The second I stepped out of the plane, I felt that stupid sensation again. Being watched by someone you haven’t noticed. Eyes that are following your every move, their owner remaining unseen.
Gods, it’s so fucking gross! Luckily, the eyes didn’t feel like that bear’s. When would I get that damn nightmare creature out of my head!?
Other than that, everything else felt wonderful! The breeze was cool, the air was warm, and the world was so bright and green. If the sight of a staircase leading down from an airplane door wasn’t so strange to me, I might have forgotten that the world I was in was fictional, and not my own. The air smelled so nice… like oranges?
I go outside pretty often, but every time I do, I’m in a rush to get somewhere. I’ve never really taken a moment to just… breathe it all in. Plus, back home in Canada, it was still really cold, and the snow wasn’t gone yet! If I went outside in my PJs there, it would be torture, but this was fine, it was nice.
The sun was shining brightly, directly into my face. It was pretty low in the sky still, it had to be some time in the early morning. I raised a tilted hand up to block it from my eyes, and once I could see the loading bay area clearly, the sight that awaited me was a little strange.
The landing pad was massive, like at least twice the size of a football stadium! It was mostly barren, just a strip of concrete covered with lines for planes and airport vehicles, presumably. Maybe it would look less empty if there were more people here. Everyone had probably gone into the airport already. Everyone except for one person, actually. And their Pokémon, of course!
It was Ash. Oddly, he wasn’t even the one who had been looking at me, neither was Pikachu. I could tell. Whoever it was had disappeared. The duo were looking in my direction, but didn’t even seem to notice I was there. His gaze was focused on the bottom of the stairs. Did he see who had been staring at me?
We both just kept standing there for a second, before I quickly went down to check on them. As I got closer, I noticed that Ash, and the Pikachu on his shoulder, were sharing a shocked look.
“Ash? Pikachu? What’s up?” My words seemed to snap Ash out of it.
“Whoa… Pikachu, Oliver. Did you guys see that?” Ash asked, and Pikachu nodded in affirmative.
Maybe my knowledge of the games and the show would prove useful in this world after all. I know exactly which Pokémon Ash and Pikachu see in the first episode that leaves them in awe! Maybe I didn’t really see it just now, but I saw it on my TV screen once.
“Yeah… you saw it too? Who was that Pokémon?” I said casually, playing along. I knew who it was.
Mega Blaziken. The second mega evolution to be revealed in the anime, if you count Mega Mewtwo Y from that one move before the rules of mega evolution were even established. That Mega Blaziken had been a riddle to me for the longest time.
In the show, Mega Blaziken belonged to a fucking superhero named Blaziken Mask! The hero didn’t have powers or anything, but the duo were a huge help in defending the Kalos region, along with Ash and his group specifically. His real identity is Clemont and Bonnie’s dad, Meyer, after all. He isn’t in the games, but two completely different superheroes are.
I never got why Kalos had superheroes in it. Every trainer and Pokémon in the region is practically a superhero already! Why dress up and don a mask, he wasn’t ever undercover or anything. Maybe it just looked cool and mysterious! The secret of mega evolution, and all that. To be fair, both the costume and Mega Blaziken had a really cool looking design!
This scene was pretty funny. Ash just so happens to see the mega Pokémon atop the airport building, obscured by shadow. Then, like a ninja, it hops down behind him, and before the duo could get a good look, the Blaziken disappeared in a burst of smoke. Just the usual mysterious setup and payoff for when we see them in action later.
I don’t think there was a reason to show them being present at the airport. They even make a point before to show that Team Rocket was on the airport roof! They’d followed Ash from Kanto, making it there first in their hot air balloon! Though, they leave before the superhero can show up, we have to wait quite a few episodes before the two groups of airport roof sillies meet each other.
By the time I was done reflecting, Ash and Pikachu were smiling at each other. Their eyes looked different when they did. More ready, or full of fire or something! I don’t know, but it was always nice to see the duo excited and happy!
It was infectious, I had no choice but to get excited too, even if I didn’t get to see the mega evolution in person! Like, somewhere in me, deep down, there existed a hope that my time here would be safe, or even fun, despite everything. It burned a touch brighter.
“Aw yeah!!” We all cheered together, including Pikachu, I think. Was I losing my mind?
Ash began dashing towards the main airport building. It was the same tacky sea green and deep blue on the outside as the plane carpet and seats. It featured automatic doors, and was larger than even the hangars and warehouses littering the lot area. Near it’s side stood a tall watchtower, which Blaziken posed on in the show before his dramatic leap!
After the events of this episode, I don’t think we see this airport again until the very end of the show, where the Kalos group parts ways with heart-wrenching goodbyes all around. It’s bittersweet, seeing this place in person. Those goodbyes were always hard for me to watch as a kid, but they’re some of my favourite moments now, carrying the power to bring me to tears to this day.
I watched Ash run to the door with a smile, he had his own adventures to go on, and maybe, I’d find my own. Should I try to become a trainer while I’m here?
“You coming?” Ash said, turning around to face me with a questioning gaze. It looked like Pikachu was the one who stopped him, noticing my sudden absence. Ash can magically understand the lighting mouse, right?
I didn’t have much interest in following Ash around, plus, it would be bad to break the continuity more than I had already. The area was open, and I probably could have made a run for it and entered the city by climbing the fences, but not only was it a bit risky, I think it would be better to head inside, where I’m meant to go.
I wanted that airport map, and maybe I could snag some other guides, or even some posters for future tournaments! I was hungry for information. And for food! Maybe a coupon, raffle, or free sample of something was up for grabs!
It was odd that the pilot said that the landing pad was swarming with Spritzee, who do appear here in the show, but there’s not another Pokémon in sight! Was this orange scent made by them? They are the perfume Pokémon, after all! I wasn’t sure, because the closer I got to the building, the stronger the scent became. Was someone wearing a weird perfume, or did all the Spritzee get into the airport?
“Yeah, yeah, I’m going!” I stepped through the threshold, and was met with a very nice, spacious building. No customs or any barriers of entry in sight! I think I’m in the clear! There’s no security barriers to deal with, lucky me!
I could literally see the exit. Automatic doors led out onto a sidewalk and street that was definitely part of the city. If I went through there, I’d be in the city proper. There was nothing standing in my way. Of course, I wasn’t done with this place just yet though.
It was filled with trainers and Pokémon of all sorts! I just had to stop and stare at them all. They looked so real, just going about their days. I saw a Mareep, a Meowstic, a Politoed, an orange fluffy Pokémon I couldn’t quite place, an Oddish, a Maril, and so many more!!
While Ash and Pikachu were excitedly talking to Helioptile about the awesome Pokémon they just saw, Alexa was nearby, talking to someone using one of the strangest pieces of technology I’d ever seen. It was like a mahogany and gold antique phone mixed with a phone booth fit with a cone-shaped speaker and a detachable wireless headpiece. It had a numbered keypad, like a fancy wireless home phone.
To contrast that description, above the phone was a fucking floating holographic screen like something out of a sci-fi movie! Currently, it was just a blue and green circle with text reading “No video” atop a red moving background with pink-coloured silhouettes of Pokémon. What a strange design.
It was always odd when those things showed up in the show! It was even there multiple times in that final goodbye episode, along with a smaller, portable version of itself! The holographic screen could somehow be used for video calls, even across regions. Also, I knew who Alexa was talking to, despite the call being inaudible to anyone but her.
I remember this part of the show! It wasn’t anything to worry about. Basically, Viola, Alexa’s sister, who doubled as the bug type gym leader, was away from her gym on an expedition or something, and can’t battle Ash quite yet! It causes a chain of events that would lead Ash straight to Prism Tower, the Lumiose City gym. There, he’d meet Clemont and Bonnie! I should leave them be, all four of them will be fine. It was time for me to take care of myself.
Scanning around the airport, I saw that it was actually at least three stories tall! The ground floor was basically just a lobby, with some shops, what looked like a green information kiosk with a Pokéball pattern roof, multiple areas where entire trees were growing, and the exit, the gateway to my freedom. Not like I planned to buy anything here. Whether I had money or not, I’ll bet that even fictional airports are overpriced as hell!
Smell diffusers must have been placed throughout the building because I kept smelling oranges, but found none for sale. Pretty cool, it’s such a nice choice of smell! I wonder if it increases sales. Do they have human fruit in the Pokémon world? I know they had apples in the show, and those soft versions of apples called fluffruit in the snap games! Plus, the evolution item ones in the gen 8 games for Applin. Actually, in gen 9 with all the sandwich ingredients, just about every human food had a good reason to be here!
I think my theory about the currency here was right. The only brand of water I could find looked identical to the fresh water item from the games, down to the green mountain logo. It costed P$700 a bottle, and the bottles didn’t look very big at all! I genuinely don’t think Kalos had any vending machines in it, which was a very weird design choice, but it usually costed around P$200 from what I remember. The 6-pack bundle was P$3,000, bringing it down to just around P$500 each. A better deal, but I doubt I could bargain it down to the price of zero dollars.
Luckily for me, there were also water fountains all over the airport! I wonder what the difference between the two is. I felt a bit better after getting some water in my system, but would fresh water actually heal my bruises like it can recover HP in the games?
Honestly, back in gen 6, fresh water healed 50HP, the same as super potions, which went for P$700 at the Pokémart, so the water was still technically a fair deal! Plus, I don’t think humans can drink Pokémon potion. Neither could Pokémon for that matter, it was always a spray bottle in the show, even though I imagined it as a strange medicinally engineered lava cake as a kid when it’s sprite was still pixelated! I want my fruit flavoured molten lava cake so bad right now!
If you wanted to buy a super potion at the airport, which you could for some fucking reason, it was P$1200. No thanks, that’s hyper potion money! Apparently, on top of that, you couldn’t even buy them without having at least one gym badge. Kind of reminds me of the games!
Food prices were more interesting. Most restaurant meals available were upwards of P$1,000-P$3,000. They were mostly normal food items I recognized from back home. Some had an extra splash of Pokémon theming in the name, ingredient list, or plating, but it was nothing too special. I still liked my lava cake idea better than whatever the hell Scyther pasta was. Don’t worry, there’s no Scyther in it, I asked, and got stared at like I was a nut.
Some recipes used Pokémon berries, but as far as I could tell, people didn’t cook Pokémon here. Which was lucky for me, I genuinely don’t think I would emotionally recover from that! Though, I was a little afraid to ask where the meat in the P$900 hot dog came from. If I won my 3 qualifier rounds, I could buy a dubious airport hot dog!
There were some more affordable options. Small treats, snacks, and candies cost around P$300-P$500, Lumiose Galettes were among them, but I know they went for cheaper in the city proper. Plus, these ones didn’t seem fresh, the genuine articles had strict time frames on when you could get them, opening and closing multiple times throughout the day. The food I found in this range wouldn’t really fill me up, but if I only got one win, and maybe found a cheaper price, they would do. Food is food! Also, they sounded much more appealing, being established treat brans, as far as I could tell. Think Whimsicott-themed cotton candy, Dedene pop wafers, there were even bags of ketchup chips with a Pikachu in a lion outfit on the front!
Then I found the most cost-effective choice yet. I stared in horror at the name. “Donuts: P$100 each. Jelly Filled Donuts: P$150 each.” Yeah, they were fucking rice balls. They had no business being that good of a price in the region based on France.
I audibly sighed, but resigned myself to this being a good thing. Even one win’s worth of money could fill me up, and that’s if I don’t find a more competitive price in the main city!
The actual sushi places were really expensive, P$2,000 at minimum for just a few pieces, not following the pattern. Yes, they were almost all named after water types. No, they didn’t actually dice up any Magikarp here, even though I’m like 99% sure they did in the first season of the show. I’m kind of happy with that change, honestly. I don’t know if I’d be able to sleep at night again!
After my brief snooping session, I returned to the first floor to find that Ash, Alexa, and their Pokémon were already gone, off to begin the events of the show I’m sure! The entire first floor of the airport also seemed empty. Weird, it was bustling and full of people and their Pokémon when I was down here earlier.
The only person here is that weird looking one with the long neck and big eyes watching me from the information desk. They seemed kind of big, and wore some kind of thick caramel orange coat. Maybe they had a mask and costume on? It was a little hard to see.
The orange information kiosk was probably my best bet to find the fastest way to the tournament! I wonder where they found the space to add battlefields into Lumiose City, at the plazas, maybe? How big was Kalos exactly, I don’t think I’m up for a long walk.
I walked up to them. Below the kiosk were a few free posters with information about the airport. One of them looked like a map, actually. Some of them looked a little strange. They were folded blank pieces of paper with the number 1 on them, drawn in bright blue pen. I looked back up so I could ask the guy if they were free to take. It reached out a large, goopy paw towards me and…
And…
…
I was woken up by the sound of footsteps. Dozens or hundreds of them.
Followed by what sounded like the loudest fucking gong in the universe slamming directly into my forehead at mach 12 after being frisbeed by Zeus himself on his frisbee golf holiday.
Or buff goat god Arceus, if this was the Pokémon world. Maybe one of the buff cloud guy legendaries. It hurt. Like hell!
“GAAAA-!!” I involuntarily screamed as I bolted upright. I’d been lying on something soft. Feeling around, it seemed to be a random patch of grass. Where the hell was I?
The world looked so blurry, but it was slowly coming back into focus. I didn’t feel rested at all. Was I asleep? I felt even worse than before, I think. Along with my exhaustion, I felt nauseous, maybe a bit dizzy. Not even my occasional all-nighters ended with me like this.
For some reason, my mouth tasted sort of like I had just eaten a spoonful of peanut butter and jelly. It was so fucking good. That other stuff sucked, but whatever the hell I’d managed to eat between now and then was so good that I kind of forgot about it. The taste brought me out of my haze. My description isn’t doing it justice. Maybe I was just super hungry, but still!
“Spin? Spin!”
“He is!? Thank Arceus! Oliver, you with us?”
I didn’t recognize the first voice. It was close, and might have been a Pokémon. I tried to turn my head, but just ended up flopping back down. The grass felt really soft, like it was good enough to sleep on.
The second voice was Calem again. I thought he was long gone, and I’d see him again once I explored the city and got to the tournament. The sun shined down into my eyes. It seemed to be sometime in the mid or late morning, before noon. Was it the same day?
“Y-yeah, I’m doing alright” I said automatically, before changing my mind. “No, I don’t think I am. What happened?”
“Spin spin?” Said the first voice, definitely a Pokémon.
It leaned it’s face over me and placed a soft paw on my forehead. The Pokémon had cream coloured skin and abstract orange spots randomly covering its fluffy body. It had one spot near an eye, one on the opposite cheek, and two more on the ears at different heights.
They had long ears with swirl designs on them, making them look a bit like a bunny but with the proportions of a small bear cub. It’s fluff looked as real as the other Pokémon I’d seen so far. and eyes that seemed to blink between looking like spirals, and looking like large, deep pools of black. I know who this is, it’s a Spinda, the spot panda Pokémon! It didn’t look dizzy to me, though. Don’t they totter around everywhere?
Also, was this Spinda Calem’s? He sounded like he was a trainer, but he’s not supposed to be one until he gets his starter from Sycamore, and it’s always one of the gen 6 starter trio. Surely it wasn’t a wild Pokémon, right?
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
“Spin..?” Asked the bear, sounding worried. I couldn’t understand him, but I tried to answer the Spinda anyways. It seemed to be checking in on me.
“Uh… sorry, I’ve never seen a Spinda before. Where did you come from? I mean, I feel kind of sick right now, I’ll just rest a bit, I’ll be fine. I have to get to the tournament” I mentioned, slowly getting my focus back. I’ve been worse before, the plan hasn’t changed, I just needed my bearings. If I was near Calem, I was near my destination!
The Spinda took it’s paw off my forehead, and it felt like they’d stuck something on there. A bandage, maybe? Had I been hit or hurt there?
“Spin! Spin spin spin. Spinda, spin spin. Spin! Spin Spin. Spin-” Yapped the Spinda at practically 1000 words a minute in a bizarre combination of a young-sounding voice and a small bear growl.
They stared down at me, their long ears bobbing with their animated movements. It was kind of cute, but was probably a medical lecture or something! Or maybe, was the Spinda was explaining what it was doing here? Either way, how the fuck do the people in this world understand the Pokémon language? It’s literally just their name or parts of it over and over again.
“Spinda, I don’t think he’s able to understand you, sorry. You were my best bet to call, I can take it from here. Awesome job, you’re a lifesaver!” Calem said, still out of my sight.
“Spinda!” Said the bear cub, saluting off to my right. I had gathered the strength to sit up, and turned my head to see Calem crouched there.
The boy looked even worse than he did on the plane. His grey eyes were somehow even more cloudy, I couldn’t tell the difference between his pupils and irises anymore. The dark circles under his eyes were worse too. He looked like a zombie, downright exhausted or sick.
He also had freckles! It was kind of cool, but I’m pretty sure he isn’t supposed to have any. They we almost invisible on his pale skin, because they were pure white instead of the usual tan or brown. Maybe the game couldn’t capture them.
Calem is technically able to have freckles in X and Y, but it’s incredibly niche. The dressing room area in the Lumiose City trainer PR studio lets you temporarily change your appearance for a video, it reverting back afterwards. The changes you could make were gender specific, cool facepaint patterns and facial hair locked onto Calem, and more traditional makeup and lipstick locked onto Serena. Both could get freckles, though. Had Calem swung by the studio, or had he always had these? I didn’t pay enough attention to it on the plane.
As we just looked at each other, Spinda began walking away and slipped something into my pocket. I noticed that around my grassy area was pavement. What do you call these grassy square things with plants in the middle of city walkways again? I always called them mini gardens. This one was triangular.
There was foot traffic going by, lots of it, but the garden I was in had a three orange poles sticking out of the ground. Between them ran yellow holographic screens with the words “DO NOT ENTER” on them, along with some red X’s for good measure. Just how much hologram tech was there in this city?
“Spin!” Said the red panda as they waved back towards us. I gave him a small wave of my own. Spinda passed right through the hologram and blended into the crowd.
Since when did Kalos have a Spinda summoning service, and why did Calem use it on me? At least I figured out where I was. As the holo-sign glitched while Spinda walked through, behind it was what seemed like a massive, tacky, bright blue stadium. I was here, right where I’d wanted to go. Bleu Battlefield. How convenient, like someone really wanted me to be right here.
I shakily got to my feet.
“Alright, we good to go? I guess we’re right here! Any advice for picking a rental Pokémon?” I asked, a bit excited to try a real like Pokémon battle!
Calem didn’t move from his crouch, or get up or look up at all. A few uncomfortable seconds passed before I sat back down. I wasn’t going to leave him in the do not enter triangle.
“Hey, what’s up?”
“...so stupid” He mumbled, not looking away from where my face was earlier.
“What?”
“You’re so stupid! Oliver! Oh my Arceus… Can you like… not act normal for five minutes?” Said Calem, who sounded extremely frustrated.
“Okay, I’m acting normal! Sorry, I don’t think I got enough sleep.”
“I said STOP acting normal! None of this is normal! I thought you were dead! How the fuck did you get here before I did? You don’t know any moves yet!”
Moves? Did he think I cha-cha slid my way here? Did that one move from the Pokédance? What did he see? What happened before I woke up?
I remember being at the airport… and then nothing.
No, something happened at the airport. What was it?
“Sorry. I just… I was at the airport. I was looking around at the prices in the stores, and I went back to the first floor, and went to the information desk. I went to get a map... I think I saw someone, but it’s hazy. Honestly Calem, I’ll figure it out. You should really get to the tournament, it’s probably important that you do.” I said, wanting to hurry this along.
Between the two of us, he was the one that was an actual protagonist in this world. I shouldn’t stall him, this tournament might be important.
Plus, I’m not sure if I want to get involved with him yet. His productive important story battles combined with whatever the fuck is going on with me would make a recipe for disaster. It could put both of us in danger, and hold him back from stopping Team Flare at every turn.
Calem changed from a crouch to a more comfortable looking sit. “Okay, that’s… progress. I’m sorry, Oliver. I thought that, y’know, you could learn the layout of the city on your own as you found your way here. That’s how I learned it. But, I left you there alone. I could have given you a tour, but instead, I let whoever was at that stupid kiosk get to you. It was empty when I passed it.” He looked more and more stressed by the second, breathing shakily and holding his neck. Was he seriously apologizing for something as ridiculous as not walking with a stranger? We’d just met on the plane, of course he shouldn’t walk with me!
Did he already know the layout of Lumiose City before leaving the plane? No, he must be talking about the present, as in he’d just finished exploring around himself. He’d probably picked up on the layout pretty quick.
He flipped his sunglasses down from his hat over his eyes, and reached into a bag he was now carrying. It was the one from the games, a black purse that was slung around one shoulder by a strap, and had magical endless inventory space! In the games, at least, no clue if it did now. You could cram multiple fishing rods, bikes and roller skates in there, and still have room for the endless battle items and hoards of now reusable TMs and HMs! Plus, all the outfits you wanted, I think! This gen really brought in the age of trainer customization. I loved wearing different silly mismatched outfits and checking out every new clothing store!
Calem then pulled out what looked like a phone with a strange shape, two bumps on it’s top made it slightly resemble a Y. I recognized what it was, a holo caster. I don’t remember when Calem gets one, I think it’s in your bag from the start of the game. Calem’s was light green, with a small touch screen on it’s front. After pressing a few buttons, a blue projection broadcast from it’s top. It depicted a speaker or megaphone symbol, indicating that he was going to record a message.
“All units. We have a Code: Unown. Likely code Darkrai, Zoroark, or Hoopa. Last sighting: Lumiose Airport, info desk. Potential Powers include teleportation, time manipulation, memory force, aura, mind control, and sleep beyond sleep. Chesto berries didn’t work this time, bring Spinda, Lucario, or any fighting type aura member. Potential Type: Normal, Ice, Rock, Dark, or Steel. Weak to fighting.” He took his hand away, put the holo caster back into his bag, and even moved the sunglasses back up onto his hat in a flash as if nothing ridiculous had just happened.
“Calem, what was that?” I asked, even more confused than before. I didn’t like the sound of a single part of that. No way did it come from either the games or the show. This information and way of speaking was new. Unfamiliar. Honestly, his tone worried me most!
“Okay, see here, Oliver. When something weird happens, you’re not supposed to act like nothing is wrong and everything is normal! Me and that Spinda earlier? We’re part of a group that I actually CAN’T tell you about. Not WON’T. Can’t. When I arrived at the stadium, I saw you silently standing on this ground planter, still as a Xatu! When I got close, you turned to me and collapsed. I couldn’t wake you up, so I called for backup. Spinda was closest, and what you were hit by, Spinda’s a specialist at releasing it. Don’t worry too much, you should be fine, I hope. Leave it to us now.”
At first I was worried that Calem had somehow become part of Team Flare, before I remembered how fucking unsubtle they tend to be with their flashy outfits and lack of any stealth in general. Even their secret lair, Lysandre Cafè was horrendously obvious, and painted bright red. Even in the show, when you were up against a Team Flare member, you knew it. Other than maybe Alain specifically, who Lysandre tricked into unintentionally helping him. I don’t think any of the Flare members use Spindas either.
They wouldn’t care about helping non-members or non-assets. Calem would have left me collapsed here, not wasting their time or items on someone with nothing to offer them. After all, their plan ends with everyone else dead and gone.
My theory? Calem was already with the superheroes. Like Blaziken Mask! Then again, that was also the only other option for a Kalos organized secret group that I knew about. There was also Looker, but I think he works alone until the postgame where he saves Emma from the clutches of the last remnants of the evil team, and officially adopts her. He doesn’t do anything in the main story, and his missions are very missable.
I decided not to pry on that, I trust Calem, whatever he’s a part of, it’s probably bad for Team Flare and good for Kalos. I also refuse to believe that Spinda was evil. I felt the bandage on my head. Apparently, he saved me from being collapsed. If he didn’t get me up in time, would I wind up in the bear dream? Or worse?
Maybe I should warn Calem, he seems to have a team of people on his side. If I play this right, that bear will never get me again.
But, it got me. I think I saw it. I saw it’s paper clues among the pamphlets.
It followed me here. I let it into this world. I have to stop it any way I can before it diverts enough attention away from Team Flare to prove actually dangerous. That was my fight. Besides, there’s a solid chance that the bear is invisible to anyone but me, and also won’t target or even look at another soul until I’m home, or whatever. I’m starting to suspect “home” might mean something sinister to the bear. Like a “may your soul be freed from your body and return to the heavens” type of home. Every time it sees me, it’s really commenting how I’m still alive and kicking.
Is that really it’s goal? I can’t help but feel, somewhere deep in my gut, that if it wanted me dead, I’d already be a pile of colourful mush fusing into it’s fur. I could worry all day about it’s deal. All I know is, it can control me if I let it get close, and I needed to take it down somehow. I’ll find a way, that I promise.
At least Ash doesn’t have to worry about any of this. He can focus on taking his normal path, which becomes capable of challenging Lysandre, and with Alain’s help, they’ll win. This world will be safe as long as I don’t step on their toes and mess them up.
“So, you and that Spinda saved me? What’s sleep beyond sleep?” I asked, remember hearing the weird phrasing in the audio message Calem sent.
“Yeah, he packs a good wake up slap! Okay, you’re a smart guy, right? Do you know your statuses, Oliver?”
Ignoring that Spinda isn’t even able to learn that move, which I knew because I used one before, I answered with what I knew about the sleep status. “Yeah, sleep is one of the major ones. When it hits you, you can’t use moves for 1-3 turns, snapping out of it when the time is up, letting you act. Moves like snore and sleep talk can still go through, and moves like wake-up slap snap you out of it. Chesto berries, awakenings, and other status cures will heal it.”
Calem was clearly confused by my answer. Maybe I shouldn’t use numbers like that or mention game turns from now on, even if he’s supposed to be the game protagonist, and know game mechanics.
“Turns? Uh, close, it can last from anywhere between 1-30 minutes, maybe more, and depends on the power difference between Pokémon, and exhaustion. That’s sleep. I knew you knew! Now, are you familiar with status beyond status?”
“Uh, no…” I said, before realizing that one such example did exist. “Oh, do you mean like poison and toxic, where toxic is like poison but it worsens… with every turn. Oh no.”
“Yeah. Sleep beyond sleep is something we’ve rarely seen. As far as we know, it doesn’t end naturally and can be cleared up with Chesto berries. Last time, it was cleared up using awakenings, the berries didn’t do a thing. This time, those didn’t work either. I thought I’d have to try my luck and carry you to a Poké-center, and honestly, I thought that we might have lost you.”
Calem stared right at me with his cloudy, unreadable eyes, and a small smile that finally broke through. “You should thank that Spinda, if you see them around. His pattern is one in a couple billion, a true master of normal type disguise. Do you think you’ll recognize him again?”
First of all, yikes, what happened “last time”!? Whatever it was, apparently it was weaker, and was probably unrelated to the bear. Maybe a Pokémon with the ability unnerve was involved. It stops Pokémon from eating berries. Maybe it nullified Chesto berry’s effects? I know the Meowth line is capable of learning hypnosis, and has Unnerve as a hidden ability.
I wonder if I’d see the Spinda again. I really should thank them, they showed up and helped, without even knowing me. “Maybe, I hope I can recognize their spots. Also, did you feed me berries? Chestos? What’s the price of those again? Awakenings are P$250. How many did you try, and can I put that on my tab? I’m flat broke.” I said genuinely. I should pay him back, I don’t want to owe him anything until he helps save the world, and I can be around him stress-free.
I wonder what he does after the events of the game. He defeats the champion, and unites AZ with his long-lost Floette. He probably completes the postgame missions, goes on a quest collecting the mega stones, helps Looker out, catches the roaming legendaries, Mewtwo, and Zygarde, crushes the battle maison… and I don’t know. What DOES he do next? What is your dream, Calem? We know Ash’s, and Serena’s too, but Calem… did they forget to program in a dream for you?
“Arceus no, don’t pay me back, I chose to use them! Also, you’re flat broke? Hang on, did you get food at the airport?” Calem questioned, back to being worried.
“No, don’t worry, I’m not stupid! I know everything is kinda gross and marked up there! Everything but the jelly filled donuts are a scam!” I joked, having checked all the prices in the place myself.
“No… this would have been a 2-3 hour walk for you. The flight was 7 hours. When’s the last time you ate something?”
“Uh………” First of all, the flight being 7 hours was new info to me. That's definitely not the right length of time for that flight distance, it’s too short. Plus, I don’t know when the last time I ate was. Before I came to this world, right? Nevermind, I had whatever Calem gave me just now.
“Oh, it was just now. I had those berries, thanks, by the way! And double thanks, did you manage to feed them to me while I was unconscious? That's… really heroic. You seriously tried to save me!”
“No problem, again, secret group. It’s my job, don’t bring it up again. Anyways, want to go out to eat somewhere before we go inside for the tournament?” Calem offered, finally standing up. Well, whoever Calem was, he seemed friendly to the core. Though, going out to eat was a solid maybe for me, and would definitely not happen until I had the money to actually buy food! I wasn’t just going to go off so we can sit at a table somewhere and I can awkwardly watch him eat, hoping he spares me a bite!
“Nah, maybe after the tournament if I win.” I was good to go, I don’t know why Calem kept looking at me like that, with this… worried look. His eyes were so strange, I had to hold myself back from physically leaning towards his eyeballs to see what their deal was! I literally had no money, where the fuck could we genuinely go eat together? The airport water fountains? Was he making fun of me? His eyes told a different story.
Maybe I could track down the bear and warp both of us to the bear dream and I’ll make him a bowl of my delicious tasteless tomato spaghetti, it’ll be a blast!
I stood up, and noticed the weight of whatever Spinda put in my pocket.
I pulled it out. It was a paw shaped cookie, from what I could tell.
“Calem, why did your Spinda friend give me a cookie and may I eat it?”
Calem's eyes seemed to light up, and he sighed in relief. “Oh my god thank fuck, yes, he makes batches sometimes, they’ll get you back to full strength like a charm, please eat it”
I was still really hungry, but I had eaten, and I’m more of a long-term gain kinda guy. If my hunch was right, this thing was either a status restorer, or a healing item!
It would give me an edge in the upcoming tournament. I bet Calem will use some of his berries! I wonder if we’re using anime rules, where battle items are very uncommon in the heat of it, or game rules where loads of people pack potions! I decided to just ask.
“Should I save it for my rental Pokémon though? Apparently, we only get one Pokémon for all of the battles.”
“No. Please, Spinda gave it to you. Nurse Joy and her staff will be on duty, and you’ll heal between battles. Did you check out the website? Also, the rental Pokémon eat way better than you do, judging by how you look right now.” Calem said, I wish I could read his face, it was hard to tell what he was thinking.
I wonder what the life of a rental Pokémon is like. Also, what the fuck did he think I had on me, how was I going to access a website? I don’t remember seeing a link or url on the tournament poster, or any computers in the airport.
I was curious how a Spinda can bake food, and how it turned out, but I had a better idea! Maybe my rental Pokémon didn’t need food or healing, but judging by Calem’s reaction, this cookie has to be some good stuff.
We’re not in the games, so why not use my own strategy? I can try to use this cookie as an incentive! Say, if they get 3 wins, and get me into the tournament, I’d gladly hand it over! Spinda would surely want me to use this cookie for good, right? I’m sure I could find something more filling for humans than a cookie with the P$900 I’d get, and if there’s less than 64 people in the tournament, I’m guaranteed to walk away with P$1400 and some Pokéballs!
With Pokéballs, I’d either try to catch a Pokémon, or sell each one for a solid P$100, not too bad. Before I catch anything, I wonder if I can get a starter from ol’ Professor Sycamore. He gives you 2 starters in the games! That’s only to the main characters though, but he surely has a few extras in the back, right? A good plan for later, the lab is actually nearby, I think! Hard to tell with the map, but it’s normally right by Bleu and Vert plaza, at the end of Vernal Avenue, can’t miss it.
I carefully stuff the cookie back in my pocket while Calem frowns at me. Maybe he was curious if I’d like it or not, it sure looked good as hell, I don’t know what it is, a shortbread or butter cookie, maybe? It had a cream coloured base with an orange Spinda paw print on it made of some kind of gel icing. Tempting, but not tempting enough. I liked my idea better. I’m not giving up my chance at such a solid start for a few seconds of cookie.
“Calem, how about after this, we use the prize money to go out to eat somewhere? You said you knew your away around the city, know anywhere good to eat?” I asked, wondering how much he explored on the way to the stadium.
It must have been scary, right? Seeing me just standing there, somewhere I shouldn’t have been, ahead of him. What was going through his head when I collapsed? I hope I’ve convinced him that I’m alright now. He didn’t deserve to be dealing with this.
Calem responded with a sigh of relief and another small smile. “Best idea I’ve heard all day! Pretty bold, saying you’ll earn enough to eat out from this alone. Alright newbie, you have a deal!” he said, a small, scheming gleam behind his cloudy eyes. “By the way, the second you get your Pokémon, we’ll be enemies! If we’re matched up, I’m going to crush you!!”
I sure hope I’m not matched with him, I don’t like my odds at becoming a mandatory-loss battle. I know protagonists tend to be built different, and if this Calem’s battles were as easy as the games were, I’d be steamrolled!
Then again, I was Calem, once, back in my playthrough. I wonder just how different the Calem in front of me is.
Maybe I did want to battle this version of Calem, just to find out. Not too early, but I wanted to last long enough to challenge him, and find out for myself.
I grinned back, no protagonist in the universe was going to stop me! If I wanted a shot at this, I needed a good rival line. Calem already has four fucking rivals in the games, what’s one more? I guess I’ll fill in for now, seeing as the others aren’t here. I wonder if Serena, Tierno, Trevor, or Shauna are gonna pop up anytime soon? Maybe they’re all in the tournament too. Maybe not Serena though, she’s meant to be in Vaniville town for the events of the show to line up, only joining ash in Santalune City with the first gym battle.
“Crush me? Oh, I’d like to see you try! You’re in for it now! Where do we sign up?” I boasted and asked, ready to get going. It felt hard to walk for some reason, like my legs weren’t bending quite right, but I managed. It wasn’t as bad as when I got actually sick. I walked to the edge of the holographic barrier.
“Wait, Oliver.”
“Yeah?”
“You were kind of sent here against your will, right? You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. If you really just want to try the food and see the sights, we can skip this, and go do that instead. Don’t force yourself because I’m here, the offer was just an option.” Calem said. He sounded genuine, but he wasn’t thinking!
Enjoy the food and sights instead? I can’t get any food, and what cooler sight is there than a battle? Plus, I’d rather not walk around the whole city, I feel a little gross right now. Battles are just standing around and giving commands, right? I’d pull up a chair, but that might bother my rental Pokémon, seeing me kicking back while they’re in the heat of combat! How much do folding chairs cost here?
I also don’t like that he said “we”, as if Calem would actually abandon the tournament and come with me if I left. He literally brought a fucking poster of this tournament onto the plane! He wanted to do this long before I popped up!
He wasn’t trying to lower the competition by one with this, right? He practically called me a crummy trainer on the plane. If anything, he should want me in the running as a springboard!
No way was I tapping out! Not only did battling sound fun, it was also my best bet to get some spending money! A smile I couldn’t hold back spread across my face, I wanted this!
Besides, Calem called in the superheroes to fight that fucking goop bear, but if they couldn’t see it, scan for it, or find it? I’d be on my own. I wonder, would having a Pokémon help me fight it? There’s gotta be a Pokémon that can stop it out there!
“Well then, consider it my will! The sights I want to see will only be found in there. You trying to get out of this?”
“Not on your life!” Calem retorts, “and don’t you go losing before I get to teach you a lesson!”
“Oh, so you have something to teach me? The feeling of winning, right?” I teased. I had enough strength to help him up, and we walked through the barrier of light together. It started to disappear as we passed through it.
“Pfft, you’re the worst! I can’t believe you warped here just so you could get your jabs in! Just what kind of trainer are you really, Oliver?” Calem shot back, making the scary events start to fade away behind me, for now at least.
I may have been tired, and a little unsteady, but I was feeling so ready for this. The child in me was beaming with joy, ready to finally get their turn at a fantasy battle system!
Whichever Pokémon I get, I’ll lead them to victory! Or at least, to a nice meal.