Scarlet held her breath, stuffed between two wooden crates in the storage room. Randall surveyed the area until he was certain he wasn't being followed. Scarlet smirked. Her hunch was correct. After hearing about Charlotte's motives, Randall couldn't just leave the Eevee codes alone. An insecure jerk like him would want to make sure they were still in their hiding spot before going back to work. Scarlet poked her head out and frowned. Randall had moved out of sight. She slipped out of the gap, sneaking around a corner with delicate steps. Why was she even doing this? It wouldn't fix anything.

Randall entered the gardening section. Scarlet couldn't follow him there. The only way to get a vantage point without being spotted was by climbing to the upper level of the shelves. She whispered a pained sigh. At this point, realizing the amount of effort ahead of her, it became obvious she was better off abandoning this childish attempt at penitence.

Scarlet climbed anyways.

Stupid, stupid, stupid!

The top of the shelf was full of old crates. Scarlet dug through several layers of dust and cobwebs before reaching the other side. An uncomfortable scraping noise drew her attention to the left corner of the area. Randall panted there, exhausted. He leaned into a shelf but found himself unable to fit inside, so he stood up and struggled to budge a large ceramic pot slightly out of the way. It was around three quarters his own height and produced the same irritating noise from a second ago when dragged on the cement floor.

Scarlet used this opportunity to move closer, balancing herself along the upper shelf without being heard.

Randall leaned inside again and pulled out a small crate of garden gnomes. He then got one out from the second row on the right, checked its hollow bottom, and relaxed with a proud smile.

Scarlet celebrated too, inhaling a bit of dust. Her throat locked up. Randall put the gnome back into its box. Scarlet did everything in her power to suppress her incoming sneeze. Randall stored the box inside the shelf. Scarlet's eyes watered. Randall dusted his hands and left the room. Scarlet released her sneeze as quietly as possible. That was close. Scarlet climbed down the shelf while keeping an eye out for Randall. He was gone.

Scarlet skipped across the gardening section on high alert. Still alone. She leaned into the shelf, opening the box.

It took awhile to find the correct gnome, but she eventually found inside one of them two slips of glossy paper with QR codes printed on their backs. Scarlet folded them neatly into her pocket, just in time for Randall to walk back into earshot.

G-G-G-G

Froakie narrowly jumped over Bulbasaur's tackle, air-dodged through a vine whip, and punished it with a stylish string of pound attacks.

The audience roared at the maneuver.

Azure hid his surprise without missing a beat. He knew he hadn't pressed the button on time. The pokémon acted on its own. Throughout the course of the match, Froakie had grown more familiar with Azure's playstyle, to the point where he was beginning to buffer, and sometimes anticipate, the commands when necessary. It only lessened the input demands, though. The player still had to perform the moves, even if it felt on occasion like that wasn't the case.

Bulbasaur glared at Froakie from across the battlefield. Its trainer wielded now the same icy stare.

Azure stiffened up, prickled with awkwardness. This kid was taking a simple exhibition match way too seriously.

Bulbasaur dashed without hesitation. Froakie jumped over the tackle again. Bulbasaur baited the air-dodge this time, waiting for a second and striking him away with a vine whip.

Azure teched the landing so Froakie recovered quickly on his feet, but Bulbasaur chained two wavedashes to close the distance between them. The only option was to respect the opponent's pressure.

From that moment on, Bulbasaur never gave Froakie the chance to stand still for longer than a second. The trainer kept perfect spacing whenever he threw a vine whip, making sure that Bulbasaur could always follow up with a tackle if Froakie landed anywhere nearby. Azure had mistaken the nature of the match-up from the very beginning. He assumed that Froakie would hold the initiative more easily because of his speed. That didn't take into account the maneuverability of Bulbasaur's vine whip. Also, wasn't that attack learned at level nine?

Azure frowned. Froakie was only level five.

Old man…

These handicaps were becoming annoying.

G-G-G-G

Scarlet hid herself inside the big ceramic pot next to her.

Did Randall see her? His footsteps grew louder. Scarlet bit her thumbnail. Randall stopped moving. The heavy silence weighed down on Scarlet, quickening her pulse the longer it drew out. Randall took a deep breath, grabbed the ceramic pot, and heaved it to the side.

Scarlet squeezed her eyes shut. Fear rushed through her veins. Randall was about to look inside. Except he didn't. The pot landed back on its original position. Scarlet wrinkled her nose. Randall wheezed outside with hoarse breath. Scarlet covered her mouth in quiet relief. Randall was only trying to put the ceramic pot back in its place. Now that she was inside of it, he couldn't handle the additional weight.

Randall tilted the pot again, barely inched it towards his desired location, and gave up with a whimper. Scarlet forced back her laughter. She couldn't believe her tiny frame was too much for Randall. He sounded very disappointed in himself. His footsteps slowly shuffled away. Towards the garden gnome crate.

Scarlet panicked. Randall wanted to check on the codes one last time. She heard him mess with the crate until another employee interrupted him.

"Yes?" barked Randall.

"Y-you need to come! The game. It's incredible! All the customers are going nuts over it!"

"I'll be there soon."

"But…"

"What?"

"Well, a pregnant woman got into a fistfight with an autistic man. We don't really know how to handle that."

Randall gulped. Scarlet smiled. He couldn't check on the codes now.

"Fine." Randall positioned himself around the pot. "Let me put this back."

"Need help?" asked the employee.

"N-no!" Randall elevated the pitch of his tone with a hint of infantilism. "I can move it on my own!"

"If you say so…"

"Go back to work!"

The employee walked away muttering under their breath. Randall attempted to heave the ceramic pot one more time. His grunting betrayed that he could only handle a pathetic amount of strain. Unfortunately, he didn't give up. He started growling, then crying, then pleading at the inanimate object until he pushed it too far, shattering it all over the floor.

Scarlet nursed her sore head in the middle of the debris.

Randall stood paralyzed with an incredulous stare until anger swelled on his face.

G-G-G-G

Froakie rolled away.

Bulbasaur caught him with a vine whip anyways.

Azure winced. One or two more hits would end the battle. Froakie stood up, scowling. His frustration was understandable. Vine Whip was an incredible zoning tool. The bad typing only made it worse. For every combo that Azure landed, the other guy only needed one hit to deliver the same amount of damage. They'd been forced to stay on the defensive in every exchange because of it, which proved more annoying than anticipated. Then again, who cares? It was just a silly competition. Getting too invested in the outcome would only generate unnecessary suffering.

Froakie wavedashed forward. The safe road was a surefire path to stagnation. They needed to regain some momentum, even if it meant risking the match.

Bulbasaur jumped back, surprised.

This was exactly what he loathed about competitive gaming. Azure wanted to play the game. The other guy... just didn't want to lose. That wasn't any fun. Unfortunately, Froakie was still too wet behind the ears to handle this alone (and not just because he was a water type). His unfamiliarity with proper neutral meant that Azure had to take a more active role in the battle.

Froakie jumped ahead with swift fluidity. Bulbasaur stood his ground. No Vine Whip this time. The other guy knew it could be punished with a timely air dodge from that angle. Froakie landed, Azure moved him slightly forward, then a step back. Bulbasaur threw a vine whip.

Azure smirked. Froakie was just outside its range, leaving Bulbasaur completely vulnerable. After a successful combo, Froakie threw a burst of bubbles to keep Bulbasaur blocking as soon as it got up. The barrage lasted just long enough to allow for a quick grab, which led into another string of attacks.

The guy screamed an obscenity that was drowned out by the crowd's cheering.

Frokie went for another grab.

Bulbasaur anticipated this with a tackle.

Frokie crashed into the wall of the stadium. It wasn't enough to knock him out. One HP left. Azure froze. Bulbasaur had wavedashed into Vine Whip range. He cornered Froakie against the wall, waiting for the perfect time to strike. Smart. The other guy couldn't afford to miss either. If Froakie got through with an airdodge, he'd have enough time to land a combo that could end the match.

The crowd grew quiet as the tension mounted between them. Bulbasaur took a step forward, testing for a reaction. Froakie stood resolute. He wanted to win his first match at all costs. That was reason enough for Azure to take this battle seriously.

The opponent appeared completely absorbed by the present moment. His patience was extraordinary. The attack would come any second now, though.

Azure had to guess the vine whip's trajectory or lose. He couldn't let the other guy attack first. It was the only way to win.

Froakie jumped forward and air-dodged as soon as Bulbasaur moved.

G-G-G-G

Scarlet rose slowly to her feet.

Randall stood in front of the exit, blocking it. He knew she had the codes without even asking. Scarlet glanced at the looming shelves. She'd be out reach if she climbed them again, but she'd be trapping herself too. Scarlet slumped in defeat. Time to give up. No. She frowned. The only way out was forward. This just meant Scarlet had to create her own opening. She was already fired so she had nothing to lose by going on the offensive.

"Move out of the way, Randall."

Randall crossed his arms, unimpressed. "Why should I?"

Scarlet pulled out the codes. "Because I know what you want."

Randall turned up his chin. "It's too late for bargaining. I'm getting the codes anyways. I just need to keep an eye on you until the cops get here."

Scarlet hid the intense anxiety that caused her. Time for the gamble. "You don't seem to understand." She visibly prepared herself to tear up the codes. "I don't give a damn about this Pokémon crap."

Randall widened his eyes. "Y-you sneaky… you're threatening me?!"

Scarlet shrugged. "A man your age shouldn't care so much about this."

Randall scoffed. "You sound like my wife."

Scarlet frowned, ripping the codes a tiny bit.

"Wait!" pleaded Randall. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"I'm honestly tempted to just destroy these. You do realize you fired me over them, right? That's freaking nuts!"

"I know, I know, tempers flared a bit back there, but you can obviously have your job back. You're a great employee! We're like a family here, right?"

Scarlet rolled her eyes.

Randall scratched the back of his head. "Honestly, I think I was out of line when I snapped at you. You deserved better. I understand now. We can fix this with proper communication. Just hand over the codes…" he took a step forward, "...and we can discuss anything."

Scarlet shook her head. "Sorry, but I'm never working here again."

Randall went pale.

G-G-G-G

The whole stadium remained flabbergasted.

Vine whip never came out.

Froakie landed bewildered by this. Bulbasaur hunched forward, struggling. It couldn't throw its attack. The other guy grunted and wagged his controller around to no avail. Bulbasaur mimicked his frustration until a vine plopped on the ground with no energy behind it.

Azure and Froakie chuckled with wholesome, malevolent glee as understanding dawned on them. Vine whip ran out of PP. The guy couldn't spam it anymore!

Froakie slid on the ground, kicked Bulbasaur into the air, and finished the combo with an aerial Pound. Bulbasaur sprung to its feet. Froakie dashed. Bulbasaur rolled away and tackled. Froakie backed off at the last second, threw a counter attack, but missed.

The commentators were going wild in the background. They ran out of breath trying to keep up with the current pace of the fight. Everyone in the audience was on the edge of their seats. A real Pokemon battle unfolded in front of their very eyes. Unlike any other game they had ever experienced.

Bulbasaur jumped, baiting an attack.

Azure saw through the deception. He steered Froakie towards where the opponent would land. The ensuing barrage was impossible to avoid.

Bulbasaur fainted.

G-G-G-G

Charlotte walked away from the display screen with a melancholy she couldn't quite explain. That exhibition match was more than amazing. It was legendary! The game was something every fan had been secretly dreaming about since the inception of the franchise. Clearly, this marked the beginning of a new era in gaming history…

And Charlotte didn't feel excited at all. On her way out of the store, she spotted everyone gathered in the electronics department for the Nintendo Direct, which distracted her while it lasted but, no matter how much she fought it, her mind always brought her back to Scarlet's words.

Even if you're talented…

Discipline...

Escape from reality…

Charlotte sighed. She'd been hearing that for years. Why did it resonate so strongly now? The exhibition match had made her feel worse. It all but confirmed her worst fear. She wasn't good enough. Those pros were on a whole other level. The game had only been out for less than an hour, but they were already pulling off crazy combos, insane maneuvers, and feints within feints. Charlotte couldn't do any of that. She couldn't even visualize herself at that level.

A pregnant lady ran past cradling the game in her arms. "You'll take it from my cold, dead body!"

"Ma'am!" shouted an employee, pursuing her. "Please, ma'am, you can buy it, we won't take it from you, just pay for it and stop attacking customers!"

"I'm not leaving without my Eevee!"

Charlotte cringed. People were acting like wild animals all over the superstore. She stopped for a moment, admonishing herself. That wasn't very nice. She wasn't any better than them, considering the lengths she went to obtain a glorified cosmetic skin. What a stupid dream. Her vision got a bit blurry. Nothing would've stopped her from competing if she'd gotten her hands on those codes. Charlotte forced herself to smile, drying her eyes. This was for the best. Only an idiot would be motivated so much by a cute Eevee companion.

Someone yanked Charlotte by the arm, dragging her into an aisle.

"Eek!"

"Shh!" said Scarlet. "We need to get out of here."

Charlotte narrowed her eyes. "You."

"I'm sorry; I was a jerk."

Charlotte softened her face.

"I got one of the Eevee codes. You want it?"

"W-what?"

"Randall was hiding them so he fired me."

"What?!"

"Don't worry, I struck a deal with him, but something about his tone gave me a bad feeling when I left..."

"But why do all this?"

"Because…" Scarlet grimaced. "Look, I've been where you are right now. I saw myself in you and projected my insecurities. People will always be dismissive of anyone with a dream but the biggest failure isn't losing, it's giving up. Telling you to not even try, without knowing who you are, says more about me than it does about your goals." She smiled. "But if being honest, I really did it to stop Randall from having them. Screw him. I'm still miffed I had to give him one."

Charlotte couldn't speak. That was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for her. Scarlet didn't even look concerned about losing her job. Before Charlotte could string together some words of gratitude, Randall's voice echoed throughout the store:

"Attention customers, if you're looking for a promotional Eevee, all you have to do is find this employee. Get the code from her before anyone else and it's yours to keep!"

A picture of Scarlet's face popped up in every screen in the building. Charlotte gaped her mouth. The ground began to shake. Scarlet widened her eyes. A cacophony of customers grew closer by the second. They were heading this way.

"I know you're around here!"

Charlotte tensed up. She recognized that voice. The pregnant lady cackled in delight when she entered the aisle. Scarlet muttered something about killing Randall, oblivious of the imminent danger. Charlotte grabbed her wrist and pulled her out of her stupor. "Let's go!"