Pokémon: Lost in the Moment

Chapter 3 - A Wake-Up Call

It may have not been for the championship, but we were still battling in the champion's room, which was exactly how I remembered it looking like, even down to smallest detail - some things never change, I suppose.

Dawn led me to my side of the field before leaving for hers, and as I stood there, watching, waiting for her to commence the battle, it's like everything at once came flooding back to me. I remembered all of my Pokémon's moves, the battle style I used to have with them, everything. But now, I was more experienced, so it was time to put all of my years of experience to the test against the newest champion, Dawn. I was hoping that this would be the battle to reignite the flame, and I was about to find out...

Dawn arrived at her side of the battle and immediately sent out her Lobpunny, and then asked me to send out my first Pokémon promptly before officially starting the battle. Doing so, I sent out Luxray first. I closed my eyes for a second to focus and to calm my nerves right before the battle started. And then, a second later, we were off. I called out to my Luxray to use Superpower, while Dawn's Lopunny just stood waiting, almost like they were scouting both my Pokémon and I. As Luxray got in-range of her Lopunny, she motioned with her arm for it to move aside, just out of the way of Luxray's attack, and just like, as if they were literally in-sync with each other, Lopunny did just that. Dawn didn't have to call anything out, Lopunny just followed her.

Dawn then went on to say how it was an honour for her to face not only the real, former champion of Sinnoh but also one of her closest friends, then going on to say how she and her Pokémon have trained for years in learning a new type of battle-style, which she called Harmony, a battle-style that, as she described, "focuses on undivided concentration between both the trainer and Pokémon, in which they use aura waves in the air to know what the other is thinking. Obviously, Dawn was a pioneer of this battle-style. I had seen instances of this throughout my journey, but they were sparse and, usually, only with one Pokémon instead of all six team members. I've always been in-sync with my Pokémon, but to the point that Dawn's letting on? I was unsure of myself...

Part of me was thinking that maybe these were mind games Dawn was playing, as a way to distract the opponent and to have their judgement clouded going forward, but... she seemed genuine in everything she said, I had no reason to not believe her. However, this was clouding my judgement, enough to the point that I didn't even her Lopunny had fainted my Luxray in a matter of seconds.

Reeling from what had just happened, it took me a few seconds to return Luxray to its Pokeball, before softly apologising. I didn't give up hope just yet, however, as next, I sent out Staraptor. I don't pick my favourite when it comes to my party Pokémon, I treat them all equally, but I had a slightly stronger bond with Staraptor than I did Luxray, most likely because of all the flying across the region I used to do with her back in the day. I called out for Staraptor to go for an Aerial Ace, a move that, for whatever reason, always makes contact and never misses, so it was the best bet for this situation. But, to my utter shock, and Staraptor's too, Dawn's Lopunny just sidestepped the move and retaliated with an Ice Punch, which instantly fainted my Staraptor.

It was here that I realised what I was up against: A trainer who had honed their craft and was on a completely different level to me. I was taken aback, fumbling on what to do next. Dawn was quick to call out to me, asking me if I was okay and if I wanted to continue, but not wanting to let any more of my dear Pokémon be humiliated at my account, I asked to withdraw from the battle. Dawn was a little surprised, but she didn't belittle me for the fact, she was very understanding and politely called the battle off, returning her Lopunny to its Pokeball.

She then walked over to me, all the while I was still somewhat beside myself, and then placed a caring hand on my shoulder, saying how it was okay and that I had nothing to worry about it. I told her how the past few years had been rough for me and how I've been rather unmotivated for the majority of my time since I left Sinnoh, and she was reassuring in everything I said, noting that even she went through this type of thing when she was doing the Pokémon Contest circuit route back a few years ago, which is how she eventually decided on becoming a full-time professional trainer, suggesting that maybe this venture wasn't the right one for me anymore.

Unsure, I stayed quiet, thinking hard on what she said. When I looked up again, I saw that she was crying slightly. I immediately asked if she was okay and what was wrong, to which she responded with how nice it was to see me again after so long, but she wished I could be happy with where I was in life... Hearing that, I apologise. I didn't need to, but I didn't know how else to respond...

She then bought me in for a quick hug, which took me by surprise, but I was okay with it. She pulled away, gently wiping the tears from her eyes, before signalling me to follow her out of the League, and I did just that. A short while later and we were outside of the League again, this time, overlooking the cliffs that surrounded it, just staring off into the distance. We spent a good while doing this, but eventually, I spoke up, saying how I didn't know where I belonged in life, and how maybe my years as a trainer were fleeting, serving as a substitute for something else I didn't know I even wanted but continued to pursue anyway in the blind hope that I would eventually find happiness.

Hearing this, Dawn turned to me with a concerned look on her face, shortly accompanied by a sad smile. I then took out one of my team's Pokeballs, Torterra's. I looked at it and said to Dawn how maybe this was never for me... It was then that Dawn brought me in for another hug. This time though, she leaned close to my ear and whispered: "You'll find your place in life, I promise." Again, I wasn't sure how to respond, but I just thought hard about what she said.

She then pulled away, looking deep into my eyes for a sec, in what I could only assume was an attempt to try and figure out what I actually wanted in life, but given the sad smile that appeared on her face only a few seconds later, she obviously wasn't able to. She then turned back to cliffs to look out to the horizon once more before she spoke up again, asking me if there was ever anything else I've had even the slightest of interests in, before telling her that I had never thought about anything else before other than battling, joking that I was, essentially, "tunnel vision incarnate". Dawn didn't take it as a joke, however, and understandably so, as it was quite depressing, especially considering how the basis of the joke was, seemingly, never for me.

She then threw out her Togekiss, preparing to fly off somewhere I could only assume. But before she did, she then walked back over to me, calmly, and as she stepped in front of me, she leaned in to kiss me on the cheek. Of course, I was taken by surprise by this, but before I had a chance to react, she was already taking to the air on her Togekiss. However, before she and her Togekiss flew off, they shouted down: "You may be lost in life right now, but you WILL find your place sooner or later, I promise you that!" She then waved off, telling me to take care, before she and Togekiss left my sight completely. Part of me thought that would be the last time I would ever see her because of how it all felt like the perfect crescendo to our friendship, but... You can never truly be sure of the future.