Work Text:
Scenes From a Hoenn Pokécenter
By Kotemp
Roles:
Elliot: An aspiring young trainer. Quiet and thoughtful, uses stats and analysis to create the best strategies in battle. Can still be very silly when he wants to be. Wears a simple, casual trainer outfit, similar to Red’s clothes.
Natalie: Elliot’s partner in crime. The exuberant, emotion-led enthusiasm to Elliot’s cool analysis. Wears a more bombastic trainer outfit, a la May or Dawn.
Nurse Colleen: Nurse of the Fortree City Pokecenter. 20 something year old, looks punk. Has piercings, earrings, or both. Forced to wear the classic nurse uniform at work - it doesn’t suit her at all. Her punk sensibilities contrast hard with the nature-loving city of Fortree.
Scene 1
INT. POKÉCENTER - NOON
LIGHTS UP on the shining clean interior of a Pokécenter. This will be the only location seen in this play - it is as much a character in this story as all the others. The Pokecenter is clean, well lit, and almost empty. Chairs, bean bags, and tables stand unused. It seems they are not used often, but whoever cleans this place refuses to let them gather dust. One of the only features distinguishing this Pokecenter from others is the posters of trees and vibrant nature scenes on the wall.
The only person in the Pokécenter is NURSE COLLEEN. She slouches behind the large main desk of the center, looking bored.
NURSE COLLEEN emits a small sigh and glances lazily around the room, making sure no one is watching her. She pulls out her Rotom Phone, and begins scrolling social media. Until…
DING DONG!
The door’s electronic welcome bell goes off.
NURSE COLLEEN frantically puts her phone back in her pocket, almost dropping it in the process.
Enter ELLIOT and NATALIE.
NATALIE (Beginning offstage)
We were so good, dude! We kicked so much butt! Those stupid grunts were like, ‘oh we’re taking over the weather station, because we’re evil or whatever’! And then you pulled up, and you said…! Oh, what you said was so good! Say it again!
ELLIOT
Nah.
ELLIOT and NATALIE walk toward a vending machine on the wall, talking as they take turns grabbing food. ELLIOT buys a soda. NATALIE buys a bag of chips.
NATALIE
Yeah! You just went ‘nah’ and they were like, freaking out! They were so used to people just listening to ‘em, you saying no was enough to make ‘em start shaking in their boots!
ELLIOT
They’re just a bunch of bullies. They suck. I had to let them know they suck.
NATALIE
Well you sure did! You and Marshtomp were great! Boom! Bang! Bam! Mud everywhere… water blasts flying through the air… SWOOSH!
Natalie pantomimes dramatically as she speaks.
ELLIOT
Yeah, thanks. It was kinda cool, I guess. But Marshie took a pretty big beating during all that. I didn’t think he had the defense stats to power through that. Color me surprised.
NATALIE
Oh, you and your stupid stats! Not everything can be measured with numbers, you pencil pusher! Marshie toughed it out because you care about him, and he cares about you! Now show him you care by healing him up!
NATALIE grabs ELLIOT by the hand and drags him in front of NURSE COLLEEN. ELLIOT lets her, almost going limp in her grip.
NURSE COLLEEN
Hi! Welcome to the Fortree City Pokemon Center! Would you like me to-
NATALIE shoves a pokeball in front of NURSE COLLEEN’s face, interrupting her.
NATALIE
Heal us up, please!
ELLIOT not-so-gently nudges NATALIE in the stomach.
ELLIOT (muttering)
Don’t be rude, Nat.
NATALIE
Oh, right. Would you be so kind as to heal us up, please?
NURSE COLLEEN laughs quietly. She doesn’t get many people from out of town coming in here, especially people this lively.
NURSE COLLEEN
Of course, ma’am. You too, sir?
ELLIOT
Yes, please.
NURSE COLLEEN takes the pokeballs of ELLIOT and NATALIE, placing them on a healing machine behind her.
NATALIE rocks back and forth on the soles of her feet, humming the iconic Pokémon healing jingle as she waits impatiently.
NURSE COLLEEN turns back around and hands the pokeballs back to NATALIE.
NURSE COLLEEN
There you are! Your Pokemon are fully healed. We hope to-
NATALIE
Yeah, thanks! Hey, got a question for you: What do you know about the Fortree gym? Be specific.
NURSE COLLEEN
The gym? Well… Winona’s the gym leader. She’s… nice. Passionate. She really likes flying types. She’s super in tune with her Pokemon. Always doing what she can to take care of them. She’s a really special kind of trainer, I think!
NATALIE
Yeah, yeah. Cool. Coooool. I was more asking if you have any uh, what would be the word? Advice? No…
ELLIOT
Secrets.
NATALIE
Yeah! Secrets! Secrets about the gym! Like, what pokemon does Winona use? Do you know who her ace is? What’s her favorite move? Any famous weaknesses?
NATALIE procures a pad of paper, preparing to take notes.
NURSE COLLEEN laughs playfully.
NURSE COLLEEN
Isn’t it against the rules for gym challengers to ask for info about the gym leaders? You two seem like very smart young adults. I’m sure you’ll be able to take on the gym without cheating.
NATALIE
It’s not cheating! It’s strategic reconnaissance! It’s information gathering!
ELLIOT
It is also cheating.
NATALIE looks at ELLIOT, shocked at his betrayal. She puts away her notepad.
NATALIE
W-Well! It doesn’t matter if we collect intel or not! Because we’re gonna go beat Winona! We’re gonna become the best trainer duo in the world!
ELLIOT nods sagely.
ELLIOT
That’s right.
NATALIE strikes a dramatic pose.
NATALIE
No gym leader will be safe from the powerful pokemon prowess of the dynamic duo, Natalie and…!
ELLIOT strikes an equally dramatic pose.
ELLIOT
Elliot!
NATALIE points at NURSE COLLEEN.
NATALIE
Now, we’re gonna go beat Winona - no thanks to you! - And get one step closer to becoming co-champions!
NURSE COLLEEN doesn’t look particularly mad about the insult - more so amused by these young trainers.
NATALIE turns away from NURSE COLLEEN, and starts heading toward the door, ELLIOT beside her.
NATALIE
Victory Road, here we come!
NATALIE and ELLIOT (chanting)
N, E! N, E! N, E! N, E!
NATALIE and ELLIOT exit.
Quiet returns to the empty Pokecenter. NURSE COLLEEN watches the trainers go.
Beat.
NURSE COLLEEN sighs, and begins scrolling on her phone again.
LIGHTS DOWN.
Scene 2
INT. POKÉCENTER - EVENING
LIGHTS UP on the Pokecenter. NURSE COLLEEN is behind the desk, idly sorting some papers.
NATALIE (offstage)
I can’t believe you did it first try! That was one heck of a battle!
NATALIE and ELLIOT enter the Pokecenter. Both seem to be in high spirits.
ELLIOT
Thanks. It was… tough. I wouldn’t have won without Manectric.
NATALIE sighs.
NATALIE
Yeah, you’re telling me. Not having a type advantage there was rough. I probably shouldn’t have led with Roselia, huh?
ELLIOT
No, you shouldn’t have.
ELLIOT and NATALIE walk up to the desk, and hand their pokeballs over to NURSE COLLEEN. They continue talking while they wait for the healing to finish.
ELLIOT
You gave her a free K.O. at the start of the round. You should’ve kept Roselia as a last ditch effort.
NATALIE
Yeah… But I just like Roselia too much! She’s so sweet! How can I resist putting her in the fight when she wants to scrap?!
ELLIOT
You must find a way.
NURSE COLLEEN finishes healing their Pokemon and returns them to the trainers.
NURSE COLLEEN
I take it you two are back from challenging the gym? How did it go?
NATALIE
Really good! I lost, but El won!
NURSE COLLEEN gives the enthusiastic young girl a once-over, surprised by her energy.
NURSE COLLEEN (playfully)
You don’t seem very torn up by the loss.
NATALIE
Nope! Why would I be? We’ll just go challenge the gym again! I’ve lost to gyms… what? Five times so far on our journey? Was it four or five, El?
ELLIOT
It was five.
NATALIE
Yeah, five! I’ve lost five times when challenging gyms so far! Elliot’s lost six times!
ELLIOT nods.
ELLIOT
Norman’s Slaking is… scary. Took 3 tries.
NATALIE poses and gestures in a grandiose manner as she speaks.
NATALIE
The beautiful thing about the gym challenge, O wonderful nurse, is that it doesn’t matter how many tries it takes. It doesn’t matter how much you fall down. As long as you get back up again, you’re unstoppable! Nothing can stand in our way as long as we’ve got the strength to see it through! We’re indomitable!
ELLIOT nods in agreement.
ELLIOT
Losing doesn’t mean anything. As long as you win. Eventually.
NATALIE
Exactly! Which is what I’m gonna do! And I’ve got a certified Fortree gym veteran here to help out!
NATALIE playfully pokes ELLIOT.
NURSE COLLEEN
You’re… really putin’ a lot of faith in your friend, there. You two have got a lot of trust in each other, huh?
NATALIE and ELLIOT (simultaneously)
Of course we do!
NATALIE
Now, thank you for the healing, ma’am, but you’ll have to excuse us. We’ve got Pokémon to train, strategies to plan, and a gym to conquer! Let’s go!
NATALIE and ELLIOT (chanting)
N, E! N, E! N, E! N, E!
NATALIE and ELLIOT exit.
NURSE COLLEEN watches them go, staring at the door after they leave.
Beat.
LIGHTS DOWN.
Scene 3
INT. POKÉCENTER - NOON
LIGHTS UP on the Pokecenter. NURSE COLLEEN is trying to repair the PC in the corner, the screen of which is off. She looks unsuccessful and frustrated.
NURSE COLLEEN (muttering)
Damn thing…!
She throws her hands in the air, giving up.
ELLIOT (offstage)
I told you, it doesn’t matter how good Grovyle is at dodging. One aerial ace and it’s over for him.
Enter NATALIE and ELLIOT.
NATALIE
Yeah, but like, ALL of her Pokemon know aerial ace! It’s not fair!
ELLIOT nods.
ELLIOT
Yes, that’s the problem. You need to keep Grovyle and Roselia benched as much as possible. Those type matchups suck for you.
ELLIOT sits down in a comfortable chair as NATALIE approaches the front desk with her pokeballs, ready for healing.
NURSE COLLEEN isn’t behind the desk, still fiddling with the PC.
NATALIE turns toward ELLIOT as she continues talking, holding her hand out in front of the desk, expecting the nurse to be there to take her Pokeball.
NATALIE
I know, I know! I just thought that Tropius was one hit away from a KO! And I know that Grovyle can outspeed pretty much anybody when it comes to a single hit, so I thought, hey maybe I could take out Tropius… Grrahhh! That thing was so beefy! It took hit after hit! If only I…
NATALIE finally notices the lack of anyone taking her Pokeball. She looks around in confusion.
NATALIE
…Nurse? Hello?
NURSE COLLEEN steps out of the corner, waving a hand.
NURSE COLLEEN
Oh, over here!
NURSE COLLEEN vaults over the counter and takes NATALIES Pokéballs from her. She goes about healing the Pokemon. She talks over her shoulder as she works.
NURSE COLLEEN
Welcome back you two. So, how did the retry go?
NATALIE
Better! I still lost, but I did waaay better!
NURSE COLLEEN
Good to hear the losses aren’t keeping you down. How many of her Pokemon did you get through?
NATALIE
I got through four of ‘em!
ELLIOT coughs. NATALIE glares at him.
NATALIE
Fine. Three of them. I KO’d three. But! I forced her to switch out Pelipper because it got poisoned! So I count that as half a knockout. 3.5 KO’s, in my eyes.
ELLIOT
It totally doesn’t count.
NATALIE
Yes it does! It’s my gym challenge, and I get to decide what counts as a knockout!
ELLIOT
Nope. That’s the ref’s job.
NATALIE
Okay, but-
NURSE COLLEEN hands NATALIE her Pokeballs back.
NATALIE
-thanks! BUT, you have to admit that I did better that time!
NATALIE goes to sit down in the chair opposite ELLIOT. They settle down to have a seated conversation.
NURSE COLLEEN gets back to work on the PC.
ELLIOT
You did. But it could have been waaaay better.
NATALIE
Aw, c’mon man. At least butter me up with a compliment before you start getting into the nitty gritty.
ELLIOT
I did give you a compliment. I said you did better than last time.
ELLIOT pulls out his phone and begins pulling up notes and calculations.
ELLIOT
Now, we get into it.
NATALIE sighs.
ELLIOT
First of all, the big one. Your coaching still sucks.
NATALIE
I know.
ELLIOT
You don’t give your Pokémon actionable information. It’s always just, “dodge this!” “Don’t get hit!” “Shake it off!” That’s bad coaching.
NATALIE
I know.
ELLIOT
Then stop doing it. Give them instructions that help them in the current situation. Aerial ace can’t miss. You know that. So don’t bother telling them to dodge it!
NATALIE
Wh- I never told my mons to dodge an aerial ace! That’s stupid!
ELLIOT checks his notes for numbers.
ELLIOT
You told Grovyle once, Roselia twice, Spinda twice, and Torkoal a whopping five times.
NATALIE (grumbling)
Well, maybe it was just the heat of the moment.
ELLIOT
Well don’t do it. It’s undodgeable. Give them useful callouts without overwhelming them. If you know an aerial ace is coming, tell them to push through it, because it’s gonna hit no matter what they do. Analyze the situation, and tell your Pokemon what their best option is.
NATALIE
Come on, El, you know I suck at that stuff. I can’t think quickly in battles like you can. By the time I know what’s happening, they’ve already been hit. I can’t coach like you can. It doesn’t come naturally.
ELLIOT
That’s why we’re gonna work on it. We’re gonna train tomorrow, you’re gonna learn how to coach, and then the day after that, you’re gonna beat the gym. Easy.
NATALIE
Coaching? From the great and mighty conqueror of the 6th gym? For free? Consider me honored!
ELLIOT
Yeah, yeah. Listen; do you want to take down this gym or not?
NATALIE
Heck yeah I do! Let’s do it to it!
ELLIOT and NATALIE high-five.
NATALIE
Two days, Winona. Two days ‘til I take that stupid badge from you.
ELLIOT and NATALIE exit.
NURSE COLLEEN continues tinkering with the PC. She electrocutes herself.
NURSE COLLEEN
Gah! Damnit, I hate this stupid thing!
She punches the PC.
The PC screen lights up again, fully working.
Beat.
LIGHTS DOWN.
Scene 4
INT. POKÉCENTER - NOON
NURSE COLLEEN is sitting behind the desk again, boredly reading a gossip magazine.
Enter NATALIE and ELLIOT. For the first time, they don’t speak while entering.
NATALIE is much less exuberant than before. She’s not defeated yet, but the weight of her losses is starting to push down on her.
NATALIE approaches the desk, holding out her Pokeball for NURSE COLLEEN to take.
ELLIOT sits down, takes out his phone, and begins making calculations.
NATALIE
Another heal, please.
NURSE COLLEEN gets startled and puts the newspaper down.
NURSE COLLEEN
Oh, hey! You two are back again! Didn’t hear you come in!
NURSE COLLEEN takes NATALIE’s Pokeballs and begins healing.
NURSE COLLEEN
So! Attempt number… three, right? How’d it go? Did’ja win?
NATALIE sighs and leans against the counter.
NATALIE
Nope. Not yet. Gotta try again.
NURSE COLLEEN notices NATALIE’S dour attitude and frowns slightly.
NURSE COLLEEN
Well, you’ll get it eventually, right? You said it yourself the other day. Just gotta keep trying until you get it right. Doesn’t matter how long it takes to win, as long as you win!
NURSE COLLEEN hands the Pokeballs back to NATALIE.
NATALIE
Yeah, but…
ELLIOT doesn’t look up from his phone as he talks.
ELLIOT
We’ve never lost three times in a row before. She’s worried it’s a new low, and she’s not sure if she can do it. She can, by the way.
NATALIE
Hey! Don’t go spilling all my secrets to some random nurse we don’t know!
NATALIE (to NURSE COLLEEN)
No offense.
NURSE COLLEEN
None taken!
NATALIE
But, no, that’s… not really it.
NATALIE sits down in front of ELLIOT.
NATALIE
Do you know what day it is?
ELLIOT
Of course I do. You know I do: I’m the planning guy. It’s August 1st.
NATALIE
Yeah. And you remember when the Gym Challenge ends?
ELLIOt’s posture changes. He gets more serious. He knows what NATALIE’s about to say.
ELLIOT
The end date doesn’t matter.
NATALIE
It’s August 17th, Elliot.
ELLIOT
So? That’s over two weeks away! That’s plenty of time. If you beat Winona on your next attempt - which I bet you will, by the way - we’ve got one week each for the last two gyms. That’s plenty of time! It only took us, what? Five or six days tops to get from one gym to the next. And I’m reading online, people are saying the next two routes are pretty short. We could knock them out in no time.
NATALIE shakes her head.
NATALIE
No. It’s not the last two gyms. It’s the last two gyms, AND Victory Road, AND the Elite Four, AND fighting Brendan. We have to do that in two weeks!
ELLIOT
Yeah, and? The three gyms before this, we cleared ALL THREE of those in 10 days. We can do that again, no problem. It’s just the same thing again.
NATALIE
No, it’s not! Elliot, we’ve been here four days already. If I’m struggling this much with gym number 6, what about gyms 7 and 8?
ELLIOT
We’ll train.
NATALIE (talking over)
It’s gonna be just as bad, El! Those guys are super tough. It’s gonna take me at least a few days to beat each of them, plus the couple days it takes to walk between routes. And the elite four? Who knows how many attempts that’ll take me!
ELLIOT leans forward, putting a hand on NATALIE’s shoulder.
ELLIOT
Hey, hey! Calm down! Listen, listen. You’ll make the deadline. Trust me. You’re not getting ‘outclassed’ by the gyms, okay? This is just a tough gym for you. The matchups are bad. This has nothing to do with your skill as a trainer. We’ll beat this, then we’ll beat the next two gyms, then we’ll become champs, yeah? That’s still your dream, right? For us to become champions together?
NATALIE
Y-yeah…
ELLIOT
Then let’s do it!
NATALIE
Y- yeah!
ELLIOT
You’re gonna beat the gym tomorrow!
NATALIE
Yeah!
ELLIOT
And then we’re gonna beat the whole thing!
NATALIE
YEAH! I’ve got this!
ELLIOT
Damn right you do! Let’s do this!
NATALIE and ELLIOT (chanting)
N, E! N, E! N, E! N, E!
NATALIE and ELLIOT exit.
NURSE COLLEEN watches them exit, whistles, then gets back to her trashy magazine.
LIGHTS DOWN.
Scene 5
What follows is a rapid series of ELLIOT and NATALIE entering and exiting the Pokecenter multiple times to give the impression that they are returning to the Pokecenter many times in the same day. Indicating that these are different trips could be done through lighting changes, blackouts, or any other way that properly conveys the passage of time.
In these rapid-fire trips, NURSE COLLEEN remains at the desk, checking her phone when the trainers aren’t pestering her. NATALIE always hands her Pokeball over to get healing first thing when she enters.
LIGHTS UP on the Pokecenter and NURSE COLLEEN.
Enter ELLIOT and NATALIE.
ELLIOT
That one was worse.
NATALIE
Yeah, yeah, I know.
ELLIOT
You got stuck in your own head too much.
NATALIE sighs.
NATALIE
Yup.
ELLIOT
You were thinking about aerial ace the whole time.
They begin to head towards the exit.
NATALIE
Of course I was! It’s a freaking scary move! My Pokemon can’t dodge it, and it's super effective against like half of ‘em!
ELLIOT
If there’s nothing you can do to stop it, then don’t worry about it. Worry about the things you can stop.
NATALIE
I don’t think that’s as deep as you think it is.
ELLIOT and NATALIE exit.
ELLIOT and NATALIE reenter.
NATALIE
Okay. You have to admit it. That one was totally better!
ELLIOT
Better than the last one, yeah. But not your best attempt. That would be number 2.
NATALIE
Harsh, but fair. But, did you see the way Torkoal rolled that Tropius? That was the best hit he’s ever landed!
ELLIOT nods.
ELLIOT
That was the highlight, yes. But it wasn’t enough. That Skarmory is tough for your team.
NATALIE
Yup! But she’ll fall today. Eventually. Just gotta get the timing right. Okay! Time for attempt 6!
ELLIOT and NATALIE exit.
ELLIOT and NATALIE reenter.
NATALIE is fuming mad. ELLIOT seems smug.
NATALIE
Not a word from you.
ELLIOT
I don’t need to say a word. You know what I’m gonna say.
NATALIE
No I don’t, actually. I have no possible idea what you could say. Please, enlighten me as to what subtle mistake I made that I’m totally not aware of!
ELLIOT
You told Grovyle to use Grass Knot.
NATALIE
YES I KNOW I TOLD GROVYLE TO USE GRASS KNOT!
ELLIOT
He doesn’t know Grass Knot.
NATALIE
I am. Aware of that now.
ELLIOT
None of your Pokémon have Grass Knot.
NATALIE
Yes.
ELLIOT
None of Winona’s mons have Grass Knot either.
NATALIE
This is a known fact, yes.
ELLIOT
None of our Pokémon, nor ANY of the Pokémon we’ve EVER fought have EVER had Grass Knot.
NATALIE
YES! Yes, I know!
ELLIOT
Clearly, you didn’t know that during attempt number 6.
NATALIE
You are - and I mean this with every ounce of my being - the worst.
ELLIOT and NATALIE exit.
ELLIOT and NATALIE reenter.
NATALIE has a new spring in her step.
NATALIE
Four mons down, baby!
NURSE COLLEEN perks up.
NURSE COLLEEN
So did you do it? Did you win?
NATALIE
Nope!
NATALIE performs a goofy dance in time with her words.
NATALIE
But! I! Got! Her! To her very last! Pokémon!!!
NATALIE
The ace in the hole reveals itself to me! Altaria! The cloud dragon of the skies! Winona’s last line of defense! The only thing standing between me and badge number six!
ELLIOT
Well, not anymore. You have to fight through her whole team again. So there’s five things standing between you and the badge. Altaria is just the last of those five.
NATALIE glares at ELLIOT.
NATALIE
You suck at inspirational speeches.
ELLIOT
I wasn’t trying to be inspirational. I was trying to be realistic.
NATALIE
Well you and your stupid “realism” can come watch me take out that Altaria once and for all! The final attempt awaits!
ELLIOT and NATALIE exit.
ELLIOT and NATALIE reenter.
NURSE COLLEEN
So… Not the final attempt just yet, huh?
NATALIE
Oh, please no. I can’t have you getting snarky on me too. It’s already too much when this loser does it.
NATALIE points a thumb at ELLIOT.
ELLIOT
But you love it when I’m snarky.
NATALIE
Listen, I’ve just lost eight times in a row. I need a little less snark and a little more actionable advice.
ELLIOT
I’m just gonna tell you the same thing I did before. You give bad callouts. Half of the stuff you say to your Pokémon is useless or just makes them more confused. You need to pay attention to the battle, and give them orders that make sense, based on what the enemy’s doing.
NATALIE
And I told you, I’m not good at that! I don’t have the battle sense that you have!
ELLIOT
It’s a skill. You can get it if you practice enough.
ELLIOT checks his watch.
ELLIOT
But… It’s getting pretty late. We probably don’t have enough time for another attempt today.
NATALIE
A full day, wasted.
ELLIOT
Not wasted. You were improving with every battle. It was good training. You should have all the skills you need to fight her tomorrow, and win.
NATALIE sighs.
NATALIE
And what if I don’t win tomorrow?
ELLIOT
You’ll win tomorrow.
NATALIE
You don’t know that, Elliot! You just saw me lose eight times against the same person! Over and over and OVER again! If I can’t win ONCE in all those tries, what in the world would make tomorrow any different?
ELLIOT pauses. He stops to process what NATALIE is saying.
NURSE COLLEEN is pretending to be on her phone while she eavesdrops on the trainers.
ELLIOT
So, what? You’re giving up? After everything you’ve done to get here, all the battles fought, all the gyms… you just wanna turn around because you couldn’t get it right in a couple of days? You want to quit?
NATALIE
No, I don’t want to quit! I- I- Of course I don’t want to stop taking on the gyms with you! This has been… the best month of my life. Exploring together, training together, taking on the whole world, together… it’s what we were meant to do!
ELLIOT.
I agree.
NATALIE
But… But I just can’t…
NATALIE sighs.
NATALIE
I’m holding you back, El.
A beat, as ELLIOT realizes what’s really been bothering NATALIE. He responds quickly.
ELLIOT
No you’re not.
NATALIE
Yes, I am!
ELLIOT (overlapping)
No you’re not!
NATALIE
I am! You’re a better trainer than me and we both know it! You’d have beaten the next gym by now if it wasn’t for me! You’d beat the champion with time to spare if I was never here!
ELLIOT
That’s not true. That’s not true! I’d never have even gotten here without you!
NATALIE (overlapping)
Yes, you would have! You would’ve been fine without me, El! You’re better at this than me! You- you know the matchups, you know how to train your team, you know how to order them around… you- you’re better!
ELLIOT
No, I’m not!
NATALIE (overlapping)
And that’s okay! It’s okay you’re better than me! I don’t care! I never cared about being the best trainer! I just cared about being a trainer with you!
ELLIOT
And we can still do that! The gym’s open for 8 hours tomorrow. That’s plenty of time for you to get the badge!
NATALIE scoffs.
NATALIE
Come on, Elliot! My Pokemon are exhausted. I’m exhausted. We’ve all been pushed to the limit. And we can’t go any further. I’ve hit a wall! This is as far as my trainer journey goes. This gym is just… beyond my skill. I know it. And you know it too, deep down in that big ol heart of yours.
ELLIOT
That’s wrong. Listen, Nat, as long as you keep trying-
NATALIE
I can’t keep trying, El! Not without you missing the cutoff date! It takes me, what? Five days to beat this gym? Then five to beat the next. And five for the one after that. If you stick with me, you’ll never make it to the elite 4! I- I’m too slow! I’m not good enough!
ELLIOT
C-C’mon, don’t say that about yourself.
NATALIE
It’s true and you know it, El! I was never cut out for this trainer stuff like you were! You are so good out there. Every time I watch you battle, every time you talk to your team, it’s like- like art! You can be the champ! I just know you can!
ELLIOT
Not without you.
NATALIE
Yes, without me! Listen, I’ve made up my mind. That was my last attempt.
ELLIOT
No.
NATALIE
You gotta keep going. I’m staying here in Fortree City. I think it’s about time I stopped slowing you down.
ELLIOT
No. No! If you’re staying here, then so am I. Screw the gym challenge! I’m not leaving you behind!
ELLIOT begins to tear up. So does NATALIE.
NATALIE
You have to, El.
ELLIOT
I won’t! I won’t leave you for some stupid Pokémon battle!
NATALIE
Do you remember what you said to me the night we left Littleroot?
ELLIOT
Please don’t do this, Nat.
NATALIE
Do you remember what you said?!
ELLIOT
Of course I do!
NATALIE
Then say it again! Because I know it’s still true!
ELLIOT
My- my dream is to become Hoenn’s greatest Pokémon trainer.
ELLIOT and NATALIE (together)
No matter what.
NATALIE
You can’t abandon your dream, El.
ELLIOT
I can’t abandon you!
NATALIE
You’re not abandoning me! This is just… where my journey ends. That’s okay. I’ve made peace with that. I tried as hard as I could, and this is the farthest I could get. But you… You can still go so much farther, dude! You have so much left to do! You can’t let all that slip away just because you feel bad for me!
ELLIOT
I do feel bad for you.
NATALIE
Well, don’t! I’ve had so much fun hanging out with you on this journey, and it’s a miracle I was able to make it this far. I’m so lucky I got to do this with you. Now, you’ve got to finish the rest of this on your own.
Everyone is silent for a moment.
ELLIOT takes a deep breath.
ELLIOT
Do you really think I can become the champion?
NATALIE
I KNOW you can become the champion!
ELLIOT
Hmm. And nothing I say will convince you to keep trying the gym?
NATALIE
That’s right. ‘Cause it’s just going to slow you down.
ELLIOT
Hmm.
ELLIOT
You know I’m scared of being on my own, right?
NATALIE
Of course I know. You almost threw up when you had to go buy Pokéballs without me.
ELLIOT
I’m gonna be scared, Nat.
NATALIE
I know.
ELLIOT
It’s gonna suck.
NATALIE
Parts of it will, yeah.
ELLIOT
I might not win.
NATALIE
Maybe. There’s a chance you’ll lose. A small one. But, until you lose as many times in a row as moi, you’re not allowed to complain!
ELLIOT chuckles sadly.
ELLIOT
Heh. Okay. Will you at least come watch my fight against the champ?
NATALIE
Wouldn’t miss it for the world.
ELLIOT starts gathering his things.
ELLIOT
I should probably leave right now, huh?
NATALIE
Ideally.
ELLIOT
Okay.
ELLIOT grabs his bag and stands up straight, ready to head through the front door.
ELLIOT
And you know that I’m going to miss you every step of the way, yeah?
NATALIE
Yeah. I know.
ELLIOT
N and E forever?
NATALIE
N and E forever.
They hug, holding each other for a long time.
When they step away, ELLIOT and NATALIE stare at each other. It might be weeks before they can talk again.
NATALIE
Good luck out there, champ.
ELLIOT exits.
NATALIE sighs, gathering her thoughts. She casts a sweeping gaze across the Pokécenter, and is startled by NURSE COLLEEN, sniffling and wiping her eyes with a tissue.
NURSE COLLEEN
Sorry, I- I’m sorry I was listening, I just- That was so… beautiful. You’re a really good friend, kid. He’s lucky to have you. And you’re lucky to have him.
NATALIE
Th-thanks, ma’am.
NATALIE sits in the chair, thinking deeply about what to do next.
Eventually, she sighs, and rises from the chair.
NATALIE
Welp, I better go figure out what I’m doing next. Need something to do while I wait for El to become champ.
NURSE COLLEEN
Sounds like a plan, kid. You thinking of staying in Fortree City for a bit?
NATALIE
Gosh, no. If I get my way, I’ll never step foot in this stupid city ever again. Maybe I’ll try out Pokémon Contests. Those look like they could be fun.
NURSE COLLEEN laughs.
NURSE COLLEEN
Fair enough. Well, even if I never see you again, know that I’m rooting for ya, kid. You and that nerd. Hey, speaking of, do you really think he’s gonna be the next champion?
NATALIE smiles.
NATALIE
Oh, yeah. I know he will. Nothing’s gonna stop Elliot from accomplishing his dream. And now I’ve just gotta find mine.
NATALIE exits.
NURSE COLLEEN watches her leave.
She’s quiet for a moment, reflecting on the parting of close friends she witnessed.
Eventually, she sighs.
NURSE COLLEEN
What a day.
NURSE COLLEEN begins scrolling through her phone again.
LIGHTS DOWN.
END