Cheshire Toon

Nate struggled to follow the conversation between Quinn and the newcomer. The woman had an incredibly thick accent, and he had no idea what region she must have been from judging off of it. No one in Hoenn or Kanto or Johto sounded like that; he had met or been to all three places at different points in his life. Quinn didn’t sound like that, and she was from Sinnoh. That left Alola, Galar, and, uhh… Nathan blanked. There’s so many regions. How can they expect me to remember m’all? He really had tried to get it down back when he was in school. It was just, well, studying individual climates and weather patterns and the best ways to survive in them had seemed so much more worthwhile than studying the cultures or the names of land masses. Nate realized he was zoning out of the conversation when he heard Quinn say, “Of course he is alright with that,” while gesturing to him. Wait, what was he alright with? Oh well. He was sure Quinn wouldn’t agree to just anything on his behalf. The boy seemed smart enough to trust. A moment later he pieced together that the new person was asking to travel with them. Nate smiled at her and stepped forward eagerly, offering her his hand to shake. “Yeah! ‘Course you can! Journeys are better with good company, right?” If the woman accepted the handshake, she would find that his grip was firm, and his hand surprisingly calloused for a trainer just starting on his journey. Nate would pull his hand back and immediately reach for the Poké Ball on his belt. He clicked the button once to enlarge it to full size, then again to release Peat. The sea-bear materialized in a glow of light and butted his flippers into the ground playfully, rumbling when he saw the newcomer and waddling up to her to push his cold nose into her leg. “This is my best bud, Peat. He’s the only Pokémon I got right now, but he has enough personality for a whole team!” Peat showcased this by rumbling again and blowing a stream of bubbles into the air, showing off his newly learned move. A thin mist of water showered down on the party. “We’re aiming to be champions!”

Whuff. Whuff. Whuff. A hiss of exhaled air came alongside every flipper-smack that Peat delivered to the pads. Nate was pleased to see that the little cub was starting to get his breathing under control. It was one of the first things any fighter learned; human or Pokémon, Fighting or Psychic type, breathing control was crucial to being successful in battle. Nate angled the pads toward the ground to signal for Peat to pause. A flipper froze mid-air, just before it would have struck the trainer’s arm. “Good job,” Nate whispered to Peat quiet enough to not interrupt the conversation going on nearby. “You’re really getting the hang of those breathing techniques I showed you. I can feel the difference in your hits. Plus, look!” He ruffled Peat’s furry head. “You aren’t even winded, bud. See how big a difference it makes? Remember—A.B.S. Always breathe, silly.” It actually stood for always breathe, stupid, but Nate had softened the tone for his partner. He would never agree with his dad. Kindness had a place in training. Peat barked happily and charged forward to tackle him. Nate managed to keep his knees from buckling, but he stumbled backwards. “Whoa!” he giggled, scratching Peat under the chin. “Wish everyone got this excited about training.” Nate congratulated and praised Peat for another minute before he returned him to his Poké Ball and made his way over to the table. Quinn and Billy were discussing the day's events. He had been listening off-handedly during his training, but now, he felt like a great weight had lifted off his shoulders. “Didja say there had been rumors about a really strong Pokémon on Route One Oh Two?” Nate asked after hastily washing two pieces of toast with a whole glass of orange juice. His notebook had appeared in his hand out of nowhere. “What kind of rumors? Where exactly? Did any of that mention what the Pokémon looked like?” Billy rubbed at his chin like it was a magic lamp he was trying to coax the answers out of. “Well that spot of marshy area I mentioned? Seems some folk encountered something stronger than normal around there. Dunno exactly what it was but I remember hearing something about Pokemon being put to sleep. Course not everyone passing through saw it so either it's nothin’ or there's more to it than simply passin’ by." Nate frantically scribbled all of the information down in his notebook. “Gotcha. Thanks. I’mma look for it and see if I can catch it. I gotta get more teammates if I wanna compete with Quinn to be champion!” He shoved his training pad and his notebook back into his backpack. “Right, well, guess we’ll be heading out! Thanks again for the hospitality. I—oh crap. I totally forgot!” Nate reached down to his waist and snatched the extra PokéBall the thief had bounced off his head. “There’s someone’s Pokémon inside this. The guy hit me in the head with it before he ran off. Any idea what I should do with it? Should I leave it with you guys?” Billy took the ball from him to inspect it. He rubbed at his chin again, thought for a minute, then released the Pokémon inside of it. A small orange bug-like creature with gigantic jaws appeared in a flash of red light. It immediately started trying to bite the nearest structure, but thankfully Billy was quick to recall it. “Well. That’s a trapinch in there. Don’t see too many of those around these parts, so I remember when we do. Someone stayed here recently with one. I think she said she was headed for Route One Oh Two when I talked with her. Maybe you could return it to her, since you’re headed that way?” Nate nodded and clipped the ball back onto his belt. “Leave it to me. We’ll find her.” He threw his bag over his shoulder and looked over to Quinn. “I’m all set. Ready to hit the road?”

Nathan had welcomed the distraction of the morning, as terrible as it had been. He was happy that they had stopped the thief from getting away with the egg too. It normally would have left him on cloud nine to have been so useful and to have stopped a real life bad guy. All of it was dampened by the absence of their other—former—teammate, though, a bitter taste in his mouth that the boxer seemed unable to wash away. He and Belle hadn’t been close… but she was his first friend he had made on the boat. He had mistakenly thought they would become fast friends by the end of their journey. That’s how all the stories showed it was supposed to go; unlikely pairs that somehow stayed together and came out on top of the world. People threatened to quit, they got close for drama, but they always stayed. Except Belle had left. She had left and Nate knew there was nothing that he could do to change that. Life wasn’t a television show and it wasn’t even his place to chase after her. Hell, Nate could admit to himself that he really barely knew the girl beyond a day of travel. He had just… Well, he thought it would be different, that was all. Nate never imagined his journey would start on such a sad note. Maybe his parents were right. Maybe he had no idea what he was getting himself into. Nate reached for the Poké Ball on his belt and pressed a button to release Peat. The sea-bear cub appeared in a flash of light, snoring noisily, but he perked up immediately when he saw Nate in front of him and growled out an affectionate greeting. “Hey,” Nate said, kneeling down to scratch him beneath the chin. Peat purred. “We’re gonna do some morning training, bud. Just like on the ship. Okay?” The bear cub clapped his flippers together and assumed a battle-ready stance. Nate turned toward Quinn and Billy. “Is it alright if we do this here?” Nate fished the training pads he put over his hands out of his bag to show them. “I just have him hit pads to warm up in the morning. I figured I can just listen, while you two talk. I’m not… I’m not really in a super talkative mood.” He beamed at Quinn with a smile that was just a bit too bright. “Great job this morning though! I saw you out there, you were awesome!”

Nate grabbed for Peat's ball at his waist, prepared to battle. "Gah!" he grunted when instead of releasing a Pokémon, the PokéBall struck him in the head, and then fell to the ground. "What--what's wrong with you?" Of course the man had already started running. Nate started to chase after him, ignoring the pain lanciing through the knot already forming on the side of his head, then thought better of it. He looked at Quinn. "Nice catch," he said, smiling at them. Then, "Are you okay? That dude was crazy. I can't believe he just dropped that egg. Plus," Nate knelt down and picked up the PokéBall that had been thrown at him. It was slightly heavier than normal; one of a few clear indicators that something was inside of it. "He just left his Pokémon behind. Didn't even release it. What kinda scumbag does that?"

Nate was a boy that possessed a very one track mind. That was sometimes to his detriment; he struggled to multi-task well, and he could miss the greater scheme of things because he was too focused on the basic details. The thief with the egg was one such example. He was running too quickly, his body too tensed, to adapt for the fact that the thief had tripped and released the egg. Instead his attention remained solely on the man, the thief, who had become the outlet for all the anxious energy Nate found himself filled with. He tackled the man just as he started to fall. Nate was used to getting hit, and had taken a lot worse during sparring than a small fall could deliver unto him. That would give him the edge in the scramble when they fell. He would put all his effort into restraining the thief, to hold him down and prevent him from moving, and if the force of the tackle and the fall hurt him... well... Maybe don't steal things.

Nate was not the best at reading. His mind was too much of a livewire, his eyes too high-strung, to sit and absorb words on a page casually. He COULD read. He had read all about Pokémon, and he had already gathered quite the impressive collection of knowledge and trivia on them, if he did say so himself. It was just that being able to focus and read something required him to be EXTRA interested. He read the letter three times. His grip on it tightened and the paper crumpled between his fingers and started to tear; Nate read it again. “We gotta… I gotta…” he spoke softly, but it was through clenched teeth. He wanted more than anything to chase after her. To catch up to her and drag her back and demand that she stay with them. He hadn’t known her long, but he knew that she was in need of a friend, and he hated the idea of someone being on their own like that. He had grown surprisingly attached to the slovenly girl and her little Grass-type starter. He also knew that the only thing to do was respect her wishes. He really hadn't known her long enough to do anything so dramatic. The distraction was welcome when it came. Physical action. A place to direct the overwhelming need to act that roared through his veins. “Leave it to us! We’ll catch them!” Nate exploded out of the building like a Thunder Bolt. The hinges of the door creaked in protest, the force he had used to exit the building entirely unnecessary, and his feet pounded down the road in the direction the man had indicated.

Nate was excited about the prospect of talking to someone knowledgeable about the care of Pokémon. “That would be great! I wanna know all about Pokémon food,” he said. “Proper diet and care is half the battle when it comes to training.” Hard-work was a lubricant when it came to getting stronger. It made things easier, but if your foundation (your body and your mind) began to fail, hard work would never be a proper substitute. As they went their separate ways into the rooms, Nate waved goodnight to both his teammates. His eyes lingered on Belle longer than Quinn. Something seemed… off. He had a bad feeling in his stomach, but he was sure that sleep would fix it. So sleep was what he planned to do. He released Peat and started their nightly routine. Grooming (himself and Peat), brushing teeth (his own and Peat’s, flossing, and a calm nightly workout that consisted mostly of stretches that he took to more easily than Peat. It was a relaxing way to wind down from the stresses of the day; it expended the last of your energy while giving your muscles a stretch that helped dissolve any excess tension from walking. It gave him time to reflect on the day. A lot had happened. His first real battle, his first experience traveling with friends, and his first time meeting a Ranger to boot. Nate decided that he wouldn’t let not catching a Pokémon on his first day bum him out too much. Belle hadn’t either, and she was already proving to be a stronger trainer. He would have to work twice as hard to keep up with both her and Quinn. “Sweet dreams, Quinn!” he called when they knocked. Peat rumbled his goodnites as well, and then the both of them prepared for bed. Peat climbed into the bed and curled into Nate’s chest. Nate breathed a contented sigh and was almost immediately claimed by sleep.

Nate was sad to see the daycare appear on the horizon. He had been enjoying the journey. His skills were limited and training was one of the few things he was knowledgeable about, so it had been fun to share all the information that had been drilled into his head since he was a kid. His disappointment did not last long once they met the owner of the daycare. Nate stepped forward and extended his hand to shake Billy’s firmly. “Hi Billy! My name’s Nate. You already met my friend Quinn, spooky, right? The girl over there is…” Nate glanced around until he found Belle. During the journey, he had been sure to pace himself and never leave anyone behind, but he supposed he might have sprinted toward the house. “That’s Belle! Don't worry, she's looked like that since we got off the boat, but she's actually super nice.” He gestured at himself with his thumb and smiled. “We’re Pokémon trainers!” Nate toed off his shoes and followed Quinn inside. “I was pretty spooked by whole ghost thing at first too, but Quinn is just as nice as Belle.” The boy glanced around at the inside of the house with amazement. “So this is what a daycare looks like. We have one in Kanto, but my family would never let me visit. Do you guys have any special techniques you use to care for your Pokémon? Do you feed them any specific food?” Nate fished his notebook and pencil out of his pocket. “Have you ever heard of a Pokémon called Bearble? My partner is named Peat, and he’s a Bearble. I was hoping you guys might have some advice on how I was supposed to take care of him. He worked real hard today so I wanna make sure his fur and his teeth and fins and stuff are all taken care of the right way. Right now I’ve been brushing him every night, and cleaning his teeth whenever I brush mine. He hates it, but I saw a documentary once talking about how most trainers don’t give their Pokémon proper dental care, so I wanna be extra careful.” Nate stopped when he realized that no one else was talking, then he laughed, his face flushing as red as a cheri berry. “Sorry about that…” he said, awkwardly rolling his pencil between his thumb and forefinger. “I get a little excited sometimes.”

Nate grinned at Belle once the matter with the Rattata had been settled. “So, you really have all of the anniversary stuff for the rangers?” he asked as they walked back to the Pokémon Center. It felt like a great weight had been lifted off of his chest now that he no longer had to worry about injured Pokémon, and he was happy to talk about something more light-hearted. “My Mom has a few too. She grew up in Hoenn so she was really into the show, so she watched it with me a lot. I only ever wanted stuff with the Red Ranger in it though.” His face flushed and he scratched at the back of his neck and looked away, still smiling. “I just thought he was cool. What about you? Got a favorite?” Nate would continue the conversation if Belle responded during the trip back to town. If she didn’t, he wouldn’t press the issue, and instead focus on the scenery around them. When they arrived back at town Nate would head inside and have the nurse quickly heal Peat. Unlike earlier that morning, there was no paperwork involved, and the whole process was a quick and easy thing. He clipped the Poké Ball back to his belt and took a seat to wait for his friends to be ready. Well… he sat for about a minute. Nate was never good at being still. After a few seconds he was bouncing his leg. Then a minute later he was on his feet pacing. By the time Quinn reunited with them outside the Pokémon Center, Nate was shadow boxing with the air, slipping and sliding his shoulders to roll away from imagined punches. His movements were crisp and fluid, and when he struck back at his invisible opponent, the blows were snappy and the air cracked around his knuckles. It was clear even to someone untrained that Nate was a very experienced boxer. “OH! Quinn!” Nate paused mid-punch and grinned. “You get the nurse to check on you guys? I’m used to getting roughed up by Pokémon, but that bruise looked nasty.” When the potential specter mentioned training, Nate pumped his fist with excitement, then paused suddenly. “I think Peat could use a break. We’ve been training the whole time, and I haven’t managed to catch any Pokémon yet. You went and beat me to finding the Rat King!” The momentary pause was not enough to keep his spirit down. “I can help you train though! Mom and Dad ran a dojo back home, right by the Saffron city gym, so I’ve been training since I was a kid. Oh, and Belle and Moo can join too! This’ll be great.”

Hector watched everyone else vanish in a beam of light until only he and Jirachi remained. The Mist was what felt like only inches away from them then. Long, wispy coils stretched out from the bulk of it, and for a split second Hector thought they were forming into something more solid as they got closer. Frayed tendrils became fingers first, then hands, reaching out for the two of them languidly. He blinked and they were just tendrils again. All six of Hector shifted uncomfortably, and without any of his companions around, he was honest with himself. He was scared. He envied the ones to be teleported initially. Hearing about the Mist had been unnerving—Hector had been unsure how they were supposed to help even then—but experiencing it so closely was another thing entirely. How are we supposed to fight against… this? Hector felt an inclination in the back of his mind to form up into a shield wall, but his instinct was cowed by how awestruck he was by what he saw in front of him. The Legends had failed to prevent this. Card games and video games had taught him those legends were supposed to be god-like; forces of nature unto themselves. Yet all of them had failed. All of them except… Hector looked at Jirachi. A tiny blip of a figure against the endless wall of Mist. The final bastion of the once mighty legendaries that had created the world. Hector had thought of him as inspiring so far, occasionally childish, but in that moment he saw him in a new light. The Wish Pokémon seemed lonely. Small. Tired. Hector saw a shining light appear in the corner of his vision. His stomach churned in anticipation of being teleported away. He spared Jirachi one final glance. I can’t imagine how he feels right now. It was rough waking up as a Pokémon, but that probably has nothing on waking up to learn that while you were asleep the world ended and all your friends and family are dead or turned insane by some freaky Mist. The light became blinding. Hector vanished a split second later, still staring sadly at Jirachi. Don’t worry, you aren’t alone now. We’ll help. I promise. ----------- Hector stumbled when his feet found solid ground. They were in some kind of clearing now. He didn’t have to wonder where for long, because Jirachi appeared only a moment after he did. Then he explained what they needed to do to prevent the Mist. Hector was surprised by how easy the request was. His memory of life past his teenage years had been missing since he woke up as a Falinks, but he knew that he had no need of those memories to conjure up a happy moment. NCM had been his escape from a miserable home life. The friends he had made discussing the Pokémon TCG had been his substitute for any real connection with his mother and father. The in-jokes, the late night troll posting, the club shenanigans and all of the theory-crafting in group private messages for local tournaments. He picked one that stuck out to him. The day he told the group PM that he had qualified to go to the 2014 Pokémon TCG World Tournament. It was hosted in Washington, not far from his home state, so he would even be able to afford the trip. They had stayed up until the sun had come up working on his deck for the tournament. Discussing tech choices and the meta. There had been talks of some of them showing up to support him and hang out in person. It was one of his favorite memories. He met Jirachi's eyes, scooped the badge off of his chest, and wished with all his might.

Quinn and Belle were following him. For a split second, Nate wished that they weren’t. Then he realized what he was thinking and was disgusted with himself. They didn’t do anything wrong, he scolded himself. I’m the one bringing up bad memories. He slowed down until both of them were able to roughly keep pace with him. A dead sprint slowly became a light run, and then, a brisk jog before Belle was finally able to catch up. She was red in the face and breathing heavily, and Nate’s stomach churned with the terribly familiar feeling of guilt when she nearly buckled. Belle hadn’t been put through the physical training he had. And if he were being realistic, he was several inches taller than Quinn, even if they were in decent shape. It was unfair to try and force them to move at the pace he set. I need to think more before I run off. A good friend should be considerate. Truth be told, Nate had not had very many friends in his life. A lot of training partners. Several rivals who resented him at the dojo. But people who just wanted to be around him without any kind of expectation? Those were far and few between. Nate had little experience in how he was expected to treat his friends because of that. At least, practical experience. He had seen a lot of television about how good guys treated their friends. All he had to do was be like those guys. Right…? Peat caught up to the group then. He was huffing nearly as heavily as Belle, his flippers stained with dirt and clumps of grass stuck between his claws. Nate felt even worse. “Hey bud,” he shifted the Rattata in his arms to be cradling them both in one arm. “Here. I’m gonna return you, alright? Rest up. You earned it.” Peat huffed but seemed too tired to argue, then vanished in a flash of red light. Nate clipped his ball back to his belt and turned towards Belle. “Over that way?” he asked. He hadn’t seen them before, but he was so caught up in the excitement of training that it was no great surprise that he had missed things. “Alright. Follow me. Don’t worry, little guys, we’ll get you help real soon.” He mumbled assurances to the two unconscious Rattata and then set off again. This time, Nate was sure to move slow enough that neither of his companions would find themselves straining too hard to keep up. The person they found was someone right out of the old Hoenn Ranger cartoons that his Mom had shown him as a kid. Costume and all. Kanto rangers had dressed in a much more practical way that, as a kid, had disappointed Nate a lot. The guy in front of him on the other hand… Nate was surprised when Belle seemed to recognize him too. “You know about them?” he said, turning to face her. He beamed, the first genuine smile he had shown since finding the Rattata. “I loved those guys! The Red Ranger was my favorite!” His smile faded, and he looked back at the ranger. “She’s right though. I don’t remember any Ranger Black. Did you just start?” Another man burst onto the scene before Ranger Black could answer, causing the man to flee with another cartoonish shout. Then the ranger asked how he could help. Nate felt a great weight lift off his shoulders. There was a professional now. An adult. Someone who would actually know how to help. “She summed it up, sir,” he said, stepping forward and gesturing down at the Rattata he held with his chin. “Most wild Pokémon I’ve seen aren’t hurt as bad as these little guys were. It didn’t feel right to just leave them there, where another Pokémon could take advantage of them being hurt. I was gonna use my potions but then my friend Belle here—she’s the smart one who was just talking to you—she said that she saw a Pokémon Ranger, and thought we should bring them back to you.” Nate took a deep breath. He had rambled all of what he had to say out quickly, without pausing to breathe, his anxiousness spilling out of him like water from a broken pipe now that there was someone to handle things. “So…” He held out the Rattata for the ranger. “Can you help them?”

Hector neatly piled all of the fruit he had collected at the base of a large rock nearby. It was close to where Jirachi had taken to handing out cups crafted from banana leaves, so it would be an easy task for someone to get a cup of water and then grab a fruit to eat. He was proud of the haul they had returned with (well, truth be told, he had done most of the hauling, but Z. had been a great help in finding things during the foraging). And the trip itself had done a lot to help his frayed nerves. He had been losing faith in their ability to work together as a team. And his opinion of the Zorua had been slipping, too, convinced by their actions that they only cared about how things turned out for themself. Hector decided, as he chomped down on six pieces of fruit simultaneously and was struck by the most intense sugar-induced dopamine rush of his life, that he had judged them too quickly. It was a terrible situation they were all in. And unprecedented. People would need time to adjust, and he could not judge them all by his pace. Not everyone acclimated to stressful environments and new situations well, but struggling with a transitional phase did not inherently make them bad people. It just meant that he needed to be more sympathetic to the rest of his forumers-turned-Pokémon. Hector made sure to keep that in mind as he trundled over to listen to what Jirachi had to say. And… It was a lot. Shiny golden badges that may or may not be the key to combating the zombie mist, and apparently held the ability to teleport them or other Pokémon to the safety of wherever the pre-assigned “Home” point was. Hector found himself refusing to believe any of it at first. Then he realized that he had seen and heard the entire speech through six sets of eyes and ears—his vision a strange kaleidoscope that he had only started to adjust to managing—and decided that it was not that unbelievable. Hector waddled forward and grabbed his badge, awkwardly pinning it to the chest of the Brass like some kind of medal. The entire thing reminded him of playing Sheriff as a kid. “Seems crazy, but a genius wouldn’t lead us into danger, right?” he said with six sets of smiles, before raising his hands to form a battle-ready Shield Wall formation. “Ready.”

Link landed shoulder first when he hit the ground. The impact drove the wind from his lungs and caused his ears to ring. For a split second the whole world began to grow further and further away. It was a sensation he was familiar with—lapsing in and out of consciousness was nothing new to the soldier. Link bit down on the inside of his cheek as hard as he could manage and the sharp sting of pain was enough to cut through the mental fog. He could hear the pounding of hooves and a terrified horse, a pained groan that was not his own, and even more oncoming hooves. His instincts briefly caused him to tense in anticipation of a cavalry charge before his vision cleared and he saw who the approaching horses were. He took a quick assessment of his faculties as he pushed himself to his feet. He was hurt. He had been hurt before his failed stunt; his shoulder had been ground into mince meat when he used it as a makeshift battering ram, and huge bruises had formed on his torso from the spots his armor had blocked the knives thrown in his direction. That and all the injuries from fighting the dragon what felt like a lifetime ago—but was in actuality only a few hours before—meant that he was far from healthy. When he accounted for the new injuries from his fall, mainly a significant amount more pain in his shoulder and a stabbing senstation when he breathed in too deeply that told him he might have cracked or bruised a rib, he would say that he was actually in quite bad shape all things considered. But truth be told he had gotten off lucky with the fall. It had probably broken his rib and messed up his shoulder, but that was minimal damage when the speed and force with which he had fallen were considered. Not that he had time to REALLY dwell on any of that. Link saw his sword standing straight up, buried a few inches into the dirt, several feet in front of him. The huge horse he had been riding had slowed to a stop not far from it. Link cradled his aching arm close to his stomach and hobbled forward to retrieve his sword. It was a blessing that his left arm was not injured anymore. He wrenched it free and limped over to Gaston. There was no pity in his eyes when he raised his sword; no sympathy for the keening of a wounded man. Link’s eyes were hard and cold, and his normally soft blue orbs could have been mistaken for two chips of ice in that moment. It was clear to anyone what his intent for Gaston was.

Nate was so excited that he leapt to his feet and nearly hugged Belle, but thankfully, recalled that not everyone appreciated hugs. “Man, you’re smart! No way to check a website out here”—and truth be told he was not very good at navigating the interweb or whatever it was called—”but I’ve got some potions on me.” Nate slung his backpack onto the ground and kneeled beside it, finding the side compartment that he had labeled MEDICINE and whipping a spray bottle full of potion out of it. He was familiar with the purple-colored recycle sprayers; he had seen his dad use them in the dojo almost every day… though now he realized that he had no idea how to use them. Nate frowned and looked back at Belle. “Do you think I just spray it on? Or do I need to like, shake it or something first?” He would never find out the answer to his question. At that moment Quinn nearly bowled him over. Nate dove to shelter the Rattata and make sure neither of them were accidentally tread on by the ghost-person. Thankfully, the specter caught themself. Nate breathed a sigh of relief and pushed himself back up to a sitting position. “Is that…?” Ratking. Nate had so many questions for the girl. Where did she find it? What had it been like for him to catch it? Had it made a den? Did they think there was more in the area? Nate wanted to know so much more than the little bit of information he had been given about fighting over food; Pokémon ecology (a fancy word he had heard used in a documentary as a kid) was a special interest for him. It ranked third, behind only rare Pokémon and battling, both of which also applied to the little rat before him. So it was to his great surprise there was also an uncomfortable burning in his chest as stared at the little rat he learned was called Normie. Normie looked proud of her conquest. Proud of what she had done to the Rattata before her. It is the way of the world, in the wild, his dad would have told him. It’s a Pokémon eat Pokémon world out there. Might is all that matters. It was only natural that Normie had defended her food. Nate knew that on a logical level. He reminded himself several times over the course of just a few seconds, looking at the Ratfian, but the burning in his chest would not subside. We must be strong. Stronger than any strategy. Stronger than any type-disadvantage. Strong enough to reclaim what was once rightfully ours. Peat bumped against his leg and stared up at the boy, wet nose wiggling curiously. Nate forced a too-big smile on his face and gave Quinn a thumbs-up. “Congrats on the Pokémon! Normie looks really strong! You’ll have to tell me more about how you met at some point. Not now though, I gotta go find a ranger. These Pokémon need help!” Nate scooped up both Rattata as gently as he could and sprinted off to deliver them to the Pokémon Ranger they had passed on the way. “Follow me, or go on ahead if you want! I’ll take care of this and then catch up! Promise!” He yelled over his shoulder as he went. Peat trundled off after as fast as his flippers could carry him, and before long, the two were gone.

The training had gone well. Peat had already started to look a bit stronger--Nate could tell from a glance that the Pokémon had gotten a lot more comfortable in his skin just from the way that he carried himself. The boy was absolutely thrilled with the progress. He was, however, disappointed by the total lack of progress in finding the mysterious Ratking he had heard mentioned. Nate had just decided to take a break and catch up with the rest of his team when he heard the sounds of a battle going on. He called Peat over to his side and headed in that direction just in time to catch the conclusion of Belle’s battle. His feelings on that were… hard to process. Losses happened. He had almost lost his first battle. On that same hand, he was somewhat angered by her opponent. He wasn’t sure if Belle had been around enough battles to tell but the Rattata she battled had clearly been way more experienced than her and Moo. Nate found himself a bit annoyed at her opponent for challenging someone that was obviously a beginner to such a one-sided battle. The only things that stopped him from running over to say as much were: a, Belle had shown more excitement for her battle than Nate had seen her show the entire boat ride over, and b, the boy that she had battled seemed very nice. In the end he decided to wait until the other trainer left before heading over. His original plan had been to give Belle a few minutes on her own to process things. Reality was a lot different than that though. He heard rustling grass and looked down to see Peat had bolted away from his side. Peat waddled across the grass as fast as his little flippers could carry him, his movement awkward but effective on dry land. The little Sea Cub was deceptively fast when he wanted to be. He came to a stop and made a noise somewhat like a purr when he got close to Moo, pressing his wet nose into the Poamoo’s muzzle in what Nate assumed was a greeting. Poamoa returned the nose press and let out a friendly sounding “moo.”, and Peat responded by rocking back onto his hind legs and clapping his fins together happily, still purring. Nate smiled as he jogged the rest of the way over to the pair. “Hey there!” he said loudly, before noticing Belle’s sleeping form and wincing. “Sorry about that,” he said in a much softer voice, but the smile never left his face. “We saw the last little bit of your battle! You looked awesome out there. Peat here got so fired up watching it that he ran off all on his own so he could be the first to congratulate you two on your very first battle,” Nate ruffled the little bear cub’s moss-colored head. Peat rumbled his agreement and clapped his fins against the ground this time, still staring at Poamoo with a toothy approximation of a smile. Moo chewed his cud, but he let out another moo that to Nate sounded particularly pleased. Peat seemed to agree with him, if his purring was anything to judge by. “Think it’s time we woke your trainer up though, pal,” Nate said, walking over to squat beside Belle. He was actually impressed with how thoroughly she had fallen asleep in such a short time, especially considering how uneven the ground was. Moo stared at him with big eyes but stayed in his spot and continued to chew his cud. “Hey, Belle, rise and shine.” Belle groaned but didn’t move. “Don’t wanna.” Nate chuckled. “You can’t just sleep here in the middle of the road. What if a Pokémon comes by and steals all the food out of your bag while you’re sleeping?” Belle groaned again. “S’what Moo is for.” Nate blinked. Moo… as in… her starter? He stared at the little cow, who met his gaze lazily while still chewing his cud. That’s cute. “C’mon. Come train with me and Peat. We saw the end of your battle--you guys looked awesome! That guy was just way more experienced than you.” Peat rushed over to him and pushed against his side. Nate grinned. “No way you lose to him next time, not once you have some more practice!” “Training is for normies.” Nate scrunched his face up in confusion. What’s a normie? That was what he wanted to ask, but he had a feeling he wouldn’t get a straight answer. Instead he opted to look at Peat and nod. The little bear cub tilted his head in confusion, then, after a moment, realization seemed to dawn on him. He shuffled forward and pressed his wet nose into the side of Belle’s face and nudged her, the same way he had on the boat. Belle scrunched her face up in an almost mirror image of Nate, then groaned and turned over to face away from Peat. The cub turned to Nate and whined. Nate shook his head and laughed. “Man. I really thought that one would wake you up. Don’t worry about it, Peat,” he rubbed his starter’s head fondly. Then he slapped his hands into his thighs and pushed himself to his feet. “Didn’t wanna do this but you’ve left me no choice, Belle. As your friend I can’t just sit by and watch you sleep in the middle of the road in good consciousness.” He reached into the pocket of his bag and pulled out a bar of chocolate. “If you promise to get up and come train with me, I’ll give you this bar of chocolate I bought for us to make smores at the camp tonight.” Belle slowly rose to her feet. Nate cheered. “Whoo! Just you wait, this is gonna be so much fun!” he proclaimed. “I read a whole article on the boat about doubles training and how Pokémon can grow twice as fast if you know how it works!” He grinned at Peat and Moo. “You guys ready to evolve? ‘Cause we’re about to get so much training done.” Suddenly remembering his promise, Nate held out the candy bar to Belle. “Here you go! Try not to eat it too fast though. My mom always said that too much sugar too fast can make you sick to your stomach.” Belle grabbed the bar but made no move to immediately eat it. She looked at Nate. “I’ll save this for later. I think I’ll need it.” Nate shrugged. “Suit yourself! Oh, oh, I just remembered! Peat!” He was practically vibrating as he turned to his starter. Peat hurriedly waddled over to his trainer. “Show ‘em that new move that you learned when I fell outta that tree!” It seemed his energy was contagious. Peat started to bounce up and down too, and then, waiting until he was sure Belle and Moo were watching, he shot a barrage of slow-moving bubbles out of his mouth and into the sky. They popped after they had traveled a few feet into the air and caused a thin sheen of moisture to rain down on the duo, like rainwater sucked up by a fan. Nate looked at Belle and grinned. “Isn’t that cool? See how awesome training is?” Belle peered up at the few bubbles that hadn’t popped. “Yeah. Sure.” She sounded unenthused. “You can’t fool me with that whole bored outta your mind act,” Nate said, shaking his head and smiling. “I only caught the tail end of that battle but I saw how excited you were. You like battling just as much as I do!” Belle yawned. "It's not an act. I just got a little energized. But I used up all my energy and now I'm tired again." Nate genuinely paused for the first time since he had arrived on the scene. “Really? I guess that makes sense. People always tell me I have too much energy for my own good.” He frowned. That was what both his parents had always told him actually. That he needed to find a productive outlet for his energy and stop spending all his time fantasizing about becoming a champion. They hadn’t really cared much when he was a kid, but the older he got, the more annoyed they seemed to become with his talk of being a champion. Nate pushed the thought away and grabbed Belle’s hand. “You can just borrow some of mine in that case! Let’s go train and I’ll help make sure Moo is doing okay if you get too tired to keep an eye on him. Just until you get some energy back!” He started to pull her along with him toward the direction he had seen Quinn run off to some time before. “I’m sure it won’t take long! One or two good battles and you’ll be just as excited as before!” Belle in the meantime looked very unenthusiastic but allowed herself to be dragged along. Not that Nate noticed--or ever even so much as looked back. He had already started to ramble about all the strategies he had come up with for team battling. Several minutes passed with Nate pulling Belle along and talking. “--and then BAM! Peat can blast ‘em with bubble while Moo has them held down with Vine Whip. Or at least if Moo learns Vine Whip. I think he should. He looks… vine-y. So yeah! I’m sure that strategy will work! Another one I read about is--” he cut himself off very suddenly. “Belle?” His voice had lost all of the enthusiasm it had when talking about training, and in fact, seemed more serious than Belle had ever heard it before. “Do you see that?” He gestured toward a patch of grass in front of them. Two small forms were motionless in the grass. One was purple and lean, with big, sharp teeth. A Rattata. It looked terribly wounded. The other had a very similar body but it had dark fur, and, for lack of a better word, seemed incredibly fat. Nate let go of Belle’s hand and rushed forward on his own. Peat shuffled behind him as fast as his fins could carry him. “These guys are hurt. More than if they had just battled a trainer or something. Not unless that trainer was just cruel.” He dropped down into a crouch beside the two and moved his hand toward the chubbier of the pair. It made no move to react; it was clearly not conscious. Nate frowned. “We should do something to help. But I don’t know anything about how to treat hurt Pokémon.” He looked back at Belle. “Do you?”