Pokémon TCG: Sword and Shield—Brilliant Stars

Eternal Bonds (Updated 2/06)

i'd say if u can throw in the history of cyrus, that would be great. i would love to hear the story of y he became the leader of team galactic.
 
Chapter 3: Fight or Flight; Part 2​


It was late afternoon when Cynthia finally found her way out of the deep mists of Route 210. She had wandered blindly through the fog since before dawn, barely able to see her hands in front of her face, running straight into no less than three trainers, who had all demanded that she battle them. The Pokemon that Palmer had given to her the day before, a Feebas, was knocked out, and Gible soon would be.

If Cynthia weren't as tired, she might have jumped for joy at the sight of the small cafe almost right in front of her. As it was, she simply smiled slightly and trudged a little faster toward it.
Perfect, she thought wryly. Now, of course, something else will have to go wrong. Nothing else seemed to happen, though, so she quickly skittered toward the small building, glancing around nervously to make sure there were no more Trainers or wild Pokemon around.

As soon as she got inside, Cynthia sunk down into one of the small chairs, intending only to rest for a moment.

"Hey, kiddo, you okay? Lemme guess, just got through Route 210?" a waitress asked, peering critically at Cynthia, who merely nodded.

"Hold on just a sec," the waitress told her, and walked off before Cynthia could say anything. "Here ya go, nice cold Moomoo Milk." she said a moment later, appearing out of nowhere behind Cynthia again, and setting several bottles of milk on the table in front of Cynthia.

"How much?" Cynthia asked, pulling a small coin pouch out of her bag. The waitress shook her head.

"Naw, it's on the house. Ya look like ya need it." she answered.

"No. How much?" Cynthia asked again.

"Not a penny. If ya won't take it fer yerself, take it fer yer Pokemon." the waitress said firmly, walking away again and leaving Cynthia with the milk. Cynthia sighed, and stuffed the bottles of milk in her bag.

Just as she was about to leave, the door of the cafe opened, and a man with vivid orange hair and an absurdly colorful outfit burst in. Cynthia turned to look at him, and noticed that several others did the same. The man smiled, clearly expecting the response, but Cynthia in particular seemed to catch his eye. He winked at one of the waitresses, who blushed and hurried off, then plunked down into the chair across from Cynthia.

Cynthia glared at him, and grabbed her bag, but he stopped her.

"It's alright, stay awhile." he said calmly, then gazed at her, analyzing her. "New trainer, huh? You okay?"

"I'm fine." Cynthia insisted, getting up.

"Are your Pokemon ready to battle?" he persisted.

"No..." Cynthia admitted sheepishly. He pulled several Revives from a pocket and handed them to her, winking again. "No, I really don't need-" Cynthia protested, but was interrupted.

"Then give them to someone who does."

"Just who do you think you are, anyway?" she complained. "You're in my way, I don't have time for this..." Cynthia trailed off. The man's face had fallen, and he looked downright glum. "I'm sorry..." she mumbled, ashamed.

"You've never heard of the Champion?" he asked in mock amazement, but there was an undertone of disappointment in his voice.

"You're Teroel Andze?" she asked scornfully.

"The one and only!" he shouted, holding up his Trainer ID card. Cynthia noted that he looked remarkably similar to the immature protagonist of a popular cartoon show that she had watched as a child. She stared at him for a moment, embarrassed and disappointed.

As he put the card away, seemingly flustered by her lack of a response, Cynthia looked at him more carefully, searching for some sign of intelligence.
Spiked orange hair, sparkling amber eyes, black suit, red and yellow cape made with overlapping layers of nylon and an uneven edge, probably designed to look like fire.
Cynthia sighed. The very definition of immaturity, she thought. How could the champion of Sinnoh be a man like this?

Apparently, Andze was confused by her disdain.
"Come now, we were having a fine conversation. No need to start this hero-worship nonsense." he said cheerfully. The waitress he had winked at before, still blushing, handed him a bottle of milk, then scurried off again.

"Hero-worship?! I'd have more respect for the backside of a Skuntank than for you!" Cynthia sputtered, furious, but Andze merely smiled in a way that he probably thought charming, and left. Cynthia, still fuming, got up to leave.

But before she did so, she dropped a couple of coins of the table to pay for the milk.

------------------------

Cynthia is 12, Kerys is 10, Corion is 6. This might change; there's a reason I didn't put it in the story anywhere yet.

The history of Cyrus will be in this fic eventually...
 
For a second or two I thought the man Cynthia met was a younger version of Flint or his dad from the descripbtions, until Teroel's name was mentioned. Haha, good chapter.
~Cyber~
 
Okay, chapters should be going up fast-ish for a while. I got a lot written on the way to Nats. However, I don't have the next chapter finished yet. Since there's something that I still haven't decided, I'm trying this.
Whoever PMs me the correct (or closest to correct) answers to these questions will be able to decide something in the next chapter.

1: What is the basis for the name Kerys?

2: Who or what was the 'smaller figure' from the prologue?

3: Which of these places will Kerys end up in first?
A. Mt. Coronet.
B. Sandgem.
C. Veilstone.
 
Okay, out of time.


Chapter 4: No Going Back​


"You okay, Kerys?" Jen, 15-year-old resident of Celestic Town, and something of a mentor to Kerys, asked kindly.

"I'm just sleepy. I think I was up all night." the younger boy muttered.

"Bet your parents wouldn't like that! Don't worry, I'm just kidding. I'm not gonna tell." Jen teased. "But seriously, Kerys, you gotta wake up and think. You probably know more about why your sister left that any of the rest of us, where do you think she'd go?"

Kerys only took a moment to think before answering.
"Where do you go to become an official Pokemon Trainer?"

"In the Sinnoh region, Jubilife." Jen answered. "You think that's where she was going?"

"I know that's where she was going." Kerys insisted.

"Well, if that's the case, she'll pass through Solaceon, probably, which is where we're headed anyway." one of the adults remarked.

"Why did Cinny go away?" Corion asked, sniffling, from behind Kerys.

"Because she wants to become a great Trainer like Palmer is." Kerys explained patiently for what felt like the thousandth time. Still, he felt genuinely sorry for hitting the younger boy, and wanted to compensate for it.

"But why can't she be a Pokeymon trainer here?" Corion whined, beginning to cry again. As always.
Kerys simply shook his head.

"There, we're turning around!" he heard Alena yell triumphantly from the front of the small group.

"What? But we haven't found her yet!" someone else yelled back.

"I never intended to find her, you lackwit! If Cynthia got this far without trouble, then she'll be fine on her own!" Alena shouted.

"You mean you dragged us out here for nothing?!" a man complained, and others followed his lead, chiming in with protests of their own.

"Of course!" Kerys' grandmother called, and turned to hike back to Celestic, amid a chorus of groans.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'll edit in Cynthia's half of the chapter when I have time.
 
No, it is not dead yet. I didn't really like this chapter, but probably it being terrible is better than just not posting it for months.:rolleyes:

Chapter 4: No Going Back, Part 2​

It was around 2 in the afternoon when Cynthia finally reached Solaceon Town. Probably, she thought, all those farms were officially a part of Solaceon, but it hadn't felt like a town then, just the middle of nowhere. As far as she could tell. it was relatively similar to Celestic Town, but the houses were farther apart, there was a small, rustic-looking PokeMart, and the people seemed a bit more relaxed, somehow. Immediately, Cynthia headed for the Pokemon Center, quietly placing her two Pokeballs on the machine near the entrance. The display screen flashed twice, indicating that both Gible and Feebas were fully healed. Then a message replaced it; "SCAN TRAINER CARD OR PAY P300."
Cynthia sighed, then inserted a few coins into the machine. Trainers were normally granted free use of Pokemon Centers, due to their protection of small towns, and the more severe injuries that their Pokemon received. Until she reached Jubilife, and was issued an official Trainer ID, though, Cynthia would have to pay any time she needed to heal her Pokemon.

Grumbling slightly, she left the Center. As soon as she did, an old man leaning on a rickety fence nearby yelled something toward her. Confused, she looked around. No one else seemed to think he might be calling to them.

"Hey, Trainer!" the man shouted again. Now everyone turned to stare at Cynthia.

"Me?" she asked timidly, utterly perplexed. "But I'm not..."
Her voice trailed off. The old man nodded.

"Yeah, you. I got yer Pokeman raht here." he said, shoving a Pokeball toward her. Cynthia didn't take it.
"Ain't this yer-" he started to say. "Oh, I'm sorry, missie. Guess I mistook ya for somebody else. Ya haven't seen a boy prolly a li'l bit older than you, wit long blond hair and a green vest, have ya? He came through 'ere 'bout a week ago, and gave me this here Pokeman to raise for 'im. Only, I can't stand the critter. Scares the jeepers outta me." he explained.

"That sounds like he might have been my brother, Palmer." Cynthia mumbled shyly, not quite sure she understood what the man had said.

"Oh, is it? Yer brudda? Well, you just see that he gets it back now, okay?" he told her, tossing the Pokeball at her and walking away quickly. Cynthia trotted after him.

"Look, I really-" she started to say, but he interrupted again.

"No, really, I'm real grateful to ya for gettin' it outta my way. Say, whereabouts are ya headed?"

"Well, I was going to Jubilife, but..." Cynthia said reluctantly, unable to come up with a good excuse to get away.

"That's a fair ways... I got it! Johnny! Git out here, Johnny!" the old man shouted. A teenage boy with uneven, messy tan hair slunk out of the nearest house, looking more than a little frustrated.

"What, Paw?" he grumbled, thrusting his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

"Friend here needs a lift to Jub'life." the older man said tersely. The boy nodded, and tossed a Great Ball into the air, releasing a large Staravia.

"But... I... I really didn't..." Cynthia stammered helplessly.

"'Fraid of heights? Don' worry, Speckle here's real careful." the teenager said, patting the Pokemon's head. It spread it's wings, then took off, grabbing Cynthia's arms in it's claws. A rather awkward and uncomfortable hour or so later, it dropped her in front of an unfamiliar Pokemon Center, then left before she could even thank the strange boy.
 
Chapter 5: When It Begins​

Cynthia looked around, dazed. Jubilife was enormous. She had seen skyscrapers in photographs, but it was nothing compared to the feeling of disorientation when she looked upward, searching for the sky. The people were all dressed much differently than anyone from Celestic, and shouting, car horns, and TV advertisments blurring into a meaningless racket. The streets, sidewalks, and the high-tech Pokemon Center were cluttered with cars, bicycles, people, and Pokemon.

"It's so big... How am I supposed to find the Trainer's Center in all this?" Cynthia wondered out loud.

"Get outta the way!" someone shouted, and a man on a bicycle zoomed past her. Cynthia realized that she had been standing dumbstruck on the sidewalk in front of the Pokemon Center without paying a bit of attention to her surroundings.

"Sorry!" she hollered back, and started walking along the sidewalk. I'm sure to get there eventually, she thought.

"Hey, kid, you lost? Where are your parents?" a grouchy-looking man yelled from the open window of a car, which slowed to a halt. "If you're going to meet them somewhere, or you're looking for something, I can probably give you directions."
Cynthia shook her head resolutely. She could find her way around. It was just a matter of time, that was all. The man started to say something else, but then the car behind him honked several times, and he drove off, leaving Cynthia hacking and coughing.
Still, Cynthia thought, people are starting to get annoyed with me. I better at least look like I know where I'm going.

She set off walking down the sidewalk, carefully considering which way to turn, until someone bumped against her and grunted loudly.

"Oh, I'm sorry! Are you okay? Sorry, I wasn't paying attention..." Cynthia stammered, turning to face the person she must have bumped into.
It was a girl about Palmer's age, with an angular, critical-looking face. Her hair was brushed to one side assymetrically, and was pale violet with silver highlights. Her oddly formal clothes were all the same shade of... what was it? Blue, violet, silver? Cynthia finally decided on lavender.

"...You aren't from around here, are you?" the girl asked. She spoke with an unfamiliar accent. "If you're going to register as an official Trainer, you'll want to head for the Trainer's Center. It's straight down that road, on the left." the girl explaned emotionlessly, as if it was an everyday occurence.

Cynthia, not about to look a gift Ponyta in the mouth, scampered off in the indicated direction.

Within a few minutes she was standing in front of a huge building with the words "Trainer's Center" and several welcome messages scrolling across a screen at the top.

Well, here goes nothing, she thought, as she walked through the automatic door.

Inside, she was no less confused. There were several long lines of at least a hundred people, apparently all for different things. Trying not to call any more attention to herself, Cynthia quietly wandered around until she spotted a sign reading "New Trainer Application" hanging above one of the lines, and quickly made her way to what seemed like the end.

Two hours later, she was handed a long form, and let into a small, cold room with no furnishing other than a small desk and chair. Grabbing the pen that had fallen to the floor, she spent another fifteen minutes filling out a lot of seemingly useless information and reading mostly incomprehensibly legal agreements. Standing up, she looked around for what to do with the completed form. Right on cue, a middle-aged woman with shockingly red hair stepped through the curtained doorway and held out an open hand to take it. Quickly and efficiently, her eyes scanned over the form, and she nodded curtly.

"We'll have to check a few records, but this is all that's necessary for now. You'll be contacted by phone if there's a problem." she stated tonelessly. Cynthia followed her back outside, and was handed a Trainer Card, then pointed down another line. At the end of that one, a machine displayed images and basic information on three Pokemon: Piplup, Chimchar, and Turtwig.
Turtwig seemed a bit surly-looking, and she already had a Water-type. Scrolling through the data on Chimchar, she was reminded of Palmer's Charmeleon, which had been his own starter. Finally, she pressed a button the touch screen to choose Chimchar, and a Poke Ball shot out of the bottom.

"This is it. This is when it begins." Cynthia whispered. "I am now truly a Pokemon Trainer."

----

Kerys woke up immediately, with the feeling that something was wrong. He glanced at his clock. It was 1:52 AM. Silently, he crept to the door, and opened it slightly to listen. Someone was shouting, although he couldn't hear the words.

"...another of my children... this Pokemon crap... " they yelled.

The door opened further, bumping Kerys. He looked down to see Corion's narrow face, stained with tears. Kerys pulled the door open, and hugged his younger brother.

"What's happening?" he whispered, nudging Corion inside.

"Mommy and Daddy are arguing. Daddy doesn't want Cynthia to be gone." Corion sniffled, lowering his own voice in imitation.

"It'll be okay, Corion. Nothing bad's going to happen." he assured Corion, though he didn't really believe his own words. Don't make a liar of me, Dad, Kerys thought. If I've lied to Corion now because of you, I'll never forgive you.

He could still hear the shouting, now growing louder and more angry, but tried to ignore it. Corion was clinging to him, trembling, and he had to seem calm and in control, or else the younger boy would notice that he was scared too, and wouldn't stop crying.

Finally, Corion fell asleep, sitting on the cold wooden floor with him. Kerys wasn't strong enough to move him, but he tucked a blanket around Corion's small form, and sat on the bed to wait. He was desperately tired from staying up for so long, but he had promised Corion that nothing bad would happen, and he was going to do whatever it took to ensure it.

----

Lindsey watched helplessly as Kerys held tightly to Corion. The two boys were both clearly scared, but she could tell that Kerys was trying to appear brave. Their father advanced on them, and roughly pulled Kerys away from his brother.

"You look here, son. I'm going, and you're coming with me, and I'm not gonna take this crap from you!" he shouted furiously at Kerys, who he was nearly dragging out the door.

"I'm not afraid of you. You can't bully me. You listen here, I don't care how angry you are or why, because it doesn't matter. You think you're the only one who cares about Cynthia? Think again. I don't care that you're angry, because you're hurting Corion, because he's a little kid and loves you, even when you're being this stupid, even though if he knew better he wouldn't. Stop being selfish and do what's right for him, or you're not a real man." Kerys stated.
He knew it was the wrong thing to say, knew from experience that insulting his father would just make things worse, but Kerys had to say it because he had to do everything he could to keep his promise to Corion.

Then Corion screamed, because Kerys had been knocked over before either of them could even think about what he had said, and while Lindsey was comforting Corion, Kerys was forced into the backseat of the small car and taken away, and Lindsey was left holding the last of her children left at home.

"I never did like him." Alena remarked gruffly, walking up to them now that the conflict was over.

"Perhaps, Mother, you knew him better than I." Lindsey answered sadly.
 
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Chapter 6: Mystery Companion
​
Cynthia continued along Route 203, after being told that the closest Gym was in Oreburgh. Her new Chimchar did not get along well with her, and was refusing to come out of it's PokeBall. She sat down on a rocky ledge to check her map again, and suddenly got the feeling that someone was right behing her. She turned just in time to see something gold and white vanish. Spooked, Cynthia stood abruptly, just as two Pokemon appeared nearby, an Abra and a Gardevoir. Both teleported away simultaneously, and reappeared in the same place on top of a tree.

"That's enough, Gardevoir. Time to leave." a familiar accented voice called, and Cynthia noticed the violet-haired girl from Jubilife was there, standing atop a nearby rock outcropping. The Gardevoir teleported to her side, and she waved to Cynthia, gathering her things and leaping down.

"Hello again! Got your starter Pokemon, did you?" she asked Cynthia cheerfully.

"Yeah. And, um... thanks for your help, I guess." Cynthia muttered.

"Nah, it was nothing. Don't mention it. So, you're going to Oreburgh City, right?" the girl asked. Cynthia nodded.

"Hey, mind if I tag along with you for a while? I'm going that way myself and, well... it would be better for me to stick with someone else right now, that's all." she explained quietly.

"Um... sure, that's okay. But why-" Cynthia started to say, but the girl interrupted.

"It's a long story, no part of which is at all interesting. You really wouldn't care at all. I'm Kieh, by the way. Kieh Lindrov, from Fallarbor Town." she stated, dodging the question.

"Okay, I guess. I'm Cynthia."

"It's good to meet you, Cynthia. Thank you very much for your help. So, do you want to stay here and walk, or should we go straight to Oreburgh?" Kieh asked mischeviously.

"What? No, I don't have anything more to do here..." Cynthia said, and Kieh held up a Premier Ball. The Gardevoir reappeared, and then all three of them vanished.

----------------

Author's Note: In addition, I've also updated Chapter 5 with the second half. At this point, if anyone's still reading this, I'd like some input on what to do next. I can write a bunch of dumb chapters about Cynthia and Kieh pwning the Sinnoh gyms, but there won't be anything that adds to the plot much, if at all. And you won't find out much about Kieh, either. I'm definitely saving that for later.
Or, I could skip ahead several months, write a few chapters about Cynthia and Kieh, ignoring Kerys completely, then skip ahead a couple years to where I can actually progress the plot significantly.

What do you guys think? If no one comments, I'll go with the latter. BTW, after the next chapter, I'm not posting again until somebody replies. Stop lurking, now!
 
I say skip, there's already to much destroying of GLs in the games, save them whatever dignity they have left.
 
Thanks, Pikamaster. As requested, skipping straight to the point. BTW, I'm going to be writing really fast now, since it's finally getting interesting, and there's no way I'll be going anywhere for a few days.



Chapter 7: Vivian​

Cynthia glanced up from where she had fallen asleep with her head on the small desk in their hotel room. Her Monferno was curled up in a nest of blankets, sniffling occasionally in his sleep. The Fire-type had fallen sick in the storm they passed through while leaving Pastoria City, and Cynthia had stayed up late caring for the Pokemon, as they would have needed to turn back or walk for another day to reach a Pokemon Center. It wouldn't have been hard to return to Pastoria, but Cynthia didn't want to delay Kieh unnecessarily.
She gazed sleepily at the monkey Pokemon, remembering the day she had received him as a Chimchar, her starter Pokemon. He hadn't liked her then, preferring to avoid her by staying in his PokeBall. Monferno still disliked her, even after competing in several battles, and training with her for nearly three months. Kieh claimed it was nothing personal, and her intuition was nearly unmatched, but Cynthia still felt depressed that she couldn't become friends with one of her first Pokemon.

The sound of windchimes came from behind her, suddenly. It was Kieh's cellphone, again. Someone had been calling her nearly every day since they had arrived in Hearthome, and Kieh had acted extremely defensive when Cynthia asked about it. It was more than a bit suspicious, really.

The phone rang again, and Cynthia looked over at her friend, fast asleep. Nervously, she picked up the phone, turning back to make sure that Kieh wasn't about to wake up and catch her.

"What is your current location? You told me that you would arrive at Lake Valor by morning."
The voice was a young man's, with the same accent as Kieh.

"A hotel right on the edge of the lake." Cynthia answered, trying to mimic the accent, out of wicked curiousity.

"Good. Thank you, Vivian. I know that you won't let me down."

Cynthia was about to answer, but the man had hung up.

Vivian? Cynthia wondered. No one ever called her that before. Maybe it's just an old nickname. That guy sounded like they might be related. But she couldn't shake the worry that her traveling companion had even more secrets, maybe ones more sinister than she had suspected.
 
i like the second choice a lot better, and try to get cyrus into it, i'd love to see your input on his past.
 
Chapter 8: Forgotten Valor

​


"You... You are the one we seek. I feel it." a small, whispery voice intoned.
Cynthia looked around. She was 11 years old, and had snuck out of her house to explore the small cave in the center of town. It wasn't the first time she had been there, but something felt different now.

"Who are you?" she asked, feeling very timid. It was late at night, and it seemed that her every breath would give away her location to something lurking in the darkness. Her flashlight darted across the stone, searching for that unknown danger.

"We are spirit." was the answer. It was the same voice, but there were more of them, three of whoever it was speaking as one. The flashlight seemed to dim, as three small spots on the wall began to glow faintly.

"Spirit? Grandma says there are spirit Pokemon here, is that who you are?" her own childishly high voice inquired.

"Yes. We are Azelf, Uxie, Mesprit."

"I am Cynthia. Why do you seek me? I'm just a kid." She was uncertain now. What did you say to such Pokemon? Anything she thought of sounded presumptuous.

"We know who you are. We, Uxie, have seen you, seen that you redeem our acts. You are the merciful victor from the future, the one who frees the darkness."

"Excuse me for saying so, but I don't understand what you mean. That doesn't make sense." Cynthia stated simply.

"No, it doesn't. But that is what we saw. You must return, again, and we will teach you how to live up to it."

"But I want to understand! I want to understand it now, so I can help!"

"That is why you must leave, for now."



Cynthia woke quickly, to the present, and just as much confusion. That was a long time ago. Why did I dream about it? she wondered, then looked about.
It was not quite 5 AM, and the sun wasn't up yet. Birds were starting to sing, though, and the gray mist of early morning would give way to sunlight soon enough. There was no one else in the room.

Cynthia did a double take, as she realized what that meant.

"Monferno? Kieh?" she called, jumping to her feet. Kieh's things were gone as well, and the room was in disarray. Had she left? But she wouldn't have stolen Monferno. Cynthia refused to believe that.

Cynthia dressed quickly, in her standard jet-black jacket and jeans, then left the hotel in a hurry.

Remembering the phone call from the night before, she ran to Lake Valor, praying that Kieh would be there.

* * *

Vivian released Gardevoir, and they teleported to the small island in the center of the lake. She walked around for a moment, looking for the cave entrance that was supposed to be there.

"I can't find the way in. Are you sure it's in the center, brother?"

"It will be well hidden. If you can't find it, do whatever you have to." was the reply from her cell phone. She ended the call then, and spoke to Gardevoir.

"Teleport home, get the smallest explosive you can, and come back."
The humanoid Pokemon vanished, and Vivian continued to search, poking around under shrubs and rocks. A moment later, Gardevoir reappeared in front of her, and placed a small object modeled after a Voltorb on an odd-looking indentation in the rock. They teleported again to the lake shore, and watched as the center of the island was blasted open.

* * *

Cynthia heard a deafening blast, and spotted Kieh and Gardevoir just ahead.

"Kieh! Are you all right? What's going on?" she yelled, as loud as she could. Neither of the two figures gave any sign of hearing her, and both were gone a moment later.

I'll find them later. Gotta see what made that sound...

* * *

Panicking, Vivian ran to the pit in the middle of the island. She looked down, and saw nothing but darkness.

This is no good, she thought. Psychic Pokemon can't teleport to somewhere they can't visualize, and I don't know if I can survive the fall without injury...

She heard a shout, and glanced to her left to see Cynthia waving frantically. The younger girl sent out her Milotic, and Vivian knew she was out of time to decide. Recalling Gardevoir into the Premier Ball, she jumped.

Stone slammed against her feet, and for a moment she was disoriented. It didn't last long enough. She ran, into the faint blue glow that shone from deeper into the cave. Cold water up to her ankles numbed her feet, and one thought repeated itself in her mind.

I have a job to do. When this is over, I can stop telling lies, and go home.

A small Pokemon hung in the center of the light, gazing solemnly at her. It's gold eyes seemed to peer into her soul, playing games in her deepest thoughts.

"Azelf... Azelf, I challenge you to a battle!" Vivian shouted, in defiance of this tiny Pokemon that saw through all her ruses and facades to her innermost mind.

Very well. I accept your challenge.
Azelf proclaimed telepathically, not moving.

Vivian tossed an Ultra Ball upward, and a lavender-furred fox leaped from it, crouching and lashing it's forked tail.

"Espeon, use Calm Mind!" Vivian commanded, and the Pokemon straightened, the ferocity in it's eyes becoming more subdued. Azelf didn't move, or even blink, and it was making Vivian irrationally scared.

Espeon silently waited for the other Pokemon to make a move, then looked at it's trainer, still staring at Azelf.

Vivian shook her head violently, tossing her violet hair into her face. "Forget this. Azelf, this is a battle, not a staring contest! Use Psychic!"
Espeon jumped back, and the red jewel on it's forehead glowed, as a blue light enveloped Azelf. Azelf showed no sign of noticing, even as Espeon's eyes narrowed with concentration. The fox Pokemon stopped, and, ignoring Vivian's protests, charged and headbutted Azelf. Finally the legendary Pokemon reacted, telekinetically flinging Espeon into a wall.

Enough! Don't make me hurt your Pokemon. Don't make me hurt you. Go home. I warn you now.

"I will not back down!" Vivian shouted, sending out a Hypno. The gold Pokemon grinned maliciously, and glanced back at Vivian.

"Hypnosis, now! Immobilize that thing!" Vivian yelled at her Pokemon, getting more frustrated. A blue barrier materialized around Azelf, and as Hypno swung it's silver pendant, it fell asleep, even as it's grin widened. Vivian immediately recalled it, and sent out a Xatu. the Pokemon her brother had defeated the Johto league with, and then given to her.

This is a foolhardy act. Azelf warned again.

Xatu... Ominous Wind. Vivian thought. Xatu was one of her first Pokemon, and had known her long enough that she didn't need to speak.

Gusts of wind whipped at Vivian, as Xatu spread it's striped wings out, and she ignored the feeling of foreboding, knowing it was only an effect of the attack. Azelf was unfazed, and merely narrowed it's eyes. Xatu toppled over, as if it ran into a wall, and didn't get up.

Grimacing, Vivian sent out the last Pokemon she had with her, and her most trusted friend. Gallade immediately charged at Azelf, raising both the swords on it's arms for a desperate final strike.

Azelf opened it's eyes wider again, looking sad. I warned you. Why won't you go away?
Gallade stopped in it's tracks, glaring.

"This is enough! If you've done anything to him, I'll fight you myself!" Vivian shrieked, and lunged forward. Then her legs stopped holding her up, and she fell face-first onto the damp ground.

"Kieh? What are you doing?" Cynthia's familiar voice exclaimed from behind her. Vivian struggled to get up, to say something, but found that she somehow didn't feel like taking the effort. No matter how much she wanted to move, something in her mind couldn't gather the determination to actually initiate the action.

Have to defeat and capture... Azelf, but I can't... I'm going to fail him. He always... said that I wouldn't let him down, but I can't muster the... Will...

* * *

Cynthia stared in bewilderment as Kieh and Gallade both collapsed, unconscious. The Pokemon they had battled turned toward her.

"I know you." it said, in a whispery voice.

"You are Azelf. Right?" Cynthia queried.

"I am indeed."

"What did you do to them?"

"They are unharmed. But now they don't want to disturb me. Are you going to take them away?" Azelf almost seemed to be pleading.

"Yes. I'm going to take them away. That is, if you'll let me. They're my friends." Cynthia assured the Pokemon.

"I know. Don't blame the young one for it. She wanted to help." Azelf seemed to mean Kieh, although she didn't seem young to Cynthia.

"Help who? Who is she, Azelf? Can you tell me?"

"I know, but I won't tell you. Those secrets are hers to tell." Azelf chided, then glided over to Kieh's limp form.

It is okay. It is all over now. You are not strong enough to defeat me, you know. Tell him that you were not strong enough. He will understand that. He really loves you, you know. And I will not blame you, because I know that you are really a good human, when you do not do whatever he says. Azelf was speaking to Kieh, but Cynthia seemed to overhear somehow. Kieh slowly stumbled to her feet, and stared at Cynthia as if for the first time.

"Come on. We're leaving now." Cynthia found herself saying calmly, as she offered Kieh her shoulder to lean on.
 
Chapter 9: Hers to Tell​


"Yes, Vivian is my real name." she answered, quietly. Cynthia tilted her head to one side curiously, as Kieh -Vivian, not Kieh, she corrected herself- explained the events of that day.

"But why did you use a false name?" Cynthia asked.

"He said I couldn't use my real name. Even though no one would be likely to suspect me of anything, they might figure out where he was, somehow." Vivian muttered.

"Another thing. Who is this guy, anyway?" she persisted.

"Will, my older brother. He is -no, was a member of the Johto Elite Four, another Psychic-type trainer." Vivian admitted, still staring at the floor.

"My own brother said something about him, once, that he was a very stubborn and ambitious man. I don't know whether that's at all accurate, though." Cynthia commented absentmindedly.

"Yes, it is. That's the problem. He's become obsessed with capturing Azelf, all of a sudden. I don't know what happened, really." Vivian nearly whispered. Cynthia wasn't sure how to reply, so she pretended not to have heard.

"So, he sent you all the way to Sinnoh to find and capture Azelf for him? Why not do it himself?"

"There was... an incident. Someone framed him for stealing a Pokemon from a young child, and he was sent to jail. I... broke him out of prison, I suppose. We've been on the run ever since." Vivian confided. Her purple-blue eyes flicked toward Cynthia, and the pain in them was obvious.

What must it be like, for your own sibling to be in such a situation? Cynthia wondered, and felt a peculiar terror for a moment.

"But how would Azelf help?" Cynthia couldn't help asking, even though she knew she probably shouldn't.

"I haven't a clue. It's just that he was so sure it would solve all our problems, and I wanted to help him. There wasn't anything else that I could do."

I know how that feels, Cynthia thought ruefully. I know how it feels to be useless, worthless.

"I really am sorry for taking Monferno. But he was making such a lot of noise when I tried to leave, I was sure that it would wake you up. I just couldn't take that risk, you know? I always intended to give him back afterward." Vivian explained, glancing at the fire monkey, once again asleep on the desk.

"I understand that. But still, if you needed to be so secretive, why did you want to come with me in the first place?"

"Anyone looking for me would search for one girl, traveling alone, or a girl and a boy. They wouldn't look for two girls." Vivian stated. "That's really the only reason I helped you, back in Jubilife, was so I could tag along with you, to avoid detection. I'm sorry. But we are friends now, right?"

"Now, and always."
 
Chapter 10: The Blue Ponyta​


Kerys grabbed his torn jacket from the floor of his dingy bedroom, where he had thrown it carelessly the day before. He left the small, two-story house confidently, emerging into a street lined with dilapidated two-story townhouses, all appearing more or less the same as his own. After nearly three years of living in Veilstone, Kerys had grown accustomed to the urban area, a sharp contrast to the quiet Celestic Town.

He strode toward an abandoned lot, where seven boys a few years older than him were hanging out, skateboarding and chatting.

"Yo, Ker!" the leader of the group called, and raised one hand in a laconic wave.

"Now that the shrimp's here, can we get this thing started already, Jak?" That was one of the oldest boys, a youth with tattered army green pants and a tan vest. His mouse-brown hair fell in a tangled mess to his shoulders.

"Yeah, yeah, let's go. Everyone know their strat?" the first boy, Jackon, asked, looking from one pair of eyes to the next.

"Those punks are goin' down!" another of the teens declared. The small group made their way to a similar site a few streets down, where there was already quite a crowd.

"What, think you're all that, don't gotta show up on time, Morrec?" a tan-skinned young man taunted.

"Aren't gonna thank me for the extra time we gave ya to plan, McKurn?" Jak retorted, slouching against the concrete wall of an adjacent building. The talk ended abruptly, as one of the boys called out two names, neither particularly familiar to Kerys, and the two who had been called up stepped forward from the circle that had formed, and tossed one Poke Ball each into the middle of the square of cracked cement.

Their Pokemon were an Arbok and a Cacturne. Kerys watched, bored, as the Cacturne trainer easily won the quick battle. Then one of his friends, a boy called Mick, lost to some kid his own age, with a Graveler.

"Kerys Acetel, Renz McKurn, you're up!"

Kerys walked forward, a bit more slowly than he had to, and held out a Great Ball. A Ponyta materialized, but the flames of it's mane and tail were an eerie blue. The Ponyta seemed to shimmer slightly. A flurry of talk started among the onlookers, and Kerys smirked. He had gotten lucky and found the strange Pokemon just outside of town, and now those wimps were really going to be jealous.

The pairing was lucky, too; his opponent's Pokemon was a Heracross.

"Tino, attack with Fire Spin!" Kerys shouted.

"Heracross, Counter, fast!" McKurn yelped, and his Pokemon quickly took a defensive stance.

"You moron, Counter only works against physical attacks!" Kerys yelled ay his unfortunate opponent, as the ring of fire enveloped and scorched Heracross. The bug-type fainted almost immediately, and raucous laughter rang out all around them.

McKurn's face was reddening in fury and humiliation, and as he walked away, Kerys got the feeling he wasn't going to forget this loss.

"Serves ya right, moron." Kerys muttered, disappointed that the battle was over so easily.

Jackon was up next, and his Scizor's aerial attacks routed the opposing trainer's Machoke. Soon, the finals were beginning. From that point on, battles would be 2-on-2, with the first Pokemon not eligible for use.

Kerys was paired first, against one of the only girls competing. He released his Pokemon first, in a show of confidence.
"Chiro, Zorn, time to win!" A Bronzor and a Chikorita appearing in front of him, the Chikorita waving the leaf on her head impatiently. His opponent said nothing, and simply released her Pokemon, Floatzel and Nidoking.

"Both of you, Ensnare!" Kerys commanded. The girl looked baffled, and told her Nidoking to attack with Earthquake. Kerys grinned. He had practiced this with his Pokemon for a long time. Zorn floated into the air, on it's side, and Chiro jumped on top of the other Pokemon, as Zorn shot forward like a Frisbee.

Ignoring their trainer, Nidoking and Floatzel both turned as Zorn sped between them, then when the Metal-type stopped suddenly, looked back to try to keep track of Chiro, who, Kerys knew, had leaped off again immediately. Both Pokemon stopped in their tracks as Zorn glowed silvery-violet, using Imprison. Chiro ran up to Nidoking from the side of the field, and a tangle of vines shot out of the green bulbs around it's neck, tying Nidoking up, with Chiro clinging to it's tail. Zorn released Floatzel, then, and attacked Nidoking with Psychic, knocking out the Poison-type, as Chiro bounced off of the large Pokemon, and landed directly in front of Floatzel.

"Floatzel, Aqua Jet!" the girl shouted, and Floatzel launched a quick stream of water at Chiro, pushing the Leaf Pokemon off the battlefield, and out of the battle. Zorn attacked then, with Confuse Ray, then continued to simply float in the air as Floatzel stumbled over and knocked it's head against the hard ground.

"How did you do that? How did your Pokemon know what to do without you saying a thing?" someone called from the crowd, but Kerys said nothing. Anyone who spent any time training could familiarize their Pokemon with a few combinations.

There were three more battles, and then Kerys was called up again, this time to battle Jackon. He didn't step forward, though.

"I forfeit." Kerys stated, irritated that it had come to this. But a deal was a deal. Jackon had asked Kerys to forfeit a match if necessary to ensure that Jackon got to battle one of his rivals, and Kerys wasn't about to go back on his word. Even if he could win the tournament.

"Lame!" someone shouted, and finally the referee nodded in acknowledgement.

Kerys walked away, not really interested anymore in watching the rest of the competition. If Jackon or anyone else didn't like it, that would be tomorrow's problem.
 
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