[X] My Assistant

[Living Arrow]

Travelling back to Port Barley after the events at the Petropolis Grand Invitational had been a long and gruelling affair for Lori. Well, it had involved public transport which inevitably meant sharing elbow room with all manner of undesirable and social reprobates. If she was not worrying about her bag being stolen from off of her shoulder, the young Trainer was replaying the events of the tournament again and again to find the moment that had made her act so foolishly.

*Who really thinks they can play the hero and go down some stupid hole to save random people they’ve never even met before!?* She demanded of herself for the fiftieth time as the stench of body odour from her latest ravel companion drifted her way. Holding back a gag, she politely turned her head the other way and cried inwardly. *At least Cesc smelled good!*

*Hey! Stop thinking about him, dammit!* Lori blushed in spite of herself, heat rising in her cheeks to decorate her skin with blotches of ruby embarrassment.

The coach pulled up to a stop at the edge of the town in the later hours of the sunny morning, a couple of miles from her final destination, and freedom announced itself as the coach doors clunked open.

*Close enough!* Lori told herself, springing up from her seat without a backward glance for the stinking hobo next to the window. Cuddling her bag close to her chest with one hand while squeezing the length of her intensely red hair in the other, she hurried to the front of the vehicle.

“Thanks!” She smiled and bowed her head politely to the driver (a sweet old man who she doubted spoke any English) and skipped down the steps to the sidewalk. The coach pulled away with the hiss of its brakes releasing to leave her drinking in the fresh air of the coast. It had been a while since she had been in Barley, and the town hadn’t changed a bit, but she felt like a different person to the rookie that had picked fights with bullies on her first day in the town.

*Never again, Lor.* She reminded herself of the boys that had threatened to cut off her hair when she’d defended another beginner trainer at the bus station. She shuddered at the memory, pushing those thoughts down to her toes where they couldn’t plague her thoughts anymore.

“Pipster,” Lori clicked open the green-capped Pokeball of her Piplup and grinned as he materialised in front of her, “we’re back in Barley.”

“Lup, Piplup!” His cheery reply was a welcome change to the dismal mutterings of the ‘people’ on the coach.

“And you know what that means, right?” She prompted him. A blank expression was her response. She rolled her eyes and pumped her fists energetically, the infectious enthusiasm of her naturally bold demeanour finding its way back to the front of her otherwise woolly teenage brain. “It means we get back on a ferry and go to Fidona! That Gym badge won’t win itself, y’know?!”

“Lup!”

“So, let’s go!” Lori cheered, breaking into a run down the final slope into the town with her Penguin Pokemon close on her heels.

[Huntress Wizard]

As the Growlithe launched itself in a futile Tackle attempt on Mutt, the Poochyena bit down once more, pumping what was left of his electricity into the Puppy pokemon. The Growlithe howled in pain, echoed by Mutt as he leapt away, again pawing at his mouth in distress and confusion. The Growlithe wobbled on three good legs for a second or two before collapsing, fainted. Roxxy coughed, a bit surprised it had gone down so easily. Perhaps Mutt had gotten a hold of a sensitive point or something.

“Get back here Mutt,” Roxxy called, snapping the pokedex shut. Maybe after it had dried out a bit more, it would be slightly less annoying to use. Mutt trotted back towards Roxxy, jaw hanging open but bright-eyed, with a wagging tail. She dug out his pokeball and recalled him in a flash of red light, then stuck both of her pokeballs back in the bag and looped it again over one shoulder. The crowd around them began to disperse somewhat, either leaving altogether or turning to watch the other battle taking place.

Marwan called to her and asked her where the nearest Pokemon Center was. “Look, kid,” Roxxy said, crossing the few feet of space that had served as the battlefield. “Your guess is as good as mine; I literally just got here today. I’m sure they would know, though; looks like the battle’s almost finished anyway, so let’s just wait for them.”

She waved a hand to indicate Lori and the tattooed man just finishing up their double battle. As she watched, the Snivy managed to take down the Mienfoo with a Vine Whip, launching the little Fighting-type pokemon through the air to land in the mud. Roxxy winced. But the tattooed trainer seemed unperturbed, and, once he had recalled his pokemon, calmly ordered his Slowbro to use Psychic on the Snivy. “Yeah,” Roxxy muttered, crossing her arms. “This is almost done.”

This post has been edited by Huntress Wizard: May 23 2014, 07:09 PM

[Living Arrow]

“Triss…” Lori whispered to herself as Tag recalled the Mienfoo after the severe lashings her Grass Snake had given it. Just how powerful had that Overgrow Vine Whip been?! Was Triss really that strong? “Woah…”

“Tonbo, Psychic.”

“Wha-!? Tirss, get out of there!” Lori screamed, the futility of her Snivy’s battle ringing clear with the command from her opponent. On her last legs there was simply no way for the Grass Snake to dodge the attack, let alone take it. A strangled cry came from the small snake as a blue aura crashed down around her body, crushing her flat into the mud. Her vines struggled feebly for a couple of moments, the final fight being drain out of her before every last green scale on her body remained still.

“Triss, return!” Lori held up the green-capped Pokeball to bring back her snake Pokemon. She looked down at the Pokeball with a mix of rampaging emotions slamming around her head. Frustration with yet another loss, guilt that her poor judgement of battle had allowed Triss to fail at evolving for a second time and embarrassment for the being defeated in a battle that she instigated. Nevertheless, there were proper ways to behave after a Pokemon battle and getting upset wasn’t in that list – she could cry later.

“Th-thanks for the battle,” Lori managed to croak out while blinking back the unshed tears in her eyes, “your Pokemon were awesome…” She forced a smile, drawing a deep breath to get out the final line of her losing speech: “We should have a rematch someday.”

“Someday, huh?” A lofty tone aired itself over the crowd around the pier that was beginning to disperse. Lori spun her head around, confusion and excitement blooming with the sound of her sister’s voice, to find her long-legged sibling sauntering towards her. Kino’s equally fiery hair was tied up at the front into a pair of perfect victory curls with the rest spilling loosely down her back in lazy crimson waves. Her perfectly toned abs rippled like the muscles of a Luxray with the rolling motion of her hips under the emerald hem of her corseted crop top, a walking vision of a top class model but with absolutely no credentials in that area. Damn, Kino was perfect!

At Kino’s heels a graceful Gardevoir trailed serenely with a head that bowed respectfully to all that she passed with silent acknowledgment of their presence. Lori recognised her as Penelope – a long-term member of Kino’s original Sinnoh line-up and one of her most powerful Pokemon that had seen countless Gym and League battles. Oddly, Penelope was wearing a strange necklace with a glittering bauble that swayed below her chin as she moved.

“Kino!” Lori grinned, the smile falling by the wayside to Kino’s ice cool demeanour.

“Thank you for… teaching my sister not to bite off more than she can chew,” Kino said dryly to Tag as she drew up to Lori’s side, “but holding back just to rub a win in someone’s face isn’t nice.”

“Huh?!” Lori coughed, looking from her sister to Tag and back again. “But he didn’t-“

“Please,” Kino rolled her eyes, “I saw the whole thing.” She looked back to Tag once more. “As I said, thank you. Penelope? The Pokemon Center, please.”

The Gardevoir behind Kino reached out to lay a delicate palm upon one of each of the siblings’ shoulders. Then, with a surge of Psychic energy… POP… the two red-headed sisters were gone.