Pokedex Entry #013: Preemptive Strike

Last time Taylor managed to perform the comeback of all ages to win her first official gym badge! But that success seemed to be short-lived as it seems her former bully Trixie has issued a challenge that will define her entire career! But before we get into that, we must first explore a different story.

Trixie POV

"Poise, purpose, and pride."

Those were the words my mother taught me every time I took the stage. Those words quickly became a part of my everyday life. Well, three days ago. Because in seemingly one fell swoop, it seemed Taylor filled me with more rage then I had in my entire life, and I didn't know why. But then again, Taylor always did have a knack for bringing my life upside down.

From an outside perspective, you probably think that I had it made, but that was always so far from the truth. My mother, Ava Stella, was one of the top professional top coordinators in the world. But that wasn't enough for her; nothing ever was. The only one who stood in the way of her unstoppable bid for number #1 was Johanna. Back in the day, their battles were the stuff of legend, a struggle that would seemingly last forever. But no conflict could last forever with Johanna finally retiring from the game permanently five years back. With her rivalry seemingly over and unresolved, mom became more frustrated than ever. Her frustration only grew when she realized that Johanna's daughter, Dawn, took up her legacy with open arms as a breakout Top Coordinator herself. And that frustration only subsided when she realized that she could also follow her example. While this all brought me to this current path, I definitely couldn't have cared less at the time, mainly because that was when I met her.

With Johanna moving out after her retirement Ava was the real talk of the town. Kids from all over saw me as nothing more than a prop that would get them to Ava. And yet despite all that, one girl managed to cut away through all that in a couple of words.

"Hi, my name is Taylor Speleology, what's yours?"

Somehow, someway she didn't know who I was, and it was awesome. Around her, I wasn't Ava Sharpe's daughter, I was just Trixie, and I will say that in many ways, I think it was because of her I realized my dream.

"You want to be an ace trainer? That's awesome, maybe when we grow up, we could work together like traveling around the world and stuff!?," Taylor said in infectious excitement.

"Maybe? I think you mean it will be! Just you wait, Taylor will be the best team ever just you wait?!"

Unfortunately, it looks like we'll still have to keep waiting because our time together was incredibly short-lived. During that small period, Mom kept the coordinator classes short and infrequent, but eventually, they became more intense and frequent by the day. In a couple of months, my home became a prison with my mother as the warden.

"Stop taking breaks, Trixie, your opponents aren't going to give you one, so why should! Poise, purpose, and pride keep that composure in mind even when I'm not here! Never lose, never surrender!"

Her words seemingly got louder by the day until my own words were drowned out. And in that sea, I saw how aggravating Taylor was. Because I realized that she would never understand what I had to go through, never realize the path I have is set in stone. In the end, she would've just seen me as everyone else: another privileged, cliched girl fulfilling her mother's legacy. When I heard we were moving towards Hoenn, the birthplace of all contests, I decided to sever a relationship doomed to fail. On that day, I decided that if I can't deny my fate, I'll make it my own.

Mom's classes were already tough, but Hoenn was on a completely different level. It was so fierce that I gave up countless times until I met another person that would change my life forever. Another young coordinator also made it to the top.

"I know it's tough, moving away when you're young, and I know that even the world of Pokemon contests can be even tougher. And I think that the only way you're going to get through this is by doing it yourself. Find your passion and never lose sight of it for even because once you do, your performance will shine through to your fans, no matter what shape or form it comes in. The Hoenn region is all about balance, so find yours."

And that woman just so happened to be May, a legendary coordinator in her own right, and the best teacher I could ever ask for. And using those words, I found my balance. Through her, I was able to mix both contests and my love for battling into a combo that was truly mine. I may have left Sinnoh because of my mother, but I returned because of me. Even then, it was hard saying goodbye to a second home. But I still kept going, because if my dream was ever to come true, I knew I was going to have to fight every step of the way. And the fight would have to be one I fought alone.

Jublife was an easy win, so was Oreburgh City; it was what came after that got under my skin. Because right out of the blue, Taylor of all people, the person that didn't even work half as hard, won her match in a spectacle that even I couldn't hope to match. In the world of coordinators, that was a challenge I couldn't ignore, which brings us to now. With my Coal badge now in hand, trading with other Pokemon has never been easier. This means it was now the perfect time to combine my current team with every Pokemon I made a bond within Hoenn. Once I got the Pokemon I needed, I was all set to finally crush Taylor and make this journey mine and mine alone.

With both of their teams ready for action, a battle years in the making is about to go off! Tune in next time to see how this battle unfolds as the journey continues ever forward.