"What do you want from me? Look, I'm completely worn out today. I'm going to eat first, so there's no battle happening right now!"
Nova stared at the girl standing in front of him, still shaken from her endless stream of challenges. He had lost count of how many times she had cornered him like this.
"How can a Trainer just give up like that?" The girl raised an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips.
"Don't start with me. The Gym cafeteria is going to close soon!"
"You'll only get cold leftovers by the time you get there anyway. So, how about this — battle me. If you win, I'll treat you to a proper meal."
Nova lowered his head and thought it over. His stomach was already growling. After a moment, he gritted his teeth and accepted the challenge.
The girl's name was Thelma Tucker. She was fifteen years old, standing at about five foot four, and had the kind of sharp, focused eyes that told you immediately she was not someone to take lightly. Nova had never dared to ask anything further than that.
Just from her last name alone, it was easy to guess she was related to Charlie Tucker, the Gym Leader of the Luma Gym. And sure enough, she was his youngest daughter.
Thelma had grown up battling at the Luma Gym, and her talent had always been clear to anyone watching. By the time she turned twelve and received her first Pokémon from her father, she had already become something of a nightmare for every trainee at the Gym.
Against the other trainees, Thelma held a win rate of over ninety-five percent. The rare losses she did suffer were almost always the result of her getting careless due to how far above her opponents she already was.
The reason the Luma Gym accepted new trainees each year, handing out Grass-type Pokémon eggs, was not only to follow the Norlandia Alliance's policy of supporting beginner Trainers. A large part of it was Gym Leader Charlie Tucker's own plan.
By bringing in a new batch of young Trainers every year — Trainers close in age to his own children — Charlie had quietly built a pool of sparring partners for his kids. It was a practical method, and for a time, it worked extremely well. Thelma's two older brothers had risen to become among the strongest Trainers of their generation thanks to those years of constant practice.
But things changed when it was Thelma's turn.
Her battle sense was something else entirely. She outgrew the trainees faster than her brothers ever had. While her win rate was impressive on paper, the gap between her and her sparring partners became so wide that she was no longer gaining much from the experience. Battling opponents who were far below her level was not helping her improve the way it used to.
Charlie had started to weigh his options — whether to have Thelma step up and battle adult Trainers, enroll her in a Trainer's university, or send her off on a proper journey of her own. He had not yet made up his mind.
Then Nova appeared, and that changed everything.
To be fair, even though Nova held a five-to-zero record against Thelma, not a single one of those wins had come easily. Nova knew this better than anyone. In terms of raw ability, the two of them were closely matched. Nova had the edge of his training system behind him, while Thelma had an instinct for battle that was genuinely frightening. Even if he beat her a hundred more times, he still could not say with confidence that he would win the hundred and first.
Nova had figured this would be another ordinary evening battle. But when the two of them arrived at the Luma Gym's arena, they found two men already there, walking toward them, and suddenly the whole atmosphere felt different.
Both men appeared to be in their forties or fifties. One of them had a broad nose, a square jaw, and narrow eyes that seemed to always be half-closed. He wore the headband of the Luma Gym. Nova recognized him — it was Max, the staff member who supervised the interns at the Luma Gym.
The other man was tall, lean, and had a composed, well-kept look about him. Nova had heard his name many times but had never seen him face to face. Until now.
Thelma broke into a sprint, rushing past Nova and launching herself into the tall man's arms.
"Dad! When did you get back?"
Charlie caught his daughter with a warm laugh, holding her close. "Look at you — you're nearly grown, and you're still jumping on your old man like this?"
The words sounded like a mild scolding, but the wide smile on his face gave him away completely.
Charlie's eyes drifted over Thelma's shoulder and settled on Nova, who was still standing a short distance away.
"So you're the one they've been calling the Trickster of Goldenlight City?"
Nova's expression shifted awkwardly. He would not call himself a saint when it came to battles — he used every strategy available to him — but he thought the Trainers he had beaten were being poor sports about it. Still, the nickname had apparently travelled far enough to reach Charlie Tucker's ears.
"That's just people exaggerating, Mr. Tucker. It's nothing worth taking seriously."
Charlie let out a full, hearty laugh. "I'd say it's worth taking seriously. There are no wrong nicknames, only wrong names. Yes, the way people describe you has a bit of an edge to it, but all it really means is that your tactics work. In my view, that's nothing to be embarrassed about — it's something to be proud of."
He paused briefly before continuing. "That's actually part of why I recommended you to the Alliance Sheriff for the anti-poaching operation. Your ability to think on your feet in a battle situation is exactly the kind of thing that matters in fieldwork."
Nova had been wondering about that. He had never once spoken to Charlie before the recommendation came through, and he could not figure out why a Gym Leader of that standing would vouch for someone he had never met. Now it made sense.
Word had it that Charlie had been training deep in the mountains to the south for quite some time. His sudden return to Goldenlight City was likely tied to the news that an international poaching syndicate had set up operations in the area. As the Gym Leader of the Luma Gym, it was only natural that he would come back personally when something this serious came up.
"Thank you for the kind words, and for the recommendation, Mr. Tucker," Nova said, giving a respectful nod.
Charlie waved a hand casually. "No need to be so formal. People who know me well just call me Mr. Charlie. You can do the same."
"Understood. Thank you, Mr. Charlie."
Calling him Mr. Charlie strikes the right balance — friendly, but still respectful. Nova, that's the kind of reading of the room you should be doing more of.
"So," Charlie said, glancing between the two of them, "are you here to battle?"
"Yes," Nova said.
Charlie looked down at Thelma with a fond expression. "How many times have you lost now?"
Thelma immediately puffed out her cheeks. Without a word, she stomped hard on her father's foot, then turned and marched toward her side of the arena.
"This time, I'm going to win. That's a promise."
Charlie watched her go, then turned back to Nova with an amused look. "Then I'll be the referee. What do you say?"
"I wouldn't have it any other way, Mr. Charlie."
Inside the arena, Thelma and Nova took their positions on opposite ends. Charlie Tucker and Max stood together on the referee's platform, watching in silence.
The starting flag dropped.
"Go, Meganium! Let's end this!"
"You're up, Arno."
Nova sent out his Nidorino — his most reliable partner and a constant in almost every serious battle. His recently caught Rookidee was still only at level eighteen, far too young for a match at this level.
What caught Nova off guard was Thelma's choice. She had not sent out her ace, Sceptile. Instead, standing across from Nidorino was a Meganium, its large pink flower petals fanning out as it let out a calm, steady cry.
As far as Nova knew, Thelma had caught five Pokémon in total, and Meganium was the third she had raised herself from the start. In their previous four battles, Thelma had used Sceptile every time — except for the very first match, when she had underestimated Nova and opened with her recently caught Abomasnow.
The fact that she was starting with Meganium now meant one thing clearly: after four hard-fought losses, Thelma had not found a direct answer to Nidorino through sheer force. This was a change in strategy.
Nova tightened his grip and steadied himself. This battle was going to be different.