Chapter 24 Suzy-Marie

  For a single moment, both Team Skull and the ASF members were completely frozen in shock as Ian and Suzy-Marie's faces contorted with anger. Ian took the initiative first though. "What the hell are you so mad about? You're the one that cheated on me!" Ian spat.

  Suzy-Marie's jaw dropped. "The fucking audacity! When you're the one that cheated on me!" Suzy-Marie exclaimed.

  "That's bullshit and you know it!" Ian roared as he began storming over to Suzy-Marie, only to be held back by Plumeria and Tupp. Suzy-Marie's shiny Charmeleon stared daggers at Ian and Gladion got in between Ian and Suzy-Marie with a scowl on his face.

  "Ian, I know you're mad, but we need to chill!" Plumeria ordered between her teeth.

  "Of course a scumbag like you joins the evil fucking team!" Suzy-Marie sneered.

  Ian shook his head, Tupp's hold forcing Ian back a step. "Scumbag am I? That's what you like! That's why you were making out with Alex at work!"

  Suzy-Marie cringed, completely thrown off. "Making out with Alex? I'm not gay, you were making out with her!"

  "Alex is a du-" Ian froze as the realization hit him. Oh shit, are we from different universes? Ian's tense face relaxed a bit as he noticed the girl across from him was having the same realization.

  "What. The. Fuck?" Selene yelled out as she'd put it together as well.

  Craig Palmer cleared his throat and got in the middle. "I think it's best everyone goes outside," Craig said firmly.

  "Consider it done," Plumeria said, forcefully guiding Ian to the sliding glass door. Ian felt his blood boiling and his heartbeat beginning to slow as he started taking deep breaths. Of all of the people in all of existence, SHE gets sent here? This has to be some sick joke. Ian opened the door and Plumeria stopped pushing him, letting him step onto the grass.

  "Doing okay, Ian?" Plumeria asked delicately.

  "I have no idea," Ian said and exhaled loudly. "Wow…"

  "That's rough Ian," Selene chimed in.

  Ian nodded, still shocked and in utter disbelief. "You're telling me."

  Tupp patted Ian on the back. "You did good bro," he offered. "Woulda' loved to see you kick that blonde pretty boy's ass."

  "Tupp, not now," Plumeria growled before turning to Ian. "So I've put together that's her."

  Ian nodded. "Yeah."

  "Tupp, stay here, I need to talk to Coogz real quick," Plumeria said, motioning with her head for Ian to get away from the group. Once a good twenty feet away, Plumeria put her hand on his shoulder. "Thank you for not going any further in there," Plumeria said. "I wasn't sure what to do but I couldn't let a fight break out with them or everything's fucked."

  Ian nodded. "I know, but this is just so weird."

  Plumeria nodded. "This is just completely fucked for you Ian, I'm sorry this happened at all."

  "Thanks."

  "We can get going if that'd be better for you," Plumeria said.

  Ian shook his head. "If she's like me, which it sure seems like she is, we need to have a talk in private about those things."

  Plumeria sighed. "You probably do… Should I listen?"

  Ian shook his head once more. "Probably a lot of stuff you don't want to know."

  Plumeria nodded. "Okay. I trust you Ian. But if you feel like an incident is gonna break out-"

  "It won't," Ian promised. "There's too much at stake to let her fuck things up for me again."

  "Okay, good," Plumeria said before a mischievous smile came across her face. "I'm still naming that punching bag after her."

  Ian chuckled and gave his squad leader a genuine smile. "Thanks Plumeria."

  "Hey Big Sis! That Anabel chick's out here!" Tupp called over.

  The duo turned to see Anabel flanked by Gladion and Suzy-Marie approaching the grouping of Team Skull members. "Plumeria, can you and I have a private word?" Anabel asked.

  "Sure!" Plumeria called back harshly before giving Ian a look. "I'll be back." Plumeria strode over to Anabel matter-of-factly and the two leaders talked lowly for a couple minutes as everyone else looked on. When Anabel offered Plumeria her hand, Plumeria shook it, and Plumeria made her way back to Ian. "She wants to talk to you in private. Out of earshot but where we can still see you two."

  "Good," Ian said.

  "No Pokemon," Plumeria said, pointing at his belt.

  "Fine," Ian said as he quickly undid his belt and handed it to Plumeria. Plumeria then turned to Anabel's direction and held up the belt, and Anabel indicated for Suzy-Marie to do the same. Once Anabel had Suzy-Marie's belt secured, she held it up as well.

  "Okay, good luck Ian," Plumeria said, sending him off with a pat on the back.

  Ian exhaled deeply as he stepped calmly away from the ranch house and a decent way closer to the barn, eyeing Suzy-Marie cautiously. She largely did the same until she stopped and signaled him to come closer.

  Ian hesitantly walked over to her, hands at his side and heart thumping. No matter how much he told himself that this wasn't the girl who'd cheated on him and had left him an emotional wreck, looking at her just made him angry. As he got a better look at her though, he noticed a few special things besides her ASF uniform. She had a prominent white bracelet with a dark red crystal on it and Ian realized it looked like Plumeria's Z-Ring. Lucky. She didn't wear a hat, instead her brown hair was down and tied in a pony tail. She still wore glasses, but they looked different than he'd remembered. Oh yeah, those probably didn't travel through. Lastly he noticed a very distinct accessory in her hair. It was shaped like a flower with a black and white center, but each petal had a different color of the rainbow. Oh wait, isn't that the Rainbow Badge you get for beating the Celadon City Gym? That's kinda random.

  "So…" Suzy-Marie began.

  "Weird, ain't it?" Ian asked, a little tenseness in his voice than he would've liked.

  "So weird," Suzy-Marie said. Just hearing her voice again is so fucking nerve-racking.

  Ian took a deep breath and figured he should offer an olive branch. "So just to get it out of the way, the me from your world cheated on you, right?"

  "Yeah," Suzy-Marie replied. "And it sounds like the me from your world cheated on you?"

  Ian nodded. "Yeah. Good then… So, can we just acknowledge that even though it wasn't you who did the cheating, I'm still kinda pissy at you, even though I shouldn't be," Ian explained.

  "That's fair. I am too."

  "Okay, now that we got that out of the way…" Ian began before looking over to Anabel and Plumeria, spectating next to each other. "Video game world."

  "You were the Pokemon fan in the relationship?" Suzy-Marie asked.

  "Yeah. I take it you were too?" Ian asked.

  "Yeah," Suzy-Marie said. "You come out of an Ultra Storm as well?"

  "Yup," Ian said. "Have you told anyone about where you're from?"

  Suzy-Marie nodded with a big smile. "Just Gladion and Anabel, oh and Ms. Barazaki."

  "Who's that?" Ian asked.

  "She's my mentor," Suzy-Marie said. "But I'm not supposed to talk about her. Have you told anyone about where you're from?"

  Ian grimaced. "Just Plumeria, and that was pretty recent."

  "That's cool," Suzy-Marie said, then she gave him a big smile. "So isn't this like a dream come true?"

  Ian gulped. "I definitely wouldn't call my experience that…"

  "Really? That's too bad. When I woke up in the Ultra Storm, this Charmander came out of an Ultra Wormhole all scared. I used a berry to lure it over to me. We've been inseparable ever since," Suzy-Marie explained.

  "Oh, the shiny Charmander that's now a Charmeleon?" Ian asked.

  Suzy-Marie smiled proudly. "That's her. I was wandering around the Ultra Storm, not sure what was going on and then a Riolu came up to us all scared too. So naturally he joined us as well."

  Riolu? You've gotta be kidding me. "Well that's lucky," Ian said, a hint of envy in his voice. "What was the Alpha in your Ultra Storm?"

  Suzy giggled excitedly. "It was a Luvdisc! All just flopping around helplessly with its red eyes. Such a harmless Alpha. I guess I should ask though, how was your emergence?"

  Ian shook his head, a laugh escaping his lips. "Not at all like that…" Ian closed his eyes, remembering the moment he woke up in the Ultra Storm. Oh shit, there was a deer with a flower? Was that Deerling what would become mine? I think it was. "But I woke up, and I think I saw a Deerling run by…"

  "A Deerling?" Suzy-Marie said before falling into a laughing fit. "It's a good thing you didn't catch it, those things are supposed to be useless."

  Ian scowled. Well this is officially the first time in this conversation I've wanted to smack the shit out of her. He unclenched his fist and something came to him. "Are you from Elk Grove too?"

  "Yup! Laguna Park Drive?" Suzy-Marie asked.

  Ian nodded. "And let me guess, in your world I lived on Cresleigh Ranch?"

  Suzy-Marie's jaw dropped in amazement. "Yeah! So that means I lived there in your world? Was us being Pokemon fans really because of the house we grew up in?"

  "That shouldn't make sense, but it kinda does," Ian said.

  "I got into it because the next door neighbor, Michaela, showed me her Pokemon cards," Suzy-Marie explained.

  Ian chuckled. "It was a Michael for me, but yeah, same idea."

  "Okay, back to your story. You got Deerling out of the way-" Suzy-Marie began giggling more at the mere mention of Deerling. "What next?"

  Second time. "So I saw an Alpha Nidkoking. Then a Primeape went up to attack it and I think Nidoking killed it and started eating it."

  "Are you serious?" Suzy-Marie asked in disbelief. "That sure didn't happen in the games."

  "I thought the same thing." Almost word for word as a matter of fact. Are we like the same person?

  "So you didn't just have Pokemon to join you all willy-nilly?" Suzy-Marie asked.

  "No. I had to catch them. I almost died doing it as a matter of fact," Ian said, remembering how Guzma's Ariados had him by its String Shot on his second day. "One of my Pokemon was still trying to kill me and eat me until this morning."

  "I must truly be blessed then," Suzy-Marie said with a shrug. "It's funny, I started thinking that maybe I'm like one of those overpowered Isekai protagonists, just without the 'truck running me over' part," Suzy-Marie said with a giggle. If I could roll my eyes any harder they'd come out of my head. "Okay, I got a fun one for you. Who was the first person you laid eyes on when you got out of the Ultra Storm?"

  Ian shook his head but cracked a smile all the same. "Plumeria. I was still figuring out the fog wall thing when she screamed 'Faller' at me."

  "Oh… that's not nearly as romantic as mine. Wanna guess who the first person I laid eyes on was?" Suzy-Marie asked.

  Ian rolled his eyes once more, expecting another insufferable answer. "Lemme guess…" Ian croaked, not even feigning interest.

  "Gladion…" Suzy-Marie said reverently. "He was scouting near the Ultra Storm and there he was and… I hate to say it, but it was like love at first sight."

  What is that, a few hours after getting cheated on? That's gotta be a record.

  "I mean, I was still really hurt because you- I mean my world's Ian cheated, but there was something special about that moment," Suzy-Marie explained, her eyes suddenly filling with wonder. "It was like the stars aligned…"

  "No offense, but I didn't agree to this conversation to hear about how great your new boyfriend is," Ian said bluntly.

  "Okay fine. But like, I don't think you get it. Gladion's the son of the Aethers, they're worth billions. With a 'B,'" Suzy-Marie explained. "They're like royalty in Alola."

  "So what you're saying is you're basically dating a prince?" Ian said, not trying to hide his laughter that followed. "Good for you, but that's not why we're talking right now."

  "Sounds like someone's a little jealous actually," Suzy-Marie teased, voice full of sass. "But who wouldn't be? You're not a prince, not even close. Even if you were one, what would you be, the 'prince of Po Town?'" Suzy-Marie said as she began cackling at her own bad joke. Third time. She laughed so hard she snorted and suddenly shook the laughter out of herself, making sure it didn't happen again.

  "Real funny," Ian croaked.

  "Someone's not happy," Suzy-Marie observed. "Have you gotten over me- or well, your world's me yet?" Suzy-Marie asked with a little too much honey in her voice. Four.

  "Full disclosure? I think I did move on. But hearing you talk about how easy and nice everything's been for you is starting to piss me off a bit," Ian explained.

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  "But Ian, it's just like the games. Everyone here's so nice," Suzy-Marie explained. "Like, even when Charmeleon and I go into a total stranger's house and ask if there's anything they can give us, they always give us stuff. The Major says I shouldn't do it, but you seriously haven't tried it?"

  "If there even was much stuff to take in Po Town, I wouldn't. But what you're doing sounds more like armed robbery," Ian fired back. There is something seriously wrong with this bitch.

  "Of course you think that," Suzy-Marie said with a scoff. Some inspiration hit her suddenly and she giggled mischievously. "You know, if everything's going my way, that must mean I'm the Isekai protagonist and you're the antagonist. You're already on the evil team already-"

  "Evil team?" Ian fired back in disgust, and the anger that he'd done so well to contain was finally let out. "Hell no! We take in Fallers and we give them shelter. What's fucking evil about that? Meanwhile the ASF sends aid to Surge and a monster like Breon."

  "Looks like I struck a nerve," Suzy-Marie taunted.

  "Yeah you did. We did all of that even though we were on the verge of starvation!" Ian retorted disdainfully.

  "Starvation? I bet Guzma's just hoarding all of the aid you guys get," Suzy-Marie replied.

  "Aid? What fucking aid? We don't get shit from you guys!" Ian accused.

  "Aid convoys go by The Gap Bridge every three weeks. Are you trying to tell me none of them go across the bridge to Po Town?" Suzy-Marie demanded.

  "The Gap Bridge? That's shit's been destroyed!" Ian fired back.

  "What? It's on all the maps-"

  "I have personally seen the ruins Surge left behind. We had to use a Toucannon to fly across The Gap," Ian explained, still in utter disbelief that this was a real person he was talking to. She's a Faller, but there's so much wrong with her. At the beginning of this conversation it was like we were almost the same person. Does having everything handed to you on a silver platter start doing things to your head?

  "Hey, you're getting pretty hostile with my girl!" Anabel called from a distance. "Do you need to be separated?"

  "No," Ian called back, trying to keep the anger out of his voice. "I'm just trying to explain that there are places on this island that don't get any help from the rest of Alola."

  "Well, do it more calmly then!" Anabel fired back.

  "Fine!" Ian said.

  "Any other places besides Po Town that are starving?" Suzy-Marie asked, slightly mockingly.

  "Makamae Town," Ian scowled, but answered calmly.

  "What? Now you're just making stuff up, there's no town like that on our maps," Suzy-Marie replied arrogantly.

  "It's an old mining town that was abandoned a while back. A pretty interesting group of people live up there now," Ian said.

  "Interesting?" Suzy-Marie asked dismissively. "What is it, some group that worships the Ultra Rift or something?"

  Ian shook his head, a cocky smirk forming on his lips. "Besides refugees from Haina Town?" Ian paused for dramatic effect, enjoying Suzy-Marie's skeptical look a bit too much. "The Pearl Clan."

  "What? You're joking with me."

  "Irida, Lian, Gaeric, Palina," Ian listed off. "Even Ingo's there with them.

  "Ingo?" Suzy-Marie said in shock. "Why didn't you bring him here? We could get him to his brother!"

  Ian shook his head. "He doesn't want to go yet."

  "But that's his family, his real one, not the Pearl Clan people he ended up with," Suzy-Marie justified.

  Ian cringed, realizing a slight bit of hypocrisy in his supposed counterpart. "He said he wanted to make sure the Pearl Clan was okay before looking for his brother."

  "And you let him?" Suzy-Marie demanded.

  "Of course I did," Ian said, trying not to sound completely repulsed even though he was. "Okay, thought experiment. Imagine it comes out that your mom from your world showed up in this one too, but she showed up in the Galar region. What would you do?"

  "I'd go see her, it's not hard," Suzy-Marie said.

  Ian shook his head. "But imagine that when you leave, there's a very good chance you can't come back."

  "Well I'd go anyways."

  Ian was taken aback. "What about your Aether prince over there? Would you leave him behind?"

  "Of course not, he'd come to meet my mom. He's actually loyal."

  Ian shook his head. "Imagine you can't. Like Ingo can't take his comrades in the Pearl Clan, and he can't go back there if he leaves. What do you do then?"

  Ian saw, if only for a moment that the lightbulb in her head had turned on. But she scowled a moment later before opening her mouth once more in anger. "This is all so stupid. Ingo should be allowed to reunite with his brother Emett and you got in the way."

  "It's a lot more complicated than that-"

  "No it's not. Just because you showed up and joined Team Skull doesn't mean everyone has to be as miserable as you are. I almost feel bad for you," Suzy-Marie said, her voice wreaking of arrogance.

  "The feeling's mutual," Ian said.

  "Real funny, smartass. It's pretty surprising how stupid you turned out to be. At the beginning of this conversation I thought we were basically the same person showing up in this world. But it turns out you just overthink everything. Newsflash Ian, this is the Pokemon world. Everything's much simpler here," Suzy-Marie explained mockingly.

  It's weird, I don't even want to hit her anymore, I pity her. "You go on thinking that," he said, realizing nothing good would come of the conversation going forward.

  Suzy-Marie laughed dismissively and turned to leave. "See you around then."

  Ian crossed his arms, watching Suzy-Marie start marching back to Anabel when an epiphany came to him. What was that term those youtube critics would throw around? Oh wait- "It's perfect," Ian said under his breath. "Hey Isekai protagonist!" Ian called with a mocking grin.

  "What?" Suzy-Marie demanded.

  "You know, I think I figured out what you are, Suzy," Ian stated.

  "I don't know about the 'me' from your world, but I go by Suzy-Marie, thank you very much," Suzy-Marie corrected him arrogantly.

  "Suzy-Marie…" Ian gasped as the epiphany hit him even harder. Oh shit, that has gotta be some sick joke. "You're a Mary Sue!"

  Suzy-Marie gasped in horror. "No, no I'm not!" She whined. "I don't even know what you're talking about!"

  Ian started laughing and shaking his head in disbelief. "It's basically your fucking name already!" Ian cackled even harder. "It sure seems like you're handed everything. Love at first sight with some 'charming' prince, a shiny starter, a Riolu, and lemme guess, you have a Legendary Pokemon too just to round it all out?"

  "You're ridiculous Ian! I think you're just mad because my Ultra Storm put me on the good side of the island, not the shitty one like yours did!" Suzy-Marie justified.

  "I'd take the shitty side every time if it meant I never turn into whatever the fuck you are!" Ian snarled.

  "Alright, cut it out, both of you!" Anabel called out as she got next to Suzy-Marie. "Plumeria, go get your guy."

  Ian caught Plumeria with a hint of a smirk on her face even from twenty feet. Plumeria's proud smile widened as she neared Ian. "So you can get mad at someone besides me? I'm almost jealous."

  Ian shook his head, unable to resist cracking an amused smile. "That was fucking weird."

  "So did you learn anything useful?" Plumeria asked.

  Ian rolled his eyes. "No. Not at all. Unless you count her bragging as useful."

  "So was that whole conversation pointless?" Plumeria asked.

  Ian shrugged. "Probably?" He paused as a thought, or more a conviction crossed his mind. "Okay, not actually. It's bizarre, because she's basically living in some fantasy-world, talking about how perfect and simple everything is…" Ian said, trying to put the feeling nagging at his mind into words. "It's like, I'm feeling validated all of the sudden. Like all of the bullshit I've dealt with since I got here, all the struggles, all the trials, like all of it feels worth it now."

  Plumeria eyed him skeptically. "You sure about that?"

  "Yeah. So, at the start, it was like we'd lived each other's lives up until we showed up here. Almost like we were the same person…" Ian reflected, struggling to find the right word to label his conviction. "But her, she's been given her every wish, and nothing ever goes wrong."

  "Like she's in the video games you two played?" Plumeria asked as she held Ian's belt of Poke Balls out.

  "Almost exactly that, it's freaky," Ian said as he buckled the belt on his person.

  Plumeria turned to observe Anabel, Gladion, and Suzy-Marie, then shook her head. "She's almost crying. Ian, let me be the first to say I'm very glad you're not a baby like that."

  "Thanks."

  "I think Anabel knows where you're from. She didn't say much, but she was trying to hint at some 'secret knowledge' you might know," Plumeria explained.

  "Suzy-Marie says she told her and Gladion, and some other random chick. What'd you tell Anabel?"

  "I didn't acknowledge it," Plumeria said.

  "Yo Ian, Plumeria!" Tupp called out. "Craig's saying we can come inside and eat, ASF will go after us."

  "C'mon, let's get away from this BS," Plumeria said, putting her hand on his shoulder.

  ***

  It was like a royal feast, with what he assumed was the Pokemon world equivalent of flank steak being served up, with mashed taters and some green gravy that didn't look appealing but tasted like a dream. With some greens and freshly squeezed juice to wash it down, Ian figured he hadn't eaten so well since he'd arrived in Alola. It must be even crazier for the rest of Team Skull. Having an actual home-cooked meal after three weeks of varying levels of slop had to be a dream come true. When Kathy came in to check on how the Team Skull members were enjoying their meal, Ian thought they were going to tackle her with the most exuberant hug of all time.

  When Craig checked in, Ian approached him away from the table. "So, my apologies on that blow up in there," he said to the rancher. "It shouldn't have happened in your home like that."

  Craig shook his head and offered his hand. "Hau explained it pretty well, it involved some pretty extraordinary circumstances."

  Ian shook it with a relieved smile. "Thank you for understanding sir, and thanks for the meal. It was the best any of us have had in a while."

  "Kathy told me," Craig said with a big grin on his bearded face before he turned to address the rest of the members who were still enjoying their feast. "I haven't seen my wife smile that big in a long time. I appreciate the kind words more than you know."

  A cacophony of sound erupted from the table until Plumeria shooshed them. Tupp used the silence to speak up. "When this Ultra Rift stuff's done I wanna come work here. All you gotta do is pay me with more of Ms. Kathy's cooking."

  Craig chuckled. "Well, as long as the Alolan government doesn't start enforcing minimum wage laws again I think that can be arranged," Craig chuckled some more at his own joke. "But in all seriousness, come on back anytime. We look forward to doing more business with you guys."

  Plumeria nodded. "I'm not sure when it'll be, it's been quite a trip getting over here."

  "Understandable," Craig said. "But feel free to use the Driftwood Guild to communicate stuff or even use it as a small courier. I might be able to send some stuff your way so you don't have to travel across the island for something small."

  Plumeria grimaced. "We'll have to consider it." That's her very polite way of saying no.

  When each Team Skull member had full bellies and had personally thanked Kathy once more for the wonderful food, the squad cleared out. Ian was the first out the door, with the ASF squad glaring daggers at him. Ian noticed Suzy-Marie was on the side talking to Colress of all people. He noticed Colress point at Suzy Marie's hair accessory and his creepy smile grew incredibly wide. Into a sort of knowing smirk? For what? The Rainbow Badge? Has he ever taken notice of a fashion accessory?

  "Hey Ian," Anabel said as she approached, her arms folded. "We had a little idea since you and Suzy-Marie need to blow off some steam."

  "What?" Ian asked, sensing Plumeria had stopped right behind him.

  "We were thinking you two could let out all of those bad feelings with a little Pokemon battle. Something like a three versus three?"

  "No thanks," Plumeria said, putting her hand on Ian's shoulder to guide him away from the potential confrontation.

  "Plumeria, no," Ian said decisively, turning to Anabel, his blood running hot with determination. "You're on."