Unsanctioned (Gladion X Fem! Reader)

Prolouge

"Freeze, kid!"

I froze up in horror, my eyes darting to both sides of me. Surprisingly, I could not spot anyone, the faint streetlights in the distance my only source of light. I put my hands up in defeat, assuming the voice came from a police officer.

I turned around slowly, freezing in shock at the sight I was greeted by. Two men clad in the same black-and-white outfit stood in front of me, all holding and tossing around what I assumed to be pokeballs. I had only just begun my island challenges-- not even earning my first Z-crystal-- so I was no match for the likes of them. I clutched tightly to the pokeball in my hand, trying to disguise my terror as best as I could. I had only just arrived in Hau'oli City, and I was not pleased by the welcome I was given so far.

"Who are you?" I shouted, trying to put on a brave face.

"We're Team Skull, yo!" The man on the left called out, though it was hard to tell as they had their mouths covered by bandanas. "It's clear you've come to the wrong place, kid. Girls like ya shouldn't be out here this hour!"

"The police will be here soon," I threatened, trying to maintain my ground.

"Nah, kid, there ain't no need to get the police involved," the man pressed. "All we wanna do is challenge you to a battle! You can't refuse. But if you lose, we'll have to take your pokemon."

"I..." I stammered, suddenly coming to the realization that I hadn't healed up my pokemon in a while. I knew that I had almost no chance of winning, but I couldn't run from the battle. What a nice, warm welcome to Alola this was.

"Can't I go heal my pokemon first?" I pleaded urgently.

"Ain't no running from a battle!" the man barked. "Healing 5 HP of your level 1 pikipek ain't gonna do squat for you anyways!"

I paused for a minute, mentally preparing myself for the situation at hand. I had not lost a battle yet, so I was unsure of what would happen to me. But I knew that I was probably going to find out what that was like soon.

"Go, Rowlet!" I yelled, throwing the ball out in front of me. The small owl turned to me with half lidded eyes, clearly not prepared for another battle. "I'm sorry... I'm no good as a trainer, aren't I?"

"C'mon, Rattata," The grunt shouted, a small black rat appearing into existence. Another grunt stepped forward, preparing to throw the sphere in his hand .

"You too, Zubat," he exclaimed, a bat with ginormous fangs appearing out of nowhere. Two against one?! I felt like I was completely doomed. I knew that I had the first move, but I wasn't certain that advantage was nearly enough. Beads of sweat began to form on my forehead as the grunts knocked out all of my pokemon one by one.

"Hey!" A male voice shouted, causing the grunts' eyes to widen. They then bore annoyed expressions as the sound of footsteps grew closer to me, as if someone they hated was coming nearby. I turned behind me to see a boy not much older than me approaching, green eyes glistening in fury. "What do you jerks think you're doing, ganging up on a kid like that?"

"Shut up, Gladion!" one exclaimed, anger evident in his voice. How did they know each other? "If you really are a member of Team Skull, come over here and help us!"

"No," the boy said bluntly, standing next to me with a ball in his hand. At this point, I was able to see him more clearly. Emerald green eyes. Blonde hair. Black, tattered clothing. Just who was this guy? "You guys call it off or I'll battle on her side."

"Tch," the grunts scoffed in unison, calling their pokemon back to their balls. One stepped forward, grabbing the blonde by the collar of his hoodie. "Don't think that you have our respect just because you're an enforcer. Even if the boss likes you as much as he does, it don't mean a thing."

"Shut up," Gladion barked. "You guys don't even have the decency to try to have a fair battle. Get lost."

The grunts turned away, talking amongst themselves as they left. I turned to the boy that saved me, a pained frown painted on his face.

"Thank you," I responded, bowing at my waist slightly.

"Whatever, kid. Don't go calling me your friend or nothing," He scoffed, crossing his arms. "Next time we meet, I'll make sure we battle. And I won''t hold back at all. Think of this as a lucky break."

"A-alright," I stuttered, the boy putting his hand on the top of my head.

"Train up until then, kid," he ordered, his expression changing ever so slightly as he turned away to fade back into the void that he came from.

Was that... a smile?