After we returned the key to Klefki and the Pokemon to the Gym Leader, I excused myself to get my team looked after. There were a bunch of people wanting to talk to me about my victory and about Raifort, but Oberon shooed them off.
“Let her look after her Pokemon; they’re the most important part of a Trainer’s life.” His voice was subdued as he held onto Klefki’s Pokeball as if it were made of the most fragile crystal in the world and could shatter at the slightest impact. “If you would, Nemona, please return after. I’d like to talk to you.”
Something about the way he says that makes me think this is about more than taking my statement. I wasn’t in any desperate rush to leave right now, so I agreed before going to the Pokemon Center.
When my team was taken in by Nurse Joy, however, there was an unexpected problem. “What did you do?” She demanded, sharply.
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
She pointed at the monitor, and I craned my neck over to see the readouts. As the machine healed my team, it showed the amount of injuries in red shading. Phantasm is fine; I didn’t even use her in any of the fights! So what’s- ah. Following her finger, I saw that Riolu’s ball was colored deep red (Dun’s was pretty bad as well, but he hadn’t fainted and I’d healed him up before our wild chase after Raifort).
“Ah. Will she be alright? She fought hard, but there’s nothing permanent, right?” I asked nervously in the face of her glare. She has to be fine. Oberon saw her, and he didn’t have anything to say. He’s a Gym Leader, he would have called the match if it was getting dangerous, I’m sure of it. Plus, she seemed fine to me—knocked out, but fine.
“I’d like to keep her overnight for observation,” she said and I narrowed my eyes.
“That… isn’t an answer to the question I asked.” I stared hard at before she turned away. Before she could say anything, Riolu popped out of her ball, barking angrily at the Nurse.
“Lu! Olu!” She stumbled backwards, caught in the tight space of the desk and Pokemon Center equipment.
“Wait, you wanted to take her away from me?” I asked, shocked as I translated Riolu’s words.
The woman straightened herself out. “I was just trying to help! You pushed her too far-” She cut herself off at Riolu’s growl.
“Did I actually?” The question was more for Riolu than her; I couldn’t trust her words. My Pokemon turned to me and I said, “Hey, you did a great job out there. You took out two of Oberon’s Pokemon and crippled his Grimmsnarl; that was half of his team!”
“Ri, Rio,” she responded, puffing out her chest with pride and joy.
The Nurse Joy scoffed. “That’s all Trainers seem to worry about. If it had gone a bit further-”
“But it didn’t. Besides, she’s the one that pushes that far.” If anything, my strategy pulled back a bit from some of her more reckless plans, like how far she pushed against Dun right before she joined the team. But is that enough? Should I be keeping her in check more?
Riolu had stopped advancing on the Nurse, now backed into a corner and she straightened herself out. “I apologize if I caused any undue distress. As a medical professional, I simply worried about the care and well being of your Pokemon.”
“Olu,” the Aura Pokemon snarled, and I got her meaning, especially as she gestured to Phantasm’s ball. I’m glad she can pick up on those things Nurse Joy is feeling, my Aura Sight isn’t good enough to distinguish between the flurry of emotions she’s feeling.
“And back to Phantasm. You really think I would-? Forget about it,” I shook my head angrily. With a gesture, Riolu hopped back over the desk, carrying her Pokeball, staring daggers at the Nurse Joy.
The medical professional pursed her lips, but said nothing as we left. Well, that could have gone better. Riolu placed a paw on my hand, to reassure me. “Thanks. How did you know to jump out then?”
“Iolu,” she replied with a stifled yawn.
“Ah, my suspicions. Well I’m glad you did, but you don’t need to worry about everyone that I’m suspicious of being as bad as the poachers.” She gave a small sniff, not dignifying that with a reply, but I was sure she understood. We’re all stressed out right now after all of that.
Noticing the fatigue she was carrying, how she couldn’t quite bring herself to keep up with my longer strides, I asked, “You want to rest?” She looked hesitant for a moment so I continued. “I’ll be fine. You and Dun fought super hard in that Gym Battle, you’ve earned a break.”
With a sleepy nod of her head, she agreed, pressing the button and returning back to the Pokeball. The healing machine helped her recover incredibly fast, but she’ll still be tuckered out after all of that. Dun might not, but that’s because of his insane stamina.
I distracted myself, thinking of random trivia like that as I walked through town, hoping to wait until Riolu was too deeply resting to pick up on my agitated mental state. Great, in addition to Raifort, looks like I’ve made an enemy of the Joys. The latter is probably worse; I don’t think Raifort has any reason or backing to come after me.
Despite that, the historian had scared me more. “How did she do that?” I softly wondered aloud. “I’ve faced on all sorts of threats but that… that scared me.” Was it some trick with Aura or some other supernatural element? Or just the honest fear of knowing you’re facing down someone willing and able to kill you and knowing you can’t stop them?
Sure, if her Zoroark had made good on that illusory promise and ripped me open, my team would have done the same (or worse) to her, but it wouldn’t change what would have happened to me.
Guess it doesn’t matter what the reason behind it was. The facts are, I was too scared to stand up to her. I just… need to get braver. Riolu’s ball shook lightly at my side, and I rubbed it soothingly. Easier said than done.
Shaking those thoughts loose I tried to focus on the positives of today, which was actually just as easy said as done, for once. This was in part due to all the people recognizing me, pointing and whispering, talking about my battle against Oberon.
It is kinda nice to have people looking up to us, thinking we’re cool and strong. I didn’t think I was too vain of a person, but having the vast majority of people look down on me because of my age got old fast.
One man who likely never would again was Oberon, the man’s tense shoulders relaxing as we walked up to the Gym building. He motioned us to follow him, and we did, heading through the back of the building then up the stairs.
Oberon walked to his office, opening the door with a bang that went unremarked upon by any of the staff walking past, tearing off his cape and throwing it on a plush couch on the side of the room. There was a small coffee table nearby it, and a large bookshelf covered one wall with elegant portraits and a large TV hanging off the other.
The man slumped down in the plus chair behind the expensive-looking desk, motioning for me to take a seat in the slightly less luxurious seat planted in front of it. The cheer and energy from our match had completely drained out of him, and he looked tired. More than that, haunted. Despite how someone as tired-looking as him would probably slump down over their desk, he leans back, his hands hovering over his Pokeballs.
“First off, I want to thank you dearly for helping return Klefki to me. They’ve been with my family for generations, and to think I was so careless as to lose them..." He trailed off, and I awkwardly looked to the side as the man seemed on the verge of sobbing. Don’t really know what to say here. Hmm, yeah, those portraits do look like they could be of his ancestors, and there is a Klefki floating beside that knight-looking guy. I wonder if clues like that are how Raifort figured out about his vault?
“I’m sorry,” he said after a moment to compose himself. “I will do better in the future in guarding them. My performance today, both against you and after, was shameful.”
Shaking my head, I said, “No. You did fine; I studied up a lot and well… I’m pretty strong too. Besides, Raifort was waiting for an opportunity like this. It’s why she hired those poachers. All so she could get access to the key to your family vault.”
My words caused the man to stiffen up. “How did you-?”
“Raifort told me when I confronted her underneath the cavern. She had discarded Klefki and their Pokeball after taking the key; I think the vault was her sole interest.” He still seemed a little stunned, so I gave him a minute to take that in.
“That was quite chatty of her. I take it from the fact that you didn’t drag her up that she got away?”
“Y-yeah.” I fell silent, shame flooding me as I remembered how I was too cowardly to chase her. I’m sure if I told him, he’d be happy, or at least approve of what I did. Try and tell me it was the safe thing to do, sensible. I don’t really feel like being comforted right now. I made a mental note to duck out of town before Tulip or Dendra could corner me, knowing they’d want to do the same and be more perceptive than Oberon was right now.
“Well, that was in our favor at least. It will give us a better idea of where that thief,” he spat the word out with vitriol. “Will try to go from here. If you can, please give me any other information you have on her.” Then his face fell once more. “Though, perhaps you should give it to my replacement.”
“What?”
“Look at me! Criminals ran rampant, and I failed to do anything to stop them. You faced my toughest team down easily, and couldn’t even catch that scoundrel! How can I call myself fit to defend this city when I can’t even defend my Pokemon?!” The man was practically bawling by this point, so I reached over the table to pat him on the shoulder.
“It’s-” Fine? No, not really. It’ll be ok? True, but he doesn’t want to hear it... but I don't have anything better.“ It’ll be ok. Nothing bad ended up happening, so just use this as motivation to work harder in the future. I don’t think anyone even knew what happened.” Which feels kinda bad, but so long as we get the information about Raifort out, it’ll probably be fine. Causing a panic here when she’s long gone doesn’t seem great either.
That calmed him down, and after a bit I added, “Out of curiosity… how bad would it have been if the vault had been opened?”
He blinked his red eyes and frowned. “I don’t know. That key has been in my family for centuries. When the Gym Circuit was being constructed, we lent the top of it out to the city for the Gym, but no one has been inside it for so long. Legend has it there’s a rare Pokemon resting inside, waiting for the day when it will be fully recovered.”
“Whoa. When is that day?”
“They were supposed to sleep for five hundred years, and it has been… three hundred and ninety-seven.” Hah, maybe I’ll see a Magearna someday when I’m super old.
Oberon fixed me with an intent stare and said, “I greatly appreciate what you’ve done for me and will think on what you’ve said. I hope I can also trust you to keep my family’s vault a secret?”
“Of course,” I nodded instantly.
“Thank you. I owe you, Miss Glitterati.” He extended a hand out, and I shook it firmly.
“Actually, there is something you could do.” With a click of a button, I released Notch. “I didn’t show them in the battle, but I have a Fairy Type too! We’ve been trying to turn them into a Diancie. Do you have any ideas on the subject?”
“How wonderful...” he muttered, captivated by Notch, who stared blankly at him until he refocused. “Ah, turning a Carbink into a Diancie?” He scratched his chin. “I’ve heard they're related but never heard about anything like that, sorry.” Figures, even as a Fairy Type specialist, this is still a Fairy Type not native to Paldea.
“No worries. Though on that note, we’ve been trying to learn Moonblast. They’re strong enough to do it; it works when the moon is up, but other times…”
“Ah, right. Yes, that’s a tricky one to master. The best advice I can give you is to focus on the idea that Notch is summoning the moon themselves. It can be tempting, given Fairy’s connections, to think of them drawing power from the moon, but it’s more…” He clicked his tongue, trying to find the words. “It’s that they are the ones controlling the moon, no matter how vaster it is than them.”
“That physics is more a suggestion than a requirement. Their rules are more binding than the laws of the world; reality is theirs to shape as they see fit,” I muttered. Oversimplifying it, obviously, but this is very useful. From what I’ve read and what we’ve tried, this should be quite handy for my experiments to get Notch to transform.
He offered to demonstrate the Move for me a few times outside, to which I readily agreed. Right before we could leave the building, I was accosted by a small boy trying to beat his fists against me. Thankfully, Ortega was so slow that I was easily able to recognize him and evade his blows. For just a moment there, when I saw someone about to attack me, I was ready to conjure a blade of wind to strike back. That would have ruined the good reputation I made with Oberon.
“Stop bullying, daddy!” Ortega whined as I knocked a blow aside with the palm of my hand. The smaller boy spun off-balance until his father gripped him tightly. From behind his mother, a well-dressed lady sharing his distinctive hair color ran up, looking quite annoyed with her progeny as well.
“Ortega!” He barked out, and the boy wilted, looking confused. “Don’t be so rude!” Let’s see if I can smooth things over; I don’t want one of the future leaders of Team Star mad at me.
“Hey Ortega, was it? I’m Nemona. I wasn’t bullying your dad, we were just talking, and I think he’s a really good guy.” I held a hand out for him to shake, and when Oberon let his son go, he stopped trying to attack me.
He wasn’t quite willing to shake it either, staring at me suspiciously. “But then—why'd you beat Daddy?”
“That’s just what happens sometimes when a Gym Leader battles - the point isn’t for them to win but for them to put up a good challenge for the Trainer and he did just that.” My simplified explanation convinced the emotional young boy, and he shook my hand quickly before walking back to his mother.
With a quick goodbye to his wife (who seemed more aware of the situation than their son had been), Oberon and I left. Once out of regular auditory range, I picked up on Ortega’s mother beginning to verbally tear into him for his rudeness. He was always the brattiest of the Team Star kids.
Since the Gym was on the edge of town, it was easy to walk over to the fields nearby, where he released his newly healed Hatterene. “I have to thank you again, Miss Glitterati, for diffusing the situation even if it called for a falsehood on your part.” At my curious look, he added, “The lie of me giving you a challenge.”
I shook my head. “That’s not true; you pushed Dun and Riolu quite hard. Even if I had other Pokemon left on my team, it was still good training for the ones that did battle. And I learned a lot! Had to use up two switches to get Riolu out of Granbull’s hold.”
I could afford it here, but we need a better solution to that problem. Grappling is hardly a common tactic, given how open it leaves the grappler to hits in Pokemon battles, but it isn’t unheard of either for tankier Pokemon. Riolu will deal with that better once she evolves, but she’ll also probably face tougher foes as well.
The Gym Leader’s chuckling snapped my attention back to the moment, and he waved me off. “I could practically hear the gears turning in your head. How long did you spend analyzing my matches?”
“At least a dozen hours,” I admitted. Probably closer to thirty. I had a fair bit of down time to use on my travel here, and then in the few days I spent resting up in the city, I hyper-focused on him and his strategies. Honestly, while it was helpful here, I should probably try to avoid doing that in the future, so I don’t get thrown off by someone realizing that and deciding to act completely differently.
“Let’s not waste any more time. Hatterene, if you would. Moonblast,” Oberon ordered, and above us, despite the sun shining brightly in the afternoon, another celestial object glowed above our heads. The hair-covered Fairy Type seemed to absorb the moonlight before letting it out in a pinkish energy ball that traveled a dozen meters before exploding over the brown grass.
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Notch studied it intently before focusing, their ears lying back flat as they conjured their own moon above them. The shine was less bright than Hatterene’s, but it was enough for Notch to conjure their own pink ball of death and send it rolling through the air.
“Impressive, to figure it out already. You must have been close to a breakthrough.” He said to my Pokemon while recalling his own. “I think you’ll do quite well from here on out. I look forward to seeing your eventual challenge against the Elite Four.” While he had regained some of his imperious bearing, I could sense the man was still a bit off kilter internally.
“Thank you, I’ll come back to visit after I’m done.” Mostly for Tulip and Dendra, admittedly, but also to see how he’s doing. I wonder if this changed things, if Tulip will still be the Gym Leader in the future now?
I didn’t know, and there was no way of knowing but waiting to see how the future would turn out. With a wave, I turned and headed out further across the plains while he marched back to the city. A quick message Miles sent had a Flying Taxi heading over to us as soon as I gazed out over the land from atop the high cliffs.
I don’t want to focus on the bad stuff that happened, but I want to have an answer to fix it in the future. I mean, I suppose it’s unlikely that I’ll come across her again, but still. I need methods to protect myself in battle while leading my Pokemon, ways that won’t cost me too much effectiveness when my team is battling multiple Pokemon…
My musings were interrupted by the Flying Taxi landing down beside me. I tried to step towards it, only to find my feet stuck to the ground. There wasn’t anything I could detect holding them in place, but each step forward felt like I was wrenching myself ahead.
Taking a step backwards, however, was as effortless as anything and revealed what my problem was. Or should I say, who my problem is.
Turning around, I saw a Gothita standing there, staring intently at me. On the ground, her shadow stretched out, latching onto mine. Shadow Tag, that’s a rare ability. She reached out, pressing her ribbon-like feeler against my hand.
They learn Fake-Out too, don’t they? With that and her ability, I could use her to trap any poacher or criminal. Then I just need to get someone who can learn Follow Me and use them to protect me and- I stopped myself, wincing as I realized what I was thinking. Pulling away with great effort, I marched over to the Flying Taxi. Thinking of ‘using’ a Pokemon, like they’re just tools. What’s next, calling myself a Pokemon Wielder?
“Take me to Mesagoza, please, East Entrance.”
***
I felt terrible as I marched through the dusty canyon, and it had nothing to do with the scenery, Pokemon, or dry air. Ok, maybe it has a little to do with the air, I thought as I coughed and took a large swig of water from my flask.
After my flight and a few days of hiking through the canyon, I found myself regretting how quickly I had left Alfornada. Sticking around and getting some help with my feelings would have been better than just leaving like that.
I’d messaged Tulip and Dendra as soon as I was flying away that I was fine and explained my departure and the bare bones of what had happened when I confronted Raifort. They had both sent relieved (and enthusiastic in Dendra’s case) responses back, but there was an undercurrent of worry from both of them, with encouragement that implied they were worried about me.
Part of me feels like I should go back and reassure them, but that would probably also mean that I should return home and tell my parents and Leah all about my woes. I’d definitely be late to the Artazon Fair if I did that, and I agreed to meet Cyan there.
Phantasm bumped her head against the side of my leg, shaking me out of my recriminations. “Thanks,” I said, and she gave a small yip sound before a Spoink hopping by caught her attention.
“Try not to be too rough on them!” I called out as she chased after the pig like Pokemon. The battle ended swiftly, with Phantasm’s shadow slithering across the ground until it rose up around the Spoink, defeating the wild Pokemon. I tossed them a few berries as we passed, holding back a sigh.
None of these Pokemon are a challenge for even Phantasm, let alone Miles or the others. It’s hard to get in good training here. That being said, I could still work on fundamentals. Releasing Miles, I asked, “Can you help Zorua with Hyper Voice? I think she’s got the vocalization down, but Dun isn’t as great at explaining the Type energy.” Probably because of how naturally it comes to him.
“Bzzt, certainly,” Miles responded, zipping off to help my youngest Pokemon. The two of them began practicing, Phantasm having to learn not to rely on her illusions for this Move since they couldn’t cause the damage it needed.
Both of them being Ghost Types helped them practice as they could fire the Move freely on each other without fear of hurting the other, but after Miles declared her to be proficient to a certain degree, she had to go back to testing Hyper Voice on other Pokemon. We need to see how much damage the Move does after all, though from the way that Stantler is flinching, I’d say it works.
The Stantler tried to charge back at Phantasm, but his Stomps landed without effect, passing right through her. Eventually the screeching noise had the deer-like Pokemon wobble and collapse. She gave a cry of pain as Phantasm wailed at her again.
“Phantasm! That’s enough!” I called out sharply. Her red, floaty patch of fur waved angrily above her before she simmered down. Her aggression has gotten worse since Alfornada, but I think that’s my fault. She’s upset at my discontent - well, all of my team is; she just has the least experience to cope with it.
“Good job on the Hyper Voice, you mastered that Move quickly.” The praise helped take the sting out of my previous admonishment, so now she just looked down guiltily. “I get how it’s easy to get caught up in a battle, but you don’t need to hit others once they're down.”
I scooped her up in a hug, and she nuzzled in close. Does she weigh more than before? She’s growing quickly. It wasn’t always a sign of Evolution about to happen (and there were no studies on her variant species I could call on to help fact-check that), but it was somewhat common.
Turning to the Stantler, I reached around in my bag for berries, only to come up empty. In my rush to get out of Alfornada, I forgot to stock up. “Whoops. Uhh, I could use some Potions to try and heal you?” I offered, and the Stantler reluctantly turned her body to face me so I could spray some Potions on her, which helped.
She got back to her feet, still looking disdainfully at me, though too tired (or too wary) to use the black orb in her antlers to scare me away. “Sorry that I don’t have anything better to offer you… Oh! I know, I could tell you how to evolve!” Unlike with people, I don’t have to explain how I would possibly know this.
The confused and disbelieving look the Stantler gave me said otherwise, but I chose to ignore it. “Ok, this evolution will make you become part Psychic Type, so you need to focus that Type of Energy around your horns, like a Zen Headbutt. Do you learn Zen Headbutt naturally?”
A quick check of my Pokedex confirmed she could. “Awesome. So make it like a Zen Headbutt, but spread the energy out around you, like a barrier or shield you’re using to ram into someone. Oh, and then you have to do that really fast, ok? Once you’ve mastered all of that, you should be able to evolve!”
I was subject to one of the most deadpan looks I had ever received, which was impressive. Ok, I guess saying ‘just master a difficult move, alter it significantly to make a new Move, then do it in Agile Style’ is a bit much. “Hey, I don’t make the rules,” I said with a shrug, to which she rolled her eyes and pranced off.
Continuing to walk across the winding earthen paths, we navigated the canyon. As we trekked across the land, I handled little things like staying in contact with my friends, who had been eager to hear more about my battle. Apparently, people online are saying good things about me overall.
I knew I would get too involved in things if I looked up what they were saying about me, so I tried to stay away from those details. I’m sure that there are detractors too, but it’s nice to hear that some random people across Paldea believe in us.
A tune popped into my head, and I began humming it, softly singing some of the words.
“I wanna fly high, so that I can reach the highest, of all of the heavens.
Somebody will be waiting for me, so I gotta fly higher.
Gotta keep going, everything is a brand new challenge for me.
I will believe in myself, cause this, is only the start for me.”
“A new song, bzzt?” Miles asked, and I laughed.
“You could say that. It was the theme of your namesake in one of the games. ‘Believe in Myself.’ Speaking of-”
“I’m ready.” They said simply, with a plasmic smile on their face and determination in their eyes. Look how far you’ve come.
“Excellent. So you’ve decided what Form you’ll be using for the fight?” I’d had ideas if Miles needed them, but they had asked to decide on their own.
“I will use the Boombox Form,” they declared, and I raised an eyebrow.
“Interesting choice. You’ll need to fire Hex off fast for that, but you’re pretty sharp with that Move.”
“It’ll also help with Hyper Voice, and my other sound Move, bzzt.” True, it’ll let them output more damage- oh!
“Haha, that’s brilliant!” I laughed as I realized their plan. “Guess you won’t need a Lum Berry or Safety Goggles after all. When did you master that Move?”
“After you passed out when arriving in Alfornada, I snuck off to practice. Didn’t want to disturb you, bzzt.” I frowned at that.
“I appreciate the effort, really, but please don’t head out all by yourself when there are dangerous criminals about.” They and I both knew it was very unlikely that Raifort or anyone would have targeted them, but they meekly nodded, accepting my concern.
Accepting that, I said, “Alright, looks like we have a good plan then. Brassius won’t know what hit him!”
“You won’t know what hit you if you don’t get out of the way!” A shrill voice behind me said, and seeing the Cyclizar galloping towards us, I quickly dodged to the side, rolling on the ground.
Dusting myself off as I stood up, I saw the teenager sitting atop the Cyclizars back had come to a stop in front of me and turned around to face me. He had reddish-orange hair and was wearing an Uva Academy Fall Uniform. “What was that you were saying about Brassius?”
“Oh, just that we’re headed to the Gym to challenge him-”
“Ha! You’ve got a long way to go before you can take on Brassius, squirt. I fought him last year and couldn’t win, but I’ve got two Pokemon this time!”
There was a moment of dumbfounded silence as I just stared at him. He can see all the Pokeballs on my belt, right? I have way more Pokemon than that, and the number of Pokemon you have is hardly the only factor of whether you’re strong enough to beat a Gym Leader!
Deliberately looking past the boy, I said, “I mean, not that far away. The road winds a bit, but I can see the Pokemon Center right over there.” Pointing past the hill, the red and white Center was indeed clearly visible.
“Gah! That’s it,” the rude boy said, dismounting from the Cyclizar. “I better teach you some respect. Besides, it’ll be a nice warmup before my match,” he held a Pokeball out, and I sighed.
Might as well; maybe he’ll surprise me. “What are you feeling for, Miles?”
“Bzzt, I think they say this is a dish best served cold.”
"Ha, I hardly think he’s worth revenge, but sure thing!” The schoolboy had been getting annoyed with me momentarily ignoring him, but that irritation turned to shock and dread as I heaved the refrigerator out of my bag, tossing it in the air.
Miles zipped out of my phone, possessing the refrigerator and hovering in the air. They waved their purple plasmic limbs menacingly for a moment, but the boy shook it off after a second.
“Refrigerator means Ice, right? I know my Types, that means they’re weak to Fire! Go, Fuecoco!” He released a small, fiery crocodile-like from his Pokeball and I had to resist the urge to openly gape at that. Seriously? He lost to Brassius with a Fire Type?
Apparently, I spoke aloud, as the boy’s face became almost as red as his hair. “Shuddup! He had a Sudowoodo! How is that fair for a Grass Type Gym Leader?” He didn’t give me time to explain either, simply shouting “Fuecoco, Ember!”
The first stage starter drew in a deep breath, preparing to pelt Miles with fire, something I wasn’t going to let happen (even if the risk to them from this Pokemon was minimal). “Discharge.”
Before the Fuecoco could release his fiery breath, the canyon around us was bathed in electricity. The bolts zapped all around, striking at the ground and air and many times into Fuecoco. Despite the spread, Miles had enough control to stop the bolts well before myself or the other trainer.
When the electricity cleared, both of us could clearly see our enemy lying on his back, insensate and motionless, save for the few twitches of his body. “Wha- how did you do that?! Ugh, ok, fine, go, Azurill!”
He recalled his starter while releasing his next Pokemon, a small blue ball like Pokemon, bouncing on the end of a tail almost the same size as their body was. Azurill, not a Water Type and looks too sleek and fit to have Thick Fat, so we could use Blizzard, but I want to try that new technique we’ve been looking into.
Miles hadn’t had the same skill with new Moves like Riolu or Dun had, but recently we’d come across an interesting combination that I felt should work well. “Confuse Wisp!”
Opening their fridge doors, a chill slipped out, alongside a multi-colored ball of flame, drifting towards the Azurill.
“Dodge it!” He cried out, but his Pokemon was caught, entranced by the rapidly shifting lights the ghostly flame gave off. Instead of running away, the Azurill flipped itself over, lying on their head, and bouncing the tail end up over their body. This did nothing to help them against the flames as they connected, the Move Burning them.
“Foul Play,” I called out, wanting to wrap this up but worried about how a stronger Move might end up seriously hurting the beginner Pokemon. The Burn and their own thrashing about doing some damage as well, until Miles swooped down and grabbed the end of Azurill’s tail. Pulling away, they stretched it out before letting it snap back, the ball end smacking them in the face and knocking them out.
“Looks like we’re done. Unless your Cyclizar wants to battle too?” I offered. Apparently, with a bit too much menace, as the reptilian ride Pokemon whipped their head back and forth, as if looking for a way out, before running away towards town.
“Hey wait, that was a rental!” The teenage boy cried out, chasing after the errant Dragon Type. I chuckled, watching him run off before I heard a sound above me.
Looking up, I saw a Flying Taxi overhead - hardly an unusual sight. The girl that had just jumped off it riding on the back of a Kingdra, however, was and a familiar familial sight at that.
“Bullying little kids? Tsk tsk tsk,” my sister faux-mocked as she descended towards me.
“Cyan! You made it!” I flew up, grabbing her in a hug.
“Oof. Forgot you could do that,” she muttered as we floated down, her Pokemon drifting off to the side to greet Miles. “Your battles looked incredible; I’m glad I’ll be able to see them in person. Plus, I’ve got a surprise for you in the festival.”
“Oh?” I asked, but she wouldn’t say any more (no matter how much I tickled her while casually dodging her counter attempts), so we finished our journey to the city.
It was much the same as it had been the last time I was here; very green, very flowery. One big change, however, was all the streamers and banners hung about the place. Food carts and attraction stands lined the roads, with townsfolk and tourists milling all about. Apparently it’s some kind of centennial event, and Brassius decided to help celebrate.
In honor of that, there were many pieces of art on display as the main attraction around town. From elegantly shaped topiaries to paintings to statues and more. The star feature was the ‘Surrendering Sunflora’ which Brassius had crafted after getting out of his funk, right before he had become a Gym Leader. For the festival, he had made dozens of duplicates of the piece and placed them all around town.
“I’m gonna go on ahead and try and schedule my Gym Trial in early,” I told Cyan. “If that guy I fought was any indication, there’s going to be a huge influx of school kids trying to cramp my style.” She gave me a light shove but nodded her head.
“Sounds good. I’m gonna grab some friends, we can meet up once you're done.” I feel like she’s planning something, but not sure what. I didn’t have time to ask as she ran off one way while I started walking towards the big circular path in the center of town.
Barely three steps in, and I found myself almost walking into a tall man dressed in maroon. With a distinctive whip at his side. “Brassius?” I asked, surprised.
“Ah, Nemona, it was fortuitous to run into you. Are you here for the festival?” The Gym Leader asked.
“Well, yes, in part. But also here to battle you! I was just about to schedule a match.”
He frowned. “The challenges are supposed to be closed for the festival.” The artistic man pulled up his phone and clicked his tongue as he saw no mention of that in the online information. “How vexingly imperfect,” he hissed. “My apologies; I still find myself floundering in my responsibilities. I was sure I had told the staff to mention that, but it must have slipped my mind.”
“No worries, we can have our battle after. The festival is looking really fun; I’m curious to see if I can spot all the ‘imperfections’ on the ‘fake’ Surrendering Sunfloras.” That’s a game the city advertised for the festival. Apparently there are minute differences on the replicas of the original statue, and there’s a fun prize for anyone who can find all the statues and find all the differences.
Brassius was silent for a moment before saying, “I’m sure you will. But first, I think I will battle you; the art our clash will create is certain to be a worthy addition to this festival!” With that grand declaration, he turned on his heel, striding towards the heart of the city.
“No Gym Trial?" I asked as we walked towards the arena. Brassius shook his head vigorously.
“I would usually have a Trainer be tested artistically, in the hopes that by pushing them creatively in the arts, they’ll be pushed creatively in battle!” Ah, guess that explains Katy’s reactions back then. I was rigid and by the book in baking, so she probably thought I’d be the same in battle… and then I threw Phantasm disguised as Dun at her.
He continued. “But you and your sister have already proven yourselves artistically! That comic book you entered in the festival has such bold vision! The striking colors! The dynamic action, palpable with each turn of a page, it is truly Ava-”
“She entered it!?” She didn’t mention anything about that to me! Guess that must have been her ‘surprise’.
“-ant garde,” he finished lamely, clearly thrown off a step. “Is there an issue with that?”
I stopped to consider it fully. “Well, no, I guess not. I just wish she had asked me first; we haven’t had a chance to remaster our old work.” Haven’t had nearly as much time together in general with her at school, even if we do stay in touch and got to meet up here.
The green-haired man chuckled. “Ol’ Hass mentioned how much of a perfectionist you were.” My face grew red at that, but I didn’t have a rebuttal. It is true, I tend to overthink things and want every plan to work out perfectly.
At the edge of the arena, Brassius stopped, turning sharply to face me, looking me dead in the eyes with a sense of seriousness that wiped away my embarrassment. “Hass also informed me of your talents. I know you requested an eighth badge level challenge, but from what he’s said, I honestly feel that I would not be able to challenge you with such a team. My personal team may be lacking compared to some of the more experienced Gym Leaders, but with your permission, I’d like you to face off against them.”
Interesting, Oberon’s eighth badge team was his strongest. Is Brassius underestimating himself or did the ‘Fairy King’ really let himself slip as a Gym Leader? It was a question to ponder for another time, however, as I had a far more pressing one on my hands.
A team I haven’t seen before, haven’t prepared fully against? Even stronger than the best performances I’ve seen from him? My eyes lit up as my cheeks strained from the smile that widened on my face. “Yeah, let’s go!”