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Route 4 - South of the Gate

"The summer's sun is sweltering here in Kalos, and trainers from all across the globe have arrived for what promises to be a stand-out competition."

Foamy bubbles shone like a river in the sunlight. The powerful jet shot past their target, splattering with a slight hiss on the dry dirt road. A circle of cheers and whoops met the manoeuvre, and an excited bead of sweat drained down the trainer's face while fire burned his stomach.

The television showed shots of trainers lined up outside gyms, waiting to take their challenges. First days of a league were always like this. Veterans came in with battle strategies and game plans: Porters aiming to get a head start on their challenge by teleporting from city to city, while Pros ignored all but each other. Rookies were so enthralled by the novelty of their journey that they would stand around every battle they came across and cheer.

"Yes indeed, this is quite a turnout," the newscaster said in a slight Kalosian accent while the camera panned across the crowded fountain square at Santalune City. Most of the trainers were Rookies, the ink on their trainer licenses barely dry. "We may even see some familiar faces."

Hazard hesitated when the Bubble attack missed, and saw that the enemy Corphish was just as startled. On command, she launched forward, her gaseous body trailing behind her core like the tail of a comet. Before Corphish could respond, she unleashed a Psybeam in its face. It flailed backwards, tiny legs clicking as they scuttled to maintain balance, its claws snapping wildly in a vain attempt to use Vice Grip. Each snap cut through Hazard's body, but did little to disturb the gas. She cracked an evil grin.

"Lumiose City will soon play host to a parade held to commemorate the official opening of the Pokémon League." Images of bustling streets, banners and streamers hanging overhead, flashed across the screen. "Lead by our very own royal family, the parade will circle through North and South Boulevard before converging on the Centrico Plaza. Spectators may even catch a glimpse of the Elite 4, who will be standing in attendance alongside alongside Her Majesty, the Queen!"

Psywave blew Corphish away, psychic power warping the surrounding light into rainbow colours before exploding outwards. The water type crashed into a nearby hedge and its owner dropped to his knees, hands clasped to his head, his face a picture of disbelief. Onlookers roared in applause, blocking out the sound of the television, which sat on a little perch just inside the open gatehouse.

As Hazard bathed in attention, Zack walked forward with a content smirk on his face.

"Ouch," he said to his opponent, and the Gardner jolted in surprise, hands hovering delicately over his unconscious Corphish. "Well, you definitely lost. Could've been worse: could have been to a pokémon born today instead of yesterday."

"You, sir," the Gardner sniffed indignantly, "are a weed." He recalled his pokémon and walked away with his head held high. Zack watched him go, then shrugged. The crowd was already starting to disappear, nothing more to see. Hazard hovered by her trainer's head, and he felt a chill.

"Better than being a pansy," Zack said quietly. Then he smiled at his own joke. "Alright, Hazard, back in the ball. I'm gonna look for Helena. Maybe she found a way to get rid of that stupid bear."

((Zamaku, I'm real glad you started with TK helping a Youngster so I could follow with this smile )

Lumiose City – South Boulevard

The city of light was alive with activity in preparation for the big parade. Youngster Jaques sprinted down the street, eager to get his starter pokemon from Professor Sycamore so they could start their adventure of self discovery and friendship right away!

His eagerness blinded him to an obstacle down the street: a wiry teenager wearing colorful majestic clothing from olden day nobility. This was the traditional attire for nobility from Kalos during formal events, and it signified that Antoine was indeed affiliated with the royal family.

SLAM! The two collided, and Jaques fell to the ground. He rubbed his sore bottom, wincing in pain. “Sorry sir, didn’t see where I was going. Are you okay?”

A shadow of disgust flashed over Antoine’s face. “You scuffed my shoes, commoner,” he said with a vile grin.

Jaques looked at the shoes. The scratch was barely noticeable. The Youngster gulped, understanding from Antoine’s outfit that he was from the elite society. Whatever Antoine wanted, he could get.

“Uh, sorry sir. My mistake. I’ll pay for it.” He had no money for that, but he knew he was trapped in the debt of the young noble. Jaques started to get up, but Antoine held out a hand to stop him.

“Stay down there.”

The Youngster did as he was told. Now, a few people had stopped to watch with macabre interest. Antoine flipped back a lock of his expensive haircut. “By the looks of you, you could barely afford to pay for a day’s meal, much less a scratch on my shoe. You’ll pay with your dignity. Kiss it.”

Antoine stuck out his shoe and Jaques froze up. He was terrified of the power Antoine literally lorded over him, but he couldn’t bring himself to do something so demeaning. Sensing this, Antoine lifted back his foot, ready to kick the Youngster in the face.

Or he would have, if he wasn’t interrupted by an obnoxious slurping sound coming from the gathered audience, followed by a gruff “Move it.”

All eyes fell on a juvenile delinquent of a girl, dressed in a rebellious urban fashion and sipping on a blue slushie. A subtle, thin scar ran just across the bridge of her nose and to the middle of her cheek. This girl was Salieri Soledad.

A vein bulged on the side of Antoine’s head. He lowered his foot. Jaques sighed in relief and scrambled to his feet while the young noble was distracted. “What did you say to me?”
“I said move it. You’re making a scene, it’s hard to get by. Are you dense?”
A few gasps ran through the audience. “Do you have any idea who you’re talking to?”

Salieri took stepped forward slowly. Jaques opened his mouth to thank her, but she shoved him aside and kept walking to Antoine until she was right in his face. “An over privileged brat, with an ego as big as a house and as frail as his spaghetti arms?”

She took a long, loud sip on her slushie, taking enjoyment in watching Antoine’s fuse dwindle. It wouldn’t be long now. “How dare you speak to me that way! I am Antoine, a noble of the Court of Kings! Royalty runs through my veins! Challenge me, and you challenge all of Kalos! I-“

He didn’t get to finish that thought because his voice was annoying Sal, so she poured the rest of her slushie on his head.

The only sound in the area was the blue juice dripping from Antoine’s head. He was completely shocked, but his simmering rage boiled once more until he burst. The young noble roared and threw a haymaker to Salieri’s face.

POW! The punch connected, but Sal barely budged. His eyes widened as his fist pressed against her neck. Her eyes darted to the cameras the small crowd had whipped out to document the event. Perfect. Now she had witnesses for her self defense.

In this case, “self defense” was goading her target into attacking her first so she had an excuse. This was really why she wanted to agitate Antoine: she had been waiting ages to humiliate the Kalos nobility. He was amongst the smallest of the big fish, but everyone started somewhere.

Fire blazed in her eyes. Her eyes went back to Antoine. “You talk a lot about yourself. Do you have any idea who you’re talking to?”

Antoine retracted his fist and threw another hook. This time, Sal caught his wrist before the punch landed, and with a wild grin, crushed her head into his.

She let go so Antoine could stumble backwards, nose bleeding. Livid, he took out a pokeball and released a Bulbasaur. Now that the odds were once again on his side, he was cocky once more. “You’ll pay for this, commoner.”

Still grinning, Sal took out a pokeball of her own and released her own pokemon, Veillantif. The Horsea hopped up and down with her spring like tail, giddy like a toddler. Antoine cracked a smile. “You have the gall to call me dense? Water types are weak to Grass types! Vine Whip, Bulbasaur!”

With a battlecry, two slender vines shot forth from Bulbasaur’s bulb towards Sal and Veil. She ran towards them, crouching below the first one. “Veil, snipe him!”

Veil complied and jumped high into the air with Bounce. As Bulbasaur looked up, it didn’t notice Salieri grab onto its second vine. Antoine grit his teeth. “Bulba-GACK!”

A blob of ink landed in Antoine’s mouth, gagging his voice and subsequently his order. The inexperienced Bulbasaur looked back, and in that moment of distraction, was yanked by the vine towards Sal.

She threw an uppercut at Bulbasaur’s stomach, sending it flying upwards. Veil’s descending bounce collided with the Grass type, pounding it into the street for super effective damage.

Veil sprang from Bulbasaur into Sal’s hand, where she held him like a hand cannon at the floored Antoine. The noble narrowed his eyes in hatred and fear. With a fluid motion, Sal aimed Veil and shot a tiny Octazooka burst at Bulbasaur’s pokeball in Antoine’s hand.

Sal caught the ball, returned Bulbasaur over her shoulder, and took aim at Antoine once more. “ You win!” he gagged, spitting out ink. The black smears on his face contrasted the redness of his cheeks.

She sighed. The fight was just getting interesting. Beating on a Kalos noble was just as cathartic as she thought it would be. Nevertheless, she returned Veillantif and leaned over Antoine. The grin she sported before was gone, replaced by a determined and confident glare. Play time was over. Now was the business part.

“Water types may be weak to Grass types, but I have no weaknesses. My name is Salieri Soledad, and when I win the pokemon league you’ll be kissing my shoes. If you ever get over your humiliation, pass it on…b***h.”

Antoine nodded slowly. She turned away and he crumbled into a heap. Now the crowd began to disperse, shocked and slightly terrified by Salieri’s actions. Only Jaques remained.

“Amazing! That was incredible! Thanks so much lady, you really showed that guy!”

Salieri narrowed her eyes at Jaques with folded arms. “It takes a special kind of idiot to run into that kind of idiot. All you have to do is look up when you run, so next time take your head out of your a** and clean the s**t out of your ears. I hate kids that don't pay attention. Merde...”

She rolled her eyes and brushed past Jaques. Sycamore’s lab was close, and she had been waiting for this day for years. Today, she ended her long training ready to challenge the pokemon league. All she needed now was to register her pokedex and she would be on her way. The fact that she got to school a Kalos noble before that was her icing on the cake. A great start to the day.

Jaques watched her stride away in supreme confidence. “…what an a*****e.”

Lumiose City – Sycamore’s Pokemon Lab

Salieri sat atop a table, bored and looking on as Sycamore clacked away at a computer. Her pokedex, a standard Kalos model, was hooked up to the machine. A few more key clacks later, the computer DINGED!.

“Alright, you’re all set. You are now an official pokemon trainer, Ms. Soledad.” Sycamore unplugged the pokedex and handed it back to Salieri. She looked down at it with an unsatisfied expression.
“Thanks, but did you fix the other thing?”
“The other thing?”
“Yeah. The other thing.”
“Your pokedex seems fine. Actually, I thought this model was a limited edition. I don’t know what you mean.”

“I’ll show you what I mean,” she sighed. Sal opened a box on the table containing three pokeballs: starters native to Kalos. At random, she released a Chespin that stood proud with his chest puffed out. The little guy was happy to be a part of whatever this was.

Sycamore wished she’d asked first before she handled his pokemon, but he saw no harm in it. “You want to know about this pokemon? It’s a Chespin. Their quills are soft, but when flexed they can pierce stone. And their armor can withstand a direct hit from a truck. I’m sure your pokedex will tell you the same thing.”

She rolled her eyes and held up her pokedex to the Chespin. It crackled to life in a way Sycamore had never heard before. “Crrrssssh beep boop that’s a motherbeepin’ Chespin, son. Dude’s got mad spikes. I’d make a joke ‘bout how it can go hard but that’s too easy, know what I’m sayin’? Yeah, you know.”

Sycamore blinked a few times. He spun around, hoping to locate some sort of hidden camera of intern in hiding to make sure he was being pranked. “Um…what?”

Sal closed the dex and spun it in her fingertips. The Chespin didn’t mind his crude description, and instead focused Salieri. He could already sense something badass about her presence. It was fascinating. “Kiiiikiiii,” he cooed like a fanboy.

Indifferent, Sal turned away, much to the Chespin’s dismay. “A friend of mine, she’s a real tech nerd and she fixed up Ivan for me. Problem is it, uh…glitches.”

"You named your pokedex Ivan," he said flatly and she nodded. Sycamore folded his arms. Chespin tried to hug onto Salieri’s belt, but she swatted him away with mild annoyance. “If the dex wasn’t issued to you by Kalos then we can’t fix it. We could give you a new one though.”

That wasn’t going to work for Sal. This pokedex was a gift, and even if it wasn’t broken, it wouldn’t be right if she used another. “Nah, I’ll just use this one,” she said with a cocky smirk. “A handicap makes things more interesting anyway.”

Once again, Chespin tried to get close to Sal. This time, she finally addressed him. “I didn’t come here for a starter. Touch me again and I will end you.”
“Oh? But he likes you so much,” Sycamore noted, curious.
“Don’t care. I don’t like clinginess.”

Chespin’s jaw dropped. She was just going to leave him here? No, if he was going to grow up to be a badass, he needed to go with her before some pansy chose him instead.

A Vine Whip grew from his wrist and snatched the bandanna off of Sal’s head. Instantly, her face contorted to rage as he leapt away from her grasp. “HEY! Give that back, connard!”

He jumped away and Salieri pursued as he dashed through a clutter of tables and chairs. Their chase toppled over stacks of paper and books of research. “There’s no running in here!” Sycamore yelled, but his cry fell on deaf ears as Chespin bounced past him and onto the pokemon transporter, a mechanical column missing it’s center where traded pokemon appeared and disappeared.

Sal dashed for Chespin, who held up the bandanna proudly like a victory flag. “That’s not yours!” she growled. Sycamore tried to hold her back but she pushed him away. He bumped into a big red button on the transporter.

Chespin and the bandanna glowed blue, then dissolved. Now standing in the Chespin’s place on the transporter was a large, shiny green Dragonite. Stunned, Sal looked to Sycamore. “Where is he?” she squeaked.

Sycamore frowned and checked the computer monitor, which displayed the Dragonite’s stats and information. “He’s gone. I think you activated the Wonder Trade.”
“Wonder Trade?”
“A new trading system. You can put any pokemon for trade and get a random one in return. That Chespin could be anywhere in the world.”

The words hit her like bullets. The bandanna could be anywhere? Now that her initial shock was over, the rage began to build back up as Sycamore examined the monitor more closely. “The good news is, this Dragonite is Shiny, has perfect IVs in multiple stats-“

She pressed the big red button. Dragonite was traded away and replaced with a Bunnelby. “…or you could, uh, have a Bunnelby. I don’t think-“

She pressed it again. Now there was an Ariados. She pressed it again and again and again. Pokemon after pokemon were swapped around, and with each press of the button her teeth ground against each other more.

“You won’t find him like this,” he told her in a matter-of-fact way. “The odds are-“
Click. “I need that bandanna back.” Click.
“You can’t press that button forever.”
Click click click. “Don't care. Shut up."
“It’s impossible…and I can’t be here all day either.”

Click click click click clickclickclickclick THERE! Sycamore stared like a deer in headlights as the Chespin, bandanna and all, returned to the room. Not one to waste time, Salieri instantly floored the Grass type with a punch to the face.

Chespin slammed into a wall, his eyes dizzy with hearts. She’s so…tough… The bandanna fluttered in the air. Sal caught it and wrapped it back on her hair in huff.

Sycamore handed her Chespin’s pokeball. “You should take him along.”
“Seriously? You’d let me have him after all that? He's an idiot.”
“Well I don’t think I want him around here anymore…and I’d like you to leave, so…”

With a shrug, Sal snatched the pokeball from his hand and recalled the Chespin. She put his pokeball onto her belt and gave Sycamore a nod. “Thanks for the registration, Professor.”

She left the lab. Sycamore looked back at the lab, which was a mess. He released a Chillarmy that began to sweep up the loose papers and shook his head. It would be very interesting to see what kind of trainer Ms. Soledad turned out to be, but until then, he was glad she was gone.

Lumiose City - South Boulevard Pokémon Center

As the doors to the Center opened, Zack was stopped dead in his tracks by a chorus of horrified gasps. For a second, the whole place seemed to go silent, and then the whispering started.

"Oh my god, has he been in an accident?"
"Look at all that dirt! I think I'm going to faint."
"Uh oh! Fashion disaster incomiiiiiing!"

"What." said Zack.

Hushed voices continued chattering while Zack trudged up to the front desk. He dropped his pokéballs on the counter and waited for the nurse. She gave him a querying look, but said nothing as she added the balls to the healing machine.

While the pokémon were being healed, Zack decided to try experimenting. The cut on his forehead wasn't getting any better soon, so he went up to the Item Store counter and bought a Potion. It was meant for pokémon but, really, what harm could it do?

As he walked back to the main counter, he uncapped the bottle and took a swig. It tasted of blueberry, and sent a warm, tingling sensation through to his stomach. The cut began to itch as it rapidly knitted together, but afterwards he was met with the feeling of being light-headed. He checked the back of the bottle.

"Huh," he said to himself, "Not to be ingested by humans. Toxic and highly addictive. ********, is this better?" Zack grunted, holding his arms out and letting the long, Kalosian coat hang down. He felt like a clown, but by this point he was past caring. The coat was various mixes of green and blue, with swirl patterns met by zig-zagging triangles. But the gaggle of effeminate-looking men arranged on the seats at the Pokémon Center boutique seemed to love it. They erupted into high-pitch cheers and baby claps.

"Oh honey, you look... acceptable," said the most tanned. He had his hair up in a peaked mohawk, and wore copious amounts of eyeliner. He had a similar outfit to Zack's, but even an untrained eye would say it was nicer. It fit properly for a start.
"You won't be getting into Boutique Couture any time soon," said the most sparkly, who seemed to be using glitter as moisturiser, "but it's so much better than those rags you walked in with."
"Mmmhmmm," all the men agreed and Zack sighed.

"I don't even know how you talked me into--" he started, but the most tanned pulled out a tiny bottle of Hyper Potion and dangled it between his fingertips. Zack felt an uncomfortable little urge. "Right. That. I'm whoring myself out as a dress-up doll."

"You're wearing the very latest in Lumioise fashion," the most tanned said, "inspired by House Nostrad itself. A blind Mankey may even mistake you for a low class noble!"

The effeminate men started to giggle. Zack frowned, snatched his Hyper Potion and went back to the main counter.

"Ah, your pokémon are all healed, monsieur," the nurse said in a thick but dainty Kalosian accent. "Will that be all? Do you require your old clothes burning?"

Zack muttered as he put the pokéballs back on his belt. Coat swishing behind him as he turned, he walked out of the Center onto South Boulevard, took out his note book, and started reading as he walked. He had to get up to speed with Psychic and Bug types.

Santalune City

- Ding ding -

And aromatic chime sounded as the glass sliding doors slid apart, granting Takamaru access to the Pokemon center, the best friend to a registered Pokemon trainer. "Welcome, monsieur" the nurse at the front counter smiled pleasantly.

"Would like to use one of the changing rooms to change out of your traveling close and into something more suitable for a city?" the nurse asked, still pleasantly ignorant that she was being rude.

"Wh-Whats wrong with what I'm wearing?" The silver haired teen asked, lifting up his arms and looking himself over, genuinely concerned.

"Why, you cant be seri-" the nurse at the counter began, but was cut off as a rather boulbus woman bumped shoulders with Takamaru. She had an over powdered nose to match her pale white powdery complexion, obnoxious purple lipstick over applied to her lips, and a butch cut sea green colored hair-do atop her brow.

"Watch where your going, mongrel!" she shrieked, whiping away from Takamaru. "I swear, you children these days, no manners at all! none at all!" she continued shrieking, making a scene when she was obviously the one to bump into Takamaru.

"Uh-Uhm, I'm sorry, what? Y-You bumped into me...? Tk said, more of a question than a statement, as he scratched the back of his head. completely confused as to the way this woman was acting.

"Why I never! Such insolence!" she cried as she pulled he hand back before swinging it towards the silver haired youth in an attempt at a slap. Still confused about what exactly was going on, Tk dropped into a squat, effectively dodging the slap before springing lithely backwards a few steps. out of range of the hideous woman.

"Ma'am, you should really try keep your hands to yourself." Tk stated, not threateningly, but more in a way that implied she lacked common sense.

"Are you threatening me, Mongrel?!" she yelled, Eying the Poke-ball Tk was clutching, having removed it from his trainer belt while dodging her slap. An automatic response of his. "You filthy low class trainers are an eye sore, no fashion sense what so ever, none at all! You'd be better of going to work in a factory, instead of ugy-ling the world any more that it already is!"

Theonly reply she got was a shrug from Takamaru, before he turned and began walking away from the encounter all together. deciding that she was someone who couldn't be reasoned with and there for too much trouble to deal with any longer.

"You dare ignore me!? you get back here right now and apologize this instant!" she yelled, her face bright red, a bead a saliva rolling down from the corner of her lip as she stomped on the ground, enraged at being ignored.

The onlookers started whispering to one another. Some making clicking sounds with there toungs and shaking there heads. those ones were looking at Takamaru as he walked away from the large woman, towards the nurses counter. others glared daggers at the sea green haired woman. they were split about 50/50.

In the back of Tk's mind he made a note of how the people of Kalos, native or not, seemed to be separated into two groups. The Better than You's, and the Normal ones. Only a few days into his tour in Kalos, and Tk already wasnt fond of this place.

Apparently the Nurse was a part of the Better than You's cause she had Tk fixed with a disgusted glare as she took his Pokemon, healed them then roughly shoved them on counter. "Have a nice day...monsieur" she said, seemingly forced.

'Mental note, buy own Pokemon healing supplies to avoid poke center Kalos nurses.'

He really wanted to use one of the video phones at the center, better reception that the Holo casters, but he couldn't find it in himself to want to remain there any longer than necessary. Entitled people rubbed him the wrong way.

Nope, Instead, he left the center, clicking his heels to release the blades of the skates in the soles of his shoes before gliding across the pavement towards Route 4 to start training up X-Calibur before taking on Viola, Santalune's bug type specialist.

Now, all he had to do was figure out which direction route 4 started...

((Man, Kalosians are freaky))

Lumiose City - South Boulevard

"Hey, what's your prob-" Zack span a bit as Salieri barged into him, turning back to his book and stopping in stunned surprise. He shouted something that made nearby children cry, and bolted in the direction the book thief had run. He spotted her long ponytail vanish around a corner and sped up.

Crowds parted whether they wanted to or not. Zack shoved through a group, tapping them with his hands just enough to move them, but some were sent flying. His foot made brief contact with the back of a bench and he launched through the air, hitting the pavement with a skid as he rounded the corner into Vernal Avenue.

"GET BACK HERE!" he roared, drawing more than a few startled looks. The Potion didn't seem to mix well with adrenaline. He could feel his blood boiling.

Ridiculous Kalosian coat flapping behind him, Zack bounded after Salieri.