TEEN: Oscilaciones

[Kyrî]

Oscilaciones

Three thousand years ago there was a cataclysm in Kalos. Fifty years ago there was a cataclysm in Johto. Twelve years ago there was a cataclysm in Unova. Not knowing where or when the next one will occur, everyone tries to live their lives to the fullest in a world that oscillates between life and death. Time is a limited resource, and everyone decides to twist it in their own way. ​

I started writing this fanfic three years ago. Most of that time was spent planning the paths that these characters will follow in the temporal map of this story. I have a few chapters in reserve, but I will be posting them here one at a time. The reason I decided to upload the first two at the same time is that I want to set the tone properly and I think the first chapter can be misleading on its own.

Warnings: while I'm not a fan of foul language, there will be the occasional strong word when the occasion calls for it. And while I don't plan to expand on grotesque descriptions and senseless gore, there will be some violence here and there; implicit most of the time, but still there. Finally, the themes that will be discussed may be somewhat sensitive. There will be dark moments, although the overall tone will be upbeat. And the title is in Spanish because I want it that way~

Thank you for your attention.

 

[Kyrî]

Scale 1: A phantasmal city - Mythical Mirage​

March 11, 2024​

That was a fight so one-sided that it's not even worth narrating. It only took the big emerald boa one breath of his Leaf Storm to finish off the little puppy that was his opponent. Nevertheless, the crowd responded with enthusiasm worthy of a Conference Match. After all, matches at the Black Tower have always been fleeting, and it wasn't every day that a trainer like him graced them with his presence.

"Growlithe can no longer continue, Nate is the winner!"​

It was his sixth battle of the day, and he had finished it as easily as all the previous ones. It hadn't mattered that his opponent had the type advantage against Serperior; Nate always found a way to overcome adversity. Twenty-six years old and he was already a legend; the strongest trainer in Unova and a celebrity wherever he went. He still had that gleam of determination in his eyes, that lively expression barely hidden by his cap and all the skill that made him a champion. He could have been a hero years ago, and if you look around what's left of the region, you're not going to find a better candidate for the job than him.

However, this is not a story that needs a hero; and our world (fortunately or unfortunately), does not need saving. So let's leave Nate to his business and look around for something worth telling.

*****​

It had been their first battle of the day, but both Myu and his Growlithe had had enough and were now refueling in the lounge room of their apartment: a room in the basement of the building that reeked of mold, with old, sagging armchairs, a table with three legs left and a fourth replaced by a box, two empty bookshelves and a non-functioning refrigerator. Despite all this, neither the human nor the pokémon looked uncomfortable in their place; both sitting on the couch, one reading a book and the other trying to sleep.

“Don't feel bad, Gazy. That guy must have about ten years more experience than me. And that Serperior must weigh ten times as much as you do”.

The little fire canine looked at him while tilting his head, very focused on his words... or maybe he was still dazed by the jolt of that Leaf Storm. Myu felt guilty because he hadn't seen it coming, and the rules of the Black Tower stated that no trainer could refuse a battle.

“But there's nothing to stop us from staying here for the rest of the afternoon”.

“I'm sure that's not how things work. You have a job, you know”.

Cerise was a colleague from the Black Tower in Black City, about the same age as him, but a capable trainer already fighting two floors above him. In an environment of such monochromatic names, she had seen fit to be born with red eyes and matching shoulder-length hair, and as if that wasn't enough, her clothing was mostly the same color. Sometimes Myu wondered if she did it on purpose or had it been her guardians' idea.

“Work... that's a very polite way of saying ‘getting beaten up by stronger people’. No, thanks. Gazy and I have had enough for today.

“He's the one who takes all the physical punishment. You just give bad orders”. Sighing, her friend bent down to lift the pokémon off the couch with both hands and take a closer look. “The poor thing is paralyzed”.

“That Serperior didn't think a Leaf Storm would be enough, so she attacked it with a Glare first so Gazy wouldn't run away. But let's talk about more important things. Did you bring that?

That was a small backpack that Cerise carried on his shoulder and left on the rickety table. From it he took out a green egg with black stripes.

-Thank you for taking care of it while I work.

“Or when you're running away from work,” complained his colleague. It won't be long now. It's going to crack in a day or two.

For the first time that day, a gleam of excitement crossed Myu's eyes. She stood up in an instant and held the egg close to the light to get a better look.

“You're right, it will be today or tomorrow”.

“What species is it?”

“A surprise”.

“No one likes your surprises”. Annoyed, she plopped down on the spot Myu vacated and felt an iron spring sting her arm. “I don't know how you can still be here”.

She picked up the book the boy had left open. It was one of those children's novels he had taken a liking to lately. "P/F" said two large gold letters on the cover.

“Did your friend from... ?”

“Galar, yes. It's the latest volume. Just out of the stores.”

“Why don't you go out and make some real friends?”

“He's the real thing. Just because he's halfway around the world doesn't make him any less real”.

“He sent you this egg, too, didn't he? -What did you give him in return?”

“I sent him an autograph from the Top Floor Leader. I think they're valuable over there.”

“How did you get Hugh's autograph?”

“It was more like a two-week suspension order.”

Cerise sighted again. Now she knew why he'd been absent for the past month.

“You have to stop this”.

“He's my friend. He's not bothering anyone”.

“Not that..." She held out her arms, pointing to the whole room. “This. You've been here for two years and yet you haven't moved up from the second floor. You're always getting in trouble or missing work, and look at Gazy: poor guy's not cut out for combat”.

The Growlithe dropped to the ground as an amorphous, sparking mass of sadness. Myu did his best to put it back together again.

“Look what you did: you hurt his feelings”.

He held Gazy in his arms as he looked at her reproachfully, a surefire method of making her feel guilty.

“I'm just saying that if you guys are not okay here maybe you should... I don't know... look for something else. We live in the biggest city in Unova; surely there's something you could do better.”

Maybe he could become a writer, he loved to read. Even if his literary tastes were as good as his talent with pokémon.

“Admit it: you are envious of my great skills as a trainer. You know I'm going to surpass you at any moment”.

It was impossible to reason with him. And yet, he kept trying.

“Do what you want, but take Gazy to the Pokémon Center. And take care of that egg; my shift will start soon”.

*****​

There was a Pokémon Center on the second floor of the Black Tower. There was also one a few streets away. Myu decided to go to the later.

“Don't believe anything she said, Gazy. You're champion material, for real”

The little Growlithe barked in his arms as a spark of electricity coursed through his back. They reached the Pokémon Center, but Myu kept walking. The longer it took them to get back, the less they would have to battle.

“Don't be mad at her, Gazy. She just wants us to do our job.”

He knew Cerise was a good girl, and knew she had some appreciation for him. It wasn't her fault, but since when were pokémon battles ‘work’? Spending all day fighting the same challengers over and over again didn't seem particularly exciting to him; especially if he lost.

“Look at Nate, even he looked bored.”

Although Myu was sure there was a big difference between being bored in a basement and being bored in a penthouse.

“You know that, right? Things weren't like that before.”

“Woof," the Growlithe complained, aware of what was next. Myu carried him with one arm while using the other to pull a book out of his backpack; it was the novel he had been reading.

“In the old days trainers went out to catch their own pokémon and had battles wherever they wanted. You could go from town to town, go through forests, caves... it was all very different. It's all in the books.”

It was a different world; a different Unova. What was wrong with escaping with those stories, invented or not? At least in his novels the pokémon were not a job, but an adventure. He was sure Ceruse didn't even know what the word ‘adventure’ meant.

“This volume was the best. The main character is going to face a giant pokémon.”

Gazy tried to say something, but the paralysis stunned him as he opened his muzzle.

“We're not hurting anyone, are we? These are just fantasies, from better times.”

In his mind, he liked to think they were more than that. He entertained the thought that they were different dimensions, parallel worlds where life was more exciting and there were room for adventures and dreams. The previous volume of "P/F" was about just that.

“What else can we do? Keep doing our job. At least..." He put a hand behind his back and brushed his fingers over the egg "you won't be so lonely anymore.”

Finally, he stopped at the overlook of the city. He rented a spyglass and began to peer into the distance.

“Can you see that way, Gazy? Beyond the ocean is the Galar region”

The pokémon, of course, couldn't see Galar. He couldn't see much with his eyes closed; and although Myu couldn't see anything but water either, he preferred to imagine that there was something across the ocean.

Myu turned his head slowly, scanning the coastline and beyond, further and further to the left... until he caught a glimpse of the ruins of a city: the huge abandoned buildings of what had been Castellia City twelve years ago.

"The greatest city in Unova..."

"More like the last city in Unova.”​

*****​

He arrived at the Pokémon Center at dusk. It was deserted, as usual. All that remained was the same foul-mouthed nurse behind the counter and her usual half-asleep Audino.

“We're closing," she said to the young boy before she finished walking through the door. He checked the time on the clock on the wall.

“There's still time.”

“I'm leaving early.”

“You can't do that. If there's an injured pokémon…”

“The only place where pokémon get hurt is the Black Tower, and they have their own center there. You're the only weirdo who comes here every day to take up our time”. She looked at the growlithe with growing distaste. “That thing's not built for fighting. Stop torturing it and give it up for adoption or something.”

When Cerise scolded him, he could take it. But being insulted by that woman was a different story.

“That’s none of your business. You get paid to take care of injured pokémon and that's all”

“Then wait for my night shift partner to arrive or go back to that horrible tower," she spat as she put on her coat and returned the Audino to its pokéball. “It's none of my business.”

She turned off the equipment and walked out the back door, leaving Gazy paralyzed and Myu with a curse between his teeth.

“Someday I'll make her eat her words, I promise.”

Myu knew he wouldn't, just as he knew he shouldn't have waited until night. He just plopped down in a chair in the waiting room with Gazy on his right and the backpack with the egg on his left.

“It's only... two or three hours. We can wait.”

He ran a hand through the Growlithe's static-filled fur. No matter what others said, Gazy loved the fights. He would trip over his own paws and once burned his whiskers with his own Embers, but he would jump up and down with glee at the mere mention of a combat. He never got better, and even if he did, he would never get beyond the third or fourth floor; but he clung firmly to his dreams. Myu understood because he felt exactly the same way, and even though he couldn't stand his job at the Black Tower, knowing that Gazy was having a good time helped him cope.

-Really... no one comes this way.

It was rare enough to see pokémon in Black City, and medical care centers for them were quickly falling into disuse. Pokémon Battling was one thing, but outside of it, those little critters didn't occupy an important place in society.

“Where did they all go, Gazy? The adventurers, the heroes. Why did they leave us behind?”

Compared to the worlds in those books, their day-to-day life seemed like a mirage; a shoddy illusion that wasn't really happening. Anywhere would be better. Black City was not the world; he could travel, perhaps to Galar?

"With what money? With what permission? With what ship?"

“I might as well dream of being taller.”

The faint sound of rustling brought him out of his musings. The pokémon egg was beginning to stir.

“Finally!”

Even Gazy stood up, forgetting for a moment that he was paralyzed, and walked over to watch intently as small cracks appeared on the surface of the egg. A piece of green shell flew out to release a long, thin yellow and black leg. Myu held his breath as the rest of the egg shattered into pieces and exposed a small green-skinned, red-fanged spider. The spots on its back had the appearance of a smile.

“It's a Spinarak, Gazy. Like you know whose.”

Excitedly, he picked it up and started spinning it in the air. The spider bit his hand, but he didn't care.

“We're going to the Pokémon Center in the Black Tower. Can't wait to show him to Cerise.”

He gathered his things, picked up Gazy with one hand and the Spinarak with the other, and headed back out into the city. A gust of air hit him squarely outside, and a tree leaf got caught in his hair.

“What now...?”

He whittled his eyes and glanced around. He whittled them again and looked again, and just to be sure, he did it a third time.

The Spinarak stirred in his arm. Gazy hid his face against his shirt.

“Where...? How long...?”

The city was gone. All he could see around him were bushes and trees. A lonely dark forest.

“What's going on here!?”

He went back to the Pokémon Center and shouted for help, but it was still as empty as he left it. A sense of alarm crept up his neck to keep him from breathing. He got out again and started running, calling out for Cerise, for anyone who could hear him. But not a soul was there.

And when his legs finally gave out and he fell to his knees in the grass, he saw it: that towering tree of spectral white that seemed to reach for the heavens. A ghost out of a nightmare occupying the space where his home should be.

 

[Kyrî]

Scale 2: An resolution she cannot accept - Heretical Heart​

June 20, 2004​

Seri was always a conflictive person. When she was told she was too young to be a trainer at age eleven, her answer was, "No" and she ran away from home. When she was told that no one could climb Mt. Silver, she said, "No" and infiltrated the checkpoint at night, evading the guards. His father often joked that her first word was, "No," and she liked it so much that she kept repeating it. True, she didn't get her trainer's license until she was thirteen (two years earlier than stipulated) and she didn't climb more than fifty meters on Mt. Silver before having to climb back down when a Tyranitar she tried to capture proved too strong for her; she had made her life a constant challenge for proving she was right or, more often, that she had the right to be wrong by breaking the rules.

And when she was told she was dying, her answer was the same she gave to every other problem: "No." She paused her journey in search of the badges and set off in search of the unknown.

The forests of Johto region were dangerous, but she had the help of her pokémon. Her main companion was Ariados: a nocturnal pokémon she had captured shortly before when it was still a Spinarak. Like her, he had little time left; bug-type pokémon didn't live long anyway. But he was strong, a fast learner, and could protect her from the enemies in the darkness.

“And who decided that? Why couldn't we do the same as everyone else?”

She knew it. Gathering the remaining three badges was going to take months. Then there was the tournament, challenging the Elite 4 and the champion, and then capturing all the pokémon and doing the same in a different region... she didn't have that much time to accomplish all that; the doctors had told her so, and Ariados would probably be dead in a few months.

"Our bodies aren't made for this," she told her Ariados as they walked through the forest, "But that doesn't mean we have to give up. There is always, ALWAYS something we can do, don't you think?”

Ariados, stoic, didn't say a word. His silence conveyed his determination.

It was already nighttime when they reached their destination. Seri held her breath as she passed under the massive wooden archway that long ago marked the entrance to the city. The pavement of the streets had lifted here and there, giving way to dark grass struggling to surface. The houses, traditional in style, had suffered much more from the passage of time; none were complete, and only the more fortunate ones retained their half-ruined tin roofs, while others consisted of one or two walls. The most complete building was the Pokémon Center, which only looked abandoned and vandalized with its windows broken but walls intact. Where the Market should have been, however, they found only rubble.

“Come on," she sighed, and her voice spread like an ominous echo. Even Ariados moved apprehensively; waiting alertly for an enemy in the darkness.

Not even the wind dared to blow. Everything seemed shrouded in a solemn, almost imperative calm. As if it were forbidden to disturb the peace of death. But it was death that Seri feared and wished to fight.

They walked deeper and deeper into the heart of the ruined city. The half-fallen walls of a monument opened like a flower. Beneath a thick mask of ashes hinted the faint silvery glow it once had. Seri let her lips curl into a smile; an expression she had not allowed herself for a long time, and walked down accompanied by Ariados into the temple. There were three melted and unrecognizable statues on the lower floor; a sort of stone basement filled with the remains of burnt and rotted wood. But that was just what they were looking for. Just what they needed.

“Now," said to herself, "the ritual begins”

Seri took a pokéball from her pocket and tossed it, releasing a yellow fox with bright, bristly fur.

“Jolteon.”

She throw a second ball. This time a bipedal amphibian with soft blue skin and a swirl on its belly emerged.

“Polywhirl.”

Then the third ball came. She held it between her fingers before tossing it.

“The water. The lightning. And now…”

“That is enough for now.”

Her heart stopped for a second. She hadn't expected to find anyone else in that graveyard of the past. Seri looked back to find the strangest apparition ever seen in her life.

It seemed like made of paper, like the good luck charms they had seen in temples throughout the region. A white and orange paper folded several times until it resembled a human figure, very vaguely. It had short, pointed legs; long arms, sharp as swords; a flat head with a cross-shaped opening that could be an eye, or its mouth; Seri didn't know. It walked very slowly, as if it struggled to stand still. She took a long moment to observe it. Maybe it was dangerous, maybe she could beat it. But maybe they could settle things peacefully. It was worth a try.

“Are you protecting this temple?”

“This is not a temple," it replied in a monotonous, bored and (in her opinion) a bit sad tone. “But otherwise you are right.”

“I’ve heard that a legendary pokémon lives here, the great…”

“You heard right," it interrupted her, as if trying to protect that name from being mentioned, "but they told you wrong. As you can see, no one lives here.”

“Not even you?"

“Not even I," replied, oblivious to her sarcasm, which made her smile.

“Well, according to legend, the pokémon hasn't lived here for a long time, but it can be summoned by the proper ritual”

In response, the paper entity looked at Jolteon and Poliwhirl, and then shook its head in disappointment.

“So you want to perform that ritual too... I am afraid I can not let you. And before you call your third pokémon, I am going to stop you right here and now.”

It extended one of its long arms and pointed in her direction. Seri responded in the way she usually did.

"No."

She snapped her fingers, and her two pokémon went on alert.

"Jolteon, Volt Switch!"

Howling, the thunderous fox turned into a flashing stream of light that zigzagged through the ruins and illuminated everything in his path. Seri didn't know her opponent's typing, but Jolteon would serve to get an idea of his stamina, or so he thought. Without altering his stance in the slightest, the strange paper entity moved its arm to create a deep fissure in the ground that Jolteon evaded at the last instant.

“It's fast!” she complained, but Seri still had a plan.

“Hydro Pump!”

At her command, Poliwhirl puffed out his cheeks and expelled a powerful torrent of water at their enemy, who cut it down with ease.

“Thunderbolt! Ice Beam!”

They both attacked at the same time, but their foe danced out of their way, letting itself be carried away by the faint currents of air that the pokémon provoked with their attacks.

“That golden hair," it whispered, "those mauve eyes... even your clothes are similar to his. You look just like him.”

Once it went on the offensive, the battle ended: it raised its right arm to the height of his shoulder, leaving a spectral image in his wake; and an instant later, three huge beams of light revealed at the same time three simultaneous impacts on three different targets.

The first to fall was Jolteon. Then Poliwhirl. Only then did Seri feel a long cut go through her chest. Then she blacked out.

*****​

For some reason, she wasn't hurt. That pokémon (because she was sure it was a pokémon) had gone right through her with those blades capable of cutting through the ground and deflecting Hydro Pumps, but she had come out without a scratch.

“I should be dead," she said to herself, "but I'm not. That thing killed me. People die when they're killed, but I'm alive... why?”

She turned to Ariados, who was looking at her with a sliver of condescension.

“All right. We have time for stupid questions. Near-death experiences always make me feel a little dumber.”

She dusted off her knees, smoothed her skirt and began to work out her next plan. That thing was powerful, too powerful for her, but that didn't mean she couldn't outwit it one way or another.

-I may have an idea.....

*****​

She observed it for days and nights to learn its behavior patterns. It always stood guard, both day and night, sometimes on a rock or in the grass. It didn't sleep, didn't eat and did nothing but roam the grounds to scare off any visitors like her. It could be either a machine or a pokémon.

Her first plan was to use Poliwhirl's Hypnosis to put it to sleep and get past its guard. Unfortunately, the amphibian's accuracy was far from brilliant and it wasn't really subtle either, so the swordsman would find him and neutralize him with a slash before it started to feel the effects. Her second plan was to let Ariados cover the field of Toxic Spikes to block its way or fall intoxicated when he tried to stop them; but the pokémon walked over them undeterred and it was Seri who had to retreat when one of those spikes went through his shoe and then spent the next two days fighting off the poisoning. When she started to run out of options, Seri thought about bribing it, but leaving aside the issue that they didn't have much money to begin with; she didn't know what a pokémon that apparently wasn't even breathing could use it for.


“Enough!" she said while waving a white handkerchief tied to a tree branch.

“What does that mean?” asked the paper pokémon when it saw her approach.

“It means you win. I surrender.”

“Your previous message had strange symbols on it…”

“That was a threat letter," she sighed. “It said that me and my five thousand followers were going to invade your territory if you didn't surrender and let us pass.

“That means that the human figures made out of tree branches behind the bushes were…”

“Those were my false followers.” She was defeated by a pokémon that couldn't read. Even Jolteon could read. “But I've had enough. Today I'm just here to talk with you.”

“Do you want to convince me?”

“No." She shrugged ‘I want to hear what you have to say. Don't think I came empty-handed either.” She held up a bottle of that rice liquor that was so popular in the region years ago. Her tolerance for alcohol was nil given her condition, but Seri hoped that pokémon couldn't take much either.

She spread a blanket between the two of them and they sat facing each other. Seri placed the bottle in the center and poured into two small cups. She brushed his own with her lips, while the pokémon lifted it awkwardly with both hands and drank in one gulp through the cross-shaped opening in its face.

“It was your mouth after all…”

“What?”

“Nothing," she said, "My name is Seri. I come from Celadon City and I'm fourteen years old. Who are you?”

“Kartana. I do not measure my time in years and I am not going anywhere.”

At least it had a name. Or maybe it was it's species

“Why are you protecting this temple?”

“Because no one should come here. Long time ago this was a place for prayer, but eventually your people tried to awaken the legendary pokémon for their own purposes.”

“So it's really here?”

“No.”

“You're lying," she smiled.

“Why are you looking for him, Seri from Celadon?”

“If I tell you, will you let me see him?”

“No.”

“Well, I won't tell you.” she paused and refilled Kartana's cup. “Are you his guardian?”

“The legendary pokémon is not even here.”

“I know. That's what the ritual is for.”

“That ritual must not be performed.”

“If I perform the ritual, will the legendary pokémon come?”

Kartana remained silent for a long minute. Seri was finally starting to break its defenses. It drank the second cup as quickly as the first.

“No good will come from that ritual.”

“If I try again, are you going to stop me?”

“Yes”

“All right.”

“Are you not afraid of death?”

"I'm not afraid of you.” Seri pointed at her own chest. “Not a single scratch. My pokémon and I have been trying to get into this temple for a month, and you always stop us without hurting us. I know that move: its name is False Swipe. It's only used by pokémon when they don't want to hurt their opponent. I think you're a good boy. I think you really want what's best for the legendary pokémon.

“And yet you insist on summoning him…”

“But I don't want to hurt him. I'm a good girl too.”

The cup got full again.

“Are you saying you do not want the legendary pokémon for selfish reasons?”

“No, no. Our reasons are very selfish. Mine and Ariados'.” Seri took a pokéball from her pocket and released the arachnid to hug him. But we only want his help for a little while. Less than an hour maybe.

The cup was empty again. Kartana took its time to answer.

“What are you looking for?”

“I want to go on adventures. Lots of adventures. There are a lot of things I want to do and discover. I want to be a great trainer. Like no one ever was.”

“Is that why you want the legendary pokémon? For his power?

“You're missing the point," she sighed, filled the cup one last time; draining the contents of the bottle, and offered it to the guardian entity. “I don't want to capture the legendary pokémon, I just want his help.”

“For what?”

“I have a problem.” With a hand in her chest, the that little girl looked like an actual kid for the first time. “A piece of me isn't working right. It's a dangerous disease that's making my body produce… more body than usual. This thing is killing me. You know? In Saffron City they have an amazing hospital. They took all our money, they gave me tests, they gave me medicine; they hooked me up to a machine for several weeks and I didn't understand anything at all. They say they have the best technology and that they can cure anything. That I was promising and that I had hope. That they were going to cure me.”

"Then they told me that I was very lucky, that medical science has come a long way in the last few years. That people in my situation, with the right care and if they don't neglect their health, can live up to another fifteen years. I just have to take the medicines and spend time in the hospital every week. Not doing dangerous things or anything... look how nice, don't you think? To be told that you've already lived half your life. That you won't be able to do anything you've always dreamed of. That your time is up just because it is. That that's the way things are and you should be thankful for dying slowly and not fast. What would you do?”

Seri put a hand on Ariados' head.

“He is different from my other pokémon. Jolteon can live another twenty years. Poliwhirl, maybe thirty. But Ariados have only a few months; maybe a year. We all traveled the region together because we had a common dream, and we fought together all the way here. But he won't be there when it happens. His lifespan is shorter than ours, even mine.”

"Unfair, isn't it? It's not fair at all. I'm not just a sick girl. I'm a pokémon trainer and I’ll deal with this as one.”

“The legendary pokémon…”

“In the past, he revived three pokémon and gave them eternal life. I don't ask for that much. I just want him to heal us and give us a little more time. If he could do it before, he can do it again.”

Kartana looked into her eyes, and she looked at the cross in the middle of its papery face.

“The answer is still no.”

Seri's lips curved upward. It looked like a smile, but it conveyed nothing akin to joy. It radiated anger and pain.

“You don't decide that.”

As if he had received an order, Ariados shot a purple silk net from his jaws that caught Kartana off guard.

“Toxic Thread.” She said. “When you stepped on Ariados' Toxic Spikes, you didn't take any damage or absorb them. That's how I found out you're a steel-type.”

Seri took the almost empty bottle in one hand and poured its contents on the blanket.

“I mixed some Sleep Powder of the Butterfree from the forest with the sake. You should be asleep by now... unless you're immune. As if you're a grass-type. My plans went wrong, but I learned a lot about you.”

“Is that so?” replied in its laconic tone.

“I can beat you. I didn't want it to come to this, but if you keep saying "No," I'm going to start saying it myself.” She reached into her pocket and picked up a pokéball; the oldest one in her team. Seri brushed it in her fingers and tossed it into the air.

“Charizard, Flamethrower.”​