Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Early Years (Ongoing)

Chapter 12: The Matches

Dart was back to zoning out as recess was on, sitting on the secluded playground spot he had been familiar with (and since gotten Lucia familiar with). He still couldn't believe it—he was actually going to get to battle those who'd tormented him for so long. And it was going to be fair—not four-on-one, all at once, but one-on-one battles. The taunts, the hits, the chasing... he didn't feel right thinking about it, but it would be nice to knock them all down a peg.

And after what Cameron said... Cameron was always one to say the worst things. It always went too far with him—much further than the others would go. Why did he have to bring up a parent long gone, especially in front of Archer? It would feel good to take Cameron down a bit, he wasn't good to anyone—

"Dart!" Lucia had been nudging at him, Dart didn't know how long, but enough that it would get her to start yelling his name.

He shook his thoughts away, smiling a bit awkwardly at Lucia. He had her to thank for this opportunity, or at least having close to a realistic thought of seeing Cameron put in his place after all the misery he caused. "Sorry—what's up?"

Lucia sighed slightly. How long had she been trying to get to him? Probably a little too long. "You know... you don't have to do this if you don't want. I didn't mean to put you on the spot back there. You can back out, and I wouldn't think any less of—"

"N-No!" Dart quickly blurted it out, and it seemed to catch Lucia off guard. "I mean..." He sighed and scratched the back of his head, looking at Lucia. "It's just... I feel weird. I've never had someone who's had my back before, and you do, and... I never thought that I'd actually get to do one-on-one battles with them, you know? But with you—you're giving me a chance I didn't think I'd get in like, a billion years!"

He smiled slightly at her before looking down, taking a breath as he continued. "Just a lot on my mind with them and actually getting to battle. They've been after me for ages, it's weird thinking about fighting your bullies..."

Lucia seemed to think for a second, kicking her feet back and forth before looking at him. "You've really never had someone to help you before? Friends, parents, teachers, nobody?"

Dart smiled sadly, shaking his head. "Never knew my mom, no idea what happened to her, and dad's never around... teachers were never able to catch them, so they weren't able to stick any punishment—if they even thought it was more than kids playing. And... I had friends before everything, but that stopped."

"Sorry..." Lucia looked off to the side, seeming a bit ashamed at her own question before she continued. "Everything... so, when they started bullying you then? Why do they just... not like you? You're fun to hang around, it feels like you're the least deserving of it."

Dart laughed a bit, smiling at her again. "Thanks! And uh, don't worry about it, I'm used to it, you know? But... I used to be, like, super popular! I made friends everywhere—then... Cameron and his group beat up a kid—can't even remember who, they fought a few others afterwards. They were my friends, so I stuck up for them, and... nobody stuck up for me. Since then they only ever picked on me."

He could see Lucia visibly get angry at that as she spoke up. "That's awful! When they needed someone they got you to try and help, but when you needed it they just... left you!"

Dart sighed and slouched down slightly. "I can't blame them. You're the only one that's different—you see four Pokémon that want to fight you for being friends with someone and you tell them to bring it, but everyone else... they aren't fighters—I'm not really a fighter, nobody wants to do it because it's dangerous."

"But it's the right thing to do. It's still messed up that they just abandoned you like that..." Lucia paused for a second before smirking at Dart. "So let's show them why ditching you like that was a bad idea."