Author's note:

We didn't quite hit the target of feedback that I wanted for the new story. But I'll still give you guys the double release all the same. Largely thanks to everyone listed below.

In SH:

@Ploptian, thank you for making the effort. I had a little chuckle at least.

In RR:

Massive thanks to @Bigwave99

Thank you to @DaoSeeker and @Spuddzy as well.

And naturally, all the MVPs are over in Patreon.

@Jonas gave a very detailed breakdown of my first chapter which I am REALLY appreciative of. Frankly, that's where the largest bulk of my contemplations are from.

Not sure what their username is in the other sites, but you guys owe him big time. Because I actually wasn't going to do the double release until I saw their comment.

Big thanks to @t3chn0fr34q as well. A long time supporter and harsh critic as ever. But in a good way.

Also, another massive thanks to @bob bobson for all their suggestions.

And thank you to @Aleo_Art as well.

****

“Po-po!”

“Shinx!”

Nina giggled as the two Pokemon clambered for a spot on her lap to look out the window at the passing scenery. “Alright, you two, I don’t have enough space for both of you at once.” She said as she lifted Poppy into her embrace and continued to let Lynxie stand on her lap.

Nina and Kerry were now on a bus to Indigo Village. The final rounds of the delayed Indigo Conference were in full force so there were plenty of tourists commuting back and forth from Viridian City to the Village to save up on accommodation. So they decided to tag along with the crowd and spare themselves the walk through the muddied roads.

“Shinx! Shinx!” Seeing that Poppy got to be held, Lynxie became jealous and started begging for uppies as well, leading to a very distraught Nina, since her seat was too cramped to hold both of them at the same time. Not to mention, Lynxie had gained a lot of weight recently, thanks in large part to Nina always feeding him behind Kerry’s back.

“Hmph!”

Nina turned to look at the pouting Kerry who was cuddling her Happiny in her arms. “Must be nice to be so popular.” The girl whined.

Nina chuckled and gave her friend’s hand a little squeeze. “C’mon Kerr, I did ask if you wanted the window seat. We can swap right now if you want?” Trying to manage the two energetic Pokemon was frankly, quite the tiring endeavour.

However, the sulky nurse apprentice just turned her nose up at her. “Nope. No need, you can continue to have fun with the cuties. I’m perfectly fine with just Peppy. Isn’t that right Peppy?” The young Joy nuzzled her face against her Happiny, eliciting giggles from the Pokemon.

“C’mon, cheer up — Lynxie loves you. If anything, I’m just like the cool aunt. Doesn’t change the fact that you’re his mommy.” Nina then gestured out the window to distract Kerry. “Look, that’s the entrance to Victory Road! I’m surprised there’s still so many people waiting to get in.”

Unlike how it was in the past, a trainer no longer needed to go through Victory Road to reach the Indigo Plateau anymore. But the novelty of going through the trials still remained.

However, with the unification of Kanto and Johto, the number of conference participants have burgeoned. So these days, one needed to get a number and queue up to have the privilege of entering caverns.

Nina sighed in lament. To think that the Victory Road of her childhood had been reduced to a mere tourist attraction.

There was still value in the caverns of course, since the route was sealed off most of the year during the off season. So there were still tons of Pokemon to be found, just like in the games. Just that the Pokemon contained within were well used to the encroachment of nosy humans and knew when and where to hide away to avoid the crowds. So in that sense, the Pokemon that one would find inside wouldn’t be all that impressive.

Then there was also the battle aspect. The pilgrims of Victory Road were essentially all participants in a battle royale, free to challenge anyone they see and battle anytime they want. But Nina couldn’t be bothered. There were other avenues to seek battles. No need to go through the hassle of waiting in line. Not to mention, most of the people that sought to enter Victory Road these days were naive young firecrackers.

“I wonder if Moltres is in there somewhere?” Nina shook her head. “Nah, I doubt it. No way one of the Legendary Disaster Birds would choose such a busy spot as their nest.” 

From what Nina recalled from Misty, the Disaster Birds earned that moniker for a reason. So in that sense, the depiction in the movie was actually more accurate than their in-game lore. No way the Indigo League would allow such a calamity to roost beneath their feet.

***

Nina flashed her Pokedex, using her Gym Trainer clout to gain access to Victory Stadium’s private seating. This was a closed space reserved for VIPs, so that they might watch the Conference matches away from the rabble. There was even a complete buffet in the lounge area for the guests’ comfort.

Kerry looked around in intrigue. This was actually the first time that the Nurse Apprentice had come to the Conference for reasons unrelated to work. And to think that she got to indulge in such a luxurious space as well.

“Misty! Uncle Ali!” Nina called as she launched herself into her uncle’s embrace and allowed the man to spin her around.

“Shouldn’t you call me Aunt Misty now?” said the Gym Leader, who was wearing a casual pair of slacks and blouse to match her husband.

The girl blew out her tongue and made a face at her aunt, who was also her boss. “Eww… Never. That just sounds… wrong.”

Misty twitched and reached out to squish Nina’s cheeks. “You cheeky little… Where’s my Nina and what have you done to her?! You used to be so adorable when you were younger.”

To the side, Ali laughed and gave a gentlemanly bow towards Kerry. “Hello there, I don’t believe we’ve met — Alias Jones, at your service. I heard about what you did for Nina in Celadon City after that whole fiasco. I don’t think there’s enough words in the world to express how grateful I am to you.”

The man then clasped the young girl’s hands and gave her a misty eyed look. “Truly, thank you for saving my niece’s life.”

Kerry fervently shook her head, feeling flustered at the man’s emotional appeal. “N-no, not at all. I just did what was right. Nina’s my best friend and I would hate to lose her too.” The girl averted her gaze. “Besides, she probably would have been better off being taken to a hospital right away. If anything, I wish I could have done more at the time.”

Ali smiled and gave the young nurse a little pat on her shoulders. “No need to be modest. You did what you could and that’s all that matters.” He then gestured towards the buffet with a radiant smile to help lighten the mood. “Come, let’s get your girls some snacks and we can go watch the match together. You’re here to support one of your classmates right?”

***

Nina released all her Pokemon in their private box and sat down with Poppy and Gastly in her arms. 

Both Nitey and Espy had been to the conference before. But for everyone else, it was their first time and Nina wanted them to have a good experience. Brucey in particular, was super excited at the sight of so many people crowding the audience stands. So Nina made sure to tell Espy to keep an extra close eye on the mischievous Golbat to prevent him from Flying off on his own.

“So, this friend of yours, he any good?” Misty asked as she joined Nina by her side. Before them, the audience broke out into rapturous applause as Justin stepped into his side of the arena, with a confident grin and boisterous waves at the crowd.

Nina hummed. “He has good instincts, and is quick to learn. Can be impatient a lot of the time, but at least he listens. Other than that… He’s very lucky, I guess?”

Misty laughed. “Lucky’s good. Luck can carry you very far in life.”

Justin’s opponent was Lucy, his childhood friend. They were both competing for a spot in the top eight. Which meant that for one of them, their Conference run would end here. It was quite unfortunate, Nina had hoped that the two protagonist characters would meet in the finals in a truly anime moment. But then again, Ash did screw up his first Conference as well.

A round of trash talking ensued, until the referee blew his whistle and got the two kids back in line. Then with a wave of his hand, the two trainers threw out their first Pokeballs to reveal a Noibat on Justin’s side and a Magneton from Lucy.

Nina laughed. “Those two copycats…” 

There was no doubt that the pair was trying to emulate Nina’s battle style, having experienced first hand how frustrating her harassment tactics were. Starting off with harassments wasn’t just to wear out as much of your opponent’s team as possible, but also to annoy the other trainer and completely throw them off their game, making them more prone to mistakes later on.

Justin and Lucy looked incredulously at their Pokemon before exchanging an annoyed glare with the other person. Ultimately opting to switch out simultaneously, much to the displeasure of the audience as they jeered at the two trainers.

An endless swapping contest between two Pokemon Trainers was always boring to watch. Which was why the League only allowed for a maximum of six swaps in a Conference match — enough for each member of a team to be cycled, but not so much as to impede the match itself.

The next two Pokemon to be summoned though, were much more exciting. Justin had opted for his Scyther, while Lucy sent out her Pidgeot.

“Oh my! It seems we’ve got a match between two Flying Types, folks! Will Scyther be able to catch up to Pidgeot in the air or will Pidgeot be cut down by Scyther’s deadly blades?! Let’s find out! If none of the contestants Abra on us again that is.”

That last little jab earned the announcer laughs from the audience and angry frowns from the two Pokemon trainers.

Scyther emerged in what could only be described as a Jojo pose; legs fully extended and crossed, his scythe blades raised behind his head and crossing as well. Overall, forming a sort of helical shape.

Nina and Lucy both groaned at the sight of the Flying Bug Type. Though the audience loved the dynamic entrance enough to begin chanting Scyther’s name.

“I’m sorry Lucy, I really am.” This was a monster of Nina’s own making. Though if Justin had succeeded then it would mean that Scyther started off with a Swords Dance buff right off the bat. A fact that was soon verified by the mantis Pokemon transitioning to another dynamic pose, his scythe blades gleaming all the while and taking on a deadly sheen.

Lucy frowned. “Take the skies!”

Pidgeot flew, conjuring a Hurricane in her wake. Meanwhile, Scyther focused on powering up, his green carapace emitting a burning aura from Focus Energy. And with each pose he struck, Scyther’s silhouette became blurrier and blurrier from a Double Team and Agility combo. Until finally, the mantis Pokemon just disappeared, having launched himself into the air with a Quick Attack so fast it bordered on Extreme Speed.

The Hurricane exploded, scattering into a breezy gale from Scyther’s Slash as Pidgeot screeched in pain and plummeted to the ground, a nasty gash plastered all across her feathery frame.

“Impressive.” Misty chimed. “If I had to guess, your friend’s Scyther probably combined Wing Attack, Air Slash and either X-Scissors or Close Combat in the form of a condensed Slash to achieve that overpowering effect — even a high level move like Hurricane was ripped to shreds just like that. Are you sure he’s not from a Legacy Family?”

Nina nodded. Justin had always been a quick learner, but to think that he reached such levels of skill in just a year since Nina saw him. “Man, these protagonist types sure are cheats alright.” 

She had always wondered how newcomers like Red managed to become so powerful in such a short amount of time. It just seemed unrealistic to her. But now that it was happening right in front of her, the girl had no choice but to acknowledge that the world was just unfair like that.

The audience cheered at the overwhelming knockout while Lucy scowled and returned her fainted Pidgeot.

Justin let out a haughty smirk and taunted his friend, but Lucy was too riled up to respond. Instead, she expanded her Pokeball and released her next pick — a Manectric.

Nina leaned forwards, fully locked in on the match before her. “Now then, let’s see if Lucy managed to fix her Manectric’s shortcomings…”

***

Author's Note:

Next chapter is actually a double length chapter because I didn't want to spend too much time on this little diversion.