"Which Pokémon is this? It looks sooo cute!" Lisia said, pointing her Pokédex toward the orange creature in front of them.
The Pokémon looked like a small rodent standing on all fours, its fur almost entirely orange except for its cream-colored face and tiny paws that sparked faintly with static.
"Pawmi, Male. NexusDex Number 921 — Electric Mouse Pokémon"
"It's like a fluffier version of Pikachu—just orange!" Lisia said with a wide smile.
Orin, however, wasn't focused on the Pokémon. His attention was locked on its trainer instead.
After learning that Yellow was in the same year as him, he had already started wondering if other main characters—or rivals—from the games might also be attending Nexus Academy.
He had been thinking about that a lot lately. While he still didn't know exactly how the Nexus Ranking System worked, he was certain it couldn't be purely academic. His Big Sis had mentioned both strength and yearly rankings, and that all but confirmed it—Pokémon battles were definitely part of the equation. Possibly the biggest part.
That led him to one thought: competition.
If his goal was to be in the top three this year, he needed to know what he was up against.
He had run through several names in his head before. Some, like Red and Blue, he could safely eliminate—they were already older and famous on the net. But others? Like some of the protagonists from later regions? They could easily be within his batch.
And that was worrying.
Each of those protagonists—every "MC" from the games—eventually became a regional champion. Even Ash, goofy as he was, would grow to become one of the strongest trainers in the world.
Of course, as a first-year, Orin doubted Ash could outmatch him yet. He had enough confidence in himself for that, at least.
But still… meeting Victor—and hearing he had a twin sister named Gloria—had changed things.
If two main characters from the Galar region were already here, then there was a real possibility he would be surrounded by several of these main characters from across the multiregional world of Pokémon.
It was an exciting thought—
—but also a little terrifying.
If that was true, this year was going to be far more intense than he had imagined.
Still, the girl standing before him worried him more than any of the other trainers.
She had tanned skin and sleek black hair tied in a ponytail, with striking green bangs falling over her forehead. Her eyes were a vivid orange, sharp yet warm, and her lean build hinted at an athletic body. She wore a white school uniform shirt paired with orange shorts, black stockings, and a distinct arm brace on her right arm.
And draped over her shirt was a red jacket with golden sleeves—the unmistakable emblem of Valor House emblazoned on the back.
She looked exactly like the girl he knew from the games.
Nemona.
And that was exactly why Orin felt uneasy.
In the games, she had completely shocked players by revealing she was already a Champion-ranked trainer before the main story even began.
Now, seeing her here—clearly a first-year like him—he couldn't help but wonder just how strong she really was.
Of course, he didn't truly believe she was Champion-level already. Not if she had just received her Pokémon today like everyone else.
But there were ways someone could have prior experience. The only strict rule of the Pokémon League was that everyone had to be at least fifteen years old to officially own a Pokémon. Orin himself was technically breaking that law—at least until tomorrow, when he would finally turn fifteen.
So maybe Nemona had gotten her Pokémon early, too. Or maybe she was older than she looked. Anything was possible.
His mind spun with possibilities, almost treating her like a hidden boss fight waiting to happen.
By the time he snapped out of his thoughts, Nemona had just finished thanking the bug trainer she had battled and was now walking toward them—toward him.
"Thank you again for your earlier compliment," she said warmly, her voice smooth but carrying a faint Spanish lilt. "I'm Nemona, and this here is my partner, Pawmi."
"Pawmi!" The little orange Pokémon raised a paw as if waving hello, sparks flickering adorably from its cheeks.
Orin caught himself noticing her accent again—soft but distinct. Definitely Spanish, maybe because she was from Paldea?
Before he could even respond, Lisia had already jumped ahead with her sunshine energy.
"Hi! I'm Lisia, and this is my partner Pokémon, Ali!" she said, stepping forward and shaking Nemona's hand eagerly. "And this is Victor, his partner Sobble—he's invisible right now, but I promise he's there! And this is my very good friend Orin, who was just about to show us his partner Pokémon before we got distracted by that amazing Thunder Shock!"
Nemona blinked, a little surprised by the rapid-fire introduction.
Lisia, unfazed, leaned down toward Pawmi with sparkling eyes. "Also, your Pawmi is sooo cute! That Thunder Shock was so beautiful, too! I just wanna hug it!"
"Pawmi!" the little Pokémon squeaked proudly, puffing its fur.
Orin and Victor looked at each other matching wry smiles as Lisia had given them zero chance to speak.
"O–okay, thanks!" Nemona said, momentarily taken aback by Lisia's burst of energy. Then her grin returned in full force. "Hey, so you're all first-years like me, right? You must be here to become Pokémon Trainers too!"
She twirled her Poké Ball on her finger before pointing it forward, eyes gleaming. "And you know what they say—when two Trainers lock eyes, they have to battle! So—¡vamos!—what do you say we have a battle right here, right now!"
She struck a confident pose, her right arm—braced and wrapped in that strange band—extending the Poké Ball dramatically towards Orin.
Orin broke into a nervous sweat. Why do both Nemona and Lisia have so much energy?
It was like he was seeing Duplica in different disguises right now.
"Oh! I know that line!" Lisia said with a bright smile. "It's from that old Pokémon cowboy movie, right?"
Nemona's eyes sparkled. "¡Sí! I love that movie—and the philosophy behind it! Just lock eyes with someone and let your Pokémon do the talking. So—you accept my challenge then?"
"Eh—no, sorry," Lisia said, placing a hand over her heart with genuine sincerity. "I didn't come to Nexus to become a Trainer. I believe there's more to Pokémon than just battles."
Nemona blinked, then smiled and gave her a respectful wink. "Alright, I don't agree with you—but I respect that."
Her gaze shifted toward the boys, grin returning in full force. "What about you two, then? I wouldn't mind battling both of you—one after the other."
Victor raised his hands quickly, looking apologetic. "We just finished the Pokédex Seminar, and honestly… I've never battled before. I don't even know what moves my Sobble knows yet, so I'm afraid I'll have to pass."
"¡Ay, por favor! Don't tell me that!" Nemona groaned, half-exasperated, half-amused. "The best way to learn about your Pokémon is to battle with them! It's like swimming—you don't master it by watching, you jump right in!"
Her grin widened, eyes locking on Orin. "So… what do you say, Señor Orin? Let's have a little combate!"
"A Pokémon battle, huh?" Orin muttered, his eyes shifting toward Pawmi.
He knew Pawmi was an Electric-type. That instantly ruled out both Lisia's Swablu which was a flying type🪽and Victor's Sobble which was a water type💧—both were at a clear disadvantage against lightning⚡️.
Which meant… if anyone here could face Nemona fairly, it was him.
He was just gripping his Poké Ball, trying to decide, when two kids suddenly leapt out from the sidelines.
"Hey! No fair! We saw them first!" shouted one of them wearing a green shirt.
"Yeah! We get to battle them before you! Get in line!" the other added, glaring right at Nemona.
Nemona blinked. "¿Qué? You locked eyes with them first?" she asked, genuinely confused.
"Hey, remember us?" the green shirt boy said, pointing his Poké Ball straight at Orin. "We met right after the ceremony!"
"Yeah! And now I'll show you how cool Bug Pokémon really are!" the second one wearing a purple shirt said smugly.
"Oh—you're Bug Catcher 1 and 2!" Orin blurted, eyes widening as recognition hit. "The ones with Caterpie and Weedle!"
Both bug catchers froze.
"Y–yes we are Bug Catch—hey, wait a second!" the purple shirt boy said, face twisting in indignation. "We have real names! How could you forget them already?"
Orin winced and gave an awkward smile. "Ah… I didn't mean to say that out loud."
Nemona laughed, clapping her hands. "¡Qué divertido! You all know each other already! Perfect—then I'll be the referee. Whoever wins gets to battle me next!" she said, pointing proudly at herself.
"Deal!" said Bug Catcher 1, his grin stretching ear to ear. "Let's have a battle, Orin!"
"Ugh, then I'll battle the c–cute girl!" said Bug Catcher 2, his face red as he pointed at Lisia.
"Huh?! No way!" Lisia gasped, waving her hands. "Me and Ali don't like fighting! I don't want her fluffy, silky wings getting all ruffled from something so barbaric!" She rubbed Swablu's downy wings affectionately as the little bird chirped in agreement.
"Aw, man!" Bug Catcher 2 groaned. "I was gonna ask for her number if I won! There goes my big chance!"
Orin just stared at him, dumbfounded. He honestly couldn't decide which was more delusional—that the kid's Weedle could beat a Swablu, or that he thought Lisia would actually give him her number.
Then again… knowing Lisia, Orin thought grimly, she might actually hand it over just to 'make a new friend.'
He sighed. No, I'll have to talk to her about that later. Cute girls like her can't just go around giving their numbers to random bug catchers…
"How about I take you on, then, pal?" Victor said, stepping forward with a small grin. "What Nemona said makes sense—battling really is the best way to understand your Pokémon. A friend of mine used to say something similar all the time."
"Oh, alright," Bug Catcher 2 replied, puffing his chest. "In any case, I don't think my Bug-type Pokémon could ever lose to anyone!"
Nemona smiled, folding her arms as her bright orange eyes turned to Orin. "That just leaves you, Orin. ¿Qué dices? Do you accept this friendly match?"
Both bug catchers, Victor, and Lisia were now staring at him—waiting for his answer.
Orin hesitated for a moment. He realized it wasn't just his first battle… it would also be his partner's. This wasn't a decision he should make alone.
"Sorry," he said with a grin, lifting his Poké Ball. "I'll have to ask my partner first."
He tossed the ball into the air. "Come out, Riolu!"
A burst of red light flashed—and an energetic blue canine Pokémon landed lightly on the field, eyes sharp and alert.
For a brief moment, Orin had worried that he might have interrupted Riolu's rest—but it didn't look tired at all. If anything, Riolu was practically vibrating with energy.
"Oh, a Riolu!" Victor said, holding up his Pokédex.
"Riolu, Female. NexusDex Number 447 — The Emanation Pokémon."
"Wow, she looks so huggable!" Lisia squealed with a smile.
Orin blinked. Wait, Riolu is a—female? That was news to him.
Before he could say anything, Riolu stepped forward, her red eyes faintly glowing.
"Rio!"
She extended her small paw toward him.
"Oh… you mean you want to battle?" Orin asked, surprised. He could feel it—a pulse of excitement, a surge of pure fighting spirit radiating from her gaze.
"Riolu!" She nodded firmly, punching her paw forward again, determination blazing in her eyes.
Orin couldn't help but grin. She already understood what I wanted to ask?
Did that mean she could hear everything he had said while inside her Poké Ball?
"Hehe, looks like Riolu here's just as eager for a fight," Nemona said, laughing as Pawmi's fur bristled with anticipation beside her. "You can't back down now, Orin."
"Alright then," Orin said, raising his fist with a confident smile. "If you want a battle, Riolu… then let's give it our best shot!"
"Rio!" Riolu cried, bumping her paw against his fist—For a brief moment, trainer and Pokémon met each other's red eyes.
It was clear, without a single word, that they were thinking the same thing—
they couldn't wait to have their first battle!
***
The commissioned art work of Nemona wearing the Valor House Jacket (Front) is available for the members of Pokémon Master Tier!
***
I give a heartfelt thanks to my new Patreon Supporter! :)
Michael Perez
You are Pokémon Master level on Patreon and Tier 10 on Discord now!!