Post by Zophiel on Jan 22, 2017 21:24:45 GMT -8
Odette’s parents weren’t always around. Between their regularly held jobs and TRAINERS, it was often the case that only one parent was around at any given time, and more often than not she was left with a nanny. Well a girl like her didn’t do too well without a firm hand to keep her under control. She would consistently escape the confines of her bedroom and go watch the unofficial battle circuit of Lumiose’ alleyways and soak in as much knowledge as she could.
These back alley street battles brought together all sorts of people. The street gangs who were looking for credibility through their battling prowess, the tourists and vagrants who happened to stumble upon the scene soon would try their own hand at unregulated battles. Even famous trainers in the pro circuit would return to the alleys to get back to the roots of their battling careers.
Odette came to idolize one prominent trainer above the rest.
His name was Leon and his gang usually squatted in Rouge Plaza. What fascinated Odette was the ease at which he commanded not only his poke’mon, but others as well. Normally, poke’mon under the direction of one who hadn’t trained them themselves didn’t do well. But she had seen him in a threes battle with his comrades and simply take control of the entire battlefield and decimate the opponents. Aside from the pros in the battle circuit, she had only seen one other trainer be able to do that. And that man was her father.
Night after night she would bundle up in a bulky sweatshirt and venture out to just get a glimpse of a battle. Over the course of time, she began to be recognized and welcomed by the crowds of deviants and roughnecks. Naturally she gravitated towards those in Leon’s wing and started to become the group's cheerleader of sorts.
Eventually she caught Alice and started getting involved in battling. She took it far more seriously than most her age, especially those in the unofficial circuit and eventually became known for a tactic with her ekans where she would strangle her opponents until they would give up. It was a brutal tactic that shocked at least a few spectators; to see this young girl use such a tactic was not commonplace. But Odette was here to win, and get better and better with every battle. It was just a matter of time before those she cheered for were wooping and hollaring for her own victories. She just never expected the King of Rouge Plaza to take notice.
He didn’t venture out from their base of operations often, only really to defend turf or his title. But as Odette fought some tourist teen, he appeared from the shadows to watch. Naturally the pair battling didn’t have the luxury of noticing such a figure enter, but the crowd sure did. Reactions from shock of the other gangs, to grand welcome from his own, Leon remained emotionless as his eyes watched the battle going on.
Her tactic had become well known enough to realize that the easiest strategy to avoid Alice’s jaw and coil was to just stay the hell away from her. So it was more a challenge of athleticism and acrobatics that Odette had to play: predicting her opponent's moves and using those predictions to her advantage. Fortunately for her, one poison sting attack hit critically and poisoned her foe, so their only option was to close the distance and try to finish the Ekans off physically. Odette’s side smile was the sign of true victory. Leon seemed to notice it as well. “It’s over.” he grunted in a low voice.
Soon thereafter, Alice had coiled around the Timburr and slowly squeezed the will to fight out of him, and, paired with poison, it was an easy victory. But her opponent was being stubborn and refusing to bow out, hoping his fighting poke’mon would pull through. Death wasn’t commonplace in the alley battles, but it seemed like this was going to be one of those night. Rules on the streets were battles went until one side surrendered. The crowd seemed to realize what was going to happen and murmurs of discontent and disbelief echoed on the walls.
Without warning, a Houndoom appeared before the stubborn opponent and bared it’s fangs. Leon stepped forward from the crowd and looked towards the young blonde girl. “It’s over Odette, release the poke’mon and see that it receives care.” his words came calmly and with a sense of direction she hadn’t felt in a long time. With a nod of her head, Alice released the Timburr from it’s grip and Odette was kneeling beside the defeated mon’ and administering an antidote.
Across the plaza, Leon turned to face the tourist. He held out his palm and spoke.
“Timburr’s poke’ball.”
The man looked confused, and then angry. “No, it’s my poke’mon! You can’t just steal it!” he barked back. Houndoom snorted black flames from it’s nostrils and advanced aggressively.
“This isn’t stealing, it’s a rescue. You don’t deserve the partnership of a poke’mon until you soften your pride and grow up.”
“This is bullshit, you can’t let him do this!” he cried out, looking to the crowds to back him up. Not one person dared stand against the judgement of one of the gang bosses.
“You may not know this, but burns from Brutus will last you a lifetime. There is no recovering from them. So -- volunteer me it’s poke’ball, or taste the flames of a hellhound.”
The tourist seemed to finally be getting the picture there was no way out of this. “Fuck you and fuck this city! Buncha assholes anyways!” he shouted before tossing Leon the poke’ball and turning tail and running like a bat out of hell.
The leader of the Rouge Sabers approached Odette and handed her the poke’ball. “Take him to a poke’mon center and get him healed up. Then come meet us in Rouge Plaza, we’ve got some things to discuss.” he concluded before walking back into a shadowed alley, disappearing as soon as he would appear.
She stood up, still in shock herself at what just happened. In an instant a bunch of her friends were around her flood her with congratulations and adoration for what just happened. The next hour was a blur for her between everything they were telling her and her inner thoughts. “I mean, I know what it means, but… why?” she questioned internally. Leon didn’t take on new members lightly. And as far as she knew, that was the first time he had ever even seen her in action.
Poke’ball in hand, and Alice slithering at her side, they entered the cafe together. It smelled of stale smoke and spilled liquor. To her left was a pool table where a game was currently in session between someone she recognized, and another she did not. And, one her right, were tables and chairs strewn about in a haphazard manner. It was obvious that the cafe hadn’t seen any public use in a long time. At least not the usual folk who came and expected a bright and shining lumiose experience.
Those around her watched as Odette and her poke’mon moved inward, while her own looked around for Leon. If she faltered now she might be cast out forever, a conclusion which she would not accept; this was the first step to becoming a world renowned battler.
He was sitting on a couch in the back of the cafe in a relaxed position, a woman with dark hair and a hard-boiled expression. She pondered who she might be as she stopped in front of the intimidating man. For a moment, she was unsure of how to acknowledge him and panicked. She bowed her head and held out the poke’ball with Timburr in it. “All healed up sir.”
The woman spoke. “She’s way too young Leon.”
Odette’s body heated up; she didn’t liked being doubted for her age. She proved age wasn’t a factor in the way she battled.
“Do you second guess my judgement?”
“...No. I’m simply looking out for her. She’s a kid for Arceus’ sake.”
“No younger than you when we made this together.” he countered. He wasn’t giving in and that made her shut up, not without a telling pout on her lips.
Leon took the poke’ball from her hand and nodded. “Good. I’ll see to it that this Timburr goes to a trainer who respects poke’mon. Now, you’ve been hanging around the guys for a while and they’ve been begging me to come and check you out for some time. You didn’t disappoint. But joining the Rouge Sabers is more than battling. It’s about trust, teamwork, and loyalty. We’re a family.”
Odette soaked all the words in like a child at school who actually wanted to learn. She only ever wanted to see him battle and now she was being offered a place in the Sabers.
“Can we put our trust in you?”
“...” her mouth opened and no words came out. The rest of her noggin caught up with her thoughts and rapidly nodded up and down. “Absolutely!” she finally spat out, whipping a hand up to salute him as if he was some military commander.
He chuckled and waved his hand. “None of that is necessary.” he began and then stood up. “Sabers, welcome your new sister!” he announced. The room erupted in applause and she was once again swarmed by friends.
These back alley street battles brought together all sorts of people. The street gangs who were looking for credibility through their battling prowess, the tourists and vagrants who happened to stumble upon the scene soon would try their own hand at unregulated battles. Even famous trainers in the pro circuit would return to the alleys to get back to the roots of their battling careers.
Odette came to idolize one prominent trainer above the rest.
His name was Leon and his gang usually squatted in Rouge Plaza. What fascinated Odette was the ease at which he commanded not only his poke’mon, but others as well. Normally, poke’mon under the direction of one who hadn’t trained them themselves didn’t do well. But she had seen him in a threes battle with his comrades and simply take control of the entire battlefield and decimate the opponents. Aside from the pros in the battle circuit, she had only seen one other trainer be able to do that. And that man was her father.
Night after night she would bundle up in a bulky sweatshirt and venture out to just get a glimpse of a battle. Over the course of time, she began to be recognized and welcomed by the crowds of deviants and roughnecks. Naturally she gravitated towards those in Leon’s wing and started to become the group's cheerleader of sorts.
Eventually she caught Alice and started getting involved in battling. She took it far more seriously than most her age, especially those in the unofficial circuit and eventually became known for a tactic with her ekans where she would strangle her opponents until they would give up. It was a brutal tactic that shocked at least a few spectators; to see this young girl use such a tactic was not commonplace. But Odette was here to win, and get better and better with every battle. It was just a matter of time before those she cheered for were wooping and hollaring for her own victories. She just never expected the King of Rouge Plaza to take notice.
He didn’t venture out from their base of operations often, only really to defend turf or his title. But as Odette fought some tourist teen, he appeared from the shadows to watch. Naturally the pair battling didn’t have the luxury of noticing such a figure enter, but the crowd sure did. Reactions from shock of the other gangs, to grand welcome from his own, Leon remained emotionless as his eyes watched the battle going on.
Her tactic had become well known enough to realize that the easiest strategy to avoid Alice’s jaw and coil was to just stay the hell away from her. So it was more a challenge of athleticism and acrobatics that Odette had to play: predicting her opponent's moves and using those predictions to her advantage. Fortunately for her, one poison sting attack hit critically and poisoned her foe, so their only option was to close the distance and try to finish the Ekans off physically. Odette’s side smile was the sign of true victory. Leon seemed to notice it as well. “It’s over.” he grunted in a low voice.
Soon thereafter, Alice had coiled around the Timburr and slowly squeezed the will to fight out of him, and, paired with poison, it was an easy victory. But her opponent was being stubborn and refusing to bow out, hoping his fighting poke’mon would pull through. Death wasn’t commonplace in the alley battles, but it seemed like this was going to be one of those night. Rules on the streets were battles went until one side surrendered. The crowd seemed to realize what was going to happen and murmurs of discontent and disbelief echoed on the walls.
Without warning, a Houndoom appeared before the stubborn opponent and bared it’s fangs. Leon stepped forward from the crowd and looked towards the young blonde girl. “It’s over Odette, release the poke’mon and see that it receives care.” his words came calmly and with a sense of direction she hadn’t felt in a long time. With a nod of her head, Alice released the Timburr from it’s grip and Odette was kneeling beside the defeated mon’ and administering an antidote.
Across the plaza, Leon turned to face the tourist. He held out his palm and spoke.
“Timburr’s poke’ball.”
The man looked confused, and then angry. “No, it’s my poke’mon! You can’t just steal it!” he barked back. Houndoom snorted black flames from it’s nostrils and advanced aggressively.
“This isn’t stealing, it’s a rescue. You don’t deserve the partnership of a poke’mon until you soften your pride and grow up.”
“This is bullshit, you can’t let him do this!” he cried out, looking to the crowds to back him up. Not one person dared stand against the judgement of one of the gang bosses.
“You may not know this, but burns from Brutus will last you a lifetime. There is no recovering from them. So -- volunteer me it’s poke’ball, or taste the flames of a hellhound.”
The tourist seemed to finally be getting the picture there was no way out of this. “Fuck you and fuck this city! Buncha assholes anyways!” he shouted before tossing Leon the poke’ball and turning tail and running like a bat out of hell.
The leader of the Rouge Sabers approached Odette and handed her the poke’ball. “Take him to a poke’mon center and get him healed up. Then come meet us in Rouge Plaza, we’ve got some things to discuss.” he concluded before walking back into a shadowed alley, disappearing as soon as he would appear.
She stood up, still in shock herself at what just happened. In an instant a bunch of her friends were around her flood her with congratulations and adoration for what just happened. The next hour was a blur for her between everything they were telling her and her inner thoughts. “I mean, I know what it means, but… why?” she questioned internally. Leon didn’t take on new members lightly. And as far as she knew, that was the first time he had ever even seen her in action.
Poke’ball in hand, and Alice slithering at her side, they entered the cafe together. It smelled of stale smoke and spilled liquor. To her left was a pool table where a game was currently in session between someone she recognized, and another she did not. And, one her right, were tables and chairs strewn about in a haphazard manner. It was obvious that the cafe hadn’t seen any public use in a long time. At least not the usual folk who came and expected a bright and shining lumiose experience.
Those around her watched as Odette and her poke’mon moved inward, while her own looked around for Leon. If she faltered now she might be cast out forever, a conclusion which she would not accept; this was the first step to becoming a world renowned battler.
He was sitting on a couch in the back of the cafe in a relaxed position, a woman with dark hair and a hard-boiled expression. She pondered who she might be as she stopped in front of the intimidating man. For a moment, she was unsure of how to acknowledge him and panicked. She bowed her head and held out the poke’ball with Timburr in it. “All healed up sir.”
The woman spoke. “She’s way too young Leon.”
Odette’s body heated up; she didn’t liked being doubted for her age. She proved age wasn’t a factor in the way she battled.
“Do you second guess my judgement?”
“...No. I’m simply looking out for her. She’s a kid for Arceus’ sake.”
“No younger than you when we made this together.” he countered. He wasn’t giving in and that made her shut up, not without a telling pout on her lips.
Leon took the poke’ball from her hand and nodded. “Good. I’ll see to it that this Timburr goes to a trainer who respects poke’mon. Now, you’ve been hanging around the guys for a while and they’ve been begging me to come and check you out for some time. You didn’t disappoint. But joining the Rouge Sabers is more than battling. It’s about trust, teamwork, and loyalty. We’re a family.”
Odette soaked all the words in like a child at school who actually wanted to learn. She only ever wanted to see him battle and now she was being offered a place in the Sabers.
“Can we put our trust in you?”
“...” her mouth opened and no words came out. The rest of her noggin caught up with her thoughts and rapidly nodded up and down. “Absolutely!” she finally spat out, whipping a hand up to salute him as if he was some military commander.
He chuckled and waved his hand. “None of that is necessary.” he began and then stood up. “Sabers, welcome your new sister!” he announced. The room erupted in applause and she was once again swarmed by friends.
