Like No One Ever Was

The first thing I did after the referee called the match was race over to Dun, drawing a Super Potion from my pocket. I sprayed his bruised body and he gave a small hissing sound as the scrapes were stung before sighing in relief. Already I could see the wounds starting to close up, the bruising fading. His dislocated wing even snapped back into place.

The technology in this world is incredible. I knew that partially it had to do with the innate recovery ability Pokemon had as well as natural agents like Berries having potent healing properties, but there were a lot of astounding healthcare advancements they had here as well.

After seeing my Pokemon was taken care of, I turned to my opponent. The Dhelmise was being recalled to his Pokeball but the older boy didn’t look worried.

I gave Dun a moment to give a victory cheer for the fans before returning him to his ball. He’s become a real attention hog, huh? Well, I suppose it’s not bad for him to have his own priorities to strive for in our march to the top. I’ll make him the most famous Dunsparce in the world if that’s what it takes!

Walking over to my opponent I offered my hand to shake. While they weren’t the biggest sticklers on propriety here given some of the kids’ ages, it was the proper thing to do. Atticus walked up to me, sighing. “Can’t believe I lost to a kid like you.”

A frown appeared on my face as I went to withdraw my hand. He saw it however and leapt ahead, shaking it. “I’m sorry, I got caught up there, it was a good match. You did well.” Not disparaging me or Dun? And an actual compliment? Alright!

Smiling, I shook it back and the crowd cheered at the show of good sportsmanship between us two kids. “Thanks. You pushed me hard too, that Dhelmise is a real powerhouse.”

“You want it?” He said as we stopped shaking hands, and I blinked as if he’d suddenly spoken French. Or rather Kalosian, a small part of my mind added. The rest of it was trying to understand what he was saying.

“I wha- no- I couldn’t even, I’m a junior trainer, I can’t have more- why?” I stammered.

“Ah, a shame. Oh well, I’ll find someone else who wants them.” Then he turned around and began to walk off.

“Why?” I asked, loud enough to make it clear to him that I still wanted to know. It wasn’t quite loud enough to reach the crowd over their cheers though. He half turned back and said:

“I make it a point not to use someone who’s lost. Later.” Then he just kept on walking away.

Clenching my fists, I resisted the urge to scream, marching back to Leah and Friede. “You did wonderfully!” She said, and I tried to smile at that, not wanting to trouble her with my dark thoughts. She’s right; objectively, that was an incredible battle.

“Thank you.” I glanced up at the board and saw that there were still plenty of matches before the next round would begin. “I’ve gotta go, I’ll be back soon.” I turned to leave, but before I could take a step Leah’s hand squeezed tightly on my shoulder.

“Where are you running off to?”

“I was going to go to a Pokemart and see if they had a Throat Spray. Dun’s voice sounded a bit off when he was chanting his name at the end there.” Even spraying some of the potion in his mouth hadn’t helped fix him. Because of my strategy that had his throat pressed under a Dhelmise. I think it was the right choice in that fight, but still. It sucked to have to tell Dun to get hurt. Logically, it was the right choice, but emotionally… well I could see why many trainers never made it very far in their journeys.

“Don’t go running off by yourself, we’ll go together.” She glanced over at Friede, unwilling to ask him directly, but clearly hoping he’d offer to give us a ride.

He gave the kind of long-suffering sigh only a teenager could before offering to help us. “I can give a ride to the Delibird Presents, they might have a shipment of Throat Spray.”

“Thanks,” I said.

“It’s no problem. This has been much more interesting than the paperwork I’ve got back at my lab.”

As we hopped onto his Charizard for another flight I asked “What are you writing papers on?”

“Hmm? Just boring busy work, double checking other scientific papers for inaccuracies.”

“That’s not- ok it might be boring,” I admitted. “But it’s essential work! Too rarely do those sorts of things get peer-reviewed and retested properly, which can lead to all sorts of incorrect information entering the public domain. They also get used in basing other studies wrongly, wasting more time, spreading biases-” I cut myself off as I heard Leah and Friede chuckling behind me and realized I was ranting again.

“You sure you don’t want to be an academic after all?” Friede teased. Turning, I stuck my tongue out at him.

“Nope, you can handle all that stuff. Besides, you saw how me and Dun battled, do you think we’re fit for a desk job?” Maybe I’m showing off, but I feel we’ve earned it. That battle was tough! I was so worried I’d freeze up or call out the wrong command, but I think I did alright, and Dunsparce did great. For the first time today, I was feeling confident about not just ‘doing well’, but winning this whole thing.

“Ha, I suppose you’re right,” Friede said as Charizard started to land. It had only been a short flight over. “Those Throat Sprays are pretty expensive, you might be better off just going to a Center for treatment after the tournament.”

Leah smiled serenely as she stepped off. “That’s kind, but the Young Miss has no concerns on the monetary front.” Friede scratched the back of his head awkwardly, likely having forgotten for a second that Leah wasn’t a relative of mine, but someone hired by my family. In fairness, since we went on this outing she isn’t in her regular maid uniform so she just looks like an average older sister or cousin cheering on a family member.

“Yeah, it’ll be fine. I’m not going to hesitate over spending a bit extra to keep my Pokemon in tip-top shape. Not like some people,” I muttered, but Leah’s sharp glance indicated that she heard me. “I hope your paperwork goes well and that you get the chance to do what you actually want to do soon.”

“What I want to do…” he pondered. “I've heard some rumors about the next project your friend Professor Turo has been trying to organize. Maybe I’ll go join him. Would be interesting to explore-”

“You don’t want to go on his next mission.” There wasn’t a trace of my previous joviality in my voice. I knew that I was a child, my appearance and high pitch could make it hard for adults to take me seriously but I needed him to listen to me now. “He’s going down a path that leads only to ruin.”

He gulped audibly, giving me an odd look before shaking his head. “I’ll keep that in mind. I’m going to get some chow for Charizard, could use a stock up.” Then he and Charizard flew off not very far away, just to the regular Pokemart up the winding street.

“What was that all-” Leah began.

“We better get Dun his medicine before my next match starts.” I cut off Leah’s words before she could question me on the subject, walking into the store. If she pressed me on the matter I’m not sure I could fake child-like ignorance and shake it off, I’d probably give in to proper manners and tell her something. Whatever I’d tell her would just lead her to ask more questions and I really don’t want to break down about my past life right now.

Delibird Presents was a very colorfully decorated store, blue and red prominently painting the walls and ceiling with white trim and flooring to match the store’s mascot. Rows of shelves covered the floor, knick-knacks, gadgets, and toys were stacked on them. In between aisles, there were often large cubes holding all manner of miscellaneous gear piled within. On the back was a glass case lining the entire wall with all manner of powerful, pricey battle items, evolutionary stones, and rarities for collectors.

Trash and treasure are all bundled up in one place. There wasn’t really any place I can recall like this in my home, especially not in a smaller store like this one. Shaking myself out of my musings, I went to the front desk right away. It would be easy to lose myself here for hours if I had the time; there was a time and place for everything, but not now.

The sales attendant was a sandy-haired, bespectacled young man in a blue uniform with a small Delibird name tag pin with the name ‘Dave’ on it. “Hello little lady, what can I do for you today?”

“My Dunsparce got his neck crushed a little by a Dhelmise, do you have any Throat Sprays in stock that can help him?”

He blinked, a little surprised at the request. “Uhh, yes, we’ve got something that can help. Are you hoping to use sound-based attacks in battle soon?” He asked as he stepped around the desk and walked to the glass case.

“No, just something so his neck won’t hurt and he can cheer out his name when he wins.” Not many people know about Dunsparce learning powerful sound Moves. He might be a student at the academy, working here part-time.

He smiled at that and took out the keys to the case. Looking closer I could see a dusky tint to the glass. Probably some Dark Type-infused glass, to stop Ghost or Psychics from stealing the expensive stuff. I wonder how they ‘infuse’ objects with Type Energy anyway?

“That’s good to hear. In that case, you probably just want the Throat Spray Lite - it should handle any issues he has in regular speech and any lingering pain.”

“Sounds good, thank you.”

Opening the case he pulled out the Throat Spray. In many ways, it looked much like a Potion. Regular Throat Spray had a neck brace and buttons so that a Pokemon could use it mid-fight for optimal effectiveness, but this one wasn’t a Battle Item so it was just a red bottle with a slightly different spray nozzle than a Potion.

“That’ll be 10,000 Pokedollars, ma’am.” I blanched a bit at the price. That’s over double what it costs to enter the tournament!

Before I could say anything, Leah stepped forward and said “We’ll transfer the money right away. Rotom?” Rotom flew out of my pocket, hovering in front of the cashier, who didn’t have his own Rotom Phone but a credit reader that apparently could receive money via Rotom transmission.

A glance at the screen as the transaction was done showed me that it wasn't my account they were using. "You have access to my parent's accounts?"

"Not exactly Nemona, bzzt. There's a limited fund I have permission to access on your behalf, and that fund was created by your parents."

"Wow, ok, thanks. Hmm, you know with how much you help me and the money, how does the name Pennyworth sound-"

"Bzzzzzt," Rotom buzzed in instant denial. I had told them about Batman, so it wasn't a case of them not getting the reference - in fact, I think it made the rejection stronger.

"Static? You'll put a shock to their systems!"

"Better, but still not clicking, Young Miss." Leah gave a small smile at the byplay between us, not saying a word.

With the spray in hand, we left, walking briskly up the street to where Friede had gone. Rotom was showing me some of the match streams beside me, so I knew we weren’t in any danger of arriving too late. It was a lovely day and I was doing well in the tournament, but I couldn’t help but feel discontent.

A fact that Leah noticed, asking “What’s the matter, Young Miss?” I can’t tell if she’s really good at reading people, or if I just have a terrible poker face.

“It was my last opponent, Atticus.”

“Did he say something mean to you?” Leah generally had a kind, soft face, but in the moment her eyes took on a killer steely glare.

“No, that’s kinda the worst part. He was perfectly nice to me, but wanted to toss aside his Pokemon just because he lost a match with them!” Being disrespectful to Pokemon was a huge hot-button topic for me, but there was more to it than that.

I nearly thought about turning down the Throat Spray when I saw the price. It was just for a moment, and being money-conscious isn’t a ‘bad’ thing, but… I’ve got tons of it. I shouldn’t be holding back on my Pokemon in any way. Atticus used plenty of Technical Machine Moves as well, and I'm sure I'll face others at the top that have their own advantages.

Leah smiled kindly down at me. “I can see that means a lot to you. I’m glad you care so much, it’s easy for some people to… take things for granted.”

I nodded, the words resonating with me. ‘Some people’ like rich people. And more than even them, really. It’s hard to truly appreciate a world as spectacular as this one without a frame of reference of a world without Pokemon.

She continued. “Keep a hold of that, it’s good to care for others. But you can’t let their actions drag you down. Just do the best that you can do.”

I puffed my cheeks. Annoying to be talked to like I’m just a child, even if I am one right now. Even more annoying, she’s entirely right. Sighing, I tried to let go of my frustration. “Yeah, you’re right. I don’t have to deal with him right now, so he shouldn’t get to live in my head rent-free.”

She chuckled. “You are your mother’s daughter.” I blinked, not understanding for a second before remembering where I was (why that wasn’t a common saying). Who I was (the parents I had lost and the ones I now had).

“Right. Now let’s make both my parents proud by winning this tournament!” That was just a saying from my first world, not meant to be a reference to O’Nare Reality.

“I’m sure they’re already proud.” That was true, though I could see how she might think that I’d need the encouragement if I was a six-year-old. My parents missing this probably doesn't help that. Truthfully while it was annoying, I knew how my Glitterati parents could be and could handle it a lot better than most children.

We waved down Friede who gave us a ride back on Charizard and we were at the arena with plenty of time. I made sure to thank the fire-breathing lizard for his aid. I might have made it running there and back, my stamina has improved tons over the past year with all the exercise I’ve been doing, but I would have been dead tired after.

Looking at the board I could see that there were only four trainers left here, but this was the last battle we’d have in this arena - the two winners would move on to the central arena for the quarterfinals there.

Letting Dunsparce out of his ball he gave a weak ‘Dun’ that turned into a cough partway through. “Hey buddy, got you something to help with that.” Pulling out the Throat Spray, I gave one shot down his throat.

“Spar? Sparce Un!” He gave a happy shout, wiggling his body adorably.” A girl watching nearby glared at us. Right, she’s our opponent for the next round. She was a teenager with long pink hair.

“Rosemary Mato vs. Nemona Glitterati!” From the way she stiffened up at the other name being called, I assumed that she was my next opponent. From what I could recall, she had a Bronzor with some impressive psychic capabilities. Could be a problem, but I don’t think it’s worse than that Dhelmise.

The crowd seemed to think so too; I could hear snippets of the bets being placed, and they were weighted far more heavily in my favor than they had been before. Leah’s been making quite a bit off of each win, good for her.

Rosemary had her arms crossed, standing on the other end of the field, chin jutted out while she looked down on me. She was trying a little hard, but I could tell she was nervous and trying to hide it. “Trainers, ready?” The referee called out, and the roar of the crowd died down to a light buzz of murmurs. We both nodded, I motioned for Dun to move forward, and she released her Bronzor. The Pokemon was a blue metal disk with two eyes near the middle and some bumps on the sides. It floated a few feet above the starting ring.

“Begin!”

“Body Slam!” I yelled, and Dun charged ahead. The space between them was too great, and she had the chance to give a command of her own.

“Confusion!” A pinky-purple energy surrounded Dun, holding him in the air and eliciting pain.

Damn it, they’ll just telekinetically bash him around until he faints. I’d seen Rosemary do that in her previous matches. “Break out of it!” I snapped, just saying something while I wracked my mind for an answer.

To my surprise, he did just that, thrashing around mid-air to break through the energy field holding him. Impressive. I hadn’t thought he’d get a lot of leverage from there. Must have underestimated his flight again or maybe just his strength in general- no! Focus! “Continue your attack!” I yelled out and he flew into Bronzor, knocking it back a bit through the air… but doing little else.

The battle continued that way for a minute, the Bronzor hurting Dun with Confusion for a moment before he’d break free and Body Slam at the Bronzor. Despite its range advantage, it drifted even slower through the air than my Dunsparce, but its Steel body meant his Normal Type attacks weren’t very effective either.

All of a sudden, Dunsparce stopped listening to me, and after breaking free from an attack, started ramming his head into the barriers. While I was pleased to see the attacks were strong enough to force the Farigiraf managing them startle and have to focus on maintaining them, I generally wasn’t pleased with the situation. Eyes are glazed over, he must be Confused. “Snap out of it!” I shouted. It might not be super helpful, especially if he isn’t hearing me correctly, but I have to try something.

Thankfully, that proved to be enough, and his vision focused, taking in reality as it was again.

“Body Slam!” He hit the Bronzor again, it and its trainer not expecting Dun to break free so soon. It didn’t do nearly enough to take our opponent out, however, and Rosemary called for Bronzor to retreat, setting up the same pattern we had been in before.

I can’t use Poison Jab because it's a Steel Type, and Levitate keeps Earthquake away. Should I Terrastalize? I won’t be able to recharge my Terra Orb before I get to the quarterfinals. We might even win this through attrition anyway without it, though if Dunsparce gets confused again- wait, it’s levitating, but it might not be Levitating!

“Spin your tail and hit the ground with all your might, Mud Slap!” I yelled, testing my theory. Halting his advance, Dunsparce started rotating his tail like a drill before hitting the ground at an angle and sending mud spraying through the air.

A few globs of dirt smacked into Bronzorm hitting it in the eye and causing it to wince. Now’s my chance! “Body Slam them into the ground!”

Dunsparce leaped up, twisting and landing like he was a wrestler about to elbow-drop someone.

He had no elbows, or arms, but the weight of his body was still a formidable force to hit his foe with, driving the Bronzor into the ground.

“Confusion!” Rosemary countered, seeing that his Body Slam had shaken loose the dirt in Bronzor’s eyes. Another difference between the games and real life. Debuffs, arena traps, and the like won’t last forever and can be cleared off by other Moves, depending on how they work.

The energy field surrounded Dunsparce as he landed, trying to hold him in place. Worse, I could see his eyes growing glassy.

I ignored it as I gave my command, knowing time was of the essence if I wanted my strategy to work. “Finish it off, Earthquake!” Dun reared up and smashed the ground with a heavy thud, shaking the arena. Bronzor tried to free itself and did manage to leave the ground before the quake hit, but the shifting earth rose to smack the metal disk around, sending it tumbling through the air where it dropped down, and fainted.

“The winner, Nemona Glitterati!” The announcer cried out as the ref gave the signal, and the crowd cheered. I recalled Dun instantly, before releasing him again.

When I released him, he was a little confused by the sudden change back and forth, but no longer Confused. The Pokeball reset his Aura to clear that condition and now he could bask in his well-deserved praise. To be fair, I’m doing a little basking too.

Leah came up to me, patting my shoulder. “Well done Young Miss. You’ve made it to the quarterfinals.”

“Congrats, that was quick thinking there,” Friede added.

“Thanks! I was so worried because Bronzors can know Levitate, but then I realized it might not have that ability mastered yet, so I tested it out with Mud Slap and-” I stopped myself as I realized I was rambling. “Thank you, for supporting me.” Hearing the crowd chanting my name is nice, but knowing Leah is in my corner helps when I second-guess myself.

“Of course. Shall we?” She asked, gesturing to the path out.

I waved Dunsparce over and he slithered up, going back into the Pokeball. “Yeah.” I’ve done alright so far, but here comes the big test, if I can make it in these last three rounds. Victory, fame, and even a potential shot at Aura lessons await.