Rocket Frontier (Revamp)

[Laterna]

Here it is, once again, totally redone, totally revamped, so totally 110% better than ever before, so just totally read it, rate it, review it and love it cos you know you want to ;)

CHAPTER 00 ~ FAMILY​

Hello.

My name is Kimi Mair, I am eighteen and my favourite colour is green, mostly because I adore my emerald eyes, my best feature if I do say so. I have an older sister called Mimi and my parents, Alma and Frank, have been married for just twenty short years.

My sister was always the best at everything. Always. When I first starting walking, she starting talking, which was naturally more interesting than walking in the eyes of my parents. When I got my pet Ralts, she caught a Budew, which was obviously cuter as it was a baby and it was an actual capture. When I left to challenge the Hoenn Elite Four, she left to compete in the Johto Grand Festival, which was so much more spectacular, thrilling and, dare I repeat it, challenging than simple battling.

To be fair though, I understood why my parents favoured her - she was oldest and didn't want to pay too much attention to me and leave her left out because, understandably, that would be unfair on her. They didn't want to put all their attention on to me, the proverbial baby and leave her feeling unloved. Unfortunately, their plan didn't work out so well seeing since I was the one who was left out! I guess it's harder than most think to find that perfect balance.

I had started my journey in Johto when I was eleven - i started my journey a year late because I wanted time to bond with my Chikorita - and made it to the Silver Conference, but was knocked out far too quickly. I was coming on thirteen by the time I got home and spent the next three years just training all of my Pokémon, which by this point consisted of Gardevoir, Meganium, Furret, Lanturn, Delibird and Pichu. When I was sixteen, my family and I moved to Littleroot Town in Hoenn and, by the time I was seventeen, I was already on my way to the Hoenn League with a brand new team... I left them all behind except Gardevoir and my love, my Pichu. While, yes, my sister had travelled too, mum and dad were always watching her Contests on television and not caring about Gym Badges, which they figured were "just for show". However, that all changed though once the Hoenn Elite Four graciously accepted my challenge and she was knocked out of the Hoenn Grand Festival in the final round. Now it was finally my turn to shine!

Anyways, she went back home and I carried on with my now current party of six Pokémon - Pichu, Shellos, Gardevoir, Gligar, Politoed and Tangela - to Evergrande City where I was to challenge the Hoenn Elite Four.

The Hoenn Elite four consisted of four members (surprise, surprise) and a champion. You had to beat one to go onto the next one and beat him or her to fight the third and you get the idea. The members were:

Harmony McBride - she preferred Dark types but didn't really specify in a particular type, which was often regarded as quite controversial.
Fred Flowers - a camp Poison trainer who attempts to manipulate his foes with double-talk, mind games and status effects.
Stella Stone - daughter of a former Champion, specialises in Steel types to conform with her father's wishes although she prefers Fire types.
Juan Arits III - a posh dude who fights with the illusions of Water types.

They were said to be like family - all of them lived together in Evergrande Mansion, waiting for challengers to challenge them. I wished my family had been that close. As soon as we could, Mimi and I were out the door, going in separate directions, aiming for different goals, dreaming different dreams. Although Mimi and I did not travel together, we kept in regular contact and met up whenever we could. We agreed to travel the Battle Frontier together after I defeat the Hoenn Elite Four. To be honest, I wasn't sure I wanted to travel with her.

When I first reached Slateport City, I took the ferry to Olivine and spent a week with her. That was bad enough. To travel with her for months, maybe even several years... I wasn't too sure how happy I was about this. Plus, I was so much more used to travelling alone...

Now, here I was, in the stadium, awaiting my challenge's real beginning...

Wish me luck?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

Chapter List:
Chapter 00 ~ Family
Chapter 01 ~ Harmony In Darkness
Chapter 02 ~ My Darkening Reflection

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

Main Characters
() = in storage
Kimi Mair
Meganium
Furret
Lanturn
Delibrid
Gardevoir
Pichu
Shellos
Gligar
Politoed
Tangela

Mimi Mair
Budew

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

So, what did ya'll think of the redone Prologue? I know it's not vastly different, it has had minor changes, mostly more added to it than anything else so don't worry at all if you've never read the original ^.^

Hope to see ya'll next week for Chapter 01: Harmony In Darkness

*cookies*

 

[ArtekOublier]

Good luck Kimi! :D

First, just a couple of spelling , possibly grammatical errors:

I had started my journey in Johto when I was eleven - i started my journey a year late because I wanted time to bond with my Chikorita

Just a mistake in non-capitalisation, just after the dash.

We agreed to travel the Battle Frontier together after I defeat the Hoenn Elite Four.

Defeat seems like it's present tense looking towards the future, when most of this is her recalling events. However to say "defeated" even seems wrong, you may have to choose another word, but it's up to you.

Anyway, I've waited for a bit to read this and I'm glad I have and I'll be keeping with it. This Prologue seems like a nice diary or journal entry, which gives it a nice sense of honesty in Kimi. You know she's not going to "sugar-coat" anything. I like that and I think I'll like her.
Right from the start you feel that she's been in her sister's shadow and she's just had enough, so when Mimi fails and she succeeds you feel it's either a strange way at revenge, for something that's not really Mimi's fault, or you feel so glad for Kimi that you're thinking "YES!", lol.

Parental wise I guess it is difficult to strike a complete balance, but there was no balance at all, in how they loved their daughters. And saying that Gym Battles were just for show...*sighs*...contests are sometimes more for show, perhaps with a bit of alterior technique thrown in, but I mean for battles sometimes you need that too in order to overcome a foe. They were unfair is what I'm trying to say, he he. I may not like their parents. However, I do feel some sympathy for Mimi for getting knocked out of the Grand Festival, their parents maybe just pushed her to far that perhaps nerves played a part. Also, maybe she was thinking "Why me, why do I get all the attention" she was perhaps thinking of her sister and how unbelievably unfair it has been on her.

Kimi may just have to put up with her sister and work out their differences even though they seem like total opposites. Sometimes opposites attract and sometimes they don't, we'll just have to see.

I like her team, especially Gardevoir, lol. It'll be nice to see what else Mimi has and what else Kimi and her will get.

Can't wait for the next Chapter...*phew*...what a Prologue!

*accepts cookies*

 

[Laterna]

@ Artek ~ The shift key on my mouse doesn't work properly so you can expect more mistakes like that, I tried combing for all of them, but obviously I missed some XD

The tense changes a bit as we approach the kind-of present, which is her battling the E4, but it will probably be mostly past tense throughout the fic, if you notice any other moments like that (as well as spelling mistakes) please don't hesistate in pointing them out, thank you ^.^

mum and dad were always watching her Contests on television and not caring about Gym Badges, which they figured were "just for show".

You notice, actually, what was said that it was the Badges that they felt were for show, not the battles themselves. What had been said at another point in the chapter was that their parents felt that Contests were more spectacular, thrilling and challenging than simple battling. Yes, there is a strategic element in regular battles, but not to the same degree as there is in Contests because there is more to consider. However, I will say, you will get to see just how complicated "simple battles" can be ;)

Hope to see you again for the posting of Chapter 01, which will be earlier than previously planned ^.^

 

[ArtekOublier]

Thanks for pointing out my mistakes too ^^

I believe , although contests have that flare to them, that battles can be just as difficult depeneding on who your opponent is. I'd prefer both actually if the Pokémon was real.

And don't worry, I will point out if if theres any spelling mistakes, just something you get to notice when reading through stories online.

Can't wait for the next chapter ^^

ps. Hope you like my signature

 

[Laterna]

I do understand what you are saying and I do agree that some battles (anime style) can be very difficult (case in point - Ash VS Fantina), but in a Contest there are a lot of other factors to consider (how your Pokémon looks, how the move looks, etc) that aren't present in Gym Battles and the likes.

I do like your signature, you are more than welcome to help in generating interest ^.^ thank you *special cookeh*

Questions for all - do you think I should post a preview of the next chapter? Also, should I add preliminary chapter titles to the contents page as a tiny spoiler and guessing game for what's to come?

*cookies*

 

[ArtekOublier]

I agree in some respect. Contests were a great addition though ^^
*Accepts cookeh* thanks ^^ I try my best ^^

TBH Laterna I don't think you should post any previews. For someone who's just starting to read it, I think personally that it would spoil it too much for me. But it's not up to me it's up to you. Go with whatever you feel, I say.

Anyway keep them comin' hun ^^ can't wait for the next chapter ^^

 

[Laterna]

@ Artek ~ I agree with you on the previews thing, I'll shelf that idea ^.^ Contests were a great addition and are incredibly fun to write ^.^

Ready for the next chapter?

CHAPTER 01 ~ HARMONY IN DARKNESS​

I travelled alone. I do realise that I had my Pokémon with me, but I had no human friends to keep me company. I mean, I talked to my Pokémon and got advice from them and help whenever I needed it, but it didn't compare to having an actual person. I know considerable advancements have been made between human and Pokémon relationships over the years but some people, like myself, need a human being to talk to.


"Presenting the challenger," a man wearing a blue stripy top called out, "Kimi Mair!"

So, there I stood in a giant circular stadium. It was almost completely dark - all I could see was the glowing white outline of the battlefield and the woman who stood on the opposite side of it, staring at me with eerie white eyes.
Her name was Harmony (such a bright name for a dark woman). She wore a plain black shirt and black jeans with black shows and black lipstick and black eye-shadow and black and black and black… so very dull. There was no excitement in her at all. The only interesting feature was that she was so amazingly plain.
Me? Oh, you wanna know what I was wearing? Ok… I was standing in my fabulous green jeans - they're fabulous because, at the top, they're myrtle and slowly fade to white as they reach my feet - held up by a yellow belt. I was also wearing a tight fitting yellow shirt (it really helps show off my figure, although I'm not really interested in such things... yeah right!). My shoes were white (to go with the bottom of my jeans) with bright green laces. My hair, blonde like my sister's, although I keep mine shoulder length and tied back (I use a green ribbon for that if you didn't already guess) to keep it out of my face. Well, that's me. I'm not too into my looks - I look good naturally.

Anyways, back to the stadium. As I said, it was really dark, all I could see was the outline of the battlefield and the people in it. Everything else was in complete utter darkness. It was quite frightening.

"Are you ready to begin?" Harmony asked as her eyes opened half an inch, her voice sliding off her lips no louder than a whisper.

Oh my God, her voice was even boring!

"Yes," I replied chirpily, but nervously.

Harmony picked up a small red and white orb from her black belt. She pressed a button on the front and it enlarged. She tossed it onto her half of the battlefield.
The ball hit the ground and bounced a little and then rolled some and stopped dead.
We all stood staring at it for the longest time. Everything seemed so much slower when surrounded by infinite darkness.

"Send out your Pokémon," the dark woman said silently.

"What about yours?" I asked, my voice shaking a little.

"She will emerge at her leisure," Harmony smiled a little. "You're afraid. I like it," she licked her lips

Creepy.
I thought it fitting to begin my first Elite Four battle with the last Pokémon I caught. I pulled a PokéBall from my belt. I pressed the button to make it grow and threw it out onto the battlefield.
It hit the ground and bounced back into the air, opening midway. The ball only opened a little and the white energy snaked out and swirled down towards the ground. The ball flew back to my hand where it stayed.
The energy continued to circle and then grow taller and fatter, taking on the shape of an orb with many strands of hair sprouting and coiling around it until it was completely enveloped by it. Suddenly, two short feet popped out to keep it standing. Then the colour flooded in.
The vines that entangled the black became a bright green (nice) and the feet, which were actually boots, were a red. As the colours finished showing, a bunch of bright stars danced around it and vanished.

"Alright Tangela!" I cheered. "Let's show this girl what we're made of!"

"Alright!" he cried confidently.

He'd changed so much since I first met him...
When I reached Lilycove City (big place, huge shopping centre, lovely), I took the ferry back to Olivine City (dull beyond the lighthouse) to spend a few days with my sister, Mimi. We were out having a picnic and, suddenly, this green bush bounded past us, screaming. He was being chased by a very angry group of youngsters, who claimed he had stolen food from them. Tangela told us, through my Gardevoir, what had happened - they had stolen the food and they were using him as a scapegoat and were so hunting him down! My blonde sister immediately felt sorry for him and took his side (simply to look good). She battled for his safety fiercely with her Lickitung (pink, huge tongue, she loves it) and easily crushed the boys.
Tangy's confidence had been totally shattered by the experience, he was an absolute wreck in battles, feeling like he couldn't do anything but lose. On our way to Sootopolis City (built in a dead volcano, says it all really) we made a stop at a place called Torus Island (basically a tourist resort built in memory of the old Battle Frontier), which is a good spot for beginning trainers to learn all the basics of battling. I transferred all of my Pokémon, except Gardevoir, back to Professor Birch's and took on a rookie trainer and his Poliwag. Being a Grass type, Tangela made quick work of them. We kept that up for a few days and eventually took on a tougher trainer. We didn't win but Tangela was very brave and felt better for it. He's worked really hard since then and has steadily built up his confidence. Sometimes though, he can be a little too confident.

"Feeling confident are you?" Harmony s******ed, practically reading my mind. "Come on out now girl, don't be shy," she said to the ball lying on the battlefield.

It began to shake, slowly at first, and then violently, jumping into the air just as the same white light exploded from it! Tangela jumped back towards me in fear. I covered my eyes to avoid looking at the light - it was so bright, I could make out the shape of the walls. Looking closely I could make out my reflection. It then hit me that we were in a room full of mirrors!
I turned my attention back to the battlefield - the Pokémon staring across from me was an Umbreon. It was a furry black fox-like creature with yellow rings covering its body. Its red eyes gleamed and its fur seemed to shimmer. I know it was really dark and I was kinda freaked out, but I swear to God its rings were glowing.

"There you are my girl," Harmony smiled again.

She seemed a little more upbeat. It was quite odd and just a tad unnerving, mostly because I had no idea what it was exactly that was perking her up.

"This battle will by a simple four-on-four match, the challenger may make substitutions if she wishes, Harmony shall not," the judge said.

I'll let you make the first move," Harmony smiled.

"Alright!" I smiled. "Tangela, begin with Mega Drain!" I ordered.

"Nice!" my green plant agreed.

Little balls of yellow light flew from the black orb at the core of Tangela's green body. They danced towards Umbreon and passed through her body, sapping her energy and swirling back to Tangela. Umbreon grunted a little as she watched Tangela get a bit powered up by her energy.

"Umbreon, use Confuse Ray!" Harmony commanded.

Umbreon's red eyes began to glow and a large orb of red light spiralled towards my Tangela. It spun round him several times before dissipating. Tangela's tangled green vines began to move on their own a little and he tripped over his own feet, slamming himself hard against the ground.

"Come on Tangela!" I called out. "Shake it off!"

It was no good. Tangela was moving about uncontrollably - falling and jumping, twisting and turning in just about every way possible. This was a complete disaster, my first battle against the first member of the Hoenn Elite Four was off to a terrible and embarrassing start.

"Okay! Now, my girl," the dark woman smiled, "use Mean Look!"

Umbreon's sparkling red eyes fixated on Tangela. He stopped moving, mesmerized by her stare. I was certain I saw a bolt of light pass from her to him.

"What was that?" I asked.

"Are you sure you deserve to be here?" Harmony flicked her hair back.

What did she mean?

"You don't even know the attacks of the Pokémon you're facing, how pathetic," the depressingly depressed woman laughed.

I gritted my teeth. How much I wanted to go over there and punch her. I worked so hard to get here and I was not about to let her get in my way.

"Tangela!" I shouted.

Tangela regained his focus and control, obviously drawing from my own focus and control.

"Use Bind!" I pointed at Umbreon. "Don't let her get away!"

Tangela hopped towards Umbreon and gently extended his vines very slowly, it was quite frightening in its own strange way.

"Hahahaha!" Harmony giggled. "Is that supposed to frighten me?"

Well, I would've found it frightening anyway, but I smiled as I was not the one of the receiving end of the attack. Harmony ordered her Umbreon to remain still, probably waiting to jump away at the last second... she was way too over-confident. She gasped as the green vines suddenly sped up, wrapping themselves around the black fox, tangling around her body, completely immobilising her.

"What?" I grinned. "Surprised?"

"Umbreon!" Harmony called out. "Get out of that Bind!"

I could see she was getting angry. I thought it might be oddly terrifying for her, feeling so perfectly in control for the first part of the battle and then to suddenly lose that control.

"Tangela, darling?" I asked. "Why don't you use Tickle while your vines are right there?"

"HAHA!" he laughed in agreement.

The ends of his vines rubbed Umbreon's fur gently but furiously. Umbreon began to smile, and then giggle, and then laugh hysterically.

"Umbreon! No!" Harmony jumped up and down in anger.

"Hehehe!" I laughed.

"Stop it!" Harmony screamed.

I stopped laughing and Tangela stopped the tickling, we both stared at the dark woman dumbly.

"This is a serious battle!" Harmony bellowed across the battlefield. "What? You think you can come on in here and win with kiddie moves like that? Start acting like a grown-up, serious trainer!"

"It's an attack so he can use it." I said matter-of-factly, folding my arms. "If you can't accept it, maybe you shouldn't be a member of the Hoenn Elite four," I winked.

Harmony shut her mouth, clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. I was more than certain I could hear her growling. I smiled again, finally feeling that things were going right again.

"Kimi!" Tangela shouted. "How's about we do get serious and show this witch what we're made of?"

"Alright!" I agreed. "Let's finish off with Slam!"

Tangela raised Umbreon up into the air.

"No," Harmony said silently, sensing that this would be the final hit after that Tickle attack.

Then threw her down onto the ground. Umbreon grunted as her ribs smashed into the floor.

"Don't," the dark woman continued, this would too much for her darling to take, especially with her defences completely down.

Tangela then got as close as he could, raised himself up on his vines up as high as they would allow and came crashing down onto Umbreon with all his weight. He seemed to bounce lightly off her and land delicately, with his vines slowly untangling her and returning to the nest the surrounded his black body.

After a few moments, the Judge raised his hand closest to me, "Umbreon is unable to battle, Tangela wins the round!"

"Umbreon return," Harmony sighed, her blonde hair covering her eyes.]

The top trainer pulled the PokéBall back out and a beam of red light shot from it, hitting Umbreon and pulling her back into the ball.

"Now you've really asked for it!" She snarled, lifting her head up to show me her anger in full and pulled another ball from her belt. "I choose you, Murkrow!"

The ball flashed open. I caught a glimpse of a figure on my right as the walls were temporarily illuminated. Were here other people here, watching the battle or was it just a trick of the mind in the shadows? I closed my eyes and shook my head - it must've been my imagination.
The white energy from the ball took the shape of a small bird. It's head was shaped like a witch's hat and its tail feathers were a scruffy broom. It was completely black except for it's red eyes and yellow beak and talons, which seemed to gleam they were so sharp looking,

"This could be bad," I groaned, taking into the account of my obvious type disadvantage.

"Murkrow!" He cried as he spread his wings fully, stretching out, showing off his rough down.

"Murkrow, use Shadow Ball!" Harmony shouted.

Murkrow opened his yellow back as wide as he could. Midnight blue bolts flashed around a lavender ball that was being formed. The eerie dark energy was filled with a light that showed off the walls around us. How could the dark light up a stadium? I concluded that this was no ordinary move.

"Tangela, get ready to dodge this!" I cringed.

"Crap," my green plant quivered.

The ball of dark energy shot from Murkrow's mouth, heading at great speeds for my Tangela.

"Move!" I screamed.

Tangela managed to jump out of the way just in time. The Shadow Ball collided with the wall behind me. As it shattered, I heard glass hitting the ground.

"Tangela?" I called out. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he grunted, glaring up at the black bird.

While Tangela has successfully dodged the attack, he had to take a fall in order to do so.

"Ok!" I cheered him on. "Try a Vine Whip!"

"Alright!" Tangela nodded and extended two of his vines.

The green vines writhed along towards Murkrow as quickly as possible.

"Murky, dodge it!" Harmony cried.

One of the vines came crashing down, but Murkrow was able to avoid it, causing it to slam into the ground. However, while Murkrow was busy dodging that one, the other one struck, knocking the crow out of the air and onto its back.

"Ouch!" Tangela cried out, shaking his vine. "Them feathers are sharp!"

"Don't worry!" I called to him. "You're doing great, Tangela!"

He turned to face me and I could see the confidence that was filling him in his eyes. We were both feeling good about this battle - we'd taken down her dark fox and now it was the black bird's turn! We stared into each other's eyes. I felt so good looking at him - he'd gotten so strong so fast, it was inspiring.
I thought I heard Harmony say something but I couldn't make it out as I was too busy, lost in the eyes of my green vine plant. I caught a glimpse of Murkrow with glowing wings and realised that Tangela's turn in this battle was over. Murkrow's Steel Wing struck, sending Tangela flying.

"Oh no!" I ran towards him.

He didn't move, I held his messy green body in my arms.

"Tangela is unable to battle, Murkrow wins the round!" the judge called out.

I pulled the PokéBall from my belt and Tangela returned to it in a beam of red.

"Well done my friend, rest now." I smiled.

I placed the ball back on my belt and pulled off the one next to it.

"Ok, now I'm really gonna get serious!" I hollered as I threw the ball. "Go for it, my Gligar!"

The ball clunked as it bounced off the ground, opening in the same manner as the others. This one held my second Pokémon - a earth bat with two slender wings on each of side of his rock-hard purple body. The shape of his mouth always reminded me of a vampire, the only physical feature of Gligar that I did not like, although it did give him a dark and mysterious edge that often worked in my favour.
My Gligar has always been one of my strongest battlers, ever since before I caught him, he was incredibly strong. I found out that he had been owned by two people before me and they had both been forced to realise because he grew too powerful for them to control. It was really painful for him to suffer such abandonment... so i vowed that I would be the best from that day onwards, I would catch him and train him, raise him and love him more than anyone has ever done before. It didn't and still does not matter to me how strong he gets, even if he outgrows me and his home here, he will always be my Gligar...

"Gligar, begin with Poison Sting!" I commanded, wiping away a few tears.

My strategy was to inflict Murkrow with a status ailment, something that would even give me an edge. I knew that Ground type Pokémon weren't particularly useful against Flying types, but his Poison attributes gave me something to work with, something that could help me in the long run.

Gligar took in a deep breath and flew at full speed straight for Murkrow. There was no way that black bird could dodge because of Gligar's speed. As he got in close, just inches away, he spun a full one-eighty degrees and sunk is long purple stinger into the Murkrow's body. The direct hit caused Murkrow to fall a bit, however he quickly regained his position and did not appear to be afflicted by any poison... so much for that strategy...

"That it?" Harmony chuckled. "Murky, use Double Team!"

Murkrow squawked and spread his wings out. In a flurry of black, a ring of about twenty identical black birds surrounded Gligar. My purple friend looked fearfully from side to side, frantically trying to identify the real Murkrow, which was certainly a first - my Gligar usually isn't afraid of anything.

"My Gligar!" I called out to my Pokémon. "Stay clam and aim your Screech at the ground!"

Gligar shook his head, feeling that it wouldn't work.

"Trust me!" I screamed. "Please! It's the only way!"

Without any further hesitation, Gligar stared at the ground and, basically, began yelling at it - he let out a terrifying wailing sound that caused the ground itself to ripple. i could hear the noise reverberating off... something.

Then it hit me - mirrors! We were in a hall of mirrors!

"Now," I grinned as I formulated a new strategy, "flap your wings to strengthen the sound waves and propel yourself upwards while Screeching!"

Gligar's wings began to flap slowly, increasing the power of his wails, while at the same time its strength was also boosted by it bouncing off all of the mirrors. Murkrow was left clutching its head, unable to bear all of the noise that was entering into his mind, getting under his skin. Losing his concentration, all of his doppelgangers faded and the real one was left in plain view - tumbling towards the ground.

"yes!" I pointed at the flailing bird. "Now, use X-Scissor!"

In an instant, Gligar was right above the Murkrow. An immense wind blew from as he pulled his wings across in front of his body, while the noise continued to bounce around the room. Suddenly, Gligar dove full speed at the black bird and slashed into its body with lightning speed, dealing massive damage while the Murkrow's defences were at their weakest. Murkrow fell to the ground

"Land it!" Harmony attempted to regain control.

In a valiant effort, Murkrow tried to straighten his frail body out, but he slipped as his talons failed to grip the ground, causing him to fall and injure one of its wings. Gligar also landed, but had no problem keeping his balance as his head was clear.

"Murkrow!" Harmony said through gritted teeth. "Get up! NOW!"

Murkrow rose to his feet and stared painfully at me. She was far too rough on that poor bird, in my opinion.

"Get in the air and use Steel Wing!" Harmony screamed. "DO IT!"

Murkrow spread his wings and lifted himself into the air.

"No way." I gasped as it steadily climbed its way back up, my eyes wide with disbelief.

Thankfully, I think, Murkrow did not stay in the air for long - his injured wing could not carry him, causing him to fall back to the solid ground. He landed flat on his back and did not get up.

"Murkrow is unable to battle, Gligar wins the round!" the judge announced.

"Murkrow return." Harmony kept her eyes to the floor as Murkrow returned to its ball.

I was certain I saw a tear fall. I was sorry for hurting Murkrow, but a battle of this magnitude demanded it. I had no choice...

"Now you're in for it, girl," she said quietly. "Now the real match begins!"

She looked up at me with angry eyes. All the lights in the room turned on.

"It's time this battle really begun," Harmony muttered.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

So that was Chapter 01. Some of you will notice a major change to the story, as well as some updated descriptions (it's a whole page longer), which hopefully have improved this chapter and the fic in the long run.

I know it's not perfect and there's room for improvement (I'd be worried if there wasn't) so please don't be afraid to voice your honest opinions ^.^

Chapter 02 ~ My Darkening Reflection will be up sometime near the end of the week *cookies*

 

[ArtekOublier]

First of all, I'd just like to say thanks for the 1st chapter ^.^ Bit thrown by it to be quite honest, but we'll get to why I may answer my own questions too ^^

Second of all, lol, some spelling and grammar:

"Feeling confident are you?" Harmony s******ed, practically reading my mind. "Come on out now girl, don't be shy," she said to the ball lying on the battlefield.

I have no idea what this is, lol. I'm not even sure what word it is meant to be. I know it's obviously not a swear word, because you wouldn't do that, not in a story unless you had to. So, I'm just wondering what it is exactly.

Were here other people here,

Think the second word here is meant to be "there", simple mistake and simply sorted.

The chapter as a whole seemed rather deep. I was so into it that before I knew where I was the chapter was done and I was asking my laptop, "is that it? I need more!"
I'm not too sure exactly how Kimi would be able to see in the light situation that you presented, let alone how any of the Pokémon could attack. Maybe if you could explain that somewhat it would help, I feel.

One thing that did get to me was the constant use of brackets throughout the chapter, containing afterthoughts of our Kimi. I remember reading the novel "The Hours" by Michael Cunningham that a lecturer game me, and that book was riddled with it, he was apparently imitating Virginia Woolfe's style. I think it could have done without the bracketed parts, I felt that they were unneeded. Although I can see why you added them, in order to let more of Kimi's personality some through in order for us to associate ourselves with her a little more. So I guess it's not too big of a thing.

Could you please explain the "advancements" that you talk about? About the communication between Pokémon and their trainers. I was slightly miffed when Tangy actually spoke, but perhaps only to Kimi. This leads me somewhere else. It was said in an episode with that weird dressing up guy from Hoenn that if you say what's "in your heart" and speak the way Pokémon do then they'll understand you. If humans speak to Pokémon, more often than not the Pokémon in question understands, obviously alot more than an animal would, without question. So it would stand to reason, depending on how close Kimi is with her Tangela that she would know exactly what it was saying. See...just more or less answered my own question.

All in all, this was a great start I feel. I've read you're battles before and I love the way that you do them. So I have no real bad things to say about to chapter, just please keep them coming, I'm already dying for more.

xxx

 

[Neutrino]

yay! I read this on the Serebii.net forums. Go Kimi! Sweet Pinpuku, right? Hi! I like this story, because it's different, in the way that it really details what needs detailing, like the incredibly boring black-dressed woman.

 

[Laterna]

Chapter 02

@ Artek ~ With regards to the talking Pokémon - they are not talking, all it is is that Kimi can understand what they say so therefore we can understand what they say because this is all from her perspective, but we can only understand her Pokémon because she can only understand her Pokémon.

The parenthesis thing will die down, it was just a tool in the early chapters for us to get used to Kimi's thought processes. As the story goes on, it gets worked into the actual story and chapter ^.^

The "advancements" will be showcased as the fic plays out so keep an eye out for them *image removed*

@ Ditto-Jelly ~ I'm fairly certain that there is a rule against one-line reviews here so please edit your post and make sure that it doesn't happen again (I don't want this closed because of rule-breakers). Your comment, however, is very much appreciated ^.^

THIS CHAPTER HAS A GUIDANCE RATING FOR USE OF STRONG LANGUAGE SO BE WARNED READERS BWAHAHAHA!!!

Here's Chapter 02:

Chapter 02 ~ My Darkening Reflection​

"Oh my God!" I cried out.

Just when I was getting so used to the darkness, the biggest battle of my life got a little weirder - the walls of the room were actually mirrors. Everywhere I looked I saw a long tunnel full of myself. Even the floor was a mirror... so glad I wasn't wearing a skirt.

"What is this?" I called to my opponent, surprised even though I had suspected this.

"This is the battlefield," Harmony smiled. "If you don't like it, I suggest you quit," she smirked.

I frowned and shook my head, there was no way this was gonna scare me off, but her new "appearance" might've done - her face was different, like she'd just gotten over an illness, a flush of pink in her cheeks, a sparkle in her eye... it was unnerving because it was such a drastic change, a complete turn-around that was confusing and very off-putting. I was beginning to wonder if I was ready for a challenge of this magnitude.

"Let's continue," Harmony produced a blue and white ball from her belt.

She tossed it gently onto the mirror floor and the white energy was expelled, reflecting off all the mirrors, filling the entire room with a bright light. I instinctively pulled my hands up, covering my eyes so that I wasn't blinded by the intensity of it. I opened them when I was sure it was safe, only to see a white angel floating a few feet above the ground, with its pure white body seemingly radiating with happiness and joy. I mean, yeah, sure it had three horns sticking out of its head, but that didn't mean that it wasn't still cute as a button.

It stared at me with a blank expression, which made it look all the cuter, and asked, "Toge?"

"Togetic," Harmony said pleasantly, "begin with Yawn."

The angel smiled and took in a deep breath, its speckled body filling up with air before it blew a pink bubble from its mouth, which steadily grew as it floated gently towards my Gligar. It struck Gligar and burst, having no other obvious effect - I couldn't help but laugh at that, especially after Harmony's reaction to Tangela's Tickle.

"Gligar, show them what an attack should be like," I said after I calmed down a bit, "use Sand Tomb!"

Gligar dug its claws deeply in the mirrored floor, its hard skin protecting it from the shards of glass and began to toss a thick streams of shimmering sand lightened by the glass towards Togetic.

"Dodge it Togetic!" Harmony shouted.

Togetic dropped down onto the ground and fell over slightly. The heaps of sand missed and hit into one of the mirrored walls, causing it to shatter and all fall to the ground instead.

"Oops," I giggled, showing that I was still confident even though I'd just made such a silly mistake.

My purple flying scorpion began to sway from side to side and then collapsed. Sand Tomb shouldn't have done that... should it? I mean, it didn't have any side -effects that I knew of that would effect my Gligar like that. Maybe Togetic's Yawn had done more than I realised? It was hard to tell, I had never encountered that move before, so I couldn't say for sure. However, I surely felt unready for this.

"What's going on?" I asked, naturally puzzled. "My Gligar! Get up!"

Gligar did not move, he was fast asleep.

"Aw," the now bright woman teased, "looks like Gligar's tired."

The judge held up his hand closest to Harmony and said, "Gligar is unable to battle, this round goes to Harmony!"

"What?!" I yelled.

I couldn't believe that that pathetic little bubble knocked Gligar out cold! Sleep was a dangerous effect to get hit with, especially in a battle like this.

"Gligar return," I sighed and held out my PokéBall adding, "you did great, my sweet, sweet Gligar."

I thought on what to use next - Tangela and Gligar were gone, leaving me with Pichu, Shellos, Gardevoir and Politoed. I looked up at the first member of Hoenn's Elite Four. What would she use after Togetic? There was no way either Pichu or Shellos would go up against it, they're my babies and are rarely used for battles, but I had to consider the possibility that they might evolve during the battle, which I knew Shellos was ready for. Gardevoir or Politoed were my only other choices, they'd both get used eventually, but I decided it would be best to leave the strongest of the two for last.

"Go Politoed!" I threw my third ball onto the field.

I covered my eyes as the light filled the room. Once it had cleared, I looked out towards my Pokémon. He stood motionless.

"Mmmmmmmmm…" was all I could hear from my Pokémon.

Politoed was great! He had a wonderful way of fooling his foe and dancing to confuse them. The hypnotic yellow swirl on his green body seemed to spin whenever he danced, mystifying the opponent.

Let me take a moment to tell you a little something about my Politoed - I remember being given this egg one day by a mysterious woman with orange hair. She told me that her Politoed had had an egg but she didn't have time to raise it properly as she was too busy. At first, I thought that was very mean but, when I saw on TV that she was involved in the final destruction of Team Rocket, I realised that it probably would've had a better life with me than possibly getting seriously injured or worse in a serious feat like taking down Team Rocket.

The four of us were stationary - Harmony and Togetic watched Politoed in silence, wondering about what he was going to do. Nothing happened.

"Togetic!" Harmony called out. "Double Edge!"

Togetic hopped back a few steps and the dashed towards Politoed, using its wings to hover a little while running. Politoed did not move from his position. Togetic drew closer and closer. Politoed still did not move. Just as Togetic was about to hit, it stopped.

"What?" Harmony asked, her eyes wide with surprise.

Togetic's face filled with shock and horror as a blue aura engulfed its body. Politoed moved one of its yellow paws, up and down, up and down, continuing the motions as all the while Togetic went crashing into the ceiling and floor in time with Politoed's strange arm dance. Eventually, Politoed stopped and Togetic collapsed onto the mirrored floor, its body and mind exhausted from having to struggle for some semblance of control.

"How did you?" Harmony gasped.

"What? You don't know what an attack does?" I giggled. "How very unprofessional of you."

Harmony clenched her fists, gritted her teeth, but said nothing.

"Politoed knows Psychic!" I exclaimed. "Something I expected a member of the Elite Four to know!"

"It was merely an unexpected twist," Harmony scoffed. "Don't think you're special just because your Pokémon know some decent moves."

"They know more than a few decent moves!" I shouted across at her. "I raised my Pokémon well, I wouldn't be here otherwise!"

"The decision to allow this challenge was not unanimous," Harmony grinned wickedly. "The Champion over-ruled three of us to allow this challenge."

The Champion? I had to admit, I didn't know much about the Champion - this person was very secretive in a certain respect. It wasn't so much secretive, I guess, but more to do with the fact that they didn't get out much due to all the challenges they had to face day-to-day, the paperwork, all that jazz. What kind of life is that, really, for a so-called Champion?

"Are we just gonna stand around here yapping all day?" Harmony sighed.

"Fine," I smiled. "Politoed, go!"

Politoed rose to his feet and danced towards Togetic. He was very delicate and graceful in his movements. The spiralling pattern on his belly fixating Togetic in place - she could not escape.

Togetic looked up just as Politoed approached, her eyes filled with fear.

Politoed required no instructions from me. He knew what to do. He lowered his head till he was level with Togetic and smiled. He rose, drawing in a deep breath as he went, his pink cheeks puffing out as he did. A blue dust began to form in front of his open mouth, spiralling its way, forming a ball of ice. Politoed then stopped. He smiled at his adversary again and exhaled a beam of ice with great speed and force. Togetic was fired backwards and frozen solid!

Politoed, after executing his attack, danced his way back to me and returned to his stationary position, squatting on his hind yellow paws.

"Togetic is unable to battle!" the judge announced, "this round goes to Politoed!"

Harmony remained silent and returned Togetic to her Great Ball in a beam of red.

"Alright," she said as she threw another ball onto the field.

This ball was different - it was pure yellow with green leaves painted on it.
The strange ball flashed open to reveal Harmony's final Pokémon - a giant pink puff-ball with curly hair. I noticed that the bottom half of its body was white with feathers and had a pink pouch with an delicious looking egg inside.

"Hello Blissey," Harmony smiled.

I swallowed, slightly afraid that this battle was going to be over very soon. I'd read about the Happiness Pokémon, that it's low attack was made up for significantly by its high HP and defence. It took a tough trainer, an experienced trainer, to raise up a powerful one. This could go very bad very soon.

"Blissey, use Flash," Harmony said as she covered her eyes.

Blissey raised its short arms up and screamed. A bright light filled the room, its power increasing greatly by the mirrors reflecting the attack. The light filled my head, I noticed Politoed curl into a ball before I had to shield my eyes. My head was spinning. That light was so bright.

It was blinding me, my eyes felt they were going to burn off so much that I just had to scream, "aaahhh!" I was in so much pain.

"Kimi!" I heard Harmony's voice call out to me, but I couldn't see her; and her voice... it felt like there was something in the way, like my ears were plugged up or as if she were so far away... I was so confused...

Eventually, the dizziness took over completely and I felt myself fall to the floor. My body banging against the glass seemed to echo throughout my mind, but I managed to steady myself on the floor. However, I couldn't see. What was going on? I heard Politoed get knocked over, he cried out with the same echo I experienced just moments before. I felt something touch my leg, something soft like human skin. I heard a voice calling for help, Harmony maybe? No, it sounded more like my sister. What was happening?

"Politoed?" I called out.

Everything began to shake. I heard things smash, something pushed me. A crash sounded right beside me, but it seemed so far away. Something was laying on top of me, but it moved and I felt my body shaking. A sudden wave of sound, like white noise, came across my entire being and, after that, I'm not really sure...

When I stood up and opened my eyes, I realised I was somewhere else. Had that Flash done this? What was that shaking? What was that thing that had been on top of my body? Where was Politoed, Blissey and Harmony?

"Hello," a small voice said.

I turned around. No-one was there. There was nothing here, just mirrors. Rows and rows of them, showing thousands of me from different points in my life - me as a baby, a child, me with my Pichu, catching my Ralts, my whole life was literally being flashed right in front of my eyes. However, I was not alone; I was reflected in all of the mirrors but one. One of them was my sister, Mimi. Her glossy pink lips opened and she spoke, but her soft voice never reached me.

"I need your help," the voice said.

It sounded female, but young so I could not be sure. I wandered around the mirrors, looking into each one in the hopes of finding who was talking to me, but all I saw was me.

"They're looking for me," she said.

The reflections changed to dark shadows, causing me to jump back away from them, but they were all around me, surrounding me. The shadows jumped and danced from one mirror to another, always facing me, always watching me.

"Oh God," I gasped and covered my eyes.

"One of them is nice, you get to save him, not the others, not the others, they're all gone, all gone away to the shadows," the voice continued.

What the hell? I didn't understand. One of those menacing shadows was nice? How could I tell which one? What was this all about? I didn't understand. I wasn't even sure I wanted to know, but I found myself with little choice.

"What are you talking about?" I shouted.

One mirror turned completely black, its mass seemed to pour out of the glass, reaching for me as it glided along the floor towards my feet.

"Watch out for her, she leads the shadows," the little voice said.

I didn't care if she was the Queen! I wanted answers and I wanted them now! I wanted to go home! I wanted to finish my battle! I wanted to see my mum and my dad! I wanted to see my sister! I didn't want to die!

"Answer me!" I screamed.

All the mirrors shattered, causing my to let out a frail shriek and fall to the floor, covering my face as sharp glass fell all around me.

"Kimi! Kimi, get up!" A woman said.

Who?

I looked up and saw a tall woman with blonde hair holding her hand out to me. She was wearing tight blue jeans and a lavender top. Her hair bounced its way round her head and past her shoulders as her arms wrapped around my body, embracing me with a kind of sisterly love unlike any other.

"Please," I felt tears dripping onto my face, "tell me you're okay," my sister sobbed.

My eyes fluttered and I clocked on to where I was, what had happened. Then I realised fully that my sister was actually here... but why?

"Why are you here?" I jumped to me feet.

"To cheer you on silly!" My sister smiled gleefully, standing up beside me.

"What happened?" I asked.

I looked around. All the glass was broken, revealing stone walls and a cracked ceiling. Politoed lay on the floor, badly injured, Blissey was struggling to stand, taking short, quick breaths. Harmony too had been knocked to the floor with a few light cuts and scrapes.

"Okay, so that was not a good idea," Harmony shook her head and stood up, "You alright Blissey?"

Blissey said nothing and attempted to steady her breathing.

"From what I can tell, you freaked out," Mimi said, "you panicked in the Flash and just collapsed onto the ground, Blissey attacked Politoed constantly and finished him off with Earthquake. As you can see," she added, "that was not the best plan of action in this kind of battlefield."

"Oh," I sighed and nodded in agreement.

"I got here just as Blissey was sent out," she said as I pulled out my PokéBall and returned Politoed to it, "I'm sorry but I don't know all the details."

"I'm so sorry I let you down," I said to the ball, turning my attention away from my sister, "rest now my friend."

"You ready to carry on?" Harmony asked from the other side of the field.

My sister moved behind me, patting me on the back for good luck and remained stationary in the proverbial box I was enclosed in, to keep us off the field.

"You bet!" I got another ball from my belt and threw out towards the shattered battlefield.

The ball flashed open, the white energy not reflecting as strongly as before, and revealed my final Pokémon - Gardevoir!

My Pokémon appeared gracefully as the swirling white energy took the form of her slender body. Her ball gown bottom danced as a wind blew through a hole in the wall. Her long green arms folded across her red chest. Once fully formed, she flicked a part of her short green hair back, preventing it from getting into her red eyes.
Gardevoir was a real friend to me for so long. Although I mostly travelled with no human companions, Gardevoir was good enough for someone to talk to and help me out. We talked about everything from strategies to boys to family. If it wasn't for her, and all the others of course, I wouldn't have been as prepared for this battle as I was. Gardevoir always told me that I deserved this chance, that I had worked hard for it... and she was right! I wasn't gonna let this woman, my opponent, get me down. All Harmony was doing was rattling my cage and, while it had been working, that was all about to change!

"Let's finish this!" she said confidently.

And so it came down to our last Pokémon each - Gardevoir against Blissey, me against her. This should be easy now, I thought. Blissey looked completely exhausted and was also shaken from the quake. Simple. Gardevoir floated, staring into the beady eyes of her pink fluffy foe. Blissey was almost down, huffing and puffing, tired from battling Politoed. Strangely enough though, Harmony was standing tall, looking down her nose at me.

This was it.

"Gardevoir, finish her off with Psychic!" I commanded.

Gardevoir moved closer and raised her slender green arms up into the air, a blue aura surrounding her.

"Blissey!" Harmony smiled. "Softboiled!"

The egg in Blissey's pink pouch floated up and began to crack open. The blue light that spiralled around Gardevoir concentrated itself in her eyes and a beam of energy shot from them straight for Blissey. However, it was too late - Blissey had already revitalised herself with her egg. Sure, Psychic did good damage, it just wasn't enough now that Blissey's energy had been replenished.

It was then that I realised this battle was over and I was going to lose. I looked down at my feet, my lovely white shoes with bright green laces. I looked at the PokéBall I held in my hand. We'd come so far. I looked at the broken glass walls and floor, the hole in the wall revealing light from the outside world. It felt like so long since I'd been out there, journeying, having fun with my Pokémon. My Gardevoir stood before me, her green arms flopping by her sides as she gasped for breath. This was too much for them too soon, we weren't ready for this. I wasn't ready for this. No wonder they had wanted to over-rule my challenge... I was weak.

"I can't…" I whispered as tears began to stream down my cheeks.

I clutched the ball tightly. My Pokémon deserved better than this. They deserved a trainer who could help them win battles, not ones who just **** up and make stupid mistakes like I'd been doing this entire battle. I wasn't good enough for them. I'd let them all down.

Gardevoir turned to face me, she floated towards me. I felt her green hands on my cheeks, wiping away my tears, just as she always did.

"It's ok." she smiled lovingly.

It wasn't though. I'd let them all down. I'd messed this whole thing up.

"You haven't though," Gardevoir said, wrapping her arms around me.

All of my balls suddenly flashed open and what I'd come to know as my family were around me, supporting me in this difficult time. A small yellow mouse, my sweet baby, appeared on my left shoulder, licking my cheek. A tangled mess of green vines stood proud behind me, his vines embracing me. My cute pink slug popped up in my arms, nuzzling into my chest as tears poured down her face. My Gligar, my orphan, floated at my side with a silly grin on his face, making me realise how much good I had done for him. Politoed sat just a few steps away, his face expressionless, his body motionless, but he was smiling inside. All of them, my family, stood with me.

"It's ok if you choose to not do this." Gardevoir said for them, translating their words as she'd always done for me, even from within her PokéBall. "We understand your feelings because we feel it too."

I looked up, gazed into each of their eyes. I fought back more tears.

"Thank you." I began to sob.

I felt a hand on my shoulder. Mimi.

"You're alright Kimi," she whispered. "We're all here for you."

Gardevoir turned to face my opponent, saying for me, "We have decided to forfeit."

"Are you sure?" the judge asked.

The white woman turned to look at everyone.

They all nodded, saying, "Yes," together.

"Alright." the judge shrugged, "This round goes to Blissey, the winner of the battle is Harmony, First of the Hoenn Elite four!"

In a flurry of red light, all six of my Pokémon returned to their balls, except for my baby, my Pichu, who sat up on my shoulder.

"Thank you." I whispered once more as I wiped the final few tears from my eyes.

"Hey." Harmony smiled gently as she walked over to me.

She hugged me. I nearly died. She hugged me. Weird.

"You battled very well, I was worried a few times there." she laughed, "Congratulations."

As she spoke, more shards of glass fell from the ceiling.

"For what?" I looked up at her.

"For giving me one of the best battles I've had in a long time." she shook my hand, adding, "I knew I was right about you."

I looked around the room - the place had been totalled! It was utterly wrecked, trashed, done for. There was no way that this could possibly be a good experience if it caused all this destruction. A sudden realisation - I had had a part in the destruction of one of the Elite Four's personal battling grounds. Oh ****... how could she possibly be happy about this?

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I was the only one rooting for you," she grinned. "The other three felt you weren't ready and I'm happy to say," Harmony then turned away and swiftly walked towards the judge, "you proved them wrong here today."

I smiled and ran my hand through my hair as my sister came up closer, placing her arm around me

"Get someone in here right now and clean up this mess!" Harmony yelled.

"Yes ma'am!" the judge quickly ran off.

Harmony sighed and shook her head, "I need a bath." she said and also left the arena.

"Come on," Mimi smiled and took my arm.

"What?" I stumbled as she dragged me through the hole in the wall. "Where are we going?" I asked.

"Firstly, you're going to the Pokémon Centre to change those smelly clothes." She looked at me in disgust, although I knew she didn't mean it.

"That all?" I smirked.

"Nope!" She smiled. "After that..."she paused dramatically, "we're going to the Battle Frontier!"

Oh...

Great...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

All thoughts, comments and criticisms are appreciated ^.^