KokoroEcho's Pokémon Chronicles
Entry 7
Reina Eguchi and Yuta Kato
Like PB and J
The lights went down, and the graphics on the board changed, revealing a young girl's face. It was her rookie year as a coordinator, and it was the first time that she ever saw her face on the screen with the word 'WINNER' displayed brightly.
She could have cried at that moment, but she had to keep her cool. She was overcome with happiness. She pulled her thick-rimmed glasses from her face and wiped her forehead that was caked with sweat.
She did it. She won her first ribbon.
"Your winner of the Autumn Celadon Ribbon, Eguchi Reina!"
The crowd cheered, whooped, and clapped for the hometown girl. Reina ran onto the stage and met with her Charmander, who was worn down from two battles, but adrenaline kept him excited for the moment. Surely, he'd be feeling different the next morning.
Reina was presented with a jade ribbon with golden lining. She held it high for the cameras. Charmander struck a pose, and their picture was taken. Her win would make the news the next day, and she was excited to read about it. Print had mostly gone out of style, but she was going to pick up a newspaper to give to her grandmother. They'd keep it forever.
In a flash, all of it came to an end. Reina was guided to the back, the audience left, and everything went quiet. Reina was left alone with her Charmander and Butterfree, the two Pokémon that got her this far. They admired the ribbon, the first of five which would take them to the Kanto Grand Festival. She never believed that she would earn a ribbon, so holding one in her hands was surreal.
When she gained the strength, she changed into her regular clothes, a handknit brown sweater that was too large for her and a red miniskirt, and she returned to the Pokémon Center. She wanted to visit her grandmother, but she was usually asleep when the clock hit 6 P.M. Reina would have to wait until the next day.
Upon returning to the Pokémon Center, she looked around. It was mostly empty with the exception of a few trainers. Some of them had competed in the contest, but she assumed that the others were taking on gyms. She had no idea how anyone could challenge gyms, as it seemed like a heavy task.
"What do you say we celebrate tonight?" she asked Charmander and Butterfree.
They responded with joyful cheers.
Reina made her way over to the cafe, which had been closed for the night. However, the vending machines were always readily available. She looked over her options, and unable to choose just one soda, she bought a dozen. She bought two cans that were 'Pokémon safe.' She was sure that one would be enough for Charmander's small belly, and she knew that Butterfree would enjoy the sweet taste of PokéCola.
She handed the two cans over to her Pokémon while fumbling around and trying to hold the other ten herself. The three made their way towards their room, receiving glances from other trainers. Reina knew that it was awkward to hold all ten cans of soda by herself, but she already put herself in the situation, and there was no easy way out of it.
She took big steps as they walked through the hallway; she felt that it would help her keep her balance. Through the mess of cans, she eventually lost sight of Charmander, who was sipping away happily at his drink.
All it took was one misstep.
"Char!" the Pokémon screeched as he felt the full weight of Reina's foot come down onto his tail.
Reina, startled, threw the cans of soda into the air. They crashed and tumbled onto one another, exploding into a mountain of fizz and sugar. Reina held up her arms to defend herself, although she was miraculously safe from the caffeinated onslaught.
However, one passerby was not.
"What's your problem?!" a rough voice shouted.
Reina slowly opened her eyes and lowered her arms. She looked at her hand, finding that a small droplet of soda got on her thumb. "Oh no! My thumb is going to be sticky!"
"Hello?!" the voice shouted again.
Reina adjusted her glasses, and the angry voice was now given a source. Covered in soda was a boy, maybe only a year older than Reina. He had on stylish black glasses and wore a green jacket and blue jeans. His short hair would have been nicely set into place had it not been for the soda, but that was not the case. He glared at Reina after cleaning his glasses.
"I repeat. What's your problem?!" he screamed.
"I'm-I'm sorry!" Reina said before vigorously bowing. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! You see, we won the contest, and we wanted to celebrate! We bought a bunch of soda, but it was too much, and I'm very dumb, and I tried to carry them all like a dumb-dumb, but I shouldn't have! I was just so excited and overjoyed that I couldn't control myself! And then-and then I stepped on my poor little Charmander's tail, and now we're here! I'm sorry! I'm so very sorry!"
The boy sighed. He could tell that the girl meant no harm. He just hated being covered in soda. He looked the other way, took in a deep breath, and closed his eyes.
"It's okay. Just be more careful next time. I have to take a shower."
And with that, the boy was gone, disappearing into his room without another word.
Reina licked the small spot of soda off of her thumb and then sighed with relief.
"That was so close!" she exclaimed. She looked around the hallway and at the mess, finding that one soda hadn't exploded. She picked it up and smiled. "Let's clean up and then party!"
"Char!"
"Free!"
That night, the three enjoyed their small party. They drank their soda and took pictures with one another. It was great for Reina and her Pokémon, but she couldn't have helped but felt that it would have been better if she could have celebrated with another human. Pokémon were great, but they couldn't speak human language. She was unsure how much Charmander and Butterfree actually understood her because as far as she was concerned, she could never perfectly understand them.
The next morning, Reina was coming off of a sugar high. Her head ached, and every noise sent her mind into a slow downwards spiral. She groggily made her way to the cafe and put what she described as a thousand scrambled eggs on her plate.
Her Pokémon followed her, and had it not been for Butterfree grabbing her attention, she would have sat alone, but sitting in a booth was the boy from yesterday. His hair was now perfectly the way that he liked it, brushed to the side. He was eating pancakes and reading from a book.
"I should apologize," Reina exclaimed. She stood up straight and tried to ignore her headache. Once she made it to the boy's table, he looked up, and his eyes widened.
"Oh," he said quietly. "Good morning."
"I wanted to apologize about last night! I'm so sorry!"
The boy sighed. "I think that's your fifth sorry. No need to apologize. Stupid things happen sometimes. Just be careful next time."
"You got it! I will be!" she said. She looked at his plate of food, noticing that he was eating his pancakes as they came. "No syrup? It's delicious!"
The boy sighed. "I like my pancakes like this. Too much sugar will make you fat."
"A little sugar can't hurt!" she said, forgetting about the literal sugar-induced headache that made getting out of bed feel like going to war. She set down her plate of eggs and then reached over to the other side of the table, grabbing a small glass bottle of syrup. "Try it!"
"No!" the boy screeched. He grabbed her wrist and tried to hold her back from pouring the delicious goop onto his mountain of fluffy discs. But the girl was surprisingly strong. That, or the boy was weak, but he wouldn't admit it.
The two struggled momentarily. He was able to hold her off for a while, but she was slowly getting closer to having it her way.
"Stop!" he yelled.
"A little sugar will do you good!" she exclaimed, unaware of just how angry the boy was.
"I like them plain!"
"Live a little!"
Then, as though Arceus hated the boy, the bottle of syrup exploded, and the boy's green jacket was covered. Reina pulled back her hand, noticing that a small drop got onto her wrist.
"Oh no! That's gonna get sticky!"
The boy was filled with rage, and he couldn't help but lash out. He threw his book to the side and then stood up. "How could you?! What do you think you're doing?! I didn't ask for your maple suggestions! I wanted my pancakes plain! What don't you understand about that?! Does no mean no to you, or what?! And my jacket! You got my jacket soaked in sugar! Twice! Twice!"
Reina stopped licking the side of her thumb and then slowly put her arms at her sides. She couldn't help what happened next, as she burst into tears.
"You didn't have to yell!" she shrieked.
The boy was unsure what to do, as everyone was now looking at the two of them. Although he knew he was in the right, he felt guilty about yelling at her. He forgot about his jacket, even if it was only momentary.
"Apologize!" a familiar voice yelled.
The boy looked up and found Nurse Joy. She was usually kind and her eyes were almost always gentle; not now. She glared at the boy and stood over him, ready to scold him even more if she was forced to.
"But-" he started. "My jacket! She got syrup on my-"
Nurse Joy raised her hand, ready to strike the boy. "It's bad luck to make girls cry, Mr. Kato!"
He sighed and then closed his eyes. "I'm sorry for yelling at you. Now if you'd excuse me, I'd like to go and change my clothes."
And without another word, he left, disappearing into the hallway.
"Didn't even have the decency to eat his pancakes," Reina muttered.
"That's Yuta," Nurse Joy said. "He's got a way with words and can be a bit rude! Please don't mind him!"
Reina nodded. She felt bad about ruining Yuta's clothes twice in a twelve-hour span. But, she just wanted to help.
"Wartortle, now's our chance!" Yuta exclaimed. "Use Ice Beam!"
It was now a few hours later, and after Yuta changed into a fresh set of clothing, he was off to challenge Erika for his fourth gym badge. He had to schedule the battle, and because of the incident earlier in the day, he barely made it on time. He had been flustered from before, but when it came to battling, his strategy was always calculating.
His Wartortle, slowed by paralysis from a prior Stun Spore, eventually mustered up enough energy to unleash the jagged beam of ice from his mouth. It froze the ground before him before blasting into Erika's Vileplume. The ice overtook the Grass-type Pokémon, freezing her still. Eventually, it imploded on itself, causing an explosion of cool mist, and Vileplume sank to the ground like a pancake.
The referee dressed in a kimono raised her flag. "Vileplume is unable to battle! Wartortle wins! The victory goes to Kato Yuta!"
The crowd cheered while Yuta and Erika both made their way onto the field. Yuta shot his Wartortle a glance that said, 'I'm proud of you' and the Pokémon responded with an exhausted smile.
"Congratulations, Yuta," Erika said. "Here is the Rainbow Badge! I wish you luck on your journey!"
Yuta took the badge and admired its different colors. Every win, every badge, was one step closer to a second chance at the conference. He'd do whatever he had to do to win this year, and so far, he hadn't taken any losses. His Pokémon were healthy, and the bond he shared with them was even stronger this year.
He tucked the badge away into its case and then bowed, leaving Erika and the Celadon Gym behind him.
He considered going back to the Pokémon Center, but then he risked running into that girl once again. He wasn't comfortable with that. Celadon was big enough to have multiple Pokémon Centers, so he could change where he was staying. He'd be leaving in a couple of days as it were.
He pulled his town map from his bag and opened it up. He had already defeated the Vermillion, Fuschia, Dark City, and now Celadon Gyms. That left him with four more. There were two gyms in Saffron that he could choose from, so he'd probably end up going there. He lowered the map, and screeched as the girl from before came into view.
"Hiya!" she exclaimed happily. "I wanted to apologize about earlier! I just so happen to see you reading your atlas, so I figured I'd wait for you to finish and then say sorry!"
Yuta folded the map and then tucked it back into his black backpack. "It's nothing. Water under the bridge. I should go though. My Pokémon need some attention."
"Are you a strong trainer?" she asked.
Yuta stopped trying to walk away. He paused and then shrugged. "Maybe."
The girl pulled a Poké Ball from her belt and held it out. "I want a battle! My name is Eguchi Reina, and I'm gonna be this year's Top Coordinator!"
Yuta couldn't help but laugh. He shook his head. "I don't waste my time with coordinators."
"What?! Why are you so rude? I'm just challenging you to a battle," Reina said. "I know I could beat you."
Yuta turned away. "I'm an ace trainer. It'd be impossible for you to beat me in a battle."
"I can beat you! I believe in myself and my Pokémon!"
Yuta sighed but then smiled. "Oh yeah? You know, I like the idea of putting you in your place after you ruined my jacket. I'll take your challenge. In fact, let's make a deal. If I beat you, you never talk to me again."
"Huh?"
"Yeah. So far, sixty percent of our encounters have led to my wardrobe getting destroyed. You're a bad luck omen. I'm surprised I'm not covered in orange juice right now," he said.
"How rude!" she exclaimed. "Fine! But if I beat you, then you have to travel with me!"
"What?"
"Yeah!" Reina said, remembering her rival and how she has a traveling companion. "Traveling with other trainers is good for the soul! We can train together and support one another."
Yuta had wanted someone to travel with this year, but this girl was the last person on earth that he wanted to do that with. However, if a battle that he couldn't lose meant never having to see her again, then he'd be okay with taking his chances.
"Fine," Yuta muttered. "Let's do this." He considered his options, drew out his Poké Ball, and grinned.
"Charmander, go!" Reina shouted while releasing her Pokémon. The red lizard Pokémon from the night prior materialized on the road, blasting fire from his mouth.
Yuta laughed. "Perfect! Wartortle, one more battle for the day!"
Wartortle emerged and then howled. He tried to amp himself up for battle, but then suddenly, small sparks emitted from his body.
"Wait, I forgot about paralysis!" Yuta yelled.
"Use Metal Claw!" Reina commanded, not hearing Yuta's concern.
Charmander raced down the small battlefield with his claws raised into the air. They took on a metallic color and became hard as steel. He swiped, scratching Wartortle directly in the face. Wartortle fell back, but quickly recovered and came back to his feet.
"Bubblebeam!" Yuta commanded, knowing that all he needed was one strong attack.
Wartortle struggled before unleashing the flurry of bubbles from his mouth. They repeatedly pelted into Charmander, making him step back before he eventually collapsed.
Yuta sighed with relief. Although he had forgotten about paralysis, he still found a way to win the battle.
But then, Charmander started to glow an intense white and blue light. The energy surged around him, and he grew, taking on a larger form. His skin had become a darker shade of red, and the flame on the tip of his tail was now much more intense.
"Not good," Yuta muttered.
Reina jumped up and down. "We did it! You're amazing!"
"You haven't won yet!" Yuta yelled. "Bubblebeam!"
"Yet!" she responded with a wink. "Use Dragon Rage!"
The two Pokémon unleashed their attacks from their mouths. The intense bubbles met midway across the field with the arcane flames, and to everyone's surprise, the fire broke through. Wartortle was then blasted directly and engulfed in a violent violet light. He paused before falling to the ground. Battling a gym leader and then a random trainer was too much for the Water-type.
Reina ceased jumping momentarily while she watched Yuta try to wrap his head around the loss. He looked like he had seen a ghost, and he was frozen with the thought of having to travel with her.
"You okay?" Reina asked. "You don't have to take it seriously! If you don't want to travel with me, you don't have to."
That snapped Yuta out of his trance. He withdrew Wartortle and tucked his Poké Ball away. "No. I lost fair and square. I'll travel with you, but you have to go on my schedule. My name is Kato Yuta. Have you been to Saffron?"
Reina was elated. She got closer to Yuta, maybe too close, and poked him in the stomach. "That's where my next contest is! Let's get traveling, pal!"
"Don't call me that."
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
Leading up to the Kanto Grand Festival, I'm posting up three chronicles for Yurie's three rivals. I'm hoping that they'll sort of help to endear the rivals to you all. I'm not sure if this story does that, but out of curiosity, do you see Reina winning in the end?