[ti]private[/ti][004] Catch-as-Catch-Can

It was not that she was complaining about having to walk all the way back to the settlement from the Noonlight Shrine. Rigorous exercise was part of her training, and a light one-hour walk through a pleasant woodland grove was something even a high schooler could probably do without much trouble.

She just wasn't expecting company.

Momo froze, too startled at being called out to move or even react for a moment. To all eyes, she appeared to be a cute, fashionable teenage girl, the type of person you'd expect to see drinking fancy tapioca drinks with her friends on Instagram. She had no idea how to react to the svelte, well-dressed woman who suddenly called out to her.

"I-I-I," she sputtered, cheeks turning red, "Well, it's no trouble, I guess. Yes. I can help."

<Welcome, MOMO. Welcome, FRANKA> buzzed the digital assistant hovering in the grass. Sensing a newcomer, it promptly restarted its tutorial spiel over from the beginning. <Ready to catch your first Pokémon? It's as easy as one, two, three!>

The girl dropped into a basic defensive stance, relaxed but stable, one hand raised to protect herself from the monster surely about to erupt from the grass. "Can you fight?" she asked Franka, tone deadly serious. You would almost think this was Street Fighter VR instead of Pokémon.

"Got it," Momo said with an affirmative nod. She turned to her opponent: a Patrat, something like a giant rat. It made the girly part of her brain want to scream and recoil. Momo quickly tried to mentally reclassify it: an extra-large hamster. Yes. Hamsters were cute. They were kind and gentle pets. She could surely defeat it.

When had she lost confidence in her own abilities?

"HI-YAAAH!" She moved like oiled lightning, dropping low to the ground to match the ratHAMSTER's short stature. In a single fluid, circular motion, she bodily seized the Pokémon by the shoulder and slammed it down to the--

She stopped. The Patrat was yelling something incoherently, face shoved deep in the grass. She felt... silly. "It's not so strong," Momo admitted cautiously, cheeks turning a bit pink again. "I think your grass Pokemon can defeat it."

She released the Patrat and stepped back, falling back into her stance (just in case). <Try practicing your Pokémon Attacks on the wild Pokémon! You can access your Pokémon's move list from the drop-down menu,> prattled the tutorial guide in the background. Momo hadn't actually known that, actually-- that might have saved her a lot of trouble if she'd known earlier on.

It was perhaps a year ago now that Momo had gotten her own starter Pokemon, and immediately headed for the (at that time) most challenging area of UNOVR to test her skills. She had not stopped by Mom's house. She had not delivered any package. And she had not done the Catching Tutorial.

Instead, she had thrown a terrified Pokémon out into the wilds, and told it to prove itself. The results had been... disappointing.

As she watched Franka's Snivy face off against the weak hamster monster, Momo was reminded of Kusa. His failure. No: her failure, to teach him, to inspire him, and to support him. Realizing the Treecko would never be battle-ready had been part of the reason Momo had fallen off UNOVR to begin with-- that, and the constant threat of entrance exams looming in her daily life.

But perhaps it was not that he was hopeless. Perhaps he just... needed to start small.

"I could use a Pokémon too, I guess," Momo said, hesitating. "But he's... anyway. Kusa, come out."

Momo's starter Treecko materialized in the grass next to Lash, looking around. At the sight of the Patrat, other battling starter, and Catching Tutorial guide, he let out a wail of what could only be described as betrayal.

<You promised I wouldn't have to do this anymore!>

"Shhhh!" Momo hissed, red-faced again. She didn't dare look at Franka - what would the new trainer think of her? She must look inept. "Please just do your best..."

Kusa took a deep breath, relaxing slightly in response to the pleasant aroma. <N-no I won't!> he sniffed, <This is just another gateway into 'more training!' I don't want to do it, so there!>

"I suppose so," Momo said to Franka, clamping down hard on her emotions. More like 'crybaby,' she thought, now irritated on top of being embarrassed. 'Shy' was cute, like a little boy hiding behind his mother's legs when he met you for the first time. Kusa was like the little boy throwing a screaming fit on the doorstep because he didn't want to go to swimming lessons.

Seeing Franka treat the grass-type so kindly had triggered a knee-jerk reaction in Momo. Resentment.

This is just the way things are.

One did not complain. One did not make a fuss. One did not wish for things they were not destined for. Those were behaviors which should be eliminated, not rewarded with compassion.

But she'd tried that before, and failed.

"You should at least know how to defend yourself," Momo said stoically, giving no hint of her inner turmoil. "This world is not safe. You cannot always hide from your problems - sometimes you must face them head-on."

<You're one to talk!> gulped Kusa angrily. He swiped with his leafy tail at the Patrat, just trying to keep it at bay more than any kind of coordinated attack. He hid behind Lash, covering his head. <Help!>