Usurping

by walkswithwheels

"And yet… The woman had to try anyway. For the sake of herself, those who had thrown their cause behind her, and the world that stretched out before her." AU, part of Traveler series, longfic. Sequel to Holly Rising.

5. Serenity

Back with another chapter of Usurping! This one got a bit delayed because the first chapter got finished up right when classes started again. Classes will be going on until near the end of July, I will have a break for the month of August, and then they will start up again in early September. The ones in early September should not be as much work at once, though (they are normal 15 week classes whereas the one I'm doing now is three). So I'm expecting to get more writing done during them, but it was so be slower than the times I have breaks. Regardless, I will still do much of the story as I can and update as quickly as I can.

Other than that, I do not own Pokémon and see the author's notes for details.

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4. Serenity

I was alerted to the sound of something slamming, and the sensation of something else stinging.

My eyes flew open, the world jolted into focus by the sensations I had registered.

The stinging sensation was one I knew instinctively, to the point where I could detect where itwas without even touching the area.

My nose always bled after I had a vision, and even something when I was exposed to supernatural powers.

To say nothing when the other aspects of my supernatural powers went off without me doing anything.

My nose always felt like it had burst into flames, to the point where there was typically a raging torrent of bloody, red, puddles, and everything near me almost unwillingly got a paint job as it was turned into a sticky soiled mess.

I had heard supernatural power users, especially psychics, getting nosebleeds was not uncommon.

I also heard that the worse the nosebleed was, the more powerful the psychic, and if my powers were that strong, it should be like a badge of honor.

But this was no badge of honor, only an annoyance that no one seemed to be able to do anything about.

And a potential source of embarrassment.

Because I would have to go to the humiliation of explaining why part of the lobby and the Pokémon Center was now covered with blood, and then get help to go clean it up.

A lot of times it was so bad I couldn't even do anything to help with cleaning.

At least, miraculously, no one slipped on the blood. Even more miraculous considering there had been more than one time where I had to run out to investigative a vision while my nose was still bleeding, and there was enough blood to make a river…

I hadn't been kicked out of a Pokémon Center yet, or any buildings, for that matter.

So maybe more people were used to it than I thought.

I just hoped the bleeding wasn't too bad this time.

Yet when I focused on what was in front of me, I noticed there was no red.

Immediately after that, I was aware of being enveloped by psychic powers.

I could vaguely see the energy orbiting around me, and a glance to my right told me that Gabriel was enveloped in the same energy.

He hadn't left the chair, the psychic power's blue aura ominously contrasting with it and the table as the substance radiated around him.

I expected someone to rush over here, but no one did.

Instead, there was no mistaking the concern in Gabriel's eyes as he looked at me.

I thought about saying something, but the psychic power suddenly radiated slightly stronger.

In a moment, the horrific burning sensation from my nose was gone, and the all of the psychic power dissipated as well.

I breathed a sigh of relief, and Gabriel simply nodded.

He had known I was having a vision, and was able to stop my bloody nose before it became a problem.

Considering how well he knew me, I shouldn't have expected anything less.

But my relief was quickly cut short as I registered something I did not expect.

I stifled a groan and the urge to cringe when I realized what was.

The slamming some wasn't just being forced back into the chair, and the pain in my shoulder blades indicated that.

For in my confusion I had slammed into the back of the chair, smashing my shoulder blades straight into it.

It didn't leave an injury or anything, and the pain was fleeting. If it bothered me more than that, it was nothing that some over-the-counter pain relievers couldn't fix. Then again, I doubted I would even need those.

After all, this wasn't the first time I had smashed into something after a vision, or even directly before.

It was just another side effect.

And something I had to deal with.

Another thing that Gabriel understood as his voice sounded in my head.

"Are you all right? When you came back from the vision, you were thrashing a bit. I didn't want to make you feel worse by holding you down, but you look like you smashed into the back of the chair pretty hard."

I still hid a wince as the ache in my shoulder blades reminded me what happened, but I responded.

"I'm fine. Thanks for asking, and for the help with the blood."

There was something left off and unspoken in that sentence, but it was something I knew Gabriel already understood.

Thank you for using telepathy.

After many years of being dismissed, not being believed, or otherwise seen as crazy, I had learned to be private about my visions. Even though recently those who had doubted me had come forward saying that this would never happen again, I still had my old habits. Besides, with my history, I wasn't sure I could completely trust people not reacting negatively when I had one. Not to mention I wasn't sure how the general public would react if I started talking about what I saw in the visions.

And to top that all off, thanks to my other supernatural powers, there was almost no way I could show anyone what happened.

Which just validated the idea that I was to be ignored even more.

Yet Gabriel knew telepathy, thanks to his species and amplified by acquiring psychic powers shortly after he met me.

And since receiving psychic messages came effortlessly to me, it was both easy and instinctive to use it to talk to about my visions without others listening in.

Even with a place as innocent as a Pokémon Center, I couldn't take my chances.

I had already attracted enough negative attention and disrupted things!

I didn't need that to happen anymore!

That could lead to embarrassment, or worse!

I was torn from my thoughts as I heard Gabriel's voice in my head again.

"I'm glad to hear you are all right. I could tell as soon as you tried to talk to me before you left this world that you were having a vision, and it must've been something pretty intense. If you're feeling up to it, could you tell me about what the vision showed you?"

A wave of pity washed over me, despite trying to shove it into the back of my mind.

Just because Gabriel's species was Arceus's second-in-command did not mean he was privy to Her divine messages. Even if he could see them with me, it was possible he wouldn't understand them. After all, even as an Archangel, there were times when I barely could.

But it was because of all that that talking it over helped.

Even if Gabriel couldn't aid me in deciphering what was going on, he was almost the only person I could trust when it came to explaining my visions.

He knew me long enough not to judge me instantly.

And it was because of that that I nodded in response to his previous question.

"Absolutely. It was vague and ominous, so I'm not sure I figured everything out."

I did not miss the grave tone in Gabriel's voice as he responded.

"How troubling. It's never a good thing when visions are like that."

I rapidly replied.

"Exactly. The vision, and the Lady Arceus, seems to want to show me a lot of things in short order, but I was able to understand and recognize some of what I was seeing."

Concern was once again present in Gabriel's response, and the grave tone still did not leave his voice.

"What did you recognize?"

I took a deep breath, slowly choosing my words.

"I was thrust into blackness and silence as soon as I left. I couldn't see anything, couldn't move, and couldn't even call for help."

I thought the grave tone would never leave Gabriel's voice, even mixed with the concern.

"That's unsettling. Your visions aren't normally like that, are they?"

I shook my head, somehow keeping my voice even as I continue talking.

"I've been unable to talk or act before, but I'm typically not thrown into nothingness. The nothingness was eventually broken, though, and that was when I started recognizing what was going on."

I paused, taking a moment to collect myself. I wondered if Gabriel would respond, but he simply waited patiently.

I took another deep breath as I continued.

"I heard the sound of someone, perhaps even something, running towards me. At first I thought it was a person, but then I realized it was the sound of some sort of canine. I couldn't figure out what type of canine though, and I still couldn't see anything. But then, after that, I heard a bark. It still wasn't anything I was familiar with or could understand, though. It almost resembled a roar, but I don't know any canine that would sound like that."

At the end of my sentence, I was aware that my voice had begun to tremble.

I wanted to chastise myself for being unable to keep my cool, but I couldn't stop the terrifying thought that lurked in my head.

Who or what was the canine?

How was it connected to me and what would it do?

And what would that mean for my present and my future?

Would it be a hopeful sign of things looking up, or would it be an ominous omen sending me into a situation much worse than the one I was in now?

I had no way of knowing, and the thought of that sent chills down my spine.

Gabriel seemed to recognize my distress, as his voice took on a soothing and reassuring tone.

"I can tell that the fear of the unknown is making you upset. I know you don't like not knowing things, and I can understand why you're concerned. But you shouldn't jump to conclusions yet because something that vague can mean anything. Besides, you love, are associated with, and have an affinity with canines. It's been that way as long as anyone can remember. It's only natural that one would be in one of your visions, and maybe, by extension, become involved with you somehow in the future."

Shakily, I nodded, knowing he was right.

I loved canines so much that it would be easy for me to inadvertently make my own canine teams and squad (and I could think of more than one time that I'd done that in combat). It gotten to the point where people suggested I should join the official canine squad in the police force, and I had a good enough reputation that they could welcome me with open arms. But my physical disability made it all but impossible, and my supernatural abilities were not enough to counteract that.

So I just settled for having a canine around wherever I could. But since Gabriel was no canine and he was the Pokémon I used the most, I wasn't sure how famous my love of canines was to those who didn't know me personally.

Then again, there was my Silvally, Lydia, who I rode around the regions and treated like a giant dog. But I had not used her much recently, especially after what happened during my encounter with Maria.

Still, Gabriel was correct in that it wouldn't be too of the ordinary for me to cross paths with more canines.

But still, the vision had been so intimidating…

And then there were the other parts.

Parts I hadn't told Gabriel about.

Occurrences that once again threatened to make my voice tremble.

But I somehow kept it steady as I continued my tale.

"There were other parts the vision too, and they led to more areas. As soon as the sounds the canine made ended, I saw something in front of me. There were shadows, and the shadows changed into two people. The people were in a grassy field on a very sunny day, but I didn't get to see most of that. Because one of the shadow people crept toward the other, with the latter lying on the ground. Right when the moving person was hovering over the other, darkness overtook me again. And then I heard another distinct sound."

I hesitated, fear crawling into my voice.

"It was the sound of handcuffs clicking, Gabriel. I had just watched someone get arrested."

I was lucky no one else could hear us as my voice became shrill.

"I just watched a Trainer's journey end! Possibly even a child Trainer's! And maybe their future had ended too, even their life! No matter what, the person's reputation would be destroyed, and that's to say nothing if the tables were turned against the one who did the arrest! No matter what, all of it was tragic, and I had to watch everything happened without being able to do anything or even recognize anyone!"

I let out a breath I hadn't realized I had been holding, and awareness rushed over me as I realized I had been yelling.

Fear was replaced by hot shame, and I thought I would thought my cheeks would turn red.

I knew better than to lose control of myself like that, no matter how frightened I was!

And especially towards Gabriel! He may have been connected to Arceus, but he had no control over what I saw in the visions! If something in the visions frightened me, it was not his fault!

Yet Gabriel seemed to understand as his voice took on a reassuring tone.

"You are angry at yourself for your emotions again, aren't you? Please don't be and don't blame yourself, for no matter what powers you have, you're only human. What you saw was horrible, and there is no denying that."

I only grimaced, not saying anything back.

His words were logical and immediately quashed the instant to start yelling again, but what Gabriel said about not being angry for my emotions was easier said than done.

I always struggled with my emotions making me feel shameful, frustrated, and even enraged. Unfortunately, that struggle didn't look like it was going to end anytime soon.

With that problem existing for over two decades, I wasn't sure how it could end.

Non-tragically, of course.

At least I had my stoicism as a defense mechanism, but even I knew that was unhealthy and likely not permanent.

If only knowing how to stop it and do something else came as easily.

As well as Gabriel knew and supported me, he was no therapist, so there wasn't much he could do to help me in the long run.

But I still appreciated him trying.

Like now, as I continued listening.

"Besides, just because a journey ended prematurely does not mean it has to end tragically. You could've just witnessed someone's life being saved, and instead of the end of a future, it could be the beginning of a new one, with a new journey and a new identity. And you know that misguided Trainers, especially child ones, can be a severe danger to themselves and others. The arrest could've been stopping that danger from going any further, or even occurring, giving the one causing said danger a chance at a different life when they might not have had one otherwise. There could have easily been nothing negative about it, in the long run."

My response came quickly but unease pricked me as I spoke.

"I'm aware, but it doesn't make seeing that any easier. Especially because I could've been one of those misguided Trainers. Depending on how one words it, I am one now."

Gabriel's response was just as fast, but his reassuring tone never left his voice.

"I know it doesn't, but it may not be as catastrophic as you think. And even so, you never became one of those misguided Trainers, because you never hurt anyone honest or yourself. You are still not one of the misguided Trainers, because even though your journey didn't turn out as well as you had hoped, it wasn't because you did anything wrong or got into trouble. It was simply because you ended up not liking something professionally that you thought you would, and you needed a career change. It's something that can happen to anyone for any reason, and I would hardly call those people misguided."

I still couldn't resist cringing even though I knew he was right.

Besides, there was still more to tell.

"That wasn't everything I saw, though. I was shown different objects, and eventually realized they were parts of a courtroom and courthouse. In the courthouse were the people shadows, and many were in the benches. There were two of them in front, but I couldn't recognize any of the people."

Another pause, and I tried not to let my negative emotions show again.

"I thought that maybe those in the benches were going against the arrested Trainer, but it could've been anyone. If it was being shown in a vision, then maybe it could've been me!"

I must have failed at not showing negativity, because Gabriel replied rapidly.

"And it just as well could not have been. Just because you seeing the court case in the vision doesn't mean it involves you, or if it does, that you did anything wrong. It just as well could have been a vision of the past, or some other blurry background info that cannot be changed. You've spent your life being an honest Trainer and making sure you have a clean record with the law. There is no reason to jump to conclusions and think that you somehow got in trouble with them."

All I could do was wince and nod, knowing once again that Gabriel was not incorrect.

He was even more on target with his words after that, reassuring tone strong within his voice.

"You just don't have enough information to make an informed decision. The best you can do is wait and keep going."

I was aware of my voice coming out subdued and quiet, as I slowly stated.

"That wasn't the only thing I didn't get enough information on."

Surprise finally filled Gabriel's voice.

"Even after all that, there was more?"

I nodded gravely.

"I saw several faces flash before me, though I couldn't make out who they were. There was a woman with blonde hair and green eyes, and then I thought I saw Blue and Red. There because someone younger with red hair and matching eyes, but I've no idea that was. The last person was so garbled I could only see the colors blue and red, and even then they faded rapidly."

I could feel my face contorting as my words came out in a snarl.

"How could Red and Blue get mixed up in this? They deserve nothing but peace after their journeys!"

Concern filled Gabriel's voice, but his words left me full of shock.

"Have you considered that the people you saw weren't Red and Blue?"

In my shock and rage, my voice was even louder.

"Who else could they be?"

Gabriel answered unflinchingly.

"Their children."

I let out a gasp I was sure the entire Center could hear, even with the telepathy.

All I could do was sit in stunned silence as Gabriel continued.

"Red and Blue each have one young child who happens to look similar to them. From what I remember, Red's child is a girl named Scarlet, and Blue's child a boy named Azure. The children resemble their parents so much people get them confused easily. So if you didn't have proper information on what the visions looked like, it's effortless to mistake the children for their parent."

At this, I wanted to slap my forehead, but I also didn't want to look like a fool.

So I resisted, and let thoughts freely flood my head.

Azure and Scarlet were two good friends who had not succeeded on their Trainer journeys, but thankfully they had fully recovered from their failures and nothing tragic had happened (at least from what I was aware). Even though they were both young, they inherited their parents' phenomenal talent with Pokémon. And regardless of their failures, there was no keeping them away from battling.

Because of all that, Azure was now the Gym Leader of Viridian, with Scarlet as his strongest Gym Trainer and second-in-command. Since they were only children, Azure's aunt Daisy and the high-ranking adults in the League presided over almost everything involving management. And I'd heard there were concerns about their education and other aspects involving a normal life for a child. But those issues seemed to have been taken care of, or at least addressed, because the concerns had not lingered and both were doing well.

So why would they show up in my vision?

Had something happened to them?

Was something going to happen to them?

Was I going to be responsible?

My voice rose in tone and volume as my thoughts turned into words.

"Azure and Scarlet's journeys have long since ended, and as far as I know, they are both doing fine! Why would they show up in my visions? And what do I have to do with it? I haven't even seen them in what feels like forever! Regardless of whether it's Scarlet and Azure or Blue and Red, none of this makes any sense!"

These soothing and reassuring tone never left Gabriel's voice as he responded.

"I'm so sorry, but I don't have any answers. I don't have any idea who those other two people you mentioned were, but I think I may know who the blonde haired woman was."

I couldn't stop my eyes from going wide.

"Who?"

Gabriel's voice suddenly became serious.

"Your old friend, Kalmia."

At that time I thought my eyes would pop out of my head.

"The woman around my age that I used to travel with? We parted ways a while ago and she went to wander. She said she would be available when I needed her, but I don't not to contact her and I don't think we parted on the best of terms."

Gabriel's voice often as he replied.

"She didn't bear any ill will towards you, so the relationship between you two must've been fine on her end. Besides, the two of you are fairly close during your journeys, so it would make sense why you would cross paths with her again. Or she would see that something was going on with you and want to help."

I nodded.

"Fair enough. She is compassionate, after all, if a little extreme sometimes."

I hesitated as I recalled the other person I had seen.

"The vision did show me one more person, and that person was portrayed differently."

There was no mistaking the question in Gabriel's voice.

"How so?"

I slowly replied.

"Instead of just something flashing quickly, I could see the person's full body. It was all eerily clear. The person had long brown hair and gray eyes, along with pink flowery clothing. The picture seemed to linger for a while, as of asking me if I remembered something."

Pausing, I took a deep shuddering breath before replying.

"After a while, I did."

Reassurance gave way to more concern as Gabriel asked a question.

"Your description… The person sounds like…"

I rapidly cut him off.

"Ivy. A young girl I met in Maria's world, but never while alive. I found her mangled corpse as one of the latter's victims, and sent her off to the heavens. I never saw her again after that, and assumed that things were as peaceful as they could be. Yet now…"

Gabriel finished my sentence for me.

"You're afraid something might have happened to her. A fear that isn't unfounded, certainly. But you still have a lot of information, so it's just as likely nothing bad has happened to her. Or that she isn't even training at the moment."

I thought I could see the faintest trace of a smile and I could've sworn Gabriel's voice was almost playful.

"Or perhaps the Lady Arceus just wanted you to meet in the living world. Considering how friendly you are when you're more relaxed, Ivy is probably someone you would like. Perhaps someone you would have as a friend, or even a student."

I nodded, relieved flooding through me at that possibility.

But at the same time, it was balanced by cautiousness.

"You're right about that, but things are hardly ever that simple. I can't shake the feeling that there's something else at play. Especially with the final thing I saw."

Gabriel's smile immediately faded and concern came through again.

"What was that?"

I hesitated, trying to figure out how to voice my words.

The words came quickly enough, though, and they were brought to life just as quickly.

"Perhaps "saw" isn't the right word. There wasn't anything to see at all. It was just words that I heard. I couldn't understand why they were spoken, but I could tell what they were and who had said them."

I expected Gabriel to reply, but he instead waited patiently. Perhaps he felt he had asked enough questions already.

Regardless, I had a feeling I was forcing the words as I spoke.

After what I had gone through, it still left me shocked.

"The one who spoke the words was the young Viridian Pokémon professor Julia Pine. The only words I heard were "Will you participate?". After that, the vision ended, and I was brought back here."

I thought I could hear bit of surprise in Gabriel's voice, but I wasn't sure.

"Isn't Professor Pine the one that helped you in Celadon 12 years ago? You also saw her when she became one of Arceus's Angels after passing away in Maria's world, if I recall correctly."

I nodded.

"Yes, you're right on that. But Professor Pine didn't achieve any particular fame or get into any sort of trouble after I met her, so I don't understand why she's here. And that still doesn't give me any idea of what "Will you participate?" means."

Gabriel's response made shock take over again.

"Well, what do professors do? They research and study different areas, right? So if Professor Julia Pine is asking you to participate in something, there's a chance it could be…"

My eyes went wide and my voice finally rose to a yell. If I was speaking normally, perhaps the whole region could hear. As it was, I was probably bursting Gabriel's eardrums, but I didn't care.

"A Pokémon study? That can't be! If that's what she's talking about, then I already don't want to! I already spent my life inundated with everything related to Pokémon, becoming one of the best in the world, and it turned out be useless! Why would I go back to something like that, especially when I'm trying to find another career and get away from it! And I'm sure the Rangers won't react well to that; it would be the final straw for them! Plus, when it comes to dealing with Pokémon, I don't think I have anything worth studying!"

As I finished my rant, I couldn't stop the shame creeping up on me again.

Gabriel had every right to rant back at me, especially considering he was just a listener.

But he was surprisingly calm, and his voice confirmed it.

"I understand your fears, and I know what happened to you before was discouraging. But you still don't have a lot of information, so there is no telling whether this study will be like your previous experiences. And if you under the watch of a Pokémon professor and they know who you are, then perhaps that's a guarantee it won't be. The Pokémon professor would be able to intervene if anything went wrong, or you could even choose to leave the study if something came up."

There was a slight pause as Gabriel continued.

"As for not having anything worth studying, I disagree. In fact, I can't think of any reason why professor wouldn't want to study you? You've done many things that have long been considered impossible, created a system that almost completely destroyed any physical disadvantages you have, have supernatural powers the world has almost never seen and turned them into something you could use every day, started your journey almost a decade after normal Trainers, and still blazed through the regions and became, one of, if not their strongest anyway. And you did that all your own, with only your Pokémon, powers, and knowledge to guide you. Your scenario is so unusual that makes you both an anomaly and an enigma, and who would want to study that?"

I nodded sheepishly, knowing Gabriel was right.

Before I could object, he continued.

"I don't know how the Rangers would react, but you are correct in that they probably wouldn't react favorably. But you also have to take into consideration that you were never really interested in the Rangers in the first place. You only joined them so that you could help the League, and your powers and experience with Pokémon did the rest. Joining a study over rejoining the Rangers could give you the chance to potentially pursue something you really want. And that in turn could help you create a new identity, and find out who you truly are. And if you make a new life for yourself, one where you are truly content and safe, then it's worth leaving the old one, and the past it contains, behind."

I tried not to tremble, knowing Gabriel was once again correct.

Leaving the past behind was probably the best idea at this point.

But still…

Would I be able to leave the past behind?

Could I?

What consequences would that entail, and could I deal with them?

Would I ever be the same if I left everything behind?

I was about to voice my thoughts when Gabriel suddenly spoke normally.

"It looks like our food is here, and just in time!"

I glanced in front of me to see the Blissey from before. She joyfully wheeled a cart with some trays on it, and though I couldn't make out details at the moment, I knew the trays held food and drinks.

The Blissey smiled as she pulled up to and addressed Gabriel first.

She rapidly handed a tray to him.

"Here's your breakfast!"

Gabriel nodded politely.

"Thank you! That looks good!"

She kept her smile as she glanced at me and set down the tray in front of me.

"And here's yours!"

I flashed her a wide grin back.

"Thank you very much!"

The Blissey nodded politely.

"Enjoy!"

My smile never left, even as the Blissey pushed the cart away.

If there was anything they could get me to relax, it was a good meal!

Yet Gabriel suddenly glanced at me.

He wasn't as serious as when he spoke before, but there was still concern in his voice.

"Be careful you don't eat too fast. You tend to do that when you're stressed, and you're still coming off of the nightmare and the vision."

I understood what Gabriel was saying, but if it was anyone else that said that I might've told them to shut up.

I hate it when people mentioned that I ate too fast, even though was a problem. I knew part of it was a side effect of my physical capacities being diminished, and thus was somewhat out of my control.

But good luck explaining that to anyone.

Even, no, especially, my family.

But I could not tell Gabriel to shut up, with the amount of respect I had for him.

So instead I just shot him a pointed look, one that he did not flinch from as he spoke.

"I know you don't like hearing that, and that not all of the problem is voluntary. But I just am worried about you making yourself sick. If you get sick here, we will have to stay in the hospital, or the Center longer. And I know that's not something you want to do."

I heaved a great sigh, my shoulders slumping.

He was right, but that didn't make it any easier to hear.

So instead I just focused on the food, feeling a smile already playing on my lips.

There was Gabriel's omelette, the folded over yellow egg having all kinds of cheese on top of it. I could only make out some shapes from where I was, but I thought I could see the round brown-grey circles indicating many different types of meat inside the eggs. I also thought I could see curved slices that resembled red and green peppers, along with some sort of seasoning I didn't know. I thought Gabriel might want salsa on the omelette, but he hadn't asked for it. It was unusual, considering salsa on eggs was something we both liked. But Gabriel wasn't always in the mood for spicy foods, and my stomach couldn't always handle it.

Instead I noticed his orange juice, a tall glass filled to the brim with the dark liquid. A steaming cup of coffee sat right next to it, and I could see that it was pure black. Gabriel always enjoyed his coffee without anything sweetening it. I had no idea how he even digested it, but he claimed it was an acquired taste he'd picked up long ago. I tried it once, and he ended up laughing because apparently had made the most horrified face. Given how annoyed I was, I didn't dare try again. But I could understand his love of oatmeal, and since it was one of my most favorite breakfast items, I almost wished I had ordered it myself.

But then, I wouldn't have the food I had gotten, and it was truly a treat!

I could see many sunny side up eggs nestled in between potatoes slices, ham, and sausage. I could pick out bubbling cheese and mushrooms alongside it. Slices of white onions with green and red peppers contrasted greatly against the brown of the potatoes and stood out like sore thumbs, but to me it was all the better. Why settle for ordering all my food separate and possibly missing some when I could have them together? Combined with the giant glass of white soymilk that almost towered over the skillet, it looked almost too pretty to eat. Almost like a mosaic, but instead of colors in paintings easily being seen, food made up the picture.

Despite what how I felt earlier, I could certainly feel my smile spreading.

Yet my stomach rapidly reminded me why there was food in front of me.

After all, nothing was ever too pretty to eat.

Otherwise, there would be no point in even cooking it.

And it was time this should serve that purpose.

My smile growing even wider, I couldn't help shouting.

"Let's dig in!"

Gabriel nodded, smiling himself.

"Indeed!"

I picked up a spoon from the tray, and I'm not sure it could've gone any faster as I plunged it into the food. Perhaps it was even faster as I threw the food into my mouth. Within minutes I was savoring the delicious mix of flavors. There was the sweetness of the peppers and other vegetables, the tanginess of the onions, the seasoning of the potatoes, the saltiness of the meat, and the differing flavors of the eggs. It was every single flavor I liked and could think of mashed into one, and I had to be careful not to wolf it down. I must not have been eating too fast, though, because Gabriel did not admonish me again.

Or perhaps he was just enjoying his own food.

In his own way, of course.

Gabriel's body had similarities to a snake, so he could probably just inhale things. But unlike snakes, Gabriel actually had a sense of taste, and inhaling food would most likely just be hard on his stomach. Not to mention that snakes often couldn't move after they ate, and having a Pokémon that had trouble moving would be an issue.

No matter what they looked like, Pokémon were not animals.

One could call the mythical creatures, but I had heard they were similar to something like fae, or some spirits called yokai. And that capturing the most like a contract or some sort of pact. I didn't know enough about the fae or yokai to comment on that though.

All I knew was that Gabriel was currently doing something most animals would never do.

Psychic power was radiating from his body, and the power engulfed a set of silverware. A knife and fork were lifted up into the air, and it wasn't long before they were cutting Gabriel's omelette. Even though he had no hands, the movements were so practiced, fluid, rapid, and precise that he may as well have had hands. As quickly as it had been summoned, the knife was set down. The fork stabbed a piece of sausage that had spilled out, hovering in the air. It suddenly flew up high, before setting the food in Gabriel's mouth. After that, Gabriel immediately whipped the fork away and let it float in the air. The psychic power now engulfed him and it was clear he was chewing despite having no teeth. I was unsure how the psychic power made it so that Gabriel could act like he had teeth, but thanks to him being able to share experiences with me, I knew it worked.

Especially since Gabriel had a content smile on his face.

Not unlike mine.

As much as I enjoyed the flavors of my food and simultaneously didn't want to be gone, I had to make sure I ate or I definitely wouldn't be content.

If not from eating cold food, then from most certainly from having an empty stomach.

So I continued consuming my food wordlessly, washing it down with the glass of sweet soymilk. We had already talked a lot before we ate, so there was no reason to socialize any more than we already had.

Gabriel also consumed his food and drink without speaking, and before long we had both finished off what was on the tray. More psychic power radiated from Gabriel as he lifted the empty items into the air.

Psychic powers surrounded the chair as well, as it was pulled out and Gabriel floated away. He slid the chair back in, waiting expectantly.

Luckily, he didn't have to wait long. I grabbed the table the same way had before, sidestepping closer to my walker and grabbing onto it. In another moment, I swung myself into my walker, turned around, and followed Gabriel to the front desk. He lowered the trays into a dropoff area nearby, and the psychic power stopped radiating around him. He flew up to join me by the desk, as I sat across from the nurse.

She beamed at me as she spoke.

"Thanks for dropping off your trays! How would you like to pay for the food?"

Payment.

Something I couldn't forget.

Just because healing was free didn't mean the rest of the services were. After all, Pokémon Centers had to make direct money on something.

So in response, a small blue card materialized in my hand and I handed it to the nurse.

"With this." I replied steadily.

Confusion was present in the nurse's eyes as she glanced at what I had handed her.

"A regular debit card? Pardon me, but while we accept those, I don't think we have the means of properly processing them up front. Would you mind if I take it to the back to process the payment there?"

I replied rapidly.

"I don't mind, and thank you for letting me know."

As the nurse disappeared into the back of the Center, I wasn't surprised at her confusion.

They probably didn't see debit cards from traveling Trainers too much. Most traveling Trainers were too young to own one in their name. And even though there were measures to help young Trainers manage money, even lawmakers realized allowing children access to debit and credit cards was a very bad idea. From what I heard, a Trainer Card could be something similar, but since I never used mine like that, I didn't have much of an idea of an idea of how it worked.

I didn't have much of a chance to ponder it, though, as the nurse returned as rapidly as she had disappeared.

She handed my debit card back to me along with a white piece of paper.

A cheerful tone never left her voice.

"All paid for! Here's your card and your receipt!"

I glanced at the receipt, carefully making sure I hadn't been overcharged. At same time, I wanted to make sure nothing was missed.

There didn't seem to be problems with either of those issues, and yet there was something I realized that made me want to resist cringing.

The meal had cost more than I thought it would, and now I was running a little low on money. Of course, it was almost the end of my vacation and there was a chance I would return to the Rangers tomorrow.

But there was no guarantee I would return considering why I had gone on vacation the first place, or if I would be paid enough in the near future to make up for what I had spent on vacation.

I needed a way to make money quickly, and luckily there was a place nearby that was just the ticket.

But for now, I let the debit card and the receipt disappear before thanking the nurse.

Gabriel retreated back into the shadows, but not before his voice sounded in my head.

"With breakfast taken care of, what else would you like to do today?"

My reply was rapid and immediate.

"I'm running low on money, so I would like to head to the caves in Mt. Moon. Many precious objects can be mined there, and the collectors in the nearby cities will pay a pretty penny."

As I spoke, I resisted the urge to sigh with relief. Mining was available for all Trainers, provided they got the proper equipment. Particularly skilled Trainers could dig up things like precious stones and gems, as well as buried treasures. They could then sell the objects to collectors for large amounts of money, a lot of times far more than almost anything else would get them. Of course, mining was hard on the body, so Trainers mostly only did it to make cash in the short term, and the money they made did not last. But in times where a lot of money was needed quickly, it could be a godsend.

Like it was hopefully going to be for me now. I had all the proper equipment and it had been that way for years, so I could count myself among the skilled Trainers that had chances of finding something. Now I just had to get to my destination, and hope that I had a good day.

Something that Gabriel seem to understand as he replied.

"Fair enough. Are you going to fuse here?"

I shook my head.

"No. I've caused enough disturbances today, and I don't need to fuse until I'm actually outside."

Gabriel wasted no time replying.

"Very well then. Let us go."

I nodded vigorously before I backed away from the front desk. Once I was a fair distance away, I turned around.

The clicking of my walker on tiles still announced my presence, but even that grew silent within a few minutes.

For before long, I had made it to the huge automatic door of the Pokémon Center. The door opened by itself, and I walked through it.

I didn't even pause to look back as I promptly left the Pokémon Center and its inhabitants behind.

---

Author's notes:

-So, like many chapters in Usurping, this chapter went through quite a few changes. The biggest one was Kristine talking to Gabriel about the vision and what was happening on-screen. Originally, that would not have happened because the aftermath of the vision would have been part of the last chapter and that chapter would've been longer. It was also because of repeating information, since the vision would have just been seen earlier on. Gabriel would also not have much to say, just stating that he didn't know what else happened and just offering some reassurances.

The biggest reason for this change was that the majority of the vision aftermath was moved to start the chapter after this one. This is because there's aftermath is a long series of events, and I want to make sure each got proper detail and explanation without making any chapter too long. So it gave me the space to talk about the vision itself more in this chapter. I also wanted to show more of Kristine's and Gabriel's relationship, as well as a bit of the former's internalizing and the emotions she was feeling after everything. This would then further cement that Usurping is all about revealing Kristine's human side after she is seen as to be seemingly superhuman (with power bordering on that of a deity) in just about every other story she appears in. The extended conversation about the vision also ended up showcasing Kristine's attempts to hide her human side to keep up the superhuman persona so that she can keep going after everything bad that's happened to her.

Her stoicism is also mentioned in some of the side stories, and extending the conversation and explanation allows the consequences to come into play here. She is stated that to cry or become angry in cases when other characters are in other stories, and she tries to do the same here. However, as this chapter shows, it does not mean she doesn't feel emotion. Furthermore, as some of the other side stories reveal, part of the reason she is stoic because her past visions and experiences give her more understanding of what's going on in some cases. As a result she can predict what's going to happen or already knows the end result of something, and does not react when the events leading up to those predictions or results play out in front of her. The extended explanation gives a chance to show the other side of that, where Kristine stilldoesn't understand what's going on despite being given information. Therefore, fear of the unknown, anger, and frustration kick in, and she reacts accordingly. I thought this was a good way of showing that although she seems stoic and in control almost all the time in other stories (even sometimes when her point of view is shown), that's really not the case internally.

With all this, I thought it would make sense of Gabriel threw out ideas about what was happening, reassured her why she might be thinking the thoughts she does, and help her use logic when she's stressed out. Considering the results of the vision are revealed in some of side stories, I figured it could also serve as a bit of foreshadowing.

-Kristine's thrashing after the vision was originally not going to happen and she was going to feel a hard chair below her. When I was looking back at Kristine's previous visions in these stories created before this one, there was at least one instance where she was mentioned to be thrashing around or otherwise extremely uncomfortable after or directly before a vision. Something particularly notable was in Holly Rising, where she is thrashing around trying to get to bed after particularly draining mission and being unsuccessful in uncomfortable. It's to the point where she is repeatedly mentioned to be slamming on the bed, and is making a massive amount of noise before she gets whisked away by a vision. Even after the vision, she is still having problems with discomfort and dark thoughts, until another supernatural event clears most of those up. All of this is that the point where she hurts herself, but Kristine is very frustrated and all of it's implied to be at least a little painful. Therefore, I took inspiration from that, and since she was agitated from the nightmare, it made sense for her to be mildly annoyed when she got back from the vision.

-Kristine's bloody nose is a reference to works where psychics have nosebleeds after having a lot of mental strain. I was reading about those types of works while I was writing Traveler. After that I decided I wanted Kristine to have bad nosebleeds, with the idea that they were representation of her power. The fact that the nosebleed that severe usually means something much worse meant that there was something off about what was happening, and that something was abnormal, but it doesn't signal what. It's also a minor way of showing the negative side of her powers, because even though the nosebleeds do not build her, she finds it extremely annoying and it can lead to embarrassment.

-Kristine being amazed when no one slips on the blood from her nosebleed and talking about how she was able to run despite having one is a reference to Holly Rising. It's not seen on screen, but she is imagined to have had a vision where the events are happening so fast she has to run to fix things before taking care of her nosebleed. Kristine able to get safely to where she needs to be with a bunch of people behind her, and she worries about slipping because the group is running through a dark room. Luckily, that never happens, and the nosebleed is taken care of once Kristine averts the situation she saw.

-Kristine being private about her visions due to being called crazy or otherwise ignored was a large part of her character long before Traveler was written and carried over when it was. This part of her character was meant to show the realistic consequences of what's colloquially called Cassandra type characters. These characters are based off of the Greek prophet with the same name, with the idea that the original Cassandra was very powerful and had visions of the future, but was cursed to not have anyone believe them. Other works with characters based off of the original show the negative consequences of this, and the worst-case scenarios that these characters just give up on helping people at all anymore.

However, in pre-Traveler Kristine's case, she just doesn't let anyone know and runs around trying to solve all the problems by herself (aside from what few allies she can trust with that information). As a result, most people think she's crazy and don't realize the visions are taking a toll on her psychologically despite being real and almost everything coming true. In many cases, pre-traveler Kristine failed that what she was trying to do or had unnecessary casualties because she didn't ask for help when she needed it or get second opinions from anyone else.

What's also worth noting is that pre-Traveler Kristine was much younger than her current incarnation. Before Traveler, she was age nine before the action in the story really starts and she decides to go on a journey. Some later notes aged her up her up to around 11 or 12, but she was still very young despite the supernatural power she had at the time making a journey mostly alone possible, and many characters expressed concern. This was also despite the fact that she was extremely precocious, respected because of her power, in a setting where was normal to see young children alone, and was part of a dragon tribe rather than being human.

Eventually, it shown that despite all her power and visions, she makes some disastrous decisions due to being a child and not knowing how to process actions and consequences or make informed choices. Adults do try to help her, but she's annoyed that they would treat her like a child when she has so much power, and eventually becomes secretly distrustful and disrespectful towards almost all adults. Her journey does eventually end but not because of some heroic deed, proving her worth, or taking a break to try and figure some other things out. Instead, one of her adult allies decides to successfully capture her after she nearly kills herself and several others trying to fight off a powerful enemy. He does this not out of malice, but because he realizes she is causing havoc wherever she goes, the issues in the world aren't being solved by anything that she's doing, she is still a child with more power than she should have, and things will only get worse if she continues. There, pre-Traveler Kristine is forced to undergo training to control aspects of her power (including her visions), chastised and severely punished for everything she did, becomes a prisoner despite being treated well (she's kept in regular areas and treated like a refugee, but has almost no freedom and adults make all the decisions for her), she's made to go to therapy for all her issues (and thanks to magical powers, forced to talk so she can't not use it by defiance), every action is monitored, she has to return to school and spend a lot of time catching up on the education she missed while she was traveling around, and her reputation is driven into the ground as people are aware of all the damage she has done. Eventually, when she is much older (around age 17-18), she's allowed to travel again, but she still makes reckless decisions, and causes so much chaos that she nearly dooms the entire world and guarantees her reputation will never recover.

Thankfully, Traveler's Kristine situation is nowhere near as bleak. On top of her being much older, her visions help her out of dangerous situations and allow her to do more things on her own. On the flipside, she lacks the ability to obtain proof that she is having the visions in a world where psychics can fake them. Unlike her original versions and shown in the original notes for her prequel story, when people learn the truth behind the visions, they are more understanding. Also unlike her past selves, Kristine's version in Traveler did go for help several times only to be ignored. This doesn't stop people from being frustrated and saddened because they feel like they would've helped her. Others find out that she didn't know that because she had no reason to trust them after being dismissed earlier. Still others pointed out that Kristine is at least partially responsible for giving up on the idea and forming judgments about people in the first place. This conflict, although not to the degree of the other nations, can still be seen in the series, all those currently set to be at least partially in the future chapters of Usurping.

-Interestingly, in the very early pre-Traveler days there was an original teenage character named Cassandra. She had visions no one could see or believe, although she didn't have them too often. I didn't know on the Greek character existed at the time, so this was all a coincidence. The most noteworthy time the character used her visions was to save a complete stranger in the main character's group after going against them for a while. She nearly gets herself killed, but manages to survive and the other character is saved. This also marks a turning point in Cassandra's development, as although she spent most of the story acting aggressive, cold and almost abusive, it's finally realized that she does have softer side. Shortly before that it's also revealed that the personality she currently displays is an unhealthy coping mechanism for parents suddenly disappearing one day. She and her brothers are some of the few that can go and find them (as well as one other person gets dragged into it all, proves to be disloyal, and opposes the whole thing, but isn't sure what he can do to stop it and also nearly ends up dying trying). Considering their teenagers who are unprepared for traveling, it goes about as well as one might expect and they're in dire straits by the time they meet the main group.

Cassandra then to extreme methods of getting what she wanted out of desperation. This included physically attacking people that were in her way (even if they ended up being her own allies and to the point where remaining family almost turned on her) and had to come plan to kidnap the main character when she realized said character had abilities that could help her find her parents. The main character eventually does help her find her parents and they are able to reunite, but not before Cassandra finally realizes on the wrong she had done and how many people she had hurt, even if she started out with good intentions. She was known as a kind person before what happened, and eventually reverts to the person others knew. She also with the main group rather than go back home with her parents out of gratitude for accepting her despite what she had done. Cassandra was skilled in combat, using those abilities to train some of the other members of the group, and also becoming friends with them. However her visions were never seen again, and it was implied they were only there because was constantly in danger. It's not known of this character or scenario will make an appearance in any modern work, but pre-Traveler Kristine was at least slightly based on this (aside from the visions disappearing when she was out of danger).

-Gabriel knowing telepathy is based off of the anime, where several legendary Pokémon and even just regular psychics and ghosts can use telepathy to speak with humans without needing to translate. Giratina is also one of the Pokémon that can learn psychic moves (literally the move Psychic) after being taught it by a Trainer. Therefore, I figured it was not improbable for him to use telepathy initially and they get better after he met Kristine. The conversation was originally going to be a normal one, but due to the reasons Kristine states in the story, I realized that would not make sense.

-Kristine liking canines and especially dogs is based off of me in real life, to the point where I have grown up with them. When I play video games, I have dogs on the final team in any game that can have them, and I have unintentionally made my main team a team of dogs more than once. In real life, being a dog trainer or part of a K-9 unit is not possible for obvious reasons, and also for the reasons Kristine states in Traveler. However, with a way to get around the and Pokémon the more intelligent than regular dogs and being a bit more humanlike, it could still be theoretically possible for Kristine. However, because of the transformation issues making it risky, Kristine does not consider it. This is also a callback to Holly being considered for a K-9 unit early on when she was journeying in her story (she shows interest in it when Annabel catches a Growlithe for her and then talks about that as a possibility). However, Holly chooses not to do it in the end and later proves completely unsuitable.

-Lydia is one of Kristine's Pokémon shown in Holly Rising, and Kristine rides around on this Pokémon during almost all of her appearances there. Kristine running around on Lydia is also based on canon when the character Gladion is also shown to do so with his Silvally. Canonically, Silvally shows many doglike behaviors, but does is explicitly called a dog. It's more of an amalgamation of animals due to being artificially created. I always thought of it as a canine, so Kristine thinks of it as such there.

-Struggling to show negative emotions and getting angry when I do so them is something that I struggle with real life. Using stoicism to protect myself from them, as well as when I'm stressed out is also something that happens. Luckily, all of this is nowhere near as bad in real life as Kristine's situation is in the story. This is both because I'm not in as many stressful situations as she is (especially because I haven't had to deal with life or death situations, thankfully) and because I've been working through these issues via therapy. Kristine being more friendly, outgoing, and posit were not stressed is also something from real life. Interestingly, Kristine story and comparison to real life unintentionally shows the realistic consequences of constant stoicism. She can't keep up the act, comes off as uncaring despite her internal monologue showing otherwise, has trouble dealing with her emotions both internal and external (to the point where she literally has more emotion than she knows what to do with), has some problems with emotional suppression, and directly acknowledges it as unhealthy but has no idea how to fix the problem (including where and who to go to for therapy).

-Kalmia is an original character that first appeared as a possible concept in Diary. She later appeared in a direct character in Daughter, and has several additional possible roles explained in notes for Usurping. Daughter's author's notes give a detailed description of who she is and why she was created, so I will just quote them directly:

"-Kalmia is an original character first seen in the end of Diary. In that story, it's explained that Kalmia was created to act as a heroic contrast to the canon character Zinnia. This is because the latter would not have done well as a heroic character, at least without changing the entire character to barely resemble what it was originally. So Kalmia was created to fill that role instead. She is seen in a few scenes after her introduction in Diary, but since Diary is metafiction, it's not known how many or if any of these scenes will be canon to the other parts of the Traveler series."

It's worth noting that when I started writing the notes for Usurping's chapters and scenes that Kalmia would appear in, she started diverging heavily from what I'd originally planned. As a result she became her own character separate from both Zinnia (even though set character was still heavily in her history and background) and what she was originally meant to be. Those who have read the Deviantart notes on Usurping currently up might know what I'm talking about. For those who don't, the changes, as well as how and why they happened, will be shown in upcoming chapters.

-Azure and Scarlet are original characters coming from Holly Rising's original RP and being carried over. Their positions are mostly carried over as well. In the original RP, not much was known about them other than being Red and Blue's children, most of their teams, the fact that Azure was the Viridian Gym Leader after Blue, and that Scarlet was the Champion sometime after Red. However, with so little information and being given permission from the RP's creator, I free to expand on them however I wanted. This information included adding ages, personalities, some team updates, how they looked, and backstory about how they got to where they were. This was carried over or otherwise influenced their roles in Usurping.

Their positions are mostly carried over as well, mainly for consistency. Azure is mentioned to be the Gym Leader of Viridian in Knowledge, one of Usurping's side works. Since Knowledge was written back when usurping was taking place in the same universe as Holly Rising and long before there was the established theme of children being unable to hold high political positions, Azure remains the Viridian Gym Leader at the time this story starts. However, Daisy watching over both Azure and Scarlet was added to make things more consistent with what Usurping had become, and to give a more realistic take on what happens when a child that she does get into a high political position (regardless of what skills they have). Scarlet's case is a little bit differently. In Holly Rising's RP, she is listed as the Champion of Kanto. This was kept consistent, with the battle against Scarlet being the last chapter from Holly's point of view.

However, by the time the battle against Scarlet came around, it was established that children should not be taking high political positions and having them do so was disastrous. Thus, there is quite a bit of added backstory for Scarlet to make her taking the Champion position make more sense, especially since Red had long since not been the Champion. Viridian Gym in the power of battle simply ran in Azure's family, so he inherited it from his father, Blue (although Daisy did not have a combat role at the time and thus was not mentioned to be involved). Scarlet, however, had no such background and thus the reasons for her being the Champion were wide open. Thus, it's mentioned that she is Maria's former student, but it's later revealed that Maria manipulated her into becoming the Champion so that the highest power in Kanto would automatically be her ally.

It's also mentioned that several people disapprove of Scarlet becoming Champion even without taking Maria's influence into account, the Elite Four are the ones secretly in charge, and Scarlet is so young and naïve she doesn't have much of an idea what's going on during the conflict in the story. She is able to snap out of her naïveté during the fight for her title when she realizes Maria and Holly betrayed the region, but by then it's too late for her to do much of anything and she nearly gets killed trying to resist. Kristine also expresses pity that Scarlet is the Champion. She states that Scarlet shouldn't even be the Champion, and in her world, she is not. This is kept consistent in Usurping.

In very early versions of usurping, Scarlet was still supposed to be the Champion, although things would've been different and she would not have been the final opponent Kristine faced in Kanto. Scarlet is shown to not want to position, as it is a huge responsibility for her young age even with help from the adults. Furthermore, she expresses a desire to just wander around and act like a normal person, and is stated to be restless. She especially has trouble managing it with the chaos during Usurping, and is injured by some of the villains. After that, she sees it as the perfect opportunity to step down, letting one of the previous Champions (either Bill or Giselle; at the time the Champion wasn't finalized, and Blue and Red could not take the position) take over and serve as Kristine's final opponent. This was removed when usurping became its own timeline and I realized it would just be easier for Scarlet to never even get to the Championship. Scarlet and Azure failing on their journeys was taken from some of Usurping's notes, and must emphasize the fact that even though they were strong, they were still children and there was a limit to what they could do.

-Daisy being Blue's older sister is from canon but her also being good at battling is an interpretation of it. Canonically, Daisy is never seen battling. However, she is shown to be skilled with Pokémon Contests and Pokémon in general, beating several high-level opponents. She is stated to be able to make even the most ferocious Pokémon calm down or otherwise obey her, and can tell much of Pokémon likes its Trainer at a glance. She also runs her own grooming service, and will provide that service to the player in some of the game she appears in for a small fee. Daisy also being a good battler in Usurping is based off of the fact that she's related to Professor Oak and Blue. Both of them are active battlers and are shown to be extremely skilled, so I figured it would make sense that Daisy would be too (especially since Contests are shown to have battle portions). However, since it's not confirmed canonically and she has interests in other areas, I decided it would also make sense if she doesn't bring it up much.

-Eating too fast when stressed and Kristine's reactions to someone telling her she's doing that are based on real-life. Not being completely under her control (but still enough to where she can control it to some extent) and Gabriel's concerns are also taken from real life (although I've never made myself sick from eating too fast, thankfully, but the possibility has been there).

Pokémon not being animals and being based on fae or yokai is from my own interpretations and some fan theories. This series never canonically elaborates on what Pokémon are, and it's why canonically a lot of professors are studying them. However, it doesn't stop fans from having their own theories, and a lot of them treat Pokémon like animalistic creatures that are least little bit smarter than animals. For a long time, Traveler followed suit, with Holly's Pokémon in Holly Rising mainly behaving this way and not having lives or much personality of their own beyond her using them in battle.

However, Diary expanded on and changed the concept. Diary explained that Pokémon held positions above animals, but sometimes below humans. However, the gap was blurring more and more between humans and Pokémon. This came to a head when the concept of a Pokémon citizen was shown, where Pokémon became similar to humans (without changing appearance) and were treated like them. This concept also came from a fan interpretation of Gardevior and Gallade, which talked about these Pokémon getting trained to become full class citizens. This is the inspiration for part of the back story of the original character Gracie from some of the other stories. Since Diary was metafiction, the concept was not finalized.

What really finalized how Pokémon were treated was when I looked up what it would actually be like to write Pokémon as smarter animals. I quickly found out that in order to write Pokémon like that, I would almost certainly have to give up most of the realism in the story or writing realistically at all. This is because works that feature animals realistically often tend to be dry and un-relatable in the work itself is well written. Some writers try to get around this by making animals more humanized, anthropomorphic, or even magically uplifted to have them behave and look like people. Unfortunately, what usually happens is that the story is so similar to one with humans that the animals could easily be replaced by people and almost no one would notice. I didn't want any of that, so I had to think of another way to portray Pokémon when they took center stage. Then, I read a forum post about someone complain about other were sick of Pokémon being portrayed as either animals or simply mindless monsters. Instead, they stated that the whole Pokémon system's inspiration was from fae, yokai, and other mythical creatures that make contracts. I did a little research and found that the Pokémon did indeed take inspiration from those types of creatures. So I decided to go with something like that and make a reference to it than Pokémon just being like animals.

-Snakes not being able to taste, almost inhaling food, and having trouble moving after eating is true in real life. When I was trying to figure out how Gabriel would eat breakfast for the scene in this chapter, I came across that problem. However, I decided psychic power could be a substitute. Canonically, Pokémon can taste regardless of what species they are based off of or even if they are based off an object, so I figured using some like psychic power to taste and eat like a human would was not improbable.

-Near the end of the chapter there was supposed to be a reference to an obscure glitch in the original Pokémon Red and Blue games. This glitch would make it look that the player had a lot of Pokémon when they went to heal them, but in reality they would have zero Pokémon. As the game tried to finish the healing animation, it would crash. This reference was removed because they would be out of place and not well-known. Furthermore, Kristine would have no reason to go to heal her Pokémon, and she know she was not injured beforehand, no one would have a reason to ask her.

-Mining is seen in the Sinnoh games and in some fangames, and it works exactly as Kristine describes. Early on in their journey, the player is given a mining kit with proper tools. They can then use to access an area called Sinnoh Underground and interact with others. In this area they could mine for rare stones and objects, which could be sold for high prices. The series then eventually added collectors which would buy objects found that could be found mining for double the price. Thus, it was easy for the player to get rich quickly, but it could be repetitive, they would eventually have to move on, and the money could easily be spent until they didn't have what they had earned anymore. Thus, Kristine mentions mining being hard on Trainers, and the money being only temporary.

-People never being seen using debit cards, and the Trainer card showing how much cash someone has and possibly being able to be used like one is my interpretation from canon. In the games, the player can earn huge amounts of money and is just carrying it around without incident. In real life, can run large amounts of money can be very dangerous and cumbersome. The player character or anyone from canon is never shown having any cashless type of money, such as a debit or credit card. However, the Trainer Card from the games shows how much money they have on hand. Therefore, I figured it could be used like a credit or debit card. However, as Kristine points out, having a young person with a credit or debit card can be a very bad idea. This is because of the possibility of misspending or running the chance to make some future purchases. The statement about people not being allowed to have credit cards or debit cards in their name until they turn 18 is also correct as a result. With Traveler's world being what it is, things would be little different, but Kristine doesn't go into detail because the system does not apply to her and never really has.