I carried Ralts to the nearest Pokémon Center in my arms, she wasn't moving.

First, it was because she was still in shock but later because she lost consciousness.

The Pokémon Center was built near a small lake and was located close to the road to Jubilife City yet far enough that it served a purpose for the people who wanted to roam the wild.

Inside, a girl was waiting for me and she took Ralts to a special room where she put Ralts inside a small device that looked very similar to an incubator.

If I were a better trainer I would've stayed by her side but I did not.

I dumped my stuff in a room I had claimed for the night and told the girl to call me the moment Ralts woke up.

My insides still feeling cold, I wandered outside until I found a place I could sit and gather my thoughts.

After 4 minutes of wandering I found a nice cliff that overlooked the mushlands.

The area was glowing orange, the water was reflecting the orange sky while the sun was touching the horizon.

The color of the sky was perfect for a warm summer night, yet it still was spring and the wind was making the night cold instead of warm and soothing.

I sat down on the edge and took a deep breath.

I just couldn't stand the idea of waiting inside for Ralts to wake up; I knew she would be okay, it was practically a fact.

Pokémon get hurt all the time and the damage Ralts had sustained was very low compared to what high level Pokémon experienced during a match.

Still I felt horrible for not staying.

There was nothing I could do or say to Ralts to help her and if she woke up with me sitting next to her bedside I wouldn't be able to do anything except apologize.

I buried my face in my hands and tried to steady my breath, I was getting emotional and I would start crying. I wouldn't stop crying.

It wasn't just the match that made me feel horrible, I was used to losing, it's part of life after all.

But this felt so wrong.

Ralts and I had been unstoppable and beaten everyone in our way.

We had spent so much time training and I had spent hours thinking up combos and painfully trying to remember every small detail from the anime and the games so I wouldn't start forgetting.

We deserved to win, Ralts and I had a stronger bond than Paul and Elekid and we had been more creative in our fighting style.

But in the end it was just a random factor that turned the tables and led to a crushing defeat.

It was humiliating in a weird way, if I lost to Ash I would just congratulate him and take notes for next time.

But to lose against Paul, a person who had the personality of a cardboard cut out?

It felt horrible.

Maybe it wasn't just Paul, maybe it was my presence in this world.

How I had come here, expecting a power fantasy, only to get my arm ripped open by a low level Raticate the first day I arrived.

Keep in mind, I didn't make the choice to be in this world.

Yet Fate kept throwing me around like I was her toy, taken out of the box only to play in some twisted scenario she had thought up.

Hylla's shenanigans at the hospital, Team Rocket and then discovering that this world wasn't like the cheerful anime or the easy games.

Being around Ralts meant I had to keep my emotions in check: No thinking about consequences or what the hell was going on and the world I left behind.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

And losing to Paul only added to the pile of small frustrations because it told me one thing.

Fate can and will screw me over.

"Does it even matter what I do?" I asked out loud, trying to reach whoever brought me to this world.

I studied the landscape in front of me to spot any invisible legendaries who were watching me but I saw nothing out of the ordinary.

Letting out a deep sigh, I closed my eyes and tried to push away the feeling of injustice and anger.

Hours passed like that. I just sat there and watched the sun dip underneath the horizon, taking the orange sky with it.

Soon it was getting cold but I didn't mind it really, it was uncomfortable but it made me feel real.

Like this world was more than just a rush of action and emotions.

It wasn't until midnight that someone joined me.

She wordlessly sat down next to me, her legs dangling over the edge of the cliff.

I raised an eyebrow; wasn't she supposed to be in bed and recovering?

She must have snuck out and found me using my emotional signature, considering I hadn't gotten a call from the Pokémon Center she had woken up.

I wasn't that far away from the hospital but still…

She took hold of my left arm, embraced it and then she rested her head against my upper arm.

Her horn was slightly pressing into my arm but it wasn't too much of a problem.

"Today sucked didn't it?" I grimaced and looked at her.

Ralts eyes met mine.

As if a spell was broken she buried her face in my arm and began crying.

It shocked me.

I had never seen her cry before, whimper and crying during combat, yeah but never like this.

She cried her lungs out, whimpered and wailed like a banshee.

Her breath began to shake as she couldn't keep crying without losing her breath.

Tears streamed down my arms, she tried to stop a few times but she couldn't stop.

Seeing this I felt a pang of guilt shoot through me.

Seeing her cry like this made me feel horrible, seeing her cry while I was doing nothing made me feel worse.

I was maybe thrown into this world involuntarily but I had made promises of my own. I had a Ralts to take care of, responsibilities and right now I wasn't doing anything useful.

The reason Ralts was crying was unknown to me; she was a Pokémon and despite having a mindset similar to humans, it was still different.

Was she ashamed? Scared I would be angry or did she feel cheated as well?

She couldn't talk and her Telepathy was still not working so I could only guess.

I took a deep breath, my Ralts was crying and I had to do something about it.

Get my shit together and stop self pitying.

"Hmmm…" I mused when I managed to get a grip on my emotions. "Now it's the perfect time for a heartwarming speech with encouraging undertones."

Ralts' crying halted and I knew I had her attention, the problem was that I had no idea what to say.

Welp, the truth never hurts -said no one ever.

"A speech about bravery, learning from your mistakes and friendship..." I paused. "But I won't."

I looked at Ralts, she was watching me, hanging onto every word I said.

"Because today was fucking bullshit," I finally said.

"Ralts?" She had finally stopped crying, but her voice was still shaky and she sounded fragile.

"I mean you were amazing and you did everything perfectly. You made no mistakes and both of us did all we could. But we lost anyway and only because Fate's a bitch."

I grimaced, "We should've won. There was nothing we could've done differently to change the outcome. Just a random, inevitable factor. So that's why I can only tell you one thing."

I gave Ralts my best smile. "Suck it up."

"Ralts!?" She muttered, not expecting that.

Shrugging, I gave her a chuckle. "We can't change it or learn from it. All we can do is accept it and carry on. It sucks a lot but in the end we can only suck it up and keep going."

I picked up Ralts and put her in my lap, she didn't resist; she kept watching me intently though.

"Today we cry," I said. "And tomorrow we fight."

She was still not convinced, huh, quick a joke!

Paraphrasing, I said. "You know, where I come from we have a saying: When life gives you lemon you don't make lemonade. Instead you burn down life's house and show you don't take shit like that."

Ralts chuckled and I let out a relieved sigh.

She hugged me and leaned her head against my chest, no longer crying but instead she was smiling peacefully.

"So suck it up because tomorrow we will keep going, just to spit Fate in the eye." I whispered, at that point more for myself than for Ralts.

Life sucks but you gotta keep going, just to piss off someone you don't like.

I looked at Ralts to see what she was thinking but her eyes were closed and she appeared to be sleeping.

Huh, cute.

I looked up at the moon and I imagined it being the eye of a god looking down on me.

"You heard that Arceus?" I whispered. "Ralts and I will keep going, so if you are the one who summoned me, get ready for a battle, and if you're not the one. Please pass on my message."

I stood up and carried Ralts back to the Pokémon Center, still sleeping in my arms.

Suddenly the night no longer felt cold and depressing, it felt warm and inviting instead.