Imperceivable Beauty

Chapter 6

                   

Moi-Moi: This was the longest chapter I've ever written. 15 pages and almost 6,000 words. Woah. I had to cut some things out because it was so long. In this chapter, we'll get to meet up with some familiar faces... Well... Familiar to us. Not to Alena and Anya. I think you can guess who it is... ;)

And now for the answer to the last Pokémon trivia. It was the word "rocket"! Poor Meowth put so much work into winning over Meowsie and she still rejected him. Learning "Rocket" was what lead to Meowth joining Team Rocket. For your next question,

Which Pokémon is drawn to the bright lights found in cities?

~:~

Today, we find our heroes on route to Slateport City. Having already won her first Ribbon, Alena is hoping to compete in the Slateport Contest and win her second.

"So Alena, which of your Pokémon are you going to use in the Slateport Contest?" Anya asked as a way to start conversation. The two sisters had been walking along Route 110 for a little over a day now after leaving Mauville City.

"I'm not sure. I think I'll either use Treecko or Absol," Alena answered honestly.

"But what about Electrike?" Anya questioned. Alena had used Absol last time. Shouldn't she want to keep it fair and use all her Pokémon?

"Electrike is still a bit too young to be in a Contest, Anya. And he doesn't have much experience in battling. But don't worry. Once Electrike is old enough to start practicing and training, he'll be in a Contest too," Alena pacified.

"I get it," Anya said and nodded affirmatively. Electrike was definitely not Contest ready. The baby Pokémon was no where near mature or behaved enough to handle a real Contest. After several more seconds, Anya gasped with a wide smile. "Look, Alena! It's Slateport City!"

Alena felt a smile grow on her face as she and Anya stared at the distant entrance to Slateport City. Anya started giggling happily while running towards the city entrance. Alena laughed as well before jogging to catch up to her sister. After only seeing green forestry for days, there's always something enlivening about returning to civilization.

"It's kinda like Lilycove," Anya mused as she stared out at the sea. They stood atop a cliff overlooking the sea with a beautiful beach below. Alena couldn't help but agree. The salty, cool air was permeated with the smell of sea water. The sun was pleasantly warm on their skin as the light breeze cooled them down at the same time.

"Let's head over to the Pokémon Center. We have to let Dad know that we made it safely," Alena said and started heading to where she spotted the large, red "P" shining atop a white building. Anya stared out at the sea for a few more seconds before quickly catching up to her sister.

The Slateport Contest was in about two weeks and Alena had big plans for practicing and getting ready for it. Her battle with Alex had shown her that she still had a lot to learn if she wanted to become a Top Coordinator. It wasn't going to be easy. Just because she won her last Contest, didn't mean she could slow down and take it easy... Or back out. She'd won her Ribbon fair and square with a lot of hard work. If she kept it up, she could keep winning Ribbons. It didn't matter how inexperienced she was at battling... Or how good other Coordinators were... Or how little she knew about succeeding at Contests... Or-

Alena sighed loudly and slumped at the shoulders. This was going to be harder than she thought. Anya looked up at her sister in confusion. Alena looked a little worn out. Maybe the walking was starting to take a toll on her? "It's okay, Alena. We're here in Slateport City. You can take a nap, relax a little bit, and start training with your Pokémon once your feeling all refreshed and ready to go," Anya smiled.