Chapter Text
Nashi Academy, situated in the heart of Goldenrod City, was the premier educational institution for any Johtoan Child. While not nearly as well-funded as Blueberry Academy in Unova or as prestigious as Citron Academy in Kalos, proud Johtoan socialites and business leaders sent their children there for the best education money could buy. After all, no proud Johtoan would dare send their kids to Ume Academy in Kanto via the Goldenrod Rail. They already shared a league with the Metropolitan Kanto. They didn't need one more thing that wasn't theirs.
Unfortunately, the school made sure to infuse this superiority-inferiority complex deep into its student body and faculty. Do anything, no matter the cost, to prove that Johto has the right to stand on equal ground with Kanto. That the region’s people and citizens were not second-rate, backward yokels holding onto outdated traditions. The school would make sure of that. However, even if the intention was purely one of resisting a more-powerful region's influence, it meant that students usually took that stress and negative energy out on each other.
Hirai sat still at her desk during homeroom break, reading Professor Rowan's words on the dynamics of the various academies throughout the world. This book, written in the professor's younger days, was not one found in the school's library even if it wasn't prohibited. It made him an enemy of the Pokémon Academia due his harsh critiques of their systems and cultures, which easily shows why the professor stuck to studying Pokémon Evolution for the remainder of his career. Even so, while the book was fascinating, it served even better as a shield for the various wads of paper being lobbed at Hirai.
This was Hirai's routine. Despite scoring first in her year on every exam, no one respected her. The majority of the other girls found her creepy and awkward. The majority of boys found an easy target to act out their frustrations on. The other outcasts of the academy found a pariah whose only shared interest was studying, and who often made snide remarks about their immature hobbies. The other teachers, although impressed by her results, found a quiet, emotionless loner who never confided anything to them.
Hirai was an island in the academy. One whom no one was ever able to reach. One who joined no club activities. One who was picked up at the same time every day by her father, and never said goodbye to anyone.
The other students thought she was haughty and self-absorbed. That she believed she was superior to them, like the Kantonese just a rail ride away. That the only reason she was here was because her parents couldn't afford the tuition of Ume Academy, so they sent her here. No wonder they thought teasing and paper throwing was justified retribution.
What no one saw, because no one asked and Hirai refused to answer, was how terrified she was of them all. That every car ride with her father was another lecture about the dangers of the wild and how irresponsible it is for teens to be sent out there alone. It didn't take much for Hirai to connect the dots, and assume that nowhere was safe for her.
A porcelain doll whose owners were terrified would break if it was allowed to move. Thus when anyone from the outside saw it, they could only see how creepy and inhuman it was.
A week had passed since the group of teens reunited Fletchling and Electrike with their previous owner. Despite all the excitement and happy feelings about doing a good deed, they took the wise decision to rest, train, and spend time with each other without any looming threat above their head. Elena took Piplup and Electrike down to the beach to train, building their strength and skills. After all, the next city before Chromahart was Rustphony, which had a gym. She was determined to defeat its leader and get her first badge. Nicholas spent some time with Fennekin, devising some new routines for future contests, even if the next one wouldn't be until Fugueroot City.
However, one teen was kinda lost without a solid goal in front of her. Hirai woke on the 6th day in Rosagio, noticing her companions had already left for the day. It was odd for her because at the start of their sabbatical, she was getting her companions out of bed. But the more she thought about it, the more it made sense.
‘I guess once I got our supplies for when we will leave Rosagio for Rustphony, I found I didn't have much to do.’
Sitting on her bed, hair a mesh of tangles, she sniffed her congested nose and grew irritated. Rubbing the sides of her head in frustration, she tried to banish the negative thoughts.
‘C'mon, Hirai. Elena's training for the gym and Rustphony and even Nick is already preparing for his next contest. Professor Marigold gave you a task as well!’
Grabbing the still wrapped Pokédex from her bag, she set about activating the piece of tech. It didn't take long for someone like her, merely five minutes to have it ready for scanning. Hopping out of bed and putting her shower shoes on, she announced a proud declaration in her head, scared any neighbors would hear her being cringy.
‘I'm going to Soprano Forest to scan a bunch of Pokémon!’
Soprano forest covered the northeastern portion of Suono Mezzo. Decades ago, it was part of the Peggio Forest, covering the entirety of the eastern island. However, when Rustphony was set up as a shipping/industrial center, the majority of the forest was removed to make way for factories, shipyards and a good road to the rest of the island. Thus, one forest became two forests. Peggio remained in the south, where its winding pathways and rough terrain made it incredibly treacherous for any human to traverse, their absence allowing the Pokémon there to grow stronger. Soprano, however, somewhat relied on that verdant power of the southern half to sustain itself in the same way. The northern forest's terrain was much more even, and thus, more easy to traverse, which meant more human activity. Shrubbery became sparse and understory plant life almost vanished entirely. Only the trees, creating vast canopy shade remained, turning the forest into an attraction for locals. Picnics, walks, romantic rendezvous, etc. And the Pokémon were considerably more weak.
This pleased Hirai. As she sat underneath a maple tree, she took a meditative breath and stretched. Not only was she able to find and scan 11 species of Pokémon (including an Aipom and an Emolga), she was able to do so without urgency or being fearful of her life. She got to feel accomplished while also enjoying a relaxing walk. Soon, she happened upon a sturdy maple tree, deciding to sit beneath its canopy and against the trunk. Removing her backpack, placing it beside her and shifting her fanny pack to her hip to avoid sitting on it, she sighed, able to finally rest.
‘It's so nice to not have to run around for once.’ She thought to herself. After all, she didn't think she could handle much more of Elena's antics or Nicholas’ posturing. She laughed at the thought of her compatriots. In the little time she knew them, they came into her life like a wrecking ball. Her parents approved of Hirai working for a renowned Pokémon Professor as an assistant in one city, not for their only daughter to meander around the Suono Region while filling up a digital notebook. Things in her life were supposed to go a certain way.
‘I'm supposed to work hard to get a prestigious, well-paying, and relatively safe job when I'm older. I'm not supposed to be roughing it like this. What did Professor Marigold not understand about this?’
The intense thoughts kept coming as Hirai's mood soured. She slumped against the tree she was resting against as she brought her knees to her chest. She again shifted her fanny pack to her lap as its metal zipper began to dig into her side. Pokémon that once found it easy to rest around her were now moving elsewhere, fearful of the mood she was emanating.
‘I'm not supposed to have friends.’
Hirai sat still, mood completely soured. The tall, thick canopy of the trees completely shaded everything in Soprano forest, only allowing a few rays of light to peak through. The textured bark of the tree began to dig into her back, but she couldn't bring herself to move. She couldn't do anything but close her eyes and hope the thoughts go away on their own.
Suddenly, she felt her Pokéball shake loose. It fell to the ground, releasing Chikorita. The grass type had spent all week with Hirai while on errands. He had gotten used to his trainer's usual temperament: calm and focused, sometimes exasperated and exhausted. Nothing that couldn't be explained away as just a response to the environment. However, Hirai as she was now, despondent and seemingly unresponsive, began to worry Chikorita. He perched himself on one leg on Hirai's show, trying to get his face closer to hers. He mewed softly and sadly, trying to get Hirai to speak. Hirai could only shift her eyes over in acknowledgement. Chikorita mewed sadly again, before laying down next to her.
Hirai's thoughts raced. Thoughts about what she ought to do, all narrated by her father or mother. She noticed Chikorita's attempts to comfort her, but she didn't have the energy to reciprocate. After all, Hirai thought she might return Chikorita to Professor Marigold once she dropped off the package in Chromahart. She returned Chikorita to her Pokéball, waiting for the click to signify the Pokéball has reattached to her belt holster.
‘Growing too attached only makes the inevitable hurt more.’
Hirai barely heard the rumbling of cloth near her.
‘What was I thinking? Scanning Pokémon in the Pokédex is the opposite of what I should be doing. I'm not a trainer going on a journey. That's much too dangerous!’
The rumbling became the rustling of a plastic bag. Chikorita got up and tapped on Hirai's knee.
‘I'm not Elena or Nick. I'm not suited for what they do...’
The sound shifted again with a bag popping open ringing out among the forest.
‘I'll only get in their way. It's all I've ever done.’
The distinctive sound of crunching chips finally drew Hirai out of her stupor. With half-lidded eyes, she turned to face the source of the noise. Her vision filled with a deep navy blue shaped somewhat like a pill. But as her vision cleared, assisted by rubbing her eyes of the tears forming in them, she finally realized what had stolen her chips.
With a heart-shaped crest at the tip of their horn, a Heracross stood with a happy look on their face. The bag of chips pinched in one set of claws while they used the other set to pick up the chips like chopsticks. They vocalized a pleased greeting.
Hirai sat there, mouth agape.
Elena took a swig of water from her water bottle, as she walked back from the beach. She had spent all morning and most of midday training with Piplup and Electrike, and was rightfully exhausted. Her Pokémon were resting in their Pokéballs attached at her waist, but she needed to find a spot to sit, eat, and let them rest as well. Luckily, she passed by a café as she walked towards the Pokémon Center. Stopping, she took a look at the handwritten chalk menu.
‘Oh my, they have croissants!’ Elena thought to herself, her brain soon filled images of the buttery, flaky pastry. She began to drool over the thought of eating one.
“I swear, are you sure you're completely human? Because the way you eat food fills me with doubt.”
Elena narrowed her eyes as she turned to find her companion Nick, sipping on a steaming cup of coffee. She thought that despite his good intentions and chivalrous actions on occasion, he still definitely had a knack for being a pompous ass. She smirked, biting back with her own words.
“Aren't you a bit young for coffee? Maybe if you drank less, you'd be less uptight.” She said, bitterly joking.
He hummed into his cup, softly laughing. He responded, “Good one. But I have more important things to do than insult you. Sit.”
Elena crossed her arms, standing defiantly and turning up her nose. But as the seconds passed, her exhaustion returned with a fight, compelling her to sit down. After a few, quiet minutes and an awkward interaction with the waiter, Elena finally spoke.
“Well, if you don’t have anything to say, I want to pick your brain.”
“Oh? I didn't realize you cared so much about what I thought.” Nicholas responded.
“Hey, I'm trying to be nice, you jerk. It's about my Pokémon.”
Nicholas put down his finished coffee and stared at Elena, expectantly.
“Alright, so Electrike's nickname is Jet. I don't want to change it because he should have something to remember Rebecca by. But it's weird to have one nicknamed Pokémon and the rest be their species names, right?”
Nicholas grew intrigued. Maybe Elena did have some self-awareness despite all evidence to the contrary. He commented, “Oh? So, are you thinking about a new name for Piplup?”
Elena sighed as she splayed her arms across the table, resting her chin on the metal frame while her arms touched the marble tabletop. “Yeah, but I don't know what to call him….”
Nicholas rested his chin in his hand, looking down at Elena. He spoke with genuine empathy, “I completely understand. The name has to be perfect, right?”
Elena stretched her hands into the arm in frustration, “Yes, yes! You can't give them a bad name, because if you do…”
Nicholas enthusiastically finished her thought, “...you'll embarrass them and yourself when you shout it out!”
Newly energized by finding someone sharing her plight, Elena sat up quickly and began moving her hands in front of her to illustrate her thoughts. Words began to rapidly fall out of her mouth.
“So, it has to be aquatic because Piplup is a water type. But there has to be some central theme to the names because if the names are too different, that's cringe. But they can't be too similar because that's unoriginal and cringe. Do you have any ideas?”
Nicholas pondered, raising his hand to his chin, deep in thought. He thought to himself, “It's so refreshing to see her take something like this seriously. Normally she'd be rushing around too much to notice how appearances matter…”
Nicholas’ train of thought stopped as his eyes shot open. The word ‘rush’ repeated in his head, seemingly endlessly.
‘That's it! It's perfect!’
Flashing a cocky smile, Nicholas sat back in his chair. He crossed his arms, satisfied with his self-proported genius. Smugly, he began to talk, “Well, I have an idea.”
Elena, too concerned with finding the perfect name, disregarded his punchable face. She shouted, “Really?! What is it?!”
Using his right hand for emphasis, waving it around like a maestro, he began to explain. “Since you often rush into things without much thought, no offense, speed seems like a good thing. After all, I will admit, your immediate response to danger and willingness to confront injustice has helped us as many times as it has hindered.”
He paused for, in his thoughts, dramatic effect. Elena was too absorbed to take offense.
“So, the perfect name for Piplup should be…” He took a breath. He peaked through one closed eye to look at Elena. With her somewhat slack jaw and wide eyes, she looked like a kid on her trip to the candy store. Finally, he performed a bow in miniature, as if he just finished a piece at the Polymetre Symphony Orchestra. With a dramatic voice, he nearly whispered,
“...Riptide.”
Elena's eyes filled with stars as she began to squeal. She held her hands and arms to her chest as she rapidly stomped her feet on the ground beneath the table. It seemed like she would explode with happiness if she didn't will herself to stay together. However, it also seemed like she couldn't hold back forever. Grabbing her chair seat while she still sat in it, she leaned forward and shouted, “YES! IT'S PERFECT!”
Nicholas put his hands in front of his face, both for protection from her potentially flying spit but also to signal her to calm down. The other patrons were staring at them. He laughed sheepishly as he caught the dirty looks of some of them. He whispered to Elena, “Great! Name him that. Just calm down…”
Elena, suddenly realizing her own mistake, clasped her hands over her mouth to stop the flood of joy coming out. But Nicholas could tell that her happiness had knocked all reason out of her head. Regardless, she began to calm down, taking a few calming breaths.
“So, that's what happens when you're happy, huh?”
Elena's mood suddenly shifted to one of indignance. She growled, “Hey, are you making fun of me?” She glared at Nicholas. Her eyes tried to burrow holes through his head, as she held up her chin. She hoped emulating those Kantonese delinquents that she saw in anime would be enough to get Nicholas to back off.
“Kidding, kidding.” Nicholas backtracked as he finished his coffee. “But I bet you're excited to tell Hirai about it.”
Elena's expression softened as she refused to escalate. After all, she was excited to tell Hirai. But as she thought of her brainy companion, another thought crossed her mind.
“Actually, where is Hirai?”
“O-oh n-no, stay back!” Hirai nervously pressed her back against the tree, grasping its trunk to support her weight. Her eyes filled with fear. The Heracross, which had rummaged through her bag for food, stood there silently as they ate from the stash in her backpack.
“T-that's not yours! S-stop it!” Hirai continued to yell. Heracross turned their head away from the chips, making eye contact with Hirai. Despite how terrified Hirai was, the Pokémon could only tilt their head, murmuring in confusion. Their eyes never broke contact with Hirai. Despite how much she wanted to leave, she couldn't leave behind her backpack. Not only did it contain the group's provisions, but most of her personal effects too. Her Rotom-phone. Her wallet. Everything that would be expensive and tedious to replace if she lost it. She was at least thankful she didn't include ‘that’ in her backpack, feeling through the fabric of the fanny pack for it to confirm it was still there.
‘Augh, why couldn't Elena or Nicholas be here? They knew how to handle Pokémon!’
With that frustrated thought given form in her mind, Hirai suddenly stopped, staring past the Heracross. A chill went up her spine. Her legs felt weak. Tears threatened to fall out of her eyes.
‘Of course this would happen. I was careless and complacent. My parents and the academy taught me that I can only rely on myself. The world is too dangerous to trust other people to solve your problems. And if I'm too weak to solve them, I just have to endure the consequences of that.’
Heracross continued to munch on the chips they found in Hirai's bag. Their unblinking eyes never left the human, intrigued by their behavior. However, their attention was drawn by a pair of Aipom walking nearby. They had slowly approached the backpack, aiming to score some food. However, one angry stare and growl from Heracross deterred them from trying any further.
However, they did notice the terrified girl near them, not paying them any mind. And more importantly, the bag around her waist. If getting into the bag of food near Heracross was not gonna happen, then the smaller bag was their only shot of getting some food. The two Aipom walked up to the girl. The larger of the two started dancing, balancing on their tail as they waved their arms. Their voice, filled with high-pitch yelps, aimed to distract Hirai. It worked, as she turned to look at them, knocking her out of her stupor.
“H-huh, an Aipom?”
Hirai's brain was a bit fried, still trying to process what had happened while she spiraled into self-loathing. She turned to look at the dancing Pokémon, disoriented.
“H-how can I help you, Aipom?”
As she approached the larger Aipom, the smaller one snuck behind her. Despite their size, the smaller Aipom was masterfully dexterous. They kept their body and head low to the ground, out of Hirai's peripheral, while they used their tail hand to reach up. The two Pokémon eyed each other, signaling that the heist was in motion. However, perhaps due to her disorientation making her jumpy and tense, she reflexively grasped at her bag as soon as the Aipom grasped it as well. Feeling the pulling sensation, Hirai held on for dear life as the monkey Pokémon tried to make off with their ill-gotten goods.
“W-what are you doing?! Stop!”
The smaller Aipom didn't let go. The larger one stopped dancing to join their compatriot in the tug of war. Hirai could feel her feet sliding along the grassy surface of the forest as these two Pokémon pulled and pulled. Heracross stood motionless, watching.
“S-stop! You're gonna break it!”
As if her words manifested in reality, the zipper on the fanny pack broke. The sudden loss of tension forced both sides to fall backwards, letting go of the prize, which spilled its contents: an empty Pokéball and a plush Keychain reminiscent of the coin on a Meowth's head. Hirai got up first, scrambling to grab everything that fell out of the bag. Scooping the bag into her arms, she checked the condition of the key chain, analyzing both sides.
‘No damage. Oh, I'm so relieved…’ She thought as she turned the toy coin around, revealing embroidered text which stated, ‘Today will be your Lucky Day!’
She probably should've put more thought as to why the Aipom didn't rush to grab the contents in the scramble. Because as soon as she finished making sure everything was okay, she spied the Aipom across from her, both seething at having worked so hard for no food.
They growled as their faces turned to snarls.
Hirai backed up to the tree, terrified. She reached for Chikorita's ball, but she fumbled it when she released it from her belt. It fell to the ground, bouncing and rolling out of reach. She stammered, scared.
“I-I can get you more food!”
The Aipoms stepped forward, still snarling.
“P-please just let me go get some!”
They stood up on their tails, meeting Hirai's gaze at eye-level. She shrunk, sliding down the tree as they towered over her. She whimpered.
“P-please…. Don't hurt me…”
The Aipoms screeched and lunged. Hirai wrapped her arms around her head, hoping they would target her face or eyes. But as she stood there, feeling as if the end was coming, she never felt the sting of claws or teeth. Confused, she opened her arms and spied through them. She was shocked when she saw the Heracross standing in between her and the singular Aipom. Lowering her arms, she looked around trying to find out why there was only one Aipom now. As she turned to look at a tree to her right, she discovered why.
Following a trail of ripped grass starting at Heracross’ left arm, she found the larger Aipom now slumped against the tree. Their eyes had gone white and their head slouched. The tree bore an impact crater just a few inches of where they now laid. Hirau concluded that Heracross must have interceded, punching the Aipom so hard that they fainted on contact.
The smaller Aipom began to lower themself, ears pinned back in fear. They stared, dumbfounded over Heracross’ strength. As the two Pokémon's eyes met, Hirai swore she heard that all other sounds in the forest went silent. But as soon as Hirai thought a battle was going to take place, Heracross growled. The Aipom shrieked in fear, turned and ran towards their fainted compatriot. Without skipping a beat, they grabbed the other Aipom with their tail hand and disappeared into the forest.
Hirai stood, dumbstruck. The Heracross looked back at her, tilting their head in confusion. Hirai matched their gaze, thinking to herself, ‘I must look like the dumbest, strangest human they've ever seen with how much I'm staring at them slackjawed…’
Shaking her head to force herself to focus, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. With a traditional Johtoan bow, she clearly stated, “Thank you, Heracross.”
The Heracross replied with a series of clicks and whistles that, while strange, seemed appreciative and happy. Hirai returned the Pokémon's kindness with a genuine smile of her own. However, she took a look at her bag, and began to rummage through it. While her equipment and personal effects were untouched, it did seem like Heracross ate every bit of food. Hirai sighed.
“Though I would appreciate it if you didn't eat everything…”
Heracross voice clicked again, seemingly embarrassed.
However, before Hirai could scold the bug Pokémon, she heard her name being shouted in the distance. She recognized the voice. It was Elena. Turning to look in the direction of the sound, she found the girl running towards her, with a wheezing Nicholas following not far behind. Upon approaching, Elena's voice rang a mile a minute, shifting between topics way too fast for Hirai to process or for Nicholas to care to process. Once Nicholas caught his breath, he spoke, “Are you alright, Hirai?”
Elena immediately interjected, “Yeah, are you alright?! We were wondering where you went and ran off once Nicholas thought about where you might have been!”
“Elena, we checked nearly everywhere in town before heading out here! I ‘know’ that because my legs are on fire!”
“Well, we had to be thorough Nicholas! She's our friend, and friends never leave anyone behind!”
Hirai silently gasped at Elena's words. She didn't know why Elena was always quick to make friends with everyone. But for once, she didn't want to think about it too hard. Hirai began to giggle. Her laughter drew the attention of the other teens, staying silent for Hirai to speak. Through her giggles, she said, “I'm fine, guys. I was just relaxing here after scanning a bunch of Pokemon. This Heracross did eat all my food, but he also protected me from some angry, thieving Aipoms. I was just thanking him when you all arrived.”
Elena went starry eyed and loudly gasped, “Does this mean you caught this Heracross?!”
Hirai walked over to pick up Chikorita's Pokéball as well as the empty one that had fallen out of her fanny pack. Attaching Chikorita back into her belt holster, Hirai explained, “No, but I was going to thank him for saving me.” She played with the plush keychain she still held in hand, turning it over in to stair at the embroidered words once more.
Today will be your Lucky Day!
Hirai smiled, and hummed in satisfaction. She held the empty Pokéball in her hand before crossing her arms. Despite Heracross' good deed, they still ate all her food.
“So, Heracross, I hope you realize you shouldn't eat all of a stranger’s food. They might not be as nice as I am right now.”
Heracross rubbed their horn affectionately onto Hirai's hand, which held the Pokéball. Hirai sighed, whining, “C'mon, couldn't you at least pretend to be guilty?!”
Suddenly, Heracross’ horn tapped the expanded, empty Pokéball. With a flash, the Pokémon transformed into reddish, bright light and was absorbed inside the Pokéball. The teens each gasped as they watched the Pokéball shake on the ground.
The first shake.
A second.
A third.
Click!
The group stood stunned, bewildered by the chain of events. Hirai, for the fiftieth time that day, stood with her mouth agape. Elena went wide-eyed, and slammed her mouth shut. Nicholas snorted, and joked, “Guess you did catch it…”