Pokémon: Above the Top

About to witness a showdown between two amateur kids, Sato and Joseph didn't feel much of anything, but Mark was rubbing his hands together in excitement, as if something monumental was about to unfold.

Bang! Bang!

A flash of red light… Reggie and Maylene sent out their respective Pokémon: Turtwig and Riolu.

That actually caught the interest of Sato and Joseph. Even though neither Pokémon had evolved, they were clearly not the kind of Pokémon ordinary kids could get their hands on.

Only then did Sato vaguely remember… this pink-haired little brat called Maylene would grow up to inherit the Veilstone Gym, also becoming famous for using Lucario.

As for Reggie… no memory of him.

The battle had already begun. Contrary to the expected clumsy brawl, both Maylene and Reggie clearly had some talent; after all, they were seen as leaders by a whole group of kids.

Riolu's coordination was excellent, much more agile than the average Fighting-type. It used Force Palm quite skillfully, obviously having undergone special training.

Turtwig wasn't far behind. Though it was a turtle, its movements were exceptionally nimble, and it had inherited the move Seed Bomb, which kept blasting Riolu into confusion.

As the battle dragged on, the pink-haired Maylene began to get visibly anxious. In terms of stamina, Riolu couldn't match a Grass-type like Turtwig.

Failing to break through after so many attempts, Riolu launched a reckless attack, only to get caught in an opening and was driven into a corner by a well-aimed Razor Leaf.

Seeing Razor Leaf about to strike the already weakened Riolu, Maylene panicked, unsure what to do.

…But Riolu came through. Fueled by a desperate "all-or-nothing" mindset, it used Counter.

Razor Leaf hit, and Riolu let out a painful cry, but Counter's red light absorbed the energy of the Razor Leaf and sent it rebounding back.

…And at that moment, an accident occurred.

Counter sent the attack flying back, but the angle was off. The now amplified Razor Leaf shot straight toward a group of watching kids on the sidelines.

Staring wide-eyed at the incoming Razor Leaf, the frightened children froze, their knees going weak, unable to move.

Maylene, Reggie, and the rest of the kids all looked on in terror; many even covered their eyes, too scared to watch.

Turtwig's move might not have been powerful on its own, but after being doubled by Counter -and with its inherent slicing force- Razor Leaf was absolutely not something a child could block with just their body.

"Gengar, use Telekinesis."

In the critical moment, the only one fast enough to react was Gengar. It had been hiding in Sato's shadow the entire time, and the moment it heard the command, it sprang into action.

Psychic power surged, Telekinesis halted Razor Leaf midair, freezing it in place.

Once the leaf blades stopped spinning and turned into harmless foliage, Gengar released its control and let the leaves drift gently to the ground.

"Whew… that was close~ Boss's Gengar never lets us down!" Mark patted his chest, still shaken, but didn't forget to throw in some praise.

"They were lucky you were watching," Sato said with a shake of his head.

"Hehe~ Hehe…" Clearly, this was the time for modesty, but Mark just grinned smugly and creepily, making Sato want to hit someone.

"Waah…"

"Waah waah…"

"Waah waah waah…"

A deafening wave of wailing broke out as the kids snapped back to reality. One by one, they all burst into tears.

Whether or not they were actually threatened by Razor Leaf, it seemed like crying was the only way to release their fear.

Maylene and Reggie, who had also been terrified, couldn't cry with them, of course. Nor did they have time to thank Sato; they scrambled to comfort the group, but it wasn't very effective.

"Joseeeeeph, hurry hurry hurry!" Mark covered his ears, begging for mercy.

"Bayleef, Aromatherapy! Chansey, Heal Bell!"

"Bay!"

"Chan!"

Aromatherapy and Heal Bell could both eliminate status conditions… and that didn't just mean Paralysis, Poisoning, or Burns.

Emotions like fear, hatred, greed, and negativity also counted as status conditions.

With the soothing scent of flowers and the calming sound of a bell, the children's fear gradually subsided. The crying softened, until only involuntary sniffles remained.

"…You, thank you all!"

Maylene and Reggie walked over together, followed by a few kids who'd recovered more quickly.

"You shouldn't watch battles from so close. Trainers themselves are fragile, so you need to train your bodies often, and learn to use your Pokémon's power to protect yourselves."

Joseph crouched down and gently patted Maylene and Reggie on the head, speaking up so all the kids could hear.

"Like your Gengar? The one that used Telekinesis to stop that super-powered Razor Leaf midair?" Paul asked seriously, eyes full of awe and admiration.

"Something like that. But there are many Trainers even stronger than me, so you'll need to get a lot stronger too," Sato nodded. He had a decent impression of this stubborn little kid, so he said a bit more than usual.

"Okay, I understand!" Paul clenched his fist and responded seriously.

Reggie watched the scene and felt a little jealous. That kind of look from Paul… he used to be the only one who ever got it.

"Alright now, everyone head on home~ Don't make your parents worry," Mark squatted down and tried his best to smile "kindly".

…But the kids only gave him a glance, then turned back toward Sato and Joseph.

Gengar belonged to Sato. Bayleef and Chansey belonged to Joseph. What did this chicken-nest-haired guy even do? And that creepy smile just now…

So gross!

"Big brother, can I know your names? Oh right, I'm Maylene, and this is my partner, Riolu." The pink-haired girl hugged Riolu and looked up at Sato and Joseph with hopeful eyes.

"I'm Reggie. Turtwig is my Starter Pokémon!"

"I'm Paul…"

"I'm Suzy…"

"I'm…"

"Me…"

Suddenly, all the kids started shouting their names. The ones in the back were afraid Sato and Joseph wouldn't hear, so they screamed at the top of their lungs.

"I'm Joseph, Pokémon Breeder from faraway Johto Region," Joseph introduced himself first.

"Sato. Pokémon Trainer, from Shadownight Town in Johto."

"Sato? Your name is Sato? …And you're from Shadownight Town in Johto?" Maylene suddenly covered her mouth and mumbled, her eyes going wide as if she'd seen a world-ending demon king.

"What is it? Is that a problem~?" Sato instantly guessed what Maylene was thinking. He found it kind of funny and couldn't help teasing her.