----
It wasn't a fish.
What Eric's rod had hooked was a child a young girl wearing bright orange shorts.
Serperior noticed immediately, her sharp eyes darting toward the water. She frowned and acted quickly, realizing her clueless trainer was still focused on his fishing rod, oblivious to the potential danger. If he pulled too hard, the hook could harm the child.
Serperior sighed, extending one of her vines from her leafy collar and giving Eric a swift smack on the backside.
"Ah!" Eric yelped, dropping the rod and spinning around to glare at his Pokémon. "What was that for? I didn't do anything wait, have you finally figured out I've been tricking you into compliments?!"
Ignoring him, Serperior reached into the water with her other vine and carefully pulled the unconscious child out.
Seeing the girl limp in Serperior's grasp, Eric's irritation vanished. He rushed over to take her from Serperior's vine, gently cradling her in his arms.
"She doesn't seem injured… just waterlogged. She must have been knocked out and swallowed some water. If we can clear her airway, she should recover," he murmured, his tone serious.
Eric gestured to Serperior to help, trusting her to perform the Heimlich manoeuvre with her vine. Her precision and control were far better suited to the task than his clumsy hands.
As Serperior worked, Eric took a moment to study the child more closely.
She was a pale-skinned girl of about ten years, with twin pigtails framing her face. Her soaked clothes looked like the uniform of Naranja Academy, the school he would soon teach at.
'Looks like I'll have to call Geeta' Eric thought. It felt a little excessive to bother the chairwoman of the Paldean Pokémon League over this, but she was the only person at Naranja Academy Eric could contact.
Before he could dwell on the matter, the girl began coughing violently, a sign that Serperior's efforts had worked.
Her eyes fluttered open, though they were unfocused at first. As her vision cleared and she caught sight of Eric leaning over her, her pupils dilated with fear.
The girl's trembling lips parted as if to scream, but she quickly clamped her hands over her mouth, stifling the sound. Tears welled in her wide eyes as she glanced between Eric and Serperior.
Eric blinked in confusion. "Huh? What's wrong with her?"
From her expression, it was clear the girl had been terrified by something.
Eric considered the situation. The only things in her immediate vicinity were him, an obviously kind and gentle big brother, and Serperior, who admittedly could look intimidating.
It must be Serperior, Eric concluded with unwarranted confidence.
Flashing his most reassuring smile, he said, "Don't worry. Serperior is my partner Pokémon. She might look a little fierce, but she doesn't mean any harm."
Before the girl could respond, Serperior let out a hiss of frustration. With a sharp crack, one of her vines lashed Eric's backside again, harder this time.
"Ah! Okay, I get it! Ow!" Eric winced, hopping slightly in place.
Serperior glared at him, her vine poised for another strike. She might have held back enough to avoid causing real harm, but she wasn't about to let her trainer off the hook for calling her "fierce."
Amused by the dynamic between the two, the girl's fear began to subside. Her tense posture relaxed slightly, though her eyes still held a hint of caution.
Seeing this, Eric decided to break the ice with a proper introduction.
"Hi there. My name's Eric. I run this little farm," he said gently. "And this is Serperior, my partner."
Serperior gave a polite nod, doing her best to appear less imposing, though her regal demeanour was impossible to fully suppress.
The girl hesitated, glancing between Eric and Serperior before finally murmuring, "I'm Nemona. Thank you for saving me."
"Nemona, huh? That's a lovely name," Eric replied, smiling warmly.
But as he processed her words, his eyes widened in disbelief.
'Wait a minute… Nemona?'
'This shy, pale-skinned little girl was supposed to be Nemona, the energetic, tan-skinned Champion of Paldea? The cheerful "Battle Maniac" who had practically earned a reputation as an unstoppable force of nature?'
'It didn't make sense. Aside from the faint resemblance in their facial features, everything about this girl seemed different. Was it a coincidence? Could it be a case of mistaken identity?'
Before he could ask, Nemona's panicked voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Big Brother, we need to leave! The people who kidnapped me might still be nearby!"
Eric froze. "…What?"
---
Don't forget to drop some Power Stones!
For early access to 25+ advanced chapters
P@treon/iamxeno
Thank you so much for your support and for reading!