CHAPTER 5

A Pokedex.

I'd read about them before. They were nifty devices, mini databases brimming with information about Pokemon, and products of a bygone era like the modern Pokeball.

In other words: lost technology.

The earliest settlers of Belona City had a healthy mix of trainer and civilian evacuees alike, and they'd brought with them many spare Potions, Pokeballs, and other valuable things like Pokedexes. Most of that stuff was entrusted to the administration at the time and thereafter put into storage as relics.

There was a single Pokedex on display in the city's museum, but it was dented all over. There were others supposedly under tight lock and key in City Hall's vaults, but most Pokedexes had been completely dismantled long ago. Their parts had been used to make other vital machinery to help keep the city running. The decision hadn't been a difficult one to make. All Pokedexes malfunctioned and stopped working after the Longest Night, so the city authorities thought it was better to recycle the majority of them.

The Pokedex hidden here under Stein's house? It looked practically brand new.

In my peripheral vision, I saw Stein adopt an excited grin.

"Neat, right? It's my great-grandma's. She kept it in the family instead of donating it to City Hall," he babbled. "It doesn't work of course, but—"

"But?" I interrupted, eyes still staring hungrily at the Pokedex on the other side of the room.

"—it can at least turn on," Stein finished.

That statement floored me to the point where my brain actually stuttered in place.

"Are you serious?" I finally asked incredulously. There was maybe a bit of childish wonder mixed in there.

Stein's response was walking over to said Pokedex, picking it up, and bringing it over to me. I watched as he flipped it open.

He had, in fact, been serious.

The Pokedex automatically came to life. Its screen lit up in a blinding white. A spinning Pokeball appeared in the middle of it, but—

That was it. A full minute of silence passed, yet the screen didn't change.

Stein used one hand to scratch his cheek while holding the Pokedex securely with his other.

"Yeah… as you can see, it can't get past the loading screen," Stein admitted, sighing. "It's a miracle I was even able to fix this much. I don't know how to restore the rest of its functionality or if it's even possible—"

"Wait, wait, wait," I interrupted again, holding up a hand. Arceus, it was one surprise after another today. I stared at him in disbelief. "It didn't already work to begin with? You fixed it?"

"Uh… yes?"

I stared at him with newfound respect.

"Dude," I said in all seriousness, mimicking how he'd spoken to me in our initial meeting today. "You're a genius."

"I wouldn't say a genius per se—"

"I mean it. This is incredible. You actually managed to fix some lost technology. You're probably smarter than all those adults in the city's Research Department," I insisted.

Our teacher and classmates called me a genius, but that applied mostly to Pokemon and battling. Stein here was the real genius between the two of us. To think this was the same quiet guy at school…

As I was thinking that, Stein's ears turned the shade of tomatoes. He ducked his head out of embarrassment and scuffed the floor with his foot.

"T-Thanks," he finally mumbled once he'd collected his thoughts. "I appreciate it."

He wasn't used to praise, was he? Jeez, this guy needed some more self-confidence. He didn't give himself enough credit for his intelligence.

"You could tell City Hall about the Pokedex," I suggested. "They'd probably scout you into their Research Department. You and your grandpa could relocate back into a nicer district."

Stein's head immediately snapped back up at my words. He shook his head vehemently with wide eyes.

"Oh no, definitely not," Stein said, shooting down my idea. "Then they'd ask where the Pokedex came from and why my family didn't hand it over for safekeeping years ago like we were supposed to. I'd get in trouble, and they'd confiscate the Pokedex."

I deflated, clicking my tongue with annoyance. "Crap, you're right. I forgot how stupid City Hall and the rules are sometimes."

"Yeah, and besides," Stein added, wincing, "I don't really like attention. I'd rather do my own thing."

What a shame. People would never know how smart Stein was if he kept his talents hidden. Only I knew of his incredible achievement now, and that brought up a very good question.

"Why show me this?" I asked with a puzzled expression. "This seems like a really big secret."

The way Stein rapidly opened and closed his mouth reminded me of illustrated Magikarp in books at the city's library.

"You— I mean— Well… I just… thought you were cool?" Stein finished lamely. "And that… you'd be interested in this stuff?"

Silence followed, an awkward one.

"Thanks?" I finally said. I interpreted that as him finding me cool enough to hang out with.

Stein immediately cringed. "I mean! Probably no one else from school would even know what a Pokedex is. Never seen any of them visit the library before…"

I was starting to understand he wasn't really the best at socializing, but he was definitely chatty. I waited patiently for him to get the nerves out of his system. When Stein eventually finished rambling, he coughed into his fist.

"Uh… do you wanna see some other stuff?" he hesitantly asked.

I instantly nodded. The Pokedex was already neat enough, and now I wondered what else was down here.

It turned out there was a lot.

Stein's grandpa was the one who'd built and used this underground lab at first, but he'd forgotten all about it given his current state of mind.

Now it was Stein's.

He studied whatever he found interesting down here and made random things. Half of the contraptions around the room were his work. There was an hourglass that automatically turned every five minutes, toys in the shape of Pokemon that zoomed around the room and crashed into walls (startling Bell in the process), a tiny hammer attached to a wooden hand and rigged so that it would smack anything nearby with a heat signature—interesting gadgets and trinkets and inventions galore.

Of course I peppered Stein with questions on how he made them. Most of the materials came from stuff his grandpa had lying around in the storage for years, but others were made out of cheap scraps he picked up from peddlers on the streets.

The main driving force behind most of them was the use of the stones our city was known for.

Stein had worked off research notes and journals his grandpa wrote and combined that with his own knowledge for maximum results. He understood the properties of various stones, how to mix and match them in proper ratios, when to pair a Powerstone with a Cinderstone or fuse them together… it was to the point where I seriously thought what a shame it was that this guy went unnoticed. He had a brilliant brain that was going to rival his grandpa's someday if it hadn't already.

"I haven't made anything new recently. Most of my time's split between exploring the caves and trying to fix the Pokedex nowadays," Stein told me at some point.

We sat on the floor side-by-side fiddling with a collection of Daystones he'd recently scrounged together. In the background, Bell playfully chased Neon around the lab. I couldn't tell if the Magnemite was enjoying it or not, though, because he was basically always expressionless and hardly said a peep.

"It would be neat if you actually got it to work properly again," I commented, turning a misshapen Daystone over in my hand. "Just think about it: a whole encyclopedia on Pokemon. The city library would be like a fraction of what the Pokedex holds."

Stein sighed wistfully and chucked a half-broken rock into a nearby trash bin. "I'm trying. You're not the only one who wants access to that treasure trove of information."

"I just want to see what your Pokedex has on Pokemon abilities and moves," I admitted. I almost salivated at the thought of having such knowledge at my fingertips. "They've got some trainer guidebooks in the library, but the descriptions and illustrations in the moves section aren't the best."

"To make training easier?" Stein guessed.

"Yeah, and to prepare myself for wild Pokemon I could come across in the future. At least with Bell, I don't have trouble teaching her stuff. The library has lots of stuff on Zubat because they're so common around these parts," I replied.

Knowledge, or the lack of it, was one of the biggest problems civilization currently faced.

What we knew today was stuff passed down from our ancestors and transcribed from their own memories and experiences. Obviously, they weren't robots who knew everything. The founders of Belona City came from a mix of backgrounds, and that was even more apparent for the trainers in their midst. The city library had a hodgepodge of written records where the earliest survivors wrote detailed information about their own Pokemon. That meant there were very specific accounts of how to raise so-and-so Pokemon or what moves they could learn, but it was limited to certain species… whatever our ancestors were most familiar with.

The other problem was the extent of their knowledge. Not all of those accounts were written by master-level trainers; in fact, the majority were written by far less experienced individuals. That meant they didn't know how to explain more advanced moves and the like.

I was going to hit a wall someday because of a lack of available resources, but that was a problem for future me. I was doing a good job with Bell right now at least.

Plus, I didn't want to have any dreary thoughts today of all days.

"Today's been pretty fun," I idly commented out loud, smiling. "A good birthday all things considered."

"Wait, what? It's your birthday?" Stein dropped the rock he was holding to gape at me. "Why didn't you mention that sooner?! Happy birthday! Uh… to another pleasant year in the underground, I guess?"

"Pfft." I ended up snorting with laughter. "Thanks."

I meant to leave soon after.

Really. Yet once again, I found myself engrossed in conversation with Stein.

"Bye! See you, um, tomorrow at school?" Stein waved goodbye in the distance later.

"See you tomorrow," I called in response over my shoulder.

Two whole hours had passed without me realizing.

This was probably the most I'd ever spoken to someone else in the span of a single day. Strangely, I didn't feel like I'd wasted time.

I'd had fun.

My walk home was a joyful one with a spring in my step and Bell resting happily inside my bag. She was busy taking in the city surroundings she'd never seen before, and as for me…

I had a huge smile on my face.

"Alright, Bell, I'll show you where I live!" I announced out of nowhere. An excited squeak answered me as I took off running.

My ordinary routine was going to change from today onward.

And it really did.

The following morning was already very different from usual.

I no longer woke up to an empty house but a Zubat flying excitedly overhead. There wasn't much to see inside my house, but Bell still found the new change in environment exciting. I also prepared breakfast for not one but two living beings now. Bell was my responsibility going forward, and I was going to make sure she and I both grew up healthy and strong for the future ahead.

Since I had an errand I needed to run before class, I left the house a little earlier than normal. Bell's head peeked out of my bag as I ran through the city. When the hourly bells rang, her head bobbed left and right in time to the music. It was her first time hearing them up close rather than from afar.

It brought a smile to my face. The difference in being alone and having a Pokemon for company was astounding.

Instead of going straight to school, I dropped by City Hall to exchange a full pot of eggshells for some contribution tokens. I needed to start building my savings back up again for future supplies, and this was one way to get the equivalent of money in our city. Workers would use the leftover eggshells to fertilize the fields.

A model citizen or so I liked to appear on the outside.

I went to school next. Right before I entered the doors, I had to return Bell to her Pokeball since she wasn't allowed inside. I already felt bad. I wasn't sure about other people, but I preferred having my Pokemon outside with me.

The second I stepped into our classroom, people converged on me.

"Orion, is it true you're joining the Belright Guards?"

"My dad's friend saw you at City Hall! They said you got a Pokeball!"

"Did you catch a Pokemon yet?"

I'd expected there to be a lot of fuss at school once the news made its rounds, but wow, were my classmates excited. Genuinely so, and without any hostile jealousy. It wasn't an uncommon story for older students to bully younger ones or those who outdid them in assessments, but thankfully I didn't have to deal with that.

I'd made it a point over the last few years to foster a positive relationship with my classmates. Distant and with certain unseen boundaries, but always friendly. Somehow it worked.

How had Stein put it again… oh right, star quality. I supposed I had that going for me as embarrassing as it sounded.

To satisfy some of their curiosity, I briefly dug out Bell's Pokeball from my pocket and flashed it at them. Gasps of appreciation rippled through my small audience.

"Yes, I got scouted by the Belright Guards, and yes, I caught a Pokemon already. A Zubat I've been hanging out with near my house," I lied smoothly.

That was the official story I'd be going with. Revealing I got Bell outside city limits wasn't an option, not unless I wanted to get in trouble with city authorities.

My classmates predictably pestered me with more questions, but they did finally part in the middle and let me go to my seat at least. The problem was they followed me and crowded around my desk. While answering to the best of my ability, I fervently prayed for our teacher to show up any minute and save me from the madness.

"O-Orion," someone called faintly in the midst of all the chatter.

I peeked around two of my classmates' bodies. Lo and behold, I saw Stein sitting by himself in his usual corner of the room. He smiled and waved hesitantly, a small and tiny motion that anyone else would have missed. I greeted him with a wave of my own, but I didn't get a chance to say anything.

Mrs. Kino finally walked in to begin class, a merciful act which meant everyone returned to their seats and gave me breathing room.

I turned to glance at Stein, but he wasn't looking my way anymore. His head was once again buried in his notebook.

At least now I knew what kinds of stuff he actually wrote in it.

Class passed uneventfully. We had a small pop quiz based on yesterday's lesson, but even that didn't come as much of a surprise. Mrs. Kino loved handing those out. Our only reprieve was lunch, but I got hounded by classmates and kids from other classes during that time. Rumors and gossip spread fast around these parts.

I couldn't have been more glad when class ended for the day.

I waved goodbye to Stein on my way out — it looked like he tried to say something — before hurrying out of school.

Today, I was finally going to become a part-time Belright Guard.

The Belright Guards… also known as one of the city's main authorities.

They were an organization composed of trainers who helped guard our city from both internal and external threats, though the latter was far more common. Nearby tunnels needed to be regularly inspected for traces of predators that had their eye on us, miners needed to be protected from wild Pokemon, city walls needed to have sentries twenty-four seven… they were responsible for all of that and more.

And I was going to be joining them.

It wasn't out of any particular sense of duty unlike what I'd told the recruitment officer who scouted me. That was just the perfect answer I gave him so their organization would think more highly about me.

I'd always intended to join their organization for the benefits that came with it.

The higher you rose in their ranks, the more money — contribution tokens — you received in return. You also earned respect from the locals, access to restricted parts of the city like deeper sections of City Hall or the nicer districts, training resources and sparring partners within the Belright Guards, and permission to freely roam the tunnels outside the city. Sadly, that last perk would only apply once I became a full-time member of the Belright Guards.

It would be worth it though. I'd no longer have to worry about sneaking around, and I'd be able to dedicate more time to figuring out a way to the surface.

Lastly, what I wanted from the Belright Guards were maps. They gave full-time members access to miniature maps of the underground, but I was specifically interested in one thing: a more complete map of the underground that detailed a way to the surface. I knew they had one because otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to escort the volunteers to the surface years ago. It was probably hidden away somewhere.

If mapping the underground and a way to the surface proved to be too hard for me and Bell in the years to come, then my backup plan was to somehow find and acquire that master map. Hopefully it didn't come to that, though. Security over there was no joke.

Right now, I wanted to have a timely entrance to my new workplace.

I came up on City Hall and swerved right. Most important buildings or facilities were located near the central part of the city, and the Belright Headquarters was no different.

Down the street, an impregnable fortress made of stone filled my vision.

The Belright HQ came equipped with watchtowers of its own, one for every corner of its grounds, and it stood proudly as the most fortified building in all of Belona. Heavy grates covered windows. Steel plates reinforced doors and sections of the outer walls. Around the perimeter, stone fencing served as protection and deterrence. Sandbags and other barricades were stacked neatly behind them.

It certainly wasn't pretty, but it was intimidating alright. The Belright HQ was our last line of defense and where people needed to evacuate if the city ever came under widespread attack.

I didn't have to march up to the gatekeepers and explain my visit. A man with thinning hair was already there waiting for me.

"Ah, you're finally here. Are you nervous for your first day?" he asked conversationally.

A black jacket adorned with the symbol of the Belright Guards — an elaborate shield — covered his upper half. From up close, I could tell it was made from nice material.

This was Scott, the recruitment officer who'd visited my school long ago and eventually scouted me.

"No," I replied firmly.

"Good, good. You won't be doing a lot today anyway…"

Small talk ended there because neither of us wanted to keep his commanding officers waiting. Passing guards gave me odd looks as we walked into the building, but I paid them no heed. I wasn't the first kid to join the Belright Guards in spite of the minimum age requirement. There had been a handful of precedents before me throughout the organization's history.

I beat the record for youngest ever, though, and that was why I garnered attention.

Before I knew it, we reached our destination on the third floor.

"Commander, I've brought our newest recruit," Scott announced after knocking.

A gravelly voice promptly answered.

"Enter."

We did and without any time for me to prepare myself. It was an extraordinarily plain office all things considered. There were only some chairs for guests, a low table with a uniform jacket strewn over it, and a desk and matching chair at the back of the room. Nothing but essential furniture and two men.

I knew who they were already because people talked about them all the time. They were famous.

The man standing to the right of the desk was the Vice Commander of the Belright Guards. Soft orange curls fell across dark skin and twinkling eyes. Andrés Darvillo was as gentle as he appeared, but he was a real stickler for the rules. So long as you did what you were told and did a good job of it, you wouldn't suffer his wrath.

The middle-aged man seated in the chair was not nearly as kind-looking as his adjutant.

Dignified and stern. That was the first impression I got of him. My eyes homed in on a long and deep scar across the length of his cheek and two missing fingers on his right hand. Bumpy, discolored patches of skin ran up his other hand and disappeared behind the sleeve of his jacket. They were all testaments to fights the man had been in and lived through.

Commander Hermon Walker.

He was a living legend who'd held onto his position for over three decades and the descendant of a trainer who'd worked for the Eires League. About nine or ten years before I was born, some wild Pokemon launched a raid on the city. He fended them off and became a hero. Though he only had three Pokemon to his name, they were strong.

Hermon Walker was the most powerful trainer in the city, and the way he stared at me felt like he was trying to pick me apart. I stood my ground and with defiance surging in my heart.

"So you're the one they call the Monster Rookie," he mused out loud. "Name?"

"Orion Hadley, sir."

"Hmm," Hermon grunted. He picked up a paper from his desk and scanned it. "I remember your father. A guard whose potential was cut short. He died far too early in service of the city."

I didn't show it, but I was surprised. He didn't look like the type of guy who'd remember an ordinary guard out of hundreds of subordinates under his command. Maybe he was more caring than he seemed.

"Let's hope you're not the same."

Or maybe not.

"I've been told you received top marks in all practical exams and mock battles at school when we lent out our Pokemon. You also possess excellent eyesight and…" Hermon raised an eyebrow here, but he didn't look up from the paper he held. "Extraordinary dynamic vision?"

"Yes, sir."

I didn't want to brag, but 'excellent' was too weak a word to use for my eyes. They could see a lot more and further than others.

The Commander could have cared less. "Forget everything you've done in school from this point on. I shouldn't have to say this, but you're not here to play around. Strength and results are what matter in this place. There's no room for the weak. If you can't prove your worth, then we don't need you. Understood?"

I stared back into stony eyes. Little did he know what traitorous thoughts ran around in my head.

Someday, I'm going to leave this place and surpass you.

"Understood," I echoed instead.

"Good. Go."

Those two brusque words were all I got before I was unceremoniously kicked out of the Commander's office. Andrés and my recruitment officer followed me out into the hallway.

"Don't mind Commander Walker. That's how he usually acts," Andrés reassured me, and he passed over a jacket and belt. "Here, your gear. Make sure you wear them when you come to work everyday. I'll leave the rest to you, Scott. Do good work from here on out, Monster Rookie."

With a friendly smile, Andrés departed and left us be. I hated my epithet already and hoped it would fade fast.

Scott found it funny. I knew because while I slipped on my new guard jacket, he chuckled to himself and muttered the words 'Monster Rookie' a few times under his breath.

Ugh.

The jacket was comfortable, but what I really liked was the adjustable belt I'd been given. It came with tiny magnetic clips that I could attach my Pokeballs to. Once I added them, Scott gave me a tour of headquarters. There was a cafeteria I vowed to take advantage of from here on out, countless meeting spaces and one so-called 'war room' for emergencies, locked armories and storage areas full of weapons and supplies, a medical ward, barracks, a massive underground shelter for evacuation purposes…

He also ran me through the rules around here which basically boiled down to two things.

Do your assigned jobs well and don't make trouble.

Easy enough to remember.

"During the next year, you'll get self-defense lessons," Scott mentioned at one point. "You probably won't use them much, but it's something all new recruits learn in case you need to restrain people on patrol."

By that, he mostly meant stopping the rare drunkard or a heated argument. The city was pretty peaceful for the most part.

I already knew the answer, but I asked anyway.

"Will I get to patrol the tunnels?" I inquired.

Scott barked out a laugh. "Eager to serve the city, aren't you?" he got out in between chuckles. "I'm afraid not. You're going to be stuck with boring tasks and patrols around the city for the next year, sorry."

I withheld a sigh. I knew they didn't want to trust a new recruit or a kid with that kind of stuff, but I wished I had free access to the tunnels already. Sneaking around would have to make do for the time being.

A year felt so far away.

My mood improved when Scott guided me to the last destination of our tour: a huge open space behind the main building.

"This is where we keep our organization's Pokemon," Scott explained proudly. He pointed to some open sheds in the distance where I saw people changing food and water bowls. Outside, a variety of Pokemon milled around or napped. I recognized all of them. "Every Belright Guard can take one or two of these Pokemon with them when they're on duty. You just need to bring them back here afterward."

I almost jumped when he wagged a finger in front of my face.

"Don't think about stealing them either," he said with a playful smile. "Their Pokeballs are kept elsewhere, and this area's security is as good as the rest of the building. Believe it or not, we've had idiots who've tried before."

I didn't dream about it, but I nodded anyway to show my compliance.

"Anyway, don't worry if you don't have a Pokemon of your own. You can use one of these guys. They're friendly and obedient…" Scott droned on, but I wasn't listening.

I was too busy looking at the Pokemon in the distance. Geodude and Zubat predictably outnumbered the vast majority of them because they could be found in droves around here. There were also Roggenrola, Sandshrew, Diglett, and Machop. The uncommon ones in the bunch were a few Water types resting in man-made ponds like Barboach and Buizel. I knew Barboach could be found in underground lakes out in the tunnels, but Buizel was not. Most likely, these were offspring of Pokemon who'd been brought to the underground long ago.

"And if you look over there," Scott spoke up, directing my attention to the other side of the earthen field, "that's the area we set aside for training. You can spar with other guards when you're off-duty, too. There's usually always someone raring to go. Hot-blooded youngsters, I tell you."

Sparring definitely piqued my interest.

Bell and I hadn't fought a lot of battles so far. When we did, we usually had to bribe wild Pokemon with food to get them to fight us. That drained my savings. We couldn't fight too hard in the tunnels, either, for fear of attracting the wrong kind of attention.

Training by ourselves was always going to be worthwhile, but a Pokemon needed actual battle experience to truly grow.

My feet almost carried me in the direction of the training field without me realizing it, but I stopped myself in time.

Luckily, Scott herded me over there.

"I'm going to introduce you to your direct supervisor for the next year, Captain Eva Green," he explained as we walked. "She's the one who will assign your weekly workload."

True to his earlier word, there was a handful of guards resting on benches or training with their own Pokemon by the field. Most of them were in their teens to early twenties. They all looked up when we drew close, but it was mainly me they stared at.

"Huh, weird. Eva's not here. She said she was going to wait for us to drop by," Scott said out loud, but something about his tone seemed off to me. His overall volume had increased all of a sudden, too. "Do you mind waiting here for a bit? I'm going to go see where Eva is."

"Sure," I easily replied.

He flashed an embarrassed smile and walked off, waving. "I'll be back, Monster Rookie!"

Legendaries. Why did he emphasize it like that? It was practically a yell. I almost wanted to murder whoever originally came up with that nickname, too.

I watched Scott go. The instant he disappeared out of sight, someone called out to me.

"Hey. Monster Rookie."

Well, that voice didn't sound too friendly already.

I turned to see a teenager with dark, coarse hair sauntering up to me. His face twisted into a scowl as he looked me up and down.

"Wow. They weren't kidding when they said you were just a kid. Is your dad with City Hall or something? Did you get in here from connections?" he taunted.

I stared blankly at the older boy. Was this the workplace version of bullying at play? Judging by his appearance, this guy was probably a fresh school graduate and recruit. None of our spectators joined in, but they didn't stop him either. Some watched with interest. Others looked bored.

Don't make trouble, I reminded myself of Scott's earlier words.

I had choices here. One was to respond and refute. I went for option two.

Ignore.

Both options were going to piss him off either way, so I chose the one that gave me less work. I didn't want to waste my breath on this guy.

Of course, that riled him up further.

"What, you're not gonna say anything?" he spat. "Didn't think the newest recruit would be such a coward. I guess you really did get in through connections."

He continued spouting drivel in an attempt to get a reaction out of me, but I could have won an award for stoicism as I stood there and pondered the situation over.

The way Scott had acted earlier still bothered me. Being brought to the training grounds, the Captain being conveniently missing for our appointment, Scott speaking in an unusually loud voice as if to get the attention of the other guards… The more I thought about it, the more I was almost certain this was some sort of set up.

Not a malicious one, but more like a test or so I believed.

Maybe he was watching somewhere nearby. Maybe he wanted to see how I'd react.

Or maybe I was overthinking everything, but I liked to trust my instincts.

Now, how to handle this situation?

I didn't have to think very hard about it. This guy's voice was like knives grating against metal. Annoying. I didn't want to put up with this kind of crap.

My pride wouldn't allow it.

I decided to give Scott a show.

"You know…" The moment I finally said something, the other guy quit yapping. "I heard directly from the Commander that strength is what matters around here." My tone was cordial enough, but the smile I gave him was anything but. "You can see for yourself if I got in through connections or not. How about it? You want to have a Pokemon fight?"

The boy's eyes flashed with anger.

"Wow, he finally spoke," he sneered. "You actually said something I can agree with. You want a fight? Sure. Just don't cry afterward when you lose."

I didn't bother responding.

Show with actions, not words.

The two of us were already backing away from each other to make space for our impending fight. Once we were a suitable distance apart, my opponent pointed somewhere over my shoulder.

"I'm guessing you haven't caught a Pokemon yet since you just joined," he snidely remarked. "You can borrow one from other there—"

"No need. I have my own," I interrupted. I pulled Bell's Pokeball off my belt and held it up clearly for him to see.

His expression crumpled at the sight. Even from this distance, I made out his eyes darting from the Pokeball in my hand to the other on my belt. I could practically see the gears spinning in his head as he wondered how the hell I already had two Pokemon.

Well, the second Pokeball was empty, but he didn't need to know that.

"Let's see how it holds up," he shot back, frowning. "One-on-one, got it?"

He snatched a primitive Pokeball off his belt — a capsule with a dull red shell, marbled pattern, and iron clasp — and threw it forward. A bipedal, humanoid Pokemon emerged and flexed its arms, muscles bunched already in preparation for a fight.

A Machop. Definitely hadn't fought one of those before, but I wasn't worried. I hadn't suggested a fight without thinking it over first.

My odds of victory would have been slim against a more veteran trainer, but my opponent was young enough that he probably hadn't been with the Belright Guards for too long. He wasn't a prodigy, either, given I hadn't heard of any other kids joining the Belright Guards in recent years.

This was a fight I could win— no, would win.

He would serve as my stepping stone into making my name known in the Belright Guards. If Scott was watching, then I hoped he relayed news of my spectacular performance to the higher-ups later. The faster I rose through the ranks, the better.

"We're battling someone. Give it everything you got," I muttered to Bell's Pokeball.

I felt it wiggle slightly in response, and that prompted a wide grin from me as I aimed it at the air and clicked. Bell's form materialized in a sea of red light. It didn't really show on her face, but I knew she was pumped to have a serious fight for once. She bared her fangs and beat her wings rapidly.

My opponent eyed Bell for a moment before looking back at me.

"Last chance to back out," he warned.

"Are you getting cold feet?" I asked with a playful smile to boot.

Oh, he did not like that provocation.

"Someone count us down," he snarled at the audience, but his eyes didn't leave mine. Hmm. I was surprised he was going so far to set up a proper match. I thought we were just going to start right away.

It took a bit as our spectators looked between themselves. Eventually, another teenager volunteered and got to his feet with a sigh.

"You owe me for this, Nate," he drawled out. "Fill in for one of my shifts later."

"Sure, whatever. Just be the damn referee!"

Nate. I finally had a name to associate with this jerk.

As our new referee cleared his throat and made an exaggerated show of raising his hands, my senses sharpened. A familiar hunger rose up within me.

I felt it whenever I sought knowledge about things long forgotten, when I dreamed of rolling hills and brilliant skies, and when I traversed the maze of tunnels with only Bell by my side.

"Three."

It was an eternal hunger and one without end.

"Two."

An insatiable greed for things out of my reach.

"One."

I wanted to smash the stifling rules of the underground and tear it all apart—to go beyond this place to a future others would not even dare to dream of.

But the world did not hand you what you wanted on a silver platter. You had to work for it, earn it, seize it for your own.

If there was something I agreed with Commander Walker on, then it was this.

Strength mattered. Not just physical strength, but an indomitable will.

No one was allowed to look down on me.

"Go!"

If there was something you wanted, you took it.

And what I wanted right now was an overwhelming victory.

Author's Note: Ah yes, kids being awkward and figuring out the whole friendship business. Thank you for your support!

Drew some quick art of what the regional Pokedex looks like in this fic. Took inspiration from the Pokemon: Let's Go Eevee and Pikachu Pokedexes for it. Basically, it can unfold into a handheld form complete with a mini keyboard and trackpad.

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