Beta Read by Tango
Legs quivering, fingers twitching, shivers crawling down my spine.
He left.
The man, the criminal, my
murderer–
I sucked in a breath. I watched him leave, watched him slip seamlessly into the crowd, watched him vanish as suddenly as he'd appeared.
I saw him leave and yet…
My arms still quaked, my muscles still tensed and tight, and my heart still pounding like a raging storm. I turned, my body rigid and stiff like I was puppeteering a mannequin with loose strings and thread.
Charlotte flinched upon seeing my eyes, dilated and full of fear. Her mouth moved to say something but I couldn't hear any of it over the horror.
My mind was swimming, head dripping with sweat. With thoughts. With questions. With terror.
Why was he here? How was he here? What was he doing here? Was he stalking her? Was it just a coincidence and he just lived nearby? I chewed on my lip, letting my mind ramble, letting it take its foot off the pedal that pushed through with fear.
No. My teeth chattered.
He seemed really surprised at the sight of her and her starter.
Closing my eyes, I thought back to the events that transpired the night before, the night where I die–
I took many twists and many turns in that alleyway, almost enough to run a full circle. I remembered the surprise on his face that swiftly turned into annoyance when I cornered him. I remembered how difficult it was to actually find him. I needed Klick’s eyes to even ground myself to a path.
And when I finally caught up, it was pretty clear he had been just as lost as I was. I mean, he ran into a dead end! Nobody would intentionally do that when they were chased.
But… something about it pricked my mind.
It was an odd feeling.
Because how did he even get lost in his own city? Wouldn't a local know the ins and outs of the place they lived in? I mean, the city was big but it shouldn't be too hard…
I could maybe understand getting lost if he had been a kid or a teen like myself. But he was a full grown man, an adult who, if he was a local, should know the routes and ways to evade capture.
If there was something books had taught me aside from Pokémon trivia, it was the fact that criminals would usually have some sort of plan when committing a heist. Especially when it came to stealing Pokémon.
Stealing someone's partner was akin to kidnapping a person, and stealing a Pokémon as rare as a Chikorita? You'd be lucky just getting a lifetime sentence in prison because… well, people weren't exactly forgiving when it came to stealing someone's
partner.
So the only way he'd get lost yet knew enough to steal from Charlotte would be that he was just some rando at the right place and the right time. Presumably he was someone small, only doing petty crime until stumbling upon his big break, Daisy.
Then…
Did that mean I could've stopped the crime from even happening if I'd been a bit more stubborn, if I'd stalled Charlotte for even a minute longer, if I hadn't been so indecisive of this stupid future vision?
My fists clenched tight, knuckles turning white as my nails dug into skin.
I could've prevented this if I wasn't such a nervous wreck about everything that
mattered.
Because once again, it was my fault this happened. It was my fault I let them meet again. It was my fault that I would fail Charlotte again. It was my fault that my partners were going to
die again–
Something touched my hip.
I shrieked, heart leaping out of my chest as my feet left the ground. With a hurried gasp and spin of my heel, I faced the enemy with a hand reaching for Volta’s pokéball.
Heart racing, palms sweating. Even if I'd lose, I wasn't going to go down without a fight–
A sharp gasp snapped me out of my trance, eyes blinking.
Charlotte? She stood before me with her hand out, Daisy to her left and her other arm holding my Torchic close to her chest. Her eyes were wide with concern and surprise, her lips parted.
Right… he was gone. That guy was…
I flinched and patted my shirt, acting like I was smoothening out the creases of my shirt and dusting off my pants. Any normal kid likely wouldn't think too much of my action, people dust themselves off all the time.
Unfortunately for me, Charlotte was anything but, as her body tensed up, eyes wide with worry, not for herself but for… me.
“Cygnus," she said, hesitantly retracting her hand and chewing on her lip. "Are-are you okay?”
My lips flapped open but no words came out. I was… I was still terrified. Too afraid to even voice my thoughts. What was wrong with me?
Damn it.
Gritting my teeth, I closed my eyes. I tried to calm my speeding heart, tried to ignore the sweat on my palms, tried to ignore the bile burning in my throat.
In. Out. In. Out. Breathe with my diaphragm, out through my mouth. One, two, three, four. Slowly, surely, quietly, I went through the motions with practiced ease.
There was nothing.
I felt nothing.
I was nothing.
I was fine.
I was Cygnus Plein, after all.
Future champion. The soon-to-be greatest trainer in the world.
Nodding to myself, I opened my eyes and forced a grin, putting a hand on her head before she could say anything and ruffled her hair like one would a Growlithe.
“I'm fine. Don't you worry about little ol’ me.” I shrugged, ignoring her squawks. "I was just startled, y’know. Just… thinking about how much of a prick that guy was. I mean, seriously, would it kill a guy to at least act
sincere when apologising? The nerve of some people.”
“H-hey, stop that.” She squirmed under my hand before shoving it away with a huff and a puff of her flushed cheeks. “It's bad enough your Torchic thought I made for a good bed. I don't need you ruining my hair even further.”
I couldn't help the twitch of my lips, resisting the urge to reach out and pinch her cheeks.
Okay, someone has
to tell her glaring like that while sulking does not give off the intended message.
As if she could read my mind, her glare darkened and she grumbled incomprehensible curses beneath her breath.
She's so easy to tease. I chuckled, my body relaxing just a tad from the distraction. Dealing with kids was always a nice little break away from the stress of my daily routine.
To think it all started because my mom wanted me to be less of a shut-in and voluntold me to assist in her teaching in Sandgem Elementary.
Like many of my interests, it was a bit daunting at first. Added to the fact that I was incredibly frustrated from having to leave my books. But, there was something about teaching and helping people that felt uplifting and soothing.
And… admittedly, having an easily impressionable audience that didn't judge me whenever I flexed my knowledge and performed my theatrics was… fun.
Wh-what? Don't look at me like that! It's a perfectly normal thing for someone like me to be proud of, okay?
Charlotte yelped, breaking my train of thought. “H-hey, What's wrong?" Confusion and panic in her voice.
I turned to see Camp squirming in her grasp, the little girl struggling to keep him steady before he leapt out of her arms and right onto… me!
Scrambling a bit in surprise, I swung an open arm forward and he latched his talons around it. His digits dug into my skin, his grip firm yet gentle enough that it barely felt like anything.
He leaned forward and I couldn't hold back the flinch when he nuzzled against my face. I tried to ignore his cooing, the somewhat hurt tone his chirps took on when I didn't reciprocate his affection. Camp looked at me, his eyes wide with concern and without any of that lazy whir I'd gotten used to.
His eyes tugged at my heart and I bit my lips, distinctly aware of the other set of eyes on me. With a sigh, I forced a smile on my face. “I'm fine, S–Camp. Trust me. I was just startled, that's all. It's alright. I’m… alright”
I brought him close to my chest, an act that surprised myself, and kept him there, carefully shifting my arms to position him more comfortably against my body. He was warm and soft, a familiar but different presence. One who nestled himself deeper into the crooks of my arm and started sleeping soundly.
Despite my disinclination, the grin on my face relaxed, the tips of my lips stressing less and becoming more genuine. It was comforting even if my heart twisted with an unknown guilt that I wished I could vanquish.
“So…” Charlotte began, dragging my mind out before it could get shoved into the trenches of my insecurities. She had a shaky smile on her face, her eyes meeting mine for a second before darting away, a hand rubbing her arm. “... about that guy earlier. Was he… someone you knew?”
At the sight of my frown, she backpedalled, holding her hands up in a placating manner. “It… it's alright if you don't want to talk about it, I mean. That guy’s probably a super jerk or a bully if he's made you act like that.”
“Yeah… something like that,” I murmured, absentmindedly nodding at her words.
A pregnant silence sprouted between us, stretching the moment into a nearly eternal plane of awkwardness. Charlotte fidgeted in place, eyes darting from me, to her Chikorita, to Camp in my arms, wandering all over the place before she worked up the courage to speak her mind, hands outstretched. “We-well, anyway. My home is nearby so if you don't mind, I'll be taking my groceries so you can leave, and I'll–”
I moved my arm away, twisting just out of her reach while making sure Camp wasn't in a position to fall. “Yeah, no. Even as…
distracted as I am. I'm still not doing that." Shaking my head, I continued with a smirk. “You just show me where to go and I'll follow ya."
She groaned, crossing her arms. “Fine." With her effectively rejected, she pouted, mumbling with an eyeroll, "And here I was, trying to let you spend some alone time with your partner, enjoy your trainerhood but whatever.”
I chuckled, a real, slow and relaxed sound. Lips twitching into a wider smile, I said, “Aw~ it's nice to see you care."
A blush erupted on Charlotte’s cheeks. “Wh-what? What's with that smile?" she stuttered for a moment before her eyes narrowed as she turned her head away, muttering, “Tch, why wouldn't I care? I’m not a big jerk like that bozo. I just… whenever I get anxious, Daisy would let me hold him and… and I just thought that you needed something comforting since… you… you…"
The girl groaned, throwing her hands up. "Whatever! Why am I even explaining myself to you? Let's just go already and then you can do your ‘important’ stuff afterwards.”
“Okay, okay." I giggled. “Lead the way then."
Gesturing my arm out with the bags, I turned towards the direction she pointed at and–
Paused. Blinking.
There was a person.
So as I'd said before, the streets here were pretty barren, it being lunch rush and the first day of the league circuit and all. Naturally, my eyes would drift over to the only other person around.
It was a girl, tall and fit, skipping down the street, eyes closed from the wide smile stretching on her face. She wore a pretty blue and pretty cute dress that exposed her shoulders, along with a giant sun hat covering her long red hair.
Recognition snapped me still.
Terra? I took a step back, feeling the nerves rushing through my blood.
Wh-what is she doing here?
Okay. No need to panic. I took in a breath as I absentmindedly retrieved my Torchic, raising a hand to cover my face. She hadn't noticed me yet. All I had to do was act natural and not grab her attention.
But as I walked past her. Seeing her dainty figure in that dress, the silky straight crimson locks flowing behind her and the brilliant smile on her face–
The memory came through, unwanted, unneeded.
Tears ran down her face, a pained, raw, ugly mess of grief and horror. Red hair that no longer shone as bright as the sun. Her voice trembling, tripping over her own terror.
“Cy-Cygnus… I’m… so–”
“Cygnus!" Charlotte shouted, jolting me back into reality. I turned my head, from the distance, the little girl glared at me along with her starter. "Stop standing there and hurry up! What are you doing?”
Shaking off my startlement, I opened my mouth to respond back before feeling a dangerous presence taking hold of my voice.
I knew this feeling. The feeling of getting caught when I was sneaking away from a social obligation, my feeble Wurmple body attempting to skitter away from the predator Staraptor that was… my
rival.
Gulping down my nerves, I tried to rein in my reactions, ignoring the eyes I could practically feel tracking my every action. One leg forward, then the other, slowly. Surely she couldn't see me with how normal I was acting–
Terra burst into a sprint, her footsteps ringing clearly, growing more and more rapid.
I hurried my steps but it was no use. She was already here.
A yelp escaped me, her arm wrung across my shoulder, hand clutching a bit too tightly and bringing me close to a familiar warmth.
"Oh Cygnie~” Her voice was low, carefully balanced between sharp and warm. My breath hitched as Terra spun me around, her face leaning dangerously close to mine, eyes narrowed and gleaming with an emotion I couldn't describe. “So this is where you've been gallivanting?"
My throat felt dry, red creeping up my neck "T-Terra! I… uh, I…”
The words died in my throat with a pitiful squeak as all I could think was the lack of distance between our faces.
So close. Too close. Way too close.
Stop focusing on her pretty amber eyes that sparkled like stars, her long luscious hair trailing downward like a graceful twirl of fabric and her soft hand on my shoulder that was warm and smooth and–
Aaaah! Stop thinking about her like that! She's your rival! Your rival! Your rival!
“... really. Here I was spending an entire hour waiting for you and almost missing my own starter in the process!” she said, completely ignorant of my internal turmoil as she pressed her nose against mine. "I find you having ditched me to frolic around, doing who knows what!"
I squirmed under her grasp all the while my inner self continued screaming words that couldn't develop.
Thankfully, a saviour in the form of a little girl came to my rescue before I could melt into a puddle of nerves and anxiety.
“Woah! Woah! Woah!" Charlotte exclaimed, quite literally getting in between and shoving us apart. She turned to Terra, pointing a finger at my rival. "What the heck do you think you're doing, lady?”
Terra didn't react to the question with anything but a raised brow. She glanced at me, tilting her head in a cute confused manner. “Who the heck is this kid?"
I fought to keep the blush under control, lowering my head and looking at anywhere but her face. “She’s–”
“–being ignored by an indecent girl!" shouted Charlotte, brows furrowed in irritation as she jumped back into the conversation.
“Indecent?!" Terra let out a shocked gasp.
And completely ignoring Terra’s reaction, Charlotte turned to me, brows narrowed and finger still pointed at my rival. "Do you know this
witch?"
I tried to say something but Terra interrupted once more with a sharp cry.
“What!–" The teen girl threw her hands up before stalking forward and leaning down with shaking fists, “–the hell did you call me, you little prick?"
Charlotte glared back at Terra with a wrinkled nose, looking like she wanted to be nowhere near five meters beside Terra. "You heard me, you witch. No normal girl would get up in a guy's face like that. That's just improper and indecent!"
Terra reeled back with a snarl. “Improper? I'll show you improper, you… you… sassy… dirty insults spewing–" She cut herself off with a groan before swerving her head at me. "Cygnus, what's another word for cheeky little brat?”
"I am
not a brat!” Charlotte retorted, gritting her teeth. “Cygnus! Tell this witch to back off or else I'll–"
“Or what? You'll hit me with your puny little fists and show me how much of a brat you are?” My rival gave Charlotte a smirk, growing smugger by the minute as Charlotte visibly fumed so hard that I swore I could see smoke spewing out of her ears.
Afraid that they’d both start slinging fists at each other, I pushed myself forward, ignoring how my heart started drumming when I got near.
"H-hey.” I coughed into my hand.
Damn it. Agh, stop stuttering! You've already talked to her a billion times, stop acting like an idiot!
Taking a moment to let my frustration stew, I channelled the irritation into my voice, mouth thinning into a small frown. “You two!”
“What?" they chorused with twin shouts before glaring back at each other.
“Can you guys just… calm down?” I said with a twitching eye, getting their attention again. Strangely getting the weirdest case of déjà vu from seeing this.
Sighing with narrowed eyes, I threw Terra a look. “Seriously, is it really that hard for you to not get into a fight with little kids?"
Terra pouted, crossing her arms over her modest chest, and whined, “It's not my fault, Cygnie. She started it!"
And she's supposed to be the older one here… I shook my head before addressing Charlotte, eyes softening. "And Charlotte. I appreciate you looking out for me after that whole…
debacle."
Gotta remember Terra’s here now. I didn't want her to worry so hopefully, my vagueness disinterested her.
Continuing on, I gestured to my rival. “But Terra’s not a bad person, sure her personality’s… a bit much sometimes.”
“Yes! Only a bit! Progress~!" Terra pumped her fists, causing me to roll my eyes.
“Nevermind, a
lot. She can be a lot sometimes." She booed me. I ignored her. “Point is, she's just my
rival so you don't have to worry about her."
Yet despite my attempts at a nonchalant introduction, Charlotte’s jaw went slack and her eyes widened. "Your r-rival?”
I jumped when I felt an arm landing on my shoulder and a sudden weight leaning onto me.
“Really now,” Terra said, propping herself against me. "
Just a rival?
I ignored the warmth breathing onto my cheek, trying my best to not let her disrespect to personal space get to me. "Yes."
The pout on her face was potent, so much so that despite not even looking at her, I could feel it already disabling my mental defenses.
Fortunately for my dignity, she spun away with a harrumph and crossed arms. “You’re such a meanie.”
“And you're thirteen. Act like it." I chilled my gaze, not letting a hint of contradicting emotions show.
Her only response was blowing a raspberry my way before proceeding to sulk with an adora–pouty pout.
Yeah, that's what I meant.
A tug on my shirt brought my attention towards the left. Charlotte was staring at me, her eyes throwing quick scrutinising and disbelieving glances at Terra a few steps away.
"She's your
rival?” she whispered, pointing a finger at Terra. “Like a genuine, actual, serious rival?"
I nodded, brows furrowed, not quite seeing why this mattered.
"But why's she acting so… buddy-buddy with you? And… and she's so pretty." Charlotte had a slight frown on her face as she raised her brow. “Are you sure you didn't get the wrong person?"
The wrong person?
My eye twitched slightly at the implications of her question. "And what exactly is that is that supposed to mean?”
Looking a little sheepish, Charlotte backpedalled with raised arms. “Well, I uh… it's just… books and shows always had trainers and their rivals show off contradicting personalities, the both of them bringing out each others’ flaws and good sides, tha-that kind of stuff. I just thought that if you're already this weird, your rival would be a lot more serious and not be even weirder.”
My expression turned abashed with a shaky grin.
I'm not that
weird, am I?
"You do know I can hear you, right?” Terra remarked, her voice suddenly all too close, causing me to stumble back at the intrusion.
Charlotte jumped back with a yelp, her cheeks flushed before she steeled her startlement into a glare. "Well, I'm not wrong, am I?”
"Touché.” Terra glared right back with a huff.
In a surprising manner of restraint, Terra didn't immediately bounce back to messing with another kid as she backed off, turning her eyes to me and grinning. "So, Cygnie. Mind introducing me to the kid you're trying to corrupt?"
“Trying to what?" came Charlotte’s surprised cry.
"It's nothing. Just another one of her stupid jokes.” I grimaced, trying to save face before groaning and palming my face. “Why do you keep saying it like that? Now she's gonna think I'm a freak.”
“And you're not?" Terra said, giggling. “Sorry but that ship’s sailed long ago when you showed me how you wrangled the rowdiest kids that one time we volunteered for that school project. I still can't believe how you did that without having them constantly throwing blocks and toys at you."
I gave her a blank stare. "Maybe that's because you keep starting fights with them when they didn't listen to you.”
Terra’s only response was to smile brighter like I'd just complimented her.
Alright. Fine.
Sighing, I turned my head to Charlotte, waving a hand unenthusiastically at Terra’s way. "Charlotte, meet Terra. The most insufferable and annoying rival.”
“Don't you mean your great and lovable best bud?” She fluttered her eyelashes, a finger on her pursed lips.
Ignoring her and my traitorous heart skipping a beat, I continued, "And Terra, meet Charlotte. A little girl that
should be enjoying her youth instead of working herself to the bone.”
Charlotte harrumphed and turned away with crossed arms, obviously not appreciating my sage advice.
“So you
are corrupting her!" Terra exclaimed, a hand covering her gasp in mock shock. "I knew it! You're trying to pass on your terrible sleep schedule and poor eating habits onto a little girl! Have you no shame?"
My eye twitched. No amount of words could truly express the sheer annoyance I felt at her words.
It's not a bad habit if I'm doing something productive, damn it!
Charlotte let out a quiet snort, an amused smirk on her face before she quickly schooled it back into a neutral stare when I glanced at her.
Terra jumped back, pointing a thumb at Daisy standing beside Charlotte. "So, anywho, judging by the Chikorita near you two. I'm assuming things didn't quite work out for you, huh? Cygnie? A Chikorita isn't really a starter most people would call a ‘great’ battler.” She crossed her arms with a smirk. “But I guess you must've slept in despite everything you boasted about–"
“Who are you calling a terrible battler?" Charlotte snapped, stomping forward as if her injury was forgotten. Her wrathful eyes locking onto Terra’s surprised face. "Who gave you the right to say something like that? My Daisy’s a thousand–no a million times better than any Pokémon you’d ever find!”
I stepped back in surprise at her sudden rage while Terra blinked, completely flabbergasted.
“What the heck are you so mad about?" Terra said, scratching her cheek and tilting her head with a clueless expression. “Look, just because Chikorita’s your favourite doesn't really mean it's all that strong. I mean I get it, it's probably the cutest out of them all but let's be honest here. Most people would rather pick a starter that can actually
put up a fight, y’know. You're better off using a Chikorita for contests or for gardening. ‘cause you'd have to put in a looot of effort to train a Chikorita that can match what a Bulbasaur, Snivy, Treecko can easily do.”
I nervously glanced at the girl whose friend Terra was unknowingly insulting. Charlotte’s head dipped low, her expression hid behind her bangs, but with how much her body was shaking and how tightly her fists clenched. The outcome seemed inevitable.
Oh god, Terra please, please, please stop talking.
And Terra, for some good damn reason, still didn't notice the ticking time bomb she set as she shrugged. “And besides, it's not like that's
your Pokémon so I don't know why you're mad at me for speaking the truth. If you want to prove me wrong then grow a little, kid. Pass your exams, get your own starter and–”
“How dare you! Daisy is
my friend
, my partner and my starter!" Charlotte stomped forward, the injury on her leg hampering her not one bit as she let out her rage. "And I'm not letting you continue belittling him just because
you don't believe in him!”
Terra blinked. "Say what now?”
Daisy stepped forward, matching Charlotte’s energy as the girl pointed a finger at Terra. "Terra, I challenge you to a Pokémon battle!”
Terra’s eyes widened, a moment of silence passed. “Eeeehhh?”
Her eyes darted to Charlotte, to Daisy then to me. When she saw my resigned expression, her confusion only multiplied. “What–what’s going on? Why–how– what do you mean he's your Pokémon? You're a kid! There's no way you have a… a…"
She trailed off, eyes dilating as the realisation hit her.
“Guess the Glameow’s out the bag now.” I sighed. “Congrats, Terra. You just made the local child prodigy mad at you.”
"Huuuuhhh?!”
Jubilife’s stadium. Located directly in the middle of Sinnoh’s Capital. The stadium was an absolute monstrosity of a building that spanned multiple hundreds of meters of land. It resembled a colosseum of sorts but with a sleek and smooth exterior, painted with a blue almost as dark as a starry night.
The building was a little intimidating, honestly. The few times I'd been here, I'd mostly stuck by the outskirts or used the various battlefields scattered around it. Not only because the inside would no doubt be flooded as the lobby quite literally was at the moment but also because–
As we rounded into the stadium’s lobby, Terra grabbed me by the collar, pushing me onto a nearby bench and shoving a bento box into my hands. "Now
sit and eat, Cygnus. I can't believe you skipped lunch again!" She groaned. “You're lucky I kept the lunch I made for you earlier, otherwise I'd be
so giving you the ‘look’ right now.”
I chuckled sheepishly, accepting the food as her expression took on a frown.
“And don't think we're done talking about keeping the ‘local genius’ secret to make me embarrass myself. After our battle, I'm gonna have a few words with you…” She poked my chest with a glare before turning around. “Now if you'll excuse me, I’mma go book a room for ourselves."
In other words, she was gonna go deal with paperwork. Yeah that was one of the reasons why I didn't venture
inside the stadium the last two times I came here. I wasn't really all too keen on doing paperwork, see. Having to do so to sign up for the gym circuit was more than enough.
That and also the guy at the receptionist table looked awfully miserable, like he had been dealing with hundreds of rowdy and excited teens all morning, and was one stupid question away from blowing a fuse.
So yeah, there I sat, on one of the various benches. There were also lounges, chairs and the occasional sofa set up in the stadium’s lobby as well in case your preferences differed which… considering that the firm wood benches were the only seats left empty... a lot of people preferred sitting on soft cushions.
Hiding my pout scowl with the bento box, I glanced around.
The lobby was massive, enough to fit about a hundred or two people and still have some room left for a dozen more. It was a little sparse in terms of decoration though, more so letting the sleek blue walls and various posters speak for themselves with maybe a potted plant here and there to break the monotony.
There were a ton of people loitering around, with some crowding by the posters lined up. There was one specific poster that had the most people crowding around it. I craned my neck, trying to see what it was but it was a bit difficult when there were a bunch of colours bundling up, all fighting to get a better look. But after a minute or two of struggling, I did manage to spot the headline title:
‘THE ANNUAL FIRST BADGE TOURNAMENT! SUMMER CALLS FOR DAZZLING BEGINNERS WITH THE BRIGHTEST POTENTIAL!’
It was written in big bright orange bold, the background a very blinding shade of rose red with Pokémon like Shinx, Pidgey, Sentret and a… a Smoliv if I remembered correctly, framed around the contents and details. It was definitely flashy, made entirely to contrast the dark blue walls it was stuck on.
A tournament, huh… I squinted my eyes, irritation crawling into my mind as more teens rushed up and blocked my view.
Gah! Move your heads, dang it! I can't see anything!
After a fruitless minute of impersonating a Tropius, I turned away with a sigh.
Whatever. I can always check it out later.
I had more important things to focus on at the moment.
And as if to emphasise its importance, my stomach growled. Without further hesitation, I pulled open the lid and the smell hit me. The sweet delectable aroma filled the air; freshly cooked white rice, mixed with the salty allure of garlic soy sauced meat and sausages, and a beautiful juicy side of greens and veggies lathered in some sort of sweet sauce, Combee honey perhaps?
I stared at my lunch for a second. It looked great, amazing even and almost like it was made by a professional chef but–
God damn it, Terra. Now I have to top this up next time.
Why did she even make this in the first place? I thought we agreed that it was unnecessary when we were going on our journeys. Did she make this for me as well in that future but I arrived too late to enjoy it?
N-not that I loved her cooking or think of anything weird about it. It was… it was because of our rivalry. That’s all. I wanted to one up her and make her something that was leagues better than whatever she cooked up.
We-we were rivals in more than just Pokémon battling, ok-okay? Cooking for each other was something normal rivals did!
The sound of water sloshing against plastic snapped me out of my train of thought and I glanced to the right.
Charlotte sat beside me, an electric kettle plugged into a nearby socket. She was grumbling incoherent angry noises while pouring boiling water into a cup of instant ramen.
Right, I'd almost forgot to mention.
After Terra’s revelation, Charlotte had immediately rushed me to put her groceries into her house, snapping at me to put this and that at here and there. She was really demanding when she got fiesty, power walking out of the house to demand that Terra accept her challenge so she could show my rival how wrong Terra was.
Terra had scoffed, shaking off her shock and giving me the stink eye before accepting Charlotte’s challenge with a smug grin.
“Your funeral, kid,” Terra said, leading us to the stadium and very blatantly and obnoxiously ignoring Charlotte’s remarks while sauntering forward.
“Stupid smug punk,” Charlotte murmured under her breath, bringing me back to the present as she stirred her noodles with a pair of chopsticks. “Think she's sooo great just because she's the rival of Mr ‘First Place’ here."
I chuckled sheepishly at her complaints. "Yeah, sorry about her. She can be a bit much sometimes.”
Charlotte gave me a look before going back to her steaming meal, slurping up her noodles and chewing with puffed cheeks and cute little noises.
Resisting the urge to coo at her, I took a bite of my meal, the salty meat mixed well with the warm and soft rice. The veggies were absolutely scrumptious as well, crispy and crunchy, their taste blended so nicely with the sweetness of the honey, neither of them overpowering one another, instead complementing the whole meal.
She's improved, I mused with a soft smile, recalling how the first time Terra cooked, the insides were somehow burnt to a crisp while the outside was raw and squishy. To this day, I still had no idea how she did that with medium heat. Truly it was a special kind of miracle at the time.
Maybe next time, I'll make her favourite. Something special as a reward for her hard work.
And if by some chance that'd get her off my back for the foreseeable future, that'd be great as well. I shrugged, continuing to enjoy my meal before noticing a peculiar stare sent my way in the corner of my eyes.
Turning a bit to my side, I noticed Charlotte staring at me or rather the food I was holding. She looked a bit mesmerised, eyes locked onto the meat on my fork.
When she saw my eyes, Charlotte swivelled her head away, cheeks flushing at getting caught.
I couldn't help the teasing smirk on my face. “Y’know, if you want a bite. I'm willing to share.”
“Wh-who said anything about wanting a bite?” she squawked, puffing up her cheeks into defense mode. "I'm perfectly fine with my ramen. It's not like I’m tired of eating the same lunch every day or anything like that! I… it–the smell just caught me off guard, th-that’s all!"
“Uh huh." I nodded, waving the fork in front of her face. “So what I'm hearing is… is that you wanna have a taste because it smells good."
“That's not at all what I said!" she protested with an appalled expression. "Don't slander me with
your opinions on your girlfriend’s food!”
Gi-girlfriend? I sputtered, spit going down the wrong hole and I coughed harshly. Taking a moment to hack my lungs out, I spoke, trying to correct her misconception.
“She's not… I'm not… we’re–” I cut myself off to recover some face, cheeks flaring red. "We're rivals!
Rivals! I'm–we’re not near close enough for something like–no wait, we're… she's–Gaah! Here, I'll give you a sausage if you never say that again.”
A cheeky grin appeared on Charlotte’s face as she snapped her chopsticks forward with a victorious giggle. “Don’t mind if I do.”
My eyes narrowed into a deadpan stare as I watched her enjoy her spoils with the biggest grin I'd seen on her so far. "Mmm~ Sho good~”
Something tells me she had that all planned.
But before I could tease her further, a flicker of golden hair and a familiar leather jacket caught my eye. To my right, a blond girl walked up and pressed her back against the wall, crossing her arms with a booted leg raised.
It was Rachel. Recognition spread across my features. Right, Terra did appear to already know Rachel when she introduced us so I guessed this was the moment where they met.
Rachel looked just as she did the day I met her. Same leather jacket draped over a sleeveless brown shirt, same short jeans that reached just above her knees and the same confidence in eyes that cooly inspected her painted nails before tracing across the room.
“Yes?” Her eyes landed on me, slightly narrowed with an indiscernible look. "Is there something on my face?"
I flinched slightly, a bit embarrassed at getting caught staring before the embarrassment fled into a small frown.
Oh yeah, she doesn't know me. She doesn't know the hours we spent gushing over our teams. She doesn't–she doesn't remember…
The thought sobered me a little and a somber cloud pushed in. It was only just a day. I'd only really known her for just a few hours and yet, the fact that I knew of a future that could never ever come again, of a connection lost before it began, it stung. It hurt my heart in a way that I didn't know could exist.
I bit my lips, fighting the frown into a grin and a sheepish chuckle as I set my lunch down. "It's nothing, Rachel,” I said, her body shifted just a tad and her nose scrunched up in that way when she was curious and confused about something. "It's… really nothing.”
Rachel opened her mouth, brows furrowed. “How do you–”
"Yahoo! I'm doone!” Terra exclaimed, waving her hand as she ran towards us. "We can now–”
My rival paused, stopping her momentum with a gasp. "Rachel! You're finally here! Awesome!" She grinned, fingers cupping her chin. “And I see you've met my great and wonderful rival!”
Wait. They’ve already met? I glanced at the two, watching as Rachel’s body stiffened up a bit before tossing her eyes to Terra.
When did that happen? Was it when I was helping Charlotte?
Well, I guess, she did wake up early unlike me so she had a lot more hours to kill. It wasn't unreasonable to think she'd met and befriended Rachel in that amount of time. Terra had an uncanny ability to make friends super quickly.
“So this is that ‘Cygnus’ you were talking about earlier?" Rachel said side-eying me oddly. Evidently, Terra must've already said some crude things about me.
Terra nodded rapidly before stalking towards us like a Sharpedo that found a particularly plump Spheal.
And that Spheal just happened to share my name as she pounced, pulling me up to my feet and forward, spinning me around and holding my arms together like she was presenting a plushie. “Say hello to Cygnus Plein! He's
super dependable, clever and the greatest rival one could ever ask for!"
“Hey," was Rachel’s curt reply. It was a little… cold, her voice was stoic and stilted unlike what my vision showed. Her eyes roaming my figure like she didn't know what to make of me.
“It’s nice to meet you too, Rachel.” I waved a hand and gave her a small grin, her dismissive tone doing little to sour my mood. It wasn't everyday I'd get a second chance at making a good first impression after all.
“Right…” Rachel trailed off, eyes narrowed in suspicion?
But before I could decipher why that was, Terra shook me like a rattle and she let out an excited squeal. "You did it! Oh my gods! You actually greeted her like a normal person!”
My cheeks flared, squirming my way out of her grasp and stomping my foot in indignation. "What? I–I talk like a normal person all the time! Why are you acting like this is special?”
“Because it is!" Terra exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with glee. “You
never greeted people at all without a ten second maintenance first! This time you barely took a second! I'm so proud of you!"
I yelped when she lunged forward, arms wrapped around my frame tighter than a Bewear. The red on my cheeks bled crimson in tenfold embarrassment as I groaned. “C-come on, let go! You-you’re making a scene!"
Terra only giggled at my misery and I looked to Rachel for help and in an eerie replication of my vision, she smirked before covering her mouth in an effort to not laugh.
Seeing no point in begging for the older girl’s help, I glanced back at Charlotte, practically pleading with my eyes but she merely looked away, pretending that she didn't know me and had no part in the current situation.
Was there no justice in this world?
Eventually, after I was released from the… uh, admittedly warm and cosy prison. Terra led us down the hall to our destination.
As I'd said before, the place was massive and that doubled for the rooms we passed. I didn't quite understand the exact mechanics of such a thing but behind the various open doors were rooms that were a lot bigger than the stadium’s frame suggested. It was sort of how Silphco managed to make backpacks that could store a near infinite amount of items but magnified tenfold to rooms that were about as big as assembly rooms with dozens of battlefields that were brimming with beginners alike.
Fortunately for my social ineptitude, Terra had managed to snag a private room for the four of us albeit it was a lot smaller, only amounting to one battlefield right in the middle. But I'd take a lack of variety over dealing with talkative strangers.
And speaking of talkative, Terra slowed her pace, turning her head to face us. “So, how do you wanna do this? One on one? Double battle? Actually, do you even have another Pokémon?”
Charlotte opened her mouth to answer–
"Not you, shrimp,” Terra interrupted. "I'm saving my first time for my super terrific bestie here.”
The rude comment only elicited an outraged squeak from Charlotte.
And while the two began another tirade of insults. I, in all my amazing glory, felt my mind go blank in panic.
I forgot all about our battle!
Crap crap crap! I didn't even train! I had been so distracted by my vision and the strange Pokémon switch ups and Charlotte and my Pokémon that I completely forgot about–
“
Cygnus.” Her voice cut through all of the noise around us and my heart skipped a beat. I glanced back at Terra, already marking that as a mistake when a chill ran down my spine.
On her face was an sickly sweet and innocent smile. To anybody else, it looked like a cutesy and happy smile a couple would give to their significant other. To me, however, having noticed the way her eyes thinned and her cheeks pulling up so high that it looked like it hurt, it was something that spelled doom. “You didn't happen to have forgotten our little promise, did you?"
Charlotte had wisely decided to stay out of the crossfire as she stepped away.
And Rachel still had that amused expression on her face, not even bothering to hide how much she was enjoying my suffering.
So that left myself completely alone in the epicenter of the blast zone.
"I uh… I…”
Okay, think of something to defuse this situation.
“I have a good excuse?"
The way her expression fell told me she was very much
not amused by my perfect reasoning. "Just for that, you owe me a whole week of dinners.”
A whole week?
A wobbly grin appeared on my face. “Now wait just a seco–"
She glared at me, slicing away any resistance remaining in my soul.
"Yes, ma’am.”
And with the pact between mortal and devil sealed, she turned away, continuing to lead us ahead.
I very deliberately did not look at any of the other girls around me lest they further pounced on my shrivelled weakness.
It took a minute of walking but when we finally entered the private field, there was a bunch of stuff my eyes fixated on immediately. The large screen stuck on the wall to the door’s right, a podium to the side of the battlefield, though the field itself was rather bland as it was only a flat surface about the size of a basketball court.
Charlotte began wandering around, taking in the sights while Rachel only gave an appreciative hum.
Terra, however, rushed onto the podium… which apparently was actually some sort of PA system as she mashed a bunch of buttons and toyed around with some knobs, causing the large screen behind her to flicker open and some hidden speakers to crackle.
A quiet tune filled the air. It was a pleasant melody, calm, soothing and was a track that faded swiftly into the background.
I couldn't help the grin as I looked around. It was so cool being on this side of the field for once! While it wasn't often, I usually sat on the bleachers, mentally cheering the trainer who had the coolest Pokémon on the field. Sure, this place didn't exactly have bleachers or any way for an audience to sit and watch so it wasn't exactly the same but hey, I'd take an empty room over having random eyes watching my every mistake and shortcomings.
On my left was Charlotte who likewise, was checking out the place with awe and wonder. Her eyes brimming with innocence befitting her age as she took everything in.
To the right, my eyes found Rachel walking over to Terra, her arms crossed. She spoke and while she was a few meters away, I could still hear her clearly. “So mind explaining how the heck did you get a room all to ourselves? Last I checked, a private room is supposed to be expensive as hell."
I raised a brow. Why exactly would a private room be expensive? The place was cool but surely it didn't warrant a hefty cost, did it?
“Oh!" Terra jerked away from the controls, glancing at Rachel and grinning sheepishly. “Well… a while ago, I won a coupon when I was a kid. Guy said it'd be worthwhile once I got my trainer license. Figured I'd use it for this, y’know. Don't worry about me wasting it though, it's multi-use.”
“A coupon?" Rachel repeated, unknowingly mirroring my thoughts.
They gave coupons for booking rooms?
Terra coughed into her hand before turning to me. “Okay, Cygnus! What do you want our battle to be like? Plains? Foresty? Flat? Rocky?”
I blinked, tilting my head. “Battle what? What are you talking about?"
“Well, y’know how official arenas let you switch between different terrains and stuff?" I nodded. “This place is sorta like that! There's a bunch of super advanced tech around the field that lets us simulate all types of environments using holograms and solid light constructs. Not to mention, we can even simulate artificial weather if you want!”
My jaw dropped, eyes widened in amazement. “That's awesome! So we can choose anything?"
“Uh huh!" Terra nodded, winking at me with her tongue sticking out. “Bet you're glad I got lucky with that coupon, huh?"
While I wouldn't say it out loud, I was impressed, not only because of how cool all of this was, but because of all the ideas floating in my head.
If what Terra was saying was true, I could simulate underwater fights, mountainous terrain, deserts, islands! The possibilities were endless!
And yet, in spite of the sheer variety and potential, there was only really one thing on my mind.
The alleyway.
I could
simulate the alleyway. I could simulate how differently things would go if I had the turf advantage. I could–
"Uh…" I chewed on my lips. Alright, how was I going to phrase this? “So, I'm thinking of a small, kinda narrow straight path with like giant walls blocking our sides.”
"Pardon?" Terra blinked. “A straight narrow path with walls? Like a cave?”
“No. Not a cave.” Shaking my head, I tried to think of how to say it without sounding like a weirdo. “It’s more like… a pathway between two walls.”
She gave me a deadpan stare. "Cygnus, that's literally the same thing you just said."
I sighed, deciding to bite the bullet. “Fine. Can you make an alleyway?"
“An alleyway… an… alleyway?” Terra repeated, a brow quirked in confusion. “So let me get this straight, we have all of this super advanced tech built to simulate all sorts of environments with
fake weather and dozens of specific scenarios! And you want an
alleyway?"
"Yeah?” I winced at the odd looks Rachel and Terra threw my way. "Look, I just… I just thought it'd be better if we do something that might come in handy? An alleyway’s supposed to be tight, gross and dinky. A cave is something we’ll likely stumble onto later on and we'll probably be fighting in it for days on end while an alleyway is sorta unorthodox.”
The resulting silence hurt me more than any judging stare could and I put up a great fight to not spontaneously combust right on the spot.
Thankfully, a hero in pink cut through the quiet with an annoyed groan. "Hey, can we please just get this over with and do Cygnus’ weirdo scenario already?” Charlotte said, turning to Terra. "Stalling your inevitable beatdown isn't gonna help you escape it, you witch.”
Terra blinked before chuckling. “Hah! Me stalling? Why on earth would I ever wanna stall against a kid? You may be a genius but that doesn't mean anything against someone with
true experience!" She giggled as she mashed a couple buttons. “Alright, come on, Cygnie. Weird environment or not, let's show this genius what it's like to have
real experience!"
Flashes of blue light shone from above and around the edges of the battlefield. In a matter of seconds, the field became occupied as two massive translucent buildings appeared on each side, pushing the only available space right in the middle. Fake trash and bins appeared, along with windows and clotheslines. There was no smell but a cool breeze did suddenly appear and the lights dimmed.
My heart jumped at the sight, although it wasn't a near replica, it was familiar enough that my arms started shaking. I shook my head, trying to calm myself as I stepped forward, Terra on the other side.
“Ooh, this
is a little spooky," Terra said, walking into the alleyway with a grin. “I can see why you’d want something like this. Real modern, a little tight but it's like an urban cave. Super fun and sleek!"
“Yeah…” My breath caught in my throat as I brushed a hand against the far right of my belt, feeling the pokéball attached to it.
“Alright, let's do this! 1 on 1, standard rules, starters only, capiche?"
I nodded. In the corner of my eyes, the large screen lit up, showing a portrait of us standing against each other, and an array of pokéballs to our sides with only the first one lighting up.
“Ready?" The speakers announced loudly with a female voice.
Cold metal. My heart raced. Terra bounced on the soles of her shoes.
“Set."
The ball expanded. I braced myself. Terra’s grin widened.
“Go!"
I threw it forward, just as Terra tossed hers with a dramatic flair.
The balls popped open, revealing my lazy Torchic and… her excited Mudkip.
So hers changed too. I grimaced. Was it because she got the Mudkip from Professor Rowan? It was from Hoenn, like my Torchic… but was that a pattern or just a coincidence?
I glanced at Rachel, the faux buildings translucent enough for me to see the older girl standing beside Charlotte. I hadn't seen her Pokémon yet. Whatever this Weird Phenomenon was, I didn't know if it was only subjected to wild Pokémon and the professor’s starters, or if it applied to every trainer in the world.
Charlotte
could be used as evidence to the former but I didn't know what Pokémon she had in my vision. Even though I still stood by the fact that it had to be a rare Pokémon,
that wasn't exactly enough to confirm things.
I brought my attention back to the battle, watching my Torchic blinking blearily before noticing his opponent. With a rough shake of his head, he stood ready, not a hint of that drowsiness he'd always portrayed as he glared down the readying Mudkip.
For a moment, my breath hitched, body pausing as a wave of trepidation shook through my mind and limbs. I brushed it off, breathing through my nose to calm myself.
I… if this was going to be anything like my vision. I was probably going to get my butt whooped, especially since I didn't exactly use any of my free time training. If I couldn't beat Terra with an entire evening’s worth of training, then there was no way I could beat her with literally
no training.
A thin frown crossed my features, already a tiny amount of frustration grated my mind. I was going to
lose again.
“Hey, if you're not gonna act first then fine by me!" Terra shouted, breaking the quiet with a clap of her hands. “Muddy, Tackle!"
With a cry, Muddy lurched forward, a dim white aura covered his body.
I took a step back. Mouth opening to form words but it was too late. Muddy had already reached my starter before a syllable could escape.
The Water-type slammed into my starter, eliciting a cry of pain and making him skid across the concrete ground.
The sudden attack left me feeling breathless, the sight of Camp getting hurt, of him getting thrown into the ground, of…
Too much time passed and Terra took my hesitation to push onward.
“Alright!” She jumped, fists shaking. "Now Growl! Make that Torchic feel your wrath!”
“Wait–" I shook my head, hissing through my teeth as an adorable cry pierced the artificial night sky. Camp looked back at me. I didn't know whether the concerned expression on his face was because of the cutesy roar or my continued hesitance.
“Come on, Cygnus~” Terra’s teasing voice dragged my eyes towards her. She had a smirk on her face, tongue sticking out as she winked. “If you're not gonna call out a move, you're gonna get your butt pounded senselessly, and I'm sure you don't want your record to have your first loss be due to jitters, do ya~?”
The obnoxious giggle that came after told me just exactly what she was trying. The taunts, the not-caring attitude, the fact that she was yawning so loudly that it was reverberating against the translucent walls.
And yet, despite the fact that I knew she was baiting me, my pride didn't exactly get the message. Irritation swirled in my chest, my ego hooked and wounded, seeking for vengeance with every obnoxious taunts that left her mouth.
A fire lit under my breath and I glared at my rival.
“Camp, shake off that Growl and Scratch its face!"
The fact that Terra only grinned brighter at my commands did little to distract me as I watched my Torchic run up, talons glowing.
"Jump back and slap him, Muddy!”
Slap what?
Muddy leapt backwards, evading the attack and swiping the ground beneath him, shooting balls of mud towards my starter.
Ah, Mud Slap. I winced as the balls struck Camp, covering his face and muffling his cry of pain.
That was pretty obvious in hindsight.
Camp shook his body, managing to rid the majority of the mud but a few bits had already stuck to the feathers surrounding his face, hampering his vision. He staggered forward, talons still glowing.
Okay, I can't let Terra fire off another one of those Mud Slap. That was simple enough. Executing it however would be a bit difficult as Terra was playing somewhat defensively with Muddy slowly backing away.
“Rush in, Torchic! Don't give it time!”
Shouting an affirmative, Camp sprinted as fast as his stubby legs could carry him, crossing the distance between them in three blinks.
Muddy reared back with a startled gasp.
“Now, Muddy! Whack that trash can right at him!” Her order sapped all the excitement out of me as I watched Muddy whipped his short tail against a nearby bin, fake trash spreading all over as they slam directly into my Torchic.
Huh? Where did that trash can even come from? Thin air?
Of course, the simplest answer was all around us as I knew the simulation also summoned fake trash to sell its illusion. I just didn't think she'd use them as projectiles.
Gotta pay more attention to her Pokémon’s surroundings. Can't let her catch me off guard again.
As my Torchic shook off the last bit of trash clinging to his feathers, I shouted, “Torchic! Get close again, I'll warn you if Terra’s gonna do something tricky again!"
The Fire-type paused for a second before nodding, continuing his pursuit. Muddy stood at the helm, watching without a shred of hesitation, cocking a smirk.
“Aw, you're looking a little dirty~ Would you like to have it all washed off?" Terra grinned. “Free of charge~"
My eyes widened. I knew that tone. "Wait, Torchic! Jump to the side, Muddy's gonna–”
A stream of water burst through the air, hitting my Torchic with the force of a speeding motorbike. When the stream dissipated, I already knew the result when I saw him laying on his stomach.
I lost again.
“Damn it."
