Paradise Pokeball System

Treating Them Like Pokémon

Looking between the women, I let out a sigh. “A better question is, What do you all have planned for today?” I asked and then pointed to Nemona. “Depending on that, I can plan the day out better.”

The women looked at each other, but then Jolene spoke up. “I was going to take Joy and Lusamine shopping today, so you can have the girls,” She said, but then Tallia shook her head with a tired look.

“I wish that I could go with you both, but I have to go to the Indigo Plateau this morning. I got a message that there were two challengers last night, so I have to head over there soon,” Tallia explained, but that gave me an idea.

“Do you think that we would be able to come and watch?” I asked, but Tallia shook her head.

“If this was a Public tournament, then I could, but these battles are more private battles," Tallia explained, and I nodded with a shrug.

"Okay, but do you know what time you will be done?" I asked, but she shook her head.

"No, sadly. There is a chance that another challenger could come, so I could be there all day," Tallia sighed, and I could tell that she didn't really want to go, but that was the price of being the champion.

I could now understand why Jolene was worried about her and wanted to get her away from being the leader of the Elite Four. I never imagined that the job would be so demanding, but I guess most people who were trainers dreamed of facing them. I, personally, didn't really care that much about battling, but I also didn't want my Pokémon to fall behind.

"Looks like you are stuck with me for the rest of the day!" Nemona laughed, and I rolled my eyes at her with a grin.

"You make it sound like a bad thing," I laughed, then looked at Joy and Lusamine. "Are you both fine with spending the day with Jolene?" I asked, and both of them nodded, but Lusamine stabbed a finger into my chest.

"You had best not forget to spend time with your Pokémon. They are just as much people as we are because of you. You had best not ignore them just to keep us entertained," she warned, and I nodded, thinking about Lumi and Popsicle.

"Yes, I will also spend time with them while we train. I can take Nemona into Prisma now, so maybe we will just spend the day there," I said, and then looked back to Nemona. "Are you okay with that?"

Nemona nodded enthusiastically. "Absolutely! I'm excited to see Prisma and spend the day with you and your Pokémon. Let's make it an adventure!"

With the plans set, Jolene, Joy, and Lusamine headed off for their shopping day, and Tallia prepared to leave for the Indigo Plateau. I led Nemona towards Prisma, eager to introduce her to the mystical place that held so many memories for me.

As we entered Prisma, Nemona's eyes widened with amazement. The massive dome-shaped area was huge, but you could still see the far walls from the center. Nurse Joy's house/Poke center stood in front of us, but Nemona's eyes were looking everywhere as she spun around.

"Landon!"

I didn't have time to turn before Lumi, my human-like Cosmog, came flying at me, knocking me to the ground. Thankfully, her body was covered by a cut white dress, making things less awkward.

"Lumi, you've got to be more careful!" I laughed, rubbing my side where she had collided with me. Lumi nuzzled against me, her eyes gleaming with affection.

Before I could get up, Popsicle, my Pawmi, leaped on me as well, but she was the last one. “Landon!”

After giving each of them a kiss, my Poke-girls got off me but then looked at Nemona, who was grinning at me.

“You really have the strangest relationship with your Pokémon, don't you?" She asked, and I shrugged as I got back up.

"I guess you could call it that," I smiled and then looked around before focusing on Lumi. "Where is everyone else?"

"Well I am here, so Miss Fire-Face isn't," Popsicle said a bit too proudly, and Nemona raised an eyebrow at me.

"My Pawmi and Charcadet don't get along very well," I explained and then shook my finger at Popsicle. "Stop teasing her. The two of you should be trying to get along, not fighting more."

Popsicle only shrugged. "Tell her that. Every time we cross paths we argue. It's not like I am trying to make fun of her, but she turns her nose up at me just because she is rarer than me."

I sighed and then looked at Nemona. "Do you ever have problems like this with your Pokémon?" I asked, and Nemona laughed.

"Well, my Pokémon can't talk. If they do get mad, it is mostly because the Pokémon's level is higher than the rating my badges give me. So, most of the time they only fight with me, not the other Pokémon unless I ask them. I think it might have something to do with them all living in the same place."

That did make sense, and I was sure that Pokémon fought each other in the wild. Still, that didn't help me with my current problem.

"Maybe you need to stop treating them like Pokémon?" Nemona asked, and I tipped my head at her.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, currently, you are looking at them like Pokémon and trying to figure out how to deal with them like Pokémon. I think you need to start viewing them as people with Pokémon traits, as strange as that might sound," Nemona explained, and I looked my Poke-girls up and down.

That seemed like a reasonable idea, but what exactly did that mean? I felt like I was already doing that, but maybe I was missing something.

"Okay, so I treat them more like humans, but what exactly do you mean?" I asked, and Nemona nodded.

"Think about this. How do we normally treat our Pokémon when it comes to battle? We send them out alone or in pairs, but we never just send a group of them out. We also feed them and other things, but I personally give them each their own dish to eat out of," Nemona explained, and I frowned.

"Well, it is not like I am making them eat out of a bowl," I replied, but Nemona shook her head.

"What I mean is that we usually focus on one at a time, and treat them like pets," Nemona said, and I was about to argue with her, but she put up her hand. "I don't think you do that, but each of them has their own place, right? You visit each of them, and spend time with them, right?"

I couldn't deny that. I had made a point of making sure that each of the girls had their own place to feel at home. I also tried to spend time with them alone so they could feel special. Was that wrong?

Nemona chuckled. "No, it's not wrong at all. You're doing a great job. But maybe, just maybe, it's time to mix things up a bit. Instead of treating them like individual Pokémon, maybe try involving them more in group activities. Like, have them battle together more often, or train as a team. It might help them bond better."

I considered Nemona's suggestion. It made sense. If I wanted my Poke-girls to get along better, perhaps creating more opportunities for them to interact and cooperate would be beneficial.

"Alright, I'll give it a try. Maybe a group training session or something," I said, and Nemona nodded with a smile.

"That's the spirit! And who knows, they might surprise you. Pokémon are intelligent creatures, after all."