A Garden of Glass

When Nozomi approached, Tamiko-chan was leaning into a corner of the waiting room, muttering the same four words to herself as she looked up through her eyelashes at the Masquerain perched delicately on her head. At first the girl seemed distracted, but once Nozomi spoke, it became clear that she was just bored. Lazy-looking eyes only briefly flicked towards the medium before turning back towards the ceiling, and Tamiko waved a disinterested hand in Nozomi’s direction.

  “S’was only the first round – a piece of cake when you’ve got a player like me and a natural beauty like Phoebe here.” She nodded up towards the Masquerain and pushed herself off the wall. Stretching her arms above her head, she shrugged. “You’re too much of a try-hard, kid; you’ve gotta loosen up if you wanna win.”

And with those words, Tamiko-chan winked playfully at Nozomi and started her journey towards the stage.

  “Keep an eye on that monitor and you might learn some things!”

📺 … 📺 … 📺 

  Nozomi had a strange fascination with human aesthetic, specifically the female body. To her, it was more than a mere sexual thing it was a way of expressing oneself. She read books aestheticism and adored nude paintings and sculptures. The way that the perception of beauty had changed throughout the years astounded Nozomi. This was still prevalent in this world. When the game had first begun she noticed how a lot of the avatars in the game looked very similar and only after their true faces and bodies were revealed did she begin to see significant variety. 

  The battle concluded and the screen showed Tamiko’s face illuminated. 

  Nozomi sat down in front of Tamiko. She tried to remember all of her oponent’s names and faces but Tamiko was definitely one of the people that stood out to her. Her personality, at least to Nozomi, didn’t match her face at first. Not to say that it still didn’t but to our heroine the first impression she had of her was inaccurate and Nozomi was still trying to reassess what type of person she was. She could have easily offered to read her fortune but now was not the time for that. 

“That was an impressive battle, you had.” Nozomi admitted. 

“Well, you see, I’m not a real gym leader. It’s just a little nickname I sorta picked up from staying here the past few weeks.” She shrugged, hoping the girl would laugh, taking it as a minor joke too. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist keeping it up for a bit longer.”

“Anyway, I’d be happy to give you a fair fight! I love battling for fun. Would you be willing to?” she asked politely.

However the last battle almost she was in cost Nozomi her life. She was conflicted for a second and thought about her luck and fortune. Nozomi was an incredibly lucky girl, and even though she’s only been in a few battles she hasn’t lost a single one. She decided to play it safe, though. Nozomi was embarassed that she was unable to do this. 

Many a trainer had found themselves stuck on the mountain until another player found them floundering for help.  Turning on his heel, he motioned for her to follow him as they headed away from Eterna City.  “So tell me Miss Nozomi, do you like battles?  We might find ourselves sucked into one or two on the way…”  Personally, he hated battling.  The stress it put on him was ridiculous and thus he avoided it at all costs.

Do I like battles? 

“Regarding your question, though... I’m really not that sure, I’ve been in a few and sometimes they seem beautiful and artistic. Battles are kinda breathtaking in an artistic sense but the beauty isn’t showcased as much. Pokemon, even though their AI, seem to have a sense of regality. The way they’re programmed to battle is something I haven’t seen before. But I’ve never been the violent type and Pokemon battles are quite intense...” Nozomi trailed off, she remembered a lot of the adventurers she started the adventure with. They had had intense battles with each other that day, but they didn’t know of their fate. 

 Nozomi remembered the fortune she read that day. The Tower was a sign she tried to beware of, however, she was not expecting that such a thing would happen inside of a virtual game. Nozomi realized after a short while that she had trailed off and regained focus on Lucas. 

Floaroma Town was one of the most beautiful places Nick had ever seen in her travels throughout the regions. It was a quiet town but bustled with visitors every now and again while she was staying there.

She enjoyed taking the time to just wander the flower fields and sit by the creek just outside the town. She learned how to plant berries here from the local NPCs, and she found the place pretty relaxing. There were a few people that came to know her as the Floaroma Town Gym Leader in the few weeks she had spent there since she enjoyed battling but never a fight to hurt anyone.

One day whilst in the Pokemon Center, a girl seemed to be wandering around. She didn’t want to bother the girl, so she let her browse while Nick watched T.V.

When the girl came up to her, she smiled politely. “Well there’s not really an official Gym here, but if you want a Gym Battle, I’d be happy to oblige.”

Originally posted by kylse

 Nozomi was confused. A gym leader without a gym seemed strange. She was still getting used to the idea of the game but wasn’t sure how this worked. So far she had learned how to open the menu and access it and to never use all Pokemon in a pvp battle. Nozomi didn’t question it. She, of course, had no idea that whether it was official or not.

“Okay, then I’ll send you a formal battle request, but before I do, shall we move on to the arena?” Most Pokemon Centers had either an indoor or outdoor battle arena. She began making her way there and hoping the girl would follow. “Can I ask what your gym rules are?”  

 The gym she had gone to before had specific rules, it was a 3v3 battle and items were allowed. Nozomi was lucky as she only had 3 Pokemon in her party and managed to win with only one of them standing. Nozomi noticed that the gym leader had multiple parties prepared in his PC by the conversation he had with one of his assistants. She also noticed that, by the way he worded his sentences, it was neither common nor uncommon.  

Lately guide jobs had been few and far between.  Most people were fairly settled and didn’t require his services anymore.  He had been mapping a new area in Unova when he received a ping notifying him of a message.  Seeing a new guide job request had bought a huge smile to his face as he immediately made made way for Sinnoh.

He saw her and her Espeon looking quite nervous as they stood at the bottom of Mt Coronet.  It wasn’t a fun hike, but getting to Celestic Town wouldn’t be too bad.  It was mostly just the winding path that would be an issue; for the most part Pokémon didn’t poke around the main path all that much.  Lucas hefted his backpack and held out his hand as he approached the pair.

“Mornin’!  You must be Nozomi.  I’m Lucas, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”  His eyes darted to the Espeon who seemed to settle down slightly once she saw that they were going to get moving.  “So you’re just trying to get to Celestic Town, yeah?”

 Nozomi’s eyes lit up as Lucas approached her. She smiled as he introduced himself to them. Junai no longer seemed irritated, and she now began to circle Lucas in curiosity. Nozomi had really bonded with her, even though she was only data in a game. It was a weird concept that Nozomi didn’t fully understand. She had begun to get a better sense of the game but it all still seemed quite complex. 

 Her recent gym battle in Eterna City gave her better knowledge of the necessary tactics and how to play properly. However, there was still a lot more for her to learn. She wasn’t sure whether or not she enjoyed gym battles or not and there wasn’t that much else for her to do. This is why finding a spiritual outlet was so important to her. 

 “Yes, indeed.” She answered. “I’m still kinda inexperienced so that’s why I contacted you. There’s something I hope I might find there. ” 

She knew that by the way Venus trailed off that she was remembering something painful. Hikari waited, not wanting to interrupt what could be something helpful for healing. She had experienced a lot of that in this world… both watching it and feeling it herself.

When she snapped out of it, Destroyer seemed to be excited about something. The girl asked Hikari to go out, and she nodded with a soft smile.

“Sure thing. I know a few cafes around here that might be nice to sit down at. Sound good to you?” she asked. Hikari waited for a response before standing and offering the girl a hand. She didn’t think the girl physically needed help; it was more for an emotional support. “Come on.”

 Venus felt a strange warmth as her hand was held by Hikari. She thought that the she had to try to make it up to her. Venus would always try to be kind to people, and would always pass on acts of kindness this sometimes made her an easy target since her kindheartedness sometimes reached foolish levels. She would help dangerous criminals and even got into a very dangerous gang of hackers.  Venus, however, doesn’t hate any of these people but ever since her sister’s untimely death she’s been doubting herself.

Hikari listened intently. She smiled at the girl who seemed to be embarrassed by being so attached to her Pokemon. She could tell off the bat that Venus was kind in the way she treated them and that warmed Hikari’s heart.

Just then, the Eevee popped out of its Pokeball. It looked up at Venus with longing eyes before turning to Hikari. She leaned down and picked up the Eevee, letting it nuzzle into her shoulder. Venus seemed to be watching the scene.

Hikari stroked Destroyer as she replied. “I don’t think it weird at all. I tend to name some of my Pokemon too when I feel it suits them.” Hikari chuckled for a second. “I guess that’s weirder considering I perceive a personality from them all.

But the way I see it, you’re absolutely right. Right now, our best allies aren’t other players. In the end, everyone is in it to stay alive. Our Pokemon are the ones that are going to be there for us to the end.” Hikari thought about what she said again. “Then again, there’s people like us that are Rangers and help people, right?”

 “Yeah, helping people.”  She thought. Venus agreed with Hikari’s words, but it hurts her that she does. The two of them, Venus and her sister, were supposed to stick together.

*~*~*~*~*~*2 years ago~*~*~*~*~*~*

“Hey Marissa, what starter are you gonna choose?” Venus asked her sister.

“I dunno, maybe Chikorita but to be honest I really want that really cute kitty Pokemon, forgot it’s name.” 

“There’s like a dozen cat pokemon, Marissa.” Venus giggled. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“That’s a nice name,” she said. “pretty cool with the planets and whatnot.” She tried to make a conversation out of it to distract the girl. “I name some of my Pokemon, too. My partner is Chickori, and he’s an Empoleon. Do you name your Pokemon at all?”

She started remembering all her past Pokemon and all the weird names she gave them. She remembered Luna the Munna, and Jackson...  her starter Pokemon.  

“My Eevee’s name is Destroyer, I gave all my Pokemon really weird names. I know it’s weird because they’re just Artificial Intelligence but they’re what have kept me alive and I kinda grew attached to them.” 

 Venus felt safe speaking to Hikari, but she also felt scared that she would get Hikari in danger or worse, she could betray Venus. Hikari seemed like a nice girl, but our heroine has met a lot of “nice” people. 

 I feel like I can trust her but I should still be careful. 

When she finished her sentence, Destroyer came out, probably from hearing her name, and greeted Venus and Hikari. Venus hasn’t seen Destroyer in a few months. 

He wasn’t quite sure what to say in response to that last statement though, and replied a little awkwardly. “Well, I wouldn’t say that… but you did take quite a fall… nearly landed on top of me actually,” he said with a light laugh.

 “Me and my sister were separated...” Venus continued. “I was kidnapped, for some reason, but managed to escape.”  

  Venus, being 14 at the time, was very foolish and very trusting. Therefore, she didn’t think about the repercussions of blindly trusting a stranger. However, since this stranger had saved her life she thought he was worth trusting. 

Needless to say, in attempting to hide in these woods from any unreasonable or frenzied players, the last thing N expected was for a trainer to come crashing in from nowhere.

The startled trainer almost yelped but the sound was caught in his throat and nothing really escaped. He swallowed.

“H-hey, are you alright?” He asked.

… No response.

Ah, the dark haired trainer appeared to be unconscious from the fall. She didn’t appear injured but being knocked out in the wilds like this wasn’t good. What should he do? He couldn’t just leave her… Perhaps a pokemon center? He’d just left town but she might need medical attention and he wasn’t much of a doctor… Her pokemon had caught up with her as well. The fire type seemed concerned about its trainer.

Better to act sooner rather than later with the new danger of not being able to escape this game, he thought.

If she didn’t find him she would give up and look for her sister instead who was probably worried sick. She almost did give up but then...

Hikari knew what it was like to lose someone, but she didn’t want to give that away. Other than soothe her, Hikari wasn’t sure what to do.

She sat down next to her and put her hand on her shoulder. The girl continued to sob, saying that whoever it was had saved her.

“Well, you know what you have to do now right?” Hikari paused and waited to see how the girl reacted. “You have to make what she did worth it. You have to fight to stay alive here.”

 She stood up and brushed herself off, it was imperative to make sure that she escaped the game. If I survived two years I’m sure I can survive a little longer. Venus looked over at the very kind girl and couldn’t believe how nice she was. It was usually Venus who walked around spreading smiles all over, she was usually the one who comforted people going through stuff like this. 

But not anymore.