The Journey of A Champion: A Pokemon Fanfic

Chapter 19: A Gem of a Battle

" Riley!” The brown haired trainer slowly opened her eyes and instantly recognized where she was. It was her room. Her room in Nuvema Town, looking just as she had left it. I’m home... She thought. The trainer had almost forgotten what it looked like. Books were strewn messily on shelves and a brochure with Unova’s starter Pokemon sat on the dresser. “ Riley!” The voice called again. 

The trainer rolled out of bed and thundered down the stairs. “ Coming!” Riley pulled out a chair and sat in front of a stack of fluffy pancakes. Her mom stood behind a counter, beaming “ What’s up?” 

After some casual conversation and the mention of Riley starting her journey, her mom put a brown belt with 6 small pouches for Pokemon balls on the table. “ It’s a present for you.” The brown haired trainer looked at her mother confused and reached down to the top of her jeans. Her belt wasn’t on her.

“ Mom...?”

“ Well, you better hurry up. Professor Juniper could be waiting on you!” Her mother said, teasingly scolding her with a bright smile on her lips. The trainer glanced at her mother, slid the belt around her waist, and clasped it. 4 Pokeballs suddenly appeared on the belt and Riley looked up at her mother. “ Now, remember,” Her mother began kindly, “ Only use this when your battling. Otherwise, people could take your Pokemon.”

Riley knew what came next, what she was supposed to say.  She gulped, trying not to say it, but the words rushed from her mouth. “ But that would never happen, Mom. People don’t steal other people’s Pokemon.”

Her mother turned around and smiled sadly. As she turned back towards her daughter her face and clothes began to change. Brown haired turned pale blond and fell out of its bun. Her features became more angular and she wore a dark robe covered in unblinking eyes. An glowing red eyepatch covered the person’s right eye and an ugly sneer spread across his face. Ghetsis. “ You’d be surprised...”

Mienfoo, Manetric, and Eevee appeared in a flash of light from the Pokeballs and growled angrily at the man in front of them. The counter disappeared and Ghetsis stepped forward. “ You’d be surprised how much power I have.” All three Pokemon were sucked back into their Pokeballs and the leader of Team Plasma grabbed them from the trainer’s belt. He observed them carefully for a moment and held them out gently in his palm. His hand closed faster than lightning and a terrifying crack and then crush resounded through the room. Ghetsis opened his hand and sprinkled the fragments of Pokeballs in front of Riley. “ You’d be surprised how easily I can take away all your Pokemon.” His voice was deadly as he hissed the words into Riley’s ear. He snatched the last Pokeball, Dewott’s, from the trainer’s belt and clutched it. Riley stood frozen as he scrutinized it. Ghetsis dropped his hand to his side and gave the trainer a contemptuous smile. “ You’d be surprised how simple it is for me to bring your whole world down.”

The leader of Team let out a deranged laugh and stepped back with Riley’s Pokeball still in his hand. “ NO!” The trainer screamed and jumped towards him. Ghetsis vanished and Riley fell to ground, now covered in the dust of the Pokemon balls of her lost Pokemon.

Riley’s eyes burst open. They darted around the room, looking for any sign of the leader of Team Plasma. As she realized she was in one of the Pokemon center’s room her heart rate slowed and she let out the breath she’d been holding. Just a dream. It was just a dream. The trainer pinched her wrist to assure herself and scanned the room again. Just a dream. 

Riley wearily got out of bed and flicked on the lights. She took her Xtransceiver from her bag and checked the time, 6:05. Great. Another two hours or so before Tomas and Sophie get up. She turned off the lights and hopped back into bed, trying to push away thoughts of Team Plasma. Riley closed her heavy lids and pulled her blanket up. The painting of Ghetsis above Team Plasma flashed in her mind and she moaned. More images mocked the trainer as she squeezed her eyes shut tighter. Dust from the Pokemon balls carpeting the floor. A dark cloud covering the Unova region. The Shadow Triad reaching out for her. Her mother’s face changing. An airship dropping bombs. Ghetsis piloting the ship. “ Arrgh!” Riley shouted and pushed the sheets off her. She stomped over to the lights, turned them on, and threw on her clothes. “ Manetric, Eevee, Dewott, Mienfoo, come on out.” The four Pokemon appeared in front of Riley.