Outside, glancing down at the way her blue badge sparkled in the sun filled Mary-Sue with a giddiness she couldn't contain, and she hop-danced her way down the street. Her very first gym battle, and she'd won! I'm really doing it! she thought. I'm really gonna be a Pokémon master, just like Ash Ketchum!
Ecstatic as she was, though, she got back to the Pokémon Center as fast as she could, almost tripping several times along the way, hyper-conscious of every second that Aaron was being forced to wait for her. When she arrived, she basically dove through the sliding glass doors - and slammed headfirst into Jovi.
"Oof!" the teenager grunted, thrown to the floor from the force of the impact and landing hard on her butt.
"Sorry!" Mary-Sue yelped before she even realized who she'd run into. Then, "Oh, Jovi! I'm really sorry! Are you okay?"
"Yeah," Jovi groaned, grimacing but smiling as she accepted Mary-Sue's hand and pulled herself up. "I've taken worse tumbles."
"I'm sorry," Mary-Sue repeated. "But, but, look! Look! I got the badge! I won!"
"Oh!" Jovi tried to lean in close to get a better look at the blue badge clipped to Mary-Sue's backpack strap, though she was obviously leery of getting too close when Mary-Sue was still bouncing with excited energy. "Congratulations," she smiled.
"Yeah, yeah!" Mary-Sue babbled. "And, and, Magikarp evolved! It's a Gyarados now!"
"Wow." Jovi's smile seemed a bit forced, but before Mary-Sue could be offended, she all but explained, "I'm sorry I wasn't there to see it."
"Oh, it's fine!" Mary-Sue assured her. "Hey, how are things with your brother?"
Jovi sighed heavily at that. "Fine," she grumbled. "He's…very in favor of me traveling with you guys instead of actively pursuing Cipher, so…I guess that's that." She frowned, then shook her head and forced a smile. "I'm sorry, I don't wanna be a downer. I'm really happy for you, Masie, I know getting a badge is a big deal to you."
"Thanks!" Mary-Sue trilled. "Hey, Aaron's gonna start his fight soon, but he promised he'd wait until I got back from healing my Pokémon. You go on ahead, and don't let him start without me, okay?"
"Okay, okay," Jovi laughed, and she stepped out of the way so Mary-Sue could dash for the front desk.
"Nurse Joy!" Mary-Sue shouted, yanking her second and third Pokéballs from their strap. "I won at the gym, I won the badge! Can you heal my Pokémon? They fought really well!"
"Of course," Nurse Joy said brightly, taking the capsules. "Congratulations, miss."
"Thank you!" Mary-Sue squealed, bouncing in place. "Oh, um, hang on…" Barely remembering in time, she dashed for the bathroom, praying they would have paper towels and not just air dryers.
No such luck.
"Hey, Nurse Joy?" she called, running back out front. "Can I get a towel please? Or something to dry my Pokémon off? My Zubat got really wet, and it doesn't like getting wet."
"Oh, uh, sure," Nurse Joy smiled. "One moment."
While the nurse ducked into a back room and the healing machine beeped and glowed with the two Pokéballs inside, Mary-Sue bounced on the balls of her feet, unable to wipe the grin off her face that was becoming painful. I won a badge! I won a badge! I won a badge! There was no other reality to her beyond that, beyond the shiny blue water droplet pinned by her shoulder. She wanted to call her parents and show them, but she knew that would have to wait if she wanted to watch Aaron's battle, so she simply vibrated with energy, not really even trying to hold still.
"Here you are, miss," Nurse Joy said at last.
"Thank you!" Mary-Sue chirped, taking her Pokéballs and the soft towel the healer handed her. "Come on out, Zubat!"
"Bat zuzu!" hissed her flying-type Pokémon.
"Are you still wet?" she asked it. "Here, let me dry you off…"
"Zubat bat, bat bat bat," it grumbled as she reached to catch it in her gloved hands. With a bit of fluttering and struggling, it eventually rested its body on one of her palms, and she carefully started wiping off the moisture that still lingered from its near-drowning in the gym pool, caught in the short, surprisingly-coarse fuzz that covered its body.
"I'm really sorry," she told it. "I should have known you didn't like getting wet, it was super obvious. I'm just…new to all this, you know."
"Bat zu," it sighed, which she took as forgiveness.
"You fought really well, though," she went on, brightening. "You gave Magikarp the head start it needed to go all the way-"
"Zuu!" it spat, lifting its head angrily. "Zuzuzu, Zubat!"
"Huh?" Mary-Sue blinked at the oddly angry creature, then smiled. "We won," she told it. "Since Magikarp was basically able to focus all its strength on Goldeen, we were able to win. See?" She balled the towel in her fist to poke at the Cascade Badge with one finger. "I have a badge. This badge means that my Pokémon and I won against the Gym Leader of Cerulean City. And I couldn't have done that without you."
"Baaat zuuuu…" Zubat growled as she finished drying it off.
"Look," she sighed, "whatever grudge you have against Magikarp, you're gonna have to let it go now - it evolved after the fight, it's a Gyarados now."
"Zubaaat?!" yelped her companion.
"Uh-huh," she nodded. "It's big now, and powerful. After Aaron finishes his battle, we're gonna go to the cape up north to help it learn to use its big new body. But don't worry," she added, leaning over to place the towel on the counter for Nurse Joy to take back, "I won't let you get wet again, I promise."
"Zuzu bat bat…" It almost seemed to be huffing as it fluttered its wings and rose into the air again.
"There you go," Mary-Sue said. "I'm going back to the gym now to watch Aaron's battle, but you don't have to watch, you can stay dry in your Pokéball. Return," she told it, tapping the button on its capsule, and it dissolved in a cloud of red light.
For one beat, Mary-Sue stared at the third ball on her backpack strap. Then, with a jolt, she remembered she had to hurry, and she dashed out the door and back down the street to the gym.
"WAIT FOR MEEEEEEEE!" she screamed as she dove through the entrance and barreled down the turns of the hall to the gym arena.
"Take it easy, Masie!" Jovi laughed as she rounded the last bend, the older girl all but catching the younger before she slipped and fell into the water. "They're just setting up now."
Panting, Mary-Sue looked up to see that Aaron and Misty were already on the platforms where they'd hold their battle. Misty had put on a dark-blue robe over her swimsuit, Mary-Sue noticed, but she didn't think too much of it. From here, it would just barely be possible to see most of the battle, but she started running around the side of the pool to get a better view.
"Slow down," Jovi admonished, chasing after her. "Everyone knows you can't run around a pool!"
"Is everyone ready?!" Misty called to the spectators.
"Yeah!" Mary-Sue called back. "I'm sorry, thanks for waiting!"
"The battle between Aaron from Galar and the Gym Leader Misty is about to begin!" announced the same blond woman who had refereed for Mary-Sue's battle, who had also donned a robe, this one a burnt umber color. "Each trainer is allowed the use of up to three Pokémon, and only the challenger may make substitutions! Are you ready?!"
"Ready!" Aaron nodded, hefting a Pokéball, and Mary-Sue leaned forward slightly; finally, she'd get to see what kind of trainer her friend was. "You're up, Toxel!"
"Tox," croaked the purple Pokémon that appeared on one of the pontoons.
"Never seen that before," Misty remarked. "Must be native to Galar. Well, I call…Seaking!"
A massive, truly magnificent fish appeared in the water, dark orange and white, covered in black patterns. "Seaking sea," it intoned.
"A Seaking," Mary-Sue murmured out loud. "The evolved form of Goldeen." Of course, it had been a given that Misty would use a much stronger team against Aaron than she had against Mary-Sue, but the young redhead was suddenly very glad she wasn't the one in this fight.
"Begin!" called the referee.
"Give it a Tearful Look, Toxel," Aaron commanded.
"Tox…" The little Pokémon tilted its head at Seaking, its eyes suddenly getting very big and shiny.
"Don't get distracted, Seaking," Misty barked. "Water Pulse!"
"Counter with Acid!" Aaron responded.
Toxel spat up some globs of purple slime, aimed at the resonating blast of water that Seaking had aimed at it. The two moves collided…and then Water Pulse pushed through, knocking Toxel back.
"Tooox!" rasped the little Pokémon, barely managing to stay on its pontoon - the attack's power had been weakened, clearly, but it was still a solid blow.
"Hang in there," Aaron said calmly. "Use Acid again."
"Tox tox!" it spat. "Tooox-el!" More purple globs were launched at the horned fish.
"Dive, Seaking!" Misty ordered.
"Sea!" trumpeted the fish, and it disappeared beneath the water's surface, the acid blobs splashing and dissipating.
"Be ready," Aaron said, and his partner nodded once.
"He's so calm," Mary-Sue remarked to Jovi, and the older girl nodded. Of course, Aaron had always been calm, but it had been a more peaceful sort of calm before; now, though he was perfectly collected, he was also tense, braced and focused on the fight.
"Seeeea-king!" came the sudden shout from the battlefield, as Seaking leapt from the pool and slammed into Toxel.
"Toooox!" the purple Pokémon screamed.
"Sea?" gasped the giant fish suddenly, even as Toxel landed in the water and floundered its way to another pontoon. "S-s-Seaking-s-sea…" It twitched in the water, its grace almost entirely gone.
"Seaking, what's wrong?!" Misty gasped.
"Shouldn't've touched Toxel directly," Aaron remarked. "Toxel can alter the poisons in its body to make a weak electric charge, enough to cause paralysis." He brandished a hand forcefully. "Toxel, use Nuzzle!"
"Tooooxel!" roared the baby Pokémon, leaping for the spasming fish. "Toox, tox tox!" It grabbed Seaking in both arms and rubbed its cheek against its orange face, sparks of electricity arcing across the scaly body.
"Seeeeea!" cried the water-type Pokémon.
"Seaking, Dive if you can!" Misty called, almost pleading.
With a graceless, flailing motion, Seaking managed to get below the pool's surface, forcing Toxel to let go and paddle over to a pontoon. When the fish came back up, though, it didn't lunge.
"Acid again!" Aaron ordered.
"Water Pulse!" Misty shouted.
Once more, the two ranged attacks collided; this time, Toxel slid out of the way of the last remnants of the Water Pulse that made it through.
"Finish it off with Nuzzle!" Aaron called.
"Seaking, use Waterfall!" Misty ordered.
Shaking off the last of its numbness, Seaking rallied itself and dipped into the pool for a moment before emerging with tremendous force, carrying an entire water current in its wake as it met its approaching enemy head-on. The two magical creatures collided, the water Seaking carried and the electricity sparking off of Toxel causing a burst of energy that made it difficult to see for a minute. Toxel was flung from the cloud, landing heavily on the pontoon, but it managed to get back up.
As for Seaking, when the spray cleared, it was laying dazed in the water, unmoving.
"Seaking is unable to battle!" the referee declared. "The winner is Toxel!"
"So…an electric-poison-type, huh?" Misty remarked, calling Seaking back to its Pokéball. "Today is just full of surprises. Alright then. Let's go, Starmie!"
A large, purple thing materialized from the new Pokéball Misty threw, made of two five-pointed stars sandwiched together and set in the center with a faceted red jewel. The sound it made could almost sound like its name if Mary-Sue really listened for it, but as it was the evolved form of Staryu, it didn't have a mouth to speak of.
"Toxel, use Nuzzle!" Aaron barked, not missing a beat.
"Starmie, Psychic!" Misty called.
"Huh?" Aaron gasped, momentarily losing his cool.
In the middle of jumping for its new opponent, Toxel froze, surrounded by an unearthly glow that emanated from the star-shaped Pokémon. "Tox?!" it exclaimed, and it started flailing in midair. "Tox tox tox tox tox tox tox tox-!"
"Finish it!" Misty shouted.
Screeching an ear-grating whine, Starmie thrust its many arms forward, and Toxel was sent flying back towards Aaron, slamming into the floor with tremendous force.
"Too-oo-oox…" groaned the little creature.
"Toxel is unable to battle," the referee declared. "The winner is Starmie!"
"Hmm." Aaron only frowned slightly as he called Toxel back to its Pokéball. "Should've seen that coming," he murmured, his voice carrying just enough that Mary-Sue could hear him. "But, that won't be hard to counter." Lifting his head, he threw another Pokéball. "Your time to shine, Zigzagoon!"
"Zigza!" barked his black-and-white companion.
"Headbutt!" Aaron commanded without even waiting a beat.
"Psychic, Starmie!" Misty called in response.
Starmie rose into the air and began to glow, light surrounding Zigzagoon as it leapt at the water-type Pokémon…only for the light to simply dissipate.
"What?!" Misty gasped.
"Goon!" Zigzagoon slammed headfirst into the purple creature, which screeched as it was knocked through the air and smacked against the edge of the pool.
"Galarian Zigzagoon are part dark-type," Aaron told Misty with a smirk; "your psychic-type attacks won't work on it."
"Clever," Misty chuckled. "Your Galarian tricks are keeping me on my toes. Alright, Starmie, use Dive!"
The Gym Leader's partner let out a rumbling whine and splashed into the pool, disappearing under the surface.
"Be ready," Aaron said calmly, and Zigzagoon nodded, planting its feet firmly on the pontoon.
Mary-Sue held her breath; Aaron hadn't told Zigzagoon what to do when its opponent struck, leaving the entire arena heavy with suspense. Did Zigzagoon already know the plan? Or was there no plan?
With a tremendous shriek, Starmie leapt from the water right next to Zigzagoon's pontoon.
"Baby-Doll Eyes!" Aaron shouted.
Just like Toxel, Zigzagoon tilted its head; Mary-Sue couldn't see the Pokémon's expression from her vantage point, but whatever it was, it made the water-type creature half-pause in midair right before it struck. The blow landed, but didn't even manage to knock Zigzagoon into the water.
"Now, use Snarl!" Aaron commanded.
"Ziiiiig-zaaaa!" the black-and-white Pokémon shouted at where Starmie stood on the pontoon in front of it; some sort of dark energy rippled from its mouth, and Starmie was knocked back into the pool with a hiss.
"Hang in there, Starmie!" Misty called. "Use Bubblebeam!"
Starmie leapt out of the water again, this time keeping its distance as it conjured a stream of gigantic bubbles that flew at Zigzagoon. For some reason, Aaron didn't react before they reached their target, leaving Zigzagoon to take the blow without instruction; his partner cried out in pain, tumbling backwards and landing in the pool with a splash.
"Careful!" Aaron yelped. "Hurry, get back on land!"
"Zigza," panted the furry creature as it paddled its way to another pontoon.
While it was struggling to climb its way back onto dry ground, Misty instructed, "Use Confuse Ray, Starmie!"
There was no way Zigzagoon could avoid the swirling light that emanated from Starmie's jewel, being half-on and half-off its pontoon, and it swayed in its efforts as the light enveloped it. Once again, Aaron didn't react, and this time, Mary-Sue looked at him questioningly; he was shaking his head slightly, but she couldn't get a good look at his expression.
"Ziiigzaaa…" Zigzagoon groaned as it heaved itself up, teetering on its feet.
"You can handle this," Aaron told it, still so calm - his calmness was starting to bother Mary-Sue a bit. "You've dealt with worse."
"Ziiiig…"
"Bubblebeam, Starmie!"
Another torrent of bubbles launched towards Zigzagoon from the top of the ten-pointed star. Aaron's head-shaking got wilder, until he abruptly yelled, "Jump!"
"Zig-?" Rather than jumping, Zigzagoon rolled over, half-pushed by the first of the bubbles, then rolled a few more times until it was teetering precariously on the edge of the pontoon.
"Come on, snap out of it," Aaron pleaded.
"Dive, Starmie!" Misty called.
"Take a breath, hear my voice," Aaron said. "You know how to see clearly."
"Ziiiig…zaaaa…" Zigzagoon hauled itself upright, still swaying, then shook its head vigorously, swatting at its face with one paw.
"Attack!" came Misty's order.
The purple creature emerged from the water once again, flying towards Zigzagoon.
"Lick it!" Aaron ordered.
"Zig?! Zig!" Suddenly, Zigzagoon seemed to get ahold of itself, and as Starmie approached, Zigzagoon further extended its already-lolling tongue to an impressive length, hopping out of the way of the attack and running the long, slimy muscle up the whole length of the much taller creature.
Starmie shuddered, visible even from a distance, and seemed to lock up in horror at the ghastly touch. As Misty cried out in alarm, Aaron barked, "Finish it with Headbutt!"
"Ziiiig-za!" His partner lunged at Starmie, slamming its head into the jewel at the center of its body. Starmie was flung back into the pool, before eventually floating to the surface, the red light of its jewel completely extinguished.
"Starmie is unable to battle!" the referee declared. "The winner is Zigzagoon!"
Mary-Sue let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. The Gym Leader, meanwhile, didn't say anything, calm and quiet as she called her second Pokémon back. Things were eerily silent for a minute, and Mary-Sue's gaze darted between where Zigzagoon was panting, looking ragged, and where Misty was frowning thoughtfully.
"So, it's come to this," the orange-haired woman said at last. It seemed like there was something else she wanted to say, but she only frowned, took out her last Pokéball, and threw it. "It's all up to you, Golduck!"
"Gol duck duck!" proclaimed a blue Pokémon that was nearly the size of a human adult as it materialized to stand on the pontoon in front of its trainer. For some reason, Mary-Sue felt a cold tendril slide through her stomach; something about this last one was intimidating, though it was impossible to say what.
"Dive, Golduck!" Misty ordered immediately.
"Duck!" The new contender dove headfirst into the water with all the grace of a human athlete.
Aaron looked around, but the dark shape under the water flitted about too fast to follow. Before the foreign trainer could call an order, Golduck leapt up and slammed into Zigzagoon with great speed.
"Gooooon!" wailed the black-and-white Pokémon as it went flying. It landed in the water with a splash, and made no move to right itself.
"Zigzagoon is unable to battle," the referee called. "The winner is Golduck!"
"I guess that's fair," Aaron sighed, calling Zigzagoon back to its Pokéball. "Sorry, bud," he told the capsule. Then, he took out his last Pokéball and hesitated. "I didn't want you to finish three gyms in a row," Aaron murmured; "I wanted Toxel and Zigzagoon to have some glory, you know? But, I guess there's nothing for it now." With a sigh, he hefted the ball and tossed it, "Let's finish this, Grookey!"
"Key key!" the grass-type Pokémon said eagerly as it emerged, pulling its stick from the knot in its hair.
"I'm guessing that's the Galarian grass-type starter?" Misty asked. Her hands rested on her hips, but she was smiling. "No more tricks, then?"
"I don't need any more tricks," Aaron replied. "Grookey beat the Viridian and Pewter Gyms by itself."
"Is that so?" Misty smirked. "Alright, then. We won't hold back!" She flung out her hand in a forceful gesture. "Golduck, you know what to do! Use all that power we've trained and hit it with Confusion!"
"Gooooool," intoned the blue creature, and it crossed its arms in front of its chest and tilted its head slightly as the little red orb in its forehead began to glow.
"Grook!" Grookey exclaimed as it began to rise into the air, just as Toxel had.
"Now!" Misty shouted.
"Duck!" Golduck shouted, and it swiped its hands, the movement reminding Mary-Sue of the way Alakazam had banished the squad of Cipher members. Just like then, Grookey was flung to the side, though it went down instead of up, smacking into the water's surface with a painful-sounding splash.
"Now Dive!" Misty ordered.
Quick as a flash, Golduck dove into the pool.
If it hits from below, Grookey can use the momentum to jump onto a pontoon, Mary-Sue thought.
"Hit it with Branch Poke," Aaron told his partner, who was just managing to get its bearings in the liquid arena. "It has to get close, so give it all you've got!"
"Key key!" nodded Grookey, and it lifted its branch, which began to glow with power.
Still so incredibly fast, Golduck tackled Grookey from directly below, and the grass-type Pokémon cried, but thrust its stick at its attacker, jabbing it hard enough that Golduck yelped.
"Confusion!" Misty called.
Even as it fell back into the water, Golduck crossed its arms and tilted its head, and Grookey began to float where it had been flung.
"Razor Leaf, Grookey!" Aaron shouted.
"Grook!" Leaves sprouted and flew from Grookey's hair, spinning through the air to slice at Golduck.
"Dive!" Misty yelped.
Just before the hit landed, Golduck disappeared under the water, the leaves slamming ineffectually against the surface. This also had the added effect of releasing Grookey, and it fell, landing hard in the pool.
"Swim to a pontoon," Aaron told it, and the grass-type Pokémon struggled to obey. It paddled to a pontoon and reached up-
-only for Golduck to ram into it again, sending it flying.
"Screech!" Aaron cried.
"Groo-keeeeeeeeeey!" the little creature screamed at the top of its lungs, the sound piercing the air like a knife. Mary-Sue clapped her hands over her ears reflexively, and everyone else in the room did too, though it did little to help. Even Golduck clutched its head with its webbed hands, groaning in pain.
"Just gotta get on land," Aaron said. "You got this, Grookey!"
Still Screeching, Grookey climbed onto a pontoon and shook itself dry.
"Alright, now use Branch Poke while it's distracted!" Aaron ordered.
"Key key!" The wailing sound ended as Grookey focused its power onto its stick and leapt towards Goldeen.
A soft, jarring sound came from the Gym Leader then: the faintest of laughs. Mary-Sue blinked at the woman who was still hunched over, the sound sending chills down her spine, and time seemed to slow to a crawl.
"Psychic," Misty said, almost whispering.
Tilting its head back and forth, Golduck lifted its hands and froze Grookey in midair, seemingly effortlessly. The water-type Pokémon didn't seem calm - it was almost thrashing, its head bobbing around violently - but it was Grookey who cried out in alarm and something like pain. Then, the body of Aaron's Pokémon started to contort, twisting in a way that made Mary-Sue's stomach turn.
Aaron gaped at the sight: Golduck flailing in pain, and Grookey crying as its body was turned against it and mashed into a pretzel. "S-Stop!" he spluttered. "Stop it!"
"Scratch and finish it!" Misty ordered Golduck.
"Duck duck…duck duck duck!" snarled the swimming Pokémon, and it lashed out at Grookey with glowing claws. The blow released Grookey from its binds, and it flew right at Aaron, who caught it, grunting from the impact.
"Grookey?" Aaron asked the Pokémon in his arms.
"Gr…oo…" came the faintest groan; the grass-type didn't even twitch.
"Grookey is unable to battle!" the referee declared. "The winner is Golduck, which means that victory goes to the Gym Leader, Misty!"
"Come on back, Golduck," Misty called, and the Pokémon rubbing its head dissolved in a cloud of red light. "Didn't think we'd have to use our own trick," the leader said to the now-occupied capsule she held. "I'll get you some headache medicine. But you did great."
Mary-Sue just stared, frozen. It took a long minute before reality finally sank in.
"Aaron…lost?" she finally managed to breathe.
It seemed unthinkable; it had never occurred to Mary-Sue that Aaron wouldn't win. He always seemed so put-together, so unshakable, and she had been sure that would translate to his battling.
Misty rode her Lapras over to the defeated trainer. "You fought well," she told him. "You understand type matchups really well, it's no wonder you got your first two badges. But you need to think on your feet a little faster. Don't worry," she added with a smile, "you just need a little more training. I'm sure you'll beat me next time."
Wordlessly, Aaron accepted her help onto the ferry Pokémon and rode back to the edge of the pool. Mary-Sue and Jovi hurried over to meet him.
"Are you okay, Aaron?" Mary-Sue asked her friend.
He just stared at the floor. His expression was only slightly downcast, but he didn't seem inclined to say anything at all.
"That was…a really intense battle," Jovi offered.
"I look forward to your next challenge, Aaron," Misty said. When he didn't respond, she elbowed his shoulder gently. "Hey, don't let one loss get you down. Being a trainer means losing sometimes, and you were really close. Just train a little, and you'll have my badge before you know it, I know you will."
"Thank you, ma'am," Aaron said softly.
"Let's get to the Pokémon Center," Jovi suggested.
"Yeah." Aaron turned for the doors and started walking, not glancing at either of his friends.
Her chest constricting, Mary-Sue trotted after him, Jovi easily keeping pace behind. "I was going to train at the cape up north next anyway," she offered the Galarian boy. "There's nothing north of here but the cape, so we were going to have to come back through here afterwards whether we both had the Cascade Badge or not."
"Uh-huh," he grunted.
An uneasy silence fell over the group as they returned to the Pokémon Center, with Aaron unwilling to speak, and neither Jovi nor Mary-Sue able to think of anything to say. At the counter, Aaron didn't even look up at Nurse Joy as he took out his Pokéballs.
"I lost at the gym," he mumbled to the healer. "Please heal my Pokémon. I failed them."
"Don't worry," Nurse Joy said soothingly, gathering up the capsules, "your Pokémon will be feeling better in no time."
Aaron sighed and walked over to a chair, sitting down heavily. Placing his palms on his temples, he took a long, deep breath, then exhaled slowly.
"Aaron?" Mary-Sue asked.
He finished breathing out, blinked his light blue eyes, and finally looked up at her. "I'm sorry," he said. "I know it was a gym battle, I had to earn the win. I got sloppy."
"N-No," Mary-Sue stammered to assure him, "you did really well! There were moments I felt like I was going to panic, and you just stayed so calm!"
"Maybe a little too calm," Aaron said. "I hesitated at times I really shouldn't have." He frowned. "I think I got a little too cocky seeing a Gym Leader lose to a Magikarp. It might have been better if I'd gone first."
"Everyone underestimates Magikarp," Mary-Sue sighed. "Besides, she was trying way harder against you, since you were on your third badge."
"Yeah, I know…"
"Do you want to try again right away, or take some time to train up at the cape with Masie?" Jovi inquired.
"Let's train up at the cape," Aaron decided. "That sounds like a good idea. Besides," he added, forcing a small smile, "I was going to go with you anyway, since we're traveling together."
"There's no rush," Mary-Sue agreed. "It's all about the journey."
"Well, at least one of us got a badge today," Aaron said, and he seemed to be relaxing with every passing moment. "Aren't you going to call your parents and tell them?"
"Oh. Oh yeah!" Mary-Sue exclaimed. Then she hesitated a moment, before saying, "It…feels kinda bad to celebrate my win when you didn't win too."
"Nah, it's fine," Aaron dismissed, pushing himself to his feet. "You should be happy about your win, Masie, you earned it."
"Thanks!" At last, Mary-Sue allowed herself to smile, and she skipped over to the phone stalls. With one last, comforting look at the shiny badge on her backpack strap, she picked up the phone and dialed her home number.
"Hello?" The screen lit up with the image of a woman with bright red hair and sapphire eyes. "Is that you, sweetie?"
"Hi mom!" Mary-Sue chirped. "Look, look! I got a badge!"
"Oh?" Her mother blinked, leaning in closer to the camera to see where Mary-Sue was pointing to the little blue jewel. "Wow!" she lit up with a grin. "Congratulations, baby girl!"
"Yeah, yeah!" Mary-Sue's smile nearly split her face. "I'm in Cerulean City now, and I won against the water-type gym. The leader here is Misty, the Champion's friend, and she's really cool!"
"Is she, now?" The smile momentarily seemed to leave Mrs. Jones's eyes, but the flicker was so brief that Mary-Sue could easily dismiss it as her imagination.
"Uh-huh!" Mary-Sue said brightly. "Yeah, and I didn't even need Budew to fight! Oh, I caught a Zubat in Mt. Moon, and it and Magikarp together won the battle for me! And then Magikarp evolved into Gyarados!"
"Sounds like you've gotten up to a lot in the last few days," her mother remarked. "Did you see anything interesting in Mt. Moon?"
"Uh…" Mary-Sue faltered for a moment, then forced the smile back onto her face. "We got kinda lost, actually, but it's okay - we found this really pretty cave with a waterfall to camp in, and like I said, I made a new friend. Oh, and before we even went in, this crazy thing happened! Aaron was playing his recorder - Aaron's a musician, did I tell you that? - and then a Wigglytuff came to our camp and tried to sing along with him, and we all fell asleep, and when we woke up we all had marker all over our faces!"
"Oh?" Mrs. Jones blinked, her red-painted lips twisting strangely. "So that little pest is still around, is it?"
"Huh?" Mary-Sue gasped; behind her, Jovi and Aaron also made surprised noises.
"That thing's been a menace since your father and I were travelers," Mary-Sue's mother informed her. "It always wants to sing to people, and then gets mad when they fall asleep and punishes them by drawing on their faces. Though…every time I saw it, it was a Jigglypuff."
"Well, we did run into it right next to Mt. Moon," Mary-Sue said thoughtfully. "Maybe it found a Moon Stone somewhere in there at some point."
"Must have done," Mrs. Jones sighed. "I'm sorry you had to deal with that. Who would have thought it was still roaming around?"
"It's fine, no harm done," Mary-Sue dismissed. "Anyway, I have a badge now, and Magikarp is a Gyarados now, so we're going to go train at the cape up north for a while so Gyarados can get used to being big. Hey, where's dad?" she asked. "I thought he would have come over by now."
"Oh, uh…" Something strange passed over the grown woman's face then, something Mary-Sue couldn't decipher before it vanished under a smile that looked a little too wide. "Your father had to, uh, leave town for a bit," she told Mary-Sue. "A business trip. For his fashion work, you know."
"Oh." Mary-Sue frowned; if she didn't know better, she might have thought her mother was lying to her.
"Yeah," Mrs. Jones went on, "it's a big deal in, um, Unova. He's going to be gone for a while. But next time he calls home, I'll be sure to tell him you already have a badge."
"Okay…Will he be home before you leave for Kalos?" There was going to be a big performance tournament in Kalos in a couple of months, Mary-Sue knew, and of course, Jessie Jones was going to participate - the Crazy Coordinator went to any major Contest events that happened anywhere in the world.
"I…don't know," her mother answered. "I hope so. We, um, still don't know all the details of what exactly he's going to be doing - I mean, er, what they're asking of him. He might not be, though."
"Hmm." Mary-Sue's frown deepened. "I wanted to show him my badge…"
"He didn't want to leave," her mother told her gently. "You know how busy life can be, and the timing of this was awful. But you know he'll be happy to hear you're succeeding."
"Yeah…I guess," Mary-Sue conceded. "Hey, um, can you get Meowth? I wanted to ask my Zubat something."
"Meowth?" Mrs. Jones called. "Get over here, Mary-Sue wants to talk to you!"
"Whazzup?" grumbled the old feline as he climbed up his owner's side to perch on her shoulder next to the phone.
"Hi Meowth!" Mary-Sue smiled. "So, um, I caught a Zubat in Mt. Moon, and it doesn't like to get wet; I was hoping you could help me figure out why."
"What am I, a translator app?!" Meowth demanded. "Won't you ever call me over just to say hi?!"
"I'm sorry," Mary-Sue laughed. "I just know you don't like being bothered. But you're right, that was rude of me. How are things at home?"
"Nice and quiet, with you gone," Meowth snarked.
"I won a badge!" she added, pointing to her backpack strap.
"Oh." The furry creature blinked his big blue eyes once. "Well, way ta go, kiddo," he smiled. "Guess ya really do got what it takes."
Laughing again, Mary-Sue unclipped Zubat's Pokéball and opened it. "Come on out, Zubat," she said.
"Bat zuzu!" hissed her flying-type Pokémon.
"This is Meowth," Mary-Sue told her partner. "Oh, and that's my mom. But, um, Meowth can tell me what you're saying. So, please tell me, why do you not like getting wet?"
Zubat hissed and spat its name for a minute.
"What's it saying, Meowth?" Mrs. Jones asked the cat on her shoulder.
"It's sayin', 'Why don't you try ta keep clean and dry wit' no hands?!'" Meowth answered. "'Dust comes off fine, but smudgin' my fur wit' mud's a nightmare!'"
"Oh," Mary-Sue blinked. "I see…you like to be clean."
Her Pokémon hissed a bit more, and Meowth supplied, "'Just 'cuz I don't got eyes don't mean I don't care how I look!'"
Mary-Sue laughed. "You kind of remind me of mom's Corviknight," she remarked. "Tell you what? I'll start washing you regularly. Would that be okay?"
It tilted its head - Mary-Sue got the distinct impression it would have blinked in surprise if it had had eyes - then nodded. "Zuzu!" it agreed happily.
"Alright!" Mary-Sue smiled. She turned to the screen. "Thanks, Meowth."
"Ya know, most trainers gotta figure dis stuff out on deir own," Meowth remarked. "Ya can't use me ta cheat all da time."
"I know," Mary-Sue conceded. "But I already figured out on my own that Zubat hated getting wet, and…it seemed really important. Thank you for helping me figure this out, Meowth, I'll try not to rely on you from now on."
"You'd better not," Meowth sighed, but he didn't really seem that angry. "Well, good ta know you're doin' well, kiddo."
"Same to you, buddy," Mary-Sue smiled at him.
"Yeah, yeah," Meowth grumbled as it climbed down the human it had been perching on and disappeared from sight.
"Are you going to the cape today, or waiting until tomorrow?" Mrs. Jones asked as Mary-Sue returned Zubat to its Pokéball for now.
"Um…I think I'll head out now," Mary-Sue answered. "No point in waiting, the sun won't set for a little while."
"Don't push yourself too hard, baby girl," Mrs. Jones smiled fondly.
"I won't," Mary-Sue promised.
"Hey, Masie?" Aaron suddenly spoke up. "Wasn't there something you wanted to ask your mom about?"
"Huh?" She blinked and turned back to him.
"Those people we met on the way to the gym," he reminded her.
"Oh yeah!" She spun back to the screen. "Yeah, so, this really weird thing happened this morning: I ran into this woman who looks exactly like you!"
All at once, any trace of warmth or happiness vanished from her mother's face, sapphire eyes going hard as ice. "Did you, now," she said slowly. "Please tell me you didn't try to talk to her."
"Uh…" Mary-Sue hesitated, put off by her mother's reaction. "W-Well, yeah I…I thought she was you."
Her mother sighed heavily. "Of course you'd run into her," she grumbled. "Why am I surprised?"
"So…you know who she was?" Mary-Sue asked tentatively.
"Unfortunately," Mrs. Jones nodded. "I hope she wasn't too mean to you."
"She was kinda rude," Mary-Sue admitted. "She insulted this outfit dad made for me, that's how I know she wasn't you. Oh, and there was this guy with her, and he seemed really scared of her, so there was that, too."
For some reason, that caused her mother's lips to quirk up into a half-smile.
"He said something to me," Mary-Sue went on, and the smile vanished. "He figured out I was your daughter, and he told me to tell you something."
"Did he?" The words came out flat and cold, something in the undertone of Mrs. Jones's voice sounding incredibly dangerous.
Gulping, Mary-Sue nodded. "He told me - asked me, when I spoke to you next, to tell you… 'Remember Ballonlea.'"
Familiar sapphire eyes slid shut, as Mary-Sue's mom went deathly still, her face completely blank. "…I see," she managed at last.
"What does that mean?" Mary-Sue pressed. "Who were those people, mom?"
Heaving another weary sigh, Mrs. Jones opened her eyes again and forced a smile. "Don't worry about them, sweetie," she said. "They're…bad people, your father and I had to deal with a long time ago, but we washed our hands of them before you were even born. Just try to avoid them if you ever see them again, okay?"
"Okay…" Mary-Sue tilted her head. "Is she, like, your evil twin or something?"
"No," her mother groaned, "we aren't even related at all, at least as far as I know." She scowled then and added, "And really, that hag doesn't look anything like me, I'm much prettier than she is."
"That's true," Mary-Sue agreed, deciding to drop the matter. "I'm sorry I brought them up."
"No, you couldn't have known," her mom dismissed. Finally, she relaxed, her smile turning natural. "Just don't worry about them, baby girl. Focus on your journey."
"I will," Mary-Sue promised. "I'll get going, then."
"Okay," Mrs. Jones nodded. "Take care, baby girl. I'll be sure to tell your father you're making good progress the next time I hear from him. And you don't need to check in with me if you don't want to - your Pokémon journey is all about going your own way."
"I'll call you whenever I get a badge, at least," Mary-Sue said.
"That sounds good," her mom smiled. "Love you!"
"Love you too!" Mary-Sue chirped, and she hung up and turned to her friends - or, more accurately, to Jovi, as Aaron was retrieving his Pokémon from Nurse Joy. "Alright, let's head for the cape!"
"Right now?!" Jovi exclaimed. "We haven't even had lunch yet!"
"I mean…" Mary-Sue glanced Aaron and the nurse. "Yeah, but…I wanna get back on the road."
"How about we eat out at a restaurant somewhere in town?" Jovi suggested. "Just, somewhere on the way to the north exit? If we see a place we might like."
"Well…okay," Mary-Sue relented. "Let's go!"
Only just waiting for her companions, the young trainer headed back outside.