“Ready?” Valerie called out from behind the bathroom door.

  “Ready!” Michelle sat at her desk in her daughter's room, both her Pokemon sitting next to her in an impromptu audience.

  The door swung open, and Valerie strutted out into the open, swishing her peach ponytail to the side with a distinct flourish. She wore a pair of running shoes over a set of black leggings made for hiking, accentuated by cream cargo shorts over top. Up top she wore a pale yellow blouse over top of a short, brown summer coat.

  Michelle clapped enthusiastically as her daughter approached, “Oh my goodness!” Her daughter's fervor seemed to fizzle out more with each step, the confident and overly assertive gait of a model slowly melting back into the one of an angsty teenage girl as she stopped before her mother with embarrassment clear on her face and did a small twirl before throwing her face into her hands in mortification.

  ‘That outfit looks great,’ Larry thought to himself as he clapped from the mock-audience next to Michelle, ‘It looks very mature, but doesn’t just look like those sporty outfits the trainers are always wearing in the games.’

  Natu also tapped a taloned claw against the floor in celebration. She leaned over to Larry next to her, “I do not understand why we are celebrating.”

  “We’re celebrating that our trainer dressed up,” Larry explained quietly as Michelle gushed at her daughter, “It doesn’t really matter that much, though. You can stop clapping now, by the way.”

  “Agh, this is so embarrassing!” Valerie complained as she was jostled around in a hug by her mother, “I’m not some fashion model, Mom! I’m trying to be a Pokemon trainer!”

  “You look amazing!” Her mother gushed, “I can’t believe what some more fancy clothes can do for my daughter! My little Feebas finally turned into a beautiful Milotic!”

  “Feebas?!” She cried out in shock, before fighting herself free from her mother's grasp, Valerie brushed her new coat carefully. When she looked back at her mother, she had already pulled her phone out and was vigorously taking pictures of her daughter. Covering her face to hide, Valerie answered exasperatedly, “Arceus, Michelle…”

  Between the clicks of her mother's phone camera, Valerie suddenly flashed a grin, “If I’m a Feebas mom…then you’re gonna be a Purugly!”

  Michelle didn’t even flinch at the insult before she shot back from behind her camera, “Of course I’d start putting on weight, my dear daughter. With the amount of stress you and Drew are giving me, I’m bound to put on a few pounds while eating away the stress!”

  Valerie flinched back at the remark, before she slumped, “Yeah, you’re right…I’m sorry…”

  “Aww baby…” Her mother cooed and pulled her into another hug, “I’m just joking. C’mere.”

  “I wouldn’t be lying if I said that this whole mess of a situation has been some of the most action I have gotten in recent years. I’m not some bigshot ranger, and I never went on a journey, for me it’s just been sitting in front of a computer screen and preparing spreadsheets, you know? I do work in an office after all, the only battles I'm fighting are against carpal tunnel.”

  “Really?” Valerie asked her mother, the dour mood already leaving the room.

  Smiling, her mother nodded, “This is basically an emergency vacation for me at this point.” As she patted Valerie on the back, Michelle awkwardly coughed into her hand, “Well, except for the whole mess with Mt. Silver…but, uh, y'know…”

  Shying away from the topic, she continued, “I just wish I could’ve taken Gustav with me to see you.” She smiled fondly at the thought of her husband, “Though I guess you two will get to meet eventually.”

  “Yeah…” Larry’s trainer nodded.

  Her mother nodded back, “So, let's stop this moping and let’s get us a sweet little evening snack, why don’t we?”

  …

  With the cafeteria not offering the delectable selection of sweet treats her mother was looking for, Valerie, Michelle, and her group of Pokemon made headway for a cafe they’d walked past on their shopping spree. Valerie wore her new clothes, excluding the backpack for comfort, with Larry and Natu finally displayed at her belt, instead of them being stuffed languidly into her pockets. The belt gave Larry an action camera view of the walk, offering him a really great view, unlike the pockets he’d been forced to peek out of previously.

  ‘I wonder what people think happens to Pokemon inside their ball? Do they know I’m watching them order right now? They must know, right?’ Larry mused to himself, listening along to the selection of items in the cafe’s sweets section, narrated by Michelle. He used to love some sweet food, but the berry he’d sucked down before was still projecting far too disfavorably in his memory to make him think the same was true in this world.

  His gaze turned over to the camoed exterior of the Pokeball hanging next to his, ‘I wonder what Natu’s Pokeball looks like? I’ll have to ask next time we’re out.’ Larry imagined something stereotypically native american, maybe even Mesoamerican, the inspiration for Natu’s design. A gigantic pyramid made of stone, maybe one of those totem poles…’Is this stereotyping? It probably is, I should stop…’

  Looking back over the outside of his Pokeball, Larry saw a lanky teenager in a dirty white hoody approach the mother-daughter duo. The kid held a phone in his hand shakily as his eyes darted every which way. Yet the general awkwardness of the kid wasn’t the most interesting part, it was the Patrat on the kid's shoulder, which was pointing at them with a crazy look in its eyes, ‘Aren’t those native to Unova? How’d this kid get his hands on one?’

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

  “E-E-Excuse me!”

  The kid spoke up, and all eyes fell on him, ‘Wow, he’s tense.’

  Valerie's mother deftly jumped in to handle the conversation, “Yes, what can I help you with?” She deftly closed the menu and set it down as she smiled at the kid.

  Hunching and hiding behind his smartphone, the lanky kid stuttered out a question, not directed at Michelle but at Valerie, “A-Are you the g-girl who owns a Larvitar?”

  ‘Huh?’ Larry was surprised by the question just as much as Valerie.

  Valerie sat like a stantler in the headlights, unsure of how to even answer to such a question. Was this the kind of thing you just tell people, or was she supposed to be secretive about it? Looking to her mother for guidance, Valerie found the woman to be just as dumbstruck as she was, unsure of what to even tell the boy.

  In the end, she decided to be honest, “Yes, I am. Who is asking?”

  The boys’ Patrat nodded, giving a satisfied “Pat!” in response, something akin to a “Knew it!” before slapping the boy over the back of the head, “Ack! What was that for?!”

  Noticing the audience to their little comedy skit, the boy finally found the nerve to introduce himself, “My name's M-Matthias, but please just call me Matt.”

  “A pleasure to meet you,” Valerie drawled out, “So, what is your reason for asking?”

  Matt’s look was firmly on the floor, but another smack from the Patrat on his shoulder got the shy boy going again, “W-Well…I-I’m an influencer on Chatter, and, uh…I wanted to, uh, ask you if you’d be, uh, interested in…f-filming a video for my social media…You’re k-kinda going viral right now…”

  “I am?” Valerie asked the boy, only for him to nod back, “Still?” Another nod confirmed her second question.

  “What’s going on, Valerie?” Michelle asked, obviously slightly concerned to be approached by random people while out and about.

  “Well…” Valerie began, “When I first came to the Pokecenter, some person uploaded Larvitar to the internet, and ever since then, people online have been going crazy about it…You saw how many people watched my fight back when we first met, right?”

  “I did. But, crazy? Why? And who was it that posted the picture?” She asked back.

  “T-That was m-m-me…” Matthias confessed as he averted his gaze, much to the mother-daughter duo's surprise, “I-I’m sorry if I shouldn’t have, but this one guy who's known for, uh, spotting rare Pokemon online asked on his Chatter for a pic in exchange for a gift card.” Pulling up the post on his phone, he showed the duo the video.

  “One hundred seventy-five thousand likes?!” Valerie was outraged at the number of likes, which sat even higher than the one from the post she’d seen last time.

  “I-I’m sorry! I-I can delete the post if you want me to, too…” Matthias bowed his head, which, accounting for his posture, didn’t change much.

  Valerie, for her part, looked exasperated, supporting her forehead with one arm, “Ugh, no…It doesn’t matter…It wouldn’t make a difference now anyway…”

  Michelle also finally realized the gravity of the situation, her anger slowly boiling up, “So, let me get this straight. You recorded a video of my daughter's Pokemon and posted it online for your own gain without her knowledge. And now you’re here, while we’re simply out and about and trying to relax, and you’re asking my daughter to record a video with you?”

  “...Y-Yes Ma'am…” The meager amount of courage and bravado Matt had been able to manage beforehand had entirely fizzled out by now, leaving the boy in front of them entirely depressed at his own brazenness to even ask the question. Michelle’s disappointed stare was the final nail in the coffin for Matthias.

  “Y-You know what, this was a stupid question.” He turned and quickly walked away as his Patrat grabbed at his hair in an attempt to direct him back to the girl, “I’m sorry for uploading t-the video, I’ll-”

  Before he could get anywhere, though, Valerie called out to him, “Uhm! We can do an interview if you want to!”

  “Huh?” Matthias turned back, shocked, “Are you serious?”

  “Valerie!” Her mother chastised her, “Why are you planning on giving this kid an interview?!”

  Scratching the side of her head, Valerie answered coyly, “Well, I’ve given so many interviews to police and rangers, I think this would be an ok way to tell the public about Larvitar.” Michelle gave her a disapproving look, but Valerie continued.

  “People have already figured out that something happened at Mt. Silver, they know a girl suddenly showed up at the Center close by with a Larvitar, and they’re theorizing who she is.” She insisted, “Wouldn’t revealing myself be way better than being exposed on accident at some later point in time?”

  “T-The people online are still going crazy about you,” Matthias agreed with a nod from both himself and his Patrat, “Another trainer talked about fighting against you, and he got a lot of attention for it. His follower count skyrocketed.”

  “And you’re sure you’re not going to be harassed by more people because you showed yourself online?” Michelle questioned, “That’s how that usually goes, you know?”

  “I’ll simply tell them to leave me alone!” Valerie revealed as she turned to Matt, “You don’t mind if I say that during the interview, do you?”

  “It’s your interview, I don’t mind.” He pulled out a little handheld microphone, holding the thing between his fingers delicately, “You want to do this now?”

  Looking down at herself, Valerie ran a hand over her new outfit as she rose, “Sure, let's do it.”

  Michelle was still very conflicted, “Just, make sure you watch your words, Ok, Valerie?”

  “Don’t worry, I’ve done so many of these by now, it’s practically a rehearsal.” Matthias led her into the lovely square they’d walked through, picking out a nice background for the video.

  “Here, should be fine.” He fiddled with his phone. “You ready?” She nodded back as she ran a hand through her hair.

  Just before the recording could start, though, the earth began to shake underneath them as a tremor shook the entire town. Screams echoed through the square as items from tables and counters were thrown from their places. Dust filled the edges of the square, as the old buildings around it were shaken free from years of debris and dust accumulating on their walls.

  The groaning only intensified as both Valerie and Matt fought to keep their balance. Larry pushed at his ball, appearing in a flash just next to Valerie, Natu followed a second later. Matthias panicked almost immediately, “W-W-What is going on?!”

  The answer came just a few seconds later…

  RRRRRRRROOOOOOOOAAAAAAAARR!!!

  …as a roar echoed through the town, amplifying the panic of the public even more. Larry was forced down into a cowering position at the memory of that cry, ‘Ugh, what the-’

  The earthquake slowly subsided, leaving the billowing clouds of dust to slowly float into the middle of the square.

  Michelle ran up to the two, “What the hell was that?!”

  Valerie looked towards the direction of the Pokecenter, “I think Larvitar’s mom woke up…”

  Her mother's incessant complaints fell on deaf ears, as Valerie started into a jog, “Sorry, Mom, we gotta get over there! You wait here!”

  “Wait-You!” Valerie was already gone before Michelle could do anything, her Natu on her shoulder and Larvitar running after her, “Ugh! Damn it, not again!”

  After I refused to commission them for more art, refusing them multiple times, being quite stern at the end, a new person somehow found my Discord account and began to write me.

  Weirdly enough, they had the same broken English writing style as the previous person, and after I refused them, I was approached by another artist on my E-Mail, who wrote the same way.

  Mind you, my Discord ID and email aren't out there for people to write to, so this poor (scam) artist supposedly made multiple alt accounts in an attempt to get me to commission them for another piece.

  They've contacted me with around 4-5 different accounts by now in the hopes of getting another commission, and I am simply not looking to work with them anymore. I have told them about as much multiple times by now.

  So yeah, watch out who you contact online. Stranger Danger and all that jazz...