January 31, Seven Days Prior

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"A new pokemon created by Arceus?"

"Thats right." Caitlin pulled out a pokeball from her hip and held it up. "Thats where pokemon initially came from anyways. Of course Arceus could easily make a new one."

Around 8 days had passed since Koda arrived in the world, seven days since he had begun his intense training. After working his ass off day in and day out, Koda was experiencing one of his few breaks as his pokemon rested from a recent battle with Caitlin.

No matter how hard Pikachu and Squirtle tried, they were unable to even touch Caitlin's Gothitelle, always missing their mark one way or another. While this was disheartening, it was this that led to Koda creating new ideas designed to counter high speeds, the nozzle zero technique being one of those moves. Still, a break every so often was needed as rapid sparring tended to wear out the pokemon's moves far quicker then normal.

"Now when I say new, I don't mean a new pokemon altogether, more like a variant." Caitlin pressed the button on the capsule, summoning the pokemon forth. "The pokemon is called a Vulpix and she was given to me as an egg. It's a gift from Arceus as a thanks for you agreeing to help him."

There was the standard flash of light before it quickly died back down, taking the form of a fox-like creature with pitch black fur. Her shiny coat was glossy and beautiful, the sunshine giving her a gorgeous look that captured the attention of others. Koda was immediately captivated as he stood up from his spot on the floor, his mix matched hues focusing on the Vulpix. Reaching into the pocket of the shorts he had received as a gift from Brock, he fished out his pokedex and held it up to the small pokemon.

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Vulpix- The Fox Pokemon

It is most commonly seen with six tails. However, Vulpix is born with only a single, white tail that splits as Vulpix grows. The tails grow hot as it approaches evolution. Vulpix is capable of manipulating fire to such precision as to create floating wisps of flame. These wisps are sometimes mistaken for ghosts by humans, but Vulpix uses them to assist in catching prey. Inside its body is a flame that never goes out. When the temperature outside increases, it will expel flames from its mouth to prevent its body from overheating. Vulpix is known to feign injury to escape from opponents too powerful for it to defeat.

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"Huh, that's interesting." Koda said as he clicked his pokedex shut. "It also seems that this one is a mix of Dark and Fire. Thats cool."

"That can't be right," Brock said from his position next to the fire. He had been sitting there calmly up until that point making some pokemon food that he was going to use to feed his Graveller. "Vulpix are fire types. They shouldn't have any other types."

"Hence why I said it's a variant." Caitlin said, a yawn escaping her. Recently she had only been waking up when it was her turn to train Koda because she apparently wasn't used to staying awake for long periods of time. "This Vulpix not only possesses the fire and dark types but also can learn the corresponding moves related to the types as well."

"That's rather odd," Koda muttered. "Can Arceus still create pokemon without his plates?"

"Arceus is the original creator of pokemon. Perhaps making a variant of an already low power pokemon isn't too much for him." Caitlin waved her hand as she stretched her arms above her head. "I'd agree with you if it was a Pokemon on the level of powerhouse such as maybe Zekrom but Vulpix is QUITE weaker than that."

Koda was still a bit confused about it even as Caitlin attempted to explain it. According to the knowledge gained in the short week he had been learning, a Pokemon having more than one type was both a good thing and a bad thing as it had equal advantages and weaknesses. However, having two types was still much better than one depending on how it was utilized and here Arceus was just giving him one for free. Sure Caitlin said Vulpix was sent as present but Koda was reluctant to take her.

"When did you get this pokemon?" Koda asked as he walked up to the Vulpix and knelt down. The fox pokemon had an intelligent and prideful look as she glanced at the white haired youth curiously. "If you had her for a while then why are you showing her to me now?"

"If I had given her to you when I first met you, when you had just arrived, would you have been able to do anything with her?" Caitlin walked up and tapped her pokeball against Gothitelle, summoning her back. "I gave her to you just now because I feel that you're finally worthy of being acknowledged by Arceus. Prove me right."

Caitlin turned around and walked over to her sleeping bag, pulling out some clothes from inside it. "I'm going to take a bath. Why don't you bond some more with Vulpix."

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"So you have a black Vulpix?" Gera asked as he summoned Krokorok back into his pokeball. "So what?! Doesn't mean we're gonna agree to another battle. We already won."

"I disagree."

The voice that resounded out was soft yet was able to make the crowd of chatting onlookers immediately turn quiet as the crowd parted and a blonde woman stepped out. Ice cream was clutched in her right hand but other than that, she looked rather important.

The slender woman was rather tall, standing at around 180cm, a bit taller then Koda's 172 cm with wavy knee-length creamy blonde hair that had bangs covering her left eye. She wore straight black leg trousers, a long black coat with a V neck and black fur rimming the cuffs, running down the end of the coat with a large teardrop shaped ornament on the center of the coat, probably used as a fastener. She also donned a black top underneath. Her outfit finished with a black kitten heels and a yellow stripe on each shoe. For accessories she wore a large, black feathery ruff around her neck with two hair clips in her hair, both resembling two teardrop-shaped objects conjoined with a pale yellow stripe.

(("Who's she?")) Koda couldn't help but be curious as this woman had caused the entire crowd to fall deathly silent. He could even swear that some people had ceased their breathing. (("She must be important considering her hair is longer than SSJ3 Goku. Not as long as Caitlin but definitely close. If that hair doesn't scream PROTAGONIST status then I don't know what does."))

The woman made her way forward, her grey eyes flickering from Gera, Mark, Onar, and finally onto Koda, her hues lingering on the white haired youth a bit longer then the others.

"I was watching for a bit. I liked the way you battled despite your young age. I wanna see what you can do with that Vulpix if you don't mind." The woman lifted her ice cream up and gave it a lick.

"Im sorry. Who are you?" Koda asked, slightly confused. "Im kinda at my limit here. I dont need a plot twist at the moment."

"Are you stupid?!" Gera interrupted before the woman could even start to respond. "Are you telling me you can't recognize a champion when you see one? You call yourself a trainer? Show some respect!!"

"Dude. I was clearly asking her name. Quit being a backseat driver." Koda shook his head as he turned his attention back to the woman. "I'm sorry, Miss stranger. What's your name?"

The woman had a rather curious look on her face as she kept on eating her ice cream. It was hard to tell what exactly she was thinking as she stared at Koda. Finally, when she did decide to stop eating her ice cream, it wasn't Koda she addressed but rather Onar.

"The next match will be a one on one match with a pokemon of your choice. The winner will receive 15000 credits (not sure what the currency should be called) from me personally."

Onar looked like he wanted to refuse but after a quick bump from Mark, he sighed. Though he clearly wanted to just walk away, he stepped forward as Gera rapidly retreated to let his friend take over.

"Now, lets begin then." The woman said as she started to walk away.

"Hold on there blondie," Koda said as he reached out and grabbed her arm, though making sure not to use too much force. "You never told me your name."

The woman turned around, her eyes glancing at Kodas hand before shifting her gaze into the white haired youth. "My name is Cynthia Stratos. But you can call me Cynthia."

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Caitlin was rather confused about the sudden turn of events that had just taken place, events that she hadn't foreseen happening unfolding right before her eyes.

Initially, Koda was meant to have a 1 vs 3 match with each pokemon he had so the young blonde could get a decent read on what he needed to learn and fix. Everything had gone well, even when Koda had lost the second round, and it was all happening within her expectations. Every event so far hadn't been totally off the rails and could be fixed with a few words from herself. That all changed when Cynthia entered the picture though.

It wasn't that Caitlin was surprised that the Sinnoh champion was in Viridian city as anyone with a love for battle and pokemon was gathering here for the Bayrock Festival. What perplexed her was the fact that Cynthia would go out of her way to not only insert herself into the middle of someone else's fight, but to also throw up money to the winner. Being very close to Cynthia, regarding her as a sort of sister, she was aware of Cynthia's normal behavior and this wasn't it.

Cynthia did have a tendency to help those who looked up to her, guiding them and helping them progress. She had a love for pokemon and would hold those others who showed not only strength but passion to their pokemon in high regards. Caitlin had never seen her actually give a newbie trainer a compliment, let alone one that didn't even know who she was.

"Wait!! Is that Cynthia?" Serena asked in shock as she watched the blonde haired woman walk off. "She's the Sinnoh region champion!! One of the best pokemon trainers in the world!"

"She's gorgeous," Brock said, his eyes widening dramatically. He stepped forward as if to follow after her.

He didn't make it very far as Caitlin lifted him into the air. "Not so fast kid. The match is about to start. Worry about her once Koda wins this match."

Caitlin wasn't sure why Cynthia had approached Koda herself when she would have continued to watch from the back, but she did know that it was highly significant. It was possible that she had been drawn in by the size of Koda's aura, larger auras having the tendency to attract strong-willed people like a sort of magnet. It was also possible that she had simply taken a liking to the white haired youths' battle style, prompting her to step forward to say so.

Whatever the case may have been, Cynthia's interference seemed to have put a spark into Onar as he stood up straight, taking a pokeball from his belt.

"Okay kid, let's get this over with. I got a hot date to take and some money to make." Onar enlarged the pokeball before tossing it forward. "Time to start the clock. Glaceon, you're up."

There was the standard flash of light before it took the form of a small pokemon about the same size as Vulpix. Koda found this pokemon to be quite cute, much better than the last two pokemon that had been used by Mark and Gera. Pulling out the pokedex from his pocket, Koda held up the device, pointing it at the newly introduced pokemon.

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Glaceon- The Fresh Snow Pokemon

By controlling its body temperature, the moisture in the air freezes, producing ice crystals surrounding it. It is capable of freezing its fur into sharp needle-like icicles, used to tackle its prey. It can drop its body temperature below -75 degrees Fahrenheit. Glaceon is usually found in urban areas under the care of humans. It is rarely found in the wild.

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"That's interesting and all but....isn't Glaceon an Ice type?" Koda was slightly confused. "Why put yourself at a disadvantage? I'm assuming you have a good strategy?"

"Of course," Onar replied with a smug smile. "This IS my strongest pokemon after all."

"That so?" Koda smiled before giving Onar a thumbs up. "Then I wish you the best of luck, random stranger dude."

Jenny, who had been standing off to the side with a feeling of disbelief and confusion, finally managed to snap out of it as she stepped forward.

"The next match is Koda Johnson versus Onar. The match will be a one on one and it will continue until one side is unable to continue." Jenny glanced at both sides before nodding. "Let the match begin."

"Glaceon [Icy Wind]."

Onar wasted little to no time in calling out a move the moment Jenny announced the start of the match. Koda assumed it was part of his strategy and thus allowed him to do so without bothering to counter. Unlike his other pokemon battles, Koda didn't have any set strategy for this and planned on working it out as he went.

Glaceon crouched low on the ground, his eyes staring towards Vulpix with a laser like gaze, as he took in a deep breath. After about a second, the blue pokemon released its breath, a breeze akin to a gale force wind as it rapidly approached the fox pokemon. Vulpix was ready though as she dug her small claws into the pavement as the move hit. The move even continued onwards to where Koda was standing, allowing him to feel just how cold the wind truly was, sending a shiver up his spine.

(("Vulpix, spit [Ember] at your feet to warm yourself up")) Koda was less concerned about his own temperature and more worried about how Vulpix would handle it. Naturally an Ice type attack wouldn't be very effective, but the white haired youth still worried a little.

Vulpix followed Koda's orders without even bothering to reply, an indication that she agreed to the situation. One thing that set her apart from Pikachu and Squirtle was that Vulpix didn't quite trust him as of yet, meaning that if she deemed Koda unworthy, it was highly likely she'd ignore him altogether. Up until now though, he had been mostly successful in building up some trust. Even now as Vulpix spat burning embers onto the ground, Koda felt as if the small fox was waiting for him to make a mistake.

(("Alright, you ready to make an attack? I just came up with a strategy that might work.")) As their trust had little foundation, Koda had to communicate his plan to Vulpix before she would commit to it.

(("I'm willing to listen to it. Your strategies so far have been adequate so I hope this time will be the same,")) Was Vulpixs reply as the [Icy Wind] finally stopped.

(("That's kinda harsh")) Koda thought to himself as he briefly glanced at Glaceon.

Shaking it off, Koda quickly relayed the plan to Vulpix. It didn't take very long as communication via telepathy was far faster than verbally, giving Koda a distinct advantage in terms of giving out commands.

(("Hmmmm. Very well. I shall follow your plan.")) Vulpix said as she lifted her head proudly. (("Lets wipe that smug grin off his face."))

Koda laughed a bit at what Vulpix said. He didn't think that she would get so fired up for a battle as, prior to this, she hadn't seemed very interested in the concept of beating up other pokemon. However, here she was all raring to go when he laid out a solid plan.

"Vulpix, use [Quick Attack]"

"Glaceon, [Quick Attack]"

Both pokemon became surrounded by a white glow before both of them dashed at each other, near blurs on the battlefield as they ran after each other. It was clear from the start that Glaceon was far faster though, what with Koda barely able to see him, but the play wasn't to keep up in speed.

(("Do it now,")) Koda said quickly as the perfect moment came into light.

Vulpix quickly deactivated [Quick Attack] just as Glaceon came charging at him with the very same move. The small pokemon was moving much too fast to make a full stop and Koda was more than prepared to take advantage of it.

(("[Will-O-Wisp]"))

This had been the plan that Koda had told Vulpix about, to somehow find a way to either lure in Glaceon or get right in his face and then smash him with [Will-O-Wisp]. He hadn't known that Glaceon could use [Quick Attack], but that pleasant surprise definitely leaned in Koda's favor as Vulpix summoned a bluish white flame in front of herself. Glaceon spotted this but was already so close that he had no time to move away as he slammed into the flame and then into Vulpix.

Onar smiled as Vulpix was sent rolling backwards, hit dead on with Glaceon's [Quick Attack]. Koda wasn't sure if the guy had seen the small bluish flame created by Vulpix or he just hadn't cared as he seemed to be practically beaming with self satisfaction.

"Ya see that kid?" Onar clenched his fist. "That's what real strength is. Glaceon, use [Quick Attack] again."

Glaceon, at first looking unharmed, took a stance and got ready to follow his trainers orders. However, the moment he took a stance, his body seemed to spasm with pain, the ~Burn~ status activating and inflicting its damage.

"Hey Glaceon, what happened to ya." Onar looked like he was tempted to go and check on his pokemon, a look of genuine concern on his face. "Are you okay?"

This small look that completely differed from his previously smug attitude actually raised Koda's initial opinion of Onar. He and his friends had originally seemed like idiots who didn't care for how their pokemon felt, but it seemed that this wasn't the case, at least for Onar anyways. He was still gonna attempt to wipe the floor with the guys Glaceon but now he felt like being a tad bit nicer.

"Your pokemon has the ~Burn~ status," Koda said as Vulpix stood up from her spot on the ground, shaking the dirt off her beautiful black coat of fur. "Just before Glaceon hit, Vulpix used [Will-O-Wisp] and hit him with it."

Koda really didn't want to tell him anything as he had the upper hand but he had a soft spot for idiots and felt he at least deserved a freebie. With that being said, he planned on annihilating Glaceon as quickly as possible so he could figure out why the hell Caitlin had shoved this freakin foursome onto him when he wasn't even into dudes.

(("Alright, let's get serious then,")) Koda smiled.

"I quit," Onar said almost the second Koda had spoken inside his head. "I forfeit the match. There's no way I'm going to win so I might as well throw in the towel now."

Koda was momentarily stunned. This was quite literally the last thing he expected or wanted. He had planned out the whole next series of moves already as well as some contingencies in case the first few steps failed. To say that he was surprised was putting it mildly as it quickly turned to annoyance before showing on his face

"Hol-"

"The challenger Onar forfeits. The match goes to Koda Johnson. The winner of the 2 out of 3 battle is Koda."

Jenny was quick to interrupt Koda the moment Onar had announced his withdrawal from the match. She had seen the annoyance on his face and, having a feeling that he was gonna complain, decided that it was best for her to quickly bring an official end to the match before the youth could utter any words of complaint.

To tell the truth, she had agreed with Owner's retreat from the battle as it looked as if it was going to be an uphill battle for him. What with Koda's battle style and rather interesting strategies, Onar would have had to put in quite a bit of effort just to stay in the match, especially with the type disadvantage already present. Though Glaceon was arguably stronger then Vulpix, being burned would hinder movement speed quite a bit as well as wear down the pokemon much faster. If it had come down to an endurance match, Glaceon would have eventually lost due to the burns whittling down his stamina.

(("It seems Koda already has a take on what to do in certain situations,")) Jenny thought to herself as she watched Koda's friends from earlier, the Elite Four Caitlin (Of whom she had had trouble recognizing at first due to her wearing a different outfit then her usual pink dress), the guy named Brock from earlier, and a fashionable girl around Kodas age, approach. (("He didn't even know the full scale of Glaceons moves yet he was able to tip the battle in his favor with few orders given. Quite impressive."))

As she watched Koda getting congratulated by his friends, Jenny smiled as she walked away, eventually disappearing into the crowd.

The youth in question noticed when she decided to leave but didn't say anything, letting her go. He didn't feel a need to follow her as he wasn't planning on leaving Viridian City, and he was pretty sure that if he hung around long enough he'd eventually see her again. So, after watching her leave, he turned his attention to Caitlin, Brock, and Serena, all of whom had decided to crowd around him.

"That was fantastic." Serena smiled brightly as she approached, stopping to adjust her hat slightly. "Every battle was so much fun to watch."

"I mean...they were each pretty short." Koda felt that each battle was more or less much too quick to actually enjoy anything from it. Of course, the passage of time was a bit skewed for Koda as he had been so busy concentrating on how to win. "But I appreciate the compliment."

"You did great." Caitlin seemed pretty happy with the results despite the youth having only won the fights due to being underestimated. "We're still gonna train like crazy, but this was a great way to see just how you've improved."

"You've definitely improved significantly," Brock added on. "In fact, I'd even say that you're like a whole different person. You definitely put that 2 week session to good use."

Koda rubbed his head shyly as he soaked in their praises. Personally he felt as if he still had a long way to go and that each fight could've been much better. He had barely started on his path to being truly worthy of someone summoned and there was still so much more for him to learn. Of course, no matter how good he became, it was only thanks to these three that he could get better so quickly, each of them supporting him and guiding him with patience.

Koda smiled, his mix match eyes softening as he pulled all three of them into a hug, surprising each of them. He genuinely felt that Arceus had chosen the correct companions. With Brock's strategy and knowledge as a gym leader, Caitlin's psychic powers and strong pokemon, and Serena's upbeat nature and kind attitude, Koda felt as if Arceus truly knew what he was doing. It was because of this that he was thankful for being summoned to this world.

Needless to say, Koda's hug seemed to have varying effects on the trio. Serena seemed uncertain on how to respond so she just let it happen, closing her eyes and just accepting it. Brock hugged back, clapping Koda on the back with firm slaps as he nodded. Caitlin merely laughed as she worked herself free, not staying in Koda's grasp for more than a few seconds.

"I get it, you're grateful," Caitlin said as she brushed down her black dress. She was wearing the same outfit she usually wore but this time it was black. "But I don't really like being touched so please refrain from doing so."

Koda realized what he was doing and promptly let go of Serena and Brock, stepping back a bit. "My bad guys."

"No no, its fine." Serena, as usual, attempted to cheer Koda up as she smiled. "It's clear that you were just acting on your feelings. No harm done."

Koda opened his mouth to once again apologize when, just like before with Jenny, he found himself interrupted.

"Your name is Koda Johnson correct?"

Koda turned around, his brain already registering who it was even before he even made eye contact. He didn't know what it was, but there was something about Cynthia's voice that was easy to distinguish from everyone else. He had only heard her briefly speak earlier but he had already memorized her tone and voice.

Cynthia licked her ice cream as she smiled. Her bright grey eyes stared at Koda for a while, a look of curiosity displayed on her face. Koda was unable to tell just exactly what she was thinking as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a few slips of paper.

"Here," Cynthia said as she held out the slips. "You earned this."