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

[Daren]

Well, everything continues to spiral down the drain as high speed, to no surprise.

So now he's got that battle with Ollie. Always listen to Arumi.

I was worried that Pachi and the Demon might not cooperate well (mostly the latter's part) and it seems that concern was justified. Their personalities just clash too much, shocking as anyone not loving Pachi is.

We did get some signs of Tono's softening towards Nori (although perhaps even beforehand he'd take a dim view of exploiting a trainer's phobia to win a battle), which was interesting.

"A lot are on his side." Volkner shrugged. "You're lucky the ones that matter are neutral. Uh, higher-ups and top trainers, that is."

Hmm, now this is interesting. Part of me does suspect the highest ranked members of a government organization would be generally more skeptical of someone with a seemingly spotless record out of general cynicism.

 

[System Error]

Well, everything continues to spiral down the drain as high speed, to no surprise.

Nori is still at the bottom as things come crashing down around him, but there's nowhere to go but up. Eventually. Hopefully.

So now he's got that battle with Ollie. Always listen to Arumi.

Third Gym Trainer battle happening sooner than expected!

I was worried that Pachi and the Demon might not cooperate well (mostly the latter's part) and it seems that concern was justified. Their personalities just clash too much, shocking as anyone not loving Pachi is.

This was an idea I had for a while for this battle to make it more interesting despite Ollie being of lower skill level. I tried to give foreshadowy hints of it as much as possible so this wasn't out of nowhere.

We did get some signs of Tono's softening towards Nori (although perhaps even beforehand he'd take a dim view of exploiting a trainer's phobia to win a battle), which was interesting.

It is worth noting that Tono never really showed his opinion on Nori's aquaphobia, besides possibly disapproving of Kallisto wanting him to face it.

Hmm, now this is interesting. Part of me does suspect the highest ranked members of a government organization would be generally more skeptical of someone with a seemingly spotless record out of general cynicism.

Oh I imagine there's a couple like that, but this is more genuine, professional neutrality.

 

[Juliko]

Oh thank God! Arumi is still on Nori's side, even if she's unable to be open about it lest she be targeted as well. So glad to know at least somebody still has his back. To think she was established as the annoying news reporter girl at the start. But yeah, Nori really isn't catching a break, and I can only hope somebody doesn't wind up killing him, if that makeshift bomb Pachirisu destroyed is anything to go by. Definitely curious to know why Ollie is so deadset on being loyal to Kallisto and just what his deal was before.

 

[System Error]

Oh thank God! Arumi is still on Nori's side, even if she's unable to be open about it lest she be targeted as well. So glad to know at least somebody still has his back. To think she was established as the annoying news reporter girl at the start.

This was very much intentional. Give her a cautiously decent introduction, not really do much to change her character besides showing her news acumen when talking about confronting Kallisto with her, and then drop these new depths when everything's gone to hell.

But yeah, Nori really isn't catching a break, and I can only hope somebody doesn't wind up killing him, if that makeshift bomb Pachirisu destroyed is anything to go by.

It wasn't a makeshift bomb, it was just a can of soda or something. It just exploded because of the force of Pachi's attack on the metal and liquid. Although the car incident was another thing: actually based off a real-life experience. Although I wasn't on a skateboard, and right turns are allowed on reds, and an angry guy didn't come out to confront me, and it certainly was due to inattentiveness and not on purpose. But I was almost run over, avoided it by handplanting off the car, and flipped them off.

Definitely curious to know why Ollie is so deadset on being loyal to Kallisto and just what his deal was before.

You will find out...next chapter!

 

[System Error]

Spoiler: Announcement!

A/N: Sorry for the delay in getting this one out, stressing and worrying about health issues. But in better news, I can announce that as of December 12th, 1:30AM PST - this fic is officially written out in its entirety! It's only editing and extra scenes that come to mind along the way from here. So health and technology permitting, this fic will be getting finished!

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Month 6: June of Despair (second part)
June 6th, 2015​

"Hey."

It was the day of the battle with Ollie. Nori went into the trainer's lounge shortly after waking up, Volkner came to greet him at around 8:40am. The Gym Leader grabbed some coffee and sat down to join him at the table.

"How's your progress?" the blond man asked as he sipped his beverage.

"They still aren't getting along." He'd gotten in a little more practice last night. They were doing okay, but the Demon was having far more trouble adjusting to the double battle format than Pachi was. "Do you think Ollie didn't want to give us time to prepare?"

"Yes," was Volkner's quick and blunt reply. "Any plans?"

"You mean strategy? Well, I thought if I rushed one down as fast as possible, I could beat the other..." He shook his head. "But I wasn't sure what Pokemon he'd be using, so I wasn't thinking of anything specific."

That was the biggest thing. Ollie knew his team, but Nori didn't know his opponent's. His Lanturn seemed a given, since it was his ace. There was that obnoxious Electrode. That Stunfisk, too. He had a gray Graveler with electric rocks in it, plus his Emolga. Then there was that Rotom, which was an anomaly by itself. He rarely used it, but Nori had seen him put it into things like a toaster or a weed whacker. He had this weird battery bug too, but Nori doubted he'd see that one.

"Probably Lanturn and Stunfisk."

"Why them?"

"Synergy. Immunity. And wide-area moves."

The boy froze up in realization. "He's going to..."

"Yes. He's taught Stunfisk Protect, by the way." The Gym Leader scratched his chin. "Worked hard to get it adequate."

They didn't have to say which wide-area moves. Nori shook his head. Ollie had to have been planning this for a while. And he didn't doubt the Gym Trainer would take every opportunity to abuse them. The fact that they took a lot of energy to execute didn't matter.

"Well, you have power, some combos, and a vague idea," the Gym Leader encouraged. "Just be you."

That was easy for him to say. Nori wished he could be anyone but himself right now.

---​

Ollie Gooch was slipping in some last minute training in the training room upstairs, while Kallisto and Eddie watched. Tono was manning the Gym with Volkner, and they had no doubt Nori was practicing in the back.

"All right, I think we're ready for this!" his heavy friend said. His Pokemon let out fishy cheers, equally fired up as their trainer.

"You better be," said Eddie. "Don't wanna end up like me and Tono."

"I am! Heh, the real question is if he's ready for me!" Ollie slapped his gut and laughed.

It was something of a stroke of brilliance, Kallisto had to admit. Unlike Tono and Eddie, Ollie challenged Nori out of the blue. Nori accepted, because of course he did. Yet Ollie had been preparing for this for a while. He had wanted to issue the challenge shortly before the 20th, but their argument the other day pushed things ahead of schedule.

"You know, I'm kind of jealous of you," Kallisto quipped.

Ollie was surprised. "You're jealous of me?"

"Have you seen how many people came to watch your battle? Not even I've managed to fill the Gym's stands like this, outside of exhibition day."

"I-I mean, it's not that big a deal..." Ollie stammered, as if afraid he'd somehow offended him.

"It is a big deal," Kallisto assured his friend. "I'm proud of you, Gooch."

Eddie agreed. "We publicized it pretty hard. Lot of people showed up to see Nori get his ass kicked."

"Yeah, that's gotta be it," Ollie nervously laughed. "I couldn't have done it on my own...but I'm gonna do this! I won't let them down! I'm gonna beat him in front of everyone!"

The scary part was, Kallisto thought, he might be able to. While Nori had managed to defeat Eddie and Tono in these situations, Ollie had the huge advantage of having something to prove. Furthermore, he had the sense to drop Nori into a bad situation, knowing he'd bite on it. His victory wasn't guaranteed, of course. The outcome of any battle was never a sure thing. But win or lose, Kallisto had no doubt Ollie was going to prove his doubters wrong today.

---​

The battle was set for 2pm. Too many people had come to watch. The stands were completely packed, and that just never happened outside of exhibition day. But it did.

As he stood in position, Nori scanned the crowd for anyone he knew. He saw many familiar faces from around school. Besides a disguised Arumi, he also spotted Yuki. However, his former friend turned away as soon as he looked. It was strange. Yuki was staring at him before that, yet averted his gaze - he didn't seem mad, either. Was he regretting what happened? Well, if he was, it was on him to make things right. Nori wasn't going to do so himself, at least, just not to look dumb making an assumption.

"Thank you for coming today," Volkner formally welcomed everyone, to applause. "For those of you who got here early, I hope you've been enjoying our Gym's battles so far. But you all came here for a reason, and it's time to get to it. We have a grudge match that couldn't wait for exhibition day. One of our Gym Trainers, Ollie Gooch..."

And with this, the people roared. Until now, Nori had only ever heard Kallisto get these kinds of receptions. Ollie was absolutely stunned. As he recovered to bask in the glory, he waved and blew kisses into the crowd.

"...against ‘The Demon Tamer’ Nori Carino."

Ordinarily, Nori might have been able to respond to the boos, likely with something to make them boo even harder. But today, he did not have the energy.

"You should just give up now!" Ollie taunted. "You don't stand a chance against me!"

"Why are we doing this?" he decided to ask.

The Gym Trainer was taken off-guard by this out of the blue question. "You insulted me, and you insulted my friend!" the hefty teenager yelled. "I'm not going to stand for that!"

The crowd approved. Ollie snickered and crossed his arms in triumph. When they settled down, Nori asked another question. "Does Kallisto really need you to stand up for him? Are you doing this for him, or for yourself?"

"Shut up!" was the reply. "Besides, trainers fight each other! I want to prove myself against you! To me, my friends, and the audience!" Nori blinked as he pointed to at the stands. He was just copying Kallisto, but it was working to get him even more praise. "Against you and your NOTHING!"

"Volkner's helped."

"He's the judge here, he has to be impartial!" The hefty teen did a little dance. "This is it, Nori! This is where I show me and my way's better!"

Whatever all of that meant. Nori solemnly nodded as Ollie threw out both of his Pokemon. They were indeed Lanturn and Stunfisk. Being truthful, he wasn't sure if he could win this. Ollie was right. Nobody wanted to see him win here. His Pokemon still weren't getting along. And...there were going to be the water moves. Could he keep focus?

Pachi leaped into action, as Nori sent out the Demon. "This is it," he gave some last minute encouragement. "Remember," he told her. "You're working with Pachi here. Wild Pokemon are one thing, but you can't win this on your own." To his concern, this did not register. Or if it did, she wasn't listening.

Volkner nodded. "Okay. Begin."

Nori took a deep breath. Ollie gave the first order. "Stunfisk, Protect! Lanturn, Surf!"

He had tried to mentally prepare himself for what he knew was going to be the opening move, but as soon as the wave appeared, he reflexively backed away. "Uh...ahhh!!" He hyperventilated. "Shock Wave! Electro Ball!"

The Demon refused to listen, just getting out of the way. Pachi eagerly obeyed. It worked as Nori expected: Pachi didn't have to aim perfectly, as water conducting electricity did it for them. However, it had no effect. The Lanturn continued riding the wave unabated, crashing over the squirrel. Nori hopped on one leg to avoid the water washing over his shoes.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Ollie laughed. "Forgot about Volt Absorb, bitch!"

Nori winced. He knew it had that ability, he just forgot it while panicking! The Demon was already going for Stunfisk while Pachi was recovering from being drenched.

"Mud Shot the Demon!" yelled Ollie. "Lanturn, Thunderbolt her!"

The Demon ducked under the blast of wet dirt, but before she could reach Stunfisk, got intercepted by Lanturn's electrical blast. "Pachi, um, Quick Attack! Go help!"

"Hahahaha!" Ollie laughed. "Shoot a Muddy Water, Stunfisk! And Bounce, Lanturn!"

Nori tensed and clutched his ribs as the flat Pokemon produced a wave of brown water a couple meters high, firing it towards its opponents and completely missing its ally as it propelled itself into the air using its tail. A different, weaker way of using the move. It was so sudden that the Demon had no chance to dodge, and Pachi ran right into it.

"Now come down as we planned!"

Nori slapped his fists together to try to regain his bearings. "Shadow Claw it as it does, Demon! Pachi, you use Grass Knot!"

"Don't let it, Stunfisk! Tackle!"

Nori realized what was about to happen. "Pachi, look out!" The squirrel heard and went to dodge...right into the fat blue fish that came crashing down upon him. Meanwhile, Stunfisk had blocked the Demon's interception, although thankfully, ended up taking the attack in its partner's place.

This was crazy! Ollie – Ollie of all people was running circles around him! He needed to get things together, and fast! No matter how much punishment his Pokemon could take, if they kept taking it without getting much offense in, they were done for!

"Heheheheh! Surprised?"

"Did Kallisto coach you?" he asked.

"A bit! But this is my battle!" He bounded and pointed. "Now Bubble Beam the Demon, Lanturn! Stunfisk, Spark her!"

Pachi was dazed and out of position, and Ollie was once more taking advantage to get a double attack in. Trusting the Demon to take care of herself, the boy turned his attention to the squirrel, "Um, Grass Knot them both, Pachi?"

Pachi shook things off in time to stomp his foot twice. He actually got both of them, but the real problem was, both of them got the Demon. She lunged with Poison Jab, only to get the worse of an exchange when clashing with the electrified Stunfisk. And to make things worse, she stiffened up and couldn't dodge the stream of bubbles. Paralysis, now?!

"Demon, Shadow Claw."

She was slow. She only grazed Lanturn, as it broke away right as she swiped. He should've given her another Cheri Berry!

Ollie laughed. "Now to lock down that Pachirisu!" he said, as Stunfisk freed itself. "Trap it in Whirlpool and Rock Tomb!"

Nori tensed up. "Run, Pachi!" The little squirrel tried to, but was cut off by rocks thrown in front of him. Shortly thereafter, the whirlpool formed. Nori could see where this was going. "Just hang on to the rock!" he urged, trying to avert his eyes. "No, Nori. It's far away. It won't suck you in..."

"Quit mumbling to yourself, bitch!"

The Demon had stood on her hind legs. "Help Pachi!" Nori urged. She did not listen and went for Lanturn, catching it off-guard with an Earth Power. Not the worst move, he supposed. Ollie grumbled.

"Bounce! Both of you!" Both Pokemon launched into the air. Ollie turned to Nori with a sick grin. "How's that?"

"Good, but..." He took a deep breath. "Have you forgotten what Kallisto did to you?"

"What?"

"I know!" the boy shouted. His Pokemon managed to avoid her foes coming down from above, although they used their momentum to escape to a safe distance. There was a lot to that report of Arumi's, but some things about it stood out. "He suggested he could get your family dropped as a sponsor from the Gym!"

"Nori, that's not true!" the head Gym Trainer rose and shouted from his chair. A strong reaction. He was on the right track.

"Settle down!" yelled Volkner, motioning for Kallisto to sit. In turn, the Gym Leader turned to Nori. His interest was caught like so many others.

"Keep Bouncing!" Ollie said, although he was clearly shaken by that comment. This had turned into a stalemate. The two fish were bounding and avoiding the Demon's attacks, but she was still managing to evade them as they came crashing down. Pachi was still in the Whirlpool trap, although wasn't taking damage from it. "What do you know, Nori?!"

"You told me Eddie and Tono made fun of you a lot."

"Yeah, so? We're friends now?"

"And you used to be egotistical all the time."

"It's true. But I'm a better person now!"

"And you said to me you wanted to prove you're better?" He paused. "That's just it! You were mad and wanted to prove you were better than them! Just like you're trying to with me!"

"Sh-shut up!" It was just a guess, but did he hit the mark? He noticed the Demon had finally landed an attack, hitting Stunfisk with a brutal body blow that nearly sent it flying into the Whirlpool. Pachi was still hanging firm on the rocks.

"Back to the battle!" declared Ollie. "Confuse Ray, Lanturn!"

"Close your...no! Look at Stunfisk!" He caught that one.

Ollie smirked. "Mud Shot!"

She turned just in time to get it right in the face. With an irritated growl, she charged for her attacker.

"Now Protect and Surf!"

Again, a massive wave that made Nori want to flee the room entirely. The Demon bounced off the protective barrier harmlessly, being caught up in and washed away by the water.

Suddenly, the whirlpool shined a bright yellow as electricity arced all around it. It dissipated and Pachi leaped from the attack with a flex and renewed vigor.

"Seriously!?" Ollie yelled. "Discharge on the water!?"

Nori smiled. "Your own Volt Absorb. Nice thinking." He never would've thought of that. At least, not in the state he was in. The squirrel was healed up and ready for more. He spared a glance at the Demon. All these attacks were starting to take their toll. Yet with her, it meant she was just getting warmed up.

"Lucky bastard you got such smart Pokemon," Ollie remarked. "But this ends here! Lanturn, Bounce! Stunfisk, EARTHQUAKE!"

Once more, Lanturn took to the air with a bound. Nori thought fast as Stunfisk jumped up to attack..

"Pachi, Quick Attack. Block it. Demon, get ready to hit Lanturn."

He dashed out, only to be intercepted by the Demon? He crashed into her instead as she dove underneath the flat Pokemon, preventing it herself. She clamped down on the panicking fish and swung it around a couple times - hitting Pachi in the process - before throwing it.

"Stop that!" Nori yelled. "Don't hit Pachi!" And yet she didn't care, almost tackling him aside as she went and Skull Bashed Lanturn as it was coming down. Unlike when she did this in their very first battle here, the fish was able to get upright. Wobbly, but it at least seemed a couple more attacks could end this.

"Then try this on for size, bitch!" Ollie said. "Both of you, Discharge!"

Both Pokemon emitted lightning from their bodies. The Demon was trapped between, roaring in agony as she was wracked by the simultaneous attacks. Suddenly, Pachi dove beside her, shielding her from at least some of it. He was further energized by these attacks, but the problem was, so was Lanturn. That's right! They could do that!

The shuddering Demon nearly kicked Pachi on instinct. She didn't, but the sneer said she wasn't grateful. "Okay," he said. "Pachi, you go for Lanturn. Grass Knot. Demon, you get Stunfisk. Start with Shadow Claw." If they weren't going to cooperate, may as well have them work separate.

"Signal Beam and Spark!"

"You've improved a lot," Nori remarked as the Pokemon went to work.

"All thanks to Kallisto and the others," boasted Ollie.

"It's not him right now! It's all you!" He glanced, seeing that Pachi had avoided the laser though missed his own move, and that the other two attacks had effectively canceled out.

Ollie glared. "What are you getting at?!"

"I'm saying, you don't need him to be great! You just have to be yourself!"

"This is me, retard!" he yelled. "Bounce, together!"

Up they went. They joined in midair, and guided by Lanturn, came rocketing down towards Pachi. The Demon ran to intercept, only to lock up. Pachi evaded anyway, but the two Pokemon flipped away on the rebound and came down on either side of the Demon.

"Ollie–"

"Stop trying to distract me! Aqua Tail and Spark!"

"Back!" he stammered. While the Demon avoided the former, the latter would've hit if not for Pachi blocking it, unharmed by the electrical portion. "You need to hear this!"

"There's nothing I want to hear from you!"

Yes there was! Well, it was everyone else, but still! "Kallisto threatened you like he did me, right?!"

The head Gym Trainer was on his feet immediately. "All right, that is blatant–"

Volkner fired a glare at him. "Kallisto, I told you. Settle down."

"Volkner, I'm not just going to sit by and let him badmouth me."

"Pause the battle."

Nori blinked. Pachi and Ollie's Pokemon listened right away, but he had to shout at the remaining combatant. "It's a time-out, Demon. Stop!" She was just about to Earth Power when she reluctantly halted.

Volkner motioned to Kallisto. "Remove him, security."

The crowd gasped and booed. "What?!" the heterochromic teen uttered, aghast.

The Gym Leader crossed his arms. "Rules are rules, no matter what. Audience members, including yourself, can't disrupt a battle." He briefly glanced at Nori. "If you have a problem, take it up after."

Kallisto sighed, "I'm sorry," he said. "I was out of line. I'll go." He left without further fuss. Brodski and Feldman followed behind. Aren't they usually supposed to follow beside, Nori thought?

"All right, sorry." The Gym Leader did give Nori a brief smirk. The boy only shrugged. He didn't expect that to happen. "Continue."

Ollie snapped. "Surf! Muddy Water! Ride together!"

The boy flinched as the two Pokemon combined their attacks. "Stop it!" he yelled.

"No, it serves you right!"

"Dodge!"

Pachi was able to escape, but paralysis briefly took hold over the Demon and the merged wave crashed over her. Pachi was way out of position, and they'd again landed right behind the Demon!

"Shadow Claw!" Nori urged. "And Pachi, pick one and Quick Attack." Would the Demon even be able to pull it off? She strained as she raised a paw.

"Finish her!" Ollie said. "Thunderbolt and Mud Shot!"

The two Pokemon launched their attacks at the same time. Pachi did hit Stunfisk, but it was too late. And to Nori's horror, it proved too much. The teal beast strained, falling to her hind legs.

"The Demon can't continue," ruled Volkner. The crowd screamed and cheered jubilantly, many on their feet. Even Tono and Eddie rose, praising their fellow Gym Trainer.

"Well done, Ollie!" Tono complimented.

"You did what we couldn't in a real battle, man!" said Eddie. "You beat the Demon!"

"Thanks guys!" he said.

Volkner made the signal to pause as Nori and Pachi slowly approached the fallen Nidorina. The joyously snickering Ollie also waved his Pokemon away for the time being.

"Are you okay?" the boy asked, Pachi seeming to chirp something similar.

She pulled herself together. Conscious, but ruled in no condition to continue. She pounded the ground furiously.

"Okay, come back and–"

Pachi stood between them. He shook his head and started chittering to the Demon. She rolled her eyes, shaking her head dismissively. What were the two talking about?

"Umm..." he didn't speak Pokemon. Pachi motioned to the Nidorina's eyes, then tilted his arms inward towards himself. "You...want her to watch?" An affirmative nod. "If you're okay with it."

The Demon snorted with arrogance. She picked herself up and limped over to the trainer's side of the battlefield. It seemed she did, maybe if only to see Pachi fail. Which, Nori figured was likely. It was one against two now. Ollie was just so much better at double battles than him. Pachi's Electric moves were useless, and that going both ways didn't mean much. Plus, he was nowhere near as well-trained as the Demon, or probably even Ollie's Pokemon...

"Just give it up already, Nori!" Ollie taunted. "Save yourself the trouble."

"I..."

"We got you beat! The Demon's down, and your stupid little squirrel's all that's left! So give up!"

Nori hesitated. Volkner gave an inquisitive look.

Could he? Should he? He turned to Pachi. The pastel blue and white Pokemon sneered at the cocky-looking Stunfisk, who was flopping like a flag in the breeze. Nori suddenly thought back to February. He was fighting Ollie with Pachi, when he panicked because of water and left his Pokemon out there to get knocked out. Did Pachi remember that, too? Or was that not necessarily related to wanting to help? Either way, no matter what, he had to try here. They had to try here.

"All right," he said. "Let's do this."

Volkner approved. The squirrel smiled, wagging his tail. Pachi nodded, getting down on all fours and glaring at their foes. Maybe Nori didn't have any animosity towards the hefty Gym Trainer, but his Pokemon certainly did.

"Sorry," he apologized. "I don't know what came over me. Things were getting to me for a second." He paused. "Like they got to you."

"What are you rambling about now?"

Nori smiled. "December 18th, 2013. Does that date ring a bell?"

Ollie's eyes stretched wide. "Surf and Muddy Water! Together!" he ordered in a panic.

Nori shut his eyes as Volkner waved for the battle to start, trying not to let his train of thought be derailed. "Agility, avoid it. And come in with Sweet Kiss on Lanturn." He needed to shift gears from full offense. If he could disable one of them, that would be a big help. "You joined the Gym in April of that year. You'd always wanted to, and got in because of your family."

Pachi had evidently circled around the wave, ran over, and managed to plant a little smooch on the blue and yellow fish. Its eyes dilated, but Pachi was right between the two Pokemon. Maybe the worst place to be, yet...

"Mud Shot! Signal Beam!"

"Wait." The squirrel stood tauntingly in front of the unresponsive fish. "Now." Pachi timed this just as he'd hoped. Stunfisk ended up hitting Lanturn, who confusedly returned fire. Yet also the best place to be.

Ollie huffed. "Yeah, I did! So what?"

"You weren't popular with Eddie and Tono, but Kallisto was always there to help." Nori thought about the battle. "Grass Knot on Stunfisk, and try to Sweet Kiss it, too."

"Look out! Ice Beam if you can, Lanturn!"

Stunfisk wasn't able to get out of the way of the vines in time. But neither was Pachi; Lanturn pulled it together long enough to hit and partially freeze him. Nori took a deep breath, trying to stay composed. Okay, if it worked for water, maybe it'd work for ice?

"Discharge."

It did. Pachi was able to break free with the burst of lightning, much to Ollie's frustration. "Now, Quick Attack."

"Dodge with Bounce!" The squirrel was headed for Lanturn, who was able to execute the order. "You too, Stunfisk!" Ollie ordered, before he could even change direction.

"But that day's when things changed. Eddie and Tono had the day off. Kallisto was upstairs. And you were manning the Gym alone for the first time."

"Sh–it, you found out about that?!" growled Volkner. He scanned the crowd for Arumi, though couldn't find her. "How?"

"I have my ways." Nori knew where she was sitting, but wasn't about to point her out. He kept an eye on the battle to react if need be. While Pachi wasn't able to hit Stunfisk either, the Bounces were no threat. He easily avoided the flat fish's, and the fat fish's was way off target to begin with.

"This'll shut you up!" yelled Ollie. "Trap it with Rock Tomb, Stunfisk! And freeze them with Ice Beam, Lanturn!"

"Just keep moving."

Pachi did so, yet he slipped on some of the ice left over from the first Ice Beam. Disaster. The stones quickly surrounded him, and worse - Lanturn shook off its confusion to execute its part of the plan perfectly. Yet Nori was unconcerned. Win or lose, he was getting what he wanted out of this battle.

"Well, long story short. Someone came in, knocked you out with Sleep Powder in the puzzle room, and made off with a bunch of Gym Pokemon."

Over the crowd's gasps, Ollie screamed. "Bounce, Lanturn! Earthquake, Stunfisk!"

Nori gave some calm encouragement to his Pokemon. "Agility to get out, you can do this."

The squirrel was already halfway out of the icy tomb, and the burst of speed took him the rest of the way and then some. Nori had figured if Tono's Jolteon could do things with that move, so could they. The Earthquake missed entirely, and Lanturn's jaw dropped as Pachi waved to it in mid-air. And it was only going to get worse.

Pachi momentarily shined and focused. Numerous star-shaped projectiles emerged from his tiny form, relentlessly homing in on and assaulting the angler fish. The blue and yellow fish lost control and crashed onto the floor.

"Wow, nice going," the boy praised the new move. His Pokemon also suffered a rough landing - they needed to practice that part now - but got to his feet in a hurry. "Now finish it off with Quick Attack."

"M-Mud Shot, Stunfisk!"

Pachi charged. The attempted interception went wide as he did a high-speed full force tackle on Lanturn. The fish rolled a few meters away and lay still.

"Lanturn can't continue," Volkner ruled, over the boos of the crowd. But there was less booing than before. Still no cheers, but it was a start. With a shaky hand, Ollie recalled his Pokemon.

"The guy was caught hours later. But Kallisto snapped on you after." Nori took the chance to continue his story. "I don't know everything, but he said you were irresponsible, inept, and bringing down the image of Sunyshore Gym." He smiled. "A couple days later, he destroyed you in a battle at exhibition day, to make his point."

"Muddy Water, Stunfisk!"

"Stop that..." Nori complained as he squinted and turned away, more annoyed than fearful of the wave. "Pachi, Agility around it and Grass Knot."

The squirrel had no trouble pulling this off. As Stunfisk was landing, he stomped his foot and ensnared it with the mass of vines. Pachi nodded and tried to give a fingerless thumbs up, as if to say he'd handle the rest.

"Get out of there, Stunfisk!"

"He gave you a firm warning to better yourself, right in front of everyone."

"He was right! I was a jerk back then! I needed to change!"

Nori so wanted to say he was still one, but held his tongue. Meanwhile, Pachi had landed a Quick Attack on the still-stuck flat Pokemon. "But that doesn't mean he was right to confront you in front of everyone."

Stunfisk broke free, and Ollie responded at once. "Finish it! Earthquake!"

"Stop it and Swift," Nori countered.

Pachi used his incredible speed to rush in, catching Stunfisk in his mouth after it was coming down to shake the floor. The brown Pokemon's eyes went wide with surprise.

"Uhh...uhhhh!!"

Pachi spit out his foe and unloaded on it with Swift. Nori never knew that many stars could come out at once. But the end result was a tired Pachirisu, and an unconscious Stunfisk.

"Stunfisk can't continue," ruled Volkner. "Nori is the winner."

There were some restrained boos mixed with polite clapping. Most people were simply listening, however. The end of his story was coming, and everyone knew it.

"You were mad at him over the holidays," Nori said. He glanced at his Pokemon. Pachi was posing. The Demon looked stunned. "Rightfully so. That incident wasn't your fault. And you know it wasn't."

"I...I..."

"People hated you anyway, for the sole reason because Kallisto had called you out. You were angry at him and didn't care at first. But when he brought up your family and how you were disgracing them, that's when you gave in." Ollie remained silent. "It was too much for you. You broke down, and begged him to help you shape up." The hefty teen lowered his head. "Do you think he was right to force the issue?"

"I...don't know," he was forced to admit.

"Well, you're changing now, because of your own efforts. Do you think you could've done that back then?"

"I don't know," he repeated, turning to his fellow Gym Trainers for help.

To Nori's shock, they both gave neutral answers. "Your call, man," said Eddie.

"I will own up and say I treated you worse than I should have, past and present," replied Tono, Eddie nodding with agreement. "Nori Carino is twisting the narrative, but his points are reasonable enough."

If they were saying that, maybe there was hope yet. Ollie looked to them, and then to Nori. And then to his unconscious Stunfisk. He mulled this over for a long time.

Meanwhile, the Demon had risen to her feet. She was looking Pachi over in disbelief. The squirrel was simply expectantly standing before her, wagging his tail. With an annoyed grumble, she stuck a paw out. It didn't seem to be what Pachi was looking for, but he eagerly shook all the same. Though when he tried to pull her into a hug, she shoved him away.

It was a cute sight that made people laugh. Even Ollie let out a chuckle, albeit a bitter one. "You did it. They're even sort of getting along now." He clapped almost sarcastically. "But, I'm sorry," he said. "You're right. Kallisto kinda threatened me. He warned me how things would turn out if I didn't." He paused. "But it worked out. I don't think I would've changed without a reason like that, and besides, that's in the past now. Kallisto's done so much for me to make it up since then."

Nori solemnly nodded. "I see." He tapped a foot. "I guess if it worked out for you, that's all right." Maybe Ollie did need to change back then, and maybe something significant did need to happen like Kallisto practically forcing him. And maybe Kallisto did make up for it. But what worked for one person didn't necessarily work for another.

"Thanks anyway."

The boy nodded, approaching his opponent. There were no hard feelings, if that was his decision. "You did really good. Even in these past months I've known you. I crushed you or lost because of something weird the first few times, but you almost beat me today."

"I guess it's because you've kinda been pushing me." Ollie chuckled more genuinely. "That was a good battle, though." Nori extended his hand, which the hefty trainer accepted. "Just...reconsider Kallisto yourself, okay? He just wants what's best for you. It might seem he hates you, but he doesn't."

"You're wrong."

A menacing Kallisto Keravnos pushed back into the arena. His head was lowered, he was slightly hunched, and his right arm shuddered as it held the door open. His left hand was balled into a fist.

"I heard everything," he said, voice low and quivering. "And...how dare you..."

The head Gym Trainer looked up. His brow was furrowed and his teeth were almost grinding together. There was pure rage in his retinas. Nori stepped back behind his Pokemon. Pachi clutched onto his leg in fear.

"Nori Carino, how dare you say those things!" The head Gym Trainer stormed up and got right in his face. The little squirrel squealed and hid behind Nori. The Demon stood and started snarling through her pain. The boy's heart was threatening to leave his body, but he stood his ground. "What are you trying to do, turn my friends against me?!"

He opened his mouth to protest, but was instantly silenced.

"Enough! What the hell is your problem? What are you playing at? Do you seriously think you're doing the right thing here? First of all, this is the sort of conversation you hold in private. You don't air your dirty laundry in public! Especially against those who aren't there to defend themselves!"

"You did it yourself!" Nori cut in while he could, when Kallisto was firing a glance at Volkner.

"It was different," he argued. "And second, you're not giving proper context when you're talking about these things!"

The hefty teen shook off his shock and stood tall. "Yeah!" he said. "I can't believe you nearly tricked me with your sweet talk and silver tongue!"

"Ollie..." Was he really going to do this?

"Shut up, bitch!" His point made Nori flinch. "Kallisto's right!"

"Yes," the head Gym Trainer said. "I chewed Ollie out for letting that thief attack him. And yes, it WAS his responsibility. But I never threatened to get his family sponsorship pulled. I only suggested that it wouldn't reflect well on them using their pull to get him hired, only for this to happen!"

"Same difference!" Nori fired back. "It's implied!"

A grim shake of the head. "No, it's not. And yes, I did call out Ollie in public."

"Hold on, hypocrite!" he interrupted.

"Nori, stop and listen to me."

"You listen to me!" he insisted. "What's the difference between what I did and what you did?"

Kallisto turned around and took a few steps away. "Facts," he said.

"What facts!?"

"It's a fact that Ollie needed to improve as a Gym Trainer. And it's a fact that you need to improve as a person. And sometimes, you have to say those things in public to make them see it's not just one person who thinks that." He paused. "With what you're doing, you're twisting things for the sake of being petty, to try and destroy even a little of my credibility. You're only making yourself look jealous - at best."

"You know what?" Nori fired back. "I don't care what you have to say. If you think you're seriously helping me by doing this, you're a stupid moron. Maybe I need to become a better person, yes. But that goes way more for you!"

"I know I need to, Nori," he admitted, not missing a beat. "But you're taking things way too far, and lashing out way too much. You need to learn to let things go."

"No! Some things are unforgivable!" He turned to the crowd. If this was about their judgment, let them judge. "You can understand that, right?"

Murmurs, musing this point. There wasn't a lot of booing or cheering. They were processing it. That was a good sign.

"Yes. The likes of Pokemon Hunters, pedophiles, and war criminals. But I'm not one of them. I'm someone who's made a few mistakes in his life, just like anyone else."

More murmurs, mostly of agreement. And a lot of cheers too. Of course. Why wouldn't they accept everything their lord and savior says?

Nori recalled the Demon and picked up Pachi. "This is a waste of time."

"I'm not finished yet." Kallisto attempted to block his path, but Nori kept walking.

"Well, I am!" he yelled. "We're never going to agree on this. That's a fact! So stop wasting everyone's time!"

He tore the left side door open and pulled it shut behind him.

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

Spoiler: Notes

Ollie Gooch's Roster:
- Lanturn {Ace}, Electrode {#2}, Stunfisk, Emolga, A-Graveler, Rotom, Charjabug

Ollie was tricky to pick Pokemon for to distinguish him. I originally had a gimmick of Ollie using all unusual Pokemon, but he didn't get enough screentime to show that off. Plus that was too limiting and he didn't really have a reason to be like that, so that's when I added Emolga and A-Graveler. Still, the idea comes through regardless with his main trio of Lanturn, Electrode, and Stunfisk. While some say it's hard to write unorthodox Pokemon like that...I say it's interesting, and in-universe shows the true talent of their trainer.

 

[Daren]

Congratulations on finishing the full draft!

Pachi being top tier is re-confirmed.

Too bad Ollie's shift towards Nori was halted but I get the impression he more or less hero worships Kallisto while Tono is a bit more honest with himself about Kallisto due to their closeness.

Actually I suspected Ollie was going to win until the Demon was knocked out; then I was fairly confident Pachi was going to pull through.

And Ollie's big failure that set Kallisto off was...significantly more of a big deal than I expected, actually.

He left without further fuss. Brodski and Feldman followed behind. Aren't they usually supposed to follow beside, Nori thought?

More evidence you should rely only on your Pokémon because people are unreliable.

As for Kallisto I'm well out of respect for that hypocritical self righteous twat.
I won't pretend Nori had no role in how badly things ended up between them but Kallisto's worse and should be more mature with his age (not to mention the world stopping to worship him all the time).

Those three examples of what Kallisto says can't be forgiven sure are specific.
War Criminal = ...does he know about the old sea dog? The other two are something he has some sort of link to in the story.

 

[System Error]

Congratulations on finishing the full draft!

Thanks.

Too bad Ollie's shift towards Nori was halted but I get the impression he more or less hero worships Kallisto while Tono is a bit more honest with himself about Kallisto due to their closeness.

One of the big contrasts I'm sure you noticed is that Ollie is a graceful loser. Everything was going well until Kallisto stepped in.

Actually I suspected Ollie was going to win until the Demon was knocked out; then I was fairly confident Pachi was going to pull through.

I wasn't entirely sure about the premise of this battle, to be honest. That thought was what I was going for, however - thinking Ollie might win, and setting up the obvious comeback. While at the same time making Ollie look strong even in defeat. It was subtly, another instance of Strength vs. Strategy. Despite Nori considering it, it's actually Ollie who manages the "focus fire one Pokemon" strategy. But when the Demon goes down, the roles change. Nori uses the simple but effective strategy of status. Meanwhile, he had been damaging them beforehand, allowing Pachi to beat one and then the other to pull out the victory.

And Ollie's big failure that set Kallisto off was...significantly more of a big deal than I expected, actually.

It was indeed, a lot more than just being a jerk. How much culpability he had in the incident is up to the reader's interpretation, and the characters themselves have their own views on the matter. Whatever the case, Volkner's strong reaction implies it was a big scandal at the Gym.

As for Kallisto I'm well out of respect for that hypocritical self righteous twat.
I won't pretend Nori had no role in how badly things ended up between them but Kallisto's worse and should be more mature with his age (not to mention the world stopping to worship him all the time).

So when I said Kallisto had crossed the line a couple chapters ago? I lied. This is where he really crosses the point of no return. As bad as May 20th was, Kallisto was still acting in a vaguely altruistic way, even if the logic behind it was warped. But Nori persevered, pushed some buttons, and now...

Those three examples of what Kallisto says can't be forgiven sure are specific.
War Criminal = ...does he know about the old sea dog? The other two are something he has some sort of link to in the story.

Well, Pokemon Hunter hasn't come up. He was simply naming examples two of which happened to have a connection with the matter at hand - although in both cases, they're better than Kallisto. The sea dog is chill, and Betsy-Ann isn't one at all; even if she could get by the stigma, she liked Nori himself.

 

[Juliko]

Huh, so that's why Ollie turned out the way he did. Not surprised he immediately went turncoat when Kallisto came back into the gym after the battle ended. Ollie does need to shape up, but not in the way he thinks. But I wonder if there's actually more to it, based on what Kallisto and Tono claim Nori got wrong about the incident in question. Glad to see Nori win against Ollie, even if the Demon got knocked out. I wonder what'll happen next?

 

[System Error]

Huh, so that's why Ollie turned out the way he did. Not surprised he immediately went turncoat when Kallisto came back into the gym after the battle ended. Ollie does need to shape up, but not in the way he thinks.

Oh, he absolutely did need to change back then - I tried to make that clear. There are definite parallels between Nori and Ollie. There's several differences of course: Kallisto never doing anything to personally wrong Ollie being the biggest one.

But I wonder if there's actually more to it, based on what Kallisto and Tono claim Nori got wrong about the incident in question.

Well to clear this up: Tono simply said Nori was distorting the narrative. That is, Nori was assuming Kallisto was acting in a malicious way, and doing exactly what he did to him back in May. Kallisto goes full anger for the first time and doesn't share his own thought process. But Kallisto did mean well back then, and he makes an earlier remark to the effect after May 20th of saying that even a stern talking to can make the public turn on someone. He was talking about Ollie then.

What happened was Kallisto was upset that Ollie had a chance to prove himself and blew it - maybe being too harsh on him, but still. He was always supportive of Ollie, even as Eddie and Tono dunked on him a lot. There was an implicit bond, much like Nori had with Kallisto before the attack, and Ollie felt a little betrayed. So Kallisto did what he did - but he did it altruistically in a gambit to try to give Ollie incentive to better himself. Sort of a tough love scenario, no malice at all. That was why Tono said Nori was twisting the narrative.

Of course, as Nori himself said, what works for one person doesn't for another. And it's irrelevant at this point twice over: Nori was never going to listen to Kallisto after what he did (to a fault), and now Nori has made Kallisto genuinely hate him. As I mentioned to Daren, this is the true no point of return for him.

I wonder what'll happen next?

Well, it's a safe assumption there's going to be instant fallout from that incident. After that? You'll see.

 

[System Error]

Month 6: June of Despair (third part)
June 6th, 2015​

Volkner's Pokemon all watched with concern as Nori come storming into the back. Chatot even swooped down tried to comfort him by saying his name, but it was of little help. The boy heard the Gym Leader addressing the crowd and telling Eddie to take over. He came into the garage a minute later.

"You shouldn't have done that," the blond man said while approaching.

"I know." Nori let out a sharp exhale. He was sitting on the floor. "But what's the point?"

"You got some respect back for what you said to Ollie. Then you blew it."

"It would've been ruined anyway by Kallisto," he dismissed. "He wants me to be the villain. Everyone's going to hate me no matter what I do. I may as well earn it a little."

Nori laid down, uncaring that he was on greasy pavement. He had one regret about how that argument went down, but he didn't regret pushing back.

"I should've pointed out that he's demanding forgiveness."

"They can see that."

"And they don't care, right?"

"They don't."

Nori used his palm as a pillow of sorts. "That's why it's a waste of time. All of this is a waste of time."

"Nori. That's not what I mean," said Volkner, shaking his head. "I meant, you pointlessly aggravated the situation."

"Then what should I have done?"

"Either heard him out fully or left right away. Nothing in between." The Gym Leader offered a hand. "That made you look like you wanted the last word, or had no way to argue with him."

"Mmm." The boy mused this before sitting up on his own. "I'll keep that in mind if there's a next time." And if he felt up to it to begin with.

##########​

June 8th, 2015​

"Nori Carino, would you please report to the principal's office? Nori Carino, to the principal's office."

These were the words that blared through the intercom of Nori's middle school on Monday, at 9:05 in the morning. His peers all stared at him, before turning to whisper to each other. Nori gave them a distrusting glance. He packed up his school supplies and took his bag with him as he left. Nori was generally no stranger to the principal's office at school, but this was the first time he'd been sent there without knowing what he'd done to deserve it.

"Thank you for coming, Nori. Take a seat." Mrs. Mychaels was a silver-haired woman in her 40s, and from the display case directly behind her, already had a laundry list of accomplishments in her life she wanted every visitor to know about. Her large desk had a plaque stating it was made of platinum and Grenadil wood. The room had a large window on the left side, with shelves full of books and albums lining the right.

Nori quietly sat down. The principal was wearing a blue designer suit with lavish jewelry, and sat on what appeared to be a genuine leather chair. Moronic luxuries, he thought.

"It's difficult for me to say this, Nori," Mrs. Mychaels began, contrarily with no hesitation or regret in her tone. "But there has been growing concern among the staff about you."

"Yeah? So?"

"You have something of an attitude problem, case in point."

Nori drummed his fingers along the chair's arm rests. "But I haven't done anything wrong at school the last week!" he protested.

"Yes, not at school." The boy stared blankly. Were they serious about this?! "However, there was an incident last Saturday at the Sunyshore Gym that was brought to our attention."

"Don't tell me you're going to tell me I need to respect Kallisto, too."

She paused. "No, but it is indicative of your behavior. You won't respect your superior in the Gym, and have shown that this extends to others above you as well."

"Only because they don't deserve it," he argued, knowing exactly what this was leading to. "If someone lets a bully beat me up right in front of them, and stop me as soon as I fight back, they can screw off!"

"I can assure you, that teacher has been punished."

Nori shook his head. "Punished how? I still see them working here."

"More to the point," she continued, ignoring his question. "Because of your...mutual grudge with Kallisto Keravnos, you are without a doubt the most unpopular student in the history of the school. Amongst both students and staff."

The boy wanted to say something about that, but decided to let the principal keep talking.

"This issue has only been exacerbated since Saturday. There were already concerns among faculty members about your enrollment here, ever since May. We held an emergency staff meeting this morning to discuss how to handle this situation. And..."

The principal paused in seeming regret. However, she remained still. Nori was watching her body language closely. She wasn't sorry. She was putting on an air.

"...and that is why we've made the decision to expel you at the end of the semester."

"What?! Are you kidding?" Nori was out of his seat in an instant. "Just because of Kallisto?!"

Mrs. Mychaels raised a palm. "Please, don't make this any more difficult than it already is, Nori. I can assure you, this was not a decision we made lightly. There are a large number of staff members who have nothing personal against you."

"That sounds like...I don't know! An excuse! Why?!"

"It has become apparent that your reputation is near irreparable, and potentially inoculable. Your presence is not something that Gama Memorial Junior High wants associated with its image."

"Your image?!" he seethed.

"It is something you should keep in mind, Nori. It is the single, most important thing in your life. A positive image can raise your prestige based on virtue of trust, but the inverse holds true. You'll find few who are willing to work with a controversial individual, for fear of disrepute via association."

All these big words made him involuntarily snort. "So what can I do?!" he asked. The reality of his situation was beginning to sink in. "And where do you expect me to go?"

"Clean up your act. Work to be a better person. There’s a harsh saying that I'm sure you've heard before. The stake that sticks up will be pounded down." Nori could only glare at her. Whoever made that saying could stick it up and pound themselves with it. "As for education," Mrs. Mychaels stated, "I can suggest the Kergen Williams Reform School in Jubilife City."

At this, Nori snapped again. "But that's for juvenile criminals, thugs, and crazies!"

"It's one of the few places that will accept you."

Nori fell onto the chair. Forced into mingling with the worst Sinnoh had to offer. A school where you had to watch your back at all times, lest you get jumped. There was news about violence, sexual assaults, or drug incidents from there at least once a month. And given how the delinquents here treated him, he absolutely did not want to go there.

"What about being an official..." he groaned. "Volkner lives here."

"That should be the least of your concerns now, Nori. To be frank, if I were in your shoes, I would start preparing for a future where you're not one."

Did he even have a future at this point? Had his image been tarnished beyond repair, all over Kallisto? Why? Why did it have to be like this?

---​

Image. Nori had a lot of time to think about it. He reflected on how image could be driving the people around him.

His woes started with Kallisto worried about being seen as indecisive if Nori had a girlfriend and he did not. It's what led to breaking his arm, accidental or not. He was seen as a model citizen and perfect everything, and he did his best to maintain this image. Even if it meant doing - or not doing - questionable things. The other Gym Trainers were not exempt, either. Ollie in particular feared for his family's image in the past, and he remembered that time in February that Eddie got mad over that attractiveness poll.

Volkner had moments where he felt humiliated by Nori. Spike tried to present himself as a tough bully. Haruna stayed in Kallisto's good graces despite disliking him. Arumi maintained a reporter's image and wanted to live up to her family's expectations. Betsy-Ann cleaned up her image to try to date Kallisto. From the sounds of it, a lot of girls wanted to date Kallisto because of his - or for their own image. Heck, some likely wanted to date him for that: he always wondered, was that part of Jamie's motivations? She seemed genuine if insensitive, but there was no way to know at this point.

Nori had to admit, even he had his moments. Like, not wanting to be seen hugging Lux in public. And...Lux himself. He was one of the few who didn't care, although he still feared for Nori's image through association with him. Ironic, the boy thought. Now he was more hated by his peers than Lux ever had been.

As he had been promising to since the start of the month, Volkner was waiting to pick him up after school. He opened the passenger side door of the blue convertible and got inside. "Hi," the boy awkwardly greeted, certain he'd already gotten a call. "You've probably already heard, right?"

A solemn nod. "Yeah."

They drove back in complete silence. Only when they pulled into the back of the Gym did Volkner address the issue.

"I'll start calling schools around the city tomorrow. See if any will take you."

"What if they don't?"

"There's options."

Nori drooped as he got out of the vehicle, dragging himself to the nearest chair. "I don't want to go to reform school."

"I'm thinking." Volkner sent out the Pokemon he had taken with him, just in case. Chatot flew up to join the nesting Galvantula, Electivire and Luxray wandered off, and Octillery remained beside its trainer. It waved a tentacle to its fellow aquatic Pokemon who had come out of the pool room to greet it.

"Any ideas now?" The sooner he heard some good news, the better.

"One." Eelektrik ‘swam’ up (really hovering with electromagnetism) as the Gym Leader raised his finger, looking up expectantly. Volkner gently patted the eel. "Met someone in Unova when I caught this guy last December. Hit it off over cars. Works as a miner and a Gym Leader. Could transfer you there, if they'll let us. We'll see." He paused. "If it comes to that. For now, don't worry about it."

Way over in Unova?! At least if Volkner was vouching for whoever this was, they couldn't be bad. "Still," he mused. "Getting kicked out of school just because I have a bad image. All over Kallisto." He paused. "Aren't you worried about yours for associating with me?"

"Don't care. And I told you already. If I quit, I get in trouble anyway. And I don't want to."

"Because of Flint, right?"

Volkner gave him an unamused glare. "Stop that. Got nothing to do with this. As long as you can keep going, I'll make sure you will. That's the decision I made."

"Mmm..."

He'd survived everything that had been thrown at him so far. The training, the bullying, the injuries, the scorn, losing almost everyone who supported him like Lux and Betsy-Ann. Yet it was beginning to be too much. How much more of this would he have to endure before it got better? Would it ever get better?

Volkner started to idly wash his convertible. "Free thinkers aren't liked. Isn't just an Eastern thing. Free thinkers that break the status quo are even worse."

That didn't help. In fact, it worried him even more. If it was the same in Sinnoh as it was anywhere else, was there anywhere in the world for someone like him?

"If I told you there was an extremely efficient carburetor - capable of driving across North America on a liter of gasoline - that got confiscated and buried in the 70s, what would you say?"

Nori tapped his chin. He thought about it for ten seconds. "I'd say, no wonder you customized your car to be electric," he concluded.

"Heh. That is true." The blond man briefly eyed his so-called prize and baby. "Or hell. A carriage moved by fuel? Why bother, when you can ride a Pokemon or have them pull the carriage?"

"And yet today, they're everywhere."

"Exactly." The Gym Leader tossed the rag he was using onto the table. "What I'm saying is, no matter how much conformity is expected from society, it's those people who think differently that move the world forward. You wouldn't be here if you weren't one of them. The Officials know that."

"That makes sense." Nori leaned back. It helped ease his concerns. And he always did want to make a difference in the world. "Still, everyone saying Kallisto's great and I'm not. Am I the one who's wrong about him?"

"You've seen for yourself and made your own judgment."

"What do you think about him?"

"He's a talented trainer. World-class." The Gym Leader frowned. "But if he's not careful, he could end up a cautionary tale rather than an inspirational one."

"Why do you think he hates me so much?"

"Besides what you did on Saturday? It's hard to say."

Nori could think of a few things, like trying to reveal his secrets to the world or just getting fed up with him. But he felt there was something more to it than Saturday. So what else could it be?

"Things are going to get worse from here, aren't they?" he asked. That was his biggest fear. If things never got better.

"Maybe. At least you can move."

"But I don't want to. Sinnoh's my home. And..." He paused for some long seconds. This was corny. He knew it was, but he said it anyway. "You're a great teacher and mentor, Volkner. I can't imagine being taught by anyone else."

Volkner was taken aback by these words. "Thanks," he played it cool, although didn't bother to contain his smile. "Never had anyone tell me that. Means a lot."

Nori smiled back. He thought Volkner was an apathetic jerk for the longest time, and that was at best. But it turned out, his mentor had become his best friend here. He now knew what Volkner was really like. Come to think of it, it turned out that way with Kallisto as well. And the Demon for that matter. It'd was sort of what he'd be doing if he ever became a Pokemon Rehabilitator.

The Gym Leader sighed. "But, we might have to say goodbye in a couple months."

And that brought Nori back down. Goodbye. He already had to say goodbye to everyone back home. He had to say goodbye to people here, even. If that happened, he'd certainly be in an entirely different region or country. And what if he messed up again? What if he met another Kallisto? Where would he go? What would he do? All things he didn't want to think about, yet he knew he may have to someday.

##########​

June 10th, 2015​

It was a lazy Wednesday afternoon at Sunyshore Gym. Thus far, there had been no challengers for the whole week. For the Gym Trainers, this meant a time to work on their own skills and training for when the time came to put them to use once more. Which could be at any time the Gym was open, so there was little time to relax.

Tono Takuma was slipping in some gaming on his 3DS while he had the time. He had switched almost entirely to portable and mobile gaming the last few years. He was working on finishing up his hardest difficulty playthrough of the most recent in his second favorite strategy role playing game series, before the new one released on the 25th. He hoped to be able to finish all three campaigns there before August 20th, when his favorite SRPG series' latest game would be out, followed by the eighth in his favorite traditional one getting an expanded port on the 27th of the same month. And those were just the RPGs. Even without school and Pokemon training, it felt like he'd never have enough time to play them all.

He reached down to pat McCloud as a post-battle cutscene played. His starter Pokemon whined happily. He did not care that Eevee was cliche; Jolteon had been his favorite Pokemon since he was a little boy. McCloud had been with Tono since he was ten, and was able to evolve when he was thirteen. He was a Pokemon who would always go the extra mile for his trainer. As he proved last month, to Tono's endless regret.

The rest of his on-hand Pokemon were training on their own or with Kallisto's Pokemon. His best friend was working out, doing stretches with his Goodra and Ampharos. Tono couldn't help but observe the well-toned teenager who had two colors in his eyes and hair.

Tono never regretted skipping fourth grade - he had performed so well in his grade 3 which was split with a grade 4 class that they let him move to fifth - as it allowed him to meet Kallisto. It was in middle school, his first day of seventh grade. To his horror, Radovan was also attending Gama Memorial Junior High. The oversized bully was shoving him around on his first day, when Kallisto rode into his life and drove Radovan away. Even back then, he was as handsome, talented, and elegant as ever. They both joined the battling club and hit it off well. Due to his shared interest in Electric types and skills which were second only to Kallisto himself in the club, he came to Sunyshore Gym about a year later.

Kallisto was in a word, wonderful. Tono did not even want to think about where he would have ended up had they never met. Even now, he could not imagine life without him, or someone improbably similar.

"Goodra, like this," Kallisto firmly spoke up. He put his elbow against his body and rolled it 360 degrees. The gooey purple dragon whined, although got some encouragement from its fellow dragon-like Pokemon. "You may have stubby limbs, but being able to move them effectively will give you a huge advantage in battle."

Tono watched on neutrally. This sort of specialized training could always be difficult on a Pokemon. At least it was simply physical in nature. He patted McCloud again, remembering the year it took to make his Hidden Power become Water-type. Yet he had come through in the end, as always...

"Ruffy!" Kallisto suddenly took notice of one of his Pokemon napping. The canine looked different from the usual ones across Japan and most of the world, a Sinnoh-native form with a heritage traceable to early Japan. One of his first Pokemon Kallisto had owned from when she was a Growlithe, and also the only one that's ever liked a nickname of his, back when he still tried to give them. "Stop lying down and try to get some practice in!"

Tono was perhaps closer than anyone else to Kallisto Keravnos, and therefore, knew him better than anyone. This outburst was unusual; he had never seen his best friend act this way towards his Pokemon before. It simply was not him.

Tono saved his game and closed his console up, slipping it into his tote bag. "Kallisto, is everything all right?" he asked, wearing his concern on his sleeve.

Kallisto almost snapped out of a trance. His face dropped. "Sorry," he apologized, not simply to him but to his Pokemon as well. "No. Not really."

Tono leaned back on his chair. "I take it guilt is catching up with you over the latest news about our Gym's favorite resident?"

His lip curled. "I could care less about him. He deserves whatever happens."

Tono narrowed his eyes. Kallisto was never good at hiding things, least of all from him. Translation: yes, this has something to do with Nori Carino. Although it was concerning to see Kallisto be so callous. Even some of their acquaintances around school who had no love lost for the (hopefully still) future Official felt sorry, to say nothing about himself, Eddie, and Ollie.

"I just...ugh!" He gave one of the striking bags a swift punch, startling some of the Pokemon. David in particular yelped and coiled up defensively. "Okay, this is about him!" Kallisto admitted.

"Is this regarding a few days ago?" Tono speculated this had to do with Nori Carino's attempted breaking speech towards Ollie. He got up and put an arm on his best friend. "You resolved that situation with a few well-placed words. It is not worth further stressing."

"The fact that he had the audacity to do it speaks volumes," Kallisto groaned. "Was I wrong about him, Tono?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Maybe he really was a horrible person all this time, from day one. What do you think?"

Tono drummed his fingers. That was difficult to answer. He had very mixed feelings about Nori Carino. One thing was for certain. "I do not believe he is a bad person. His heart is in the right place, yet he has his own way of doing things. In tabletop terms, he is chaotic, whereas we are lawful or neutral." That was the best way he could explain it.

Kallisto slowly nodded. He processed it for a few moments, before agreeing. "Thanks, Tono." And suddenly, his arms were around him. Tono gasped, yet returned the embrace. "I was starting to doubt myself there."

"I am glad to help you in any way I am able, my friend. I owe you too much..."

"Oh, stop," he said with a hint of humorous agitation beneath his tone. "You've done plenty for me over the years. I wouldn't be in the same place without you."

"I know." Even if Kallisto had repeated that several times, it was always a joy to hear him say so. "Steering away from this subject. Do you have anything in mind, if not already planned for the 17th?"

His best friend shrugged. "I'll leave that up to you guys."

"I simply wanted to check there would be no conflicts." He smiled. "It appears our birthday plans for you can go on as intended."

"Looking forward to them. It'll be a day to relax and forget everything!" Kallisto grinned, right as the door opened.

"Yo," Eddie said with some hand motions as he walked through. "How's training?"

"It goes," replied Kallisto.

"Yes." Tono had been keeping an eye on his Pokemon while playing his game. They got a fair amount of training in.

Eddie nodded as he turned to Kallisto. "We finally got a challenger, and he's right up your alley." A powerful trainer, in other words. Kallisto always tested those ones their first time in the Gym. Depending on how he viewed the challenger and how well they performed against him, he might or might not keep battling them. "Sounds like he knows you, too. The name Joe ring a bell?"

"That's a pretty common name. I know a few," Kallisto remarked.

"Oh gods." When it came to Pokemon, Tono associated that name with one person. "Do not tell me it's that bitch of a webmaster," he referenced their derogatory nickname, before something came to mind. "No, wait, on second thought, it would be entertaining if it is him."

"Nah, not him," replied Eddie. "Some guy who's related to Steven."

Kallisto acknowledged this. "Oh, I know who you're talking about." He whistled. "Xurkitree, Ampharos, Raitora, let's go. The rest of you can come watch or keep training." Ruffy nodded and moved towards Kallisto to be recalled. Porygon-2 and Goodra motioned they'd stay. "All right, let's go meet him."

"I'll catch up," said Eddie, turning his attention over to him. "So how's McCloud?"

"He is recovering, thank goodness." Tono once again patted his Pokemon. The electric fox had dozen off, murring in his sleep. "I would not be able to live with myself had this injury been permanent."

"Makes two of us who'd hate you, then."

"Jerk." They both laughed.

Tono had known Eddie for three and a half years now. A ‘hotshot’ elementary school student from across town who Volkner scouted; for a brief period, it was simply him and Kallisto working as Gym Trainers, and it was just the three of them until Ollie came into the picture. They hated each other for a while, with Kallisto being the one to break up their arguments. As it eventually turned out, they had a lot in common besides skill with Pokemon - and Tono had been forced to acknowledged Eddie's talents. They still snipped at each other occasionally, but it was mostly in good spirit.

Eddie shrugged and asked, "Hey, you see the look in Kallisto's eyes just now?"

Tono was not the best when it came to facial details. However, there was something else he noticed. "I heard his tone of voice, at the very least."

"Wonder who the hell this guy is?"

"No one too important, I imagine." It was the first he was hearing of any Joe to whom his best friend took issue with. "He is likely someone Kallisto is vaguely familiar with who chose the wrong time to come here."

Eddie blinked. "Huh, think so?"

"He wishes to use him as an outlet. Of course, that is only speculation."

"Well, whatever the case, definitely gonna be something to watch." Eddie checked his Poketch. "Should get moving if we want to see this battle. He's already finished the puzzle, so it might've even already started."

"One moment, I need to take care of a couple things. I should not be long"

As Eddie nodded and left, Tono recalled all his Pokemon except Zoma and McCloud, leaving him to watch over. Second, he took out his glory book. His record of important accomplishments and meaningful events in his life. He flipped to the most recent page, took out the pencil in the top of it, and wrote a new entry.

June 10th, 2015: Received a hug from Kallisto, who again said he would not be the same without me.

It may have seemed silly to some people. But gestures such as this meant the world to him.

 

[Juliko]

Not much to say here, other than the hate Nori's getting is starting to get extreme. His own school expelling him because he doesn't worship the ground Kallisto walks on? It's kind of starting to get over the top. But I do appreciate that Nori's relationship with Volkner is getting stronger. It's starting to make up for that time Volkner bitched at Nori for losing to Sophie way back when. Here's hoping things get better for Nori. Kallisto can suck it.

 

[System Error]

Not much to say here, other than the hate Nori's getting is starting to get extreme. His own school expelling him because he doesn't worship the ground Kallisto walks on? It's kind of starting to get over the top.

This was loosely inspired by the PS2 game Bully where the protagonist is expelled in part due to becoming the most unpopular student in school. And a few other reasons like someone else's machinations and vandalizing the town hall, but still. I wanted to really up the ante with this.

But I do appreciate that Nori's relationship with Volkner is getting stronger. It's starting to make up for that time Volkner bitched at Nori for losing to Sophie way back when. Here's hoping things get better for Nori. Kallisto can suck it.

It's showing that Nori can in fact forgive people if they actually try to make amends in the proper way, isn't it? Volkner has owned up and is actively trying to help him.

Also, there's actually a major thing to unpack here you glossed over: a major scene from Tono's perspective. It gives some backstory and the thoughts of Kallisto's best friend on the escalating events. Also, finally explicitly talking about the theme of image, and Volkner pointing out: it's not only okay to be different, but different-thinkers are the difference-makers.

 

[Daren]

The downward spiral continues, to the point Volkner is considering sending him to Unova for Clay to teach. I suppose Kallisto would likely not be be nearly as influential in another country.

It occurs to me Nori became a bit of an outcast when he took up The Demon's case, too, though it seemed to be to a lesser extent. I was going to say he's unlucky but I think Volkner's assessment is more apt; people who stick out too much from the norm are often unpopular (unless they're rich enough it can get passed off as "eccentric" of course).

Not too surprised that Tono seems to be more or less in love with Kallisto. He definitely gives the vibe of someone who was very isolated at school and having someone stand up for him would be huge.
Not unlike Lux, I think...
And then I double backed to recheck and yep--Eddie got angry at Spike for using homophobic language.

McCloud's recovering! That's good.

no love lost for the (hopefully still) future Official felt sorry

Ah, now this is a very telling turn of phrase, is it not? Some of Tono's thoughts shining through.

Also apparently Tono is not a fan of serebii.net. Wonder who this Joe guy Kallisto knows is, though...

 

[System Error]

The downward spiral continues, to the point Volkner is considering sending him to Unova for Clay to teach. I suppose Kallisto would likely not be be nearly as influential in another country.

Not to mention he would be a bit more accepted over in America. Just a bit more. Of course he might have other problems over there, and like he worries, might fall into the same ones again in another way.

It occurs to me Nori became a bit of an outcast when he took up The Demon's case, too, though it seemed to be to a lesser extent. I was going to say he's unlucky but I think Volkner's assessment is more apt; people who stick out too much from the norm are often unpopular (unless they're rich enough it can get passed off as "eccentric" of course).

Oh, both of those reasons hold true. He's prickly and different, but not having a lot of luck doesn't help either. It's probably why he doesn't have a lot of real friends, but losing them is usually out of his control.

Not too surprised that Tono seems to be more or less in love with Kallisto. He definitely gives the vibe of someone who was very isolated at school and having someone stand up for him would be huge.
Not unlike Lux, I think...

There is sort of a parallel between Nori/Lux and Kallisto/Tono, although his sexuality is more ambiguous despite me having him think some very questionable things here. He has said 2D is better, so he might not be interested. Or perhaps it's a subconscious attraction!

McCloud's recovering! That's good.

Very good!

Ah, now this is a very telling turn of phrase, is it not? Some of Tono's thoughts shining through.

And if his best friend is thinking those kinds of things...makes you wonder, doesn't it?

Also apparently Tono is not a fan of serebii.net. Wonder who this Joe guy Kallisto knows is, though...

I mean that portmanteau was and still might be a common nickname for the guy. Plus there's things like this...>_> And the Green Files which no longer seem accessible. And other incidents. As for this Joe...it's partially a reference to Torchic's fics, but also, next chapter!

 

[System Error]

Month 6: June of Despair
June 10th, 2015​

"Hey, man!" Ollie greeted as he entered the arena. "Made'em wait till you were here!"

"Thank you, Ollie," he said to his fellow Gym Trainer.

Tono had a tumultuous history with Ollie Gooch, even more than he did Eddie. At first, Tono thought Ollie did not deserve to be at the Gym. He was a mediocre trainer who used influence to get in, rather than any sort of genuine skill. It was very easy to mock him because of it. Sometimes, he and Eddie went too far, but Kallisto was always there to mediate. That said, Ollie earned some of his respect when he showed humility in the face of Kallisto calling him out. He started living up to his position to an acceptable degree from that day on. And recently, he had been truly seeking to excel. He even managed to knock out the Demon, now a feat that only Tono himself had yet to achieve. It was actually a painful realization, although he was not about to go picking a fight to rectify it.

He sat down next to his fellow Gym Trainers. There was a small crowd of nineteen people who had come to observe. A fair number for a Gym battle during a slow week; non-exhibition day observers were most often people passing by, or those who had heard of a hotshot dropping by. If this Joe was as good as he figured, Tono expected there would be more when it came time for the inevitable rematch. Thankfully, there was a rule about no onlookers except during battles thanks to Miss Overcompensation. It prevented gawkers from loitering around in midst of their training.

"All cool?" the challenger asked. He had pale blue hair styled into a cowlick. With their nods, he turned to Kallisto. "So it's cousin of a Champ against cousin of a Champ."

"Seems so," his best friend replied, cutting a dashing figure. "And I heard from Steven you're good. His most bitter rival, in fact."

"Family rivalry, you know?" Joe shrugged. "Used to give him crap all the time when we were kids."

"Yes, and you still sometimes do," his best friend replied. Joe snickered, not denying it. Yes, a perfect Kallisto challenger indeed.

"If you're done, let's get this started," Volkner requested, tapping a foot.

"Alrighty then!" Joe clapped. His disingenuous attitude was infuriating to Tono. He hoped Kallisto crushed him.

"Let's do this," Kallisto lowly spoke, brandishing a Cherish Ball.

The Gym Leader nodded. "This is a Gym Qualifier pitting Joe Stone against Kallisto Keravnos. Standard Gym rules. Send out your first Pokemon at the same time."

"Hippowdon, go!" declared Joe. A large hippo of the earth emerged, evidently a female one given its black and lighter black body.

"Xurkitree, the stage is yours!"

Kallisto's bizarre wire-like Pokemon, given to him by the government to train. Something had always felt off about his story, but it was not Tono's place to question it. If he was keeping whatever it actually was secret from even his best friend, he must have a very good reason to do so. Joe didn't seem too impressed, either way.

"Okay, start."

A sandstorm starting blowing as Volkner gave the signal, the epicenter being the Hippowdon. What a shame for him Kallisto had an answer.

"Let us begin by laying down a Stealth Rock, Hippowdon!"

"Signal Beam, Xurkitree!" Kallisto played it conservatively.

Xurkitree puts its hands together (apparently a Pokemon without gender) and shot out a buzzing laser. It was a direct hit, although the big hippo was able to lay her trap.

"Let's not beat around the bush, shall we?" Joe asked. "Come on, now. Earthquake!"

The hippo rose to her hind legs. In that interval, Kallisto took advantage.

"Climb, Xurkitree!"

A tactic he had been employing for a while. And one that was very much practical given the ridges on the pillars. The mass of wires clung to the side, rode the shaking out, and slithered to the top.

"Now, Rain Dance!"

This was why Kallisto was such a brilliant trainer. Using a move such as that from an advantageous position was a no-brainer, but few could find a way to do so. Joe and his Pokemon were nigh-helpless to prevent the ritual. Naturally, the purposes of this were not so much to take advantage as it was to halt the sand buffeting its body.

"Quite crafty," Joe remarked. "Knock it down with High Horsepower!"

Perhaps he was mistaken about this challenger. The Hippowdon threw her entire weight into the pillar. This was nowhere near enough to dislodge it, but it did cause Xurkitree to lose its balance.

"Now how about you do that one more time?" Joe asked.

"Xurkitree, be careful!"

Tono clenched. Again, the large Pokemon rammed the pillar. This time, Xurkitree fell off. The risk you take in scaling them...

Joe waved a hand. "Now, let it fall into your maw! Crunch!"

Tono shook his head. His greed would now cost him. He turned to Kallisto expectantly, and sure enough, he was smiling.

"Thunderbolt!"

And it was at that moment Joe Stone realized he had made a mistake. He was experienced enough to know what was happening next. Xurkitree landed, it was crunched, yet it fired electricity down Hippowdon's throat. That was effective, even on a Ground type. The hippo dropped her foe in surprise.

"And now Xurkitree! Power Whip!" A devastating strike right across the bridge of the nose.

Joe frownd. "I expected nothing less from you," he mockingly snarled. "Hippowdon, come back for now."

Not the worst play to preserve your weather-changing ability, Tono thought. He had employed similar tactics with Unira's Electric Surge.

"Hariyama!" Joe declared. "Let us mosey!"

One of those things. Big, fat, yellow, seemingly with a skirt. Basically a sumo wrestler in Pokemon form. A male, figured Tono.

Volkner nodded at the switch, and Kallisto struck first. "Now we can let loose! Thunderbolt!"

"Charge right on through that."

Xurkitree fired a powerful blast of electricity at Hariyama. He cringed, fighting through this with brutish toughness to get into melee range.

Joe chuckled. "Grab hold of it, will you?"

"Twist and turn."

Hariyama tried to grab, but every time he went to do so, Xurkitree would writhe away. It was ridiculous to watch.

"Now, Power Whip!" said Kallisto, after Hariyama was beginning to get frustrated.

Joe snorted. "Then let us try a Body Slam!"

Idiot. He also made his Pokemon look like one when he went up for a belly flop, only to kiss the floor. Xurkitree spun aside, and cracked Hariyama right across the bottom.

"Hey!" Ollie nudged him. "He could've Thunder Waved there!"

"It could have Guts, you fool," he reminded his friend. "I would think you would know, having been embarrassingly destroyed by a Pokemon with that ability in the past."

"O-oh yeah, that." Ollie slapped his forehead. "Don't remind me of that."

Tono snorted. You needed to account for these possibilities in battles. He thought Ollie would have remembered going from being up three Pokemon to losing outright. Learning from your mistakes was the biggest key to improving yourself, in anything.

As Hariyama lay at Xurkitree's legs, Kallisto gave the nod. "Go ahead. A Thunder Punch!"

It was actually performed as a kick while Hariyama was down. Perhaps too much showboating on behalf of Kallisto's Pokemon, as Hariyama was able to reach out and catch the other leg.

Kallisto simply smiled confidently. Until Joe said, "Now start whipping it into the ground."

With this, Hariyama started mercilessly slamming Xurkitree into the ground. There was nothing elegant about how the sumo wrestler Pokemon was repeatedly whipping his foe onto the floor. It was nothing short of thuggish and barbaric.

"We'll have to use Thunderbolt here." Calm and cool as always. The proper response.

"Away with you. Seismic Toss!"

Tono crossed his arms. Joe had gotten lucky. The attack went wide as Hariyama threw Xurkitree away before the move could be executed.

"Thunder!" shouted Kallisto as his Pokemon recovered.

"Finish it with a Brine!"

Much of the crowd gasped, including Tono, although him likely for a different reason than the others. Brine is a move natural in Hariyama. The only surprising thing about it was that he was using it in the first place, given the species' lack of affinity for special moves.

Xurkitree focused with all of its might to execute its attack. As the thundercloud started to materialize, Hariyama raised his armpit. Disgustingly, the blast of salt water emerged from there. Between the rain, the wire-like tree's exhaustion, and training, it was enough to seal the deal.

However, the Thunder was still readied and could not be stopped. As it came crashing down on the sumo wrestler Pokemon, his muscles stiffened. And sure enough, this only served to get his fighting spirit going.

"Not looking good for you now, is it?" Joe asked at his Pokemon's ability being activated.

Kallisto could only smile and shake his head. "The battle is only beginning," he corrected as he recalled Xurkitree. "I think I have a good read on you. Ampharos, the stage is yours."

---​

A brilliant dismantling of Joe followed from there. It was part of what made Kallisto such a magnificent trainer: he had the uncanny ability to turn situations around, and fend off even the most dogged challengers with brilliant tactics from his mighty Pokemon.

Joe eventually adapted and started fighting more conservatively. Yet as it came down to Raitora against Salamence, the battle remained firmly in Kallisto's hands. It had reached the point where the challenger was abusing his Pokemon's aerial advantage. It was the only way he was surviving the onslaught of power and strategy from Kallisto Keravnos. And yet, he was simply wasting everyone's time. He was still not making it through Raitora and Kallisto. Even the renewed sandstorm had halted.

"All right," Volkner eventually muttered. "Five minutes, or the battle's a draw." He pulled out the pocket timer he used for training and set it.

A draw could be a moral victory. But for a challenger, it was effectively the same as a loss. Joe cringed and waved his left hand. "Meh, whatever you say. Dive bomb it with Outrage!"

Kallisto gallantly pointed. "Meet it with Swift Bolt, Raitora!"

From a crouch, Raitora cloaked himself in electricity and rocketed towards his foe. The two collided into one another, both remaining on their feet.

Joe sat back and watched as his Pokemon rampaged. His smug look faded as Raitora started matching his moves. For every claw swipe or tail slam came a bite or a body check. Eventually, Kallisto gave the inevitable order. "Ice Fang!"

"Fly away!" shouted Joe. Tono was impressed the Salamence had the discipline to be able to listen and obey this command through Outrage's effects. But that would not prevent him from driving himself to confusion.

Right as he escaped Raitora's melee range, the inevitable occurred. For a moment, the dragon seemed about to fall out of the air. Until it chewed on something.

"Bitter Berry, booya!" Joe taunted.

Tono snarled as his Pokemon remained flapping in the air. Was he going to attempt to walk away with his dignity intact?

Kallisto smirked. "All right, how's this? Raitora, use Ice Fang! Maximum power!"

"What're you up to?!" shouted Joe. Tono had an idea, but it would take a few moments for his theory to prove correct. "Well, doesn't matter. Take a shot at it with Flamethrower!"

Raitora flashed his fangs, straining and growling as he put everything into the attack. He was left wide open to the dragon's fiery breath. But Raitora was far from defeat, and even if he was, he was as determined to win as his trainer.

"And now!" shouted Kallisto. "HYPER VOICE!"

Precisely the combination Tono had expected. Raitora's low roaring turned into a battle cry. The effect of combining the two unlikely moves was blasting a wave of freezing air at Salemence, almost like a makeshift Blizzard attack. At once, the dragon fell, devastated by the hyper effective move.

"What was that?!"

"That was your end! And this is the finish! SWIFT BOLT!"

Salamence was in no condition to take evasion maneuvers. The electrical dash ran the dragon right through. He rolled over and lay still, utterly defeated.

Volkner gave the ruling. "Salamence can't continue. Kallisto wins."

"Ugh, damn!" cursed Joe as he recalled his Pokemon. "Salamence, you did great. But you! Hoohoo!" He pointed at Kallisto and clapped his hands. "Can see why Steven talked you up so much."

"Same, he's told me about you," modestly acknowledged Kallisto. "You have real talent. But you're too cocky. Case in point, you let your guard down and thought we couldn't hurt you just because you had your Salamence stay in the air. And I don't need to tell you how dirty it is to try that in the first place."

"The hell? I didn't sign up for a lecture."

"You're getting one anyway. That said, I hope you can reflect and improve before our rematch."

"Heh, same here. And next time?" Joe approached and stuck out a hand. "Your ass is grass, buster!"

Not even in his wildest dreams, thought Tono. Kallisto was not invincible - he had defeated him late last year in a private battle, for instance. But as for this Joe fellow? He may as well go home now, because with the rematch declared, he was going to be the latest in a line of would-be Pokemon Masters whose Sinnoh League aspirations were going to end at Sunyshore Gym.

Tono glanced up at Nori Carino, who had been observing from one of the balconies. If his intent was to challenge Kallisto, he had just seen what he was capable of at his best. And Tono did not doubt his best friend would force Nori to experience the full extent of his power.

##########​

June 13th, 2015​

Every day of Nori Carino's existence had become miserable.

His life had become a routine in which he felt he lived for only one purpose. He could not so much as set foot outside of the Gym without receiving hostility from nearly every human who laid eyes upon him. The few that didn't wouldn't do anything. There were Pokemon, sure. But them alone didn't make him happy. Nothing did anymore. Nothing would anymore. What was the point of living like this?

If he kept going, he'd have nothing socially. Not even someone like Lux. His best hope was in another country, and he was beginning to doubt even that. Yet, if he gave into Kallisto, he could never be happy with himself. There was no way out. No way to be happy.

There was a knock at his door. "Who is it?" the boy quietly asked.

"It's me." Volkner. The only person who would give him the time of day. And only because he had to. He may have claimed otherwise. But Nori felt if he wasn't in contention for promotion to Elite Four, the Gym Leader would've thrown him aside like trash a long time ago.

"What is it?" the boy asked, without opening it.

"Are you okay?"

"No..."

Volkner was quiet. "Well, more mail for you."

The Gym Leader slid it through the bottom of the door. Nori took it, retrieved his pocket knife, and sliced it open. He stared at the tool. Maybe he should just plunge it into himself and have done with it. Or stab Kallisto. He'd go to jail and get executed, but at least the world would be a better place!

Nori slapped himself. What was he thinking? He'd lost nearly everything; was he starting to lose his mind too? He couldn't think like that. He looked at the letter. Unmarked. No return address. He took out and read the handwritten contents.

You're a sorry excuse for a human being. I'm watching you. When you least suspect it, I'm going to slit your throat open.

The boy's laughter alerted the Gym Leader. "Another death threat?" he correctly guessed.

"Yeah." That made four. The first one had bothered and worried him, but these last three were strangely amusing. Maybe it was because he didn't care about his life anymore. Or maybe it was because the writer of the first had yet to follow through on it. And specifically for this, "This one's handwritten."

That cheered him up a little. It meant whoever wrote this could be identified for sure, right? He opened the door to let the Gym Leader inside.

The blond man gave it a quick glance. "Do you want me to send it to police as usual?" he asked.

"After we make a photocopy." He wanted to remember these. "We just need to hope they'll actually do something about it."

"I think they will." Volkner took the letter and took a preliminary step out of the room. "Oh. Just so you know, next few days are going to be very busy."

"Why, what's happening?"

"Kallisto's birthday. The 17th."

Nori glanced at the calendar and sighed. Of course. "How big of a celebration?"

The man answered his question with one of his own. "Do you want to stay in a hotel?"

The boy tapped his chin. "No, you don't need to do that on account of me." Much as he was going to hate Wednesday, he would be fine riding through it in his room. Although Volkner reminding him that was this month made something devious came to mind. "But, can you make two photocopies? And one of the others, too?"

The Gym Leader smirked. "Is that going to be your present for him?"

The boy silently nodded. Maybe this was taking a page out of Kallisto's handbook. The gift of showing him what he'd done, though without directly telling him to change. He was also considering a bit of research into something to help make his case, but he didn't have to do that right away.

"By the way, any luck with schools?"

"Negotiating with one on the east side. We'll see."

Some good news, at least. Maybe he'd be able to stay in Sunyshore yet. Assuming nothing happened to make things even worse.

##########​

June 17th, 2015​

It was Kallisto Keravnos' eighteenth birthday. The head Gym Trainer of Sunyshore Gym had finally hit the age where he would be considered an adult in almost every part of the world. It promised to be a day of mass celebration, particularly given the efforts of Tono and everyone else at Sunyshore Gym.

The day had started with Kallisto being honored at their school, where he was eventually called to give a speech to their peers about the future. The auditorium's stands were stuffed beyond full capacity. There were numerous camera crews present on the floor, front rows, and very back; some were privately filming or with the media, but most were broadcasting to other schools around the nation. Footage of the event was already racking up hits on various video websites.

However, that paled to the festivities at the Gym in the afternoon. It was a celebration the likes of which no one had seen before. It was a day of food, drink, presents, speeches, people speaking with Kallisto, skateboarding, and of course, battling. Within an hour, it had gotten to the point where Volkner threw up his arms and canceled Gym activities for the day, as there were too many people just standing around in the arena.

The one person absent, for obvious reasons, was Nori Carino. He had still made his presence felt by catching a janitor having sex with one of his old teachers upstairs just before dinner. It was some Billy Ordride character who was on his first day of work. The former MC's public firing and subsequent ejection from the Gym by security was one of two dark spots on the day.

The public left at 7pm when Volkner closed the Gym early. The party winded down considerably afterward. After 9pm. the four Gym Trainers went to the trainers' lounge. For over ten minutes, there was an uncomfortable silence between them. They wanted to discuss the second dark spot on the day, also something Nori Carino was responsible for. But no one knew where to begin.

"A'right, I'm just gonna say it." Eddie was the first of them to speak. "Put up with this bullshit before, but this is getting way too fucked. He's a kid, for fuck's sake. His life's getting fucked up."

At once, Kallisto was on his feet. He marched over and stood over Eddie. "Are you taking his side?"

"What?"

"Do you want to end up like him?!"

Eddie got in Kallisto's face. "Are you threatenin' me, man? The hell?"

"Take it back, Eddie, please!" Ollie begged.

Tono Takuma could not believe what he was seeing out of his best friend. He had never lashed out at them for having an opinion before. "Kallisto," he sharply spoke up, as to draw attention. "I know you are upset about Nori Carino. But you do not have to take it out on Eddie. You are acting ridiculous."

He crossed his arms and gave his friend a stern glare. Kallisto raised a finger, and for a moment, he seemed about to protest. However, he ultimately lowered it.

"Sorry, Eddie, I just...ugh! Gods!" He took a few steps and pounded the side of the chair. "What am I supposed to do?! First he tries to turn you against me," he said glancing to Ollie, "And now this!"

Tono stared at the ceiling. This was difficult. He wanted to support and stand by his friend, but had to agree with Eddie. Much as he had done in the past, Nori had given Kallisto a birthday present which was primarily a handmade card. The similarities ended there, however. For one, Volkner had been the one to deliver it to them. Second, there was a bitter terseness engraved in the words. Most of all, there was something extra within: death threats he had been receiving. There was no doubt they were the direct result of Kallisto's decisions.

"I don't get it!" Kallisto ranted. "He's quiet the past two weeks, and then he gives me this! What's wrong with him?! Was he trying to ruin my birthday?"

If he was, bravo: mission accomplished, thought Tono. He hated seeing his best friend like this. It hurt badly. It was why he could not completely take Nori's side in this matter. That said, Kallisto had been acting differently even before this. This conversation would have inevitably happened with or without the twisted present, although perhaps not to this degree.

"What do you guys think?!" he suddenly asked.

Eddie answered right away. "I think he still wants to see you go down. Plus, what's he got to lose right now?"

"He's crazy..." Ollie worriedly remarked.

"Yes, both of your remarks sum up my own thoughts," Tono agreed. "That said, I must admit, do I have a strange new respect for Nori Carino."

"What?" gasped Kallisto. "How?! Why??!"

Ever since last exhibition day, Tono Takuma had a complicated opinion of Nori Carino. Today's events had cemented that opinion. "Simply his pride and willpower. No matter how foolish he is, I can admire his dedication to himself." He had to admit, a lesser person would've given in - or given up - a long time ago.

His best friend snapped. "Gangs, cults, and Teams are dedicated to their cause. Do you respect them too?!"

Tono crossed his arms. "No. I am simply saying I can respect Nori Carino, in spite of some of my reservations against him." He shrugged. If he wanted to die on his hill - perhaps literally, as uncomfortable as it was to think about that - that was his choice.

"You actually respect him?!" His best friend strained, refraining from screaming. Tono gasped, hardly able to believe his ears. Kallisto had never spoken to him like that before.

"Cool it, Kallisto," Eddie spoke up in his defense. "You know damn well you can respect a guy without liking him."

"Sorry, you're right. I'm sorry, Tono," his best friend admitted right away, burying his head in his hands. "Gods," he sobbed.

Tono exchanged glances with his fellow Gym Trainers, all thinking the same thing. They all moved in to give their friend a group hug. Kallisto looked up, whispered thanks, and threw his arms around all of them. He had been there for all of them so many times in the past. It was time to return the favor, even if all they could do was offer emotional support.

Ever since that fateful day in May, Tono had believed Nori was justified in his ire. He was certainly going about expressing it in the most immature way possible, that said. And yet, now it seemed the hatred was starting to become mutual. He wasn't going to say it at the moment, but he could only hope Kallisto reevaluated his decisions. It was the only way this was going to end.

##########​

June 18th, 2015​

Nori had stayed in the garage area for most of Kallisto's birthday, mostly so his Pokemon would have some room to move around in. It was a little dull; he wished Betsy-Ann was still around to talk with. When everything had settled down, he went to his room. The day passed without incident.

School was uneventful the next day. After returning to the Gym, he stuck around in the back until just after six. At this point, he decided to go find the Gym Trainers. They weren't in the arena, but Volkner told him they'd gone upstairs to have dinner.

As he went upstairs, he spotted several Gym Pokemon having their meals in the halls. A few waved to him, such as an Elekid he'd seen many times before. After acknowledging them, he opened the door to the trainer's lounge. Sure enough, Kallisto was sitting at the table with Eddie and Tono. As he stepped inside, the head Gym Trainer hastily stood.

"Thanks for the meal, Eddie," he said, picking up his bag. "But I should get back downstairs in case there's a challenger."

"Kallisto," Nori called out to him.

"Sorry, Nori. Gotta do Gym Trainer duties. And Ollie's getting some dental work done, so I need to get back down there." He excused himself and left through the opposite door. Nori didn't bother to follow.

That answered some questions, but it raised many more. As he was pondering this, Eddie waved him over.

"Yo, I made beef stew," the Gym Trainer said. "Want some?"

"You made this?" Nori had to admit, the rich scent was enticing. His stomach grumbled to remind him he'd only had half a sandwich today. He'd had stew a couple times at Claris' home, and his mom had attempted to make it once with little success. With a shrug, he grabbed a bowl and served himself up. He even sat down to eat with them.

"Would you like crackers?" offered Tono, sliding a package over. Beside the nerdy trainer's bowl was a paper towel which had several pieces of celery that had been picked out of the soup.

"I'll have some without first." He dipped his spoon in, got a good scoop with a chunk of meat and carrot, and took a bite. Thick and savory. He smiled and nodded. "This is pretty good. I didn't know you could cook like this."

"Once in a blue moon thing here, so don't get used to it," came the almost flippant reply.

Nori had a little more, including some of the celery. He didn't get what Tono's deal was, it was perfectly fine. Maybe he was a picky eater. Although the food was delicious, he had come here for another reason. These two weren't Kallisto, but they were the next best thing.

"So," he spoke up, the two exchanging a quick glance as if they had expected this. "What did Kallisto think?" he asked, certain he wouldn't have to say what he was talking about.

Eddie looked to Tono, who shrugged and answered. "We were not aware you had been receiving death threats. He was uncertain what to think about it."

Nori leaned back. It was a reasonable reaction. "I guess I should ask what you guys thought, too."

Eddie shifted uncomfortably. Tono sighed. "I will admit. The fact that Kallisto's denouncement of you has led to this makes me uncomfortable."

"Yeah, this is too fuckin' much, man," Eddie agreed. So at least they saw the problem with this. "You sent'em to the cops yet?"

"Yes, but I don't know if they'll do anything."

"They are threatening an Official," said Tono, taking a sip of his cola. He usually had something called Dr Spice. "Future one, but there is little difference. I would like to hope they will take action."

He nodded. "I guess that makes sense." He wanted to believe that. But even if the police did take action, could they stop these people? Even with having Pachi out all the time in public, he wouldn't be able to react to a gunshot in time.

Tono continued, "A lot of people dislike you because of what Kallisto said. But that does not mean they are reasonable in their actions. Threatening to kill you is going too far."

That was obvious. "So what do you guys think about what Kallisto did?" he asked. He thought he'd know the answer, but wanted to be sure.

They unexpectedly went quiet. Eddie wavered. "Yeah, thought it was fucked up," was his sad answer.

Tono reluctantly concurred. "I do not want to disparage, but I did believe it to be somewhat out of character for him."

"What about Ollie?" he asked. "Where is he, anyway?"

"Getting a false tooth put in," Eddie explained. "And he thought about the same as us."

This was actually not the response he was expecting at all. Although their resigned tone had him worried. "So do you guys support this?"

"Kallisto has thus far stuck by his decision," said Tono, crossing his arms. "We have made our opinions clear, and not pressed the issue beyond that."

Nori nodded. It sounded like they'd tried to, but he stuck to his guns. "All right. One more thing, then. I want to challenge him for exhibition day."

"He anticipated you would do so, and his answer is no," said Tono. "He already has a challenge lined up, and he is not in the right frame of mind to face you."

"So he's ducking me?"

Tono shook his head. "I am well aware your motivation is to hopefully catch him off-guard, and in the highly unlikely event you emerge victorious, hold that over him forever. Do not think of that as a proper victory. It would mean nothing."

"By that, you mean it'd mean nothing to everyone else?"

The glasses-wearing teen chuckled. "Point taken," he amazingly conceded. "Whatever makes you happy, I suppose."

"I don't have a lot I can be happy about these days," he self-deprecated.

"I have been to that place before," Tono said with a sympathetic sigh. "But you will pull through. It simply will not happen through a hollow Pokemon battle."

Nori blinked, suddenly taking stock of the situation. Here he was, talking with the Gym Trainers like friends would. It was strange. "What do you guys think of me?" he asked.

"You're all right, just a dumbass," Eddie said with a mischievous chuckle.

"You are Nori Carino," Tono said with a sly smile. "And you of us?"

He sat back, eating a couple more bites of the stew before giving his answer. He thought about how to word this. "Maybe I could be friends with you if not for Kallisto. Which is really weird, since I thought the opposite the first couple months."

His remark took Tono by surprise, although Eddie took it in stride. "Still a chance we could be," the latter said.

"That's all up to Kallisto," Nori replied.

"I suppose that is a fair assessment," Tono noted, finishing up his meal. "Anyhow, we should get going as well. It was nice chatting, Nori."

"Yeah, same here."

He bid them well as they left for downstairs. That was an informative and productive conversation, Nori thought to himself. But there was no mistake he was never going to forgive Kallisto. Things would never be the same between them again, no matter how much anyone wanted them to. It wasn't like with Volkner or the others; there was no going back from some of the things Kallisto had done to him.

But could he get along with him and the other Gym Trainers again? Could they make peace in some capacity? Today proved the answers to both those questions was yes. It all hinged on Kallisto.

========
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Spoiler: Notes

A/N: Happy holidays! I had originally planned a double update for Christmas, but things came up and I couldn't edit the next chapter in time. Things are reaching a boiling point! Look forward to the next couple chapters!

 

[Juliko]

Sorry I couldn't get this out sooner, but I'm loving the irony here. In the beginning, none of the gym trainers liked Nori and only Kallisto was on his side. But here, the tables have turned, with the gym trainers slowly gravitating towards Nori and Kallisto becoming the enemy because of his own actions. I'm glad the other gym trainers are starting to see how messed up Kallisto's way of dealing with Nori is, with Eddie in particular finally showing a spine. Can't really say the same for Ollie, since he's such a simp for Kallisto he'll turn coat as soon as the latter is within earshot of him. By the way, I've been wanting to ask this for a long time but never had the chance to do so: Is there ever going to be an explanation for why Nori's letters to his mother and Maylene got returned to him? I know it was long ago, but it's always been at the back of my mind, and since Nori's reputation has been irreparably destroyed here, he could really use support from his family and friends in Veilstone. Anyway, another good chapter like always!

 

[System Error]

Sorry I couldn't get this out sooner, but I'm loving the irony here. In the beginning, none of the gym trainers liked Nori and only Kallisto was on his side.

It's where the characters were going, so I decided to go in that direction entirely and absolutely point that out. Even more ironic, it proves Kallisto's words from before true. The other Gym Trainers absolutely are good at heart.

But here, the tables have turned, with the gym trainers slowly gravitating towards Nori and Kallisto becoming the enemy because of his own actions. I'm glad the other gym trainers are starting to see how messed up Kallisto's way of dealing with Nori is, with Eddie in particular finally showing a spine. Can't really say the same for Ollie, since he's such a simp for Kallisto he'll turn coat as soon as the latter is within earshot of him.

They're not turning on Kallisto. They're just realizing the full scope of his actions at this point, Ollie included. They absolutely are still his friend: as shown by giving him a group hug when he's having a breakdown over realizing what he's done. They just don't hate Nori the way Kallisto is starting to, and are even starting to respect him. It's also complicated for each of them: all three have their reasons why they stay by Kallisto's side. Ollie's might surprise you

By the way, I've been wanting to ask this for a long time but never had the chance to do so: Is there ever going to be an explanation for why Nori's letters to his mother and Maylene got returned to him? I know it was long ago, but it's always been at the back of my mind, and since Nori's reputation has been irreparably destroyed here, he could really use support from his family and friends in Veilstone.

It was explained at the time, just not in detail: Nori sent both of the letters to Maylene, except she moved sometime before mid-February. An explicit reason is given later, but before that, if you know her father you might be able to guess at the reason why. From a story design standpoint, this was an excuse to isolate Nori from them so he didn't have that option.

 

[Daren]

Nori's thought got dark there. Good thing he snapped out quickly, but it's a very bad sign, if not surprising at this point.

Nori has some Research to do, hmm? Wonder where that'll go.

As encouraging as Nori's discussion with the Gym trainers was...that opening is poking out like a sword at the throat. I suspect it'll end up being not quite what it looks like right now, but we'll see.
So far it feels like Eddie is the one whose been generally most critical of Kallisto, as far back as the initial arm breaking, which continued during the rainstorm incident. However it's so far not looking like he's going to make a break from him.

Also I half expect Billy Ordride to end up being vital to the resolution of the Nori vs Kallisto conflict.

There were a few other things that came to mind but you and Juliko already went over them.

 

[System Error]

Month 6: June of Despair (fifth part)
June 20th, 2015​

"Nori Carino, to the front office. There is someone here to see you."

Mrs. Stetcher's voice came in through the intercom just after 1:30pm. Her words filled Nori with an uncertain dread, despite her being one of the only people at the Gym who still treated him fairly. He could think of nobody who he would want to meet with now. Well, Lux, but that was a fantasy.

It was not to be, because the person waiting for him was a boring man in a boring suit with boring hair holding a boring suitcase. The very picture of an office worker. He offered a handshake, which the boy accepted. "Good afternoon, Mr. Carino. My name is Tom Peterson, from Special Trainer Development." Even his name was boring. "I've come here today on behalf of the Officials."

Nori sighed. Here it comes, he thought. The only thing he was surprised about was that it took so long.

"Do you have anywhere to speak in private?"

"Yeah, sure. There's a few places. The medical room is usually clear."

He led the man to the ever-familiar room, where a lot of events in his time here had happened. A lot of his talks with Betsy-Ann, and the first time he spoke with Arumi. Coach Norling, ironically one of few staff members in the Gym who could tolerate him despite his role in Betsy-Ann's dismissal, understood at once. He gave a wave and took his leave, allowing Nori to sit down in his comfy swivel chair.

"All right, this is about Kallisto, isn't it?"

Peterson shook his head as he calmly sat in one of the normal seats. "No, not directly. However, there has been growing concern among the upper echelon of your growing notoriety." He opened his briefcase and retrieved some papers from it. "An online petition to get you removed from your position has reached 12000 signatures as of this morning. Internal sources have indicated a protest in front of the Gym is likely in the near future. It has also come to our attention that you have been receiving death threats."

"It's Kallisto who caused all this," he cut in, crossing his arms and turning the chair the other way. "It's his popularity you should be worried about."

"Nevertheless, we want you to be aware that we're simply monitoring the situation for now. We haven't made any decisions yet."

He half-turned back. "So what's going to happen?"

"We're discussing our options."

"That doesn't tell me much."

"When we've made a decision, we'll let you know right away."

Nori turned back all the way and slammed his fists on the desk. "You're just going to fire me, aren't you? Why don't you just get it over with?"

"There have been some pushing for you to get fired. Others have been pushing to relocate you to Europe or North America. However, nothing has been decided as of this time. As I said, we're discussing our options."

Nori lowered his chin. As he was about to yell at the man, he felt a total lack of energy to do so. His lip curled. "All right," he muttered.

"Thank you for the time. I'll let you get back to work."

Not that he had a say in giving him the time. Nori got up at once and went outside ahead of Peterson. He gave a side-glance to the coach as he did so. The man swallowed and opened his mouth to speak, yet only said, "Sorry."

"That won't help, but thanks," the boy replied. This was not looking good for him. And why were they taking so long to decide his fate when it was inevitable? There were probably too many Kallisto-lovers for his few supporters to ignore. This was stupid.

---​

This had been the first exhibition day since January that Nori did not have a battle lined up, nor did Volkner expect him to participate. Nevertheless, the boy reluctantly accepted three challenges, if only for the sake of his Pokemon. Pachi was eager to get into it, whereas the Demon came within a threshold of her old days in the two battles she participated in. After the Officials had visited however, he spent the rest of the day upstairs.

When things got too loud after the 5:30pm intermission, he decided to step outside. He sat on the grass near the Gym, allowing Pachi to roll around and play. He lost track of time, nearly nodding off at several points. He was soon snapped out of it by a voice.

"Hey."

He looked up expecting to see Volkner, but it was someone else. A large man clad in a dark purple, nearly black outfit with blood-red arm and leg sections.

"And you are?" he asked, barely looking at him. Pachi ran over with interest. Nori gave him an idle pat as he looked around. It was pretty much just him and this man.

"My boss's heard about your situation," the man said in a low grovel. "And she's impressed by your brutality."

Nori blinked and looked up at him. "You're a criminal, right?" he slowly inquired. Pachi stood ready, and although Nori saw a gun hidden beneath his uniform, didn't see any reason to be on guard. "Not that I really care to snitch."

The man was unflinching, only cackling sinisterly. Just as Nori thought. He dropped a scrap of paper into the boy's lap. "Call and ask for PHJ. The boss would be glad to have you."

He idly pocketed the note. "If I have nowhere else to go, maybe."

The goon wasted no time in bringing out a large bird made of bright gray steel. The Skarmory spread its red wings as its trainer mounted it, and flew away over some buildings.

PHJ. Whoever that was. Suddenly, Nori could imagine a grim future for himself. No one wanting to hire him anywhere, the government refusing to give him aid, and not being able to get a single coin of pity from people in the street. A future where he was reduced to a beast. Struggling to survive each day on whatever he could forage from trash cans and the wild, while trying not to end up some hungry Pokemon's meal. At least if he became a criminal, he could live like a human being.

He thought of some badass outlaw gunning Kallisto down. No, of them horribly injuring Kallisto and everyone who wronged them before stealing all their Pokemon, and flying away in a massive airship or something. That would be worth it to see. But, would life be worth living like that? He'd have to commit terrible atrocities. He'd have to live in fear of the police, trying to stay one step ahead at each turn. He'd have to do things that would make him hate himself.

It just wouldn't be worth it. Then again, not a lot seemed worth it right now.

---​

After 7pm, Nori was letting his Pokemon practice in the training room. The Gym would ordinarily be closed at that hour on a weekend, but exhibition day superseded this and it remained open until the usual time of 9pm. He was eventually accosted by a knock at the door, and none other than Kallisto Keravnos stepped into the room.

The Demon immediately stopped her workout and ran over to bare her fangs at Kallisto. Even Pachi fired a dirty look at the head Gym Trainer.

"Calm down, I'm just here to talk," he said, although he reached for his belt and sent out Raitora. The two Pokemon growled at each other, and for a moment, it appeared they were going to come to blows. However, all they did was exchange verbal unpleasantries. "So, Nori–"

"You've had your match, why are you here?" he demanded. It was victory by a wide margin, as usual. "Never mind. Did you get my present a couple days ago?"

Kallisto blinked. "I did. Thanks for the card," he replied, slowly. Never before had Nori poured that much heart into making one, not even for Lux or Claris Willins. Nor had he ever given that big a present before. Addressing them, the head Gym Trainer said, "The threats aren't serious. The police will handle them."

"How do you know that? What if one of your crazy fans tries to kill me? Or actually does kill me?" The head Gym Trainer turned away, rubbing his scalp. "What then? What would you do?"

Kallisto gripped some of his hair. "That isn't going to happen, and no fans of mine–"

"Stop BSing! This is all your fault and you know it!" The two Pokemon glanced up from their staredown. "Do you really think I deserve all this? If so, be honest and say it to my face! You're saying people will hate me if I keep acting how I am. I already knew that, I've been through it before! If you hadn't said or done anything, do you think they'd hate me as much as they do now? Do you think I'd reach that point eventually?"

That was the point of all this. That was what he would hoping Kallisto would realize. His friends already seemed to, but he wanted to hear it from him. Kallisto opened his mouth to answer, but no words came out. He squinted, unable to give one. Silence was telling.

Nori took a deep breath. "I have one more question, then."

He remained quiet for the longest time. Maybe twenty, thirty seconds passed before Kallisto finally spoke up. "W-well?" he stuttered, shoulders tense as he blinked rapidly. "What is it?"

Nori's empty glare made Kallisto take a step back. These thoughts had been on his mind for the longest time. He didn't know what to think. But he threw a dozen words that not only stunned Kallisto, but the Pokemon as well. "If your life was like this, would that be one worth living?"

"N-Nori," the head Gym Trainer asked, hands trembling. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying, think what it's like to be in my shoes!"

He recalled his Pokemon and stomped out of the room. For once, he left the head Gym Trainer at a complete loss for words.

---​

"I can't take it anymore, Tono."

Kallisto paced restlessly around the trainer's lounge. Tono fidgeted uncomfortably in the chair. His best friend had asked to speak to him here in private, and he was unsure what to think of his behavior.

"I have so many questions and too little answers. He's defiant, I know. But now he's not even listening! What's going through his mind? Is he of sound mind at all anymore?!"

"Kallisto," he interrupted. "You need to make things right."

All of this had started because he blew up at him in public last exhibition day. Nori hadn't even done anything to warrant that outburst, at least at the time. He was not insulting him like Radovan or Haruna had been. Even if Nori had done things in the past to deserve a public lecture, it was mistimed if not misguided altogether.

Kallisto sighed. "He asked if my life was like his, if would it be worth living. What do you think?"

"Absolutely not," was Tono's reply. He had nearly been to that place himself before. "It is getting to him. The fact that he has hung on for as long as he has speaks volumes about his inner strength, but everyone has their limits."

"Do you think he might...?" he worriedly asked. "You know?"

"Anything is possible." Tono did not believe Nori Carino was the type to quit, let alone on life. Yet that was the problem. If he would not do that, what else would he do?

Kallisto processed this for over a minute. Eventually, he nodded. "There's only one thing to do. I need to talk to him. Publicly."

He quietly nodded in approval. That would be the way. "So what do you think about this main event?" Tono asked, shifting the conversation away. "Two rivals from Hoenn who have traveled all the regions of the country. They are having an all-out battle in public for the first time in six years, never able to meet during a League conference. Do you believe the reason is they have a ceiling?"

"I don't know, I'm not thinking about that right now." Kallisto sighed. "Thanks. I need to go get ready for this. I just hope Volkner will let me get it off my chest right now."

Tono lowered his head. He could understand that much, but the fact it was an issue in the first place was cause for concern. The pressure was now starting to get to Nori Carino, that much was evident. Yet having known Kallisto for many years now, he could see that his best friend was starting to feel it as well.

He wouldn't dare say it, but Tono was aware the resolution of this situation would come down to who cracked first, and how.

---​

Shortly before the main event of the evening was set to commence, Nori was told to come to the arena over the intercom. The boy reluctantly decided to answer the call, for lack of anything better to do. But he decided to take his time getting there, given there was only one person who would request such a thing. Eventually, he entered from a balcony, peering down at the restless crowd below.

His suspicions about who wanted him here were instantly confirmed. "Thank you for coming, Nori," Kallisto said, walking to the middle of the arena to address him. "I have some things I want to say to you."

Nori didn't reply, save for a blank expression. What could be going through Kallisto's mind?The only thing to do was listen and find out.

"The past few months," he started. "I've been treating you more poorly than I should've. There's been things I should have and shouldn't have done. And yes, there have been some things I did that would've gotten anyone else arrested and charged. For that, I cannot apologize enough to you."

This was nothing he hadn't heard before, besides him doing it in public this time.

Kallisto took a deep breath. He quivered before speaking again. "However, there's someone else who needs to apologize."

This was going to go just like last time, wasn't it? Nori had heard enough. He pulled himself up, swinging his legs over the railing. A collective of gasps and shouts rang out from below as he brought himself over the banister.

"Nori, no!" screamed Kallisto.

"Nori!" Volkner shouted at him from below.

"Don't do it, man!" urged Ollie.

Eddie took a proactive approach. "Magnezone, stop him!" He threw out his Pokemon, who rushed forth and hovered below him. The boy listlessly waved at hovering set of ovals and magnets. Confused, it looked back at its trainer.

"Nori, what are you doing?!" shrieked the head Gym Trainer.

"Um, sitting on the railing?" he replied, gripping it tightly. It quickly dawned upon him on seeing the Pokemon below his feet. "Er, did you think I was going to jump?"

"Yes!" came the anguished reply of Kallisto.

"Well, I'm not." Nori swung his legs back and forth. He'd always wanted to try this. Hadn't they ever heard of like, sitting on the edge of a cliff before? He liked doing things like this in Veilstone, as long as there wasn't water below. There were sighs of relief and stares of disbelief. Kallisto gripped his skull, knees quivering like jelly.

It was interesting he mentioned that, however. It tied in to some of the things he'd been looking into. "But did you know an average of 18 people commit suicide in this country every day?"

Kallisto snapped to attention. "He's right. It's the second-highest in developed nations around the world."

Nori looked down at the head Gym Trainer, as much as he could with the still-vigilant Magnezone in the way - probably good of it to be there just in case, at least. He wasn't sure what Kallisto was doing talking along with him, but continued. "There's a lot of different motivations behind it. Like honor."

"Finance," Kallisto cut in.

Nori shrugged, and let him play along. "Bad grades."

"Isolation."

"Social anxiety."

"Workplace issues."

"Relationship issues."

"General depression."

"Bullying," Nori sharply added.

Kallisto winced. "It doesn't help that mental health care is a mess," he stated, wisely ending it on that. "But what are you trying to get at, Nori?"

Nori leaned back, waving his feet. "I told you, think about it."

"Oh. Yes." He actually did think about it?! Kallisto turned to the crowd to address them. "Nori Carino and I have our disagreements, yes. But you shouldn't brand him a pariah because of that. There's a lot of good to be said about him. He has a strong heart and won't accept inequity. And don't forget, he's going to be helping Pokemon no one else can or will. Nori has his flaws, sure. But everyone does, myself included."

"A lot of this is their fault," Nori said, pointing to the audience and hoping Kallisto would get the hint. "In their case, it's for me being different."

Kallisto silenced their boos, unloading on them. "The ones who needed to apologize were you. All of you who ever have should be ashamed! He's a twelve-year-old boy, for love of the gods. He has his whole life ahead of him, and you're robbing him of it by treating him no different than career criminals! That may be the only path left for him if you do!" He spoke with angered passion, as if he were a raving protester on the side of the road. "I know there's not one of you here who doesn't love me. But just because Nori hates me doesn't mean he should be scorned!"

And there were murmurs. Nori heard several apologies coming at him from below. This was not what he had been expecting, nor what he was hoping for. But he didn't hate it, either.

Kallisto looked back up at him. "There it is, Nori. Is that what you were looking for?" he pleaded.

A shrug. "Sort of."

"So can we finally put this all behind us?"

Nori turned himself around and got his feet down onto the balcony. "Not yet. But thank you."

With those genuine words, he left the arena.

---​

What Nori had been hoping for was for Kallisto to realize what he had done to him. For the head Gym Trainer to realize all the grief his own actions had called Nori. He hadn't been expecting anything. Instead, Kallisto had partially apologized again and blamed the public. That was going to alleviate some of the pressure, yet he did nothing to address his role. There was something off about it all, and he wanted someone else's thoughts.

After everyone else had left after 10pm, Nori accosted Volkner as he was heading out the door. "So what did you think?" he asked.

"About Kallisto's apology?"

"Yeah."

"Hard to place. What about you?"

"About the same." It wasn't much of a first step, but it was something. More than he'd ever done before. "But I don't know."

Volkner scratched his cheek. He looked up and snapped his fingers. "He said he was sorry. But it felt he was sorry for you, rather than at what he'd done."

Nori crossed his arms, holding himself. "That makes sense, now that you mention it." The boy sighed, sitting down on a seat. "I guess Kallisto does have a conscience. But is that the only reason why he said what he did?"

"I don't know." Volkner sat down across from him. "One thing to say to you. Sometimes you need to do things you don't want to. Even if you don't like him, don't go looking for trouble."

The boy leaned back. He wanted to keep being himself. Part of him wanted to keep fighting this until Kallisto got what he deserved. But was that even possible to accomplish?

"I guess," he admitted. Today was the tiniest victory. The most important thing right now was himself, not the injustice. Not being on Kallisto's bad side anymore was a start. The public hopefully being off his case was even better. Yet something was bothering him. "It does bug me it took him this long to do anything."

The Gym Leader nodded. "Should trust your instinct on that one."

So it wasn't wrong to think of it that way. He added, "Plus it's just an apology. He's saying things, but not doing things to make up for it."

"Yeah." The Gym went to leave and had nearly made it out the door. He halted and came back. "By the way, have you noticed something about him lately?"

"Not really."

"Kallisto's been more high-strung than usual."

Nori blinked. "Today?"

"Since the 6th." The Gym Leader turned around. "Don't know what it is. He's been snapping at and lecturing challengers and the others more."

Nori had been avoiding Kallisto as much as possible. From what little he'd seen of him, he could get that. His actions contradicted themselves. He came to talk to Nori, but ended up hearing him talk and saying nothing? He went to apologize, but really didn't? He acknowledged the death threats, but completely brushed them off? He'd all but killed Nori with his denouncing, but wanted him to live anyway?

"Is he going crazy?" the boy wondered.

Volkner shrugged. "Could be," he casually and unhelpfully quipped. "Anything else?"

"One thing." Maybe this was nothing. "It only occurred to me recently. For the longest time, Kallisto always called me Carino. Just like he calls Ollie and Eddie and just about everyone else by their last names unless they ask not to like you or Tono. But he stopped at some point."

It was a weird thing. He'd forgotten exactly when Kallisto started with it, besides being after one of their arguments. But it stuck out to him. And he notably still called him Nori. Why?

Volkner scratched his cheek. "Hm. Strange indeed. Anyway, good night."

"Night."

The truth was, Nori didn't know what to think anymore. Was he going crazy? He was actually thinking of things like joining criminal gangs, murder, or just giving up and going home. He still had his sound mind holding him back, but how long was that going to hold?

And as for Kallisto, Nori wasn't sure what to make of him anymore. Had he really realized his mistakes? Or was he just trying to avoid responsibility like always? And what was going on in his mind? All he'd seen pointed to one thing: he still needed to be wary of the head Gym Trainer.

##########​

June 21st, 2015​

Kallisto asked to have Sunday off, a request that Volkner had granted. Nobody could blame him after what happened. Tono received a call from him after lunch, right as he was leaving the bathroom. Thankfully, he had just washed his hands.

After a bit of small talk, the conversation went where he expected. "How is he?" his best friend asked.

He did not have to speak his name. "If you mean Nori Carino," he asked to clarify. "He has not spoken to us since this morning, and it was only a hello."

"Figures," he groaned with concern. "I didn't ask yesterday, but what did you think of yesterday?"

Tono hummed. His initial thought was to not say much about it, when he recalled a conversation from last month. Kallisto stated he wanted a friend to say things others would not. Someone to be a voice of reason. Even Nori himself had agreed that was what true friends had to do sometimes. Tono had been trying to do that more for Kallisto as of late. It was time to do so once more.

"Kallisto, your apology rang a little hollow, and did not address some of the core issues," he informed. "If you are truly concerned and want in his good graces once more, I suggest you make a more genuine effort. Take a different approach than you have been. Words are not enough at this point."

He sighed. "I'm not wrong about Nori needing to change. I know that. I want to help him see that before it's too late."

"Kallisto." Tono pulled his glasses up, rubbing an eyelid. "That assertation of yours is what caused all this to happen in the first place."

There was a dread-filled pause on the other line. "Yes. And I know I took things too far with calling him on it in public. I never thought people would take it this seriously."

"Did you not?" Tono inquired with a measure of bewilderment. "You know the respect you carry, and that your word is sacred to many. You have not only exploited that several times, but subtly admitted to doing as such yesterday." Kallisto knew full well what he could and could not get away with. He was a master of towing the line.

A light chuckle. "I knew people would hate him for it," he confessed, trying and failing to find his sense of humor. "I just didn't think the entire nation would get on his case about it."

"And now you do." On the contrary, Kallisto was almost certainly aware, merely being horrified at the results. Yet Tono saw no sense in addressing that part of the matter. "That said, if you are set, be as tactful as you can. And remember, he is likely going to spurn your advice once more. Ultimately, you may end up having to respect his decision." He tapped his fingers on the wall before adding, "That said, I believe this is a bad idea."

"Maybe, but I want to make one last try at this." A brief pause. "Anyway, we'll talk more tonight. Thanks for this."

"Anytime, my friend." Tono hung up and pocketed his cell phone.

This was a delicate situation. He was fully aware of an ironic fact. If Kallisto insisted upon not respecting Nori's opinion, that was a decision to be respected as well. His best friend was certainly aware of the potential consequences - at least, Tono was hoping he was. But if he was set, all Tono could do was stand by his friend. Even if he had a bad feeling about this...

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Spoiler: Notes

Happy New Year! So now that it's stated in fic, did you notice that Kallisto started calling Nori by his first name at some point? There is a reason for it back then, but the reasons for it now are more interesting to think about.

This took more time to edit than expected. This chapter was originally supposed to take the story to its next major turning point. I split it and added content to better pace it and not take away from the events that happened here. But that will be next time. And yes I know the statistic is less than in real life but that's by conscious design due to considering several factors.

 

[Juliko]

Kallisto's trying, but he's still got a long way to go. Tono's right in that Kallisto is more concerned about his own image than actually making an effort to amend fences with Nori. And seriously, I find it hard to believe that he never thought people would take his misguided call-out so seriously that they'd send Nori death threats. I'm definitely curious as to who that guy in the purple cloak is. I can only assume he'll appear in later chapters. I had forgotten that Kallisto called everyone by their last names, and went back to an earlier chapter to double-check. Also curious to know why he started calling Nori by his first name. Anyway, Happy New Year, and looking forward to more!