Caelan sank into one one of the cushioned seats in the corner of the Pokémon Center's lobby, his body feeling heavier than it should. The familiar scent of disinfectant clung to the air, and the quiet hum of machines and idle chatter drifted around him, though he hardly noticed.

His fingers tapped absentmindedly against his knee, but his thoughts kept circling back to the battle—every mistake replaying in his mind.

Snowscape—he'd completely underestimated it. He should've realized it would do more than just boost Delibird's defense. This wasn't a game, and he hadn't once considered any hidden effects. But it did have hidden effects. The cold and frost had lowered Rattata's speed, and with her speed dulled, her attack power lost power. Combined with Delibird's newfound resilience, Rattata's attacks were probably half as effective as they should've been.

And then, there was his hesitation.

Rattata had nearly knocked Delibird out with her Rampage, leaving the bird dazed on the ground. It was the perfect moment to strike, but Caelan hesitated. He didn't want to hit Delibird while it was down, didn't want to risk serious injury when it looked like the battle was over.

But it wasn't.

Delibird had gotten back up, and that's when the Ice Shard came. "The battle wasn't over when I thought it was," Caelan thought bitterly. "It was over when the referee said so." He was too used to sparring matches, not real battles. His instinct was to pause when a Pokémon was down. But Fiona hadn't hesitated—she pressed the attack, ordering Delibird to strike even after Rattata had collapsed.

"I'll have to instill some restraint," Caelan mused, knowing he didn't want his Pokémon to become merciless. "But they need to be ruthless, too—until the referee calls the match."

And then there was the information he didn't know. He hadn't known how strong Fiona's Delibird really was or how skilled she was as a trainer. Despite Delibird's defensive advantage, it moved through the air with ease, firing off multiple Ice Shards at once. Caelan had never seen a low-quality Ice-type pull off something like that.

He should've known more about his opponent.

The first thing he did after sitting down was to pull up the BattleNET and search for Fiona's profile.Unfortunately, she'd hidden most of her information. All he could find was that she was a Rookie Trainer who graduated about a year ago and that she had an official battle record in the triple digits.

But then he recalled a casual comment she'd made after the battle.

~"I'd be surprised if Krampus didn't level up from this battle alone."~

At first, the comment hadn't registered, but now it gnawed at him. Trainers in this world didn't measure their Pokémon in basic levels; they used Class Levels, a system far more significant. Fiona wasn't talking about a minor increase. She meant her Delibird was on the brink of a major power-up.

It had been a week since Caelan last checked Rattata's stats. She'd gone from Level 4 to at least Level 7 with just a few days of training and two battles. After a week of constant sparring, she should've been able to one-shot a Level 9.

So either Fiona had been downplaying things, or her Delibird was far stronger—closer to Level 19.

'I should've known better than to walk into that battle without understanding what I was up against,' Caelan thought, frustration building. 'Rattata deserved better.'

He ran a hand through his hair, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. The more he thought about it, the more mistakes he found.

"Or maybe I'm just overthinking again," he muttered, glancing at the wall clock. He'd been sitting there for nearly an hour while Rattata was in care.

'The battle is over. Focus on what's next.'

His thoughts were interrupted by the buzz of his Pokégear. With a sigh, Caelan pulled it out, hoping it was just the scan he'd requested. But a notification immediately caught his eye—an unfamiliar account had tagged him in a video.

Frowning, he opened the message and quickly realized what it was. The battle—the one he'd just lost—was already online, spreading like wildfire. His stomach tightened as he clicked the link, the title glaring back at him: "Rookie Fiona vs. Youngster Caelan."

Of course someone had recorded it. Trainers always did, analyzing and critiquing everything they could. Taking a deep breath, Caelan pressed play, knowing he couldn't avoid it forever. As the video played, his eyes drifted to the comments below.

With a mix of dread and curiosity, he scrolled down, ready to face what they had to say.

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Welcome to the BattleNET Forums!The best place to discuss battle strategies, Pokémon strengths, and trainer tips.

Kanto → Competitive → Trainer Battles

Topic: Rookie Fiona vs. Youngster CaelanOriginal Poster: Trainer_Video_Reels (Uploader)(Showing page 2/4)

►Battl3Bl1tzFiona played it safe with Delibird, but honestly, what was the kid thinking? Bringing a Rattata to an official match?

►MatchUpJoKid should be proud he even got a hit in with that garbo Pokemon. Why do all the Youngsters have such shit taste nowadays? Just get a squirtle or something lmao. swear if i was a trainer this shit would be cake

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

►Top_Percent (Verified Youngster)Rattata's underrated! Y'all are just hating because it's not a Charizard or whatever. That "Rampage" was goddamn beautiful. (I'd steal it for myself if I knew what the hell was going on) If she didn't resort to cheap tactics, this match would've been a clean W for Rattata.

►AJ (Verified Youngster)@MatchUpJou gonna pay for everyone's brand new Squirtle? no? okay, jackass.

►BattleMaster001 (Verified Youngster)@Top_PercentIt's definitely just Bite and Tail Whip, but its way stronger cause of whatever that red shit is. Kinda reminds me of when Lance's Dragonite uses Outrage, though. Not sure tho.

►Flying_High (Verified Rookie)@Top_Percent It's not about "hating." Rattata doesn't have the raw power to stand up to most first stage Pokémon, and Delibird isn't even that tough. For a Youngster, it wasn't even that bad of a fight, though, I'll give you that. It's more impressive the kid lasted that long against a more experienced trainer (Fiona is a Rookie Trainer, I checked) while she has a weather advantage.

►MonkOfSinLow-tier Pokémon like Rattata are always going to struggle in competitive battles. I get wanting to prove something, but you gotta be realistic. It's a mouse. It's not exactly built for durability or heavy hits, and Quick Attack only gets you so far.

►StarrySkies (Verified Rookie)@Flying_HighfOr a YoUnGsTeR' Man stfu you're literally the same rank as me and I suck ass at battling. She wasn't that good either.

►GuydownthestreetThis is exactly why everyone runs the same Pokémon in tournaments. If you use anything else, people call it weak. Maybe the kid just wanted to try something different!

►AlphaShinLook, I like the underdog as much as anyone, but get real. It's a Rattata. Ground-bound, no ranged options. Even with Guts, it's not like it can suddenly tank Delibird's attacks. Props to the kid for trying, but there's a reason no Elite trainers with a Rattata or its evolution.

►BattleVeteran69 Exactly. He should've pulled Rattata back the moment the snow started. Everyone knows that boosts Delibird's defense. A ground-bound Pokémon against a flyer in an ice-type battlefield? Rookie mistake.

►King_of_Grind (Verified Veteran)@BattleVeteran69 It was clearly a 1v1. He couldn't pull Rattata back; no other options. He had to commit. And for a Rattata, that Tail Whip was clearly strong enough to make Delibird almost faint. Just bad luck on the matchup. I see you acting like you know shit on every post I open. Get a job.

►EchoesOfValorRattata's got heart, but heart doesn't win battles alone. The other comments are right: it's not about hating. Delibird just had the upper hand, and if your Pokémon can't adapt, you're done. It's not just Rattata's fault—trainer error, too.

►VividDreamer (Verified Rookie)Can't believe Delibird still got up after that last hit. I don't care how strong the snow makes Delibird, that Rattata was going absolutely feral on that weakass chicken. Too bad its trainer was cocky asf.

► IceBreaker (Verified Student)I watched a few other highlights on the Rookie. Her battle style seems to be entirely defensive. She would've lost without the defense boost from Snowscape, but that's actually part of her strategy. She lulls people into a false sense of security before ramping up. I honestly can't tell if she's doing it on purpose, though.

►Xx_Reaper_xX Just two shit trainers having a shit match. Rattata got bodied. nuff said.

►Knightmare (Verified Veteran)Calling it now—this kid's gonna switch out Rattata for something stronger once he gets tired of losing. Shit Pokemon holding back a decent trainer. It's a tale as old as battling. You can't win badges with a Rattata.

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As Caelan scrolled through the last of the comments, he felt a mixture of frustration, validation, and a few moments of disbelief at some of the harsher critiques. There were nuggets of truth in some of them, but others...well, they weren't worth the mental space.

He let out a slow breath, his thumb hovering over the screen before deciding to close the video altogether. He was about to tuck his Pokégear back into his pocket when another notification chimed. His thumb moved automatically, pulling up the new message.

It was a system notification from BattleNET.

"Trainer Fiona Lawson has requested confirmation of battle validity for official record: 'Rookie Fiona vs Youngster Caelan'"

His stomach tightened. The battle wouldn't be officially logged until he confirmed it—his first recorded match, marking it as a loss.

He'd had a ton of other matches before this, but they were all spars. None of them were added to his record and if they were uploaded they would've been swiftly removed if he asked–a privilege of his status as a Battle Club member.

But this one was real.

Caelan's fingers hovered over the confirmation button. For a brief moment, the shameful thought crossed his mind to ignore it, to act like it hadn't happened. But the moment passed as quickly as it came. Acknowledging the defeat meant sealing it into his history as a trainer. But it also meant progress—a mark on his record but a reminder of his failure.

Besides, they had a ton of people watching. He couldn't exactly act like the battle didn't happen.

He hit Confirm with more force than necessary.

Battle Record Confirmed. Caelan: 0W-1L.

Caelan stared at the confirmation message a little longer than necessary. 0-1. It looked worse than it felt, and somehow more permanent. His hand tightened around the Pokégear, and for a brief moment, the weight of that loss felt heavier than all the spars he'd fought before.

But it was one loss, not a thousand. A mark in the book, a scar on the page, but not the whole story. Not yet.

He slipped the Pokégear back into his pocket, the cold resolve from earlier creeping back into his mind. 'What now?' he thought.

First, he'd wait for Rattata. He wasn't going anywhere until she was out of care, and the two of them would need to regroup. But beyond that? He'd need more than just grit and determination for the next fight. He needed an answer to Delibird's advantage—something that wouldn't leave them helpless again. The fight had exposed his weakness in handling aerial threats, and that couldn't happen again.

This loss wasn't because Rattata lacked heart or their bond wasn't strong enough—it was strategy, plain and simple. Rattata gave everything she had, but he'd failed to account for Delibird's range and the environmental advantage. Love and loyalty didn't change the hard facts of battle.

A plan began to form in his mind, rough around the edges but taking shape. Range, counters, speed... He needed to expand his Rattata's versatility, maybe even recruit another Pokémon with better coverage. He couldn't afford to be blindsided by such an obvious flaw next time.

It was time to start moving. To use the money he'd earned to get stronger. To leverage that strength to get more money. They would lose, like today. But they would adapt. And then, later down the line, they would eventually lose again.

A seemingly endless cycle until they were unbeatable. Until they stopped losing.

Caelan slipped his Pokégear back into his pocket and waited for Rattata patiently, his mind laser focused on their next move.