#wtbas

“Togedemaru, the Roly-Poly Pokémon. When it's in trouble, it curls up into a ball, makes its fur spikes stand on end, and then discharges electricity indiscriminately.” – Pokédex entry for Togedemaru.

“Mimikyu, the Disguise Pokémon. Although it's a quiet, lonely Pokémon, if you try to look at what's under its rag, it will become agitated and resist violently.” – Pokédex entry for Mimikyu.

“I’ve been wondering about the Pokémon Nozomi and Mizore used a while back at that Double Battle tournament.” Natsuki casually remarked. “Since we’ve never seen them before then, when did they catch their Togedemaru and Mimikyu?”

“Beats me. We didn’t see Nozomi or Mizore for a while until we reunited at the tournament.” Yuuko replied. “Though based on how inexperienced their Pokémon seemed to be when fighting, I’d wager Nozomi and Mizore caught them quite recently. There’s no way our friends would lose to Reina or Kumiko that easily.”

“Hmm, that seems possible now that you mention it.” Natsuki mused. “But I did see Nozomi commanding both her Togedemaru and Mizore’s Mimikyu during their matches, so that may have something to do with why they lost. It’s hard keeping track of two Pokémon at once.”

“Yeah, but I’d bet it’s definitely easier than keeping track of you.” Dodging Natsuki’s furious swipes, Yuuko couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

“Meloetta, the Melody Pokémon. Its melodies are sung with a special vocalization method that can control the feelings of those who hear it.” – Pokédex entry for Meloetta.

“Why do you think Meloetta would choose to appear in front of us?” Kumiko wondered as she thought back to the unexpected encounter in the forest. “I mean, it’s not like we’re some sort of ‘chosen ones’ or anything, right?”

“There have been many tales of Mythical Pokémon seeking out people who interest them, so maybe we caught Meloetta’s eye for some reason.” Reina theorized. “Come to think of it, Meloetta did say it was intrigued by the bond between us as musicians, so that’s most likely the reason why.”

“That makes sense, but could there be other people out there that Meloetta is interested in?” Kumiko speculated. “We’ve only started interacting with each other rather recently, so Meloetta could’ve found other musicians who it thought were special before it ever met us.”

“Perhaps.” Reina mused. “But for us novice Trainers, being recognized for our potential by a Mythical Pokémon is an extraordinary experience. Even though we can only guess the reason why we were chosen in the first place, we need to take that as a sign to keep on pushing forwards and aim for the top.”

“Maractus, the Cactus Pokémon. Arid regions are their habitat. They move rhythmically, making a sound similar to maracas.” – Pokédex entry for Maractus.

“Reina, have you heard Marcato make a rattling sound before?” Kumiko posed this question to her girlfriend. “I think I’ve heard him do that a few times when I first met him, but he doesn’t seem to make that noise when he moves.”

“I have no idea. He’s your Pokémon, so you should be more familiar with what he does than myself.” After listening to Reina’s reply, Kumiko decided to send Marcato out and listen closely for the sound described by the Pokédex.

“Alright, Marcato. Can you jump around for me?” Kumiko asked. As he leapt around the area, Kumiko did indeed hear a faint rattling noise come from Marcato’s body, but it seemed to be forcibly muffled.

Realizing Marcato was deliberately concealing his body’s noise to avoid attracting unwanted attention, Kumiko was proud her starter thought of something like that. “Oh, I see. Cool trick you’ve got there, Marcato!”

Saluting his Trainer, Marcato was pleased to receive that compliment. Being a trained Pokémon really did come with some advantages.

“Froslass, the Snow Land Pokémon. It's said that on nights of terrible blizzards, it comes down to human settlements. If you hear it knocking at your door, do not open it!” – Pokédex entry for Froslass.

“Reina, why did your parents choose to give you a Snorunt in the first place?” Kumiko was curious about this decision. While she knew that a Froslass really suited Reina in terms of looks and character, Kumiko highly doubted that was the reason Reina’s parents chose one for her.

“My father received Idina’s Egg from a colleague of his at the League, which he then gave to me as a birthday present.” Reina answered, recounting what her parents told her. “Apparently, his colleague’s Glaile and Froslass produced that Egg while they were left at the Day Care, but said colleague was too busy to take care of another Pokémon at the time.”

“Have you ever wondered which Trainer the Froslass and Glalie belonged to?” Kumiko was surprised Reina didn’t know that. “Considering they’re both Ice-types, the Trainer of Idina’s parents could have been a Gym Leader, or maybe even one of the Elite Four!”

“I’ve never thought about that, but I don’t need to.” Reina replied with a confident smile. “After all, Idina’s my Pokémon. What she and I accomplish together are our own achievements and ours alone.”

“[Reina’s] hobbies are watching movies by herself and going to concerts with her father.” - Excerpt from the Hibike! Euphonium wiki, information translated from the official Hibike! Euphonium novel website.

“I can’t believe you’re friends with someone like Miss Kousaka.” Natsuki remarked to Yuuko. “You two are so different to each other that it’s honestly surprising you two manage to get along with each other. On that note, how did you even meet her in the first place? I can’t imagine that going smoothly, that’s for sure.”

“Rumors were flying around that there was a hotshot kid with a Froslass picking a fight with anyone who dared challenge her.” Yuuko began to explain. “I’d normally ignore hearsay like that, but since it was posted on the Kaori Nakaseko fan page, I decided to check it out for Kaori-senpai’s honor and glory!”

“After some searching, I managed to track down Kousaka to Relude Town and fought her in a one-on-one match.” Yuuko continued. “For someone so young, she managed to beat me quite easily. It wasn’t until later that I learned she herself posted that rumor on Kaori-senpai’s fan page to find strong people to fight, so I decided to keep in touch with her after that.”

“So you’re only friends with her because you want to beat her for defacing your precious Kaori’s pride? And I thought I was your pride and joy!” Natsuki couldn’t resist but laugh out loud as she ran away from a Yuuko foaming at the mouth.

***

“Absol, the Disaster Pokémon. Although it's said to bring disaster, in actuality, this Pokémon possesses a calm disposition and warns people of any crises that loom.” – Pokédex entry for Absol.

“Where did you get Solenne’s Mega Stone from, Mizore?” Despite being friends with her ever since middle school, there was still a lot Nozomi didn’t know about Mizore. “Did you buy it or find it?”

“My family’s corporation has a sizable collection of Mega Stones, so they gifted me one along with Solenne on my tenth birthday.” Mizore bluntly answered. She was surprised Nozomi never asked her about this earlier.

“Ohh, so Solenne was a birthday present from your parents. I actually didn’t know that.” Nozomi’s eyes widened upon hearing this. “Then it’s no wonder she’s so obedient towards you. She definitely knows you’re someone special to her.”

“Perhaps.” Not knowing how she should reply to Nozomi, Mizore simply sent out Solenne and began stroking her fur. As her Absol let out a purr of satisfaction, Mizore was thankful she had so many wonderful companions by her side, whether they be her Pokémon or the girl known as Nozomi Kasaki.

“Froakie, the Bubble Frog Pokémon. It protects its skin by covering its body in delicate bubbles. Beneath its happy-go-lucky air, it keeps a watchful eye on its surroundings.” – Pokédex entry for Froakie.

“So why did you choose a Froakie for your starter Pokémon, Shuichi?” Kumiko asked her friend, intrigued about his decision. “It doesn’t seem like the type of Pokémon which fits your personality at all.”

“Ouch, that really hurt.” Shuichi rubbed the back of his head in mock pain. “Look, it was like someone whispered in my ear to choose Freddy during my time at the lab. You absolutely wouldn’t understand that sort of feeling!”

“The only thing I don’t understand is why you chose such an awful name like Freddy for you starter Pokémon.” Kumiko retorted, feeling bad for Shuichi’s Froakie. “I know it’s possible to change a Pokémon’s nickname, but you should at least be savvy enough to not screw up the first time around.”

“Hey, it’s not a bad nickname!” Shuichi protested, his hands grasping at invisible straws floating in the air. “Freddy and Froakie sound similar, and they both start with the letter ‘F’! What’s so horrible about it?”

“Nothing. You wouldn’t understand…” Internally cringing at Shuichi’s lack of common sense, Kumiko wondered why she became friends with him in the first place.