Harmonia | Pokémon Fanfiction

40 | Take Me To The Pilot

Music in Media: Take Me To The Pilot by Elton John

18 March, Friday, 3 p.m. | Spring

As things were, Rae couldn't tell if she was looking from within or without the snow globe of life. Looking happy meant she was happy, which meant happiness must come with a melancholy twinge the way the adults around her had said countless times that there's good in the bad and bad in the good, all while they complained about life's unfairness and cemented the fact that the good old days were truly the best days of their lives.

"Dundun!" Noko-Noko nuzzled against her cheek, as if asking what she was preoccupied with.

Rae giggled and pushed the Dunsparce aside. She sat with the feeling that ate away at her insides. How long could she stand being in this state? It was initially a little comfortable but now that some time had elapsed, she thought the transformation utterly horrid. She preferred her old self. There was a certain numbness to this ambivalence the longer it panned out and she certainly did not want to be staring into space to be happy.

"Come, let's battle Skyla for the badge. I don't have to be 'well-rested'. I don't deserve to when so many people and Pokémon are banking on me to save them."

What in the saviour mentality are you on now, Aomine Rae? Aren't you just trying to avoid the numbness? Bitter thoughts fired at her. She stood up so quickly that Zorozoro and Chilchil had to leap off her, causing Tabutabu to sidestep to make space for them. She swept a blank glance across them. Did you think being happy is the only way to live? Aren't you too sheltered and privileged? You should be glad you're stepping out of your comfort zone and experiencing sadness and pain, you green girl.

Should she be happy to suffer though? She imagined a cycle would be born out of it: happy to suffer, she would suffer to be happy.

Zorozoro, sensing her bitterness, nudged her ankle, snapping her out of her thoughts. Right, she had better get to Skyla before it was too late. The Driftveil incident was enough and she didn't need to go through that nightmare again.

The Gym was chock full of people and Pokémon when she arrived. It turned out that Ken and Karen from the airport, donned in a Feraligatr-inspired trench coat with trousers and a Linoone fur coat with dark stockings respectively, were up against Skyla in a double battle. This she learned from the large screens as she stood near the entrance. Their arrogance was magnified. It was probably the first time too that Rae noticed Karen's Mudkip earrings.

The blonde couple was down to their last Pokémon which were surprisingly not a pair of Swampert. Menacingly cornering Skyla's Swanna and Sigilyph were Ken's Hatterene and Karen's Grimmsnarl, two Pokémon native to Galar. Skyla remained unfazed. Pointing at Grimmsnarl, she ordered Swanna to use Mirror Move to inflict Hatterene's Dazzling Gleam while Sigilyph shot a Shadow Ball at Hatterene. Both Pokémon fainted. They must have been whittled down to their last ounce of energy. Rae gasped. If Skyla could hold her own in a double battle against such powerful Pokémon, would she even stand a chance?

"That's not fair!" Karen scowled as she returned her Grimmsnarl into its Poké Ball. "I demand a rematch! You did not yell orders to your Sigilyph!"

"Was it not the same for your husband and his Hatterene?" Skyla crossed her arms.

"You're a Gym Leader, not a challenger. You should be fighting fair," Karen retorted.

Ken took her side. "Yer think we don't deserve to fight yer coz we're filthy rich?"

Skyla flinched as she returned her Pokémon. "That's... That's enough. I have another challenger waiting for me. If you could just leave."

Ken and Karen glanced at each other with a shared huff and stormed out of the Gym. They'd recognised who had the authority here. If they couldn't battle Skyla again, their Champion Couple dream would be up in flames. Who would want rowdy Champions representing their region anyway? Karen even elbowed Rae in the shoulder when she left. No apology was spoken. Not that it mattered. Such tension could only run high because of the music perversion. Rae figured the pair wouldn't be so sullen once the music was restored. There was something cathartic about listening to the original music of each locale after all and with the couple being Unovans themselves, wouldn't that offer the heartwarming gift of homecoming?