Win or Lose
Cet bit into the Charmander's neck and climbed into the air passing the height where I made him drop the Squirtle in the previous match.
I stared at the Charmander fiercely, ready to warn Cet if I saw a fire forming, a telltale sign of a successful Fire Spin.
I know that it's highly likely that Charmander would hurt itself if it tried to use Fire Spin, the chance of a successful move while confused for a wildling is so low, that it is negligible. But nothing was going my way in this match.
'Just a little higher,' I thought, as I didn't want the Charmander to stand after this move. Cet will be too exhausted and battered with the recoil damage accumulating on top of his previous damage.
With his speed higher than the previous match due to using agility twice, he covered the distance quicker than before.
"Drop it and go for BraveBird," I shouted, relieved that only 5 seconds would have passed by the time Cet's attack would land on the Charmander.
Blazing with Azure fire, Cet dropped down like a meteor towards the falling Charmander, which was falling face-first into the ground.
Just as I thought I would win this match, Amanda shouted.
"Metal Claw".
The time nearly came to a halt as I watched the Charmander gain clarity and spin to face Cet with its claws raised and gaining a hint of shine, just as Cet hit him with full force, clashing with the half-formed metal claw and drove it into the ground.
The dust billowed as time came back to normal.
'Damn it! Metal Claw, so two egg moves just like me.'
'I should have won, I would have won,' I thought grimacing as I replayed Cet clashing with the Charmander's claws, before plunging into the ground in my mind.
As the dust settled, both Zubat and the Charmander were sprawled on each other knocked out, making a cute scene.
The tension left my body on seeing that Cet didn't have any serious damage done to him, making me smile relieved.
Amanda skipped towards her Charmander, with her hands behind her back.
She leaned forward to get a better look at her Charmander, giving me a generous view of her bountiful cleavage, as her dress hung loosely.
I blushed at the sight and my little soldier came to life, making me drape my bag on my front.
I recalled Cet, a small part of my brain relieved at the sign of me hitting this world's puberty and the remaining part embarrassed at the timing my little soldier made himself known.
'At least she didn't see me,' I thought happily.
I looked around to spot Madlyn giving me a disgusted look like she had just seen a hairy insect.
Not being in the mood to give her class about a boy's natural response to certain things, I turned to Amanda.
"So, Charmander and a Squirtle Huh!"
"We got them by scoring well in the exam. I can't believe you didn't have a royal, with all the attention to detail you trained your Zubat for. What the story, then?" She said, appraising me.
" Maybe, I will tell you if we become close friends in future."
Amanda leaned in close to my face and mock whispered.
"Are we not close enough now?"
I blushed and took a step back, on realizing what I did my mood took a dip.
With my parents being in total control of my previous life, I developed certain quirks. Like feeling inferior when others can elate emotions from me.
I wanted to be in control of my emotions as I was not in control of my life. I took a dark turn when I didn't like the effect my first crush had on me.
So, I self-hypnotized myself. Highlighting her small defects, making some up. I eliminated my crush. It took time, but I succeeded.
My first success emboldened me, making me adopt a detached view of others.
I didn't like it when someone could make me self-conscious, or angry, and I didn't like having someone who could sway my decisions.
I always thrashed around to have some amount of control of my life.
I was like this from a very young age, and I became totally detached from the world at the age of 13, with emotions muted.
Years of self-suggestion do this to people.
I started reading novels and fan fiction when I was 15.
Reading offered me a new perspective on my life and made me realise that my previous behaviour was unhealthy.
Reading poked my muted emotions, making me experience them again, however small.
I was making progress on becoming normal again.
It made me vie for my freedom and just when one of my bids to escape my parents failed, I came upon this world.
Giving me a fresh chance, to come out of my shell.
On knowing this was the Pokemon world something in my previous psyche fell away, making me able to appreciate the world more.
Spending time with Cet, Gengar and Joy helped a lot, the days with them healed me.
But old habits die hard.
Amanda defeated me, making me feel sad. She made me grateful for the chance to win a meal package. She made me self-conscious due to her beauty and made me take a physical step back.
Some remnants of my previous psyche rebelled for a second, bringing my mood down, and making me consider running away, consequences be damned.
I forcefully calmed myself and asked.
"Can you tell me what's up with your Charmander's Fire-type moves?"
A nice distraction for my mind and it worked.
"A held item," she said laughing mischievously on seeing my shocked state, not noticing my earlier mood dip.
"But..but they are very rare and not allowed to be used in a gym or league match," I asked and looked her over, re-evaluating.
The held items and evolution stones are rare and very pricey in any market.
With numerous wild Elites keeping an eye on such resource locations and rogue Apex's roaming around, the extraction of such resources is always unpredictable.
The league controls most of the extracted resources, rarely granting permission to private expeditions.
The league provides trainers with evolution stones and other materials required for evolution when they meet certain requirements.
If you want to buy them from somewhere other than League, then you better be super rich and even then, you will feel the sting after your purchase.
The same case for held items that boost moves, only naturally formed items can boost attacks to the level the Charmander displayed.
Artificially made held items are cheaper, but they don't give the same results.
The held items only show their worth if used by high-level Pokemon.
A 10% increase in fire-type move is negligible when used by a wildling when compared to what an elite can do with it.
Her Charmander using a held item is like using rocket fuel to ignite leaves for a bonfire.
"I really wanted to know about the Ducklett and maybe I will let you know how I got the held item if become friends in future," Amanda said winking.
Her gear is of better quality than mine, but still not better than league-issued gear for its top trainers. I don't know how she got her hands on the held item and where her confidence comes from to use it in a match with a stranger.
Wealth without power always brings trouble.
Shaking my head, I held out my hand.
Amanda smiled and handed me a luxury meal package, making me swallow on seeing it.
As our match was a one vs. one where one side used a held item and still the result being a draw, I am the winner by technicality.
And the money I get from this match will be less than what I got from Madlyn.
But the official records will still show a draw.
"There is dragon meat in the package, you better save it for a special occasion," Amanda said.
I nodded gratefully, looking at her with stars in my eyes.
I didn't even know I would miss good food so much just after 1 day of eating bland jerkies.
"I didn't see any Ducklett."
"What is a Ducklett doing here and not near a water body," I asked looking at Amanda and Madlyn.
"We don't know. We were following because Maddy wanted to catch the Ducklett." Amanda explained flippantly, tossing her hair back.
Madlyn climbed her bicycle, waved for Amanda to follow, and cycled away.
Amanda waved goodbye and followed Madlyn.
They were gone just like that. It was too abrupt.
'When will I be able to buy a bike?' I thought forlornly, as I watched them pedal away on their fast bikes.
They both looked like main characters who walked out of anime with their colourful irises and Kanto starters.
'Whatever. Next time, I am gonna win.' I thought determinedly.
I walked for an hour, eventually venturing into a thick forest, where towering trees cast deep shadows, and lush greenery spread everywhere.
'Finally, some shade' I thought with relief as I spotted a clear dirt road snaking into the thick jungle, the trees' shade providing respite from the sun.
After the Royal duo left, I kept having a feeling of getting watched.
After my match with Amanda, I healed Cet and took him into his luxury ball, so he could rest.
Deciding that after one-hour Cet would have recovered, I released him into the jungle.
Hoping some companionship will make the feeling of being watched disappear.
Cet appeared and did his customary loop, taking the surroundings in.
As I reached for my bag to feed him a treat, the sense of being watched intensified and pure dread coursed through me, paralyzing me in my place.
'An Elite or an Apex,' I thought trembling, my mind going for the worst-case scenarios.