#nemonaposting

[hamofjustice]

y'know, it's funny, from replaying pokemon scarlet / violet basegame, i'm pretty sure if you're not internet poisoned, then one of the most memorable things about nemona could be that she only battles you half or less of the times that she checks in to help you because she wants it to be perfect and fair for you and really doesn't want to annoy you, to the point it almost seems like she's making excuses NOT to battle you, not that she's a wild dog that's stalking you and will not leave you alone. one of her earliest character establishing moments is looking directly into the camera with puppy dog eyes and apologizing profusely for wanting a rematch because she had fun

she's in the gyms because she's also doing the gyms! she gets really embarrassed that it looks like she's following you around and decides not to battle you to prove she's not! if she is, she's probably following you because geeta asked her to, and clavell literally said she should take you under her wing! she usually gives you advance warning that she's going to be taking you on soon!

in particular, once you're out of the tutorial she talks to and helps you without battling you for the first three badges of her own questline

it's always, like, clavell and geeta being like 'smh get a load of this girl, she needs to back off, who does she think she is, gary oak?' with their body language. the "oops, nemona didn't realize that cutscene didn't heal you" thing the game keeps doing feels kinda forced.

maybe it's just pokemon writing being what it is (i really don't know why they act like she'd use her champion team against your starter, she just picked a starter, what are you talking about. make her look overeager in a way that makes sense with her character or anyone over the age of 5 please) but the way nemona actually is not matching the way everyone talks about her seems to be a thing in universe and out, and i want to remember this rather than fall into a telephone game of what the plot actually was

if anything, I wish she was less afraid to annoy the player, and more present in the game! y'know, appearing in the sidelines during gym battles with the rest of the crowd rather than the text simply saying she was, for example

idk, I wonder if things would be different if the most vocal pokemon "fans" didn't hate characters interacting with them. maybe I want a brock and misty with me the whole game. maybe biri biri and after the rain are the experience I want

acting like the character who puts our enjoyment above her own and is afraid to annoy us still annoyed us is how we get a DLC that never mentions her or the other main characters of the story in 9 months of promotional materials and, maybe someday, a gen 10 with no friends at all.

[provecfy]

This was once an idea for a one-shot but I don't know how to properly walk the line between platonic and romantic I'm going for, so I will just post the headcanon here

I think Juliana and Nemona trade a lot

But I mean like, a lot lot.

I think their definition of rivals doesn't just mean to grow alongside each other but also together. To compete as much as collaborate. Like, I don't know how to properly put it into words but the fact that they are becoming stronger with each other is as much a point as the competition and the growth themselves.

So the logical conclusion is that they trade pokemon. Not just for competitive strategy or even as a reminder of each other, but as a promise.

In trading they are saying: "train this pokemon alongside your team, so that a part of me always grows strong with you and I am always there to make you stronger".

Of course, there are certain pokemon they are too attached to trade (Koraidon, Pawmot, their starters), but eventually their teams become almost interchangable. Maybe with some team members they even forget which pokemon belonged to who originally if they don't see the original trainer ID. The other's strenght is so integral to themselves they become indistinguishable from their own identity.

There is a kind of comfort and also a kind of closeness in the way they trade that feels like giving away a part of themselves but is also as natural as breathing, because it's the one person who will always carry that part with them.

[hamofjustice]

the contrast of what the "downer ending but at least you have each other" basegame final cutscene looks like in-engine and what it feels like in-context (the art) is so real

nemona doesn't really know how to recognize or help her new friends deal with grief or trauma, as she's picked up on from the past few times she's been yelled at today, but she does know how to cheer somebody up, so that's what she's gonna try instead

and it works, maybe because they just feel like seeing her in good faith this time after what they just went through together

[hamofjustice]

nemona feels like an obscure blorbo instead of the main rival character from the latest pokemon game because to get to her really good content from people who really get it, you first have to wade through the ocean of yandere pervert obsessive stalker annoying punchable bimbo amazon goddess interpretations of...

... a neurodivergent and possibly disabled high schooler who's desperately trying to make any friends or get any support from her rich neglectful family - while everyone in her school is jealous of their own imagined version of a privileged asshole version of her they made up - who deeply and platonically loves and supports the one new kid who agreed to take the time to get to know and respect her and her special interest without having to hold back her true self

unlike her, it's not great!

kinda feels like she has the same problem in our world that she does in hers.

[hamofjustice]

[hamofjustice]

i've been steadily working on making game boy color sprites for zero crew, who deserve a series of their own. not just any sprites, though -- casual, out-of-school adventuring ones!

[hamofjustice]

yeah what about it

pkmn fans be like I love found family :)

[hamofjustice]

pokemon masters ex photo mode is pretty good, part 2

[hamofjustice]

pokemon SV / zero crew fans, did you notice a theme in penny's debut event in pokemon masters? i sure did

the original game doesn't really delve into what penny's home life was like, other than that she should feel embarrassed to have hated peony's parenting compared to nemona and arven's strongly implied and devastatingly explicit parental neglect, respectively, but here we get a subtextual hint toward what she may actually be struggling with besides guilt over team star.

penny associates herself with eevees, stardust, programming, the potential to be anything. has she had the chance to find out for herself what she wants to be yet, beyond vague notions and power fantasies still untested by reality? is that hoodie still a cocoon of transformation? it'd be ironic given that her dorm room is the one that tells you the most about her character and hobbies by far, but still. the best way to know your values is to have them tested (i feel like new vegas changed my political alignment and that wasn't even real life)

it opens up some interesting compare-and-contrast with how i write/HC nemona as someone who tends to reject being coddled by maids and butlers and doesn't want unfair advantages from being rich (thanks for confirming that, gold lear's sync pair story) but also has a barebones dorm room save for her achievements (even compared to the blank slate player character) because she's masking her true personality and interests outside of battling for the sake of impressing adults and trying to get her parents' attention back by emulating geeta, whether she realizes it or not

anyway, i think they may have been setting the stage early on here to introduce peony and peonia to pokemas and actually explore what's going on with penny's family in a way that's sympathetic to all its members, which i would be very excited to see

[hamofjustice]

nemona's sync pair story in pokemon masters ex can be viewed anytime as soon as you recruit her, and in just a couple minutes of dialogue we scarlet/violet story analyzers get some great subtext-made-text and new subtext:

confirmation of one instance of nemona working herself really hard for the sake of others and seeing anything less as a display of her own weakness and letting them down (even if the others are her pokemon in this case). it's something that i thought always seemed likely to be a theme with her if we knew more about her, with stuff like her mostly un-commented-on arm brace / compression glove and perfectly clean room nearly devoid of personality outside of her meticulous schedule and displays of her achievements, and what that implied about her relationship with her family, teachers, and idol

recontextualization of why she wears sporty athletic wear and runs around everywhere, even though she's a straight-A nerd who has to take a break every 50 feet when she initially takes you to school and is still winded enough to be worthy of comment from arven by the time you're running around in area zero

the fact that penny, the otaku shut-in, did not get called out like this means either she performed exactly as arven expected her to based on how she looked, or that nemona was doing the worst out of all of the group and might actually have some kind of chronic condition / disability like some fans theorize. nemona's stamina now being revealed to be a long standing insecurity of hers despite shrugging it off with a joke in area zero implies the latter to me

if she shrugged off a long standing insecurity with a joke, that could potentially say a lot about any other things she didn't want to make a big deal about that fans are a little suspicious of, like saying her parents were "hands-off in a good way" with her while her sister got all the attention, which i definitely think was an deflective understatement or simply not realizing there's a problem

and if her low stamina and "bad throwing" are in fact due to some kind of condition and mostly out of her control, that also makes her calling herself weak that much more tragically unfair to herself. someone hug this kid please

i trust these folks to write a compelling nemona if they were given the chance to, not just a fun and cute one. they get it.

her 15 minute storyline from her debut event is mostly just good fun with her meeting a bunch of people and almost winning a big tournament with her new friends hilda and bede. it also, however, touches upon how sad she is that people mostly get jealous of her rather than feel inspired by her (which she actually comes up with a motivational speech to try and combat this time, with hilda's help). it even has her tell blue and bede that florian/juliana back home is "a precious treasure" to her, which made me melt into boiling taffy.

now i'm looking forward to whatever else they come up with when nemona's more plot-driving friends arrive. despite how cheesy and hit-or-miss pokemon masters tends to be, they're treating scarlet/violet with respect so far. it's canon to me. i kinda need that right now when we're not sure what the friend trio are gonna get in the DLC of the actual game.

[hamofjustice]

Here's the music video for Biri-Biri by YOASOBI (Also, the art from the novella too. It's all incredible!)

[hamofjustice]

happy pride month

[hamofjustice]

masters photo mode is pretty good part 3

[hamofjustice]

Julinemo Week, Day 2: Battle

"You…"

The impromptu crowd flooding Mesagoza fell silent. Their formerly-youngest Champion, the incomparable, unrivaled prodigy, had yet to uncover her face after the blast of Tera Shards being shattered off of her strongest Pokemon and strewn across the plaza. She had been defeated. By another kid, no less. She could be defeated.

… Was she crying?

"Nemona…?"

The victor -- as well as the Director and the Top Champion in the crowd -- all started to step toward her with concern written on their faces, when…

"YOU DID IT!!! This is legit incredible! You’re the strongest out there, Juliana!" Nemona suddenly roared. The relieved audience resumed their cheers as Nemona rapidly closed the rest of the distance to Juliana, holding up her shaking, clenched fists like she was barely restraining herself from launching onto the rooftops like a rocket.

Juliana giggled with a proud, toothy smile. In another timeline, she could've easily flinched and backed away from Nemona's overwhelming energy, but not this one. "Hehehe, thank--"

"I mean, you knocked me flat, and I was… giving you absolutely EVERYTHING I had! Everything I… I… Ha haaa! Hahaha! Oh man. Pokémon battling, am I right??? It’s so much better, so much more fun than I ever even knew! Man! Hahaha! Haaah... hoo..." Nemona continued to enthuse, sounding like she was nearly hyperventilating.

"Y-yeah, that was a lotta fun! I'm glad I finally got to see what you're like without holding yourself back for my sake."

"… Heh! And I'm so super proud of you for bein' able to handle it! Now I've got a real challenge to overcome again! It's like you've… like… given me back the thing I loved most! But uh… heh, I guess that's just kinda what you do, though, isn't it?"

"Mmm, I guess so, huh?" Juliana had to agree. It was true, this was at least the third new friend whose Treasure Report she was very likely to end up in that semester, at the expense of her sleep schedule. "Well… I wouldn't be here without you, either. I might've never known I could do something like this, if you didn't... take me under your wing and believe in me."

"Aww. Well, I might've had an ulterior motive, heh heh… but that sparkle in your eyes during our first battle was your own! I can't make you love something if you didn't already! Believe me, I've tried. I mean, why else would you go all the way to the top, huh?"

"… To see you this happy?" Juliana offered.

"Heh! Good one! Put 'er there, rival!" Nemona said as she offered her hand to shake, which Juliana took and held firmly as if she was being helped to stand up. "Now I gotta think about what Pokemon to bring for round two!" the council president declared, eliciting some facepalms from Geeta and Clavell. "Decisions, decisions…"

Juliana side-eyed those two but didn't point them out to Nemona. "No, really, I mean it."

"Mean what now sorry?" Nemona blurted out quickly, snapping her attention back to the present.

"I never gave up any of the times I was tempted to on my Gym Challenge, 'cause… I wanted you to share your favorite thing in the world with me. 'Cause… I imagined how happy you'd be right now, and didn't think anything would make ME happier than seeing that."

"… Jules, I-- Don't make me cry in fronta all these people, c'mon!"

Juliana smiled sheepishly. "Sorry!"

Nemona responded with a hearty laugh and a tight hug. "Hahaha! Man… I think YOU'RE my favorite thing in the world, actually."

"Aww. Best treasures?"

"Best treasures."

More "awws" could be heard from the crowd at that, even if they couldn't hear all of what was being said... as well as the sound of an old man bawling uncontrollably.

[hamofjustice]

The more people I see present it this way, it really does seem like the primary thing her character is about, and I think that's really cool.

And I also suspect there are some other things going on under the surface with Nemona as well, that I wonder if we'll ever get to see more of, mostly having to do with her upbringing. I'm not going to give quite as much of a non-player-friendly screenshot-filled presentation on it (I already feel a little rude piggybacking on a post about neurodivergence, but it's so important to her character that it seems like an ideal launching point):

It seems to me that Nemona's classmates that don't like her (or at least Arven, for a while) think of her as an out-of-touch nepo baby who gets whatever she wants and/or a gifted kid who never has to try at things they all struggle with. She seems to be the focus of people her age's jealousy. Her peers seem to be generally depressed and angry they can never be like her (something Pokemon Masters confirms and doubles down on), even though they totally can, and as Geeta says, a Champion's role is supposed to be inspiring others to greatness.

Nemona, meanwhile, insists that she hates all the credit for what she's achieved as a trainer (and presumably also in school, as we're told she's both a straight-A student and the student council president) being attributed to being a natural-born "whiz" or "raised differently" (it really feels like they wanted to say "gifted kid" and "privileged" here, and I read it as such) and that while she did become a Champion pretty easily because she was having fun / "dove in deep" (hyperfixated on it) (and was surprised to learn that wasn't normal, but is still pretty sure the player will be able to relate to how it feels. interesting.) most things in life are not easy for her, and no one seems to notice the hard work she puts in. Nemona states outright that she isn't sure if becoming a Champion for her previous Treasure Hunt actually made her happy. But her new friend becoming one too just for her sure did. I think they should've gotten to hug each other but I'll happily accept them holding hands in the TV ad. Aaanyway...

We see on several occasions at the start and end of the base game that Nemona has more problems with her stamina than even Penny, needing to take multiple breathers on the way to the Academy despite her athletic looks (and shrugs it off as being "full of surprises" when this is commented on), but Pokemon Masters revealed later that this is actually something she's very unhappy with herself about and that she thinks she's letting her Pokemon down by not being as fit as they are, which is quite unfair to herself if she actually has some chronic condition. Which is what they seem to be implying here. I don't know if you want to consider that game canon of course, but all of her writing in it seems well-thought out enough that i accept it as such. She still complains about Mesagoza's stairs in Masters just like she does in SV, too, and considers not being good at catching Pokemon an "uncool side of herself" she's glad she can keep hidden on an island with no wild Pokemon... but wants to practice and get better at it anyway.

To get to the point! With that bonus exposition, I suspect a few things are going on with Nemona, in the background, and I don't expect them all to be true at once necessarily, but:

I think... Nemona does not get much support from her family at all, and she perhaps was even in denial when she said she was fine with them being hands-off with her because her unnamed sister is the company heir. I don't think she would want to get much support from them either, given her attitude about working for everything she has. I don't think she's a privileged person trying to say she isn't when she says she works hard, given the way she's depicted otherwise. She never goes into her house, she refuses to have your sentimental first champion battle behind her house despite understanding it would be a callback to your first battle, and she never talks about her family at all unless someone else brings it up, despite them being famous. She seems to think the player and Penny's parents sound nice, though.

I also wondered if the writers were trying to establish a pattern with her saying they're "hands off in a good way" and not being able to tell the difference between a happy family reunion and your 'Raidon cowering in traumatized fear of impending violence. Yeah. Something else to think about.

Players may notice Nemona's dorm room, the Zona Nemona, her home away from home, is stated to be "very tidy" and... contains almost no decoration or personalization, even compared to the blank-slate player character, who does take the time to decorate their dorm and original bedroom. It even lacks basic things like a rug under the bed like the other three dorms have. Basically all Nemona has out in her room to set herself apart from the others is her choice of bedspread, some badges and plaques marking her achievements, a strict schedule, and her excess of Pokemon's food and Balls reflecting that she has multiple teams.

(Well, okay, and what appears to be a wall mounted flat screen TV, maybe she does get some family money, maybe she just saved up for that at the expense of everything else. Either way, I know the designers thought about it, and I love seeing that in a Pokemon game. I love seeing all of this stuff in a Pokemon game, even if the main world map is kinda a little bit of a big empty field sometimes.)

I think, consciously or subconsciously, Nemona is trying to impress her family and get them to take her seriously, which takes on a darker tone if she really does have all these genetic issues. Or she wants to impress the adults in her life that I think function as her surrogate family, like Geeta and Clavell. (I also like to think Rika inspired her to dye the tips of her hair.) I also wonder if comments from Geeta about what a Champion should be like have been getting under Nemona's skin unintentionally. I wonder how much insecurity she's hiding behind a facade if she can shrug off being mocked about things she's legitimately bothered by. I wonder what she's normally like if Geeta says she's only this excited around us. I wonder if "needing a battle to clear her head" like she does when that one kid won't battle her is something she does a lot. Seems like it would cause a nasty feedback loop.

Anyway, the emptiness of her room when the other kids' rooms say so much about their owners feels itself like it's trying to say something. Like, while there is evidence that she only battles because she thinks it's fun and no other reason, I could also see Nemona being so busy overachieving and trying to appear like the perfect student and perfect champion (honestly two very intertwined things in this region) that she does not express herself in any other way where the people she's trying to impress can see it, and is afraid to leave her mess out, figuratively or literally. It could just be a lack of aesthetic interest, but... even her phone case is just plain black compared to Arven's Floette case and Penny's Eevee case despite being the daughter of the Rotom Phone company CEO. I just have to go "what did they mean by this" at stuff like that. Or at the "Sibling Love" painting in Nemona's house.

I think we could unearth some wild drama and a lot more of Nemona's story potential if we meet her family in the DLC or spinoffs.

But she's already a really detailed, developed, and apparently respectfully written character if you're paying attention and reading her behavior and the game's text in general in good faith, and not regurgitating memes.

And there's STILL so much more stuff about her we could talk about that other people have been talking about, even with this incomplete story. We've come a long way from Pokemon characters having five lines of dialogue. Please take the time to read it, everyone.

Nemona, Female Neurodivergence, and Good Representation

Spoilers for the plot of ScarVi ahead, but here’s my full analysis and breakdown of Nemona!

So, I know what you’re thinking, ‘Game Freak making an autistic female main character? You must be out of your mind. This is clearly projecting!’

I’d like to preface this gently by saying that this is obviously just my personal conclusion based on subtextual analysis, but also, I’d like to call attention to the fact that Japan isn’t like the west when it comes to neurodiverse representation, and there isn’t a lot of Japanese media that explicitly uses the word autism. It’s a little unrealistic to expect Game Freak to call it by name, especially considering they make games for children and topics such as neurodiversity are often viewed as a more ‘adult’ thing to discuss. You are free to disagree with me, but please be polite in the replies of this post, as I only wish to have a constructive conversation about a writing decision that has been made.

Anyway, on to the good stuff and I must apologise in advance for this post being long, but I wanted to be thorough!

I played through all of ScarVi and I’m actually very pleased with Nemona as a character. I feel like despite the game’s technical quality, there was a real effort made this time around to flesh out the named characters. Nemona is one of my favourite examples of this, because her arc isn’t solely about being autistic, but it’s clearly a large part of her character and affects her life in a lot of ways.

Nemona is a battle fanatic, and it’s very likely one of her special interests. It’s how she connects with other people such as the main character, and it’s something she devotes her entire being and effort to. She never says she does so in order to impress others, but rather because it’s something she heavily enjoys.

Right from the start, Nemona is a successful champion rank trainer and wants you to become a trainer who can rival her in skill, and feels like it would lead to a better friendship if you could do that. Nemona’s priorities always centre around battling, and doing as much of it as possible. She’s the one who asks Geeta for permission to bestow a Tera orb upon your player. She gives you tips about the battle courts at different gyms. She even raises a new team of Pokémon throughout the game just to have an excuse to battle you at your level and watch you improve.

Nemona even loves battling so much that she finds it a little strange when others aren’t as enthusiastic about battling as she is, below is a quote I found particularly interesting because it really does show that she can be socially oblivious at times when it comes to societal expectations about what is an appropriate place or time to have a Pokémon battle.

Accompanying this, multiple times throughout the game she exhibits impulsive or oblivious behaviour and asks you to have another battle with her straight after another battle you’ve just had, usually due to being excited. Sometimes other characters will need to remind her that your Pokémon require healing first, or that there are other things that need doing. She doesn’t always understand how things should be handled in a conventional manner, despite being an expert on the topic of battling! (Or, she gets too excited and can’t help herself.)

In post-game, there’s even a scene where she doesn’t seem to understand that another student is reluctant to battle her and makes an excuse to leave early because she’s so far from being a casual trainer that it intimidates him. This is, in my opinion, actually quite a sad scene. She genuinely continues to think that he will challenge her to a battle at a different time, not realising that her ‘unusual’ enthusiasm and skill has scared him away, and that he has no intention of returning. A situation I’m sure a lot of neurodiverse children would connect with because it so accurately depicts what it’s like when others don’t share your interests to the degree that you hoped they would. This scene also hints at Nemona’s trouble with reading the emotions and intentions of others.

Nemona’s final post-game scene (which please, I BEG of you to go watch, it’s so good) confirms this outright, and also gives one of the most relatable lines in media about what it’s like to be neurodivergent in any way, especially as somebody who is younger:

Something I like about Nemona is that despite being socially oblivious and pushy with her interests, she is still a very sympathetic and friendly character. Not only does she cheer you on throughout the game, but she doesn’t only do it for the sake of serving only her own interests! She’s genuinely caring about others around her too.

(Nemona, congratulating the player when they beat her at the end of her storyline after she goes full-out. She is thrilled that you beat her! I love this moment.)

Throughout the last chapter in the game, there’s a lot of great moments with Nemona that show how caring she is. I think the best moments however, are where she tries to understand and support a scared Miraidon, and where she tries to help Arven.

Initially, she is misunderstanding and expects that the second Miraidon will be friendly and that it will be a family reunion, but once she realises this is not the case, she immediately switches to trying to support your Miraidon in any way she can. Despite not understanding why Miraidon is so afraid of returning to the Crater and facing the other Miraidon, she can be observed multiple times attempting to encourage it during the final battle, and can be seen in the final cutscene of the game with her arm around it as the group walks back to the academy.

(Nemona, displaying an implied struggle with visually judging the emotions of others.)

Nemona is also the one who suggests after a very heavy story ending that everyone goes home, and that they take the scenic route back to town. She clearly doesn’t know what to say to Arven about what he’s just been through, but she attempts to make him feel a bit better regardless.

I think this makes for particularly good representation, because not only is she less feminine than previous female rivals with her more sporty style and interests (something very common with autistic women) it also shows depth. I’ve seen autistic characters before that fall into the stereotype of coming across as emotionally detached or cold, or far too over-reactive. But I think Nemona strikes a lovely balance of caring, emotional, and socially lacking.

Now, on to a smaller detail that I want to point out that I really like the inclusion of is that glove. I could talk about how Nemona displays memory issues at times or other smaller symptoms of autism, but I really want to talk about the glove. I made a post on this subject the moment Nemona’s design was revealed on the official website, but I like that the game content openly confirmed that Nemona has motor issues with her dominant hand.

(Nemona, needing to support her arm when about to throw a Pokéball, or when she is about to terastalise her Pokémon. The burst of energy from the tera orb must make things a bit more difficult for her. A lovely small detail in her battles.)

(Nemona, confirming that she has trouble with Pokéballs. Something her website entry also stated.)

Now I’ve saved this until last because this is, in my opinion, a smaller detail that they didn’t need to include to make Nemona read as neurodiverse, but I’m thrilled they did. Nemona is the only character who wears an arm brace, something I picked up on immediately in the trailers before the games released. No other trainers wear one for the terastalisation mechanic, unlike the Z-bands from Alola. And even though Pokémon battling is her bread and butter, she still struggles with certain aspects of it! Not only is this trouble with motor skills realistic, but it’s also a very accurate portrayal of motor dysfunction that a lot of neurodiverse people experience in their day to day lives.

To bring this all to a close, I think that even though it isn’t stated outright, I believe Nemona isn’t just representation of neurodiversity in women, but I think that she is also GREAT representation. She knows that she has problems, and tries her best regardless! She is kind, and caring, even though she has difficulties with reading the emotions of others and understanding social expectations. Her entire story may be about making friends with you through the medium of battling, but it’s also a story about how she’s struggled in the past to connect with others because of her love of that medium.

I truely do feel like she’s a lovely depiction to be in a children’s game, because she is a very positive depiction of something that a lot of kids go through, and in the end, she gets to be herself and she gets to be happy by being true to that self. She is never forced to change to make friends, and instead befriends you and the other characters simply by remaining as she is.

[hamofjustice]

Nemona the Unrivaled

Chapter 1: A Closed Door

Info / Chapter Select: here

Finally, Nemona was getting back out of this darn villa. That was the most painfully long time away from school she could remember, even if the numbers on the calendar said she was imagining things. She just had to stick around a bit longer while Director Clavell talked to Mother and Father, and she’d finally be on her way back to home sweet dorm for a while.

... It was nice of those two to actually show up for something.

But the thought that they were having some kind of grown-up talk in there that she wasn’t privy to -- one that was almost definitely about her -- was digging one last pit in her stomach. What had she done wrong without noticing now, that was apparently worth worrying about but no one had the guts to just bring up to her directly? She gazed down at the intricate stone work under her red shoes, but took in none of what she was seeing.

But then, she heard a bit of commotion in the distance. Who was that coming up the road? With no less than three Pokemon all running up to her!? Was this that kid next door coming to visit, finally? Were they--

Alright, alright, cool it, look away for a sec, act natural, pretend you don’t see ‘em, don’t just stare and creep ‘em out. Wait for the right moment when they get close to turn around and give ‘em the ol’ razzle-dazzle... okay... and... go!

"Oh? Are you these three's Trainer?" Nemona greeted her visitor, coolly turning toward them with her gloved hand on her waist, a swirl of her ponytail and a nod of her head. Nailed it. “Buenas! We haven't met, have we?”

Nemona looked at the newcomer properly now. Looked to be a boy, though it was best not to assume those things in Paldea. Kinda on the younger side, or maybe just hadn’t the kind of growth spurt she had yet. Slightly spiky short brown hair and a paler complexion than her own, in the standard Uva Academy uniform. Not much to speak of in the style department. Yep, just the way they usually rolled out of the boy factory. Not that Nemona knew much about fashion either -- she mostly just let her family doll her up for events as they saw fit -- but she at least picked herself out some matching non-Academy-branded red-and-black accessories for school and adventures, even if it didn’t really go with the indigo-and-white uniform or the green bits in the front of her hair. Nobody seemed to get that she wanted it to look like leaves on a fruit! She wasn’t gonna cut it off no matter how dumb anyone thought it looked, though. It was a small act of rebellion, the only serving size of rebellion she could usually get away with, between the --

Anyway. The new kid seemed to be closely observing the Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly that had run ahead of him. In fact, it looked like he didn’t notice there was another human there too until the three little critters ran past her legs to play in the villa’s garden and fountain like they owned the place. He seemed a little surprised to be spoken to.

“H-huh? Oh. Uh, they’re not mine... yet. Um... the Academy Director left me to choose one of them.” The visitor eventually explained, avoiding eye contact instead of giving her a name. Was she making him nervous already?

Nemona heard the door open behind her seconds later to save them both from the awkward silence, and she turned to look as Director Clavell stepped out of the villa to greet their visitor. The old man cleared his throat to further announce his presence and pushed up his glasses. Nemona often wondered why he didn’t just get a new pair that stayed on better, but at this point touching his glasses all the time seemed to be as deep-set a habit of his as folding his hands behind his back, so it probably wouldn’t make much difference.

"Director... Is this who I think it is?" Nemona just had to ask, balling her fists excitedly against her chest like she was watching a battle.

“Indeed, this is our academy's newest student, Master Adam. He will be attending as of today.”

Nemona’s head whipped around to face Adam again upon having that confirmed. "So you ARE that kid who moved up in the road! I've been dying to find out more about you!"

He winced slightly at her enthusiasm. “Y-yeah, that’s me. Uh... I’ve been looking forward to getting my Trainer’s License for a while. Been studying on my own and everything.” Adam offered as some kind of information as he crouched down to watch Fuecoco in particular. He didn’t ask for Nemona’s name.

“Oh reaaaally?! Well, you’re talking to the right girl, then!” she enthused regardless. That eagerness of his was so exciting to her!

... Adam was mostly paying attention to the little fire croc having just roasted an orange that had fallen from one of the family’s trees, and nodded to it approvingly. Nemona, meanwhile, was getting lost in her head with excitement that this boy might be the friend she needed. She just needed to make sure to sink her teeth in early, before anyone else could tell him she was an annoying weirdo, or stuck-up nepo baby, or the chosen one, or--

“Uh... oh yeah?” Adam eventually responded. He didn’t really seem to be on Nemona’s wavelength, but his curiosity seemed a bit more piqued by the "right girl" line.

“Quite. Miss Nemona here is not only president of our fine Academy’s student council, but already a Champion-Rank Trainer in her own right." Clavell clarified before Nemona could.

Adam glanced up and down at Nemona, as if newly re-appraising her now. “Nemona, huh... Well, uh... good for you, Champion.” he said flatly as he stood back up, no longer looking quite so interested.

Nemona felt a bit of sweat on her brow. “U-um, hey, don’t let that intimidate‘cha, though! I was just like you, not too long ago! Honest!”

Adam, however, was looking at her family’s little seaside mansion with half-lidded eyes. “Sure.”

“Miss Nemona speaks the truth. Our school is quite proud to have a student so brilliantly passionate among us.”

At that, Adam and Nemona both snorted automatically and covered their mouths.

“Hm? Did I say something amusing...?”

“Nothing.” Adam and Nemona blurted out almost simultaneously. Nemona shot Adam a knowing glance, but he only returned it for a brief moment.

Clavell sighed. “I must say, I do still feel so out of the loop with the youth at times, despite my best efforts.” the Director admitted, pushing up his glasses. “Regardless... Master Adam, I wasn’t expecting to see you follow me here so soon. Shall I take that to mean you have already decided which of these Pokemon you would like to be your first partner?”

“Um, yeah. I think Fuecoco would be the smartest choice, given the types of the first two Gyms, and the potential of its Torch Song when it someday learns that.”

“... I see. You certainly have been doing your homework already, so to speak. Well, er... Fuecoco seems to have taken quite a liking to you as well. This is your first Pokemon, yes? Please do raise it with love and care, even when it is not the correct tactical choice. And of course, be sure to keep it tucked safely within this Poke Ball when it’s time for it to rest. Or if you’re unsure it will behave properly indoors just yet, hoho.”

Adam took the Ball and nodded, before recalling Fuecoco into it and attaching the Ball to his belt. It was officially his now. “Thank you, sir.”

Nemona had her hands clasped together in front of her and stars in her eyes as she watched. A brand new Trainer born before her eyes, like watching an egg hatch! “Adam... I can't believe you actually chose Fuecoco...”

“What do you --”

“I mean, like, way to make the perfect choice for you! You two make such a good combo!"

“... Oh. Uh, based on what? Like... vibes, or...?” Adam asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Um... yeah!”

Adam scratched his head awkwardly and shut his eyes, looking irritated. “... Okay.”

Even Nemona could tell this didn’t seem to be going well, but she stuck with it and turned to Clavell to let him know about her plan regardless. “H-hey, um, Director... can I choose one of these Pokemon, too?”

"Oh, but...did you not receive a Pokémon when you enrolled at the academy, Miss Nemona?"

Adam crossed his arms and tapped his foot impatiently as the conversation went on without him.

"Not back then, no! I had other Pokémon I was focused on raising at the time. But now I want to raise a new Pokémon alongside Adam while he raises his own new partner!"

“... Huh? What, like... just pretending you’re a new trainer?” Adam asked flatly.

“Yeah! I’ve been meaning to relive my first Gym Challenge anyway, and I’d love to have a rival along the way!”

Adam huffed, shut his eyes and rubbed his forehead like he had a headache. Nemona seemed to have struck a nerve she was unaware of. “... I get a say in this too, don’t I?”

“Um, well, yeah... I just thought it’d be nice to final-- t-to make a new friend today, though.”

“I’m sure someone like you has plenty already.”

Nemona’s gut twisted a bit. “Uh, well, um, I just wanna help out, too!” she continued desperately.

The irritated boy took a deep, weary breath. “I don’t know how much fun I’m going to have with someone who’s already done all this stuff breathing down my neck and talking my ear off.”

“Aw, c’mon, pleeeaaase? It’s not like that...”

“Go pick on somebody your own size.”

“What do you mean, ‘pick on’...?”

“Master Adam --” Clavell began, attempting to intervene.

“What reason would somebody like you have to give up what you’ve got and pretend we’re equals? You just want to lord over me, puff yourself up about how much better than me you are, try to tell me what to do... Something. I just know you’re up to something. Can’t you go buy yourself some friends?”

Nemona’s eyes widened and blood ran colder with every word. Her stomach felt like it had dropped right on through the ground into the cave system below. Where did all that even come from? If even a complete stranger could be like this to her now... what hope did she have left? “No, no, it’s not like that--” she said again shakily, stepping forward and reaching a hand toward Adam, who just took a step backward in response. Was she really that bad? Was he afraid of her now? No, no, no...

Director Clavell blocked Nemona with his arm before she could get any further, but his eyes were laser focused on the boy in front of him.

“Ahem! Master Adam! While you are as free as any of us to do as you see fit on your personal journey, and your boundaries are you own... I must ask you to please be more respectful of your fellow student, especially one merely trying to be your friend. Her idea would be quite a charming one, if I were a student in your position. Would you not appreciate having a peer take you under her wing as you get used to your new life here, making some memories together right from your very first day of school? It is quite presumptuous to believe she would do any of the things you have accused her of. Show a smidge of good faith, would you?”

Adam stood his ground for a moment, glaring at the two of them like they were about to jump him, but he sighed in resignation and unclenched his fists. Whatever awoke in him seemed to have quieted down, maybe out of fear of the Director. Adam shut his eyes and scratched the back of his neck. “... I... I see your point. I uh, apologize for my remarks, Director. And... Miss President. It’s, uh... nothing personal. I would rather go it alone, though.”

“... Okay. That’s... perfectly fine.” Nemona responded weakly, each word squeakier than the last, and gulped.

“Hmph. Very well... I’ll check in to be sure you had a safe trip to school on your own then, Master Adam. And I’ll be having a quick word with your mother about these ‘remarks’ once I’m done with my business here.” Clavell said sternly.

“Yes sir...” Adam grumbled as he set off alone toward Poco Path. “Teacher’s pet...” he muttered, too low for an old man’s ears to pick up.

Nemona still stood dumbfounded next to the Director. The excitement she had a few minutes ago had drained away into the hint of tears in her eyes. Why had it turned out this way? “I... I’m sorry...”

“What? Miss Nemona, you’ve done nothing wrong...?”

“Then why... why does this --” she tried to say, then gave up and wiped her face with her sleeve, trying to save face. “Okay... I just... ugh.”

Clavell looked a bit unsure of what to do in this situation -- Nemona had never let him see her this upset before. The old man hesitantly placed a hand on her shoulder. “It seems he was... a bit intimidated and anxious because of the way I’d spoken of you. If anything, that was a mistake on my part, even if... it was certainly not an expected reaction. It is I who should be deeply sorry to you, if it cost you a friend.”

Nemona sniffled again and shook her head. “No, no... I can’t ask you to pretend I’m someone else, Director. I don’t think Adam was ever going to like me anyway.”

Clavell gazed down at the confused Sprigatito and Quaxly looking back up at the two of them, as he sighed and gave Nemona’s shoulder a couple small pats.

“... Perhaps not. But I will not stand to hear it as any fault of your own. His solitude is his loss. But people can change... especially if they find themselves haunted by regrets.”

Nemona lost track of how long he kept holding her shoulder as she kept gazing emptily at nothing in particular.

“... Er, before we forget, Miss Nemona... would it cheer you up if I still offered you one of these Pokemon?” he offered with a sympathetic smile.

Nemona was suddenly jolted back to reality by the reminder that the two remaining little buddies were still there, and joined the Director in looking down at them. She sighed as well and knelt down, letting the old man’s hand fall slack against his side. She was so tempted to say she wasn’t in the mood for her new adventure anymore and just leave, but... she couldn’t say no to that little Sprigatito’s face. This wasn’t its fault either, after all. She petted the little grass cat with a bittersweet smile as the Quaxly clung to familiar Clavell’s ankle. Nemona was planning on picking a Grass-type to make things easier for that boy’s Fire-type, but maybe he would have just found it patronizing. Or maybe he would have thought she was bullying him if she picked the Water-type. It seemed like maybe there was no right answer. Maybe this was just always going to happen to her and there was no point obsessing on it. She’d just have to find bits of joy wherever she could.

“... Yeah, I’ll take this one. Thanks, Director...” Nemona said without any of the usual life in her voice.

Clavell solemnly reached down to hand Nemona the Poke Ball for Sprigatito, unsure if she would be getting back up anytime soon, and she accepted it. After a moment, she did in fact stand up and recall her new Pokemon quietly. Clavell similarly returned his Quaxly to its Ball and tucked it into his coat for another day.

“... May I ask a delicate question, Miss Nemona?”

“... Go ahead, sir.”

“Does this... sort of thing happen to you often?” the Director asked in a low voice. “This brand of... open hostility towards your, er, social standing and achievements?”

Her eyes widened and and she glanced away. “Huh? Um... not... really...” she lied.

“... I assure you that your answer will be quite confidential when I resume speaking with your parents.” he clarified, pushing his glasses to his brow. “However, I cannot escape the feeling that much of the events that transpire at our school occur hidden from my watch.”

Nemona took a deep breath. “It’s fine, I’ll find somebody. I just need to be... different. Or something.”

Clavell blinked. “You... do have friends your own age, do you not? I recall seeing you quite often with Master Arven or Master Aliquis in the schoolyard...”

Nemona staggered for a moment at that question. It was a wonder she kept standing. “... They... they both got tired of me. I don’t know if they were really ever my friends. They just... thought it was really important to beat me in a battle, and got really angry when they couldn’t. And when I started taking it easier on them or trying to help and encourage them, they... they told me I was being patronizing and rude, and got even angrier. They stopped returning my calls, too...”

“Ah... and here I’d assumed it was typically you who initiated those battles, given your passion for them.”

Nemona stood up straight, closed her eyes to take another deep breath, and pulled her glove on tighter. “At least my Pokemon like me! Don’t know what I’d do without ‘em!” She said in her usual bright and happy tone.

The young Champion put away her new Sprigatito’s Poke Ball and pulled out a different one, releasing her Cyclizar in front of the villa. Rather than get onto its back just yet, however, she just knelt down with her arms outstretched. “Right, buddy?”

The lizard Pokemon stepped up and gave her a hug without hesitation, despite the awkward tire-like sac on its chest. A smile slowly crept back onto her face as she closed her eyes and soaked in the moment. “Yeah... love you too, li’l guy.”

Clavell looked away sadly. “So... this does indeed happen often.”

Nemona didn’t respond, other than a deep breath through her nose. She continued to cling to Cyclizar.

“... I can make some time to discuss this with you privately this evening, if you’d like. Right now, I’m afraid I’m falling behind schedule for everyone else. In the meantime... please do not be afraid to reach out to the other adults in your life, Miss Nemona. Take care.”

“If they have time for me.” She muttered under her breath.

Clavell lingered and looked back at her for a moment, before sighing and heading for the door back into the villa. He probably heard that one.

“... You take care too, Director.” Nemona finally added at the last second before he went back inside. He was right, Mother and Father were probably tired of waiting for him by now. She’d been holding him up. Stupid, needy, pathetic girl, never happy with what she had...

Nemona picked up the riding gear she’d been keeping in front of the villa until it was time to go and strapped it onto Cyclizar’s back. She still wasn’t in the mood to start a new Pokemon team with Sprigatito, at least not today. It’d remind her too much of how much fun she could be having if she just had a friend. Nope, with how she felt right now, she was just gonna skip the exercise potential and zoom straight to her dorm room at Uva, dump her bags and pockets wherever, and crash in bed until she didn’t feel quite as awful. Normally when she was in a mood like this, she’d train one of her Pokemon against a whole outbreak of powerful wild ones, like in a martial arts movie or something, to clear her head. But today, a nap sounded better. Or at least easier.

She’d been rolling the Director’s advice around in her head for a minute too, though... and took out her solid black Rotom Phone to consider dialing La Primera. No, no, Geeta was probably just as busy as Clavell was, especially today. She sighed and let it float back into her pocket before getting on Cyclizar and riding off down Poco Path.

She pretended she didn’t see Adam poking around in the bushes by the road with Fuecoco as they passed him.