Child of Thorns - A Pokemon Sinnoh Reimagining

Three days later, Inyssa found herself draped in the outfit her mother had made for her, nervously walking in front of the mirror over and over. She could hear the roar of the Contest stadium's audience out the door and through the hallway leading to the arena.

She stood still in front of the mirror and adjusted her skirt for the millionth time. A wave of reluctant excitement traveled through her body as she laid eyes on herself once more. She'd been trying to think of any defect or bothersome thing about the outfit but she just... couldn't. Even she had to admit Johanna had done an incredible job.

Dark, earth colored boots covered her feet to just below her knees, closing around her green tights laced with intricate vine patterns spiraling upwards through her legs. On top of it she wore a red dress, (not too different in color from her usual long coat) which was well adjusted around her torso and opened up at the skirt and sleeves, adorned with green petal shaped frills at the end of them. And as a finishing touch most of her body was covered in a long black cloak which reached to her ankles, its hood big enough to obscure her eyes when she put it on. Attached to her ear and stuck to her cheek was a small portable microphone that she was assured would only turn on when she entered the arena.

She did a little twirl in front of the mirror and the outfit moved as if it were part of her own body. The colors, the rose motif, the fabric and cut, everything was so perfect and she looked so cool she had to stop herself from jumping from joy. Which was good because the door opened just then, and the rest of the challengers entered the room.

Seeing Barry almost made her heart leap out of her chest. He wore tight black pants and shirt which were torn in various places and covered in strange leather belts. On top of it he had a bright yellow jacket with a fuzzy collar and lighting bolts going from his back to his sleeves. His hair was combed backwards in a rockstar style and his smile was as present as ever.

Inyssa was very, very glad her hood covered most of her face. For reasons completely unrelated to how amazing Barry looked. Absolutely. Definitely.

"Niss!" He closed his hands into fists and stomped the floor with excitement. "That's so cool! You look like a flower wizard!"

Percy couldn't help but laugh, "That's... an interesting description."

"Lots of personality!" Reiko gave her a thumbs up. "I love it."

Inyssa tried to swallow her embarrassment and nodded weakly, keeping her head down. Through the thick fabric of her hood she saw the other two's outfits. Reiko reminded her of an ancient Kantonian warrior: hard leather armor covered her torso and left free the entirety of her arms, wearing below a thick skirt covered in leather stripes. A crimson cloak covered her shoulders and reached down to her brown sandals. Percy on the other hand was the most normal looking of them; all he had to show was a tailored dark blue suit with lotus patterns on it and below it a white shirt and black tie. A silver pocket watch hung from his hip.

"Simplicity is elegance," he shrugged, forming a smile so smug it rivaled one of her own.

Reiko gave him a soft kick in the shin which managed to shut him up. "Yeah yeah we all know you're pretty." She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "So, are y'all ready for this?"

Inyssa lowered her head even more as she heard Barry and Percy confirm that they were indeed ready for the upcoming fight. She took a deep breath and inhaled the lavender scent of her dress. Her favorite, and her mother knew it.

"Inyssa Dawn!" A thundering voice reverberated through the stadium. "Please approach the arena."

She grabbed onto her chest strongly, and tried to calm her nerves as Barry put a hand on her shoulder. As amazing as her outfit was she felt just a bit out of place in it. She missed the weight of her hat and she felt her neck just a bit too exposed without her scarf.

Regardless, she forced herself to push those insignificant thoughts to the back of her mind. This was her chance; her first official battle in front of the entirety of Sinnoh. She'd trained for this, she'd lived for this. She would not let everyone down at such a moment.

"I'm ready," she growled as she walked towards the door, raising her head proudly.

The stadium was loud. Really fucking loud, and bright too. And probably a few other adjectives she would've thought of if she weren't trying with all her might to make her legs stop trembling.

A sea of unrecognizable faces and voices drowned the podiums and the only thing Inyssa could do was ignore them as she made her way towards her side of the arena. Sarah and her mother were probably somewhere up there, watching, judging. She dared not look up in fear she might recognize them and then she'd have to feel the weight of their eyes on her the entire match.

No, this was just between her and Fantina. The audience was nothing more than background noise.

Said Gym Leader stood across her, standing out as only she could. Her dress was red like hers, although more vibrant and revealing. Similar petal-like folds formed the majority of it and just below the skirt a few very thin frills went up towards her hips. She didn't need to be Gardenia to know what it was supposed to represent: Red Spider Lily, the flower of the dead.

"Inyssa Dawn." Her voice came out of the several speakers adorning the sides of the stadium. "Welcome to my glorious battlefield."

A snort escaped her lips.

"Dork," she whispered before remembering the small mic attached to her cheek. An explosion of laughter shook the podiums above and she felt her face going red. "Shit, I mean..."

"Quaint as always." Even Fantina let out a small giggle as she made a Pokeball appear out of thin air. "It's okay, you don't need to play along with the silliness of this old woman. I'm sure your battling will speak magnitudes louder than your words. Now, shall we begin?"

Ovations rained from the podiums, and she could even make out her name in the chaos that were their screams. She lowered her head a bit, her hood hiding most of her face, and smiled.

She grabbed her chosen Pokeball from her belt. "Bring it on."

Both trainers released their Pokemon, and at that exact moment music began to play.

Inyssa was almost too concentrated to realize, but she recognized the slow, humming build-up of an acoustic track she was more than familiar with. Her eyes went wide. Of course she'd be into that, she thought. The woman really spared no expense when it came to theatrics.

"Oh, I am one yet many!" Fantina quoted, spreading her arms as though to embrace the sky itself. "What say you, child? Shall we make this a game between witch and witch-hunter?"

A scoff left Inyssa's lips. Fine, she thought, I'll play along, but just because you've got surprisingly good taste in entertainment. She folded her arms, eyes falling closed, a cocky smile forming on her lips.

"Ah, it's useless... it's all useless!" As her eyes opened, Inyssa threw her hand forward, pointing straight at her opponent, a bellow rising from her throat. "Come, witch! I'll tear you down and stake your body into the earth!"

Pokeballs flew high in the air, their simultaneous flashes of light dropping their Pokemon onto the filed. On her side stood Kuro, looking different than he'd done just a couple days ago. His body had grown to almost twice its size, and thick black fur covered his neck and the outlines of his face. Fantina's Pokemon was a lot smaller than she'd expected. It floated above ground with its hands behind its back, staring at them with one glowing, red eye. A skull mask covered about half of its entire body.

Inyssa narrowed her eyes as she studied the Duskull, while the sound of the song's violin hummed sweetly in her ear, the strings being strummed faster, more frenetically. Fantina's Pokemon... it was from Hoenn, she knew that much. And while It didn't look very intimidating she was sure there was a reason Fantina chose it.

"First movement!" Fantina yelled excitedly. "The specter of death hangs over the beast's shoulders, sealing its fate!"

"Illusions to illusions!" Inyssa followed the woman's lead. "A specter is but a shadow in the wall, one to be torn at tale's end!"

Despite the lack of instructions, both Pokemon seemed to understand the meaning beneath their words. The Luxio lowered his front legs and jumped towards his opponent, leaving a small trail of electricity as he ran. Drums joined the violins in the song as Kuro jumped to attack, fangs glistening with dark energy. The Duskull didn't move; instead, its body began to glow too, making Inyssa's stomach drop.

She raised her hand forward and bellowed. "Kuro, like we practiced!"

Just before his maw closed around the Duskull, Kuro disappeared, leaving only electricity where his body was before. The Duskull's glowing ceased, and its one eye opened wide with surprise, failing to notice the shadow that materialized behind it.

And... scene.

Kuro's fangs closed around his opponent, whose scream was so high pitched Inyssa had to cover her ears. The Luxio didn't seem to mind, as he pinned down the Duskull to the ground, biting harder and harder until it fell completely unconscious. Fantina simply stood and watched, an unpleasant look on her face.

"That glow... Destiny Bond, right?" Inyssa spoke, forcing the Gym Leader to pay attention to her. "I took notes on those cheap tricks your Pokemon used during the trial, and I'm not gonna fall for any of them."

Fantina laughed. An honest, cold laugh that made the hair in her arms stand up. "Wonderful, child. I shouldn't have expected less of you..."

Returning her Duskull, Fantina produced another Pokeball from nowhere, a darker one, tinted with green. A Dusk Ball

"...but this is as far as you go. Atlanta!"

The melody exploded into a frenzy as the new Pokemon appeared on the field. She recognized the disembodied hands and red grin instantly; a Haunter. Quite a bit bigger and definitely more menacing than those she'd encountered in the Lost Tower. Her body shook and shifted with each chuckle that came out of her and her hands opened and closed eagerly, eyes set on Kuro.

Inyssa's fingers closed around the Pokeball until they turned pale, and the music grew even more chaotic.

"Second movement!" Fantina declared, settling back into the role. "The proud blood on the beast's fangs shall boil him rotten with retribution!"

"Earth to earth!" Inyssa matched her. "Those who have fulfilled their purpose leave nothing but a husk beh-!"

Yet she couldn't finish the sentence. Kuro lowered himself, ready to jump, but when he raised his head again the Haunter had completely banished. Both Pokemon and trainer looked around confused, although only Inyssa saw Kuro's shadow grow behind him, becoming darker as something emerged from it. She had no time to shout a warning before the Haunter jumped from it and punched him with a hand covered in shadows, sending his body flying halfway across the arena.

Her nails dug deep into her palms as the chorus filled the stadium. "Kuro, run around while looking for an opening! Don't give her any chance to do that again!"

The Luxio's body became a blur as he started to run in circles around his opponent, bright eyes set on his prey and his fangs clear for her to see. The Haunter simply stood in place and laughed, not making any attempt to strike first.

Both Inyssa and Kuro spotted the opening at the same time, and no words were needed as the cub Pokemon stopped suddenly and jumped towards the ghost's back, ready to trap her within his maw.

Yet her body vanished once more, and before he could even land another purple fist hit him in the stomach, sending him to the ground.

"If what you want is a contest of speed," Fantina piped up, "then I'm afraid you have no chance against my dear Atlanta."

Oh my god shut up is what she wanted to say, but between the music and cheering invading her ears, the disappointment of having Kuro fall so early and the little bit of self-restraint she had left she decided not to. Instead she focused on how heavy her arm felt as she raised her Pokeball towards Kuro and returned him to it.

Speed. That was the problem she had to deal with at the moment. She needed to counteract Haunter's speed if she wanted any chance to land a hit on her. Kuro was her second fastest Pokemon, and she'd already promised herself she wouldn't use Enma in battle. Not until he learned his lesson. That only left her with one choice; luckily it was a choice she'd been preparing to make use of during training.

She threw her second Pokeball to the air. "Shadi! Your turn!"

The Kricketune landed on the ground on the tip of her toes, the scythes that were her arms shining under the sunlight. Her eyes met with the Haunter's and her mustache twitched a bit; the only sign of nervousness she would show to the world. Pride bloomed in Inyssa's chest. She'd come so far already...

"That's an... interesting choice," Fantina tapped her chin with one of her fingers, "haven't got the type chart memorized yet, darling? You do know that bug Pokemon aren't very effective against ghosts, don't you?"

Inyssa laughed. Maybe because for the first time the woman's taunts weren't getting to her, or perhaps because she had a plan and she couldn't wait to see the look on her face when she pulled it off.

"Isn't this your cue?" she asked, curling her lips up. "Don't get off character now."

"Hah! But of course not!" And she threw her gloved hand forward again, bellowing: "Third movement! One tragedy succeeds another, and the curtains shall soon fall upon the unfortunate girl!"

"Ashes to ashes..."

Inyssa looked up at Fantina, yet she left the sentence hanging, the rest of the words on the tip of her tongue. In front of her, Shadi crossed her scythes in front of her as she received the Haunter's punch head on. The impact sent her a few feet backwards, although it didn't do much in terms of damage. Thin threads of steam started to rise from the Kricketune's body as she gathered energy.

"How cute, but I won't let it work," Fantina sent her arm forward, palm opened. "Shadow Ball!"

Haunter opened her mouth and a massive sphere of darkness started to form in front of her. It was easily twice as big as her body and it seemed to be emitting cold towards the rest of the arena. Inyssa grit her teeth, and she felt sweat dripping down her back.

She fired it without warning, and she was pretty sure Shadi couldn't have dodged even if she tried. The impact raised a cloud of dust which flew up towards the podiums, and by the time the wind cleared it she saw her Pokemon standing firm, multiple scorches covering the front of her body.

A sigh of relief left her lips. The Kricketune's skin glowed even more red as she was entirely surrounded by steam. She was having trouble even controlling the energy she'd gathered.

"My my, how scary," the Gym Leader put one of her palms against her cheek, feigning horror. "Still, how do you expect to hit my Atlanta with such a slow, wounded Pokemon?"

Inyssa smiled, showing her teeth to Fantina like a beast flashing its fangs at its prey.

"Shadi, send all that energy to your legs!" She ordered. "Fury Cutter, like we practiced!"

Fantina's smile evaporated completely, "W-what?"

The red glow that covered Shadi's entire body focused on her tiny legs, and the force of her jump created a small vacuum that sent all the dust backwards. As her body flew to the Haunter she put her scythes at her sides, and began spinning with enough speed to turn her body into a blur.

"A-Atlanta, dodge!" Fantina yelled, desperation on her voice. "Don't let it hit you!"

The Haunter vanished into thin air once again, but as soon as she appeared at the other side of the arena she saw Shadi veer her trajectory and head towards her once more, her body a whirlwind of scythes that the ghost Pokemon had no chance of evading.

"...Ashes to ashes!" Inyssa screamed, continuing her cry from before, pointing at Fantina's Haunter. "The promised reaper lowers the curtains on the tale regardless of the witch's will!"

Shadi fell on top of Haunter with overwhelming strength, pinning her against the ground and slashing her body repeatedly, each strike causing more and more damage, shaving ectoplasm off her body.

"This is the new technique Shadi and I developed!" Inyssa bellowed proudly. "Reaper's Waltz!"

The notes of the song almost came to a halt as the Gym Leader returned her Pokemon, face covered in shadows. They built up slowly again, carefully, and Inyssa could feel a chill of anticipation running down her spine.

"I am impressed," she whispered into her mic, her voice soft and musical. "Let's see if you can finish this with the same smile on your face."

Her last Pokemon appeared, and Inyssa had trouble identifying it. It floated just like the last two, and was a dark, deep purple. On top of his round head sat elaborate tufts that resembled a witch's hat, and his body looked like a dark cloak floating amidst the wind, its tips a bit paler than the rest of his body. Three red gems adorned his chest.

"Meet Walpurgis, my Mismagius," said Fantina, and Inyssa had to make sure she'd heard that name correctly. "He will be ending the fight now."

Inyssa shook her head as she tried to force herself to look at something other than the beautiful ghost Pokemon in front of her. She had no time to lose.

"Shadi, use the energy you have left from that Bide! Keep attacking!"

The Kricketune jumped towards her opponent, eyes beaming with determination. Her scythes glowed with a sinister green light but her body didn't move as fast as before, and Inyssa wasn't sure the attack would be able to connect.

Which it did, cutting the Mismagius in half and making his body dissipate into smoke.

Shadi stared in confusion as a dozen Mismagius appeared around her, slowly spiraling and staring down at her with their gleaming yellow eyes. Inyssa needed more time than she should have to realize that he was using Double Team, and by then it was too late. All of them jumped towards the Kricketune, who attacked the first one she could and turned it to smoke as well. The real Mismagius appeared behind her, and without warning shot a Shadow Ball point blank into her back. Inyssa gasped and took her hands to her mouth, ice forming in her throat.

"Shadi!"

Shadi fell to the ground, unconscious. Her back was steaming black.

Fantina said her another taunt, but Inyssa wasn't listening, too focused on whether her Pokemon was still breathing. Once she made sure she was the cold covering most of her body evaporated, and she returned Shadi to her Pokeball with a sigh of relief. Then she looked up to the Gym leader, and did her best not to show the hesitation she was feeling. Both the song and the cheers and screams of the audience rang in her mind. Her limbs were trembling, and she could feel her breathing become heavier and heavier.

She smiled to herself, fingers curling into fists. That was the exact feeling she'd been looking for. The exhilaration of a true fight.

Should she send Bret? He was strong but none of his attacks would be effective against a ghost Pokemon. Steven? No, he wasn't fast enough and his aerial advantage would be useless against someone who could float. And Enma wasn't an option either; she had to prove that she didn't rely on her starter to win.

That only left one choice, and she shivered at the thought of it. Another jolt of electricity hit her hip, and her sight went down towards the Pokeball that contained Hao. She held it in front of her eyes and she could swear she felt power rushing from it towards her fingers and throughout her entire body. Hao was strong, she knew that better than anyone, but she wasn't sure she'd be able to control him. Last time she'd tried had been a couple days ago during training, and the ghost Pokemon had listened to her for only a few seconds before becoming... unstable.

The hair on the back of her head stood up as she spoke. "Listen to me... I need you. I know you're not fond of me, but I promise that if you lend me your strength..." she closed her eyes and drew a deep breath. "I will let you do whatever you want. Even if you want me to release you, I will say yes to your request."

She threw the Pokeball into the air, its light materializing into Hao. Just like she'd seen before his red body made of plasma shifted and cackled with the white energy that surrounded him. She could not read his expression, as his blue eyes were blank and dull.

"Oh my..." Fantina spoke, unable to hide the surprise in her voice. "Now that's something I wasn't expecting."

She locked eyes with the Pokemon and pointed towards the Mismagius. "I trust you, Hao. Please help me."

The Rotom stared at her for a few moments, and just when that horrible burnt stench invaded her mind and she thought she wouldn't be able to sustain the weight of his eyes, he turned around. No words came out of him, but she somehow understood. He would fight.

"T-thank you..." she whispered, and attempted to smile.

Fantina punched the air forward, lips curling into an unhinged smile. "Good, good! Let's finish this witch hunt of ours! Final movement... When the dust settles, there shall be no survivors to deny the witch's fantasy!"

"Illusions to illusions! Earth to earth! Ashes to ashes!" Inyssa yelled at the top of her lungs, blood pumping feverishly through her veins. "Let the catbox be opened, let the victor hear the cries of the morning gulls!"

Hao let out a high-pitched scream as electricity erupted from his body, traveling towards the ball of darkness currently heading his way. Both attacks clashed in the middle of the arena and the resulting explosion almost sent both trainers to the ground. The earth beneath her feet shook and a gust of wind hit her in the face as both Pokemon were covered in dust.

The entire stadium held its breath. As the arena cleared they could see the silhouette of one of the Pokemon laying on the ground. Inyssa's lip trembled, heart feeling like it stopped for a second, until she saw Hao floating above the unconscious body of his opponent, cackling with the remnants of his attack.

"...Well, well." Fantina's whisper was carried by the speakers all over the arena. "Let the curtains fall indeed."

The resulting explosion of ovations and screams almost deafened Inyssa. Her knees felt made of jelly. She closed her eyes and let out a small laugh that almost sounded like a sob.

She'd won. Her first official battle in front of the entire world.

Without thinking she took the hood off, showing her face to the cameras. She turned toward them, and opened her mouth to speak.

Later that day she had to ask herself why she did what she did. Perhaps it was the euphoria she felt, perhaps it was the hundreds of voices chanting her name. Or maybe she'd been dreaming of doing such a thing since she was a child, and couldn't simply waste the opportunity.

"To the current Champion of Sinnoh!" She pointed her finger at the sky, a manic smile adorning her face. "I hope you've enjoyed your twelve years of being undefeated, because I'm coming for you!" She closed her hand into a fist, so strongly that her fingertips turned white. "I'm going to take your title, whether you like it or not!"

Hundreds of miles from the stadium, within the Champion's palace at the Lily of the Valley island there was a woman. She sat in a leather couch, and her fingers moved a glass of wine back and forth as she watched the battle unfold through her television.

She heard the girl's words, and her body froze. Not due to fear or surprise, but because of something much more primal and dangerous.

The woman's lips curled upwards, and the entire world felt the weight of her smile.

"Dawn, eh?" she whispered, savoring the name she'd just heard. "How fitting."