Chapter 3
The First Night Home
(Part 2)
"Look, uh-..." Penny decided to drop the conversation, to Nemona's relief. "I'll get dinner set up for us, eh?"
"Sure," Nemona agreed distantly.
Penny went about rummaging the human food around.
"Rrrrnnn..." Lyla whimpered quietly.
"It's OK, girl," Nemona whispered. "We've all had a long week, huh?"
Penny administered some onigiri from the restaurant to each of her 'mons, struggling to get them to be orderly and take their turn. After a few moments of finagling, she just kind of dropped them into the food dishes.
"One for each of you," she explained to them tartly. "I'd better not see anyone stealing someone else's, got it?"
Nemona had finished feeding Lyla a couple handfuls of dry food by that point, and she saw the way Lyla's eyes were transfixed on the onigiri. But the Lycanroc didn't budge.
"Hey, Penn?" Nemona called from her spot knelt on the kitchen floor. "Mind handing me one of those?"
"Oh, these?" Penny tipped up the container, which had a few left. "I didn't... get any for your 'mons, you always say how you don't want them eating this kind of-"
"It's fine, I'm just gonna give Lyla one of mine."
At this, Lyla's tail thumped against the tile floor a couple times before settling down, and she sat upright politely.
"You sure?" Penny checked, smiling warmly at Lyla's mannerisms while she lowered the container.
"Yeah," Nemona confirmed. She wiped her Lyla-petting hand on her pants and carefully plucked an onigiri from the container Penny was holding aloft.
"Here ya go, girl, eat up." And Nemona's chest swelled with glee at the sight of her loyal 'mon nibbling away at what was effectively a treat for her. She even took her time with it, only 1/3 through hers by the time Penny's Veevee's had all gobbled their own. After this bit of hand-feeding, Nemona topped up the final empty food dish, placed the rest of the onigiri on top of it, and gestured Lyla to have at it with a final bit of head scratching.
Nemona went about washing her hands clean to be ready to eat her own food, and she and her girlfriend loaded their meals onto plates and headed for the coffee table in the living room. As Penny looped back into the kitchen to fix drinks, Nemona reflected on the living room space.
The flat had no dedicated dining room, so this was... just where dinner was going to be had, it seemed. It felt... so weird to Nemona. She may as well have been eating cross legged on the floor... 'Uncivilized' was so not the word she'd use to describe the feeling, and yet... it was unmistakably similar to what she was feeling, deep inside. 'Pampered little princess' feelings... a phrase Penny had uttered years ago about Nemona's upbringing, one her friends would lob at her teasingly here and there and she'd take it on the chin. All the while a title she simply had never been able to let go of, a nagging little fear that would cling to her shoulder like a Weedle, unassuming yet ready to poison her with doubt if she let it. A feeling she wanted to shake off, for sure; however, as she had gradually been doing so over many nights in at this flat before that day. If anything, that metaphorical Weedle had just become a reminder of what she had a duty to avoid: letting money become more important than people or Pokémon.
Sat side by side at the coffee table after Penny returned with evening tea, Nemona and Penny surveyed their plates full of tasty seafood. Some seafood pasta with Krabby and Magikarp bits mixed in was going to hit just the spot. And was that Inkay ink dressing drizzled on top? With a handful of Hoenn style sushi rolls on the side? Penny had made good calls... Nemona had already downed what looked like a droopy Tatsugiri roll by the time Penny had sat her own skinny butt down to eat.
Rather than immediately negotiating what they'd watch with dinner, however, Penny seemed interested in striking up conversation, leaving the flat-screen TV mounted on the wall turned off.
"You know-..." Penny began. Nemona pulled her gaze toward Penny, though she could feel even her eyes lagging in their movement. Penny continued, "...Hm. My dad might not like me bringing it up, but... he's not here... so-..."
Nemona blinked, confused as to Penny's pause. Hanging on her girlfriend's words, Nemona dug into the seafood pasta. Thankfully, it was indeed still warm enough to be enjoyable, and it smelled so good. She could feel her mouth watering and appetite returning as she dug in, patiently waiting for Penny to get to where she was going.
"You know Macro Cosmos, right?" Penny asked.
Nemona's eyes slid to one side as she fished through her memory. She chomped into an onigiri as she contemplated. Ads... generic corporate fluff... Galarian...? Seaweed. Oh, that last thought was because of the tasty filling of the onigiri...
Nemona shrugged up one shoulder with a bit of a head shake and swallowed. She then muttered, "Uhh, some Galarian company? I think?" Nemona felt like her Father had done meetings with them at some point...
Penny nodded, stabbing at her pasta.
"They're huge in Galar," she said. "I bet you can't pinpoint what they do because they control so much. Name a type of public work and they probably own Galar's branch of it. Which is, honestly, a load of tosh, given how well known Galar used to be for its public services..."
Giratina's ass, Nemona was so not up for this kind of topic at the moment. As much as she had come to open her eyes up to the ways big companies like her Father's impacted the world at large, she wasn't sure what else she could be doing right then and there to prove to Penny how so not about that corporate culture she was... She was already giving up that life, at least... mostly. What more could she give?
But Penny hadn't gotten to her real point. She needed to take a second to chew some food. So Nemona kept eating at her tasty pasta. How could Krabby be so goofy and cute yet taste so good? As Nemona pondered this, she noticed that Penny's dish looked different... It was pasta, but, like... it didn't look like it had the meat in it... A pang of guilt struck Nemona's stomach, but she also couldn't deny her hunger.
"Not a lot of folks know this about me," Penny cited, "but you're not the only one around here related to big business. My uncle used to be President of Macros Cosmos. And the Chairman of the Galarian Pokémon League."
Nemona was dumbstruck. For starters, why was Penny bringing up someone like that out of left field like this? She didn't get it. And for another thing, why and how had Nemona never known about this, if it was true...? How could something so... so big never have come up? Then again... being the daughter of a big-wig hadn't come up between her and Letty for an entire summer, so-...
"Um..." Nemona almost choked, swallowing her food down. She croaked out, "Say what? You mean Rose?" Nemona at least knew the guy Penny was referring to. Kind of a sleezy suit who'd gotten into legal trouble a years back after causing a mess with a legendary Pokémon. Nemona definitely remembered the guy from all of the big Galarian tournaments she'd watched, including one she'd seen in person as a kid with her folks.
"That's the guy," Penny said spitefully.
"Hm, yeah..." Nemona pensively rubbed her chin between scooping up chunks of pasta with her fork. "Actually, I remember back when he turned himself in over that one Pokémon, uhhh...-"
"Eternatus."
Nemona snapped her fingers. "Riiiiight." Elbow to the table as she hunched over, she pointed her finger out as she recollected, "Man, every TV in my family's house was locked into Vulpix News for like a month over that wild shit... I tuned it out, to be honest. It almost felt as if they were defending that Rose guy, and, like... that didn't seem right to me..."
"Funny how that goes with Vulpix News," Penny quipped bitterly. "Sure it's got nothing to do with the wealthy people who sink money into it." A knowing sigh spilled out. She then remarked dryly, "So you know of Rose, then, and what he did." Penny reigned the convo back in. She had said it with a certain disdain that Nemona recognized as she nodded back.
And then it all made sense why Penny was bringing it up, and why it hadn't been a topic discussed before. But hearing Penny say it herself was cathartic – for both of them.
"He's a right proper cunt," Penny blurted harshly, her Galarian accent just a bit thicker than usual as she said it. "He deserved to lose his job, and he deserved to go to prison, even if he bloody well didn't..."
Nemona was reeling from Penny's foul language – not that she hadn't gotten used to cursing and all, having just tossed a swear herself, but... still. That one wasn't a word Penny used lightly, and certainly not very often.
Nemona felt her throat drying and took a sip of the warm, milky tea Penny had prepared. Mm, not bad, actually... She always forgot how nice black tea went with milk and a bit of sugar... Not something she was sure she'd want every single day, but-...
"Um," Nemona said, clearing her throat after swallowing. "That's-... I mean, that's kind of a lot. I thought you... didn't come from a wealthy family...?"
"I didn't," Penny sharply confirmed. "Because my dad – Peony? – told his brother Rose and his mountains of money to fuck right off."
Nemona could feel the air thicken the more Penny stewed on this subject. To think that this was something that had been buried the entire five plus years they'd known each other... And she could feel why in Penny's heavy, scathing tone. It was something to keep buried, for sure.
"My dad had a falling out with the rest of his family," Penny recanted. "A rich family. But he left them behind to start his own family, one he could come home to, and take care of, and not have-..." Penny's fist was trembling against the table. "Not have the kinds of things burdening him that an asshole like Rose has on his conscience..."
"S-... So, wait, is this you... trying to cheer me up?" Nemona squeamishly interjected, wearing a timid grimace. She could see the thread tying it together, but... Penny was getting worked up, which made Nemona feel nauseous. And they were trying to eat dinner... And she wasn't really in the mood for this topic... on their first night in, nonetheless.
As Penny took a sip of her tea, her eyes lost some of their edge, their gray tint changing from that of a sharpened butcher's knife to a rain cloud. Her tone of voice followed suit as she tapped her index finger into the table, accented pointed syllables in her speech.
"This is me telling you that my existence is proof that you don't need to be rich to start a family. That you can start a family yourself, that-... that it's OK to leave your old family behind if you need to... And Nemona, you maybe do need to? They don't understand you. They don't accept you."
Nemona could feel tears starting to well in her eyes at this subject. She knew there was no way she could be going through with all this and have the topic not be brought up... but it hadn't stopped her from hoping it could've all just been ignored. At least for a single day...
Creasing her temple, Nemona sighed, her eyelids fluttering from exhaustion both physical and mental in nature.
"Penny, I-... This is kind of a lot to dump on me, here..." she eked out, her voice wilting softly. "I'm not, like, burning bridges right now, all right? I... I'm taking space from my family, is all. For now. U-Until all of us get more settled into our new positions? I just wanted today to be about-..." She sighed, hating that withering look of guilt in Penny's face, marred by disappointment. "-... about being with you. I just want to enjoy this..."
Nemona gave her girlfriend a pleading look, doing her best to keep her eyes from getting damp.
Penny swallowed a bite of food and took in Nemona's gaze, her brows furrowing with some regret. Nemona gave her body something to do by taking a drink and a bite, as well. They were both quiet for a moment of chewing.
"Arc, I'm sorry," Penny then murmured, rubbing her knuckle against an itch on her nostril. There were some disgruntled Veevee noises coming from the kitchen. "I don't-... My family keeps this under lock and key these days, but... I just needed to get it off my chest. I wanted to help you-..." The 'mon noises grew louder, and Penny huffed, running a hand over her braided fauhawk. "Guys," she snipped at them. "Cool it!" And they obeyed – briefly. Penny's hand flopped into her lap as she stared around the back of the couch, watching them squabbling, despite there being more than enough food for everyone.
Nemona felt her eyes rolling a little – if Penny was maybe more diligent about, you know, training... then maybe her 'mons would be better behaved... instead of thinking they ran the joint. Nemona reflected on how that was something that would need to be changed if she was going to be living here...
And without needing to even issue a request, Nemona watched as Lyla asserted herself as a disciplinary actor, gently nipping at Penny's Flarey and Joltey to get them to settle down. It sent a pang of pride through Nemona's chest. Lyla was such a damn good egg... even if she hadn't been when she'd come out of an egg...
"Ugh, I'm probably gonna need to enlist you to help me get those kids in order," Penny confessed tiredly to Nemona. "You're clearly way better at discipline than I am..."
"Heh." Nemona beamed softly at the acknowledge of her years of diligent work. "Was starting to think you'd never ask. Sure, I'd love to." The prospect genuinely excited her, as she'd wanted to help Penny train 'mons for ages but knew better than to be too pushy about it, given how things had went with Scarlet when she'd done so...
As if on queue – or perhaps in response to Penny's little outburst – Lyla sauntered into the room, licking water off her lips. Penny froze up a bit at Lyla's presence, but knew that the girl was too familiar with her to start slobbering, much less try and steal food.
"Hey," Penny muttered to the Lycanroc, and the gawked at each other warily for a couple seconds. "Who's a good girl, huh...?"
Lyla let out a soft, questioning whimper sort of sound, prodding her nose against Penny's shin and sitting down at the side of the couch. Nemona's mouth was chowing down on sushi while her head was chowing down on how frickin' adorable it was watching her 'mon and her girlfriend have a little moment~!
"W-We're fine, Lyla," Penny assured, scratching at her neck a little. "Thanks..."
Lyla puffed out a sigh through her nostrils, and Penny twitched a bit – perhaps from the sudden burst of air against her ankles.
"A-Anyway," grumbled Penny, shaking off her irritation as Nemona swallowed down more tasty food. "Nemona, I know you're used to... just kind of going where you feel like and doing what you feel like. But even you have gotta realize that this is kind of a big deal, right? Cutting ties with your parents, and everything?"
"I-...! I'm not 'cutting ties' with them," Nemona protested, scratching at her neck squeamishly. "I'm just-... I'm giving myself some space, y'know? Trying to... prove to myself – and them – that I don't need their money to succeed at what I want to do."
"Mm. Mmkay." Penny didn't sound too convinced. But Nemona hadn't sounded terribly convincing, either. Drumming her clammy fingers against the table, Penny glared at her plate and grumbled, "And I'm sure this all has nothing to do with your family hating me..."
"It-...!" Nemona's gut reaction had been to deny that negativity. But with her jaw agape, she saw Penny's expression wrinkle with harsh skepticism. "OK, kinda," Nemona blurted out her confession, eyes slinking away. She waggled her fork around as she proclaimed, "B-But they don't hate you, they just... don't-... "
"- want me to be at any kind of family or business gathering where it'd be obvious that we're girlfriends?"
"Well... that. Yeah. Probably..." Nemona's defensive stance slumped.
'When she puts it like that...'
"Look. I'm sorry," puffed Penny doggedly, as she pet the dog snuggled against her feet. "I'm not mad at you, or anything, mi tesoro." 'UGHHHH hearing you speak Paldean and call me your TREASURE, my freakin' heart...!' "You obviously are choosing me over them. I've got no complaints." Penny dabbed her fingertips against her chest as she said that last line, lifting one shoulder defensively.
Nemona's insides contorted at the phrasing. Was she choosing Penny over her family? She wanted to think of it as more of like... a compromise, a pursuit of independence. She was a full grown adult now, she'd just turned 23! It was natural for her to move out into her own place... Right?
So... Why had it felt like she'd had to do so much kicking and screaming against all of these protests from her family...?
Penny concluded, "I just wanted to remind you that becoming that rich isn't something people do by being nice. And that my family has been doing fine, even after severing ties with big money. What you're doing, it just-... It reminds me of my dad. And-..." Penny took a beat, fidgeting with her glasses as her cheeks went pink. "And I think that's well cool. Is all. That both of you are well cool..."
"OK," Nemona replied simply, squirming a little in her seat from all this heavy talk. She realized such a bluntly simple response would come across as thoughtless, probably. So she forced herself to add, "I, erh... Thanks. I appreciate it."
After a tight pause, Penny's eyes went out of focus briefly before dropping to her food.
"I'm just annoying you," she decided dejectedly. "Sorry..."
"N-No, no," Nemona attempted to assure. "That's... a super megaton to drop on me, Penn. Is all. And I... I'm already going through it, today, yeah? So I just-..."
"No, yeah, y-you're right. I'm making this about me, and-..."
"It means a lot that you're telling me this." Nemona pressed her hand against her clavicle and pushed out her Earnest Voice. "And I so get why. Your father is awesome, being compared to him is... great. Thank you."
Penny was starting to sob a little.
"Guh-... You've had such a long... week. Month? A-And here I am, my wanking ugly face, tr-trying to tell you what-"
"Sssss, no-no, nuh-uh." Nemona coddled, leaning over and grasping her arms around her girlfriend. She pressed her face into Penny's hair and squeezed her tight. Nemona had noticed that over time, Penny had bouts where she'd suddenly get more emotional, always in a sad way. She suspected it had to do with the hormone medication Penny was on. Not like Nemona's hormones didn't cause her to have off days, either...
While Nemona's own cycles lent themselves to exhaustion, migraines, frustration, and irritation (on top of the already undesired cramps), Penny's seemed to lead more toward catching sudden cases of The Sad Times and unfortunately losing patience with her Pokémon. Nemona frankly couldn't understand why someone would willingly choose to inflict such hormonal nightmares on themself, but it wasn't really her place to speak for someone else on it. As she'd learned to say to her family when explaining these kinds of things, 'You don't need to understand it, but you do have to respect it.'
"Your face is so cute, and you weren't telling me what to do," Nemona insisted quietly. "You didn't do anything wrong."
Following her lead, it seemed, Lyla scooted herself forward slightly along the floor, her nails clacking against the hardwood. She nuzzled her head against both ladies' shins.
"See?" Nemona giggled. "Lyla agrees... Don't you, girl?"
"Rrrggh~" came Lyla's reply, just the beginning of a bark but without breaking that level of sound that became uncomfortable indoors.
A few moments of side hugging and a handful of light kisses on the head later, and Penny seemed a little better.
"Maybe I should just-..." Penny went for the remote to the TV, eliciting Lyla to squirm backward and out of her way.
"Yeah, let's just have a chill night in," Nemona encouraged, not even caring what was put on TV. She was certain she'd pass out in Penny's lap before long at this rate, anyway.
The pair began watching some kind of long-form essay on the mis-characterization of Pokémon born from human garbage. It began with some kind of weird skit that went on a bit too long and had these callbacks that made Penny chuckle which Nemona had no context for. Still, it was always nice to be taught something while being entertained... And it would all make her think a little differently the next time she saw a Muk or a Trubbish, at the least... even if she felt the essayist didn't seem to cite their sources very well. 'Links in the description' was fine and good but Nemona was used to being expected to cite sources in the text itself.
After finishing her food – and the tasty dessert that had come with it – Nemona took a commercial break (or rather, an in-video sponsored ad segment) as an opportunity to gather her dirty dishes and place them in the sink. Normally, she liked doing the dishes in the evening when she visited Penn. It was kind of therapeutic, giving herself a slow moving task while her brain could process things. And it still carried a sense of novelty to it, given that she had almost never needed to do them herself, not even when she'd lived on campus (where the cafeteria workers had been the ones doing the dish washing). Something about the quaintness of washing dishes made Nemona feel... normal. Not as rich as she was born from.
But in the moment, she couldn't bring herself to begin such a task. She was simply too beat, and a full stomach was making her pleasantly sleepy. Even the Veevees were settling down, plodding along to the living room area to watch TV with them.
Lyla, now fully fed and watered, and recently brushed, used what little space she had to navigate to lift Nemona's left palm over her snout, asking for pets.
Nemona smiled warmly but tiredly, happy to oblige. She knew there were other 'mons yet to be cared for, and so while Penny finished her meal – she always ate slower – Nemona decided to go about feeding her other 'mons. Penny ended up pausing the video (it was like an hour long, so they'd watch more later). Due to the size of Nemona's Pokémon, properly caring for them entailed needing to slap on a pair of outdoor slippers (she'd prepared for this exact task) and bring some food and drink outside.
It took a good forty minutes or so to tend to the rest of them, one at a time – and she was rushing things a bit, too. Normally, a thorough evening time inspection took a half hour to an hour, or even more if there'd been battles that day. Her Quaquaval, named Emil, did not seem happy about this new living arrangement, but he'd just have to deal with it. It wasn't like he was much of an indoor 'mon, anyhow, and she always tried to give Emil time outside while on the job. She did what she could to comfort him as best she could, plucking off bits of debris from when she'd given him some exercise time earlier in the day and helping tidy his feathers out. She tried assuring him that her day job would keep giving him plenty more opportunities to spread his legs and run wild. Bocadillo, her Dudunsparce was... erh... well, he seemed unfazed by the move, as he was hardly fazed by anything. Dolores, her Orthworm, was being a real diva as usual about the situation, and hard to please, but at least respected Nemona's commands to not go tearing holes through downtown Mesagoza. Her Goodra, named Crema, had been extra hungry – made sense, she'd had a rough day the afternoon prior while having to fight a Tera 'mon. Puñito, her Pawmot, had tried scampering off to play with a pair of kids walking by with ice cream cones. He'd tried stealing a lick, only for Nemona to scold him for it. But the kids had been endeared by the chubby, fuzzy mouse, snapping some kind of video with him as they let him take a bite. They even recognized Nemona as a Local Champion, and had included her in their video.
Nemona lamented the thought of record evidence of her looking all droopy-eyed, run-ragged, and in slippers being posted on social media, but... maybe it wasn't so bad for some kids to have a moment of being reminded that even Champions were just normal people, too. It meant they, too, could easily fantasize about it. And who knew? Maybe one of them would indeed become some high level trainer some day that Nemona would have to face. There was really no telling.
Her Pokémon-related affairs in order for the evening, Nemona peeked into the salon that sat below their flat. Someone was getting their hair cut in a shape that evoked an Absol's horn, while a pround-looking Yorkleff was having its face fur trimmed. The staff tending to the Yorkleff clocked Nemona's presence and nodded their chin up at her, and she gave a small wave back. The owner and workers there knew her quite well at that point, even if some of them had rotated out over the years. Nemona's hair was longer than it had been when she'd met Scarlet, and probably had twice the volume thanks to those miracle workers in the salon. It took no small amount of effort making it look good, so now, living in such a convenient spot for hair care was at least a major plus.
Nemona planted her palms on her hips and rotated around, scoping out the environs. She knew Mesagoza inside and out, but it just hit differently, now that this wasn't just a place she'd be passing through, but a place she could call 'home.' Being locked into the edge of the financial district meant there wasn't as much in the way of long distance sights, but Mesagoza was an elevated town, so there was still some decent horizon views. Nodding to herself contentedly, she trotted up the stairs and back inside after checking she had all six of her currently active team on hand, attached to a chain belt looped loosely on her hips – the one she wore to work.
"Get everything sorted?" Penny asked, herself in the middle of feeding her Vivillon and Scream Tail.
"Mm-hm," Nemona hummed, taking her pokéballs into the bedroom, behind the couch. She had a shelf in the closet dedicated to storing all of her pokéballs. What had once been four complete teams was now only two. And even that was proving to be perhaps a bit too much for her to handle properly... She hadn't summoned or used any of her secondary 'mons that day, but their lack of use meant the properties of their pokéballs slowed their metabolic rates. She could feed them in the morning when she was rested. Just dwelling on it made her realize how much more spare time and energy she'd used to have to dedicate to bringing up multiple teams of 'mons at once.
Nemona had given away many of her older Pokémon to students at the Academy by this point. It had been a good excuse to hold tournaments, with prized Pokémon trained by a Champion herself being the reward. But Nemona also had found herself feeling guilty. Her Pokémon, her old partners, had been prizes. She just literally did not have the time, resources, or energy to properly care for so many 'mons anymore. Not with a full time job working as Security Chief, a girlfriend that she dedicated a lot of time to... as well as trying to work toward her future goals in the League...
The best course of action for her old partners, she figured, had been to donate them to younger trainers with talent and time on their hands. Better to let her 'mons keep training and keep fighting than be stuck in a pokéball in her closet – or worse, trapped in a League server storage unit...
Was she going soft? She'd worried about that at first, but it had been Rika's idea to give some of her 'mons away. It was a process aging trainers often had to go through, Rika had cited.
'Friends from when you were a kid? They don't always stick around. Same can be said for Pokémon. Problem is, they don't get a choice in the matter 'til we give it to 'em.'
'Precisely,' Geeta had added. 'Nemona. I'm sure it's going to be a difficult process. But ask any Gym Leader, or any Elite Four member: it's something all of us have to come to terms with in order to refine our strategies and hone a team fit for providing the necessary challenge the League demands. And it is also something we have to accept for the good of our Pokémon companions, as well.'
'So...' Nemona had felt so disheartened in the moment, so paralyzed that the people at the very top were telling her she had to say 'good-bye' to some – most – of her battle partners. 'So you're saying... I need to get rid of them...? I don't-...'
Rika had tried to soften the concept. 'Nope. You're not throwing them away. You're giving them a new home. A new partner. How do you think new trainers get their starters to begin with? Someone had to raise those little fellas from infancy. Even if it's just for a short while. And then they had to say 'farewell.' That's life. Just how it is. Even the most experienced trainers probably had to part ways with most of the Pokémon they've used in their time. Even if that means leaving them in the care of researchers. There comes a point when life gets in the way, and you've got to choose your priorities.'
Nemona had taken their advice to heart the previous summer. And so far, it seemed to have been working out. The 'giveaway series' of tournaments had become a smash success on campus, and Nemona had greatly lightened her load into something more manageable, though not yet ideal. But she knew that sooner or later, if she was ever going to pursue becoming a bonafide member of the League in any capacity... she was going to have to make some tough calls about which Pokémon to use – which ones she could afford to even keep.
Nemona gave each of her pokéballs a good polish with a dedicated cleaning rag she used for wiping down her battle-related items – that included her wearable whistles, pouches, and belts. The 'mons had all been transferred into fresh balls back in the autumn – she tried to rotate them all into new pokéballs every year or so, a luxury she knew not everyone could afford. A luxury she herself may not have been able to afford without dipping into her savings account, with her new... familial situation... And the fact that she'd now be splitting rent, groceries, utilities... things she'd just plain never had needed to worry about, for the most part. It was a little daunting, but also kind of exciting, in a weird way. Just another way to prove her strength, in a sense. Sort of like adding training weights onto her... whole life? Kind of.
After setting her now cleaned pokéballs all in order, Nemona found herself surveying her closet space. It was so much... less... than what she had gotten used to working with. But then again, she'd barely utilized her dorm room space back in the day, so it wasn't like she needed that much in terms of room for the important things.
Penny checked in, poking her head into the door frame.
"Oi."
"Oh, hey."
"I just remembered," Penny said, tentatively tiptoeing into the room (even though it was her own bedroom long before that evening). "I forgot to tell you earlier: guess who I ran into while I was out?"
"Uhhh...-" Nemona had no clue. Polishing her pokéballs, she took a random guess. "... Kieran?"
"Oooh, not a bad guess," Penny teased. "But, no. I ran into Scarlet."
Nemona's heart skipped a beat. She tried to suppress any sign of anxiety, and kept on polishing Crema's pokéball even though it was already clean.
"... Oh. Hah. W-Wow, when's the last time they were around here?"
"Right? It's been months. They had this new gear and stuff? Fancy new helmet, were wearing their graduation jacket... Oh-my-Arc, and all of their Pokémon were in luxury balls? Classic Letty... You should've seen them."
"Well..." Nemona swallowed carefully. Ugh, she could only imagine how cool Letty looked now that they had spare income to buy stuff for themselves... Nemona set Crema down and scooped up Bocatillo's ball to wipe at it. Some of her bitterness seeped out of her lips, though it passed through a deliberate filter of nonchalance. "Maybe I could see them... if they bothered returning any of our messages..."
"... Mm." Penny sat down at the desk tucked in the front right corner of the room, swiveling the chair to face Nemona. "We did talk for a few, and they seemed... just really busy. You know? All kinds of freelance work, I guess."
"Sounds right..." Nemona could kind of relate.
"Uh. But they did seem interested in catching up with us when they're done with... whatever job it is the Academy has them doing."
Nemona's anxiousness lessened a bit at the prospect. If Scarlet was actually up for chilling with the crew, that included Nemona.
"Sure, sounds good. I-..." Then, Nemona's anxiety ratcheted back up, for different reasons. "Wait, huh? What-...?" Her eyes blinked rapidly twice, a loading hiccup in her brain. "What do you mean? What job?"
"Dunno." Penny scratched her cheek with a pondering concern, gazing into the carpet of the bedroom. "Letty themself didn't know, when I asked."
Nemona's teeth ground together with an indescribable sense of dread for a couple seconds. The Academy only ever hired someone like Scarlet when there was danger involved. There'd been one instance over a year prior when a pair of Titan Pokémon had gone on a rampage out in the western desert, destroying a supply caravan for a produce company before being identified. And Nemona had been wary about taking two Titans on alone, as they kept traveling together. So, the League had enlisted Letty's help – for a premium 'emergency surcharge,' of course... But it was hard to argue with results like theirs. Nemona was convinced that Letty and their team could've handled both Titans on their own at the same time... And Nemona was glad to have had the task resolved so easily, compared to how things could have gone...
They'd fought together as a team, and it had been a rejuvenating experience to be out in the field, working together with a friend – and a real powerful trainer – rather than a less experienced subordinate.
Nemona's mind began to wander to that afternoon, flashes of the action still fresh in her memory.
A yawn escaped her.
"Erh, you feeling ready for bed, Luv?" Penny timidly teased.
"Huh? Well... Actually, that sounds pretty nice," Nemona replied drowsily. She set her cleaning cloth aside on the closet shelf where she'd been polishing and rubbed at her eyes.
Penny smiled and laughed through her nose. She popped up from her chair and kissed Nemona on the forehead.
"Aww, pobrecita... Let's turn in early, then," Penny cooed out a tease, deciding on their next course of action with a nod. "I'll take care of stuff out here, put the Veevees to bed." She headed back out of the room and closed the door most of the way. "Love you," she added, pushing the words casually through the small opening.
"Love you, too," Nemona replied, just as effortlessly.
She couldn't remember how long they'd been openly saying the words to one another.
A good while, now.
But it was nice to just... say them. And mean them every time.