Unbroken Disguise

As the battle began, N didn’t bother to hide his grimace. Knowing that he’d have to watch Ash’s battle was bad enough, but they’d been suckered into watching this Paul kid battle as well.

Tactically, it was a good decision on Ash’s part. Watching this would give him useful information not only on the Gym Leader he was about to face, but also on this Paul kid. It sounded like the two of them were following a similar pathing through the region so far, and it wasn’t uncommon for two people attempting a League run to encounter each other again and again.

But being here made his skin crawl. Roark’s excitement as he sent out a Geodude. Paul’s cold indifference as he fielded an Azumarill. And while he understood why Ash wanted to watch, it didn’t make it any easier to accept the level of interest he and Dawn held.

“Shit.”

Eager to distract himself from the suffering that was about to unfold, N looked to the Pokemon in his lap. “Is something wrong, Mimikyu?”

“Err… maybe. Azumarill is on the list, and I dunno what the range of this stuff is.”

The list? What did he mean by… Shit.

“List? What sort of list?” Pikachu asked from Ash’s shoulder.

“We’ll tell ya later,” Mimikyu dismissed. “In the meantime, might be best if we weren’ ‘ere for this match.”

That was a good point, and a wonderful excuse not to watch this.

“Hey, now wait a minute-”

“Nope.” Mimikyu cut the Electric type off. “We’ll be back to watch yer attempt against Roark, but the explanations will ‘ave ta wait.” The little ghost climbed up onto his shoulder so that he could stand, drawing the attention of their human companions.

“Huh? What’s up N?” Ash inquired, one eye still on the field as the battle began in earnest.

“Mimikyu just realized that we need to take care of some things. We’ll be back for your match.”

That clearly confused the trainer and his friends, but N walked away before his lacking explanation could be questioned further. Quickly slipping out of the Gym, the duo found themselves alone, walking down the streets of Oreburgh, but still within sight of the Gym’s entrance.

“So that blue Pokemon, Azumarill I think you called it, has the potential to become a Fairy type then?” N probed for an explanation.

“Yeah, the whole line is. Which is a bit odd ta me, now that I’m thinkin’ about it. I mean, Azurill, the first in the line, should be a pure Normal type ‘ere, and then that switches ta Water type once it evolves inta Marill. Which, sure I guess, it’s not unheard of for that sorta thing ta happen, even if ya could count the number of similar cases on one hand. Or maybe two if ya count all the eeveelutions sep’rately. But, an’ I mean I’m no expert or anythin’, if the evolution causes such a strange type change, I don’ see why the Fairy typin’ can s’posedly infect the whole line jus’ as easily.”

Knowing nothing about the Pokemon in question, N could only shrug. “I’m not sure what to tell you on that front. We could ask Professor Rowan, I suppose. You did agree to help him with his research, and we haven’t exactly checked in with him at all.”

“Hmm. I s’pose ya gotta point there. But I’m not sure how safe it would be ta talk about it at all ‘till we ‘ave a method of keepin’ the Porygons outta our conversations.”

True. Not much they could do about it for the moment. Instead, N’s thoughts drifted back to the Gym they had just left. With the attitude he has seen from Paul… “We probably shouldn’t stray too far. I doubt Paul’s battle will last very long, and then Ash will be up next.”

“Yer not wrong, but I ‘ave a feelin’ Ash’s attempt ain’ gonna happen for a bit. Paul is prob’bly gonna take a bit of a toll on Roark’s team, and then Ash will ‘ave ta wait for them to rest up. Might not even get ta battle today.”

That was probably true. Paul certainly acted like a brute, for the handful of sentences he had heard from the boy, and his past experience with Gym Battles would indicate a similar outcome. Roark might underestimate him, with this being so early into the League route, and see his team in worse shape than usual at the end of it.

“You’re not wrong, but we might as well wait here, and just rejoin them once Paul leaves.”

“If ya say so. Should prob’bly practice our League if we’re just waitin’ aroun’, then. Ya got that textbook we picked up in Jubilife, or did Ash still ‘ave it?”

“I’ve got it. Honestly, I’m not sure what Ash thinks he’s going to accomplish with it. The instructions are all written in Unovan, and he’s barely picked up a few words from us.”

“It’s the thought that counts, I guess? He’s puttin’ the effort in at least, an’ he’ll wanna get a decent grasp on it while we’re travellin’ together, since he’ll likely go to Unova next. You an’ I at least had some comprehension of League when we came ‘ere. I don’ wanna know what it’d be like if ya went and had no clue.”

With a sigh, the duo found a bench to sit on, pulled out Sinnohian and You! A Beginner’s Guide for Galarian Speakers and opened to their bookmark.

“Chapter five, a trip to Sunyshore City. Let’s see… what is this kanji? I don’t recognize it. Did they even introduce that one yet?” N pointed to the offending line.

“That’s airplane.” Mimikyu answered without hesitation.

“How do you remember that one? How often are you writing the kanji for airplane?!”

“Never. I don’ think I could write it if I tried, but I’ve got enough pattern recognition ta be able ta read it.”

N sighed, his head drooping. “This language is so stupid.”

“Hang in there, N,” the little ghost reassured him in a patronizing tone. “Ya only ‘ave a few thousand more to memorize!”

Dawn had found herself getting more and more confused lately.

Travelling like this, something every kid dreamed of as soon as they understood what Pokemon were, well, obviously it had been her dream! How could it not be? She was glad to get some independence from her mom, even if that was scary at times, and having Pokemon of her own was everything she thought it would be! Then she had participated in her first contest, and maybe she hadn’t won, but it was still a great time!

But not everything was sunshine and Roselias.

She was… slowly getting used to N and Mimikyu. Mimikyu was a little bit… well, super scary! The thing that happened with Team Rocket’s Meowth hadn’t exactly improved his reputation on that front, no matter the explanation they’d been given afterwards by N. And N… N seemed like a good guy, and he really cared about Pokemon, which she could appreciate! She just didn’t like all the nasty looks she got, and the days leading up to the Gym battle had been worse than usual. And that hadn’t made sense to her! It was a Gym battle! Everyone loved those. Ash was super excited for his, Brock used to be a Gym Leader, and sure, this was the first time she’d actually gotten to watch one herself, but she had been certain that she’d love it too!

But she hadn’t.

She tried to put on a brave face for the others, knowing how important it was to them. But watching Paul fight Roark… it wasn’t what she thought it would be.

Had that been why N and Mimikyu had left before it started? N said he’d come back to watch Ash’s match, but then hadn’t actually come back at all… which, okay, that maybe looked bad on his part, but it wasn’t like he’d actually missed the match, since it had been postponed to the next day.

But that left her a whole day to think about things, with little to distract her. She didn’t talk to anyone about it. What would she say? “Hey, that Gym battle was way different from what I expected, are they all like that?”

Simply put, it had been brutal.

She knew that Pokemon got hurt in battles. Her own team had experienced that, both in the Jubilife contest and out on the road while training. Sure, she didn’t exactly like seeing them get hurt, but they could get healed up really quick, so it wasn’t something to really worry about.

The match hadn’t been like that. Not like anything she’d ever seen. With the way things had turned out, she was surprised Roark was agreeing to have his match with Ash the next day. If that had been her team, she’d have given them a week off at least!

Ash and Brock had at least seemed angry at the way Paul treated his Pokemon, but there hadn’t been a word about Roark.

They just went about their day like normal. Found N and Mimikyu outside the gym, explored Oreburgh for a bit, did a bit of training, and stayed the night at the Pokemon Center.

And now Ash was standing in the challenger’s box, looking more excited than she’d ever seen him. She could see N frowning beside her. Did he feel the same way? Did he glare at them… because he hated this? Did he think she was like this? She considered asking him, but his very apparent bad mood, and the Ghost type on his lap were, in her mind, a good reason not to.

Besides… N didn’t fit in. Ash got along with him, but Ash seemed to get along with everyone who wasn’t Paul. Brock didn’t seem to like him. She… well, she wouldn’t say that she didn’t like him, that felt like a bit much, she just found him… intimidating? It was hard to describe how she felt, really. And whatever the case, it wasn’t hard to see that there was a divide between them. They were getting better at pretending it wasn’t there, for Ash’s sake if nothing else, but it was still there.

She thought she was coming to understand N a little bit more… but she didn’t want to be like him. She wanted to fit in. Wanted to be someone Brock could accept. He was an ex Gym Leader after all, right? Surely if there was a rift forming, his side was the one she should be on. So she pushed her wary feelings about the whole thing down, forced a smile to her face, and acted as excited as she could when Brock spoke to her.

This was her first journey. She was her mother’s daughter. This had to go well.

Even if it was starting to feel a bit wrong.

“Aipom, use Focus Punch!” They heard Ash call out before the Normal type leapt into the air, Roark countering the command with his own “Headbutt!”

Mimikyu was on his lap once more, watching the field with rapt attention. Brock was providing some commentary for Dawn, who was sitting between them, and she was nodding along… Something seemed a bit off about her, but he didn’t care enough to investigate.

Neither Pokemon said a word. When the stakes were this high, speaking was often a distraction that you couldn’t afford. The Cranidos, who he had been informed was a pure Rock type Pokemon revived from a fossil, sprinted across the field at a surprising speed. When Aipom’s tail, glowing with bright light, began to come down towards the ancient Pokemon, Cranidos all but erupted from the ground with a kick of its powerful legs, forcing the thick plate of its skull right into Aipom’s face and torso.

Even from this distance, N could hear the crack of bone.

Mimikyu’s false head tilted, as if he was pondering what he had just heard, but the action didn’t stop for him to take his time and consider it.

With a quick twist of its neck, Cranidos sent Aipom crashing to the ground, carving up a trough of dirt as Ash’s Pokemon skidded to a stop.

“Aipom, get up! You can do it!” Ash cried out, but even after just one hit it looked like the poor thing was struggling. Its limbs shook, and it had to use its tail to force itself back on two feet.

“Cranidos, use Flamethrower, now!” Roark demanded, and bright, hot flames suddenly engulfed the fossil’s maw, the heat warping the air around its face and distorting their view of it before the fire shot out towards its opponent.

“Double Team!” In the blink of an eye, there were suddenly seven copies of the Normal type, each of them jumping out of the Flamethrower’s path, their edges blurring. It mattered little though, because the spout of fire swept through them all, dispersing each one with a small burst of light. All except the last, who at Ash’s command sent out a Swift to disrupt the incoming move. The glowing stars tore the stream apart, and with so many it was hard to tell how much of the flames had gotten through, sailing through the air and towards Roark’s Pokemon.

“Dodge it!” The Gym Leader ordered, but the move changed direction, homing in on the Rock type and peppering him with damage until their numbers ran dry.

“Did he just tell ‘is Pokemon ta dodge Swift? How is this guy a Gym Leader?” Mimikyu complained. “The whole point of usin’ Swift is that it has perfect accuracy!”

That was… a good point actually. He was well aware that Gym Leaders sandbagged against newer trainers, focused more on making sure their skills were progressing nicely throughout their League run rather than ensuring that trainers were stronger than them. Roark’s actual team probably hadn’t seen a Gym battle in a long time.

But this? Telling his Cranidos to dodge a Swift? How awful of a trainer did he think Ash was? There was no way that the League, as paranoid as it was, didn’t give Gym Leaders information on all their challengers. That was, presumably, the whole point of making trainers register. So they could be properly tracked.

Unless… He wasn’t entirely sure of how Mimikyu knew, or even if it was true, but hadn’t the little ghost told Professor Rowan that Ash was in many redacted files? It was a bit of a stretch, given that League matches were public record and all, but perhaps the League, in their ever abundant “caution”, had over censored his files, leading Roark to believe Ash a much worse trainer than he actually was.

“Focus Punch!”

He would have to look into it later. With his attention no longer being drawn by the Gym Leader and his Pokemon, he got a good look at the challenger. It didn’t look as bad as it could have been, but parts of the Normal type's fur were singed, black marks dotting the purple and cream coating. Aipom’s tail glowed once more as it launched itself towards Roark’s Pokemon.

“Zen Headbutt, go!”

A Psychic type move? The type coverage on this Cranidos was actually turning out to be rather impressive. Its plated skull glowed blue, the area around its head distorting once more, if by different causes.

When the two moves collided, an explosion blinded them, shaking the building as the battlers were launched apart. The concussive noise covered up anything quieter, but the results were clearly visible. Cranidos, having taken almost all the damage against its thick skull, barely had a few scratches on it. Aipom on the other hand…

“Holy shit!” Mimikyu tensed up in his lap, all of his attention on Ash and his Pokemon.

The Normal type was a mess. One eye barely kept open, blood dripping from its lips, though thankfully its teeth still looked to be intact. The healing that Pokemon could get from berries or treatment at a Pokemon Center wasn’t able to properly restore those, and seasoned battlers often found their smiles full of gaps. One arm was bent the wrong way, its tail hung limp, and its entire body was covered in cuts and burns.

“What… what just happened?” The little fairy asked him in disbelief. “It’s jus’ a Gym battle, why…?”

Speaking in Unovan, so as to not be understood by those sharing the stands with him, N explained. “This is why I hate trainers, Mimikyu. Look at the state Aipom is in. And for what? A badge? The League runs a blood sport, and it’s disgusting.”

“I don’… none of the other fights ‘ave been like this… Aipom looks…”

“Most battles you see are spars. I’m not a fan of those either, but they’re generally kept at a friendly level. That’s what they call it anyway. This?” He gestured to bruised, broken, and battered Pokemon. “This is what a real battle looks like. League matches are official,” he mocked, “and require that the Pokemon put their all into it. They fight as if their life is on the line, and all for the amusement of humans.”

Mimikyu didn’t have a response for that. N had tried to warn him in the past, but seeing it for yourself was always different.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Brock giving him a strange look. Probably for speaking in a language they couldn’t understand. He didn’t care.

“Turtwig, I choose you!” Ash’s Grass type was released onto the field.

Ash started out with a Razor Leaf, dozens of sharp edged leaves appearing in flashes of green light, cutting through the air like throwing stars as they made their way towards Cranidos. Another Flamethrower from Cranidos turned them all into nothing more than ashes, scattered to the wind, but the move didn’t hit Turtwig at all. Somehow the Grass type dodged under it completely, sprinting towards his opponent and chomping down on Cranidos’ arm with a Bite.

They all heard the bone crack, and with Mimikyu more aware of the reality of League battles, the ghost flinched at the noise.

With Turtwig latched onto his arm, retaliating with a Zen Headbutt was easy. Turtwig cried out in pain and was launched away as he gave up his hold, but there wasn’t any visible damage.

He must have been in quite a bit of pain though, because he didn’t attempt to dodge the incoming Flamethrower at all. Even through the flames, it was easy to see the green leaves sprouting from his head brown and dry out. A desperate cry from his trainer saw Turtwig leaping into the air and launching another Razor Leaf, but the damage was obvious. The poor thing was now more brown than green, and he was almost surprised that its body hadn’t caught fire. There was no way it could take another one of those.

Luckily for Turtwig, it seemed that the move known for its high critical hit rate had pulled through. Cranidos, who until this point had seemed to shrug off most attacks, was littered with nasty cuts, blood dripping to the ground and staining the dirt. The Rock type was breathing heavily, its eyes lidded as it tried to take a step.

Instead it collapsed, landing on its good arm, the other hanging limply.

Roark recalled his Pokemon, giving it some comforting words.

But were words enough? Was a “thank you” and a “good job” worth a Pokemon being put in that state? N didn’t think so, and he hoped that Mimikyu’s contemplative silence meant that he felt the same.

Ash called something out to Paul, who N had been pointedly trying to ignore the presence of, and Roark sent out an Onix. Brock had mentioned having raised one of his own, so he’d been given a bit of information on them last night when he was regaled with the tale of Paul’s battle.

It was clear that Turtwig wasn’t going to win. That Flamethrower had taken too much out of it. Shaking with exhaustion, and the leaves atop its head looking ready to fall at any moment, N could only hope that the Pokemon’s defeat would be swift.

A flurry of Razor Leaf pelted the giant, chipping its stone covered body. The Onix cried out in pain, rearing back, but quickly recovered. The familiar white glow of Normal type energy overtook it as Onix launched itself at Turtwig in a Double Edge.

Rock and dust obscured the impact, but Turtwig quickly rolled into view, its shell visibly cracked and only a single leaf remaining on its browned head. A single hit was all it had taken.

Ash recalled his Pokemon, and Pikachu leapt off his shoulder, running onto the field as Ash’s final Pokemon.

“This should be interesting if nothing else,” N tried to ease Mimikyu’s shock. “Pikachu has been Ash’s friend since the start, so if he’s as accomplished as you say then he has to be pretty strong.”

“...maybe.” Mimikyu didn’t sound so sure of it.

“Look here you overgrown pile of Stantler shit!” Pikachu yelled.

N blinked.

“Did Pikachu just…?”

“I… I think he did?” Mimikyu sounded just as shocked.

“I told your receptionist already, but just in case he didn’t pass on the message, I hope you’re ready to eat dirt!”

Onix glared at his comparatively tiny opponent, and responded in a deep, gravelly voice. “Don’t come crying to me when you have to spend a week at the Pokemon Center after I’m through with you.”

Pikachu having a competitive streak had been surprising, but not completely unexpected of a Pokemon who had competed in three regions.

Pikachu being a trash talker? It shocked him enough to momentarily forget the rest of the battle, but the blood stains and scorch marks brought him back to reality.

The Electric type was either very stupid, or very strong. The only times N had seen trash talking in the competitive scene before were haughty Pokemon on teams at the level of Gym Leaders. When you were completely sure of your victory, bragging and insulting your opponent was something you could get away with. Most knew better though.

Onix’s tail came crashing down into the field with a Slam, sending rocks and dust out with the impact. A Quick Attack saw Pikachu moving at speeds his eyes could barely follow, a trail of Normal type energy left in his wake as he used the move to… climb up his opponent?

“I think you’ll be the one spending a week in the Pokemon Center!” Pikachu called out as his tail took on the metallic sheen of an Iron Tail, swinging down into the Onix’s skull.

A sound not too dissimilar to a pot crashing to the ground rang out, and it looked as if the stone protecting Onix’s head had been dented. Pikachu jumped to safety as the giant fell to the ground and the Gym rumbled beneath its weight.

The Electric type looked far too smug.

N was… surprisingly okay with that. He would take trash talking over serious bodily harm any day of the week, and while the Rock type had been knocked out, the damage didn’t look very serious. Though he had to wonder if that was the full extent of his power… or if he had intentionally done only just enough to finish the job.

A Geodude came out next. Roark’s final Pokemon, though Ash was in the same boat.

“You ready to get trounced like your friend?” Pikachu taunted his opponent.

Geodude wisely stayed silent, eyes narrowing as he prepared himself.

“Geodude, use Rollout!”

Spinning towards Pikachu like a bowling ball down a lane, Geodude’s features became a blur. The Electric type looked calm though, not even bothering to dodge out of the way. Instead, he let the Ground type come towards him, his tail once again taking on the metallic sheen of an Iron Tail.

Timing it just right, Pikachu swung his tail like a baseball bat, a loud crack sounding out as Geodude was launched towards the side of the field.

But it didn’t stop. Geodude found itself embedded in the wall, its craggily body covered in cracks and fractures.

N wasn’t sure what to make of it as everyone started to celebrate Ash’s victory. On the one hand, Pikachu’s fight against Onix was potentially the first time he’d seen mercy shown in a League match. Pikachu was clearly strong, and had held back against weaker opponents. The type disadvantage had meant nothing to him.

On the other hand…

If Pikachu was strong enough to end the fight without causing extensive suffering, though maybe the state Geodude was in pushed the limits of that, then why hadn’t Ash led with him?

N was by no means an expert on Pokemon battles, but it seemed to him as if Pikachu could have handled the whole match on his own.

What was the point in letting the rest of them suffer?

Aipom would surely need to spend an entire day at the Pokemon Center at a minimum. A grass type with injuries like Turtwigs would probably be out of commission for a week.

He would have to ask the boy himself.

And the future… whether Ash was or wasn’t what N had thought he might have the potential to be… that would depend on his answer.

He let his thoughts drift among the possibilities as Ash received his first Sinnoh badge.