Okay, so bear with me here.

When I close my eyes, I can still catch glimpses of it. The orange goopy fur, the razor sharp claws, and the deep black eyes. All I know about the bear is that it came out of my dreams, and it took me to Kalos.

Well, not all of me completed the journey. My face was left behind somewhere, likely trapped in that inky mass.

And I’m not the first, but the second person to get to Kalos that way. Which means I’m not alone. And they just might have a way back home.

Oh, and also everyone who lives in Kalos might also be trying to DESTROY both of us. The other human, who’s name I don’t even know, had a fucking MEGA BLAZIKEN sent after him! AND I was nearly cooked alive in the fucking deluxe microwave room by a fictional superhero after being teleported there by a fictional news reporter! Every single person I’ve met so far may be plotting my death and I have no fucking inkling of what to do.

My head feels like it’s going to fucking explode. If I see or hear or even imagine ONE more ridiculous thing today, that’s gonna be it for me.

“Fun fact! Did you know that the Kalos region produces over 10 million tons of trash on the year? The only reason the region doesn’t have a dump is because we keep eating all of it!” Said a strange voice that sounded like the unholy fusion of a nice old lady’s voice and the crushing sounds of an active trash compactor. On top of that, it was muffled.

She looked to be a janitor of some kind, wearing the familiar green jumpsuit from the trainer class in the games. For some reason, she was also wearing a fucking gas mask! She carried a rectangular mop that seemed way bigger than it had to be.

“Gar! Gar!” Responded a Pokémon. I couldn’t even tell you which one it was.

I like to think I know my Pokémon. I could ace who’s that Pokémon any day of the week! Put one in front of me, I can name it, it’s type, and maybe even a fun fact or two!

This definitely wasn’t a Pokémon I’ve ever seen before. It reminded me of when I saw the bear for the first time. A horrifying, strange, unknown creature.

It looked like a fucking rainbow plastic nightmare! A formless mass made of crudely torn up scraps of fabric and harder cracked-off pieces in every colour of the rainbow. It’s limbs were made of the same pattern, and I thought I even noticed some fucking food scraps poking out of it!

This mound of endlessly shifting assorted material was over 6 feet tall, standing about a head taller than me. It’s voice was a strangely high pitched growl, and I couldn’t decide if it was haunting or cute. On its face were big eyes, and a small snout. Their teeth seemed to be made out of jagged stained glass! Their mouth was horrifying!

Their pupils were huge and dark, and they had two round ears atop their head that looked kind of like heavily damaged plastic frisbees. Their arms were spindly like they were made of yarn or pipe cleaners, but looked thicker because they were coated in multicoloured goop, crumpled plastic, plush cloth, and more stained glass! What the fuck was this thing even supposed to be!?

The sight of the two ridiculous figures was pretty damn horrifying! The type of absurdity you see before you meet your untimely demise.

And that was all before the smell hit me.

I physically recoiled at it! Fuck, it was horrible, I can hardly even describe it!

The best comparison would be some horrendous concoction of curdled mouldy bleach cleaning product. Something that an undead zombie janitor would be carrying around in a horror game or something. What the fuck could it be?

“Back with us, Oliver? Having a bad day? Spinda says that this is the second time he’s had to wake you up today. It’s not healthy to push yourself, even if you’re young. Did the excitement for the tournament keep you up? You’ve done wonderfully so far!” Said the old woman, in a concerned voice.

“Uh, huh?” I responded, still reeling. Was Spinda around?

I took a look around. I was standing on a healing platform again. No seats in sight, just the healing station. No Spinda either. The smell was starting to clear away.

On the tile floor next to me, a strange white powder was left behind. I kicked at it with my slipper. The pink fur on it was partially charred black. In fact, after a brief clothes check, a lot of my pajamas were charred. My right sleeve was completely gone.

“You just missed him, that speedy little bear!” Commented the janitor. “Lucky for you, he was in the stands for this next battle! I wonder, could he be here to watch you? You know how that fancy new mobile seating works, right? Oh, navigating that website was a pain!”

I was in a new terrain type. This one seemed to be some kind of snowy glacier. A cold wind whipped through my hair. Luckily for me, it wasn’t too cold. Not as cold as the place looked, at least. I was fine in my pajamas. This place must have been artificial.

At the end of the trail of white power was a trail of tiny footprints. Were they Spindas? They didn’t quite walk in a straight line, slightly tottering side to side.

What was the woman talking about? Mobile seating? What the fuck is on that website!?

Continuing to frisk myself, I felt my pockets. Inside was my Pokédex, and a cookie. A Spinda cookie, shaped like a paw print and topped with orange gel icing. The red panda must have really been here. Did he use wake-up slap on me again? I don’t think I feel asleep.

I know I teleported. Somehow. Meyer was on the warp pad, but the world moved and spun like I was warping. Plus, wake-up slap does some damage, and leaves a mark. I didn’t feel anything like that. I just… zoned out, for a bit. No bear involved. How the fuck did I get here?

Also, there was something missing from my pocket that should really be there. My Pokéball. Or rather, Carbink’s Pokéball. I had left the rock bunny behind, lying on that table. I had given the ball to Alexa, and left her in charge of a weakened, grounded Carbink. Where are they? Are they okay?

“Oh! Where have my manners gone? My name is Squeaky, or just Squeak is fine! The big fella here and I will be your nurses for the battle!” She said in a cheery voice! What the fuck is going on with these nurses, this person definitely didn’t look like a nurse. This better not be another trick.

Also, that’s absolutely not the name of any Pokémon character I know. Were they a mouse or something?

“My name’s Oliver, nice to meet you!” I said, continuing to scan my surroundings. I cautiously stepped off to the side, away from the warp tile area. I wasn’t falling for that fucking trick twice.

“Gar! Bodor!” Roared the creature in their oddly high pitched voice.

Did I fucking hear that right? No… that’s not a fucking Garbodor! Garbodors look like exploded trash bags filled with brown dirt with blue and pink chunks of miscellaneous garbage pieces in it! Their arms look like fucking gunk encrusted gas pumps! This isn’t a Garbodor! They’re not even close actually, like the mint chocolate Vanilluxe was! What the fuck is this creature!?

Well, maybe Sam would know. Yeah, the crazy fireman guy. He may have it out for me, but in the meantime, I have his voice in my pocket.

For the hell of it, I pulled out my Pokédex, and gave the goopy rainbow shard monster a scan.

The dex opened up to reveal a screen. Inside was a 3D model of the creature before me.

Sam’s gruff voice crackled to life. It was muffled by his oxygen mask.

“Ya know those fucken Burmy and Worm-a-whatever things? The ones that wear different cloaks and get different types depending on where ya find ‘em? Yeah, what you’re lookin’ at is, in fact, a Garbodor, the fucken trash amalgam Pokémon! I don’t even know what type they all are! They’re always poison type, so that’s a steel weakness for ladders, but watch out for secondary types! They pick a favourite type of garbage, and eat it like a seven course meal! Pay attention to what they’re made of, I’ve seen four fucken type combos already and I’ve heard about a fifth! These growlin’ disposal units work wonders for the ol’ environment! Put these big boys on one of the early cleanup crew rounds, right before the disinfectant team!”

Holy fuck, it’s really a Garbodor! The trash heap Pokémon is definitely not supposed to look like this. Sam seems as shocked as I am about it! I never would have known! This had to be his messiest dex entry yet, it doesn’t even mention the name until after a few sentences of preparing himself and any listeners.

I wonder if his entry for the actual Burmy line sounds like that. Because yeah, Burmy and Wormadam come in three forms each depending on their cloak, and they even have an alternate evolution in Mothim if your silly little bagworm Pokémon is male!

Garbodor’s only alternate form is their Gigantamax in sword and shield. The creature before me is absolutely a glitch, and isn’t supposed to be here!

Squeak spoke up, noticing how I’d been glancing back and forth between my dex and the Pokémon without thinking.

“Ah, right, it’s your first time in Kalos! Well, Garbodors are more common in Unova, but very few are seen in Kanto, so they must be new to you! My Garbodor here is officially called ‘Vibrant Trash form’, meaning they love colourful things, and art in general! You’d be surprised how much of each ends up in the garbage!” She said, as the… Garbodor struck a self-satisfied pose.

“Uh…” I could only respond.

I was still recovering, and the scene before me wasn’t helping! Why is the world wrong? Who went around and put extra forms in it? Was I being fooled? Tricked somehow? Were they waiting for me to call it out, so they’d know I was a human who knew the whole normal dex by heart? I don’t even want to imagine what it would feel like to be bit into by those jagged glass teeth!

What the hell is their angle? Something’s fishy here, but what?

“And if you’re wondering, they gain the fairy type! Ah, just like your Carbink! They’ve told me about your battles, and I can tell you are a kind, and caring trainer. Hold onto those instincts of yours. You will go far!” She added.

Just as she did, a familiar voice crackled inside of my head, like blips on a radar, or crackling sound echoing through a large cavern.

“Pardon me, Ms. Clean. I am, in fact, not this boy’s Pokémon. And I will never be his Pokémon. In fact, he should have no Pokémon at all! Don’t encourage his current behaviour, or he’ll never improve! I’ve participated in two battles in a row with a total of zero fainted Pokémon, and he’s just… okay with it! In fact, he keeps causing it! He ran onto an ACTIVE battlefield when I was too immobilized to properly provide an ounce of protection!” They said, their bored, monotone voice starting to crack into frustration near the end.

It was Carbink. The rock bunny was floating out of the healing area, slowly heading towards us. Their telepathy message sounded like it was meant for Squeaky, but I heard it too. Did they do that on purpose? Let me listen to it so they could scold me?

It didn’t really matter. I was happy to see them okay, after what had happened to me.

Carbink seemed to be on my side. They tried to warn me at the last second right before I got teleported into the mega microwave. Or, was that just because Alexa and Blaziken Mask hadn’t told anyone that I have no face?

No, when I told Sam that I had no face, Carbink was there too. They must have heard me say that, right? Or, were they paying too much attention to the opponent?

Just how many people had heard me say that? There was no strange reaction to it. Even Sam tried downplaying it. Were they all quietly plotting my doom, even right now? Them, the battle judge, the people in the audience? Everyone?

I want to believe that Carbink is on my side, but, are they really? What would happen if I found myself alone in a dark metal room with no cameras, and a floating rock bunny just happened to be teleported in?

One well aimed rock throw would be the end of me. Gods, please let fire guy be wrong about the people and Pokémon in Kalos, I can’t deal with this!

“Oliver, you’re doing it again” Buzzed Carbink, their telepathy voice slipping back into robotic monotone.

“Uh, not I’m not. Ready for our next battle?” I responded, getting worried, and with no clue what they were talking about.

Carbink just stared at me in response. After a moment, they closed their eyes.

And then fucking music slowly crackled to life inside my head.

It was a familiar theme, one that sounded light, relaxing, and crystalline. A song I listened to in-game, letting Calem stand there while I did other things, mostly work.

It was the Snowbelle City theme. It’s not often the final level of a game is ice themed, but in Kalos, the strongest gym challenge is at the heart of a snowy wonderland. It has a slow, calming flow to match.

“Carbink, where have you heard this song before?” I asked. It was strange enough when I heard the trainer battle music earlier, and now, Carbink was using my brain as a fucking radio station! How do these people know about the music from their own video game?

Surely it’s not natural, right? Music doesn’t just fucking play as you walk around!

Not that I would know, my trip around Lumiose City was… slept through. Plus, Carbink aren’t even found in or around Snowbelle, so they couldn’t have come from there. When did they hear this music? How are they even playing it, telepathy only sends voices across! This wasn’t even humming, it was music! It sounded more crystally, and it was more full of echoes and crackles than it should have been, but it was a song.

“Are you sending him music? My, Carbink, have you been training? That’s wonderful!” Noted Squeaky. Was Carbink only sending it to me? So they could control that.

Did this Squeaky person know Carbink? I guess they both work here, that would make sense, they were coworkers in a way.

“Well, Oliver,” She continued. “For Carbink’s sanity, try seeing this next battle to it’s proper conclusion. Don’t move from position until the battle’s over, and don’t give up on Carbink until the judge calls the match, even if it looks dicey! Especially if it does, actually! They can only go so many battles without a proper one. There’s not a tournament every day!” She called. The air changed slightly when she did, and a cold breeze blew over the pad.

I don’t really agree with them. If the battles went normally, like they were supposed to, I would have stayed put, and battled properly. It’s not my fault that neither of my two battles were normal!

Well, if they want me to stand by no matter what, I could do that. No matter what happens out there, I’m not moving a single step once the fight starts.

Because I have a new plan now.

Food can wait, and plus, I have a Spinda cookie, I’ll eat it soon, on the road. There’s a way for me to save Ash. Blaziken Mask may be gone, the real one, I mean, but not all hope is lost. I can still save Ash myself.

All I have to do is lose, and claim my prize money. I’ve already earned P$300. Once I’m out, I have a few options, but I need to make it to Prism Tower before sunset! Ash, Clemont and Bonnie climb Lumiose tower using a secret entrance that can only be opened by Clemont’s Aipom arm gadget. The lock is distinct, I can find it. I’ll wait there, and warn all of them.

Ash, Froakie, and Pikachu will then take care of Garchomp like in the show, removing the ring collar thingy it accidentally gets courtesy of Team Rocket. If Pikachu remembers my warning and stands away from the edge, Ash won’t fall. If nobody falls, Blaziken Mask isn’t needed. Everything will be set right again.

Well, until Clemont and Bonnie find out what happened to their dad…

I don’t know how to handle that. I’ll cross that bridge later.

For now, I have 3 options. I can walk and run there, which would be the slowest choice. In-game, it takes a matter of seconds to get from the outer ring to Prism Tower in the center. But with an extra ring, a life-sized city, and me being exhausted, it might take too long.

I could also take the Gogoat shuttle for P$200. It’s a fun little feature shown off in the trailer of the games where you can call the plant goat over to your location, and ride it around the outer ring! All I have to do is get to any of the route gates, and a black and blue sign will be waiting for me!

Speaking of, I wonder what happened to Alexa’s Gogoat. Or Alexa, for that matter. Did the fire guy do something to her, or was she still after me? And what did she do to the mad scientist nurse? You’d think they would have teamed up, if it was to take me out. I definitely don’t buy her story about him going on break underground now.

The only problem with the shuttle is that Gogoat only goes around the outer ring. Could I convince one to head inwards? Plus, the Garchomp attack begins while the sun is still up. It would absolutely cause the Gogoat to either panic, or calmly evacuate. I’d never make it once that happened, even if I managed to convince one to stray away from their intended path.

They’re also a bit slow. They walk calmly, and it takes a while in real-time. It would beat walking, but I had no reliable way of getting where I had to be.

The last option is risky. The Lumi Cab service costs at minimum P$710, ranging up to and over P$3,000 depending on the drive length. For exactly P$3,000, they can take you to Centrico Plaza, where Prism Tower is. Money I didn’t have. I’d need to get at least fucking third place to guarantee I had enough!

But, fun fact, as long as you don’t have enough money, you don’t need to pay a cent! They’ll drive you to your destination, and once you arrive, you have to pay the fare. If you can’t, they actually challenge you to a battle instead!

The Driver trainer class is really interesting, and exclusive to the XY games! They all either have a Sandile, Krokorok, or Krokodile! They range between level 33 and 66. If you win, you gain around P$2,000-P$4,000, depending on the fight. Obviously, I won’t have any Pokémon once I leave and return Carbink. I don’t actually plan on battling them. For all I know, even the weakest ones would be a match for Sam’s Vanilluxe!

I’ll find a driver that looks like the punk trainer class. They’re the only ones who mostly use Sandiles, the base form of the three. That lowers the risk. If I take this method, I’ll have someone with a fucking magic pet crocodile after me!

But, it’s fast, and certain. If I find a cab, which are blue and white in this city for some reason, I can take it.

If I time it just right, I’ll be safe. Would the taxi driver continue attacking me once the fucking LAZER BEAM SKY DRAGON shows up, heading right for Prism Tower!? With any luck, they’d ditch me to evacuate to safety.

It’s against the law, but hey, you can do it in game with no consequences, and why should I care about the fucking fictional law right now!? Everything is on the line! I already feel like I’m on the run, and I’m innocent!

It’s free exp and money for those in the know! And those who somehow lack the funds. Money is pretty easy to come by in those games, I rarely found myself low, and I’m an item hoarder to the core! It’s not like I plan to stick around in Lumiose.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Huh, this music seems good for thinking. I have a new plan now.

But… could I do that to Carbink? Lose on purpose? Well, they didn’t seem to care about winning or losing, just about doing it right. We won our first match, and they hated me for it!

I’m supposed to be a newbie trainer with zero experience. I could totally throw if I’m against anyone half-decent! No one would ever know!

Carbinks voiced chimed to life. “You seem to be doing better now. You never need to ask me if I’m ready, I’m always prepared to preform in battle at top form, and will inform you and the nurse of any abnormalities. Are you ready, master? In my honest opinion, there is a 100% probability that you will fail once again. Although I never plan to see you again, experience is experience. Ms. Clean is too optimistic, but maybe even someone like you can amass experience and remove themselves from beneath level zero” They hummed, ever a critic.

It almost made me want to abandon my plan for now, and fight to win. I knew what I was doing in these battles, I think! I just had to prove myself! What would they have to say to me after a real battle, one with no interruptions?

Could I get them to change their mind? What if I stay in the tournament? What if I pass the qualifier? If I manage to avoid another absurdly tough opponent like Sam’s Vanilluxe, who Carbink could hardly damage, I might be able to do it, if I tried seriously again. What would Carbink say after that?

But what do I care? I shouldn’t have to prove myself to anyone, much less a condescending talking rock! Besides, I doubt I’ll ever see them again.

Still, it ate at me, but I swallowed it down.

“Alright! I’ll do my best, thanks for the vote of confidence!” I responded. I’ll save my combo move ideas for a better Pokémon. “Now, to find the battlefield”

“Pardon me, Oliver. Before we go, I have a question I need to ask you. Actually, I have too many quandaries to name at the moment. But for now… do you have your face?” They asked. Sam asked the exact same question. And I had answered it back then. With Carbink right in front of me. What was Carbink playing at?

I glanced over to Squeaky and the multichromatic sludge glass creature. They both seemed happy, and were looking at me expectantly. Did Carbink beam the message to them too?

So that’s what this was.

“Don’t worry. They’re safe. I mean… if my instincts are correct in the first place. Otherwise, this is a very strange question… isn’t it?” They continued. Maybe they realized I had caught on.

I should really get going.

“Hey, Uh, Squeaky? May I have Carbink’s Pokéball back? I’d like to get going now” I said. Since I didn’t have it, and Carbink was here, they must have it, right?

“Ah, of course! Here you are!” She called, producing the ball from a compartment hidden in her mop, and tossing it over to me. “Carbink is in perfect health, of course! I may not look it, but I know a thing or three about healing, especially status conditions!”

I caught the Pokéball, and in a flash, I pointed it at Carbink.

“Return!” I called, as a beam of bright red light escaped the Pokéball. In a flash, it connected with Carbink. Coated in the red light, Carbink returned to the Pokéball. I clicked the face button to shrink it down, and put it back into my pocket. The music in my head slowly fizzled away, leaving me with the ambience.

I felt a little safer with Carbink in the Pokéball. Plus, they didn’t like me leaving for the battle without returning them to the Pokéball first. It was probably a rule on the website, everyone likes revealing their Pokémon dramatically before the battle.

Is that why the holograms making the battlefield invisible are in place? To stop people from seeing their opponent and their Pokémon early if any healing is being done? What a fucking crazy use for the technology!

Though, you could probably accomplish the same thing with like… a big tent. That way, the healing wouldn’t be affected by the terrain conditions! And I wouldn’t have to play hide and go seek.

But, if that was the case, I could escape easily. Now, I have no idea where to go. I’d have to advert my eyes, and my attention, to the surroundings. The battlefield was full of eyes, but until I got there… Well, Alexa felt safe to act.

I backed up a few steps, trying to act nonchalant and distance myself at the same time. I stepped off the pad, and into the snow, around Spinda’s footprints. He must have headed back to the battlefield area, right? I can just follow them! Lucky me, that’s where the seats would be!

Squeaky must have called him over. Was she a hero too? Fuck, is EVERYONE around here a superhero!?

Do you have to be a superhero to call Spinda? Probably not, actually. There must be a way for civilians to call on them. Maybe it’s on the website.

“Best of luck, Oliver! Fourth battles are always the most exciting to watch! Plus, the tournament is about to begin. You and your opponent might have a huge audience! Rental Pokémon get bonuses for that, you know!” She called, waving me goodbye. She didn’t try to approach me, instead heading back into the healing area.

“Fourth?” Crackled a voice in my head. It was far less clear than normal, and it was really quiet. I could hardly make it out. “Oh, right, he can’t hear me” Continued Carbink.

“Huh!?” I said, looking around, and feeling my pockets. Everything was still where it was supposed to be. Including Carbink’s Pokéball. Glancing around me, Carbink was nowhere in sight, still in their Pokéball. Could they use telepathy from inside the fucking metal orb!?

But yeah. I’ve only had two battles. One against Serena, a win, and one against Sam, a resounding loss. This was the third.

Unless you count my short one-sided battle against Blaziken Mask. Did Squeaky know about that? If she did, why wasn’t she doing anything about it?

Maybe she was mistaken.

Soon, the snow patch I was walking through ended, and the path continued as slippery rock. I couldn’t see tottering footprints anymore.

I turned back. I saw the healing platform a good ways back. Squeaky and Garbodor hadn’t followed me.

I was safe to scan my surroundings. Bright blue sky, and endless rock and snow. I saw distant mountains too.

Nothing stood out.

No matter how long I looked.

…

I couldn’t find the pattern. There weren’t any trees, and the mountains seemed too random. I knew the general direction, but I wanted to know for sure.

And so, I felt the wind, closed my eyes, took a long deep breath, and exhaled while opening them again.

And it appeared.

The snow was falling slightly fucking faster in a key area ahead of me. I could hardly even notice it. I quickly made for it, being careful not to slip.

As I followed the fastest falling snow, it kept speeding up, along with the cold wind. It was getting a bit cold for me. I could hardly see anything!

And just before it became too much, It slowed down again. And I was somewhere else.

A battlefield stretched out before me. Well, it was hard to tell, considering there was no opponents waiting for me. I guess I arrived before them. Which is fucking weird, because I took a rather notable detour after my last match!

Off to my left was a battle judge. He wore a light coat, and carried two flags, one green, and one red. I recognized him.

It was my fucking nurse again. The one that matched the human-shaped hole. He was wearing two lab coats atop each other. He didn’t have the purple poison energy logo on him like the other judges did. Maybe he forgot his uniform, or didn’t care to change between his two jobs. He still had his goggles on.

His Jigglypuff stood at his side. The Pokémon was normally just over one and a half feet tall, but now that they weren’t floating, they only came up to the scientist’s knees! He was massive! The flags even looked small in his hands.

“Whoa! Hey again, man!” They called towards me. I smiled at how silly their fake deep voice sounded. I was a little relieved to see him too. Maybe he really did go on break underground! Does he do two jobs in the same tournament?

“Puff puff!” Squeaked the balloon Pokémon, waving towards me. I guess they also take two jobs, along with their trainer. I like to imagine the pink bouncy ball makes sure their trainer goes to sleep on time with a song!

“It’s you! Hey again, good to see you!” I called out. “I’m ready for my next match! I never caught your name by the way! Who are you?”

The nurse seemed to laugh a bit at my comment, but did so in their fake-sounding voice. “Yeah, I sure hope you’re ready! Your opponent’s already warped in, they’ll find their way here soon! Awesome work finding your way here! I see you’ve gotten the hang of it! My name’s Petra, by the way! I’m not here as your nurse right now, I’m here for the battle!” He continued, waving his flags around dramatically! His strange long rigid grey hair didn’t move an inch, not with the motion, or the breeze, kind of like Jessie’s hair from the show at times!

“Yeah, thanks for the pointer! I was able to notice the right way to go almost immediately!” I responded. They nodded in response.

We then went quiet, listening to the ambient snowscape, and feeling the breeze, as we waited for another person to walk through the veil.

…

And when they finally did, I let out a small sigh. It was another familiar face.

This time, it was one I was expecting to see. Of course they’d show up now, with how much I’d entangled myself with the events of a main character, and by extension, the main story.

It was Calem.

I guess he managed to win against Serena. Makes sense, since he’s the one who travelled to Kalos. So, he was the main character, and Serena was the rival. I think most people win that first rival battle.

I guess I would be the last of the tutorial battles. Would winning or losing this fight do anything to change the main story? I had no way to know. This whole tournament wasn’t in the main story!

Should I let this line of thinking go? The timeline is already pretty messed up, as far as I could tell, and the fire guy is actively making it worse! In fact, he had something planned for Calem. What did he have in mind?

For this battle, maybe whatever’s supposed to happen will happen naturally.

But, if I lose on purpose, would that be okay? What if he was supposed to lose and not participate in the tournament, and I change that, and it glitches the world up even more? I don’t have that answer. It’s a 50/50, and I already have my plan. I just have to go with my gut, and hope things end up okay.

Calem and I locked eyes across the snowy battlefield.

“Oh! It’s you! You ran off earlier. I wanted to talk, where in the world did you go? I didn’t see you anywhere in the mirror maze or the initiation!” Calem noted.

Mirror maze? Initiation? Yeah, I don’t remember any of that. Maybe it was on the fucking website. I saw one single mirror, and it blocked the entire hallway forward!

How can I tell Calem that I fucking fell asleep and woke up in my first battle with my Pokémon in my pocket? I smartly decided to say nothing, and let Calem continue.

“I’m surprised! After having three battles, I was sure you were already long gone, and we’d meet again after I won the tournament. You do know that participants get free random seating, right? It was on the website. I hope after this battle, they give you a nice one!” Calem taunted.

He had used a similar taunt on Serena, but I wasn’t supposed to know about his last battle. I only know about it because it was playing in the deluxe skybox I almost died in.

“Hey Calem! I hope they give you the deluxe skybox view, you’ll need after such a rough fight!” I taunted back.

“Pfft! Shut up!” Calem called back. “By the way, I hope you don’t mind, but I added a third person to our dinner plans! In fact, they’re probably in the audience right now! It’s Serena, you’ve met her already, right? She had some good things to say about you. Maybe I misjudged you as a trainer, or maybe… you’re not the same trainer I met on the plane” Calem finished, with a dramatic point directed right at my head.

Nah, I don’t think I’ve changed at all. I’ve just had more time to see the battles, people, and Pokémon around me. I thought up combo moves, but I wasn’t planning on using them. I’ll play out this fight to not mess anything up, and to appease Carbink, but then I was gone.

What would happen to this tournament when the sky dragon appeared? I hope to be gone before that happens.

But, Calem’s here. I know for sure he can contact the heroes. I can use that. I just need to keep it low-key. Maybe I can get backup to Ash.

I let my voice change into a monotone, serious tone.

“No problem! We really need to walk around and see a few landmarks in the city! Let’s call it for Sycamore’s Lab, and Prism Tower” I commented, emphasizing the last sentence, and while playing a game of fucking charades to get the point across. I flipped invisible sunglasses down from my invisible hat, reached down to my side where Calem’s Holo Caster was, and pulling it out, pressing some buttons on the invisible screen.

It took him a moment to realize what was happening. “Yeah, both of them look super pretty at night! Honestly, you look like you fucking fell from Prism Tower! Jeez, you look like if Pikachu went all out on you on the plane! Did you… go to… a storm or lava area?” Calem responded, trailing off as he watched my charades continue. I could almost see his cloudy eyes shift as the message clicked.

Without missing a beat, he flipped his sunglasses down, pulled out his Holo Caster, and pressed a few buttons until the hologram of a speaker appeared. He cuffed his hands around his mouth this time, and I wasn’t able to hear what he spoke into it. Afterwards, he reversed everything in an instant.

He then looked back up, and nodded to me with a small smile. Shouldn’t he look more worried?

Petra noticed we had gone silent.

“Hello ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, and Pokémon too! Time’s running short, but we’ll be having another wonderful Ditto Day duel! This will be a one on one battle, and no substitutions or battle items are permitted! On my left is Calem of Vaniville Town, and on my right is Oliver of Palette Town, a classic! Both competitors have two wins, and one loss! One will move on, and one will go home! This one’s gonna be a real cliffhanger! Even I’m excited! The match will conclude when one Pokémon is unable to battle, or a forfeit is called! Guys, send out your Pokémon!” He called, raising his green flag high into the air!

Uh, the counts off. He’s just straight up wrong. I only have one win.

I shrugged it off. I planned on losing this anyways. Some kind of broken telephone game must have been happening behind the scenes, Squeaky thought the same thing. Saves me the trouble of explaining my movements to Calem.

“Carbink! Time to shine!” I called, expanding my Pokéball and sending it high into the air, releasing my gem bunny in a flash of dazzling blue light that matched their gems.

“Bink!!” They called out dramatically! I almost saw sparks of blue energy coming off them!

“Litleo! One enemy!” Called Calem, sending out his fire lion cub with the same blue light.

“Leo!” It roared, lighting it’s mane aflame. The mane seemed slightly larger than the last time I saw it. I decided not to comment on that.

I pulled out my Pokédex first, curious what Sam had to saw about a fire type.

“That there’s a Litleo, the fucken lion cub Pokémon! Yeah, not the best match against us on the steel brigade! Well, we can resist their normal attacks and stuff, but they’re special attackers, and they have some mean flames! Luckily, if you see a pack of ‘em, chances are you’ll be fine. See just one on their own, and you’re in danger! They’ll try to prove their strength, and might fight you or your team even without provocation! It’s a good thing most of ‘em are stuck learning physical moves, but the strong ones that are near evolution have some crazy strong moves! Bring the rock brigade if it gets serious!”

Huh, he actually got the species name right this time. The lion cub Pokémon was a fire normal type, an awful matchup against a rock type! Rock is super effective on fire types, and it resists both fire and normal!

The only coverage move Litleo learns is all the way at level 39, past it’s evolution at level 35. Even if they did know it, it’s crunch. Not only is it a physical move, Litleo’s worse attacking stat, but it’s also resisted by the fairy type. Which Carbink is. We have a 2x resistance to ember, the one reliable special move it has early on.

“Whoa cool! Did you get your dex from a fire fighter! Oh yeah, this is your first time in Kalos!” Calem said, his tone cheery. The air had slowly begun to change, beginning to get thicker with anticipation. “Litleo is native to Kalos! So’s your Pokémon actually! I’ve never seen one before!” He noted, fishing out his own Pokédex, scanning Carbink.

“Carbink, the jewel Pokémon. Type: Rock/Fairy. Code: Reflection, Cavern, Lost, and Ditto. These floating Pokémon tend to live in dark areas with a large amount of reflective surfaces. They are extremely durable, and create mirrors to lead humans away from their homes, sometimes causing them to become lost. They use their soft scarves to polish gems and rocks, which are signs you’re getting too close to their territory. There are a number of reports indicating that staring into a Carbink’s gemstones may cause your reflection in certain mirrors to appear or act strangely. View relevant case files for more information. Additional investigation is necessary”

Okay, some of that seemed pretty on-theme, but what the fuck was that last part? That’s absolutely not one of Carbink’s abilities! They live in reflection cave, but I don’t think they can create mirrors! And, they can’t mess with your reflection.

Though, reflection cave in the show does have some funny business with it’s mirrors. Looking into the right ones at the right times can show you the mirror dimension, a reversed place where everything is backwards! Team Rocket are good guys there! And they’re… superheroes, fuck! More damn heroes!

Anyways, it’s an entire alternate world where everyone’s personality is flipped on it’s head. That includes people, and Pokémon. Maybe some mirror world fuckery was going on there! Eh, it’s just a one-off location from a filler episode. I’m sure it’ll be fine.

I’m more surprised by the fact there wasn’t anything about eye colour in there. My Carbink had orange eyes. Was that normal? Maybe, I mean, humans have different eye colours all the time.

“Well would you look at that! I’m at a disadvantage, eh, Oliver? Feeling confident?” Calem taunted, referencing my words back on the plane.

“Type advantages aren’t everything. There’s coverage, strategy, tricks, experience, everything. I know that, Calem. I think I’ve known that for a long time! I know more than you’d ever believe. Maybe I’m new to battle, but you’ve been talking down to me since our first meeting. At dinner, you’re going to sit there and explain the reason I won this battle right back to me!” I gloated, putting on my best taunting voice! There was a little truth behind my words, but honestly, I didn’t really care if Calem thought I was incompetent. I didn’t want to get too mixed up with him. I had indirectly done more damage to this world today than I can imagine.

“Are you sure Oliver? Because you can’t hide anything from me, no matter how good your mask is. What’s the game plan, huh? You sound like you’re ready to lose! Like you’ve already lost! Gonna throw the match? Forfeit the second the flag drops? Whatever you’re worried about, leave it to us. Kalos will be okay. You’ll be okay, especially when you’re somewhere safe, like right here. Whatever you’re holding onto, try and let it go. Please, you can trust us.” Calem replied, staring me down.

I don’t know how he did it, or what he knew exactly, but somehow, he had hit the nail on the head.

I was planning to lose. I was worried about what would happen to Ash and Pikachu, and to Kalos.

But, he was wrong too. I wasn’t safe here. I almost died. Multiple people know about my face. I might find myself in danger again, praying for another miracle. And if one doesn’t come…

And if he’s wrong about that, he might be wrong about the safety of Kalos. He has no idea what’s coming.

But if I tell him… I might be punching my own ticket.

“Yeah right!” I bluffed. “I’m winning this for sure! Of course I’m safe! If I were you, I’d be more worried about the safety of your wallet! Let’s hope you didn’t want that Pokéball bundle prize! What exactly is in those, anyways? Was THAT also on the website?” I taunted, trying to get Calem off my back.

“If you’re in such a hurry to leave, why are you participating in this battle? You can quit any time you want, you know. Nobody is forcing you to be here. Uh, I mean, here specifically, in this tournament. It was-” Calem began to say.

“On the website, yeah, I’ve heard all about it. Look, just drop this, we’re holding everything up. We can battle and be done with it. I’ll be giving it my all! I promise, Calem” I responded, as confidently as I could. My voice broke near the end, not helping.

“I’ll forfeit first, I’m faster than you. I know the quick way to do it from the website. I’ll do it!” Said Calem, with the most determination in his voice I’d head yet.

“What? Why would you-” I tried to respond. What the hell was Calem thinking!? I was just some strange guy who kept popping up in his way. Why would he throw this tournament away just to stop my plans? He’s the one who introduced me to this tournament! This was his thing!

“And after that, you wouldn’t know how to quit, would you? You didn’t check the website! You’d be forced into the tournament speech, and wait who knows how long for the chance to lose again! Would that mess up your plans?” Calem threatened.

And it was valid. I didn’t know what to do to opt out, and warp to the entrance. It could have been as simple as asking, but what if it wasn’t? What if I got stuck in this stadium, stalled out until it was too late to do anything? To warn Ash and Pikachu?

What if the heroes Calem called weren’t enough. The fire guy was surely watching. Who knows what he’ll do to ensure his little trick plays out right?

“You don’t know what you’re doing, Calem” I chastised, while preserving the details. “You have no reason to forfeit this match. I don’t plan on doing that either!”

“Strange, you’re three matches into a tournament where you only need two losses to leave. You wanted to strike out this whole time, didn’t you? You had somewhere to be?” Calem assumed, wrongly.

“Do you know what Serena told me about you when we realized we had both met you? She defended you. She said that one look into your eyes was enough to see just how much you care about Pokémon. How much you want to help them, even at the cost of yourself. Like if there was no battle, you’d be the first one rushing forward to help a Pokémon out, before anyone else had noticed anything was wrong. But for the sake of your partner, you forced yourself to stay still, thinking of better ways to help instead of smarter ways to win. I bet your other matches were the same. Despite everything, you still look like you haven’t had a single proper battle. Where did he go, Oliver? What happened to the kind, passionate trainer she saw in you? THAT’S the person I was looking forward to meeting, and battling today. Is he hiding? Gone? Has he given up? Where did that spark go, Oliver? Where did the light in your eyes go!?”

“IT’S GONE!” I snapped back.

“It’s all gone. This world, parts of myself, my home, so many things are gone, Calem! I know you’re important, and everything, but you can’t just go messing around with other people’s business! You have no clue what’s going on here, do you!? How bad things could be right now! How damaged they’ve already become! You don’t even know the first thing about me! NOBODY here does! Sorry I don’t live up to your FUCKING STANDARDS! You’re not the first! Like I’m just supposed to be this normal trainer who goes around doing normal battles when NOTHING IS NORMAL! IT’S ALL WRONG! Everything is fucked, and nobody has noticed! Nobody CAN notice! I can’t tell anyone without making it so much worse! I just…” I ranted, to the air.

I took a few deep, slow, shaky breaths to calm myself down, hoping I didn’t let anything damning slip. Everyone was staring at me. Even Carbink, who had finally taken their eyes off the enemy.

“I quit. I’m done. Dinner plans are off, Calem, I’ll find my own food. Go win the tournament. I believe in you, but I can’t do this. It’s not for me. Thank you Calem, I mean it from the bottom of my heart. You gave me the opportunity to give battles a try. To explore the city on my own. You wanted the best for me, and I’m really glad I could meet you, and Ash, and Serena. But I can’t match that. It’s not good for me to stick around that space. The best thing for me is to find a home. Somewhere quiet, in just the right spot. That might put an end to all of this. I’ll find another way. I’ll trust the superheros to do this job, and I’ll stay far away from them. It’s… better for my health this way. I’ll be cheering for you, Calem” I said, with finality.

Maybe this was all a mistake. Going along with everything I was suggested to do. I was meddling too much, and it was nearly the end of me. Calem had warned me that everything would get more dangerous. He just didn’t know that I would be facing the brunt of the danger. I’m still on the fence about whether or not he knows I’m not supposed to be in this world. But, even if he does, it doesn’t make a difference. Not one big enough to matter. Everyone might as well know. Every superhero, no, everyone could be in on this.

I should go somewhere quiet. Somewhere safe. Maybe all these superheroes really could take care of catching Ash and Pikachu, or stopping Garchomp before they have to climb the tower.

I know where I can go. Dead south. The bottom middle area of Kalos has no known landmarks in the games, and in the show. No cities. No evil teams. No heroes. It was better than staying here. Even if someone did come after me, they’d have to stray so far away from the cannon to even get close. The area is full of greenery, has a river for water, and probably plenty of berries for food.

All I’d have to do is find the right Pokémon to defeat the bear if I see it again. Who knows what it’s weird powers do to me. It leaves me completely defenseless. If Spinda can’t wake me up, will I sleep forever? I’d rather go out that way than be finished off by a character I used to love with all my heart.

Especially not Calem. He has such little content, but I played as him. I chose his team. Even his outfit. He was my window into Kalos for over a decade, and I treasure that game dearly. I won’t let myself go out to this place. Not like that. It’s too cruel.

The world went silent.

“So… can I lower the flag?” Asked Petra, breaking the silence. He really had been raising the green flag up this whole time.

“Oh! Sorry about that. Yeah, I’m out. Here” I said, throwing Carbink’s Pokéball over to him. He dropped both his flags to gently catch it in his massive hands.

“You work here, right? Do whatever has to be done” I said coldly, realizing that he might have actually been in on the Alexa and Blaziken Mask plot. What if he was the one who got Alexa there, because they noticed I let my guard down around her, a character I recognized? He was supposed to be my nurse. It was super fishy!

“Master, you can-” Carbink said, invading their voice into my brain.

“Please, stop calling me that” I interrupted. “That’s been making me uncomfortable all day. I’m not even your trainer. I did nothing to earn your trust in the end. That title feels so gross! You know my name! I know you hate me and everything, but I think you rock! Ha! Really. Thanks for the music, by the way. It reminded me of home” I said, taking one last look back at everyone.

I couldn’t stand the way they all looked back at me. It made me sick.

“It’s… dangerous to be alone, Oliver” Said Calem, quietly. I wasn’t sure if he was warning me, or threatening me.

“Sorry I let you all down” I replied, turning away, and walking past the veil, into the snowstorm.