With her 15th birthday approaching, Crystal was literally counting down the days until the start of the 2015 season (the first she’d be able to participate in). The family didn’t just have the money lying around for gear or anything she might need on the road, so she’d been saving money from her part-time job at the restaurant. She had applied to the starter program in the hopes that the starting stipend could help her get out there, but she was ultimate denied. She’d just have to figure it out on her own.
On her birthday, she received her Trainer’s License. Her parents further surprised her with another gift: her first Pokemon partner, a Helioptile! The two hit it off right away, and she named him Eleu, an Alolan name that meant “energetic and lively”—-a fitting name for her electricified lizard buddy! She was even more excited, as they could fight other trainers for a little extra cash—while earning valuable experience before the season started.
Over the next few months, Eleu joined Crystal in her faily training regimen. To practice battling, she took Eleu down to the beach where they’d have plenty of space to move and practice their aim. She stuck to fighting Magikarp that came too close to the shore, and slowly graduated into fighting the Tentacool and Qwilfish that clustered around the shore.
During this period, she met a young trainer-in-training like her named Riley Svensson. He and his Venonat had angered a Shellder that was launcing an Icicle Spear barrage at them. Crystal quickly intervened with Eleu, and she wound up with her first wild Pokemon capture; she caught the Shellder, who she named Alma (which was a pun, as Alma sounds a bit like the Paldean word for clam).
Riley thanked her and she offered to escort him to the Pokemon Center. On the way, they got to talking. Riley was also getting ready to start his journey in the spring. Crystal suggested that they could practice together sometimes, and they would meet up once or twice a week to spar and train together. Riley was not an athlete, easily winded and discouraged, but Crystal was energetic and enthusiastic enough for the both of them.
She also convinced Riley to join her and Tania in going down Route 15 so Tania could catch a Pokemon, too. Tania had agreed to join Crystal when the season started—Tania didn’t want to get badges, but she was interested in seeing the world and supporting her friend. Maybe she’d figure out her gift, too. After some minor hijinks, Crystal would capture an Oddish she named Kiki, Riley caught a male Nidoran, and Tani caught a Ditto.
For the 2014 Indigo Conference, Crystal held a watch party with Tania, Riley, and her dad. It was exciting and really only served to make her even more excited. That was the night that sheand Riley decided that they were to be rivals—they would compete, in the hopes of helping each other to keep strive to grow stronger.
Right before the start of the 2014-2015 League Season, Riley revealed that he’d managed to buy three tickets to the Safari Day celebration. The three entered the Safari Zone; they ventured across the grassy savannah, navigated rugged hills and dry riverbeds, and ran from angry Kingler when they stopped the refill their canteens. Some highlights:
They accidentally startled a Rhyhorn herd, which caused a stampede of Rhyhorn and Tauros. One such Rhyhorn nearly trampled Tania, who caught it by throwing a Safari Ball at it in self-defense. This would be the Pokemon she wound up choosing to keep.
Riley was followed by a Lickitung. It seemed obsessed with him, following their group from a distance and constantly trying to lick him and eat his food. Riley caught the Lickitung to keep him from bothering them anymore, and accidentally chose it when he mixed up its Pokemon for the ball of the Electabuzz he’d caught.
The group narrowly escaping from a pair of mated Pinsir protecting their territory. Crystal nearly tried to catch on, until Riley stopped her and pointed out they were protecting their young.
Crystal found a Paras that was trying to fight off a Nidorino that was knocking it around. She intervened and scared the Nidorino away. She and the Paras bonded, and she caught him. She’d choose the Paras as her new partner, and named him Toadstool.
The following week saw the three of them getting the last of their things together, purchasing any last-minute supplies, and meetings to determine the routes they would take through Kanto. With four Pokemon already, Crystal felt really confident. Finally, after some debate, the group agreed to start with the Blank Gym in Mulberry Town.
Crystal and Riley reaffirmed their (friendly) rivalry with a spar on the night before they left, which ended on a draw. On the 20th of May, Crystal departed from Fuchsia City with Riley and Tania to begin their Pokemon journey.
The three departed up Route 15—it was more or less a direct path to Mulberry Town, even if it were quite long and fairly dangerous. It was exhilirating to finally be out on the trail, meeting and battling with other trainers. They finally arrived in Sunnytown after nearly ten days on the trail, and ended up meeting Professor Lotus—a local water-Pokemon researcher. There was a scared and cowardly Clamperl in the aquarium that always clamped its shell tight whenever it was even the slightest bit scared. Crystal and her friends ended up trying to help it; Riley threw a battle against it on purpose, while Crystal tried to pump it up with Jock Jams and a motivational speech (which scared it even more). In the end it was Tania who ended up reaching it by being gentle and essentially telling him that she was scared, too. One of the employees, as it happened, turned out be secretly working with Team Rocket to smuggle out rare specimens. Tania and Clamperl ended up blasting him away and Professor Lotus insisted that Tania bring Clamperl with her. The Sunny Bay Bridge was a beautiful experience. They biked across, and while at a resting point halfway through, the sun set and Crystal was genuinely moved. She shared the moment with Eleu, and decided that she wanted to come and see this sunset again. Or maybe the sunrise next time. The group would make it to Mulberry Town, where Crystal and Riley began training to fight the gym leader, an old man named Herbert. It was a normal-type gym, and Crystal would defeat the gym leader on her first try. When Riley lost, he stormed off to sulk and ignored Crystal’s offers to help him train. Crystal and Tania got into a misadventure at the local mall, where they got wrapped up in helping with a fashion show. Riley got his badge on the second try. The two talked afterward, with Riley apologizing for being a jerk. He wanted to get stronger, and he didn’t want to rely on Crystal to do it. They were rivals, right? If Riley were ever going to properly beat her, he wanted to do it on his own. For the next several months, they would all continue to travel, meet new friends and new Pokemon, and collect badges. The difference in their training styles would slowly become apparent; Crystal was more conservative when it came to catching Pokemon than Riley, who just about caught every Pokemon that he came across. Their training styles differed as well; Crystal focused on individual training and conditioning, like a coach, to bring out the best in her Pokemon. Riley, on the other hand, generally had Pokemon of lower average level than Crystal—-however, he had a whole host of Pokemon in rotation to handle whatever obstacle they encountered. This helped to fuel their rivalry even more, as each was able to learn from both the victories and the failures of one another. By Halloween, the three of them were lucky enough to be in Lavender Town. The place went all out for the festivities, and Tania managed to convince them both to dress up and “hit the town” with her. While they were out, they found that a bunch of Pokemon had escaped from Mr. Fuji’s daycare. Crystal and her friends helped to find and gather them all—with some having found themselves in the hands of a gang of ruffians called “The Gyrados Gang”. The gang’s leader ended up beating both Crystal and Riley in the fight, but Tania managed to defeat him thanks to Clamperl evolving into a Huntail to protect her. In the wake of that, Tania announced that she wanted to stay in Lavender Town and work with Mr. Fuji. She knew that she promised Crystal that she would go with her, but she felt this was where she belonged. Crystal was sad to see her friend go, but supported her decision. When they got back to the Pokemon Center that night, Riley suddenly and abruptly kissed her. She was shocked—it was her first kiss!—but he told her that staring down the biker gang sort of put some things into perspective, including things he didn’t want to lose. Crystal didn’t really know how to respond, so she didn’t. Not for another few days, while they were camping while traveling to Silver Town along the Rock Tunnel. They started dating after that—on the condition, Crystal said, they were still rivals. Of course, Crystal didn’t really change the way she acted around Riley or how she talked; she was still entirely herself, but sometimes they’d kiss. Riley became more overprotective and a little overbearing, and they argued more than a little, but Crystal was happy with how things were. By Christmas, the two were in Cerulean City. Riley gave Crystal a cute ring, with the words “May happiness follow you always”. This gift touched Crystal deeply, and she told him that she loved him for the first time. She would wear it on a chain around her neck (which seemed to bother Riley for some reason?) They spent Christmas night curled up on the couch in the lobby of the Pokemon Center, listening to shitty holiday music and laughing together. It was probably the last real time they were happy.
Crystal convinced Riley they should go OVER the Moon Mountains, even though it were winter. It was going to be a challenge! Plus, she’d heard that some rare ice-type Pokemon could be found there in the winter. While in the mountains, they stumbled onto a “pirate’s mine” that was trying to illegally harvest Moon Stone. Crystal and Riley tried to intervene, but they ended up needing to be bailed out by Flint, the Pewter City gym leader.
This inspired Crystal to reinvigorate her training regimen. She should never have let some dirtbag pirates beat her like that, and she hated that she’d needed to be saved. So she redoubled her efforts. Riley started to seem a little frustrated with her, but she barely noticed that his sour moods were growing increasingly common, or that they were arguing more and more. They won their Boulder Badges, but it took Riley another two tries.
Crystal tried to suggest a change he could make in training, and it might be a good idea to swap out—
“I don’t need your help, Crystal! God, just butt out of it!” he snapped. Crystal frowned.
“I’m just trying to help you, dummy.” she said, her tone trying to be friendly and playful even if she was really annoyed by his response. But her reply only made him groan.
“I’m not a dummy.” he said defensively, “Stop calling me names, Crystal. I’m serious.”
“I’m not calling you names,” Crystal replied, confused, “It’s how I’ve always talked to you.”
“Well I don’t like the way you talk to me, sometimes. Anyway, you’re my girlfriend; you should be more supportive.”
“I am being supportive. I’m trying to help you train so you can beat Flint next time.” she said with a frown, “And what’s wrong with the way I talk to you? It’s suddenly bothering you now?”
“It was fine when we were just friends, but we’re dating now.”
“What does that have to do with anything?” Crystal asked, perplexed and growingly increasingly irritated. Riley sighed.
“You talk to me like I’m just one of the guys!” he said, “And you’re bossy! And you can be mean and you’re, like, obsessed with training!”
“Duh! We’re both trying to be trainers! I want to win the League as much as you do.”
“Yeah, but…I don’t know, I just wish you’d be more supportive of me and my dreams , and less focused on your own stuff.”
“So, what, I’m supposed to just give up wanting to win and turn into a cheerleader for you? Do you want me to do your laundry and make you a sandwich while I’m at it?”
“Oh my god, Crystal, you know what? You can be really selfish sometimes.”
She scoffed. “Selfish? How am I being selfish?”
“Becauase, you know, you’ve never even offered to do any of that stuff for me before!”
“What, your laundry? I can barely remember to my own laundry half the time!”
“I’m not just talking about laundry. It’s everything. You don’t really act like a normal girl, Crystal.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? What is you want from me?”
“To be normal! I want you to be normal! I want you to do girly stuff sometimes, and I want you to treat me like a man!”
“What the fuck are you talking about? I treat you like a guy! You’re being really stupid right now, Riley.”
“Stop calling me names!” he shouted, and after a beat just said, “I can’t believe you right now. I want my dreams to be as important to you as yours are to you. But you’re so caught up wanting to prove something that you’re totally ignoring what I want.”
Crystal’s temper flared. “I want us to both follow our dreams, Riley. I love you, but I’m not going to just stop because you’re feeling insecure that your girlfriend is better than you!”
“That’s what I’m talking about! I’m not insecure, I just wish that I felt like I was actually dating someone supportive and—and—I swear, being with is like dating a guy sometimes. Do you think you’re being cute? It’s embarrassing.”
That stunned Crystal to hear. She opened her mouth to say something, nothing came out, and then she slapped the shit out of him. She told him she was going to bed and stormed away. She was angry and hurt, and she alternated between crying and getting super pisssed. The next morning, she went down to meet wth Riley to try to talk things out. She loved him, even though he was being a huge asshole, but…he was gone. He’d just left; Riley had received his Pokemon from the nurse and left without any explanation. Crystal spent the day trying to call and text him, in addition to checking around town to see if she could find him, to no avail. Riley just left. He didn’t even go back to the Boulder Gym.
Crystal sank into a funk, which she’d eventually be pulled out of when she helped Flint repel a colony of Onix, led by an Alpha Steelix, from attacking the Contest Hall. Flint offered her some encouragement, and Crystal decided that Flint was right; loss was difficult but she couldn’t compromise who she was and where she stood. With a last goodbye to Flint, on her way south toward Viridian City (and her final badge), she was stopped by a passing trainer.
Elesa, a Coordinator who Crystal had helped save from the Onix the day before. She told Crystal that she really dug “her whole style” and asked if she wouldn’t mind going through the forest together. Crystal decided she’s appreciate the company. Elesa was a little difficult to deal with at first; she was a fashion model who did not want to get dirty or sweat or have to run or climb. A lot of asks, really. Eventually, she and Crystal clashed and went their separate ways.
Crystal found the Samurai not long after and the two battled. Before they could finish, they were interrupted by a swarm of Beedrill. The Samurai recognized something must have disturbed them and left to “defend the forest”, and Crystal went with him. They found that the culprit was Team Rocket. They had set up some kind of camp, with a lot of machinery that was belching up smoke. Samurai rushed into a confrontation, and even with Crystal helping, they were cornered by Rocket Admin Archer.
However, they would be saved by Elesa; theatrics she picked up from her coordination experience combined with her expertise of some shockingly powerful electric-type Pokemon threw a wrench into the Rocket’s plans, and they were forced to flee when Archer was defeated. Crystal admitted that maybe she had underestimated Elesa, and apologized—-especially because she hated when people did that to her. Elesa forgave her, and the two agreed to keep traveling together. Crystal and Samuria resumed their battle the next morning. Crystal won, before the two girls continued on to Viridian City.
Once in town, Crystal was feeling eager and optimistic. She challenged the Earth Gym, where Giovanni handily defeated her: she took down one of his Pokemon and her team was otherwise swept. Giovanni told her not to worry too much about it.
“When I fight, I don’t hold back. This is Kanto’s only S-Rank gym for a reason. Better luck next time, kid.”
Elesa would help Crystal train for the rematch. She taught Crystal about some techniques she’d learned for Contest Battles; Crystal might not be able to match Giovanni pound for pound in terms of raw strength, but if she fought smart and used strategies that were outside the box, she might stand a chance.
Crystal decided to trust Elesa’s advice and they worked hard. Elesa made Crystal participate in a Contest with her to prove she “got it”. Crystal got all dolled up and along with Kiki, performed a wonderful show. She ended up making it to the semifinals of the Contest (Elesa would ultimately win). With a new strategy in hand, Crystal decided she was ready to take on Giovanni again.
Her second battle was a lot better than the first. Her training paid off; she fought with both tenacity and the grace of a dancer. Giovanni’s ground types were tough, but slow; they were unable to keep up. Crystal managed a narrow victory, and won her Earth Badge!
Crystal would accompany Elesa ine arning her last two ribbons. They had more adventures along the way, including saving a colony of Paras from poachers, and bidding a tearful goodbye to Toadstool the Parasect to he could stay to protect the Paras.
Crystal attended the Grand Festival with Elesa, where she cheered her friend on throughout the rounds. Elesa took second place by the end. Elesa was disappointed, but also invigorated to give it a go the next year.
Eventually, the main event had arrived; the thing Crystal had been training for. The 2015 Indigo Conference was wild, and every battle was intense. Crystal had to fight hard, but she was doing well, especially with Elesa and Tania supporting her in the stands. She made it through the first and second rounds. Crystal was flying high, her dream finally within reach…until she saw who her opponent was for the third round.
She hadn’t realized that Riley had made it to the Conference; she hadn’t seen him yet or even heard about any of his previous bouts. Both Tania and Elesa storngly advised Crystal against trying to talk to him, given their last interaction. But Crystal couldn’t stop thinking about it; she wanted answers and maybe she wanted him to apologize. At the end of the day, Riley had really hurt her, but he’d become one of her best friends and she still loved him. So she ignored her friends’ advice, she steeled herself, and late that night found where his dormitory was. She paid him a visit and Riley seemed to be indifferent toward her. He disregarded her attempts to talk to him, refering to her cold and impartially.
“Can you at least tell me why you just left? You didn’t even leave a note…”
“Because you don’t just get to be a bitch to me and expect me to lick your boots clean.” he replied coldly.
“Oh, come—stop being so dramatic. I wasn’t expecting you lick my boots clean, Riley. I just thought that maybe you cared enough to…I don’t know, talk?”
“It’s too late to apologize, Crystal. We’re through.”
“I’m not—oh my god, you’re fucking impossible! Stop treating me like the bad guy here, when I didn’t do anything. You’re the one who—”
“I just voiced my concerns.” Riley said, his tone still calm and passionless, “You decided to be a bitch and slap me.”
“Call me a bitch again and see what happens.” she said, glaring. Riley scoffed.
“Calm down, Crystal; stop being so emotional. We’re just talking.”
She nearly kicked him in the head, but restrained herself.
“It isn’t like you didn’t deserve to get slapped. You were being a dick.”
“I was being a dick for being honest with you? I just wanted you to start actually acting like my girlfriend, Crystal, but you decided it was more important to be selfish.”
Crystal was so mad at that point that she couldn’t really say anything back, and fought not to tear up. She didn’t understand why he was being so horrible, and it still felt like it was out of nowhere.
“You’re an asshole…” she said quietly. Riley shrugged.
“Better an honest asshole than a selfish bitch.”
Crystal sobbed a little and wiped at her eyes. She shouldn’t have come to talk to him, she thought.
“You’re just….this was a mistake.” she said, suddenly feeling very upset and very small. Riley chuckled a little nodded, seemingly in agreement.
“Yeah. It was all a mistake. You were a mistake. What a waste of time…”
That was so unbelievably cruel that Crystal was once more stunned. How could he say something like that? Weren’t they supposed to be friends and rivals? She hurried away back to her room, emotions at their height. Elesa and Tania came to talk to her and offer their support. Before the match, Elesa and Tania were worried that Crystal might be depressed enough that she’d miss her battle, but they found that the opposite was true: Crystal was pissed.
Crystal took the field against Riley. It was the third round; one of the last before the Top 32. She was determined to win this next bout; she wasn’t going to let her dream fall away from her now. Riley, however, seemed completely normal and even apathetic. He had a cocky smile, one that she used to find charming. Now, she wanted to wipe it off his stupid face. She fought hard, but she was angry; all of her new strategies and methods went out the window in favor of an all-out assault. She didn’t to just win, she wanted to crush him. But her anger was clouding her judgement, and Riley’s clear-headed demeanor allowed him to simply outperform her.
In the end, Crystal lost the bout to Riley. Afterward, when they went to shake hands, he seemed apologetic in a super condescending way.
“Sorry it had to turn out this way. If you’d just been supportive of me, you wouldn’t have to find out that you weren’t cut out for this the hard way. But hey, at least now you know, right? Tell your parents I said hi when you get back, okay?”
She very nearly hit him, but they were on TV. So she just forced a smile and left as soon as she could.
Riley would end up being defeated in the Finals. The fucking finals. Crystal was happy that he didn’t win but she was angry that he got as far as he had. Elesa encouraged Crystal not to worry too much about it. Riley got lucky and Tania agreed; Crystal would have smoked him any other day.
Crystal…wasn’t so sure, though. She’d worked so hard and for so long…her dream was to be a great Pokemon trainer, but she couldn’t even get to the Top 32. Riley had defeated her so effortlessly…
After the Conference, Crystal and Tania would go with Elesa back to Saffron City for one of Elesa’s shows. Elesa promised that a night out would do wonders for her, and Crystal didn’t really have it in her to argue. However, when one of the models ended up falling right before the show and be unable to go on, Tania reminded Crystal of their misadventure in Mulberry Town when they were starting out. Crystal refused, but Elesa thought it was a brilliant idea. Crystal did it, ultimately, but she didn’t like feeling so many eyes on her, and high fashion wasn’t really her “thing”.
Others didn’t agree, it seemed. Crystal was paid for her efforts, and before she left was approached by a representative from the Saffron Sapphire Modeling Agency. They were floored to find out that Crystal was an amateur replacement, and even more shocked to discover she wasn’t signed. Crystal had no interest in modeling, but Elesa suggested she give it a second thought. It was a fun job; you got to travel, the pay is pretty good, you get to try on new clothes and meet all sorts of new people.
She considered her options. Crystal didn’t see herself as a model; she had always been a tomboy and the odd one out. She was a Pokemon Trainer and had been working toward that goal for years.. But….at the same time…she didn’t even make it to the Top 32, and Riley’s words continued to echo through her head. The recruiter argued that there’s no reason you can’t be a model and still battle Pokemon from time to time.
“If anything, it’s a great gimmick! I mean, TrainerLife needs someone to model their new Trainer Belt, right?”
It wasn’t a bad opportunity, and Elsa had a point. She could travel, meet new people; make some connections and maybe even travel enough to decide if she wanted to attempt a different gym circuit. She could do this to save up and make those connections for a few months, and she’d go back next season.
Preparations were made, and after a test shoot, Crystal moved to Saffron City to sign on to the agency. It was just a means to an end, Crystal thought: she’d sit out this next season, do this for the next few months to save up and then she’d do it all again.
