb with an art deco lampshade at its centre. Waves crashed distantly in the south. He checked his phone. News sites and blogs had been updated with reports of Cecilie's funeral. It had been impossible to keep it from spreading. Some touchingly eulogised the gym leader. Others speculated at the cause of her death. None quite had it right, though. Some friends had sent condolences, other leaders had sent apologies for being unable to attend. The light of his phone attracted a small moth that batted itself against the screen. Turning the screen off, he sighed and rolled over.

Ruth was awake, sitting in a chair by her bedside lamp. Its softer yellow glow was gentler for her head than the brightness of the main bulb. She rubbed her temples, and put the book she was reading down: 'A History of Battling in the Telods Region'. Her knees and her wrists ached. She stood, going to the window and looking out. The shore was just visible from her bedroom window. She could her the low murmur of voices outside her room. Two men in their thirties were waiting just outside the door. Good men, she had been assured, former military men. Ruth had scoffed. Not even alive when I was making my way to the top of the league. Streetlamps glowed orange on the street just below, but the city was still. Lysa had not spoken much, when she returned, but had looked far less rattled than Ruth had expected. She's one of the elite, the older trainer reminded herself. She sighed and breathed in and out. The phone on the nightstand buzzed, the sound amplified by the hollow drawer beneath. Go away.

Lysa sipped tea from a plain white mug. The steam carried with it a waft of camomile and vanilla. Danica rubbed her eyes. Lysa was sitting across from her in an armchair, with her knees drawn up to her chest. The mug was balanced atop them. Her stare was empty. Danica looked at the text again, at the imperative that had the other three of their number bursting from the lobby in their sleepwear, pokémon at their heels. Great shot for the paparazzi, there. Ruth's reticent alakazam had teleported them to the gym in seconds. Lysa was walking out when they arrived.

"If it's too much-" Danica started.

Lysa interrupted. "It isn't." She pulled on her hair. "I dealt with it, didn't I?"

"I don't want to see you push yourself too hard."

"Pushing is what got us where we are in the first place. Pushing is what kept me alive when someone was trying to burn my face off." She banged the mug down onto the coffee table. "So don't say that to me, Danica. Don't even try."

Danica kept her voice soft. "I just want you to have time to grieve."

"I have grieved. I've spent whole nights crying with my bedsheets bundled up around me." She shook her head. "We don't have time right now. We're under attack, the Elite Four, the league. We have to plan, and we have to fight." She stood, as if about to leave, then turned back. "You know Garrick would have agreed with me."

With that said, she left the room. Danica didn't move. She rubbed her eyes again, then moved to the bed, falling into the pillows with a muffled thump. The woman guarding her room muttered something to her companion outside, and there was a stomp of boots along the hallway. Danica closed her eyes.

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This fic is turning out to be rather sombre in tone. I'm enjoying the characters and the direction, though.

 

[Delirious Absol]

Hi there :) I've read the first chapter and you really know how to set up a dramatic story! It pulls you in from the start! I may read more of this.

Each of the characters' personalities come through straight away, they are all distinct individuals. That is probably my most favourite part of your first chapter, followed by the descriptions and how you set up the scene. I can't find a single thing wrong with it that I could suggest you improve, not even any typos!

One thing that really stood out to me that I especially liked is how Brynn uses fairy Pokemon. I like how he's a man using fairies, and his temper seems to clash with it as well as they are used more by female characters in the games and seem to have a peacefulness associated with them. So I really like this character just for that! (Not that there's anything wrong with men using fairies, I actually encourage it! It's my favourite type!)

You've left on a real cliffhanger in that opening chapter too, and it's a surprise how you've written out one of your main cast already. Like I said already, it really pulls you in. Keep up the good work!

 

[Daydream]

In my initial conception Brynn was a peaceful hippie sorta guy, but this temper sort of bubbled up in the writing. Glad you're enjoying him as a character. Thank you for the review! ^_^