Reunited (3/3)

"Again."

A feminine voice echoed through the room. Ren was drenched with sweat as she has been training for hours now. Her young and weakened body was begging for rest but she has to transcend from this weakened state. She wiped the sweat on her forehead and tried again.

"Gengar, now's your chance."

A purple aura emanated from her body as she gradually increased her connection with her Pokemon, hoping to draw a win but deep down, it was indisputable that she had already lost.

"Greninja, Cut."

A bipedal humanoid Pokemon ran towards the Shadow Pokemon and bursted through, piercing through its ominous body. Gengar fell to the ground, interrupting the connection between her and her Pokemon, severing Battle Bond in the process. But such defeat is something she tolerated for she has yet to learn about its essence, and she was trained by the very woman that she was being overseed by.

"Karen." She muttered. A tall woman walked towards her, she had a long pastel blue and was wearing a casual-training crop top with a white yoga pants, evident that she was practicing yoga earlier on.

"I'm sorry. I'll do my best next time." She apologized. She takes out a Pokeball and points it towards Gengar, returning to his homestead to take some rest.

"No need to apologize Ren. I understand you're exhausted and you've been training for quite awhile ...."

"You should take a break. Do you want to have some lunch?" Karen offered.

"I guess so." Ren accepted her offer.

"Karen. How did you meet my father?" A curious Ren asked. She was always bothered by the fact that her father has some relationship with Karen, she doesn't know what kind of relationship but either way; she was curious nonetheless.

"On a tree." Karen leaned on to her chair as her mind began to fickle with the nostalgic experience she had when she was still a young girl.

She imagined a grassy field, filled with grass and was blooming in fresh air. In the middle of it, there was a massive tree, towering the small grasses that were brushed amongst its roots. No people nor Pokemon are in sight, just them.

"I remember your father was making a small mechanized airplane and explained to me about the laws of aerodynamics and how Beedrills cannot actually fly. It was love at first sight to be honest…"

"A Nerd, Humble, and Soft-spoken man. If it wasn't for your grandfather, I would have married him with no buts." Karen realized that she drifted off with her fantasies.

"Oh, sorry about that." Ren smirked.

It was obvious that Karen likes her father but such kindles of friendships were already burnt out as the man that onced changed their worlds, was gone. Ren, however, doesn't oppose her notion. She was more supportive as she can see Karen as her ideal mother. Young, feminine, goal-oriented, and was courageous. If anything, she would ask for her to adopt her with no buts whatsoever.

"It's okay. Do you know that we actually have Battle Bond? Did my father tell you about it?" A question barrages Karen as Ren begins to interview her.

"Well…" It was a tough decision and she was bewildered to even answer her question but she will try her best.

"Let me ask you this for a moment; For you, what is 'Battle Bond'?"

"It's an interdependent connection between a trainer and a Pokemon, and so far, only Yoake and I wields it." Ren tries to answer.

"That is not wrong. But what do you define as 'Battle' and 'Bond'?"

"You can use Battle as its dictionary form, that is correct. But for me, it is the utilization of cultivated skills of an individual to necessities. And Bond is a medium to blossom a relationship between subjects. Isn't it? Usually, combining both makes it an oxymoron but actually, it's a paradox. Not every Battle can be a medium for Bond, and so as Bonding cannot be a medium for battle. You two assert that both rely on one another but let me tell you this, as a veteran in the Pokemon scenery, Battle Bond is dogmatic and militant and it is contrasting to the tolerance of Bonding through Battles ...." Karen explained.

"Life is a never ending battle, and so, you can still bond with a Pokemon beyond the realm of belligerent Pokemon training. In fact, you use it without even knowing. From your conversation to playing games or even taking some small walks. Those are battles that you and your Pokemon train upon…"

"Remember this, you are not the master of your Pokemon, not even close to being an instructor. You are a student, just like them. You both train them and yourself for the real Battle Bond is actually happening inside of you. It is a spirit that runs on both of you, it's fragile and delicate, never ever use it to 'battle' but that of a battle in life."

"Those were the words that your father told me."

She smiled one last time as the rays of the light behind her began to emanate, nearly blinding Ren in the process as she covered her arms.

-

And so, the battle continues.

Scuffing her cuffs as she takes out a Mega stone but she was reluctant to use it. Knowing that it might hurt Gengar in the long run but what choice does she have? She was about to activate it but she could sense the aura radiating from her and a fusion of some-sort bridged her and Gengar's minds.

Battle Bond had activated without their consent.

"Gengar, Attack."

The ominous Pokemon's purple color was drained from its body and was replaced by the whiteness and bluish theme that was ever presented in Ren's caricature.

"I'm not here to hear you shout, give me a good time Ren."

Orbs formed besides Gengar and it began to revolve around him. Bit by bit, a belt of orbs were levitating around him, and he threw them one by one. Thinking that he'll get the upper hand, he slashed the air in front of him, forming a white wave, and it hurtled towards Smeargle. It, Smeargle, tried to dodge it by leaping through the air but it was unaware that Gengar vanished from the ground and was already behind it. He threw an orb at him, expecting a hit, Smearlge counter-attacked and mimicked his attack.

"What the…" Yoake muttered as he was speechless to see the battle played out. He may despise Ren all he wants but if there is one thing he admired about her, it's her battle style. She was decisive and made quick yet strong counter attacks to her enemies for easy dispatch.

The two Pokemon fell to the ground, weakened by their fight mid-air. It was close to a draw but no battle can end to such a conclusion, one must win but it was obvious who.

Gengar fell to the ground and fainted. Ren kneeled as she couldn't think that she lost, she takes out Gengar's Pokeball and returned him to his comfort; it was obvious that she has to learn more.

"Interesting, you did well, I assume Karen taught you." Lyra walked towards her and gave her her arm. Lyra saw the parallels in Ren's battle style, sensing the familiar styles from an old acquaintance, Karen.

"Yes." Ren ceded.

"There's more things to learn then. I'll be glad to see you grow alongside your brother."

Lyra comforts her as she helps the trainer get up from her kneeling. It was not mistaken that she was wearing something different compared to Yoake's perspective, for him, she was modern, for Ren, she was retroic. It was a bizarre phenomena but such answers are yet to be shown.

"Take care then." Lyra gave her farewells to the white trainer.

Ren was somewhat different, she felt the agency to train more, even better as she sees herself as weak. She knows that weakness would be an obstacle to her path, a path that many might consider significant, fixing the omens of her father, but such path was being blocked by her own kin.

Words have many meanings, some are meant not to be meant, and some have meaning for a meaning but what is important is that there must be the masters of their meanings for it needs to be cohesive to the master.

"I'll do my best, next time." Ren smiled. "Take care, you two. Also, Yoake, you owe me a battle soon."

The white trainer left with a begrudging smile but amongst her thoughts, there was something strange about the battle. It was as if Lyra had something that she might know of and luckily for her, she recorded the entire battle on a small camera from her bag. She takes out her phone and began to call a familiar name, Sabrina.

"Sabrina, I've got something important to say." Ren stated.

"Who did you fight earlier?" A panicked Sabrina picked up. It was a distress that Ren thought that was out of character. She knows that the woman she's talking to is a collected, reserved, and stoic person yet her call says otherwise.

"What's going on? What's the matter?"

"I had a sense that the person you fought with earlier has the same aura as yours. Did you activated battle bond?"

"Yes…. wait, don't tell me…"

"She was trying to repress it, wasn't she? If so, then there's…"

"More Battle Bond users…" the two synchronously asserted.

"Get back home, asap. Did you record your battle with her?"

"Yes."

"Good. I have a bad feeling about this."

'How many more of us are out there?'