- Partners
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“Hey, Nor! Hope you had a good weekend! And way to go! I heard about the battle! Some of it got uploaded online! Bet you wanted people to see Qwilfish more than you, huh? But you did good! *pats*”
Arumi had already emailed Nori by the time he checked it on Sunday evening. It was quiet over at the manga cafe, but the people he ran into were friendly. It was the final sign he needed to tell that things really were starting to return to normal.
“I’ve been doing fine the past week! News has been slow, but I have stuff to talk about! Check my blog, you’ll like it! Hm, I wonder if us being friends makes talking about you a conflict of interest? :) Oh well, I did it anyway. ^^”
At that paragraph, Nori went ahead and opened Arumi’s blog. There was indeed a little bit about his current situation. Mostly about Qwilfish herself, with a bit about the legal agreement conundrum. Her stance was neutral, as any good reporter should write. No doubt she would have written more passionately in his defense if she could. Actually, she pushed the line anyway.
“So are you doing anything for Halloween? I’m going with mom and dad to cover Sunyshore’s 34th annual costume contest! Not to be confused with a Pokemon Contest. ;) Oh! And while I remember, have you gotten an invite to Gasha’s Lucky Potluck yet? That should be soon.
Anyways, that’s about it from me. Talk more soon, BFF! Arumi signing off!”
With a nod, he got to his reply immediately. “Thanks Arumi. Nice article. I heard earlier that Qwilfish is officially rehabilitated. Between us for now, I asked Prema Kannagi to take care of. Yes, it’s allowed, and she was happy to accept. I didn’t know if I could take care of her.”
He looked at the third paragraph. “I never actually did anything for Halloween ever. I know, I know, it would’ve made sense to get free food. But I could never find a costume, and Claris never went when we were friends. Maybe I will this year?” He was still young enough!
“And Gasha’s Lucky Potluck, no, I haven’t gotten an invite yet. But I probably will get one, now that you mention it.”[/i] He always heard about that on the local news every November. Entering was not compulsory. But the Demon and Pachi would like it. There would just be the complication with Pawniard. “Not sure what I’ll do. Guess we’ll see!”
Nori paused and thought before his next paragraph. Arumi was always supportive, but she also wouldn’t lie to him when he had a question about something. She was one of the best people to ask about this, of those he was able to anyway.
“By the way, about what those YAMS creeps said about the legal agreement. I have a counterargument in mind, and I want your opinion on it.”
That was all he could think of. “Always nice to hear from my bestie. Write back as soon as you can! Nori, over and out!”
He hit send and sat back with a smile before tending to the rest of his email.
Ayume Carino lowered her book as Nori stepped through the door. “You’re back early, Nori. I was just about to start making dinner.”
“Hey ma,” he said. It was good to get as many opinions as possible. Especially if Arumi couldn’t answer before, like, noon tomorrow! “I’ve been thinking about my battle agreements and what those two creeps said. What do you think of this?”
Prema Kannagi was in a small, mostly empty room in the Kannagi Shrine on Sunday evening. Even four months after settling into Veilstone City, they had yet to decide on a purpose. Thus, it was something of a de facto storage room, though at the moment there were only a few boxes with seasonal decorations. A thin layer of dust covered the floor; they cleaned the room, albeit not as often as the rest of the shrine.
Priestess Satomi had set everything up: a small pool – around 45 centimeters deep and a meter and a half in diameter – was in the center of the barren room. Monk Jirou was standing guard outside, his first assignment after promotion. He was to be honored in a speech Father had planned for tomorrow, but he had declined attending it. It appeared to be more out of introversion rather than modesty. What she would be doing was no secret; he was only there to help ensure her privacy.
Prema took a moment to go over how she wished to approach this. Earlier, Maiden Kaede had taken her to officially register Qwilfish as her partner. This was going to be their first meeting as trainer and Pokemon.
Without further hesitation, she cast the Dive Ball over the pool. The small black Qwilfish initially met her eyes with a bob of her body, then started glancing around in confusion.
“Hello, Qwilfish,” she greeted. While she had initially thought about having her other friends meet her, Prema had decided to minimize the amount of stress. The pufferfish was anxious enough on her own. There would be ample time to introduce her to the others.
The Pokemon rotated, examining the whole room. She was not taking in her surroundings; she was searching for someone. When she did not find him, she spun back with many frantic squeaks.
Prema did not need to use her abilities to understand what was likely troubling her. You could understand much about your Pokemon partners through context and pattern recognition. “Nori is not present. He has relinquished custody–”
She paused and shook her head at herself. It would not do well to be overly formal here. Doing so was a force of habit from her upbringing.
Qwilfish began to panic during her brief period of hesitation. Prema cleared her throat and spoke up to reassure her.
“It is going to be okay, Qwilfish,” she assured her friend. “I will be looking after you from now on. Nori asked me to.”
The dark and cream-colored fish froze. She quivered for several long seconds. Then she tilted her body. Finally, she said something while looking right at her.
Qwilfish could only be asking why. Prema had come prepared to explain that to her. “Nori…” she began, only for her throat to suddenly clench. Just because she had prepared in advance did not mean that it was any easier to say. “Nori said that he did not want to force you to adapt to land, but he was also considering his fear of water. He does not believe he can overcome it in a timely enough fashion to properly care for you along with his other Pokemon.” She paused. There was one advantage to him not being present. “As you asked earlier, if I had to speculate, his fear likely stems from a traumatic incident. I suspect it was a near-drowning.” All the signs of it were there, although she was not going to pry.
Qwilfish frantically yammered with sharp yet erratic tones, her eyes downcast. Prema simply allowed her to let it out, continuing once she paused.
“There is more to it than that. Nori also felt that you did not like him.” Qwilfish splashed her tail in the water and continued ranting. This time, Prema spoke over her. “Regardless of your true feelings, it was the impression he had. I know I stated he was willing to push his fear aside to help. It surprised me as well in that regard. It felt more of a sacrifice.”
Qwilfish slowly turned away, her tail slackening as she vaguely deflated. The truth of it was, there was a part of Prema that was relieved, even if the situation was not ideal. Nori was a persistent individual, to the point of where it could negatively impact him. Seeing him admit to having limits allayed those fears. That was part of the reason she agreed to take in Qwilfish.
She spoke up once more. “But he is not abandoning you. He has promised to visit on occasion, and will take you back and do his best should it turn out that I am unable to for any reason.” She requested that he do so. They had passed the first hurdle: Father’s consent. “Do you understand?”
It took several moments for Qwilfish to respond. She did so by puffing up. Prema took a hesitant step away as she started to do so, yet it was unfounded: the Pokemon only inflated slightly before deflating again. Her expression was similarly neutral, perhaps even blank. Still in shock. Still processing things. Prema had to think. It was ultimately something that Qwilfish would need to work out on her own. What she could do was make being with a new trainer more comfortable.
“If I may ask something of you?” Qwilfish turned to her with an inquisitive look in her eyes. “I want to give you a nickname. I realize that you were already given one by your original trainer; we typically respect those names. However, it was not something I should have known, and I understand that it was not a name you were fond of regardless. Would that be all right?”
Qwilfish vaguely inflated in reply. Just as before. Prema took the lack of explicit refusal as a sign to continue.
“Fuumi.” She let her new friend absorb the name for a few seconds. “It is a feminine given name in Japanese. The two kanji I have written it with respectively mean blow or puff – the Fuu portion, and sea – the Umi portion.”
Her new partner stared at her for several idle moments. Prema was uncertain what to make of the blank look. The Pokemon eventually deflated and muttered something.
“That is a no?”
Once more, she puffed up. A yes, as in, yes, that means no? Prema chuckled softly. Nori must have taught her to do that to answer simple yes or no questions. He was far more capable of bonding with Pokemon than he believed.
“I see,” she said, only able to chuckle over it. It was a problem occasionally faced by trainers, although Prema had to confess that she never imagined running into it herself. “It will take me some time to think of another.”
The girl took a step back as Qwilfish slapped her tail against herself and began wildly. Even as a skilled diviner, Prema found herself at a loss of what to make of it. Qwilfish was upset, but all she had said was that she wanted to think of another nickname. That must have been what offended her. Then the aquatic Pokemon began sternly repeating some pattern of bips and bops.
“Did you want to keep Spike?” she asked. Perhaps it was a part of Pokemon culture.
To contrast before, Qwilfish deflated. No? Then she continued to say what she was saying before with more urgency.
“You want to talk to me directly?” she asked. It was the only conclusion she could draw.
Qwilfish puffed up for yes, even leaning in a little while mumbling. That was all the confirmation she needed.
She gave her friend a nod. “Okay. I will need a moment, however.”
Prema had never used her ability to understand Pokemon this so frequently. Priestess Satomi had said to think of it as exercise. There was a fear in her mind of passing out again, but she pushed it aside. Now was not the time to hesitate. It took her two minutes to activate it, yet she eventually did feel the telltale tingling sensation in her head.
She opened her eyes. “I am ready. Just know I cannot do this as often as you seem to expect. So, do you have a name in mind?” It was unusual for Pokemon to name themselves. Taiyoko had even mentioned that it was taboo, since humans are the ones expected to give them names. However, if Qwilfish wished to do so, she would be happy to accept that if it made her more comfortable.
“I’ll be Puku,” came the terse reply.
“Puku?” she repeated. That was what Nori had idly called her in the garage. Maybe he was thinking of Pukupuku. “Are you certain?”
The Pokemon puffed up then back down, and twitched her lips. “Yes. And tell him…sorry.”
Nori was not like Elle at all. Just like Prema, he was on her side no matter what anyone else thought. She had been too hard on him.
“Kannagi faithful. Friends of the shrine. And other esteemed visitors. I want to thank you for coming out here today. There is a lot that I need to say about recent events. I wish to get it all off my chest, and hopefully alleviate some of your doubts.”
Sunlight bathed Veilstone City on Monday morning. Though it was eight and the date was October 26th, the temperature might make one believe otherwise. At least, Haruto Kannagi did not think so. Maybe it was his mood warming him. That had to be it.
Whatever the case, a crowd of around five hundred strong had gathered at the base of the shrine to listen to him speak. There were salarymen dressed to head to their jobs afterward, school-aged teenagers set to do much the same, a number of families, and many others. To his left was Priestess Satomi. No one was apparently to his right, though he could sense that Pete was there beside him.
He drew in a deep breath and began his speech proper. “I will admit, the past two weeks have been difficult. We lost one of the greatest Pokemon conservationists of not just our generation, but of all time. Someone who had a special place in all of our hearts. To you, he was the Krookodile Tracker Pete Stephens. But to me, he was Pete, a close personal friend.”
He paused for a moment. “When Lisa…” He sniffed and steadied his breath. “When my beloved wife, Lisa Kannagi…after she disappeared during an expedition near Solaceon, Pete was the first to call me. He kept me afloat with his words, and would’ve flown over in a moment had I asked. Though he was never of our faith, he was as committed to deepening the bond between Pokemon and humanity as any of us, if not, moreso. It was hard hearing he was gone. I succumbed to despair for a while. I blamed those I shouldn’t have blamed. I knew it was wrong, yet I did not know what else to do. It’s proof that all of us can feel every one of the emotions the Great Mesprit has bestowed upon us. The good must be taken with the bad.”
It resonated well with the audience. There were smiles, nods, and chatters of agreement through most of it. There were a few doubters, sure, but even they were captivated by his words. Haruto felt his next point would ensure he got through to all who were receptive.
“But something that everyone should strive to remember is that every life in this world is precious. It doesn’t matter if it’s human, Pokemon, or animal. Pete knew that well. That was why he strove to stand up for Pokemon and their rights. Before you think ill of this Qwilfish, I want you to remember this: the last thing he would want is for her to be condemned or ostracized. I can say this as a fellow proponent of Pokemon conservationism and as his friend. He would not approve of attacking random ones in revenge. I pray that the person or persons responsible reflect on what they have done and use it to better themselves. I ask the same of any of you who may have had similar thoughts. You can’t take back what’s done, but you can strive to correct it and learn from the experience.
“I have two people in particular to thank for helping me through this.” Both not present, one for performing his duties and Prema for not wanting to chance stressing Puku further. “The first is Jirou Jinnai, one of our daytime guards, who has been granted the title of Monk as a result of his commitment. He was able to put his dislike for the Demon Tamer Nori Carino aside to help arrange a meeting with the second individual I must thank: my daughter, Prema Kannagi. She was able to assist with both moral support and mediation. And at the request of the Demon Tamer, she will be henceforth looking after Qwilfish, who she has named Puku. Please treat them with respect. That is all.”
The crowd burst into applause, with scattered cheering from the more enthusiastic among them. Priestess Satomi flashed him a grin. He felt a subtle touch on his right shoulder, from someone unseen. His words had changed several minds here, and many more would follow in the coming days.
Of course, there was one other person who he owed a debt to. Haruto still had very mixed feelings about the boy, as he had since the beginning. Yet they were inclining further towards the positive. Nonetheless, whatever he thought and his bond with Prema held no bearing on what he was about to say. It was simply something in the news that needed to be addressed, as Monk Jirou had pointed out.
“If you would allow me, I would also like to discuss a related subject.” Some people were making to leave, yet all but a few stray salarymen stopped at it. “The one who strove to pull Puku through this ordeal, no matter what adversity he faced along the way. I understand there has been some controversy about his position as a Pokemon Rehabilitator as of late. That is to say, that Pokemon don’t agree to endanger themselves against dangerous opponents. Here is the Kannagi Shrine’s opinion on that subject.”
Though there were still many uncertainties facing Nori Carino, he felt a lot more confident about them. In fact, he felt like tackling some head on! He was never the type to sit around waiting for something to happen. That was why he ended up heading towards Tobari Central High School on Monday during lunch hour. He was by himself, but he was fine with that.
Publicity. That’s what this was all about. Maybe it was excessive, but the only thing that mattered was if it was effective. It did not take long to find who he was looking for, thanks to some students all too eager to guide the Demon Tamer. Or just get one over on the infamous YAMS.
“Hello~” he greeted Louis Trussel and Mariko Urusai, who were hanging out in a winding corridor of the school. Less public than Nori would have preferred, but he had some people following him. They’d spread the word anyway, and it wasn’t like this was his only chance.
The redheaded teenager fired off a dirty look. “You,” was all she said.
“What brings you to our school, Nori Carino?” Louis asked, crossing his arms.
“I came to see you two!” he declared with a point to the ceiling. “I have a response to your complaints about me. The whole Pokemon don’t sign things thing, that is.” He cringed a bit at his faulty wording, but there was no negative reaction.
“Oh, so now you have something to say?” Mariko snapped at him as she got to her feet. “Real convenient you did so after fighting some stupid, crazy trainer.”
Louis followed suit in standing. “Well, if you do have something that is not ad hominem to say, I have no problem debating you about it,” he said calmly. He looked over at his girlfriend and nodded. “Also, while it is much too late, I do agree that you should not have agreed to a battle with Emi Pikaru. It is your duty to be responsible with your assignments even if others are not.”
What did ad hominem even mean? Well, it didn’t matter. Nori could not help but smirk, an action that made Louis harrumph while jerking back and Mariko snort defensively. It was as if they could sense what was coming, but didn’t want to believe it.
“What makes you think I was being irresponsible? And I wouldn’t call Emi crazy or stupid,” he said. “In fact, I’d say she was pretty brilliant.”
“Explain,” Louis demanded, narrowing his eyes.
The Pokemon Rehabilitator had realized it a bit ago. He knew there was something wrong with their logic! He had Emi to thank for making it click. Did she realize it? The full implications beyond her personal reasons, that is? His mom said it could work. Arumi told him it made total sense.
“It’s simple, really.” He nodded and looked at the steadily growing group of students. “Pokemon are sapient creatures, just like us. They can understand what we say.”
“But they have trouble with cultural things,” Louis interjected, recognizing that he was parroting his words. “That is the crux of the matter, and why there is a fundamental flaw with the waiver.”
“Yes. If you’ll let me finish?” he asked, tapping a foot on the floor. Louis nodded and motioned for him to continue. “It may seem as though that’s an issue, but it’s really as simple as explaining the situation to your Pokemon ahead of the battle and seeing if they’re okay with it. That’s what Emi did.”
Louis blanched. “Explaining…”
“…the situation?” Mariko growled, her fists clenching.
“Yup!” he nodded. “If you want to have a battle with me, or any hypothetical future Pokemon Rehabilitator, it will be necessary to discuss what you are about to do with your Pokemon and see if they are okay with it. That is part of what being a responsible trainer is about. You can tell them, this might be a dangerous situation, are you comfortable with this? They’ll know, they can understand us. And hers were.”
“But what if someone lies about it?!” Mariko countered while she seethed. “What if a Pokemon gets hurt unwillingly?”
“Then they’re being irresponsible and subject to trainer law,” Nori said plainly, ready with an answer for once. He put his hands behind his back. “Besides, I can read people and Pokemon. I can tell if something’s up. Also, it’s also my discretion as to whether or not I want to accept a battle. I initially refused Emi because it was clear she was not thinking clearly. And I accepted once it was evident that she put the necessary thought into the matter.”
With this, he could not help but laugh triumphantly. He could tell from the looks on people’s faces that this was pretty much behind him. “Is that responsible enough?”
“It’s NOT!” Mariko countered. “Your assignments need to be kept as far away from society as possible while you’re rehabilitating them!”
Louis slowly shook his head. “While I would not go that far, Mari, I agree in principle. You cannot go having battles using dangerous Pokemon simply because you or someone else wants to.”
He had already demolished their main argument, but he had come prepared for anything else they might say. “I know that, some really are that problematic. I can refuse if I think one’s too dangerous. But why don’t we see a show of hands?” he offered. As soon as he said it, his two oppressors glared at him. He was waiting to throw that one back in their faces! “If you think what I said makes sense, raise yours!”
Sure enough, the hands of the high school students and teachers started to go up. Some went up even before he asked, and none of them lowered when he did. There were a few who didn’t here or there, but from their uneasy expressions, even they seemed more unsure what to make of it rather than explicitly disagreeing with him.
“That’s a bunch of bullshit!” Mariko yelled, the old her bubbling to the surface. She clenched her fists and stamped a foot. “Of course most of them aren’t going to say no to their trainer when asked! That’s what most do: listen to their trainer! It doesn’t mean they want to! You can’t tell!”
Louis crossed his arms and nodded. Before Nori could give the obvious answer, that he could tell, someone stepped forward and spoke up.
“Uh, actually.” His hair was dyed and spiked purple, and he wore a simple shirt and jeans. All eyes went to him. He cleared his throat before continuing. “I went to the Kannagi Shrine this morning before school, since there was a speech going on. The Master talked about Qwilfish and this. He basically said a Pokemon Rehabiliator helps Pokemon no one else will, and they all deserve the chance to reform, since they’re intelligent. Basically, they know we like to battle, and know there’s risks, and that battles can help them reform. Uh, I think you can look it up.” His eyes were darting back and forth from all the people looking at him.
Nori had to take a step back. His jaw almost went slack. Prema’s dad said all that?! It didn’t totally surprise him, since Mr. Jinnai said it too, but still! “Uh, that’s right!” he said. “I didn’t see that sermon, but someone at the shrine, not Prema by the way, told me something like that.”
“That’s just religion talking!” the red-haired teenager cut in, going red in the face. In spite of that, the argument was enough to silence the rest of the doubters except her. Even Louis was scratching his chin, as much as his girlfriend was oblivious.
“Huh, Master Haruto Kannagi said that?” a female teacher in a suit much like the ones at his school mused. She was not the only one pondering that. “I’ll have to look that up.”
“I’m Ceutholic, and that makes sense,” a dark-haired male said, putting his hands on his hips.
A fashionable blonde, probably a twelfth year, flipped her flowing locks. “You two are always being stupid!”
A bespectacled younger student in a white vest and black dress pants rolled his eyes. “You’re just after Carino because you hate him!”
“Give me a break,” Mariko dismissed, leveling a finger in turn at each of the three students who had expressed their thoughts. “You always get taken in by things, you were agreeing with us earlier today, and you’re just defending him because you think he’s hot!” The last of them squealed, covered his face, and shuffled behind the crowd. Nori blinked at it. Admirers everywhere.
“Mari.” Louis raised a hand, quieting her. He gave a curt nod to Nori. “You seem to be right, Nori.” Mariko curled her lip, but reluctantly nodded as well. “I suppose our argument was mistaken. We apologize. However, I have one more question.”
“Really?” Nori threw up his arms. “What?”
Louis chuckled. “Despite your immaturity, I do think you’re responsible enough to manage your battles well. However, will the same be able to be said about future Pokemon Rehabilitators?”
The boy quivered, but could only shrug. “I’d like to think the Officials would make sure of that. Especially after this. But I’d also like to think I have some pull, so maybe I can make sure of that?”
“I suppose so.” Louis turned and started to walk away. “Let’s go, Mari. There’s no point in pursuing this any further.”
She snorted and gave Nori one last leer. “Fine. But we’re going to get you someday.”
“It’s gonna end the same way, you know!” he shot back at her. It came from irritation, but a lot of the crowd agreed with him nonetheless. Ugh, the last thing he needed was for them to come back at another inopportune time. Knowing his own luck, that was absolutely going to happen.
With that, the students began to disperse. But there were still quite a few who stuck around. Waiting for him to address them. So he did.
“I know what they said actually makes some sense. I think it helped me overall having to think of that, so there’s that. But I knew something was off, it just didn’t hit me as to what it was for a bit. A lot of people just took it at face value instead of making their own conclusion.” He realized he was starting to complain a bit, but just rolled with it. “Yeah, sorry, venting a little. Part of me doubted this argument made sense, but guess it did.”
“You did well, Mr. Carino,” a balding old teacher praised.
“I sort of had that feeling too,” said a student with the distinctive pink hair of a Joy as she turned slightly away and rubbed the nape of her neck. Probably couldn’t say it. Maybe there were a lot more like her than he thought.
The girl who called YAMS stupid threw her chin up. “Well, I was saying they were wrong from the beginning.” From how people looked at her, and actually just from her tone, she was absolutely lying. Or telling the truth but being horribly obnoxious about it.
“Well, anyway,” Nori said with a smile. “That’s about it. I should get back to my school. Thanks for listening, and er, see you later.”
They gave him a warm send-off. Not the smoothest exit, but that took care of that. In more ways than one! All Nori wanted was for things to get back to normal. It looked like that was finally going to happen! He crossed his fingers nonetheless as he trotted back to his school.
Arumi had already emailed Nori by the time he checked it on Sunday evening. It was quiet over at the manga cafe, but the people he ran into were friendly. It was the final sign he needed to tell that things really were starting to return to normal.
“I’ve been doing fine the past week! News has been slow, but I have stuff to talk about! Check my blog, you’ll like it! Hm, I wonder if us being friends makes talking about you a conflict of interest? :) Oh well, I did it anyway. ^^”
At that paragraph, Nori went ahead and opened Arumi’s blog. There was indeed a little bit about his current situation. Mostly about Qwilfish herself, with a bit about the legal agreement conundrum. Her stance was neutral, as any good reporter should write. No doubt she would have written more passionately in his defense if she could. Actually, she pushed the line anyway.
“So are you doing anything for Halloween? I’m going with mom and dad to cover Sunyshore’s 34th annual costume contest! Not to be confused with a Pokemon Contest. ;) Oh! And while I remember, have you gotten an invite to Gasha’s Lucky Potluck yet? That should be soon.
Anyways, that’s about it from me. Talk more soon, BFF! Arumi signing off!”
With a nod, he got to his reply immediately. “Thanks Arumi. Nice article. I heard earlier that Qwilfish is officially rehabilitated. Between us for now, I asked Prema Kannagi to take care of. Yes, it’s allowed, and she was happy to accept. I didn’t know if I could take care of her.”
He looked at the third paragraph. “I never actually did anything for Halloween ever. I know, I know, it would’ve made sense to get free food. But I could never find a costume, and Claris never went when we were friends. Maybe I will this year?” He was still young enough!
“And Gasha’s Lucky Potluck, no, I haven’t gotten an invite yet. But I probably will get one, now that you mention it.”[/i] He always heard about that on the local news every November. Entering was not compulsory. But the Demon and Pachi would like it. There would just be the complication with Pawniard. “Not sure what I’ll do. Guess we’ll see!”
Nori paused and thought before his next paragraph. Arumi was always supportive, but she also wouldn’t lie to him when he had a question about something. She was one of the best people to ask about this, of those he was able to anyway.
“By the way, about what those YAMS creeps said about the legal agreement. I have a counterargument in mind, and I want your opinion on it.”
That was all he could think of. “Always nice to hear from my bestie. Write back as soon as you can! Nori, over and out!”
He hit send and sat back with a smile before tending to the rest of his email.
---
Ayume Carino lowered her book as Nori stepped through the door. “You’re back early, Nori. I was just about to start making dinner.”
“Hey ma,” he said. It was good to get as many opinions as possible. Especially if Arumi couldn’t answer before, like, noon tomorrow! “I’ve been thinking about my battle agreements and what those two creeps said. What do you think of this?”
##########
Prema Kannagi was in a small, mostly empty room in the Kannagi Shrine on Sunday evening. Even four months after settling into Veilstone City, they had yet to decide on a purpose. Thus, it was something of a de facto storage room, though at the moment there were only a few boxes with seasonal decorations. A thin layer of dust covered the floor; they cleaned the room, albeit not as often as the rest of the shrine.
Priestess Satomi had set everything up: a small pool – around 45 centimeters deep and a meter and a half in diameter – was in the center of the barren room. Monk Jirou was standing guard outside, his first assignment after promotion. He was to be honored in a speech Father had planned for tomorrow, but he had declined attending it. It appeared to be more out of introversion rather than modesty. What she would be doing was no secret; he was only there to help ensure her privacy.
Prema took a moment to go over how she wished to approach this. Earlier, Maiden Kaede had taken her to officially register Qwilfish as her partner. This was going to be their first meeting as trainer and Pokemon.
Without further hesitation, she cast the Dive Ball over the pool. The small black Qwilfish initially met her eyes with a bob of her body, then started glancing around in confusion.
“Hello, Qwilfish,” she greeted. While she had initially thought about having her other friends meet her, Prema had decided to minimize the amount of stress. The pufferfish was anxious enough on her own. There would be ample time to introduce her to the others.
The Pokemon rotated, examining the whole room. She was not taking in her surroundings; she was searching for someone. When she did not find him, she spun back with many frantic squeaks.
Prema did not need to use her abilities to understand what was likely troubling her. You could understand much about your Pokemon partners through context and pattern recognition. “Nori is not present. He has relinquished custody–”
She paused and shook her head at herself. It would not do well to be overly formal here. Doing so was a force of habit from her upbringing.
Qwilfish began to panic during her brief period of hesitation. Prema cleared her throat and spoke up to reassure her.
“It is going to be okay, Qwilfish,” she assured her friend. “I will be looking after you from now on. Nori asked me to.”
The dark and cream-colored fish froze. She quivered for several long seconds. Then she tilted her body. Finally, she said something while looking right at her.
Qwilfish could only be asking why. Prema had come prepared to explain that to her. “Nori…” she began, only for her throat to suddenly clench. Just because she had prepared in advance did not mean that it was any easier to say. “Nori said that he did not want to force you to adapt to land, but he was also considering his fear of water. He does not believe he can overcome it in a timely enough fashion to properly care for you along with his other Pokemon.” She paused. There was one advantage to him not being present. “As you asked earlier, if I had to speculate, his fear likely stems from a traumatic incident. I suspect it was a near-drowning.” All the signs of it were there, although she was not going to pry.
Qwilfish frantically yammered with sharp yet erratic tones, her eyes downcast. Prema simply allowed her to let it out, continuing once she paused.
“There is more to it than that. Nori also felt that you did not like him.” Qwilfish splashed her tail in the water and continued ranting. This time, Prema spoke over her. “Regardless of your true feelings, it was the impression he had. I know I stated he was willing to push his fear aside to help. It surprised me as well in that regard. It felt more of a sacrifice.”
Qwilfish slowly turned away, her tail slackening as she vaguely deflated. The truth of it was, there was a part of Prema that was relieved, even if the situation was not ideal. Nori was a persistent individual, to the point of where it could negatively impact him. Seeing him admit to having limits allayed those fears. That was part of the reason she agreed to take in Qwilfish.
She spoke up once more. “But he is not abandoning you. He has promised to visit on occasion, and will take you back and do his best should it turn out that I am unable to for any reason.” She requested that he do so. They had passed the first hurdle: Father’s consent. “Do you understand?”
It took several moments for Qwilfish to respond. She did so by puffing up. Prema took a hesitant step away as she started to do so, yet it was unfounded: the Pokemon only inflated slightly before deflating again. Her expression was similarly neutral, perhaps even blank. Still in shock. Still processing things. Prema had to think. It was ultimately something that Qwilfish would need to work out on her own. What she could do was make being with a new trainer more comfortable.
“If I may ask something of you?” Qwilfish turned to her with an inquisitive look in her eyes. “I want to give you a nickname. I realize that you were already given one by your original trainer; we typically respect those names. However, it was not something I should have known, and I understand that it was not a name you were fond of regardless. Would that be all right?”
Qwilfish vaguely inflated in reply. Just as before. Prema took the lack of explicit refusal as a sign to continue.
“Fuumi.” She let her new friend absorb the name for a few seconds. “It is a feminine given name in Japanese. The two kanji I have written it with respectively mean blow or puff – the Fuu portion, and sea – the Umi portion.”
Her new partner stared at her for several idle moments. Prema was uncertain what to make of the blank look. The Pokemon eventually deflated and muttered something.
“That is a no?”
Once more, she puffed up. A yes, as in, yes, that means no? Prema chuckled softly. Nori must have taught her to do that to answer simple yes or no questions. He was far more capable of bonding with Pokemon than he believed.
“I see,” she said, only able to chuckle over it. It was a problem occasionally faced by trainers, although Prema had to confess that she never imagined running into it herself. “It will take me some time to think of another.”
The girl took a step back as Qwilfish slapped her tail against herself and began wildly. Even as a skilled diviner, Prema found herself at a loss of what to make of it. Qwilfish was upset, but all she had said was that she wanted to think of another nickname. That must have been what offended her. Then the aquatic Pokemon began sternly repeating some pattern of bips and bops.
“Did you want to keep Spike?” she asked. Perhaps it was a part of Pokemon culture.
To contrast before, Qwilfish deflated. No? Then she continued to say what she was saying before with more urgency.
“You want to talk to me directly?” she asked. It was the only conclusion she could draw.
Qwilfish puffed up for yes, even leaning in a little while mumbling. That was all the confirmation she needed.
She gave her friend a nod. “Okay. I will need a moment, however.”
Prema had never used her ability to understand Pokemon this so frequently. Priestess Satomi had said to think of it as exercise. There was a fear in her mind of passing out again, but she pushed it aside. Now was not the time to hesitate. It took her two minutes to activate it, yet she eventually did feel the telltale tingling sensation in her head.
She opened her eyes. “I am ready. Just know I cannot do this as often as you seem to expect. So, do you have a name in mind?” It was unusual for Pokemon to name themselves. Taiyoko had even mentioned that it was taboo, since humans are the ones expected to give them names. However, if Qwilfish wished to do so, she would be happy to accept that if it made her more comfortable.
“I’ll be Puku,” came the terse reply.
“Puku?” she repeated. That was what Nori had idly called her in the garage. Maybe he was thinking of Pukupuku. “Are you certain?”
The Pokemon puffed up then back down, and twitched her lips. “Yes. And tell him…sorry.”
---
Nori was not like Elle at all. Just like Prema, he was on her side no matter what anyone else thought. She had been too hard on him.
##########
“Kannagi faithful. Friends of the shrine. And other esteemed visitors. I want to thank you for coming out here today. There is a lot that I need to say about recent events. I wish to get it all off my chest, and hopefully alleviate some of your doubts.”
Sunlight bathed Veilstone City on Monday morning. Though it was eight and the date was October 26th, the temperature might make one believe otherwise. At least, Haruto Kannagi did not think so. Maybe it was his mood warming him. That had to be it.
Whatever the case, a crowd of around five hundred strong had gathered at the base of the shrine to listen to him speak. There were salarymen dressed to head to their jobs afterward, school-aged teenagers set to do much the same, a number of families, and many others. To his left was Priestess Satomi. No one was apparently to his right, though he could sense that Pete was there beside him.
He drew in a deep breath and began his speech proper. “I will admit, the past two weeks have been difficult. We lost one of the greatest Pokemon conservationists of not just our generation, but of all time. Someone who had a special place in all of our hearts. To you, he was the Krookodile Tracker Pete Stephens. But to me, he was Pete, a close personal friend.”
He paused for a moment. “When Lisa…” He sniffed and steadied his breath. “When my beloved wife, Lisa Kannagi…after she disappeared during an expedition near Solaceon, Pete was the first to call me. He kept me afloat with his words, and would’ve flown over in a moment had I asked. Though he was never of our faith, he was as committed to deepening the bond between Pokemon and humanity as any of us, if not, moreso. It was hard hearing he was gone. I succumbed to despair for a while. I blamed those I shouldn’t have blamed. I knew it was wrong, yet I did not know what else to do. It’s proof that all of us can feel every one of the emotions the Great Mesprit has bestowed upon us. The good must be taken with the bad.”
It resonated well with the audience. There were smiles, nods, and chatters of agreement through most of it. There were a few doubters, sure, but even they were captivated by his words. Haruto felt his next point would ensure he got through to all who were receptive.
“But something that everyone should strive to remember is that every life in this world is precious. It doesn’t matter if it’s human, Pokemon, or animal. Pete knew that well. That was why he strove to stand up for Pokemon and their rights. Before you think ill of this Qwilfish, I want you to remember this: the last thing he would want is for her to be condemned or ostracized. I can say this as a fellow proponent of Pokemon conservationism and as his friend. He would not approve of attacking random ones in revenge. I pray that the person or persons responsible reflect on what they have done and use it to better themselves. I ask the same of any of you who may have had similar thoughts. You can’t take back what’s done, but you can strive to correct it and learn from the experience.
“I have two people in particular to thank for helping me through this.” Both not present, one for performing his duties and Prema for not wanting to chance stressing Puku further. “The first is Jirou Jinnai, one of our daytime guards, who has been granted the title of Monk as a result of his commitment. He was able to put his dislike for the Demon Tamer Nori Carino aside to help arrange a meeting with the second individual I must thank: my daughter, Prema Kannagi. She was able to assist with both moral support and mediation. And at the request of the Demon Tamer, she will be henceforth looking after Qwilfish, who she has named Puku. Please treat them with respect. That is all.”
The crowd burst into applause, with scattered cheering from the more enthusiastic among them. Priestess Satomi flashed him a grin. He felt a subtle touch on his right shoulder, from someone unseen. His words had changed several minds here, and many more would follow in the coming days.
Of course, there was one other person who he owed a debt to. Haruto still had very mixed feelings about the boy, as he had since the beginning. Yet they were inclining further towards the positive. Nonetheless, whatever he thought and his bond with Prema held no bearing on what he was about to say. It was simply something in the news that needed to be addressed, as Monk Jirou had pointed out.
“If you would allow me, I would also like to discuss a related subject.” Some people were making to leave, yet all but a few stray salarymen stopped at it. “The one who strove to pull Puku through this ordeal, no matter what adversity he faced along the way. I understand there has been some controversy about his position as a Pokemon Rehabilitator as of late. That is to say, that Pokemon don’t agree to endanger themselves against dangerous opponents. Here is the Kannagi Shrine’s opinion on that subject.”
##########
Though there were still many uncertainties facing Nori Carino, he felt a lot more confident about them. In fact, he felt like tackling some head on! He was never the type to sit around waiting for something to happen. That was why he ended up heading towards Tobari Central High School on Monday during lunch hour. He was by himself, but he was fine with that.
Publicity. That’s what this was all about. Maybe it was excessive, but the only thing that mattered was if it was effective. It did not take long to find who he was looking for, thanks to some students all too eager to guide the Demon Tamer. Or just get one over on the infamous YAMS.
“Hello~” he greeted Louis Trussel and Mariko Urusai, who were hanging out in a winding corridor of the school. Less public than Nori would have preferred, but he had some people following him. They’d spread the word anyway, and it wasn’t like this was his only chance.
The redheaded teenager fired off a dirty look. “You,” was all she said.
“What brings you to our school, Nori Carino?” Louis asked, crossing his arms.
“I came to see you two!” he declared with a point to the ceiling. “I have a response to your complaints about me. The whole Pokemon don’t sign things thing, that is.” He cringed a bit at his faulty wording, but there was no negative reaction.
“Oh, so now you have something to say?” Mariko snapped at him as she got to her feet. “Real convenient you did so after fighting some stupid, crazy trainer.”
Louis followed suit in standing. “Well, if you do have something that is not ad hominem to say, I have no problem debating you about it,” he said calmly. He looked over at his girlfriend and nodded. “Also, while it is much too late, I do agree that you should not have agreed to a battle with Emi Pikaru. It is your duty to be responsible with your assignments even if others are not.”
What did ad hominem even mean? Well, it didn’t matter. Nori could not help but smirk, an action that made Louis harrumph while jerking back and Mariko snort defensively. It was as if they could sense what was coming, but didn’t want to believe it.
“What makes you think I was being irresponsible? And I wouldn’t call Emi crazy or stupid,” he said. “In fact, I’d say she was pretty brilliant.”
“Explain,” Louis demanded, narrowing his eyes.
The Pokemon Rehabilitator had realized it a bit ago. He knew there was something wrong with their logic! He had Emi to thank for making it click. Did she realize it? The full implications beyond her personal reasons, that is? His mom said it could work. Arumi told him it made total sense.
“It’s simple, really.” He nodded and looked at the steadily growing group of students. “Pokemon are sapient creatures, just like us. They can understand what we say.”
“But they have trouble with cultural things,” Louis interjected, recognizing that he was parroting his words. “That is the crux of the matter, and why there is a fundamental flaw with the waiver.”
“Yes. If you’ll let me finish?” he asked, tapping a foot on the floor. Louis nodded and motioned for him to continue. “It may seem as though that’s an issue, but it’s really as simple as explaining the situation to your Pokemon ahead of the battle and seeing if they’re okay with it. That’s what Emi did.”
Louis blanched. “Explaining…”
“…the situation?” Mariko growled, her fists clenching.
“Yup!” he nodded. “If you want to have a battle with me, or any hypothetical future Pokemon Rehabilitator, it will be necessary to discuss what you are about to do with your Pokemon and see if they are okay with it. That is part of what being a responsible trainer is about. You can tell them, this might be a dangerous situation, are you comfortable with this? They’ll know, they can understand us. And hers were.”
“But what if someone lies about it?!” Mariko countered while she seethed. “What if a Pokemon gets hurt unwillingly?”
“Then they’re being irresponsible and subject to trainer law,” Nori said plainly, ready with an answer for once. He put his hands behind his back. “Besides, I can read people and Pokemon. I can tell if something’s up. Also, it’s also my discretion as to whether or not I want to accept a battle. I initially refused Emi because it was clear she was not thinking clearly. And I accepted once it was evident that she put the necessary thought into the matter.”
With this, he could not help but laugh triumphantly. He could tell from the looks on people’s faces that this was pretty much behind him. “Is that responsible enough?”
“It’s NOT!” Mariko countered. “Your assignments need to be kept as far away from society as possible while you’re rehabilitating them!”
Louis slowly shook his head. “While I would not go that far, Mari, I agree in principle. You cannot go having battles using dangerous Pokemon simply because you or someone else wants to.”
He had already demolished their main argument, but he had come prepared for anything else they might say. “I know that, some really are that problematic. I can refuse if I think one’s too dangerous. But why don’t we see a show of hands?” he offered. As soon as he said it, his two oppressors glared at him. He was waiting to throw that one back in their faces! “If you think what I said makes sense, raise yours!”
Sure enough, the hands of the high school students and teachers started to go up. Some went up even before he asked, and none of them lowered when he did. There were a few who didn’t here or there, but from their uneasy expressions, even they seemed more unsure what to make of it rather than explicitly disagreeing with him.
“That’s a bunch of bullshit!” Mariko yelled, the old her bubbling to the surface. She clenched her fists and stamped a foot. “Of course most of them aren’t going to say no to their trainer when asked! That’s what most do: listen to their trainer! It doesn’t mean they want to! You can’t tell!”
Louis crossed his arms and nodded. Before Nori could give the obvious answer, that he could tell, someone stepped forward and spoke up.
“Uh, actually.” His hair was dyed and spiked purple, and he wore a simple shirt and jeans. All eyes went to him. He cleared his throat before continuing. “I went to the Kannagi Shrine this morning before school, since there was a speech going on. The Master talked about Qwilfish and this. He basically said a Pokemon Rehabiliator helps Pokemon no one else will, and they all deserve the chance to reform, since they’re intelligent. Basically, they know we like to battle, and know there’s risks, and that battles can help them reform. Uh, I think you can look it up.” His eyes were darting back and forth from all the people looking at him.
Nori had to take a step back. His jaw almost went slack. Prema’s dad said all that?! It didn’t totally surprise him, since Mr. Jinnai said it too, but still! “Uh, that’s right!” he said. “I didn’t see that sermon, but someone at the shrine, not Prema by the way, told me something like that.”
“That’s just religion talking!” the red-haired teenager cut in, going red in the face. In spite of that, the argument was enough to silence the rest of the doubters except her. Even Louis was scratching his chin, as much as his girlfriend was oblivious.
“Huh, Master Haruto Kannagi said that?” a female teacher in a suit much like the ones at his school mused. She was not the only one pondering that. “I’ll have to look that up.”
“I’m Ceutholic, and that makes sense,” a dark-haired male said, putting his hands on his hips.
A fashionable blonde, probably a twelfth year, flipped her flowing locks. “You two are always being stupid!”
A bespectacled younger student in a white vest and black dress pants rolled his eyes. “You’re just after Carino because you hate him!”
“Give me a break,” Mariko dismissed, leveling a finger in turn at each of the three students who had expressed their thoughts. “You always get taken in by things, you were agreeing with us earlier today, and you’re just defending him because you think he’s hot!” The last of them squealed, covered his face, and shuffled behind the crowd. Nori blinked at it. Admirers everywhere.
“Mari.” Louis raised a hand, quieting her. He gave a curt nod to Nori. “You seem to be right, Nori.” Mariko curled her lip, but reluctantly nodded as well. “I suppose our argument was mistaken. We apologize. However, I have one more question.”
“Really?” Nori threw up his arms. “What?”
Louis chuckled. “Despite your immaturity, I do think you’re responsible enough to manage your battles well. However, will the same be able to be said about future Pokemon Rehabilitators?”
The boy quivered, but could only shrug. “I’d like to think the Officials would make sure of that. Especially after this. But I’d also like to think I have some pull, so maybe I can make sure of that?”
“I suppose so.” Louis turned and started to walk away. “Let’s go, Mari. There’s no point in pursuing this any further.”
She snorted and gave Nori one last leer. “Fine. But we’re going to get you someday.”
“It’s gonna end the same way, you know!” he shot back at her. It came from irritation, but a lot of the crowd agreed with him nonetheless. Ugh, the last thing he needed was for them to come back at another inopportune time. Knowing his own luck, that was absolutely going to happen.
With that, the students began to disperse. But there were still quite a few who stuck around. Waiting for him to address them. So he did.
“I know what they said actually makes some sense. I think it helped me overall having to think of that, so there’s that. But I knew something was off, it just didn’t hit me as to what it was for a bit. A lot of people just took it at face value instead of making their own conclusion.” He realized he was starting to complain a bit, but just rolled with it. “Yeah, sorry, venting a little. Part of me doubted this argument made sense, but guess it did.”
“You did well, Mr. Carino,” a balding old teacher praised.
“I sort of had that feeling too,” said a student with the distinctive pink hair of a Joy as she turned slightly away and rubbed the nape of her neck. Probably couldn’t say it. Maybe there were a lot more like her than he thought.
The girl who called YAMS stupid threw her chin up. “Well, I was saying they were wrong from the beginning.” From how people looked at her, and actually just from her tone, she was absolutely lying. Or telling the truth but being horribly obnoxious about it.
“Well, anyway,” Nori said with a smile. “That’s about it. I should get back to my school. Thanks for listening, and er, see you later.”
They gave him a warm send-off. Not the smoothest exit, but that took care of that. In more ways than one! All Nori wanted was for things to get back to normal. It looked like that was finally going to happen! He crossed his fingers nonetheless as he trotted back to his school.