14 Icy Encounter (2/3)
->My laptop blue screened twice while writing this chapter, and my writing tool doesn't autosave. I have learned my lesson- Google docs it is.
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Izan felt a bit awkward as the girl in front of him looked him up and down without even trying to hide it.
Sandshrew was getting antsy on his shoulder, looking down on the girl with irritation. She didn't seem to like that the girl was holding them up at the door.
All he'd done is walk into the Pokemon Center. Why were there always weirdos around every corner in this world?
Wait, no, that was every world.
'Well, two can play at that game.' He thought, exaggeratedly looking her up and down as well.
The first thing he noticed was her long, light-blue straight hair that reached to her hips. The second thing he noticed was that she was around his age, even if her makeup made her look a bit older.
Her outfit matched her other features, being a navy blue school uniform with an icy blue ribbon. Or was it just something she wore to look more professional? Probably both.
The air she gave off mixed with her glasses gave an impression of intelligence, after all.
[Image]
"3 out of 10." She suddenly stated bluntly. "I'll admit you have some potential, but your current unsightly visage is perfect."
He frowned, that was just rude. Looking her up and down with his eyes, his eyes locked onto a certain part of her. 'Possible insecurity spotted.'
"Thanks." He said dryly, rolling his eyes as he walked past. "Maybe if you grow some bigger tits you'll hit a 1 outta 10 someday."
Sandshrew backed him up with a contemptuous 'hmph'. He wasn't sure the little lady understood what he just said, but the support was nice.
He didn't make it two steps before the girl called out to him calmly.
"My apologies, that wasn't meant to be an insult."
He looked over his shoulder at her like she was stupid. "How was that not an insult, exactly?"
Seemingly expecting his attitude, she answered. "Those who cannot rely on looks to get through life tend to develop a skill to replace it. And seeing as how you're flaunting that Sandshrew around, I'd assume you're a very skilled battler, are you not?"
'Huge logic jump there. Plus she just stroked my ego right after throwing a perceived insult. That sounds like some sort of social trick so that must mean…'
"You want something from me." He turned fully, giving her his full attention. "What is it?"
To that, she smiled brightly, as if she was waiting for him to say that.
Walking up to him, she offered a handshake. "Allow me to reintroduce myself. My name is Aurora Stone, and I'm the one who requested you for a battle."
Sandshrew… hissed.
[}-{]
After calming Sandshrew's territorial tendencies, Izan and Aurora sat down at a table in the Pokemon Center while Izan had lunch.
Sandshrew was eating too. A mixture of Moomoo milk and ground-type kibble that resembled cereal.
Pointing his fork at her, he spoke after swallowing. "I'm not apologizing, that comment about my looks was just rude, no matter how you spin it."
Still smiling, she replied immediately. "I didn't expect you to. Most people can't wrap their heads around my views."
'Because it doesn't make any sense.' He almost replied. But in the end, her skewed views of reality didn't matter.
"…Right." He wiped his mouth and sat up straighter. "Anyway, I have to wonder, why do you want to battle me? You know I'm an F-Class trainer, right?"
"That is precisely why. Due to some… complications with my background, I've been forced to relocate to Kanto and become a trainer through the Youngster program. I'm using you as a baseline."
His eyebrows raised. 'Tragic backstory, perhaps? Yeah, I'm not getting into that. It is a bit surprising she's also an F-Class trainer, though.'
"What do you mean by baseline? All things considered, I should be a bit ahead of the curve when it comes to F-Class trainers." At least, if levels were the main factor.
He'd also updated his request sheet each time Sandshrew went up a level, so everyone who'd read it would know she hit level 10 recently.
Aurora nodded at that point. "Exactly. I've learned how to battle from tutors, but it isn't my forte. If I manage to reach your level or surpass you, the chance of me becoming D-Class would be much higher."
Izan's eyebrows rose even further. That was high praise from someone who told him he was ugly five seconds after they met.
…Maybe he had a complex about that.
"And if I agree, what would the terms of the battle be?" He asked after considering Sandshrew.
Seemingly in her element, Aurora suddenly pulled out a piece of paper from a bag that he somehow hadn't noticed sitting in the booth next to them.
Glancing at it, he realized it was a contract made specifically for their battle.
"I assume you don't have any other Pokemon, but I do. This contract states that it will be a 3 versus 1 non-lethal battle where each Pokemon you defeat with Sandshrew alone gets you closer to the full payout of a C-rank mission."
'Wh-'
She continued, ignoring his massively confused face. "You may not know, but a battle would only fit into a C-rank mission, seeing as how C-ranks are the only rank where battling is expected. That being said, the range of C-rank payout is 3,000 to 10,000 Pokedollars."
"…When did you write this contract?" He blurted out, flabbergasted. He had many questions, but that part just didn't make any sense at all.
"This morning, of course." She answered with a professional smile.
'Doing paperwork in the morning?! …Scary.'
Skimming over the contract, he made sure there were no clauses that could legally fuck him over. Ultimately, he couldn't find any so he went to grab the pen she was offering, but he stopped himself.
"Actually, Sandshrew." She looked up at him from her meal. "What do you think about this?"
She tilted her head, evidently not listening at all.
Izan snorted. "Aurora here wants you to battle three of her Pokemon. They should be about your level or below. You up for that?"
Sandshrew looked over to Aurora with narrowed eyes. Getting up, she hopped onto the table and walked up to Aurora who stared back at Sandshrew with a slightly surprised look.
After glaring at her, Sandshrew closed her eyes and made a 'hmph' sound again. Pointing her nose up, she hopped off the table. "Shrew."
Izan dragged his hand down his face with a smile, signing the contract. "Guess that's that, then."
And with Nurse Joy as the referee, he was pretty much guaranteed a battle that wasn't too dangerous. He'd seen her personal Mr. Mime… handle people.
That thing was brutal.
"You… understood what Sandshrew said?" Aurora asked, now thoroughly taken aback.
He waved her off. "Nah, nothing like that. I can just tell what she meant. She accepted, but she only did so because she thinks you and your team are beneath her."
Aurora's smile became strained. "I-I see. I'll see you tomorrow then. Goodnight, Izan." She got up to leave, taking her things with her.
"See ya, Stone." He replied. She paused for a split second when he called her stone, but kept going afterward.
'Yeah, there's a story there. And she's definitely related to Steven in some way.'
Izan's mind wandered about the implications of that until he refocused when he realized Sandshrew was done eating.
"Alright, Sandshrew, let's go." He gathered his things and stretched. "We've gotta do a little bit of last-minute training if we wanna full sweep her."
Sandshrew, enthusiastic to do anything with Izan, hopped on his shoulder. "Sandshrew!"
"Right." Izan's tone turned serious as they made their way back to the training grounds. "So, do you remember that brown gem? That's rock-type energy and what you wanna do is…"
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I didn't actually expect you guys to vote in the last chapter, I was just telling you which ones I'm thinking about. But seeing as you did, I decided to roll with it.
Golurk blew Gastrodon outta the water. Camerupt and Nidoking were actually close, but Nidoking won in the end. Surprisingly, Claydol got 60% of the vote over Garchomp. (This is excluding my own opinion)
On another note- I wish I knew how people write so fast. It takes me ages to finish a chapter even without all the blue screens.
