Like No One Ever Was

Huffing, huffing, "Gawd, why is that?" "Such a long climb?!" I groaned as I pulled myself another inch or so up the cliff.

"Gee, it's almost like this is so off the beaten path because no one goes up here for a reason, bzzt." Rotom drawled sarcastically. They were hovering lightly next to me as I made my way up the hill. A quick glance down revealed that it would be a long fall from where I was, but I wasn't too worried about the fall. No, what worries me, uff, is if my grip slips and I have to try to climb back up this cliff.

All of a sudden, a bit of dirt was pushed out of the side of the cliff, splashing dirt all over my hair. A spinning tail stuck out of the newly made hole. "A little close, Dun!" I shouted at him.

He gave a muffled reply and pulled himself back into the tunnel to begin boring a new path. Dunsparce was natural at digging tunnels and moving underground, but there was a certain skill to making them in battle.

Specifically, the ability to sense where was a safe area to return to, and to judge the position of their enemies by the vibrations in the ground. Exceptional ground types like Diglett could even get an idea of where a flying enemy might be just by the vibrations of the air hitting the ground.

This level of acuity would probably be too much for Dunsparce to handle, but I was hopeful that with time and practice, he'd be able to use it as another method of avoiding attacks and maneuvering around the battlefield. He trained it while I trained my strength and stamina to reach this peak.

"Bzzt, I really don't think you need to try this, young lady," Rotom said again, this time much more sincerely and with less of a smirk. "Especially with the way you were this morning..." I grimaced at the memory.

Waking up early wasn’t something I enjoyed, but I could get used to it. Last night was bad though. Thoughts had been swimming through my mind, of different battle strategies, options to pursue in training, and the mounting pressure… it took me till well past midnight to get to sleep.

The sleep that followed was restless, with my dreams being plagued by visions of my past, friends, and family that were slightly distorted and off. Or were they even? Are my memories of them just going to fade into indistinct blurs over time?

Altogether it left me in a very tired and grumpy spot to wake up early too. Still, training had to go on. We only had a few days left before the three-day long ‘break’ I had planned before the tournament where Dunsparce would only go through light training. I didn’t want him to get too stressed or overwork something right before the big day, so we were just going to stay home then. That might just be me being overly cautious and basing things too much on my previous life experiences. Pokemon recover a lot faster than I did when training for a martial arts tournament. Still, I think that it’ll be good to give him time to decompress a little. Too much cramming isn’t a good thing.

The flip side of that meant we had to put our all into the training right now, which is something I reminded myself of repeatedly as I scaled the cliff. Eventually, I pulled myself over the top, rolling on the grassy slope with a flop. “Ahhh, never doing that again.” I groaned, just taking a moment to relax. Dunsparce had already drilled up to the top and Rotom was floating around looking disappointed but not worried for me, so I figured I was in no imminent danger.

My clothes were filthy, even more so than usual for my training, and I couldn't wait to get home and take a shower.

I cracked one eye open for a split second, trying to guess the time of day from the position of the sun. Only 10:00 am? I moaned again before I felt... something.

It didn't feel like touch or heat, more like weight without substance. I scrambled up and saw the green hills rolling down and up. A few other cliffs jutted up here and there, but they were much smaller than the one I had climbed to get here in the first place.

It was a vast, elevated expanse of land that stretched far beyond Porto Marinada. In this wild area, I could see all kinds of Pokemon. Foraging, exploring, some mingling and greeting each other. Many of them were of different types than the more common Pokemon below. The one that caught - no, demanded - my attention was a large, feline-like Pokemon with greenery built into its body. A Leafeon. Rare enough, but what made it special was the crystalline glow and the crown of flowers sprouting above its head.

It watched us intently from a cliff a few hundred meters away before leaping over and landing near us in an instant. It's fast! And not only fast, but graceful as well, I couldn't help but admire their movements.

It was one thing to be able to move that fast, but there were Pokemon that had sheer speed. To then land so elegantly? That took skill. The kind of skill that would take years to master under the best of circumstances. So it was disconcerting to see Dunsparce gathering violet energy on his tail, ready to attack the Grass-type.

“Aha, not this time, buddy,” I said, waving a hand for him to stand down. While it’s good that he’s got a handle on his type matchups, this is not a fight we could win. This whole area, stretching out for a few kilometers, was wild, truly wild, not like the trails or nearby them that trainers would travel through. While wild Pokemon weren’t necessarily violent or aggressive, they followed their own rules, and I could tell that this Leafeon was the one who set down the rules of this place.

“Hello. I’m Nemona. We’ve come to train against some of the Pokemon here, if you’ll allow it.” I moved to offer the Terastalized Pokemon a Berry, but they just shook their head. I guess a Grass type wouldn’t have much problems foraging. Heck, one this strong might just be able to make whole Berry Trees instantly. The plants in this world grew unnaturally fast, with trees able to sprout up 3 meters and be laden with fruit in less than a year since planting, even without a Pokemon tending to them.

They gazed out at some of the Pokemon gathered around in the pseudo-valley below. A few of them were looking back, mildly curious at what Leafeon was doing. Glancing back at Dunsparce, they pointed with their paw at a pack of blue and black-furred canine creatures gathered around. Riolu! Wow, those are pretty rare, I’d never have imagined there would be a pack of them so close to where I live. “Eon.” Then they hopped away to another high point, settling down to watch us.

“Well, that sounded like permission,” I idly commented as I brushed some of the dirt off of me (a mostly futile process) and began walking down to the Riolu. “This should be a good challenge for you, Dun. Riolu are Fighting Types, your one weakness.”

Rock and Steel types could be hard for him to hurt as well, but we’d already covered how to use things like Earthquake to check those counters. The enhanced damage he’d take from Fighting Types, especially using Fighting Moves, was a lesson he had to learn firsthand, and better to experience it for the first time now rather than in the tournament.

“Bzzt, are you sure this is a good idea?” Rotom asked nervously, eyeing not only the Leafeon but also some of the other powerful Pokemon around. There were a lot stronger Pokemon here than the ones on the route. We could see some Swablu and even saw a few Altaria gently drifting around.

"It should be all right," I said, trying to keep my voice even. "We'll do some training, then get out of their hair."

“I believe most of the Pokemon here had fur, not hair, bzzt,” Rotom said, which caused me to giggle.

“Fair.” I stopped conversing with Rotom as we approached the group. Of the slightly more than half dozen of them, three of them stepped forward. The biggest one had a small scowl on his face but seemed more concerned with how the smaller two were looking at him. The other two just seemed wary and confused.

Do they have Telepathy? No, I think that’s just Lucario. I need to catch one of those. Something about my thoughts caused a slight shift in their stances.

Ah, but they do have Empathy though. Welp, I’m being honest about what I want. It should be fine.

“We’d like to challenge you. Anyone who’s willing to spar against Dunsparce here is free to try. We’ll heal up anyone after any round.” I explained. This had mixed results. One of the smaller ones stepped back at that, uninterested, but another Riolu’s ears perked up at that from where she had been meditating, stepping up to meet us.

The big one swaggered forward, ready to fight, and I stepped back to give Dunsparce room. He flexed a little, extending out small but sharp-looking claws. Calling “Begin!” The two Pokemon rushed at each other, Riolu reaching Dunsparce first easily, and striking with his Metal Claw.

Dunsparce cried out with pain but didn’t let that stop him from Body Slamming the Fighting type right back. Riolu was shocked at the force the land snake had dealt him, staggering back. “Poison Jab!” I yelled, Dunsparce quickly capitalizing on the opening to stab Riolu with his tail. The Riolu stumbled back a bit, growling at us, before whimpering and falling to one knee, raising one paw in surrender and another clutching at the prick from the Poison Jab.

“The fight is over!” I called out, quickly rushing over with Potions and Antidotes. I tended to Riolu’s wounds first, as he was the worst hurt and not wanting the Poison to get any worse. Our sparring partner collapsing on us would probably not make the others here happy. Not that it would entirely be our fault - this Riolu was weaker than he was trying to display himself as. An important reminder that being bigger was never a real determiner of power in this world.

Dunsparce puffed up a bit with his victory, but I could see him still warily watching the other two Riolu out of the corner of his eyes. Good, means he isn’t letting it get to his head.

After the healing was done and the first went off to lick his wounds, the second Riolu stepped up, letting out an adorable a fierce battle cry. “Go!” I called out, and the two of them moved toward each other, but this time the wild Pokemon was a bit more hesitant in their approach.

The Riolu’s speed was still much greater, however, and they eventually struck to the side. Dunsparce countered as we’d practiced, spinning his drill tail to ward her off, but that was the opening she had been waiting for! Sliding to the side, she struck his unguarded flank.

Darn it, a feint! “Quick, keep her off balance, then plow in!” Dunsparce took in the command instantly, flopping on the ground to make an Earthquake. He wasn’t putting his full power into it, so it only jostled the Riolu around a bit, rather than doing any real damage, but he could also fire it off faster this way. That close to him, the Riolu had enough trouble staying standing, and no chance of dodging the Body Slam he launched into her.

“Wow, that was incredible,” I said awed, and Rotom decided to chime in too.

“You have trained him quite well, bzzt.” I was glad to hear him being civil, and even complimentary towards Dun after how abrasive they had been before. There was something more than politeness or even honest respect to their tone though. Maybe wistfulness? I didn’t have time to decipher it further though.

“Thank you, but it’s not just that- harass her! Keep up the pressure! - see what he just did there? He figured out a new way to combine his techniques. Using the aftershocks of the Earthquake, he propelled himself ahead, empowering the Body Slam, that’s why she took so much damage from it. I never taught him that, he just figured it out on his own.” My mind was already whirring with ideas on how to incorporate it into our training now, though.

Rotom went silent after that, and I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the fight to see how they were emoting to that. Dunsparce was tearing up the battlefield, pushing Riolu back, but they were used to it enough that they could dodge the attacks. I also noticed, the last challenger intently watching her fellow’s motions. She’s going to be the toughest fight yet, I’m sure of it. I can… feel it? Somehow, I just know it.

The current combatant finally gave up the defense, springing off a nearby tree to land a heavy blow with her paw that had Dunsparce rolling back in pain. “That’s a Fighting Type move, they’ll hurt a lot, but you gotta get focused!”

My encouragement didn't work right away; she followed up with another strike of the same kind - not a low kick or a sweep. Maybe a rock smash? It seems pretty weak, all in all. - and Dunsparce was once again knocked backwards, staggering in pain. I had a moment's hesitation before I saw the steely glint in his eye.

As Riolu, grinning with her success charged heedlessly in, I called out, “Jab now!” She had no chance to reverse her momentum before Dunsparce swiveled, jabbing in with his tail, instantly covered in the purple poison energy. She swayed for a moment before collapsing in a heap on the ground.

I took the time to patch everyone up again (Potions were amazing) and checked in on Dunsparce, to see how he was doing.

“So, that was your first time taking on your Type weakness. I don’t, can’t, know what it’s like to be hit by that, but I’m proud of you for pushing through.” Dunsparce gave a bright almost ‘chirp’ like sound at that praise. “There’s no shame in calling it here if you think you aren’t up for another fight.” Before I could get the words out he was vehemently shaking his head.

“Alright then!” I pumped my fist up. “Just know that this will be a lot tougher than the other fights, so give it your all,” I cheered.

“Duuuun!” He cried back, tail beating lightly against the ground in anticipation. I think we both know that we aren’t going to be coming back here again for a while. That was a tough climb up, too tough for me to have tried it, if I’m being honest. And while the Leafeon has been accepting of our presence so far, I think it’s more as a ‘rare curiosity’ than accepting us as frequent visitors to its domain.

Not that I thought that they would hurt us, but I was pretty sure he could bar any paths we tried to get back up. Today would be the only chance we got at this.

With that in mind, I could see why Dunsparce wanted to push it to end on a high note, taking on the toughest challenger… of the small pack of Riolu’s we actually had a chance against. Still a big deal to us!

The final Riolu stepped up, no battle cries or bravado here, just a calm, measured gait as she stepped forward. Dunsparce wiggled his way over to square off against her “Go.” I said and she began immediately. Not running towards my Pokemon, but instead punching the air. The force created ripples in the air, flying out and smashing straight into Dun! Dammit! I forgot that the Lucario line can do ranged Fighting Moves like that.

Dunsparce was valiantly trying to advance through the attacks, but there was no point - she could easily outpace him even if he wasn’t trying to dodge the attacks (and given her precision, I doubted dodging would have worked either). Let’s slow her down a bit. “Glare!” I called out, and Dunsparce responded, fixing her with a killer stare.

Her muscles immediately contracted, spasming and causing her next attack to go wide, despite Dunsparce stopping for a second to use his Move. The fact that it remained slightly cohesive despite the Paralysis was impressive.

“Poison Jab!” I called out as Dunsparce closed in. Riolu tried to dodge but still ended up grazed by Dun’s tail as she retreated, her muscles still moving too stiffly. Dunsparce tried to follow it up with some Body Slams, landing solid hits as she moved to get away, but I saw her landing a few point-blank Fighting Type air bursts of her own. Darn, why can’t I remember the name of that Move? It’s not Aura Sphere, it doesn't deal nearly enough damage for that.

In fact, it was doing a fair bit less than I had first been worried about. Sure, it still hurt Dun, but he was tanking the hits well and dealing back more than he was taking now that the Paralysis slowed her down too much to move.

She proved herself to be a cut above the other Riolu, when she ducked down, perfectly dodging a Body Slam. Then, half kneeling and holding a forepaw to the ground, she was surrounded with green energy, the grass swaying all around her.

“Huh?” I said, looking confused, and Dunsparce did much the same. Our mistake, as she suddenly rushed towards him, blurring across the battlefield. He got knocked up into the air, flopping back down as she blew by him.

“Shake it off! Earthquake into Body Slam!” He tried to do so, but with the power of Trailblaze (That’s the name of that Move! How did she learn it?) speeding her up, the Riolu was able to partially go back to her old tactics, dodging around and firing air bursts at Dun. Occasionally, with her muscle spasms and the shaking ground, Dunsparce was able to get close enough to land a hit, but those were coming fewer and farther between as she used Trailblaze to speed up.

“Whack a mole! 60 degrees, four meters!” Dunsparce drilled through the ground, hiding underneath the ground. Riolu aborted her latest charge, looking confused and wary. Almost exactly where I had planned, Dunsparce burst out of the ground beside her and swung his body around to smack into her. She bent back with the blow, but not enough to avoid it…

“BARREL ROLL!” I shouted desperately, sweeping my arms in front of me as if that would somehow help him move faster. The Riolu twisted back, taking the force of the hit she had taken into a devastating Counter that Dunsparce barely avoided. We were both somewhat shocked, but he had reacted fast to my shout, pushing himself away, propelled ever so slightly (but critically) by his little wings and just evading the strike that cracked the earth through its sheer force.

Riolu was breathing heavily, that last shot had taken a lot out of her, but she wasn't done yet. Dunsparce, for his part, looked quite battered. The fight would seem to be in my favor, but with a lack of ranged attacks, I felt it was tilted in her favor, even though she was on her last legs. Whack a mole won't surprise her again, she'll just detect next time (I'm almost sure that's how she dodged before Trailblaze). We can't catch her in melee with her speed boosts...it's not perfect yet, but we'll just have to try it.

“Dun, Yawn,” I called out, hoping that the general weary state of both fighters would be enough. He let out a massive Yawn as she struck him with an air burst. He let out a cry from the pain as the compressed air glanced off his side. Used to the pain of a super effective Move, however, he was able to rush forward, even as Riolu swayed from the drowsiness.

“Earthquake!” Despite the proximity, sleepiness, and Paralysis, Riolu had enough celerity to jump into the air and avoid the Move. “Body Slam.” I knew now how fast Dunsparce could push himself off of an Earthquake now, so he’d probably have time to hit her and at least tie, assuming he couldn’t take one more hit.

Riolu elected not to meet him head-on, however, firing out a burst of compressed air to the side to push herself mid-air out of the way, rather than aiming at him. Smart, could have worked too, if he missed and overextended, but despite the look of them, those wings aren’t decorative. “Glide! Swivel and crash into her!” I called out before Dun could drift past her.

The blue-furred Pokemon gave a small yelp of surprise as Dunsparce spun around mid-air and dived toward her like a ballistic missile. His large head slammed into her and she was down for the count, giving out a cry before hitting the ground, rolling around a bit, and lying still.

She doesn’t have the swirly eyes. It was a truly minor complaint, and probably made sense that it wouldn’t be a thing actually in the real world, rather than in the anime, but still. It would definitely be handy for telling when someone has fainted or not.

It was pretty clear in this case though, that she had fainted. Dunsparce wasn’t doing much better overall, swaying a little and very bruised up. Despite his exertions and injuries, however, he was proudly calling out his name for the world to hear, triumphant. Good for you, buddy. I used a Revive, crumpling up the sharp-smelling crystal to bring Riolu back to clarity and then applying a few Super Potions to tend to some of her wounds.

She accepted the first few sprays, letting out a sigh of relief at that, but soon enough waved me off, before I was even finished, walking off stiffly. Pride? Or maybe something else. In any case, she was quite skilled, especially for a wild Pokemon. I’ll have to keep that in mind, that more than just raw ‘elemental’ power, wild Pokemon can have plenty of skill and tactical knowledge too. She walked past her pack, ignoring them even as they were excitedly chatting amongst themselves, sometimes acting out making motions about different parts and Moves of the battles. The last fighter went to a nearby rock with a flat top, sat down, and began to meditate.

I used the rest of the potion on Dun and pulled another Super Potion to tend to the rest of his injuries. He gave a happy warble before the three of us (including Rotom) turned to face Leafeon as they stepped towards us again. “Lea. Fe.” It wasn’t said harshly or in anger, indeed, they seemed amused at our fights and maybe even slightly glad for what we did for the pack. However, it was clearly time for us to go.

“Thank you for this,” I said, giving them a bow of my head. Dunsparce followed suit, and then followed me and left.

***

After the battles, we headed back down to the Pokemon Center beside Los Platos to get Dunsparce checked up. Potions were great, but it really helped to get properly looked at in a center after a couple of tough battles.

The Pokemon centers were a bit different in Paldea than in other regions. Part of that was the advancements in technology we had to allow for more compact centers with less space needed to be taken up, while still having all the standard amenities. That is, a healing machine and a small shop - you could trade in ‘rare finds’ for money or League Points, but there wasn’t a direct Technical Machine Machine. Perhaps a later creation, like the Pokedex App, or maybe just an ease of game mechanics. They don’t have the ‘Choice’ Items here, so things aren’t 1 for 1.

The other side of the Center’s design was an attempt to try and have further reach across the vast land. The cities were somewhat scattered, so for a weary explorer, it made sense to have more numerous, compact, safe places to rest up in than just one Center per city. Despite how the remoteness would seem like a potential risk from wild attacks, I knew that there was a barrier built into the edges of each Center. From there, a metal dome could pop up and seal the place off.

It wasn’t perfect - if some really strong wild Pokemon decided to break through, I couldn’t imagine much in this world being able to stop them. But each Center’s locations were carefully chosen by the rangers to ensure that they would be in relatively stable locations in the wild, while also being well-spaced and accessible for travelers. The small area of the Centers also made it less likely for wild Pokemon to consider it an infringement on their territory. It was kinda crazy to consider all the work and consideration needed to create these basically outposts, but people found a way. I knew all of this from the research I had done on the Centers in my ongoing frustrations studies into the advanced engineering of this world.

“Your Dunsparce is looking fine, Miss.” The Nurse Joy said, taking me out of my thoughts as she grabbed the Pokeball out of the healing device and passed it back to me. “He’ll probably still be a bit tired however, so take it easy for the next bit,” she warned

“Got it, thank you. We went through some pretty tough training this morning, so taking a cool down for the afternoon sounds good.” I responded.

“You’ve been training hard; I’ve never seen a Dunsparce so… fit before.” She had a slightly confused expression on her face. I guess there aren’t many trainers that use Dunsparce, especially since Larry isn’t even an Elite Four yet. Not because they can’t be strong, but because most would rather run away first than fight, so few people catch them.

“Yeah, we’re competing in the Junior Tournament up at Mesagoza in a week and a half. We gotta work hard if we want to do well! But, I have no doubts. Dun is great.” He must have heard me in his ball because it wiggled a bit in my hand.

The Nurse smiled. “It’s great to see a young trainer with such a close bond. I might go and see you battle there.” Oh wow, I hadn’t realized my few visits had made such a big impression.

“Don’t you live here?” I asked and she gave me a smirk.

“I don’t live in the Pokemon Center, Miss Glitterati.” I scratched the back of my head sheepishly at that.

"Ah, sorry. I guess I forgot how close it was." Looking out over the hills, it was easy to see the massive walls that surrounded the largest city in the land - perhaps even the largest city in the world. "Even when we're training, my guardians don't want me traveling too far from home." There was a suspicious look in her eyes at my unbelievably dirty clothes that told me she had some doubts about how well I had followed the rules. I studiously refused to answer the unspoken question. Instead, I changed the subject.

"I guess you don't live 'here' either," I said, waving my arms around at the Pokemon Center. “But what about the nurses and shopkeeps in the more remote Centers?”

“Well, you’re right in that I live in town, but there is a shelter beneath the center.” She admitted. I was surprised at first, but it made a lot of sense. They probably have a similar dome-type structure going underground all the time. It would stop any Pokemon that might accidentally burrow into it and give them more space to use. “It’s kind of cramped, even for a few people, but it gives trainers that are really exhausted some place to rest without calling in a Flying Taxi. I’m glad I don’t get stationed out there - they get more time off and get rotated out by the taxi’s and rangers, but I’ve heard from my colleagues that it can get pretty rough.”

I almost asked her why she got into being a Pokemon Nurse… but held my tongue. It felt too personal, too awkward. Or maybe that’s just an excuse for not being good at talking to others. In any case, I thanked her and gave my farewell, searching for a good spot to rest up.

I liked picnics as much as the next… well, the next non-Paldean because they seemed a little obsessed with them. I get that they’re good for eating outside and that the dimensional pockets in my bag plus easily foldable tables make for an easy enough setup outside, but I don’t know. Seems like a bit much to do every day when you’re on the road. Though, I knew it was just because I didn’t like sandwiches. Maybe I can blame it on being Unovan? And hope no one calls me out on it? I thought as I took out the meat and bread keeping them separate as I put the deconstructed sandwich on my plate.

Releasing Dun by his food bowl, I sat back and Rotom floated up, knowing well that I’d want to review the battles. Dunsparce liked it too, but he tended to be a bit more focused on the food right after training than the video. We both were there, but it helps to be able to go over things slowly, without the rush. A different angle also helps.

“Pause it right there.” I said, right as the Riolu in our final battle was crouched. “Now play it at half-speed.” I saw the green light bloom beneath their feet before they shot forward, ripping up the grass as they went. “I remember now, that’s Trailblaze!” I totally forgot that Riolu could learn that. Can't believe I let myself get stuck in thinking she'd just use Normal Moves, or Moves of her own Type.

“Trailblaze, bzzt?” Rotom inquired.

“Yeah, it’s a Grass Type Move that does decent damage, but more importantly, makes you faster each time you use it. I didn’t even realize that Riolu could learn it.” I recognized the Move this time from a few times I’d seen it in televised matches. “Hmm…” Isn’t Trailblaze a TM Move? Yeah, I think it is. I guess that means that Riolu had a Trainer once. I wonder why they’d leave the Riolu- Or maybe I’m looking at it wrong. Technical Machines can’t be learned by every Pokemon, they’re limited, which means that aside from the device, there has to be a base level of compatibility with the Move in question. And while TMs can help teach up a Pokemon on a new Move fast with modern technology, they’ve had Move Tutors to help Pokemon learn Moves outside their base set as long as Hisui at least. Who’s to say that only humans could help a Pokemon learn a Move outside their common knowledge? Like say, a natural Grass Tera Leafeon helping a Riolu learn a Grass Move without a TM.

“Dun Du?” Dunsparce asked, lifting his head from the bowl. I got the feeling that he felt the bowl was ‘inelegant’ after seeing our plates, but given his body, plate eating was… messy, to say the least. My answer was to get him a very fancy, gold-plated bowl. Was it gold-plated, or did they just make the whole thing out of gold? That feels like overdoing it, but I did ask my parents…

Dun shook me out of my thoughts again. “Sparce.” He rolled his eyes slightly at my absentmindedness, while Rotom suppressed a giggle.

“Right, sorry. Just thinking we might see a lot of that Move in the tournament, so it was good luck to practice against it here.”

“Bzzt, why do you believe you’ll see it often in the tournament? It’s a rather rare Move from what I can recall of the professional matches you’ve reviewed, bzzt.” Rotom said, puzzled.

“That’s right, good memory Rotom!” The ghost in the machine smiled at my praise. “It isn’t used a ton in the higher level stuff, but given this is a low level competition, the trainers will only have 1 badge at most. Mesagoza is situated with two gyms nearby on either side. The Bug Gym to the West, and the Grass Gym to the East.” As I spoke, I pointed out with my arms to the horizon on either side of the massive mega-city.

“The Gyms will often give TMs as rewards for winning, and the TM for the Grass Gym? Trailblaze.” At least, I think so. Brassius isn’t even leading that Gym right now, let alone if the rewards change based on badge level or other factors not in the game I never considered… whoops.

It was too late to take back my hasty words now, however, Rotom gasping in surprise while Dunsparce nodded his head in determination, just taking it as a matter of fact that I knew everything. Rotom, however, questioned me (though I suspected it was more on reflex rather than not really believing me). “How do you know that, bzzt?”

“Haha, well, I’ve just been studying a lot?” I scratched the back of my head awkwardly. That’s not good enough to cover my meta-knowledge, I need something better. “Just, they say your Journey, or Treasure Hunt here, is a really big deal, so I want to make sure I get it right, you know? I’m probably overthinking things, but it doesn’t hurt to make some plans for the future.”

“Right, you probably have everything planned out, bzzt. Like every member of your team and how you’ll beat all the gyms.” Rotom said, an odd inflection in their voice.

“Hmm? Oh, nothing like that. Sure, I have Pokemon I like and think are particularly cool, but I don’t have any specific plans set in stone or anything.”

“Bzzt, I’m sure your parents could arrange for you to get any Pokemon you’d want.”

“Arce?” Dunsparce added, turning up from the video to look at me too.

I shook my head. “There are too many Pokemon in the world that I’d love to train for that to work out. And some, even my parents couldn’t buy for me.” Like Legendaries or ancient Pokemon like Hisuan Zorua. Not that I’d really want them to try to, for a lot of reasons. “But more to the point, whatever type of Pokemon I could want, I wouldn’t be sure they’d be compatible with me. That’s what’s most important. Any Pokemon can be strong, I want ones who will,” I paused for a second almost feeling embarrassed before admitting: “I want ones who will be my friends too. You can’t buy a love for adventure, a desire to get stronger, or a kind soul.”

They were both staring at me now, Rotom having flipped over fully to face me and I felt my face flush feeling incredibly embarrassed. This is why I hate talking. I get overly dramatic. “Uh, but yeah, that’s why I don’t have a team planned out in advance. I don’t know what any Pokemon I meet will be like, and even that isn’t a guarantee; I could meet someone who was great, but not at all what I had thought a friend could be like.”

“Am- am I your friend?” Rotom stuttered, losing their usual verbal tic.

“Wha-? Of course! You helped me out so much, and you’ve got a great snark and dry sense of humor- wait.” I looked at Rotom, realizing what they were asking. “Do you want to be on my team?”

“... Yes.” It took them a moment to say it, but their face was determined and serious.

“Of course! I’d love to have you on my team. This is something you’ve been thinking about for a while, haven’t you?”

“Ever since you mentioned Rotom being ‘strong Pokemon’, bzzt,” they admitted. Oh jeez, that was something I said on literally the first day I got here. Can’t believe I missed that all this time.

“Ah. Sorry about that, I always thought you didn’t want to fight. Which is fine,” I added quickly. “You can still be our friend, even a part of the team if you don’t want to fight. You already do a ton helping organize my days and record the matches-”

“I want to get stronger. To fight in matches, to help you become a Champion rank!” They declared proudly and I couldn’t help but grin broadly. “But… I’m worried that I won’t be good enough at it, bzzt. I don’t have good fighting instincts like you, or Dun,” they added begrudgingly.

“That’s not a problem! Or well, it is, but it’s dealable like any problem. No one is a perfect fighter to start, and I get that it’s scary. You’re willing to take the first step though and that’s all that matters. We can work on your skills, help develop your reactions from here. Oh man, we’re going to do great. I know it’s a bit late so we’ll have to do some training in these last few days, but I think I’ll be able to use you in the first few rounds. I’ll stick to Dun in the latter rounds-”

“Bzzt, I don’t think that will be possible.”

“No, I really think with even a few days you could fight in at least the first round-” I tried to explain before Rotom interrupted again.

“Actually you won’t be able to use me because you won’t be able to register me with a Junior license, bzzt.” I put my hands in my face, utterly embarrassed at the idea that they were right. “But I appreciate it, bzzt. I’m- I’m going to become stronger, be the strongest Rotom in all of Paldea!” They announced with a shaky voice. Dunsparce rolled his eyes, but I could tell there was a fondness there - he wasn’t upset with Rotom now that they had revealed their feelings.

“Heck yeah you will! We’re gonna train you to the bone till you can crush anyone!” I cheered.

“Bzzt, I worry I have made a grave mistake,” they moaned while I laughed and Dunsparce made a huffing sound that I knew was his equivalent.

Alright, I’ve got my second Pokemon! Even if I can’t use Rotom in the tournament, this is awesome. It was days like this, filled with unexpected treasures and incredible discoveries that made me so glad to be reborn in this life. Reborn, right…

“Actually, there’s one last thing. Something I should tell you about myself before you join. Honestly something I should have told both of you long before.” I pulled my knees in closer and Dun tilted his large head at me. “I’m not- not from this world. Or maybe I just have memories from a previous life, it’s confusing.”

“What do you mean, bzzt?”

“You remember how I suddenly changed, that day that I told you Rotom could be strong and started getting really into battling?” They ‘nodded’ by hovering up and down. “On that day I suddenly found myself reborn in this life. Or maybe just I had memories of my old life, I still have fuzzy memories of my childhood here before, so perhaps I was always Nemona? But before that I was- well it doesn’t matter. One day I suddenly realized I was in a strange new world.”

Before I could go on, Dun slithered over and bumped me in the side with his head. ‘You matter, you’re important,’ was the message I got, and I gave him a watery smile, scratching the top of his head. “Thanks. I was…” I told them my name.

“Bzzt, that’s a nice name. Should we call you that?”

“It was. But I’m Nemona now. Oh! What about you Rotom? If you're on my team, do you want a name?”

They were silent for a long moment. “I wouldn’t be opposed to a name, bzzt. It has to be the right name, though.”

“So, ‘Sparky’ isn’t going to cut it?” They gave me a very flat look in response and I laughed. “Alright, alright, I’ll work on it. If you guys still want to be on a team with me. I know I shouldn’t have hid this from you two, for so long but… it’s hard.”

“Dun?”

“My parents? What could I tell them? Sorry, I’m not really your daughter? Or I am, but I remember being raised by an entirely different family? No, I just- I can’t tell them. Maybe it’s cowardly, but even if they accepted me, I don’t think I could deal with the way they would look at me after. It’s easier with you guys; you’ve mostly only known me as I am now.”

“Do you know how this happened, bzzt?”

“No clue. I mean, realistically, Arceus probably had some of their thousand hands in this-”

“Bzzt!” Rotom gave a surprised buzz. Name-dropping god might have been a bit much.

“Uh, I didn’t get any divine messages from them or anything but, well in my past life there were a lot of stories. Games, media, merchandise, etcetera. That’s how I ‘come up’ with a lot of my ideas. Just trying to remember great ideas - or ideas that I felt had a lot of squandered potential - and bring them to life here.” Rotom gave a wide ‘O’ face, everything clicking into place.

Not sure if they truly believed me before this, but I think they do now. “One story I never told and never will to anyone else, was the story of one of the largest franchises in my first life. That of Pokemon.”

Rotom made a small gasping noise while Dun narrowed his eyes in concentration, trying to puzzle it out. “There were different versions, games and television shows were the biggest but each part of the franchise portrayed a world with fantastical creatures with incredible abilities, working side-by-side with humans. It was an incredible fantasy… until I found myself living in it.”

“A world without Pokemon? That sounds as crazy as a world without humans, bzzt. No offense, Young Miss.” Rotom tacked on to the end.

“Hey, none of that now. You’re on my team now, so just call me Nemona. And there’s a couple of games that covered worlds without humans and just Pokemon, though I never played them much.” Hope that Mystery Dungeon stuff never becomes relevant to me. “Which is the other reason why I didn’t tell anyone. They’ll think I’m crazy, or if they do believe me, they might want to use the knowledge I have on this world for their own ends.”

Most of my knowledge of Legendaries and the like is out of date, or maybe never accurate to this world, and a lot of it I can’t say for sure yet. But some of it is definitely, dangerously accurate.

“Bzzt, that’s a lot-”

“Dun un.”

“I was getting to that, bzzt!” Rotom angrily buzzed at my starter, who huffed smugly back. “It makes sense why you didn’t tell us.”

“It’s still not right! Other people I might keep it secret from, but you’re my team. My closest friends. That was just the explanation, not an excuse. I shouldn’t have kept this from either of you.”

“Arce, ar?” Dun said, wiggling his body oddly and glancing down.

“What are you- oh. Do I know how strong you will be? That’s- I’ve got a guess. See, when I said I knew about this world, I knew about… the original Nemona’s team. She was a champion, probably the strongest champion in Paldea, and she did have a Dunsparce on her team. I can’t tell if you’re the same Dunsparce she would have picked up without my, or my memories, whatever the influence was. But it doesn’t matter. That day on the beach, I wasn’t thinking about that life or what could have been. No matter who you are, I stand by that promise to make you the strongest.”

“Dun spar, dunsparce.” He said happily before crawling into my lap.

“Huh? Sorry, I didn’t quite get that one.”

“Bzzt, I believe he was saying that it doesn’t matter who you are either, he stands by his promise to be your Pokemon too.” The sly smirk Rotom gave me told me that they felt the same way.

“You guys…” The tears dripped down my face, but they were happy and I let them fall freely, hugging Rotom and Dun close. This is truly an incredible world I live in, to have such wonderful friends. I’m so glad to be here.