“Where in the world did he come from?” Juniper let out a heavy sigh as she leaned back in her chair, using her feet to roll herself to the center of the room. She gently rubbed her tired eyes, yearning for a break after spending the entire day glued to her computer screen. The document she had opened up only contained a handful of notes about Harper: His reading ability, memory loss, and the scar that marked him.
She slowly opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. The laboratory was shrouded in darkness, illuminated only by the soft glow of her computer screen. All the other researchers had left hours ago, leaving Juniper alone in the vast laboratory. Usually, Bianca would be around, taking care of any unexpected issues in different research projects and helping the others, but given that she was now at Pokestar Studios with the twins...
Juniper took Bianca’s presence for granted especially now that the laboratory was unusually quiet every day.
Bianca hadn't called back for several days following the successful pitch to Mr. Stu Deeoh. However, she sent a morning text assuring Juniper that she would reach out as soon as the right opportunity arose. Given the lateness of the hour, Juniper anticipated that she would hear from Bianca the following day instead.
Deciding to call it a day, Juniper got up from her seat and gathered her things into her suitcase, stuffing papers into folders and tasking her future self to sort them later. After packing everything up, she headed towards the exit, she suddenly felt a buzzing sensation in her pocket and heard a faint ringing sound.
Reaching her hand in and taking her Xtransciever out, the device’s screen read ‘Bianca Neri.’ As much as Juniper wanted to get some shuteye for tonight, finally getting to hear about progress was more important. Seating herself in a nearby office chair, she cleared her throat and answered the call. Shortly after, Bianca appeared on the screen, seemingly outdoors to avoid waking the sleeping twins.
“Sorry, Professor!” Bianca apologized through the Xtransceiver. “I really tried to find the time to call but things were really busy and I—”
“There’s no need to apologize, I’m used to calls late at night,” Juniper waved off. “So, how is everything at Pokéstar?”
“Everything’s good so far! After the pitch, we got to see how everything worked in Pokéstar Studios. The first episode was filmed today and everyone had tons of fun during filming.”
“It sounds like Caleb and Claire are doing fine with show business then,” Juniper smiled, leaning back on her seat. “And are their pokémon adjusting to acting?”
“Yup, they’re doing great! I have to thank Brycen again for his help with the twins since I’ve never seen them so focused on rehearsing their lines before. As for their pokémon, Zorro and Eve also looked like they were doing great since Harper and Brycen’s Beartic were helping them out.”
“I see, so what was Harper’s involvement during production?” Juniper segwayed, now ready for the details of their secret research.
“Not only did Harper help with guiding the other pokémon actors and extras through the script, but he was also the one in charge of telling the director when to cut filming. Ms. Pokélsky told him to do this when there was an issue with dialogue,” Bianca angled her right hand back and forth, bending her wrists and trying to form a t-shape. “He did it with both his paws but I can’t do it with both hands right now because of the Xtransciever.”
Juniper chuckled at her assistant’s example before continuing on. “How interesting, that’s one way to break the language barrier.”
Bianca nodded in agreement. “I was amazed by how smooth their entire operation was. I can’t imagine what it would look like without Harper helping to guide the pokémon there.”
“Yet another reason why we need to figure this riolu out,” Juniper added. “So are there any other updates that you’re able to make?”
With one hand, Bianca took out her notepad and shuffled through the pages before landing on the right one. “I made some notes in private, but the more I looked into Harper, the more questions I kept asking myself. The biggest one was… Why did he have that panic attack?”
“A panic attack?” Juniper repeated, taken aback by the shift in tone. “What happened?”
"I… I don't know what caused it," Bianca hesitated, her face growing more guilty. "Everything was fine before it happened. I was about to give Harper and Brycen's Beartic a rough draft of the script before he started shaking and slapped himself twice in the face."
There was a reason why panic attacks were named the way they were, but for a pokémon to slap themselves… twice?
“Is Harper ok now?” She quickly asked. “And have you told Brycen about it?”
“He’s fine, but I didn’t tell Brycen yet because… I don’t know how to…” Bianca paused for a brief moment, deep in thought. “I don’t know if he knows about Harper’s condition, but after I saw Beartic immediately taking action to help Harper when he started breathing uncontrollably, it was like he knew exactly what to do.”
“You will tell him soon, Bianca,” Juniper said sternly. “Brycen is Harper’s trainer, and he has the right to know.”
“I-I know… I’ll do it as soon as I can…”
Juniper glanced over at her computer from across the laboratory that she turned off earlier before looking back at Bianca, who was still quietly waiting for her to respond. Deciding not to make any definitive conclusions yet, she continued questioning her assistant.
“Do you know what caused the panic attack? Triggers can be caused by more than just explicitly remembering memories. Were there any sights? Smells? Did you and Harper hear anything before it happened?”
Bianca took a few seconds to think to herself before shaking her head. “The only thing I did before his panic attack started was if he liked reading the newspaper since he had one at the time.”
“Which newspaper was it?” Juniper internally cursed herself for throwing out the old newspapers she had the other day.
“I think it was the ‘Aspertia Articles.’ The front page was about Nate and Hugh defeating the Neo Plasma members like all the other newspapers. I don’t think that caused the panic attack though since by the time I showed up, he finished reading it.”
“Hmm… Maybe it was a delayed reaction?” Juniper wondered aloud. “With Harper’s amnesia, it might be the best guess we have…”
Juniper remained silent, trying to figure out the best hypothesis to work off of based on what she now knew. Looking back at the screen, she could tell that Bianca still had something to say.
“Professor?” Bianca’s eyes darted away from the camera. “Do… Do you think I caused it? If I wasn’t there, would it never have happened?”
“I don’t think you caused it,” Juniper pressed the answer deeply. “Think about it, how did Harper react to you after the panic attack? Does he see you any differently than before?”
Bianca took a moment to think before answering. “He… He was back to normal like it never happened, and we still talk with each other.”
Juniper smiled. “Then everything’s fine. Harper doesn’t see you as a cause for him to panic. All I can say is if it happens again, and I hope it never does, help him the best you can, ok?”
Bianca gave a single nod.
“Good. Now, since it’s getting pretty late, we should continue this call tomorrow morning, ok? You can give me the rest of your data tomorrow.”
“O-Of course!” Bianca swiftly bowed, causing her Xtransciever’s camera to blur with her rapid movement. “Sorry again for calling you so late at night!”
“No worries,” Juniper waved goodbye. “Good night, Bianca.”
“Good night, Professor,” Bianca pressed a button and ended the call.
After tucking her Xtransceiver back into her pocket, Juniper glanced at her computer once more. Not ready to call it a night just yet, she decided to add the details Bianca had just given her. Sitting back into her chair and booting up her PC again, she recalled what her assistant told her about Harper. Juniper opened up the document again and skipped a few lines underneath the notes on Harper’s literacy.
“Proficiency with teaching despite young age… Affluent with social skills… Prone to panic attacks…” Juniper typed the words she muttered to herself.
Still, not a lot to go off of yet, but she and Bianca were making progress. The other researchers in her lab found their endeavors both intriguing and as one of them put it nicely, "mildly amusing." Coming up with the idea of a kids' show to research a single pokémon felt like overkill to them, but after she explained just what the results could bring, their doubts ended on the spot.
Whatever the results, it was bound to change the understanding of pokémon as they knew it. If Harper the riolu could learn Unovan, then given enough time and effort, every pokémon could do just the same. Juniper considered sharing the data she would eventually have with the other national professors like Oak and Rowan. Due to their research on pokémon speech, they'd be delighted to hear of Harper and his whiteboard once Juniper and Bianca figured the riolu out.
She was thinking too far again, she needed to focus on the present.
Juniper saved the contents of the document and turned off her computer, now finally done for the night… At least until her Xtransciever emitted another ring, signaling an incoming call from Bianca again. She reached for the device and opened it, accepting the call. This time, her assistant left her camera off, causing Juniper to do the same.
“Hi again, Bianca,” Juniper raised the Xtransciever to her ear. “Did you forget to say something?”
“I’m sorry for calling again, Professor, but I wanted to get this out of my chest right now.”
“It’s fine, what did you want to tell me?”
“I.. Don’t think I’m ever going to forget Harper’s expression when he looked at me during his panic attack…” Bianca’s voice faltered. “I’ve never seen eyes like his before…”
“And what emotion was in his eyes?” Juniper asked calmly before Bianca quietly replied with a single word.
“Dread.”
“Dread?” Juniper repeated.
“I think I know why though… I think it was the newspaper that he was reading. Do you think he has a history with Neo Plasma or the one before them?”
“Another pin on our investigation board,” Juniper muttered. “It’s a good guess, let’s keep it in our mind.”
“Ok, and sorry again, Professor, for calling so late.”
“No worries, call me tomorrow, ok?”
“Ok, good night,” Bianca greeted goodbye and disconnected from the call, leaving Juniper alone in the laboratory again.
She placed both her hands behind her head and leaned back on her chair, sighing to herself.
This mystery was only getting more convoluted.
----------------------------------------
Tundra rose from his desk and approached Pepper and Hazel, crouching and patting their shoulders once.
“The two of you have only been in the Tundra Guild for a short time but you have been so helpful for us and Sonamu City,” Tundra complimented. “Will the two of you try to explore the Mystery Dungeon now?”
“Not yet,” Pepper and Hazel answered in unison before the two looked at each other and laughed, amused by their identical response.
“No?” Luca slightly tilted his head with curiosity. “Why not? I imagine that you’re now more knowledgeable than ever to try again.”
Hazel shook her head. “Knowing about berries will definitely help us in our next expedition, but it’s also made us realize just how much more there is to know about being a member of the Tundra Guild.”
“Yeah!” Pepper excitedly exclaimed. “And because you said that the Mystery Dungeon isn’t going anywhere, we should take on a lot of missions so we become as smart as you!”
“Good, good!” Tundra laughed. “That’s the kind of answer I love hearing from our guild members!”
Pepper’s stomach suddenly growled loudly, causing everyone in the room to laugh in unison.
“Looks like you’re also just as hungry as our guild members as well, why not go get some lunch?” Tundra offered.
The two eagerly nodded and exited Tundra’s office after bidding farewell. As Pepper and Hazel walked down the hallway, passing by fellow guild members along the way. At the end of the hallway, they stopped in front of the cafeteria’s entrance and faced the viewer.
“It was really fun today,” Hazel grinned. “Even though we were surprised by Pilf in the forest, we learned a lot about berries.”
“Yeah! I’m glad that everything worked out in the end!” Pepper added.
“Now that we’re done for the rest of the day, we’ll see you on our next mission!”
“Team Horizon shines another day!”
Vincent the Narrator's voice echoed through his megaphone as Pepper and Hazel waved goodbye and walked through the door. “With Team Horizon’s mission from the Audino Medical Center complete, their knowledge on the Pokémon world has increased yet again. Now that you learned about berries alongside them, what will their next lesson be? Tune in to the next episode of ‘Sonamu’s Sunrise!’”
----------------------------------------
“And cut!” Celine shouted before facing Harper. “Harper, how were they?”
He gave a thumbs up to the director, noticing no dialogue issues with Zorro and Eve this time. It took a few reshoots for Celine to be happy with their facial expressions in the final scene, but it all worked out in the end.
“Perfect,” Celine smiled. “We’ll end things for today, we spent a lot of time on this berry episode and we’ll continue filming the rest of it once the forest scene is prepared tomorrow!”
The film crew gave a collective shout of agreement as they packed their equipment away. With everything now being over, Harper saw Zorro and Eve come back through the prop door and approach him.
“Mr. Harper!” Zorro happily barked. “We’re done for today! You know what that means!”
Eve turned to the poochyena. “Are you gonna do another battle?”
“Yup!” Zorro nodded. “He promised to do one when we had the time, and we have the rest of the day to ourselves!”
“Since when did you promise something like that?” Beartic jumped into the conversation, leaning above them.
“Back when you were still at Icirrus City,” Harper answered, deciding not to mention his and Zorro’s conversation before the first episode began filming. He turned to Zorro with a smile. “Let’s go tell Caleb and we’ll find a spot outside.”
Walking over to the twins behind all the cameras and equipment, Harper saw that they were deep in discussion with one another, pointing to their copy of the script every now and then. Brycen and Bianca were talking together a distance away from the twins, with the veteran actor looking somewhat displeased by the assistant professor’s words. With a single wave from Harper, they all noticed that he and their pokémon were in front of them.
“Hi, Harper!” Caleb greeted as he placed his script aside and knelt down, petting Zorro on the head. “You were so good, Zorro!”
*There’s something I want to ask.*
“What?” Caleb said after reading Harper’s sentence.
*Want to battle me? It’s been a while since our last fight.*
“Yeah!” Caleb immediately beamed as he stood up, clutching Zorro’s pokéball in his hand. “Let’s go right now! Same spot as last time!”
“You will not battle there again,” Brycen coldly stepped in, causing the young trainer to flinch. “I have heard complaints from the repair team that they’ve had to fix unnecessary damage in the Castelia City set.”
~Oh… Right…~ Harper guiltily glanced at his paw, remembering himself using Force Palm on the asphalt and cracking the ground.
“Where should they battle then?” Bianca asked as she inserted the twins’ scripts into her bag for them. “The closest place would be somewhere with a public battleground like in Virbank.”
“What about that set they made to look like a Gym?” Beartic recommended before tapping Harper on the head. “They used it a long time ago for a commercial on battle items. Relay that to Brycen, kid.”
Harper scribbled down the polar bear’s words and showed them to the human group.
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Brycen nodded towards Harper and Beartic. “That may work. The set was designed to be resilient for battles, I think that’s a good idea. I can guide everyone over to the soundstage it’s in, the set isn’t too far from here.”
Before he could begin walking towards the exit, everyone heard the director's words shout in their direction.
“Brycen and Beartic!” Celine walked up to the group with a laptop in her hand. “There's something I want you two to help me with.”
“How so?” Brycen turned to the director with Beartic following soon after.
Celine opened up her laptop, showing a multitude of audio files in a folder, each one categorized with a voice actor's name and the word 'audition' afterward.
“The recordings for our potential voice cast arrived, and I hoped that you two could help decide which sounds the best for our actors.”
The veteran actor nodded, obliging to her offer. “We’ll help.”
Celine grinned as she closed her laptop. “Great! I’ll meet you two at my office then!” She turned and left the set, greeting other staff goodbye on the way.
“Seems I can’t watch you battle,” Bearic patted Harper on the head. “Maybe next time.”
Brycen turned to Harper and knelt on one knee. “You guide them over in my stead. It’s the soundstage with ‘A-113’ on it.”
Harper nodded.
Brycen stood back up, taking a few steps away before stopping and turning back. “Don’t go too hard on them.”
Beartic placed a paw beside his mouth in a whispering fashion, smiling. “Don’t go too easy either.”
The veteran actor and his ace left the soundstage, following the director’s path out of the exit, leaving Harper to guide everyone else left along with him.
----------------------------------------
With some quick navigation, Harper led the way to the Gym set Beartic recommended. Thankfully, the lights were already turned on, as the cleaning crew was about to leave after their work was done for the day. Harper wanted to give an apology in advance for the mess they were about to create, but he didn't want to irritate them by basically telling them; "Hey, we know you guys just finished cleaning and we wanted to battle immediately after. Sorry."
He’ll just help them clean up when they come back, it was the least he could do.
On the floor was an outlined rectangular battlefield with a classic pokéball design in the center. The arena was surrounded by a border of LED lights that began to glow softly, slowly changing in a variety of colors. The walls were lined with panels of polished wood, separated by pillars of steel to hold the setup. A small set of bleachers were arranged in a semicircle to offer a clear view of the arena for the extras to observe.
“This looks like the place in that commercial for battle items,” Bianca said to herself.
“I can’t really tell how accurate this is to a Pokémon Gym since I've never been in one before,” Harper gazed around the set.
Zorro gasped upon hearing Harper's words. “You never saw a Gym battle before, Mr. Harper?”
In a technical sense, yes, he did see a Gym battle before if the ones in the games were counted. If not, then the most he'd seen of a Gym battle would be the old anime episodes he watched as a kid, but the memory of that felt hazy at best. His real answer wasn't what Zorro was looking for anyway, so given the context of what Zorro was asking, Harper just shook his head.
“I guess I should ask Brycen if he has some clips of when he was a Gym Leader.”
“You should watch Ms. Neri’s battles!” Eve popped up beside Harper with a smile. “She used to be a pro trainer!”
“Really?” Harper faked his curiosity, already knowing what she was in the first games. “I’ll ask her as well when I have the time then.”
Caleb led Zorro to one end of the battlefield as Harper stood on the other side. It took Eve some convincing to sit a bit further away but the eevee eventually complied after listening to Harper and sat in the stands with Claire instead of sitting in the front.
With her closed notepad in hand, Bianca pointed it at each side of the battlefield, acting as the match's referee, and began announcing the combatants and rules.
"This will be a one-on-one battle between Brycen's pokémon, Harper, and Caleb's pokémon, Zorro! The battle ends when either side forfeits or is deemed unfit to continue the battle!"
Zorro braced himself, lowering his body closer to the ground, ready to pounce. Harper raised his paws into fists, ready to take on the poochyena. Bianca raised her arm up and chopped down.
“Begin!”
Zorro dashed in immediately, prepared to strike with bared fangs. Harper hopped backward, creating distance between him and the poochyena.
“Zorro! Use Tackle!” Caleb shouted, confidently pointing at Harper.
A white haze covered Zorro as he dashed towards Harper, who continued to stand still, anticipating the attack.
~It’s been a while since I used this move…~ Harper clasped his paws together, spinning them together like a cyclone and adding in Fighting TE as he increased the momentum.
As Zorro lunged for Harper’s arm, he shot Vacuum Wave squarely into the poochyena’s chest, launching him away.
“What the?!” Caleb’s jaw dropped. “You have a ranged move?!”
“Expect the unexpected,” Harper advised before dashing towards Zorro with Quick Attack.
Caleb turned to Zorro, who was still on the ground. “Zorro, get up! Use Bite when he gets close!”
Soon after Zorro stood up, viscous energy covered the poochyena's extended canines as he opened his maw, dashing in to add power to the move with rapid speeds.
Harper charged a Force Palm in his right paw, this time making sure to make it weaker than the one in their last battle.
Caleb noticed him winding up the move and shouted. “Watch out for his Force Palm! Strike him when you can!”
Out of precaution, Zorro ran towards Harper with twisting patterns, stepping from side to side in irregular intervals. Harper tried to track the poochyena the best he could, but it was too late, as Zorro sunk his teeth into his left arm, the Dark TE stinging where it penetrated. Harper struck Zorro's side and knocked him off his arm.
“You’re doing far better than before!” Harper shouted, grasping tightly where it hurt. “You want to keep going?”
Zorro painfully nodded, his breathing somewhat staggered from the Force Palm’s damage. Harper noticed a crimson and mauve aura slowly covering Zorro’s front two paws as he stood back up. A moment later, Zorro’s eyes shot open wide as he shook the energy off of them. Harper had no idea what the poochyena used, but he couldn’t lower his guard. After the advice he gave to Zorro on taking his own initiative, he must’ve given himself a buff.
“Zorro! Hit him with Dark Pulse!”
Zorro opened his mouth and a dark purple ball formed inside. Immediately after, the ball shot out a multitude of identically colored rings in Harper's direction. The projectiles lacked the same force as Harper had seen from Ripley when she used it on him, but they still looked to pack some punch. He swiftly dodged each one that closely approached him, tanking a few that were unavoidable.
“Bite him again while he’s distracted!”
Zorro bared his fangs once more as he ran at Harper’s other, uninjured arm. In response, Harper charged his left fist with Ice TE, the air around it beginning to condense. At the right moment, he blocked Zorro’s Bite with the ice crystalizing around his paw. The ice slowly cracked as Zorro continued to add more pressure to his move.
But something looked off, the teeth marks on Harper’s Ice Punch didn’t align with Zorro’s own teeth. Harper shook the uncertainty aside, he was in the middle of a battle.
“You’re wide open, Zorro,” Harper charged his right paw up with another move.
“Hrgn?” Zorro said, his voice muffled due to his mouth still on Harper’s Ice Punch.
“Zorro! Get off of him!” Caleb frantically cried out.
Harper swung his paw at Zorro again with a Focus Punch, stopping himself right before the impact would happen.
“That’s my win again,” He smirked. “This battle went far longer than before so I’d say that’s a massive improvement.”
Zorro slumped to the ground and sat with a tired, but satisfied expression. “I’ll beat you one day, Mr. Harper.”
Bianca cleared her throat, ready to signal the end of the battle in a professional manner. “Zorro is unable to continue the battle! Harper is the victor!”
Harper sat beside the poochyena as he grasped his injured arm again. This wasn’t the worst type of pain he felt, and thanks to his pokémon physiology, he was much more durable than in his past life. This was nothing compared to when he was at the desert set, in front of the bomb when it expl…
His breathing quickened as he clutched his arm tighter, the memory of the explosion overriding the pain from the battle a moment ago. God, he could feel the heat on his chest, his scar stung as he continued to breathe harder, the taut skin stretching constantly reminding him of what he left behind and what he brought with him. He felt the hot pieces of metal lodged in his skin, the flames burning him alive, the—
“Does it hurt, Mr. Harper?” Zorro guiltily whined. “I shouldn’t have used Bite so hard, I got too excited.”
Harper jolted out of his mental fog before looking at the poochyena leaning beside him. His breath soothed as he reminded himself of where he was and where he wasn’t. He sighed, thankful that he was mentally stable again.
“…No, it’s alright, this is nothing,” He patted Zorro’s back. “Thanks…”
The pain in his arm felt more bearable now.
“Mr. Harper!” Eve approached the two with the twins and Bianca behind her. “Are you ok? Your arm looks really bad! Here!” The eevee took a potion out from Claire’s bag with her mouth. “Uth thith!”
"I got this, Eve," Claire reassured the eevee as she took the potion in her mouth and sprayed the healing solution on Harper's arm, causing him to hiss inward as he flinched. Eve kept a roll of gauze on standby for her trainer to use next.
“Aren’t you gonna heal Zorro as well?” Caleb asked his sister, holding his pokémon in his arms.
“There’s more potions in my bag, Caleb. You should learn to heal Zorro on your own.”
As Caleb reached for Claire’s bag and grabbed a potion to heal Zorro, he gave him words of encouragement.
“Zorro, you were so strong! We’ll beat Harper with your strongest move, Dark Pulse, next time!”
|[Reticent]|
Before Harper could comprehend what he felt from Zorro, he saw Bianca crouching down and giving him his whiteboard.
“That was great!” She complimented them. “I wish I could’ve seen your first battle!”
When Claire finished wrapping his arm with gauze, he uncapped his marker and began writing down on his whiteboard.
*There’s still some stuff to fix, but Caleb and Zorro are improving.*
Harper took the time to explain to both Caleb and Zorro by speaking to the poochyena first and then writing his advice next.
“The first and biggest thing to fix is to use buffs or debuffs at the beginning of a match. Use a move like your Howl in our first battle in the beginning to give yourself an advantage. Just stay aware of where your opponent is, since you don’t want them striking you as you’re using status moves.”
"Another thing to fix is to not take so long to give another command. You gave me the time to use Focus Punch as Zorro bit my Ice Punch. Make your opponent hesitate and keep your cool, not the other way around."
“The two of you did great on taking what I said last time, keep it up, ok?”
Zorro and Caleb nodded with a gleam in their eyes that Harper had never seen before. He also noticed Bianca feverishly writing down on her notepad, finishing up the last few sentences.
It looked like Bianca was documenting Caleb’s progress as a trainer in addition to what she told him the other day. Her emotional state felt shaky when she mentioned looking into pokémon behaviors during filming, but he could tell that she wasn’t lying. What made her feel uneasy, then? Most likely, she was just uncomfortable as a bystander in a film set, most newcomers Harper saw in Hollywood were like that.
Still, it felt like something was missing…
“Mr. Harper!” Eve pouted. “I wanna get some training from you as well! Zorro’s getting your attention more than me!”
“I can’t battle right now,” Harper shook his bandaged arm. “We can battle next time, is that alright?”
Eve shook her head. “Not like that! I wanna learn how to act better!”
“You want more lessons?” He asked, perplexed.
She happily nodded. “Ms. Neri showed all of us in your last movie and you looked so cool! I wanna look like that as well!”
Harper was momentarily taken aback by the compliment. “W-Well, we’ll find some time for that when it comes, ok?”
“Yay!” Eve hopped around, excited for her acting lessons.
"Now that your battle is over, why don't we all get something to eat?" Bianca recommended that she put her notepad away. "I'm starting to get hungry!"
“I want a burger!” Caleb exclaimed. “And some fries as well!”
“And I want sandwiches!” Claire soon followed. “The cafeteria has the ones I love!”
“I’m getting more hungry now that you’re shouting up some food,” Bianca laughed. “Let’s go to the cafeteria!”
Claire picked Eve up and made a dash for the exit. “C’mon, Eve! Let’s take all the fries before Caleb can get them!”
“Hey! No fair!” Caleb chased after his sister. “I’m gonna eat them before you can!”
“Caleb! Claire!” Bianca rushed towards the twins. “Don’t run off without me!”
The three humans ran out of the exit, each one chasing the one before as Harper chuckled at the sight. He was amused at how Bianca had a lot to deal with when she was on her own with the twins.
“Let’s go follow them,” Harper turned to Zorro, who was also left behind. “No running though since we’re still hurt.”
Zorro nodded as he sat up, exiting the set with Harper as they stepped outside to the backlots.
During their walk, Harper contemplated on how he could improve himself during a battle. He knew he was going to battle as long as he was an actor for Pokéstar Studios, but there were going to be moments when he needed to battle in a real situation. This battle with Zorro was controlled, but he would have to learn how to fight legitimately because who knew when the canon events of Black and White 2 would happen? He’d likely be affected by it, but without any foreknowledge, he couldn’t do a thing.
For now, the best thing he could do was let things play out, hope for the best, and be prepared for when something does happen.
He recalled his first real battle with Nate back in Virbank when they ran into some Neo Plasma grunt with Hugh and Roxie. At the time, Harper felt assured that they would win since he was with Nate, the literal protagonist of Unova. Losing under his command would be like if the sky fell. However, that was only a one-time occurrence, because Harper was now unsure when a real battle would be necessary.
Harper briefly rubbed where Zorro bit his arm. He needed a quicker way to attack back after an enemy hit him with a move. He’d have to ask Beartic for advice, getting some more moves under his belt would help a lot.
|[Inhibition]|
Harper turned to the Zorro beside him, noticing the tension in the poochyena. “Hey, is something wrong?”
“N-No, not really,” Zorro shook his head. “Can I ask you something though?”
“Sure, what is it?”
“How are you so strong?” Zorro looked at him, his blue eyes standing out.
Harper should’ve realized sooner. Of course a young pokémon would feel insecure about their strength after fighting someone like him. Harper had no idea how young his body was, but he had a pretty good guess. From how everyone outside his direct group of friends treated him, the pitch of his voice, and the fact that he was classified as a baby pokémon, Harper wasn’t that much older than Zorro and Eve.
But that was only taking into account their physical age, Harper lived far longer than them and had double to triple the life experience. Including the little foreknowledge he brought with him and the opportunity to train with a retired gym leader and his ace, of course he was going to get ahead of everyone else his age.
That wasn't the answer that Zorro was looking for, nor did Harper want to share it yet, so he decided to give the next best answer.
“Training, and tons of it,” Harper recalled the sessions with Brycen and Beartic. “Experience is also a huge factor.”
“What kind of experience?”
“I’ve fought in scripted battles for the movies I was in, but they’re nothing compared to real battles. I fought some Team Neo Plasma grunts one time and it taught me that real battles compared to those in a competitive setting are completely different.”
Harper briefly noticed Zorro’s eyes widening at the mention of Neo Plasma. “You… You fought them?”
“I did with Nate, the trainer I was hanging out with at the time,” At Harper’s mention of his victory, Zorro looked away, unable to maintain eye contact.
|[Ignominy]|
“Do you think I could be as strong as you one day?” He spoke quietly.
Zorro was still a young pokémon, a young kid. He had way more potential as a strong league competitor than Harper ever would. He almost felt guilty that Zorro and Eve looked up to him for his strength when he never wanted to battle seriously like they wanted to. In their own way, they were braver than him. Still, he knew just what to say to the little poochyena.
“You're a trainer’s pokémon, so of course you will. Once you start your journey with Caleb, you'll be stronger than me in no time. That Dark Pulse of yours was scary, I can see why it's your strongest move.”
“…It’s not…” Zorro spoke under his own breath.
“What?”
“I-I mean… Thank you, Mr. Harper,” Zorro thanked, gently brushing his head beside Harper’s injured arm.
“You're welcome,” Harper replied. “Now, let’s pick up the pace a little bit, I’m sure that your trainer is wondering where you are.”
“How about a race? The poochyena perked up, leaning down in a playful motion like a dog before making a mad dash down the backlot. “Last one at the cafeteria is a rotten egg!”
“H-Hey! You shouldn't be running just yet!” Harper shouted as he ran to keep up with Zorro. As he chased the young pokémon, Harper couldn't help but laugh to himself.
Dealing with kids in a film studio was never this much fun.
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“I-I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to hide it from you,” Bianca fidgeted her hands together. “I really didn’t know how to tell you…”
Brycen sighed after hearing her entire story. “I am thankful that you have told me, but please tell me sooner if this happens again. Beartic and I are doing everything we can to help Harper recover.”
“Do… Do you know what causes his panic attacks?” She hesitantly questioned.
“His first panic attack was when he saw an explosion in a movie we were watching together,” Brycen frowned.
“An explosion?” Bianca repeated. “Do you think Harper has trauma with a Fire-type move?”
“It would explain his scar, but after hearing that he had another panic attack in the cafeteria, a Fire-type move isn’t the only cause.”
“If there’s anything I can do to help him, please tell me,” Bianca requested. “I-I don’t want to see Harper look like that again…”
“There’s no way to tell when Harper will have a panic attack again, so don’t observe him as if he’s going to at any moment,” Brycen took a jab at Bianca’s secret research. “Create a positive environment around him. That is all I ask.”
…
Brycen knew that Bianca was trying to get some answers out of him on Harper for her and Juniper’s research. He had to stop himself from furrowing his eyebrows in front of the assistant researcher when she asked that question. Even with his reluctance to give an answer, Brycen understood that Bianca felt guilty for holding back her explanation.
Bianca was currently chaperoning in his place for Caleb’s battle against Harper. As novice as their battle was going to be, Caleb and Harper were in good hands since Bianca was a trainer who made it to the 8th badge in the Unova League.
As Brycen and Beartic approached the door to Celine's office, Brycen held out his hand, motioning for Beartic to stop before he could reach for the door handle.
“Brear?” The polar bear rumbled with confusion.
“There is something I wish to discuss before we go in,” Brycen explained as he lowered his arm. “It’s about Harper.”
Beartic’s expression turned serious at the mention of the riolu’s name.
Brycen took a deep breath before continuing, his expression grave. "Bianca explained to me that he had another panic attack a few days ago. I was glad to hear that you have done as I instructed you if he ever had another panic attack, though I don't like how you had to put it into practice so soon…"
Beartic gave a rumble from his chest in agreement.
“This is the second time that this has happened and I know this is not going to be the last. We need to take action,” Brycen stated the harsh truth. “Do you have an idea, Beartic?”
Beartic placed his paw on his chin, staring beyond the ceiling before his eyes lit up in a way Brycen knew all too well. As he expected, the Ice-type began to form some ice around his paws, the frost collecting together into an indistinct form, but gradually became more prominent.
Brycen chuckled as he observed Beartic passionately craft his sculpture. Memories of when the polar bear was just a Cubchoo resurfaced as he recalled the figures he created of the pokémon they battled during their run of the Unova League Circuit. Though they had melted years ago, Brycen could still remember the amateurish details of the miniature sculptures, each one becoming more advanced as time passed by. Despite Beartic’s skills reaching the levels of an expert, his habit was still only known between the two. He wished to keep it a secret out of embarrassment, but Brycen was considering whether he should tell Harper about Beartic’s secret or not.
He believed that the riolu would find it amusing.
The ice shifted into the shape of a cloud before Beartic added four stumps underneath, a head with two horns on each side, and a sphere at the end of its tail. Adding the finishing touch on its head, the Ice-type proudly presented the final product in front of Brycen.
“A mareep?” Brycen held the cold pokémon model in his hand as the air condensed around it. “Are you referring to the owners of Floccesy Ranch?”
Beartic nodded.
“It would be a good opportunity to ask for anything Mr. Stu Deeoh didn’t find out that day,” Brycen handed back the mareep to Beartic, his hands beginning to feel numb. “I should also thank them for treating Harper.”
It was then that the both of them heard some rattling from the other side of the door and a moment later, Celine popped out from the opening.
“I swear I heard some voices outside,” She thought out loud, removing one side of her headphones. “Come in, the both of you! The door was already unlocked!” Celine reentered her office, leaving the door open for Brycen and Beartic.
“I’ll see when I can arrange some time to talk with the ranch owners. I might have to give Caleb and Claire some extra training before I leave to make up for upcoming lost time.”
Brycen noticed Beartic quietly chuckling, amused by the prospect of the twins having more work to do.