Pokémon Nori Carino: Abyssal Despair

[System Error]

Lunchtime at school was ordinarily something that Yumi Takao looked forward to. It was the time when she could forget about the pressures of life and hang out with Nori and the others. But as she gripped the door handle of the clubroom on Monday, it felt like a hand was reaching into her body and crushing her heart. The beige-haired teenager chanced a peek into the room. It was quiet. There was no choice except to twist the knob and pull open the door.

There were only three present, none of whom were Nori. Mitsu was sitting with Reiko and Terrance at one of the tables. Her legs trembled as all of their heads whipped over to look at her. Where were Yasmin and Adelle? It wasn’t like them to miss school for so long. Were they still sick?

“Takao, what’s with your face?”

Yumi blinked and glanced over at Reiko. “What do you mean–” she began to fire back. It was an instinctive response; she was ready for an argument to break out once Nori arrived. However, the realization as to what she was referring to quickly hit. “Oh.”

Her hand went to her cheek. There was a scar where great-grandma Rikina had struck her. Mom and Dad hadn’t reacted to it besides telling her to bandage it up. No good could come of telling the truth to anyone at school, though.

She waved the same hand. “Don’t worry about it,” she dismissed it.

Reiko crossed her arms as she sat down with them. “You know that just makes someone worry even more.”

“It’s just a cut, it’s no big deal.” It was the truth. She didn’t have to say where it came from. Yumi put her backpack on the floor. When she looked up, she found Mitsu had crossed his arms and was staring directly at her.

“What?” she snapped.

“Did you talk to Nori on the weekend?” he interrogated. His scowl was exaggerated, with scrunched lips, a deeply furrowed brow, and lowered head.

The weekend. Just thinking about it sent shivers through her weakened muscles and made her feel like she was being slapped in the face again. She would’ve loved nothing more than to be with Nori! She closed her eyes for a moment to fight back the tears. They would really ask questions if she started crying. Thankfully, as she opened them again and saw Mitsu still glaring, she felt herself start to quake with anger. She wasn’t about to take this.

Before she could retort, the door moved. It opened slowly, revealing a short yet lightly toned boy. He was wearing a simple green shirt and blue jeans.

Reiko and Mitsu’s response was instantaneous. “Nori Carino, what the FUCK were you thinking?” screamed the former.

“What she said! We heard all about what you did, and you didn’t think what any of us would think about it? Kallisto Keravnos was one thing, but this–” Mitsu let out a primal growl.

“Seriously, Carino!” Reiko briefly glanced at Terrance. “We’re not happy you’re doing this.”

“And our club, what are people going to think about it?! Think about that, stupid!”

Nori stood completely still through their ranting; his soft lips were curled into a frown and his cherry-like eyes looked like a Slowpoke’s. Then he took a step back and closed the door in front of him.

Reiko sputtered. “Uh, what?” she eventually squeaked out.

Yumi’S pulse quickened from rage. She put her hands on the table and leaned over it. “What is wrong with you two?!” she screamed.

Mitsu stood and looked her square in the eye. After a second of being expressionless, he tilted his head back. “I was criticizing him. If he can’t take it, that’s too bad.”

Reiko sighed and shrugged. “I have no idea what’s wrong with Carino right now, but clearly, he isn’t thinking right now.”

Had they gone crazy?! Reiko had always been one to speak her mind and butt heads with others, to the point of being rude and inconsiderate, but never like this! And she had never seen Mitsu act this way before! She turned to Terrance.

He groaned and shifted away under her scrutinizing gaze. While he didn’t say anything, that said more than any words could. He was going to let Reiko and Mitsu get away with this! But she wasn’t!

She opened her mouth, but her heart stopped her. No. There were more important things. “Argh!” she let out her frustrations. In a flash, she was up and making for the door.

“Where are you–” Terrance faintly called out to her.

“Takao.” Reiko firmly spoke her family name.

Yumi ignored them both. She had to catch up with Nori. She had to make sure that everything was okay. She had to be there for him!

---

It was fast becoming a ritual for Nori to mentally prepare himself for school the day after something happened that might make people think ill of him. He had a habit of finding if not leaping headfirst into trouble. His reception from the public on Saturday was a good sign, but the news about the Kannagi Shrine muddied the waters more than a bunch of Quagsires taking a bath. His arrival had passed with just a few glances and whispers, and his morning class went by without incident. But the club, his own club, which had nominated them as their leader, had turned on him. That was what he really dreaded. Nori never cared if people he didn’t know hated him for who he was, but the opposite – the reaction from those who accepted him – was another story.

His course of action had been impulsive, maybe instinctive. Why couldn’t Adelle or Yasmin have been there to keep the peace? They were always neutral at worst, no matter what happened. Or…would they have been? Well, it didn’t matter. He wasn’t sure what he could have said that wouldn’t make things worse. That was why he walked out right away.

He would have to think about everything else later. Including what he would do if they actually ousted him and he had to find a new club – Tobari Junior made him go to one, unlike his middle school in Sunyshore. His focus had to be on Qwilfish. The sooner she was rehabilitated, or at least made enough progress that he could coast on the process, the better! He hadn’t forgotten what Arumi had said. Publicity would be a big thing here. He wasn’t going to go out of his way to worry about it, but he was ready to handle any situation if and when the time came.

The young official took a deep breath in and out. “Be positive, Nori!” he said to himself. He raised his head, stood tall, and strutted down the hallway with a smile. For about three seconds.

Nori paused in his tracks as a realization sank in. He wasn’t upset, and by all means, he should have been. The weight of lethargy was bearing down on his shoulders harder than any bit of anger.

It had always been this way. He was the kind of person who could fit in but never belong. That, above all, was the reason he rarely had friends. That was why he was lucky to ever keep them. It was always an individual whenever it worked out, especially Arumi who stuck by him when no one else would. He always ended up falling out of groups, like with the rest of the counterpart club in Sunyshore.

Maybe it was for the better. Nori didn’t really care for the group mentality, and normally he’d go ‘screw that!’ to anyone who challenged him on it. Actually, he was sure he could dig in his heels and drive those who hated him out of the club if he wanted. But the newsletter would suffer for it. So it was better for their readers if one person stepped away rather than three.

“And if they want you back, Nori, they’ll have to ask,” he said to himself with a vindictive chuckle. Talking to himself sometimes improved his mood, if not his focus. He thought about it a little more and added, “The club or everyone else.”

It wasn’t like him to say that, but it felt good to do so. He even felt it in his stride, which became more lively. If he was lucky, they only needed time to cool off. But time would tell. Until then, he’d do what he used to do during lunch at school: sit alone and eat, and maybe do some of his homework early. It’d help him cool off.

“Well, well, well. Look what fell out of the Purugly’s mouth,” came an irritating voice from in front of him, as if on some sort of twisted cue. He walked right by the orange-haired teenager as if she wasn’t there. It was little surprise that she followed right at his side like they were good friends. “So how was your weekend, Nori Carino? Everything go well?”

Okay, people who were supposedly his friends doing this bothered him. But he was not about to put up with this garbage from stupid morons who he didn’t give a Rattata’s rear end about.

He jerked his head towards her and put on his best scowl. “Emi, go away,” he said slowly and deliberately. “I am not in the mood to deal with you right now.”

“Ooo, touchy!” Her hands flew to her cheeks as she gasped in mock horror. The teenager let it drop with a snort and smirked coyly. “Lemme guess, things didn’t go so well at your club just now? That’s why you’re out here instead of there, right?”

“Yes, so you should know why I’m not in the mood.”

Emi held her stomach, exaggerating her gleeful cackle. “That’s rich!” she said, wiggling the fingers of her right hand. “Here’s a thought. If even your so-called friends think badly of you for what you’re doing, what do you think everyone else thinks?”

He chose to respond to that by not responding. He increased the length and speed of his strides, quickly leaving her behind. Arguing with her would be a waste of time.

After around three seconds, Emi matched his pace once more. By that point, they had made their way to the open space near the shoe lockers and the school store. It was a spot where students liked to congregate. “Ignoring your problems isn’t going to make them go away!”

Nori stopped. Publicity. This was a good opportunity. “So you’re a problem of mine?” he asked.

“You could say that,” she went along with it.

Nori checked around. There were dozens of their peers hanging around, their attention drawn by their argument. Heck, a lot had been following in their wake. Publicity. This was a perfect opportunity.

“Then let’s make this perfectly clear to everyone because we’re already making a stupid scene,” he declared, stepping into the middle of the area. It was just like making a presentation in front of class. He could speak in public. He turned to Emi. “You’re mad that Pete Stephens died and the Qwilfish who accidentally did it didn’t get instantly killed in return. You’re ignoring the fact that Pete Stephens probably would’ve wanted this Qwilfish to live on!”

Emi’s eyebrows went down. She gritted her teeth. “You don’t kno–”

He raised his voice and talked over her. “And because you feel so bad, you’ve been hunting me down for a battle, so you can kill her yourself for people around the world!” He stomped a foot and pointed at her. “Is that it?!”

His accusation silenced the crowd. What’s more, it silenced Emi. Her expression went blank. She just stood there with her mouth slightly ajar. People were waiting for her answer. But it was a blond teenager who walked up to her that spoke first.

“Emi, are you?” Chad inquired.

“What?” A hand went to her gaping mouth. As the moment of shock wore off, she jerked back. “O-of course not! He’s just being an assumptive idiot! I wouldn’t do that much!” She gesticulated wildly in his direction.

“Not that much,” he echoed. “So you do want to hurt her.”

Again, silence. This time, Emi didn’t protest or argue. She just clenched her fists, hunched over, and leered at him with her chilling blue eyes.

Nori shook his head. “In good conscience, I can’t accept your request for a battle. I need to keep my Pokemon safe, including from people like you. Especially with the news about random Qwilfish being attacked and even killed lately. I’m not accusing you of anything. But you need to rethink what you’re doing and why you’re doing it.”

The crowd murmured, and most of them seemed to agree! Nori held his head high and breathed calmly. It was true that there were a lot of people who didn’t like he was sheltering the Qwilfish that killed Pete Stephens. But they still respected him, and they were still listening to him. He felt a sudden dryness in his mouth, but it was a good feeling.

“Wow,” came an awestruck and familiar female voice. A smiling, sparkly-eyed Yumi shuffled out of the crowd. A splayed hand was against her chest. “Nori, that was…really well said,” she gushed. Her pouty lips curved upward. The bandage on her face scrunched.

“Um, thanks?” He shifted away as he felt his face going red. “It was just that one part, though.” He’d rather be flustered than humiliated, though. At least this was a good thing to get flustered over. He turned to leave, gesturing for her to follow. He was glad she was here. “Anyway–”

“Hold on!”

Emi jumped out in front of him. The teenager trembled and looked up at him with a twitching eye. She straightened her posture and took a deep breath.

“Emi–” Chad called to her as he slowly approached.

“I still want this,” she said with a shaky voice. “My Pokemon are the ones who’ll be fighting, and they won’t take it too far. We’re NOT crazy enough to kill her! Besides, I enjoyed our little one-on-one on the weekend!” She chuckled, but there was something off about it. “I want to see what you’re really made of in a real battle. So face me!”

Yumi scowled and stepped in front. “Leave him alone already!” she yelled. One arm she put in front of him, the other she waved angrily.

“Yeah, not now,” he said. He wasn’t in the right state of mind to battle.

“Of course not now!” the increasingly agitated teenager snapped. “But let’s set this up! I’ll even sign that waiver of yours.” She shut her eyes and cringed. “Please.”

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

A pompous yet out of place male spoke up. Nori felt the hairs on his neck start to bristle. He recognized that voice. He turned to see two older teenagers approaching, side by side. They wore matching reflective white rain jackets.

Yumi blurted out their names. “Louis? Mariko?”

Both turned to her. The crimson-haired teenager’s lip curled and her face blanched. “Oh. Hey,” she spat, giving her shoulders an aggressive roll.

“Yumi,” Louis acknowledged with a curt nod. Were there still some hard feelings on their end over how she and her twin left their protest group?

Nori leered and put his hands on his hips. “Okay, what are you two even doing here?” He was sure it couldn’t be good news. Were they pissed off Krookodile Tracker fans too?!

“We came over from the high school because we were curious about a few things,” the older, teal-haired teenager explained. “I did not expect to find a situation we felt it necessary to intervene in.”

What about anything they were going to do was necessary? He was about to call them on it, when Emi started talking.

“You are Youths Against Mistaken Society!” she parroted. A burst of laughter escaped Nori. A few others laughed even more openly at her mockery of their introductory catchphrase. “YAMS. What genius thought of that brilliant one?”

The three former members of the group all reacted in different ways. Louis remained stoic, aside from closing his eyes. Mariko gave a sour look, but her gaze went to the floor. Yumi just blinked with surprise. Before any of them could answer, if they were going to in the first place, it was brushed off.

“But never mind that,” Emi wiggled her fingers. “What do you mean I shouldn’t sign the waiver? Do you have a point, or are you guys spouting bullshit like you’re famous for?”

At this, Nori full on smirked. It wasn’t just because he found it funny, but also, his enemies were after each other! He would side with Emi here nonetheless. YAMS was infamous around Veilstone for sometimes being petty with their protests. He got to see one firsthand; they wanted to go after the mayor for kinks he indulged in within the privacy of his own home.

He expected Mariko to fly off the handle. It was to the boy’s shock when she stood there leering. She deferred to Louis. “Let us talk about that,” he stated, with all the coolness of a Glalie. “The waiver of a Pokemon Rehabilitator is supposedly there for any would-be opponents to accept responsibility for whatever happens in a battle against dangerous Pokemon.”

Emi exaggerated a gasp. Her jaw dropped and she hung her tongue out, her blue eyes bulged, and her fingertips went to her chin. “Wow, way to be a master of the obvious. Like, duh.” She rolled her entire head before shaking it and crossing her arms. “Everyone knows that.”

Nori concurred. “That’s what it’s there for.” He held out his arm and stretched his wrist and hand. “It covers me and the Officials from legal ramifications, and it helps me train. Plus, there’s my discretion as well if someone who wants to sign it for a battle isn’t in the right frame of mind.”

“Yeah, well what about the Pokemon?” Mariko snapped.

“What about them?” asked Emi, tapping her foot. Nori gave an inquisitive glance. What were they getting at?

Louis cleared his throat and stepped forward. “Allow us to put it to you this way, Emi Pikaru.” He turned to the captain of the battling team. “Chad Shosha,” he also acknowledged. “When your friend, Anthony Morris, signed that waiver, his Quagsire got badly injured in the subsequent battle. We ask you, did his Pokemon sign an agreement for taking that risk?”

Anthony? He was formerly the third-best member of the battling team, until he had demanded a standard three-on-three battle with Nori to ‘avenge’ his idol. A panic attack brought on by a Surf attack led to Pawniard acting on his own and inflicting the injury in question. Nori felt bad, but most people had taken his side and blamed Anthony for signing the waiver. So for the briefest of moments, Nori thought nothing of it. It was only when he heard the gasps and chatter that it hit him. All eyes were either upon the former members of YAMS or staring at him. The boy tensed up. Were they really listening to this?!

Emi, for her part, just froze. Chad had turned away. “I honestly never thought of it that way,” the blond eventually remarked. He lowered his gaze and stared at Nori. His expression was neutral, but that was still worrying.

“I didn’t either,” Yumi said. She moved closer to him and spoke more firmly. “But the Officials made it, so I’m sure they know–”

“Well they didn’t do a very good job of thinking it up!” Mariko interrupted. “Pokemon have rights too!”

Louis nodded and went into a speech “Pokemon are sapient creatures just like we are. Despite our differences in language, they are able to understand us to a certain extent, which is what makes all we do with them in our lives possible. However, they can have trouble when it comes to understanding our culture. Relevant to this case, they understand battling for fun or sport, but I would like to believe most Pokemon do not expect to nearly die during a casual battle.”

Nori scoffed. “This is stupid,” he dismissed. They were just spouting nonsense. Maybe they had a point from a certain view, but it was still stretching things just to get back at him. “Injuries sometimes happen in normal battles accidentally, and you don’t see people or Pokemon making a fuss over that!”

Mariko turned her nose up. “Then let’s see a show of hands. Who agrees with us?”

Louis nodded. “That is to say, raise your hand if you agree that the legal agreement for a battle with a Pokemon Rehabilitator is fundamentally flawed, for the reasons we explained.”

The boy shook his head. Then the arms began to rise. One after another, their peers showed their agreement. Emi just kept standing there. Chad’s went up without hesitation. Nori felt his heart drop as he saw Yumi’s hand begin to move, only for it to move horizontal and briefly graze his back before dropping quickly. She looked at him, but he did not care to process her longing gaze.

“Really?!” he screamed, dropping his posture. His pulse went from normal to raging in the span of a second. He took a step forward and swung his fists back.

“There you have it,” Mariko taunted. She chuckled and stood tall. “So what do you think about it?” she asked in a low voice, quite literally looking down upon him.

“What do I think? What do I think?!” He leveled a finger in her face. “You just made things a lot harder for me! And I bet you just did this because you’re pissed off about being wrong about the Demon!” After a second, he added with a point towards Chad, “You’re wrong about Qwilfish too!”

This whole thing was insane! How was he supposed to help do his job like this? Some of his Pokemon liked to battle, and he couldn’t just tell them no! He had to get into battling in the first place because of that! But if they didn’t get a chance, they wouldn’t get to change! Some might even hate it! And Nori knew what was next! The next step was going to be stopping them from battling completely even against wild Pokemon! Then what?!

“Do you have nothing to say on the issue itself?” Louis calmly asked. His arms were crossed, his eyes were shut, and he was drumming a finger on his arm.

“Fine! Here’s your answer!” He flipped them both off with both hands, one for each of them. “Screw you petty jerks!”

The Pokemon Rehabilitator turned and shoved his way through the crowd on his way out of the school.

 

[System Error]

It was a chilly and breezy mid-October day. The air was still damp from the rain yesterday and this morning, with little puddles scattered across the ground. Yumi was somewhat astounded that Nori had run out without a jacket, especially given he didn’t seem to be cold at all.

His strides were long and powerful. Yumi was struggling to keep up with him even though she was jogging. Between the strenuous exercise and the way she felt, she was about to run out of breath. Instead, she mustered her courage and called to him.

“Hey, wait up!”

She flinched as Nori whirled around and took a step towards her with a raised fist. His sneer instantly softened into a blank, empty expression when he saw it was her. He dropped his hand. They stared at each other for what felt like minutes until his lips curled into a frown and he shut his eyes tightly. They were at the far end of the school’s field, just the two of them. Though her legs felt like a Ditto, she approached.

They were a little over two meters apart. Nori didn’t say or do anything. He only stood there with a similar to the one he wore when standing in the doorway of the club. Only his eyebrows were lower and his frown was deeper. It was like he was just fed up with it all. She’d never seen him like this before!

Yumi chanced taking a step closer, just a tiny one. She said to him, “I’m sorry.”

Nori’s shoulders slumped and he shook his head. “You don’t have anything to apologize for,” he replied. He looked her square in the eye, but it was with a warm and reassuring glint. That was more like the Nori she knew.

“I know,” she replied, taking another half step near him. They were about a meter apart, probably less. “I’m just sorry that you have to put up with this.”

What Yumi wanted to do was reach out and give him a big hug. He needed one, and…she wanted to hug him anyway. But she wasn’t sure how he would respond. What if he hated it? What if it made him hate her? What if she messed it up? Why did things have to be this way?

It was because of everyone else! Why couldn’t they see Nori even half the way she saw him? She clenched her fists. “I can’t believe everyone!” she complained, clenching her fists. “Especially those two, Louis and Mariko. Why did they think it was right to show up and make things worse for you?” She knew them. This was petty, plain and simple! They never would have gone through with this otherwise!

Nori answered. “I think they’re still pissed off at me about the Demon,” he remarked somewhat hollowly, maybe even resignedly. He came to the same conclusion, then. His feet bounced, his brow wrinkled, and he put his hands in his pockets. “But who cares what they think? I’m more bothered by our club.”

Yumi bit her lips and she felt a heat in her face. He should care what they think. This was a serious issue. If Louis and Mariko had their way, Nori might not be able to be a Pokemon Rehabilitator anymore. Either way, seeing Nori so worried made her stomach twist into more knots than it already was. The teenager cleared her throat before trying to ease his concerns, “I talked to the others about it before I came to find you. I think they just need some time to cool off.” She looked over her shoulder and glowered. “Especially Reiko.”

“I hope they do,” her friend droned.

At that, Yumi could no longer help herself. She involuntarily reached out. When her arm was halfway to him, it locked up in realization. Her eyes darted between it and him. Nori’s eyebrows went up and he twitched. Yumi could only cringe. Stupid! Yet, it remained up, maybe just because she was too stunned to even move. She shut her eyes and started to consciously move her arm. She was shaking, yet she managed to bring it up to pat his shoulder for just a second.

His gaze met hers. Yumi shut her eyes, then she asked the question. “Are you all right? You’ve been acting weird.”

When she looked at him again, he was smiling. Yumi couldn’t help but stare.

“As good as I can be,” he softly assured. “There just wasn’t anything I think I could’ve done in those situations that wouldn’t have made it worse.”

Then he reached out. Yumi felt a prickle as his arm drew near, and completely locked up as he returned the physical contact. He was patting her shoulder! Close to holding her! What should she do?! She wanted this, but what now?!

“It’s fine!” he insisted, giving a hearty nod. “I was ready for a lot of people to hate me over this.”

Yumi pulled back. It was reflexive, not voluntary. “You don’t sound like you’re fine, though!” she cried.

Nori turned away. Busted. She knew him way better than he thought! He wasn’t acting fully like himself! He rubbed the nape of his neck like he usually did. “I just thought…” He chuckled as he trailed off. “Or rather, I hoped it wouldn’t be like this.”

“Maybe that was expecting too much of people.” It pained her to say that. If there was one thing she knew from being in YAMS, or even from her family, it was that there were a lot of people who just wanted to follow the easy train of thought. “People see this Pokemon that killed a celebrity. They don’t care how or why. So of course a lot of them would think you’re a bad person for giving her a chance.”

“She’s not even a bad Pokemon!” Nori threw up his arms. “I’m sure if they got to know her, they’d see her for who she really is.” He abruptly paused and blinked.

“I only have your word to go on, but I believe you.” That was one of the many things she loved about Nori. He was honest and straightforward. Which meant he wouldn’t shy away from speaking his mind. But he’d also know how to put it nicely if appropriate.

Nori rubbed the nape of his neck again. He did that a lot when sheepish, but also when he was about to ask an awkward question. “Well, do you want to meet her?”

Yumi took another reflexive step back. “Wait, what?!” Okay, she was not expecting him to ask THAT. Thoughts of his previous assignment flashed through her mind. Especially what she and what felt like half the school saw him do right in front of them! “But your Qwilfish…no! I really don’t…not here!” She wildly waved it off. “Sorry, I mean. What I meant to say…!” What should she say in this situation?!

“I thought you trusted my judgment?” he asked, tilting his head. “Yumi, I know you’re scared for me. But she’s not like Pawniard.”

His frown, his limp arms, how he slumped. Nori was earnest even in his body language. He was hurt. And he was right. She said that even though she shouldn’t have.

She did believe Nori when he said he thought Qwilfish wasn’t bad. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t dangerous! What if something triggered her and she attacked him? She didn’t want him to end up like Pete Stephens. Yet…his pressed hands. His quivering mouth. His pleading eyes. She couldn’t say no. She couldn’t. And maybe he really was right. Maybe seeing his assignment would be a peace of mind.

Yumi took a deep breath and answered, “Okay.”

---​

Nori was glad that he had a friend like Yumi Takao. To think that at one point she was trying to stop him from taming the Demon with the rest of them. And look at them now! Okay, the part hadn’t changed, but the context had. It was always nice to know she cared about him that much. He supposed it was justified too. Normally, any Pokemon that kills a human unprovoked would be subject to an intensive evaluation. The more he thought about what people were saying about the situation being odd, the more he was inclined to agree.

Then there was what happened with those two jerks. The worst part was he couldn’t think of a way to refute their logic. How did the guy who thought up his position put it? It was a touchy subject. Maybe it was more true than he thought, especially if this ended up gaining traction. At least, maybe, possibly, the Officials would do something about it?

He really would’ve been worried if she refused this, though. He wouldn’t know whether she was just saying things to make him feel better. Actually, this whole idea was spur of the moment, one that had struck him out of the blue while he was talking. If people saw Qwilfish, what would they think? Maybe it really wouldn’t change minds. After all, he heard on the news that some people around the world had been insane enough to go around killing Qwilfish. But what if it did change people’s minds if they actually met the culprit? Yumi would be a good test.

First things first, to find a puddle. He didn’t want to chance what happened with Prema happening again. If a creek worked, any shallow body of water would do just fine too, right?

He ran a couple steps away. As he twisted his body and moved his head, rapidly trying to find a good spot, he caught sight of Yumi. She was staring at her feet, hunched over with her arms dangling listlessly.

“Er, are you all right?” he inquired and hurried back over to her. Was this asking too much? Did it have to do with that bandage? No, wait. A moment to actually think it through, and he knew what was up.

“Oh!” she said as she snapped upright, as if she were a soldier called to attention. “Yes, just a little, you know.” She shifted lightly.

He nodded at her. “I get it,” he said with a grin. “You believe me about Qwilfish, but you also wanna see for yourself to figure out what’s what your own way, right?” Also, she wasn’t going to agree with Louis and Mariko. She just wanted to pat his back in comfort.

For a second, Yumi’s eyes widened as she put up her palms. She forced a smile a second after. “That’s pretty much it,” she admitted.

Okay, so mostly on the mark, she was still afraid. Reasonably so. But that was good enough for him if she was trying! He raised and lowered both fists, resting at chest level. “Well, you will know in a few!”

The beige-haired teenager tried to hold back her smile, but when a soft chuckle broke through her twitching lips, she broke into a wide grin. Her shoulders dropped to a neutral position. “Okay, but are you looking for something?” It was a valid question.

“Just a deep enough puddle for her to sit in,” he informed before checking around some more. There wasn’t much to see but grass, the soccer posts, and a few other students hanging out closer to the school. Any deeper spots were likely to be hidden. “She needs to get used to being out of water, but I found that even a little helps. It’s going to take some time and practice.”

“She was abandoned, wasn’t she?” Yumi did some idle looking around of her own. “I wonder if her old trainer didn’t have the patience to properly train her.”

He shrugged. “Maybe, I’m sure we’ll find out if they ever find who did this.” Their motives might be important for understanding Qwilfish’s behavior. He had some ideas about the kind of person they were. He voiced one of them aloud. “But whoever it was sure didn’t have the…niceness.”

The stupid nonsensical word slipped out of his mouth! Yumi giggled. “Or the smartness!” she added.

While he winced at first, Nori couldn’t help but laugh too. Yumi could make some biting remarks, but only when sticking up for someone or joking around. He liked that about her. Her using a silly non-word too uplifted him; he felt a spring in his shoes as he started to walk around. He swore there was a spot where the water pooled somewhere around this field…

Yumi gestured beyond the chain link fence. “Would that one in the parking lot work?”

He wasn’t thinking of going that far. But she was right, there was a big one right there between some of the parking stalls. “Let’s see.”

The boy scampered over the chain-link fence to get there quicker, and also because he felt a surge of energy and excitement flowing through him. The boy quite literally tested the waters by tapping them with a foot. It wasn’t even toe deep! The puddle was wide, but that was about it. Maybe it was deeper somewhere in it? He placed a finger on the side of his lips. What to do…

He caught Yumi hurrying over from the side, having gone around the proper way. Nori wondered for a moment if she was bothered by that, but she was smiling vaguely.

“So will it work?” she inquired.

The young official glanced back at the puddle. His left hand slipped into his pocket. He idly felt around for the capsules within, pinching the correct one and carefully extracting it.

“I guess there’s only one way to find out,” he admitted. “If there’s any trouble, I’ll bring her back right away. Don’t worry.”

“Okay.” At least she trusted him there. Yumi knew how good he was at aiming; he’d even demonstrated it before. Heck, he was supposed to get a suppression tool eventually, which is what it was mainly for.

Without further hesitation, Nori gave the ball a toss toward the center of the puddle. He snatched it as it boomeranged back after releasing the occupant. His grip was firm to begin with, but it tightened as she materialized.

The reaction of the pufferfish would have been comical had it not nearly turned dire the last time. She started flailing and wheezing right away. Rolling on her side in the process and seeing what was beneath did little to alleviate her fears, as she was still very immobile. Her eyes rapidly darted around. He knew it, there wasn’t enough water!

Yumi let out a shriek as his assignment began to inflate. “Nori, quick! Get her back!”

No, he couldn’t! Without even thinking, he stepped towards her and shouted, “Qwilfish, relax! It’s just me and my friend here!”

When she turned towards him and showed no signs of stopping, Nori bent his knees and thrust his arm out, Dive Ball in hand. Qwilfish contracted slightly…then stopped. She let out a distressed, maybe annoyed noise at him as she returned to normal size.

He could only stifle a laugh. It sounded funny. “You can breathe,” he assured her. All aquatic Pokemon could breathe oxygen just fine, whether it was on land, in saltwater, or in freshwater. It was mobility that made them uncomfortable.

He ignored her continued fussing and stepped to the side. He gestured with an arm. “This is Yumi. She’s a good friend of mine who wanted to say hi to you.”

The beige-haired teenager vaguely moved her wrist. Qwilfish hummed for several seconds before wagging her tail fin. It meant hello.

“Sorry, this was unplanned,” he addressed her. “I thought you should know that I want to do some training with you in a bit. Is that okay?”

She shook her form and puffed up again. Before she could even start to get into it, Nori cut in.

“It’s to help you! I know you’re a nice Pokemon, and we need to show other people that. And um, maybe fight that jerk if she keeps insisting like she did now.” Knowing her, it was going to be in a pool or at a lake. But that was more reason to get used to battling together. “Do you get that at least?”

With a huff, she slapped her tail fin against the ground, splashing up a bit of water. But that was all she did or said.

Something occurred at that moment. “Don’t worry, I’ll feed you when I get back home!” He hadn’t actually done that at all! Thank goodness for lowered metabolism in Poke Balls. Wait, that’s right. He felt a cramp in his neck that he had to massage. “Um, there’s no water there. But you’ll have to get used to it. I’ll teach you, it’s fine!”

She tilted down and half closed her eyes. No response besides. Nori pressed his palms together and stared. Under this and after about ten seconds, she exhaled twice.

The positive response made him feel like he was standing on air. “Thanks. See you in a bit.” He recalled her and pocketed the capsule once more. Yes! Progress!

He made a small jump for joy in which he whirled to face Yumi. She had been quiet for their whole conversation. He had taken her silence to mean that she was too nervous or uneasy to say or do anything. Or maybe she was worried about messing stuff up? But instead, she had a furrowed brow with lips pouted upward. She met his eyes, her own holding a concerned gleam.

His friend was silent for a second too long before speaking. “Nori, she looked terrified.”

“She was like this when I got her!” he hastily and impulsively clarified. “Actually, she’s improved a little since then, but not too much,” he added.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean anything by it.” She bowed slightly in apology. “What I meant to say, she looked guarded and uneasy. Maybe worse than that.”

Nori tapped his lips. “Paranoia?” She was distrustful to an excessive degree.

“Something like that,” she solemnly spoke. “I visited some Pokemon shelters back when I was with YAMS. She had the same sort of look in her eye as I saw in a few of the Pokemon there who had suffered abuse. It’s like…” She shook her head. “No, never mind.”

Nori rolled his ankle before stretching. “I don’t know if she was abused. But she was abandoned. That and what happened after would affect most normal Pokemon badly.”

“I know that Pokemon usually go to care facilities for mental trauma. Lance the Dragon Master’s Dragonite is the most famous example of a Pokemon that did.”

The words made something click. “That’s it.” He clapped his hands. It made sense now! “That’s what Volkner and Priestess Satomi meant. They said this was odd. She should’ve gotten sent to one of those, not to me!”

Yumi’s lip curled inward a little. “I was thinking that too, but it sounded too silly. So why didn’t they send her to one?” she sharply exclaimed, putting a hand on her hip. “Why did they give her for you to handle?”

That was the part that made no sense. “That’s a very good question. I’ll need to get some answers. For now, I’m just going to do my best for her. Thanks, Yumi!”

“Oh, you’re welcome,” she said, sheepishly rubbing the hair on the back of her head. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay? I mean, she has to be in…her environment sometimes, and you…” She turned away, fiddling with her jacket. “Your phobia.”

Nori shut his eyes. Anyone who knew him well would have realized. “I don’t know,” he slowly confessed, fully honest with her. “I knew it’d be a problem right away.”

He jumped a little when he looked and saw Yumi had walked right in front of him. “If you need any support…” she sputtered. The beige-haired teenager averted eye contact by keeping her gaze locked on his shoes. “If you need me to be there if you have to go somewhere to train her…well.” Her head snapped up and she leaned in suddenly. “Just tell me, and I’ll be there!”

Her declaration to help bordered on a plea to accept it. Her wide eyes said as such, and her lips remained slightly open.

Nori smoothly nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind,” he replied. “Thanks, Yumi.”

He closed his eyes. It was really nice knowing someone cared this much about him. He gave it a few seconds before opening them. Yumi was fidgeting again.

“Well,” he said, mentally shrugging to himself. “I should get going if I’m gonna do this.” There was a little pond a few blocks to the south that would work.

Yumi nodded. “Are you going to be okay?”

“Yup!” he assured with a little salute. “Don’t worry, I can handle that much.”

“That’s good. But, I meant, are you cold?” She pulled her right hand slightly into the sleeves of her white and pink jacket.

“Oh!” He pumped his fists low. Sure, it was chilly, but nothing he couldn’t handle. “Yeah, this is fine. Don’t worry about that either!”

“Okay.” She put her hand back through. He knew it, she would’ve offered him her jacket. That was sweet of her. “I’ll talk to the others about what happened.”

“Thanks.” He figured she was going to anyway if she hadn’t already. But there was something else on his mind. “By the way, what happened with your face?” The boy gestured to the bandage.

Yumi completely froze for a second. No, actually, she froze as he was leaning in, not when he asked the question. But it had the effect of pulling her out of her reverie. “Oh, don’t mind that,” she said, taking an unsteady step back while chuckling nervously.

“If you say so?” She was hiding something, and he had a feeling what it might be given the facts and her evasiveness. Did something happen at her family gathering? But this was not the time or place to prod about that. So he shrugged. “See you later, Yumi.”

“Good luck, Nori.”

He spun around and set out, strutting powerfully down the pavement. As he looked over his shoulder, he saw Yumi watching him. She stood on her toes and gave him a wave, which he reciprocated. He was lucky to have someone like her watching his back. He made it a block away when a sudden thought made him slow to a walk.

Training was going to involve working with his other Pokemon. And there was all of one Pokemon that would now work. Between how the conversation with Pachi ended and Pawniard being…well, himself. That left one Pokemon he was certain might not be a problem with her. The keyword being might. The Demon and this Qwilfish. How would they receive each other?

 

[System Error]

Being in a capsule was annoying.

It was artificial. Too comforting. Not what she liked. She did not know how that rodent or even that epafasu functioned. She tolerated it by circumstance. Carino made a point. Too many manhs were uncomfortable around her. Not that she cared. If he got a bigger living place, she would want to be out more. And she would find a way to make him know.

It was always good to get out. The fresh air in her lungs. The feeling of earth – in this case, wet cement – beneath her feet. The chill of late autumn against her skin. It was always disorienting to be somewhere different. Being vaguely aware of the world outside while within changed nothing.

She took stock of her surroundings. Smell: wet pavement, exhaust in the distance, some sort of manh-made bread, Carino. Sound: running water, wind, vehicles, a few birds in the distance. urWmt: nothing unusual. Sight: buildings, stairs, unoccupied chairs and tables, Carino leaning against a wall with his arms crossed. Warming himself. He kept looking between her and some elevated pool of water.

He said nothing. She tapped her front left paw. He spoke after twenty beats. “Hi, Demon,” he greeted.

She liked that name. From what Pachi told her, it described her well. It literally meant a wicked and harmful spirit, yet it could express respect for skill. They didn’t use names in the wild. They had titles. She was o’Fyma to her former colony. Esteemed mother who gives birth. She refused to live up to it.

Carino spoke on. “{Hesitation. Asking for help with something non-specific.}”

That was uninformative. Was this the outside of some fighting place? “Yes,” she answered. He would only hear a bark, of course, so she bobbed her head up and down as well.

“{Proclamation that he will send out ‘Qwilfish’ into the water.} {Asking to help talk to her.}”

Qwilfish? It must have been that murderer. Her ears slanted upright. She had choice feelings about that fish. None of them were positive.

She let Carino know how she felt with a low growl. Did he figure out she knew a small amount of the language of water dwellers? No. There was no way. He assumed. Or he guessed. No, he had hoped. He hoped a lot. Well. He must have asked Pachi first. Now he asked her. His eyes and frown told the story. She would try. Since he asked.

“Fine,” she snorted. She added another head bob. If she was his only way around the language barrier, she’d put up with it. For him. Even though she expected they wouldn’t get anywhere.

Carino slumped yet smiled. The sight of his relief was nice. He took out a light blue ball and opened it into the water.

The Demon approached and propped herself up on the ledge. She could sense the fear of this ‘Qwilfish’ thing as they locked eyes. Primal fear, like prey to a hunter.

The fish blubbered some gibberish that she got only a few words out of. An old friend before she was declared an AkepWwd – a race traitor – had taught her aquatic words. Enough to hold a basic conversation. The inflection was hard for her mouth to make. It was like a specific series of a small set of syllables, in an abnormal order. But she spoke.

“Hello.”

Stop. The Qwilfish floated there. She answered something to the effect of, “You can {???} me?” Demon figured the word she was unfamiliar with was something like ‘understand.’ Or close enough to it.

“I speak little,” was the gist of her reply. As far as she knew, they had no equivalent of “Syl A’ruKo umt?” But that old friend had told her saying that would work.

The reply came. It was chaotic. There were a few familiar words. “Little” was echoed. Then she stayed quiet. Waiting for clarification. Maybe.

“One taught me little,” she sounded out in the abyssal tongue. Hopefully this Qwilfish had the brains to recognize to talk in simple words.

It took some time. But she answered. “Who are you? What is happening?”

She tried to remember the tones. This was going to be degrading. Not that she cared what this murderer thought. “I am Demon,” she said, saying the last part in her own tongue. She gestured to her leader. “He is Nori. He is help. He is good. Who are you?” It was the best she could do.

“I am,” was the beginning of the answer. A calm answer, mercifully. As calm as this neurotic fish could be. “Spike,” she awkwardly sounded out. Then she said something else. From the words she recognized and context, it was what the manh who caught and – evidently discarded her – called her.

She could not help but snort at that. That was the same name as one of Carino’s enemies from that other city. An impotent one. A male’s name too. This was a female.

The fish went crazy for no reason. At least, Demon didn’t sense danger. She swam up and went off about something. Angry about something. Then questions, it sounded like. What? Why? What?

This was hopeless. This idiot needed a native speaker to talk to her. Or one of those diviners. Maybe that old trainer did something to scar her. It wouldn’t surprise her. They were generally scum as far as she saw it. Not that her fellow Akeresa couldn’t be, either. That freak teammate, for example. If there was one good thing that the worthless progenitor did for her, it was let her meet Carino. Or maybe it was their idea of a sick joke.

She turned away from the idiot and shook her head at Carino to convey her dismay. She tuned out the Qwilfish thing. It was mostly nonsense to her anyway.

He moved up. He stayed near the wall like he was trying to avoid predators and shrank away from the water. “What happened?” she heard and understood. She knew a little of his language. Not that it made a difference because of the ability of any Akeresa to understand the gist of what any manh said, and the trouble of actually speaking it. “{Asking what she said.}”

She scraped her paws and stared. How was she supposed to express that she only knew a little and this dumb bitch wouldn’t talk on her level? She glanced back at the still-rambling fish and gave a snort and a toss of the head.

“Wait! Wait, wait,” Carino exclaimed as he stood more upright. “{Stating he knows Akeresa have different languages because Pachi told him.} {Asking hesitantly if she doesn’t speak a lot of water-dweller language.}”

At this, she smirked and confirmed. See, he got it. Without understanding a word she said. She liked that about Carino. He had sense. More than could be said about that idiot in the water. What would he call her, stupid moron? Were those the words? If they were lucky, hearing what he said would give her the message. At least she had verified that fish was just ignorant.

It made his arms go limp. “{Exasperatedly dismissing some sort of idea}” he mumbled, probably talking about having them talk. She eyed the fish, who turned away. It seemed that idiot didn’t want to talk anyway. “Thanks for trying {regardless},” Carino said.

“Yes,” she barked a short reply. He was too polite sometimes. Not that she hated it.

He turned to Spike. The fish swam back. She puffed up a little. It was posturing.

It took a few seconds. Carino spoke to her. “I was thinking,” he started, before shaking his head and hitting himself. He spoke more confidently. “{Stating that aquatic Akeresa can do fine out of water with training.} {Stating that he knows she needs water, but that he wants to train her to be out of it.} {Quick assurance he’ll still let her swim in water.}” He shuffled his feet. “I’ll try. I mean! {Statement that he is willing to compromise.} If you can try. Please? {Asking her to signal yes or no like before.}”

There was no initial reply. Because she had actually shut up for once, Demon had no idea what she was thinking. It was hard to tell. She would normally use body language. But she had never seen one of these and the fish was still and stone-faced anyway. So she watched for the sign. The fish puffed up. She did not move closer, and kept eyeing her. Still wary. But Carino smiled. It must have been a yes.

“Thank you,” he said, bowing lightly. “{Vocalization.} {Admitting he is unsure what to do.} {A rhetorical question that they might start with practicing breathing.}” Demon snorted. It likely made more sense in his language, but her mind interpreted it funny. She knew what he meant. It was a big thing with aquatics. Carino turned. “{A question if she will help.}”

With breathing? How was she supposed to know that? Instead, she decided to surprise him. She flashed her claws and swung them twice.

“With fighting?” Her ears twitched and she grinned. Some manh his age wanted to fight this fish, that one with the Rhydon who they crushed. Demon saw the look in her eyes. She wasn’t giving up. “{Conceding that might be of help.} {Saying to Spike that she will help with fighting.} {Saying that it might be ideal because no one else will train with them.}”

Instead of responding to him, she turned to her. “You {???} help {???} me?” she asked. The tone was frantic and annoyed.

“Can you fight?” she asked simply.

“Yes, a little,” came Spike’s fussing. “But it is hard to move out of water! I got hurt lots. I hate being hurt.” Surprisingly, Demon understood everything there.

Now she had an idea of what happened. Carino was right, she didn’t have the guts to kill someone on purpose. Knowing that was motivation. “Effort. I will help.” She hoped her speech was not too broken. She gestured to Carino. “He will help.”

Spike studied him. She eventually puffed up for yes. Demon’s heart accelerated. Anticipation. They wouldn’t need words to spar. It was a good way to get to know someone. No one had to get hurt bad with sparring. Hopefully, this Qwilfish was good. And could keep under control. Otherwise, Demon would hurt her bad to stop her. Same as that freak.

Carino’s hands went into fists. He raised and lowered them in front of him. “That’s good! {Suggesting they try immediately.} Oh. {An awkward realization that they should not be fighting here.} {Adding that no one being around does not change that.}” He rubbed the back of his neck, before his eyes widened. He let out a yelp. “{Panic that he needs to return to where he learns things.} {Stating they will have to do it later.} {Promises of food before that.} {Frantic apology.} {A promise to meet later.}” After a few seconds, he recalled the fish to her capsule.

She could only snicker. Life was never dull with Carino. It was another reason she did not mind him as a leader. She was sure many manhs could help her get stronger, but there was much more to him. He respected her. Treated her as an equal and not as a tool to succeed at ego-driven sport. He did not want her because of her strength.

“Well. {Asking if she wanted to walk outside until they got back to where he learns.}”

She stood more upright. It was rare she was given that chance over the rodent. She was going to take him up on that. Her answer was a firm yes and to turn and start off. He laughed and went out in front to lead the way.

##########​

Nori smiled as he and the Demon raced back to school. He could tell she was enjoying their run. He knew that little square had a fountain that ran until the cold weather made sure they couldn’t anymore. It was the perfect spot to talk with Qwilfish! As long as he didn’t trip into it. Good thing he remembered about it. But it was further than he thought, and now he had to basically sprint if he wanted to make it in time! Stupid! But he was sure they could make it!

They passed by a pair of elderly ladies. One of them dropped her groceries in shock at the sight of the Demon of Veilstone and her trainer. Or maybe they just startled them!

“Excuse me!” one of them called with an irritated and yet disappointed tone of voice. “Nori Carino–”

“Sorry! No time, sorry!” he shouted without stopping or looking back even though they had called to him by name. He waved it off and kept running. “Didn’t mean to startle you!”

There was a pause of about half a second, probably in shock, before they shouted, “Same to you!” in unison.

What was that all about?! More who hated him? If they were gonna be like that, he felt less bad about not being able to stop and help. The Demon snorted and laughed vindictively. Or maybe it was at him. He huffed before laughing a little under his breath.

Still, that little interaction between his Pokemon was promising! It didn’t seem Qwilfish hated the Demon, at least! And she could talk a little! Progress and info! That’s what he needed! Any tiny bit was going to count! So, first thing after school was over, it was training time!

 

[System Error]

Nori had been expecting something of a tepid if not a chilly reception in class following what happened at lunch, so it was something of a relief when there was nothing significant. The extent of things was a few whispers between friends discussing the situation, and otherwise there was not so much as a harsh look his way. That allowed him to clear his head and rethink what he was going to do.

Instead of jumping straight into training, step one was going to be to head home to unwind and talk to his mom about it. And grabbing some food for himself and his Pokemon while he was at it.

As he opened the door to the trailer, he found his mom sitting at the table that folded into his bed, engrossed in a romance novel. It depicted a blonde woman in an embrace with an orange-haired man. The Hearthome Contest Hall was visible behind them. Adrian: A Trainer’s Guide to Moving On was the title.

His mom’s eyebrows dropped when she looked up at him. She put a finger in her book. “What happened, Nori?” she asked him directly. Not if something had happened or if something was wrong. He was making it obvious from his expression, and even then, she knew what was going on.

“Exactly what I thought might happen,” he said, putting his bag down on the floor and sitting across from her. “A couple people in the club yelled at me over Qwilfish.”

She grabbed her bookmark from the windowsill and folded up the book before placing it there. “So what did you do?” It was the obvious follow-up question.

“Nothing. They just started screaming the moment I walked through the door, so I just walked out.” She sat up straighter at his proclamation. He could tell by her faint smile that she approved. “I didn’t want to make things worse. Yumi came and found me after. She’s going to try mediating.”

“She’s a good girl,” his mom remarked, her smile deepening.

“She really is.” He snickered to himself. He had a feeling why she was going so far, but was only 99% sure. If he made an assumption and was wrong, well. That would screw things up. Or what if it changed things too much?

“It’s hard to believe she used to be in that YAMS group.” The mention of the youth protest group made Nori’s skin bristle. It was like he suddenly had a bad itch. “What did you do after that?”

A shaky laugh escaped the young official as he rubbed the nape of his neck. “It’s funny you mentioned YAMS. Guess who showed up today at lunch?”

His mom’s eyes widened. “At your school?” she inquired, rubbing her own right arm. When Nori confirmed it, she shook her head vigorously. “What did those two want?”

So he explained what had happened with Emi at first, how Louis and Mariko revealed themselves out of the blue, what those two had come to protest about (she mouthed ‘typical’ at this), and how many of the gathered crowd had actually agreed with them. He went on to explain how he just walked away from them, how Yumi found him again (once more to his mom’s amusement), and how he spoke with Qwilfish away from the school after.

By the time he had finished, his mom was resting a finger on her lip. She always did so when in thought. She was quiet for many long seconds. It told him she was really thinking about this, and Nori could read her expression besides. Eyebrows lowered like she was glaring. Probably angry, but not at him. Pinched lips, maybe suppressing a frown or doubting something. Not looking at him; her eyes were on the ceiling. Not a good sign.

Eventually, she looked down at him and sat back. “You shouldn’t have walked away.”

“Huh? I didn’t get into a fight.” He thought she’d be proud of him. Much as he wanted to belt Louis for being a petty jerk. He’d grown from having to answer every single challenge thrown at him.

“There’s times to walk away from a confrontation and there’s times when you need to face them,” his mother explained. She didn’t put her hands on her hips and she didn’t raise her voice. But her tone being flat and serious made a chill run through Nori, followed by heat rising within him. “Walking away from them didn’t help your case.”

He lurched forward, placing his hands on the table and leaning over it. “I wasn’t running from this!” he argued. “I was just…I needed…” He fell back into the chair and smacked himself on the head. Stupid words! Work!

“And…” She turned away and drew in a deep breath. “I hate to say this, but they have a point.”

His chest tightened. He pulled his legs up slightly, as much as he could under the table. “I know,” he admitted. That was the worst part about this! The part he didn’t want to think about. “But I know something’s wrong with what they’re saying! It’s just from a certain point of view! I was just mad, and I couldn’t think right!” Nori sniffed. He got up, turned the sink on, sucked up some water, and gulped it down. He turned the knob back and looked down at the drain. “I still can’t.

“Pokemon don’t legally agree to fight dangerous killers where they could get hurt or worse, and they have rights too. It seems right on paper. But my heart’s screaming otherwise!” It was at that moment, actually: pounding on the walls of his chest. “There’s something wrong there!”

He felt a pair of arms come up behind him and lightly embrace him. “That’s fine, Nori,” his mom consoled. “I had the same thought.”

He tensed for several seconds before turning around and returning the hug. “Thanks,” he said. The vote of confidence helped. “But feelings and instincts alone won’t convince anyone. I need facts. Real arguments.” He looked up at her. “Do you have any ideas, ma?”

She shook her head. “Sorry. I stayed out of Pokemon training as much as you did. But you know people who would know these things, don’t you?”

Nori was still able to find his smile in this situation, if only for a moment. She never wanted to train Pokemon? That was ironic, considering she was trying to push him into it at one point. “It’d be easy if I could talk to Prema about this.” Her family basically created Pokemon training in an indirect way. If anyone were experts on it, it’d be them. “Arumi might know. Agent Studd hopefully would.”

His mom rolled her eyes over the mention of the situation with Prema (she again mouthed ‘typical’). “Maybe you should start by talking to them.”

“Good idea.”

“And I mean Prema too.”

Nori blinked, broke away, and took a step back. He was not expecting her to nudge him in that direction. “But her stupid dad won’t let me.”

She put her hands on her hips. “You won’t know how it turns out unless you try. I’d like to think those shrines would be willing to help a trainer in need.” Her eyes were cold and her tone was flat.

Mom always had a problem with religion. Even to the point of worrying about his friendship with Prema. That was why it was so shocking to hear her tell him to go see her. “Maybe.” He didn’t want to ruin things, either. Like, what if Prema had a problem with this? “I don’t know.” He had so few friends, he was afraid…his hands tightened up and clutched at himself. He didn’t want to lose any!

---

A knot tightened in Ayume Carino’s stomach as she watched her son visibly grapple with the conundrum he was facing. He was always an emotional person. But this was how it had to be. He was also always a strong hearted person. He would make it through this.

Ayume knew him. In times of self-doubt, Nori needed validation, even if it was from just one person. She knew if she said that, he would eventually try to talk with Prema, regardless of what the shrine decreed. He probably already thought of it himself.

She had strong reservations about organized religion, no matter what it was. She saw what it did to her parents. Initially, she was unsure what to think about her son’s friendship with the heir to a major shrine. It quickly became clear that they were close friends in spite of his apatheism. Still, she made clear to Nori back in September that something along these lines would eventually happen. Better to find out sooner rather than later. She still resented Claris Willins and had no sympathy for the child actress. It did not matter what happened to her.

Nori had stopped curling into himself, but he remained silent. Ayume nodded and patted his shoulder. “I don’t think your friendship will end if you do this,” she told him, plain and simple. “Prema is better than that.”

That got him to snap to attention. His head darted up to her, his eyes widening. “You think so?”

Ayume crossed her arms. “You said she told you something she couldn’t tell anyone else,” she reminded him. “She wouldn’t do that if you weren’t important to her.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” So he saw it. She valued him far too much. “It’s just…” He trailed off again and lowered his head.

She understood his reasons. There was still that sliver of doubt in his mind. Throughout his life, you could always count the number of real friends he had on one hand. Those who would unconditionally stick by him. Excluding those yet to prove themselves (including that Yumi girl and the Kannagi heir), they presently totaled two as far as she was concerned. Arumi Schrader was one of them.

As for the other person, she had something for Nori that she knew for sure was going to brighten his day. Something from someone who was evidently a true friend. Someone who acted in spite of his parents and kept in contact. Now, would Prema Kannagi do the same? How far was she willing to go? She turned around and walked over to where she had left it.

---

That was weird. His mom had never given a vote of confidence to Prema before! Was her opinion softening? But she was right. They’d still be friends no matter what her dad said. And he knew the man was reasonable; he let Nori meet with Prema at late night. But how different would it be this time? Haruto Kannagi had a personal stake this time, and that could lead to biasedness. What about the worst-case scenario?

“By the way,” his mom spoke up. She twisted around, reached behind her, and grabbed something from the compartment above. When she turned back, she was holding a white envelope between her index and middle fingers. “This came for you today.” She chuckled slightly with raised eyebrows.

“A letter for me?” he pondered aloud, rubbing his eyes. That could be from anyone. Prema, maybe, given she brought her up? And she was holding it backwards, so he couldn’t read the address. “Okay, thanks.”

She flipped it and passed it over to him. As he caught a glimpse of the front, his head jerked back. His skin began to tingle. Was that right? He took it with both hands and got a good look. He wasn’t just seeing things! The name on the front of the envelope leaped off the page at him. Lux Blomgren. He felt his heart begin to beat through his chest.

He replied! He actually replied! “I gotta read this right now!”

He went for the utensil drawer. As he did, he thought back to the start of the year.

Nori had met Lux Blomgren on his first day of elementary school in Sunyshore City, back in January, when he was training to become an official. It was very brief, and they didn’t get to know each other until later in the month, but he counted it! He later saved him from some bullying. They became very close friends after they were partnered up in class, and though their time together was all too brief, a slip-up with a letter Lux had sent him for his birthday had indicated that it might have turned into something more. Whether or not that had happened, one thing was for certain. He missed Lux’s hugs and wished he could have one now.

Lux was a little shorter than Nori, slim and slender, with purple hair and indigo eyes. One could easily mistake him for a girl on appearances alone, and maybe some of his interests. He was often bullied because of that or whatever other stupid reasons people looking to feel better about themselves could think of. Nori had no regrets about saving him from that, that was for sure!

Nori’s hand quivered. He nearly dropped the knife he had picked up. He wasted no time scooting into his seat and slicing the top of the envelope open. He heard his mom’s chuckles as he dove into the elegantly handwritten letter.

“Dear Nori,” it began much the same way as his last letter. Dear. Was he reading too much into that part? Maybe if it was by itself, since it wasn’t unusual to start letters with dear, but it wasn’t the last time.

“You don’t know how happy it makes me to hear from you. I was beginning to think you had forgotten about me for real this time. I love that you took the time out of your busy schedule to send me a reply. I was the happiest boy in the world for a brief moment when dad handed me the mail that day.

“I’m glad to hear you’re doing well since moving back home. I wish I could say the same. Nothing has changed in the three months since I sent you your birthday card. Well, mom’s been trying to get dad to get ‘a real job’ instead of his vacuum cleaner business. It’s been doing well, so we don’t know what she expects from him. I wish you could be here with me. Even if I somehow make friends here, I know none will ever compare to how good you were to me.

“I heard about what happened with your first assignment.” Nori leaned in warily, only to ease up as he saw it was outdated. “It’s neat that you get to work with the Blackout Killer’s Pawniard. I listened that radio drama featuring them recently. I’m betting you did too. I know that if anyone can rehabilitate him, it’s you, Nori. Don’t give up no matter how bleak things get! Have you been listening to any new radio dramas lately? I recently got to hear the original War of the Worlds on a local station. It’s really interesting. You should check it out yourself sometime when you can.”

There was some erased stuff, and overtop was, “I don’t know what else to write here. So thank you again for keeping me in your heart. You’ll always be in mine. Write back whenever you can!”

Yours truly,
Lux Blomgren
P.S. I think about you every day.

Nori felt an uplifting sensation in his limbs and chest as he finished reading. It was like a warmth spreading all throughout his body. He gave the letter a big smile and a cool, crisp nod, as if Lux might somehow be watching.

“I thought that’d make your day,” his mom said with a smirk. She was leaning up on her bed at the back of the trailer.

“Yeah, it was really nice timing,” he said, delicately folding the letter back up. He hadn’t been sure if Lux got his letter or if he sent it to the wrong address or if his parents intercepted it. But he did! Nori was sure it was just a coincidence that it arrived now, but it was a rare stroke of luck. It was just what he needed! Not to mention a huge relief knowing they were still friends. “It’s really nice knowing he still cares so much.”

“You said he had a crush on you?”

Nori sat up straighter at the abrupt question. His mom only leaned in with interest. “Well, I’m not 100% sure.” That was just his guess from the tone. In the birthday letter, Lux had even accidentally ended it with ‘Love’ and didn’t completely erase it. It could’ve been an accident. And there were no obvious signals like Yumi was giving off. “I mean, some of the things he was saying in the first letter and now this one…”

She stood and walked over, once more taking the seat across from him. “Can I take a look at it?”

He silently slid her the letter. It wasn’t like he could show it to anyone else. His mom loved reading, and it took her less than half a minute to finish. She nodded emphatically and came up with a smirk.

“He does,” she said in the definitive, passing it back to him.

Nori twitched. Lux in love with him? She read romances all the time, and she was saying it was true, so she would certainly know. He felt a bit of heat in his face as he turned away. “Do you think it’s, y’know, weird?”

His mom only smiled deeper. “As long as you love each other and get along as a couple, your circumstances shouldn’t matter,” she assured him. It was about what he thought. Her expression suddenly shifted to something between smug and dismissive. “Just don’t bother with our family if it happens.”

He shrugged. “I’ve never talked to them ever in my life, so already done there.” It didn’t surprise him. Same-sex marriage wasn’t even legal in the country, so it was still backward in some ways.

Ayume Carino paused for a few seconds before asking, “Are you interested in him?”

He slowly blinked. “I’m not sure.” He would be lying if he said he hadn’t thought about it once after seeing the birthday letter. Lux had given him an intimate hug once, and he thought nothing of it. And he didn’t hate it even at the time. Lux’s femininity probably helped a bit in his mind, because he never once looked at a guy and thought he was attractive. “It’d be nice, I guess. But I know we live so far away, so that’d be the bigger problem.”

“Long distance relationships take a lot of commitment. There’s no need to go jumping into anything just to be in one.”

“Yeah. So I’m not going to worry about it too much right now.” That second part was the other reason he hadn’t chanced asking Yumi yet. Besides that uncertainty which made him not want to risk anything. What if he was wrong and lost her even as a friend?

“That’s the smart thing,” his mom approved. She changed the subject. “Well, it’s nice to think about your friends and relationships. Just don’t forget that you have Pokemon to take care of too.”

“I know!” came his cheery reply. He would have to send another letter to Lux when he was able, but that could wait. Maybe if Lux had an email that would help them talk more. Something to ask about. “And reading that helped.”

Not just with helping calm him down. He thought of something else just now! Come to think of it, he made friends with Lux by making it clear he wasn’t going to judge him and standing by him. Maybe he was going about this the wrong way. Getting respect was a good first step for Pawniard, but every Pokemon was different.

“I think I know what I need to do with Qwilfish now,” he declared, standing up.

“What’s that?” his mom asked.

He pumped his arms. There was another change of plans. “I need to make friends with her first, or as much as I can, then I can worry about training and stuff!” She was still uncomfortable, but if she at least got used to him, that’d be a big step forward!

“That makes sense,” his mom said. “I guess you’re going to be heading out soon to start on that?”

He chuckled nervously. “I juuuust need to think about how I’m going to go about it.”

 

[System Error]

Yumi took her time getting to the clubroom at lunchtime on Tuesday. She wanted to make sure that everyone else had arrived by the time she did. She strode down the hall with intent, her eyebrows furrowed and gaze focused. When she opened the door to the small computer lab, there was only one person present.

“Is it just you, Reiko?” she called to her, keeping her rage in check for the time being. “Where are the others?”

Reiko was at one of the desks, poring over a biology textbook. Good, she wasn’t busy. “They’re doing some research at the library,” she replied. “Might be there for a while.”

“Okay. You’ll do for now.” Her footsteps echoed around the room as she stepped over and sat down across from the orange-haired teenager. “We need to talk.”

The larger girl narrowed her eyes. “About what?” she snipped, slamming her textbook shut.

This was just like giving a speech at a protest. You just had to go over what you wanted to say in your head beforehand and then say it. “You should know what,” she replied. “There’s no excuse for how you treated Nori yesterday. He doesn’t deserve it. He has feelings just like anyone else, and he’s really upset. He’s our club president for crying out loud, and I know if Adelle and Yasmin weren’t sick, they’d be saying the same thing to you.” At no point did she raise her voice, but she spoke firmly and seriously.

Reiko had been drumming her fingers on the desk. She fired a bored glare and said, “You’re just saying that since you have the hots for him.”

“Ah?!” Yumi nearly fell backwards. She had expected Reiko to snap back at her, but not with that! “How did you…” She never told anyone!

“Oh, give me a break,” she waved and wiggled a hand. “It’s obvious to me from the way you look at and speak about him. You’re always staring when he’s not looking.”

Her fists clenched. Who the hell was she to say that?! What if someone walked in right now and overheard?! Like Nori himself?! She retorted, “Like you’re one to talk, Ms. Crushes on Terrance.”

Now it was Reiko’s turn to react with shock. Her eyes widened, but her brow remained in a sneer. “Wait, what the fu–”

“You were yelling at Nori because of him, weren’t you?” she accused, leveling a finger at her. “It’s obvious to all of us that you like him. The only one who hasn’t noticed is him.”

“So what if I do?!” Reiko got to her feet and shouted. “He’s been my friend forever, and he’s always stuck by me. Even when others didn’t.” She turned away for a second and shut her eyes. When she turned back, her expression was even more pained. “I know he seems weak and unassertive a lot of the time, but you’re finding out what I’ve known all along. That he has inner strength, and he’ll always be there when you need him.”

Yumi sighed. She didn’t mean for it to go like this. “It’s okay. I understand.” She wasn’t here to hate Reiko for crushing on her best friend. “I’m just saying don’t judge me for liking someone.” As Reiko was opening her mouth to answer, she added, “And I know, it seems hypocritical since you’re sticking up for Terrance, but you were taking it way too far.”

Reiko studied her for what felt like a minute. When she spoke again, she changed the subject. “Nori Carino. Shit.” She shook her head. “Why?”

Yumi blinked at the almost concerned question. She wasn’t expecting Reiko to ask her about that. She looked at the door when Reiko added something extra.

“Asking that for you, by the way.” She tapped a finger on her textbook. “You know what you’re getting into?”

Yumi looked back at her. Reiko was glaring at her beneath lowered eyebrows. She wasn’t frowning, only scrutinizing her. Another glance at the door. It was just them here. She wanted to get this off her chest forever! Even her brother didn’t really get it besides knowing that she did. Terrance, Mitsu, and Saqid were all busy and hopefully wouldn’t be coming back anytime soon. It was just them. Maybe this was the chance.

A sigh escaped her, more dreamy than she intended. “Nori…” she started to say, feeling her cheeks start to flush. “He’s cute, smart, funny, loyal, brave, nice, a leader…”

She still remembered the day they first met. It was back when she was with YAMS. Louis had invited Nori Carino to one of their meetings near the old Magcargo Express warehouse. She’d heard of him before — who couldn’t hear about Claris Willins’ almost-boyfriend? — but she’d never met him. He was kinda cute. His slightly messy hair that was just faintly brown, his gentle red eyes, the way he could smile, even the way he could be dramatic.

Yumi leaned back into the chair. “I thought he was cute since I saw him, and well…” She involuntarily giggled under her breath. “I don’t even know how it turned into liking him, it just did.”

It was when they met again at school that she realized her feelings. But maybe they went back further than that. She was one of the few in YAMS who was worried about him when he was trying to help the Demon Nidorina. Yumi recalled that day they confronted him in that park.

~~~~~~~~~~~~​

It had happened one afternoon in August of last year. Back when she was still with YAMS along with her brother and Nariya Yaznik. Louis had figured out where Nori was going to be training the Demon Nidorina: the Veilstone Docks. They decided to head to the nearby Asweil Park to wait for him.

They came in with one of their protesting chants. Then Louis stepped forward and addressed Nori. “We are Youths Against Mistaken Society. And you should know what we’re here for, Nori Carino. We’re here to protest your harboring of the Demon Nidorina.”

Nori brushed it aside and shrugged. “Well, I haven’t done anything wrong or illegal, so–”

Touya cut in at that point. “Yes, you have.”

“You’re turning a blind eye to things!” Yumi had added with frustrated anguish. Still to this day, she hated those who were willfully ignorant of an issue. Inaction only served to perpetuate problems.

Mariko was right in behind them, and she was far more rude about it. “You don’t live under a rock, just in a dump! You know what that monster’s done! Are you just conveniently ignoring it?”

It took Nori a moment to respond to that. He had every reason to get mad at Mariko, and even them, but he kept his cool at first. He went back and forth with Mariko for a bit; he truly believed the Demon could change in spite of her past. When she went as far as to say he should be punished for supporting the Demon, he asked Louis, “Calm her down.”

Mariko was really hotheaded back then. Even Yumi knew she was going way too far by making it personal, so it was an utter shock when Louis crossed his arms and calmly said, “I agree with her.”

Yumi couldn’t recall what Louis argued, only that she had agreed with it, vacantly or otherwise. The next thing she remembered, the Demon was out of her ball and Nori was challenging them to a battle to prove his point. He was scowling fiercely, and the Demon was happily standing with him!

But none of them would. Mariko and Touya didn’t want to endanger their Pokemon. She, Nariya, and Louis didn’t have any. In fact, Louis believed Nori was acting hypocritical; he had previously dismissed Pokemon training as throwing part of one’s life away, now he was unequivocally doing just that himself by defending the Demon.

Nori eventually had enough and started yelling. “Just shut up! What are you trying to do by doing this?”

Mariko threw up her arms. “Gods, are you slow? We’re here to let everyone know what a horrible person you really are, Nori Carino!”

“And make you realize what you’re doing is wrong!” Touya added.

Yumi frowned. She hated what they were doing. She didn’t think Nori was a bad person at all, just the opposite. But there was such a thing as being too hopeful and kind! “It’s not too late, Nori. Please,” she urged him. “You can still back out of this. Just let the Demon get justice for all it’s done.”

There wasn’t a single person in the park who disagreed with them. It was jarring, actually. They had never gotten that much support during a protest. It even took Mariko aback for a moment.

Louis gave his final speech. “The Demon Nidorina is a dangerous Pokemon. Trainer law states that any Pokemon – trained or wild – that is a threat to society has to be put down. Only your foolish faith and the Gym Leader’s intervention has spared it for now. I don’t understand why she is allowing you to humiliate yourself and destroy your own reputation, but it’s what you’re doing. We’re telling you this for your sake, before you ruin your life.” He came to a stop a few steps before Nori and leveled at him. “Do you understand now?”

It was at that point Yumi breathed a small sigh of relief. Louis was doing this for the right reasons after all. He wanted to help Nori too. But it still ended with Nori getting frustrated and storming off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~​

“That’s it?” Reiko asked impatiently, breaking the unintentional silence.

Yumi winced. She was daydreaming there, like she sometimes did. “No.” She shook her head. What were they talking about? Her feelings for Nori, yes. “I guess…what really makes me like him, is he’d stand up to my parents. Maybe even…” No, definitely even great-grandma. He’d be like a samurai, jumping in to defend her. He had grown a lot since then, now he could actually argue back. Sometimes.

“I think he’d cause more harm than good,” Reiko quipped.

Yumi could only sit more upright. “Maybe.” There was always the chance he could take it too far. “But…” But she…

“You want to be optimistic?”

“I’m hoping.” If he could talk down her parents and make them see what they were doing, then she wouldn’t have to worry as much. Touya would be grateful for it, too. Stiil, that was a big if. “That’s still if any of this happens.”

That was the hardest part about this. She’d come close to telling him several times, but she could never get it out! Her nerves locked up. What if he said no? What if things changed too much between them? What if he didn’t want to even be friends anymore?

She looked back at the door. Still nothing. “It’d be easy if he noticed, but I don’t know what he’d say if I told him.” She let out her frustration with a whimper and buried her face in her arms.

More importantly, there was someone else in his life it was definitely going to be. There were rumors. A lot of people already saw something there. She couldn’t compete with that.

“I know what you mean,” Reiko said matter-of-factly. Yumi glanced up at her. “I want more with Terrance, but I don’t want to screw things up either. Or, well. I don’t know if I’d be good enough for him, really…”

Yumi blinked. She didn’t think of it that way. All this time the whole club was waiting for Reiko to make a move. She never even considered that despite being so outspoken, Reiko might feel the same way when it came to confessing. She actually giggled a little. “Guess we both feel the same about our crushes, huh?”

“Looks like it,” Reiko agreed. She leaned back with a smirk on her face.

She sighed and looked down at the floor. “At least he’s your best friend. I know you’d be good for him. I’m just me.” She was sure that Terrance wouldn’t think differently of Reiko even if he said no. Nori, on the other hand…she didn’t know what to expect.

“Well, do what you have to do,” the orange-haired teenager waved. After a few seconds, she added, “Will say he’s not dumb. Might even be waiting for you. Hell, might even feel the same way.”

It really shouldn’t have helped. It was just sentiment. But a bit of the dry feeling in her throat lifted with those words anyway. “Thanks, Reiko. And, you keep at it with Terrance.” She was rooting for them. Everyone in the club was.

Everyone had the impression that Reiko was sure to succeed once she tried. But she wasn’t Nori’s best friend. She wasn’t a Claris Willins, let alone a Prema Kannagi. She wasn’t even an Estella Estrada. Nori could have any girl he wanted. There was no way it’d be her.

“Y’know, I was wrong about you, Takao.”

Yumi turned to Reiko once more. She took a deep breath. “What do you mean by that?” Was some sort of backhanded compliment coming?

“I always thought you were just trying to make up for how you were with those YAMS creeps, or you were the same as before deep down.” Reiko leaned back and propped her arm on the back of her seat. “But you’re pretty cool.”

“Cool?” She touched the base of her neck and lightly shook her head. “I really don’t think I’m anything but average.”

“Just nice to talk to you about this stuff, is what I’m saying.” Reiko smiled at her. It looked genuine for all she could tell. “I don’t really have many people I can do that with.”

Yumi felt a tingle in her chest, but it was a good feeling. “Yeah, same here,” she agreed, giving a crisp nod. “It’s just been my brother for me, sometimes Nori when he has the time.” She smiled back at Reiko, feeling content. “And now you, I guess.”

“Why’d you join them in the first place, anyway?” the orange-haired teenager inquired, leaning forward with interest. “YAMS, I mean.”

She clutched at her stomach. “It was partially their activism. I thought I could make the world a better place, but I realized they weren’t doing it the way I wanted.”

She had come to that realization shortly after the incident with the Demon. Yumi and Touya had been ashamed right after they’d been proven wrong. What had happened to Louis and Mariko? Especially Louis. He was trying to help Nori back then, but now, he was trying to hurt Nori. They were fine at first. Maybe that incident broke them. Or maybe they were gradually changing, and she only noticed after being away from them for a while.

Yumi continued. “That’s why journalism spoke to me. So I can help spread awareness about issues in the world.” The right way.

“Puts some things in perspective,” Reiko quipped. She leaned back and gave a playful smirk. “Thought about spreading awareness about parent issues?”

It was like a jolt shot through her. Yumi sat upright and shook her hands. “No! I have, but, that could turn out bad.”

Reiko raised her eyebrows. “Your parents actually read our newsletter?”

Yumi nodded. “Yeah.” It was benign, mind you. It was simple curiosity as to what she was doing. They always supported her. And Yumi was praying that they kept doing so after what great-grandma said. “What about you?”

Reiko scowled for a moment. It faded as she gave a halfhearted shrug and hung her head. “I’m just here because Terrance is. Had nowhere else to really go.”

“I meant, what do you want to do?” Everyone in the club had gotten that impression. Reiko herself had all but outright said as such on a couple of occasions. But besides Pokemon, she had never expressed much intention for her future.

“I don’t know just yet.” Reiko sagged. “I want to go on a journey at some point, but sure I don’t have to repeat THAT too.”

“Well, you’re young.” Yumi wanted to reach across and pat her on the back, but she was too far away. “We all still are. Things change. You’ll figure it out down the line. I might not even be working in the news forever.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Reiko shook her head and eyed her. “Partially, by the way? For why you joined YAMS.”

She blinked. “Oh, yes. That.” That was simple. “They’d stand up to my parents too.”

“Yeah, well. From personal experience, may not work.” The orange-haired teenager slumped into the chair and snorted bitterly. “My parents can be stubborn as a Mudbray.”

“I know. Mine can be just as bad.” It wasn’t like they dictated everything about her and Touya’s lives. But when they made a decision, it was usually final. “And at least Louis got through to them a couple times.”

“Yeah, well I don’t think I’m journeying until I’ve graduated from high school.” Reiko grumbled and pushed the textbook that had been idly sitting in front of her off to the side. She retrieved a sandwich box from her bag.

Yumi decided to follow suit. She reached into her backpack and took out her own lunch. It was a simple bento box with plain rice, salmon, and cucumbers. She usually had it with water, but Sanae had bought her some lemon iced tea and gave it to her before school. Wait, that’s right!

Yumi put the chopsticks down. “Hey, can you keep a secret? I need to tell someone, and there’s not many I can tell it to.” She would tell Nori, but, well. She didn’t need to bother him when he had his own problems to deal with.

“Sure, what?” Reiko said while chewing. Yumi grimaced a little, but didn’t let it bother her too much.

“It’s about my brother. He’s planning on going on a journey with his girlfriend.”

Reiko gulped down her food. “So?” she asked, still holding half of a sandwich.

“Against our parents’ wishes. They don’t know a thing.” She let that hang in the air before adding. “They even invited me to go along with them, but I said no.”

“Damn. Wish I was that lucky,” Reiko self-deprecated. She gave a bitter snort.

“Hee.” One thing she was never going to deny was that Sanae was a wonderful girl. Touya was lucky or even blessed to have found her. “But I’m worried about him. And me.”

Reiko was just about to close her mouth and take another bite, only to stop. She looked up at Yumi as it hit her. “Your parents are going to flip.”

“Touya told me since he trusts me, and I don’t want to betray that.” Her shoulders slumped. She crossed her ankles and wrists. “But my family is going to blame me for it. They would even if I didn’t know.”

Reiko put her sandwich down in its box and placed a hand on the desk. “Didn’t you just make your opinion on them clear?”

Yumi peered up and shook her head vehemently. “No!” she insisted. “I mean, I love them dearly. It’s just, they can be overbearing. They’re very traditionalist.”

“The kind who want you to be a housewife?” Reiko asked while grimacing and gritting her teeth.

“Maybe not that far, but basically everything else you can think of.” That’s what it felt like sometimes, at least. A horrible thought occurred that made her gut churn. “Actually, probably that far for great-grandma, but I hope she’s out of the picture for a while.”

When she thought about great-grandma Rikina possibly getting in her parents’ ears, she couldn’t blame Touya for wanting to get away. But what about her? What about him when he got back? Sure, Japan had accommodations for traveling trainers. She even saw his research; there was a story a while back about how a media mogul from Goldenrod technically couldn’t stop his daughter from going on a journey. But that didn’t mean there wouldn’t be consequences.

She sniffed, looked over at Reiko, and asked her the big question. No, it was more of a desperate plea for advice. “What do you think I should do?”

Reiko sat back, and Yumi was met with another surprise. She was always the type to speak her mind right away, to the point of acting without thinking. So to see her shut her eyes, cross her arms, and tap a finger on her elbow was jarring, to say the least.

When Reiko met her gaze again, there was a firm look of determination in her eyes. “I say let your brother go on his trip. Worry about the rest later.”

“But–”

“It sounds like he’s putting a lot of thought into it. So don’t worry about him. I think it’ll work out with your parents in the end. But if you screw it up for him, well…” While she was speaking with absolute confidence at first, her bravado faded there. She sighed and turned away. “I’ve screwed up a lot. Hard to get it back once you’ve lost it.”

“Yeah…” Yumi felt a heavy weight upon her. She felt for Reiko. She sort of knew what that was like from being in YAMS. There were still people who held her time with them against her. It was an utter shock when Nori didn’t.

“I should say sorry to Carino when I can,” she admitted. She shook her head at herself. “I don’t really mean I hate him. I just, I overreacted. Even Terrance said so.”

“Thanks.” Yumi couldn’t help but chuckle. She had come here to yell at Reiko and Mitsu about how they had treated Nori. She wasn’t expecting to make friends with the former, let alone for her to admit it on her own! Actually, since she knew how she felt. “Hey. Can you help me if–”

The door flew open, making both girls nearly jump out of their seats. “All right, we’re back,” Mitsu announced with a harsh edge. His nose and lips were both curled as he went straight to the computer he always sat at.

“We have retuuuurned!” Saqid sang, with some books under his arms. Terrance brought up the rear while holding a stack of printed pages.

Reiko nodded at her, seeming to understand what she was trying to ask anyway. “Just don’t expect much,” she mouthed.

“What…were you…talking about?” Terrance inquired as he and Saqid sat down on either side of them.

“Just Carino,” Reiko said. Yumi’s eyebrows shot up and her skin prickled, but her newfound friend left it at that. Mitsu turned and leered, but did no more than that. “C’mon, let’s eat.”

Yumi took another big sip of her iced tea before grabbing her chopsticks. Yet even as she lowered her face and started eating the rice, the ill feeling in her stomach remained. Maybe she was worrying too much about Nori, but she couldn’t help it. It was a weight off her mind to know that things at the club weren’t going to be as bad as she thought. And knowing she could talk to Reiko about him in the future was even more of one. For now, she could only wait helplessly and see.

Besides that, she was still worried about Touya. On one hand, Reiko was probably right. He was preparing for it properly, and mom and dad would likely welcome him back once he got home. But there were still way too many problems with what he wanted to do. He was acting impulsively over what happened at the beach with great-grandma. She glanced at the computers. Email him about it at school, as usual. That’s what she would do after eating.

 

[System Error]

There was a lightness in Nori’s step on Tuesday morning. Besides changing his approach, Lux’s letter had reminded him of something important. He didn’t have to impress people or make them like him, just do what he wanted and needed! Lux was a great example of that, actually. He could’ve been friends with anyone, but he chose the quiet boy who everyone else thought was weird and girly, and he’d do it again! Nori wished he could fly over to wherever his friend was and give him a big hug to thank him! In lieu of that, he would just have to say that in his reply letter.

So those two screwed things up badly for him, sure. His job was much harder now. But he’d find a way to manage! And the Officials would think of something! Wouldn’t they? He’d have to phone Agent Studd whenever he could.

The rest of Monday flew by, as did the next morning. He ended up getting to school bright and early. Just as he intended. There was something he had wanted to do that he was reluctant to try at or near home. But in the fields at school? It was perfect!

The grass was slick with dew, glistening faintly in the sunlight that was trying to break through the clouds. He went to the center of the far edge, a considerable distance away from the school, the parking lot, and the few who were playing with their Pokemon or each other. A fence and thicket protected anyone on the other side. It was the perfect spot! He took off his bag, unzipped it, and retrieved what he wanted: crunchy brown Poke-pellets.

Food was part of how he really befriended Pawniard. It wasn’t anything specialized, but it would be his first time feeding her. He simply hadn’t had the chance to until now. Heavily lowered metabolism in a Poke Ball or not, she was certainly hungry.

With those in his right hand, he reached into his left pocket and felt around for her Dive Ball. He found it, and after double-checking his surroundings to make sure nobody had come over to see what was going on, he gave it a gentle toss to the ground.

Déjà vu began to set in as she began to wheeze, wiggle, and inflate. It was just like in his and Prema’s spot back on Friday. But this time would be different!

“Qwilfish!” he shouted at her, idly catching her capsule as it boomeranged back. She turned to him and puffed out her cheeks. Her eyes were in even more of a glare than usual. He held his arms out at his side. “It’s okay! Breathe. Relax!” Aquatic Pokemon could breathe just fine out of water.

His throat clenched as she screeched. He bent his knees, ready to jump aside. That was another reason he was here; people would be there to help if the worst happened. Not that he was intending to let it!

But nothing came. Qwilfish quivered and bobbed around for a bit, and slowly let the air out of herself.

“Relax, relax,” he encouraged. “That’s it. It’s just you and me here. See?”

He stepped aside to show her, and somewhat belatedly, turned and checked again just to make sure of it himself. There were a few heads turned in their direction, but no one was anywhere close.

“Sorry about yesterday,” he told her. “I changed my plans. But I want you to know that I have your back. It doesn’t matter what other people think of you or think of me because of it! No matter what, I’m going to see your rehabilitation through to the end. That’s what I think a good trainer and friend should do!”

The response was one of irritation, but it was not hostile. It came in the form of some of her usual rapid fire complaints. Before she could get too into it, he cut in.

“Sorry for how things have been going until now too!” He bowed a little at her. It was reflexive; he wasn’t sure if she’d understand that gesture. “But anyway!” He raised the bag with the pellets and gave them a shake. “I got you food!”

He opened it, took a step forward, and dumped the contents on the ground. The boy gave her some space. She gave it one look before turning back to him, curling her lips and raising her eyes.

“It’s fine! Demon and the others eat this all the time. It’s made for all Pokemon!” As long as they could actually get it in their mouths, the pellets were perfectly healthy. The taste probably sucked, but still.

She leaned forward while still looking at him. What? Nori tilted his head. The pufferfish flopped and rolled in the grass a little. It took her away from the food.

“It’s fine,” he started to repeat, until the realization hit him like a slap to the face. He recoiled so much that he slid on the grass, and nearly slipped over entirely. “Ah, oh. You uh, can’t reach it, can you?” She bobbed her body in a nod-like fashion. Yes. He slumped, sighed, shook his head, and laughed.

He reached out and, with a shaky arm, shoved the pellets right up to Qwilfish’s mouth. She narrowed her eyes as if he’d just given her poison – wasn’t she poisonous herself? After pecking at them with her lips, she huffed, leaned forward, and began to eat. Tolerant of the taste, thankfully.

How could he forget that?! He slapped his forehead, then wiped his brow when he felt the sticky wetness on it. It was as frigid as one would expect a day in October to be, but it still felt like he was going to burn up. It was a good thing no one probably saw that. No, wrong! He looked back over his shoulder. His arms flew to his side, and he straightened up as he saw around four people were creeping up to see what he was doing. He cleared his throat and flashed a nervous smile, only for them to scatter as if he was an angry Rhydon.

Nori snorted, standing taller and more natural. They ran from him. Or maybe they ran from Qwilfish? The last time that happened was with the Demon. It was somehow liberating. At least most people were going to leave him alone.

He spun around to see that Qwilfish had finished her meal and was tapping her tail against the ground.

“Don’t worry!” He jumped and pumped a fist, which made her leer and momentarily inflate. “If any of them tried to come after you, I wouldn’t have let them!” He was sure Pachi and Demon would feel the same. And Pawniard would help too, just for the fun of scaring others.

She shrank back further and sort of squeaked. The pufferfish shifted and fussed about something. He wasn’t sure what, as usual.

“Anyway, thanks,” he said. “We’ll chat more at home after school.” He felt comfortable with that now. He aimed the capsule, fired the beam, and pocketed her once more.

Baby steps! It was a marathon, not a sprint. He would get there in time. That was very good progress. As long as he kept at it, he’d get there.

##########​

The battling team at Tobari Central Junior High met in a fair-sized office near the school’s outdoor battling cages. The fourteen of them (including the absent Anthony) were among the few in the school granted their own clubroom instead of using a classroom. It was where they discussed strategies, made training plans, talked about their rival schools, and hung out. A side room also allowed for basic sparring and practice, although they would have to go outside or to the indoor arena for proper battles.

Chad Shosha was leaning against a wall in the corner of the room with a can of Lemonade, surveying his friends and clubmates as they went about their business. Mia and Richard were browsing on the computers. Four had gathered around the television, where battles from August’s Sinnoh League conference. Chad gave it a passing glance. A Joe Stone match was playing. The winner of the tournament was the obvious individual to draw inspiration from, even if he had failed to defeat the Champion in the end. But most of them were at the desks, chattering away about the hottest subject at school for the past day.

“I don’t know,” Aki said in response to a question. “I really don’t know what to think about all of this.”

“What do you mean, you don’t know?” Kiara demanded, pushing herself up with her arms and leaning over the table. “This is simple. If the Officials thought about what those two said, then Tony would still be okay.”

“Then why even ask?!” they snapped back while squinting and pulling at their shoulder-length bubblegum-tinged hair. “If it’s so obvious, why do you need someone else to say it to you?!”

The question had been open to anyone, Chad included. His simple thought was that maybe this was a blessing in disguise. He didn’t call Emi by name, but even she could tell he was referring to her. It was for the best that this happened.

Kiara seethed, leering at the non-binary teenager with fiery pink eyes. Chad knew that look. She only took it on when someone brought up Anthony, even if implicit or imagined. Chad took a step forward, ready to intervene when someone else did it for him.

“ey, don’t be that way, Ak,” Shig said. The African-Japanese teenager wore tight clothes and had an afro bigger than his head. He took acting lessons along with Anthony, so his intervention wasn’t surprising. “We a team, yo. And we all gotta pull our weight. Can’t be waverin too hard, know what I’m sayin?”

“Shiggy’s right,” Kiara agreed, pinching her lips. Most of the club called him by his nickname. “Don’t go spreading drama.”

“That’s not what he said…” Aki muttered while looking down and flicking their gray eyes away from the group. Chad heard it, but if any of the others did, they didn’t speak up.

Kate, who was sitting beside them, reached out and patted Aki on the back. “It’s fine if you don’t want to answer, Aki. We know this is hard for you.”

“But yeah, smile!” Shig clapped his hands and turned to the one who’d been silent. “Yo, let’em know the score, Em.”

Emi, who was vacantly leaning back in her chair, only vaguely looked up at the dark-skinned teenager. “Whatever.”

Chad touched his throat, feeling a sudden chill there. A lot of others acted with similar surprise. For some reason, Kiara took it personally. “Don’t whatever us!” she growled, as if expecting more validation. “You’re just pissed you won’t get to have the battle you wanted.”

Emi gave Kiara a bored look and rested an arm on the back of her seat. “And you’ve been miserable ever since your sweet, precious Tony left.”

The scream of metal scraping against the floor drew the attention of Joaquin over at the TV, causing him to cover his ears. What the cobalt-haired girl did next caught the rest of the team’s attention. She stomped over and tried to tower over the co-captain of the team. “What the fuck did you just say?”

Emi didn’t so much as flinch. “Are you deaf too?” she asked slowly, her voice rising in register. “I said you’ve become a huge bitch since Anthony left.”

“Stop fighting!” Aki got out of their own chair. They hunched over and covered their face, sobbing into their hands. “I’m sorry! I should’ve just agreed!”

A tightness gripped his chest. Chad took a light sip of the sweet and refreshing drink, savoring the tingly sensation on his tongue. It was a pleasant reprieve from the bitter taste in his mouth.

They’d all changed in some way ever since Anthony had taken an indefinite leave of absence. Some were trying to fill the void. Some had changed for the worse, like Kiara. But they were all stressed. Emi acted the toughest out of all of them, but only now was Chad realizing that she might have had the worst of it. She wanted to hurt Nori right from the beginning. Maybe her challenge to Nori was also part of trying to be strong for everyone else. Deep down, she was probably trying to fix all of this. Chad wished he knew how they could do that.

“Guys!” came a shout as the door flew open and a guy with short white hair came stumbling into the room. Angel wheezed and nearly doubled over while he clutched at his chest. The confrontation threatening to erupt came to a screeching halt.

Kate rubbed her chin. “Uh, Angel, what happened? Did you like, sprint over here?”

“Yes! I’m sorry! I got held up after class!” He bowed profusely. “I got here as fast as I could!”

Chad slumped against the wall. Angel used to slack in his training, but it was also a bad habit to procrastinate on schoolwork. He got up and began to approach him. “Angel, I appreciate that you’ve been stepping up lately, but you can’t neglect your studi–”

“Never mind!” He frantically waved both of his arms. “You won’t believe who I ran into before school!”

Emi pushed herself up and quietly scooted her chair under the table. She walked right by Kiara as if she wasn’t even there. With a frown and a curled lip, she stated, “The Demon Tamer.”

“Yes!” Angel scratched his hip. “Uh, how did you know?”

“I’m secretly psychic,” Emi snarked. It made a few of their colleagues laugh, which in turn brought a smile to Chad’s face. Anthony used to crack jokes all the time. The team wasn’t smiling enough these days, so any little bit helped.

“But yeah!” Angel flicked his white locks. “He was there, and he had that Qwilfish out!”

Gasps rippled through the entire club. Mouths dropped open and eyes widened. Kiara took a step back. Even Chad had to raise his brows. He was a little surprised Nori would do that in public after what happened yesterday, and at school on top of that.

“So?” Emi queried, the only vocal person among those who were nonplussed about the issue.

“So he was right in the sports field?!” Kate ignored.

“Uh-huh.” Angel nodded emphatically. “I think he was talking to her, but he saw me and I couldn’t get close. He wasn’t thinking that someone could get hurt!”

Richard and Mia both looked back from the computers. The latter shook her head. “He’s really still trying?” the former mused.

“He’s stubborn for better or worse,” Hinoki briefly glanced back from the television to quip.

Next to her, Cameron only leered. Nori had been a trigger for him even before the incident. It wasn’t uncommon, but to him, it was personal. In fact, it was around this time last year when he challenged Nori out of envy for him getting to have the Demon. He got beaten badly.

Kiara crossed her arms and gritted her teeth. “Someone should bring that up to the principal.”

“Why don’t you?” Emi countered.

That caught Kiara off guard. She sputtered for several seconds before any semblance of words started to form. “Because I…don’t have…hey!” She took a step forward and leveled a finger at Emi. “That should be you or Chad’s job! You’re our leaders here!”

Emi just shook her head at that answer. “I. Do. Not. Care.” she punctuated.

At this, Shig turned to him. “What you say, chief?”

All eyes went to him. Chad sipped his Lemonade, feeling a pressure upon his back as he considered the situation. It was a leader’s job to maintain order. He had generally been hands-off with the club. He let everyone train how they wanted, as long as they did so, and didn’t care too much about their opinions or hobbies. But this was starting to tear them apart. Maybe it was finally time to draw a line in the sand.

He rose and walked to the center area between them. He turned his head to the left at Mia and Richard, then to the right at the TV area, before settling on the tables. “Look, everyone. Nori Carino trains out in the fields often. It shouldn’t be any more of a deal than it was before. And he should know well enough not to battle anyone with his assignments after yesterday.”

“How do you know that?” Kiara interrupted.

Chad did not miss a beat. “If I’m wrong, there will be consequences for him. He knows that.” He figured Nori would know better, and if not, that everyone else would know better. Word of the paradox of a Pokemon Rehabilitator was already spreading around town and online. The blond periodically turned to everyone as he spoke his next sentence. “That said, I think it’s for the best if we take our minds off him for a while. Agreed?”

He felt the weight lift as nods and various vocalized agreements followed. Angel sat down with the others at the table, commandeering the seat that used to belong to Kiara. She in turn took Emi’s old place. His co-captain instead approached him with a sigh.

“I need to cool off,” she said loudly, her eyes briefly going to Kiara. “I’m going for a walk.” With that she spun on her heels and went for the door.

Aki pushed to their feet. “Sorry, me too.” They did wait for his approval, and when Chad gave her a nod, they hurriedly followed. They caught the door right a split second before it shut behind Emi and went outside.

When it had nearly closed again, Kiara screamed, “Fanboys!” at the top of her lungs.

Chad tensed. Enough was enough. He jerked towards her and raised his chin. His nostrils flared as he barked, “Kiara, stop antagonizing people.”

“They started it,” she spat bitterly.

Chad sighed. “I will talk to them about it,” he said for the sake of posterity. Anthony was a trigger for her. He was doubtful they could avoid the subject of him entirely. But the promise was enough, and the team got back to their business. He could not say what their discussion was about. It was all a mental blur.

In theory, the best thing that could happen was if Anthony decided to return to the club. But it wouldn’t be the same. Anthony just wouldn’t be the same after this. It wouldn’t be a panacea for Kiara, or anyone else. That’s why he feared so much for Emi. It could just happen a second time. That’s why he was glad those two from YAMS came in. Who could have thought they could actually come up with something coherent? Maybe it was a sign those two were growing. Maybe Chad and the others needed to grow as a team. After rain, the earth becomes firm. That was an old Japanese proverb.

The captain of the battle team limped to the large desk and slumped into the office chair. He glanced up at the ceiling, envisioning beyond it to the heavens above. Shoshas were winners. That was their family motto, that was what was expected of him. He had to make sure he had a winning team. “Am I doing a good job?” he whispered to his ancestors.

---​

Emi Pikaru marched through the hallway of the school with long strides that rose and fell. Her hands were balled into fists, her brow was furled, her teeth were grit, and a low growl was rising from her throat.

Why were people even listening to those two assclowns? Was she the only one who saw that they brought that up just to spite Nori Carino? It didn’t even make sense when you thought about it, when you really thought about it! She hated his guts, sure. She laughed at the horrible irony of an aquaphobe having to learn to train an aquatic Pokemon that wasn’t used to being on land. And she wanted to see him suffer like he made them all suffer. But wrecking his career was taking it way too far.

She shoved open the door to the outside and scoured the fields. No sight of him. Where was he? His club kicked him out, so he couldn’t be there. Maybe he left the school grounds again. Whatever. She wanted to get the hell away from people right now. She stomped off, heading to nowhere in particular.

 

[System Error]

Mornings at the Kannagi Shrine were fairly routine, a fact that did not change after they opened the branch shrine in Veilstone City. The residents who woke up the earliest would tend to the gardens and do any cleaning before visitors arrived. Those who worked but did not live there arrived and started their own duties after doing so. The day and night guards switched positions. Breakfast would be waiting for them and was available to whoever wanted it. They delivered some of it to local food banks. Leftover portions were given to the public.

It was uncommon, but not unusual, to deliver food to someone personally, and that was exactly what Prema found herself doing just after eight. She walked with poise through the hall to her father’s office, carrying a tray with both hands. She stopped before the door and, as she was unable to knock, instead called to him.

“Father!”

There was no answer. Had he heard her? She counted numbers in her mind to pass the seconds. Ro~ku. Shi~chi. Ha~chi. When she reached fifteen, she spoke again.

“Father, I have brought you breakfast. It is admittedly not much; only tamagoyaki with rice porridge.” Prema was somewhat embarrassed to admit that she had helped with the preparations. Yet she did so regardless. “I assisted with it.”

She was again met with only silence. The Master of the Shrine had confined himself in his office for the past two days. It was not implausible that he had left overnight. But then, would Monk Naito not have reported seeing him? Father did not own a Pokemon capable of teleportation. Prema raised her voice, not shouting, but speaking as loud as she could.

“Father? Are you there?” Her heartbeat began to accelerate and her limbs tightened. Was he well?

“Sorry, I’m not hungry,” he finally and immediately answered. It was like the tension had been cut with a blade, yet it also released a weight onto her back. His voice was low and droning. It did not sound as if he had slept much. However, he had made his position clear.

“I see. Then, I apologize for bothering you.”

Prema squeezed her dampening eyes shut. She took a deep breath and emptied her mind in attempt to will them away. She did not want to be seen looking so lost. The heir to the shrine suppressed her feelings and departed.

The expectation from everyone was that Father would slowly improve. That had not been the case; he had been getting worse. Was this their fault? Were they not doing enough to help support him? Father was demanding his space and they had to respect that. So what could they do? Prema felt as though she was in a box with no escape. No matter how many walks she went on or how much meditation she did to clear her mind, it always came back around to this harsh reality.

There was one room in the shrine that still had the same use it did back when the building was the site of a radio station: a meeting room. The door had been left slightly ajar for her. She pulled it open with a foot and closed it behind her with an elbow. There was one other occupant within. Priestess Satomi turned to her as she shuffled in.

“Lady Kannagi?” Her eyes immediately went to the tray. She snorted and squinted harshly enough that Prema momentarily paused. “Did you actually try and deliver the food?” she demanded. Her tone shifted partway through the sentence, from contemptuous to disappointed and curious.

Prema placed the tray at the edge of the table before moving to take a seat across from Priestess Satomi. “No, Father simply declined. He stated he was not hungry.” She began to dip her head.

The elderly woman scoffed and waved a hand. “My ass he isn’t.” Prema recoiled at Priestess Satomi’s use of foul language. She did not swear often, and was always deathly serious whenever she did. “He needs to eat. You should have insisted he at least take the food for later.”

That was a point that she had to disagree on. Prema shook her head firmly. “It might have been too disrespectful had I insisted.”

“No one would have blamed you if you had,” the elderly priestess replied, crossing her arms. “Respecting someone’s wishes is all well and good, but if what they’re doing isn’t healthy for them, well. Sometimes the best thing to do is jump in and be a bit pushy.”

Prema frowned in reply. It was not in her nature to act in that fashion. Even if she had, Father might have only taken the food to appease her. There was no guarantee that he would have eaten it after she had left. Father needed to eat, yes, but they could not force him.

Priestess Satomi’s mouth contorted until it was as crooked as a hook. “But I suppose it’s too late,” she declared, throwing up her arms and shaking her head. “I’ll take it over in a bit. Heh, good thing this is a cold breakfast, eh?”

Prema let out a long and low exhale. She hunched her shoulders and averted eye contact. She opened her mouth only to waver. The truth was, there was nothing she could say to dissuade the priestess. She could only concede, “Very well.”

The heir to the shrine laid her head on the table, wanting to do nothing more than vent her frustrations. It felt like her throat was closing and her stomach was digesting itself. In the back of her mind, she knew that this was for the best. They had to try something different. If only there was more she could do.

The good news had been scarce lately. The Officials, governments, and Pete Stephen’s own people had put out statements condemning the attacks on Sinnohian Qwilfish. It was a small thing off her mind to know others were doing that. Prema only wished they could have as well. She knew enough about maintaining a public image that staying silent was not a good look. Even the Mitsutris, their religious rivals, had spoken briefly on the matter. Yet even that fact was not enough to galvanize Father.

“Can I ask you a question or two, Lady Kannagi?” Prema looked up. Priestess Satomi was looking over, her lips pursed and her eyebrows drawn together. “It’s important for the future of the shrine.”

Dread gripped Prema’s heart, slowing it. A question about the future of the shrine? Had she concluded that this incident was going to consume Father entirely? Prema braced herself. Her hands trembled from the chill running through them.

Satomi continued after a few seconds. “I’ll take your silence to mean you have no objections with this. If you had to choose between your family and your friends, what would you pick?”

A hypothetical question? Prema sat up. “That is a simple question to answer,” she plainly replied. “I cannot abdicate my duty. Unfortunate though it may be, should an irreconcilable divide arise between my faith and my friends, the answer is set.” Saying that made her press her hands to her stomach to contain the knot that formed. It did not change facts.

“You say that. But!” Priestess Satomi snapped her fingers and raised one to the roof. “What of your own feelings? What if the shrine would do just fine without the Kannagis?”

Her toes curled. What was this about? Prema frowned and cast a glare at the elderly woman. “Are you insinuating something, Priestess Satomi?”

“Nothing in particular.” Priestess Satomi flashed a smirk and tossed her head. Why was she acting so arrogant?!

“What is the purpose of this question then, might I ask?” She tapped a finger on the desk.

“Lady Kannagi.” The elderly woman’s expression suddenly changed. She wrinkled her nose. After a second, she leaned forward and leveled at her. “There is nothing wrong with thinking for yourself. There are times when what you want to do – or even what you must do – is not what others expect from you. And other times?” She paused and let out a little sigh. “The right thing to do isn’t going to make people happy.”

She had thus far stated two things. That the shrine would do just fine without the Kannagis. Now she was saying to think for one’s own self and do something that might not make others happy. The conclusion made Prema shrink away. She gagged before she managed to lean forward and snap, “Priestess Satomi, are you suggesting I leave the shrine?”

“Nothing of the sort, Lady Kannagi. But I do have to say.” Her eyes went down for a moment before she gave a frank look. “These kinds of outbursts are not like you.”

Prema’s mouth fell open. She leaned back into the chair. That was pure disgust and anger she was feeling for a moment there. Why was she jumping to those conclusions? Priestess Satomi had never wanted anything but the best for her and the shrine. Satomi Kurusu had been with it since birth, and so would not seek to tear it down. How could she think otherwise?

“Yes, you are right. I apologize. I cannot do so enough.” With a sniff, she stood to bow heavily and formally. When Prema sat down again, she clutched at herself and lightly curled up. It was just the two of them in here, so she allowed her insecurities out. “I suppose the stress of the situation is getting to me, too.”

“It’s getting to all of us.” Priestess Satomi rose, walked around the table, and gently patted her on the back. Prema sighed, leaning into it gently. “Gotta admit, I’ve been running on ‘help everyone else’ energy for a while now myself.”

Prema had that impression. It was uncharacteristic of her elderly mentor to snap and act as bitterly as she did when hearing that Father was not hungry. Even some of their Pokemon were starting to feel it. All of them wanted to help Father, but what could they do?

Satomi took the seat to her right. The elderly woman only smiled at her. Prema nodded, yet something kept gnawing at her mind. She turned her head and asked, “Might I ask what you truly meant by considering my own personal feelings?”

“Yes, let me be more clear.” Satomi cleared her throat and began to explain what she had been trying subtly to get at. “One thing you’ll have to keep in mind when you become Master: the Kannagi Shrine has always been about breaking new ground and paving new paths. You could say that we evolve just like Pokemon! Your father is one of the Masters who chose to make a difference by branching out into the world, even if it meant alienating traditionalists who wanted the shrine to remain exclusively in Celestic Town. As you know, it has proven to be successful. So do not be afraid to forge your own way forward. And I do not only mean when the time comes for you to take over. I am speaking of the present.”

“The present?” Prema repeated after Satomi remained silent for a couple seconds.

“And not just breakfast!” She raised her head and cackled. Prema smiled a little as well. There was certainly more to the question than what was immediately in front of them. “It is an example, of course. It might not make him happy at first, but he would understand in time. But there’s much more at stake than this.”

More at stake? Wait! Prema felt a jolt run through her spine, straightening her posture. “Priestess Satomi. Are you saying I should defy Father’s wishes and do what I can about this situation?”

“Ding-ding-ding!” she declared, miming the ringing of a bell. “You needn’t go out of your way, of course. But if and when the opportunity presents itself, yes. You know as well as I do that Qwilfish is a good Pokemon caught in a bad spot.”

“And it is the duty of the Kannagis to aid such Pokemon.” That was a fact. She knew that fact from the very beginning. It did not matter what that Qwilfish had done or how she had affected them personally. It was the duty of the Kannagis to help a Pokemon in need.

“And hey, he might not need anything more than moral support, but you never know. Just be there for him.” Satomi shrugged. “Besides, what else are friends for?”

She nodded. For a moment, she wondered how she could even do so when Father had given his edict on the matter. It would be difficult to sneak away to help. Then she thought about it some more. Be there for him. Priestess Satomi was telling her that Nori was going to come by at some point regardless of what he was told. That made sense. Particularly given the new concerns about the nature of his profession.

Still, that would not change their situation. Prema wanted nothing more than to help Nori and save his Qwilfish even before Priestess Satomi had given her the blessing to go through with it. “But the more pressing concern at the moment is the future of our shrine,” she stated. “If Father is unable to perform his duties, then I…” She would have to–

That would make her by far the youngest Master in the history of the shrine. If it was even permissible; she had not even undertaken the Rite yet, so there was also a question of worthiness.

“That won’t happen,” Satomi cut in with cold and steely determination. “We will make sure he comes out the other side of this.”

Prema placed a hand on her temple to contain the sudden headache. The teenager hummed. She was sure that was a sentiment shared by everyone else in the shrine. She held an elbow and covered her mouth, shaking her head. But what if it all went wrong? What if they somehow made things worse?

“I can tell you are conflicted, Lady Kannagi,” Satomi said, gently patting her back. “But let me boil it down for you. That’s the source of Master Haruto’s grief. He wants to blame something for what happened to his friend.”

It was like everything fell into place at that. Prema had an inkling it was something like that. But the notion seemed absurd, that Father would allow personal feelings to cloud his judgment so badly. Hearing Priestess Satomi say it let her accept that conclusion. “People often try to,” she stated. Father was logically no different. “He needs closure to move beyond this.”

“Exactly. So helping the situation along will help him too.”

By helping to save Nori’s Qwilfish, she would also be saving Father. Would that work? Prema was sure that no matter what happened, Father would be able to move on. He was strong. The best-case scenario would be if Nori were to succeed on his own. But Prema was still concerned he would not be able to overcome his fear. Whenever she thought about that, her heart tightened. It took effort to care for an aquatic Pokemon. If he could not care for Qwilfish, that would severely impede his ability to rehabilitate her.

Priestess Satomi remained quiet, smiling as Prema processed the matter. The elderly woman eventually stood and picked up the tray. “Well, in any case, you should follow your heart here. It’s what your mom would want.”

“Mother?” she slowly asked. Lisa Kannagi. Prema had never known her mother personally. She had only seen pictures; Mother was an archaeologist who had a radiant smile, a tall and fit figure, and the same forest green hair color as hers. Everyone who knew her spoke highly of her; Priestess Satomi had gone as far as saying that Father was never the same after her disappearance. Someone who acted upon what her heart told her.

“It’s the code she lived by.” Priestess Satomi flashed a wink and turned to leave. “I’ll leave you with that while I take this over to Master Haruto.”

Prema looked up at the ceiling after the door shut. Was Mother watching over her from wherever she was? She could not feel anything. Prema sat back and thought for what felt like hours. Maybe this was one of those situations where there was no right answer.

For some reason, her thoughts drifted to something that initially seemed strange and unrelated. Her absent friend Nariya had once told her something in June, shortly after they had properly met. She had been dissatisfied with Youths Against Mistaken Society for a long time. Yet she never had the courage to step forward and make a change in her life. She was worried that things would only get worse if she chose to do so. It was only when Prema had confronted them and intervened that she found the strength of heart to step forward and get out of the situation. If she had not done so, Nariya might still be with Louis Trussel and Mariko Urusai, being dragged along with their toxic schemes, without the will to escape.

Change was difficult. It could be daunting to go from the certainty of what you know into the unknown, particularly when that could be worse. And yet staying in a bad situation was not the right answer. A case in point, Nariya had decided to try to become more involved in the shrine. It had backfired in a way that they might never see each other again. But there was a saying that Priestess Satomi had told her after the incident. If you want to capture a joey, you must face a Kangaskhan. There was still hope for them, and hope here.

Would Father be angry if she defied his orders? Most likely yes. But she would not know unless she tried. He was reasonable. Maybe he would understand in time. Mother would want her to follow her heart. And her heart was telling her…

 

[System Error]

As Nori left school and walked out into the brisk autumn air on Tuesday, he spotted a somewhat weighty teenager waiting for him outside. He narrowed his eyes at the orange-haired girl before walking off towards the fields. He caught her getting up out of the corner of his eye. There wasn’t even a chance to send Pachi out as usual.

“Yo, Carino,” Reiko greeted. The fact that her tone was cordial, even casual, was the only thing that stopped him from simply quickening his pace and leaving her behind. “Wanted to say I’m sorry. I overreacted to you on Monday.”

It was a simple and to the point apology. Nori slowed and eventually stopped. She took a few steps in front of him and hung her head low.

“I was just–” She sighed, then she grumbled. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “My emotions got the better of me.”

Nori scrutinized Reiko. She bristled under his gaze, standing more upright and lightly curling her lip. She actually sounded irritated. If it was anyone else, Nori would think she was insincere and apologizing because someone told her to. But this was Reiko Azuma. He knew what she was like. If she didn’t want to do this, she would not have done so. She was mad at herself.

“I know what that’s like. Apology accepted,” he told her with a nod. Reiko’s faint sigh did not escape his notice; the condensation of the air gave it away. He had an idea why she was acting that way too. “And I know you were partially sticking up for Terrance too. Especially given how you feel about him.”

It happened all in one motion. She sneered, she recoiled, she gritted her teeth, and her hands went into fists. “Dammit, you too?!” she bellowed.

He put up his palms, although was unable to contain his smirk. “Hey, we’re all cheering for you!” From the sounds of it, Yumi must’ve brought it up. “Friends have each other’s backs.”

It didn’t do much for her; her knees began to buckle and she covered her face in shame. Nori took that moment to let some of his chuckling out. Outspoken Reiko had something she was embarrassed to speak about. It was funny. And even funnier how Terrance somehow hadn’t noticed all this time.

Something occurred to Nori, and he hastily asked, “Uh, you weren’t speaking for him, were you?” That might explain why she blew up at him.

“No, it was my choice, and he was over it on Monday,” Reiko grumbled while muttering to herself. “He said he’s sorry too.”

“That’s a relief.” Good to know there was never really any bad blood there. Even if – and Nori seriously wondered this – it was only because Terrance was afraid to speak up. “What about Mitsu?” Mitsu was the one he was really pissed at. He expected a hostile reaction from Reiko, but not him. And he didn’t have a bad temper as an excuse. And he was their lead editor too. “I swear, if he prints something bad in the paper…” He was their lead editor.

“Still being a stubborn ass about it,” Reiko scoffed with a roll of her eyes and a shake of her head. “Yumi and I are making sure he keeps to the facts in the newsletter.”

A strange feeling rose in Nori’s gut. He tapped his neck. Yumi he expected, especially with how she seemed to feel about him. Man, he wanted to hug her just to see how she’d react. If he was wrong about how she felt, he could play it off as a friendly hug. But Reiko? That was something he didn’t expect.

“Thanks,” he raved with a bounce. He skipped over to her with a grin and flashed a thumbs up. “I appreciate it, Reiko. And it’s the right thing too. Good job.”

“Yeah, yeah,” she brushed off as if it were nothing, although she was hiding her mouth from him with a hand. Her brow twitched as she forced it downward. “Still want to know what you were thinking with this. I’d like to think you knew it’d cause friction in the club.”

Nori put his hands on his hips and briefly glanced up. “I didn’t have a say in the matter, even with my phobia. Believe me, I knew that as well as you.”

“That figures,” she snarked and shook her head with derision. “Isn’t this a conflict of interest somehow?”

He put a finger on the side of his lip. “Not really. I guess it would be if I felt like you guys did.” The excuse didn’t cross his mind at the time, and it was too late for that now. “But I don’t think they care if it bugs people I know.”

“Jerks.”

“Agree.”

They shared a laugh. He could always count on Reiko to be amusingly blunt. It was why he considered her a good friend. She told him things no one else would, even if she was rude about it sometimes.

“Now that you mention it,” he brought up. He wistfully took out her Dive Ball. “Even if there were other Pokemon Rehabilitators around, it might be hard to find one who isn’t bothered by what Qwilfish here did. They might hate her same as a lot do, or might be too afraid of scrutiny.”

An eyebrow went up on the chubby teenager. “And you weren’t?” she asked in a sharp tone.

Her belligerence faded once he smiled sadly at her. “Of course I was,” he said frankly. “It was my second-biggest worry, after, y’know.” He shuddered. Just the mere thought of it could set him off. Sometimes even simple words did. “I’d have tried to keep it secret if it wasn’t for Akari stupid Schrader. And like I said–”

“Fine, my bad.” She grumbled, more at herself than anything.

“Well, either way, I was prepared for people to hate me,” he told her for the sake of absolute clarity. Honestly, his chest was still fluttering a little over her apologizing. He thought for sure he’d lost more friends. Time would tell how much more often he would have to put up with this. “But after I met and got to know her, I knew it was the right thing to do. So I was ready to accept it as worth it in the end. I just hope I can change some minds.”

“I hope you’re right too.” Reiko crossed her arms and tapped a finger on her body.

She didn’t seem to believe him. There was one way around that. “Well, do you want to see for yourself?” He asked Yumi and she had an insightful opinion.

“What the hell are you doing?!” She grabbed at his arm as if that could stop him. He hadn’t even reared back. But he did yank away in one powerful motion and take several steps away. “No!” she screamed.

“No?” he asked, clutching the capsule tighter as to not accidentally drop it.

“Look, if you and Takao say she’s all right, I believe you.” She stamped a foot. “But I don’t need to see her!”

Nori processed this. She had her shoulders raised and her knees bent, as if alert and ready to run. Was she afraid of Qwilfish? And masking it with anger? Well, no reason to send her out, then. “Mm, okay.”

Reiko huffed. “Anyway, that’s all I wanted to say.”

“Thanks again.” He nodded emphatically. “Knowing I have a club to go back to that’ll mostly welcome me back is a load off my mind.”

“When will you be back?” she asked the obvious follow-up question.

“I was thinking next week at the latest.” At least, that was the plan before this conversation. With that, he added a shrug and said, “Maybe tomorrow. I didn’t want to cause havoc or anything by coming back right before publication.”

“Okay.” Reiko turned on her heels and glanced over her shoulder. “Later.”

“Bye, Reiko.” He waved at her, pocketed Qwilfish, and took out Pachi. The little squirrel Pokemon hugged his leg after emerging. With his Pokemon at his side, Nori set out towards home.

He might not have been able to show Qwilfish to another person, but Reiko had given him another useful piece of information. No matter what she had claimed, she still at the very least had doubts about the Pokemon that had accidentally killed Pete Stephens and was too afraid to see for herself. So how could he change that? How could he make more people see that she wasn’t a bad Pokemon? Is that what the Officials wanted him to do?

---​

Terrance was waiting for her near the front doors of the school like he promised. Reiko frowned for a moment. If Carino and Takao knew, what if he did too? What if he just didn’t want to say anything?! Ugh! What if he thought she was weird?!

“Um, Reiko? Are you okay?”

She stood upright as he called to her. She glanced at him. His expression was as neutral as always, maybe a little concerned. No, Takao said he hadn’t noticed. Maybe she was lucky.

She huffed. Better get to the point. “So I talked to him.”

“And?” He sniveled a little and pressed his index fingers together. “H-how did it go? How is he?”

“He’s fine,” she assured him with a wave of a hand. That was all that needed to be said. Truth be told, she had envied Carino. At the time, she didn’t know why the Officials had hired some kid their age to work with Pokemon. But now she understood why they picked him. Though maybe they chose too well. She growled. “But he wanted me to meet that Qwilfish.”

He blinked. “D-did you?” he stammered.

“Hell no!” she snapped. Even if it was him, that was a stupid question! “That maniac almost threw it out without warning!”

Terrance had his arms up in a defensive position. Reiko cursed under her breath. She knew he startled easily and yelled anyway. Stupid! All she could do was bow her head.

“Sorry,” she apologized. She couldn’t help herself there. The orange-haired teenager took a deep breath in and out before continuing. “But besides that, it went okay. Said he didn’t have a say in training her. He told me he might be back tomorrow, or next week.”

He quietly nodded. “That’s good to hear.” Again, he sniffed. Reiko knew he felt bad about it, but didn’t think it was that bad.

Well, better get moving. Reiko motioned, and they started walking back home. There was an awkward silence between them for the first block or so. He was never good at initiating conversation, and well. With these new revelations, Reiko had no clue what to say either. If it was that obvious to everyone else, what if she said something even he picked up on?!

“Hey, Reiko?”

Reiko whirled to face him. She let a shaky exhalation escape her. “What’s wrong, Terrance?” It really was rare for him to speak up about something.

He hung his head low and turned away. “I’m worried about Mitsu.”

That made her blink. “Don’t be,” she said. “Takao and I will make sure he doesn’t bug Carino.”

“I mean that too!” His voice strained a little as he whirled back at her. “But he might make a bad decision. What if he quits?”

Reiko crossed her arms. Yeah, that was a fair point. But she wasn’t worried. “That’s on him if he can’t get past this. Good luck finding another club at this time of year. We’ll pick up the slack. Anyone can edit.” She’d been learning, and she was sure Terrance could pick it up quickly too.

Her friend sighed. “I guess you’re right. It won’t look good if he does that.” Another sniff.

“I don’t think he’s that dumb at least.” If there was one thing she knew Chisaka for, it was keeping a level head. That’s why his recent behavior was so surprising. But he was smart enough to know that up and abandoning his club was social suicide even in the worst-case scenario. Even if the circumstances were extreme here.

Terrance sighed again, this time more sharply. “If only the older girls were here.”

“I know. But Chisaka had to come in and spread his stupid cold.”

He sniffed again. Suddenly, his sniveling was in a whole different perspective. What he said after confirmed it completely. “I’ve been…not feeling right today. Hope this isn’t the start of it for me.”

She shuddered. “That’d be shit. I’d probably catch it too.”

And here she thought they’d just gotten lucky or had the strain before, but noooo. Reiko hated being sick. It always took her down, and she hated doing nothing. She was going to have choice words for Chisaka if she did, especially if he really was somehow dumb enough to screw them over because of a petty grudge with Carino. And if he was willing to forgive her, that meant he really was a friend. Reiko sighed, even grumbled at herself.

But Takao. Reiko felt she was totally wrong about her. She was okay. No, better than okay, and she could tell Takao felt the same. And here Reiko thought she wasn’t going to make any real friends in the club. Yet she had found two. She scoffed bitterly.

“Wh-what’s wrong, Reiko?” Terrance stammered.

“Just thinking,” she told him. “Don’t worry.”

“O-okay.”

Well, she complained about a lot of things. But she wasn’t going to complain about this. Reiko glanced back, feeling a strange sensation rising in her chest. She identified it quickly; she was looking forward to talking to Takao tomorrow!

##########​

Emi Pikaru was standing before a small group of individuals. She eyed each of the ones present with seriousness. They were all curious about why she had gathered them here, but at least a couple of them likely had a good feeling.

She took a deep breath. “We need to talk, guys.”

 

[System Error]

Tuesday evening turned out to be uneventful as far as making progress with Qwilfish was concerned. Nori was able to feed his assignment at home without much incident, thanks to some residual puddles in the area. The good news was that nothing happened to screw things up even worse than they already were.

But the Pokemon Rehabilitator refused to be deterred. It hadn’t even been a week since he had gotten her. These sorts of things could take time, and any little step forward counted. And a lot of little steps were equal to a few big ones.

As he was walking into school on Wednesday morning, he found an auburn-haired teenager wearing black jeans, a black shirt, and a black-sleeved cyan jumper waiting for him. Compared to the last time this happened, her light blue eyes were like a still winter day and her expression just as chilly. She briefly turned away after catching sight of him, yet her eyebrows and lips twitched as she forced a scowl; Nori could tell so because she stomped towards him with an exaggerated swagger.

“Nori Carino,” was all she said at first, sternly and sharply.

He exhaled. “What is it this time?” he asked, putting his right hand on his hip.

Nori instinctively stepped back and got his guard up as Emi’s arm came flying out at him, but it stopped way short. The fact that she didn’t so much as smile or mock him told Nori that something was really up. She only held out her palm. “Give me the waiver.”

He stared at it incredulously. His left hand found its way to the hip as well. “You’re really still going on about this?” he asked with complete astonishment, leaning in and throwing his right hand up. He took stock of their surroundings. All around them, their peers were stopping in their tracks and watching this go down.

Emi remained blissfully unaware, or if not, uncaring about them. She had her eyes locked squarely on him as she gave an explanation. “The way I see it, the legal agreement doesn’t just exist for you to train your Pokemon. It exists for people like me who want…” Like a hiccup, she stopped. Her eyes darted away, she squinted them, and she swallowed hard. “Have to have a battle with a Pokemon, in my case.”

Have to? Had she lost her mind?! She didn’t have to fight anything. It was all in her head! He glanced around. People were just watching. Even some teachers had stopped to see this.

When it looked like a guy with short, silvery hair was about to approach, Emi suddenly took notice. She fired off a leer so harsh that he stumbled away. When she turned back, her expression became blank save for vaguely watery eyes. Her words came out quick and desperate.

“People can call me irresponsible all they want. I talked to my Pokemon about it, and they were all on board. That’s all the validation I care about.” Then she bowed at him. Nori did a small double take. She bowed, he saw that right. “Please,” she begged.

At this point, they’d attracted the attention of everyone around them, and several more were gathering. It was so quiet that you could’ve heard a Joltik scuttling. If the eyes of the onlookers weren’t on each other as they whispered amongst themselves, they were on Nori. All waiting for his answer.

He took a good look at Emi. There were dark bags under her eyelids, she probably lost some sleep over this. Her hair was scraggly, like she was in a rush this morning. She had her lips pursued and her body pointed toward him. She was waiting with as much anticipation as the rest of them. But was she thinking clearly?

Nori leveled at her. His body ached with tension. “You’re serious about this, aren’t you?” he asked. “Do you know what you’re getting into? And I don’t mean the risks to your Pokemon.”

“I am.” The side of her mouth crooked upwards slightly.

Nori had been to that place too many times before. Especially when he became a total pariah when Kallisto Keravnos had condemned him back in June. If it wasn’t for Prema’s encouragement and Arumi’s help, he might still be one to the point of where he’d have to leave Japan. He wouldn’t wish it on anyone, not even his worst enemies. People were hopping around like pissed off Primeapes over what the former YAMS said about the ethics of the agreement. And she didn’t care? She said her Pokemon didn’t care either.

There was something in her eyes and her posture. She was resolved. He felt a strange connection to her at that moment that pulled his shoulders downward. “I can respect that,” he said, closing his eyes and feeling himself smile. “You want to fight Qwilfish no matter what people think because of those jerks, and I’m going to keep on helping her no matter what people think.”

Emi laughed and leaned in, smirking at him. “We found some common ground after all.”

“I guess so.” Who would’ve thought? Nothing he wasn’t used to after the Gym Trainers at Sunyshore, though. “All right. Happy to,” he officially confirmed what the crowd had been suspecting was coming. That made them burst into chatter which they both ignored. “But give me a day. I didn’t bring the waiver with me.”

Emi’s expression became a full-on grin. He felt so light in the chest he was compelled to return it. It was funny, Nori thought at that moment. They were suddenly getting along! If they met under better circumstances, could things have turned out differently?

He stuck out his arm on a whim. She gladly accepted the handshake.

“Appreciate it. And for the record?” She pulled him in and glowered. She spoke lowly, right in his face, “Get over your fear. I want her at her best, so there’s no excuses when I beat her.”

Nori yanked back and took a step away. “Stupid!” he muttered to himself. It was too good to be true. A tightness welled in his throat and chest as the ramifications of what she had just said started to sink…ugh!! Don’t think that word! “But…water,” he squeaked out. “I won’t be at my best.”

“Well it can’t be helped unless you train her to be out of it in the next couple days.” She crossed her arms and gave a predator’s smirk. It faded after a few seconds of looking down on him. “We’ll have a rubber match to settle this once and for all if we have to,” she assured, more soothingly.

Nori blinked. “Wait, next couple days?” He threw his hands back and stomped a foot.

“If Friday after school doesn’t work for you.”

Nori grumbled. “I guess we can get it out of the way then. But we,” He winced at his misspeaking. He breathed in and out before continuing. “That won’t give me much time to train. Maybe not.”

He couldn’t help but slap himself. What did he just agree to do?! The plan had been to gradually ease Qwilfish into things. But he couldn’t afford little steps anymore! Sure, she tolerated him, the keyword being ‘tolerated.’ What about listening to him in a battle? Or just battling in general?

“You’re good enough to handle this,” she assumed. Her next words were both condescending and genuine at the same time, somehow. “Worst case, just have her fight on her own like you like to.”

“I still think it’d be best if we wait.”

Emi turned away all of a sudden, as if something had caught her eye. “Let’s get it out of the way, and once you train her out of water, we’ll fight again.” She grumbled. “And there goes Angel, running off to narc.”

“A snitch?” Nori just saw what she was looking at; that same guy who tried to approach her running into the hall. Come to think of it, “I saw that guy the other day.”

Emi waved it off. “Oh, don’t worry about it. That’s just something I’ll have to deal with back in the clubroom. You just get things sorted out from your end. So we good?”

He was guessing that guy was on the battling team too. And certainly not too happy she wanted to fight him. So like she said, nothing for him to worry about. “I guess we’re good,” he conceded, knees trembling. Maybe the sooner this was over, the better off he would be.

“Thanks.” She nodded with calm appreciation before turning to leave. Her shoulders were back, her chin was high, and she was swinging her arms naturally.

It took a bit of processing until he reached a conclusion. She knew she was going to get a lot of hate for wanting this. So she wanted it out of the way as soon as possible. That’s why she wanted it on Friday. And…this. Him. Maybe the sooner it was over, the less he would have to dread it. He already was. Was it too late to back out?

“No, no,” he said to himself, clapping his ears. “It’s done, Nori. Maybe it’ll work out.” It was a battle that worked with the Demon, after all. Maybe that would be the key here. “You just gotta let Mr. Martins know, just in case.”

He wasn’t cursing his decision at least. His instincts were telling him deep down that this could work out. At least, it’d let him know a few things. It looked like he’d be going to his clubroom today after all, albeit for an unexpected reason.

##########​

Nori ate his lunch out in the halls before heading to his club. When he arrived, there were only three people in the small computer lab. They were scattered about and not the ones he was expecting. Terrance was sitting at a desk with what looked like some of his homework in front of him. Saqid was at another table, loitering and looking at his cell phone. He was notably wearing a white face mask. Mitsu was at his usual spot, and yet he was the first to look over.

“Oh, look at what the Snorlax puked up,” Mitsu sardonically stated, holding his head high and scrunching his nose.

“What the hell?” Nori went through the doorway and shut it behind him with his foot. “You’re still mad?”

“Of course I am!” The teal-haired teenager spun his chair around and rested his arm on the side. “A couple of days isn’t going to change facts! How much of an asshole do you have to be–”

“That is enough!” Saqid stood and shouted, his voice cracking. “Do not welcome back the chief with that.”

Mitsu scowled. “You still respect him?”

“He is our chief, is he not?” His eyebrows went up. He was probably smiling behind the mask. “And he is good at it. And a good man besides.”

Terrance peeked up. “Y-yeah,” he stammered. “Nori is…” While he trailed off, Nori saw his hands ball into fists and his muscles tense. He suddenly shouted, “Stop it, Mitsu! Leave him alone!”

Nori blinked slowly. He couldn’t help but beam a little. He expected Saqid, but he wasn’t expecting Terrance to stand up for him like that. Another surprise like yesterday. He was still welcome here! Except maybe by one person.

Nori turned to him. He understood where Mitsu was coming from. He just needed to rein it in. “Just calm down,” he advised. He was starting to get mad, but he knew that yelling back at Mitsu wasn’t going to do anyone any good. “Take a deep breath and hold it. If you want to vent at me, fine. Let it out. But at least try to be rational about it.” He didn’t want to hear it if it was just a bitter and nonsensical rant.

The response was not one he was expecting. Mitsu let out a wail of frustration. He got up, snatched his bag and green metallic water bottle, and stomped away. The technogeek deliberately bumped into Nori as he passed by. Nori almost spun around and shoved him through the door in retaliation, and would have if Mitsu had not already left before he could think about it.

He grumbled and shook his head. What was Mitsu’s problem? He would hate to lose him from the club, but maybe it would just take some reflection. Helping bad Pokemon didn’t make him a bad person. And Qwilfish wasn’t even bad!

Saqid swung an arm over his head. “Welcome back, chief!” the tan-skinned teenager greeted.

“It’s only for a bit,” Nori stated. That took a bit of air out of Saqid, who sat back down at his table. “I’m guessing Yumi and Reiko are out doing distribution? Or are the older girls back?”

“It is the younger girls.” He sagely nodded. “The older girls are still sick. We’re catching it too, I’m afraid.”

“Jeez.” His hand went to his face. They’d been away since Friday. They had to be extremely careful, getting it really bad, or using it as an excuse to skip school – and he didn’t think it was the last of them. It was one thing to keep one of them down for a while, but both of them? “Hope it doesn’t hit you two as bad.”

The two guys agreed with him there. Nori at least, didn’t think he was going to get it. He hadn’t felt sick yet. He rarely noticed colds anyway. And he didn’t think it was luck; his was usually awful.

“Anyway, I guess I should tell you two first.” It might’ve already spread given how many people saw them, but he wanted to tell them personally anyway. “I’m going to be battling Emi Pikaru on Friday.”

They both snapped to attention. Terrance touched his lips and shrunk into his seat, stammering a ‘wh’ repeatedly. He didn’t get a chance to speak, since Saqid did.

“But chief!” he protested, his voice straining as it rose in pitch. “That Qwilfish is dangerous! This could end up like it did with Pawniard and Anthony Morris!”

“She doesn’t care,” he plainly told them with a shrug. He waved a foot. “Her Pokemon don’t, either.”

“N-Nori,” Terrance strained. He squinted and groaned, and almost seemed to shudder. “It’s…no disrespect. Isn’t it irresponsible to let this happen?”

He frowned and slumped, though his arms did not go slack. It was a good thing Mitsu left, because he would certainly fly into hysterics over this. But it wasn’t like he didn’t think this through or got pressured into it.

He stood taller and moved between their two tables. His eyes were half closed as he did so, but he didn’t feel tense or uneasy. He looked at Terrance and spoke unhurriedly. “Emi understands the risks. So do her Pokemon. She wanted it in spite of what people would think.” He switched his gaze to Saqid. “That’s enough for me.”

Terrance looked down and shuffled his feet. Saqid rubbed his chin and hummed. Neither was really buying it.

Nori bit his lip. The food in his gut tossed and turned. He was under no illusions about the situation. He cleared his throat and tried to stand tall as he explained further, “It…it isn’t going to be easy for me, since she wants to fight it in an ar…” He gently clapped against his head. “One suited for a Qwilfish. But I respect her stance. Maybe that’s why I accepted. I know what I’m getting into here. I hope you guys can understand.”

“If you say…I mean, I guess so.” Terrance almost said something different. He avoided eye contact with Nori. At least he accepted it.

“I know people are going to disagree. But any battle has a risk of injury,” he argued to him. Then he realized. He groaned as he rubbed the nape of his neck. “That sounds weak, doesn’t it?”

“No, I see what you are getting at!” Saqid stated. Nori smiled a little at that. He was glad Saqid did so, because he sure didn’t see it. There was something off about the former YAMS’ argument! He just didn’t know exactly what or how to articulate it right!

He changed the subject. Better get to business. “Anyway, sorry I’ve been away. But I came here to call my handler – as Reiko put it – and do some research and check my emails.”

“But of course!” the eighth-year boomed. Terrance also nodded and smiled faintly. “And again, welcome back!”

“I missed being here,” he admitted with a laugh. It was good to be around his friends and acquaintances. “Just gotta do this quick,” he said as he stepped into the back room.

Why the Officials didn’t get him a cellphone or something instead of his weird radio was something beyond Nori. He could still be called by others, but he couldn’t make calls. So he had to come to places like this all the time in order to use the phone!

The boy pulled out his notepad and flipped to the page where he kept his numbers. He picked up the receiver, sat down in the office chair, dialed in the number for the agent’s cell phone, and waited. He only had to wait for about five seconds.

“Hello, hola, konnichiwa, and oi!” the man boomed into the receiver. It was a greeting unlike any Nori had heard, even from him before.

“Hi, Mr. Martins?” he started.

“S-sir!” the agent stammered at the use of his real name. “Call me my codename!”

“Sorry. Just politeness.” He wanted to be formal, and it was a force of habit with that sort of thing. That and he was starting to see just how ridiculous Studd was as a codename, especially out loud. “But I need to arrange a meeting with you tomorrow. I have to ask you some questions. Is that all right?”

“Why can we not ask the questions now?”

Nori tapped a finger on the receiver. “I’m busy right now, and I’m sure you are too.” They had way more to talk about than the battle with Emi.

“Erk!” Agent Studd let out a gurgled choke. He could basically see the man cringing and collapsing in disappointment. “So much for that break.”

Nori had no idea what the agent did with the Officials besides overseeing him. Probably just a desk job, actually.

“After school and same place as always, then,” the agent declared.

Nori curled his lip. It wasn’t the worst idea considering it was outside of their scheduled time, but he would still rather have more privacy. “I guess for a lack of ideas, but we’ll try to see if we can get into the school this time.” It was a weekday, so they should be able to get in.

“Leave it to me, sir! I will make sure the office lady understands!”

Nori sat upright in the chair, as if a jolt of electricity shot through his spine. “No, leave it to me,” he ordered, trying to sound as stern and serious as possible. “Just sit there and wait until I get there, and I’ll do the talking. Bye.”

He hung up without giving him a chance to protest. Nori was absolutely sure nothing good would come of Studd marching in there and introducing himself as usual. Except maybe forcing them to move away from using the playground near the school, but the side effects of that weren’t ideal. Everything was set. He just had to get ready with his questions.

For now, it was time to research Sinnohian Qwilfish. He stepped back out into the clubroom to do just that.

##########​

“Reiko.”

She turned to the other girl. “We can’t do anything, Takao.” Carino had made a crazy decision. Part of why she was out delivering the papers was to give herself time to cool off, just in case he did stop by.

The beige-haired teenager shook her head. “No, it’s about Touya.”

Reiko curled her lip. This again? “Yeah, what about him?”

Her friend’s mouth simply hung open. “I…I emailed him, and…”

 

[System Error]

The news about the big battle planned for Friday afternoon reached Chad through Mia right before their morning class was about to start; she had heard about it from Angel, who was telling anyone he could. The captain of the battling team almost jumped out of his chair and went to find Emi right then and there. If the teacher hadn’t walked in at that moment, he actually would have.

Even now, he found his body quaking thinking about it. He was flushed with rage, hands clenching and unclenching as he stood like a Watchog outside the door to the clubroom. He let everyone in the club who came by know that he was waiting for her, and that he would speak to her about it.

She was taking her time. Maybe she knew that she had royally screwed up. Chad wondered if she was going to come by at all. Around ten or twenty minutes after he had posted himself (time was dilating), she finally appeared before him. She had her jacket slung over a shoulder.

He charged over to her. “Emi.”

“Hey, Chad,” she greeted him with a casual smile. It only made Chad angrier. Was she being belligerent with him or was she seriously that ignorant?!

“Don’t you hey me.” He jabbed a finger in her face. As he opened his mouth, what he wanted to say escaped his mind, resulting in only a guttural growl coming out.

Emi recoiled. “Uh, excuse me?”

So she really wasn’t aware. Did she not think there were going to be consequences for this stunt?! His vision flashed. “Let’s step away and talk for a bit,” he managed to seethe through clenched teeth.

She snorted as an arrogant smile crept to her lips. “Sure, dad.”

His face ached from how much his jaw clenched. He temporarily swallowed what he wanted to say and stormed ahead and out of the school like a Primeape after the object of its ire. He only occasionally glanced back to make sure Emi was still following him, which she was.

He led her out into the parking lot at the back of the school. It was far enough that they wouldn’t disturb anyone, but still close enough that they wouldn’t be going a long way’s away.

By this point, Emi had put on her coat, crossed her arms, and frowned. “So what’s the problem?” She tapped a foot and mimed looking at her wrist. “This about Nori Carino again?”

It was as if she struck a match and thrown it. “Emi, enough with the attitude!” he exploded, unable to restrain himself from giving her a little shove. She took only a half step back. “This is a serious issue we need to talk about!”

Emi leered at him and tapped a foot. She made a flippant gesture as if to say, ‘Get on with it.’

“Yes, this is about your challenge to him. It was one thing to try and go behind my back the first time. Not only did you do it again, but you are willfully endangering your Pokemon! You absolutely should not sign that waiver and go through with this battle!”

“Really, Chad?” She facepalmed hard. A sharp exhale escaped her. “You got taken in by that bullshit those freaks were spouting?”

“It is not BS. They had a real point.” He snorted and tried to inject a little humor into the situation. “For once.” Much as he hated to admit it, those two had brought up a very valid point about the ethics of a Pokemon Rehabilitator.

Yet when Emi failed to smile, Chad felt an invisible force pull at his chest. “My Pokemon are fine with it. Nori Carino’s fine with it.” She irreverently threw up her arms. “That should settle any problem anyone has, right?”

“It is way more than that!” he shrieked at her.

“What!?”

“This is a bad idea on multiple levels! Why do you want to do this?”

“How is it bad? I don’t see the problem here.”

“It just is!”

Emi blew him off with a wave of her hand. “Oh, sure. Great logic. I’m so convinced.”

“Why are you insisting on this so much?!” he yelled, the stress straining his throat.

“Why do you have such a big problem with this?” she countered.

“Emi, you are making a mistake by battling Nori Carino!” He paced relentlessly, feeling like he was about to throw up. Sweat was dripping down his armpits. He rubbed his wrists, nearly writhing from his anguish. “I don’t know what it is, I just have a bad feeling about this! Something is going to happen, I just know it!”

She grumbled and shook her head. “Chad, you’re being paranoid,” she again brushed off, albeit with an assurance that he absolutely refused to believe in. “And you’re starting to lose it.”

Him, losing it?! She had lost it! “You haven’t answered my question!” he wailed at her. Chad punctuated his next three words: “Why. Do. This?” Why was she throwing everything away and risking so much?!

“Chad, I…” Her expression went blank, then dimmed. She swallowed before rasping, “I need the closure.”

“What?” he demanded. It was half snapping at her and half bewilderment. “Over the Krookodile Tracker?”

“Not just him.” Emi slowly walked over and sat down on one of the large stone parking bumpers. She folded her hands in her lap and gazed downward. “I think, more importantly, I need it over our club. You know how I feel about what’s been happening, and how I felt from the start.”

Chad blinked. This all came back to Anthony Morris. After his Pokemon had gotten critically injured in a battle against Nori Carino, Emi’s first reaction had been to avenge him. She only held back at his behest. Yet her anger still simmered beneath the surface. She didn’t bring it up, but she still wanted revenge. It hurt Chad just as much seeing how some of their teammates were changing for the worse. Everyone had changed after the incident. Was Nori getting assigned this Pokemon just her breaking point?

She looked up at him, the color draining from her face as her chin trembled. “If you can’t respect that, then,” She looked away and clutched at herself with that. “I guess you aren’t the friend I thought you were.”

It was like she had just stabbed him in the heart. No, that was wrong. Chad shook his head at himself and wiped his eyes. He was the one who had done that to her. He had horribly misjudged this situation. But still!

“I-I’m just trying to look out for you. I’m sorry,” He stumbled over to Emi and put a hand on her shoulder for balance. “But Emi. Your Pokemon could end up like Anthony’s,” he warned. He pleaded. He begged. She knew. She had to know that. It wasn’t right!

“I won’t let that happen,” she declared lowly with a fire of determination in her blue eyes. “And I know Nori Carino felt bad enough not to let it happen either if he can help it.”

Chad had known Emi since they were in their fifth year of primary school. When she got that look, there was no stopping her. “Okay,” he conceded, sitting beside her. “But more importantly, Emi. A lot of people, including in the club, disagree with your decision regardless. That’s also something I’m worried about here.”

“They’ll just have to live with it. I don’t care.” She grunted and held her chin a little higher. “No, I’m fine with whatever they think.”

That was ridiculous. His hands tightened. Was she saying she didn’t care about anyone else’s feelings on the team? And yet, at the same time, Chad felt a pang of envy. He wished he could do whatever he wanted without worrying about what others thought.

Emi turned and faced him, clutching and pulling at her short hair with two fingers. “Chad, are you really going to throw this away?” She pinched her lips.

Chad gasped, then shook his head vehemently. “I still think this is a bad idea. But I can’t stop you. And…” He gripped the cement and squeezed it. “I guess I won’t either,” he added with a sigh.

His promise brought a faint smile to Emi’s mouth. They sat in silent contemplation for what felt like minutes. Chad just wanted to lean against her and start crying. He was a terrible friend. Emi had thought this all through. He should’ve known better. At least, at the very least, the gods had taken pity and made sure it worked out between them.

“I’ll tell the others,” he declared, pulling himself to his feet. “They’ll be welcome to take it up with you if they still disagree. If not…” He shut his eyes tight. This was going to be the hardest part. He had no idea how it would affect the club if worse came to worst. But it was what had to be done. “If not, they can leave.”

“Thanks,” his friend hummed with a warmth he rarely heard from her. “And sorry.”

Chad gave her a nod. “Do you mind staying away for a while?” he levelly requested. “Not just from the team, but the club as well. Just until everyone’s cooled off, mind you.”

She immediately agreed. “Probably smart.”

With a groan, he sat back down beside her. “I’m sorry for lashing out. I just.” The blond teenager held his temple. “I’m stressed about the friction with the team. I want,” No. He shook his head. “I need to see it succeed. You know how it is.”

Emi flashed a smirk at him. “With your mom and dad wanting you and everything associated to be the very best like no one ever was?”

“Exactly that, haha.” She knew. He nudged her with his elbow. “At least I don’t have to catch ’em all.”

“That’s probably impossible unless you’re playing one of the games.” She shook her head.

“Yeah, no kidding.” There were way too many in the world. He had done so in the games once or twice. They helped with strategy in their own way. They weren’t perfect; for example, they limited movesets to four for balance reasons. That was absolutely not the case when it came to real life.

He looked back as a reflex and nearly fell forward when he saw a pink-haired person standing there. That got Emi to turn around and blurt a ‘What the hell?’ which made the person shrink away and cover up as their gray eyes squinted shut.

“Um, Aki?” Chad turned himself around to face them.

“Ah. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.” They waved their hands and bowed profusely. “I was worried and curious.”

Chad shrugged and sighed. “You were going to hear about it eventually, I guess,” he comforted. Emi crossed her arms and continued to scowl, yet her face was flushed and she was looking away. He could only chuckle under his breath.

“So are you two okay?” Aki hesitantly asked as they inched forward. Their eyes darted back and forth between them both.

“Yes, we’ve calmed down now.” He turned to Emi expectantly.

“Both of us,” she droned. The auburn-haired teenager stood up and stretched. “Now that we’ve sorted things out.”

Aki curled their lips inward, before blurting, “Hey. Emi, do you hate Nori that bad?”

“Weird question.” Chad had to agree there. Emi tapped her chin and ultimately smirked. “But all right. I used to think he was overrated, then I battled him on the weekend. Not afraid to admit, he made me look like a jackass, ha.” She shook her head at herself, albeit while maintaining a positive expression. “I still can’t forgive him for what he did and what he’s doing, but I respect him as a trainer at least.”

She finished by putting her hands in her pockets. “That good enough for you?”

“Yes, thanks.” Aki’s shoulders dropped.

Emi suddenly crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. “What’s with you and him, anyway?” she probed. Aki flinched at the question.

“With respect, of course,” Chad hastily added. He gave Emi a disapproving stare.

Emi rolled her eyes. “Anyone who says that is rarely respectful,” she muttered under her breath. Chad only continued to stare, regardless of the truth behind it. Emi just shrugged at it.

Aki finally spoke up. “It’s nothing like you think! It’s…actually complicated,” They stopped to gather their thoughts, although they kept looking forward. The pink-haired teenager awkwardly explained, “He’s inspirational for how hard he works and how much he’s done, yet he reminds me of how awful I am. He’s been training Pokemon for just over a year, and he’s already better than me! It’s like he has natural talent.”

“Hey.” Emi sharply spoke up and took a couple steps toward their teammate. Aki’s expression widened and their eyes dilated at the gesture. “Don’t forget, he was trained by a Gym Leader. Who knows how much that helped him get to where he is? Plus, he just gets handed his Pokemon. That has its problems, but it means he doesn’t have to spend as long training them as us.”

Aki blinked. Clearly, they weren’t expecting that sort of response from Emi. Even Chad felt gratified over that. It compelled him to sit a little taller and hold his head higher.

“Aki, I’ll say this,” he added, gently moving towards the non-binary teenager. “I accepted you onto the team because I saw your potential. You don’t need to worry about being the best, just be good.”

Their answer was as firm as it was frustrated, and was underscored by them tightening their fists and squinting. “I want to get better than I am.” They looked down. “If that’s even possible.”

He did not miss a beat. “Then we’ll help, so long as you’re willing to listen.” With a side glance to his effective co-captain, he gave one morsel for now. “One thing I will say for now, don’t skip weekends. It takes dedication to really excel. Those extra days of work really do count.”

Aki stared at him for a couple seconds while blinking rapidly, looked away, then back. As what he said sank in, their posture sagged and they groaned. It was a bitter pill to swallow all right. No days off. Chad himself practically felt he was working a job in addition to his education. It was up to Aki whether they wanted to try. At least they had the freedom of choice.

“I know,” was all he could say to assure them. It was asking a lot.

“If it would help,” they mused.

Chad nodded. Aki was resolved to at least give it a chance. “Okay. For now, let’s head back. The others are probably wondering what’s taking so long.”

Emi extended a palm. “Unless you want to come train with me,” she offered. “Beat two birds with one Rock Slide. I’m planning on getting my Pokemon some practice in water ahead of the big battle. Having a sparring partner would help out.”

“You want me to use Awanezumi?” Aki drawled, tucking their bangs back. They eventually shook their head. “I think I want to relax for now, sorry. But do your best, Emi.”

The auburn-haired teenager frowned for a moment. “Take it easy, Aki.”

With a nod, they started heading back towards the school. Aki glanced over and seemed like they were about to speak, but said nothing. That was fine by Chad. It gave him time to process what had happened.

This was bittersweet. He was not about to give up Emi. She was one of the best trainers on the team, and if she left, they were dead in the water when it came to competition. His hands shook. It felt like he’d just driven a knife into everyone else for selfish reasons. At least, no one could accuse him of just doing this to win. ‘Shōsha to wa uinā,’ yes. That was the code he lived by, because it was the one his family expected him to live by.

The truth was, he considered Emi to be one of his few or even his only real friend. She was someone he could talk to, and she would understand him. That was why he ultimately couldn’t bring himself to force her out. She was too important to him. He wouldn’t trade her for the best trainers out there, not even his family.

#####
====
#####

Spoiler: Note

Just had to reference the Freakleaks in some way.