Chapter 63: Back to the way it should be

Nemona and Geeta finished their hug and pulled away from each other. "I'll battle you after everything is over, okay?" Geeta said.

"Y-You promise..?" Nemona said, lighting up a bit and smiling.

Geeta smiled back. "I promise. First, I've got business to settle with my other self."

"About that.." Rika said, crossing her arms. "I was told by a person named Professor Sada that she wanted to talk to you, Geeta. Apparently, she's a messenger from another timeline, specifically the one that the second Geeta came from."

"I see," Geeta said. Geeta turned to Nemona. "Well, Nemona, this is where we part ways. This has absolutely nothing to do with you. I know that you're thinking about joining us, but I have to absolutely forbid you from-"

"...That's okay. You can go." Nemona said.

Geeta tilted her head to the side. "Huh?" She said. "I-...To be frank… I expected you to be more…insistent on coming with us."

Nemona walked over to the tree stump she sat on before Geeta's other self came. Her back was turned to the adults. "I want to wait for Kai. I haven't seen him in a long time…so I wanna see him."

Geeta frowned. The fact that she was acting so different from her usual upbeat and hyper-active self made her feel awful. "Nemona, I-... I'm sorry." Geeta clenched her fists. "If- if there's anything I can do to-"

"Don't worry about it," Nemona said, her tone was melancholic. She hugged her legs and looked ahead. "If you're going to fight that other Geeta, I'd get in the way. It's too painful to see that other Geeta like she is."

"It's…too painful to see you as you are right now.." Geeta muttered under her breath.

"Did you say something?"

"Uh-... no. I'm- I didn't say anything." Geeta said. "Nemona…just-...don't stop being you."

Nemona turned her head. She smiled. "I won't- La Primera. I promise."

Geeta suddenly felt sharp emotional pain rising from her chest. "I'm- I'm so sorry.."

"How many times have you said that?" Nemona said. "I'm gonna be okay. I'm not just tough with battles. I'm tough with emotions too. I've got to be- I've lost my fair share of battles. If you think I haven't gone through my entire life without being bummed at least once or twice…then you'd be overestimating me. Go do what you have to do."

"But-" Geeta stopped short when Rika put her hand on Geeta's shoulder before walking past her.

"Hey, kiddo," Rika said. "Remember what you told me before? About how you wanted to go all out against Kai?"

"Yeah..?"

"You should consider doing that the next time you meet. You may learn something about yourself."

"...Really? But-.. What if he decides… he doesn't want to be my friend anymore because I went all out..?"

Rika shook her head. "That lie you made up in your head that tells you that the moment you stop holding back is the moment you lose everything…is just a lie. You believed it because of what happened in your past, but in the end, it's not true. Think about that when you fight Kai."

Nemona was speechless.

"By the way..." Rika said, putting her hands in her pockets. "Guess what? Because Geeta's back, you've been absolved of your duties. You are no longer the champion of Paldea."

Nemona's eyes widened.

"I bet a huge weight came off your shoulders," Rika said, smiling. "No offense, but you weren't fit for the job. I could tell you would rather have gone out to explore with your friends and watch them grow. After your fight, stay with Kai. I bet you want to watch him fight his next gym battle or something, right?"

Nemona smiled a bit. "Yeah… I do."

"I figured as much. You were sulking more than a Mimikyu when it's left alone for too long. Leave the rest to us adults."

"Okay."

Rika turned to Geeta. They shared a nod, and then walked away. Nemona continued to wait. She sighed to herself and put her hands under her jaw.

Just as Geeta and Rika left Nemona behind, a call came to Geeta's phone. Geeta pulled out her phone and put it to her ear.

"Hello. This is Professor Sada, please put the phone on speaker."

"Okay." Geeta said, pulling her phone and pressing a button to put it on speaker.

"Hello Rika."

"Oh-" Rika said. "It's you."

"Keep walking and talking. I'm going to ask you both to come to my laboratory. As you come, I will explain what happened to my timeline, and why it became the way it did."

Kai and Aeon stood together in front of the only Pokémon left on the field: the fallen Slaking. The rest of Kai's Pokémon were in their Pokéballs.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Kai asked.

"This Slaking is incredibly powerful. So much so that it's imperative that you catch him. He may be useful for the next Gym battle."

Kai grinned widely and pulled out an empty ball. He tossed it in the air and caught it. "Ohooo-... I've been waiting for this. Into the ball it goes!"

Kai threw the ball. The ball hit slaking… And just fell to the ground without opening.

"Huh?" Kai asked, tilting his head. "What? Why- why is it-"

Kai picked up the ball and threw it at Slaking again. Nothing happened. Kai pouted and picked it up one more time to throw it. Nothing happened.

Kai reached for his ball for a fourth time.

"Kai-" Aeon said. "Either your Pokéball's not working, or-"

"I swear it'll work this time," Kai said, picking up the ball and throwing it.

"Don't pelt him! He's already unconscious!"

"But I want him SO BAAAAADDDDD…"

"You have another Pokéball, don't you?"

"No…" Kai moaned, looking down at the floor.

"Oh. Okay… well," Aeon placed a hand on Kai's shoulder. "Test the pokéball you have on another wild Pokemon to see if it works- it's not like Slaking's going anywhere."

"But what if when I test the Pokéball, it works and catches the Pokémon I tested it on?"

"Well, that means we'd have to just leave the Slaking."

"B-But..!"

"It's okay. I'll hug you to help you grieve if that happens. Just get going. Shoo."

Kai groaned, grabbing the fallen Pokéball and staring at it. After sighing briefly, he pocketed it and started running ahead.

Aeon sighed to himself as he turned to the Slaking.

"I still can't believe a Pokemon like you could be this powerful," Aeon said. "Adding you to Kai's team would be incredible, but... I can't shake the feeling that I have about you…"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Aeon spun around the moment he heard Kai scream in terror. Instinct carried his feet as he sprinted.

The spy drone Sada and Turo used to watch the fight with Slaking moved in the moment Aeon ran away. The drone opened a hatch from the bottom of its body, and a mechanical arm came out of it. In the mechanical arm's hand was a single Pokéball, which returned the Slaking into it. Then, the Spy drone flew away.

"Kai!?" Aeon shouted. "What's wrong!? Kai!?"

The moment Aeon found Kai and ran over to him…was the moment the android's protective instinct turned into…

Bewilderment.

In front of Kai, who was shivering as he sat on the ground was…a Greavard. It was panting and had its tongue out.

"IT'S A GHOST- IT'S A GHOST- IT's A GHOOOOSTTT…." Kai roared.

"Yeah. It is a ghost." Aeon said. He sighed a breath of relief and put his hands on his hips. "So, are you gonna catch it?"

The Greavard hopped with joy once it heard the word 'catch' and started approaching.

"No way! No- nononono!" Kai went onto his feet and hid behind Aeon.

Aeon narrowed his eyes.

"Dude," Aeon said, "It's just a Greavard. I don't think it hurts people. Check your Pokédex."

"No- there is no way that this monster doesn't do something like taking your soul! I bet this Pokédex entry will tell us how it lures you into a sense of security before eating you alive or something!… Ghost Pokédex entries are the worst! It's why I HATE ghost type Pokémon!"

"Eh, I actually can't blame you for that one," Aeon said.

Kai's Roto phone flew out of his pocket and floated in front of him. On its monitor was a picture of the ghost type in front of him.

"Greavard." The Pokédex said, "The Ghost Dog Pokémon. This Pokémon dislikes being alone. If it is paid even the slightest bit of attention, it will follow you until the end of time."

"WHAT?" Kai cried.

Aeon snickered a bit. Greavard started inching closer to Kai.

"NO- NONONONONO- PLEAAASE, ARCEUS, NO- Aeon- do something!""

"Sorry. I don't make the rules." Aeon took a step to the side to make way for the Greavard and Kai immediately followed him.

"Nonono- there has to be a way to make it stop…"

"Catching it and keeping it in its ball is an effective way of-"

"ANYTHING BUT THAT."

Grevard started wagging its little tail.

"Um…well… it is just a harmless Greavard. So attacking it is out of the question. I guess the other option is to just let it follow you forever."

"NO!"

"Well… only one thing to do. Activating combat level one."

Kai's eyes widened as the ground below Aeon began to crack a bit. Then, suddenly, Aeon turned to Kai, reached into his pockets with both hands and stole Quaxwell's, Pawmo's and Tinkaton's Pokeballs before leaping into the air. and his feet burst into flames as they turned into jet boots.

"What the HECK man!?" Kai roared.

"Just making sure you don't put a Pokémon or person between you and that Greavard. Just test your Pokeball!"

"It's going to work- isn't it!? It wants to be with me!"

"Well we'll work with him instead of that Slaking!"

"I'm gonna KILL YOU when you get back down here!"

"Weird way of pronouncing, 'I'm going to thank you when you get back down here, love you, Aeon'! It's okay, we'll work on that!"

"GAAAH!" Kai roared.

Greavard barked and came closer to Kai. Kai yelped and fell on his bottom and began pulling himself away. "Get away from me...you MONSTER!"

Kai pulled his empty Pokeball out and aimed it as though it were a weapon.

Greavard barked again with joy upon seeing the ball.. Kai gulped. "N-Nice… Nice- monster… N-nice..m-monster…!" His entire body was trembling. Kai closed his eyes and looked away as Greavard came close to the ball, and then booped it with its nose.

The Pokeball opened, and immediately shot a laser of light at the ghost dog and swallowed it whole. After wagging back and forth three times… the Pokémon made the all too familiar lock-sound.

"...It's- It's mine." Kai said, picking up the ball and then standing up. He stared at it. "I have… a Ghost type Pokemon now. Oh no."

"KAI!"

Kai heard someone's voice, and it wasn't Aeon's. He swung his head and saw Nemona, who was raising her arms and sprinting over to Kai. Immediately, Nemona hugged Kai so hard that he nearly fell to the ground with her.

"I MISSED YOU SO MUCH!" Nemona shouted, rubbing her cheek against Kai's. "Oh my gosh- how many Gym badges did you earn- how many?! How much stronger have you gotten?! How many trainers did you beat?! Oh, It's been so long!"

"N-Nemona- You're-... you're choking me-..." Kai groaned.

The sound of jet boots roaring made Nemona suddenly turn her head. She saw Aeon slowly descending to the ground with his arms crossed and a slight look of jealousy in his eyes.

Nemona's eyes widened and her jaw dropped as she pulled away from Kai.

Aeon cleared his throat. "Nice to see you again, Nemona," He said.

"A-Aeon-!" Kai cried.

"What?"

"Don't you remember the promise you reminded me that we made- the one about you not showing Nemona that you're part robot!?"

"Huh?" Aeon raised his eyebrows and uncrossed his arms before realizing that Nemona was still staring with her jaw dropped and starting to make a high-pitched squeal, the kind that someone would make when someone saw the coolest thing ever.

"Oh. Uh… Whoops."

"YEAH. 'WHOOPS.' Nice job!"

Nemona started jumping up and down with excitement. "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-"