Chapter 62 - The Crabominable and The Snow-Woman - Pt. 4

“Of course, I followed Lori all the way until we were out of that forest. Leaving her alone? That’d be bad form. Plus, she’s not like any trainer I’ve come across before. I had to see what her deal was.”

—*——*—

Two years ago - Kanto, Route 12

She tried to shake Bruno off in the forest, but wasn’t exactly fast, or good at losing people. Every time she sprinted, Bruno had to slow himself down—those high heels would cause her to sprain her ankles. Every time she threatened to freeze him, he smiled at the fact she was a Type-Specialist like him—there really ought to be more of those.

Exhausted, she finally caved. “It’s Lorelei. Happy?” she said, just as they reached a beach. “Now, can you just leave me alone?”

Bruno flicked sand from his sandals, rolling her name around his tongue. “Lorelei… sounds kinda familiar…” His shoulders lifted in a shrug before a wide grin took over. “Hey, your ice Pokémon are awesome. How about a rematch sometime? Could be fun to have a rival like you.”

Lorelei could barely suppress a scoff. Turning away, she trudged toward the shoreline, each step sinking deep into the sand.

“Wait up, don’t go!” Bruno called after her. “If you get on your Lapras, I can’t follow.”

She already had the Pokéball in her hands. “That’s the point.”

But… how could they be rivals and battle together all the time if she was out in the middle of the ocean? No, Bruno didn’t like this answer. Plus… it was bad form to let her travel all by herself in the wild, wild ocean.

“Hey, you mentioned the gym earlier. Got your badge from there yet?” he ventured, trying to find some common ground.

It worked, somewhat. Lorelei paused, gripping the Pokéball tighter but not opening it, then slowly turned to face him. “You really don’t recognise me?” she asked, her voice strained. Bruno racked his brain real hard, but nothing clicked until she added, “We battled before. I had a Piloswine. You called it off before we even finished.”

Recognition flashed across Bruno’s face. “Oh, right…” He remembered now. She was the girl who barely commanded for her Pokémon to fight and had basically given up trying mid-battle. “Maybe try a different Pokémon next time?”

Her expression twisted. “I was about to catch one before you showed up,” she spat out.

Was… she angry at him?

Catching Crabrawler with a trick wouldn’t have worked either, and even if it did, the Master always said that catching Pokémon was just the start—it took time to build a bond and find a good rhythm together. Maybe at the two badge level she’d be able to win with a new capture, but everything got tougher at the fourth badge…

Shoot, she was leaving.

“Wait…” Bruno reached out, but Lorelei’s icy glare stopped him cold. He dropped his hand, second-guessing himself.

It was clear she wasn’t keen on heading back to Saffron with him, even if he told her she could train her Piloswine on the Dojo.

“The Fist Badge is going to be tough with your Pokémon…” he mumbled, not helping his case at all. “It’s not just the type disadvantage—it’s their speed. Even if you pass the gym test, the Master—I mean, the Gym Leader—he won’t let it slide if you don’t have a solution for that. His Pokémon will run circles around you.”

Her eyes narrowed. “I’m working on my defence, thanks. And I don’t need your pointers.”

Bruno inhaled deeply, trying another angle. “Training defence against Fighting-Type moves in the ocean? You’ll be lucky if you find a Poliwhirl out there.” He nodded, and then added. “Master always says that adversity builds strength. You won’t figure out how to win if you keep to your comfort zone.”

She relaxed her grip on the Pokéball slightly, then slower, but sharper, she said, “I recall winning against your Tyrogue.”

“Master won’t use a Tyrogue against you. His Hitmons are on another level of fast.”

Her knuckles around her Pokéball were turning white again. “And what would you suggest?”

“Train at the Dojo.”

She scoffed at the idea, but said nothing. What was Bruno to do? He was supposed to head back to the Dojo after his Crabrawler hunt. Some of him hoped she would come along with him so they could battle all the time. Yet another wildly repressed part of him was happy she didn’t want to come. All his other rivals were the same. Same techniques, same training, same everything. She was different, and something made him want to be different, too.

The Dojo lost against Anton. If he wanted to win, he needed her brand of different.

“Well…” He rubbed his neck, offering a sheepish grin. “North of here is the Rock Tunnel to Celadon. We could train there. The Rock-Types—”

This time, she outright burst out laughing, not even waiting for him to finish. “You’re serious?” she managed between chuckles.

Bruno kicked at the sand again. “Yeah. You’re a fun rival. Thought it could be good to keep battling, you know?”

She blinked. “I don’t think you understand the concept of competition very well, do you?” she paused, then sighed. “I don’t do caves. Or woods. Or any of that. I prefer to keep it to the water while—“

“What about Pewter?” Bruno blurted.

“What of it?”

“You can’t sail there. It’s either Mt Moon or Viridian Forest. Or off route, but still no ocean.”

She adjusted her ponytail, her tone impatient. “I know that. It’s a big town, so I assumed there’d be a river or—”

“Actually, there’re lakes. Fed from the mountain springs,” he corrected, a bit too quickly.

She exhaled, annoyed. “Can you stop that?”

“What?”

“Everything.”

This new rival was challenging. She was making herself really hard to understand. Yet, she hadn’t walked away. It was strange… Bruno had this feeling about her. Call it gut or instinct. It was like she, even with the puny arms and short legs, was the one trainer he had to keep up with. Like maybe, just maybe, they were meant to push each other to the top.

It felt like fate.

“Sorry,” he said, trying to keep his tone down. “All I meant was that sooner or later, you’ll have to face a cave or a mountain. If you are scare—uncomfortable in them—isn’t it better to go with someone else?”

She bit her lip, considering, then her expression softened. “I’m not hiking Mt Moon but… are there lakes in the Rock Tunnel?”

“I have no idea,” Bruno grinned. “But it involves a hike. How did you catch all those Pokémon if you never leave the water?”

“Ocean caves back home,” she explained, glancing at her Pokéball. “Got my Seel, Lapras, and Piloswine there.”

“What about your Snorunt?”

She shook her head. “I met this trainer from Hoenn who wanted to trade for a Water-Type, so I went out and caught a Shellder and—why am I telling you that?”

“Because that’s what rivals do,” he suggested, offering his hand for a high-five. “And maybe we’re travel buddies, too?”

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Lorelei answered by finally releasing her Lapras. No high-five, not even a smile. Did… he mess this up?

“We aren’t even colleagues,” she finally said, but then, to his surprise, added, “Hop on. I refuse to walk back to Lavender.”

—*——*—

“I like to think that travelling together was when we turned things around. When Lori and I truly became friends. But the truth? We travelled, we trained, and at night, sitting around the campfire, we’d eat our meals between silence and her murder glares. It felt a lot like this party, only every day. Still, training with her was the best. After a week threading through the Rock Tunnels and another on the surrounding routes, we actually made it to the next city together.”

—*——*—

Two Years Ago - Kanto, Cerulean

Bruno peeked over the clipboard in Lorelei’s hand, despite her determined effort to ignore his presence.

——

…

Number of Badges: Three.

Number of Pokémon: Four.

Previous experience in other leagues? No.

How many members of your team can swim? Three.

…

——

She caught him glancing and shot a look from the corner of her eye. “You know you can also sign up, right?”

Bruno stepped back, letting the ocean breeze ruffle through his hair and onto his newest Pokémon. Over on his shoulders sat a small but fierce Poliwag he’d met on the nearby route. He hadn’t planned on adding a Poliwrath to his dream team, but something about this little girl—he called her Abbie—just clicked with him. Right now, though, she had her sights set on the horizon and payed little attention to the conversation.

“I’ve already told you my plan,” he replied. “Build the perfect team, train hard, earn a black belt, then start collecting badges. I’m still working on the team.”

She glanced up at him. “Is tomorrow for a gym test too soon? This one involves swimming, so I should be ready for it.”

“Are you checking it with me?” Bruno moved in closer with the biggest grin. Lori, however, just shook her head.

“Talking to myself,” she muttered, jotting down the date and time on her form. “You’ll never start collecting badges if you keep waiting for the perfect moment… Wasn’t it nice to get that Poliwag without all this planning?”

“Well… yeah, but I—”

“I don’t really care.” Lorelei ripped her form from a stack on the clipboard, exposing a blank one beneath. As she turned back to Bruno, her expression remained flat, but her eyes had this glint in them. She passed him the clipboard. “I’m sure your Master has some fortune cookie wisdom about facing your fears.”

Bruno took it. The words ‘Gym Test Sign Up Form’ seemed to jump out at him. “He actually does have a lot more sayings about being prepared… Uh… The future belongs to those who prepare today.”

“That’s not originally his,” she shrugged, dropping the subject as she headed toward the gym clerk to submit her form. Bruno followed, eyes glued to the clipboard. “I can’t remember many quotes, but isn’t there one about it being better to do things imperfectly than to not do them at all?”

His hand trembled as he picked up a pen.

——

…

Number of Badges: Zero.

Number of Pokémon: Four.

Previous experience in other leagues? No.

How many members of your team can swim? Four.

…

——

“If I do this,” his voice wavered, “then we’re both heading to Pewter next. Will you cross Mt Moon with me?”

She frowned. “I told you, mountains aren’t my thing… What does this have to do with anything?”

Bruno offered a hopeful smile. “Isn’t our journeys about stepping out of our comfort zones?”

Lorelei didn’t respond, but two weeks later, they both stood at the at the base camp on the foot of the biggest mountain this side of the Indigo Plateau, each sporting a Cascade Badge among their provisions for the journey ahead.

—*——*—

Today - Sevii, Two Island Marina, Two Island

Celeste shivered as she sipped her now cold tea. Or maybe it was from excitement. “I get it now,” she said. “You worked through your issues, your… misunderstandings, and friendship won the day in the end.”

Delia leaned back, sceptical. “Nice story, but clearly you two still have issues, so it couldn’t have been that simple, could it?”

Luan cradled his Hoothoot in his arms while gazing intently at his feet. He said nothing.

Bruno let out a slight smile. “I wanted to show that friendships—or any relationship—have their highs and lows. You want to tell the next part, Lori?”

Lorelei, quieter for a while, offered her own faint smile in response. “You can do it. It… wasn’t my biggest moment, but like I said. I know my limitations. I’m not embarrassed.”

“I know you’re not,” he replied, then continued. “I thought we were prepared. The mountain’s known to be risky, but there’s a well-maintained trail that loops around it, patrolled regularly by Rangers. None of that mattered once we left base camp. Like I said, ups and downs. A few minutes in and Lori just… froze.”

“Froze?” Celeste leaned forward. “Like, told her Pokémon to freeze the landscape?”

“Stop playing dumb,” Delia murmured.

Lori leaned in, her fingers brushing against Luan’s fairy lights, which were fading fast. “Looks like the batteries are going,” she murmured before exhaling deeply. “I froze because I was terrified. All I could see was myself stranded on that mountain, no one to reach me, no water for a quick escape. I figured I’d be safer cutting through Viridian Forest, or maybe even forgetting my trainer’s pride and taking a plane or a bus.”

Luan glanced up at the dimming lights. “It’s getting late… I don’t have any spares.” He paused, reflecting. “So that was it? You both just walked away?”

“She did,” Bruno answered. “There wasn’t a big blowout or anything. She said she wouldn’t go, and I said I would. So, we took different paths.”

“Now that seems like a sensible lesson…” Delia said, drawing a look of frustration from Celeste, who absolutely hated that this was her take from this. “So you never saw each other again until today?”

Bruno laughed, shaking his head. “That would be too depressing. No, that’s not how this ends.”

Lori’s smile was small but sincere. “What followed was Bruno taking off. After we split, he earned the Boulder Badge in Pewter pretty quick. I headed back to Saffron, probably out of spite. I figured I’d prove that without him around making up rules about the will to fight, I could win.”

“Did you?” Luan asked.

“Against the trainer, yes. Thanks to our training in the caves,” she confirmed with a nod. “But against the Leader, like Bruno said, I stood no chance. My Pokémon were just too slow.”

“So, what happened next?” Luan was all ears.

“I know you and Celeste think highly of me, like I’m some top-tier trainer… but after that loss, I hit a real slump.” She turned to Bruno. “Tell me, did you ever run into Caleb?”

He tilted his head. “Name rings a bell. Should I know him?”

“He’s from Hoenn, about our age. Tried the circuit there for a while, but gave up and came to Indigo. Last time I saw him, he had six badges.” She stared out towards the ocean, lost in thought for a moment. “He prefers water routes, like me. Instead of a Lapras, he travels on a Sharpedo. I kept running into him near East Indigo Bay. After my losses in Saffron and the following on in Cinnabar, I bumped into him again on my way back to Celadon.”

Bruno narrowed his eyes, trying to place the name. “Sharpedo, huh? What else does he train?”

Lori rolled her eyes. “Arceus, can’t you ever remember anyone? He always has his Castform out. Last time we battled, he used an Orbeetle.”

“Oh, yeah. I know him.” Bruno’s face lit up. “He’s got seven badges now. Saw him take on the Psychics in Saffron during my gym test there. He really leans into terrain and weather manipulation, doesn’t he? But why bring him up?”

Lorelei smiled. “After we ran into each other again, Caleb decided to stay in Celadon for a while. We started meeting up to train in the ocean—him prepping for the local gym, and me… I was just desperate for a win. During one of those sessions, he mentioned he’d sailed off route towards Viridian and saw a Crabrawler stirring up trouble with the local Pokémon.”

Celeste’s eyes sparkled. “The same one?”

“There’s no way for her to know it,” Luan muttered. “Bet you went after it again, right?”

“I did,” Lori confirmed with a smirk. “But see, sometimes, life enjoys its little ironies, right, Bruno?”

His laugh was more boastful then. “Well…”

—*——*—

“Like Lori mentioned, I was really hitting my stride, but it wasn’t as straightforward as it seemed. After Pewter, I spent some time training in Viridian Forest before heading to the Viridian City Gym. That’s where Abbie—my Poliwag—evolved during the battle. It was quite amazing. You see, Viridian used to have a Flying-Type gym, and the Leader was just about to retire. I underestimated him. If it hadn’t been for Abbie stepping up, I would’ve been out in a flick. I knew it was too soon to even consider it, but I can be a bit of a planner. So, as soon as she evolved, I found myself wandering into the Pokémart just to check it out…”

—*——*—

One and a half years ago - Verdant Plaza Pokémart, Viridian City

“How much for the Water Stone?” Bruno asked as he roamed the evolution stone section of the shop. He figured he could just keep the stone in hand for when it was time for Abbie to become a Poliwrath. He wanted so badly for her to gain that Fighting-Type that—”Wait, how much?”

Shoot.

The price made him wince, yet he kept staring at it as he mulled over his finances. Despite being away from the Dojo, Master still had him on the books as a gym trainer, and his stipend had even seen a modest increase since he’d earned his blue belt. Still, it was barely enough to cover the essentials: food, potions, and other necessities. He needed a sponsor or perhaps to actually start asking for money during battles.

He counted on his fingers—four… maybe five battles for the extra cash for the Water Stone? But it couldn’t be run-of-the-mill one-on-one with any old bug-catcher in Viridian Forest. No, it would be bad form to take money from those. He needed to find trainers who weren’t too broke or too weak. Maybe at the Pokémon Centre or… He looked up at the queue beginning to form behind the cashier.

Nothing to lose, right?

He approached a young woman at the end of the queue. She had a Butterfree perched cutely atop her head.

“Want to battle?” he blurted out, skipping any form of introduction. She looked weirded out.

Still, she was polite enough to answer. “Sorry mate, we are saving energy for a big battle later today,” she said, her hair fluttering as she spoke. It was red, just like Lori’s.

Intrigued, Bruno ventured, “Bummer. Gym battle?”

She shook her head. “Already got the Gust Badge,” she said.

He leaned in closer, inadvertently knocking her shopping basket with his elbow. Items clattered to the floor, and he hastily stooped to assist her, murmuring apologies. Potions. An extraordinary number of potions rolled down the floor. He didn’t count, but there were surely at least thirty. She gave him a somewhat awkward look.

“There’s this spot we use for training…” she began, hastily repacking her basket. “Off route, towards Celadon. It’s actually where my Butterfree used to live. And… it’s currently under threat.”

Bruno met her watery blue eyes with a concerned gaze. “What happened?”

She exhaled heavily. “A Crabrawler appeared out of nowhere. It’s using the local Metapod as punching bags. The Caterpie are terrified.”

Bruno blinked, taken aback. “Did you say Cra…brawler?”