How to Train Your Pokémon

A/N: Okay, since I just want to get this chapter started so that I won't ramble, let's get on with Chapter 17! Roll it!

Bold italics: Pokémon speech

Chapter 17

Their Secret Revealed

As expected, the following morning, Mari and Aiden were back in the Arena, facing off Larvitar for their final test to determine who will face Lucario.

The little Rock type was scanning its surroundings, searching for the two Trainers. The Arena had small wooden walls so that the recruits can hide behind. Mari currently was hiding behind one, her lance on her hip. Aiden then ducked for cover behind the same wall that she was using. Mari scooted away, but Aiden grabbed her arm.

"Stay out of my way!" He warned her. "I'm winning this thing." With that, he took off to hide behind a different wall.

As much as Mari felt a little hurt by his coldness towards her, she was just focusing on trying to not get blasted by the Larvitar. "Just don't get blasted to the other side of the Arena, Newton." She called back at him, standing up.

She looked around the crowd of spectators that have gathered around. She soon spotted her mother and brothers watching. She gave them a smile, which quickly vanished once she had her back turned.

Meanwhile, Aiden was just sneaking up on the Larvitar, barrel rolling from one wall to the next, holding his baton tightly in his hands. The little Rock type was heading its way towards Mari.

"This time." Aiden quietly vowed to himself, hiding behind one of the walls. "This time for sure." He then began quickly charging towards the Larvitar, his baton in his hand, ready to throw it... only to stop suddenly once he saw that the Larvitar was already on the ground, courtesy of Mari. The crowd then began cheering wildly.

"NO!" He yelled in frustration. "No, son of a half-freak, flesh-eating, spawn of Giratina!" He cursed, swinging his baton around, slicing through the air. Mari winced at the curses that he was spouting out. And she thought that she had a sharp tongue.

This wasn't how she thought this round was going to play. She had saw the little Rock type coming toward her, but he had stopped once he recognized her, swinging her lance around. She pretended to swing it hard at him, but she had actually thrown it weakly. The ball had hit the Larvitar on the head, but not hard enough. The Larvitar then pretended to be knocked unconscious just as Aiden had come up.

Just then, the crowd became silent as a long blonde-haired woman with gray eyes stood up on the bleachers. She wore a black pantsuit with dark gray fur trim and a light gray gem in the middle of her bust. It was Cynthia, the wisest woman in the village, and one of the most powerful Trainers in the faction.

Mari and Aiden looked up at her as she came closer to the ring, where the bars separated the spectators from the battles. "It is now time to select who will face Lucario tomorrow." She announced. Everyone began holding their breath in anticipation.

"This recruit showed remarkable ability and skill during training, as well as good teammate and leadership attributes." She said. "These are qualities I haven't seen in such a long time. My congratulations goes to.... Mari Ketchum!"

The crowd began cheering wildly again as Mari felt her blood freeze to ice. Gary had come up to her, along with Keira and Jenna.

"You did it, Mari!" Gary cheered as he lifted her arm up in victory. "You get to capture Lucario!"

Mari gave her mentor a weak smile before glancing over at Aiden. If looks could kill, she would've been burning in red-hot flames from the glare that he was giving her.

The Ketchum girl then looked up at her family, who was watching. Luke and Evan were returning her weak smiles, knowing that they were all in hot water now. Dawn however, was thrilled. "That's my girl!" She exclaimed proudly.

Mari felt her heart plummet. "Great." She said through her teeth. "I'm so-"

****************************

"Leaving!" She exclaimed. "We're leaving."

Mari was back inside the cave, having a pale green backpack over her back, filled with spare clothes and food. "Let's pack up." She called out. "Looks like we're taking a little vacation. Forever."

"And leave without saying goodbye to us?" Luke asked his sister. He and Evan were behind her, having backpacks of their own on their backs. Luke's was gray, while Evan's was red. "Not in a million years."

"I told you guys already." Mari said. "You can't come with me."

"And why is that?" Evan asked.

"Because if Mom finds out about the truth, she'd be furious!" Mari said. "She'll banish me from the faction."

"But then, she'll question us if we knew about Elysia and the other Pokémon." Luke reasoned. "So either way, you're gonna be stuck with us."

Mari thought about that for a few seconds. If she left with Elysia now, her brothers could either stay or go with her. If they stayed, their mother would eventually find out about her disappearance and send the entire town on a search. She would also question the twins and learn the truth about her success in the ring. So, it seems that all of them are in a pickle.

"Both of you are sure you wanna come with me?" She asked at last.

"Yes." They both said at the same time.

Mari sighed. "All right, fine." She complied.

The twins smiled at her, at first cheekily but they softened to a more genuine state. They all then began rummaging through their backpacks.

"I wonder where Elysia is." Mari wondered under her breath.

"I'm not sure." Luke answered her quietly.

Mari had finished looking through her backpack and was making sure her lance was safely secure in its pouch on her hip when she was greeted by a surprise and unwelcome sight. Aiden Newton was sitting on a nearby boulder, polishing his silver baton with a rag in his free hand.

"Ahh!" She exclaimed, making the twins also jump in surprise. "What the-? Um, what in the name of the Legends are you doing here?" Mari demanded, her eyes narrowed.

Aiden twirled his baton in his hand. "I want to know what's going on." He said cooly before jumping off the boulder and began his interrogation. "No one just gets as good as you do. Especially you."

"I resent that, Newton." Mari retorted, glaring fiercely.

"You better start talking." Aiden continued. "Have you been training with someone?"

"In a way, yes." Mari answered harshly. "And I am going to be leaving with her."

"Leaving?" Aiden asked. "When your final exam is tomorrow?"

"Yes. Mari said firmly. "And I'm not coming back."

"What makes you think you can just up and leave whenever you felt like it?" Aiden asked her, the two of them oblivious to the twins who were also present in the cave. They both wanted to say something, but they decided to remain silent, sensing that this might get ugly.

"I would be lying if I said that this is something that haven't crossed my mind in the past five years." Mari said. The twins were surprised. They knew that their sister was struggling during the past five years, but they didn't know just how much. "And besides, no one would miss me." Mari continued. "In fact, all I have been is a burden to everyone. My peers, the town, even my own mother."

Aiden felt a strange tugging at his chest when he heard this. Is that what she really thinks of herself? But still, he shouldn't show any sort of weakness. "That's true." He said.

The twins had their jaws dropped in shock. They knew that Aiden didn't care much about anyone, but even they thought he would've stooped that low. Luke and Evan were about to go over there and punch the living daylights out of him, but Mari beat them to it with a single right-hook to his face. Tears were coming into her eyes.

"And to think you were my friend when we were kids!" She screamed, wiping furiously at her eyes so that Aiden doesn't judge her more when he sees tears streaming down her face. "Get out of my sight, Newton." She lowly growled at him. 

Just then, there was a familiar yawn that got the blood of the Ketchum kids frozen stiff. Mari's tears immediately stopped.

"Guys, what's with the ruckus?" Elysia asked, rubbing the drowsiness out of her eyes with a paw. The female Pikachu was napping on a crevice in the cave wall.

Aiden saw her and his blood froze. It was an Electric type. He quickly pushed Mari down. "Get down!" He ordered.

The push had a pretty rough landing as Mari slightly cried out in pain as she landed on her back. Elysia immediately got into protective mode.

"Hey!" She yelled angrily and jumped off the crevice. "Don't you touch her!"

Aiden, oblivious to the Pikachu's cries, which were directed at him, got his baton ready. "Run!" He demanded to Mari, ready to seize the opportunity that was given to him. If he could bring back an Electric type, he would immediately be given the chance to become a warrior of the town.

Mari quickly got up from her spot on the gravel ground and swiped the baton away. "No!" She exclaimed as she tugged Aiden away. Luke and Evan then went in front of Elysia.

"Calm down, Ely!" Luke said to her, calling her by her little nickname.

"Nothing bad really happened!" Evan added.

"He hurt Mari!" Elysia said.

Mari managed to get Aiden to stay as she went up to the Pikachu. "It's okay." She told her. "I'm fine." She then looked over at the Newton boy. "He's not a threat. At least, not a fatal one."

Aiden wasn't sure if he should resent that, but he really didn't want to worry about that now. What he was seeing was much more important than Mari possibly insulting him. The Ketchum kids were actually talking to a forsaken Electric type, and they seemed to be understanding it!

Elysia released most of her tension, but she was still wary about the newcomer that had intruded on the cave, which to her, was her territory. She jumped up on Mari's shoulder as the Ketchum girl turned to Aiden.

"You scared her, nut case." She accused him, holding a hand in front of Elysia to prevent her from jumping off to attack him.

"I scared her?!" Aiden asked, grabbing his baton and placing it back in its holster on the back of his waist. He then stopped when he realized his choice of words. "Who is 'her'?" He asked.

Mari shared a worried glance at her brothers, who were as clueless as she was about what to do next. And just when they thought that things couldn't get any worse. Taking a deep breath, she took the plunge.

"Aiden, this is Elysia the Pikachu." Mari began the introductions. "Elysia, Aiden."

Elysia looked over at the Newton boy with a critical gaze. "This is the same guy that you like? I think we need to talk about your taste in males." She whispered to her.

If Mari wanted to blush, now was not the time, so she suppressed it and quietly hissed, "Not now."

Aiden decided that he had seen enough. With one more glare at the three Ketchum kids, he started running out of the cave. It was pretty obvious as to where his destination is.

"Duh-duh-duh. We're dead." Luke said dryly.

"You think?" Evan asked in the same dry tone.

"Well, we can't just let him go, now can we?" Mari questioned rhetorically, glancing at the twins and at Elysia.

"Guess not." The twins said.

A/N: If any of you know How to Train Your Dragon, then I think you know what's coming up.

I'll see y'all in Chapter 18! Please leave a comment about what you think. They are highly appreciated.

Got to fly! ;)