Pokémon: The Renegade Trainer

6 years ago...

A girl with blonde hair no older than 6, stood beside a woman with grey hair who was conversing with another lady.

Cynthia had no idea what they were talking about, but she was deeply curious about the lady wearing a scarf and called herself Bertha.

"Grandma, who is this super cool lady with a scarf?" Cynthia looked up to the woman beside her, who was also holding her small hand.

It wasn't her grandma who answered, as the scarfed woman bent her knees to talk to the small Cynthia.

"Hello, princess. I am Bertha, Hearthome city's gym leader."

"You are elegant."

"Thank you."

She was a woman with a refined presence. To Cynthia, Bertha smelled a lot like the stories about old Sinnoh she read. Old, but undoubtedly beautiful and unforgettable.

A classic.

She patted Cynthia's head. "I have a gym battle on the way, wanna come and watch?"

"Un!"

There was no hesitation from the child, and Cynthia's grandma couldn't resist her smile. 'Well, she's been cooped up studying all day, it'll be a good change of pace.'

The old lady sighed, but gave a sweet smile to her granddaughter before they sat through what Cynthia would now refer to as her 'golden childhood'...

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Present, Eterna city...

In the Pokémon center, Cynthia frowned holding an empty Pokéball as she sat at the lobby, waiting for her nurse Joy to heal her Pokémon.

Today, just like all the times when she felt down, memories of her childhood would surface and fill up her mindspace.

Time passed as she relived her younger days, and the time eventually came to retrieve her healed up team.

Cynthia left the center and immediately went to her comfort place.

It was at a park located at the west of Eterna city. The air was fresh, and despite the giant statue under construction, she felt the nostalgia of when the place was still an open ground where she was free to run and have fun.

Nearby was an ice cream cart selling her favorite snack.

'Perfect.' Cynthia smiled before spending an hour at the stall only to purchase the Vanilla flavored ice cream.

It was sundown before she decided to leave and take a stroll around the city. And soon enough, Cynthia saw a familiar face by the outskirts and decided to approach him.

"Hey Cynthia." Maguro called her out, and Murkrow flew from his shoulder.

"What're you doing here?"

"Training as usual." He pointed to the distance where Mareanie was using [Protect] at the right timing as Rotom threw electrical discs at it.

"How about you?" He continued, prompting her to sit beside him at the camp.

Cynthia thought to herself before giving a reply. "You've beaten Moriya, right?"

"Yeah." Maguro flashed his badge to her.

"Then I want some advice. How do I beat her?"

"Do you wanna hear the advice you want or the advice you need?"

Cynthia didn't think when she answered, "Of course I want the advice that I need. It'll be the one that would help the most after all."

Maguro raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"Then stop trying to act like you want to be a Ground type trainer. You're not gonna get anywhere when you're trying to become someone you're not."

Silence fell between them as Maguro said in a stern voice, his eyes locked with hers.

"Yeah, it was stupid of me to ask..."

As she turned away, Maguro continued "You are smart and versatile. If you used that Ice combo on Gastrodon and produced results like that, imagine what you could achieve if it were on an Ice type instead.

"Tell me, if you noticed that Moriya operated with a highly offensive team, what do you think is the trade-off for that?"

Cynthia was walking away but stopped when Maguro threw that question.

The brown haired trainer didn't stop, "Cynthia, why don't we have a battle? Just a one-on-one fight."

Though she wanted to argue, everything the boy said rang true in Cynthia's mind and her curiosity wouldn't allow her to leave this situation unanswered.

She let Gastrodon out of its Pokéball instead of answering with words.

"Grotle, you're up."

Cynthia eyed her opponent intently as they moved a few meters in order to position themselves.

"By the way, this is the Turtwig you missed out on."

"I don't regret that decision. I'm glad Harry got a starter Pokémon and a good friend because of me."

"I didn't ask."

"..."

The two trainers faced off, Maguro's Pokémon stood at the side as their audience while Murkrow and Rotom took their roles as referees.

"Cawww---" (Let the battle--)

Cynthia interrupted Murkrow, "Hey, why don't we put some stakes on this battle?"

"Uh, sure? What do you have in mind?"

"How about this then, you tell me about how you can communicate to Pokèmon if I win.

"And if I lose, I'll tell you about why I wanna be a Ground type specialist."

Maguro stopped her. "I'm not interested in your backstory so how about this. If I win, then you give me some rare items."

"Sure. But what if you lose?"

Maguro shrugged. "Then you'll know a useless secret about me. But I won't lose since I can't afford to tell you that."

"Cawww!" (Battle start, now!!!)

Murkrow was a little impatient, and both him and Rotom were eager to play referee.

"Alright, use [Bullet seed]!"

"Grotle!"

Round bullets were launched from Grotle's mouth and flew towards Gastrodon at a fast pace.

"[Ice beam]!"

The Sea slug was quick like it's trainer and froze [Bullet seed] with a frosty beam.

And although Gastrodon was successful and bracing itself, Cynthia felt that Grotle's attack power was stronger than normal.

Maguro read her face "Oh right, I had Grotle practice [Curse] before this battle, so its stronger now."

"Cheater..." Cynthia sighed at his antics.

"This'll be great practice for both of us. You get to learn more about Moriya's fighting style and I get to train Grotle..."

Something about his tone ticked Cynthia off, it felt like Maguro was keeping something important from her as he spoke.

And it wouldn't be long before she'd find out...

The battle continues as Gastrodon sets up with [Rain dance], giving an opening for Maguro to continue his attack.

"Grotle, [Bullet seed] again. This time, make it more explosive!"

Another round of projectiles flew towards Gastrodon. But Cynthia wasn't gonna sit idle and let it land.

"Overpower it with [Blizzard]!"

Snowflakes reacted and freezed up the wet terrain. [Blizzard] easily overcame the multitude of bullets, but triggered them and causing smoke to cover the battlefield.

And then it happened, Grotle was taking on a weakened [Blizzard] when it started to glow.

It had been constantly working hard, and managed to reach the threshold of evolution. Maguro marveled at the sight and his lips curled to an excited smile.

Cynthia was left speechless when visibility returned to the field.

"[Leech seed]!"

"[Ice beam]!"

Destroying the seeds that bounced towards Gastrodon was a ray of Ice energy. Cynthia felt a sense of relief, only to be startled by Maguro's follow-up move.

"[Curse]!"

Maguro continued after he commanded, "Moriya's battle style is a lot like your Gastrodon. Except, she's better than both of us combined."

Torterra seemed to have gained more bulk on its already heavy build. And the sharp look on its eyes signified the boost of strength. "I think you understand what I mean, yes?"

They were on the same page, but Cynthia acted like she didn't listen. "Gastrodon, use [Blizzard]!"

"We can never win by using other people's battle styles, that's why people like us innovate." Maguro smiled.

"You like to run your mouth."

"You asked me for advice. [Seed Bomb]!"

The [Blizzard] was strong, turning the droplets of water from the rain into frost as it travelled to the continental Pokémon. But with its bulk and boost, it withstood the attack.

And even as Torterra's body gradually froze, it had launched the stronger version of [Bullet Seed] that caused explosions all around the battlefield.

As the debris settled, the clouds of smoke revealed a fainted Gastrodon.

The two trainers stopped, and Murkrow announced.

"Caww! Caw, Caww!" (Gastrodon is unable to battle, the boss wins this bout)

Cynthia breathed out, thanking Gastrodon for its service while Maguro got Torterra to restore the meadow with its powers.

"Here."

He handed the blonde girl a list sorts. Cynthia's eyebrows raised "what's this and why is it filled with outrageously expensive stuff?"

"This is my premium list. Because they are super useful items that could bump-up my team by a large margin, but I can't afford any.

"So pick one, or two if you're feeling generous. These are the things I want as a reward for my win."

Cynthia sighed, "Alright, I'll get you a Top-Grade expert belt by next week. It'll be mailed to your PC through Wingull, so you can redeem it at the next Pokémon center you visit."

Maguro seemed to be spaced out as he stared at the sky, prompting Cynthia to do the same.

They silently admired the constellations of twinkling lights above them. There were no clouds, and the moon shined down on the trainers in its full glory...

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

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[TO BE CONTINUED]