Ace

Chapter 27

What's going on with me? I thought. I was a 12-year-old who could darken the sky and drop the temperature. I was a 12-year-old being hunted down by a group of nutcases.

Diantha didn't know about my powers. That is, until a little accident.

Just like we did everyday, my fellow Ace Trainers and I were lining up in the Lumiose City square waiting for Diantha to give us our duties for the day. It was that time when the Ace Trainer standing behind me accidentally stepped on my foot.

I was startled, and let out a small yelp. With that yelp the sunlight was extinguished and we were plunged into darkness. The light only came back when I managed to compose myself and stand straight again.

"Moving on from that..." Diantha cleared her throat. "You can go off for your duties now. Astrid, I'd like to talk to you, please."

Diantha waited until everyone went off to their destinations, then turned to me. "If I'm not mistaken, you do train Dark-type Pokemon."

"Yes, Champion."

"Well, did you know that Trainers who work with only one type of Pokemon will get that type's powers transferred to them?"

I stiffened. "Really?"

"Really." The Champion stared up at the sky. "For example, a Flying-type Trainer might be able to control the winds. A Poison-type Trainer might be immune to toxins."

"So does that mean all our Gym leaders and Elite Four members have special powers?"

"That's right. Misty, a Water-type Gym leader from Kanto, can breathe underwater. Gardenia, a Grass-type Gym leader from Sinnoh, can control plant life. In fact, Malva, our very own Fire-type Elite Four, can both withstand and control fire."

"And you, Astrid, as a Dark-type Trainer, can control the darkness hidden in this world."

I stared at my hands. Could I really summon the wild, unpredictable energy that's darkness? I had seen what some Dark-type trainers could do: bring up tendrils of pure vantablack from the earth's core, compress it into swirling vortexes, use it to tear anything apart.

"I'll continue training as a Dark-type Pokemon trainer, Champion." I promised. "Most people think Dark-types are evil, but I want to prove them wrong. I want to show them how mysterious and powerful Dark Pokemon can be."