Night had fallen. Moonlight spilled faintly through the cracked windows of an old apartment, casting dim silver patches across the floor. The air was thick with the stench of alcohol. Togawa Sakiko stepped inside, her steps heavy and slow. Her eyes scanned the bottles strewn across the floor, and a silent pain welled up inside her.
"I'm home… you drunk bastard."
Once again, her deadbeat father was passed out drunk. She thought about her classes during the day, her part-time work at night, and how all of it added up to returning to this.
"...Sigh."
Sakiko let out a long breath.
Ever since they left the prestigious Togawa family, their lives had been nothing but hardship. Her father was dead weight.
She would never forget the day she left her old team—CRYCHIC.
Back then, the Togawa family held a formal Pokémon battle to determine who would inherit the family legacy. A 6v6 full battle, no holding back.
Her father, once a formidable Trainer with Elite Four-level strength, had earned his way up from nothing. Within the family, he had been a force to be reckoned with—a man worthy of inheritance.
And yet... he lost.
Utterly.
Not even a real battle.
It wasn't until later that Sakiko learned the truth: the day before the match, her father had been ambushed by Team Rocket. His six Pokémon were beaten into the ground, severely injured. He had no time to recover.
He had asked for a postponement.
But the family wouldn't hear of it.
And so, he was crushed—ceremoniously disqualified.
"What a joke!" Sakiko had screamed, fists clenched, unable to accept the injustice.
Surely someone should have questioned why an Elite-level Trainer seemed so weak. But no one cared.
With her mother long gone, and her father stripped of all standing, Sakiko found herself ostracized in the Togawa household.
Legally, she still had the right to inherit. But if she stayed, she'd be sucked back into the family's toxic politics... and likely encounter Team Rocket again.
So she left.
It had been a year now. Sakiko gave up on her dream of becoming a League Champion. She started working part-time as customer service at the EcoDome.
She learned things no ojou-sama upbringing could have taught her.
At school, she still studied in the Pokémon Battle Department. After all, battling was her only true talent. Rainbow Wing offered generous scholarships, and winning those was her key to independence.
Sakiko crouched down, picking up the empty bottles on the floor. Her fingers brushed cold glass—the chill grounding her in a way nothing else could.
Clink.
"Rooaah~" Milotic emerged from its Poké Ball on its own, nudging bottles toward the trash and gently nuzzling her cheek in comfort.
"Thanks," Sakiko murmured, forcing a weak smile.
Even in hardship, the presence of Pokémon was enough to warm her heart.
Milotic was her first and oldest partner—back when she still lived as the Togawa heiress, when she had far more Pokémon under her care.
But life had changed. She left most of her Pokémon with the family.
Now, it was just her and Milotic.
With the mess tidied, Sakiko lay down on her futon. Milotic curled beside her, eyes slowly closing. She pulled out her phone.
Her thoughts wandered to the battle earlier—with Satoshi and his Raichu.
That full-power clash with her Milotic had lit something in her chest. She could feel his heart in that battle.
Pure, passionate, radiant.
Just remembering his bright smile made her heart stir.
At school, she bore the weight of academics. At work, she endured constant abuse. Every day built up more pressure, more strain.
And then she met this boy—gentle to people and Pokémon alike, overflowing with sunlit energy.
Strong and generous. He left a real impression.
I have to thank him properly next time.
She stared at his profile on her phone, unsure of what to say.
She'd mastered the polite apologies of customer service, but it had been over a year since she'd had a normal conversation.
In class, she barely spoke to anyone. "Not close" would be an understatement.
Her most talkative moment was probably during a practical battle, when she beat a Tauros to a pulp and muttered—
Togawa Sakiko: "This is all a Tauros can do?"
Looking back, that had definitely been too much. Thankfully, the teacher was the meek type.
Okay... I'll start with a basic opener. Something neutral.
She typed out a message.
[Togawa Sakiko]: Are you there?
---
[Pfft—what kind of opener is that? Is she serious? Doesn't she know "Are you there?" is peak clown energy? ...Or maybe she's into our sweet Satoshi after all. Girl's got taste! (●´艸｀)]
"Don't be so delusional. She probably just wants to return the favor."
Satoshi smiled softly. Through their battle, he'd gotten a sense of Sakiko's personality—strong pride, but not malicious.
Since yesterday, Satoshi had started sensing something from within himself—a kind of awareness during battles that let him feel others' emotions.
He wasn't certain yet, but he had a guess—
[Aura].
The mysterious force known in the Pokémon world for sensing intent and emotion.
Not that Satoshi really believed he had it. He was just a normal kid—no way he could go around launching [Aura Spheres] from his hands.
If he could, he'd probably just become a Pokémon himself and scream "RASENGAN" at people.
Now entering the battlefield: Satoshi the Super Rookie, who lost all six Pokémon in a match and still rushed the field shouting like an idiot!
Yeah... no thanks.
For now, he just treated it like a kind of emotional empathy. Nothing to worry about.
Right now, what mattered was replying to Sakiko.
[Satoshi]: Mm? What's up? （＾ｖ＾）
They began to chat.
Sakiko shared bits of her job at the EcoDome, her desire to repay him, and insisted he didn't need to feel obligated.
[Big Sakiko-sensei is... surprisingly soft. Man, I didn't think a corporate drone could be this considerate.]
"What kind of nickname is that...?"
[Ehehe~]
[Satoshi]:Do you know any good places to catch Pokémon? Preferably strong ones. But don't force it—I'm in no rush. Take your time.
[Satoshi, when did your emotional IQ get so high?!]
"Huh? This is just how normal people talk. If I mess this up, how am I supposed to battle her Pokémon again?"
Satoshi had no intention of pressuring her. They were both students, and she was... well, a part-time wage slave for some reason.
---
Thump. Thump.
On the other end, Sakiko was curled up in bed, hiding her face from Milotic. She didn't want it to see her like this.
She typed slowly.
The moment Satoshi read her next message, his eyes widened.
[Togawa Sakiko]: Actually... I know where you can catch a Rillaboom.