Welcome to the fourth fic (chronologically) of a metaseries! Reading the previous fics in the series should be unnecessary to enjoy this one. As of posting, it is complete save for the final two chapters. I would normally wait until completely finishing before posting, but I decided to compromise to myself and just get going since it's been too long for my tastes.
A white-hot jet of flame emerged from the mouth of the Pansear, engulfing their creepy opponent's Pokemon. It was their best move, one with which they had won countless battles around their neighborhood. The young girl with pink pigtails stood triumphant, certain that she and her partner had claimed victory with the powerful super-effective attack.
Yet as the flames died out, the Pawniard was still standing. With a mighty Iron Head, the Pawniard felled his foe. Little Kayla's Pansear lay unconscious on the forest floor.
"You lose," said the man, smirking darkly from underneath his bushy brown mustache.
Little Kayla frowned. She was the best trainer among the young kids in her neighborhood. Yet this man had trounced her! With a type disadvantage at that! "This is my fault, Pansear," she apologized to her Pokemon. "I guess I got a little too overconfident thinking we could beat an adult. Take a good rest."
But before she could recall her Pokemon, the man flicked his wrist and the Pawniard used Iron Head again. This time, he drove the tip of his horn through the fallen monkey's chest, running her through completely.
"No! Pansear!" she cried. "What are you doing to her?!"
The man motioned again and his blade withdrew. He flashed a smile that could chill even the devil's bones as the fire monkey spasmed. "When your Pokemon faints, it dies. That's my rule."
"What rule?!" cried little Kayla. "Pansear!" She ran up to her Pokemon in despair, desperately searching her pack for a Revive. Finding one, she ground the crystal into dust and forced it into the gash. But this was a wound too great for even the most skilled doctor to mend, let alone a mere item. Her Pansear gave one last smile before her eyes glazed over.
The girl quietly stood, tears pouring down her face. Yet she froze as a shadow loomed from behind. She turned to see the man standing over her, the glint of a machete in his left hand. She was too afraid to move or say anything.
"Your Pokemon is gone," he said as he raised his weapon. "And now, so are you."
"No! Turn it off, please!"
Maylene Gavali scrambled forth, falling between the seats as she twisted the knob on the vehicle's radio. The teenager to her right cringed as crackling static assaulted his ears. If he hadn't heard this episode before or if it was anyone but his close friend, he'd have been annoyed at the sudden interruption. But as the situation was, he couldn't help but pat his friend in comfort.
"Sorry, I guess that was a little graphic, huh?" the young male mused, turning the radio off and resting his arms on the steering wheel. Actually, that was saying the least about it. "I'm surprised they let that air."
He looked back to check on his Pokemon, Pachi. Thankfully, the squirrel with vibrant white and blue fur hadn't been roused from his nap by Maylene's shrieks.
His friend shuddered. "That was too much. Just..." She self-consciously pulled at her own pink pigtails, a nervous tic of hers.
Nori Carino was sitting in his mom's trailer with his younger friend, ten to his thirteen. It had been his home for almost his entire life, aside from the nine months he spent training at Sunyshore Gym. Despite being a mobile home, it was almost always in the trailer park. His mom usually slept in the large bed at the back, which had curtains to cover the area up if necessary. Across from the stove and bathroom was a table with padded seats, which could be folded into a second bed. A third could be pulled down from above the car seats. Dressers and cabinets were under the beds and stove, as well as to left of the latter.
Maylene crawled back into the passenger seat. "I thought we were supposed to be listening to a crime drama, not a horror!" she griped.
"It is a crime drama, Maylene. It's a dramatized retelling of the story of Lochlyn Nuzzo, the Blackout Killer." Nori leaned back. "He was a real person, although the victims' names have been changed, of course. He was a serial killer from Northwest Unova who targeted trainers who lost battles to him."
Maylene growled. "What kind of maniac thinks a Pokemon fainting and losing a battle means you die?!"
Nori smiled. "A stupid moron, that's who. He was crazy, none of his actions made sense. Some say he even killed his own Pokemon when they fainted. Others say he found Pokemon just as sick and twisted as him. He probably would've gotten committed if he wasn't gunned down by a trigger-happy cop."
"He's dead? Good!" the young girl snapped. "What was his problem, anyway?"
"Who knows?" Not like they could do a psychological evaluation of him now. It was difficult to say what was going through Mr. Nuzzo's mind. Different thinkers often got called crazy or even dangerous. It didn't matter if they were right, wrong, or subjective. But then again, he thought differently from other people too. That's why he was a Pokemon Rehabilitator.
That said, Nori got the sense Maylene wanted to get off the subject, so he decided to change it. "Anyway, how's your self-defense lessons been going?"
She perked up in an instant. "Oh, it's great! I've been putting them to use, too! I got in trouble for beating up a bully the other day for calling me ugly-hair, but it was worth it!" Maylene laughed triumphantly. He was actually a little surprised her father found the money to put her into those classes, considering he'd lost their house. But however he did it, it was helping her confidence and independence a lot. "And how's your Pokemon training been going?"
"Pretty good. I've been keeping up with it. Don't want to do Volkner bad, after all." He didn't have Sunyshore Gym's specialized training equipment, but he'd been finding ways to improvise. Both of his two (at present) Pokemon enjoyed battling, and he had to keep their and his skills sharp.
Which reminded him of something important. "And also!" he declared. "I'm getting my first official assignment tomorrow!"
"Ooo, can I come see?" she asked, placing her hands together and leaning in. "I want to know if it's something cool or cute or different!"
Nori had to chuckle a little at Maylene's new attitude. A year back or so, she was just like him - uninterested in Pokemon and especially journeys, only wanting to do something meaningful with her life. Now that he was working with Pokemon, she suddenly had an interest too.
"It's fine, I'm sure they won't mind. And if they do mind, I'll yell at them until they agree." He paused. "Worst case, I'll show you after!"
"Woo!" She lunged forth and threw her arms around him. "You're the best, you know that?"
He couldn't help but giggle and blush. "All right, all right, calm down," he said, gently pushing her away after a pat on the back. It was best if she didn't get too worked up where they were sitting. "I'm going to pick it up from Crescent Hills Elementary tomorrow afternoon. There's a park nearby, so you can wait for me there."
"I'll run over there right after school!"
He was Nori Carino, Pokemon Rehabilitator. People sometimes called him the Demon Tamer.
There were a number of Pokemon out there with troublesome personality faults. Some of these were nothing more than minor quirks or a little unruliness. Other Pokemon were bad enough to be considered a danger to society. Therapist facilities would not accept the worst of these, and they were considered so savage that even the best trainers would have trouble controlling them. Yet it was a sensitive issue, for some thought it inhumane to contain or euthanize these Pokemon.
That's where a Pokemon Rehabilitator came in. A new position in the world of training of which Nori was the first, but undoubtedly not the last. It was the brainchild of Jimmy Mackenburg, head of the Officials' Special Trainers division. A Rehabilitator was - in short - someone handpicked for having an unorthodox mindset towards Pokemon training. The idea being people thinking differently might allow them to handle Pokemon others could not. If they couldn't get these Pokemon to change, nobody could.
It had all started with the Demon, a deranged Nidorina that Nori had a chance encounter with one fateful day last year in August. A series of circumstances, including an unintentional bet with Gym Leader Gasha Qian, led to him bonding with her and demonstrating she could change her ways - just enough. He was offered the position in the aftermath, and underwent rigorous (for all the wrong reasons) training at Sunyshore City under Volkner Denzi.
Today was the day he had been waiting for, what made it all worth it. He would finally be making a difference in the world. His first task as a Pokemon Rehabilitator awaited him. But there was something he wanted to do before that time came.
It was a clear day on the cusp of autumn, perfect for being outdoors as far as Nori saw it. He skateboarded through the streets of Veilstone City, Pachi following close behind. The electric squirrel was a Pokemon given to him by Volkner, both as a test of his training abilities and a gift. Pachi had been an invaluable partner since February, and he was every bit as important to Nori as the Demon Nidorina.
The Kannagi Shrine was founded nearly a millennium ago in what was now called Celestic Town. The Veilstone location was its first branch in history and was being personally overseen by the Master of the shrine, Haruto Kannagi. The branch was located at the former site of the WGPR station Nori listened to, which had since moved operations to Hearthome. Aside from a satellite dish cordoned off by a chain link fence (which was apparently too costly to remove), there was no trace of what it formerly was. The building contractors and shrine's faithful had worked hard to change it into something worthy of their gods.
A red archway welcomed visitors onto the grounds. A small pool for washing one's hands was off to the right side of the pathway leading into the building. It was a necessity to cleanse oneself before entering. While Nori had been inside when it was still the WGPR building, he had not been in since, nor did he really have an interest in doing so. Besides, he had come to visit someone.
He waved to the person standing on the left side of the door, clad in an elegant violet robe with silver trim. Satomi Kurusu was one of the top priestesses in the Kannagi Shrine, having been present for four generations of Masters. She was a mentor to and a good friend of the future head priestess of the shrine, who was one of Nori's closest (and few real) friends.
"Hey, Mrs. Kurusu!" he greeted her. "Is Prema in?"
"Of course, Nori," she said, turning to the woman to the right. She had vibrant red hair and was dressed in a simpler version of the same robe, looking to be in her 20s. "Kaede? Would you get her?"
"At once, Priestess Satomi." Kaede bowed and went inside to do so.
"So, have you been doing well, Nori?" the elderly woman asked, in a casual yet still grandmotherly tone of voice.
He nodded. "Yup! Everything's going fine. Besides this guy at school who wants me to join the battling team. Oh, and running into YAMS the other day, but I shut them up."
Mrs. Kurusu laughed. It was to Nori's understanding that Prema had her own run-in with the youth activist group some months ago. They had been vehemently against him taming the Demon, making them the subject of one of their protests. Though if it wasn't for Youths Against Mistaken Society, he and Prema never would've met, so he owed them in a weird way.
"Those kids' hearts are in the right place," the priestess remarked. "But when it comes to Pokemon, they wouldn't know the difference between a Squirtle and a squirt gun!"
"You got that right!" said Nori with a chuckle of agreement. "And I know how far you can slide with good intentions."
"I think the nation knows, thanks to you," she again laughed. Guilty as charged, Nori thought to himself. "I simply hope he realizes the error of his ways."
"Doesn't matter to me if he does or not," he replied with a shrug. That guy was still a sore spot from his time at Sunyshore Gym, one who ironically and incidentally practiced the Kannagi faith. Nori hoped it was behind him forever, but knew that was just wishful thinking on his behalf.
"It is understandable that you wouldn't," the priestess acknowledged. "Getting off that, how goes your work?"
"Just papers so far," he said. "But I'm getting my first assignment today."
"And you wanted to show Lady Kannagi and get her advice, is that it?"
Nori shook his head, yet smiled. "No, I just wanted to see my friend. But now that you mention it, that's not a bad idea."
"I am sure she will be an invaluable partner for you, should you wish it."
"I shouldn't totally rely on her, though." He didn't doubt there'd be many Pokemon he'd have to deal with on his own, given Prema's responsibilities and schedule. Although Nori did have to admit, if it wasn't for her initial assessment of the Demon, Nori might have not chosen to defend her, and thus go down the path of a Pokemon Rehabilitator.
"A reasonable assessment," Satomi said. "Just do not rule it out."
"Naturally." He was sure Prema would still help whenever and however she could. "So how's things been?"
"Things have been well, Nori. We are completely settled into Veilstone now. It may be in a different spot, but as they say, a place is as sacred as you make it." She smirked. "If you meant myself, it has been business as usual. I've been overseeing the gardens the past week. The plants have been adapting to the soil pretty well."
"That's good to hear." He knew very little about shrines. While he was steadfast in his disinterest, he liked learning about them.
The door opened and Prema stepped outside. A teenager of fifteen years, about two and a half older than him. She had forest green hair and calm sea-blue eyes. What momentarily surprised Nori was her attire.
"Hi, Prema. You're not in your robe?" he inquired. She was in a purple dress shirt with white frills along the collar and sleeves, along with a matching modest lavender skirt that reached to her ankles. She was not wearing any of her accessories either.
Prema lightly bowed. "My father advised me to wear something more appropriate for casual ventures." That said, even her informal attire was fancy, maybe even elegant.
He nodded. "Well, thanks for making time for me today."
"Is that not what friends do?" she asked. Emphasis on asking, as her tone was vaguely hesitant. She compounded it by turning to Priestess Satomi.
"It is, Lady Kannagi. Friends spend time with each other. So enjoy your walk."
Nori grinned at Prema. "Shall we, then?"
"Yes, let us go."
A man sat in the gymnasium of Crescent Hills Elementary, unable to contain his giddiness.
He could not believe this promotion when he heard about it. He, a loyal member of the International Police for so long, getting an opportunity to work alongside the Demon Tamer Nori Carino himself! It was great to finally get some recognition for his skills and talents! All it would require was filling reports of Mr. Carino's reports and all such stuff associated with him. It was too perfect and too easy! Even he could fill out those all proper, crossing his Ts and uppercasing his Ps.
The man gazed at what he had been given. A bag with a very special box, made to lock away Poke Balls twice over! Sealed with a key and made of materials that interfered with ball light or whatever it was called. It was not to be opened until Mr. Carino's arrival. Next to it was a cage, where the Pokemon was to be released into. And he could not blame them at all. Despite his urges to take a peek, he knew better. He'd caught that horror flick on the radio yesterday, after all!
Yet he couldn't wait to meet the blade of the Blackout Killer in person, so to speak! He had technically been scheduled to call Mr. Carino at four-o-clock, but he wanted to get on with it! He rubbed his hands together. And he whipped out his phone, flipped it open, and dialed up the Demon Tamer on his Officials' radio.