Following in His Footsteps

[Ash_Junior]

This story is born out of several ideas I've been kicking around, and actually decided to do it.

Basically, this story does not follow a straight temporal timeline. Instead, it's a big ball of wibbly wobbly, timey wimey....stuff. Jumping perspectives, jumping timelines, etc. The way I'm working the timeline was most definitely inspired by Assassin's Creed and its sequels.

The story will be divided into several parts, each of which will have a vignette that tells a small part of the story from the present, before leaping back into the past. The stories in the past will follow standard chronological order during that part only, but may be before or after the timelines in preceding/proceeding parts.

Not sure how it will work entirely, or if this is the best way to do it, but it seems interesting to me.

And yes, those shorts are a tribute to the Shorts-wearing Youngsters all over the games.

I wear shorts now.

Shorts are cool.


Part 1: Violet's so blue

Vignette 1: Red's Moon Waning
Chapter 1: The Delicate Violet
Chapter 2: Violets nearly Victorious
Chapter 3: The Girl they call Violet







Red Moon's Waning
Half-Moon Lake
Tintian Wildlands
Present

The night was quiet and still, the waves lapping at the shore. A herd of Sawsbuck paused by the edge of the water, taking a drink. Above, the moon hung in the sky, a bright spot in a sky spotted with pinpricks of illumination.

A man emerged from the forest that grew up nearly to the water’s edge, and looked out across the lake. Tall and powerfully built, he stood with quiet confidence, and surveyed his domain. His tattered red baseball cap sat at a rakish angle as his eyes searched the sky. They would be coming soon. They always came to him.

He walked forward quietly, passing within feet of the deer Pokemon without disturbing them. He crouched down and drank the lake’s water from cupped hands, glancing at the deer Pokemon as they studied him without fear. None of the area’s Pokemon were scared of him anymore. They had all gotten used to him and he to them.

The man slowly rose, admiring the curve of the lake, and brushed off his jeans. They were worn, faded, and patched many times over, but they were still the best clothes that he owned. One had to look his best when visitors came, after all. He checked the insides of his vest to make sure that the worthless scraps of metal were there.

He hated them. He hated that he had devoted an entire decade of his life to collecting them. He hated how they had made him act. He hated that they caused so many people to come looking for him. There was no other place to run from them.

He took one final look at the moon before turning back to the woods and the challenger that waited for him there. He smiled. “Of course it was you,” he said quietly. “Who else would it have been?”

*****

The Delicate Violet
Viridian City
Kanto Region, International Pokemon League
13 years ago

Susan tightened the straps on her arm-length leather gauntlet one more time before she was sure that it was secure. She took a moment to admire the worksmanship of the leather and wiggled her fingers, smiling as the last few inches of her fingers emerged. It was a work of art, the work of a master. It was thick, yet pliable, and served its function with ease.

The fingers of her right hand ran affectionately over the designs that had been engraved into the leather, memories flooding back into her. Memories of better times, when her world had been a bit more stable. Memories of--

She cut herself off, and forced herself back to the present. She was going into battle, and she'd need every bit of concentration and reserve to pull this one off. She reached down to her belt to double check that both of her Pokeballs were secure, then looked in the mirror.

The thirteen-year old girl that still cried at night over her loss stared back. The memories started to come flooding back but she forced them back down. This was her chance to prove to herself that she was more than that. That she belonged out there. In the ring.

That she was worthy of the trust her partners bestowed upon her.

Unconsciously, she tightened the strap a little bit more, and moved towards the door. No sense in prolonging this any more.

She took a deep breath, and pushed open the door.

***

“This is supposed to be a good fight,” the silver-haired woman remarked, glancing up from the program she had been handed upon entering the Viridian City Pokemon Gymnasium. “From what my sources tell me, she was the Gym Leader's protege until she left on her journey a year ago.” Her blue eyes glanced down at the empty arena, then returned to the program.

The older woman's companion grunted a response, but did not look up from a clipboard full of notes. “Oh, perk up!” the silver-haired woman reproached her sternly. “That's an order. I didn't take you off your mother's hands for you to become lost in the minutae.” The younger woman glanced up at the older woman, nodded, and returned to her notes.

“Honestly, Alora,” the older woman said. “We're here scouting for possible talent for your mother. You can read these kids' stats until the day Mew and Arceus battle at the end of the world, but that won't tell you what you want to know.”

The young woman who had been called Alora sighed, and swatted at a strand of her red hair in frustration. “Fine. You tell me, Jey. What am I looking for?” Her intense green eyes glared at Jey.

The older woman smiled, and pointed lazily across the arena. “That dugout there is where the competitors are waiting for battle. The last of them just arrived.” Jey's hand withdrew slowly, and tugged on the red silk gloves she had decided to wear to this event. “Look at them, tell me what you see.”

Alora followed Jey's instructions, and looked. “I see a bunch of kids who have no idea what the actual power of Pokemon might be because they follow the Leagues' conventions, instead of marshaling the Pokemon's full potential. I see a bunch of snot-nosed brats. I see a bunch of hassles in my future as we tangle with the best and brightest Leaguers to try to recruit the best of the bunch.”

Jey smiled tightly. “That's not all you see,” she said quietly. “That's simply all that you perceive.” Jey nodded at the dozen or so children that huddled in the dugout. “What I see over there, my dear Alora, are a collection of narcissistic, occasionally sociopathic individuals who must prove to themselves that they are the best. Or wear themselves out doing so.” Jey's stern look preempted Alora's I-Told-You-So. “But every once in a while there's a diamond in the rough who breaks the mold, and dares to be different.”

“Different. From a Leaguer.” Alora snorted. “That'll be the day. If they're not on some kind of power trip they're all about the touchy-feely 'Pokemon gain power through LURVE!' hippy crap.”

Jey only smiled cryptically.

***


Susan felt her heart begin to pound as she heard her name called. She had practiced hard all year long, and, despite her setbacks—She forced back tears and tried to match her opponent's swagger step for step, but despite her best acting and pace, she reached her position several seconds after her opponent.

With a self-confident sneer, the young boy dusted off his shorts and pulled a pair of Pokeballs from his pockets. Susan tried not to wilt into herself as she heard the Gym Leader announce their names and how long they had been travelling. Both had been travelling a year. He had three Pokemon to her two. All Pokemon would be used in this contest. The usual tournament garbage.

She closed her eyes and willed it all to be over.

***

Alora glanced over at Jey. “That older kid is going to cream her.” She looked at the electronic scoreboard, where they had just revealed the Pokemon that would be fighting. “Wow.” she said, shaking her head. “This is going to be a slaughter.” She started to rise. “I'm going for popcorn.” she announced.

Jey's hand snaked up and snatched her elbow before she could move away. “No.” She said quietly. “Trust me, Alora. This is what I do.”

“She has garbage Pokemon and has to overcome type disadvantages on every one of her opponent's Pokemon.” Alora groused, grudgingly sitting back down. Jey's knowing smile infuriated Alora. “Fine!” Alora growled. “I'll stay and watch.”

***

Susan opened her eyes slowly to the twin flashes of blue light as the Orre Pokeballs disgorged their occupants. One took its place atop Susan's gauntlet on her left arm, the other was between her legs, its tail wrapped around her right leg.

Time seemed to slow, then the triple red flash of the Silph Co. Pokeballs revealed her opponents. Susan sucked in a breath, held it for a moment, and felt the fear ripple through her.

For one long moment, there was only fear. Then the moment was over, and Susan exhaled the fear just like she had been taught. Now there was only the battle. The crowd, the lights, the tournament faded. Only the two trainers and the five Pokemon remained.

Strategies ran through her head like lightning, and were dismissed just as quickly. Outnumbered and outgunned. Type Disadvantage at every turn. She had only a few advantages, and they were fleeting.

Then, from somewhere far off, a buzzer sounded, and the battle had begun. With a shout, Alora threw her left hand into the air, and pulled back her right foot. Right on cue, her Pidgey flew into the air and her Rattata darted into the arena. Across from them, the Elekid, Mareep, and Mankey charged across the arena to meet them.

****

Jey leaned forward, her hard, blue eyes studying the battle intently. “Now,” she announced, ignoring Alora's skeptical looks. “Now, it begins.”

 

[Ash_Junior]

There was a moment of pure calm, of nothingness, of bliss. All the joys and pains that had brought her thus far were left behind, and only pure concentration was left behind. She could almost feel her Pokemon waiting for her commands, and could almost hear their anxiety and nervousness.

Her eyes fluttered open, and the scene snapped back into focus. Somehow clearer and yet so much more foggy. Her nostrils flared, and the stink of fear and excitement flooded her senses. The twelve-year-old leaned back on his heels, his shaggy brown hair covering his right eye from view, his left peering into the crowd as he waved cockily.

Her right foot shifted slightly as she prepared for combat. As if in a dream far away, she heard herself shouting commands, but didn't quite understand what she was saying. But there was a sense, somewhere, that it was the right command for that particular moment.

A rush of wings, the soft whisper of a rodent's tail's passage, and the fight was on.

A second before the five Pokemon would have met, her feathered Pokemon dove for the floor of the arena. Dirt, dust, and marking chalk exploded from the ground. At the same time that it provided visual shelter for Knob, her beloved Rattata, it temporarily blinded her opponent's Pokemon, forcing grit into their eyes.

Knob rushed into the cloud of dirt, jaws snapping over the opposing Fighting-type's elbow, at the same time wrapping his tail around the Mankey's face. A pair of bolts of electricity shot out of the cloud, dissipating harmlessly against the barriers surrounding the arena. Then the moment was done, and the dirt began to settle.

Coughing against the dirt that hung in the air, both trainers snapped commands. Dolt shot out of the air, her talons digging into the Mankey's right leg, using her inertia to drag the humanoid Pokemon off of its feet and slam into the ground. With an angry-sounding buzz, the Elekid unleashed a bolt of electricity towards Knob, but the purple rodent had already leapt away.

Susan's mind was clear as her options ran through her head. Her opponent was expecting another sand attack, so that was out. The electric attacks the Mareep was sending out weren't that powerful, but they were keeping her Pidgey from taking the offensive again. If one of the electric bolts hit, it would stun Dolt just long enough to make a more powerful attack hit.

Susan called out her commands, her mind racing as she tried to figure out what to do. Dolt and Knob continued to ravage the Mankey, who tried in vain to defend itself. That would leave the two electric Pokemon remaining. She couldn't use their attacks against each other, they would simply power each other up. Though even if she had decided to take down one of them first, that still left both of her Pokemon at a type disadvantage. No, she had made the right choice to eliminate one type disadvantage first, then go for the electrics.

She saw it coming just a second before it came. The Elekid shot a concentrated beam of electricity into the Mareep, charging its next electric attack. The sheep Pokemon glowed a dark yellow, its electric wool sparking. Susan opened her mouth to voice her warning, but she knew it was already too late.

What happened next she would not be able to explain to any of the dozens of post-fight rubberneckers. At almost the exact moment that she recognized the charged burst of electricity, both Knob and Dolt were coming around for another round of slash and run attacks on the Mankey—both far from any cover they might have been able to use to hide from the attack. She felt a twinge of...something—fear, danger?--as she opened her mouth to shout her already too late warning. “DISCHARGE!” she heard herself scream in warning, throwing an arm up over her eyes to avoid viewing the blinding flash, angry that there was nothing she would be able to do next. Dolt would be down for the count, and Knob would be in bad shape.

It was, she found herself thinking, as the electricity erupted in a sphere of electric energy from the sheep, a shame that she wouldn't be able to counter attack, because the Elekid would probably be too tired from that massive burst to defend itself.

Then the light faded, and cheers erupted from the stands around the arena. Impossibly, the Mankey was dissolving into red light and returning to its Pokeball, and both Knob and Dolt were driving the Elekid back, forcing it onto its back.

Susan stared dumbly, watching as her Pokemon pressed their advantage, giving the Elekid no quarter, ignoring the Mareep entirely in their attempt to take down the battery Pokemon. The fact that they were both still conscious was, quite frankly, impossible. Too impossible. So impossible that she was rendered nearly speechless.

The rest of the battle, needless to say, did not last long.

*****

Alora stared down at the arena as the Susan girl's Pokemon dissolved into blue energy and returned to their Pokeballs, while the kid waved to the crowd, his Mareep staggering to his side. It had been a close battle, but that last-second maneuver that—Alora checked her program—Susan had pulled off had been astonishing. Just before the Mareep's Discharge had been fired off, the Rattata had leapt into the air, and her Pidgey had caught it—both had been in the air directly behind the Mankey at the exact moment the electricity had swept by. The Discharge had been enough to finish off the Mankey entirely.

The Elekid, recovering, had not been prepared for a frenetic Pidgey dropping a Rattata into its face, nor the bird's talons yanking it off of its feet. But Susan hadn't pressed her advantage, merely issuing rote commands and all but calling in the last minute of the battle. She had managed to take down the Elekid, and put some minor damage onto the Mareep, but she had still lost.

“Heh,” Jey said triumphantly, punching at the computer hidden in her wrist gauntlets. “I knew it. Malon radiation.” Alora blinked, and turned to the older woman, her eyes wide. “Looks like we have another one.” Jey smirked at Alora, winking at the younger girl. “See what I mean, Alora?” the grey-eyed woman asked smugly. “This is what I do.”

*****

Alora bit back tears as she rushed around the corner. This had been her big chance. Her aunt and uncle had been in the audience, cheering her on, and she had blown it. She had lost, and not only that, but had lost badly. She had set out a year ago, so confident and cocky, and she had sod all to show for it. She had lost to every Gym Leader she had ever challenged, she had lost every tournament she'd ever competed in, and she had even lost Bubbles.

Her legs stretched, pounding the ground as she ran. She ran without really thinking about where she was going. What did it matter where she went? She had had her team healed, and had been bombarded by questions about her failed match while she had waited for her Pokemon to be returned to her.

She slowed as the ground beneath her switched from pavement to gravel. She looked up, and felt a wrenching feeling in her stomach as she recognized an all-too familiar sign. Viridian Forest was up ahead. She came to a stop just in front of the sign, squinting to make out the infamous words that had long ago been inscribed upon it--”Blue was here, Red is a loser.”

Fighting another sob, she hurried past the sign, and into the forest itself, knowing exactly where she wanted to go. The last place she had seen him. Where the forest met the lake. Where reeds bowed gently in the wind, and Ducklett played with Psyduck. She had to find him, to talk to him about what had happened. To explain—to explain everything.

*****

“....because I've got eight badges, and made my way through Victory Road last week. I've already got job offers from the Fuschia and Vermillion City gyms, as well as a letter from Doctor Fuji himself to work at the Pokemon Tower.” The gasbag grinned, obviously proud of himself. Alora stared up at him, wishing his face would explode. ANOTHER entitled Leaguer thought that he was good enough. “Any mercenary outfit would be lucky to have me!” he said, leaning closer to her. Did he think he was being charming? “I've come in the top three entrants in no fewer than six tournaments. And I'm not talking city tournaments like this one. Yes, I got first place, but I'm talking multi-regional tournaments. The big leagues.”

Alora burst out laughing. Harsh, grating laughter. She couldn't contain her contempt any further. “You think,” Alora said between breaths. “You think that the multi-regional tournaments are the big leagues?” Her long legs stretched, then returned to their places beneath her seat. Sitting here talking to these stuck-up Leaguers was definitely boring.

Mr. Hubris McTalksalot glared at her. That wasn't his real name, but she had been too bored with him to remember his actual name. “I suppose you've done something better with your silly little band of sellswords?” he demanded, glowering at her imperiously.

Alora grinned. “You bet your sweet little scraps of badges I have.” She grinned. “I've fought in Rome, the Colosseum. You ever been there, mate?” Her eyes narrowed. “Have you even been out of the country? Have you seen the Nile River winding its way to the Med? How about the sun setting on the Eiffel Tower?” She shook her head, red hair flying. “I have seen and done more things in my life than you have in your entire life.”

Hubris glared at her. “Right. Then if your merc group is so good, why haven't I heard of them?” He grinned triumphantly, obviously thinking that he had stumbled upon an important point. “I mean, I've heard of the Huntsclan. It's a knock-off of the Dragon Clan they have over in Blackthorne.” Alora felt Jey bristle at that, and knew that this time Jey wasn't going to stop her. “But I have never in my entire life heard of the--” he stopped, looked down at the sign Alora, Jey, and the other pair of recruiters had put over the table. “The Peregrine's Talon.” He sneered. “What kind of stupid name is that?” he demanded.

Alora nodded, feeling excitement rising up in her. This was going to feel so good. “Number one,” she said quietly. “We're a special operations mercenary group. If you had heard of us, we would have screwed up. And two,” she said, rising up out of her chair. “Screw you.” She scanned the other booths in the Gym's foyer area. A few Gyms looking for more trainers, one other merc group, and a whole lot of League recruiters. The other tables all had trainers lined up, waiting for their chance to speak with the people in the booth. But the Talons only had this idiot who had come over because apparently he thought he stood a chance romantically with her.

“Screw you!” she repeated, louder this time. She came around the corner, making for the center of the rectangular foyer. She saw the local Gym Leader, Blue, watching her, a smile on his face. She winked at him, and kept walking. This same scenario played out, Alora knew, every time the Talons came to visit the Viridian City Gym. There were always stupid Leaguers. “I challenge you to a fight!”

The Leaguer came to his feet, his too-stylish-to-use-on-the-road hiking boots coming together beneath his three-piece suit he actually had had the nerve to wear into his matches. He ran a hand through his perfectly styled hair, and grinned. “Sorry, but I only fight people that have at least six badges. Otherwise they're too easy. How many do you have?”

Alora snorted. “Badges mean nothing, you idiot.” She snapped at him. “They're little bits of metal that make you feel better about yourself.” She turned to the Gym Leader. “No offense.” He raised his hands to show he wasn't offended, and chuckled. She settled her glare back onto the Leaguer. “I've been on two tours of duty as a Talon. I've seen more action than you ever will, kid.” That, she knew, would set him off. She was sixteen, and he was nearly two years older than she was. But then again, she was a veteran mercenary and he was only a Leaguer.

McTalksalot's eyes bulged. “Fine!” he shouted. “I accept your challenge!” He took off his jacket and handed it to a blonde woman who gazed up at him adoringly out of her sickeningly sweet big, doey eyes. It made Alora nauseous. “Get ready to feel some pain! Let's have a battle!”

Alora grinned as Jey stood up, the portable barrier generator in her hand. “Only Leaguers think these little slap fights of theirs are battles,” she smirked. This was going to be fun.

*****

“So,” Jey said as she helped Alora strap on the metallic gauntlets identical to the ones that Jey herself wore. “I did a bit of digging on that Susan girl. Quite an interesting history.” There was a beep and a slight whir as the two gauntlets activated. Jey checked them one more time, then knelt to double check the portable barrier generator.

“She's the one the rags are calling Violet.” Jey nodded, satisfied, then looked up at Alora. “There was a big rush of new about her when she set out about a year ago. That lasted for about a month, and then there has been nothing until now.” Jey straightened, smoothing down the purple dress uniform that all members of the Huntsclan wore to special occasions. “She was supposed to be the next Red, you know. Something happened, and she was pretty much never seen again.”

Alora nodded. “But because of the Malon radiation, you're not going to let this go, are you?”

Jey grinned, and lightly punched Alora in the shoulder. “Look at that. You're learning.”

 

[Ash_Junior]

To anyone who may possibly read this--is this timeline a bit too convoluted for you? Should I rework it so things work chronologically, or is slowly revealing her character by slowly unveiling events in her (and others') life(ves) working in this context?

Because this really is all a bit of an experiment for me.

I'd really appreciate some feedback on my format.

The Girl they call Violet
Saffron City
Saffron City Gym
14 Years Ago

“Thank you for having me.” Sabrina looked up, her intense red eyes settling onto her guest. Her upsetting guest. Not necessarily to Sabrina herself, but certainly to Lance and the other members of the Dragon Clan. For that reason alone, Sabrina would have given Jey an audience, but Jey had also requested a challenge.

A most....unusual challenge. Sabrina had not received a challenge like it since the mercenary's last visit.

A tall woman, Sabrina was wearing her formfitting, red peacoat, along with a pair of skin-tight red pants. It was her standard fare for challengers. Her long, black hair swayed slightly in the complete absence of any wind. It had been an unusual match, even for her. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she let the memory of the rush of the battle wash over her once again. It had been an intensely different experience, one she would not soon forget.

Sabrina studied the woman that had been her opponent. She wore black tight-fitting, leather pants and top underneath a bright red fedora, and a bright red fedora sat perched atop her head. When she had first arrived, she had given the alias “Carmen”, which had held up under Psychic scans from every one of her staff except Sabrina herself.

“It was no problem,” Sabrina said slowly. She gestured with her right hand, and a pair of high-backed, winged red leather chairs emerged from the shadows, and came to rest just behind either woman. A twitch of a finger, and heavy curtains extinguished the light coming in from the three-story windows that backed Sabrina's desk. At the same time, a fire roared to life in a larger-than-necessary fireplace that took up half of one of her walls, and rose nearly seven feet from the floor.

The flickering light reflected off of the spines of countless books that lined her bookshelves. The books ranged in color from pastels to grim greys and blacks. Their subjects ranged from philosophy and history to childrens books and cookbooks. The bookshelves rose as high as her windows, but had no ladders to help potential readers reach particular books. The Marsh Gym, after all, was a gym where only Psychics could train.

Jey's lips twitched. “Fairly dramatic,” she said, lounging into the chair as if she owned it. The Huntress crossed her legs and studied Sabrina. Sabrina herself sat down slowly and purposefully only after her guest was fully comfortable, the firelight casting deep shadows across her face. She sat only on the edge of the chair, refusing herself the luxury of melting into the comfortable chair. She sat perfectly straight, and stared at Jey without blinking. A smirk ran across Jey's face. “Good. I like that.”

“You have to,” Sabrina said monotonously, “Have a bit of fun sometime.”

Jey smiled thinly. “Indeed. Though we may have different definitions of what is fun. For example, I wouldn't ask you to come out and get wasted with me and the Talons I'm in the Leagues with, for example.”

Sabrina blinked. “No.” she said, and left it at that. For several minutes, the only sound to be heard was the crackling of the fire. Both women studied each other. Sabrina, with her unblinking stare, Jey with her bemused expression.

“You know why I've come.” Jey said at last.

“Yes.” Sabrina said, pushing at the logs in the fire mentally. A spray of sparks flew into the air, for a moment illumating her entire face, before the shadows chased the light away.

Jey studied Sabrina for several moments. Sabrina waited. “And?”

Sabrina blinked. “I have had many challengers since last you came.” Her voice was low and monotonous, with an almost threatening edge. “But per our agreement I have made dossiers on the most promising of the bunch.” Her eyes widened slightly for a moment, then narrowed again. “There is one, however, that you should pay close attention to.”

Sabrina paused, waiting to see if Jey would interrupt. But the other woman knew the Psychic too well for that. “She has caused quite the media stir recently, given her parents. She showed considerable skill in her battle, and lost honorably.”

“So she didn't get a badge from you, then?” Jey asked, her expression deadly serious as she hung on Sabrina's every word.

“On the contrary,” Sabrina said. “I gave her her very first badge. Unlike the other, stupid, Gym Leaders, I do not give out badges on the merits of brute strength. I honor skill. She made an excellent accounting of herself, and fought with more skill than anyone her age has any right to have. I do not doubt that her father gave her pointers. She showed preferential treatment to her Starter, and gave her other Pokemon demeaning names. If I had to guess, she caught them only to be able to keep up with other children her age, and plans to catch so-called better Pokemon later.”

Jey nodded, serious. “I know exactly who you mean.” She leaned forward. “Well, if there's nothing else.”

“But there is,” Sabrina said, the slightest tremor of excitement entering her voice. “Jey, she has the gift.”

Jey exhaled sharply and dropped back into the chair. One of her eyebrows rose sharply. “Are you sure?” she demanded.

Sabrina nodded sagely. “Without a doubt. I cannot say what form it will take, but without a doubt she has the ability.”

Jey smiled. “Then I will keep a close eye on her, then. A close eye indeed.” the Huntress rose to her feet gracefully and extended her hand. “Thank you for your time, Sabrina.” The Psychic nodded acknowledgement. “I will pick up the dossiers from your assistant on my way out. Queen to King's Rook Four.” And with that, Jey walked towards the door. “I believe that's check.”

Sabrina said nothing, but merely stared straight ahead, as if Jey were still sitting in front of her. One eyebrow rose slightly. “Fascinating move,” she murmured to thin air. “Fascinating, indeed.”




Viridian Forest
Just over 13 years ago

The wind blew through the trees softly, whispering sweet nothings to each other. The sky was grey, although the horizon had been sliced open to reveal a thin wound of orange. The lake was mirror smooth, and the entire world seemed to hold its breath. There were none of the normal sounds of the forest in the morning. Only a quiet, despondent weeping disturbed the picturesque scene.

A young girl sat before the lake with her knees hugged to her chest, tears rolling down her face, as she trailed her fingers over a wooden cross she had lovingly labored over for several days. It had been enough to take her mind off of the pain, but now the pain she had fought against returned sevenfold.

This was her spot, where things always turned out right. No matter if her father had retreated to the lake-side cabin because he couldn't take the world anymore or she simply had boy troubles and needed to get away—this was where she always came. And it always turned out better.

But not this time. This time things would not work out in her favor. Her parents were off in Johto, her hopes and dreams of being a Pokemon Trainer were all but dashed, and her belt team was in complete disarray.

Slowly, she reached once more for the object that lay in the sand in front of her. The small, spherical-shaped object that had held the power to change her life so completely. Top half red, bottom half blue. The customarily silver stripe around its hemisphere instead a bright, almost perky color of purple.

The custom Pokeball her father had ordered for her. For her very first Pokemon. Her starter was the offspring of his starter, and became even more special because of it. She had loved Sergeant Bubbles almost as much as her father's Blastoise. Nothing had been too good for Bubbles when money had been flowing. When times were tough, Bubbles always get the biggest share.

And now, Sergeant Bubbles was gone.

Forever.

Because of her.