Like No One Ever Was
- Thread starter Blueshift
- Start date
- Fantasy
- Location
- Michigan
The only thing that would be more entertaining than Nemona's parents inevitable reaction to her bringing back a Carbink(and her sister's reaction to their parents) would be if the entire group of Carbink had decided to follow her home, and they very well might have if she had mentioned the that she likely knew approximately where the crystal they had been launched with had come from.
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xbox432
Lover of Editing
Heh, well, looks like Cyan is genre savvy.
At least she knows Carmine wasn't being mean on purpose or anything, it's just her defense measure!And Carbink, eh? Yeah, like others have said, I really like them and Diancie. It was such a shame the GameFreak didn't give us a way to actually evolve the little cuties.
Dopplerdee
Accident Prone(Yes the caps are necessary)
- Location
- Happy Place
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I'm kinda wondering if Carbink is gonna have some kind terrastilize evo, I always felt like it would have been cool.
- Location
- Michigan
If the Carbink does become a Diancie it would have to be through some method that is fairly prohibitively difficult to accomplish under normal circumstances, first would be that the change is the result of learning to use Diancie's signature move or a thematic move that isn't in Carbink's usual possible moves, second is through some specific method tied to multiple factors similar to Ursaluna's and Runaregus' methods, last is that it is requires an environmental condition that can't be trivially simulated to explain how rarely it happens in the wild and hasn't been figured out already.
My personal pick for the last would be that it requires a consistant diet of rare materials like eating comet shards every day for a year or two in a quantity that would be prohibitavely expensive to supply for almost any other family, my reason for this being my favored method is that it would be entirely possible for this to happen entirely without Nemona planning on it and even a decent chance that she doesn't immediately piece together the cause and even decides it is better to not try to figure it out for the risk of others learning how it happened and causing problems trying to do the same.
My personal pick for the last would be that it requires a consistant diet of rare materials like eating comet shards every day for a year or two in a quantity that would be prohibitavely expensive to supply for almost any other family, my reason for this being my favored method is that it would be entirely possible for this to happen entirely without Nemona planning on it and even a decent chance that she doesn't immediately piece together the cause and even decides it is better to not try to figure it out for the risk of others learning how it happened and causing problems trying to do the same.
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Dopplerdee
Accident Prone(Yes the caps are necessary)
- Location
- Happy Place
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Ot would be fun but... how the fuck would that happen in nature?
- Location
- Michigan
The material(s) the author chooses can just be explained as being possible to find in large deposits similar to gold mines and doesn't need to be just one specific material, just uncommon enough in the needed quality and quantity that Carbink digging out there homes would only rarely encounter them and/or making it that a Carbink preferring those materials is rare like a person enjoying weird food combinations.
Interlude VII - Kieran
New
- Location
- Vancouver
"Hey Kiki! Wake up!" Groggily I opened my eyes, pushing my sister off who was busy shaking me.
"Stooop it." Moaning, I pulled myself up, blearily looking at my sister who was already dressed and ready. Her bed was on the opposite side of the room, the sun streaming down and showing she had made it. "How can you get up so early every day?"
"Practice! Besides, aren't you excited at least for today? You get to drop off the mask and hopefully not get eaten by the ogre!" She exclaimed with a cheer that belied her words.
"Ugh, of course, I'm excited about that - not the getting eaten part, I mean not getting eaten I mean- argh," Huffing I tossed my sheets messily to the side and pulled myself out of bed. I'll be too tall for it soon. Carmine has to scrunch up while she sleeps to sit on hers.
My sister would complain endlessly about anything, but she never brought up the bed, and I knew I wouldn't either; it was one of the few things we had left from our parents. Dad never was too handy with crafting, not like Mom was, what with Grandpa raising her. Still, he wanted to show he could be handy too, since he worked so hard on these. The rest of their stuff from Unova just sits in a box in the attic.
After our parents were gone, we moved in with Grandpa Yukito and Grandma Hideko. We loved them and they took good care of us, but sometimes, I couldn't help but miss Mom and Dad.
Yawning, I stretched out before facing Carmine. "I'm excited, but also worried. After we drop off the mask, Nemona and Cyan are gonna leave." And before that, we'll have our battle, which is what kept me up half the night.
Carmine's face softened and she leaned down to pat me on the shoulder. "No matter what happens, win or lose, she'll still be your friend. I know how much you liiiiike her." A blush spread across my face despite my wishes.
"Aww shut up! Not like you haven't been pestering her to Ogre Oustin a ton." It was my sister's turn for her face to glow scarlet.
"Be quiet Kiki!" She stomped her foot and added "That was just to get a better handle on her skill, I can't have an outsider beating me! I've figured out her strategy and nearly tied up with her."
"Uhuh," I agreed without truly agreeing, something that faux-angered her to no end. Truth is, I think we're both going to miss her. Cyan too, though the older girl didn't spend as much time with us. We didn't have many other friends in town before her.
After I got changed and we went to the dining room for breakfast I admitted: "You're right."
"Ha! Of course I'm right," she crowed. "I'm right about so much so umm, what was I right about again?"
"Nemona. She's not going to be upset or want nothing to do with us after this." I mean, she could be lying about wanting to know our birthdays so she could get us presents, but I doubt it. Doesn't sound like her. "I just… I wanna impress her with this battle."
"And I'm sure you will, dear," Grandma said kindly, plating the fried Chansey eggs onto our plates with some pancakes and passing them to us. She poured a bottle of Moomoo Milk for us as well (human grade, not Pokemon grade of course). "Eat up! You'll need your energy if you're hiking up that mountain again." She shook her head, muttering something about not being sure where kids got such energy from.
"Argh, stop fretting already, Kiki," Carmine complained, the sternness of her tone slightly offset by the food she was shoving down her throat. Swallowing, she said, "It'll be fine, you've got that secret weapon, right?"
I nodded. Applin and I worked on that all day yesterday while Nemona and her family had been sightseeing. And not just the Move we worked on with Grandpa, but the one Applin surprised me with too! We're gonna give Nemona a huge shock, that's for sure!
Carmine continued "So you've got this in the bag… and even if you don't," She added, earning an instant frown from me, even as I recognized it was fair for her to be dubious about my odds when even I was. "If Nemona reacts badly or anything I'll make her swallow a Koffing whole."
"Sis… don't go scaring off her too." That's not really fair though, Nemona isn't like other kids. There aren't many kids our age here, and the ones here aren't big fans of us 'city kids' from Unova after we had to move here. Carmine made a big deal about loving Kitakami since but they didn't change their minds and are kinda brats regardless.
My sister hadn't stopped proclaiming how much she loved our new home since, not one to back down once she decided on a path. That's something I admire about my sis. I might be too afraid in public to be the same way about most things, but I'll stick up for the Ogre! She's so cool and strong, I'm sure of it. Maybe, maybe once I give her this mask, she'll think I am too-
"Kiki, what are you mumbling?" Carmine demanded and I realized I'd been thinking out loud, though the words were muffled by the food I was eating.
"Ahh, nothing, gotta go, get ready." Finishing up my plate quickly I jumped out of my seat and rushed out of the room.
"Kiki! Ugh, leaving the dishes for me to do…" Carmine groused as I went to the entrance hall. Slipping on my sandals I prepared to leave- before hearing Nemona talking with my Grandpa just outside. It was hard to hear everything from behind the door but I could make out a few things.
"...the truth, handed… you know it, don't you?" Nemona asked. I could barely recognize the words as her own at first, she sounded so different. Even when we argued about Gligar at first, she was vibrant and energetic about everything. Here she sounds… cold.
Grandpa didn't sound any happier, with a hint of anger in his voice. "Perhaps so. What do you want? You can't tell them!"
"I can. I will. Unless you do it first. They deserve to know, Kieran especially." Why me especially? What do I deserve to know more than Carmine, but she also deserves? Missing the context made it hard to figure out what they were arguing about.
"How would you feel if I offered to tell them all of your secrets?" Grandpa retorted fire in his voice. I'm not sure I've ever heard him sound so angry before. "I have no doubt you have plenty."
Nemona was completely undeterred. "Good guess, though the fact it's a guess shows just how little you know, or could use. Besides, as much as I might be upset if you spilled my secrets, this one isn't really 'yours,' now is it? It's just one you happen to know. The only one who's secret it is- well, she's not talking." There's a joke there, but I don't get what it is.
"They're too young! If they revealed it, tried to tell others-"
"I don't believe the town would take it quite as badly as you…" There were a few more words I couldn't make out.
"If you believed that you'd be telling everyone yourself. Why ask this old man to drudge up…" After a minute of silence, he conceded. "I was always planning on telling them eventually."
"'Eventually,'" she scoffed, clearly disbelieving him. "They might be too young right now, but you need to set definite times in place or 'tomorrow' becomes 'never,' ya'know? Tell them by the time they're fourteen."
"You're in no position to make demands-"
"Tell them by then or I'll do it. They might deserve to hear it from you, but if you aren't going to ever tell them, I'll put you on a-" I bumped against the door, having been leaning in too far to hear. It wasn't that loud, but Nemona immediately stopped speaking, so I opened the door quickly, trying to act like I hadn't been listening in.
"Oh, h-hey guys, what's up?" I asked shakily. Nemona and Grandpa were standing out in the front lawn, the sun shining bright as the smiles on their faces. If I hadn't heard them a second ago there's no way I woulda thought they were mad with each other.
"Just here to pick you guys up for our trip," Nemona said breezily, before stepping over to Grandpa and grabbing the mask in his hands. His grip tightened on it for a moment, and in a brief interaction I would have missed if I blinked, her eyes darted to me, his followed, and he let go.
"Thanks for making this, I'm sure the Ogre will appreciate all the hard work you put into this. Thank you." For some reason, those words made Grandpa sag, as if the wind had been taken out of him.
"Glad to," he croaked out before turning away. "Have fun today. And stay safe." I couldn't see Grandpa as he said that, my view was obstructed by one of the posts that held up the roof above the front porch, but he seemed to be directing that at Nemona.
"Of course," she said seriously before happily grabbing my hand with her free hand. "C'mon, let's get going! Hey Carmine!" She shouted.
"I'm coming, I'm coming, hold up!"
***
We made it to up the mountain to the passageway without incident, the climb tiring but not very threatening with Dun out. Nemona's starter was massive, and there was a certain presence to him that made me feel like there were few Pokemon in Kitakami that could challenge him.
That makes sense, Nemona says she's been training him for over two years now. I wonder if Applin can get that strong in that time?
"What are you thinking about?" Cyan asked, peering over at me. Lost in my thoughts, I'd been lagging on the last section of our hike up and I jogged back to catch up with Cyan. The mostly white-haired girl was herself trailing a bit behind Carmine and Nemona.
"Ack! Just… I don't know if I can measure up to Nemona, you know?"
To my surprise, the older girl nodded without hesitation. "Oh yeah, I get that feeling." At my startled stare, she laughed. "I'm not blind, my little sister is gifted. Sure, I have things I can do that she can't, and she always praises me for those or my efforts, but it's clear how much more she excels at. Look at this trip; I'm pretty happy with the Horsea I caught, and Nims was the first one to praise me. Went on and on about how strong my Horsea can be and the Type advantages when she evolves into a Kingdra... but my sister also caught two Pokemon of her own here."
"Oh," I stated dumbly, having not expected that. "Do you think I can win?" Given what she just said, I assumed she would say no, but instead she had a pensive look on her face.
"Not sure. I don't think you have great odds, would usually say no, but… Nims has once or twice mentioned that 'one day' someone will come along and push her to her limits. A true 'rival.' She's got a couple of other friends who are trainers too, but she never refers to them that way."
Could I be her rival? But I want to be her friend, like with the Ogre…
"Kiki, hurry up!" Carmine shouted at me.
"Cyan, don't be a Slow…poke," Nemona finished awkwardly.
I giggled a bit as we hurried up to meet them. Nemona can be so weird. Carmine too, but at least Nemona doesn't snap at me when I laugh about it.
Distracted and hurried as I was, I missed a step and started to lose my balance, slipping off the edge of the final narrow walkway to the Den. I don't have Miles to help me, we forgot about that. Was the one random thought that popped into my mind before I fell.
Nemona was there in a flash, grabbing my arm before I fell more than a foot. Gravity still caused me to fall a bit more before Nemona's grip around my bicep arrested my movement, shooting pain through my shoulder.
"Ahhh!" Crying out from the pain and fear, the grip on the mask in my hand slackened. I tried to hold on, but ended up just flipping it up for a second after dropping it, failing to grab it again.
"Miles! The mask!" Her Rotom blurred out from her pocket, streaking below. I craned my head to look before the strong girl said "Focus on me. C'mon, just get back up."
Anxiety was something I was used to, but fear like this was something new. My body was shaking and I knew that I might die, that Nemona might die too. Yet, as I looked into her amber eyes, I saw no fear. Concern, but only for me, despite how close she was kneeling to the ledge herself, my weight pulling her down.
Then she heaved, steadying herself with her free hand and yanking me up with the other. I could see the muscles on her arms bulging as she whipped me up and almost over her head, placing me down gently on the bridge beside her.
"You ok?" Was her first question. My eyes were blurry, tears starting to form from all the emotions swirling through me. I hate being a cry baby, but if I open my mouth, I'm going to start bawling, I just know it. So I nodded my head, biting my lip even as tears started to roll down my face.
Nemona smiled, relieved I was ok, then turned to see her Rotom hovering back up, carrying the mask above it with its plasmic limbs. Miles passed the mask back to me and I took it gingerly, inspecting it for any damages.
Luckily, there didn't seem to be anything wrong with it. The turquoise mask had light red-orange swirls on its 'cheeks' like a setting sun with a black beak painted open in a devious smirk. The shining crystal eyes and feathers sticking out to the side and curving up gave it the appearance of some great bird of legend, a powerful hunter.
"Th-t-thanks," I stammered out, holding it close. Helping me up, we walked together, slowly and carefully towards the end of the bridge, and I let out a sigh of relief when we were on wider ground.
"Sorry about that," Nemona said, and I looked at her as if she had grown a second head like a Doduo. "I should have been more careful about the bridge. We've just been exploring Kitakami so much, I got complacent and- never mind, I'm sorry." Why does she try to take responsibility for everything? It's my fault for slipping off.
I couldn't say anything about that as I was busy fending off Carmine, who had rushed over to me the second we got to more stable land and was fretting about me.
"S-stop it, sis! I'm fine," I mumbled out, to little avail. We took a few minutes break to compose ourselves after that scare, even though we were only a few dozen meters away from our goal. My eyes were still a little red as I approached the entrance to the Den, and I felt almost more nervous going in there than I did on the bridge, wondering how the Ogre would react to our mask. Wondering if, by some miracle, she'd be inside there, waiting for me.
Of course, things don't work out like that. When I entered, it was the same empty Den I'd seen a dozen times before. With a sigh of disappointment and relief, I placed the mask on the ground, along with a letter I'd written (with Carmine and Nemona's help) days before.
'Hello Ogre,
I'm Kiki Kieran, and I think you're super cool and strong. I saw the masks you had and I know this isn't the same, but I hope you like this mask too. Grandpa made it with the help of me and my friends. It must be lonely up here and one day, I'd like for us to be friends too. No matter what, I want you to take this mask as a gesture of good faith and hope it brings you happiness.'
One last look around showed me the cave was empty, so I stood up and exited back into the light. Cyan and Nemona cheered me on as if it had been some big deal, and even my sister was saying "Good job Kieran."
"It was nothing," abashedly turning my face away, I wiped at my eyes some more, to make sure I wasn't crying again. "Uhh, umm, anyway, we have a battle planned, right?"
"Here?" Cyan asked. The opening around the Den was pretty high up, but it was much wider than the bridge.
Nemona nodded. "This should be fine. Sis, would you referee for us?"
The girl in question shrugged, standing off to the side along with Carmine as we took our places. "This will be a one-on-one battle with no switches allowed. The battle is to incapacitation or forfeit. Any attempt to seriously injure an opponent or attack a trainer or bystander will be met with disqualification. Boundaries are to the edge of the bridge and the Den, and umm, let's say fifteen meters above the ground. Trainers, get your Pokemon ready."
"Ah, umm, okay!" I shouted out, panickedly trying to take all that in. Pressing the button on my Pokeball, I released Applin in front of me, to a chuckle from Nemona. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, just you're a bit eager. It doesn't matter here since we both agreed to which Pokemon we're using ahead of time, but in other battles when you have a bigger team, whoever sends out their Pokemon last gets an advantage. The referee has the trainers hold up the Pokeball they're going to use, and then they both release them," She explained, pulling out Gligar's Pokeball and releasing her Pokemon.
The pink flying scorpion spun about in the air, drifting near her trainer. My brave Applin shivered in fear at the predator that had almost taken his life before, but he didn't hide in his apple case. Instead, he stuck his body out, defiantly meeting Gligar's gaze.
"Wowzers, real battles are pretty complicated, huh?"
"You'll get used to them," she said easily. "It's like-" the brash girl paused, thinking. "Do you know how to ride a bike?" I nodded. While there were trucks that came in and out of Mossui town, bicycles were some of the easiest ways to travel around town, and anything short of going past Kitakami Hall or the Paradise Barrens.
"It's like riding a bike. It seems complicated at first, and there's a ton you need to learn and do all at once, but then you get the hang of it and it's second nature." Nemona wore a contented smile, clearly proud of herself for that simile.
"Hurry up and battle already!" Carmine shouted, causing both of us to deflate, though our Pokemon both perked up a bit at my sibling's heckling. Guess they're ready to battle. Grandma always said Pokemon are naturally more aggressive than people, on average, which is why she gets worried whenever I venture too far out of town without supervision.
"Alright, with that out of the way," Cyan spoke loudly. "On the count of three, the battle will begin. Ready?" Nemona locked eyes with mine, both of us nodding, the same drive pumping through each of us. "Three, two, one… begin!"
"Withdraw!" I called out immediately, hoping to bolster Applin's defense before Gligar could start pounding him. It'll also set up our first attack.
Or so I thought. Gligar and Nemona blew me away, almost literally, with how fast they were.
"Acrobatics." No sooner had the word left her mouth and Gligar was across the battlefield, slamming down into Applin hiding in his shell, leaving cracks and ripping a few chunks of fruity flesh off with her pincers and teeth.
"You're not holding back, are you? Well, neither will we, Sucker Punch!"
"Get out of there!" Nemona called out, and while Gligar would now listen to her trainer and try to follow her commands, she was a bit slow to respond here. Too focused on ripping and tearing my Pokemon, she backed away a second too slowly to avoid Applin's head jutting out of the apple and hitting Gligar in the gut.
"Gar!" The Flying Type called out, flapping away. Nemona's lips quirked down for half a second, before wiping away any displeasure from her face.
"Poison Sting, keep your distance." Gligar followed obediently, rubbing lightly at where she had been hit before flinging a bunch of needles out from her tail, each one dripping with a violet liquid.
"Withdraw, defend more!"
The battle fell into that pattern, me defending while they kept their distance and launched attacks. Each strike is getting weaker, I'm sure Applin can take on anything else Nemona can dish out now.
Just as I thought that Applin gave a plaintive cry, his tail seizing and twitching violently as a purple discoloration spread throughout the few visible parts of his body. "Huh?!"
Nemona was looking down on me - not unkindly, but still - like she knew something I didn't. Which she did. "Your Applin has been Poisoned. One of Gligar's stings managed to get through." Looking carefully, I saw where one needle stuck in deep, having landed through one of the cracks Gligar had opened up earlier.
"Gaaaah. We can't lose like this. Uh, uh, Astonish!" I shouted desperately, trying to rack my brain for something Applin could do with his few Moves to hit someone flying above. And it worked! Applin stretched his whole body out, his tail and eyes extending far out of his shell, shocking Gligar and causing her to reel back in the air.
My opponent, however, was unfazed. "Drop down and Sand Attack." A swift dive to the ground and she was kicking and flinging sand from the rocky ground into Applin's exposed eyes.
The ground here was more than just rocky, however; this section of the mountain had a bit of greenery growing on it, which we could use with Grandpa's secret Move. "Grassy Glide!" Applin gave a weak but happy cheer at that, his tail drawing on more power from the plant life and extending that to conjure a bunch of grass in a line that he slid on, straight towards Gligar.
"Quick Attack to reposition, do not hit Applin!" Nemona responded rapidly, and Gligar had to adjust her motion at the last second, but she ended up shooting past Applin to the side, my starter missing her as she moved in a bright blur.
"Sand Attack again," Nemona ordered again, and Gligar once more pelted Applin with sand. He could hide his eyes, but that just left him blind, freeing her Pokemon to make even more room.
My attacks failed, nothing coming close to hitting her until eventually, Applin fell over, giving a small croak as he was defeated.
"Applin is unable to battle, Nemona is the winner!" Cyan called out as I slumped down trying to figure out what went wrong. How? I trained… so hard…
The victor had the presence of mind to apply a quick antidote to my Applin and a Potion to her own Pokemon, praising Gligar for her efforts. Then she walked over to me and offered me a hand up. "That was a great match, Kieran." She sounds so sincere but…
"I lost," I moaned. "We worked so hard, but we couldn't beat Gligar." Trudging over to Applin, I scooped him up. "I'm sorry."
"Ap… applin." He said wearily. Glancing over my shoulder I tried to see if Nemona could understand what he meant, but she just shrugged.
"It sucks to lose, I know that, but really, you did well today. While you might not have beaten the Gligar of today, I'm certain you would have beaten the Gligar that attacked you two back then."
"App?" The Pokemon in my arms asked and Nemona nodded fervently.
"Really. That Sucker Punch Withdraw combo had us changing up our whole battle plan!" Applin's already overly large eyes widened and he even gave a few cheers, as weak as he currently was. My feelings were more mixed.
It was nice to hear, and what we wanted when we first challenged her. Nemona encouraging us confirmed she was my friend, and I was so grateful for that. There was something to her gaze, however, as she looked just past me that confirmed that I wasn't the 'rival' she was looking for either. I wonder, if I get stronger and prove to her I can be that rival, if she'll tell me that secret she and Grandpa were talking about?
"I wanna challenge you again!" I shouted suddenly, shocking the others. Nemona though, was delighted.
"That sounds great! Maybe not today, we need to get our Pokemon looked at, and then Cyan and I have to head out, but I'd love to come back and battle you again someday." Turning to my sister she added "Both of you."
"Hmph, of course. Next time we face, you're going down!" Carmine declared haughtily.
"Like your Ogre Oustin score?" Nemona slyly teased.
"Yeah- hey!" We all laughed at Carmine a bit, but with Cyan being older, and Nemona being… Nemona, she turned her rage on me. "Stop laughing Kiki or I'll wring your neck!" She yelled, but I knew she wasn't serious. My big sis gets flustered easily, but she's always looking out for me.
A trait that seemed common to all big sisters as Cyan (who had less of an appreciation for Carmine's more 'extreme' comments) stepped in and said: "None of that. If she gets on your case, let me know."
Nemona quickly defused the situation before Carmine could get upset with her sister for that. "Yeah, we have to stay in touch! I'll send you guys tons of letters and you've got a computer at home too, right? We can email each other as well, and talk all about our battles."
"Ugh, is battling all you can think about?" The older girl complained. "You're going to corrupt poor Kieran just like you did Arven and that Amethio boy." I felt a small curl of something unpleasant in my gut at the mention of these other people in Nemona's life, but it was shoved to the side quickly as Cyan took out a notebook and gave me and my sister her address and postal code, with a second one written down beneath it.
"The first one is for the family home, and the second one is for Uva Academy since I'll be going there in a few weeks."
"Wowzers…" I looked it up online after Nemona mentioned it the other day, and that school is huge! The Pokeball at the top looks so cool too.
Carmine wasn't as impressed, snorting derisively. "Uva Academy is nothing compared to Blueberry Academy." A vein bulged noticeably on Cyan's forehead, but the older girl took some deep breaths and said nothing as my sister continued, now speaking to Nemona. "Kiki and I will be going there when we grow up, like our parents did. You should join us," she announced imperiously.
Nemona stood between the two older girls, caught like a Deerling in a Druddigon's eyes. "Aheh, well, I haven't actually decided my school yet. Oh look at the time," she said, for some reason holding up her bare wrist. "Let's hurry back down to the town."
Turning and marching away, the sharp-eared girl suddenly remarkably deaf to Cyan and Carmine's arguments for which school was better, I felt a weight lift off my shoulders. This was super fun. Meeting Nemona Glitterati was amazing, and I'm sure that the next time I see her, she'll be even tougher.
Looking down at the Applin in my hands, his natural color returning to him, I saw the fierce, draconic gaze in his eyes. Which is a good thing, because we'll be so much stronger too, next time.
With a full heart, we waved them off at the bus stop. "Goodbye! We'll see you again soon."
"Oh, you bet!" Nemona shouted back. "I can't wait to see you guys and Kitakami again someday. Goodbye, for now!"
***
My first letter to her I sent only a few days after she left and it began like this:
'Nemona, you're never going to believe what happened. I went to check the Ogre's Den the other day, and the mask and note were gone! Do you think the Ogre found them? She must have, I'm the only one who goes up there regularly. I hope she liked them, Grandpa worked so hard on it...'
"Stooop it." Moaning, I pulled myself up, blearily looking at my sister who was already dressed and ready. Her bed was on the opposite side of the room, the sun streaming down and showing she had made it. "How can you get up so early every day?"
"Practice! Besides, aren't you excited at least for today? You get to drop off the mask and hopefully not get eaten by the ogre!" She exclaimed with a cheer that belied her words.
"Ugh, of course, I'm excited about that - not the getting eaten part, I mean not getting eaten I mean- argh," Huffing I tossed my sheets messily to the side and pulled myself out of bed. I'll be too tall for it soon. Carmine has to scrunch up while she sleeps to sit on hers.
My sister would complain endlessly about anything, but she never brought up the bed, and I knew I wouldn't either; it was one of the few things we had left from our parents. Dad never was too handy with crafting, not like Mom was, what with Grandpa raising her. Still, he wanted to show he could be handy too, since he worked so hard on these. The rest of their stuff from Unova just sits in a box in the attic.
After our parents were gone, we moved in with Grandpa Yukito and Grandma Hideko. We loved them and they took good care of us, but sometimes, I couldn't help but miss Mom and Dad.
Yawning, I stretched out before facing Carmine. "I'm excited, but also worried. After we drop off the mask, Nemona and Cyan are gonna leave." And before that, we'll have our battle, which is what kept me up half the night.
Carmine's face softened and she leaned down to pat me on the shoulder. "No matter what happens, win or lose, she'll still be your friend. I know how much you liiiiike her." A blush spread across my face despite my wishes.
"Aww shut up! Not like you haven't been pestering her to Ogre Oustin a ton." It was my sister's turn for her face to glow scarlet.
"Be quiet Kiki!" She stomped her foot and added "That was just to get a better handle on her skill, I can't have an outsider beating me! I've figured out her strategy and nearly tied up with her."
"Uhuh," I agreed without truly agreeing, something that faux-angered her to no end. Truth is, I think we're both going to miss her. Cyan too, though the older girl didn't spend as much time with us. We didn't have many other friends in town before her.
After I got changed and we went to the dining room for breakfast I admitted: "You're right."
"Ha! Of course I'm right," she crowed. "I'm right about so much so umm, what was I right about again?"
"Nemona. She's not going to be upset or want nothing to do with us after this." I mean, she could be lying about wanting to know our birthdays so she could get us presents, but I doubt it. Doesn't sound like her. "I just… I wanna impress her with this battle."
"And I'm sure you will, dear," Grandma said kindly, plating the fried Chansey eggs onto our plates with some pancakes and passing them to us. She poured a bottle of Moomoo Milk for us as well (human grade, not Pokemon grade of course). "Eat up! You'll need your energy if you're hiking up that mountain again." She shook her head, muttering something about not being sure where kids got such energy from.
"Argh, stop fretting already, Kiki," Carmine complained, the sternness of her tone slightly offset by the food she was shoving down her throat. Swallowing, she said, "It'll be fine, you've got that secret weapon, right?"
I nodded. Applin and I worked on that all day yesterday while Nemona and her family had been sightseeing. And not just the Move we worked on with Grandpa, but the one Applin surprised me with too! We're gonna give Nemona a huge shock, that's for sure!
Carmine continued "So you've got this in the bag… and even if you don't," She added, earning an instant frown from me, even as I recognized it was fair for her to be dubious about my odds when even I was. "If Nemona reacts badly or anything I'll make her swallow a Koffing whole."
"Sis… don't go scaring off her too." That's not really fair though, Nemona isn't like other kids. There aren't many kids our age here, and the ones here aren't big fans of us 'city kids' from Unova after we had to move here. Carmine made a big deal about loving Kitakami since but they didn't change their minds and are kinda brats regardless.
My sister hadn't stopped proclaiming how much she loved our new home since, not one to back down once she decided on a path. That's something I admire about my sis. I might be too afraid in public to be the same way about most things, but I'll stick up for the Ogre! She's so cool and strong, I'm sure of it. Maybe, maybe once I give her this mask, she'll think I am too-
"Kiki, what are you mumbling?" Carmine demanded and I realized I'd been thinking out loud, though the words were muffled by the food I was eating.
"Ahh, nothing, gotta go, get ready." Finishing up my plate quickly I jumped out of my seat and rushed out of the room.
"Kiki! Ugh, leaving the dishes for me to do…" Carmine groused as I went to the entrance hall. Slipping on my sandals I prepared to leave- before hearing Nemona talking with my Grandpa just outside. It was hard to hear everything from behind the door but I could make out a few things.
"...the truth, handed… you know it, don't you?" Nemona asked. I could barely recognize the words as her own at first, she sounded so different. Even when we argued about Gligar at first, she was vibrant and energetic about everything. Here she sounds… cold.
Grandpa didn't sound any happier, with a hint of anger in his voice. "Perhaps so. What do you want? You can't tell them!"
"I can. I will. Unless you do it first. They deserve to know, Kieran especially." Why me especially? What do I deserve to know more than Carmine, but she also deserves? Missing the context made it hard to figure out what they were arguing about.
"How would you feel if I offered to tell them all of your secrets?" Grandpa retorted fire in his voice. I'm not sure I've ever heard him sound so angry before. "I have no doubt you have plenty."
Nemona was completely undeterred. "Good guess, though the fact it's a guess shows just how little you know, or could use. Besides, as much as I might be upset if you spilled my secrets, this one isn't really 'yours,' now is it? It's just one you happen to know. The only one who's secret it is- well, she's not talking." There's a joke there, but I don't get what it is.
"They're too young! If they revealed it, tried to tell others-"
"I don't believe the town would take it quite as badly as you…" There were a few more words I couldn't make out.
"If you believed that you'd be telling everyone yourself. Why ask this old man to drudge up…" After a minute of silence, he conceded. "I was always planning on telling them eventually."
"'Eventually,'" she scoffed, clearly disbelieving him. "They might be too young right now, but you need to set definite times in place or 'tomorrow' becomes 'never,' ya'know? Tell them by the time they're fourteen."
"You're in no position to make demands-"
"Tell them by then or I'll do it. They might deserve to hear it from you, but if you aren't going to ever tell them, I'll put you on a-" I bumped against the door, having been leaning in too far to hear. It wasn't that loud, but Nemona immediately stopped speaking, so I opened the door quickly, trying to act like I hadn't been listening in.
"Oh, h-hey guys, what's up?" I asked shakily. Nemona and Grandpa were standing out in the front lawn, the sun shining bright as the smiles on their faces. If I hadn't heard them a second ago there's no way I woulda thought they were mad with each other.
"Just here to pick you guys up for our trip," Nemona said breezily, before stepping over to Grandpa and grabbing the mask in his hands. His grip tightened on it for a moment, and in a brief interaction I would have missed if I blinked, her eyes darted to me, his followed, and he let go.
"Thanks for making this, I'm sure the Ogre will appreciate all the hard work you put into this. Thank you." For some reason, those words made Grandpa sag, as if the wind had been taken out of him.
"Glad to," he croaked out before turning away. "Have fun today. And stay safe." I couldn't see Grandpa as he said that, my view was obstructed by one of the posts that held up the roof above the front porch, but he seemed to be directing that at Nemona.
"Of course," she said seriously before happily grabbing my hand with her free hand. "C'mon, let's get going! Hey Carmine!" She shouted.
"I'm coming, I'm coming, hold up!"
***
We made it to up the mountain to the passageway without incident, the climb tiring but not very threatening with Dun out. Nemona's starter was massive, and there was a certain presence to him that made me feel like there were few Pokemon in Kitakami that could challenge him.
That makes sense, Nemona says she's been training him for over two years now. I wonder if Applin can get that strong in that time?
"What are you thinking about?" Cyan asked, peering over at me. Lost in my thoughts, I'd been lagging on the last section of our hike up and I jogged back to catch up with Cyan. The mostly white-haired girl was herself trailing a bit behind Carmine and Nemona.
"Ack! Just… I don't know if I can measure up to Nemona, you know?"
To my surprise, the older girl nodded without hesitation. "Oh yeah, I get that feeling." At my startled stare, she laughed. "I'm not blind, my little sister is gifted. Sure, I have things I can do that she can't, and she always praises me for those or my efforts, but it's clear how much more she excels at. Look at this trip; I'm pretty happy with the Horsea I caught, and Nims was the first one to praise me. Went on and on about how strong my Horsea can be and the Type advantages when she evolves into a Kingdra... but my sister also caught two Pokemon of her own here."
"Oh," I stated dumbly, having not expected that. "Do you think I can win?" Given what she just said, I assumed she would say no, but instead she had a pensive look on her face.
"Not sure. I don't think you have great odds, would usually say no, but… Nims has once or twice mentioned that 'one day' someone will come along and push her to her limits. A true 'rival.' She's got a couple of other friends who are trainers too, but she never refers to them that way."
Could I be her rival? But I want to be her friend, like with the Ogre…
"Kiki, hurry up!" Carmine shouted at me.
"Cyan, don't be a Slow…poke," Nemona finished awkwardly.
I giggled a bit as we hurried up to meet them. Nemona can be so weird. Carmine too, but at least Nemona doesn't snap at me when I laugh about it.
Distracted and hurried as I was, I missed a step and started to lose my balance, slipping off the edge of the final narrow walkway to the Den. I don't have Miles to help me, we forgot about that. Was the one random thought that popped into my mind before I fell.
Nemona was there in a flash, grabbing my arm before I fell more than a foot. Gravity still caused me to fall a bit more before Nemona's grip around my bicep arrested my movement, shooting pain through my shoulder.
"Ahhh!" Crying out from the pain and fear, the grip on the mask in my hand slackened. I tried to hold on, but ended up just flipping it up for a second after dropping it, failing to grab it again.
"Miles! The mask!" Her Rotom blurred out from her pocket, streaking below. I craned my head to look before the strong girl said "Focus on me. C'mon, just get back up."
Anxiety was something I was used to, but fear like this was something new. My body was shaking and I knew that I might die, that Nemona might die too. Yet, as I looked into her amber eyes, I saw no fear. Concern, but only for me, despite how close she was kneeling to the ledge herself, my weight pulling her down.
Then she heaved, steadying herself with her free hand and yanking me up with the other. I could see the muscles on her arms bulging as she whipped me up and almost over her head, placing me down gently on the bridge beside her.
"You ok?" Was her first question. My eyes were blurry, tears starting to form from all the emotions swirling through me. I hate being a cry baby, but if I open my mouth, I'm going to start bawling, I just know it. So I nodded my head, biting my lip even as tears started to roll down my face.
Nemona smiled, relieved I was ok, then turned to see her Rotom hovering back up, carrying the mask above it with its plasmic limbs. Miles passed the mask back to me and I took it gingerly, inspecting it for any damages.
Luckily, there didn't seem to be anything wrong with it. The turquoise mask had light red-orange swirls on its 'cheeks' like a setting sun with a black beak painted open in a devious smirk. The shining crystal eyes and feathers sticking out to the side and curving up gave it the appearance of some great bird of legend, a powerful hunter.
"Th-t-thanks," I stammered out, holding it close. Helping me up, we walked together, slowly and carefully towards the end of the bridge, and I let out a sigh of relief when we were on wider ground.
"Sorry about that," Nemona said, and I looked at her as if she had grown a second head like a Doduo. "I should have been more careful about the bridge. We've just been exploring Kitakami so much, I got complacent and- never mind, I'm sorry." Why does she try to take responsibility for everything? It's my fault for slipping off.
I couldn't say anything about that as I was busy fending off Carmine, who had rushed over to me the second we got to more stable land and was fretting about me.
"S-stop it, sis! I'm fine," I mumbled out, to little avail. We took a few minutes break to compose ourselves after that scare, even though we were only a few dozen meters away from our goal. My eyes were still a little red as I approached the entrance to the Den, and I felt almost more nervous going in there than I did on the bridge, wondering how the Ogre would react to our mask. Wondering if, by some miracle, she'd be inside there, waiting for me.
Of course, things don't work out like that. When I entered, it was the same empty Den I'd seen a dozen times before. With a sigh of disappointment and relief, I placed the mask on the ground, along with a letter I'd written (with Carmine and Nemona's help) days before.
'Hello Ogre,
I'm Kiki Kieran, and I think you're super cool and strong. I saw the masks you had and I know this isn't the same, but I hope you like this mask too. Grandpa made it with the help of me and my friends. It must be lonely up here and one day, I'd like for us to be friends too. No matter what, I want you to take this mask as a gesture of good faith and hope it brings you happiness.'
One last look around showed me the cave was empty, so I stood up and exited back into the light. Cyan and Nemona cheered me on as if it had been some big deal, and even my sister was saying "Good job Kieran."
"It was nothing," abashedly turning my face away, I wiped at my eyes some more, to make sure I wasn't crying again. "Uhh, umm, anyway, we have a battle planned, right?"
"Here?" Cyan asked. The opening around the Den was pretty high up, but it was much wider than the bridge.
Nemona nodded. "This should be fine. Sis, would you referee for us?"
The girl in question shrugged, standing off to the side along with Carmine as we took our places. "This will be a one-on-one battle with no switches allowed. The battle is to incapacitation or forfeit. Any attempt to seriously injure an opponent or attack a trainer or bystander will be met with disqualification. Boundaries are to the edge of the bridge and the Den, and umm, let's say fifteen meters above the ground. Trainers, get your Pokemon ready."
"Ah, umm, okay!" I shouted out, panickedly trying to take all that in. Pressing the button on my Pokeball, I released Applin in front of me, to a chuckle from Nemona. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, just you're a bit eager. It doesn't matter here since we both agreed to which Pokemon we're using ahead of time, but in other battles when you have a bigger team, whoever sends out their Pokemon last gets an advantage. The referee has the trainers hold up the Pokeball they're going to use, and then they both release them," She explained, pulling out Gligar's Pokeball and releasing her Pokemon.
The pink flying scorpion spun about in the air, drifting near her trainer. My brave Applin shivered in fear at the predator that had almost taken his life before, but he didn't hide in his apple case. Instead, he stuck his body out, defiantly meeting Gligar's gaze.
"Wowzers, real battles are pretty complicated, huh?"
"You'll get used to them," she said easily. "It's like-" the brash girl paused, thinking. "Do you know how to ride a bike?" I nodded. While there were trucks that came in and out of Mossui town, bicycles were some of the easiest ways to travel around town, and anything short of going past Kitakami Hall or the Paradise Barrens.
"It's like riding a bike. It seems complicated at first, and there's a ton you need to learn and do all at once, but then you get the hang of it and it's second nature." Nemona wore a contented smile, clearly proud of herself for that simile.
"Hurry up and battle already!" Carmine shouted, causing both of us to deflate, though our Pokemon both perked up a bit at my sibling's heckling. Guess they're ready to battle. Grandma always said Pokemon are naturally more aggressive than people, on average, which is why she gets worried whenever I venture too far out of town without supervision.
"Alright, with that out of the way," Cyan spoke loudly. "On the count of three, the battle will begin. Ready?" Nemona locked eyes with mine, both of us nodding, the same drive pumping through each of us. "Three, two, one… begin!"
"Withdraw!" I called out immediately, hoping to bolster Applin's defense before Gligar could start pounding him. It'll also set up our first attack.
Or so I thought. Gligar and Nemona blew me away, almost literally, with how fast they were.
"Acrobatics." No sooner had the word left her mouth and Gligar was across the battlefield, slamming down into Applin hiding in his shell, leaving cracks and ripping a few chunks of fruity flesh off with her pincers and teeth.
"You're not holding back, are you? Well, neither will we, Sucker Punch!"
"Get out of there!" Nemona called out, and while Gligar would now listen to her trainer and try to follow her commands, she was a bit slow to respond here. Too focused on ripping and tearing my Pokemon, she backed away a second too slowly to avoid Applin's head jutting out of the apple and hitting Gligar in the gut.
"Gar!" The Flying Type called out, flapping away. Nemona's lips quirked down for half a second, before wiping away any displeasure from her face.
"Poison Sting, keep your distance." Gligar followed obediently, rubbing lightly at where she had been hit before flinging a bunch of needles out from her tail, each one dripping with a violet liquid.
"Withdraw, defend more!"
The battle fell into that pattern, me defending while they kept their distance and launched attacks. Each strike is getting weaker, I'm sure Applin can take on anything else Nemona can dish out now.
Just as I thought that Applin gave a plaintive cry, his tail seizing and twitching violently as a purple discoloration spread throughout the few visible parts of his body. "Huh?!"
Nemona was looking down on me - not unkindly, but still - like she knew something I didn't. Which she did. "Your Applin has been Poisoned. One of Gligar's stings managed to get through." Looking carefully, I saw where one needle stuck in deep, having landed through one of the cracks Gligar had opened up earlier.
"Gaaaah. We can't lose like this. Uh, uh, Astonish!" I shouted desperately, trying to rack my brain for something Applin could do with his few Moves to hit someone flying above. And it worked! Applin stretched his whole body out, his tail and eyes extending far out of his shell, shocking Gligar and causing her to reel back in the air.
My opponent, however, was unfazed. "Drop down and Sand Attack." A swift dive to the ground and she was kicking and flinging sand from the rocky ground into Applin's exposed eyes.
The ground here was more than just rocky, however; this section of the mountain had a bit of greenery growing on it, which we could use with Grandpa's secret Move. "Grassy Glide!" Applin gave a weak but happy cheer at that, his tail drawing on more power from the plant life and extending that to conjure a bunch of grass in a line that he slid on, straight towards Gligar.
"Quick Attack to reposition, do not hit Applin!" Nemona responded rapidly, and Gligar had to adjust her motion at the last second, but she ended up shooting past Applin to the side, my starter missing her as she moved in a bright blur.
"Sand Attack again," Nemona ordered again, and Gligar once more pelted Applin with sand. He could hide his eyes, but that just left him blind, freeing her Pokemon to make even more room.
My attacks failed, nothing coming close to hitting her until eventually, Applin fell over, giving a small croak as he was defeated.
"Applin is unable to battle, Nemona is the winner!" Cyan called out as I slumped down trying to figure out what went wrong. How? I trained… so hard…
The victor had the presence of mind to apply a quick antidote to my Applin and a Potion to her own Pokemon, praising Gligar for her efforts. Then she walked over to me and offered me a hand up. "That was a great match, Kieran." She sounds so sincere but…
"I lost," I moaned. "We worked so hard, but we couldn't beat Gligar." Trudging over to Applin, I scooped him up. "I'm sorry."
"Ap… applin." He said wearily. Glancing over my shoulder I tried to see if Nemona could understand what he meant, but she just shrugged.
"It sucks to lose, I know that, but really, you did well today. While you might not have beaten the Gligar of today, I'm certain you would have beaten the Gligar that attacked you two back then."
"App?" The Pokemon in my arms asked and Nemona nodded fervently.
"Really. That Sucker Punch Withdraw combo had us changing up our whole battle plan!" Applin's already overly large eyes widened and he even gave a few cheers, as weak as he currently was. My feelings were more mixed.
It was nice to hear, and what we wanted when we first challenged her. Nemona encouraging us confirmed she was my friend, and I was so grateful for that. There was something to her gaze, however, as she looked just past me that confirmed that I wasn't the 'rival' she was looking for either. I wonder, if I get stronger and prove to her I can be that rival, if she'll tell me that secret she and Grandpa were talking about?
"I wanna challenge you again!" I shouted suddenly, shocking the others. Nemona though, was delighted.
"That sounds great! Maybe not today, we need to get our Pokemon looked at, and then Cyan and I have to head out, but I'd love to come back and battle you again someday." Turning to my sister she added "Both of you."
"Hmph, of course. Next time we face, you're going down!" Carmine declared haughtily.
"Like your Ogre Oustin score?" Nemona slyly teased.
"Yeah- hey!" We all laughed at Carmine a bit, but with Cyan being older, and Nemona being… Nemona, she turned her rage on me. "Stop laughing Kiki or I'll wring your neck!" She yelled, but I knew she wasn't serious. My big sis gets flustered easily, but she's always looking out for me.
A trait that seemed common to all big sisters as Cyan (who had less of an appreciation for Carmine's more 'extreme' comments) stepped in and said: "None of that. If she gets on your case, let me know."
Nemona quickly defused the situation before Carmine could get upset with her sister for that. "Yeah, we have to stay in touch! I'll send you guys tons of letters and you've got a computer at home too, right? We can email each other as well, and talk all about our battles."
"Ugh, is battling all you can think about?" The older girl complained. "You're going to corrupt poor Kieran just like you did Arven and that Amethio boy." I felt a small curl of something unpleasant in my gut at the mention of these other people in Nemona's life, but it was shoved to the side quickly as Cyan took out a notebook and gave me and my sister her address and postal code, with a second one written down beneath it.
"The first one is for the family home, and the second one is for Uva Academy since I'll be going there in a few weeks."
"Wowzers…" I looked it up online after Nemona mentioned it the other day, and that school is huge! The Pokeball at the top looks so cool too.
Carmine wasn't as impressed, snorting derisively. "Uva Academy is nothing compared to Blueberry Academy." A vein bulged noticeably on Cyan's forehead, but the older girl took some deep breaths and said nothing as my sister continued, now speaking to Nemona. "Kiki and I will be going there when we grow up, like our parents did. You should join us," she announced imperiously.
Nemona stood between the two older girls, caught like a Deerling in a Druddigon's eyes. "Aheh, well, I haven't actually decided my school yet. Oh look at the time," she said, for some reason holding up her bare wrist. "Let's hurry back down to the town."
Turning and marching away, the sharp-eared girl suddenly remarkably deaf to Cyan and Carmine's arguments for which school was better, I felt a weight lift off my shoulders. This was super fun. Meeting Nemona Glitterati was amazing, and I'm sure that the next time I see her, she'll be even tougher.
Looking down at the Applin in my hands, his natural color returning to him, I saw the fierce, draconic gaze in his eyes. Which is a good thing, because we'll be so much stronger too, next time.
With a full heart, we waved them off at the bus stop. "Goodbye! We'll see you again soon."
"Oh, you bet!" Nemona shouted back. "I can't wait to see you guys and Kitakami again someday. Goodbye, for now!"
***
My first letter to her I sent only a few days after she left and it began like this:
'Nemona, you're never going to believe what happened. I went to check the Ogre's Den the other day, and the mask and note were gone! Do you think the Ogre found them? She must have, I'm the only one who goes up there regularly. I hope she liked them, Grandpa worked so hard on it...'
With that, the Kitakami arc comes to a close. Certainly won't be the last time we go there or see those characters, but for now there are other storylines to get to.
I'm curious what everyone thought of this arc. The chapters were a fair bit larger than usual, and it involved two new Pokemon captures in quick succession, and also what you thought of my portrayal of character canon to the games. Thank you all for reading.
I'm curious what everyone thought of this arc. The chapters were a fair bit larger than usual, and it involved two new Pokemon captures in quick succession, and also what you thought of my portrayal of character canon to the games. Thank you all for reading.
- Location
- Michigan
Considering that Miles doesn't really need Nemona to keep a pokeball around given the end of the battle with Clay had her just letting him rest in her bag after, I could easily see her keeping a seventh pokemon with her purely for transportation, the most amusing option for that role in my mind would be Golurk.
For her remaining battle team slots, though she will probably have more than just a single team of six that will probably be a while, her current team is almost entirely defense/tank strategy focused and would probably be best to gain one or two that are more focused on agility and/or disruption to round out the team's options. Froslass or Ribombee as examples of the former and Breloom(spore) or Klefkey(prankster) as examples of the latter.
For her remaining battle team slots, though she will probably have more than just a single team of six that will probably be a while, her current team is almost entirely defense/tank strategy focused and would probably be best to gain one or two that are more focused on agility and/or disruption to round out the team's options. Froslass or Ribombee as examples of the former and Breloom(spore) or Klefkey(prankster) as examples of the latter.
- Location
- Michigan
Another possible limiting factor I thought of for this would be for the issue to not be just the cost/scarcity of the material but also that it would be comparable to a person eating a few dozen consecutive meals made primarily from ghost peppers, even if you get the needed supplies the issue is finding a Carbink that either enjoys the flavor or is stubborn enough to push through. It would also make it even less likely that Nemona figures out what caused the change.
Chapter 40
New
- Location
- Vancouver
"I need your help, Nims!!!" Cyan's voice rang out from Miles' case in a shrill tone.
"Gee sis, how are you doing? We don't see each other nearly as much now that you're at school. Oh, calling to ask how I'm doing? Thanks, that's so kind of you-"
My sister cut me off, countering in an affronted tone "We talked just last week. Now, please will you help me train my Pokemon?"
I blinked, surprised by her sudden request. She hasn't mentioned anything like that in the past month she's been at Uva Academy. I wonder what changed? "Sure, I'd be glad to help. Just two questions: Aren't you stuck at the Academy and why are you suddenly looking to train up your team?"
She groaned "Ugh, don't remind me. The course load is super heavy at Uva. The teachers are trying to shove as much information as they can in our heads before we go out on our Treasure Hunt since that's basically a full term of class where we aren't guaranteed to be studying anything."
Maybe you shouldn't have filled up your schedule with so many courses then? She complains so much about me overworking, but I've seen every course she applied for. Uva was unusual in that it covered a vast age range, and had the aforementioned Treasure Hunt, so student schedules were far more flexible and varied than a Primary or Secondary school would have been in my first life.
Continuing, Cyan explained. "Mindy- well a bunch of other girls on my floor were talking about how much more successful they were going to be in collecting Gym Badges during the Treasure Hunt than me. Which is just ridiculous, she's just jealous that I did better on our chemistry paper than she did-" I tuned out the next part of her rant, well aware by now of how she could go on and on about little details like that.
"Alright, so you want to prove some mean girls wrong, I can get behind that. I could send you a training plan, but it would be better to see your Pokemon and train in person." I vigorously defended the advantages of guided training. Each pokemon has their own personal flaws which you then iron out slowly over time while bolstering their strengths.
Chuckling, my sister said: "You just want an excuse to show off your new battlefield to me again,huh?"
"Yup," I admitted shamelessly. It's so cool! I can't believe my parents got me a Conference tier battlefield for my birthday and had it installed while we were out on vacation! I mean, I can, in fact, canon Nemona had one in the game, which honestly was kinda weird just sitting there on the beach. "Huh."
"What's up?" Cyan inquired, making me realize some of my thoughts were slipping out loud.
"Just thinking up training plans," I fibbed, distractedly. It's odd, thinking about how something in the games might have felt odd in my last life but just feels awesome and perfect now. I guess it's just a sign of how I'm becoming a different person.
It was to be expected, everyone changed over time and circumstance, and I'd had plenty of changes to both. Some slight melancholy feeling still lingered, but I pushed it to the side to focus on my sister's new training, barely catching Cyan saying how she was going to cram her studies and skip dinner to take a quick flying taxi over in the evening. Then she hung up before I could chide her for skipping dinner.
"Rude," I said to myself. Technically, I was speaking to the Pokemon I had out with me, but…
Gligar was drifting along, upside down above the battlefield, completely tuning me out. Carbink on the other hand was floating a foot away from me, staring unblinkingly, with no sign they understood what I was saying.
Taking a step back, I clapped my hands together. "Alright! Cyan is coming over in a few hours, so let's try to get some good training in before then, how about it?"
The two newest Pokemon on my team seemed… at least interested in the thought of more training. "Let's practice some of the TMs I gave you. Notch," I said to Carbink, named after the mark on one of their ears (and a lack of resistance or reaction to any nicknames I offered). "Set up Reflect as quickly as you can. While Ace?" I tried, to Gligar's immediate disapproval. "Ok, we'll shelve that name for now. At the same time, you will attempt to break it with Psychic Fangs. Make sure to give them time to actually form the barrier, ok?"
She rolled her eyes and nodded as if I hadn't needed to tell her that three times in training so far. "After you two have done that enough to get tired, we'll switch with Notch attacking with Body Press while Gligar practices evasive maneuvers."
Both of them complained, Gligar shouting her name and stomping the ground hard enough to crack it, while Notch tilted slightly on their side. Given how little Notch emotes and how much Gligar overreacts, I feel like this is probably an equally large reaction from both of them. "We'll practice other things later!"
With the two of them still a little reticent, I explained. "Over dinner, Gligar can hold the new Toxic Orb, with a few Antidotes sprayed on her throughout the meal, while Notch can practice their Psychic control with the minerals they'll have. Good?"
They perked up quickly, with Notch's ears flapping up a little and Gligar… immediately latching onto Notch and sinking fangs covered in pink Psychic energy into their rocky body. "Dammit! What did I just say about waiting?!"
After a short lecture (to which Gligar did look at least a little chagrined, before eagerly switching back to her usual aggressive self), I watched their progress.
Notch was raising Reflect very quickly, able to surround themselves in a near-invisible barrier in a matter of seconds. The Move is very similar to Light Screen, which Carbink learns naturally and Notch already knows. They can almost summon Reflect as fast as Light Screen now, which will be good. Carbinks are naturally slow physically, but their minds are just as fast as any. Notch becoming capable of learning these mental Moves speedily will be a key factor in their success in battles, to make up for that issue.
Gligar herself had little issue keeping up even as her opponent used Moves at the speed of thought, however. Her natural speed let her zip around, twirling through the air before curving around and striking into Notch once more. Her small fangs ripped through the barrier surrounding the Rock Type and her attack left small gouges on Notch's body.
I've got to keep an eye on that, Notch doesn't understand self-preservation enough and has seriously pushed themselves in the past. Gligar is only piercing Reflect about seven times out of ten, and only half of the attacks break the barrier entirely, though she's getting good power out of the Move. That will be helpful for the future when she evolves.
Gligar could learn any of the fang Moves through Technical Machines, but she'd naturally learn all the elemental ones upon evolving into Gliscor. My hope was that Psychic Fangs would give her a good grounding in those attacks and also be something useful for the future.
My training method might have accepted using my family's money to its fullest, but I still had no desire to 'waste' any of it. Especially since my savings were massively depleted trying to get everything I needed to start our first round of training for my new Pokemon and to continue to up the power of my older companions.
Notch had been given more TMs to learn than I had expected after a bit of research had uncovered Body Press and what it could do. I only used Carbink in Gen 7, and they were great during my fairy mono-run in Ultra Sun, but a very defensive set-up Pokemon. Body Press is huge, giving us a way to leverage their incredible defenses. With that also came Iron Defense to make them even tankier, and thus hit harder. Reflect to round out the defensive barriers Notch could raise. Stealth Rocks for arena control, and finally Psychic, Notch's personal favorite.
I had nearly picked Dazzling Gleam in the checkout cart until Notch pushed my hand away repeatedly and made it clear there was a different Move they wanted to learn. It had still taken me some time to understand the fae Pokemon's intent, but after we went through the list of Moves they could learn, I eventually figured it out. In retrospect, it makes perfect sense that a Pokemon obsessed with wanting to gain hands would seek out a Move that lets them manipulate things telekinetically.
Psychic was a powerful Move, and would take a ton of practice for a non-Psychic Type to control it on a precise level, but I had faith in Notch. Glancing back at them, I saw the Fairy try to conjure up Reflect once more as Gligar dived down for an attack, but after half an hour of repeated assaults, the Psychic energy failed to manifest in time. Gligar clamped on and sunk her teeth in again, invoking a minute wince from Notch.
"That's enough!" I called out sharply. The two of them disengaged, awaiting my verdict. "Notch, keep your eyes open while making the barriers. A couple of times I noticed your eyes scrunched up a bit. That might help concentration, but in a fight, you'll need to keep your awareness on the battlefield. Otherwise, just keep working on the power of your Reflect, you've nearly got it mastered."
With the easy critique down, I turned to Gligar, standing patiently on the battlefield. "You're doing well with Psychic Fang, though I noticed you always latch onto the face before biting. Going for flyby attacks should improve your speed-" Seeing her shaking her head vigorously, I stopped.
"What's up?"
"Gligar! Lig. Ar ar." She said, mimed a swoop to open air, and then kicked with her legs.
"Oh, I see. A hit-and-run would slow you down or limit the power of the attack and you use your feet to kick off after landing on the foe to speed away." My guess was confirmed by her nod.
"Alright then, in that case, keep on latching but work to avoid landing on spots where the opponent has an easy time striking you back." Gligar gestured a pincer at Notch as if to say 'nuh-uh.' "Even Carbink's have natural defenses on their bodies. They can fire beams from the crystals on their bodies."
Gligar's eyes widened at that, whipping around to stare at her teammate. Notch closed their eyes and lifted their ears up in the approximation of a smile that I believed was far more sinister than it outwardly appeared.
"So for the future, when you latch on, try to avoid landing on the crystals on their body." With a shiver, she agreed. Not that Notch knows Power Gem yet, but it is a Move they're famous for.
"Also, just be careful about your partner while training," I lightly chided. Gligar looked downcast, a little guilty at that reminder of her last attack. "I understand your instincts will be to lunge in when you see a weakness, but you need to have the control to pull back if you see they're in danger."
"Li gar," she argued mildly. It was hardly as heated as our previous spats or disagreements, but it was clear she was still quite headstrong. With Notch it's the opposite problem, they won't speak up even if they're hurt or they think they have a better battle strategy or way to use a technique. Still, I should focus on the fact that both of them are improving in those areas, slowly but surely.
Speaking of that improvement, while I still couldn't understand Gligar nearly as well as I did Dun, I thought I understood the gist of her point here. "Yes, having drive is important in a battle, but with control, you'll be able to use the most of your power no matter what situation. If you let yourself get carried away, you could end up falling into a trap." Could also end up seriously hurting someone you don't want to hurt. Or maybe just someone I don't want to hurt, I've noticed those arguments don't work as well for her, and I have to focus on pragmatic reasoning.
Casting my gaze past the battlefield and over to the beach, I saw Dun and Miles practicing their own Moves perfectly, not needing my direct supervision at all. I know it's unfair to expect Pokemon I've barely known for a month to be as well-behaved and trained as them, but boy is this a lot more work. Still, I wouldn't trade my new friends for anything… even if they're driving me mental.
"Dun, come over here for a second!" I shouted, and they ceased slapping the waves with their tail, slithering over to my side. He looked eager as he slid over the battlefield. Happy with how his training is going, looking for a match, or just both? It was hard to tell sometimes who was happier with my birthday gift, myself or Dun, but it was clear he adored fighting on it.
The smooth surface of it is certainly nicer than the sand. Cooler too - even with the hot sun beating down on it, the battlefield maintains an even temperature that's only impacted by Moves. Even most of those, except for terrain Moves and the like don't last long, the field 'resetting' to base conditions over time. It's a marvel of engineering and I can still barely comprehend how all of it works.
Alongside the actual Battlefield, I got a hefty guidebook detailing its construction and how it worked. Most of any potential issues that could crop up the book said to call an engineer to fix, but I was tempted to try myself (even if I knew given how sturdy it was that it would take a lot of use for something to go wrong accidentally).
"Dun, I'd like you to use Tailwind to help Notch keep up with Gligar for the next part of their training, and to keep an eye on them as I check in with Miles." My starter nodded dutifully, even though I knew it couldn't have been his favorite job in the world. For her part, Gligar slumped a bit, recognizing that with the Tailwind boost, she'd have to work to avoid Notch landing a physical Move on her.
"After that's done, I think we might wrap up before dinner with a little two v. one. Dun versus Notch and Gligar."
"Dun dun dun," the land snake grinned viciously, while Gligar hissed in fear. She's learned to watch out for my starter. Well both of them have really, but it's hard to get a read on Notch. Even now they just stared at me, not reacting to the announcement at all.
With those two in good hands (or rather wings?) I went over to Miles. They were in their Wash Form, firing out jets of water into the ocean. There were no aquatic Pokemon nearby, however, and for good reason, as I saw one of the blasts make a large patch of ocean water around where it hit bubbled, steam rising above it.
"The new Drive the company gave you working well?" I asked, to which I got a cheerful buzz from them. They opened their washing machine front door to let out a far larger blast of cold water chilling down the water temperature before raising the hose that floated out the back and firing a scorching hot jet of water out of that.
Not all the ideas I pitched worked perfectly, but this one honestly worked even better than I thought. Miles has gained Scald in this form without even losing Hydro Pump! The theory the 'egghead squad' came up with is part of why it's so easy to add on is due to how regular washing machines can run hot or cold loads.
The experiments with Refrigerator eventually turned into a straight-up ice machine and snow blower. They weren't all bad, giving access to Hail and Snowscape, but unfortunately, they lost Blizzard in the process. Drone and Radio Forms still needed work, but I was happy to see some results already.
A crunching sound behind me drew my attention, and I pivoted to see that Notch had landed a nasty hit on Gligar's right-wing, grounding the FlyScorp Pokemon. If it's not one thing, it's another. "Hang on a moment," I called out, pulling a Potion from my bag.
***
Dinner proceeded as usual (Gligar needed three Antidotes and still nearly puked from the poisonous energies the Orb leaked out and Notch nearly sent a piece of Iron they were supposed to be eating through a window when their Psychic control slipped), with Arven regaling myself and my parents about a local youth soccer team he joined.
That's nice for him. I remember playing soccer when I was a kid in my old life, all the way to a young adult. It was fun, even if I never got very far with it. Not something I have time for here though, not with all my training. Speaking of that…
"You know Arven," I said sweetly, turning to the boy across the table as I finished my dinner. "We haven't done enough training recently."
"O-oh. I hadn't noticed," he said nervously, his green eyes not meeting mine as his gaze darted around the dining room as if looking for an escape.
"Yeah, it's been a shame, Dun and Miles have been a bit too strong for Maschiff… but luckily I've got two new Pokemon that he could play great with." The dog in question raised his head up from behind the table giving me a plaintive whine that I ignored. "Plus, Cyan is coming over for some training soon, so you can warm up against her."
Arven slumped as he heard me talking about this like it was a done deal. Billy and O'Nare cheered it as 'such fun' and made sure to ask me to let them know about future times my sister would be coming over. They must be missing her as well. Even if they're busy with their work and wouldn't have much time to see her, a few texts and emails a day aren't the same as seeing someone in person.
We left for the beach to see Cyan descending from the Flying Taxi. "C'mon, hurry up!" The white-haired girl called out, seeming just a tad manic. "We've only got a few hours of training before I have to go back."
"Are you alright?" I asked, a little concerned at how she was acting, which is why I was surprised when she ran forward and wrapped her arms around me. "Oh." Surprised, I made sure to hug her tight. "What's wrong?"
"'M fine, I guess. Just…" She disentangled herself from me. "I thought it would be fun, to have so many other kids to hang around. We always just had our tutors but never got to make friends. The people at Uva though, they're mean."
Arven gasped beside me as if that was the biggest accusation one could make, which surprised me until I remembered that he was eight. Cyan, for all her maturity, is only thirteen too. Still, I wonder if this is a sign of the bullying that would become rampant in a few years. "Not to sound like a cliche, but did you talk to the teachers about it?"
My sister nodded. "The teachers didn't care at first. It was fine at first, I was just getting used to things, but then this group of girls led by Mindy," she said the name with such venom I did a quick check to make sure she hadn't become part Seviper. "She started teasing me and calling me names, hating me just because of our family! Which was the only reason why the teachers cared when I eventually brought up my name."
Sighing, she looked out at the ocean. "Now they leave me alone, but everyone does. The rest of the kids won't talk to me and they'll still make comments in the hall, anything deniable they can say to make digs at me. Like how 'rich kids might start with powerful Pokemon, but they never get far in the Gym Challenge.'"
"And you want to prove them wrong. Well, it probably won't solve your issues with the other kids," I warned. She set her fiery gaze on me and shook her head.
"Maybe not, but it's a good sign of your commitment and drive regardless. And I just want to show off to them. I want to get five badges in my first Treasure Hunt!" She declared boldly. "I know you could do something like that easily, so will you help me?"
"Of course! I'll turn you and Arven into powerhouses the likes of which the world has never seen!"
"Leave me out of this," the boy moaned, unable to free his wrist from the iron-like grip I had it in. He had tried to escape during my talk with my sister but ~~prey~~ friends couldn't get away from me that easily!
"First off, let's release your Pokemon and start them with some warm-up exercises. Then we'll go over your strategies for taking on the gyms." Cyan released her three Pokemon, Popplio, and her newly given Quaxly from Uva were released on the Battlefield, while Horsea was let out in the water not so far away.
I released all of my team, directing Miles to keep an eye on Horsea in the water. I doubt she's in too much danger there, but if any of the ocean Pokemon tried to start a problem, Miles could deal with it. It does raise another issue, however.
Popplio and Quaxly were set to run laps around the arena while Horsea swam a small circuit in the ocean. Maschiff already had some training, so I told him to run on the beach for more resistance. "Alright, let's talk about the biggest hurdle first: You're a Water Type specialist."
"Is that a bad thing?" My sibling tensed up a bit, suddenly nervous.
"No, but it does present a slight problem in Gym Battles. Except for Water Type Leaders, most Gyms only have to have small sections of water on their arena. This limits the movements of some of your team." Looking out on the field, I saw that the blue-and-white duck-like Pokemon Quaxly was starting to outpace Popplio, despite her starter having been with Cyan longer.
"Even Water Types that can go on land like Popplio are going to be slower than they would be in the water, only a few like Quaxly will be just as fast."
The teenager grimaced. "I've heard rumors that Kathy is super tough to face too."
"Oh? I thought you'd go up against Brassius first since he has a Type advantage and all. Good on you for saving him for last."
My statement confused her because she frowned, and Arven chimed in with the same confusion. "Wait, why would she be facing Brassius last? And why is it better to face a Gym Leader with Type advantage early on?" As I turned to face him he mumbled "Thought that it would be tough to handle a Gym Leader with Type advantage when you don't have the Moves or experience to deal with it."
"You're absolutely right! Unfortunately, Gym Leaders get tougher at higher levels too. Facing an Eighth Badge Gym Challenge is always going to be tough, but it becomes incredibly tough when they have the edge on you. If you haven't had much practice then facing them early on can be like running headfirst into a wall and block out a lot of young Trainers, but with a bit of work they're like a small hurdle to hop over. Really, just having a coverage Move clears a ton of the challenge for the first badge."
"So, what should I do to beat my first Gym Leader, Brassius?" Cyan said without a hint of joking in her voice.
"Noooo! You were supposed to be the chosen one! Face on the greatest challenges rather than take the short and easy path!" My wails were cut off by my older sister poking me in the forehead.
"Dolt. If anyone is the 'chosen one' it's you. I just want to get as many badges as possible and shut up those girls at school. Now tell me how to win!" She demanded.
"Ugh. Well, there's no guaranteed strategy to win a Gym Battle or everyone would do it." Or rather, any strategy that does exceptionally well gets patched up by the leaders. However, if she's looking for a strategy designed to win as much as possible… With a sigh, I admitted: "You should face Brassius then backtrack through Mesagoza to face Kathy."
"Usually, most students start out in Mesagoza and loop around one way or the other across Paldea to complete the Gym circuit." Left unsaid in my explanation was that few Trainers actually made it all the way through on a loop. Which is part of why I think Paldea has fewer top tier Trainers - the Treasure Hunt style 'circuit' simply gives less time to take on the Gyms than other regions' circuits, even if theoretically our Gyms are open all year round.
Continuing to address my sister's question I said. "Brassius has only been the Gym Leader for a couple months, and he almost always has a Sudowoodo he Terastalizes into a Grass Type on his first Badge challenge. Your Water Types can force out that Terastalization early. With only two Pokemon for most of that level challenge, you can use Popplio and Quaxly who can both walk on land, and both learn Moves that Grass Types are weak to."
"As for Kathy, she's not quite as new, having trained under Kofu and having a year of experience already. Still, she'll be less used to the nuances of a second Badge challenge than a first, since most of the people that have faced her were first badge challenges, or were much later ones. She's likely to err on the side of caution and use a slightly lower challenge than she might otherwise."
Both Arven and Cyan were looking at me wide-eyed as I finished, my sister even having whipped out a pen and paper and jotting down notes. "Whoa, how do you know so much about Gyms and the like? I get that you're a battle freak but this is something else." Before I could answer she cheered "With this the Gyms are going to be super easy!"
Shrugging I responded "It's just a lot of analysis of different battles, and don't think it'll make every win easy - all Gym Leaders are tough."
"Where do you find all those battle videos?" Arven inquired.
"Poketube. Almost all Gym leaders post videos online of the different challenges they give." Though they tend to post challenges a few months out of date, changing up basic strategies every so often. But most Gyms gather large crowds who watch in person so you can find lesser quality but more accurate footage with a bit of searching there and on Forums like Pokemon Trainers Online.
I continued. "Plus, I hear some stuff from Hassel. Oh, speaking of which, make sure to say hi to Brassius from me. He's Hassel's friend, the one who critiqued our comic."
"He's that artist friend Hassel had? Huh." Cyan commented while Arven just looked a little lost.
"But back to the training - having a solid strategy for the future means nothing if you can't utilize it. We need to work on the strength of your team's Moves, and ways they can leave large sections of water on the field for Horsea to use. She'll be able to float once she becomes a Kingdra, but that's a long ways off."
With the warm-ups done, I started organizing the two children and eight Pokemon between us into their drills. "Here we go!"
***
"So this is Artazon," I commented as we stepped off the flying taxi by the southern entrance to the city. The barriers that defined it were more natural than man-made, with hills and cliffs rising along the sides guiding development inward.
The most notable trait of the city was how green it was. Even amidst a bunch of shops and stands in the center, there were massive flower beds and benches all around to let people appreciate the abundant nature around them. This extended to the roads, while some were brick, many others including some major pathways, were dirt paths, with large expanses of grass beside them.
Even the playgrounds had very nature-inspired designs, with flowers and vines painted on the sides of the wooden jungle gyms. Of course, the most prominent aspect of this was the new Gym Leader's latest art piece, 'The Surrendering Sunflora.' It was a statue carved of the named Pokemon, its body bending backward as if it cowered against some unseen force high above. I know from the games that it's supposed to be about Brassius' own struggles with his art, but I can see why people are currently speculating about it being some unknown Pokemon that's menacing the Sunflora.
The Gym Building was fairly easy to spot, the modern building sticking out like a sore thumb against the rest of the city's general architecture. It's taller than most of them too, with only the big windmill matching it for size nearby.
I was tempted to just head straight to the windmill, suspecting that Brassius would be hosting his battle in the arena in front of it, but since I couldn't spot him standing up there, I figured we had time to go to the official building. Plus I don't have an excuse to tell my parents why we'd go there first anyway. Not that I'd likely need an excuse, given how distracted they are.
The Glitterati couple were awed at the sights… of all the regular folks, doing regular things. Veggie dogs from a cart nearly left Billy hyperventilating, and I had to drag them along before we would waste too much time here. Cyan's match should be happening soon, she messaged us that she was just taking on the Gym Challenge.
She hadn't elaborated on what the challenge was, however, and my meta knowledge couldn't help me here. While Artazon had a thriving population of Sunfloras, both naturally and from the prior Gym Leader, Brassius hadn't made several Sunflora statues yet. In fact, there are quite a few empty spaces I can see around the city. No hedge maze, for one. I guess those must be places where some features the old Gym Leader built up were. I could see a few trainers measuring those plots and sketching the land out.
Stepping inside the Gym Building itself, I saw a number of citizens hanging around. Some were just there to watch the battles on the televisions inside, others were trainers (mostly students) waiting to challenge the leader, and a few others were people with requests to make of the Gym Leader.
Billy and O'Nare marched straight to the front of the line, and I followed in their wake, nervously stammering out apologies for my parent's actions. At the desk, Dad asked the receptionist
"Where is our daughter, Cyan? She's supposed to be battling the Gym Leader and we must see it."
"Excuse me, sir, but there were other people waiting-" the receptionist began, before a door leading to the back with 'staff members only' written on it, opened up. A green-haired man I'd seen once before in this life, and only over a screen in both lives appeared before us, dynamically striding forward.
"Mr. and Mrs. Glitterati? I'll be battling your daughter shortly, if you wish to watch, then follow me." He declared, stumbling for a second as he passed by my parents and saw me. "Ah, Nemona, it's good to see you as well."
We trailed after him, having to jog every so often myself to keep up with his brisk strides. "Good to see you too, Brassius. Congratulations on your artwork, and of course, on becoming a Gym Leader."
A soft chuckle came from the man. "I should be thanking you, the artwork you submitted to me helped inspire me to break me out of my creative rut. From there, it wasn't hard to take on greater challenges."
"You mean Hassel convinced you," I quipped, keeping my tone light even as my mind raced. Did I really-? No, no way. He would have become a Gym Leader regardless, with that same statue he made, even. I didn't impact that by sending him a few bootleg Spider-Man comics… probably. I can't be certain that this isn't earlier than he would have been Gym Leader, admittedly.
"Yes, Hassel did suggest this would be a good way to kick off my fresh start, and so far I have to agree. The challengers have already given me so many new ideas that I can barely keep up, especially with all the other duties calling to me as a Gym Leader." I couldn't see his face, but he waved an arm out at the scenery around us.
"Are the duties extensive? I noticed the Gym building was fairly large, even though you don't battle there."
He 'hmm'd.' "Somewhat. There's definitely been a learning curve. Most of the activity there is that of the Rangers, who use the upper parts of the building as a base. It gives them a place to stay when fresh out of the wilderness and helps us and the rest of the League coordinate with them if any situations should arise."
Huh. Hadn't thought of that, but it makes a lot of sense. The Rangers have alerts they send out to our phones every so often, for cases involving truly dangerous Pokemon nearby, or unusual situations. For more general updates on how things are going in the ecosystems beyond our little cities, having the Rangers connect with the Gyms would work well. Especially for if they need a bunch of proverbial firepower immediately, the Gym Leader can be on tap.
We reached the battlefield, a crowd already starting to gather around. Most of them were people native to the city, but there were a few tourists and enthusiasts from other cities. With the Treasure Hunt just starting, people knew that this was one of two Gyms that would be seeing tons of immediate attention, and many fans wanted to get the first scoop on who was going to perform well on this 'circuit'.
Brassius bid me farewell as he began getting in position, which entailed climbing up the windmill. The maroon jacket he wore must have a surprising amount of lean muscles because even with slightly jutting out bricks for a path up, it still appeared to be a tough climb.
My parents arrived, panting and out of breath from the brisk jog across the city. "Where did he-" O'Nare began to ask before she pointed at something on the other end of the field. "There!"
Turning around, I followed her gaze to see my sister, stepping up to the green arena, looking around confused. She was wearing a black checkered jacket over her Fall school uniform, the late Winter weather just brisk enough to justify it. Right as she saw us, her eyes widening in shock, Brassius leaped down, flipping through the air and landing in a three-point stance before the girl.
"Wh-what?!? Mom, Dad? What is going on? Nemona?!" My sister wailed, caught off-guard and trying to process all of this.
Our Parents decided to help by simply cheering Cyan on. "You got this! Show the world your Glitterati might!" "We love you, baby girl!" My sister just blushed, brushing the singular red lock of hair out of her face. The sound of Brassius' snapping whip brought everyone's attention back to him (though he didn't crack it anywhere near my little sister or else we would have had words).
"Miss Glitterati, are you ready to begin with your Gym Challenge?" He announced, his voice not raised but carrying loudly and clearly across the arena.
"I- yes! I'm ready to battle!" Her voice squeaked a little but there was a burning determination radiating off of my sister's Amber eyes. She drew her Pokeball and readied herself. Brassius stood up, mostly hiding a wince as his leg twinged. I guess jumping down like that isn't very kind on his knees, but he's probably fine. We see him doing that in the games, and that's years from now, so I guess he just gets tougher? Thank goodness for anime-tier bodies.
The Gym Leader and challenger took their places, each of them releasing their first Pokemon. Brassius revealed a small yellow and black sunflower seed-looking Pokemon, while Cyan chose her starter.
Popplio gave a proud cry as he slapped onto the arena, water already forming beneath his flippers. The Grass Type facing him shook their leaves dismissively.
"Let's begin!" Brassius declared, starting the battle. Cyan capitalized on this, her first command leaving her mouth almost before the Gym Leader had finished announcing the start.
"Aqua Jet!" Like that, Popplio was off, racing ahead with conjured water pushing him forward. A sharp note had his head surrounded by a bubble of water as he smacked into the Grass Type, knocking the small Pokemon up into the air.
"Good job keeping the initiative, but do you have the follow-up?" I questioned out loud. My voice was low, and with how focused my older sister was on the battle, I doubt she would have heard me even if I had been shouting, but she answered with her next move in any case.
Pointing up at the Sunkern in the sky, she shouted "Ice Beam!" Gathering pale blue energy in front of his nose, Popplio aimed at the falling seed. Just before they hit the ground, he unleashed the beam, and while Sunkern did their best to avoid the shot, lacking any means to maneuver mid-air, they were still hit by the ray of sheer cold, ice crystals coating their body.
"Hang on, Sunkern!" Brassius called out, and to my amazement, the weak Grass Type managed to tank the hit. They gave a defiant cry as they righted themselves from the fall, shivering as it was from the cold.
Brassisu proved he didn't get the position of Gym Leader for nothing, following it up with a quick "Grassy Terrain!" Sunkern scrunched up their tiny black eyes and green energy radiated out of them, hovering just over the ground. They let out a small sigh of relief as it had already begun to heal their wounds.
"Icy Wind, wipe it away!" Cyan called out, and Popplio spread his flippers out wide, waving them hard, whipping up the frigid wind that washed across the field. Sunkern winced as it was barraged by it, more ice crystals forming on them, and all around on the field. It wasn't enough to wipe away the terrain effect Sunkern had conjured, but I thought I saw it fluctuate for at least a moment.
Well, I could hardly stop her from getting TMs and using them if she wanted, but I'm glad about the compromise we reached about making sure Cyan helped Popplio master most of his natural Moves too. While it didn't quite work out here, having Icy Wind as well as Ice Beam offers more versatility and should be useful-
"Sorry miss, what were you muttering?" A boy about my age asked, pulling me out of my apparently out loud thoughts. Glancing over at him, I saw he was wearing glasses and the same uniform my sister was. He had brownish-orange hair and before I could answer he was turned back to the battle, excitedly gasping at some of the attacks my sister's starter was unleashing upon Brassius' Pokemon.
Ugh, some embarrassing, just call me Midoriya. Still, there's something wrong here. How is that Sunkern standing? I wasn't one to dismiss a Pokemon just for being unevolved, but Sunkern were noted for being especially weak before they evolved. There were other factors, like the Grass Type having decent speed in enacting some Moves, but just sitting there a lot of the time and not having the power I would expect from a Pokemon capable of weathering those Moves Popplio was using. In fact, he's not using any attacking Moves at all.
The answer came to me in a flash, and I opened my mouth to shout it out, to warn my sister, before I caught myself. No, she needs to win this on her own. I've given her all the training she needs, if she can't beat an Endure/Grass Terrain combo, that will be on her. I silently prayed that she would figure it out before he managed to pull off the Bide that he had been subtly building up.
Thankfully, she did, cutting off her attack just as the seed Pokemon started to glow. "Sing!" Popplio popped up on his tail and began belting out an enchanting melody, the words causing a light mist to spread out through the air.
As Sunkern launched itself through the mist at Popplio, their eyes almost instantly shut, the first of Brassius' Pokemon crashing into Popplio from the inertia, but with much less force than he would have otherwise been hit with. Before Popplio could fully take out his fallen foe, Brassius recalled them.
"Well done. You impressed me with your artistic skills, both before and during your Gym Challenge, but now I see you're a capable battler as well," he complimented Cyan.
My sister blushed at the praise. "Thank yo-"
"But now we will find out if your skills are truly avant-garde!" Brassius dramatically shouted, catching my sister off-guard. "Go, Sudowoodo!" From another Pokeball, he released a Pokemon that looked eerily like a tree. I knew better, however, and that the thin brown Pokemon with green orbs on its 'hands' was actually a Rock Type.
My sister knew that as well, which is why the first thing she called for was another Aqua Jet. The musical sea lion Pokemon slid across the ground like it was a waterslide, but before he could connect with Sudowoodo, the opponent split into two, identical copies staring him down.
Popplio crashed through the fake, popping it into smoke as he slid on by. Before he could regain his bearings, Brassius shouted "Substitute, again!" Another fake appeared, and then they split off again, forming more substitutes.
"Ahh! Where's the real one? I-" I winced as Cyan froze up, it was painful to see my sister acting like this.
You know the answer to this, we've practiced it! "C'mon, big sis!" I yelled above the crowd. "You can do this!!"
Her eyes snapped to focus. "Right! Popplio, Hyper Voice!" Once more Popplio lifted himself up on his tail, but this time his words were no melody, but a discordant screech.
The sound created watery waves in the air, washing over the field and crashing through all of the substitutes, as well as the real Sudowoodo itself. The ace of the first badge challenge wouldn't be bested so easily and quickly righted itself.
"Avant-Garde, truly! But allow me to show you the fruits of my passion as well, Terastalize!" Pulling out a Tera Orb, he tossed it over his Pokemon, where it broke open and crystals engulfed Sudowoodo. When they shattered, the Pokemon was a Rock Type no longer, with a crystalline sheen coating its body and crystal flowers in a crown above its head.
"Icy Wind, freeze him in his tracks!" The wind bit harshly into the new Grass Type before they managed to lift some rocks out of the ground and use them as a barrier.
"Whoa! She reacted to the Terastalization instantly!" The boy beside me commented, frantically typing some notes on his phone.
"She should, we've been practicing it for a long time." At the wide-eyed look behind his glasses, I added "I'm Cyan's sister, by the way. Nemona," I introduced myself.
"I'm Homha. This is so cool! I'm too nervous to battle Gym Leaders myself, but I love watching them. I can't wait to tell everyone online about this! I think she's going to go far."
I chuckled softly at that, not disagreeing in the slightest. She's come a long way, I thought as I saw Popplio level Ice Beams across the battlefield. Even as they were blocked by rocks and more stones were tossed at him, Cyan was unfettered.
"Aqua Jet through the rocks, then Ice Beam again!" Chaining Moves together for a combo, good. That saves on time in a battle and lets your Pokemon enact the strategy you need. From the flashing of Brassius' wild eyes, however, I saw that Artazon's Gym Leader was about to teach her the weakness of such tactics.
"When she breaks through, Wood Hammer!" Sudowoodo raced forward, its body wiggly weirdly with how tall it was with such stumpy legs. The oddity of its movements in no way weakened the power of its blow though, as it reared back, letting Popplio crash through the stone on a wave of water before hitting it with its arm. The arm was wreathed in thick green energy and came down like a hammer blow atop poor Popplio's head, sending the Pokemon sprawling.
Even Brassius grimaced a little, but he shook it off to say "Return your Pokemon and release your next- what?!" Everyone's attention was on Popplio, the small Water Type pushing himself back up. That would be surprising enough on its own, but he was also glowing.
In a flash, he grew drastically. His skin became a paler shade of blue, while the ring around his neck moved down to his torso, with several new rings joining it.
"Popplio…" Cyan breathed out, a grin slowly stretching across her face. "No, Brionne, Ice Beam!" Her evolved starter let out a cry of victory, unleashing a point-blank ray that burst out like a brilliant cone as it hit the Sudowoodo.
When we could blink our eyes clear of the icy mist that had exploded out from the field, the sight before us was of Sudowoodo trapped in a massive block of ice. There was silence, before slowly, Brassius started clapping.
"Congratulations Cyan. You have won, your first Gym Badge!" With that, the crowd went wild, and no one was cheering harder than me or our parents.
"Gee sis, how are you doing? We don't see each other nearly as much now that you're at school. Oh, calling to ask how I'm doing? Thanks, that's so kind of you-"
My sister cut me off, countering in an affronted tone "We talked just last week. Now, please will you help me train my Pokemon?"
I blinked, surprised by her sudden request. She hasn't mentioned anything like that in the past month she's been at Uva Academy. I wonder what changed? "Sure, I'd be glad to help. Just two questions: Aren't you stuck at the Academy and why are you suddenly looking to train up your team?"
She groaned "Ugh, don't remind me. The course load is super heavy at Uva. The teachers are trying to shove as much information as they can in our heads before we go out on our Treasure Hunt since that's basically a full term of class where we aren't guaranteed to be studying anything."
Maybe you shouldn't have filled up your schedule with so many courses then? She complains so much about me overworking, but I've seen every course she applied for. Uva was unusual in that it covered a vast age range, and had the aforementioned Treasure Hunt, so student schedules were far more flexible and varied than a Primary or Secondary school would have been in my first life.
Continuing, Cyan explained. "Mindy- well a bunch of other girls on my floor were talking about how much more successful they were going to be in collecting Gym Badges during the Treasure Hunt than me. Which is just ridiculous, she's just jealous that I did better on our chemistry paper than she did-" I tuned out the next part of her rant, well aware by now of how she could go on and on about little details like that.
"Alright, so you want to prove some mean girls wrong, I can get behind that. I could send you a training plan, but it would be better to see your Pokemon and train in person." I vigorously defended the advantages of guided training. Each pokemon has their own personal flaws which you then iron out slowly over time while bolstering their strengths.
Chuckling, my sister said: "You just want an excuse to show off your new battlefield to me again,huh?"
"Yup," I admitted shamelessly. It's so cool! I can't believe my parents got me a Conference tier battlefield for my birthday and had it installed while we were out on vacation! I mean, I can, in fact, canon Nemona had one in the game, which honestly was kinda weird just sitting there on the beach. "Huh."
"What's up?" Cyan inquired, making me realize some of my thoughts were slipping out loud.
"Just thinking up training plans," I fibbed, distractedly. It's odd, thinking about how something in the games might have felt odd in my last life but just feels awesome and perfect now. I guess it's just a sign of how I'm becoming a different person.
It was to be expected, everyone changed over time and circumstance, and I'd had plenty of changes to both. Some slight melancholy feeling still lingered, but I pushed it to the side to focus on my sister's new training, barely catching Cyan saying how she was going to cram her studies and skip dinner to take a quick flying taxi over in the evening. Then she hung up before I could chide her for skipping dinner.
"Rude," I said to myself. Technically, I was speaking to the Pokemon I had out with me, but…
Gligar was drifting along, upside down above the battlefield, completely tuning me out. Carbink on the other hand was floating a foot away from me, staring unblinkingly, with no sign they understood what I was saying.
Taking a step back, I clapped my hands together. "Alright! Cyan is coming over in a few hours, so let's try to get some good training in before then, how about it?"
The two newest Pokemon on my team seemed… at least interested in the thought of more training. "Let's practice some of the TMs I gave you. Notch," I said to Carbink, named after the mark on one of their ears (and a lack of resistance or reaction to any nicknames I offered). "Set up Reflect as quickly as you can. While Ace?" I tried, to Gligar's immediate disapproval. "Ok, we'll shelve that name for now. At the same time, you will attempt to break it with Psychic Fangs. Make sure to give them time to actually form the barrier, ok?"
She rolled her eyes and nodded as if I hadn't needed to tell her that three times in training so far. "After you two have done that enough to get tired, we'll switch with Notch attacking with Body Press while Gligar practices evasive maneuvers."
Both of them complained, Gligar shouting her name and stomping the ground hard enough to crack it, while Notch tilted slightly on their side. Given how little Notch emotes and how much Gligar overreacts, I feel like this is probably an equally large reaction from both of them. "We'll practice other things later!"
With the two of them still a little reticent, I explained. "Over dinner, Gligar can hold the new Toxic Orb, with a few Antidotes sprayed on her throughout the meal, while Notch can practice their Psychic control with the minerals they'll have. Good?"
They perked up quickly, with Notch's ears flapping up a little and Gligar… immediately latching onto Notch and sinking fangs covered in pink Psychic energy into their rocky body. "Dammit! What did I just say about waiting?!"
After a short lecture (to which Gligar did look at least a little chagrined, before eagerly switching back to her usual aggressive self), I watched their progress.
Notch was raising Reflect very quickly, able to surround themselves in a near-invisible barrier in a matter of seconds. The Move is very similar to Light Screen, which Carbink learns naturally and Notch already knows. They can almost summon Reflect as fast as Light Screen now, which will be good. Carbinks are naturally slow physically, but their minds are just as fast as any. Notch becoming capable of learning these mental Moves speedily will be a key factor in their success in battles, to make up for that issue.
Gligar herself had little issue keeping up even as her opponent used Moves at the speed of thought, however. Her natural speed let her zip around, twirling through the air before curving around and striking into Notch once more. Her small fangs ripped through the barrier surrounding the Rock Type and her attack left small gouges on Notch's body.
I've got to keep an eye on that, Notch doesn't understand self-preservation enough and has seriously pushed themselves in the past. Gligar is only piercing Reflect about seven times out of ten, and only half of the attacks break the barrier entirely, though she's getting good power out of the Move. That will be helpful for the future when she evolves.
Gligar could learn any of the fang Moves through Technical Machines, but she'd naturally learn all the elemental ones upon evolving into Gliscor. My hope was that Psychic Fangs would give her a good grounding in those attacks and also be something useful for the future.
My training method might have accepted using my family's money to its fullest, but I still had no desire to 'waste' any of it. Especially since my savings were massively depleted trying to get everything I needed to start our first round of training for my new Pokemon and to continue to up the power of my older companions.
Notch had been given more TMs to learn than I had expected after a bit of research had uncovered Body Press and what it could do. I only used Carbink in Gen 7, and they were great during my fairy mono-run in Ultra Sun, but a very defensive set-up Pokemon. Body Press is huge, giving us a way to leverage their incredible defenses. With that also came Iron Defense to make them even tankier, and thus hit harder. Reflect to round out the defensive barriers Notch could raise. Stealth Rocks for arena control, and finally Psychic, Notch's personal favorite.
I had nearly picked Dazzling Gleam in the checkout cart until Notch pushed my hand away repeatedly and made it clear there was a different Move they wanted to learn. It had still taken me some time to understand the fae Pokemon's intent, but after we went through the list of Moves they could learn, I eventually figured it out. In retrospect, it makes perfect sense that a Pokemon obsessed with wanting to gain hands would seek out a Move that lets them manipulate things telekinetically.
Psychic was a powerful Move, and would take a ton of practice for a non-Psychic Type to control it on a precise level, but I had faith in Notch. Glancing back at them, I saw the Fairy try to conjure up Reflect once more as Gligar dived down for an attack, but after half an hour of repeated assaults, the Psychic energy failed to manifest in time. Gligar clamped on and sunk her teeth in again, invoking a minute wince from Notch.
"That's enough!" I called out sharply. The two of them disengaged, awaiting my verdict. "Notch, keep your eyes open while making the barriers. A couple of times I noticed your eyes scrunched up a bit. That might help concentration, but in a fight, you'll need to keep your awareness on the battlefield. Otherwise, just keep working on the power of your Reflect, you've nearly got it mastered."
With the easy critique down, I turned to Gligar, standing patiently on the battlefield. "You're doing well with Psychic Fang, though I noticed you always latch onto the face before biting. Going for flyby attacks should improve your speed-" Seeing her shaking her head vigorously, I stopped.
"What's up?"
"Gligar! Lig. Ar ar." She said, mimed a swoop to open air, and then kicked with her legs.
"Oh, I see. A hit-and-run would slow you down or limit the power of the attack and you use your feet to kick off after landing on the foe to speed away." My guess was confirmed by her nod.
"Alright then, in that case, keep on latching but work to avoid landing on spots where the opponent has an easy time striking you back." Gligar gestured a pincer at Notch as if to say 'nuh-uh.' "Even Carbink's have natural defenses on their bodies. They can fire beams from the crystals on their bodies."
Gligar's eyes widened at that, whipping around to stare at her teammate. Notch closed their eyes and lifted their ears up in the approximation of a smile that I believed was far more sinister than it outwardly appeared.
"So for the future, when you latch on, try to avoid landing on the crystals on their body." With a shiver, she agreed. Not that Notch knows Power Gem yet, but it is a Move they're famous for.
"Also, just be careful about your partner while training," I lightly chided. Gligar looked downcast, a little guilty at that reminder of her last attack. "I understand your instincts will be to lunge in when you see a weakness, but you need to have the control to pull back if you see they're in danger."
"Li gar," she argued mildly. It was hardly as heated as our previous spats or disagreements, but it was clear she was still quite headstrong. With Notch it's the opposite problem, they won't speak up even if they're hurt or they think they have a better battle strategy or way to use a technique. Still, I should focus on the fact that both of them are improving in those areas, slowly but surely.
Speaking of that improvement, while I still couldn't understand Gligar nearly as well as I did Dun, I thought I understood the gist of her point here. "Yes, having drive is important in a battle, but with control, you'll be able to use the most of your power no matter what situation. If you let yourself get carried away, you could end up falling into a trap." Could also end up seriously hurting someone you don't want to hurt. Or maybe just someone I don't want to hurt, I've noticed those arguments don't work as well for her, and I have to focus on pragmatic reasoning.
Casting my gaze past the battlefield and over to the beach, I saw Dun and Miles practicing their own Moves perfectly, not needing my direct supervision at all. I know it's unfair to expect Pokemon I've barely known for a month to be as well-behaved and trained as them, but boy is this a lot more work. Still, I wouldn't trade my new friends for anything… even if they're driving me mental.
"Dun, come over here for a second!" I shouted, and they ceased slapping the waves with their tail, slithering over to my side. He looked eager as he slid over the battlefield. Happy with how his training is going, looking for a match, or just both? It was hard to tell sometimes who was happier with my birthday gift, myself or Dun, but it was clear he adored fighting on it.
The smooth surface of it is certainly nicer than the sand. Cooler too - even with the hot sun beating down on it, the battlefield maintains an even temperature that's only impacted by Moves. Even most of those, except for terrain Moves and the like don't last long, the field 'resetting' to base conditions over time. It's a marvel of engineering and I can still barely comprehend how all of it works.
Alongside the actual Battlefield, I got a hefty guidebook detailing its construction and how it worked. Most of any potential issues that could crop up the book said to call an engineer to fix, but I was tempted to try myself (even if I knew given how sturdy it was that it would take a lot of use for something to go wrong accidentally).
"Dun, I'd like you to use Tailwind to help Notch keep up with Gligar for the next part of their training, and to keep an eye on them as I check in with Miles." My starter nodded dutifully, even though I knew it couldn't have been his favorite job in the world. For her part, Gligar slumped a bit, recognizing that with the Tailwind boost, she'd have to work to avoid Notch landing a physical Move on her.
"After that's done, I think we might wrap up before dinner with a little two v. one. Dun versus Notch and Gligar."
"Dun dun dun," the land snake grinned viciously, while Gligar hissed in fear. She's learned to watch out for my starter. Well both of them have really, but it's hard to get a read on Notch. Even now they just stared at me, not reacting to the announcement at all.
With those two in good hands (or rather wings?) I went over to Miles. They were in their Wash Form, firing out jets of water into the ocean. There were no aquatic Pokemon nearby, however, and for good reason, as I saw one of the blasts make a large patch of ocean water around where it hit bubbled, steam rising above it.
"The new Drive the company gave you working well?" I asked, to which I got a cheerful buzz from them. They opened their washing machine front door to let out a far larger blast of cold water chilling down the water temperature before raising the hose that floated out the back and firing a scorching hot jet of water out of that.
Not all the ideas I pitched worked perfectly, but this one honestly worked even better than I thought. Miles has gained Scald in this form without even losing Hydro Pump! The theory the 'egghead squad' came up with is part of why it's so easy to add on is due to how regular washing machines can run hot or cold loads.
The experiments with Refrigerator eventually turned into a straight-up ice machine and snow blower. They weren't all bad, giving access to Hail and Snowscape, but unfortunately, they lost Blizzard in the process. Drone and Radio Forms still needed work, but I was happy to see some results already.
A crunching sound behind me drew my attention, and I pivoted to see that Notch had landed a nasty hit on Gligar's right-wing, grounding the FlyScorp Pokemon. If it's not one thing, it's another. "Hang on a moment," I called out, pulling a Potion from my bag.
***
Dinner proceeded as usual (Gligar needed three Antidotes and still nearly puked from the poisonous energies the Orb leaked out and Notch nearly sent a piece of Iron they were supposed to be eating through a window when their Psychic control slipped), with Arven regaling myself and my parents about a local youth soccer team he joined.
That's nice for him. I remember playing soccer when I was a kid in my old life, all the way to a young adult. It was fun, even if I never got very far with it. Not something I have time for here though, not with all my training. Speaking of that…
"You know Arven," I said sweetly, turning to the boy across the table as I finished my dinner. "We haven't done enough training recently."
"O-oh. I hadn't noticed," he said nervously, his green eyes not meeting mine as his gaze darted around the dining room as if looking for an escape.
"Yeah, it's been a shame, Dun and Miles have been a bit too strong for Maschiff… but luckily I've got two new Pokemon that he could play great with." The dog in question raised his head up from behind the table giving me a plaintive whine that I ignored. "Plus, Cyan is coming over for some training soon, so you can warm up against her."
Arven slumped as he heard me talking about this like it was a done deal. Billy and O'Nare cheered it as 'such fun' and made sure to ask me to let them know about future times my sister would be coming over. They must be missing her as well. Even if they're busy with their work and wouldn't have much time to see her, a few texts and emails a day aren't the same as seeing someone in person.
We left for the beach to see Cyan descending from the Flying Taxi. "C'mon, hurry up!" The white-haired girl called out, seeming just a tad manic. "We've only got a few hours of training before I have to go back."
"Are you alright?" I asked, a little concerned at how she was acting, which is why I was surprised when she ran forward and wrapped her arms around me. "Oh." Surprised, I made sure to hug her tight. "What's wrong?"
"'M fine, I guess. Just…" She disentangled herself from me. "I thought it would be fun, to have so many other kids to hang around. We always just had our tutors but never got to make friends. The people at Uva though, they're mean."
Arven gasped beside me as if that was the biggest accusation one could make, which surprised me until I remembered that he was eight. Cyan, for all her maturity, is only thirteen too. Still, I wonder if this is a sign of the bullying that would become rampant in a few years. "Not to sound like a cliche, but did you talk to the teachers about it?"
My sister nodded. "The teachers didn't care at first. It was fine at first, I was just getting used to things, but then this group of girls led by Mindy," she said the name with such venom I did a quick check to make sure she hadn't become part Seviper. "She started teasing me and calling me names, hating me just because of our family! Which was the only reason why the teachers cared when I eventually brought up my name."
Sighing, she looked out at the ocean. "Now they leave me alone, but everyone does. The rest of the kids won't talk to me and they'll still make comments in the hall, anything deniable they can say to make digs at me. Like how 'rich kids might start with powerful Pokemon, but they never get far in the Gym Challenge.'"
"And you want to prove them wrong. Well, it probably won't solve your issues with the other kids," I warned. She set her fiery gaze on me and shook her head.
"Maybe not, but it's a good sign of your commitment and drive regardless. And I just want to show off to them. I want to get five badges in my first Treasure Hunt!" She declared boldly. "I know you could do something like that easily, so will you help me?"
"Of course! I'll turn you and Arven into powerhouses the likes of which the world has never seen!"
"Leave me out of this," the boy moaned, unable to free his wrist from the iron-like grip I had it in. He had tried to escape during my talk with my sister but ~~prey~~ friends couldn't get away from me that easily!
"First off, let's release your Pokemon and start them with some warm-up exercises. Then we'll go over your strategies for taking on the gyms." Cyan released her three Pokemon, Popplio, and her newly given Quaxly from Uva were released on the Battlefield, while Horsea was let out in the water not so far away.
I released all of my team, directing Miles to keep an eye on Horsea in the water. I doubt she's in too much danger there, but if any of the ocean Pokemon tried to start a problem, Miles could deal with it. It does raise another issue, however.
Popplio and Quaxly were set to run laps around the arena while Horsea swam a small circuit in the ocean. Maschiff already had some training, so I told him to run on the beach for more resistance. "Alright, let's talk about the biggest hurdle first: You're a Water Type specialist."
"Is that a bad thing?" My sibling tensed up a bit, suddenly nervous.
"No, but it does present a slight problem in Gym Battles. Except for Water Type Leaders, most Gyms only have to have small sections of water on their arena. This limits the movements of some of your team." Looking out on the field, I saw that the blue-and-white duck-like Pokemon Quaxly was starting to outpace Popplio, despite her starter having been with Cyan longer.
"Even Water Types that can go on land like Popplio are going to be slower than they would be in the water, only a few like Quaxly will be just as fast."
The teenager grimaced. "I've heard rumors that Kathy is super tough to face too."
"Oh? I thought you'd go up against Brassius first since he has a Type advantage and all. Good on you for saving him for last."
My statement confused her because she frowned, and Arven chimed in with the same confusion. "Wait, why would she be facing Brassius last? And why is it better to face a Gym Leader with Type advantage early on?" As I turned to face him he mumbled "Thought that it would be tough to handle a Gym Leader with Type advantage when you don't have the Moves or experience to deal with it."
"You're absolutely right! Unfortunately, Gym Leaders get tougher at higher levels too. Facing an Eighth Badge Gym Challenge is always going to be tough, but it becomes incredibly tough when they have the edge on you. If you haven't had much practice then facing them early on can be like running headfirst into a wall and block out a lot of young Trainers, but with a bit of work they're like a small hurdle to hop over. Really, just having a coverage Move clears a ton of the challenge for the first badge."
"So, what should I do to beat my first Gym Leader, Brassius?" Cyan said without a hint of joking in her voice.
"Noooo! You were supposed to be the chosen one! Face on the greatest challenges rather than take the short and easy path!" My wails were cut off by my older sister poking me in the forehead.
"Dolt. If anyone is the 'chosen one' it's you. I just want to get as many badges as possible and shut up those girls at school. Now tell me how to win!" She demanded.
"Ugh. Well, there's no guaranteed strategy to win a Gym Battle or everyone would do it." Or rather, any strategy that does exceptionally well gets patched up by the leaders. However, if she's looking for a strategy designed to win as much as possible… With a sigh, I admitted: "You should face Brassius then backtrack through Mesagoza to face Kathy."
"Usually, most students start out in Mesagoza and loop around one way or the other across Paldea to complete the Gym circuit." Left unsaid in my explanation was that few Trainers actually made it all the way through on a loop. Which is part of why I think Paldea has fewer top tier Trainers - the Treasure Hunt style 'circuit' simply gives less time to take on the Gyms than other regions' circuits, even if theoretically our Gyms are open all year round.
Continuing to address my sister's question I said. "Brassius has only been the Gym Leader for a couple months, and he almost always has a Sudowoodo he Terastalizes into a Grass Type on his first Badge challenge. Your Water Types can force out that Terastalization early. With only two Pokemon for most of that level challenge, you can use Popplio and Quaxly who can both walk on land, and both learn Moves that Grass Types are weak to."
"As for Kathy, she's not quite as new, having trained under Kofu and having a year of experience already. Still, she'll be less used to the nuances of a second Badge challenge than a first, since most of the people that have faced her were first badge challenges, or were much later ones. She's likely to err on the side of caution and use a slightly lower challenge than she might otherwise."
Both Arven and Cyan were looking at me wide-eyed as I finished, my sister even having whipped out a pen and paper and jotting down notes. "Whoa, how do you know so much about Gyms and the like? I get that you're a battle freak but this is something else." Before I could answer she cheered "With this the Gyms are going to be super easy!"
Shrugging I responded "It's just a lot of analysis of different battles, and don't think it'll make every win easy - all Gym Leaders are tough."
"Where do you find all those battle videos?" Arven inquired.
"Poketube. Almost all Gym leaders post videos online of the different challenges they give." Though they tend to post challenges a few months out of date, changing up basic strategies every so often. But most Gyms gather large crowds who watch in person so you can find lesser quality but more accurate footage with a bit of searching there and on Forums like Pokemon Trainers Online.
I continued. "Plus, I hear some stuff from Hassel. Oh, speaking of which, make sure to say hi to Brassius from me. He's Hassel's friend, the one who critiqued our comic."
"He's that artist friend Hassel had? Huh." Cyan commented while Arven just looked a little lost.
"But back to the training - having a solid strategy for the future means nothing if you can't utilize it. We need to work on the strength of your team's Moves, and ways they can leave large sections of water on the field for Horsea to use. She'll be able to float once she becomes a Kingdra, but that's a long ways off."
With the warm-ups done, I started organizing the two children and eight Pokemon between us into their drills. "Here we go!"
***
"So this is Artazon," I commented as we stepped off the flying taxi by the southern entrance to the city. The barriers that defined it were more natural than man-made, with hills and cliffs rising along the sides guiding development inward.
The most notable trait of the city was how green it was. Even amidst a bunch of shops and stands in the center, there were massive flower beds and benches all around to let people appreciate the abundant nature around them. This extended to the roads, while some were brick, many others including some major pathways, were dirt paths, with large expanses of grass beside them.
Even the playgrounds had very nature-inspired designs, with flowers and vines painted on the sides of the wooden jungle gyms. Of course, the most prominent aspect of this was the new Gym Leader's latest art piece, 'The Surrendering Sunflora.' It was a statue carved of the named Pokemon, its body bending backward as if it cowered against some unseen force high above. I know from the games that it's supposed to be about Brassius' own struggles with his art, but I can see why people are currently speculating about it being some unknown Pokemon that's menacing the Sunflora.
The Gym Building was fairly easy to spot, the modern building sticking out like a sore thumb against the rest of the city's general architecture. It's taller than most of them too, with only the big windmill matching it for size nearby.
I was tempted to just head straight to the windmill, suspecting that Brassius would be hosting his battle in the arena in front of it, but since I couldn't spot him standing up there, I figured we had time to go to the official building. Plus I don't have an excuse to tell my parents why we'd go there first anyway. Not that I'd likely need an excuse, given how distracted they are.
The Glitterati couple were awed at the sights… of all the regular folks, doing regular things. Veggie dogs from a cart nearly left Billy hyperventilating, and I had to drag them along before we would waste too much time here. Cyan's match should be happening soon, she messaged us that she was just taking on the Gym Challenge.
She hadn't elaborated on what the challenge was, however, and my meta knowledge couldn't help me here. While Artazon had a thriving population of Sunfloras, both naturally and from the prior Gym Leader, Brassius hadn't made several Sunflora statues yet. In fact, there are quite a few empty spaces I can see around the city. No hedge maze, for one. I guess those must be places where some features the old Gym Leader built up were. I could see a few trainers measuring those plots and sketching the land out.
Stepping inside the Gym Building itself, I saw a number of citizens hanging around. Some were just there to watch the battles on the televisions inside, others were trainers (mostly students) waiting to challenge the leader, and a few others were people with requests to make of the Gym Leader.
Billy and O'Nare marched straight to the front of the line, and I followed in their wake, nervously stammering out apologies for my parent's actions. At the desk, Dad asked the receptionist
"Where is our daughter, Cyan? She's supposed to be battling the Gym Leader and we must see it."
"Excuse me, sir, but there were other people waiting-" the receptionist began, before a door leading to the back with 'staff members only' written on it, opened up. A green-haired man I'd seen once before in this life, and only over a screen in both lives appeared before us, dynamically striding forward.
"Mr. and Mrs. Glitterati? I'll be battling your daughter shortly, if you wish to watch, then follow me." He declared, stumbling for a second as he passed by my parents and saw me. "Ah, Nemona, it's good to see you as well."
We trailed after him, having to jog every so often myself to keep up with his brisk strides. "Good to see you too, Brassius. Congratulations on your artwork, and of course, on becoming a Gym Leader."
A soft chuckle came from the man. "I should be thanking you, the artwork you submitted to me helped inspire me to break me out of my creative rut. From there, it wasn't hard to take on greater challenges."
"You mean Hassel convinced you," I quipped, keeping my tone light even as my mind raced. Did I really-? No, no way. He would have become a Gym Leader regardless, with that same statue he made, even. I didn't impact that by sending him a few bootleg Spider-Man comics… probably. I can't be certain that this isn't earlier than he would have been Gym Leader, admittedly.
"Yes, Hassel did suggest this would be a good way to kick off my fresh start, and so far I have to agree. The challengers have already given me so many new ideas that I can barely keep up, especially with all the other duties calling to me as a Gym Leader." I couldn't see his face, but he waved an arm out at the scenery around us.
"Are the duties extensive? I noticed the Gym building was fairly large, even though you don't battle there."
He 'hmm'd.' "Somewhat. There's definitely been a learning curve. Most of the activity there is that of the Rangers, who use the upper parts of the building as a base. It gives them a place to stay when fresh out of the wilderness and helps us and the rest of the League coordinate with them if any situations should arise."
Huh. Hadn't thought of that, but it makes a lot of sense. The Rangers have alerts they send out to our phones every so often, for cases involving truly dangerous Pokemon nearby, or unusual situations. For more general updates on how things are going in the ecosystems beyond our little cities, having the Rangers connect with the Gyms would work well. Especially for if they need a bunch of proverbial firepower immediately, the Gym Leader can be on tap.
We reached the battlefield, a crowd already starting to gather around. Most of them were people native to the city, but there were a few tourists and enthusiasts from other cities. With the Treasure Hunt just starting, people knew that this was one of two Gyms that would be seeing tons of immediate attention, and many fans wanted to get the first scoop on who was going to perform well on this 'circuit'.
Brassius bid me farewell as he began getting in position, which entailed climbing up the windmill. The maroon jacket he wore must have a surprising amount of lean muscles because even with slightly jutting out bricks for a path up, it still appeared to be a tough climb.
My parents arrived, panting and out of breath from the brisk jog across the city. "Where did he-" O'Nare began to ask before she pointed at something on the other end of the field. "There!"
Turning around, I followed her gaze to see my sister, stepping up to the green arena, looking around confused. She was wearing a black checkered jacket over her Fall school uniform, the late Winter weather just brisk enough to justify it. Right as she saw us, her eyes widening in shock, Brassius leaped down, flipping through the air and landing in a three-point stance before the girl.
"Wh-what?!? Mom, Dad? What is going on? Nemona?!" My sister wailed, caught off-guard and trying to process all of this.
Our Parents decided to help by simply cheering Cyan on. "You got this! Show the world your Glitterati might!" "We love you, baby girl!" My sister just blushed, brushing the singular red lock of hair out of her face. The sound of Brassius' snapping whip brought everyone's attention back to him (though he didn't crack it anywhere near my little sister or else we would have had words).
"Miss Glitterati, are you ready to begin with your Gym Challenge?" He announced, his voice not raised but carrying loudly and clearly across the arena.
"I- yes! I'm ready to battle!" Her voice squeaked a little but there was a burning determination radiating off of my sister's Amber eyes. She drew her Pokeball and readied herself. Brassius stood up, mostly hiding a wince as his leg twinged. I guess jumping down like that isn't very kind on his knees, but he's probably fine. We see him doing that in the games, and that's years from now, so I guess he just gets tougher? Thank goodness for anime-tier bodies.
The Gym Leader and challenger took their places, each of them releasing their first Pokemon. Brassius revealed a small yellow and black sunflower seed-looking Pokemon, while Cyan chose her starter.
Popplio gave a proud cry as he slapped onto the arena, water already forming beneath his flippers. The Grass Type facing him shook their leaves dismissively.
"Let's begin!" Brassius declared, starting the battle. Cyan capitalized on this, her first command leaving her mouth almost before the Gym Leader had finished announcing the start.
"Aqua Jet!" Like that, Popplio was off, racing ahead with conjured water pushing him forward. A sharp note had his head surrounded by a bubble of water as he smacked into the Grass Type, knocking the small Pokemon up into the air.
"Good job keeping the initiative, but do you have the follow-up?" I questioned out loud. My voice was low, and with how focused my older sister was on the battle, I doubt she would have heard me even if I had been shouting, but she answered with her next move in any case.
Pointing up at the Sunkern in the sky, she shouted "Ice Beam!" Gathering pale blue energy in front of his nose, Popplio aimed at the falling seed. Just before they hit the ground, he unleashed the beam, and while Sunkern did their best to avoid the shot, lacking any means to maneuver mid-air, they were still hit by the ray of sheer cold, ice crystals coating their body.
"Hang on, Sunkern!" Brassius called out, and to my amazement, the weak Grass Type managed to tank the hit. They gave a defiant cry as they righted themselves from the fall, shivering as it was from the cold.
Brassisu proved he didn't get the position of Gym Leader for nothing, following it up with a quick "Grassy Terrain!" Sunkern scrunched up their tiny black eyes and green energy radiated out of them, hovering just over the ground. They let out a small sigh of relief as it had already begun to heal their wounds.
"Icy Wind, wipe it away!" Cyan called out, and Popplio spread his flippers out wide, waving them hard, whipping up the frigid wind that washed across the field. Sunkern winced as it was barraged by it, more ice crystals forming on them, and all around on the field. It wasn't enough to wipe away the terrain effect Sunkern had conjured, but I thought I saw it fluctuate for at least a moment.
Well, I could hardly stop her from getting TMs and using them if she wanted, but I'm glad about the compromise we reached about making sure Cyan helped Popplio master most of his natural Moves too. While it didn't quite work out here, having Icy Wind as well as Ice Beam offers more versatility and should be useful-
"Sorry miss, what were you muttering?" A boy about my age asked, pulling me out of my apparently out loud thoughts. Glancing over at him, I saw he was wearing glasses and the same uniform my sister was. He had brownish-orange hair and before I could answer he was turned back to the battle, excitedly gasping at some of the attacks my sister's starter was unleashing upon Brassius' Pokemon.
Ugh, some embarrassing, just call me Midoriya. Still, there's something wrong here. How is that Sunkern standing? I wasn't one to dismiss a Pokemon just for being unevolved, but Sunkern were noted for being especially weak before they evolved. There were other factors, like the Grass Type having decent speed in enacting some Moves, but just sitting there a lot of the time and not having the power I would expect from a Pokemon capable of weathering those Moves Popplio was using. In fact, he's not using any attacking Moves at all.
The answer came to me in a flash, and I opened my mouth to shout it out, to warn my sister, before I caught myself. No, she needs to win this on her own. I've given her all the training she needs, if she can't beat an Endure/Grass Terrain combo, that will be on her. I silently prayed that she would figure it out before he managed to pull off the Bide that he had been subtly building up.
Thankfully, she did, cutting off her attack just as the seed Pokemon started to glow. "Sing!" Popplio popped up on his tail and began belting out an enchanting melody, the words causing a light mist to spread out through the air.
As Sunkern launched itself through the mist at Popplio, their eyes almost instantly shut, the first of Brassius' Pokemon crashing into Popplio from the inertia, but with much less force than he would have otherwise been hit with. Before Popplio could fully take out his fallen foe, Brassius recalled them.
"Well done. You impressed me with your artistic skills, both before and during your Gym Challenge, but now I see you're a capable battler as well," he complimented Cyan.
My sister blushed at the praise. "Thank yo-"
"But now we will find out if your skills are truly avant-garde!" Brassius dramatically shouted, catching my sister off-guard. "Go, Sudowoodo!" From another Pokeball, he released a Pokemon that looked eerily like a tree. I knew better, however, and that the thin brown Pokemon with green orbs on its 'hands' was actually a Rock Type.
My sister knew that as well, which is why the first thing she called for was another Aqua Jet. The musical sea lion Pokemon slid across the ground like it was a waterslide, but before he could connect with Sudowoodo, the opponent split into two, identical copies staring him down.
Popplio crashed through the fake, popping it into smoke as he slid on by. Before he could regain his bearings, Brassius shouted "Substitute, again!" Another fake appeared, and then they split off again, forming more substitutes.
"Ahh! Where's the real one? I-" I winced as Cyan froze up, it was painful to see my sister acting like this.
You know the answer to this, we've practiced it! "C'mon, big sis!" I yelled above the crowd. "You can do this!!"
Her eyes snapped to focus. "Right! Popplio, Hyper Voice!" Once more Popplio lifted himself up on his tail, but this time his words were no melody, but a discordant screech.
The sound created watery waves in the air, washing over the field and crashing through all of the substitutes, as well as the real Sudowoodo itself. The ace of the first badge challenge wouldn't be bested so easily and quickly righted itself.
"Avant-Garde, truly! But allow me to show you the fruits of my passion as well, Terastalize!" Pulling out a Tera Orb, he tossed it over his Pokemon, where it broke open and crystals engulfed Sudowoodo. When they shattered, the Pokemon was a Rock Type no longer, with a crystalline sheen coating its body and crystal flowers in a crown above its head.
"Icy Wind, freeze him in his tracks!" The wind bit harshly into the new Grass Type before they managed to lift some rocks out of the ground and use them as a barrier.
"Whoa! She reacted to the Terastalization instantly!" The boy beside me commented, frantically typing some notes on his phone.
"She should, we've been practicing it for a long time." At the wide-eyed look behind his glasses, I added "I'm Cyan's sister, by the way. Nemona," I introduced myself.
"I'm Homha. This is so cool! I'm too nervous to battle Gym Leaders myself, but I love watching them. I can't wait to tell everyone online about this! I think she's going to go far."
I chuckled softly at that, not disagreeing in the slightest. She's come a long way, I thought as I saw Popplio level Ice Beams across the battlefield. Even as they were blocked by rocks and more stones were tossed at him, Cyan was unfettered.
"Aqua Jet through the rocks, then Ice Beam again!" Chaining Moves together for a combo, good. That saves on time in a battle and lets your Pokemon enact the strategy you need. From the flashing of Brassius' wild eyes, however, I saw that Artazon's Gym Leader was about to teach her the weakness of such tactics.
"When she breaks through, Wood Hammer!" Sudowoodo raced forward, its body wiggly weirdly with how tall it was with such stumpy legs. The oddity of its movements in no way weakened the power of its blow though, as it reared back, letting Popplio crash through the stone on a wave of water before hitting it with its arm. The arm was wreathed in thick green energy and came down like a hammer blow atop poor Popplio's head, sending the Pokemon sprawling.
Even Brassius grimaced a little, but he shook it off to say "Return your Pokemon and release your next- what?!" Everyone's attention was on Popplio, the small Water Type pushing himself back up. That would be surprising enough on its own, but he was also glowing.
In a flash, he grew drastically. His skin became a paler shade of blue, while the ring around his neck moved down to his torso, with several new rings joining it.
"Popplio…" Cyan breathed out, a grin slowly stretching across her face. "No, Brionne, Ice Beam!" Her evolved starter let out a cry of victory, unleashing a point-blank ray that burst out like a brilliant cone as it hit the Sudowoodo.
When we could blink our eyes clear of the icy mist that had exploded out from the field, the sight before us was of Sudowoodo trapped in a massive block of ice. There was silence, before slowly, Brassius started clapping.
"Congratulations Cyan. You have won, your first Gym Badge!" With that, the crowd went wild, and no one was cheering harder than me or our parents.
Cyan has earned her first Gym Badge! Most of her run is going to be glossed over what with her not being the main character and all, but I hope that was an enjoyable and informative snapshot of what it'll be like.
These next few chapters are going to cover a large chunk of time over the year before we get to Nemona's ninth birthday, so just know that some of it won't be perfectly in order with the previous chapters. I'm hoping to show you different little pictures of her life before we move on to the next big arc.
These next few chapters are going to cover a large chunk of time over the year before we get to Nemona's ninth birthday, so just know that some of it won't be perfectly in order with the previous chapters. I'm hoping to show you different little pictures of her life before we move on to the next big arc.
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- Location
- Somewhere in the world
Very cool chapter !
It's good to see that Nemona is not keeping her methods to herself, but is very willing to help the people close to her. I'm expecting Cyan to go far on her first circuit, and that she will gain a love of battling to rival a bit her sister.
Thanks for the chapter, and have a nice day !
It's good to see that Nemona is not keeping her methods to herself, but is very willing to help the people close to her. I'm expecting Cyan to go far on her first circuit, and that she will gain a love of battling to rival a bit her sister.
Thanks for the chapter, and have a nice day !
The New Mask
New
- Location
- Vancouver
Here's what I would say are the 'stats' of Ogerpon's new mask (sorry I forgot to put it in at the end of the Kieran update):
Highflying Mask
- Gives Ogerpon the Flying/Grass Type when held
- Turns Ivy Cudgel into a Flying Type Move
- Gives Ogerpon the Super Luck Ability
- Increases all damage she deals by 20% (like all the other masks do)
- When she Terastalizes, she becomes a Flying Type and gains the Embody Aspect Ability instead of Super Luck, raising her Evasion by one stage.
Highflying Mask
- Gives Ogerpon the Flying/Grass Type when held
- Turns Ivy Cudgel into a Flying Type Move
- Gives Ogerpon the Super Luck Ability
- Increases all damage she deals by 20% (like all the other masks do)
- When she Terastalizes, she becomes a Flying Type and gains the Embody Aspect Ability instead of Super Luck, raising her Evasion by one stage.
Dopplerdee
Accident Prone(Yes the caps are necessary)
- Location
- Happy Place
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I'm wondering when Nemona is gonna do her gym run.
Neat.
An evasion increase is just mean. Also, I'm pretty sure that Super Luck bumps the crit rate of Ivy Cudgel to ¼ since it already has an improved crit rate. The four times ice weakness is definitely painful but terrastallizing to flying would knock that down to ×2...
"DID SOMEBODY SAY 'RAISING EVASION'?"
(context for people who haven't played Colosseum:
Justy's entire team spams Double Team.
No one likes Justy.)
- Location
- Michigan
I am curious what Ogerpon's ability would be without any mask, grass=defiant, fire=mold breaker, rock=sturdy, water=water absorb, I think that Moody would be an interesting pick if not even wearing the Teal Mask that is considered the default in-game, it would even play into the embody aspect ability boosting a single stat, the masks give a new ability and immediate boost and terastalizing gives a single boost to a predetermined stat rather than the random boost and drop that moody provides.
I could also see Contrary as an ability to take advantage of Superpower, though I would probably tie it into a normal type mask based on the traditional Tragedy/Comedy masks, possibly have it split between them horizontally to have one the left and right sides show the two opposites mirroring each other, could have the embody aspect ability be a healing effect(presumably one time at terastalization like using Recover but maybe upgraded to add leftovers or shell bell like healing after exposure to terastalized Terapagos due to Terapagos' base type also being normal)
I could also see Contrary as an ability to take advantage of Superpower, though I would probably tie it into a normal type mask based on the traditional Tragedy/Comedy masks, possibly have it split between them horizontally to have one the left and right sides show the two opposites mirroring each other, could have the embody aspect ability be a healing effect(presumably one time at terastalization like using Recover but maybe upgraded to add leftovers or shell bell like healing after exposure to terastalized Terapagos due to Terapagos' base type also being normal)
Chapter 41
New
- Location
- Vancouver
Tightening my belt one last time, I stepped out of the changing rooms and into the massive auditorium. I wonder what they use this place for when they aren't hosting national martial arts tournaments?
"Hey! Looking good Nemona!" Dendra called out from across the room, waving at me from the bleachers. Jogging over, I dodged around the other competitors getting ready and idling about on the outskirts of the tournament mats. None of the matches had started yet, but there was some unspoken tension in the air driving most of the children away from those arenas.
Each of us is waiting for this moment, to test ourselves and see how well we can do. If we've honed our bodies enough to- eww is that kid picking his nose with his finger? Oh god, he ate the booger, eww eww eww. Really hope I don't have to spar against him, I know we'll be wearing gear, but still.
So, not everyone was taking it quite as seriously as I was, but there was still a general feeling of excitement in the air. Especially from my 'fans'. I picked up the pace as Mom started cheering beside Dendra, somehow even louder and more enthusiastic than the teenager.
"I'm really glad you're here Mom, but you can probably save the cheering for when I'm actually in the ring," I said as I reached them.
"Oh, but you look so adorable in that 'gee.' Besides, with your father unable to make it I have to cheer twice as hard for the both of us." O'Nare countered and I consciously refrained from sighing. She's like this because she cares- well, no. She's like this because she's weird, but she shows support (however unusually) because she cares.
"Osu! She does look great in her gi," Dendra said, subtly correcting my mother's mispronunciation. "How ya feeling, champ?"
"Like I'm not the champ," I deadpanned, waiting for a beat to add: "Not yet, at least."
"Haha! That's the spirit." The older girl was excited, though with my quick eyes, I did pick up on how her gaze would dart down to my new green belt.
We've been training for over a year now, but given the master-apprentice style training we've been doing, we never focused on ranks before I entered this tournament. I actually had to talk her into giving me this belt rather than entering as a White Belt. Not that she needed a ton of convincing to accept that I was a cut above the beginner class. She needed a bit more for Green, since with how the competition range worked, this meant I could be facing other kids up to Brown Belt level, the level before Black Belt.
Gazing out at the other martial artists, seeing some of them practicing and stretching, I wondered how many of them were appropriately judged. In my world I know some schools would deliberately under-rank fighters for tournaments like this, just to try and win prizes, I'm curious how much of that is true here. Generally, I find this world to be so much kinder and more honest than my old one but… people are still people, and some are still willing to act cutthroat and cheat for a tiny bit of prestige, no matter the universe.
"We've got fifteen minutes before the matches start, let's get that blood pumping! Osu!" Dendra snapped me out of my thoughts, releasing her Meditite. The Psychic Type ran me through some of the stretches I knew by heart, but the familiar practices helped calm me down.
Touching my Aura helped calm me down, felt like lifting any burdens I held and tossing them aside like I could float on air. Which, I could. I made sure not to do so here, however. Good way to get accusations of cheating tossed around. Aura may not be widespread knowledge but Psychic powers are. Also, I don't think most of these kids know how to actively use their Auras.
Unconscious use was common enough amongst fighters, or even just very physically active people in this world, so I didn't try to fully tamp down on my Aura.I could do that, and it honestly felt odd and a little unsettling, both in how much weaker I was and how my senses were dulled, but also in that it felt like I was trying to hold my soul separate from my body. For this tournament, I just held the sense of it being there, feeling it without guiding the force in any way.
It helped settle my nerves, which was a good thing because there were delays, so the tournament took closer to thirty minutes than fifteen to start. Eventually, a slender woman in a sharp business suit stepped onto the middle of the floor, microphone in hand. "Welcome, competitors, friends, family, and fans, to the 137th annual Paldean Youth Karate tournament. I am Hannah So, and I'll be your announcer for the day."
There was a round of polite applause before she continued, outlining the different events. There were form and weapon rounds, and the different sparring divisions, divided by age and belt level. I'd be competing in the Green to Brown Belt under twelve divisions.
The brackets were posted up and I saw my name as the second match and began putting on my gear. The rules mandated us kids wear helmets, mouth guards, gloves, and footguards. The gloves were pretty light, with open fingers and padding that covered the wrist, going over the knuckles. The footguards were a bit like foam shoes without a sole and extended up the leg to cover just below the knees. All my protective gear (save the clear mouthguard) was black and shiny.
Longer hair sure is a hassle, I thought as I pulled my ponytail through a small hole in the back of my headgear. Maybe I should cut it? I don't have to keep with Canon Nemona's hairstyle, do I? I hope no one thinks I'm completely new just because of the gear and me not having participated in any of these before. The extra height from the growth spurt I'd recently had was appreciated, but the new rounds of clothing shopping weren't.
"It's over, three points for Lilah Evergreen!" The announcer called and I turned my eyes to the middle arena where that fight was taking place. A girl about my age stood victorious over a boy a year or two younger whom she had tossed down. The referee made sure the fighting stopped and motioned for each competitor to bow to each other, which the boy did slightly more begrudgingly after standing up than his victorious counterpart. Then they cleared the arena and it was my turn.
"Wish me luck," my voice was slightly muffled behind my mouthguard, but they both understood me. Mother jumped to cheer for me again, dusting my cheeks crimson. You can at least wait till the fight begins!
Dendra just said, "Break a leg, Osu!"
"Isn't that for actors?"
"Why would an actor need to shatter a tibia?" The confused martial artist asked, and I groaned, not sure if she was playing me or if she truly didn't get that saying.
I was saved from having to find out by my name being called, and so I walked up to the stage, directed to one corner by the referee. On the opposite side my opponent, 'Bill Watkins' stepped up to the stage.
"You're kidding me. You're under twelve?" Possibly a bit rude of me to ask, but he's like six feet tall! The 'boy' in question simply nodded, then after a second in a deep voice added: "I turned twelve right after the check-in last week."
Right, I remember that. It went by pretty fast, just a standard registration, and check for the weight ranges for some of the older divisions too. Something we unfortunately don't have here.
He was quite broadly built as well, and while it was hard to tell underneath his black gi, from the few signs I could see he was quite muscular as well, especially around his upper half.
I should aim for the legs then, those are likely his weakest area. I'd been unsure about the matches being point-based, but it might just work out in my favor now. If he's just a really big kid, he might not be that well-trained, his teacher's just relying on intimidation- The announcer's voice cut through my thoughts, dashing my hopes. "Our second match, we have the independent Nemona Glitterati versus the reigning champion, Bill Watkins of Eden Martial Arts!"
Behind Bill, a man with a tuft of hair and an eyepatch over his right eye, and a jagged scar enthusiastically cheered his student on. Spurred to action, I could hear my Mother and Dendra cheering just as hard for me.
The referee called the two of us to our marks, each of us giving a bow to him and then to the other. With that done we each took a stance, getting ready. Bill's stance placed his guard a little low, though given the size difference between us, it was probably a smart call. Could I strike at his face? Maybe, but not accurately or fast enough that he wouldn't block. I'll need another strategy.
The bell rang and the time for strategizing was over, the large boy moving in slowly. He sent a few punches my way, each powerful and clean, but no true commitment behind them. Doing the same myself, we tested each other out. Eventually, I went for a roundhouse kick against his thigh, only for him to catch it with a meaty palm.
With a chuckle he lifted my leg, likely figuring I'd be caught off guard or that he could throw me. Instead, I used it, letting him support my weight as I lifted my other foot and snapped it straight up, bypassing his guard and smashing the ball of my foot into his jaw.
He immediately dropped me and I broke my fall on instinct, slapping my arms palm down against the ground. Rolling back up, the referee called the point in my favor, stepping in between us and waving us back to our sides. Bill rubbed at his chin as best he could through his helmet, eyes watering a little.
He took a moment to shake it off, and once we both confirmed we were ready to begin again, the signal was given and he was back at it. This time he rushed in, sending a flurry of blows at me from every angle. Blocking as best I could, I tried to avoid letting him box me in, but that just led to taking heavier shots, his longer reach was able to compensate for any evasive maneuvers I pulled off. My arms are going to have some nice bruises after this, I winced as his punches hammered into me.
He wound up for a haymaker to finish up his combo, and I saw my opening. Ducking my head slightly I raised one arm and lowered the other, going for a double punch, one aimed at his head and one aimed at his body. In truth, only the body one had power behind it, but I hoped the head strike would get his attention.
Instead, he pivoted and moved his feet rapidly, changing what would have been an overhand strike into a straight that slipped past my guard and rocked my head back. Blinking back stars, I dimly heard the referee call the point.
God, that guy hits like a truck. Resisting the urge to 'shake it off' (fearing it would only make my throbbing head hurt worse), I calmed myself down, taking some deep breaths and refocusing. That stung, now it's time to get my head back in the game.
The next round was similar to the prior. I met him back with more aggression this time, but it just led to my bones getting rattled further. Striking low with a kick he simply backed up, avoiding the roundhouse and rushing in while I was turned. Spinning around with the force, I moved to meet him with a spinning back-kick.
Bill grabbed me by the ankle and roughly threw the leg aside, showing he had clearly learned from last time. Pulling back for a punch I raised my arms up to block on instinct… and he smashed my guts with the other hand.
Breath escaped me as I doubled over. My opponent was already walking away as the point was called. Swallowing back some bile, I slowly uncurled, nodding to the referee as he asked if I was still able to fight. Not entirely sure about that, to be honest, but- no, I'm not giving up here. I'll see it through to the end, even if I lose.
Calling on my Aura I centered myself, feeling slightly rejuvenated. It's no Roost, but it helps. If I used it more, I might- no, I don't need this to win. I'm not the best at 'seeing' Aura, but I think I could feel it if Bill had some significant power here. He's bigger and stronger than me, I can deal with that.
The referee asked again if I was fine to continue and I nodded sharply, getting back to my spot, an idea in mind. The bell rang once more, and this time I took the initiative, rushing in with my flurry of straight punches. Though deceptively simple, the sheer rush of very fast attacks caught Bill off-guard, especially with my 'combo' showing no signs of ending.
Pushed back, the large boy tried to pivot into a hook punch to get around my onslaught. In response, I instantly gave up on the punches, dropping low. Placing one hand around the heel to prevent him from stepping back, I rammed my shoulder into his knee. With nowhere left to go, Bill toppled backward, arms flailing outwards as he did so. With a vicious grin on my face, I rolled myself forward, over his body to lie half-sprawled on his torso, arm cocked back. Letting loose, I struck the still-dazed boy in the face.
"Break!" The referee called, pulling me off of him. 2 - 2, all tied up. This is the last point, either way.
"You can do it, Nemona!" "Go get him! Show that big dumb jerk what you're made of! Break his face!" The cheers behind me brought a smile to my face, and I readied myself. Can't let them down in my first match.
We squared up, circling around each other for a quarter of a minute, slight shifts in our stances countered by the other, before on a shared impulse, we each moved in. His punches were as fast and strong as ever, so I moved to deflect them, trying to avoid taking them head-on as I maneuvered him around me. Given the differences in our weight, it was more me pushing myself around him, but it still served the job of getting me around him.
He was no slouch in defense himself, at one point catching a hook punch of mine with the edge of his wrist. From there he launched an open-palm strike at my head. Catching his arm with my blocked hand, I pulled his forearm down, diverting the blow and shifting my body to punch with my free hand. While I had opened up his guard somewhat, Bill's other hand was free to slap mine and transition into another punch, which I maneuvered around by circling my arm to push off against him.
Whenever I had an opening around him, I tried to strike past his guard, however, any punches or kicks I attempted to land were blocked or dodged, as he'd react to my new placement and shift around almost as soon as I moved there. Then I'd have to deal with his nearly overwhelming offense once again.
Both of us were sweating and breathing heavily as the announcer called that thirty seconds were left in the round. Forget what happens if we go to the end of time in a situation like this. Whatever, worry about that later. Bill was looking to wrap this up as well, my fellow competitor pulling back for a big swing.
Fool me thrice- well that ain't gonna happen! Rather than be deterred, I step in, pushing ahead to where the blow would come from. My guard was still up just in case he pivoted, but he didn't have any real power he could throw behind it. Instead, he switched into a cross from his other hand, which I weaved under, moving in closer. As I did so, I let my arm drop into a hanging punch that caught him in the gut with enough force to crack a brick wall.
He simply wheezed a little, taking a step back. What is this guy made of? I didn't have time to ponder that as the referee stepped in and both of us shifted back on reflex. It took me a moment to realize what the man was saying, and what it meant. I scored the match point… I won! I won the match!!
I caught myself as Bill bowed to me and quickly returned the same, making sure to bow low to try and show respect and make up for getting distracted. I didn't think he noticed as he swiftly turned away. He stoically marched away, brushing past his teacher and fellow students before collapsing in front of a giant man in the bleachers.
"I'm sorry Daddy!" My defeated foe cried out, his voice still eerily deep as he wailed. The man in question simply hugged his son tight, telling him he 'did a good job' and 'fought well.' Right, easy to forget that guy is somehow, only just twelve.
Awkwardly, I shuffled off the arena, returning to my Mother and Dendra. "Osu! That was incredible! What a passionate fight!" Dendra cheered, pumping her fists up. When she saw me grimacing lightly, she asked "What's wrong?"
"My head is a little sore," I said, slightly downplaying the throbbing pain I felt. My sensei wasted no time in helping me remove my helmet, pulling out an ice bag and pressing it against my head. A small hiss of relief escaped me as I held onto it.
"I can't believe the nerve of that boy! To strike you so hard, why I should-" Before my Mom could utter any threats I tried to wave her down.
"It's fine! He fought well, it was a clean match." Looking over I still saw him clutching his father, and I frowned. "I should go thank him for it." Quickly leaving, hoping it would defuse O'Nare's overprotective streak, I walked over to him.
With the mats being used for practice or events I had to walk all the way around, getting a look at some of the other competitors. Some of them are using some pretty advanced techniques, I noted as I passed by a girl flashing a blunted sword around, the blade flowing like a whip through the air. Off to the side, I saw an older teenage boy pulverizing a couple of cement blocks his teacher had placed between two wooden stands.
I wonder how many of them are using Aura, knowingly or not? It was a difficult aspect to measure. At least for me. Some of them more than others would radiate an ever-so-slight sense of 'danger', but unless I saw the person sitting down, I couldn't tell if it was my Aura telling me that or just environmental cues. Or even then if I'm not just imagining the feeling and there actually isn't anything 'special' about someone.
Finishing my long route around, I climbed up on the bleachers on the other side of the room, walking towards Bill and his father. The boy was still sniffling, but the father turned to face me.
"Is there a problem, ma'am?" He stood up as well, his towering height covering one of the lights high above and shadowing his face so it was hard to make out the details, though I could see that his buzzcut hair was short and gray, a slightly lighter shade than his son's.
Tone is standoffish but slightly deferential. Maybe an undercurrent of worry? Probably recognizes who I am/knows who my parents are. I dressed pretty casually, so often people wouldn't recognize me, or wouldn't connect the Glitterati name with two of the biggest companies in Paldea. Those who did either tended to act fawningly or nervously.
Adopting a bright, child-like grin I chirped "I just wanted to thank your son for an incredible match! This is my first tournament and what an awesome way to start it!"
Bill stopped sniffling at that and turned around to face me. "Thanks. You did very well too." Then after a few seconds, he bluntly tacked on. "You need more confidence."
Keeping the ice pack on my head, I nodded. "Yeah, that's fair. Still a little nervous about all of this." We fell back into silence and I wracked my brain trying to think of something else to say, to leave it less awkward than this. Since he offered me some unsolicited advice I can do the same, right? "You might want to work on dealing with opponents that get in close," I offered.
"I will! Not many kids our age are brave enough to rush in like that." Not brave enough, or not reckless enough? Either way, I let out a laugh and felt Mr. Watkins relax beside us. We happily chatted a bit more before I left, heading back to my side of the arena.
***
The following matches passed by far less eventfully. There were out loud wonderings about if my victory was simply luck, but those whispers quickly died down as I won match after match.
A few competitors gave me some struggles, but my unique style and more advanced strategizing skills usually backed them into a corner. A few got a point off of me, and the wiry boy, Miguel got two with an aggressive style that matched my Vertical Run and other strikes, but in the end, I managed to eke out a victory with a duck and sweep as he went for a high kick.
"How do you feel?" Dendra excitedly asked me after I stepped off the podium and received my (comically oversized) trophy. The teenage girl was bouncing around, joy radiating off of her. I smiled, more in response to her happiness than my own feelings.
It's nice to win, definitely. But after all that work I put in, I should be feeling on top of the world, right? And I'm just… proud of my achievement. Whatever's bothering me doesn't matter. "I feel great! Thank you so much, sensei. I couldn't have done it without you."
The introspection could wait, I decided as I adopted a broad grin and waved at the fans, chatting with some of the other competitors. A lot of the other kids were interested in what I learned, and while I didn't have many answers for them about my previous styles, I was able to point them toward Dendra.
My teacher was swamped with requests and excited demands from energetic martial artist kids, leaving her a little overwhelmed. Good. It'd be nice if she gets some more students. She had Tulip and myself, but she's been too lonely for too long.
O'Nare boldly strode through the crowd declaring "Ah, my daughter, you shone so brightly today! True Glitterati brilliance flowed through you! Unfortunately, even shooting stars must pass by, so we have to leave." Grabbing my hand, she gently pulled me forward, cutting a path through the throng of people.
"Thanks, Mom," I whispered to her once we were near the exit. She saw how I was feeling and gave me an excuse to leave.
"It wasn't a problem at all, my dear. You did remarkably today, oh I'm so proud of you," She said, hugging me tightly, which I returned. "Oof, so strong now. Our little girl is growing up so fast. I'll have to show your father the videos as well!"
"Send it to Cyan too. I know she's in the middle of school, but hopefully, she'll have time in between her classes."
"I'm sure she will- oh maybe she'll have time to pop by for dinner tonight and we can watch it as a family..." My mind drifted as my mother eagerly gushed about how great the tournament was. I'm glad I won, but I feel like something is... missing? I don't know, probably just tired.
***.
I did feel a little better after I got home and sent messages to all of my friends about the tournament. All of them had tons of encouragement and praise to shower me with, which felt nice. The full night's rest and a large breakfast the morning after helped, too.
Also, it's just nice to realize how many friends I have now. Arven, Friede, Amethio, Lacey, Carmine, and Kieran… When did I meet so many great people?
Tulip saw the trophy in person, the model coming over to my house for our next training session. "Very impressive, you did quite well."
"Thank Dendra, she's the one who taught me." For some reason, I thought I caught a flash of red on the model's cheeks. "Some of those blocks against Bill would have been impossible without all the training she gave me… why didn't she compete in this tournament?" I didn't think about it earlier, but she could have competed in the under-eighteen contests.
"The coaches aren't supposed to be competitors." Tulip shook her head. "Don't worry about it, she's had more than her share of victories there. I'd say I'm glad the bragging is done with, but now she just brags about you." The elegant teen had an airy tone, but the small upward curve of her lips belied the enjoyment she derived from Dendra's exuberance.
"Uhuh. So, what's next, teach?" There was an ever-so-soft sigh, unhearable by someone with normal perceptions. Likely caused by the fact that she can pierce whatever facade I put on and feel all the emotions behind it. Now she's looking at me sharply, no with an odd expression- she's reacting to me reacting to her reacting me. Aghh.
"I was going to say we should begin with your Aura Sight, but you feel unbalanced right now." She sat down on the edge of the cliff we had been standing on, overlooking the vast ocean that stretched out to the horizon. Usually, it would help, and I suppose it still does, a little. Just not enough to make up for the rest of the turmoil I'm dealing with.
A lesson I'd had beaten into me several times was not to try Auric Techniques when in the wrong headspace. Even if my time with Tulip was limited, she would shut down a lesson if I was trying to push when I shouldn't. Something I'm grateful for, even if it can be frustrating at the moment.
While 'Aura Sight' was supposedly a common technique, as far as those went for Aura Users to learn, my attempts with it had been less than fruitful. Any enhancement I managed for my vision just extended my normal eyesight even further, let me pick out even more details. Handy, but not what I'm going for. To see the more esoteric invisible energies of this world is what the Technique should do.
I wasn't lying to Arven when I said it took a lot of hard work. Even with my prior breakthroughs, it felt like nothing else came any easier. I could at least console myself with the steady, if slow, progress I was making overall.
Sitting beside her, I just let the cool wind wash over me. "I've been making good progress with my air manipulation," I mentioned, raising a hand and letting a 'blade' of air shoot out in front of it. "About as sharp as a butter knife currently, but I'll make something like an Air Slash one of these days."
The teen beside me didn't prompt me or say anything, letting me come to things in my own time.
"Everything's fine. So why do I feel so…" I searched for whatever it was that I was feeling. "Constrained? Wound up?"
"Maybe you need a chance to spread your wings?" Tulip suggested, raising a hand, pointing up to the Wingulls above.
"Hah. Maybe. That trip to Kitakami was good, might do something else like that." Doesn't quite feel like the right answer, but that's all I've got for now.
"Hey! Looking good Nemona!" Dendra called out from across the room, waving at me from the bleachers. Jogging over, I dodged around the other competitors getting ready and idling about on the outskirts of the tournament mats. None of the matches had started yet, but there was some unspoken tension in the air driving most of the children away from those arenas.
Each of us is waiting for this moment, to test ourselves and see how well we can do. If we've honed our bodies enough to- eww is that kid picking his nose with his finger? Oh god, he ate the booger, eww eww eww. Really hope I don't have to spar against him, I know we'll be wearing gear, but still.
So, not everyone was taking it quite as seriously as I was, but there was still a general feeling of excitement in the air. Especially from my 'fans'. I picked up the pace as Mom started cheering beside Dendra, somehow even louder and more enthusiastic than the teenager.
"I'm really glad you're here Mom, but you can probably save the cheering for when I'm actually in the ring," I said as I reached them.
"Oh, but you look so adorable in that 'gee.' Besides, with your father unable to make it I have to cheer twice as hard for the both of us." O'Nare countered and I consciously refrained from sighing. She's like this because she cares- well, no. She's like this because she's weird, but she shows support (however unusually) because she cares.
"Osu! She does look great in her gi," Dendra said, subtly correcting my mother's mispronunciation. "How ya feeling, champ?"
"Like I'm not the champ," I deadpanned, waiting for a beat to add: "Not yet, at least."
"Haha! That's the spirit." The older girl was excited, though with my quick eyes, I did pick up on how her gaze would dart down to my new green belt.
We've been training for over a year now, but given the master-apprentice style training we've been doing, we never focused on ranks before I entered this tournament. I actually had to talk her into giving me this belt rather than entering as a White Belt. Not that she needed a ton of convincing to accept that I was a cut above the beginner class. She needed a bit more for Green, since with how the competition range worked, this meant I could be facing other kids up to Brown Belt level, the level before Black Belt.
Gazing out at the other martial artists, seeing some of them practicing and stretching, I wondered how many of them were appropriately judged. In my world I know some schools would deliberately under-rank fighters for tournaments like this, just to try and win prizes, I'm curious how much of that is true here. Generally, I find this world to be so much kinder and more honest than my old one but… people are still people, and some are still willing to act cutthroat and cheat for a tiny bit of prestige, no matter the universe.
"We've got fifteen minutes before the matches start, let's get that blood pumping! Osu!" Dendra snapped me out of my thoughts, releasing her Meditite. The Psychic Type ran me through some of the stretches I knew by heart, but the familiar practices helped calm me down.
Touching my Aura helped calm me down, felt like lifting any burdens I held and tossing them aside like I could float on air. Which, I could. I made sure not to do so here, however. Good way to get accusations of cheating tossed around. Aura may not be widespread knowledge but Psychic powers are. Also, I don't think most of these kids know how to actively use their Auras.
Unconscious use was common enough amongst fighters, or even just very physically active people in this world, so I didn't try to fully tamp down on my Aura.I could do that, and it honestly felt odd and a little unsettling, both in how much weaker I was and how my senses were dulled, but also in that it felt like I was trying to hold my soul separate from my body. For this tournament, I just held the sense of it being there, feeling it without guiding the force in any way.
It helped settle my nerves, which was a good thing because there were delays, so the tournament took closer to thirty minutes than fifteen to start. Eventually, a slender woman in a sharp business suit stepped onto the middle of the floor, microphone in hand. "Welcome, competitors, friends, family, and fans, to the 137th annual Paldean Youth Karate tournament. I am Hannah So, and I'll be your announcer for the day."
There was a round of polite applause before she continued, outlining the different events. There were form and weapon rounds, and the different sparring divisions, divided by age and belt level. I'd be competing in the Green to Brown Belt under twelve divisions.
The brackets were posted up and I saw my name as the second match and began putting on my gear. The rules mandated us kids wear helmets, mouth guards, gloves, and footguards. The gloves were pretty light, with open fingers and padding that covered the wrist, going over the knuckles. The footguards were a bit like foam shoes without a sole and extended up the leg to cover just below the knees. All my protective gear (save the clear mouthguard) was black and shiny.
Longer hair sure is a hassle, I thought as I pulled my ponytail through a small hole in the back of my headgear. Maybe I should cut it? I don't have to keep with Canon Nemona's hairstyle, do I? I hope no one thinks I'm completely new just because of the gear and me not having participated in any of these before. The extra height from the growth spurt I'd recently had was appreciated, but the new rounds of clothing shopping weren't.
"It's over, three points for Lilah Evergreen!" The announcer called and I turned my eyes to the middle arena where that fight was taking place. A girl about my age stood victorious over a boy a year or two younger whom she had tossed down. The referee made sure the fighting stopped and motioned for each competitor to bow to each other, which the boy did slightly more begrudgingly after standing up than his victorious counterpart. Then they cleared the arena and it was my turn.
"Wish me luck," my voice was slightly muffled behind my mouthguard, but they both understood me. Mother jumped to cheer for me again, dusting my cheeks crimson. You can at least wait till the fight begins!
Dendra just said, "Break a leg, Osu!"
"Isn't that for actors?"
"Why would an actor need to shatter a tibia?" The confused martial artist asked, and I groaned, not sure if she was playing me or if she truly didn't get that saying.
I was saved from having to find out by my name being called, and so I walked up to the stage, directed to one corner by the referee. On the opposite side my opponent, 'Bill Watkins' stepped up to the stage.
"You're kidding me. You're under twelve?" Possibly a bit rude of me to ask, but he's like six feet tall! The 'boy' in question simply nodded, then after a second in a deep voice added: "I turned twelve right after the check-in last week."
Right, I remember that. It went by pretty fast, just a standard registration, and check for the weight ranges for some of the older divisions too. Something we unfortunately don't have here.
He was quite broadly built as well, and while it was hard to tell underneath his black gi, from the few signs I could see he was quite muscular as well, especially around his upper half.
I should aim for the legs then, those are likely his weakest area. I'd been unsure about the matches being point-based, but it might just work out in my favor now. If he's just a really big kid, he might not be that well-trained, his teacher's just relying on intimidation- The announcer's voice cut through my thoughts, dashing my hopes. "Our second match, we have the independent Nemona Glitterati versus the reigning champion, Bill Watkins of Eden Martial Arts!"
Behind Bill, a man with a tuft of hair and an eyepatch over his right eye, and a jagged scar enthusiastically cheered his student on. Spurred to action, I could hear my Mother and Dendra cheering just as hard for me.
The referee called the two of us to our marks, each of us giving a bow to him and then to the other. With that done we each took a stance, getting ready. Bill's stance placed his guard a little low, though given the size difference between us, it was probably a smart call. Could I strike at his face? Maybe, but not accurately or fast enough that he wouldn't block. I'll need another strategy.
The bell rang and the time for strategizing was over, the large boy moving in slowly. He sent a few punches my way, each powerful and clean, but no true commitment behind them. Doing the same myself, we tested each other out. Eventually, I went for a roundhouse kick against his thigh, only for him to catch it with a meaty palm.
With a chuckle he lifted my leg, likely figuring I'd be caught off guard or that he could throw me. Instead, I used it, letting him support my weight as I lifted my other foot and snapped it straight up, bypassing his guard and smashing the ball of my foot into his jaw.
He immediately dropped me and I broke my fall on instinct, slapping my arms palm down against the ground. Rolling back up, the referee called the point in my favor, stepping in between us and waving us back to our sides. Bill rubbed at his chin as best he could through his helmet, eyes watering a little.
He took a moment to shake it off, and once we both confirmed we were ready to begin again, the signal was given and he was back at it. This time he rushed in, sending a flurry of blows at me from every angle. Blocking as best I could, I tried to avoid letting him box me in, but that just led to taking heavier shots, his longer reach was able to compensate for any evasive maneuvers I pulled off. My arms are going to have some nice bruises after this, I winced as his punches hammered into me.
He wound up for a haymaker to finish up his combo, and I saw my opening. Ducking my head slightly I raised one arm and lowered the other, going for a double punch, one aimed at his head and one aimed at his body. In truth, only the body one had power behind it, but I hoped the head strike would get his attention.
Instead, he pivoted and moved his feet rapidly, changing what would have been an overhand strike into a straight that slipped past my guard and rocked my head back. Blinking back stars, I dimly heard the referee call the point.
God, that guy hits like a truck. Resisting the urge to 'shake it off' (fearing it would only make my throbbing head hurt worse), I calmed myself down, taking some deep breaths and refocusing. That stung, now it's time to get my head back in the game.
The next round was similar to the prior. I met him back with more aggression this time, but it just led to my bones getting rattled further. Striking low with a kick he simply backed up, avoiding the roundhouse and rushing in while I was turned. Spinning around with the force, I moved to meet him with a spinning back-kick.
Bill grabbed me by the ankle and roughly threw the leg aside, showing he had clearly learned from last time. Pulling back for a punch I raised my arms up to block on instinct… and he smashed my guts with the other hand.
Breath escaped me as I doubled over. My opponent was already walking away as the point was called. Swallowing back some bile, I slowly uncurled, nodding to the referee as he asked if I was still able to fight. Not entirely sure about that, to be honest, but- no, I'm not giving up here. I'll see it through to the end, even if I lose.
Calling on my Aura I centered myself, feeling slightly rejuvenated. It's no Roost, but it helps. If I used it more, I might- no, I don't need this to win. I'm not the best at 'seeing' Aura, but I think I could feel it if Bill had some significant power here. He's bigger and stronger than me, I can deal with that.
The referee asked again if I was fine to continue and I nodded sharply, getting back to my spot, an idea in mind. The bell rang once more, and this time I took the initiative, rushing in with my flurry of straight punches. Though deceptively simple, the sheer rush of very fast attacks caught Bill off-guard, especially with my 'combo' showing no signs of ending.
Pushed back, the large boy tried to pivot into a hook punch to get around my onslaught. In response, I instantly gave up on the punches, dropping low. Placing one hand around the heel to prevent him from stepping back, I rammed my shoulder into his knee. With nowhere left to go, Bill toppled backward, arms flailing outwards as he did so. With a vicious grin on my face, I rolled myself forward, over his body to lie half-sprawled on his torso, arm cocked back. Letting loose, I struck the still-dazed boy in the face.
"Break!" The referee called, pulling me off of him. 2 - 2, all tied up. This is the last point, either way.
"You can do it, Nemona!" "Go get him! Show that big dumb jerk what you're made of! Break his face!" The cheers behind me brought a smile to my face, and I readied myself. Can't let them down in my first match.
We squared up, circling around each other for a quarter of a minute, slight shifts in our stances countered by the other, before on a shared impulse, we each moved in. His punches were as fast and strong as ever, so I moved to deflect them, trying to avoid taking them head-on as I maneuvered him around me. Given the differences in our weight, it was more me pushing myself around him, but it still served the job of getting me around him.
He was no slouch in defense himself, at one point catching a hook punch of mine with the edge of his wrist. From there he launched an open-palm strike at my head. Catching his arm with my blocked hand, I pulled his forearm down, diverting the blow and shifting my body to punch with my free hand. While I had opened up his guard somewhat, Bill's other hand was free to slap mine and transition into another punch, which I maneuvered around by circling my arm to push off against him.
Whenever I had an opening around him, I tried to strike past his guard, however, any punches or kicks I attempted to land were blocked or dodged, as he'd react to my new placement and shift around almost as soon as I moved there. Then I'd have to deal with his nearly overwhelming offense once again.
Both of us were sweating and breathing heavily as the announcer called that thirty seconds were left in the round. Forget what happens if we go to the end of time in a situation like this. Whatever, worry about that later. Bill was looking to wrap this up as well, my fellow competitor pulling back for a big swing.
Fool me thrice- well that ain't gonna happen! Rather than be deterred, I step in, pushing ahead to where the blow would come from. My guard was still up just in case he pivoted, but he didn't have any real power he could throw behind it. Instead, he switched into a cross from his other hand, which I weaved under, moving in closer. As I did so, I let my arm drop into a hanging punch that caught him in the gut with enough force to crack a brick wall.
He simply wheezed a little, taking a step back. What is this guy made of? I didn't have time to ponder that as the referee stepped in and both of us shifted back on reflex. It took me a moment to realize what the man was saying, and what it meant. I scored the match point… I won! I won the match!!
I caught myself as Bill bowed to me and quickly returned the same, making sure to bow low to try and show respect and make up for getting distracted. I didn't think he noticed as he swiftly turned away. He stoically marched away, brushing past his teacher and fellow students before collapsing in front of a giant man in the bleachers.
"I'm sorry Daddy!" My defeated foe cried out, his voice still eerily deep as he wailed. The man in question simply hugged his son tight, telling him he 'did a good job' and 'fought well.' Right, easy to forget that guy is somehow, only just twelve.
Awkwardly, I shuffled off the arena, returning to my Mother and Dendra. "Osu! That was incredible! What a passionate fight!" Dendra cheered, pumping her fists up. When she saw me grimacing lightly, she asked "What's wrong?"
"My head is a little sore," I said, slightly downplaying the throbbing pain I felt. My sensei wasted no time in helping me remove my helmet, pulling out an ice bag and pressing it against my head. A small hiss of relief escaped me as I held onto it.
"I can't believe the nerve of that boy! To strike you so hard, why I should-" Before my Mom could utter any threats I tried to wave her down.
"It's fine! He fought well, it was a clean match." Looking over I still saw him clutching his father, and I frowned. "I should go thank him for it." Quickly leaving, hoping it would defuse O'Nare's overprotective streak, I walked over to him.
With the mats being used for practice or events I had to walk all the way around, getting a look at some of the other competitors. Some of them are using some pretty advanced techniques, I noted as I passed by a girl flashing a blunted sword around, the blade flowing like a whip through the air. Off to the side, I saw an older teenage boy pulverizing a couple of cement blocks his teacher had placed between two wooden stands.
I wonder how many of them are using Aura, knowingly or not? It was a difficult aspect to measure. At least for me. Some of them more than others would radiate an ever-so-slight sense of 'danger', but unless I saw the person sitting down, I couldn't tell if it was my Aura telling me that or just environmental cues. Or even then if I'm not just imagining the feeling and there actually isn't anything 'special' about someone.
Finishing my long route around, I climbed up on the bleachers on the other side of the room, walking towards Bill and his father. The boy was still sniffling, but the father turned to face me.
"Is there a problem, ma'am?" He stood up as well, his towering height covering one of the lights high above and shadowing his face so it was hard to make out the details, though I could see that his buzzcut hair was short and gray, a slightly lighter shade than his son's.
Tone is standoffish but slightly deferential. Maybe an undercurrent of worry? Probably recognizes who I am/knows who my parents are. I dressed pretty casually, so often people wouldn't recognize me, or wouldn't connect the Glitterati name with two of the biggest companies in Paldea. Those who did either tended to act fawningly or nervously.
Adopting a bright, child-like grin I chirped "I just wanted to thank your son for an incredible match! This is my first tournament and what an awesome way to start it!"
Bill stopped sniffling at that and turned around to face me. "Thanks. You did very well too." Then after a few seconds, he bluntly tacked on. "You need more confidence."
Keeping the ice pack on my head, I nodded. "Yeah, that's fair. Still a little nervous about all of this." We fell back into silence and I wracked my brain trying to think of something else to say, to leave it less awkward than this. Since he offered me some unsolicited advice I can do the same, right? "You might want to work on dealing with opponents that get in close," I offered.
"I will! Not many kids our age are brave enough to rush in like that." Not brave enough, or not reckless enough? Either way, I let out a laugh and felt Mr. Watkins relax beside us. We happily chatted a bit more before I left, heading back to my side of the arena.
***
The following matches passed by far less eventfully. There were out loud wonderings about if my victory was simply luck, but those whispers quickly died down as I won match after match.
A few competitors gave me some struggles, but my unique style and more advanced strategizing skills usually backed them into a corner. A few got a point off of me, and the wiry boy, Miguel got two with an aggressive style that matched my Vertical Run and other strikes, but in the end, I managed to eke out a victory with a duck and sweep as he went for a high kick.
"How do you feel?" Dendra excitedly asked me after I stepped off the podium and received my (comically oversized) trophy. The teenage girl was bouncing around, joy radiating off of her. I smiled, more in response to her happiness than my own feelings.
It's nice to win, definitely. But after all that work I put in, I should be feeling on top of the world, right? And I'm just… proud of my achievement. Whatever's bothering me doesn't matter. "I feel great! Thank you so much, sensei. I couldn't have done it without you."
The introspection could wait, I decided as I adopted a broad grin and waved at the fans, chatting with some of the other competitors. A lot of the other kids were interested in what I learned, and while I didn't have many answers for them about my previous styles, I was able to point them toward Dendra.
My teacher was swamped with requests and excited demands from energetic martial artist kids, leaving her a little overwhelmed. Good. It'd be nice if she gets some more students. She had Tulip and myself, but she's been too lonely for too long.
O'Nare boldly strode through the crowd declaring "Ah, my daughter, you shone so brightly today! True Glitterati brilliance flowed through you! Unfortunately, even shooting stars must pass by, so we have to leave." Grabbing my hand, she gently pulled me forward, cutting a path through the throng of people.
"Thanks, Mom," I whispered to her once we were near the exit. She saw how I was feeling and gave me an excuse to leave.
"It wasn't a problem at all, my dear. You did remarkably today, oh I'm so proud of you," She said, hugging me tightly, which I returned. "Oof, so strong now. Our little girl is growing up so fast. I'll have to show your father the videos as well!"
"Send it to Cyan too. I know she's in the middle of school, but hopefully, she'll have time in between her classes."
"I'm sure she will- oh maybe she'll have time to pop by for dinner tonight and we can watch it as a family..." My mind drifted as my mother eagerly gushed about how great the tournament was. I'm glad I won, but I feel like something is... missing? I don't know, probably just tired.
***.
I did feel a little better after I got home and sent messages to all of my friends about the tournament. All of them had tons of encouragement and praise to shower me with, which felt nice. The full night's rest and a large breakfast the morning after helped, too.
Also, it's just nice to realize how many friends I have now. Arven, Friede, Amethio, Lacey, Carmine, and Kieran… When did I meet so many great people?
Tulip saw the trophy in person, the model coming over to my house for our next training session. "Very impressive, you did quite well."
"Thank Dendra, she's the one who taught me." For some reason, I thought I caught a flash of red on the model's cheeks. "Some of those blocks against Bill would have been impossible without all the training she gave me… why didn't she compete in this tournament?" I didn't think about it earlier, but she could have competed in the under-eighteen contests.
"The coaches aren't supposed to be competitors." Tulip shook her head. "Don't worry about it, she's had more than her share of victories there. I'd say I'm glad the bragging is done with, but now she just brags about you." The elegant teen had an airy tone, but the small upward curve of her lips belied the enjoyment she derived from Dendra's exuberance.
"Uhuh. So, what's next, teach?" There was an ever-so-soft sigh, unhearable by someone with normal perceptions. Likely caused by the fact that she can pierce whatever facade I put on and feel all the emotions behind it. Now she's looking at me sharply, no with an odd expression- she's reacting to me reacting to her reacting me. Aghh.
"I was going to say we should begin with your Aura Sight, but you feel unbalanced right now." She sat down on the edge of the cliff we had been standing on, overlooking the vast ocean that stretched out to the horizon. Usually, it would help, and I suppose it still does, a little. Just not enough to make up for the rest of the turmoil I'm dealing with.
A lesson I'd had beaten into me several times was not to try Auric Techniques when in the wrong headspace. Even if my time with Tulip was limited, she would shut down a lesson if I was trying to push when I shouldn't. Something I'm grateful for, even if it can be frustrating at the moment.
While 'Aura Sight' was supposedly a common technique, as far as those went for Aura Users to learn, my attempts with it had been less than fruitful. Any enhancement I managed for my vision just extended my normal eyesight even further, let me pick out even more details. Handy, but not what I'm going for. To see the more esoteric invisible energies of this world is what the Technique should do.
I wasn't lying to Arven when I said it took a lot of hard work. Even with my prior breakthroughs, it felt like nothing else came any easier. I could at least console myself with the steady, if slow, progress I was making overall.
Sitting beside her, I just let the cool wind wash over me. "I've been making good progress with my air manipulation," I mentioned, raising a hand and letting a 'blade' of air shoot out in front of it. "About as sharp as a butter knife currently, but I'll make something like an Air Slash one of these days."
The teen beside me didn't prompt me or say anything, letting me come to things in my own time.
"Everything's fine. So why do I feel so…" I searched for whatever it was that I was feeling. "Constrained? Wound up?"
"Maybe you need a chance to spread your wings?" Tulip suggested, raising a hand, pointing up to the Wingulls above.
"Hah. Maybe. That trip to Kitakami was good, might do something else like that." Doesn't quite feel like the right answer, but that's all I've got for now.
And here we get to see some of Nemona's martial arts training paying off. This is a bit of a theme for this arc, wrapping up some of the stuff Nemona did before we move on to the next big thing, and I hope you enjoyed it.
SiegfriedisOP
Calamity Demon King of Time
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Nemona: *plays flute at Mt. Coronet*
Arceus: WHAT IS THOU'S QUESTION?
Nemona: Why am I feeling out of sorts?
Arceus: PUBERTY.
Arceus: WHAT IS THOU'S QUESTION?
Nemona: Why am I feeling out of sorts?
Arceus: PUBERTY.
Dopplerdee
Accident Prone(Yes the caps are necessary)
- Location
- Happy Place
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Girl needs to go crush some gyms.
- Location
- usa
Poor nemona, already pining for her true rival so she can (totally platonically, she swears!) Stalk them as they take the gym challenge.
xbox432
Lover of Editing
Ah, good for Nemona. Great that she won, even better that nothing soul crushing like the cheating in her first tournament happened.
Also, aw, I'm continuing to enjoy the little moments of Tullip and Dendra's relationship. Tullip's blush was just adorable.
Also, aw, I'm continuing to enjoy the little moments of Tullip and Dendra's relationship. Tullip's blush was just adorable.
HAhahaha! Thank you so much for this laugh first thing in the morning! Even better, she's at the perfect age for the enui to start!
- Location
- Oregon, USA
I bet it's because she didn't use her aura. Nemona doesn't like holding back. That's something that's carried over from the OG.