13 years before Pokémon Reset Bloodlines Chapter 2: Sinnoh Region, Lake Valor
Dear Johanna Berlitz,
Due to recent communications between Jubilife Medical Center and your insurance company, we have come to the revelation that your father, Lucas Berlitz, and mother, Ayoko Berlitz nee Platinum, are not covered under government and familiar insurance policies, due to your father's period of smoking between his 20th and 35th year of life, and your mother's asthma. As such, further medical care for them will be suspended within the next 72 hours unless a payment of at least 300,000 is paid. In addition, the next surgery to be attempted on the patients will require an addition 100,000 dollars to perform. We encourage you to also pay for that in the event you manage to provide the necessary funds.
Thank you for your patronage,
The paper shaking in her hands in fury and horror, the nineteen-year old woman looked like she was ready to hit something, cry, or hit something while crying, not even registering the name of the responsible party for the letter.
She was a lovely young woman, on the cusp of graduating from youthful beauty, to womanly beauty. Her blue hair was well cared for and lush, a svelte and refined body being neither too sexual nor too plain. Her blue eyes glimmered with imminent tears, threatening to stain her blue contest dress.
"They can't…they just can't…how can anyone be that heartless!" she exclaimed to no one, except possibly the Pokéballs that were clipped to her side. "My parents are human beings, how can they look at them, see how sick they are….and want to kick them out because of something both of them overcame long ago! I thought companies were supposed to soullessly suck people dry after they recovered!"
Falling to the ground and hugging her knees in despair, the young woman felt the weight of her situation hit her like a ton of bricks.
Contest performances did earn a person money: even passing the first round of a contest could feed a Coordinator for several months, and just entering one and not sucking or cheating could pay for food for a few weeks.
But 400,000…to get that much, she'd have to win.
Johanna was good, no one could argue that. She couldn't argue that. In her first year as a Coordinator at age fifteen, she had entered six contests and won five of them. They called her a Super Rookie, a performer who rose to the top of her class at an unheard of speed.
In fact, this would be her fifth grand festival, and she had done well in her last four performances at them. She had placed in the top 16 the first time, the top 8 the second and third time, and the top 4 last time.
And each time she ended up losing to the eventual winner, often by a closer margin than the eventual runners' ups. She had the skill to win then, and now she had the experience to match up against others who had competed in the Grand Festival for years, having earned 5 ribbons just as she had and then spent the time in between practicing their craft without the need of further contest ribbons.
You could still enter them of course, it was not illegal and it was a good way to test new tricks, but the other coordinators tended to get annoyed when their fifth ribbon at the last contest of the year was taken by someone obtaining their twelfth.
But this would be the first time she ever was in the position of the coordinator who had a do or die contest performance to perform. If she won, she'd be able to save her parents lives and fund at least two more surgeries for them both.
If she lost, the money she'd get wouldn't even keep them in the hospital. None of Johanna's friends had that sort of money to spare, and she didn't have good enough credit for the necessary loan by legal means. That would only leave illegal means, and that wouldn't end well for anyone.
For the first time, loss wouldn't be a minor setback; it would be a devastating catastrophe.
If she lost this contest battle….
She could barely hear anything now; she was so caught up in the looming disaster ahead. All she could hear was the slow ticking of the clock above her head.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
Slowly, a single step mentally made every tick; Johanna managed to get control back. She slowly began to climb out of her emotional breakdown, physically getting back on her feet just as much as mentally.
If her parents needed her to win this contest to live, she would win.
No ifs, ands, or buts. They had no need to worry.
This was her year to win; she and her Pokémon were at their best. They would win it this time.
…
"Five minutes on the clock, and begin!"
"Glameow, Umbreon, spotlight!"
With a determined shout, and a cascade of stars and hearts, her two star Pokémon appeared for this most important of battles.
Her gray, spring tailed starter, and the dark, yellow ringed Dark-type had never given it any less than their all, and that wouldn't change today.
If she couldn't win with them, she couldn't win at all.
"Medicham, Tangrowth, appear!"
Her opponent, whose appearance Johanna couldn't quite see because of the lighting (or perhaps her own focus kept her from really taking note of it), released the grey limbed, pink bodied Medicham, and the massive blue grass-type in opposition to her.
She could definitely handle a Medicham, and a Tangrowth would not be much harder to overcome. This performance would be a piece of cake.
"Medicham, respond to my heart. Mega Evolve!"
As the light began to flow, Johanna's eyes went wide with horror.
'Lopunny, let's win this: Mega Evolve! 'Had been the call of the Coordinator who had defeated her back during her second Grand Festival. That opening, the sheer power, the shock of what exactly had even happened had thrown her entire performance off.
Since then, she had not encountered any other trainers with that power. They were mostly found in the Pokémon Leagues, not contests. She had never had a chance to practice dealing with it.
And now, another had shown up, at the worst possible time and place.
Johanna gritted her teeth as the light retracted from the Medicham, revealing a Medicham flanked with four ghostly arms, a altered headpiece, and several other minor alterations that hid how truly more powerful it had become.
This was not going to be an easy fight, but it was one she was going to have to give it her all.
Especially after the Mega Evolution had already cost her a number of points.
"Umbreon use Dark Pulse, and Glameow use Quick Attack!" Johanna knew she was going to have to start off strong if she was going to win this.
Opening his mouth, her Umbreon fired several black rings towards the Mega Medicham, as Glameow charged into the rings with a white glow around her.
Doing so, Glameow's Quick Attack took on a dark glow, absorbing the rings power for itself. With that Glameow slammed into the Medicham, scoring a strong opening hit.
Johanna grinned as she saw the points begin to even up.
She could do this.
….
A minute later, she had managed to take a small lead after several exchanges of blows.
Her opponent had just used Tangrowth to fire an Energy Ball, which had then been hit with a Force Palm from the Mega Medicham to strike at her partners with the gentleness of a cannonball.
Umbreon and Glameow were both send flying into the air, just as Johanna ordered a counter attack.
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Umbreon jumped onto Glameow's spring tail, before being catapulted right at Tangrowth, spinning in a ball as his tail glowed white with Iron Tail.
The spin dash struck Tangrowth dead center, ripping apart several vines and pushing the grass type to its limit.
Umbreon rebounded back onto the stage with polished grace, just as the Grass-Type fell.
A ding from the judges' booths told her that she had just scored a K.O.
Yes! Now it was two against…..
Then he heard her opponent order Medicham to attack Umbreon with Force Palm.
"Protect Umbreon with Thunderbolt!" Johanna quickly yelled in response, as her starter glowed electric yellow and sent the electric blast flying towards Medicham.
With one regular arm, a Force Palm blocked the electric attack, just as the ghost fists round themselves up to strike at Umbreon, all glowing with Force Palms.
Then, a rapid stream of punches began slamming into her Umbreon, the Medicham letting out furious shouting that sounded almost like Ora Ora Ora Ora oddly enough.
And they didn't stop hitting until her Umbreon collapsed.
With that….the points and tables had turned against her once more.
….
Thirty seconds to go.
Each of Medicham's ghostly fists glowed with the powers of Fire, Thunder, Ice, and Poison, and all of them were being thrown at her Glameow, who was barely able to avoid them.
"Medi!" Glameow jumped out of the way of fire.
"Cham!" Ice was avoided by the hairs of her back.
"Medi!" Thunder was blocked by a Shadow claw.
"Cham!" the Poison Jab missed only began Glameow was able to bend in ways a human could not.
Twenty seconds. She was still losing to Mega Medicham, she had to do something big, and fast.
Her opponent called for one more Force Palm, as a regular, solid fist glowed.
Just as inspiration struck her like a Giga Impact.
"Quickly Glameow, wrap your tail around Medicham!" Johanna shouted. With a acknowledging meow, Glameow darted forward towards Medicham.
Jumping out of the way of ghost fists trying to grab her, Glameow slid past the Force Palm and got right under Mega Medicham, before extending her tail.
The tail quickly wrapped up around the thin Fighting-Psychic type, causing both trainer and Pokémon to be duly started.
"Now, Thunderbolt!"
The electric attack promptly flew up Medicham, causing damage even as it spread out across the ghostly limbs as well.
The electricity then burst off the Medicham, forming into rings outside of it before exploding into what resembled a shimmering star, centered on the electrocuted Mega-Pokémon.
It wasn't quite a Tiger Lily, but it would do.
Then time was declared, just as the attack ended.
Both unsteady of their feet, Glameow and Mega Medicham completely mirrored their trainers as they turned to the scoreboard, curious to who had won their bout.
The winner, by what appeared to be a single point…
"After a grueling and fierce battle, the winner of this year's Grand Festival is, Johanna of Twinleaf Town!"
The crowd went wild, even as her Glameow darted over to her and jumped into her arms, nuzzling her in joy for their resounding victory, yet Johanna remained where she stood, overwhelmed by it all.
She did it….she finally did it.
She had won the Grand Festival….and just in the nick of time.
….
A few weeks later, and the money was all gone: her parents were in an additional surgery.
She'd have stayed with them during it, but her father had been very, very adamant that she 'not spend her life hovering over her poor old parents and have some fun'.
So, she had ended up in Celestic Town upon invite from Lila, who was positively beaming in happiness for her managing to win the Grand Festival, and with a technique based on her own at that.
It was fun, though there was a bit too much alcohol for Johanna's tastes.
The drinking age had originally been twenty in the regions of Kanto, Johto, the Orange Islands, Hoenn, and Sinnoh, but recently Hoenn and Sinnoh had elected to drop it to eighteen. When that had happened, Johanna had been talked into having a few drinks by a few friends because they could.
Long story short, she ended up with several phone numbers forever tinged with awkward tension and ended up making a trip to a local clinic to ensure that it had not left her with any sort of illness or pregnancy because of it. She hadn't, but she'd rather not press her luck.
Johanna would thus limit herself to merely dancing and flirtation that did not involve liquid courage. It was simpler that way.
"Well well well…the newest Grand Coordinator of Sinnoh. And I must say, you look rather stunning. Truly a beauty worthy of your rewards," a slick, foreign voice flowed from behind her.
The bluenette turned, and found herself staring at an older man, at least ten years older than her, though in the lighting she really couldn't tell. Given that the light around her kept changing because of the lighting effects, she couldn't even pick up the color of his hair or eyes. All she could tell was that he was wearing dark clothing.
"Thanks," Johanna responded, blushing for some reason. In fact, for some reason just being around this man was making her feel…flushed.
He seemed to be looking up and down her, with a wicked smile on his face. Johanna knew the look, it was the sort of look that often came with parties and social gatherings.
It tended to be followed by sex. Not all of her sexual escapades had been fueled by alcohol after all, she knew what being checked out looked like, by either gender for that matter. She really had no preference whom was doing it, so long as they were not doing it while she was performing.
It was nice to be appreciated, though something about this guy felt…off somehow.
The way he was looking at her, mentally undressing her…..it didn't feel like how someone would normally do it.
It felt more like how her Umbreon looked at her Glameow when her starter was in heat really. It was, unnerving.
And pointless really, she wasn't able to get pregnant for another three weeks. Still, it was rather creepy.
"So, what is it you plan to do now that you've made a name for yourself" the man asked conversationally, as if he didn't notice, or care, that she caught him looking her over like she was something to be bred.
"….Well, I suppose I have to wait and see how some family matters resolve first, but after that…..well I wouldn't mind teaching," Johanna began slowly stepping away from the unsettling man, trying not to make a scene out of it and ruin Lila's party.
Lila wouldn't be angry with her for disrupting it by running away from some creep if he did try anything of course, she wasn't self-centered like that. However, it would be a major headache to deal with, between the tabloids and bad press it would unfairly throw on Lila.
"Oh, so you like children?" the man stated conversationally, as Johanna suddenly felt a sudden wave of…..
Oh Arceus, what was going on here? Was just being around this man making her aroused?!
She hadn't ingested anything but air since getting in here, this was getting creepy…..
RING RING RING, RING RING RING, PHONE CALL….
Her phone going off thankfully gave her an excuse to more abruptly get out of the party. Her getting a phone call and having to take it would excuse a few bumps and harsh motion.
As she darted away, the man made no move to follow her, merely watching her leave with an annoyed expression.
"Well, this trip was entirely pointless," he muttered to himself as he turned to leave the party himself. "Well, there are always other candidates..." he muttered as he left.
….
Following the last failed medical procedure, she had been told by her parents to stop.
They had decided that nothing that could be reasonably done could reverse their cancers, and they didn't want her to waste any more money trying to save them.
That hadn't been a fun talk: how she didn't end up at a bar after that was beyond Johanna, though perhaps the encounter with that strange man had made her wary of dropping her guard.
Umbreon at least hadn't minded playing guard Pokémon for her benefit at least.
Of course, that had all led to the inevitable result, which was where Johanna found herself on a surprisingly dry day, given that her parents were being buried.
Dressed in a black dress, Johanna's eyes were brimming with tears as the funeral progressed, internally distraught.
One part of her, her brain, told her that she had done everything she could have done, and that anything more would have left her on the street.
Another part however, her heart, felt like perhaps just one more surgery could have been the one to save their lives.
…..
Then she found out that funerals also cost far more than they should of, especially when the funeral was supported by Sunny Day providing Pokémon, a service she had not asked for or knew even was there to be provided, or told not to be done as to save a few hundred bucks.
So, the idea of her parents giving up their lives to prevent her from 'wasting her money away', was rendered somewhat pointless by this latest development.
Frankly, Johanna was immensely lucky that her parent's home was still in their name, had been given to her in their will, and was fully paid off to the bank. Because a mortgage would just be a killing blow to her life right now.
Regardless, Johanna found herself holding her head against her kitchen table, dozen of bills before her waiting to be paid.
"So Glameow, should I skip out on paying the heat bill, the internet/phone bill, or should I stop having lunch this month?" Johanna asked her starter with dark humor.
Her starter eyed her in a manner that said 'take away my heated vent and suffer the consequences'.
"Well, guess I'm not going to be catching any baseball this month…" Johanna sighed as she prepared to go and tick off a major corporation, when the house phone rang.
Sighing, Johanna walked over to the phone, wondering if this would be another political robo-call.
One benefit of her current financial problems: soon those would stop coming.
"Hello, Berlitz residence." Johanna spoke as politely as possibly, ready to hang up as needed.
"Hello Johanna Berlitz," an unknown male voice, definitely not the same creep as from that party a few months ago, spoke to her politely. "Are you available to do lunch?"
Her stomach growled loudly as she tried to ignore it.
"If you're asking me on a date, you could at least give me your name first," Johanna replied with some dryness to her tone. "I normally don't date people who call me up at random."
"A date? You've got it all wrong, Top Coordinator. No, I'm not here for pleasure, but for business. My associates and I of the U.T.P would like to look into your services."
"The U.T.P?" Johanna asked with narrowed eyes. "What on Earth is a U.T.P? It sounds like a terrorist group."
"No, we are not a terrorist group. That would be the Universal Trainers Battalion ,the U.T.B." He sounded unamused, as if the implied question was a joke that had long gotten old. "No, we're more of a think tank really, and we wish to make your acquaintance. You may chose the dining venue, of course, we'll pay the bill, and you for your time. More than enough for you to pay off some of those…accumulating expenses of yours"
At the mention of the payment, Johanna eyed her bills, as her starter eyed her in a 'are you sure this isn't going to end badly', sort of way.
Truthfully, Johanna wasn't sure, but given the hole she had found herself in she needed the money, and given that nothing in Twinleaf was hiring at the moment…
"Very well…." Johanna spoke with a tone of voice that sounded rather cautious "Meet me at the Staravia Diner on the east side of Twinleaf Town in half an hour" that place was always crowded, if this was something fishy that would help her get out of her predicament "I will be bringing my Pokémon"
"Why, we wouldn't have it any other way. A truly good trainer or coordinator must never be without them after all" the mysterious man hung up after that. As Johanna hung the phone back up, a general sense of unease crept over her, and her Glameow's tail flickered uneasily.
"U.T.P huh…." Johanna muttered to herself "Unovan Rational Pride? Understanding Reality Portals? Ultimate Tortellini Preparation? Unique Trainer Profilers? Ultimate Trainer Project? Ultimate Tomorrow Premiers? Unsettling Top-Secret Patronage?"
Glameow hissed at her after the last one.
"….I'll, just ask over a large sandwich then".