Building An Empire - Chapter 8 - Your First

Building An Empire - Chapter 8

Team-

Ashford - Arcanine

Bastille - Tyranitar

Damascus - Machamp

Abrams - Slowbro

Melusine - Dragonite

Hrunting - Scizor

Alex POV

This… this was beautiful.

I was sitting in the grandstands, surrounded by a sea of people. The organisers had decided that Karen’s fight with Will would be the last fight of the night, the main attraction before the finals on the weekend. So, after our little date, which included a nice burger meal, eaten at my camp, huddled next to the bonfire, followed by half an hour of brainstorming about how we were going to make it back to the arena to watch the match, we came up with a simple but bulletproof idea.

Disguises.

I was wearing a sombrero and a fake mustache that could put Mario and Luigi’s to shame, while Lorelei was in a giant trench coat, with a bowler hat on top. A bowler hat that was digging into my shoulder as Lorelei was passed out, leaning on me. 

Apparently she’d stayed up all night to perfect her strategy against me. Every variable had been accounted for, and with her rudimentary understanding of how I fought and the fact that her team had pokemon that were practically placeholders against me, she had created a strategy that could have caught me off guard. Only if she had the idea of using her Lapras as a perish song user, she could have gotten me into a really tight spot.

There were improvements to be made, tweaks to be done, but she’d shown that she was willing to do it, so she had earned the right to drool on my shoulder, and the right to convince me to wear this ridiculous getup.

Then again, if it worked for Team Rocket, then why wouldn’t it work for us?

Discourse about how such a flimsy disguise was working aside, the fight between Karen and Will was… unfortunate, to say the least. Not because they weren’t innovating but because of just how hard Karen countered Will’s entire element.

“Oh poor Will, truly, there couldn’t be a worse matchup for him.” The female commentator’s voice cut over the drone of the crowd, as the only pokemon from Will’s team that could take a hit from Karen’s Honchkow, his Bronzong, fell against a well-timed sucker punch. Looking down at the arena, there was a complete ethos of loss in Will’s demeanor.

“Such is the luck of draw sometimes. Then again, do you think he could have performed any better in the other semifinals?” The male commentator asked, and the female commentator, whose name I should have learnt by now, was silent.

“Exactly. As powerful as the psychic type is, all three other semi-finalists have demonstrated good counters against it.” He continued. “Alessandro’s team would run roughshod through Will’s team.”

“He would have fared better against Lorelei, wouldn’t he?” The female commentator asked.

“Unlikely. While Will is employing the same esoteric strategy of rapid switching that Lorelei showcased, Lorelei’s dual-type specialisation, as well as the coverage options she showcased makes it so that Will would have a hard time countering her.”

It was sound analysis, but lacking complexity. Under certain circumstances, Will could have edged out a victory over Lorelei. He’d had the longest to develop his strategies, it was just a shame that a complete type nullification was not something he could counter.

Strategy had its limits, after all.

“And down goes Will’s Ace!” The female commentator chimed in, cutting off her male counterpart before he could launch into deeper analysis. “His Xatu, impressive all throughout the tournament, has been unable to turn the tables for him this time around.”

“It truly does look like it’s a wrap for Will’s tournament life.” The male commentator continued. “Sometimes, it’s just the luck of the draw. Better luck next time, Will.”

The look on Will’s face wasn’t one of anger, nor was it one of despair. It was a look of silent conviction. He knew he did his best, even when stonewalled. He knew he had found his team’s current limits.

Yet he was still hungry. It was the same look as I’d once worn when the team I’d spent an entire regulation building ended up not even taking me past day 1 at a regional tournament. He understood the path forward. He also understood that his team was his greatest limitation.

He wouldn’t give up on the Psychic type. It was his trademark, but he and Lorelei both would be making new additions to their teams.

She’d told me as much, and his expression mirrored her own when she’d made that proclamation. If I didn’t keep up with refining my own team, they would find ways to catch up.

Thankfully, the idea of having a rotating roster of teams, each with different specialisations, built to cater to different metas was something unheard of in this world. The more they would learn, the more they would evolve to counter it. 

One day, my bag of tricks would run empty, and I was looking forward to it with bated breath.

My attention shifted to the other side of the arena. Karen stood there, her expression didn’t betray a single emotion, but to my eyes, with the context provided by Alessandro’s experience with her, I could pick out the slight tone of annoyance. The slight beginnings of a frown. 

Yet, I couldn’t understand why. She’d won the fight emphatically, only losing one pokemon throughout the fight. Was her dissatisfaction stemming from the fact that she didn’t attain a perfect victory?

No, that couldn’t be it. Sure, Karen was haughty, but she acknowledged her peers, she acknowledged us. She knew she wouldn’t be making it through these battles unscathed. So, why was she so frustrated?

I’d have to ask her, and she better have a damn good reason for it.

LB

“What’s got you all riled up?”

She’d found me before I found her. She’d arrived at my camp right after her fight. While Lorelei and Will were at their Hotel, getting ready for a restful night of sleep. Karen had stomped into my camp, eaten my snacks, and was now sulking next to the bonfire, a brooding look on her face.

Rude.

“What happened to you?” She asked, her eyes staring into the flickering fire. There was aggression in her tone, almost bordering a growl.

I sighed. “You know well enough what happened to me.” I commented.

“No. I fucking don’t!” She snapped. “I don’t know what happened to you in the few months between us seeing each other, what changed?”

I took a step back, stunned by the sheer combination of emotions in her voice. Anger, disbelief, and somehow, sadness, all rolled into one potent cocktail. I didn’t quite understand what she wanted to hear, I didn’t understand how to respond, so I simply let her continue.

“We left you a wreck, man.” She spoke, a sob broke her usually confident voice. “Thrice I had to stop myself from reaching out to you. Three times I had to stop myself from finding you and stopping you before you did something stupid, but you asked me not to, so I didn’t”

“I didn’t know that you’d gone up to Mt. Silver till Will told me.” She whispered, “Do you know how shit scared I was? How glad I was when he told me that you made it back safe and sound?”

“I didn’t have many options, Karen. Out of pokemon, out of time, I went to the one place I knew I could get strong pokemon.” I countered.

“No, you sneaked into the one place in Indigo where you were most likely to be killed, by wild pokemon, by the mountain itself. Anything could have gone wrong.” She shot back.

“Yet nothing did. So, what’s your point?” I spat, slowly getting irritated by her repeating concerns.

“My fucking point is, who the fuck are you and what did you do to Alex?” She asked, stopping me dead in my tracks.

Logic took over the moment panic passed. There was no way for her to truly know that I was a reincarnator wearing the skin of her childhood friend. I sat down next to her, leaning in.

“Remember when we were eight and you bruised your knees during the class outing to Pewter city?” I asked, mustering up a smile that was almost genuinely caring. Alessandro’s memories were practically mine, and that one always stood out.

“You remember that?” She shot back, her eyebrows rising in surprise.

“It’s the only time I’ve ever seen you cry. Of course I remember.” I jested. “Well, almost cried. What was it that you said?” 

The way her words were lost as she mumbled out what sounded like gibberish, an embarrassed blush on her cheeks. I chuckled. 

“Something like this won’t make the future pokemon champion cry!” I spoke, trying to hold back a laugh. “I believe you were tearing up as you shouted that.”

“You aren’t supposed to remember that shit!” She hissed, all the while I was trying my best to stop laughing. She punched my shoulder, which hurt more than I thought it would. 

Damn that girl could throw a punch.

“How could I forget that day?” I replied, my chuckles finally dying out. “It was the day I developed that crush on you.” 

There was silence for a moment between the two of us. The blush on her face persisted as she seemed to find it very hard to make eye contact with me.

“I know.” She whispered. “I’ve always known.”

“I’d expect no less. I wasn’t exactly subtle in my affections.” I said, “Is that what made you doubt me?”

She shook her head. “I… I’m not sure. When we met that day, I noticed that you didn’t look at me the same. You looked at all three of us as equals.”

“And is that so shocking?” I asked.

She shook her head. “Honestly? I know it shouldn’t be. But I’ve known you the longest among the group.”

I chuckled. “I’m pretty sure Will would object to that.”

“Oh please. Will’s never been in the same class as you. I spent more time with you than anyone except uncle Giovanni.” She countered. It was funny to see that even when it came to something as banal as length of friendship, Karen’s competitive spirit shone through.

“Either way. You’ve always been obsessive towards me. That’s what I’ve been used to growing up. Lorelei, my rival. Will, my runty little brother, and you, my closest friend, and my future lover.” She finished, making me raise an eyebrow.

“Really? You’d typecast your friends like that?” I asked.

She violently shook her head, as if the very idea horrified her. “No! No! Not at all!” She gestured with her hands. “You know I’m an orphan. You guys are the only family I’ve ever had. There was a modicum of comfort in knowing that no matter how much the world changes, some things remain the same, remain homely.”

I gave her a comforting smile, putting a hand on her shoulder. “It’s still the same way. We all still love you. We are your family, but we’re also competitors.”

“Competition doesn’t change someone the way you’ve changed.” She countered. “You’re driven, your team’s terrifying. Even trying to come up with counters to you has made all of us evolve as combatants. It feels different.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?” I countered, getting a confused look from her. Her silence prompted me to explain further, so I indulged here.

“Comfort brings stagnancy.” I began, regarding her cooly. “Stagnancy prevents growth, and without growth, how are you ever to be champion?” I asked.

“So you changed… so that you could push us to evolve?” She asked.

“No. I changed because I had to.” I spoke, a grim expression on my face. “The Alex of the past would have never been able to stand beside you three. So, I changed. Does that answer your question?” I asked, staring right into her eyes.

There was a moment of silence between us, as she searched longingly for something in my expression, something that she had always taken for granted. 

“Do you still love me?” She asked.

“I do.” I replied, I had Alessandro’s memories, his feelings, his fears, his aspirations. He loved her, so did I. 

“Just like I love Will, like I love Lorelei.” I continued. “If you’re referring to the childhood crush on you, on the other hand. That’s gone.”

“Doesn’t matter.” She spoke, moving closer to me till there was less than an inch between our faces. “You’re still my Alex, just like they’re my Loelei and Will.” 

Even though I was proud of my self-restraint in life. Having such an attractive eighteen-year old practically climbing over me made my heart beat hard. I kept my gaze locked to hers, but my body betrayed me, and a predatory smile appeared on her face.

“And you’ll still be my lover.” She whispered, her tone was husky, dangerous, as she quickly stole a kiss from me. Too shocked to react, I simply let it happen. Control returned to me, but too late to stop her as she pulled away, looking every bit like a tricky fox.

“And now I’ve stolen your first kiss. Already ahead of Lorelei.” She spoke, backing away, satisfied. 

“She did get my first date though.” I replied, trying my very best to keep my cool even as I felt the heat rise to my cheeks, unwilling to be restrained.

“Good, that means there’s a rivalry.” She spoke, leaning back. “I’ll have you both if that’s what it takes.” 

My god, Karen really didn’t know any limits when it came to staking her claim. Still, that left one person outside the equation.

“What about Will?” I asked.

“Runty little brother. What else?’ She answered, a devious grin dancing on her lips.

“Oh you’re fucking devious.” I shot back with a laugh. “Still, as long as you three are happy, I don’t particularly mind.”

“Of course you don’t. You’re the one who gets to share his bed with two women.” She joked, yet, sobriety set in a moment later, as a wistful expression returned to her face.

“I love you. I always have, you know?” She spoke. “You weren’t the only one. I’m just… not very good at showing it.”

“That’s fine. If you’d told me before I… matured, I’m pretty sure I would’ve died of happiness.” I joked back. “Still won’t make me go easier on you in our match.”

“I’d tie you up and beat you bloody if you did.” She snarled. Of course, her priorities were competition first, romance second. Definitely far more like the Karen I knew.

“If only you’d spend that energy worrying about yourself.” I sighed. “Your team does not match well against mine, you already know this.”

She nodded. “I do, but don’t you dare expect an easy match, not even for a second.” 

I nodded. “Good. I’ll look forward to it.”

“You better.”

LB

Will was drinking.

I didn’t even know he drank. I wasn’t even aware that he was drinking age, but apparently, in the world where ten year olds were sent out to tame monsters that could rival weapons of mass destruction, it made sense that the drinking age was lower than my own world.

Still, fifteen felt a bit low. Hell, watching seventeen year old Will down shots of mezcal like he was trying to be anywhere but here felt just as concerning as it looked funny.

So, I sat down next to him and ordered a quick whiskey, finally alerting him to my presence.

“I thought you were a beer guy?” He asked, following his words by downing another shot. I just chuckled as I was handed a whiskey on the rocks by the bartender. 

“Dunno, just felt like a whiskey type of night, I suppose.” I replied, taking a quick sip of my drink. Damn, that was some top-shelf shit.

“Cheers to that, I suppose.” Will grumbled, wordlessly signaling the concerned-looking bartender to bring him more shots. 

“You know why I’m here, right?” I asked, nursing my drink as another set of six shots was placed in front of Will. 

“You want me to help her, don’t you?” He asked, looking at the shot glasses like he wanted to drown in them.

“You understand the way I fight better than her.” I answered. 

“So does Lorelei, why not ask her?” he commented, downing two shots at once. Impressive technique aside, the fact that he wasn’t even slurring his words after downing two dozen shots was… concerning.

“I already have, and she agreed.” I replied. It was the first thing I’d asked her as I walked her back to her hotel, all tuckered out as she was.

Would she regret it when she woke up? Yes. Would she still be honor bound to do it? Also yes. A win-win in my books.

“Well, that sure changes things.” Will commented. I’d looked away for a single second and somehow, the shot glasses in front of him were completely empty. Unnaturally empty, even, without even a hint of moisture in them.

What the fuck.

“You never ask me for anything easy, do you?” he commented. 

“Like when I asked you for help in convincing Karen to partner up with me for every school project?” I joked, getting a side-eyed glare from Will.

“Funny of you to bring that up, what with her lipstick smeared on your lips.” He commented, and suddenly, it made more sense why people in the bar were sneaking glances at me.

“Fuck.” I replied, quickly cleaning up my face with a bar napkin. “I forgot that happened.”

“Your childhood crush kisses you and you forget about it?” He asked. “Who are you and what did you do with Alex?”

“Ha ha. No, I mean, It was a bit of a footnote in our conversation, so I just… forgot.” I spoke.

“I bet there was some sort of challenge involved.” Will commented.

“You know her too well.” I commented, taking another sip of my whiskey. I was definitely coming here again if the drinks were this good.

“I’d like to claim that I know you well too.” He sighed. “Yet you’re trying to convince both your friends, who have lost their own matches, to help our third friend and rival to beat you. Make this make sense.”

“Because while alone, you guys figured out parts of the puzzle.” I drank, finishing off the remaining whiskey in one deep gulp.

“I want to see what you three can come up with together.” I finished, putting my glass down with a clink of ice. 

“Bold of you to assume you’re a puzzle that requires all three of us to solve.” Will commented with a dry, mirthless chuckle.

“Am I not?” I asked, looking him straight in the eyes. “Do you really believe that Karen stands a chance against me?”

“I don’t know. Lorelei stood up pretty well against you.” he shot back. “Honestly? I try my best not to think about you when I can. Just gives me a headache.”

“Oh please, you’re acting like you didn’t spend a month coming up with hypotheticals on how to beat me.” I commented, getting a grimace from him.

“Yeah. Fuck you for putting me through that too.” He sighed.

“Is the gap between us and you really that big?” he asked, his voice was terse, but the curiosity shone through. 

“Do you really think I’ve expended my bag of tricks?” I asked, and the silence that materialized between the two of us held strong for a good minute.

“Fuck you.” Will finally capitulated.

“Love you too, buddy.” I replied, patting him on the shoulder. “I’m not asking you lot to create a miracle in a week. All I’m asking is to help her give me a fight that the world can’t look away from.” 

“We’re going to beat you. Just you wait.” Will replied. “But before that, you know I’m a psychic, right?” 

“Yeah?” I replied, wondering where this was leading.

“My body passed out about eight shots ago.” he spoke, a grim smile on his face. “The only reason I can talk so clearly is because I separated my body from my mind when you sat down next to me.”

“Good luck getting me to the hotel, cause I can’t walk.”

LB

“You guys are leaving for Mt. Silver?”

I really found it hard to believe, as all three of my friends, brilliant pokemon battlers with the capability to change how the world perceives pokemon battling. Yet, the first step on their collective master plan for beating me was… to go straight back to the mountain that started it all.

“Don’t even bother asking. Just trust and wait.” Will answered, his arms crossed over his chest even as he struggled to keep his back straight, given the over-packed rucksack on his back.

“I won’t, I won’t. Stay safe, guys.” I spoke, watching as Lorelei moved up to me.

Before I could so much as speak to her, she went up on her tiptoes and quickly pecked me on my lips. I could barely register what happened before she turned around and made a victory gesture with her fingers, aimed right at Karen.

“I’m ahead again!” She commented demurely, taking off down the road before Karen could so much as respond. 

The woman in question simply stood there, her gaze flickering between me and Lorelei as she was moving away from us faster than I thought she could run.

“Wait for me! Don’t leave me here with the crazies!” Will yelled, taking off after her, leaving me alone with Karen, who was gaping at the rapidly retreating back of Lorelei with a goldfish-like expression on her face.

“THAT BITCH!” Karen yelled.

“I assume you told her about the kiss.” I commented, wondering just what I’d done in my last life to deserve such luck.

“Well yeah! I had to gloat! How else would she know her place?” She spoke. “But now she’s stolen your second kiss and your first date!”

“How many points are those worth?” I remarked with a deadpan expression on my face. 

“I don’t fucking know!” Karen yelled. “All I know is that I’m fucking losing!”

“What a tragedy.” I commented.

“I know!” She shot back, completely oblivious to the sarcasm dripping from my voice.

I was taken aback as she moved in and grabbed me by my shirt’s collar, which was impressive, because my shirt didn’t have a collar. Yet her grip was like iron.

“When I come back and beat you. We’re FUCKING.” She growled. “Bye!”

And with that, she was gone, running off after her companions at a pace that was truly terrifying. 

What a terrifying fucking woman.

“Is… is this a bad time?” 

And apparently, someone had seen it play out. I turned towards the source of the voice, only to stop in my tracks. 

With his trademark, jagged-edged cloak. His height, almost the same as mine, and his dark red hair, Lance was intimidating. Even though he was maybe a year older than me in age, he carried himself with the bearing of an aristocrat, all the while wearing a cordial, inviting smile on his face.

Truly Lance was ‘Noblesse Oblige’ if the concept was given a face.

And his first impression of me was that of a gawking teen whose friend had just proclaimed that she would fuck him after she beat him. Truly, the final boss of domestic violence.

“You… have a little something on your face.” He helpfully commented, gesturing at his own lips. 

Ah yes, I was also stamped by the lipstick of a woman other than the one who had proclaimed her intent to fuck me. A cheat and a philanderer, truly a great first impression.

“I mean, I’ve got time, what can I do for you, champion?” I asked with a shrug.

“I saw your match against your friends.” He spoke. “With much interest, may I add.”

I nodded back. “Did you enjoy the show?” 

Coming from someone else, my words could have been seen as disrespectful. But, as one of the two finalists in the conference, there was always a chance that in a week, I could be the one who chose him as my opponent. Politeness had its place. This was not it. Didn’t mean I couldn’t be cordial, of course. This man was a part of my plans. I didn’t want to make an enemy of him. 

I just had to make sure he understood where we stood. Equals, not enemies.

“It was… an enlightening experience.” He commented. “Unique, but enlightening nonetheless.”

“And you can’t find a way to beat it.” I continued for him. “My team, I mean.”

His mood darkened at that. Yet, he was polite enough to not lash out, instead, he patiently waited for me to explain.

“Your team matches poorly against mine.” I continued. “It’s monotone, relying too much on the sheer power of Dragon-type pokemon and much less on the kind of switching shenanigans that we showcased.”

“I cannot deny that, but there’s a difference of pedigree between our pokemon.” he retorted. “And a difference of experience between the two of us”

“A difference in experience that gets nullified the moment the format of battle shifts.” I spoke, a smirk climbing its way on to my face.

“As for pedigree. You wouldn’t have so much as bothered to approach me if such a difference in pedigree existed.” I finished, letting silence hang between us. The conflict in Lance’s eyes was clear to see. The battler in him was exhilarated by my strategies. The champion in him? He was beginning to regard me as a true threat.

“What is it that you are hoping to accomplish?” He asked, just as predicted. Curiosity won out, and his resulting words were like music to my ears.

“Come with me to my camp.” I spoke, a placating smile on my face. “What I want… is a bit of a long explanation, but I do feel like you’ll be interested in it once you understand.”

Lance was silent for a second, his desire for answers was in conflict against his sense of doubt. The man wore his emotions on his sleeve, and I watched in real time as he slowly caved, giving me a nod of agreement.

“I promise, this will be worth your while.”

LB

That's the chapters for this week done.

Tomorrow, I'll be posting a survey, specifically for readers who are in the Remembrancer tier or above. This survey will cover the top three options for what my fourth story will be, the story that will replace Quixotic.

Your vote will decide the fourth slot every month. The survey will run for a week, and chapters for the chosen story will then be written next weekend, first available on Patreon only. If it's a fanfic, it will then be posted on FFnet and Ao3. If it's an original story, it will be posted on Webnovel and Royal Road.

Please look forward to it!

-Cold Daylight