MATURE: Nori Carino: Official In-Training [COMPLETE!!]

[Welkamo]

It actually is a legitimate color name, capitalized as such.

Woah really? Cool stuff.

AHA, NOW IT IS MY TURN TO CORRECT!! The technical term is 'aquaphobia', believe it or not. Hydrophobia refers to rabies, probably because of some idiot naming it that. Although hydro- is so common it's usually accepted anyway. So, shrug. I think I might've even mixed it up in the fic once or twice - besides dialogue; dunno if I had a character make the mixup.

YES YOU GOT YOUR CHANCE!
Oh no… rabies. I don’t have personal experience with rabies, I’ve just read about some… interesting internet stuff about rabies.

Sounds like a drabble idea if you can get someone associated with Wallace on a boat or aquatic Pokemon.

Funny enough, I wanted to write a MikuNagi sickfic where Wallace is airsick, but I already put him through a migraine sickfic. Might write Winona getting seasickness instead.

Also everything’s a Drabble idea if you put your mind to it.

Now you got my curious about the context. But can say the inspirational context for this was my middle school's dance. There was a sleepover after it, boys and girls separated by sides and a teacher up all night watching. I never went, didn't have anyone to go there with.

I just hate gym class. I don’t have to take it anymore, but still. However, my middle school did have an at school sleepover. I didn’t go.

That's him, Billy Ordride himself.

I was right about something!

"Fuck" indeed.

…oh no.

Probably a reference I'm not getting here.

No, but I once lived near a community pool with a kiddie play area and a regular pool. I spent more time at the former because it had slides and stuff.

This was inspired by two separate incidents, as an aside: going down a waterslide at a park during a visit there at middle school and having to flounder to the shore (although in this case it was my own whims, not being challenged), and when having swim lessons as a kid hitting my head on a diving board and getting a concussion.

Ouch. Hope you’re doing okay, buddy.

Also surprised you had nothing to say on the very last part. Lots of stuff going on there.

Lots of stuff indeed, but sometimes I’m good at formulating coherent thoughts and comments, and other times I’m not. But I can say that I wanna give Lux a hug.

 

[System Error]

May of Ordinance (fourth part)
May 18th, 2015​

Nori made sure to get to school extra early on Monday. He arrived just before 7:30am to help Arumi make the final changes to the latest edition of the newsletter, as well as add the latest developments. They finished up and got the copies printed at 8:45am.

Later on, as Arumi was out handling distribution as always, the other three senior members of the club were looking over the paper as they ate lunch. While Lorant's expression was as unreadable as always, the satisfaction of Beau and Gino could not be contained in their faces.

"I am not afraid to give credit where it is due," remarked the poofy-haired teen. "Impressively done on the article, you two."

"Well-written," concurred Lorant, speaking up for once.

Gino also voiced his approval. "You two have a good future ahead of you if you keep at it."

"Aw, thanks, you guys!" said Yuki, blushing sheepishly. "I was worried we didn't do great, even with Arumi helping us. But I'm glad it worked out!" The strawberry blond boy smiled at Nori. "I'm really interested in the part you added this morning, though!"

Beau concurred. "On that subject, extra points for being an event happening in the city. Unlike the half-witted articles of others."

"To be honest," said Gino, drumming his fingers. "We have been thinking of running a piece on the Gym's exhibition days. Arumi's consistently ruined it, though."

It wasn't hard to see why. "Maybe I can help you with that," Nori offered.

Gino nodded. "We'd appreciate that."

Beau went back to the paper, reading a little more of the article in puzzlement. "As much as I am a fan of his, I do not understand why they are promoting three battles with the same individual."

Well, that was something Nori could explain. "It's for the novelty. Tono's the second-most popular Gym Trainer too." Way behind Kallisto of course, but far ahead of Eddie and Ollie thanks to having a better attitude. "Plus, there's other important battles each day besides the last."

"That's right!" Yuki added, explaining alongside him. "There's the first match of the day!"

The boy nodded. "Volkner told me that's the one that sets the tone. There's also the first battle after school gets out."

"Just as important for the same reasons!" his friend chimed in.

"And Tono's getting all three important slots of the day."

Yuki nudged him hopefully. "So what slot are you getting, Nori?"

"I don't know for sure yet, but it's easy to guess. Full battles almost always go last, so that'll be Radovan. And it's a school day, so it's safe to say his grudge match with Haruna can't happen early. So that'll be after school, and my one-on-one should be first. Since I will be getting the day off."

"Awww!" The strawberry blond deflated. "But I wanted to watch you!"

Gino leaned back in his chair. "I have to admit, the rest of us had some interest as well. But it can't be helped. Good luck."

Nori nodded. One of the things he liked about the news club was that they rarely brought up or judged him by his accomplishments as the Demon Tamer. That wasn't to say they ignored it entirely, and it was comforting to know they were rooting for him. "Thanks."

Beau smirked devilishly. "You are going to need it."

Well, almost all of them. He took this remark in stride. "I might just surprise you!"

##########​

May 19th, 2015​

Tono had taken the day off for his birthday, as much for the rest and relaxation as it was for some last minute private training. Given the preparation aspect, Volkner had no issue with this.

After returning from school on Tuesday, Nori went directly to the back to train with Volkner. However, instead of last minute strategizing or practicing, the Gym Leader sat him down.

"I want to ask you something," Volkner inquired, lowering his gaze. "What are you willing to do to win?"

Nori replied quickly. "Here? Anything that's not illegal."

"I thought so," replied the Gym Leader with an approving smirk. "From what you did to Eddie."

He shrugged. "Well, I'm not going to hit someone in the balls just because. I had no other option there. Well, besides get soaked, but screw that!"

The Gym Leader chuckled. "I meant your battle, but that too, I suppose. Do you know how critical hits work?"

He nodded. A sudden quiz? "They hit a weak spot or pressure point, or are with more vigor than usual. They're usually up to luck. Some moves are better at hitting like this, and some moves like Frost Breath make sure a Pokemon feels it. And some Pokemon have the luck to hit them more often, or the precision to hit harder when they do. And others have armor that cover up these spots." He'd been studying! Volkner was about to keep talking, when he added, "Um, wasn't there an item that helps too?"

"Yes, several. You didn't need to be that thorough, and you still left out several parts." Ack. Stupid. There was so much obscure stuff to remember! "The important thing was the first part."

Nori tilted his head. "Um, are you going to teach me how to make my Pokemon hit others in the balls?"

Volkner laughed. Nori wasn't sure if it was at him or not, and he didn't clear it up. "Not quite. But the same principal applies."

"How's that?"

"Do you remember when you fought Sofie?"

He sighed. "Just the aftermath." Most of what he remembered from that day was his depression about Lux moving, and Volkner freaking out at him.

Volkner scratched his cheek. "Well," he awkwardly replied, choosing not to get into that subject again. "Your Pachirisu ended up shooting some electricity down her Houndoom's throat."

Nori blinked. "It was more of a fluke, I think..."

"It was. But if you know where to aim your Pokemon's attacks, you can increase their effectiveness."

"Like hitting the eyes?"

A nod. "Or how you had the Demon hit Eddie's Magnezone's antenna."

"That was also a fluke." His instincts spoke and he listened. Volkner already seemed to understand that before he admitted it, however. "But wouldn't aiming somewhere be harder than just landing the move?"

"It is, use of Laser Focus aside. Do it sparringly, for that and other reasons."

The boy nodded. Stuff like this was fighting a little dirty. Pachi might not like doing that, but the Demon wouldn't care. In fact, she already did it on her own. "So how does this apply to Tono?"

"You tell me."

"Um." Another quiz? "Should I, uh, hit the...electricity...making thingy? I mean, the gland?"

Volkner crossed his arms. Wrong answer?

"W-well," he stammered, "Getting the eyes should always be good. But the only other thing I can think of is the legs." And then it hit him. "Is that right?"

The Gym Leader folded his hands on the table and nodded. "Yes. Attacks aimed for the legs can hamper a Pokemon's mobility. It's how moves like Bulldoze and Low Sweep work. If a Pokemon relies on speed, taking that away helps."

"Or by messing up the field, like Haruna did."

"Yes, that's another way. Irrelevant for now since you can't do so, however. Going back to this, you in turn need to be ready to adapt, if someone uses that against you." He sat back. "Some advanced lessons for you, anyway. Again, don't use strategy like this too often. It can be more trouble than it's worth, and get you a bad reputation."

"Thanks. And don't worry, I won't." As he was about to say more, Mrs. Stetcher's voice came in over the intercom.

"Nori Carino, there's someone who wants to meet with you at the front desk."

"A friend of yours?" asked Volkner.

"Nobody said they were going to come by. But maybe it's a surprise?"

"Or Haruna."

Also a possibility. "Guess we'll see."

---​

The visitor turned out to be someone Nori didn't know. A light brown-haired teenager who claimed he was one of the people who didn't get to battle him at Mynwest Court, and had come here looking for a fight. Nori made up every excuse not to, mostly telling him to wait until tomorrow on exhibition day. But he insisted on today, so ‘there's no excuses when you lose,’ and under the pretext of a Gym qualifier. Trying to get Kallisto to fight him got met with a lecture, and Nori got the feeling this stupid moron wouldn't go away until he agreed. So he did so, just to shut him up.

He immediately put his new knowledge to work in the ensuing one-on-one, having the Demon slice across the eyes a couple times. When the guy tried to have his Torterra use Earthquake, Nori countered by having the Demon jump onto its back to land a few blows - until they figured to counter by using Razor Leaf from the tree on its back. They were sparing their foe no quarter, ruthlessly seizing any opportunity in front of them.

"Torterra! Are you all right?!" the other trainer asked during a brief lull. The turtle-like Pokemon was woozy after a relentless assault of Poison Jabs that it only stopped with an impromptu Wood Hammer. It weakly nodded. The trainer turned his ire towards him. "That was cheap! Again!"

"Crybaby pussy!" taunted Ollie from the stands.

Eddie snorted. "Come in here with all those tough words, and you can't back it up!"

Normally Nori would be uncomfortable at their trash talk, but in this case, he felt his opponent kind of deserved it. "Oh, so now not trading attacks is being cheap?" Maybe the eye attack was, and you could make a case for getting atop the other Pokemon. But this was just complaining. "Can we get this over with already?" he goaded.

"Then we will! Torterra, GIGA IMPACT!!"

Well, Nori wasn't expecting that. His opponent's Pokemon roared and got up on its hind legs. It cloaked itself in some sort of white energy vaguely reminiscient of evolutionary light and charged towards the Demon. She'd been waiting their foe's next move from where she'd been struck towards - by one of the pillars.

And she hopped aside. The Torterra collided headfirst into the object, immediately stumbling back in pain. The object buckled and swayed under the powerful force of the move.

"The pillar!" Nori yelled and pointed, barely noticing the combination of the recoil and a claw slash combination from the Demon had finished off their foe. It ultimately stayed upright, but the boy's worries wouldn't go away. "It hit that hard!"

Volkner gave it a glance, but waved it off. "It's fine. You win this battle," he announced.

He wasn't sure about that. "But could it be loose?" He'd heard they'd been knocked over a couple times, and was surprised that didn't do it.

No one answered him about this one, Volkner simply walking to the back. Meanwhile, the head Gym Trainer approached his opponent. "That's not too bad," he remarked. "I haven't seen you around, though?"

"Yeah, I'm a tenth-year from the east side. I mostly train at Mynwest and stuff. I'm going on a journey once I'm fully graduated. Today was just an excuse."

"Same idea as me when it comes to traveling, then. It seems you already have a strong partner," the head Gym Trainer stated.

"Not strong enough to beat them, though," Eddie said with a sick grin.

"I see now why they call her the Demon Nidorina," his opponent said, shaking his head at himself. "I was not ready for any of that."

"A lot of people aren't," Nori said, recalling his now bored-looking Pokemon. And a lot that are still have trouble. "But that pillar–"

"Don't worry about it, the maintenance crews will handle it before tomorrow." Kallisto shrugged.

Well, he was hoping they would! That's their job! Still, his instincts were telling him that had to get looked at. So they'd better!

"Good battle," the other trainer begrudgingly said, coming in for a handshake. "But I'm going to get you next time."

He was assuming a lot in there being a next time, yet Nori shook his hand all the same.

---​

Tono unexpectedly returned to the Gym just after 5pm. The others were just as surprised to see him return as Nori was. If he had the day off, wouldn't he want to take it, Nori figured?

"Didn't expect to see you back so soon!" Kallisto warmly greeted his best friend as he entered the arena.

Tono was grumbling and muttering to himself in Japanese on his approach. "Radovan and Haruna somehow found me. They started spouting rude and uncalled for insults, refusing to leave me be."

"Damn," said Eddie, shaking his head.

"Aww, what's wrong?" Nori wasn't sure why, but he decided to pile on. Maybe it was a bit much, but he'd take any chance he could get to pay Tono back. "Can't take some insults? Can you dish it out but not take it?"

Tono glared. "This immature behavior is exactly why you are not invited to any of my birthday activities."

"You wouldn't have invited me anyway!" he fired back.

"All right," Kallisto mediated. "Settle down, Nori."

Although he nodded in agreement, Tono eyed him. His expression contorted into a simmered glare, lip twitching.

"Oh, before I forget," the boy said. He reached into his pocket and retrieved a simple handmade card from paper, just like before. "Happy birthday," he said, holding it out. He wasn't sure why he went through with this given their bad terms, let alone put in enough effort to add a haiku along with the birthday message. A flash of brilliance / The tactician of thunder / Tono Takuma. Maybe it was his whims.

Tono glared at the scrap as if it were garbage. He impatiently glanced to the others. On Kallisto smiling and motioning to him, he reluctantly snatched it up.

"This is ridiculous," he declared after reading, folding it and placing it in his pocket. "I am going upstairs to train. Do not bother me."

Nori huffed. Not even a ‘thank you’? Kallisto assured him, "Don't feel too bad, Nori. I'm sure he appreciates it." He kind of got that, from it not being ripped up or thrown on the floor.

Ollie turned to the Gym Leader, who had been stoically watching. "Hey! Uh, can we leave early for the party, Volkner?"

From what they'd told Nori, they were planning on taking him to a new seafood resturaunt that had recently opened - fish being Tono's favorite. They'd also contacted a confectionary to make him an all-strawberries cake. Strawberry frosting, strawberry ice cream, strawberry cake mix, actual strawberries, all of them and more were on that cake. They were going to pick it up after dinner.

"After eight," was the Gym Leader's response.

"That's just an hour earlier!" complained the hefty teen.

"7:45. Take it or leave it."

Kallisto nodded. "Thanks, Volkner." The Gym Leader subtlely nodded, leaning back and continuing to read his magazine.

Eddie glanced up. "The pressure's already getting to Tono," he remarked.

"I know," agreed Kallisto. "But I know he can handle this."

"Or maybe he'll collapse and lose all three fights," Nori said with a smirk.

The dark-skinned teen narrowed his eyes. "Best not underestimate him, kid. You ain't gonna beat him the same way you beat me."

"Of course not! He has different Pokemon and does different things!"

"So missing the point, kid."

To the boy's surprise, Kallisto didn't give him a lecture over this. "Give Nori a break, Hankstein. He's been training hard for this. Whether it's enough, we can't say until the battle's over." He grinned. "Right?"

Even if it was Kallisto talking to him, Nori could agree. He still had his doubts, and had no idea what Tono personally had in store for him. Maybe this was actually insurmountable. But there was nothing to do but do it.

##########​

May 20th, 2015​

As with the previous exhibition day, Nori had the day off school on the 20th. Tono had a long day ahead of him, and was getting all of the important slots in the order Nori anticipated. Volkner had decided the novelty was too much to pass up promoting. While the government provided basic funding, much of the profits for Sunyshore Gym - and therefore, money for those who worked in it - came from concessions and tickets on exhibition day.

‘Tono Takuma day. See the Shocking Genius face off against three of his biggest rivals!’

This was what was promoted in the news and Gym's website. And as of last night, several posters had been put up. As Nori went downstairs for the day, he caught sight of one of them on the wall. It featured stylized art drawn up by an outside talent, which resembled a boxing or sumo advertisement. It featured Tono standing proud with his Jolteon on one side. Opposite him were three others and their own Pokemon. A hulking Radovan and his equally monstrous Typhlosion. An iron-clawed Haruna and her Empoleon which were drawn up like military commanders. And a berserk Nori with his red eyes glowing alongside the Demon Nidorina. Which didn't have to be drawn any differently to look terrifying, but the artist still used dark blues and exaggerated her horn.

Pachi looked up at it in confusion. The boy winced. Who drew this?! In the lower left, he saw a name: Nathaniel Lewis. He would have to find some way to yell at them. They made all of them look like the villains, and he wasn't a crazy psychopath in battle! The Demon just acted that way! Maybe there was that one time with Kallisto in March, but that was totally different.

"Hi, Nori!"

The boy nearly jumped onto the ceiling as a familiar voice called out his name. He turned and saw a strawberry blond male in a pink shirt. "Yuki?" he asked. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to come and cheer you on, that's what!" he explained with a giggle.

Nori warmly smiled. "Well, thank you. I didn't think you'd skip school to come here."

Yuki put a hand on his shoulder. "I know things have been hard for you lately. But if I can make you feel a little better by being here, then it's my pleasure. Besides, I really didn't want to miss this! The boy I like–to win is battling, after all."

"Glad to hear that." He was sure his reception this time was going to be much worse than last month, between his public feud with Kallisto and battling a more popular Gym Trainer. It was good to know there was at least one person in the audience cheering for him, fan of Tono or not. He glanced up at the wall clock. "Ten minutes until I have to get to the battlefield. You should go and make sure you get a good seat."

The other boy had been staring off into space, yet snapped to attention. "Um, yes, I should."

"We talk more after the battle, if you want to."

"You're right." Yuki closed his eyes and put a hand to his own chest. "Good luck in there."

Nori stretched as he went over things in his head again. He'd done everything he could to prepare for Tono, training and planning wise. The stupid nerd wouldn't see it coming!

"Let's go, Nori. Time to show everyone what the Demon and her trainer are made of," he whispered to himself as he made for the doors in the left hallway with Pachi hopping behind.

---​

"Welcome to the Sunyshore Gym's Exhibition Day, May 2015," Volkner announced, with a bit more energy than usual. He allowed the crowd to let out their cheers before continuing. "Today, we have a number of featured battles. The main three of which all involve our Gym's own Tono Takuma."

They were already in position for the opening match. The glasses-wearing teen stepped forward and took a bow. It came as no surprise he got mostly cheers from the audience.

"Our main event of the day will feature him taking on his childhood rival, Radovan Raines, in a full battle that will also act as a qualifier for the Gym - one-time only thing, so don't get any ideas. Our after-school opener will be him in a rematch from last Friday against Haruna Okazaki. And we'll be starting today off with a one-on-one grudge match pitting him against Nori Carino."

The boy and his Pachirisu jumped and cheered, to a mixed reception. They weren't bothered by it. They completely expected as such, given who they were up against and their present reputation. He was just thankful it wasn't completely negative.

"Do the two of you have any words you want to say to each other before you begin?" Volkner would sometimes allow this.

"I do," said Nori. It looked like Tono had a lot he'd wanted to say, but he spoke first. "I think we should just shut up and get to it."

"I agree," Volkner said. "Everyone knows what's going on between you two. Send out your chosen Pokemon."

The boy fired a grin out at Tono, who was shooting a dirty look at Volkner. Excellent, he'd won the first exchange. If there was one thing he had learned from Kallisto and his friends, it's that the psychological advantage couldn't be understated against certain opponents. He wasn't one to be bothered by things like this, but he knew Tono was.

"Very well," the Gym Trainer said, retrieving a Poke Ball. "I still have words to say, but I'll keep it brief. Nori Carino, you are a fraud of a trainer, and today, I am going to prove it." As expected, he went with his strongest - McCloud the Jolteon. And as expected, it had some Light Clay stuck to its neck. It had for the most part recovered from the brutal fight against Haruna five days ago.

"Go, Pachi!" He held out his right arm and put his left in his pocket. Tono took a step back in surprise as the squirrel ran across its length, coming to a stop on his palm. "Just kidding! Go, my Demon!" He flicked her Great Ball out and placed the squirrel down. He could only stand having Pachi on his shoulders for so long.

Tono rolled his eyes. "Real mature. No one is laughing but you."

"I heard some laughs." It was true. Even Kallisto of all people appeared bemused.

"If you are not going to take this seriously, you have no chance."

That's what he wanted Tono to think. He mentally thanked Claris Willins, wherever she was these days, for letting him sit in on some of her acting lessons. Some of them still stuck in his heart!

"This is a one-on-one battle pitting Tono Takuma and his Jolteon ‘McCloud’ against Nori Carino and ‘The Demon’ Nidorina." Volkner waved his hands. "Begin."

 

[Daren]

Welp, it's do day. Will be interesting to see how these battles play out.
I admit from what I've read so far I'd root for Tono over Radovan, though. I am a fair man.

Sometimes.

As for the main event (from our perspective, but probably the least exciting for most of the audience in universe), one on one feels like it would be more favourable to Nori than a two on two since as much as Pachi is the best it's safe to say the Demon possesses far greater strength.

Volkner's little lesson brings up something I've wondered before; what--if any--rules do these battles even have? I remember an interview where they were compared to sumo wrestling, but human combat sports generally have some sort of restrictions.
I mean, I'd have guessed that eye shots would be illegal in most human sports, but sand-attack's been around since gen 1. Not to mention stuff like guillotine.

Also nice to see you address how these gyms fund their giant puzzles, large numbers of Pokémon, and maintenance staff. I can imagine a gym pulling in pretty decent crowds.

The boy I like–to win

Nice save, Yuki.

He could only stand having Pachi on his shoulders for so long.

You know I looked it up and a Pachirisu is actually much lighter than a Pikachu. That surprised me since a Squirrel is generally bigger than a mouse.
I can't blame Nori; I'm pretty sure Ash is part Saiyan or something since he lifted a Larvitar once. I think there was a joke in the R/S era where James was caught off guard by Pikachu's weight when it jumped on his shoulder.

For a second I did wonder if he had some super anti-Jolteon Pachi tactic but alas. It was not meant to be.

Looking forward to what comes next.

 

[Welkamo]

I need to make a list of one liners I can use before reviewing chapters of people's stuff.

"Hey."

"Hi."

Hello

Kallisto actually arranged a cab for him the night before, and said to call his cell if he needed a ride back.

Well that's nice of Kallisto.

"It made the news." That made sense. A lifeguard scandal at the water park, and a kid nearly dying. Nori had a vague memory of some interviewer trying to get a statement. Thankfully somebody shooed him or her off.

On the one hand, the news found a pretty good story. On the other hand, the news needs to respect people's privacy lol.

As they were heading down the hall, Nori overheard the other 6th grade teacher, Mr. Miles, in an argument with Mrs. DeWood. They were in a small meeting room, and had accidentally left the door ajar. Nori paused to listen in.

What were they doing I'm wondering

She somehow kept her job after not watching them like she was supposed to?! Lux already disliked Mrs. DeWood for her apathetic attitude and not doing anything to stop his bullies. But with this injustice and how she was treating his best friend...the sooner he got out of sixth grade, the better!

I wish I could be surprised that she kept her job after that incident, but all I can think is "eh, I've seen worse".

She rushed over and placed her hands on Nori's waist.

Woah woah WOAH.

She was all over him! Nori didn't know what to do, only mumbling.

"Stop it! He's tired, and you're not helping getting close and asking all these questions!"

Jamie, give the kid some space!

"Oh! Are you?" Nori's admirer let go of him and lightly bowed, much to both of their relief. That could've gone badly. "Sorry. I'll give you some space. Let me know if you need anything, okay?"

Well that's good.

but Lux could tell it was just that, out of politeness.

A colon might work better than a comma, but idk if that's a set grammar rule or just what I've seen more often.

It was nigh impossible for Nori to focus at school. There were moments where he had to stop and think about basic math and simple words. At lunch, he just napped in the kindergarten hall, relying on Lux to wake him up.

I've never ha a concussion, but I have been at the nurse's office while kids with concussions were also there. Rough stuff, man.

"Just as I said," Volkner told him. "It's exhibition day. Every 20th of the month. I want you taking part in this one."

Gosh and golly Volkner, Nori got a concussion.

Across on the other side were twin siblings, a black-haired boy and girl.

You know, I was gonna say "omigosh is that Tate and Liza" until I saw their Pokémon, so I didn't.

It was so unexpected Nori took a full five seconds to reciprocate.

I would put a "that" after "unexpected".

"No." Volkner crossed his arms.

I'm not a doctor or anything, but this seems like a bad idea, Volkner.

Attacks like Discharge and Swift weren't allowed.

Damn it. My master plan.

Volkner was ruthless. "If you give up now, you're a failure of a trainer."

"If you don't eat your vegetables, you're a disgrace to humanity, and your mother will no longer love you."

"Use your Octillery."

Oh just like Volkner has somewhere I think.

To Nori's horror, Sunday brought forth the beep test again.

Again??? At least we only had to do it once a year!

"This is ridiculous!" Nori complained. "I should be resting, not doing straining stuff like this!"

Vollkner, this really isn't a good idea.

limit screen-time (whatever that was)

Nobody:
People in the 1800s: limit screen-time (whatever that is)

"I had this planned , I closed the Gym for an hour for it."

There's a space in between "planned" and the comma that looks like a typo.

while being a stubborn piece of sh--"

"You watch your fucking language," Volkner snapped.

His word was cut short as the door flew open, banging against the wall. Volkner marched over and dropped a textbook into his arms.

This is a very funny mental image.

It had a picture of a Nidorino fighting a Gengar on the front cover.

Hey, that's a reference.

It was a pleasant Monday morning. The sun was shining gorgeously upon the snow-touched city of Sunyshore. Even though it remained as cold as you would expect it to be for a day in February in Sinnoh, its radiant beams lightly massaged those who were outdoors.

Resists the urge to reference the Monkees song.
What could possibly go wrong?

he practically tackled Nori with a leaping hug.

Is this was the young 'uns call a "glomp"?

She let him go. "So what've you been doing? How's the concussion?"

Not good after you tackle hugged him.

"Maybe you could come over to my place sometime? You could get away from him!"

Oh no what will Volkner think?

Lux could deny it to himself no longer. He liked Nori, the same way Jamie liked him. But, Nori probably didn't like boys. He could just be grossed out by it. He might not even want to be friends anymore if he knew this

Ohhhh so he does have a crush on Nori. Is this a love triangle I see?

Anyway, the police came and found me after a couple weeks. But it was with good news: the rest of my family stepped in to help. So I moved here, to Sunyshore Gym, to live and train. It was that or live with my cousin's family. And well," and with this he lightly chuckled. "I always wanted to be a professional trainer, and my cousin wouldn't always have time for me."

It's nice to know that things got better for Kallisto.

"Really? Why me?"

Why Tono is what I'm asking. Maybe Tono isn't so bad, after all. He's kind of the second most sympathetic Gym Trainer. (And he also never used slurs, which is always good.)

He was going to be quizzed on the first chapter near the start of next month, so he was doing his best to ingrain all of it into his mind.

The idea of Volkner creating a quiz is a very funny one. Idk why.

And," He paused and ruffled his hair. Suddenly, he felt very flustered, even if it was just the two of them there. "Lots of other reasons,"

Em dashing (is that a word?) the action in between the dialogue would probably work better, I think.

Cool stuff. Lots of stuff revealed that will be interesting to see develop.

 

[System Error]

Spoiler: Daren response

Welp, it's do day. Will be interesting to see how these battles play out.
I admit from what I've read so far I'd root for Tono over Radovan, though. I am a fair man.

Sometimes.

Radovan certainly does come across as worse than Haruna, plus there's the whole bullying thing. Certainly very fair to root for Tono on those grounds.

As for the main event (from our perspective, but probably the least exciting for most of the audience in universe), one on one feels like it would be more favourable to Nori than a two on two since as much as Pachi is the best it's safe to say the Demon possesses far greater strength.

Very true, a 2v2 would be more advantageous to Tono. Still, he implicitly has some honor: he's fighting to prove Nori is a fraud, and doing so on level ground is the best way to prove this.

Volkner's little lesson brings up something I've wondered before; what--if any--rules do these battles even have? I remember an interview where they were compared to sumo wrestling, but human combat sports generally have some sort of restrictions.
I mean, I'd have guessed that eye shots would be illegal in most human sports, but sand-attack's been around since gen 1. Not to mention stuff like guillotine.

Probably no fighting with intent to injure, and no excessive use of force. Some things aren't technically against the rules, but you're not going to win many fans doing them.

Also nice to see you address how these gyms fund their giant puzzles, large numbers of Pokémon, and maintenance staff. I can imagine a gym pulling in pretty decent crowds.

That said, didn't want to make it too long, but different Gyms have different ways of funding themselves. For example, Gasha Qian owns the Game Corner, and Flint has a stake in the nearby sauna. And in canon you have things like Striaton Gym. There's sponsorships too, like with Ollie's family. Lower key ones are a thing, of course. Sunyshore just happens to be a higher end one that really relies on tickets and sponsors to help.

Nice save, Yuki.

"Nori, you look hot. Um, cooling off would be a good idea."

You know I looked it up and a Pachirisu is actually much lighter than a Pikachu. That surprised me since a Squirrel is generally bigger than a mouse.
I can't blame Nori; I'm pretty sure Ash is part Saiyan or something since he lifted a Larvitar once. I think there was a joke in the R/S era where James was caught off guard by Pikachu's weight when it jumped on his shoulder.

Pokemon weights have always been one of the more arbitrary and nonsensical things out there in the Pokedex. A big eater weighing more than a massive snake of metal or a whale, for example. Still, Pachirisu's weight is reasonable enough, and from experience, that much on your shoulder/back for an extended period can start to get uncomfortable

For a second I did wonder if he had some super anti-Jolteon Pachi tactic but alas. It was not meant to be.

Alas, they already went over why it wasn't a good idea.

Well that's nice of Kallisto.

Actually forgot about this detail, heh.

On the one hand, the news found a pretty good story. On the other hand, the news needs to respect people's privacy lol.

The media can be pushy.

What were they doing I'm wondering

Just talking. And from the conversation, probably didn't do anything on the trip.

I wish I could be surprised that she kept her job after that incident, but all I can think is "eh, I've seen worse".

Apparently a teacher at my old middle school put a kid in a headlock. And he kept his job. Acquaintances speculated it was because there weren't enough teachers to replace him.

I've never ha a concussion, but I have been at the nurse's office while kids with concussions were also there. Rough stuff, man.

Yuup. Always stuff to take serious. Oddly I don't remember much about the one I had this one was modeled after. I wasn't slowed down too much by it, so I had to do some research on it.

You know, I was gonna say "omigosh is that Tate and Liza" until I saw their Pokémon, so I didn't.

There's some cameos, but they're not one of them. At least, not yet.

Gosh and golly Volkner, Nori got a concussion.

I'm not a doctor or anything, but this seems like a bad idea, Volkner.

Vollkner, this really isn't a good idea.

Hell or high water. Even the Gym Trainers think it's bad.

Oh just like Volkner has somewhere I think.

Yup, this is DP Volkner roughly after all - and apparently implicitly remake too, given Candice has Abomasnow as her ace. Gym Leaders and Trainers aren't bound by what they raise except by choice. So including that and Ambipom was a way to acknowledge that. And yeah, Eddie has one too - but of course the same species of Pokemon can fight differently between two trainers, especially highlighted with Tono's and Volkner's Raichus.

Again??? At least we only had to do it once a year!

Gotta do physical training in some other way.

Nobody:
People in the 1800s: limit screen-time (whatever that is)

Nori just doesn't understand the term. He barely gets any in the first place!

"You watch your fucking language," Volkner snapped.

He doesn't care about sweats.

This is a very funny mental image.

I do like funny mental images. About as much as witty exchanges.

Hey, that's a reference.

If that one webtoon can reference it, so can I!

Ohhhh so he does have a crush on Nori. Is this a love triangle I see?

Congrats, you're now the earliest to notice/explicitly make note of it! May not be the earliest forever, but hey. It will continue to develop as the chapters go on. Not quite a love triangle, though - Nori isn't very receptive to Jamie, and nothing's happening on the Lux end.

Why Tono is what I'm asking. Maybe Tono isn't so bad, after all. He's kind of the second most sympathetic Gym Trainer. (And he also never used slurs, which is always good.)

Why Tono indeed. This is something to think about in regards to Kallisto and Tono's friendship. And if you can't, an explicit explanation is given later.

 

[Juliko]

Hmm, a relatively short, low-key chapter this time around. Not much to say on this one. Pretty good, all things considered. I am curious if Yuki is gay just like Lux is, since he mentioned that Nori is someone he likes, though the way he said it makes me suspect he likes Nori more than as just a friend. Anyway, curious to see how the next chapter plays out.

 

[System Error]

Hmm, a relatively short, low-key chapter this time around. Not much to say on this one.

As I said to you but not here for some reason, it's more a consequence of how I write this fic. All the months, including this split segment, are in their own document at first. Then I split them up after. This is surprisingly only the second time a problem arose from it: the first being needing to write more in month 2, which was ultimately to the fic's benefit. It's a little more awkward in this case, and anything I thought up would just be padding. Still, I found a couple ways: the explanation of the important battles of exhibition day was originally just narrative explanation, for example.

I am curious if Yuki is gay just like Lux is, since he mentioned that Nori is someone he likes, though the way he said it makes me suspect he likes Nori more than as just a friend.

Yuki is absolutely very gay. Contrast to Lux, who is implied to have more of an emotional attraction to Nori rather than liking guys.

 

[System Error]

May of Ordinance (fifth part)
May 20th, 2015​

"McCloud, start with a quick Reflect."

Nori smirked. Time to open with a bang. "Demon, Earth Power."

And this caught literally everyone but Nori's Pokemon off-guard. Nobody - and most importantly, not Tono - was expecting them to open with their best move right out of the gate.

"McCloud, get out of there!" the nerd warned.

But there was no avoiding it, let alone when stationary to use Reflect swiftly. While the electric fox did manage to get up the mystical wall, the ground erupted beneath his feet before he could even think to take evasive action. A direct hit!

"You...!" Tono cursed. His Pokemon was already feeling the battle seven seconds into it. "Return fire! The strongest Thunderbolt you can give!"

They were ready for that. "Duck behind a pillar, my Demon."

The Nidorina dashed off, but McCloud was too quick. Nori wasn't concerned at his Pokemon being zapped. She shook it off for the most part.

"Approach," he told her, letting her decide how.

Tono snorted. "Meet it with a Thunder Fang."

The Demon sliced with Cut, only managing a glancing blow. Right after, McCloud bit her with electrified fangs. Yet she somersaulted over the Jolteon's body and starting kicking.

"Double Kick?" Tono mused. "Roll over and do the same."

McCloud flipped onto its back. The audience was traded to the amusing sight of both Pokemon using the same attack in a different way. Feet were meeting feet, the Demon getting the better–

Wait! "It's coming!"

"Thunder Wave."

The Demon also realized, creatively countering by turning her kicking into a push. The weak burst of electricity went wild as McCloud was flipped onto his feet, somehow hitting the floor and the ceiling without getting anywhere near the Demon.

Tono harrumphed. "Once more."

The Demon was already off and running. She got a considerable distance away before McCloud gathered his bearings, and was able to avoid this with a simple hop to the side. The boy huffed. They could NOT afford paralysis this early in the battle. That said, the Demon actually was hitting her foes legs during that exchange, but not strongly enough.

"So you understand my strategy," Tono remarked. "Perhaps you're not as dull as I believed. But..." And with this he turned to his Pokemon. "McCloud. Fire Pin Missile all around the Demon."

Nori figured this was coming. The Jolteon got down and tensed up. The Demon charged, only to be cut off by a barrage of electric needles fired right in front. Her reaction was instant, yet so was McCloud's. He guessed correctly, cutting her off as she went to the left, then spreading more to the right. They were everywhere but behind her.

The boy raised a hand as she was backing out. His instinct turned out correct given Tono's next order.

"Now hit it. Thunder Wave."

"Jump over?" Nori asked, uncertain if his Pokemon could actually pull this off. He waited and...yes, should could! A perfect and clean jump over the burst!

"Very well," said Tono. "McCloud, Agility and Thunderbolt." And here came that. It looked kind of like a makeshift Swift Bolt or much faster Wild Charge.

"R-roll away!" Nori stammered. There was no way out of this. They were either going to be struck by the Pokemon, or had to go into the spines willingly! The Demon understood, taking a dive just as McCloud went for a jumping tackle. She hissed as the needles dug into her body, but the bigger problem was Tono's wicked grin.

"Right where we want you," he said. "Hyper Voice."

McCloud let out an ear-piercing shriek as the Demon was rolling and shaking some of the spikes off. She had no chance to do anything about this. Yet to Nori's delight, she regained her bearings at once and lunged.

"What!?" Tono blurted, as his Pokemon was nicked by a Shadow Claw. "Body Slam!" He jumped up to make the attack, but the Demon ran beneath.

"Cut its legs out!" said Nori as she whirled around. She did just that, landing a solid blow. "Excellent!" She was able to land a second, this one a paw strike.

"Escape, McCloud!" warned Tono, before the Demon could go in for a third. He did so, darting away from his opponent and out of melee. Undeterred by those blows.

Fine by Nori. "Keep your distance and wait for the chance."

What followed next was about a minute and a half long exchange where neither Pokemon managed to land a hit. The Demon goaded them to come closer, which McCloud and Tono refused to. The pillars came in handy as cover. Stall, that was the strategy. The longer the fight went on, the more it would be in their favor. But how long would it take to tire them out?

"Why don't you come closer, coward?" Nori taunted.

"Not a chance," replied Tono. "Hyper Voice."

Well, worth a try. The Demon ducked back behind a pillar in irritation, covering her ears as best she could. Because of that, she barely if at all felt it.

"You've been doing well to keep up thus far, but it is time to show you the difference in our abilities." Nori didn't like the look in Tono's eyes. "Agility. Encircle it."

McCloud bolted off. He started running circles around the pillar, picking up so much speed that he became nothing more than a white and yellow blur dashing around at two or three revolutions per second. They'd trapped the Demon, again. She might be able to jump out of there, but it wasn't likely. Might even be dangerous.

The Demon ran up to strike the whirling Jolteon, but Tono said, "Light it up."

At once, the Jolteon began emitting electricity once more, effectively creating a ring of electricity around the Demon. She went for a Shadow Claw, but McCloud didn't even seem to feel it. They were completely stuck!

Nori glanced down at a concerned Pachi, and suddenly relaxed. This was actually playing into his hands. Tono's Pokemon wasn't doing anything but running around tiring himself out, right?

It seemed the Demon was about to do something. Earth Power, from how she was posing. He nodded his approval. May as well.

"Now direct the Thunderbolt inwards!"

What?! McCloud did just that, turning the interior of the ring into a circle of doom. The Demon's response was to cling onto the pillar in the split interval when it was blocking the electricity. It worked to escape, and she was poised to jump onto her foe as soon as the attack halted.

Tono pointed. "Thunder Wave."

The Jolteon had trouble stopping, but easily blasted the charging Demon. She tensed up, her Shadow Claw swing only grazing McCloud - but it was enough for the electric fox to panic and scamper away while he could.

"Not yet," Nori said. "We're, uh, not done yet!" He masked his order for the Demon not to eat the Cheri Berry that she was hiding in her mouth right away. She glared. "Shut up and trust me!" he yelled.

"Is this a miscommunication between trainer and Pokemon?" Tono taunted.

"She's listening!" She wasn't happy about her stiff muscles, but she was begrudgingly going along with it. They had to time this right to surprise them. Better yet, Tono may not have realized the Demon wasn't using biting moves. And something else didn't escape his notice. McCloud had taken a moment to catch his breath after all that.

"Get ready to Skull Bash," said Nori.

She squatted down and...tensed up. Tono laughed evilly.

"Hidden Power, McCloud."

Great, was it a mistake not to use it immediately? She was in no condition to evade the circling balls of energy that emerged from the electric fox. At least he knew that one was Water type.

"Next, Thunderbolt."

Pachi clutched Nori's leg. He glanced down at the nervous squirrel, who yelled a warning to his comrade. The Demon thankfully barely evaded this, albeit clumsily. She spared Pachi a glare.

"Rush in with a Body Slam," Tono said, surprisingly bringing the battle back in close. He was up to something...

"Block this one, Demon," Nori urged.

McCloud rushed forward. The teal beast readied herself, and managed to use sheer power to shove the electric fox away as he jumped at her.

"Iron Tail, McCloud."

The Jolteon was like greased lightning, able to twirl around and catch her with his spiky tails before she could get her guard up again. She stumbled back a step, and Tono's next order came right on impact.

"Finish it. Thunderbolt."

Nori thought fast. "Poison Jab the throat."

The Demon lunged, her front left paw glowing purple, making contact before her foe could act. She prickled herself on the Jolteon's spiny neck - where electricity was mainly generated - but her foe was way worse off. McCloud was left coughing and gasping for air, the move interrupted.

What to do? Eat the berry, or get back now? "Now..." He looked closer and saw his Pokemon starting to shake as she tried to follow through.

"Fall back, McCloud." Tono maintained his composure, and worse, so did his Pokemon. "Are you well?" A nod in response. "Good. No nonsense with poison that would need Refreshing."

If only he were that lucky. "You're the nonsense one!"

"This is not nonsense. It is intelligent, high-level strategy."

"It's stupid!"

As the trainers were exchanging words, McCloud was showing off a cruel side of his own, playing keep-away from the slowed Demon.

The Gym Trainer dismissively waved a hand. "This is the difference between you and me, fraud."

"Shut up and make a mistake already!"

"Pathetic," said Tono. "A pathetic tactic of a desperate imbecile who knows the end is in sight." He turned to his Pokemon, arms crossed. "It is time to end this, McCloud. Trap that Demon with an encircling Hidden Power."

McCloud summoned innumerable energy globes. A stark contrast to its earlier use, he threw them out in an odd pattern as to restrict movement.

"Wait," said Nori. The Demon probably could crash through them like she did with the Pin Missiles, but with the battle starting to exact its toll, he wanted to have her avoid damage.

Tono put his fingers together, indicating this was the wrong move. "Finish it. Shadow Ball." If he noticed the brief sheen fading over his Pokemon, he didn't care.

It was now or never. "Now."

It happened all at once. McCloud opened his maw, the darkness rising from his throat into another, larger ball. The Demon bit into her Cheri Berry and swallowed. It started taking effect immediately, and she didn't need to be told what to do next. On pure adrenaline, she skidded beneath the Shadow Ball and went headfirst into Jolteon, sending him careening back. The crowd and Pachi cheered. The electric fox rolled to his feet, but was about to get a claw to the face.

"Agility," Tono calmly replied. And the fox charged away, making the Demon swipe air. "Cheap play."

"Yeah?" Nori twirled his hand and pointed as the last bit of stiffness left his Pokemon's muscles. "Reflect's down, paralysis is gone, and we're not going to let you get them back up!"

"It won't be necessary." He turned to McCloud. "This charade's gone on long enough. End it with Thunderous Iron Tail."

He was actually using that?!

"What the hell?! Behind!" He frantically pointed in a panic as the crowd gasped. The Demon nodded and went to do so as their foe launched into the air. He doubted she could dodge this, so she had to take cover! A combination move that comes down with pinpoint accuracy. Haruna countered it, but he didn't have a Hydro Cannon!

It did little good. McCloud struck with the sound of a thunderclap, and with about as much force as one. He crashed into the pillar - the same pillar struck by that Torterra yesterday. The electric fox cried out as the object buckled and ultimately got knocked loose. The Demon whirled around to pounce, before noticing and eyeing the pillar warily. The whole thing teetered precariously before toppling entirely.

Volkner flinched and took several steps away. McCloud scurried a considerable distance before stumbling to the floor. Many people covered their ears in anticipation of the deafening sound. They could only watch in shock, much like Nori. While the pillars were lighter than one might expect, it still shook the entire building as it crashed down. Nori cringed, closing an eye as his ears started ringing. Pachi hugged his trainer's leg for dear life, startled by the shaking. And Tono just stood there like a badass, glasses glimmering in the light as his hair billowed.

Soon, the reverb stopped. It'd been ten seconds since impact. McCloud had managed to crawl back to his feet, wincing and whining from the pain of crashing tail-first into a solid object. But there was no sign of the Demon. There was no way she got crushed beneath. There was no way. Right?

Unable to shake the dread, Nori took two tentative steps forward. He stopped when Volkner ran over to do so. The man vaguely nodded.

"The Demon can still continue."

The boy nearly collapsed in relief. He only didn't do so because Tono gave another order, forcing him to keep focus.

"Jump over after her and use Thunderbolt," he calmly said. Yet his Pokemon was slow to respond; his exhaustion was showing, and there had to be some bad recoil on that move. "Come on, McCloud! Just a little more!"

The Demon gave them no time. She leaped atop the fallen pillar, and at that brief moment where she was standing tall, Nori finally noticed his Pokemon wasn't much better off. Her body had a bit of bruising and a nasty electrical burn across her midsection. Yet unlike her foe, she was unbothered by her injuries. She roared and came down on the Jolteon.

A Cut. A Body Slam. Even a Crunch. The Demon was fighting like a wild beast. McCloud was desperately evading, yet still being clipped by the barrage of attacks.

"Stop it!" Tono yelled, furious and focused. "Clamp on with Thunder Fang!"

McCloud opened his mouth and snapped down on her front left shoulder as she went for another Crunch. She countered this with a blow to the underside with her front right paw.

"So do you know our strategy?" Nori asked, with a cheeky grin.

"I realized a while ago. Tiring McCloud out isn't going to work, as–" Tono was attentive enough to notice his Pokemon had been grabbed.

This was it! This was their chance! "Right now, Earth Power!"

"Thunderbolt!"

The Demon focused all of her efforts into executing this one attack, as McCloud gathered whatever energy he could muster. Both trainers leaned in close to see which would come first.

It was the Jolteon's move. Nori tensed as his Pokemon was lit up by electricity coursing through her entire body. McCloud roared, straining to give the attack everything he could. The Demon remained silent, not giving their opponents the satisfaction of hearing her pain. The attack lasted two seconds, but it felt like forever to Nori.

When it faded, McCloud was left panting. The Demon was on her feet, yet was unmoving. Her eyes slowly closed.

Tono harrumphed and crossed his arms, turning away in triumph. Nori shut his own eyes, tight. The battle was over. He'd lost, and Tono had won.

Seconds later, there was an explosion.

The boy snapped to. Both Pokemon were flipped back from the epicenter of the blast. The Demon was barely caught by her own attack and landed in a crouch, but McCloud took another direct hit. The crowd gasped, and the nerd spun back around, furious. Everyone was on the edge of their seat, some literally. Nori took some steps towards his Pokemon, something Tono did as well. They were as close as they could safely get to the battle.

Both battlers were still. Volkner watched, giving it time.

Nori's Pokemon rose, forcing herself up in one motion, legs shuddering. The boy cheered, as did the spectators. Their opponent remained splayed out on his belly. The Gym Leader was about to call it, when Tono shouted.

"McCloud!"

Hearing his trainer's encouragement, the Jolteon's head snapped up. The audience got even louder. He unsteadily rose, somehow also finding his way to his feet. And right as he was doing so, the Demon lunged.

"Yes!" Nori whooped.

"Stop it with Hyper Voice!" a fired-up Tono commanded.

The next attack would decide the battle. If McCloud got this off, it was probably over. Likewise, if the Demon got to him, he was finished.

The Jolteon glared furiously at his clumsily approaching opponent. The Demon wasn't running, doing more of a power walk. It wasn't fast enough. McCloud inhaled deeply, keeping his eyes trained on his opponent the whole time. Readying the devastating shout that would end the battle.

And he coughed.

A moment after, his voice bellowed through the room. It was not from the attack, but from being throttled by the Demon. It was barely an attack, just wildly swinging for the throat. The electric fox's screams turned to gurgled choking as the vicious Nidorina wildly beat down McCloud with claws, paws, and even bashing her head against him. All he could do in self-defense was emit feeble sparks. For a moment, Nori was worried his Pokemon was going back to her nigh-murderous roots.

It soon fell silent. The Demon hardly looked like the victor, struggling for breath. But she was conscious, supporting herself upright atop the comatose form of McCloud.

Nori realized it right away, but it took longer for the result to register with others. When the applause started, Tono fell to his hands and knees, speechless. Volkner applauded. "McCloud can't continue!" he announced with delighted approval. "That means Nori and the Demon are the winners!"

"Ridiculous! McCloud can still fight!" Tono insisted, over the roar of the crowd. He ran over to his Pokemon, shoving the Demon off. The Nidorina backed away, shaking her head at Tono waving McCloud up. "Get up! Get up, please! Open your eyes, McCloud!"

The Jolteon actually opened his eyes. "Yes! I knew it!" the Gym Trainer cried. "Now, to your feet!"

"Tono," Volkner said. "Give it up."

"No! We haven't lost! We couldn't have lost! Not to him!" The Jolteon sadly shook his head and closed his eyes once more, relaxing on the floor. "McCloud? McCloud?! No, no, no, no, no. Ridiculous. Ridiculous!" He shook his Pokemon in desperation, as if McCloud had died. "This can't be happening. I won't accept this!" Tono jumped up, brandishing another Poke Ball. "Two-on-two! I want a two-on-two!"

"Tono, it's over," said Volkner comfortingly, at least for him.

"No, you can't leave it like this! This is too ridiculous!"

Nori felt...well. He didn't feel bad. Did this make him a bad person, not feeling anything about destroying a trainer? Maybe it was because it was Tono.

"So who's the fraud now?" he asked, as politely as he could. He looked at Tono expectantly. "All that talk and I still beat you. Do you have something to say to me?"

"I, in fact, do!" the teenager declared, taking off his glasses to wipe tears from his eyes. "You got lucky. Ridiculously lucky. You used underhanded tacti–"

"Yeah, you sound like a sore loser to me!" Okay, now he didn't feel bad about not feeling bad. "I won, and you lost! I won, you lost!" He lurched like a caveman. "Me win, you lose!" The boy laughed with Pachi. "We did it! We beat Tono! Woohoo!"

He raised his arms into the air for several seconds before bringing them down to chest level. Pachi jumped for joy. Even the Demon got into it, walking before him and standing as tall and proud as she could in her condition. And through it all, the crowd was clapping and cheering for their victory. There was no longer any doubt. He was decent at this battling thing after all! And everyone knew it!

"That's enough, Nori."

They were silenced by Kallisto rising and sharply cutting in. The head Gym Trainer was staring at them with disapproval. Nori returned the look with a sly smile, as Pachi continued to squeak and hop, ignorant or uncaring of the sudden mood shift.

"You're acting crazy," the heterochromic teen said. "You barely defeated Tono, and you're celebrating like you just became Champion. It's not that much to boast about."

Thankfully, he didn't have to speak up in his defense, as Volkner did it for him. "Kallisto, you've had several lucky wins yourself."

"I guess, but I was going to say." And with this Kallisto gave a genuine smile. "It's still your victory, Nori. Enjoy it."

Nori nodded as the cheering resumed. Tono managed to his feet, sulking away in shame. Kallisto followed close behind, no doubt to console his best friend.

Volkner sighed and shook his head, turning to address the crowd. "I wasn't expecting that pillar to be knocked over. Third time that's ever happened. We'll have a thirty to forty minute break while the maintenance crews put it back up." He didn't say it, but it was clear from the look in his eyes he was going to give them a stern talking to.

No kidding, thought Nori. That move had to have insane power to do that - even if it was loose from yesterday. The pillars were hollow, not as heavy as one might think, and actually simply inserted into holes in the Gym's floor. Kallisto once recounted a story about a Slaking's Giga Impact shattering a pillar when they were too secure, with the shrapnel injuring Eddie and Volkner. Hence why they were designed to fall in a cardinal direction if struck too hard. They were far enough away from the walls, plus there was extra safety preventing the ones near the crowd from falling in their direction. Still, what the hell was that?

---​

While a fair amount of the crowd kept their seats during the impromptu intermission, enough did get up that Nori waited for them to funnel out. Some of them went to the concession stand, some left to get food from one of the nearby restaurants, while others did so to either stretch their legs or curb boredom.

The right hallway of the Gym had a few extra amenities for guests. Public restrooms, vending machines, and a healing machine. Nothing that would make people loiter around. For whatever reason, Nori decided to leave in that direction for once. As he did so, someone immediately caught sight of him. A single person in the hallway. It seemed evident Yuki was waiting for just such an occurrence, as he came running in full barrel.

"Nori!" he cried out. The boy stepped away on reflex, but Yuki grabbed him into a full on, rib-crushingly tight victory hug. "You're amazing! I lo–" His words were temporarily choked away. "I like, knew you could do it!"

"Th-thank you?" Nori sputtered. His arms were being pinned, so he couldn't really reciprocate even if he wanted to. It reminded him of Lux, just the boy hugging him now was much more eager. He glanced down at Pachi, who was simply smiling. "But why–"

Yuki quickly let go, blushing slightly. Probably embarrassed at his impulsive reaction, Nori thought. The strawberry blond boy looked around, as if seeing if anyone was trying to sneak up? It was just them in the hallway, until the door swung open the moment Yuki turned to face him.

"'Ey, what's good?" Radovan came marching into the hall, smirking and clapping.

Yuki jumped. "Well, I better get going," he hastily said, cautiously eyeing Tono's old rival. "Better to be late than miss the whole day..."

"Yeah, good idea."

Yuki chuckled. "See you this afternoon!"

As his friend in the news club left, Radovan gave a thumbs-up.

"Nice goin'. Ya crushed dat dweeb."

"Thanks." Nori tucked some hair behind his ears. It was starting to grow out some again. "By the way, I'm wondering. Why bully Tono? Not that I have a problem with it, I just want to know your history."

Radovan shrugged. "Dere ain't much to talk about. We was total opposites back when we was kids. He was serious and a learner, and I was de class clown and an at'lete. Ya wit' me? He t'ought he was better den everyone, especially me."

"So he was bullying you first?" Nori could see Tono doing something like that.

"Right?" came the reply. "But I turned it 'round on him, and people was wit' me dere. Didn't like dat, right? Could dish it out but couldn't take it. And dat's how our feud got its start."

"Ah, so he was asking for it?" Nori knew smarter kids often get picked on in school. But it's way worse for those who make everyone else know it. Heck, Nori himself had made fun of some of those types...

"Exactly dat," confirmed Radovan. "Had no problem pushin' 'em around some for fun after dat. You got it?"

"I guess so." He wasn't sure about Radovan still pushing Tono around, but supposed there was no sense worrying about it. "Well, thanks. Nice talking to you, but I should go get the Demon healed."

Radovan scratched his head. "Dat's what ya callin' her?"

He shrugged. "Yeah, I did sort of make her media tag her real nickname. But she likes it."

"Ha, quirky. Get why Tono T had trouble with ya. Ya dig?"

Another person who said that. It made clear Tono didn't seem to expect that much out of him. Yet Nori proved him wrong. And yet at the same time, the boy had a strange new respect for Tono after battling him. He was the real deal, and forced Nori to up his game to compete. In a way, that helped him get better.

---​

Nori had a gut feeling, so he went to the medical room rather than the healing machine. He wasn't sure why, but the presence of both Tono and Kallisto seemed to confirm his instincts. The nerd fired him a dirty look as he stepped inside. McCloud was lying on the medical bed, being checked over by Coach Norling.

"Good, you're here," said the coach. "Wanted to have a look at the Demon." Despite all the times he came to see Betsy-Ann, he'd interacted with the retired athlete surprisingly little. And given what'd happened, he wanted to keep further interaction to a minimum.

"Yes, what's up?" the boy asked, a little ruder than he intended. Nori still partially blamed the coach for his friend's dismissal from the Gym, regardless of reasons. If he didn't believe what they were saying, he should've stood up.

Kallisto turned to him, expression blank. Tono's arms and legs were bent. He was clenching his fists and tensing his muscles so hard that he was shaking. For a moment, Nori feared the worst.

"McCloud sustained some fractures in the caudal vertebrae and coccyx." The coach was ultimately the one to speak.

"What are those?" the boy asked.

"It means the tail bones!" Tono snapped. "You should know, you violent vermin!"

"Oh, from hitting the pillar." Now that he knew what they were, yeah, that made sense. Still, he didn't expect the Jolteon to actually injure himself doing that. He seemed just fine for the rest of the battle. Although then again, adrenaline and will to win could've been masking it.

"It won't require any surgery or bandaging, but you should have him rest for a week or two."

"No!" the nerd argued. "I have two more battles coming up today, and I need McCloud's help in them!"

The electric fox nodded, managing to his feet. Yet as he did so, he winced and nearly fell off the bed. Kallisto jumped into action to catch the Pokemon, but it proved unnecessary. McCloud grit his teeth and remained standing in a show of determination.

"See?" Tono gestured. "He is prepared as well."

With this, the head Gym Trainer put a hand on his friend's shoulder, "Tono, no," he quietly said. "Listen to the coach. Let McCloud get the rest he needs. The last thing you want to do is push him too hard and end up getting him hurt even worse."

Tono shut his eyes tight. He growled. "This is your fault, Nori Carino."

"How is it my fault? You're the one who ordered that attack!" Nori stated. The simple facts were biting enough that the nerd got even madder. "You're just a whiny, crybaby sore loser!"

"There's such a thing as being a sore winner, Nori," Kallisto harshly fired back. Nori tensed up. The head Gym Trainer said that in a way he'd never had before. As if he was genuinely angry. It quickly faded before Nori could make further sense of it. "But there's no sense in playing the blame game here. All I know is, McCloud needs rest."

Tono conceded and recalled his Pokemon. "You are correct. Let us get out of here. I will need to change my strategy for Haruna and Radovan now."

As he was leaving, Nori muttered, "Still your fault for using that, you stupid moron."

Kallisto overheard on the way out the door. "Yeah," he rasped. "He probably shouldn't have had McCloud do that."

The boy tilted his head. "You're agreeing with me?"

The head Gym Trainer shrugged. "Maybe it was frustration, or trying to counter your stalling." Come to think of it, Tono did say the battle had gone on long enough. Not what he intended to have happen, but if that's how it turned out...

As Kallisto left, Nori lowered his head. He was feeling bad about this, and wasn't sure why. It was just Tono's Pokemon, and the only person who did anything wrong was Tono himself in ordering that ridiculously strong move. Pokemon sometimes did get badly hurt in a battle, something that needed more nursing than a healing machine could give. It was a simple fact. So maybe it was empathy.

"Okay, so you wanted to see my Pokemon?" he asked, trying to take his mind off it. Nori still trusted the coach as a medical expert, even if he held something of a grudge.

Coach Norling nodded. "First, put the Demon in the healing machine."

He did as instructed, placing her Great Ball in one of the slots of the device. A faint white glow washed over it as the machine did its work. "Now, let's take a look at her."

Over the next several minutes, the coach meticulously examined every part of the teal monster. She was displeased at the checkup, and while Pachi's soothing encouragement only annoyed her, she relaxed once Nori told her to.

The coach nodded. "She still has a little bit of bruising," he said, to the boy's relief. Nothing serious. "Might still want to have her rest until tomorrow. Outside of her ball if you can."

Although she would most likely be game for more fighting, Nori agreed. "Sounds good. Besides, it's hard to top that battle. May as well end on a high note, even if I'm ending early."

---​

Because of this, Nori did not do any battling for the rest of the day, despite Pachi's eagerness and quite a few challenges being thrown at them. He actually asked one of the women why, and she replied that it was for the thrill. Whatever their reasons, the Demon's mild injury gave him an excuse to turn all of them down. All he did was watch from the balconies.

During the 3pm intermission - timing unchanged by the impromptu one - he went downstairs to sit in the lobby and wait for Yuki. Sure enough, the strawberry blond boy showed up at 3:18pm.

"Hey, Yuki!" He went over to his friend as he was walking through the door.

"Nori!" He waved. "So how's things been?"

"Pretty good. Had to step out of battling, though. Both the Demon and McCloud got hurt in that fight and need some real rest, not just healing machine rest." His friend nodded. "How about you? Get in trouble for skipping?"

"Not really, I told my homeroom teacher I had an appointment yesterday. He didn't ask for any details."

Nori smirked. A technical truth. "By the way, did you want to talk to me earlier, before Radovan interrupted?"

"Yeah, I did. But, um..." And with this, he turned away. "Maybe I should go get a good seat while I still can. We can talk later."

Nori nodded. Made sense, especially if it would take a while to talk about. "Sure. What's it about, curiously?"

Yuki hemmed and hawed. "Well, we'll talk later," he insisted.

A strange response, but he understood. "Sure, I can wait."

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

Spoiler: Notes

And the second Gym Trainer battle done. This one was more difficult to figure out; hard to write brawn vs brains from the other end. I almost didn't keep the pillar thing, but I worked it into the overall flow and had the battle happen the previous day to make it more viable. Particularly since it works into Tono's flaws as a trainer and more importantly, stood out.

Tono Takuma's Roster:
- Jolteon (McCloud) {Ace}, Girafarig (Gracie) {#2}, Raichu (Munchie), Pincurchin (Urina), Mothim (Mothula), Golduck (Drake), Flygon (Tiki), Grimmsnarl (Zoma), Heliolisk (Kiryu), Seviper (David) / Chansey (Lala), weaker ones

He's the only Gym Trainer with nicknames, with a stated theme around video games. They're also the most fleshed out; all his Pokemon save two (so far) were seen in action at some point. He has a wider variety to fit his more tactical theme, but the implied consequence is lower levels. And from saying he handles weaker challengers, Tono certainly has some unseen Pokemon he uses for them.

 

[Daren]

Well, I was worried there a few times but Nori pulled through.


Unfortunately for Tono he has two more battles left to go today and his ace is out. That's why you always pack revive and full restore, noob mistake Tono.
Seriously though I feel sorry for McCloud. Your battles can get brutal in a rather honest way despite being sports rather than a "real" fight (sorta like Rocky in that way, I suppose).

Next, while I don't find the idea Tono started things with Radovan even remotely difficult to buy...something about Kallisto just referring to him as "Tono's old bully" when he was first brought up makes me unsure.

Still love Pachi and the Demon's dynamic.

Finally, it seems like Yuki is planning to make a move of some sort soon. We'll see how that goes. Next chapter or two should definitely prove eventful.

 

[Juliko]

Seriously, Tono. Just accept that Nori beat you and stop acting like you're entitled to a win just because. Honestly, I don't blame Radovan for poking the Furfrou on this one, considering Tono's perfectly willing to insult others but can't take what he himself dishes out. Super stoked that Nori got himself another victory. Glad to see he's been thrown some much needed bones. Can't wait to read more!

 

[System Error]

Well, I was worried there a few times but Nori pulled through.

I intended for this battle to have something of a flow to it. There were a number of false finishes, and aside from the opening move - Nori was playing counterstrategy most of the time. It also contrasts Eddie's battle: here, Nori freely lets the Demon fight as she will, but Tono is absolutely prepared this time. They've learned from what they saw from one another and adapted.

Unfortunately for Tono he has two more battles left to go today and his ace is out. That's why you always pack revive and full restore, noob mistake Tono.
Seriously though I feel sorry for McCloud. Your battles can get brutal in a rather honest way despite being sports rather than a "real" fight (sorta like Rocky in that way, I suppose).

This was all but outright said to be one of those injuries that a healing machine wouldn't work on, so even though sarcasm, healing items wouldn't do much good either. And yeah. I don't go for full bloodsport like some fics do, but I don't go everything can be healed easy either. I lean more towards the latter, that said - it's truer to canon to be lighter, but there definitely are moments.

Next, while I don't find the idea Tono started things with Radovan even remotely difficult to buy...something about Kallisto just referring to him as "Tono's old bully" when he was first brought up makes me unsure.

It's certainly open to interpretation. Even Nori himself is a bit uncertain about the situation as a whole. He certainly has every reason to dislike Tono. However, the picture isn't clear, and both sides we've heard from in detail have had their own biased spin on things.

Still love Pachi and the Demon's dynamic.

Heh heh heh

Finally, it seems like Yuki is planning to make a move of some sort soon. We'll see how that goes. Next chapter or two should definitely prove eventful.

Aside, it was even more overt in the original draft - he outright said there was something he had been wanting to talk about for a long time in the second scene. But I changed it, since it better fits the plot, hypotheticals, and his character.

Seriously, Tono. Just accept that Nori beat you and stop acting like you're entitled to a win just because.

He was more in disbelief that he lost rather than the latter. Tono had significantly better strategy than Nori could ever hope for, yet he overcame it with basic ideas and power. I said it was brawn vs brain, but it's more simple-mindedness vs critical thinking. Neither is wrong, but it was enough for Nori. Tono's critical mistake didn't help him, though

Honestly, I don't blame Radovan for poking the Furfrou on this one, considering Tono's perfectly willing to insult others but can't take what he himself dishes out.

Only in a situation like this can someone like you feel bullying is justified. Of course, that's the point - it's open for interpretation. Did Tono deserve it or not? Was Radovan going too far? All we know is what Tono and Radovan say, whose accounts are biased, and Kallisto stating that Radovan WAS bullying Tono in the past.

Super stoked that Nori got himself another victory. Glad to see he's been thrown some much needed bones.

Yup. Things are finally looking up. Again.

 

[creativelover93]

McCloud + Fox + Jolteon = Based on Fox McCloud.

I do feel a little bad for Tono's Jolteon.

Tono is a bit entertaining when he acts like a sore loser, though.

The right hallway of the Gym had a few extra amenities for guests. Public restrooms, vending machines, and a healing machine.

I liked the idea of bathrooms and vending machines. It's like the gym has the most convenient things. If Nori decided to go to other places in Sinnoh and go meet other gym leaders, I wonder what other gyms are like and I have an idea for them.

Crasher Wake will have heated swimming pools and a few souvenir shops selling Croagunk related merch.

If Maylene is old enough, she'll have a fitness center and an arcade based on fighting games.

Roark will have something similar to an underground shopping mall (yes, that is a real thing. I looked it up).

Candice would probably have an ice rink and small ice themed suites, which its based on real life ice hotels from Sweden and some parts of the world. When its Christmas, holiday decorations are up and people go into little stores to buy or make gifts.

These are my ideas if Nori decided to meet other gym leaders aside from Volkner. I could use them if I decided to make a Sinnoh fic in the future.

 

[Welkamo]

You reviewed my fic on AO3, and now I'm here to review your story on Bulbagarden.

This time, Tono and Kallisto observed. Mercifully, both did so politely without comment.

Ah thank goodness.

After eleven tries, they finally made it through the third wave, only for a fourth to start.

Oh my goodness how many waves are there? (I know I asked this for the running test but I forgot if I did it for the accuracy test.)

Flint Donaldson

Flint!!!! Donaldson? Like Ronald McDonald? I see he was a Gym Leader before being an E4 member.

And it turns out you simply have a poor memory.

Hey, don't be mean to my fellow poor memory friend! Also, Nori got a concussion.

"The opportunity for your Pokemon to learn the Electric move is in front of you, and you aren't taking it. Might I remind you that perfect accuracy attacks are forbidden in most of the tests."

Haha I taught my Jigglypuff Thunderbolt.

"Just put your Pokemon's ball in the slot and your disc in here." He slid the Thunder TM in just like a CD. "Then press the button on the left." He did so, and the ball was bathed in a golden light for ten seconds. He retrieved it and briefly spun it on his finger. "Simple as that. If you have a reusable TM, just press the button on the right to get it back."

Ahhh good explaining this. Quick question: what happens to one-use TMs? Do they get recycled?

"That Gym Leader from another region giving a speech,"

Gym Leaders! I love Gym Leaders. Except Wattson.

"I wonder why they're not using one from Sinnoh?"

They're all busy playing Poker.

"Hopefully they're nicer than Volkner."

Sigh... hopefully.

"I want us to be closer..." Lux suddenly hesitated, blushing. "Um, as friends."

Being a third person omniscient viewer is the best and worst thing.

With a happy smile, Lux hugged him with a contented sigh. It was a different, more intimate hug than usual. His friend pressed his whole body against him, holding him with a very light grip. Nori reciprocated with one arm by reflex, but the other quivered out at his side.

Wow

There was no way. Lux said he didn't want people getting the wrong idea. There was nothing else to it. It was just a hug. That's all.

Little did Nori know.

"Some kind of recording machine?" Nori guessed, based on the last part.

Just like those Christmas microphones that pitch up your voice by 6 or so semitones.

"It's not just that." Marie pressed in the handle and gave it a shake, causing the whole front section to fall open. It had plenty of space inside, although there was nothing inside presently."It's a radio, tape recorder, tape player, and case, all in one!"

Play "Revolution 9".

Also I noticed there's no space in between the period after "presently" and the quotation mark before "It's".

Nori knew. His mom's trailer could play them and they had like five, but Kelsey supplied the answer. "It's a really old way to play music, before we had CDs and MP3s. My parents have a lot of them."

Ooooh what songs

"July 11th." That reminded him to ask. "Oh, Lux. When's yours?"

His friend snapped up, startled. "Um...December 29th."

"Mine's March 16th," Jamie chimed in.

Nori smiled. "I'll keep both of those in mind."

Hmmmmm is this gonna come up again? I bet.

He liked Nori. No, he loved Nori. And yet...

And yet?

He got up to look, checking for purple hair the sea of heads.

There should be an "in" after "hair".

The elderly Gym Leader was certainly dressed for a Sinnoh winter. He had a long light blue scarf, a long navy blue waistcoat with red shirt beneath it, beige pants, and brown boots. He was walking with a cane, that looked sharp enough to be an ice pick.

Pryce? Or Blaine?

"My name is Pryce Snow.

Got it on the first try.

In just a few weeks, you will graduate, and start your first year of junior high school in April, You will be facing a lot of challenges as you begin the next stage of your lives–"

Reminds me of fifth grade, when the teachers made a big deal about middle school. And then middle school sucked and meant nothing except more problems for my mental health. Good times.

He froze as he found his teacher in conversation with a man in a white shirt, jeans, and a black cap. "Ah." Mrs. DeWood's eyes went to Nori as he unintentionally vocalized, only to go right back to the man. "Lux isn't here, so I'm going to look for him."

DeWood seems to be getting in hot water with the other teachers. I can see why.

As he went back into the school, he saw the principal. A chunky balding man in the faculty's white and blue suit-like uniform.

Very accurate to only now be meeting the principal, based on my personal experience.

He was speaking with a slender European-looking man in a long single-piece brown suit. He had dark hair and sideburns.

Looker???

Does the glorious League have a problem with it?

Yes.

He raised a finger in the air dramatically, waving it as he spoke.

Very anime-esque.

Now you listen up good, you messenger.

Gasp! He's called him a... a... messenger!

Studies have shown that average student productivity increases by up to 30% without their presence.

What studies.

"The League shoves it down everyone's gullets. They have a lot of authority, but they like to overstep it. Tell them we're not going to cater to their demands, and if they put pressure on me, they'll have a little interview with the Schraders."

Woahhhh conflict with the League.

"Tell your principal that the score is fifteen and love."

Is this a tennis thing?

You would be getting to make friends! You would be enabled to meet the super hot Champion, Cynthia!"

This made me laugh.

Agent Studd

Oh so not Looker

With this declaration, he pranced away, humming a tune.

Revolution 9.

The bald man rolled his eyes. "That sounds like her, all right."

Yeah

What was this guy, a broken record?

He's an NPC.

Eight people with purple hair.

By BHWIB logic, they're all related to Winona

He did consider her a friend, even as she wanted to be more.

Well that's nice.

"Think about me. Think about us."

Oh my goodness

"If you're going to say I shouldn't bother with Lux, then yes."

"But..."

"If you can't respect my friends, how do I know you'll respect me?"

Yes! Nori isn't going to give up his friends for a girl he doesn't even love!

Nori had a checkup on his concussion scheduled.

Oh good. Pokémon: Volkner takes a child to the doctor Platinum

Ms. Jostein

Wow like Joy?

The boy kept going. As he entered into the stairwell area, he found two of the four security guards, Marshall and Brodski. "How's things going, guys?"

This is sweet

"Keeping watch, sir. Making sure no unsavory types try to walk in claiming they're a member of the maintenance crew."

He nodded. That was oddly specific, but it meant someone actually tried that before.

Hmmmmm what's going on? Rocket? Galactic?

Nori stepped inside, and sure enough, few letters had arrived. He had been waiting in anticipation for the reply from Maylene and his mom! And it looked like some of these were actual letters! He really had gotten a reply!

He picked them up with anticipation and found that, no. They were his letters. "Return to sender? Not at this address?! What does that mean?!"

Letters!

Good stuff. Very worried about Lux, though.

 

[System Error]

Spoiler: Reply to Creativelover

McCloud + Fox + Jolteon = Based on Fox McCloud.

Yup. It seemed the most obvious. I do account for Tono's potential tastes in video games when thinking up nicknames, although admittedly, sometimes his tastes are dictated by my options. It took me forever to find a giraffe name for example - it kept popping up Giraffe and Annika otherwise. Which doesn't even involve a giraffe, just a boy named Giraffe.

One of the things I did realize was not using Munchie's Japanese name, but this was more of compromise for the readers' sake. Similar story with David.

I do feel a little bad for Tono's Jolteon.

It's hard not to, really.

Tono is a bit entertaining when he acts like a sore loser, though.

Even Tono has his kooky side. One that I don't really get to explore due to the setting is the nerd aspects of him. Usually however, it manifests in what you see here.

I liked the idea of bathrooms and vending machines. It's like the gym has the most convenient things

Well I imagine basic amenities would be a benefit in a Gym.

If Nori decided to go to other places in Sinnoh and go meet other gym leaders, I wonder what other gyms are like and I have an idea for them.

Well, we've seen Flint at Snowpoint, which mostly has the same things. Not every Gym has something special; in fact, Sunyshore is pretty basic aside from exhibition day. Probably the ones most likely to have something bigger are Veilstone (something contest-related for Gasha) and Celestic (something shrine-related). Maybe Wake's would double as or have a wrestling area. Interesting ideas of your own, though!

Oh my goodness how many waves are there? (I know I asked this for the running test but I forgot if I did it for the accuracy test.)

I think five? Forget if it resolves.

Flint!!!! Donaldson? Like Ronald McDonald? I see he was a Gym Leader before being an E4 member.

No strikethroughs, that is literally the inspiration for the last name. Everyone made the joke, and now it is canon in my world. And indeed - this was actually a blink or miss it mention in the prologue chapter.

Ahhh good explaining this. Quick question: what happens to one-use TMs? Do they get recycled?

They end up disappearing, converted directly into data.

Gym Leaders! I love Gym Leaders. Except Wattson.

Wow, rude.

Being a third person omniscient viewer is the best and worst thing.

Adorable statements that Nori doesn't pick up on, due to assuming the best. Even though he absolutely did pick up on/worry about the hug.

Just like those Christmas microphones that pitch up your voice by 6 or so semitones.

This was actually loosely based off a toy I had as a kid. Except it's a case as well.

Play "Revolution 9".

Confused this with Revolution X

Hmmmmm is this gonna come up again? I bet.

Heh heh heh. Also it's a way to state Nori's birthday, as well as some of the others. Jamie's is coming up too, so of course they'll be factors.

And yet?

And yet he trails off...

Reminds me of fifth grade, when the teachers made a big deal about middle school. And then middle school sucked and meant nothing except more problems for my mental health. Good times.

More or less.

DeWood seems to be getting in hot water with the other teachers. I can see why.

I'm sure she also gets in hot water with the other teachers sometimes.

Looker???

I mention this much later in notes, but as shown here: he originally was, then I changed it so he wasn't.

Is this a tennis thing?

It is.

This made me laugh.

It seems to be a popular part.

By BHWIB logic, they're all related to Winona

Her crazy family knows no bounds.

Yes! Nori isn't going to give up his friends for a girl he doesn't even love!

He is quite loyal, and actually pretty smart when it comes to relationships. He rightfully makes an observation, and Jamie doesn't really have an answer to it. Even if she's just trying to be romantic, it comes out way wrong to him.

Wow like Joy?

Betsy-Ann Jostein is a Jostein, not a Joy.

Hmmmmm what's going on? Rocket? Galactic?

It's a hook!

Good stuff. Very worried about Lux, though.

What will become of our hero and his friend, who wants to be more?! Find out next time! Maybe.

 

[Welkamo]

No strikethroughs, that is literally the inspiration for the last name. Everyone made the joke, and now it is canon in my world. And indeed - this was actually a blink or miss it mention in the prologue chapter.

Wow I'm smart or something.

They end up disappearing, converted directly into data.

Ooooooh

Wow, rude.

I'm sorry, but that dude made me feel like a moron in my Gym Battle with him.

Confused this with Revolution X

Oh so it's a game.

I'm sure she also gets in hot water with the other teachers sometimes.

Oh nooooooooooooooo

I mention this much later in notes, but as shown here: he originally was, then I changed it so he wasn't.

Ah I see.

It is.

Cool. I saw that and assumed it was a saying, so I looked it up.

Betsy-Ann Jostein is a Jostein, not a Joy.

Are they a separate family, or are Pokémon world human doctors not necessarily all in the same family?

 

[System Error]

Are they a separate family, or are Pokémon world human doctors not necessarily all in the same family?

Separate, and they're not in the same family. Betsy-Ann isn't even from a family of doctors. In fact, not all Pokemon doctors are in the Joy family either, it's just that they're so prominent and influential to where their name is synonymous with Pokemon doctors.

 

[Welkamo]

New month, new chapter, new review.

Nori was feeling much better today, even with thoughts about Lux, Jamie, and Maylene plaguing his mind. Hearing the concussion was gone was good news. More importantly, Volkner wasn't here! He'd left early in the day, something about sorting out a bill? In any case, Nori wasn't going to complain about one more half-day of freedom from training.

Good things are happening. Wonder how things will go wrong.

something about sorting out a bill?

Volkner pays bills? Or is he making bills into laws?

They had been outside skateboarding as far as he knew.

Oooooh just like the prologue

Tono pushed up his glasses before he began. "We saw you walking home with a girl on Friday."

Uh oh

Okay, this was stupid. "What, so I'm not allowed to have a girlfriend because you guys say I can't? What the hell?"

Well, in fairness, Nori's in elementary school.

"Please, Carino." Kallisto finally spoke up. It was in another tone Nori had never heard from him before. He was worried. No, fearful. It got the other three to shut up, and compelled him to listen closer. "I haven't been able to find anyone yet."

That's okay, Kallisto.

The head Gym Trainer was on the verge of tears as he stated, "It won't be good for my image, okay?!" Nori cringed. What should he do here? Kallisto was choking up, breath coming out shakily. He had to wipe an eye and before continuing.

Oh my goodness image

"I'm going to be the next big trainer out of Sinnoh. Or maybe I'll be the next big athlete. Or maybe something else. Whatever I do with my life, people are expecting I'm going to be the best at it. Do you have any idea how much pressure I'm under because of that?!" Realizing what he'd just said and how, he lowered his head. "Sorry, it's just...I'm under a microscope. Everything in my life is being watched and judged. It won't look good if one of the guys in the Gym below has someone and I don't."

Pressure to be perfect I see.

"Like I said, I'm waiting for the right girl. I don't want to jump into a relationship with just anyone, or just for the sake of having one like a lot of people do. I'm sure you feel the same."

Good advice. I had a character give similar advice in PHAV. Very different circumstances, but the same message. Wholeheartedly agree with this advice.

Sure, there might be a couple jerks who do, but who cares about them? There was something else, too.

The tense change feels a bit odd, but that might just be me.

The boy replied not with words, but the very threat Ollie had issued: a quick, light jab to the mouth. Just enough to make his point, but not enough to injure.

Oh!

"But really. Don't go getting a girlfriend. Please."

This is very funny out of context.

Not even in absolute secret, because it'll get out.

Ooooooooooooooh secret relationships

Tono cut in. "Do not kiss them. Do not hug them. Do not even hold hands with them."

Don't make premarital eye contact.

"Don't believe me?" Nori asked. Again, a realization struck him. "Wait, don't tell me...you haven't even had your first kiss yet? None of you?"

...Well, I did kiss a boy in kindergarten, but that doesn't count.

Eddie and Tono both flinched. Ollie got even madder. Kallisto gazed up. The quartet exchanged glances. Nori grinned. It was true! It was wrong to rub it in, but he was still going to revel in this one thing over all of them. Eventually, Kallisto broke the silence.

Wow a barbershop quartet.

"It's true," admitted the head Gym Trainer. "But I want my first kiss to be good and meaningful. Something I'll remember for the rest of my life with the girl of my dreams."

Good advice.

"I bet you are just counting playing house with a friend or something like that."

What's house? I'm guessing it's a game, but all searches yielded results that probably aren't what I'm looking for. Unless it's not a party game and it's "your the mommy and I'm the homewrecker" house.

Nori playfully smirked. "Well, yes, I kissed my friend Claris when we were playing house, too. I'm pretty sure she wanted to kiss me for real, but that didn't...work out." He so, so badly messed things up with Claris. But now wasn't the time to reminiscence on that.

Finally read that story last night.

Then there was this sixteen-year-old girl in my trailer park who tried to, but–"

SIXTEEN?!?! Isn't Nori, like, a very small child?!?!?!

"Well, duh, dumbass!"

Kallisto gasped in shock, staring at Eddie in disbelief. Yet he didn't say anything contrary to it. That told Nori everything he needed to know.

Woah, no swearing at the Gym!

And if it happened, find out that no one would think any differently of him for it.

Typo I believe

The next thing he knew, something struck him in the back of the head.

Ouch! And right after a concussion!

He had only wanted to grab him and talk. To tell him he didn't agree with Eddie, to beg him to reconsider. Instead he had struck the boy in the heat of the moment.

Shit, Kallisto.

It was one that counted with his Muay Thai training.

SHIT, KALLISTO.

The pure-blooded Japanese teenager

This tag/epithet feels... odd. I don't know why, but it feels strange.

That's right. He was Kallisto Keravnos. If he said that Nori Carino fell, broke his arm, and got knocked out, people would believe him. He felt guilty having to make this deception, but it was what had to be done. For everyone's sake, Nori's included.

He's gonna lie?! I know he has an image, but geez, man.

It figured they broke his left arm. It hurt to so much as gently move it; every time he did, pain shot through to the bone.

Oof.

until Volkner drove him to see a real doctor first thing in the morning.

You know, I've been meaning to write fankid stuff/parenting fics, but that was mostly for things like my OTP. reading this story makes me want to write Volkner somehow being a parent/guardian/babystiter.

Volkner had come in by Nori's request, but was presently staring off into space.

Darn, Volkner.

Nori could only shake his head. Why would any stupid moron want to smoke knowing this? It's a dumb waste of money.

Stupid moron, his catchphrase.

Also with the attention being drawn to smoking and how it's bad, I can only guess that this will come up again.

Finally, the doctor rose. "So, it looks like you suffered a severe fracture on your forearm," the doctor explained. Well, yes. That much was obvious. "The ulna and radius are both fractured, all the way up to your scaphoid."

Shit, Kallisto.

"You shall have to learn to use your right to write." The doctor chuckled at his own wordplay. Even Volkner rolled his eyes at that one.

Elesa would be proud, though.

"Oh!" The doctor slapped his forehead, chuckling. "I nearly forgot! You struck your head and got knocked unconscious too. Got a very mild concussion. You may have forgotten what happened."

SHI—

Volkner drove a blue convertible, a Rondo X2000, customized to run on electric power.

Oooooh fancy.

The Gym Leader quite simply called it "his prize and baby," although didn't elaborate on what that meant.

I don't know if I want an explanation or not. Never mind, I do. Volkner, what the hell.

The boy almost wanted to tell on them for that, but had a feeling it was likely futile.

"had a feeling..." is a dependent clause, so the comma isn't necessary, unless you add a "he" after "but".

Wait, proof! If he could prove Kallisto did this, they'd have to do something! And he knew just the way to do that! "Does the battlefield have a security camera in it?"

A curt nod. "Yes."

"All right! Let's go!"

Wow!

At this, Nori did scream.

Did he scream anything in particular, or just go "AHHHHHHHHHH"?

But what happened next astonished him. The feed suddenly became distorted.

Someone messed with the footage.

Nori stopped in his tracks. He blinked. The boy turned around. Did he hear that right? Volkner, who had up until this point been uncaring at the best of moments, and who had been a colossal jerk the past week, was offering to help him?

Character development uwu

Again, Kelsey hesitated before answering. "Jamie really doesn't want to talk to you anymore."

"...I see."

"But I'll let her know."

Oooh parallels to Caris.

Ollie and his fatness who thinks he's a hotshot because he's a Gym Trainer.

Tense feels weird, but "Ollie and his fatness" is a very funny and hammy description.

Ollie was snickering. "Nah, you just fell!" This was all an act, and he wasn't even trying to hide it.

These fellas gatekept Nori by calling him a weak trainer, and now they're gaslighting? What next? Girlbossing?

I wonder how the dynamic between Nori and the Gym Trainers is going to play out after all of this. Part of me wants to sympathize with Kallisto, but on the other hand, giving Nori a broken arm (after Nori got a concussion, mind you) isn't very cool.

 

[System Error]

Good things are happening. Wonder how things will go wrong.

I've been waiting for you to get here.

Volkner pays bills? Or is he making bills into laws?

I mean he's an adult who has his own place and the Gym. Of course he pays bills.

Oh my goodness image

Pressure to be perfect I see.

Welcome to one of the themes of the fic, and one of Kallisto's driving forces.

Good advice. I had a character give similar advice in PHAV. Very different circumstances, but the same message. Wholeheartedly agree with this advice.

Don't make premarital eye contact.

Not as bad as hand-holding though.

...Well, I did kiss a boy in kindergarten, but that doesn't count.

Some people don't like to count innocent kisses. Like my parents had friend whose daughter would come over, and we would go to the woods behind my house to hug and kiss and "sex" (rubbing tongues). That was my first experience. She stopped coming over when our parents stopped being friends. And on an related unrelated note, I heard she got pregnant when she was fifteen. On a lighter and also tragic note though, one of her parents was bragging their marriage was going to outlast my parents'. My parents' lasted until my mother passed away five years ago, and theirs ended when she caught him looking at porn.

What's house? I'm guessing it's a game, but all searches yielded results that probably aren't what I'm looking for. Unless it's not a party game and it's "your the mommy and I'm the homewrecker" house.

House is a kids' game where they pretend they're adults running a household. Doing things like "making" food with toys, using dolls and such for kids, and yes, innocent kissing, show me yours, and such.

Finally read that story last night.

Yay!

SIXTEEN?!?! Isn't Nori, like, a very small child?!?!?!

He's twelve. He's not that small! That still doesn't make what she did any more messed up, of course. This actually has extremely loose inspiration to a couple far tamer experiences: one time when out playing as like an eight year old, I was talking with these like 16-18 year old girls. I forget the exact context, but they asked me to close my eyes and they pushed my head into her back a couple times. In retrospect, I was probably getting motorboated. And once, in middle school, when I was abruptly hugged when talking with a girl my age. Because I was stupid and shallow (and liked her friend more, I was stupid and denied it), I broke free and ran.

Shit, Kallisto.

SHIT, KALLISTO.

And here it comes!

This tag/epithet feels... odd. I don't know why, but it feels strange.

It probably is, but I wasn't sure how to make clear this aspect about Tono.

You know, I've been meaning to write fankid stuff/parenting fics, but that was mostly for things like my OTP. reading this story makes me want to write Volkner somehow being a parent/guardian/babystiter.

Stupid moron, his catchphrase.

Nori actually has several! His real catchphrase is "nothing to do but do it!" but there's two other more minor ones. Plus a couple speech quirks.

Also with the attention being drawn to smoking and how it's bad, I can only guess that this will come up again.

Heh heh heh...

I don't know if I want an explanation or not. Never mind, I do. Volkner, what the hell.

This is more of a guy thing. Can't claim to understand it myself, but a lot of guys into the crafts and mechanical work have an attachment to the things they've worked on. Vehicles being one of the more common of them.

Did he scream anything in particular, or just go "AHHHHHHHHHH"?

Just a scream.

Character development uwu

Volkner's not all that bad!

Oooh parallels to Caris.

Yuuup. Not intentionally, but very much a similar situation.

I wonder how the dynamic between Nori and the Gym Trainers is going to play out after all of this. Part of me wants to sympathize with Kallisto, but on the other hand, giving Nori a broken arm (after Nori got a concussion, mind you) isn't very cool.

Indeed, many questions. And Kallisto is very much intended to still be at least a little sympathetic after the incident - subject to interpretation of course. Even if he broke Nori's arm.

 

[Welkamo]

Well, I have time to do a review. This time on my phone.

More importantly, while Volkner made it clear that he wasn't going to do anything about Kallisto and the other Gym Trainers, he was understanding. The boy had been given all of yesterday off, and today he was allowed to train as he saw fit.

That’s sweet

There was also among other things,

If there’s going to be a comma after “things”, there should also be one after “also”.

Also within the other room was a device that launched tennis balls or baseballs to practice endurance and evasion.

Dumb headcanon that Volkner played tennis in school.

Nori had decided to do some quiet training with Nidorina. They still needed to get their new move down, after all.

This is a good plot thread. Learning and perfecting moves over time is a cool thing. I think it might happen in the anime.

"Kallisto broke it." Immediately, all her bristles stood up on end. The Demon growled and hissed. She seemed moments away from going out and finding him, when Nori raised a hand. "Not now," he said. "We're going to practice the move he gave us. And someday, beat him with it."

Demon’s gonna do some eating.

The attack proper is blindingly fast, near impossible to avoid.

Ok, so I don’t know if this is grammatically correct or not, because the past tense is kind of confusing when it comes to things like facts. It doesn’t sound right, but I could be wrong.

From what Nori understood, most Gyms have an informal rule where if you fail to defeat the Gym Leader or qualify, you need to wait a certain amount of time before challenging again.

See above.

There was pure death in his Pokemon's eyes, and probably his to some extent as well. Saliva was dripping from her fangs as she snapped in their direction. Ollie again raised his hands in defense. "I-I meant later! Not right now!" With this he turned on his heels and scurried off while screaming.

Murder Demon

"Above all else, do not get it wet."

Uh oh. This is going to come up, especially with Nori’s fear of water.

or if starts to bleed or smell!"

I think “if” should be “it”.

He walked out into the lobby to meet Volkner, who was engrossed in a car magazine.

Haha

The Gym Leader considered this for a moment. "I'll uh, guess I'll get you a cast cover tonight."

Nori blinked. A cast cover? He assumed that was something to keep it dry. Volkner would buy that for him? His next, "Thank you," was more genuine than the previous.

Well that’s kind of Volkner.

The blond man folded his magazine and stood. He carefully placed it into his back pocket and scratched his cheek. "Want, uh...to get the day off school?"

Strict but cool dad Volkner
The boy stood there, seething. So much had happened these past few days. So much to upset him. So much to make him mad. He lashed out, kicking his unconscious attacker in the ribs several times. He was about to get down and pummel him for good measure, when he froze up.
Ah the quote got messed up. Anyway, wow parallels.
Nori stood there in a half-squat, cognizant of what he was doing. He couldn't help but snort at the irony. Here he was, beating down a defenseless opponent. Just like the Demon used to. She'd probably get a kick out of hearing about this. His moment of humor quickly faded. He wasn't defending himself against Spike at this point. He was taking his frustrations out on him. That wasn't right.
Becoming the very thing you swore to destroy. Also more parallels.

Lux as his boyfriend. Nori smiled to himself. He could get why people would think that, given how close they were and all the hugging they did. It'd be something fun to tell Lux about, once he got back. If he ever got back.

Little does Nori know.

That was Claris Willins, a child actress he met in first grade. Despite their social differences, they were still the best of friends. She seemed to even be considering being more than friends. One day she asked him to go on a journey with her. He refused, and that was all it took. Because he worded it wrong. Because he wouldn't stand by his friend. Because he was being stupid. Because of all that, she ran off that night to go on a journey alone. That one incident shattered their friendship forever.

Like that story

"What?" he spat, dripping with as much venom as a Muk.

Does Muk have venom, or is it poisonous? Either way, venom works here.

"I know it's painful, but you need to learn when to let things go."

This is good advice, but Kallisto, you broke this kid’s arm.

To Nori, it was dirty rooms that were dumb. How could people live that way?

I don’t know. And I say that as someone who can’t even keep their desk organized.

"He hasn't done anything like this before."

He hasn’t?

"He just never loses."

Like Leon

That's exactly what Nori hated about competitive people. Some people take it way too seriously.

See “The attack proper…”

"Beat all the Gyms? Beat the gloriously hot Champion?"

Is Cynthia going to appear I’m wondering.

His Pokemon tried to hug him, but couldn't get his arms around.

That’s a very cute image

 

[System Error]

Dumb headcanon that Volkner played tennis in school.

He was certainly more of a shop class kind of guy. Probably played a few sports on the side, between battling.

This is a good plot thread. Learning and perfecting moves over time is a cool thing. I think it might happen in the anime.

It's a thing I touch on. Until I've done it, never seen how I handle TMs in anything else, though.

Ok, so I don’t know if this is grammatically correct or not, because the past tense is kind of confusing when it comes to things like facts. It doesn’t sound right, but I could be wrong.

Some of these are Nori thinking in the narration, without directly showing thoughts. And yeah, facts are weird. Because you can give the impression they aren't anymore if you use past tense on them. Stylistic thing on my behalf, I guess.

Uh oh. This is going to come up, especially with Nori’s fear of water.

Heh heh heh...

Strict but cool dad Volkner

Believe it or not, Volkner is pretty chill. Sometimes to a fault, however.

Ah the quote got messed up. Anyway, wow parallels.

Becoming the very thing you swore to destroy. Also more parallels.

@Daren made a remark to the effect of the trainer taking after the Pokemon, rather than the other way around. It does fit with how Nori handles the Demon, that said! It sort of makes sense that a Pokemon a trainer is close to might rub off on them, particularly if they don't have the usual "absolute orders" relationship.

Little does Nori know.

And he doesn't show opposition to the idea can make a joke about the idea.

Does Muk have venom, or is it poisonous? Either way, venom works here.

While I generally don't try to force Pokemon into sayings and analogies, sometimes I do so, because it makes no sense for there not to be any of that.

This is good advice, but Kallisto, you broke this kid’s arm.

And thus Nori doesn't want to listen to it.

He hasn’t?

It is a fact that intrigues...

Like Leon

The unbeatable Gym Trainer. Fortunately, not every challenger has to go through him, huh?

Is Cynthia going to appear I’m wondering.

Heh heh heh...actually, she was sort of going to appear around here, but I'll get to that later

That’s a very cute image

Pachi is a stark contrast to the Demon.