Friends of Draco

[dracoburn]

This is the sequel story to Dracoburn's Story. League of Heroes is going to continue through the other writers, but Becca's story lies beyond the league.


Chapter One: Guts to Spare

“Fine Skyla, what is it you want me to do again?”

“One of our trainers isn’t here today. He’s the one that filters out the challengers that can fight me. I want you to only let the tough ones through, got it?” She winked.

“Skyla, I don’t train a lot of birds. I train dragons. Do you have any idea how much havoc my Salamence would wreak in here?”

She sniffed, clearly offended. “Are you saying my birds aren’t strong enough?”

I quickly tried to cover up. “No, no, no, it’s not like that! I just.. I mean..”

She laughed. “I’m kidding. I agree that your dragons are a bit overpowered for my gym. They’ve fought Red and trained in the Dragon’s Den! But come on, I know you have some birds of your own.”

“Sure do.” I grinned, knowing just what team I’d use. “Got a storage system somewhere?”

“In the break room. Oh, and Becca?”

“Yea?” I was already on my way.

“Nothing over sixty, got it?”

“Haha.. Don’t stress, the ones I’m thinking of are all at fifty.”

By the gym’s opening I had a trio of my beautiful female birds behind me as I stood on a platform, just below Skyla’s roost. Waverly, my Staraptor and first traded Pokemon, stood behind me, just Adamant enough to ignore me, or pretend to, at least. My Bold Swellow, Contrary, preened her feathers. But my Pidgeot, and first ever captured Pokemon, was by my side nuzzling my face the moment I released her from her Pokeball. “Hi, Amber! It’s good to see you, too!” She cooed in response.

About half an hour passed of my watching scared ten year-olds zipping through the air, Emolgas shocking Duckletts, Tranquills dive-bombing Patrats.. When suddenly a little girl hit the mattress at the edge of my post. She stepped up to me, brushed off her knees, straightened her shirt, which had a lightning bolt design, and looked up at me bravely. “Hi! I’m Lauren!”

I smiled back. She was so cute! “I’m Becca. Nice to meet you. Are you ready for our battle?”

She grinned. “More like are you ready?”

“Alright, how many Pokemon do you have with you?”

“Just one.”

“I’ll match you. Amber. At the ready.”

“Zappy, let’s go!” She squeaked, and summoned a young Raichu.

“Ooh, a Kanto fan, huh?”

She smiled innocently. “I got him as a Pichu egg from my birth mom. He was the last thing she left me..”

My heart skipped a beat. “You know, being this adorable isn’t gonna make me go easy on you” I joked.

“Hey! I don’t want you to go easy on me! Or Zappy! He and I will kick your bird’s poofy butt!”

With that, the electric mouse crackled with electricity, clearly ready for a fight. My Pidgeot took to the skies above the Raichu.

“Ok, Zappy, Thunder!”

“Amber, Giga Impact!”

My Jolly Pidgeot was sure to move first. But somehow the mouse got the first strike, summoning a small cloud over its head and forcing tiny sparks of static from its yellow cheeks. A giant thunderbolt shattered the artificial skies, and Amber narrowly ducked around it. She slammed into the opponent, glowing with light, knocking it out instantly. Must have had a Hasty nature…

“Zappy!” the girl gasped and ran to it.

I placed my hand on her shoulder. “Thunder’s strong, but not very accurate. Next time use a move like Thunderbolt or Volt Tackle. Man, with your Raichu’s speed, a Volt Tackle would’ve knocked Amber out for sure. And try giving it a Light Orb. That Quick Claw won’t do you much good cause you’re already much faster than almost any opponent you’ll face.”

“But I don’t have one of those…” She sniffled.

I dug in my bag for a minute. “Here. I have a Raichu, too, but I don’t get to use Ichigo much, so you can have her Light Orb.”

I slipped a Sitrus Berry into the fainted Pokemon’s mouth and it roused itself. It stood up next to me, and I pulled the Quick Claw off the twine on its neck, replacing it with the chain of the Light Orb.

“Come back tomorrow. I’m sure you’ve got what it takes!”

The little girl smiled and nodded. “And we’re gonna kick your butt and Skyla’s too!”

And with this, the girl picked her Pokemon up, and the two of them left the podium with the referee, who led them to a ladder that would bring them to the exit.

Wow. That kid.. She reminds me of myself at that age, when I just got my Trainer’s License. I haven’t seen that bravery since the LoH. Maybe I do have what it takes to be a leader. Just like Cole….

 

[Nox_Invictus]

A great start! Can't wait to see the rematch!

 

[Displeased Owl]

Yes, I can't wait to see what comes of this. Straight to the action...hopefully we get to see development as strong as 'Dracoburn's Story'

 

[Firebrand]

So... Does this mean Dracoburn's story is over? League of Heroes will have to tell the rest of the tale on its own. Still, I'd like to see Becca's take on our battle, and the war, and the ball, if only through some brief flashbacks.

 

[dracoburn]

Sure, I can throw in flashbacks. I just got so stuck on what to do next.. Nothing was clicking, but a few of my friends were expressing interest in my fanfic, and I started developing characters for them. This first chapter featured my irl best friend, Lauren, though I brought her back to how old she was when I first met her. I'm giving these people their favorite Pokemon, specifically ones that they already train, and clothing/personality traits that they actually have. When I first met Lauren, when we were in fifth grade, I envied her bravery. So I figured I'd make her character a really brave ten or eleven year old.

 

[Xman96]

THis was a really nice way to start it off. Although, does this mean that Becca is no longer part of the Journeymen League?

 

[dracoburn]

Of course Becca's part of the Journeymen

This takes place after the final battle. In fact, it probably takes place after the reunion, too. Not quite decided on that, yet.

 

[dracoburn]

Chapter two: Cold Shoulder

The rest of the day continued much the same; most kids couldn’t get to me, and those who did were swiftly defeated. I consulted Skyla during our lunch break.

“Skyla, I think I need to tone it down.. The last kid cried.”

She swallowed a bite of her berry burger and met my eye. “Becca, they need to know when they need more training. I can’t tell you how many kids have gotten to me only to be destroyed. Sure, you’re doing Arnold’s job much better than he ever did. But that doesn’t mean you should sell yourself short to keep others from feeling heartbreak. There’ll be more chances for them to win, after they’ve gone home and trained up a bit. When they’re stronger and more mature, they’ll be ready for you.”

I grinned. “Arceus, Skyla, I’m battling these kids, not courting them!”

“Oh, you know what I meant, silly!” She rolled her eyes. “Just do your best. When someone does get through to me, I’ll know they’re good!”

The same pace carried on as the sky slowly darkened and the hour edged its way to closing time. I was about ready to pack up and head out when Amber, and her Keen Eye, caught movement at the top of the defeated challengers’ escape ladder. A dark blue fedora was rising over the threshold. Riley?

“Riley, what the..?”

“Huh?” A soft male voice responded. “I’m not Riley..”

He scrambled up the remaining few steps, revealing the rest of his body. He did look a bit like my old buddy from Sinnoh, but with some distinctions; he was younger, to start with, and though they had similar styles, this guy stood a bit shorter in stature, and his body didn’t radiate with the same intense blue aura that Riley’s did. He must have been less in touch with his aura than Riley was, because it was fainter, and glowed a deep green, not at all like the blues and blacks of his outfit.

He pulled a Pokeball from his belt clip. “Um.. Should we start?”

“Wait just a minute. Aren’t the challengers supposed to get here through the cannons?”

He blushed. “Not me.”

“Aww, are you scared?”

“No! Just.. Uh, motion sickness..”

I hardly believed him, but now wasn’t the time for that.

“Whatever. How many Pokemon have ya got?”

“A full team.. Six.”

“Three on three, then. Single or double?”

“Doesn’t matter..”

“Skyla’s doing doubles, so I might as well prepare you for that.” I shrugged. “Ready your team, alright?”

He nodded, and drew two red orbs from his belt. “Austyr, Chyll, game on.”

“Amber! Waverly! Time to fly!”

My Pidgeot and Staraptor rushed forward to meet their opponents, but they did so as their duties, not for the love of battle. They had seen nothing but apathy all day and couldn’t expect anything better.

The trainer, however, flicked his wrist and two rather powerful creatures appeared; the first a bipedal obsidian feline, the second a frozen feminine form, like a beautiful dancer turned cold from hatred. Both of which were ice types. My birds might have a challenge in store after all!

“Alright, Amber, use U-turn on the Weavile!”

She prepared to make her move, but the opponent ducked around her and slugged her in the kidneys. She shrieked as the Sucker Punch landed, but spun around and charged it with her dignity intact. As soon as her attack landed, she rushed back to my side, and I sent out Contrary to take her place.

“Waverly, use Substitute!” She nodded and hurriedly plucked feathers from her wings, crafting them over her vital areas to keep herself from receiving damage from the next few blows.

At this, the Froslass calmly formed a tiny icicle spear and ritually placed it upon her breast. Quietly chanting, she traced a figure eight pattern around the needle. She held it gently, but firmly, to her skin, directly over her solar plexus, and inhaled, making a hissing sound akin to running ones nails down a blackboard. To my horror, she raised a fist, closed her eyes, and struck the frozen nail deep into her chest. My Pokemon both flinched in horror, and Contrary began to squirm as if she had a joint that needed cracking.

“Alright, Waverly, take down that Weavile! Close Combat!”

Once again, though, the Weavile got the first hit, this time with its jab cloaked in frost. The makeshift armor that Waverly had crafted prevented her from taking damage, but the blow sloughed off the feathers, leaving her vulnerable again. At this, the furious Staraptor spun around, hooked her beak around the feline’s paw, and gripped it tightly. The opponent spat and struggled, but it was trapped. At this, my Staraptor began kicking out her talons, tearing at the enemy’s fur. The incredible viciousness of this attack nauseated me the first time I saw it, but the Weavile’s trainer merely clenched his fists as his Pokemon was beat to the ground, leaving it unconscious.

Shaking his head slowly, the young man recalled his Pokemon. He drew a new capsule, whispered something into it, and flicked it into the arena. The red light materialized as a bluish-white vulpine form. “Nglace.” it cooed provocatively. I noticed a jagged line across its otherwise beautiful face, a scar that told a tale of a million victories and perhaps a single loss.

“Contrary, Steel Wing at the Froslass! Waverly, Close Combat the Glaceon!”

The harpies let out twin shrieks and shot towards their opponents. The Glaceon ducked away from my Staraptor, but the Froslass wasn’t quite as lucky. Ice splintered in all directions as the glossy feathers on the Swellow’s stiffened wings split the opponent’s frozen skin like a machete through bone. It fainted immediately.

Before the light from her Pokeball could even clear, her teammate was preparing a revenge shot. At point-blank range, the Glaceon shot a chilling Ice Beam at Waverly as she tried to fly away. The feathers along her right wing clumped together, weighing her down and not allowing her to soar higher. The Staraptor let out a furious shrill as she spiraled downwards at an increasing speed. She hit the ground with a sickening thud and didn’t move. I recalled her, holding the Pokeball close to me for a moment to whisper my pride to her.

I looked at my Swellow. She’d be lucky to last another turn. Her eyes were bloodshot, and convulsions ran through her body. “Contrary, let’s finish this fast, alright?” She nodded slowly, a tear in her eye, and stiffened her wing again. The poor swallow lacked the strength to take to the sky, so she simply struck the fox with a halfhearted blow. The foe couldn’t even counterattack before my poor bird hit the ground, her body convulsing from the prolonged agony of the Curse. She clucked her beak, and I saw foam beginning to form at the corners. I sighed. “Contrary, return. I can’t let you suffer through any more of this.”

She shot me a grateful look as I recalled her. I turned to the Pidgeot standing behind me. “Looks like you’re our last hope, Amber.”

“Pigooo!” she cawed and lifted off.

“Alright Amber, finish strong! Giga Impact!”

The Pidgeot circled above the opponent, her eyes beginning to glow white. She let out a scream as she dove at top speed at the enemy.

The other Pokemon stood below, calmly looking up. Suddenly, her trainer let out a hushed “Now!”. The Glaceon lifted her face to the sky and released yet another Ice Beam!

Amber cringed, but it was too late. The ice solidified around her body, rendering her immobile. Her eyes froze in a horrified gaze that matched that of her opponent as the frozen bird crashed down on top of the other Pokemon. As the shattered ice cleared, both Pokemon lay in an exhausted heap.

I returned my Pokemon, and placed the balls together by my bag. The young man was cradling his fallen friend, so I went to offer him some sympathy.

“I know a ref would’ve called that a tie, but you know, my Pokemon was technically rendered incapable of battle before your Glaceon. You’re beyond ready to battle Skyla.”

He nodded, and slipped his partner a Revive. “Thanks.”

“No problem. I think the gym’s closing for tonight, though.”

He groaned. “Ugh. I was hoping I could get through this gym today. The Pokemon Center’s out of space, and I was hoping I’d have time find a motel before it got dark.. Looks like camping again.”

Wow. Kid was capable of monologue. I figured he was a one-sentence kind of guy.

“Wait just one second. It’s forty degrees outside, even colder out of town. You’re coming back to my place with me.”

He blushed deeply. “I’m.. um.. Not really that kind of guy…”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, who said anything about my motives? I’m not offering you to stay at my place so we can.. Uh.. It just makes sense cause I have to come back here tomorrow anyways. I’ve got a guest room and my Dragonite’ll feed ya. Sides, your Pokemon are hurt. I can’t let them sleep out in the cold when they have wounds that need to be nursed. What do you say?”

He let out a nervous smile. “Ok. I guess Wyntre could do with a hot meal..” The Glaceon by his side nodded.

“Just let me go switch out my team and I’ll meet you at the entrance. See you in ten?”

He shifted nervously. “See you.”

 

[Nox_Invictus]

((Woo! Great second battle! :3))

 

[dracoburn]

Chapter Three: Longing and the Heart and All that Jazz

We hiked in anxious silence as the sun began to set. “So, um, where are we going anyways?” he asked nervously.

“Twist Mountain. I have a cabin.”

“Twist Mountain? How will we get there in time?”

I laughed. “Fly on my Garchomp, of course.”

He stopped. “Fly? No way. It looks like it’s about to rain.”

“Ferocity’s a great flier, she won’t get lost.”

“I’d just be more comfortable if we didn’t.”

I sighed. “Have it your way. Lucky for you, I have a Torterra. Would you feel safe Rock Climbing up there?”

“Safer, at least.”

“Fine. But it won’t be as fun.”

As we climbed the rock face, I decided to get to know the kid.

“So, what’s your name anyways? I probably should’ve asked BEFORE I invited you back to my place, but hey, too late now, right?”

“Matt.”

“Becca. So, what’s your story, Matt”

“Originally from Johto. Tiny little town, only on the map for its lab. Moved to Sinnoh a few years later. Went through the league. Left the family to go through Unova. Not really that much to say..”

“Wait, New Bark Town? I used to have a friend who lived their. She was a few years younger than me. You might’ve known her.”

“What was her name? I might have.”

“Crystal, but she went by Kris.”

He froze. “Kris?”

“Yea. Short girl, bluish hair. I think she chose a Totodile as her starter. You know her?”

“You.. You could say that. I’m her older brother.”

A spark went off in my head. “Matt? You got your Pokedex the same day I did! I remember you!”

He looked puzzled for a second as the revelation caught up to him. “Becca, Becca.. Wait a second. Yea, you were my first battle!”

“So wait; Wyntre is the same Eevee you had as your starter?”

“Yep. I changed her name after she evolved. ‘Blyte’ was supposed to be an Umbreon, so when she evolved into an ice type.. I was a little stuck. Had no idea being near the Ice Rock would change what she evolved into.”

“I still remember that battle. I’m shocked my Charmander got that lucky hit, after you used Mud Slap. That was before we knew about abilities.. Couldn’t believe the damage Ember inflicted with Blaze!”

We reached the cabin as the stars began spilling out onto the velvet sky. “Analyt!” I called to my approaching Dragonite, “Sorry I’m late. Long day at the gym. By the way, we have a visitor.” He nodded, and rushed back into the house.

“Hey! Draco! Come see a friend, buddy!”

A light rose in the distance and within a few moments, my Charizard stood next to me. He sniffed around, finally turning his attention onto Matt. He smells.. Familiar. What’s going on?, Dracoburn shot to me telepathically. “He recognizes you.” I pointed out to Matt.

“This your old Charmander?”

Draco snuffled loudly, and continued examining the visitor.

“Why’s he doing that..?”

“He’s blind. Uses his sense of smell to identify things.”

“Oh.. I’m.. Um..”

I cut him off. “Save it. He and I’ve had more than enough sympathy. Sides, our friend Cole got revenge last year.”

“How so?”

“You’ve heard of the League of Heroes, right?”

“Of course! Everybody has, even back home in Sinnoh. My little brother has action figures of some of the star Pokemon. I think he’s got two Charizards, a Garchomp, a Victini, a shiny Salamence, a Hydreigon.. And of course Zekrom and Reshiram.”

I laughed. “Well, I’ll bet two of those action figures were based on my Pokemon. Does one of the Charizards have scarring around its eyes?”

“Now that you mention it, yea.”

“Draco, move your tail so Matt can see your face.”

As the Charizard shifted, Matt took in the full tragedy of Dracoburn’s bloodshot, sightless eyes and the jagged lines and wrinkles creasing his face. The trainer stifled a gasp, and Draco focused his blue eyes on the ground, a habit he retained from his days of outstanding vision.

“It’s alright, he’s still a great hunter and flier. Just damaged his battling career a bit because it’s really hard for him to aim without me to guide him. The only two beings that can send him a visual of his surroundings are Analyt and I.”

“What do you mean?”

“Telepathy. Sometimes if you form a strong enough bond with a Pokemon you can develop a method of silent communication through your minds. Made it much easier for he and I to adjust to the blindness.”

“Ah. I getcha. So what are you doing out in Unova?”

We continued our conversation as we reached the cabin. Analyt happily welcomed us inside, busily instructing us to remove our shoes and shooing us into the living room where Draco had lit a fire. The friendly Dragonite served us the leftovers from the stew he’d made for the Pokemon earlier and hot green tea.

“Man, you should’ve named him Puff, he’s so human-oriented!” Matt commented.

“He’s named Analyt because he was so analytical as a Dratini and a Dragonaire.”

“So when did the change happen?”

“When it had to. After Draco went blind, Analyt stepped in to help me take care of everybody. Turns out he’s a better cook than I am, and he can speak the same language as the babies, so he’s just naturally the caretaker of the family.”

“The babies?”

“Yea. My Garchomp and Salamence have had two Gibles, my Umbreon and Espeon had a litter of Eevees, Draco has an adopted son and Analyt himself has an adopted daughter.”

“Wow!”

“I rather enjoy breeding. Both of the baby Gibles, for example, were born knowing Dragon Claw.”

“Ooh. Sounds powerful.”

“They sure are. So, fill me in on what you’ve been up to since we left on our journeys.”

“Well.. I got through the Johto league, took second at Indigo Plateau. Then I went back home to help Elm out at the lab while Kris went out on her own journey. Kris.. Well, Kris.. Um…”

“What’s wrong?” I placed a hand on his shoulder.

“We got a call one night. Kris had been chasing Suicune on Route 41. Her Feraligatr wasn’t fast enough to keep up, so they thought they could cut through the whirlpools around the Whirl Islands. But a storm was coming, and the riptides around the rocks were getting harsh..” He swallowed hard. “She and her Feraligatr were pulled in.. The rescue teams found her, took her to the Cianwood Hospital.. Kept her on life support for long enough for my mom and I to fly in and say goodbye.. They never did find the Feraligatr..”

“Matt.. I’m so sorry..”

“The strangest thing is that after they pulled the plug and she flat lined, I heard a Pokemon’s cry. When we left the hospital, I went for a walk and found an azure creature standing before me; Suicune! I-I think it felt responsible for Kris’s death. It let me capture it. We moved to Sinnoh after that, but Suicune left for four days every month. One day I insisted on riding it, asked it to take me where it always went. It.. Brought me to Kris’s grave. It knelt down and used Ice Beam to freeze the flowers we placed there after her funeral. The ice lasted through the whole month, keeping them perfectly preserved. And the ice around them looked incredible, like tiny glass flowers with the colors still inside..”

“It sounds amazing. I’m still so sorry for your loss.”

“That’s life. Your best friend is blind. My sister is dead. There’ll always be both good and bad. You would think it’d be as easy as it is on TV; how the hardest ordeal a trainer could go through would be losing a battle, or having a wild Pokemon they want flee. ‘Oh no, I came in third in a contest!’, ‘My Pikachu has a cold, my life is over!’. Spare me. Real life has illness. People age and change their clothing. You get homesick, and you lose friends. Villainous teams are actually capable of catastrophe, and there isn’t a popsicle’s chance in hell that a Cyndaquil can take down a Salamence ‘just because it loves its trainer’.”

“You’ve got a real point there.” I mumbled solemnly.

“But hey, we’re all gonna die someday, right?”

I had to lighten the mood. “I dunno. I personally am attempting immortality. So far, so good.”

He chuckled. “Sounds like a plan.”

We sipped our tea in silence.

“So, uh, you want a ride back to the gym tomorrow? I need to head down, grab that gift card Skyla said she’d swap for my time filling in today.”

“I was thinking I’d ride my bike.”

“Well, can I ride with you? I mean, Arnold might be sick again. I’d better go down in the morning to make sure she doesn’t need me again..”

“Well, sure, if you have a bike.”

“Course I do. Remember Miracle Cycle? They had one in Johto and Kanto. The guy who ran it gave me a bike so I could advertise for him.”

“Oh yea, I remember ol’ Miracle. Mine was a present. ‘Santa’ gave it to me the year Kris went. Four Gear bike from Rad Rickshaw’s in Eterna. Nothing much, but it gets me places.”

I took a deep breath. Here goes. “Hey, um.. I was wondering, are you dead-set on rushing through this league? I haven’t really introduced you to all of my Pokemon, and I figured we could train together for a little bit.. I’m rusty, and I need to be ready in case someone beats the gym trainers from my league.”

He grinned. “I thought you’d never ask.”

With that, I showed him the guest room and we said our goodnights. I took a sleeping pill, knowing that I’d be up all night without it. Looks like the beginning of a new era. I told myself as I climbed into bed. The last thing I thought of before drifting off to sleep were Matt’s eyes, always shifting from brown, to green, to blue. Just like life.. Always shifting…

 

[Nox_Invictus]

((Very nice! I love how you make your characters.))

 

[Xman96]

Wow, Matt's very cynical, and I guess he has a right to be. I thought it was pretty good.

 

[Displeased Owl]

This is awesome, even better than Draco's story, I can't wait to see what happens next! Battle scenes were dark but fitting, incredible description. The dialogue doesn't seem forced and flows naturally and the shifting moods (Matt's monologue on life) happened seamlessly. LOVE IT.

 

[dracoburn]

Haha, Nox, -of course- you like that character

Thanks, guys. So far this fic is turning out to be a lot darker. The darkness isn't really intentional, but the fic -is- supposed to be more adult. I guess I should probably mention, it's supposed to be high PG to PG13. There'll be a lot more adult content and violence than in DS.

 

[dracoburn]

Alright, guys. I know it's not fair to give you such a short chapter after being AWOL for so long. Personal problems and all that. Pssh. Anyways..

Chapter Three: Good Morning, Starshine.

“IIII! WANNA ROCK AND ROLL ALL NIGH-HIGH-HIGHT! AND PARTY EVERY..”

I slammed my hand down on the alarm clock. No offense to KISS or anything, but not at 6:30 in the morning.

I crawled out of bed, halfheartedly convincing myself to move. It took my exhausted brain a few minutes before I realized that the faint snoring from the guest room meant company. Scenes from the night before flashed through my mind, Matt, the battle, Skyla’s gym. The little girl that almost beat me. Suddenly considerably more alert, I rushed through my morning routine, finding mostly-clean clothing, scurrying to the bathroom, and taking a quick shower, making sure to leave hot water for my guest. I tucked my long hair up into a ponytail, and set to digging through the kitchen cabinets for instant coffee. I wasn’t a fan of it myself, but I figured Matt would enjoy the wake-up. I’d make some tea for my own breakfast, then wake up sleeping beauty.

Analyt, ever the morning dragon, greeted me in shock, disbelief at my being up before noon in the back of his eyes. “Very funny. I happen to have something going on today.” He grinned. “Analyt, will you wake up Draco and Ferocity? I won’t need a whole team with me for this. The others can sleep in like they usually do, just make sure the patrols get out on time.” He nodded, and hopped off to follow my commands.

Rubbing my eyes, I decided to rouse Matt. I knocked twice, and pushed open the door. He was shirtless, lying face down with a pillow over his head. His Glaceon, who was curled in a ball at the end of the bed, rose her head in annoyance at being woken up. I took a deep breath, nervous. “Hey. Matt.” There was no response. The Glaceon rolled her eyes at me, and leaped from the bed as if to say “Ha! This is on you!”. “Alright. Matt, you told me to wake you up. I am.” He didn’t budge. Wanna play hard ball, huh? Sighing, I tiptoed to one side of his bed, grasped the bottom sheet, counted to three and yanked the sheet out from under him, flipping him onto the floor.

To my great surprise, he merely rolled over and continued snoring. And I thought I was hard to wake up! “Analyt, get in here!” I bellowed. He rushed in, preparing for an emergency. “Ok, I know the only water move you know is Surf, but can you just get him a little wet?” The Dragonite suppressed a laugh, left the room, and returned with a glass of water. “Thank you, Analyt.” He crept to the doorway, making it clear that he wanted to watch this.

“Wake up, sleeping beauty..” I whispered, and tipped the glass back to empty the contents on my friend. I finally got a response, as he groaned and pulled the blanket closer. “No can do, bud.” I yanked the blanket away from him, revealing a young man in nothing but his boxers. I felt my face grow hot, as I uttered a string of embarrassed expletives and tossed the blanket back over him. With my voice an octave above normal, I shrieked “GET UP!” and darted from the room.

Analyt was literally rolling on the floor laughing when I got outside. “It’s not funny!” I protested, holding back tears. Stupid, stupid, stupid! How could you do that to a guy you haven’t seen in years?

A few minutes passed, and the door finally opened.

“I, um, left you some hot water in the shower. The knobs are kinda tricky; the hot one gets stuck if you try to turn it all the way up before turning on the shower..”

He cut me off. “I’ll figure it out.” He yawned.

“Alright, same bathroom I showed you last night, second on the lef-”

“Room with the toilet. See you in a few.”

“There’s new soap under the sink!” I called as he was staggering away. Wait; do guys even use soap? I’ll have to check that later.

 

[Firebrand]

I assure you, guys most certainly use soap! Not with any regularity, mind you, but we do! Speaking of which, my semi-annual shower is coming up
Glad to see you back again. Believe it or not, I went and reread this earlier today. I'm freakin' psychic.

 

[dracoburn]

Wow, another chapter already? Just a warning, it's kinda sad, especially if you support SnowyMountainShipping(Matt+Becca)

Chapter Four: Not THAT Kind of Climax

A storm was brewing in my mind. A few weeks had passed since Matt moved in, and I was thinking that I was finally over Cole. But now I held a letter in my hand from the Firebrand himself.

Matt came outside and ushered me to the kitchen table, heating up a leftover slice of pizza and muttering a million miles a minute. I picked the toppings off of it, dully sipping at my Vitaminwater. I couldn’t look at Matt. I was too confused.

That night, I had the craziest dream. I was kissing Matt, but when I looked in his eyes, I saw Cole’s reflection. Then, I was traveling with Draco as a Charmander by my side. I could see Mount Silver against the horizon, and the Cherry trees of Cherrygrove ahead of me. I looked down and locked gazes with Draco, wondering if the last ten years were all just a crazy dream. But his blue eyes were still dull, and his youthful face showed the jagged lines of his accident. The dream became a flashback of the tragedy itself, but this time, when the Blizzard cleared, I saw a Glaceon with a scar standing in place of Red’s Lapras. I screamed, and was suddenly back in my cabin, my room. Though I wasn’t alone. There was a man with me, a shirtless man. Matt? But I looked closely at the man, and realized it wasn’t Matt. It was Cole, and he gazed at me gently, the way Ferocity and Scarr looked at each other.

I jolted awake, my heart pounding. The clock radio on my nightstand blinked to 5:39. Matt wouldn’t be up yet. I rose silently and tugged a hoodie on over my tank top, slipping on my grungiest shoes.

Dracoburn met me at the door of my room. Together, we crept past the closed door of the guest room, where Matt was snoring obnoxiously. October seemed to do quite a number on his sinuses.

We got outside, thankfully without waking anybody up, and my Charizard and I flew to the peak to watch the sunrise.

“I don’t know what I’m gonna do, Draco..”

This is about the male, isn’t it? And the one that was here the other night. The one with the Charizard.

I sighed. “You read me like a book..”

Why don’t you just mate with this one while he’s here? I’m sure it would at least relieve some tension.

“Draco!” I gasped, “He’s only been here for a few weeks!”

But that’s why he’s here, isn’t it?

“I can have friends, can’t I?”

You could. But I know you. You only show your heart to those you deem worthwhile. So why is he here if you won’t mate with him?

I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head, furiously trying to clear it. “I don’t know! I don’t know anything anymore…”

Draco huffed in annoyance. You would have by now if you felt the same for him as you do for Cole.

I wanted to deny it, but didn’t know that I could. “Draco, Matt’s a good friend.. But I dunno, maybe I still have feelings for Cole..”

Then call him. Or something. You’re miserable. It shows. Besides, I liked him better. He didn’t snore, and he was allies with my brother. Not that unpleasant vixen that blindly follows the new guy..

“Brother, huh? So I was right..”

Sure. But don’t change the subject. What do you want to do? You’re unsatisfied with your life, and I’m unimpressed with your tossing and turning at night. It keeps me awake.

“So it’s all about you, huh?” I teased.

About time you figured that out. Now, the sun is up, and I want food. It’s time to go wake up Mom.

“He prefers ‘Analyt’, you know.”

You hear that sound? It’s my belly growling. Let’s go.

Matt was still unconscious when we got back, but Analyt was buzzing about busily, as usual. I watched as we circled for landing, as the Dragonite rationed out servings of berries to the morning patrols. Tryxie, my Ninetales, and SpiceGrrrl, my Houndoom, were bickering good-naturedly, eventually settling on a trade. We touched down, and Draco strutted forward, growling a greeting to his friend that registered in his mind as “Hey, Mom, where’s the damn bacon?”. I rolled my eyes and followed more slowly, my eyes on the two dragons as Analyt playfully cuffed Draco’s shoulder, receiving a teasing shove in response. Camaraderie. I silently wished that I could maintain human contact without my dreams telling me that I was an idiot.

I sat against a tree, shivering in the October fog, watching my Pokemon interact with one another. Scrag and Cedar, my Krookodile and Sandslash, were mud-wrestling flirtatiously, trying to force each other to eat bits of soil. My Espeon, Mia, was trying to coax her Umbreon mate, Spook, into a patch of sunshine so that the two could sunbathe together in the relieving warmth. Ferocity, my Garchomp, and Scarr, my Salamence, took off together in turn with their two sons, both Gible, on their backs.

Around one, Matt’s Glaceon, Wyntre, stalked outside with three Eevee kits bouncing around her paws. The Arctic Fox turned to snap at the male of the bunch, who whimpered and scampered to the safety of his maternal aunt, my Jolteon, Dyna. The latter turned to Wyntre confrontationally, hissed at her, and stalked away with the subdued kittens following her, their tails drooping to the ground. Right then, I finally accepted what I’d known for a while: living with Matt just wasn’t going to work.

Matt finally came outside around one-thirty. I watched him yawn, stretch, and search for a few moments, finally catching my eye. He waved an enthusiastic greeting, to which I responded with a cool nod, before pretending that my eye was caught by Dyna teaching her nieces and nephew how to use Sand-Attack.

My boyfriendish jogged over to where I was resting. “There you are!”

“Here I am..” I mumbled.

“You ok?” He cocked his head.

I chickened out. “Yea.. I’m just feeling a little under the weather.”

“You sick?” He dropped to one knee to look me in the eye.

“Uh.. Chick stuff.” Which was half-true, considered that my feelings for he and Cole were the root of my iffy mood.

He blushed slightly and started picking at a twig by his foot. “Oh.. Um.. I’m.. Uh..” He stammered.

This was getting awkward fast. “No! Not like that! Sometimes girls just feel down for no reason. Our minds work differently than guys’ do. Probably the foggy weather.”

“Then come inside.” He half-asked with a hopeful smile.

“Thanks, but I’d rather just be alone to watch the babies if that’s alright.”

He seemed puzzled, but moved on nonetheless.

That night, I picked at my dinner, my appetite completely forfeited to my distant mood. I bagged the hot roast Miltank sandwich, not wanting to waste it, and moved closer to the flickering campfire. I watched the flames darting back and forth before my eyes.

I heard a disgruntled sigh from behind me as Matt approached. “Ok, what’s wrong? You’ve been acting like a Pineco all day.”

I tried to keep this last comment from offending me. “Nothing’s wrong, why can’t I just have some space? Arceus..”

He rolled his eyes in anger and spun around, stalking away. I could understand why that Glaceon liked him so much…

We sat near each other for a few hours, the silence and tension thick enough that it would take Cut to get through it. Finally, I stood. “Night. I think I’m going to bed.”. He waved halfheartedly. “Night.”

“You don’t seem to want to talk or anything..” I continued, looking for one last opening to get my feelings off of my chest. He didn’t even turn around. “Well, you didn’t want to all day.” I sighed, feeling completely defeated at this final comment, and trudged to my room, head hanging.

I didn’t make it past the doorframe before I realized what had to be done.

“Matt, can we talk?”

“Fine.”

“I.. I don’t know if this is working.. Like, are you sure it’s good for both of us for you to stay here?”

He raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Of course.”

“But.. But don’t you have any goals?”

“I did, but now my goal is to be with you. I love you”

I couldn’t help but flinch. “Matt, that’s exactly what I mean. It can’t be healthy. For either of us. We both need to pursue our own goals.”

He looked down at his hands. “So you’re breaking up with me.”

“I think we should take a break. Keep in contact. Stay friends.” I took a deep breath to keep from crying. “You’ve gotta admit, we have been fighting a lot more lately. This can’t be healthy for either of us.”

“Whatever. I’ll pack up and leave.”

“Wait! Leave tomorrow. It’s cold and dark.”

“I have a tent with me. And you so obviously don’t want me here.” There was venom in his voice.

I wanted to protest it, say that I did want him there. But I knew that would start an argument that I couldn’t win. “At the very least, do it for your Pokemon. A few of them are already asleep.”

“Whatever.” He grunted.

As soon as I got to my room, I broke down, and cried myself to sleep.

 

[Firebrand]

Well written chapter, as I've come to expect from you. Very sad, though, and the dream at the start is well written in that broken dream logic kind of way. I'd put an author's note in somewhere, connecting it to Hero's Path, so the reader knows what's got Becca so upset. I've put in a chapter listing, and the one where this happened is called A Brief Stop.
Other than that, I noticed Draco's speech was not italicized. No big deal, but it makes it easier to read. I also like how he's a little more cynical now, or at least sarcastic, and a good counterpoint to your character.
Now, back to the dream... I've always felt that when the protagonist has a dream, it is very important. It has great impact on the story, more far-reaching than a reader would think at first glance. the obvious effect is evident here, but I wonder if more of it will come.

 

[dracoburn]

Another sad one. Don't worry, it'll start looking up soon.

Chapter Five: So What's Next?

Cue Dungeons and Dragonites campaign. My goal? To kill both Cain and Abel, becoming the ultimate ruler of both good and evil. I’m a WereSharpedo Barbarian, and my party has been given this task. Why, I don’t know, but we need the power. At the very least, I would start with Cain, because I didn’t feel entirely comfortable killing someone good, but it couldn’t be too hard to hurt an evil guy, right? So, we attack Cain’s bodyguard, a rather demonic-looking Orc. My party casts spells and shoots arrows, but I dive for the neck, my serrated fangs landing a critical hit and viciously ripping the Jugular vein from the greenish humanoid creature’s throat. It lets out a gurgling cry as its struggles grow increasingly weakened. I have taken another life. But the taste of blood, the taste of power.. It wasn’t quite worth it, but certainly a perk. As I spun around to face my next opponent, I heard a voice in the distance whisper to me “Like a shark, you must move forward. If you must bite the fish in your way, that is what must happen. If you do not move forward always, you shall drown…..”

My nose is wet.. Am I drowning? I blinked, and there was an Eevee kit licking my nose. What a dream.

Matt was gone. He’d left a note, telling me to text him if I changed my mind. I did text a guy, but it wasn’t Matt. It was Cole.

“Hey” -Sent 11:51 AM

…..

“Cole? It’s Becca.” -Sent 12:07 PM

…..

“Can we talk? I’m feeling kinda alone right now..” -Sent 12:14 PM

After half an hour of desperate waiting, I gave up on getting a response. Looked like I was alone.

The day dragged by painfully. I could practically hear the digital clock tick. I played with the Eevee kits for awhile, trying to decide on nicknames that would suit them, wondering what they would choose to evolve into. One of the females was rather shy, uneasy. She preferred to curl into their nest, almost blending into the brown fabric of the baby blanket. Her younger sister was brash, and had a habit of nipping anyone who tried to touch her when she was in a bad mood. And the male? Well, he was energetic, happy-go-lucky, and virtually impossible to put down for a nap. I already had a name for him, just had to clear it with the parents.

The kits, tired out from playing, settled down in their bed, the male rather reluctantly, for an afternoon nap. I tucked them in, then headed out to go hunt with Draco. We flew high above the trees, me keeping an eye out for the fall colors of a Sawsbuck.

So you got rid of that guy, huh? At least he took the damn fox with him..

“Draco, I didn’t ’get rid of him’. We went our separate ways.”

So he was crying why?

“This is hard enough without you telling me that, you know.”

I’m a straight-shooter, I tell it like it is.

I sighed. “Whatever, Drac. Let’s just catch some food and be done.”

We cornered a wild Deerling and a couple of Tranquill around Route 7. Draco shot them down methodically, after years of practice. We held a moment of silence for each life, thanking Mew for contributing its DNA to fill our bellies and help us live another day.

By the time we got home, the afternoon fishing patrol had brought back a few Barboaches and a young Whiscash. Dracoburn tended the fire, while Analyt prepared the meat. We ate in silence, watching the young Pokemon play their game. The oldest of the Gible brothers was “it”. He held a stick in his tiny hands, and would search for the others, who hid. Whenever he found one, he would poke them with the stick, and they would have to play dead until all were found. The winner of the game was Victory, the shiny Dratini Cole had given me as a gift after defeating him in a battle. She had wound herself around a branch about a dozen feet above the seeker’s head. Analyt called the kids to come eat their meals, and they complied with little argument; though all but Victory had their own parent figures(she was Analyt’s adopted daughter), all of my Pokemon respected the Dragonite, and obeyed him. Draco wasn’t far off when he called Analyt “Mom”. When I took on Red, most of my dragon team was incapacitated for days. Dracoburn had been the leader of the group, but the damage to his eyes nearly killed him. They had gotten badly infected, and though he fought it off valiantly, even after getting out of bed, he couldn’t see and was in no position to command. Analyt was the only member of my team that I hadn’t used in the battle, so he worked with me to take care of everybody else. I think my heart is closer to Draco’s than we had factored, because I got sick when he did. Analyt made us both soup, and instructed the others in keeping the household running smoothly. Ferocity and Scarr recovered quickly, as did Gyara. Wyvern was laid up for a while; Red’s Blastoise had done some real damage to him, from a torn esophagus to a sprained wing. Having Analyt in control essentially kept the whole team alive.

My Pokemon seemed pretty uncomfortable around me that night. I didn’t know whether they’d been filled in, or just suspected that Matt’s leaving without an official goodbye tore me up. I loved my Pokemon, they were like family to me. But I couldn’t help but feel lonesome. The Eevee kits curled up by my feet as I tuned my guitar and began strumming the theme of Vermillion City..

“I have not felt longer days.. Then life without your love’s rays.. I will live on, to one day.. Be engulfed in warmth, in your way.. I will someday find love.. Sunsets soaking softly.. Through both fear and safe-ty.. Safety.. Float through life together..”

Some of my older, more mature Pokemon were nodding slowly, understanding the wisdom in the lyrics and how they related to life. The others were slowly nodding off, the dulcet tones lulling them to sleep.

We all dispersed shortly after. It had been a long day for everyone, and all were either exhausted or otherwise subdued. I checked my Pokegear one last time before crawling into bed. Fourteen messages from Matt about how much of a female Houndoom I was for breaking his heart. Not a peep from anyone that I had the desire to hear from at the moment. Whatever. I turned the gadget off and crawled into bed, daydreaming myself into a sleepless stupor.

 

[Firebrand]

I went off to youtube and listened to the song as I read the lyrics, and yeah, I could see how those fit into the atmosphere. It's impressive that you can do that.
Honestly, I think a phone call to Kami at this point would be really funny, but that's just me.
Again, I found your dream insertion a lot broken up with dream logic, though I guess it makes sense (knows nothing of D&D -.-).