Episode 34: Past meets present
"Hey, Niko." Warren asked as they were walking along route 9 one day. "What did you do before coming to Unova? You may have told me once, but I swear I forgot."
"I, err…I was going to go to school, but it just didn't work out. I wanted to find something else to do with my life." Niko said in a blatant lie.
This journey was started on Warren's insistence that Niko attempt to be a Pokémon trainer. Warren never knew Niko's past—that he used to be a Pokémon trainer bent on being the best; that he has travelled the world for years, catching and training nearly two dozen different kinds of Pokémon; that he quit and gave up everything he had earned over one loss; that he missed his father's funeral, abandoned his friends, family, and Pokémon in the most cowardly way possible.
Niko often thought about how Warren would react to this. He told Charlotte, and only when he felt like he had to. Unexpectedly, she accepted it for what it was, and understood Niko's perspective. But, what if Warren was different? Would he feel the same way, especially after lobbying so hard to get Niko to try to become a trainer? Would he feel betrayed by one of his close friends? Or would he, like Charlotte, accept this for what it was and help Niko move past it?
He had no idea. And he kept thinking of ways that he could tell Warren. The action of it was simple—all it took was just one statement to get the ball rolling on revealing his past. But while it seemed easy, for Niko it was a difficult thing to do. He couldn't quite explain it; it takes courage to admit your faults, or to admit anything that is uncomfortable. So, when Niko thought of ways he could admit this to his friend, he kept finding himself at a loss. If he was being honest with himself, Niko was partially hoping for a trigger—some sort of spark—to force him to open up, just like he did with Charlotte.
That moment would come on route 9, when they were close to Opelucid City.
It was an ordinary morning. Niko was out training with his full team of Pokémon, once more in preparation for their upcoming gym battle. Overall, his Pokémon seemed to be doing quite well with their training. Now that Duosion was feeling better upon her evolution from Solosis, all of Niko's Pokémon were able to train to their fullest potential. This satisfied their trainer, who was secretly worried about the next gym. He knew nothing about it—evidently, neither did Warren or Charlotte. This was usual for Niko, though, and he accepted it as it was.
Charlotte was petting Deerling and watching Warren cook something while their friend was off in the thin snow, uttering commands to each of his Pokémon.
"Niko's gotten much more impressive lately." Warren said. "Have you noticed that?"
"Impressive in what way?"
"Well, he seems more confident. Almost like he knows what he's doing."
"Is that a bad thing?" Charlotte asked, genuinely curious.
"No! Not at all. But…for a first-time trainer, it seems almost odd. He seems almost too comfortable with it."
"Maybe it's in his nature?"
"That's possible." Warren said, looking down at the small pan he was cooking on (they only had a limited number of utensils to use, which forced them to get creative with their cooking on occasion).
As soon as everyone sat down to eat before continuing their journey, Braviary turned his head to the south, as if hearing something. Curious, Niko turned as well. Seeing nothing, he got back to eating. But then Boldore—whose sense of hearing was the best on Niko's team—also turned to the south.
"What's up guys?" Niko asked, petting Braviary and Boldore. They both turned to him, and suddenly he saw images being transferred to him through Duosion. "You guys heard something…and it sounds dangerous?"
They nodded.
"Well, then maybe we should finish up here and keep going as soon as possible. If it's coming from the south, we shouldn't run into it, right?" Warren suggested. Niko and Charlotte both nodded in agreement, and continued to eat.
Once they finished, they packed up their things and were prepared to leave when they heard yet another sound. This time Niko certainly heard it; a tree crashed in the distance.
"It's probably some Pokémon or something. If we don't interfere with it, then it won't interfere with us, right?"
"Generally speaking, yeah." Warren said. "Either way, let's keep going."
As soon as Niko took a step, the sound got louder—and closer. Turning his head, he saw a tree trunk break down roughly fifty yards from them. In its wake was a Haxorus. Only it was a "normal"-colored Haxorus, with yellow skin instead of the black one they saw at the Nature Preserve.
"Are Haxorus native to this area…?" Niko asked, turning to Charlotte.
"They live in the mountains, I think. But…Niko, that Haxorus is caught." She said, pointing towards a man standing next to the Axe Jaw Pokémon. Niko turned to see what she was referring to. And he wish he hadn't.
Standing next to the Haxorus, towering over the powerful dragon Pokémon was a man. He had slicked-back black hair, wore all black clothing—shirt, pants, boots, and a black leather overcoat—and was now sporting a partial beard that looked more kept-together than Niko's untrimmed facial hair.
It was Hunter. Standing directly in front of Niko.
"Is that…?" Hunter asked, squinting a little as he began to walk towards the group. "No, there's no way. What are the chances that I would see you, of all people, out here in Unova?"
"I—I don't know what you're talking about, sir." Niko said, trying to disguise his voice and looking away, careful to not meet Hunter's gaze. Soon enough, his old rival was within feet of him, staring down at Niko with his black pupils.
"Oh, you do. You look different—like you've been homeless for months. Not the angry little trainer I met back in Hearthome City anymore. But probably just as pathetic."
"Listen, punk." Niko said, staring Hunter in the eyes this time. "I don't know who you are, or what you want. So please leave me alone."
"Niko…do you know this guy?" Warren asked. Niko shot him an angry glare just as Hunter began to cackle.
"Niko! Yes, that's your name!" Hunter shouted. "I see you've got a new posse, then? No little girlfriend to defend you anymore? No bumbling 'Pokémon breeder' this time? Oh, and tell me, Niko: how's Rampardos doing nowadays? Still weak and useless?"
Niko felt the anger swell in him again, just like it used to a year prior. His chest felt heavy; he could feel heat coursing through his veins. It was a painful, yet oddly satisfying feeling.
"Niko, do you know—?"
"SHUT. UP. WARREN!" Niko shouted back. Suddenly, Warren and Charlotte went silent. Turning back to Hunter, Niko grabbed the taller man's collar. "Leave. Me. Alone."
"Oh, sure. I will. But it seems like your friends don't know what we're talking about. Looks like you've got a lot of catching up to do with them." He looked down and noticed a couple pokéballs sitting along Niko's belt. "Oh, you're still collecting Pokémon? Are they any better than the ones I fought back in the Lily of the Valley Conference? Remember that battle, Niko? Toxicroak thinks of it often."
"Stop. Talking." Niko said in a low, but demanding, tone.
"Are you taking on the gym challenge in Unova? Then you must be going to battle Drayden. I'm sure you'll do fine. Maybe you'll do better against him than you did against me. Wait, how many of my Pokémon did you defeat in our full battle? One? Couldn't have been more than two. I didn't even get to use my full team."
"WHY DO YOU HATE ME SO MUCH!?" Niko screamed.
"Oh, I don't hate you, Niko. Hate's such a strong word. No, I think you're pathetic. And you're stupid for continuing on with your journey, especially given that it almost killed one of your Pokémon."
"That was all your doing…" Niko said, almost growling.
"Well yeah, but if you were stronger it wouldn't have happened, I'm sure. Again, I don't hate you, but I sure do get a kick out of pissing you off." He turned to Charlotte. "Is this your new girl? Will she stand up for you like that purple-haired freak did? Doubt it…children aren't worth anything."
"I'm not a child, thank you." Charlotte said, looking angry as well.
"Well Niko, I'll let you go now. I hope Drayden doesn't hurt you as badly as I did. I don't want to have to fight for my title. It's too much work."
He was about to turn when Niko, out of pure anger, whipped out a pokéball and summoned Servine. "LEAF BLADE!"
"Haxorus, dragon tail." Hunter said without turning around. Servine flew through the air, hoping to land her glowing green tail on Haxorus' back. However, she felt a rough-skinned tail slam into her from the side, launching her across the field they were in at a speed that Niko had never seen before. "You might want to check on that Servine of yours—hopefully she isn't in critical condition like Rampardos was."
Angry, sad, frustrated, Niko dashed towards Servine, who was lying nearly a hundred feet away in the snow. "Servine…are you alright?"
The Grass Snake Pokémon weakly nodded before losing consciousness. Niko began to shed tears, returning Servine to her pokéball and sitting there in the snow, silently weeping.
A unique feature of route 9 was that, somewhere down the road, a shopping mall stood, acting primarily as a rest stop for trainers on their way to Opelucid City. It was called Shopping Mall Nine, and that's where Niko took Servine to get healed up.
Niko wanted to be alone in the hours after his surprise encounter with Hunter. It suddenly brought back all of the memories he had tried to repress from the year before starting his journey. While he waited in the Pokémon Center, trying to soak in everything, Warren and Charlotte were touring the mall to give their friend some space.
Warren was, understandably, the most confused one of the three. "Charlotte, do you know what he was talking about at all? This…whatever he was."
"I don't believe so." Charlotte said in an obvious lie. She knew that if Warren were to find out about his friend, then it would have to come from Niko himself, and no one else. So she continued to play dumb. "Do you think he was telling the truth?"
"About what? Everything's so confusing!" Warren said. "There's no way Niko was a trainer! He's never competed in any gym battles, and Snivy was his first Pokémon!"
"Hmm…" Charlotte said, unsure of what to say next. She felt uncomfortable in this position—stuck between knowing the truth and wanting to know how Warren felt about all of this. "Let's just get him something, like a snack, and go back to the Pokémon Center."
"Sounds good to me." Warren replied. The two of them bought a pretzel, one for each of them, and were walking back towards the Pokémon Center when they noticed Niko sitting at a table outside, clearly looking at nothing in particular. "Hey, buddy…how's Servine doing?" Warren asked as he handed Niko a pretzel.
"Fine. She didn't sustain any injuries." Niko said, putting the pretzel aside. He wasn't hungry.
"So…uh…do you want to talk about anything?" Warren asked. "You know you can tell us what's bothering you, Niko. We won't judge you."
"I know you won't." Niko said calmly and cordially. "It's just…it's not something I want to admit. And, well, I'm afraid."
"Afraid of what?" Warren asked.
"Afraid of how you'd react when I told you I've been lying to you this entire time." Niko finally said, a little louder than he normally would. "Look, Warren. I appreciate all of the enthusiasm you've shown in making me a trainer, but I have to tell you that…I've been one for a long time now. About four and a half years now."
"What…?" Warren asked, thoroughly confused.
"Let me explain." Niko said. And he did. He went through everything he told Charlotte back in Anville Town. He explained where he came from; his placings in four Pokémon Leagues; his battle with Hunter that resulted in Rampardos' injury; Battle Island; his rematch against Palmer; Lauren; his father's death; and his reasons for leaving Pallet Town for Unova.
The entire time, Warren was uncharacteristically silent.
"And so, I came to Unova on a whim. I took the next boat departing from Vermillion City, and it just so happened to be Castelia City. I'd never really heard of Unova, other than a few minor details, but I decided to wing it and go there. When I landed, I needed to find a place to stay. I looked in ads, and after a day or two found yours. That's how we met—by pure chance. And I don't regret it for a moment, Warren. Because, out of everyone that I've ever met in my life, you've managed to get me off of my ass. I've gone through some tough times, and I've given up on occasion. But when I was at my lowest point—this past summer and early fall—you single-handedly picked me back up without even knowing it. You, and then Snivy, and then Charlotte, and then Rufflet. I've enjoyed this journey more than I thought I would have. I've met Pokémon that I never imagined meeting. They're my friends now. We've been through so much now, and it's because of you. So…if you are mad, or angry with me because I lied, then I understand, and I accept it. But I've realized that you have as much of a right to know as anyone."
Warren simply got out of his chair, leaned over, and hugged Niko for a long moment before letting go and sitting back down.
"Don't be sorry." He simply said, in the same tone Charlotte used when she first responded to Niko. "You're my friend, and always will be. Your past—all of that—it's in the past. And you're a better person because you've gone through that, even if you caused most of it. But the Niko I know today is a great, caring trainer who is going to win the Unova League. I'm more convinced of it now than I was an hour ago, because not only do you have a strong team behind you here, you've also got a bunch back in Pallet town."
"Did. I did have a bunch back there. I don't know if they're still there or not." Niko admitted.
"They probably are. I'd bet on it." Warren said in his usually optimistic tone. "And…this Hunter guy. That's who we saw today?" Niko nodded. "Wow. What a piece of crap he is."
"Yeah, he's terrible. But I wonder if maybe he's right?"
"About what? Nothing! Pfft, who cares if he beat you once, twice, or even several times! He won't next time, though!"
"You're sure about this?" Niko asked.
"Yeah, I remember watching Niko's battle against him. That's actually where I remember seeing Niko before I met him in person. Hunter's Toxicroak is something else, Warren."
"Doesn't matter. Niko will beat it. Full stop." Warren said, leaning back. "And you're going to prove that to yourself when you beat this Drayden guy in Opelucid City. I promise you that."
"Whatever you say, Warren." Niko said with a wry smile. "Thanks for having my back."
"I always will, Niko. And so will Charlotte. And so will your Pokémon."
Niko nodded, feeling much better now that everything was out in the open. There were no more secrets to keep. And, as it turned out, Warren and Charlotte both felt lighter as well. Charlotte because she no longer had anything to pretend to not know, and Warren because he felt like he completely understood his friend and former roommate a little bit better now.
Author's note: Everyone's favorite rival is back in Unova! A little late, to be sure, and he doesn't show up much in general, but Hunter is definitely back! Will he play a larger role in this season than he has in previous ones?