I - Arrival
- Joined
- Jun 5, 2022
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- She/Her
- MATURE Themes
- No MATURE Themes Apply
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- Moderate Violence
- Strong Language or Profanity
- EVERYONE Themes
- Mild Suggestive Themes
- Mild Violence
- Mild Mature Themes
- Other Content Warnings
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to make a long story short, I've been playing Pokken again, and got inspired to write a little something based off of the game's main story with an original character. This is also the first time I've written 4k words for a single chapter!! super happy about that.
hope you enjoy! and I hope I can continue with this kind of writing momentum
always looking for constructive criticism too that helps loads (plus I just like hearing what people think of my stuff <3)
hope you enjoy! and I hope I can continue with this kind of writing momentum
always looking for constructive criticism too that helps loads (plus I just like hearing what people think of my stuff <3)
"So, your name is Anastasia?"
Nia desperately wanted some kind of way to break the ice, but the girl walking beside her wasn't giving her any sort of lifeline to even attempt at doing so. Since the two of them had met, the girl had graced Nia with a greeting and nothing more; how generous. She wanted to know more about this trainer, and maybe become friends with her, but her newly made trainer card could only give her so much to work with.
When being tasked with introducing a brand new, up-and-coming trainer to the Ferrum Region by their parents, Nia had expected someone bubbly and energized, with a drive to train to become the strongest they could alongside their partner Pokémon; this served to be a lesson that making assumptions is a very, very stupid thing to do.
The girl turned at the mention of her name, her sharp, slate eyes making Nia a little uncomfortable paired with her silence — not to mention that resting scowl of hers. She briefly nodded before her eyes focused on the path ahead of them again; well, she answered the question at least.
"…I think that's a nice name," Nia tried again, before nervously clearing her throat. "So! What brings you to Ferrum?"
"I've only battled with my parents' Pokémon before," Anastasia replied. "They brought me here to strengthen my abilities with a partner of my own,"
Nia sighed a little in relief; now they were getting somewhere. "I see… What kind of Pokémon did you choose?"
"Scizor,"
"That's a great choice! Is there any reason why you picked it?"
"She's strong, fast, and dependable," she answered simply.
"I suppose those are some fair reasons. I'll take an educated guess that you have your sights on the Ferrum League, but is there anything else you'd want to do while you're here in Ferrum?"
She didn't respond this time; Nia wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt in that she didn't know what else there was to do here, or she was simply tired of talking to her already… Either way, she had a feeling that was all she was going to get out of her advisee for the time being. It took them about five minutes to reach their destination, a small, cozy town nestled within the center of Ferrum's more populated areas.
"This is Old Ferrum Town," Nia explained, turning down a street. "It's a town with lots of history and landmarks to check out in your free time; as small as it is, there's still tons to do! This is a nice place to go if you want a break from the hustle and bustle of everything, but not too far away from the rest of society. You might see a few battles go on here from time to time, but they aren't as big as ones you'll see elsewhere. Plus, it's lovely in the wintertime."
She stopped in a somewhat open plaza, sparsely dotted with people going about their own activities with their Pokémon. She reached into her pocket and took out her phone, which had a little Weavile head dangling from a little chain that bounced gently with her movement. She tapped a few buttons on it, and a three-dimensional holographic display of an island could be seen before them.
"If you couldn't tell, this is the Ferrum Region, where we are now," Nia continued. "There's a few places you could explore, if you so desire." she tapped on the hologram, and a few location points popped up; she pointed at the one in the center first. "We're here, in Old Ferrum Town, like I said before. And over here…" she directed her finger to another point. "Is the Ferrum Stadium, where the biggest battles in the Ferrum League take place; you've already signed up for participating in the league, haven't you?"
Anastasia nodded.
"Well, I'm sure you'll get to battle there soon enough; I'll talk more on that later," Nia said encouragingly, before pointing out two more locations. "This is Tellur Town, and over there is Techne City. Tellur Town's a place even quieter than Old Ferrum; it's a village in the mountains northeast from here. Some of the Ferrum's strongest veterans live here now, you know. I've heard it's a nice place to train in solitude. And speaking of, Techne City is the place to go for training yourself in the art of Ferrum Battles. There are three gyms here which you can train in: the Speed and Power Training Gyms are what you'd expect, training those specific attributes of you and your partner, and then there's a standard Training Gym that challenges a bit of both aspects. Getting all this so far?"
"You talk far too much," Anastasia acknowledged rather bluntly.
"…Noted," Nia replied, fiddling with her hair awkwardly. "Just trying to help you get to know Ferrum a little better. Uhm… there's the Haunted House, where you can take on unique challenges to earn special rewards, or so I've heard. Oh! And there's Neos City! That's where you were dropped off, right? Well, I'm sure you'll figure out the gist of what goes on there; I won't bore you with any more details." She tried not to sound like a pouty child with that response, but she was still a bit stung by Anastasia's abrasiveness. "Other than that, I think that's all from me. Feel free to explore for a bit for the day, or you can head straight to getting into Ferrum League business!"
"That's where we'll go," Anastasia spoke up decidedly, taking a Poké Ball from the satchel around her waist. She opened it up, and released Scizor, who flexed her pincers eagerly. "Come on, Scizor." She immediately began to walk away at a quick pace, and Nia followed, albeit a little slower as she stuffed her phone back into her pocket.
"H-Hey, just wait a second! Do you even know how to get all the way to the Stadium?" Nia asked.
Anastasia halted momentarily, averting her gaze as Nia joined her side. "I could've figured it out," she mumbled, a little embarrassed she didn't think that far.
Nia's face softened; she may be a little prickly, but she was still a young trainer at the end of the day, just trying to achieve her goals. And as her advisor, Nia was going to help her out in any way she could, whether she liked it or not.
"Flying taxis are a good option," she suggested. "How are you with heights?"
"Just fine,"
"Good, there's a station not too far from here; we can head there together,"
Nia chuckled a little at the darkened look in Anastasia's eyes at that suggestion, folding her arms. "I won't say a word the whole way there; I promise."
A moment of silence stretched itself out as Anastasia considered the option. "You better keep that promise," she murmured, to which Nia smiled ear to ear at. "Show me where it is."
"C'mon, follow me and I'll show you," Nia answered, gesturing ahead of her with her head.
======
"Just a flight for two to Ferrum Stadium then?"
The Flying Taxi attendant leaned against the door of his carriage, brushing some dust from the shoulders of the jacket he was wearing.
"Yep!" Nia answered.
"That'll be 64,000 PG then, miss,"
Anastasia began to dig into her bag for her wallet, but Nia stopped her, shaking her head. "No worries; I can cover it for you," she said, hoping to be at least a little bit more on Anastasia's good side through little acts as opposed to trying to get through to her by talking her ear off.
Anastasia didn't answer, but her hand slipped out of her bag, returning Scizor while Nia paid the fare.
"Right then, hop on in, and we'll be on our way in no time flat!" the attendant said, opening the carriage door to let them inside, shutting it behind them. "Let's hit the skies, Corviknight!" he climbed atop his avian Pokémon, patting the side of its head. It crowed, flapping its wings and bringing the taxi into the air, while the rider guided it in the direction of Ferrum Stadium.
Anastasia had resorted to looking out the window while she waited. Lush, expansive forest A winding river split through the middle of the land, leading out to Neos City in the south on one end and spreading further into the mainland on the other. Nia occasionally glanced at the girl while she did so, though her attention was mainly on her phone, watching a previously recorded battle.
"The match is now tied!" A voice — someone that sounded like an announcer — could be heard. "It's up to this final round to decide the victor!"
Anastasia looked over momentarily, curious, yet hesitant. "What are you watching?" she asked.
Nia shrugged, making a zipped-lip motion with her free hand; she promised, and she was going to stick to it.
Anastasia's frown deepened. "Speak."
"But I promised!" Nia teased. "But if you're curious… Check it out." she held the phone out towards her so she could have a better look. "I like to watch old battles to help with my training, and found a Chroma League match! And it looks like a real doozy of one."
"The… Chroma League?" Anastasia raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, I should've explained that, huh?" Nia replied. "But I shouldn't. I already broke my promise and all…"
"Forget the promise. Tell me,"
"If you insist…" Nia grinned, pausing the video and settling into her seat a little more comfortably. "The way the Ferrum League works is a little different from other regions. Here, the league is actually split up into four separate leagues, with corresponding ranks. Only participants of a certain rank or higher can take part in each. The top is the A-ranked Chroma League, and then all the way at the bottom is the D-ranked Green League, where you'll start out."
"What do I have to do to advance to the next rank?"
"Well, within the leagues are League Matches; you battle other trainers to increase your placement among your fellow D-ranks. Get in the top eight, and you'll be able to participate in a tournament with the other seven. If you win that, you can take a Promotion Test, a special match against the League Master."
"And if I win that, I can rank up,"
"You got it! It should go without saying that your opponents will get stronger and stronger the higher you climb, so try to match that pace with your training. Everyone is in this to find out who the best Battle Trainer in Ferrum is, so make your mark with the bond between partner and Pokémon!"
"Hm. Understood," Anastasia replied, looking back to the window.
"Looks like we're almost there," Nia peered out the window on her side, where the Ferrum Stadium was beginning to get closer with the Flying Taxi's descent. Approaching the drop-off station, people by the hundreds were heading into the stadium, joined by their Pokémon of all shapes and sizes. Anastasia saw a trainer nearby walking with an Annihilape, and another with a Vespiquen. With so many people gathered in one place like this… Anastasia hadn't seen anything quite like it before in person.
"Hope you aren't getting cold feet now," Nia joked, stepping out of the taxi carriage. "You're steps away from the start of an incredible journey as a Battle Trainer."
Anastasia simply huffed, bringing out her Scizor again and making a beeline for the entrance, while Nia trailed after her. The sounds of clamoring, mingling voices grew stronger as the duo passed through the entrance. Anastasia almost found herself wanting to be rooted to the ground, but hardly had the chance to stand still with so many people around. Everything felt like it was melding within itself, pounding at her relentlessly while she could barely fight back. Her face grew tense, eyes squeezed tight trying to block it all out by sheer will alone, but that led to less than optimal results.
Nia noticed Anastasia's change in attitude, confused. "…Everything okay, Anastasia?" she tried to talk somewhat over everything else. "I know this can be a bit much for someone's first time—"
"Shut up. Out," she said almost immediately.
"Out?"
"Out!"
Her sudden urgency was enough for Nia to get at least a part of what was going on. She took Anastasia by the hand and carefully guided her back outside, and away from the current of people entering and exiting. Anastasia's eyes were still tightly shut, and she was now clenching and unclenching her fists in a repeated, rhythmic motion while taking deep breaths.
"Is… is this better now?" Nia asked quietly.
Anastasia's hand shot up, silencing her before going back to clenching her fists. After a few moments, her body relaxed, and the motions stopped.
Her eyes opened, and her breathing returned to normal. "I'm not going in there," she said, completely serious.
"It's a lot being in the stadium like that, I know, but—"Nia started.
"Listen. I am not going back in there," Anastasia reiterated, saying it slower to cement her point.
"Ok, then," Nia nodded in understanding. "Can you wait here then? There's a few things I need to get for you."
Anastasia nodded, and Nia went back inside, leaving her and Scizor alone for the time being. "How on earth does she do that?" she murmured, seeing Nia disappear in the sea of bodies. "Is that supposed to be something easy to deal with…?" she sighed, taking a seat on a nearby bench. That was pathetic, but it was all she could do in the moment. She didn't know what to do in the moment. All she wanted to do was detach herself from it all.
Scizor started to clench her pincers idly, mimicking Anastasia's clenching fists. but stopped when Anastasia started staring at her. "Do that again," she asked, sitting up a little straighter.
Scizor nodded, and repeated the action, bringing a slightest hint of a smile to Anastasia's face. "I like that," she murmured. Scizor seemed pleased by this, giving her a smile in return.
Nia came back soon after, holding a few things in her hands. "Alright then, Anastasia, here's some stuff you'll need if you want to take on the Green League,"
She was first handed some kind of round device, which Nia showed her how to fasten to her ear.
"This is called a Battle AR," her advisor explained. "It's a neat little earpiece that syncs you up with your Battle Pokémon. And you can communicate with them with the extendable microphone." To show what she meant, Nia held two fingers to the center of the earpiece, tapping on it before gently sliding them forward. As she did, what looked to be the microphone she mentioned began to push outwards, stopping just before Anastasia's mouth, tapping the center again to retract it. "Neat, huh? I sort of picked a random color though; is white okay with you?"
"White is fine," Anastasia said.
"Great! One more thing. You have a phone, don't you?"
Anastasia nodded, taking it out for Nia to see.
"Perfect; can I see it for a sec?"
Once handed to her, Nia began typing away at something, and a chime could be heard once she was finished.
"What did you do?" Anastasia asked.
"I downloaded a little app that'll help keep track of your progress climbing the ranks," Nia said. "You'll be able to see your place on the leaderboard in real time!"
Sure enough, when looking at the app herself, she could see her name among the other D-ranked Battle Trainers, placed 65th out of 90 participants.
"Looks like you've already got a bit of a head start!" Nia chimed in, looking over her shoulder. "I'm sure you'll be in the top eight in no time!"
Anastasia put her phone back into her pocket, gesturing to Scizor as she walked away again, and Nia chuckled. "Mind telling me when you're going off somewhere?" she said, following her.
"Get used to it," was all Anastasia answered with. "If I want to rank up, I need to start battling now."
"Okay, okay, I get it; you're eager to get into it. There should be trainers all over Ferrum just waiting to be challenged. That app I downloaded for you is used by every Battle Trainer there is in the region. You can look for nearby trainers that way."
"Hey, you!" a voice yelled from behind, startling the girls. "With the white hair! I'm talking to you!"
"…Or some might come to you," Nia said.
They turned to see a boy with wild, unkempt black hair and striking brown eyes wearing a black Charizard T-shirt and jeans. "You're a D-ranked trainer too, aren't you? And a pretty weak one by the looks of it; I bet you aren't even in the top 30."
Anastasia's eyes narrowed to slits, pursing her lips.
"Well, that wasn't nice! I'm sure she's plenty strong!" Nia interjected with a frown.
"Aren't you supposed to be a battle advisor? You should know if she's strong or not, no?" He sneered, grinning.
"That's enough," Anastasia said before Nia could answer, her voice sharp. "Fight me and prove yourself."
The boy's hands slid into his pocket with an overconfident snicker. "Suit yourself; that's an easy way to get me another step closer to the top of the Green League!"
"Wait, we're having a fight right here?!" Nia jolted. "B-But we haven't even set up a Battle Capsule—"
"Come on, Charizard!"
The boy hurled his Poké Ball into the air, and a ball of flames hurtled back down to the ground, revealing the draconic Pokémon once the heat and smoke dissipated. While his entrance alone turned some heads, he grabbed even more attention with his powerful roar.
Anastasia however was far from intimidated. "Tear them apart, Scizor," she commanded.
Scizor nodded, sprinting towards Charizard to deliver a heavy punch to his face, much to his and his trainer's surprise.
"L-Lucky shot!" the boy scoffed.
Anastasia turned on her Battle AR, bits of holographic information appearing in her field of view. A window of information on her opponent could be seen, which she expanded. "Ryuji Nakabayashi," she murmured to herself. "Ranked 48th. Big talk for someone not even in the top 30 themselves."
Charizard retaliated with an attack of his own, clenching his fists and lighting them ablaze before lunging at the metallic insect. Scizor's wings twitched, and it swerved instantaneously, landing a hook to the back of her opponent's head and throwing him face-first into the concrete. The impromptu crowd were beginning to grow invested in this little street-side scuffle, gathering around in a ring while the combatants continued and recording footage on their phones.
Scizor clamped down on Charizard's tail with her pincers, smiling hearing the Fire-type growl in pain. With a grunt of effort, she pulled him up and swung him around, throwing him in the air, before ensnaring him in a tangle of tight, thick webbing. She dragged him back by the thread, making direct contact with a punch to his stomach.
Nia, although still somewhat hesitant, watched with bright eyes at such a heated battle. Anastasia's experiences with battling that she shared earlier was most certainly being put to the test here, and she was passing with flying colors. From where she was standing, she was able to see the intense concentration on the trainer's face, even starting to move a little in tandem with Scizor's actions, like she and her partner were one and the same.
Her synergy was sparking to life before her very eyes.
"I said fight, not show off," Anastasia called out. "You wanted this, didn't you? Then take this seriously!"
Ryuji was practically fuming, amusingly mirroring his similarly annoyed Charizard. "Don't you get cocky!" he snarled.
Charizard bellowed, plumes of fire erupting from his mouth. Scizor raised her fists in response, eyes glowing and narrowed. Charizard moved first, charging towards his opponent to deliver a critical Fire Fang. Anastasia slid to the right from where she was standing, and Scizor did the same, narrowly avoiding the blow, but what the two of them weren't prepared for was the sudden swing of Charizard's tail in retaliation, knocking the Bug-type to the ground. Anastasia tensed; she should've been prepared for something like that.
Ryuji smirked as his Pokémon dragged his opponent against the ground, flapping his wings and dragging Scizor straight into the air, spinning through the sky and throwing her straight down with a resonating impact. Anastasia felt a sudden pain split through her body for a moment, but it went away as soon as it had appeared. Charizard shot after the fallen fighter, flaming fist raised to deliver another crushing blow. Scizor rolled out of the way to narrowly avoid it, jumping to her feet and inching away from the opposing Pokémon.
"Don't give up," Anastasia said. "That's all I ask."
Scizor nodded, clamping her pincers down determinedly. However, neither the trainer nor her Pokémon moved, giving Charizard an open target to strike. But that would serve to be his detriment.
"Hold," Anastasia instructed.
Charizard surged towards Scizor, engulfed in fire as he attacked with Flare Blitz, one of his strongest moves. closer and closer he approached, but Scizor still didn't move. She trusted Anastasia's word.
Then, a deft movement.
Anastasia widened her stance and held up her hands in a blocking posture, while Scizor echoed the action. Charizard made impact, but she stood strong, pushing back against the onslaught with one hand, so she could strike with the other, disrupting the Flare Blitz and sending Charizard backwards.
With what shreds of energy Scizor had remaining, she showered Charizard in a brutal barrage of Bullet Punches, not letting up until she was sure he was down. The lizard was thrown back to Ryuji's side, sliding against the coarse ground beneath them. Quiet anticipation hung in the air as everyone waited for Charizard to get up, to retaliate, to do anything. But they were met with nothing.
Scizor had prevailed.
Everyone cheered with excitement, chatting amongst themselves at what they had just witnessed. The intense, focused state Anastasia was once in had faded, and everything both inside and out felt like it was suddenly pounding at her. She dropped to her knees, clenching and unclenching her fists with her eyes closed tight. Scizor fell alongside her, completely devoid of energy now. Nia sensed something similar to what had happened earlier was occurring now, so she did her best to hoist Anastasia up to her feet, taking out Scizor's Poké Ball from her bag to return her, and carefully guiding her through the loud crowd.
Anastasia couldn't seem to remember much after that. Everything around her felt like vivid flashes and nothing more. The loud sounds began to subside, and that initial stress from it all started to give way to exhaustion. Her body could barely hold itself up walking alongside Nia, and she felt like she was about to melt away.
"Anastasia? Hold on a little tighter…" Nia's voice was faint in her ears, bits and pieces unable to be understood. "…Almost th…. Arceus.. ope she's okay…"
Her concentration struggled to hold, only worsening the more she tried. Her body was simply unable to take any more.
======
She could feel the wind in the air, fluttering her hair gently.
It was cool. Comforting, like a cherished embrace.
She felt tall grass underneath her hands, and the faintest scent of morning dew was carried by the breeze.
Where was this? It felt like a wonderful place to rest, and most importantly, it was almost completely silent. No loud people to worry about, nothing that could jump out at her. It was just peaceful.
There was nothing but her and the very essence of Mother Nature surrounding her.
Her eyes lifted to the skies, and she froze.
A figure loomed, jet black in color, and dripping with some kind of strange, purple energy. That was all she managed to make out. And as quickly as it had appeared, it vanished.
What was that thing…?
