Being inside of her orb was comforting.

Even though the sea around her was artificial, it still felt like she was damp. No, it's better to say she could only be calm while being in her orb these days. Almost every moment outside of it was one she lived in fear of what that Nori person or his PoMoPo were going to do next. Even with that Kannagi Priestess' assurance, she wasn't so sure!

She recalled her first meeting with Elle. It was late summer and came out of nowhere. One moment, she was off on a solo hunt as a rite of passage. The next, she was in the mouth of a diving bird. At first, she thought it was a predator, come to eat her. She started shooting out spines while squealing as loudly as she could. Then she found herself spit out on the ground.

Wheeze. She had never been out of the water like this before. She could only wiggle and flop. But she caught something in her sight, a HuHuNa teenager there with a blue bird with white on its chest.

"Beaky," the HuHuNa had said. "{Make and throw mud.}"

She had only ever heard HuHuNa chatter, so understanding the words was new to her. There was no chance to process it, and what could she do there anyway? She found herself blinded and unable to see.

All she could do was puff up and try to hit something. With a wail, she unleashed her best Barb Barrage. She didn't know if it hit them, but it had to have hit something!

"{Observation of power.} {Urging to hurry and finish this.} Aqua Cutter!"

She readied herself. No, she would NOT go down here! If this stupid thing was coming to cut her, she was ready to stab it!

But instead of the bird, a blade of water slammed into her from behind. She cried out as she was sent tumbling away, her vision clearing just enough to see her fate: she was headed straight for a tree.

Pain. Everything became a blur. She couldn't tell which way was up. But she had to escape. She tried to roll with all her might.

"{Noting that is enough.} {Calling a ball to go.}"

Suddenly, she found herself sucked into a prison. It was like something was restraining her, and claiming it was going to be okay. But it wasn't okay! Nothing could be okay about this! She struggled with everything she had, yet simply did not have the strength to break free.

She had been captured.

It was as though some sort of ancestral memory awakened in her. Her elders had not taught her much about HuHuNa. Yet she somehow knew much about them and their ways after entering the capsule.

Fate dangled her by her fins, with many questions in her mind. What was this HuHuNa like? What did they want with her? What if they wanted her for food?! At least with a predator, it would have been over quick. But as it stood, she could only wait with dread.

She was not sure how much time passed before she found herself out of the water again. It was some sort of small pond. No chance of escape. The HuHuNa was looking down at her. She had an intensity about her that made her shrink back. But unlike with her current captor, the mood was at least calm.

"{Formal introduction.} {I am Elle.}" It took her a moment to process this. Like before, she did not know what was being said, yet somehow understood. It was awkward, but the more the HuHuNa spoke to her, the more natural it became. "{How are you?}"

"Terrible!" she whined, puffing up with anger. Maybe if she made it clear she wasn't interested in being with a HuHuNa, they'd respect that! "You took me away from all my friends! Where am I? What do you want with me?!"

"{Casual assurance it's okay.}" Elle assured, putting her hands out. "{Halfhearted apology.} {Respectful acknowledgment of her having a lot of energy.} {Musing that she didn't choose wrong.}"

"What do you mean you didn't choose wrong?! Why me?" she screeched.

It was only when Elle subsequently explained did she come to fully understand. She had gone on a field trip with her class. Some students like her were excited to get the chance to see PoMoPo not native to their land. Some wanted to use the opportunity to capture some, just like that bird. Elle was one such individual, who wanted to be a strong trainer someday.

One thing was obvious: she had been dragged far from home. Even if she could somehow tell this HuHuNa everything, there was no way she was getting back to it.

Elle seemingly took her defeatism as acceptance. "{Wanting to give a nickname.}"

A nickname. Yes, that was one of the things that came into her mind after her capture. It was a HuHuNa tradition, and was why PoMoPo did not give themselves proper names. There were titles like FuRuNa – or Furenad, or friend – but that was the extent of it.

"Spike," she said. "{It sounds tough, and you're spiky and tough.}"

Truth was, she hated the name right from the start. The only way it could've been worse would be Fish or something. But Elle stuck with it anyway. Not like she could tell her.

Before her capture, her days were as predictable as the tide. She would wake at the sun's first light with the rest of her school. They would leave their burrow and swim around and talk. A short time after, they would hunt. Sometimes the ReDaRaNa would do it alone. Other times they were brought along. They said she was good at it. After the hunt, they ate. Then they played. Sometimes they sparred. Again, they said she was good at it. They were taught survival things and other life stuff. They talked to other PoMoPo. The most excitement they would get would be predators coming by. While they were much too poisonous for most to even touch, they shielded the other PoMoPo, and they helped them in turn.

With Elle, all certainty was out the window. She spent most of the day in her ball. While she had a certain degree of awareness of the world outside, she could never anticipate being called out or why. Food came daily, but rarely at the same time. It was like Elle herself never ate right herself. Sometimes she met Elle's other PoMoPo. Oftentimes it was to practice and get stronger. And she was strong. But that wasn't the problem.

Even back then, she had trouble being out of water. Who wouldn't?! She was never out of it in her life! The first time was when Elle expected her to fight someone the same age around a day after their introduction. It was in a field somewhere. She could barely move, let alone properly defend herself. At least she was spared getting hurt. A lot of people and PoMoPo laughed. Elle was mad, she could tell.

The days from then on were harsh. When she was in water, she was fine. But when she was out of it – and Elle had her out of it a lot – nothing was right. Elle wanted her to work out of water; actually, she said she needed her to. Her instructions were crazy. For example, the first thing she said was to just roll around. How was she supposed to do that without getting dizzy?! She knew it could be done, but the ReDaRaNa never taught her before her capture and Elle wasn't helping! That Beaky and Elle's other PoMoPo tried to encourage her. At least they were nice.

This went on for who knows how long. The pace thankfully slowed after some time. Then, one day – the only way she knew it had been long enough for the season to change was by the leaves floating around her – she found herself in the water again. But something felt different. The ancestral memory within was saying she was free. Why?

Elle was there before her. She was not sure what to think of her appearance. Elle looked sad, but was otherwise standing tall.

Her former trainer began with an, "{Apology.}" She said that she misjudged things and somehow now only realized how much trouble it would be to train her out of water. It seemed earnest. Elle then said something about having to go with…some words she didn't really get…after all. Then she said words that momentarily gave her hope. "{Statement she can be with her fellow PoMoPo here.}"

She looked around. This was not home, she could tell just from the temperature of the water. It was some sort of inlet or bay. There were wooden bridges in the water with a bigger one overhead. There were trees, but nowhere near her.

"{Apology and thanking for trying.} {Wishes for a good life.}"

While she was wary of Elle, she also didn't hate her. She thought it had to be a joke or some sort of HuHuNa way of training. So she waited. The sun fell three times, then it rose three times. It was clear by then that Elle wasn't coming back.

Why couldn't she have brought her to her real home instead of here? The locals, though they looked similar to her, were not welcoming. They called her bad and evil and all sorts of things. When a lot swam in from the ocean that fateful day, still none of them wanted anything to do with her. Everything she ate those three days was either given to her out of pity by another PoMoPo or painstakingly hunted herself. She had no friends, no one who wanted to talk or be with her. It was a miracle she was never attacked, really. She had a lot of time to think, and it was only when she was caught for a second time that she came to a conclusion.

Elle couldn't be bothered to care for her.

She was captured again by a woman who hated her. That pure look of disgust that HuHuNa gave the one time she was out made her think she was about to die. Then she was passed to Nori, someone almost as unpredictable as Elle except also the type to act without thinking. That Prema person was nice and vouched for him, but she had trouble seeing it. She claimed to be a KaNaGi. Whether she was one of them or not, she was very nice. Way nicer than anyone she met. Why couldn't it have been Prema who had her? Did the PoMoPoKaNiTu hate her?

Other PoMoPo hated her, including Nori's others. A lot of HuHuNa hated her. That was why they were here today. Nori wanted her to battle someone who hated her. Someone who wanted to hurt her. Why? Why wasn't he protecting her from this person? What if he got her badly hurt or killed?

She had a sense for the time, and the time had come. She went from his pocket into the light, and then out of the orb. Into water! Precious water! There were walls all around and what looked like a weird-shaped bridge over top, but that didn't matter. She had little time to swim around and soak in and enjoy the freedom of movement, however. There was a presence…no. Hatred from all around. She looked over the surface. Hundreds upon hundreds of HuHuNa were surrounding her from above. They were yelling and screaming. Then she turned and saw herself. That was her, on some sort of thing up above. Like a reflection of some kind.

There was a cry from behind her. She turned and saw him, her owner. Every time she looked at Nori, she felt fear rush through her. What was next, she found herself asking every time? Grass, dirt, cement, puddles, fountains, little tight pools. And that was just where he sent her. If he got impatient like Elle, what would he do? He felt like a neighbor who would eat her if needed. Not exactly that, but he gave the same aura. So she found herself at a loss of what to think when she saw him completely filled with fear himself.

Two calls sounded out, both female. One from some older HuHuNa who shouted some instructions, followed by another from a younger one. Then came a splash. She turned and saw her opponent. She swam back, shivering.

A slate-blue fish with two round fins and two sharp dorsal fins. Beneath the empty gray eyes on the long snout was a mouth of sharp teeth. But the most striking feature was the tail. It was made of interlocking links with what looked like a boat anchor tied to the end.

This was a predator. A foe to be avoided except in large groups. The fact that this was not formally to the death was of no comfort. That didn't mean it wouldn't be. After all, the HuHuNa who he served hated her. What if they made it like an accident? What if they killed her anyway?!

The older HuHuNa on the field raised some colored objects in her hands. But before she could, Nori shouted a, "{Wait!}"

There was a pause. Their opponent moved her arm. "{Acceptance.} {Stating she wants no excuses.}"

With this, Nori shuffled forward or at least made the motions to. "{Uneasy greeting,}" he said, voice shuddering. "{Admitting he doesn't know if he can help.} {Saying he will try.} {Saying he can't say he will for sure.} {Apology.} {Asking her to try on her own.} {Begging.} {Apology, apology.}"

She puffed up. In one way, this was scarier than anything Nori had done up until now.

He said nothing for a while. The older HuHuNa raised and lowered part of her leg. "{Asking if he is finished.}"

"{Yes.}"

There came a hostile growl, almost a laugh. She turned to face the predator. "Miss Emi wants you to HURT!" the shark said in a boisterous yet young voice. She chomped in her direction, making her flinch. "And so do I! I'm the hero today!"

"I…" It was true. She was facing something that wanted to kill her! She squinted and puffed herself up. "I won't…I can't die!"

"You should've, HuHuPoDoRa!" Human killer. She wanted to explain. But the female HuHuNa shouted, one after another, and the shark charged.

"{Qwilfish, Minimize…}"

A pulse ran through her lateral line. Nori had said something. By all means it should have been gibberish, but she somehow knew what it meant. And it sounded smart right now! She focused her body muscles, contracting herself as much as she could. She panicked and rolled aside as the shark flipped over in the water and swung her tail. But it missed! It went way wide!

She swam deeper down, looking for a way out or at least a better position. Solid vertical walls on all four sides that just had lamps. Nothing at the bottom, either: there were some tunnels behind horizontal columns, but they were much too small to squeeze through, no matter how much she shrank herself. The only possible escape was up! Out of the water!

The HuHuNa opponent spoke. "{Stating they have to make hits count.} {Instructions to screech at the thing.}"

A thing. That HuHuNa didn't even think her sentient. The shriek from the shark barely reached her. Her trainer's words hurt more than they ever could.

"{Telling 'Anchorage' to shoot her anchor.}"

An anchor shot. Was that shark going to throw that thing at her!? She started swimming. She was sent into a spin and a stop as part of it just clipped her. She was left facing it.

"{Hostile laughter.} {Telling 'Anchorage' to swing brutally.}"

The predator was coming for her, laughing madly. No, she had to start fighting back! She did so by inhaling and spitting as many bubbles as she could. The predator ran right into them, growling as she tried to force her way through the beam. More words from above. The shark whirled recklessly as she got close. Squeaking in panic, she backed away. Displaced current flowed into her face; it passed right in front of her eyes.

She had to get away! She had to get some distance at the very least! The ReDaRaNa always taught her to use speed to escape a slow predator. So she swam as fast as she could. For a moment, she even thought of escaping to land. She might not do well there, sure. But that shark wouldn't, either!

"{Confused statement.}" She had a brief reprieve. The shark left her alone. Until her owner said, "{Brine!}"

A blast of pressurized water hit her from behind. It stood out because it had a salty consistency; the water here was clean though filled with a weird smelly substance.

"You can't escape!" the so-called Anchorage screamed. "It's time for PUNISHMENT!"

She slowly turned, shaking all the while. It was mostly her fears, but there was a part of her that was angry. If anything was a thing, it was this shark. She pouted her lips and tilted downward. It was all a facade, but no one had to know that.

"Leave me alone!" she screamed. Her body expanded. She was putting her all into this! She was the best young one at using it in the colony. She focused, letting all of her poison flow into the tips of her barbs. She contracted with a roar and launched the barrage forward.

They were moving too fast. There was no chance that thing with its heavy anchor could dodge it! She knew that, and simply got her tail up in defense until they crashed into her. Each one…barely did anything?! Some harmlessly crashed against the metal anchor. Others hit, but may as well have been bouncing off. None pierced the shark's skin, and it sure didn't look like she got poisoned, either.

Some of the HuHuNa and even the shark laughed. But she felt only despair. That was her best attack! And it barely did anything! Now what was she supposed to do?! She didn't want to die! What could she even do?!

"{Stating that poison won't work.}" came Nori's voice at last. It was about time! He was leaving her out here on her own! He was supposed to be her trainer! He was supposed to be the smart one! She waited, everyone waited for her orders. "{Use…}" He paused. "{Some dark move.}"

More laughter, more despair. Some dark move? What did that even mean?! She had no time to think, because the shark came charging at her. Not knowing what else to do, she lowered her spikes, shut her eyes, and threw her entire body at her crazed attacker.

It was a last resort. Surprise with a tackle, then bite back. She didn't even get that far. A sharp pain shot through her as the anchor bashed into her from above. She couldn't even catch her breath before she was ensnared by its length and hit again.

Everything became a spinning blur. She was no longer in control of herself. The sensation stopped when she crashed into the side, replaced with more pain. Now the surface was looking good. It couldn't be worse than being in here. But no matter how much she strained, her body wouldn't listen!

"{Saying to finish.} {Meteor Mash!}"

The shark was coming again at her owner's order. No way out. There was just one thing left to try. She forced herself upright. "Stop! I give up!" she pleaded through her gasps. She deflated and looked upward as a sign of surrender. "I can't do this! I don't want to fight anymore!"

"Well, I do!" the anchored predator screamed as she mercilessly whirled around, enveloped in gray energy. "This is justice, HuHuPoDoRa!"

The metal tail of the shark slammed into her one final time, with far greater force than before. Sheer agony pulsed through her every pore as her vision began to darken. Her body would not respond to her brain. It was just like before. The world darkened around her. Nori…had sent her out….he left her to be beaten. Her world…she was trapped in darkness…

"Qwilfish is unable to battle!"

The roar of the crowd assaulted Nori's ears. Maybe it was the room, but it was the loudest cheer he had ever heard from an audience, and that included all his time in Sunyshore Gym. Small wonder. For all the support he still had, Qwilfish was still public enemy number one. Even Emi seemed to think of her as an object rather than a living thing.

Nori opened his eyes a little, just briefly enough to spot where Qwilfish was floating and aim the ball to recall her. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I-I really am," he whispered, even though she definitely couldn't hear. It took him five tries; his arm was shaking so much. His entire body was shaking. "Pachi," he motioned.

His Pokemon likely moved into position. Nori was more lucid than he was before, but his thoughts were still consumed by anything but the battle. This was not something he wanted to go through ever again. He thought he'd be fine and get (relatively) used to it after a bit like he did the one time someone tried to abuse his phobia. That didn't happen. But it didn't matter. It would all be over soon. He just hoped Qwilfish could forgive him for this.

When he was little, he went on a cruise his mom won in a contest. He wasn't sure how it happened. But he ended up in the water. He would've died if it hadn't been for some random wild Pokemon that saved him. He didn't know what it was or why it did. Back in February, it nearly happened again at a water park. Again, he would have died. This time, it was Lux who saved him. Then, in May…again. The memories kept replaying in his mind, over and over and over.

What if he slipped again? What if he fell, hit his head on the side of the pool, and no one did anything?! What if–

"No! Stop! Can't take more. I'm sorry, I really am!" he cried out instinctively. "I just, I can't focus properly after all. Sorry, everyone." He yelped as his legs crumpled. The breaths came hard and fast as they found solid ground. "I-I can't do this."

Nori shut his eyes tight and covered his face with his arms. He was pretty sure Emi yelled a complaint or told him off or something, but the words didn't register. He nearly jumped as he felt a furry paw on one side of him. The audience seemed more confused than anything.

At least, the presiding judge got it right away. "Demon Tamer, are you saying that you wish to forfeit this battle?"

"Yes. Yes! I'm sorry. I just can't." He hated this. But he couldn't even think, and Qwilfish just got knocked out! That was too much. "Too much…can't function…"

The judge gave a firm nod. Or a nod of some kind. Her voice was all-business in any case. "Then the winner by forfeit, Emi Pikaru!"

What should've been a joyous occasion for her and half the audience was instead reduced to a pitiful celebration, if one could even call it that. There was some clapping, sure, but it was stilted and scattered rather than celebrating a triumph over someone at least half the people here had to have hated.

"You have GOT to be fucking kidding–"

"I know! I'm sorry! It's more than I thought! I'm sorry, I know!" He pressed his arms against his chest to contain his erratic breathing. To her credit, she let him be without laughing or anything like some of the crowd was. "I just have a question to ask."

"What?" Emi barked.

He wiped his eyes, then his hands on his jeans. He put a foot on the floor. Then a hand. He pushed. Other foot on the ground. Stand up. He turned. It felt like he was moving through water. He turned and stared directly at Emi. Just at her, no one else, nothing, nothing else. This was it. Moment of truth time. Deep breath in and out. Relax.

"Focus, Nori," he whispered before speaking loudly, "I have a question. Does Qwilfish look like a murderer to you?" He shut his eyes right after. Stay calm. Don't even think about it. Don't even smell.

"Of course not!" Emi threw up her arms and shrugged while shaking her head. "It's not like it ever killed anyone. Oh, wait."

He waited for the audience's laughter to die down, even though he didn't see the humor in it. "Let me put it another way, then," he said, brushing strands of hair behind his ears. "Does Qwilfish look like a dangerous Pokemon to you?"

He squinted just enough to see her body language. Emi scowled and appeared ready to make another smarmy remark, only to pause as it hit her. "You know looks can be deceiving…" she managed to get out. "You know that, you bastard!"

Nori shut his eyes fully again and put a hand on his hip. Emi realized why he had accepted her challenge, and why he forfeited as soon as he could. Well, he was hoping he could endure the water longer and beat the rest of her Pokemon, but forfeiting was something he was prepared to do. And had to do.

"Well, let me ask you guys the next logical question," he addressed the audience, unable to contain the beam enveloping his entire visage. The sight of the water only made him momentarily pause, and didn't affect his mood. "Having seen her just now without me being a factor, do you think Qwilfish might reoffend?"

The murmurs were quiet and uncomfortable. That was when Nori knew that he had truly won this battle. He had hundreds of witnesses to Qwilfish's successful 'rehabilitation.' It started as a lull: faint applause from a few scattered individuals. Others followed suit, and it spread like a contagion. Soon, just about everyone who was watching was clapping or even lightly cheering in genuine respect. It was more than what Emi got for the announcement that she had won by forfeit, and her twitching lip revealed feelings on the matter.

"Thank you for this," he said to Emi with utter sincerity, even bowing a little. He wasn't sure if he could've saved Qwilfish without her. There were always going to be people calling for her blood, but that couldn't be helped. What mattered was that most saw Qwilfish for who she truly was. "And sorry," he added.

Emi fired off a hellish glare. He knew she'd probably react that way, even if he wasn't intending to upset her. "You're welcome. And well played," she admitted through gritted teeth before spinning on her heels and walking off, muttering to herself.

Nori had no time to bask in the glory. The scent of the pool stung his nostrils; water was sloshing all around him. What if he slipped on the wet ground?! His knees nearly buckled thinking about it. "Okay, gotta go!" he yelped. He almost ran off, before straightening and masking his fear until he was out of sight.

It was done, it was over. He won. Now all he had to do was hope Qwilfish could forgive him. If there was even a hope of that…