Seehan

Seehan Victoria and Ame were just coming down the stairs, chatting amicably, when Seehan arrived at the administrator's desk. Upon spotting him, Victoria gave him a wave, while Ame favored him with a small smile before adopting a more serious expression. She beckoned Seehan towards her, who confusedly followed the two women into the back area, where he was ushered into a small meeting room containing only a small, round table and several chairs. Taking a seat beside Victoria, Seehan watched as Ame closed the door behind them, and sat down across from the two trainers. "I'll get straight to the point. The bombing of the train station was done by an organization calling themselves "Team Meteor". We don't know their aim, nor do we have any information on them. All we know is that the members of this organization are extremely loyal, disciplined, and merciless, even towards their own members. Our bomber bit off his own tongue after he revealed the name of his Team, so we've hit a dead end in our investigation on that front. However, reports have been coming in of suspicious, black uniformed men and women skulking around the Mosswater Factory, and we have reason to believe they are affiliated with Team Meteor. I hate to ask this of you two, when you're merely here to take on the Reborn League, but with our Police force stretched as thin as it is, we need as many veteran trainers as possible to help us with our investigation. You are free to refuse, of course, but if you agree to help I will ensure you are sufficiently rewarded for your time and effort." Seehan absorbed the Ame's briefing, sorting his thoughts as he listened. Naturally, he would assist in any way he could. If this Team Meteor was as powerful as Ame feared, then he would definitely have some difficult battles ahead of him; perfect, then, for his self training. Perhaps aiding Ame in her investigations would even prove more beneficial than challenging the Reborn League itself. Seehan glanced to the side, where Victoria seemed to be lost in thought. He briefly wondered why Ame had waited until Alice had departed before enlisting his help, but pushed it from his mind. She probably hadn't wanted to involve the girl after all she had been through. In that regard, Seehan agreed wholeheartedly. Alice had gone through enough suffering. "Understood. I will put my League challenge on hold until this Meteor business is resolved." Seehan said, his steady gaze fixed on Ame. "May I ask who else will be participating in the investigation?" Ame nodded. "Florinia, the Leader of the Onyx Ward's gym, has taken command of the operation. Julia, Peridot's Leader, has also agreed to assist us. The three of us agreed to find as much help as possible, so there should be at least one other trainer included besides those two. The operation begins tonight, at 2200. You are to meet at Peridot's Pokemon Center, and approach the factory together as a unit." Seehan acknowledged that he understood, then looked once more at Victoria, who seemed to have come to a decision. "I'm sorry, Ame, Seehan. There's something I need to look in to on my own. Something about the Obsidia Ward bothered me on my way over here." She did not offer any more information, and Ame nodded her acceptance of Victoria's choice. "Be careful then, Victoria. And Seehan, thank you again for your help. I'll let Florinia know that you've joined the operation, so expect a call or text from her within the next hour." Victoria and Seehan nodded, and the three of them stood up and left the room, returning to the common area. Ame let the two trainers out of the administration desk, then returned to the back area, presumably to do more paperwork. Victoria looked at Seehan apologetically. "Sorry that I can't help. I'll make it up to you though, I promise! For now, how about that battle?" "Sure, let's go to the battle area. I have some time to kill before I have to head out anyway." They moved quickly over to the battle area. This time, the area was much less crowded, with most of the trainers headed off to eat dinner or to their rooms to rest, leaving the majority of the arenas open for use. The two trainers picked one close to the edge of the battle area, then faced off from their respective trainer boxes. Seehan felt the familiar battle rush coursing through him, and grabbed Chimchar's Pokeball from his belt. Even though they had only battled together once, Seehan already felt a vague connection beginning to form between the two of them. His choice in starter had been correct after all. Victoria selected her Pokemon as well, and together they released their Balls. Two flashes of light marked the successful materialization of their two Pokemon, and Seehan's Chimchar found itself facing off against a Tepig, snout blaring out flames as it stomped the ground, eager to begin the battle. The two Pokemon circled one another, each sizing the other up. Seehan stood ready to give a command, his Blank Slate already active. Victoria, too, waited for an opening to present itself. Tense moments passed, and the standoff seemed to have no end until Tepig's foot, in a moment of carelessness, slipped on a loose patch of dirt, causing it to lose its balance for just a fraction of a second. It was enough. "Scratch! Aim for the snout!" "Tepig, use Tail Whip and counter!" Chimchar dashed into range, in a streak of red and gold flame, eyes blazing with the thrill of battle as it aimed its sharp claws towards Tepig's face- -but was blocked, as Tepig used its momentary slip as a pivot, spinning faster than any Tepig Seehan had ever seen before, and smashed its tail into the side of Chimchar's head. Chimchar staggered back, stunned. "Chimchar, use Leer! Then combo it with Scratch, same spot!" "Tepig, use Tackle!" Tepig pressed Chimchar's momentary distraction, throwing itself headfirst towards the Fire Monkey. Before it could make contact, however, Chimchar made eye contact with Tepig. A chill went down its spine, and it hesitated, giving Chimchar the opportunity to dodge the Tackle, and return with a devastating scratch to Tepig's snout. Squealing in pain, Tepig bounced off the ground once, then came to a complete stop and was still. Victoria gaped in disbelief. The battle, from start to finish, was over in less than a minute. Is that... Really another fresh starter Pokemon? The way it responded to Seehan's commands... It's as if they've been battling together for weeks. She was snapped out of her reverie by the sound of Seehan recalling his Chimchar to its Ball, and hastily retrieved her own Pokemon. Thanking it for its effort, she slipped her Pokeball back into her robe. "You're even more of a monster than your reputation says you are." Victoria said, shaking her head and smiling as Seehan rejoined her. They began walking towards the Pokemon Center. Seehan smiled a little at the praise. "You surprised me yourself. Turning your Tepig's mistake into a move to punish my over eagerness... Your battle sense is phenomenal. I shudder to think what you can do with a team of trained Pokemon." After getting their Pokemon checked out, they exchanged numbers and parted ways; Seehan towards the Peridot Pokemon Center to the North West, and Victoria towards the Obsidia Ward to the East. The rain fell heavily on the two trainers as they, at last, began their respective journeys in earnest. Trainer Profile: Seehan

Pretty Boy Cain Alice Rain poured down onto Alice as she stepped out of the Grand Hall into the grime covered streets of Reborn City. Sighing, she sent out Squirtle and had him lie on her head, the Water type complying happily. His Rain Dish Ability would keep her reasonably dry, as long as she kept him directly above her. After making sure her Key Stone was securely attached to her necklace and tucked safely away under her blouse, Alice strode down the stairs of the Grand Hall into the Opal Ward. As she wandered the streets, she realized something very simple; she had no idea where anything was in Reborn City, least of all the Peridot Ward's gym. Looking around, she spotted a man, dressed all in a garish shade of purple, and strolled towards him, thinking of asking for directions. The man stood there, seemingly unaffected by the rain, staring out across the polluted waters of Azurine Lake. As Alice approached, he turned around; though his face was covered in piercings, his eyes were kind. "Heyyyy, what's a cute girl like you doing in all this rain? You should head inside before your ultra stylish outfit gets wet!" Alice smiled and stood her ground. "I'm actually looking for the Peridot Ward's gym. You wouldn't happen to know where it is, would you?" The curious looking man (more like an older boy, now that Alice looked closer) smirked, though not in an unkind way. "Little girl, do you know what Reborn's gym leaders are like? They are ferocious; the toughest of the tough. Every single one of them carries 6 Pokemon, and they show no mercy, not even towards inexperienced trainers just starting their journeys. They do use different teams depending on how many badges their opponent has, but even their weakest teams would have no problem dispatching a new trainer like you." He looked pointedly towards her Squirtle, who was now napping on Alice's head. Alice's eye twitched. No one insulted her Squirtle. "Actually, I'm not a new trainer. I have my Mawile with me from Kalos, and he's really strong. I bet I won't have any problems with any of the leaders, especially if they have to use weaker teams against me since I have no badges." To her surprise, the older boy, rather than being embarrassed and apologizing, gave her a confused look. "You mean... You don't know about Reborn's policy on foreign Pokemon?" He asked, seemingly genuinely surprised. "In order to use Pokemon from other regions in official matches, such as gym battles, you must have at least 5 badges before you're allowed to register them as part of your official team." Alice's mouth dropped open. Ame had failed to mention this to her; though, upon retrospect, Alice herself had been unconscious until just this morning, and Ame had been extremely busy ever since. ".... I guess I'll go and train a bit first." As she turned to leave, the boy made a stop motion with his hand. "If you want to train, a trainer battle is definitely the way to go in terms of gaining experience. If you'll have me, I'd be happy to provide such a service, just for you...." Alice had a feeling the boy had said that last part many times before, but under a much different context. "Alright. Lets do this..." She looked around, and saw a small park nearby, with several depressing looking trees providing at least a little shelter from the rain. "Over there." The boy nodded, and the pair quickly moved into the shelter of the copse of trees. As they took up their positions on opposite sides of the "battlefield", the boy called over. "By the wayyyyy, my name's Cain! What's yours?" Alice grinned at him. "If you beat me, I'll tell you!" And with that, she sent in her freshly adopted Swablu. Cain chuckled. "Feisty, I like that~." He sang under his breath, as he sent out his Nidoran(M). Alice quickly checked her Swablu's battle information on her Pokedex. "... Sky Attack? Huh." She placed the tiny device back into her pocket and turned her attention to the trainer in front of her. For just a moment, the two Pokemon faced off, their trainers locked eye to eye. The standoff was broken as the rain snapped a small branch off a nearby tree, and as if someone had shot a pistol, the Pokemon sprang into action. "Poison Sting!" "Fury Attack!" Trainer Profile: Alice

Yeah, honestly Team Meteor seems pretty screwed at this point. You and Florinia basically wiped the floor with 6 of the strongest member of Team Meteor back to back... Imagine if Titania and Julia had been involved in the fight, none of the Meteors would have survived. The only one left who is strong enough to oppose you, the player, is Lin. And even if she was able to stop you, there are still 18 gym leader she would have to fight through, along with the Elite 4 and (maybe?) the champion. P R E T T Y done if you ask me. Remember Amaria was able to easily crush a dozen of the grunts back in the factory, their superior numbers and firepower mean nothing to the Reborn gym leaders when they're serious.

You just have to keep trying honestly. Quick Claw and Focus band have a pretty low % chance of activation, so it's all luck. (I think 10% for Focus Band, not sure for Quick Claw)

yeah what the heck is a blue moon ice cream?? i also didn't fight Taka. If I fight him, nothing changes. He'll continue his passive aggressive defiance against Team Meteor, but in the meantime people are dying. If I don't fight him, not only does Team Meteor lose a commander (I'm assuming they'll kick him out or kill him for this), but it will also mess with Solaris's mind, making lose him calm and calculated demeanor. Hopefully this makes Taka realize how stupid he is and join our side, but either way it's a blow to Team Meteor.

The Order of Nurses, the most influential medical organization in Reborn, had done their best with aiding Reborn in its reconstruction. Offering not only the typical free PokeCare available to all trainers, they also regularly patrolled the streets of Reborn, rescuing Pokemon abused, abandoned, or neglected by other trainers. These Pokemon, after recovering, were put up for free adoption by the OoN for any trainers who swore to give them a better life than the one they had been living up until that point. After getting their Pokemon healed, and reuniting Alice with her Mawile, the two trainers decided to take a look at what Pokemon were available for adoption. "After all, if I'm going to be filling out my team anyway, I may as well adopt instead of wasting Pokeballs on catching wild Pokemon." Alice said to Seehan as she casually cuddled a Furfrou, Lopunny, Swablu, and Vulpix at the same time. Seehan agreed wholeheartedly, and left Alice to her cuddling as he strolled down the lines of holding pens. Picking out a Zigzagoon with half an ear missing, but with the cutest eyes he had ever seen (he wondered if it was using Baby-Doll Eyes on him), he registered it to his Pokedex at the front desk, then returned to where Alice was regretfully picking herself out of the furry mess of napping Pokemon she had found herself in. In answer to his amused look, she flushed and looked away. "I-its not like I think they're cute or anything! I was just.... Testing them out to see which of them fit me best!" "Uh huuuuuhhhh." Seehan said with with a teasing smile on his face. "And did you manage to pick one out? I assume you know you can only adopt one Pokemon per day right?" Alice eyes widened in panic for a split second, before she got her features under control. "O-of course I knew that. Ahem." She coughed, trying to regain her composure. "I'll have you know I picked out this Swablu. See? Only one!" She glared at him, daring him to contradict her. Seehan, having no wish to be on the receiving end of a teenage girl's wrath, merely nodded meekly and accompanied her to the adoption desk. As they exited the Pokemon Center, Seehan glanced at his Pokegear. "It's been a pretty decent amount of time; I'll bet Victoria is done choosing her starter by now. Ame said something about her wanting to battle me right?" He asked Alice, who nodded. "In that case, what are you going to do? Will you come watch our battle, or begin your journey right away?" Alice looked at Seehan. Although it had only been a short time since they'd met, she already felt comfortable around him, as if he were her older brother. However.... "I think I'll get a head start on you. I came here to become stronger, and you're already so far ahead of me. If I'm going to be beating you the next time I see you, I'm going to need to do a lot of training." Seehan nodded his approval. "Safe travels then, Alice. Before you go, lets register each other into our Pokegears in case something comes up. Travelling alone is good for training, but it's never a bad thing to make sure there's someone you can trust just a call away." The girl nodded solemnly, and the two quickly exchanged numbers. Seehan watched her back as she walked away, all the way until she exited the Grand Hall, then turned and walked back towards the administrator's desk. **This marks the beginning of the Seehan/Alice split. Subsequent entries will be marked with the relevant character's name in bold at the top, unless both characters are in the same entry; in that case, the format will be the same as it has been so far.** Trainer Profile: Seehan Trainer Profile: Alice

With an explosive flash of light, Chimchar materialized from its Pokeball in a dazzling ball of fire, its eyes burning with its eagerness to battle. On the far side of the arena, in a similarly blinding flash of light, Alice's Squirtle appeared in a haze of mist, its earlier happiness now replaced with a confident grin. Seehan instinctively reached out with his Empathetic Link, but was not surprised when he was unable to form a perfect link with his Chimchar. That was typical; Empathetic Link relied on the trust and bond he had with his Pokemon, which was something he had obviously not had the time to build up with his newly received Chimchar. He was, however, able to get a peek at his Chimchar's emotions. In many newly caught Pokemon, their excitement to battle could often overpower their desire to obey their trainer, causing them to ignore their trainer's commands. Seehan was happy to find that his Chimchar, though young and untrained, was calm and ready to submit to his authority and follow his orders. Closing his eyes, he activated Blank Slate. On the other side of the battlefield, Alice was slightly nervous. As an exceptional trainer from Kalos, she, too, had obtained all 8 badges and participated in the Kalos League. Unlike Seehan, who had rushed through the region to collect the badges immediately upon arriving from Unova, Alice spent almost a year collecting all 8 of her badges, taking her time and enjoying her journey with her Pokemon. However, after blazing through the preliminaries, she was defeated in the group stages by Serena, who would in turn be defeated by Seehan in the finals. She had witnessed his triumph from her seat, watching as he commanded his Pokemon to victory without uttering a single word. Serena had fought bravely and strategically, building her team around countering Seehan's, and even pushing him to his final Pokemon, a feat no one else had ever managed to accomplish since Seehan had begun challenging Pokemon Leagues. However, she would fall in heartbreaking defeat as Seehan's Talonflame struck down her Mega Absol. After seeing such a display of skill, and wanting to push herself to improve, Alice left all her Pokemon save for Mawile, her first Pokemon, at home and decided to challenge the Reborn League, the hellish challenge known for its difficulty and unforgiving nature towards weak trainers. Perhaps it was fate that she ended up on the same train as the boy who had defeated the girl who crushed her dreams. Perhaps, if she defeated Seehan here, she could finally redeem herself for her defeat at the Kalos League. Now was her best time to try, while both of them were using fresh, newly obtained starters. If there were any time where she stood a chance verses the older boy, now would be it. Exactly 47 seconds later, Alice could only stare in shock as her Squirtle, who had had the type advantage over Seehan's Chimchar, collapsed onto its knees and fainted. Chimchar, while breathing hard, had not been hit even a single time by Alice's Squirtle. As the crowd around her murmured, she could only stare at the older boy standing across the battlefield. As soon as the battle had started, it was if he had turned into an entirely different person. Gone was the friendly, slightly awkward boy from earlier. His eyes were the eyes of someone who could only see victory, and could accept nothing else. His orders to Chimchar had been crisp, perfect; it was as if he could see the exact way to win in as few moves as possible. What happened to you? What happened in your past to make you desire victory to this extent? Alice asked him in her heart. She was only a 16 year old girl, and she could not bring herself to voice her question aloud. Instead, she retrieved her Pokeball from her waist, and with a quick "Squirtle, return!" she recalled her Pokemon back into its Ball. "You did well, Squirtle. Have a nice, long rest. You deserved it." Replacing her Pokeball onto her waist, she looked up to see that Seehan had also recalled his Chimchar, and was walking towards her. She was relieved to find that he had returned to his previous, friendlier self, and his eyes even held a bit of abashment. As he reached her, he gave her an embarrassed smile and held out his hand. "Sorry... When I get into battles against opponents that I respect, I really don't know how to hold back." He said apologetically. Alice took his offered hand, smiling back at him. "Don't be sorry... I learned a lot from our battle. Next time, you won't win so easily!" Seehan chuckled, and released her hand. "Let's go see to our Pokemon at the Pokemon Center. You also have to pick up your Mawile, right?" Alice nodded, and together they walked out of the battle area towards the Pokemon Center.

Apprentice Victoria Ame led the two trainers back downstairs to the common area. Waiting at the desk was a girl with a wide forehead, wearing a black and white robe. Upon spotting Ame, Seehan, and Alice, her face lit up. "Seehan! Alice! I'm so happy you two are back on your feet!" She said gleefully, grasping each of their hands in turn. Her genuine happiness was refreshing to Seehan; after all the death he had experienced recently, having a cute girl worry over him was a nice change of pace. Ame smiled at the girl, before catching herself and assuming a stern expression. "Victoria! I know you had some things to take care of back at Apophyll Academy, but being late during your Reborn League registration reflects badly on Kiki as well as yourself!" Victoria stopped jumping up and down and tried her best to look remorseful; however, if she had been a Growlithe, Seehan was certain her tail would still be wagging. "I'm so sorry Ame! Since I'm essentially restarting my trainer profile and going on a journey, I had to make sure my duties at the Academy would be taken care of by someone else. It took longer than I thought, and I had to look everywhere for Cal which took up a lot of my time as well." Ame sighed. She could never be angry with someone like Victoria, with her unyielding sense of justice and heart of gold. "Alright, alright. Come along and pick your starter then, since you came late you get third pick." Victoria nodded enthusiastically, and with a quick "see you later you two!" she followed Ame into the back area. Seehan and Alice looked at one another. Alice grinned. "Hey. We both have Pokemon, and we just locked eyes." Seehan rolled his eyes, but matched Alice's grin with a smirk of his own. "I know, I know. Trainer etiquette and all. There's a battle area over there, hopefully no one's using it..." Unfortunately, in a place as crowded as the Grand Hall, the battle arenas were all filled, and Seehan and Alice had to wait several minutes before a battle finished up and they could claim the arena for themselves. However, as Seehan stepped into his trainer box, and saw Alice stepping into hers on the far side of the battlefield, Seehan was filled with a strange sense of relief. After having gone through such a traumatic experience as the train bombing, being back in this little rectangle, with an opponent on the far side, and a Pokeball in his hand, felt familiar and reassuring. He was back in control of his own fate. He locked eyes with Alice across the battlefield, and with an unwritten tradition as old as Pokemon battling itself, they threw their Pokeballs at the same time, roaring with the thrill of battle coursing through their veins. "Chimchar, kiminikimete![i choose you!]" "Let's do this, Squirtle!"

Seehan, ever the gentleman, allowed Alice the first choice of starter. After much deliberating and thought, Alice finally decided on Squirtle. "My partner Pokemon, Mawile, is only weak to Ground and Fire," she explained to Seehan as she complied with her Squirtle's wishes and gave it a hug, much to its delight. "I'll be catching a Flying type as soon as I can, but for now," she shrugged, "I can cover for my Mawile's vulnerabilities with a cute water type like this guy. Hey!" She exclaimed, giggling, as her Squirtle licked her face and beamed up at her with fawning eyes. Seehan smiled at her, then turned his attention to the Pokeballs laid out before him. Looking at the remaining choice of starters, Seehan deliberated on which he wanted. In Kanto, his first choice had been a Charmander. However, his hesitation during his first wild encounter on Route 1 gave a wild Rattata enough time to sink its fangs into Charmander's throat, killing it instantly. Wracked with regret and sorrow, Seehan had taken several months to recover before setting out again as a changed person, this time with the leftover starter that nobody had chosen; Bulbasaur. Seehan fondly thought of his Venusaur, who was now acting as a big brother to all his Pokemon on the Champion's Plateau. In memory of his first Charmander, and of his Venusaur, Seehan refrained from considering either the Charmander or Bulbasaur sitting on the desks in front of him. As Alice had chosen Squirtle, this meant the starters of Kanto were out of the question. It wasn't that he had a problem using either of those Pokemon; if he happened to run into one in the wild, he would gladly catch and train it if it proved a good fit to his team. However, as starters, there were many other options to consider. Seehan ran through the rest of the starters he had trained in the past. His Typhlosion had been reliable, though shallow in movepool. His Sceptile had been strong, but weak early on; although he was usually quite forgiving of weak starts, Reborn wasn't a league where he could mess around in. His Infernape had been one of his favorites; strong, fast, and agile. Serperior and Delphox had been average at best; although they had been reliable, he could think of better options than them. Coming to a decision, he reached towards Piplup's Pokeball......... Then stopped. There were many reasons why Seehan was such a successful battler. For one, he worked harder than anyone else. While others had gone to sleep, he would stay up for hours, researching ways to battle more efficiently as to reduce the strain on his partner Pokemon and to put more of the burden on himself. His lightning fast logical thinking, as well as his observational, detection, and deduction skills were also a product of this. However, if he was just a hard worker, his potential would have stopped after a certain point. Hard work was all well and good, but by itself, it had a limit to how much it could help a trainer improve. Seehan, on top of being hardworking, was also gifted with certain abilities. Nothing supernatural or overpowered, but rather expanded versions of abilities that all humans had. The first was a certain frame of mind his childhood friend Leaf had coined the "Blank Slate". By slipping into this state, Seehan could temporarily remove his mind of everything non-related to the task at hand. This proved invaluable in battle, as he could utilize 100% of his acquired skills in order to achieve victory, rather than having his mind processes blocked by distracting thoughts. By using Blank Slate alongside his skills obtained through his self training, Seehan, to a certain extent, became able to predict the logical conclusion of events that would occur in any given situation; in other words, he could predict the future. This ability had various uses in battle; however, its main strength was that he could predict which Pokemon the opposing trainer would send out next, and what move they would use, allowing him to respond in turn with either a switch, or a move to counter or evade his opponent's move. This ability was not what stopped Seehan from picking Piplup. It was his other skill, "Empathetic Link". Empathetic Link allowed Seehan to connect with another living being on an emotional level; if that other living being was one that was close with him, such as a Pokemon that had come to trust him, an understanding of sorts would occur between the two. Using Empathetic Link was a massive boon in battle, as it meant Seehan could send orders to his Pokemon telepathically, rather than vocally. In doing so, he not only saved time in battle, but could also relay intricate battle strategies and orders instantly, all without revealing anything to his opponent. It was this skill that stopped Seehan's hand from moving any closer to Piplup's Pokeball, and instead made him look at another Ball laying on the table right in front of it. Seehan felt the eyes of the Chimchar held within staring intently at him, and at that moment knew that the choice of starter was out of his hands. Picking up Chimchar's Pokeball, he walked back to the entrance, where Ame and Alice were waiting.

Pokemon Trainer Seehan Pokemon Trainer Alice Seehan stepped off the last stair on the staircase leading into the massive common area of the Grand Hall, adjusting the straps on his new ebony colored jacket. As the center of Reborn's reconstruction after the almost apocalyptic events that had occurred years before, the Grand Hall was essentially a small city in of itself, with its own Pokemon Center, PokeMart, movie theater, clothing and accessory stores, restaurants, and whatever else a trainer could want to relax and enjoy themselves before heading out again. Seehan scanned the vast space before him and finally spotted the administrator's desk near the back wall of the common area. As he walked towards it, he felt eyes on him, and heard whispers from people as he passed. "-isn't that..?" "no way..." "do you think I can get an autograph?" "he's so dreamy." Seehan looked around for whoever had said that last line, but couldn't place the voice among the dozens of people all around him. As he arrived at the desk, he saw a girl in a black shirt, skirt and thigh highs turn to face him. He raised his eyebrows in recognition; it was the girl who had been waiting behind him to use the PokeComm on the train. Recalling what Ame had said about the other survivor, that meant this girl's name was Alice. She flicked her long, luscious blonde hair over her shoulder and gave him a sad smile. "Looks like it's just you and me, huh? Everyone else who was on that train-" Alice's voice trailed off, her teeth clenched. Seehan noticed her fists were curled tightly, to the point of piercing her skin with her nails. Sensing the pain in her voice, he deduced that Alice had yet to fully recover from the shock of seeing hundreds of people die right in front of her. Although he, too, felt sorrow at the passing of so many, Seehan had already come to terms with the fact that there had been nothing he could have done to save them. Seeing people die was nothing new to him; as a veteran trainer, he had seen dozens of people die in the wilderness, or from wounds inflicted by their own Pokemon going berserk. Although seeing that many people die at once was something new to him as well, Seehan knew how to cope with pain without allowing it to consume him. It was something Alice would have to discover on her own, too, if she was to survive in this world. Seehan patted her on the shoulder. "The dead are gone from this world. The only thing we can do for them, as the living, is to live our lives in a way that is as fulfilling as possible, to honor their memory. We lived, while they died; while it isn't fair, it would be just as unfair to be weighed down by their passing and be unable to fully live your life." She looked up, her eyes slightly wet, into his own piercing, steady gaze. Something unspoken passed between them, and Alice relaxed her fists. She smiled at him. "You're right. Thanks." The two of them turned towards the desk as Ame clattered through the door, talking rapidly into her Pokegear and clicking through her PokeNav with her free hand. As she neared the two trainers, Ame ended her call and placed both items into her pockets. "Sorry for the wait, Victoria just called and told me she'll be late, and that we should start without her." She nodded towards Seehan. "Victoria is an apprentice of one of Reborn's gym leaders, and very much admires your accomplishments. She says she can't wait to battle you, and that since you'll both be using fresh starter Pokemon she'll be able to truly observe your skill as a trainer, rather than the power of the Pokemon you trained." Ame turned her eyes to Alice. "The Order of Nurses has informed me that your partner Pokemon is doing well; although you saw its Pokeball get damaged in the explosion, the data was successfully retrieved from the Ball's core and reconstructed in a new Pokeball. After choosing your starter, you may pick it up from the Grand Hall's Pokemon Center whenever you like." Alice nodded her appreciation. "Now, without further ado, let's begin." Ame had the two trainers sign some last minute paperwork, confirming that they would not abuse the Pokemon they were about to be given, or use them for immoral or illegal purposes. Once they had completed the forms, she handed them each a pack of Pokeballs, as well as their new Pokedexes. Like Seehan's Kanto Dex, Alice's Kalos Dex had been destroyed in the explosion. However, the data they had compiled in their Pokedexes was constantly being backed up via WiFi to the PokeBank, so losing their Pokedexes wasn't a huge loss at all. However, Seehan understood Alice's slightly bitter look as she examined her new device. To a trainer, a Pokedex wasn't just a convenient machine that identified them as trainers. It was a lifeline; a culmination of information gathered by thousands of trainers for the sake of saving even one more life through information. Using a Pokedex, one could immediately look up information on a Pokemon's feeding habits, diet, mating behavior, attacks, and even gender differences. The amount of information on every single individual Pokemon was staggering, and trainers took a certain pride in carrying their personal Pokedex, knowing that for every Pokemon they scanned, they could be potentially giving professors the vital information needed to save a life. Their trainer profiles and personal contribution logs were the same; only the physical devices were different. Losing their Pokedex was like losing a part of themselves; even though the only difference between their old Dexes and these new ones were the models, it seemed as though an old friend that had always been there for them had disappeared. Ame came back from storing their paperwork, and graced the two trainers with an understanding smile. "Well then, shall we?" She pressed a button, and a partition on the side of the desk slid aside, allowing Seehan and Alice to join Ame behind the admin desk. Leading the two into the back area and up a flight of stairs, she punched in a long string of numbers into a door's keypad and ushered them inside as it opened. Inside the cool, brightly lit room, were 18 Pokeballs lined up neatly on color coded tables.

For several days, Seehan's consciousness drifted in and out of awareness. He could dimly remember they had brought him to the Grand Hall, which also acted as Reborn's main hospital. As he slumbered, he dreamed. He dreamed not the dreams of one who slept deeply and contently, but rather the dreams of one who has seen many, many terrible things. Flashes of the faces of those he had known, both living and dead. Images of the teams he had raised and bonded with over the years, only to leave on the Champion's Plateau on Mount Silver to train on their own as he continued his journey. He dreamed of Serena, his rival, who had managed to push Seehan to his limit; she who overcame her own weaknesses to face him in the finals at the Kalos League, only to ultimately be defeated by his final Pokemon. The look on her face as she accepted her defeat had engraved itself into Seehan's mind. He also dreamed, fleetingly, of a girl who had gone forever beyond his reach. As Seehan awoke from his dreams for the final time, a single tear slipped from his face onto the soft, Cottonee fur stuffed pillow his head was propped on. Grimacing, he tried to sit up and failed, his body weak from both lack of use and the leftover anesthetics from the emergency operations that had been performed on him. Seehan settled on examining his surroundings instead, noting the soft hum of the air conditioning and the bunch of flowers that had been left in a vase next to his gurney. A card had been left propped up on the vase, reading "Get well soon! You'll be back on your feet in no time!" in neat, curvy handwriting. A cute doodle of a winking girl holding up a peace sign had been drawn below the message, and the bottom of the card was signed "Victoria". Seehan smiled and turned his head back towards the ceiling, wondering who Victoria was. As he did so, however, he stiffened. He wasn't alone in the room. He whipped his head towards the doorway just in time to see the end of a purple scarf disappearing beyond the threshold of the door. Seehan tried once more to rise out of his bed, this time with more success. As he stumbled towards the entryway of his room, his brain quickly processed what he knew, and what he could deduce from his limited knowledge of the situation. The person in the room with me must have been waiting for me to wake up. So why did they run as soon as I started moving around? Also, how did I not detect them immediately? Even if I was groggy, I've gone through worse and still had full control of my awareness skills. From this, I can deduce two things. One, this person did not want me to know who it was that was observing me. This implies that either the Reborn staff cannot be trusted, or someone infiltrated the hospital to keep surveillance on me, for reasons unknown. Two, this person was trained in stealth techniques, in sufficient enough of a capacity to avoid my detection until they made their escape. Assuming the Reborn staff can be trusted, this means that the observer is either trusted by them, or was able to evade their detection. From the date on that clock over there, it seems that I was asleep for several days. The observer must have been keeping an eye on me for at least a few of those days, otherwise watching for when I woke up would have been pointless. This means they would have had to stay hidden for a massive period of time. That, and their ability to evade my detection, is a testament to how much training and discipline this observer must have. All these thoughts flew through Seehan's brain in a fraction of a tenth of a second, a side effect of the training he had made himself go through in preparation for his Pokemon battling. If a trainer could not make sound logical decisions in time, their Pokemon would be the ones who paid the price. Seehan had learned that the hard way long ago, on his 15th birthday when he had first set out on his journey. As he reached the door, Seehan rounded the doorframe- -and came face to face with Ame, who almost dropped her papers in surprise. "Seehan! Good to see you up and about. How are you feeling?" She asked, concern on her face. "Uh, er, fine I guess," Seehan said distractedly, trying to look over her shoulder. Behind Ame, a nearly empty hallway loomed, with only a few overworked nurses bustling around. There was no sign of purple anywhere. "I was hoping you'd wake up soon. I just checked on Alice, and she has just woken up as well. If the doctors give you to the okay, we can get you two registered and started on your journeys right away." "Um. Who's Alice?" Seehan asked, only listening with half his attention. He was still looking for the observer in the purple scarf, but it seemed they had successfully escaped. "She's the other survivor from the train. You two were the only ones who made it." Ame said solemnly. "Coincidentally, you both came to Reborn to challenge our League, which is why you two were on the same train." She suddenly furrowed her brow. "....could that be why they targeted the train? Are they trying to shut down the Reborn League by stopping the inflow of new challengers...?" Seehan was taken aback by the woman in front of him suddenly whispering under her breath with a troubled look on her face. "Er, is everything alright?" He asked hesitantly. "Hm? Oh yes, sorry about that." Ame quickly smoothed over her expression and gave him a pleasant smile. "I've been a little stressed out lately, what with catching the bomber and all, on top of managing the city and the League, so I guess I accidentally thought out loud. Pay no attention to it," she smiled confidently, "I'm sure we'll be able to get the names of the bomber's associates out of him soon, and then we'll clean them up in one fell swoop." Seehan felt some doubt, but decided not to let it trouble him. If this was like any of the other regions he had traveled to, he'd be able to protect himself just fine as soon as he got a few Pokeballs onto his belt. Ame didn't seem to notice his lack of reaction to her confidence. "For now, lets get you into some new clothes. Your bag got burned up in the explosion, as did your Pokedex and Pokenav. Your Poketch was also shattered when you hit the ground, but for some reason your Pokegear survived, if only a little banged up. The shockwave from the explosion damaged most of your cards though, so only the Map and Music options still work." As she was talking, she produced said Pokegear from her bag and handed it over. True to her word, the screen and holokey still worked perfectly, and only the casing seemed to have been damaged, with several dents. Seehan regarded it a little sadly. His Pokegear had been given to him as a welcome gift from Lyra when he had started his journey in Johto, and most of his cards had been custom made for him by Kris. Altogether, the little machine was the only thing he had left to remember them by, since they had passed away the day Littleroot town had been destroyed by a rampaging Tyranitar. Ame, perhaps sensing the sentimental value it contained, had elected not to replaced the damaged cards or Pokegear itself. For that alone, she had Seehan's gratitude. After giving him a minute to check over the Pokegear, Ame rummaged through her bag and handed Seehan a second package. "Here's a new bag and some clothes. We used the measurements you provided for us in your application report, so hopefully they fit your taste. Whenever you're ready, meet me in the common area downstairs; I'll let you pick out the first partner you'll be travelling with in Reborn." And with that, Ame turned and walked away, her heels clacking on the clean, waxed floor of the hospital. Seehan watched her leave, then turned on his heel and walked back into his room to change; the time to begin the newest chapter in his journey had come.

**not part of the story** if someone could PM me a list of important plot events that occur throughout the game, i'd be very grateful. it's been a long time since i've played those first few episodes and i might miss some events. EDIT: thanks! ^^

The boy's eyes snapped open. Instantly alert, he sat up and looked around. Something was wrong. Years of fighting off evil organizations during his travels had honed his senses to a razor edge. Being careless was not an option in the world of Pokemon, and especially while fighting against those who misused their power; a moment of carelessness could cost a person their life, as well as the lives of many others. Sliding out of his seat and moving into the aisle, the boy glanced out the window and beheld a filthy, run down city through the smudged glass. The sun, barely visible through a layer of smog in the air, had set while he had slept, and the train was just seconds away from docking at the station. Had he been imagining things? Had he been wrong? The youth slowly relaxed his body as the train came to a screeching stop- In a fraction of a second, everything changed. The boy went from standing in the aisle of the train to lying on his back, covered in glass, on the pier just outside of the station. Having been blasted from the train, he had gone straight through both the window of the train, as well as the big windows of the station, to finally come to rest on the cold stone outside. Struggling to make sense of his surroundings, which were a blur of color and noise, the boy sat up- -and came face to face with a corpse. This person had not been as lucky as him. The body had been a middle aged man, well dressed, with a neatly kept mustache. During the explosion, a shard of glass had torn open his face and body, allowing his blood and entrails to flow everywhere. The boy tore his eyes away from the sight of the mangled corpse, and instead beheld- -a conflagration. The station of Reborn, once a beautiful building made of glass and shiny metal, was now a blackened husk. All the glass had been blown out in the explosion, and the inside of the station was a blaze of flame and scorched metal. Still in shock, the boy could only sit there and stare. In all his years of travel, he had never beheld such a massive loss of life. He had always made it in time to stop the disaster, or prevent it from happening in the first place. Not this time. "Hey! I found another survivor! Get the medics here right away!" The boy wearily looked up at the woman rushing towards him. Dimly, in the back of his mind, he recognized her as Ame. However, his face showed no indication that he recognized her at all, and only stared blankly up at her as she reached him. Shining a flashlight into his eyes, she checked him for pupil dilation, and upon seeing that he was conscious and alert, if not exactly well, she bent down and looked directly into his eyes. Another woman stood guard behind her, an Electrode rolling around their perimeter at the ready. "Seehan. There's a thousand things that I need to say to you, but for now I need you to focus on breathing, alright? In and out. Stay with me." Ame snapped her fingers in front of his eyes as his head drooped down. "You probably have a concussion and about a dozen broken bones, so in a moment, a medic will be here to bring you to the Grand Hall. I'm going to find whoever is responsible for this, then join you there. Just focus on recovering for now. WHERE ARE THOSE MEDICS?" Ame yelled behind her. The sound of gravel crunching beneath heavy boots got louder as a man and woman bearing a stretcher between them came into Seehan's view. Without his noticing, he had been laid back down onto his back, and as he was being lifted into the stretcher, his gaze rose up towards the sky. A sky dark with smoke, and decorated with the screams and sobs of the dying.

PSA: This story will have NSFW and R-Rated descriptions and language. If you are of the faint of heart/stomach or are below the age of 18, i recommend you don't read this. If you insist on continuing, remember to keep in mind this is merely a work of fiction, based off of a game, and being written for my own amusement. None if it is real, and should not be treated as such. I will also include a trigger warning, because I will be elaborating on the themes of depression, suicide, and others that are present in Reborn. Read at your own risk. Reborn City-- Black smog and acidic water garnish the crumbling structures along the skyline. Alleys and streets alike fester with disaster and crime. The metropolis stands, a decaying blemish on the once-vibrant region. Many years ago, the massive city sprawling across the majority of the Reborn region was a thriving metropolis of peace and prosperity. Center of all operations in the region, everything changed when mysterious natural disasters suddenly began ravaging the land. Many died, or simply vanished without a trace. There were stories of some former citizens waking up with no memory at all, or coming to in some foreign land halfway across the world. Shortly thereafter followed economic collapse, disease, and chaos. The region was evacuated- even by most of the Pokemon... until recently. When all seemed lost for the region, a young woman named Ame stepped up and began rebuilding the city, piece by piece. Over time, others joined her, until at last she had 18 powerful trainers supporting her. These 18 became the framework for the legendary endeavor that revitalized the Reborn Region: The Reborn League. Under Ame, a measure of peace had returned to the region. However, in recent times, a mysterious group has appeared in the shadows of the region. No one knows who they are, or what they want. The only thing that has been made clear is their threat to the Reborn Region's rebirth. This world needs heroes to stop them, and to finally bring peace to the region. The Reborn Region Reborn Administrator Ame "-and that's it for registration! I'll see you in a few hours at the station, so get some rest for now. Allow me to be the first to welcome you to the Reborn Region!" The video call blinked off, screen fading from the cheery, if tired, face of the silver haired administrator of the Reborn League to the standard PokeComm logo. A dark haired youth sat back in the chair, shoulders stiff from the long train ride from the Kalos region. Though young, one could tell from a glance that this boy had an air of power about him, the aura of one well traveled and experienced. In truth, this particular young man was quite well known in every region bearing the traditional 8 gym system of the International Pokemon League, better known as the IPL. Beginning in Kanto, the boy had participated in every Pokemon League in all IPL regions in the past 4 years, a feat almost unheard of among new trainers. Doing so would mean a trainer would have to collect all 8 badges from a region in only a few months, participate in that region's League, then immediately set off for another region and repeat the process. The youth's accomplishment of this incredible feat was only made more impressive in the boy's policy: to only use freshly caught Pokemon in every new region he went to. Interviewers and fans would always ask why, and his answer would always be the same. "By winning the League, my Pokemon have proven that they are strong. However, by starting over, again and again, I can train myself, and become strong in my own way, without relying solely on my partners to get me through tough opponents." The boy stood up from the chair he was sitting in, allowing a blonde haired girl waiting behind him to use the PokeComm. Strolling back to his seat, he reflected on his conversation with Ame, the administrator of Reborn. While not of the IPL, the Reborn League had made its name known among all the higher level trainers in the world. Rivaled only by the Aevium League in its size and influence, its legendary 18 gym challenge had been more than enough of a lure to attract the 19 year old boy's attention. Although rumors of strange occurrences across the region had been spread in whispers, it had done little to deter the young trainer from making his decision. As he settled back into his seat, the boy's mind wandered as his eyes slowly slid shut, slipping him into a light, but restful sleep.

the chandelure event is extremely difficult without proper preparation. you basically have two difficult fights back to back without a chance to heal in between

maybe swap out pidgeotto for a swoobat or xatu? also, theres a snubbull on oceana pier that you can catch with a snack, granbull's intimidate + charm combo just wrecks Keta's entire team. Maybe grab a poison type too, to wall his fighting moves and poison his pokemon to wear them down (i myself used granbull and vileplume gloom as my core for beating him, only needed those two and didnt lose a single pokemon)

brutal...........................

im gonna hijack my own thread to point out how fabulous Ambition Mode Zatch is, good taste Jan :'D

the problem with greninja is that it has way too many viable moves. my current set is surf, water shuriken, night slash, and extrasensory. having a move pool that includes bounce, x-scissor, substitute, spikes, shadow sneak, mat block, and hydro pump, you end up having to cut certain moves for others. remember, i only cut x-scissor under the assumption i could get it back, allowing me to rotate between moves as necessary. evidently i was wrong, but my current set is still extremely good for team coverage. perhaps x-scissor has been useful for you (not sure how, considering greninja has always been a suboptimal physical attacker), but dont assume the same for everyone else.

ooof.... you've got it rough. the only thing i can think of is maybe imploring jan to add some encounters and a healing area and pc just before that fight in the next patch. right now your problem is that no one on your team can touch that gyarados, which can be solved by adding some electric types to the area, like dedenne or plusle and minun. maybe have a machine poop out voltorbs or something? that way you can catch/grind some pokemon to help you out.

Hey jan, could you consider allowing ex-shadow pokemon to relearn their unique moves from the move relearner? i got rid of x-scissor under the impression that i would be able to recover it either by tm or relearner, since in the main games you can relearn egg moves as well as growth moves. I was evidently wrong, but it would be nice to have the option of paying to get it back :/

unfortunately i was dumb enough to get rid of x-scissor earlier on, under the impression i could reteach it by tm or move relearner (you can't.). wasnt too hard in the end though, mawile takes care of them fairly easily if you give it a little support

Check the Grounds of Theolia, in the top left of the room where everything is shattered and messed up (the one with the maid in it).

50-90. for those wondering

mmmm if it's that big a secret, ill try to find it for myself wanna give me a hint tho to start me off?