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Kieran exhaled a soft sigh as he recalled his Yanmega, the final Pokemon in his current team, who had been soundly beaten by Nemona’s Dusknoir, signaling the end of the Pokemon battle between both of them. Pokemon battling had become some sort of a routine since Juliana and her friends from Paldea came to visit Kitakami.
Today too, he lost against Nemona, unsurprisingly. Just like him, Nemona used different Pokemon in every battle. Every time the battle started, Kieran noticed Nemona had changed one or two members of her team. Every time he thought he had finally figured out Nemona’s battling strategy, she caught him with a surprise that he couldn’t predict. She also battled strategically, just like him, utilizing the potential of her Pokemon and covering their weaknesses with team members that complemented each other well, and gave held items when necessary. Honestly, she wouldn’t be out of place at Blueberry Academy.
No wonder she was one of the Champions in Paldea, one of Juliana’s friends, and someone that Juliana could proudly call as “rival”. Even from the way they talked, Kieran noticed that Juliana clearly respected Nemona, and was very comfortable with her presence. Juliana also smiled and talked a lot when she was around.
It made Kieran feel—
“That was such a great battle, Kieran!” Nemona’s happy voice snapped him back to reality. He didn’t even notice he zoned out for a moment there. Just like in the previous battles, she always looked like she had a lot of fun. “That Baton Pass strategy that you did with your Furret was amazing! To think my Greninja would be overpowered by your Yanmega! I really learned a lot from our battles!”
Nemona was always so energetic. She was so dazzling, sometimes overwhelmingly so, much like Juliana. However, unlike Juliana, Nemona never hesitated in expressing what she wanted to say. Her expression always matched the words she said, and it was easy to tell whether she told the truth or not. Juliana often fell into silence when she was unsure what to say, but her expression spoke the loudest, and shouted her true feelings when words were unable to, and that was when sometimes Kieran noticed the disconnect between what she said and what her expression showed. Nemona wasn’t like that, she was always so outspoken. For better or for worse—Arven and Penny sometimes added whenever Kieran pointed that out, but in Kieran’s case, it was often for the better.
“I really enjoyed our battle too!” Kieran smiled sheepishly, trying to match Nemona’s wide one but reached his limit. “Yesterday you had Decidueye on your team, but today you had Greninja—caught me off-guard.” Her stare had become too much—too bright—to handle, so Kieran averted his eyes while playing with his loose strand of hair, though he still occasionally stole a glance at her—she still looked at him with such intense happiness that was very overwhelming. He didn’t dislike that, though. “And, um… your Kommo-o was very strong too… Well, no, everyone in your team is really strong!”
Nemona giggled happily, as she clasped both of her hands together. According to Juliana, she always did that whenever she wanted to plead for another battle, or when she got overexcited. “Let’s go for a round two!”
“N-now?! Um…” Kieran mustered enough courage within himself. He never had the heart to turn down Nemona’s enthusiastic offer to battle, but as Juliana had told him, Nemona needed to be reminded that not everyone had the same energy capacity in Pokemon battling as her, because Nemona always had unlimited desire to do Pokemon battling. Saying it was always difficult, but he had to try, he didn’t want to overexert his team, and himself too. “I… I think my Pokemon and I… need some break…”
Nemona’s eagerness immediately changed into a surprise, and realization. “Oh my god, right! I’m sorry, Kieran! And sorry to all of your Pokemon too!” She bowed deeply, and Kieran let out a sigh of relief at the same time. “This always happens when I get too carried away, I’m really sorry!”
When Nemona raised her face, he noticed she looked so guilty. This made him feel equally guilty as well for making Nemona show that expression. He shook his head and frantically waved his hands, trying to reassure her, though it didn’t seem to show the result he wanted. “No, no! It’s fine, really!”
Nemona flashed a tiny smile of relief before shaking her head. “This is something I should work on, honestly—thanks for reminding me, Kieran! Let’s take a break!” Her guilty expression disappeared and her usual smile returned. “I will buy some drinks from Peachy’s, let’s talk inside the Community Center!”
When Nemona mentioned she would go buy some drinks, he just realized that he felt so thirsty. Even he could get so caught up in battling as well that he forgot about his surroundings and neglected to take care of himself. A bit of his strength-obsessed past self flashed across his mind, but right now Kieran didn’t want to dwell on the unpleasant memories.
What he wanted to note was that he and Nemona were rather similar in a way. Though, Nemona was, in every way, much better than he ever was.
“U-um... let me help you!”
Even though Nemona said she could buy some drinks by herself, Kieran insisted on coming along and helping her out to carry, and possibly pay for the drinks. She was the guest here, after all, and he had been given pocket money from his grandparents for this purpose.
***
“Whew, I feel so refreshed! I didn’t even notice I felt so exhausted until I actually sat down and drank some water! That’s how fun our battle was, hahaha!”
Nemona downed half of the Fresh Water bottle, as she wiped her mouth while exhaling a relieved sigh, while Kieran only responded with a sheepish laugh. Kieran didn’t drink as much as her, his fingers danced around the bottle, hiding his uneasiness because he never spent time just with Nemona outside of battling. Arven and Penny went to Kitakami Hall to spend some time in the Festival of Masks together with Carmine and Juliana. He wondered if his sister still wanted to play Ogre Oustin’ after learning about the true history since she still held the best score even after Juliana attempted to defeat that.
Nemona and Kieran ended up staying at the Community Center because Nemona wanted to battle Kieran, so Kieran accepted—she wasn’t the only one who loved Pokemon battling so much after all—and he said he would catch up with the others soon after they finished the battle. However, when they bought some drinks at Peachy’s, Nemona said she wanted to talk, to know more about him beyond what Juliana had told her, so they remained in the Community Center, which made him nervous. Every minute spent felt like forever, as Kieran started quietly tapping his index finger to the plastic bottlecap of Fresh Water, feeling even more uneasy when Nemona was still busy humming an unknown tune happily while tilting her head to the side rhythmically. She looked clearly tired—which was surprising, Kieran didn’t expect she would have a low stamina, to which she appeared rather amused at seeing his reaction to her “unexpected side”—but she still managed to look happy regardless. Kieran found himself amazed by her unwavering cheerfulness.
Before Kieran could bring himself to ask what Nemona wanted to talk about, Nemona was the one who ended up breaking the silence.
“Say, Kieran, what did you feel when you became a Champion?”
Kieran blinked a few times, as Nemona’s gentle eyes stared right at him, with her friendly smile remaining, albeit smaller. There was something about her emotion that Kieran couldn’t really tell what that was, but it seemed to depict a feeling that he was rather familiar with. Probably because of how she looked somewhat similar to Juliana with this expression? Kieran wasn’t sure.
“Um… I…” Kieran still remembered that time, when he defeated Drayton and became the new Blueberry League Champion. It was still clear as if that just happened yesterday. However, he struggled to find proper words to explain it, especially when the memories weren’t particularly pleasant enough to be shared with Nemona—one of Paldea's Champions and Juliana’s close friends—of all people. “I felt like… it wasn’t enough.”
Nemona hummed in reply and tilted her head. Kieran proceeded to explain more. “I only had one goal in mind, and that was to win, especially against…” He hesitated for a moment but finally brought himself to say it. “... Juliana.”
He stole a glance to look at Nemona’s expression, expecting it to show some kind of change. It didn’t. There was not even a surprise or anything, she just kept staring at him, paying full attention to what he said.
“If I could become Champion but still unable to win against her, then what’s the point? That was what I had in my mind…” Kieran’s eyes laid on the water bottle again, his fingers also began tapping quietly on the cap as well, not wanting to look at Nemona. It felt like she was observing him. “That's why, I still trained really hard, kept battling, improving my team, and all that…”
“I see.” Nemona’s voice still sounded as cheery as ever. Her eyes still wouldn’t leave Kieran, even without looking at her he still could feel her stare. “Becoming the strongest trainer in that fancy, battle-oriented academy of yours…” She paused as if she was in a deep thought.
“Were you feeling lonely, Kieran?” Nemona asked. When Kieran looked up to see her expression again, he noticed loneliness on her visage, which was once again unusual and surprising for someone like Nemona. Kieran had just met her for a few days, there were a lot of things about her that he still didn’t know, but he still found himself being surprised whenever Nemona showed the sides of her that he didn’t expect.
“Lonely…” Kieran repeated, trying to make sure that was how he truly felt back then. Was he lonely? If he was the one who pushed everyone away and hurt them, was he feeling lonely? Was it even right for him to feel that way when he treated everyone around him horribly? After all, it would be fair for people to distance themselves from him if he treated them badly, so by that fact, if Kieran did feel lonely, then it was something he brought upon himself. Even Kieran couldn’t really say. He was stuck in his tunnel vision of becoming stronger, to the point that he didn’t notice something unrelated to his sole goal, such as that.
Before Kieran could figure out the answer, Nemona broke the silence once again. “... You see, I’m really happy to have Juliana as my friend and rival.” Nemona took her eyes off Kieran, as she looked up to the ceiling. Kieran’s eyes followed, even though there was nothing to see there. “And I’m really happy that Juliana is now a Champion as well. Because I’ve always wanted a friend I could battle all out with, and even lose against! Battling with Juliana always sends me on the cloud nine!”
Kieran glanced at Nemona, his brows furrowed in confusion. “You don’t feel frustrated when you lose…?”
“I do.” Nemona nodded. “But it was only a little bit, nothing compared to the immense happiness I feel, for seeing someone who loves Pokemon, and battling, as much as I do… or perhaps more!” The sadness that was in her visage disappeared, as Nemona continued. “Seeing Juliana loving Pokemon and battling as much as I do… seeing her winning against me, even in the time when I held nothing back against her… I’m really happy! I finally have someone I can call a rival, who can match and overpower me at my best!”
Kieran had difficulties wrapping his head around Nemona’s way of thinking. The life experiences between Nemona and him were just too different. He was left stunned, unable to utter words, seeing Nemona looking very happy to meet someone who could defeat her, in complete opposite to who he used to be—and deep inside, that part of him still existed, even in this very second.
“And of course, that includes you too, Kieran!” Nemona edged closer to Kieran, which startled Kieran so much that he almost fell backward from the chair. “When I heard from Juliana that you were Champion of Blueberry Academy, and Carmine was a student there too, I got so, so, excited! All I could think of was battling both of you, especially you! If you can be the Champion of such a battle-oriented academy, surely you’re powerful! And I was right! Not only you’re powerful and very strategic, but you also change your team members occasionally, just like me! Battling you is never boring so far!”
Kieran felt like his head was spinning after listening to Nemona’s enthusiasm. Perhaps what Penny said was right—introverts like them had limited energy and they weren’t good at handling enthusiastic extroverts, such as Nemona. His mind felt very blank, he couldn’t find the right words to say except for a lame-sounding: “T-Thank you…?”, and with a questioning tone that he didn’t even know why he added, for that matter.
Nemona, possibly unaware of how overwhelmed he was, giggled and pulled herself back. Kieran silently felt relieved that she finally made some distance between them. “I became Champion because I love Pokemon battling so much, that’s all there is to it. I want people around me to have as much fun in Pokemon battling as much as I do…” She looked up at the ceiling again, but now her eyes were full of fondness. “That’s why… Becoming friends with Juliana makes me so happy! I’m glad to help her to get better as a Pokemon Trainer, and eventually, she surpassed me!” Then she turned to him. “And I’m happy to meet you too, Kieran! From how you battle, I can tell how much attention you put into the moves you use for your team, the items and strategies you’re using! You really love Pokemon battling too! I hope we get to battle more and more!”
Kieran widened his eyes, once again unable to form a proper response to what she said. He averted his eyes, back to staring at the water bottle in his hand, no longer cold anymore, but still looked refreshing to drink.
Nemona was so different compared to him, even though they were both Champions. He probably would say she was the complete opposite of him.
He wondered if Nemona would feel disappointed knowing how Kieran used to not enjoy Pokemon battling so much, and took his losses horribly, especially against Juliana whom he admired. Yet, such frustrations and willpower to win against her were strong enough to propel him into becoming a Champion, even though it wasn’t for long. He wondered how Nemona would react if in the past he used to abandon proper sleep and meal all to become stronger and defeat Juliana—and he failed that as well. Surely that wasn’t the type of person that Nemona would like to hang out with.
“Oh, right! I guess it’s not really fair of me to ask whether or not you feel lonely as a Champion if I didn’t tell you what I feel, huh?” Nemona rubbed the back of her head, as if she just noticed her carelessness, even though Kieran didn’t really mind it. “Well, yes, I was—before meeting Juliana. I couldn’t get along with anybody because I became a Champion. People were intimidated because I’m a Champion, thus there was no point in battling me because I’d crush their team and their spirit…” She paused, Kieran felt his shoulders jump a little when she told him all of that. “Even though Pokemon battling is fun regardless of the outcome… I mean, even when you lose, you learn a thing or two from the battle, and so you improve to be better! That’s what I did when losing to Juliana multiple times… but not everyone has that same feeling toward Pokemon battles…” Her usual smile almost disappeared, but she managed to keep it. “That’s why I was wondering if you felt the same way since we’re fellow Champions and all!”
One is a former , Kieran internally corrected, even though he knew Nemona already knew he wasn’t a Champion anymore, but she kept calling him Champion, for whatever reason. It didn’t aggravate him like how Drayton usually called him but left him more confused than anything.
“But I guess not, huh? There are a lot of talented battlers in your school, everyone loves Pokemon battling there! If you were the best trainer in that kind of school, surely you have a lot of friends who admire—”
“ Wrong .” Kieran immediately cut off Nemona’s assumptions. “None of that is true, Nemona.” His eyes widened after finished talking as he reached to cover his mouth, realizing belatedly that he shouldn’t have cut off her words like that. He should have been more polite to her, yet…
Nemona’s face fell. “Ah, I made a mistake again…” Her voice sounded guilty, Kieran averted his gaze, afraid of seeing her possibly guilty expression. Juliana always showed that kind of expression whenever he met her back when he was a Champion, and he didn’t like that. “I didn’t think of your feelings at all, Kieran… I’m really sorry…”
“No, I’m sorry as well… I should’ve let you finish…” He shook his head and bit his lower lip. “But, y’know, the thing is… I wasn’t really a nice person when I was a Champion. I treated everyone around me horribly, kicked them out of the club if they didn’t pursue strength in Pokemon battling as much as I did, made strict rules for the club, an’... used my position to my own benefit…” Kieran exhaled a breath, it sounded shaky. “I’m sure… Nemona wouldn’t like how I was…” He had the urge to loudly tap his fingers on the bottle cap, to calm the loud voices in his head, but he tried all he could to resist it. He hung his head low, trying to hide his expression as he started mumbling. “... Juliana… didn’t like how I was either…” He remembered Juliana’s guilty expression every time he met her, she always looked so full of sorrow and guilt to the point of wanting to cry. “Nobody in the school did…” Various people’s faces appeared in his head. Crispin and Lacey’s worried face, Amarys’ sad one, Drayton’s concealed—but still visible behind his usual playfulness—disappointment, one of the clubmates’ shock and panic when he kicked him out for failing to accomplish the mission even though he had his reasons, various students’ and school staffs’ expressions of disdain. “... Even my sis too…” And of course, one of the most prominent memories other than Juliana, was his sister Carmine’s fearful and similarly guilty expression. “Then again, I was the one who caused them to not like me, so, I don’t know if I could say I was lonely…I don’t know if I should…” He paused to press his lips together. “I deserve it, after all…”
He clutched on the bottle to the point it made a noise. “All I could think of was winning against Juliana, I didn’t care about anything or anybody else, even my own self. Ever since I met her for the first time, I never took my losses against her well.”
Kieran managed to form a small smile before finally having enough courage to look at her. “Nemona is… amazing. Not only you were strong, but even when you feel lonely, you don’t treat other people around you, especially your friends, badly… You’re still nice to them…” He turned away again. “You’re happy when you lost, you’re happy when someone is stronger than you… You helped others to be as strong as you and motivated them… I can’t even imagine myself being like that…” No wonder Juliana always looks so happy when Nemona is around , Kieran thought to himself. I don’t have the right to feel envious or even compare myself to her .
That said, he didn’t deny the ugly feeling of envy he had deep residing in his heart toward Nemona, but he knew this feeling was useless, and more of a hindrance to their friendship than anything, something he needed to get rid of. He had learned that this was the major cause of his and Juliana’s friendship falling apart a while ago, so he tried to keep that feeling under control. If he couldn’t stop himself from feeling this way, then the least he could do was to not let people around him take notice of this as he slowly tried to get rid of it.
He began to wonder what would have happened if he had met Nemona sooner. Would he end up being like this anyway, or maybe he would be in a better state?
Nemona’s happy expression and smile disappeared, and silence fell between them. Kieran anxiously tapped the edge of his shoes to the floor, making a quiet noise that sounded loud enough for him, trying to calm down his raging thoughts. He felt like he had spoken too much, burdening Nemona with his problems. Not only that, Nemona now knew a little bit about who he used to be, who wasn’t a pleasant person by any means.
“I see…” Nemona finally spoke after a silence that felt a little too long for his liking. “I guess our experiences are really different, huh?” She didn’t sound happy, Kieran was still too scared to look at her, even though he wondered what kind of expression she made. “Though, not in the way that I thought…” After a pause, she clasped her hands together apologetically and turned to Kieran with a regretful visage. Again, Kieran felt guilty for all of this. “I’m really sorry for what I said! I ran off based on my assumption about you, and ended up not considering what you felt…”
“I-I should be sorry as well!” Ah, now their conversation was stuck in a loophole of apologies, Kieran had to find a way to get out of this, but he was never good at talking with people. Or rather, he never tried to be better at that aspect. It was something that remained unchanged no matter how much time passed by. “I’m sorry that the truth is… I’m… not the kind of person that… Nemona might want to be friends with…”
“Hmmm…” Nemona puts her index finger on her chin. “Maybe so…” Hearing that, Kieran tightened the grip on his water bottle as he began to curl himself up. He was prepared to lose the friendship that he just made once again, just like what happened between him and Juliana during the school trip. He really was hopeless at making new friends. After this, he would need to apologize to Juliana, and—
“But, right now, do you still hate losing, Kieran?”
“Eh? Um…” He flashed a glance in Nemona’s direction, trying to absorb her question for a moment before averting his eyes away, while reaching his loose hair strand and playing with it, pondering. “I guess… I do still feel frustrated, but it’s mostly directed at myself and my lack of skills…and for disappointing my team. I try not to blame my mistakes on others anymore… E-emphasis on try, though…” But he tried all he could to keep the worst part of him away from others.
Nemona hummed in response. “Then, what do you think of me and Juliana, who have defeated you in Pokemon battles, Kieran?” Nemona’s eyes looked like she was expecting something from him that he couldn’t tell. “Do you hate me? Do you hate Juliana?”
“No, I don’t!” Kieran let out a small gasp in realization when he raised his voice. “S-Sorry. I… I don’t hate you two at all… In fact, I’m really happy I can meet both of you and become your friends…” He paused, trying to keep himself from sobbing. “It… It’s just… I… I still can’t… forgive myself for what I did, and what I still feel despite… despite everything that had happened…”
Kieran noticed Nemona shifted closer to him and tilted her head, trying to take a good look at his face, but he quickly covered it with his hands, because tears began to leak out from his eyes. He couldn’t stop them, and he didn’t want Nemona to see this sorry state of him. She still kept some distance, thankfully.
He could hear a soft sigh coming from her mouth. He didn’t know what that meant. “You know, a few months ago, Juliana called me in the middle of the night that she had a fight with one of her friends,” Nemona looked up to the ceiling, recounting past memories. Kieran bit his lower lip, the water bottle began to make a loud noise as he gripped it tightly with both of his hands, but Nemona didn’t seem to pay attention to that as she proceeded. “She was crying a lot, and she told me, that every time she saw him in the academy, all that she wanted was to run away or hide somewhere. When I asked if I knew that friend of hers, she said that I didn’t, because she met him on a lottery school trip a while ago. She was certain that he hated her so much.”
Kieran was about to say something before Nemona—probably oblivious to his intent to clarify that Juliana most likely meant him and thus Nemona should be angry at him for what he had done—continued speaking.
“But you know what Juliana said after that? She said that even though she guessed he hated her, Juliana didn’t. She never did. All that Juliana wanted, was to be friends with him and laugh together with him again just like when they met for the first time.” Nemona let out a soft sigh. “And then she added that it was such a selfish desire of her, especially knowing how much her presence hurt him. Deep down, she still wanted to be his friend again, but she kept her distance as much as possible because she didn’t want to hurt him again.” Nemona let out a huff. “Well, she said she got roped into a tricky situation that made her have to meet him sometimes, but she added that she wanted to use this chance to rebuild the friendship, even though she didn’t know how. All I could do was to root for her, and pray for the best outcome for both of them.”
When Kieran mustered enough courage to look at Nemona, he noticed a smile slowly returned to Nemona’s visage. “And then, a few days after she sent that message, she sent another message that said she had become friends again with him, starting over their friendship after lots of things happened! It makes me so happy.” Nemona’s gaze became warmer. “She said she’d always wanted to smile and laugh together with him again as friends just like those days, she’s happy… to be your friend again. And now, she’s here again, with her Paldea friends—Arven, Penny, and I!”
As Nemona finished recounting, her eyes now turned to Kieran. “Thanks to Juliana, who never hates you, I get to meet you, Kieran! I meant what I’ve said about you, and even after knowing who you were in the past from what you told me, and what vague information Juliana told me, that still doesn’t change!” Her smile grew wider. “I’m sure Arven and Penny feel the same way too! And, knowing you don’t hate me, even feel happy to be my friend… I’m also really glad!” Kieran noticed some tears at the corner of her eyes, and that made him want to burst into tears as well. To think he ended up making tears appear in the eyes of someone like Nemona… “I’m not lonely anymore! And I have a new friend to battle lots with! I am so, so, unimaginably happy!”
“Nemona…” He began to sniffle. “B-but… I…” He couldn’t even articulate proper words without sobbing.
“As long as you find out that Pokemon battles are supposed to be fun, and losing isn’t the end of everything—I think you’re making good progress! I’ll be very happy when you can defeat me, looking forward to it!” Nemona formed a confident grin. “Oh, but don’t take it as I’m going to hold back for you or anything, because I’ve never held back in battles anymore, ever since Juliana defeated me in my one-hundred-percent mode! I’m looking forward to seeing you defeat me just like Juliana did one day!”
And those were the words that finally broke the dam, as tears began to flow uncontrollably from his eyes. Nemona lightly pushed his head, letting him lean on her shoulder. Between the sobs, he tried to apologize for making Nemona’s clothes dirty from his tears, but he wasn’t able to say the right words properly, and he knew it wasn’t conveyed well either, because Nemona didn’t respond, she just lightly patted his back, like she was letting him cry his heart out if needed to.
When Kieran had finished crying and collected himself, he quickly edged away from Nemona to give her some space. “S-Sorry… I end up dirtying your clothes…” He still sobbed a little, as he wiped the remaining tears with the back of his hand. Nemona offered him a handkerchief, which he accepted while murmuring a “thanks…” as he wiped his eyes and nose after a while crying. He definitely looked like a mess now.
“Are you feeling better now?” Nemona asked, her head tilted slightly to the side, waiting patiently for Kieran to finish wiping his face out from tears and snot. Kieran nodded a little with a tiny smile, far from the friendly and serene smile that Nemona showed to him right now, but he still wanted to try smiling like her as well.
It was like hearing what Nemona said and crying his heart out had lifted a lot of burden weighing his chest. His body felt very light as if he could run around or have plenty of Pokemon battles without anything worrying him anymore.
He was sure this feeling of lightheartedness was temporary. Soon, his worry and anxiety would return, and his guilt of what he had done in the past would also catch up to him.
But, somehow, he felt like even in the darkest moment when he couldn’t see anything, he was sure there would be a light shining from somewhere, showing him to the path and the exit to the problems that he’d always looking for. And most importantly…
He wasn’t alone, nor lonely anymore.
He let out a heavy sigh—out of relief—as he put the handkerchief into his jacket’s pocket, making a mental note to himself that he should wash it later and return it to her as soon as possible. “Nemona…”
She hummed in response and turned to him. Her usual amiable—and bright—smile remained, and her hair that was tied swayed around following her movement, no matter how small. Again, she waited patiently for what he wanted to say.
Trying to imitate the usual smile of hers that was always so bright it overwhelmed him, the corners of his lips slowly lifted. “Thank you so much!”
Nemona’s smile grew wider, her eyes closed in happiness as she nodded enthusiastically, as if seeing him feeling better was enough to make her cheerful again. “No problem! We are friends, after all!”
Nemona was shining brightly, as usual.
Kieran was envious of how bright she was, and how inspiring she was to everyone around her, especially Juliana. But…
Kieran hoped that someday, he could shine as well. Maybe not as bright as Nemona or Juliana ever was, but shining in a way that no one else but him could do.
Perhaps this time, it wasn’t an impossible goal to pursue.
Kieran reached out to his Poliwrath’s Poke Ball from his bag and clutched it tightly. “And, um, we’ve… rested enough, so… let’s battle again!”
He could see Nemona’s visage morphed into a joyful one, as she quickly dashed out from Community Center, with Kieran following not far behind. She didn’t answer his challenge to battle, probably because she knew neither of them would turn down the challenge to battle. They quickly made enough distance in front of the Community Center, as they exchanged an expression full of determination and confidence before they threw their own Poke Ball to start the battle, sending their first Pokemon out at the same time.
“You know, Kieran? This might sound strange, but…” Nemona formed a wide teethy grin. “Somehow, I have a feeling this battle between us is gonna be more fun and fruitful than before…” Nemona’s Lycanroc looked like it was about to charge on his Poliwrath. “... Because you looked radiant!”
Kieran blinked a few times, “H-How so…?”
“Like you are burning with passion!” She made a small happy jump while throwing her first to the air. “Reminds me of Juliana, but not exactly, it’s kind of… different, you know? And I like that!”
Kieran let out a soft laugh, as he spread his arms and looked up to the sky and a wind softly blew through him. He inhales a deep breath, soaking in the feeling that he never knew he needed. He didn’t know how long this feeling would last, or when he felt this way, but right now, he felt very… liberated. Like there was nothing weighing on his chest at the moment. Maybe not long after this he would curl up in his blanket and cry over his mistakes again, alone in his room, just like usual, maybe this feeling wouldn’t last long. However, right now, he wanted to indulge himself. He wanted to have fun in this friendly battle between him and Nemona, and give everything he could against her.
When Nemona said he was shining as well, he felt like he also wanted to jump happily, letting his inner childish self in full display.
He was happy, to be able to shine on his own, and to hear that from Nemona.
“Wowzers…” He murmured, as he exhaled a deep breath. He wanted to cry out of happiness, but he had enough of crying for now. “Thank you, Nemona…” Kieran said that quietly, purposefully so he didn’t know if that reached Nemona or not given the distance and their Pokemon between them. Though, knowing Nemona, perhaps she would understand if he expressed his gratitude by giving everything he could in this battle. He tightened his grip on Poliwrath’s Poke Ball, and his confident smile returned to his countenance. As if knowing what Kieran was thinking, his Poliwrath braced itself to counterattack Nemona’s Lycanroc.
“This time, I won’t lose!”
When this battle ended, he had to apologize to Juliana and everyone for keeping them waiting in the Kitakami Hall later, because he too, loved battling as much as Nemona, and he too, wanted to shine brilliantly.