Chapter Text
You accidentally sleep in the next day, so you get no chance to try to catch either on their way in to work. Which means you have most of the day to do fuck all, because you have no real plan here. You don’t even know what you’ll say to either if you run into them. Maybe ask for their help getting unbanned from the Gym Challenge?
Do you even want to get unbanned anymore? Is it worth it? What would completing it prove? You’d talked to multiple people who once knew her, and not one had said a single thing about knowing you before, or you being related to the former Champion herself. Instead, they’d all sent you on your way eventually, leaving you to deal with this mess on your own.
Are you really her? What would it prove, anyways, talking to Hop and Sonia? You just want to see them again because you desperately miss them, and how kind they both were to you. You especially miss Hop, your best friend. If any of that is even real. How can you miss someone you’d never met so deeply? It’s unfair.
You wander around the city a bit, as it’s been a while since you’ve last been to Wedgehurst. There’s not a lot to do here, so you keep making laps past the lab, hoping desperately to see something. About midway through the day, you set yourself up a bit closer to the lab this time, wanting to catch Hop or Sonia as they leave. You can’t see the lab from here, but you can see the road they’d have to come down, which is as close as you want to hang around for a long time, because you don’t want to seem further suspicious to that woman who was there at the lab.
Despite hanging out there the whole night, you still don’t manage to catch either of them as they’re leaving. You don’t even see the assistant leave. You’re starting to wonder how they get to and from the lab. Either way, you wrap up and head back to the Center, vowing to wake early to get there and get closer, to try to catch them.
The next morning, you do in fact wake up bright and early, before the sun is even out. Your Pokémon hate being up so early, but you really want the chance to catch Hop and Sonia.
In the dark early morning, it’s easier to hide closer to the lab to try to catch them. You can actually see the lab from your position this morning, and you’re eager to see how they get to and from the lab.
Sonia is the first to arrive. She comes by Corviknight Taxi, and you want to kick yourself. Of course the woman wouldn’t walk the whole way. What were you thinking? Hop and their assistant lady likely come the same way.
Sure enough, the assistant arrives next in another cab. You’re sure to hide when you see her, as you don’t want to give her another reason to yell at you. You’re well aware how suspicious you’re being.
Hop arrives last, flying in on his Corviknight himself, no cab required. He pets her feathers and she flies to perch on the roof of the building. Hop then enters, and you let out a sigh. How on earth are you to get the attention of these people if they go right to and from the lab with Pokémon?
You spend the day sitting at the park trying to figure that out. You decide going to their homes is too creepy, and you have nothing good to say to them to warrant such an extreme. Bugging a Gym Leader at his home? You’d had Kabu’s blessing. Bugging the region’s Professors at their own homes? You need a damn good reason to go doing something like that.
But…where else do they go? Cornering them while they’re out shopping doesn’t sound very good, either, and again, you’ve got nothing good to say to either of them. Ask them about a Pokédex, maybe? But then, they’d likely get you set up with it, and then show you on your way. You’re no closer to an idea by the end of the day. It all comes down to the fact you have no good reason to go seeking them out, aside from selfish reasons, and those aren’t going to cut it.
You throw yourself back on the grass as the sun sets. A whole day, and nothing to prove for it. How much longer could you go on doing this? How long could you keep stringing yourself along like this? You want answers, you really just want to know if you’re her or not, so you can at least move on. It’s the not knowing that kills you.
You’re staring up at the quickly darkening sky when a man walks up to you and enters your field of vision. “Hello?” He prompts, waving his hand shyly at you. “Can I have a moment?” He’s rather unremarkable, short brown hair and matching brown eyes. He looks young, certainly younger than you, but old enough to be an adult.
“Uh, sure?” You reply, unsure what he wants. You sit up to be polite, and he offers his hand to help you up. You steady yourself with your cane and he reels back a bit.
“Oh, sorry, I didn’t realize you were disabled! My bad, I didn’t mean to bother you!” He apologizes, as he turns to leave.
“Oh, wait, you’ve already got my attention, what is it?” You call out, curious why he’d bug you only to leave.
“Well…” He tugs at his sleeve nervously. “My name is Victor. I’m supposed to be going to the Isle of Armour to train soon, but…” He takes a deep breath and sighs deeply. “I don’t want to! I don’t want to be a Trainer, I’m no good with Pokémon! I want to be a nurse, but my parents don’t understand… So they’re trying to send me off to some training camp at the Isle of Armour so I’ll become the great battler they’ve always wanted… After all, all the best come from Postwick, don’t they?” He says bitterly, and you can feel his resentment in that moment.
“I’m sorry, that sounds unfair. I can kind of relate, I want nothing more than to be a Trainer, but Leon won’t let me do the Gym Challenge. I know what it’s like being blocked from chasing your dream.” You offer your sympathy, because you’re not sure what this man wants.
He lights up at your words. “That works out perfectly then! You go to the Isle of Armour in my place!” He grabs his bag and begins pulling out a leaflet of information and shoves it at you.
You take it from him, looking it over. It does in fact have ‘Isle of Armour’ across the top in bold letters, with a scenic shot of a dojo nestled into a cliff face. You flip it around and look it over, trying to decide what to do with it. “What?”
“Well, I don’t want to go, I want to do the placement I’ve secured at the Center here and study under them! But someone has to go to the Isle of Armour, or my parents will know I bailed! But if you check in as me, they’ll never know, and I can go do my placement! And you’ll get the training you want!” He seems to misunderstand you, as it’s not training you’re after.
But you don’t bother to correct him. It sounds kind of nice, actually, and as you flip through the pamphlet, you notice accommodations and food are provided. This has your attention. No more starving, and shitty hospital food? A real bed? Where do you sign? “I’m in.”
“Great! You’re going to have to pretend to be me, but they don’t know anything about me but my name, so as long as you go along with that, everything should be fine!” He decides, and you nod along.
“Right… But in case I have questions, can I get your number?” You ask, pulling out your phone. You don’t want to be stuck without help in a situation like this, and it just sounds reasonable to you that you’d have his number to ask and questions.
“Sure, sure, here’s my number.” He punches it into your Rotom-phone for you, and you thank him. “I just want to say, thank you. This means a lot to me! Are you sure you’re going to be ok with,” he gestures at your cane, “that?”
You roll your eyes. “Yeah, don’t worry about that. I’ve got that covered.”
“Well, they don’t know I’m not disabled, so as long as it doesn’t blow your cover.” He sounds mildly concerned, but only mildly. He still looks happy to finally be out of this arrangement.
“Yeah, it should be fine. Do they know anything about your family or anything?” You ask, raising an eyebrow at him. You want to get all the details to this before he buggers off, because he looks like he’s about to bolt.
“Just that I have parents. I had a sister when I was younger, but she disappeared. They wouldn’t know anything about Gloria, though. My Dad married my step-Mum a few years back, so they might know my Mum’s not biologically related to me.” You weren’t expecting his whole life story, but it certainly helps. You jot it down just in case it is important.
“Thanks, that should be everything, I think.” You hope. You’re not really the best liar, so what exactly are you getting yourself into? A massive web of lies, is what, all in exchange for free food and a warm bed.
“Good luck, then, and have fun!” He cheers, running off at that. He has a bounce in his step as he goes, and you think he must be happy to finally get to chase his dreams. Hopefully his family still accepts him.
You head back to the Center yourself for the night, reading more about your upcoming vacation. Well, vacation might not be the right word. It sounds tough, from the description of the training regimen. You will also be training along your Pokémon, so hopefully you can keep up. Maybe it’ll help you get stronger, so you won’t be as held back by your disability. Or maybe not; only one way to find out, however.
You leave in a couple days from now. You’ll have to call a cab to get you over to the island, but you’ve got enough funds for that. Just barely, however. This isn’t just a week trip or something, no, you’ll be gone for at least a month, according to the pamphlet. So you have to head back to Hammerlocke and explain this to your boss, and gather all your things.
You take the train back to Hammerlocke for ease of use come morning, even if it cuts into your limited funds. It’s too much of a hassle, trying to leave the city before entering the Wild Area. It’s just safer to take the train. In the city, your first stop is work, as you tell your boss the truth. A random man came up to you and offered you this trip, and gave you all the necessary paperwork you’d need to go on it yourself.
“What?! That’s the most absurd thing I’ve heard all week! What are you planning to do?” He asks, giving you a glare. “If you leave for that, you won’t have a job when you come back.”
Well that’s not good news. “So you’re going to fire me because of this?”
“You need too much time off. I need someone more reliable.” At least he’s honest. Still, you sigh deeply, as this isn’t how you wanted things to go.
“Fine. I guess this is it, then. I’m going on that trip.” You’ve already promised Victor, and working here isn’t really working out long term, anyways. Maybe this will help you find a better job.
“Ha! Have fun, then! Collect your things and leave.” He’s harsh, but you don’t really want to stay around, anyway. You’d never got close with any of your coworkers, either, so there’s really nothing for you here. You grab your few things and leave, heading back to the Center on the west side, to grab the stuff you’ve stored there. This will be the last time you stay here, as it’s only a few days until you leave.
They fly by, too, even though you have nothing to do. You spend your time getting as ready as you can for this, prepping with your Pokémon, and trying to physically push yourself to increase your limits a bit before you start. You’ve already improved quite a bit since coming here, as you’ve had to do a lot more on your own, and rely on your body a lot more to physically get you through things. You have stamina that before you did not, and hopefully it helps you in this upcoming challenge.
With a deep breath, you get onto the Corviknight Cab that will take you and all your things to the Isle of Armour. Espeon rides in the cab with you, and Braviary flies behind the Corviknight. Toxtricity sits beside you, strumming her protrusions to music she’s listened to before. Beside her sits your bags, and you lean against the window to watch the scenery go by.
You head east, out towards Spikemuth. You watch the enclosed city fly by beneath you as you travel, seeing Corey on the roof once again. There’s a lot of ocean for a long time as you head further east. It takes a while for you to see anything.
Then, like a rising sun, the island comes up over the horizon ahead. It’s gorgeous, and looks mostly uninhabited aside from the dojo and towers you can see in the distance. You see tons of Pokémon, many of which you haven’t seen on Galar’s shores, and you get excited. Hopefully training goes well, as it would be nice to stay at such a place for a while.
The cab driver lands, hoping off the back of his Corviknight to let you out. You balk at the total for the fare, digging out the money. It’s an expensive flight, so you know you won’t be going back to the mainland of Galar for a while. Again, you hope training goes well.
With a deep breath, you walk up to the dojo ahead of you. Outside it, you see two figures in what looks like an argument. A man with long blond hair and a woman with bright pink hair yell at each other as they stand across a bridge from each other.
“Honey said we have to wait for him!” The girl demands, stomping her foot.
“And you can, I’m going to get some training in while I, ahem, look for him.” It doesn’t sound like the man actually plans to look for anything.
As the man turns, he spins to face you, a cocky grin on his face. That is, until his eyes land on you, then he startles. The girl behind him brightens, however, bounding across the small bridge over the stream. She comes right up to you, her face right in yours. “Are you Victor?” She asks.
“Yes?” You squeak. No personal boundaries, this girl.
“Aha! I found you! Right on time, too! You’re pretty punctual!” She smiles at you, though it feels fake.
“You’re the new student we’re supposed to guide. I can sense it.” The man pushes his round glasses up his face further, looking smug.
“Duh, Avery, he said he was Victor already.” The woman smacks the back of his head, and the man falls forward slightly from the hit, his hat falling from his head. He bends over to pick it up with a scowl, and the woman laughs shrilly at him. She sounds like a female anime villain when she laughs.
“Don’t doubt my abilities in front of the new student!” Avery complains, brushing himself off as he does. “Ahem, my name is Avery. I’m a senior member of the dojo you are to join. In fact, I’m the current top student,” he brags, running fingers through a strand of his long blond hair.
“For now! And I’m Klara!” The girl clings to you again, shaking your free arm vigorously. You have to keep a tight grip on your cane to keep from falling over. “I’ve been at the dojo for a while, too, so they sent us to help out the newbie! I’m the second best student, though I’ll soon be stealing that top spot back!” She glares at Avery, and the man laughs.
“You’re delusional, as I see no such thing happening in the future.” He sounds so confident about it, too, you almost want to believe him.
“Um, nice to meet both of you?” It kind of isn’t, they’re both a lot, but you suppose having some help here would be nice. You stick out your free hand to shake their hands in greeting, and they both look at you, then to each other, then back at you, before returning to each other. It’s almost comical, until Klara leans away from you and starts whispering in Avery’s ear.
They likely think they’re being quiet, but you can overhear them. “Are we being mocked?” Klara whispers. “He’s got a cane and seems confused.”
Avery purses his lips before turning to respond to her. “He’s like a poor, lost Wooloo. It’s up to us – as the elegant elders – to make sure he gets to the dojo safely.” They’re being incredibly rude, but you’re not sure what you’re supposed to say to this behavior.
“Right!” Klara suddenly bounces away from Avery. “As the colorful, caring, and charismatic Klara, I shall help, too! Ooo, but first, how about we have a quick battle? Just so, y’know, we can see who’s better?” Klara asks, hanging on your arm again with a pleading look in her eyes. She must be using the expression to her advantage, because it looks a bit fake.
“Perhaps a show of strength is the best way to get to know each other… Very well, I see no reason not to delay a bit for a short battle. Once you’re ready, that is.” Avery looks at you and gives you a small smile. They both seem to think they’ll have an easy victory against you.
“Sure, I’m down.” You’re positive you can beat them, anyways. Probably. You beat Nessa, so how much better than her can these guys be? “Who am I facing?” You look between them, and then they both speak at the same time.
“Me!” They shout at the same time. “No, me!” They shout again, turning to face each other, looking a bit angry.
“Whoa, let’s not battle before the actual battle! I could always battle both of you at once,” you offer, thinking a double battle would solve this issue.
“A double battle?” Klara ponders. “With him?” She points with her thumb at Avery, and he rolls his eyes.
“Who else? I think we’re more than capable together of taking him out.” Avery flicks his hand like he’s hardly bothered by this challenge, waving it off easily.
Klara pouts, but seems to relent anyways. “Fine, fine. Hee hee, I bet this is your first time on the Isle of Armour, isn’t it?” She asks, finally releasing your arm to rest a finger against her chin.
“Uh, yes, it is?” You’re not sure why she’s asking, as you thought it would be obvious.
“I’m sure you would no doubt like to run around and explore freely, but first, let’s make sure you can handle yourself.” They sound as bad as Leon, and it makes you roll your eyes.
“I’m fine, let’s get this battle underway so I can show you,” you request, narrowing your eyes a bit.
“Naturally, as a member of the Master Dojo… I’ll be using my psychic powers to test your strength! Come now… Don’t overexert yourself!” Avery’s eyes darken as he speaks, an overconfident smirk on his face. You feel like that’s a jab at you needing the cane, so you huff quietly. Even Espeon is starting to get annoyed.
“That’s right, we need to make sure you’re ready for the Master Dojo! And since we’ve already been at the dojo for a little while now… We’ll be the ones testing you out! Go easy on me, ok?” Her fake smile hurts, and her eyes are narrowed as if judging you as a threat.
“Fine, a test it is, I guess.” This is all going a little fast for you to keep up with. You just want to get to the dojo, and these two already seem like they don’t want that.
“Time to show him who the better Trainer is…” Avery mutters as he stalks a distance away.
“He’ll never know what hit him…” Klara adds as she follows, standing close to Avery as they get ready.
You want to sigh, but refrain. It might seem rude, and these are the people who are supposed to be looking after you until you get to the dojo. You don’t want to do anything that might piss them off. You let Espeon join the fight first, and send out Braviary as well to start, as the two Trainers across from you each take out a Pokéball and toss them between you.
Out pops a Venipede and an Abra. You’re expecting more of a threat after they said they were the top students, but this should be a piece of cake for you. You may not even need Toxtricity. “Remember, it’s just a test, so take it easy! I’ll be nice and gentle…as I knock you flat out!” At least Klara seems confident, despite the double type disadvantage her Venipede is at. Both your Pokémon could take her out in one hit, so you focus on the Abra.
“Heh, I’ll show you what true power looks like.” Avery is just as confident as he orders his Abra to teleport out of the way of your diving Braviary. Which is fine, you’d predicted that, leaving Espeon to launch off a Shadow Ball at the Abra. With no where to go, the ball of ghostly energy knocks him out cold, sending him tumbling backwards from the damaging hit.
Klara wastes no time while you’re distracted with Abra, sending her Venipede out to get Espeon. The Bug-type rolls over to hit Espeon. “Use Skitter Smack!” Klara calls out, and the Venipede rolls around behind Espeon before nailing her with a devastating hit, sending her flipping forward as she splays out on all limps. She struggles to get to her feet before Venipede can land another hit, but Braviary is quick to swoop in and land a hit on Venipede before she can hit Espeon again. Your Pokémon is hanging in there, but only barely, but so is Klara’s. Seems their Pokémon are stronger than they look, despite not being evolved.
“Wh-when did I get beat down to my last Pokémon?! Did you use Hypnosis on me?” You can’t tell if Avery’s joking around or actually worried about the battle, as he seems to be a little of both, but he swirls his finger tauntingly as he brings out another Pokéball, tossing out a Slowpoke.
This one looks different than the Slowpoke you’re used to seeing. You know them to be Water-Psychic-type, but this one may not be. You vow to treat her with caution, as you have no Pokédex to find out what type she actually is.
That Venipede is the threat now, however, as she has a powerful Bug-type move that really hurt Espeon. You send Braviary down after it once more, and he knocks the Venipede out cold with a Wing Attack. “How am I the one getting backed into a corner? This should NOT be a thing!” Klara cries as she reaches into her pocket and digs out another Pokémon as well.
Sounds like you’ve got them both down to their last Pokémon. Another Slowpoke appears on the grass ahead, and they both charge your Espeon at the same time. You think this is because she’s the grounded, weak one. You’re fairly sure you can’t take out both before they hit Espeon, so you retire her early, pulling her back in her ball before releasing Toxtricity.
The Slowpoke both miss where Espeon once stood, but Braviary is in good position to hit them. He dives down with Shadow Claw, a Ghost-type move, and you’ll soon find out if this is still strong against the strange Slowpoke. Toxtricity, try Overdrive, it’s an Electric-type move, it may be super strong against these Slowpoke. You can feel Toxtricity’s agreement as she charges up and strums on her chest, releasing a crackling sound attack.
Braviary pegs one of the Slowpoke, causing it to roll into the other, though the one hit by the attack doesn’t recover. Toxtricity’s attack hits shortly after, striking the Slowpoke and causing it to roll onto his back. He recovers, however, so you assume this is not something super effective against these Slowpoke.
“Oh, my next Pokémon is going to make short work of- huh? That was my last one?” Klara comments, digging in her pockets for another Pokéball that doesn’t exist. Avery snickers despite the situation, tossing his hair arrogantly.
“This is why I’m the top student and you’re, ahem, not. Finish this, Slowpoke! Use Psychic on the Toxtricity!” Avery commands, and his Slowpoke launches the attack. Toxtricity is able to shake the strong attack off as he gets back up, though he likely couldn’t take another.
Finish this, you two! We know Shadow Claw worked, go for that, Briar! You instruct over the bond, and Braviary circles around and dives at the remaining Slowpoke once again. He tries to roll out of the way, but he’s not quick enough, as he’s still hit by Braviary and sent rolling. He doesn’t recover, and Avery’s face falls.
“Such strength! I’m in Psyshock!” Avery complains, clenching his fists as he recalls his fallen partner. Klara pouts as she realizes they’ve lost, and glares at Avery.
“Huh?! No no no! No no NO! Th-there must be some mistake! We can’t lose! We’re the top students at the dojo!” Klara whines, shaking her head before she begins to shake Avery. “This is all your fault!”
“My fault?! Ah, um… Could you give us a moment?” He requests, turning Klara by the arm and pulling her with him as he takes a couple steps away. “It’s improbable… No, impossible! What kind of Trick did this kid use?” You can still hear Avery despite them turning away from you.
“Not good… Not good at all, man… How’d this kid get so strong?!” It bothers you that they’re calling you a kid, and you’re sure it’s on purpose to bother you. You’re beginning to think they’re talking like this on purpose. “If he joins the dojo, no one is going to pay attention to my strength…” Klara continues to complain, tugging on Avery’s sleeve.
“If a Trainer of this talent arrives at the dojo, then the people there very well may suffer Amnesia about our very existence! I’m supposed to be the strongest! If only we could get rid of him…” Avery suggests, and you have a bad feeling about this. You’d heal your Pokémon if you had any potions, but that’s not something you were ever really able to afford.
“We could just tell him to buzz off… No, they asked us to bring in the new student!” Klara insists, and the two hum together as they try to think. They seem to both get an idea at the same time, as suddenly Klara bangs her fist into her empty hand while Avery raises a finger up to the sky.
“Aha!” They both shout at once, before Klara glares at Avery and quickly spins around.
“Ahem!” She announces, getting your attention. “Hey, that wasn’t bad! I mean, it’s not like I was going all out – not at all – but still!” You’re having a hard time believing this, as it had felt like both were going all out.
“That’s right, you have potential,” Avery adds as he comes to join you and Klara. “Why, you made me use a whole 3 percent of my strength!” Now that you know is a lie. You begin wondering what these two are up to. “Still… How shall I put this… Our dojo is a respected place, where even the famous Champion Leon trained.”
“Yeah, our dojo is one that’s got a long-standing reputation! No offence, but maybe, just maybe, you’re not quiiite good enough to make it?” Klara relents with a small smile. Oh, so this is their game, make you doubt yourself so you don’t want to come. It likely would work on someone who isn’t desperate for a warm bed and a hot meal, so you know no matter what they say, you’ll still end up going.
“What we’re trying to say is, we don’t think you’re quite up to snuff…” Avery continues, trying to keep a smile off his face. “Therefore! We suggest you ignore the Master Dojo standing over there and head home as soon as you’re done seeing the sights!” Avery fixes the glasses on his nose, and you can see the smile behind his hand.
“It would be a shame for you to have come all this way without seeing the sights! Soooo…how about this? Why not enjoy the sights, but just stay away from the Master Dojo over there, ‘K?” Klara even helpfully points out exactly where to go, and Avery gives her a glare.
“Uh, appreciate the thought, I think? But yeah no, I’m going to the dojo. Thanks for showing me the way!” You give them each a big, fake smile in return, and grab your wheelie bag and cane as you begin walking over to the dojo. You let Espeon back out as you go, so all your Pokémon can take in the sights of this beautiful island.
“Whaaat?! No no no! You can’t go! Not without us!” Klara cries, running up to you and grabbing your arm tugging your suitcase.
Avery rushes over as well, straightening himself out. “Yes, Klara is right, this island is dangerous! At least let us escort you!” You’re pretty sure they’d just get in trouble if you showed up without them, so they’re desperately trying to backtrack now.
“I mean, what protection can the two of you offer? I already knocked out all your Pokémon,” you point out, rolling your eyes a bit.
“Um, we know lots about the island itself! We can help you avoid the strong wild Pokémon here!” Klara quickly throws out, still clinging to your arm and trying to slow you down.
Well, she does have a point. “As long as you two actually are here to escort me, and not lead me into danger, sure.” You don’t trust either of them, but Klara and Avery are right. There are likely many dangerous Pokémon here, and it would be good to have a guide to avoid them.
Klara and Avery walk a bit ahead of you when they realize they’re not going to deter you from the dojo, and mostly seem to speak with each other with their eyes. They keep giving each other looks, and you’re not sure what they mean, but the two of them seem to understand.
As the large orange-yellow building ahead approaches, you sigh deeply in awe. It’s really pretty there with the large hills behind it, and the garden out front. You realize this is going to be your new home for a while, and the thought comforts you and your Pokémon. A home! You haven’t had one of those here yet. You hope there’s some way for you to win a longer stay than just a month.