Another day went by, and Kora found she was getting used to things. Not much had happened over the rest of the day after she had met with the professor and his assistant. She had agreed to meet with Cyndaquil again, unable to deny that she was interested in it, and went on to explore some of the town with Volo.

There wasn’t too much to see, given most buildings were apparently homes as apparently most of the attractions were down by the ‘port.’ Not only that, but most of the places were closed by the time the sun was setting. They also lacked the funds to spend at many places, given most places charged for their services and Volo insisted they save money where they can, no matter how interesting or tasty something looked.

They did, however, find an interesting store that sold rare items. The store itself was not the point of interest, however – it was the prices of the items themselves. Apparently, Volo had been ‘ripped off’ on the evolution stones he sold by a substantial amount. She wasn’t certain what the symbols on the price tag represented, but there were certainly a lot of them. She was certain that the number was large, given the number of repeating symbols. All things considered, however, Volo was forced to accept things as they were. He had sold the stones through an ‘unofficial channel,’ so there was nothing he could do beyond trying to take them back himself – something he refused to do, despite her suggestion.

The rest of the day passed by with little of note happening and she passed out similarly to how she did last night. She did wake up sooner and began trying to form ‘fingers’ with the aid of Shadow Claw, yet she found it finicky. The energy naturally wanted to make shape itself into something sharper and harmful. Not only that, but she found it difficult to bend the claws she formed.

It would take some time for her to figure that out. It would definitely take less time than having her move things with her mind like some sort of psychic. Eventually, she was forced to stop trying by a knock at the door.

That led her to where she currently was. She had not expected this sort of environment when Klara had recommended ‘hanging out at a café’ shortly after she got up early in the morning. It was the first place that didn’t seem to directly revolve around Pokémon, though there were predictably options for them too of course. Very delicious-looking options that she could not take due to her pretending to be a human. Across from her sat Klara and Volo, both discussing a variety of topics which mostly consisted of Volo asking a simple question and receiving a small rant-like explanation from Klara. They were in a relatively cramped booth in a very well-designed building that seemed elegant, many of the decorations and supportive structures inside appearing to be hand carved. The place was apparently inspired by the ‘architecture’ of the Kalos region. It was quite impressive, though Volo didn’t seem as impressed as she was. Klara also seemed to be a regular, given the owner brightened at her arrival. The only thing that bugged her was the smell that permeated in the air, reminding her of the bitter stuff Yuzo seemed to enjoy too much.

It wasn’t just the three of them, however. Kora focused on the Togekiss that was seated next to her, the oval-shaped avian holding onto a specially designed ledge built into the booth the group had claimed that allowed it to sit comfortably. It had a scowl etched into its face despite the delicious-looking treats that were laid out in front of it. It had only taken the barest of nibbles and showed no signs of enjoying the food, which made Kora slightly upset. Volo had wanted to ‘bond’ with his Pokémon due to what it had been through, or so he claimed.

Kora couldn’t help but note a few battle-earned scars lining the Togekiss’ body. What stood out the most, however, was the still-healing bruise she spotted on its underside and the single long claw mark that lined the span of its wing. Those were the freshest wounds the Pokémon had taken, Kora had no doubt, and they raised doubts about what Volo said. She was now certain he had not been entirely truthful in his original explanation, though whether that was by choice or willful ignorance Kora didn’t know. She did not doubt Garchomp had harmed Togekiss, but she could tell from the wounds alone that this was no accident.

She didn’t want to bring too much attention to the fact she thought something was amiss so she didn’t stare, yet she couldn’t help but think about what she’s seen so far. A theory began to come to mind that helped explain the odd dynamic inside of the man’s team.

She couldn’t say for certain yet, but it was highly likely that Volo’s Pokémon hated each other. Their very natures clashed with one another, making it impossible for her to imagine them getting along. It wouldn’t be surprising that Spiritomb had trouble with the rest of the man’s team, the ghost-type clearly having a desire to bring harm onto everything and everyone. Likewise, Garchomp being a dragon easily explained why other Pokémon wouldn’t get along with it, the dragon always seeking to prove it was above the others both in strength and in stature. Neither of these things would sit well with his Lucario, given it had shown the regular tendencies of its kind. Its sense of justice and honor would, without a doubt, cause it to dislike almost anything the other two previously mentioned Pokémon did. Kora didn’t know where Togekiss fit in quite yet, having only met it just now, but she had no doubt it had its own issues and gripes. The only ones she couldn’t quite make out were Arcanine and Roserade – the former seeming happy with most things whereas the latter appeared easygoing and aloof.

Still, if even half his team failed to get along, it was no wonder Volo rarely allowed them to interact with others. She was tempted to try and question him on the subject, but she didn’t feel comfortable with that idea just yet. She needed to understand why they followed him. It was obvious there was some amount of manipulation on Volo’s part, Kora having spotted the man’s blatant lying on multiple occasions, yet it couldn’t be the full story.

She couldn’t help but wonder where she fit in this dynamic, however. Why did a human who seemed so confident in their abilities want her around? Why was she privy to so much of what he was doing? She understood the original logic when they both arrived here, but the man could have easily abandoned her by now. If anything, he was handicapping himself.

She couldn’t deny being upset with him due to the blatant lie he told her about Togekiss’ situation. She couldn’t help but sigh in frustration. She would confront him about it eventually, but not now. She’d wait for when they were well and truly alone just in case she didn’t like what she heard.

She put those thoughts aside and withheld the negative emotions dwelling within her. It was just another grudge that she would add to the pile that was constantly growing.

After a deep breath, she tuned back in on the conversation and noticed Klara holding up the miniature screen she carried around with her.

“-yeah, it’s basically all I use to know all the stuff and happenings. Just pull it off my feed from the PokeNet,” Klara said while pointing the screen towards Volo, who seemed to have a keen interest in the device. Kora leaned forward once Klara pointed it towards her. She found herself disappointed. It was just more of those ‘letters’ she couldn’t read. “Super useful to have a phone. Like, I just can’t imagine not having one. Honestly man, if I were either of you, I’d get one immediately.”

“I don’t know what it says,” Kora spoke up after a moment, pointing at the screen with a finger. It didn’t seem important but maybe it’d let her know what they were talking about a bit more.

“Wait wait wait. You guys can’t read? Man, you’re both just all kinds of weird. Like, that’s a super basic skill everyone should have,” Klara said with a drink in hand. It was some sort of half-frozen drink called an ‘iced latte’ and was apparently a staple for her. She had insisted everyone try one, Volo only taking her up on the offer once she had mentioned she would pay for everything.

“I can read just fine. The writing is much better than what I’m used to, for the most part.” Volo pointed to Kora, the man having shown a great deal of interest once he understood some of the capabilities of the phone. “She’s the one that can’t read. I’m not entirely sure how we’re supposed to remedy that problem however, or if it’s even worth trying.”

“Haaa.” Klara let out an exasperated sound as she looked at Kora, earning a silent glare. “Sorry. Can’t help but be a little judgy. It’s sort of a big deal since, well, everyone can read. Wait, this isn’t one of those weird backwards customs some tribes have, is it?”

“No,” Volo denied almost immediately with an amused smirk and a shake of the head. “Kora just has a very unique background and history.”

Kora opted not to comment. Her eyes turned to the drink in front of her. She stared at it. She had no doubt the drink likely had something bitter hidden within it, yet she couldn’t help but notice recognizable chunks of berries within it. Those looked like Oran berries. Hm…

“You know you’ll have to share more about yourselves at some point. I know you’re both pretty evasive about your past and all, but like… C’mon, it wouldn’t hurt to tell me a little. You can’t just stay mysterious.” Klara sipped on her drink and glanced at Kora. She pushed the baneful fox’s untouched drink forward, bringing it closer to her. “You should just trust me and try it. It’ll change your life. Guaranteed.”

Kora frowned. Her life had been changed enough already. However, her curiosity did push her to at least try the drink since she did like Oran berries. She gripped it with her illusion-clad claws carefully and awkwardly to bring it closer, the flimsy cup clearly not having been designed for anyone like her. She began drinking it, using the straw much like Klara had been doing. After a first taste, she found herself continuing to drink it, finding the sweet taste quite to her liking. It was a shame there was so little of the drink.

She saw Klara looking at her oddly as she finished the latte. “What?”

“You uh… aren’t supposed to drink it all in one go.” Klara’s concern was evident in her tone, the woman leaning forward to look uncomfortably close at Kora’s face. “You okay? That was like a midsize one. No brain freeze?”

Kora shrugged, not knowing what she was talking about. Did humans want their brains frozen? Hm… Given the way she asked, it sounded like that was a bad thing. She couldn’t help but question why they would consume food that had the potential to harm themselves, though. That sounded like an awful idea.

“Would it be possible to let me borrow your phone? I would like to research a few topics,” Volo spoke up, turning Klara’s attention back to him. “I imagine I could help Kora find out a few things she’d like to know too.”

Klara hesitated, seeming to dislike the idea. “Man, you can’t just ask to borrow someone else’s phone. That’s like… Uber private, y’know? Well, I guess you don’t know but like…” Klara fidgeted, her discomfort blatantly on display. “…Nah, I can’t let you use it. I don’t want anyone snooping around in there.”

“I see.” Volo didn’t hide his disappointment as he leaned back. He began rubbing his chin in one palm. “That’s a shame. There’s a lot I wanted to research.”

“Well… I could show you how to use the Pokémon Center’s PCs. A lot of them are public and offer privacy, so you can find things out on there,” Klara offered placatingly. “They’re also in like every single one, so it’d be better for you to know how to use ‘em.”

“Is that so? I think I’ll have to take you up on that offer.” Volo offered her a polite and practiced smile, brightening up.

Kora was tempted to roll her eyes at what she was pretty sure was more manipulation. She had little interest in the subject however, given humanity had opted to lock all its information behind written words. She would just have to pester Volo to get her what she needed to know.

Besides, she wasn’t going to stick around with them for very long. She had a Pokémon she had to meet.

----------------------------------------

Zoroark found herself in the same room as yesterday’s meeting and, once more, she was alone with Yuzo. The only difference was that there was one Pokémon instead of five. Cyndaquil seemed much less shy than it had been before, the young Pokémon opting to stay near her vicinity in its curiosity. It was currently exploring the cave system built into the fake rocks, Kora having chosen to sit on one of the smaller rocks as she observed the Pokémon. Yuzo was, of course, seated behind the same desk as he had last time.

“Sorry about the professor’s absence. He’s a rather busy man.” Yuzo smiled at her apologetically. “Offseason is the time we deal with all the less-than-interesting things that keep the place running. I’ve been reviewing reports from all over for the last week, so I’m glad to have a nice excuse to take a break.”

Kora shrugged. She didn’t understand what he was talking about, nor did she mind the lack of the professor’s presence. The man wasn’t bad, but he did seem a bit too sharp. She couldn’t help but raise her guard around him. “That’s fine,” she simply replied, glad to have a reprieve from people.

As she spoke, Cyndaquil poked its head out of a cave near her. It stared at her curiously and sniffed in her direction, seeming to try and get her scent. Kora eyed it consideringly and, after a moment, brought her hand closer to its head. Slowly and delicately, she scratched along its scalp and the top side of its long snout with her illusion-clad claws. She knew it didn’t know she was a Pokémon just yet, but if she was going to take it with her, she would prefer it get a hint of what she is.

Cyndaquil’s eyes briefly widened in surprise, yet it didn’t lean away or show signs of wariness from her touch. If anything, it only seemed more curious by the way she was lightly scratching it. It wasn’t impossible what she was doing wasn’t enough to let it recognize something was up given out young it appeared to be, yet she had no intention of revealing more in the presence of a human. Especially when that human was noting details she couldn’t discern in a journal.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

“I’m honestly surprised by how well he’s taken a liking to you,” Yuzo commented. “He doesn’t tend to be this way around people. Though I suppose he might just be afraid of the usual types of trainers we get.”

“What sort of trainers do you usually get?” Kora asked, curious as to what the ‘standard trainer’ was. Hopefully, they weren’t anything too intimidating. Her hand moved itself away from the seemingly content Cyndaquil, the Pokémon letting out a slight whine as it desired more scratching.

Kora sighed and grabbed one of the many sticks that were in the nearby toy crate, finally having an excuse to examine one. It was black and had feathers attached to the end of it. She flicked the feathers with her hand. She wasn’t quite sure how to use it just yet, but if she had to guess… She poked Cyndaquil’s nose with the feathered end of the stick. It was difficult to hold in her ‘hands’, yet she could manage it. Cyndaquil’s nose wiggled, and it stood up on its hind legs. It began tapping at the stick with its small frontal limbs, making the stick move side to side as it slapped it around.

“Well, they’re normally a lot younger. The minimal age to be a trainer is fourteen, though exceptions are made for a few younger ones that manage to pass extra difficult trainer tests made by the league,” Yuzo explained as he watched Cyndaquil with an amused smile. “We do get some adults, but younger trainers are a bit more outgoing and get along with Pokémon a lot more easily. At least the younger Pokémon, anyways, since they all have too much energy.”

“Keep in mind your experience is vastly different from how we usually do things,” the dark-haired man added as Kora pulled the stick away from Cyndaquil. “We usually search the nearby schools for promising trainers and offer them a partnership. They then go through something similar like you’re going through with some minute differences. We do give trainers that show up on their own a chance too, of course, though we tend to be a lot more severe in our criteria there.”

Kora mostly understood and nodded, though she couldn’t help but question something. “I don’t see where I fit in here,” she said. She wasn’t supposed to be a ‘young trainer,’ but she didn’t feel like they were very severe with her.

Yuzo leaned back and tapped his pen against the desk, mulling over his words as he chose them carefully. “This is where you might get a little upset with us. You should be aware by now that we’re a research lab first and foremost. You have an aura and come from a tribe… So the opportunities for discovery there are fairly high up there.” Kora couldn’t help but frown at that, seeing where this was heading. They were using this as an excuse to study her and possibly Volo.

“Yeah, I can tell you’re not too happy about that, but I figured it’d be better if you heard it upfront instead of later down the road.” Yuzo let out a sigh. “Sorry. We don’t plan to force you to do anything other than to call and give an update here and there. You’ll really just be helping us jot down a few theories that we can try and confirm on our own through our mostly innocent questions.”

“I see,” Kora flatly replied. It wasn’t too unreasonable, all things considered, however it did make her have more doubts than she already had.

She felt Cyndaquil nudge its head against her side, making her look down at it. She didn’t mind the Pokémon so far, having grown somewhat fond of it. Or maybe she was just looking for something to remind her of the Zorua back home. That… Wasn’t a thought she wanted to dwell on, so she pushed it away for now.

“I suppose I’ll manage to deal with it, despite my reservations,” she eventually settled on. Her words seemed to please both Yuzo and Cyndaquil, the latter speaking its name before going back into the multi-leveled tunnel system. It seemed interested in ‘following her,’ at the least.

“Good, good.” Yuzo smiled and nodded his head a few times as he wrote a few more lines down in his book. “Honestly, I had some doubts after what happened yesterday. I’ve been sort of expecting you to lash out here and there due to the whole dark-type aura thing. You’ve shown an admirable amount of control over it.”

Kora furrowed her brows. Haaa. If only he knew the amount of times she had to stop herself from ‘lashing out’ over the last few days.

“We’ll be letting Cyndaquil off with you tomorrow, by the way. I don’t know when you plan to head off, but Rowan’s got the feeling it’ll be sooner rather than later. I’d have liked to do a few more follow-up interactions, but… Boss’ orders. We’ll just need you to sign off on a few things and give you a bit of information on how we’ll keep in touch.” Yuzo tapped his pen against the desk, seeming to be thinking of if there was anything else he needed to mention.

She didn’t know what ‘sign off’ meant but she doubted it’d be anymore difficult than anything she’s done so far. “I don’t suppose you’ll tell me what you’ve been writing in there all this time?” Kora asked after a quiet moment, her curiosity getting the better of her. She couldn’t help but wonder what this ‘research’ he was doing on her was, the idea of being closely monitored somewhat disturbing her.

“Ah, well… I can do you one better. I can just show you,” Yuzo said. The man dropped his pen onto the desk and grabbed the spiraled journal he had been writing in. He showed her the last two pages he had opened. “If you take a look, you should see there isn’t anything too bad in there. Just theories about Pokémon and auras, at the moment.”

Kora couldn’t help but frown, earning a curious stare from Yuzo. He turned the pages to himself and, failing to find anything wrong, seemed to think over what he had just said.

Kora took a deep breath and let out a sigh. “I can’t read,” she reluctantly admitted.

Yuzo blinked a few times. he then sighed much like she had. He scratched just above his brow with one hand. “…Crap, that’s going to be a problem.”

----------------------------------------

Kora left shortly after Yuzo told her he’d ‘figure something out’ to help her learn to read. There were apparently resources to help people that couldn’t read that he could supply her with. They were called children’s books. She couldn’t help but feel her eye twitch in irritation at that bit of information. She was most certainly not a child.

Unfortunately, this did not stop Volo from laughing at her.

“I’m sorry, it’s just… You must admit it’s very amusing,” he said with a barely restrained smirk, the man clearly trying to hold back his amusement.

“No. It isn’t,” she firmly denied. She was tempted to do something to get back at the man, yet she was all too aware now was not the time and place. He was at least trying to hide his disrespect.

Klara had been laughing at her for a while now, which was both incredibly rude and irritating.

They were currently in a building called a ‘Poke Mart,’ the place easily distinguishable due to its exterior’s resemblance to the Pokémon Center. The main difference was that it had a blue roof and Poke ball logo rather than the red color the center had chosen, yet the resemblances mostly ended at the outside. The interior was, in her opinion, very bland. The floor, walls and objects all had similar colors that seemed to lack life, which was only amplified by the lighting above her. There was a constant buzzing sound coming from somewhere that was making her very irritated.

She was unimpressed with the place that ‘served for all your trainer needs.’ Volo seemed to mind a lot less, the man perusing the various items displayed on white shelves and opting to ignore most of everything else. Klara was unfortunately still laughing at her as she followed along, showing no interest in the place, the woman deciding to merely take pleasure in her suffering.

She strongly regretted sharing that frustration of hers. It was fortunate Yuzo said he would investigate alternative options for her, though a part of her was certain he only said that to appease her.

Whatever. She would have left the building, but they were here due to her request. She needed a bag of some sort thanks to humanity’s need to carry around various objects everywhere with them. Obviously, her illusions could not carry items, so she needed something that could.

Unfortunately, humans generally designed their things around themselves. She did not have the type of shoulders necessary to carry a bag on her back like Volo. Though she could, it would come at the cost of flexibility and dexterity, neither thing she was willing to afford to lose. That left her with few options. There were purses, which were some sort of bag that was meant to be strapped over one shoulder, and there was a bag she could tie around her waist called a fanny pack. The former presented similar problems to the standard backpacks, where as the latter…

“Yeesh. That’s really not stylish,” Klara commented, the woman holding up one of the fanny packs in question. Kora was considering if she could get away with hitting Klara on the head again for laughing at her. She was certain that would be a bad idea with Volo, but the temptation was there too. “Like, damn,” the pink-haired woman continued. “Pretty sure only old men wear these. I know some hikers love ‘em but… I just can’t, y’know?”

“I do not know,” Kora replied, having gotten used enough to Klara-speech to mostly understand what she meant. Still, she didn’t understand the entirety of her meaning. She failed to see the issue with the pack’s appearance, especially given it’d most likely be hidden away behind an illusion. Not that Klara was privy to that detail, of course, but it didn’t look that bad.

“It looks useful. I’d recommend it,” Volo chimed in. “It won’t get in the way of anything else and is easily accessible. It doesn’t seem too expensive either. Honestly, I’m quite tempted to get one for myself.”

She understood they were on a budget, Volo having consistently reminded her of that fact. Yet he did see the necessity in providing her with a bag after she mentioned it, especially given she was supposed to carry around a Poke ball for Cyndaquil. She had no plans of keeping him trapped in one of humanity’s cleverly designed prisons, of course, but she understood she would need somewhere to keep it due to its necessity. She briefly considered destroying the Poke ball, but… She wasn’t certain what that would do. It was possible humans had installed some sort of failsafe in them that would lead to all sorts of trouble.

“I suppose we should take it, then,” Kora settled on, earning a frown from Klara. For a moment, she thought the girl would speak up, but after she glanced at the prices of the other options she was dissuaded.

Money really was at the forefront of every human’s mind, huh? She was glad she didn’t have to worry about that herself. She was content to leave Volo and others in charge of that aspect of her new life. She tossed the white bag attached to a black belt at Volo and made her way out of the Poke Mart wordlessly, the fox having no desire to suffer any longer from the terrible design they chose for the place. She couldn’t understand why they hadn’t done something like the café from this morning, the placing having been less of a general eyesore.

Kora chose to wait by the Poke Mart’s sliding door for the others. She stared up at the dark night sky. The days felt both short and long, somehow. Yet she couldn’t help but note how few stars there were up there, especially compared to what she was used to back in Hisui. That bothered her, somehow. As though it was a constant reminder that home wasn’t here anymore.

A ding resounded behind her and Klara walked out, having opted to buy nothing. “Maaaan, Volo has way too many questions. Like, I thought it’d be more interesting spending time with him alone, but he’s beyond obsessed with myths and legends,” the pink-haired woman complained as she made her way beside Kora. “The man wanted to know everything about Sinnoh’s. You could’ve warned me- “

Klara stopped and followed Kora’s gaze. “Huh. Must be weird for you,” she quietly commented. Kora turned to look at her, her confusion evident. “The stars, I mean,” Klara quickly explained. “Light pollution or something like that messes with it. If you’re used to being away from most of society, you probably get a muuuch nicer view at night.”

Kora looked back up. Light pollution, huh? From the way Klara described it, it was because she was here, around people. Perhaps she’d feel better once she was away from them again.

“So, why Cyndaquil?” Klara asked, earning another confused look from Kora. The pink-haired woman leaned against the building they had just been in and shrugged. “I mean, I want to know what caught your eye. Like, I get he’s classically cute, but you don’t have the fire-type vibes, y’know?”

The way she said ‘classically’ made Zoroark think Klara most likely disagreed with what people considered cute, which would be in line with the woman’s personality given she considered a giant centipede cute. Kora sighed, considering her answer. She could lie to try and brush it off, but…

“He reminds me of home,” she settled on the truth, a tired feeling weighing on her. She felt out of her depth and there were constant reminders of that fact everywhere. She just wanted to feel mostly at ease again.

“Homesick, huh? Had a lot of fire-types back home?” Klara asked as she stepped forward. She placed a hand on Kora’s shoulder, only for the illusion-clad fox to take a step away from her immediately and turn to face her. Klara raised her hand. “Oof, sorry. Thought it’d comfort you, but I didn’t know you’re one of those no-touching types. Makes sense though. Gotit. M’bad,” she awkwardly and quickly let spoke out.

Zoroark felt ridiculous. Fleeing from a human’s touch. A part of her recognised she would have welcomed some form of comfort from another member of her pack, but she pushed that thought away. She was just on edge and needed to get away from people. That would make her feel better.

Another ding resounded, the glass doors opening behind them. Volo walked out with a small white flimsy bag that had a Poke ball design imprinted on it. “I’m rather impressed by the selection they offer,” he commented as he joined the other two outside. “You could find essentially anything you’d need in there. It is odd how they require an ID, but- “

Kora took a deep breath. “I’m used to ghost-types,” she replied honestly to Klara’s original question, opting to ignore Volo for now.

“Huh? What? Oh. Right right,” she nodded her head a few times after her brief confusion then suddenly stopped. She tilted her head slightly. “Wait, Cyndaquil isn’t a ghost-type.”

“I believe she’s talking about their unique evolution,” Volo contributed as he stepped forward. He raised a brow as he looked to Kora, seeming to have questions but not wanting to ask them in present company. He reached into the bag and pulled out the smaller bag Kora had selected, tossing it back at her. “I don’t know why you left in a hurry, but here.”

She caught it, barely managing to hold onto it without scratching the surface of the bag due to her claws. That could have been bad. “The place irritated me,” she simply replied, not wanting to say any more. She couldn’t help but wonder what a normal ‘Typhlosion’ looked like, her mind wandering.

She recalled them having ghastly flames around their neck and it generally being considered a good idea to not anger one. Fortunately, one generally had to go out of their way to earn their ire.

“I uh, don’t think there’s more than one Typhlosion form,” Klara chimed in. Volo stared at Kora from the corner of his eye, earning a shrug from her. “Unless… You guys have seen one?” Klara seemed to question, her eyes searching theirs.

Kora spoke up as she noticed Volo hesitate on his reply. “We have,” she replied honestly, earning an analytical look from the blond man. Once more, she shrugged. There wasn’t any harm in Klara knowing.

Volo thought for a moment, taking his time to consider his words. “…They’re extraordinarily unique,” he eventually settled on sharing. “It’s believed that they purify lost souls with their flames, though no one can truly validate that sort of claim. I wish I could say for certain how they come about, but that’s a highly disputed subject. It most likely has to do with exposure to ghost-type energies, however.”

“Damn, that’s sort of grim ain’t it? Cool and all, but ghosts are downright creepy. Actually, now that I think about it…” Klara turned to look at Kora. She crossed one arm under the other and placed her fist beneath over her mouth, the girl examining Kora a bit too closely for her liking. “…She does have that gloomy vibe going on. I could imagine her as one of those exorcists or like one of those hex types.”

Kora didn’t know what either of those were but apparently Volo did, given his amusement at the prospect. “I don’t believe she’d like exorcisms very much,” he offered back. “I’m certain she has tried hexing a few people before, though. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if she succeeded at it.”

“…What’s hexing?” Kora piped in, uncertain if she was going to like the answer. For some reason, she felt like it was supposed to be a bad thing. Especially given the way Volo was talking about it.

“Y’know, putting curses on people. Sort of like ghost do,” Klara replied. Ah, that would explain it. She was partly offended at the implication she needed to curse someone, but it was a step forward from being a dark-type. Those were the ones you really needed to worry about.

“I don’t curse people,” Kora firmly stated, earning a look from Klara that she didn’t understand. As if she needed to rely on a curse. Though she couldn’t deny it’d be very convenient under her current circumstances. Being able to curse everyone that annoyed her certainly seemed appealing.

The group inevitably decided to head back to the Pokémon Center, having little other option at this time. She found it unfortunate that most humans functioned during the day rather than the night, as she found the latter far less straining on her eyes.

“So, when are you getting your Cyndaquil?” Klara eventually asked as they walked, standing next to Kora as Volo lead in front of them.

“I’ve been informed I’ll most likely be getting it tomorrow,” Kora replied. She was beginning to recognize that she wasn’t particularly prepared to take care of another Pokémon, yet she doubted Volo would have suggested the prospect if he didn’t have something in mind. She would ensure any Pokémon under her care would be well kept at the very least, so she wasn’t overly worried.

“Sooo, I’ve been thinking and all since you’re a soon-to-be new trainer… Wanna battle?” Klara piped up, earning a long sigh from Kora. She hadn’t even gotten a Pokémon yet and she already had someone lining up to battle her. She was disappointed and exasperated by humanity’s obsession with battling.

“Hey, I can tell you’re not a fan of the idea. But like, it’s a whole bonding thing, y’know?” Klara defended the idea, animatedly moving her hands and arms as she spoke. “The best way to get closer to your Pokémon is to win and lose together.”

“I don’t think it’s fair to have her Cyndaquil fight your Scolipede or Slowbro,” Volo chimed in, a slight frown on his face. “Poor thing will lose before it realizes what’s happening.”

“Hey! I’ve got a third Pokémon on me if you didn’t notice.” Klara opened one side of her thick wool coat to reveal the three Poke balls attached. “It’s something I got back in Galar. I don’t want to tell you guys what it is just yet, but… It’s pretty cute and small. Also it’s plenty young, so perfect for a first-time battler.”

Somehow, Kora doubted that it was as cute as the woman was saying it was. She was prepared to turn down the idea, having no intention to let small Pokémon fight each other, only for Volo to speak up before she could react.

“You should do it,” Volo told Kora before she could refuse, earning a glare from her. He shrugged, mimicking her earlier reaction. “She’s not wrong. Battling leads to growth. We could also use the money from winning.”

“Haa? That’s an awfully cocky thing to say, thinking you’ll win just like that.” Klara placed a hand on her hip and smirked. “Y’know, I was thinking it’d be a friendly one-on-one with nothing on the line instead but that sorta rubbed me the wrong way. Like, c’mon, she’s a rookie with no experience.”

“True,” Volo admitted with a nod of his head. “But she’ll have me to help her.”

Klara scoffed and Kora frowned. For some reason, that didn’t sound as reassuring as he was making it out to be. In fact, it worried her.

“You’ll have like one morning to train. Man, if all it takes is a bit of training to win a fight, I’m going to doubt how good of a trainer I am,” the pink-haired woman complained. One of her heels began tapping the ground behind her. “You’re on,” she firmly decided on.

Somehow, Kora felt like between Klara’s desire to win and Volo’s desire for money, it wouldn’t matter to them that she didn’t want to have her Pokémon fight.

Well, two young Pokémon fighting couldn’t be that bad, could it?