As Orin hugged Riolu tightly, his gaze drifted toward the fainted Caterpie.
"Caterpie, return."
The Bug Catcher recalled his partner, looking visibly disappointed.
Orin gently set Riolu down and walked over to the green-shirt boy.
"Hey, that was a good match. Your Caterpie was really tough," he said, extending a hand.
"Thanks…" the boy replied, forcing a small smile as he shook it.
"Do you want me to come with you to the Pokémon Center?" Orin offered awkwardly. He genuinely felt bad—Riolu really had thrashed the poor thing.
"No, it's fine. I'll go with my friend after his match."
He nodded once, already stepping back.
Orin raised a brow.
Does he already expect his friend's Weedle to lose? Or am I just reading too much into that…?
Before he could ask, Nemona's voice rang out excitedly, announcing that the second battle was about to begin.
Orin, Riolu, and the green-shirted Bug Catcher cleared the field. A larger crowd had gathered now—students craning their necks or lifting phones. It seemed everyone loved watching Pokémon battles.
"All the best, Victor," Orin said, patting his shoulder as he stepped forward.
"I still don't like watching Pokémon fight… but do your best!" Lisia chimed in brightly.
Victor nodded to both of them and walked onto the battlefield with Sobble, who looked far less enthusiastic than his trainer.
"Ri!"
Riolu, on the other hand, practically vibrated with excitement. She was still overflowing with battle energy.
Lisia tugged at Orin's sleeve.
"Orin, can I record this one too? Pretty please?"
She could've easily used her own phone—but she was clearly enjoying the role of commentator, and Orin didn't have the heart to mention it.
He simply handed his phone over with a smile.
"Hmph! My Weedle will show you how superior Bug Pokémon are!" Bug Catcher 2 declared proudly as Nemona signaled the start of the match.
The crowd's excitement lasted… maybe three seconds.
Then confusion.
Then boredom.
Because Sobble immediately turned invisible the moment the battle began.
In fact, Orin was pretty sure Victor himself didn't know where his partner was. Even so, he calmly ordered,
"Sobble, Water Gun—keep moving!"
Water Gun shots kept blasting from seemingly random directions.
Every time Bug Catcher 2 saw one, he yelled,
"Weedle! Poison Sting that way!"
"No—String Shot! String Shot!"
"Other side! OTHER SIDE!"
But Sobble slipped away each time, unseen.
Riolu tilted her head, confused. "Ri…?"
Lisia squinted hard at the field. "I—I can't commentate anything! I can't even see anything!"
Meanwhile, Orin silently activated his Psychic Vision, revealing Sobble as a faint, watery silhouette darting around the field.
Huh… so that's an advantage only psychics might have.
Definitely something he would need to remember for future battles.
Bug Catcher 2 tried taunting Victor—calling him a coward, shouting at him to fight "properly"—but Victor didn't flinch once. He simply kept calling clean, simple commands.
Eventually, Weedle—wet, dizzy, and thoroughly overwhelmed—collapsed.
At that exact moment, Sobble flickered back into visibility, blinking like it had never moved at all.
"Weedle is unable to battle. Victor wins!" Nemona announced… though even her voice sounded a little less enthusiastic than before.
Lisia handed Orin back his phone with a defeated sigh.
"I couldn't even commentate on anything…"
Orin heard another sigh nearby and turned to see Bug Catcher 1 standing beside him.
"At least your friend fought well. He doesn't even look upset," Orin joked, glancing at the purple-shirted boy. Bug Catcher 2 was pointing dramatically at Victor and declaring he would have his revenge one day.
Bug Catcher 1 let out a small chuckle.
"Yeah… honestly, we both knew we were going to lose from the start."
"You don't have to be that hard on yourself," Orin said with a wry smile.
"No, that's not what I meant," the green-shirt kid replied, shaking his head. "Look around."
He gestured to the field, full of Bug-type trainers battling. "Bug Pokémon are weak when they're little. Everyone knows that. But they mature and evolve crazy fast. If we battle them early—push them hard—they'll become tough as nails when they evolve."
There was a bright spark in his eyes when he said it.
"Ohhh, yeah. That actually makes sense," Orin nodded.
"Hehe, a senior Bug Catcher posted about this in our Bug Enthusiast's group chat. That's why everyone's grinding battles on their first day. Even if we lose now, we'll win eventually! And when my Caterpie evolves into a strong Butterfree, I'm totally challenging your Riolu again!"
His passion was almost inspiring.
"Yes, that's the spirit. You really are living up to your title, Bug Catcher 1," Orin said, giving his shoulder a solemn pat.
"Than—HEY! My name isn't Bug Catcher 1!" he snapped, puffing up angrily before storming off.
Orin couldn't help but chuckle. Messing with the Bug Catchers was surprisingly fun.
Still… he also knew that Bug-types evolved quickly. He would probably be seeing those two again sooner than later.
Also… Bug Catchers had their own group chat?
Does Fighting-type have one too?
And if so—
Why hasn't anyone invited me yet?
Orin blinked, genuinely confused.
"Hey, good match," Orin snapped out of his thoughts and greeted Victor, giving him a high five as he walked over. "Your Sobble did great—attacking and dodging like that."
Sobble peeked out from behind Victor's legs before immediately hiding again.
"Alright, how about we leave now?" Lisia said suddenly, pushing both boys by the shoulders. "This is waaay too much battling for my taste."
They barely took two steps before someone jumped directly into their path.
"¿A dónde creen que van?" Nemona said, hands on hips. "Where do you think you're all going, huh?"
She pointed her Poké Ball straight at them, eyes sparkling. "Don't tell me you forgot—you both still owe me a battle!"
"Pawmi!"
Literal sparks crackled from Pawmi's cheeks as he stared intensely at Riolu.
Riolu narrowed her red eyes in response, stepping forward.
Sobble instantly vanished with a pop.
"Ah—sorry," Victor said, scratching his head with an apologetic smile. "My Sobble's knackered from the last match. Wouldn't be fair to put him through another."
Orin rolled his eyes inwardly.
Yeah right. Sobble's a Water-type—of course you don't want him anywhere near an Electric mouse. Still it was honestly a smart choice.
"Then that leaves you, Orin," Nemona said, leaning forward with a bright grin. "Don't tell me Riolu is exhausted—she looks like she's itching for another battle! ¡Vamos! Let's have a hearty match!"
To be honest, if this were any other random first-year trainer, Orin would've accepted without a second thought.
But this was Nemona.
Knowing what she was like in canon made him cautious… maybe even a little afraid.
Still, just like last time, the decision wasn't his alone.
"What do you say, partner? Want to battle?" Orin asked gently.
"Riolu!"
She nodded immediately, eyes blazing with excitement as she stared down Pawmi.
Orin sighed internally.
If I keep avoiding this unrealistic fear of canon characters, it will just follow me like a shadow forever.
"Alright," he said, meeting Nemona's grin with one of his own. "Let's have a match."
"Haha—¡sí! That's the spirit, Orin!" Nemona cheered. "Victor, you're our referee!"
Victor nodded with a small smile. "Right then. I suppose I can manage that."
Orin asked for a bit of prep time and pulled Riolu aside.
He hadn't watched any Pawmi battles before, but one glance told him this would be nothing like fighting a Caterpie.
Electric mouse Pokémon… they were fast, agile, and tricky—like a smaller, fluffier Pikachu.
"Alright, Riolu," Orin said, pointing toward the small orange Pokémon. "That Pawmi is going to fight very differently from your first opponent."
"Rio."
Riolu nodded, her expression serious.
She had followed his orders and won their first battle, building a bond of trust between them.
But with only one known move, their strategy options were painfully limited.
This wasn't like the games where he could just spam Blaze Kick and brute-force a win.
Even during the Caterpie fight, he had felt the strain from Riolu's Blaze Kick—he himself had felt tired afterward, which meant the move was draining for her too. She definitely couldn't use it repeatedly. Not yet, at least. Maybe after training.
And Nemona had witnessed that move. She was absolutely the type who would plan around it.
Worse, Pawmi had been battling before Orin even arrived, so it had way more experience.
He had no idea how many victories it had under its belt or what moves Nemona had already drilled into it.
At least Thundershock seemed new—Nemona said Pawmi had managed it properly for the first time in that previous battle.
That meant she probably couldn't spam it too… hopefully.
Even though Riolu and Pawmi didn't have a type disadvantage against each other, Pawmi's electric attacks would be far faster and harder to dodge than a simple String Shot.
And unlike the Bug Catcher kids… Nemona wasn't just any trainer.
She hadn't looked discouraged for even a second after seeing Riolu crush Caterpie. If anything, she looked even more fired up.
All of it made Orin uncomfortably aware that this would not be an easy battle.
Still, he knelt in front of Riolu and whispered every simple, practical tip he could think of.
Anything that might give her even a slight edge.
"Go have fun out there, Riolu," Orin finally said with a soft smile, rubbing her head while offering his fist, "And remember… you're strong. We are strong."
"Riolu!"
She grinned and bumped her paw against his fist.
As they walked back onto the battlefield, Orin noticed that many students had already left—apparently Victor's invisible Sobble battle had drained the crowd's patience.
Still, Lisia was in position, holding his phone and giving him a thumbs up with a smile.
"Same rules as before—this is a friendly spar," Victor announced, stepping into place as the referee. "Introduce yourselves, lads."
"I'm Orin from Saffron City, first-year at Nexus Academy," Orin said confidently. "And this is my partner, Riolu. We're about to have our second Pokémon battle."
He gave the camera a quick grin.
"I'm Nemona from Cabo Poco in Paldea," Nemona declared proudly."Also a first-year at Nexus Academy. And this is my partner, Pawmi—we're here to have an amazing Pokémon battle!"
The excitement practically shook her shoulders.
"Are both trainers ready?" Victor asked, scanning both sides.
"Yes!" Nemona answered instantly, with a wide smile.
"Paw-mi!"
Pawmi crouched low on all fours, cheeks sparking with electricity.
Riolu stepped forward as well, bouncing lightly on her toes—her red eyes shining with anticipation.
Orin closed his eyes for a moment.
He let the noise, the wind, the watching crowd fade away…
Focusing only on Riolu
and the opponent in front of them.
When he opened them again, his gaze sharpened—
Riolu had already stopped bouncing and dropped into a focused battle stance.
"We're ready," Orin said with a firm nod.
"Good—begin the battle!" Victor announced, dropping his hand.
Nemona snapped her fingers instantly.
"Pawmi—Growl!"
Pawmi puffed up, cheeks sparking, and unleashed a surprisingly fierce snarl—
"Paw–MIII!"
Riolu flinched hard, her stance breaking for a moment.
"Riolu—snap out of it!" Orin shouted, knowing Growl couldn't be dodged.
But Nemona was already on the next command—
"¡Ahora! Pawmi—Quick Attack!"
Pawmi dropped onto all fours and burst forward in a blinding white streak—
"Riolu, dodge—!" Orin tried to command.
But Riolu was still rattled from the Growl.
CRASH!
Pawmi slammed directly into her stomach.
"RIO!!"
Riolu staggered backward, skidding across the dirt.
"Oh no! Pawmi's Quick Attack hits clean after that Growl!" Lisia commentated anxiously. "That little guy is fast!"
Orin exhaled, brain racing.
There was no dodging that. It's exactly like the name—too quick.
If he had seen this speed earlier, he would have told Riolu not to dodge at all.
"Riolu… if it's too fast—then meet it head-on!" Orin called out, voice steadying. "Attack first!"
Riolu blinked—then nodded sharply.
"Rio!"
"Pawmi, keep using Quick Attack!" Nemona yelled, excitement bubbling in her voice.
Riolu crouched low, muscles tightening—
—and then she shot forward in her own white streak.
The two blurs collided mid-field—
CRACK!
Both were knocked back, skidding across the ground.
A soft chime pinged from Orin's Pokédex.
***
[Riolu move registered: Quick Attack]
***
Orin grinned despite the tension.
"Nice, Riolu! Match its speed—use Quick Attack again!"
Nemona's eyes gleamed bright green with excitement.
"¡Eso! That's it! Pawmi—again!"
Their gazes met across the field—
and they both understood they were equally fired up.
This battle was going to be tough.
And incredibly fun.
***
[Sav112 has redeemed an Extra Chapter this week]