The night after the battle, Nori had the best night's sleep he had since early July. He thought he might have a nightmare about the pool, but it simply didn't happen. Saturday was a day for relaxing. For Nori, that meant going out for a walk around town, just like old times. Everywhere he went, people greeted him as warmly as they did before this happened, if not even warmer. His plan had worked! It was like he was dancing on the clouds. There were only two things he had left to do.
The first of these would come on Sunday morning. As usual, it was off to the park near Stony Hills Elementary to meet with Agent Studd. For only the second time, Nori was looking forward to a check-in rather than being worried or unenthusiastic about it. He had actual stuff to report, but it was good. And more importantly, Agent Studd would have a report for him as well.
"And that's all there is to talk about this week," he finished with etiquette and enthusiasm, even standing on the tips of his toes for a brief moment. It was a formality that he didn't mind making. Pawniard was starting to coexist with his other Pokemon which was progress in itself. But more poignantly, his superior was one of the hundreds of witnesses to Qwilfish on Friday.
Agent Studd finished scribbling down the details and came up a salute. "I have it written down here, sir."
Good. With a glance over to Pachi in the fields and then to his right, he asked the follow-up question. "You got a report for me?" He held his arms in front of him, ready to pump them in triumph.
The scruffy official nodded with a grin. "That is right! And it is pleasurable to inform you of two things. One you will want to know and one you won't."
"Let's hear the thing I might not want to hear first," he said. May as well get it out of the way.
"Very well. Do not do it again."
Beat. Nori blinked. "What?"
"Oh. I was preparing for saying the good news first." The young official rolled his eyes. Though that did sound silly out of context. "I am speaking of your test! They will make an exception this one time for your method. Arrange it more proper in the future."
"This one time?" The implications of that statement rose through him like warm air. "Does that mean I did it?"
"Yes, you did it, sir! Your Qwilfish is acknowledged as rehabilitated!"
His first officially rehabilitated Pokemon! Yes! Nori wasn't sure where he was going with her most of the time, but he somehow made it through! He wanted to leap out of his seat in joy. What he ended up doing was swinging to the right and smirking at the people standing there.
"So how's that?" he said to Louis and Mariko. They had been quietly observing the proceedings. The former wore a blank expression, and the latter had her usual scowl. Her brow furrowed even deeper at his taunt.
"Go to hell," the redhead fired back at him.
"Mari," Louis raised a palm and hushed her. "Well, let me be the first to congratulate you, Carino."
Agent Studd's face dropped; his eyes fell downward and his jaw hung slack. "H-hey, I wanted to be the first…" he pouted.
"Grow up," Mariko dismissed, crossing her arms and tapping a foot. When Louis nudged her, she muttered, "Good job," under her breath.
"Yes, good job! CONGRATULATIONS!" Agent Studd added hearty applause and whooping. As if to say if he couldn't give the first plaudits, he was going to try to give the best.
Nori smiled at his two oppressors. "Thanks. And what else…?" He stared at Louis expectantly, unable to contain his smirk. This was pushing his luck, sure, but he couldn't help it!
The cobalt-haired teenager answered with little in the way of hesitation. "We are mature enough to admit when we are wrong about something. I hope you are as well." He adjusted his collar and gave him a grave look. "In the meantime, we apologize for our presumptions. This time."
"Yeah, sorry," Mariko scoffed bitterly. "But we ARE right about some things, and since you're here," she pointed a thumb at Agent Studd, "I'm surprised the Officials let this battle happen in the first place! It was unsanctioned, uncontrolled, and anything could've happened!"
He had a lot of words for her, but the agent spoke up before he could. "Hey now, missy!" He towered over her, glaring with an exaggerated air of authority. "I heard what you have done to my subordinate, and I will be having you know the Officials have no time for your Oinkolonge puke!" It was up to puke now?
"Ohhh, no." Mariko was unwavering, stepping right up to him and returning his fierce expression in a far more natural fashion. "This is a moral problem. You're not going to sweep this under the rug."
"I am Agent Studd of the Officials–"
"And what kind of name is that?" she cut in. "It makes you look like an egotistical creep!"
Nori twitched his noise. The man took it like a bullet to the heart. Louis crossed his arms. "I have to agree with Mari," he said.
"Gah. I like this name," he fussed, pulling at strands of his hair. "No one gives my cousin hard times."
It ran in the family?! Nori curled his lip and swallowed that comment. "Okay, even if it's true, that was uncalled for," he scolded, mostly addressing it at Louis. He expected better there. "Second, from what I understand, they will be addressing your concerns in due course."
Louis nodded. "Let us hope they do so in a meaningful fashion."
"Nori." Another voice called out. Nori almost mistook it for Mariko at first, but when he turned to her, she only shrugged. He saw who it was easily enough, coming up the park from a black car near the curb.
"Mr. Mart–" he began to complain.
"My codename, please!" he begged.
"We need to go somewhere else for these meetings," he practically ordered.
There was not much more time to follow up, because Mitsu was now standing before them. The teal-haired teenager quietly stared.
"Hey, Mitsu. Nice to see you," Nori said to his clubmate.
Mitsu averted his eyes. "Wish I could say the same," he muttered.
Nori felt a prickle on his neck. At least he wasn't yelling, but Nori felt he owed him an explanation. "I'm sorry you feel that way. But I'm a Pokemon Rehabilitator, and I had an assignment. I couldn't say no. I told this to Emi and Reiko and them, and I'll say it to you now that you've calmed down about it." He inhaled briefly. "I couldn't just leave her to whatever."
"I know. But I'm still not comfortable with it." Mitsu sluggishly faced him. "I just thought I'd come by and tell you personally. I'm quitting the club."
He said that, then he turned and started to leave right away. Agent Studd gasped. Even Louis and Mariko vocalized. Nori pulled himself off the bench and rushed in front of him.
"Mitsu, wait." Mitsu did not want to wait, but Nori kept blocking him. He eventually halted. "You're our editor. You're great at what you do. The newsletter won't be the same without you. Please don't be rash about this."
"Don't make this harder than it already is," came the empty reply. "I've given this thought, and it's for the best."
Nori's nostrils flared. He jabbed a finger at him. "You aren't thinking! Mitsu, if you do this–"
He stormed past. "I'm done. That's final."
"If you do this, you won't find another club!" Nori screamed, taking a few steps to follow. "Mitsu!" But his calls went ignored. The teal-haired teenager got into the passenger side, then the car was gone.
What the hell?! Nori's throat dried out. Adrenaline was still coursing through his limbs. Nori wanted to slap some sense into that stupid moron! What did he just do? Was he that petty about this?!
With a wail, he spun around and stormed back to the benches. He barely took notice of Pachi, who had come over to him at some point. The boy was ready to get mocked and ridiculued by those two. So he paused in his tracks when he noticed their respective frown and scowl.
"He left you out to dry," Louis quietly remarked, shaking his head.
"What the hell's the matter with him?" Even Mariko was sympathetic. And that was saying something.
"Can't get over it, I guess," he grumbled.
"Bet he's going to come crawling back at some point."
"I'm not planning on letting him back."
The side of her mouth crooked upwards. The redhead snorted. Louis loosened his posture. In sync with each other, they nodded their approval.
Agent Studd was the outlier. "That is quite harsh, sir," he remarked.
He jerked his head toward the man and made his feelings clear. "If he wants to backstab us, screw him." Mitsu had all the time in the world to think and cool down. If he regretted the consequences of his actions, it was going to take more than begging to come back.
"All right." Mariko leveled a little, though her tone was still sharp. "One more thing, Carino. Getting back to the problem, what are you going to do from here?"
"That is to say," Louis interjected, "Will you be able to properly care for this Pokemon given your phobia?"
Nori's hands went to his hips. He tapped a foot and turned his nose up. "Why are you worrying about that?" he asked.
"There is no need for hostility." Louis held a palm up. "We are simply concerned for a Pokemon. One of the things that was made clear from that battle is that you cannot get into the mental state to give her proper exercise. Surely, the Officials are also aware of this fact."
"Actually, they said not a thing," Agent Studd chimed in. The YAMS duo gave him a fleeting glance, but then their gazes fell upon him.
Who did these two think they were, some nosy reporter like Akari Schrader? He cocked his head and shook it. "Go find someone else to bother," he snapped. "I have a plan, that's all you two need to know. Stop trying to police me."
Louis tilted his head and smirked. "We're sorry for wasting your time. Good luck, Carino."
"We'll be watching." Mariko scrutinized him before they turned and left.
Once they were out of earshot, Nori groaned and growled. They still had it out for him from the looks of it. He sat at the picnic table, resting his head on a fist. Pachi leaped up, first onto the seats, then onto the table itself. But Nori didn't have the energy to pat him.
"Seriously." His expression pinched. "Can we move these meetings already?"
Agent Studd rubbed the back of his head. "Ah. Fine, we will figure out a thing."
Nori let his arms fall onto the table. His shoulders dropped and he leaned forward, mostly out of relief. Everyone knew they met at this location weekly. Better late than never to finally start varying it up. That is, if he actually kept the promise.
"By the way, what do the officials have in mind? For their thing? If you know." That was the last obstacle to surmount here. He had an idea himself, but…
"If I knew, I still wouldn't have told them, sir!" Agent Studd replied, maligning the saying in a way that still incidentally made sense. "But what from my contact said, there was a meeting in Ramanas Town!"
"Ramanas?" he mused. "The only things really out there are Pal Park and the Mistutri Shrine." The boy snorted and leaned back. Imagine getting help from Prema's religious rivals.
"Now one for you! Skid row joe!" the scruffy man declared (and malpropered). "What do you have in mind for Qwilfish, sir? If you don't mind me asking. It is a concern, now that they mention it."
Nori looked up at the guy. He only figured it was going to be a problem now?! Well, he didn't mind telling him. In fact, he sort of had to. It had been in his mind since Friday. No, maybe Thursday. There were just logistics to sort out.
His hand idly went to Pachi. He gave the squirrel some pettings. "Well…" he began.
Chad tried to call Emi three times on Saturday: in the morning, afternoon, and evening. Each time, there was no response. It only made him worry more. If he had been calling a mobile phone, it would have been understandable. But she didn't have one, so he was calling her home phone. He thought her parents would have picked up.
When he tried again on Sunday just after 1pm, the gruff voice of Emi's dad greeted him after three rings "Hello?"
Chad choked a little in relief. He swallowed it and steadied his voice to at least try to sound composed. "Hello, Mr. Pikaru. Is Emi there?"
"Shosha?" the man recognized. "Yeah, hold on."
He held the phone away from his mouth as he released his joy. He was perfectly aware that he was stressing over this more than he should. On the other hand, it didn't mean he didn't want to anyway.
He overheard some back and forth in the receiver, but it was too faint to get any of it. Eventually, he heard a door slam shortly followed by Emi barking, "Yeah, what?"
She was still on-edge. "Hey, Emi," he blurted.
"Really?" she snapped. "That's what you're greeting me with?"
Chad sitting on his bed with his cell phone. With that accusation, he laid down. "I'm sorry. I don't know what else to say," he apologized.
"Fine, whatever," Emi replied. There was a pause at the other end before she punctuated, "God. Fucking. Dammit." A crashing sound rang out, probably her hitting something.
"Emi, do you want to talk about it?" Chad offered, although he curled up slightly as he did so.
"What's there to talk about?"
Chad froze for a few seconds. It didn't once occur to him that Emi might not want to discuss what happened. Had this been a mistake on his behalf?
"I'm asking a question."
It couldn't be helped. "I suppose if you don't want to, that's all right too."
He thought he heard her growling lowly, although the phone quality made it difficult to tell for sure. "I can't believe him," she remarked. "Yeah, I said I was ready for anything, but not that."
Chad couldn't help but crack a smile. She did want to talk about it after all. Typical Emi. He explained things how he saw them. "He put up with it for the sake of his Pokemon. I don't think he quit maliciously, it was just that he couldn't take any more."
"I still hate it," she cut in.
"Yes, there were others left unsatisfied." Chad was not one of them, but several of their teammates had been looking forward to this for one reason or another. A general air of disappointment pervaded the arena afterward, even if many understood why Nori gave up. "There will be other chances to battle him."
They had even been planning a rubber match, hadn't they? That was what he had heard from others who had witnessed what had led to this. Chad was certain that the Pokemon Rehabilitator would be willing to go through with one under better conditions. For himself and for his opponent.
"Hey. Sorry for being so selfish lately." Emi suddenly changing the subject made Chad prop himself up with his elbows. "I was hoping it'd be worth it at least. Just been one screw up after another with it, though."
There it was. Chad had been thinking about what he wanted to say to her about this. He even wrote it down. So he got up and went to his desk to glance at the scrap of paper it was on. "Emi, I would say it was worth it. You gave Nori Carino a chance to redeem his Qwilfish in the public's eyes. You were the only one willing after those two YAMS idiots did their thing. And well, I'm sure you saw the type of Pokemon she really is in that battle. I know it is not what you intended, but you ended up doing good. And I'm sure Nori appreciates it."
"I know all that."
When she interrupted him, he paused and his eyes widened. Comfort didn't work?! His limbs and throat tightened. "If you're looking for criticism," he unsteadily spoke. What to say? "Your emotions clouded your judgment. This could've been avoided if…if you left well enough alone. And…" And what else? Oh, that might work. "And you shouldn't be too surprised. You knew Nori Carino wouldn't be able to function there."
"Yeah, now that you mention it, winning outright wouldn't have meant much," Emi noted. With a forced chuckle that showed her bitterness, she added, "Damn it, he's good. He found a way to win when he lost!"
Was that a bit of excitement in her tone? Chad exhaled as the tension inside him was cut. He was bad at coming up with speeches on the fly. But he agreed, this was not something he saw coming. He knew Nori didn't care about others' opinions of him. Chad could respect that. He even envied it, like with Emi. But even he thought humiliating yourself to save a Pokemon was crazy. Maybe that's why Nori Carino was a Pokemon Rehabilitator.
Emi snickered a little, "Wonder how it would've gone if I listened to that gut feeling you had?"
"It's not worth thinking about now. Honestly, I thought it'd be worse than it was. All things considered, I think this was the best result for all–" He stopped to correct himself, hanging his head. "Most of the parties involved."
"Heh. I guess," Emi conceded. There, she finally accepted the positives. Chad could only smile over it as his friend continued, understanding part of what he was getting at. "Just hope Kiara can get over this."
"I hope so too," he agreed.
"Thanks for putting up with my bullshit, man." Emi was now talking a little more normally. No, that wasn't quite right. It was with an earnestness he rarely heard from her.
Chad opened his mouth. Should he say this? Screw it, he figured. "Emi, you're not just a teammate, you're my friend. What else are friends for?"
"You're too good to me," she muttered. While they couldn't see each other, Chad could envision the bright smile on her lips. "I think I need to go lie down and think about this more. See you Monday."
"See you tomorrow, Emi."
Chad leaned back in his chair as she hung up. Things were going to work out. Things were going to be okay. They were a little closer. And Emi had learned and grown a little from this incident. He was really glad to see that, both as her team captain and as her friend. There were still many questions about what was ahead of them, but Chad Shosha was sure he, Emi, and the rest of the team would find the answers in time.