Like New

A buzzing white light dangled overhead. There was a white cushion below me. A towering human woman slowly pulled a disposable mask off her face. She used her teeth to lazily pull off a pair of plastic gloves. Surely, that defeated the purpose of the gloves. What did I know? I was never a nurse. I’d met this exact nurse when I’d needed my own Capmon healed or resurrected before. At least, I thought it was her.

My side didn’t have the flesh bitten off it anymore. The fur there felt soft and fresh, like laundry just out of the dryer. It didn’t hurt at all. That was nice. “You took a nice beating, Kichi. I heard a kitty decided to make a yummy snack of you,” she giggled as she grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and carried me out of the sterile operating room. I watched the white tiled floor disappear as she pushed the stainless steel door open with her bare hand. She put me down in front of Zane, “See. All better.”

“Ah!” Zane shivered. His mouth curled up into a cheesy smile, “Th-thank you so much!”

“First time?” The nurse chirped.

“Yeah… I’m a new trainer.”

“I hope to see you again soon,” the nurse walked away.

Zane yelped, “W-wait! How do I stop this from happening again?”

The nurse looked up at the ceiling, “I guess you and Kichi…”
“Bianca,” he insisted.

“I guess you and Bianca could enter fashion contests together… instead of battling. But, getting strong enough to win battles takes losing a lot of battles. Every trainer goes through this with their new Capmon.”

“Is that it?”

The nurse beamed, “Think of it this way. In the wild, she’d get gobbled up by some other Capmon, and you wouldn’t be there to bring her back. She’d be sitting all alone in some other Nyaro’s litter box without anyone to help her. She’s lucky to have you!” She took her leave.

He grabbed me, “Mom said she’d wait for us down the street.” I recognized Garden City as soon as Zane stepped outside. One of the largest cities in the region, it was lined with clean, pavement roads and tall office buildings. The eastern ward near the old gym always smelled from the black, plastic trash bags left outside. For a town known as Garden City, there were virtually no trees outside of the 1 acre city park in the northern ward. A stream dribbled through the center of town and a rickety wooden bridge dangled over it. There was no Hospital in Green Town, so coming here wasn’t a surprise.

“Which way do ya think Mom went?” Zane walked lazily down the road. He was going toward the eastern ward. Nobody would want to go to the little shops there with their boarded windows and rough-and-tumble patronage. I tried directing Zane toward the quiet northern ward instead, he kept walking. “Bianca, it’s just a town, there’s nothing to be afraid of.”

I huffed. There was no way I was going to get in another impossible battle because he stumbled into the wrong part of town. I held myself at the ready on his shoulder and watched as he wandered between the lines of trash bags. Two men walked along the side of the street speaking in hushed voices. One turned to Zane, “Ey’ Kid, whaddaya doin’ round here?” It was nearing the evening, and the street lights were starting to flicker on.

“I’m looking for my mom!” he advertised to the whole city. I could feel eyes turning to him.

As Zane focused on two more men near the end of an alleyway, I bounced off his shoulder and began darting away. “Hey, Bianca!” He turned to yell at me. I stopped halfway down the street to watch him. I just wanted to gloat until I saw the two men from the alleyway stepping out around Zane. They had sleek black outfits with a bright pattern across their front. A uniform I hadn’t seen in months. I motioned for Zane to run to where I was. “Come on! I can’t play chase right now!” He yelled.

One of the uniformed men stomped closer to Zane, “Ya lost, little boy?” I gritted my teeth and sprinted back in front of Zane. These were the Starlight Gang. I thought Fire and I had dismantled them. Whether these were just remnants or something worse, I didn’t care. Zane had no clue who these men were, and they could really hurt him.

The wider of the two men stumbled toward me, “Ya got a little cutie there, Kiddo. Whaddaya say ya hand over your… money, Capture Balls, oh how about everything?” For me to attack these men directly would be wrong. Nobody was supposed to attack trainers. I’d have to wait for them to get bored and send out their own Capmon. Winning would be the real trouble.

I pointed behind Zane. He could run, and I’d try to slip away after him. He blinked at my command, “That way?” He asked out loud.

The tall, skinny Starlight Gang member knelt down to me, “You’re a creative little Kichi. Don’t worry. You won’t have to watch your trainer run.”
“Watch…” I growled. His outfit sparkled in the sunset over me. I never knew why gang members wore matching uniforms that showed their full face. They looked more like a sports team or an advertising agency. If I stalled them long enough, surely the police would see them sticking out of the crowd. I hoped.

Zane stood his ground, “I’m not giving you anything… s-so… Get lost!” This kid kept reminding me more and more of Fire. The subtle arrogance and abject cluelessness. Fire got himself captured by these goons once, and I had to break into their secret, underground lair to save him. Those were the days… they were seven months ago.

The taller ruffian flicked a Capture Ball onto the floor, “Well, okay then,” he smirked as a flash of light grew into the form of a long, stretched out rodent. It had two sharp fangs that dripped with hissing venom. A long tail snaked along the ground behind it, tapping up and down as its four stumpy legs jittered back and forth. A red stripe zigzagged across its tan fur. A Wizzel. These things were considered completely pathetic by most trainers, commonly found rummaging through trash in backyards. It still towered over me.

My fur puffed out behind me. This was somehow supposed to make me look larger, more intimidating. It was a cute reflex. The last thing I remembered was a different fight. Well, this one could only end better. I looked up at Zane, this time he had to do a better job. His feet bounced on the ground uncomfortably. He took a step back. I stared down the Wizzel, adjusting my stance. Maybe I’d have to get used to being on my own.

“Wizzel, rush ‘er!” The grunt yelled out.

His little partner leaned against his side, “Come on, Dane, man!” If not for the Wizzel lunging at me, I’d have stopped to laugh at the two. A pair of hardened criminals getting excited about a contest against a child.

The Wizzel’s front legs pressed down together as its back legs bounced up, its lanky body worming up and down as it pounced straight at me. As I tried to bounce out of the way, its claw swiped me lightly across the cheek. I stumbled as I felt hot blood singing against my fur, dripping toward my chin. Electricity sparkled out of me as I was hit, flickering through the Wizzel’s claws and surging through its body.

As I picked myself up, I saw it struggling to stand. Its legs quaked under it. It tried to take another step toward me, and froze in place, paralyzed by the shock. I straightened myself out. Kichi were known for having static electricity surrounding them. Direct attackers risked getting shocked. My tail flicked behind me. I always hated having to get lucky, but this wasn’t the first time I’d seen the benefits of some kind of good fortune. I’d been unlucky twice as often, so it was a welcome change.

Zane took a deep breath, watching the Wizzel struggling to stand. “Uh… Bianca, finish it off… or something!” He clenched his hand into a fist like a politician giving a speech. A matching smile, showing his flashing overbite.

“Really?” I mumbled as I turned facing the Wizzel. I stepped toward it, trying to tense up my cheeks. I couldn’t force the electricity up like I had before. Wizzel slowly started to sturdy itself on its legs.

“Come on, Wizzel!” The taller criminal winced, “Come on, ya can’t lose!”

“You can beat this kid, Bro!” His partner wrapped his arms around his side.

I gave up on the electricity. Allowing the Wizzel to regain its footing would be a critical, if classic error. Hesitating instead of capitalizing on a clear advantage was one way amateurs self-selected themselves out of competitions. I raced forward, and slammed the front of my body into the side of Wizzel’s head. I pressed down with my chest and arms until its head thudded against the concrete. As I pulled myself off it, I saw its eyes were shut. Still breathing, it was recalled to its Capture Ball. Knocked out was good enough.

Zane jumped up and down, “We did it! We won!”

The shorter Starlight thug gritted his teeth, “Ya can’t mess with my bro like that, Man.” He snatched a Capture Ball out of his pocket and cast it down against the ground. Another Wizzel appeared in a vibrant flash. This one was a little larger than the last.

“You both have the same Capmon?” Zane rolled his eyes, “Come on, we’ll just do the same thing again!” I nodded as he spoke. Low-ranking criminals seemed to always have the same kinds of Capmon with them. I’d gotten lucky to stun the previous one, and I didn’t know if I could take much more damage than I already had. Maybe, Zane would at least participate this time. I heard loud footsteps tapping down the street from behind us.

“Blastix, get in there!” A woman’s voice cut through the dark streets. What appeared beside me was a towering reptile with a broad, armored shell. One of its round feet could have crushed the Wizzel under it.

“Mom!?” Zane turned to her.

She took a deep breath as she stood behind us, “I haven’t crushed any punks for a good few years. Why don’t you get out of here before you give me the chance, you scoundrels?”

“Y-yo…” The shorter criminal shook, “We were just having a fair match, y’know? You can’t butt in!”

“Uh-huh,” she flicked her hair, “if you’re both allowed to fight, we’re both allowed to.” Her opponent recalled his Wizzel and the partners ran away.