Selene
Well...this Expo had begun all promising and exciting...but now Selene couldn't help but feel ever so slightly bored. Which was ever so unusual for Selene - normally it took a lot to get her bored to the extent that she noticed that she was bored, but again she usually surrounded herself with people...person...Valorie...but anyway, people were off battling at the moment, so she was browsing the stands of the Expo on her own.
"Might aswell go and look into future careers...got nothing better to do...sorting out the rest of my life wouldn't be so bad," she mumbled to herself, punctuating words with wistful sighs and scuffs of her toes on the floor - she noticed strange looks from some around her, but she didn't really care...at all. Yes. Finding out what she wanted to do with her life was a good idea...it would certainly prove a distraction from her boredom and the subject of Valorie...boy, that was definitely a quagmire to stay away from for now. Too much of her day had been spent angsting over it, and Selene wasn't one for prolonged worry and anxiety, life was too short for her usually happy-go-lucky attitude to be interrupted.
Making her way over to a stand for the Pokemon Centre, she lifted up a colourful pamphlet and leafed through it lightly, skimming over all the benefits of and how worthwhile a career as a Pokemon nurse or surgeon could be. Hmmm. There was a lot of study involved here...a hell of a lot of study...after the Academy she would have to go on to College...then take on an internship in a Junior position for a number of years before qualifying fully...wow. That was intense...as much as she would like to help Pokemon like that, she wasn't sure if she could dedicate her life to study so much.
"Are you okay there?" came a familiar voice from in front of her, and Sel looked up to see Nurse Joy smiling down at her, hands crossed in front of her primly over her uniform. With a nod, Selene tucked the leaflet into her bag and grinned sheepishly.
"Yes, thank you Nurse Joy...just looking around...trying to figure out my life, you know," she laughed somewhat nervously and noticed that Nurse Joy didn't laugh along with her, instead her smile had become somewhat fixed as she watched the girl in front of her nervously, as though expecting her to flip and turn over the stand any moment. Did she look that crazy..? Perhaps her stress was showing more than she had thought...coughing, she indicated backwards with her head and backed away from the stand with a small wave, inwardly cringing...oh man...way to freak out the Nurse...
Before she could make her way over to the next stand, however, she was distracted by the sound of gasps and shrieks, people falling to the ground and then a bubbling laughter...huh? What was going on?? Looking around, her heart seemed to stop and time seemed to slow impossibly as her eyes fell on Valorie...sat like a small child, crying her eyes out with people around her laughing...why were they laughing?! Her mind seemed to go blank, as though Cat had taken control of it as they had practiced in training when Sel needed rest but refused to let up, devoid of conscious thought. Pushing her way through the students around her, she grunted and growled at a number who refused to be shoved out of the way until she was next to Valorie, dropped to one knee in front of her with a hand held out ready to comfort her...
And then all conscious thought seemed to return to her head like a Golem using Rollout.
Why the hell had she done that?! Now there she was, on one knee in front of Valorie as though she were about to bloody well propose or something...why why why why had she done this? Selene was astounded to discover that she couldn't follow any train of thought from seeing her once best friend crying on the floor to being here in front of her...this was beyond awkward...
She couldn't break her eyes away from Valorie's...it was as though she was a Deerling caught in the headlights of an articulated lorry and just couldn't look away no matter how much she may be screaming at herself to do so mentally. Her mouth opened as though she were about to speak...and then closed abruptly before opening again...she must look like a landed Magikarp or something similarly stupid...
"...seriously, what is she bawling for like a slapped Togepi? It was only a prank...Arceus, how weak and stupid can you get?.."
Selene heard the words whispered not-so-quietly behind her and stood up, turning slowly to face the whisperer, whose face seemed to fall somewhat as she gauged the reaction etched all over Sel's face...fury, pure rage...this was not good for the girl, especially as Sel's hand had automatically flown to one of the PokeBalls on her belt.
"What...did you just say? My best friend...is in tears, scared to death...and you, all of you, are just laughing?? NONE of you even offered to help her up when she fell? You all DISGUST ME!" she bellowed in the face of the girl after looking around at those surrounding them, her face contorted with anger, quickly shutting up the remaining snickers and laughter.
"Well...why should I? She completely overreacted to a harmless prank...and she knocked herself and nearly everyone else over...so she should be apologising to us!" the girl not-so-wisely argued with Sel, stepping back abruptly as a PokeBall was shoved into her face. Eyes crossed, the girl looked at the PokeBall then up to Selene's face, grimacing slightly at the expression of anger on it.
"Oh yeah? Well, as you can see, Valorie isn't really capable of apologising to anyone right now, so how about I'll settle this on her behalf. She's not apologising to anybody, and my Pokemon will make sure you shut your mouth too," with that she released Cat, even as the girl opposite let out her Weepinbell.
"Whatever you say, Weepy, use Vine Whip!" she ordered, thin vines stretching out from Weepinbell to strike at Cat. However, Cat being so agile wasn't particularly threatened by such physical attacks, and utilised the Capoeira training that Selene had given all her Pokemon by evading first one, then the second vine with a well timed double Esquiva. "Weepy, focus!! Faster!!" shouted the girl, Weepinbell bringing the vines up high together, ready to smash down onto Cat.
"Not likely. Cat, Psybeam!" ordered Selene, pointing forwards, Cat lifting her spoon rapidly and taking full advantage of Weepinbell's lack of protection with both vines lifted into the air, firing a well-aimed Psybeam straight between the grass Pokemon's eyes. Flying backwards, the Weepinbell collided with a trainer and collapsed to the ground, lifting up slowly...of course! Psychic attacks were doubly effective against Weepinbell because of it's Grass/Poison dual-typing!! Whipping her PokeDex out of her bag, Selene checked out her hunch to make sure she was correct, and smirked in satisfaction as the PokeDex confirmed her suspicions.
"PoisonPowder!" yelled the girl, and Selene watched with only a degree of anxiety as the powder sprinkled over Cat - yes, she was poisoned, but it was quite obvious that her opponent was completely unaware of Kadabra's ability...yep, as Cat flinched from the poisoning, so did the Weepinbell. "What the...what's going on?!" shouted the girl, running forward as her already weakened Weepinbell let out a shriek as it was harmed by the poisoning.
"Do your research before you dive into a battle okay?" advised Selene with a smirk on her face, nodding once at Cat and calling out "Now! Use Psybeam again!" As her Kadabra focused her Psybeam into her spoon, Selene watched as the girl tried to coax her Weepinbell into evading the attack but it was too late for her - the damage had been done, the Grass Pokemon was already too weak. The Psybeam smashed into the Weepinbell, and it promptly fainted as it was thrown backwards across the floor limply. Returning the Weepinbell, Sel's opponent looked up at her with an irritated expression before tossing out a second PokeBall...a Kirlia! Psychic versus Psychic...well, Selene had just the plan for this.
"Light Screen, Cat!" shouted Selene, watching as Cat threw up a barrier of light that would boost Special Defence, before being hit by a Confusion by the Kirlia opposite her. Selene's eyebrow cocked at the move...Confusion? The weakest Psychic move against a psychic Pokemon who has just set up a Light Screen?? Although the move hardly damaged Cat at all, Selene returned her Kadabra with a smirk and whipped Gordon's PokeBall off her belt, tossing it out onto the field with a small laugh.
"A Pansear? Really, that's the best you've got?" snickered the girl, obviously not rating Gordon's chances of winning the battle all too highly. Selene remained silent, simply folding her arms across her chest and watching, Gordon keeping his eyes fixed on the Kirlia opposite him and ready to attack - the minute Selene called out "Bite, Gordon!" he was ready, flying across the battlefield with his fangs bared and ready to crunch down on the Kirlia.
"Teleport!! Kirlia, NOW!" shouted the girl, and Selene watched as Gordon faceplanted the ground, the Kirlia having Teleported away just in time. Tense moments passed, Selene balling her hands into fists by her sides and Gordon pushing himself up nimbly to his feet, looking around ready to counter any attack should Kirlia appear. With a whisper, Kirlia reappeared beside Gordon, and before the girl could instruct the Kirlia further, Gordon had roared and lunged forward, sinking his teeth into Kirlia's arm in the Bite attack that he had been waiting for. The Kirlia squealed and flailed about, trying to shake Gordon off its' arm, but Gordon wasn't for moving - in fact, he drew his teeth back slightly before chomping back down doubly hard making the Kirlia shriek ridiculously loudly.
"Okay Gordon, enough, draw back!" shouted Selene, watching as the girl ordered the Kirlia to use Reflect to protect herself against any further physical attacks - predominantly, she suspected, Bite. Fine. Time to change tactic then.
"Flamethrower, Gordon!" yelled Selene loudly, watching as Gordon drew back before opening his mouth and sending out a powerful jet of flame towards the Kirlia, who Teleported out of the way once more. However, she seemed to be dangerously weakened, unable to hold her disappearing act for more than a few seconds before reappearing a mere foot or two from where she had originally been stood. As Gordon turned his Flamethrower towards Kirlia a second time, she didn't react in time and was incinerated by the flames, collapsing to the floor in a fainted slump as was revealed when Gordon clamped his jaws shut and halted the Flamethrower.
Growling, the girl returned her Kirlia and drew out another PokeBall, this time revealing a Pelipper. Oh brilliant, of course her final Pokemon was a Water-type Pokemon. Well, Selene was by no means done, and should Gordon fall in this battle she had the perfect opponent for this big water bird.
"Water Gun!" shouted the girl, the jet of water flying towards Gordon who swiftly managed to roll out of the way of the attack, wincing slightly as a few drops landed on his fur - wow, he must be really sensitive to water for even the feel of it on his fur to irritate him, thought Selene in the back of her mind. Her mouth threatened to fall slightly agape as she watched the speed with which the Pelipper responded to Gordon's evasion and changed the direction of the Water Gun, hitting Gordon in the side as he attempted to escape once more.
"Gordon, we can do this, go with Grass Knot!" she ordered, watching as Gordon used Grass Knot and sent Pelipper falling towards the ground, the bird Pokemon only just able to catch itself before it hit the ground. On it's trainer's orders it retaliated with Aqua Jet, and as the Pelipper slammed into Gordon, Selene knew that he wouldn't be able to withstand that attack...as he rolled over the ground loosely, Sel knew that he had fainted. And so he had. Returning him, Selene smirked up at the girl, who had been looking at her with the exact same expression before registering Sel's.
"What are you looking so pleased for?" she asked, voice shaking with a slight tremor on the 'pleased' before Selene pulled the PokeBall she had decided on as soon as Pelipper was revealed.
"This. Go, Ryan!" she called out, throwing the PokeBall with a loud laugh that made the girl look even more confused...until her Pikachu was revealed, standing on his two hind legs and grinning wickedly at the Pelipper above him. Her face seemed to deflate into an acceptance of defeat, but to her merit she continued the battle, calling on her Pelipper to use Water Gun.
"Ryan, take it and use Thunderbolt!" Selene shouted with a fist clenched out in front of her, eyes blazing with excitement. Yes she was being loud as usual, but she didn't care. This one shot and the battle was hers! She watched as Ryan began charging up his attack, staying right where he was as the Water Gun washed down over him...then as soon as the water hit his ears, he unleashed the Thunderbolt. Selene let out a whoop as the lightning travelled up the Water Gun, conducted by the very attack intended to hurt Ryan, and struck the Pelipper. Wth a cry, the Pokemon stopped the Water Gun as it was frazzled, the water ebbing away to reveal a drenched but determined looking Ryan maintaining his Thunderbolt until the Pelipper fainted and fell like a dead weight to the floor.
"No...no...I can't believe you did this!" shouted the girl, rushing over to her Pelipper and stroking it's wings lightly before returning it and pointing at Selene accusingly. "You were so brutal to my Pokemon just to make an example of me! because I laughed at your friend! Well guess what - she was ridiculous to respond to a prank like that, and I will never apologise for mocking her until she decides to grow up and stop behaving like a big BABY!" she shouted angrily, whirling round on her heel and running through the crowds.
A stunned silence seemed to wash over the spectators. Selene looked around and shrugged. "Well that was a massive overreaction. And I would advise none of you to take the same line as she did...or else..." she clicked her tongue and Ryan leapt up onto her shoulder, she stroked his tail before looking round to Valorie anxiously. Great...so now she had, very publicly, taken on a girl for laughing at Valorie's misfortune...and now how did she behave with the girl she had defended? Again, why had she done that?! As far as she was aware, she and Valorie were no longer friends even...let alone anything else...and she didn't even know how to look at her, let alone speak to her now.