"...She offered you personal training? That wasn't in Violet's report." You hear Cynthia say with a sigh from the other end of the line. You couldn't see her face. Poketchs traded the camera for portability, but it was easy to recognize some annoyance in her voice. Not directed at you or Violet, of course.
"Well… Yeah, she did. I think I forgot to tell Violet that, sorry." You answered sheepishly, looking around. You were sitting on your bed. You wanted to hang around a park in your neighborhood, but this conversation was really confidential for multiple reasons. You even made sure your sister was at work before calling your master, just in case she wasn't on board with going to train to some weird place.
"Well, don't worry. I already had enough work just by knowing they are in the region." You hear papers shuffling in the background. She is probably in her office… That's weird, Violet told you she tries to spend as little time in her office as possible. "Before I give you my answer tell me, what do you know about The Guardians?" She asked in a tone that reminds you of your teachers at the academy.
After thinking about it for a moment, you answer. "Well… They are some sort of group that helps people? I'm not sure. There is not a lot of information online. The only things I found are news reports about the group stopping criminal organizations and stuff. Apart from that I only have what my… friend Rose told me. But she said they were superheroes and I'm pretty sure that's not a thing." You said. It was frustrating how well hidden the information was. It seems like they only have direct contact with the gym leaders and champions of the regions they help, not making anything public.
"A friend? Oooh, is Akahime using a cute girl to drag you into their group?" She asked. You don't need to see her to FEEL that smile she is giving you. "That's pretty underhanded even for her. And here I thought the cute girls I sent with you would be enough to keep you away from those things. Do I need to send more?" She asked, destroying any sense of severity this conversation had, making you blush and stare angrily at the poketch even if she couldn't see your face.
"D-don't say that! I don't want to train there because of her!" You replied, maybe a bit too quickly. You tried to think of something clever to answer, but it wasn't easy. "And… You know a lot about Akahime. Are you friends or something?"
"We were… A long time ago, but people change." She replied, and then silence only broken by the sound of the severity of the situation coming back, crashing through a wall. You shouldn't have said that. "But I don't think she is planning anything to bad. I just don't like her organization in Sinnoh unless we actually need them. Having a strong group of trainers for our protection when nothing bad is happening only makes people more nervous."
A couple more seconds of silence. "So… What should I do?" You asked.
"Go ahead. She is a good trainer. Maybe as good as myself. You could learn a lot about her, but… Be careful. I will have Lily scan your brain for psychic tampering tomorrow. I don't expect anything like that to happen but I want to be sure." She said, making you shudder. You knew she was just being cautious, but that was scary.
After that, you talked about your training until now and how everything was going on her end. It seems like the E4 is trying to pass a law against pokemon exploitation and they needed Cynthia to meet with a bunch of politicians. The cause was good, but she felt constantly tired and had no time to train. You said your goodbyes after that.
Maelstrom and Fang stopped playing on your room's floor when they saw you getting ready. Awaiting news about what are you going to do today. "Let's go train with a mysterious organization." You said at them. "Seems like a fun way to spend the afternoon."
You sent a text to Rose while getting ready telling her if it was okay to train with her boss today. It would be funny if after all of this turns out she is busy today. She quickly replies saying she is going to ask and not even five minutes later you receive a text from an unknown number with only an address to a warehouse at the edge of town.
Ominous.
⁂
The place wasn't as bad as you expected. The building was one of those solitary warehouses on the other side of the city instead of near the sea like the rest. It stood alone at the end of a solitary street. It would make you think you got the wrong address if it wasn't for the banners with their logo on either side of the main door and the bubbly girl racing her Torchic… And maybe her Slowpoke, but the latter was standing still at the starting line.
Once you got close enough, she saw you and stopped her training, smiling at you and waving. It seems like Rose was waiting for you since you sent that message earlier. Something tells you she doesn't have a lot of friends.
"Haru! You took too long!" Rose said as you got closer. She didn't seem annoyed or anything at least.
"Well, I live on the other side of the city, and I can't fly yet… Have you been here waiting for me?" You asked, a small smile on your face. The idea of her waiting for you at the door like a puppy was amusing.
"Of course. I had to be the one welcoming my eternal rival!" She proclaimed, hands on her hips trying to look bigger. She was still shorter than you.
You blinked in silence, processing what she just said. "Wait… rival? Since when?" You asked perplexed.
"Since you decided to train under my master too! I can't let you be a better student than I am, so I started to train more seriously!" She said proudly. The Torchic next to her, Ares, copied her pose too. Proud of his strength.
Torchic ♂
Fire Type
Rank: D
Ability 1: Speed Boost (Increases speed every round.)
Ability 2: Blaze (Increases fire type power for each round lost.)
Trait 1: Hero (Stronger when fighting for something he believes in. Can grow up to EX+ rank.)
Trait 2: Brave (Highly resistant to fear. Immune to moves based on causing fear on the opponent.)
Moves: Scratch, Ember, Growl, Aerial Ace, "Blaze Kick?"
Looking more closely… He does look stronger than last time you saw him. More or less as strong as Fang. You wonder what kind of training she is using on him. "So… I'm your rival now? I'm not saying no to that, but I'm not going to train with Akakhime forever. I still have my own teacher." You said calmly. Rivals were a serious thing for trainers. You can't just go around declaring someone is your rival until you have fought at least once.
"I know," She replied, not missing a beat. She was expecting that reply from you. "but Cynthia is the strongest trainer in Sinnoh. My boss is also the strongest, that means we are both training under super awesome trainers! We are perfect rivals." She nodded to herself, her opinion on the matter pretty clear. Something tells you the decision is now out of your hands.
"I guess that makes sense. But we better wait until we at least have a battle to decide that." You say with a sigh. You can't say no to her right now. She seems too excited to be refused. At least you can get a bit more of time for her to calm down.
"That's a great idea! Let's battle right now!" She shouted raising a fist into the air. Ares doing the same. You blinked, that was… definitely not how you expected this to go. "I've been training a lot, so I know I can win!" She said before looking back at where her improvised race track was. Flash, the Slowpoke, was now at the other side where the finishing line was. Huh, you guess he technically won the race being the first to cross that line. You have no idea how the Slowpoke walked there without any of you noticing. It seems like Rose thought the same, leaving you alone for now to approach her pokemon.
She hugged the Slowpoke with a big smile, saying something about being the fastest Slowpoke and winning the race on his own without her having to push him all the way. That would sound condescending coming from anyone else, but you feel she is being genuinely happy. You coughed to grab her attention. Now was your chance to change the subject before she challenges you again. "So… Where is Akahime? I probably need to talk to her if I want to train." You said.
Rose's eyes opened wide, realizing something. "Oh, right, she is probably waiting!" She stood up and rushed to your side, grabbing your hand and dragging you into the building. "Come on! I'm sure her training will be cool!" Ares was following you two. Flash, on the other hand, was still at the finish line, enjoying the feeling of winning a race.
⁂
The interior of the warehouse wasn't big and almost empty like you expected. They built walls to divide the space into rooms and even used the vertical space to make a second floor. It felt a bit like Maylene's gym, with corridors leading to multiple bedrooms and common rooms. You saw some people walking around, all in a white and blue uniform. They seemed pretty relaxed, talking and sometimes waving at Rose as she rushed past them, dragging you along. A couple looks of pity directed at you.
This place was incredible and a bit frightening. They had training rooms too, and you saw what looked like pretty strong pokemon. You think you even saw a Dragonite fighting an Aegislash… But had no time to look closer because someone was trying to rip your arm off every time you slowed down.
The building was probably one of the biggest warehouses in town. Once used to hold and process the ore mined from the mountain. They clearly took advantage of all that space to turn it into what looked like the real HQ of a big organization… Even if the exterior could use more work.
You finally reached your destination after going through a long hallway. You found yourself at the entrance of a big room, clearly used for more serious battles. It even had the official lines on the ground indicating the battle arena. In the middle of the room, Akahime waited for you, smiling.
"I've been waiting for you, Haru. I'm glad you accepted my invitation." She said, still waiting for you at the center of the room. Her words carried an invisible weight you only felt when Cynthia was being serious. They both had some sort of aura not easy to explain. Something only great trainers have.
"I'm sorry." You said. "I live on the other side of the city, and I can't fl-" You tried to explain yourself when suddenly, Rose rushed in her master's direction… Still dragging you along by the hand.
When she was close enough, she bowed. "I'm sorry Boss! I was too excited and made him take longer to get here." She said. "I might be… not too professional." She admitted blushing slightly. She probably had orders to take you to her immediately.
Akahime just laughed softly while you tried to recover from this last rush, your hand finally free. Your arm will feel sore for a while. "Don't worry little one." She replied to Rose. "What's important is that he is here now… Haru, you wanted for me to train you, right?" She asked you directly.
You nodded, a bit more serious than before. Talking to Akahime wasn't the same as talking to Rose. "Yes. I can feel how strong you are as a trainer and I want to reach your level one day. I need all the training from strong trainers I can get." Your face was still serious, she was still smiling. Rose was at your side oblivious to the seriousness of the situation. This was a chance to get better. To actually fit the role you've been put into.
"Oh, you want to reach my level one day? A bolder trainer would have declared he wanted to surpass me, not just reach my level… That's good. You have a clear goal in mind and know what you need to reach it." She was still smiling like before, but you saw her eyes shining briefly with excitement. You hear Rose mutter to herself something about wanting to surpass her master and being an actual clear goal too. "I was going to just train you on the basics. A little boost to your strength as thanks for helping Rose but… You are probably not happy with just that. You want real training."
You felt a bit nervous. You are not sure you like how she said the last part. Rose looked a bit nervous too but in a different way. She probably knows first hand how though her real training is.
She seems to think about it for a second, looking around until her eyes land on Rose before looking at you again. "I have an idea… I want you to battle Rose and her Torchic. I taught her a lot about battles, so it's not going to be easy… I want you to teach me what you can do and then I will give you real training…" You felt Rose next to you holding back. If she weren't trying to be serious and professional right now, she would probably be shaking you with excitement. She really wants that battle. "Or… you can just get the normal basic training. It's still a gift as thanks, so I will make sure it's a good one… It's your choice."
They both looked at you. Waiting for your decision. Akahime was calm, happy with whatever choice you pick, but Rose clearly was in favor of a battle against her. You sigh. Saying no to that proposition is going to be hard, but you are not sure about this «Real Training». It's the same training Rose follows, so it's probably more or less safe… But her Torchic is now at the same level as Fang… And you had to go through a life or death situation for him to grow that much so quickly. That makes you nervous.
On the other hand… This is the perfect chance to get more training under a champion-level trainer. Even if it feels like the training is going to be excessively harsh, you can't just turn down a challenge like that if you want to be champion someday… And Rose would probably be sad if you don't battle her.
[] Accept (Battle against Rose. 1v1, she will only use her Torchic. Will unlock special training with The Guardians.)
-Pokemon you will use and strategy.
[] Decline (Get normal training. Counts as two days of training with Maylene.)
