[Pokémon] Opulent Prospects (pg 13)

[Augustine]

Opulent Prospects - The story of four trainers from all walks of life, gathered together for one mission. It will go along the Pearl storyline, with a few variations.

Feel free to be critical - I'm always looking for ways to improve. :)





Chapter One
The city of Canalave was peacefully quiet. Dawn was just breaking, and the reddish spray of light crashed over the houses, painting the streets a warm hue. A few window shutters flicked open as the earliest risers left their beds. All was peaceful, save for the girl racing down the street, a half-buttoned work shirt flapping in the crisp morning air.

"Not late, not late." She chanted as her feet whacked the pavement. A single pokeball bounced in her belt in time as she turned a sharp corner, and slid through the doors of the Gym. The huge door fell shut with a bang that echoed. From their separate steel palets, the gym trainers all turned to watch her enter.

Self-consciously, she tucked a shard of chin-length ebony hair behind a pale ear. Ember was tiny for her seventeen years at scarcely five feet, and had the slender build of a doll. She was stronger than she appeared, with each inch of her muscle-packed and forceful. Her platform was only of the highest in the gym, set to test the mettle of even the finest trainers.

"You needn't worry about being late," Gary, one of the part-time steel workers called. "Byron's out for the morning, so we haven't had a single trainer. Cesar's itching to re-battle you, though. Are you and Nickel ready to take him on?"

Ember laughed, starting toward a lift. When Breanna, Byron's best trainer had left three years ago to take on the League, he'd found Ember to take her place. She and Nickel hadn't been as strong then, but she'd quickly worked her way to the top, and taken Breanna's old place at the top pallet nearest to Byron's. The steel workers and ninjas who doubled as gym trainers – Ricky, Gary, Jackson, Gerardo and David- had all come to see Ember as a sort of tough-as-nails daughter. Cesar, an ace trainer and graduate of the pokemon academy, didn't accept her as easily. Despite the fact that they'd worked together for years, he still insisted on challenging Ember's place every few months. She was always willing to accept his challenges – anything that kept her and Nickel sharp.

"Think he stands a chance?" She called as she stepped onto the lift. The smell of cold metal and trainer sweat filled her nostrils as she buzzed through the air, landing at last on Gary's pallet.

Gary adjusted his hard hat as Ember released Nickel, an absol, from his pokeball. He shook his head. "Nah. Davey, Jackson and I all have money on you pulverizing him, again. Gerry thinks Cesar's new skorupi might give you a run for your money, though."

The absol nuzzled Ember's hand lovingly. Ember patted him, and kissed his forehead. She and Nickel had been together since her fifth birthday, when he hatched from his egg. They'd been inseparable partners and best friends ever since.

Ember shook her head. "What about Ricky?"

Gary pulled a poffin from his pocket, and fed it to his enormous Onix. "He went with Byron. They're checking up on Roark."

Ember nodded slowly. She'd only met Roark a few times. He was a nervous guy, more comfortable in the ground that with people. It didn't surprise her much – his dad, Byron wasn't much of a people person either.

"Well, I'm off to go kick Cesar's butt….again." Gary's laughter followed her as she started toward the next lift.

It was a veritable maze of lifts hand hallways, all held aloft in the cavernous gym by steel beams. To the average trainer, it was enough to throw off the senses, a true test of their merit. For Ember, it was the closest thing she had to a home.

Within minutes, she'd navigated to Cesar's pallet. The cocky youth was training his new pokemon, urging it on in a battle again his Steelix. Ember watched the Skorupi for a moment. It was far more agile than the steel pokemon, and had a formidable presence. Of course, she wasn't scared ; if Nickel's steady focus was any indication, he wasn't either.

At last Cesar sensed her presence and turned to face her. "Ah, Ember. Late, as usual. How are you and your kitty doing this morning?"

She smiled. When she had first come to the gym, she'd been extremely attracted to Cesar – he was an attractive boy, only a few years older than her and had a great smile. His toxic personality had soon come seeping through the woodwork, though, and now he only served as the push she needed to better herself. If he were ever to win a battle against her, the self-hate alone would be enough to kill her.

"Nickel and I are ready to kick your ass, as usual. I like your new pet – is that a bug, or just a giant louse?" Her sharp face went hard with pride as she said this, her disdain evident. She would never admit that she found the new pokemon attractive, or that it might indeed give her a run for her money. Ember never admitted weakness …or at least, not out loud.

Cesar called on his steelix, who attacked with the same boring magnitude that Nickel had dodged about a thousand times. Ember yawned theatrically.

"Nickel, use Shadow Ball." She called, noting with pride the surprise in Cesar's expression. She'd recently purchased the TM for a high price. It seemed to have been worth her while, as the steelix dropped to the ground a moment later.

"Well, now the true test begins. Skorupi, use pin missile." The pokemon begin its attack, and Ember laughed derisively.

"Really, Cesar? You're expecting us to be awed by your incredible bug-pokemon, and his wonderful bug-powers? I don't know if you've forgotten where you are, but this is a steel gym, and steel squishes bug." Before he could answer, she smiled at Nickel, who had hardly retained any damage.
"Nickel, use razor wind."

The attack weakened the opposing pokemon, but the skorupi still stood. He attacked with a poison sting, and panic gripped Ember's heart. She didn't have any antidote, and was fresh out of berries. They had to wrap this up soon, or else Nickel would go down.

She flipped through her mental rolodex. Were bugs weak against ghost-type moves? Shadow ball was new, but Nickel seemed to have learned it easily. And if it had already taken out that huge steelix….

"Nickel, used shadow ball." She ordered, her voice more confident than her heart. Seconds after the black mist dissipated, she saw the skorupi fall to the ground – another battle well-won.

Cesar's face echoed his disappointment. "Where did you get shadow ball, anyway? That's not a natural move for an absol." He bit his words off in curt, angry bits, a sure sign that she'd gotten to him.

Ember hid a smug smile. She tried not to gloat on most occasions for fear of getting ahead of herself, but with Cesar it was much harder to keep from laughing.

"I bought it a little over a week ago. Good, no?" Nickel leaned against her leg, and she buried her hand in the ruff of thick fur around his neck. She would need to get him to a pokecenter soon – and maybe buy some antidote, while she was out. Just as she opened her mouth to make her excuses, the lift moaned, and Byron appeared.

How had they not heard the doors open? Ember chided herself – she'd been so caught up in the battle, she hadn't noticed Byron's entrance. Now, the gym leader stood before the two trainers, his broad shoulders cast back, his whole being exuding cool confidence, iron strength and steel resolve. Byron was much like the pokemon he trained – steady, strong, resilient. Ember admired him more than she had any other trainer.

"Bravo, good show. Cesar, how does it feel to have your rump handed to you yet again by the only girl in the gym?" Byron's eyes sparked with mischief as Cesar stuttered, his face turning red.

Ember's grin was evident now. Byron adjusted himself to face both trainers. "Well, now we have an interesting predicament. I was just to see Professor Rowan today. He's looking for a group of trainers to take pokedexes and do research for him, concerning the concentration of pokemon all over Sinnoh. It's a fascinating journey, to be sure – whoever goes will be led across Sinnoh, and might even have time to collect gym badges." Byron's voiced boomed as he spoke, echoing against the steel walls and coming back to meet his next sentence. "He asked me if I could think of a trainer with enough experience to make the journey, someone who would be interested in travel and collecting pokemon. I immediately thought of you, Cesar."

It was Cesar's turn to grin. Ember's brow furrowed – would Byron really surpass her for this opportunity? She loved her place at the gym, but she'd been dying to see more of Sinnoh. As the daughter of two marine pokemon researchers, most of her life had been spent on one boat or another, whizzing by various coasts, but never stopping to see the scenery. Sinnoh was the most varied region, with snow and water and deserts and swamps, all of them equally fascinating. Ember would give anything to explore Sinnoh, but currently didn't have the resources. If someone would be willing to fund her lodging, send her on an expedition….well, Byron knew full-well she would die of happiness. Why would he offer her dream to Cesar, who everyone knew could afford it on his own?

Byron frowned sharply at Cesar. "It appears, though, that you have more training to do, Cesar. You push your pokemon too far – that skorupi hardly knows you, and wasn't ready to battle. Ember, you have wisdom far beyond your years, and an unconquerable spirit." Byron smiled at the trainer, who glowed in his praise. " I want you to go. It's a quick journey over to Sandgem – go heal up, take the day to pack, and be on your way. I'll expect a full report when you get back."

Speechless, Ember nodded. She couldn't find the words to express her thanks, just shook with joy. "Yes, sir. I'll be off, then." She said at last, starting towards the lift.

"Oh, and Ember?" Byron called. She turned to face him, and he smiled. "Don't you think of skipping this gym – I want my battle with you, too."

She grinned broadly, for the first time since she'd washed up on Sinnoh's shore more than three years ago. "Yes, sir, Of course, sir." And then, she was off.

 

[Dagzar]

Ooh, nice start! Though, I do see some mistakes, which I've highlighted in red. Green highlights are stuff I want to talk about.

"Not late, not late," she chanted as her feet whacked the pavement. A single pokeball bounced in her belt in time as she turned a sharp corner, and slid through the doors of the Gym. The huge door fell shut with a bang that echoed. From their separate steel palets, the gym trainers all turned to watch her enter.

I'm not quite sure what word you meant here (maybe pallet?), but my spellchecker is highlighting it, so… *shrugs*

Self-consciously, she tucked a shard of chin-length ebony hair behind a pale ear. Ember was tiny for her seventeen years at scarcely five feet, and had the slender build of a doll. She was stronger than she appeared, with each inch of her muscle-packed and forceful. Her platform was only of the highest in the gym, set to test the mettle of even the finest trainers.

I think this sentence could have done better somewhere else, where it could be demonstrated instead of told.

"Think he stands a chance?" she called as she stepped onto the lift. The smell of cold metal and trainer sweat filled her nostrils as she buzzed through the air, landing at last on Gary's pallet.

"Nickel, use Shadow Ball," she called, noting with pride the surprise in Cesar's expression. She'd recently purchased the TM for a high price. It seemed to have been worth her while, as the steelix dropped to the ground a moment later.

I'm questioning this since ghost-type attacks aren't good against steel types and wouldn't do much damage.

"Really, Cesar? You're expecting us to be awed by your incredible bug-pokemon, and his wonderful bug-powers? I don't know if you've forgotten where you are, but this is a steel gym, and steel squishes bug." Before he could answer, she smiled at Nickel, who had hardly retained any damage.
-
"Nickel, use razor wind."

Byron frowned sharply at Cesar. "It appears, though, that you have more training to do, Cesar. You push your pokemon too far – that skorupi hardly knows you, and wasn't ready to battle. Ember, you have wisdom far beyond your years, and an unconquerable spirit." Byron smiled at the trainer, who glowed in his praise. "I want you to go. It's a quick journey over to Sandgem – go heal up, take the day to pack, and be on your way. I'll expect a full report when you get back."

Speechless, Ember nodded. She couldn't find the words to express her thanks, just shook with joy. "Yes, sir. I'll be off, then," she said at last, starting towards the lift.

As said, this is a really good start and I like how your main character is already a trainer when the story starts, especially that she's a trainer in a gym. I rarely see those and they're always fun to read. I also really, really like that you took the other gym trainers from the actual game; it gives the story a nice touch.

However, you could have worked a bit more on your description. For example, I'd have liked to see more of the battle between Ember and Cesar. It seemed a bit short, especially against the Steelix. Also, you tend to tell us information that would work better if shown, like the relationship between Ember and the other trainers in the gym. Your grammar in dialogue could use some work too, though I'm not sure if that's because you didn't proofread or just don't know the rules. Either way, here's a useful link of usefulness: Writing Dialogue

Anyways, you're off to a good start and I'm curious about this 'waking up on shore' business. Remember to proofread your chapters before you post them so you can catch all those pesky errors. Keep up the good work! :)

 

[Augustine]

Thanks so much, Dagzar. I love to write, but I've been out of practice lately, and so it's nice to see where I can make improvments. I did forget to preview - oops! I'll be sure not to make that mistake again.





Chapter Two
Miles shook his head as he slowly emerged from his bed. He'd never been one for rising early…unlike Maylene. He also wasn't driven, like Maylene, or petite like Maylene….in fact, Miles wasn't anything like Maylene at all. He was lanky, shy, studious – so slow in comparison to his tiny, quick-witted sister. Maylene was a fierce trainer, a gym leader to be feared. Miles was just a nerd with a big Maylene-shaped chip on his shoulder.

It hadn't always been that way. When they were younger, Miles and Maylene had gone to trainer school together. As her older brother, he'd spent hours helping her with her studies before beginning on his own homework. He had even enjoyed watching her begin on her pokemon journey at the tender age of eight. He hadn't been interested in becoming a trainer then – all that business of traveling and challenging others terrified him. In truth, Miles was more of an observer than a doer. Presently, he was more than comfortable at his job behind the counter at the local PokeCenter, healing the battle-bruised pokemon that came through. If it had not been for Maylene's giant shadow cast over him, he would be quite happy.

How could he be happy, though, with a sister like that? He searched angrily through his closet for a change of clothes, violently pulling hangers out, then shoving them back in again. It was no later than nine o' clock, and already Maylene was out achieving, further pushing her brother into her wake.

Dressed, he opened his bedroom door and ducked through the frame. He and his sister lived in a tiny single-story home with Michael, their aging father. Their mother had died while giving birth to Maylene, leaving their family of three somewhat broken. At times, Miles wondered if that was why he resented his younger sister so strongly. He never considered it long – wasn't the humiliation of being second-best to a little girl enough?

"Maylene's out at the gym. She's had quite a few challengers already." Michael commented without looking up from his newspaper. A cracked blue mug of coffee perched against his lip, and he took a sluggish sip.

"Is there coffee left?" Miles asked, ignoring the previous statement. He opened the refrigerator and pulled out a loaf of bread, setting four slices into the toaster.

"Half a pot. Letter for you. I can't tell who it's from, though." The old man slid a yellow envelope across the small wooden table.

Miles fixed his coffee with sugar and cream, then reached for the envelope. The return address was smeared beyond recognition. He took a sip of his coffee and continued to stare at the envelope in his hand.

"Didja enter another scholarship program?" His father asked. Hope was evident in his voice. He was proud of his daughter, but had watched with increasing alarm as his son drifted off into the shadows. Since graduating from trainer school, Miles seemed content to work at the PokeCenter, and showed no initiative to do anything else with his life. At his father's insistence, he'd recently applied for a number of scholarship programs. With his intelligence, Michael was sure he'd have his pick of schools.

Miles shook his head, and adjusted his black glasses. The piles of orange hair atop his rather large head flopped into his eyes, and he jerked his head to clear the locks away. Nervously, he opened the envelope.

"I don't know what it could be. I haven't applied for anything, recently." He squinted as he grazed over the contents. The paper was a creamy off-white, hand-written in deep purple ink. As he read over the letter, he grew more and more excited, finally beginning to read out loud to his father. "…you have been recommended for a special research program. Along with three other trainers around your age, you will travel all over Sinnoh and record the whereabouts and habits of several pokemon. If you do not currently have a pokemon, the Sandgem laboratory will provide one for your use during this trip; you will be required to return it upon the end of your mission. Appropriate clothing and sleeping gear will not be provided.
Please gather at the Sandgem Laboratory on the second of September. I look forward to seeing you there. Sincerely, Professor Rowan."

Face flushed, Miles looked up at his father. "I…dad, what day is it?" The paper shook in his hands.

Michael's face was lit with a smile. "The first, my boy. You might as well begin packing – you have quite the journey ahead of you."

Miles nodded slowly. "Journey, yes. I…I'll go get packing, now." He started towards his room, tripping a few times over his own two feet.

From the kitchen, Michael laughed. "And take your sister's bike, lad – something tells me you'll be needing it more than she will!"

 

[Dagzar]

Yay, new chapter! Let's see what we have here…

Dressed, he opened his bedroom door and ducked through the frame. He and his sister lived in a tiny single-story home with Michael, their aging father. Their mother had died while giving birth to Maylene, leaving their family of three somewhat broken. At times, Miles wondered if that was why he resented his younger sister so strongly. He never considered it long – wasn't the humiliation of being second-best to a little girl enough?

Maylene's a gym leader, a rather important position to trainers and the job would seemingly pay a lot, so I would think that the family would be a bit more well off that that. Though, I may be nitpicking because the impression you're giving off is that the family's poor, so feel free to ignore this if I'm wrong.

"Did'ja enter another scholarship program?" his father asked. Hope was evident in his voice. He was proud of his daughter, but had watched with increasing alarm as his son drifted off into the shadows. Since graduating from trainer school, Miles seemed content to work at the PokeCenter, and showed no initiative to do anything else with his life. At his father's insistence, he'd recently applied for a number of scholarship programs. With his intelligence, Michael was sure he'd have his pick of schools.

"I don't know what it could be. I haven't applied for anything, recently." He squinted as he grazed over the contents. The paper was a creamy off-white, hand-written in deep purple ink. As he read over the letter, he grew more and more excited, finally beginning to read out loud to his father, "…You have been recommended for a special research program. Along with three other trainers around your age, you will travel all over Sinnoh and record the whereabouts and habits of several pokemon. If you do not currently have a pokemon, the Sandgem laboratory will provide one for your use during this trip; you will be required to return it upon the end of your mission. Appropriate clothing and sleeping gear will not be provided.
-
Please gather at the Sandgem Laboratory on the second of September. I look forward to seeing you there. Sincerely, Professor Rowan."

Wow, most of your errors have pretty much fizzled out; good for you! :D You still have a few problems with dialogue grammar, but with a bit more practice, you should do just fine. The chapter's a bit short, but I'm find myself liking Miles a lot; he seems nice and I really love his name. I suppose you'll also go through the two other trainers next? Either way, I can't wait! Keep it up!

 

[Astinus]

You still have a few problems with dialogue grammar, but with a bit more practice, you should do just fine.

To explain Dagzar's point here:

Punctuating dialogue can be a kind of tricky thing to learn, but once you get the basics, then it's easy.

"Maylene's out at the gym. She's had quite a few challengers already." Michael commented without looking up from his newspaper.

For example, here the full stop after "already" should be a comma because you're describing how Michael says the speech. So the sentence runs together. "Commented" is a dialogue tag (explains how the speech is said).

If you had used "'Maylene's out at the gym. She's had quite a few challengers already.' Michael didn't look up from his newspaper", then the full stop is correct after "already" because you're not describing how the dialogue is said.

It's kind of like how here

"Think he stands a chance?" She called as she stepped onto the lift.

"she" should be lower-cased because "called as she stepped onto the lift" is describing how the speech is said. The question mark after "chance" stays because the speech is a question.

This post here on the forums explains this better.

 

[Augustine]

Chapter Three


"This is so exciting!" Peridot squealed, skipping a little down the path. She'd left Hearthome earlier that week, and was well on her way to Sandgem. Beside her, an azurill bounced merrily. The sights of the big, bright world were amazing to both, who had never left their small town before.

"And we'll get to meet other trainers, and new pokemon," Peridot warbled. She was a tall, slender girl with shiny green hair falling in perfect curls around her waist, and bright purple eyes. Her face was exquisite, her features soft and feminine with an underlying strength. She'd been training her azurill for the cute contests, but when Professor Rowan offered her a place in his program, she'd gladly accepted. As the daughter of a PokeMart owner, most of Peridot's life was spent helping run the store. She didn't think twice about trainer school until it was far too late, and hadn't even owned a pokemon until about a year ago. She didn't quite understand why Professor Rowan would want her, especially considering her father's dark past. Maybe he knew something about her that she didn't.

"Does it really matter why we got picked, Bubble?" The azurill didn't respond, and Peridot shrugged.

"I agree. All that matters is that finally, we're on our way to something great." As she took her first step into Sandgem, she paused.

A familiar-looking boy carrying an egg had just emerged from the Pokemon Center. His blue hair shot in angry spikes around his head, and his eyebrows were furrowed in concentration. He kept walking in circles, counting quietly to himself as he held the egg against his stomach.

Where was he from? She knew she'd seen him before somewhere, but she couldn't for the life of her put a name to that face. Just as she was puzzling this, a woman came darting out from one of the houses.

"Jaime Cobalt? The Jaime Cobalt?" The plump woman was strapped into an apron with a pikachu embroidered on the front, her hair tied back with a large polka-dotted ribbon. She pumped the boy's hand in a tight shake, grinning vapidly.

"Yes, that would be me. I heard about the good Professor's proposal, and it just sounded like the kind of thing I wanted to be a part of." His voice was deep and ****-sure. Peridot found herself inching closer, spellbound.

The woman smiled hesitantly. "But what about your duties as Champion? Shouldn't you be with the Elite Four of Hoenn, waiting to take on challengers?"

So that's where she knew him from. The boy standing before her was Jaime Cobalt, the latest Champion of the Hoenn region. Only eighteen years old, Jaime was the son of the Petalburg Gym leader. He'd been training since childhood, and had quickly defeated all the gyms in Hoenn, as well as taken down a well-known crime group, and captured a legendary pokemon. Jaime Cobalt was a force to be reckoned with.

Of course, at the moment he was merely trying to extract his hand from the housewife's grip. For all his years as Champion, Jaime still wasn't used to the way people gushed over him. In truth, he was glad to be out of Hoenn for a while, and ready to see new pokemon, start a new adventure. He loved his team, but they were all so experienced. He wanted to start over fresh, to have the joy of being a new trainer at the dawn of his journey, instead of lost in its sunset.

"Well, I've got to go – Professor Rowan will be emerging from the laboratory any minute to discuss the details of the mission. It was nice to meet you though…" he paused, trying to recall the woman's name.

"Penny." she chirped, blushing. She squeezed his hand before making her excuses, and scurried back into her house. Once she was clear from sight, Jaime wiped away the sweat she'd left on his hand, and turned to the laboratory. It wasn't yet 8:30, but already people had gathered around the lab – far more than the four that had been selected for the program. Those who can't be great chose to observe the great, or so he'd heard. He wouldn't know much of that.

He watched the spectators with mild interest as parents hoisted children onto their shoulders, and pre-teens fought for places near the front of the crowd. The horde reminded him of the crowds that had congratulated him in his first days as Hoenn's Champion. The thought of the crowds he could not escape and the nights spent channel surfing his TV, avoiding every station with his face on it made him more than a little claustrophobic. They didn't want you about the fame, when you became Champion. No one ever explained that you would have to get a better lock on your door, or that teenage girls would put pictures of you in their history notebooks. In the first weeks of being Champion, he'd been overcome with stress. He knew how to handle it now, but the mere sight of the crowd around the lab sent a shiver down his spine. It couldn't be avoided forever, though – eventually he would have to go in. He was about to take the first few steps towards the crowd, and find his place at the front when a human-sized bullet shot from the side, knocking him over.

"What the deuce?" he panted, sitting up. Beside him, a tiny girl in an orange belly shirt and black wide-legged pants was pulling herself up. An absol pounced on her, growling. Adrenaline shot through Jaime, and he tackled the pokemon, knocking it off the girl. Just as he'd wrestled the pokemon to the ground, effectively saving the damsel, something leapt onto his back.

"Leave him alone!" a girl's voice grumbled into his ear, and the assailant ripped him away from the absol. In a whirlwind of fury, he was slammed back to the ground, the same little girl now hovering over him, her breath coming in quick, short puffs.

"Who do you think you are, just tackling people's other pokemon like that?!" she screamed shrilly, pushing her short black hair out of her face. Her features were sharp, her tiny nose upward and pointy. The red flush of her face seemed to bring out the glowing amber shade of her eyes.

Jaime shook his head in confusion. "That…that absol is yours? But it attacked you!"

The girl's frown deepened. "We were playing, moron." Looking at her now, he couldn't believe he'd been overcome by such a tiny thing.

He sat up, reaching beside him to retrieve the egg. He'd gotten it from the Daycare months ago, and placed it in storage. Now, it was near hatching. Whatever pokemon lay inside would be his starter in Sinnoh.

"So, are you here to watch the professor send his new recruits on their mission?" he queried, standing up at last with the egg held tight against his body. Upright, he towered over her small frame.

She turned her little face upward, a look of disdain spread clearly over her sharp features. "No." She snipped. "I am a new recruit."

Once again, he found himself flabbergasted. "But...I thought that the professor wanted older kids – teenagers who have been trainers for a bit." She couldn't have been more than twelve, thirteen.

She laughed bitterly. "He is. I'm seventeen."

Jaime blushed. It seemed like everything he said to this girl was wrong. It was a new experience, after the way everyone seemed to worship him and hang on his every word. Years of leaving people awed in his wake, and now he couldn't manage to say anything that didn't piss the little spitfire off.

"I….I'm sorry. My name's Jaime – Jaime Cobalt. Champion of the Hoenn League." He waited for the spark of recognition in her eyes. There was nothing – just a steely anger that seemed to burn in her irises. He saw now that the amber of her eyes had tiny, slender streaks of red.

"Ember," she answered, taking his hand and giving it a good, firm shake. The name made sense instantly – from her eyes to her tongue, the girl seemed almost made of fire.

"No last name?" he asked, watching carefully as the absol sidled up to the girl. Its head fit perfectly against the curve of her hip.

"Oh, I've got one," she said, smiling. "It's just none of your business."

Anger burned in his chest, and he fought to keep his breath even. Who did she think she was, anyway?

Before he could utter a word, the egg in his arm began to wiggle. He watched in joy as the egg cracked, and a red little nose poked out. Ember stepped closer, the anger in her face erased by curiosity. From the corner of his eye, Jaime could see another girl, long-legged and remarkably beautiful, stepping closer as well.

"Do you know what it is?" Ember breathed, her eyes darting quickly to Jaime's face and then back to the emerging pokemon.

"Nope," he answered quickly. The tall girl appeared at Ember's shoulder, leaning forward. As the egg continued to wiggle, a fleck of shell fell away. The stranger reached a pale hand out to brush another piece of shell away, but Ember's tiny fingers wrapped around the hand, effectively stopping her.

"Don't." She looked up to meet the eyes of the green-haired girl. "It won't hatch if you help it."

"Oh." The girl withdrew her hand. All three watched in silence as the pokemon continued to struggle, until at last its head popped out.

 

[Augustine]

Yet anothe update...I hope I'm doing okay grammar-wise. I've been trying to take in all of the suggestions, but I'm not sure I've got everything just right yet.





There was a long silence.

"Well?" Ember asked at last, looking into the huge eyes of the baby vulpix.

"Well." Jaime blinked. It blinked back.

Both turned to the girl, whose eyes were wide and glistening. "Isn't it the cutest thing you've ever seen?" She made an awful squealing noise. Beside her, Ember cringed.

"I suppose." Jaime watched as the vulpix continued to knock off pieces of egg shell. "I wasn't really looking for a cute pokemon as my started. I was hoping for something more along the lines of cool, or powerful. Maybe even intimidating."

"Vul!" the pokemon exclaimed, climbing out of the remaining half-shell. It was tiny enough to fit into Jaime's upturned hands. The red fur was still wet, and clung unattractively to the skinny frame.

"Can I get your attention, please? Attention!" All three turned to see a small man standing just outside the laboratory. The crowd had fanned out a bit to give him space.

"Will Peridot Quasar, Jaime Cobalt and Ember DelRoy please report to the laboratory at once? Peridot Quasar, Jaime Cobalt and Ember DelRoy, please report to the laboratory." He must have been using a microphone, as his voice could be heard over the roar of the crowd.

"Well, that's us." Jaime said to the green-haired girl, tucking the vulpix under one arm and grabbing Ember's elbow with his free hand. She shook him lose, almost throwing his shoulder out in the process.

"Me too," the green-haired girl added, smiling. "I'm Peridot." All three headed toward the laboratory, shouldering their way through the crowd.

Once the professor's eyes fell on them, he ushered all three inside, shutting the door tightly behind him.

"I never was good with the general public." A long pause followed, and he led the three travelers into a private room. A long wooden table took up most of the room's space, with a dozen chairs lining its sides. Four seats were already occupied – two scientists seated closely, and two boys.

"Please be seated, won't you?" The professor seated himself at the head of the table. Ember sat down across from the scientists, and Peridot helped herself to a seat beside Ember. Sighing, Jaime plopped down next to Peridot.

"I'm glad to see we're all here. The four of you been selected to do some very important field work for me. I need somewhat experienced trainers to travel all over Sinnoh, and gather data about the habits of pokemon. You'll be observing what you can of both wild and captive pokemon." The professor reached behind himself, and produced four backpacks - two red, two blue. He slid the two red bags to the girls, then passed a blue bag to Jaime and Miles, who was seated near the scientists.

"These bags will be your life. Each contains the essentials for your journey : five pokeballs, a pokedex, a few necessary medicines, and a notebook. I want you to record everything you see, even if it seems obvious, or mundane. " He sent a pointed look to each of the four, then continued, "There's an additional bag equipped with your cooking gear, some basic provisions, and two tents – one for the girls, one for the boys."

Ember's heart sank. She was a solitary kind of girl, and had been living alone since she came to Sinnoh. Granted, it wasn't the greatest home she had – an old, abandoned building that didn't even have running water – but what mattered most to her was the independence, the joy of living alone. She wasn't sure she liked the idea of sleeping next to Peridot, who was already grinning broadly and jiggling her foot in excitement.

One of the scientists pushed his glasses up higher on the bridge of his nose, then began speaking. "We realize that it's an inconvenience, but we also ask that each of you catch different pokemon. If Miles here, " and he indicated the oranged-haired boy, "catches a hoothoot, then we would prefer it if no one else did. With each of you owning six pokemon, that gives us a close-up study of twenty-four pokemon. In addition, we want all four of you to stick together. I realize that some of you will want to try your hand at the gyms, and that's fine. If someone else isn't interested, take the time to study the pokemon in the area, rather than moving on. It's very important that we see a side-by-side comparison within your notes."

The professor nodded. "Each of you has a specific strength that I feel would benefit this study – Miles, your studiousness and attention to detail." Miles blushed, and looked down to his feet. "James, your close relationship with your pokemon." Jaime smiled proudly. The professor looked to Peridot, whose expression was a mixture of puzzlement and worry. "Peridot, your experience with the natures of pokemon, both good and bad." At last, his eyes fell on Ember, who gazed back at him with a stony blankness. "And Ember," A smile played on the professor's lips. "From what Byron tells me, I should be honored to be in the presence of such a determined, indestructible young lady. The four of you will be a wonderful team. Your unique perspectives will provide our study with more information than I, my colleagues, or Lucas could gather on our own."

All four nodded. The professor looked to Miles, who was fiddling with the straps of the backpack. "Now, young man. It seems you are the only one without a pokemon. Would you kindly follow me into the other room?"

Miles nodded, and silently followed the professor through a door, which fell shut behind him. Peridot grasped Ember's hand excitedly.

"Isn't this wonderful? We're all going to be like best friends when this is over!" Ember nodded, wishing on all things holy that the girl would release her grasp. Best friends? Ember didn't even have friends.

Across the table, Jaime glared at Ember. What made her so special, that the professor would be more 'honored' to be in her presence than the presence of the Hoenn League Champion? Did she even have badges? Had she ever even fought a battle with that silly absol of hers? Oh, well. At least that Peridot chick was kind of pretty.

When the professor and miles stepped back into the room, the latter carrying a piplup in his arms, it was a forcibly smiling group that greeted him. Peridot's hands shook with nervousness, and Jaime's smile was laced with disdain. Miles was all jitters, sat down gently with his whole body a jumble of tremors and sweat glands.

Ember wanted to die a little more with each second that passed. Sure, she thought bitterly. We're going to be the best of friends.

 

[Augustine]

"So, we just head north a little longer and…whapow! Jubilife City!" Jaime spread his hands out to indicate the panorama view Jubilife City would provide.

Miles blinked, unconvinced. "Personally, I'm more concerned with training my pokemon. Piplup and I will never be strong enough to take on challengers if we don't get some practice in."

Peridot nodded in agreement. "I love Bubbles, but we're not really in-practice as trainers. A few battles with wild pokemon would do us a world of good."

Ember said nothing. Nickel and she had been training for years, and he was far more powerful than any wild pokemon they'd encountered so far. While she was wanted herself and Nickel to become a stronger team, nothing in the immediate area was providing much of a challenge.

It had been near silent, save for the navigation comments tossed between Miles and Jaime. It was unsettling to Peridot, whose life was a constant prattling – conversations with her mother in the pokemart became conversations with Bubbles, which became a conversation with a passing trainer. She wanted so badly to start up a conversation, but everything she uttered seemed to fall dead on the ground. Eventually they would have to talk, though – wouldn't they? Could four strangers really wander the world, and never bother to communicate?

Miles was the first to break the silence, startling all of them. "So, Jaime. What kind of pokemon did you have on your team in Hoenn?"

A wistful smile spread over Jaime's lips. "My starter was a mudkip. She and I spent a lot of time together, especially in the first few months, when I refused to catch any other pokemon. Later, I caught a swablu, and then a cacnea. But my trapinch….he was probably my strongest. When I got to the Elite Four, he was the one who really carried me through…he and Daisy, anyway."

Ember found herself surprised at Jaime's tenderness. He'd been cocky and rude since they began their journey, immediately appointing himself the unofficial leader and wrestling the compass from Miles. His smile now was void of its self indulgence. At last, she was beginning to see a glimpse of the person behind all that self-absorption.

"Daisy was your mudkip?" Ember queried.

Jaime nodded. "It's a dumb name, I know. Give me a break, though.. I was only eleven when I started out."

Peridot smiled. "I don't think it's dumb at all. Daisy is a sweet name. My momma had a miltank named Daisy-May."

Ember began to chuckle, quietly at first. As the group continued walking, her giggles grew louder, until finally Jaime turned to her, exasperated.

"What, may I ask, is so funny?"

Ember's face was red as she gasped for breath. Both Miles and Peridot were surprised – until now, she had barely uttered a word.

"Your mudkip," Ember began, struggling for breath. She burst into giggles again, doubling over and holding her stomach.

"My mudkip?" All three were circled around her now, waiting for her to finish laughing so that they could continue.

"Is named after a cow." She fell into giggles again. Peridot and Miles both joined in.

"This is ridiculous. Daisy is one of the stongest pokemon in all of Hoenn. And you…who the hell are you, anyway?" Jaime felt his face flame red as he watched these three idiots mock him. He owned the team – had trained the team – that rested as Champions of the Hoenn Region. He would train the champion of Sinnoh, too.

"It is pretty funny, James." Miles said, wiping tears of joy from his face. "Don't take it so seriously."

But Jaime was already red-faced and glowering at Ember, who had finally calmed down enough to stand. She pushed her hair out of her face, and met his eyes. They burned with fury, all of it directed at her.

I am the Champion. His eyes seemed to say. And I always will be.

Ember's eyes burned with a message all their own, one Jaime could read loud and clear : We'll see about that.

 

[Krystallyn]

I can already tell this is going to be good. :)

I'm not much for editing, but if I notice something, I'll let you know.

Anyway... That was good. I'll keep reading.