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theringleader · 2 years ago

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Kindred Spirits

I have never done a big bang before so when the opportunity came up to do one for wrestling, thank you @wrestlebang !!!!!!, I leapt at it. I’m really proud of this fic, as it’s the longest one that I have actually finished. Me and @saturatedsinset collabed to create the perfect fic/playlist combo! Go listen while you read the story of Melody, a nonbinary pokemon trainer who finds their way into a special tournament for past champions! Will their new friends be their allies, or will lines be drawn between them?

Word count: 13,205

Warnings: Swearing, Cheesy Pokemon Plot™, Matt Jackson Brat moments

We’ve got sunny skies all day, not a cloud in the sky, and mid temperatures! The bike path has been blocked by a Snorlax, so, those of you going through route 3 or 4 might want to think of calling a Galar taxi instead. Hope somebody brought a flute! And the biggest news of the day: The Champion’s Tournament! It starts soon, right here in Galar, and they are gathering up the best of the best of all the pokemon trainers in the world! If you were a pokemon champion, and you think you have what it takes, send in your application today! Up next, we have a new track from Piers, the rock star straight out of Spikemuth, it’s called Daybreak, hope you love it!

Melody turned down the volume on their portable purple radio. This song was loud and they didn’t want to scare off any wild pokemon while researching.

Originally from Unova, Melody used to be a trainer themself, but moved to Galar to become a researcher. They were a champion in their own right; the longest reigning champion in Unovan history, in fact. Nothing and no one could get past them in their prime. They prided themself on being the very best, but after a while, they realized that being the best wasn’t what they wanted. Sure, they were a household name, but they craved time alone, which they never got in the public eye.

Battling was intense. Intense training, intense hours, and intense dedication. There was no room for anything else as the champion. They couldn’t handle giving up their precious free time to something they didn’t truly love. Their passion lied elsewhere.

They truly loved learning about pokemon and documenting everything in their journal. The hours they spent alongside Professor Juniper in her lab, and out in the field on their days off, were more fulfilling than winning any battle.

Their freedom was gifted to them in the form of a loss to their greatest rival, Rosa. It was no shame to lose to her, in fact, there was no one else that Melody would trust with the spot. Their escape was handed to them on a silver splatter and they moved to Galar to start anew. That's where they met Flambino, their partner Scorbunny, and their best friend, Vincent. They became close friends right away, with a lot more in common than they originally thought. All their free time was spent out in the field studying pokemon behaviors in the wild and in their own pokemon, finally doing something that satisfied them.

Which brings us to this moment.

Melody set out that morning with the intention to write down some notes in their field journal until a pokemon screamed with pain in the distance.

They immediately looked up. It roared again, and they ran after the sound.

They knew right away that it was a Gyarados. Their cries were impossible to mistake, and the lush wild areas in Galar were home to many incredible pokemon, there was no doubt that there was one living nearby.

The sound led them to a small lake, and they gasped when they saw the Gyarados on the beach, with its lower half inside the water, close to fainting.

“Hold on!” They ran down the hill to the beach and their knees hit the sand first, right in front of the injured pokemon.

There were gashes and signs of a struggle along the neck and close to the head. He must have been attacked by another pokemon, or got into a fight with a few others. They rummaged through the pouch that sat on their hip, and grabbed a tub of medical paste and a couple sitrus berries.

“No, honey it’s okay!” They gently held their hand out with the berries and let him sniff them and the food as they spread the paste on his neck.

He weakly took a berry with his tongue and they gently shoved the rest inside his mouth to free up their other hand. He wanted to cry louder, but just groaned as they applied the paste. The gashes were already starting to heal due to the concentration of medication and the pokemon let out a sigh of relief

“Yeah, it’s okay, there we go. This is going to help for now.” They grabbed an empty heal ball and held it out to him.

He slowly bumped his head with the front and went inside with ease.

After a quick stop at the pokemon center, it was time to meet up with Vincent in Motostoke.

Vincent moved to Galar around the same time that Melody did. He was looking for a new beginning too, and loved the simplicity that a life in Southern Galar offered.

“Vinny!” Melody hugged him tightly and kissed his cheek.

“Melody, hey!” He hugged them back, “It’s so good to see you! What have you been up to?”

They grabbed the heal ball out of the bag, “It’s funny, I actually wanted to talk to you about that!” They threw the ball beside them and Gyarados came out, looking good as new, completely healed, thanks to the incredible staff at the pokemon center, and Melody as well, because if they hadn’t caught him in time, it would have been too late.

“Wow!” Vincent looked up, pushing his glasses back up his nose, “Where did you get a Gyarados?”

“The wild area. Isn't he a good boy?" Melody cooed, talking to both their friend and the new pokemon, "I just rescued him."

"Aw, he sure is." Vincent walked up to the Gyarados and rubbed his nose. He waved his huge tail back and forth and purred. “He’s huge!”

"Are you in the market?" They asked with a giggle, "I know he's a lot of work, but he needs someone who will take care of him. Plus, he really likes you."

He purred again and pushed his big face into Vincent's hand.

Tears started welling up in his eyes, "Okay! I can't say no to him." He pressed a kiss to his new pokemon, "Thank you."

They handed him the heal ball, "Here. Now, I know he's going to a good home."

"Does he have a name?"

Melody shrugged, "Probably not. Why don't you try saying a few and see what he responds to?"

"See, this is why you're the pokemon master." He tapped his temple with his finger, "Smart." He looked up at the Gyarados with a kind smile, "Wow, you're a long boy, huh?"

He made a squealing sound and sprayed a geyser of water above his head. He couldn't be more excited if he tried.

"I think he likes that!" Melody laughed, wiping the water off their face.

"Longboi it is." Vincent beamed up at his new friend and gave him a little kiss before sending him into the heal ball, "Thank you, really. It means a lot." He wiped his glasses on the front of his shirt.

They smiled at the ball in his hands, "Just want to make sure he's gonna be loved, y'know?"

"I'm gonna love him so hard, I promise." Rusty grinned, "Oh! By the way, did you hear about the Champion’s Tournament? You should enter!"

"I did." They sighed, "I'd be a little bit of a throwback, I think. Would people even remember me?"

Vincent laughed, "Yeah, like they're gonna forget the person that saved the Unova region from being the epicenter of the next apocalypse. And who could forget the shows you did with Folgers?"

Contests were super popular in the Unova region and as the champion, they were obligated to do a few. They were fun; almost like a play, but it just added to the pile of stress in the long run.

"Folgers loved those more than I did, I think." They giggled, "I was never a contest kinda trainer."

"You and me both." He laughed with them, "Anyway, I think you should. People will remember you from the whole dynamax fiasco, too-" He laughed again, "Hey, why do all these apocalyptic events happen when you're around?"

"Bad luck, I guess!" They took out a pokeball from their pouch and pressed the button on the front.

Their Emboar scratched his nose and yawned. He walked closer, his large frame towering over both of them, and nudged his trainer's head with his own.

They beamed and started gently scratching him, "Hey buddy." They pulled a berry out and held it up for him, "Here, you hungry?" They giggled when he scarfed it down without even chewing, "Yeah, there we go. Good boy, Folgers."

He picked them up and hugged them like a stuffed animal, a behavior not uncommon for an Emboar who had a close connection with their trainer.

"Aw, that's so cute." Rusty couldn't help smiling at them, "Maybe Folgers wants to do the tournament."

Folgers gently set Alma down and looked at them with what could only be described as pleading eyes.

They had a very special connection. On their tenth birthday, they went to Professor Juniper to get their starter pokemon, and they picked Folgers right away, without a cursory glance to the other two pokemon. Most of the kids their age had chosen one of the other two. They took one look into the little Tepig's big eyes and knew right away: this was going to be their best friend.

They were not going to fall for the big eyes trick, even though it was something he used often to get his way. But something in them said that Folgers wanted to battle again. They could feel his excitement and saw the way he shuffled in place, like he had too much energy and didn't know what to do with it.

"What do you think, Folgers? Should we enter the tournament? You, me, Flambino, and everybody else?"

He picked them up again and just held them, his broad chest rumbling with the purring sound he was making.

"Oof, that sounds like a yes."

"So, you're gonna do it?" Vincent asked expectantly. He knew the answer, but he wanted to hear them say it. This tournament was going to be a breath of fresh air for them; he just wished they could see that.

They nodded, still in the arms of their partner pokemon, "Yeah. I'm gonna do it."

Folgers squealed and squeezed them harder.

"Alright, big man, let's put me on the ground, okay?" They giggled as Folgers placed Them on the ground again, "Excited to get on the battlefield?"

He put up his fists and mimed some punches.

"You're gonna do great, buddy." They smiled. There was no doubt about that. But were they ready to battle again? They were anxious about seeing those people again and if they even had "it" anymore. The battling community was small, especially at the top, and they could count on their hands some of the people she knew for a fact would be applying. Rosa would be a shoe in, and surely Mox would enter as well.

Would N show up?

They shoved that thought right back down.

***

The cursor on their computer screen blinked endlessly as they stared at the filled-out application. It was finished, all they had to do was submit it. Rosa said that one day after she submitted hers, she heard back from the director, so they were expecting to wait out the rest of the day in suspense, just to see if they had to battle again.

Their rotom phone buzzed and they glanced at the screen.

Mox: took a couple days but im in

Jon Moxley was the current champion of the Sinnoh region, and the greatest fighting type gym leader they had ever battled. Over the past few years, he and his wife have battled for the top spot, and he currently sits there. Never one to shy away from a battle, he defends his championship all over the world, not just in Sinnoh.

They were surprised at the notification, “He never texts that fast…” They thought nothing else of it and bit the bullet, sending in the application with the click of a button.

They shoved their chair back and pulled their knees up quick, their dark eyes glued to the screen.

A little blue line turned in a circle until it looped into a checkmark. It was done. They couldn’t take it back.

They bit their nails and heard a small mew coming from behind them.

Aurora, their Espeon, and very first pokemon, was behind them on the shelf, carefully avoiding every single picture frame and knick knack. She cocked her head to the side and gently licked their cheek.

“I need to relax, huh?”

Aurora mewed in delight.

Their rotom phone buzzed again. And again. And again.

An unknown number was calling them, and usually, they wouldn’t pick up for anything, but this was different. They felt like they had to pick it up.

“Hello?”

“Am I speaking to Ringleader Melody?” A soft, elegant voice was on the other side.

They couldn’t help the breathy laugh that escaped their throat, “Yes, that’s me. I’m sorry, no one’s called me that in years.”

He laughed as well, “Not to worry, dear. We just received your application for the tournament, and if you’re still interested, we’d love to have you.” His cadence held distinction and heft. The director of the tournament (they had already forgotten his name) was the person on the other side.

“What? Just like that?”

“Yes. You are the perfect candidate.” He said, “You will give us some of the most incredible battles we’ll see, I’m sure of it. That is, if you want to.”

This was really their last chance to back out.

Vincent was right. The pros outweighed the cons. Even as the most emotional person they knew, they couldn’t deny that sound logic. And Aurora was right too; they just needed to relax.

“I’m in.”

***

"Do you see this?" They scoffed, "Stupid N Harmonica gets to be in the tournament. And he's on my side." If they were standing, they might consider stomping their foot, but for now, just pouting their lips will have to do. They scoffed again, "He was barely a champion!"

Vincent was on his computer and had the bracket pulled up on the screen, "He's on the opposite end, though." He pointed at the spot, "He could lose before he got to you."

"If he has Reshiram with him again, I'm literally gonna kill him myself." They groaned. As they flicked through the channels, all everyone could talk about was the bracket. Every news station was covering it, as well as several daytime programs.

"There’s no way. Besides, then you could ask Zekrom to help you in that case, right?" Vincent laughed.

“No, he’s an old man he’s busy.” Melody laughed, “He loves the pasture life.”

He shrugged, “But still, I wouldn't put it past him. From what you told me, it seems like he, uh...how do I put this gently?"

"He takes after his dad." Melody rolled their eyes, "an egotistical asshole with a savior complex." The words rolled out of their mouth without much thought behind them.

"Wow, okay I said gently, you heard me say that, right?"

They sighed, "Yeah. Unfortunately, no one knows those two like I do."

For a split second, they were transported back to that moment at the castle, where N revealed his true self and Reshiram to them. He was a pawn in Ghetis's game, yes, but that didn't excuse the things he did as Team Plasma's leader. They weren't sure if they could ever trust him or believe he had good intentions. Even after he apologized to them. They needed time.

"I think...I think I was wrong." He sighed, "I'm sorry, Mels."

"Yeah, no shit." They crossed their arms, feeling a new level of confidence with Zekrom standing behind them, the legendary energy radiating off the pokemon, like an aura, "You claim to be for the liberation of pokemon, yet you used Reshiram for your own gain. Pokemon and humans can live in harmony. They do now! Right here. You just can't, and refuse to see it. And another thing! I won't condone what you did to Alder."

He looked at them, and they felt the regret in his eyes hit them like a ton of bricks. He really looked sorry.

"That was out of line."

"He's the rightful champion." They spoke.

"Yes…" He looked off into the distance, towards the forest and mountains, "I still have much to learn it seems."

They turned to Zekrom and looked into his striking, hypnotic red eyes. A shiver went down their spine. He was their responsibility now.

“We all do…” They paused, "Get out." They met N’s eyes, "If you leave now, they won't find you. They'll get your dad. I'm making sure of that."

"But--"

"Go, nimrod."

They were the reason he got away. They let him go. And never knew why.

They shook their head, back to reality, and away from the hard memories, "Okay, enough of this, are they gonna talk about me?"

--but everyone is talking about the surprise entrants. People we never thought we'd see battling again on the big stage. And there's no stage bigger in the whole world than Wyndon Stadium, right behind me.

"You’re watching the news right now?" Rusty asked. He had the pop-up in the corner of his screen, mostly listening to the audio.

"Yeah."

Ringleader Melody, the longest reigning champion in Unovan history, is making a big return. Probably one of the most surprising champions to enter. I never thought we'd see them battle again!

The screen showed pictures of them becoming champion and a few clips of their most famous battles. It brought back some sweet memories.

They've been in the news in recent years for saving the Galar Gym Challenge from destruction. Although they no longer battle professionally, they spend their time traveling the world to research and rescue pokemon.

"Research and rescue, huh?" Vincent giggled, looking to the side at Longboi lounging in the big bathtub, relaxed and content with a hot towel on his forehead, "Spot on."

And another throwback for those of you who loved the original battle series from the Kanto region. Conservationist Bryan is our last entrant. This really is something special.

The screen showed a man with wavy hair and a huge beard, beaming at the camera. He was wearing what looked like exploration gear and a well-worn pith helmet.

"Conservationist Bryan?" They squinted at the screen, "I've never seen this man before in my life."

"I think my dad got a picture with him, actually!" Vincent said, "He has his autograph."

A gasp escaped their throat, "No, wait! I have seen him!"

Memories of their visit to the Kanto region flooded into her mind. They visited all the gyms and even went to the battle museum. The gym challenge system that most of the regions adopted started out in Kanto, and those walls told its history. At the end, was the Hall of Champions. There were framed pictures of every Kanto champion since the beginning, and they was blown away by how far back these photos went. Some were even portraits, painted before cameras were invented. But there was one picture they remembered clearly, and it was of their longest reigning champion: Bryan. His record was exactly one day longer than their.

He has changed his passion to teaching, and he now owns a school where he trains young people who want to battle, teaching them the basics and giving them that little extra support they need.

"Damn, okay. I didn't know he had a school. In Kanto?"

"I assume so?" Melody shrugged, "He kinda looks like he lives in the Viridian Forest."

He cackled, "He's on the other side. You probably won't get to battle him."

"Unless we both make it." They hummed.

Deep down inside, she knew that there was no other outcome. The final battle was going to be them and Bryan.

***

No other stadium in the world was as big as Wyndon Stadium. It had to be; to be able to handle the Dynamax phenomenon that was a common battle tactic in the region, and its incredible size was almost a tourist attraction in itself. Melody watched it rise over the horizon as they biked towards it. It was almost easier to hear the people surrounding the stadium because of the wall of sound they were making. Thousands of fans surrounded the entrance and the front plaza, waiting to get in, and possibly see one of their favorite trainers.

Somehow, they were going to have to get through that crowd.

"Melody! Melody, over here!"

They looked in the direction of the familiar voice calling their name.

"Professor Juniper?"

She waved excitedly and rushed over to Melody, engulfing them in her arms and squeezing as tight as she possibly could, "It's so good to see you, dear!"

They breathed a sigh of relief. At least with Professor Juniper in the crowd, it felt like they had someone in their corner.

"It's so good to see you!" They squeezed back, "What are you doing here?"

"I couldn't miss my babies in action!" She smiled, "Unova is being represented perfectly with you and Rosa!"

They knew Thunder Rosa like the back of their hand. The only problem was that she knew Melody, too. Their battles were always close, sometimes too close to call, and always exciting. If they ended up fighting each other before getting to the final, it would be a tough battle to win.

"Lots of Unovans in this one…" They trailed off.

Being around Professor Juniper again led their mind to N, and they got quiet; small, and let out a big sigh.

"Hey, you're gonna be just fine." She placed her hand on the top of their head, just like she did when they were a kid, "Okay?" She smiled.

"Yeah, okay." They took a deep breath, "You're right."

"I usually am." She chuckled, "Do your best. Don't worry about anything else. And call me if you need anything, okay? You or Rosa."

Juniper cared a lot, and she wore her heart on her sleeve. It was one of the reasons Melody loved her so much; she had a big heart like they did.

They smiled, "I will, I promise."

***

"Melody, right?" The man at the front desk of Wyndon Stadium smiled upon seeing them approach.

"Yeah, that's me."

"Here's your packet; it has all your passes and things you'll need to get around, your hotel key, and all the paperwork." He handed her a folder and turned to the computer, "Do you want a reprint of your league card? While you're here?"

They shrugged, "Sure. Why not? I'll actually take a few."

The printer buzzed and whirred, and he handed them a small stack of cards, “We’re also giving out complimentary Poke Patches! Would you like some for your team?”

“What? What is a Poke Patch?”

“Innovating new technology that allows your pokemon to unlock their true potential! It maximizes their strengths and has the added benefit of relaxing them further when they’re already relaxed, giving your team the rest that they deserve!”

Melody chuckled, “Is that a script? No, I don’t need that, thanks.”

“It’s complimentary!”

“So is the internet, and it’s never good. But you know what? Because you did such a good job reciting all that,” She chuckled again, “I’ll take one.” They took one from the grinning receptionist and went on their way.

The signs on the wall pointed to the room where they were holding the champions. That was a disaster waiting to happen. There was no doubt that it would get messy with everyone in one room.

They bumped into someone, "Oof, sorry about that! I wasn't watching…" They trailed off.

"Melody."

"N."

They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. It had been years since they saw him, and in their time apart, he had grown up. He still had long, green hair; they were sure that that wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, but the rest of his features had matured. He was starting to look less and less like his father. They had never seen pictures of his mother or even knew if she was still alive, but assumed that he took on more of her features as he grew up.

"You look…" He cleared his throat, "It's been a while."

"Yeah…" They gulped, "I didn't think you were going to be here." A lie. But with the number of times that he had lied to them, or omitted the truth, they didn't think it was a big deal.

"Me neither." He fidgeted with his hands, "Last-minute entry."

"Right. Okay...just…" They sighed, heavy in their chest, "Just stay away from me."

The memories attached to him were tough to revisit. Although it was certainly the most exciting their life had been, it wasn't the best experience. These feelings that they tried so hard to push away, were just coming back stronger.

"You haven't changed a bit." He had a soft smile, almost affectionate, and it made them want to kick his head in.

"You don't know me." They growled, stepping closer to him in their rage, "You never knew me."

He just kept looking at them, that kind smile of his never faltering once. They couldn't decipher if it was honest, or if their previous memories were tainting any kind gesture from him, but either way, they knew they had to destroy him in the tournament.

"I missed you."

Their stomach flipped and their heart started racing again. They shoved those feelings down a long time ago, and seeing him again brought them all back up. They would have loved to have heard that from him back then, but now it just hurt to hear.

"I...I gotta go." They walked past him, keeping their eyes on the ground, clutching their bag tighter as they tried to get as far away from him as possible.

Melody hated the conflicting feelings in their chest. The rage they felt upon seeing him had never been as strong, and yet, his handsome smile had their heart trying to beat out of their ribcage; harder than ever before. Even after everything they had been through with him, and how badly they wanted to reject any chance of fixing the relationship between them, their heart ached at the sight of him. It was all too much. The tournament was a bad idea. Their gut instincts were right, and they never should have entered. Even if they won, the prize wouldn't be worth the shit they were going through.

Before they knew the truth, their crush on him was innocent and sweet. After they found out who he truly was, the feelings never went away, they just felt guilty for having them. So, they pushed them down and away. But no amount of repression could get them out of this situation. They were here, and they would have to lie in the bed they made for themself.

Sounds of people arguing started to get louder, and it was coming from the champion’s waiting room. Which was probably where N was leaving from.

They walked in and heard Rosa before seeing her, and her impassioned voice was louder than everyone else’s.

“So, they can just be a team and force the people who face them to do double battles?”

“It shouldn’t be a problem for you, Miss Unova,” The trainer shot back at her with a smirk, “Didn’t you invent those or something? And me and my brother somehow battle better than anyone from your region, why’s that?” He was quick to find Rosa’s buttons and managed to push each and every one with his comments.

“They earned their place in this tournament, just as the rest of you all, with their talent and skill.” The director of the tournament spoke up from the front of the room, “Each participant in this tournament brings something unique, or this would just be your everyday tournament. No, this is special.”

“Special means anything goes then, huh?” Mox asked, crossing his arms, a scowl on his face. He was hard to read, even as someone who knew him (sort of), but he was not approving of this development.

“Yes, and-” He caught their eye and clapped his hands together, “Ah, perfect. Ringleader Melody is here, so we can begin.”

They walked over and stood next to Rosa, “Hey.” They gave her a quick hug.

“Hey.” She whispered, “Did you hear any of that? Nevermind, I’ll fill you in after.”

“Welcome, everyone. My name is William Regal and I am the director of this grand tournament. I wanted to bring you all here because you are the best of the best, the greatest trainers in the entire world. This will be a true test of your strength as trainers, and as people, and I hope that you can spend this time getting along before the introduction ceremony later.”

“Good luck with the getting along part.” The trainer from earlier huffed. He tried, and failed to keep his voice quiet.

Mister Regal glared at him until someone spoke up from the back.

“That’s rich coming from someone who’s Rocket.” A monotone voice came from someone in all denim with sunglasses covering his eyes, sitting with his feet up.

The trainers gasped and started muttering to themselves.

Melody was in complete shock.

“Hey, that’s a serious accusation.” The girl standing next to him said, “You really think they’re Team Rocket?”

He pointed at them and uttered one word, “Jacket.”

Sure enough, on the back of the trainer’s jacket, was a graffiti sprayed R. His brother’s was way less subtle: a bright red R on the front.

“And yet we’re still going to crush you in the tournament.” He didn't care about being found out.

“Let’s do the jingle, Matt." His brother smiled.

“Right, Nick.” Matt struck a pose, “Prepare for trouble!”

“And make it double!” Nick winked.

“I swear to Arceus…” Melody rolled their eyes, “Skip the speech, we all know it! Besides, Team Rocket isn’t even a real threat anymore.”

Matt gasped, “You take that back!”

“Why should I? It’s true!” Melody laughed.

"Hey, they’re right! I should know, I took care of Giovanni a long time ago.” Another voice popped up, and he laughed at the antics of the brothers.

Melody looked in his direction and met the eyes of Conservationist Bryan. He looked completely different from the photo they used on the news. His hair was tied up in a neat bun; he still had a beard, but it was shorter and better trimmed.

He smiled at them and they felt their heart skip a beat. His smile was breathtaking, and contagious. They couldn’t help the easy smile that curled their lips.

“You’re just jealous that we’re still employed.” Matt turned his nose up at them and looked away, crossing his arms like a petulant child.

"No, I'm upset that we have to compete with criminals who want to take our pokemon!" Rosa snarled, glancing to the entrance where N had slipped back inside the room, "Like him!" She turned to Melody, "You should back me up on this!"

"Uh…" They were stuck in place, unable to speak, but someone else spoke up for them.

“Everybody just shut the fuck up!” Mox yelled, effectively silencing everyone in the room.

“Thank you, Jonathan.” Mister Regal continued, “This is supposed to be a challenge. One you all should rise to! Now, anything goes in these battles. Don’t be afraid to use your special abilities! Some people may not be able to use Z moves like Miss Statlander, or mega evolve like Mister Moxley, but that’s what makes this exciting! I hope you battle to the best of your ability, and most importantly, have fun!”

The champions looked at each other hesitantly. Rosa was still furious and emotions were running high in everyone else. There was tension in the air, only bringing a smile to Mister Regal's face.

"If this is the first time you all are together, I can't imagine what the battles will be like!" He chuckled, "This is perfect!"

***

"Aw, who's a good baby?" Melody scratched behind their Espeon's ears, and she started purring, "Yeah, you are, Aurora." They pulled out a few berries and held them up to her mouth.

Aurora happily munched away while purring, her forked tail swishing from side to side.

They were supposed to be training for the tournament, but Melody got distracted and just started to play with their pokemon. There would be time for training later. Their team was a well oiled machine, and they could jump back into their winning ways at any time.

The tournament was stressing them out. More specifically, the thought of possibly having to face N in order to get to the finals. Their team was very good, but N could get in their head and make them lose before they even got on the field.

Aurora nudged her head into Melody's neck to get their attention, tilting her head to the side when she caught their eye.

"Yeah, I know." Melody sighed, "I'm just second guessing myself." They looked around at their pokemon, rolling around and playing together, and smiled, "We got this." They rubbed the top of her head, "I love you, sweetie."

"She's beautiful." Bryan's unmistakable voice came from behind them.

"Bryan!" They turned their head and smiled, "What a meeting, huh?”

“It’s going to be a great tournament, if that’s the competition.” He chuckled, “All the bickering was pretty funny, too.”

“Typical champ behavior.” They chuckled with him.

"Speaking of," He grinned, "You were champ for a really long time, huh?" He had a playful smirk on his face.

"Almost as long as you." They reciprocated his smirk, "But I think if I was the champ for one more day, I would have lost my marbles."

A pleasantly surprised look crossed his face and his smirk softened to a sweet smile, "You and me both. It's...a lot. Maybe too much."

"Yeah, that's exactly how I felt!" They shook their head, "I was really getting tired of all the corporate shit they started making me do."

"That was before my time." He sighed, "Sorry, that sounds pretty awful."

"Brand deals and sponsorships…" A heavy sigh, "It just wasn't what I signed up for."

"I gotta say, when I heard that you ran away, I wondered if it was due to the same reason that I quit."

"Which was?"

"It wasn't right for me anymore."

"It wasn't. I wanted to learn about pokemon, not sell some stupid energy drink that I wouldn't touch with a five foot pole." They chuckled.

He chuckled, "I like you, Melody. I hope we run into each other during the tournament. I'd love to battle your team."

They blushed, "O-Oh, yeah. Definitely." They got her confidence back and smirked, "Maybe I'll see you at the end.”

“Oh!” A smirk curled his lips, “Yeah…maybe.” His eyes were so striking, they found it hard to look away.

“So!” They cleared their throat, “What are you doing out here?”

They were in the middle of a field, nothing but green as far as the eye can see. Green hills, green trees, and flowing, green grass.

"Same as you." He grinned, "Can't stand training in those stuffy buildings." He had a pokeball in his hand and was rubbing his thumb over it absentmindedly. Whoever was in there, was someone really special, they could tell.

He looked around slowly, taking in the nature surrounding them, "Have you been in Galar long?"

"I moved here after I quit being the champ." They grinned, "Took a vacation in Alola first, of course, but then I settled down here to do my research."

He perked up at that, "Research? That sounds exciting! What exactly are you researching?"

"It seems silly," They smiled, "But I want to know everything there is to know about pokemon. I love them, and I love learning about them and spending time with them. It's how I became such a good trainer."

"Not to brag or anything." He smirked.

"No, of course not!" They giggled, rubbing Aurora's head, "The more I know about the pokemon I'm working with, the easier it is to become friends with them." They looked up at him, "Kinda like with people."

“I bet you can learn a lot about a person by which pokemon they have.” Bryan nodded, looking at his pokeball, “Wanna take a guess?”

They narrowed her eyebrows and a million thoughts raced through her head at once. After a few seconds of silence, she asked, “Your ace?”

“Who is?”

“An educated guess.” They laughed, “Venusaur?”

He grinned and let his pokemon out.

“This is Barry.” He rubbed the top of his Venusaur’s head, “He’s been my best friend since I was ten years old.”

Barry was massive. The Bulbasaur line had a tendency to be large, especially after evolving into Venusaur, but this particular pokemon was the largest of its kind that she’d ever seen. The tree sprouting from its body had twice the number of petals that it normally would have, and the trunk was just as solid as he was.

“Wow, he’s incredible.” They looked at Bryan, completely in awe, “Can I pet him?”

“Of course! He loves pets.”

Aurora hopped up on their shoulder and sniffed the other pokemon, as they gently rubbed his bumpy head.

“Aw, he’s so cute. Hi, Barry!” They cooed, gazing into Barry’s big, slow-blinking eyes, “Yeah, hi buddy.” They giggled, “Aurora likes him too!”

Barry hummed happily, like a revving motor, his eyes closed as he continued to hum to his new friends.

"Aw, he really likes you." Bryan was smiling from ear to ear.

"He's incredible." They chuckled, "There's no other word to describe him."

He hummed again, almost purring right into Melody's hand.

"He's smart too, he knows when someone's telling him how handsome he is!" Melody cooed, "Bulbasaur is one of my favorites. They grow up to be so cute!" They looked back at Bryan, "And so loyal. Venusaur is a perfect protector."

"Yeah, he's a gentle giant." Bryan chuckled, "A big softie, huh Barry?"

***

The first round of battles was going really well. Mox won the very first battle of the day, scheduled for right after the introduction ceremony, which was a perfect way to kick it all off.

Rosa's first opponent was Kris Statlander. Kris was born in the Alola region, lives there now and still holds the title of champion. Her and her partner Milotic were on the cover of a magazine not too long ago, where she was interviewed about her heroic journey to ultra space and how she defeated the Aether foundation.

The rest of the champions were seated in a special box right on the field to watch the battle unfold. They were almost front and center and could easily see everything and take notes. Mox was relaxed as ever, even after a tough battle, with his feet propped up on the seat in front of him. Melody sat next to him, with Bryan on the other side of them. Orange, who had just lost to N in his first match, was seated behind them, his sunglasses sitting perfectly on his face. He didn't mind the loss at all, he was mostly there for Kris.

"This will be fun." Melody couldn't help the grin pulling their lips, "Rosa's Emolga could be powerful enough to withstand the water attacks from Milotic. That's one powerful li'l guy. But Milotic is fast! Especially this one, and it can fly through the air quickly, too. We'll just have to see."

"You could commentate this match and do great!" Bryan grinned, "You do know a lot. Like a human pokedex."

"Aw, thank you!" Melody grinned widely, "I can remember the funniest things, y'know?"

"Yeah, and you can forget pretty much anything, too." Mox chuckled.

"Hey!" They slapped his shoulder playfully, "I at least texted you for your birthday this year! Didn't think I would remember that, huh?"

Matt and Nick were sitting behind them and rolled their eyes, pretty much at the same time.

"Can everybody just shut the fuck up?" Matt laughed in a mocking tone, "we're trying to watch the battle."

"Nothing even happened yet, relax." Melody sighed, "besides," They turned around to face them, "Mox is gonna destroy you guys later."

"As if." Nick spat.

"Just you wait, Mister Brawler." Matt smirked, "We'll show you how it's done. We are the best, after all."

"You are annoying, actually." Orange spoke up.

"Eep!" Nick squealed, "I thought you were asleep!"

"I was."

Our last opening round battle is about to begin. Thunder Rosa versus Extraterrestrial Kris!

The buzzer sounded off and the battle began!

It was all about speed with these two, sending out their two fastest pokemon first. Rosa with Jolteon and Kris with Lycanroc. They were scratching and clawing at each other, both trainers sending out commands to find the best counter attack.

As the battle raged on, Melody was taking furious notes. If they were going to face either of them, they needed to be prepared for whatever kind of special moves or abilities they were using.

Bryan looked over their shoulder and glanced at the notebook. It was well-worn, with sticky notes sticking out from every page, and a scribbled shorthand code that he had never seen before. Surely, something they came up with, he thought to himself. He liked that they were so dedicated to learning more. He felt like he was in similar company, while he took visual notes and they took written ones.

Each trainer was down to their last pokemon, and both had saved their aces for last. It truly was incredible, trying to watch both pokemon. They were so fast, that everything was a blur; just bolts of lighting and blasts of water were visible at one point. The crowd was on the edge of their seats, screaming for their favorite trainer as loud as possible.

After a particularly strong thunder blast from Emolga, Kris's Milotic fainted.

She rushed over to the beautiful pokemon and gently cradled its head, "You were amazing, Milotic, I'm so proud of you!" Kris tapped the front of the pokeball to its forehead and Milotic went inside the pokeball.

The crowd erupted with cheers as her friends and family rushed the field to embrace her. The rest of the champions stood up to applaud and went over to congratulate them both on a great battle.

Melody leapt out of their seat with a cheer, "That was amazing!" They were applauding as they ran onto the field to hug their friend, "You killed it, that was awesome! What a thunder blast! Your little baby is so strong!"

"Isn't he?" Rosa was the happiest they had seen her since getting here, "Thank you."

They raised her hand in the air to let her get more adulation from the crowd. Rosa deserved it after such an amazing win.

"Congratulations!" Kris shook Rosa's hand and hugged her, "That was so much fun! You have such a fast, aggressive battle style, just like me!"

"Yeah, that was so fun! We need to battle again soon!"

There were a lot of people on the field and Rosa's bag wasn't by her side. Emolga's pokeball wasn't in her hand. She felt a little bit of panic, went to grab her bag and looked inside, and let out a blood curdling scream.

"Where is he?!"

"Woah, Rosa what happened?" Melody went up to her and looked over her shoulder. There were five pokeballs inside her bag.

"He's gone!" Rosa looked like she was about to cry.

"No, it's okay we'll find him!" Melody looked around, "Everyone look around for a pokeball!" They shouted, "Rosa needs to find it!" They looked back at their friend, "We'll tell Mister Regal and he can do something about it. I bet he can help us find him!"

Rosa was distraught, frozen in place, with tears stinging the corners of her eyes, "My little baby…" She felt anger bubble up in her like a boiling pot, "I'm gonna find who took him!" She looked over at Matt and Nick and glared, "It was you, wasn't it? You stole my Emolga to spite me!"

Matt scoffed, "Us? We're not on duty right now, we didn't steal your pokemon."

"Yeah." Nick said, "We didn't. Honest."

"Why should I believe you?!" Rosa stormed off and didn't look back.

The crowd had no idea what was going on, completely clueless to the turmoil that Rosa was going through.

"Well." Mox broke the awkward silence surrounding the champions, "Did you do it?"

"We didn't!"

"I said no!" Matt huffed, "I don't want her stupid Emolga, I have my own pokemon."

"If you did." Mox walked up to him, grabbed him by the collar of his flashy, button up shirt, and stared at him, "I'll beat it out of you later." He let go of his shirt and put the man back on the ground, "You too."

***

Melody was in her hotel room with Mox, Bryan, and Rosa. They had just ordered a pizza and some wings to try and make Rosa feel a little better. Spending time with friends, new and old, would probably help a little bit as well.

"This is just so weird. I'm sorry." Melody sighed.

"The pizza?" Mox shrugged, "I like it. Not the best, but it's good."

"No, I mean…" They looked at Rosa, "I don't want to make you upset…"

"No, you're right. It is weird." She scrunched her nose, "I put him in the ball right after the battle ended, and I thought I put it in my bag." She paused, "Yeah, that's exactly what happened."

"So, someone took it out of the bag." Melody said.

"It's the only other option!"

"All of us were on the field at the same time." Bryan hummed, "So it could be any one of us."

Melody chuckled, "Including yourself in that? And all of us?"

"Who's to say, right?" Bryan sighed, "We have to be able to trust each other."

Melody went to their satchel and dumped it out on the bed they weren't sitting on, "This is everything I have with me." Their six pokeballs, their journal and pen, their pikachu wallet, and a few league cards were scattered on the bedspread.

"I know it wasn't you, Mels." Rosa shook her head.

"But Bryan is right. We have to be honest with each other. Something weird is going on here, and we have to stick together." They said, "No more pokemon are going to be lost, if I have anything to say about it."

Bryan smiled. He was blown away by the way Melody handled the situation, taking it seriously and wanting to be upfront with all of them. They really were doing their best to take care of Rosa.

"Hey, you know what I just thought of?" Melody pulled their phone out, "I'm gonna text Professor Juniper! She'll know what to do."

Before they knew it, their little break was over and it was time to get back to the rest of the tournament.

"I have put the best people on the job." Mister Regal addressed the champions gathered together once again before the next round of battles, "And we will find your missing pokemon, Miss Rosa."

"Thank you." She sighed, "I can't battle without him. I need a full team or I'll be disqualified!'

"Not to worry. We'll do the other battles first, and save yours for last."

"You can borrow one of my pokemon." Melody offered, "They know you pretty well, and Folgers loves you."

"I'm afraid that's against the rules, dear." He shook his head, "The pokemon must belong to the trainer." He looked at his phone and put it back in his pocket, “We’ll start with Moxley and the Bucks, hm? Should be fun!” He waved and left the room.

The champions were seated back in their special area, while Mox and the Bucks made their entrances.

“Melody!” Professor Juniper slipped between the people standing in the front row and tried to get their attention, “Rosa! Over here!”

They both got up and went to the stands.

“Professor!” Rosa gave her a quick hug, separated by the barricade, “Any news?”

She shook her head, “But I’ve been finding these everywhere.” She held out her hand and showed the two trainers a bunch of wrappers for the poke patches.

“I got some of those at the beginning of the tournament!” Rosa said, “It’s called a poke patch. It’s supposed to help relax your pokemon. I gave one to each member of my team.” She sighed, “It really helped relax Emolga’s nerves before the battle…I really miss him.”

Juniper gave her another hug, “I know, sweetie, we’ll find him soon! To be honest, I’ve never even heard of these things.”

“They were complimentary.” Melody said, “What do you think of them, Professor?”

She paused for a moment, reading the back of the packaging, “I don’t know. I’d be careful with these.” She furrowed her brow staring at the wrapper and scoffed, “I was just furious that there was so much garbage on the ground! It’s very easy to use the garbage can.” She sighed and shoved the wrappers in her pocket, “I’ll toss these later. Oh, the battle is about to begin.” She gently patted Rosa’s head, “It’s going to be alright, dear, I promise!”

“Okay, “She nodded, “As long as you promise.”

Juniper chuckled at that, “Of course, I do! And I always keep my promises. Just like how I promised to help you find Emolga. He’ll be snuggling with you again in no time!”

“Thank you, Professor.” Melody smiled.

“Yeah, you always know what to say.” Rosa was still distraught, but was inspired by Juniper’s attitude, like a ray of sunshine, and for the first time since her Emolga was lost, she actually had hope of finding him.

They sat back down just as the buzzer rang through the stadium.

Matt and Nick sent out a pokemon each, Swampert and Sceptile, and it was time for Mox to send out two pokemon of his own. Mox was used to double battles; he and his wife battled together countless times, so this was going to be a walk in the park. He didn’t take either of them seriously for a second, but he had his suspicions of them when Rosa’s Emolga went missing.

“Orange said they were Team Rocket. How did they even get in this tournament?” Rosa hummed, “Isn’t there a rule against stuff like that?”

“I guess not.” Melody shrugged, “I mean, this is the first time they’ve done this tournament, so there’s bound to be some mistakes.”

She shook her head, “But this seems too big of an oversight.”

“But Mox can take care of them.” Bryan chuckled, “He seems to be doing just that.”

Matt and Nick were good. Flashy, but really good. They knew exactly what the other was thinking, making for smooth, and incredible battles. But they were no match for the brute strength and power that Mox’s pokemon possessed.

And your winner, Brawler Mox!

“Nice work, buddy.” Mox flexed his muscles and with a proud smirk, his Infernape flexed back. He put him back in the pokeball and went to his bag.

"Mox!" Melody ran out on the field again, completely forgetting about the journal on their lap, "Watch your bag!"

N saw it fall on the ground and picked it up. It was the same one they had when they first met. He recognized the stickers on the front and saw twice as many sticky notes as last time.

"Melody, wait! Your journal!" He held it up but they were already halfway across the field.

"Check your bag, Mox!" Melody stopped in front of him, "Make sure everyone is in there!"

And sure enough, there was one pokeball missing.

"I've had enough of this shit, I've had enough of you two fucks!" Mox growled, completely incensed, "I'll fight you myself!"

"What are you mad about, now? You won." Matt rolled his eyes.

"Don't bullshit me, boy." Mox went towards Matt with the intention of starting a fight, "You're gonna give me back my pokemon."

Matt smirked, "This again…fine. How about we have a battle. You and me."

"Matt, come on." Nick shook his head, "Don't…"

"And if you win, you can look through our stuff. But if I win, then you drop it." Matt pursed his lips with a curt smile, "Mmkay?"

Mox couldn’t stand his attitude and didn’t want to give him any kind of satisfaction, but he couldn’t turn down the opportunity to beat him again. If this worked out well, him and Rosa would get their pokemon back!

“Let’s do it.” Mox smirked, “It’ll be fun beating you again.”

They had the quickest three on three battle ever. Mox’s pokemon whipped through Matt’s in no time at all. It was the quickest and easiest battle of his whole career.

Matt sighed, “Finally.” He dumped out his bag and motioned for his brother to do the same thing, “See?! We don’t have your pokemon! We never did!”

There were potions, and revives, and tons of snacks in both of their bags (and now on the ground), as well as all of their own pokeballs, but there was nothing else. Rosa’s pokeballs were custom painted; hers would be easy to spot, and Mox was using the champion set that he got upon becoming champion, and the distinct blue would stick out from the sea of red.

“So, it wasn’t you…” Rosa was even more confused now, with nowhere to direct her anger.

“No kidding.” Nick said.

“I’m so sorry.” Rosa said sheepishly, “I shouldn’t have blamed you for what was just an accident.”

“That’s better!” Matt smirked and his brother immediately elbowed him in the side, “Ouch! I mean, thank you.” He said through gritted teeth

Mox was still looking inside his bag, “That doesn’t solve the missing pokemon problem.”

“We’re closer to solving it though!” Melody exclaimed, “And we’ll find them in no–”

“Sceptile!” Nick screamed, “Frantically looking through his stuff on the ground, “No, where are you?” He looked up at Melody with pleading eyes, “My Sceptile…”

“This can’t keep happening!” They stomped their foot, “How does this keep happening?!”

Mister Regal came down to the field and approached them, “Miss Rosa, have you found your pokemon?”

She was close to tears, “I thought you were about to bring him to me! I haven't seen him anywhere.”

“Then I’m very sorry, Miss Rosa, but you cannot compete in the rest of the tournament.”

“Come on!” Melody put their hands on their hips, “So Mox and Matt can have a little rematch on tournament time but Rosa and I can’t just go five on five? It’s not fair!”

“I’m sorry, but those are the rules, dear.”

“Then, can you please do something about all the missing pokemon?” Melody pleaded, “Nick just lost his, that’s three pokemon missing so far!”

“I promise, I’m doing what I can.”

***

“Can I talk to you?” N asked as Melody was getting ready for their battle.

“This is going to sound bad but, it’s not you, right?” They cautiously stepped away from him.

He shook his head, “No. I know you don’t trust me, but I promise I’m not stealing any pokemon.” He reached into his bag, “But, I–”

It’s time for the semi-final battle! Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, we had to cancel the match between Rosa and Melody, and give Melody a bye. The semi final we are about to see is N versus Melody!

There was no time for any kind of discussion.

“We can talk about it after.” Melody held their hand out, “Good luck.”

He smiled, shocked at the sudden kindness from them, “Thank you. And to you, as well.”

They stood across the field from N and knew that this was going to be their hardest battle yet, testing them in more ways than one.

N sent out his first pokemon, Zororark, just as Melody sent out their Emboar.

Folgers whined and looked back at Melody. They felt his unease just like it was their own.

“It’s okay buddy, you can do this!” Melody cheered him on, “You’re so strong!”

He was fired up upon hearing their words, and stood tall and proud.

“We can do this.”

Your winner, Ringleader Melody!

Exhaustion wanted to overtake their body. The battle was their toughest one yet, but they had to remain vigilant. They had their eyes peeled, searching the area for anything suspicious. If the pattern of previous instances was anything to go by, someone’s pokemon was about to be stolen. They decided to just wear their bag so they didn’t have to deal with this, but N’s bag was sitting on his side of the field, right next to the podium where the trainer stood.

A small figure, wearing all black and a Pikachu mask, was approaching N’s bag, sneaking towards it with an arm stretched out.

No one seemed to notice what was happening at all, so Melody sprang into action and tackled the figure, ripping the Pikachu mask off their face.

But it revealed nothing.

The black clothes collapsed into nothing, like there was a ghost inside, and an invisible force dragged N’s bag away while Melody was stunned in shock.

“What was that?”

“Melody…” N stood behind them, carefully placing his hand on their shoulder, “Are you okay?”

They stood up, “I’m sorry I let that thing get away, whatever it was.” Suddenly, they lit up, “Oh, I bet I have something like this in my journal, hold on!” They looked in their bag and didn’t see it, and felt a whole range of emotions in the span of one single second, “Wait, wh–”

“I’m sorry.” He held the journal out, absentmindedly rubbing a green sticky note, “You dropped it, and I’ve been trying to give it back to you.”

They looked at N and his eyes held that same apologetic look from the last time they saw him, before he seemingly disappeared from their life. This time was different. The animosity had lessened in intensity, and this time, they actually wanted to forgive him.

“N…” Melody held out their hand, “You’re an incredible trainer. I…I’m–”

“No, don’t.” He interrupted them, “I’m sorry. You don’t have to forgive me, and I was so desperate for that to happen, that I tried to force it.” He looked away from the journal, “I promise I didn’t read anything, and,” A deep breath, “I’m sorry for what my dad did.” Tears brimmed the lash line, and drops clung to his long eyelashes every time he blinked, “He gave me this guilt. I have to carry it with me. B-But I made the mistakes too, I–”

“N, you were under his control. How could you have known?” Melody took his hands in theirs, placing the journal gently on the ground, “We both need to be kinder to ourselves. And I want to say I’m sorry. You’re trying to be better and I wanted you to be…I wanted you to be bad so that I was justified.”

The tears started welling up in Melody’s eyes too, blurring their vision, and turning N into a wash of shapes and colors. His green hair was familiar to them, a comforting sight, and they buried their face in it as they hugged him.

“I just want us to be friends again.” They sniffed.

He was frozen in place for a second but his arms moved on their own, and he embraced them in a tight hug that he hadn’t felt in years.

“We are friends, Mels.” N smiled through the tears, “We’re connected, you and I, by the legends of Unova, and we’ll always have that.”

Bryan was watching it all from the sidelines and felt tears stinging his eyes too, but for a different reason. He was set to face Melody in the final tomorrow morning, due to Mox not having enough pokemon to compete. He wanted to face them because of their skill and passion, but was he worth it to them?

***

The crowd had left for the night and the stadium was pretty much empty. Most of the champions had left for the night, but Melody was still scouring the field for any pokeballs or clues to the missing pokemon. They had been crawling on their hands on knees, looking under every bench, every table, and every tent set up on the side of the field.

“I just don’t know.” Melody said out loud. They looked through their journal, poring over the pages to try and find a solution. They ended up on the page that had their notes on Kecleon, annotated with a green sticky note, “The Chameleon pokemon, hard to trace…very hard to trace…” They read their notes to themself.

“Hey.”

“Bryan!” Melody was startled but relaxed immediately when they laid eyes on him, “Hey.”

He got closer to them and held his hand out, “Any luck?”

They took his hand and stood up, “No. I just feel so bad. Rosa and Mox both couldn’t finish because of this. It’s not fair.”

“And Mox is really broken up about it, I know he won’t show it, but he’s devastated.” Bryan shook his head, “You’re right. It isn’t fair.”

“And I’m just worried. We’re next, right? They're going to try to steal our pokemon.” Melody clutched their bag, “I can’t lose my babies.”

Bryan’s eyes lit up, “Wait! I have an idea.” He took one of his pokeballs out and held it tightly, “If we sleep with one pokeball in our hands, then at least we’ll have someone to fight with tomorrow.”

“We won’t be able to battle if we don’t have a full team. You heard Mister Regal.”

“Yeah, but would he have everyone show up for a tournament final, and then not give them anything?” Bryan was very practical, like Mister Regal, and he was sure that there was going to be some sort of battle tomorrow.

Melody pondered the thought. They were undoubtedly the next targets as the last remaining trainers in the tournament, and this was a way to protect themselves. Their brain wasn’t working nearly as fast as they would like, so Bryan’s plan would have to do.

“Yeah, okay.” They nodded, “Meet me outside the hotel tomorrow morning if something goes wrong, okay?” They walked out of the stadium and into the chilly, night air.

He nodded, “Right. We can go from there.” He swallowed the lump in his throat, “Um, I-I thought maybe we could grab some dinner? If you don’t already have plans.” Bryan was usually never sheepish and he didn’t like the way it made him look.

Melody thought he was so sweet and charming at that moment, “I don’t have any plans. We can go to the cafe right by the stadium. I know the guy there and he might give us a discount if I kick his ass in a battle first!”

“And maybe, it could be just us?”

“Oh, that's what I thought we were doing!” Melody was never this forward, but this tournament was about taking chances, and they were feeling brave after their win against N, like they could do anything.

“Like a date! Right?”

He started to blush, his cheeks, the hue of his Venusaur’s petals, “Right. I–”

“Let’s go!” Melody reached into her bag and pulled out a pokeball, sending out her Luxray, Bluey, “Come on, we can ride him to the cafe so it doesn’t take so long. I’m hungry!” They climbed up on his back, “I want to take him out for a walk before the battle later.” They scratched behind his round ears.

“Our battle later.” Bryan reminded them.

“That’s right.” They chuckled, “Hey, just like I said, remember?” They held out his hand, “Climb on, Bryan.”

He grinned and took their hand, and they hauled him up on Bluey’s back. His fur was really soft, and not as static-y as he thought it would be.

They whistled loudly, “Let’s go, Bluey!”

The cafe was full of people, but Melody and Bryan slipped through the crowd unnoticed, which was a blessing. It was warm and cozy inside, and Bryan felt right at home among all the art of grass type pokemon that surrounded their section of the cafe.

“I need something to calm me down, like some lemonade.” Melody scanned the menu, “What are you going to have?”

“This latte comes with ditto foam, look.” He leaned in close to them and pointed to their menu.

“Aw, that’s adorable!” They felt their cheeks flushing. He was so close to them, that they could smell the woody cologne he was wearing. It was a hypnotic scent that reminded them of the forest by their home here in Galar.

He cleared his throat and sat down, “I-I think I’m going to get a coffee. Maybe one of those ditto lattes.”

Their face lit up and he decided that he was going to dedicate his life to getting them to smile like that again.

When the food got there, is when Bryan brought up his concern.

“So…Can I ask you something?”

“Sure!”

“What happened with you and uh…the green-haired guy? Sorry, I forgot his name.”

They chuckled, “His name is Natural, actually, but we all just call him N.” They felt like they had common ground with Bryan. Shared experiences that no one else could really relate to. The way the world almost ended when they were 18, and how they had to stop it from ending left a mark on them that wasn’t going away. It made it easier to recall the story of their first gym challenge and their bond with the legendary pokemon Zekrom.

“I actually met him when I was trying to become champion for the first time. Ghetsis basically brainwashed the kid, but I didn’t know that.” Melody sighed, “I thought he was a bad guy just like Ghetsis, but he was just in a bad spot. He needed a friend.” They flashed back to their time on the ferris wheel with him, trying to learn about this new person they’d met, and becoming more and more fond of him as time went on.

“A friend like you?”

“Yeah.” They nodded, “He ran off before they arrested his fake dad…no, I let him go. I let him get away.” They paused, a realization forming in their mind, “Because he was my friend. Because I cared about him.”

Bryan thought about his own life and his own friends, and how he’d do anything for them. Of course that was understandable.

“I didn’t think I would ever see him again, but it was really nice to reconnect with an old friend.”

“That’s kind of like me and Mox, here.” Bryan smiled, “We used to be really close until I moved and we couldn’t see each other as much.” He was more than pleased to find out that their relationship was completely platonic. Hard to compete with a pokemon soulmate.

This was a breath of fresh air for them. Vincent was right, as always, and this was the perfect opportunity for them. Melody smiled, “You know what? I’m glad I did this tournament. I’m glad I met you and I’m glad I got to see my old friends. It makes me feel like I’m not alone, y’know? We’ve all seen some crazy shit that might have traumatized us as young trainers.” They chuckled, “It’s dark but–”

“But it’s true!” Bryan laughed, “Yeah, I was fourteen when I took down Giovanni…It’s nice to be around people who understand the bad side of battling, as well.”

“Fourteen?” They gasped, “You were just a kid.”

“That’s why I’m glad Unova does things a little later. You were probably a little more mature than I was.”

They laughed, “Oh, I don’t know about that! I might have been an adult, but I didn’t feel like one at all.”

“Hey, I’m glad you did this, too.” Bryan’s smile was so sweet, it just about melted their heart.

***

“No!” Melody tore apart their room, throwing the blankets and pillows all over the place, not caring where they landed. They fell asleep with one pokeball in their hand, just like Bryan said, but everyone else was gone.

This was the closest thing to a nightmare coming true. Something they couldn’t wake up from.

They knew that they had to find Bryan. They quickly grabbed their remaining things and rushed out the door.

Bryan was waiting for them in the lobby, with an equally distraught look on his face. They knew just from that, that Bryan’s pokemon had been stolen too.

“Melody!” He ran up to them and hugged them, “You were right. All my pokemon are gone.”

“Mine too.” They took out their one pokeball, “Except for Flambino.” Their little partner Scorbunny had grown quickly in their time together in Galar, and evolved into an incredible Cinderace, who, like his brothers and sisters, was quite the affectionate pokemon.

“I have Barry.” He held out his one pokeball; used and worn, but working just fine.

“Well, this will be fun. Let’s go to the stadium.” Melody nodded, “We have to talk to Mister Regal.”

Screaming and yelling was coming from the field. The crowd was already there for the final battle, but they could easily make out Rosa and Mox’s distressed voices among them.

“How could someone get into my room, and take my stuff?” Rosa shouted.

“I’m pissed man, I want my pokemon back!” Mox growled.

“Someone is going to get a strongly worded letter from Team Rocket!” Matt scowled, “No one steals my pokemon, I’m the one that steals the pokemon!”

“I just want my buddies back.” Kris sniffed, “I miss cuddling with my Milotic.” She started to cry and Orange was there right away, to catch her tears with a tissue.

“Where’s Mister Regal, we need to talk to him!” Bryan asked.

Melody saw N, looking dejected and empty, and put their hand on his shoulder, “Yours too?”

He nodded.

Will all the champions report to the field? Mister Regal’s voice resounded through the speaker system.

Melody and Bryan shared a similar look of concern.

They all ran out to the field and found Mister Regal standing on the center podium. His normally sweet, and caring smile, held something sinister. His eyes were dark and his smirk looked diabolical.

“What’s going on?” Melody shouted, “Where are all our pokemon?”

“I’m so glad you asked.” He chuckled, “You all made it so easy for me.”

They rolled their eyes, “Fucking Arceus…Enough with all the cryptic bullshit!”

“I’ve created the simplest way to farm the most incredibly trained pokemon of all time. It was easy to feed into the ego of champions! The best of the best, all gathered in one place! And now, I own all the greatest pokemon in the world!”

“They’re not yours!” Melody yelled back, “Just then, their phone started to buzz, and when they glanced at the screen and saw that it was Professor Juniper calling, they passed the baton to Bryan, “Can you distract him for me please?”

“On it.” He nodded, “Why are you even doing this?”

“Professor, now has got to be the worst time–”

“I know, I know, but I found out what those patches do!”

“What?”

“They make your pokemon more susceptible to hypnosis. About two hundred percent more susceptible.”

“Holy shit.”

“Holy shit is right.” Juniper gasped, “Oh, hey I can see you, turn around!”

They turned around and saw Juniper jumping up and down towards the middle of the stands. She was trying to push through, but the crowds were too tightly packed in, like a school of Wishiwashi. She waved excitedly. Even through all this imminent danger, Juniper was again, a ray of positivity.

They waved back, “Okay, I have to go.”

“Yeah, go! Sorry, go save the world!”

“No, thank you!” Melody nodded at her, “That was the last clue I needed.”

“--and now, with the most powerful pokemon at my side, I can rule the world! Everyone will listen to me!”

A pokemon, blended into the background, came into the foreground, and became visible. A Kecleon was perched on his shoulder.

“I knew it!” Melody gasped, “That’s what I tackled yesterday!”

“Of course, it couldn’t have been done without my partner!” He chuckled, patting the head of his pokemon, “He was the perfect candidate to sneak through your things and take your pokemon right from underneath your noses! And you would be too busy squabbling to notice before it was too late! You blamed each other just as I knew you would. It was easy, when I picked members of Team Rocket! Ideal targets, don’t you think?”

“You set us up?!” Matt was ready to swing his own fists but Nick held him back.

“All too easy.”

Melody shook their head, “You’re dealing with the wrong group of champions, pal! We’re not going down without a fight!”

“With what pokemon?” He laughed heartily, ‘You have nothing!”

“No, you’re wrong!” They said holding their pokeball behind their back, and sharing another quick look with Bryan.

They tossed their pokeball high in the air and Flambino came out in a ball of fire. At the same time, Bryan tossed Barry out in front of him and he roared loud enough to shake the walls.

“No!” Regal grimaced, “How is this possible?!”

“Kecleon won’t approach sleeping humans because their sleeping habits are similar! They know not to disturb them! So, naturally we took that into account!” Melody held the pokeball in their hands and tossed it from side to side.

“How about a battle?” Melody proposed, “You and all um, ‘your’ new pokemon, versus me and Bryan. You win, you keep them. But if we win, you give all the pokemon back, and you get out.”

“Why would I do that?”

“These people are here for a show, are they not?” Melody held their hands out and was accompanied by cheers from the crowd, “Let’s give ‘em one!”

Normally, logic propelled Mister Regal forward, but this instance, he was motivated by his emotions, and by the need for those last two pokemon. He could accomplish his goal without them, but they would pose a threat to his plan, his plan that was so close to being realized.

“Fine.” He threw all of the pokeballs in front of him, “Maybe these will look familiar to you? Kecleon, use psybeam!”

All of the champion’s pokemon like Kris’s Milotic, Orange’s Snorlax, Melody’s Espeon and Bryan’s Lapras were standing in front of them and were hit by the psybeam, causing them to be confused, and fall into the hypnosis that Kecleon was imposing.

“No, I’m not fighting my own pokemon!” Bryan leapt at Lapras.

“Now, Bryan, take off the patch!”

As Lapras tried to shake him off her neck, Bryan found the patch he placed on her shell and peeled it off. She immediately shook herself out of it, and came to, no longer thrashing her trainer around.

“There you are.” Bryan breathed a sigh of relief, “It worked!”

“Great!” Melody turned to the other champions, “We need to put aside the shit, and team up right now! In Unova, we stick together no matter what, and we’re always there for each other! We can get our pokemon back, as long as we work together!”

A chorus of cheers erupted from the champions and they sprang into action.

“Take the patches off your pokemon!” Bryan shouted, “That will save them!”

“Attack!” Regal shouted.

They went to their pokemon, careful to avoid their oncoming attacks, and one by one, were successful in taking the patches off and freeing their pokemon. Melody stayed on the attack, while Bryan went to help the others, while also freeing the rest of his pokemon. The field was chaotic, full of trainers and pokemon, and the crowd was loving every second. Perhaps they thought this was all planned.

“No!” Regal shouted, his plan falling apart in front of him.

With everyone’s teams restored, their confidence shot up. They stood together, side by side, as a team. It reminded Melody of when everything went wrong, and all the gym leaders came to support them and Rosa in their time of need.

Melody looked to either side and saw their friends standing with them. Rosa gave them a nod of approval, and N was quick to give a thumbs up. With them at their side there was nothing they couldn’t do.

Melody stepped forward, “Now, how about you just give it up? You’ve lost.”

“No! No, I haven’t!” He was boiling over with anger, too red with it to see that it was all over, and that there was nothing he could do to stop it, “Kecleon, use psybeam!”

“Not on my watch!” Melody smirked, deciding to deploy the ace up their sleeve, “Flambino! Use pyro ball, and get his ass!”

He kicked around a pebble, like he was juggling a soccer ball, and it quickly caught fire. It expanded into a huge ball of flames and Flambino kicked it towards Regal and his Kecleon.

Regal jumped out of the way and the podium lit up in a column of fire. Once the smoke settled, Kecleon was laying in a pile of ash from the burnt wood, his eyes like spirals. He had fainted.

Flambino let out a squeal of excitement and jumped into Melody’s arms.

“Oof, you’re too big for that buddy.” They groaned, setting him on the ground, “Good job. That’s my boy!” They nuzzled his nose, “My little Ronaldo.”

“You lost.” Bryan huffed, standing over Mister Regal, “I think it’s time for you to go.”

He was hauled away by the detectives, but everyone else was more concerned with reuniting with their pokemon. It was such a joyful moment. Rosa was in tears hugging her sweet Emolga close to her chest, his eyes filled with tears, as well, and Mox meticulously checked over his Infernape, making sure nothing bad had happened to him. It warmed Melody’s heart to see everyone with such deep bonds with their pokemon, just like them.

“That was fun!” Bryan chuckled.

“Fun?” Melody laughed too, unable to help themself, “That’s one word for it!”

“I’m proud of you for stepping up like that.” He smiled, “You’re a natural leader.”

They blushed, “Thank you. I couldn’t have done it without you. Without anyone. We did it together.”

“Kinda cheesy.”

“I live and breathe cheesy, Bryan” Melody giggled, “This whole thing has been cheesy, haven’t you noticed?”

“What whole thing?”

They shook their head, “Nevermind.”

“Hey, you know?” Bryan smirked, “Why don’t we have that final? We have our teams back, and there’s still people here. It could be fun.”

“Winner pays for dinner?” Melody smirked back.

“You’re on Ringleader.”

#wrestling big bang 2022 #aew fic #fic #mine #im really really proud of this i hope yall like it #wrestlebang

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