The Badge Trainer

One of the things Zane didn’t need explained to him was the objective of new trainers. He knew that he was heading directly for the first of eight Badge Trainers, the gatekeepers who tested newcomers to determine if they were capable of participating in the actual, competitive circuits. I never worried about a single one of them, myself, but I had to admit they weren’t exactly pushovers.

Each lived in a different city, a controversial system from a bygone era. The idea, a century ago, was that aspiring trainers’ real test was getting between the different cities and proving that they were capable of survival and ingenuity as much as pure competition. That was when the youngest trainers were fourteen or fifteen, now some had their own Capmon at six. They weren’t allowed to travel alone until nine or ten, a necessary rule for basic safety.

I quite liked the system of badge trainers. If all of them stayed in the same city, then some buffoon could just accidentally get accepted into competition. Otherwise, you could get competitors who knew how to fight, but who had no practical skills whatsoever. People died travelling between the cities, but that was their fault, not a problem with the system.

Garden City’s bridge led to a short road around the edge of a shallow lake. While there were wild Capmon here, they mostly stayed in the bushes and the water. People from Garden City came this way often to the little retreat of Verdant Shore. The creaky reeds played glockenspiel in the breeze. Chii followed us here, meaning to challenge the Verdant Gym herself. That was the home of its Badge Trainer. A century ago, the gyms were single fields or refurbished warehouses, just large enough for single challenges. Now, they were given whole sporting arenas. They sold tickets for people to watch.

The Potheel Stadium was named for the Potheel pharmaceutical company. It could seat thirty thousand at its peak. It was built for the Capmon World Cup about fifteen years ago. The next international tournament of its kind would be next year in a faraway nation. That would be my chance to become a world champion instead of a national champion. Obviously, I’d already qualified to compete there. I winced at the thought. I’d be back to normal in a year, that was certain.

Today, Potheel Stadium mostly hosted badge challenges. It was open ten hours per day, with one of the Badge Trainers who specialized in testing beginning competitors stationed inside. Even though most of the competing trainers would be nobodies- more of nobodies than Zane himself- there must have been at least two hundred people scattered throughout the seating area. It was far more sparse than I liked. For one of my best matches, there had been tens of thousands. The championship matches were on television for at least a hundred times as many.

My grandfather took me to watch a tournament here when I was four. Fans filled all of Verdant Shore. Streamers exploded. Drummers and flutists and dancers sat on the edges of the street. Some brought their own boats and tried to sell little knick-knacks to other fans as they walked around the edge of the lake. My grandfather didn’t let me buy anything from them. None of them were Capmon experts, just charlatans hoping to make pocket change off unwitting fans. He wasn’t wrong. Even Badge Trainers only made money from the fee trainers who lost to them had to pay.

A man walked up and down the almost-empty stands yelling about cotton candy. He had a bundle of sweets in one arm, and exchanged what he could for the spectators’ spare coins. They were often parents with young children looking for a cheap way to spend their day. When real competitions came around, the tickets were far more expensive than mere gym battles. “Heh,” Chii nudged Zane on the back of the shoulder, “you go first. I’ll show ya how it’s done after you get done losing.”

The Badge Trainer herself was either sixteen or seventeen. She’d grown more than I had since I’d last battled her- ignoring the fact that I’d shrunk. Before, I wasn’t concerned about facing her at all, and my lack of fear turned out to be completely justified. Her job was to fight trainers who had no clue what they were doing, so she employed a team of weak, untrained Capmon for her gym challenges. She used stone type Capmon exclusively. Every Badge Trainer had to use a specific type.

I was more afraid now. A kid who must not have been older than eight or nine sat in front of her desperately flipping through his bag to make up the rest of her fee. His Esspark lay on the ground. Its flickering, electric wings were crumpled backward. Its belly caved inward, not rising with any breaths. After proving he had no more money, he recalled it to its Capture Ball and ran past us. Lightning types struggled most against earth types, but stone types often shared a dangerous amount of characteristics with the latter.

Zane marched toward her, but froze a few steps away. His legs shook slightly, and a bead of sweat dripped down his neck. It must have been the heat of the stadium lights. I always loved those lights. The screens hanging over the seating area flashed to life with the camera view of Zane standing there. This was probably on some local channel that elderly women watched.

The Badge Trainer’s mouth curled into a slight smile as she saw him, “You know the rules already?”

“Whoever runs out of Capmon first loses.”

“That’s the rule of the match. I’m talking about the legal stuff,” She flicked her hair over her shoulder, “you agree that participating in the Gym Challenge that you are at… Uh risk… Blah blah… For every Gym Battle you lose, you must pay out a sum equal to three tenths of your current holdings or one thousand coins- whichever is less. Your earnings as a trainer are subject to a tax of… blah blah… Nine percent to the state… Ahem, once you complete the Badge Challenge, you will owe dues to the players’ association biannually. Failure to… blah blah blah… removal from the league and loss of badges and titles. Got all that?”

“Huh?” Zane scratched his head.

Chii poked him, “She’s saying you have to pay her when ya lose.”

“Basically!” The Badge Trainer beamed, “I’m Pebble, by the by, master of all things stone. If you win, I was going easy. If you lose, you were trying your best.”

He tapped his foot on the ground. His eyes turned to me, “W-we’ll win. Don’t you worry, Master Pebble.”

She stretched until her shoulders popped. Then, Pebble waltzed across the field. She held her hand out to Zane, “Good luck.” He stared at her open palm for a while. Then, he finally realized what he was supposed to do. He’d watched enough professional matches before, that he had no right to have forgotten this.

He shook her hand, then tried marching back to the challenging trainer’s podium. His legs creaked like unoiled metal as he walked stiffly to the other end of the field. A horn blasted and continued into a triumphant song.

Pebble cast her Capture Ball forward with a flick of her wrist. A little birdlike statuette with sharp, glass limbs and eyes emerged from it. The fancy, crystal buttons down its chest were carved into its granite overcoat. Eldoll, a stone and crystal type. Its beaked head spun around on its marble-and-amethyst neck, making a loud scraping noise. At least, it was no taller than I was.

Zane snatched one of the Capture Balls from his side, “Squirm, go!” It flashed open revealing the Cattalett in the middle of the arena.

“A bug and a Kichi…” Pebble yawned, “You have more than ten coins on you, right? I could take a coffee. Eldoll, use flashing beam!” The doll spun like a ballerina as it bounced across the ground, not quite levitating, but never standing. Its head kept rotating against its body, its eyes remaining level on Squirm. The clear jewels in its eyes shook, a deep orange growing in them and red like fire opals. A flashing stream of concentrated flame swirled out from it and honed in on Squirm.

“Get out of the way!” Zane yelled at the last second. The flames seared Squirm’s side as he barely reacted in time. He nudged himself toward the Eldoll. Zane held his breath, “Try to stop it from moving.” I blinked, this was the most coherent direction he’d ever given. Squirm spat a sticky ooze out of his mouth, a mix of blood, saliva, and something blackish orange substance. It caught the Eldoll’s bottom foot, and though the figurine didn’t stop moving, it bounced around much more slowly.

Eldoll wobbled toward Prince. “Slam it,” Pebble hardly looked at the arena. She glanced briefly at one of the large screens hanging down over the arena’s seating. They showed little pixelated images of the active Capmon. Large green bars overhead used an advanced, AI system to predict how much more injury either Capmon could take without being knocked out of the fight. I’d gotten used to looking at these predictions, myself. They weren’t always perfectly accurate.

I watched as the Eldoll got within striking range of Squirm. They screen flashed in the corner of my eye. “Bite it, now!” I yelled instinctively. Squirm glanced at me for just a second too long. The wide, stone arm came down sharply against his abdomen. Green fluid splashed out of his side, and the green bar representing him on the screen shot downward sharply. He retaliated with a sharp bite to the Eldoll’s side. His teeth hissed with a pink acid as they melted straight into the opponent’s stone body. As Eldoll retreated, it tore one of Squirm’s venomous teeth out with it.

Squirm glanced at me, “Don’t distract me like that…”

“Just listen to me.”

Squirm huffed. He forcibly dragged himself backward slightly to spit some of the same sticky ooze over his gaping wound. “I don’t bother you when you’re fighting, Bianca.” The Eldoll slowed further, the rhythm of its spins breaking as its head bobbed side to side without straightening properly. It didn’t cross half the field before Pebble smiled softly and raised its Capture Ball. It was sucked back inside in a beam of light as she recalled it. In one motion, she took another ball from her side and launched it forward. She was watching the arena much more carefully now. “Go Grandite!”

A stone beast with four clawed feet thundered forward. A silvery mane of sand flowed around its neck. Its feline face scrunched up as it roared. Zane watched it as it charged forward, “Bite it again!” He commanded.

“No. Don’t! Avoid it!” I yelled. Squirm annoyed me and tried lodging his teeth into the toes of the rock lion. Its claw caught him first and sent him flying back. Squirm twitched as he hit the ground, unconscious but narrowly alive. Zane grumbled something as he recalled him.

As Zane reached for another Capture Ball, the crowd suddenly came alive. They were cheering wildly, “They’re rooting for her?” He hissed. They weren’t even looking at him, they were looking at the entrance.

Pebbles eyes turned toward the figure coming through the stadium doors. He took a courtside seat and casually rested his arms behind his head. “The champion…” She mumbled. Indeed, there sat Fire, watching this pointless match being fought by a nobody. I pinched Zane’s neck. I didn’t care if he lost, I wasn’t going to.

“Yeah…” Zane took a deep breath, “There’s a champion watching me!” He spun the Capture Ball in his fingertips with an agility I’d never seen from him. “Prince, you’re up!” The Pengli appeared in the middle of the arena.

“Oh?” Pebble tilted her head side-to-side, “A sea type. How troublesome.” She didn’t wait for anything to happen before recalling the Grandite. She resummoned Eldoll right beside Prince. It almost looked like a different Capmon than had been out just a moment ago. Most of its injuries had completely disappeared.

“Wh-what? Did you heal it?” Zane flinched.

Pebble shook her head, “That’s Eldoll’s special ability. It heals itself whenever it gets recalled! With proper positioning, my Eldoll is invincible!”

“You can’t let it leave the field again…” I said firmly. Zane wasn’t listening. I shook my head and faced Prince, “Keep it around at all costs!”

Prince looked up to Zane, then flapped his flippers up slightly, “You got it, Baby!” He ran headfirst at the Eldoll, pecking at it wildly. I doubted Eldoll could do much to hurt Prince. That wasn’t its job. Pebble intended to use it to soften him up, then recall it again once it was in any real danger.

“Use your spark beam,” Pebble bounced slightly on her knees. She bent over, smiling ravenously. Eldoll’s eyes flashed topaz yellow, screeching electric shocks dancing across the field toward Prince. It had a flame attack for forest types, a lightning attack for sea types. This was the kind of beast you were meant to face in major tournaments.

Prince barely picked himself up from the shock. He twitched slightly as the lingering electricity coursed through his veins, paralyzing him. Before he could react, Pebble smiled widely. She tilted her head side to side and calmly recalled the Eldoll. “Go, Grandite!”

Grandite charged toward Prince. “Get out of the way!” Zane yelled. The weakness caused by the shock slowed Prince just enough that he was caught by the charging goliath. It grabbed the Pengli in its jaws and lifted him up playfully.

“Splash it! Anything!” I yelled. Before Prince could react, Zane held up the Capture Ball and recalled him. I stepped forward narrowly.

“A good choice… Yesterday,” Pebble looked down at me, “Do you surrender, Challenger?”

Zane shook his head, “Nah,” he angled his head toward Fire, “You haven’t seen anything yet.”

Pebble wordlessly pointed at me. She turned to face the champion in the audience and smiled slyly at him. Grandite thundered down the length of the field shaking the ground so wildly I struggled to stay up. I took my balance at the last moment and darted to the side. It kept crashing forward for half a dozen body lengths before it finally stopped itself, panting. It was a mix of stone and earth types, against which my electricity would be a pointless formality. I retreated toward the wall of the arena, a large metal barrier just before the courtside seating. I stood on the ground just in front of Fire. His eyes centered on me, trained on my stance, the way I moved. He smiled as he thought about what kind of tactic was even worth imagining.

“Shock it!” Zane yelled across the field. Fire stood up, adjusting his baseball cap. He shook his head. If I showed any intention to outright refuse directions, I could be disqualified. On one hand, I wouldn’t get snacked on by a stonework titan. Fire took a step toward leaving. I created the smallest spark I could, to avoid exhausting myself. This thing would be immune to the most powerful attack I could manage anyway. Instead, Zane’s command was so menial and vague that I could interpret it however I wanted. Provoke, annoy, distract, taunt.

The flash wasn’t even bright enough to light up the air around me, but it landed right in Grandite’s eyes. Its stone eyelids remained shut as it blundered toward me, charging with the full weight of its body. I rolled to the side, staining my soft pelt with mud. A horrible crash and screech shook throughout the arena. Fire stopped for just a second and looked up at the screen. Grandite’s bar depleted into nothing as the metal arena wall collapsed on top of it. The little pixelated icon representing the titanic Capmon disappeared entirely. Fire pirouetted around, staring at Zane. He nodded slowly.

Pebble gaped. “Fabulous… No matter…” She sent the Eldoll back in. I pushed myself back onto my feet, the mud dripping from my fur weighing me down. This one wasn’t like the Grandite, I could shock it if I had the chance. It struggled when it was slowed down, and a little, controlled shock could paralyze it just like its attack had stunned Prince. It twirled toward me. She had one more Capmon she hadn’t even revealed yet. It didn’t matter how much straight damage I did to Eldoll, I had to make it leave before it could hurt me, or I had to destroy it all at once.

“Zap it!” Zane yelled as it got close to me. The same idea, without any of the elegance I’d planned for previously. It wasn’t going to charge headlong into the wall, and even if it did, it was so small that it’d hardly be hurt.

It moved too quickly, and the little, controlled spark I tried to create zipped past it. It whirled toward me like a top, and slammed into my side, throwing me to the ground. It struck me again as I tried to pick myself up. The second time, the static electricity surrounding me flickered through it. My head was ringing.

The slight surge of energy was enough to stun it. As soon as Pebble saw it slowing, she pulled it back. “Go, Conniser!” A long, conical shell with wide barbs formed in the arena in front of her. A little, gooey body hid within the shell, slowly dragging itself toward me. Stone and venom, the barbs on its shell were lined with a powerful neurotoxin.

“Tackle it!” Zane pointed forward. I danced on my feet, trying to wait as long as possible. Fire scratched his chin. I couldn’t tell if he was amused, or if he expected some brilliance in this.

Pebble blinked, she also seemed to be expecting some kind of bluff. “Deflect…” She waved softly. Conniser created a little pulsating forcefield around itself. I dashed into the waving light, only to get thrown off of it without hitting the toxic shell. As the forcefield disappeared, I released a harsh shock that crackled through the heart of the arena. It flashed down through Conniser’s shell, and the little creature hiding within collapsed, hissing with smoke. It was rendered unconscious to a wild cheer of the crowd, and it was recalled.

“Was that really just a bluff?” Pebble hissed as she threw the Eldoll back out. It couldn’t fight while stunned. I couldn’t take another serious hit. The crowd was watching intently, the champion among them.

“I’m kind of a genius,” Zane flashed a smile.

A regenerating Capmon like Eldoll could restore its injuries, but it remained sluggish even after it returned to the field. It bobbled as it came closer to me, firing off electric and flaming beams from its eyes. The first, I hopped over before ducking under the second. Fire laughed as I stood still, letting the next one pass me by on its own. It was a tactic I’d loved to teach my own Capmon to use.

With each attack, Eldoll’s spinning slowed slightly like a top that had been running too long. Its bounces on the ground became slower and slower. I darted forward and tackled it, holding its stone-and-crystal body in the mud. As it flailed, it just caught itself in more and more static electricity until it froze completely. I dragged myself off of it, panting.

“Well…” Pebble shook her head. She pulled a little badge out of her pocket. Each of them represented victory over one of the Badge Trainers. “Zane, was it?” She flicked the little metal pin toward him. It depicted a glittering geode.

“That’s right!” He beamed. He ran across the field and pulled me out of the mud. “I’m Zane, and I’m gonna be the champion someday.”

Fire clapped slowly, “You’re a fan of Cyan, aren’t you? She’s an old friend of mine.”

“Champion Fire!” Zane squeaked, “How’d you know that?”

The champion nodded, “I’ve faced her more than anyone else in the world. You’ve taught your Kichi to use her signature tactics. It’s impressive training.”

Zane blinked, “W-well, yeah, of course. It was easy.”

“Right…” Fire turned to leave the stadium. Fans got in his way, begging for autographs. He turned back to Zane and called out, “With that kind of talent, I’m sure I’ll see you soon. You might want to learn type matchups first.” I read his lips as he muttered another word, “Liar…”